ALKALAJ: NO LEGAL BASIS FOR BOSNIAN CENTRAL ELECTIONS COMMISSION DECISION

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 28,2008) - The Bosnian Foreign Affairs Minister Sven Alkalaj is surprised by the Bosnian Central Elections Commission decision which suspended him and Deputy Defence Minister Igor Crnadak and Deputy Civil Affairs Minister Senad Sepic from applying to any of the positions obtained through elections or immediate elections in the following four years.

The Commission stated that the three officials breeched the decrees of the Bosnian Law on Collision of Interest. Minister Alkalaj announced to make an appeal to the department court.

The Bosnian Central Elections Commission determined that Alkalaj performed two functions in the period from February 9 2007 to January 21 2008 – he was the Bosnian Foreign Affairs Minister and a member of the VGT Insurance Visoko Managing Board, which made business with the Bosnian state in the amount of over 5.000,00 Bosnian Marks per a year.

However,Alkalaj stated at a press conference in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo that he has still not obtained an official information from the Commission, and added that no factual or legal basis existed for such a decision.

He stated that the documents which have been submitted to the Commission clearly state that there is no collision of interest, for the circumstance according to which he was a member of the company’s Managing Board at a time does not, by itself, stand as a breech of law. He had resigned the position of the Managing Board member prior to the Commission’s decision.

”As a minister, I have gained no material use for I have given up all the incomes for membership at the Managing Board”, Alkalaj stated and added that after his nomination to the position of the Bosnian Foreign Affairs Minister, the insurance company did not make a single agreement with the Bosnian state.

He is of the opinion that it is obvious that certain members of the Bosnian Central Elections commission do not care a lot about the facts. They were exclusively lead by the political goals.

He said that certain political parties, “for reasons already known to the public”, have been taking an action against him for some time. He also said that some members of the Bosnian Central Elections Commission had personal motifs, for they expect that it is a good way of preventing announcement of the data and initiation of procedures related to their illegal actions, at the previous functions they performed.

However, the key reason for this decision is seen by Minister Alkalaj in the fact that the country’s foreign policy is being created inside, not outside of Bosnia and that the position of Bosnia is growing stronger day by day in the world.

”It is obvious that positive results of such policy are seen, especially when we talk about the acceleration of integration of Bosnia into EU and NATO. It is clear that those who openly say things that are not in the interest of Bosnia have their reasons for that to happen”, the Bosnian Foreign Affairs Minister Sven Alkalaj said.
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