BOSNIAN PRESIDENCY MEMBER HARIS SILAJDZIC: ENTITY VOTING IS AN OBSTACLE TO BOSNIA'S PROGRESS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (October 31,2007) – A member of the Bosnian Presidency Haris Silajdzic told the press yesterday that the talks on the Bosnian constitutional changes will probably be characterized by the efforts of finding a commont ground between various opinions.

Silajdzic believes that the International community will also be engaged, especially in the period of changes in the time that comes.

”That is an important period. We need the International Community to make efforts so that we get a constitution which is really democratic and truly European”, he said.

Bosnia is not making a progress on that way. However, Silajdzic is optimistic regardless of all the obstacles and halts.

Commenting the Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis’s expose on the recent package of constitutional changes, in which he stated that it is a shame that the package had been rejected, Silajdzic said that the Council of Europe Report stated the same thing in the preamble.

”However, once the situation is analyzed a bit better, one will see that the so-called memorandum stated that the entity voting needs to be annulled. The European Parliament stated the same thing last month. Entity voting is not a normal phenomenon and is an obstacle to Bosnia’s progress”, Silajdzic said.