SDA: BOSNIA NEEDS ESSENTIAL, NOT COSMETIC REFORMS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 5,2008) – The SDA Party Collegium supported the attitude of the party’s President Sulejman Tihic at the meeting of Bosnia's six main political parties in Siroki Brijeg.

In a press conference, Tihic announced that the SDA has entirely different position on the issue, than other parties. The SDA does not think that the proposed reform would result in a single police structure in Bosnia, and that a central police body would have no power over local police,Tihic stated.

The SDA is supportive of signing the Stabilisation and Association agreement (SAA) beteween Bosnia and the EU, but will always insist on the police reform which is in accordance to the three European principles. The party officials added that the Bosnian citizens need an efficient police, not an ethnically based police forces, which is the case now.

”Not cosmetic, but essential reforms are the only options for Bosnia. That is why the SDA Party is disappointed and worried with High Representative’s advocating interests of one side in police reform negotiations, meaning that the HR meets Milorad Dodik’s ultimatums. We are supportive of the constitutional reforms which will enable integration and strengthening of Bosnia,” the SDA Party announced.

The SDA also said that it supports the project of construction of facilities in the electric energy sector in Bosnia, but is also asking that the decision proposed is re-examined in the number of instances such are the following: legality of the procedures, foreign partners’ credibility, capacity of the domestic companies.

A tender needs to be announced for the construction of hydroelectric power plants in Konjic Municipality. That is not a process that is to be conducted on the basis of individual offers.