ZUKIC: OHR IS OBLIGED TO IMPLEMENT THE CIVILIAN COMPONENT OF THE ANNEX 7

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (October 30,2008) - The Office of the International Community's High Representative in Bosnia (OHR) is obliged to implement the civilian component of the Annex 7 of the Dayton Agreement which is the return process, stated at the press conference,the President of the Boanian association of refugees, displaced persons and returnees, Mirhunisa Zukic.

Zukic also stated that the political factor was the limit and that it did not allow for the process to complete.

"Current strategy for the implementation of Annex 7 clearly stated the carriers of the return process and gave responsibilities, which are state ministry and local government. However, neither one nor the other do their jobs because we have a lot of political influence and people in local communities come from political parties and that is why we have ethnically ecclusive areas”, stated Zukic.

Many municipal mayor do not know that people have returned nor have any care for them, stated Zukic and added that one of the biggest problems is to secure sustainable return and employment for returnees.

Bosnia has 43.000 families waiting for reconstruction of their homes, 2.550 families, or about 7.000 Bosnian citizens live in collective and alternative placements, 2.750 returnees’ households live without electric energy and only 1% of returnees are employed in public management.
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