Nezavisne novine: The House of Peoples of the Parliament of BiH has yesterday in first reading adopted the amendment to the Constitution of BiH, by which the Brčko District is being incorporated into the constitutional arrangement of BiH.
Only one day ago the same amendment has been adopted by the House of Representatives of the Parliament of BiH as well. In the next 15 days, in Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar, Brčko and Tuzla there will be organized public discussions on this amendment, before it goes to deliberation in the second reading.
"Accepting this amendment is a first change of the Constitution of BiH, which is very important for the Brčko District as well, but also for the whole legal system in BiH. The amendment is a result of the Prud process, but more important than that is to achieve the total compromise in its adoption. I believe that the Parliament of BiH will equally adopt the initiative for accession to change of the Constitution", has been said by Sulejman Tihić, deputy chairman of the House of Peoples.
Delegates of the House of Peoples have almost without exception supported the adoption of amendment by which Brčko has been defined as the unit of local self governance under the sovereignty of BiH, and whose territory is in the joint ownership of both entities.
Slobodan Šaraba, delegate of Serbian nation, was the only one to announce that in second reading he will ask for changes of the amendment adopted yesterday.
"I support the principles on which this amendment has been based. That is why I support it in first reading. In the second reading I will propose some changes of part which says that the Constitutional court is competent for disputes between the Brčko District and one or more entities. Our Constitution does not know more than only two entities", Šaraba has said.
Zoran Koprivica, Serbian delegate, has said that by adoption of this amendment the conditions for cancelation of supervision and supervisor are being fulfilled.
"It is also important that we confirm the principle from Prud that we will change the Constitution step by step, from easier to harder issues, in order to get the constitution which is good and acceptable for all people and citizens of BiH", Koprivica has said.
By accepting the adoption of this amendment, Croatian delegates have pointed out that this is only a beginning of the process of constitutional changes in BiH.
"This means the return of Brčko into the constitutional arrangement of BiH, but it also means the beginning of process which will result by new or reformed constitution, and which will be a guaranty of equality of all nations in BiH", has been said by Branko Zrno, delegate of Croatian nation.