Republika Srpska
A SERB TERRORIST REGION (49% OCCUPIED TERRITORY OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA) BASED ON GENOCIDE, TERROR, MURDER, EXPULSION, DESTRUCTION OFF ALL THINGS AND HERITAGE THAT IS MUSLIM OR CATHOLIC.
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| Official languages | Serbian, Croatian, Bosniak | ||||
| Capital | Banja Luka | ||||
| Area – Total – % water |
24,811 km² n/a | ||||
| Population – Total (2001) – Density |
1,490,993 60/km² | ||||
| Ethnic groups (1996) |
Serbs: 90% Bosniaks: 7% Others: 3% | ||||
| President | Dragan Čavić | ||||
| Prime minister | Pero Bukejlović | ||||
| Anthem | Bože Pravde (God the Righteous) | ||||
| Time zone | UTC +1 | ||||
| Currency | Convertible Mark (KM)
NameIn English it is sometimes called the Serb Republic or Republic of Sumska, because the word "srpska" is primarily interpreted as an adjective ("Serbian", that which belongs to Serbs). However, using the previous precedents such as the word "hrvatska" (which means both "Hrvatska" - Croatia and "hrvatska" - Croatian as an adjective, f.), the word Srpska was also declared to be a proper noun. Because of the potential for confusion between the "Serb Republic"/"Republic of Srpska" (Republika Srpska) and the "Republic of Serbia" (Republika Srbija), the name "Republika Srpska" is often used in its untranslated form in non-Slavic countries to avoid any confusion with the Republic of Serbia. This article follows that convention. HistoryOriginsFor the origins and early history of Serbs in the territory of today's Republika Srpska, see History of the Serbs. Also see: Vrbaska banovina, History of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bosanska Krajina. Creation of Republika SrpskaDuring the political crisis that followed the secession of Slovenia and Croatia from the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on June 25, 1991, a separate Bosnian Serb Assembly was founded on October 24, 1991, as the representative body of Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnian Serbs claimed that this was a necessary step since the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina at that time defined that no major changes were to be granted short of a unanimous agreement from all three sides and Bosnian Muslims (now called Bosniaks) and Bosnian Croats wanted independence of Bosnia against the Bosnian Serbs's standpoints. A plebiscite that asked citizens whether they wanted to remain within Yugoslavia was held on November 9 and 10, 1991. The parliamentary government of Bosnia and Herzegovina with clear Bosniak and Croat majority asserted that this plebiscite was illegal, but the Bosnian Serb Assembly acknowledged its results. On November 21, 1991, the Assembly proclaimed that all those municipalities, local communities, and populated places in which over 50% of the people of Serbian nationality had voted, as well as those places where citizens of other nationalities had expressed themselves in favour of remaining in a joint Yugoslav state, would be territory of the federal Yugoslav state. On January 9, 1992, the Bosnian Serb Assembly adopted a declaration on the Proclamation of the Republic of the Serb people of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Republika srpskog naroda Bosne i Hercegovine). On February 28, 1992, the constitution of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared that the state's territory included Serb autonomous regions, municipalities, and other Serbian ethnic entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (including regions described as "places in which the Serbian people remained in the minority due to the genocide conducted against them during World War II"), and it was declared to be a part of the federal Yugoslav state. From February 29 to March 2, 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina held a referendum on independence. The majority of Bosnian Serbs boycotted the vote on the grounds that it was unconstitutional because the referendum bypassed the veto power of the representatives of the Serbian people in the Bosnian parliament. On April 6, 1992, the European Community formally recognised the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared its independence on April 7, 1992. On August 12, 1992, the reference to Bosnia and Herzegovina was dropped from the name, and it became simply Republika Srpska. War in BosniaThe Bosnian Serb Army was created from Bosnian Serb officers and soldiers of Yugoslav People's Army, maintained and expanded the borders of Republika Srpska during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia. On May 12, 1992, at a session of the Bosnian Serb Assembly, Radovan Karadžić announced the six "strategic objectives" of the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
At the same session, the Bosnian Serb Assembly voted to create the Vojska Republike Srpske (VRS) (Army of the Republika Srpska), and appointed Ratko Mladić, the commander of the Second Military District of the Yugoslav federal army, as commander of the VRS Main Staff. At the end of May 1992, after the withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Second Military District was essentially transformed into the Main Staff of the VRS. The new army immediately set out to achieve by military means the six "strategic objectives" of the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the goals of which were reaffirmed by an operational directive issued by General Mladić on November 19, 1992). Various allegations have been made with regard to the nature of the Serb Republic with respect to the amount of ethnic cleansing and other war crimes committed against non-Serbs in territory controlled by the Republika Srpska and its military forces. So far, the authorities of Republika Srpska have only admitted to two massacres: the Vlašić massacre of 90 Bosniak civilians in 1992 and the 1995 massacre of 5-8,000 Bosniaks at Srebrenica. Both its founding President and war-time military leader Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić are sought by the Hague Tribunal but some of those responsible for concentration camps (not to be confused with Nazi-style extermination camps) at Omarska, Trnopolje and Manjaca remain in positions of local authority. To some, the name and insignia of Republika Srpska are inherently intolerant towards other Bosnians and evoke very negative connotations of war-time problems for them. LegitimacyThe legal existence of Republika Srpska was postulated by the Agreed Basic Principles issued on September 8, 1995, and the Further Agreed Basic Principles issued on September 26, 1995, and was confirmed by the Dayton Peace Agreement, although Republika Srpska has never received international recognition as a state. (Under an agreement on August 29, 1995, a unified delegation composed of three delegates of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and three delegates of Republika Srpska — led by former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milošević — was authorized to negotiate and sign the Dayton Peace Agreement on behalf of the Republika Srpska.) Republika Srpska was not created by the Dayton Peace Agreement; indeed, Republika Srpska was a party to several of the annexes to the General Framework Agreement. Republika Srpska has maintained its territorial and legal continuity since it was proclaimed on January 9, 1992, and the constitution adopted in 1992 (as amended) remains in force to this day. A revision or withdrawal of the Dayton Agreement would not cause a discontinuation of Republika Srpska (nor a number of other changes in the political makeup of Bosnia and Herzegovina possibly required to make the government more straightforward), only a democratic consensus. PoliticsThe RS has its own government, coat of arms, anthem, president, parliament (the Народна Скупштина Републике Српске/Narodna Skupština Republike Srpske), customs department (as part of the state-level customs department of Bosnia and Herzegovina), postal system, and airline (Air Srpska). Republika Srpska also has its own entity police force and a standing army (Vojska Republike Srpske ). In late 2004 negotiations begun on integrating the police systems of both entities, including the transfer of the administration from the entity ministries to a new state-level Ministry of Security. Armies of both entities are now under the control of a new state-level Ministry of Defence. Entity armies (including Vojska Republike Srpske) are to be united by the end of the 2005 and entity-level Ministry of Defence are to be abolished by January 1, 2006 pending the ratification by entity's parliaments. RS uses the convertible mark currency along with the rest of Bosnia-Herzegovina. It uses the Serbian tricolour as its flag. Although the constitution names Sarajevo as the capital of the RS, the northwestern city of Banja Luka is the headquarters of most of the institutions of government — including the parliament — and the de facto capital. Administrative divisionsRepublika Srpska is divided into municipalities. There are sixty-three municipalities within Republika Srpska. Also a significant portion of the Brčko District (48% of its area) was created from Republika Srpska's territory (Republika Srpska controlled this territory until March 5th, 1999; see the History and Mandate of the OHR North/Brcko). When the Brčko District was created, Republika Srpska's territory within the District (as well as that of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina) became a shared territory of both entities. District Brčko's territory was defined as being shared by both entities as a condominium, but it was not placed under control of either of the two, and is hence under direct jurisdiction of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Republika Srpska's authorities never officially accepted the Brčko Arbitration result, but nevertheless had to comply. EconomyBosnia and Herzegovina – and therefore also Republic of Srpska as one of its two entities, has been marked as a country which achieved the major improvement in implementation of the transitional reforms, and therefore has switched from the post conflict phase, to the group of countries in transition. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, in its report for 2004, confirmed the accomplishment of the microeconomic stability. Positive dynamic of development in Republic of Srpska is also illustrated by the microeconomic indicators. Inflation that amounted up to 16% at the end of 2000, has reduced significantly since that time and it ranges between 1–2%, industrial production is increasing and unemployment rate is declining slowly. Inflow of the foreign investments is doubled in period from year 2000. by year 2003. amounting nearly 5% of GDP. In 2004, Republic of Srpska received more foreign investments than in all previous years, which can be proved by the agreements on strategic partnership concluded between the Iron Ore Mine “Ljubija” Prijedor and a leading world steel producer, British company “LNM” as well as the agreement on strategic partnership concluded between a Russian company “Južuralzoloto” and Leads and Zinc Mine “Sase” Srebrenica. Since 2001, Republic of Srpska initiated significant reforms in the sector of tax system, which provided decrease of tax burden on 28.6% which was one of the lowest in region. The 10% tax rate of capital gains tax and income tax are the lowest in Europe and highly stimulating for the foreign investments. Also, it is necessary to add that there are no legislative limits on the amount of earnings. Higher number of tax payers, increase of budget incomes and creation of a stable fiscal system were necessary hypothesis for further reforms in the sectors of customs and taxes, which is currently a priority goal of local authorities. Introduction of VAT, which was expected in 2005, is one of the most demanding projects, which are under the constant activity. The average salary in august 2004 was 660KM (around 340 EUR). From 1998-2003 average salary in Republika Srpska is increasted from 280 to 660KM (more then twice). These data are taken from the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Hercegovina. MiscellaneousIn 1992, the new government of RS issued postage stamps and currency -- prized abroad by collectors. From 1992-94 RS had its own currency, the Republika Srpska dinar. Republika Srpska does not have its own Internet domain name (nor does the Federation), but its institutions do not prefer the Bosnia-Herzegovina TLD (.BA) or indeed any other single TLD. Third parties offer the subdomain .RS under either one of the top level domains .BA (Bosnia & Herzegovina) [1] or .SR (Suriname, but resembling Serbia, which actually uses .YU) [2]. See also
Official pages
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