The war veterans who staged a protest in Sarajevo on Wednesday apologised to the citizens for what the protest turned into and said they had no intention to cause incidents.
According to a war veteran who took part in the protest, the incidents which led to the clash with the police were caused by some “infiltrated elements.”
“We had no intention to cause unpleasantness, we apologise to citizens. Somebody staged this, about 200 of our comrades is undergoing some sort of a home treatment. We will be here until the end of the working hours and then will go either home or to the war veteran camp,” the veteran said.
The war veterans first gathered in front of the parliament building on Wednesday and then took to the streets where they clashed with the police, which left several police officers injured. The veterans expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) entity failed to convene by September 5, the deadline the veterans set, to harmonize two versions of the law treating the veterans’ rights.
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The veterans said they would no longer stage protests in front of the institutions but will be coming to the political parties’ rallies.
“We will go, we know very well they are on the (election) lists and we'll ask them why did they remove the law and why are they waiting for someone else to solve that,” the veterans emphasized.
Speaking for Sarajevo media on Thursday, FBiH Minister for the Issues of Veterans, Salko Bukvarevic, expressed regret over the incidents and said it was necessary to solve all problems in a dialogue.
“What happened yesterday was absolutely unnecessary and I find the organizers of such gatherings, who didn't carry out the procedure in line with the law, the main culprits,” Bukvarevic said for Faktor.ba news website.
