Returning or selling the property

Serbs in Sarajevo

Sarajevo,06 August, 1997 (AIM) -In several outskirt regions of Sarajevo it takes a week to get the necessary documents (id cards, birth and other certificates, ......) The reason is increasing number of Serb citizens waiting in those line-ups every day. They are applying for the documents of Federation of B&H, for their apparent return to Sarajevo.Their true intentions are shown in the data on private property sales ( houses, business offices, land....). According to the records in the Secretariate for property and legal relations and the property matters in the Ilidza municipality, only one of 16 Serb returnees who own houses actually returned home...All others arrived to "settle the documents", i.e.to sell their property.Naturally, their right is not being disputed by anyone, but there appears a problem of accommodation of those refugees who lived in their houses. Often, these temporary ( new -to be more exact ) inhabitants of Sarajevo decide to settle this situation independently. They simply harass the owner using coarse language, threats and even physical violence, hence they prevent his intention in this manner. However, sometimes the "Buyer" end up having trouble, Bosniak at that, usually from Sandzak (which is another issue to be considered in depth since the inhabitants from this part of Serbia are not considered to be foreign citizens in B&H). Such event happened these days, when one former Sarajevan, Serb from Pofalici (municipality Novo Sarajevo) tried to sell his house. The refugees which are currently living in the house received the owner with coffee, while they physically attacked the potential buyers, two man from Sandzak.

In the statement they gave to the police the next day, they calmly said: For us, those who buy Serb houses are more guilty. And they swear that they are true Bosniaks and Muslims at that."(!?) (end)