RS leaders agree to relocate controversial church

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia and Herzegovina — Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Milorad Dodik and Bishop Vasilije Kacavenda have agreed to remove a church that was built in the yard of a Muslim woman who lost 22 relatives in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.The church, built after Serbs evicted the property’s Muslim owners in 1993, will be moved to a different location. Fata Orlovic, the current owner, took legal action to have the church removed when she returned to her home in 2002.

High Representative Christian Schwarz-Schilling issued a statement praising the agreement. Solving such issues in an orderly and dignified manner “helps build a virtuous cycle of trust and this positive momentum is critical to restoring confidence among the peoples”, he said. (Reuters, AFP – 08/06/07)