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The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, yesterday issued a Decision which extends his earlier Decision suspending the rights of municipal authorities in both Entities to re-allocate socially owned property until 31 July 2002.
He took the Decision in keeping with OHR efforts dating back to May 1999 to protect Annex 7 of the Dayton Peace Agreement which enshrines the right of refugees and displaced people to return to their homes. Before that date, there had been widespread misuse, re-allocation and sale of socially-owned land that was previously used by people who became refugees or displaced during the war. Re-allocation of socially owned land prior to this Decision amounted to stripping potential returnees of their homes, livelihoods and cultural and religious centres. The new Decision, which extends the last related Decision dated 27 April 2000, also seeks to end any further ambiguity by expressly excluding the following from the scope of the decision:
The High Representative's Decision also calls on the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and those in both Entities -- Federation BiH and Republika Srpska -- to take on full responsibility for ensuring re-allocation of socially-owned property in a manner which is non-discriminatory and which best serves the interests of BiH citizens. The authorities at both State and Entity level must take on this responsibility on a date to be agreed with the High Representative and by 31 July 2002 latest. Municipal authorities are herewith reminded that they may at present re-allocate socially owned land only when they have obtained a written waiver from the Office of the High Representative which acknowledges the proposed re-allocation as being in the public interest and which is non-discriminatory. The High Representative's Decision is backed by Article V, Annex 10 of the Dayton Peace Agreement and the subsequent 1997 Declaration in Bonn by the Peace Implementation Council.
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