Republika Srpska

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Република Српска Republika Srpska Republic of Srpska
Flag Emblem
Patron Saint Saint Stephen1
Location of Republika Srpska (yellow) in Bosnia and Herzegovina.2
Location Bosnia and Herzegovina on the European continent
Capital		Sarajevo (official), Banja Luka (de facto)
Official languages		Serbian, Bosnian, and Croatian3
Ethnic groups (2006 est)		Serbs: 88% Bosniaks: 8% Croats: 4%
Demonym		Bosnian Serb
Government		Parliamentary system
-	President	Rajko Kuzmanović (SNSD)
-	Prime Minister	Milorad Dodik (SNSD)
Entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina
-	Proclaimed	28 February 1992
-	Recognized in BiH constitution	14 December 1995 ...
Area
-	Total	24,857.2 km²  9,677 sq mi
-	Water (%)	N/A
Population
-	2006 estimate	1,487,785 4
-	1996 census	1,475,288 5
-	Density	60/km²  155/sq mi
Currency		Convertible Mark (BAM)
Time zone		CET (UTC+1)
-	Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Even though the Constitutional Court has ruled against and even in favor of individual national symbols on entity flags/coats of arms/anthem (RS and FBiH), the Constitutional Court has, in a spontaneous decision, decided that national symbols are to be banned from entity flags, coats of arms, and anthem (anthem applies to RS only, since FBiH does not have one) The decision was passed on January 29, 2007.[1] This decision entered into force upon its publication in the Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 31, 2007.[2]
1	St. Stephen's day is celebrated as the Day of the Republika Srpska and falls on January 9 according to the calendar of the Eastern Orthodox Church (in the RS, the Serb Orthodox Church). It has been ruled unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[citation needed]
2	Although the Brčko District is formally held in condominium by both entities simultaneously (the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina), it is a de facto third entity, as it has all the same powers as the other two entities and is under the direct sovereignty of BiH.[3] [4]
3	The Constitution of Republika Srpska avoids naming the languages, and lists the "languages of Serbs, Bosniaks, and Croats.
4	excluding RS's 48% of the Brčko District
5	including refugees abroad

Republika Srpska (Serbian: Република Српска, Republika Srpska (listen (help·info)), also Српска, Srpska; Bosnian and Croatian: Republika Srpska; English: Republic of Srpska or Republika Srpska) is one of the two political entities which represent a lower level of governance in the present-day country of Bosnia and Herzegovina; the other entity is the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As indicated under Article 9 of the Constitution of Republika Srpska, "the capital of Republika Srpska is Sarajevo". However, its de facto capital is Banja Luka. The entity is home to three ethnic "constituent peoples": Serbs, Bosniaks and Croats. It was also known as the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina during a period in 1992.

Contents 1 Name 2 Geography 2.1 Boundary 2.2 Municipalities 2.3 Cities 3 History 3.1 Creation of the Republika Srpska 3.2 Republika Srpska and the Bosnian War 3.3 The post-war Republika Srpska 4 Demographics 4.1 1991 4.1.1 Note 4.2 1996 4.3 2007 4.4 Modern estimates 4.5 Vital Statistics 5 Economy 5.1 Foreign investment 5.2 External trade 5.3 Taxation 5.4 Salaries 6 Government and politics 6.1 External relations 6.2 The status of Republika Srpska 7 Culture 7.1 People 7.2 Museums 7.3 Sport 7.4 Education 7.5 Media 8 Currency 9 Internet domains 10 References 11 See also 12 External links

[edit] Name

The word "Srpska" can be interpreted as an adjective ("Serb"), and, bearing in mind language rules for the creation of names of countries in Serbian and other Slavic languages, also as a proper noun. The Serbian name for several countries is analogous: France - Republika Francuska (Република Француска), which is also the official French name for France (République Française); Croatia - Republika Hrvatska (Република Хрватска); Bulgaria - Republika Bugarska (Република Бугарска), and so on. However, in these cases there has long existed an appropriate Latinized translation of the name to English.

The government of Republika Srpska uses the term "Republic of Srpska" in English translations of official documents.

Republika Srpska is sometimes translated as "Serb Republic", although it should be mentioned that this is not universally accepted, as some believe it to be a mistranslation. Those who oppose such translation argue that the Republika Srpska per its constitution is an entity of three ethnic groups so the possessive adjective in this translation tends to violate rights of other two constituent ethnicities in the entity by describing the entity as belonging to only one ethnic group. The similar name convention is given to the other BiH entity, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, also referred to as Muslim-Croat Federation which is implied to violate the rights of the Serbs in that entity. Both naming conventions largely stem from the nationalist animosities apparent in both entities following the 1990's Bosnian War.

[edit] Geography

[edit] Boundary

The Inter-Entity Boundary Line (IEBL) that distinguishes Bosnia and Herzegovina's two entities essentially runs along the military front lines as they existed at the end of the Bosnian War, with adjustments (most importantly in the western part of the country and around Sarajevo) made at the Dayton peace conference. The total length of the IEBL is approximately 1,080 km. The IEBL is an administrative demarcation and not controlled by the military or police and there is free movement across it.

[edit] Municipalities

Main article: Municipalities of Republika Srpska

Under the Law on Territorial Organization and Local Self-Government adopted in 1994, Republika Srpska was divided into 80 municipalities. After the conclusion of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the law was amended in 1996 to reflect the changes to the country's borders and now provides for the division of Republika Srpska into 63 municipalities.

[edit] Cities

The largest towns in Republika Srpska are:^{[citation needed]}

• Banja Luka - 200,000
• Bijeljina - 100,000
• Prijedor - 98,000
• Doboj - 96,000
• East Sarajevo - 71,210
• Gradiška - 75,000
• Trebinje - 70,000
• Prnjavor - 45,000
• Mrkonjić Grad - 40,000
• Foča - 35,000
• Novi Grad - 30,000
• Bileća - 25,000
• Modriča - 32,000
• Čelinac - 20,000

Note: the town of Brčko is part of the Brčko District, which is part of both entities (the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina).

[edit] History

Main article: History of Republika Srpska

Republika Srpska has been inhabited at least since Neolithic times. in the late Bronze Age, the Neolithic population was replaced by more warlike Indo-European tribes known as the Illyrians. Celtic migrations in the 4th and 3rd century BC displaced many Illyrian tribes from their former lands, but some Celtic and Illyrian tribes mixed. Conflict between the Illyrians and Romans started in 229 BC, but Rome wouldn't complete its annexation of the region until 9th century. In the Roman period, Latin-speaking settlers from all over the Roman empire settled among the Illyrians and Roman soldiers were encouraged to retire in the region.

Christianity had already arrived in the region by the end of the 1st century, and numerous artifacts and objects from the time testify to this. Following events from the years 337 and 395 when the Empire split, Dalmatia and Pannonia were included in the Western Roman Empire. The region was conquered by the Ostrogoths in 455, and further exchanged hands between the Alans and Huns in the years to follow. By the 6th century, Emperor Justinian had re-conquered the area for the Byzantine Empire. The Slavs, a migratory people from northeastern Europe, were subjugated by the Eurasian Avars in the 6th century, and together they invaded the Eastern Roman Empire in the 6th and 7th centuries, settling in what is now Republika Srpska and the surrounding lands. More South Slavs, mostly Serbs, came in a second wave, and according to some scholars were invited by Emperor Heraclius to drive the Avars from Dalmatia.

Upon their arrival, the Slavs brought with them a tribal social structure, which probably fell apart and gave way to feudalism only with Frankish penetration into the region in the late 9th century. It was also around this time that the south Slavs were Christianized. The region of Republika Srpska had been part of the kingdoms of Serbia and Croatia, whose borders were often fluctuant. However, by the high middle ages the Bosnian nobles began to become increasingly independent, ruling over an area of which gradually increased in size. This occurred due to external political circumstances. Croatia had been acquired by the Hungarian Kingdom, and the Serbian state to the southeast was in a period of stagnation. Control over Bosnia subsequently was contested between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Byzantine empire. History of the region from then until the early 14th century was marked by the power struggle between the Šubić and Kotromanić families. This conflict came to an end in 1322, when Stjepan II Kotromanić became ban. By the time of his death in 1353, he had succeeded in annexing territories to the north and west, as well as Zahumlje and parts of Dalmatia. He was succeeded by his nephew Tvrtko who, following a prolonged struggle with nobility and inter-family strife, gained full control of the country in 1367. Under Tvrtko, Bosnia grew in both size and power, finally becoming an independent kingdom in 1377. The title of King Tvrtko was "King of Serbs, Bosnia and the Seacoast". Following his death in 1391 however, Bosnia fell into a long period of decline. The Ottoman Empire had already started its conquest of Europe and posed a major threat to the Balkans throughout the first half of the 15th century. Finally, after decades of political and social instability, Bosnia officially fell in 1463. Herzegovina would follow in 1482, with a Hungarian-backed reinstated "Bosnian Kingdom" being the last to succumb in 1527.

Throughout the mid-19th century, Herzegovina was a target of expansion of the young Montenegrin state in the name of the liberation of the Serbian people from Ottoman rule. Herzegovinian Serbs and Croats actively participated in the Montenegrin efforts to liberate them and to that end, they frequently rose in rebellion against the Ottoman rule. These efforts culminated in 1875 and 1876, during the Nevesinjska puška uprising. Montenegro did succeed in liberating and annexing large parts of Herzegovina before the Berlin Congress of 1878, including the Nikšić area.

In 1878, territory of present Republika Srpska, was occupied by Austria-Hungary, only nominally remaining under Ottoman rule. This caused great resentment among its populace which resisted the invaders in small flare-ups of rebellious activity that ended in 1882. The Serbian population of Herzegovina and Bosnia had hoped that the province would be divided and annexed to Serbia and Montenegro. The occupation caused a temporary rift in the Serbo-Austrian relations and threatened to grow into an open conflict.

Although successful economically, Austro-Hungarian policy - which focused on advocating the ideal of a pluralist and multi-confessional Bosnian nation (largely favored by the Muslims) - failed to curb the rising tides of nationalism. The concept of Croat and Serb nationhood had already spread to Bosnia and Herzegovina's Catholics and Orthodox communities from neighboring Croatia and Serbia in the mid 19th century, and was too well-entrenched to allow for the wide-spread acceptance of a parallel idea of Bosnian nationhood. By the latter half of the 1910s, nationalism was an integral factor of Bosnian politics, with national political parties corresponding to the three groups dominating elections.

The idea of a unified South Slavic state (typically expected to be spear-headed by independent Serbia) became a popular political ideology in the region at this time, including in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Austro-Hungarian government's decision to formally annex Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908 (i.e. Bosnian crisis) added to a sense of urgency among these nationalists. The political tensions caused by all this culminated on June 28, 1914, when Serb nationalist youth Gavrilo Princip assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in Sarajevo; an event that proved to be the spark that set off World War I. During the war Austrian authorities commit numerous severe crimes against Serbian civilian population.

Following World War I, territory of present Republika Srpska was incorporated into the South Slav Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (soon renamed Yugoslavia).

Once the kingdom of Yugoslavia was conquered by Nazi forces in World War II, all of Bosnia was ceded to the Nazi-puppet state of Croatia. The Nazi rule over Bosnia led to widespread persecution. The Jewish population was nearly exterminated. Many Serbs in the area took up arms and joined the Chetniks; a Serb nationalist and royalist resistance movement that both conducted guerrilla warfare against the Nazis. Starting in 1941, Yugoslav communists under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito organized their own multi-ethnic resistance group, the partisans, who fought against both Axis and Chetnik forces. Ante Pavelić, the Ustaša, subjected ethnic Serbs, together with much smaller minorities of Jews and Roma, to a campaign of genocidal persecution. Estimates for the number of Serbs killed in World War II vary between 500,000 and 1.2 million. Of that number Ustaše, according to United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, killed 330,000–390,000 ethnic Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. Senior German officers and diplomats in the region cited figures up to twice as high. For instance Hitler's high plenipotentiary in SE Europe, Hermann Neubacher, later wrote: "When leading Ustaše state that one million Orthodox Serbs (including babies, children, women and old men) were slaughtered, this in my opinion is a boasting exaggeration. On the basis of reports I received, I estimated that three quarters of a million defenceless people were slaughtered."

Military success eventually prompted the Allies to support the Partisans, and the end of the war resulted in the establishment of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, with the constitution of 1946 officially making Bosnia and Herzegovina one of six constituent republics in the new state. Because of its central geographic position within the Yugoslavian federation, post-war Bosnia was strategically selected as a base for the development of the military defense industry. This contributed to a large concentration of arms and military personnel in Bosnia; a significant factor in the war that followed the break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. However, Bosnia's existence within Yugoslavia, for the large part, was peaceful and prosperous. Being one of the poorer republics in the early 1950s it quickly recovered economically, taking advantage of its extensive natural resources to stimulate industrial development. The Yugoslavian communist doctrine of "brotherhood and unity" particularly suited Bosnia's diverse and multi-ethnic society that, because of such an imposed system of tolerance, thrived culturally and socially.

[edit] Creation of the Republika Srpska

During 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. Most Bosnian Serbs opposed any suggestion that Bosnia should also leave Yugoslavia. At this point, Serbs constituted about 31.4% of the population of Bosnia, with Croats (17.3%), Bosniaks (43.7%) and Yugoslavs (5.5%) making up the rest of the population.

The leading Serb political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serb Democratic Party, led by Radovan Karadžić, organized the creation of "Serb autonomous provinces" (SAOs) within Bosnia and the establishment of an assembly to represent them. In November 1991, the Bosnian Serbs held a referendum which resulted in an overwhelming vote in favour of staying in a common state with Serbia and Montenegro. On January 9, 1992, the Bosnian Serb Assembly proclaimed the Republic of the Serb people of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Република српског народа Босне и Херцеговине / Republika srpskog naroda Bosne i Hercegovine). On February 28, 1992, the constitution of the Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted and declared that the state's territory included Serb autonomous regions, municipalities, and other Serbian ethnic entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it was declared to be a part of the federal Yugoslav state.

The referendum and creation of SAOs were proclaimed unconstitutional by the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and declared illegal and invalid. However, from February 29 to March 2, 1992 the government held a referendum on Bosnian independence from Yugoslavia. That referendum was in turn declared contrary to the BiH and Federal constitution by the Yugoslav Federal Constitutional court and rebel Bosnian Serb authorities; it was largely boycotted by the Bosnian Serbs. The turnout was somewhere between 64-67%, and 98% of the voters voted for independence. It was unclear what the two-thirds majority requirement actually meant and whether it was satisfied.^{[citation needed]} Almost all Bosnian Serbs boycotted the vote on the grounds that it was unconstitutional because the referendum bypassed the veto power of the representatives of the Serb people in the Bosnian parliament. An independent Bosnia was proclaimed in March, by which time the country had already plunged into ethnic conflict, caused by the secession. The resistance to the secession of Bosnia-Herzegovina was assisted by the Yugoslav National Army (JNA) and paramilitary forces from Serbia.^{[5] [6]} On April 6, 1992, the European Community formally recognised the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Serb 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.

[edit] Republika Srpska and the Bosnian War

During the next three years, Republika Srpska was one of the three warring sides in the Bosnian War, the others being the pre-dominantly Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) internationally-recognised Government of BiH and the Bosnian Croat statelet of Herzeg-Bosna. At the start of the war, the RS was in a much stronger military position compared to the other two sides. Its army, the VRS (Army of Republika Srpska), was created from Bosnian Serb members of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and was heavily armed and equipped from JNA stockpiles in Bosnia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.^[7] In addition, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia provided extensive humanitarian, logistical and financial support for the Republika Srpska and its military with the ultimate goal of annexing the territory controlled by the VRS and making it a part of Serbia. ^[8]

By 1994, the United Nations estimated that more than half a million non-Serbs had been driven out from the territory controlled by Republika Srpska^{[citation needed]} and by the spring of 1996, a United Nations census indicated that Serbs constituted 96.8% of the population of the republic. However, the republic's actions produced worldwide condemnation, the establishment of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in 1993 and the eventual indictment of the Republika Srpska military and civilian leadership for war crimes on the non-Serb population,^[9] killing, torturing and raping at detention camps,^[10] and the siege of Sarajevo).

In 1995, Republika Srpska came close to collapse in the face of military offensives by the Croat/Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) forces and a concerted two-week campaign of NATO air strikes. Bosnian territory under RS control was reduced by one third and it later acceded to the Dayton Peace Agreement, accepted on its behalf by President Milošević (Bosnian Serb leaders were not able to attend the talks as arrest warrants against them had been issued by the ICTY). Under this accord, RS was recognized as one of two entities that would constitute a newly configured state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The total area of Republika Srpska is 49% of Bosnia's territory, with the Bosniak/Croat Federation constituting the other 51%.

The 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. According to this peace agreement, the Republika Srpska was recognized as one of the two entities that compose the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

[edit] The post-war Republika Srpska

Since the war, Republika Srpska has undergone many changes. Several of its wartime leaders were arrested or went into hiding following war crimes indictments, although in practice Radovan Karadžić continued to exert a degree of influence for years after the war's end. Some of the non-Serbs expelled during the war have returned to their former homes in Republika Srpska; the non-Serb population has increased to about 10% of the total. However, as in many other former socialist countries, both of Bosnia's entities have experienced severe economic problems during the transition to a market economy. In addition, widespread corruption has seriously hampered Bosnia's recovery from the conflict. Some have alleged that corruption is hidden behind nationalism. ^[11]

The UN-appointed High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina has greatly influenced the post-war development of Republika Srpska. Several of its wartime aspects of independence, such as a separate currency, have been abolished. A number of senior Republika Srpska officials have been removed from their posts by the High Representative after being accused of corruption and blocking the process of reform and reconstruction. It is likely that the powers of the republic will be further reduced in future, along with those of its Muslim/Croat counterpart, as a more centralized Bosnian-Herzegovinian state is further re-established by the international community.^{[citation needed]} However, since the position of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina is scheduled to be abolished in 2008 with his authority transferred to local politicians, the reform of the country would depend of the will of the politicians from both entities. Also, following Montenegro's decision to split from Serbia following a referendum in Montenegro and increasing dissatisfaction displayed by many Serbs in Republika Srpska, many of the citizens would like a referendum through which an independent Republika Srpska would be created, although the international community deems that entities do not have a right to hold a referendum.

[edit] Demographics

See also: Demographics of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ethnic Groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Republika Srpska comprises 49% of the land area of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is home to about 34% of the population. All data dealing with population, including ethnic distributions, are subject to considerable error due to:

1. the lack of official post-war census figures, that Bosniaks still don't want to held due high Serb removal from Federation of BiH.
2. the forced removal of members of minority ethnic groups.
3. the huge forced removal of Serbs from the Federation of BiH and, to a lesser extent, the territory of the Republika Srpska Krajina.

[edit] 1991

According to the 1991 census of BiH, the population of present-day territory of Republika Srpska numbered 1,619,165 inhabitants, including: ^[12]

• Serbs = 880,171 (54.4%)
• Bosnian Muslims = 466,458 (28.8%)
• Croats = 150,414 (9.3%)
• others = 122,122 (7.5%)

[edit] Note

In Yugoslavia, unlike the preceding Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bosniaks were not allowed to declare themselves as Bosniaks. As a compromise, the Constitution of Yugoslavia was amended in 1968 to list Muslims by nationality recognizing a nation, but not the Bosniak name. The Yugoslav "Muslim by nationality" policy was considered by Bosniaks to be neglecting and opposing their Bosnian identity because the term tried to describe Bosniaks as a religious group not an ethnic one. ^[13] When Bosnia declared independence from the former Yugoslavia, most people who used to declare themselves as Muslims began to declare themselves as Bosniaks. The election law of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, recognizes the results from 1991 population census as results referring to Bosniaks.

[edit] 1996

In 1996, the population of Republika Srpska numbered 1,475,288 inhabitants, including: ^[12]

• Serbs = 1,427,912 (96.8%)
• Bosniaks = 32,344 (2.2%)
• Croats = 15,028 (1.0%)
• others = 4 (0.0)

[edit] 2007

In 2007, the population of Repuklika Srpska numbered 1,512,108 inhabitants. including:^[12]

• Serbs = 1,430,128 (95.9%)
• Bosniaks = 48,108 (3.08%)
• Croats = 33,872 (1.9%)
• others = 6 (0.0%)

[edit] Modern estimates

• 1998: 1,428,798
• 1999: 1,448,579
• 2000: 1,469,182
• 2001: 1,490,993

In late 2001 48% of the Brčko District belonging to RS was lost, as it be came a de facto separate entity.

• 2002: 1,455,446
• 2003: 1,463,465
• 2004: 1,471,529
• 2005: 1,479,634
• 2006: 1,487,785

[edit] Vital Statistics

• Total Births (2007): 10,110 (Excluding Citizens living in foreign countries). [2]
• Total Deaths(2007): 14,146 [3]
• Total Marriages: 7,816 [4]

In 2006, 82.54% of the births and 81.82% of the deaths were Serb, 0.61% and 2.32% Croat, 8.10% and 8.32% Bosniac, 0.76% and 0.64% Others (Incl. Gypsies) and 8.00% and 6.90% unknown ethnicity. Among the Croat ethnic group, there were 70 live births and 320 deaths.

Out of the 7,816 marriages in 2006, in 5,577 marriages both the groom and bride were Serbs. There were 105 Serb-Croat marriages, out of which 51 involved a Serb groom. There were 73 Serb-Bosniac marriages, out of which 43 were Serb groom and Bosniak bride. Vast majority of the German and Ukranian brides and grooms intermarried with Serbs rather than marrying within their own ethnic group. Out of the 16 marriages which involved an ethnic German, none featured both the bride and groom from the same ethnic group. [5]

[edit] Economy

See also: Banja Luka Stock Exchange

This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can (May 2007).

Republika Srpska uses the convertible mark currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since a so-called "regulatory guillotine" it takes a few days to register a business in RS, in contrast to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it takes several months.^[14]

[edit] Foreign investment

An agreement on strategic partnership was concluded between the Iron Ore Mine Ljubija Prijedor and the British company LNM, a leading world steel producer. The Russian company Yuzhuralzoloto also signed a strategic partnership with the Lead and Zinc Mine Sase Srebrenica. Recent foreign investments include privatisation of Telekom Srpske, sold to the Serbian Telekom Srbija for (€646mln, and the sale of the petroleum and oil industry, based in Brod, Modriča and Banja Luka, to Zarubezhneft of Russia, whose investment is expected to total US$970mln in the coming years.^[15] On May 16, 2007 the Czech power utility ČEZ signed a €1.4 bln contract with the Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske, to renovate the Gacko I power plant and build a second, Gacko II.^[16]

[edit] External trade

In recent years exports (not including trade with the Federation of BiH) have grown significantly, and the level of import coverage has improved - from 1,130,518mln KM (€565mln) and 38.3% in 2005, to 1,539,229mln KM (€770mln) and 55.8% in 2006. In the first two months of 2007 exports grew 19% year on year, and imports by 39%.^{[17][18][19][20]}

[edit] Taxation

Since 2001, Republika Srpska initiated significant reforms in the sector of the tax system, which lowered the tax burden to 28.6%, one of the lowest in the region. The 10% rate of capital gains tax and income tax are the lowest in Europe and highly stimulating for foreign investment, and there are no limits on the amount of earnings. Increasing the number of taxpayers and budgeted incomes, and creating a stable fiscal system, were necessary for further reforms in the fields of taxation and duties; this area is a priority goal of the RS authorities. VAT has been introduced in 2006. Income tax is 46% in the RS, compared to nearly 70% in the Federation, and the corporate tax rate is 10%, compared to 30% in the Federation. These tax advantages have led to some companies moving their business to RS from the other entity.^[14]

[edit] Salaries

The average gross salary in August 2004 was 660KM (around 340 EUR). From 1998-2003, the average monthly salary in Republika Srpska increased from 280 to 660KM, according to the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Hercegovina.^{[vague][citation needed]} In January 2007, the average wage was 804KM (€400; gross) or 531KM (€265; net).^[21]

[edit] Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Republika Srpska

Under its constitution, Republika Srpska has a president, parliament (the 83-member National Assembly of Republika Srpska), executive (with a prime minister and several ministries), supreme court and lower courts, customs service (under the state-level customs service), and postal service. It also has its own coat of arms, flag (the Slavic tricolour), and national anthem. The Constitutional Law on Coat of Arms and Anthem of the Republika Srpska was ruled not in conformance with the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina as it states that those symbols "represent statehood of the Republika Srpska" and are used "in accordance with moral norms of Serb people". According to the Constitutional Court's decision, the Law was to be corrected by September 2006. The national assembly of Republika Srpska formed a board which is going to make a proposal for the anthem and coat of arms of Republika Srpska. Its flagship airline, Air Srpska, ceased operations in 2003.

Although the constitution names Sarajevo as the capital of Republika Srpska, the northwestern city of Banja Luka is the headquarters of most of the institutions of government — including the parliament — and is therefore the de facto capital.

After the war, Republika Srpska retained its army, but in August 2005, under considerable foreign pressure (acting primarily through the Office of the High Representative), the parliament consented to transfer control of Army of Republika Srpska to a state-level ministry and abolish the Republic's defense ministry and army by January 1, 2006. These reforms were required by NATO as a precondition of Bosnia and Herzegovina's admission to the Partnership for Peace. As of December 14, 2006, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a part of the Partnership for Peace-project.

Republika Srpska has its own police force, but in October 2005, again under pressure, the parliament consented to the creation over a five-year period of a single integrated police service at the state level, with local police areas that may cross the Inter-Entity Boundary Line if required based on technical considerations. These reforms were insisted upon by the European Union as a precondition for the negotiation of a Stabilization and Association Agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The leading Bosnian Serb party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), called on other political parties in Republika Srpska to organize a referendum on police reform in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The SNSD said the referendum should give a clear picture on whether the Bosnian Serb police should be dismissed or not in the process reforms under which a single police force is to be created on the state level.

"I do expect that the answer of most of citizens of Republika Srpska would be no," Rajko Vasić, member of the SNSD leadership said. He also said the party, which won exactly half the seats in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska on October 1, 2006, would suggest the referendum on police reform as an issue to be discussed at the first next session of the entity's parliament. Earlier this year the leader of the SNSD and the current RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik said he would be ready to sacrifice negotiations with the European Union on the eventual integration of BiH into the Union, if the RS police is to be abolished as part of the police reform on Bosnia's state-level.

As the response to the latest initiatives from Banja Luka, the Chairman of Bosnia's central government, the Council of Ministers, Adnan Terzić, blamed the international community and its passive stand towards the RS stance on police reform.

"Considering the reactions of the international community's officials to the obstructions from the Republika Srpska, they (Bosnian Serbs) can do whatever they want," Terzić told Sarajevo daily Dnevni avaz.

The police reform was aimed at joining police troops of the two ethnic entities into a single state-level police. The police reform fulfills three EU requests - establishment of a statewide police service, elimination of political interference and creation of patrol regions based on professional criteria.

"We do not want suspension of the talks on Stabilization and Association Agreement. However, we won't make concession on what we consider as a minimum requirement, that is retaining of the Republika Srpska Police as an organizational unit with clear competencies and jurisdiction within the reconstructed Police of BiH", Dodik said.

He announced that the RS side will step out of the police reforms process, if their wishes are not respected.

On the November 14, 2006, Uroš Pena, the RS chief of police, was quoted as saying that the agreement was being broken by the international community, not RS. In the agreement, it is written that the "Directorate for Police Reform shall be made up of professionals and experts from all levels of government (BiH, entities, cantons)...", which was ignored when a EU Police Mission representative was included.^[22]

[edit] External relations

On September 26, 2006 Republika Srpska officials signed a 'special ties agreement' with Serbia aimed at promoting economic and institutional cooperation between Serbia and the Republika Srpska (RS). The accord was signed by Serbia's President Boris Tadić and Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica, former RS President Dragan Čavić, and Prime Minister Milorad Dodik.

Tadić and Koštunica, accompanied by several ministers and some 300 businessmen, arrived in Banja Luka, the de facto capital of the Republika Srpska, on two special planes from Belgrade, in what was seen as the biggest-ever boost to strengthening ties in all spheres of life between the Republika Srpska and Serbia. The Serbian bank, the Komercijalna banka, and the "Dunav osiguranje" insurance company opened branches in Banja Luka and the Serbian news agency Tanjug also inaugurated its international press center in Banja Luka, in a day packed with business engagements.

The document sets out steps taken by Serbia and Republika Srpska officials to increase economic and political ties. It is similar to a previous one signed in 2001 between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republika Srpska, which had envisaged close cooperation in economy, defense, education and dual citizenship for the residents, said a Serbian government statement. The agreement gives Republika Srpska, the same status with Serbia as the state of Bosnia-Herzegovina as a whole.

"This agreement will stabilize the relations between countries in the region and it will promote economic, political and cultural relations between Serbia and Republika Srpska," Čavić told reporters after the signing ceremony. Koštunica added "We have long waited for this day," and insisting that the agreement would not be "a dead letter on paper," but would "live and be useful to the citizens of Serbia and Republika Srpska." Under the Dayton peace accord, which ended the Bosnian war in 1995, the country was divided into two entities - Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Republika Srpska. Each entity was accorded most of the powers of a state and the accord left room for special ties between the RS and Serbia, as well as between Croatia and the Bosnian Croats.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] The status of Republika Srpska

The political platform of some Bosniak political parties in the other entity (the Federation of BiH), most notably that of the SBiH party, includes the abolition of the Republika Srpska. The party's leader, Haris Silajdžić, has repeatedly stated that he wishes to see the RS dismantled.^[23][24]

In response to such statements, the Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik brought the idea of an independence referendum for RS into public debate when Montenegro seceded from the union with Serbia in an independence referendum on May 21, 2006. In an interview published in the Serbian media, Dodik said a referendum on independence for RS was a fair solution and that 99 percent of Bosnian Serbs support secession from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Dodik stated that this referendum is "inevitable" since Bosnia and Herzegovina has no viable future.^[25]

Sulejman Tihić, the Bosniak member of BiH's tripartite presidency, responded by saying that those who want to secede from Bosnia can pack up and leave, "but can’t take away an inch of Bosnian territory". Borislav Paravac, the Serb member of the state presidency, responded that Tihić's statement was an "irresponsible and scandalous act". "Bosnia isn’t his private property," said Paravac, adding that RS covers 49% of Bosnia’s territory and that Serbs are one of three constituent (autochthonous or native) peoples, with equal rights.

Prime Minister Dodik also stated that Tihić’s statement represented a drastic example of “hate and chauvinism” which would only further inflame ethnic passions in Bosnia. "In Tihić’s statement one can easily recognize an Islamic concept which sees Bosnia as its exclusive right," said Dodik. "Serbs are a constituent people in Bosnia and claim the same right to the country and to live in it," said Dodik.

The high representative of the international community in Bosnia has appealed to the leaders of all three nationalities to stop with their “inflammatory rhetoric”. However, Haris Silajdžić continued his calls for the RS to be abolished, and Dodik continued to propose that the Bosnian Serbs may seek a referendum on independence, despite a warning that he may be punished for such statements. The international community's high representative to Bosnia, German diplomat Christian Schwarz-Schilling, warned in Vienna, that "if he [Dodik] continues to talk about the referendum, I will have to remove him from office.”.

Dodik responded: "Let him be my guest and sack me. I stand by everything I said about the referendum". Dodik went further and explained that his statements were a response to repeated threats from Sarajevo that Republika Srpska should be dissolved.^{[citation needed]}.

The Former President of Republika Srpska, Milan Jelić, a member of Dodik's party, had then said that: "If the abolition of the RS is raised again we will continue the rhetoric of a referendum. However, that's not our aim, but to reform RS according to European standards, to make it the better part of BiH, which will drag the rest of BiH into Euro-Atlantic integration."^[26]

More recently measures announced by the current High Representative Miroslav Lajcak intended to improve the functionality of BiH state institutions, were interpreted by RS officials as undermining RS and the Bosnian Serbs. Measures have been met with strong opposition from the Bosnian Serbs leadership and resulted in the resignation of the BiH PM Nikola Spiric member of SNSD party. Lajcak responded that announced measures do not jeopardize either BiH entity or ethnic group an assesment which was confirmed by OHR. He further stated that unless measures are implemented by December 1st, he will use his powers as the top international administrator in BiH to impose them. The issue was resolved at the government level on December 4th partially when both the entities agreed to implement the said proposals, and is expected to be resolved by mid 2008 when the implementation of the same is expected to be finished. However it still remains to be seen if the general public of RS, which is seemingly opposed to the same accepts the same or not.

[edit] Culture

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

[edit] People

Musician Filip Višnjić, writer Petar Kočić, songwriter Dušan Šestić, his daughter-singer Marija Šestić, poet Jovan Dučić,writer Branko Ćopić, singer Lepa Brena, singer Vesna Pisarović were born in the territory of today's Republika Srpska.

[edit] Museums

The Museum of the Republika Srpska is located in Banja Luka, as well as the Museum of Contemporary Art.

[edit] Sport

Main article: Sport in Republika Srpska

Notable football clubs in the RS include Borac Banja Luka, Slavija Istočno Sarajevo, FK Radnik Bijeljina, FK Modriča, and FK Leotar Trebinje, which all play in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

[edit] Education

There are two public universities in the Republika Srpska: the University of Banja Luka, and the University of East Sarajevo (formerly the University of Serb Sarajevo) and several recently founded private universities, such as Slobomir P University. The University of Banja Luka was founded on November 7, 1975 and currently consist of about 17 faculties. Among them are Faculty of Electrical engineering [6], Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Economics [7], Faculty of Law, Academy of Arts ... The University of East Sarajevo traces its roots to 1946. Slobomir P University was founded by Mira and Slobodan Pavlovic, known as the foremost Serbian benefactors, who became legends of its nation in this hardship of the twentieth century, while still alive.

[edit] Media

The main media organisations of the Republika Srpska, such as RTRS and ATV, are based in Banja Luka. A notable exception is the BN TV station, based in Bijeljina, in the Semberija region.

[edit] Currency

The present currency is the Convertible Mark, the national currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In 1992, the new government of Republika Srpska had issued postage stamps and currency — now prized worldwide by collectors. From 1992 to 1994, Republika Srpska had its own currency, the Republika Srpska dinar.

[edit] Internet domains

Republika Srpska does not have its own Internet domain name and its institutions do not prefer the Bosnia-Herzegovina TLD (.ba) or indeed any other single Top level domain. Third parties offer the subdomain .rs under either one of the TLDs .ba (Bosnia & Herzegovina) (e.g. http://www.rs.ba/) or .sr (e.g. http://www.rs.sr/, which is actually the code for Suriname, but it resembles Serbia , which used to use .yu, but is now bringing in the .rs top level domain)

[edit] References

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007)

[edit] See also

• Republika Srpska Police
• Army of Republika Srpska
• Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Brčko District
• Regions of Republika Srpska
• Republika Srpska dinar
• History of Republika Srpska
• History of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Air Srpska
• Republic of Serbian Krajina

[edit] External links

• Government
• President
• National Assembly
• Bosnia and Herzegovina online

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