Serbia-Bosnia border: What's contentious; what Serbia wants

Serbia-Bosnia border: What's contentious; what Serbia wants

The Banja Luka-based daily Nezavisne Novine is reporting this, adding that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was in the company of RS President Milorad Dodik when he said that the Serbian commission had started working on a demarcation proposal.

BiH Border Commission member Zeljko Obradovic says BiH is ready for talks immediately, remarking that it was up to the commission from Serbia to make its move.

"We do not have any information about what has been agreed, we expect someone to inform us about it soon," Obradovic said.

He also added that during the last meeting, it was determined that about 40 square kilometers of the border area between the two countries were contentious - "which is a lot".

"It was not possible to continue working because our commission did not have the mandate to negotiate," Obradovic added.

According to the newspaper, the border between BiH and Serbia is 335 kilometers long, and the disputed parts are located around Zvornik, Bajina Basta, the area through which the Belgrade-Bar bar railway line passes, and a section around the municipality of Priboj in Serbia, which is separated by the territory of the municipality of Rudo, in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

"When it comes to the railway, its length through BiH is about 12 kilometers, and the station Strpci in located there. Serbia is demanding that the entire territory around the railway line be completely owned by it, but, according to unofficial information, it is not offer any territory in exchange for that portion," the daily writes.

During a news conference after his meeting with Dodik in Belgrade on Sunday, Vucic said that he would "do his best" to ensure constructive and compromise negotiations, and "not to harm the interests of either Serbia and other peoples, both in BiH and in Serbia."