Embassy Events
Visit to Serb Returnees in Kromolje
October 29, 2009
Concerned about reports of harassment of ethnic Serb returnees, representatives of the U.S. Embassy, accompanied by representatives of the Serb Orthodox Church, visited the Kromolje neighborhood within Sarajevo’s Centar municipality on October 28.
Embassy Political Officers Patrick Hanish and Janelle Schwehr, along with Fr. Vanja Jovanovic, visited with returnee families, and paid a visit to the nearby cemetery, where evidence of vandalism was apparent. Embassy and Church representatives agreed that returnees from all ethnic groups face unacceptable social pressure throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, and government, law enforcement, and religious institutions must work productively to ensure that this stops.
Embassy officers reiterated the commitment of the United States government to sustainable return for all returnees, which includes working with political, non-governmental, and religious structures to welcome returnees, in accordance with Article 7 of the Dayton Accords and relevant UN conventions.