The same author discusses the internal Bosnian politics in the August 10, 1997 issue of the magazine.
Bosnia and Herzegovina today is a big house of political stubborness, with which even the most experienced world diplomats are not able to come to grips with. Two year anniversary of the Dayton agreement is drawing close and the the lines of political fronts have not changed much. The impatience is only showing among the Western powers, since keeping peace in Bosnia costs them a lot. Since thr first deadlines set in Sintra were breached, sanctions against new authorities of the unified country ensued. But, the suspension of contacts with the ambassadors of Bosnia and Herzegovina, even though it is the question of US and a series of Western European countries, is not such a big punishment. After all, the ambassadors are not what they were some fifty years ago, when their opinions almost decided the questions of war and peace. The tug-of-war concerning the ambassadorial post in Washington barly has any sense.It makes on difference whether the ambassador is a Bosniak, Croat or a Serb - or whether there isnt one at all - the US will conduct a policy towards Bosnia which it defines itself.Carl Westendorp, the high representative of the international community could be sorry ahead of time that he took overe this job. He will somehow manage with the placement of the ambassadors, but it is a much greater problem with the law on citizenship and passports. Pale do not recognize the prerogatives of the central authorities in giving citizenship to refugees and foreign citizens, being of the opinion that this is a matter for Republika Srpska, that is, the Federation to handle. If tis is allowed, some 150 thousand Serbs exiled from Croatia could acquire Bosnian citizenship overnight, which would create a serious political and demographical problem. With this, Republika Srpska would formally become a state, and the return of the refugees would be left as a decoration of the Dayton Agreement.
Self-willingly, Westendorp stopped the clock wound up in Sintra, and gave the Ministerial council a bit more time. But, if the agreement is not reached soon, he will propose new sasnctions to the representatives of the international community. A big shame could be incurred on the local political leaders hgere: that their passports be proclaimed invalid, and in that sense be denied the crossing of international borders. This would be a joyful precedent; the citizens of one state are able to travel throughout the world, while their leaders cannot even go to the neighbouring countries. But, it seems that Washington is not satisfied with the achievements of the Spanish diplomat, and has already given him a firs public warning. Westendorp was criticized because his being often outside of Bosnia, but even more so because of prolongign some of the deadlines from Sintra.
Everybody is sick of the indecisiveness and leniency of different international representatives, even thogh the division of guilt into equal parts is taken in Sarajevo as the killing of Bosnia. It is not only Westendorp who is lenient. The Brittish minister of foreign affairs Robin Cook has made a big announcement in the Sunday Times that millinos of dollars are missing of the money intended for the reconstruction of Bosnia and Herzegovina, saying that the money went into private pockets of a number of people, but when he came to Sarajevo he avoided the key answers to that question. In that manner, Cook only gave support to those against whom he raised his voice in London, saving them of specific accusations in their own house. With such and similar move, the West is only bringing in confusion and is prolonging the agony of Bosnia and Herzegovina, so their threats have the same effect as swinging of a sword through the air.
The ruling national parties have created some statelets for their national groups. Their mechanic addition is taken by some as the proof that Bosnia and Herzegovina remains as a multi-ethnic state. Unfortunately, multi-ethnic Bosnia as we knew it represents the past. There is no real Bosnia bread from the new flour. Richard Holbrooke state angrily ahead of his new Balkan tour: At the last elections, all three ethnic communities have chosen their own nationalists, and at that, the nationalists of worst kind, so that the dream of multi-ethnic Bosnia is dying. Even though it deserves a more serious analysis, since there is a great difference between Serbian, Croat, and Bosniak nationalism,, this statement imposes a conclusion that the dream about the Dayton agreement is also dying, since it is certain that the nationalists do not want to implement it. But this was known even from the moment of the official moment when this job was given to them.
It seems that irreparable damage has been done, and that for Bosnia, at least in the near future, there is no good solution. That is why the international community is doing what, after a number of lost chances, is only left to it: it is painting the broken down Bosnian house, so that as such, it might seem palpable to its conflicting sides.
Source: Split weekly Feral Tribune, August 11, 1997
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