Editor of the Podgorica weekly Monitor , Miodrag Vukmanovic,
comments on the Bosnian elections in the September 20, 1996, issue of that
magazine.
What is the goal behind the electoral operation which has no precedent
in history ? Tens of thousands of soldiers, policemen and civilians of different
professional background, of mixed racial, ethnic and religious background,
with impressive technics were securing the three way conflicted Bosniaks,
Serbs and Croats so that they could freely express their political will,
that is, choos the people that will represent them in the positions where
they should achieve their key interests. The fact that the elections were
held is an act of democracy in itself, and important as such. Democracy
in itself is procedure. That is why, the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina
were, actually, a multimedia demonstration of a democratic procedure brought
about with the American sense of spectacle. Or, something like education
in practice, a form of a peripathetic course of democracy.
After the public acceptance of the new constitutional order of the joint
state, an attempt by any of the Bosnian sides to evade the Dayton Agreement's
provisions would be considered not only the pinnacle of double face politics
and trickery, but also as international banditism. Such an act automatically
draws with it the obligation of the international institutions to use all
the means necessary to guard the peace and world order. IFOR is aware that
none of the sides in Bosnia and Herzegovina will not openly decide to do
something like that, which does not mean that they will not constantly feel
the pulse of the international institutions of peace and order. With the
choice of the joint institutions of the union, federation and the Serb entity
- the Presidency, legislative body and the Constitutional court comprised
of foreigners (!) - the legal infrastructure of the joint state will start
to function, which will be hard and unthankfull to ignore. This particularly
refers to Republika Srpska , which has only a thin layer of funds
and friends. The percentage of the votes won by the presidential candidate
Radisic, who was favored by Slobodan Milosevic, will reflect in the future
the degree of good relations between Republika Srpska and FRY.
Judging by the newest statements of the Bosnian Serbs it could be said that
they still have not accepted fully with the entry into the Union and joint
life within it, but are only bending to force, waiting that the Americans
and others leave Bosnia in a few months. In the feeling swelled by defeat,
they predict that currently, if the IFOR withdraws, they would have a much
stronger force against themselves, and, of course, it does not even cross
the mind of the peace forces to bring into question with one move what they
have painstakingly built through the years in the sense of the pacification
of Bosnia, but also the surrounding areas.
Source: Podgorica weekly Monitor , September 20, 1996
B. Mermon of the oppositionary Banjaluka bi-weekly Novi Prelom
commented on the Bosnian elections in the September 30, 1996 issue of that
magazine.
The long awaited and thoroughly prepared elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina
have been held, although only those for the top positions in the entities
and at the level of the Dayton Bosnia. The local ones have been postponed.
The first statements of the domestic and foreign officials were mainly
full of praise for the act of the vote itself, which was held in the
civilized and democratic atmosphere, almost without an incident .
The more time passes by, the doubts are more and more present on the scene.
The first ones are expressed concerning the bags of ballots from abroad,
which were arriving without the accompanying documentation. What is also
mentioned now is the possible tampering with the electoral results, particularly
the ones concerning for the members of the future Presidency of Bosnia and
Herzegovina. It seems that all three nations, that is, their nationalistic
regimes are all suspect, where the most glaring example is the one where,
supposedly, 103 percent of the Muslim electoral body voted for Alija Izetbegovic.
Whatever is the truth, there is constant prolongation of the official
announcement of the electoral results. It is obvious that the official fanfares,
which should signal the end of the games, will not be ringing soon,while
the final bell for the Bosnian and Herzegovinian nations rung a long time
ago. Whether the same ringing will be in our ears from now on, depends mainly
on us, even more so on our national (or more precisely, nationalistic )
sister parties. But it seems that it more than anything, depends on the
international community, that is, its leader the US, which always, time
and again, and not only here and now, can take upon itself the role of deus
ex machina .
According to the unofficial results, as it is already known, on all levels
and among all the national groups, the triumph was insured for our beloved
national (nationalistic) parties, which have successfully lead us into the
war, successfully used us as gun fodder, and now, and again in a sisterly
manner, should secure us with lasting peace and a life worthy of men !
On the streets of Banjaluka we polled the accidental passers by.They all
hope for the better, at least by the logic that it cannot get any worse.
They were not willing to comment the electoral results, but they expect
that the leaders finally strike some agreement.Some stress that due to the
presence of the IFOR we are actually a country under occupation, the young
want to travel more freely and frequently, some expect things to get better
only in the long run, but all agree that laws of the economy have to start
operating today, which would lead towards integrational processes and better
life, although the established barriers will not be easy to bring down,
particularly not in full.
The oppositionary parties, particularly their leaders, depending on their
programmatic and emotional closeness with the new-old ruling SDS party,
- react in a different manner - from triumphalism to complete scepticism,
even though some make an attempt to analytically disect the electoral results.
For example, Predrag Lazarevic, president of the Serbian party of Krajina
and Posavina says: I expected the victory of the SDS, since the international
community permanently helped it. By putting pressure on it, it homogenized
the Serbian nation and in that manner it did injustice to the opposition.
Agreeing with this is Radoslav Brdjanin, the president of the National party
of RS.
Miodrag Zivanovic, president of the Social-Liberal party of RS thinks
that the victory of the national parties does not help our future, and that
the oppositionary members of the parliament, no matter how many seats they
win, will have a lot of problems to somehow built a life based on
a rational basis, different that the life that is offered by the national
parties .
Slavko Zupljanin, preesident of the Serbian Patriotic party of the RS,
says that the elections were decided by the money and the control
of the media by the SDS , but that with that victory the problems are
not solved, but only prolonged, and that tihs will return to the SDS as
a boomerang.
Source: Banjaluka bi-weekly Novi Prelon September 30, 1996
Gojko Beric of the Sarajevo weekly Svijet, gave a commentary about the
elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the October 17, 1996 issue of that
magazine.
There exists general agreement that without the US there would be no Bosnia
in its internationally recognized borders. This dependency can be the saving
grace, but it also does not exclude a disappointing result. Weren't the
September elections a dual mistake of the American policy in Bosnia ?
And this mistake was intentional. The light of a civic state has not been
lit, and on the other hand, Washington is forced to knock on the wrong door,
forcing Izetbegovic, Krajisnik and Zubak to do what is against their true
will. They received a mandate to do something for this country, more precisely,
to put into effect the Dayton agreement, but their positions are so different,
that this will be very hard to do. To neither is the democratic civil society
a close thing, but this is where the similarties between them end.
And
while only Izetbegovic- motivated by his presidential post- shows the will
to place himself in the service of a unified and sovereign state of Bosniaks,
Serbs and Croats, Krajisnik and Zubak function as the trade representatives
of Belgrade or Zagreb. That is why in the analyses of their moves it should
be had in mind that their central offices can always remove them with a
remote control, as was done with Radovan Karadzic. Instead of pushing three
people whose stances are essentially non compromising into a fake political
embrace, the US should have used its mighty fist to bang on Milosevic's
and Tudjman's door and tell them: Gentlemen, hands of Bosnia and Herzegovina .
It could have postponed the elections until the nationalstic heads would
cool somewhat. And finally, it could have demanded from Belgrade, Zagreb
and Sarajevo, unconditional handing over of all war criminals.
But it has done none of these things. It has probably listened to its
former leading diplomat Henry Kissinger, who is convinced that the region
of failed Yugoslavia will be stabilized with the division of Bosnia and
Herzegovina among the Serbs and Croats. The media in the West spread the
conviction that the division of Bosnia is a crime that has already been
committed. And, if something is to be done, than that is solely in the powers
of Milosevic and Tudjman.
The attempt to remove the Serbian president and his regime through sanctions
did not bear fruit. Milosevic ahs temporarily stopped the works on the project
of somewhat smaller Greater Serbia and will probably recognize
Bosnia and Herzegovina. But, this does not change the essence of things,
since he will always repeat the sentence with which he entered the wart
The Serbs will respect anything that the Serbs, Croats and Muslims agree
upon .
Biljana Plavsic, the new superintendant of Republika Srpska stated recently
that Milosevic is the traitor of the Serbian nation . Perhaps
she only used the chance to publicly return the favor of bad words to Milosevic.
It comes out that between Milosevic and nationalistic leadership of the
Bosnian Serbs only hate and insults are currently operating. But, it could
be better said that what we have here is a division of labour set up a long
time ago. Its essence is in the following: in the public show which takes
place at the Greater Serbian table, everything is allowed, including slaps
across the face, but under the table, we have to be nice to each other.
Tudjman is also entering Bosnia and Herzegovina through a small door.
Even if he would like to withdraw from Bosnia, Tudjman objectively could
not do that. The complete HDZ machinery would rise against that. Herzeg-Bosnia
was not abolished even after precise American insistence. Its dismantling
will be done, more or less with mounting of the same parts in the construction
named Croatian national community of Herzeg-Bosnia. This would supposedly
be some kind of an Academy of Arts and Sciences of Herzegovina, under whose
roof would be the army and the police.
So, it would be more precise to say that without victory of democracy
in Serbia and Croatia, there would be no Bosnia. But neither the Serbs or
Croats weep for democracy. And as far as the US is concerned, the Balkans
can be ruled solely by strong-fisted fascist regimes. The only important
thing is that there is no shooting.
Source: Sarajevo weekly Svijet , October17,1996
Vlastimir Mijovic of the Sarajevo weekly Svijet looks at the
process of the constituting of the post-Dayton Bosnia, after the recent
elections. in the October 10, 1996, issue of the magazine.
The Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the future will not have the
political power which it had so far, since the power in new conditions is
visibly dispersed. Even on such a pyramid, the top is still reserved for
this state institution. Not solely for the affairs transferred in the sphere
of the Presidency, but for the fact that sitting on it are the unquestioned
political leaders of the three national comunities. Beyond the formal functions,
Izetbegovic, Zubak and Krajisnik are the real leaders of the SDA, HDZ and
SDS, the parties which will also in the future decidedly tailor the faith
of the three national groups and their (un)wanted state community of Bosnia
and Herzegovina. In some manner, the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
in the new conditions turns into a place of directparty-national coordination,
whose word is the final one in all more important questions, no matter whether
they are in direct competence of the Presidency.
That is why there is decided political importance given to the constitutiong
of the three-member Presidency. If it starts functioning, it could be considered
that the work on constituting other state institutions is completed too,
form the Parliament to the government. Izetbegovic, Zubak and Krajisnik,
and in that manner the Presidency which they embody, are the key directors
and the supervisors of that process.
As the Presidency already meets in a restaurant, it should not surprise
anybody that a theatre is being used for the promotion of the new Parliament
of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Moreover, the space is open that the new government
holds its first session in a swimming pool. At least it would be easy to
spot who swimms in what manner, as it was thought that with the informal
meeting of the members of the Presidency in the restaurant Saraj
it was probably worth seeing whether Izetbegovic, Zubak and Krajisnik have
wide enough throats, to, sitting at the same table, are able to eat and
drink.If they can do that, they can do everything else too. And as far as
the MP's are concerned, for them the theatre is really the best choice:
if they want to sit together for a long time, they would really need to
act well, to cover up in front of each other.
The process of constitutiong the post-Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina will
be a long-term theatre play, which will present constant acting, swimming
with the stream flow and swallowing large gulps, one after the other. The
international community has tailored Bosnia in such a manner so that everybody
can spread their wings somewhat, but so much that they cannot fly anywhere
without the flock. This was understood by Izetbegovic, Krajisnik and Zubak,
so each one has shown the readiness at the start to make concessions and
compromises, putting aside the previously high-toned rethorics and conditioning.
Izetbegovic swallowed a large political gulp and accepted the condition
that the meetingnot be held in the official state object. Moreover, Krajisnik
also had his way that the first meeting be held on the inter-entity border,
since the restaurant of Daut Basovic is only a few kilometers away from
that dangerous line. But, Krajisnik had to give up on his fixated idea that
a new building be raised on the inter-entity line, with two entrances, so
that he would not able to even stick his nose in the so despised Federation.
But something else that Krajisnik had to swallow is more important. That
is the fact itself that he sits at the same table with Izetbegovic and Zubak,
so that least in a symbolic manner he had to accept the partnership with
them and the belonging of REpublika Srpsa to the wider, Bosnia and Herzegovina
territory.Krajisnik's entry into the Presidency is his token to the legalization
and legitimization of the new Bosnia and Herzegovina, tailored to the Dayton
design. That is why the barter that preceded the seat-in in Saraj
went in Izetbegovic's favor: he exchanged small change for the high political
sum paid to the state account. At the same time, a high new levle of spending
was evaded on the side of the international patrons, who, like Bildt, thought
even about the moon as the possible site of the meeting.
Source: Sarajevo weekly Svijet , October 10, 1996
The view of haveng Bosnia and Herzegovina as a protectorate in the post-electoral
period is discussed by Zlatko Dizdarevic of the Sarajevo weekly Svijet
in the October 3, 1996, issue of that magazine.
When, three, or even four years ago some intellectuals, university professors
and journalists - in any case, not professional politicians - openly spoke
about the necessity of introducing military and administrative protectorate
in Bosnia and Herzegovina, domestic and foreign war profiteers shook their
head.When the idea of the protectorate as the only chance staged a comeback,
through a small door, into the political thinking about this drama, again
the answer was negative. The stubborn and persistent proponents of all other
solutions,democratic or completely totalitarian, have searched the exit
for themselves, as well as others, in any other place, except in revoking
the right of the so called nation, to, seemigly agin by itself,
decides about its fate. The protectorate has actually been intoduced, although
nobody speaks openly about it. As the things realistically stand - it is
good that it has been introduced, and even better that it will be insisted
upon until the next elections, whenever they are held.
In the military outlook, as far as the protectorate goes, everything is
as clear, that it cannot be much clearer. The existing domestic armies are
practically thrown out of the use, and whereever they are, they will remain
until they are brought into order . Well informed sources say that
the paper about the organization of the Bosnian army has arrived
from the Pentagon and that it does not even look similar to the one that
was drafted about the same question in Bosnia. What do you think whichvarian
won - the one from Pentagon or the one from Kakanj, where the domestic commanders
are situated. The same, or similar thing is happening with Grude, and will
happen with Pale. Who does not beleive this should take a look at the ministerial
meeting of NATO in Bergen , at which it was practically decided: IFOR is
retreating since Clinton promised that to the wives and mothers of his soldiers;
enough soldiers will remain to prevent new armed conflicts ;enough
soldiers will remain to secure the conditions for the functioning of civil
structures... That is then, the plan.
Realistically, in practice, the things
are already recognized by the statements of those who were elected a few
weeks ago at the so called elections. Nobody even thinks about saying a
word ,no matter from which podium he is speaking, which is in contradiction
with the ideas of the protectors. Even Biljana Plavsic was brought into
the position to publicly support what she went to war for, and earned, at
least unofficially, the epithet of a war criminal.
Of course, the life, as well as the political convictions, is made of
small things, and not big political proclamations. nobody even cares here
anymore what is publicly promised, mainly insencerely by our renowned
politicians. It is more important that the things will flow through some
other channels, into which these politicians will have to fit in, or they
will be no more.Now, they were sent each to their own job , the
sucess of which will be judged by others. They will meet when and where
the protector says, and not as some of them imagine.Their mandates will
also lastas long as somebody else says, and not as long as they think.They
will, finally, remain in power as long as the administratos see fit, no
more, no less.
The protectorate, of course, is not at least a democratic form in the
civilized societies. It is introduced as guardinaship, over those that are
not able to take care about themselves. Since our nations have
proven, one more time, that they adore those that have turned them into
minors, and that the game played with them will start to poison the enviroment,
then the guardians of world parks and political ecology have decided to
take the matter into their own hands. The under-aged children will be told,
hour by hour, what they can, and what they can't do, how much their entertainment
costs, where their roads willgo, and which direction they cannot take..
The happines of the kids in this park will be immense. According to what
they deserve.
Source: Sarajevo weekly Svijet , October 3, 1996
Vlastimir Mijovic of the same magazine, writes in its issue of October
17, 1996, also on the issue of the role of great power in furter developments
in post-electoral Bosnia.
It is probalbe that in some for, Pale will relatively soon come down to
Sarajevo, this will not achieve anything else but create conditions for
a good quarrel, which will be long and fierce. Bosnia will not unite and
start breathing through one set of lungs when the cetral state institutions
are created. This will happen (if ever?) when joint thinking and joint
interests start operating in tohse joint institutions. And these will, as
the current conditions indicate, start operating only when initiated from
abroad, from the international centers of political power, which have to
persuade the actors of the Bosnian drama, that they have no choice besides
joint life, which goes beyond the one of living in entities. Again, everything
depends on the world and its strategy.
In the general consternation that prevailed the Bosnian political scene
after the unsucessful parlamentarian and presidential inauguration, it is
to be beleived that stronger sparks flew between the world capitals where
the Bosnian hat is being tailored. It was theirs, and not Izetbegovic's
peace concept that has failed. It was them, and not Izetbegovic that were
tricked by Pale tricksters; it is them that now have to save their face.
The world centers needed a lot of time and harrowing events to reach some
form of Bosnian consensus. In Dayton, due to interests and vanity of the
great powers, justice was swapped for injustice, blood for brandy... The
Serbian, Bosnian and Croat negotiators kept tucking their tails in, alternatively,
just that they could enable the great powers to find an exit from the Bosnian
tunnel, that is, a peace agreement that will guarantee to each of them a
dignified defeat, if none of them were able to win, that is, force onto
Bosnia a solution accoridng to their interest. The Deyton agreement did
not come up as the result of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but
as the result of the interest and might of the great powers. They have created
a castle in the sky out of Bosnia, because that was the only way they could
reach mutual compromise. And now, after all those troubles, this should
fall into water, becuase somebody there in Bosnia, in Pale that is, has
changed his mind in the meantime.
So, it is the move of the Deyton parents of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Source: Sarajevo weekly Svijet , October 17, 1996
One of the editors of Svijet , Gojko Beric, also acts as the
Bosnian correspondent for the Split weekly Feral Tribune , writing
on the current post-electoral situation in Bosnia in the October 14, 1996
issue of that magazine.
Ten months after the signing of the Dayton agreement, the Bosnian state
egists and doesn't exist at the same time. It is internationally recognized,
but in reality it does not exist. It has the borders that practically nobody
guards, while the nationaly divided guards which oversee the border passages
are there mainly for their own profit.
Damages have been done in Bosnia which nobody can repair anymore, so every
attempt to politically rationalize the reality ends in a enchanted circle.
The world media has exhaustingly exploited the scandal which occurred during
the inauguration of the new state parliament and state Presidency in Sarajevo,
when Momcilo Krajisnik and 11 Serb parliament members did not appear at
the ceremony. But, the incident was to be expected. It is only one in line
of bitter fruit which will be picked after the forced September elections.
And when, along with that, less competent people start meddling in serious
events, than the fiasco is complete. Europe has, during the duration of
the Bosnian crisis, sent there its second rate unemployed politicians, whose
results were catastrophic. The last of them, Carl Bildt, has proven to be
the worst. Named as the international governor of Bosnia, palefaced Bildt
has shown real mastery in creating confusion. In the situation which he
himslef demonstrates as tense, the former Swedish prime minister likes to
appear in front of journalists with a cat on his shoulders and mobile phone
to his ear. In one of those situations he said: Izetbegovic, Krajisnik
and Zubak, as far as I am concerned, can meet on the moon, just as long
as they meet .
Bildt's metaphor about the moon as the possible place where the three
member Presidency would meet, testifies about his view that Bosnia does
not have its capital. And, if it does not have a capital, it is not a state.
Why would, after such a statement, Momcilo Krajisnik hurry into Sarajevo,
which he has been destroying so earnestly, stating that Bosnia and Herzegovina
does not exist.
It will be hard to introduce democracy into Bosnia. Democracy is given
very little value in all of the three ruling nationalistic elites. Actually,
that is the only similarity between the three of them, but that is the
similarity that can be more damaging than all the differences which exist
between the SDA, HDZ and SDS, Current balance of political power in Bosnia
is almost identical with the one which preceded the war. More or less the
same people are on the scene which five years ago were not able to agree
even about the order of the day of a Parliamentary session, let alone to
prevent the war. In the meantime, personal antagonisms have grown, and the
party differences have been radicalized.
Like then, nobody governs Bosnia. Izetbegovic is the President, but he
nows that he has the support of only one of the three nations. He was more
than subdued in manifesting his victory. Today, he is a disappointed man.
He is aware that the multhiethnic Bosnia, for which he officially stood
for belongs to the past, which objectivelly means his defeat. It is thought
that Izetbegovic is currently fully on the side of the hard core wing of
the SDA, which practically took power over all key positions - from the
party, through the military to the police. On the other side, Western media
often portray him as an Islamic fundamentalist, with which the circle around
him closes. Stll, in difference to Krajisnik and Zubak, Izetbegovic is attempting
to retain unified and sovereign Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The current function does not hold much interest to Momcilo Krajisnik
and Kresimir Zubak. They are here, through a force majeure ,
they are figures placed there by the American hand. Krajisnik felt good
in the role as the hawk from Pale , denying any sovereignity
to Bosnia. He was the main man in Karadzic's campaign for cedeing Republika
Srpska to Belgrade and has never recognized the Dayton agreement. He has
now received deserved punishment, to lead a state he does not mention.
Zubak's position is similar. His only boss is Franjo Tudjman. And as much
as Krajisnik is the extended arm of Greater Serbia , that much
is Zubak the extended arm of Greater Croatia . That is why their
political embrace is sincere, which they do not deny. America will pay partiocular
attention to them for some time, but this will harrdly prevent them in their
intended creation of damage.
America is already tired of the attempts to remove Milosevic and has finally
let him run away from the cellar. for five years, he has played a simultaneous
chess game with the leading powers, and as far as he is concerned, he has
not lost a single game. Ans since Milosevic - irrespective of his gulit
for the war, ethnic cleansing and mass crimes - was able to pass through,
Tudjman has no reason to worry because of his ideas of annexing Bosnia.
A season of great political works has been opened in Bosnia. It is unknown
that somebody has built a house starting at the roof instead at the foundations.
The US is attempting to achieve this triumph now in Bosnia. Of course, it
itself does not beleive that this is possible, but until its elections in
November, it will support the imagined construct with all its might. Then
it will be seen who has been tricked and what will happen with this castle
in the sky.
Source: Split weekly Feral Tribune , October 14, 1996
The same themes of the post-Dayton, oist-eletion Bosnia are explored by
Darko Radovic in the September 16-30, 1996 and October 1-15, 1996, issues
of the Belgrade by-weekly Republika .
The future of the Dayton Bosnia will mostly depend on the
dedveloping of the process of establishment and functioning of the joint
institutions, where the peace agreement has to pass the toughest test. Among
the key questions in this process is the sspeed of the reconstruction of
the destroyed vountry, as well as the status of Brcko and the outlook for
the return of refugees and displaced persons.
After the elections, Bosnia and Herzegovina will be the most decentralizedstate
in the world. This, on the other hand, does not give the answer to the key
questionhow will the two federal entitites functionand how much will Bosni
be a unified state. The Dayton agreement envisages that Bosnia and Herzegovina
remains unified, but with very wide autonomy of the entitites. But, the
first does not satisfy the leadership of the Bosniaks, who insist on greater
prerogatives of the cetral authorities, while the seconddoes not satisfy
the Serbs, but also the Croats. It is certain that the leaders of the Serbs
and Croats have not given up on the intention, to, if not now, than surely
later, unify their states with the mother nations - Serbia and
Croatia.
The complexity of the governing structure on all levels in bosnia and
Herzegovina, defined by its new, Dayton constitution , does not
offer much hope that the new state, either the Union or the entitites, or
the cantons or the municipalites, will function effectively.Particularly
if you have in mind the people that will execute the authority.
It seems that some form of a German model is being applied
in Bosnia. After the Second world war, first of all the Americans took the
governing of Germany, they disbanded the old parties (except the Socialdemocrats),
they have founded, and generally, formed the new, democratic political system.With
overseeing and thorough economic help, the new, democratic Germany was formed.
According to all indications, something similar is envisaged for Bosnia
and Herzegovina. New authorities will be elected, even with the old actors,
but they will not, like until now, be independent in governing the country
and their people, but will be educated in these affairs, while
the last word will belong to the international representatives .
Similar to Germany, through time andgradual change of men and through economic
help for reconstruction, new Bosnia and Herezegvina would be constructed.
The sucess of this model, no matter whether it will lead to peaceful reintegration
or peaceful division,will mostly depend on the readiness of the internationa
community, that is the US, to be present in Bosnia and to allocate enough
funds for its reconstruction, The condition for sucess is that adequate,
democratic changesocurr in neighbouring countries - Srbei, that is FRY and
Croatia.
Of course, there is a danger that these conditions will not be fullfilled,
which could throw Bosnia into a new spiral of violence. The strengthened
Bosniaks - through arms, support from the world and self-confidence, could
attempt to solve the question of the reintegration of the state through
military means. The Serbs and Croats could answer with the acceleration
of the process of definitive division and cedeing to mother states. For
that reason, it seems that everybody is in a hurry.
Source: Belgrade by-weekly Republika , September 16-30, 1996
Confirmation of the election results in Bosnia will not dispell the doubts
how many voters in Bosnia and Herzegovina really went to the ballot boxes
and how much did each ethnic community cheat, that is how much did each
one profit from the possible machinations.
It was not expected that the old-new leaders will change their policies,
even less their behaviour. Immediately after the elections, they have confirmed
their old tendency to deal with essential questions. Firstly,
Alija Izetbegovic stated that Momcilo Krajisnik will be able to participate
in the work of the new Presidency only if he swear onto the Constitution
of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On the other hand, for Krajisnik it was important
to stress that he will be able to participate in the affairs of the Presidency
only if its sessions take place outside of Sarajevo. How the new state will
function is also shown from one seemingly unimportant detail. The partners
were not able to agree even about the coordination of time, so that in Republika
Srpska and in Croatian part of the Federation summer time is still iin force,
while in the Muslim part, winter time has laready been introduced.
The essence is though, that the general situation in which the authorities
in bosnia will operate has changed. Since the pre-war elections whne these
parties won, a war occurred, with bloodshed, ethnic cleansing,hundreds of
thoudsands exiled from their homes... It is certain that in all, war divided
ethnic communities fatigue has set in, besides the estimate in which measure
they have achieved the starting goals. Or only the temporary respite set
in, waiting for a better chance for these gouals to be achieved.
Source: Belgrade by-weekly Republika , October 1-15, 1996
Balkan Media & Policy Monitor
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Editor: Ruzica Zivkovic.
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