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BosNet NEWS - May 9, 96Bosnia-Herzegovina News Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Nermin Zukic <n6zukic@sms.ivey.uwo.ca>CONTENTS
[01] Bildt: ``We're going to see an endless succession of Balkan wars..."The deputy prosecutor of the international war crimes tribunal, Graham Blewitt, met with Rajko Kasagic, Bosnian Serb premier, and entity's Justice Minister Marko Asovic in Banja Luka.``We talked about cooperation, methods of work and (ways of) helping the Hague tribunal... We discussed how to reach better results in our investigation process which would prove the objectivity of the Hague tribunal to the people from these regions... We also raised the possibility of opening an office in Republika Srpska (the Serb republic in Bosnia)... We are trying to work in an independent and impartial way, but there are great expectations from the tribunal and they cannot be fulfilled all at the same time,'' Blewit commented on the activities of tribunal and his talks. ``I am very convinced that we will demonstrate we are not working politically, but that we are basing our work on proof.'' ``We're going to see an endless succession of Balkan wars in the years to come if you accept partition as the instrument to achieve short-term stability (in Bosnia)... It is a recipe for long-term turmoil in an important part of Europe and an important part of the world,'' High Representative for Bosnia Carl Bildt said in an interview. ``We started (four months ago) in a position where Bosnia, with the exception of Korea, was the most divided, the most partitioned country that there was... We still have a situation where you can't make a telephone call from one part of the country to the other, where you can't drive cars because both (sides) are refusing to accept car registration plates from the other side. It is still a heavily partitioned country.'' According to some diplomats in Sarajevo, major powers are resigned to B&H's partition. ``The presence of Karadzic...is poisoning the entire political atmosphere, apart from being a major provocation against the peace agreement itself and the international community... There are limits to how long I think the international community should tolerate that,'' Bildt commented. ``Under the U.N. resolution we have the right to reimpose U.N. sanctions on these two entities... That is an option that is always there...Sanctions are always a possibility, but our approach right now is to solve the problems first,'' acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State John Kornblum told reporters in Sarajevo on Monday. ``A system has been established for a step-by-step enhancement of freedom of movement based on the provisions of the Dayton agreement... I think this process is a sufficient one as far as it goes but we did agree that there needs to be more of an action focus...to make sure that the process works even better.'' "The court at The Hague is the right therapy to cure this disease of genocide and ethnic cleansing," Bosnian Vice President Ejup Ganic said. "This is a historic moment... Unfortunately, the main engineers of genocide are not there..." "I think that Dusko Tadic is a small fish in this whole story," said Mirsad Fazlic, 24. "I think the people who are supposed to be there are Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic." "It is positive that any trial has started, but I will believe the tribunal only when all those who have committed war crimes are punished," commented Bosnian Army Gen. Arif Pasalic. "He [Tadic] should be released, if there is justice," said Jadranka Zivic, 45, a Bosnian Serb from Pale. "I am left speechless by what the tribunal does." "They put the blame on an innocent man," said Vlajko Perisic, 47. "That's unfair. ... I don't recognize that court, they are obviously with the other side." "It's the shame of the world, that court," said Cedo Vukadin, 55, Serb. Bosnian Prime Minister Hasan Muratovic said, "There is a feeling from many Bosnians that real peace won't be forthcomming until Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his general, Ratko Mladic, are brought to justice, along with their henchmen." "You cannot keep an audience, so to speak, at the stadium, starting the game with local players. You must bring the main players there if you want to keep their attention," said Ganic. "Not all of Bosnian victims of Serb ethnic cleansing will get their day in court. For them the only true justice will be realized when Karadzic and Mladic are in the dock, alongside the little fish." "We are pleased to see this process moving forward. Unfortunately the main engineers of genocide in Bosnia are not there and I think that Karadzic and Mladic should be there soon, and I hope the international community, as the story starts at The Hague, speeds up the process to bring Karadzic and Mladic over there," said Ganic. [02] FRENCH PERSONNEL CARRIER PUSHED AMERICANS DOWN TO ABYSSSarajevo, May 7, 1996 (Press TWRA)US assistant under-secretary of State for Europe and the US ambassador to the Contact group Robert Frasure, the US Air Force general, assistant of the National security council Samuel Nelson Drew and assistant undersecretary for Europe and Canada to Pentagon Joseph Kruzel as well as a UNPROFOR FRENCHBAT soldier were killed at Mt. Igman last year when their personnel carrier crashed into abyss, rolling over for about four hundred meters along the road running into trees, flying over a curve, countinued gliding and finally exploded. It, however, was not an accident, caused by rockslides on the road, as officially stated, but by the UN French armoured personnel carrier which escorted and pushed the vehicle with the Americans, into the abyss when, apart from four persons who were killed, three Americans and three Frenchmen were injured. That is the account of the witness, the B-H army soldier Salih Kere\ who along with five more soldiers of the 104th brigade saved the US gen. Wesley Clark and was awarded the US medal for courage on Oct 4,1995.The Sarajevo daily "Oslobo-enje" released the interview with Kere\. He offers the US medal for sale in exchange for several thousands of USD. As he lives in poverty, he asked the US Embassy to Sarajevo to be given any job but received no reply. (end) A.S,[03] IZETBEGOVIc DEMANDS REMOVAL OF KARADDIc AND MLADIcSarajevo, May 7, 1996 (Press TWRA)Bosnian president Izetbegovi5 called yesterday the USA to remove the Serb terrorist leaders in B- H, R. Mladi5 and R. KaradWi5 who have remained on the positions of military and political heads of the Serb entity in B-H. In the appeal, reported by AFP, Izetbegovi5 reminds that KaradWi5 and Mladi5 are the persons being under two ICTY indictments for genocide and the most severe crimes, and claims that it is impossible to make any progress in Serb entity in B-H and obtain any political solution until the two of them in the position to affect the occurrences. (end) A.S.[04] BOMB ATTACKS IN ZAVIDOVICI AND BANJALUKASarajevo, May 7, 1996 (Press TWRA)International police (IPTF) informed on more frequent incidents in either B-H entity in which both victims and perpetrators of the crimes are of the same nationality, so the motives of the terrorism are not of ethnic nature. Two cases are mentioned. In Bosnian controlled town of Zavidovi5i, north of central Bosnia, a bomb planted under a car exploded Sunday, killing its owner, a refugee who returned from Slovenia. In a bomb explosion in a restaurant of the biggest town of Serb entity, Banjaluka, a cook lost his foot. (end) A.S.According to the recent USIA surveys, nationalist Bosnian Serb leadership is popular more than ever before. Radovan Karadzic has the approval rate of 68%, up from 63%, a year before, while Gen. Ratko Mladic approval went up from 87% to 93%. "Mladic is untouchable in terms of popularity... Karadzic has his critics but he is still in firm control of the party and the police, which are the only two institutions that matter now the army is back in barracks... The Banja Luka gambit looks an elaborate exercise in wishful thinking. But this is Bosnia. Anything can happen," said western aid worker with long experience in Bosnia. [05] CONSTITUTION OF THE MOSTAR-NERETVA CANTON GOVERNMENTMostar, May 8, 1996 (Press TWRA)Assembly of the Neretva canton appointed the Canton Government, on the session held in the seat of EUAM in Mostar, and whose members were agreed by HDZ (Croatian democratic union) and SDA (Party of democratic action). Prime Minister of the Canton Government is Srecko Vucina and Vice- President (Bosniak) will be named within a week period. Finance Minister is Amela Pedisa (Vice-Minister is Josip Prskalo), Minister of Interior is Valentin Coric (Sefija Dziho), Minister of science, culture, education and sport is Marin Topic (Mehmed Dizdar), Minister of Justice is Damir Sudovic (Ivo Bradvica), Minister of traffic is Zvonimir Trlin (Hamo Maslesa), Minister of construction and urbanism is Hamdija Jahic (Zeljko Obradovic), Minister of work and social protection is Senad Rahimic (Ljubo Zovko), Minister of trade and tourism is Mihajlo Butigan (Salih Hadzic), Minister of energetic is Mehmed Saric (Matan Zaric), Minister of health is Hrvoje Gardevski (Alija Suko). (end) A.S.[06] GENERAL WALKER CRITICIZED IZETBEGOVIC'S STATEMENTSarajevo, May 8, 1996 (Press TWRA)British General Sir Michael Walker, IFOR ground-forces Commander, criticized the speech of President Izetbegovic made during his visit to Gorazde last week. Izetbegovic stated: "We will return to all areas from where we have been expelled. Our fight will last for as long as the whole Bosnia is not liberated. Our children will liberate whole Bosnia- Herzegovina.""It is not a view-point we expect at the this stage of thepeace-process", M. Walker said during his visit to Gorazde. (end) A.S. [07] DUSAN TADIC REQUESTS SATELLITE LINKS FOR WITNESSES TO DEFENSEThe Hague, May 8, 1996 (Press TWRA)Prosecutor Grant Niemann read in 60 minutes a summary of the charge raised against D. Tadic who could be sentenced to life imprisonment if his crimes are confirmed. The process is headed by Gabrielle Kirk McDonald, Texas, U.S.A. The members of Court Board are Stephen Ninian (Australia) and Datuk Lal Vohrah (Malaysia). ICTY President, Antonio Cassese said the process against Tadic presents a beginning of the new justice activity for - opposite to the Eichmann or Barbie process - this is an international Court in which winners do not judge losers. In a telephone statement for the Netherland TV, Tadic (owner of a cafe, instructor and karate master) said:" Everything that was said about me is false. Prosecutor took it all for granted without taking enough time to verify any of the accusations seriously." Among four Tadic's defenders there is Michail Wladimiroff, paid by ICTY for his name figures on the list of the officially appointed lawyers. Wladimiroff pointed out Tadic, father of two daughters, is being exposed to criminal process instead of those who are responsible for them - politicians. Tadic's defenders proposed 36 witnesses while prosecutors some 30 of them and who are all convinced Tadic is the person responsible for serious crimes committed in the camp of Omarska. Opposite to witnesses to prosecution, who are in position to testify without revealing their identity, Tadic requests for witnesses to defense an additional procedure - providing of a satellite connection, a privilege ensured to U.S. President Clinton during the Watergate affair. This request is probably motivated by the fear of some of the witnesses they could join Tadic in the dock for they were also involved in the crimes. (end) A.S.[08] B-H SOLDIERS ON TRAINING IN TURKEYAnkara, May 5,1996 (Press TWRA)2OO soldiers from B-H will arrive this month to Turkey for military training financed by the Turkish Government, stated Turkish general Erol Ozkasnak. The training for the members of ground forces will last for three month, and the whole program will cost about $2 million. The training is part of agreement on military cooperation between B-H and Turkey signed in January. The purchase of military equipment is also part of agreement so that Turkey will probably sell some armed vehicles to B-H. (end) S.K.[09] "BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA IS ORGANIC UNITY"Zagreb, May 5,1996 (Press TWRA)In an interview for Zagreb's weekly "Globus" dr. Haris Silajdyic, former Prime Minister of B-H and President of new "Party for B-H" talked about political situation in B-H. TWRA reports part of the interview."In London, at Royal Institute, i.e. Chethamhouse, I gave adiscourse on 'Integration and sovereignty of Bosnia-Herzegovina as a Dayton priority". The inversion of the priorities has occurred. They insist on internal demarcation lines, and not on external borders, which is absurd since the external borders protect that demarcation lines too. Today the demarcation lines became inter- state borders; the consequence is two different situations: one is de Facto, and the other de lure. The usual solution for such situation is war, especially if these two situations become completely divergent. (...) If the signal is sent to Serbs that they can leave with Serbian entity, the circles in Croatia who supported creation of national territory in B-H will take their share. If it comes to that the division on two parts will not happened. That will be division on three parts. And the following will happened: Croatian side will leave for Croatia, Serbian for Serbia, and Bosniaks Muslims will stay in sandwich, squeezed between these two blocks, as one big Srebrenica, expecting to sooner or later to happen the same thing as in Srebrenica. That will turn Bosniaks Muslims into their own opposition. Instead of polyvalentness, openness, tolerance, the mentality of occlusion, fear and paranoia, and in order to survive they will start to imitate their surrounding. Mimicry is natural, and the need for self-protection and survival could force Bosniaks Muslims to do just that. Bosniaks must not get impression that someone wants to compress them on a small territory in order to destroy them. That will create great problems for everyone. The push Bosniak element away from Stolac and sea to inside provokes such thoughts. That destabilizes the whole region, and than there will be no peace, no Dayton. (...) That is (war) the final solution. Bosnia and Herzegovina is organic unity. The attempt to alter history is a sad thing. They talk about Croatian kings in Bosnia. The problem is that those kings did not know they were Croatian kings. They called themselves Bosnian kings. Some of them were bogumils, some Catholics, but they were Bosnian kings. Now it seems that they were not well informed whose kings they were. There is no bigger crime than to falsify history. That is all we have, whether we want it or not, we have only history, because we do not know what is the future. By falsifying history we falsify our only reality. (...) The B-H borders neither exist since yesterday, nor they are administrative lines drawn by some super power. Bosnia is organic unity: the historic maps clearly testify about that". (end) S.K. Bosnia-Herzegovina News Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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