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Fri, Feb 10 2012
No man’s land
The parliament building of the Republika Srpska (RS) in Banja Luka recalls a skyscraper in Frankfurt am Main. Right at the top sits the man in charge, prime minister Milorad Dodik.
He is dubbed the "Lukashenko of Bosnia", but what others say means little to him. Dodik won the 2006 elections, supported financially by the West. Following the election, the businessman who, incidentally, is currently being investigated on corruption charges, was expected to retract his nationalist rhetoric, but did not fulfil that hope.
The 1995 Dayton Agreement created two entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina: the Bosnian Federation, which makes up 51 per cent of the state territory and Republika Srpska inhabited by a Serbian majority with 49 per cent. While the Bosniaks want to strengthen the state as a whole, the RS refers to Dayton. The Croatians as the third and smallest ethnic group of the country likewise pursue the ultimately unrealistic goal of their own entity. Except for foreign policy and finance policy each entity has its own state institutions.
Above this stands the office of the High Representative (OHR) established by the UN. "I don’t know what the High Representative does and I don’t care," Dodik said, seated on his gold embroidered chair.
Not long before, the parliament of the RS had passed a constitutional proposal which would not only have cemented the far-ranging independence of the RS and thereby also the erosion of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole state, but would also have annulled all resolutions of the High Representative. Dodik annulled the resolution to preserve his credibility, but his power games have further reduced confidence in the inner stability of the country.
‘Bosnia is not a large country, but it is a large symbol’
An Austrian with Slovenian roots, Valentin Inzko describes himself as a man of compromise and is "moderately optimistic" that he will be the last High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but that was also said by several of his predecessors.
There is reason to think that the closure of the OHR could be beneficial. It would also be a new start for the Balkan policy of the EU, which can hardly anticipate an application for membership by Bosnia and Herzegovina before 2011. Instead, currently it is far more a question of finding the "least bad" solution.
The OHR has been active in contributing to the stability of the country since the Dayton Agreement of 1995. The High Representative did so through the introduction of a unified currency, bank, flag, and street signs. However, in recent years he has tended to react, rather than being pro-active. The last word is that of the "Implementation Council" of the UN, which in October will decide on the future of the OHR. If the OHR is closed by the end of the year, a special commissioner of the EU with broad powers would take his place.
At the last session, however, disappointment was registered with the lack of progress in the country. In some areas, including press freedom, it was said that the country had even regressed. The closure of the OHR by the end of the year therefore seems fairly improbable.
On January 1 2010, Bosnia and Herzegovina will become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council until 2011. The paradox, however, is that it will be represented by members of each of the three ethnic groups. Bosnia and Herzegovina has three presidents – at the same time and of equal status. One of them is Haris Silajdzic, the representative of the Bosniaks. He smokes Slim Ultra and quotes Pablo Neruda in fluent Spanish: "I cannot crown my head without thorns."
Silajdzic is a historian. He spent the war in Sarajevo. "When you hear the first shell, everything changes," he says. Silajdzic emphasises the rich, peaceful and multicultural history of the country, but observes with disappointment that this is not the case today and that Dayton effectively even rewarded the Serbs for the genocide. Although he describes himself as an optimist, it is difficult to believe him.
"Bosnia is not a large country, but it is a large symbol. The people have been through a lot and Bosnia will continue to survive in the future." However, there are different notions of the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Silajdzic supports the continuance of the OHR and the military mission EUFOR, ideally but unrealistically until final EU and Nato membership.
"Dialogue and reconciliation sound hollow in reality, and the mass graves that we are still digging up are present, not past," he says.
He is dubbed the "Lukashenko of Bosnia", but what others say means little to him. Dodik won the 2006 elections, supported financially by the West. Following the election, the businessman who, incidentally, is currently being investigated on corruption charges, was expected to retract his nationalist rhetoric, but did not fulfil that hope.
The 1995 Dayton Agreement created two entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina: the Bosnian Federation, which makes up 51 per cent of the state territory and Republika Srpska inhabited by a Serbian majority with 49 per cent. While the Bosniaks want to strengthen the state as a whole, the RS refers to Dayton. The Croatians as the third and smallest ethnic group of the country likewise pursue the ultimately unrealistic goal of their own entity. Except for foreign policy and finance policy each entity has its own state institutions.
Above this stands the office of the High Representative (OHR) established by the UN. "I don’t know what the High Representative does and I don’t care," Dodik said, seated on his gold embroidered chair.
Not long before, the parliament of the RS had passed a constitutional proposal which would not only have cemented the far-ranging independence of the RS and thereby also the erosion of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole state, but would also have annulled all resolutions of the High Representative. Dodik annulled the resolution to preserve his credibility, but his power games have further reduced confidence in the inner stability of the country.
‘Bosnia is not a large country, but it is a large symbol’
An Austrian with Slovenian roots, Valentin Inzko describes himself as a man of compromise and is "moderately optimistic" that he will be the last High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but that was also said by several of his predecessors.
There is reason to think that the closure of the OHR could be beneficial. It would also be a new start for the Balkan policy of the EU, which can hardly anticipate an application for membership by Bosnia and Herzegovina before 2011. Instead, currently it is far more a question of finding the "least bad" solution.
The OHR has been active in contributing to the stability of the country since the Dayton Agreement of 1995. The High Representative did so through the introduction of a unified currency, bank, flag, and street signs. However, in recent years he has tended to react, rather than being pro-active. The last word is that of the "Implementation Council" of the UN, which in October will decide on the future of the OHR. If the OHR is closed by the end of the year, a special commissioner of the EU with broad powers would take his place.
At the last session, however, disappointment was registered with the lack of progress in the country. In some areas, including press freedom, it was said that the country had even regressed. The closure of the OHR by the end of the year therefore seems fairly improbable.
On January 1 2010, Bosnia and Herzegovina will become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council until 2011. The paradox, however, is that it will be represented by members of each of the three ethnic groups. Bosnia and Herzegovina has three presidents – at the same time and of equal status. One of them is Haris Silajdzic, the representative of the Bosniaks. He smokes Slim Ultra and quotes Pablo Neruda in fluent Spanish: "I cannot crown my head without thorns."
Silajdzic is a historian. He spent the war in Sarajevo. "When you hear the first shell, everything changes," he says. Silajdzic emphasises the rich, peaceful and multicultural history of the country, but observes with disappointment that this is not the case today and that Dayton effectively even rewarded the Serbs for the genocide. Although he describes himself as an optimist, it is difficult to believe him.
"Bosnia is not a large country, but it is a large symbol. The people have been through a lot and Bosnia will continue to survive in the future." However, there are different notions of the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Silajdzic supports the continuance of the OHR and the military mission EUFOR, ideally but unrealistically until final EU and Nato membership.
"Dialogue and reconciliation sound hollow in reality, and the mass graves that we are still digging up are present, not past," he says.
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European Commissioner Rehn heads for Macedonia, Bosnia
During his Western Balkans tour, European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in Belgrade that the EC was committed to Serbia’s EU future but the country must co-operate with The Hague tribunal and continue regional co-operation.
Serbia, Macedonia welcome Schengen visa decision
European Commission recommendation to allow citizens of Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia Schengen visa-free travel from January 2010 welcomed by those countries, but disappointment in Bosnia and Kosovo as they are left out.
Schengen visa liberalisation for Western Balkans a step closer
Western Balkans countries that meet criteria should be Schengen visa-exempt, EU ministers say; European Commission vows legislation before summer break
Karadžic and the UN charges
Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić has demanded that 11 counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, be dropped due to his claim that former US assistant secretary of state Richard Holbrooke promised immunity for war crimes prosecution if Karadžić removed himself from public and political life.
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Denial of service attack the latest by hacking collective as Eastern Europe governments back away from ACTA under public pressure.
Serbia rejects reports of pressure on it to reach deal with Kosovo
Situation in northern Kosovo and EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Priština discussed at the United Nations.
Reshuffle in Romania
New prime minister-designate faces task of rehabilitating image of ruling party with cabinet of second-stringers.
Greece reaches accord on austerity demands from its lenders
Greece needs the aid package from the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund in order to avoid defaulting on $19 billion in bond payments due in March.
Greek party leaders move closer to deal on more spending cuts
Talks broke up early February 9 2012 with only one outstanding issue remaining.
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BTW we have the same problem with some of our Kings - Samuil for example, is considered Makedonian, by the FYROM-sti and we are told in school that he was a Bulgarian ruler.
Chances are that Tvrtko himself, had no clue that there are any differences in nationality between Serbs and Bosnians, just like Samuil, who had many other problems, besides splitting hairs like that...
Love,
I agree with all that, (except Tvrtko, who was crowned King of Serbia and all of Bosnia - in the 11 century no-one there had national awareness, as it is a post- French revolution phenomena.
The Serbs went about the whole brake up of Yugoslavia in the worse way, de facto losing any moral standing.
What the Bosniaks, on the other hand, refused to recognize is that no Orthodox Christian would voluntarily agree to live in a Muslim ruled country, after the long history of abuse by the Turks.
I am [...]
Read the full comment Bulgarian and I do dearly love the Turkish friends I have, yet I fear Islam, and see it as a backward culture with no hope at all.
The last thing I'd do, if I could help it, is to live in one of their countries. I couldn't handle the head covers, and the rest of the symbols that come with it, much less its conservative essence.
To me America is way too conservative and sexually oppressed , what's left for even the most enlighten Muslim place.
I am interested in what you think you can do with RS?
Another war perhaps that would cleanse it from Serbs like the Krajina example you sited?
You stated that:
"The first Bosnian King was Tvrtko, who was crowned as "King of Serbia and all of Bosnia" and sure enough he wasn't a Muslim"
You're absolutely right! He was a Bosnian !!! The problem with Bosnia today is that people have wrongly assigned religious affiliation to their nationality. The "Bosnian Serbs" are in fact Bosnians who follow the Orthodox christian faith, the "Bosnian Croats" are in fact Bosnians who follow the Roman Catholic faith, and the "Bosniaks" are in fact Bosnians who follow the Islamic faith. They are all [...]
Read the full comment Bosnians as were their ancestors. The "nationalist" or "ethnic" divisions were really formed during the Ottoman occupation in which Bosnian's were discriminated and segregated from each other based on their religion and during the Austro-Hungarian occupation in which Bosnian Orthodox citizens started identifying themselves with their fellow Orthodox Slavic neighbors (i.e. the Serbs) and the Bosnian Roman Catholic citizens started to identify themselves with their fellow Roman Catholic Slavic neighbors (the Croats). The Bosniaks, being Muslims by faith, were unable and unwilling to identify themselves with any of their neighbors and instead chose to stick with their own Bosnian identity which was formed in the 11th and 12th centuries. Fundamentally all Bosnian citizens are Bosnians and their homeland is Bosnia and Herzegovina. Those who don't see it that way are only depriving themselves of the homeland they have and the privileges they can enjoy from having it.
King Tvrtko was king of Bosnia and all Bosnians.
Valeri
As you know the Croatian Serbs got the raw end of the deal when they tried to declare their independence from Croatia and attempted to ethnically cleanse Croats from their homes in Croatia's Krajina region. The "RS" entity was created through ethnic cleansing and genocide and it has no validity with the majority of Bosnia's citizens. As the saying goes "if you live by the sword you will die by the sword", this also applies to the Bosnian Serbs. Since the Bosnian Serbs used ethnic cleansing to form the "RS" entity they could also lose [...]
Read the full comment it by being ethnically cleansed from it themselves. Certain wrong decisions made by Bosnian Serb politicians could lead to a very bad outcome for Bosnia but an even worse outcome for the Bosnian Serbs. I would prefer to see the country move towards becoming a normal democratic and multi-ethnic state that can join NATO and the EU. That's the choice before us, democratic development or renewed fighting. I hope that you agree with my belief that democratic development and the peaceful return of refugees to their homes is the best possible path for Bosnia and Herzegovina to follow.
From the article above:
"Not long before, the parliament of the RS had passed a constitutional proposal which would not only have cemented the far-ranging independence of the RS.."
What is the difference between this and the Bosnian referendum of '92? (and spare me the history)
I am just illustrating the danger of separatism - it doesn't stop when you get what you want. It keeps on going.
Well, 66% are the Muslims there. Obviously a large % of Bosnia doesn't want to live together, otherwise RS wouldn't exist.
I think this is something we need to respect, just like we respected the wishes of the Albanians not to live with the Serbs - something that started long before that stupid Serb "cleansing" of Kosovo.
Going back to history to justify current ambitions is pointless and I think this is what the problem is in the Balkans. Most of its history Bosnia was under other's domination, and so was BG frankly. The first Bosnian [...]
Read the full comment King was Tvrtko, who was crowned as "King of Serbia and all of Bosnia" and sure enough he wasn't a Muslim.
Bosnia was a kingdom for 100 year until the Turks took over. 10 years a go Bosnia was born as a country, extremely different from the one that the Turks invaded.
So what? Nations are born and they disappear. SP was just born so lets respect that.
Partition, join the EU and then every one can get their property back, and move where ever they like, with the EU guarantees behind.
Why would you partition a country if you are willing to let all people live together in peace? Something is missing in your argument here-wait I found what it is: logic. By the way the only people who get to decide about the future of the country are its citizens. If you are familiar with the 1992 referendum held in Bosnia then you know that 66% of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina wanted the country to become independent. Any questions regarding the political or administrative divisions in the country would need to be agreed on by all three ethnic [...]
Read the full comment groups living in the country and any decision would have to be sanctioned by the country's supreme court.
Valeri
If you want to know more about Bosnian history you should read a history book. Bosnia has been a nation for a thousand years, it's current borders have existed for hundreds of years. That's what makes it different from Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was a confederation of nations that included Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Bosnia and Herzegovina has always been a nation.
Love,
I generally agree with that, my only question is what makes Bosnia different from Yugoslavia? The Muslims there didn't fight for the right to move and live anywhere within Yugoslavia, but wanted to separate from it in a country, which as far as I know, doesn't have much different history of self-rule than Republika Srbska.
Why not partitioned the two, as it was done with Yugoslavia, and then allow Muslims to move to RS, and Christians to move to Bosnia if they should all desire?
I am all for guaranteeing rights of return. [...]
Read the full comment
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained не е по темата на статията
Valeri
Please don't give me that "ethnic purity is a guarantor" nonsense. That's what Hitler thought and he was proven wrong. The only long-term stability that can be achieved is one in which all Bosnian citizens can have their rights protected in every part of the country. Only through tolerance and democracy can Bosnia, and the entire Balkans, become peaceful and stable in the long term.
Also you seem to be ignoring the fact that in Bosnia every person can choose in which city and town they want to live and are free to move about the county to find better employment or living accomodations. Bosnia is a country in which its citizens are free to move about freely regardless of their ethnicity or religious affiliation.
Valeri,
You're talking utter nonsense. There was never any "population exchange" that took place in Bosnia, there was ethnic cleansing and genocide. The people people that were ethnically cleansed from their homes have every legal and moral right to return to them, and many are choosing to do just that. Every person that was forcefully removed from his or her home has a right to return it.
Valeri,
I support the return of all displaced peoples to their former and proper homes, as the Dayton Peace Accords stipulate. Why shouldn't people return to their homes? And who is going to stop them from returning to their homes?
Yeah Love, when everything goes back to normal, Bosnia goes back to Yugoslavia and every one goes back to their homes, when the Palestinians come back to their homes, and the Sudeten Geramans go back to their homes, or when the Prussians go back to Kaliningrad..
That boat has sailed..
Sometimes population exchange is the only insurance for future stability. It's happen countless times in history.
People who were forced out of their homes need to feel safe enough to return to them and to resume their lives in peace and stability. Only by having people return to their homes can Bosnia recover from the war and genocide that took place in the country.
OK Tony,
so then what is to be done - forcefully mix them back together?
I think that Peggy is actually correct with her analogy about the little Yugoslavia, and perhaps the Serbs probably outdid the others in their atrocities, but it was largely a 3 way affair. The Serbs did try to keep the big YU together, obviously because it was under Belgrade, so what is the problem now?
Ones you start recognizing breakaway regions, why stop now? When do you draw the line? When you get the country that you want, then [...]
Read the full comment all the further partitions have to stop?
This comment has been hidden by the moderator because it contained квалификации.
Tony M, you are truyly one demented and pathetic creature. You cannot help yourself with all this crap you probably believe.
I really won't bother answering your crap any more because to continue any further would be lunacy for me. You see, a wise person comes to a point when he/she realizes who they are talking to and to continue to talk to that person would only make them foolish as well.
By all means, continue with your delusional crap but no sane person will pay any attention.
[...]
Read the full comment I will let reputable people guide me and people like you are best forgotten.
This comment has been hidden by the moderator because it contained авторски права.
Tony, the accusation about organ harvesting comes from Carla DelPonte. When she was the chief prosecutor and smeared dirt all over the Serbs you Albanians were supporting her, but now that she no longer has to tow the company line and is free to tell the whole truth, you don't want to hear it.
The truth is coming from her, not Serbs so how can it be Serbian propaganda?
Funny, when she worked in the Hague she was honest and told the truth, now that she is out of Hague and free to talk [...]
Read the full comment she is a liar according to you.
Which one is it then? A liar or an honest person?
Tony, you really should give up. I have already told you what I and many others think of western propaganda against the Serbs.
A lot of distortion of facts and inflated numbers is normal when you want to spread propaganda around the world.
Sure, Serbs killed your lot and your lot killed the Serbs and continue to kill the Serbs to this day. Now why is your lot killing Serbs today? Elderly and young are being killed in Kosovo.
What happened in 2004? How many churches and monasteries were burned down by your lot and this all happened AFTER the war?
You talk about killing during the war but your lot continues to harrass and kill even now. Funny how KPS can't ever find any suspects. They are either keystone cops or just plain don't care.
This comment has been hidden by the moderator because it contained квалификации.
Tony M, you wrote this,
Remember a modern genocide in bosnia, loughin on camera while executing innocent children who soiled themself by the brute intimidation shown from your "heros",
Give us some evidence of this. Unless you can back up ridiculous statements like this with some sort of evidence, kindly keep quiet for you seem to have a very evil imagination.
This is the sort of thing I can expect from organ harvesting ghouls like Albanians. Perhaps you have the two confused.
This comment has been hidden by the moderator because it contained квалификации.
Well if big Yugoslavia could not exist because every ethinic group wanted their own country, how then can mini Yugoslavia (Bosnia) be expected to exist?
If people could not live together in a larger country, those same ethnic groups cannot live together in a small country. It's only logical.
Why break up big Yugoslavia only to replace it with a mini Yugoslavia?
Tony, ethnic cleansing was done by all three sides and every civil war is brutal and bloody. This was a civil war where people of those [...]
Read the full comment regions fought against each other.
Horrible yes, but it certainly makes all three sides guilty of the same crimes.
This comment has been hidden by the moderator because it contained квалификации.
Can someone explain to me, what is so important about keeping two separate entities like B&H and Republika Srbska, as parts the same fictitious state, when they have already de facto gone through population exchange and are ethnically separated and contiguous?
The question isn't even one of minorities, considering that there are few in both, albeit, as result of unfortunate cleansing.
Why is it not OK for B&H to separate and it's OK for Kosovo?