used without permission, for "fair use" only
Party With Hitler: Interview with Stjepan Kljuic, a member of the Bosnian Presidency
by Senka Kurtovic
Feral Tribune, Split, Croatia, 11/27 1995
Compromise
Imagine that the allies in 1945 set at the table with Hitler and signed an agreement. This is a painful compromise, especially because of the numerous victims; not only the dead, disabled nor the persecuted and expelled persons: the victims are those who have supposedly survived this war.
Loosers
The war has ended, but what is there anything good in that for the citizens of Bosnia-Hercegovina? Maybe that Bosnia-Hercegovina lost its statehood in an American airforce base on November 21? Or that the sanctions against FR Yugoslavia will be suspended? No one has gained with the Dayton peace agreement, not even the Karadzic Serbs. The greatest victims are, however, the Croats in Bosnia who have lost both the population and important regions in which they had been the pillar of the Bosnian spirit.
Snipers
Posavina is probably the richest region of Bosnia-Hercegovina and also a strategically important region for Crotia. Because of that, it matters who is a neighbor to Croatia. I know how this will end: Croatian fishermen are wrong if they hope to fish in the Sava river. Those from the other, "serb", side will shoot at them from sniper rifles. Then it will be published in the papers that "several fishermen from Croatia have been killed; perpetrators unknown."
Division
Croats have lost the central Bosnia and are now given an opportunity to move into the homes of those who were expelled from Grahovo, Glamoc, Drvar [Serb majority towns in western Bosnia]... They have received a flier which calls on them to populate those territories. That is an intentional exchange of territory. The fact that the fertile and rich Posavina was exchanged for a traditionally undeveloped region says enough about the "success" of that deal. I understood everything on that "painful day" in February 1992 when I left HDZ. I told then to Ika Stanic: "If Bosnia-Hercegovina is divided, your family home, your office and your wife's stores will be on the Serb side." I was right.
Zubak
I don't know whether the president of the Muslim-Croat Federation had become a servant of the Zagreb [Croatian] regime or the traitor of the Bosnian Croats, as he has told me recently. Perhaps I am the only man in the world who can understand Zubak. I don't know what he did in Dayton, nor whether he took part in the sale of the territory. That is because I was never a member of similar delegations nor took part in negotiations like these. Croats in Bosnia-Hercegovina have been so wronged that this time reminds me of 1699, when Eugene of Savoy burned down Bosnia. Behind him remained only 26 Catholic monks and 17,500 Croats. A lot of time and patience was needed for expelled Croats to come back. And a lot will be needed now, even more now since the Bosnian Croat political leadership is absolutely disorganized.
On Being Croatian
All political structures with prefix "Croat" are tragic. It is tragic that the Zagreb policy was not a support to Bosnian Croats but a handicap. After the signing of the Washington agreement, Bosnian Croats had a chance to reintegrate into Bosnia-Hercegovina with dignity. But they didn't! They should have had a firm attitude that they loved Croatia but that Bosnia was their homeland.
Deal
In the Dayton negotiations it was obvious that the agreement between presidents Milosevic of Serbia and Tudman of Croatia was followed when Posavina was concerned. That's what I've been told. Milosevic, when he was pushed into a corner, said: "please, we have already agreed about this." He made a good deal, got rid of undeveloped regions and gained rich Posavina.
Tudman
When I met Tudman for a first time he asked me if I was willing to work for our cause. I said: "You know, Mister, I've been working for our cause for 35 years already." But I didn't want to be somebody's tool. If I wanted, I could have been closer both to the Communists and the new lot than Smiljko Sagolj [author of both old (Communist) and new (HDZ) election laws in Croatia]. I used my own head, and the Bosnian Croats will have to do the same. They must understand that they belong to Bosnia-Hercegovina. Where they used their own, instead of somebody else's head they have protected both their honor and their possessions.
Zagreb
Zagreb has made two mistakes: it did not return our love and did not have enough knowledge. That way, the long tradition of the independence of the Bosnian Croats has been interrupted. We should not reject Zagreb. The regime in Zagreb should be our support, guarantor, protector. But, if for the freedom of Knin and eastern Slavonia, we had to loose Posavina or central Bosnia, then I am against that regime.
Applauses
Croatia has become a step mother to the Bosnian Croats. Even worse than that. But the Croat people in Bosnia bears some responsibility as well. All Croats in Bosnia will have to be involved in politics until they die. If they can applaud, but they don't see what their leaders are doing, then they deserve to bear the consequences.
Translated on 4/16 1996
