Stone-faced Haris

Regarding the Hague suit by Bosnia-Hercegovina against Serbia and its repercussions, Tadic and Silajdzic had almost nothing in common. Tadic, naturally, was very much relieved with the court's decision that Serbia was not responsible for genocide, but his discourse was devoid of any trace of gloating. On the contrary, he emphasized that the court's decision includes some very serious incriminating statements and obligations for Serbia. Silajdzic, on the other hand, stone-faced and with pursed lips, insisted: The Republic of Srpska is a product of genocide, the court has stated that the Republic of Srpska committed genocide, the whole Dayton Agreement is based on genocide, and consequently the state organization based on genocide must be annulled...

by Ivan LOVRENOVIC

Feral Tribune, Split, Croatia, March 7, 2007

Last week in the triangle Sarajevo-Belgrade-Zagreb there was an unprecedented degree of political activity. First came the decision of the International Justice Court in the Hague regarding the suit by Bosnia-Hercegovina against Serbia; an official visit of the three-member presidency of Bosnia-Hercegovina to Croatia and a meeting of the Inter-state Council for Cooperation [between Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina] followed in the atmosphere seriously stirred up by that decision. That was at the same time the first international visit of the newly elected Bosnian Presidency - Nebojsa Radmanovic, Zeljko Komsic and Haris Silajdzic. They were greeted nicely in Zagreb, and all the official statements kept repeating that Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina are friendly neighbors, full of mutual desire to develop cooperation in all fields. However, as soon s specific issues were mentioned, everything grinded to halt: the status of the Ploce port, the issue of sea border (Klek peninsula, islands of Veliki and Mali Skolj), the construction of the bridge land-Peljesac peninsula, mutual regulation of state property (of which Bosnia-Hercegovina has significantly more in Croatia than the other way round)... None of that was resolved. Instead the wise solution was to state that these issues were left to the administrations of the two countries since they were under their jurisdiction.

These issues remain open since Tudman-Izetbegovic's time, and all this time it has been clear that they are far more important for Bosnia-Hercegovina and that a balanced solution of these issues would benefit Bosnia-Hercegovina far more than it could, possibly, harm Croatia. While Tudman was alive, while every Croatia/Bosnia-Hercegovina issue in his neurotic anti-Bosnian perception had much more significance than it really deserved, it was not unexpected that the solution of those issues would be endlessly postponed. Today, however, eight years after Tudman's death, when Mesic is already nearing the end of his second five-year term in President's residence at Pantovcak, and everything regarding Ploce, Neum and property remains just the way it has always been, it is a bit hypocritical to boast with the distinguished title of "proven friend of Bosnia-Hercegovina", which is lavished on Mesic in Sarajevo, and at the same time deny responsibility and hide behind the "government jurisdiction".

Cheap Mantra

One would think that the president of Croatia has something to do with these issues, even though his authority has been significantly limited in comparison to that enjoyed by Tudman! Unlimited credit enjoyed by Mesic in Sarajevo, has been renewed by his, by now rather cheap political mantra about sovereignty of Bosnia-Hercegovina and his message for Bosnian Croats that Bosnia-Hercegovina is their homeland. However, Mesic may end up being surprised one day when more tangible and effective evidence of friendship is required.

Haris Silajdzic hinted that that day may not be far in the future in a TV show, which deserves a more detailed commentary. I am referring to the Sarajevo TV station Hayat and its Saturday prime time news program Centralni Dnevnik, the show characterized by a picturesque combination of extreme national-patriotism and by now fairly forgotten professionalism of its anchor and producer Senad Hadzifejzovic, former Sarajevo TV reporter. This time Hadzifejzovic deserves credit for bringing together Silajdzic and Mesic who were sitting at Pantovcak, in Mesic's salon, and Boris Tadic, president of Serbia, who was interviewed in Belgrade by Hayat's reporter. The video link functioned well and the program was definitely the most interesting political event of that evening in this part of the "region". It is too bad that its audience was limited to those following Hayat.

The chief topic was, of course, the decision of the International Justice Court in the Hague regarding the suit of Bosnia-Hercegovina against Serbia. However, open issues between Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina were also mentioned, including the territorial dispute regarding conflicting claims over two notorious islets with which Bosnia-Hercegovina, no less, gains or loses the status of maritime country! Mesic gave an evasive reply. On the other hand, Silajdzic was curt, hard and unequivocal leaving his host speechless: "There is nothing to discuss. Those islets are ours!"

And the conversation about the court's verdict, about controversial interpretation of the decision and its consequences, about the way it may influence relationships between countries and nations - again demonstrated the nature of a huge gap between the state of consciousness and spirits in the political and national triangle that was that evening represented by three presidents. Naturally, Mesic was somewhat in the background, with somewhat easier role. Therefore, it was totally unnecessary of him to offer at one moment, when the future status of Kosovo was discussed, a long-winded and very unconvincing explanation of the former ambivalent status of Vojvodina and Kosovo as parts of the former Yugoslav federation, which, according to Mesic was supposed to be some sort of semi-defined argument for their right to declare independence.

Most Difficult Moment

Tadic was a "gentleman". Instead of some sort of rabid and exaggerated defense of Serbia's claim to Kosovo, he effectively switched the perspective. As an answer to the question regarding to the status of Kosovo, he offered his sincere commitment to uphold territorial integrity of Bosnia-Hercegovina and all countries in the region, since that was in his opinion the best solution.

Regarding Hague suit by Bosnia-Hercegovina against Serbia and its repercussions, Tadic and Silajdzic had almost nothing in common. Tadic, naturally, was very much relieved by the court's decision that Serbia was not responsible for genocide, but his discourse was devoid of any trace of gloating. On the contrary, he emphasized that the court's decision includes some very serious incriminating statements and obligations for Serbia, he recalled his appearance at the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the tragedy in Srebrenica ("I went there as a human being and a president of Serbia"), and his meeting with the mothers of Srebrenica ("that was the most difficult moment in my life"). He advocated unconditional respect for the victims, individualization of guilt, punishment of criminals, and sincere cooperation and attempts to overcome the past. As far as the status of the Republic of Srpska was concerned, he refused to address that issue since he did not want to meddle in internal affairs of Bosnia-Hercegovina.

Silajdzic, on the other hand, stone-faced and with pursed lips, insisted: The Republic of Srpska is a product of genocide, the court has stated that the Republic of Srpska committed genocide (although we still need to carefully read the verdict and understand if that is the case or whether the verdict only talks about "persons from the political and military leadership of the Republic of Srpska"), the whole Dayton Agreement is based on genocide, and consequently the state organization based on genocide must be annulled, while Bosnia-Hercegovina must enact a law that criminalizes denial of genocide... (The justification of this demand has strongly been strengthened by a rather stupid and morally repugnant statement by Milorad Dodik, made immediately after the court published its decision, that he would never recognize even genocide "limited" to Srebrenica only...)

Alarming Line

Up to the point of these assertions and proposals, Silajdzic's frustration and icy rejection of any possibility of conciliation (even in the amounts customary for diplomats) was understandable and it was not difficult to accept his attitude to the extent that it addresses the injustice inflicted on the victims by the verdict. However, it became obvious that he was driven by demons only once he started elaborating his views, the task that would be difficult and risky even for people much better prepared and sophisticated than he. "The [Serb] nation may not be guilty, but it is responsible," Silajdzic started his response to the statement that one cannot blame all Serbs. And then he set off into a truly shocking speech about "differences between Bosniaks and Serbs" that boil down to the fact that "we" have not while "they" (Serbs, of course) have been raised as fascists and criminals; consequently this is not a first genocide of Bosniaks and everything must be done that it is the last...

It was immediately obvious (on everyone's faces, even Hadzifejzovic's in Sarajevo studio) that with those words and repeated emphasis on "criminal upbringing" [of Serbs] Silajdzic crossed some sort of invisible, but alarming line between what is permissible and what is not, regardless of political, national or other differences...

Tadic in Belgrade only had to make sure not to miss the opportunity. He asked, softly and without raising his voice: "Who will you make peace with if you reject all Serbs as criminals?"

Translated on March 14, 2007