by V. Jahic, Oslobodenje (European Weekly Edition), Sarajevo, Bosnia-Hercegovina, 8/24-31/95
Dr. Ismet Grbo has recently stated, during a press conference organized by SDABiH [Party of Democratic Action, Bosnia-Hercegovina, the largest party representing Muslims in Bosnia-Hercegovina], that he felt that "in Tuzla, there is a strong Yugonostalgic [a generic term used by nationalist political parties in all of Yugoslav successor states to discredit their opponents; the implication is that Yugonostalgics are not patriotic and that they yearn for those "horrendous" times when Yugoslavia still existed] faction, and Yugoslavism has always blown in the sails of the Chetnik [derogatory term for Serbs; name of a Serb nationalist movement during the WWII; its members have committed atrocities against Muslims] ideas and movements."
At the same press conference, Adnan Jahic, strongly criticized Beslagic's [mayor of Tuzla, an industrial city in northeastern Bosnia]
statement, given in an interview to Vjesnik: "that the victory of SDA in Tuzla would lead to renewed emigration of Croats and Serbs from Tuzla." He considered that remark outrageous, since it was given to a foreign instead of a domestic newspaper.
Jahic then continued by strongly criticizing the Civic Forum in Tuzla; Dr. Sead Jamakosmanovic, the president of the Cantonal SDA council in Tuzla, said that "the Forum's posters and other initiatives are against this country and this people. They are a fifth column and declared Serb lovers; they are helping the aggressor."
These statement have provoked reactions from Selim Beslagic and the Civic Forum activists.
Political Smear Campaign
"I did blow in the sails of greater Serbia in order to push it as far as possible from Tuzla. This was obvious in the fateful moments on 5/15/1992. They are accusing both the governing party in Tuzla [Social Democrats] and myself, because we did the right thing when it was necessary to resist the Serbian-Montenegrin aggressor. They know what they are doing; they are trying to discredit me. I stand behind this statement: those who talk about Yugonostalgics are Yugonostalgics themselves. Chetniks have called me a war criminal, while the influential individuals claim that I am a Serb lover and what not. Doesn't this seem absurd to any normal person? Before the beginning of the aggression, I said that I have no other homeland besides Bosnia-Hercegovina. I never negotiated with anyone about symmetrical or asymmetrical Yugoslavia. Regardless, influential members of SDA are trying with all their might to discredit me; their media are making up lies about me. I have even filed suits because of these offenses and slanders; unfortunately I am not powerful enough to move the judicial system. It is in the hands of the ruling party [SDA]. If their accusations were true, I should be in the court. Why don't they sue me?" These are the words of Selim Beslagic, the mayor of Tuzla.
About the accusations regarding the statement given to Vjesnik, Beslagic said the following:" One should read my interview first, and then talk about it. The interview was a whole page of text from which they pulled one sentence and tried to smear me because of it. In that interview I said that the abolition of the 115th HVO [Croatian Defense Council] brigade prodded Croats into emigration from Tuzla. And furthermore, that I assess that SDA's election victory in Tuzla would induce many Croats and Serbs to leave the city. This is my assessment. We have unmasked in Tuzla Pohara and some other former influential members of SDA who had tried to incite interethnic intolerance with their activities. Furthermore, the criticism that I gave the interview to Vjesnik and not to one of the domestic media outlets is unfounded. I am always ready, as the president of the strongest opposition party in Bosnia-Hercegovina [Social Democrats] to give an interview to RTVBiH [state controlled Bosnian television station]; unfortunately, the authorities won't let me."
Announcement of a Future Suit
In the Civic Forum, they were surprised by the sharpness of the SDA accusations. Citizen Forum president, Vehid Sehic, is not at the moment in Tuzla; neither are the two vicepresidents; hence no one was ready to give an official statement to the media. In conversation with some activists, we heard the assessment that the SDA criticism are a sort of a pressure exerted by totalitarian factions whose goal is destruction of secular initiatives on the territory of Bosnia-Hercegovina. Some thought that they were exposed to that criticism because of their support for the preservation of a unitary Bosnia-Hercegovina within its internationally recognized borders, and also because they publicly denounced the forces who publicly and secretly negotiated with the aggressors about the ethnic division of Bosnia-Hercegovina; because they revealed their hypocrisy which manifests itself in their public support for multiculturalism while in practice they worked on ethnic transfers of the population within the homeland. They still considered the collection of signatures in support of the withdrawal of the prime minister's (Haris Silajdzic) resignation, to be only a form of extrainstitutional democratic pressure exerted by the public. In connection with that, they indicated that the institutions were not holly shrines; their assessment was that the attacks on the state were far stronger when an institution with its decisions "broke" constitutional principles or laws, and when it came to decisions which were only beneficial to the ruling circles. They considered that they were exposed to a strong pressure because they loudly pointed out such anomalies; this time their attitude with respect to the people expelled from Srebrenica was interpreted with glee; also some circumstances in connection with that were made up.[!?]
Translated on 2/10/96
