Go Or We'll Have To Move You

"It is unlikely that at this moment anyone could have explained to the American public support for a politician that was in any way and at any time linked with radical Islamic groups. Silajdzic had to leave the Bosnian political scene because of that and because of further American support for the Alliance for Changes," says Reporter's source

by Zoran ZUZA

Reporter, Banja Luka, Srpska, B-H, October 3, 2001

Haris Silajdzic, for who knows which time in his career, resigned. The naughty favorite of Alija Izetbegovic and Warren Christopher, who five years ago founded the Party for Bosnia-Hercegovina (SBiH), left the leadership of that party without much media attention, which as a rule followed his previous similar political moves. The new leader of the SBiH, Safet Halilovic, under public pressure, could not totally ignore political reasons for Silajdzic's departure, but he also added the mandatory remark that Silajdzic "remains a part of the project of BH and the SBiH". From several international diplomatic sources in Sarajevo, Reporter, on the other hand, found out that Silajdzic will not participate in the future in any "Bosnian project", at least as long as Americans are in charge here. The same sources claim that ten days after the suicidal terrorist attacks on New York and Washington the leader of SBiH was forced to withdraw from the leadership of the party which is a member of the ruling Alliance for Changes because the current American administration holds him responsible, as a wartime Prime Minister of the government in Sarajevo, for bringing a large number of volunteers from Islamic countries, who during and after the war in Bosnia were connected and are still connected with the most wanted global terrorist Osama bin Laden!

The local public could have been misled by the fact that Silajdzic did not run for any office in last year's election, that in the April of this year he clearly expressed intent to withdraw from the leadership of the SBiH, and that he has suffered from heart trouble for a while.

None of these reasons prevented Silajdzic from leaving a deep political imprint within the Alliance for Changes. That collection of political parties did not manage to leave behind Izetbegovic's and Silajdzic's political legacy. Attacks on the Dayton agreement did not stop, SDA officials simply moved to the SBiH, and rather unauthentic owners of Bosnian passports who had proved that they had the right to live in Bocinja or anywhere else in Bosnia-Hercegovina still smiled in the programs of Sarajevo based TV stations.

Behind the scene: "Americans were aware that they could not overthrow Izetbegovic without Silajdzic, although they placed their bet on Lagumdzija and Ivanic in the Republic of Srpska. However, they were aware that the trio Lagumdzija-Ivanic-Silajdzic could not function. Ivanic's condition before the elections was that Silajdzic not be allowed to take any public office," Reporter's diplomatic source emphasizes.

This explains self-confidence with which the current Prime Minister of Srpska greeted journalists when they asked him how he could support in the Bosnian parliament the party whose election motto was "Bosnia-Hercegovina without entities".

Those with better than average memory probably recall Silajdzic's platform for changes of the Dayton Agreement and "generous" offer that the territory of Bosnia-Hercegovina be used as a base for the NATO bombardment of Yugoslavia. International officials who created the Alliance for Changes really had to take Silajdzic off the political scene and "ask" him to avoid journalists. However, journalists also did not exactly rush to get an interview from the leader of the SBiH, who emerged from the shadows only once this year as a guest at CNN, to repeat his well-known views about the Republic of Srpska as a result of "aggression and genocide".

The last, typical for Silajdzic, political move took place on the eve of the terrorist attacks on the USA, when the SBiH threatened to leave the Alliance for Changes unless, as was written in the pres release distributed by the party, illegal privatization of "Aluminum" company in Mostar was prevented.

Silajdzic's good connections with the Islamic countries, dating from before and during the war, which he undoubtedly used to get as much money, weapons and mujahedeen to Bosnia-Hercegovina as possible, were recalled by the American administration in Washington only after intelligence reports according to which several tentacles of Bin Laden's terrorist organization end in Bosnia-Hercegovina ended up in Washington.

Start: "It is unlikely that at this moment anyone could have explained to the American public support for a politician that was in any way and at any time linked with radical Islamic groups. Silajdzic had to leave the Bosnian political scene because of that and because of further American support for the Alliance for Changes," says Reporter's source.

The departure of Silajdzic will definitely not be the only American demand that will these days be sent to the authorities in Bosnia-Hercegovina. After Osama bin Laden personally confirmed that some of his followers are in Bosnia, our sources claim that the Bush administration will demand full cooperation of all politicians in Bosnia-Hercegovina in the showdown with Bin Laden's men and those who gave them shelter.

To our question whether that means that Alija Izetbegovic will also become a target, our source responded that it is possible that the Hague Tribunal will play a role in that case, if the statements of three previously arrested Bosniak officers and Sefer Halilovic provide sufficient evidence for an indictment against Izetbegovic.

This country has again arrived in the limelight at the worst possible time. But, perhaps something good will come out of this! Fear sometimes opens eyes to the mistakes from the past. Silajdzic is definitely one of those mistakes.

Translated on December 13, 2001