used without permission, for "fair use" only

Izetbegovic in a Uniform

by Josip Vricko

Vjesnik, Zagreb, Croatia, May 9, 1996

Leader of the so called Bosnian collective presidency, Alija Izetbegovic, started his election campaign almost as soon as he got up from his sick bed. A month ago Izetbegovic declared in front of soldiers (who to his great pleasure, address him as " commander in chief") and civilians in Bihac that Bosnia would be liberated from both Serbs and Croats. It is interesting that this war cry was equally warmly received by both civilians and soldiers who had, only a few months before, liberated that city together with the Croatian Army and Croatian Defense Council [Bosnian Croat Army] units.(...)

Izetbegovic probably thinks that he has been generous long enough. Obviously, he liked his Bihac declarations. Hence, he repeated them in Gorazde, to the consternation of IFOR commander General Michael Walker: "Our struggle will not end until all of Bosnia is free," the president with suddenly awakened militaristic ambitions loosely paraphrased himself.

On the occasion of the so called people rally in Zenica, where he also attacked Silajdzic [former Bosnian prime minister, leader of the opposition Party for Bosnia-Hercegovina], Izetbegovic asked the citizens of Zenica to learn the word reconciliation. Although it is not news that Izetbegovic speaks differently on the same topic to different audiences, it is interesting that he has made such radical turns in the aforementioned cities. Obviously, Izetbegovic knows what he is doing: in Zenica, from where Serbs left at the very beginning and Croats were banished during the war, there is no need to "liberate" Bosnia. As far as SDA [Izetbegovic's party, the Party for Democratic Action] is concerned, in Zenica, Bosnia is free [of Serbs and Croats]. On the other hand, Gorazde and Bihac, cities which were surrounded and cut off from Sarajevo during the war, need to be prepared for the elections.

Izetbegovic is aware that Sarajevo owes a lot to those victimized cities; if nothing else he can give out far fetched promises. After all, Izetbegovic spoke at the so called people rallies as, above all, a party leader, to which the IFOR commander hasn't paid enough attention. As a party leader, Izetbegovic doesn't care much about the Dayton agreement.


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