From: stojanov@husc10.harvard.edu (Milan Stojanovic)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.yugoslavia
Subject: Re: The goal of an intervention
Date: 8 Sep 92 17:11:09 GMT
Organization: Harvard University Science Center


I actually do owe an apologize for my last posting to Sharon.  I
was extremely angry when I read, for n-th time the same biased one-sided
approach.  Same phrases 'legitimate government,' 'elected government,'
'Izetbegovic having Serbs and Croats in his government, preaching
multhi-ethnic state,' etc. 

So let's make some facts straight about how Izetbegovic government was
formed, and how Izetbegovic himself has broken every single promise he had
made ( cantonization was already discussed).

In article <1992Sep8.145424.10562@unixland.natick.ma.us> sharon@unixland.natick.ma.us (Sharon Machlis Gartenberg) writes:
>
>The issue is that if people didn't like the government that was elected,
>the answer was not to take up arms and start killing unarmed civilians
>and destroying towns, and driving hundreds of thousands of people from
>their homes.
>
>If the Izetbegovic government could not successfully govern the Serbo-
>Croatian majority in BiH, then it deserved to be replaced *in another
>election,* not through the horrors of war.

First, Izetbegovic government is misnomen.   That was the coalition 
government of nationalistic parties, SDA, HDZ and SDS.  One of the 
major agreements made was that this government will never make any decision
not agreed by all three parties.  From the beginning there were problems.
The major break down was the referendum issue, where independence was 
easily promised by EC, pushed by Germany in the case that a simple majority
votes for independence.  Izetbegovic quickly forgot the  consensus 
agreement.  What he forgot was that he was by definition only one
of the presidency members, even not the one who got the most votes ( Fikret
Abdic ).  To say that he could not predict what would happen is 
stupid, everyone knew.  Even he said: "Between peace and independence
we would sacrify peace."  Initial agreement with then JNA (YPA) were
quickly broken.  Up to that point, JNA did very effectively preserve peace,
except in those areas disputed between Serbs and Croats ( Hercegovina). 
So, coalition government was given a chance, and it failed.  It failed 
due to the firm belief of Izetbegovic that his legality came not from the 
people, but from God ( see Islamic Declaration) and Europian Community,
ie. Germany.  In no moment did Izetbegovic control more that 10% of Bosnia&
Hercegovina territory.  And everyone knew that, also. So to talk about
aggression in retrograde manner ( let's proclaim that that territory was 
his, so we could say someone took it ) is dishonest. Also, the first part
to declare ( although declare/retract game happened a few times), was 
Western Hercegovina ( + some more ) , what is now Herceg-Bosna.  

The conclusion: The major blame  ( I am not insisting on blaming someone, 
much better is to find a solution, and that is  only the cantonization
process) is on those who conveniently forgot that decision making process
in Bosnia could be only through consensus.  The specific ethnic mixture
bans any outvoting, because who ever does not like the decision could 
simple declare secession, which happened.  

>
>I have said before that I questioned the wisdom of military involvement
>in the Gulf at the time. My point is that I think George Bush is a 
>hypocrite to champion a military solution in the Gulf and then say he's
>against it in Bosnia.  
>

No, he clearly makes a difference between aggression and inter-ethnic
civil war when country is decomposing. That it is convenient to brand 
Serbs in and from Bosnia as aggressors is different issue.  The Serbs 
have, unfortunately for them, shown that they are the only side that
bows under the pressure ( Croatia case, instead of launching an immediate 
offensive, they would stop after each warning from EC). 

>I'm not a Muslim, I'm not a Croat, I'm not a Serb. I'm simply a human
>being who is absolutely horrified by the suffering in Bosnia-Herzegovina,
>and believe it is morally indefensible to sit back and do nothing while
>so many people are experiencing such horror. If Western leaders believe
>that military intervention won't help, then I think they damn well ought
>to come up with another idea that will.
>

They came.  Negotiations between all sides.  About what to do with 
Bosnia.  How to split it in cantons.  

>Sharon 
>
>-- 
>Sharon Machlis Gartenberg
>Framingham, MA  USA
>email: sharon@unixland.natick.ma.us   or   uunet!think.com!unixland!sharon

Milan