Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 11:28:38 CST
From: <U15231@uicvm.uic.edu>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.bosna-herzgvna
Subject: President of Bosnia-Hercegovina on CSPAN

Date: Sat, 9 Jan 93 18:57:04 EST





      First, we had so called indirect negotiations, so called separate
rooms talks. Wishing peace, and seeking a political solution, we
decided to take part in this negotiations. After that, Mr Vance and
Lord Owen requested so called direct talks. In the beginning, I refused.
I didn't refuse to negotiate, I refused to meet those who are considered
to be the war criminals by our people. However, I had no choice, and
after a certain period I had to accept direct negotiations. And it was
one of the most difficult decisions in my life. I felt like Jan Palah,
who burned himself. However, I accepted the talks, and the negotiations
began in Geneva. My friends are trying to convince me that it may be
a way to stop the suffering of people, and the suffering is really
horrible. I simply couldn't miss the chance. From the very beginning ,
I didn't believe that these talks may be successful, but the chance shouldn't
be missed. I couldn't take the responsibility to miss the possibility
of solution. To be brief, after 3 days of talks Mr. Owen and Vance
offered 3 papers, as result of bilateral, unilateral and trilateral
talks, which took many, many hours, during previous 3 days. The papers
were not perfect for us. We had many objections. But hoping that we
might open the way for peace, we said we accepted them. One of the papers
was about political principals, the other was about military issues.
The first paper concerning political issues confirmed the existence
of B&H as sovereign and independent state. And it asked all parties to accept
that fact. The main item in the military paper was that all heavy weapons
including tanks, mortars and artillery be concentrated and put under
efficient international control. These two issues , one at the political
level and one at the military level, were the two main points for us, on
which we insisted. The papers embodied both of this two points, not
very precisely defined, but they were included in the papers. That is the
reason why we decided to accept the papers. However , map of the provincial
division of Bosnia-Hercegovina, consisting of ten provinces was attached to
the first paper. We do accept the principle of division of Bosnia-Hercegovina
into ten provinces with a high degree of autonomy. Those who followed the
negotiations will remember that we offered this solution, that it was our
concession, our compromise, to have ten provinces instead of unitary state.
So in the principle, we accept ten provinces. But we can not accept the
internal borders, or the shape of these provinces, as proposed by Vance and
Owen. In our opinion there have been five spots, five defects on the map
that we could not accept. Namely, we noticed that some of the areas, which
were ethnically cleansed by Serbs, through mass killings or expulsions of
civilians, were left under control of the Serbs according to this map. And
it was quite obvious and clear. It was not disputable at all. We were
surprised because all previous documents all U.N. resolutions, and London
conference documents, made it very clear that no one could profit from
ethnic cleansing, that no one can be rewarded by the territories ethnically
cleansed or occupied by force. But with this maps, that was the case. For
instance, the town of Kljuc, of Prijedor, and small town Kozarac which have
been literally ethnically cleansed by mass-killings have been left in this
map under Serbian control. We have the similar situation in Brcko, which is
well known for mass-killing of about 6,000-7,000 people, civilians, and
which was left under control of Serbs, in this map. There are several other
cases, and we of course could not accept that map. So that our last statement
given at the Geneva conference were that we were accepting the papers, but we
were not accepting the maps. Croatian side accepted both papers as they are.
When the papers were presented, the Serbian side first asked for a short
time-out of fifteen minutes, then asked for a longer time-out of one hour,
then they promise an answer late in the evening, so the session was postponed
several times. Finally we were informed that the session will resume next
Sunday. Serbian side said that the papers can not be accepted by them and that
they will make the final decision on Sunday. I don't know anything about
their decision, which is to be espected on Sunday, but what I can find out
and hear from some comments and statements made in the meantime I am afraid
that they are not going to accept those papers even on Sunday. I will go there
on Sunday and see what is happening.
Thank you very much......
..............
Question(NPR): Mr. President, can you give us an idea what kind of pressures
you are being  placed under , by Mr. Vance and Lord Owen to accept this
proposals on the table, and what kind of internal pressures you face, and
your government faces in Sarajevo  to go along with the plan that essentially
carves up the country into ten different regions?

Answer: As far as your first question is concerned, I was clearly said
that if I didn't accept to take part in the negotiations, that the peace
process would be stopped, that the war in the Bosnia-Hercegovina would
continue, and that I will be blamed for that. And they told me as well,
that they are my friends, that all the friends of my country are expecting
me to accept these talks. And that no one will understand if I don't go,
if I don't talk. The conference wouldn't be held, but it is a chance for
peace and that I was risking to bear the responsibility for the failure
of such negotiations. And then I was told as well that they are going to offer
solution for Bosnia-Hercegovina that was acceptable for us. It implied
the plan published before by Lord Owen and Mr. Vance. The plan was acceptable
for us, and they told me that it would be the basis for future talks.
It meant that there would be no ethnic division of Bosnia-Hercegovina,
and we insisted that there would be no ethnic division. We insisted on the
civil state of European type. They said that they will offer such a plan,
and so that we had political reasons to accept talks.
As to your second question, I can tell you that our peoples are against
my meeting with war criminals. They consider it to be a humiliation, for us.

Question(Monte-Carlo): If the situation continues to deteriorate, would you ask
countries such as Turkey, or other countries, Muslim countries, to intervene
militarily to break the embargo to provide you with military support, maybe
with the advisers?

Answer: Yes. We will.

Xref: sparky soc.culture.bosna-herzgvna:1101 soc.culture.croatia:326 soc.culture.china:34110