From: George Bogavac <K2GT@UNB.CA>
Subject: RE: Ethnic loyalty and politics
Organization: University of New Brunswick
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 01:14:09 GMT

In article <Bs801D.L54@ecf.toronto.edu> blazic@ecf.toronto.edu (BLAZIC Joseph R) writes:
>In article <30JUL92.12919745.0098@UNBVM1.CSD.UNB.CA> George Bogavac <K2GT@UNB.CA> writes:
>>As I understand, the Serbian representatives, who were
>>democraticaly elected by the Serbian people of Bosnia left, and
>>were replaced by new ones, "loyal to the government".
>
>Yes they left completely on their own accord (or maybe not, see below).
>
>>A similar case exists in Croatia, where the head of the commitee
>>for relations between nations (something like that) is a Serb
>>who is also the head of the "Serbian Peoples Party of Croatia"
>>( whose name, again I don't remember, probbably because he is
>>so insignificant ). This man was neither elected by Serbs
>>nor does he have their support. He is merely a pawn used by
>>Tudjman's government to parade in front of foreigners.
>
>If he was a pawn, then he would likely shut up about abuses against
>Serbs in Croatia; but he has not.  I think we're talking about the same
>person.
>

I'm talking about Milan Djukic. He is the president of a party
called "Srpska Narodna Stranka Hrvatske" or something like that.
According to the articles I've read over the months (Croatian
and Serbian) that party has about 10 members :-) I also understand
that he was paid dearly for his "services". I think you are
reffering to Milorad Pupovac. He is being hunted down by Vladimir
Seks, Croatia's attorney general. See the Globe & Mail article
that I've posted earlier today.

>>Now, Karadzic & co. were, whether some like it or not,
>>elected by the vast majority of Bosnian Serbs and therefore
>>only they have the right to negotiate on their behalf. The
>>same, of course, goes for the Croats and Muslims and their
>>representatives. Only they can reach an agreement that will
>>*TRULLY* satisfy the peoples involved. Anything else, is
>>just a smoke screen.
>
>BUT, these elected Serbian representatives in Croatia and BiH are
>pawns of Slobodan Milosevic and company.

They were elected fair and square,period. Nobody, not you,not me
nor anyone else has the right to dispute that. Otherwise we will
find ourselves disputing every election in ex-YU, and arguing
over who is whose "pawn". Remember Davor Perinovic, the former
president of the Bosnian HDZ? He was ousted by Tudjman himself
and was replaced by Kljujic. Now Boban is the Croatian "main
man" in Bosnia, somebody who is well-suited for the term "pawn".

>Do you sincerely believe that
>all or most Serbs were for waging a war against Croatia and Bosnia, for
>the expulsions and slaughters of their non-Serb neighbours, for the
>destruction of their own towns and cities as well (because shells launched
>by the Jugoslav army do not discriminate between Serb and others's
>houses) ??

You missed my point. I am talking about political issues.
The point I'm trying to make is that Karadzic and his party
were elected by the Serbian people and they are the only ones
who, at this point, have the mandate to negotiate political
deals on behalf of the Serbs. By putting in some "replacements"
nothing will be solved. It is just meant as a smoke screen to
give the impression that everything is just fine, that there
is a "consensus" among all peoples of B&H. If there are a couple
of Serbs sitting in the government,it doesn't mean that government
is acting on behalf of the Bosnian Serbs. Croats should know that
better than anyone: did the fact that there were Croatian
representatives in the Yu-government mean there was real equality?
If your answer is no, than you'll understand what I'm talking
about.

>Regards,
>
>Joe Blazic

Regards,
George Bogavac