TUZLA, BORN ON APRIL 4

Bosnia is Defended Best in Tuzla Way

AIM Tuzla, April 5, 1996

Tuzla has become the epicentre of domestic political developments in Bosnia & Herzegovina. The best indicator which speaks in favour of this, was a session of municipal parliament held on April4 in the sports and cultural centre "Mejdan" where about three thousand citizens and practically the top echelons of B&H politics gathered. The session was devoted to the day when in 1992 that very parliament reached a decision to offer active resistance to the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) which threatened sovereignty and territorial integrity of B&H.

The gathering was opened by the Mayor of Tuzla, Selim Beslagic, who spoke about motives for reaching the decision in 1992, and circumstances in which resistance was put up. This time, the celebration of the Day of Tuzla was attended by: Miro Lazovic - Chairman of the Assembly of the Republic of B&H Dr. Haris Silajdzic, former prime minister of the Republic and Federation B&H Bogic Bogicevic and Gradimir Gojer, Vice-Presidents of the Social Democratic Party of B&H Sejfudin Tokic, President of the B&H Union of Social Democrats; Dr Miodrag Zivanovic, President of the Social Liberal Party of Republic of Srpska, Dr. Ivan Djuric, the well-known Serb dissident who lives in Paris; Vladimir Srebrov, Prsident of the Serb Resistance Movement of B&H and many other invited persons from B&H and international institutions active in Tuzla and B&H.

It is interesting that representatives of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and the Croat Democratic Community (HDZ) did not appear, nor did officials of the Tuzla-Podrinje Canton which is ruled by these two parties. Many interpreted this as an indicator that the central political clutch was in Tuzla, with the main clash between the civic and national option of B&H hoing on right here.

The atmosphere in which the gathering was held showed that "nationalists" were quite right when they had decided to abstain. The Mayor of Tuzla, Selim Beslagic, received a frenetic aplause, but the announced guests were welcomed almost with equal enthusiasm - Dr. Haris Silajdzic, Bogic Bogicevic, Vladimir Srebrov, Dr. Miodrag Zivanovic, Sejfudin Tokic and other representatives of civic parties. This atmosphere was repeated when the guests addressed the audience, and during their messages to the citizens of Tuzla.

The role of Tuzla in defence of B&H was characterized as one of the decisive acts. The role of the citizens of Tuzla in defence of the multiethnic being of B&H was described with the same qualifications, as well as their spreading of the spirit of tolerance and coexistence, their offering a recipe for democratic reintegration of B&H on civic principles.

"Nothing could make Tuzla waver in the struggle for defence of integral and multiethnic B&H", Miro Lazovic said.

Sejfudin Tokic assessed that citizens of Tuzla best affirmed togetherness and coexistence of Bosniacs, Serbs and Croats.

"The spirit of the Federation, tolerance and readiness for peace, signed in Dayton, had existed here before Dayton. We will defend integral and democtratic Bosnia & Herzegovina in our, Tuzla way", said Sejfudin Tokic.

Numerous visitors welcomed Dr. Haris Silajdzic's taking the floor with thunderous applause.

"It is an honour for me to be with you. You have shown best how Bosnia should be defended. This job has not been completed yet. Tuzla is free, Bosnia & Herzegovina is free, but it consists of two parts. We need it undivided. Noone will and can divide it, because we all need it to be undivided", Dr. Silajdzic was brief.

Other guests also addressed numerous compliments to the citizens of Tuzla, their city authorities and the political option which prevails here.

"Most sociable people have lived and still live in this city. I have always learnt here, but we the Bosnians and Herzegovinians have all always learnt from the Tuzlans. This time I wish to thank you for being a model for everybody how multiethnic B&H patriotism should be developed", said Gradimir Gojer.

The municipal parliament of Tuzla - among all the legal authorities - was the first in B&H which adopted a clear decision back in 1992 on defence against aggression. Nowadays, the ruling parties in B&H are trying to deny this and claim it for themselves, just as they are trying to present themselves as the progenitors of all peace initiatives, signatures, agreements, accords... Regardless of the fact that these are in fact circumstances imposed under pressure by the international community, the ruling structure still claims that it is an active supporter of overcoming current controversies in B&H. The political reality - from implementation of the Federation, freedom of movement, return of banished persons and similar - is an indicator that they are doing exactly the opposite.

Specific quality of Tuzla and its authorities is in the fact that during the war the city retained all values of a civilized society and civic democracy. Mayor of Tuzla, Selim Beslagic spoke about it.

"I am nowadays quite sure that we have not mistaken, neither on the eve of the war nor while it lasted. Our assessments were realistic. The decision made on April 4, 1992 to defend the city and B&H, was an act of unity of the citizens, it was a manifestation of courage and resoluteness of the highest authorities in the city, to defend ourselves even if we had to lay down our lives for it. While we were reaching it, we knew that B&H was a unity of diversities, and that all those who stressed diversities and neglected unity were working in favour of centrifugal forces. We also knew that it was our duty to organize resistance in order to protect the right to life and property of each citizen. Time is the best judge that we were right", said Selim Beslagic.

All forces - except the extremist faction of the Serb Democratic Party - in Tuzla organized a patriotic front. This city was a bright civilization point in all of B&H during the years of the war, but in all of former Yugoslavia, too. There was no political and ethnic persecution, no plunder, extortion, repression... Due to its principled different approach, the authorities of Tuzla were often accused of aspirations for autonomy by the ruling parties of B&H.

"Citizens of Tuzla and banished persons who have found refuge here, were not driven away, humiliated, raped, killed and taken to concentration camps here. There were no interethnic conflicts here, no religious intolerance. State and private ownership have been preserved in the city. We safeguarded political unity, the Constitution and laws of B&H during all these years. In the years of the war, crime rate remained on the peacetime level. We consistently implemented the Platform of the Presidency on defence of B&H, as well as the laws of the Republic and the Federation. We had lived the reality of the Federation before it was signed in Washington. Nowadays, everybody talks about reintegration of B&H, and we have maintained reintegrative princples of life and political practice all this time. That is why nowadays, all citizens and members of all nations peacefully and freely live in the city", Selim Beslagic said.

Bosnia & Herzegovina are slowly turning in the direction of the political model of Tuzla. Reality of the warhas broken many links, but Tuzla is becoming a node where connections are reestablished. Within just five days, Tuzla was twice visited by delegations of opposition parties and civic initiatives from the Republic of Srpska, and by a delegation from belgrade. Guests were gladly received at gatherings, sincerely welcomed. It seems that all political options in B&H understand this - except the ruling party leaders - so Tuzla is repeatedly visited by opposition party leaders. They appear at gatherings, they are present among the citizens. Leaders of the ruling SDA and HDZ for the time being are contacting only with structures of their party sympathizers. This is perhaps the reason why they did not wish to appear at the specific civic rally in Tuzla even out of courtesy.

VEHID JAHIC