SARAJEVO AGREEMENT ON FEDERATION B&H

Ministers in Dunce's Seat

AIM Sarajevo, April 1, 1996

The signed Agreement on Federation B&H in Sarajevo, leaders of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) call "just an operation program of tasks of the President and Vice-President of the Federation", and their partners from the Croat Democratic Community (HDZ) "an imperfect document which sets very short time limits". The opposition, however, is clapping its hands benevolently while watching the tutors of the Federation sending the ruling federal partners, the SDA and the HDZ, into the dunce's seat, threatening to throw them out of the game for good, if they did not finally behave themselves.

Namely, according to the Agreement on Federation B&H - which was on March 30 signed by the President of the Federation Kresimir Zubak, Vice-President, Ejup Ganic, Prime Minister of the Federal Government and his deputy, Izudin Kapetanovic and Drago Bilandzija, and Prime Minister of B&H Government and foreign Minister Jadranko Prlic, in the presence of high representative of the international community Michael Steiner - terms and responsible persons are precisely indicated, and dicharge from office prescribed for all those who fail to do their part of the work in time. In other words, after the military protectorate which was for Bosnian circumstances a thing well done indeed, the international community started introducing a political protectorate of B&H, too, claiming the right to send away all B&H politicians from their office if they failed to act according to its dictation.

At the Office of the high representative of the international community Michael Steiner, a table was made with precise tasks on one and deadlines which have either already expired or got very close on the other side. Namely, according to the signed Sarajevo Agreement, for example, Dzahid Huseinbegovic and Zoran Pandza (Director of Federal Tax Administration and his deputy) must pack and leave the office of the Administration, because their deadline for nomination of a Federal Tax Committe already expired on March 31. Drago Bagaric and Muhamed Bijedic (Director and his deputy of the Federal Customs Administration) also failed to ensure operation of a uniform system of customs and will have to say farewell to their posts.

The position of Prime Ministers of B&H and the Federation, Hasan Muratovic and Izudin Kapetanovic, has also become insecure, because these two must ensure unhindered work of the Federal Government and all federal ministers by April 5, which is almost equal to a Sisyphean task. By April 5, Kresimir Zubak and Ejup Ganic must resolve the problem of Sarajevo and submit a draft proposal for organization of the city, which is a stumbling block between the two coalition parties - the HDZ and the SDA - in which Zubak and Ganic rank high. This presidential pair of the Federation will have to hand Michael Steiner by May 1 a draft on municipal borders, that is, agree about that which the two political parties have not been able to agree about for more than two years after signing of the Washington Agrement. By April 9, cantonal governments must be established, and governors and their deputies nominated in all the cantons, which the SDA and the HDZ were also unable to do in more than two years. On that same day, all federal ministers must submit draft rules of organization of their ministries to the Federal Prime Minister, or they will all together be thrown out of their offices. Similar destiny awaits municipal authorities of Stolac, Capljina, Vares and Bugojno, towns over which the two ruling parties have been contesting the most, in case they fail to convene constitutional sessions of transitional municipal councils.

By April 10, Prime Ministers Muratovic and Kapetanovic must complete transfer of responsibilities to the Federal Government in the whole territory, including the region controlled by the Croat Defence Council (HVO). How will these two Izetbegovic's favourites manage to abolish the still powerful "Herzeg-Bosnia" remains to be seen. Because, if they do not, they will be forbidden to enter their offices. April 10 is the deadline for 1996 Draft Budget of the Federation too, the Law on the Budget, but also for elements of Draft Budgets of the Cantons, which are, due to the still undisturbed persistence of two parallel financial systems in the Federation, that of "Herzeg-Bosnia" and of the Government in Sarajevo, a great threat to the job of Deputy Prime Minister Drago Bilandzija, and competent ministers and their deputies.

By April 11 this year, the SDA and the HDZ must present the flag and the coat of arms of the Federation; Minister of Justice Mato Tadic and his deputy Zijad Hasic must submit Constitutional amendments and Draft Law on Federal Units to the Federal Assembly; Minister of Defence Vladimir Soljic and his deputy Hasan Cengic must prepare the Basic Law on Defence; D. Milandzija and M. Curcic-Selimovic from the Ministry of Finance, must complete preparation of the Draft Law on Federal Banking Agency for supervision of operation of banks, and amend the Federal Law on Banks. Director general of the Federal Institute for Payment Operations Maruf Burnazovic and his deputy Simun Musa, must deal with Croat kunas, Bosnian dinars, German marks, Austrian schillings, American dollars by April 30... and establish a uniform system of payment operations in the Federation. The same day is the deadline for mentioned directors of Tax Administration Dz. Huseinbegovic and Z. Pandza to ensure foundation of the Federal Tax Council and finish work on the Federal Law on Tax Administration, because "President Zubak and Vice-President Ganic took upon themselves, in case of exceeding time limits, to remove from office those mentioned in the Agreement as responsible for certain tasks and deadlines", the signed Agreement states.

The same document prescribes that no financial or any other assistance will be donated to those communities which refuse to allow return of refugees; it states that cantons will not receive any financial resources until they elect their governments and establish adequate operation structures, so briefly, the Agreement on Federation B&H marks five minutes to twelve for ruling coalition partners - SDA and HDZ - to either accept what was signed or disappear from the leading posts in the Federation B&H. In other words, the political protectorate in B&H is about to be introduced due to the fact that the ruling establishment of national parties in power failed to meet the obligations taken in Washington and Dayton by their leaders by their own free will.

The time for meeting the prescribed obligations is therefore, relentlessly passing. For the authorities of the Government in Sarajevo and of the so-called "Herzeg-Bosnia" it will by no means be easy to obey what the tutors of the Federation ordered them to do this time. Especially because the Government of the Federation from the very beginning acts as a gathering of two opposed national teams of ministers who are responsible to their party headquarters, and not to the Prime Minister's office.

In parallel with the published Sarajevo Agreement on Federation B&H, local newspapers published news on an unusual attack on the car of the Federal Prime Minister Uzudn Kapetanovic. Namely, at the parking lot in front of the building of the Government, from a black Mercedez car without licence plates, so far unknown attackers riddled the car of the Federation Prime Minister, Izudin Kapetanovic, with a machine-gun burst. There is still no official report of the Ministry of the Interior, and perhaps this attack should not be connected with the current political developments in the Federation B&H. Or perhaps it should!?

MIRSADA BOSNO