ASSOCIATED LIST

EVERYTHING IS QUITE CLEAR NOW

AIM Sarajevo, August 11, 1996 - On the occasion of the forcibly interrupted promotion of the Associated List (Social Democratic Party, Union of B&H Social Democrats, Croat Peasants' Party, Muslim Bosniac Organization, and the Republican Party) in Gradacac last Saturday afternoon, a press conference was held today at its seat in Sarajevo. Judging by the number of present journalists, among whom were foreign correspondents, the press conference seems to have attracted exceptional attention. Symbolic ringing of the big red alarm clock at twelve o'clock this time was quite appropriate. The reactions were quite frank. Karlo Filipovic, Sejfudin Tokic, Stjepan Kljujic, Ivo Komsic, Sead Avdic (Bogic Bogicevic was also present) talked about what had happened, and said that it had shown what was actually going on in B&H. Because the problem was not in the fact that a promotive gathering was not held, but something much more serious was at stake, ultimately the future of Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Avdic reminded of the fact that all promotive gatherings were duly announced, and this was also the case of Kalesija and Gradacac. They had expected problems in Kalesija, and according to Avdic, there were certain aggressive supporters' passions, but candidates of the Associated List were sufficiently obstinate not to take heed of the insults and chanting. Although the event passed without major incidents, the well determined and organized scenario indicated that it would be repeated. Nevertheless, noone had expected such developments in Gradacac. Fifty to sixty young men, evidently not citizens of this town, came in t-shirts bearing insignia of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA). They even carried its flags. They shouted slogans, such as "Traitors", "Thieves", constantly chanting "Alija, Alija". When they realized that their aggressiveness was growing, that is, that their physical safety was endangered, candidates of the Associated List interrupted their promotive gathering. The conclusion could not be doubted: such incidents were not accidental, certain groups (the same young men appear in different places) are organized and manipulated. There is plenty of reason to suspect that this was prevention of the opposition to act on the territories controlled by the police of B&H well organized by the ruling SDA.

"Nothing was happening by accident", Kljujic was decisive, "it all began by turning off power supply, the known trick of turning on and off power and gas supply. But such behavior of hooligans and ruffians, patronizing acting of the police, whose chief said: 'Gentlemen, after all they did not beat you', speaks of militancy which I would compare with Mussolini's black-shirts. We have in fact outwitted them by having interrupted the gathering, and remaining in Gradacac for some time. After an hour, another four militant groups arrived to see whether there was anything left for them to do or their advance party had done the job. It is obvious that everything was synchronized. And I wonder if people who were prominent members of the patriotic front were prevented to speak, what difference is there between the authorities and the other, para-state creations. I think that this is so humiliating for all the citizens of B&H that if they continue like this we will not need an election campaign at all, since we will be the only ones who can save B&H from final division. Since the ruling parties do not like each other but get along wonderfully well, and since they permanently work in favour of division, this gesture, organized to perfection, speaks about a system which will dominate this month before the elections. Unfortunately, instead of broadening the space for democracy after Dayton, it is narrowing down... It is an atmosphere strongly insisted upon by the official state policy. The forces which should most strongly be in favour of legality of B&H, they are the ones which are destroying it the most", said Kljujic, underlining that the problem was not in the fact that they had prevented them to speak or that they had been shouting ultra-nationalistic slogans. The problem was that if the SDA wished to have its own state, it would have it but without the people from the Associated List.

Sejfudin Tokic was even more definite concerning the behavior of the police: "The series of events we have had lately, the fact that the minister of police Avdo Hebib is officially involved in election gatherings of the SDA, the fact that the minister of police of Tuzla-Podrinje Canton, the minister of police of Zenica-Doboj Canton, majority of chiefs of police stations are candidates on the list of the SDA, unambiguously shows that the Ministry of police is actively involved in the election campaign of the ruling party. Information and evidence that we have show that in Orasje, passports are issued by the Party of Democratic Action. There is a series of arguments which show that a number of leading personalities in the Ministry of internal affairs is used not only to work in favour of the SDA, but to obstruct political gatherings of other parties. Office holders in the police should not be members of any political parties and we will insist on it."

Ivo Komsic also thinks that we are witnesses of what Edhem Bicakcic, Vice-President of the SDA two months ago meant when he said that they would be merciless to the opposition. "There is a continuity starting from that announcement, from the attack against Mr Silajdzic, head of the Party for B&H, to Gradacac and all other events which happened to the leaders of opposition parties, all the way to the fact that they are in the difficult position in which even safety of active members of the collective Presidency of B&H is jeopardized, and that the police had done nothing about it. On the contrary, those whose duty was to guard our safety went among those young men and cynically smiled while they hailed Allah egber and Alija. In any normal state when safety of the head of the state is in danger, minister of police must come by a helicopter and organize his defense. There is no difference between Mr Kljujic and me and Alija Izetbegovic, according to formal offices we hold", he said noting that the Associated List would not form its own phalanges as it was suggested to them, but they would inform the international community about what was going on here, in fact, they would inform about destruction of Bosnia & Herzegovina. "That what used to be written that leaders of the SDA would attempt to create a Muslim state in the territory of B&H, but what members of the Associated List had not believed, turned out to be true in Kalesija and Gradacac. By intimidating all those who think differently than the SDA. Elections are not the problem here, nor are we the problem (the Associated List still is not giving up on them, although such a possibility has not been excluded), the problem is", as it was said, "that a concept of a state is imposed which will in fact destroy this state".