EXASPERATION WITH THE PARENT COUNTRY

Serb Democratic Party:

AIM Mostanice, August 19 - A large number of photographs of Radovan Karadzic marked the pre-election gathering of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) in Mostanica. About two thousand people gathered at the rally and listened to the speeches, and there were about just as many of those who were busy entertaining themselves at the traditional folk festivity. In his opening speech at the rally, the Banja Luka Bishop, Jefrem, welcomed the guests and participants and called the people to give their votes to the SDS.

"Let us not allow ourselves to experience the destiny of Krajina", said Momcilo Krajisnik, candidate for Presidency of B&H and Chairman of the National Assembly of Republic of Srpska (RS), and added "let us not allow ourselves to be sold as they have sold them, and the SDS is the only one which can proceed along the road we took". Krajisnik accused the opposition parties - some for claiming combatants of this war and the others combatants of the previous one, and of trying to make a gap between them. "We have brought freedom to the Serb nation and created the Serb state" he said and stressed that "the sword of Democles" from Dayton in the form of Brcko was not disputable only for the SDS. "We are offering you a free Serb state connected with Serbia and Montenegro as much as possible pursuant the Dayton accords, and linked to the Federation as much as it has to be" ardently underlined Krajisnik and drew a burst od applause. He addressed a message as he said, to the friends to the east of the Drina not to help them, but not to hinder them either, adding "the blockade on the Drina is a large wound, but also a great disgrace which will be hard to wash off". In the end of his speech, Krajisnik called all the Serbs not to send various envoys and not to cause disunion among the Serbs and to let, as he said "the entire history be joint and not to have foreigners defend us from each other". Addressing a prayer to God, Momcilo Krajisnik, presented here as the hard-core representative of Serb politics, at the same time warned, as he said, all the enemies that all those who had ever come here were forced to leave.

During the speech of the Chairman of the Assembly, a woman came up to the journalists with the words that real Serbs were only in the SDS and that Socialists were worse than Ustashe. Marko Gavrilovic shared this opinion and said that he was here because he was a great Serb and that with the exception of the SDS everyone else were traitors.

"Due to circumstances I am the head of the SDS, there is nothing to be done about it", Dr Aleksa Buha said in his speech, as the first on the list of candidates for the national assembly of RS and and Acting President of the SDS, continuing with the following words: "Dayton accords were accepted with great difficulties and with great reluctance, but it gave us territories and the state as the political solution". "I know who you will vote for", Buha stressed. "You will vote for the RS and it is unnecessary to say - for the SDS", Foreign Minister of the RS finished, thunderously applauded.

Among the people who escorted the speakers, there was a man who was in charge to begin timely applause and a group of young men could also be noticed who saluted all the speakers with three fingers loudly cheering them.

Candidate for the Chamber of Representatives of B&H, Slobodan Bijelic warned against the danger that some of the deputies from the RS might vote against the interests of the RS and endanger it in this way. "That is why all the deputies must be true Serbs, and only the SDS can make that possible" said Bijelic and stressed that the voters should remember "March 1991 and how traitor Bogic Bogicevic acted. We want a Serb national state and we are against the theoretically stupid concept of the so-called civic state which is unfortunately implemented in our parent country" Vice-President of the SDS ended his speech.

Radonja Bulatovic, President of the SDS of Serbia and Veljko Guberina, Belgrade lawyer, also took part at the rally. The latter got the greatest applause and shouts of support with his ardent performance and attacks against Carl Bildt and the international community. Both he and Bulatovic appealed to the voters to give their votes to the SDS because, according to his words, it was the only political force which could guarantee life to the Serbs in the RS.

A large number of people moved around the masses, who, as they said, had come to the festivity which is traditionally held at this time of the year.

After the end of the rally, AIM journalists got statements from Momcilo Krajisnik and Dragoljub Mirjanic, candidate of the SDS for vice-president of the RS who had not participated at the rally.

"This is a solemn moment when we are linking the election campaign with the celebration of a significant holiday" declared Krajisnik and added that the SDS was doing everything possible for the elections to pass in order, and that it would avoid all traps such as the latest operation of IFOR around Han Pijesak, because they were a tolerant party. "There are forces which would prefer postponement of the elections, because it would lead to denial of the existence of RS and the issue of the sanctions would be on the agenda again", said Krajisnik, without specifying which were these forces. To a question of a journalist whether operations of IFOR improved the rating of the SDS he answered that "the SDS has its high rating and the citizens can be proud of this party".

Dragoljub Mirjanic expressed satisfaction with the gathering and hope that the people would not be "allowed to be deceived". Concerning the proposal for a joint list he could say nothing, because, as he said, he was not sufficiently informed. "The Dayton accords are full of unjust solutions, but it is an inevitability and we have to accept it as such" was Mirjanic's answer to the comment about sudden acceptance of the agreement by the SDS although it had been sharply opposed to it at first.