PRISONERS OF PARTY HEADQUARTERS

About Sarajevo, Once Again

AIM Sarajevo, 22 October, 1996

In the beginning of October, Sarajevo was finally constituted as a canton. Such organization of B&H capital was established back on 11 March this year, but in a roundabout way. Moreover, some former state officials (S. Kljujic) did not mince words stating that a putsch has taken place in the City Assembly! On the other hand, most of the people, with the exception of those who had participated in its preparation and constitution, believed that it was a single-ethnic, unilateral and illegitimate canton. They found foundation for such allegations in the fact that out of 37 deputies (who formed the Canton Assembly in March), 35 were Bosniacs, one was a Croat and one was a Serb. Deputies of the Chairman and the President of the Canton: Miroslava Silic, Nermin Pecanac and Jovo Andric (all of them from the opposition), were called political "ornaments".

Constituting of the Sarajevo Canton, as the well-informed stress, was preceded by purges in the City Committee of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA). After the purge, it got a new name - Cantonal Committee of the SDA, and instead of its former head, Prof. Safet Halilovic, a young surgeon, Dr. Ismet Gavrankapetanovic, becomes its president. Dictated directly by the headquarters of the SDA, the Cantonal Committee of the SDA issues urgent instructions to municipalities which helter-skelter nominate deputies for the future Cantonal Assembly. The list of candidates is reduced to two: Sevkija Okeric, the first man of the city Government and Nihad Imamovic, President of the Executive Committee of Municipal Assembly of Stari Grad (the Old City). Although almost everyone is supporting Okeric, his election goes up in smoke because the "supervisor" from the SDA Headquarters, Edhem Bicakcic, did not like him. The compromising solution was prof. Dr. Sabira Hadzovic, pulled out of the sleeve like a joker by the SDA for the post of the head of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly.

By making such moves the SDA shows that it is resolute to constitute the Canton and its legislature at all costs. This ruined the attempt of the City Assembly to transform itself into the transitional Cantonal Council (which was at first the proposal of the Club of SDA Deputies!). Although elected by the people in '96 elections (who should have recalled them in the same manner), the mandate of City Assembly deputies suddenly ended. Dr. Tarik Kupusovic becomes not only the former mayor but also politically "abolished", because he completely loses support of the SDA - the party which brought him to the post. In order to make it all appear to international observers as if it were happening according to principles of law, justice and legitimacy (allegedly guidelines of the ruling party!), the SDA was assisted by individuals from the city opposition (SDP and UBSD). While Kupusovic calls them "greedy power-holders", they justify their deed by saying that the SDA had promised them that in Novo Sarajevo municipality "their" people would get the leading posts, which is in accord with '96 election results. According to the usual scenario, representatives of the Croat Democratic Community (HDZ), "prisoners" of their old hard-core stances, leave the March session. Ante Zelic, vice-chairman of the City Assembly at the time, explains this gesture as follows:

"Instead to talk about participation in the authorities and our demand concerning introduction of the concensus, the hypocritical group of Bosniacs did political violence in Sarajevo". His excellent friend, not only in the "city hall", T. Kupusovic, called all this developments "murder (or rather suicide) of Sarajevo".

We would rather say - Sarajevo slipped into a coma! In view of the fact that from that famous 11 March until 5 October - the latest constituting (enlivening) of the Sarajevo Canton - not a single session of the Cantonal parliament was held, this city has no mayor for six months, and the city as an institution in the system has been dissolved. The opposition has also been outwitted, because the issue of Novo Sarajevo municipality has not been resolved.

All this time on this floating ship, although officially without the title, Sefkija Okeric has been the captain, and as we learn, he is the most serious candidate for the prime minister of the Cantonal Government. He issues orders, decides, nominates... but also prevents partial municipal interests to get the better of those of the city, which many were concerned would happen when institutions of the city were dissolved. Sabira Hadzovic is in his shadow although she has officially the rank of the captain. As a hostess, she receives guests of Sarajevo (politicians, donors, humanitarians). She avoids direct encounters with journalists. Contacts have been reduced to leaving notes through her secretaries. Was this role imposed on her "from above" or did she choose it for herself, aware that she was not capable for the job? If her portrait will one day hang on the wall of the state-room of the City Hall along with photographs of all mayors of Sarajevo, we will know which of the two variants was closer to the truth. Will her successor be of better luck? There is good reason for this question, because another physician has aspirations to take her place - Dr. Midhat Haracic?!

Be that as it may, in tbhe past six-months of vacuum, it was not easy to make decisions and take measures for protection and improvement of life of this city and its citizens. While the city Government was fighting a battle with wind-mills, with the question mark how and from where to get money which, due to unoperational Sarajevo Canton, poured into the federal budget - the Bosniac and the Croat team were negotiating on the future organization of B&H capital under the watchful eye of Michale Steiner. Ante Zelic, head of the Croat negotiating team, claims that all four times, at meetings held from April until the elections, they supported Steiner's proposal on three-level organization of Sarajevo (canton, city, district). He even states that they had never asked for parity in the authorities. It was demanded, however, by the City Committee of the HDZ, and Zelic "happens" to be its member!? His team was ready to accept participation of the Croats in the authorities with 10 per cent, while election results of the HDZ in Sarajevo show that they have won just 6 per cent of the votes. The HDZ in fact demands concensus, more precisely that vital interests be defined which will enable protection of the Croat people in this space. Dr. Gavrankapetanovic, head of the Bosniac team, throws the ball at Zelic warning that in fact this gentleman did not wish to sign the political agreement reached on 18 June. He takes Vlada Markus, as a witness, who is a member of the Croat team, who has after the (according to him) inconceivable Zelic's withdrawal, left the meeting. Although the Bosniacs, Dr. Gavrankapetanovic stresses, had complaints against the part of item 12 of the mentioned agreement which pescribes the manner in which ministers are elected, they were ready to put their signature on it on 18 June. Of course, if the Croats had wished to agree to it! However, to the question why such an agreement was not accepted on 1 October, Gavrankapetanovic explains that they waited for the Sarajevo Canton Assembly to be constituted, wishing all parties which participate in the Cantonal parliament to pass final judgement about organization of Sarajevo.

Only naive persons will believe in the generosity of the Bosniac team (SDA). It is quite clear that they too had delayed the agreement waiting for the elections aware that they would win by a landslide and therefore, dictate the rules of the game. At the first such step taken by them, deputies of the HDZ slipped. More precisely, Zelic kicked the ball straight into his own goal by stating first that the agreement on organization of Sarajevo was an agreement between two nations, and not parties, having thus admitted that this was indeed an agreement between headquarters of the SDA and the HDZ.

Nevertheless, having awakened from its coma, Sarajevo Canton was reborn in the beginning of October. Along with it, another institution - the City together with the mayor, should also be born. Deputies of the HDZ must have realized that too, since just four days after they had left the constituting session of the Cantonal Parliament, without any announcement, they appeared at the meeting of the parties which participate in the Cantonal Assembly. Ante Zelic was with them, as the most ardent supporter of the allegation that Sarajevo could not be constituted as a canton until Article 10 of the Federation Constitution was not amended, because it says that Sarajevo is a district under international administration. It seems that he has repeated the generally known fact that Sarajevo (at least officially) has never been under international protectorate, but also the fact that Dayton accords nullified this article as confirmed by the original report from the State Department addressed to Bosniac legal experts.

Finally, having abandoned the demand for parity, deputies of the HDZ will realize that they can define vital interests only on the level of the City, in the future City Council. Defining of vital interests is reserved only for two mixed cantons according to the Constitution of the Federation. Whether the "prisoners" free themselves of their chains on their own will become clear at the next session of the Canton Assembly of Sarajevo. And that, by all appearances, everyone will claim their rights through legislative and executive bodies, even the HDZ, is best proved by Prlic's statement: "The worst move is failing of deputies to come to any assembly session!"

JASMINKA CALO