DISAPPEARANCE OF HERZEG-BOSNA

The Federation Swallowed the Ban's Dominion

AIM Sarajevo, 26 December 1996

Croat Democratic Community (HDZ) decided last week that Herzeg-Bosna should be dissolved. Therefore, the move was finally made which was expected by the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) from its federal partner ever since March 1994 when the Washington Agreement was signed, and which will, without doubt, have great influence on future development of political events in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

In a letter sent by Kresimir Zubak, who is still the President of the Federation, to Carl Bildt and John Cornbloom, it is stated that the cease of existence of the Government of the Republic of B&H and transfer of its competences to the Federation are the last of the conditions for Herzeg-Bosna to cease to exist which have finally been met. In the background of this letter is the decision of the Presidency of HDZ, which is in fact a specific political foundation for disappearance o Herzeg-Bosna. However, Zubak failed to directly mention when Herzeg-Bosnia would disappear. According to him, transfer of authority to federal institutions still has to take place, which is, in view of the what relations among federal partners have been like so far, a process which may last for months. More precisely, until the SDA meets the latest conditions of the SDA which are dissolution of the Agency for Investigation and Documentation as the specific secret service under patronage of the SDA, reorganization of Radio-Television B&H, and establishment of new municipalities.

By dictating these conditions, the HDZ practically shifted the entire responsibility for future relations in the Federation to the SDA. But, by very announcement of readiness to dissolve Herzeg-Bosna, especially since this is the first time the Croatian party expressed the will to dissolve the republic which was the expression of the interest of its people, a step forward has been made. Because, Herzeg-Bosna was primarily a political institution by means of which the HDZ, by orders from Zagreb, denied integrity of B&H and by means of which territorial aspirations of Croatia towards the former central Yugoslav republic were carried out.

This idea persisted for long five years, and then it was finally and definitely buried after signing of the Dayton accords. When in November 1991, at a secret meeting of the Western Herzegovinian and Central Bosnian branch of the HDZ in Grude, headed by Mate Boban and Dario Kordic, respectively, an agreement was reached on foundation of Herzeg-Bosna, which was explained by a centuries-old dream of the Croats to live in a single state. Even the process through which annexation to Croatia was supposed to take place was indicated. The first phase was proclamation of the Croat ban's dominion in B&H, and then conducting of a referendum in it for annexation to Croatia followed. In conclusions from that meeting, the need for better military organization was stressed "for conflicts with all those forces which will try to interrupt the inevitable process in creation of a free Croat state".

The logical sequence of the meeting in Grude was creation, not of the ban's dominion after all, but of the Republic of Herzeg-Bosna, and then the conflict between the Army of B&H and the Croat Defence Council (HVO) broke out. Only under pressure from Washington did Zagreb give up on this policy, but not of its ultimate goal. Along with the agreement on creation of the federation, another agreement was signed in Washington - on confederation between Croatia and B&H. The HDZ of B&H rarely reminds of the agreement on the confederation, but it is quite possible that transferring competences from Herzeg-Bosna to the federation is in fact the first step towards rapprochement with Croatia. Whether it will actually happen will soon be known, specially if the agreement on the Confederation will be effectuated.

It would be, without doubt, the introduction to splitting of Bosnia & Herzegovina. It is not unimportant that the HDZ has not renounced Herzeg-Bosna voluntarily, although Carl Bildt has denied any pressure by the international community on the Croatian party when he welcomed this move. His allegation was contradicted by Kresimir Zubak in a statement given to the Croat Radio Television, by saying that the international community demanded that power be transferred to authorities legally elected in September by the end of the year.

At the New-Year press conference of the Party of Democratic Action, the leader of this party, Alija Izetbegovic, marked next year as a time for a significant breakthrough in constitution of the Federation. Whether this will be effectuated will greatly depend on fulfillment of conditions set by the HDZ through Kresimir Zubak. It will probably be possible to meet the demands for abolition of AID and transformation of RTV B&H, but a big political battle will be fought concerning constitution of new municipalities. The HDZ is giving them a national prefix, and such determination could significantly disturb the essence of the Federation which was outlined by the agreement signed in Washington.

Apart from that, the SDA will next year have to state its view of the future of confederation with Croatia. If creation of the Federation at the time was a tactical move intended to satisfy to a certain extent aspirations of Zagreb, the agreement on the confederation is nowadays becoming a burden by insisting on the idea of integral Bosnia & Herzegovina. Because with the equal right, Republica Srpska could also demand establishment of similar links with Yugoslavia, and everything would in the end lead to creation of a new community in the territory of former Yugoslav republics.

Zagreb is persistently refusing any possibility of such connections. Probably this is the reason why confederation is almost never mentioned in the policy pursued by Croatia in relation to B&H. But, if it wishes to abandon the second part of the agreement from Washington which would probably also suit Sarajevo, Zagreb will have to silence its extremists from Herzegovina who were promised that the century-old dream on Croat state would come true.

Sejad LUCKIN