VETERANS' RIGHTS IN B&H

A PLAIN SMOKE-SCREEN

AIM SARAJEVO, 6 January, 1997

In the first days of this year Vice-President of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and Vice-President of the Federation, Dr.Ejup Ganic, proposed to the Federal Parliament to urgently adopt a decision according to which a demobilized Bosnian soldier could buy out a flat or business premises with money on his military foreign exchange savings account. Namely, after termination of war operations every defender of the B&H Army got a savings book in which all his unpaid soldier salaries were registered. The average amount on each of these books is some twenty thousand German marks. Judging by reactions of the local economic experts, but also political parties' leaders, the initiative of Dr.Granic was characterized as an extremely ill-advised, rash and unsuitable in relation to the current economic, as well as political situation.

According to some World Bank estimates, the internal debt of the B&H Federation amounts to some 13 billion DM. It comprises missing household foreign currency savings, unpaid salaries and pensions and obligations arising from the establishment of military savings books. The size of the amount in question is best illustrated by the fact that the social product of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1991, i.e. in the year in which it was still whole and "wholesome", amounted to $ 10 million or DM 15 billion. Today, that is the amount of the debt of just one half of that same Bosnia and Herzegovina. Common sense indicates that the state will not be able to keep the promises given to the category of people which it owes most.

On the other hand, the united organization of veterans - "Veterans' Union" expects the state to keep its word, but does not hide its surprise at the fact that the initiative on the realization of military savings should come from none else then Dr.Granic. According to colonel Abdulah Handzic, Vice-President of the Federation did not care much for veterans' rights and he reminded us of a recent eviction of the widow of Nusret Sisic - Deda, "the golden lily" (an outstanding soldier of the B&H Army) from her flat. According to the local media, the eviction order came from "the top". From Dr.Granic's office.

Be that as it may, the initiative was referred to deputies. The mover (Dr.Granic) has no doubts that it will be carried, but in case it does not he proposes "that each of them (deputies) should state their full names on the TV". This way everyone would know who has obstructed such an idea.

And, as he says, the idea developed in autumn 1992. True, the original idea was possible buy out of forests, meadows and hills and, there, it ended up with flats and business premises. The initiator does not care much for legal and economic consequences of this solution to the state obligations, but prudishly reminds that "the state should not play dumb" when it had already promised financial compensation to combatants.

One of the most renown economic experts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Prof.Dragoljub Stojanov, warns that such a decision would bring unpredictable economic consequences. "It is just a plain smoke-screen and 'wooing' of combatants who did not ask to be paid for their patriotism", says Stojanov.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is not ready for privatization, and consequently neither for the realization of military savings in the sense proposed by Ejup Ganic. At this moment the most important thing for the country is to organize, rebuild, reconstruct itself, to increase production, to employ people...

"Once the situation settles down, when we know what we dispose with, what is it worth, then we should start privatization", explains Stojanov.

In case the buy out of flats with military savings is approved a legal problem will arise. Take, for example, a fact that the process of privatization cannot be carried out without previously agreed and implemented restitution procedure, i.e. return of the property to its previous owner. What will then happen if a combatant should buy a flat and it turns out tomorrow that the whole building belongs to its previous owner, let's say an Austrian, as is the case with some buildings in the center of Sarajevo. What will be the relationship between the combatant and the old owner? Whose property will that flat be? No one has answered that question.

Or, let us recall the still "fresh" Buildt's proposal on flats, according to which previous holders of tenant's right should be able to return to them. If a combatant buys out a flat and after that a law is adopted according to which his purchase is annulled, who will be the one to explain what has happened, who is to blame and where has the money he earned in the war ended up. There is no answer to this either.

On the other hand, if combatants were promised the money, why should they be forced to buy out flats with it. In the course of privatization process, which awaits Bosnia, combatants, as all other citizens, will get certificates which they can invest into the purchase of flats, and therefore they do not have to do it with their military savings.

A month ago the federal government adopted a decision according to which electricity and gas bills can be paid from foreign exchange savings. Commenting on this decision Stojanov said that this is possible because the city has the cash for the procurement of fuel. Naturally, that can function only as long as smaller amounts are in question and as long as they are covered. Such cover simply does not exit for the buy out of flats and it is therefore sensible to ask why should "Sarajevo-stan" or some other enterprise sell a flat just for "paper".

Stojanov therefore suggests the conversion of military foreign exchange deposits into public debt and its repayment to combatants over a longer term.

"A combatant has earned his right to dispose with his money as any ordinary man, the way he wants." The Bosnian-Herzegovinian political parties all criticize Dr.Granic's initiative regarding it unfounded and contrary to the existing legal regulations. Sejfudin Tokic, Vice-President of one of the largest opposition parties - Union of Social Democrats of Bosnia and Herzegovina - called Ganic's initiative an attempt to score cheap political points. He reminded that only 15 to 20 percent of demobilized combatants live in flats, and the remainder in private houses, so that such a proposal, apart from being legally and economically unfounded, is defective from the statistical point of view. Tokic emphasized that such and similar initiatives would only open up new problems in the process of reintegration of B&H.

The Secretary of the Municipal Board of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Venclav Lasic, asks "can you dine if there is nothing on the table", thus trying to answer the question on the possibility of buy out of flats with military savings. He claims that he is not opposed to any buying, but that before you decide to buy something you must have the money. Not papers.

The Party for B&H says that such a proposal is attractive and interesting for the combatants, but generally undefined and premature.

Other, even those parties which are with their political orientation close to the ruling SDA (the Vice-President of which is Ganic), think that this is "a rash and not fully legal initiative".

Sandra KASALO