NEW TENSIONS IN THE FEDERATION

Herzeg-Bosna Persists

AIM Sarajevo, 10 January, 1997

After he had announced towards the end of last year in a letter to John Cornbloom and Carl Bildt that "Herzeg-Bosna" would cease to exist, President of Bosnia & Herzegovina Federation, Kresimir Zubak, has come out in the open in the past few days claiming that this para-state has never been abolished. In the Croat weekly called Horizont, he states that he has never said that "Herzeg-Bosna" has ceased to exist. This latest interpretation could shake again the already fragile bridges of cooperation between the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and the Croat Democratic Community (HDZ), partners in power in the B&H Federation.

"Why would I say that Croat Republic of Herzeg-Bosna had ceased to exist", Zubak wonders in Horizont and explains: "No legal or formal decision has ever been reached in this sense".

The President of the Federation is even more specific when he says that he has "explicitly said that ministries and the government of Herzeg-Bosna are ceasing to exist". This means that some of the levers of power have been discontinued, but not the para-state itself which was ever since its foundation the stumbling block in relations between the SDA and the HDZ.

In the letter addressed to Carl Bildt and John Cornbloom on 18 Dceember, Zubak in fact did state that "operation of the Government and ministries of the Croat Republic of Herzeg-Bosna is discontinued", but also that by decisions adopted at the previous session of the parliament of the Federation "political and legal presumptions for transfer of the remaining functions of the Croat Republic of Herzeg-Bosna to state authorities of the B&H Federation" have been created. In providing the latest refuge for "Herzeg-Bosna", the President of the Federation explains that conditions have indeed not yet been created for "transfer of certain institutions of Herzeg-Bosna to the B&H Federation" and lists public entreprises, the pension and the social security fund among them.

Zubak's letter to Bildt and Cornbloom written in December was preceded by a session of the Presidency of B&H HDZ. The leadership of this party at the time concluded that "... transfer of functions of the civilian authorities of the Croat Republic of Herzeg-Bosna to the competent authorities of B&H Federation in municipalities, districts and the Federation was compeleted", but also that "accordingly, the Presidency considers newly established authorities on all levels of the B&H Federation responsible for exercising power and organization of life on the territory of the Federation".

Therefore, not even the least space has been left for any doubt, especially concerning public enterprises, the pension and social security fund, whether all that should be put in the competence of the Federation. Therefore, it would be an illusion to believe that behind the latest version of the reasons for the existence of "Herzeg-Bosna" there are just technical and not political motives, as Zubak is trying to present.

It is indicative that Zubak's statement comes at a time when the new Prime Minister of the Federation, Edhem Kicakcic (SDA) received a letter from the President of the HDZ, Bozo Rajic in which he asked for a new agreement about distribution of posts in future ministries by which the cabinet of the Government should be expanded. News about that letter, referring to the well-informed sources was published by Sarajevo Dnevni avaz, a daily close to the SDA. This journal assumes that the SDA will return the blow by putting the question of the President of the Federation back on the agenda. For a long time, the SDA has demanded that the next President of the Federation be a Bosniac, and that only after that this post would be given to the Croats, so that many had already imagined Vladimir Soljic, the former federal minister of defence at it.

The SDA has without doubt hinted that it would strike a counter-blow to revival of "Herzeg-Bosna" and the HDZ's insisting on increased participation in power, which will lead only to further increase of tensions within the Federation. At the same time, the HDZ also has a lot of reason not to be satisfied with the behavior of its partner in power.

The President of the Federation, who is since the unsuccessful bargaining with submitting resignation after signing of the Dayton accords, taking great care not to diverge from the party directives, demanded from the SDA to state its view concerning dissolution of the Agency for Investigation and Documentation (AID), reorganization of Radio -Television Bodnia & Herzegovina, and establishment of new municipalities. Without explanation, the SDA has at least so far passed over all these Zubak's questions in silence.

Everything points out to repeated straining of relations inside the Federation before the forthcoming session of the federal parliament which was expected to take place in the middle of the month. It is possible that due to the latest disagreement, it may be postponed which would be just another step to petrification of the existing national division within this entity in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

It is interesting that in mid December, when Zubak announced dissolution of "Herzeg-Bosna", the greatest enthusiasm about such developments was expressed by the SDA. Its spokesman, Ismet Grbo, commented that this was a "long expected move", expressing "hope that necessary preconditions for implementation of Washington and Dayton agreements have been created". Even representatives of the HDZ, judging by the first reactions, were ready for this step. Vencel Lasic, secretary of the HDZ City Board of Sarajevo declared that "until state substitutes - Republic of B&H and Croat Republic Herzeg-Bosna - exist, there can be no state at all".

Although Cark Bildt denied at the time that any pressure had been exerted by the international community on the HDZ to reach a decision on dissolution of "Herzeg-Bosna", Kresimir Zubak claimed quite the opposite in a statement for Croation Radio-Television. He explained that the international community was the one which determined the deadline for transfer of power on the Federation for the end of 1996.

These very words were a warning that dissolution of "Herzeg-Bosna" was not the result of good will of the HDZ and that this party would seek ways to prolong live of this para-state. It is evident, judging by Zubak's statement, that an alibi was found and that the HDZ did not wish to give up this strong argument in its political competition with the SDA. It is a fact that relations between national parties in power are not even close to the level on which mutul confidence could be expected. After all, how could there be any confidence when this is happening in an atmosphere of constant banishment of Bosniacs from western Mostar, or in the days when Kresimir Zubak by receiving a delegation of Croats from Bugojno is stressing their problems. These moves can result in nothing but new disagreements. Was that indeed what Zubak wished to achieve by revival of "Herzeg-Bosna"?

Ibro KOVACEVIC