Translation
Bosnia
Islamisation
Ref: 217
May 1996
EO TV
Translators:
Machteld de Vos (Dutch)
Jovana Srdic (Bosnian), facilitated through Balkans Beyond Borders NGO ()
00 :44
Soldier Pijpers:
Those people just want to work together. It will take some time still, but my own expectation is that that could already happen before the end of this year.
00:53
Haris Silajdić:
I’m afraid many in the international community would like to see calm Bosnia. Blood off the TV screens and whatever happens to Bosnia is okay. But let us at least rest from the problem of Bosnia. It’s wrong. Because the problem of Bosnia will come back. It will come back. But in a much larger scale if we do not do the right thing now, and that is to reintegrate Bosnia-Herzegovina.
01:21
Presenter:
Ever since Bosnia became an independent state, the government has proclaimed loudly that this country will be a multi-ethnic multicultural democracy, where everyone can live together in peace. So far nothing has come of that and the prospects for the future are not much better.
01:41
Man with funny glasses:
The government has indeed said that, has to say that, also for Western support, but in fact they would prefer a Muslim state. Just as they do not cooperate well with the Croats either, for [of] Croats and Muslims who then have to form one federation you can at the utmost say that they coexist. But there is no collaboration between those two either, let alone collaboration with the Serbs.
02:06
Haris Silajdić:
So the Serbs are put in a ghetto. Practical the Croats are put in a ghetto. And the Bosnia muslims are put in a ghetto. The difference is that that ghetto, the Serbian ghetto that happens, will join Serbia, the Croatian will join Croatia. So we’ll have greater Croatia, greater Serbia. Right? And the middle in the sandwich will have the Bosniac muslims, who will fight for their existence and their survival.
02:34
Man with funny glasses:
Of a truly multi-ethnic state you can already at this moment say that that has failed. It has more than obviously failed, and Mostar, which should have been an example; it has practically failed. In Sarajevo, where, in the Serbian districts, only some elderly people have remained, and others often have been forced to flee – in that sense, there will be very very little left of a multi-ethnic state. What matters now is whether there will be any states left that can live in peace with each other. And even that remains to be seen.
03:53
Man with funny glasses:
It is nevertheless a party that in some ways, unfortunately, resembles the former political system. You should not say that they’re former communists; that is of course nonsense for Izetbegović who was a dissident, always oppressed by communism. But it is, after all, the same type of state as you actually on the Balkan also ha[…] – Croatia, sadly, not otherwise have.
04:14
Haris Silajdić:
The current policy has it political monopolied. It looks like the old system. It does not develop the country, it does not develop the individual. We have generals in the politics, we have police in the politics, we do not give full autonomy to the religious societies. And there is the political meddling into the religion and vice versa, so there is some kind of a collectivism of a mixed kind and I’m tired of – we are all tired here of collectivisms. We’ve been living in a communist country for the last fifty years, we do not need collectivisms anymore. We need free people with free choice. And I think that we have one fight for democracy. In the field, but it looks like we are losing the game in the locker room now, somehow, I do not know how, but it looks like the fascists are gonna be rewarded here. And that’s what’s bad.
05:38
Haris Silajdić:
It is a political centred party, that is called ‘Party for Bosnia-Herzegovina’ and emphasizes the need to keep Bosnia-Herzegovina together.
5:45-6:18
Man
In any case, I don’t think that the former Prime Minister Silajdzic is able to contribute with something new that isn’t already included in the agenda of the Democratic Action Party. We are persisting with our struggle for the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as it is planned in our agenda and I don’t expect stiff competition from the party of former Minister Silajdzic. Given that the new party is to be founded in the beginning of April, my concern is that it does not turn out to be an April Fool’s Day party.
06:17
Man with funny glasses:
He will of course get a few votes, but it is extremely difficult for other parties. Firstly, we have to remember that the Bosnians can hardly be said to have a democratic tradition, that there is no civil society that keeps an eye on the politicians; on the contrary, the politicians determine civil life. And that means for that SDA too that they have it relatively easy. And the people have so many other things, so many worries on their minds. Although it is peace, most people have no roof over their heads yet, no job; there is so much misery still. And then that SDA seems the only refuge that they will then vote for.
07:18
Iranian man:
We especially believe that America that recently started to propaganda against Iran and prisons of the Iranian troops here that we [be] denied of that that we have not any single military centre or any military troops, Iranian troops I mean here…
07:40
American army man:
We think we know where these people are. We know where they are, so certainly the Bosnian government knows where they are. They’re there. Now there are some people in the Bosnian government who said they weren’t there until the I4 raided the safe house near Sarajevo: they were there, there were Iranians there. And they were up to no good. All of them have to leave and I would repeat today the linkage that we have made for quite a long time now that our ability to respond with assistance to train and equip the Bosnian military is severely limited and will not occur unless the Bosnian government make sure that these people are asked to leave the country and that they leave the country.
08:18
Presenter:
Is Iran going to help Bosnia rebuild their army?
08:21
Iranian man:
Surely, surely. We already in case of the American sides. To [fade]. To financing, supporting from the Bosnians, let’s say, development here. The Islamic country. We are ready for helping the Bosnian sides.
8:40-9:30
Man
The West and some Europen countries tend to negatively politicize our relations with Iran. We have always been on good terms with Iran, Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Islamic countries, especially during the times when the help from European countries left out, when the expected aid and protection of independent and sovereign Bosnia and Herzegovina in face of the brutal aggression from the part of the adjacent countries. The stato of Bosnia and Herzegovina will harmonize its relations. We wish to establish a very good relation with the USA since it is the creator of peace in the Balkans and they have presented their ways to maintain peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We will learn how to establish balanced relationships with all countries.
09:30
Haris Silajdić:
We are a small country, we would like to cultivate economic diplomatic ties with Iran, just like with any other country. And I hope it will not be only the Islamic countries. This is Europe, and this is first of all Europe’s problem. The reality is that we’ve been killed here. Not by any Asian, whoever they are, countries, but by the Europeans, here, and the European sickness of fascism. It’s homemade, as you know, and it is always present. And if we do not take care, it […]?
10:15
Presenter:
What’s Bosnia going to look like in a year from now?
10:18
Haris Silajdić:
There’ll be all options open, and if Bosnia-Herzegovina is divided, I think that it will not stop. The process will not stop in Bosnia, because there will be this principle of a […] division introduced. That’s why I think we must return to the priority of number one of Dayton, Ohio and that is integral sovereign Bosnia and we must do underground – underground what we say, because underground what’s going on underground is division of Bosnia right now.