Posted on 09/02/2008 4:07:28 PM PDT by Diocletian
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AFP)--Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik warned Tuesday that Bosnia could break apart if Muslim leaders questioned the existence of his entity, a local weekly reported.
"Republika Srpska (or RS) is being challenged by the Muslim political elite," Dodik told the Fokus weekly.
"We are facing on daily basis attacks by officials of Bosnia's Islamic religious community and their conception on how to annul RS."
The Dayton peace accords, which ended the 1992-95 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, divided the erstwhile Yugoslav republic into two entities which make up Bosnia - the Serbs' Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation.
Dodik is the prime minister of Republika Srpska.
"Many in the former Yugoslavia wanted the country to (continue existing) but it broke apart since some were belittling others," Dodik said.
In the early 1990s, four of the former Yugoslavia's six republics - Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia - proclaimed independence leaving Serbia and Montenegro together until 2006.
The 1991 proclamation of independence by Croatia and a year later by Bosnia, opposed by ethnic Serbs, were followed by wars which claimed some 20,000 and 100,000 lives respectively.
"We do not want any imposed project" regarding Bosnia, Dodik said, stressing that Serbs backed the Dayton peace accords which "clearly made a balance."
"Such a Bosnia-Herzegovina can function."
Bosnia's two halves share weak central institutions while each has its own government and police.
Serbs strongly oppose any strengthening of central institutions, sought by the international community to make the country more functional, at the expense of their entity's autonomy.
ping
I'm afraid independence is rarely won peacefully anywhere there Jason.
btw..you do realize the inconsistency in your high minded warning?
"mess up and we kill you all"...that's mighty thoughtful of you
Sarajevo, 2 Sept. (AKI) – A Canadian firm will begin exploring potential oil reserves in northeastern Bosnia worth an estimated 80 billion dollars, Sarajevo daily Oslobodjenje said on Tuesday.
Preliminary research has indicated that some 50 million tonnes of crude oil may be lying near the northeastern town of Tuzla and further research will start this month.
Representatives from the Canadian company, Seedrock Capital Partners, are due in Bosnia this month to seek agreement on the terms of an exploration agreement with the government, the paper said.
Follow the money. Find out where the two territories are, you may find out what the impact of oil (underground) is on (above-ground) political posturing.
First thing: We aren’t (or we shouldn’t put American Soldiers’ lives) at jeopardy in the middle of another nation’s civil wars. Secondly, would you really advocate defending and Islamic Republic (in Europe) over Christian and traditionaly western Serbians?
Thirdly, I don’t want either side to kill anyone, but we need to have an ballanced approach IF the Muslims killing anyone I hope your response of “murder anyone over it, and you all die” would be the same if they committed atrocities!?
(otherwise it would allow the Islamics (some allied with Al Qaeda) and the European liberals to basically run over the rights of free citizens!
First thing: We aren’t (or we shouldn’t put American Soldiers’ lives) at jeopardy in the middle of another nation’s civil wars. Secondly, would you really advocate defending and Islamic Republic (in Europe) over Christian and traditionaly western Serbians?
Thirdly, I don’t want either side to kill anyone, but we need to have an ballanced approach IF the Muslims killing anyone I hope your response of “murder anyone over it, and you all die” would be the same if they committed atrocities!?
(otherwise it would allow the Islamics (some allied with Al Qaeda) and the European liberals to basically run over the rights of free citizens!
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Of course, by doing that they would be accepting in principle the independence of Kosovo...
I seriously doubt that.
Oh, the Bosnian Serbs might fight to join Serbia, because they don't want to live in a Muslim-dominated state. But Serbia isn't going to "send in its army to protect them", because Serbia is STILL paying for doing that during the Bosnian wars of the 1990's.
Maybe the Serbs will get a little help from the Russians. Do the Europeans want a fight with Russia over a little border changes? I think Not.
Maybe the Serbs will get a little help from the Russians. Do the Europeans want a fight with Russia over a little border changes? I think Not.
They have their own government and their own army.
They are discussing paper now. The facts have already been settled.
They have their own government and their own army
Its army, the VRS, may be theoretically part of the Bosnian Armed Forces - but it fought for years as a separate command and is, except for a few display units, still effectively a separate command.
The integration of this government and this military into larger Bosnia is mostly superficial.
interesting. i didn´t know the fact that they have a parlament. but they do not have an army (at least anymore) i did some research and all i could find that they had to give up their army in 2006 under pressure of the EU. but they still have their own police.
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