Posted on 08/26/2006 12:39:48 PM PDT by kronos77
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Aug. 23 — For a month usually devoid of political activity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, August has been unusually fraught, as several incidents have raised ethnic tensions to a level not seen in years.
On Aug. 11, a bomb severely damaged the tomb of Alija Izetbegovic, the former Bosnian president. Last week in eastern Bosnia, a group of Muslims forced their way into a Serbian church built on the former site of a mosque. And the broadcast of a videotape showing the wartime killing of an unarmed Bosnian Serb by Muslims prompted calls for a senior Bosnian general to be tried on war crimes charges.
Those incidents have been accompanied by a sharp increase in the expression of nationalist sentiments that is worrying international officials here as the country prepares for parliamentary and presidential elections on Oct. 1.
Milorad Dodik, the prime minister of Bosnia’s Serbian republic, which makes up almost half of Bosnia’s territory, has been the most outspoken.
On Aug. 18, he compared the Muslim-dominated Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, to Tehran, and he has repeatedly hinted over the summer that his republic should become an independent state.
In an interview with BN TV, a Bosnian Serb television station, Mr. Dodik said he was “sick and tired” of the politics of the Muslim leaders, “which makes fools of us so that we look like war criminals.”
“That is all over,” he said.
...
Haris Silajdzic, a Muslim, a former foreign minister and a presidential candidate, has campaigned against the proposed changes, saying they would leave the Serbian republic in place. The Serbian entity should be abolished and absorbed into a stronger Bosnian state, he contends. That idea, diplomats here say, is unrealistic, but it appeals to nationalist Muslim voters.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Hoppie: You need to chill out with a hookah.
He can count on more friends than you and your fellow Dhimmi can.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.