Izetbegovic: All sides committed crimes

Newly elected member of Bosnian Presidency, Bakir Izetbegovic, issued his private apology to Serbian side for all crimes committed by Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to the families of all innocent victims of those crimes. His apology comes decade and half after the official end of war in late 1995, when his father Alija Izetbegovic signed Dayton Peace Agreement with Croatian and Serbian Presidents, Franjo Tudjman and Slobodan Milosevic. In an interview to Belgrade’s B92 Radio and TV Mr. Izetbegovic said that he’s truly sorry for all crimes and innocent victims. This is a first time that Bosniak politician issued an apology to Serbian side in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

As it was expected Izetbegovic’s gest was immediately attacked by several associations of Bosniak victims families, part of academia population and rival political parties. Opposition said that Izetbegovic was wrong when he issued his apology because there is no necessity for it, they think that would be smarter to ask Serbia to extradited accessed war criminals as general Ratko Mladic. Academia representatives said are on stand that apology to Serbian side is equalization of sides and minimizing a crimes committed against Bosniak side in last war.

Bakir Izetbegovic

Yesterday Mr. Izetbegovic said to the media in Bosnian capital of Sarajevo that he stands by apology and repeated that he’s attention was to move all sides towards peace and reconciliation.

“Bosnians should not be afraid of the truth, the truth is their advantage, the power and opportunity,” said Izetbegovic.

Bosniak representative in Presidency also commented that current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina urges all side to apology for their crimes in effort to move Bosnia and Herzegovina in totally different direction in the future, but that there is no willingness from other sides to do that. He repeated well known fact that politicians in Republic of Srpska are not ready to acknowledge war crimes and genocide committed in Srebrenica, when that happen Bosnian state institutions would be able to issue an official apology to all sides.

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Serbian president apologized to Croatian victims in Vukovar

In a same time when Bosniaks are discussing Izetbegovic’s apology to Serbian victims, Serbian president Boris Tadic visited Croatia and city of Vukovar where forces of Yugoslavian People Army and paramilitary formations committed crimes against patients of local hospital in the last war. This was also private apology to victims families from Ovcara where the crimes were committed in early 1990’s. President Tadic was accompanied by his Croatian colleague Ivo Josipovic. Later both presidents visited a Paulin Dvor location, place of severe war crimes committed by Croatian forces against Serbs civilians. President Tadic also held and meeting with victims families and ensure them that he would do everything in his power to help them to discover remains of their killed family members. Later this month Serbian president will visit Croatian capital of Zagreb in his official state visit when he will held meetings with president Josipovic on many important issues related to bilateral relations and EU integrations of both countries.