VIEWPOINT FROM MOSTAR

THE CROAT POLITICAL SITUATION IN BiH

by Brian Gallagher

The Croatian Herald, Australia No. 983 - 12th September 2003

 

I visited Mostar recently. There have been a number of interesting political developments in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in particular in regard to the Croats. The HDZ is playing a constructive role in these developments, which include the political make up of BiH and the city of Mostar. I also discussed these developments with BiH government sources.

Although press reports of Mostar tend to concentrate on devastated parts of the city, its worth noting that there has been some rebuilding, images of which are rarely seen in press reports of the city. It is also quite safe; I barely saw any SFOR (Stabilisation Force) personnel, and few police.

There has been negative comment in some media regarding the tall Catholic church in the city and the cross on Mount Hum which overlooks Mostar. These media tend not to mention the conspicuous growth of mosques since the war - hardly fair reporting.

The BiH Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) overwhelmingly won the Croat vote in the last general elections, and this was accepted by the current High Representative, Paddy Ashdown. The HDZ in BiH are still more of a movement than a party, reflecting the disadvantaged position the Croats face in BiH. They are largely concentrated in the Muslim-Croat Federation, in which they are numerically outnumbered. Croats thus do not feel their interests are served by Sarajevo. However, the HDZ has a positive attitude and is currently getting on far better with the international community than previously.

The recent controversy over an article in the journal of Democracy which claimed that politicians are concerned over decisions they make in case Ashdown fires them was confirmed to me by BiH government sources. Ashdown's attitude was very much "my way or the highway" they told me.

 

Rebuilding Mostar

 

Ashdown has set up a commission consisting of local politicians to decide the future governance of Mostar. This commission has run into trouble. The Croatian HDZ advocate a unified city and budget, the Bosniak (Muslim) SDA wants the city to remain divided i.e. two municipalities.

It should be said that Mostar's demographics are currently working in the Croats' favour, hence the Bosniak concern - and no doubt Croat enthusiasm for a united city. However, the city cannot remain divided. Both communities would benefit from unified - and thus cheaper - services.

The Bosniak refusal to countenance a unified Mostar may mean Ashdown steps in to make a decision. This will be a key test of Ashdown's tenure as High Representative. If he supports the Bosniak position, this will have serious consequences for the whole of BiH. No other city operates on divided lines and demands for separate municipalities elsewhere in BiH would be hard to resist.

In terms of Bosniak fears, its worth comparing Mostar to Sarajevo. Croats may now form as little as 2% of the population of Sarajevo - the Serbs have pretty much already gone - and are subject to intimidation. Croat churches and graveyards are desecrated and vandalised in Sarajevo. One such incident was being reported whilst I was in BiH. By contrast, the Bosniaks in Mostar are still a substantial community, as can be seen in the Old Bridge area.

One problem that Mostar suffers from is the lack of government agencies centred there. They are largely based in Sarajevo - and thus Bosniaks are advantaged in terms of employment opportunities. The indirect taxes agency will be going to Banja Luka in the Serb Republic part of BiH. The Croats therefore lose out; as do the Bosniaks in Mostar. Ashdown should give some thought to moving some government jobs to Mostar.

The HDZ policy towards the whole of BiH is worthy of note. A government source described it to me as the "de-Sarajevoisation" of BiH. Essentially, the HDZ wish to retain certain functions at state level, police, military, presidency and so on. They would like to see the entities, the Federation and the Serb Republic - effectively cut out. This would certainly help equalise the Croat position.

Further, they wish the local municipalities to take care of matters such as local economy, culture and education, which would help protect Croat culture. There would be grouping of municipalities based along economic lines - not a third entity - which would also include Serb/Bosniak municipalities if it were in their joint interests. The Serbs want to keep their entity borders and the Bosniaks want to centralise everything in Sarajevo, so the HDZ would have to negotiate on this.

What is particularly interesting about the HDZ thinking is how much it reflects Ashdown's own passion for devolution in the UK i.e. placing as much as power as possible downwards. The proposals are significant in that they can benefit everyone in BiH, not just the Croats in particular. The current form of governance is not tenable; the Croats are disadvantaged and there will always be tension regarding the Serb Republic. The Croats certainly need safeguards to protect their economic activities, which are more substantial than that of the other two nationalities - and thus a possible source of tension. Already, there have been problems between Bosniaks in Sarajevo and the Croat run Aluminij firm. The latest being the cutting off of electricity to the firm. Devolution could produce safeguards to avoid such incidents.

One thorny area of contention is that of education. There is a push towards integrated education by the international community, to end the "segregation" of the current arrangements. Currently many classes are separate between the nationalities. However, whilst integration seems laudable on the surface, the idea could cause serious problems. The old Yugoslav state claimed to be integrated; in reality it was Serb dominated. Something similar could happen in different ways across BiH; the Croats for example are outnumbered by Bosniaks in BiH. This could be a very real source of future problems. I suggest that models are sought across Europe for solutions; there are plenty of schools that cater for those of a particular cultural/linguistic/religious background, and which do not create any friction.

In total, Croats still face very real problems in BiH. However, the situation has improved over the last couple of years as the International Community has realised the Croats are not going away. The HDZ's ideas on devolution are very constructive and certainly point a way forward for the whole country. As mentioned above, such ideas are quite similar to Paddy Ashdown's own views when he was leader of the Liberal Democrats. And that is something that should be emphasised.

 

© Brian Gallagher

My 'Viewpoint from London' column appears fortnightly in the Australian 'Croatian Herald' and thereafter at www.croatiafocus.com