Kovačević: If OSA spied on Croatia, it was more likely on HDZ's orders than Izetbegović's

By: Doc.dr. Goran Kovačević

The news about the alleged espionage by the Intelligence-Security Agency of BiH on politicians and businessmen from Croatia is a serious accusation against the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and especially against the Bosniak member of the Presidency, Bakir Izetbegović. It is unbelievable that confirmation of everything Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarović has been claiming all along appears in this manner, and from the pen of a journalist and media outlet that serves HDZ. I am not writing this text in response to the claims made by the Croatian weekly Nacional, which published the news about alleged espionage from BiH, but as a suggestion to the representatives of the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, those who are pro-Bosnian, if any still exist.

First, where did Nacional get secret OSA reports? SOA agents operating secretly in BiH (a criminal offense) could have obtained these reports and are "spying" on BiH agencies and government officials. Another way is for people working within BiH institutions to send confidential reports to Croatia's intelligence service (a criminal offense). In my opinion, we have both of these scenarios on the BiH scene. The question arises as to why OSA and Bakir Izetbegović would "spy" on Croatian Prime Minister Plenković, when he is the only politician with common sense in Croatia. Plenković, as described, is an obstacle to Croatian President Grabar-Kitarović, surrounded by a general-criminal think tank led by General Gotovina. This think tank, on one hand, has strategically positioned many individuals of Bosnian (Western Herzegovina) and Croatian origin within the security system of the Republic of Croatia.

On the other hand, a large number of people have been installed in the security system of Bosnia and Herzegovina through HDZ BiH. For the representatives of BiH authorities and the accused agencies to be able to adequately respond to the accusations made from Zagreb, it is necessary to systematically analyze several known facts that have been circulating in the media space recently. In this analysis, I would first focus on the figure of 10,000 radical elements mentioned by the Croatian President in her media appearances. Where did she get such information? The information comes from a Report by the Ministry of Security of BiH, which was created by HDZ BiH cadres employed in that ministry. The report, when it was made, was controversial because it contained a large amount of information collected from the internet (a dubious source, questionable accuracy).

Another very important part of this analysis is the fact that the media outlet Nacional possesses a secret document from OSA BiH. How did the aforementioned media outlet come into possession of the alleged document? If we say that journalists obtained the document with the help of HDZ BiH cadres, is this a conspiracy theory on our part, or are these true claims? Panic is evident in the political ranks of HDZ RH and its branch in BiH, because things have globally changed in favor of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to the detriment of Croatia. There are fewer and fewer allies on the world stage for the policy pursued by President Grabar-Kitarović.

Relations with the USA have cooled since the information was published that Croatia is working in Russia's interest, trying to prevent BiH from becoming a member of NATO and the EU. There are more and more warnings from Brussels about Croatia's bad behavior. Messages from London are anything but approving. There are increasingly negative messages from Germany regarding Zagreb. The second-instance verdict for the joint criminal enterprise before the Hague Tribunal is getting closer, and hopes that it will not happen are diminishing.

The moves Croatia can make in the coming days are limited. It seems easy to "attack" Bakir Izetbegović and "his" intelligence director. However, this is the worst possible option chosen by Croatia. Because they will have to reveal their own people from BiH who actively participated in the betrayal of BiH. In one of my articles, I discussed cadres with dual citizenship. It is likely that there is now a need to define positions in BiH services where such individuals will not be able to work. Speaking of this problem, one of the questions our services should ask is certainly from whom, when, and for what reason the former long-time director of OSA received citizenship and travel documents from the Republic of Croatia? On the other hand, Prime Minister Plenković should ask Tomislav Karamarko the previous question.

Based on the answers received, many things will become clear to us, and the seemingly tense situation on the BiH-Croatia line will relax. The Croatian people and the Republic of Croatia will be convinced that this is propaganda and delusion into which they have been led by HDZ members gathered around President Grabar-Kitarović. We in Bosnia and Herzegovina will only realize how many traitors our country has paid to actively work on its collapse. We in BiH are interested in who and how much has harmed BiH, especially how many of them did so consciously. I am not claiming that there was or was not wiretapping from OSA, as Croatia accuses us. But if there was, it is more likely that the main instigator was from Croatia, not from BiH.