Anniversary of the Defence of the BiH Presidency Marked

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - By laying flowers and paying tribute, a delegation of the Sarajevo Canton today marked the 29th anniversary of the battle for the defence of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Speaker of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, Elvedin Okerić, the Minister for Veterans' Affairs of the Sarajevo Canton, Omer Osmanović, and the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Sarajevo Canton, Admir Katica, laid flowers at the Kovači Cemetery - at the memorial tombstone of the "Bosnian Martyr" and the grave of the first President of the Republic of BiH, Alija Izetbegović.

After this, they did the same at the Memorial to the Murdered Children of Besieged Sarajevo, at the Lav Cemetery and the Stadion Cemetery, and at the Central Memorial to the Martyrs and Fallen Soldiers of Novi Grad.

On this occasion, Minister Osmanović emphasized that May 2nd and 3rd, 1992, are very significant dates in the history of our homeland. Aggressor forces attempted to seize the BiH Presidency building and take control of key points in the city.

"All with the intention of installing their treacherous government. BiH as a state was very important on May 2nd, 1992. Special units of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) were brought in with the aim of seizing the BiH Presidency building. Improvised attacks followed very early at 4:00 AM, and the main attack went across the Vrbanja Bridge, which was stopped, as were all subsequent ones. After that, our president Alija Izetbegović was kidnapped, and we did everything to save him, which we succeeded in doing," Osmanović recounted.

As he stated, despite all the events mentioned, Sarajevo was defended.

"The attacks were thwarted by patriots, special units of the MUP of RBiH, of which I was a proud member, as well as members of the Territorial Defence, the Patriotic League, the Green Berets, and numerous other fighters. For all of us, it was D-Day because we managed to defend Sarajevo and save the president. If the capital had fallen, then the whole of BiH would have fallen. At the same time, for the aggressor, it was the day when the idea of Greater Serbia was defeated," he added.

Osmanović recalled the General of the Army of RBiH, Jovan Divjak, who passed away last month, stating that on May 3rd, he uttered the famous sentence "Don't shoot" in the former Dobrovoljačka Street, and everything happened at the moment of the JNA's withdrawal from the Bistrik barracks, when a conflict broke out with the Territorial Defence of ARBiH.

"Unfortunately, after that, the longest siege of Sarajevo began, and the innocent suffering of its inhabitants. However, we endured all those hardships, unfortunately, with great sacrifices. Today, we live in peace and proudly remember the bravery of our fellow citizens," Osmanović said.

As part of the marking of the Day of the Sarajevo Canton, a delegation of the Assembly and Government of the Sarajevo Canton and the Association of Parents of Murdered Children of Besieged Sarajevo will also lay flowers at the Memorial to the Murdered Children of Sarajevo at 11:00 AM on May 5th, the Day of Remembrance for all Murdered Children of Besieged Sarajevo.

Also, on the occasion of marking May 9th - Victory Day over Fascism and Europe Day, a joint delegation of the Assembly and Government of the Sarajevo Canton will lay flowers and pay tribute at the "Eternal Flame" Memorial at 10:00 AM, and at 10:30 AM they will do the same at the Vraca Memorial Park.