Maritime Society in BiH: Open Letter to Croatian Parliament Representative Božo Ljubić

SARAJevo, (Patria) - The President of the Maritime Society in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Izet Bajrambašić, reacted with an open letter to the statement by Božo Ljubić, a representative in the Croatian Parliament, who said: "That society has no legitimacy to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina."

The Maritime Society in BiH has been warning for some time that Croatia, by building the Pelješac Bridge in the Bay of Mali Ston, is closing Bosnia and Herzegovina's access to the open sea, which, as they state, is not only contrary to good neighborly relations between the two countries but also violates international law.

The Maritime Society in Bosnia and Herzegovina has written to the institutions of the European Union in Brussels, the institutions of the Republic of Croatia, and to Ljubić himself, who is a member of the Croatian Parliament and was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, regarding this matter.

Ljubić confirmed that he received a letter from the Maritime Society in BiH during the vote on the Declaration on the Status of Croats in BiH, but he rejected the claims in the letter, questioning the credibility of the Society itself.

We are publishing the open letter from the President of the Maritime Society in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Izet Bajrambašić, addressed to Ljubić, in its entirety:

The Maritime Society in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Society) was founded on December 31, 2007, by Decision No. UP08-07 -L-135107 and registered in the Register of Associations under number RU648/07. The direct goal and intention of the Society is to achieve full sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the realization of Bosnia and Herzegovina's international maritime rights in the part of the Adriatic Sea that indisputably belongs to Bosnia and Herzegovina. To this end, a series of activities have been undertaken with international institutions and organizations, particularly the European Union, the United Nations, the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (OHR), and relevant authorities and individuals in the Republic of Croatia and eleven Members of the European Parliament, as well as the Office of the former President of the Republic of Croatia, have been informed in detail.

The basis of the Society's current activities is the fact that the Republic of Croatia, through its Maritime Code (of February 2, 1994, and December 14, 2004), has declared its state sovereignty over the maritime territory and coastline of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in such a way that the key provisions (related to sovereignty and baseline straight lines) of this code are explicitly copied from the laws of the SFRY.

Thus, the Republic of Croatia has declared itself the sole successor of the SFRY in this part of the Adriatic Sea, usurping the maritime territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In this regard, the Republic of Croatia does not wish to ratify the "Treaty on the State Border between the Republic of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina," which was signed in Sarajevo 20 years ago (July 30, 1999) by the President of the Republic of Croatia, Franjo Tuđman, and the President of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegović.

This border treaty is clearly in contradiction with the legislation (provisions of the aforementioned Maritime Code), and this is the direct reason for the letter and the clear request sent on December 18, 2018, to Božo Ljubić, through the HDZ parliamentary group (the largest), and for the attention of the multi-party leadership of the Parliament. This letter was preceded by: the published text "Rhythm of an Unfinished Crime," the adoption of the Declaration of the Croatian Parliament on the Status of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European path of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the denial and non-acceptance of the complete judgment of the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia of November 29, 2017. The construction of the Pelješac Bridge is closely linked to the intentions and goals of the Republic of Croatia, which are described and determined in detail by the aforementioned judgment.

The stated connection of the Croatian territory in the south, despite more economical, rational, convenient, and citizen-acceptable solutions (a connection three times shorter and four times cheaper), through the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, is merely a necessary pretext for the realization of the described strategic intentions and goals.

It is clear to everyone that the constructed Pelješac Bridge would be a maritime asset of the Republic of Croatia with full national sovereignty over the sea, seabed, and airspace. This would, in addition to the aforementioned, be the final seal for a permanent change of legal facts and acquired rights in this part of the Adriatic Sea, to the detriment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The letter sent to Božo Ljubić, or rather to the leadership of the Croatian Parliament, clearly and directly suggests the first step towards resolving the maritime issues between the two countries: amending the Maritime Code, with the aim of resolving the problem of the already compromised sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, this letter, nor other information (true, open, and verifiable), sent to institutions and individuals in the Republic of Croatia, have not been accepted as well-intentioned, with the aim of resolving the problem. Certainly, today, more important than that is the fact that the submitted information with arguments has not been refuted by anyone, in any way, to date, and therefore it can be concluded that the truthfulness of the submitted information has been confirmed.

In the text "That society has no legitimacy to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina," Božo Ljubić amateurishly tries to avoid the clear, confirmed, and verifiable truth about the Republic of Croatia's relationship with the sovereign and independent state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He interprets and explains something that does not exist anywhere in the world: that a civic association (in this case, the "Maritime Society in Bosnia and Herzegovina") has no legitimacy to represent a state. Furthermore, to devalue the information, he clumsily and ignorantly states that he does not know which society it is (there are only two maritime societies, and both are based in Sarajevo), and falsely claims that there are countless others in Vogošća, Ostrožac... He does this with the aim of belittling the truth and diverting the public from the true information, which is personally devastating for him in his given status.

In this way, Božo Ljubić clearly shows that he sees and acknowledges the information from the legitimate and legal Maritime Society in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but is powerless to claim otherwise, as he has no arguments for it.

Certainly, Božo Ljubić is an important and dear person and deserves gratitude, as the information was conveyed through him and, evidently, the position of the leadership of the Croatian Parliament and the HDZ club, where he is a member and respected representative from Bosnia and Herzegovina, was received in return.

Finally, respecting all declaratively expressed positions of politicians and state bodies regarding "good neighborly relations" and mutual recognition of the two countries, the Society's request remains the same: that the Parliament adopt amendments to the current Maritime Code of the Republic of Croatia, which would eliminate all still valid provisions that threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the international rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina.