What Lies Behind the Numerous Accusations from Croatia: Renovating Tuđman's Crime Against Bosnia and Herzegovina

By: Sead Omeragić

No sooner had condemnations arrived from around the world for the placement of a plaque in Jasenovac, than the President of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, immediately shifted the focus to Bosniaks and Bosnia and Herzegovina, accusing that thousands of those who left BiH for the battlefields in Syria are preparing to return to BiH. It seems ridiculous when viewed geographically: How will these people return from Syria without even coming into contact with the border of the Republic of Croatia, which is not in their way at all? Of course, journalists should not argue with presidents of other countries, but presumably the President of Croatia also has a spokesperson who should present sensitive matters. Especially those concerning relations with other countries and peoples.

Unfortunately, when the Croatian president directly voices unacceptable and inaccurate accusations, and when politics in BiH remains silent, journalists are forced to react. But the essence is much more serious when radical statements and unfounded accusations come from such a high state level. It seems justified to suspect that behind it all lie bad intentions and a dangerous strategy of the Croatian state leadership. This suspicion of a strategy has been confirmed by a series of radical statements and moves against BiH, from Prime Minister Plenković to Foreign Minister Kovač. There was also an accusatory article by a journalist from Večernji list, who cited a non-existent SIPA report about alleged returnees from Syria. That journalist had previously shown bias in accusations against Bosniaks, particularly those in the Islamic Community of Croatia, accusing them of alleged terrorism.

Just a few days ago, Grabar Kitarović claimed that "the small Islamic Community of Croatia successfully and tenaciously fights against radicalism and places itself at the head of the region." And only a few days later, Grabar Kitarović repeated the claims of that same journalist against BiH and Bosniaks in an even worse package.

The only one who responded argumentatively to the accusations of both the journalist and the Croatian president was the Minister of Security of BiH, Dragan Mektić. Neither Izetbegović, nor Zvizdić, nor the Bosniak ministers at the state level can allow Dragan Čović to negotiate alone with the Croatian president. Čović has repeated the phrase 'endangerment of the Croatian people' more times than he has mentioned the name of his own country, which he will lead for the next eight months after the rotation in the Presidency. Many are convinced that the Croatian president says exactly what Čović serves her as the truth. What interest of BiH does Dragan Čović represent in talks with the Croatian president? He has so far shown that he is much more a leader of the HDZ than of the state of BiH. In communication with Zagreb, Čović is continuously nationally threatened. So threatened that in his despair he has become the owner of more properties in two countries than any Balkan tycoon.

Therefore, what journalists cannot do in their communication with the public, and what Dragan Čović cannot do either, should be done by the member of the BiH Presidency, Bakir Izetbegović. If nothing else, Kolinda Grabar Kitarović has practically revealed with her statements that she is under serious influence of intelligence services. The problem, however, is when she, the president of a neighboring country, is the one presenting intelligence information.

I do not recall a president of any European country standing behind intelligence data, taking it for granted, and directing it as accusations directly at another country. We can only speculate what lies behind these unprincipled statements. The tragedy that Bosniaks experienced in the 1990s from Tuđman's pro-Ustasha regime, the terrible border blockades that led to horrific mass and deadly famine, crimes, and ethnic exterminations from "Croatian centuries-old territories," all of this is now revived in Bosniak souls, through the radical stances and accusations of the Croatian president.

What the real intentions are, we do not know, although her statements come at the end of a series of dangerous stances by numerous officials of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. One of the biggest motives for such statements by the Croatian president could be the beginning of a brutal campaign to overturn the first-instance verdict of the Tribunal in The Hague, which will be handed down in a year against the Prlić group. Namely, the first-instance verdict was condemnatory not only for the military and political leadership of Herceg-Bosna, but also for Franjo Tuđman, the founder of the HDZ and the first president of Croatia. In that case, this is just the beginning of a brutal one-year campaign and unprincipled attacks on Bosniaks and BiH. For our traditionally slow leaders, a year to react is, hopefully, sufficient.