Stjepan Mesić: Nobody talks about ethnic cleansing in RS

The former Croatian president Stjepan Mesić wasn't surprised at the results of presidential elections won by Zoran Milanović.

Some Croatian media have written that Mesić may become Milanović's advisor, a speculation that Mesić denied at the beginning of our interview.

- No, no. I will not be Milanović's advisor, Mesić said.

PATRIA: The most important question for BiH is if the victory of the social democrats will change Croatia's official policy towards BiH. The former president Kolinda Grabar Kitarović has created a climate of animosity. Her interference in the internal affairs of BiH had negatively impacted both sides.  

MESIĆ: According to Milanović's statements during his election campaign, he said that he should intensify cooperation within the region, that he should cooperate closely with the countries of the region, even though the former president said that she managed to pull Croatia out of the region, as she tended to say with sarcasm. That, however, doesn't have any meaning as one cannot pull Croatia out of the place where it exists. Region is region whether you like it or not. Therefore, Milanović said he would intensify regional cooperation, which means with BiH too.

PATRIA: Will Milanović manage to implement his agenda without interfering in the internal affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly in relation with the election law?

MESIĆ: I'm not sure why they insist so much, however, nobody says that those are two levels of elections. One level is for the parliament and lower government levels, and the other one is for the Presidency BiH – so it is rather clear what it is all about. One is elected for the federation from the Croat corps, and everybody can vote for him. One is elected from the Bosniak corps, and everybody vote for him.

Therefore, he has to have the support from other constituent nations as well. One is elected from the Serb corps in the Republika Srpska, however, at the time the Constitution was being established nobody thought that the RS could be completely 'cleansed' of the Croats and Bosniaks. Everybody should talk about it, about the ethnic cleansing, what about the Bosniaks and Croats from the RS... because it is easy over there, when only Serbs vote, there's no one else there.

Nobody's talking about it and that is the key problem. As regards the election of Željko Komšić, he is the representative of the Croat corps and other have voted for him too. It should be seen as something positive. It is about a step forward for the civilization that the elections were not a mere census, but the citizens voted for a person and his program. He got votes as support for his politics, not merely his nationality. Instead of using that fact to say that the Bosniak corps made a civilization step forward, it is facing criticism.

And now they seek Macron! Macron will solve the problem of BiH, imagine that! exclaimed Mesić.