Leader Of The Herzegovina Serbs

Last week the Vilusi border crossing was closed to Bozidar Vucirevic, Mayor of Trebinje and leader of te Herzegovina Serbs. On August 2, he crossed into FR Yugoslavia unobstructed as the guest of Mitropolitan Amfilohije at the consecration of a church on Mt Komovo. On August 4, all that changed.

VREME: There's been artillery fire around Dubrovnik. Can you tell us about that clash?

Vucurevic: It's been quiet for too long along the front lines here. Recently the Croatian army has often distrubed us with shots. The other day they killed one of our young men. As long as we can't use the Trebinje Ljubinje road we can't cultivate Popovo Polje and they're landing at Cilipi airport and developing tourism and we know that the Republic of Croatia committed aggression agianst our territory and now holds a third of Trebinje's territory. They've gotten away with too much and that caused that reaction.

VREME: You're not giving up on demands for an exit to the sea and uniting into a single Serb state. What are the chances of achieveing that?

Vucurevic: Very realistic and certainly achievable. We had a joint acces to the sea at Neum, 24 kilometers of coast. Serb Herzegovina can't stretch out beside the sea and not have access. No not at all, not under international law. Every normal people, even the Moslems, want to live in one state. The Serbs will achieve that now or never. Now!

(This interview was shortened because of the poetic nature of Mr. Vucurevic's answers. News Digest's editor felt his answers could not be translated in the true spirit that they were given.)