Serbo-Croatian Normalization

After five years during which the word "normal" was used to describe the situation in which Serbs and Croats were shooting at each other, relations between Serbia and Croatia are finally becoming "normal" in the real sense of the word.

Dr. Franjo Tudjman insists that Croatia won its independence in a patriotic war against Serbia. Serbia, on the other hand, as president Milosevic constantly repeats, was never at war with anyone, including Croatia. Both of them however agree that relations between the two neighboring states are not normal and are in need of normalization.

This desire of the two presidents goes back a long way, at least as long as their acquaintancship, not to say friendship. At their first meeting (Belgrade, 25. January, 1991) they both realized that the "relations between Serbia and Croatia are at the lowest point since WW II" and that all must be done to normalize and improve them. This profound belief of theirs finally became more concrete after a five year long acquaintancship at the meeting in Athens (7. August) when they announced full mutual recognition within internationally recognized borders. It can be expected that, if all controversial formulations within the agreed solutions are modified, the relevant agreement will be signed on 23. August 1996 by foreign ministers Milan Milutinovic and Dr. Mate Granic.

Unofficial sources claim that the "modification of controversial formulations" primarily concerns the status of the Prevlaka peninsula, which the Yugoslav side sees as a "security issue rather than one of territory". It is speculated that what is in fact being negotiated is the depth of demilitarized zones within the two countries. Dr. Granic admitted that "questions relating to maritime demarcation lines and free access to the gulf of Boka Kotorska remain unresolved".

Interest in the normalization of relations is great both in Zagreb and Belgrade. Although the agreement reached by Croatian deputy foreign minister Ivan Simonovic and Serbian foreign minister Milutinovic following their meeting in Belgrade (19. August) was never signed, neither side wants to dramatize the little differences which prevented the signing of the document. It is being emphasized that there is plenty of time until 23. August for every detail to be agreed upon, and that even if there is no improvement by that time, intensive diplomatic contacts will continue.

After five years of labeling all compatriots who did not hate the other nation "abnormal", and during which time they considered normal only the situation in which Serbs are shooting at Croats and vice versa, the regimes in Belgrade and Zagreb are now eager to normalize relations in the direction of economic cooperation, solution of the status of their citizens, and other aspects of good neighborly relations. What this will mean to Marjan Cop, Ankica Brkovic, Zeljko Medic and Josip Baric who have been tried in Nis and found guilty of espionage, or rather Goran V. -who has been arrested by Croatian police in Hrastina and who is accused of war crimes against civilian population -remains to be seen.

Interview: Dragomir Grubac

Dragomir Grubac, president of the Serbian Republic's (RS) Democratic Center Party from Trebinje, is one of the founders of (Predrag Radic's) Democratic Patriotic Bloc of RS. In the upcoming September elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), he will be a vice-presidential candidate for the Serbian Republic.

At one time (1992) he played the most active role in the attempt to replace the mayor of Trebinje, Bozidar Vucurevic, when, despite the City Assembly's vote of loss of confidence in Vucurevic, Bozo remained in the position until today after a "wink" from Pale. At that point, Grubac stopped being a member of SDS.

Grubac has thus far taken part in the pre-election television presentations of the Democratic Patriotic Bloc (DPB) several times and is eloquent on the subject of the pre-election (media) climate in the Serbian Republic. Namely, in the daily television and radio presentations of the parties, in their mutual presentations and platforms, from the mouths of the official broadcasters and by the 'unrigged" questions of the viewers/listeners, the thesis that most frequently stands out is how requisite it is to group all ranks around SDS in a "front-like" manner (following the principle of the Croats around HDZ or the Muslims around SDA) - that is, how "baleful it would be to scatter the votes of the RS electoral body on more parties". They are inevitably intimidated by the theoretical possibility that the president of RS could be a Muslim.

Grubac: Since most parties from RS have very clearly opted for RS, no-one has the right to, by attributing to oneself the right to protect the national interest, hinder the establishment of a democratic RS. The people who wish for political stability will never place their trust onto those who wish for power, regardless of the price, to those who present themselves as the only saviours and the only guarantors of national existence, while actually being executioners of their people and guarantors of their national dissapearance.

It is the duty of the media to convey a different opinion and by such an act influence the government, instead of blindly repeating the positions of that government. Such an obligation is especially marked in pre-election times. Instead of that, SDS media have turned into a bad copy of their much better originals. They are imposing the exclusive existence of SDS onto the public and those who do not abide by it should be executed. Media, such as we have it, is the first hint of a communistic dictatorship and the true face of the Pale authorities. I don't believe that even CNN charges parties per one second of advertising space 200 German Marks (for television) or 80 German Marks (for radio) limited up to 10 seconds as the regime SRT does.

VREME: Grafitti of a political nature stands out as one of the aspects of a propaganda battle. Signed SDC, the following slogan is written in the outskirts of Trebinje: "Against primitivism and anarchy". Who and what is referred to by that slogan?

That slogan most probably signifies the gloomy reality of this city since at this moment we do not, as a city, have our representatives. Why? - people from Pale know the answer to that. The ones we have now have been appointed by them, and I don't know who they represent but I know who they don't represent.

Trebinje, which is naturally turned towards neighboring Dubrovnik, seems like an "appendix" in the last couple of years. How do you look upon the evolution of relations regarding that question?

Trebinje must do its utmost to achieve normalization of its relations with Dubrovnik, since that suits both sides. If we can change history, we can't change geography, therefore we must live next to each other. The ruling party should answer this question as well, together with the question regarding Dubrovnik's hinterland which was given so that RS could have access to the sea. However, I don't believe we shall get an answer to that, as well as to many other questions.

On the spot: Trebinje

In the post-Dayton peace, Trebinje has "gained" over three thousand citizens of Sarajevo, which raised the total number of refugees here to around twelve and a half thousand. There was sufficient living space for such a number of people until the vacated dwellings of the Trebinje Muslims (who numbered over 5 thousand, which made up 18% of the municipal population) who fled the city were filled up. The surplus number of refugees are situated in a few collective habitations or in "heartily" rented out flats.

Of over three thousand people, most of them have, in the well-known exodus last winter, come from Ilidza and have, for a little over half a year of their sojourn here, managed to reestablish some of their old habits of assemblage. One cafe, Snoopy, stands out as the central meeting place. Mainly the young crowd gathers in Snoopy who, alongside old Yugo music (we even heard the track Suada from Plavi Orkestar), are mostly employed in finding ways to acquire emmigration visas.

The only uniforms that can be seen here are police ones (which have most likely arrived from the shelves of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia following their spring change of uniform), and the more numerous IFOR ones, to be precise, of their Spanish members. Otherwise, the average "civil" wardrobe which is in circulation by no way falls behind the metropolis one. In the evening, inside the walls of the old town, which is full of fairly decorated cafes (from which mainly pop and rock music is blaring, with Oliver Dragojevic as an absolute favourite), a huge number of young people gather who are thus avoiding the grown-up "fun" - the pre-election TV campaign.

A lot is said and thought about the times in which Trebinje was practically a suburb of Dubrovnik. The sea, which in those "old" times, was located some twenty minutes drive away, has become so distanced that, by the only bus route towards the sea, for Herceg Novi, over Montenegro's "goat tracks" can it be reached in three hours.

The maximally correct relation towards Croats in Trebinje stands as another supplement of the inevitable turning towards Dubrovnik, and especially the fact that the Catholic cathedral in the center of the town was never even close to the fate of the mosques in Trebinje.