Who Is Mladen Ivanic?

Mladen Ivanic was born on September 16, 1958 in Sanski Most. He graduated from the School of Economics in Banjaluka in 1981. He obtained his M.A. Degree in Belgrade, with a dissertation on "The Contradictions of Production in the System of Pooling of Labor and Resources". Until the beginning of the last war, he was the member of the Presidency of B&H. In the elections of 1995, he was Momcilo Krajisnik's opponent for the position of member of the Presidency of B&H, and since then he has officially withdrawn from politics. However, he is always present there, at the very top, although he does not belong to any political party. Many parties almost fight over him: SDS and the Radicals accuse him of being Biljana's, the Social-Democrats and Liberals say he is theirs, while he was the candidate of the Socialists in the race against Krajisnik.

Ivanic's friends say "in confidence" that the Prime Minister Elect to RS does not think too highly of the president of Republica Srpska. When he speaks about Plavsic, Ivanic relies on the already too exploited political phrase behind which many hide lately when defining their attitude towards the president of RS. "True, I appreciate the president of the Republic, as an institution which incorporates the statehood of RS, but I do not agree with her on some points," Ivanic explained the nature of his relation with Plavsic. On the other hand, those who know the current situation here well, believe that Ivanic is exactly the kind of man Biljana Plavsic needs - modern, esteemed in the West and with good self-made connections.

For many people, Ivanic's acceptance of the offered position equals with adventure. Many political parties considered him in their combinations since 1995, but he refused each offer by laconically apologizing that he did not wish to be engaged in politics. Ivanic himself says that he has decided to take this hard step in order to save Republika Srpska. He describes himself as "a Serb, but a liberal", not of the kind who "likes to boast and beat the drum about being Serb".

Those who know him say that Ivanic is a man who likes the safe game. He surely wouldn't have accepted the adventure of saving the RS, if previously all cards hadn't been laid out on the table for him. The least appealing of his political ambitions would be to be forced to refuse the nomination. In a recently published article portraying him, Ivanic was named "the warrior with plush gloves"; he is always ready to listen carefully to what the other person has to say, but at the same time he firmly holds to his own arguments. When it comes to Ivanic's nomination, the public is most curious to find out what was crucial to make Ivanic take up this Sisyphean task. What will he gain, and what will he lose. It is absolutely certain that, if he gets "discretely pushed" by the high representative for B&H Karlos Vestendorp, he will lose the support of the Serbian population of the radical orinetation. As those close to him say, there are numerous speculations, and many people believe that it would be much more painless for Ivanic with Vestendorp's help, than with the votes from the representatives from the parties with the B&H suffix.

On the other hand, the West can help Ivanic greatly. If they help him financially and enable him to impose himself on the hungry Serbian people that way, all praises to the patriots of the SDS and radical type would dry out and be pushed away by full stomachs. However, "it is also clear to Ivanic that the world will not loosen its purse-strings just like that, and that it is necessary first to build an infrastructure which will bring money to a country on the edge of misery."

Secret Link: Ivanic - Milosevic

Just before the vital consultative meeting in Brcko last Friday, Mladen Ivanic has, as we learn from confidential sources, met with Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade. Momcilo Krajisnik and Zivko Radisic were present at this meeting.

This meeting may surprise only those who are not familiar with the nature of relations between Ivanic and Milosevic. Ivanic was one of the rare people from B&H who did not slam the door in Milosevic's face. Naming Ivanic as Prime Minister Elect, as those well informed claim, is the last initiative by Plavsic. People close to Ivanic believe that the Prime Minister Elect of RS has interrupted his visit to Edinburgh after "the phone call from Sloba". The same people say that Milosevic has been threatened by losing Kosovo unless he brings order "among the Serbs across the Drina". The same opinion was supported by Nikola Spiric, leader of the Democratic Party for Banjaluka and Krajina, in his interview to the Reporter: "The official regime from across the Drina is slowly washing its hands of Republika Srpska, forcing the Serbian popular alliance and its president, and weakening SDS, the Radicals and the Socialists, in order to explain to the citizens of FRY that no strong party exists there by means of which they can influence events in RS. In the end, the same regime, washing itself, will accuse SNS and Biljana Plavsic of the misfortune of the Serbs in SRS, who faster and faster are heading towards a unified Bosnia. Even according to the constitution of this Parliament, and also of the government of the national unity of Mr. Ivanic, the fingers of our "queen bee" are deeply in." "Ivanic's people" say that he is free to walk through Sloba's door at any time. Ivanic is simply pragmatic in the sense that "it is not that Milosevic has that much power over him, as much he is capable of using that which Milosevic can bring him."