Divide and Rule

Unlike the Serbian President, Mr. Tudjman, President of Croatia, never concealed the fact that dividing Bosnia-Herzegovina was his long-term ambition. Milosevic has always been more sophisticated verbally, repeating that "the destiny of B&H lies in the hands of its three constitutional nations". A year ago, Tudjman told the London "Times" that he agreed "with Mr. Milosevic that the division of Bosnia-Herzegovina is the best solution", which resulted in a prompt denial from Belgrade, stressing that "Mr. Milosevic never said anything like that".

However, Bosnian president Alija Izetbegovic, after meeting with Milosevic and Tudjman is Split last year, claimed that the Serbian and the Croatian leaders presented him with ready made maps that divided B&H on an ethnic basis.

What matters is the present state of affairs in Bosnia: a bloody war and aggression, directed by Milosevic in cooperation with the Army and his local Serbian henchmen, as well as the readiness of the Croatian leadership to obtain new territories. Herzeg-Bosnia - a state of Bosnian Croats - was proclaimed ten days ago as a result of such aspirations on the part of Croatia: just another satellite state on the territory of B&H. Arguments and instruments used to justify the constitution of an "autonomous" Croatian region in B&H are almost identical to those presented by the Serbian side: armed force and readiness to use it in order to conquer territories.

Long before the war in Bosnia broke out, the Croatian President bluntly favored and supported in arms and politically the faction of the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) of B&H, which never bothered to hide its secessionism. A conflict ensued between the "Bosnian unionists", led by the then HDZ President and B&H Presidency member Stjepan Kljuic and the other wing which favored cantonization (i.e. secession), led by Mate Boban, Vice-President of the HDZ for Bosnia. It was kept a party secret until this year's HDZ Party Congress, when Kljuic resigned, leaving the political initiative to Boban. It is beyond any doubt that Tudjman was behind Kljuic's resignation. Whenever he thought that the policy of the Bosnian HDZ leadership was in collision with his "one-hundred-year old" dribble about the division of Bosnia, he would find a way to secure adequate support from "the Croatian people" in B&H by making "personnel changes".

That is exactly what he did at the referendum in March, when nearly 70% of Croats voted for a sovereign, unified and open B&H , i.e. against cantonization and ethnic fragmentation. However, the war broke out only a month later. Tudjman and Milosevic knew that there can be no division of B&H without war. That is why the Bosnian war suited Tudjman as well.

Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina were more prepared for war than the Muslims. The HVO (Croatian Defense Council) armed the Bosnian Croats and established an complete army infrastructure. Mate Boban led the HVO, blessed by the Croatian leadership. He appointed loyal people in every town and county. Together with the B&H Territorial Defense (TD) units, the HVO forces were, in the eyes of the public, the strongest defense against the Serbian and the Montenegrin forces. However, the HVO limited its operations to what Boban and Tudjman considered "Croatian land". Last week, "The New York Times" published reportedly true news that the HVO in Herzegovina stopped a huge arms convoy addressed to the B&H TD units. Boban allegedly conditioned the release of the convoy by making the B&H authorities ask for Croatia's help arms. Reliable sources in Sarajevo claim that Boban and Radovan Karadzic meat on a regular basis. On the occasion of Lord Carrington's recent stay in Sarajevo, the city authorities thwarted Boban's meeting with Karadzic. However, in a Croatian village near Sarajevo Boban met with Momcilo Manic, Karadzic's Minister of Justice. It is said that they discussed helping each other to constitute the Croatian and the Serbian state in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The world is showing reservations towards Tudjman after the proclamation of Herzeg-Bosnia as an independent state as witness his total marginalization in Helsinki, when he was not given a chance to meet with American President George Bush. The B&H leadership says that Mr. Izetbegovic only has to ask for it, and the Security Council will punish Croatia and its President drastically.