Correspondence Draskovic-Izetbegovic

On October 23, on the eve of his visit to Moscow, Mr. Draskovic addressed an urgent message to the Bosnian leader before he left for the Hague. It says as follows:

"The future of the peace lies in Your hands, as well as tenths of thousands of human lives. The Hague document does not bring peace, but war. The bloody war which will spread to Bosnia. I beg of you to prevent the apocalypse. I am deeply convinced that peace could be preserved if Bosnia and Herzegovina would accept a firmer alliance with Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia - a kind of federation with a considerable degree of sovereignty for its members. That is the very interest of Bosnia, above all of the Moslems, since this way all of them could remain under one roof. At the same time, Bosnia and Herzegovina should insist on developing firm relations with Croatia and Slovenia. It would thus become a link, a bridge between the federation and the Western parts of Yugoslavia of today. It would become East to the Yugoslav West and West to the Yugoslav East. It would become the core of the future integration, once the totalitarian regimes in Zagreb and Belgrade are finished off and reason and peace return to the people".

Mr. Draskovic also said that Bosnia should become a trade intermediary between Serbia, on one side, and Croatia and Slovenia, on the other, that the one who succeeds in preserving peace today will be echoed in history, that one must not follow crazy leaders both on Serbian and Bosnian side. His last sentence says: "I leave for Moscow in fear, but still I hope that tomorrow, in the Hague, You will prevent the cataclysm".

A week later, on October 31, Mr. Izetbegovic replies: "I agree with most of what You said, some of Your views are identical to mine. Unfortunately, we differ in the main issue - the Hague document. I believe it to be, although with some (maybe even major) adjustments, an acceptable basis for defining the future relations between Yugoslav peoples and republics. I also believe that its total rejection would cause a general confusion, which would lead into new conflicts. You will probably feel disappointed with this statement of mine, but I hope You will not hold it against me", says Mr. Izetbegovic, claiming that the mentioned document has been accepted by the whole world, Europe, USA and USSR, and by the majority of peoples in Yugoslavia: Slovenians, Croatians, Moslems, Macedonians, Albanians, Hungarians and others. Mr. Izetbegovic also said that the Montenegrin political U-turn shows that the Montenegrins think the same. "I would like to add that the Hague document represents the minimum of concordance or the least common denominator of our numerous aspirations and attitudes. It does not exclude, but, on the contrary, it offers the possibility for creating tighter and firmer links between our republics on bilateral grounds or, even better, on the grounds of separate addendum to this document. We think that such special arrangements Bosnia should have with Serbia and Croatia (e.g. the monetary union, same passports, some army branches, especially more complex ones, etc.). The time factor should also be taken into account. In the future, when the wounds are healed, we might even do more, and some of the things that seem impossible today may become possible." Mr. Izetbegovic ended his letter asserting that "in Bosnia there exists a strong mistrust between Serbs and Moslems (fortunately, it is not hatred, I am sure of that)".

He thanks Mr. Draskovic for saying that the key to the war lock is in his hands and adds that "with all the remaining strength" he will go on fighting for peace and harmony between the nations. According to our sources, Izetbegovic-Draskovic talks are continued owing to the efforts of some politicians from Sarajevo (capital of Bosnia).