INTERVIEW:

Source: 
War Resisters League, Non Violent Activist
Duration: 
Thursday, October 31, 1996 - 19:00
Countries: 
Europe
Europe
Bosnia and Herzegovina
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes: 
Peace Processes
Initiative Type: 
Other

BOSNIAN ACTIVIST Mevlida Kunosic-Vlajic was in New York City Sept. 6-11 for the 16th International Socialist Women's Conference and the 20th Congress of the Socialist International at the United Nations. Kunosic-Vlajic was there,at what turned out to be the largest meeting of socialist, social-democratic and labor party leaders from around the world ever to meet in the United States,in her capacity as President of the Women's Division of the Tuzla-based Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina Social Democrats. At home in Tuzla, Kunosic-Vlajic works as assistant to Tuzla's Mayor Selim Beslagic, who in August won the MacBride Peace Prize of the International Peace Bureau (of which WRL is an affiliate).

During her visit, Kunosic-Vlajic met at the United Nations with the Nonviolent Activist's Mary Jane Sullivan. Kunosic-Vlajic talked about conditions in Bosnia, and especially in Tuzla; about her place and Mayor Beslagic's in Bosnian politics; and about Bosnia's,and Tuzla's,hopes for the future.

Sullivan: Tuzla has played a unique role in fragmented Bosnia as an emblem of an alternative to nationalism on all sides. What will that role be during the transition to an electoral system that is supposed to help implement the ideas of the Dayton Peace Agreement?

Kunosic-Vlajic: During this transition Tuzla does have a role of integrating the ideas of the peace agreement. The Dayton Peace Agreement is not always good, but you have to go with these national elections. This is how the people learn what democratic elections are about. We did not have these elections before, and there are a lot of parties,not only in Tuzla but in all of Bosnia-Herzegovina,and they have their problems. Sometimes I think the elections are helpful to the peace agreement. On the other hand, we are not ready for local elections. Refugees still cannot go into areas in order to vote because it is forbidden by the Serb side.

The mayor of Tuzla, Selim Beslagic, received the International Peace Bureau's MacBride Peace Prize Aug. 26 for his role in coordinating Tuzla's multi-ethnic and multicultural co-existence during this long war of ethnic cleansing. What was his role and yours during this time, along with that of the rest of the people who believed in maintaining Tuzla's integrity?

We in Tuzla are lucky to have our mayor. This prize that he received is not only for him but for all the citizens of Tuzla. He really represents us,if you have a good environment you can succeed. He said that himself at the time he received the prize. [Yet] his [own] role is really important. Especially in the wartie, he succeeded in keeping the peace between the different nationalities within Tuzla. Less people left Tuzla [than in other parts of Bosnia] during the war and this included Serbs, Croats and Muslims.

My role is not an important role. I work in the office for international relations. It was my work obligation. I asked for this during the war because before that I was a research scientist in the Institute for Chemical Engineering,nothing at all similar to politics. But at that time I said I had to do something, I had to help my town, my country. I started working in this office and I worked in the project area for Tuzla municipality with the international nongovernmental organizations and other NGOs. Only Tuzla during wartime had an office for international relations with five or six people who were working on these projects, relations with NGOs, political questions and things like that. It was really useful during wartime for people who needed information and contacts. This office has been a success and it still exists.

We met a lot of people, many different people during this process. We prepared these projects for reconstruction two years ago. We had some proposals ready. We knew at that time that this war would stop. And we had to prepare to rebuild the infrastructure, the economy, education, health care and everything else. We have some projects done and more are waiting.

Mayor Beslagic first went into politics when former Yugoslavian Prime Minister Ante Markovic set up his reformist party in 1991. What made Beslagic run for office?

He started in politics in 1991, because he was a democrat. He was on the technology faculty,he is an engineer like me, he is practical, and at that time he recognized as I did that you had to be involved in politics. He was not educated like a politician. He is a peace man. People can relate to him in a better way, a working everyday man.

"Our Obligation"

What is your role as chair of the Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina Social Democrats, Women's Division, and what is the current role of women in politics within Bosnia Herzegovina?

In Bosnia, women have to be involved in politics. It is our obligation; it is our duty. We have not had any generation without war, and always decisions were made by others and not by women. I want to establish this network of women, not only with the Union of Bosnia Herzegovina Social Democrats, Women's Division. The left side of the party must work with the central side. We have to work together to push women to work in politics. Some seminars and some trainings have already taken place And we are working with NGOs, but we need to have influence and become decision-makers.

If something good has come out of this war,if we can say something is good from war,it is that women recognize themselves. Women who have suffered a lot want to work in nongovernmental groups. In the Social Democratic Party and our union within the party, we want to establish a local network in Bosnia and an international one. We have a commission for uneducated women, and we have started [an education] project in Tuzla. We are in negotiation with the education system to see how much more money we need. We have teachers to start teaching in evening school. If we succeed with 15 refugee women then that is enough, because they will influence other women in other areas outside of Tuzla where refugee women are.

What about the problem of refugees in Bosnia? Are they able to move about freely? Temporary residences have become permanent for many, and there are reports of paramilitry violence in Mostar, in Sarajevo and within the Republic of Srpska in towns formerly dominated by Muslims.

This is a problem in Bosnia. Not just with refugees but with displaced persons. They really can't move throughout the federation. We have to solve this problem of people displaced from their homes. For example, people from a village outside of Tuzla within the Serb entity decided to move back to the village, and they started to repair their houses. After 15 days the police from the Republic of Srpska attacked them. But they are still going back and if they succeed it will be an example of good will. They know they will have problems but it is still something that they have to do. This is a slow process. You cannot force someone to go there. There are many houses destroyed, there are many landmines. Still displaced persons and refugees within Bosnia want to start over again. Refugees from other countries I think might be afraid to come back since they were not here during the war. Some of them have houses on the Serb side, and some have nothing to come back to.

We do not like Bosnia Herzegovina to be so divided. Citizens of Srpska have to build an economy but they have to build a relationship with normal ordinary people. This problem of reintegration has to go slowly. You cannot push someone who hates you to live with you. They need time.

Is the postponement of local elections bringing in question the agreed-upon dynamics of the Dayton Agreement? What is really going on in the towns and villages of the country? How do you see the problem being resolved?

There will be local elections in November [since postponed , Ed.]. It is really a problem. It is a big mess. I do not know how we will solve the problem of people going onto the Serb side to vote. That is a problem with the Dayton Agreement: freedom of movement, the punishing of war criminals. Sometimes we think that we are building a roof before we build the basement. But anyway this election has to happen. Even if we do not think it will change a lot it will do something.

What is the strength of the multiparty system in Bosnia?

People now have many parties. They are talking about their agendas. There are right, center and leftist parties, 15 parties in our canton and 50 parties in our country. Some of them, maybe 90 percent, are going to be gone, but that is normal.

Water and Money

What's happening at the grassroots level to create the structures necessary to govern Bosnia Herzegovina?

Bosnia Herzegovina has a lot of problems in its history; it cannot depend on the Dayton Peace Agreement for its survival. [But] I believe in my country. A marketplace we call the Three Entities [for the three ethnic groups of Bosnia] got started and now it is a big one, and it is open all day and night and people are coming. And people are traveling between Tuzla and Sarajevo and they are going around and speaking with each other. Even people are coming back from Serbia.

There is an old saying in Bosnia, "Water and money always find their way." We have a lot of problems but when people start to think about the future,and perhaps more about business,most of our problems will be solved. What this federation needs now is a new infrastructure because the railroads, the telephone lines, th roads have been destroyed. We need to build bridges, we need railways to be reconnected and communications systems set up. There is no bridge across the Sava river. We cannot use the Tuzla airport. Brcko [in Serbia] must be a free town because it has a big harbor that we need.

What about the recent Citizen's Alternative Parliament of Bosnia-Herzegovina? Who participated and what was the intention of those who called for this meeting? I gather it was an attempt to bring together Serbs, Croats and Bosnians.

This idea came from a former citizen of Tuzla. There was an assembly meeting on the 31st of August to establish the parliament and to bring together [people working at the grass roots and in NGOs]. It was a really good assembly and I think they will be really powerful. All of them were invited by Carl Bildt [in charge of civilian aspects of the Dayton Peace Agreement].

Do you have anything to say about the role of the media in making foreign policy within the global village? It seems that in some ways media images and reports of atrocities pushed the international political community into action.

The media was used by all parties. War started with the media and really influenced the people. If you do not have the information then you will believe the television. The foreign media did not really make wrong pictures about the war. They did not influence in a bad way.

What we really need is more independent media, more than what we have now. Carl Bildt's commission is organizing a new independent media for all of Bosnia's main towns. It has yet to happen. In Tuzla, it was really important to have the media. People always listened to the news on television and radio during the beginning of the war. You could see what directly was going on. I cannot say how that was in other towns because I was in Tuzla.

Is it true that the SDA, the ruling party of Bosnia-Herzegovina, led by Alia Izebegovic, has total control over Bosnia Herzegovina television and radio news?

They have control of this media. But [the media] are trying to be independent. Even for these national elections they are trying to give all parties a time to be on Bosnia Herzegovina television and present their programs. Even I was on the Bosnia Herzegovina TV presenting women's issues.

Last question: During the war, Bosnia under Izebegovic took arms, fighting troops and money from the Islamic world,Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Iran, and now Iran is offering Izebegovic financial aid. But the U.S. government is asking Izebegovic to sever his connections to those countries, especially Iran, presumably because the Clinton administration fears the development of a Muslim nationalism in Eastern Europe. What is your sense?

Izebegovic made a lot of personal mistakes in his party. I am not against Iran. But if we are to receive support from the United States,there is a grant of $50 million,then I do not want to see us accept this 5 million from Iran. We are not an Iranian country. We are so different than they are. The people of Bosnia do not like this. We can be friends with Iran; but we are Bosnians. I am Bosnian, I am from the Balkans, I am from Europe. I have something different to offer.

By Mary Jane Sullivan

WRL Executive Committee member Mary Jane Sullivan has traveled extensively in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is working on a video journal of the last days of the war. MJ wishes to thank Karen DiGia, Director of Children in Crisis, for making this interview possible.