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- Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
- Path: sparky!uunet!paladin.american.edu!auvm!WATDRAGON.UWATERLOO.CA!ABRODNIK
- Organization: University of Waterloo
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- Message-ID: <93Jan24.225919est.168779-1@watdragon.uwaterloo.ca>
- Newsgroups: bit.listserv.mideur-l
- Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1993 22:59:17 -0500
- Sender: Discussion of Middle Europe topics <MIDEUR-L@UBVM.BITNET>
- From: "Andrej Brodnik (Andy)" <abrodnik@WATDRAGON.UWATERLOO.CA>
- Subject: Re: On Bosnia, and the Plight of Sarajevo, (#803)
- In-Reply-To: <93Jan15.212931est.169321-2@watdragon.uwaterloo.ca>; from
- "CC59000" at Jan 13, 93 12:37 pm
- Lines: 74
-
- Hi there,
-
- though this letter by Mr/Ms.CC59000 was posted quite some time ago, I
- saved it in my mail box to respond on question presented in it. (S)he
- writes:
-
- > From: CC59000 <CC59%IONA.BITNET@UBVM.cc.buffalo.edu>
- > Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1993 12:37:44 -0500
- >
- > Your explanation is very interesting. So Serbs attacked Dubrovnik
- > in order to establish the south corridor? That doesn't sound like
- > a good plan?
-
- I don't see why? If anybody would like to establish such a corridor,
- the Dubrovnik would have to be part of it. I'm not saying that the
- texts from 1939 are completely relevant now, but in them one can find
- that Serbs talked about this at that time already but leaving
- Dubrovnik out as a ``free city''.
-
- > Also what happened after Vukovar? Which way does the north corridor
- > go after Vukovar, through the Croationa or Bosnian territory?
-
- Croatian. The war was initially waged in Croatia. I'd like to
- emphasize that oversimplification of situation is not what one would
- like to do here. Namely Serbs had majority in certain villages in the
- area (but not in the area itself) what was ``kind of support'' to
- proclaim the area as Serbian and (hence) establish the corridor.
-
- > Also, if you might know, why are they so stubborn in pressing
- > Sarajevo? What is importance of Sarajevo?
-
- These and all other ideas explained here are only mine and based on
- discussions with other people of different origin and on observing the
- facts on the terrain. In the case of Sarajevo IMO there are at least
- two reasons. One is to connect the Eastern (Serbian) Bosnia with the
- Western one (see also the map of proposed provinces issued by UN). The
- other reason is completely psychological. Namely Sarajevo is the only
- (more or less) remain of mutual coexistance of all nations in B&H. In
- all other areas the authority is in hands of one or the other side,
- while Sarajevo still remains there as city of all. Furthermore, if
- Sarajevo would fall this would mean that Serbs won and they could
- simply carve the country as they wish. Any comments on this? Any
- comments from Mr/Ms.CC59000?
-
- > Also, would the Muslim Bosnians be willing to trade territory,
- > giving Serbs the missing pieces for the corridor, while the Serbs
- > return back some other territory?
-
- I don't know, but as it seems now, the Croats are those who hold the
- corridor (according to UN proposal). Will they trade? If yes, also the
- parts of Croatia where Serbs live would be immediately ``connected''
- with Serbia. On the other hand, what would Serbs offer for this?
-
- > Finally, how does this corridor theory match (or not) the Muslims'
- > request for a single Bosnian state?
-
- These two issues are more or less separate. Namely, as long Serbs do
- not have a corridor, they are living in two separated parts and are
- (in some sense) much weaker. But when they get the corridor, they can
- start to work legally toward unification with Serbia (including those
- Serbs in Croatia). On the other hand Muslims' call for a ``single
- Bosnian state'' (what is meant a state under central authority) is
- their try to establish a control over complete B&H. In each of these
- solutions somebody is completely unsatisfied. I believe that UN also
- realized this and they are trying to find the middle path (what the
- proposed solution essentially is -- Serbs are in two provinces, but
- provinces have a lot of power; at the same time the provinces are
- trying to fulfill the ethnic principle). The problem is if no side
- will be willing to compromise (or actually if one side will not be
- willing). What to do then?
-
- All the best,
-
- Andrej
-