European and US authorities met with local Croat, Bosnian and Serb leaders in Sarajevo last week to find a solution to the problem. The authorities will meet again next week to exert pressure for the achievement of an agreement on reforms to be introduced in different fields as well as the creation of a constitution. Turkey is closely following the developments in the country. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who met with Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic and Bosnian Foreign Minister Sven Alkalaj in Istanbul on Oct. 10, arrived yesterday in Sarajevo, where the second leg of the talks will be held.
During his visit to Bosnia, Davutoğlu will meet with Haris Silajdzic, a member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency, who paid a visit to Turkey on Monday, as well as High Representative Valentin Inzko and various political party leaders. During the meetings, the main focus will be bilateral relations between the two countries and the ongoing constitutional reform efforts in Bosnia. During his trip, the foreign minister will also attend the opening ceremony of the Yunus Emre Cultural Center and a conference titled “Ottoman legacy and Muslim communities in today's Balkans.”
Turkey is a staunch supporter of both the preservation of the safeguards spelled out in the Dayton Accords and the protection of Bosnia and Herzegovina by NATO and the EU. Turkey expressed its support at a meeting with representatives of the Bosnian delegation affiliated with the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Speaking to Today's Zaman, OIC chair Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu said they were sad to see that the massacres committed in Bosnia have gone unpunished, adding that the organization will keep extending support to the Bosnian people in these difficult times.
Bosnians do not trust Europeans
Bosnians are worried about the possibility that the EU may take over the mission to engage in the internal political situation in their country as well as about the probable results of the Butmir meetings, a political forum to discuss constitutional and structural reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Speaking to Today's Zaman, Sead Numanovic, editor-in-chief of Dnevni Avaz, a daily newspaper published in Bosnia, draws attention to their concerns on the continuity of the process, even though he points that it is important to see the EU and the US in cooperation with respect to the Bosnian issue. Numanovic notes that a failure in the Butmir meetings would not surprise him at all because of the opposition mounted by Bosnian Serbs, Serbia and Russia. He further says, “Even if an agreement is achieved, the Europeans lack the necessary will and determination as well as the power to carry out and execute this process.”
Numanovic also warns that Bosnia may turn into a mixture of Cyprus, Palestine and Afghanistan if the current situation is preserved. Noting that tension is escalating and that a conflict is imminent, Numanovic also says: “I hope that a conflict does not break out because the international conferences held so far have been against the interests of Bosnians. The current plans after the Dayton Accords offer a weaker position for the Bosnian people.” Noting that it would be improper if the current high representative steps down from his office despite EU requests, Numanovic believes that transfer of the mission to the EU would case the entire situation to deteriorate. He says: “The EU's role in the Balkans is horrible, and its influence is diminishing. We cannot trust the EU. Take the visa exemption regime that excludes Bosnia. This alone shows that the EU cannot be trusted. Its performance in Kosovo is also obviously poor. It is a total mess.” Stressing that constitutional reform is urgently needed in Bosnia to change the current system, where Serbians have extensive opportunities to block the law-making process, Numanovic says: “Serbs have used this system 50 times to prevent Bosnia's integration with the EU and NATO. The reforms to be made will be useless unless this system is subjected to a thorough change.”
Turkey has important role in Bosnia
Speaking to Today's Zaman, Bisera Turkovic, director of the Center for Security Studies (CSS) in Sarajevo, stresses that Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot go on with the Dayton Accords forever and adds that they urgently need a complete reform. Noting that Bosnian leaders are trying to achieve their goals via political means, Turkovic says, “Bosnia will be dragged into a hell of conflict if the OHR leaves without the introduction of bold reforms of the constitutional system and government structure.” Both Numanovic and Turkovic put emphasis on Turkey's role in Bosnia. Turkovic says: “Turkey is a country possessing leaders aware of the Balkan issues. I am sure that Ahmet Davutoğlu, whom I met 17 years ago in Malaysia, will do his best to prevent another conflict in Bosnia.” Similarly, Numanovic says: “Davutoğlu and his team are aware of what has been going on in Bosnia during the transition of the OHR. Turkey has a special role in Bosnia.” He further stresses that presence of Turkish investors in the country is concrete evidence of the ties of brotherhood between the two countries.
