Defiant Mesic Defends Threat to Send Troops to Bosnia

Croatia’s outgoing President, Stjepan Mesic, fired back at criticism from Serb political leaders concerning his statement that he would send troops into Bosnia if Serbs there made moves towards secession.

“The President’s words should be seen as a… warning to the world that it should not remain blind to the policy of the Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Milorad Dodik and its possible consequences,” his office said.

The statement compared Dodik’s policy to that of former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, “which resulted in the disintegration of former Yugoslavia and in bloody wars.”

Bosnian Serb and Serbian political leaders accused Mesic of “warmongering” after he stated last week that he would intervene militarily if the Bosnian Serb entity, the Republika Srpska, made moves towards independence.

Media reported that Serbian President Boris Tadic was to bring up the issue of Mesic’s statement when he addresses the UN Security Council on Kosovo on January 22.

During an informal meeting with journalists last week, Mesic said he would send the Croatian army into Bosnia and break Republika Srpska in half if it made a move to secede.

“President Mesic wanted to say very clearly that the dissolution of our friend and neighbour Bosnia and Herzegovina would be unacceptable for Croatia,” the statement from his office added.

Mesic’s presidency ends in less than a month after serving two consecutive five-year terms. He will be replaced by Social Democrat Ivo Josipovic, who won the presidential elections on January 10.

Asked to comment on Mesic’s statement, Josipovic said he did not believe in military solutions. “Problems must always be solved through negotiations and with the agreement of all interested parties,” he told Voice of America, svevjesti.ba reported.