[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 65 (Friday, April 7, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E845-E846]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       VOICE OF REASON IN BOSNIA

                                 ______


                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 6, 1995
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, people from the Balkans are 
often characterized according to their ethnic background, and the 
assumption is made that each person--from the villager to the leader in 
society--looks out for the interests of only their own people. In 
Bosnia, that can be a very mistaken assumption.
  Three years of aggression in Bosnia have admittedly sharpened the 
priority given to ethnic identity by all sides, Bosnian, Muslim, Croat 
and Serb, which is shaped largely by religious background. However, 
there remains a large number of individuals more committed than ever to 
the concept of a multiethnic Bosnian society in a unified state, where 
all are equal before the law, where all tolerate each other and respect 
their cultural differences.
  Few, if any, symbolize this true Bosnian spirit, with which Americans 
find so much affinity, more than the Roman Catholic Archbishop of 
Sarajevo, Vinko Cardinal Puljic, who recently visited Washington. 
During his visit, he expressed a sense of optimism about the ability of 
the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina to 
[[Page E846]] live together in peace, but evoked as well a sense of 
urgency about the current plight of the Roman Catholic community. He 
also expressed a sense of frankness about the troublemakers that 
continue to exist among his fellow Bosnian Croats. Finally, he 
expressed a sense of outrage about the abandonment of Bosnia--
Herzegovina by the international community.
  On the latter point, I would like to quote an appeal for a just peace 
which the Cardinal released on March 30, prior to departing Washington. 
He said:

       I, like so many in Bosnia-Herzegovina, am astonished and 
     bewildered, almost to the point of despair, at the 
     international community's indifferent, half-hearted, 
     inconsistent and ineffectual response to aggression and 
     ethnic cleansing. Not only has the international community 
     not acted decisively, it has even contributed to the ethnic 
     division of Bosnia and has legitimized aggression by failing 
     to uphold basic moral and legal norms. * * * In Bosnia, the 
     international community's tepid response has only encouraged 
     those who would respond to extremism with extremism, to 
     intolerance with intolerance, to aggression with aggression, 
     and to ethnic cleansing with ethnic cleansing.

  I ask that the full text of the Cardinal's appeal be printed in the 
Record, and I ask my colleagues to read it. While the politician, the 
diplomat or the soldier can bring about an end to hostilities in Bosnia 
Herzegovina, it will take people like Cardinal Puljic to bring about a 
real peace, a lasting peace through reconciliation and outspoken 
opposition to the evil forces of exclusivity that permeate his society. 
I applaud his efforts.
            An Appeal for a Just Peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina

       I come to Washington, D.C. to offer another heartfelt plea 
     that the United States, in conjunction with the international 
     community, will take more decisive steps to support those of 
     us in Bosnia-Herzegovina who are struggling to bring about a 
     just peace, based on equal respect and equal rights for all 
     ethnic and religious identities in my country.
       1. The facts of Bosnia's tragedy are well known, but they 
     bear repeating. In three years, I have seen the Catholic 
     population of my archdiocese reduced from 520,000 to about 
     125,000 people, most of whom live in small enclaves. Less 
     than a third of the parishes are still functioning. The 
     situation is even worse in the Banja Luka Diocese, where more 
     than 80% of the Catholics have been forced out by ``ethnic 
     cleansing.'' Overall, of the 830,000 Catholics who lived in 
     Bosnia before the war, only half remain. If the war 
     continues, Catholics risk being exterminated from large parts 
     of Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite thirteen centuries of our 
     organized presence there. The Catholic community does not 
     have a monopoly on suffering in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I 
     cite these statistics simply to remind Americans of the 
     magnitude of the suffering that is being inflicted upon the 
     people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
       2. Despite obvious obstacles, there can be no alternative 
     to pursuing a just peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Time is 
     running out but it is still not too late.
       A just peace requires respect for the territorial 
     boundaries of Bosnia-Herzegovina and its multi-ethnic and 
     multi-religious character. The international community must 
     support us in our efforts to rebuild a country in which 
     ethnic Bosnian Muslims, Serbs and Croats can cultivate their 
     respective identities at the same time that they respect the 
     equal rights and equal legitimacy of the ethnic and religious 
     identities of other citizens. Therefore, it is imperative 
     that the Bosnian Federation receive the support it needs to 
     succeed, but it would be a tragedy if the Federation and 
     international peace plans were used to partition Bosnia along 
     ethnic lines. A peace which does not correct injustices, 
     which rewards aggression, which does not permit refugees and 
     displaced persons to return to their homes, and which is 
     based on ethnic division can be neither a just nor a 
     permanent one.
       3. I, like so many in Bosnia-Herzegovina, am astonished and 
     bewildered, almost to the point of despair, at the 
     international community's indifferent, half-hearted, 
     inconsistent and ineffectual response to aggression and 
     ``ethnic cleansing.'' Not only has the international 
     community not acted decisively, it has even contributed to 
     the ethnic division of Bosnia and has legitimized aggression 
     by failing to uphold basic moral and legal norms. If the 
     principles of peace and international justice are buried in 
     the soil of the Balkans, Western civilization will be 
     threatened. In Bosnia, the international community's tepid 
     response has only encouraged those who would respond to 
     extremism with extremism, to intolerance with intolerance, to 
     aggression with aggression, and to ``ethnic cleansing'' with 
     ``ethnic cleansing.''
       I am convinced that there are moral means to thwart immoral 
     aggression. The international community must have the will to 
     use the means available to it to protect threatened 
     populations, to encourage demilitarization, and to establish 
     other conditions necessary for progress towards peace. The 
     solution can not be simply to give up and withdraw. If the 
     United Nations and the international community do not now 
     have effective means to respond to the humanitarian crises in 
     Bosnia and elsewhere--and it is clear that they do not--then 
     nations have the responsibility to take the steps necessary 
     to develop more effective international structures.
       4. This is not a religious conflict, but some would misuse 
     religion in support of ethnic division and extreme 
     nationalism. Therefore, as a religious leader, I believe I 
     have a special responsibility to stand beside those who are 
     victims of injustice and aggression, regardless of their 
     religious, ethnic, or national identity. I also believe that, 
     even though a just peace seems far off, religious and other 
     leaders must not wait for an end to war to begin the daunting 
     task of reconciling deeply divided communities. We must 
     promote a moral and spiritual renewal that can heal the 
     hatred, despair and division which this war has brought. Only 
     by rebuilding the spiritual life of our people can we ensure 
     that the horrors we have lived through for the last three 
     years will not be repeated. With God's grace, we will 
     succeed.
       5. Amidst the great suffering we have been forced to 
     endure, we have found the grace to persevere in hope, for we 
     know that this war is not our destiny. We have also found 
     hope in the prayers and moral and financial support we have 
     received from the Catholic Bishops Conference and its aid 
     agencies, and countless individuals and organizations in the 
     United States. For these generous acts of solidarity, we are 
     deeply grateful.
       I conclude where I began. The ordinary people of my 
     archdiocese and my country are tired of war; they yearn to be 
     allowed to live together in peace. But we cannot do it alone. 
     We need more decisive action by the international community. 
     I implore you: Do not continue to abandon us! Do not continue 
     to acquiesce in the practical victory of injustice and war! 
     Help us to realize the justice, peace and reconciliation for 
     which we so ardently pray and struggle!
       There are many forces fueling this conflict, some of them 
     coming from within my own Croatian community. This is not, 
     however, a religious conflict, nor is it simply a consequence 
     of the resurgence of ``ancient hatreds'' between different 
     religious, ethnic, and national groups who cannot live 
     together in peace. Ethnic, religious differences certainly do 
     exist, and, regrettably, they have been depended by the war. 
     But they cannot explain adequately what is happening in my 
     country. The main cause of the conflict and suffering in 
     Bosnia-Herzegovina is an attempt by extreme nationalists and 
     others who fear democracy to create an ethnically pure 
     Greater Servia.
     

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