[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 130 (Friday, September 25, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1811-E1812]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          MODERATE POLITICAL LEADERS IN BOSNIA DESERVE SUPPORT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 25, 1998

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, while the results of the recent elections in 
Bosnia have been mixed, with the U.S. backed candidate for President of 
the Republic of Srpska--the Serb controlled part of Bosnia--defeated by 
a hardline ultranationalist, it is important for us to continue to 
support moderate political leaders in Srpska and throughout Bosnia 
Herzegovina. Although the ultanationalists have won the Presidency in 
Srpska, moderate political parties appear to still retain a plurality 
of seats in the Srpska parliament, and current Prime Minister Dodik, 
who has been a staunch supporter of political reform and the Dayton 
Peace Agreement, could still form a government.
  For those who may not know him, Prime Minister Dodik is a courageous 
individual who has attempted to lead Bosnian Serbs away from the 
strident nationalism that caused the conflict in the former Yugoslavia 
toward political reform, ethnic reconciliation, and economic 
empowerment. During the war in Bosnia, Dodik, at some personal risk, 
spoke out against Serb persecution of Muslims and Croats. Since 
becoming Prime Minister in January 1998, Dodik has moved swiftly to 
implement political and economic reforms that enabled the Bosnian Serbs 
in many parts of

[[Page E1812]]

Srpska to receive the international assistance they were excluded from 
receiving because of their previous leadership's failure to carry out 
requirements under the Dayton Peace Agreement. Dodik permitted the 
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia to open an 
office in Srpska, and encouraged individuals who have been indicted by 
the Tribunal for war crimes to turn themselves in.
  Dodik's future as the head of the government of Srpska now hangs in 
the balance. If the ultanationalist who won the presidency, Poplasen, 
is unable to put together a government favorable to his extremist and 
rejectionist agenda, then new parliamentary elections in Srpska will be 
required. Some have questioned whether the United States and other 
western countries are at fault for producing the victory of Poplasen by 
providing too much support for President Plavsic, and in effect, making 
her the candidate of the ``outsiders'' in the minds of the Bosnian Serb 
electorate. While there may be some degree of truth to this, I believe 
that other factors such as the malign influence of Serbian President 
Milosevic had as much to do with the untoward outcome of the election 
as anything else.
  In any event, Prime Minister Dodik has appealed for continued support 
from the international community. If we want to see moderates such as 
Dodik succeed in Bosnia, and this is essential to our exit strategy for 
our troops in Bosnia, I believe that we have no choice but to provide 
tangible support that Bosnian Serbs perceive as being linked to their 
support for the Dayton plan. If, on the other hand, the 
ultranationalists can reassert their grasp on power, we will need to 
rethink our entire strategy in Bosnia, and whether the creation of a 
multi-ethnic state that is stable and peaceful is possible to realize.

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