Subject: TRANSNATIONAL (13) - part 4 of 8
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"EUROPE WILL EITHER DIE OR BE REBORN IN SARAJEVO"
IMMEDIATE MEMBERSHIP OF THE EU FOR BOSNIA
LETTER TO "OSLOBODJENJE"
For the attention of Mehmed Halilovic, editor of "Oslobodjenje"
For the attention of the editorial staff
Brussels, 29 June 1995
Dear Sirs,
In "Oslobodjenje" of 29 June, there were two articles entitled "Correct
Europe's mistake" and "No lack of fine words" which contained a series of
inaccuracies and several mistakes regarding the initiative for the
immediate adhesion of Bosnia-Hercegovina to the European Union. For the
sake of truth, I feel I should rectify these oversights.
The "Manifesto for Bosnia" and the consequent demonstration in Cannes on
the occasion of the meeting of the Council of Europe were, in fact, only
the latest of many initiatives taken in the framework of a campaign which
began more than a year ago. The following is the actual order of events: it
was in April and May 1994, during the campaign for the European elections,
that the proposal for the adhesion of Bosnia to the European Union was
launched by Bernard Tapie and Jean-Franois Hory, candidates in France, and
Marco Pannella, Olivier Dupuis and Gianfranco Dell'Alba, candidates in
Italy.
At the beginning of this year, aware that the initiative would only have
any sense if it were adopted by the highest authorities of the Republic of
Bosnia-Hercegovina, we asked several members of the European Parliament to
sign a letter, addressed to the Bosnian authorities, explaining the
significance of adhesion to the European Union. Together with Sandro
Ottoni, the transnational Radical Party co-ordinator for South-Eastern
Europe, I went to Sarajevo where, thanks to our deeply-missed Radical
comrade the Vice-Minister of Justice Izet Muhamedagic, we were able to meet
the Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic, several members of the collective
Presidency, and the President of the Parliament Miro Lazovic, in order to
present the initiative.
The Bosnian authorities, although they were sceptical, did not express
opposition to our idea: therefore, on our return to Brussels at the end of
March, we drew up an appeal which we invited the European deputies, and
then the national deputies of many countries, to sign. Together with the
appeal, we also sent a letter from the President of the Bosnian Parliament
which supported the reasons behind the initiative. To date, the appeal has
been signed by over 530 parliamentarians (85 European deputies and 445
national deputies), and we are still gathering signatures.
Subsequently, in order to give greater force to an initiative which we have
never in any way considered to be symbolic, but political to all effects,
we invited our friends from the "Intergroup for the active prevention of
conflicts" in the European Parliament, Bernard Kouchner, Jose' Maria
Mendiluce, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Pierre Pradier and Gianfranco Dell'Alba, to
jointly organize a demonstration in Cannes on the occasion of the European
Council and, at the same time, to gather further support from European
parliamentarians and leading figures on the objective of obtaining respect
for the UN resolutions, on the need for Europe to pursue a firm policy and
on the adhesion of Bosnia to the European Union.
It is in this context that over 500 people, most of them from Spain, Italy
and France, demonstrated in Cannes together with about ten European
deputies, and that these deputies, with the Secretary of the Transnational
Radical Party, were received by the President of the European Council,
Jacques Chirac, and the French Foreign Minister, Herve' de Charette.
Since I do not believe that it is of benefit to anyone, in Bosnia or
elsewhere, to create illusions, I should point out that the only merit of
this meeting with President Chirac was... the fact that it took place. That
is, that it allowed Bernard Kouchner, on behalf of all the participants, to
present the proposal for adhesion to Jacques Chirac, and that it allowed
Marco Pannella, in the face of the coldness of Chirac's reaction to the
proposal, to express the hope that Chirac would not have to take note very
shortly that the Europe of today is already similar to that of the
Thirties, to the Europe of Munich, Chamberlain and Daladier.
There should be no illusions, therefore. But at the same time no
resignation, nor symbolic initiatives or initiatives of solidarity. The
battle will be hard, and its aim is the effective entry of
Bosnia-Hercegovina into the European Union. It has been, and continues to
be our aim to make the wait as short as possible. So that the people of
Europe understand as soon as possible, as we have been repeating over the
last few years, that "Europe will either die or be reborn in Sarajevo". We
hope that other people in Sarajevo, throughout Bosnia and in the rest of
the Europe, will choose to give us a hand.
These observations, perhaps a little pedantic, seemed to me to be
indispensable, above all for the people of Bosnia, partly to make sure that
they are not misinformed or kept in the dark, as they were during the
Eighties when the Radical Party was working, absolutely alone, for the
adhesion of Yugoslavia, as it was then, to the European Community.
I would like to thank you for your attention, in the hope that
"Oslobodjenje" will inform its readers of how much our party, however small
and however impoverished, is trying to do for Bosnia and for Europe.
Yours sincerely,
Olivier Dupuis
Secretary of the transnational Radical Party
