President Milanović in Široki Brijeg: Croatia has a responsibility for the fate of Croats in BiH as a constituent people
“Thirty years later certain things have to be repeated because they are the truth, an important truth and since new people, new children and new generations are coming that cannot remember them”, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović said in Široki Brijeg, where he bestowed the Order of the Croatian Trefoil upon the 1st Croatian Defence Council (HVO) “Poskok” Battalion for outstanding merit of its members in the Homeland War.
A truth that should be repeated is that Croatia was defended by a small number of good people. “Two hundred thousand people took part in Operation Storm, but only several tens of thousands participated in military operations. In 1991 when Croatia was defended, a small number of defenders from all regions participated only to subsequently liberate what had to be liberated. Those were the people from Herzegovina, the Dalmatian hinterland, Slavonia, Zagorje, people from the islands, folk people and a small number of people from large cities. This small number of people deserves to be remembered during their lifetime and after their death, deserves to be honoured”, he noted.
The President further underlined that the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina are one of three constituent peoples, they are an ineradicable people from this area, just like Serbs and Bosniaks. Speaking about the people who fought, defended and liberated Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, President Milanović highlighted the role of the people of Herzegovina.
“Everyone who wants to feel and try to understand what happened should look back at the early days of May 1991 when the local population of Široki Brijeg and western Herzegovina, stood in front of the JNA tanks that left Mostar allegedly on their way to Duvno. These people demonstrated a high degree of spiritual peace-making, civility, politeness as well as shrewdness and perspicacity because they knew what was in the works and felt what would result. A war erupted, a war for which events of earlier months in Croatia were not sufficient warning, an even fiercer war, a war with far greater consequences”, President Milanović stated.
The war ended in 1995 thanks to the Croatian guards’ brigades, the Croatian Defence Council’s brigades (HVO) and our allies from the Army of BiH, the President reminded, underlining that the war would not end “if Croatian brigades had not reached Banja Luka”.
“This is what paved the way for Presidents Tuđman and Milošević to go to Dayton and represent the Croatian and Serbian peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina. By a set of circumstances, not by chance, it was not Krešo Zubak or Mate Boban, two significant and influential individuals of this area, but Croatian President Franjo Tuđman. I am saying this because everything results from this legal fact, the Croatian responsibility and the responsibility of Zagreb alike for what is happening in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to safeguard it, to take care that this order is not destroyed, to play fair and ensure that every people is equal”, he noted.
President Milanović feels there is no danger of war breaking out in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “This time all we have at our disposal are words, persuasiveness and determination. This people has demonstrated intelligence, perspicacity, determination, ineradicability, economic resilience, and all I can say is my admiration as in the song ‘Dođi da vidiš, dođi da se diviš’ (Come and see, come and admire)”, President Milanović stated.
In his address President Milanović commented on the work of the High Representative in BiH. “As long as High Representatives will have an interest and a will to change the laws of this land with decrees in order to achieve this and that, and will not take the time to amend the country’s electoral law, thereby preventing non-Croats from electing the representatives of the Croats, I will not have confidence in such justice. My duty is to talk about this with a sincere wish and my maximum contribution – and with the contribution of the Croatian government – to ensure that this is an orderly and functioning state in which Croats as a constituent nation live and for whose fate we are responsible”, he underlined, and indicated that Croatia today is in a politically and economically stronger position that twenty or thirty years ago.
“However, we do not make use of our legitimate force. As long as things will be like this, we have to be persistent, pacifistic, like those girls and women in May 1991. They tried to stop the war then, but did not succeed. Today we are trying to stop stupidity and injustice. We will not live in stupidity and injustice!”, the President of the Republic stated, and concluded his address with the greeting – “long live Herzegovina, long live Bosnia and Herzegovina and long live the Croats of BiH!”.
The first organized unit of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the “Poskok” Battalion was founded on 19 July 1991 in the school premises in Knešpolje. At first it was composed of 49 volunteers from the Municipality of Široki Brijeg, and eventually became a battalion. The “Poskok” Battalion fought on the most difficult battlegrounds from 1991 until the end of the war. They participated in the defence of Čepikuće when Ravno was attacked, and played a major role in the liberation of Mostar and in operation “Jackal”. Furthermore, during all the war years, they participated in defence operations on battlegrounds in Central Bosnia/Uskoplje, i.e. Operations Raduša, Raška Gora, Risovac. During preparations for operation “Storm”, they were transferred to the area of responsibility of the Kupres and Livno battlegrounds, and participated in all liberating operations.
Accepting the Order of the Croatian Trefoil on behalf of the unit were the war commander of the “Poskok” Battalion Marinko Mikulić, and the war commander of the “Poskok” Company Anđelko Ćužić. Also recalling the “Poskok” Battalion’s war service record besides President Milanović at the ceremony were the war commanders of the Široki Brijeg Brigade Colonel Krešimir Čavar, the former vice-president of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mariofil Ljubić and the president of the “Poskok” Battalion Šiiroki Brijeg Association Mladen Ljubić Vajta.
Following the decorations ceremony President Milanović and his delegation laid a wreath at the Memorial Cross in Široki Brijeg. In President Milanović’s delegation at the wreath-laying ceremony were the former vice-president of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mariofil Ljubić, the war commander of the Široki Brijeg Brigade Krešo Ćavar, retired General Ljubo Ćesić, the Secretary-General of the Office of the President of the Republic Dinko Suton, the Special Adviser to the President for Homeland War Veterans Marijan Mareković, the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina Ivan Sabolić, and the General Consul of the Republic of Croatia to Mostar Marko Babić.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Filip Glas