Defence Forces Review 2008

Balkan Dilemma
I am aware that the Croats are waiting to see how the Republika Srpska will react and of
course there is an argument that if Kosovo is recognised and allowed to establish itself as
an independent state, then why not Republika Srpska The Croats, in turn and in particular
the Croats of Western Herzegovina will pose the same question and it will not matter very
much to them that a somewhat artificial Federation exists which many of them see as having
been imposed on them. This possible scenario is not theoretical, but actually represents the
thinking of nationalists in both the Republika Srpska and Croat nationalists. The interesting
point here, of course, relates to the fact that the Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina may well
be quite willing to remain within some form of federal state, but they will almost definitely
want the security of having their own constituent republic within that State; the Serbs may not
be as accommodating. Right now, it may well be too late to re-think the position regarding
the recognition of Kosovo, but if Kosovo Albanians succeed in attaining a separate state,
then the consequences not alone for Serbia, but for Bosnia and Herzegovina could well be far
more serious than proponents of an independent Kosovo might have had cause to expect. The
problem is almost upon us now but there remains the opportunity to avert any form of conflict
even at this late hour. Right now we all have to ‘wait and see’ in regard to the possible spin-off
effects of the Kosovo problem.
While it is easy to be negative about the Balkans, not everything was dark and sometimes, the
people of a post-war region can put war behind them to some degree without any assistance
from anybody other than themselves. I will finish by relating a short account of such an
instance. During the course of 1997, I was travelling on the road from the town of Stolac,
in Western Herzegovina on route to the town of Lubinje in the Republika Srpska. When
we reached the Inter Entity Boundary Line (at that time effectively a border between the
Fedreration of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska), I noticed two automobiles
parked on the roadside. I was surprised to see that one automobile had registration plates
from the Republic of Croatia and the other had registration plates for the Republika Srpska; I
wondered vaguely what dealings the occupants of these cars might have had with each other.
Within about two weeks, a market had sprung up on that same stretch of road; the market was
mainly for the sale of agricultural produce, including cattle, sheep and vegetables. Of course
the market was illegal, as many members of the international community, including the UN
International Police Task Force pointed out to me. People reminded me that it was part of
my function to prevent the establishment of such markets. I had no intention of interfering
with the market, my view being that if people were trading with each other, they were far less
likely to fight. Within about two months the market stretched over about seven kilometres of
road and was frequented mainly by Serbs and Croats and by now a number of ramshackle
café bars had been put in place and small numbers of Muslims had started using the market
and were even selling goods there. My view was that as long as the facility was not used in
order to deal in arms or drugs, then why interfere; people were showing that it was possible
to try to return to some form of normality. At this point, the General Officer Commanding the
France-German Division expressed reservations to me in view of the fact that the presence
of the market might impede the rapid movement of troops and especially armoured vehicles
on the route if it became necessary to deploy forces into Srpska. This French officer, General
Pierre Lang was a man who was always more than willing to help as much as he could and
he always recognised the importance of the long-term objectives of the peace process and
he agreed to allow matters to rest. Within a couple of weeks, the people responsible for the
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