Mission MAG 14.qxp - European Union Police Mission in Bosnia ...

5 March 2007 nº14
Starting 1st March, citizens will see this design on billboards throughout BiH. These so called "teasers" are produced
as a part of the next big EUPM and local police campaign that will be launched on 15th March. This marketing
trick is often used in PR to tease the people, awake their interest to find out more about the product or
a message that is hidden behind the "teaser", in this case the question mark. To find out more about this and
all other campaign products, look for the next copy of the Mission Mag.
EUPM Projects
Head of Mission approves
new anti-corruption initiative
European Union Police Mission
The Head of Mission gave the green
light on 28 February to a new anti-corruption
initiative proposed by Stewart
Roberts, Internal Control Adviser, Banja
Luka, and widely supported by
William Morrell, Chief Adviser of the
Banja Luka Regional Office.
The initiative encourages local police
to take responsibility in investigating
crimes and influencing change. Hopefully,
by achieving ‘accountability’ and
‘responsibility’, the local police will
significantly improve their overall investigation
capacity, whilst gaining
valuable public confidence and support
in producing a better service delivery.
Stewart proposes a two-step approach.
The first involves a Corruption and
Integrity Seminar for EUPM ICU/HR
advisors, in order to develop measures
that the EUPM and Law Enforcement
Agencies could promote as best practice
throughout the country.
The second event is promoting an
anti-corruption conference which hopefully
will be attended by senior management
staff from all law enforcement
agencies, prosecutors and other interested
parties in BiH. Delegates will take
part in case studies of corrupt and
unethical police activity, followed by
presentations covering such topics as
positive vetting and the introduction of
an anti corruption policy. Presented
with the document, delegates will then
be encouraged to influence the document
with their own ideas and proposals
during the conference, whilst hopefully
then implementing the final product
within their own agency. EUPM staff
will act as facilitators throughout the
conference.
Both events are scheduled to be held
in the next couple of months and further
details will be announced as and when
they are finalised.
In our next edition, you will find an
interview with Stewart.
By Mark Wise
Editorial
I am delighted to
be invited to contribute
a foreword
for this edition of the
Mission Magazine.
EUFOR and EUPM
are part of the wider
EU-family of organizations
and agencies
that operate in Bosnia
and Herzegovina
to maintain a safe
Rear Admiral Hans-Jochen Witthauer,
EUFOR Commander
and secure environment. We are all working
towards advancing different elements of the
development of the country in different ways
and by different means to enable it to move
towards closer integration with the European
Union. As Bosnia and Herzegovina progresses
along the path to a better relationship
with the European Union, the approach
of the International Community must evolve
to meet the changing circumstances.
The mission of EUFOR is called Operation
ALTHEA and is currently in its third year. As
things stand we have close co-operation
with EUPM, which has been to our mutual
benefit and to the benefit of the citizens of
Bosnia and Herzegovina. Indeed the same
applies across the spectrum of the EU actors
represented in this country. It is only by acting
in concert that we optimize the efforts of
each organization to propel the momentum
of reform both at Local and State level.
A number of milestones have been
achieved and this is evident in the steady
state of the general security environment. In
particular, defence reform has been progressed
to a level which resulted in the
recent invitation to join the NATO Partnership
for Peace Program. Recent political
decisions in Brussels have just approved the
decision to restructure EUFOR, involving the
reduction of the number of troops serving in
the mission area to approximately 2500 personnel.
This Transition is merely a reflection
of the progress made in the security arena
and a reshaping of EUFOR's capabilities to
meet evolving developments in the country.
I consider that it is important to reiterate that
EUFOR's mission and commitment to EUPM
and the wider EU-family will remain unchanged.
Within the field of defence and security
the slow progress of Police Reform is a for-
Continued on page 3 >>
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First generation of SIPA Cadets complete training
"People will trust us more easily"
The first generation of SIPA Junior
Inspector Cadets signed contracts and
commenced training at the Police
Academy in Banja Luka on 20 November
2006.
There are 26 of them, 16 boys and 10
girls. They are all under 35 years of age
and are graduates in criminology, law
or economics. They come from all over
BiH and represent the three ethnicities
of the country in a perfectly balanced
way.
Three months later, as they are about
to complete their training and start
their careers, we asked them about
their impressions and their future
prospects.
As we enter the brand-new building of
the Police Academy in Banja Luka, we
wonder whether the cadets already know
about our visit and whether they will be
happy to talk to us.
When their Supervisor, Zeljko Spasojevic,
leads us into their classroom, they
all stand up. It is noon, and their lectures
are already over, but they have been
patiently waiting for us throughout our
introductory meeting with Professor Dusan
Rokvic, the Chief of the Police Education
Administration.
A few minutes later, we are sitting
together with Adis Secic, Kenan Hrnjic,
Mirnesa Redzepi, Kristina Jozic and
Nikola Varunek. All six of them volunteered
to tell us about their experience at
the Police Academy.
"I was already having a coffee in town
SIPA Cadets reading the EUPM Mission Mag
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First row, from left to right: Kenan Hrnjic, Zeljko Spasojevic and Adis Secic;
Second row, from left to right: Kristina Jozic, Nikola Varunek and Mirnesa Redzepi
when Mr. Spasojevic called me to remind
me that you were coming," Adis will reveal
later on.
The 'happy few'
They are eager to tell us about their
experience, probably because they consider
themselves very fortunate to be part
of the first generation of SIPA Cadets. The
selection process was tough, and they are
very much aware that they are amongst
the 'happy few'.
Amongst our interlocutors, four graduated
from the Faculty of Criminology of
Sarajevo, and they have not forgotten
their comrades who are still waiting to get
employment.
Before joining SIPA, Adis has been
their spokesperson. He is proud to tell us
that he has met with our Head of Mission,
Brigadier General Coppola. As to Kenan,
he has worked as a trainee for the
Federation Ministry of Interior for a year
and was not offered any employment later
on.
A bonding experience
Our six SIPA Cadets are more than
happy with their training. Of course, they
know that this is only a start, and that they
will have to keep on learning throughout
their entire careers.
"The professors are great," Nikola
stresses. "Everybody has a very professional
approach, the food is great and the
rooms are more than comfortable."
As a matter of fact, the Police Academy
in Banja Luka, which was built with the
support of the European Union and inaugurated
in 2004, provides its students with
all the comfort and education material
they need. They have access to brand-new
computers, a comprehensive library and a
gym.
"I learned a lot from the criminologists
and the law graduates," Nikola goes on.
"I am an economist and, well, we can say
that we did a lot of knowledge sharing. I
would help the criminologists and the law
graduates with financial matters, and they
would help me understand the crime
code."
There seems to be a lot of solidarity and
European Union Police Mission

comradeship amongst the cadets. They
have been sharing almost everything for
the last three months and it has been a
bonding experience.
"We will certainly keep calling each
other for help and advice throughout our
careers," Kristina says.
"There have been some tears already,"
adds Spasojevic, their supervisor, refusing
to reveal any details.
"People will trust us more easily"
Asked how they will personally contribute
to restoring public confidence in
the police, Kristina says that it is all a matter
of fighting corruption and finding war
criminals.
"It will take a lot of time to change the
picture," she says. "But these are basic
requirements without which nothing is
possible."
Do they think they can make a difference,
being part of the first generation of
SIPA cadets
"We are the first group of young people,
from a civilian background, who enter the
police after a tough and objective selection
process," says Adis. "I think people
will trust us more easily."
What is next
The SIPA cadets will most probably
start working at the beginning of April,
Dusan Rokvic,
Chief of Police Education Administration
after completing a series of exams. In
their first year, they will be monitored by
a senior colleague. If they perform well,
their employment with SIPA will be confirmed.
At some stage, Adis and Kenan aspire
to join the Witness Protection Department.
They have obviously both been
very impressed with the presentation by
Pinder Parks, EUPM's witness protection
expert, and wish they had had more of
these international contributions.
"Witness protection is new for BiH, and
is very important to collect evidence
against war criminals and to fight against
organized crime," Adis explains.
Continued from page 1 >>
midable feature of the political landscape,
however, I remain confident that the reform
process and other related areas will gain
forward momentum in 2007 assisting
Bosnia and Herzegovina to reach the criteria
for signing the Stability and Association
Agreement in the near future. Moreover,
whatever the pace of reform, the European
Union remains committed to the future and
security of this country. EUFOR will remain
as long as is necessary in Bosnia and
Herzegovina to provide both reassurance
and an effective military capability to prevent
any possibility of a return to conflict.
By Rear Admiral Hans-Jochen Witthauer,
EUFOR Commander
Whereas Nikola, the economist, he
hopes to join the Financial Intelligence
Department, Kristina, one of our criminologist
ladies, hopes she will work in
intelligence gathering and Mirnesa will
opt for the Criminal Investigation Department.
Asked whether they liked staying in
Banja Luka, they say they already feel
home. They know that throughout their
future careers they may be asked to work
anywhere in the country and that is not a
problem for them.
"Although it is part of our country’s tradition
to stay in your hometown, I am eager
to follow any job opportunities," says
Kenan.
We wish them all the best!
By Ann Vaessen and Sladjana Lizdek
International Community
OHR’s mandate extended to 30 June 2008
The Peace Implementation Council’s
(PIC) Steering Board, which gathered
in Brussels on 26 and 27 February,
decided to extend OHR’s mandate to
30 June 2008 and stressed that an
agreement on police reform should be
struck by mid-March lest the signing of
a Stability and Association Agreement
be delayed.
The Steering Board also called upon
the authorities of BiH, especially the
Republika Srpska, to renew efforts to
cooperate fully with the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY) - including playing
a proactive role in apprehending all
indicted war criminals, notably
Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic,
© European Commission
and in transferring them to The Hague
as well as in dismantling their criminal
support networks proactively.
Political Directors took note of the
judgment of the International Court of
Justice concerning the Application of
the Genocide Convention and in particular
of the fact that States have an obligation
to cooperate with the ICTY.
They urged all sides to take advantage
of the completion of this case to come
to terms with the past, including
acknowledging that genocide occurred
in Srebrenica. They regard it as an
opportunity to move on, work for reconciliation
and focus on the issues
important to the future of citizens of
BiH.
They also underlined that the unification
of the City of Mostar remains an
OHR priority, and welcomed the inclusion
of constitutional reform as one of
the new government’s major goals.
By Ann Vaessen
European Union Police Mission www.eupm.org 3

Zoom on Legal Department
Last meeting of the CLoPO Working Group
Harmony in complexity
With 15 police bodies and as many different
legislations, country-wide cooperation
in the fight against crime is considerably
impeded.
Pending the implementation of police
reform, the harmonization of this fragmented
system is our Legal Department's
daily concern. And our Legal Advisers
BiH's 15 police bodies:
State-level: - SIPA
- SBS
Entity level: - Federation
- Republika Srpska
- Brcko District
Cantonal
Level: - Una-Sana Canton
- Posavina Canton
- Tuzla Canton
- Zenica-Doboj Canton
- Bosnian Podrinje Canton
- Central Bosnia Canton
- Herzegovina-Neretva Canton
- West Herzegovina Canton
- Canton Sarajevo
- West Bosnia Canton
have made a lot of progress since they
started 'assembling the puzzle' in EUPM's
early days, back in 2003.
A legal think-tank
Because of this constant need for a harmonization
of the complex legal system
of the country, the majority of the Legal
Department's staff is located in Sarajevo,
at the EUPM Headquarters.
"Since our main goal is to give out consistent
legal advice, the most important
thing is to be centralized," explains Tatiana
Jancewicz, the Deputy Head of the
Department.
This is why Reyes Charle Cuellar, our
Legal Adviser to the Mostar and Sarajevo
Regions, and Eric Frejabue, who is in
charge of the Banja Luka and Tuzla
regions, also both work from the Sarajevo
Headquarters.
Once a week, the Head of the Legal
Department, Hans Hygen, gathers his
staff to analyze upcoming trends, best
practices or problems.
"We are the think-tank of the legal
department," Tatiana explains. "We
process and centralize all the information
we get and spot out whether there are any
problematic legal provisions and whether
any adjustments are needed."
Of course, the think-tank relies to a
great extent on information provided by
the national legal advisers in the field.
"They have great relationships with our
counterparts," says Tatiana. "They have a
great institutional memory and they are of
great help to law enforcement agencies
throughout the country. Whatever they do,
police officers deal with the law, and they
can constantly rely on our assistance
thanks to our people in the field."
CLoPO, a success story
The Legal Department greatly widely
contributed to the country-wide harmonization
of legislation regulating police
powers and the employment status of
police officials.
Six out of ten cantons have enacted the
Cantonal Law on Police Officials or
CLoPO, while the others are in the
process of doing so.
"These are tangible results," insists
Tatiana. "We have offered assistance at
every stage of this harmonization process,
* The All Commissioners Meeting gathers all 10 Cantonal Police Commissioners once a month. It is not institutionalized, but rather a voluntary expression of cooperation and coordination
amongst the Cantonal MoIs and Federation Administration of Police. The initiative came form the Federation Director of Police (at the time Zlatko Miletic). The meetings discuss
and coordinate various common issues and normally address joint initiatives towards local institutions/bodies and IC organisations, mostly EUPM.
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European Union Police Mission

facilitating the development of a 'template'
law and holding numerous sessions
with our local counterparts in order to
find a common ground in compliance with
EU principles."
As a next step, 24 complementary bylaws
are being developed on internal disciplinary
procedure and external accountability
mechanisms, rank allocations and
conditions for promotion, special powers,
as well as police officials' salary calculation.
In parallel to these efforts, the Legal
Department is mentoring the drafting of
Laws on Police Officials (LoPOs) for the
Republika Srpska and the Brcko District,
which also require harmonization.
"This is to make sure that all police officers
enjoy the same working relations and
police powers," concludes Tatiana. "Our
department's main concern is to make
sure that we promote the same legal standards
or hardcore principles whether at
cantonal, entity or state level."
From CLoPOs to CLIAs…
The most pronounced abbreviation
within the Legal Department may soon be
CLIAs rather than CLoPOs.
On 24 January the All Police Commissioners
Meeting* asked EUPM to host a
working group with
representatives of
Cantonal Ministers of
Interior in order to
draft amendments to
the Cantonal Laws on
Internal Affairs
(CLIAs).
As some of the
issues regulated in
the CLoPOs were
previously regulated
in the CLIAs, it goes
without saying that
the latter need to be
amended.
But amendments to
the CLIAs and other
internal affairs in the
Cantons were specially
forbidden by
the so-called 'moratorium
letter' that was
signed by EUPM and
OHR in December
2004 to preserve the
achievements made by the local police
with the assistance of the United Nations'
International Police Task Force (IPTF).
The moratorium was lifted on 15 February,
and the Legal Department will now
start assisting their local counterparts to
amend the CLIAs in compliance with European
best practices and in a harmonized
way.
By Ann Vaessen
NEW COLLEAGUES JOIN THE MISSION FOR 2007
Sven Olof Aberg has been
appointed to the EUPM as a
crime adviser based at the
Tuzla regional office. He has
almost completed 36 years
police service, previously
working as a force. Investigator
in a small town called Ockelbo,
which consists of approx 5000 inhabitants.
He is 56 years of age, with one daughter
and a grandchild of 4 years. He previously served
on a number of missions, namely: 1980-81
UNFICYP (Cyprus), 1991-92 UNFICYP, 1995-96
UNPROFOR (Croatia), and finally in 1998, where
he spent 6 months with the OSCE in Croatia as
a Police-monitor.
The mission gives a warm welcome
to the following colleagues who
have recently arrived as part of
the British, French, Swedish
and Czech contingents.
Frederic Rivat describes himself
as nearing 49 years of
age, married with 3 daughters.
He has more than 28
years experience serving as a
police officer in the French
gendarmerie. Throughout his
career, he has worked in several investigative
positions and was employed as a station
commander prior to this mission. He currently
holds the rank of Lieutenant. He has an exhaustive
list of previous missions, six in total, serving
with both the United Nations and the EU prior to
this one: Lebanon 86/87, Bosnia 92/93, Bosnia
96, Kosovo 01/02, Bosnia 03/04/05, Haiti 05/06
and finally Bosnia once again, arriving on the
27th January 2007.
David Ian Scott is a detective
from the North East of England
with 27 years police experience.
He is married, with
3 children, the oldest of
which, his daughter (21years)
is completing a golf scholarship
in the USA. His two sons still live
at home. Back in the UK, he was the head of a serious
crime unit investigating major and organised
criminal networks, using conventional and
technical techniques. Whilst he appreciates all
varieties of sport, he specifically follows the fortunes
of what he hopes may one day be the
future holders of the European Champions League
trophy in football - Newcastle United F.C.
Certainly not this year, and as they say - probably
next mission!!
Vladimira Rehackova works
as a Criminal Investigator
within the Central Criminal
Investigation Unit based at
the Police Presidium in Prague.
Her rank is Lieutenant-
Colonel and she is also the
Czech Contingent Commander within
the Mission. She previously served for
two years with the UNMIK in Kosovo (2003 -
2005), initially working as a War Crime Investigator,
and then finishing her secondment as
Commander of the Central Criminal Investigation
Unit in Pristina.
By Mark Wise
The Mission Mag is produced by the EUPM PRESS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION DEPARTMENT (PPID)
Editor-in-Chief: Kilian Wahl, e-mail: kwahl@eupm.org, phone: + 387 33 752 766, fax: + 387 33 752 759
Editor: Ann Vaessen, e-mail: avaessen@eupm.org, phone: +387 33 752 760, fax: +387 33 752 759

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN , S DAY
the complexity of police work. It is very
demanding. But it helps if you have a
goal, and if you are really determined to
reach it. The best advice I can give is to
love your work and be passionate about
your goal. I joined the RS Ministry of
Interior in 1992, and my first post was in
the operational field as an Inspector for
the prevention of juvenile delinquency
and drug abuse.
Success is no coincidence
It is internationally recognized that women
are a minority within policing services
and often have administrative roles.
And yet, they undergo the same training
as their male colleagues. It seems like the
demanding schedules of operational work
sometimes seem irreconcilable with family
life.
Chief Inspector Dragica Djukic is an
exception. She joined the RS Ministry of
Interior in 1992 and has since then developed
a very successful career in operational
work. In 2004 she was appointed Deputy
Head of the Crime Police Administration
and since last year she leads the
Department for Revisions and Inspections.
And yet Dragica is married, with two
kids. We asked her a few questions to
mark International Women’s Day.
You are the only woman in the RS
Ministry of Interior with the rank of
Chief Inspector in the operational
field. How doest it feel
You catch me by surprise! I have never
thought about it as something special. I
always thought it has come naturally. But,
as a matter of fact, it required a lot of work
experience, results, enthusiasm and courage.
My successful career is the result of
efforts and work I have invested since the
very start. However, I have to admit that
your observation that I am the only woman
with this rank in the operational field
feels very good. For sure it was not easy to
achieve it. And I regret that there are so
few high-ranking women in the police.
Does it mean that it is more difficult
for women to develop a successful
carreer within the police than in other
domains
I think that is more difficult indeed.
However, I think that the main reason is
Do you think there are prejudices
about successful women in the
police
In general, people do not forgive somebody's
success, particularly if you are
woman. This is very typical of traditional
societies such as you find them in the
Balkans. I am not a feminist. I just advocate
gender equality. Women should fight
for their rights, but only until the point
where they do not lose their femininity. We
should not neglect the fact that nature
endowed us with the privilege that we can
be mothers and we should consider it as
'given' success which makes us superior".
Have you ever had to deal with prejudice
yourself
Of course I wasn't spared, but I have to
admit I was lucky to work with colleagues
who were good people in the first place
and also good professionals. I had their
unconditional support. They marked my
professional development. I have actually
never paid much attention to those who
are prejudiced.
What kind of advice would you give
to young women who want to embrace
a career in the police
This job is very demanding, and women
are often not aware of it when they join
the policet. That is why they go for
administrative jobs upon completing their
training at the police academy. However,
they should not give up.
An inevitable question to end with:
what do you consider your greatest
success
I would not single out any specific case
from my career. I consider my biggest
success the fact that I did not give up on
my dreams in spite many obstacles and
challenges.
By Sladjana Lizdek
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European Union Police Mission

FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS
EUPM donates 4 000 testers
On 21 February Brigadier General
Vincenzo Coppola donated 4 000 anti-drugs
testers to the Institute for Alcoholism and
Toxicology of the Sarajevo Canton and the
Association for Assisting Drug Addicts (UG
PROI), two of EUPM’s main partners within
the anti-drugs campaign Choose Life, not
Drugs.
The donation came right on time. Due to
delays in forming the cantonal government,
no equipment had yet been delivered to the
institute this year, and their stock of testers
had run out.
"This is just another step in the fight
against drugs," said Brigadier General
Coppola, stressing that the anti-drugs campaign
needs to continue until BiH has its
own national strategy against drugs.
"Testers are important success indicators
for us," said Doctor Nermana Mehic-
Basara, Director of the Institute for
Alcoholism and Toxicology. "They allow us
to check whether our patients have violated
the drugs abstinence principle and also
whether they do not follow their methadone
therapy…"
But testers are are also used to ‘screen‘
drugs in persons turning to the institute for
help.
"In this case, testers offer evidence for the
patient’s parents, but also as a means to
confront him with his problem and, as such,
prompt him start treatment," adds Dr.
Basara.
Out of 3 000 drug addicts in Sarajevo,
only 150 are hopitalised annually
There are approximately 3 000 drug
addicts in Sarajevo and the Institute for
A drug test is being performed
Head of Mission Brigadier General Vincenzo Coppola meets with Dr. Nermana Mehic-Basara on 21 February
Alcoholism and Toxicology has only got ten
beds. Each year, they accommodate 150
persons who want to escape from the
vicious circle of drugs.
"There is a constant increase in the number
of reported patients," explains Dr.
Basara. "Due to even smaller capacities in
other cantons, their patients turn to us, and
we have no other choice but putting them on
a waiting list."
And yet hospitalization is only the first
step in the long process that drug addicts
must go through to heal. When leaving the
hospital, they must think about their rehabilitation
and re-socialization. But, unfortunately,
there are only two of these rehabilitation
centres in the Republika Srpska and
five in the Federation of BiH.
"According to our statistics, 30% of the
patients who decide to get treated from drug
addiction manage to get into a therapy centre
and only 10% of these lucky few succeed
in becoming fully cured," Dr. Basara goes
on.
A few years ago, drug addicts still had no
other option but going abroad to get treatment.
The situation has definitely improved
since then, but there are still too few rehabilitation
centres in BiH.
"In the commune I run near Kakanj, we
have 12 ‘protégés’, and they all undergo a
one-year treatment, sometimes even longer,|"
says Samir Ibrisevic, President of the
UG PROI. "The capacity of our rehab centres
in BiH must be boosted."
Another major problem is that some rehab
centres, such as the one in Kakanj, only
accept male patients.
"Women with addiction problems deserve
the same treatment as their male counterparts
and we appeal to the relevant authorities
to help us solve this problem."
"The amount of drugs that gets in
equals the amount of drugs consumed"
Dr. Basara commends the recent increase
in anti-drugs actions undertaken by police,
and stresses that the fight against drugs trafficking
is more important than anything
else.
"The Ministries of Interior stand in the
first line when it comes to fighting drugs,"
she says. "The amount of drugs that gets
into our city equals the amount of drugs
consumed here. In that sense we are turning
with hope towards police to save us from
this lethal disease."
As a matter of fact, police indeed intensified
actions against drugs. To mention only
a few recent successes, the Sarajevo police
seized more than seven kilograms of drugs
(marijuana, heroin and speed) on 15
February this year, while at the end of last
year two persons from Kosovo were arrested
in Sarajevo with 1.5 kg of heroine. Drug
dealers can earn up to 90.000 KM for one
kilogram of heroin on Sarajevo market.
In the Republika Srpska police arrested
two members of an organized group on 20
February and seized 3.2 kg of drugs. Two
weeks before, on 4 February, they seized
2.6 kg heroine within the framework of an
operation implemented throughout the
whole RS territory. In this operation, police
busted an organized crime network of nine
persons.
By Vedrana Dimitrijevic
European Union Police Mission www.eupm.org 7

Postcard: STOLAC
A trip to
the past
They call it the city of poets and when
you are immersed in it, you will know
why. Being in Stolac is like being inside a
daydream - surrounded by the tranquil
murmur of the crystal-clear river Bregava,
breathing the pristine air, and watching
the sun change the shades of the lush
greenery around you as you sit in the
shadows, far from its reach, leaves you in
a peaceful and comforting place that is the
very root of all inspiration.
River of time
The Stolac valley is a green oasis, a surprising
sight in the middle of the bare and
ruthless Herzegovina landscape. Its beauty
is so apparent that this area has been
populated for tens of thousands of years.
As a matter of fact, a carving found on the
wall of the nearby Badanj Cave has been
dated to 12,000 - 16,000 BCE, which
makes it the oldest monument of Paleolithic
art in the South-Central Europe, and
fourth such monument in the world.
The diverse history of Stolac can also
be seen in the ancient old town fortress of
A Note about Time
Long have I lain here before thee
And after thee
Long shall I lie
Long
Have the grasses my bones
Long
Have the worms my flesh
Long
Have I gained a thousand names
Long
Have I forgot my name
Long have I lain here before thee
And after thee
Long shall I lie
Vidoska, as well as in many beautiful
bridges - the most prominent one being
the Spite Bridge, whose architect held a
grudge against his master and designed
the bridge with asymmetric arches.
In fact, many features of this area are
connected to the river, which was once a
site of over 20 watermills, one of which is
still standing. Its higher banks also hold
one of the historical highlights of the area,
the Begovina residential settlement, a gem
of oriental architecture in BiH. It was
built in 19 th century and burned to ground
during the war in 1993, but it is currently
Zapis o vremenu
Davno ti sam legao
I dugo ti mi je
Le`ati
Davno
Da trava mi kosti
Davno
Da crvi mi meso
Davno
da stekoh tisu} imena
Davno
Da zaboravih svoje ime
Davno ti sam legao
I dugo ti mi je
Le`ati
Mak Dizdar (1917-1971) Stolac's finest; One of the greatest BiH poets
being reconstructed, so it is to hope that
we will soon get to enjoy its quiet beauty
again.
Stone Sleepers
Each season brings out a special beauty
in Stolac. A summer visitor may seek the
shade of abundant trees and enjoy the city
of white stone houses while eating homegrown
figs and pomegranates which the
locals say are "just a bit sweeter than anywhere
else". A winter visitor may spend a
day on Bregava waterfalls, and in the
evening enjoy the purple sky.
But no matter what time of the year,
there is one thing no visitor of Stolac
should miss: the Radimlja Necropolis of
old Bosnian tombstones (ste}ci). Having
numerous pieces, with a variety of all
basic forms, high artistic value, richness
in decorations, reliefs and inscriptions
referring to well-known historic persons,
as well as having unusual location and
being hard to access, Necropolis Radimlja
is among the most valuable Medieval
monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
says the BiH Commission for the Preservation
of National Monuments. It is a
sight worth seeing and do it while you can
as the monument has been endangered by
illegal construction and there is no telling
what damage has been done to these stone
sleepers.
There are no specific guides through
Stolac - you will just have to take a
chance and take this trip to the past on
your own accord. You might only find a
quaint little town worth a few pictures, or
you might find a source of deep inspiration
that will have us start a poetry section
in the Mission Mag.
By Sanela Osmanovic
Radimlja Necropolis
8
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