TRAVEL REPORT The Hon. Michael Atkinson MP Attorney-General ...

Bosnian Program, 5EB1 FMAtkinson's experience in Bosnia(Bosnian Presenter.* . . . as we have announced valued listeners, listen to aninterview which is exclusive for Bosnia Herzegovina community radioprogram, South Australian Multicultural Affairs Minister Michael Atkinson whorecently returned from Bosnia Herzegovina, listen to the interview with MrMichael Atkinson) Exploited and led by a minority of extreme nationalists onall sides and that has led to tremendous suffering, the deaths of somethinglike 200,000 people, a tremendous exodus, so many Bosnians living outsideBosnia now in Austria in Germany, in America the Bosnian authorities arekeen to attract those people back with economic growth . . . I think peacefulprevail for a very, very long time . . . there is work being done by theorganisation for security and cooperation in Europe to try to resettle refugees,we were told that 95% of the property that had been seized during the warhad now been returned, now it was a matter of just getting the owners of thatproperty back to where they used to live (Presenter. That's correct, you justreminded me for a split second not long ago we had a Bosnian ambassador inAustralia . . . Dr Tredorovic [phonetic] and he also said virtually the same thingas you did that they're so keen . . . of getting Bosnians who live outside thecountry, like in Europe, even Australia, USA and Canada and of course withtheir skills . . . and experience and their valuable knowledge that they learn forthose few years they live away from the country, it would be of such enormousbenefit back to the country and Dr Tredorovic (phonetic] also said that just likeyou visit . . . countries are still in learning, politicians are in the learning processand 1 believe also you met with a few politicians from both entities in Bosnia . . .also your knowledge and your expertise . . . coming from the westerndemocracy is also valuable in the leaming process of the Bosnian politiciansas well) . . . they are forming political parties in Bosnia, they're practising theirpolitics in a civilised way, Republica Srpska is . . . a highly centralised entityand I think the federation, the Muslim Croat Federation is somewhat enviousof the centralisation and efficiencies of Republica Srpska and there is somefrustration in Sarajevo at having 10 cantons . . . Sarajevo of course isn't all inone canton out near the airport . . . so although the canton system wasnecessary for the peace settlement 10 years ago, there's now some politicalpressure for a more unitary approach in the federation and there was publicdiscussion about that when I was there, Sarajevo I find . . . a beautiful city . . . Ihave very fond memories of it . . . I think it ought to be world heritage listedbecause to have a city which is predominantly Muslim towards the centre ofEurope is an extraordinary fact . . . it's a beautiful city to look out on . . . and Isaw the Synagogue . . . what your listeners need to know about Sarajevo isthat life is back to normal and in the middle of the evening, about 9 or 10o'clock, people come out of the high rise apartments in which they live andthey flood in to the central business district . . . and they inhabit the coffeeshops of central Sarajevo . . . and they're there until midnight . . . I remarked mycompanions about 11 o'clock one night in Sarajevo, is anyone in Sarajevohome tonight? They really do come out and promenade . . . I have never seensuch a cafe society as Sarajevo (Presenter. . . .Michael Atkinson reckons thenightclubs are at full blast during the night in Sarajevo so don't hold back, goover there and pay them a visit) That's quite true . . . one of the other things Inoted about Bosnia is that nearly everyone smoked and everyone smokedTravel Report, Hon. Michael Atkinson, MP. and Ms. Vini Ciccarello M.P., August, 2004