The president of the unified state of Serbia and Montenegro has used a visit to the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, to apologize for the atrocities committed by his side during the war. Svetozar Marovic, who is Montenegrin, chose his words carefully, expressing his regret for any evil done by any individual from the Serbian and Montenegrin rump of the old Yugoslav state during the brutal war that ended in 1995.
His apology was remarkably similar to one he gave to the Croatian people during a visit to Zagreb. Some Serb commentators have pointed out that on that occasion the Croatians immediately responded with their own apology for the individual actions of their troops against Serbs. Marovic’s Bosnian hosts however, though aware of what was going to be said to them, chose not to reciprocate.
The Bosnian authorities should not be condemned for this. Bosnia-Herzegovina was the victim in the civil war, not simply of the Serbs but also of the Croatians. There were criminal acts by Bosnian soldiers, and the government has already handed over some of these men for trial in The Hague. But Bosnians were fighting for their lives and their country. They should be apologizing for nothing.
There is growing disillusionment among Bosnians at the lack of revival in their economy. While Belgrade is rebuilding and Zagreb is becoming a bustling city, Sarajevo remains a shadow of its former self. Much of the promised international aid has failed to materialize, the economy is stagnant, and young people, the building blocks for their country’s future, are looking for opportunities abroad. The rise of criminal gangs and corruption has added to the growing despair.
The fact that its attackers seem to be doing so much better after their defeat than their victim is a matter of increasing bitterness in Bosnia. But trying to have the Serbs punished by the international court and made to pay great sums of compensation is not wise. Any eventual award will probably be too little and too late to have any effect on Bosnia’s economic fortunes. It will also leave a new wound to fester for the future. What is far more important is that the international community delivers on its pledges of aid and support. Concerted efforts must be made to crush the rising power of organized crime and corruption in the country, to ensure that money given for the rebuilding of Bosnia is used for just that.
For Bosnians, the most important apology from their former enemies requires deeds, not words; the Serbian-Montenegrin government must find, detain and hand over two key Bosnian Serb war criminals, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. Bringing these two men before the war crimes tribunal in The Hague will prove that Marovic’s apology is sincere.
