We have been reporting all week on the discussions and speeches of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly. We know how thorny the path was to the adoption of the Resolution on the Genocide in Srebrenica. Is it high time that the years of bloodshed in Gaza stop and the Palestinian state is finally recognized? Federalna TV discussed this topic with Zlatko Lagumdžija, the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UN.
Zlatko Lagumdžija said that it is difficult to expect progress in resolving the war in the Middle East without the active involvement of the United States.
“Certainly, without the active involvement of the United States, to stop the war first and foremost, we can hardly expect any major progress in the near future. However, it is encouraging that the leaders of the Arab countries had a serious meeting with Trump, who encouraged them and showed his good will,” said Lagumdžija.
He recalled that, just before the start of the UN General Assembly, a conference was held in New York dedicated to resolving the Middle East issue through a two-state solution, which Israel and America seemed to have given up on. According to him, a critical mass of countries has been created that insist on recognizing Palestine.
“You have seen that a number of countries have launched a series of recognitions, from Macron to Great Britain, Canada, Australia and others. This is essentially a gathering of the world around a civilizational project – to finally obtain a long-term sustainable solution, in which Israel and Palestine live in coexistence and peace, with guaranteed security and sovereignty,” said Lagumdžija.
He also emphasized that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his address, recalled the resolutions and borders from 1947, which clearly confirmed the international legal framework. Speaking about the events in Gaza, he assessed that genocide is taking place before the eyes of the world, which, as he stated, was also confirmed by the relevant UN commissions.
“Normally, it is a long way from legal recognition that it is genocide, but all of us who have gone through similar experiences are clear about what we are talking about,” he emphasized.
Commenting on the recent vote in the Croatian Parliament on the recognition of Palestine, Lagumdžija said that the division between the president and the prime minister was clearly visible and that the outcome reflected the HDZ political majority.
“It is clear that in Croatia we have a division between the president and the prime minister, which can be seen in their conflicting positions when it comes to Ukraine and Gaza. Milanović does not have the political capacity to bring this to an end in Parliament,” said Lagumdžija.
He also referred to the position of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the international scene, stressing that on two key issues – the aggression against Ukraine and the solution to the Palestinian issue – BiH was consistent and “on the right side of history”.
“You will hardly find a country that has been consistent on both issues. We have been on the side of the two-state solution to the Palestinian issue from the beginning, just as we have been on the side of Ukraine from day one,” he said.
Lagumdžija also commented on Serbia’s behavior, especially the meeting between President Aleksandar Vučić and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Vučić’s meeting with Netanyahu completely exposed the transactional politics in which you have no principles, but only look at who will greet you at a given moment. When someone meets with Netanyahu in this atmosphere and declares it a diplomatic victory, it is clear that they are grasping for the last straw on the international scene. Based on the attitude towards the Gaza issue, you can see whether you are on the right side of history or not,” he said.
He concluded that Serbia is in opposite positions to BiH and most of the international community.
“These meetings of Vučić are not even close to those he had last year. I believe that after a number of meetings he thought – why did I need this meeting,” said Lagumdžija.
