On the occasion of celebrating April 6th, the Day of the City of Sarajevo, Professor Dr. Tarik Kupusovic, President of the Assembly of the City of Sarajevo (mayor of Sarajevo) from 1994 to 1996, recalled Sarajevo then and now, its history, and difficult war past.
“In wartime Sarajevo, we were guided and defended by principles. Principles and values are the most important, but we live in such a world that we have to constantly fight for them, in order to be competitive. Everyone in the city, until the first shells, thought that there would be no war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Sarajevo was completely peaceful at the beginning of 1992, even on January 2nd, 1992, a truce was signed in Croatia, which practically lasted until the end of 1994. The siege of Sarajevo began on April 6th, 1992, and the ‘real war’ (mass shelling and sniping) on May 2nd,” Kasapovic recalled.
According to him, the authorities, both republican and city, as well as all pre-war Sarajevo residents, were careful not to spoil the legacy of centuries-old community life in the city even during the difficult times of war and siege.
Furthermore, he recalled Alija Izetbegovic’s words after the signing ceremony of the Dayton Peace Agreement, on December 14th, 1995, in the Elysee Palace: “This is not a just peace, but it is more just than the continuation of the war. In this situation and in this world, a better peace could not have been achieved”.
“He was absolutely right. Everyone then thought that Sarajevo had won in Dayton. Everyone from the province envied Sarajevo, and announced and soon came to Sarajevo’s suburbs, which were being abandoned by the Serbs. Thus, in the first months of peace, Sarajevo was transformed into a predominantly mono-ethnic canton, thereby losing its advantages and BiH’s best assets. It was the way it was, what would have happened if it hadn’t happened, or what would have happened if something had been different, it is completely pointless to answer these questions in history. Of course, sometimes we have to remember the past, but today we have to work for the future. The city was abolished on April 13th, 1996, and Canton Sarajevo (CS) was established. The protocol on the organizational structure of the City of Sarajevo was negotiated and harmonized for a long time in the organization of the Office of the High Representative (OHR), and was signed on October 25th, 1996,” Kupusovic reminded.
“So, for almost two years, the City did not exist, and even when it was re-established, it was, as it is now, only fictitious. The usual deception, as if it existed, but it really, practically does not exist. Despite everything, Sarajevo has still preserved its traditional civic spirit, its multi-ethnicity, and diversity from before the war and from the Olympic times. Citizens remain citizens, they are dominant in the city. Sarajevo will certainly continue to develop, and be a smart city, with better infrastructure and modern technologies, for a more pleasant life in it. Sarajevo residents, as well as Bosnians, are first of all good people,” added Kupusovic.
E.Dz.
Photo: Avaz
