Mate Granic, as deputy head of the Croatian negotiating delegation during the peace talks in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and as a close associate of Franjo Tudjman, was a key figure in the preparation of the Dayton Agreement, and today remains a witness to what happened 30 years ago.
In an interview, he spoke about the negotiations in the United States (U.S.) city of Dayton and the situation in BiH after the end of the war, emphasizing that BiH has moved away from the foundations of the Dayton Agreement, and that, unfortunately, this was contributed to by high representatives and the international community.
Granic stressed that the war in BiH was the result of Greater-Serbian aggression against BiH, as well as against Croatia. The turning point, as he stated, was the Washington Agreement, which ended the conflict between Croats and Bosniaks in just 24 hours.
“The preliminary agreement was signed on March 1st, 1994, and the final one on March 18th of the same year, thereby creating the Federation of BiH (FBiH) with a cantonal system. BiH was then defined as a state of three constituent peoples, Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats, and all citizens were to have equal human and civil rights,” Granic recalled.
In October 1995, the international group proposed that BiH be a territorially integrated state composed of two entities and three constituent peoples, which was supported by all major powers: the U.S., the Russian Federation, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (UK).
Granic says that after the tragedy in Srebrenica and the greatest crime committed after the Second World War by Serbian forces, Turkish President Demirel pleaded with Franjo Tudjman for Croatia to help BiH militarily and diplomatically, while Alija Izetbegovic sent a letter with the same request.
“The Split Declaration was signed on July 22nd, 1995, and already the next day, Operation ‘Summer ’95’ began, which lifted the blockade of Bihac. This was followed by Operation ‘Storm’, by which Croatian forces liberated most of the occupied territories in 84 hours. The Croatian Army then came within 20 kilometers of Banja Luka together with the Army of the Republic of BiH (ARBiH) and the Croatian Defense Council (HVO). The U.S. stopped further advancement, and seven days later, we were invited to Dayton,” Granic recalled, adding that the U.S. wanted to end the war in BiH through negotiations and an agreement.
Granic, who currently serves as a special adviser to the Government of the Republic of Croatia, pointed out that during the first two days in Dayton the Croatian and Serbian sides, under negotiations led by Richard Holbrooke, negotiated only on the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube region, which later resulted in the Erdut Agreement and successful reintegration, which Granic describes as “the most successful peace operation in the history of the United Nations (UN).”
Only later, according to him, did talks follow on the framework agreement, constitutional principles, electoral legislation, the military agreement, and the delimitation between Republika Srpska (RS) and the FBiH.
“These were the most difficult negotiations,” he assessed, adding that U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher and President Bill Clinton also became involved, while General Wesley Clark was constantly present.
“The Americans tried to relax the atmosphere, and Slobodan Milosevic particularly enjoyed red wine and whisky,” Granic recalled.
The negotiations were led by the U.S., and Holbrooke, according to Granic, had a “bulldozer style,” but also an excellent team of associates.
“For the Croats, the strategic interest was the constituent status and equality of all three peoples. Milosevic never mentioned Operation ‘Storm’ and tried to remain in good spirits. Tudjman and Izetbegovic were serious and focused. As Tudjman often stayed in Zagreb due to elections, I led the Croatian delegation. We functioned as an excellent team, especially with Minister Gojko Susak and ambassadors Miomir Zuzul and Ivan Simonovic,” Granic stated.
The Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1993 to 2000 said that the greatest success of the Dayton Agreement was that it stopped the war and established peace.
“The second great success is the agreement on the constituent status of the peoples. The third success is that BiH was preserved as a territorially integrated state. A great opportunity was given to the legitimate representatives of all three peoples and to all citizens of BiH to further build it. Unfortunately, certain decisions by high representatives moved away from the foundations of the agreement,” Granic assessed, adding that the agreement, signed in Paris on December 14th, 1995, was “the greatest foreign policy success of the then U.S. President Bill Clinton.”
According to him, both the U.S. and the European Union (EU) continue to support the General Framework Agreement for Peace in BiH, but it is no longer in the focus of interest.
“The brutal Russian aggression against Ukraine and the arrival of President Donald Trump have completely changed geopolitical relations in the world. A new multipolar order is being created, in which the EU, which has major internal problems of its own, must fight for its place in the world. This is particularly clear after the new U.S. National Security Strategy and especially Putin’s imperial policy of recreating the Russian world, which has a strong impact on the region of Southeast Europe as well. The legitimate representatives of the three peoples must sincerely negotiate the European future of BiH and reject any separatism or unitarism. Croats and Bosniaks should negotiate in the spirit of the Washington talks and the Split Declaration. The fight against corruption must be a shared concern,” Granic emphasized.
He added that the Croatian government, especially Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, strongly supports the European path of BiH as a state of three constituent peoples and equal rights for all citizens.
He believes that the text of the Dayton Agreement is not ideal, but that it is an excellent foundation for building a functional BiH, although, in his opinion, the main problem is the political will of the actors.
“There are also certain external influences that do not want a well-functioning, European-oriented, and integrated BiH. Debates on state property, the Constitutional Court, and the rulings of international courts should have been concluded long ago, and the high representatives, as well as the U.S. and the EU, should have helped preserve the foundations of the agreement,” Granic said.
Granic emphasized that the international community, especially the EU and the U.S., missed many opportunities to insist more strongly on reforms that would bring BiH closer to membership in the EU.
“But it is never too late; the EU and the U.S. should help legitimate political actors on this path,” he added.
Speaking about possible amendments to the Agreement, Granic recalled the Washington agreement between Bosniaks and Croats in BiH and Croatia and the U.S. to expand the cantonal model to the entire BiH while strengthening and clearly defining the rights of all three constituent peoples and the European path of the state.
“The Dayton Agreement must be respected and implemented in full. Any separatism or unitarism is disastrous for BiH. The European path and the preservation of territorial integrity are the only true way forward. Croatia gives full support, especially the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic, and the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman,” Granic concluded, Klix.ba writes.
