Перевод текста выступления командира ОВДБР перед американскими военнослужащими

RUSSIAN SEPARATE AIRBORNE BRIGADE

REPORT TO “PEGASUS SUNRISE” G-5 CONFERENCE

EAGLE BASE, 15 FEB 99

Presented by

COL VLADIMIR SIROTA

Chief of Information and Analysis Group

The purpose of this briefing is to inform you of some problems that are connected with the return process for displaced persons and refugees.

The primary problem facing BiH today is the problem of  refugee returns. As you know, in accordance with Annex 7 of the Dayton Agreements, the Federation and the RS have agreed that refugees and displaced persons have the right of free movement to the  places they lived before the war.  They also have the right to reclaim their property or receive compensation if their property was destroyed.  Both the Federation and RS have also made commitments not to discriminate against refugees and displaced persons.

In real life we are encountering many problems with the full realization of these agreements.  Solving the problem of refugee returns is dependent upon a number of economic, material, and psychological factors.  However, the main obstacle is the intention of some political leaders, of all ethnic communities, to use the return process to further their political goals without due regard to the interests of the people they represent.  Thus, for example, the Federation is placing refugee returnees into strategic areas of the RS.  Another example of this is the situation in the communities of Zvornik and Brcko.  The policy of the Federation government appears calculated to use the intention of refugees to return to their homes as a “demographic weapon” against the government of the RS.  In this way, what was lost during the war may be regained through a plan of demographic manipulation.  Most Serbs think that the Brcko Arbitration decision will be postponed for some time to allow for further resettlement of Bosniac families.  Homes for 5,000 Bosniacs have already been constructed in Brcko.

On the other hand, the Serbs, after four years of war, are working to secure their intention – the ethnic purity and integrity of the RS.  For this reason, they support displaced Serbs in their new locations within the RS.  Serbs contend that while International Organizations always insist on the return of Bosniacs and offer concrete proposals for their return, no one is saying anything about Serb returns to Tuzla and other cities within the Federation.  It seems that all the money and projects are intended for Bosniac returnees to RS lands.  Instead, the preparatory work for returnees should occur not only in the RS, but in the Federation as well.

In the Federation, up to now, Bosniacs and Croats have not achieved mutual understanding.  Given this, who can guarantee that returning Serbs will live in peace.  This is why Serbs do not want to return; they are afraid.  On the other hand, Serbs have proven to be more tolerant toward Bosniac families that live in their neighborhoods.  For example, about 300 Bosniac families that did not take part in war-time fighting currently live securely in Brcko.

International Organizations are suggesting the idea of “gradual returns” to prevent the development of potentially violent situations.  The main principle of this plan is the coordination of home and gravesite visits by refugees.  It is thought that only after such visits can the problems of returnees be addressed by local governments and communities.  However, in practice these visits instigate dislike and distrust among the local population.  Allow me to mention several examples:

На сегодняшний день значительной популярностью пользуются секции классического бокса, а также тайский бокс, фитнес-бокс, кикбоксинг. Тем более, что основы теперь преподаются не только спортсменам, но и тем, кто хочет этим заниматься вне зависимости от возраста. Современный клуб бокса предлагает вам занятия с профессиональными тренерами в специально обустроенных залах по доступной цене. Приходите уже сейчас и обретите силу, уверенность и гармонию.