PROPOSAL OF A PEACE INITIATIVE FOR UKRAINE "SOUTH-SLAVIC COALITION FOR PEACE"
The events in Ukraine, along with the loss of life, destruction of property and two million refugees, in just a few weeks led to the aggravation of relations in the world, disruption of trade, financial flows and had a negative impact on the economy. Diplomatic efforts that preceded the conflict, as well as various initiatives launched since the outbreak of the conflict, have so far failed to achieve the desired results. Despite the failures so far, diplomacy and a peaceful solution to this situation have no alternative.
This peace initiative proposal is based on the understanding that peace efforts will have to take place in phases and with parallel activities, in Ukraine and in Russia, and in the West. In the short term, the most important goal is to establish a truce and persuade both sides to sit down together.
To achieve this short-term goal, the proposal for peace negotiations should come from a state or a group of states that Ukraine and the Russian Federation consider neutral enough to agree to mediate in the negotiations. In 1999 it was President of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari, a president of a non-NATO country, who mediated the conclusion of peace in Kosovo. In a similar way, an initiative for peace in Ukraine should come from a side that neither the Russian Federation nor Ukraine sees as participants. or the enemy, and whose engagement can be justified to one's own public.
Taking this into account, this proposal for a peace initiative for Ukraine suggests the creation of the ‘South-Slavic Coalition’ led by Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country where the World War I began, which itself went through a war 30 years ago and that ended with the efforts of the international community and similar peace initiatives.
This initiative would be led by the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and its three-partite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina led by the Chairman of the Presidency Mr Željko Komšić. The Presidency would use the already established personal and state-level contacts with Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
Behind this initiative would be a coalition of Balkan states at the level of heads of state (presidents), including Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, both non-NATO and non-EU states, Montenegro and North Macedonia, NATO but not EU states, as well as Bulgaria and Slovenia, both NATO and the EU states. All six countries are South-Slavic and have long historical, cultural, economic, and political relations with both Ukraine and the Russian Federation. If there is interest, the coalition could be supported by EU and NATO members, Croatia and the Netherlands, the EU but not NATO members, Finland and Sweden, as well as the transatlantic NATO member Canada.
The Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, after initial internal consultations of the three members, in strict secrecy and with the help of the diplomatic-consular network of Bosnia and Herzegovina, would initiate diplomatic activities towards the presidents of five potential coalition members, but also towards the presidents of the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The initial aim of the activities would be to explore the interest in holding peace talks at the level of the ministers of foreign affairs of the Russian Federation and Ukraine, which would be held in Sarajevo on 6 April 2022. If sucessfull the talks would then continue at regular intervals in the capitals of members of the South-Slavic Coalition.
Several politicians and diplomats from the EU, USA, the Netherlands and Canada have already been informally informed about this peace initiative proposal.
In Brussels, Sarajevo and Ottawa, 12 March 2022
Annex to the proposal for peace initiative and information on parallel initiatives undertaken by the Bosnian-Herzegovinian diaspora
Proposal for peace negotiations needs to come from the countries that are perceived by both sides as neutral enough to be willing to accept their mediation. As it was the case with Milošević’s propaganda in the 1990s, the decades-long Putin’s propaganda brainwashed the citizens of Russia, describing the U.S. and NATO as ‘the haters of the Russians’, the globalists who want to oppress ‘the glorious Russian people’! This is the reason why it is relatively easy for Putin to reject every proposal coming from ‘West’ and to describe every form of assistance provided to Ukraine, even the humanitarian aid, as a hostile act. This is why, just like it happened in 1999, when Finnish President, Martti Ahtisaari, mediated the peace mediation process in Kosovo, this initiative must come from the country trusted to some extent by Russia, and the one whose involvement Putin can justify to his own people.
Together with Bosnia and Herzegovina, this coalition should include the Balkan countries, i.e., Montenegro, North Macedonia and Bulgaria (all three of them being, just like Russia, Orthodox Christian countries), together with 2-5 Western countries: Croatia (as the Slavic country), the Netherlands, Canada, and possibly Finland and Sweden. Psychologically, the call made by the Slavic countries, whose citizens have similar roots and speak similar languages, just like the Russians and the Ukrainians, could find more support among the citizens of Russia whose opposition to the war is growing, while it is relatively easily explainable by the regime in Moscow. Just like Milošević, Putin has to present every defeat and every withdrawal, and even peace negotiations, as his own victory and as a logical move. Such a coalition offers this possibility. In addition, the Netherlands is a small country, but it is a NATO member, while the Dutch flag was an inspiration, in the era of Peter the Great, for the design of the flags of Russia, and later the Czech Republic, Croatia, Serbia and Slovakia. Canada is a member of NATO and it shares its border with Russia in the Pacific, and it is known for its democracy and a peace-loving country. Finland and Sweden share their borders with Russia and are among those rare EU countries that are not members of the NATO Alliance.
Peace negotiations should begin as soon as possible, but not without ceasefire: in Sarajevo on 6 April (the Day of the Liberation of the City in 1945, and the day when the 4-year siege of the city began in 1992), and then it could continue in Zagreb and Skoplje, while peace agreement could be signed in the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica (that was once called Titograd after Marshal Josip Broz Tito, who is well known and celebrated both by Russians and the Ukrainians as one of the most known champions of the fight against Fascism 80 years ago.
It is very important to use the media in BiH and the world to point at parallels between the aggression on Bosnia in the 1990s, and the ongoing aggression on Ukraine, and at the fact the ”small Bosnia and Herzegovina” did not surrender despite the aggression that was waged from three sides, the siege of its capital, Sarajevo, that was the longest siege in modern history, the concentration camps like Omarska, ManjaÄa, Keraterm, Sušica, Vilina Vlas, and the genocide that was committed in Srebrenica, for which Serbia was pronounced partially guilty by the International Court of Justice, while the International War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague found guilty its direct perpetrators, such as Ratko Mladić, the Serb Army General. Those individuals are either rotting in prison at present or spent the last years of their lives therein (see also links: 1,5,6,7).
It is of a crucial importance for ordinary Russian soldiers to realise that Ukraine will not fall, just like Bosnia did not fall, despite the weapon embargo and that wars are senseless. To achieve this, it is necessary to launch a broad media campaign with the participation of Bosnians and Herzegovinians in the countries where they live now, who would be telling the world what they had gone through in the war, given that the parallels between Ukraine today and BiH from 1992-1995 are striking. The public opinion in the West and in Russia must understand that the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina could have been stopped in 1992, instead of August 1995, after the NATO intervention and signing of the agreements in Dayton and in Paris in December 1995. In between those years, 100,000 men and women either died or were killed, while over one million people were expelled from their homes.
The continued war, the sanctions and the inflow of refugees to the EU countries will only further destabilise Western societies, have grave consequences on the economy and on the rule of law, and ultimately lead to a greater polarisation between different groups, and consequently to incidents and conflicts in the EU countries themselves. Besides, as it was the case in BiH, public in those countries will demand a greater involvement of their governments. After the discovery of the concentration camps in Omarska and Trnopolje, the Criminal Tribunal was established in The Hague, while after the Srebrenica Genocide, NATO finally intervened in 1995. An intervention against Russia may lead to the Third World War and even the use of nuclear weapons, whereas continued ”acceptance” of this aggression would bring the Western countries into an impossible position to continue tolerating the aggression and mass war crimes for years out of fear that Moscow would retaliate. That is why it is of a paramount importance for this war to stop because it is disastrous for all sides.
It is necessary to encourage the Russians living in Western countries to take to the streets in all the cities of the world, together with Ukrainians, Bosnians and Herzegovinians, Serbs, Croats, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Bulgarians and others.
Recently, the Bosnian diaspora organised rallies, first on 10 January 2022 in 35 cities in 14 countries, and then on 6 March 2022 in over 60 cities in 22 countries, to protest against anti-constitutional actions, genocide denial and the glorification of criminals, undertaken by the leading coalition in Banja Luka, the Republika Srpska, and against the possibility of war (see links: 2,3 and 4).
If Bosnians and Herzegovinian succeeded to inspire even the inhabitants of Tahiti to support the peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the time the war is waging in Ukraine, then the whole world could take to the streets every Sunday at 11:55 local time, led by the Slavic flags of Russia and Ukraine, and then the others, as well as the flags of the countries where protests are held. These protests need to be led by young generations.
On the Internet and in Ukraine posters should be placed with the images of concentration camps in BiH, the images of mass graves, the images of destroyed Sarajevo, with the indication of their locations, years they occurred, and the pictures of war criminals who were pronounced guilty for those crimes (with the number of years in prison for each of them) so that everyone can see and realise that, sooner or later, justice will be done and that the killing of civilians, prisoners of war, the destruction of cities cannot be committed with impunity.
Additionally, posters should be put with the Ten Commandments because the Church has a very negative influence on soldiers, which was already seen during the war in BiH where Serbian Orthodox priests even blessed war crimes and war criminals. Soldiers must realise that there is nothing patriotic in killing civilians and in the aggression on brotherly people.
The world-known singers need to go to Ukraine and record a song in the Ukrainian and Russian languages that would be illustrated with the images of Ukraine before the war and now, thus making their appeal for peace.
Additional material
1) Passengers - Miss Sarajevo (Documentary Version) - YouTube
3) SVI ZA BOSNU I HERCEGOVINU /6. MART 2022. - YouTube
4) (1) Facebook
5) Srebrenica massacre - Explained in under 2 min - BBC News - YouTube
6) Bosnia 1992: The Omarska Camp | Al Jazeera World - YouTube
7) Recognition is a path to reconciliation | Satko Mujagic | TEDxBratislava - YouTube
8) Dubioza kolektiv "Volio BiH" - YouTube
In Brussels, Ottawa and Sarajevo – 12/13 March 2022