During a Gala dinner dedicated to Bosnia, former US President Bill Clinton said he is sorry the system created in that country is not functional, according to Adnan Kapo, a member of the team of philanthropist and lobbyist, Sanela Jenkins.
During the Washington dinner, organized by the Advisory Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina (ACBiH) last weekend, Clinton pointed out that Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina were symbols of a multi-ethnic society and that this has been disturbed, said Kapo, who was also the advisor for international relations in the cabinet of former member of Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency, Haris Silajdzic.
The stars of the ACBiH Gala Dinner were Clinton, Silajdzic and Jenkins, who all received lifetime achievement awards from the organization.
“Clinton came to the event for free, although he is often invited as a guest by various organizations which pay very well. He stayed nearly a half an hour after the programme, although he is very busy. But he wanted to also hear other statements,” Kapo said.
According to Kapo, Clinton is attached to Bosnia, as the country, together with Kosovo, has marked his US Presidency term.
“He (Clinton) said that he has a wartime shell from Bascarsija (Sarajevo’s Old Town neighborhood) at home. He is well informed about the situation in Bosnia and is still politically active,” Kapo said.
“We must point out that the Dayton agreement is a result of fascism. Why do all other countries in Europe have a civic society, while we do not? Clinton is aware of that, but how much we insist on changing that is questionable,” Kapo said.
Silajdzic sent a clear message during the dinner, saying that “we (in Bosnia) have to smuggle in democracy because we don’t have it”.
“Here, it is the peoples (ethnic groups) that govern, not the citizens,” Kapo said.
He hailed Silajdzic as someone who worked towards defending Bosnia and creating piece. He said that “Bosnia’s society is not mature enough to understand” what Silajdzic did for the country.
“The US intervention in Bosnia could not have happened by itself, someone had to work on stopping the war. Neither the history nor the people are aware of what Silajdzic did for Bosnia. I would like him to run for the Presidency,” Kapo said.
Kapo also touched upon what Bosnia looks like from the outside.
“We have to point out that we have not cared for ourselves for centuries. This is one of the reasons for why we think of Bosnia in this way. We are unaware that this is our country,” he said, adding that Moscow is getting involved in the country’s developments.
“That is why events like the one in Washington, where members of the US administration were also present, are important. Zagreb and Belgrade are constantly being mentioned as guarantors the Dayton agreement, but they are two sides in a conflict,” he said.
