Which leading Serbs and Croats argued against their own extremists in the wars 1992-95?
score:2
Blaž Kraljević
Only name that comes to mind is Blaž Kraljević. He was leader of Croatian Defence Forces (HOS), a paramilitary force serving under Bosnian Armed forces. He did better than arguing against extremism, he stood up against extremism. The only condition he presented to hard-pressed-on-all-sides Bosnians for his cooperation was that Bosnia will remain a sovreign country and would not surrender to Serbia.
He was an outspoken advocate of Bosniak-Croat alliance and vehement opponent of Croat and Serbian attempts of dividing Bosnia. He denounced both self-proclaimed Croat and Serb Republics in Bosnia.
His force was diverse that consisted of 5,000 volunteers including Bosnian Croats, Bosniaks, and foreigners.
The attitude of this force can be summed up by words of their previous patron and later rival, the Croatian Defense Minister Gojko Šušak when he proclaimed that Croatian Defense force was actually Muslim Defense force.
Kraljević explained his mission as:
I'm here to protect these people, and I'll do it or die trying. We are not a Catholic army because 30 or 40 percent of the ranks of HOS is Muslim. We are the army of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Personally, I would like to see Croatia to the Drina, but who will decide that is the people here, the people of Bosnia, when the war ends. In regards to HSP and HOS, all those who are not extremists and have not bloodied their hands can stay and live here and we will protect them. We will protect the Serbs and Bosniaks and Croats from any external enemy, because we are behind the people. In regards to external opinions about us, including their interests, the interests of Germany or the United Kingdom for us here are utterly irrelevant, because I only care for the people here.
The Statement in Bold implies that there had been extremist and criminal members among the ranks of the HOS however no allegation of war-crimes on the commander himself says he did what he could.
When Bosnian-Serb and Croatian leaders met in Graz to reach an agreement about Bosnia's future, He pleaded to his people:
We implore all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially Croats and Bosniaks, not to take into account any statements or agreements between Mate Boban and Radovan Karadžić. Neither speaks in the name of Croats and Bosniaks. They do not represent what the Croats and Bosniaks want. ... HOS and the TO are defending, and will defend, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
There is no charge of war-crimes or any atrocity against him and he served his people well until he was murdered by HVO possibly on behest of Croatian Government. After his death, Croatian media ran an eloborate campaign to discredit him however later in 1996 Croatia awarded him Order of Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsto Frankopan posthumously.
More post
- 📝 Why was the Battle of Noryang fought?
- 📝 Why was uranium mined in the 1500s, but only "discovered" in 1789?
- 📝 Australian Head of State
- 📝 Why did Stalin pressure Allies to open second front even though his purpose was to grab as much land as possible for his future satellite states?
- 📝 Devastating air strike over Middle Eastern country during religious holiday
- 📝 When did fluorescent lights become common in Europe?
- 📝 Who were the chief executives of the United States in the thirteen years before George Washington?
- 📝 What is the structure in front of the entrance to Menkaure's pyramid?
- 📝 Was Switzerland pressured either by Allies or Axis to take part in World War 2 at any time?
- 📝 How to translate runic text not knowing the origin?
- 📝 What started the Korean war?
- 📝 Why did science flourish in Germany after the First World War?
- 📝 Is Wikipedia's identification of Lebed an error?
- 📝 What factors contributed to the U.S economy flourishing during the early cold war period?
- 📝 Is there any primary source for Mussolini being called "Juliet"?
- 📝 What effect did the Mafia have during World War 2?
- 📝 Army formation: veterans at the first line
- 📝 How does Lyndon Johnson's EO11246 establish Affirmative Action as we know it today?
- 📝 Virginia's response to Harper's Ferry, compared to the US response to 9/11
- 📝 Did Theodore Roosevelt ever say the "things that will destroy America" quote?
- 📝 Does Tanjore Brihadeeswarar Temple contain more stones than Giza pyramid?
- 📝 Where did the idea of a Pharaoh originate?
- 📝 Did other countries stop recognizing Austria, after the German annexation?
- 📝 Did American colonist soldiers learn guerrilla fighting tactics from the Native Americans?
- 📝 Was there any distinction between the 13 Colonies and the Canadian provinces prior to the American Revolution?
- 📝 Why and when did countries develop long names that include the form of government?
- 📝 Where was Haile Selassie's palace in the Ogaden Desert?
- 📝 Did syphilis, polio, hepatitis, and encephalitis come to general world from the Americas?
- 📝 Identify the cover model from an issue of Life Magazine
- 📝 Has the side with better equipment and worse logistics ever won?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Which leading Serbs and Croats argued against their own extremists in the wars 1992-95?
- 📝 In which situation is the broadside more preferable than every gun firing on their own time?
- 📝 What was the first instance of native Americans using gunpowder weapons in battle and did they ever make their own powder?
- 📝 In which East European country in the 1980s did people put their TVs in front of windows and turn them facing outside?
- 📝 Were Serbs and Croats one people / tribe in the past? If not, why do they speak the same language?
- 📝 Did Nebuchadnezzar And The Medes Ever Go To War After Their Alliance Against Assyria?
- 📝 Which of the Roman wars was the most important and riskiest for Rome?
- 📝 Why did Britain and France not declare war against the Soviet Union when it invaded Poland in WW2?
- 📝 Which monarch had the longest break in their reign?
- 📝 Who, if any, in JFK's inner circle argued against the plans for the Bay of Pigs invasion?
- 📝 Were Russians in the cold war era USA discriminated against for their ethnicity?
- 📝 Why are the French and Indian Wars / Seven Years' War not considered WW 1?
- 📝 Has any U.S. Vice President cast a tie-breaking vote against their own administration?
- 📝 Why was the Red Army successful against the Japanese in 1939 but perform poorly against Finland 1939-40 and early part of WW2?
- 📝 Which Babylonian tablets contains the list of squares and cubes?
- 📝 Why did the Arabs start the 1973 War during Ramadan, and did it affect their performance?
- 📝 How much of an impact did the Roman emperors' civil wars have on their decision to debase the coinage?
- 📝 If salt was scarce and expensive, how did people "salt the earth" to ensure their enemies would stay defeated?
- 📝 What were the thoughts of the Celts, Romans and other ancient European people about the standing stones which survive from prehistoric times?
- 📝 Which European countries did not have a revolution in the aftermath of the French Revolution and why?
- 📝 Which fruits and vegetables did Chinese migrants introduce to Australia during the gold rush?
- 📝 Which were the last castles to be besieged and fall in the United Kingdom?
- 📝 How did residents of Estonia and Latvia prove that their family settled in the country prior to 1940, in order to become citizens in 1989?
- 📝 Which RAF squadrons and aircraft types took part in the bombing of Berlin on the 25th of August 1940?
- 📝 Did anyone warn about the potential for stock market crashes in 1929, and if so why were their warnings ignored?
- 📝 Which Allied aircraft scored the most air-to-air kills against the Me 262 in WWII?
- 📝 What Roman Republican legal structures lasted into the Empire and which ones didn't?
- 📝 Which have been the most and least successful Olympics in terms of economic impact?
- 📝 Which countries protested against the Anschluss?
- 📝 Which Muslim factions during the Crusade used the crescent in their flags or banners?