Holbrooke: Karadzic is Osama bin Laden of Europe

Richard Holbrooke, an American diplomat and the draftsman of the Dayton Agreement, has denied the possibility of any agreement between him and Radovan Karadzic, to whom he referred as a war criminal.

Radovan Karadzic has claimed that Holbrooke promised him that he would not be prosecuted as long as he would withdraw from the public eye and the political arena. Last Thursday during an interview that aired on CNN, Holbrooke denied the claim that he had made any deals with the ex-chef of Bosnian Serbs.

Holbrooke, former American negotiator of the Dayton Agreement, has claimed that he did receive a pledge from Karadzic in July of 1996 that he would withdraw from the political arena. “I negotiated a very tough deal," claimed Holbrooke who revealed that he obtained guarantees from Karadzic that the former would withdraw as the President of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and as the President of the party. Holbrooke acknowledges this deal. However, Holbrook has rebuked Karadzic’s claims that within these discussions that there was an agreement that Karadzic would not be prosecuted as long as he withdrew from his political functions. “That is a flat-out lie,” claimed Holbrooke.

In a declaration made to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s national television, Holbrooke referred to Karadzic as Europe’s Osama bin Laden. “Karadzic is a war a criminal. He is the Osama bin Laden of Europe,” stated Holbrooke as he pointed out that he had no agreement with him. Moreover, Holbrooke claims that Karadzic fabricated this agreement. “I am disappointed that Mladic and Hadzic are not arrested,” proclaimed the American diplomat. According to him, their arrest and judicial proceedings need to be a priority.

Holbrooke addressed Bosnia and Herzegovina’s citizens as “having the opportunity to have a modern nation with Sarajevo as its capital and with its two current entities" while underlining how important it is to overcome the ethnic separatism that marks the country. He elaborated, “I am appalled at the idea of creating a third entity as much as I am with the idea of secession of Serb Republic.” Holbrooke pronounced how it is important to strengthen Sarajevo’s institutions and how it is necessary to work on reconciliation. He claimed that the most dangerous thing for Bosnia and Herzegovina would be the separation of schools based on ethnic criteria. “In Bosnia and Herzegovina children are learning three false histories and that is extremely erroneous,” said Holbrooke who is currently in Bosnia and Herzegovina along with CNN filming a documentary about the wrongdoers of Srebrenica.

On the other hand, Aleksa Buha, ex-Foreign Minister and once a close assistant to Karadzic, claims that Karadzic-Holbrooke agreement exits and that Holbrooke himself has confirmed it to him. “I attended this event along with Richard Holbrooke in June of 1996 when the agreement was reached,” declared Buha who further claims that “Holbrooke confirmed this by waving this document.” Tanjug Agency which published Buha’s claims also published his assertion on how a similar agreement was reached at between Karadzic and then Secretary of the State Madeline Albright.

Upon Holbrooke’s denial of such an agreement, Kurir, a Serbian tabloid, published a document which they claim is signed by Holbrooke and Karadzic and within which America promises not to persecute the war criminal as long as he withdraws from the political arena.

The document defines both parties’ obligations and it would go into affect 90 days after it was signed in 1996. Karadzic committed himself to an irrevocable withdrawal to all national and political functions and the government of United States committed itself to protect Karadzic’s security, find him lodgment and provide him financial support in the amount of $600,000 to be supplied in local currency.

Likewise, the American administration allegedly promised not to influence SDS [Karadzic’s party] officials and functionaries. In the closing part of the agreement that Kurir claims is trustworthy, it states that infringement of the agreement will be treated as a ‘serious violation of the contract’ and that it will be sanctioned. Moreover, there are allegations that the contract can be broken by mutual agreement or on United States’ initiative.