SARAJEVO, Oct 21 (Hina) - Bosnian state authorities organised a commemoration for former Bosnian president Alija Izetbegovic in Sarajevo on Tuesday.
SARAJEVO, Oct 21 (Hina) - Bosnian state authorities organised a
commemoration for former Bosnian president Alija Izetbegovic in
Sarajevo on Tuesday. #L#
The commemoration, which was addressed by senior state officials
and Izetbegovic's close war-time associates, was also attended by
international officials accredited to the country. The event was
not attended by any official of the Bosnian Serb entity.
The chairman of the three-man sate presidency, Dragan Covic, said
Izetbegovic had been an active participant of and witness to
historic changes which in his country were accompanied by the
horrible suffering of people.
Despite being a victim of violence himself, Izetbegovic strongly
opposed violence and advocated tolerance and understanding during
his active life, Covic said.
An undisputed leader of the Bosniak people, Izetbegovic will be
remembered for his consistent advocacy of compromise, as well as
for the fact that his legacy is an undivided Bosnia-Herzegovina,
however imperfect it may be, Covic said.
Adnan Terzic, chairman of the Council of Ministers, the country's
government, said the best way to honour Izetbegovic was to work on
integrating the country into European associations, as the best
guarantee that the horrors of war and genocide would never happen
again.
A war-time member of the state presidency, Mirko Pejanovic, said
Izetbegovic's greatest virtue was his resolute refusal of ethnic
division of the country and revenge-seeking.
The head of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina Army's Joint
Command, Atif Dudakovic, whom Izetbegovic held in great esteem,
said he and his fellow soldiers did not need the time distance or
archives to know who the late president was. He described
Izetbegovic as a "human and moral giant" and a man who succeeded in
turning a mission impossible into a possible one.
Izetbegovic will be buried in Sarajevo on Wednesday.
A large number of foreign delegations are expected to attend the
funeral. The Federation's Interior Ministry has estimated that
some 150,000 people from all parts of the country could attend the
funeral.
(hina) rml