"Had the Presidency building fallen then and the president (Alija Izetbegovic) stayed in captivity, history would probably have taken a different course. That was a fateful battle that broke the teeth of those who attacked the city, discouraging them a lot," Izetbegovic told the media.
He and Komsic said many former defenders were disappointed by their status and the situation in the country. They laid wreaths in downtown Sarajevo in memory of the defenders killed in the 1992-95 war.
Members of the underarmed Territorial Defence, the Patriotic League of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and special police prevented the JNA from occupying downtown Sarajevo and key Bosnian institutions, including the Presidency. Having failed, the JNA captured the then president, Izetbegovic, at Sarajevo airport the same day as he returned from peace negotiations in Lisbon.
After reaching an agreement to free Izetbegovic and his delegation and allow the JNA to pull out of a downtown barracks, JNA troops were attacked, with six soldiers killed in Dobrovoljacka Street. Bosnian Serb officials will commemorate them soldiers on Friday. This annual commemoration always causes tension in the Bosnian capital.