LETTER: Not all Bosnian Serbs wish to negotiate a separate republic

From Professor Mirko Pejanovic and others

Sir: We, members of the Serb Civic Council, represent the Serbs of the territories controlled by the legal authorities of the Republic of Bosnia- Herzegovina. We are convinced that we express the interests of the majority of the Serb population, both within Bosnia-Herzegovina and those who are refugees abroad.

We are members of different political parties but many of us hold positions in the Bosnian government. We come from different parts of Bosnia, including Sarajevo, Tuzla and Zenica. We are convinced that, at this very critical moment, it is essential to point out that Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic can not be given the right to represent the Bosnian Serb point of view.

It is as much in the interest of Serbs as of anyone else to maintain a unified, sovereign republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina within its recognised international borders. We are fully committed to pluralist democracy and the equality of all the peoples and citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

We are particularly opposed to any division of Bosnia and above all one based on ethnic principles. The council is committed to peace in Bosnia, the return of all refugees and expelled citizens, and the punishment of war criminals.

We request that the Serb Civic Council be included as representative of the peace negotiations.

Yours faithfully,

Mirko Pejanovic

Member of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina

Tatjana Ljujic Mijatovic

Member of the Presidency and Ambassador to UN in Vienna

Dragoljub Stojanov

Professor, Sarajevo University

Simo Simic

Businessman

Jovan Divjak

Deputy Chief of Staff, Bosnian Army

Ing Sretko Radisic

Vice President, Zenica Town

Council

Mirjana Hadzikaric

President, County Court, Sarajevo

Mico Rakic

Ex-Ambassador of former

Yugoslavia to US

Vijka Djikic

Writer

Marko Vesovic

Writer

Nenad Jovanovic

Tuzla businessman

Serb Civic Council for the

Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina

London, W10

11 September