Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	THE PUTRA WORLD TRADE CENTRE, 
			KUALA LUMPUR 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	22/01/94 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF 
			PARLIAMENTARIANS ON 
			BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA 


 
    I would like, first of all, to welcome all  of  you  to
Malaysia.   Although many of you will be here for only a few
days I do hope that you will have a  pleasant  stay  in  our
country.
2.   I would like to congratulate the international group of
parliamentarians  for their continued and sincere dedication
to the cause of human rights  in  Bosnia-Herzegovina.    You
have made an honest gesture by coming to participate in this
conference.  And for that, I commend all of you.
3.      The  subject matter of our common concern is a grave
one.   The  situation  in  Bosnia-Herzegovina  is  extremely
critical.  The human tragedy is massive and continuing.  The
severe  winter  is  expected  to add to the number of deaths
because people are being deprived of the  basic  necessities
to stay alive.
4.      It would be your duty, as parliamentarians, to cause
your respective governments to help change the situation  in
that  unfortunate  country,  and  save the valiant people of
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
5.       Let  me  recount very briefly what  has happened to
Bosnia-Herzegovina,  which  began  with  the  first  Serbian
shelling  of  Sarajevo  in May 1992.   It was the same month
that the United Nations (U.N.) accepted the new Republic  of
Bosnia-Herzegovina as a member state.   The significance was
clear.  Serbs had served notice that  they care nothing  for
world  opinion  or  the  norms  of human behaviour.
6.   Everyone knows now that it was all part  of  the  grand
plan  of  Slobodan  Milosevic  to bring into being a greater
Serbia.   When  Bosnia-Herzegovina  became  independent,  he
turned  over  the Serbian army's arsenals in that country to
the Bosnian Serb soldiers resident in Bosnia-Herzegovina and
to Serb civilians.   No  arms  were  given  to  the  Bosnian
members  of  the  Yugoslav  army  who  did  not subscribe to
Milosevic's Greater Serbia ambitions.   Thus  did  Milosevic
ensure  that  Serbian aggression against  Bosnia-Herzegovina
will meet with success.  The U.N. embargo on  arms  for  the
combatants   in   Yugoslavia  merely  serve  to  weaken  the
government of  Bosnia-Herzegovina  further  and  enable  the
Karadzic's Serbs to massacre the Bosnian Muslims.
7.      It  is  not  correct to assume that the bloodbath in
Bosnia-Herzegovina  is a civil war between the  Muslims  and
the  rest.    Although most of the defenders of Sarajevo are
Muslims, who call themselves Bosniacs, many Serbs and Croats
are included in their number.  The mix is also reflected  in
the government.  They are all Bosnians and Herzegovinans.
8.      The Bosnian Government desperately appealed for help
from the vaunted defenders of human  rights  of  the  world.
Bosnians  were being killed and Bosnia-Herzegovina was about
to be dismembered.  But neither the European Union  nor  the
United  Nations  Security  Council  took  decisive  actions.
Humanitarian aid was offered  subject  to  permission  being
granted  by  the Serbian aggressors.  And as can be expected
the  Serbs  were  not  quite  cooperative.     U.N.   forces
protecting  food  convoys  may  not hurt the Serbs under any
circumstances.  In other words, the Bosnians by  consent  of
the   U.N.   are  placed  at  the  mercy  of  their  Serbian
oppressors.
9.    At the same  time,  a  well-conceived  and  successful
strategy  began  to  split  the  peoples of the newly formed
country.  It resulted in the  Croats  in  Bosnia  abandoning
their  Bosnian  identity  and  discarding  their traditional
alliance with the Bosnian Muslims.
10.  Bosnia-Herzegovina is the victim of the evil designs of
certain people and powers who are quite  happy  to  see  the
emergence  of  Slovenia  and Croatia but will do nothing for
Bosnia, although Bosnia-Herzegovina has as much right as the
other two to nationhood.  This kind of  double  standard  is
apparently what the new world order is about.
11.  The London international conference had pledged that it
would  not  recognise  any  advantage gained by force or the
creation of facts.   Yet  Vance  and  Owen  put  together  a
package  based  on  ground realities which would effectively
legitimise  territorial   acquisition   by   force,   ethnic
cleansing  and partition of Bosnia-Herzegovina  along ethnic
lines.  And, in Geneva, they saw fit to place the leadership
of the legitimate  and  internationally  recognised  Bosnian
government  on an equal footing with the insurgent Serbs and
the Croats.  Thus are aggressors legitimised.
12.    The  Geneva  process,  now  presided  by   Owen   and
Stoltenberg,  is  bent  on  forcing  the  Bosnians to accept
Serbian occupation as  a  basis  for  settlement.    Certain
countries  which have participated in the U.N. peace keeping
forces are threatening to withdraw  the  minimal  protection
they afforded the Bosnians unless the latter agree to Owen's
surrender  of  Bosnian territories to the Serbs.  History is
repeating itself.  The spirit of Chamberlain lives  and  the
result is another holocaust.
13.    The  carnage  and  destruction  in Bosnia-Herzegovina
continue without relent.  Sarajevo remains under seige until
this day, surrounded by Serbian guns capable  of  delivering
800  rounds  of  shells  each  day.   For the fifth time the
western  nations  have  threatened  to  launch   air-strikes
against the Serbs unless they stop strangling Sarajevo.  And
for  the  fifth  time  the Serbs have thumbed their noses at
these so-called righteous  great  powers.    Of  course,  no
air-strike is mounted.
14.  Aggression, occupation and the redrawing of territorial
boundaries  by  force  is  unacceptable in this day and age.
But,  when  aggression  is  accompanied  by  the  abominable
practice  of  ethnic  cleansing, it is not just unacceptable
but despicable by any standard of  international  behaviour.
And  yet  the  Serbs complement this with rape and murder of
young girls  and  women,  even  of  little  children.    The
so-called  civilised  world is horrified but is not prepared
to stop the Serbs.   Yet woe betide  any  little  developing
country  which  violates  even  the  most  trivial  of human
rights.
15.  The Serbs know that the  bark  of  these  defenders  of
human  rights is worse than their bite.  And so they will go
on raping and murdering, fully convinced that they will  not
only  go unpunished, but they will be actually rewarded.  We
know that nations are usually hypocritical  when  conducting
foreign relations.  But the attitude of the powerful nations
in the Bosnian affair must epitomise hypocrisy at its worse.
16.    Today, the Bosnians are confronted with the choice --
either accept the tattered remnants of Bosnia-Herzegovina or
risk being violently wiped off the map of the world.    They
are  right  in refusing to accept either.  They are right in
continuing to fight for their country.  The cost to them  is
very  high.    The  killings  are  real.   People are dying.
People are being starved, raped and tortured.    Unless  the
civilised  world  puts  a  stop  to  what  is  going  on  in
Bosnia-Herzegovina,  weak  nations  will  know  no  freedom.
Might  will always be right.  Is this the message of Bosnia?
Where are the champions of  freedom,  of  human  rights,  of
justice?  Where have they gone?
17.      It is immoral for all of  us  to  hide  behind  the
illusion that the issue of Bosnia-Herzegovina is  the  story
of a simple civil war.   It is not.  It is nothing less than
a war of conquest by the Serbs abetted by  others  who  have
their own hidden agendas.
18.  The Americans are blaming the British  and  the  French
for  preventing  the  use  of air strikes against the Serbs.
However, some very highly placed British and French  sources
have  told  me that it is the United States which is against
military action against the Serbs.   I frankly do  not  know
whom  to believe.   I suspect that neither the Americans nor
the Europeans care enough to act.  They do not wish to  risk
the  lives  of  their  boys for something that is not really
very important for their own well-being.
19.  If this is the case then they should allow the Bosnians
to defend themselves.  This is the right of  any  nation  or
people  -  the right to self-defence.  But they actively and
positively prevent the Bosnians from acquiring the means  to
fight for their own self-defence.  The western nations could
not  have  done worse if they were to hold down the Bosnians
so as to enable the Serbs to batter them.   It  is  abetment
and no less.
20.  And yet they claim that they are helping the Bosnians.
21.    There  is really no unity of support for the European
Union's  official  position  regarding   Bosnia-Herzegovina.
There   is  general  dissatisfaction  with  the  Owen  peace
package.   There is  dissatisfaction  with  Owen's  lack  of
consultation with the European Union which appointed him and
whose   creature   he   is   supposed  to  be.     There  is
dissatisfaction with the way Owen is handling the  so-called
peace process.
22.  It is obvious that so far no one has really approved of
what  the  Serbs are doing.   Indeed, everyone including the
Vatican, the Anglican Church, the  various  Non-Governmental
Organisations,  the  western  media  even,  and  the western
military  commanders  assigned   to   the   United   Nations
Protection  Force  (UNPROFOR),  all  have  condemned Serbian
aggression.    U.N. commanders  regularly  resigned  because
they  were  not  allowed  by  Boutros  Boutros-Ghali and the
Security Council to take effective action  to  stop  Serbian
brutality.    But  the  Western Governments remain obdurate,
refusing to see anything wrong in  their  blatant  disregard
for  the  wholesale violations of every item of human rights
by the Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
23.  Your task, as parliamentarians, is to  help  shock  the
people  and  your  Governments  out  of  their  self-imposed
stupor.  The Governments especially must not be  allowed  to
believe  that  they  can  get  away with their hypocrisy and
still survive.   You must do your best  to  force  those  in
power to act.
24.    I believe there are two things you can do.  The first
is to  exert  pressure  on  the  U.N.  Security  Council  to
implement  the  various  resolutions  which  the Council has
already  passed.    For  example,  despite  systematic   and
widespread  obstruction  to  the  delivery  of international
humanitarian assistance, there has been no effort to enforce
Security Council resolution 770 which provides for  the  use
of  all  necessary  means.   Security Council resolution 836
created 'safe areas' but relentless military actions by  the
Serbs  have instead turned these safe areas into areas under
siege.
25.   The Security Council must  now  demand,  and  must  be
prepared to back its demand by the use of force if necessary
--  not  mere  threats  but actual use of force, to make the
aggressors comply with certain critical requirements.  Among
others:
     *    The seige of Sarajevo must be lifted forthwith, by
          silencing or removing the Serbian  big  guns  from
          around the city;
     *    All concerned parties must be made to  permit,  by
          force  if  necessary,    the  unhindered  flow  of
          humanitarian assistance;
     *    Tuzla  airport  must be  opened  to  enable  food,
          medicines  and other essentials to reach the major
          surrounding towns.
26.  These actions are necessary especially to save innocent
lives during the harsh winter.  But we must be  clear  about
one thing.  No amount of humanitarian action is going to put
an  end  to  the  tragedy  in  Bosnia.    What  is needed is
political and diplomatic action, supported  by  the  use  of
force when necessary.
27.    Therefore,  the second thing you should do is to urge
the Security Council to take  a  hard  look  at  the  Geneva
process,  and  since there is wide agreement that the Geneva
talks cannot go  on  as  before,  seize  the  initiative  to
convene     a     new     international     conference    on
Bosnia-Herzegovina.   Perhaps the  successful  international
conference  on  Cambodia could serve as a model.  There, not
only the relevant parties but other concerned countries also
participated and helped provide the diplomatic weight.
28.  There is no point in having a second  or  third  London
conference  unless  the  principles  already  adopted in the
first conference are implemented.
29.  We cannot speak for the Bosnian leadership but  we  can
demand  that they be given a chance to save their people and
their country and a fair deal  in  negotiations.    Malaysia
feels    extremely    concerned,    not    merely    because
Bosnia-Herzegovina  has  something  to  do  with  Islam  and
Muslims.    We feel strongly whenever and wherever injustice
and oppression are perpetrated.  Malaysia has  been  equally
vehement  about  South  Africa,  about  Cambodia  and  other
non-Muslim communities which have  faced  similar  problems.
30.      The  Serbs  and  the  Croats  have  not   succeeded
in destroying the  essence  of  Bosnia-Herzegovina.    After
nearly  two  years  of  unceasing assault and long after the
western experts have written it off, the Republic  is  still
alive.  We cannot, and should not forget Bosnia-Herzegovina.
If we accept aggression and violence by strong neighbours as
legitimate then many of us who are weak will suffer the same
fate.
31.   Bosnia-Herzegovina used to be a cultural mix where the
people lived in peace.  It has as strong a historic claim to
exist as do its neighbours.
32.  The fundamental principle of the right of nation states
to exist must remain sacred and must  be  protected.    This
includes small, multi-ethnic and multi-religious states like
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
33.  If we allow the law of the jungle to apply, if we allow
the  strongest  to  determine the fate of the weakest, if we
allow Bosnia-Herzegovina to be obliterated, then there  will
be no security for anyone of us.
34.  I urge you parliamentarians, therefore, to request your
respective governments to:
     *    Place the issue of Bosnia-Herzegovina high on your
          country's international agenda;
     *    Commit  the  weight of your nations's diplomacy to
          call for the restarting of meaningful talks  aimed
          at a lasting and just settlement; and
     *    Assert  your  rights  as  members  of  the  United
          Nations to insist that the  Security  Council  act
          decisively to end the sufferings  of  the  Bosnian
          people and bring back peace to that country.
35.     I wish this  conference  success in its pursuit of a
just  cause.    I  hope  that  your  deliberations  will  be
productive.    We  need  to  do everything we can right now.
Ethnic cleansing of Bosnia-Herzegovina must  be  stopped  or
forever  must those who mouth platitudes about democracy and
human  rights  cease  and  desist  from  their  pretense  at
righteousness.
     Thank you.