We publish here extracts from an appeal has been sent to the British parliament from the Congress of Independent Trade Unions of Bosnia Hercegovina and the Municipal Trade Union Council in Tuzla. Socialist Outlook thanks Branka Magas for the translation. HELP from those who do not know, or do not wish to know, that the sovereign state of Bosnia Hercegovina has suffered aggression from Serb extremists - who have grabbed all the arms from former Yugoslavia - is not necessary.
The Serbian aggressors, aided by Serb extremists from Bosnia Hercegovina, under the motto "All Serbs in One State" kill all the people who do not belong to the Serb nation, especially Bosniacs and Croats, and are destroying the material, spiritual and cultural heritage which has been created by the people through the centuries.
On those territories where there are Karadizic's Serbs, Catholic churches have been destroyed as well as 800 mosques and many cemeteries. They have been bombarding the civilian population for 4 years now, in the cities and villages, killing adults and children. They cut off energy supplies, gas, water and food.
And you, from the "Committee for Peace in the Balkans" call this a civil war between the sides in the conflict.
There is no civil war here. What we have here is fascist aggression using the most monstrous methods, enacted by the Serbian aggressors. And we are the victims with limited scope to defend ourselves because, of all the [United Nations') resolutions, the only one that is being upheld in full is the one relating to the arms embargo on the Bosnians.
The Serbian aggressors have suficient armaments to go on killing us for a further ten vears.
We do not look for you to fight for us. Nor do we wish anyone to be killed to save our lives. We seek: either the lifting of the arms embargo; or that the world community disarm the Serbian aggressors in Bosnia Hercegovina; and to ban traffic of all types from Serbia except for humanitarian aid.
The action of the "Committee for Peace in the Balkans", under the slogan of No Military Intervention in Bosnia is an action to aid the aggressor.
You from the Committee are supporting humanitarian aid, but you are not asking the Serb aggressor to stop killing civilians. You would wish to send us humanitarian aid so that we may be able to eat and thereafter to be killed by the aggressors' shells. Such aid we do not need.
Why do you not lead an action to open Sarajevo — where Bosniacs, Croats, Serbs and Jews live together without food, medicine, water, electicity or gas?
On the territories of Bosnia Hercegovina controlled by the legal government, we all live and work together, regardless of nationality, religion, race or party affiliation.
We seek a humane response to our tragedy, and all those who aid the aggressor are guilty for every dead civilian in Bosnia and Hercegovina.
Sijercic Fikreta, President, Congress of Independent Unions of Bosnia Hercegovina.
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No 87, July 15 1995, Page 12