On the fifth day of his testimony at his own trial, Momcilo Krajisnik claims that the infamous threat Karadzic made in October 1991 – that the Muslims would “disappear” if there was war in BH – was in fact a quote from a speech by Muhamed Filipovic


When Radovan Karadzic threatened that if BH were to declare its independence it would face war, and that for the Muslim people that might mean “perhaps even disappearance”, those were not his words, Momcilo Krajisnik claimed as he continued his testimony. Karadzic merely repeated what Muhamed Filipovic, former president of the Muslim-Bosniak Organization allegedly said at a previous session of the BH Assembly, Krajisnik says.

To support his claim, Krajisnik tendered into evidence a report from a press conference where Karadzic says that in that part of his address before the Assembly he “merely quoted Filipovic”.

Yet, the words uttered by Karadzic (or Filipovic) were repeated once again, in December 1991, at the fourth session of the Assembly of the Serbian People in BH, by a deputy by the name of Vukic. Judging by the transcript from the session, he received a round of applause from the deputies.

Krajisnik explains that Vukic was “a wonderful, but unpredictable man” and that he merely wanted to “toady up to Karadzic” by saying those words. The other deputies, Krajisnik went on to say, did not take Vukic seriously and laughed at him. The applause he received for repeating Karadzic’s threat – or else Filipovic’s warning – was in fact their way of making fun of Vukic.

Today’s examination consisted of Krajisnik commenting on speeches made by various deputies at the fourth session of the Bosnian Serb Assembly. He claims that he disagreed with most of the warmongering statements made by the deputies. He labeled them “propaganda, reckless, intemperate and unfair”.

Krajisnik went on to say that the SDS leadership did not intend to make its own state within BH, but just a federal unit which would form the new Yugoslavia, together with Serbia, Montenegro and SAO Krajina. But, when in late 1991, “Milosevic left us dangling”, as he put it, announcing he would set up the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia with Montenegro in late 1991, the SDS leadership realized it would have to seek a solution within BH. “Naturally, we demanded the most we could in order for the negotiations to work out,” Krajisnik clarified.

Momcilo Krajisnik’s testimony continues.

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