Bosnia politician slams Sweden

Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Chairman Zeljko Komsic has canceled a trip to Sweden, it was announced in Sarajevo. This came in protest of the decision of that country's government to release former Bosnian Serb leader Biljana Plavsic from prison. Bosnia politician slams Sweden Komsic was expected to arrive in Sweden in November. “It should be taken into special consideration that the Swedish government wanted to do this, and was not forced to,” Komsic was quoted as saying today. He added that according to the law, freeing the prisoner after two-thirds of their prison time has been served is not “understood, but is only a possibility”. “The behavior of Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, who was a witness in the trial of Biljana Plavsic, is unacceptable and compromising for the Swedish government, because he visited her while in jail and in the end, participated in making this decision,” Komsic continued. He reminded that in September of last year, a letter was sent to the Swedish parliamentary speaker and prime minister calling for the Swedish government to deny the motion for Plavsic's before her prison sentence was over. Komsic wrote then that “it would be a great mistake to show any mercy towards a person who, as a member of the top war leadership of the Bosnian Serbs, convicted of the worst crimes against humanity, and who participated in planning, creating and carrying out the persecution and destruction of Bosniaks, Croats and other non-Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina.” Komsic also "apologized for not being able to meet with the Swedish king and members of the Bosnia-Herzegovina diaspora in Sweden, that numbers over 60,000 people".

Bosnia politician slams Sweden

Komšić was expected to arrive in Sweden in November.

“It should be taken into special consideration that the Swedish government wanted to do this, and was not forced to,” Komšić was quoted as saying today.

He added that according to the law, freeing the prisoner after two-thirds of their prison time has been served is not “understood, but is only a possibility”.

“The behavior of Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, who was a witness in the trial of Biljana Plavšić, is unacceptable and compromising for the Swedish government, because he visited her while in jail and in the end, participated in making this decision,” Komšić continued.

He reminded that in September of last year, a letter was sent to the Swedish parliamentary speaker and prime minister calling for the Swedish government to deny the motion for Plavšić's before her prison sentence was over.

Komšić wrote then that “it would be a great mistake to show any mercy towards a person who, as a member of the top war leadership of the Bosnian Serbs, convicted of the worst crimes against humanity, and who participated in planning, creating and carrying out the persecution and destruction of Bosniaks, Croats and other non-Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina.”

Komšić also "apologized for not being able to meet with the Swedish king and members of the Bosnia-Herzegovina diaspora in Sweden, that numbers over 60,000 people".