By Galal Nassar "If the international forces withdraw from Bosnia-Herzegovina, the region will once again plunge into war and ethnic cleansing," Ahmed Abu Taleb, the Egyptian ambassador in Bosnia, told Al-Ahram Weekly. The interior of the ambassador's residence reflected a typically warm Egyptian setting, which sharply contrasted with the freezing cold outside. Located on one of the mountains overlooking Sarajevo, the residence is removed from the snow-covered houses and streets of the war-torn city. Abu Taleb is the first Egyptian ambassador to Bosnia after it was declared an independent state following the cessation of hostilities in June 1996. Ambassador Abu Taleb told the Weekly that Egyptian-Bosnian relations date back to the period before the late Yugoslav President Josef Broz Tito officially recognised the Bosnian national identity in December 1974. Indeed, President Nasser's visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1957 during his tour of Yugoslavia left such a remarkable impact on the people of Bosnia that many Bosnian men between the ages of 30 and 40 at present are called Nasser or Gamal in honour of the Egyptian president. Egyptian-Bosnian relations continued uninterruptedly and grew stronger in 1992 when the Bosnian war of independence brought an Egyptian regiment to the region as part of the UN peace-keeping forces. The Egyptian regiment furnished food, helped to protect civilians from Serbian snipers, treated the wounded and helped to evacuate the dead and wounded. Even today, the ambassador told us, every Bosnian carries in his heart a fond memory of Egyptian kindness and generosity. He added that the Bosnian people have a deep reverence for Al-Azhar and that it is one of their most cherished hopes to send their children to this internationally reputed Islamic university. Indeed, many government and religious officials are Al-Azhar graduates, most notably the chairman of the Council of Ulema, the mufti of Bosnia and father of Prime Minister Haris Siladivic. To the Bosnians, Al-Azhar is a refuge from extremist religious intolerance and a symbol of Islamic moderation. Unfortunately, the ambassador said, the volume of academic and religious support Al-Azhar is currently providing Bosnia is not commensurate with that from other Islamic sources. Ambassador Abu Taleb also told the Weekly that Bosnia needed economic support from Egypt. In particular, Bosnian businesses would greatly benefit from the capital investment and expertise of Egyptian businessmen. In addition to the Taba regiment, there are 34 Egyptian police officers working within the International Police Forces there. Egypt has also given the federal army 10 tanks, a field artillery squadron and a long-range anti-artillery squadron. "A large number of Bosnians have been trained in Egyptian military academies. The last group consisted of 10 federal army officers who are to serve as the core for the border patrol, an especially important body in light of the fact that the new state's borders are still insecure and the army lacks sufficient experience to safeguard them." Egypt has also allocated $4 million from the technical cooperation fund for the recently independent (ex-Soviet bloc) commonwealth countries to finance various social and administrative training programmes. Since 1995, 700 Bosnian citizens have been beneficiaries of these programmes. In addition, 43 Egyptian experts from the Social Development Fund have travelled to Bosnia in order to lend Egyptian expertise towards solving the problem of unemployment in Bosnia. Three bilateral agreements for technical, commercial and scientific cooperation have been signed between Egypt and Bosnia. The Egyptian Embassy has also been working to create a direct link between businessmen from the two countries. Abu Taleb conceded that Egyptian businessmen still have qualms about entering the Bosnian market, due to the lack of bank guarantees and the inability of the banking system to secure Egyptian capital investments. The situation, he said, reflects the country's continued instability. Nevertheless, recent European support for the Bosnian Central Bank offers a hopeful sign that the situation might improve. "The Bosnian market is capable of absorbing all kinds of Egyptian products. Bosnians would welcome Egyptian products because they are cheaper and because the Bosnian people are fond of everything Egyptian." Since the beginning of the war, Egypt has given Bosnia direct aid through Egyptian relief organisations. They established a number of projects, 70 per cent of which were productive ventures such as poultry farms, computer assembly projects and handicraft workshops. They also contributed to the repair of schools and hospitals. One of the most important projects involved the repair and re-equipping of the emergency hospital with the assistance of the Egyptian Red Crescent Organisation. In addition, Egypt has helped to rebuild 15 homes and to construct two bakeries to meet the severe bread shortage and has furnished transportation vehicles, blood transport vehicles and ambulances. The Egyptian private sector has also given Bosnia $1.5 million worth of medicines over the past two years. Mohamed Tantawi, an Egyptian residing in Germany, made a $350,000 gift to Bosnia for the construction of a mosque, hospital and orphanage. Abu Taleb told the Weekly that the people of Bosnia are eagerly awaiting the opening of the Suzanne Mubarak Village, a $2.5 million project intended to alleviate the suffering of Bosnian orphans. The balance of trade between Egypt and Bosnia is tilted in favour of the latter at $500,000 versus $5 million respectively. Abu Taleb explained that the imbalance is due to the fact that Bosnia is one of the world's major suppliers of wood, which Egypt imports. Abu Taleb said: "It was not a civil war like that which took place in Lebanon, but a war between ethnic groups which continue to harbour painful memories and a great deal of rancour. The peace that is currently in place is imposed by the intensive presence of the international armed forces. If these forces leave or are significantly reduced in numbers, inter-ethnic disputes will resurface, fueled by the conflicting interests." Abu Taleb stressed that it is impossible for a country of 3.2 million -- amongst whom there are one million homeless refugees -- to find stability. The Dayton Agreement divided the country into three ethnic regions that are still in conflict with one another. The agreement produced a presidential council in which the three presidents -- representing Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia -- are to alternate every eight months. There are two prime ministers, a Serb and a Bosnian, who alternate every other week and serving each is a specific quota of representatives from the other ethnic groups. The quota system similarly applies to parliament, the various ministries and the governorates. The state is divided into two -- one is Serbian-dominated and occupies 49 per cent of Bosnia's area and the other is run by Muslims and Croats who occupy 51 per cent of the land. "How will a government thus constituted be able to secure its vital interests and relations?" Abu Taleb asked. "As an ambassador, I find myself forced to ratify an agreement with the Serbian prime minister of this week and then I have to re-ratify it with the Bosnian prime minister of the following week." The country's stability also continues to be threatened by the fact that the war has destroyed 95 per cent of Bosnian factories, 60 per cent of homes and 100 per cent of the infrastructure. Water is available only four hours per day and electricity is at best irregular.
