Agreement on Inter-Ethnic Tolerance
The “Agreement on Inter-Ethnic Tolerance Tuzla–Osijek–Novi Sad” was presented at the third session of the Igman Initiative, in Sarajevo, May 2001.
The expert group (please see Annex 3 for detailed information about members of all five expert groups) conducted the main research project on the state of inter-ethnic relations in the three cities. On the basis of this research, an agreement was drafted obliging the local governments of the three cities, as well as three NGOs (Center for Regionalism, Citizens’ Forum from Tuzla and the Center for Peace, Non-Violence and Human Rights from Osijek), to sign the agreement and to foster cooperation between the three cities in the fields of economy, education, exchange of information, sport etc., contributing to the improvement of inter-ethnic relations. Much had been done to link relevant factors in the afore-mentioned fields and to organize joint activities, one of which was the attention-grabbing marathon that made its initial debut on October 1-2, 2003 on the route Novi Sad–Osijek–Tuzla.
This agreement, which was signed in Tuzla on January 21, 2002, also represents a nucleus of a new regional integration, which would cover North-Eastern Bosnia, Eastern Slavonia and Vojvodina.
Agreement on Interethnic Tolerance
Cooperation Triangle Dubrovnik–Herceg Novi–Trebinje
Participants of the fourth session of the Igman Initiative in Dubrovnik agreed to establish cooperation in the triangle Dubrovnik–Trebinje–Herceg Novi, in the fields of water supply, fire fighting and ecology. With the Igman Initiative acting as a mediator at this session, representatives of the groups concerned with the listed fields met for the first time and agreed on their future cooperation. Special attention was given to the problem of supplying Herceg Novi (Montenegro) with water coming from Trebinje (Bosnia-Herzegovina), through Konavlje (Croatia). This is, therefore, a true regional problem. On the basis of the available information, it was concluded that so far the negotiations between representatives of Herceg Novi and Konavlje had resulted in partial solution were bringing into uncertainty further water supply in Herceg Novi. As the two municipalities kept a firm hold on their attitudes, which were not contributing to a final solution, the Igman Initiative, together with the OSCE office in Podgorica, hired a Swiss expert, Dr Werner Hirsbrunner, to analyze the technical, legal and financial side of the problem and to present his proposals for achieving suitable solutions.
In a region fragmented by the military force of the last decade, the “Interethnic Tolerance Agreement Tuzla-Osijek-Novi Sad” re-established cooperation between the three cities. About ten new triangles of cooperation in the region of Southeastern Europe were made on the basis of this model.