THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SESSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA IN SANSKI MOST IN 1995

Abstract

Almost during the whole period of the Bosnian Defensive-Patriotic War (1992-1995) in the  Republic of Srpska and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there were significant, though largely hidden, disagreements between the two most influential figures of the Republic of Srpska – the President, Dr Radovan Karadzic and the General Ratko Mladic, the Commander of the Army of the Republic of Srpska (ARS), as well as bettween their respective political and military factions. One of the most significant moments in the conflict between the two leaderships was the anniversary-50^th session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, held in Sanski Most on April 15^th and 16^th, 1995. The session was marked by vigorous debates on abuses, war profiteering, potential maps, the relationship between the Republic of Srpska and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, military reorganization, the political involvement of officers, and other sensitive topics. Karadzic and other members of the Serbian Democratic Party sought to give an ideological dimension to their conflict with the officers of the ARS by alluding to the 'red generals,' which added a particular layer to both the event and their overall dispute. This paper, based on the unpublished material from the archives of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, published transcripts of the sessions of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska, contemporary press articles, rich memoir literature, and rare historiographical sources, provides an overview of the relationship between Karadzić and Mladic. It also focuses on the events at the session in Sanski Most, examining the escalation of the conflict between the leaderships and the subsequent developments.