EX-ISLAMIST FIGHER SAYS HE WILL COLLECT A MILLION SIGNATURES TO STAY IN BOSNIA
BBC Monitoring International Reports - May 5, 2006 Friday

Excerpt from report by Bosnian Open Broadcast Network (obn) TV on 4 May

The guest on the programme, hosted by Mato Djakovic, is Imad Al Husin, aka Abu Hamza (Bosnian citizen of Syrian origin), former leader of a mojahedin community and former Islamist fighter in Bosnia-Hercegovina. He speaks about his arrival to Bosnia-Hercegovina during the war with the purpose of defending the country, the role and status of the mojahedin unit, which had been made part of the Bosnian army and which gathered several hundred soldiers of Afro-Asian origin, and their consequent acquisition of Bosnian citizenship.

[Host Mato Djakovic] Members of the [mojahedin] unit eventually acquired citizenship [of Bosnia-Hercegovina]. Who granted you and your brothers from the unit, as you say, the citizenship?

[Abu Hamza] The law that was then in force. The law allowed members of the army or those who paid 1,000 [US] dollars or 1,500 marks to get citizenship. Since most of us were members of the army, we submitted the list and were granted citizenship. Such was the law in force at the time and based on that law we obtained citizenship.

[Host] But now, on the basis of another law, they are taking away your citizenship?

[Abu Hamza] Yes, retroactively. That is absurd. Where is the democracy in that? [Passage omitted, Abu Hamza lists other ethnic groups, such as Croatian Serbs, Ukrainians, who had also obtained Bosnian citizenships.] I did not steal, but acquired citizenship in a legal manner, and no one can take it away from me retroactively. [Passage omitted, Abu Hamza refuses to say who had granted him citizenship] We have been deceived as regards citizenship.

[Host] You know that America is exerting pressure to have your [Bosnian] citizenship revoked?

[Abu Hamza] They say in their latest report that the law is already in place and that people will have their citizenship revoked. They are already saying what will happen to us. Mind you, America allowed [Slobodan] Milosevic [former Yugoslav president] to start the war in the Balkans. [Passage omitted] America provided for the agreement between [US envoy Richard] Holbrooke and the war criminal [Radovan] Karadzic. America cut short the further liberation of Bosnia-Hercegovina. We rejected their request to go to Kosovo. This is the first time I am saying this.

[Host] Who asked you to go to Kosovo?

[Abu Hamza] The meeting was held in Zenica. There was a cultural attach\e from the Turkish embassy. He said he could guarantee our transfer to Kosovo - as there would be a war there between Serbs and Albanians - by plane to Kosovo. Who could have guaranteed that at that time, if not the Americans? That was a clear message to us that the Americans wanted to use us for their purposes, as their extended hand. We resolutely rejected this. [Passage omitted]

[Host] [Passage omitted] How will you fight for this citizenship?

[Abu Hamza] By legal means, certainly. [Passage omitted] We have already started collecting a million signatures for the citizenship case. We started in Zavidovici, in Maglaj, we will start in Sarajevo and all other places. Why do you think [Zlatko] Lagumdzija [Social Democratic leader] lost the elections [in 2002]? Because of the Algerian Group [Lagumdzija's government extradited six Bosnian citizens of Algerian background to US authorities on suspicion of terrorism]. The people are with us. [Passage omitted]

[Host] Abu Hamza, you said you would collect a million signatures. That means that you could become president of Bosnia-Hercegovina in four years' time.

[Abu Hamza] No, I would not. Politics spoils a man's honour. [Passage omitted]

Source: obn TV, Sarajevo, in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian 1830 gmt 4 May 06

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