Especially impressing was the ethical side of Izetbegović’s personality. In insensitive world his spirituality and philanthropy were without a match. The world recognized him as an honorable leader, who could find and keep, in the mud of the world’s politics, virtue of humanity.

That was truthful and clear. He didn’t like self-deceit, because as he honestly noted: “nice words do not help, and bitter words can be sanative.”
Qur’an was his inspiration and stimulation, he found all the answers and instructions there, so he bespoke to Muslim people to education and study according to the orders of the Honorable Book:
“Compete in good...“

He said at the 2nd Assembly of Serbs that “the aim of legal government of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a democratic Bosnia and Herzegovina, or what we like to say it, state in which no one will be persecuted for its religion, nation or political conviction. I believe that is the essence of civilization,” Izetbegović noted.

President Alija Izetbegović was born in 1925 in Bosanski Šamac, and he grew up in Sarajevo. He finished First Gymnasium for Boys in 1943.
From his earliest youth Izetbegović sought freedom. During the Second World war was persecuted by Ustashas (Croatian fascist formation) because he refused fascistic ideology and he was an opponent to communists. He joined “Young Muslims”, high school and student organization which fought for maintenance of integrity of Muslims.

Clinton’s administration never supported Vance - Owen’s plan due to the fact that it came at the time when the new administration took over the government in 1992 and at the beginning of 1993, as due to the fact that Washington recognized that the new plan rewards Serbian conquests and ethnic cleansing considering that, according to that plan Serbs gained the areas from which they previously expelled Bosniaks and Croats. Americans considered this plan completely impossible to implement.

Its capital city was Mostar, which was then a war zone, and the effective control center was in Grude. In March 1994, the Washington Agreement was signed that ended the conflict between Croats and Bosniaks. Under the agreement, Herzeg-Bosnia was to be joined into the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it continued to exist until it was formally abolished in 1996.

Members of Yugoslavian army were recruited to the Serbian army, and they only changed the markings on their hats. A great number of civilians were imprisoned in Serb concentration camps, and many of them never lived to see the freedom. It is estimated that by the end of 1992, i.e. during the first year of war, more than 100 thousand people were killed.

In the referendum held on February 29 and March 1, 62 percent of Bosniaks and Croats decided they wanted independent and sovereign Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Serbs boycotted referendum and in one of the municipalities where they were in rule they forcefully stopped it^[3].

Izetbegović told me later that he was emotionally tied to Yugoslavia, and as a Muslim he felt that it break down was not good for us. Muslim mostly lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but there were some in Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Croatia and Slovenia. He estimated that by breakdown of Yugoslavian community, Muslim community would be parceled and divided in small pieces.

Bosnia and Herzegovina encompasses a central part of former Yugoslavia. In many ways it was the most Yugoslavian republic. In all former republics, one party system was ruling and so it was in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The country was lead by League of Communists which had a leading role in all spheres of society. Yugoslavian Communist regime was Marksist - Leninist in it nature, founded on the principles of party discipline.