SARAJEVO, January 9, 1996—Haris Silajdzic, who quit last month as Bosnia's prime minister, said Thursday he will form a new party that could become a major advocate of multiethnic politics in this fractured nation.
Silajdzic, 51, stepped down two weeks ago in a disagreement over the structure of the future government. At a news conference, he stressed "reintegration and democratization" of Bosnia. Silajdzic cited serious problems remaining in Bosnia, starting with tensions in Mostar, where Bosnian Croats on Wednesday attacked the European Union administrator for his latest plan to reunify the divided city.
Silajdzic started his political career in 1992 as foreign minister and became prime minister in 1993. His father was a imam at the main Sarajevo mosque, slowly distanced himself from the positions of President Alija Izetbegovic, whose Party of Democratic Action supports democracy but has strong Muslim nationalist tendencies.
For the last several months, Silajdzic, who enjoys support of Western governments as well as local intellectuals, was flirting with opposition parties in Bosnia. It is believed that Silajdzic will organize a coalition of the opposition parties in Bosnia to fight against the Muslim, Serb and Croat nationalist parties in elections scheduled for later this year.
Silajdzic said he will do everything possible to reunite Mostar. Division of the city could deal a serious blow to the Muslim-Croat federation that is to govern 51 percent of Bosnia.
Silajdzic refused to give details about the party's name or platform and didn't say whether he intends to run in the first post-war elections, scheduled to take place in the next six to eight months.