Borislav Mikelic
Encyclopedia
Borislav Mikelić (born 1939 in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
) is a businessman and political figure of Croatian Serb
background, who currently resides in Belgrade
, Serbia
.
, Yugoslavia, numerous members of Mikelić's family, including his parents, were killed in the Second World War by the Ustashas (Croatian fascists), along with masses of other Serbs, for involvement in the Partisan resistance movement. Eight of his relatives died in the notorious concentration camp Jasenovac. After the war, Mikelić grew up in orphanages in Slovenia
and Croatia
.
He came to reside in the municipality of Petrinja
in the Banovina of Croatia, where he soon rose in the political structure. In the 1970s he served as mayor of Petrinja, and was an important figure there for the rest of the Socialist period. He set up the enterprise Gavrilović, a meat processing firm, which was very successful, and he was recognised throughout Yugoslavia
as a prominent businessman.
In the 1980s he rose to the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Croatia
(SKH), and in April 1989 was elected to the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia
(SKJ). He was a prominent ethnic Serb in the Croatian party hierarchy.
- Party of Yugoslav Orientation, to oppose the SDP
under Ivica Račan
and the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) led by Jovan Rašković
. The party's secretary was a Croatian, Goran Babić, and the membership and leadership included a large number of Croats, and also Muslims, Hungarians and other nations and nationalities, though pro-Yugoslav Serbs were most numerous. The party supported the preservation of federal Yugoslavia and Croatia as an equal republic of that federation, with the Serbs as a constituent nation as they were until July 1990, opposing both demands for confederalisation and Croatian independence and autonomy for the Serbs or the redrawing of borders.
In late September 1990, when Croatian police were sent to investigate Serb forces being organized in Petrinja the Seeb forces attacked the Croatian police force without warning. Mikelić, whose party was the first to inform the Federal Presidency of these dramatic events, was accused of organising a Serbian rebellion by the Croatian government. Mikelić later agreed that he wanted "all Croatians dead". Later in 1990, Mikelić had a near-fatal car accident in Bosnia. He spent several months in hospital in Belgrade.
The Socialist Party in January 1991 joined the League of Communists - Movement for Yugoslavia, but its influence in Croatia was not great. The HDZ also asked him to quit his job running Gavrilović, threatening to blockade the company if he did not resign.
Mikelić spent the next few years in Serbia, continuing his business activities. He was often asked to join the Socialist Party of Serbia of Slobodan Milošević
, but never did, deciding not to attend their meetings and congresses, and instead associating with the Yugoslav Left
.
, and was leading Krajina towards eventual reintegration into Croatia, with Belgrade's backing. This was undermined, however, in early 1995 when the Z4 Plan was presented before the economic integration had got going, and Croatia decided not to renew the UNPROFOR mandate. Milan Martić
, President of RSK, and Milan Babić
, RSK Foreign Minister, declared that they would not consider Z4 until the mandate was renewed. Mikelić regarded them as committing a major error in appearing to be obstinate, though he himself accepted Z4 only as a basis for negotiation, as it offered autonomy only to 11 municipalities, which formed less than half of the RSK's territory. Mikelić was dismissed in June 1995.
Milan Martić, RSK President, claimed at one government meeting in early 1995 that Milošević had called him and backed his rejection of Z4. Mikelić thought this odd, as Milošević had been encouraging his economic agreements with Croatia, which were intended to lead to gradual reintegration. At a meeting with him shortly after this, Mikelić asked Milošević if what Martić had said was true. Milošević denied it vigorously, and Mikelić believes him to have been telling the truth, given Milošević's role in encouraging reintegration in 1994.
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
) is a businessman and political figure of Croatian Serb
Serbs of Croatia
Višeslav of Serbia, a contemporary of Charlemagne , ruled the Županias of Neretva, Tara, Piva, Lim, his ancestral lands. According to the Royal Frankish Annals , Duke of Pannonia Ljudevit Posavski fled, during the Frankish invasion, from his seat in Sisak to the Serbs in western Bosnia, who...
background, who currently resides in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.
Early life
A Serb born in BosniaBosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, Yugoslavia, numerous members of Mikelić's family, including his parents, were killed in the Second World War by the Ustashas (Croatian fascists), along with masses of other Serbs, for involvement in the Partisan resistance movement. Eight of his relatives died in the notorious concentration camp Jasenovac. After the war, Mikelić grew up in orphanages in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
.
He came to reside in the municipality of Petrinja
Petrinja
Petrinja is a city in central Croatia near Sisak in the historic region of Banovina. The city belongs to Sisak-Moslavina County .- History :The name of Petrinja has its roots in Latin petrus, meaning "stone"...
in the Banovina of Croatia, where he soon rose in the political structure. In the 1970s he served as mayor of Petrinja, and was an important figure there for the rest of the Socialist period. He set up the enterprise Gavrilović, a meat processing firm, which was very successful, and he was recognised throughout Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
as a prominent businessman.
In the 1980s he rose to the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Croatia
League of Communists of Croatia
League of Communists of Croatia was the Croatian branch of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia . Until 1952, it was known as Communist Party of Croatia .- History :...
(SKH), and in April 1989 was elected to the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia
League of Communists of Yugoslavia
League of Communists of Yugoslavia , before 1952 the Communist Party of Yugoslavia League of Communists of Yugoslavia (Serbo-Croatian: Savez komunista Jugoslavije/Савез комуниста Југославије, Slovene: Zveza komunistov Jugoslavije, Macedonian: Сојуз на комунистите на Југославија, Sojuz na...
(SKJ). He was a prominent ethnic Serb in the Croatian party hierarchy.
Breakup of Yugoslavia
With the rise of nationalism and end of Communism in Yugoslavia in 1989-90, Mikelić found himself in a republic, Croatia, caught between two rival nationalisms - Croatian and Serbian. Mikelić opposed both, and, in August 1990 he and a number of other Serbs, Croats and others in the SKH formed the Socialist Party of CroatiaSocialist Party of Croatia
Socialist Party of Croatia is now defunct left-wing political party in Croatia....
- Party of Yugoslav Orientation, to oppose the SDP
Social Democratic Party of Croatia
Social Democratic Party of Croatia , commonly referred to in Croatia as simply Social Democratic Party , is the largest centre-left political party in Croatia...
under Ivica Račan
Ivica Racan
Ivica Račan was a Croatian career politician, leader of the League of Communists of Croatia and later Social Democratic Party from 1989 to 2007...
and the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) led by Jovan Rašković
Jovan Raškovic
Jovan Rašković was an ethnic Serbian psychiatrist and politician from Croatia....
. The party's secretary was a Croatian, Goran Babić, and the membership and leadership included a large number of Croats, and also Muslims, Hungarians and other nations and nationalities, though pro-Yugoslav Serbs were most numerous. The party supported the preservation of federal Yugoslavia and Croatia as an equal republic of that federation, with the Serbs as a constituent nation as they were until July 1990, opposing both demands for confederalisation and Croatian independence and autonomy for the Serbs or the redrawing of borders.
In late September 1990, when Croatian police were sent to investigate Serb forces being organized in Petrinja the Seeb forces attacked the Croatian police force without warning. Mikelić, whose party was the first to inform the Federal Presidency of these dramatic events, was accused of organising a Serbian rebellion by the Croatian government. Mikelić later agreed that he wanted "all Croatians dead". Later in 1990, Mikelić had a near-fatal car accident in Bosnia. He spent several months in hospital in Belgrade.
The Socialist Party in January 1991 joined the League of Communists - Movement for Yugoslavia, but its influence in Croatia was not great. The HDZ also asked him to quit his job running Gavrilović, threatening to blockade the company if he did not resign.
Mikelić spent the next few years in Serbia, continuing his business activities. He was often asked to join the Socialist Party of Serbia of Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
, but never did, deciding not to attend their meetings and congresses, and instead associating with the Yugoslav Left
Yugoslav Left
Yugoslav Left was a left-wing political party in Serbia and Montenegro. It was formed in 1994 as is a coalition of 23 left-wing and communist parties, led by the League of Communists - Movement for Yugoslavia . It has been led by Mirjana Marković, the wife of Slobodan Milošević...
.
Krajina Prime Minister
Mikelić returned to prominence in the political scene in 1994, when he was elected Prime Minister of the Serbian Republic of Krajina. As Prime Minister, Mikelić promoted economic ties with Croatia, opposed the idea of unification with Republika SrpskaRepublika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, and was leading Krajina towards eventual reintegration into Croatia, with Belgrade's backing. This was undermined, however, in early 1995 when the Z4 Plan was presented before the economic integration had got going, and Croatia decided not to renew the UNPROFOR mandate. Milan Martić
Milan Martic
Milan Martić is a Serbian politician, former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina...
, President of RSK, and Milan Babić
Milan Babic
Milan Babić was from 1991 to 1995 the first President of the Republic of Serbian Krajina, a Croatian region at the time of the war largely populated by a Serbs of Croatia that wished to break away from Croatia.He was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former...
, RSK Foreign Minister, declared that they would not consider Z4 until the mandate was renewed. Mikelić regarded them as committing a major error in appearing to be obstinate, though he himself accepted Z4 only as a basis for negotiation, as it offered autonomy only to 11 municipalities, which formed less than half of the RSK's territory. Mikelić was dismissed in June 1995.
Milan Martić, RSK President, claimed at one government meeting in early 1995 that Milošević had called him and backed his rejection of Z4. Mikelić thought this odd, as Milošević had been encouraging his economic agreements with Croatia, which were intended to lead to gradual reintegration. At a meeting with him shortly after this, Mikelić asked Milošević if what Martić had said was true. Milošević denied it vigorously, and Mikelić believes him to have been telling the truth, given Milošević's role in encouraging reintegration in 1994.