Letter: Allegations of Muslim 'self-slaughter' in Bosnia

Sir: It seems to be a favoured practice of Western leaders and officials to accuse their enemies of perpetrating the crimes of which those enemies are themselves the victims. During the Gulf war it was claimed the Iraqis had herded civilians into a military bunker for propaganda purposes. Then, in November 1991, credence was given to Serbian suggestions that the Croats had attacked their own presidential palace; and later that the Croats had themselves destroyed Vukovar. Now the Muslims are accused of slaughtering their own people (report, 22

August).

There is no evidence for this claim and it flies in the face of logic. If, as the reports stress, only a tiny minority of attacks on Muslims were carried out by their own people, then why should Muslim forces have added to the picture? Everybody knows their plight, and who in a small army made up of people fighting for their lives could be found to commit such crimes against their own friends and relatives?

These reports are part of consistent British, French and American efforts to portray the Muslim/ Bosnian side as being morally indistinguishable from the Serbs, only lacking the strength to commit equal atrocities, and not the forces of a democratically elected government fighting for survival. This justifies the Western leaders in leaving the Muslims to their fate.

Yours faithfully,

ATTILA HOARE

Cambridge

22 August