Croatian President apologizes for his country’s policy toward Bosnia in the 1990s

Croatian President apologizes to Bosnia

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — Croatia’s president has apologized for his country’s involvement in the destruction of Bosnia in the 1990s and says Croatia now views a stable and prosperous Bosnia as in its national interest.

The statement by Ivo Josipovic to the Bosnian Parliament Wednesday is the clearest message of peace and reconciliation to date from a leader of the region.

As Yugoslavia was falling apart in the 1990s, the leaders of its republics of Serbia and Croatia planned to carve up Bosnia — positioned between them — and annex half each. This contributed to the most brutal war on European soil since World War II that took 100,000 Bosnian lives.

Josipovic is on his first visit to Bosnia since he was elected president.