Statement from the BHAAAS Board of Directors

Dear Academy Members, As some of you are aware, a private, open letter to Mr. Zlatko Lagumdzija, the head of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) of Bosnia-Herzegovina, signed by several of our members, was published in "Oslobodjenje" yesterday, 11/04/2012: http://www.oslobodjenje.ba/vijesti/bih/bh-intelektualci-u-sadu-traze-ostavku-lagumdzije Oslobodjenje incorrectly associated this letter with the BHAAAS, which prompted concerns from BHAAAS members and members of the BHAAAS Board of Directors. A copy of the open letter is attached. Our response follows. Statement from the BHAAAS Board of Directors The Bosnian-Herzegovinian American Academy of Arts and Sciences (BHAAAS) is a democratic, nonprofit, nonpolitical, multi-ethnic organization whose mission is the development of collaborative academic, scientific, and artistic expression among the Bosnian diaspora living in the US and Canada. The Academy aims to provide connections between Bosnian-Herzegovinian academics, artists, and professionals in North America and to build bridges of cooperation with the homeland. The publication of the open letter to Mr. Lagumdzija was an independent initiative and statement by individual members of BHAAAS, and was not intended to speak on behalf of the Academy nor to reflect the views of the members of the Academy as a whole. As members of open, democratic societies, we respect the rights of our members to express their personal views. However, great care must be taken to differentiate those views from official positions of the BHAAAS, which is our purpose in communicating this issue fully to our membership and other interested parties To further clarify the issues involved, this response from the BHAAAS Board of Directors will be sent to the media in BiH and to institutions with which we have close relations. We will also post these documents on our website. Attached, we also share a letter from Dr. Mirsad Hadzikadic, one of the signatories to the open letter, explaining the incorrect attribution of the letter to the Academy and efforts made to correct the record on this matter. We invite any questions or comments you may have regarding this issue. Sincerely, Board of Directors, BHAAAS Andi Arnautovic, MD Gordan Srkalovic, MD, PhD Esad Boskailo, MD Azra Terzich, EdD Patrick McCarthy, MSc Igor Lemajic, MBA Djenita Pasic, Esq., JD Adnan Atic, MSc Dusica Babovic-Vuksanovic, MD, MSc Amila Buturovic, PhD Emir Festic, MD, FCCP Sulejman Dizdarevic, JD Dino Kujundzic, JD Mirzada Kurbasic, MD, MSc, FAAP Namik Haveric, MD Nirvana Pistoljevic, PhD The official denial, response from the Board was sent to the media in BiH, institutions that we have close relations with, and will be posted on our website. ATTACHMENTS:

• Letter to Academy members from Dr. Mirsad Hadzikadic
• Open letter to Lagumdzija