Vladimir Šoljić (born 19 October 1943) is a Bosnian Croat politician who served as the second

President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Serbo-Croatian: ''Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine'' / ''Федерација Босне и Херцеговине'') is one of the two Politi ...

in 1997.

Biography

Šoljić was born on 19 October 1943. He worked at the

SOKO Soko ( sh-Cyrl, Соко) was a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav aircraft manufacturer based in Mostar, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina. The company was responsible for the production of ...

aircraft factory in

Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...

for many years. During the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

, Šoljić served a variety of ministerial positions within the

Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia The Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia () was an unrecognized geopolitical entity and quasi-state in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was proclaimed on 18 November 1991 under the name Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bos ...

, including minister of energy industry and mining as well as minister of defense. During his time as Minister of Defence, he was approached by Zoran Mandlbaum, head of the Jewish community in Mostar. Šoljić's forces provided a brief ceasefire so a diesel tanker could provide East Mostar Hospital with fuel for their generator. After the war, he was chosen by the Federal ParliamentKaratnycky, Adrian; Motyl Alexander J.; Graybow, Charles. Nations in transit, 1998: civil society, democracy, and markets in East Central Europe and the newly independent states. Freedom House. 1999. Str 126. to serve as

. Šoljić served from 18 March to 29 December 1997. He and his deputy,

Bosniak The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

Ejup Ganić, had little influence in policymaking, and were under pressure from the international community, the

High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina The High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was created in 1995 immediately after the signing of the Dayton Agreement which ended the 1992 to 1995 Bos ...

and the Bosniak and Croat members of the National Presidency. He was Vice-President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina from December 1997 to January 1999. On 24 May 1997, Šoljić became a founding member of the Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia. This organization aimed not to create a new Croat entity, but to connect Croats across the country and determine strategic directions for national, cultural, and economic development. He served as president until 17 April 2010, when he became an emeritus member of the organization's general council.

References

1943 births Living people Politicians from Mostar Presidents of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Vice presidents of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Politicians of the Croatian Republic of Herceg-Bosna Politicians of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians Members of the House of Peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina {{BosniaHerzegovina-politician-stub