** Topic: Zagreb Diary **
Response  39  of  67
** Written  4:37 PM  May 31, 1992 by wamkat in gn:yugo.antiwar **
Subject: Zagreb Diary

Zagreb Diary
31-05-1992

Dear Friends,

Some people will have noticed it, I skip a whole day last night, due to some mistake with some scripts I have been writing in my programs. By the way if somebody likes to offer us some software we are open for it. Since more things happened today then I have described a second part of the Diary today. 

First of all I would like to find out if anybody in France is reading this diary, we have a good contact in Paris, but she has no fax or E-mail connection, so it is very hard to send her information. If there is somebody which could help us there, here name is Maja Dolibic and here telephone number in Paris 47275604 (address 28, Avenue D'Eylau, 75116 Paris). If somebody in Paris or France like to send us something pleace send it before 12 June to her, since Nina from Ark will be there to arrange some things and have some speeches. 

Other places you can send information or other things to are the UNSAID festival, Eschholzstr. 86, D-7800 Freiburg, Germany (att: To ARK ZAGREB) were a lot of people from (5 or even 6) will go to. This festival (5-13 June) is anyway interesting to go to if you are in the neighbourhood. The program stand as a house as we say in the Netherlands.

I just had Christine from Cologne on the telephone, Vesna J. house were I stay is often more ARK office than our regular office, lot's of people find the way here and phone me immediately here. Anyway she just had some phonecalls with Eric Bachman (e.bachman@bionic.zer.de) and it seems that he is going to Beograd for a few months to build up the contacts on that side. So for people who like to get in contact with Beograd please do it over Eric.

More interesting is the talk I had with Christine about the feelings and positions within the German and other western peace movements about military interventions. It seems that there is a split in opinions straight through the movement. But the people against military interventions are not so strong against as during the Gulf war. Most people especially those who are following the situation here closely and know a bit more what is happening, even when they in generally are against military interventions, can except it in this situation, but would not advocate it.

I have really an open question why f.i. in the Gulf War there was so many resistance against Military Intervention and not now. Were the crimes committed by Iraq less worst than the crimes committed here by any of the forces, or are these countries just not that important to really make up your mind. Why is it less problematic when the world starts to make them self ready to kill some Serbs (cause that is what going to happen, seen the landscape and the front, lot's of civilians will also been hooked up in the fights (and they will not come in with their infantry, but let the job done by the airforces (and what that means we have seen in the Gulf War))) and why was it such a crime in the Gulf War to kill Iraq people (according the Peace movements activities in that period).

Please let nobody in the world be offended by this question it is a thought, I wonder were the differences are and if there is somebody out there who can explain me, what made the difference in thinking. I still feel strongly against military intervention, knowing that my standpoint is not popular here and hard to explain to the people in Sarajevo. The recordings of the communication between the different JNA officials broadcasted by BiH television made ones more clear already jamming them would makes the fights a lot less easy and it would make a good start (and that type of intervention I can agree upon). 

I still think that it is the task of the Peacemovement to look further into the future and realise what military intervention will mean for the future. As well as what we have to undertake to get these countries somehow back together again, since they have to live together in the future. Rather that then high technical discussion about who and under which conditions a military intervention should take place.

Believe me I feel strongly for everybody in Sarajevo and hope that the shelling is over soon, but on the other hand I also would give them the idea that help is coming fast, if  military intervention will take place we anyway will have to wait for some months. All that time the shelling probably will continue, even when all the Peace movements in the world call for fast interventions. So such a position would be of much help for them at this moment in time. keep your brains moving, there must be other ways to help them fast, before it is too late and nobody is alive anymore to see the big "liberation".  An other interesting point is the report from the BiH governmental press office I have put on the net today. In that report it stands clearly that there is a difference of thinking and acting between the Generals in Beograd and the field commanders in and around Sarajevo. An interview with the former Yugoslav ambassador at the UN yesterday evening also made clear that this difference exist. It looks that Beograd has to situation absolutely not under control anymore and that "fact" (I can't verify it) should be taken into account when discussion economical and military actions against Serbia. Especially at this moment when more and more official institutions in Beograd (like the Orthodox Church) start to openly take a distance from the fighting in BiH and condemn them even. An enormous international attack on Serbia could turn this whole situation up side down again. Rather than condemn the Serbs and call up fora strong International reaction we should support the opposition in Serbia and help them to become stronger. That opposition can make the difference in the future, especially when the shooting is over. 

From Christine I have heard that the American groups, or at least those she has been in contact with, think that somewhere during the summer, July or August, the decision will be taken. The elections are in November as far as I can remember so the time should be chosen according the best political profit Bush can get out of it. And he needs some good propaganda, so if it is too late for BiH it will probably take place somewhere else in the World, there are more options (f.i. Cuba).

It didn't surprised me, but still it is hard to except that the civilians in Sarajevo are becoming part of the election circus of the USA. It will be hard to tell to Ibrahim and Nada that they just have to wait until the campaign planners from Bush think the time is right and the effect for the re-election is huge enough to do it. 

The discussions in the Peace movement are mainly about how and how far sanctions and military intervention should go. Intervention in Sarajevo and Mostar seems to be more or less excepted by most of the movement. But she also thought that if Peace groups in former Yugoslavia are promoting such a move, they can have problems with western Peace organisations. She promised to ask a little more around to find out the opinions before she comes to Zagreb next week.

She also mentioned that in the German media there were articles that the Croatian Army is planning a big attack on the so-called occupied territories. When such an operation is planned than it is not visible here, not on the military movements, mobilisation or in the media. According to the German papers some General should have said that Croatian Army is now strong enough to do it them self and that they were not willing to wait any longer.

They only thing what is obvious is that more and more Croatian soldiers are fighting openly in BiH and that members of BiH army are trained here in Croatia. HTV shows every day reports of the fights of the HV (Hrvatska Vojska, Croatian Army) in BiH and as always they are winning.

On television they just showed the arrival of the Croatian marine on Vis. The population went wild, red-white-blue flags all over the place and a big party. Around 50 soldiers of Croatian army are now at Vis. An other nice picture was the balcony of the UNPROFOR monitors in Dubrovnik, they had to run from one side of the balcony to the other to monitor all the shelling and explosions. According to what I could understand the shelling is not done by JNA marine anymore, but mostly by Chetnik forces in the mountains.

With Love and Peace from Zagreb,

Wam:-)

P.s. It seems that in one of the streets in Amsterdam around the so-called "Berlage Beurs" a gravity is made saying: "BBB Utachi Zagreb" (BBB is Bad Blue Boys, the local fanclub in Zagreb from former Dynamo Zagreb), I asked Milieu Kontakt to tell it to Mi Za Mir and get it removed.

For those who haven't read this diary from the beginning, once more I am just a Dutch fool in Zagreb, I have no special links with any of the countries in the region and I don't even speak the languages. I am nobody special, not a trained mediator or anything. What I do everybody could have done and still can do. It was just taking up my gear, getting some money collected to come here and pay my bills and of I went. I only wanted to come for a month and that's doubled now, and I think it will take some time before I will leave the countries, there is work enough for years.

If you like to help me please take up contact with e.bachman@bionic.zer.de or gtn@gn.apc.org they know what we need and how to get it here. Transferring money is next to impossible and all bankaccounts with foreign currencies are anyway blocked since a long time. Only special trade accounts can work with foreign money and we are obvious no trade organisation. An other possibility is bringing it here yourself, as said it is absolute safe in Zagreb.
** End of text from gn:yugo.antiwar **