Topic: Zagreb Diary 
Response  58  of  67
 Written 12:17 PM  Jun 25, 1992 by wamkat in gn:yugo.antiwar 
Subject: Zagreb Diary

Zagreb Diary
25-06-1992

Dobre Dan,

Being away from Email for a few days, since my computer had so technical problems means that I have a lot of post waiting for me when I log in, honestly I am always a little afraid of logging in, since most of the message are always that I have made spelling or interpretation mistakes. Or even that people interpretated my skeptical writing wrongly. And today that was the case again in my diary from the 19th of June I was in a really skeptical mood and ofcourse nearly 5 people attacked me on that one.

Let me make it clear, I was reacting as a total unknown western television follower describing her or his feelings about the war in Croatia. For many of us the war really started at the moment that the Croats surrounded the JNA barracks, ofcourse that is not true and even not close to the true. But you must see it through the eyes of somebody who follows the news, far away at a television screen 5 minutes a day. The reality is that by the time Croats surrounded the barracks the war was already going on in Eastern Slavonia and the first village already were occupied. Ofcourse I know that, but does the general public outside Croatia knew that on that time, I think not.

For the same reason it is true that these people asked themselves why JNA and Serbian irregulars started to fight against Croatia. You want to believe that they have a good reason, that they are not just fighting a power war. And maybe some of them (those who went to fight) convinced that Utashe existed at that moment and were openly killing Serbians, I don't know, but I know from newspapers from Serbian (from over one year and longer ago) that they were using the name Utashe already to describe Croats (even before Paraga came in the open and supporters of him started to use the name Utashe themselves).

So don't worry I didn't fall from my ivory tower, I didn't, after 3 months, lost my nerves, I only was skeptical and try to write naive for a time, without making it that clear. By the way somebody said also I should use names as Utashe and Chetniks, but it is a fact that HOS soldiers call themselves often Utashe and Arkan and Seselj groups often called themselves Chetniks (at least there are a lot of facts, even broadcasted on Beograd television) from Serbian irregulars marching into Vukovar singing Chetnik songs. So what to call them ? I think personally that Chetniks and Utashe are the write words, as long as it is clear that HOS and Arkan and Seselj groups were involved. On the 19th when I wrote that JNA soldier and Chetniks went to fight to protect Serbians in Croatian and BiH who were slaughtered by Utashe and Muslim fundamentalists I ofcourse did that in a skeptical way and used the obvious terms of the propaganda machineries.

Sorry that it took me 1 page to bring this back in order again, but I think this is necessary, it was obvious not clear were I stood and I don't like to be putted in a direction I don't believe in.  

This was an intermezzo, maybe I will write some more later today.

With Love from Za-mir-greb,

Wam:-)



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