Topic: Zagreb Diary 
** Written 10:44 PM  Jul 21, 1992 by wam@zamir-zg.comlink.apc.org in gn:yugo.antiwar 
Zagreb Diary
20-07-1992

Dobar Dan,

Maybe some of my readers, if they are reading it for a longer time, can remember Simra, a 22 year old girl in her shelter in Sarajevo (faxing the mail from SDA (Islamic party of BiH)). One month long she send me the most horrible stories, until the telephone line broke and was never repaired. Yesterday evening Eden told me that he talk with Simra on the phone, great she was still alive, it was an emotional relief.

Today however I met Simra, yes, believe it or not, but when I arrived with Eric from Amsterdam at the Center, there was Simra sitting, together with Eden. She came out of Sarajevo during the last two days. She lives normally in Melbourne and has a Australian pass, with her brothers she made the try to get out of Sarajevo and she got all the way to Zagreb.

The reason to get out of Sarajevo is great and unbelievable. She made the gamble, after UNPROFOR refused her to take her on one of their flights out. The reason is that she want to be back in Melbourne before the end of the Semester, otherwise she would loose a year of her study. I mean she has another reason to get too late to the University than people in my country, bridge was open, traffic light was red, bike was stolen, no city was under cease.

And there she sit, just the other evening Eden and I talk about her and than she is there. One piece of ultimate quietness, but a volcano inside. On her way to Melbourne to finish her semester and than go back to what is left over of Sarajevo.

Simra was for me for 3 1/2 month a symbol for Sarajevo. I was worried about her, since the moment that the telephoneline broke, and the last two months were without news. Until the moment that Eden told me that she was still alive I was sure that I never would see her in my life time. And than you are sitting in the sun in Zagreb, on one of the most decadent places and you hear her talking how she went out. What happened on the road blocks, that she was lucky to get into Croatia now the Croatian government has close the borders for refugees (and mostly only people with Croatians nationality come through)., how stupid she thought UNPROFOR was, since they refused not only her, but also a lot of other civilians to fly with them to Zagreb.

She told about the life under cease, the work with the SDA persagency and the president, it sounded like a huge family, And a horror story at the same time. Building on fire new to here shelter, firebrigade which couldn't work since they were under snipper fire. Media wars, moving frontlines, dead bodies in the street. She talks about if it like going to the supermarket and buy a bread. But here hands are trembling. 

About UNPROFOR cars, which are shout at "CHETNIK TAXI !!!", The visit from Mitterand, where they have given him 3 times  the same tape, since they thought the other would forget it. Poor Mitterand, if he has seen the tapes, he has seen 3 time the same horrible picture. The story about Goradze, where the situation is even worst than in Sarajevo, since the town is full with refugees. And about all the regions where press and internationals are not permitted. According to Simra the deadrate should now be over 100.000 people and at least 200.000 are still in camps (KZ).

Simra, just a young women, she have seen the horrors of war and has been reporting about for 3 1/2 months, I hope somebody in Australia reads this and remember to say hello to hear when she is back in Melbourne. I would tell her total story, not only because of the fact that it is her story, but also because you also wouldn't understand, her story comes right from the battlefields, mine comes from beyond the frontline. What is normal to me, is horror for you, what is horror for me is .... and what is horror for Simra is...but it is happening every day ..... just a few hundred kilometre and less from here.

Not only the workcampers arrived today and yesterday, great, even when I am not 100% sure where to pay it all from, please do something out there. Take up some action, collect whole-food for the refugees camps, do something, let Croatia open the borders again. But above all do not if they aren't there, the war and the refugees. We are doing such marginal work and it was so difficult to put it together. But it started today and they all came, it is a wonder, very time that somethings come together.

But also lot's of fact finding missions. Here in the middle of the web in Zagreb you notice how scattered the movement is, how hard it is for them to work abroad. We are so small, and what should we do, against whom should we demonstrated. The question would be more for whom should we demonstrated, or rather for whom should we work, for whom should we stand (Serbs, Croats, Muslims, Albaninam, Macedonians, Hungarians, Tjechs, Germans,), who is right and who is wrong.

Don't ask me, I see dead bodies, burning houses, destroyed villages, and hundred thousands of refugees, for whom should you choice, you know, Not for the Chetniks, not for the Utaschi, not for JNA, not for HVO, not for TO, not for HV, not for SDA, not for HOS, not for..... or ..? I choice for the wounded and scared people, against the violence. I am not waiting for the 1 million ground troops the NATO is willing to put in ones, to bulldozer over BiH. 

You out there on the nets, grassroot orientated people can make the difference in this war, you can show that we are able to do more than talking. Go around and collect, Use your fantasy, what can a war do to people, what could be the suffering, what to do with 500.000 children on the run. 

Later I was sitting on a nice terras this evening with people from Mi-Za-Mi from Amsterdam, Yugo-Fax from London and Yugo-Media from Berlin, at last we have got them all together in Zagreb. It is unbelievable but my dreams are coming true.  Slowly all the different support groups are showing up in Zagreb and links can be made. 

This start to become maybe the beginning of some cooperation in Europe of different groups around the continent. We will see and hope.

With Love from ZA-mir-GREB,

Wam:-)




 End of text from gn:yugo.antiwar **