Topic: Zagreb Diary 
** Written  1:03 AM  Jul 31, 1992 by wam@zamir-zg.comlink.apc.org in gn:yugo.antiwar **

Zagreb Diary
29-07-1992

Dobar Dan,

I thought about the fact that I am here now for over 120 days, that is nearly 1/3 of a year. especially for my sons that must be an odd period. I am so happy when I speak with the oldest one on telephone. But I haven't planned anything yet to go back. Sometimes I think is real cruel from me to leave those nice kids without a father for such a long time, but when I see the children in the camps, than I think they (my children have at least a father and they know where he is) most of the children here don't know if they still have a father and if he where he is, even his grave, for that matter.

The government forbid all political meetings on the main square, some parties tried to get around it by organising cultural manifestations, but it didn't work. The main square is free from party political propaganda, beside a few (6) huge billboards (4 from HDZ with a giant picture of Tudjman, with his wooden hand as we call it, and 1 from HSLS and HNS (Savka's Croatian People Party, the last two obvious didn't had the money to make such giant posters).

And of course the two round free publication pillars and which we have now Paraga, including his wife and two children, a nice family picture, Probably a reaction on the poster from Tudjman, looking like a proud grandfather with two nice children in his arms. I am not so happy that children are used for political propaganda, they haven't have a free choice, they are pushed to sit there.

Paraga's real face, however, is shown on one of the most artistic and expensive posters which I have seen so far, the poster looks a lot like a promotion poster for a new hard rock album. It is not from Paraga's party (HSP, Croatian Party for Rights) but of his private militicia the HOS troops "Ready for Home". It shows on the left side a soldier which is totally under aggressive tattoos,  and the right side a Rambo a-like-fighter inclusive machine gun and sunglasses in the nice Marlboro pose and in the middle the weapon of arms from HOS on a black uniform. This all in this dark colours so often used on Hard Rock covers.

Yes, you may think, he is back on his favourite topic, Paraga, HSP and HOS, no it is not my favourite topic, but again I came across it. A Dutch guy just back from a visit to Beograd said what many foreigners think and say; "Why no demonstration in Zagreb against Tudjman, look at Beograd they protested against Milosevic". I am not sure if it would be possible at all to organise demonstrations against Tudjman, in many ways this election campaign has been one giant campaign against him, all parties (beside HDZ) are campaigning against him. But that is a too easy answer. 

In principle I think it would be better to do any thing against Paraga and Seselj for that matter, than against Milosevic and Tudjman. This leaders of (Paraga and Seselj) Utashe and Chetniks are the real dangerous guys in my eyes (and with them a few dozen others). If they got the real political power in these countries than we are, as we say in the Netherlands, further away from home. Both have a large fascistic aerial around there heads and a private militia which is ready to fight and die for their dreams.

But also that may not be the answer. Another answer could be that Croatians don't see Tudjman as the guy which brought them in to a war, rather the guy which led them through it, defended the country against aggressors. Some would say he is co-responsible for the creation of the war, some would say he is not aggressive enough, too much pacifists even. But in all way Tudjman's position is seen different than Milosovic's position. That maybe true, that may be wrong. We can discuss it for months, fact is that we in Zagreb choice another way than mass demonstrations.

We are more busy with relief work, making ARKzin, inclusive criticism on the Croatian government if that is needed (and mostly it is), do work help CO's, protest against the sending back of BiH men who came to Croatia, etc. That is a decision about strategy. Maybe the time will come that ARK or the Center thinks that it is time for mass demonstrations, you never know.

This were a lot of words and still not a real answer. Or maybe you could read it between the lines. Now the computer connection works we hope that we have a more intensive discussion about joint strategy with Beograd. So maybe one of the things we will discuss will be this why in Beograd and not in Zagreb.

An angry thought runs through my head, should Peace activist in Sarajevo start actions now against Izetbegovic ? I am more and more in fever of against for something, rather than against something. Actions for establishing a dialogue between people, actions in order to build up, rather than destroy.

An other positive thing is that we have now more than enough volunteer for our three workcamps, more than enough, we even have to say, no thank you come please in September. The news stories on the televisions around Europe about the refugees has opened a lot of people their eyes and they like to come (money to finance it all is unfortunately not yet arrived). So I have to spend half of the day explaining that we can't have anymore people, that we already reached over our tax.

Hopefully somebody will come soon and take that worries of my shoulders, since it is a full day work. Also we hope that the next series will have as many response as this ones. We will see, it looks however that we can go on planning new workcamps for a while since the war keeps on going. 

With Love from ZA-mir-GREB,

Wam:-)

P.s. Keep sending us those nice little note, we love them. Also keep sending me your criticism, I need those replies to evaluate my vision I have on the situation here, after 120 days I may have lost some of my neutrality, that is what I hardly can check from here.

P.S. 2 for those who like to come we have a nice introduction leaflet, "guideline for foreign volunteers" to scare you of a bit. If you can't find it in this conference please drop us a line and we send it, as well as the leaflet "Towards grassroots relief work" in which we present our new series of camps.
 End of text from gn:yugo.antiwar **