Nachricht Nummer : 254 Übertragungszeit : 3 min 37 sec Nachricht von : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.ZER.sub.org Betrifft : Zagreb Diary 29 August, 1993 Erstellungsdatum : 09.09.1993 18:20:00 S+2 Realname: Wam Kat Zagreb Diary 29 August, 1993 Dobar dan, In the end of the day Eric and I picked up Goran to go back to Pakrac, the plan was to stay as long as possible in Zagreb to finish most of the small jobs which normally always lay around. There is still no news from Mostar, it seems that the situation down there stayed incredible tens and is not easy to change, both on the Croatian and Muslim side the co- operation to get food into the Eastern part of the town is not really overwhelming, but knowing that I am going back to Pakrac means that you wouldn't hear much from it in the coming weeks. We drive via Novska, after I have done it with Annette two days ago I know that the road is free for all traffic and not only for UN vehicles as some people told me before, strange how you always have to dig up information around here, nobody really knows the answers, if you ask something mostly the answer will be that they have heard that, but that they are not sure. Anyway the time that we pass by the village, or town of Novska (since it is nearly the same since as Pakrac) it has the same light fall and atmosphere as on the video tape I have got about this place at home in Zagreb. On that video tape Novska get suddenly attack you see this peaceful countryside village laying on the hills, you hear the birds and the always active crickets and suddenly a loud hollow bang, the cameraman swears and runs in the direction of the bang to make a better picture, at that moment the bangs are starting to get from all sides. We pass by Novska, were the people like in Pakrac try to re-find their normal life and rebuild their homes and town. Driving up the road to Pakrac gives a better look at the destruction than driving down the road it seems, since this time I see a lot more war damaged than two days ago, also do I see the Croatian checkpoints now, they are hidden in some of the basements and the entrance is covered by a burned out armoured car, I see more of this blown up and burned out cars this time, strange that in two days time so much has changed, or rather that you can be so talking in the car that you overlook the outside world. Arriving in Pakrac we went directly to the school next to UN barracks, this evening we will have a meeting with the local explaining the meanings and the ideas of the UNOV project, from which our voluntary work is a part. We have asked Mr. Platzer from Vienna to come and explain it to the leaders in the working brigades, after the hard time our volunteers had last two weeks we want them to understand that we are not just 14 idiot kids, who are fooling around, but that there is something like a broader vision and organisation behind it. In front of the school a group is gathering, most of the volunteers are already there waiting and the local officials also have arrived, even about half of the leaders of the working brigades, we have to wait a while for our officials and the "kluc", the key (a normal thing around here, keys are disappearing all the time). At last Mr. Plazter arrives, and he hands over to me my new passport, for the coming half year I will be travelling with a bleu United Nations passport, for 1 dollar a year I have become adviser. 5 minutes later arrives the key. 15 minutes later than announced we start our meeting, Annette introduces all the geusts and tells a bit about the aims of the meeting. After that Zelic says again how happy he is with our work and tries to slide in his speech some criticism about the for him not always clear organisation, who is who, but not too much. Than it is up to Mr. Plazter to make his introduction, he is used to speak in groups that you can notice, he is also a diplomat, you would say born in the service, never the less a diplomat with a lot more feeling and heart than most I have seen. His involvement in the Pakrac project you could call personally, since it is not normal that an UN official drives up and down in his free time and put a lot of personal money into a project. Platzer has a long and very diplomatic speech about the aims and methods of the UNOV project and that the work of the volunteers is really an important part of the peace building process. I see from the faces of our volunteers that they think that the speech goes by far not far enough for them. From the faces of the local workinggroup leaders I can read that they are polite and listening, but that it hard for them to follow all the big words. They are interesting in the first securities in life and normal relations with peoples. When the local working groups (or brigades) leaders have their says they are full of nice and friendly words towards the volunteers, not one complain comes over their lips. Some of the older women see our volunteers as their children. And time after time the fine remarks go into the circle. Again I look at the faces of the volunteers and again they are not really happy with the results. It is nice to be get compliments, but they like to speak about the hard nuts, the fact that they went over the border and that they are planning to do it again, and if not them, some of the future volunteers. They discussion which slowly comes out of this remarks goes more about the fact that according to some locals the Serbs can't work than about the essential part of what the volunteers want to talk about, maybe next time it will go deeper. Bok I Mir from Zagreb, Wam ------------------------------------------------------ Zagreb Diary can be found on a lot of different electronic networks, it is copyright free and can be ported to any network or other means of communication you like, but please drop my a line, you can reach by sending a message to wam@zamir-zg.comlink.de or wam@zamir-zg.comlink.apc.org. Zagreb Diary is dedicated to Tyche, Pjort and Rik, so that they found out what there father have been doing all that time in Zagreb. Financial support for Grassroot relief work in Croatia or BiH can be send to Kollektief Rampenplan (atn. Lylette, Postbox 780, 6130 AN Sittard, Netherlands, tel:. +31-46-524803 and fax: +31-46-516460 or to Zagrebacka Banka, Zagreb, accountnr.: 2440291594, to Kat, Pieter Jan Herman Fredrik, Brace Domany 6 6fl nr3, 41000 Zagreb. Please notify me if you send or have send any donations. ## CrossPoint v2.1 ##