Nachricht Nummer : 268 Übertragungszeit : 3 min 47 sec Nachricht von : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.ZER.sub.org Betrifft : Zagreb Diary 12 September, 1993 Erstellungsdatum : 14.09.1993 16:44:00 S+2 Realname: Wam Kat Zagreb Diary 12 September, 1993 Dobar dan, Peaceful Croatia, the war stopped here on the 6th of January last year, everything what happened afterwards is not really war, just some shells and grenades falling out of the sky, like in other countries rain comes down. But it was a hard rain today, in the early morning I waked up since I thought I heard a heavy thunder storm far away and I wanted to close the windows. The thing remind me a bit on a night that I was sleeping outside in Pakrac and for hours far away over the hills lights and thunder noises came and I couldn't make up if it were grenades or thunder, for at least two hours I was listening and looking, but none of the alarms in the area went of. This thunder storm were "orcan" rockets, easy to remember since it is a lot like "Arkan", one of the leaders of the Chetnik brigades. At least four of them came down in Samobor, west of Zagreb and one on Velika Gorica, east of Zagreb, both less than 10 Km away from the Centre of Zagreb. Suddenly the war is very close by. Still the news functions as normal, no special bulletins or something like that, just the normal programs, cheap American soap opera's and children series and news in between. News bulletins for a change full with attacks on Croatian cities and village, besides Samobor and Velika Gorica, grenades fell down today in Sisak, Zadar, Karlovac, Kutina, Pokupsko, Gospic, Ivanic Grad and when you look on the map you will found that a lot of this cities are laying around Zagreb. Also there was a report that the Croatian police arrested in Pakrac and Lipik two terrorist group, as they called them on the radio, what they were doing is not really clear. I tried to phone the volunteers to find out what really happens but couldn't reach them. Since the people in the Opcina have asked us not to use the office outside working hours it is nearly not reachable. Anyway all this resulted in a stream of telephones from friends all over the world which heard on their news that something was happening in or around Zagreb and even from the Central Bosnian front Jasmina phoned to asked if we were in danger. In Danger and that question came from somebody at one of the most active front-lines. Even during the whole fighting in the town of Zagreb and the air raid alarms afterwards Vesna only have been in the Skloniste (shelter) a few times, most of the time is was normal on the street, or running from one window to another to see all the lightning's. And talking with the people from Osijek in the last weeks, also those girls spend more time outside than inside the shelters, even in the time of the heavy shelling. I am also more and more sure that I wouldn't go in the basements when the alarm would go off. It sounds maybe crazy, but the chance that a grenade would fall on Vesna's house is next to nothing. First of all there is nearly no industry, monuments or military objects in the neighbourhood and secondly in lays somewhere in the middle of the town and is not such a high building. In Pakrac I would maybe go in hide if there would be an alarm, but there you can shot as it were straight into the sleeping room of people at "the other side". So we are not so afraid and probably the whole storm will drift over in some days, at the moment it is very difficult to get a clear picture of what is happening. I had to tell that to some friends of the press who phoned also. It looks like the Knin government is making their threats visible, but still for how long and how heavy. Not some thing which is easy to figure out after one day. So many things can happen tomorrow, I have some problems with those war reporters which say when it some thing happens that they have seen it coming. I am living in the middle of it and am some times rather surprised. To be honest I never expected an offensive of Croatia last week. After the "debacle" in January and the ongoing shelling on Zadar, as well as the political game around the Maslinica bridge I seriously thought that most of the tension could be solved in the conference rooms. At this moment I feel stupid that I am going to the Netherlands, it looks that in the coming weeks a lot will happen and more over I get the feeling that I leave people behind in a rotting situation. After one and half year, during which I came with the hope to help rebuilding so much has happened, I leave these area it a much worst state as I found it. And I know a lot less about war and peace as 18 months ago. And about the future, I don't know, even before I am going I am already afraid for what will have happen by the time I return. It will be hard to follow it outside. Still not the whole country is in war as it may sounds abroad, some peace activists which would come in this weekend phoned if it was not more safe to stay at home. I can tell them in all cities life goes on as normal as it can be, if you live in a war zone you don't let the war spoil your life you know, that it is there is already a problem big enough to be busy with all the time. Today for instead on an other front-line, in Vinkovci, which lays on the front-line between UNPA sector East and Croatia it was the last day of a very successful folklorists festival, with participants from all over the world. And in Zagreb the fair started with 1350 businesses on it. Bok I Mir from Zagreb, Wam PS Between 16 September and 7 October I am in the Netherlands (reachable via +31,46,522709) in the time 28 September until 5 October I have some days free for my speakers tour). Also in that period there will be no Zagreb Diary, maybe after wards I will take up the daily exercise again, when I found a new computer that is. ------------------------------------------------------ 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 ##