Nachricht Nummer : 262
Übertragungszeit : 3 min 30 sec
Nachricht von    : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.ZER.sub.org
Betrifft         : Zagreb Diary 6 September, 1993
Erstellungsdatum : 13.09.1993 12:50:00 S+2

Realname: Wam Kat

Zagreb Diary 6 September, 1993

Dobar dan,

So Pakrac was again in the news today, the whole thing with the flag, 
including a part of the discussion out side with our nice Croatian 
volunteers, who ended up between top fronts she never ever thought 
about, was on news on television yesterday evening. The message 
around was not 100% the true, they said that the British wanted to take 
down the Croatian flag and want to put up their own British one, which 
wasn't the case (put the International Red Cross flag on it). For the rest 
our volunteers is still a bit shocked by what happened, she never ever 
thought that two grown ups could make such a noise over a flag. We 
discussed a bit in the group and more and more we come to the 
conclusion that in this war nobody is a real winner, the war here in 
Pakrac is just freezes down, just like instant war, a little oil on it and it 
burns again. The Croatian flag is one of the most visible symbols that 
the Croats at least won the right to have an own flag.

We walk around the school, today we don't have to work, today is only 
for the professionals, from Daruvar the windows with glass come back 
with has been brought their yesterday, this wing of the school has no 
bullet and grenades holes anymore and painters are busy to paint, at 
least the front part nicely white. On the roof the British MedBat is busy 
with the closing it, they are lucky that it is not as raining as two days 
ago, just after people removed the lefts over of the former from the 
building. In the hall heating specialist are busy with the placing the 
radiators and the school, at least this wing (the other wing wouldn't be 
rebuild) is full of energy. In the middle runs Anneke Rice, the famous 
British hosts of this programme, after the 5th take of here running over 
the stairs to give some important news to the people on the second floor 
she has to wait before they found some other picture to make. 

Outside the school members of the UNPROFOR Argentinean battalion 
have taken up guarding. As far as we know there are a lot of veterans of 
the Falkland war among them. On the roof from the school there are 
standing members from the BritMedBat with tattoo's on their arm stating 
that they are also Falkland Vet's. Probably they know eachother from 
other occasions. Slowly the whole Croatian part of Pakrac has been 
looking at the building side, the ID from "Anneke Challenge" without 
according the producers nobody could enter the place are not taken so 
seriously, almost everybody enters the building for a quick look.

During the lunch break we listening to the monthly press conference 
with Tudjman and even there the incident with flag is mentioned, but 
Tudjman who had to answer the question didn't knew anything about it. 

After some looking around we found the production person who knows 
were the safety equipment lays which Allan, a volunteer in the first and 
second group has collected in the last week and was transported down 
with the Anneke convoy. We get four boxes full and soon all the 
volunteers who are working today in our new house look like Martians in 
the safety materials, glasses, clothes, boots and hard helmet on top of it  
and look at eachother with a face, so this is safe, how unsafe were we 
before.

In the main time Goran tries to get in contact with the Croatian Helsinki 
group to found out if they know something about Simo, who is still in jail 
in Zagreb. The case has reached the highest authorities of the UN by 
now and will be soon in the world press. A very strange experience how 
such small things get so "big" suddenly.

In the afternoon I walk with the lucky girl from Osijek around the school, 
in the hope to find a particular British soldier she has her eyes on. She 
explains how important this weeks with the foreign volunteers has been 
for her. Suddenly she could understand the other side of the medal, 
being all the time during the war in Osijek she have seen the chancings 
in herself and her friends, her former boyfriend in Osijek is now 
professional soldier and two weeks ago she could perfectly understand 
why the Croatian flag should have been on the building, but now she 
said she understand why it should be the Red Cross Flag. Unfortunately 
the soldiers hasn't shown up at the school today, his mates tell us that 
he has to pack, they are going to Cyprus after their tour ends this week 
in Croatia.  

But she is not the only one, you see that also the youth in Pakrac, who 
hangs more and more around the volunteers have changed their ideas a 
bit. At this moment most of the group is rather enthusiastic about the 
idea to build up a youth center together. Although the feeling of leaving 
is still in nearly all talks. It wouldn't be easy to motivate them to stay, but 
never say never, on the other hand who knows what will happen 
tomorrow.

Due to all this things in Pakrac I nearly forgot that it is already nearly a 
week ago that Suncokret exist the full official year. Who ever would 
have thought about that. I haven't had much contacts with them since I 
am in Pakrac. Neither with the group in Citluk, who is still active trying to 
collect money for the rebuilding of Ravno.  

Bok I Mir from Zagreb,

							Wam
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