Nachricht Nummer : 470 Übertragungszeit : 3 min 48 sec Nachricht von : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.zer.de (Wam) Betrifft : Zagreb Diary on 5 April, 1994 Kopienempfänger : /REG/NEWS/DIARY/WAM, /APC/YUGO/ANTIWAR, /CL/EUROPA/BALKAN, /SOC/CULTURE/BOSNA-HERZGVNA, /SOC/CULTURE/CROATIA, /SOC/CULTURE/YUGOSLAVIA Erstellungsdatum : 12.04.1994 14:44:00 W+1 Zagreb Diary 5 April, 1994 Dobar dan, Late in the evening yesterday I had asked Jura if he could make an appointment with the priest for me. And this morning he told me to be at 8 o'clock in Skorpija, some friend of him would come, who has good contacts with the priest and will introduce us at his place. Most of the day I spend with phoning to Zagreb to discuss the situation with some people there and to have a private talk with each of the volunteers about the situation. I am maybe a bit too afraid that something would happen, but when Stephan and I walked back to this (Croatian) side, passed by a Danish UNHCR truck which was totally controlled the checkpoint, we saw how at the bar at the Serbian side of the UN checkpoint they were installing heavy loud speaker box and were ready to test it. Just at the moment that we passed the UN checkpoint walking towards the Croatian checkpoint, from where the police tried to look what was happening on the other side after they heard some loud sounds coming from there, just at that moment the connect the tape recorder and under first tones and words of "There is only one Krajina (in Serbian of course)" we pass by the Croatian checkpoint, the police agents there point at the heads and say "Ludi" (Idiots). We walk to Skorpija and when we come nearer the Serbs pump up the volume of the amplifier, you must be able to hear it in at least 1/4 of the town on this side now. Poor Argentinean soldiers we think they are now in the middle of it and what can they do. The pub goes empty and I hope that this amplifier has nothing to do with what I know. This morning I found out in Zagreb that UNPROFOR there don't really knows something yet (this kind of things have to be announced 48 hours in advantage) and also nothing is know at the Catholic Church. The only thing what they find out is that the Minipolitan from Croatia and Slovenia, a kind of second in line in the Orthodox church representing the Patriarch in specified region, has permission from Croatian state and UNPROFOR to visit Pakrac on Thursday coming from Zagreb. I start to understand how this situation is builded up, this can't be organised in a few days, this must have been already for some time in the pipeline of ideas. I realise that the people, if they come, wouldn't come do the hill on their knees. And the story which I hear from the "other side" are proving that, everywhere there are appearing new flag and some children said already that they were blessed since the Patriarch was coming to Pakrac. In the last days I did some reading on the Orthodox Earth Bishop and I understand that there is some connection between politics and church in this man. The Orthodox Bishop, in this case even Bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church is accused on this side to be a big promoter of the great Serbian ideology and has been travelling around to bless all the "new Serbian lands" in the area. Also from the Patriarch there are rumours going on in Croatia that he was doing the same in the beginning of the war, but he has changed his policy it seems. This is about the story which I tell to each individual volunteer today and ask them to keep quiet about it as long nobody officially knows, but that it is possible that Thursday can be rough. And than it is surprising how the different people react, some thought it was a giant peace plan and we should join it. Other would like to go there to see an orthodox service, but most of all understand that this would not been seen that way by most people on this side of the line. During the afternoon a lady comes to our office, she has heard via Banja Luka radio that the Patriarch will come to Pakrac soon and ask us if she can get UNPROFOR protection to visit that service. She explain ones more what last year happens, and that was only a local priest. But she would love to go to her church for ones in three years. We tell her that she has to go to UNCIVPOL, but she tells that everybody will see her than and talk about. Finally a bit after 8 o'clock we arrive at the cottage were the Priest live, the house of the Priest is destroyed and this one lives in a very small hut near to the stable, which is now used as chapel. We have to wait a bit since the priest is busy to prepare some people who are going to get married soon. And than it is us, he welcomes us and I excuse him that we hadn't come to visit him before, but that I know had an excuse and that I needed his help. So I asked him what he has heard so far, he told that that afternoon in a pub were they discuss Banja Luka radio somebody told him about it, but they expected that it was propaganda. I explain him that it is probably not only propaganda and that most people are preparing themselves to see the Patriarch and what kind of implications that could have. What ever would happen it doesn't really matters, in one case the Croats will be angry when UNPROFOR allows the Orthodox people to visit their Holy houses on the Croatian side, or the Croats will organise a road block or what so ever and be angry on UNPROFOR if they stand in the way, or the Serbs are angry on UNPROFOR when they refuse to let them go down. In all cases in would not help the peace process a lot. It became a long talk, and when we said good-bye he asked if we could lend him a help rebuilding the Catholic Priest house and I said that that was no problem but than we also should repair an Orthodox priest house and that are the first two houses on the Serbian side of the Checkpoint. Mir from somewhere in Hrvatska, 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.ztn.zer.de . 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 (postbox 33), 41000 Zagreb. Please notify me if you send or have send any donations. Old numbers can be found by sending a message's with as subject "FILES" to pakrac.info@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.zer.de, to order a file send a message with subject "SEND " to same address. ## CrossPoint v3.0 ##