Nachricht Nummer : 444 Übertragungszeit : 4 min 30 sec Nachricht von : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.zer.de (Wam) Antworten an : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.comlink.de Betrifft : Zagreb Diary on 6 March, 1994 Kopienempfänger : /REG/NEWS/DIARY/WAM, /APC/YUGO/ANTIWAR, /CL/EUROPA/BALKAN, /SOC/CULTURE/BOSNA-HERZGVNA, /SOC/CULTURE/CROATIA, /SOC/CULTURE/YUGOSLAVIA Erstellungsdatum : 06.03.1994 23:28:00 W+1 Zagreb Diary 6 March, 1994 Dobar dan, There is no war, there never was one and the whole of Croatian is under control of the government in Zagreb, that is the messages if you read the booklet, "Croatia, a small country for a big holiday", published by the Croatian Center for Tourism and sponsored by the Ministry of Tourist for the Republic Croatia. This booklet proudly present picture from typical Croatian nature reserves and cities like the Plitvice lakes and waterfalls and undamaged monumental buildings in Dubrovnik or even the castle in Vukovar or the cathedral from Dakovo. All of it is beautiful Croatia. Not a word about any war in this and the neighbouring countries. I have to admit Croatia is beautiful, and so is (was) BiH and Serbia, and also Slovenia, Montenegro and Macedonia are beautiful area's, it hasn't been for nothing that Yugoslavia was a favourite holiday land in Europe. But it is like those nice pictures from Mostar, the bridge in the old middle (now there is a kind of improvised hanging rope bridge at that place now, and for the first time in weeks used by civilians) or the picture cards of Banja Luka, on which always the most famous mosque from the town, were they now made a parking places, is visual. I really don't know how Plitvice looks like at this moment, maybe the nature is as beautiful as it use to be. Maybe the stories that JNA has been exploding them and drove with their tanks through the forest are true. Or for that matter the stories that all the virgin trees from the nature reserves from Baranja has been cut and smuggled abroad, oak from hundreds of years old. The Island yes, they are still as beautiful as they use to be, emptier now, without tourists, but of course the refugees and displaced people can now use the hotels. And, yes, new tourist to this country could help to solve part of the economical problems. Nevertheless this brochure is giving me a bad feeling about what true and dreams. Just if the true of the last three years didn't happened or even is happening (there are no UNPA's and there is no Krajina), and that only the fact that Croatia has now become an own separate state is what is important. I don't want to scare people off, but try to imagine what will happen if some tourists, on the bases of this booklet, book a trip in Zagreb to Plitvice, the clerk will look at them and answer that such trips are only organised by UNPROFOR and for the Castle in Vukovar they should go to Beograd, from there, at least some time ago, they organise bustrips to the town. Who knows, maybe we will ever have that dream situation back again, but not before this summer. Croatia may not been the most famous holiday country at the moment, at least last summer it didn't look that way, tourism is slowly restarting, but not much south of Rijeka, it is for sure a popular country to visit by Email. Ben, one of our volunteers from the states in Pakrac, who is possible the only foreign teacher, who officially works, teach at an official Croatian school (not in a refugee camp), called up on people in the States of high schools to make pen-pales with the high-school in Pakrac. The reaction was over 100 messages within 5 days. So in fact a very positive reaction. Maybe Croatia will become a kind of alternative holiday country, besides all the volunteers for Suncokret and Pakrac, the peace visitors and the thousands of small grass-root help transports, we aspect more and more of this visitors (tourists) coming. Green Action, the major environmental group in Zagreb has even decided to offer to host Ecotopia '95, not as our (Pakrac group) idea in that area, but somewhere at an empty island at the coast. In Vienna, in the USA embassy, the talks have started between Croats and Muslims as decided after the signing of the agreement some days ago. Now the heavy works have to start. In a town as Vitez, however, where there was still heavy fighting about 10 days ago, the fights have cooled down. People have turned up on the streets again and the UK UNPROFOR battalion in this area have put a kind of checkpoints as we are used to in sector west. The English commentator spoke at the hope that civilians will be soon able to pass that checkpoint and start meeting eachother again. After two years UNPROFOR control in Croatia this is still not able. In Gospic, which lays like Pakrac nearly on the front-line in sector north, there were even incoming grenades today. In Maglaj another old bridge is destroyed today (probably by aeroplanes, but what is not confirmed by NATO (yet)), the new offensive of the Bosnian Serbian Army against Maglaj, they have surrounded the town, is now in it's 25th day. Also in Sarajevo it wasn't quiet, again some cease-fire violations took place, one French UNPROFOR soldier was wounded (already yesterday). At least 700 demonstrators (local people) walked through Sarajevo today demonstrating for the right that people can life side by side again and that no wall will cut their city in pieces. In the evening Vesna and I visit the four people from the Balkan peace Team, who arrived last week in Zagreb and from which most will stay half a year or longer, we know 3 of the 4 already from earlier visit or work periods here in Croatia and BiH. They are here to help local peace and human rights groups. At the moment however they are busy to learn the language, soon they will make up there plans. But we visit more as friends and it is good to see old "fighters" from the first moment (the beginning of Suncokret) again. When we came back I was just in time to see the last parts of Croatian television, a report from the Serbian television in which they, Serbia, protest against the fact that Germany want the send all refugees back to Serbia and more over don't want to give Serbia to give any help and even that Serbia should pay for at least a part of the war damage in Croatia and BiH. Something simular as the allies decided after the first world war against German and we have seen were that ended. After the second world war, at least the Western part of Germany got Marshall help and see where that ended. Anyway this was report on the Serbian television, so if Germany really has said that is an open question for me at this moment. Last but not least, a rumour, it seems that, who lost this week I think 800 million dollar in a mis investment with the Yen, has bought an aeroplane to bring all the things which UNHCR didn't want to transport to Sarajevo, like computers, radio equipment and so for free media and other grassroots organisations. But he still can't get landing permission for that plane it seems. Mir from somewhere in Hrvatska, Wam P.S. Mr. Salajdzic is of course not the vice-president from the BiH government, but the Prime-Minister. ------------------------------------------------------ "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 . 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. 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