Nachricht Nummer : 579
Übertragungszeit : 4 min 36 sec
Nachricht von    : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.zer.de (Wam)
Antworten an     : wam@zamir-zg.ztn.zer.de
Betrifft         : Zagreb Diary 22 February 1995
Kopienempfänger  : /REG/NEWS/DIARY/WAM, /SOC/CULTURE/YUGOSLAVIA, /SOC/CULTURE/CROATIA, /SOC/CULTURE/BOSNA-HERZGVNA, /CL/EUROPA/BALKAN, /APC/YUGO/ANTIWAR
Erstellungsdatum : 22.02.1995 10:12:00 W+1

Zagreb Diary 22 February 1995 (Issue 628)

Dobor Dan,

It seems that I am not the only one who is preparing him or herself for
a new war which happen in Croatia, when people ask me (by telephone and
so, journalists) I always react on their qeustion "when ?", that it will
happen somewhere in this spring, not in April, maybe in May (55 years
after the Nazi's started their major wars in Europe and 50 years after
the final count-down of the third reich), if not, I can't imagine that
Croatia will go into a tourist session with a possible war hanging over
the country. The tourist agencies of Croatia have invested enough money
in the last months to be sure that they want to keep the upgoing line of
visitors of the last 2 years.

Yes, also those guys of UNPROFOR have it in their direct planning, not
that they know or can know much more than we (I) can. And most of the
humanitarian and developement organisations in the country I know also
have been talking about it and made some shaduw plans for such a
situation. Not that any of us really knows what will happen and how it
will happen.

Strange is that you wouldn't hardly find anything about it in the
Croatia media. Or stronger you probably can't find it at all, at least I
haven't found much in the newspapers and on the television. It is just
if nothing really happened. We get reports from the tries of all the
important people who pass by in Zagreb or which invites representatives
from the Croatian goverment on important and last try meetings abroad,
mostly with a for them (the visitors and organisers) negative result, but
that's about it.

Ofcourse you also can find stories about the slowly dismanteling of the
earlier peace and cooperation agreements made between Knin and Zagreb.
The government (or what ever you call this not so really democratic
elected representatives in Knin) of Knin decided some weeks ago that all
the agreements made back on the airport of Zagreb in November would be
cancelled, I am not really sure, but I think the cancelling of the
UNPROFOR mandate had something to do with it. But as often that was just
the stick to hit the dog, as we say in Dutch, which means that the
reason why agreements are been broken not really matters, it is just the
easiest excuse for something which any way wasn't really in their minds
to keep (something what often happens around here).

I wrote the highway is open and heavily been used, much longer than I
ever would have thought that would be possible back in November last
year. But the works on the trainline through the same region has been
stopped. UNPROFOR has demined it according to their information, and
since I walk on that track about a year ago I know that that was not the
easiest job they had so far. And they are even monitoring that no new
mines are been put there, but it seems that it will take a big change of
politics before the first train will start rolling down from Zagreb to
Slavonski Brod.

Also for Pakrac the news wasn't so good. The Sumletica waterworks, the
providing plant of the drinking water for the town, which ended up
destroyed and on the not Zagreb controlled side of the cease-fire line,
from which everybdoy in Pakrac was happy that finally something was
started to get done, will not be finished. From what I know of the
plant, I have been looking at it a few times, I know that it takes at
least 3 months of hard work before it can start producing drinking water
for Pakrac again. The last 3 summers there was no drinking water in the
town, except from what people could get out of their old wells. This
news almost make it certain that again Pakrac will have a summer without
water.

Day before yesterday Valery Smarov, the deputy President and Defence
Minister from the Ukraine, stood with a delegation at the door of
Granic, Bobetko and Susak (Foreign minister, General of the Croatian
Army and Defence minister). Mr. Granic told them that sending out the
UNPROFOR would rather speed up the peace process instead of the other
way round as most people (probably like me those most people are coming
from abraod) are saying now. He insured Smarov that Croatia is still
willing, together with the International community to continue the peace
talks. It reminds me on an British/American airbase (full with Tornado's
and F-16's loaded with nuclear warheads) in the middle Germany, that
base was called the "peace-keepers base". I think peace is a very widely
interpretated word, everybody can make it's own definition.

And not only in Zagreb the doors of the ministries and presidental
palace are flattened by the large line of foreign diplomats which are
passing by. Also in Beograd it is high times, Russian and America
ministers and special envoys are almost keeping Milosevic busy every
day. Up to now however hardly know of this efforts really made a change.
Maybe that waiting and not really feeling or seeing that we come any
step closer to something what may look like peace is the reason why
almost nobody really like to talk about it. What was new for me however
is that NATO admitted that they never really for 100% could keep the
no-fly zone over BiH, they admit that they are not really watching all
the short and low-flying helicopterr movement in BiH, as long as they
are not in what they call direct combat zones.

Hans v.d. Broek, my fellow country man, who was travelling this area
back in 1991 and 92 almost weekly, the first jokes when I arrived in
those days here and people found out that I was Dutch were about them, a
pity that I forgot them (but I can imagine that others will still
remember them, although it seems a century ago), came also by for a
visit. He has been climbing the stairs of importance a bit in the last 3
years, now he is Vice President and Foreign Affairs Envoy of the
European Commission. After his experiences in the past he wisely decided
not to come here and talk about politics. His trip was aimed at talking
about topics as economics, trade and transport between Croatia and the
EEC. I am a bit surprised, it seems that he again came far too late, the
shops in Zagreb (and in the rest of the countries) are slowly full with
products produced in EC countries and it seems that the free-market
already have solved most of the problems by itself.

No, diary, not such a positive story today, sorry, I like to write
better things, but they are not always out there. A few weeks ago I
talked with a journalists which just came back from a few weeks travel
in Central Bosnia. He told me that the Black Swan's, a say known special
corps of BiHarmija now totally has excepted the rules of the Islam,
about a year back I met some of their soldiers in Mostar and had a nice
drink with them in the pub. This journalist told me that alcohol is now
totally forbidden and that even Christians get thrown out of their
meetings.

I don't know, a few days ago I read, on a Serbian mailing lists, a story
which was according to the editor a english translation from an orginal
Arabic news release (coming from some Islam organisation in teh States).
This release said that Ali Izzat Begovich (or rather Alija Izetbegovic
as we know him) has decided by law that the new greeting in the
BiHarmija is now arabic, it say something like "peace will be with you
brothers" and so. Also this release stated that the Majahideen Battalion
is an official battalion of the BiHarmija, formed by Non-Bosnian and
Islamic Muslims, they told that shortly new volunteers from Jemen have
join the battalion. Especially proud they were of the activities of the
Majahideen, now during the Ramadan, troops go in small groups visiting
the villages and small cities to spread the word of Allah. Last week
they converted the 3th Christian into the Islam believe, it was a Serb.
Since you don't hear much anymore about this Majahideen, during the war
between Muslim and Croats in BiH you heard a lot, I don't know how big
or how strong this battalion is, but it seems to be still there in
Central Bosnia.

He Rik, Pjort and Tyche, thanks for your letters I recived this week, I
really love you,

Mir,

                        Wam :-)
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