Nachricht Nummer : 593
Übertragungszeit : 4 min 40 sec
Nachricht von    : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.apc.org (Wam)
Antworten an     : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.apc.org (Wam)
Betrifft         : Zagreb Diary 11 May 1995
Erstellungsdatum : 12.05.1995 10:07:00 S+2

Zagreb Diary 11 May 1995

Dobar dan,

Let's start with some good news today. At last after almost more than a
week UNHCR has succed to bring a convoy with food and other aid to Banja
Luka in order to supply to refugees from Western Slavonia in that
region, the total number is not known yet, but it must be around 11.200 or
so. This number was mentioned this week by local authorities in North
Bosnia and as far as I can follow it are figures which UNHCR, ICRC and
seemks to agree with after visiting the sites where the refugees are
shelter. That would mean that almost everybody, beside the small group
in Pakrac have left the south part of the sector. Among then also
Croatians who lived in the south part of the sector and are now,
reported by Croatian radio today, asking if they can return.

In the last week the UNHCR tried a couple of times to get convoys
through to this refugees but using the normal and short road from Zagreb
via Novska, Bosanska Gradiska was forbidden by Croatian authorities,
reasons given in the beginning that the Sava bridge wasn't safe because
of mines. So yesterday they took the much longer but "military" less
tension road over Sisak and Prijedor.

Immediatly however followed by a less good news piece. More and more you
here from raising tension in the East of the country. There was some
incedent in Osijek today, the radio said that the "Rebel Serbs" did a
"terrorist" attack on Croation positions near Osijek killing 2 Croatian
soldiers. The Croatian army returned fire and killed some "Serbs" was
said. Almost a minute after that message a phone call from Osijek came,
they wanted to know something about Email, nothing special, I didn't
asked about the shooting. People there must feel a bit the tension again
anyway and gods knows what is going to happen.

I asked some people if this were the same kind of messages as in 1991 in
the summer, before the war realy started. But they reacted that it was
much more normal today. Two killed soldiers at that moment would have
been big news and really brought with a lot of drama. Today it is just
part of the normal news, not even the main item. Just two more numbers
in the long list.

It also seems that the refugees and any body from the Serbian controlled
part of Northern Bosnian at the moment can come to Beograd and vice
versa. The small Brco coridor north of Tuzla, only a few kilometer wide,
terrotory, the hill south of controlled by BiHarmija and North of it is
the Orasje enclave, controlled by Croats in BiH, so HVO. The fighting
there has intensived the last weeks enormous. It was said that it
started with a new offensive of the Bosnian Serbian Army to widen the
coridor, but both armies in the North and South reacted stringly, a
qeustion was even if the Serbs can hold the coridor. If if falls the
whole nothern territory is cut of from the supply lines from Serbia.

BiHarmija in that area seems to be very strong and well armed. For some
months more than ones so-called "UFO's", big transport planes, landed on
Tuzla airport, obvious with army supplies. The NATO said that they
didn't saw those plane on their radars, so they wouldn't existing,
the UNPROFOR soldiers on the spot saw them in the night with their own eyes.

There nearly would have been another airstrike of NATO by the way last
week on Serbian position around Sarajevo. The day after their
bombardment from their heavy weapons cost 10 people in the town. The
UNPROFOR commander already asked for it and the planes where on there
way, when Akashi ordered them back.

After a few days of full almost 24 hours activities to follow what is
going on and try to get the news out you start to think again on the
essence from it all. It is obvious that the operation in Sector West
wasn't as smooth as it was presented in the first place, the soldiers
indeed behaved as soldiers. But still things are relative. It looks also
that for a big part the Croatian Army and police have been what you can
call correct. What not always could be said from this or any other army
in this area. Thing what however surprised me the most is that hardly
anybody at the moment speaks or writes if this whole operation had to
take place in the first place. After the earlier condemming and asking
to withdraw again of the UN towards this action all has been changed
now. The action took place and no way back.

I am trying to imagine what steps we can undertake now. Maybe make a
special bulletin for the Serbian people in the region explaining what
their rights are and asking them to stay, or at least explaining them
what they best can do if they want to leave. Maybe organising working
brigades and start to clean up the houses which are looted so that when
people want to return they don't find a total mass the first day. I have
this hope that if the situation cools down in the coming weeks and it is
really shown that the Croatian state is willing to keep all the promises
they have made in the last 10 days and even before, people may overcome
their fair and return. On such moments they should not be left alone and
more are less be helped to come back in a welcome place.

Yesterday I wrote something about the Gorski Kotar region after second
world war. Gorski Kotar region is still a region with a lot of Serbian
villages, like the whole area of what use the be the Vojnik Krajina (the
Habsburger military border aganist the Ottoman Empire). Most of those
selltements like the Serbian settlements in West Slavonia are there
already for 400 or so years. The Serbs in Gorski Kotar however decided
in 1991 not to fight against the Croatian Army and they hand over their
guns (giving to them by the JNA to defend themselves). At this moment
however Gorski Kotar Serbs have not all the reasons to be happy. Still a
lot of them are unemployed (lot's their jobs in 1991 and 1992) and a lot
had and some still have a problem to get a Domovnica.

It is full with Croatian peace activists in Pakrac these days,
delegation from Osijek and Zagreb ARK group, ARKzin and Women Center for
Women Victims of War and even Oxfam are in the town now. Nice and I hope
soon that we can come with some concrete plans what will be the next
step for the peace movement to do. The last week was chaotic, but it
seems that slowly were are getting it together again. My own body feels
very tired I noticed today. When the adrenaline is high you keep on
going but than suddenly it is all over.

The message from Pakrac are getting more regular and it seems that
although a bit later than officially planned the army at least have
moved out of the region. That is hopefull, since the stories of the last
days were that the local population was especially afraid for them.

No news today about Igor and only that he is in the barrack in
Koprenica, near the Hungarian border. Hopefully for him soon a solution
can be found that he can leave the army again. He even was able to get
out the JNA before, so now they had to call him up, otherwise according
to the law the Croatian states never would have been able to mobilise
him officially, he will pass the official age limit soon.

Also that is the reality for other Serbs (other no-Croats have not so
much problems) in Croatia of today. Those things are known. One of my
Croatian friend even see, the problem is with those Serbs in Pakrac that
they get offered the same rights as us, Croats. If I would have the
change I also would go. He is one of those people who totallyb is still
shocked by the action. There were so many good results in the past half
year. All vision was that soon some economical agreement would be made
and Western Slavonia for special would make a good change to peacefully
intregrate in Croatia. No they may have intregrated the land, but not
the people.

BiH authorities published last week a report stating that 60% of the
pre-war population of that country is displaced. The population before
the war in Bosnia was a little bit more than 4 million, if I remember
well. 1.250.000 are resetteled in 110 different countries. In the last 6
month only 40.000 returned, from which 15.000 by "sending home to safe
area's" of the countries they found shelter in.

Love,

Wam

Pjort, Tyche and Rik hope you are doing well.
## CrossPoint v3.02 ##