From: pnmideast@igc.org
Newsgroups: soc.culture.yugoslavia
Date: 21 Jul 92 21:13 PDT
Subject: Re: Zagreb Diary
Nf-ID: #R:cdp:1475300286:cdp:1475300292:000:6370
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!pnmideast    Jul 21 21:13:00 1992


From: <pnmideast>
Subject: Zagreb Diary

/* Written 10:44 pm  Jul 21, 1992 by wam@zamir-zg.comlink.apc.org in cdp:yugo.antiwar */
/* ---------- "Zagreb Diary" ---------- */
Zagreb Diary
20-07-1992

Dobar Dan,

Maybe some of my readers, if they are reading it for a longer 
time, can remember Simra, a 22 year old girl in her shelter 
in Sarajevo (faxing the mail from SDA (Islamic party of 
BiH)). One month long she send me the most horrible stories, 
until the telephone line broke and was never repaired. 
Yesterday evening Eden told me that he talk with Simra on the 
phone, great she was still alive, it was an emotional relief.

Today however I met Simra, yes, believe it or not, but when I 
arrived with Eric from Amsterdam at the Center, there was 
Simra sitting, together with Eden. She came out of Sarajevo 
during the last two days. She lives normally in Melbourne and 
has a Australian pass, with her brothers she made the try to 
get out of Sarajevo and she got all the way to Zagreb.

The reason to get out of Sarajevo is great and unbelievable. 
She made the gamble, after UNPROFOR refused her to take her 
on one of their flights out. The reason is that she want to 
be back in Melbourne before the end of the Semester, 
otherwise she would loose a year of her study. I mean she has 
another reason to get too late to the University than people 
in my country, bridge was open, traffic light was red, bike 
was stolen, no city was under cease.

And there she sit, just the other evening Eden and I talk 
about her and than she is there. One piece of ultimate 
quietness, but a volcano inside. On her way to Melbourne to 
finish her semester and than go back to what is left over of 
Sarajevo.

Simra was for me for 3 1/2 month a symbol for Sarajevo. I was 
worried about her, since the moment that the telephoneline 
broke, and the last two months were without news. Until the 
moment that Eden told me that she was still alive I was sure 
that I never would see her in my life time. And than you are 
sitting in the sun in Zagreb, on one of the most decadent 
places and you hear her talking how she went out. What 
happened on the road blocks, that she was lucky to get into 
Croatia now the Croatian government has close the borders for 
refugees (and mostly only people with Croatians nationality 
come through)., how stupid she thought UNPROFOR was, since 
they refused not only her, but also a lot of other civilians 
to fly with them to Zagreb.

She told about the life under cease, the work with the SDA 
persagency and the president, it sounded like a huge family, 
And a horror story at the same time. Building on fire new to 
here shelter, firebrigade which couldn't work since they were 
under snipper fire. Media wars, moving frontlines, dead 
bodies in the street. She talks about if it like going to the 
supermarket and buy a bread. But here hands are trembling. 

About UNPROFOR cars, which are shout at "CHETNIK TAXI !!!", 
The visit from Mitterand, where they have given him 3 times 

the same tape, since they thought the other would forget it. 
Poor Mitterand, if he has seen the tapes, he has seen 3 time 
the same horrible picture. The story about Goradze, where the 
situation is even worst than in Sarajevo, since the town is 
full with refugees. And about all the regions where press and 
internationals are not permitted. According to Simra the 
deadrate should now be over 100.000 people and at least 
200.000 are still in camps (KZ).

Simra, just a young women, she have seen the horrors of war 
and has been reporting about for 3 1/2 months, I hope 
somebody in Australia reads this and remember to say hello to 
hear when she is back in Melbourne. I would tell her total 
story, not only because of the fact that it is her story, but 
also because you also wouldn't understand, her story comes 
right from the battlefields, mine comes from beyond the 
frontline. What is normal to me, is horror for you, what is 
horror for me is .... and what is horror for Simra is...
but it is happening every day ..... just a few hundred 
kilometre and less from here.

Not only the workcampers arrived today and yesterday, great, 
even when I am not 100% sure where to pay it all from, please 
do something out there. Take up some action, collect whole-
food for the refugees camps, do something, let Croatia open 
the borders again. But above all do not if they aren't there, 
the war and the refugees. We are doing such marginal work and 
it was so difficult to put it together. But it started today 
and they all came, it is a wonder, very time that somethings 
come together.

But also lot's of fact finding missions. Here in the middle 
of the web in Zagreb you notice how scattered the movement 
is, how hard it is for them to work abroad. We are so small, 
and what should we do, against whom should we demonstrated. 
The question would be more for whom should we demonstrated, 
or rather for whom should we work, for whom should we stand 
(Serbs, Croats, Muslims, Albaninam, Macedonians, Hungarians, 
Tjechs, Germans,), who is right and who is wrong.

Don't ask me, I see dead bodies, burning houses, destroyed 
villages, and hundred thousands of refugees, for whom should 
you choice, you know, Not for the Chetniks, not for the 
Utaschi, not for JNA, not for HVO, not for TO, not for HV, 
not for SDA, not for HOS, not for..... or ..? I choice for 
the wounded and scared people, against the violence. I am not 
waiting for the 1 million ground troops the NATO is willing 
to put in ones, to bulldozer over BiH. 

You out there on the nets, grassroot orientated people can 
make the difference in this war, you can show that we are 
able to do more than talking. Go around and collect, Use your 
fantasy, what can a war do to people, what could be the 
suffering, what to do with 500.000 children on the run. 

Later I was sitting on a nice terras this evening with people 
from Mi-Za-Mi from Amsterdam, Yugo-Fax from London and Yugo-
Media from Berlin, at last we have got them all together in 
Zagreb. It is unbelievable but my dreams are coming true. 

Slowly all the different support groups are showing up in 
Zagreb and links can be made. 

This start to become maybe the beginning of some cooperation 
in Europe of different groups around the continent. We will 
see and hope.

With Love from ZA-mir-GREB,

Wam:-)