From: wam@zamir-zg.comlink.de (Wam Kat)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.yugoslavia
Subject: Zagreb Diary
Date: 28 Aug 92 12:49:00 GMT
Followup-To: soc.culture.yugoslavia
Organization: ComLink-Network Germany - For Peace Zagreb
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Zagreb Diary
21-08-1992

Dobar Dan,

Last night was the hardest nights in many months in Sarajevo, 
Bihac, Goradze and Slavonski Brod, the shelling was heavy and 
the damaged was great. It reminds me on a quote of Mackenzie 
(Commander of UNPROFOR in Sarajevo) "God, protect us from all 
those peace treaties, every time when such thing are signed 
or going to be signed the war gets stronger". Next week the 
peace conference starts in London and following this 
statement from Mackenzie this would be the reason why the war 
starts to become heavier the last few days.

His own building (UNPROFOR) was also service hit last night, 
the pictures shows it smoking this morning and lost of his 
trucks also burned out, strange view to see this proud and 
strong Army truck turned into a smoking rubble of old iron. 
It made me think can't we design weapons which a so clever 
that they only hit military targets, so when they see 
civilians, red crosses, UN, EC, the international sign for 
monument they made a nice turn a go for something which is 
obvious military. In this time with cruise missiles something 
like that should be possible to design.

Like in so many wars civilians get the hardest blow in this 
war. I am trying to think peace, but more often I have this 
feeling that if armies like to fight, let them fight, but let 
them fight on the northpole or whenever there are no 
civilians around. 

This all was happening when Burkie, Milena and I were 
discussing about military intervention on a pub just outside 
the center of time, surrounded by a bunch of soldiers. We 
needed that talk since we had a rough day behind us with a 
lot of journalist dropping in and out our office, asking our 
opinion about all kind of things we are normally not able to 
discus, seen the enormous pile of work. Earlier that evening 
we also talked with an American researcher which came by for 
one day in Zagreb (tomorrow he goes via Osijek to Beograd) in 
order to start his research on religions in the war and their 
influences on the fighting.

I don't like the questions of journalists, what about the 
deadcamps, is it true, is it true that Serbian forces have 
camps for women and children, we they rape girls from 1 until 
18 year until they are pregnant, etc. etc. Honestly I don't 
know if it is true, neither does I know if HOS soldiers are 
skinning people alive. And I don't know what it means that 
Panic has given they order to arrest 70 Serbian para-
militaries, who wanted to fight in BiH an information Milan 
from USA send us), that is not the part of the war which 
takes place in my surroundings. 

I even don't like to discus about it much, I have already 
problem enough to get ride of the stories I hear from the 
refugees. If people want to sell thier story abroad it is 
there problem, if they want to prepare the war in a more 

dramatic way than it already is, it is also there problem. I 
am still against military intervention. I am even in fever a 
full amnesty for all soldiers and deserters, in jails and 
still fighting, to give them a possibility to get out of the 
spiral case down.

Today my wife is having her birthday in Denmark and it is 
also a year ago that the first shells felt on Osijek. On 
television there was a remembering film from Osijek how it 
was before the shelling started, it was strange to see that 
film, it recall pictures in my mind from years ago, when I 
passed by the place. Osijek without grenade holes, without 
the sandbags.

Just when I finished a enormous pile of E-mail messages ( and 
my daily part of telephonic interview with newspapers abroad) 
and went to the office in Tkalciceva I met Pax and Bertram 
from EYFA looking for me. They also came from Ecotopia and 
had visit the Center for AntiWar Activities in Beograd, which 
was a real mind blower for them. Their whole view on the war 
changed there, suddenly they understood a lot about the 
reasons which made me stay months ago. 

Like me there were shocked by the fact that even the peace 
movement in former Yugoslavia is split over the question of 
military intervention. In Beograd the split is also appearing 
as it is in Zagreb, more and more people see military 
intervention as the only way out. But as always if you discus 
it it is a discussion with a lot of IF's, if we do this, if 
the Serbians stop to fights, the Croats and Muslim will 
marches all the way to Beograd (not my opinion), if you not 
blow the forces away from the hill sides they will kill the 
whole of Bihac, Goradze and Sarajevo. If this, if that.

The newest information for them was the fact that Muslims are 
a nationality and not another word for Islam believers. I 
know Muslims who are catholic and a lot which have no believe 
at all. This seems to be one of the most unknown things 
abroad.

Like all people who know me longer they said I had to take a 
break somewhere outside, before I totally collapse, but also 
they know me long enough to know that such remarks are 
hopeless. Especially in a situation where the telephone goes 
10 times every hour, people are passing by and want to talk. 
But they were even after all those years surprised about the 
project we had build up in the last 4 months. 

This surprised only became bigger when about half an hour 
later the train from Osijek arrived and around 35 volunteers 
returned back from Gasinci. Most of them full power and 
absolute not willing to leave the country. Most of them 
rather would like to go back immediately and all even those 
who said they only could stay for a 10 days stayed the whole 
period. I think that gives hope for the future, the world is 
willing to help in another way.
 
With Love from ZA-mir-GREB,


Wam:-)