Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 19:29:00 CET
From: caa_beograd@zamir-bg.comlink.de
Reply-To: caa_beograd@zamir-bg.comlink.de
Distribution: world
Newsgroups: soc.culture.yugoslavia
Subject: Center Antiwar Action Annual Rep
Organization: Zamir = for peace, Beograd
Content-Length: 10482   
X-Gateway: UC xclhh [UZERCP V3.99]

 

     


                  CENTER FOR ANTIWAR ACTION

                      Belgrade, Prote Mateje 6


                     ANNUAL REPORT 1992



Brief History


The Center for Antiwar Action (Center) was founded in Belgrade, on 15th
July l991, by six civil organizations: the European Movement in
Yugoslavia, the Association for a Yugoslav Democratic Intiative (UJDI),
the Women's Party, the Belgrade Helsinki Committee, the Helsinki
Citizens' Assembly, and the Forum for Ethnic Relations. 
Among its founders were prominent civil rights activists, such as Dr.
Vena Pesi (Sociologist), Tanja Petovar (Attorney), Dr. Ivan Jankovi
(Attorney), Dr. Neboja Popov (Sociologist), Sonja Licht (Soros
Foundation in Belgrade), Stojan Cerovi (journalist, Vreme), Lina
Vuskovi (Women's Lobby), Dr. Duan Janji (Institute for Social
Sciences), Dr. Konstantin Obradovi (Institute for International
Politics), and many others. 

Although the immediate motives of its founders were linked to ending the
civil war in Croatia and preventing further militarization and armed
conflict, the Center has always been concerned with the constitution of
civil society in the Balkans, the protection of human life, civil and
political liberties, minority rights, and the construction of democratic
institutions.

To our knowledge, this was the first non-governmental organization for
peace in Serbia and one of the first to focus on fundamental human
rights. Moreover, the Center saw its anti-war program as an integral part
of an all-Balkan peace process.


Statement of Goals

Realizing that fundamental human rights are threatened by  political
instability in the region, the Center has defined its primary, constant
objectives as: demilitarization of the Balkan Peninsula; economic and
social development of the Balkans; and peaceful coexistence of all Balkan
nations.

The long-term goal of the Center is to promote the constitution and
development of civil society, respect for human life, individual
liberties and minority rights, and democratic institutions in Serbia.

Its immediate goals, which have yet to be realized, include the end to
war, armed conflict, violence and the violation of human rights on the
territories of the former Yugoslavia.

(For further information, see our broshure.)


Activities for 1992 

1. Service. Work with displaced people, refugees, and those concerned
about renewed conscription in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

2. Legislative proposals: The Center proposed an Amnesty Law to the
Federal Assembly of both the former and present Yugoslav government. In
support of this initiative and our work to end ethnic discrimination
among conscripts, dozens of international groups and organizations have
offered help and moral support. These organizations include: the Quaker
Peace and Service, Deutsche  Friedensgesellschaft/Vereinigte
Kriegsdienstgegner, Citizen Soldier, Union of European Federalists,
Collectif Pour la Paix, Assemble Europeene des Citoyens, IMSECO (Institut
du monde  Sovietique et de l'Europe centrale et orientale), Federation
Internationale des DROITS DE L'HOMME, DFG-VK Hessen, students of Columbia
University, etudiants des Universites Paris 6 et Paris 7, Mr. Peter
H.Juviler (Professor of political science, Barnard College Co-Director,
Columbia University Human Rights Center Associate,Harriman Institute),
Mr. Alexander Langer (Spokesman of the Greens in the External Affairs
Committee of the European Parliament).

3. Public manifestations: The Center has organized a number of public
manifestations ranging from street demonstrations to pop concerts in
Belgrade and other towns.  As many as 1OO.OOO people gathered for some
of these meetings.

During this year some of the most important manifestations were:

- on April 10th, PEACE IN BOSNIA, a manifestation for Bosnia and Sarajevo
in the Republic Square.

- on April 22nd, a rock concert entitled DON'T COUNT ON US. A number of
famous rock groups and actors participated in the program that took place
on Trg Republike (Republic Square) and was attended by approximately
100.000 people.

- on May 15th,  a "Peace Picnic" in Pioneer Park noting International
Conscientious Objecters Day, organized with radio B-92.

- on June 7th, a march in which a black ribbon 1300 meters long
(representing a  black arm band) was carried through the main street of
Belgrade by thousands of citizens in mourning for all the victims of the
war, organized together with other groups. 

- on June 15th, a manisfestation called the LAST BELL in front of the
Federal Assembly, organized with other groups. Some 20, 000 people
brought different kinds of bells, including alarm clocks and rang them
to symbolize the last moments of the ruling regime in Serbia.

- on July 15th, a manifestation entitled YELLOW RIBBON in front of the
Federal Assembly to protest discrimination and mistreatment of nonSerbs
in Serbia.

4. Round Table Discussions. The Center organized a series of weekly round
table discussions with prominent professors, lawyers, politicians and
activists in the Student Cultural Center from February through June 1992.
Some of the topics included: BOSNIA TODAY, FASCISM AND THE END OF THE
CENTURY, PEACEFUL BOSNIA, BOSNIAN VUKOVARS, CIVIL PARTIES IN SERBIA AND
MONTENEGRO ON PEACE, DUBROVNIK - PRISONER OF ITS BEAUTY.

5. Projects. The Center has initiated a number of special projects as
well. In carrying out these projects, the Center attempts to utilize its
own resources including  experts, professionals and activists.

In this year the following projects were initiated:

- An International Conference on the Implementation of Humanitarian Law
in the Yugoslav Conflict. The Conference was held in San Remo, from
December 4 - 6, 1992 and counted participants from a number of European
countries as well as all of the former Yugoslav republics.

- the Center organized workshops for Education in Conflict Resolution,
led by an international organization concerned with such activities.
These first workshops were attended primarily by psychologists, but we
hope to train other interested citizens in methods of peaceful conflict
reslution in the future.

- The latest project of the Center concerns refugee children temporarily
living in Belgrade, in the Pioneer City. This project entitled HELLO
NEIGHBOUR was started on 12th of November 1992. It involves  regular
workshops for children, youth and adults from areas endangered by war.
The main objective of the programme is to improve the participants
psychological status. The Programme gives special attention to those
young people who were separated from or lost their parents or suffered
other deprivations as a result of the war. The project is being carried
out by experts from the Institute for Psychology in Belgrade.

6. International Conferences.  The Center helped to organize several
international meetings, for example, a meeting of all the peace groups
from Yugoslavia and ex-Yugoslavia in Vienna, May 30 -June 1, 1992, and
the VERONA FORUM FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIATION IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
held in Verona, September 17 -20, 1992.

Representatives of the Center have taken part in a large number of peace
conferences in many countries. Our members have attended such meetings
as: WOMEN IN EUROPE held by the Swedish Parliament (Ms.Zorica
Trifunovic), CITOYENS DE LA MEDITERANE and MARCH OF PEACE in Strasboroug
(Mrs. Nadeda etkovic) organized by Mouvement de la Paix, WOMEN IN
POLITICS IN EASTERN EUROPE (Dr. Anelka Mili) held in Princeton, the
100th aniversary of Peace movement in Germany DFG-VK (Lina Vukovi and
Hamdija Demirovi), SOLIDARITY AVEC LES PACIFISTES DE L'EX-YUGOSLAVIE
(Indira Kajoevi), DEMOCRACY AND INDEPENDENT MEDIA in Malmo Sweden (Lina
Vukovi), I.C.O.M.- International Conscientious Objectors Meeting (Mr.
Bojan Aleksov), Peace in the Balkans, Athenes Greece (Sonja Biserko), a
Peace program organized by Belguim pacifists in Brussels (Dr. Ivan
olovi). Sonja Prodanovi and Ljubia Raji visited Denmark to talk
about the problems of establishing independent media. These are but a few
of the international conferences attended by associates of the Center. 

Dr. Vesna Pei, the Coordinator of the Center, was a participant and
organizer of the parallel peace conference held in London during the
official London Conference on Yugoslavia, August 1992, and attended by
peace activists from all parts of the former Yugoslavia.

Dr Pei also visited a number of cities in Europe and the United States
discussing the nature of the Yugoslav conflict and the prospects for
peace in the region. She spoke before the Lawyers Committee for Human
Rights in New York and the Philadelphia Bar Association; the S.O.S.
Racism manifestation in Paris, July 1992; the European Conference on the
End of the Century, held in Portugal, 1992; conference on peace in the
former Yugoslavia, the German Social Democratic Party in Bonn; a peace
forum in Hamburg; and many other similar forums. 

Dr. Pei is the recipent of the 1993 Award for Democracy, from the
National Endowment for Democracy in Washington D.C.

7.Communication Networks. The Center is attempting to install its own E-
mail to facilitate communication between peace and human rights groups
throughout the former Yugoslav republics and other countries. The Center
is a meeting place for foreign journalists and peace activists and it
regularly receives information from and sends information to various
peace groups.

While it remained possible, the Center kept up contact with peace
activists in Bosnia and Herzegovina and continues to try to help victims
of the war there by gathering funds for medicine and other needed goods.

8. The Center publishes a by-monthly journal Pacifik, covering peace
topics and culture. The first issue of this magazine appeared in May
1992. A special edition of PACIFIK was published during the Student
Protest in June. Other issues were published in August and November. 

9. The Center regularly issues public statements on actual political
problems and events associated with the course of the war, as well as
violations of human and civil rights. Enclosed you will find a number of
examples of our public statements, interviews, and commentaries from the
domestic and foreign press.



                                             Dr. Vesna Pei
                                             Corrdinator

Belgrade, December 1992.

                                                       
Newsgroups: soc.culture.yugoslavia,soc.culture.croatia,alt.society.revolution,alt.politics.europe.misc,soc.culture.bosna-herzgvna