From: victor@jezebel.wustl.edu (Victor Wickerhauser)
Subject: Croatia Monitor number 10 [part 1/2]
Organization: Washington University, St. Louis Mo.
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 15:19:40 GMT


Below is the Croatian perspective on the latest Balkan wars:


Croatia Monitor no 10  JULY 19 PART ONE Published by: CroInfo Bureau,
Zagreb.  Address: Croatia Monitor, "Vjesnik" Building, Slavonska
Avenija 4, Room 702, 41000 Zagreb, Croatia.  Edited by: Vladimir
Pavlinic (Editor-in-Chief), Boris Zvonkovic (Assistant Editor), Tara
Blasco, Boris Sporer, Annie Vrdoljak, Wilfred Elimu (Editorial
Assistants); , Telephone: (3841) 66 10 50; 66 10 51. Fax: 66 10 52.




intervention sought

A letter from Croatian President Franjo Tudjman to UN Secretary General
Boutros Boutros Ghali  regarding Croatia's current refugee crisis:

"Due to the most recent avalanche of refugees from Bosnia and
Herzegovina that was set in motion on 11 July 1992, the Republic of
Croatia is now facing insurmountable difficulties in its effort to
provide shelter and food for these people.  Only in the course of the
last 24 hours over 20,700 refugees crossed the Croatian border.  The
extent to which these people are panic stricken is best illustrated by
the fact that many of them even women and children) swim across the
Sava River seeking shelter on the Croatian side.  The total number of
refugees currently being provided for in the Republic of Croatia has
surpassed 650,000.  About 361,500 are from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
	The Serbian and Montenegrin  aggressors are taking advantage of
the fact that the attention of the world public is centered on Sarajevo
and are escalating their attacks in all other parts of Bosnia and
Herzegovina and in part of Croatia.  The events taking place in the
area along the Sava River are particularly dramatic:  we are faced here
by a massive exodus of the Moslem and Croatian population from Bosnia
across the river, while Croatian towns (this applies especially to
Slavonski Brod) are being destroyed with surface-to- surface missiles.
	It is with great regret that we have to state that all efforts
made so far by the international community to halt the Serbian and
Montenegrin aggression by political and economic means and bring about
a peaceful resolution of the crisis have remained fruitless.
	We therefore believe that the only remaining solution lies in a
rapid and energetic military intervention by international forces.
Each day of delay means hundreds of new casualties (mostly civilians
and children) and thousands of displaced persons driven from their
homes.  Each additional day of destruction and devastation diminishes
our hopes and our belief in a lasting solution in this part of the
world.
	We therefore suggest that the Security Council meets
immediately and approves a military intervention -  the only way to
give normal life a chance in this part of Europe."




The tired farce of the Carrington EC Peace Talks came to London, and
simply proved again his total immobility as a negotiator  -  and that
the Serbs have no interest in negotiation, only in continuing to spread
their publicity smokescreen. There were few bridges in sight when
Carrington called for more talks and no sign of any likely to be built
between the aggressor and victims on the basis of them.
	Carrington's verdict on the talks (individual, not collective)
	is that 'it is now obvious that some form of constitutional
agreement must be made as a basis from which peace can be achieved.'
This returns to his opening stance over Croatia, that a treaty between
the sides `in the conflict` should agree on a transfer of territory or
sovereignty. In the case of Bosnia-Herzegovina, it reiterates his view
(in line with Serbian aims) that cantonization alone can produce peace.
Karadzic, not surprisingly, considers this a `successful' outcome of
the talks and a basis on which to proceed.
	Mr. Silajdzic spoke directly from the shoulder for the Bosnian
government, saying it was unacceptable to be coerced into discussions
with the leader of terrorists who were killing children whilst
appearing to talk of peace and, even more directly, that if the UN and
Europe did not intend to intervene militarily they should get out of
the way and give Bosnia the arms `to do the job ourselves, for God's
sake'.
	Once again it  was the Serbs who got the TV interviews, and
once again it was a highly polished Public Relations performance in
which serious questions (of which there were few) were easily brushed
aside. The Serbs offered a unilateral and unconditional surrender
provided that pressure was put on `all sides' to also cease- fire; this
is because previous Serbian cease-fire offers were interpreted by `the
others' as weakness and they increased their attacks on Serbian held
positions. The Serbs want more involvement by the UN, by increasing the
UNPROFOR mandate to include the whole of the city of Sarajevo, to
de-militarise it. They believe that a cantonization system `like
Switzerland' would be the best way to achieve peace and progress. Serbs
are willing to accept that wherever Muslims and Croats were formerly
`in a majority' they would retain control_ but the Serbs expect to
retain maybe 55 to 60 per cent  of the territory `for  added
protection' over and above their rightful `Serbian-owned' land. The
ludicrously unequal equation by claiming that Serbs were in the
majority over this territory before the 1914-18 war and were claiming
only what is rightfully theirs by `heritage'.
	That this kind of totally unchanged , and virtually
	unchallenged, Serbian rhetoric can continue to be paraded in
public with ease is breathtaking_ and damning of the entire political
establishment of the western world, not to mention the media who permit
it. All hope is outweighed by unavoidable cynicism as one witnesses the
diplomatic responses to the aggression continuing unabated within both
Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. There is now frantic activity in all
directions but the one most  called for _ the only one that will ensure
justice and peace for the peoples of the region, not just peace for the
politicians of the outside world.
	France proposes yet  another  even larger, conference. More
talk, more delay; more time for Serbian aggression, more chance for
diplomats to show what fine fellows they all are and how much their
hearts bleed for those they cannot help, because of ... any reason they
can think of.
	Looking for another chance to shine in the media, Mr. Major
	has seized upon the children of Sarajevo as a goldplated
frontpage story _ a repeat of his Kurds `success'. So Britain gets back
at France in the media race after  being upstaged by Mitterand's dash
to Sarajevo.  Now Douglas Hurd does the full excursion trip, to
underline Britain's `determination' to achieve real progress during its
6-month presidency of the Commission. To `see  for himself'! How many
more must  `see for themselves' before they accept what has been
publicly depicted for so long, and after countless reports from experts
and UN observers informing every government  and every international
body of the facts?
	An armada of ships lines up in the Adriatic, where everyone
with a navy will monitor the sanctions against  `Yugoslavia'. There
won't  be much room  for other shipping, even if anyone were foolish
enough to `ship' forbidden supplies in by that route. And if they do,
these `navies' have no power to stop and search. We're also told this
`sabre rattling' is of limited value because more complete monitoring
is more easily achieved by other means, such as spy satellites, in any
case.
	However, should anyone be gullible enough to believe any of
	this might lead to more direct action to stop the aggression,
every brave pronouncement is followed instantly by the disclaimer of
`no armed intervention'. The `threat' is therefore continually
proclaimed to be without a fuse, so Serbia may continue its aggression
in complete safety. This isn't even a real paper tiger, but a hologram
of a paper tiger.
	This is humanitarianism, for any who wonder exactly how
diplomats actually define it. It does not include the saving of lives
where that might be hazardous to achieve _ or include the prevention of
the killers from  killing, or assisting the defenders in defending. It
only includes the delivery zone, if the danger is first removed,
otherwise `tough luck' on those who can't reach the supplies
deposited.
	The `peace keepers' and medical teams put  at risk are the real
heroes. They are put into the firing line without  support ; it is too
dangerous for diplomats to support them with covering fire equal to,
or  superior to, the military threat they `re faced with _ even though
it is available, if committed. Instead they give them incessant hot air
support in the hope that it will become a sufficient deterrent..
	They seem to care little which side backs down, although by now
it would suit them  best if it  was the Serbs, so they could claim
proof of having been right in their moralistic stance (ignoring as they
will how long it took them to arrive at it). It would be just as
acceptable to them if the Croats and Bosnians gave up their struggles,
or if the Serbs won outright, because either way would the be `off the
hook'. They could maintain masterly supervision of the situation, to
ensure that minority rights were `properly observed' _ and submit
reports to demonstrate their efficiency. All very proper and civilized,
as to be expected from the world's largest `civil service' institution.
Most importantly, the spotlight would be off of them, which is all they
now really want. Peace. Justice is not their concern, nor real progress
for the region.
	Cyprus, Palestine, Cambodia, Iraq, how many more? Has nothing
been learned since Hitler or Saddam Hussein? Have all these words,
agreements, `laws', resolutions, mandates, and mountains of
international documents really so little actual weight or effect that
any well-armed tyrant anywhere in the world can piss on them with total
impugnity?
	This is a stunning, undeniable, hope-grinding fact that emerges
relentlessly from these endless pantomime antics in the cloudscape of
world diplomacy. They want to run the school, but cannot control even
the smallest bullying urchin in the playground.
	Mr. Silajdzic is right. If they can't bring themselves to do
	what is really needed to halt the aggression, they should just
get out, stop wasting everyone's time but the Serbs (who alone profit
from their perpetual non-intervention and willful non-comprehension of
the events their cause), and balance up the weaponry. If it's to be
decided by a fight, make it more equal fight _ not an unequal slaughter
because of the World's distorted view of non-intervention.


Serbian-French calculations Between symmetry and Versailles

While the West hesitates, Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina advance.  French
Foreign Affairs Minister Roland Dumas announces, "There will be no
intervention."
	The core of Serbian strategy is to capture as much as possible
and offer to negotiate (as in Bosnia-Herzegovina), and hold captured
territory and offer to negotiate (in Croatia). This ought to prevent
intervention and allow them to keep captured areas.
	When the Serbian leader in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Radovan
Karadzic, is satisfied with the amount of land controlled by Serbs, he
will himself order a cease-fire. Serbia's new President Milan Panic has
offered to open the Zagreb-Belgrade road, while a kilometre from this
road, Serbian airplanes are razing the Croatian village of Svilaj.  The
Serbian army has still not withdrawn from the Croatian coast south of
Dubrovnik, as it agreed to long ago. Panic, of course, knows how badly
informed the West is of Balkan geography, so the offer of opening
transport routes may seem like a sign of Serbian good will.
	Serbian policy is aimed at doing anything to prevent Western
military intervention, and to deflect the worst of the sanctions with
some miniscule concessions. The Serbs exploit the differences among
western countries and their indecision; favours are taken from their
traditional friends, in particular the French. Dumas would not have
denied the possibility of intervention so firmly if it was not meant to
have widespread impact.
	Such a statement allows the Serbs to hold what they have and
negotiate for the rest.
	The French are preparing a new international setup with Russia,
one which excludes Germany. The intent is to divide the area of former
Yugoslavia before the Germans can make a decision about their army's
activity outside of Germany and the NATO pact.
	Forgetting that they actively participated in the conferences
	at the Hague and Brussels, the French intend to rewrite
agreed-upon principles, those of immutability of borders, minority
rights and the finality of Yugoslavia's disintegration. This means that
what Serbs have captured by force remains theirs, and if Croats and
Muslims are dissatisfied, they can join a Yugoslavia designed by
Serbia. Who, then, would intervene to drive Serbs out of occupied areas
if they refuse to do so now, when hundreds die daily?
	Serbian-French calculations have their logic, based as they are
on a policy of "fait accompli" and biased arbitration. It's not without
reason that the French would then send their army. Force implies the
power to judge.
	The Americans do not side with the French. Though their
viewpoint is different, they nonetheless have little patience for the
plight of small nations. They are caught between the principles of
freedom and independence, and a global world-view. Thus they can
tolerate seven centuries of one country's dominance over another, as
Serbia's over Croatia.
	Washington today would most of all like to spread the blame for
the current war. The cause of the American press' attacks on Croatian
President Franjo Tudjman is not the recent proclamation of a Croatian
state in Herzegovina, but in order to equate Tudjman with Serbian
President Slobodan Milosevic. They are all nationalists, the American
press implies. But they often forget that the desire of Croatians for
an independent state was not invented by Tudjman, and that whatever
happens, that desire will not die.

Branko Tudjen, Vecernji List


A great illusion If ever anybody listened to directives coming from
world leaders and international organizations and acted accordingly, it
was Alija Izetbegovic. But the world prompters, without blushing, have
left him alone to his tragic fate. Most of what the world did for him
and for Bosnia was Francois Mitterand's landing in Sarajevo. A
courageous act no doubt, but was it anything more than that?
	Before the people of Sarajevo presented Mitterand with a
videotape showing some of the horrors which have befallen their city,
Boutros Boutros-Ghali had accused the Bosnian side of "violating the
ceasefire"! What gullibility on the part of the victim, still convinced
he must prove something to the world, and what hypocrisy on the part of
the world _ as if Mitterand did not know who destroyed Sarajevo, and as
if Ghali did not know who regularly fires first. As if anything could
be hidden from the network of satellites crossing the skies. Their
electronic eyes wouldn't miss a mouse, let alone a howitzer battery.
And Ghali still does not know who fires first.
	The most important thing now to the world seems to be securing
the Sarajevo airport in order to ease the plight of Sarjevo residents
with food supplies. They are trying to appease their own consciences.
To them, it is as if Sarajevo were the only problem, ignoring the rest
of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
	Europe, it seems, does not understand yet that the problem of
Bosnia is not the only crucial problem of the whole crisis in the
territory of former Yugoslavia. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Europe's ability
to apply its political principles is on trial. If Europe could feign
blindness and refuse to see the aggression in the case of Slovenia and
then Croatia, in Bosnia's case it can not. If Europe and the world are
unable to protect the state they themselves recognized as a member of
the international community and so maintain their principles, then the
new European and world order are no more than an illusion. Can such an
illusion of order and clear conscience be saved by sacks of flour,
cartons of oil and tinned food _ by visits of a "humanitarian" nature?
	At the time western politicians were making promises to
Izetbegovic, which he, as an honest man, believed, the majority of
Bosnian Muslims were also following in good faith in the belief that
their newly recognized state was guaranteed. They adopted the policies
of waiting and "non-provocation" and believed that in Croatia the war
would not have happened if the same policies had been adopted. What a
fatal illusion! What luck  that the Bosnian and Herzegovinian Croats
did not share the same illusion...  Milan Jajcinovic, Vecernji list



On July 17, the Committee for the Legal Assistance to the Defenders of
Croatia held a press conference regarding the trial of four Croatian
Army soldiers from Vukovar. The soldiers have been sentenced to death
by a Serbian military court in Belgrade for alleged war crimes against
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
	According to Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan
Simunovic, Belgrade has no right to pursue charges against any member
of the Croatian Army. Any soldier of a legal army, by international
law, cannot be accused of impropriety on the sole basis of having
fought in a war.
	Simunovic, calling the charges "absurd,"  added  that the
soldiers are citizens of the recognized state of Croatia and are being
"tried by an unrecognized state for crimes against Yugoslavia, a
country that doesn' t exist."
	The charges range from  dissertion from the Yugoslav Army to
armed rebellion and genocide.
	Kresimir Abel, a Zagreb lawyer and committee member, condemned
the charges as "so absurd no body can believe them" and stressed that
they are completely invalid.     He accused the Serbian government of
waging an unprecedented campaign to slander the four POWs and to
prevent a fair trial. He added that the prisoners were paraded across
Belgrade TV _ a direct violation of the Geneva Convention.
	"They used all means possible to make the defense process very
difficult.  Besides the false confessions, which were extracted by
means of severe torture and coercion, there was no cross- examination,
only a written statement read in court," he said.
	The Croatian Government has made several appeals to
international leaders, including US Secretary of State James Baker, to
secure amnesty for the prisoners.  The International Red Cross will
soon try to arrange a six-month appeal period, in which time a halt to
the progression of the death sentences and vindication for the PoWs
will be sought.
	"In this situation, every international law has been abused or
violated by the authorities in Belgrade for the Greater Serbian goals,"
Mr. Abel said.
				Clifford Rames



Plan for the demilitarization and demobilization of pink zones
satisfies Thornberry At a meeting with the President of the State
Commission for Relations with UNPROFOR (United Nations Protective
Forces) Milan Ramljak, the UNPROFOR head for Civilian Affairs Cederic
Thornberry expressed  his satisfaction with the realization of the plan
for demilitarization in pink zones and sectors, but added that the
tension was still present.
	When asked about the withdrawal of the Yugoslav army from the
area of Dubrovnik and Konavil, Thornberry stated that he talked in
Belgrade with Borislav Jovic, a presidency member, and the Yugoslav
army chief of staff and asked them to make a plan for the withdrawal of
their units.
	Thornberry also said that one of the topics on the agenda of
	the July 14 meeting was the activity of joint commissions in
the sectors and the borders of the sectors, especially in Sector East
(Slavonia and Baranja). He emphasized that UNPROFOR did not acknowledge
any other pink zones, only those bordering the sectors North and South
because the borders of the sectors had been clearly established.
	In regards to the Zemunik air base near Zadar, Thornberry said
that the Croatian army units and those of the Serbian Territorial
Defence were still close to each other and only heavy weaponry was
being withdrawn from this area.  He also said that the runway was in
good condition, although the terminal and control tower were hit.


Disatisfaction with the Inter-national Red Cross in Obrovac A  Croatian
Government commissioner for the municipality of Obrovac, Mr Jurjevic,
said at a press conference in Zadar on July 13 he received written
confirmation from UNPROFOR that not a single house had been burnt down
there since UNPROFOR took over control, and that UNPROFOR informed him
"that the Obrovac authorities set up a new police station in the
village of Medvidi, with experienced staff and UNPROFOR patrols".  The
commissioner added "he does not recognize police stations in occupied
Croatian villages as they are contrary to the spirit of the UN peace
plan which envisages that the composition of the police force should
reflect the ethnic pattern of the population".
	Mr Jurjevic also pointed out he was embittered with the work of
the International Red Cross.  According to him, "representatives of the
International Red Cross have not done anything so far to protect 300
Croats in occupied villages of the Obrovac municipality.  They have not
even been to that territory, and neither have they given any
explanation for not doing so, while on the other hand, they have always
had access to the areas under Croatian control".


Croatia pressures UN

Dr. Milan Ramljak, Vice-President of the Croatian government and
President of the State Commission for UNPROFOR (United Nations
Protective Forces), following meetings with members of the United
Nations Security Council, United Nations Secretary-General Boutros
Boutros Ghali and Personnel Envoy of the Secretary-General Cyprus
Vance, released the following statement on July 13:
	"The main reason for meeting with members of the UN Security
Council, Boutros Ghali, and Cyprus Vance was to schedule phases of the
UNPROFOR operations, as no such plans were established in Zagreb during
our last talks. Our assessment of Resolution 762 of the UN Security
Council was presented, along with our position regarding amnesty.
	"We insisted that those actions which are the essence of
Vance's plan (withdrawal of the army from the occupied areas of
Croatia, disarmament of Serbian paramilitary units and the return of
refugees) be undertaken without delay.  The immediate withdrawal of the
Yugoslav Army from the occupied Dubrovnik region and the opening of
transport routes into Dubrovnik and Zadar were also demanded".
	Ramljak was reassured by the UN Security Council that the
situation is of top priority.



Heads of Self-proclaimed Serbian Republic moving to Belgrade The
self-proclaimed Serbian Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina decided on July
12 to move their headquarters to Belgrade.  The leaders of their
Serbian Police force and the Ministry of Justice will leave Butmir for
Banja Luka.



Boban's statement for Croatian TV The following statement by Mate
Boban, a representative of the Croats in Bosnia-Hercegovina, was
released after his meeting with Lord Carrington in London:  "Untrue
statements about the declaration of the Croatian Republic in
Bosnia-Herzegovina coming from Sarajevo have been exposed in a
conversation with Lord Carrington.  He said that he understood the need
of establishing an executive authority on the defended territory of
Herzeg-Bosnia with the aim of securing more or less normal life for the
local population."


300,000  to be expelled The Bihac International Press Centre has sent a
letter to the President of the Republic of Croatia Dr. Franjo Tudjman.

"Mr. President, we hope you have been informed about the nine-month
encirclement and of more than 2 months of war being waged by Serbian
forces  using modern weaponry. Bihac has been isolated from parts of
Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Europe and  the entire world. In spite of
being in total information and economic blockade, the city of Bihac and
the Cazin  area are subject to heavy artillery fire. For example, on
July 11, Bihac was hit by more than 250 shells.
	"You are probably aware of SDS ( Serbian Democratioc Party)
giving us an ultimatum to dislocate the whole population of Bihac city
and the Cazin Krajina comprised of 300,000 inhabitants, mostly Slavic
Muslims and Croats together with the refugees who had earlier fled from
the crisis areas in Croatia, with the aim of creating ethnically
cleansed territories and thus making communication possible with the
so-called SAO Krajina.
	"Mister President, we request you to use your undisputable
influence to enable foreign press men from all well known agencies to
come and to inform the general public about the suffering which has
been inflicted on the towns of Bihac Bosanska Krupa, Cazin and Velika
Kladusa, because it is essential that the truth reaches the world."

Slovenia accuses Croatia

At a press conference for British Foreign Minister Douglas Hurd,
Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel called the war in Bosnia-
Herzegovina "a war between two nations, Croatia and Serbia, in the area
of a third. The Muslim people are caught in between and repressed by
both sides."
	Rupel agrees that greater pressure is required on "those
countries conducting the war," but is against outside military
intervention, since such a move could provide Serbia and Montenegro
with an alibi for further aggression.

	Bosnia-Herzegovinian President Alija Izetbegovic opposes this
view. In a letter to Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on July 16,
Izetbegovic said that he had again asked the United Nations for
military intervention in his country. He agreed with Tudjman that the
problem of refugees has become critical for Croatia,  and added that he
hoped Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina could soon arrange to combat
together Serbian incursions.

Bishops stunned by Orthodox bishop's accusation

Serbian ultimatum to Catholic clergy of Banja Luka

The Catholic bishops of the Republic of Croatia met in Zagreb on July 9
at a special one-day meeting and considered several urgent topics of
church life in Croatia.
	The bishops express their consternation at the proclamation of
the Serbian Orthodox representative for Zagreb-Ljubljana, Jovan
Pavlovic, in which he "wrongly accuses the Republic of Croatia and the
Catholic Church in our homeland".
	Not one case is known to the bishops that anyone in Croatia
would forcibly catechize or harass "children of Serbian Orthodox faith"
or prepare them for Holy Communion and confirmation. On the basis of
information from local bishops' offices the bishops considered the
serious conditions in parts of Croatia affected by war.
	They discussed the distressing events in Bosnia-Herzegovina and
released a statement about them, condemning the military aggression on
that sovereign state, especially the killing and the expulsion of the
population. "Again we declare that those who are forced to defend
themselves must not overstep the borders of legal defence", says the
statement by Croatian Catholic bishops.
	They emphasized they were surprised at the powerlessness of
European and world institutions to stop the aggression and at the
tendentious reports of the media in which the victim and the aggressor
are equated.
	"We are particularly shocked by the news that the Serbian
authorities in Banja Luka sent the Catholic bishop, Msgr. Franco
Komarica, an ultimatum that he, the clergy and their congregations must
leave the Banja Luka region within 48 hours. The bishop refused to do
this. We do not know what is happening there as all communications with
him are severed. The Archbishop of Sarajevo, Msgr. Vinko Puljic, made a
dramatic appeal to the world about the catastrophic state in the whole
of Bosnia-Herzegovina", the Bishop stated.
	Finally, the bishops appealed to the people of Bosnia-
Herzegovina to do everything to end the killing of people and their
property and to begin talks on the right solution. They call on
international institutions to use all their power to stop the bloodshed
and return the displaced persons to their homes.


Ethnic cleansing under the protection of the UN As expected, after a
few individual experimental expulsions of Croats from the occupied
region of Baranja by means of UNPROFOR, that phenomenon  has now
assumed more massive proportions. The local Serbian authorities have
placed UNPROFOR in the function of immediate executors of the ethnical
cleansing of Baranja.
	The pressure of refugees from war-torn Bosnia-Hezegovina is
felt strongly, where long files of refugees still arrive via Serbia.
Quite a lot of Serbs have taken up residence in Baranja already and
there is no more free space for settling. This is the basic reason why
the local authorities in occupied Baranja have increased the terror
over the remaining Croatian population, in the last 20 days. Exposed to
repeated ill-treatment and terror, the Croatian inhabitants have been
forced to seek the protection of members of UNPROFOR. As UNPROFOR
members are not able to insure the complete physical protection of
non-Serbian citizen of Baranja, as they  have publicly admitted on a
few occasions, they solve problems which arise by sending the people in
question to Osijek and delivering them to the authorities responsible
for accepting the displaced.
	Uninvited newcomers move immediately into the homes of the
displaced persons. A total of 20 persons have already been displaced
from Baranja by means of UNPROFOR so far and on the afternoon of the
July 4 a new "delivery" of eight persons arrived in UN vehicles from
the villages of Darda and Kozjak.
	The people of Baranja are embittered by such behaviour on the
part of UNPROFOR and are increasingly doubtful as to the success of the
UN mission there. Many them believe they can only return to Baranja
with weapons in their hands. If UNPROFOR is helping to displace Croats
from Baranja, how much hope is there that they will create conditions
for the return of displaced persons in the near future? The regulations
of Vance's plan are ambiguous in many parts, and how the plan is
applied in practice is best illustrated by Baranja's example.
 Marko Barisin, N. Vjesnik

Protest to UNPROFOR Command

In the entire 150 km region, from Velebit Mountain on the west to the
front in Stankovci on the east, there has not been a single tank for
two days, nor any other heavier Serbian weaponry. This means that the
whole so-called `pink zone' and parts of the UN Protected Areas are
cleansed of heavy artillery, according to a press conference of the
Office for Coordination with UNPROFOR with the Croatian Army in Zadar
on July 10. However, the situation in the remaining parts of sector
South (Knin) is not so favourable, emphasizes Ivica Lukovic, liaison
officer for the Croatian Army. For example, the Lika part of the
southern sector demilitarization (the first phase of the peace
operation) goes very slowly because of the reluctance of the other
side.
	The Croatian Army drew out its artillery at the agreed distance
on July 8, but the Chetniks hesitate. Therefore, the Zadar Office of
the Croatian Army made a protest against the Command of UNPROFOR.
	The UN Commander general Arab Rob was staying in Gospic on July
10 and told the Croatian Army they could slow down the withdrawal
because Serbian tanks would leave after two or three days due to
various difficulties, including the shortage of fuel. One side made a
protest against UNPROFOR, as it did not agree with such behaviour, even
when threatening that its armaments would be returned to the former
positions. They are also present on the southern part of sector South,
especially in the region of Drnis and around the Peruca dam.
	Chetnik artillery is leaving Trbounje region slowly. According
to Lukovic, the whole area around Sibenik from Stankovci to Skradin
seems to be problematic. The Chetniks were shooting from cannons at
Croatian formations in the region of Miljevci on July 9. Lukovic said
that the shooting lasted almost 7 hours, but UNPROFOR did not stop it.
	UNPROFOR delivered a written document to the Zadar Office for
Coordination, according to which the enemy had drawn out all heavy
armaments from that part of Sector South. While that document was being
studied, reconnoitrers observed no less than 5 tanks. This fact
seriously erodes the trust in UNPROFOR's assurances of the enemy's
artillery withdrawal.
	On July 10 a proposal arrived in Zadar from the Knin UNPROFOR
Command for the commencement of the removing of all formations from
Miljevci plateau on July 11. The Croatian side did not agree to that,
because the other side had not removed its artillery, to which it was
bound according to the agreed plan.


Ethnic cleansing under the protection of the UN As expected, after a
few individual experimental expulsions of Croats from the occupied
region of Baranja by means of UNPROFOR, that phenomenon  has now
assumed more massive proportions. The local Serbian authorities have
placed UNPROFOR in the function of immediate executors of the ethnical
cleansing of Baranja.
	The pressure of refugees from war-torn Bosnia-Hezegovina is
felt strongly, where long files of refugees still arrive via Serbia.
Quite a lot of Serbs have taken up residence in Baranja already and
there is no more free space for settling. This is the basic reason why
the local authorities in occupied Baranja have increased the terror
over the remaining Croatian population, in the last 20 days. Exposed to
repeated ill-treatment and terror, the Croatian inhabitants have been
forced to seek the protection of members of UNPROFOR. As UNPROFOR
members are not able to insure the complete physical protection of
non-Serbian citizen of Baranja, as they  have publicly admitted on a
few occasions, they solve problems which arise by sending the people in
question to Osijek and delivering them to the authorities responsible
for accepting the displaced.
	Uninvited newcomers move immediately into the homes of the
displaced persons. A total of 20 persons have already been displaced
from Baranja by means of UNPROFOR so far and on the afternoon of the
July 4 a new "delivery" of eight persons arrived in UN vehicles from
the villages of Darda and Kozjak.
	The people of Baranja are embittered by such behaviour on the
part of UNPROFOR and are increasingly doubtful as to the success of the
UN mission there. Many them believe they can only return to Baranja
with weapons in their hands. If UNPROFOR is helping to displace Croats
from Baranja, how much hope is there that they will create conditions
for the return of displaced persons in the near future? The regulations
of Vance's plan are ambiguous in many parts, and how the plan is
applied in practice is best illustrated by Baranja's example.
 Marko Barisin, N. Vjesnik


5000 people in Serbian prisons, tens of thousands in camps

The high official of the Croatian Commission for the exchange of
prisoners of war, persons deprived of freedom and corpses of victims,
Filip Vukovic, made a statement to the newspaper "Oslobodjenje" in
Sarajevo that up to now 2,000 people had been exchanged. 5,000 people,
predominantly Muslims and Croats, are still in prison. That number does
not cover those confined in camps in Pale, Lukavica,  Vogosce, Kula,
Ozren, Zvornik, Majevica, Brcko, Foca, Bileca ...
	According to Vukovic, there is a total of 27 camps and it must
be noted that there are also unregistered camps. The kinds of
atrocities in question can best be expressed by Vukovic's words. "We
know,  for  instance, that in Manjaca 5000 are confined, but some even
say approximately 24,000 people".




"The entire strategy of the West boils down to weakening both Croatia
and Serbia and Muslims, and imposing a protectorate and global solution
on us, which will also include a definite solution for all this region
... It is absolutely certain that the world gave the Slovenians a
state, gave one to the Croats and will give one to the Macedonians.
Nevertheless, the world does not want to bring Serbia to its knees at
all, but seeks to give it something also. And the arrival of Panic, the
arrival of Cosic, all this that is happening politically in Belgrade
... is the search for a compromise what could be given to Serbia so
that it recognizes Croatia, so that it withdraws from Croatia ... The
West fears civil war in Serbia and total chaos.  Therefore the USA
sends Panic. Besides, all attention is shifted towards Sarajevo,
whereas Serbia is allowed to capture northern Bosnia. That is really a
concession to Serbia! ... After all that has happened, can
Bosnia-Herzegovina survive at all as a state? I think it can not! ...
If Croatia had not been present militarily in Bosnia, all the local
Croats would have been slaughtered or exiled already".  Dr Zdravko
Tomac,  Croatian ambassador to Slovenia and vice- president of the
Social democratic party of Croatia _ Party of democratic change



Accusations denied Archbishop of Sarajevo, monsignor Vinko Puljic, made
an appearance in the International Press Centre in Sarajevo on July 12
and denied accusations made by some of the mass media that "Caritas"
distributed humanitarian aid to Croats only. Tomo Knezevic,
representative of "Caritas", also refuted the accusations. He said that
a lot of mass media, for example the newspapers "Slobodna Bosna" and
"Vecernje novine" had written maliciously and falsely about that
humanitarian and church society. He said that precise records were kept
and that it had been established that 70 percent of the total amount of
aid had been distributed to Muslims, 10 percent to Croats and 10
percent to Serbs.

END OF PART ONE


----
Prof. M. Victor Wickerhauser (314)935-6771  <victor@jezebel.wustl.edu>
Dept. of Mathematics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO  63130  USA