http://www.croatia.org/crown en-us http://www.croatia.org/crown N/A letters@croatia.org Sun, 03 May 2026 15:48:43 +0000 20 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9542/1/Letters-to-Amnesty-International-and-the-Financial-Times.html  Croatia seems to always be looked through a microscope while others are treated with kid gloves in the media and in the political world. Hilda Foley (left) has written two letters addressing these concerns, to both the Financial Times and Amnesty International.    hmfgsf@juno.com (Hilda Marija Foley) Thu, 01 May 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9428/1/Western-powers-stood-silently-by-while-Croatia-was-attacked.html In a recent letter to the Monthly Review, Hilda Marija Foley (left) writes" By now, 17 years after the wars in former Yugoslavia, one could assume that most people interested in its history would have come to the same and correct conclusion as to who started the wars." hmfgsf@juno.com (Hilda Marija Foley) Sun, 06 Jan 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9399/1/The-actual-historic-facts-must-be-recognized-once-and-for-all.html In a recent letter to the International Herald Tribune, Hilda Marija Foley (left) writes "In your article 'EU proposal lays out steps on Kosovo independence' by Dan Bilefsky and Stephen Castle Dec 12, 2007 the commentators make the often quoted but erroneous statement when writing that the early recognition of an independent Croatia accelerated the breakup of Yugoslavia." hmfgsf@juno.com (Hilda Marija Foley) Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9151/1/Answer-to-British-MP-article---British-MPs-total-ignorance.html   The largest resistance to German and Italian occupiers was carried out by Croatians, forming  partisan brigades already in June 1941, that eventually with Bosnians numbered 34 units....by Hilda Foley hmfgsf@juno.com (Hilda Marija Foley) Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9120/1/New-York-Times-article-re-Thompson-concert.html     hmfgsf@juno.com (Hilda Marija Foley) Tue, 03 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8901/1/Letters-to-the-Editors-of-The-Baltimore-Sun---Everybody-is-entitled-to-their-opinion-but-not-to-their-facts.html     letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 17 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8849/1/Brian-Gallagher-analyzes-The-Trial-of-Domagoj-Margetic.html     brigall@yahoo.co.uk (Brian Gallagher) Tue, 05 Dec 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8722/1/Letters-Zinfandel--Senator-Migden.html     Hilda Foley (at left) submitted two letters regarding the discussion of California to adopt the "orphan" Zinfandel grape as its official grape. DNA testing has shown the variety to come from Croatia.   Read more ... stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Mon, 25 Sep 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8548/1/E-Is-there-really-any-question-who-was-the-villain-Travel-Section-article.html Is there really any question who was the villain? From: hmfgsf@juno.com To: ctc-tribletter@tribune.com Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 Subject: Travel section article Dear Editor, While the travel article "Croatia with 40 nice people" ( June 25) by Robert Cross was quite interesting and informative, one sentence was out of place, not just because politics do not belong in the travel section, but because it was also quite inaccurate. Mr. Cross writes: "Who exactly were the villains and the heroes in Croatia's bid for independence and its conflict with the Serbs is still a matter of debate across former Yugoslavia." As the tourists traveled through some areas of Croatia, mainly in the vicinity of the beautiful Plitvice Lakes National Park, they could see destroyed homes and pockmarked buildings caused by the aggression of the Serb Yugoslav army and the ethnic Serb collaborators, who occupied one third of Croatia during the war. In contrast, tourists traveling to Serbia would not see any kind of destruction caused by Croatia in Serbia, since Croatians never put a foot on Serbia's soil. They only defended their own country, wishing independence from Serb domination. Secession was their right under the Yugoslav Constitution, but the Serbs and Montenegrins would not permit it. Since they could not keep it they tried to destroy Croatia - from Vukovar in the east to Dubrovnik in the south. Is there really any question who was the villain? Sincerely, Hilda M. Foley 13272 Orange Knoll Santa Ana, CA 92705 714 832-0289 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 28 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6578/1/E-Letter-to-Newsweek-re-Death-of-a-Monster.html ÂTo: Editors@newsweek.com Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006Subject: Death of a MonsterDear Editor:In your otherwise excellent article "Death of a Monster", March 20 issue,the very first sentence needs correction. It was only in the eyes of theWest that Yugoslavia was viewed, as the journalist states "Yugoslaviawas the freest, most prosperous country in Eastern Europe." No, it wasnot free. People who did not agree with communism were imprisoned, manysent to the "Goli Otok" ("Bare Island") a harsh gulag on an bare islandon the Adriatic, and many were executed. People learned to keep theiropinions to themselves. The West closed its eyes to it all for coldpolitical reasons of their own, namely to keep Yugoslavia out of theSoviet sphere. Yet Tito's Yugoslavia vote at the UN nevertheless always supported Russia and the rest of the Soviet communist Block countries. And no, Yugoslavia was not "prosperous" because of Tito's "type" ofcommunism, but because Tito, for the above mentioned reason, received agreat amount of monetary support from the West, enabling him to "employ"100 workers where 10 could have done the job. Also, much of the"prosperity" that was seen came from the money sent home to the familiesof the Yugoslav "Gastarbeiters" - "guest workers", mostly from Germany.In that regard Tito was smart, he let people go to work out of thecountry, bringing in foreign money and at the same time avoiding massunemployment!Sincerely,Hilda M. Foley13272 Orange KnollNorth Tustin, CA 92705, USA714 832-0289 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 15 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6581/1/E-Balkan-Melodies-for-Accordion---NEEDS-SERIOUS-EDITING.html ÂA SHALLOW AND SUPERFICIAL BOOKIn 2005 a booklet under the title"Balkan Melodies for Accordion", 56 pp (42 songs),was issued by Mel Bay Publications, www.melbay.com Inc. The authorof the book is Dr. Frances M. Irwin.Description of the booklet can be seen athttp://www.melbay.com/contents.asp?ProductID=95986&Heading=&category=&catID=&head1=&head2=&sub=&sub1=&author=&contpage=95986f.html&mode=&q=&r=&s=&next=This is a shallow and superficial book.The author knows next to nothing about the subject.First, it is strange that the book under the title"Balkan Melodies..." has no songs from other Balkancountries, like Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Montenegro,Albania, and Turkey. This shows that the author isignorant about the meaning of the notion of the"Balkans". The mentioned countries can rightfully bedissatisfied for not being represented in the book.Here are a few of ugly misrepresentations concerning Croatian songs. A well known Croatian song"Sve Pticice Iz Gore" is claimed to be Slovenian.Another well known Croatian song - "Vehni fijolica",is claimed to be a song from Bosnia-Herzegovina.And let us not forget that there are also niceCroatian songs from that country as well. Eight songs are correctly grouped as Dalmatian songsin the book, but as if they were not Croatian.Altogether twelve songs in the book are indicated asCroatian, but actually as many twenty two songs in thebook are Croatian, that is, more than a half of songslisted in the book!E-mail of Mel Bay is:email@melbay.com by phone: 1-800-863-5229We all know that the Mel Bay is a famous publisher. It is strange that they issued such a low qualitymusical edition. I myself had a great pleasure toenjoy excellent previous editions of the Mel Bay,published decades ago. Mel Bey has been for me asymbol of high quality musical editions, until thisstrange edition appeared in 2005. It is possible that the Mel Bay will undertakepublishing a more reliable book dealing with Croatiansongs. If so, I can recommend them to contact Mr. Nenad Bach (www.nenadbach.com), Croatian composerworking in New York, and maybe even Dr. Katarina Livljanic, visiting professorat the Harvard University. Information about the two mentioned top professionalscan be found at my web page devoted to the history ofCroatian music:www.croatianhistory.net/etf/et12.html Hoping that this e-mail might result in publishing ofa better product about Croatian music than the one wehave described, I send this e-mail to the Mel BayPublications Inc, and also to the the Croatian WorldNetwork (www.croatianworld.net), directed by NenadBach, New York.Darko Zubrinic, Zagrebwww.croatianhistory.net letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 01 Nov 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6580/1/E-The-War-of-the-Words-by-Dr-Tomislav-Sunic.html ÂThe War of the Wordsby Tomislav Sunic24 October 2005The hybrid "Serbo-Croatian" language was not only an oxymoron -- it was primarily a political ploy for bringing two different peoples into a unitary unnatural whole.Even before a war starts shaking up a new country, fights about national languages abound. The endless debate surrounding the Croatian language may have been the prime motive that turned the former Yugoslavia into a pulverized powder keg. For every nation, language and religion constitute two main pillars of national identity; without its language, the nation melts away into a wider structure of anonymous denizens using often bizarre idioms. The hybrid "Serbo-Croatian" language was not only an oxymoron -- it was primarily a political ploy for bringing two different peoples into a unitary unnatural whole. With the establishment of the new state of Croatia in 1991, there was a public outcry to purify the Croatian language of all Serbian words, and to show the world Croatian distinctiveness -- often at the expense of doctoring up new and bizarre words. The effort regarding the purity of the language is not only symptomatic of Croatia, but is a hallmark of all smaller nations in search of an identity. Every small nation goes through similar birth pangs in an attempt to foster its peculiar linguistic character. Approximately five million people speak the Slovak, Norwegian, Georgian, Albanian, and Danish languages, respectively -- and as long as their languages are shielded by strong state bureaucracy, there is no fear that they will die away. Very different is the story regarding the Chechen, Abkhaz, or Islandic languages, which are spoken by half a million citizens respectively. Many of these peoples do not have solid states in sight, and are still searching for world recognition. Chances are, though, that with no state, their language may well disappear. The battle of the languages always precedes the battle of the guns. All new governments, once entrenched in power, must first tackle the language issue. It is worth recalling that immediately after the French revolution, in 1792 (probably one of the most fateful political events in European history), early Jacobin revolutionaries, including their rabble-rouser mouthpiece BarrÃre, adopted a law stipulating that "the German language is the language of counterrevolution, Spanish that of inquisition and the papists, and Italian that of run-away aristocracy." Side by side with massive genocides carried out by French revolutionary self-proclaimed world-improvers, all dialects and regional languages in France were wiped away. Yet, despite all of that, until mid-19th century over 50 percent of French citizens spoke different dialects that had nothing in common with the modern Parisian French. Similarly, after the Passion Play of Bleiburg in 1945, the Yugocommunist commissars enacted decrees that would thoroughly emasculate the linguistic treasure trove of the Croatian language. The rooted Croatian language was considered "counterrevolutionary." Moreover, the usage of some popular regional idioms and expressions from the cakavski or the kaikavski dialects was viewed as provincial, "hickish," or at best, primitive. Meanwhile the titophile intelligentsia, in search of careers, started to popularize the new hybrid of "Serbo-Croatian language."In 1886 one unitary language was also designed for citizens of Bosnia and Hercegovina. Following the annexation of Bosnia-Herecegovina by the Austrian authorities, an attempt was made to create a common language for the three different peoples and cultures. This attempt soon came to a pitiful end. Likewise, there is a tendency today, encouraged also by the international community, to introduce the "Bosnian language." Most likely, this centralized attempt will also fail. The Balkan peninsula, and particularly its center known as the former Yugoslavia, is not the only case of an attempt at crafting an artificial language. After the peaceful departure of Norwegians, Danes and Swedes into their own separate states, in 1904, the new elites in Norway began to cultivate their own idiom, cleansed of Danish and Swedish verbal residues. The new political class turned to the Norwegian countryside in order to replenish the Norwegian vocabulary. The Landmal thus became a code word for the Norwegian language, as opposed to the Swedophile Bokmal, the language of the books. The opposite side can best be observed in the former Soviet Union. As early as 1922 the early Bolsheviks adopted the language policy which aimed at forceful russification of all other languages in the newly created multiethnic communist empire. The cyrillic script was imposed on muslim peoples, who had previously used the Arabic script, such as the Kirghis, the Turkmens, etc. This was also the case in the former constituent Soviet republic of Moldova, which despite its Latin roots and Romanian origins, had to use the cyrillic script. Naturally, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the subsequent rebirth of new nation states, the first move on the part of the new elites was to establish their own national languages. Cases like this abound: Czechoslovakia, in 1920, imposed upon its citizens the Czech language as the only official language, although half of its citizens spoke German, Hungarian, and Slovak as their mother tongues. Nor is the situation different in Western Europe. The Irish language is on the verge of extinction. So is the old Gaelic in Scotland and the Breton language in France. In Croatia, not long ago, the peculiar Veliot language was spoken by a few old islanders ("boduli") on the island of Krk. Today the Veliot language is gone with the wind. The Croatian language is the hallmark of Croatian national identity; it has to be nurtured at all costs, notably by introducing into its vocabulary idioms and expressions from the local cakavski and kajkavski dialects. This "return to the roots" is certainly much more expedient than resorting to new words, i.e. neologisms which often leave a bad political aftertaste among domestic and foreign listeners and interlocutors. Of course, all Croats, particularly professionals, must work on their fluency in the English language, which has become, so to speak, the obligatory "lingua franca" all over the world. It is beside the point whether the American language is "bad" or "good", "nice" or "ugly" -- or a symbol of cultural imperialism. The American language has become a universal language, and must be learned by anybody who is considering a career or who wishes to understand the modern world. Thus, for example, Swedish professionals, working at large enterprises, when discussing business deals, serious economic or financial issues with their German or Portuguese counterparts, often resort to the American-English language. What the German or the French language was fifty or one hundred years ago, is now the role of the American-English language. This American language is increasingly losing its ties with the classical English language and its normative grammar. New cliches and new idioms are constantly made up, which makes American very graphic and a rapidly evolving language. The American language has many other advantages, notably phrasal verbs and an abundant colloquial trove, as well as the increasing trend towards phonetic transcriptions. Thus, for instance, even in official correspondence, some cumbersome suffixes and prefixes are dropped and double consonants are shrunk into one. "Thanks" has become "thanx," cool is "kool," etc. Of course, from working out hard to making out.. hardly... Dr. Tomislav (Tom) Sunic is writer, translator, author, and former US professor in political science. His website is here. Email Tomislav Sunic: tomislav.sunic@zg.htnet.hr http://www.intellectualconservative.com/article4681.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 24 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6584/1/E-Journalists-cant-be-blamed-for-someones-else-mistakes.html ÂJOURNALISTS CAN'T BE BLAMED FOR SOMEONE'S ELSE MISTAKES! ÂPorec, October 7, 2005We consider the recent apprehension and the arrest of the Croatian journalist Mr. Josip Jovic, who released and published the names of protected witnesses of the ICTY an extremely discriminatory act against Croatia and its people. We would like to explain to Ms Carla del Ponte that in Croatia there are laws stipulating free speech, freedom of thought and the free media. In case she ignores that, she might better have a look at the similar legislation of her country. The very fact that journalists can find out the name of the protected witness, means that this same witness is not protected at all! The responsibility for this should not be borne by some "folks of the pen," but rather by the organizational structure of the irresponsible Tribunal itself! Therefore, dear Carla, if somebody needs to be castigated, it should be your secretary, or your colleague from the next door office. And why not blame a custodian of the house or a cleaning lady in the Tribunal who spotted a piece of paper on the floor? Why do you sport so much arrogance and come down on these public figures who report in an unbiased manner about your garishness regarding our martyred, poor and small nation? This act of yours can also be understood as a dictatorial venture and a" ukase" of yours. Croatian World Assembly considers this move of the Hague Tribunal a hypocritical act and detrimental to the internal affairs of Croatia. As our homeland is teeming with all sorts of crime and banditry, the judiciary (both foreign and domestic) cloth with the garb of "crime" our liberators and our poor journalists. The repressive attitude of the "international " Hague institution, which seems to be more enamored with politics than with justice and ethics, demonstrates with this act that is opposed to free speech on the territory of its much cherished " world province " of Croatia. We are using this opportunity to alert all worthy and honorable members of our people, all our politicians, and especially those who sit at the summit of political power, to reexamine from other perspectives, their own attitudes, their own servile stance regarding the matter of this imposed task of our cooperation with this institution. If we are not allowed to write and to think, how much "independent" are we? Who will consider us a serious people if we don't consider ourselves serious?Âwww.hssd.hr PresidentNiko Soljak prof. ing.,  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6583/1/E-UN-Prosecutors-Double-Standards.html ÂUN Prosecutor‘s Double Standards.By Brian Gallagher 5 October 2005http://members.madasafish.com/~opus/Croatia/Brian.Gallagher.051005.html More information has arisen regarding the case of theCroatian journalists who have been indicted by UNprosecutors for disclosing the identity and testimonyof a protected witness in the Blaskic case. (For moreinformation, please see here:http://members.madasafish.com/~opus/Croatia/Brian.Gallagher.300905.html It transpires that the London based Institute of Warand Peace Reporting has repeatedly disclosed theidentity of the witness; shamefully not mentioned intheir recent reports on the journalists.It is known that a 1997 decision relating to thewitness has been on the ICTY website for eight years,identifying the witness. See it herehttp://www.un.org/icty/blaskic/trialc1/decisions-e/70606PM113306.htm In relation to reporting to that decision, IWPRmentioned the name in their Tribunal Update 32 of June9-14, 1997.See it herehttp://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/tri/tri_032_3_eng.txt In regard to that particular affair, the ICTY alsonamed the witness in their summary of a press briefingin 2003 on their own website.See it here (last paragraph)http://www.un.org/icty/briefing/2003/PB170703.htm The IWPR directly named the individual as a witness inthe Blaskic case in its Tribunal Update of 7-11February 2000. This is of considerable importance asIWPR named the witness before any of the datesmentioned in the indictments. Most of the indictmentsrelate to 2004. However, the indictment against JosipJovic is for dates in 2000, the earliest being 27November. The IWPR disclosure comes some months priorto that. See it here.http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/tri/tri_163_3_eng.txt Mirko Klarin, then Senior Editor at IWPR, fullydisclosed the identity in Tribunal Update of 16-21September, 2002. Klarin specifically states the nameof the witness and that he had testified in the closedsession in the Blaskic trial, and something of thenature of that testimony. See it here.http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/tri/tri_281_1_eng.txt Klarin named the witness again in IWPR’s TribunalUpdate of September 30 - October 4, 2002 report on theMilosevic trial. See it here.http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/tri/tri_283_1_eng.txt IWPR named the witness again this time written byEmir Suljagic in Tribunal Update of 23-27 June 2003See it here.http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/tri/tri_318_4_eng.txt The witness was named again by IWPR in a piece byStacey Sullivan in the 19 December 2003 TribunalUpdate. See it herehttp://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/tri/tri_338_5_eng.txt A number of the IWPR reports were also placed on theJUSTWATCH website by Andras Riedlemyer, who haspreviously appeared in trials as an expert witness forthe UN Prosecutors.See them hereTribunal Update 7-11 February 2000http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0002&L=justwatch-l&D=1&O=D&F=&S=&P=75423Tribunal Update 16-21 September, 2002http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0209&L=justwatch-l&D=1&O=D&F=&S=&P=49439Tribunal Update September 30 - October 4, 2002http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0210&L=justwatch-l&D=1&O=D&F=&S=&P=15717Tribunal Update of 23-27 June 2003http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0307&L=justwatch-l&D=1&O=D&F=&S=&P=11173Tribunal Update of 19 December 2003http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0312&L=justwatch-l&D=1&O=D&F=&S=&P=61294Recent articles on the indicted journalists by IWPRhave somehow failed to mention that they themselvesrepeatedly named the witness. See their latest reportof 30 September by Janet Anderson herehttp://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/tri/tri_423_1_eng.txt No action has been taken by ICTY prosecutors againstIWPR or their journalists - or indeed JUSTWATCH - fornaming the protected witness.This raises the most serious questions. How is it thataction was taken against Croatian journalists and notIWPR?The Croatian journalists have a strong public interestdefence: A recent article in the New York Times quotesProsecution documents as saying the witness is "ahigh-ranking politician who holds important stateresponsibilities." . If such a politician in theUnited Kingdom gave secret testimony at a UN courtagainst a British soldier the public would certainlydemand to know what was said and by whom. No doubtthe same would apply in the United States. Nobodywould accept protective measures. Why should it bedifferent in Croatia? Further, the public interestcase is strengthened by the fact that in the Blaskiccase, a miscarriage of justice occurred.No doubt the Croatian journalists concerned hadpolitical motives for publishing what they did. Thatis freedom of speech.IWPR has presented no explanation or defencewhatsoever for revealing the identity of the witness.Yet somehow, they have got away with it. And continueto do so - their reports have been on their websitefor years. There is no clear public interest case fortheir revealing it.IWPR is sympathetic to the ICTY. It also is Londonbased, and part funded by the British taxpayer. Nodoubt that is connected to their apparent immunityfrom indictment.Journalists are entitled to be pro ICTY. However,that does not mean the ICTY should consider them abovethe law. Why should these Croatian journalists facecriminal charges and the strain and stress that mustcreate in their lives, whilst IWPR and its journalistsdo not have to face that - despite naming the witnessprior to the dates of the mentioned in the indictmentsof the Croats?It is clear double standards, and the ICTY isoperating on a political basis; those that criticiseit face prosecution for repeating the name of aprotected witness, but those uncritical or evensupportive of the ICTY can do the same thing withimpunity.And what of IWPR? Their latest reports on thesituation shamefully fail to mention that theythemselves named the witness repeatedly. What kind ofjournalism is that? IWPR’s readers are fully entitledto that information - yet it was denied to them. Giventhat the taxpayer helps pay their wages, it is all themore appalling. IWPR’s silence is a disgrace.Of course, given that the witness himself has admittedfor years that he was a witness, the whole issue isridiculous. But that has not stopped the UNprosecutors, led by the much criticised Carla delPonte, whose double standards will no doubt berevealed in excruciating detail by the defendants.The trial will be very interesting indeed. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6579/1/E-NGs-Concise-History-of-the-World.html   Concise History of the WorldForumNational Geographic Society1145 17th St. N.W.Washington, D.C. 20036-4688 Oct. 5, 2005Dear Editor:I am writing to you in regard to the introduction of the National Geographic's "Concise History of the World". If it is as "concise" and correct as your description of former Yugoslavia in the February 2000 issue of the National Geographic magazine, in which on the map under the heading "Serbs" it said that Serbs settled in the seventh century into what is now Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Bosnia .. you will be making the same mistake again, besides a number of other mistakes that occurred in that article. You could have simply looked up under "Slavs" in the Encyclopedia Britannica, ed. 1970, vol. 20, which correctly states that "On the territory of modern Yugoslavia the first Slavic kingdom was Croatia". When Croatians voiced their complaints at that time, the truth was ignored by answering that the National Geographic stands by its experts. Wonder who those "experts" are? Facts are, the Croatians, not Serbs, settled in the seventh century in the area that is still to this day Croatia and was a kingdom from the tenth to the twelfth century. Only upon the death of the heirless last king did Croatia enter a "Personal Union" with the king of Hungary. Unfortunately things went downhill ever since for Croatia, becoming ruled by other nations, until it finally became independent again in 1991.Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyHilda M FoleyAmerican Croatian Assn. of So. California13272 Orange KnollNorth Tustin, CA 92705714 832-0289   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 05 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6582/1/E-Letter-to-Mr-Prosper-US-State-Dept.html  We wonder how you arrived at this totally false assumptionHilda M. FoleySo. California Chapter American Croatian Association13272 Orange KnollNorth Tustin, CA, 92705Mr. Pierre-Richard ProsperU.S. State DepartmentWashington, D.C. 20520 Oct. 4, 2005Dear Mr. Prosper:It has come to our attention that a few months ago Congressman Thaddeus McCotter submitted an Amendment to the Appropriation Bill in which he condemned the indictment of six Croatian journalists by the ICTY.These indictments are indeed unjust because these journalists are accused of publishing the name of a "protected witness" - in this case now Croatian president Mesic, while his name was already revealed several years prior on the ICTY's own web site and was only subsequently picked up by the Croatian journalists. It was also previously disclosed by the Serb Veritas organization, which works closely with ICTY's Prosecutor Del Ponte, even though its leader Strbac was a high official of an illegally occupied Croatian region from 1991-1995, called the "Republic of Serb Krajina", where Serbs committed untold atrocities and ethnically cleansed the entire Croatian population, looting and burning their homes. The ICTY called it a "criminal enterprise", yet uses their lies and false accusations in order to "equalize" the guilt by bringing indictments also against Croatian generals. Furthermore, Del Ponte never indicted Strbac for the disclosure of the "protected witness". Why??In view of all this, we are dismayed that the State Department pressured Congressman McCotter to remove his Amendment, by telling him that the indicted journalists are "not really journalists".We wonder how you arrived at this totally false assumption. We want to inform you that they are indeed professional journalists, not only by Croatian but by standards of any Western country. Two areeditors-in-chiefs of their newspapers and Mr. Margetic is the founder and president of the legitimate Society of Journalists of the Republic of Croatia (UNHR). There are several journalists' societies and one of them, from whom you might have received the false information, is a leftist leaning competitor. That should explain their position, painting anyone who is not a "former" communist asbeing ultranationalist. They are willing to ruin anyone who dares to have a different opinion from their own.Sincerely,Hilda M. Foleycc. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 04 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6585/1/E-Croatias-map-on-Google-needs-correction.html ÂYour border between Croatia and...From: hmfgsf@juno.com To: earth.support@google.com Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2005 Subject: Croatia's mapDear Earth Google,Your border between Croatia and Serbia/Montenegro is incorrect, givingSerbia/Montenegro part of Croatia. This is too serious to ignore, as abitter war has just been fought in this area recently, when Serbia usedmilitary aggression as it tried to expand into "Greater Serbia". I understand you already received complaints and answered them by sayingthat it will take quite some time to correct that. If you would put theborder between the U.S. and Mexico inside the U.S. south of San Diego, Idon't think it would take you very long to come up with the correction!So again, please make that correction promptly. Prevlaka peninsula is inCroatia.Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans132372 Orange KnollNorth Tustin, CA 92705  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 25 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6587/1/E-Croatian-journalist-indicted-by-ICTY-asks-for-help.html ÂCroatian journalist indicted by ICTY asks for helpHelloI attach 3 items below concerning the outrageousindictment of 4 croatian journalists by the ICTY, whomay face imprisonment. The first is a letter to theICTY from Reporters Without Borders. The other twoare appeals from Domagoj Margetic(domagoj_margetic@yahoo.com), one of the journalistsindicted. As can be seen, he is threatening to go onhunger strike.The Veritas organisiation, mentioned in the belowletter from Reporters without Borders, alreadypublished the testimony by Croatian President StipeMesic - which led to the indictments - some yearsprior to the indicted journalists. This organisationhas been publicly endorsed by the ICTY(http://www.veritas.org.yu/engleski/icty.htm). Clearlythisis evidence of favourtism - they have not indictedtheir friends for doing the same thing.I would also point that Strbac, in charge of Veritas,took part in the occupation of Croatia which the ICTYcalled a criminal enterprise. The ICTY has notinvestigated Strbac, but has endorsed him. This makesthe attack on these journalists even morequestionable.Kind regardsBrian GallagherReporters sans frontiÃres5, rue Geoffroy-Marie75009 Paris - FranceTel. 33 1 44 83 84 84Fax. 33 1 45 23 11 51E-mail : rsf@rsf.orgWeb : www.rsf.orgThe Clerk of the CourtInternational Criminal CourtChurchillplein 12517 JWThe HagueNetherlandsDear Sir,Reporters Without Borders, an internationalorganisation that defends press freedom, would like tovoice its concern as to the consequences for pressfreedom of the trial of three Croatian journalists,Ivica Marijacic, Stjepan Seselj and Domagoj Margetic,who are accused of contempt of the InternationalCriminal Court in the Hague for failing to respectcertain protection orders and who face a maximumsentence of seven years in prison and a fine of100,000 euros.We think a symbolic sentence would be the mostappropriate decision as regards these journalists inorder to avoid setting a dangerous precedent andbecause of the priorities of the InternationalCriminal Court, of which the chief task is to try themost serious international crimes.Furthermore, these three Croatian journalists were notthe first to reveal – in November 2004 in HrvatskiList, Hrvatsko Slovo and Novo Hrvatsko Slovo – theidentity of a protected witness, namely the currentCroatian president, Stipe Mesic, and the secrettranscripts of the 1997 trial of the Bosnian Croatgeneral, Tihomir Blaskic. This confidentialinformation had already been published on the VeritasCentre for Collecting Documents and Informationwebsite (www.veritas.org.yu) in 1999, and by theBosnian daily Bih Dani on 1 June 2001.Finally, the fact that the protected witness isCroatia’s president means that the publication of hisname, although a breach of the law, does not endangerhis safety.We trust you will give this matter your carefulconsideration and will appreciate the points we havemade.Respectfully,Robert MÃnardSecretary-GeneralURGENT INTERNATIONAL APPEAL FOR HELP TO CROATIANJOURNALISTS INDICTED IN HAGUE TRIBUNALFrom public sources, You probably learned that theICTY in The Hague has indicted three prominentjournalists in Croatia—Ivica Marijacic (editor inchief Hrvatski list Zadar), Domagoj Margetic (formereditor in chief of Hrvatsko slovo and Novo hrvatskoslovo) and Stjepan Seselj. It is also ourunderstanding that another Croatian journalist, JosipJovic, the former editor-in-chief and current popularcolumnist for Slobodna Dalmacija, is also in theprocess of being indicted by the ICTY. Thesejournalists are being indicted for the alleged crimeof contempt of the tribunal, pursuant to Rule 77 ofthe ICTY’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence, forpublishing the identity and statements of protectedwitnesses in the Tihomir Blaskic case. Thejournalists face a possible punishment of a 100,000Euro fine and seven years in prison.In part, the indictments appear to be based on thepublication of "secret testimony" given by CroatianPresident Stipe Mesic to the ICTY. It is ourunderstanding that at the time of the publication, thetestimony was already available on the Internet andthat the fact of President Mesic's testimony hadalready been publicly admitted by him. Even if thiswere not true, it would also appear that it is theresponsibility of the tribunal, and not that of theCroatian or international media, to make sure thatsecret witness testimony is not leaked to the public.As you know, it is a common tactic of dictatorialregimes to prosecute journalists who criticize publicofficials by using what appear to be accepted legaldoctrines, such as defamation. Thus, we areparticularly disturbed that some of the journalistsindicted have heretofore written articles critical ofthe ICTY.It is the role of journalists in a free society tohold public officials accountable for their actions,and to reveal sensitive, even privileged informationin order to inform the public. The public’s right tobe informed, along with the rights of journalists topublish their reporting free of any censorship, is atthe core of an open, free press. We believe that these indictments clearly fall withinthe definition of what constitutes “attacks on thepress”.We therefore request Your urgent action and help toindicted Croatian journalists and we ask You toinvestigate the ICTY's actions and determine whetherthey are consistent with generally accepted notions offreedom of the press that prevail in truly democraticsocieties.Domagoj Margetic, journalistIndicted in ICTY-Hague International TribunalI am indicted by The Hague International Tribunal forwar Crimes, because of the contempt of Court, asCroatian journalist and publicist. In last several months I warned Croatian Governmentand other relevant institutions that I don’t havefinancial sources to finance my defense at The HagueTribunal, but they ignored that information.As I wrote I don't have financial sources to finance mydefense and in Croatia political situation is not goodfor the journalists which are indicted in Hague, so Icannot get any place to work, to write, and to earn mypay check every month. I am on so called BLACK LIST OFJOURNALISTS. So I don't have even financial sources formy every day life.Now The Hague Tribunal refused to register myattorney Zeljko Dumancic from Zagreb, out of unknownreasons. So now I am left without any legal assistanceas the indicted journalist at The Hague.I demand from the Government of Croatia, as ex deputyprime minister dr. Andrija Hebrang said that theGovernment secretly finance some of the indictedpersons at the Hague, but the others doesn't have thatprivilege, so I demand that the Government of Croatiaequally finance my defense. At this moment my rights are in dangerright to justice at the Tribunal,right to defense and legal help,they are breaking the rules of the Hague TribunalStatute,the Government put me at the list of those indictedpersons ate The Hague which they are not to finance,out of their secret reasons.If they don't find the solution for these problemsuntil the Friday 26.8.2005., I'll start hunger strikeuntil the end.The Government is not respecting our human and citizenrights by strange and non transparent financing ofsome indicted persons and not financing the others. Iam put in the unequal position at the Tribunal, andin the legal sense.I urge You again to help us, indicted Croatianjournalists at The Hague tribunal.Domagoj Margeticjournalistwww.domagojmargetic.com  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 20 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6586/1/E-Correct-Prevlaka-Border-on-Google-Earth.html ÂGoogle Earth needs correction on Prevlaka Case# 32045827Dear All, thanks to Martin Cvjetkovic and this map corrected by Matko Cvjetkovic, please send your polite complaint and ask for correction in the next 24 hours. Prevlaka is too sensitive to stay like this much longer.As far as I understood, red line is the corrected one, not yet on Google Earth, but done by Matko. Emails are below as well as first response to Martin Cvjetkovic from Google. Otherwise, Google has a great tool, compliment them as well.Nenad Subject: Re: [#32045827] Other_DataError Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 08:44:10 +0000 From: earth.support@google.com To: c.mateo@verizon.net To: Âlastovac@inet.hr Thank you for your note on how we can make our database better. Weappreciate your feedback and use your feedback to improve both ourdatabase and our Help Center. We investigate all data errors and pass all imagery requests on to ourdata production team. Although we do update and/or add new data on amonthly basis, we do not have a list of when currently low resolutionareas or data anomalies will be updated.We're aware that some addresses are not roof-top accurate. This is theresult of how addresses are matched up to an exact position on the earth.We rely on a technique called "address interpolation," which is a fancyway of saying that we take our best guess. More specifically, we take thetotal number of addresses in a given block and assume an even distributionof the addresses along that block. For example, if there are ten addressesfor the 800 block of Main Street, we assume that the fifth address islocated at the halfway point. Ideally, we'd use a database that could precisely match addresses to theirrooftops, but unfortunately, such a database doesn't exist. We hope tohave a system in place in the near future that will allow users correcttheir location search results. We do, however, currently have a way to add and edit business listings:https://www.google.com/local/add/login letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 20 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6588/1/E-Letter-handed-to-Prime-Minister-Tony-Blair.html ÂÂBrian Gallagher & Jasna CelicÂThe following letter was handed this afternoon to 10Downing Street. Photograph of the handing above.5 August 2005Prime Minister Tony Blair10 Downing Street, London, SW1A 2AADear Prime MinisterWe are writing to you on behalf of ourselves andconcerned members of the Croatian community in Londonas well as friends of our community.We are concerned over the indictment of CroatianGeneral Ante Gotovina and other Croatian Generals bythe International Criminal Tribunal for the FormerYugoslavia in the Hague as well as British policytowards Croatia. Today is the tenth anniversary of thecommencement of Croatia’s Operation Storm, effectivelycontrolled by the United States in 1995, whichliberated large amounts of territory and wasinstrumental in saving Bosnia-Herzegovina. Itstopped Slobodan Milosevic, Radovan Karadzic and RatkoMladic and brought about the Dayton Peace Accords.As you are aware, the British government has preventedCroatia from starting negotiations to join theEuropean Union due to Croatia failing to hand overGeneral Gotovina. However, no evidence has been madepublic suggesting that the Croatian Government isdeliberately not trying to find General Gotovina.We wish to bring to your attention a number oftroubling aspects of the indictment against GeneralGotovina. As is evident from the indictment, theTribunal is characterising Operation Storm as acriminal enterprise.Firstly, the Tribunal itself has contradicted thecharges against General Gotovina in their evidence atthe Milosevic trial. In particular, we refer to PeterGalbraith’s testimony for the prosecutors in which heexplicitly stated that no ethnic cleansing took place- charges that are at the heart of the indictment. Ifthe ICTY prosecutors are unconvinced by their owncharges, why should anyone else be? Furthermore, it is well known that Operation Storm wasin effect controlled by the United States in order tostop the Greater Serbia project and to bring peace. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was in Srebrenicarecently as part of the commemoration of the atrocitythat occurred there ten years ago. He spoke of thefailure of the international community. It is worthnoting that the UN safe haven of Bihac inBosnia-Herzegovina was besieged was by Serbian forces;had it fallen a Srebrenica style massacre would havefollowed. Operation Storm saved Bihac from that fate.Without the Croatian action, thousands would haveperished at Bihac.President Bill Clinton in his autobiography points outthat the United States had authorised a privatemilitary company to improve and train the Croatianmilitary. He points out that he was “rooting” for theCroats during Operation Storm and quotes a Westerndiplomat as saying that the United States used Croatiaas a proxy. As the ICTY is saying that a criminalenterprise took place, it would also be appearing tosuggest that President Clinton “rooted” for that. Thisis not true, and I am sure you would agree thatPresident Clinton acted properly to save the lives ofthousands and to bring a terrible war to an end. Hisactions should not be smeared by the ICTY.There are many other concerns regarding theindictments, such as the fact that Croat GeneralBlaskic was convicted of many crimes he did notcommit, as his appeal showed. This does not inspireconfidence in the ability of ICTY judges to throw outbad indictments such as the Gotovina one. Further,there are concerns over the use by the ICTY ofquestionable evidence from Serbian officials who tookpart in the occupation of Croatia.Characterising the liberation of Croatia andBosnia-Herzegovina as a criminal act could well leadto territorial claims against Croatia by GreaterSerbia proponents. The charges against OperationStorm, if they are upheld by a court that has alreadymade serious mistakes in the past, could lead toinstability in the region.For that reason, and the other concerns over theOperation Storm indictments, we believe the UnitedKingdom should press for a review of these chargeswith a view to dropping them. We also believe thatthe United Kingdom should drop its objections toCroatia joining the EU for the same reasons; theindictment of General Gotovina cannot be consideredreliable.Further information is available from us should youwant it. We hope you take our concerns seriously.In closing, we recommend Croatia to you personally asa holiday destination. Dubrovnik, Istria and Dalmatiaare considered some of the most beautiful parts ofEurope, indeed the world. We are sure you would enjoyvisiting Croatia with your family.Yours sincerelyBrian GallagherJasna CelicMarko Krznaric letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6590/1/E-A-Letter-to-the-Editor-of-the-Globe-and-Mail-by-Dr-Vranic.html ÂA Letter to the Editor of the Globe and MailA Letter to the Editor of the Globe and Mail: The âreal storyâ€? behind the writing of General Lewis MacKenzie (Globe and Mail July 14th, page A17). The Economist on July 7, 2005, published a extensive article about the massacre of Srebrenica. To quote: âThere is a small flowerbed, a simple open pavilion toped by tiny Islamic crescent and a plain stone slab inscribed with an invocation, may revenge be turned into justice, may motherâs tears be turned into prayers, that there should be no more Srebrenicas. Dignitaries from all over the world marked, on July 11th, the tenth anniversary of Europeâs worst mass killing since the second world war: the murder of up to eight thousand Muslim men and boys by Bosnian-Serb forces.â€? General MacKenzie describes this sad occasion âwith much fanfare ceremonies focused on this massacre.â€? What does he mean by this word âfanfare?â€? Even the government of Republika Srpska recently officially reported that between seven to eight thousand men and boys were murdered in a few days following the fall of Srebrenica. General MacKenzie doubts this figure. This reminds me of so many attempts to diminish the crime of the Holocaust, an issue which Iâm particularly sensitive about. How can General MacKenzie even imply the crimes committed by the Bosnian General Naser Oricâs troops raids against Serbs in the Bratunac region caused the onslaught on Srebrenica? To compare the Srebrenica massacre with the number of Serbs killed by Oric troops seems partisan, preposterous, and certainly uncompassionate. Most of these raids, for which Naser Oric is tried in the Hague, were committed more than 2 years before the Srebrenica massacre. General MacKenzie forgot the context of the aggression of the Bosnian-Serbian army with the essentially defenceless Muslim population. The Tribunal in Hague condemned the massacre as genocide. Iâm concerned the Tribunal in Hague will have problems with their statement because General MacKenzie indicated that only men and young boys, an no women , were killed. As a proud Canadian, and non-Bosnian, I would try to express my disappointment on behalf of so many of my colleagues and friends, that the Globe and Mail published this article. I would urge the editors to write an editorial responding to the article of General MacKenzie to provide, at least, minimum justice to those effected. To quote again the Economist: âIn this place every other women lost a husband, a father, and often several sons.â€? Mladen Vranic, M.D, D.Sc., FRCP(C), FRSC, professor and former chair of the department of physiology, and professor of medicine. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6589/1/H-Hoteli-za-ravnopravnost.html Â'Hoteli za ravnopravnost'To: komentariimisljenja@slobodnadalmacija.hr Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 Subject: Za rubriku: KOLUMNEPostovano urednistvo, Upravo sam procitala clanak gosp. Kucica "Vojska duhova" u kojem je jasnoda on obozava krvnika Titu. Kako pise, Broz je 'pokrenuo svijest,vizionarski sagledavajuci svijet zasnovan na ravnopravnosti naroda ...'Nazalost je gosp. Kucic, i njemu slicni, zaboravio, ili ga se ne tice, kolike tisuce Hrvata je dao poubijati taj njegov idol. Pod Titomravnopravnost naroda je samo postojala za te koji su se slozili sakomunistickom diktaturom ili se nisu usudili u javnosti drugacijemisliti. U svibnju 1945 bio je tu Jasenovac, Bleiburg i Krizni put, aposlije Goli Otok i Lepoglava pored drugih 'hotela' za ravnopravnost alaJosip Broz Tito.Sa postovanjem,Hilda Marija FoleyKalifornija, SAD letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6591/1/E-How-much-more-absurd-not-to-mention-unjust-can-things-get.html ÂHow much more absurd, not to mention unjust can things get?To: letters@independent.co.uk Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2005 Subject: article June 11 "Serbs hunting Mladic"E Independent article "Serbs hunting Mladic"Hilda M. Foleyletter to the editorJune 17, 2005Dear Editors, In your article of June 11. 05 written by Vesna Peric Zimonjic inBelgrade, "Serbs Hunting Mladic" it is stated that Croatia's GeneralGotovina has allegedly "orchestrated" Operation Storm in 1995, in whichsoldiers "raped, tortured and killed thousands of Serbs" in the Krajinaregion of Croatia.You should really be embarrassed to be part of such a blatant lie andexaggerations. Not even the ICTY has gone that far in its accusations inorder to equalize the aggressor Serbia with the victim Croatia. Theindictment against Gen. Gotovina mentions "command responsibility" forthe killings and "ethnic cleansing". General Gotovina was indeed thecommander of Operation Storm which, with the help of American militaryadvisors, finally liberated Croatia's Krajina region after five years ofbrutal Serb occupation during which time hundreds of Croatians weremassacred, some one hundred thousand ethnically cleansed and their homeslooted and burned to the ground. Even the UN personnel, which wassupposed to help return the region peacefully to Croatia, instead"helped" the Serbs with the expelling of Croatians. Their answer was thatthey saved the people who would otherwise have been killed!! General Gotovina never gave his army orders to kill civilians. Indeed, heinstructed his troops to respect international laws. There were some revenge killings by a small number of individuals, causing the death of some 150 Serbs. This number is a farcry from the "thousands of Serbs" your article implies. After theseincidents General Gotovina ordered investigations and a number of peoplewere tried and sent to prison. Furthermore, while the ICTY Chief Prosecutor Del Ponte knows full well from previous testimonies given by Serbs during the Milosevic and other trials, that some 150,000 Serbs left the Krajina on orders from their own leadership, she still insistson holding General Gotovina responsible for "ethnic cleansing". How much more absurd, not to mention unjust can things get?Very truly yours,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 21 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6593/1/E-Just-why-are-the-British-so-interested-in-Gotovina.html ÂJust why are the British so interested in Gotovina?For what it is worth, I sent this to the BBC newsnightfeedback page. Please distribute, publish etc as yousee fit.BrianDear Newsnight I was appalled by your item on Croatian General AnteGotovina (2 June). It was little more than MI6 andForeign Office spin. The public does not pay thelicense fee for you to put out the FCO/MI6 line withoutquestioning it.Just why are the British so interested in Gotovina?Why did you fail to mention Britain's pro-Serb roleduring the war in Croatia and Bosnia? Why did you notmention that Operation Storm - for which Gotovina hasbeen charged over - defeated Milosevic and Karadzic,angering many in the Foreign Office?Why did you not point out the fact that OperationStorm was controlled by the United States? Why did younot mention that the charges against Gotovina havebeen contradicted by prosecution witness evidence inthe Milosevic trial? And why did you not point out, as reported in theObserver, that British taxpayer's money has ended upin a firm run by one of Radovan Karadzic's supporters?No doubt these questions and points failed to appearbecause it would have shone a very different light onevents. One rather more critical and truthful ofForeign Office policy.It would seem the Hutton report has had its effect. Itappears the BBC will now unquestioningly put out anyline from MI6 and the Foreign Office. Yours sincerelyBrian GallagherLondon Âhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/4530527.stm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6592/1/HE-Who-dares-to-touch-the-Croatian-Wall-of-Pain-Tko-rusi-Zid-Boli-u-Zagrebu.html ÂWho dares to touch the Croatian Wall of Pain?ÂDear friends,Croatian leadership decided to demolish CroatianMonument Wall of Pain in Selska Street in Zagreb.I hope you know what that monument means to any Croatin the World. It was built in the War as reminder tothe UN and whole World about Croatian missing andkilled people in Homeland War.Please, arise your voice against that barbaric act ofCroatian leadership and help us to save the onlyCroatian monument built of tears and blood of Croatianmothers in black, who were praying and lightingcandles at that sad monument last 15 years.Please, help us, Croatian patriots, to keep thatmonument as a symbol of Croatian dignity and pride.Please, send this news to all media and all ourfriends around Globe.This night, Croatian poor veterans, mothers and ourfriends guarding that place against barbariccommunist's hate against anything Croatian.Please, help us to keep that place sacred forgenerations who will come.Thank you in advance.ÂTvrtkoÂBranitelji zaustavili rusenje Zida BoliGrad Zagreb najprije udovicama poginulih u ratu organizirao odlazak na izlet, a onda pokusao skinuti zid boli. Naguravanjem s radnicama i dizalicama, Ivan Pandza iz HVIDRA-e s okupljenim je zenama, majkama i sestrama poginulih i nestalih sprijecio uklanjanje zidaZAGREB â Zid boli vise ne stanuje na raskrizju Ilice i selske ulice, gdje je gotovo 12 godina podsjećao na poginule i nestale u Domovinskom ratu. Dogodilo se to iznenada, ekspresnim uklananjem brojnih opeka u organizaciji zagrebackih gradskih vlasti koje je pocelo jucer ujutro, a zaustavljeno je tek dolaskom celnih ljudi braniteljskih udruga koji su nakon rjesenja Âkrizne situacije od preostalih opeka ponovo poceli graditi zid. Dok su udovice boraca Domovinskoga rata jucer uzivale u suncu na Bjelolasici, na organiziranom izletu u aranzmanu gradskih vlasti, u zagrebackoj selskoj ulici zapocelo je uklanjanje zida boli sastavljenog od brojnih opeka od kojih svaka nosi po jedno ime zatocenih i nestalih hrvatskih branitelja i civila u Domovinskom ratu, od kojih se, prema neki podatcima, jos uvijek traga za 1.168 osoba. skupljanje opeka pocelo je već ranom zorom, oko 6 sati, kada su stavljene na palete i utovarivane u kamione. O događaju je od branitelja prvi saznao Ivan Pandza iz HVIDRA-e Grada zagreba. Bandić parafirao odluku?â cim su mi prijatelji dojavili da se nesto događa u selskoj, pozurio sam se i odmah pokusao sprijeciti micanje zida, svjedoci uznemireni Pandza, koji je u ratu ostao bez desne noge. Prema njegovoj prici, on se poceo naguravati s radnicima, i nakon sat vremena uspio ih je nagovoriti da prestanu utovarivati opeke u kamione, zbog cega je i promet selskom ulicom bio posebno reguliran, a sve uz prisutnost brojnih policijskih sluzbenika, onih uniformiranih i onih u civilu. Pri tome je Pandza mogao ostati i bez druge noge â na svoju je sreću uspio izbjeći nalet dizalice. Uskoro je dosla i dodatna potpora od dvadesetak građana, mahom zena koje su svoje najblize izgubile u ratu. â Imena moga poginuloga brata i bratića su na tim ciglama. Ne dopustam da one zavrse betonirane na Mirogoju, ne smiju ići pod zemlju jer tako bi se i nasa poruka zakopala, vapila je zdenka Farkas iz centra ÂApelÂ, jedna od idejnih zacetnika zida boli, autenticnog svjedocanstva o razmjerima stradavanja u Domovinskom ratu, koji je spontano nastao nakon sto su građani 25. rujna 1993. godine pozvani da stave prve cigle s imenima svojih najmilijih. Poslije toga, kaze Farkas, trazila je pismenu dozvolu od MORH-a i dobila je. Pismenu odluku o uklanjanju zida, koju je navodno potpisao dogradonacelnik Milan Bandić, danas nitko nije imao. Ponovno slaganje opekaVerbalna prepucavanja pojacala su se dolaskom Miodraga Deme, nacelnika u gradskom Odjelu za branitelje. cim je u invalidskim kolicima stigao pred zid, oko njega se okupilo mnostvo. Dok je govorio kako podrzava odluku o preseljenu opeka na Mirogoj, bilo je dobacivanja da je svoja kolica Âprodao Bandiću. Među okupljenima se nasla i ministrica pravosuđa Vesna skare Ozbolt, koja je na nase trazenja da javnosti uputi poruku nakon, cini se, konacnog odlaska zida, rekla: ÂA sto da vam kazem? sve sam već reklaÂ, misleći pri tome, vjerojatno, na svoj prijedlog premjestanja spomenika na Trg pravde. Nesto kasnije na mjesto gdje se nekad zid boli nalazio, a gdje su ostali jos samo njegovi ostaci, stigla je i potpredsjednica Vlade Jadranka Kosor. Tom prilikom izjavila je da se jucer ujutro dogodila necuvena stvar te da nitko, osim onih koji su spomenik napravili, ne moze odlucivati o njegovoj sudbini. Nakon sto je poslijepodne dosla odluka iz Gradskog poglavarstva da se zaustavi daljnje uklanjanje i sve Âostavi na miruÂ, okupljeni su od preostalih opeka opet poceli slagati zid. Ivor FUKAMesić: zid ugraditi u jedan monument Na kraćoj tiskovnoj konferenciji u Gomirju predjednik stjepan Mesić je upitan da komentira uklanjanje zida boli u zagrebu te skori posjet srbiji. â smatram da je trebalo taj zid bola ugraditi u jedan monument â spomenik koji bi bio simbolika obrane Hrvatske, jer svaka ta cigla je neciji zivot. Mislim da će zid vrlo tesko opstati tako, na ulici, i u svakom slucaju treba traziti pravo rjesenje za njega, odgovorio je Mesić. N. T.http://www.novilist.hr/Default.asp?WcI=Rubrike&WcU=285D2863285E2863285A28582858285D286328962897289E286328632859285c285D285B285D286128632863286328592863Vzatim:http://www.vecernji-list.hr/newsroom/news/croatia/303969/index.do i:http://www.vecernji-list.hr/newsroom/news/croatia/303673/index.do?_vl_backlink=/newsroom/news/croatia/303969/index.doBARBARIZAMTvrtko letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6597/1/E-Croatia-and-the-EU-Gotcha.html ÂCroatia and the EU GotchaHow about that, my letter will be published in Ireland!! Amazing!HildaFrom: Brian Mulcahy < irishnews@donegal.net >To: hmfgsf@juno.com Date: Tue, 5 Apr 2005 Subject: Re: Croatia and the EU/GotchExcellent reply Hilda. Will appear in a short while on letters page undertitle 'Economist':http://www.cascarino.homestead.com/hf2.hml Regards,Brian.From: hmfgsf@juno.comTo: letters@economist.comDate: Mon, 4 Apr 2005 Subject: Croatia and the EU/GotchaDear Editor:Regarding your two articles of March 12, "Croatia and the EU,- "A GeneralProblem" and "Gotcha":The sheer idea of Gen. Gotovina being accused of "command responsibility"for his actions during the liberation of Croatia in 1995 even though henever gave any commands for deliberate destruction or the killing of some150 civilians, or for the "ethnic cleansing", when it is clearlydocumented that most of the Serb population left on orders of their ownleadership before the arrival of the Croatian army, is simply ludicrous.Especially when comparing it to the massacres and killing of tens ofthousands of civilians directly ordered by the Serb commanders Gen Mladicand their civilian leader Karadzic in Bosnia, as occurred among otherplaces in Srebrenica and the shelling of Sarajevo for three years. It isan outrage that such comparisons could be even made. One can only surmisethat it is the wish of the ICTY Prosecutor and some Western politiciansto pursue their policy of "all equally guilty" - the aggressor and thevictim, while deliberately ignoring that Croatia never set a foot on Serbsoil while everyone who followed the events of 1991-1995 would know whataggression was perpetrated against Croatia by the Serbs - from Serbiaproper with the Yugoslav army and from within Croatia by the Serbminority and paramilitary.While Croatia has extradited all but this one fugitive, who most likelyis not in Croatia, Serbia has still a number of the most importantindicted war criminals walking the streets in Belgrade or hidden by theSerb army, including Mladic and Karadzic. Considering the case ofBosnian Croat General Blaskic, who was falsely accused and because of itrecently released having served years in prison, it should not surpriseanyone that general Gotovina refuses to give himself up. He cannot beblind to the injustice and trumped up charges of a politicized Court. Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 May 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6596/1/E-Letter-to-Elton-Gallegly-from-Alliance-of-Croats-of-B--H.html ÂAlliance of Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina19121 Wildwood AvenueLansing, Illinois 60438(708) 895-5531; cuv@netzero.com April 20, 2005 Honorable Elton Gallegly, ChairmanSubcommittee on Europe and Emerging ThreatsCommittee on International RelationsU.S. House of Representatives - Washington, D.C.Dear Mr. Gallegly,On behalf of the Alliance of Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina* thank you for the hearing “Bosnia-Herzegovina: Unfinished Business” held on April 6, 2005 under your chairmanship. We are pleased that Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has not entirely vanished from US foreign policy concerns.Please permit me to make several points regarding the testimonies given at the hearing and a few of my own observations pertaining to the “unfinished business” in the country that is dear to our members and friends.Regional vs. Individual EU IntegrationIn his testimony, Mr. Ivan Vejvoda appears to be arguing for regional, rather than individual, integration into existing Euro-Atlantic institutions. He portrays Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, and Macedonia as “as communicating vessels” that should not be disjoined. It is understandable that Mr. Vejvoda, as a former senior adviser to a Serbian government, should advocate a speedy integration of Serbia and Montenegro into the EU, but the Committee hearing should not be used to argue explicitly or implicitly that Croatia’s present candidacy for membership in the EU should be delayed until all other states “in the region” fulfill the EU’s admission requirements.Mr. Vejvoda also argues Bosnian Serbs’ recognition that a crime was committed in Srebrenica has “historic significance.” But the Serbs and Serbia have not fully acknowledged their role in provoking and sustaining the violence that accompanied the dissolution of Yugoslavia, and the recent victory of Vojislav Seselj’s party suggests that many Serbs have not yet had a “historic” change of heart regarding their national agenda. Recognition of the Srebrenica massacre and Serb cooperation with the ICTY is encouraging, but it is also limited, and there are strong indications that Serbs in RS and in Serbia would like to preserve the Republika Srpska, regardless of the cost to the rest of Bosnia-Herzegovina.Return of RefugeesWith regard to the return of refugees and displaced persons, Dr. Gerard Toal’s numbers are based on official Sarajevo calculations, and so they should be treated with caution. The reality seems to be less encouraging than these numbers suggest. For example, data collected by the Catholic Church indicates that 2,680,000 refugees and displaced persons had left their homes, 59.6% of the total pre-war population and 600,000 more than indicated in the data used by Dr. Toal. UN observers and local officials also appear to have exaggerated the number of people who have returned to their homes. Their data is based on the assumption that all refugees and displaced persons who claimed their pre-war property have returned with their families. But many refugees and displaced persons have tried to protect their property by registering as returnees, even though they continue to live outside the country. Most of those who have returned are older people; the younger ones have been moving to foreign countries. According to Oslobodjenje, roughly one million Bosnian citizens have applied for foreign citizenship, and various surveys conclude that roughly 50 percent of those between 18 and 35 years of age would leave the country if they had the chance to do so. (See Bishops Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Commission “Justitia et pax”. Report on the State of Human rights in Bosnia & Herzegovina in the Year 2004.)Data regarding the return of Catholics, who are overwhelmingly Croats by nationality, are discouraging. Before the war, there were some 850,000 Croats/Catholics on the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina; in 2004, there were only 465,000. The return of Croats to the Republika Srpska is resisted by all Serb-dominated institutions, including the Serbian Orthodox church. Consequently, of 220,000 Croats/Catholics who lived on the territory of the Republika Srpska prior to 1991, fewer than 12,000 remain today. The international actors in the country are doing virtually nothing about this appalling situation; they are not even willing to recognize that this acute problem for the survival of Croats in the Republika Srpska exists. Although Dr. Toal praises the accomplishments of the High Representative, in reality the HR has been a passive witness to the continuation of ethnic cleansing of Croatians by Serbs, but using “peaceful” means.Constituent Peoples vs CitizensDr. Toal correctly underscored the apparent dichotomy between the rights of the “constituent peoples” and “citizens” in the Bosnian constitution, that is, national rights of the three peoples (Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats) versus the rights of citizens as individuals. To some, this dichotomy appears irreconcilable, and they argue for the disappearance of the three national constituencies as a necessary step to securing the rights and freedoms of individual citizens.Many Bosniaks and other forces inside Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as influential groups and individuals outside the country, would like a unitary state. Even the name “Herzegovina” is seenas an obstacle to creation of a unified “Bosnian” nation-state. Some well-known experts on the region in this country have even called for a resuscitation of the discredited Titoist concept of “brotherhood and unity!” But the imposition of a Bosnian national identity failed during the Habsburg period, just as efforts to impose an artificial feeling of “brotherhood and unity” did under the Tito regime, with disastrous results for the inhabitants of Bosnia-Herzegovina. These failed efforts at social engineering should caution us against experimenting with people as if they were lab animals or abstract constructs. The reality is that there are three nationalities living in a Bosnian state, and only one sees it in its interest to impose a “Bosnian” nationality on everyone and organize Bosnia-Herzegovina as a “unitary” state. To force Croats and Serbs to trade their national identities for a Bosnian identity that is associated with the Bosniak community, is as dangerous for the country’s future as the separatism supported by radical nationalists.But there are forces in the country and outside who believe that disintegration is the only solution to the Bosnian riddle. Serbian and Croatian nationalists are usually lumped together as equally opposed to the existence of Bosnia-Herzegovina, but this is not the case. There are fundamental differences between Croat and Serb national aspirations in Bosnia. Croatia is moving to consolidate democracy within its current borders and is in the process of joining the EU; it has no interest in supporting separatist forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, the ghost of a Greater Serbia is very much alive, and this should disturb all observers of the region. The Chetnik movement, an instrument of violent Serbian expansionism since the beginning of the last century, was recently officially rehabilitated by the Serbian parliament. A “government in exile” has also been formed in Serbia by the former officials of the “Serbian Krajina” in Croatia to support the creation of a Serbian state there. About a week ago, newly drafted military recruits in the Republika Srpska refused to swear allegiance to Bosnia; instead they insisted on pledging their allegiance to “their own Serb state.” Even more ominously, the largest political party in Serbia openly champions a continued struggle for a Serb state that would include all of Bosnia-Herzegovina and two-thirds of Croatia. All major Serb political parties and institutions (in the RS and in Serbia) are determined to protect the existence of the RS, regardless of the fact that the entity was created through aggression by the Yugoslav Army and Serbian paramilitary forces and the brutal ethnic cleansing of its non-Serb inhabitants. For those who support the Republika Srpska, it is a crucial foothold for the future “unification of all the Serbs.”Although Croatian nationalism is often equated to Serbian nationalism by many in Bosnia and abroad, its nature and goals are quite distinct. There is no doubt that some Croatians would be happy to see Bosnia-Herzegovina disintegrate, but they are not the majority. In 1992, Croatians voted overwhelmingly for an independent Bosnian state, and throughout the war, neither the Croatian political establishment as a whole nor any significant Croatian institution, including the Catholic Church, in Croatia or in Bosnia-Herzegovina advocated the breakup of the country. Today, there is neither significant movement nor is there a major party among Croatians in Bosnia-Herzegovina that support its disintegration. Indeed, polls suggest that a majority of people in the Republic of Croatia would reject annexation of any areas in Bosnia-Herzegovina, even by peaceful means. Those who worry that “Croat extreme nationalists” are a latent danger to the unity of Bosnia-Herzegovina need not do so. Not even the most nationalist of Croatian parties, the Partyof Right, ever advocated the disintegration of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Indeed, its militia, the HOS, fought alongside the Bosnian army and was recognized by Sarajevo’s government as a legitimate military unit defending the country. Those who view HDZ, the ruling party in Croatia and the leading party among Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina, as a nationalist party ignore its continued efforts to take Croatia into the EU and its practical efforts to cooperate with the government in Sarajevo. The HDZ is concerned to protect Croatia’s national interests, but it is not an extremist nor a chauvinist organization. At present, there is neither clear consensus among Croat political parties nor Croat and Catholic institutions in Bosnia-Herzegovina regarding possible constitutional changes in the post-Dayton period. However, a variety of recent publications clearly attest that, regardless of their apparent disunity, Croats do stand for the existence of the country in its present-day borders, for the dismantling of the RS and the Croat-Muslim Federation, which only reason for existence is as a counterweight to the RS, and for a constitution that would guarantee them both full national equality and individual rights. For its Croats, the crucial question is not whether Bosnia-Herzegovina should exist; that is a given. The crucial question is what kind of state it will be. Unfortunately, the Croatian position is often misrepresented or misunderstood by those favoring a unitary state, and Bosnia’s Croats are presented as dangerous separatists. But those who do not support a unitary state are not Bosnia’s enemies. It is rather those who insist on a unitarist point of view, which has already twice been tried and failed disastrously, who are now compromising Bosnia’s future.More on Nationalism and IndividualismThe opponents of organizing Bosnia-Herzegovina as a “constituency of peoples” fall into three main groups. The first is primarily comprised of observers from abroad who are anxious to “de-construct” the national identities of Croats, Serbs, and Muslims, assuming that severing them from their roots will make them “pure citizens” who will embrace and support individual freedoms, progress, and an imaginary “native Bosnian cosmopolitanism.” Their goal is to maximize individual happiness by guaranteeing human rights and removing the causes of ethnic tension and strife, but by doing so they deprive people of their historic and national identities. They treat Bosnia-Herzegovina as a laboratory for an experiment of social engineering that, as noted above, has already failed on a larger scale, and there is no reason to assume that a Bosnian identity would be any more successful than a Yugoslav identity. Ironically, the promoters of this approach are at the same time ardent advocates of pluralism and diversity, conditions they deny to the inhabitants of Bosnia-Herzegovina.The second group of opponents appear to be guided by realism, practicality, and geopolitics. For them, the country’s complicated situation has to be simplified either by remaking it into a unitary state or by accepting the two existing entities, one of which is Serbian, the other a hybrid Bosniak-Croatian construct in which Croatians are a distinct minority, whose insistence on remaining who they are in their own homeland is often portrayed as unreasonable and even extreme.The third group are comprised largely of Bosniaks and seem to be inspired by their own nationalist beliefs. They employ a fashionable, politically correct terminology, but they are essentially arguing to a unitary state in which they would act as custodians of its integrity. But Bosnia-Herzegovina is a multi-national country, and there are constitutional systems throughout Europe that can serve as models of how to resolve the issue of ethos and the citizen. Cosmopolitanism does not have a monopoly on individualism and citizenship, and multinational states have robust civil societies. Nationality and individualism, collective rights and individual rights should not be set at odds; they should be harmonized, as they have been in a number of European countries. What is needed in Bosnia-Herzegovina is not forced de-nationalization, but the acceptance of everyone and every community for what they are. We should be searching for a viable constitutional model in which the law will be equally and justly applied to all groups and individuals rather than condemning those who feel themselves to belong to a national group. The task is not as complicated as many make it to be, if we are willing to approach it honestly, with an open mind and in a spirit of fairness.Dayton RevisitedSome see the Dayton accords as a straitjacket imposed at a time of a horrific crisis that could have, and should have, been stopped in 1991, at the onset of the aggressive Serbian occupation of much of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Dayton stopped the killing, but by dividing the country and imposing a plethora of contradictory constitutional provisions that created an abnormal and unsustainable situation. The Dayton straitjacket has to be untied and removed; crucial constitutional questions must be renegotiated in a rational and well-intentioned manner if Bosnia-Herzegovina and its people are to have a semblance of normal life.Unfortunately, many members of the international community and thousands of “experts” have built careers by turning Bosnia-Herzegovina into a laboratory in which they seek to construct a new for the sake of the people but without its three original peoples. The officials who were entrusted by the international community to guide the post-war reconstruction of B&H have use their unchecked power arbitrarily andselectively. They intervene at will in everything, including criminal indictments and court decisions. Instead of dealing with corruption and cronyism in a timely and decisive manner, they manipulate them for political ends. They have squandered a tremendous amount of foreign aid, because they are not held responsible for their actions. Their behavior recalls the behavior of Europeans who undertook to “civilize” the rest of the world in the nineteenth century, and Bosnia seems more a protectorate than a true state.The indigenous political elites stand somewhere between the unproclaimed protectorate and the people, especially in the Federation. Although their government positions have been legitimized by several elections since 1995, they depend on the will of the High Representative, rather than on the approval of those who elected them. They are coerced, exploited, and occasionally discarded by foreign officials; they are a ruling class that lives not for the people, but of the people.The first step toward normalization is to scrap the existing constitutional system and begin to build a new one built on firm foundations, so that people can start looking to a better future. People are tired of being pushed around by the international bureaucrats and local elites. They long for security, both for themselves and their property; they ask a chance to work and provide for themselves and their families, to feel free in their homes and in their country, to be who they are and what they are. Common people need to be once more to be able to hope.U.S. RoleAlthough the “case of Bosnia-Herzegovina” is being handed over to the Europeans, the US should be involved in bringing about a rational and just solution to the challenges there. The US helped to end the war by negotiating the Dayton Agreement. Now, ten years after, it is the time to make a few new and brave moves to revise the Agreement and help the three peoples in the country and all of its citizens find a constitution that will insure freedom and security for all, make a viable state, and put it on the road into the EU in the not-too-distant future.Sincerely,Dr. Ante Cuvalo, Professor of HistoryPresident, The Alliance of Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina*The Alliance of Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina was founded in 1994 by American Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina. From its inception, the Alliance has been an active promoter of freedom, peace, and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 May 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6595/1/E-Open-letter-to-THE-MANAGEMENT-OF-JOURNALIST-SOCIETY.html ÂTHE INITIATIVE OF JOURNALISTS FOR THE LIBERTY OF MEDIA AND NONPOLITICAL CROATIAN JOURNALIST SOCIETYSent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 5:47 PMSubject: ICTY court in Haag and media freedom - Open LetterOPEN LETTER TO THE MANAGEMENT OF JOURNALIST SOCIETY AND TO THE CROATIAN PUBLIC ON THE OCCASION OF THE DAY OF THE LIBERTY OF MEDIAThe statement made by the vice-president of the Croatian Journalist Society Zdenko Duka about the indictments against three Croatian journalists, Ivica Marijacic, Domagoj Margetic and Stjepan Seselj being appropriate, and his Âarbitrating that these journalists should be brought to answer in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), because they have violated the ÂStatute of ICTYÂ, are juxtaposed to the existence and the fundamental principals of the journalist guild association. The shameful act of the Journalist Society Management is unprecedented in journalism in general.At the time when our colleagues are threatened by draconian, long-term imprisonments and penalties, it is logical to expect that the Croatian Journalist Society would offer them professional and fellow-like support, regardless of the fact whether these journalists are members of the Society or not.Through this act the Croatian Journalist Society has lost the ability to be a legitimate association defending the journalist profession, and it has ranged itself into the political elitist group subjecting thus the journalistic profession to its communist-colored ideological commitments. We call the management of the Croatian Journalist Society to withdraw its original statement and act according to the principals for which they got the mandate chosen by the majority of Society members, and these are – protection of all journalists and liberty of media. If not, we will demand unconditional withdrawal of the management of the Croatian Journalist Society.Zagreb, 1st May, 2005ÂTHE INITIATIVE OF JOURNALISTS FOR THE LIBERTY OF MEDIA AND NONPOLITICAL CROATIAN JOURNALIST SOCIETYÂFor the initiative:Davor Ivankovic, Tomislav Drzic, Diana Rexhepi Zagreb, Croatia letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 May 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6598/1/H-Stepinac-i-skidanje-svetaca-onozemaljskih.html ÂStepinac i skidanje svetaca onozemaljskihÂSloboda govora ne dopusta nikome da vice "VATRA" u punom kazalistu.glavniurednik@slobodnadalmacija.hr http://www.slobodnadalmacija.com/20050419/kolumne02.aspPostovani Urednice,Vas clanak o Stepincu gospodina Marovica, govori o puno stvari. Jedna koja se mozda teze cita izmedju redova je ta da se sustavno skidaju onozemaljski svetci, nebi li "ovozemaljski" izgledali veci. Katolicka crkva nije bez grijeha, ali ni bez vrlina. Te vrline se tako rijetko spominju, a insinuacije o ljudima koji su zaista blizu svetome se rasprostiru ne samo pred kucnim vratima, vec i naokolo. Umjesto da reagirate na CNN vi se pridruzujete mediokritetima svijeta koji nemaju cak ni intelektualne sposobnosti analize i interpretacije vec samo kopiranja postojeceg. Bez sinteze znanja. Nekad je novinarstvo bilo vezano za intelektualnu znatizelju. Danas se to svodi na prepisivanje tudjeg neprovjerenog i vrlo cesto suprotno istini orijentiranog teksta. ÂNenad Bach, New YorkSloboda govora ne dopusta nikome da vice "VATRA" u punom kazalistu. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Apr 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6602/1/E-Cardinal-Alojzije-Stepinac-and-CNN.html ÂCardinal Alojzije Stepinac and CNN Jutros dok sam gledala izravni prijenos Papine sahrane iz Rima, pred kraj sam dozivjela poprilican sok kad je CNN-ova novinarka Christine Amanpour izjavila da je jedna od kontraverzi po kojoj ce Ivan pavao II biti zapamcen i proglasenje kardinala Stepinca (po njenim rijecima suradnika nacista) blazenim. Ja sam uptila protest gospodji Ammanpor, a mozete i vi na slijedeci Link.Dokle cemo mi Hrvati morati braniti svoju istinu......U prilogu saljem materijal koji vam moze biti od koristi za obranu ove istine ubuduce.Pozdrav,Danica http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?1 Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac and saving the Jews in Croatia during the WW2 by Darko Zubrinic, Zagreb (1997) www.croatianhistory.netI will live a pure life in my houseand will never tolerate evil(The Bible, Psalm 101) Whoever saves one lifeis as though he had saved the entire world(The Old Testament; motto of Yad Vashem) The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, Jerusalem, or in Hebrew - Yad Vashem, was founded by the Israeli Knesset in 1953. Its main objective is not only to keep memory on the Jewish victims of the atrocities of the WW2, but also to keep memory on those brave people (non Jews) who risked their lives to save the Jews throughout Europe. Yad Vashem therefore established a special honour for The Righteous among the Nations. There are about hundred persons in Croatia who obtained "The Certificate of Honour" and "The Medal of the Righteous" from Yad Vashem in Jerusalem till now. Their names can be seen in "The Honour Wall in the Garden of the Righteous" in Jerusalem. We would like to mention only a few of these Croatian Righteous: rev. Dragutin Jesih, from Scitarjevo near Zagreb, killed during the WW2. The Jews he saved were sent to him by Croatian Archbishop Alojzije Stepinac. Also the local peasants helped to save their lives. prof.dr Zarko Dolinar, a well known Croatian intellectual (biologist) working in Switzerland, saved (together with his brother) about 300 Jews. dr Mate Ujevic, Croatian lexicographer and writer, editor in chief of the Croatian encyclopedia (1938-1945), who saved his close collaborator and friend Manko Berman from the infamous Jasenovac concentration camp, together with sisters Stefa and Hermina MÃller, and took care about their property. sisters (nuns) Cecilija and Karitas Jurin. Ljubica Stefan, a well known historian (she also risked her life while staying in Belgrade until 1992, when Croatia was already in flames after the aggression of Serbia and the Yugoslav Army; there she managed to prepare in secret her richly documented books about the history of Fascism and anti-Semitism in Serbia during the WW2). See the list of Croatian Righteous. There is no doubt that one day the Croatian Archbishop (later the Cardinal) Alojzije Stepinac (1898-1960) will be included into this list. An official request to the Israeli Yad Vashem for the posthumous inclusion of dr Alojzije Stepinac to the list of Righteous has been sent by dr Amiel Shomrony and dr Igor Primorac, now both citizens of Israel. The request has been sent twice, for the first time in 1970, and then in 1994, and both times refused. Bear in mind that only saved Jews and their descendants have the right to nominate candidates to Yad Vashem. Official Jewish organization in Croatia did not send such a request yet. According to solidly based data he saved several hundred Jews during the WW2: either by direct action, or by secret rescripts to the clergymen, including mixed marriages, conversion to Catholicism, as did some Righteous in other European countries (in Greece for instance). Already in 1936 Stepinac began to support materially and by other means Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria in Croatia. In 1937, while only 39 years old, he became Archbishop. In 1938 he founded "Action for help to refugees." Archbishop Stepinac also founded Croatian Caritas. In January 11, 1939 he sent a request to 298 addresses of eminent Croats asking for help: Dear Sir, Due to violent and inhuman persecutions, a large number of people had to leave their homeland. They are left without means for normal life, and wander throughout the world... Every day a large number of emigrants contact us asking for intervention, for help in money and goods. It is our Christian duty to help them... I am free to address to You, as a member of our Church, to ask for support for our fund in favour of emigrants. I ask You to write Your free monthly allotment on the enclosed leaflet. Signature: Alojzije Stepinac, the Zagreb Archbishop In a confidential rescript sent to Croatian clergy in 1941, Archbishop Stepinac wrote: "The role and task of Christians is on the first place to save people. When this time of madness and wildness is over, only those will remain in our Church who converted out of their own conviction, while others, when the danger is over, will return to their faith." Archbishop Stepinac also gave another instruction to his clergy to issue the certificate of baptism to endangered Jews and Serbs whenever they asked for. This was done with all procedures maximally simplified, often with false names. To our knowledge, these efforts are unique in the occupied part of Europe. See also about amazing involvement of Croatian secondary school pupils in saving the Jews and Serbs in Croatia, which is without precedent in the history of WW2.At the same time the metropolitan bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church Josif Cvijic sent to all of his clergy a public rescript ordering the prohibition of conversion of Jews to Pravoslav (i.e. Orthodox Christian) faith. In this way the destiny of all Jews in Serbia has been sealed up, and after May 1942 there are no more Jews. Also an "Appeal to Serbian people" to support Nazi occupying forces in Serbia has been signed by 545 leading intellectuals in Belgrade in August 1941. Stepinac most resolutely defended mixed marriages contracted in the Catholic Church. Already in March 1941 he sent a letter to Ante Pavelic where he wrote the following: ...As a representative of Catholic Church, and following my holiest duty, I raise my voice against interference of the state into questions of lawful marriages, that are insolvable, regardless to racial affiliation. There is no state authority having the right to solve these marriages. If it uses physical power, then the state is perpetrating ordinary violence. On the other hand, it is known that also in the highest circles of our state administration there are similar marriages that are insolvable. He alluded on Pavelic himself, whose wife seems to have been a Jew (Pavelic's mather-in law was Jewish - Ivana Herzfeld), as well as 12 other highest state officials, whose wifes were either Jewish or Serbian, see [Kristo], p. 141, or [Stefan], p. 15 (the Jewish community in Zagreb has no available data). Kristian Krekovic, a famous Croatian painter, made several portraits of Pavelic. Krekovic's wife was a Jew (Sina Pevner), educated as pianist and polyglot, born in Paris, daughter of outstanding surgeon in Paris. She lived with Kristian Krekovic in Zagreb during the whole period of WWII (information by mr. Anto Cigeljevic). They both left Zagreb and Croatia in 1946 immediately after the humiliating mock trial (that is, soon after the Yugoslav communist rule started), with the status of displaced persons in their passports. And here is another letter of protest sent by Archbishop Stepinac to Pavelic in July 1941: As an Archbishop and representative of the Catholic Church I am free to call your attention to some events that touch me painfully. I am sure there will be hardly anyone having the courage to point to them, so it is my duty to do it. I hear from various sides about inhuman and cruel treatment of non-Arians... Among the Jews that Stepinac managed to save there were also 60 inmates of the Jewish Old People's Home in Zagreb, that the German authorities in Zagreb ordered in December 6, 1943 to leave within 10 days, otherwise they would be sent to a German concentration camp. Upon the request of the members of the Jewish community in Zagreb, Alojzije Stepinac organized their stay in archbishopric's building in Brezovica near Zagreb, of course with the knowledge of the ustasha officials. Archbishop Stepinac often visited them. It is interesting that the inmates stayed there until 1947, while the Archbishop was already in the communist prison since 1946. Five of the inmates died a natural death during this period. It is regrettable that the total number of saved persons is often unjustly reduced to 55, even by the official Jewish sources in Croatia (as was the case in the ``Voice of the Jewish Community in Zagreb'', in an article written by dr Ivo Goldstein). In the beginning of 1943 the Zagreb Chief Rabbi dr Miroslav Shalom Freiberger accepted an offer of Archbishop dr Alojzije Stepinac and entrusted him his very valuable private library. The Chief Rabbi had been killed in Auschwitz in 1943. He was arrested in 1943, when Himmler himself arrived to Zagreb, dissatisfied with the way the ustasha regime is "solving the Jewish problem" in Croatia. Stepinac immediately sent a request for his liberation to state officials, but without success. It should be noted that Chief Rabbi Freiberger did not accept an offer by Archbishop Stepinac to take refuge on his court until the end of war, since he wanted to share the destiny of his people. The library was returned to the Jewish community in Zagreb after the end of WW2. Already in the beginning of NDH in 1941, a group 83 outstanding Croatian physicians of Jewish nationality, mostly with their families, were moved to Bosnia, at that time a part of NDH, to be away from the eyes of German Nazists (see [Jasa Romano, pp. 95-99]). Otherwise they would be liquidated. This has been organized by the NDH minister of health, dr Ivan Petric, with the knowledge and approval of highest NDH officials, including Ante Pavelic (see Ha-Kol, 5960/1999, bulletin of the Jewish community in Zagreb, p. 11; the number of 71 saved Jewish families mentioned in Ha-Kol is wrong: there were 83 families, see the aforementioned monograph of Jasa Romano). An important role in saving these Jewish families had prof.dr Ante Vuletic, 1999 Croatian Righteous (awarded posthumously). The role of these physicians in Bosnia was to struggle against infectious diseases, and against endemic syphilis on the first place. One of the greatest German speaking actresses of the 20th century was a Jew - Tilla Durieux (1880-1971). In 1933 she escaped in front of the Nazis from Germany to Switzerland, and then to the town of Opatija. In 1941 she happened in Serbia, where chetniks killed her husband. She managed to escape to Crotian capital Zagreb, where (during the NDH period) her life had been saved. It is interesting that she collaborated in Kazaliste lutaka (Theatre of Dolls) in Zagreb. She lived in Zagreb until 1955, that is, for about 20 years, and then returned to West Berlin. Tilla Durieux wrote an interesting autobiographic book, and a little known theatre play "Zagreb 1945", which was performed in Luzern in Switzerland. There is a memorial room devoted to her in the Museum of the City of Zagreb. (Glas Koncila, 2. travnja 2000, p. 21). Dissatisfied with "solving the Jewish problem" in NDH during WW2, Himmler himself arrived to Zagreb in 1943. In an extensive raid that ensued many Jews were transported to Auschwitz. This has been witnessed by dr Amiel Shomrony, now Israeli citizen, personal secretary of rabbi Miroslav Shalom Freiberger. Even Eugen Dido Kvaternik, chief of the ustasha police (his grandfather was Josip Frank - a Jew), sent a secret message to dr Amiel Shomrony (his name in Zagreb was Emil Schwartz) to save himself as he can. Dr Juraj Vranesic, a well known Zagreb physician, was hiding two Jews - Milan Sachs (conductor of the Zagreb Opera) and his wife in his sanatorium from 1941 until the end of WW2 (personal information by Ljubica Stefan). Vranesic, who also saved Miroslav Krleza from ustashis, was sentenced to death by YU communists in 1947. There were no Jews to initiate his nomination at Yad Vashem, though he deserved it (and still deserves), like many other anonymous Croatian Righteous. It is also known that there were plenty of Jews in Zagreb wishing to witness in favour of Archbishop Stepinac in the process raised against him in 1946, but were not allowed to (see [Stefan], p 92). Moreover, Dr Amiel Shomrony was adviced not to arrive to Zagreb to witness in favour of Stepinac, under the cynical pretext that nobody could guarantee his return to Israel. Though it can in no way efface the shame of the ustasha regime, it should be said that the Jewish community in Zagreb was the only one in Europe that acted legally in NDH during the whole WW2 in the period 1941-45 (Tomislavov trg 4).According to a report of the British Naval Intelligence Division from 1944, the Croatian "Roman Catholic clergy, following the example of monsignor Stepinac, the Zagreb Archbishop, energetically protested against ustasha persecutions of Serbs and Jews, as well as against government's attempts for forced conversion to Roman Catholicism" (written by experts from Oxford and Cambridge in 1944, with note `only for official use'). See Stefan, pp. 127-131. Only two days after the arrest of Stepinac in 1946 a protest conference was organized by Louis Breier in New York (Bronx), at that time the president of the Jewish community in the USA. He declared: This great man was tried as a collaborator of Nazism. We protest against this slander. He has always been a sincere friend of Jews, and was not hiding this even in times of cruel persecutions under the regime of Hitler and his followers. Alongside with Pope Pius XII, Archbishop Stepinac was the greatest protector of persecuted Jews in Europe. (my translation from a Croatian source).His sermons were not allowed to be printed publicly during the NDH period (1941-1945), so that people multiplied and spread them in secret. Glaise von Herstenau, a German Nazi general in Zagreb, declared: "If any bishop in Germany were speaking this way, he would not descend alive from his pulpit!" And when Stepinac visited the Holy See in 1943, he was warned that his life is in danger from the Nazis. There he met Ivan Mestrovic, a famous Croatian sculptor, to whom he said: "With God (=farewell), we are about not to see each other any more. Either Nazists will kill me now, or Communists will kill me later." Here are some characteristic extracts from his public sermons held in Croatian churches during the NDH period (1941-1945): All people of all colors are God's children. All of them, without any discrimination whatsoever, be they Gypsies, black people, civilized Europeans, Jews or proud Aryans are equally entitled to say" `Our Father who art in heaven...' That is why the Catholic Church has always condemned and it still condemns any injustice committed in the name of class, racial or nationalistic theories. Gypsies and Jews must not be exterminated in the name of a theory which claim that they belong to an inferior race. (A part of the sermon delivered in the Zagreb Cathedral on October 24, 1942.) There is a diversity of peoples and nations on the Earth. Mankind represents a unique whole. All of them have their roots in God. And all of them, be they of Aryan or non-Aryan race, have the same human nature. We were always accentuating in our public life the principles of eternal life of God, regardless to whether Croats, Serbs, Jews, Gypses, Catholics, Pravoslavs were in question, or anybody else. Catholic Church knows for races and peoples as creations of God, and its respect goes more to those with noble heart, than to those having powerful fist. Archbishop Stepinac publicly condemned ruining of the Zagreb synagogue in Praska ulica in 1941 with the following words: "The House of God of any faith is a sacred place..." (witnessed in written by Dr. Amiel Shomrony, citizen of Israel). This sermon, as other, could not have been published in press. But it was copied in secret among ordinary people, and one copy had been sent by Archbishop Stepinac himself to Chief Rabbi Freiberger (see [Stefan], p. 54). In an unpublished letter sent to editor in chief of the Jerusalem Post in July 29, 1995, reacting on the statement of Reuven Dafni, vicepresident of Yad Vashem, that "Stepinac did not do anything to save the Zagreb synagogue" (Jerusalem Post, July 26, 1995), Dr Amiel Shomrony wrote the following ([Stefan], p. 55-56): Sir please allow me through your column to inform your readers truthfully about "Croatia's past stalks relations with Jews", written by Mr. Jan Immanuel. In doing so I hope there is no need to stress that I have no personal interest whatsoever above stating what really happened during W.W.II in Croatia. As former secretary of the Chief Rabbi of Zagreb Dr. Shalom Freiberger and his personal contact with Cardinal Stepinac I am in the position to point out various misinterpretations if not untruths in the above mentioned article of July 26th. ...The allegation that Archbishop Stepinac welcomed the Nazis is absolutely false; on the contrary, he publicly condemned the Nazis' racial theories as antireligious even before the state of Croatia became "independent" in 1941. ...There are in Israel and the U.S. people who were hidden in 1941 by Stepinac in monasteries during the war. More than 50 elderly Jews were allowed to hide and live until the end of the war on his estate when they were brutally evicted from the old people's home Lavoslav Schwarz. Also the Jewish community received money as well as sacs of flour on a monthly basis from the Archbishop for the inmates of the concentration camp Jasenovac. ...it is a fact that he condemned all laws against Jews, Pravoslavs, Moslems and Gypsis in his Sunday sermons in the cathedral house, "all of them are children of God". Also in his sermons he specifically denounced the destruction of our Synagogue as "being a house of God"; "the perpetrators will be dully punished by almighty God"... As to the danger to his life - we submitted relevant proofs to Yad Vashem, but the matters being sub judice, I shall refrain from mentioning them here... Allow me only one more pertinent point: I am today one of the very few survivors from the Jewish community of Zagreb of W.W.II and being honorary member of "The cultural society Dr. Shalom Freiberger" I surely am a more reliable witness than people who base their opinions and "facts" one hearsay. As for the Jasenovac camp, Stepinac declared in his sermon to be disgrace and shame for the entire Croatian people. He never payed a visit to the Jasenovac camp. There are documents proving that German Gestapo planned assassination of Stepinac, as a result of his brave sermons. Hans Helm, the public atachà at the German embassy in Zagreb, wrote in March 25, 1943 that Stepinac was a great friend of Jews (see Kristo, p 141). In his monograph [Les forces armÃes croates 1941-1945, p. 18] Cristophe Dolbeau mentions organizing and protecting the escape of three boats in the Black Sea to Turkey in 1944, overcrowded with Roumanian Jews: Peu expÃrimentà (au dÃbout tout au moins) et plutot mal ÃquipÃ, la LÃgion Maritime Croate s'est parfaitement bien comportÃe tout au long de ses trois ans de prÃsence en Mer Noire oà l'amirautà allemande n'a eu qu'à se fÃliciter de son action. Bon soldats, les marins croates ont combattu dans l'honneur et sans haine : ainsi, le 24 mars et le 21 avril 1944, ont-ils organisà et protÃgà la fuite en Turquie de trois navires (le Milka, le Marcia et le Bella Citta) remplis de Juifs roumains... De retour à Zagreb le 21 mai 1944, ces matelots auront droit à un bref repos avant de reprendre la mer, dans l'Adriatique cette fois, et pour dÃfendre les rivages de leur patrie. And here is an example of brave behaviour of ordinary Croatian citizens. When professor Petar Grgec, at that time director of the Archbishopric's classical gymnasium in Zagreb, met a humiliated group of Jews on a street, with yellow armbonds on the sleeves, he took of his hat - expressing thus his deep respect, and silent protest against their suffering. This brave example, given by the old professor, must have left a deep imprint on souls of his pupils. Equally well, antifascist (and later anticommunist) example of Archbishop Stepinac left a deep imprint on the entire Croatian nation. Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac was beatified in 1998 by Pope John Paul II in Marija Bistrica near Zagreb. Ivan Mestrovic: ON RELIGIOUS ART (1954), excerpt: "...The head of that suffering Church is Cardinal Stepinac, my compatriot, my dear friend, of whom I and all Croats are proud. I am sure that our feelings are shared not only by all the Catholics throughout the world but also by all men of goodwill everywhere who cherish freedom of spirit..." Saving the famous Sarajevo Haggadah (Jewish Bible) in 1941 I dare ask You taking the trouble (especially if You are a Jew) to read the following: Let me repeat again, the ustasha regime in Croatia and the Jasenovac camp are the greatest shame in the history of Croatia. According to Vladimir Zerjavic, an upper bound of the number of victims is 85,000 killed in Jasenovac, out of which 48-52 thousand Serbian victims, 13,000 Jews killed in Jasenovac (also 6,000 killed Jews in other camps and ditches in Croatia, and 7,000 outside of Croatia), 12,000 Croatians, 10,000 Romanys (Gypses). There are views among Croatian scholars that Zerjavic's number of 85,000 killed in Jasenovac is exaggerated, see for example books of Jurcevic and Ivezic. It should be taken into account that altogether 62 Yugoslav concentration camps are known to have existed in the period from 1945-1951 (including the Jasenovac camp from 1945-1947), with unknown number of victims of communist terror, see here.The Serbian propaganda claims 700,000 victims in Jasenovac (and even 1.5 million, claimed by Serbian politician Vuk Draskovic in Paris in the 1990s), i.e. almost 10 to 20 times more than estimated by Zerjavic. It would be important to revisit uncritical statements and numbers written by Menachem Shelach in The Encyclopedia of Holocaust, IV, pp 1716-1722, New York (see Yugoslavia). Who was professor Menachem Shelach? Born in Zagreb (as Raul Spicer), he died as a university professor in Haifa in 1995. He said in an interview published in an Israeli weekly Hotam (December 30, 1994), that he "deathly hates the Croats" (in Hebrew: sin 'at mavet)!! Croats as such, the entire nation. We all know what is anti-Semitism, but what is this and how to name it? Due to Shelach's inventions and lies, even the University of Haifa published a letter (signed by a secretary of the University) stating that the rules of professional ethics cannot be applied to everything that Shelach published as a history lecturer at this University. Dr Milan Bulajic, Belgrade, was his close collaborator. And the article in The encyclopedia of Holocaust, written by Shelach, has been read and is still read by millions of Jews and others throughout the world. The last days of his life, dying of cancer, Shelach was able to speak only - in Croatian. The brilliant figure of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac is shining on, despite double refusal of Yad Vashem to acknowledge his courage and perseverance in saving the Jews in Croatia. Explaining the refusal, the spokesperson of Yad Vashem (Iris Rosenberg) wrote in an official letter to a Croatian weekly that "persons who assisted Jews but simultaneously collaborated or were closely linked with a Fascist regime which took part in the Nazi orchestrated persecution of Jews [compare with Shomrony's letter], may be disqualified for the Righteous title." We know of plenty of examples showing that this is not true. See some of them in the book "Stepinac i Zidovi" by Ljubica Stefan, p. 133-137: Giorgio Perlesca (Italy), Oskar Schindler (Poland), patriarch Papandreu Damaskinos (Greece), Georg Duckwitz (Denmark), Max Schmeling (well known boxer, Germany, member of Wermacht during the whole WW2). It is impossible to efface the truth about Cardinal Stepinac. We know that Belgrade was the only European capital with two concentration camps - Sajmiste (exclusively for Jews) and Banjica, and with the number of victims comparable to those in Jasenovac. But there are no memorial tablets as in the similar places elsewhere in Europe. No mention of Belgrade concentration camps is made in the Encyclopedia of Holocaust. To our knowledge, also the existing Museums of Holocaust in Israel and in the USA do not have Belgrade on their maps of concentration camps in Europe. Thus it turns out as if the ustasha regime in Croatia was the only one responsible for holocaust on the territory of former Yugoslavia. Probably the most outstanding falsfier of the history of the Jewish Old People's Home in Zagreb, that Archbishop Stepinac saved from German Nazis in 1943, was Dr Lavoslav Kadelburg, Croatian Jew born in Vinkovci (1910-1994). He was the president of the Union of Jewish Communities of Yugoslavia during many years, from 1965 to 1994, representative in many Jewish organizations in the world, vicepresident of the European Jewish Congress until his death. Also the judge of the Supreme law-court of the Socialist Republic of Serbia. Kadelburg himself sent a signed statement against Archbishop Stepinac to Yad Vashem. An unknown number of documents containing signed Jewish statements in favour of Stepinac during the process raised against him in 1946 was in the possession of the Jewish community in Zagreb and then sent to Belgrade. When Dr Amiel Shomrony asked Kadelburg (president of the Union of Jewish Communities in YU, Belgrade) to send him copies, he answered: "These documents have no importance, and I destroyed them." See [Stefan]. I kindly ask Jewish authorities to contact Igor Primoratz, Amiel Shomrony (both citizens of Israel), Ljubica Stefan, and Frano Glavina (Zagreb), who are without any doubt among the greatest connaisseurs of the subject covered by this web page. Memorial book of the Old People's Home in Zagreb published by the Jewsih community in Zagreb in 1960, does not even mention Alojzije Stepinac and his decisive role in saving the Jewish inmates during WW2, see [Kristo]. An appeal of my mother, related to a Jewish school-teacher that taught her to read, write, calculate, and draw in a small town of Sveti Kriz - Zacretje (near Zagreb) from 1941 to 1943. It was a very young person - Stefica Rubin, that all pupils adored (photo, 370 K). She was teaching there despite the existing ustasha regime. When she was killed by a partisan bomb in a train, all her classes were crying. Any information about her and her family would be most welcome. Another Jew of which all citizens of Sveti Kriz - Zacretje keep best memories was Mr Lemberger, a physician. And a nearby village bears the name Zidovinjak (roughly - Jewish village!), situated in Hrvatsko Zagorje, less than 40 km north of Zagreb. The name of the village, which bears witness about presence of Jews in this region so explicitly, was left unchanged also during the NDH period in Croatia (1941-1945). I express my gratitude to Ljubica Stefan for valuable information that enabled the creation of this web-page. For more details see: Related references and links Back to Croatia - an overview of its History, Culture and Science Âwww.croatianhistory.net  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 17 Apr 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6601/1/E-Christiane-Amanpour-statement-about-Cardinal-Stepinac.html ÂLetter to the CNN editorÂTo:feedback@cnn.com Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 Subject: Christiane Amanpour statement about Cardinal StepinacDirector CNN International NewsDear Sir:Watching the funeral of Pope John Paul II we were shocked to hear yourreporter Ms. Christiane Amanpour making a remark about "the Pope'scontroversial decision of beatifying Croatia's Nazi-collaborator CardinalStepinac". It is appalling to hear such a false statement from a CNNreporter, made at the funeral of a beloved and respected Pope and heardby millions of people.Where does Ms. Amanpour come off to insult not only Cardinal Stepinac andby it the whole Croatian nation, but also the very integrity of the HolyFather, who never would have considered for a moment declaring a manworthy of sainthood, if there were even a grain of doubt in his mindabout the saintliness and martyrdom of Cardinal Stepinac.Even while some in the Catholic Church might not have done enough to helpstop Hitler's "Final solution"of the "Jewish question", Cardinal Stepinac courageously opposed theGerman Nazis and Croatia's puppet regime at his own peril, personallysaving many Jews by hiding them on the Church's estate and publiclyspeaking from the pulpit of the Zagreb cathedral against racism of anykind. He believed in the dignity of the human person, regardless of race,religion or nationality. Here are just a few excerpts from his statementsin letters to Croatia's WWII puppet state leader Pavelic:"I implore you in the name of humanity, which our people have alwaysvalued so highly, that you do not permit any of the remaining citizens ofour state to suffer unjustly. In the collection camps there are many whoare innocent or who do not deserve so severe a punishment... do notpermit irresponsible and uninvited elements to sin against the true goodof our nation". - March 6, 1943."This is a shameful stain and a crime which cries out for revenge, justas the whole camp of Jasenovac is a shameful stain upon the NDH. As apriest and bishop I say together with Christ on the cross: Father forgivethem, for they know not what they do!... Be assured that it is nothatred, but love of truth and of the Croatian nation which compels me towrite this letter." - Feb. 24. 1943 In spite of the Cardinal's open opposition to the actions of the Germansand the Pavelic regime, he was tried on false charges and imprisoned byTito's communist Yugoslavia, but, interestingly, only after he refused tomake Croatia's Catholic Church independent of the Papacy in Rome. Afterrelease from prison he died under house arrest several years later,evidently having been slowly poisoned.We expect an apology from Ms. Amanpour and CNN for her irresponsible anddamaging statements. This is not the first time Ms. Amanpour has tried todefame Croatia, as several years ago she seemed to be looking for aneedle in a haystack by reporting a "Nazi graffiti" somewhere in Zagreb.Of course the fact that such Neo-Nazi graffiti can be found all overEurope and even here in America, does not seem to hinder her for singlingout Croatia - again! One has to wonder - just what is her agenda?Listening to too much Serb propaganda? Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705714 832-0289  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 17 Apr 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6600/1/E-CNN---Journalism-was-once-an-intellectual-curiosity.html ÂJournalism was once an intellectual curiosity profession What I heard today from the mouth of Christiane Amanpour, is simply unacceptable. Where does that hate comes from? First, it is the biggest funeral ever... In the history of the human kind. Controversial Saints? If anything is controversial, that is Ms. Amanpour, actually not controversial, but BIASED to the fullest extend of the word. We remember when she stood in Glina, Croatia talking about WW2 when GENOCIDE against Croatian civilians was present time. My father fought Fascism and everybody that I know and I know a lot of people. We Croatians defeated Fascism. Not just fought, but defeated. You didn't do your homework, not just today but for the last 15 years. You are courageous to go to the war zones and I give you credit for that, but your lack of knowledge is incredible. The only reason, why you can sustain that position is because the rest of the people that surround you are equally ignorant. Journalism was once an intellectual curiosity. Today it is a "fast food" mentality of "me too" journalism. I myself am musician and if I may say so, oriented towards humanitarian causes and activism www.nenadbach.com And if I say so as a rock musician, ( most of us are as tolerant as you can be ) - Shame on you - that means that , girl, you've got it wrong. Not just that sentence about Stepinac (man whom one nation can only be proud of) but the your whole life, you've missed many things that you are not even aware of. Hate comes from within. And you have it. I hope you lose your job and position very soon. Nenad BachÂNew York April 8th, 2005 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 17 Apr 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6599/1/E-NFCA-Protests-Jasenovac-Monument-in-NYC.html ÂNFCA Protests Jasenovac Monument in NYCSet forth below is the text of a letter on behalf of the National Federation of Croatian Americans (NFCA) to the New York City Commissioner of Parks and Recreation. We had recently learned that a monument to the victims of Jasenovac is to be erected in Holocaust Park in Brooklyn. As you can see from the text of the letter, the monument will claim that "hundred of thousands" of people died in Jasenovac. The people behind this effort, the Jasenovac Research Institute, are rabid supporters of Greater Serbianism (see their web site at www.jasenovac.org).I urge all who can, especially those resident in New York City, to write to their local representatives and to the Parks Commissioner to protest against this calumny against Croats. The Parks Commissioner's fax number is 212-36-1362. Shorter notes can be sent to him by email at http://www.nycgovparks.org/.I note that the Council of Croatian Organizations in New York is working separately to try to meet directly with the Commissioner on this issue.John P. Kraljic*******************************April 8, 2005Mr. Adrian BenepeCommissionerNew York City Department of Parks and RecreationCentral Park830 5th AvenueNew York, New York 10021Re: Holocaust Memorial Park - BrooklynJasenovac MemorialSir:I am an officer of the National Federation of Croatian Americans, a national organization representing 120,000 Croatian Americans. I am also a resident of New York City.We were outraged to read that the City of New York has approved the erection of a monument in Holocaust Park in Brooklyn for the victims of the Jasenovac Concentration Camp which will reportedly include an inscription that "hundreds of thousands" of victims perished there. We understand that the monument is scheduled to be erected on or about April 15, 2005.We certainly have no issue with commemorating the victims of the Jasenovac, who included tens of thousands of Croat victims as well as Serbs, Jews and Roma.However, Greater Serbian interests have purposely inflated the number of victims of Jasenovac over the last 60 years in a pernicious campaign to denigrate the Croatian nation as being "genocidal in nature," to obscure the collaborationist work of Serbian Chetnik units in World War II, to deny the participation of hundreds of thousands of Croats in the Allied cause, and to further their campaign to deny the right of Croatia to exist as an independent and democratic state.In this regard, the inflation of Jasenovac's victims played an integral role in the media campaign orchestrated by Slobodan Milosevic in preparation for his war on Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.No reputable historian has ever stated that the number of victims at Jasenovac was over 100,000 people. Indeed, the web site of the United States Holocaust Museum (www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/jasenovac) states that "[a]lthough further research may yield more exact figures, current estimates place the number of victims murdered by the [Ustasha] in Jasenovac during World War II between 56,000 and 97,000."To allow a monument to be placed on New York City parkland with any inscription which exaggerates the number of victims of Jasenovac is both a smear on the Croatian-American community and an affront to the victims of that camp whose death is being used as a political tool to advocate questionable agendas.We urge you to immediately put a stop to allowing the monument to be erected unless it accurately portrays the facts concerning Jasenovac.Very truly yours,John Peter Kraljic  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 17 Apr 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6603/1/E-My-letter-to-Carla-Del-Ponte.html ÂTomislav Govorčin11 Haskel LaneStony Brook, NY 11790ÂÂCarla Del Ponte, Chief Prosecutor International Criminal Tribunal For The Former YugoslaviaChurchillplein 12517JW The HagueNetherlandsÂDear Chief Prosecutor Del Ponte:ÂEnclosed you will find a book titled, âAnatomy of Deceit, An American Physicianâs First-hand Encounter with the Realities of the War in Croatiaâ€?, by Jerry Blaskovich M.D. It is a first-hand, accurate account of the realities he experienced in the war in Croatia. I strongly urge you and the rest of the tribunal to read it. It will provide you with some very important, true facts about how innocent, defenseless Croatian citizens were murdered by Serbian Communists and ignored by most of the world. Check with United States intelligence and you will find that over 90% of the atrocities, grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, violations of the laws and customs of war, genocide, and crimes against humanity perpetrated in the former Yugoslavia were carried out by the Serbs. ÂAlso keep in mind that all of these criminal acts and grave injustices against Croatians have taken place mainly on Croatian and Bosnian soil.ÂYou and the tribunal should strongly consider reexamining your cases against Croatians and Bosnians because most of the violations of international humanitarian law were committed in Croatian and Bosnian territories, against Croatians and Bosnians. Donât forget that your institution, the United Nations signed an arms embargo preventing Croatia from defending its innocent civilians from Serbian aggression and furthermore threatened Croatia with sanctions if they attempted to protect themselves. You have put Croatian military personnel on trial, continued pursuing others for trial, and have collaborated in threatening and preventing Croatia from European Union membership and bettering itself for simply defending their own people, borders, and freedom. You should be ashamed of yourselves.ÂI truly hope that the book helps you and the tribunal clear up many of your misconceptions and inaccurate evidence. ÂThank you.Sincerely,ÂTomislav GovorčinMarch 22, 2005ÂDear Nenad,Below you will find a copy of a letter I recently sent to Carla Del Ponte, Chief Prosecutor of The Hague. I also enclosed a book for her called "Anatomy of Deceit, An American Physician's First-hand Encounter With The Realities Of The War In Croatia", by Jerry Blaskovich, MD. What Dr. Blaskovich writes about is nothing new for some Croatians. However, it is the truth and people need to know what really happened. I urge everyone to read this book. So in the wake of the delaying of Croatia's European Union membership talks, my frustration and anger led me to action. Before, the Serbs were the aggressors against Croatia and oppressors of Croatian independence and betterment. Now it seems like the rest of Europe is. Please don't misunderstand me. I don't believe that European Union membership is the solution to all of Croatia's problems. I think anyone would be naive to think that. Croatia needs much political and economic reform before truly realizing the benefits of European Union membership. Unfortunately, the United Nation's International Criminal Tribunal For The Former Yugoslavia and Carla Del Ponte are abusing their power to oppress Croatia. I hope my letter and the book get to the Chief Prosecutor. If they do, I hope she takes the time to read them, and hopefully they make some type of positive impact.(See attached file: LettertoICTY.doc)TomislavTomislav Govorcin, LUTCFFinancial Services ExecutiveService from 1994Million Dollar Round Table MemberMetLife Financial Services2929 Expressway Dr. N., Suite 100Hauppauge, NY 11749Telephone: (631) 851-5749Fax: (631) 851-5773 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 30 Mar 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6604/1/E-Letter-to-Guardian-re-MI6-in-Croatia.html ÂLetter to Guardian re MI6 in CroatiaTo: politics.editor@guardianunlimited.co.ukDate: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 Subject: MI6 in CroatiaDear Editor:Regarding Ian Traynor's article of March 18, "The fugitive who stands inthe way of Croatia's EU entry",I wonder how the British public would feel if some foreign spies,especially from a country not known to be essentially kindly disposedtoward it, would be allowed to work undercover in England?? Especially ifthey felt that the general these spies are trying to find has liberatedpart of their country from four years of brutal occupation and thecharges against him are trumped up?Sincerely,Hilda Foley13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705, USA714-832-0289 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 21 Mar 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6605/1/E-Croats-history-of-resistance-by-Tomislav-Sunic.html ÂCroats' history of resistance Âhttp://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/letters.cfm?id=155742005 Letters, Edinburgh Evening News 10 FebruaryCroats' history of resistance I ENJOYED very much Margo MacDonald’s piece"Dismissing History is more or less bunk" (News,February 3), which warned us against historicaloblivion regarding the victims of the Second WorldWar. Ms MacDonald correctly notes that many young Britishstudents know little about fascism in continentalEurope. Alas this memory loss, and the failure inright educational approach, is not just visible in theUK, but in other parts of Europe - both East and West.In her otherwise informative piece, Ms MacDonald seemsto be rehashing the old clichà of "concentration campsrun by Croatians who backed Hitler". This stigma had much success in ex-communistYugoslavia, and was slickly used to discredit Croatsin their search for their own democratic statehood. While it is true that the Croats of the puppet regimeinstalled during the Second World War in Croatiacollaborated with Nazi Germany, it is equally truethat Croats made up, percentage-wise, the largestnumber of anti-fascist combatants in occupied Europe. Also Croats were proportionally the largestanti-fascist force within Tito’s (another Croat)partisan resistance movement. The most intensive resistance activities were takingplace almost exclusively on the territory of theso-called Independent State of Croatia, which wascomprised territorially of what is today Croatia andneighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore Croats were part of Allied Forces fightingalso for the freedom of their fellow Serbs oppressedby the pro-Nazi collaborating regime. Ms MacDonald is rightly warning us against the dangerof using clichÃs. All abominable crimes againsthumanity have been clichÃ-driven crimes, and haveoften been used and abused as a pretext for a crime.This is to alert Ms MacDonald and your readers againstthose clichÃs. Tomislav Sunic, Minister counselor, Embassy of theRepublic of Croatia, Conway Street, Londonhttp://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/letters.cfm?id=155742005  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 13 Feb 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6606/1/E-Balkan-Justice---Letter-to-the-Editor-by-John-Kraljic.html ÂTo the Editor of The Washington TimesÂI was very happy to read Bolton's statements in Jeff Kuhner's commentary. However, I think Bolton is punting the issue by simply saying that there is no accountability. The question is why is there no accountability? It's because the US has failed to taken any actions to make it so. This is an argument we have made to the State Department for several years. They seem to finally be "getting it," but their not quite there yet. Below is a letter to the editor I sent in concerning the commentary.John KraljicTo the Editor of The Washington TimesOne must applaud John Bolton's criticism of the lack of "democratic accountability" of the International Criminal Tribunal for War Crimes for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and its current prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte. One has to ask, though, why Mr. Bolton and the State Department have not taken any actions to reign in the ICTY.Both the ICTY and the Prosecutor are ultimately responsible to the UN Security Council. The United States has failed to use its membership status in the Council to put in place any meaningful oversight of the activities of the ICTY and the Prosecutor.The critical issue today is not whether prosecutions will be turned over the national courts in former Yugoslavia - that has been the stated policy goal for several years. The question is what the State Department will do concerning the continued work of the ICTY and the Prosecutor with respect to its current docket of cases, especially with respect to the politically motivated indictment brought against Croatian General Ante Gotovina.Very truly yours,John Peter Kraljichttp://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20041023-105636-4172r.htm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6607/1/E-Two-Letters-in-Liberal-Democrat-News---B-Gallagher.html ÂTwo Letters in Liberal Democrat News - B Gallagher/D OrchardDear AllYou will recall a letter I had published in LiberalDemocrat News a few weeks back. A Serb sympathiserreplied, and you can get the gist of what she saidfrom my published response below. However, not only myletter was published, but also one from Mr DavidOrchard, which is better than mine! Mr Orchard and Ihave been in touch and below his letter is aninteresting anecdote regarding Radovan Karadzic. Proofpositive that not everyone in the UK is anti-Croat assome may think.BrianDear Editor Re: The forgotten war, letters, 13 August 2004 CllrPeacock implies that I ‘condone’ brutality againstcivilians. This is quite unjustified, and cannot gowithout answer. Roy Gutman, the Pulitzer Prize winning Newsweek writerwho exposed Serb run concentration camps in Bosnia hasalso written on concerns over UN indictments forOperation Storm - an action certainly not aimed atcivilians. His record on human rights isunimpeachable. Cllr Peacock calls my justification for OperationStorm - saving Croatia and Bosnia, stopping Milosevic“astonishing”. Most revealing. Her criticism of‘condoning brutality’ is perhaps more applicable toherself. Operation Storm stopped genocide and theconcept of ‘Greater Serbia’, after all. Croatia and Bosnia had every right to recover theirterritory - which the Serbs had murdered over 200, 000people to occupy. Some abuses did occur, but they wererelatively few and hardly comparable to Serb acts. The tragic Serb refugee problem is the fault of theSerb leadership. They have publicly admitted that theyordered and coerced Serbs out of Croatia. They wereused to fill up Serb held areas in Bosnia and Kosovo. Given “tolerant” Serbia’s many elected extremists,worries over minorities is not “prejudice” - butlegitimate concern. Advocating a “neutral perspective” sounds reasonable,but history tells us a “neutral perspective” allowsthe Serbs to do as they like - as seen at Srebrenica. If anyone wants further information on these issues,please email me. Yours sincerelyBrian Gallagher London brigall@yahoo.co.ukÂEditorFrances Peacock (13 August) defends Serbia's behaviourtowards civilians in the 1990s conflicts. But there isanother - and darker - side to the coin. Two episodes will suffice:a.. In Vukovar (Croatia) I visited a mass grave ofover 4000 civilians slaughtered by the Serbs inhospitals and child nurseries in 1991, amidst theruins of a once prosperous town which had themisfortune to lie too close to the Serbian border inSlavonia. Hard to forget. b.. During the journey there, my Croatian colleaguetold me how she frantically had to shelter - with herchildren - in late 1991 under the counters of theZagreb food market while "their own airforce" -Yugoslav fighters manned by Serb pilots - mercilesslymachine-gunned the Croatian civilians shopping forlunch. This left something of a lasting impressionupon her, previously a Yugoslav federalist, andsubsequently a Croatian nationalist. Meanwhile, indicted war criminals such as RadovanKaradzic are still sheltered from justice by theirgang of outlaw warlords in and around Pale in the Serbenclave in Bosnia. So I can't agree that Serbia is quite as advancedtowards democracy and tolerance as Frances Peacockclaims. Personally, having myself recently visited Serbia,Croatia, and Slovenia (the new ex-Yugoslav EUmember-state to the north of Croatia), I think ourParty might best start in Slovenia for a civilisedapproach to Balkan relations; the Slovenes know theirneighbours well and have local credibility that Britscan't easily match. David Orchard dorchard@waitrose.com Also from Mr Orchard: “I personally encounteredRadovan Karadzic and his thuggish retinue in Warsaw in1995 or so, as they were occupying a floor of myslightly sleazy hotel (the Europejski). They werethoroughly disliked by the Poles, not least by thehotel's "working girls", who crossed themselveswhenever they saw them, refused to provide the Serbswith the usual services, and finally deserted thehotel en masse when they found out the Serbs werestaying some time. (The Serbs thus managed to achievewhat the Polish Citizens' Militia had never achievedin Communist days, namely ridding the hotel Europejskiof prostitutes ! About the one positive Serbianachievement that I can think of....) “ letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Sep 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6609/1/E-Latin-as-a-literary-language-among-the-Croats.html ÂLatin as a literary language among the CroatsÂSome of you might be interested in one of Dr Franolic's essays on the web, "Latin as a literary language among the Croats":http://www.hic.hr/books/latinists/01latin.htm I just wanted to bring a few works to your attention on the subject of Croatian vs Serbian language.First, there is a good book in English on the differences between Croatian and Serbian and some of the history behind "unification": Miro Kacic, Croatian and Serbian: Delusions and Distortions, Zagreb: Novi Most, 1997. Second, Branko Franolic wrote an excellent essay on the history of the Croatian literary language, which included differences between Serbian and Croatian. The essay may now be out of print and only available in French -- Branko Franolic, La langue litteraire croate: apercu historique, Paris: Nouvelles editions latines, 1972. However, it is worth looking for.Finally, if any of you are interested in Illyrianism, the following may interest you:Marcus Tanner, "Illyrianism and the Croatian Quest for Statehood", Daedalus, Vol. 126, 1997. best wishesSanjaJust to add something to Robert Jerin's discussion.Many people often forget that the official language in Croatia according to its 1974 constitution was "Croatian or Serbian that is the Croatian Literary Language." It was NOT called Serbo-Croatian - the name Serbo-Croatian or Croato-Serbian was the official language of the SRs of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, NOT of Croatia.The example of English language dictionaries is instructive. A two volume set I bought in the early 1980s (by, I beleive Drvodelic, but I don't have the name in front of me) is called "Hrvatski ili Srpski - Engleski Rijecnik" (Croatian or Serbian - English Dictionary). This indicated that the book was based on the Croatian language. If you bought such dictionaries which were entitled "Serbo-Croatian/English Dictionary" those were in Serbian.This was reflected in school report cards as well. I have seen a number from Croatia from the 1970s and 1980s which call the subject "Croatian or Serbian." The subject was not called Serbo-Croatian.This shows that there were already deep differences between Serbian and Croatian during the period when Yugoslavia existed. Even the Communist 1974 Constitution had to respect these differences.A final point - in the late 1980s Matthew Mestrovic, the President of the Croatian National Congress, testified in Congress concerning the need for the Voice of America to establish a separate Croatian-language section. My understanding is that during his testimony, in response to those who said that Serbian and Croatian were the same thing, Mestrovic pulled out a Yugoslavia Thousand Dinar Note and pointed out that the currency contained both the Serbian and the Croatian words for the word "Thousand" (Hiljada and Tiscua). I thought that to be very clever and an interesting means to present the differences to those who have a concept that the language was supposedly being "broken up" by those "bad" Croatian "separatists" who apparently "hated" their fellow South Slavs so much that they wanted to "create" a "new" language!John Kraljic letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 03 Sep 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6608/1/E-Letter-to-The-Economist.html ÂLetter to The EconomistÂI sent this letter to The Economist magazine in response to a short article concerning an Italian TV series being produced which has raised protests in Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia. The program essentially explores the issues surrounding the killing of Italian civilians by the Partisans in Istria during WWII and thereafter.Such killings no doubt occurred - however, Italians have raised the amount killed to monumental proportions. Moreover, they suffer from the same syndrome as the Japanese - they fail to admit their complicity in crimes during WWII in occupied countries, in this case Croatia and Slovenia.Most Italian commanders of forces in these areas never answered for their crimes. While the town of Lidice is well known as being destroyed by the Nazis, very few know of Podhum which suffered essentially the same fate at the hands of the Italians in 1942 (you can clearly see the monument to the 92 people killed on the Rijeka-Zagreb highway - the rest of the town was deported).Most everyone has heard the famous command by German forces to kill 100 Serbs for every German soldier. No one ever hears of a similar command in Dalmatia - 5 for every civilian assaisnated and 20 for every Italian officer or official. And these commands were carried out.John Kraljic*****************************************LettersThe Economist25 St James's StreetLondon SW1A 1HGUnited KingdomRe: "Memento Mori," August 28, 2004-September 3, 2004Sir:Your article concerning the issue of Italian victims at the hands of Yugoslav Partisans paints a misleading picture.While a certain amount of ethnic Italians in Istria suffered at the hands of the Partisans during and after World War II, you fail to note that Italy has dramatically inflated the number of such victims to stratospheric proportions.More importantly, Italy has never admitted its responsibility for the vast war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by its regular army troops and fascists in Croatia and Slovenia during its occupation of parts of these countries during World War II.Untold thousands of civilians were executed and killed by the Italians and their allies while close to a hundred thousand Croats and Slovenes were jailed or deported. The hundreds of monuments to these innocent victims scattered throughout Croatia and Slovenia attest to this.Very few Italians were ever brought to justice for these crimes. Italy's attempts to turn attention to the events in Istria at the tail end of World War II can only be described as an attempt to assuage its own guilt. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 03 Sep 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6610/1/E-Gerald-Warner-commentary---Letter-to-The-Scotsman.html ÂGerald Warner commentary in The ScotsmanTo: Letterr_ts@scotsman.com Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 Subject: Gerald Warner commentaryMy letter to the e-mail address I had for The Scotsman came backundeliverable, so I went directly to their web site and wrote the wholething over in their "letters to Editor" message. Keep this in mind incase anyone else wants to write to them. HildaThe ScotsmanDear Editor:One would have to be hard pressed to find a better, more historicallycorrect commentary than the one by Gerald Warner in the Scotsman onSunday 8 Aug.The response from a Serb, Mr. Dorich of Los Angeles, had the typicalexaggerations regarding the numbers of Serb victims in various wars.Worse, Mr. Dorich could not even keep his dates straight, by writing thatSerbia's king was killed three years prior to the killing in 1914 ofAustria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo by a Serb, precipitatingWWI. Fact is, the Serb (Yugoslav) king Alexander was assassinated inMarseilles in 1934, a full twenty years later, and not by, as he states,a Croatian, but by Vlada Gheorghieff , a Macedonian revolutionary. Hementions that the Congress of Berlin (1876) gave Austria the right tokeep Bosnia as a protectorate for 44 years and "when it became time toreturn Bosnia to the Serbs, Austria and the Archduke refused". Simplearithmetic shows that it would have been 1920 not 1914 for Austria togive up the protectorate of Bosnia - which by the way was not part ofSerbia previous to the Ottoman Turk conquest. Furthermore, Mr. Dorich omits mentioning that king Alexander abolishedthe constitution of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes shortlyafter the assassination in 1928 of the six Croat leaders in the BelgradeParliament and he then renamed the country "Yugoslavia" in 1929,establishing a royal dictatorship. Serbia's heavy, oppressive hand wasfelt not only by Croats but by all the other south Slav nations cobbledtogether into this Yugoslavia after WWI. Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705, USA714 832-0289  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 16 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6611/1/E-The-Forgotten-War-Blaskic-Gotovina---Published.html ÂLiberal Democrat News 6 August 2004 Issue 816I am concerned that due to Iraq, the Liberal Democratshave forgotten about ex-Yugoslavia, where scrutiny isneeded.The UN appeals court overturned the conviction ofCroat General Tihomir Blaskic for war crimes, hissentence reduced from 45 years to 9. A similar fatemay await fugitive Croat General Ante Gotovina, whosecase I have written extensively on. The UN havecharged him and two others with the American controlled Croat offensive ’Operation Storm’ in 1995which stopped Milosevic, saving Croatia and Bosnia. The UN - which supported the Serbs throughout the war- ludicrously claim Operation Storm to be a war crime.These charges should now be dropped, not leastbecause the prosecutors have contradicted them withevidence in the Milosevic trial. Must we wait forjustice at an appeal?Extensively reported in Croatia, British Intelligenceare apparently falsely claiming to internationalofficials that Croatia is harbouring General Gotovinain an attempt to sabotage Croatia’s EU entry. Sadly,anti-British feeling is thus rife in Croatia. Elsewhere - and virtually ignored - Hungarians andCroats are being violently attacked by Serb extremistsin the Vojvodina province of Serbia. The LiberalDemocrats should start taking a interest - and to besceptical of Foreign Office policy.Brian GallagherLondon  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 06 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6616/1/E-Letter-to-Butterfield-and-Robinson-Travel.html ÂTown and Country TravelÂTo:info@butterfield.com Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 Subject: Town and Country article about CroatiaDirector of TravelingButterfield and RobinsonToronto, CanadaDear Sir:In the June issue of Town and Country Travel was a very nice article byJohn Cantrell describing his hiking and biking experience on Croatia'sDalmatian coast, arranged by your company. I was surprised to read thatyour company suggested to the trip's participants who might be interestedin the history of Croatia to read the book by Robert Kaplan "BalkanGhosts" and Rebecca West's "Black Lamb and Grey Falcon". These books sayvery little about Croatia' history and as both authors are knownserbophiles their information reflects their thinking. I would respectfully ask that you change this by suggesting some far moreinformative books about the history of Croatia, such as Marcus Tanner's"Croatia, a Nation forged in War" or "A History of Croatia" by StephenGazi. Also, there is an excellent travel guide book "Croatia" byEyewitness Travel Guides ("The Guides That Show You What Others Only TellYou") which features all pertinent facts about the country, including its1000+ years of history and hundreds of pictures and maps. I believe forthe average traveler, that one would be the very best choice. Sincerely,Hilda M. Foley13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Ca 92705714-832-0289From: "Muriel Truter" muriel@butterfield.com To: Cc: "Susan Baldwin" susan@butterfield.com ,"Jess Cook" jess@butterfield.com Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 Subject: FW: Town and Country article about CroatiaDear Hilda,Thank you for recommending some alternative books on Croatia and it'shistory. We will definitely consider them - it is always good to haveperspectives from many different voices. The Eyewitness guide books arebrilliant - I had not seen one on Croatia but will look for it now.Thank you for taking the time to contact us - I will check out yourrecommendations and add them to our reading list.Sincerely,Muriel Truter Director, By Sea Programme Butterfield & Robinson Active Trips Around the World 1-800-678-1147 or (416) 864-1354 Fax: (416) 864-0541 muriel.truter@butterfield.comÂwww.butterfield.com ÂOp-edShower them with complimentsNB letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 30 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6615/1/E-Article-in-The-Scotsman.html Article in The ScotsmanI sent this e-mail to Mr. Stephen's address but it did not go through, soI accessed The Scotsman's web site directly, where I was able to type myletter again, which was received.The ScotsmanCStephen@scotsman.com July 7, 2004Dear Mr. Stephen,Reading your article "Prosecutors to blame for their own headache"regarding the ICTY prosecution of Slobodan Milosevic, I find some of yourstatements disturbing. You wrote that "Milosevic had no official link to Serb forces in what were separate countries, Croatia and Bosnia".This is not correct. Milosevic ordered the Yugoslav army into Croatia andlater Bosnia not only because he did not recognize their declarations ofindependence and secession from Yugoslavia, which was their rightaccording to the Yugoslav constitution of 1974, but to support with thearmy and ammunition the rebellion of the ethnic Serbs and paramilitary,in order to achieve the goal of "Greater Serbia". It certainly gave himthe green light when the United States Secretary of State Baker visitedand expressed the support for holding Yugoslavia together. A great number of Serb documents seized in 1995 during Croatia'sliberation of the Serb occupied region of Krajina and Slavonija testifyto that fact. The three Serb officers indicted by the ICTY for thedestruction of Croatia's city of Vukovar and murder of over 200 hospitalpatients in the fields of nearby Ovcara are Yugoslav officers fromSerbia. So were the officers and the admiral who were destroyingDubrovnik and its entire region. There is no question that as the ICTYprosecutors insist, Milosevic was the center of all the Balkan wars ofthe 1990s.Sincerely,Hilda Marija FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705, USA letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 30 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6614/1/E-Letter-to-the-Editor-of-the-Wash-Post---Mostar.html ÂÂLetter to the Editor of the Washington PostDear Editor,While attempting to provide an objective report from Mostar, Bosnia ("Bridge over still-troubled waters rises anew in split Bosnian city" Thur, July 22) reporter Daniel Williams fails to provide a completely clear picture of today's Bosnia.Mostar is the only city in Bosnia today where western democratic values and procedures have been totally disregarded by the current OHR, Paddy Ashdown. In all other Bosnian cities, such as Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Tuzla, etc - the majority rules and democracy prevails, just like in the United States. Not so in Mostar. It's bad enough that the Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Islamic (Muslim) communities have chased out over two thirds of the remaining Bosnian Croats from Bosnia since 1992 - but now Croats have been denied democracy in the one city where they remain in majority. Ashdown's exhortations about it's his way or "it's back to war" hide his failure to govern by basic democratic norms. Furthermore, throughout Bosnia, Ashdown has allowed the Bosnian Serbs and Muslims to teach their own children in their own language in public schools, but has denied this basic human right for the Bosnian Croat community. Bosnian Croat parents rightfully protested in Mostar when they could not have their children taught in their own language - and not a language constructed by Islamic bureaucrats based in Sarajevo.The Bosnian Croat community is the minority community in Bosnia today. Before pointing the finger at this minority - Daniel Williams might do well to re-examine the Dayton Peace Agreement, which supposedly protects the basic rights of all citizens of Bosnia. Anthony Margan4433 31st Street South, #202Arlington, VA 22206  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 30 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6613/1/E-Mostar-bridge---Published-letter-in-Independent-by-Brian-Gallagher.html ÂMostar bridge - Published letter in Independent by Brian GallagherThe Independent, Letters 26 July 2004http://argument.independent.co.uk/letters/story.jsp?story=544658 Mostar bridge Sir: It is good news that Mostar's Old Bridge has beenrebuilt (report, 23 July). However, problems remain.Mostar now has a small Croat majority. Bosnia's HighRepresentative, Lord Ashdown, recently imposed onMostar a political system where no ethnic majoritycould take control.This would be a good idea if applied to all ofBosnia's towns such as Muslim-controlled Sarajevo orSerb-controlled Banja Luka. But it will not be. Byeffectively discriminating against the Croats in sucha manner, Lord Ashdown has simply ensured thattensions in Mostar will remain for many years to come.BRIAN GALLAGHER London  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 30 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6612/1/E-Reply-to-Ulster-bigots-on-Croatia.html ÂReply to Ulster bigots on Croatia Dear All, this letter from the Irish News, with which I have been in touchpreviously, shows how worthwhile it is to give reporters backgroundregarding recent (or older) Croatian history. As you can see, they usedit well.Best, HildaFrom: irishnews@hushmail.com To: hmfgsf@juno.com Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004 Subject: Re: Reply to Ulster bigots on CroatiaThe following is a letter of response sent to Iain Paisley and chums(Ulster Unionist Leader and notorious anti-Catholic):......................................................................In response to the article ‘Ethnic Cleansing must be condemned’ whichfeatures on the European Institute for Protestant Studies web site:http://www.ianpaisley.org/article.asp?ArtKey=ethnic The ‘illegally declared’ Croatian independence mentioned in your articlewas when 94% of the Croatian people voted for independence in areferendum.The subsequent aggression by the Serb-dominated Yugoslav army againstCroatia in response to this however, was in clear violation of the 1974constitution which recognized the right of each of Yugoslavia's sixconstituentrepublics to secede from the federation. In 1991, Rebel-Serbs extremists in the Krajina region annexed one thirdof the country having ethnically cleansed, deported or killed virtuallyall the 80,000 non-Serb population. Milan Babic, Croatian-Serb leaderstated to the judges at his recent trial in relation to these crimesthat: “he stood before them with a deep sense of shame and remorse forhis part in the murder and persecution of thousands of non-Serbs in aplot to create a new Serb-dominated state on one-third of Croatianterritory.”Whilst the Croatian army was reclaiming territory previously illegallyseized by Serb nationalist extremists; the Croatian-Serb President MilanMartic, whom you complain was declared a ‘war criminal,’ was in factdeclared so for having ordered retaliatory ‘cluster bomb’ attacks onthree Croatian cities, including Zagreb, which killed and maimedcivilians.Your alleged “thousands of Serbs killed in cold blood” differs somewhatfrom actual Serbian sources. On 05/01/2004 Glas Srpski (Serbian Voice)reported 283 people had been killed or gone missing in Operation Flash,which had been previously confirmed by the Association of Croatian Serbsat their 6th anniversary in Banja Luka on May 2nd 2001, which wasreportedby Agence France Presse. Whilst any death, regardless of ethnicity istragic, combined with those from Operation Storm, recorded Serb deathsin relation to these two operations roughly approximate a total of 433.Your allegation that “200,000 Serbs were ethnically cleansed by Croatianforces” is incorrect. The aforementioned President Milan Martic orderedthe Krajina Serbs evacuation, which was confirmed in ‘Politika’ 23rdAugust 1995. In addition, as previously stated by Jerry Blaskovitch in‘Anatomy of Deceit’, these civilians departed in an orderly fashion withmost of their belongings – unlike their previous non-Serb neighbourswho were lucky to escape at all.Your allegations that deceased Croatian President Franjo Tudjman wasa ‘holocaust revisionist and Hitler apologist’ are false. Many historiansnow acknowledge that the majority of Fascist allegations against Tudjmanoriginated from Serb propaganda. Numerous intellectuals of Jewish descentthroughout the world have also shown that accusing Tudjman ofanti-Semitismis unfounded. Tudjman’s anti-fascism was made clear in his letter ofresponse to the allegations written to the US Congress dated January21st 1992.Your allegation that ‘Nazi Croatia is the most ethnically pure countryin Europe’ is also false. Croats compose 89.6% of the Croatianpopulation,which is similar to Austria’s composition of ethnic Germans. Conversely,Polish compose 97.6% and Icelandic 96% of their respective populations.I also find it interesting that you fail to mention Serbia’s Nazi past.You alleged that the “IRA has ethnically cleansed many thousands ofProtestants along the border with the Irish Republic” and quote an estimated 50-100,000.The ‘border’ to which you refer of course, was, like the border to theillegal Serb territory of Krajina, gerrymandered, artificial, and createdby a minority against the wishes of the majority of the country’spopulation;at the expense of both the indigenous population and others who opposedits creation, many of whom were ethnically cleansed, murdered, torturedand imprisoned. Your ‘estimated’ number of cleansed Protestants, whetherby the IRA or otherwise, is like your article in general - outrageousand plainly untrue. Your article is simply full of lies and bigotry and is a disgrace tothe genuine decent Protestant people out there, who we are fully awareyou in no way represent.Yours sincerely,Irish friends of Croatia.C/45 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 30 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6617/1/E-PUBLISHED-LETTERS-IN-WASHINGTON-TIMES.html ÂPUBLISHED LETTERS IN WASHINGTON TIMES ON OPERATION STORMBelow are two letters by myself and Hilda Foleypublished today in the Washington Times. It is thefirst time - as far as I know - that the Savo Strbacaffair has been mentioned in the mainstream media. Itshows that people are interested. Perhaps Zagrebshould take note.Brian GallagherConflict in the Balkans Helle Dale claims that Croatian troops forced tensof thousands of Serbian civilians out of Croatia("Balkan ghosts," Op-Ed, Wednesday). This claim - alsomade by the International Criminal Tribunal - isuntrue. The Croatian Serb leadership publicly admittedthat it ordered and coerced its people to leaveCroatia ahead of the Croatian offensives. TheU.S.-backed Croatian actions recoveredSerbian-occupied territory that had been conquered onthe back of ethnic cleansing. The U.S.-Croatianactions also saved Bosnia, saving untold thousands oflives. Mrs. Dale should take a closer look at thetribunal she says should be supported. One of the topSerbian officials involved in the occupation ofCroatia, Savo Strbac, far from being investigated, isa top associate of the U.N. prosecutors. He is helpingthem prosecute the very Croatian generals who, withvital American support, stopped Slobodan Milosevic inhis tracks. They will not get a fair trial. The United Nations will smear the United Statesfor helping the Croats stop Mr. Milosevic, RadovanKaradzic and Ratko Mladic - a "crime" in the eyes ofmany at the United Nations who were happy to indulgethe Serbian rampage across Croatia and Bosnia. BRIAN GALLAGHER London • While reading the Op-Ed column "Balkan ghosts" byHelle Dale, I found two statements disturbing becausethey do not represent the truth. Mrs. Dale writes, "Croatian troops swept throughthe Serb-controlled region of Krajina, forcing tens ofthousands of Croatian Serbs to flee." The fact is thatit is not only the Vukovar region that Serbsdestroyed, but these ethnic Serbs in Croatia's Krajinaregion also occupied, with the help of theSerbian-Yugoslav army and paramilitary, one-third ofCroatia after their aggression started in 1991. They "ethnically cleansed" the Croatianpopulation, looting and destroying their homes andcommitting untold atrocities. When the Croatian armyfinally liberated its territory in August 1995, theseSerbs were not "driven out," as the article states,but were ordered by their own leadership to leavebefore the arrival of the Croatian army. Testimony tothat fact was given in Politika, a Serbian newspaper,in August 1995 in Belgrade by the Serb Krajinaleadership. Anything else is a revision of history. In addition, only Serbia and the so-called Serbianrepublic in Bosnia have dragged their feet and notcooperated with the International Criminal Tribunal,according to the tribunal's Judge Theodor Meron, whilethe tribunal is pleased with Croatia's cooperation. HILDA M. FOLEY National Federation of Croatian Americans Santa Ana, Calif. ÂWashington Times, letters to the Editor 18 June.http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20040617-091443-9457r.htm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 18 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6618/1/E-Letter-to-UN-re-ICTY.html His Excellency Kofi AnnanSecretary General of the UNUnited Nations PlazaNew York, N.Y. 10017Excellency:We are taking the liberty to send this very important report to youregarding the close working association of the ICTY Chief ProsecutorMadame Del Ponte with Savo Strbac, head of the "Veritas" organization.Mr. Strbac was the "Government Secretary" of the Serb-occupied so-called"Republika Srpska Krajina" an illegal para-state in Croatia thatethnically cleansed the whole Croatian population while looting andburning their homes and committing terrible atrocities. To this day Mr.Strbac still advocates a "Greater Serbia" wherever Serbs live, no matterthat, as in Croatia, such land was never part of Serbia.We cannot understand that Madame Del Ponte could actually give anycredence to such a person and much less even to cooperate with him. Whywas Mr. Strbac and his role in ethnic cleansing and killing neverinvestigated? We believe that it is of the utmost importance that thiscooperation with Mr. Strbac and his Veritas organization at the ICTYProsecutor's office and he himself are investigated.Madame Del Ponte is now busy indicting more Croatian generals, presumablyto even out the number with the Serb indictees. Notwithstanding thatCroatia never attacked one inch of Serbian soil, notwithstanding that upto now 139 mass graves of Croatian victims massacred by Serbs have beendiscovered in Croatia and that during the UNPROFOR mandate in Serboccupied Croatia Serbs killed far more Croatians than the combined numberof alleged Serb victims for which the Croatian generals now standaccused. Very truly yours,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans 13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Ca. 92705  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 14 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6619/1/E-Letter-to-San-Diego-University-Lecturer.html ÂTo: Mieczyslaw Boduszynski, Woodrow Wilson InstituteNenad:Inspired by our dear friend Hilda, I had to give this guy a piece of my mind. Keep up the good work, prijatelju.Peter CurkoMay 14, 2004To: Mieczyslaw Boduszynski, Woodrow Wilson InstituteDear Sir:It seems like only yesterday that Croatians in New York City were demonstrating at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, waving their flags and hoping the world would see what was going on in their country. Among the flags and signs, one could see Lithuanian, Polish, and Latvian flags as well, as Croatia's cause rightfully seemed to strike a sympathetic chord with those people who had seen oppression at the hands of their Russian neighbors. Surely, we thought, this will galvanize public opinion in our favor, and this historic injustice will end. Well, we all know it did not. What you, sir, are doing, only perpetuates this injustice.Mieczyslaw (do you have a convenient nickname, by the way? How about Mike?), my good man, I think it was your turn to lecture, and you were at a loss for material, so you just picked the safest route: collectivization of guilt. That has been the popular way of dealing with the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. Safe, clean, no dirty hands, no criticism, no worries. I can understand why the Polish "Solidarnosc" movement, or the Baltic struggle for freedom for that matter, is always viewed as some historic, heroic, fundamentally "right" battle for national identity. I cannot, though, understand why the same description does not apply to Croatia's struggle.Croatia is free now, no longer subject to Serb overlordship. We have tried to appease the farcical tribunal known as the Hague/IWCT in every way, shape, and form. The newly elected Ivo Sanader has been about as different from the old-line HDZ as Polish kielbasa is from Indian curried chicken. And what, mind you, have the Serbs been doing in the meantime? Well, how does giving a sizeable chunk of the popular vote to Vojislav Seselj grab you? If there was a "Top 20" list put together of notorious, murderous men to ever hold public office, this man would safely assume his position on that list. Has Serb leadership cooperated with the IWCT? Hardly. Recently, a New York Times article described a near-miss in efforts to collar Radovan Karadzic by noting that the forces assigned with the task of capturing him was made up mostly of Serb policemen. Gee, I can't for the life of me figure out how he wiggled his way out of that one.Let me sum up in one sentence what your lecture would take an hour to say: Croatia is moving forward, and Serbia is moving decidedly backward. You, sir, would be better off lecturing on more accurate and interesting topics like Estonia's projected 50% loss in population by the year 2050, or maybe even something regarding your institute's namesake, and how his fellow bumbling statesmen cobbled together a ruinous blueprint for Europe that still has tragic implications.Sincerely,Peter Curko letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 17 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6620/1/E-Letter-to-San-Diego-University-Lecturer.html ÂTo Woodrow Wilson InstituteÂMr. Mieczyslaw BoduszynskiUniversity of San Diego5998 Alcala ParkSan Diego, CA 92110-2492 May 6, 2004Dear Mr. Boduszynski,We are reading with great dismay the title of your upcoming lecture atthe Woodrow Wilson Institute: "The Return of Power of Nationalist Partiesin Croatia and Serbia - What Does It Mean?".The title seems to suggest that the Governments of Croatia and Serbia areboth nationalistic, implying that the new government of Croatia, led bythe HDZ party, is the same as the so-called nationalistic government ofthe late president Tudjman. If this is indeed your impression you arequite mistaken. The new government of Croatia is internationally recognized as ademocratic government with no unhealthy nationalistic overtones. The veryfact that the EU gave it the Avis for future membership and that thePrime Minister Dr. Sanader and Croatia's Foreign Minister were invited tothe White House to the recent NATO admission ceremony for several newNATO members from former communist countries should be adequate proofthat Croatia is considered a worthy, democratic country.Serbia, of course, is an entirely different matter. Their newly electedGovernment espouses leaders who are ultra-nationalist and who stillbelieve that they have the right to annex to Serbia any part of asovereign country if there happens to live a larger ethnic Serbpopulation, even though it was never part of Serbia. In addition, some ofthese Serb leaders in Parliament are indicted war criminals, such asMilosevic and Seselj. Comparing such a country to Croatia is simplyabsurd.Sincerely,Hilda Maria FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans 13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Ca 92705  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 13 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6621/1/E-Woodrow-Wilson-Center-lecture-on-Croatia.html ÂWoodrow Wilson Center on Croatia May 12Â"anthony margan" oretitan@hotmail.com writes:To all: An upcoming lecture/forum discussion at the Woodrow Wilson Institute (http://wwics.si.edu/ ) here in Washington, DC on Croatia - I don't like the premise of this one....especially the equating of the recent political events in Croatia - to what has recently happened in Serbia.....Can anyone attend this event and give this dear Polish lecturer a thorough once-over, and express our collective outrage?East European StudiesWoodrow Wilson CenterOne Woodrow Wilson Plaza1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.Washington, D.C. 20004-3027Email: ees@wwic.si.edu Tel: 202/691-4222The East European Studies (EES) program provides a non-partisan forum for bringing historical and contemporary understanding of the former communist states of Eastern Europe and the Baltics to the nation's capital. EES organizes seminars, conferences, workshops and briefings featuring prominent scholars and policymakers from the U.S. and Eastern Europe with experience in shaping U.S.-Eastern European policy. The Return to Power of Nationalist Parties in Croatia and Serbia: What Does it Mean? Wednesday, May 12 2004, 12:00 - 1:00 pm Mieczyslaw Boduszynski, Lecturer, Political Science Department, University of San Diego ÂHi Tony,I do hope that at least one Croatian will show up at that lecture and set the record straight. It is unbelievable that anyone following the recent events in Croatia and Serbia could possibly compare the two nations and Governments. Let's write to Mr. Boduszynski at the San Diego U. and stop him before he talks such nonsense.HildaHi!I just wanted to say that the title of this program doesn't necessarily pre-judge the content, although admittedly, the Wilson Center has been a hotbed of anti-Croatianism..However, I have seen people write about this very same topic, using the very same terms, and say that the two nationalist parties have nothing in common, that Croatia and Serbia are very far apart politically.For example, TOL and a variety of commentators from RFE/RL have mentioned the recent elections of 'nationalists' in Serbia and Croatia and have made conclusions that the HDZ is like the Republicans, while Serbia's nationalists are essentially fascists and that the distiction needs preserving.Also note that USD has Michael McAdams on staff, who wrote Croatia: Myth and Reality, an excellent piece that de-bunks Serbian propaganda.I have briefly read one of the papers this guy did last year on Croatia's cooperation with the Hague. The paper is at:http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~bsp/publications/2003_01-pesk.pdf Some key points he might make during his presentation (based on his views as expressed in above paper). My comments follow on each point:**Croatia is victim and victimizer -- too relativistic, more victim than victimizer based on the numbers. Croatia did not take 1/3 of Serbian territory, loot, kill and rape their citizens and refuse to make any deals for 4 years to allow citizens back.**people not aware of Croatian war crimes as much -- but his paper doesn't mention the actual numbers -- for example, doesn't say that one few hundred died in Storm but thousands dies in Serb aggression. Also doesn't mention the evacuation order in Krajina.**no mention at all that part of Croatian outrage over the Hague is lack of punishment of Serbia for lack of cooperation; international double standards.regardsSanja letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 05 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6622/1/E-Jeopardy-show-ABC-TV-Dalmatian-IS-Croatian-Dog.html ÂDalmatian IS Croatian Dognetaudr@abc.com ABC-TV Mr. Alex TrebekJeopardy ShowNew York, N.Y. via e-mail March 22, 2004Dear Mr. Trebek,As Croatian Americans we were quite unpleasantly surprised regarding thequestion and answer at a recent Jeopardy, in which the correct answer wasthat the Dalmatian dog breed comes from Dalmatia - Yugoslavia.We would like to make it perfectly clear that the answer should have beenthat our Dalmatian dogs are from Dalmatia, Croatia. The Dalmatian coastwas part of the Croatian Kingdom already in the 11th century and hasnever been anything else but Croatian, no matter if Croatia found itselflater ruled by Austro-Hungary, in parts by Italy, or dominated by the Serbs during Yugoslavia. For thepast 12 years Croatia has finally been again a free, sovereign nation andit is hoped that the mistake by Jeopardy will never be repeated again. We are proud of our beautiful Dalmatia and of our Dalmatian dogs!Sincerely,Hilda Maria FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Ca 92705714 832-0289 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 22 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6623/1/E-Letter-and-answer-to-and-from-Archaeology-magazine.html ÂA major Bronze Age discovery in CroatiaAs a subscriber to the Archaeology magazine I wrote the following letterto the editor - to put Croatia on the map, so to speak! Their answerfollows.Hilda letters@archaeology.org Dear Editor:Thought you would be interested to know that there has been a majorBronze Age discovery in Croatia in the Cetina river bed. According to ateam of experts from the University of Birmingham, items discoveredinclude more than 90 swords, a Roman legionnaire's dagger complete withsheath, more than 30 Greco-Illyrian helmets, plus numerous items ofjewelry, axes and spearheads.Initial surveys indicate that the finds span a period from 6,000 BConwards. They include long timbers, which show evidence of late Neolithicor early Bronze Age wooden settlements.The project leader, Dr. Vincent Gaffney described the find as "once in alifetimediscovery". The team plans to return in May for further surveys.By the way, Croatia has many interesting cultural and archaeologicalsites, little of it generally known in the rest of the West.Sincerely,Hilda M. Foley13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705PS. Would you be so kind and answer by e-mail from which month and yearwas the issue with the Slavic Pompeii on the front page, which is shownon page 57 advertisement of the Nov./Dec. 2003 magazine . Thank you.ÂANSWER:Hi Hilda,We think this is great stuff, too--in fact, I'll be traveling to Croatiato spend some time at the dig for a feature story about the discoveries. Wehaven't yet determined what issue the article will run in, so you'll justhave to keep reading. :)Sincerely,Jennifer PinkowskiAssistant EditorArchaeology 36-36 33rd St.Long Island City, NY 11106USA718-472-3050 (tel) ext. 15718-472-3051 (fax)jennifer@archaeology.org letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 24 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6624/1/E-Reply-from-Neumann.html ÂReply from NeumannThank you for your message. I will look at the links and material you suggest.However I note, for now, that Phillip Cohen's book has indeed been accused ofbias by non-Serb, non-ideological sources.No one denies the existence of Serbian fascism; Tito fought it. And I both recognize and welcome the considerable steps Croatia has taken to get beyond theUstashe past. My criticisms were of certain Croatian nationalists, not of Croatians generally.Michael NeumannJudy Feldworth wrote:Dear Mr. Neumann:See http://mirror.veus.hr/myth/coat-of-arms.html on the history of the Croatian grbSee http://mirror.veus.hr/myth/index.html for general historicalinformation on WWII and Croatia. No, McAdams is not a Croatianapologist. He is not Croatian or related to Croatians. He is anEastern European history professor who searches for the truth.Tudjman was a Partisan general in WWII, not a fascist. Check your history.For further enlightenment, you might read Dr. Philip Cohen's bookSerbia's Secret War. It is an unbiased, extremely well-documentedaccount of the fascist puppet government activities by General Nedic inSerbia during WWII, documenting Serbia's long-existing anti-Semitism andthe concentration camps in Serbia during the war. No one ever hearsthis history because it has been buried by Serbian propagandists.My first cousin and aunt were killed in Croatia by the Ustashe. Nointelligent Croatian forgives the activities of the puppet government inCroatia during WWII; however, they must also take it into perspective.The atrocities that took place in Croatia were horrible and unjustifiedbut no different than those that took place in all of the Nazi-occupiedcountries with Nazi puppet governments - a la Vichy France, the Beneluxcountries, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and the others. Only a smallpercentage of the population was involved with the Ustashe under Pavelicand those poor people were duped because they were promised a FREE,INDEPENDENT Croatia, finding themselves instead victims of an occupiedfascist state. The price they paid was great for this so-calledpromise. The greater majority of the people were involved with thePartisans who were actively antifascist. Check your knowledge ofhistory - yet again.And stop absorbing that anti-Croatian crap written by Chris Hodges inthe NY Times. His bias was so palpable anyone with a brain would beable to discern that.Judy FeldworthSt. Louis, MOfeldwoj2@slu.edu Department of SurgerySaint Louis University I agree with Hilda - there are just some people who cannot be convinced. Perhaps Cohen's book is biased - but it is factually based. The lies propagated about Croatia during WWII by the Communists and Greater Serbians were not only biased but not factually based either.  As a good example, there is a constant mantra that I am sure all of you have seen where the NDH's stated policy was to covert 1/3, deport 1/3 and exterminate 1/3 of the Serbs in its territory. This was supposedly stated by Mile Budak, an NDH official. I have been told by professional historians that they have been unable to locate the source of this statement - it is completely made up!  This does not mean that the Ustashe did not do bad things - it just shows what steps people took to make their crimes appear even greater than they were.  Back to Neumann for a moment - it seems to me that people like that will find anything that contradicts their established viewpoint to be a "biased" opinion. As an example, even if McAdams is a Croat, why is that relevant? Does that mean if a Jewish historian/reporter writes about the Palestinians or the Holocaust that they are also automatically "biased?" What about German historians writing about the same thing?  John Kraljic JKraljic@msn.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 11 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6625/1/E-James-Bakers-Mission.html ÂJames Baker's Mission to IraqThis letter was sent to the New York Times and the Orange County Register.The Register published it on Dec 12.James Baker Mission to IraqHilda M. FoleyLetters to the editorDec 10, 2003Letters to the EditorThe Orange County RegisterSanta Ana, Ca, 92711 Dear Editor:Re: "James Baker Named to Restructure Iraq's Debt" (Dec 6) This is the same person who as Secretary of State under Bush Sr. went toYugoslavia to give Milosevic the green light to attack Croatia andSlovenia in order to keep the two republics from peacefully seceding fromcommunist Yugoslavia. While the rest of Eastern Europe was throwing offthe shackles of communism in 1989, Croatia and Slovenia, even whilehaving the right by the Yugoslav constitution of 1974 to secede, wherenot "allowed" to do so by the greatest democracy in the world - theUnited States. The first Bush Administration and James Baker carry muchresponsibility for the four years of slaughter that followed, while neverlifting a finger to stop it at the start. God help the Iraqis with these kind of people in charge!Sincerely,Hilda M. Foley 13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Ca 92705 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 03 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6626/1/E-Here-we-go-again-by-The-New-York-Times-correspondent.html ÂTo the Editor:In the article "Milosevic's Name on the Ballot Signals Serbian Nationalism" (Dec. 27, 2003) Nicholas Wood is reminding readers about Croatian nationalists and the new government in Croatia, just to take attention from indicted Serbian war criminals in the Hague.Mr. Wood, forgot to mention Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj and his well known proclamations and views in his article. To remind the readers of the New York Times I will mention few typical views of Mr. Seselj, arch Milosevic's supporter and vice versa.1. The Serbian Radical Party's Seselj calls America an exporter of ``evil, corruption and crime,'' and Saddam Hussein ``a victim of American hostility.'' 2. The Serbian Radicals openly call for ``Greater Serbia'' at the expense of the neighbors and have pledged to cut diplomatic ties with Serbia's main rival, Croatia. They also vowed not to extradite to the Hague tribunal the two top U.N. war crimes fugitives -- former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his wartime military commander, Gen. Ratko Mladic.3. The Serbian Radical Party's lead candidate is Vojislav Seselj, a former Milosevic associate. Before he was jailed pending trial for alleged war crimes during the Yugoslavia wars, his claims to fame included spitting at the parliament speaker and brandishing a handgun in front of the parliament building.4. Seselj, who once said the Croatian should have their eyes gouged out with rusty spoons.5. Mr. Wood forgot to inform the readers of The New York Times of Mr. Milosevic's responsibility for 8000 Bosnian innocent people slaughtered in so called U.N. safe zone of Srebrenica.6. Also, proud march of the Yugoslav Socialist Federal Army 1991 from Belgrade to Croatia to kill and destroy whatever was on their way. City of Vukovar was on the way to the glory of the fifth strongest army in Europe.Hopefully, Mr. Wood will use more facts in his next article, and less construction of the phobia when Croatia is concerned.Josip Remenar - SutrA magazine - New York letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 01 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6627/1/E-Answering-article-in-Los-Angeles-Times.html ÂLetters to Author and the EditorTo: MNeumann@trentu.ca Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2003 Subject: Your article in Los Angeles TimesMr. Michael NewmannTrent UniversityCanadaDear Mr. Newmann:I was appalled while reading and agreeing with your commentary in the LosAngeles Times of Dec 28, "A Minor Problem Overblown" (Exaggerating theIssue of Jew Hatred) when I came to the paragraph that stated: "We shouldindeed guard against a resurgence of European fascism, and Jewishorganizations are oddly lax about this. The ADL, for instance, did notcomment on last month's electoral gains of Croatian nationalists whotrace their lineage directly back to some of Adolf Hitler's most savageand willing executioners". You are making the same mistake in yourarticle which you find so abhorring and wrong in others - associating awhole nation and party with something that happened in WWII. Perhaps theADL had better insight.The Croatian HDZ party (Croatian Democratic Union) of 1990 post-communistCroatia was never in any way associated, or as you claim "in directlineage" with the WWII Ustashe puppet regime of Croatia. The HDZ partywas founded and came to power by the late first president of CroatiaTudjman in 1990 in protest against the Serbs' subjugation and dominationof Croatia. Tudjman fought as an antifascist against his own country'sfascist puppet regime during WWII and became a general in Tito's Yugoslavarmy - hardly someone forming a party associated with the hated Ustashe!By the way, Croatia's antifascists formed 11 partisan divisions, asopposed to only 2 Serbian, even though Croatia represented about 25% ofthe Yugoslav population. Tudjman did turn out to be autocratic and made serious mistakes along theway, but accusing him and his HDZ a being fascist is absurd. Just lookas his record, -the prominent Jews he had in his ministry, hisadministration's trial of Jasenovac commander Sakic, extradited fromSouth America (Argentina, I believe) about which Eli Rosenbaum, directorof OSI, part of the U.S. Justice Dept., wrote: " Croatia merits thehighest praise for its "historic and courageous" prosecution andconviction of war criminal Dinko Sakic ..." Unfortunately only too fewEuropean countries, in particular the post-communist ones are ready andwilling to punish criminals dating back to the Nazi era". - That goesdouble for Serbia, which will not even admit that it ever killed a Jew,as it paved over their Banjica and other camps so no one will ever see orhear of them again.Today Croatia's HDZ under the leadership of dr.Sanader is totallywestern and democratically oriented and has learned from past mistakesthat cost it the election in 2000. It is center-right instead of thelatest center-left government, which was led mostly by "former"communists. That, Croatia did not need. Sincerely,Hilda M. Foley13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana. Ca. 92705, USAI saw this op-ed piece in the LA Times as well. However, I refrained from answering as it was not clear that Neumann was actually talking about the HDZ. He could very well be talking about the HSP. While the HSP during the past election denounced its former praise of Pavelic, it spent a decade extolling the NDH (though not the crimes committed in its name). Despite the change in the HSP, I believe that there is little doubt that had the HSP been included in the new government Croatia would have been immediately villified as was Austria when Haider became a government minister.In any event, on this whole issue it is important to note that one of the vice-presidents of the new government and a top leader in the HDZ is Andrija Hebrang, Jr., son of the leader of the Communist Party of Croatia during WWII. Andrija, Jr.'s mother, Dunja, was Jewish.John Kraljic letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 31 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6629/1/E-The-New-York-Times---in-Near-Feudal.html ÂThe New York Times and CroatiaTo the Editor:The New York Times titleÂ"... in Near-Feudal Croatia" for Mr. Wood's article (Dec.12, 03)ÂI smell new tactics by the Times editors to demonize Croatia.ÂStereotypes die hard on the Manhattan island.After 30 years of loyal reading, buying the New York Times every morning, I do expect to see one day articleÂwith positiveÂtitle when Croatia is concerned. At the time when Croatia wasÂcaptiveÂin Yugoslav prison of nations, that beautiful small country on the Adriatic seaÂuse to be scapegoat for all evils in malfunctioning of Belgrade's Communist empire, but now, independent and the role model in the region,Âwhy?ÂIt looks, the editors of the greatest daily paper in modern history, somehow are aware of the Croatian national values, not fully compatible with their own. That could be one of the reasons. Further, those values of the Croatian people, family life, devotion to their homeland, believing in the community of nations; service to God, equality of all humans and the sameÂjustice for poor and rich doesn't fit well with imperialistic mind of the few in the editorial room of the New York Times.ÂSorry, CroatianÂnation never in their long history acceptedÂor inflicted slavery on their human brothers and sisters whatever was their color ofÂskin, religion or gender. Deep down in their nationalÂcharacter they carry wonderful characteristics what we call human and humanity. Give them credit for that.ÂÂÂJosip RemenarSutrA magazineNew YorkOp-edI wouldn't necessarily agree with everything the letter says, but, I do agree with one thing. As soon as there is an opportunity to write something negative, here we go. This is not The New York Times problem. it is our to press and push and organize ourselves much much better. The world we live in is not based on justice. Law is more and more detached from it. What is legal is not necessary just and vice versa. To call our new government "nationalistic" is quite arrogant regardless on the past of the political party. New democracies need time to develop. Our change of power every four years is something very positive and should be encouraged and rewarded. It all happened in a most civilized way. The best out of all of the countries that came out of this vicious war. Croatia leads in a political development of the whole region. That you wouldn't be able to figure it out from the articles written in The New York Times.For years our neighbors established a relationship with The New York Times that is not based on value of truth, but commerce. And if we know that, we have to do something about that. That is a job for the government. One doesn't exclude the other and we have to continue to protest and have meetings with The NYT editorial board. We have to be a step ahead and not always step behind. Always reacting to the articles that have BEEN published. How about planning 12 articles a year that will be published in 2004. When the opportunity arrives. The New York Times is in business of selling the news. Good guys or bad guys do not exist. Guys who pay or not pay do.Nenad BachEditor in Chief, Croatia.org letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6628/1/E-New-York-Times-Bias.html ÂLetters to the EditorThe New York Times229 W. 43rd St. New York, N.Y. 10036 Dec. 15, 2003letters@nytimes.comDear Editor:In an article of Dec 12 the NYT has again shown its bias against Croatia.One has to wonder what exactly is NY Times' problem? That same reporter,Mr. Wood, who in a recent article made false statements about Croatia,has now been sniffing around in Croatia to uncover some older, obscurecase of injustice under the title " A Homeless Veteran's Sad Plight inNear-Feudal Croatia". We don't get the other side of the case but aremade to believe it was the "nationalists" who caused the veteran'splight. And where does the reporter get the information? From a left-wingreporter of a left wing rag. And "Feudal Croatia"? "A Tale of Extortionand Slavery"? Excuse me, but slavery never existed in Croatia - you arelooking at the wrong country!Of course the NYT was always loud in its criticism of the supposed"nationalism" of the first HDZ government of the Croatian state, whilegreeting enthusiastically the 2000 elections that ushered in as PrimeMinister a so-called "reformed" Communist - turned Socialist. SuddenlyCroatians were not "nationalists" any longer. Now that they threw out inthe new elections the left wing socialists, for the same reasons theythrew out the "nationalists" previously , namely for poor performance inthe economy and corruption, and elected a center-right party, Croatiansare again branded "nationalists" by the NYT! Sincerely,Hilda M. Foley13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Ca. 92705 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6630/1/E-AP-and-Croatian-Nationalism.html ÂWould you call us in the U.S. "nationalists" when waving "Old Glory"info@ap.org Dear Editors:Re: "Croatian PM Warns of Opponents' Ploys" by Snjezana Vukic, Nov. 7. 03Time and again we see in print reference to Croatia's first governmentafter the bloody breakup of former Yugoslavia in 1991, as being"nationalistic". When any western nation stands up for its rightful,lawfully achieved independence and its people are proud of their nation,it is called patriotism, yet when reporters write about Croatia itbecomes "nationalism". This is unfair and false. Would you call us in the U.S. "nationalists" when waving "Old Glory" orsinging the national anthem even at sports games? Would you consider it"nationalistic" if we object and/or vote against moves that aredetrimental to our country? Certainly not - but God forbid Croats woulddo the same - "how nationalistic!!" Western reporters and diplomats hail the present Croatian government ofPremier Racan as "democratic" and pleasing to the West. Yet only recentlyIFEX (International Freedom of Expression Exchange) has written a letterto the Premier complaining about "the deterioration in respect forfreedom of expression that the new Criminal Code provisions represent".The fact remains that Racan is an old communist apparatchik who has notshaken his communist mind-set and would not object bringing Croatia backinto some kind of Yugoslav confederation of states - which is preciselywhat England and France, old supporters of Serbia, are trying to promoteby pushing Croatia into a Balkan Association. While there are stillCroats who would not oppose this, particularly some regime-approvedjournalists, most Croats are opposed to any such notions. Racan's regime is in the process of selling much of Croatia' best assetsto foreign companies, taking the profits out of Croatia. This is not inCroatia's national interest and is objected to by the opposition party,which in your opinion makes it "nationalistic". Fact is, the oppositionparty HDZ is a center-right party, as opposed to Racan's SDP, which iscenter-left. It is therefore not surprising to see the "reformed"communists calling the opposition party "nationalist" in order to makepoints with the EU and the U.S. government.Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyAmerican-Croatian Association13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 22 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6633/1/E-US-State-Dept-letter.html ÂU.S. State Dept. answerICTY-Gen GotovinaToday I received the following letter from the U.S. State Dept. answeringmy recent letter regarding the General Gotovina indictment and the U.S.Administration's offer of millions for his apprehension, while incontrast badgering Croatia's government to exempt the US military fromthe ICC. Here is the letter:Hilda M.. Foley Southern California ChapterAmerican Croatian AssociationOct. 27, 2003Dear Ms. Foley:Thank you for your letter to Secretary Powell of Oct. 16 expressingconcern related to the ICTY indictment against Ante Gotovina. The ICTY was created by the U.N. Security Council under Chapter VII ofthe U.N. Charter and is charged with investigating and prosecuting warcrimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and grave breaches of theGeneva Convention committed after 1991 in the former Yugoslavia. anteGotovina has been charged under terms outlined in the Statute of theTribunal with individual criminal responsibility and superior criminalresponsibility for crimes against humanity and violations of the laws andcustoms of war. UN Security Coucil Resolution 1503 specifically calls onCroatia to render all necessary assistance in bringing Ante Gotovinabefore the ICTY, and Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan himself hascalled upon Gotovina to address the indictment in the Hague. The best wayfor Ante Gotovina to profess his innocence concerning the charges beingfiled against him is to appear before the tribunal.We see no contradictions between the need to assist ICTY in fulfillingits mandate and our position on the International Criminal Court (ICC).ICTY represents a particularized response of the international community,endorsed by the U.N. Security Council, to a conflict which saw seriousviolations of international humanitarian law and growing instability inthe region. The ICC, in contrast, creates an institution that purports tohave broad jurisdiction over citizens of the ICC parties and non-partiesalike. This assertion of jurisdiction over non-parties, absent a U.N.Security Council mandate, is contrary to the most basic principles ofcustomary international law governing treaties.Given this sweeping jurisdiction, the United States is concerned thatU.S. citizens, including military and civilian personnel, will be exposedto politically motivated investigations and prosecutions. Sincerely,signed: Pierre-Richard Prosper (My remarks: His last sentence is exactly my argument about the ICTY -"politically motivated investigations and prosecutions" . As far as Racanis concerned - a "reformed" communist most likely would not be tooconcerned about a general who fought to free Croatia from communistYugoslavia.Hilda letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 03 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6632/1/E-No-light-at-the-end-of-this-tunnel-George.html ÂNo light at the end of this tunnel, GeorgeÂeditor@sunpub.com Editor(Letters)The Toronto SunRe Eric Margolis:" No light at the end of this tunnel, George", Nov. 2, 03 (P. Viereck-metapolitics)? Dear Editor.Thanks to Mr. Margolis again for his thoughtful piece!Yes, I agree with him - as usual.I am glad that he cites Peter Viereck.I read him much; in fact I quote Viereck in my book ( "Against Democracy and Equality: the European New Right, 1990). Yes you are right Mr Margolis. But should you not mention that re. Wolfowitz, Perle, Feith, B. H. Levy, and consorts in France, etc.. their heritage goes back to Trotskyism?They "came down from the Mao pass to the Rotary club, " as one French author stated years ago.. Were they not all peaceniks, former 68-ters, rabid pro-Titoists, back when the Gulag sewage system was running full steam?Now they pontificate against "hate speech" and endorse the metaphysics of human rights.You do not wish to trust intellectuals ("La grande peur de bien- pensants," by Bernanos(..), who betray their old ideals and turn to new voguish deities. Germans have a proverb: "Wer heute seine Pflicht verraet, verraet morgen seine neue Pflicht - auch."keep up a good work!sincerely yours,Tom SunicCroatiahttp://doctorsunic.learn.to http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/margolis_nov2.html Toronto Sun | November 2, 2003 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 03 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6631/1/E-USCS-anti-Croatian-Lecture.html ÂLecture, that shouldn't beHere is the address of the University of South Carolina Spartanburg. (USCS) The lecture is on Jan 22, 2004. I have sent a letter to their faculty and Student Newspaper editor, since no other e-mail address is available. I also sent it to the Chancellor at the same e-mail address. The University address is: University of South Carolina, 800 University Way, Spartanburg, SC 29303School website: http://www.uscs.edu/ From the website: Dr. John C. Stockwell, Chancellor (op-ed)Few more phones and emails from the same University. Please find the shortest dial to the president of the University.Donette Stewart, Director 864.503.5280Michelle Morrell,Residency, 864-503-5284Greg Dailey, Counselor 864.503.5281Glynda Miller, Counselor 864.503.5289Carlos Howard, Counselor  884-503-5278Letter to ChancellorOct. 29, 2003Twhaley@uscs.edu Dr. John C. StockwellChancellorUniversity of South CarolinaSpartanburg, SC 29303Dear Chancellor Stockwell: It is truly shocking to read in the University's schedule a lecture to begiven by USCS historian Robert McCormick titled "Pavelic, Croatia'sFascist Dictator". It is hard to imagine what prompts this professor tobring up the subject while he obviously has not researched it fully. Case in point is his statement about the WWII Croatian Nazi puppetstate's concentration camps. He mentions that 400,000 Jews, Serbs andGypsies were killed in the camps. By now every unbiased researcher andhistorian knows the fact that the actual number of concentration campvictims in Croatia was between 60 to 80 thousand, not 200,000 or 400,000.Every innocent victim is one too many, but such horrific exaggerations,thanks to Serb propaganda lies, are utterly outrageous. During the 1999trial of the Jasenovac camp commander Zakic in Zagreb, Croatia, thecorrect numbers were undisputed even by the Zagreb Jewish community. The actual list of victims dates back to 1964, issued by the communistYugoslav authorities in Belgrade, who, being Serb-dominated, certainlyhad no wish to minimize Croatia's guilt. According to these data of theFederal Statistical Ministry of Yugoslavia - Center for ScientificDocumentation of the Institute for History of the Workers' Movement, -the total number of victims was appr. 59,000, and also revealed theiridentities, which is certainly more significant than any throwing aroundof fictitious numbers by anti-Croatian propagandists. As to Mr.McCormick's contention that Croatia had "the third largest concentrationcamp in Europe" that is too absurd to even merit a reply.By no means is this letter meant to be an apologia for Pavelic, thewartime leader of Croatia who was installed by Mussolini's Fascists. Onlyabout 1% of Croatians welcomed his rule. Historically, for centuries,Croatia was never known as an anti-Semitic nation, yet its reputationsuffers to this day because of the four years under the Ustasha regime ofWWII, which was established by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, thatpursued their anti-Semitic policies. Ever since, this fact has been usedby its detractors to discredit Croatia in the eyes of the world.Therefore such lectures as planned by prof. McCormick only continue tomalign a whole nation and one has to wonder what is the purpose behindit. Croats, and especially their Cardinal Stepinac saved hundreds of Jews andthe Cardinal publicly spoke against the camps and the killings of Jewsand Serbs. Does Mr McCormick ever mention the virulent anti-Semitism ofthe Serb Orthodox Church or the large concentration camps run by Serbs inSerbia during WWII, such as Sajmiste and Manjica, in which many thousandsof Jews were killed or handed over to the Germans? While Croatiaestablished a memorial to the victims in Jasenovac, Serbia paved overtheir camps, so no one would ever see them. Does he mention theHungarian, Rumanian and even French, among other European regimes inWWII, who delivered their Jewish populations to the Germans? It should be in the interest of fairness, and even more specifically, ofhistoric accuracy, for your University to stop any such attempt ofdisinformation or simply Serb propaganda to be disseminated in the nameof "historical lectures". Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705P.S. For your further information on this subject - and even more so forprof. McCormick's, several good books are available on this subject:Philip Cohen: "Serbia's Secret War"Marcus Tanner: "Croatia, a Nation Forged in War"B. Anzulovic" "Heavenly Serbia"Henry Pozzi: "Black Hand Over Europe"Ljubica Stefan: (recipient of the Medal of the Righteous Among Nations bythe Holocaust Remembrance Authority in Jerusalem) "From Fairy Tale toHolocaust" Michael McAdams: "Croatia, Myth and Reality" letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 03 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6635/1/E-Letter-to-NYT---Recognition-of-Croatia.html To the Editor:I note with trepidation Mr. Steinfels comment that the "Vatican'sprecipitous recognition" of Croatia may have "helped spark the Balkanconflict."The Vatican extended recognition to Croatia well after the war hadbegun. By the time recognition occurred, Serb forces had alreadymassacred thousands of civilians, ethnically cleansed tens of thousandsmore, destroyed the city of Vukovar and laid siege to Dubrovnik.A look at the history books shows that recognition by the Vatican andthe EU states of both Croatia and Slovenia led to the almost immediatecessation of large scale military operations in Croatia in January 1992.Very truly yours,John Peter KraljicDear all,Josip Remnar sent around a NYT article by Peter Steinfels about the Popenot getting the Nobel Prize. In it, Steinfels repeated the fallacy thatthe Vatican may have misstepped politically through its "precipitousrecognition of Croatia" . I sent the following letter in response.regardsSanja**************Dear Editor,Why does Peter Steinfels continue to promote the tired old cant that"precipitous recognition of Croatia" caused the wars in formerYugoslavia? ("A Nobel Opportunity Missed", Oct. 11)In order to be a precipitating cause, an event has to happen first, doesit not? However, Serbian forces had invaded Slovenia, shelled Dubrovnikand other Croatian cities, pounded Vukovar into dust, killed over 20,000non-Serbs and "ethnically cleansed" a further 250,000 from their homesin Croatia months before Croatia was officially recognized as anindependent state.Further, Serbian forces had already dug in around Sarajevo and othercities in Bosnia and were conducting their own smaller-scale campaignsof ethnic cleansing there months before Croatia was recognized.So tell me again how Croatian recognition "precipitated" a war that hadbegun months earlier?Sincerely,Sanja Carolina letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 31 Oct 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6634/1/E-UN-CourtCroatia.html Â"UN Court/Croatia", NY TimesHilda M. FoleyLetters to EditorSept. 29, 2003To: letters@nytimes.com Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2003 Subject: UN Court/CroatiaDear Editor:Your article "UN Court, Croatia at Odds over Runaway General", 9/25 ,quotes an incorrect indictment of Croatia's General Gotovina by stating " indicted for killings andwidespread destruction during and after Zagreb's final offensive againstrebel Serbs in Aug. 1995". The General's indictment is for "commandresponsibility" while he never ordered civilian killings that occurredduring some revenge-taking by Croats, who were not necessarily even partof the army. "Widespread destruction" is also very questionable! General Gotovina is an honorable and highly regarded officer, who isbeing made a scapegoat by hypocrites at The Hague ICTY in pursuit of aninnocent person in order to "equalize" the guilt among Croats and Serbs,which was all along the West's policy in that war. If such "commandresponsibility" is made a factor in wars, then every American officermust be indicted for the destruction of Iraqi property and the killing ofthousands of Iraqi civilians. Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Ca, 92705 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 31 Oct 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6637/1/E-Historys-trash-bin---Letter-to-President-Bush.html ÂWe Won the War (op-ed)"It is high time for the "all sides equally guilty" refrain, the lieso dear to the heart of the West and the ICTY, to be finally thrown intohistory's trash bin where it belongs."This letter is also being faxed to Secretary of State Colin Powell, NSACondoleezza Rice, Senators Biden, Lugar, Leahy, Boxer, Feinstein, McCain,Kerry, Feingold and Representatives Cox and Radanovich. Please sendletters to your own Senators and Congressmen as well as Pres.Bush andSec. Powell.President George W. BushOct. 16, 2003The White HouseWashington, D.C. 20500Dear President Bush:It is appalling to read that the U.S. Administration has offered 5million for the information and/or capture of Croatia's GeneralGotovina, who is indicted by the ICTY for "command responsibility". Ifcommand responsibility is the criteria for indictments of armed forcesofficers, then American officers should be equally open to indictmentswhen their troops, without their command or knowledge commit war crimes.Such indictments are of course wrong and the fear of them is preciselythe reason why this Administration refuses to sign on to theInternational War Crimes Court. Commanders should not be made responsiblefor their individual soldiers' or troops' war crimes.Nevertheless, your Administration demands the extradition of Croatia'sGeneral Gotovina, while at the same time badgering Croatia to wave anyU.S. forces' culpability in commitment of war crimes. It is an outrageousdouble standard - made even more grievous by offering money for thecapture of an honorable general, innocent of the crimes he is chargedwith, and equating him with the likes of Osana bin Laden, Hussein and theSerb war criminals and mass murderers general Mladic and Karadzic.It would behoove the Administration to remember that it was Croatia andGeneral Gotovina's leadership during the liberation of Serb-held Croatianterritory that also led to the defeat of the Bosnian Serbs in a largepart of Bosnia, even though the West assumed that Bosnia was a lostcause. That defeat forced Serbia's Milosevic to come to the peacenegotiations in Dayton which finally ended four years of war. It tookCroatia to stop a war that none of the Western Powers were willing tostop. It is high time for the "all sides equally guilty" refrain, the lieso dear to the heart of the West and the ICTY, to be finally thrown intohistory's trash bin where it belongs.Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyAmerican Croatian Association13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705-2258 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 20 Oct 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6636/1/E-Letter-to-the-Editor-of-the-Wash-Post.html ÂTo Leave or not to Leave ?Letters to the EditorThe Washington Post1150 15th Street NorthwestWashington, DC 20071 Dear Editor,With debate in this country now raging about the scope and duration of the current US military mission in Iraq, it is prescient to examine our recent role in Bosnia ("Troops May Leave Bosnia In '04, Commander Says" World News,Oct 11). Thomas Ricks notes that the US military commander for Europe, Marine Gen. James Jones, recently stated that "we're seeing in Bosnia a real potential for ending the military mission there and transitioning to...(a solely civilian presence)".But, with the Pentagon now declaring de-facto "success" in Bosnia, one must wonder what about future benchmarks for success in Iraq. After eight years in Bosnia post Dayton, while there is no longer war, there is also no permanent foundation for peace and stability. The major cause is that Bosnia is still a divided country today, ruled like a military "pro-consul" by the Office of the High Representative. The Bosnian Serbs, via their "Republika Serpska - RS" mini-state, tightly control 49% of the entire country (even though they made up only 31% of the population before the war started). According to the UN, the RS continues to harbor the top two most-wanted war criminals, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic and continues to discourage minority refugee returns. The RS still maintains it's own, independent army, beyond the control of the central government. Adding to this unstable environment is rife corruption and an approximately 40% unemployment rate. Given these factors, it is hard to imagine how the Pentagon can now declare success and pull out. If these benchmarks are any guide, this does not bode well for the future of Iraq. Sincerely yours,Anthony Margan letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 20 Oct 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6638/1/E-Hypocrites-at-The-Hague-NY-Times.html ÂÂHypocrites at The HagueTo: letters@nytimes.comDate: Mon, 29 Sep 2003 Subject: UN Court/CroatiaDear Editor:Your article "UN Court, Croatia at Odds over Runaway General", 9/25 ,quotes an incorrect indictment of Croatia's General Gotovina by stating " indicted for killings andwidespread destruction during and after Zagreb's final offensive againstrebel Serbs in Aug. 1995". The General's indictment is for "commandresponsibility" while he never ordered civilian killings that occurredduring some revenge-taking by Croats, who were not necessarily even partof the army. "Widespread destruction" is also very questionable! General Gotovina is an honorable and highly regarded officer, who isbeing made a scapegoat by hypocrites at The Hague ICTY in pursuit of aninnocent person in order to "equalize" the guilt among Croats and Serbs,which was all along the West's policy in that war. If such "commandresponsibility" is made a factor in wars, then every American officermust be indicted for the destruction of Iraqi property and the killing ofthousands of Iraqi civilians. Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Ca, 92705 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 01 Oct 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6640/1/E-Letter-to-EU-Commission-and-reply.html Letter to EU Commission and reply I am sending you once more the letter I wrote to the President of the EU Commission, Mr. Prodi, so you can compare it with the answer I received today. Their letter is below mine.Hilda FoleyThe majority of the Croatian population approves of Croatia's entering into the EU and we find the conditions which you mentioned in order to be accepted inconsistent with the ones' othercountries were required to meet. You mention for example "the return of refugees". As you must realize,Croatia has only recently come out of a brutal war of aggression bySerbia, in which these Croatian Serb refugees were the ones who rebelledagainst Croatia and with the help of the Yugoslav/Serb army killed sometwelve thousand and "ethnically cleansed" several hundred thousandCroatians in their own country, destroying and plundering their homes andproperties. No other country in the world has been forced to forgive and forget sosoon what has been done to it. May I remind you that the Czech Republic,which is accepted into the EU, has not allowed its Sudeten Germanrefugees to return or compensate them for their material losses evenafter more than fifty years. This was not a requirement by the EU for theCzech Republic. Therefore, is it not obvious that the EU stand in regardto Croatia and the refugee situation is quite unfair and inconsistent.Furthermore, one has to realize that it was first the Croatians who weredriven out by the Serbs (1991-1995), years before in 1995 Croatialiberated its Krajina territory and the Serbs left on the orders of theirown leadership. Consequently, the returning long-time Croatian refugees must havepreference for housing. Since Serbs destroyed most of Croatians' homes,out of necessity Croatians have been settling in some of the Serb ones'.Croatia after the ravages of war simply does not have the money to buildhomes for all the refugees, Croatian or Serb. This problem should beunderstood by the EU and not held against Croatia. The other great inconsistency is the requirement for Croatia to open itsborders without visa requirement to Serbia/Montenegro andBosnia-Herzegovina. If the EU wishes open borders between nations, whyhas Slovenia, next in line for EU membership admittance, been allowed toseal its borders with Croatia while Croatia must open its borders to itsrecent aggressor Serbia? Certainly the EU leadership must know about thehuge criminal element in Serbia, Bosnia and Albania, with drugs, whiteslavery and people smuggling among other criminal activities in additionof providing easy access to terrorists and Islamic fundamentalists. Justwhy would then the EU require Croatia to freely open its borders to beinundated with such undesirables? Croatia does not want them or need themany more than any other European country. Obviously, such an EU demand ofCroatia is totally unfair and detrimental. Last but not least, Slovenia was part of former Yugoslavia and will beaccepted into the EU, on what grounds is Croatia less eligible? Sloveniawas never in history a state, while Croatia was one of the oldestEuropean kingdoms centuries ago. Croatia was never part of the Balkans asthe border was between Croatia and Serbia. It divided the Western cultureand Christianity from the Eastern Orthodox, Byzantine and Muslim cultureand religion. Croatia only became part of the Balkans when, without theprivilege of a vote, it was united with Serbia and Slovenia intoYugoslavia in 1918. Croatians are simply not Balkan people, they areCentral and Mediterranean Europeans, historically and culturally. Excellency, please consider these facts and do not let the EU pushCroatia into these Balkan associations to which it does not belong anymore than does Slovenia and which goes against the wishes of the Croatianpeople.Very truly yours,Hilda Marija Foley American Croatian Association13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Ca. 92705 USA Here is the answer: EUROPEAN COMMISSION Aug. 5, 2003External Relations Directorate GeneralDirectorate Western BalkansThe DirectorDear Ms. Foley,Thank you for your letter of July 22 2003 addressed to the President of the European Commission, Mr. Romano Prodi. Mr. Prodi's cabinet has asked me to reply on his behalf. I appreciate your close interest in EU-Croatian relation in general and, more specifically, in President Prodi's recent speech in the Croatian Parliament. However, some of your remarks cannot be deducted from this speech or need to be clarified. First of all, regarding your rethoric question whether Croatia is less eligible for EU membership than slovenia, I limit myself to recalling the following dates: Slovenia applied for EU membership in June 1996. The Commission Opinion was issued in 1997 and Slovenia started negotiations in March 1998. These negotiations were concluded in December 2003 and, following the ratification of the accession treaty, Slovenia will join the EU in May 2004. Croatia applied for EU membership in February 2003 and the Commission is now in the process of examining this application in order to prepare its opinion. The criteria for accession are the same for these two countries as well as for all countries applying for membership. Membership requires that the candidate country has achieved stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for the protection of minorities; the existence of a functioning market economy, as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union; and the ability to take on the obligations of membership, including adherence to the aim of political, economic and monatery union. As you can see from these conditions, there is simplyno place for ethnic discrimination within the European Union. It is therefore consistent that the European Union, within its Stabilisation and Association Process, insists on refugee return, be it in Croatia, in Bosnia and Herzegovina or in Serbia and Montenegro, be the refugees of Croatian, Serb or of any other origin. Within its CARDS programme, the European Commission has been providing significant financial assistance for housing reconstruction in Croatia in order to facilitate refugee return.Finally, the European Commission has not required Croatia to open its borders without visa requirements to Serbia and Montenegro. However, it welcomes and promotes all initiatives leading to increased co-operation and exchanges, including business exchanges, between these two countries. The fight against organized crime which you mention is also a prime example of a problem that can only be tackled if all the countries of the region co-operate. Moreover, regional co-operation is of course an excellent training ground for membership in the European Union: after all the EU itself is an example of very advanced regional co-operation and integration. Yours sincerely,signed:Reinhard PRIEBE letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 28 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6639/1/E-A-Personal-Appeal-from-Congressman-Kucinich.html ÂA Personal Appeal from Congressman KucinichFrom: info@kucinich.us Dear Friend,I'm going to be blunt. My presidential campaign needs yourhelp more than ever. There are only a few days left in thisfundraising quarter (ending Sept. 30) and I need your support. If you saw last night's nationally-televised debate, you knowthat I am speaking out for you...and for your issues. I spoke out for bringing the troops home from Iraq, and againstthe President's request for $87 billion more. I was alone indiscussing how the Iraq occupation hurts our economy.I was alone in advocating a withdrawal from NAFTA and the WTOin favor of bilateral trade pacts that protect workers' rightsand the environment. I spoke clearly about taking our healthcare system out of thehands of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies -- andestablishing nonprofit national health insurance, EnhancedMedicare for All. I alone called for returning the SocialSecurity retirement age to 65. Our wealthy nation can afford healthcare and retirement security. But we have to rescind the tax breaks for the wealthy, and as Ipointed out in last night's debate, the wealthiest 1% in ourcountry will get a majority of the Bush tax cut.To keep bringing these issues to the American people our campaignneeds an infusion of funds. Please donate athttps://www.kucinich.us/contribute.php Your contribution todaywill be doubled through federal matching funds arriving in a few months.I know many of you have donated as much as you can, and I thankyou. But please reach out to three other people who share ourvalues -- by forwarding this email to them.If you watched last night's debate, you saw me call for a 15%cut in Pentagon spending and an end to tax breaks for the wealthyin order to fund childcare and education and job creation. Ispoke of my efforts to end the death penalty and to establisha cabinet-level Department of Peace. These issues reflect our unique and progressive grassrootscampaign that you have helped build. To expand our insurgentcampaign, please donate: https://www.kucinich.us/contribute.php Sincerely,Congressman Dennis J. Kucinichhttp://www.kucinich.us letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 28 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6641/1/E-Letter-to-European-Commission-and-answer.html Letter to European Commission and answerÂMr. Romano ProdiPresident European Commission July 22, 2003Rue de la Loi 200B1049 Bruxelles, BelgiqueExcellency:As Croatians in the Diaspora we follow closely the political and economicdevelopments in Croatia. Especially of interest to us is to see Croatiaadmitted as an equal partner to the EU and NATO in the near future.Therefore we find it very disappointing to read your recent speech in theCroatian Parliament in which you mentioned "years" before Croatia wouldbe eligible for EU membership. The majority of the Croatian populationapproves of Croatia's entering into the EU and we find the conditionswhich you mentioned in order to be accepted inconsistent with ones' othercountries were required to meet. You mention for example "the return of refugees". As you must realize,Croatia has only recently come out of a brutal war of aggression bySerbia, in which these Croatian Serb refugees were the ones who rebelledagainst Croatia and with the help of the Yugoslav/Serb army killed sometwelve thousand and "ethnically cleansed" several hundred thousandCroatians in their own country, destroying and plundering their homes andproperties. No other country in the world has been forced to forgive and forget sosoon what has been done to it. May I remind you that the Czech Republic,which is accepted into the EU, has not allowed its Sudeten Germanrefugees to return or compensate them for their material losses evenafter more than fifty years. This was not a requirement by the EU for theCzech Republic. Therefore, is it not obvious that the EU stand in regardto Croatia and the refugee situation is quite unfair and inconsistent.Furthermore, one has to realize that it was first the Croatians who weredriven out by the Serbs (1991-1995), years before in 1995 Croatialiberated its Krajina territory and the Serbs left on the orders of theirown leadership. Consequently, the returning long-time Croatian refugees must havepreference for housing. Since Serbs destroyed most of Croatians' homes,out of necessity Croatians have been settling in some of the Serb ones'.Croatia after the ravages of war simply does not have the money to buildhomes for all the refugees, Croatian or Serb. This problem should beunderstood by the EU and not held against Croatia. The other great inconsistency is the requirement for Croatia to open itsborders without visa requirement to Serbia/Montenegro andBosnia-Herzegovina. If the EU wishes open borders between nations, whyhas Slovenia, next in line for EU membership admittance, been allowed toseal its borders with Croatia while Croatia must open its borders to itsrecent aggressor Serbia? Certainly the EU leadership must know about thehuge criminal element in Serbia, Bosnia and Albania, with drugs, whiteslavery and people smuggling among other criminal activities in additionof providing easy access to terrorists and Islamic fundamentalists. Justwhy would then the EU require Croatia to freely open its borders to beinundated with such undesirables? Croatia does not want them or need themany more than any other European country. Obviously, such an EU demand ofCroatia is totally unfair and detrimental. Last but not least, Slovenia was part of former Yugoslavia and will beaccepted into the EU, on what grounds is Croatia less eligible? Sloveniawas never in history a state, while Croatia was one of the oldestEuropean kingdoms centuries ago. Croatia was never part of the Balkans asthe border was between Croatia and Serbia. It divided the Western cultureand Christianity from the Eastern Orthodox, Byzantine and Muslim cultureand religion. Croatia only became part of the Balkans when, without theprivilege of a vote, it was united with Serbia and Slovenia intoYugoslavia in 1918. Croatians are simply not Balkan people, they areCentral and Mediterranean Europeans, historically and culturally. Excellency, please consider these facts and do not let the EU pushCroatia into these Balkan associations to which it does not belong anymore than does Slovenia and which goes against the wishes of the Croatianpeople.Very truly yours,Hilda Marija Foley American Croatian Association13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Ca. 92705 USA letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 21 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6642/1/E-Your-letter-on-Human-Rights-Watchs-research.html Matter of our choiceTo:radzind@hrw.orgCC:hrwatcheu@skynet.be, hrwnyc@hrw.org, hrwdc@hrw.org, hrwla@hrw.org, hrwsf@hrw.org, hrwuk@hrw.org, hrwgva@hrw.orgDear Ms. Radzin,I appreciate your answer to my letter related to HRW reporting on human rights in Croatia. Let me say a few comments.>> ... Human Rights Watch is not involved in any conspiracy against Croatia, Croats, or any other entity, group, or person, and that what we report about is entirely a matter of our choice.And what is your choice depends on - who this "we" stands for. I mean - who pays for this business (governments, companies, individuals - whoever it is). In that respect, it is so natural that what HRW reports about is entirely a matter of "HRW's" choice.I didn't think this is about conspiracy against anyone. It's about working FOR someone. I do admire those few souls that volunteer in HRW with best intentions. But for the most part people are there employed simply as executives - just as in any other business. Do you do this in your free time? That's fair enough. Neither your donators do this for the sake of righteousness on the planet. Not more than some other figures in democratic countries make wars for the sake of democracy and freedom of people ruled by the dictator whom these "liberators" themselves supported and armed earlier.>>You also state that HRW does not report on human rights of non-Serbs in Serbia and Montenegro. According to your letter, on our web page on Serbia and Montenegro (http://www.hrw.org/europe/fry.php), we do not "say a word" about violations of non-Serbs' rights. This is manifestly wrong. For example, the seventh document on our Serbia-Montenegro page, entitled, "Progress on War Crimes Accountability, the Rule of Law, and Minority Rights in Serbia and Montenegro" (http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/eca/serbiatestimony060403.htm),addresses violations of rights of ethnic Albanians in southern Serbia and the rights of Roma in the country. I went earlier through titles on your web page related to S&M to see if I could find an equivalent report on violations of human rights of Croats in Vojvodina and in Boka Kotorska (where Croats constituted until not so long ago about 90% of population and today about 5%). I did go all the way down the page, so - to seventh title and below. But by the time I reached to the seventh one, I probably did not read all titles whose beginnings clearly were not related to what I was looking for. And you can probably see why title that starts with: "Progress on War Crimes Accountability" does not seem like the topic I mentioned.So I missed this title but nevertheless - there is nothing in that report about violations of human rights of Croats in Serbia. Furthermore, this well buried report with misleading title makes some wrong implications. Because only Albanians and Roma are mentioned, this wrongly suggests that either:(1)Albanians and Roma are the only minorities in Serbia or(2) That these are only minorities whose human rights are violated in Serbia.Each of these is far from correct.Croats are mentioned in that report in this context:"Issuance of indictments or other concrete and verifiable evidence of progress on domestic investigations into prominent alleged war crimes, including Batajnica (mass graves in Belgrade's suburbs, containing some 500 bodies of Kosovo Albanians killed in 1999), the Bitiqi Brothers (U.S. citizens of Albanian origin, allegedly killed by the Serbian police in 1999), and Ovcara (killing of 200 Croats near Vukovar in 1991)."My questions related to this are:Vukovar is in Croatia, unlike Batajnica and Kosovo. How Vukovar finished in Serbian violations of human rights in Serbia? How is it Serbian "domestic" crime? It was crime commited during their aggression on Croatia. If you wanted to talk about Serbian war crimes in Croatia (which you didn't but if you did) - than Vukovar is not the only place in Croatia where Serbs committed the same kind of crime. Further, what is it that makes these two people of US citizenship so special in this report? Is it bigger crime since they were US citizens? I know it's not in theory. But practically? Maybe two other of your reports related to ICC suggest the practical answer to my last question (please see below). I am glad you are bringing that up. But the above sentence indicates you act (report) along the same lines:Why the US needs this courtAmerica's rejection of the International Criminal Court is a threat to its own securityThe irony is obvious: that Washington simultaneously demands complete co-operation with international justice at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal (or else), and complete non-co-operation with international justice at the ICC (or else).June 15, 2003 CommentaryU.S. Pressure on Croatia and Slovenia Undermines JusticeFormer Yugoslav States Should Reject ICC Side AgreementsThe Bush administration's pressure on Croatia and Slovenia in pursuit of a special exemption from the International Criminal Court (ICC) while rightly insisting on cooperation with the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal is blatant hypocrisy, Human Rights Watch said today. (Bosnian)>>Finally, Mr. Hrepic, I would like to clarify the following: under international human rights law, difficulties in finding employment do not constitute, in and of themselves, a human rights violation. Employment becomes a human rights issue when discrimination on ethnic, religious, and some other grounds prevents a person from finding a job.This makes sense to me. But why don't you follow this yourself? Your report on Croatia suggests that: "The government should offer tax exemptions and other financial incentives to owners of private businesses who employ minority returnees."Don't you suggest with this that Croatian government should "prevent a [nonminority] person from finding a job". Precisely in situation when you yourself acknowledge that: "...unemployment among Croats is also high." Again - please consider investigating problems with human rights in Croatia.Would you please also consider this:In the period of ex-Yugoslavia, 70% of the police stuff in Croatia was Serbian, while they constituted 12.2% of the entire population. In some Croatian regions these figures were even more striking: in Istria the police stuff was 82% Serbian, 95% school teachers were the Serbs. The Serbs also occupied almost all the leading positions in majority of the Croatian schools, enterprises and political institutions.http://mirror.veus.hr/darko/etf/et112.html#jugo I sincerely hope this is not what you aim at with your suggestions in this report.With respect to sources, you made several good points. Nevertheless, what you find - always depends on what you look for. And what you look for is again, as you put it "entirely a matter of your choice".In a similar way, for example, International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating war crimes in Croatia so they started and ended at very particular places and at very particular points in time. Surely they find what they need. And what they need is apparently pre-determined by what they look for. Due to this kind of justice, these righteousness protecting agencies together with media managed to equate agressor and victim - for reasons that only they know. This created situation in which many war crimes likely will never be investigated and masters of war like Karadjic and Mladic are free.So specially because things are so biased, I can not understand why your top pages on both - Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro start with two reports from Croatia. And why is equivalent report from Serbia buried down into the page, masked with other, not really related things and inaccurately and inadequately presented.This is a big issue because EVEN if HRW and similar organizations would do their fair share - in a way they claim they do - it is media (media owners - again owners) who pick what to talk about from there. I hope you are not deliberately misleading anyway biased media.I hope that you will consider these clarifications and approach all the people in Croatia and elsewhere in the world as to equally valid human beings.Sincerely,Zdeslav Hrepiczhrepic@phys.ksu.edu -----Original Message-----From: Dorit Radzin radzind@hrw.org]Sent: Monday, September 15, 2003 2:46 PMTo: Hrepic, ZdeslavSubject: your letter on Human Rights Watch's research on CroatiaDear Mr. Hrepic,Thank you for your letter commenting on our recent report on impediments to refugee returns to Croatia.Human Rights Watch sometimes receives complaints from private individuals, government officials, and other persons, similar to yours-- namely, that we are biased against ethnic groups or states to which they belong. In Serbia, for example, many believe that Human Rights Watch has singled out Serbia and Serbs as the favorite "target" for criticism. What those who complain about HRW's alleged bias all have in common is insistence that the "other side" is also violating rights, implying that the other side's violations somehow justify or make less relevant the violations made by "our side."From Human Rights Watch's point of view, however, a violation of human rights remains a violation irrespecive of whether somebody else violates rights or not. Human Rights Watch does not count and compare violations committed by or against members of one group with the violations committed by or against by members of another group. We are concerned with violations of rights no matter which group the victim or the perpetrator belongs to.Another common feature the critics of Human Rights Watch share is the belief that the organization's alleged bias makes it part of a conspiracy. As you write in one of your letters, we are "instructed to, paid for or in the best case - just allowed to" report about certain violations. I assure you, Mr Hrepic, that Human Rights Watch is not involved in any conspiracy against Croatia, Croats, or any other entity, group, or person, and that what we report about is entirely a matter of our choice.Finally, the allegations of Human Rights Watch's bias often simply statefacts wrongly. The inaccuracies in your letter may have contributed to the overall negative assessment you make of our latest report and our work in general.You begin by stating that the report ("Broken Promises: Impediments to Refugee Return to Croatia") was done by "western informators go[ing] to Belgrade to ask about Croatia." On the contrary: the research for the report was conducted in Croatia, with the exception of several interviews conducted in Serbia. You can very easily establish that by looking into the locations (in the footnotes) of the interviews conducted during the research.You also state that HRW does not report on human rights of non-Serbs in Serbia and Montenegro. According to your letter, on our web page on Serbia and Montenegro (http://www.hrw.org/europe/fry.php), we do not "say a word" about violations of non-Serbs' rights. This is manifestly wrong. For example, the seventh document on our Serbia-Montenegro page, entitled, "Progress on War Crimes Accountability, the Rule of Law, and Minority Rights in Serbia and Montenegro" (http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/eca/serbiatestimony060403.htm),addresses violations of rights of ethnic Albanians in southern Serbia and the rights of Roma in the country. There are also numerous press releases, reports, and backgrounders on our Serbia-Montenegro page advocating cooperation of Serbia and Montenegro with the International Criminal for the former Yugoslavia, so that perpetrators of war crimes against non-Serbs could be brought to justice. Just as numerous are the reports about violations of human rights of Kosovo Albanians.With regard to the letter by Mr. John Kraljic, President of the NationalFederation of Croatian Americans (NFCA), to which you kindly draw our attention, you have probably noticed that the letter does not dispute any of the facts in our 61-page report. Instead, it discusses extensively the work and personal qualities of Mr. Savo Strbac. Such a disproportionate attention given to Mr. Strbac is peculiar, given that Mr. Strbac is only one of about eighty persons interviewed in the report; he is quoted in eight, out of 333, footnotes in the report.Moreover, even if everything Mr. Kraljic writes about Mr. Strbac were true, it would be irrelevant as to the issue of accuracy of the information provided by him and used by Human Rights Watch in the report "Broken Promises." Mr. Kraljic does not point at any inaccuracy in those sentences in the report in which Mr. Strbac is a source. To find such inaccuracy would be difficult indeed, because Mr. Strbac's figures on the number of arrested war crime suspects among Croatian Serbs mainly coincide with the figures provided separately by the OSCE. Mr. Strbac also provided Human Rights Watch with the dates on which particular Serb suspects were arrested and the date of their aquittals or convictions. Such dates are rather trivial pieces of information, not "politically charged," and unsuitable for manipulation for political purposes. There is nothing to suggest that Mr. Strbac "fabricated" the dates, and one hardly conceive what goal could anybody try to achieve by making that sort of fabrication.Finally, Mr. Hrepic, I would like to clarify the following: under international human rights law, difficulties in finding employment do not constitute, in and of themselves, a human rights violation. Employment becomes a human rights issue when discrimination on ethnic, religious, and some other grounds prevents a person from finding a job. It is in that narrow sense that Human Rights Watch dealt with the issue of unemployment of Serb returnees in Croatia. We acknowledge in the report that "employment discrimination on ethnic grounds is difficult to prove since unemployment among Croats is also high." However, we have come across a number of cases in which it was precisely the ethnicity of the (Serb) job-seeker -- and not objective difficulties that many in Croatia face when searching for a job -- that prevented the person from getting employment.I hope that you will consider these clarifications and approach the Human Rights Watch report as a piece of objective analysis rather than a conspirational attempt to undermine Croatia.Thank you for your interest in our work.Sincerely,Dorit RadzinAssociateEurope & Central Asia Division--***********************Dorit RadzinAssociateEurope & Central Asia DivisionHuman Rights Watchradzind@hrw.org Tel: (202) 612-4321Fax: (202) 612-4333 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 17 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6643/1/E-Propaganda-and-the-deceit-of-history.html ÂPropaganda and the deceit of historyFrom: zhrepic@phys.ksu.edu To: hrwatcheu@skynet.be CC: hrwnyc@hrw.org, hrwdc@hrw.org, hrwla@hrw.org, hrwsf@hrw.org, hrwuk@hrw.org, hrwgva@hrw.orgDear Ms. Leicht, In addition to my earlier letter related to your report on Human rights in Croatia I wanted to inform you about one of the sources that you used for this report. I would kindly ask you to read about it:http://www.croatianworld.net/CROWNframes.htm?/Letters/3070.htm My comment to this is that it is amazing that the way in which western public is informed about Croatia still works the same way as it worked 14 and more years ago during communist Yugoslavia: Namely, western informators go to Belgrade to ask about Croatia. What I never understood is why westerners have been so eager to believe whatever they were told there. Also - why they have been so persistent in presenting this one side of info. In spite the abundant evidence they should not. E.g.:Cohen, P. J. (1996). Serbia's secret war: Propaganda and the deceit of history (1st ed.). College Station: Texas: A&M University Press.One another, painful example for this illogical yet unconditional cooperation with sources from Belgrade is that westerners still teach that that Serbo-Croatian language is spoken in Croatia.http://www.lmp.ucla.edu/profiles/profs01.htm This "Serbo-Croatian" thing communists invented in 1954 as a transitional phase to Serbian language for all. This lasted until 1991. So during "full" 37 years of history.However this transitional language continues to live in academic space of western universities. Knowledgeable professors support their claims with literature from this period (notice that there are no references before 1954 nor after 1992). Also, this litereture - all had the identical source.I guess when there is too much democracy in politics and media, it is difficult for any tiny bit of truth to go through.And human rights are not tiny. They are big thing. When are they going to pass through? Am I asking a wrong person / organization? Sincerely Zdeslav Hrepic letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 13 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6644/1/E-NFCA-calls-on-HUMAN-RIGHTS-WATCH-to-WITHDRAW-REPORT.html NATIONAL FEDERATION OF CROATIAN AMERICANSNFCAhdq@aol.com For Immediate Release Contact: Erik Milman202-331-2830NFCA CALLS ON HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH TO WITHDRAW REPORT ONCROATIA ÂWashington, D.C. (September 9, 2003). The National Federation of Croatian Americans (NFCA) called on Human Rights Watch (HRW) to withdraw its report concerning Croatia which appeared earlier this month. The report, entitled "Broken Promises," criticizes Croatia for failing to take steps to assure the return of displaced Croatian Serbs.In a letter addressed to Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of HRW, NFCA President John Kraljic pointed out that the report relies, in part, on information provided by Savo Strbac and his Veritas organization based in Belgrade. According to Mr. Kraljic, Strbac served as a local and circuit court judge in the area of Zadar, Croatia prior to 1991. Strbac's role in jailing dissidents during Communist rule remains unexplored.More importantly, Strbac had been a government official with the Republika Srpska Krajina (RSK) "which engaged in the total expulsion of all non-Serbs from its territory and the mass executions of innumerable Croats." Strbac was quoted in a March 1995 story by Agence France Presse as having stated that "[i]t's out of the question for us to return to Croatia. Our final goal is union with other Serbs(in Bosnia and the Republic of Serbia)."Mr. Kraljic noted that this goal underlies the motives of Veritas, an organization which news reports have linked to the Serbian secret service and the Serbian government. A review of Veritas' Bulletin includes such titles as "Dase ne zaboravi Srpska krajina" (Let the Serb Krajina Not Be Forgotten) and other titles "commemorating" the RSK.That Strbac uses human rights issues as a cover for his activities is eloquently seen by a quote from Nedeljni telegraf, a Belgrade newspaper, where Strbac stated that the process in the Hague against certain Croatian generals is a "chance for the Serbs, because this is a brilliant opportunity to use legitimate means to revive the RSK." In other statements made to the Serbian news agency SRNA, Strbac made clear his ultimate goal to see the President of the Republic of Croatia, Stipe Mesic, as an indictee before the judges of the Hague.Mr. Kraljic further noted in his letter to HRW that Strbac and Veritas have been the subject of pointed criticism by non-government organizations, including the Croatian Helsinki Committee, concerning their routine exaggeration of the number of Serbian victims of crimes allegedly committed by Croatian armed forces.Mr. Kraljic wrote that the NFCA views "with complete dismay [the fact] thatinternational institutions dedicated to promoting human rights and international law, such as Human Rights Watch, are providing legitimacy to those like Strbac and Veritas which are nothing better than propaganda organizations. There is no question in our minds that neither Strbac nor Veritas are to be trusted for anything in light of the murky circumstances surrounding Veritas'founding, the actions taken by Strbac both in Communist Yugoslavia and the RSK, and Strbac's and Veritas' undisguised call for the restoration of an ethnically pure Serbian state on Croatian sovereign territory."Mr. Kraljic concluded his letter to HRW by calling for the organization to immediatelywithdraw its report "and have it reissued using independent sources unrelatedto schemes promoting the return of war and death to Croatia."The NFCA ia a Washington, DC based national umbrella organization that represents over 20 Croatian American groups and 130,000 members.To: hrwatcheu@skynet.be CC:hrwnyc@hrw.org ,hrwdc@hrw.org ,hrwla@hrw.org ,hrwsf@hrw.org ,hrwuk@hrw.org ,hrwgva@hrw.org Dear Ms. Leicht, Related to "fresh" Human Rights Watch report on Croatia (http://www.hrw.org/press/2003/09/croatia090203.htm), let me ask the following:I am a Croat, born in Split, Croatia. I am currently abroad and I would like to go back to Croatia but I can not find a job for which I am qualified. Even if I find it, I can not secure a simple place to live with it - unless I take a loan for which I would have to pay off an average Croatian salary every month for next 20 years.Did anyone in your watchful organization ever considered to find out how many Croatians in Croatia can not find a job and can not do anything to secure a place to live?You might also add to this pool those Croatians abroad, like myself, that would like to go home but have no opportunity to make living there (although they e.g. did not kill and bombshelled civilians). Eventually you might care to express your concern about our human rights too.Since you did not care about HUMAN rights in Croatia during communist rule nor during Serbian occupation, this might be a chance for you to make up for those great omissions. Please consider starting to protect HUMAN rights in Croatia, rather than Serbian rights. Croatian government is breaking them daily - and regularly in coordination with (or even under pressure of) "western democracies". However, I hope you consider Croatians, Hungarians, Romanians, Italians, Bosnians and others - humans too. And their rights worth protecting too.Following your own twisted ways, one would expect that you will also report about status of human rights of Croatians and other non-Serb nationalities in Serbia and Montenegro. For the organization of your "caliber" it should not be too difficult to realize their rights are wildly violated. Much more than human rights in Serbia on average. And far more than Serbian rights in Croatia. And again these people did not kill and bomb shelled civilians in Serbia or anywhere else.However, on your web page related to Serbia and Montenegro (http://www.hrw.org/europe/fry.php) not only that you do not say a word about these violations of human rights - but you make a step further - and put your report on Serbs in Croatia at the top of the page - related to Serbia and Montenegro. So that reader who wants to see if there are any problems in S&M can quickly realize that everything is fine in that country and real problems are in Croatia - and those problems are related to rights of Serbs only.Amazing. I simply love those of your kind. One can just hope s/he does not ever need your protection. I sincerely hope your "eyes" will one day reach longer than you are instructed to, paid for or in the best case - just allowed to.Humanly Zdeslav Hrepic zhrepic@phys.ksu.edu letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 09 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6647/1/E-CANADA-National-Post-Article---Gotovina.html ÂFair Play in the Balkans ?Ask Toronto Croats to call the National Post editorial board andask them to run the enclosed letter to the editor from Luka Misetic.Here is the editorial board's phone number: (416) 383-2300.July 28, 2003To The Editor:I am the attorney for General Ante Gotovina, the subject of an editorialpublished in today's National Post titled, "Fair Play in the Balkans."I wish to correct the record on behalf of my client because youreditorial contains numerous factual errors.Contrary to the assertion made in your editorial, Croatian soldiers didnot "force 200,000 Serbs from their homes in Croatia [in] the largestethnic cleansing in the Balkan wars." It is virtually uncontested thatmost of the 200,000 Serbs in Croatia left their homes on orders fromtheir own Croatian Serb leadership. Testimony introduced by prosecutorsin the Hague in the case of Slobodan Milosevic indicates that Milosevicand the Croatian Serb leadership purposely evacuated 200,000 Serbs fromCroatia in an effort to cement the results of ethnic cleansing byresettling these civilians in areas like Srebrenica, which had beenethnically cleansed by Milosevic, Radovan Karadzic, Ratko Mladic andforces under their control only three weeks earlier. U.S. Ambassador toCroatia Peter Galbraith testified last month before the InternationalTribunal that Croatian forces did NOT ethnically cleanse the Serbpopulation from Croatia. Accordingly, your allegation is inaccurate.It is true that Canadian military officers, including Col. AndrewLeslie, have made various accusations against General Gotovina-includingthat the town of Knin had been "excessively shelled" and that forcesunder General Gotovina's command had intentionally shelled the hospitalin Knin, all in an alleged effort to scare the civilian population intofleeing. Col. Leslie further claimed that there were a "large number ofbodies in the streets." However, absent from your editorial is anymention of the fact that Col. Leslie's testimony has been largelydiscredited by members of the international media who confirmed that UNclaims of high civilian casualties and excessive shelling of Knin werein fact exaggerated. The claim that the Knin hospital had been shelledhas in fact been proven false. Human Rights Watch reported in 1996 thatthe claims of the Canadian officers were exaggerated and may haveresulted from the fact that "U.N. military and civilian personnel hadbeen confined to their barracks or bases by Croatian soldiers and thuswere unable to witness many events directly." Canadian militarypersonnel throughout its deployment as peacekeepers in the Balkans wasnotorious for its slanted, pro-Serb reporting of events on the ground.Indeed, Canadian Gen. Lewis MacKenzie, in charge of U.N. peacekeeping inBosnia in 1992, is infamous for his claim that the beseiged BosnianMuslims were "shelling themselves" in Sarajevo in an effort to garnerinternational sympathy. After his retirement from the Canadianmilitary, General MacKenzie went to work as a paid lobbyist in NorthAmerica for Serb sympathizers. Why this pro-Serb bias existed in theCanadian military is a subject that will be explored at the appropriatetime and in the appropriate forum.Much evidence has come to light in recent weeks proving that Gen.Gotovina was falsely charged by the Hague Prosecutor, including thetestimony of Mr. Galbraith. If Gen. Gotovina is in fact innocent, thenthe Prosecutor has an ethical obligation to withdraw the indictment.Should the Serb leadership claim bias (as your editorial suggests), sucha claim can be easily rebutted by this fact: the Hague Tribunal haswithdrawn sixteen indictments against individuals who had never beenarrested or brought to the Tribunal. All sixteen of these individualswere Serbs. Thus, if anyone can claim bias on the part of the HagueTribunal, it is the Croats and not the Serbs.Sincerely,Luka S. Misetic, Esq.Chicago, IL USAEnclosed is the article:National Post (Canada) July 28, 2003 Monday National EditionCopyright 2003 National Post, All Rights ReservedNational Post (Canada)July 28, 2003 Monday National EditionSECTION: Editorials; Pg. A11LENGTH: 458 wordsHEADLINE: Fair play in the BalkansSOURCE: National PostBODY:Eight years ago, Canadian peacekeepers witnessed one of the late 20thcentury's most brutal attempts at ethnic cleansing. In August, 1995, over aspan of just 64 hours, Croatian soldiers forced 200,000 Serbs from theirhomes in Croatia -- the largest single act of ethnic cleansing of all theBalkan wars between 1991 and 1995. The military action -- dubbed OperationStorm -- involved the Croats' entire 100,000-man army. Canadian soldiersstationed in the area documented the Croats' efficiency. Colonel AndrewLeslie, for example, reported that of the 40,000 people who lived in theSerb stronghold of Knin, barely 1,000 remained once the operation ended.It took some time, but two years ago, the UN's International CriminalTribunal (ICT) began seriously looking into claims regarding war crimescommitted during Operation Storm. In 2001, the ICT issued an indictmentagainst Ante Gotovina, a Croatian general with an allegedly central role inthe operation. But Gen. Gotovina promptly went underground. Lawyers workingon his behalf say he is willing to answer questions from the ICT -- but onlyif it first drops its indictment.Unfortunately, the Croatian government has failed to fully co-operate inbringing Gen. Gotovina to justice. Though the Croatian Interior Ministry hasissued a warrant for his arrest (and a bounty of $80,000 for informationleading to his arrest), authorities have done little to apprehend him. Onereason for this is that ultra-nationalist Croats see the general as a hero.In May, Gen. Gotovina even had the audacity to send an official message ofsupport to a gathering of 15,000 Croatian nationalists. They had met tomourn the death of Janko Bobetko, another general who defied an ICT order toanswer questions about his own involvement in possible crimes againsthumanity by Croatian forces.The case of Gen. Gotovina is important not only as a matter of justice, butof politics as well. The Croats and Serbs have had their share of murderousfeuds, and the Serbs would be understandably outraged if the world communityaggressively prosecuted allegations of Serb atrocities while passing overthose in which Serbs were victims. In 2001, the ICT formally demanded thatthe Serbs force former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic to appear fortrial on charges of war crimes. NATO member states, including Canada and theUnited States, put a full-court press on the Serbs to hand Mr. Milosevicover -- and even made his handover a condition of economic aid. As a result,Mr. Milosevic's successor, Vojislav Kostunica, duly served him up to TheHague.Those same NATO states should make a similar effort to get Croatia to secureGen. Gotovina. He's been allowed to run free long enough.LOAD-DATE: July 28, 2003 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 31 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6645/1/E-Language-codes-used-in-MEDLINE---HOW-TO-CHANGE-IT-.html ÂLanguage codes used in MEDLINE - HOW TO CHANGE IT ?Dear Dr. Petri,The language codes or abbreviations used in MEDLINE/PubMed correspond to those developed by the U.S. Library of Congress. The table of languages includes:scc - Serbo-Croatian (Cyrillic) scr - Serbo-Croatian (Roman) We intend to continue to follow these standards set by the Library of Congress.Sincerely yours,James MarcetichHead, Index SectionNational Library of Medicine8600 Rockville PikeBethesda, Maryland 20894james_marcetich@nlm.nih.gov 301-496-3262301-402-2433 (FAX)Contact fro Dr. Petri: nadan.petri@morh.hrOp-edNFCA, CAA, Croatian Fraternal Union, Croatian Embassy in Washington DC, should find modus of how to address this issue to the Library of Congress. It is obvious that this will be changed in time, but THE time is the question. We want it NOW. Not 10 years from now. Administration is slow if it can afford to be. Pressure works. Congressman(woman) Senators etc. We pay taxes in this country, we have right to use our language with a proper name. Standards are set by people in higher power (Library of Congress), not by administrators that implement the rules (MEDLINE/PubMed). So, it is a waist of energy to push where it doesn't matter.NB letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 31 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6646/1/E-Glenny-article-Croatias-dance-with-the-EU-on-BBC.html  Glenny article "Croatia's dance with the EU" on BBC ÂTo: newsonline@bbc.co.ukCc: talkingpoint@bbc.co.ukDate: Mon, 28 Jul 2003 Subject: Glenny article "Croatia's dance with the EUDear Editor:Misha Glenny has written another of his unflattering articles aboutCroatia "Croatia's dance with the EU". It should not come as a surprise,since Serbophile Mr. Glenny already exhibited his anti-Croatian bias inthe past. Unfortunately, he and his ilk of journalists always seem tofind a very receptive media - indoctrinated, no doubt, by decades ofSerb propaganda. In this article he is parroting the Serb propaganda lie about theCroatians' "violent nationalism that was visited upon its minoritySerbs....". Wonder why Glenny did not precede his statement by writingabout these same minority Serbs expelling several hundred thousand Croatsfrom their homes with only the clothes on their backs, while looting andburning their properties? Why he did not mention the thousands of Croatsthese Serbs killed with the help of their paramilitary and the Yugoslavarmy? Or the many mass graves of the hundreds of massacred Croatians,from the very young to the very old. Even after the truth about the war and Serb aggression is coming out at The Hague's ICTY trials of Milosevicand his henchmen, Misha Glenny still parrots the Serb lies andexaggerations. Glenny made statements that have no foundation in reality, such as theabsurdity that Croatia's late president Tudjman was, in Glenny's opinion,a friend of Milosevic! Tudjman had his faults, but that was not one ofthem! Glenny also made the false statement that Croatia's generalGotovina is indicted by the ICTY for "murder and disappearance of hundreds of Serb civilians". GeneralGotovina is being accused of "command responsibility" - while he neithercommanded nor approved the isolated instances of revenge-killings byCroatians, who were not even necessarily soldiers. Neither was it thepolicy of the Croatian Government. A number of people were tried in Croatia for these war crimes. Yes, general Gotovina is a hero in Croatians' eyes because he led thearmy that finally liberated Croatia's rebel-held territories. It shouldbe noted that the war with Serbia/Yugoslavia ended by Jan.1992, yet allpeaceful means of reintegration of Serb-held Croatian territories werefruitless and the military action in Aug. 1995 was the only alternative. Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange Knoll letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 29 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6648/1/E-Semantic-Acrobatics-in-order-to-fool-the-masses.html "Terms of engagement"( Toronto Sun, July 27, 2003) Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2003 22:25:45 +0200  ÂToronto Sun ÂDear Editor  ÂI'd like to congratulate Mr. Eric Margolis for his important, albeit disturbing piece, on the use and abuse of words by the American media and the American political establishment (TS, July 27, 2003).  ÂIt is a deadly mistake to assume that liberal democracies are exempt of the totalitarian "meta-language, " and that only fascism and communism are prone to semantic acrobatics in order to fool the masses.  ÂHaving lived long time in the communist East and in the capitalist West, and being fluent in several languages, I discovered early that the totalitarian vocabulary- (the French call it more aptly la "langue de bois") - is omnipresent even in the so-called liberal democracies - albeit under a different veneer.  ÂOne of the reasons liberal democracies can wage their foreign wars with impunity is due to their ability to cover them up with romantic, sentimental, and heart- disarming words such as "human rights" "tolerance" "freedom," "war against terror ," etc..  ÂClearly, the West does not have to resort to Gulags and prison camps to punish its critical individuals or dissidents. Suffices to install the "dictatorship of well being," with its cortege of free drugs, permissiveness, and kangaroo courts in order to ensure its destructive longevity.  ÂHad Stalin been a bit smarter, he would have planted in his native Georgia huge marihuana fields. Nobody would know today abut planetary communist killing fields. He and his red acolytes would be viewed by the Canadian youth and described in Western history manuals as "cool" guys.   ÂSincerely, ÂTomislav (Tom) Sunic, Ph.D Âemail: tomislav.sunic@zg.hinet.hr Dr. Tomislav (Tom) Sunic ÂBrace Korenika 4, Hrasce, 10020 Novi Zagreb, Croatia, Âhttp://www.watermark.hu/doctorsunic/ letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 28 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6650/1/E-Guardian---what-have-they-learned-from-her-example.html ÂWhat have they learned from her example?Dear Sir/Madam, it is with great sadness that I have read Ms. Pascal's report in TheGuardian (July 14, 2003) regarding her experience in Sibenik, Croatia as a participant atthe International Children' s Festival. So much malicious and venomous sentiment isdifficult to find in one place. Instead of taking an opportunity to learn more about thehost country she has taken the venue which can be easily perceived as a pre-conceivedagenda (but why?). Please, in the future, save us from the likes of Ms. Pascal as nothinggood comes from people who are intent upon spreading hate even at an event like theChildren's Festival. As an artist myself I am personally offended by her insensitivity andfeel deeply sorry for the young people under her care: what have they learned from herexample? Only that it is O.K. to perpetuate and spread the hate; it at least gets onepublished even if it the article is riddled with half truths, is poorly researched (if atall) and unprofessionally and one-sidedly reported. I am sure Guardian can do better andowes the organizers of the Children's Festival an apology.ÂSrebrenka B. Zeskoski Ph.D.York Universitysrebrenka@boldinternet.com  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 22 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6649/1/E-Letter-to-Guardian.html ÂLetter to the Guardian Editor in ChiefLetters@guardian.co.ukDear Editor:I find it ironic that someone like Julie Pascal feels she has the right to talk about racism in Croatia. I pity her naivety in a subject she obviously hasno apparent insight in, her article an overwhelming contradiction in every sense.In light of her recent comments, Firstly, on her so-called clear message to Serbs not to return to burnt out villages. Croatia is the only country in theregion implementing a return program for citizens that fled the fighting brought on by Serbian separatists themselves. For a cash strapped country such as Croatia, it is a big ask building houses for Serbians who fought against it which would be like asking the Us and Brittain to rebuild houses in Afghanistan,Iraq, Vietnam, Korea, or the September 11 bombersThe Croatian culture was treated appallingly for 80 years in the former Yugoslavia, organized killings of patriotic Croatians during this whole period was considered normal within the ruling communist party - so there is no need forMs Pascal to point out contradictory similarities between her play and the situation in Croatia. Where was she pre 1990 when the Croatians were the horrendously oppressed and suffered daily aggression?People do not like talking about war In Croatia. Quite simply it is rare to find a family in the entire country who has not lost a family member or relative at the hands of the Serbian aggression, therefore conjuring up this subject obviously is not going to go down well. Mentioning the Ustashe may not be thebest idea either but it is important to mention that before being hijacked bythe Nazi’s, the Ustasha organization stood for uprising against the terror that was the Serb/Yugoslav monarchy, and called for democracy and a right to self-determination between the two great wars.I also find ludicrous the suggestion that people and language must be ethnically cleansed in Croatia. Ethnic cleansing is a by-product of the Serbian war machine, not Croatia’s. The Croatian language has forcefully, over the centuries been manipulated and suppressed with Turkish, Germanic, Hungarian, Serbian, Italian just to name a few. It is only natural that it can now finally be implemented in its correct form. Preservation of culture is surely something MsPascal should understand. Most idiotic is the issue of people changing names andreligion, this suggestion is preposterous and unfounded. As for the hundreds of thousands of Croatians who were forced to convert to Islam and orthodoxy over the last 600 hundred years in Bosnia, I would like to hear Ms Pascals viewson that! Ms Pascal’s misguided political bias becomes apparent when she says pensions are cut to support Ustashe fascists. Only hardline socialist communists make such pathetic comments. Her criticism of Croatia is nothing more than thinly disguised Serbian propaganda.May I remind Ms Pascal that the second oldest Synagogue in Europe is in Croatia. That it was the Serbian government of world war two that collaborated with the Nazi’s and consequently removed every trace of mosques and synagogues in Belgrade and around Serbia, yet these communities still remain in Croatia. Theremaining slurs are fundamentally inconsistent and do not merit a response. In Closing, let me just refer to how Israel’s make shift apartheid is slowly killing off the Palestinians, bombing villages and bulldozing them to make wayfor new Jewish settlements. Not so say anything of the treatment of Asians inthe UK or the backlash the Arabs have felt in the last two years in the US and elsewhere.Such articles in your publication set a dangerous precedent in overlooking facts and bring to the fore some ethical issues which undermine your professionalism. What measures will be taken to ensure this does not happen again?SincerelyRobert BrizarAustralia letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 22 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6651/1/E-Guardian-prints-nonsense---YOUR-RESPONSE-NEEDED.html ÂGuardian Published RubbishE Subject: Julia Pascal's diatribeHilda M. FoleyLetter to the GuardianJuly 17, 2003Letters@guardian.co.uk Dear Editor:It was shocking to read the outright lies in Julia Pascal's letter abouther attendance at the International Children's Festival in Sibenik,Croatia. One could not possibly address all the allegations she made asthe letter would become overly long. Here are a few: She wrote aboutseeing "burned-out Serbian villages on the Adriatic coast". Fact is,there never in history have been any Serbian villages on the CroatianAdriatic coast. The Croatian Serbs lived in the Dalmatian hinterland,from which, during the Yugo/Serb aggression against Croatia of 1991-1995they ethnically cleansed the total Croatian population of some 200,000people and looted and burned down their homes and properties. It is fromthat occupied area of Croatia that Serbs shelled almost daily Croatia'scoastal towns and villages, including Sibenik, the site of the Children'sFestival, and not sparing even the 15th century cathedral, a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site. These kind of lies she has spread simply cannot beignored.It seems the only people she talked to were some disgruntled Serbs,complaining about their pensions being cut in half. Well, they can jointhe rest of Croatian pensioners. Thanks to Serbia's and their 5th columnand paramilitary's aggression, Croatia has suffered much economic andmaterial damage resulting in the states' drastic pension reductions foreveryone. Of course, how would Ms. Pascal know that?? It did not stop herthough from badmouthing Croatia! Furthermore, Ms. Pascal could only find "Nazi Croats" with the "U" signfor "Ustasha", referring to the Ustasha Nazi puppet regime of WWII,notwithstanding that even during WWII only 2% of Croatians supportedthat regime. Of course how would she know ....?! As for the supposedlyantisemitic remarks, they are simply preposterous! Except for the saidUstasha puppet regime of WWII, Croatians as a people have never beenknown to be antisemitic. Let us hope that Ms. Pascal will never be invited to Croatia again, asshe badly misused Croatia's hospitality that thousands of her countrymenenjoy each Summer. By the way, this same lady asked the festivalofficials for a three day extension of her and her groups' stay, whichwas paid by the festival sponsors! Strange indeed!Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Ca 92705714 832-0289 http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,997925,00.html ÂDear Editor in Chief,To my enormous surprise, I read you published letter from Ms. Pascal about International Children's Festival in Sibenik, Croatia. If it was a local newspaper that had no reputation I would still be astonished and when I read it in Guardian I was even more astound. You are losing your reputation RAPIDLY by publishing PURE rubbish full of incompetence and hate. The list is to long even to start. Check on your own and that should be an editor's job anyway. Mistakes happen and I am aware of it. I make them on a daily bases.Please let this one NEVER HAPPEN AGAINNenad BachEditor in Chief, CROWN NewsCroatia.orgLetters@CroatianWorld.net  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 20 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6652/1/E-Brenda-Brkusics-Letter-Published-in-the-Washington-Times.html ÂFinally Truth, as mistruths are often reportedThe Washington TimesSlavophobiaJune 9, 2003ÂSection: LETTERSÂPage: A20ÂTHE WASHINGTON TIMESÂI am a 22-year-old university student studying to become a documentarian, and it was inspiring to see such an underrepresented subject as the discrimination against and hatred of Slavic people being explored in The Washington Times ("Acute Slavophobia," Commentary, June 1).ÂJeffrey Kuhner is obviously a journalist of integrity and has a deep passion for revealing the truth. This is a rarity in his profession, as mistruths are often reported over and over by those who work more like sheep than journalists.ÂIf Mr. Kuhner would like to explore the subject further, he could also research the Bleiburg massacre of 1945, in which an estimated 250,000 Croatian refugees, soldiers and civilians were slaughtered by Tito's Yugoslav partisans. Croatians are a (conveniently) forgotten nation when it comes to such subjects.ÂI cannot thank Mr. Kuhner enough for his bravery and dignity. He brings to your newspaper a voice that fights to reveal the truth, in turn giving back a light of hope to those nations that have been unfairly affected by this problem for over half a century.ÂBRENDA BRKUSICÂOrange, Calif.ÂAll content © 2003-, by News World Communications, Inc.; 3600 New York Avenue, NE; Washington, DC 20002.(Also Sent To The Editor But Not Published)For further reading, may I suggest some books on the subject:Croatia: Myth and Reality, by Michael McAdems (Online at http://mirror.veus.hr/myth/ )Anatomy of Deceit, by Dr. Jerry Blaskovich.ÂSerbia's Secret War, by Philip CohenÂIn Tito's Death Marches and Prison Camps, by Joseph HecimovicOperation Slaughterhouse, by John PrcelaThe Croatian Holocaust, by John PrcelaBleiburg 1945-1995: An International Symposium, by Ante BeljoYu-Genocide, by Ante BeljoCroatia: A Nation Forged in War, by Marcus Tanner(Original Article Below)Acute SlavophobiaBy Jeffrey T. Kuhner It is commonly believed the scourge of racism has been eradicated in the West. Indeed, significant advances have been made in how Western societies treat historically discriminated minorities such as blacks, Hispanics and women. Yet there is one ethnic group that continues to be the victim of widespread discrimination and even hatred: the Slavs. For example, this subtle but nevertheless real prejudice against the Slavs can be seen in academia. Although the Holocaust and the evils of fascism have been condemned by most scholars, the crimes of communism remain largely ignored. Marxism-Leninism produced the greatest system of mass murder in history, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 million people - a considerable percentage of whom were Eastern European Slavs. During the 1930s, communist dictator Josef Stalin systematically starved to death 7 million Ukrainians in one of the most murderous genocides of the 20th century. Yet the suffering of Ukraine under Stalin's totalitarian empire has been largely forgotten. The same is true of the other victims of the Marxist project such as the Russians, Poles, Croats, Slovaks and Serbs who in total lost millions of people to state-sanctioned murder. Leon Trotsky, one of the leaders of the Bolshevik Revolution, once stated that the "Slavs are a historyless people." This comment is not only false, but more importantly, it reflects the deep-seated racism of many in the West's political class who continue to view Eastern Europe as a primitive backwater that is not part of European civilization. A clear example of this hostility toward the Slavs was the creation of Yugoslavia following the end of the First World War. The establishment of a greater South Slav state violated U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's principle of national self-determination. Forged by Western powers to serve as a bulwark against Germany and Austria, Yugoslavia was a Serb-dominated, multinational empire that abrogated the national aspirations of its subject peoples - Slovenes, Croats, Macedonians, Bosnian Muslims, Albanians and Montenegrins. Subsequently, while Western leaders as diverse as Franklin Roosevelt, Pierre Trudeau and the first George Bush championed the right to self-determination for peoples in India, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, they were reluctant to grant the same rights to the enslaved nations of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. As late as August 1991, on the eve of Ukraine's historic vote for independence, Mr. Bush warned Ukrainians of the dangers of "suicidal nationalism." As Yugoslavia began to fall apart in the 1990s, the West at first refused to grant diplomatic recognition to the breakaway republics of Slovenia and Croatia, then watched passively as Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic waged ethnic cleansing campaigns against the Croats, Bosnian Muslims and Kosovar Albanians. It took the death of nearly 250,000 people and the displacement of 2 million civilians before NATO finally decided to intervene to stop Mr. Milosevic's genocidal rampage. This contrasts sharply with the eagerness of Western governments to recognize the independence of India in 1947; the myriad African nations in the 1960s; Bangladesh in 1971; the Baltic States and East Timor during the 1990s. Apparently, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Croats and Bosnians are not as worthy of statehood as other non-Slavic peoples. Modern-day Slavophobia can also be seen in the recent indictments issued by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Its chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, is seeking to prosecute leading Croatian generals on trumped-up charges that would be laughed out of any Western courtroom. Take the case of Gen. Ante Gotovina. He led the 1995 military operation that ended the Croat-Serb war. The general is being prosecuted not for having committed or ordered war crimes, but for failing to have prevented isolated atrocities by individual soldiers during the three-day offensive. This is the equivalent to holding Gen. Wesley Clark legally responsible for the deaths of civilians during NATO's 1999 bombing campaign against Serbia. The ICTY is determined to indict leading Croatian generals in order not to appear biased against the Serbs. This means innocent Croats are being sacrificed for the sake of a policy of ethnic balance. Not only is this an unacceptable manner to run a court, but worse, it reflects the Western dismissal of the rights of individuals in the Balkans. Are individual Croats mere cattle that can be exchanged in order to propagate the myth that the ICTY is evenhanded? A similar indictment against Gen. Clark - or any American - would rightly be unacceptable to Washington. It would demand that the charges be dropped immediately. But in the case of Gen. Gotovina, the State Department is insisting that Croatia hand him over to the tribunal. Ironically, even Serbian human-rights activists have stated that the general is innocent.Gen. Gotovina is obviously the victim of a racist judicial witch hunt. Too bad he is a Croatian. Otherwise, Western leaders might actually care. Jeffrey T. Kuhner is an assistant national editor at The Washington Times. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 24 Jun 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6653/1/E-Letter-to-BBC-re-Uncertain-future-for-Croatian-Serbs.html  "What goes around, comes around"!To: newsonline@bbc.co.ukÂDate: Sat, 21 Jun 2003 20:28:30 -0700Subject: Uncertain future for Croatian SerbsDear Editor:The article about the Croatian Serb refugees in Serbia was quiteinteresting but is in need of some clarifications.First, calling the Croatian Krajina region the "Krajina Serb Republic" isa misnomer. The rebel Croatian Serbs gave it this name, but no country inthe world (except Serbia) recognized it as a legitimate entity.ÂOf the 11 1/2 % Serb population in pre-war Croatia, including the Serbarmy personnel and families, only some 4% lived in the so-called Krajinawhere they constituted a majority in some villages. These Serbs'ancestors fled the Ottoman Turk conquest several centuries ago andsettled in Croatia's Krajina, which was at the time part of theAustro-Hungarian Empire. Krajina simply means "borderland" as it was theborder between the West and the Ottoman Turk Empire.ÂFurther, the article states that some Serb refugees do not want to returnto Croatia "because of what they have suffered during the war". The morelikely reason for not wanting to return is remembering the suffering theycaused from 1991 - 1995 to their Croatian neighbors, with atrocities, thekillings of thousands, the ethnic cleansing of several hundred thousandand the looting and burning of their homes. Since the area's liberation,the returning impoverished Croatian refugees have no other place tosettle than in the existing Serbian homes. It is the classic: "What goesaround, comes around"!Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana. CA 92705714 832-0289 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 21 Jun 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6654/1/E-Letter-to-Chicago-Tribune---Nationalistic-remarks.html  Letter to Chicago Tribune - Nationalistic remarks ÂTo: ctc-TribLetter@Tribune.comDate: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 Subject: Pope's visit to CroatiaDear Editor:As Croatian Americans we are offended by your reporter Tracy Wilkinson'sremarks about what she calls "Croatian nationalism" by writing that "astrain of hard-line nationalism that fueled the 1991-1995 war endures".Ms. Wilkinson was in 1991 at the scenes of Serb aggression, such asVukovar and others in Croatia and saw first hand that it was not Croatiannationalism but Serbia's insistence on "Greater Serbia" that fueled thewar. Croatia did not even have arms to defend itself except for riflesagainst tanks, artillery and planes. All Croatia wanted was independencefrom Serb subjugation, and declared its independence in June 1991. It had the right to secede according to the Yugoslav constitution of 1974.The Serb minority in Croatia, incited by Serbia's Milosevic, rebelled andtook up arms against their Croat neighbors, which gave the Serb-ledYugoslav army the excuse to move into Croatia to "bring order". Croatiansfought for their independence and are no more "nationalistic" thanAmericans declaring their independence, waving their flags and yelling"USA, USA". So why are Croatians constantly called "Nationalists", in aderogative, mean spirited manner? Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705714 832-0289 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 17 Jun 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6655/1/E-The-indescribable-Croatia.html ÂCroatia, Europe's hidden gemÂLetters to the Editor: On Croatia, Europe's hidden gemÂBest seaside towns, driving tips, restaurants in Dubrovnik and much moreÂARTHUR FROMMER'S BUDGET TRAVELÂJune 3 -ÂTo the Editor:I went to Croatia last year and spent two weeks in Dubrovnik. It knocked my socks off. My biggest problem since coming back is to find words to describe the indescribable. I Was 56 at the time and went alone - something I would ordinarily not do. But I was told by so many people how safe it was and how basically honest and, well, nice the people are that I took a chance. Not once did I ever feel the least bit uneasy. I am a music professor at a Midwest university, and have a deep love of all the arts. Between the Italianate architecture, the history, the many music venues, the food, the art galleries, the blues and greens of the sea, the warmth of both the weather and the people, and hearing that beautiful Slavic/Latin language every day, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. As a musician, I've been to a lot of places. And I've really loved some of them. But after this, I've been touting Croatia all year, to everyone I can. I am going back this year to see more places, and am taking a friend. I hope to go back many, many more times and I hope that anyone reading this will also go. Young people will love the beaches and the night life (you've just GOT to hear Croatian rap music). Families will love the old city, which is completely pedestrian (kids are everywhere and universally adored). But I also want to encourage travelers of "a certain age" to take the advice I was given - just GO! You will not regret it. Dr. Suzanne Lord To the Editor: My wife and I spent a wonderful two weeks in Croatia about 10 years ago- it was during a cease-fire. Part of our visit involved a bus trip from Zagreb to Zadar and then up the coast to Italy. The coast was magnificent (orange/white rock and brilliant blue water) and the bus was very comfortable, with a driver's assistant that passed around cleaning towels and water. But this trip and our other experiences in Croatia would take pages... While on this bus trip, we stopped at the town of Zadar and took a ferry to the island of Iz. We stayed a private guest house on the island at the port village of Veli Iz for seven days. It cost around $10US per day and was only a few steps from the edge of the Mediterranean. Every day we would wander around the streets of the stone village, walk along the rock walls through the olive groves or simply relax along the waters edge, watching the fishermen. We "discovered" a cave just up the hill from the village and spent a bit of time exploring it, though we needed ropes to really have a look around. The local people were very friendly and we were given all kinds of food- potatoes, lettuce and other vegetables. (There is not a lot of choice in the tiny 'grocery' store.) Our strongest memory of the trip was the freshly squeezed olive oil that was given to us by one of the ladies, whose garden we stopped to admire. This olive oil was incredible and my wife and I have never tasted anything like it since. By comparison, the "extra virgin" olive oil that we get in the US tastes like water. We ended up slowly working our way through the bottle of oil as we made our way backpacking back to France, trying to make it last as long as possible. We haven't been able to make it back to that part of the world, but we really miss Croatia and especially that bottle of Olive Oil. Ian Butler To the Editor: On our honeymoon, my husband and I had the pleasure of visiting Dubrovnik on our Orient Lines Cruise. The Captain of our ship was from Split, Croatia and gave us a heads up on what a beautiful country Croatia was. Though only there for a short time we were completely impressed by Dubrovnik's old world charm and the beauty of the walled city. We had the pleasure of taking a walk on the Wall towering above the Adriatic Sea and it was just sparkling and breathtaking. We had the most fabulous meal at Atlas Club Nautika where the owner's son was our waiter and gave us special attention, bringing us homemade specials. We were blown away by the delicious food, impeccable service and unbelievable views. We hope to make it back sometime and take in more of the beautiful country. Beth P. Zoller To the Editor: Just a few notes about the wonderful article about Northern Croatia (to read that piece, simply click here).ÂZagreb did suffer some shelling and bombing during the war - notably, Yugoslav jet fighters bombed the Presidential palace in 1990 just as the leadership of the Croatian government was meeting with then-Yugoslav Federal Prime Minsiter Ante Markovic (a Croat). The targets escaped unharmed, but the upper town suffered some considerable damage. All has been repaired.ÂThe Jadranska Magistrala, ("magistrala", as it's generally called by the locals) is a two-lane road which winds its way up and down the coast. It is shared by tourists, trucks and buses. It can be congested and slow. There are few straight-aways for passing. Croatian drivers are somewhat aggressive. The view, however, is breathtaking. If a person is, say, driving to Dubrovnik and needs to return up the coast to, say, Zagreb, I would recommend driving one way and returning via ferry in the other direction. Jadrolinija runs car ferries up and down the coast on a regular basis, stopping in Rijeka, Rab, Zadar, Split, Hvar, Korcula, Dubrovnik. It is reasonably priced, and you can sleep just about anywhere - on the deck, in the bar, or you can rent an airline-type seat, or an interior or exterior cabin. The southbound ferry leaves Rijeka in the evening, stops in Zadar at midnight, Split at dawn, and Dubrovnik in the afternoon. The northbound ferry leaves Dubrovnik in mid-morning, reaches Split at dinnertime, and reaches Rijeka at 6 am. Very convenient.ÂBy about 2005 or 2006, there will be a 4-lane superhighway from Zagreb to Split through the interior of the country.ÂIf you don't stop in Korcula, you're missing out on the prettiest little coastal town next to Rovinj. It is the reported birthplace of Marco Polo, has crystal clear beaches, and is the home of the Moraska sword dance. Definitely worth a side trip (It is about 3 hours north from Dubrovnik, including a short 15 minute ferry from Orebic on the Peljesac Peninsula to Korcula.ÂThe Peljesac itself is the heart of Croatian wine country. In fact, Miljenko (Mike) Grgic, who co-owns Grgich Hills winery in Rutherford, CA (Napa), owns his own winery in Trstenik, the home of Plavac Mali and Dingac wine varieties, among others. Again - worth a stop en route to Korcula.ÂYour writer may even consider hopping on Jadrolinija from Hvar and getting off at Korcula - the next stop down, then crossing to Orebic, stopping in wine country and proceeding through Ston (ancient walled city) to Dubrovnik.ÂMakarska is also a beautiful town on the coast, with the towering mountains of the Velebit range above it. Breathtaking.ÂThere is little in the way of interaction with the people in your writer's article. The people are remarkably gregarious, generous and friendly. A few choice words, and he'll be drinking rakija as if he were a long-lost relative.ÂCheers, and thanks for the great write-up. Alan J. Bedenko Buffalo, NY To the Editor:Â'It is a country the size of West Virginia, that feels as if it has four or five miniature countries within it.'Â- IVICAToronto, Canada My name is Ivica and I live in Toronto, Canada. I first backpacked my way through Europe in the summer of 2001, and I am now a travel addict. Since then, my only purpose in life has become saving up enough cash throughout the winter months, here in Canada, and taking two-month vacations backpacking throughout Europe (most notably, Croatia). I've seen Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, etc. but for some reason, I am drawn to Croatia. Okay, my parents are of Croatian descent, but I was born and raised Canadian and whenever I go to Croatia, I'm still a tourist. The multiple cultures that clash within that country makes it impossible to simply blend in no matter how Croatian one may be. But that's what makes it so great. It is a country the size of West Virginia, that feels as if it has four or five miniature countries within it. Whenever you've had your fill of one of these cultures, just travel an hour or two in another direction and find yourself in an equally fantastic, yet totally different, place. The reason why I am writing, is to give out some tips while travelling to Croatia. I have just read Jason Cochran's article on his current travel experiences in Croatia, and I noticed that Mr. Cochran sure loves his hotels. As a student, the main issue with travelling is cost. Although there are many quality hotels in Croatia that cost half as much as those in western Europe, Croatia also has the "baba's". A "Baba" is Croatian slang for a Granny. There are a lot of these grannys who make a living renting out their apartments to travelers for an unbelievably low cost. They are listed under the Croatian tourist bureau under Private Accommodations, but you could just as easily find these grannys walking the streets, sitting at cafes, or walking their dogs on any of Croatia's famous resorts. You don't need to speak Croatian to them, because they will know what you're looking for when they see you with your backpack. All you have to say is "Rooms?", and they will definitely understand. The most I paid for a private room in Croatia throughout my whole trip was $20 Canadian (approx. $13 U.S.)! These rooms aren't bad too! I've had rooms with balconies, refrigerators, even kitchens, and if your clothes are a little wrinkled from your travel, the nice little Granny will insist on ironing that shirt for you! (The Grannys usually live next door to the apartments that they rent). Croatia is filled with everything to do from children to seniors. Whenever I want to just go out to relax, they have bars and cafes with scenic beauty. Whenever I feel like partying like a drunken teen in Cancun, I'll hit all the clubs (the best time being in August when all of the Italian tourists take their vacations in Croatia as well). So in conclusion, remember the "Baba" for private accommodation, the wild parties take place in August (just watch Wild On the Adriatic), and that beer is cheaper than water, literally! Ivica P.S. Must-see places: Bol, Hvar, Makarska, Korcula, Dubrovnik, and Opatija To the Editor: In April 1981 my husband and I were in the middle of a one year sabbatical just kicking around Europe in our VW camper. On a whim, we booked a ferry from Corfu for an overnight trip to Dubrovnik. At the time, we knew nothing of Croatia. We were amazed by the beauty of the place and the warm welcome of the citizens. To reduce this story to a few words, we then spent the next six weeks slowly moving up the coast and enjoying everything that Croatia had to offer. Sitting on the beach at night, enjoying a local wine and watching the lights of the fishing boats just off shore, is an experience we will never forget. Our view of the world was forever changed by those wonderful six weeks. The report in today's Travel Newsletter brought back all the memories. I have often wondered how badly the civil war damaged that beautiful part of the world. We are now retired and manage to travel 6-8 weeks every year, but none of our travels have treated us to the same "discovery experience" we had in Croatia. Ann & Richard To the Editor: I read the article on traveling to Croatia. Let me add that we went there in September 2001 for a seven-day cruise, and loved every minute of the trip. Amazing scenery, good food, nice people, and incredible value for money. The sea is this amazing color-it is hard to describe, and very clear. We're planning another cruise, and an extended land stay this September to the southern half of the Adriatic coast. If ever there was a hidden gem, this is it. I also suggest adding Slovenia to any traveler's stay while in that area. As pretty as any alpine country, but at half the price, and also exotic in the sense of discovering something different. Julian To the Editor: The islands off the Croatian coast are well worth exploring. My favorite was Korcula where some say Marco Polo was born. You can climb to the tower of his house for a lovely view of the island and the Mediterranean. When I visited pre-war, Kornati Island boasted lots of rocks and one restaurant where dining on fresh whole fish under the grape arbor felt more Greek than I imagine Greece to be. (I've never been to Greece.) Croatia is gorgeous. Don't miss it. Joan M. Anderson Dear Editor, I read with interest and pleasure Jason Cochran's May 22 article on his travels in Croatia, as it reminded me of my trip there in March, 1996 with my father. We arrived over six months after the completion of 'Operation Storm', but though many a friend thought we were foolish to go so soon after that offensive, we had no sense of insecurity while there, though we did see a number of signs of war that even Mr. Cochran has noted still lingers to this day. I am so pleased your reporter is writing these travel articles, and hope it inspires others to give the beautiful Dalmatian coastline a chance to enchant them. We saw some of the sights your reporter visited, such as my favorite Plitvice Lakes national parks. We arrived while winter was still in force (though I have since seen it again in summer), and the many half-frozen falls cascading down in many steps, with streams you could often reach down to bath your hands in from the boardwalk, was a treat I'll never forget. I would love to visit again in autumn, when the leaves are turning, for more picture perfect photographs. Another park I wish we had time to explore it the narrow canyon of Maslenica northeast of Zadar. I am told it is a rock climber's dream, but even what little we had time to see suggested many delightful hours of hiking in this little known treasure.Â'Tourist keep-sakes and nick-knacks are plentiful, but often on the tacky side, but the earnest shopper can find many good things to buy, such as the noted fine lace from the island of Pag.'Â- ADAM CONDICKalamazoo, MI There are so many places I wish I could mention, but I should try to keep this letter short. Some other brief highlights: The city of Split (especially the old quarter), the islands of course (I personally visited Vis, but am told the island of Hvar is even better-almost any is a great way to spend a day), the resort town of Makarska under the imposing heights of Mt Biokovo, the arboretum at Trsteno just north of Dubrovnik, a perfect place to picnic right off the road, and of course, the walled city of Dubrovnik. Try to hike along the walls (we missed our chance), and outside just to the north is a beautiful blue bay to take scenic shots from, especially the small fort guarding its entrance. Of course, it helps to be a native speaker, which my father was, but people are accommodating, and many speak English in the tourist areas who will gladly make recommendations on places to eat, of which there are plenty of good quality and prices. You'd better love seafood along the coast, though! Finally, remember Dalmatia is known for its moderately priced wines of good quality. My favorite was a red one called "Ivan Dolac". A dinner without wine in Croatia is simply unheard of, and a missed opportunity for any traveler. Try to wander many of the historic areas of any town on foot to get a feel for another European country with a rich history and heritage. Remember in the markets that friendly haggling in the open air markets is to be expected, though rich Westerners should be on the generous side, and not drive a hard bargain with such good prices. Tourist keep-sakes and nick-knacks are plentiful, but often on the tacky side, but the earnest shopper can find many good things to buy, such as the noted fine lace from the island of Pag. On a final note, bargain hunters should consider a visit in early September. The weather is still excellent, but with the tourist season just over, prices and crowds drop considerably. Adam Condic Kalamazoo, MI To the Editor: While in Split, Croatia, you may want to consider the Hotel Kastel Luksic, located a short ride from Split downtown but a very nice cozy hotel with terrific food. Owner Gotovac built the hotel to Canadian standards but with European charm. His daughter Anita Matic helps run the hotel, phone number 21 228 455. We had a group of 35 kids and parents spend four days for a soccer visit, and were treated royally. Group was hoping for a shellfish and fish specialty, so owner had staff out fishing during the day to be able to prepare a fantastic meal at night. White wine was terrific with the fresh seafood. On your way to Dubrovnik, be sure to stop in at Makarska and get a view of the beach and the mountain and the old town. Mike U To the Editor: I was in Croatia in 1968 during a 15 month odyssey around Europe, India, Afghanistan, etc. The Dalmatian coast remains embedded in my memory as very beautiful and one of the highlights of the trip. I was with three Englishmen in a van and we would stop any where and sleep by the side of the road or on the beach and go for a dip in the AM and PM. We took five days going down the coast and it was delightful. I remember the Roman ruins in Split, Sveti Stephen, Dubrovnk, and the trip up the mountains to Kosovo. Little did I realize at the time that such a peaceful land could have such a tragic future ahead of it. Kosovo was great for the yogurt that they sold in the stores. Skopje had street cars from Washington DC still running. Near the Albanian border we listened to Radio Tirana and the propaganda that they were putting out in English. Tito was still in power and the county seemed to be very peaceful. I highly recommend the Dalmatian coast as a very beautifiul and place "not to be missed." John To the Editor: I was in Croatia last October and had a marvelous time. I flew from Houston by way of New York to Zagreb then down to Split. I took the ferry to an island called Brac. What a beautiful setting. The complex is called Supetar. It was started by the communists and is now run by an American from Crotia and Texas. Well worth the trip. Gerald Smith Maurertown, VA To the Editor: My Grandfather left Croatia for the US in 1907. He came from the tiny town of Drnis in central Dalmatia. Over the years we lost track of our relatives back in Drnis. But one day I noticed that this little Croatian town of 4000 people had its own web page!! It was run but a local businessman/computer enthusiast (www.drnis.com). I went to the chat room and said hello. I had a trip to Europe coming up, so I made a stop in Croatia. The folks from the Drnis web page threw me a warm welcome and escorted me around for the days I was there. They even managed to dig up my long lost relatives. We had a much overdue family reunion at my cousin Kata's house. It was great to meet them. One day they took me over to the house my grandfather grew up in. It was in a hamlet of 7-8 homes all built of hand hewn stone out in a remote valley. I had a chance to walk the fields where my grandfather had tended sheep as a young man. The people in Croatia are exceptionally warm and friendly. I was taken by the beauty of the countryside and Dalmatian coast. I've ended up describing Croata to friends and potential visitors as "Italy without the crowds and 1/3 the price." Ed Brakus Son of Drnis To the Editor: My wife and I went to Croatia for our honeymoon last year. It was beautiful, mellow, full of history, and the food was excellent. We stayed on the island of Rab in the north. There are plenty of guest houses as well as hotels, but no American tourists. One warning: the Germans, Austrians, and others swarm the place when their summer break starts at the end of June, so prepare your accommodations ahead. The people were friendly, everything is well priced, and the water is warm. Get there before it changes! Jay Newk To the Editor:ÂAdvertisement My ex-husband was born and raised in Croatia, actually on a small island on the Dalmatian Coast called Mali Iz, which means little island. You should tell your readers to go there - it is the most beautiful place, very relaxed and the food is the best!! The best time to go is in late July because Mali Iz is actually on a string of little islands and most vacationers island hop to attend the nightly fiestas (fezda's). Dancing all night in the warm air. Check it out!! Evelyn Shegich To the Editor: When I was in High School (I am now 30) I visited Dubrovnik while on a cruise with my grandparents. I visited Venice, Florence, Rome, Dubrovnik, Malaga, and Lisbon on my trip. I fondly remember Dubrovnik as my favorite on the trip. Later on in life I went to college on a water polo scholarship and met a guy who was a year or two older than I that also played polo for my university who just happened to be from Dubrovnik. He frequently lamented the destruction of his home town. He didn't have any pictures of the beautiful harbor or the ancient church that apparently had been ruined in the war. I called my mother and told her his story and she happily sent him all of my pictures. Someday, I want to go back. Chris Hood To the Editor: Thank you so much for writing an article about Croatia! I am the child of Croatian immigrants (my older brothers were born there) and it is one of my most favorite places in the world. I have been there four times in my life (I'm 22) and it's always a wrench to leave it. Although you paid good attention to Plitvice and the coastal towns of Rijeka and Opatija, you didn't mention the rest of the Gorski Kotar region, which is beautiful as well. There is a lot of woodland and mountains to hike, you can go horseback riding, and hunters can find lots of game there as well. It is a very lovely area, and as full of culture and history as the rest of Croatia. Please look into it if you have the time, and thank you again for the wonderful article! Joanne Kunce To the Editor: As a Croatian American I am glad to see that someone has taken the time to write an article about Croatia. I have traveled in Europe several times and I still find Croatia to be the most beautiful place. My family is from Dalmatia on the Island of Ugljan. It's a small island off the coast directly across from Zadar, one of Croatia's largest cities. The food, the spirit, the dancing, the festivals, the wine, the people of Croatia is what makes it a wonderful place. Sure it's beautiful, but the real beauty is when you see the treatment you will get when you visit Croatia. Thank you for this article, it is fantastic. Klaudio Sarin To the Editor: I had the pleasure of traveling through Yugoslavia in 1972. As the grandson of Croatian immigrants I looked forward to the opportunity to see the homeland. While in Dubrovnik our Renault 4 was struck and then dragged by a city bus for about 50 feet. The attempt to get some satisfaction from the state owned (communist) bus company was, to say the least, frustrating. Ultimately we reached an agreement and I returned to my sightseeing. Several days later while driving through the city, I noticed the same bus and driver attempting to turn onto a very narrow street. Stupidly (I was 18) I was in a position to make it difficult for him by pulling out into the intersection. Unfortunately I was spotted by a traffic cop and had to surrender my passport or pay him $50. Later I was able to bargain the police captain down to $30, paid and moved on to Greece. I do remember Dubrovnik as a beautiful city. The countryside however was incredibly poor. Dennis K. Ring To the Editor: I visited Croatia - specifically Dubrovnik - for the first time last September 2002. I'm going back again this September to Hvar. The bar which is located outside the Old Town walls, on the Adriatic side, is called Buza. I spent numerous afternoons and evenings there - the wide expanse of the Adriatic in front of me, the Old Town walls behind, the sunlight glinting off the calm waters of the blue-green Adriatic, the occasional yacht going by, 1960s Dean Martin and Croatian folk music being played, a bottle of Croatian white wine, a gentle breeze through the palm fronds, watching the moon dive beneath the horizon. Pure bliss. Occasionally I went further down the stairs and took a swim in the Adriatic. The view looking back at the Old Town from that vantage is terrific. Mark Tyner NY, NY To the Editor: Thanks so much to Mr. Cochran for his wonderful description of his travels through Croatia. It made me homesick! It is indeed a beautiful country and as an American Croatian I am especially glad that he mentioned that Croatia is not an Eastern European country, as it really belongs to Central and Mediterranean Europe. It is a shame that politics and politicians can make decisions grouping a country where they wish it to be, ignoring historical facts. I hope the visit to Croatia will forever be a memorable one for Mr. Cochran and inspire American tourists to visit. Hilda M. Foley (born in Zagreb) To the Editor: I was in Dubrovnik in 1992 after the destruction of the Serbian army invasion, and I can tell you first hand, that the destruction, ranging from Zadar down to Dubrovnik was unconscionable. What kind of politicians would allow the total destruction of such a beautiful country? I hope that Croatia stays and is allowed to stay independent of their neighbors greater aspirations. I hope that the world learns of its beauty. I hope that the world has the opportunity to meet some of the wonderful Croatians who make up this hidden treasure. Linda Hurley Copyright © 2003 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 04 Jun 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6657/1/E-Oxford-University-Press--Follow-up.html  Oxford Encyclopedia, follow-upÂDear Ruth and Mike,Many thanks for your prompt and courteous replies to my original email and rest assured, your labours are much appreciated from this side of the Atlantic. As far as the German dictionary is concerned, there is much symbolism involved in the ommision of the couplet "Croatia/Kroatien" and therefore my staunch involvement with this matter. It's just a very curious matter to see an entire country (including language and people) left out as dictionaryentries. This was further compounded by notice of an entry in the Oxford Encyclopedia, whereby the adjective "Serbian" as in "Serbo-Croatian culture" was attached to an entry providing historical data about the city of Dubrovnik. Of course I don't think there was any overt reasoning behind these two issues, one a problem ofomission, the other of commission. You must admit though, an outsider could easily infer that Croatia is being unfairly slighted twice, and that is what brought me to call this matter to your attention.ÂI must thank Jane Gardner as well for assisting in this matter. May I ask to receive a notice when the updates are put into effect? I would certainly be most appreciative if a follow-up notice were emailed to my attention. At that juncture you could certainly continue to call me a loyal customer as well as a loyal consumer. Thanks again.Sincerely yours,Michael SpudicForest Hills, New York USAMjspudic1@aol.comÂDear Mr SpudicMany thanks for your email of the 10th May concerning the entry on Dubrovnikin the on-line World Encyclopaedia.ÂWe are aware that this text is now out of date and in places erroneous, andhave therefore ceased publishing the print version and cancelled any futureproduction of the online version. However, it seems that some old copies ofthe online version surface on the market occasionally, despite our bestefforts.We are currently in the process of producing a new edition of theencyclopaedia and I will ensure that such entries are considered morecarefully in this revised work. Please accept my sincere apologies for anyoffence that this entry has caused and rest assured that we are doingeverything in our power to put it right.Yours sincerelyRuth LangleyCommissioning EditorTrade and Reference DepartmentOxford University PressGreat Clarendon StOxfordOX2 6DPTelephone: 01865 354210Fax: 01865 353658Dear Mr SpudicMany thanks for you email of 10 May concerning the lack of an entry forCroatia or Kroatien in the IFinger version of the Concise Oxford-DudenGerman Dictionary.ÂTheir absence is indeed an unfortunate oversight for which I must apologize.Kroatien is in fact also missing from the print version of the dictionary,but Croatia is certainly in the printed book and we are therefore puzzled asto why there is no entry for it in the IFinger version and are investigatingurgently. I can assure you that there are entries for both Croatia andKroatien in all the other dictionaries in our Oxford-Duden German range,including the smaller Pocket Oxford-Duden German Dictionary. We will ofcourse take the first opportunity to correct their omission from the IFingerConcise.ÂPlease accept my sincere apologies for any offence that the absence of theseentries has caused and rest assured that we will be doing everything in ourpower to put it right.Yours sincerelyMike ClarkMichael ClarkProjects ManagerBilingual DictionariesOxford University PressGt. Clarendon St.OXFORD OX2 6DPtel. +44 1865 556767 ext. 4496fax +44 1865 267811ÂPlease note new email address:Âmike.clark@oup.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 18 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6656/1/E-Responses-from-Oxford-University-Press.html ÂResponses from Oxford University PressÂDear Mr. Bach:For your files, copies of correspondence from Ruth Langley and Mike Clark of the Oxford University Press, in response to my letters of complaint re: lack of entry for "Croatia-Kroatien" in their English-German dictionary, and their entry of "Serbo-Croatian culture" under Dubrovnik in theirencyclopedia.ÂKind regards,Allen MilcicMississauga, Canada-------------------------------------Dear Mr MilcicMany thanks for your email of the 8th May concerning the entry on Dubrovnikin the on-line World Encyclopedia.ÂWe are aware that this text is now out of date ( It wasnever correct, regardless of a date - Nenad Bach Op-ed) and in places erroneous, andhave therefore ceased publishing the print version and cancelled any future production of the online version. However, it seems that some old copies ofthe online version surface on the market occasionally, despite our bestefforts.We are currently in the process of producing a new edition of theencyclopaedia and I will ensure that such entries are considered morecarefully in this revised work. Please accept my sincere apologies for anyoffence that this entry has caused and rest assured that we are doingeverything in our power to put it right.Yours sincerelyRuth LangleyCommissioning EditorTrade and Reference DepartmentOxford University PressGreat Clarendon StOxfordOX2 6DPTelephone: 01865 354210Fax: 01865 353658---------------------------------------------------Dear Mr MilcicMany thanks for your email of 10 May concerning the lack of an entry forCroatia or Kroatien in the IFinger version of the Concise Oxford-DudenGerman Dictionary.ÂTheir absence is indeed an unfortunate oversight for which I must apologize.Kroatien is in fact also missing from the print version of the dictionary,but Croatia is certainly in the printed book and we are therefore puzzled asto why there is no entry for it in the IFinger version and are investigatingurgently. I can assure you that there are entries for both Croatia andKroatien in all the other dictionaries in our Oxford-Duden German range,including the smaller Pocket Oxford-Duden German Dictionary. We will ofcourse take the first opportunity to correct their omission from the IFingerConcise.ÂPlease accept my sincere apologies for any offence that the absence of theseentries has caused and rest assured that we will be doing everything in ourpower to put it right.Yours sincerelyMike ClarkMichael ClarkProjects ManagerBilingual DictionariesOxford University PressGt. Clarendon St.OXFORD OX2 6DPtel. +44 1865 556767 ext. 4496fax +44 1865 267811ÂPlease note new email address:mike.clark@oup.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 18 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6659/1/E-NYT-A-low-point-in-the-152-year-history---How-about-David-Binder.html ÂThe New York Times"A low point in the 152-year history of the newspaper."?I Don't Think So !How about David Binder?Dear Croatians and friends of Croatia. This isthe moment to seriously contact The New York Times and present all the evidenceand misinformation that number of NY Times Journalists spread around the globeduring our fight for freedom. Let not miss this opportunity. NFCA, CAA and manyother organizations, please contact The New York Times and schedule anappointment. It may take a month or so, but the doors are now opened. All of themistreatments that we had to read while bleeding is UNACCEPTABLE. During thisperiod I had to answer the questions on TV that have been totally inappropriatebecause what The NY Times wrote about us. Let's not forget all of this. Internetexist, data base of The New York Times is accessible. NO if or but.Nenad BachMay 11, 2003ÂThe New York Times Jayson Blair, who worked for The Times for four years before resigning on May 1.ÂThis article was reported and written by Dan Barry, David Barstow, Jonathan D. Glater, Adam Liptak and Jacques Steinberg. Research support was provided by Alain Delaqut?riT?re and Carolyn Wilder.Readers with information about other articles by Jayson Blair that may be false wholly or in part are asked to e-mail The Times:retrace@nytimes.com.ÂÂWitnesses and Documents Unveil Deceptions in a Reporter's Work (May 11, 2003)ÂEditors' Note (May 11, 2003)Times Reporter Who Resigned Leaves Long Trail of Deceptionstaff reporter for The New York Times committed frequent acts of journalistic fraud while covering significant news events in recent months, an investigation by Times journalists has found. The widespread fabrication and plagiarism represent a profound betrayal of trust and a low point in the 152-year history of the newspaper.The reporter, Jayson Blair, 27, misled readers and Times colleagues with dispatches that purported to be from Maryland, Texas and other states, when often he was far away, in New York. He fabricated comments. He concocted scenes. He lifted material from other newspapers and wire services. He selected details from photographs to create the impression he had been somewhere or seen someone, when he had not.And he used these techniques to write falsely about emotionally charged moments in recent history, from the deadly sniper attacks in suburban Washington to the anguish of families grieving for loved ones killed in Iraq.In an inquiry focused on correcting the record and explaining how such fraud could have been sustained within the ranks of The Times, the Times journalists have so far uncovered new problems in at least 36 of the 73 articles Mr. Blair wrote since he started getting national reporting assignments late last October. In the final months the audacity of the deceptions grew by the week, suggesting the work of a troubled young man veering toward professional self-destruction.Mr. Blair, who has resigned from the paper, was a reporter at The Times for nearly four years, and he was prolific. Spot checks of the more than 600 articles he wrote before October have found other apparent fabrications, and that inquiry continues. The Times is asking readers to report any additional falsehoods in Mr. Blair's work; the e-mail address isretrace@nytimes.com .ÂEvery newspaper, like every bank and every police department, trusts its employees to uphold central principles, and the inquiry found that Mr. Blair repeatedly violated the cardinal tenet of journalism, which is simply truth. His tools of deceit were a cellphone and a laptop computer ó which allowed him to blur his true whereabouts ó as well as round-the-clock access to databases of news articles from which he stole.The Times inquiry also establishes that various editors and reporters expressed misgivings about Mr. Blair's reporting skills, maturity and behavior during his five-year journey from raw intern to reporter on national news events. Their warnings centered mostly on the errors in his articles.His mistakes became so routine, his behavior so unprofessional, that by April 2002, Jonathan Landman, the metropolitan editor, dashed off a two-sentence e-mail message to newsroom administrators that read: "We have to stop Jayson from writing for the Times. Right now."After taking a leave for personal problems and being sternly warned, both orally and in writing, that his job was in peril, Mr. Blair improved his performance. By last October, the newspaper's top two editors ó who said they believed that Mr. Blair had turned his life and work around ó had guided him to the understaffed national desk, where he was assigned to help cover the Washington sniper case.ÂBy the end of that month, public officials and colleagues were beginning to challenge his reporting. By November, the investigation has found, he was fabricating quotations and scenes, undetected. By March, he was lying in his articles and to his editors about being at a court hearing in Virginia, in a police chief's home in Maryland and in front of a soldier's home in West Virginia. By the end of April another newspaper was raising questions about plagiarism. And by the first of May, his career at The Times was over.A few days later, Mr. Blair issued a statement that referred to "personal problems" and expressed contrition. But during several telephone conversations last week, he declined repeated requests to help the newspaper correct the record or comment on any aspect of his work. He did not respond to messages left on hiscell phone, with his family and with his union representative on Friday afternoon.http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/11/national/11PAPE.html?ex=1053316800&en=f5075a75583248bf&ei=5059&partner=AOL letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 15 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6658/1/E-Letter-to-The-Independent-re-Article-of-May-12th.html  Massacre classified for another 30 years?ÂDear Mr. Poppert,ÂI hope you will not mind if I draw Your attention to some facts relevant for Your article "Croatians gather to mourn victims of 1945 atrocities".ÂFirstly, even if we assume that according to Yalta wording "Soviet citizens" could have been applied to Croats (which isterribly far-fetched), one must bear in mind that *after that* UK and US reached an agreement (prior to May 3rd, 1945) that "that Croats should not (rpt not) be returned to Tito" (quote taken from cable of BAS Washington to War Office [F.O. 371-48819, R 9445/6/92], in which it was reported of State Department drawing their attention to this fact, and I believe this is another quote from the cable: "Personal for Gepp from Loup. See COS (W) 917 this message produced much embarrassment here."). So, British Govt. may have upheld (even if this is questionable) Yalta agreement, but at the same time has breached later agreement with US as an ally that specifically pertained to this situation.ÂSecondly, according to British documentaries I have seen, British Army continued to deport Croats even after learning of their slaughter (to the point that a Welsh outfit that conducted 'repatriation' was on the verge of mutiny if 'repatriation' did not cease). I also believe British officers instrumental in making the decision to 'repatriate' Croats were later bountifully rewarded by communist regime (if I'm not mistaken F. MacLean recieved villa on Croatian island of Korcula and gen. T. P. Scott a luxurious Packard motor-car). MacLean even co-signed petition of House of Commons to nominate Josip Broz for Nobel Peace Prize, even though Jasenovac continued to serve as death-camp for couple of years under communist regime (exclusively for Croats, 2/3 of inmates were civillians)!ÂIn light of that, and quote of American scholar Oskar Gruenewald "Shady transactions (in gold, as admitted by Yugoslav communists) need to be investigated, such as alleged gold for Major Simpson in exchange for POWs and other payoffs to such figures as Brigadier Fitzroy Maclean...", how surprising is it that UK authorities have recently decided to keep documents pertaining Bleiburg Massacre classified for another (IIRC) 30 years?ÂBest regards,ÂTomislav Petricevic letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 15 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6660/1/E-Policy-Question-Oxford-Electronic-Encyclopedia---Round-2.html ÂPolicy Question: Oxford Electronic EncyclopediaRound 2To: jane.gardner@oup.comÂÂDear Ms. Gardner,Thank you for your prompt reply to my email inquiry. Allow me to supply you with the information you have requested.Â1) For the German dictionary referred to in my original email, here is the following reference:The Consise (sic) Oxford-Duden German Dictionary © Oxford University Press and Bibliographisches Institut & F.A. Brockhaus 1991, 1997, 1998 [This is the reference from my computer source. Jane somebody at iFinger might want to clean up the spelling for "concise!" At the iFinger tab when you right click in the corner and then at the dictionary icon double-click on the second of the two German dictionary icons, the spelling there is "consise"] Anyway, at iFinger downloads,http://www.ifinger.com/registration/userdownloads.aspÂÂI found a reference to this dictionary and there "concise" is spelled correctly: The Concise Oxford German DictionaryÂEnglish-German/German-English With over 150,000 words and phrases, and 250,000 translations, The Concise Oxford German Dictionary is one of the leading intermediate English-German/German-English dictionaries.ÂHowever the more important devil in the detail at this point is the lack of an entry for Croatia/Kroatien (refer back to original email).Â2) With respect to the encyclopedia, that product was purchased here in New York and downloaded into my computer. It is The Oxford World Encyclopedia © Oxford University Press 1998.ÂI do not have a URL on this product purchase. I did purchase this at a Barnes & Nobles Bookstore in New York City.ÂJane when you research this second issue, namely the idea of a "Serbo-Croatian" culture in Dubrovnik, you might want to speak to your policy person who overlooks content matters especially when it concerns Southeastern Europe and especially the former Yugoslavia. You should ask the following question: why it is that Dubrovnik, an important Croatian port city on the Adriatic, is erroneously contextualized as "Serbo-Croatian"? It isa historic and inappropriate to hyphenate national languages and nationalities this way when describing the historical Dubrovnik. And what's more, especially in light of the most recent past, this is a downright painful issue for many people from that region. But be that as it may, aside from the emotional issues conjured up by this subject, Oxford must have some sort of sophisticated think-tank on hand to handle all these gradations with respect to proper nomenclature for this complex part of the world. I'm truly astounded that your content person would allow an assertion to a "Serbo-Croatian culture" to casually slip right by. Believe me, the premise of my gripe is not rooted in any nationalistic impulse, rather in setting the record straight and shedding more truth on the matter here. Simply put, Dubrovnik is and was a Croatian city and it serves no purpose to allude to a "Serbo-Croatian" connection.ÂThank you for your further follow-up with respect to the above two matters, and I do look forward to hearing from you as soon as this topic is carried further. On the whole, I do enjoy your electronic dictionary and reference products and a number of colleagues and friends here in New York are aware of your products; aside from the aforementioned oversights, there is of course much valuable content to be gleaned from these resource tools. This is why I am so concerned that the quality of information is fine-tuned to a level befitting a dictionary or encyclopedia that carries the Oxford imprimatur.ÂJane, once again, thanks for your further indulgence in this matter.ÂBest regards,Michael SpudicForest Hills, New York, USA letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 11 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6661/1/E-Policy-Question-on-Oxford-Electronic-Encyclopedia.html ÂPolicy Question: Oxford Electronic Encyclopedia and German/English DictionaryTo: enquiry@oup.co.ukÂDear Madame/Sir,I am in the process of using your Oxford German/English Electronic Dictionary for a 10 day trial period and I have a question regarding the lack of definitions for the following words:Croatia/KroatienIndeed, Slovenia/Slowenien and Serbia/Serbien, not to mention Yugoslavia/Jugoslawien are to be found in this same dictionary. Being that Croatia is a larger republic than Slovenia, not to mention an important former constituent of the Yugoslav Republic, I am curious to know what procedures are in place to deny the inclusion of "Croatia/Kroatien" as an entry in your dictionary, while Slovenia/Slovenien is deemed acceptable. Strangely enough Dalmatia/Dalmatien are also included in this dictionary. This is an even smaller entity of Croatia/Kroatien. Something is terribly wrong with the logic here.ÂSecondly, I have a question regarding your on-line Encyclopedia. I entered the term "Dubrovnik" and quote the following excerpt:"Founded in the 7th century, Dubrovnik became an important trading republic in the Middle Ages, linking the Latin and Slavic worlds. As such, it was a major centre of Serbo-Croatian culture."A major major centre of Serbo-Croatian culture? This is very misleading as Dubrovnik has always been a Croatian city. And in a much larger sense, I am curious how your historical process allows for a designation of "Serbo-Croatian" culture for Dubrovnik, let alone any city in the former Yugoslavia. I have never heard this composite expression used in terms of the culture of a geographicalentity, either in Serbia or in Croatia. "Serbo-Croatian" was used for many years as a designation for the language spoken in the former Yugoslavia, but since Croatia gained its independence, it has been finally accorded the right to it's own language designation rather than a hyphenated backseat.ÂIn short, you really should have a more-inclusive i.e. less biased approach to terminology that relates to the former Yugoslavia, more specifically Croatia. This would only enhance the universality of your encyclopedia; and accordingly it would enrich your dictionary with a few new words. After all Croatia/Kroatien existed in the historical realms of the German-language dominated Habsburg Empire just as much as Slovenia, so why not acknowledge the geographical existence of an entity with millions of people and a history that for good or for worse interacted within that German-speaking realm for the last several hundred years?ÂI would certainly enjoy a response from someone on your staff that has influence over content questions with particular concern to your electronic reference materials.Thank you very much for your consideration in this matter.Michael SpudicForest Hills, New YorkOp-edPlease respond to the above (at the top) address. More responses especiallyliterate like this one (Bravo Michael, cestitam) can and will help bring thetruth to the surface.best,Nenadhttp://www.ifinger.com/shop/default.asp?productsok=&pubid=&catid=&slanguage=2057&searchmodus=true letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 08 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6663/1/E-Chief-Tomich--The-Naval-War-College-in-Newport-RI.html  MB Licensee in CroatiaÂTo All,My letter to the New York Times regarding Chief Tomich was not published- (no surprise there, only one out of dozens I sent was ever published)but thanks to Tony Margan it connected to a important place: The NavalWar College in Newport, Rhode Island. There, the Senior Enlisted Academyis located in the Petar Tomich Hall, dedicated to Chief Tomich. Eachenlisted man receives a flyer explaining who Petar Tomich was and why hewon the Medal of Honor. Unfortunately, it also states that he wasAustrian.You can read below the following letter exchange between Tony and theAcademy. Very encouraging - nothing is always in vain! Hildafyi: a response from Chief Rao: -----Original Message----- From: RAO, CMDCM(SW) RALPH [mailto:RALPH.RAO@cnet.navy.mil] Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2003 2:08 PM To: 'Margan, Anthony' Subject: RE: one last item on Chief Tomich Anthony, Great information. We will update our records to reflect the change. R/ Ralph -----Original Message----- From: Margan, Anthony [mailto:Anthony.Margan@marad.dot.gov] Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2003 1:38 PM To: 'RAO, CMDCM(SW) RALPH' Subject: one last item on Chief Tomich Chief Rao, One last item on Chief Tomich: fyi: a letter to the Editor of the NY Times - from Mrs. Hilda Foley, clarifying Chief Tomich's origins: Thanks again. Anthony. To: letters@nytimes.com Date: Sun, 6 Apr 2003 Subject: Medal of Honor Dear Editor, Thank you for the interesting article about Chief Watertender Peter Tomich of the battleship Utah ("A Medal Both Coveted and Orphaned", April 1) and his unclaimed Medal of Honor. The article states that he came from a village that is in today's Bosnia. He was a Croatian, and it would be nice to have that acknowledged, as Croatians are quite proud of him. Too many Croatians who have achieved renown as heroes, doctors, scientists, etc. have been presented as "Austrians, Hungarians, Italians and Yugoslavs, depending under whose rule they happened to live. Chief Tomich was a Croat from Bosnia, then under Austria-Hungary. He was listed as Austrian and that made the research for his kin so difficult. His family, a nephew and great-nephew were found in Bosnia-Herzegovina a few years ago by rear admiral Robert Lunney. Sincerely, Hilda M. Foley National Federation of Croatian Americans 13272 Orange Knoll Santa Ana, Ca 92705 714 832-0289 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 24 Apr 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6662/1/E-Croatian-Language.html ÂCroatian LanguageSeptember 21, 2001Johanne Stewart, Director of EducationMichael Del Grande, Chairperson of the BoardSandra Montgomery, Superintendent of EducationToronto Catholic District School Board80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto ON M2N 6E8ÂRE: flyer and advertising process for LINC/ESL/ECE classes through the TCDSB and Croatian Community ServicesDear Sir/Madam:This is a letter to inform you that I noticed some irregularities and problems in the connection with the Toronto Catholic District School Board and will concentrate on one of them now. It is about the disappointment among the Croats in Toronto and the surrounding area caused by the above mentioned flyer from the Toronto Catholic District School Board and to ask you for the explanation - how it is possible to have such a disgrace.Last year I visited the Croatian Community Services in Mississauga and got a flyer advertising classes through the Toronto Catholic District School Board and Croatian Community Services. As Ms. Millie Skrtich, secretary/coordinator of the Croatian Community Services, said Ms. Vesna Nikolic from the Toronto Catholic District School Board was the most responsible for the project. I was shocked when I recognized Serbian words/expressions on the flyer created in order to inform Croats about the classes. It is well-known that many Croats died in fighting with Serbs in order to protect their homeland, freedom, tradition, culture, and LANGUAGE. Offering something official like this with Serbian words/expressions to Croats (most of them came to live in Canada because their homes were destroyed by the Serbian Army) is the worst slander.ÂThe purpose of any flyer and advertising is to offer correct and good information and attract people to come, to use the service. The purpose of this flyer is to hurt Croats and to prevent them from coming. I have been living in Toronto and contributing to Croatian Community as well as Canadian multicultural society for forty-three years. I have never experienced something like this. It is both ridiculous and ironical that Ms. Nikolic, who took a great part in the process of preparation and distribution of this flyer, allowed something like this for she has been teaching Croatian language (!?) in Mississauga and has been involved in the ESL/LINC field at the Toronto Catholic District School Board as a Program Consultant for a long time.ÂHow is it possible to have something like this happening at the Catholic School Board?ÂWhat is the result of Ms. Nikolic s action? How many classes have been opened, how many people (Croats!) have been attending the program& ? Statements such as  Croats do not like going to school ,  Our community is not as big as Chinese one etc. are both false facts and good excuses.Looking forward to hearing from youYours truly,Mr. Rudi Tomic,Âjournalist, author, publisher,Âdirector of the Toronto Press Clube-mail: ruditomic@hotmail.comÂP. S.Ms. Ljerka Lukic, who is one of the leading experts on Croatian Philology, has been volunteering, supplying, and working part-time as an ESL/LINC instructor at the Continuing Education of the Toronto Catholic School Board for four years. This is the first time for Ms. Lukic to comment on Ms. Nikolic s  expertise .ÂCopy to:Ms. Vesna Nikolic, TCDSBMs. Millie Skrtich, Croatian CommunityMinistry of EducationTESL Toronto, TESL Ontario, TESL CanadaCanadian-Croatian CongressMs. Hanna Cabaj, Coordinator of the Adult Education, TCDSBMs. Ljerka Lukic, TCDSB letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 24 Apr 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6664/1/E-Letter-from-The-National-Library-of-Medicine.html ÂThe National Library of Medicine (NLM) has received your messageDragi Nenade,U privitku Vam dostavljam odgovor koji sam primio od National Library ofMedicine (NLM). Ako prime dovoljno zahtjeva s nase strane mozda uspijemo nesto ipromijeniti. U svakom slucaju, hvala na podrsci.Hvala puno. Lijepi pozdrav,Stanislav-----Original Message-----From: custhelp@mail.nlm.nih.govÂ[mailto:custhelp@mail.nlm.nih.gov]Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2003 4:44 PMTo: Lechpammer, StanislavSubject: RE: Erroneous information on the Croatian languageDear Dr. Lechpammer:The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has received your message regardingdesignation of Croation journals in PubMED Central.Your message has been forwarded to PMC for their review.J. EricksonNational Library of Medicine-----Original Message-----From: Stanislav_Lechpammer@dfci.harvard.eduÂSent: 3/26/2003 10:47:09 AMTo: custserv@nlm.nih.govÂSubject: Erroneous information on the Croatian languageTO WHOM IT MAY CONCERNI would like to bring to your attention that PubMed Central (PMC) persistentlyuses mark "Serbo-Croatian (Roman)" with the titles that appear in Croatianbio-medical journals published in the Croatian language (i.e. "LijecnickiVjesnik", "Acta Medica Croatica" etc.).Besides the fact that such mark is simply linguistically erroneous, please alsonote that Croatian speaking users may find it discriminatory and offensive.Therefore, I urge the U.S. National Library of Medicine to properly associatethe name "Croatian" with the medical articles published in the Croatian journalsin Croatian language.After all, by doing that PMC would not only correct the erroneous information,but would also recognize the fact that is already accepted by some of the USgovernment agencies (please, check athttp://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2098.html).Thank you very much for your kind attention and anticipated cooperation.Sincerely,Stanislav Lechpammer, M.D., Ph.D.Harvard Medical SchoolDana-Farber Cancer InstituteDivision of Nuclear Medicine44 Binney Street, DL207Boston, MA 02115op-edIf they receive enough letter we can change things as we did successfully before. It is important to create a contact like this and in a civilized way explain the difference anda political implication of the difference. If we all do a little bit but consistentlyresults will be evident.Nenad Bach letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 10 Apr 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6666/1/E-Letter-to-the-Editor-on-S-propaganda.html ÂInternational Crisis GroupÂDear Ms Feldworth,ÂThanks for your comments! Though it is far from the first time we have said this.ÂBest regards,ÂNicholas WhyteÂEurope Program DirectorÂInternational Crisis Group media@crisisweb.orgÂDear Ms. Cronin:ÂIt is extraordinary to me that, for the first time, an entity actuallyÂdoes NOT want to reward Serbia! For the last 12 years I have wonderedÂif both the media and western governments have turned into virtualÂmorons. The plethora of pro-Serbian propaganda coming from renownedÂjournalists, tv media and governments has astounded me. Additionally,Âthe willingness of governments to forgive hundreds of millions ofÂdollars in debt, provide billions in aid, and continually sympathizeÂwith Serbia as "poor victims" due to the "suffering" Serbia incurredÂwhile its people laid waste to towns in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo andÂwhile they practiced the most vicious forms of ethnic cleansing,Âgenocide and mass rape should insult one's intelligence and moralÂintegrity. This incredible political deference shown to Serbia continuesÂwhile Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo will be repairing the torn pieces ofÂtheir infrastructures for a very long time.ÂI congratulate your website on an enlightening report.ÂJudy FeldworthÂSt. Louis, MO, USA letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 19 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6665/1/E-PubMed-says-we-speak-Correction-needed.html ÂWe Speak and Write CroatianIn a relation to the article on the use of the term "Serbo-Croatian" as the nameof our language at several web sites, I would like to bring to your attentionanother such example. Unfortunately (and annoyingly), PubMed Central (PMC),which is the U.S. National Library of Medicine's digital archive of lifesciences journal literature, persistently uses mark "Serbo-Croatian (Roman)"with the titles that appear in Croatian bio-medical journals published in theCroatian language (i.e. "Lijecnicki Vjesnik", "Acta Medica Croatica" etc.).ÂAccess to the abstracts of articles in PMC is free, so this site is probably themost used one world-wide among the medical professionals (please, check athttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi).ÂMaybe some public pressure would convince U.S. National Library of Medicine toproperly associate the name "Croatian" with the medical articles published inthe Croatian journals in Croatian language. After all, by doing that they wouldnot only correct the erroneous information but would also recognize the factthat is already accepted by some of the US government agencies (please, check athttp://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2098.html).ÂPlease send your e-mails to: custserv@nlm.nih.govÂor write to:U.S. National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894Thank you. Sincerely,Stanislav Lechpammer, MD, Ph.D.Assistant Editor, "Acta Clinica Croatica" letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 18 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6667/1/E-They-think-we-speak-Serbo-Croatian---Correction-needed.html ÂSomething to correctDear Fellow Croatians:I work in the film business and recently was doing research on a verypopular internet website IMDb, Internet Movie Database. To my horror, allCroatian language films were listed as Serbo-Croatian. IMDb is a verywidely used research tool for professionals and film buffs alike, the worldover. Everyone uses it.Check it out:http://us.imdb.com/List?language=Serbo-Croatian&&tv=on&&heading=10;Serbo-Croatian&&nav=/Sections/Languages/Serbo-Croatian/include-titlesÂÂwrite to:simeon@imdb.comÂObviously, they're not so much at fault as the website they use thatdisseminates the erroneous information, Rosetta Project. Please help me in convincing bothwebsites that they need to make corrections.www.Rosettaproject.orgÂÂÂÂÂdo a search for Croatian and it brings you to the serbo-croatian pagehttp://www.rosettaproject.org/live/search/showcomplexsearchresult?do2stagesearch=yes&searchkey=croatian&searchtype=langname&maincountry=&familylist=&searchset=1000&searchsizelimit=50Contact info for Rosetta Project:jimmason@longnow.orgÂor(415) 561-6582The Rosetta ProjectLong Now FoundationPO Box 29462ÂSan Francisco, CA 94129-0462For other questions, comments, concerns or input, we encourage you tocontact Jim Mason, the Director of the Rosetta Project.Please help me in convincing both websites that they need tomake corrections. IMDb have not responded to my emails since I sent themthe CIA website information. This was almost a month ago. Please bepolite when responding, as I know you will be. We need to show we arecivilized people and would just prefer that they correct their mistake.ÂUnless we tell them, no one else will stand up and tell them for us.Best,Ziggy MrkichOp-edWe need 20-50 letters. Each time we've done that, it was success.NB letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 16 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6668/1/E-Unjust-war-on-Serbia.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂUnjust war on Serbia?Mr. Steven GreenhutSenior EditorOrange County RegisterSanta Ana, Ca. 92701To: sgreenhut@ocregister.comÂcc: abock@ocregister.comÂDear Mr. Greenhut,While I am against the war on Iraq and agree with much of yourcommentary: "Honk if you think it is a conservative war", Icannot agree with your statement that "Clinton waged an unjust war onSerbia". Unjust?? Where have you been since 1991 when Serbs attackedfirst Slovenia, then with great brutality Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo? It was Bush Senior's wrong policy that gave Milosevic the green lightto keep Yugoslavia together - a country arbitrarily cobbled togetherafter WWI by the Western Powers - and which was nothing else but communistGreater Serbia after WWII. People all around Eastern Europe werethrowing off the communist yoke, only Yugoslavia was championed by the UnitedStates to remain in communist hands! Weird, isn't it?Perhaps you are not aware that all the former Yugoslav Republicshad the constitutional right of 1974 to secede and declare theirindependence if they so desired. This important fact has been largely ignored bymost of the world media, commentators etc. Well, the Republics secededbut Serbiawould have none of it.Not even when these Republics were recognized in 1992 asseparate, independent states. Serbia's malicious propaganda incited ethnicSerbs to bloody rebellion against the new states and the brutaloccupation of one third of Croatia and the war in Bosnia continued in spite of the international recognition.President Clinton, while initially reluctant - as the rest ofEurope - finally recognized that the carnage of Serb aggression had to bestopped. Perhaps I have to remind you of the Vukovar and Srebrenicamassacres among many others? These kind of atrocities and aggression inthis day and age in the middle of Europe simply could not be allowed togo on and the last straw was the expelling of nearly one million Kosovarsfrom their homes. Serbia had to be stopped. No, Mr. Greenhut, it was not unjust to stop Serbia. Just readthe ICTY indictment against Milosevic to clearly see what kind of menacethe former Yugoslav Republics had to deal with - and please readalso the latest statements of the horrific butcher, Serbianultra-nationalist Seselj, as he just arrived in The Hague: "Serbian Dubrovnik", "Serbian Slavonia" etc.! To draw acomparison, even Mexico would have more rights (not that any American would everagree to it) to take back California - because Spaniards were herefirst, - then the Serbs would have in "taking back" what never in historybelonged to them! Just settling in Croatia and Bosnia over the centuries, and more soon purpose since WWI and WWII, does not make it theirs. Don'tyou agree?Sincerely,Hilda Maria Foley13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Ca 92705 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 25 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6669/1/E-Geneva-Convention--Croatia.html Distributed by CroatianWorld Geneva Convention And Bleiburg I have browsed through this section of CROWN, and decided to post a letter of my own along with few thoughts on the subject. It would be perhaps wrong to say that I find some solace in the factthat there are more people who are engaged in as futile and frustrating activities as myself; but it is, to a certain extend, indeed so.Here's the link to the article in question, and my letter to the editor:http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?intarticleid=12202&intcategoryid=2ÂIf you wish to respond to this article this is the email: feedback@jta.orgÂDear Sirs,I would like to express my opinion, that your article lists mainly complaints about captions of images. Such things, albeit not un-important, are not comparable to the actual text of textbook (to which I haven't seen many complaints in your article), yet the conclusion is reached that'textbooks are teaching violence and intolerance'.Remark about Churchill illustration borders on ridiculous, seeing the bulldog is traditional 'trademark' of British and can hardly be considered insulting. The other issue is, even if such allegation was right, one must bear in mind that Churchill (and British troops) were involved in one of the biggest massacres of Croatian people (according to some historians ~250,000 mostlycivilian victims, directly resulting from British breach of their agreement with USA, and Geneva Convention, not to return Croatian POWs and refugees to Communist Partisans because of likelihood of massacre), bombing of military insignificant targets (e.g city of Zadar was carpet- bombed more than 70 times within three months afterItalian capitulation).Third point I would like to raise is how are Croatian textbooks supposed to preserve memory of Holocaust, when even Israel established diplomatic relations with Yugoslavia in 1993; when the world was being horrified by images from Yugoslav 'sponsored'concentration camps in Bosnia, when their army was openly participating in genocide, ethnic cleansing and culturocide? Was this'honoring the memory of Holocaust'? Or the fact that Yugoslav army is reported to have used Israeli weapons obtained under embargo and sanctions? Or the fact that Bl. Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, who is proven to have saved more than 60 Croatian Jews (and even openly kept them on Church property, making sure they would come to no harm in exile), reprints of whose sermons, because of open condemnation of Nazi racial theories, were banned, is still denied the recognition (even as Righteous Gentile) for his deeds?Sincerely yours,Tomislav Petricevicwolf@email.atlasf1.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 15 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6670/1/E-More-journalists-will-come-to-understand-the-causes-for-the-war.html ÂLittle by little, let's hope more journalists will come to understand the underlying causes for the warThanks for this very good article. I am pleased to see several articles lately which mention that "the state was founded in 1918 as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes". It gives people a little more food for thought, some who probably never heard of Croatia before the war, to realize that it was a separate nation and did not come out of the blue in 1990. When writing to the press, I always mentioned that original name for Yugoslavia. Glad to see it finally "sunk in"! Little by little, let's hope more journalists will come to understand the underlying causes for the war.ÂHildaFrom today's London Financial Times: www.ft.comÂFarewell YugoslaviaPublished: January 31 2003 4:00 | Last Updated: January 31 2003 4:00Unmourned and unloved, Yugoslavia is passing into history. The state founded in 1918 as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes on the ruins of the Habsburg empire is this week finally being abolished. The parliamentary deputies of Serbia and Montenegro, its last two constituent republics, are establishing a modest new union called Serbia and Montenegro.AdvertisementIn place of Yugoslavia will be five countries - Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, and Macedonia. There could yet be more if divided Bosnia splits or the ethnic Albanians of UN-administered Kosovo win independence from Serbia.As an attempt to impose order on warring nationalities, Yugoslavia has failed. It lasted as long as it did only through the late President Tito's unique combination of manipulation and brute force. It collapsed into war under Slobodan Milosevic, his Serbian nationalist successor. But even Solomon in his wisdom would have struggled to stop the inter-ethnic strife.The post-Yugoslav states face difficult political issues, not least the final status of Kosovo. Even the future of Serbia and Montenegro is unclear, given the strength of pro-independence forces in Montenegro.The best hope is that disputes can be settled without further violence and that, having established their independent identities, the new states learn to co-operate, especially in economic affairs. If they make progress, they have been promised eventual European Union membership. At that point, the borders over which so much blood has been spilt may finally cease to matter so much. Older people might then draw parallels with the peaceful heyday of Yugoslavia. But they would be wrong because the federation was not based on the consent of its people. The great hope of the Balkans is that the new EU-oriented order will be. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6671/1/E-Letter-to-International-Crisis-Group.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂDestruction caused to Croatia and its population by these sameICGBrussels@crisisweb.orgÂSubject ICG Summary on CroatiaGentlemen:Reading your Summary and Recommendations regarding Croatia and the returnof ethnic Serbs, we find the criticism of Croatia totally misplaced. Itis obvious that you are not taking into consideration the enormousdestruction caused to Croatia and its population by these same Serbswhose return you now champion.ÂTake the example of Vukovar, where some 10,000 people have returned,about half Croats and half Serbs.ÂAmong the Serbs are persons well-known to the Croatian population thereas having committed war crimes as they "ethnically cleansed" the 63%non-Serb population, massacring many and looting their homes. Theseethnic Serbs with the help of their paramilitary and the Yugoslav armydestroyed in Vukovar 14,000 dwellings out of 15,000 existing ones ofwhich only 3,500 houses and 1500 apartments have been rebuilt so far.Donations from the West were for 1200 dwellings. While - as you recognizein the Summary, Croatia is economically depressed, it is a fact that itis financially not even in the position to help many of its own Croatianrefugees, who were the first to suffer ethnic cleansing in their owncountry already in 1991. For the ICG to urge Croatia to see to therebuilding of Serb homes or evicting of Croatian refugees from them is atotally unfair requirement at this time. Croatia has received very littlehelp from the West for the rebuilding of destroyed homes, not only inVukovar but in the entire region of Eastern and Western Slavonia and theso-called Krajina which was occupied by the rebel Serbs, who destroyedthere all Croatian homes, churches and cultural sites.ÂRegarding equality, pressured by the West, Croatia is absurdly going sofar as employing some of the former rebels in police departments, whilethe local Croatian population is horrified, knowing that some of theseSerbs committed war crimes against them. At the same time, Croatianpolicemen are losing their jobs to accommodate the Serbs! We are certainthat you realize that the unemployment rate in Croatia hovers at 23%.What country after a very recent violent war would be required to givepreference to its former (?) enemy, over its own unemployed population?Such demands are simply unreasonable.ÂContrary to your Summary on Bosnia-Herzegovina, the return of refugees ispaltry in the so-called Republika Srpska (Bosnian Serb entity, whichshould never have been established, as it rewarded massive ethniccleansing and killing). Very few Bosnian Croats have ben allowed toreturn, and these are constantly harassed. The only larger returns are inareas of the Federation in which the population has remained either aCroatian or Muslim majority. Any other concept is a matter of glossingover the facts by the Office of the High Representative and lookingthrough rosy glasses.ÂThe truth is that Croatia is by far the only state in the region thattries to adhere to the laws regarding the return of refugees butobviously cannot perform wonders. Neither should the internationalcommunity ask for such. Every nation must have the right to first helpits own people, especially since Croats were the first to suffer by thehundreds of thousands during the war, long before Serbs suffered anyhardships.ÂVery truly yours,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705-2258 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 26 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6672/1/E-Bloodstained-Christmas-in-Bosnia-and-Herzegovina.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂBLOODSTAINED CHRISTMAS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINATo the American media and all those concerned with peace and stabilityin Bosnia-Herzegovina and the world.January 1, 2003The slaughter of Andjelko Andjelic (68) and his two daughters, Mara (46)and Zorica (27) took place in the village of Kostajnica, near the townof Konjic, in Bosnia and Herzegovina on December 24, 2002. Andjelko'sson Marinko (30) was seriously injured during the attack. They weregunned down in their home while making Christmas preparations.A couple days later, the killer was caught and he admitted to themassacre without much hesitation. For him this was a heroic spiritualexperience. He was doing the will of Allah. The victims were members ofa Croat Catholic family who returned a few years ago to their home afterliving outside the country as war-refugees. The murderer was MuamerTopalovic (25), a Muslim, from a nearby village. The timing of thekillings was very symbolic.To the time of peace, joy, and love for all Christians, this youngMuslim responded with hate, fear, and death. The primary message of hisevil act was that Bosnia and Herzegovina, more specifically theBosniak-Croat Federation entity, is a land of Islam and not a place forthe Croat Catholics. Stay away from the homes of your ancestors wasthe murderer's blood-written statement to the Croat refugees.Topalovic, according to his confession, belongs to two Islamicorganizations, Jemiet el Furkan and the Active Islamic Youth. The firstis directly and the other indirectly sponsored by Islamic fundamentalistforces from Saudi Arabia.The massacre in Kostajnica is just a culmination of anti-Croatactivities since the Dayton peace treaty was signed at the end of 1995.Shortly before this last Christmas, a Catholic church in Alipasino Poljenear Sarajevo was vandalized. Among other "symbols" of hate, theintruders left fecal matters on the altar. A gang of Muslims marchedinto a Catholic Church in Novo (New) Sarajevo during the services andverbally harassed the pastor and the faithful. A young man was beatenso hard that he ended in a hospital for posting flyers announcing atraditional Christmas concert at the Catholic Cathedral in Sarajevo. ANativity display in Mostar was set ablaze and in the same cityanti-Christian leaflets were distributed calling Muslims, among otherthings, not to celebrate the "Christian New Year."The latest massacre and other harassments indicate a clear pattern ofviolent activities on the part of Muslim fanatics in order to scareaway the Croat war-refugees returning to their homes. A series ofviolent attacks in 1997 and 1998 in central Bosnia resulted in thedeaths of seven Croats. Several attacks were made on buildingsbelonging to Catholics or Catholic organizations, including a Catholicschool. A car bomb exploded in Mostar. And even the Deputy Minister ofInterior, a Croat, was assassinated on the streets of Sarajevo in 1999.Quite often these and similar occurrences are dismissed as "incidents"caused by some mentally deranged individuals and/or fanatics. But thereare certain patterns that point out that the Kostajnica massacre andother acts of violence against the Croats in the Bosniak-CroatFederation are only symptoms of much deeper processes that are takingplace in the country.First, all of such incidents are done in the name of religion and notnationalism which implies that Bosnia is moving in the direction whereevery government and every legal system will be seen as illegitimate ifit is not Islamic in nature.Second, in every case there is a Middle Eastern, mainly Saudi Arabian,connection. Under the cover of "humanitarianism" the local Muslims arebeing "converted" to the Saudi version of Islam that teaches them thatBosnia is the land of Islam and for the Muslims only. Obviously, to useviolent means against the "infidels" in order to achieve that goal isencouraged or at least permitted.Third, the country's judicial-cum-political authorities are constantly"unable" to catch the culprits. Topalovic is the first such offender tobe caught. In the case of the murder of Jozo Leutar, the abovementioned Deputy Minister, the Sarajevo authorities with the help of theinternational representatives jailed and tried six Croats for thecrime. But thanks to the perseverance of a couple of local newspapersit was recently uncovered that the persecution's case was knowingly basedon the account of a witness who was well-paid by some high governmentofficials in Sarajevo.Fourth, the representatives of the international community, who are thetrue rulers in the country, are not undertaking the necessary steps toprotect those who are returning to their homes. On the contrary, theyare tolerating Islamic extremism in Bosnia because the West, morespecifically the United States, is not eager to offend the Saudi rulersby pushing their "humanitarian" cronies from Bosnia and Herzegovina.Fifth, the Islamic religious leadership in Bosnia and Herzegovina,although expressing its dissatisfaction with the intrusion of the Saudipuritanical Wahhabi doctrine and repetitiously proclaiming its adherenceto religious toleration, is not doing enough to promote such tolerationamong its faithful. Fanatics such as the Kostajnica murderer or thosedesecrating Catholic churches and attacking nuns and people who wearChristian symbols on the Streets of Sarajevo, did not come from themoon. Someone made them religious fanatics. Someone has taught themthat Islam permits them to kill innocent Catholic neighbors for agreater religious cause. Those who teach and/or tolerate such teachingare the true murderers. The fact is that such indoctrination is takingplace in Bosnia and Herzegovina; otherwise, there would not be killingsand acts of violence against Christians done in the name of Islam.Thus, the Islamic leadership in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosniakcommunity as a whole have a grave responsibility in their hands if theywant to be taken seriously as peace partners in making Bosnia andHerzegovina a multi-religious and multi-ethnic country.We hope that the so-called fanatics are not simply a visible expressionof a subtle desire and effort of the Bosniaks to squeeze the Croats outof the country, specifically from the Federation, and claim the land astheir Ottoman inheritance. If the above mentioned and similar eventsare a continuation of the struggle for ethnically cleansed territoriesthen there is no hope for Bosnia and Herzegovina, its inhabitants, orpeace in that land.Hopefully the Bloody Christmas in Kostajnica will be a wake up call forall those who hold that every human life is holy and that peopleregardless of their faith and ethnicity can live in peace.Ante Cuvalo, Ph. D. - President Petar Radielovic - SecretaryAlliance of Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina 3734 E. Locksley Dr.19121 Wildwood Avenue Pasadena, CA 91107Lansing, IL 60438 Tel. 626-795-3495Tel/Fax (708) 895-5531 E-Mail: petarr@earthlink.netÂE-Mail: cuv@netzero.comÂ***The Alliance of Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina was founded in 1994 byAmericans Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Alliance was anactive promoter of the preservation of a Bosnia and Herzegovina inwhich the Bosniaks (Muslims), Croats and Serbs would enjoy equalnational rights as the three constituent peoples in an undivided countryin which the equal rights and freedoms of all its citizens, regardlessof race, ethnicity or creed, would be guaranteed. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 01 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6673/1/E-Reply-from-Lord-Robertsons-NATO-office.html ÂLetter to and from Lord RobertsonDear All,ÂI don't know if I should laugh or cry - this is the ridiculously briefreply I received form NATO. It certainly does not address any of theissues I raised.HildaOp-edAll these contacts are valuable. Thank you Hilda.NBDear Ms. Foley,Thank you for your letter to Lord Robertson with regard to the currentstrategic situation. Lord Robertson has asked me to write to you andÂthank you for taking the time to write to him. He wishes to assure youÂthat he takes all correspondence most seriously.Yours sincerely,Annette WillacyPersonal AssistantÂMy letter:ÂLord RobertsonNATO Secretary GeneralNATO HeadquartersBlvd. Leopold III1110 Brussels, BelgiumNov. 10, 2002Dear Lord Robertson,It is rather perplexing that NATO wishes Croatia to accept total regionalcooperation with the very nation that has subjugated it and led a brutalwar against it in the past century - Serbia. Why should Croatia beclosely associated with nations with which it shares no common culturalor historical ties except ones by force and decisions in the last century- again by the Western Powers? Croatia is a western-oriented,Âcentral European nation, not Eastern European or Balkan. Certainly NATOÂmembers Greece and Turkey are in the Balkans and cannot be consideredWestern European, yet Croatia, right across from Italy is beingdesignated as an East European, Balkan country. Why this difference?Croatia's army is far more experienced and ready for NATO membership thanany of the others lately considered for acceptance. It is simply a lameexcuse to say that Croatia is not ready for NATO because its armyis"politicized". Croatia's army never influenced elections, yet Turkeyhas been in NATO in spite of a strong military influence in its nation.ÂIn turn, NATO is already accepting Yugoslavia/Serbia into some of itspolicy groups, SEEGROUP and SEECAP, a country which has far more indictedwar criminals than any other of the recent wars in formerÂYugoslavia and which it still refuses to extradite. One of them, Seselj,Âis still a member of Parliament! In addition its army is still communistand not under the government's control. That fact was clearly illustratedrecently as repeatedly military equipment and intelligence wastransferred to Iraq.ÂCroatian authorities caught the latest shipment in full cooperation withNATO and other Western intelligence. What has Croatia earned for suchfull cooperation? - A push into Serbia's arms with the SAA nonsense andno foreseeable date of admittance into NATO. In view of the Iraqscandal, Serbia should be removed from SEEGROUP and SEECAP as it has noplace in determining any NATO policies.ÂFurthermore, are you aware that Yugoslavia's president Kostunica hasÂmade public statements during the recent election campaign that"Republika Srpska" in Bosnia is only temporarily separated from Serbiaand will eventually be part of Serbia? In that case it would borderCroatia's "Krajina" region that Serb rebels and Yugoslav army occupiedduring the war. How long before Serbia tries to take also that region?ÂIt is obvious that Serbia is not a peace-loving nation but one alwayslooking for expansion into others' lands by any means.ÂIt is wrong to plan any "mini-NATO" in Eastern Europe that only dividesnations into East and West again. Croatia should have the right to joinNATO on its own merits, not in some "group setting" that does notnaturally exist. Croatia does not want to be pushed into associationswith countries like Albania and former Yugoslav republics Serbia ,Montenegro, Bosnia and Macedonia, which have been repeatedly cited as theworst countries of Eastern Europe in regard to smuggling, especially inhuman beings and drugs, lawlessness and other criminality. ( See Jane'sIntelligence Review, Nov. 04 2002). Note that Croatia is not cited inany such reports. It simply does not belong in such company. There hasbeen too much injustice and unfairness toward Croatia and hopefully NATOwill recognize this and correct it.ÂVery truly yours,Hilda M. FoleyPublic RelationsNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Va. 92705 USA letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 15 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6675/1/E-Letter-to-Mr-Zuroff.html   Letters To The Editors Mr. Ephraim Zuroff1 Mendele St.Jerusalem 92147Israel via fax 011-972-2-5631-276Dec. 12, 2002Dear Mr. Zuroff:In your recent interview in the Croatian newspaper Slobodna Dalmacijaseveral questions were asked to which you replied with statements thatare not accurate. We are certain that you would understand our concern,as no nation wants to see any misrepresentations carried forth inpeople's minds. For instance, you claimed that of the 40,000 people attending theThompson concert in Split, 1000 were wearing Ustasha hats! That would indeed have been tragic, but fortunately it was totally untrue. Upon our inquiring, the information we received from the people who were present at the concert, there were some ten people wearing such hats. These people should be ashamed, as they only harm Croatia's image and give support to those still influenced by Serb propaganda lies, believing thatCroatia is a fascist state. We cannot allow the whole Croatian nation to be accused. It would be as incorrect as identifying all the Jewish people with the extreme Right in Israel. Actually, one can find more skinheads-neonazis in the Western world that one would find in Croatia.Please realize, Mr. Zuroff, that the Croatian Tricolor and thecheckerboard coat of arms have been Croatia's symbols for over one thousand years and consequently must be differentiated from the Ustasha symbols. To give you an example, the checkerboard was used as part of the coat of arms of the first Yugoslavia under the Serb king Alexander and was also as part of the second Yugoslavia under Tito. Each government added a different symbol over the checkerboard, a royal crown, a communist red star or a "U" for Ustasha. Governments came and went, butthe checkerboard remained. The Croatian national symbol can be compared to the national symbols of the Jewish people, as for instance the Star of David. Your statement that practically half of Croatia's population supported the Ustashas totally belies the facts. In truth, before WWII by far the strongest political party in Croatia was the Peasant Party led by Stjepan Radic who was assassinated by a Serb in the Parliament in Belgrade in 1928 and was then led by Vladko Macek. Even during WWII only 2% of thetotal population supported the Ustashas. Furthermore, Croatians were the first to organize the antifascist partisan forces in June 1941, establishing eleven divisions, barely two months after the Ustashe took power. (The Serbs in Serbia, while at least double the population, had only two.) Why do you have the impression that Croatians do not know anything about the Holocaust? We know about it very well indeed, because it is constantly thrown into our faces - and only ours, for over fifty years. Croatia never denied what happened in Jasenovac when it came to light after the war, in contrast to the Serbs who do not want to admit the truth about their concentration camps of Sajmiste, Banjica and others, where they killed thousands of Jews during their own Nazi regime undergeneral Nedic. Serbs have been convincing the world that it was not the Serbs but only the Germans doing the killing. In fact no Church in recent history has been more antisemitic then the Serb Orthodox church. While Croatia erected a memorial in Jasenovac, the Serbs paved over their camps so no one would remember. Croatia's President has publicly apologized to the Jewish people and there is an impressive list of Croatians who received the "Righteous Among Nations" recognition, among them also the father of the signer of this letter. This is our contribution about which we never hear anything and the young generations know very little of. Even Croatia's late Cardinal Stepinac, who has openly criticized the Ustashes' concentrationcamps and killings and has personally saved hundreds of Jews, is being vilified. Keep in mind that Croatia, in all its thousand-year history, except for the four years as a Nazi puppet regime under Pavelic, has never been known as antisemitic. Finally, regarding your commentary about the Sakic trial: Croatia as a newly independent state since 1991 has confronted its past and convicted Sakic within eight years of its existence, most of it war-time, while this did not take place during the 42 years of existence of communist Yugoslavia. We hope you will receive this letter as it is intended - a well-meaning critique directed toward some of your false perceptions regarding the complex nature of Croatian-Jewish relations.Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705 USAVedran Deletis MD, PhD, New York, N.Y.PS. We have taken the liberty to send you a few articles that might give you some additional insight. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 12 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6674/1/E-Nothing-much-has-changed---Letter-to-the-Orange-County-Register.html  Nothing much has changedTo: letters@ocregister.comÂDate: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 19:05:29 -0800Subject: Letters to the EditorDear Editor:Re: "Low Turnout Again Foils Serbia Election" (Dec 9)ÂThe media keeps referring to Yugoslavia's president Kostunica as "amoderate nationalist with pro-democratic views". They are ignoring thatduring his campaign speeches he said that the part of Bosnia-Herzegovinagiven by the Dayton Agreement to the Bosnian Serb entity is "only atemporary situation, as it will eventually be part of Serbia" - in otherwords, taken away from the sovereign country of Bosnia Herzegovina. Doesthat sound like a "moderate nationalist"? Does this national leader soundlike a person committed to peace with his neighbors? "Moderate" - I don'tthink so! Nothing much has changed, Serbs will always try to take overother people's lands.Sincerely,Hilda M. Foley13272 Orange Knoll Dr.Santa Ana, Ca 92705 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 12 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6594/1/E-Committing-genocide-against-the-Croatian-history-via-Internet.html   Internet Genocide How the New York Jasenovac Research institute (JRI) disseminates hatred of CroatiansWritten by Josip Kljakovictranslation by Hilda FoleyOn the list of \"Jasenovac victims\" are also names of Ustashas.Accusation against JRI. The most dangerous fact is that the Institute, established in 1998 by the Jewish and Serbian societies in New York is entering into the school systems of the U.S. and Canada with the help of American authorities, thus creating prejudice against Croatians as a genocidal nation. Therefore I am looking for lawyers in order to file a suit.From every monument in Dalmatia the names of the dead are \"transferred\" to Jasenovac.On the Internet pages of the JRI are names of 266 persons who died in refugee camps of El Shatt and in southern Italy, 75 victims of Chetnik crimes in Gata, 63 victims of the German Nazis in the village of Zezevica, 79 victims of Allied bombing of Kastel Sucurac....History is that which is written. \"That which has occurred and is not written is not history\" (Ivo Andric), but history is that which is written by big nations and powers, which is written in encyclopedias of Israel, USA, Great Britain, Russia... that which is written in The Hague and not that which is we hear parroted daily by our puppets on the Hague strings.Our Constitution and Mesic declare: Croatia was antifascist in the Second World War and Croatians gave a great contribution to NOR. This is the great truth of a small nation, written in blood, transcribed, carved into monuments, in registry books of the dead, in archives... There, 41.7% of all who perished in Sutjesci in 1943 were Dalmatians. The one who writes, carries the \"U\" or puts Pavelic next to Gotovina is putting a noose around Gotovina and Croatia. Because the \"U\" is equivalent to destroying Croatians and Croatia.Because the \"center of the world\" New York (MMF, WTC World Bank etc.) writes a different history (and Jerusalem,-Yad Vashem, Brussels and The Hague repeat the same story.)On the list are 647,250 namesPrecisely in New York, the Jewish and Serb societies have established in 1998 the Jasenovac Research Institute (JRI, PO Box 10-0674-Brooklyn, N.Y. 11210) which is committing genocide against the Croatian history because of the Croatian \"U\", proving it by the \"list of Jasenovac victims (Victims list on www.jasenovac.org - open and find your \"Jasenovac victims\"). Since the establishment of this Institute, the monstrous falsifications on this list of victims are pointed against Croatia and Croats, circling around the planet, inflaming national, religious and political hatred against Croatians worldwide. The most dangerous fact is that the Institute, with the help of the New York authorities, is entering with its \"truth\" into the school systems of the USA and Canada with unforeseeable consequences in the creating of prejudice against Croatians as a genocidal nation, and Croatians will most likely be also viewed as \"bad guys\" by the armed forces of the USA and Canada.I am convinced that Carla Del Ponte is also obsessed with genocidal Croatians. JRI has also recently erected a monument \"Jasenovac\" in Brooklyn on which it states that \"from 1941 to 1945 hundreds of thousands of Serbs, Jews and Gypsies as well as antifascists of many nationalities were killed in the death camp of Jasenovac which were run by Croatian Ustashas\". The National Federation of Croatian Americans (NFCA) objected and protested to the New York authorities, citing the Holocaust Museum USA in Washington estimates the number of victims being between 56,000 and 97,000. Mr. John Kraljic (NFCA) has correctly stated that the numbers of victims were exaggerated because it is in the interest of Greater Serbia to blacken Croatia\'s name as a genocidal nation by nature, so it would hide the collaboration of the Serb Chetniks in the Second World War, deny the participation of hundreds of thousands of Croatians on the side of the antifascist coalition and deny the right to independence of Croatia\'s state. (As well as its efforts to admission into the EU and NATO. op - JK) Falsification and negation of Croatians\' antifascist battle ( as a forerunner to negation of the homeland defensive war and the sovereign and democratic Republic of Croatia as a whole) I am proving by the investigation of the lists of victims on www.jasenovac.org : the list of victims contains altogether 3248 pages, from A to ý (200 names/pages except the last one:1) A-94; B-282; C-38; -46; -28; D-138; -60; E-20; F-41; G-132; H-63; I-52; J-146; K-295; L-111; M-358; N-83; O-45; P-255; Q-1; R-182; S-254: à-117; T-116; U-19; V-176; W-4; Y-1; Z-56; ý-36; (Look , record, find your dead as - victims of Jasenovac\"!)2) The total number of \"Jasenovac victims\" is around 647,250 (last name, first name, father\'s name, place and year of birth)3) I have discovered among the names the following \"Jasenovac victims\" (which I am ready to disclose in the suit against JRI for their spreading national and religious hatred in the USA and the world): -266 persons who died in the Yugoslav refugee camp in El Shatt and southern Italy from 1944/45 among them four children, born and died in El Shatt (according to documents from state archives). Monstrous.-75 victims of Chetnik crimes in Gata near Omis, occurring on Oct. 1, 1942 with the assistance of Italian fascists. (Here, a monument is erected)-63 victims of German Nazis i the village Zezevica - 1943, (near Split);-29 victims from Zrnovnica by Split. This refers to Croatian Partisans dying in NOVJ in the battles on the Neretva and Sutjeska and wider area. (born and died in Zrnovnica) -57 victims from the memorial monument of fallen partisan fighters -1941-45 i Kastel Sucurac; 79 victims of bombing of church in Kastel Sucurac by the RAF mistake, on 12.05.1943. (Memorial plate)-75 (from 95) killed - victims in NOB from Vinisca-Trogir (monument) and 15 from 18 who perished - from the monument in Tugarami near Split. From every monument in Dalmatia 1941-1945, the dead were \"transferred\" to Jasenovac!Take a look at your monuments!The above mentioned is evidenced by names. Reviewing the List of Victims (it is larger than the number of soldiers of Napoleon\'s army during its campaign in Russia 1812) the impression is that on the List of Victims are around 70 percent of all who perished from 1941 to 1945, Croatians, Serbs, Slovenes, Montenegrins, Muslims, all Jews on the territory of ex-Yugoslavia and even on the territory of that time Italy (Istria, Rijeka, Zadar, the islands).On the list are almost all the victims of the terror of the German/Italian occupation and of the Chetniks as well as killed Chetniks on Yugoslavia\'s territory. - All in Jasenovac! Really monstrous . I even found some Ustashe as Jasenovac \"victims\". That\'s why the warning to all on ex-Yugoslavia\'s territory to take a look at their monuments, names of the dead on graves from 1941-1945. They will find many of them transferred to Jasenovac and \"killed by the genocidal Croats\".Victims\' lists are full of duplicated, invented names, false years and places of birth of the victims. The JRI , on its web site, is demanding restitution for the \"victims\" as the condition for Croatia\'s admittance to the EU.What a satanic chauvinism! The author, Major General JNA oko Ivanovi writes in the Encyclopedia JNA (published 1967,T-4/627):\"On the Yugoslav territory the best known concentration camps were: The Banjica camp, SajmiÃÂte camp, àabac camp, Red Cross near NiÃÂ, Jasenovac, Sremska Mitrovica and Jadovno. The internal administration of the Banjica camp was in the hands of the Germans. In that camp were about 100,000 detainees, of which 80,000 were killed. The camp on Sajmiste under the administration of the Gestapo was at first exclusively for Jews, but was by the middle of 1942 primarily for NOVJ fighters and antifascists. Through the camp passed around 90,000, and 40,000 prisoners were killed...\" (primarily Jews, op. JK) \"All concentration camps on the territory of Yugoslavia in the Second World War were under the supervision of the occupator.\" At the same time Croatia had 76 partisan detachments, BIH 53, Serbia 45...(excerpt from the same Encyclopedia JNA).Masters of chaosA person who lies with evil intentions is the misfortune of his surroundings, an Institution of your rank in New York which lies with evil intentions deliberately provokes or could provoke great calamities in the future, especially in these regions, where the wounds of war have not yet healed. If it is the intention, then this is the preface to the creation of the chaos of hatred in the Balkans and conditions for new conflicts. JRI and its masters of chaos from New York should know that \"We owe the dead only the truth\" (Voltaire) and that \"Our world is already tired of hate\" (Gandhi).If to the Greater Serbs the lie is affirmation \"it is our inborn intelligence, we lie creatively, imaginative, inventive...\" (Dobrica osi in \"Deobama\") I am deeply puzzled and worried by the participation of the New York Jewry in this monstrous anti-Croatian Internet attack regarding the history of the Second World War in the Balkans, in the digging up of our dead antifascists, war victims and especially refugees of the Yugoslav refugee camp in El Shatt and in southern Italy. Can you imagine someone touching Yad Vashem,the Arlington Cemetery...? Quo Vadis America? You, who in Seattle pay $15,000 for emotional pain to the owner of a cat that the neighbor\'s dog killed, must pay at least 15,000 dollars for the emotional pain to everyone whose dead family member, Serb, Jew, Croat and other from the territory of ex-Yugoslavia you deliberately \"killed\" in Jasenovac, proving that our dead are worth at least as much as your dead cat in Seattle. I am looking for lawyers to file a suit because I believe that the United States still has sufficient democracy to punish an Institute that is disseminating hatred in the USA, Canada and worldwide and is in contradiction to the U.N Declaration. The JRI should learn that honoring the dead strengthens the friendship of the living, that exaggerations remove every belief in the truth. To you who have forgotten the Prophet Isaiah: Remove from my eyes the wicked deeds, stop doing evil. Learn from good deeds and yearn for justice - give help to the downtrodden, help the poor to receive justice, take care of the widow...\"A Hiroshima Institute You who excuse the Balkan murderer Milosevic, you who were not in Jasenovac, tens of times I have placed a wreath there in memory of the father and family of my Jewish wife, affected by the proportion of crime and holocaust against Jews as a whole. I still think that Jews are \"our elder brothers\" (Pope John Paul II), but in contrast to the Israeli relations toward Palestinians, I believe that the Muslims are also our brothers. Knowing the history from Cheops to Hiroshima - nothing surprises me. Here is my advice. Organize Hiroshima Research Institute for the fastest (3+3 min.) genocide in human history. Some 300,000 dead in an instant cry for - the truth. The ones who died from radiation afterwards will wait. It is better to be among the persecuted than among the persecutors. (Talmud).Internet: Augustin GattinNet Media d.o.o.all rights reserved SLOBODNA DALMACIJA 1999-2005  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 12 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6676/1/E-Croatian-language-holds-its-own---NEEDS-YOUR-RESPONS.html Dear Fellow Croatian-Americans:I work in the film business and recently was doing research on a verypopular internet website IMDb, Internet Movie Database. To my horror, allCroatian language films were listed as Serbo-Croatian. IMDb is a verywidely used research tool for professionals and film buffs alike, the worldover. Everyone uses it. Naturally, I wrote to the language department tobring their attention to the misconception. I have also written to theEmbassy of Croatia to make them aware of the error and I sent IMDb evidencefrom the CIA website to prove they were incorrect. Obviously, they're notso much at fault as the website they use that disseminates the erroneousinformation. Please help me in convincing both websites that they need tomake corrections. IMDb have not responded to my emails since I sent themthe CIA website information. This was almost a month ago. Please bepolite when responding, as I know you will be. We need to show we arecivilized people and would just prefer that they correct their mistake.ÂUnless we tell them, no one else will stand up and tell them for us.This is a copy of the email in response to the one I sent to IMDb:email #1:HelloÂThank you for your message.ÂI'm sorry, but this is not possible at the moment.ÂThere is no scientific evidence that these are two languages. Web sites such asÂhttp://www.rosettaproject.org:8080/live/search/detailedlanguagerecord?ethnocode=SRCÂclearly list Serbo-Croatian as one language spoken in Croatia, FederalRepublic of Yougoslavia and some other countries.ÂJust because there are now two countries does not change anything regardingthe language. Either it is one language and always was or there are twolanguages, in which case they were two languages even when the country wasYugoslavia. We let the ethnologists and linguists decide here. This is nota political case.ÂUnless there is some widely accepted scientific evidence that these are twolanguages, we will stick to Serbo-Croatian.ÂRegards,ÂPeter W. Simeonsimeon@imdb.comÂemail #2:Thank you for your feedback about the language section of the InternetMovieÂDatabase.ÂLanguage definitions used in the IMDb are based on standard linguisticalÂconventions. According to most reputable sources, Serbian and Croatian areÂnot two different languages. Web sites such asÂhttp://www.rosettaproject.org:8080/live/search/detailedlanguagerecord?ethnocodeªCÂÂclearly list Serbo-Croatian as one language spoken in Croatia, FederalÂRepublic of Yugoslavia and other countries. Serbian and Croatian may beÂsometimes listed as dialects but they're not considered to beÂdistinct/separate languages.ÂOur aim is simply to provide generic information about the language spokenÂin films and our choices are solely based on linguistical, not historical orÂgeographical, data. Based on the current scientific consensus on this topic,Âwe'll stick to listing Serbo-Croatian as a single language.ÂRegards,Âthe IMDb HelpdeskÂHere's is the contact informaiton for rosettastone:telephone number (415) 561-6297 or mail to:ÂThe Rosetta ProjectLong Now FoundationPO Box 29462ÂSan Francisco, CA 94129-0462For other questions, comments, concerns or input, we encourage you tocontact Jim Mason, the Director of the Rosetta Project, atjimmason@longnow.org , at the above address or telephone (415) 561-6582.ÂThank you for helping me in this situation.Best,Ms. Ziggy Mrkich letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6678/1/E-Letter-to-Lord-Robertson-regarding-Croatia.html ÂLetter To Lord RobertsonLord Robertson NATO Secretary General NATO Headquarters Blvd. Leopold III 1110 Brussels, Belgium Nov. 10, 2002Dear Lord Robertson,It is rather perplexing that NATO wishes Croatia to accept total regional cooperation with the very nation that has subjugated it and led a brutal war against it in the past century - Serbia. Why should Croatia be closely associated with nations with which it shares no common cultural or historical ties except ones by force and decisions in the last century - again by the Western Powers? Croatia is a western-oriented,Âcentral European nation, not Eastern European or Balkan. Certainly NATO members Greece and Turkey are in the Balkans and cannot be considered Western European, yet Croatia, right across from Italy is being designated as an East European, Balkan country. Why this difference?Croatia's army is far more experienced and ready for NATO membership than any of the others lately considered for acceptance. It is simply a lame excuse to say that Croatia is not ready for NATO because its army is"politicized". Croatia's army never influenced elections, yet Turkey has been in NATO in spite of a strong military influence in its nation.ÂIn turn, NATO is already accepting Yugoslavia/Serbia into some of its policy groups, SEEGROUP and SEECAP, a country which has far more indicted war criminals than any other of the recent wars in formerÂYugoslavia and which it still refuses to extradite. One of them, Seselj, is still a member of Parliament! In addition its army is still communist and not under the government's control. That fact was clearly illustrated recently as repeatedly military equipment and intelligence was transferred to Iraq. Croatian authorities caught the latest shipment in full cooperation with NATO and other Western intelligence. What has Croatia earned for such full cooperation? - A push into Serbia's arms with the SAA nonsense and no foreseeable date of admittance into NATO. In view of the Iraq scandal, Serbia should be removed from SEEGROUP and SEECAP as it has no place in determining any NATO policies.ÂFurthermore, are you aware that Yugoslavia's president Kostunica has made public statements during the recent election campaign that "Republika Srpska" in Bosnia is only temporarily separated from Serbia and will eventually be Serbia's again? In that case it would border Croatia's "Krajina" region that Serb rebels and Yugoslav army occupied during the war. How long before Serbia tries to take also that region? It is obvious that Serbia is not a peace-loving nation but one always looking for expansion into others' lands by any means.ÂIt is wrong to plan any "mini-NATO" in Eastern Europe that only divides nations into East and West again. Croatia should have the right to join NATO on its own merits, not in some "group setting" that does not naturally exist. Croatia does not want to be pushed into associations with countries like Albania and former Yugoslav republics Serbia , Montenegro, Bosnia and Macedonia, which have been repeatedly cited as the worst countries of Eastern Europe in regard to smuggling, especially in human beings and drugs, lawlessness and other criminality. ( See Jane's Intelligence Review, Nov. 04 2002). Note that Croatia is not cited in any such reports. It simply does not belong in such company. There has been too much injustice and unfairness toward Croatia and hopefully NATO will recognize this and correct it.ÂVery truly yours,Hilda M. Foley Public Relations National Federation of Croatian Americans 13272 Orange Knoll Santa Ana, Va. 92705 USA letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 18 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6677/1/E-Letter-to-the-Editor-of-the-Wash-Post.html ÂCroatians in Bosnia-HerzegovinaÂTo all: today's lead editorial in the Washington Post (below), preceded by my letter to the editor (ps: my letters never get published):Anthony MarganArlington, VAÂDear Sirs,For those decision makers in Washington currently pondering the vexing question of what to do in Iraq, post Saddam, the editorial "After the War" (11/12) does well to offer up Bosnia as a "sobering example", but also misses the mark on one key point.ÂWhile correctly arguing that Bosnia "is now not a failed state", the editorial suggests that as part of the "good news" after years of direct rule from the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in Sarajevo "several hundred thousand refugees and victims of ethnic cleansing have returned to their homes." Not mentioned was that the majority of these refugee returns have been to the Federation part of Bosnia - the 51% jointly shared by the Bosniaks and Croats. Relatively few Bosniaks (or Muslims) have returned to the other 49% half - called the Republika Serpska (RS), while just a few thousand Croats have returned to the RS. These astonishing figures can be confirmed in reports issued by the UNHCR and The Office of Cardinal Puljic in Sarajevo.ÂThe RS today is the most intolerant and ethnically-pure statelet in all of Europe. Since the signing of Dayton seven years ago, the RS appears to have successfully dodged all efforts of the OHR to allow refugee minority returns, and to arrest Serbian war criminals and to adhere to the rule of the law. Is it any surprise to now discover that companies located in the RS (in collusion with companies based in Belgrade) have been providing weapons, military jet parts and other technical assistance to Saddam for the past several years? Or to hear President Kostunica of Yugoslavia making recent public comments about the eventual "union" of Serbia and the RS? A more important question is when will the OHR and the State Dept take stronger action regarding the RS and it's benefactors in Belgrade. Bosnia is indeed a sobering example.Sincerely yours,Anthony MarganÂwashingtonpost.comÂAfter the WarÂTuesday, November 12, 2002; Page A24ÂWHAT DOES it take for outside powers to rebuild a war-ruined and badly divided country? Bosnia offers a state-of-the-art -- and sobering -- example. Seven years after a U.S. intervention helped end its civil war and Western troops poured in to keep the peace, the Balkan nation of 3.5 million remains far from able to live on its own. The good news is that the horrific fighting that killed a quarter of a million people in less than four years has not been renewed, that several hundred thousand refugees and victims of ethnic cleansing have returned to their homes, and that peaceful and free democratic elections were held this month for all levels of government -- the sixth elections to be staged in as many years. But the peace continues to depend on 12,000 foreign troops, including 2,000 Americans; the functioning of government relies in no small part on the interventions of a Western "high representative" with near-dictatorial powers; and, most discouraging of all, the victors in the recent elections were the same nationalist parties that tore the country apart a decade ago. Bosnia is not now a failed state, but it is a center for the trafficking of women and narcotics, a hide-out for war criminals and a steady drain on Western aid and defense budgets. It's not likely to collapse soon, but neither will foreign troops and administrators likely be able to safely pull out for many years to come.The Bush administration has from its onset disparaged the nation-building projects supported by President Clinton in Bosnia and elsewhere in the Balkans, and it has occasionally threatened to withdraw American troops. In Afghanistan the administration has deliberately pursued a different model, eschewing international administration or a large foreign peacekeeping force and trying to invest a skeletal Afghan government with authority. But that strategy has left Afghanistan at the mercy of brutal warlords and at perpetual risk of chaos. So now White House officials, looking forward to Iraq, are floating still another model: direct administration by the U.S. military. The idea is a regime that would last for a period of several years while a civilian democracy was constructed.The Bosnia experience offers some support for this more muscular postwar scheme. Paddy Ashdown, the veteran British politician and statesman who is now the high representative in Bosnia, has pointed out that the repeated elections in that country have sometimes impeded rather than advanced the progress of desperately needed economic and political reforms. Most of the important changes in the country, from guarantees for returning refugees to the purging of criminals from government, have happened on the orders of Mr. Ashdown and his predecessors. And further progress is unlikely unless Western governments tightly condition continued aid on concrete steps by the Bosnians. In short, while democracy should be a central aim of postwar nation-building, it cannot necessarily be the starting point -- and even if it is, a strong outside authority is essential.Yet Bosnia also shows that it is far easier to take over a devastated state than to let go of it. The Clinton administration originally promised, with calculated insincerity, that U.S. troops would be needed only a year. They have now been there nearly seven, and Mr. Ashdown and other international experts believe they will be needed for several more years at least. Iraq offers a far larger and more complicated challenge of nation-building; it can only be expected that any postwar mission will be even harder and take still longer. The Bush administration needs to be honest, both with itself and with the public, about the scale of the coming commitment -- and scrupulous about planning for the long term. Just as it unwillingly inherited the Clinton administration's scheme for Bosnia, its successors will surely be burdened with implementing the decisions made in the coming months about Iraq.© 2002 The Washington Post Company letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 18 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6679/1/E-THE-DAILY-STANDARD---Hildas-Letter-Number-1.html THE DAILY STANDARD welcomes letters to the editor. Letters will be edited for length and clarity and must include the writer's name, city, and state.Â------------------------------------------------------------------------*1*ÂReading J. Bottum's The Usefulness of Daniel Goldhagen, it appears that there is no end to Goldhagen's outrageous lies and exaggerations. One case in point is his statement about the World War II Croatian Nazi puppet state's Jasenovac camp. He writes that 200,000 Jews, Serbs, and Gypsies were killed in that camp. While Bottum correctly presented the truth about the defrocked priest in charge of the killings, he neglected to mention that the actual number of victims was between 60,000 and 80,000--not 200,000. Every innocent victim is one too many, but such exaggerations, which are the result of Serbian propaganda, are outrageous. During the 1999 trial of the Jasenovac camp commander Zakic in Zagreb, Croatia, the correct numbers were undisputed even by the Zagreb Jewish community.ÂThe actual list of victims dated back to 1964, issued by the communist Yugoslav authorities in Belgrade, who, being Serb-dominated, certainly had no wish to minimize Croatia's guilt. The list has been reprinted in a 1,170-page book by the Bosniac Institute in Zurich: "Jasenovac War Victims, According to the Yugoslav statistics Bureau." According to these data, there were approximately 59,000 victims.ÂFor centuries, Croatia was not known as an ant-Semitic nation, yet its reputation suffers to this day because of four years under the Ustasha regime, which was established during World War II by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Croats, and especially their Cardinal Stepinac, saved hundreds of Jews and the Cardinal publicly spoke out against the camps and the killings of Jews and Serbs. Strangely, Goldhagen never mentions the virulent anti-Semitism of the Serb Orthodox Church or the large concentration camps run by Serbs in Serbia during World War II--such as Sajmiste and Manjica--in which many thousands of Jews were killed or handed over to the Germans. While Croatia established a memorial to the victims in Jasenovac, Serbia paved over their camps, so no one would ever see them.Â--Hilda M. Foley, National Federation of Croatian Americanshttp://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/001/806rjxpb.asp letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 09 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6680/1/E-Letter-to-Mr-Paddy-Ashdown.html ÂWe are appealing to your sense offairnessamantoin@vub.ac.beÂMr. Paddy AshdownHigh RepresentativeÂSarajevo, Bosnia-HerzegovinaÂNov. 7, 2002Fax 387-33-283-501Dear Sir:We are appealing to your sense of fairness. It has been quite obvious toCroatians in Bosnia that they have been singled out to totally unjusttreatment. While the Bosnian Serbs get away with attacks on internationalofficials as has occurred in Banja Luka and Trebinje last year, with nomeasures taken against them, Bosnian Croat banks have been raided by NATOforces for unproven wrongdoing with no known result to date and after allthis time Bosnian Croat savers still have not been able to take out anyof their savings. This is outrageous in itself. Some democracy the Westis trying to teach Bosnia's citizens! Now in addition we have thedeviousness of the Bosnian Serbs and the army of Yugoslavia/Serbiadelivering military equipment and intelligence to Iraq, while England andthe USA talk of war against that nation. The Serbs will just excusethemselves, perhaps fire one or two people and that will be the end ofthe affair - as usual. No drastic steps are taken against them ever.ÂFurthermore, repeatedly Croatian officials have been dismissed for beingtoo nationalistic, while there are far more nationalistic Serbs stayingin the government. The first order of the day when you took over wasto dismiss a Croatian official even though there was no apparent reasonfor it - it seems it was just to show "who is boss"? We were hoping youwould have a greater sense of fairness.ÂWhile the Western Powers press Croatia to accept the return of all Serbs,regardless of any atrocities they have committed in Croatia - and therewere many - no such reciprocity exists for the Bosnian Croats who havebeen ethnically cleansed from the parts of Bosnia now in Serbs' hands. Noone has so far been allowed to return to "Republika Srpska", even thoughthis is part of the Dayton Agreement. There is no pressure by the Westnor by you as the High Representative to start this return happening.Bosnian Croats from the Posavina are totally disenfranchised, living asrefugees in Croatia already ten years. We strongly urge you to see to itthat these tens of thousands of Bosnian Posavina Croats finally getjustice done and return to their old homes - or more correctly - rebuildthem, since Serbs destroyed them all after thoroughly looting them.ÂThere was never in recent history a much more unjust agreement reachedthan was the one in Dayton, by giving the 31% Serb population of Bosniaalmost half (49%) of the country which they ethnically cleansedby murdering and expelling the non -Serb majority population of Muslimsand Croats and actually running it as a separate state, while givingCroats and Muslims to share the other half in a "Federation". It isobvious that the Muslims being the majority in the Federation will havethe upper hand, even though the Croats are a constituent people with thesame rights and were Bosnia's original nation before the Ottoman Turkishoccupation and conversion of many to Islam. Since they constitute only17%, it seems the West has taken the right to push them aside as thoughthey don't exist. Well, they do, and they have the right as a constituentnation of Bosnia Herzegovina to be respected and treated fairly.ÂSo again, we hope your sense of justice will prevail or we have to assumethat you are prejudiced against Croats - why this should be so is notsomething that can be justified or comprehended.ÂVery truly yours,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705, USA letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 07 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6681/1/E-Letter-to-NYT-re-MPRI-and-Croatia.html ÂNFCANATIONAL FEDERATION OF CROATIAN AMERICANS1329 CONNECTICUT AVENUE, N.W., WASHINGTON, D.C. 20036PHONE: (202) 331-2830 NFCAhdq@aol.comÂFAX: (202) 331-0050ÂI sent to following letter concerning a large article in the Money and Business Section of theÂSunday New York Times concerning MPRI, an outside consulting firm which was hired by theÂCroatian military. The tone of the article as it relates to Croatia can be gathered from the letter.ÂThere are, incidently, some additional interesting facts in the article related to MPRI's activities inÂBH. Please write letters to them as well. John Kraljicsunbiz@nytimes.comÂOctober 12, 2002Letters, Money & BusinessThe New York Times, 229 West 43rd StreetNew York, New York 10036Re: "America's For-Profit Secret Army," by Leslie Wayne, October 13, 2002ÂTo the Editor:Your story concerning MPRI's role in Croatia's 1995 "Operation Storm" fails to mention that theÂmilitary action successfully destroyed a brutal occupation regime which had expelled tens ofÂthousands of non-Serbs and was responsible for the deaths of 15,000 Croatians. The Serb civilianswho left the area were not forced to leave by the Croatian Army as the vast majority abandonedtheir homes even before the arrival of Croatian troops.To call Operation Storm "one of the bloodiest episodes of 'ethnic cleansing'" is a falsification ofÂhistory. Several hundred Serb civilians have been confirmed as having been killed in a territoryÂlarger than Vermont, in comparison to the over 200,000 Croats and Muslims killed by Serb forcesduring the course of the war.Your article further incorrectly implies that several Croatian generals have been indicted by theÂwar crimes tribunal in the Hague with respect to Operation Storm. In fact, only one CroatianÂofficer has been charged under a highly suspect and controversial indictment concerning theÂoperation.Very truly yours,John Peter KraljicPresident, National Federation of Croatian AmericansNB - This letter may be edited for publication. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 13 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6682/1/E-What-is-Anti-Semitism-article.html What isAnti-SemitismÂDear all,Âbelow my letter you will find the letter from Mr. Newmann answering myfirst letter and above that is my answer to it.ÂHildaFrom: hmfgsf@juno.comÂTo: mneumann@trentu.caÂDate: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 19:59:57 -0700Subject: Re: "What is Anti-Semitism" articleDear Mr. Neumann,Thank you for your answer.ÂI would just like to make one more remark in regard to your letter. I didnot mean to mention cardinal Stepinac as determining the Croatiancharacter in general, but he and many other Croatians did save hundredsof Jews, and since I lived there during the first Yugoslavia and duringthe war I know that Croatians simply are not anti-Semitic. No doubt someindividuals were, as in many other countries, but certainly not to theextent that one could call because of it such nations anti-Semitic. Thisis exactly the point you made in your article. Also, when you write about"contemporary sympathies with the Ustashe" it should be more accuratelycalled "temporary sympathies", because when the Ustashe first appeared,Croatians, hoping to be finally free from Serb subjugation expected tohave a free Croatian state. It did not take them long to realize whatkind of state Pavelic was establishing - and that was the end of theeuphoria. Just remember that Croatians formed 11 of the 13 divisions ofthe Partisans under Tito - and the majority were not communists.ÂI don't understand your statement that " Were there an anti-Semitictradition even over the last sixty years, that would suffice to justifymy statement". Four years of the Ustasha regime did not make a traditionwhere no tradition existed.Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyOn Wed, 18 Sep 2002 10:47:00 -0400 mneumannÂmneumann@trentu.ca writes: Thank you for your message. I will certainly review the facts. To say that Croatia is traditionally anti-Semitic is not necessarily to make a sweeping historical claim; some traditions are not that old. Though the facts about Stepanic are genuinely in dispute, his role hardly determines the general character of Croatian society at any point in its history, and reports about contemporary sympathies with the Ustashe are not confined to Serb propaganda material. Were there an anti-Semitic tradition even over the last sixty years, that would suffice to justify my statement. However I do realize that Croatia has recently prosecuted war criminals and that almost everything about Croatian history is in dispute. I will look for genuinely neutral sources on this matter. Michael Neumannhmfgsf@juno.com wrote: Dear Mr. Neumann: Just happen to come across your article "What is Anti-Semitism" in the June 4th issue of Counterpunch which I found very thoughtful and true. Yet as a Croatian I found your statement that "Croatia (and Ukraine) are traditionally anti-Semitic" very disturbing because of its gross inaccuracy. Historically, for centuries, Croatia was never known to be an anti-Semitic country yet its reputation as such suffers to this day because of the four years of the Ustasha puppet regime of WWII , which was established by Nazi Germany and fascist Italy and pursued their anti-Semitic policies. There was never an election and the large majority of Croatians were appalled by the treatment of Jews. Croats, especially Cardinal Stepinac, saved hundreds of Jews destined for concentration camps. The Cardinal publicly in church spoke against the treatment of Jews and fearlessly personally criticized Pavelic, the Ustasha leader and head of the state. Yet after the war, the communists prosecuted him for being a "Nazi", which of course was more than absurd. The reason for the trumped up charges were because Cardinal Stepinac refused to break with the Vatican and establish an "independent Croatian Church" that Tito wanted. You yourself, as the rest of the world, only heard the Yugoslav/Serb propaganda regarding Croatia. Croatia never denied the crimes committed by the Ustasha regime ( for which tens of thousands of innocent soldiers and civilians were killed on the infamous Bleiburg "Walk of the Cross" after the end of the war and many others wound up in Jasenovac for just being anti communists.) In contrast the Serbs never admitted their own war crimes but hid them from general knowledge through their large (and still operating) propaganda network that demonized Croatia. It was not hard to achieve, considering Serbia's dominance and subjugation of the other nationalities comprising former Yugoslavia since its establishment in 1918. Isn't it strange that not one Jewish organization ever looked into the history of Serbian anti-Semitism, fostered for centuries by the virulently anti-Semitic Serb Orthodox Church. No one mentions that Serbia also had a Nazi puppet regime during WWII under their general Nedic, that rounded up and killed or delivered to the Germans thousands of Jews in Serbia's concentration camps of Sajmiste, Banjica and others. Belgrade proudly declared itself "Judenfrei" - "Jew free". While Croatia has built a Memorial in Jasenovac, the Serbs destroyed any trace of their concentration camps by bulldozing them and building over them. Serbians' anti-Semitism goes much further back than Nazi Germany. Jews in Belgrade were not allowed to have certain businesses or education in the 1930's or own property in the countryside. No such restrictions ever existed in Croatia before or after WWII. I am afraid you have mixed-up the designation "historically anti-Semitic" by naming the wrong nation. Since you seem to be an open minded person, I hope you will also seriously consider my writing in the spirit it is written, not as some Croatian apologia - because there has been much of it already, but something to ponder. Sincerely, Hilda Maria Foley National Federation Of Croatian Americans letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 27 Sep 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6683/1/E-UN-Intervention-too-late.html Re: G.A.Geyer Washington Times articleUN Interventionin CROATIAtoo lateMs. Georgie Anne Geyerc/o Universal Press SyndicateÂ4520 Main St.ÂKansas City, MO. 64112 Aug. 18, 2002Dear Ms. Geyer:I want to thank you for your excellent and insightful article about Vukovar in the Washington Times of 8/11/02. You are one of the rare journalists who report not just the "here and now" but search deeper into the history of an area to understand the origins of certain events.ÂThe fall of Vukovar was indeed "Croatia's Stalingrad". Yet, as you pointed out, Croatians are supposed to reconcile with the Serbs who so recently destroyed the city and cold-bloodedly murdered hundreds of the Croatian population, while sending the rest - the majority of the town's citizens - walking over minefields, with just clothes on their backs, to become refugees in their own country.ÂI am glad you mentioned the injustice of the OSCE which was not allowing Croatians to mention the Serbs' many Croatian victims and their mass graves, as well as not permitting the removal of the name of a street that Serbs named after an assassin, because "it would hurt the Serbs' pride"! What about Croatians' pride? After all, we are talking about a city in Croatia, not Serbia! While this occurred in 1997, sadly not much has changed since. The Western Powers demand of Croatia to allow the return of all the Croatian Serbs, no matter what atrocities they might have committed. Yet there is no reciprocal agreement for the return of Bosnian Croats to their homes in Serb-held Bosnia. Why are these demands made on Croatia, yet for instance no one has suggested, much less demanded, that the Czechs allow the return of the Sudeten Germans who were forced out of Czechoslovakia over 50 years ago! The U.S. and especially the EU are demanding "reconciliation" if Croatia wishes to become sometimes in the future ( no date has been even set) a full member of the EU. Worse, the EU has now established a new approach, the so-called SAA, the "Stabilization and Association Agreement", which includes all former Republics of Yugoslavia, but without Slovenia, adding instead Albania. In other words, the EU wants to cobble together people who fought a bitter war to be separated. They arbitrarily decided to leave out Slovenia, adding instead Albania, a very backward country of the Balkans, to be part of the SAA with Croatia, a country which has been historically considered Central European, as are Austria and Hungary, and not part of the Balkans. Obviously such distinctions do not matter to the Big Powers precisely because they have the power to decide where in their opinion any country should be placed. The Croatian Government is so eager to join the EU that it obeys every EU whim, even when it is detrimental to Croatia. The country is being impoverished by various demands placed on it by the IMF and others, which it simply cannot meet without deep cuts in the social structures.ÂThese internationalists like to talk about nationalism being passe, yet show me one Frenchman, German or American who would consider himself a citizen of the world before being a national of his own country and being proud of it. The question is: why should that be denied to smaller countries in the name of "Globalism"?ÂPlease keep writing your insightful observations and hopefully someone in the Western governments will see the light! Thank you again.Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange Knoll Dr.Santa Ana, Ca. 92705 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 03 Sep 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6684/1/E-UNaccepted-practice-in-Language.html One byOneÂCheryl,Accepted where? Maybe we can start a trend and go with Macedo-Bulgarian,Âor Russo-Ukranian. I wonder how those people would feel if you said themÂit's an accepted practice?ÂAs for the academically, I suggest you check several distinguishedÂAmerican Universities offering courses in ex-Yu languages. Although theyÂwere slow, even them today offer courses in either Croatian or Serbian,Âbut not Serbo-Croatian.Serbo-Croatian was terminology served by Tito's regime and never acceptedÂamong either Serbian or Croatian people.With kind regards,BozidarOn Tue, 13 Aug 2002, hankbradley wrote: I'll stop saying 'Serbo-Croatian' when NPR learns to pronounce Sarajevo. Cheryl Spasojevic wrote: Academically and linguistically, Serbo-Croatian is still the accepted terminology. Cheryl ----- Original Message ----- From: Bozidar Yerkovich letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 01 Sep 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6685/1/E-Priests-flex-Their-Muscles.html International War and Peace ReportTo: International War and Peace ReportTo: info@IWPR.netÂDate: Wed, 7 Aug 2002 19:33:00 -0700Subject: Article "Priests Flex Their Muscles"Dear Editor:It is clear from the choice of articles you print about Croatia, that youonly chose writers who criticize the country. While every country,especially one coming out of a brutal war, has its ups and downs, youhave never found anything complimentary to say, so that one would get theimpression that Croatia must be one of the worst countries on earth.Which of course is absurd and totally untrue. The fact that these criticsmight be communists or nostalgic for Serb-controlled Yugoslavia does notseem to be of any account to you. (Or perhaps your organization itself isrun by Serbs.)The article you published by Goran Vezic is full of falsities and unfaircriticism. He mentions for instance that there are now many moreCatholics in Croatia than during communist Yugoslavia. Surprise,surprise!Not many people wanted to broadcast their adherence to the Catholic faithduring the communist rule. Croatia was always a predominantly Catholiccountry, so it is not surprising that 88% are members of that Church. Itis not true that the Catholic hierarchy agreed with all of formerPresident Tudjman's HDZ policies. The present archbishop Bozanic as wellas the former Cardinal Kuharic repeatedly criticized the Government forthe corruption and the steadily more impoverished populace. What's more,Cardinal Kuharic issued an open appeal against the HDZ policy regardingBosnia. The Church always stood for social justice and when it wastrampled - no matter by which government - it spoke out.ÂRegarding the "interference by the Church" in the attempt by PrimeMinister Racan to appoint professor Neven Budak as Minister of Science,the Church had very good reasons. Professor Budak has successfullyinterfered in the nomination of the well-respected - but Catholic -professor Ivancic as rector of the Zagreb University. He also objected toa number of other matters involving the Catholic religion, such asopposing the Church's tax exempt status. That such exemption existseverywhere else in the West did not seem to count. Isn't it odd - no oneis criticizing or even bringing up the point that in Serbia all publicofficials are Serb Orthodox and no one would even think of objecting toit, but in Croatia, some of these same commentators make a big issue ofthe officials' Catholic religion.ÂLastly, - about the quotes of the so-called philosopher Mr. Puhovski, -he has not been able to utter a kind word about Croatia since itsindependence. The only reason he aspired to the Chair of the CroatianHelsinki Committee is to be able to be publicly vocal in his criticisms.Evidently he believes the old communist Yugoslavia was a more democraticstate and yearns for its return. Such people always seem to be quoted.Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyPublic RelationsNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 26 Aug 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6686/1/E-Dalmatians-are-Croatias-dogs-and-we-are-proud-of-them.html ÂAmerican Kennel Club260 Madison Ave.New York, N.Y. 10016Aug. 7. 2002Dear Sir/Madam:We happen to see your guide to purebred dogs and we are dismayed to seeyou listing the Dalmatian's origins as "Yugoslavia".ÂThe Dalmatians have been bred in Dalmatia, which has for centuries beenpart of Croatia, indeed the Croatian kingdom was established there in theseventh century. Even as Croatia was part of Yugoslavia for seventy yearsfrom 1918-1991, Dalmatia was still part of the Republic of Croatia.ÂWe urge you therefore to change this false information with all possiblespeed. Dalmatians are Croatia's dogs, and we are proud of them!Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705714 832-0289ÂDear Hilda:Your letter to the American Kennel Club must have worked - here is a quote on the Dalmatian Dog from the AKC off their website: "The Dalmatian is believed to have come from Dalmatia, a region of CROATIA [emphasis added] located along the Adriatic Sea." I guess they finally bought a map :-)Kindest regards,Allen Milcic letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 11 Aug 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6687/1/E-Wartime-prejudices-should-be-.html ÂWartime prejudices should be placed not into the history, but into the pastÂZagreb daily Vjesnik, July 31, 2002, op-ed page 13.Why Did the Croatian Army Withdraw from Posavina in 1992?By: V.M. Raguz"Go see the Germans and the Americans right away. Ask our friends to make demarches to Tudjman to withdraw the Croatian Army from Posavina." Haris Silajdzic, then the foreign minister of BiH, was speaking, if I recall correctly, from the United Arab Emirates, to his ambassador to the UN, Muhamed Sacirbey, on one line, and me, on the other. "I discussed this with Izetbegovic, and he is on board," Silajdzic added.We quickly made calls to the US and German permanent missions, and scheduled a meeting for the same day with the German ambassador, Count Detlaf zu Ranzau. American ambassador Edward Perkins could not see us because of earlier travel plans, but referred us to his deputy, Alexander Watson, later ambassador to Brazil. Watson proposed to see us the following day.To be sure, this was just one of series of events that commenced ten years ago in late June, involving many more diplomats in Europe and the US, all with one objective in mind: to persuade Franjo Tudjman to withdraw the Croatian Army (HV) from the strategic corridor of Posavina.As the 10th anniversary of the fall of Posavina will be marked during this summer and fall, it will be done with the firm conviction that the events that culminated in losses of Derventa, Modrica and Odzak by mid-July, when the HV 3rd Brigade was recalled to its barracks in Osijek, only to be sent back too late to assist Bosanski Brod in early October, was nothing more but a calculated land deal between Tudjman and Milosevic.But convictions arising from traumatic wartime events like this one are often wrong. My experience tells that such convictions about Posavina are in fact wholly misplaced, and that the withdrawal was nothing more than a result of the contemporaneous policy logic of the western powers. People like Tudjman, and for that matter, Silajdzic and Izetbegovic, acted according to the mainstream thinking of the time that appeared both reasonable and promising.The logic went something like this: You Croats and Muslims work with us, while we put pressure on Belgrade, and you can be sure that we will have a peace deal to your liking. Posavina is now an area of major fighting, and the Serbs are simply too strong. To add, they are moving in special JNA units. Do not do anything to provoke them, because thousands of civilians will suffer. The HV should retreat, and we will make sure the Serbs exercise restraint as well. A peace deal, fair to you, will be ready by the time London Conference convenes in August. Reasonable?To be fair to the West, if we are to recall the Vance-Owen map, the Posavina region was delivered as promised, even if only on paper.But at the time, who was to doubt the ability of the big powers to implement what they proposed. The mighty UK was taking over the Presidency of the European Community from exhausted Portugal that July. The Americans were there as well, with Cyrus Vance and his deputy Herbert Okun, as representatives of the UN Secretary-General Butros Butros-Ghali. They were focusing their energies on setting up the UNPROFOR mission in Croatia, and also counting on stability in BiH.Count zu Ranzau received us that afternoon is his modernistic office on the 22nd floor of a rather typical Manhattan building on the Third Avenue and 40th Street. Sacirbey first apologized for not paying a courtesy call to his German counterpart, a diplomatic custom for a new ambassador. He was representing BiH in New York for more than a month by then, and Germany was a crucial supporter of BiH's recognition. Ranzau seemed unbothered by the oversight, and made the transition to the subject matter very easy: "I am very pleased that you came. Tell me how can we help you.""We came to see you upon instructions from my foreign minister," began Sacirbey, as diplomatic representations often begin, and then went into the specifics. "We know that you have more influence with Zagreb than anyone else, and we ask you to approach them on an issue important to us," began the request. Ranzau's first secretary, Boris Ruge, sitting to his left, was busy taking notes for the cable he would later write to Bonn. I was doing the same, with the exception that I did not have to write a cable. Our communications with Sarajevo early on were virtually nonexistent. If we had a connection once a week, we were lucky. Thus every call during the first months remains with me as it happened yesterday.ÂRanzau listened, sometimes nodding in agreement to Sacirbey's reasons for the pullout and his understanding of the policy plans for the region. At the end, he simply asked: "What does President Izetbegovic think of this." As instructed, Sacirbey answered that he is supportive. The meeting ended with another common but operative diplomatic phrase. "I will inform my government immediately." I spoke to Ranzau in 1999, retired in his native Baden-Baden. He remembered the meeting vividly.The US deputy Watson received us late Friday afternoon without a note taker. This meeting was less formal, given that the two had already met, and it was Watson's last appointment of the day. Nevertheless, Watson listened attentively, and promised to inform Washington, but noted, in view of the weekend, BiH should not expect a response from the State Department until the following week. The US was not yet fully engrossed in the events in the region as the Europeans were.Herbert Okun is of the same opinion. He told me recently that he and Cyrus Vance were not the key policy people in the region during the Posavina crisis. The EC Presidency had the primacy, during the first six months of 1992 via Portugal, and the second six months via the UK. London, and its foreign secretary Douglas Hurd, Okun thought, was poised to make a difference in the Balkans. Intermediation of Lord Carrington was not enough. The UK wanted to hold a major conference in London at the outset of their Presidency, stop the fighting at all cost, and establish principles for a future regional peace settlement.In order to stop the fighting, London had to have agreement from the two sides. No doubt they went to both Belgrade and Zagreb, to urge restraint, and to make promises and threats. But given that Zagreb was the weaker side at the time, London had more leverage over Tudjman than Milosevic. One additional lever was Sarajevo. Certainly it was neither Silajdzic or Izetbegovic's idea to force out the HV. One reason being, in the summer of 1992, the Army of BiH was not operative.One might wonder why Sarajevo was asked to become involved in the first place. Unlike the diplomatic novels, or spy movies, the wishes of big powers are seldom transmitted in one single demarche, but almost always as a lobbying effort involving many relevant parties. And Sarajevo was relevant indeed. As Silajdzic noted, it had powerful friends.Some months later, at the meeting with the editors of the New York Times, Izetbegovic was asked whether the Posavina scenario, and the earlier Boban-Karadzic meeting in Graz, was evidence of the Tudjman-Milosevic deal to carve up BiH. Despite insistence from Abe Rosenthal, well know for his anti-Croat commentaries, Izetbegovic repeatedly stuck to his cord saying that while there is a lot of talk in this direction, there is no evidence. In fact, Izetbegovic knew that the evidence points to the contrary.The importance of understanding the events that led to the HV withdrawal from Posavina goes beyond the events themselves, because of the Rosenthalian logic that later became institutionalized about all developments that followed the loss of the corridor. From then on, Belgrade and Zagreb became responsible for just about everything. Equally. And the big carve-up was on. At the ICTY, for instance, this is undisputed modus operendi.But as these series of events show, as well as my later experiences in the Security Council, peace negotiations in Geneva, New York and Washington, and a later assignment in Brussels, the events in the region were dictated primarily by the interests of the western powers, and after that, in the following order: by the Serb side, as the militarily strongest player and a client of Russia; by the Muslim side as the primary victim enjoying the sympathies of the Islamic East and the secular West; and, only then, by the interests of the bumbling and seemingly irrelevant Croats.Interestingly, the Croats did impose themselves as a relevant party for a short period of time in 1995. The clandestine US support for the operation Storm did not come because it would benefit Croatia, however. Different issues were at play.Firstly, a moralist faction in the State Department wanted the Muslim community in BiH saved and satisfied at all cost, and Croats were to be their proxies, or the "junk yard dogs," as dubbed in Richard Holbrooke's "To End a War." Secondly, as noted by the White House staffer Ivo Daalder in "Getting to Dayton," the pragmatist National Security Council saw the BiH crisis as an election year obstacle for Bill Clinton that needed to be resolved before that November. There was probably a third reason: the Pentagon wanted to minimize the standby resources it was committing to an area of minor strategic importance, comparing to the Middle East and Asia theaters. Consequently, it could have used a partial disengagement from the Balkans via balance of power that only the HV could establish.ÂThe results of the Dayton peace agreement, and the way it has been implemented since then also shows that the four principal parties retained the original pecking order.While no one would dispute the principle that Washington and the European capitals would tend to have most influence on the events in the region, given the resources they committed there, most still prefer to use the perennial, if nonexistent, Milosevic-Tudjman deal to explain everything that occurred there in the last decade. The Milosevic-Tudjman paradigm is certainly easier to apply intellectually, then the complicated matrix of interests involving four key parties, spanning over four years of armed conflict. To others it serves as a vehicle to shift the blame, or to score domestic "armchair quarterback" or "told you so" political points.This convenient paradigm has certainly captured the imaginations of the café society, policy pundits and historians alike. Thus our recent history sounds more like a broken record about monsterous Milosevic, that he was, and devious Tudjman, that he was not, than a serious attempt to understand our past, and reconcile with its excesses and mistakes. But we would be much better off by discarding the charged convictions of the Rosenthals of the world, and start wondering about the evidence, as Izetbegovic did in that meeting in New York. The evidence is all around us. We should only care to look, and place our wartime biases where they belong, not into history, but into the past. It should start with the Posavina debacle, even if ten years later.V. M. Raguz was adviser to BiH ambassador M. Sacirbey in 1992-93, for a period in 1993 to M. Boban, and later to Croatian ambassadors M. Nobilo and I. Simonovic. In 1998 he was named BiH ambassador to the E.U. and NATO, a post he resigned in 2000 to return to banking. He works and lives in Vienna, and occasionally contributes to the op-ed pages of the Wall Street Journal Europe and other media. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 01 Aug 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6688/1/E-CroatiaNew-Math---Letter-to-the-Editor-by-Peter-Curko.html Lettersto theEditorsOne wonders: Had the Mexican government stirred up the sizable Mexican minority communities in California, Arizona, or New Mexico to declare outright independence from the U.S. and lay claim to huge portions of those states, then back them up with military force, would the United States hesitate to expel these aggressors? I doubt it, and I don't believe the American people would have any problem with it. Yet your article has the gall to question Croatia's right to self-defense.ÂAsk yourself, did one bomb fall on the land of Serbia during the Serbs' attack on Croatia? Did one bullet stray into their territory? The answer is no. Yet Croatia alone is forced to rebuild its crushed infrastructure, its places of worship, and its hospitals without any reparation (yet) from Serbia, or any apology from Serbia's leaders for the atrocities committed during the war. The Serb leader, Vojislav Kostunica, bluntly refused such an apology just a few days ago while meeting with the leaders of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.I cannot, try as I might, comprehend your misguided attempts at "journalism". What of the rights of Croatians in Serbia? What of the Yugoslavia of the past century which was politically dominated and manipulated by Serbia, which led to abuses of all non-Serbs throughout that artificial state? Did you ask yourself, how did those Serbs get to such a pre-war percentage of the Croatian population? Isn't the imbalance between that figure and the Croatian population in Serbia a bit suspicious?Please make SOME attempt at even-handed journalism in the future. Do not brainwash an already underinformed people about the truth pertaining to the victimization of Croatia and its neighbors at the hands of the Serbs.Peter Curkopcurko@netzero.net letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 22 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6691/1/E-WorldPress-Review---Letter-to-the-editor.html WorldPress Review article onCroatia I doubt Zagreb-based journalists provide reports about events inSerbia.The author of the rather disengenuous WorldPress Review article on Croatia, Ms. Katarina Subasic, is theBelgrade Correspondent for Agence Free Press. A fellow of the US-based Freedom Forum media support institute,Ms. Subasic unfortunately appears to be unable or unwilling to avoid ethnically opinionated writing. It isalso not fair on the part of WPR to have a reporter from a formerly aggresive neighbor to treat this verysensitive ethnic relations issue in Croatia. I doubt Zagreb-based journalists provide reports about events inSerbia.In a previous article Subasic tried to persuade the outside world that the fall of Milosevic saw a completeturnaround of the Serbian media from one of state mouthpiece to one of full independence. This is of coursenonsensee nor does that kind of advocacy reporting contribute to genuine media democratic reform in Serbia.It does hoever evince that tiresome and recognizeable Serbian habit of trying to deny Serbian guilt for thehorrors of the Balkan wars by falsely accusing others of doing the same. A pitty as this only retards thenecessary process of reconciliation. But before reconciliation must come admission and contrition. Subasic hadan opportunity to help us move towards that goal but prove unable to move beyond her own ethnic bias.Max Primorac letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 18 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6690/1/E-CroatiaNew-Math---Letter-to-the-Editor-by-Hilda.html ÂLettersto theEditorsMs. Alice ChasanEditorWorldpress ReviewDear Editor:Reading "Croatia: New Math" one has to wonder if the misinformation inKatarina Subasic's article is deliberate or lacking facts because of apoorly informed writer. The article describes the reaction of theCroatian government and different people regarding the recent populationcensus report, which shows a reduction of the Serb population since theprewar census of 1990 fromÂ11.5% to the current 4.5%. (the article incorrectly states the prewarnumber as 12.6%).ÂIn a reference to the 1995 liberation of Croatia's so-called Krajinaterritory, that was occupied by rebel Serbs for four years - and whichthey plundered and ethnically cleansed of some 200,000 Croatians - theauthor uses the word "alleged" regarding the Serb documents seized byCroatia's forces, which clearly show orders by the Serb leadership forthe evacuation of the whole Serb population from the territory, ahead ofthe arrival of the Croatian army. Some 150,000 did just that, thus itobviously did not constitute any ethnic cleansing onÂCroatia's part, which some like to imply. There was nothing "alleged"about these documents, they very much exist, besides, there was also aninterview in August 1995 with the Croatian Serbs' leaders Martic and theYugoslav general Mrksicin Belgrade's media, acknowledging these facts.As for the quote from Croatia's newspaper Novi List, it is not surprisingto still find elements in Croatia who mourn the demise of Yugoslavia andwould write anything that could blame Croatia.ÂFinally, the diminished number of Serbs in Croatia is a natural result ofSerbs who before the war served in Yugoslav military and administrativepositions in Croatia and returned to Serbia after losing the war - andthat was a substantial number, as previously Serbs deliberately spreadthemselves all across Croatia. These people left alive and well, incontrast to the 12,000 Croatians killed by the Serbs. Perhaps when Serbsfinally apologize for all the death and destruction they caused inCroatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, they might find Croatians moreforgiving - but not forgetting very soon.Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Ca. 92705Â(212) 375-1575 phone (212)982-6968 faxTeri Schure - publisher tschure@worldpress.orgÂAlice Chasan - editor achasan@worldpress.orgÂcheck: http://www.worldpress.org/contact.htm&n bsp; letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 18 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6689/1/E-CroatiaNew-Math---Letter-to-the-Editor-by-Judy-F.html ÂLettersto theEditorsJuly 18, 2002Ms. Alice ChasanEditorWorld Press ReviewDear Ms. Chasan:Documentation that included evacuation orders by Serbian General Mrksicand Republika Srpska leader Martic regarding Serbians leaving theKrajina before the Croatian offensive is widely available and easilyconfirmed through the United Nations and other internationalorganizations. A Serbian newspaper also warned of the coming Croatianoffensive. Finally, there is well-documented videographic andphotographic evidence of Serbians leaving the Krajina with theirbelongings in trucks and vans in a very orderly fashion. They were notforced out of their homes by gunpoint or taken to concentration camps.If the Serbians were as innocent as they claim to be of ethnicallycleansing anyone anywhere, then they would still be living comfortablyand without any fear whatsoever in Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, andKosovo. Of course, that would also mean that the entire world has beenhallucinating from 1991 until the present. It seems that KatarinaSubasic is either not a very literate reporter or she more likely isusing her position and your organization as a venue for her own agenda.You figure it out.Sincerely,Judy FeldworthSt. Louis, Missouri, USATeri Schure - publisher tschure@worldpress.orgÂAlice Chasan - editor achasan@worldpress.orgÂcheck: http://www.worldpress.org/contact.htmÂ(212) 375-1575 phone (212)982-6968 fax letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 18 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6692/1/E-Published-letter-in-Transitions-on-Line-by-Brian-Gallagher.html 27 May 2002Dear Editor,I was disconcerted to read the article onBosnia-Herzegovina "Bosnia's Future in the Balance,"authored by members of the--presumably ironicallynamed--Democratization Policy Institute. The authorsstate that electoral rules should somehow be amendedto force "nationalist" parties to reach out beyondtheir usual groups.ÂWhatever one thinks of such parties, such blatantelectoral engineering is far from democratic. Do theauthors recommend such a course of action for, let ussay, Northern Ireland? Or do their recommendationsonly apply to people they feel can more easily bepushed about?ÂThe peoples of Bosnia-Herzegovina have a right to votefor who they like, just like all Europeans. Theirchoices should not be diminished by bizarre attemptsat social engineering, which can only produceconflict. Politics must be allowed to developnaturally.ÂPaddy Ashdown is renowned in the UK for his democraticsensibilities. I hope he treat the ideas from theauthors of this article with the contempt theydeserve.ÂBrian GallagherÂSplit, CroatiaÂhttp://www.tol.cz/look/TOLnew/section.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIssue=22&NrSection=8 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 14 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6694/1/E-Letter-to-Los-Angeles-Times-by-Hilda-Foley.html The review mentioned was printed in the L.A. Times Book Review section bythe UK Telegraph film critic, so I sent my short letter to bothnewspapers. It is not a big deal, but I just could not resist replying tosuch stupidity.Âdtletters@telegraph.co.ukÂSubject: Book ReviewDear Editor:In his review of "Sundance Sarajevo" film critic Tom Shone writes aboutSarajevo "....You mean like figuring out why the Yugoslavs, havingsurvived the world's longest siege in modern history, ..."ÂI don't believe the inhabitants of Sarajevo would appreciate being called"Yugoslavs". They are Bosnians, of the internationally recognized countryof Bosnia-Herzegovina and it was the Yugoslavs, meaning Serbs, who weredoing the besieging of Bosnia's capital Sarajevo for four terrible years.Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Ca 92705, USA letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 11 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6693/1/E-Published-letter-in-The-Washington-Post-By-J-Kraljic.html My letter to the Washington Post, set forth below, was published today. John KraljicSaturday, July 6, 2002Left Out in BosniaÂWolfgang Petritsch [op-ed, July 2] claimed that a recent agreement to institute constitutional changes in Bosnia and Herzegovina was agreed to by the "main parties" representing the three constituent nationalities of that country. He did not mention that the Croatian Democratic Union, a political party having the overwhelming support of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, refused to sign on to the agreement.Petritsch admits that his actions were not necessarily democratic but justifies his failure to support democracy by claiming that the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina had been intimidated by threats and violence. If this were so, why hasn't he used his broad powers to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of such crimes?Petritsch's legacy is a bleak one for the hundreds of thousands of Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina: the imposition of rule by an international bureaucracy answerable to no one. Most people would prefer democracy, pure and simple. -- John Peter KraljicÂThe writer is president of the National Federation of Croatian Americans. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 11 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6695/1/E-Croatian-Language---One-step-forward.html ÂMolim Vas procitajte ovdje dolje odredjenu, i Vama nadam se zanimljivurazmjenu pisama, i ako imate neke sugestije koje bi pomogle doticnomportalu u predmetu zvanom Hrvatski jezik, javite se i ljubazno imse svojim znanjem stavite na raspolaganje.Cini mi se da imamo jedan dodatni, sasvim mali, plus bod u igri kojucemo znati pobjediti!Srdacni pozdravi iz LiechtensteinaVlado Franjevic-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----Von: language materials projectÂCc: hinnebus@humnet.ucla.eduÂBetreff: Re: Serbo-CroatianDear Mr. Franjevic,Thank you for your e-mail. We are indeed trying to represent Serbian andCroatian as separate languages on our database. As you understandinglypoint out, it is a rather slow process, impeded by the fact that many ofour materials are published as "Serbo-Croatian". However, we are aware ofthe distinction and are working towards a final goal of representing bothlanguages in their own right.Again, thank you for writing. Please do not hesitate to contact us if wecan be of more help or if you have further suggestions for Croatianmaterials for our web site.Best wishes,Ariann SternActing Project Manager & Senior Research AssociateUCLA Language Materials Project360 Kinsey Hall Box 951487Los Angeles, CA 90095-1487310-267-4720310-267-4722 (fax) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 24 May 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6696/1/E-CAA-letter-to-editor---Washington-Times-re-ICTY.html Âhttp://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20020518-6896170.htmÂExcellent letter here from CAA published in Washington Times. Another aspect ofthe Gotovina cases makes it into the mainstream press: Bihac. This is what Isaid last year: "Srebrinica is also relevant. Had Bihac fallen, there wouldhave been another massacre. The UN allowed the 'Krajina' Serbs to besiege andnapalm Bihac; the very forces the UN were supposed to be disarming. The UN wasprepared to countenance another Srebrenica. Not something many want known, hencethe attempts to criminalize 'Operation Storm'. "It is worth noting that the indictment fails to mention Bihac at all in itsskewed history.It all starts to creeep out into the mainstream. The vested interest the UN havein prosecuting Gotovina is something we should not ignore.BrianWashington TimesÂ18 MayHague tribunal could spell trouble for former U.S. officialsÂBy explaining that the consequences of the case of Croatian Gen. Ante Gotovinaare far more serious for the United States than those of the Slobodan Miloseviccase, Op-Ed contributor Jeffrey T. Kuhner revealed something about whichofficial Washington has done much whispering ("A win for Americandemocracy," May 10).Although the Bush administration has withdrawn from the permanent InternationalCriminal Court (ICC) to protect American foreign policy from internationalbureaucrats, the United States may yet have problems with the highly politicizedand unregulated structure of the temporary International Criminal Tribunal forthe former Yugoslavia in the Hague.Just after Dutch U.N. peacekeeping troops could not prevent 7,000 Bosnian Muslimmen and boys from being slaughtered by the Bosnian Serb army in Srebrenica insummer 1995, the Clinton administration was intent on using force to stop a muchlarger massacre of Bosnian Muslims in the city of Bihac. The result was that theUnited States and its NATO allies provided air power in an unofficial alliancewith the Croatian army to reverse the effects of ethnic cleansing by BosnianSerbs.In his book "To End a War," former Assistant Secretary of State forEuropean and Canadian Affairs Richard Holbrooke quotes then-Ambassador RobertFrasure saying that the Croats were our "junkyard dogs because we weredesperate."Gen. Gotovina started an offensive known as Operation Storm with the fullknowledge of the Clinton administration, and Mr. Holbrooke told the Croatianleadership to halt Gen. Gotovina after Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic hadagreed to the principles that eventually led to the signing of the Dayton PeaceAccords and an end to the Bosnian war.Because Predator intelligence drones allowed the Pentagon to monitor everydetail of Gen. Gotovina's ground offensive around the clock, it is obvious thatwar crimes could not have occurred without U.S. knowledge.Is Gen. Gotovina responsible for war crimes? Probably not. But given the factthat Operation Storm began with at least passive U.S. approval, was conductedunder full U.S. surveillance and was halted by the United States when ourobjectives had been achieved, it would seem that prosecution of Gen. Gotovina inthe Hague on grounds of command responsibility would have similar implicationsfor Clinton administration officials.GEORGE RUDMANNational presidentCroatian-American Association letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 19 May 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6697/1/E-Serbo-Croatian-Does-Not-Exist.html ÂÂÂMr. Champion,ÂÂIn your Wall Street Journal article "Western-Trained Finance Ministers AreÂRamping Up Serbia's Recovery" published on May 8, 2002, I found an errorÂthat is both offensive and untrue. During an economic meeting betweenÂAlbanians, Croats, Romanians, Bosniacs, Bulgarians, Moldovans, Macedonians,Âand Serbs, you wrote:ÂÂWhile the common language for the dinner was English, it wasn't long beforeÂSerbo-Croatian took over, especially at the Serb-Macedonian end of theÂtable.ÂÂThe "Serbo-Croatian" language simply does not exist. These two languagesÂare very similar, in the same way as Norwegian and Swedish, or Flemish andÂDutch, but are absolutely not the same. The term "Serbo-Croatian" becameÂpopular under the Serbian dictatorship when Yugoslavia was forcefullyÂcreated in 1918. It was a Serbian scheme meant to unite the South SlavicÂpeople under the false impression that they spoke an identical language andÂhad the same history and culture. This could not be farther from theÂtruth. In reality, "Serbo-Croatian" became the Serbian language imposed onÂthe unwilling non-Serbian population of Croats, Slovenes, and MacedoniansÂin the former Yugoslavia. The Declaration Concerning the Name and PositionÂof Croatian Literary Language was written in March 1967 and firmly statesÂthat the two languages are not equal. Even though they are derived fromÂthe same Indo-European branch of languages, they use different spelling andÂpronunciation of words, and thousands of different nouns and verbs.ÂCroatian and Serbian are even written in two different alphabets: Latin andÂCyrillic, respectively. In essence, many scholars find it no longerÂacademically or politically responsible to claim that these two independentÂlanguages are one. Croatia is a free and sovereign nation and has its ownÂlanguage. So please correct the way in which you refer to these twoÂlanguages. To do otherwise is to continue to spread Serbian propaganda.ÂÂJeffrey BacicÂRancho Palos Verdes, CAÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 08 May 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6698/1/E-Dalmatian---Yugo-Dog-NEEDS-your-letter.html Â"The Dalmatian (or spotted carriage dog)is a Yugoslavian breed of spotted dog half-hound and half-pointer. It wasformerly known as the Danish Spotted or Coach Dog. Dalmatians were firstintroduced to Englandduring the 18th century and used as coach dogs (protecting travelers fromhighwaymen) before becoming fashionable in England about 1820. Dalmatians are anenergetic breed, good house dogs and rarely barkunless in the presence of strangers."http://www.probertencyclopaedia.comDalmatian DogDue to the high level of unsolicited advertising (spam) we receive it has been necessary to add this automatic reply.If you have a genuine enquiry, please email: enquiries@probert-encyclopaedia.co.ukThanks, Matt ProbertDear Mr.Probert,While I was searching the net for the Dalmatian dog, I found your beautifulProbert Encyclopedia.Since I found a misinformation and I hope that you will appreciate my time towrite a letter to you, I would ask you to reconsider, changing the"Yugoslavian breed" into Croatian breed. To say the least, Yugoslavia existedonly 70 years. Dalmatian Dog outlived many countries and politicalsystems. Dalmatia happened to be part of Croatia. Croatians live there since the7th century. Here and there, I call myself Dalmatian (my mother is), not that I do notbehave like a dog sometimes. Joke aside, we Croatians are very proud of our new countryand especially about our own history and identity, that even a dog reflects.Dalmatian dog is very popular in Croatia and it fits the character of who weare. Please take time to explore on your own, and if you do not have that time,we can help you find information about our dog. We are still learning the powerof promotion, otherwise, I wouldn't need to write such a letter in 21st century.I hope that our Croatian government will finally understand the value of truth.In the meantime, let's change what we can, when we can.Sincerely,Nenad Bachwww.nenadbach.comnenad@nenadbach.comp.s. Travelers and Strangers were misspelled. I corrected it for this letter.When you change this information, I will advertise yourProbert Encyclopedia on our Croatian community boards.There are 3 million Croatians in US and cca 10 million all together. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 27 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6699/1/E-Croatian-Language-and-worldlanguagecom.html ÂÂ-----Original Message-----To: service@worldlanguage.comSubject: Croatian and SerbianDear Sir:As is correctly pointed out in your description of the Croatian andSerbian, many words are entirely different in both languages. The reasonthe people understand each other is that they lived together inYugoslavia for 72 years and the ruling Serbs deliberately put Serb wordsinto use in Croatian schools, in order to obliterate the difference, thuscoining the language "Serbo-Croatian".ÂSince Croatians first came to the Adriatic and the rest of today'sCroatia in the 7th century, they of course spoke Croatian, not"Serbo-Croatian" which expression is still too often found in the mediaand academia. Croats are proud of their language and would like to haveit recognized as such.ÂSincerely,Hilda M. FoleyMedia RelationsNational Federation of Croatian AmericansFrom: "John" To: "Gerard , Hilda Foley" hmfgsf@juno.comDate: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 02:13:00 -0700Subject: RE: Croatian and SerbianThank you for your comments.John Glascockjohn@worldlanguage.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 17 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6700/1/E-Promoting-Croatia-in-the-tourismcultural-field-LETTER.html ÂÂÂTo all,ÂÂA few weeks ago I sent a letter in Croatian ( I believe it was on theÂCROWN web site) to the Croatian Ministry of Tourism and Ministry ofÂCulture regarding promoting Croatia in the tourism/cultural field. So farÂno answer!ÂÂI just want to translate here my letter to the ones who don't readÂCroatian. It is in some way in line with some of the suggestions Marko P.Âmade recently, and I could say "been there, done that". Our smallÂCroatian organization, (which has disbanded since) at my suggestion hasÂpurchased books about Croatia, including "Serbia's Secret War", MarkÂTanner's "Croatia, a Nation Forged in War", "Heavenly Serbia", severalÂbooklets about the destruction of Vukovar and its hospital, "Croatia,ÂMyth and Reality", "Anatomy of Deceit" and sent or brought themÂpersonally to two regional main libraries (LA and Orange County) and twoÂuniversities (UCLA and Chapman). Included were also travel brochures fromÂthe Croatian tourist Office. In addition, we bought one quite expensiveÂbook for the L.A. main library "Croatia in the Early Middle Ages" - forÂwhich they never even sent an acknowledgement, not even after I wrote andÂasked if they received it. So I can say, we have done a small part, thatÂwas possible for us to do, already a while back. Here is the translationÂof that letterÂÂTo:ÂMrs. Pave Zupan Ruskovic, Minister of TourismÂcc: Dr. Anton Vujic Minister of CultureÂZagreb, CroatiaÂÂWishing to better - or perhaps even for the first time for some -Âacquaint the West with Croatia's history and culture, which placesÂCroatia firmly among the Western cultures, I am turning to you with myÂplea that you do everything in your power to promote this idea onÂdifferent levels.ÂÂAs the Minister of Tourism, I believe that you could, with the support ofÂthe Ministry of Culture and the HAZU, promote tourism meant forÂeducational and scientific institutions, such as the ArchaeologicalÂInstitute of America, The Smithsonian Institute and the NationalÂGeographic .( At least these three I know of in the U.S. because IÂsubscribe to their magazines.) The last one was showing very poorÂknowledge by their "experts", when they printed in an issue last year aÂmap of former Yugoslavia showing Serbs as the first Slavic settlers inÂtoday's Croatia, while not even mentioning Croatians. Such falseÂinformation should not have been possible ten years after theÂestablishment of independent Croatia. It is high time that Croatia isÂrecognized in academic/cultural circles.ÂÂThat is why I believe that promoting cultural and historical sites inÂCroatia as a destination for persons and institutions who are interestedÂin such research is necessary and helpful to Croatia's image.ÂÂVery truly yours,ÂHilda M. FoleyÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 13 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6701/1/E-Spotlighting-Croatians-in-Sports---NEEDS-YOUR-LETTER.html ÂTo All,ÂÂRecently my suggestion on the CROWN "Spotlighting Croatians" was that asÂmany as possible write to local TV and other media sportscasters, sendingÂthem copies of the list from Mr. Eterovich of well known Croatian sportsÂfigures who were not acknowledged as Croatians due to the fact that theyÂlived either under Austro-Hungary, Italy or Yugoslavia. The list wasÂfeatured on the CROWN web site. Below is the letter I have written toÂCNN's Mr Juranovich and several other local TV sportscasters.ÂIf you would like to write and have no time to compose your own letter,Âplease feel free to use my letter entirely or as a sample.ÂÂÂMr. Jerome JuranovichÂCNN SportsÂOne CNN CenterÂAtlanta, GA 30348-5366ÂÂDear Mr. Juranovich:ÂÂEnclosed please find a list of Croatian sports personalities who excelledÂin their venue, be it in the Olympics or elsewhere, but have been listedÂduring all these years as either Austrian-Hungarian, Italian or Yugoslav,Âdepending under whose rule they lived. I believe that you as aÂsportscaster might be surprised to see this and on the other hand, we asÂCroatians would like to set the record straight and give acknowledgmentÂto our people. Please feel free to show it to your sports colleagues.ÂÂSincerely,ÂHilda M. FoleyÂMedia RelationsÂNational Federation of Croatian AmericansÂ13272 Orange Knoll,ÂSanta Ana, Ca 92705ÂÂÂCROATIA AT THE OLYMPICSÂBy Adam S. EterovichÂÂÂGreat honor has come to Croatia in Utah. The Battleship USS Utah was sunk at the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Chief Petty Officer Peter Tomich, Croatian American, gave his life saving his fellow sailors and was awarded America's highest honor and awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery beyond the call of duty. No next of kin could not be found and this Medal of Honor lays unclaimed; it is on display in Salt Lake City, Utah as he has been adopted by the State of Utah.ÂNow, a young Croatian girl, Janica Kostelic, is being honored with a Medals of Gold at the Olympic Games in Utah.ÂÂÂCroatian Olympic Champions Credited to Italy, Austria and EnglandÂÂÂCroatians participated in all Olympic Games since the start of the modern games in the 1890's. Credit was always given those that ruled her. Milan Neralic was awarded a Bronze medal in Fencing for Austria in 1900. He was a Croatian. Croatia was a part of Austria.ÂPetar Ivanov, Ante, Frano, Simun Katalinic, Viktor Ljubic and Bruno Soric were awarded Bronze medals in Rowing for Italy in 1924. They were from Zadar; Zadar was then part of Italy.ÂPaolo Radmilovich from Dubrovnik was awarded a Gold medal in swimming for England in 1908, and a Gold medal for waterpolo in 1908, 1912, 1924 and 1928.ÂMany Croatians won Olympic medals while controlled by Yugoslavia. Croatia and Croatians should not allow Austria, Italy or Yugoslavia to any longer take credit for something that is not theirs. These are spoils of war and national heritage theft.ÂFrom the beginning of the Olympic Games to the 1980's, Croatia won approximately 170 Olympic medals including 51 Gold medals. Croatian Olympic Gold winners included:ÂÂÂName Year SportÂÂÂCOSIC, KRESIMIR 1980 BASKETBALLÂJERKOV, ZELJKO 1980 BASKETBALLÂKNEGO, ANDRO 1980 BASKETBALLÂKRSTULOVIC, DUJE 1980 BASKETBALLÂNAKIC, MIHOVIL 1980 BASKETBALLÂSKROCE, BRANKO 1980 BASKETBALLÂPARLOV, MATE 1972 BOXINGÂBASIC, MIRKO 1984 HANDBALLÂHORVAT, HRVOJE 1972 HANDBALLÂJURINA, PAVAO 1984 HANDBALLÂMILJAK, ZDRAVKO 1972 HANDBALLÂOGNJENOVIC, MIRJAN 1984 HANDBALLÂPRIBANIC, MIROSLAV 1972 HANDBALLÂPTUJEC, JASNA 1984 HANDBALLÂVIDOVIC, ALBIN 1972 HANDBALLÂVISNJIC, BISERKA 1984 HANDBALLÂZORKO, ZDENKO 1972 HANDBALLÂZOVKO, ZDRAVKO 1984 HANDBALLÂLJUBEK, MATIJA 1976 KAYAKÂLJUBEK, MATIJA 1984 KAYAKÂBONACIC, DUJE 1952 ROWINGÂSEGOVIC, PETAR 1952 ROWINGÂTROJANOVIC, MATE 1952 ROWINGÂVALENTA, VELIMIR 1952 ROWINGÂANKOVICH, ANTE 1960 SOCCERÂBEGO, ZVONKO 1960 SOCCERÂMATUS, ZELJKO 1960 SOCCERÂPERUSIC, ZALJKO 1960 SOCCERÂZANETIC, ANTE 1960 SOCCERÂBJEDOV, DURDICA 1968 SWIMMINGÂBEBIC, MILIVOJ 1984 WATERPOLOÂBEZMALINOVIC, MISLA 1988 WATERPOLOÂBONACICH, OZREN 1964 WATERPOLOÂBUKIC, PERICA 1984 WATERPOLOÂDUHO, VESELIN 1988 WATERPOLOÂHEBEL, ZDRAVKO 1968 WATERPOLOÂLOPATNY, RONALD 1968 WATERPOLOÂLUSIC, DENI 1984 WATERPOLOÂLUSIC, DENI 1988 WATERPOLOÂPASKVALIN, TOMISLAV 1984 WATERPOLOÂPASKVALIN, TOMISLAV 1988 WATERPOLOÂPOLJAK, MIROSLAV 1968 WATERPOLOÂPOSINKOVIC, RENCO 1988 WATERPOLOÂROJE, ZORAN 1984 WATERPOLOÂSIMENC, DUBRAVKO 1988 WATERPOLOÂSTIPANIC, KARLO 1968 WATERPOLOÂSUKNO, GORAN 1984 WATERPOLOÂTRUMBIC, IVO 1968 WATERPOLOÂVULETIC, BOZO 1984 WATERPOLOÂLISJAK, VLADO 1984 WRESTLINGÂÂÂAmerican Croatian Olympic ContributionsÂÂÂFormer National Amateur Athletic Union and World's Diving Champion, Helen Crlenkovich is about to make a perfect entry into the water after a dive from the highboard. Known popularly as "Clenkie", Crlenkovich was National Outdoor Springboard Champion in 1939, 1941, and 1945; National Platform Champion in 1941 and 1945, and the National Indoor Three Meter titleholder from 1939 to 1942. She won the Olympic Gold Medal in Diving in 1932. The former University of California student and native of San Francisco, California died of cancer in 1955 only one week after learning that she had been named to the Helms Foundation Diving Hall of Fame. Helen Crlenkovich is a Croatian American.ÂÂÂSacramento's George Stanich was John Wooden's first All-American at University of California at Los Angeles. Stanich played guard for the Bruins and earned his honors in 1950. An all-around athlete, he captured a Bronze Medal in the high jump at the 14th Olympic Games in London and later pitched for Oakland of the Pacific Coast Baseball League. Stanich coached basketball at El Camino College in Los Angeles for 15 years and in 1971 coached Yugoplastika of Split to the national basketball championship. He was Professor of Physical Education at El Camino College in Los Angeles. George Stanich is a Croatian American.ÂÂÂThe "Miracle on Ice" still ranks among the nation's greatest sporting moments and, in many ways, Mark Pavelich was symbolic of the American team. The conversation quickly moves to that night in Lake Placid, N.Y., against the Soviet Union, more than 20 years ago, when he collected the puck along the boards and slid it in front of the net. That puck ended up on the stick of teammate Mike Eruzione, who scored to give the U.S. squad an upset over the USSR on the way to a Gold Medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Pavelich was small for the game, never growing taller than 5 feet 8, but all those childhood days on outdoor rinks molded him into a clever skater and stickhandler. "A throwback player who could control the puck like he had it on a string," says Baker, who grew up nearby in Grand Rapids. He was born in nearby Eveleth, in rugged country known as the Iron Range, where boys learn to hunt and fish from an early age. The town claims to have the world's largest hockey stick at 107 feet long, so they also learn to play. In the late 1970s, those skills made Pavelich one of the greatest players in the history of the University of Minnesota Duluth. They subsequently earned him a spot on the Olympic team. He earned respect with his work ethic and a knack for passing the puck. Former goaltender Jim Craig recalls him as "an honest man, just a wonderful guy to be around." Little was expected of the Americans that winter, their coach reportedly telling them before the Olympics it would take some luck to win a bronze. But after an opening tie against Sweden, they rolled to four consecutive victories against the likes of Norway and Romania to reach the medal round against the powerhouse Soviets. Pavelich played an essential, supporting role that night, assisting on two of the four goals. Two days later, the U.S. defeated Finland to win the gold medal, and Pavelich wound up with six assists in the seven Lake Placid games. The players became overnight heroes, appearing on television, visiting the White House, attending promotional events across the nation.ÂÂÂRobert Minerich was asked by the United States Olympic Committee, to become Director of Olympic Village and Public Facilities for the VIII Winter Olympics to be held at Squaw Valley, California in 1960. Bob, Minerich was in charge of designing and directing the housing and feeding arrangements for the athletes, National and International Olympic Committee Members and heads of the many corporations involved in the Olympics. After the Olympics, as a management consultant, he helped plan, organize and staff a new ski facility, Alpine Meadows in the Squaw Valley, California area. In 1979-80, when the United States Olympic Committee again called upon his expertise. He took a three month leave of absence to become the liaison of the USA Olympic Committee and International Olympic Committee to help solve the problems confronting the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Bob Minerich received a football scholarship from Northwestern University of Evanston, Illinois. Bob Minerich is a Croatian American.ÂÂÂSandra Bezic, a 1972 Olympian and former Canadian pairs champion, joined NBC Sports in 1990 as an analyst for its figure skating coverage. Sandra skated competitively with her brother, Val, from 1967 through the mid-1970s. She and her brother won the Canadian pairs novice title in 1967 and the Canadian senior competition four straight times from 1970-1973. Sandra has served as the analyst on numerous NBC Sports' figure skating events, including four World Figure Skating Championships 1991-1993 and 1995 and the World Professional Figure Skating Championships from 1990-1995. She has designed programs for many top skaters, including Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi and Kurt Browning. Sandra Bezic has choreographed and/or produced more than 25 television specials in Canada and the United States, including the Emmy Award-wining "Carmen on Ice." She won Gemini awards for producing Browning's "You Must Remember This" and Brian Orser's "Night Moves." Bezic also produced the North American Tour of "Stars on Ice" and is the author of "Passion to Skate:ÂAn Intimate View of Figure Skating." Sandra and her brother Val are Canadian Croatians.ÂÂÂCroatian ContributionsÂÂÂGoran Ivanisevic was born on September 13, 1971 in Split, Croatia. He played tennis for the Croatian National Davis Cup teams; he was awarded an Olympic Bronze Medal in 1992, individually and in pair with G. Prpic. He is Wimbledon Champion in 2001 and was Wimbledon finalist 1992); Wimbledon semi-finalist (1990); best placing on ATP list: second place, 1992. He was awarded Best Sportsman of Croatia in 1992.ÂÂÂDrazen Petrovic led the Croatian team to the Olympic Final against the American Dream Team and won the Silver Medal in Barcelona. In 1988 Drazen joined "Real", a club from Madrid and after three years of successful playing he accomplished the dream of the dreams of all basketball players, when he scored his first goal for the colors of the best World League-the American NBA. At first he played for Portland Trail Blazers and from 1991 to his death he was wearing the colors of New Jersey Nets. During the nine years of his brilliant carrier he was the number one player on all basketball levels, in Spain, even in the USA where he was scorer number one of the NETS and the scorer number eleven of the NBA League.ÂÂÂToni Kukoc is a professional basketball player. Born September 18, 1969 in Split, Dalmatia, Croatia. married with one child. Olympic Silver Medal 1988, Olympic Silver Medal 1992. Played professional basketball in Chicago for the Chicago Bulls, in Philadelphia for 76sers and now in Atlanta for the Hawks.ÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 11 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6702/1/E-UCLA---Slavic-Languages.html ÂMr. Michael HeimÂSlavic Languages and Literature FacultyÂ115 Kinsey HallÂUCLA,ÂLos Angeles, CAÂÂDear Mr. Heim:ÂÂWe noticed with dismay that the UCLA Library still uses the definitionÂ"Serbo-Croat" as a language at the Slavic Languages Faculty. Please noteÂthat the Croatian language existed already when the Croats (not Serbs)Âarrived in present day Croatia in the seventh century, long beforeÂYugoslavia, - comprising Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia, - was establishedÂafter WWI. The dominating Serbs imposed on Croatians the so-calledÂ"Serbo-Croatian" which did not exist as a language before. The CroatianÂand Serbian languages are similar, but not the same in many aspects.ÂThere were Serb words that were forced into the Croatian language, butÂthese have been abandoned since the breakup .ÂÂWe respectfully urge you to separate the two languages at the SlavicÂLanguages section in the Library and at the Faculty. Thank you.ÂÂSincerely,ÂÂHilda M. FoleyÂMedia RelationsÂNational Federation of Croatian AmericansÂ13272 Orange KnollÂSanta Ana, CA 92705ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 28 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6706/1/E-Geostrategic-reasons-for-NATO-membership.html ÂÂDear Editor,ÂÂSubmitted is an editorial regarding NATO membership for Croatia. We believe that given the war against terrorism, this topic is very timely.ÂÂThe article was co-authored by Joe Mandic. He is a native of Croatia, a retired Captain in the U.S. Naval Reserves, and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.ÂÂPlease feel free to contact me with any questions.ÂÂRegards,ÂÂFrank BrozovichÂPresidentÂÂCroatian American AssociationÂ(206) 772-2968Âfwbroz@attbi.comÂÂAFTER 9/11, GEOSTRATEGIC REASONS TO HASTEN NATO MEMBERSHIP FOR CROATIAÂÂAfter the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the United States has realized how important our foreign allies are to the preservation of peace and democracy. Particularly in geostrategic areas of instability or terrorist activities, a formal political and military relationship with a U.S.-leaning ally serves two means. It prepares the U.S. to counter future terrorist or non-NATO military activity in the region. It also prevents such activity by warning those who would engage in it of U.S. commitment and regional strength.ÂÂAs we fight the new war against global terrorism, the U.S. must be able to count on a qualified NATO ally with shared values and a political mandate in the region-an ally that can contribute substantially to the NATO alliance. Of all the Vilnius 10 countries awaiting NATO membership, Croatia meets this criteria. With its U.S.-trained and tested military, and its unparalled geostrategic location, Croatia should be moved to the top of NATO's list.ÂÂCroatia's Commitment to NATO and DemocracyÂÂÂGiven the Bush Administration's commitment to countering global terrorists and the fact that terrorism has taken root in the Balkans, now is the time to speed up Croatia's full entrance into NATO. The continuing instability in Kosovo, Macedonia, and Yugoslavia, combined with the discovery of terrorist training grounds in Bosnia, signal that the U.S. and NATO must reach out to the only ally in the region that has proven its military and political commitment to the West: Croatia.ÂÂCroatia is very much committed to becoming a full-fledged member of NATO. During the Kosovo Crises, Croatia unconditionally opened its airspace to NATO-and at a great personal cost. By one British estimate, Croatian tourism and shipping industries lost up to $1.5 billion as a result. Having made the transition from a communist system to multi-party government, Croatia is morally and politically ready to join NATO.ÂÂAfter the disappointment of the Dayton Accords, the long-term security of BiH and the region would also be best served if NATO granted Croatia full member status: Two-thirds of BiH's border is with Croatia. This land-locked country is dependant for its security and trade on Croatia's many ports and roads, as is the international community for supplying its many personnel stationed in BiH.ÂÂGeography and Strategic Regional Factors: A NATO base in Vis, CroatiaÂÂMost significantly, there are geostrategic reasons to bring Croatia into NATO as a full-fledged member immediately. Once Croatia enters NATO, the alliance's expanded foundation in Central Europe and designating the Island of Vis, Croatia as a strategic NATO base can best support the region's stability. Kosovo is very close to Croatia and the Island of Vis. But more importantly, so are: the Bosporus, Suez, Gibraltar, and the entire Atlantic-Mediterranean-Indian Ocean. Our Strategic Forces and their most likely destinations are also in that region.ÂÂVis is just far enough away from potential hot spots not to be a military target itself. Croatia and the Island of Vis can therefore offer U.S. and NATO military personnel an environment for a secure and high quality of life. Historically a military facility, Vis served as an Allied air base during World War II. For nearly fifty years, Vis was a key military facility to the former Yugoslavia. Strategically located in the center of the Mediterranean region, the Island of Vis, Croatia is close to all of our European allies and their bases. It is convenient for Power Projection to large areas of interest to the U.S.: the Balkans, Southeast Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. Vis would be an effective support and supply base for U.S. or NATO action by air and sea.ÂÂHigh Return for U.S. and NATO; Minimal U.S. CostÂÂGranting NATO membership to Croatia makes sense in strengthening NATO's role in Southeast Europe. The public support for NATO membership in Croatia-at 70%-is much higher than is support for NATO in Slovenia, which polls at less than 50%. Admitting Croatia into NATO now would send the right message to surrounding countries about the benefits of NATO membership. If Slovenian voters were to reject NATO membership in the planned referendum (as they would today, given public opinion polls), this would send the wrong message. But the U.S. and NATO must act quickly. In these unstable times, NATO needs the strong support that Croatia and its citizens are willing to give.ÂÂPressing for Croatia's full and immediate membership into NATO would cost the U.S. little, but holds the potential for a high return in times of both peace and war. For political reasons, Croatia currently falls at the bottom of NATO's list, behind Bulgaria and Romania, and on par with Albania and Macedonia. On March 16 in Washington, Bruce Jackson, Chairman of the U.S. Committee on NATO, outlined for Vilnius 10 countries the important factors for full NATO membership. The chief factor was what the country can bring to NATO's table. Only Croatia can offer the U.S. and NATO a geostrategic base, backed by a tested Western military and a political mandate from its population. The U.S. should seize this opportunity, and bring Croatia into NATO's fold without delay.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 24 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6705/1/E-Harrison-Flowers---Letter-to-the-editor.html ÂTo: letters@washpost.comÂÂhttp://eg.washingtonpost.com/profile/1064375/?&flavor_id=12&context=movieÂÂÂ"When her husband, a photojournalist, is listed as missing in Serbo-Croatia, Sarah Lloyd (Andie MacDowell) ignites with purpose. Devoted to Harrison (David Strathairn) and their family, she decides to find him, with only her love and emotional resources to help her."ÂÂ-- Desson Howe, WeekendÂÂÂDear Editor,ÂÂI found this film review from Mr. Howe. Although I love the movie it is very difficult to watch the war as it really looks like one. My admiration to the director. What puzzles me and what I am offended by is this new country created by Mr. Howe. Serbo-Croatia. This town is called Vukovar. It is in CROATIA and it always was in Croatia.ÂEither:ÂÂ1. He should take lessons in geography orÂ2. Take some lessons in ethics or both.ÂÂI have been little bit sarcastic, but please let know Mr. Howe that we who are Croatians and especially us 3 million strong, Croatian Americans, who live in this country will not put up with this provocation. By law, you have to print correction. And it is more then the right word. It is all the feelings that go with it. Our homeland went through a horror of war and our wounds are still fresh and opened. In 20 years or so, such a typo will not get so much attention. I believe that he didn't have any wrong intentions, but simply didn't check the facts. Otherwise his righting is good.ÂÂAnd thank you for publishing the review of the film.ÂÂThe other review by Michael O'Sullivan as well published in your newspaper copied below quotes:"listed as missing in Croatia, Sarah Lloyd (Andie MacDowell) ". Proper location.ÂÂbest,ÂÂNenad Bach,ÂIrvington, New YorkÂÂÂHARRISON'S FLOWERS (R, 122 minutes) -- When her husband (David Strathairn), a photojournalist, is listed as missing in Croatia, Sarah Lloyd (Andie MacDowell) decides to find him, with only her love and emotional resources to help her. She enters hell, enlisting help from two of Harrison's fellow photographers, Kyle (Adrien Brody) and Stevenson (Brendan Geeson). The film follows the familiar pattern of many a missing-person movie. But it's a solid 'B,' a workmanlike drama, based on the experiences of former photojournalist (and coscriptwriter) Isabel Ellsen. MacDowell enjoys her best movie performance. And war is made evocatively horrifying, thanks to production designer Giantito Burchiellaro and digital effects by Stephane Bidault. Contains war atrocities, obscenity and sexual scenes. Area theatersÂÂ-- Michael O'SullivanÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6704/1/E-Vis-vs-NATO.html ÂI had this idea about Vis--NATO base long ago, in the early nineties. But I changed my mind about it. It would pollute the Adriatic and bring along more damage to Croatia than benefit; It would pollute the air, the water, and the soul of the people and the country. Imagine the scare of the monster aircraft in the air over the Adriatic, the sound/noise of it. It would scare and frighten tourists. Being a country of 4 1/5 ml people, Croatia would be better off without NATO on Vis. Questionable is also the strategic location of Vis positioned in (almost) closed waters. And it's against the "market" principle of offer and demand; if an offer runs ahead of demand, it loses its value.Â(ra)ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6708/1/E-Film-Review---The-Avoidable-War.html ÂTo: letters@nytimes.comÂDate: Sun, 17 Mar 2002 00:27:21 -0800ÂSubject: Film ReviewÂÂLetters to the EditorÂNew York TimesÂNew York, N.Y.ÂMarch 16, 2002ÂÂDear Editor:ÂÂIn the review of Serb producer Bogdanich's film "Yugoslavia, theÂAvoidable War" film critic Stephen Holden errs when stating that "itÂwould be inaccurate to label this documentary pro-Serbian". While heÂsees through most of the fallacies parading as facts, the reviewerÂevidently does not have any knowledge of events in WWII Yugoslavia andÂtherefore falls easy prey to the film's portrayals of all Croatians asÂNazi collaborators. Not only were Serbs also Nazi collaborators , butÂmost importantly left out is the historic fact that the Nazi resistanceÂwas formed in Croatia, not Serbia, with Croatians predominating in theÂantifascist war.ÂÂMost outrageously, Serbs, as in this film, still keep bringing up theÂhugely inflated numbers of Serbs and Jews killed in WWII by NaziÂcollaborators. While the loss of one innocent life is one too many,Âresearch by experts, historians and statisticians back in the 1980'sÂYugoslavia have proven the numbers to be vastly exaggerated. At the sameÂtime Serbs omit ever mentioning the tens of thousands of Jews and othersÂthey killed in their own concentration camps in Serbia. It is thereforeÂobvious that such a "documentary" is indeed simply a Serb propaganda filmÂand should not be seen as anything else.ÂÂSincerely,ÂÂHilda M. FoleyÂNational Federation of Croatian AmericansÂ13272 Orange KnollÂSanta Ana, CA 92705ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 19 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6707/1/E-Letter-to-Wall-Street-Journal.html ÂRe: "Anti-Terrorism Requires Nation Building," by Matthew Kaminski, Op-Ed,ÂMarch 15, 2002ÂÂTo the Editor:ÂÂMatthew Kaminski makes a compelling argument concerning the US military'sÂrole in stemming Islamic fundamentalism in Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, heÂfails to address what is necessary for the successful conclusion of America'sÂmission in that country.ÂÂThe primary problem remains an unwieldy administration which provides oftenÂcontradictory rights to the three constituent nations in Bosnia-Herzegovina,Âthe Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks. The current government structureÂspecifically fails to properly assure equal rights to political and culturalÂdevelopment for all three of its peoples.ÂÂThe Croats in this regard have been the big losers. The majority of CroatsÂin the country have concluded that they have no stake in the country,Âsomething that is necessary for the stability of Bosnia-Herzegovina.ÂÂAs pointed out by a senior Bosnian-Herzegovine diplomat in WSJE on OctoberÂ12 (V.M. Raguz, "Now There Another Reason to Seek Peace in the Balkans"), aÂnew plan for long term stability is what NATO now needs -- a plan that wouldÂcraft uniform collective rights to the still unhappy groups in the region,Âsuch as the Croats.ÂÂMr. Kaminski rightly notes that Bosnia- Herzegovina's unity is aÂprerequisite to stability. However, such unity cannot occur without uniformÂinstitutions equally protecting and promoting the interests of Croats asÂwell as Serbs and Bosniaks.ÂÂVery truly yours,ÂÂJohn Peter KraljicÂÂPresident, National Federation of Croatian AmericansÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 19 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6709/1/E-Demise-of-Yugoslavia.html ÂLetters to the EditorÂLos Angeles TimesÂLos Angeles, CAÂÂDear Editor:ÂÂRe: "Yugoslavia No More" (3/15/02), - Of all the nationalities that onceÂcomprised former Yugoslavia, it will only be the Serbs who will feelÂregrets at its demise. After all, it was the Serbs who ruthlessly dominatedÂover everybody else ever since the ill-conceived country was cobbled togetherÂafter WWI , against the wishes or chance to vote by the Croats and Slovenes.ÂOriginally called "The Kingdom of Croats, Serbs and Slovenes" it was soonÂrenamed "Yugoslavia" and ruled by royal dictatorship of Serb king Aleksander.ÂÂAs a bizarre footnote to history, Yugoslavia had its beginnings with aÂSerb national assassinating the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand and his wifeÂduring their visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia, and ended with the aggression byÂSerbia against its neighbor republics Croatia, Bosnia and Slovenia. Let'sÂhope this is the last we will see of the Serb troublemaking in this world!ÂÂSincerely,ÂÂHilda M. FoleyÂ13272 Orange KnollÂSanta Ana, Ca. 92705ÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 17 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6703/1/E-Demise-of-Yugoslavia---published-letter.html ÂÂDear All,ÂI am pleased to report to you that the letter bellow was published in theÂOrange County Register this past Sunday. L.A. Times did not publish it.ÂHildaÂÂLetters to the EditorÂLos Angeles TimesÂLos Angeles, CAÂÂDear Editor:ÂÂRe: "Yugoslavia No More" (3/15/02), - Of all the nationalities that onceÂcomprised former Yugoslavia, it will only be the Serbs who will feelÂregrets at its demise. After all, it was the Serbs who ruthlesslyÂdominated over everybody else ever since the ill-conceived country wasÂcobbled together after WWI , against the wishes or chance to vote by theÂCroats and Slovenes. Originally called "The Kingdom of Croats, Serbs andÂSlovenes" it was soon renamed "Yugoslavia" and ruled by royalÂdictatorship of Serb king Aleksander.ÂÂAs a bizarre footnote to history, Yugoslavia had its beginnings with aÂSerb national assassinating the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand and his wifeÂduring their visit to Sarajevo, Bosnia, and ended with the aggression byÂSerbia against its neighbor republics Croatia, Bosnia and Slovenia. Let'sÂhope this is the last we will see of the Serb troublemaking in this world!ÂÂSincerely,ÂÂHilda M. FoleyÂ13272 Orange KnollÂSanta Ana, Ca. 92705ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 17 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6711/1/E-Croatia-Gotovina-Defences-Gamble.html ÂCroatia: Gotovina Defence's GambleÂCroatia's fugitive general may surrender to the Hague tribunal if WashingtonÂreleases files on Operation Storm.ÂÂBy Dominic Hipkins in Zagreb (TU No. 257, March 4-9, 2002)ÂSupporters of the war crimes suspect Ante Gotovina are fueling speculation that the fugitive Croatian army general is planning to hand himself over to The Hague tribunal.ÂThe political weekly Nacional recently carried interviews with unnamed friends of the fugitive, suggesting he may be prepared to end his eight-month flight from justice. However, Luka Miscetic, the lawyer representing Gotovina, says any surrender is conditional on the US opening its archives to provide material for his defence.ÂThis would shed light on America's role in Operation Storm, the Croatian offensive Gotovina commanded in August 1995 that led to the recapture of the self-proclaimed Republic of Srpska Krajina, RSK. Gotovina is held responsible for numerous atrocities that forced the displacement of up to 200,000 Krajina Serbs.ÂMiscetic believes US intelligence archives contain photos from unmanned spy planes and satellite imagery that can prove Gotovina is innocent of these crimes. "If this information was made available by the US it would remove General Gotovina's perception of an unfair tribunal trial," said Miscetic, speaking from Chicago.ÂAlthough he claims to have had no contact with the general, who went into hiding last June, before his indictment was made public, Miscetic is confident Gotovina is "ready to respond". A US embassy source in Zagreb suggested Washington would look favourably on requests for specific documentation made through official channels. According to Miscetic, the investigators have not yet done this.ÂMiscetic said potential defence witnesses from America had already approached the Gotovina camp, describing them as "former US special forces on the ground during Operation Storm who say they saw nothing wrong [in Storm]". He claims US personnel were in a position to" know everything that was happening" and were not aware of atrocities.ÂMiscetic says the former US ambassador to Croatia, Peter Galbraith, heads the list of US witnesses Gotovina may wish to call. "Galbraith knows there were no town- by- town expulsions," he said.ÂGalbraith told the magazine Newsweek last summer that the Krajina Serbs left ahead of the arrival of the Croatian army. "You can't deport somebody who has already left," he said.ÂIndependent observers credit Croatian claims that its military forces were provided with US intelligence. Former BBC Balkans correspondent Martin Bell said, "US help for the Croatian army was an open secret." Gotovina's defence team have argued that audio and video tapes show private US military advisers were present alongside Gotovina on the eve of battle.ÂThese tapes supposedly show the man held responsible for the murders or disappearance of hundreds of civilians instructing Croatian troops to adhere to the rules of war. "Only losers kill civilians and we are going to win," Gotovina is alleged to have urged in one recording, preserved along with Gotovina's handwritten battle orders.ÂThe testimony of UN peacekeepers - some of whom were killed during Operation Storm - is thought to have been crucial in constructing the Gotovina indictment, particularly concerning the massive artillery assault on the rebel capital, Knin.ÂAlain Fourand, a former Canadian commander of the UN Protection Force, UNPROFOR, wrote to Gotovina to protest that the target "was not a military target," according to testimony leaked to the Canadian press in 1998. Fourand promised to inform international investigators of the barrage, which his colleague Colonel Andrew Leslie criticised as "ethnic cleansing".ÂHowever, their account clashes with that of Pentagon lawyers who two years ago argued that the shelling was a legitimate military activity.ÂMilorad Pupovac, a Croatian Serb spokesman, says audiences he addressed in Washington on the eve of Operation Storm were resigned to Croatia settling the Krajina issue with arms. "The Americans said talks (on Krajina) were going nowhere," said Pupovac, who warned diplomats a refugee catastrophe could follow. He says caution over a Croatian military attack was overlooked in favour of a speedy end to a war that would lead to the US-brokered Dayton Peace Accords for Bosnia of November 1995.ÂThe Dayton deal was conditional on Croatia settling the Krajina affair. It was only after Croatia's July 1995 victory over the Croatian Serbs that a joint Bosnian-Croat and Bosniak offensive in Bosnia was able to roll back Serb gains there and push them towards the negotiating table. At Dayton, the latter had to settle for less than 50 per cent of Bosnia's territory, down from more than two-thirds they held six months before.ÂÂThe Croats claim that the mass deportations of Serbs from Krajina alleged in the indictment were the responsibility of Belgrade. Awkwardly for the Hague prosecutor, such sentiments seem once to have been shared by current spokeswoman Florence Hartmann. A former journalist for Le Monde, Hartmann penned a book suggesting Serbs from Krajina were "evacuated so Milosevic could hold on to territory in Bosnia during (the Dayton) peace negotiations".ÂThis suggests that Milosevic urged Krajina Serbs to leave, to make it easier for the Serbs in Bosnia to keep the bulk of their vast gains. The defence may call Hartmann in Gotovina's defence if only to embarrass the tribunal.ÂThe defence also points out other weaknesses in the indictment. The charges claims a state of armed conflict existed in Croatia until November 15, 1995, nine weeks after Croatian authorities announced the completion of Storm and the restoration of civilian political control over the region.ÂMost of the murders occurred in the weeks after Storm's official end. This is set out in both the appendix of victims in Gotovina's indictment and the field reports of human rights groups such as the Croatian Helsinki Committee. The general's defence holds that there is a contradiction in their client being held to account for post-battle abuses when The Hague only has jurisdiction over crimes committed during periods of war.ÂThe defence will also point out that the indictment was partially compiled with the assistance of Veritas, a body that documents human rights abuses against Serbs. It will say that leading members of the group formerly served as officials in the RSK, whose establishment is condemned as the work of a "joint criminal enterprise" in the Croatia indictment against Slobodan Milosevic.ÂÂDominik Hipkins is a freelance journalist based in Croatia.ÂÂÂ************************************************************************ÂÂCan it be true? A nearly fair report on Gotovina from - wait for it ! - IWPR!!!!!!!!!!!!ÂTom K's kick arse letter may have had an effect. It mentions Veritas - and! - Hartmann's book.ÂObviously people are starting to crap themselves over this indictment. "Cover our arses!" is today's motto A lot of Hipkins stuff for the defence seems to have been cribbed from Tom's letter, my work, and the antegotovina.com site generally. No credit of course.ÂÂBrianÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 15 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6710/1/E-Bogdanichs-film-in-New-York-T-Needs-your-letters.html ÂDear folks: George Bogdanich has been getting excellent press. Set forth below is a review of his movie which appeared in today's NY Times. Coincidentally (?), the paper trashed Harrison's Flower's. As I write, I am listening to Bogdanich being interviewed on our local National Public Radio station. You may be able to listen to the interview later today at http://www.wnyc.org/new/talk/nyandco/nyconewÂÂÂLuckily, the interviewer knows about his Serbnet connections and has asked him about that.ÂÂÂSet forth below is a letter I wrote to the NY Times concerning the review.ÂÂÂJohn KraljicÂÂOp-edÂletters@nytimes.comÂnbÂÂThe Horrors of the Balkan Wars as Shrewdly Staged IllusionsÂBy STEPHEN HOLDENÂOne of the many unsettling contentions of George Bogdanich's documentary film, "Yugoslavia, the Avoidable War," is its assertion that many of the most horrendous events in the recent Balkan wars were stage-managed for the news media. A number of the massacres and atrocities reported on television with bodies on display, it maintains, were shrewdly planned illusions concocted by the Bosnian Muslims to inflame international opinion against the Serbs. The city of Sarajevo in particular served more than once as an accessible location for deceptive television coverage.ÂAlthough it would be inaccurate to label this documentary pro-Serbian, the film, which opens today at the Two Boots Pioneer Theater, methodically sets out to demolish much of the conventional wisdom about who did what to whom and who was to blame. It insists that a regional civil war that could have been settled without prolonged bloodshed was turned into a major conflagration by outside interference and national self-interest.ÂAs the United States government has tacitly acknowledged by keeping the press at bay in Afghanistan, public relations and the ability to get your version of events across is almost as important as weaponry in modern warfare. The version of a war that is reported on television becomes the official version that in turn motivates crucial political decisions.ÂÂThe film asserts that partly because of American television's need for clear-cut heroes and villains, a scenario of good guys (the oppressed Bosnian Muslims) versus bad (the evil, barbaric Serbs) came to dominate mainstream news coverage of the war. After one reporter heard a Serbian use the words "ethnic cleansing," for instance, the term, with its repugnant genocidal associations, was seized on by the Clinton administration as a buzzword and used to bash the Serbs, when in fact all sides were equally intent on "cleansing" their territories of undesirables.ÂThis heroes-and-villains mentality, the film contends, also served American interests by giving the United States an excuse to preserve and strengthen NATO in the post-Communist era when its relevance had become debatable.ÂIt allowed us to keep our power base in Europe. The film bluntly calls "an occupying force" the NATO forces (led by the United States) that remain in Kosovo, Bosnia and Macedonia without an official date for withdrawing, and it goes so far as to accuse that 19-nation army of conspiring to commit war crimes.ÂAlmost anything we thought we knew about the Balkan wars is thrown into question by the film. Did a highly publicized civilian massacre of Bosnian Muslims by Serbs in Kosovo that prompted NATO to intensify the bombing of Yugoslavia really take place? Or did Bosnian Muslims transport the bodies of dead soldiers (not civilians) overnight to the site and then cry massacre?ÂAnd what about the numbers? Subsequent investigations, the movie claims, have shown that the tally of casualties at the hands of Serbs, including the supposed mass rapes of Bosnian women, was outrageously inflated.ÂWhether or not you're convinced by the film's assertions, many of which are based on information provided by the Red Cross, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other organizations that investigated reported events after the fact, "Yugoslavia, the Avoidable War" does an impressive job of relating the complicated history of the war and of filling in the background. Some of that background has been overshadowed by the designation of the Serbs as the villains. The Croatians, it reminds us, collaborated closely with the Nazis during World War II in the slaughter of 750,000 Serbs, Jews and Gypsies in their territory.ÂAs for the Bosnian Muslims, the film says there is ample evidence documenting Bosnians' alliance with Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network.ÂMr. bin Laden was a regular visitor to the office of Bosnia's president Alija Izetbegovic in early 1993, a time when the United States was lauding his commitment to moderation and multiethnic cooperation.ÂAs the meticulously chronological account of the Balkan wars unfolds event by event, failed peace initiative by failed peace initiative, "Yugoslavia, the Avoidable War" leads you to a no man's land of doubt.ÂThe truth, of course, was never as black-and-white as it is has been painted for us. It rarely is.ÂYUGOSLAVIA, THE AVOIDABLE WARÂDirected by George Bogdanich; directors of photography, Michael Moser, Vladimir Bibic, Dragan Milinkovic, David Hansen, Joe Friendly and Predrag Bambic; edited by Mary Patierno; title song, "Road to Hell," by Chris Rea; produced by Mr. Bogdanich and Martin Lettmayer; released by Hargrove Entertainmnet. At the Two Boots Pioneer Theater, 155 East Third Street, East Village. Running time: 165 minutes. This film is not rated.ÂÂWITH: Sanya Popovic (Narrator) and Lord Peter Carrington, James Baker, Lawrence Eagleburger, Hans Dietrich Genscher, Nora Beloff, Susan Woodward and Ted Galen Carpenter.Â+++++++++++++++++++ÂÂLetters to the EditorÂThe New York TimesÂ229 West 43rd StreetÂNew York, NY 10036ÂÂRe: "The Horrors of the Balkan Wars as Shrewdly Staged Illusions" By Stephen Holden, March 15, 2002 (Movie Review)ÂÂTo the Editor:ÂÂStephen Holden notes that it would be "inaccurate" to portray George Bogdanich's film "Yugoslavia, the Avoidable War" as "pro-Serbian." That is certainly a surprise to those of us who have known of Bogdanich's Croat, Albanian and Bosnian bashing ever since the outbreak of the war in Croatia in 1991.ÂÂThat Bogdanich continues in this vein is seen by the supposed reminder of Croatian collaboration with the Nazis during World War II. No doubt Mr. Bogdanich conveniently forgot to mention the substantial role played by hundreds of thousands of Croats in the Yugoslav Partisans. His demonization tactics are further evident by his exponential inflation of the number of victims of the Croatian Ustashe.ÂÂWhat is most surprising is that The New York Times, which extensively reported on the war in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and whose own reporters wrote from first hand experience about the genocide inflicted by Serb forces there would uncritically accept Bogdanich's contentions that the various bombings and massacres of Croat and Bosnian civiliansÂwas self-inflicted.ÂÂVery truly yours,ÂÂÂÂÂJohn P. KraljicÂPresident, National Federation ofÂCroatian AmericansÂÂÂWrite to: letters@nytimes.comÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 15 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6712/1/E-Your-Letters.html ÂSubj: Balkan TinderboxÂÂÂI am a frequent viewer of History channel and generaly recommend theÂÂprogram to my friends and encourage my children to learn from it. I mayÂÂdiffer in some interpretations and opinions,but rarely had a cause toÂÂwrite to you. What disturbed me was the above presentation.Filled withÂÂinaccuracies to the point that I believe it is blatant disregard forÂÂjournalism and honesty in reporting.I am obviously not a Serb and may haveÂÂsomewhat less objective view ,but if you cared to check your referencesÂÂyou will find a barrel of malicious propaganda. How could you let thisÂÂhappen?! The list of "errors" is too long to go over,they are continuous.ÂÂSo, I am not only distressed with this, but will be very reluctant inÂÂfuture spend my time with "H", let alone recommend it.ÂÂV.BachÂÂDear Vjera,ÂÂThank you for your recent e-mail regarding programming on The HistoryÂChannel. We take particular pride in our programming and were disappointedÂto learn that you were unhappy with the content of Balkan Tinderbox.ÂÂAll of our programming is the result of a very deliberate and definedÂprocess. Our research department is continuously studying what interestsÂour viewers and our current programming is a direct result of their findings.ÂÂWhile we shall take your comments into consideration, The History ChannelÂis very proud of its reputation as a responsible programmer of historicalÂdocumentaries, films and specials; as such, we stand by our decision toÂtelecast this program.ÂÂWe appreciate your feedback on History Channel programming.ÂÂCordially,ÂViewer RelationsÂA&E NetworksÂwww.AandE.comÂwww.HistoryChannel.comÂwww.Biography.comÂwww.historyinternational.comÂÂ----------------------------- ----------ÂÂTo: Sports@msnbc.comÂ16 Feb 2002ÂSubject: OlympicsÂÂDear Sir,ÂÂWho ever decided where and when to put the commercials during theÂpresentation of countries at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics oughtÂto have his head examined! It was a monumental mistake, as NBC ought toÂrealize that these countries, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Turkey andÂseveral others were badly slighted by such cavalier action.ÂÂEvery country participating in the Olympics has the right to beÂacknowledged. It should not be too difficult to show the commercials,Âboth, before the start of the ceremony and afterward, but never inÂbetween the parade. Cutting out any country is inexcusable. I hope thisÂis the last time we see such unfairness.ÂÂSincerely, but very annoyed,ÂÂHilda Maria FoleyÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 13 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6713/1/E-E-Mail-to-some-of-the-decision-makers.html Op-edThis is exactly the point CROWN wants to achieve.nbDear Hilda, The letter you wrote is just outstanding.May I suggest that all of us send a copy of it via e-mail to some of the decision makers in Congress, particularly members of the House Committee on International Relations and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.Below are two easy-to-use Web sites for sending e-mails to members of these two committees:House Committee on International Relations:http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cgi-bin/commpage.cgi?committee=hinternatJust click on the link that says: "Mail all 16 Committee Members who have email"Senate Committee on Foreign Relations:http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cgi-bin/commpage.cgi?committee=sforeign_relationsJust click on the link that says: "Mail all 9 Committee Members who have email"Also, the Jonathan Levy article appeared on the Web site "Counterpunch":http://www.counterpunch.org/pavelic.htmlThe reader feedback e-mail there is:counterpunch@counterpunch.orgComments should be addressed to the editors, Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair.Take care,Frank MustacDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 12 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6715/1/E-My-letter-to-IWPR.html Âletters@iwpr.netblockÂÂDate: February 12, 2002ÂÂDear EditorÂÂI was quite appalled by Andrea Feldman's article "Croatia indifferent to Milosevic Trial".ÂÂIt is hardly surprising that the ICTY is not overly reported in Croatia. After all, the ICTY has spectacularly failed to convict a single person for the mass slaughter of over 15, 000 Croats by Serbs during the 1991-5 Serbian invasion and one third occupation of Croatia . The ICTY seems more occupied with promoting the discredited "all sides equally guilty" theory.ÂÂShe also seems concerned that the Croatian media is not uncritically putting out material provided by the Tribunal and international organisations.ÂÂAs a Liberal, Ms Feldman should surely know that the media's job is not to act as an uncritical conduit for any organisation's PR guff, be it from the Tribunal's "outreach" programme or the SENSE agency which claims that its main objective "is to provide to media and public in South East Europe objective, timely and comprehensive information about policies and objectives concerning the region, by main bodies of the international community, such as the European union and its institutions...." . The same international community that once supported Slobodan Milosevic?ÂÂIt seems to me that - in this regard at least - the Croatian media is doing its public a service by taking something of an independent line. Very much similar with what we enjoy in Western Europe, where the public do not expect its media to parrot any International Community line.ÂÂMs Feldman should grasp that in a democracy, the media can put out what it likes. As a senior member of a party of the ruling coalition it is most unseemly for her to demand what the media should or should not be reporting. Most illiberal.ÂÂIndeed, I find it considerably disconcerting that you carry such views. Especially, as given that you are funded by the British government and the European Union, I pay for the IWPR via my taxes.ÂÂHowever, I note that the editor in chief of SENSE is one Mirko Klarin. Could this Mirko Klarin be related in any way to the IWPR's senior editor at the ICTY, also called Mirko Klarin? If so, why was this not mentioned when Ms Feldman criticised Croatian television for not carrying SENSE coverage?ÂÂYours sincerely,ÂÂBrian GallagherÂÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 11 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6714/1/EH-Generic-letter.html ÂDear ...ÂÂCroatians abroad are furious when reading articles and editorials inÂwell-known newspapers and magazines that not only criticize Croatia, butÂalso spread complete lies that are obvious products of Serbian propaganda.ÂWe are appalled that the Croatian government, its ambassadors andÂrepresentatives are not responding to these lies, and in that way allowingÂCroatia to receive a bad image abroad.ÂÂI am sending you a copy of an article:...... I hope and, indeed, expect thatÂyou will publicly respond and denounce this slandering of Croatia.ÂÂRespectfullyÂÂÂÂÂ------------------------------------------------------------------------ÂIn Croatian:ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂPostovana gospodo: (or individually addressing person)ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂHrvati u dijaspori su ogorceni kad citaju clanke i komentare uÂÂÂÂÂmedjunarodno poznatim novinama i casopisima koji ne samo kritizirajuÂÂÂÂÂHrvatsku nego sire potpune lazi o Hrvatskoj, ponajvise jer su jos uvijekÂÂÂÂÂpod utiskom srpske propagande. Zgrazamo se da Hrvatska Vlada, njeziniÂÂÂÂÂveleposlanici i sluzbenici uopce ne reagiraju na tu zlobu pa tako dopusteÂÂÂÂÂsirenje lose slike o Hrvatskoj i Hrvatima diljem svijeta.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂSaljemo Vam ovdje clanak : "...." od ....(date) iz "...." (name ofÂÂÂÂÂnewspaper, magazine etc.) Nadamo se i ocekujemo da cete javno odgovoritiÂÂÂÂÂtakvom ocrnjivanju Hrvatske.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂSa postovanjem,ÂÂÂÂÂ(name)ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 11 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6716/1/E-Butcher-of-the-Balkans.html ÂÂCopy of my response to the attorney Levy, re "Butcher of the Balkans":ÂÂÂAttention: Mr. Jonathan Levy, Esq.ÂÂÂDear Mr. Levy:ÂÂÂI am deeply disturbed by your article, copied below for your reference, both as a Croat and as a human being that believes in justice. As an attorney, I am sure that the concept of justice is hardly unclear to you; I am also entirely certain that you are more than familiar with the torts of slander and libel. Despite this, your article dated February 14, 2002, titled "The Original Butcher of the Balkans: Pavelic not Milosevic", is fraught with half-truths, exaggerations, unsubstantiated claims, and outright falsehoods; and is both patently unjust, and slanderous/libelous to the Croatian people and the Republic of Croatia. In fact, the article reads more like anti-Croatian propaganda than something a serious attorney would publish, as it is obviously not the result of honest research or a search for the truth. Of the myriad errors, let me at least attempt to edify you about the most serious ones:ÂÂÂÂÂ1. Ante Pavelic was at no time a popularly elected leader of Croatia or the Croatian people. The founder of a small Fascistoid party, he was placed into power during WW2 by the Italians and Germans. He turned the Croatian people's rightful claim to independence into a sham, as the quasi-state he ruled was nothing but a Nazi puppet - something that clearly happened all over Europe at the time. However, he never garnered the support of more than a small percentage of the Croatian populace, as the Croatian people could see through his actions. In fact, a large percentage of the anti-fascist Partisan movement that fought against both Pavelic and the Germans and was lead by the Croat Tito, consisted of Croats. I direct you to any serious historic site or book for confirmation of these facts. Let me just add that Pavelic died in 1959 as a result of wounds sustained in an assassination attempt, not 'peacefully' as you claim.ÂÂÂÂÂ2. The numbers of victims of the Pavelic regime you claim are inflated to the point of nausea. While every innocent victim is one too many, claims of "80,000 Jews and 500,000 Serbs" is an exaggeration of monumentous proportions. Croatia had a total Jewish population of less than 20,000 before WW2, while over 500,000 of the pre-war Serb population of just over 600,000 survived the war (with the approximately 100,000 lost being the result of ALL CAUSES). The math is simple, and I direct you to the authoritative book on this subject, Vladimir Zerjavic's "Losses of Yugoslav Population in WWII", for confirmation.ÂÂÂÂÂ3. Notwithstanding the overblown claims as discussed above, none of WW2's occurrences have anything whatsoever to do with the Republic of Croatia of today. Today's independent Croatian state is a successor state to the anti-fascist ZAVNOH, and this is confirmed in the Croatian Constitution. The WW2 puppet state has nothing whatsoever to do with today's republic, which is a parliamentary democracy with free elections and a free press. The late Franjo Tudjman, whom you so wantonly and unfairly label "blood stained", was a high-ranked anti-fascist officer with the Partisans during WW2, and fought AGAINST Pavelic - hardly someone who would be a proponent of anything to do with a resurgence of the Ustasa movement.ÂÂÂÂÂ4. Your claim that "many new public monuments" to the Ustashe are "springing up like toadstools after a spring rain" in Croatia is as ridiculous as it is untrue. I challenge you to substantiate this claim with anything approaching a primary source. I am personally aware of exactly ONE small plaque to an Ustasa officer being created, this being to Jure Francetic, and was the result of a private initiative and by no means a government project. In fact, the use of Ustasa insignia is as illegal in Croatia as the use of Nazi insignia is in Germany today.ÂÂÂThere are many other small errors in your article, as well as clearly dubious claims from, may I say, suspect or even non-existent sources. I am shocked beyond description that a respectable law firm such as yours would publish and support an article that is clearly unsubstantiated rumour mongering, and that is hurtful and damaging to a sovereign state and its people at large. One can only surmise that you have been lead astray by biased propaganda, or that perhaps you have been retained to represent a person or persons with a strict anti-Croatian agenda. Either way, your conduct can only be described as highly unethical. I am certain that the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia will be looking into this matter as well.ÂÂÂSincerely,ÂÂÂAllen MilcicÂÂÂ(E) Reply to Jonathan LevyÂLetters to EditorsÂHilda M. FoleyÂMar 7,2002ÂÂÂTo: Jlevy1@cinci.rr.comÂÂÂMr. Levy,ÂAt the very start I want to make it quite clear to you that Croatia is not by any stretch of the imagination the "successor state of the Ustasha NDH " as you have stated. Since you don't seem to be aware of it, during WWII the Pavelic regimeÂwas installed by the Axis, Croats had no say in it. While Croatians wanted very much to achieve independence and get out from under the Serb dominance, they did not approve of the Pavelic methods of achieving it and just about 1% of the population were pro Ustasha. That fact ought to correct some of your misconceptions.ÂÂÂYour vicious anti-Croatian diatribe "Pavelic was the Real Butcher of the Balkans", is indeed tragic because it clearly shows how you have been totally taken in by more than fifty years of Serb propaganda. You are quoting the usual Serbian exaggeration regarding the number of Serb victims of WWII which stems from Tito's policy that inflated the numbers in order to receive a as large as possible restitution from Germany after WWII. Germany refused to pay until Yugoslavia submitted the actual numbers. These were published by the Yugoslav Annual Statistics in Belgrade and listed the number of Serbs that perished in Croatia and Bosnia of all causes as 295,000 as well as 247,000 Croats and Muslims. In his book in the 1980's "Calculation of Serbian Losses in the Territory of the NDH ", Croatian Vladimir Zerjavic quotes the Serb losses as 322,000 - that includes: killed by Germans and Italians, (50,000), typhoid (25,000), Jasenovac/Gradiska camp (50,000), other camps (28,000), civilians during battles (34,000) , Partisans (82,000), collaborators and quislings ( 23,000) and at the German camp in Zemun (20,000).ÂÂÂAccording to the Archives of the Yugoslav Communist Party, and they would certainly not underrate the Ustasha massacres, about 40,000 Serbs died in Jasenovac, the Jewish victims are listed as 16,000 in Croatia and 10,000 in Bosnia. The trial in Croatia two years ago of the Jasenovac camp commander has proven those figures to be correct and accepted by the Jewish community. Of course no one should condone the death of even one innocent person, yet at the same time, don't you find it strange that not a single Jewish researcher has investigated the Serb concentration camps run by the Nazi Serbs under general Nedic in Serbia during WWII, where 23,000 Jews perished - in Banjica, Sajmiste and others. While Croatia erected a memorial to the victims in Jasenovac, the Serbs destroyed their camp sites and built settlement over them.ÂBy the way, contrary to your statement, Croatians only fought in Croatia and Bosnia, never set a foot on any other part of then-Yugoslavia. Just where is the proof that Croatians were killing Ukrainians?ÂÂÂOne only has to wonder - or perhaps not really - where you are getting all this anti-Catholic information while totally ignoring the fact that the Serb Orthodox Church has always been virulently antisemitic. Their leaders called the Jews "the spawn of the devil" and during WWII proudly declared Belgrade "the first Jew-free city". Only recently, Vojislav Seselj, the murderous Serb paramilitary leader, under whose command thousands of Croats and Muslims were killed during the recent war, and who now sits in the Yugoslav Parliament in Belgrade, has written : "Kill every Jew, Croat and Albanian". In contrast, Croatians as a people, have never been known to be antisemitic.ÂÂÂThere are many other issues I could address but I don't want to trouble you with too long a letter. Let me just touch on several: Did you know that Serb Chetniks were known for their massacres and viciousness even before WWII? Did you know that some 70,000 Croatians, ordinary soldiers and civilians, women and children fleeing from communism to Austria, were killed near Bleiburg by the communist partisans after the end of WWII? Their mass graves have been discovered yet no one ever mentions those victims.ÂÂÂI would suggest to you a few books : "Serbia's Secret War" by Philip Cohen,ÂVladimir Zerjavic "Losses of Yugoslav Population in WWII" (1989 Zagreb,ÂBogoljub Kocovic "WWII Victims in Yugoslavia" (1985 London) and Ljubica Stefan, recipient of the Medal of the Righteous Among the Nations, "From Fairy Tale to Holocaust". They might shed some light in this darkness of perception.ÂÂÂSincerely,ÂÂÂHilda M. FoleyÂNational Federation of Croatian AmericansÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 10 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000