http://www.croatia.org/crown en-us http://www.croatia.org/crown N/A letters@croatia.org Thu, 21 May 2026 20:08:23 +0000 20 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11026/1/Brenda-Brkusic-elected-to-LA-Area-Governor-on-the-Board-of-Governors-of-the-Television-Academy.html Brenda Brkusic (left) has been elected by members of the Television Academy to be the next LA Area Governor on the Board of Governors of the Television Academy. Brenda Brkusic is a 7-time Emmy Award-winner with over 15 years of experience in news, programming and production. She has been recognized on the Congressional Record of the US House of Representatives and at the International Leader's Summit of the European Union for her work promoting human rights through film. She has won 3 CINE Golden Eagle Awards, 8 Telly Awards, and 2 Golden Mike Awards. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Sun, 12 Nov 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10943/1/Giovanna-Drpic-moves-to-CBS46-in-Atlanta.html Giovanna Drpic (left) can say she’s from the South and South America. She grew up in Texas, but she was born in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Giovanna is now proud to call Atlanta home as CBS46’s political reporter. She previously served as host/producer of the Emmy-nominated business show, "Money & Main$treet", on Verizon FiOS1 News Long Island. Giovanna has also been honored by the NY Associated Press Awards, Folio Awards, the Press Club of Long Island and the Garden State Journalism Association. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Tue, 17 Jan 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10742/1/Join-the-Project-to-Present-All-of-Croatia-in-One-Timelapse-Video.html Calling all photographers, videographers, visual amateurs and professionals and anybody interested in timelapse photography… Croatian Tomislav Buza has launched the project “Timelapse-Ajmoo Hrvatsku” (Timelapse – Let’s go Croatia”, with the goal gathering Croatia timelapse videos and compiling them into one final video which will present the whole of Croatia. Buza will turn to crowdsourcing to raise funds to travel throughout Croatia filming scenes which he will merge into one final timelapse video. Buza is interested in gathering as much footage as he can in the next couple of the months from anyone interested. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Wed, 23 Sep 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10712/1/Paul-Musin-promoter-of-Cricket-in-Croatia-and-creator-of-the-portal-Croatia-Week.html Originally from New Zealand, Paul Musin (left) moved to Croatia, and is a member of the Croatian Cricket Federation, where his primary role is to administer and develop the game of cricket in Croatia, right from coaching kids in schools, up to everything to do with the Croatian national side. If that weren't enough to keep him busy, he decided to create the now popular website Croatia Week. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Fri, 10 Jul 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10694/1/Gladne-ui-is-a-finalist-at-the-New-York-Festivals-International-Radio-Program-Awards-.html Gladne u¹i (Hungry Ears) is a weekly radio talk show on Croatian Radiotelevision HRT 2, hosted by Ljudevit Grguriæ-Grga (left). The show Gladne u¹i, has been nominated for an award and is a finalist in the category of Best Regularly Scheduled Talk Program at the New York Festival's International Radio Program Awards to be held on June 22, 2015 in New York City. The show chosen is titled Music and Tears and features an interview with sevdah singer Amira Medunjanin and is the only non-English speaking show nominated in its category. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Wed, 27 May 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10658/1/Robert-Herjavec-of-quotShark-Tankquot-on-Season-20-of-quotDancing-With-the-Starsquot.html If you are not familiar with Robert Herjavec (left) he is recognized as the “nice” Shark on ABC’s Emmy Award- winning hit show Shark Tank. Born in Croatia, Robert and his family fled communism in the former Yugoslavia with just one suitcase and $20 to their name. As Founder & CEO of Herjavec Group, Robert has grown his cybersecurity business over 12 years from $400K in sales and 3 employees to $140 million in sales and 250 employees worldwide. Robert is a proud Dad, a bestselling author, a marathon runner, a Ferrari racecar driver and is thrilled to be able to soon say “a dancer!” stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Tue, 17 Mar 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10648/1/TV-shows-turn-Croatia-into-hot-spot-for-South-Korea.html Koreans finding love and adventure traveling through Croatia in reality TV shows have put the Balkan nation on the map, making it a popular tourist destination for the Asian market. It all started back in 2012 with the filming of the South Korean show "Romantic," featuring Koreans in their 20s and 30s visiting Croatia's highlights, from the capital Zagreb to the stunning Plitvice lakes national park and onto UNESCO World Heritage site Dubrovnik on the Adriatic coast. It became a perfect TV advertisement to visit Croatia. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Thu, 26 Feb 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10488/1/Its-not-a-Velvet-but-a-Snowflake-Revolution.html Why a Snowflake? Simple. A snowflake is innocent, unique, gentle and clean, just like the vast majority of us. A snowflake is a child's joy just like we all want to be joy and pride for our children because we did something for their future. But a snowflake upon snowflake, though gentle, can become a deep snow and an avalanche. Then they have a power that cannot be ignored. Croatian Hamed Bangoura started a non-violent Snowflake Revolution on Facebook, asking for fundamental change in a Croatian political arena. They expect over 50.000 snowflakes in 48 hours. Democracy by example. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Wed, 04 Dec 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10450/1/WTTW-Chicago-to-rebroadcast-documentary-film-quotThey-Never-Walked-Alonequot-on-Velika-Gospa.html Thursday, August 15, 2013 the day of the Feast of the Assumption (Velika Gospa) WTTW Prime in Chicago will be rebroadcasting the documentary film called "They Never Walked Alone" that celebrates 100 years of St. Jerome Croatian parish located in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood. The film will air starting at 2:00 pm CST. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Wed, 14 Aug 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10433/1/Croatia-in-EU-on-July-1st-2013-seen-by-professional-designers.html Croatia has 12 centuries of uninterrupted international legitimicy, much longer than great majority of other members of the EU. As such, Croatia as an international subject is much older than EU itself. Among the most important moments of Croatia's recent past are June 25th 1991, when Croatian Deit (one of the oldest in Europe), as a result of 93,24% majority of votes of Croatian citizens, decided to become a sovereign state, as well as the decision of Badinter's Committee from September 7th 1991 about de facto recognition of Croatia. On the photo is an amusing pair of shoes, designed by Teo Bekavac, professional Croatian designer. The red one represents Croatia, and the blue one the EU. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko ®ubriniæ) Sun, 30 Jun 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10385/1/New-Show-Paranormal-Myths-on-Reality-TV-will-feature-Croatia.html The creative team behind the film Awakening, John Kera and Nathaniel Morin, are at it again with a new Reality TV show entitled Paranormal Myths. The show is about two paranormal investigators, Kera and Morin, investigate areas that may be haunted by ghosts, demons or other paranormal entities. The production team has already begun selecting cities and countries all around the world including Croatia. Filming will begin in early September. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Fri, 15 Mar 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10351/1/CroExpress-a-newspaper-that-is-better-informing-the-Diaspora.html Marina Stojak (left), is the editor-in-chief of CroExpress, a monthly newspaper published out of Hannover Germany. She recently sat down and talked about the paper's beginnings, response of the readership and countries that they hope to expand to.   stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Mon, 17 Dec 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10347/1/Croatie---la-voici-Lalphabet-glagolitique-croate-en-France.html Croatia - here it is! Croatian Glagolitic Alphabet will be exhibited in France in the Museum of Tau in Reims, France. A famous Evangel of Reims, Croatian Glagolitic book ,is kept in the City Library of Reims since 16th century as a special tresure. The book has an amazing biography: handwritten in 1395 in the Prague, tied with an even older Cyrillic Evangel from Kiev, Ukraine, from 11th century, it is a significant symbol of European cultural landscape, connecting Western and Eastern Christianity. An exhibition entitled THE CROATIAN GLAGOLITIC SCRIPT will be open 13 Dec 2012 - 24 Feb 2013 in Palais du Tau, in Reims. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko ®ubriniæ) Mon, 10 Dec 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10342/1/Documentary-Celebrating-100-Years-of-St-Jerome-Parish-in-Chicago-to-premiere-December-9-2012-on-WTTW-.html The film about St. Jerome's 100th Anniversary "They Never Walked Alone" will debut on Chicago's WTTW (PBS Ch. 11) on Sunday Dec. 9th, 2012 from 6pm-7pm. Only part of the film will be featured (only 40 minutes) that evening, Chicago's anchorman Bill Kurtis and actor Goran Visnjic have narrated the film. Please encourage your parishioners and listeners to tune in at that time and if they are inclined to purchase the DVD and support both the church and WTTW. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Tue, 27 Nov 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10245/1/Dubrovnik-appears-on-quotMissingquot-Thursday-April-5-2012-9pm-eastern-time-on-ABC.html This Thursday, April 5, 2012 will see Dubrovnik serve as the backdrop on the ABC hit show "Missing" which stars Ashley Judd (left). The episode featuring Dubrovnik was filmed last year. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10170/1/Famous-Croatian-American-photographer-Zoran-Orlics-photo-on-the-cover-of-the-Rolling-Stone-Magazine.html Croatian American photographer Zoran Orlic, made the cover of the September 2011 German-language edition of Rolling Stone Magazine. Zoran is already known in music circles for his photographs of the Frames and Wilco. The photo chosen for the cover of Rolling Stone is of Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy. Zoran also provides the photographs for the accompanying article in the magazine about Wilco.  stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Sun, 11 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10127/1/Homeland-defense-is-a-right-not-a-crime.html  It is time to judge the judges. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko ®ubriniæ) Wed, 08 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10126/1/Casting-Call-For-House-Hunters-International.html House Hunters International, on Home and Garden TV is looking for people who have recently relocated to Croatia to appear on the show. Being on the show is a lot of fun for participants and a great way for them to document their exciting search for a home and new life abroad.  It's also a very positive show which offers a wonderful opportunity to inform our viewers about interesting countries and cultures worldwide. It can drive interest in tourism and we've even had people tell us they bought homes in a city after seeing it on House Hunters International! stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Mon, 06 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10100/1/Slobodan-Praljak-The-truth-about-Croatia.html Slobodan Praljak: Who destroyed the bridges in Mostar and the water pipelines which connected the sources (right coast of Neretva) and the eastern part of the town? The Old Bridge was destroyed on 9th November 1993. The started investigation about the tank crew which fired on the Old Bridge, in spite of my requests was never completed by any authority of BIH or Federation of BIH. A perpetrator was produced and a lie became the "truth". darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko ®ubriniæ) Sat, 16 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10088/1/Please-help-Japan.html Japan has been struck by the tragedy of Biblical proportions. Pray for Japan. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko ®ubriniæ) Sun, 13 Mar 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10072/1/Dr-Kathleen-V-Wilkes-1946-2003-devoted-her-life-to-the-victory-of-Croatia.html Dr. Kathleen Vaughan Wilkes was a distinguished British humanist, professor of philosophy at the University of Oxford, and also taught at the Inter-University Centre in Dubrovnik, Croatia. During the Serbian siege of the City in 1991 and 1992, she was spreading the truth about its merciless destruction. Dr. Wilkes wrote on Dec 26, 1991: "Dubrovnik... there is still no water or electricity, scant food, no glass in the windows, temperature at freezing point..." darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 11 Feb 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9884/1/Konvoj-Libertas-plovi-prema-hrvatsko-slovenskoj-granici-7-studenog-2009.html Znameniti Konvoj Libertas plovi prema hrvatsko-slovenskoj granici 7. studenog 2009. Prikljuèite se! Kontakt: Zvonimir ©eparoviæ, na e-mail  adresu zvonimir.separovic@zg.t-com.hr (u zaglavlje staviti Konvoj Libertas). Ugro¾eni su hrvatski nacionalni interesi. A famous convoy Libertas sails to the Croatian-Slovenian border on November 7th, 2009. Join! Croatian national interests are in danger. zvonimir.separovic@zg.t-com.hr (Branka ©eparoviæ) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9878/1/Giovanna-Drpic-covers-the-news-in-New-York-City.html Giovanna Drpic has been a general assignment reporter with My 9 News since April 2005. Drpic joined My9 from WKMG in Orlando, Florida. New York's diversity was a big draw for Drpic, especially since she's Bolivian, Peruvian, German and Croatian. And about her last name - no, it's not a typo. And, yes, people have told her, on more than one occasion, to please buy a vowel! stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9753/1/Brian-Gallagher-interviewed-Croatian-American-filmmaker-Jack-Baric.html Exclusive interview with American Croatian filmmaker Jack Baric, the director of the new film, 'Searching for a Storm', published by Croatian Herald (Australia) 13 March 2009. New documentary about 'Operation Storm' which liberated the occupied parts of Croatia in 1995, and saved the city of Bihaæ in BiH from tragedy. Interviewer: Brian Gallagher, London; Jack Baric on the photo. brigall@yahoo.co.uk (Brian Gallagher) Sat, 21 Mar 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9726/1/Croatia-Coming-Soon-at-Jimmy-Choo.html  These 35mm wedge sandals have an embroidered decorative pannel and  are pefect for laid back summer chic. slaven1947@gmail.com (Prof.Dr. Slaven Letica) Fri, 13 Feb 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9699/1/Galesnjak---Croatian-Isle-of-Love---on-ABC-and-HRT-TV-becoming-a-world-sensation.html  Croatian Island of Love is becoming a world sensation. Hrvatski otok Galesnjak postaje svjetska senzacija. slaven1947@gmail.com (Prof.Dr. Slaven Letica) Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9687/1/Croatian-Natural-Heart-found-by-Google-Earth-on-Island-Galesnjak-near-Zadar.html On the coast of Croatia, is this gorgeous heart shaped island, lined on every side with golden sands. Honeymoon location anyone? Croatia has 1185 islands, and 66 among them inhabited. slaven1947@gmail.com (Prof.Dr. Slaven Letica) Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9556/1/Nenad-Bach-on-Global-Broadcast-for-Supreme-Master-TV-June-1-2008.html Nenad Bach’s interview is scheduled to air on Sunday, June 1, 2008 on  "A Journey through Aesthetic Realms" on Supreme Master TV.  Broadcasting on 14 satellite platforms across the globe plus World Wide Webcast. translated in 15 languages. See inside for the exact time of the broadcast and webcast. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Sat, 24 May 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9377/1/Watch-Croatia-in-primetime-on-the-Amazing-Race-tonight-on-CBS.html   Croatia will be featured on the December 9, 2007 episode of the Amazing Race.  The Amazing Race is an Emmy award winning reality program on CBS that features teams of two in a race around the world. Tune in to watch! stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Sun, 09 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9331/1/Miss-Croatia-2007-Tatjana-Jeremic-goes-to-Miss-World-contest-in-China.html Tatjana has to bring the national flag, a book about Croatia, 3 stones and pictures of plants specific of the country, in order to present it to other participants. The Miss World contest will take place on December 1, 2007. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 03 Nov 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9328/1/Ivan-Paric-on-the-reality-show-for-photographers-VH1-TV-this-Sunday.html I would like to invite you to watch the reality show for photographers where I am one of the contestants. The name of the show is The Shot. The Shot is scheduled to premier on Vh1 channel  on Sunday, Nov. 4 @ 10 PM & 12 PM EST and Monday Nov 5th. ivan@ivanparic.com (Ivan Paric) Fri, 02 Nov 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9316/1/Croatia-on-the-new-season-of-The-Amazing-Race-premiers-Nov-4th-2007.html The Amazing Race is a seven time Emmy winning reality show on CBS that features teams of two competing with one another in a race around the world. The first team across the finish line wins. The new season of the race features several new countries including Croatia stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Wed, 24 Oct 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9261/1/A-Diplomatic-quotHunting-Partyquot---facts-never-published-before-by-Ms-Hartmann---part-1.html     Muhamed Sacirbey, Florence Hartmann and Sylvie Matton speak out. Ms. Hartmann makes damning revelations about the betrayal of justice in her new book "Peace & Punishment.". Were the Big Powers in complicity to ethnic cleansing? Twist of fiction and reality. Film "The Hunting Party" with Richard Gere talks about the same subject in the same manner...as fiction. The book "Peace and Punishment" talks about the same subject in the same manner...as reality with documents. And they came out at the same time. Coincidence, hard reality or historical materialism ? Hartmann, Matton and Sacirbey speak of the evidence and the consequences  for BiH, Croatia, the region and the victims. CROWN reports, you decide. aconvenientgenocide@mac.com (Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey) Sun, 16 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9181/1/Stolen-Croatian-Lipizzaner-horses-starving-in-Serbia.html   In October 1991, the largest Lipizzaner horse-farm in Croatia, situated near the town of Lipik, was bombed with napalm bombs. Out of 117 horses 27 of them were killed, and more than 80 taken away to Serbia, where they are also today. Believe it or not, the Serbs are trying to SELL stolen Croatian Lipizzaners to Croatia! From reliable sources we know that some of them have been already sold in Italy. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 03 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9114/1/Two-Americans-living-in-Dubrovnik.html Andrew and Michelle Kehoe have swapped the "big apple" for the peace and quiet of Dubrovnik. They first came here in 2006 and as they say fell in love with the city.   c.mateo@verizon.net (Martin Cvjetkoviæ) Tue, 03 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9111/1/Croatias-Konzum-grows-domestically.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 28 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9066/1/JAVNOorg-Croatian-website-in-English-that-shows-up-daily-on-Google-search-for-news.html   The portal is also available in English, which allows us to reach out to users who speak other languages as well as to foreign citizens residing in Croatia.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 10 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8885/1/The-New-York-Times-review-quotI-Love-Youquot-by-Dalibor-Matanic-Jan-3rd-2007.html   Review by Jeannette Catsoulis.  A bleak drama from the Croatian writer and director Dalibor Matanic, is an unusually perceptive scrutiny of absence and emptiness. Set in the filmmaker's hometown, Zagreb, the movie follows a young advertising hotshot . letters@croatia.org (Andrej & Daniela Urem) Wed, 03 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8883/1/Last-month-on-a-frosty-night-in-Zagreb-Croatia-they-draped-the-shimmering-cape-on-the-shoulders-of-James-Brown-for-the-last-time.html   As the crowd cheered, the "Hardest Working Man in Show Business," whose career had begun six decades and a world away as a child dancing for coins along the Savannah River, walked away from the microphone. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 26 Dec 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8864/1/Im-from-Croatia-Rijeka-and-in-the-very-center-of-my-town-flows-a-river-Possible-kayaking.html     letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 10 Dec 2006 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/8841/1/Can-We-Go-Higher.html www.croatia.org is a web site initiated by Nenad Bach. It is an attempt to answer the question "Can We Go Higher?", raised in the title of his beautiful song. We invite you to visit his fantastic video-clips maintained at video.google.com, revealing the driving force and spirituality of the artist. This video is a Christmas gift for all of us, that everybody should see and listen to.   darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 29 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8787/1/Croatian-Handball-Team-Wins-Statoil-World-Cup.html   violicalvert@optusnet.com.au (Violi Calvert) Sat, 04 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8624/1/Fine-Living-Network-to-Air-Program-about-Croatia.html  Fine Living Network will feature Croatia in an upcoming program of    "Any Given Latitude." The program will feature the Kornati Islands, Split and Istria.   stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Wed, 23 Aug 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8620/1/ICTY-SHUTS-DOWN-WEBSITE-IN-THE-UNITED-STATES.html CHICAGO - August 18, 2006: International Criminal Court for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) shut down US. based website www.lijepanasadomovinahrvatska.com - again.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 19 Aug 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6719/1/E-Swedesh-organizer-di-not-play-the-Croatian-anthem.html ÂKostelic's brother criticizes Swedish organizersKostelic breaks record ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) - The brother of Janica Kostelic criticized Swedish organizers on Saturday for not playing the Croatian anthem after she won the slalom the day before. "It really leaves a bitter taste. It is shameful," Ivica Kostelic told a Zagreb radio station. Janica Kostelic - who clinched the World Cup overall title on Thursday with a fourth-placed finish in the final super-G - won the slalom on Friday in Are, Sweden. On Saturday, Kostelic broke the record of former Swedish ski star Pernilla Wiberg for the number of points in a single season after she won the women's World Cup giant slalom finale. "It says it all about that famous Scandinavian tradition" of equality, said Ivica Kostelic, who won silver in the men's combined at the Winter Olympics in Turin. "Are we really equal if our anthem was the only one not being played?"Janica Kostelic has won six Olympic medals at Turin and Salt Lake, four of which are gold. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Skiing/2006/03/18/1494358-ap.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 20 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6720/1/E-What-do-they-write-about-Croatia.html ÂWhat do they write about Croatia ?ÂSo you're looking for Cheap Flight To Split Croatia. Whether its a holiday, or on business Croatia is increasing in popularity amongst us Brits - and rightly so!The Croatian people will tell you that there is so much more to see and do in Croatia, than just what you see in the brochures.The official entering of Croatia into personal union with Hungary, becoming part of the Kingdom of Hungary, had several important consequences.Croatia has a mixture of climates. In the north and east it is continental, Mediterranean along the coast and a semi-highland and highland climate in the south-central region.In the 4th century BC the northern parts of modern-day Croatia were also colonized by the Celts, the Scordisci tribe. Other Celtic peoples may also have been found elsewhere integrated among the Illyrians. The islands of Issa and Pharos as well as the locality of Tragurion became Greek colonies since the same period.The medieval Croatian kingdom reached its peak during the reign of King Petar KreSimir IV (1058-1074) when it was composed of twelve counties and was slightly larger than in Tomislav's time, also including the four southern Dalmatian duchies (Pagania, Zahumlje, Travunia and Duklja). The end of Petar KreSimir IV also marked the de facto end of the Trpimirovic ruling dynasty which had ruled the Croatian lands for over two centuries.The princes of Bribir from the Subic family became particularly influential during the time of Pavao Subic (1272-1312) who asserted control over large parts of Dalmatia, Slavonia and Bosnia during an internal conflict between the Ã?rpÃd and Anjou ruling dynasties. Later, however, the Anjouvines intervened and scattered the Subic family across the country (an important offspring being the Zrinski family), and later even selling the whole of Dalmatia to the Republic of Venice in 1409.Illyria was a sovereign state until the Romans conquered it in 168 BC. The Romans organized the land into the Roman province of Illyricum which encompassed most of modern Croatia. Illyricum was subsequently split into the provinces of Pannonia and Dalmatia in year 10. Pannonia was further split in two by Trajan between 102 and 107.The first King of Croatia, Tomislav of the Trpimirovic dynasty, was crowned in the Duvno field in 925 (note that sources vary from 923 to 928). Tomislav, rex Chroatorum, united the Pannonian and Dalmatian duchys and created a sizeable state, including most of today's central Croatia, Slavonia, Dalmatia, and most of Bosnia. The central town of the Duvno field is nowadays named Tomislavgrad (Tomislavtown) in his honor.The government ministers (the cabinet) are appointed by the prime minister with the consent of the Parliament. The prime minister is the head of government, appointed by the President with the consent of the Parliament who takes his duty when Parliament gives its consent by absolute majority of all representatives.After the death of Domitar Zvonimir, Ladislaus I of Hungary was the strongest candidate for the throne, but the Croatian lords struggled for independence from Hungary. Following the death of the last Croat king Petar Svacic in the defeat at the Gvozd hill in 1097 to Coloman of Hungary, they eventually recognized him as the common king for Croatia and Hungary in a treaty of 1102 (often referred to as the Pacta Conventa), thus making a personal union with Hungary. The two crowns would remain connected until the end of World War I.The Constitutional Court (Ustavni sud) of the Republic of Croatia decides on the constitutionality of laws and has the right to repeal a law it finds unconstitutional. It also can impeach the president. The body is made up of 13 judges on 8-year term. The president of the Constitutional Court is elected by the court for a 4-year termBy the 1840s, the movement had moved from cultural goals to resisting Hungarian political demands. By the royal order of January 11, 1843, originating from the chancellor Metternich, the use of the Illyrian name and insignia in public was forbidden. This deterred the movement's progress but it couldn't stop the changes in the society that had already started.A change of leadership was far from a solution to the war with the Turks, in fact, the Ottoman Empire gradually expanded in the 16th century to include most of Slavonia, western Bosnia and Lika.After that there was one more notable native King, Dmitar Zvonimir (1075-1089). His kinghood is carved in stone BaSka Tablet, preserved to this day as the oldest written Croatian text, kept in the archaeological museum in Zagreb. Zvonimir's reign is remembered as a peaceful and prosperous time, during which the connection of Croats with the Pope was further affirmed, so much so that Catholicism would remain among Croats until the present day.Rapid industrialization and diversification occurred after World War II. Decentralization came in 1965, allowing growth of certain sectors, like the tourist industry. Profits from Croatian industry were used to develop poorer regions in the former Yugoslavia. This, coupled with austerity programs and hyperinflation in the 1980s, led to discontent in both Croatia and Slovenia that fueled the independence movement.The area known as Croatia today has been inhabited throughout the prehistoric period, ever since the Stone Age.In the middle Paleolithic period, Neandertals lived in modern Zagorje, northern Croatia. Dragutin Gorjanovic-Kramberger discovered bones and other remnants of a Neandertal, subsequently named Homo krapiniensis, on a hill near the town of Krapina.Croatia has a three-tiered judicial system, consisting of the Supreme Court, county courts, and municipal courts. The Constitutional Court rules on matters regarding the Constitution.A change of leadership was far from a solution to the war with the Turks, in fact, the Ottoman Empire gradually expanded in the 16th century to include most of Slavonia, western Bosnia and Lika.Regardless of different interpretations, the Croat tribes eventually settled in the area between the Drava river and the Adriatic sea, the western Roman provinces Pannonia and Dalmatia; western Balkans in modern usage. The Croat tribes had been organized into two dukedoms; the Pannonian duchy in the north and the Dalmatian duchy in the south.Since the adoption of the 1990 Constitution, Croatia has been a parliamentary democracy.The governments of Austria and Hungary each tried to colonize Croatia over a period of several centuries: they imposed their languages on the Croatian people and settled many Austrian and Hungarian colonists in Croatia. Croatian romantic nationalism emerged to counteract the non-violent but apparent Germanization and Magyarization.In an economy traditionally based on agriculture and livestock, peasants comprised more than half of the Croatian population until after World War II. Pre-1945 industrialization was slow and centered on textile mills, sawmills, brickyards, and food-processing plants.The main executive power of Croatian state is the Government (in Croatian: "vlada"), presided by the Prime Minister.The Lombards and the Huns made an incursion from the north. After 476 the area was subject to Odoacer and then to Ostrogoth rulers beginning with Theodoric the Great. Justinian claimed the old province of Dalmatia to the Eastern Roman Empire in 535. Forebears of Croatia's current Slav population settled there in the 7th century following the Avars, partly under instructions from Byzantine emperor Heraclius.Inflation and unemployment rose and the kuna fell, prompting the national bank to tighten fiscal policy. A new banking law passed in December 1998 gave the central bank more control over Croatia's 53 remaining commercial banks. Croatia is dependent on international debt to finance the deficit. A recently issued Euro-denominated bond was well received, selling $300 million, which helped offset economic losses from the Kosovo crisis.The negative effects of feudalism escalated in 1573 when the peasants in northern Croatia and Slovenia rebelled against their feudal lords over various injustices such as unreasonable taxation or abuse of women in the Croatian and Slovenian peasant revolt.The powers of the legislature include enactment and amendment of the constitution; passage of laws; adoption of the state budget; declarations of war and peace; alteration of the boundaries of the Republic; calling referenda; carrying out elections, appointments, and relief of office; supervising the work of the Government of Croatia and other holders of public powers responsible to the Sabor; and granting amnesty.Decisions are made based on a majority vote if more than half of the Chamber is present, except in cases of national rights and constitutional issues.Croatia has a mixture of climates. In the north and east it is continental, Mediterranean along the coast and a semi-highland and highland climate in the south-central region.By orders of the king in 1553 and 1578, large areas of Croatia and Slavonia adjacent to the Ottoman Empire were carved out into the Military Frontier (Vojna Krajina) and ruled directly from Vienna's military headquarters. Due to the dangerous proximity to the Ottoman armies, the area became rather deserted, so Austria encouraged the settlement of Serbs, Germans, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks and Rusyns/Ukrainians and other Slavs in the Military Frontier, creating an ethnic patchwork.The official entering of Croatia into personal union with Hungary, becoming part of the Kingdom of Hungary, had several important consequences.Western aid and investment, especially in the tourist and oil industries, is helping restore the economy. The government has been successful in some reform efforts — partially macroeconomic stabilization policies — and it has normalized relations with its creditors.The recession that began at the end of 1998 continued through most of 1999, and GDP in 1999 was flat. Inflation remained in check and the kuna was stable. However, consumer demand was weak and industrial production decreased. Structural reform lagged and problems of payment arrears and a lack of banking supervision continued.Empress Maria Theresia ignored and eventually disbanded the Croatian Parliament and in 1779, Croatia was relegated to just one seat in the governing council of Hungary, held by the ban of Croatia.Following the disappearance of the major native dynasty by the end of the 11th century, the Croats eventually recognized the Hungarian ruler Coloman as the common King for Croatia and Hungary in a treaty of 1102 (often referred to as the Pacta Conventa).In the 4th century BC the northern parts of modern-day Croatia were also colonized by the Celts, the Scordisci tribe. Other Celtic peoples may also have been found elsewhere integrated among the Illyrians. The islands of Issa and Pharos as well as the locality of Tragurion became Greek colonies since the same period.The Constitutional Court (Ustavni sud) of the Republic of Croatia decides on the constitutionality of laws and has the right to repeal a law it finds unconstitutional. It also can impeach the president. The body is made up of 13 judges on 8-year term. The president of the Constitutional Court is elected by the court for a 4-year termThe book De Administrando Imperio, written in the 10th century, is the most referenced source on the migration of Slavic peoples into southeastern Europe. It states that they migrated first around or before year 600 from the region that is now Galicia and areas of the Pannonian plain, led by the Turkic Avars, to the province of Dalmatia ruled by the Roman Empire.In recorded history, the area was inhabited by the Illyrians, and since the 4th century BC also colonized by the Celts and by the Greeks.After that there was one more notable native King, Dmitar Zvonimir (1075-1089). His kinghood is carved in stone Baska Tablet, preserved to this day as the oldest written Croatian text, kept in the archaeological museum in Zagreb. Zvonimir's reign is remembered as a peaceful and prosperous time, during which the connection of Croats with the Pope was further affirmed, so much so that Catholicism would remain among Croats until the present day.The most commonly accepted facts about the origin of the Croats are that they originate from Slavic tribes that lived in and around today's Poland. The early Croatian people is believed to have been mixed Slavs and the Iranian-speaking Alans according to many modern scholars. It is unclear whether the Alans contributed much more than a ruling caste or a class of warriors; the evidence on their contribution is mainly philological and etymological.After the death of Domitar Zvonimir, Ladislaus I of Hungary was the strongest candidate for the throne, but the Croatian lords struggled for independence from Hungary. Following the death of the last Croat king Petar Svacic in the defeat at the Gvozd hill in 1097 to Coloman of Hungary, they eventually recognized him as the common king for Croatia and Hungary in a treaty of 1102 (often referred to as the Pacta Conventa), thus making a personal union with Hungary. The two crowns would remain connected until the end of World War I.The President of the Republic (Predsjednik) is head of state and elected for a five-year term. In addition to being the commander in chief of the armed forces, the president has the procedural duty of appointing the Prime minister with the consent of the Parliament, and has some influence on foreign policy.The Croatian legislature is the Hrvatski Sabor. The Sabor is unicameral which can have between 100 and 160 deputies (152 in 2003). All representatives are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms.http://www.croatias.co.uk/CheapFlightToSplitCroatia.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 08 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6722/1/E-CPJ-Unanswered-questions-about-the-Tribunals-actions.html ÂÂJournalist arrested; facing extradition to UN war crimes tribunalÂNew York, October 7, 2005âA Croatian journalist was arrested Thursday and faces extradition to the Hague-based United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) after being accused of identifying a protected witness and failing to appear at a hearing on a contempt of court charge. Croatian police in the southern city of Split arrested Josip Jovic, the former editor-in-chief of the Split daily Slobodna Dalmacija, acting on a September 28 arrest warrant issued by the Tribunal, according to local press reports. Jovic's lawyer Vinko Ljubicic said the journalist was being held at the Split district prison and that "we will submit an appeal as soon as possible," the state news agency HINA reported. The Tribunal issued the arrest warrant after Jovic failed to appear for a September 26 hearing to enter a plea on a contempt of court charge.The case stems from indictments issued by the Tribunal in April and September against five journalists and a former intelligence officer for identifying a witness who testified against indicted war criminal Tihomir Blaskic in 1997. The Tribunal had issued a number of gag orders barring news organizations from identifying the witness or publishing the witness' testimony. It alleges that the journalists repeatedly defied the gag orders by publishing the identity and testimony. Four of the journalists have appeared at Tribunal hearings to enter not guilty pleas, saying the material they published was of public interest and the witness' identity had already been made public. Jovic insisted he did nothing wrong and refused to attend a September 26 hearing to enter a plea.The journalists point out that the protected witness' identity was disclosed in a 1997 Tribunal ruling posted on the Tribunal's Web site. In the 1997 ruling, which was still posted on the site on Friday, the Tribunal identified the witness by name and ruled that the witness' identity should be protected. The journalists also say that other Croatian media outlets reported the witness' identity. They face up to seven years in prison and 100,000 euros (US$121,000) in fines if found guilty.The Tribunal unsealed indictments against three of the journalists on April 27. They are: Ivica Marijacic, editor-in-chief of the Zagreb-based weekly Hrvatski List; Stjepan Seselj, publisher of the Zagreb-based weekly Hrvatsko Slovo; and Hrvatsko Slovo editor Domagoj Margetic. The indictments of the two others were unsealed on September 9. They are: Jovic and Marijan Krizic, editor-in-chief of Hrvatsko Slovo. The journalists were indicted under Rules of Procedure and Evidence 77 A (ii), which authorizes the court to "hold in contempt those who knowingly and willfully interfere with its administration of justice, including any persons who ... disclose information relating to those proceedings in knowing violation of an order of a Chamber." The Tribunal grants protected witness status to some individuals in an effort to shield them from retaliation for testifying against indicted war criminals. Some protected witnesses have received death threats from supporters of indicted war criminals after being identified in the media. "Court-imposed gag orders on news organizations are very troubling, and there are unanswered questions about the Tribunal's actions," CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper said. "For example, it's puzzling why the Tribunal would take legal action against journalists for revealing information that the Tribunal itself has made publicly available. We are closely monitoring how the Tribunal handles these cases."http://www.cpj.org/news/2005/Croatia07oct05na.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6721/1/E-Reporters-without-borders-condemn-this-sudden-arrest-of-Jovic.html ÂReporters without borders condemn this sudden arrest of JovicÂÂCroatia7 October 2005Journalist arrested at home on the order of the international criminal court for ex-YugoslaviaReporters Without Borders called for the release on bail of journalist Josip Jovic, arrested at his Split home on the order of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on a charge of contempt of court.ÂThe 6 October 2005 arrest of Jovic, editor of the daily Slobodna Dalmacija was televised and shown the same evening on Croatian TV since he was in process of giving an interview at his home. Jovicâs arrest followed the issue of a warrant by the ICTY signed by a judge at a court in Split. He was placed in custody in a local prison while awaiting extradition to The Hague, which could take several weeks since he plans to appeal to the Croatian constitutional court and the Supreme Court.Â'We condemn this sudden arrest of Jovic by the Croatian justice system based on a ICTY arrest warrant, which appears disproportionate to the crime he is accused of and sets a dangerous precedent,' the worldwide press freedom organisation said. Considering the mandate of the tribunal in The Hague, which is supposed to try the most serious of international crimes, it is surprising that one of its decisions led to the arrest of a journalist who, even if he did not respect the law, has not committed a crime of violence.''The same goes for the four other Croatian journalists also accused of contempt of court. Considering that this journalist represents no danger for Croatia and the ICTY, he should be released on bail.'ÂJovic failed to appear before the judges in The Hague on 26 September, unlike his colleague Marijan Krizic, editor of the weekly Hrvatsko Slovo, who answered his summons and was allowed to leave the court again freely.The two journalists are accused of contempt of court, along with Ivica Marijacic, editor of Hrvatski List, Stjepan Seselj, editor of Hrvatsko Slovo, and Domagoj Margetic, editor of Novo Hrvatsko Slovo, for revealing the identity of a protected witnesses, the current Croatian President, Stipe Mesic, at the trial of Tihomir Blaskic in 1997. They face up to seven years in prison and a fine of 100,000 euros.The trial of Ivica Marijacic, Stjepan Seselj, and Domagoj Margetic, who revealed the identity of Mesic in their newspapers in November 2004, is to open at the end of October.This confidential information had already been posted on the Documentation and Information Centre Veritas (www.veritas.org.yu) in 1999, and carried by the Bosnian daily Bih Dani, on 1st June 2001.Â'I will act in solidarity with my colleague and I prefer to go to prison rather than plead guilty before the ICTY', Domagoj Margetic told Reporters Without Borders.The ICTY chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, said on 4 October that she was in favour of membership talks between Croatia and the EU, since Zagreb was fully cooperating with the ICTY. She had given an unfavourable opinion in March, complaining that the Croatian authorities were dragging their feet in arresting fugitive general, Ante Govina, charged by judges in The Hague in 2001.Âhttp://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=15230 www.rsf.org/ International Secretariat :Reporters sans frontiÃres5, rue Geoffroy-Marie75009 Paris - FranceTel. 33 1 44 83 84 84Fax. 33 1 45 23 11 51E-mail : rsf@rsf.org Web : www.rsf.org CanadaMontrealEmily Jacquard 1000 Fullum MontrÃal, QuÃbec H2K 3L7 Tel : 1 - 514-521-4111 Fax : 1 - 514 521 7771 E-mail : rsfcanada@rsf.org Ivory CoastAbidjanBP 4401 - Abidjan 09 Tel / Fax : 225 22 44 67 15 Email : rsf.abj@africaonline.co.ciÂJapanTokyoMaru Maru Bldg. 502 3-2-7 Yoyogi, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo 151-0053. Japan. Tel : (03) 3379-1401 E-mail : michelt@galaxy.ocn.ne.jp ÂRussiaMoscowE-mail : rsf@rol.ru ThailandBangkokGreenery House, 260/18 Lad Phrao 62 Lad Phrao Road, Kwang Bangkapi Bangkok 10310, Thailand Tel : 66 2 933 7321 Mobile : 66 1 253 77 80 Email : rsfbkk@loxinfo.co.th ÂUnited StatesNew YorkTala Dowlatshahi Mobile : 1 917-239-0653 E-mail : tdowlats@hotmail.comÂUnited StatesWashingtonLucie Morilllon Reporters Without Borders Southern Railway Building 1500 K Street, NW, Suite 600 Washington DC, 20005 E-mail : lucie.morillon@rsf.orgÂTel : (00) 1 202 256 56 13  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6723/1/E-Croatia-has-got-the-entire-world-by-the-neck.html Â, July 06, 2005 }-->span.spelle {}ÂCroatia has got the entire world by the neckHere are a series of six articles written in aspecial supplement to the Financial Times aboutCroatia in their "World Report" supplement, publishedon June 7 2005:Fashion: Strong ties boost cravat businessBy Eric JanssonPublished: June 7 2005 10:45 | Last updated: June 72005 10:45ÂAlong with many small countries, Croatia foreverdreams of making its mark in the world.But few make claims as grand as those issued onCroatia's behalf by Marijan Busic, a Zagreb-basedsociologist and businessman. Mr Busic says thiscountry, slung around the western rim of the Balkanregion, has got the entire world by the neck.Only the rest of the world does not know it yet.Mr Busic says his secret is the necktie, or cravat,which he describes as 'Croatia's contribution to theglobal culture.'History and language are on his side. The word'cravat' stems from the Croatian root for Croat,'hravat'. The necktie itself originated as a kerchiefworn around the necks of Croat soldiers fighting forthe Hapsburg empire during the Thirty Years’ War, inthe 17th century. The style caught on, spreading fromParis to Britain, then via the British empire aroundthe globe.Mr Busic bemoans the fact that many people mistakenlybelieve the necktie originated in Italy or France. Butin their ignorance he has identified a businessopportunity, manufacturing and selling 'original'Croatian cravats as co-owner of a fashion house,Croata.This he does in parallel with his work as director ofAcademia Cravatica, a non-profit organisation thataims to tie the cravat to Croatia in the world’scollective imagination - just as champagne, thebubbly, is linked to Champagne, the region.Croatia’s government is jumping on the bandwagon,giving Croata ties to visiting dignitaries andsponsoring some of Academia Cravatica’s projects. Fromthe company’s launch at the dawn of Croatianindependence until today, so many of Mr Busic'sneckties have been handed to visiting officials that'by now all the politicians in Europe have a few,' hesays.The history-laden sales pitch behind Mr Busic's luxuryproduct and the Croatian state’s official effort tobrighten its image combine to fuel a formidablemarketing operation. Bozo Biskupic, the cultureminister, gushes that the necktie is 'a sign ofcivilisation and mutual respect.'ÂIn Croata’s biggest stunt to date, Mr Busic elbowedhis way into the Guinness Book of World Records byfastening an enormous red polyester cravat around anancient Roman amphitheatre in the coastal city ofPula.He confesses mild embarrassment about the vast lengthof polyester, big enough to produce 100,000low-quality neckties. Croata uses silk as a rule. Butat the cost of €60,000, the Pula stunt was a bargain,says Kresimir Spajic, the company’s marketingassistant. 'I would estimate that 1bn people saw thatPula tie on television, through CNN and othernetworks. You can’t say that’s not a marketingsuccess.'After selling 150,000 neckties last year, Croata aimsto boost sales by 30 per cent in 2005. Most of itsties, scarves and related products sell domestically,but 40 per cent last year sold through a combinationof direct exports or sales to foreign touristsvisiting Croatia.Croata exemplifies a host of trends commonly seen insuccessful Croatian businesses.First, the company is taking advantage of inexpensivemarketing opportunities, trading product for exposure.Croata succeeds in making itself ubiquitous in theeyes of targeted consumers, despite its relativelysmall marketing budget.Second, the company positions itself in the luxurymarket and aims to compete directly against leadingwest European firms. Labour costs are higher inCroatia than in many other post-socialist countries.The company identifies its comparative advantage asquality, not quantity or price. A similar trend isseen in tourism, with moves away from mass tourismtoward boutique and luxury options, emphasisingpersonal choice.Third, to keep labour costs down, the company workswhere wages are low. Zagreb is the company’s salescentre, but design and production are located in asmall village outside Slavonski Brod, in a lesswealthy region halfway between the capital and theSerbian border. Most of its employees are women.Fourth, keeping an eye on production costs, Mr Busicdefiantly refuses to yield to cheaper imports. Croataimports Chinese silk, but the company plans to startits own local silk production in the near future. Arisky plan perhaps, but Croatia’s entrepreneurs havenot learned to succeed through risk avoidance.Finally, the company benefits by cultivating afriendly working relationship with state officials.The advantages of this are real if hard to define.Beyond Croata's bottom line, Mr Busic presents himselfas a true believer in his product. 'If you call usjust a tie company, it's offensive to us. Justproducing ties is nothing. This is something veryspecial,' he says.He and other board members describe Croata's goal inquasi-revolutionary terms. Croatia needs the necktiein its new democratic era to find a balance betweendictatorial order and the responsible exercise ofliberty, they say.'If you look at the people who refuse to wear ties -hippies, New Age people - these are people who wantfull freedom and refuse to accept responsibility. Onthe other side, you have responsibility withoutfreedom - dictators, tyrants, those who would controlyou and who incidentally always wear ties. Between thetwo, the tie is a perfect democratic symbol ofrestraint, of dignity, responsibility and freedom.'It sounds like pure marketing drivel. Claimingauthority as a sociologist, Mr Busic insists it isnot.---------------------------------------------New middle class takes the helmDozens of gleaming white sails skim across anaquamarine horizon, watched by lunching tourists atZadar, an ancient walled city on Croatia’s Dalmatiancoast.Visible for miles along the shoreline and dwarfing allthe other sails, an enormous spinnaker hurries intothe distance. Swelled by Adriatic sea-breezes, ithauls the Madex, a racing yacht, to a regatta down thecoast at Split.At the boat’s helm stands Damir Majetic, a middle-agedcitizen of Zadar and lifelong sailor, his facepermanently bronzed by the sun, the ends of hismoustache curled by the wind.As the boat’s new owner and captain, Mr Majetic isjust beginning to make his mark on Croatia’s racingscene. Fellow sailors at Zadar’s private yacht club,Uskok, where he moors the 65ft carbon-fibre racer,already admire him for prising several covetedtrophies away from Split’s longer-establishedskippers.But whatever he wins at sea, Mr Majetic’s greatestvictories have come onshore in the world of business.He is part of a growing class of entrepreneurs thatincreasingly drives economic growth and prosperity inthis country of 4.3m people, across the water fromItaly. Economists in Zagreb, the capital, hail thearrival of a new era of private business led bynimble, lightweight companies.'Small and medium-sized enterprises are a strongsegment of the economy now. These people are allmiddle class. This is the source of a new strata ofsociety. It’s vibrant and getting bigger,' says ZarkoMiljenovic, chief economist at Zagrebacka banka, thecountry’s biggest bank.The good life Mr Majetic enjoys as a yachtsman has notcome cheaply. It is the fruit of years spent running asmall private company, Madex, named like the boat for'Majetic, Damir: Exporter'.Â'I work hard to make money so I can sail,' he says.The story of his rise to modest wealth, and manyothers like it, began more than a decade ago, in 1993,while Croatia remained submerged in war against Serbiaand during the non-transparent privatisation processCroats now sneeringly call 'tycoonisation'.At the time, the newly-independent country’s leaders,politically weak in a moment of national crisis,placed hundreds of state-owned companies in the handsof a close circle of loyalists. These new 'tycoons'amassed private fortunes in a flurry of dubioustransactions that distressed ordinary Croats andconsigned once-viable companies to commercial ruin.Mr Majetic could have cashed in then. As formerdirector of a state-owned kitchen appliancesmanufacturer, he received an offer to acquire thecompany cheaply from the state. 'But it felt immoral,'he says.Opting instead to work alone, he scraped togetherloans from friends worth the equivalent of €10,000 andopened a shop manufacturing paint rollers.It seemed reckless then, but it looks wise now. AsCroatia’s new middle class gains strength, the bloatedtycoon class’s influence dwindles. Entrepreneurscontrol a growing piece of the economic pie.'The private sector is taking over, giving us a newbase. It has in some cases emerged from the oldstructures, but it isn’t based on them. This neweconomy now accounts for 50-60 percent of thepicture,' Mr Miljenovic says.As new entrepreneurs start up, they add variety to thegrowing private sector, and this yields security.'Because the economy is not dominated by anyparticular sector, or just a few sectors, the risk ofsudden turnarounds is reduced,' says Martina Dalic,state secretary at Croatia’s finance ministry.Growth in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP)slowed to 3.8 per cent last year, but Croatia’sfundamentals appear stronger than at any time sincethe collapse of Yugoslavia, 15 years ago. Debtsustainability in public and private sectors, long aproblem, is beginning to stabilise. Inflation remainsbelow 4 per cent annually.Some concerns remain. For example, Zeljko Rohatinski,the central bank governor, says the heavy flow offoreign cash into the country places growing pressureon the kuna, Croatia’s currency, to appreciate. Thiscould jeopardise the kuna’s managed peg to the euro,which holds movement against the euro within a price'corridor' of 15 per cent.'In order to stop appreciation, we inject into thesystem higher and higher amounts of kuna. The systemis sustainable, but the costs of sustaining it arehigher and higher,' Mr Rohatinski says.At the same time, Croatia’s government under IvoSanader, the prime minister, must try to cut statespending this year. Potential targets include thepolitically-sensitive pensions system,heavily-subsidised shipyards and railways. Withoutsuch cuts, post-socialist transition remainsincomplete. The state still doles out subsidiesgreater than twice the European average, as measuredagainst GDP.Despite these challenges, private companies alreadybenefit from an improved business climate,characterised by freer trade and a gradual reductionof red tape - a world away from the economy of adecade ago.Companies like Mr Majetic’s were once underdogs in aworld of socialist-era behemoths. But whereas many bigstate-owned companies now struggle with losses, Madexthrives.It survived a difficult start, thanks to the war’s endin 1995, when homeowners undertook post-war renovationand paint-rollers sold briskly. Now, with 40employees, turnover of €4.5m in 2004 and projectedsales growth of 11 per cent this year, Madex ischanging rapidly. No longer content to sellpaint-rollers, the company imports paint and paintingequipment and aims to evolve into a larger-scalemanufacturer and exporter. A new subsidiary, MadexMarine, also manufactures and repairs sails whiletrading boating paraphernalia.Mr Majetic says several key changes have helped makeCroatia’s business environment much healthier than itwas five years ago.First, policymakers are ushering former blackmarketers into the tax system. This levels the playingfield for others. 'Fewer and fewer firms dealillegally,' he says.Also, despite continuing problem with backlogged casesin the judiciary, 'the courts are doing a faster,better job.'Crucially, banks are opening their doors to smallcompanies, as the foreign banks that dominate thesector diversify their portfolios and compete bypushing down interest rates.Finally, Mr Majetic cites cultural evolution.'Transition from socialism to capitalism is not easy.But our mentality is changing. People finally arebeginning to understand that they have to do thingsfor themselves.'Croatia’s conservative political elite could learnfrom the country’s more flexible private sector.Mr Sanader’s government was stung in March when theEuropean Union called off eagerly-awaited accessionnegotiations, stalling Croatia’s effort to join thebloc. The move gave teeth to a formal protest fromBrussels against Zagreb’s failure to deliver AnteGotovina, a fugitive war crimes indictee, to theUnited Nation’s International Criminal Tribunal forthe former Yugoslavia.The disappointment demonstrated how leaders in Zagrebcould do more to eliminate the war-related politicalrisk that, though vastly diminished, still frustratesCroatia.Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, the foreign minister, saysthat by postponing negotiations indefinitely, the EUrisks promoting 'adverse effects, risingEuro-scepticism and a feeling among citizens that theEU doesn’t want us.'But, broadly, Croatia already stands politically andeconomically apart from slower-reforming neighbours inthe western Balkans, such as Serbia andBosnia-Herzegovina.In a victory for Croatia’s liberals, Stipe Mesic, thepresident, a rival to Mr Sanader and his rulingCroatian Democratic Union, won a second five-year termearlier this year. The president carries enormouscredit for advancing democratisation during his firstterm, and he praises Croatia for its progress.'Democracy continues to mature. The last electionswere the first ones in which rival parties did notaccuse each other of being against Croatia,' he says.But as a former member of the country’s socialist-eraelite, even Mr Mesic, a proven reformer, faces popularcriticism from Croats who want faster change. Stubbornpatriots, they fear the pain further economic reformscould bring, but they also ridicule politicians seenas too self-interested to make genuinely hard choices.Unlike today’s politicians, since winning independencefrom Yugoslavia few ordinary citizens have known theluxury of avoiding risk - least of all the newentrepreneurs, who are among the most credibleadvocates of swift reform.'I love my country. Croatia has great potential. Itwill have a great future if the people who build ittruly love it, whatever it takes,' says Mr Majetic.Croatia’s leaders say they are eager to see thecountry succeed as part of a united Europe. To followthrough in 2005 they must clear the present diplomaticlogjam with the EU, start accession negotiations, andmove forward with economic reforms - whatever ittakes.---------------------------------------------Big issues remain to be addressed>By Eric Jansson>Published: June 6 2005 15:57 | Last updated: June 62005 15:57With its vast coastlines and harvesting rights in theAdriatic sea, Croatia would seem a perfect paradisefor placing high-quality seafood on the dinner table.Workers in the central Croatian town of Daruvar,piling deep-frozen octopi into lorries at the start ofa lengthy distribution chain, know the truth is morecomplicated.When Agrokor, the country’s biggest private company,acquired the Daruvar deep-freezer and its fish farms,its managers already knew from their ice creambusiness that distributing perishables in Croatia isno mean feat.Though small in population and geographical area, forpractical purposes this is a big country.Sickle-shaped with a long, thin coastline - the'blade' curving south to Dubrovnik - and an oblong'handle' in central Europe, mountainous Croatia posesheadaches for businesses reaching for a nationwidemarket. Hot summers further complicate the problemsfood distributors face.Ljerka Puljic, Agrokor’s senior executivevice-president, says the company’s frozen foods arm,Ledo, manager of the Daruvar deep-freezer, requires nofewer than 12 distribution centres. 'All ourmanufacturing companies need their own distribution,because transport in Croatia is tremendouslydifficult,' she says.But a hard push by the government to renovate andexpand the country’s motorways promises to shrink thegeography of a country that, for transportationpurposes, remains one of Europe’s most awkward.Already travel times between the capital and the coasthave fallen on some roads from seven hours at the endof the 1990s to fewer than three - offering importantnew logistical efficiencies to help thriving retailand tourism industries.Mrs Puljic says Agrokor stands to save 'tens ofmillions of euros' annually if Croatia’s transportnetwork continues to improve.Stanislav Brodnjak, director in Croatia of animportant competitor to Agrokor in retail trade,Slovenia’s Mercator, which is expanding into thecountry, says improved transport links already haveenabled him to scrap expensive plans for multipledistribution centres once considered essential.With their successful motorways project approachingcompletion, government ministers in Zagreb can affordto gloat a little. Faster roads boost efficiency in anarea of the economy that has long been a drag.However, they must also face the uncomfortable realitythat, in other areas, there remains much room forimprovement.Athanasios Vamvakidis, resident representative for theInternational Monetary Fund, identifies a raft ofmajor tasks for 2005. First comes a technical issue,improving the accuracy of state revenue projections,habitually inflated and used to justify deficitspending.Then come the big spending cuts: re-indexing statepensions, curbing costs in an 'over-consuming' publichealth sector, reducing payments to the state-ownedrailways and cutting subsidies to loss-makingindustries such as shipbuilding.'All these problems are problems the authoritiesunderstand,' Mr Vamvakidis says.IMF officials congratulate Ivo Sanader, the primeminister, and his team for major accomplishmentsracked up during the past 12 months. Croatia’sexternal debt began to fall in early 2005 after yearsof constant growth. The current account deficit fellbelow the IMF’s target, contracting to 4.6 per cent ofGDP on the strength of export growth and tourismrevenues during 2004.The state squeezed its budget deficit down to 5 percent from 6.3 per cent in one year, and the governmentunveiled medium-term reform plans for the railways andhealth sector.But the most politically-sensitive items on the IMF’slist remain untouched.Â'The question is whether the government can afford toaddress these issues politically. These things havevery big implications for Croatia’s economy in themedium and long terms,' Mr Vamvakidis says.'Pension re-indexation is a perfect example of whatthe government would really like to do but they cannotbecause of political constraints in the coalitiongovernment.'Mr Sanader’s Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) holdspower in co-operation with a junior coalition partner,the Pensioners’ Party. Together the two partiesdirectly control fewer than half the seats inparliament, but their minority government stays inoffice with extra support from a handful of smallparties.Mr Sanader’s government agrees in theory with theIMF’s insistence that heavy state spending onpensions, currently 14 per cent of GDP, must go down.The way to do this, Mr Vamvakidis says, is to re-indexpensions according to real wage growth rather than thecurrent standard, nominal wage growth. But the HDZ’spolitical arrangement with the Pensioners’ Party meansa move in this direction could blow apart the rulingcoalition.Fixing the shipbuilding sector will not be any easier.Dominated by state-owned yards on the coast, theindustry posts perpetual losses while absorbing largesubsidies. The state pays for 10 per cent of costs onevery ship manufactured in the yards.Hit hard by the high prices of steel and the euro in adollarised industry, the shipbuilders fail to turnprofits, despite job cuts that reduced the workforcefrom 30,000 workers 15 years ago to 9,500 today, notcounting some 7,000 subcontractors.'Production is at the same level now as when we had30,000 workers. Still, the number needs to go down,'says Mladen Corluka, commercial director for theCroatian Shipbuilding Corporation, a governmentagency.A government plan to privatise one of the mostsuccessful shipyards, Uljanik, located in the portcity of Pula, could point the way forward if itsucceeds this year. But other yards may be moredifficult to sell.As state experts work out final details of a plan tosave the industry, Mr Corluka says Croatianshipbuilding’s fate 'will become clear in the next twoto three months.'At the root of these challenges lies a culturaldilemma. Croatia’s economy has long enjoyed success incomparison with neighbours to the east. Traditionally,it has been buoyed by a strong inflow of tourist cashand a large sector of small private enterprises -previously part of a 'grey market', now legitimised.Such wealth during the socialist era underwrote thedevelopment of heavy industry and encouraged manyCroats, like western Europeans, to place faith in aconsumer-friendly welfare state.---------------------------------------------Banking: New problems emerge as security is restored>By Eric Jansson>Published: June 6 2005 15:57 | Last updated: June 62005 15:57> >ÂBolted to the neoclassical rooftops above Zagreb’s BanJelacic Square, the names of the foreign-owned banksthat dominate Croatia’s banking sector spell securityfor millions of depositors once scared off byfinancial instability.Zagrebacka banka, owned by Italy’s Unicredito, andPrivredna banka Zagreb (PBZ), owned by Italy’s BancaIntesa, together control 45 per cent of the market.Other big players include Austria’s Raiffeisen, ErsteSteirmÃrkische, Hypo Alpe-Adria and Germany’s HVB.Foreign banks combine to control 91 per cent of totalassets in the sector.Central bankers praise these banks for reinvigoratingCroatia’s once lacklustre banking sector, anddepositors show their approval by voting with theirwallets. Overall time and savings deposits in thesector trebled from 2001 to today. Demand depositsmore than doubled. Foreign currency deposits grew by61 per cent.The banks have responded by modernising Croatia’sfinancial world. Some 6m charge cards circulate amonga population of 4.3m people, says Bozo Prka, presidentof the managing board at PBZ, making consumer paymentseasier in Croatia than anywhere else in the westernBalkans.But while good news abounds, new problems arise.Central bankers have begun to complain that Croatia ispaying a heavy price for the bank sales. 'Theseforeign banks are great for clients, but from amonetary policy point of view they treat Croatia likea cheap market,' says one central bank analyst.Zeljko Rohatinski, governor of the central bank, saysthe European mother banks of local institutions, eagerto expand business in Croatia, are flooding the marketwith foreign currency, mostly the euro. This booststheir local branches’ lending volume. But it alsoencourages the kuna, Croatia’s currency, toappreciate.ÂIn response, the central bank must inject kunas intothe market, guarding the managed peg to the euro - apillar of monetary policy - which permits the kuna tochange value against the euro only within a price'corridor' of 15 per cent.The managed peg, a source of confidence that Croatiacan eventually adopt the euro without difficulty,could be jeopardised, Mr Rohatinski indicates. 'Tostop appreciation we inject into the system higher andhigher amounts of kuna. The system is sustainable, butthe costs of sustaining it are higher and higher.'Mr Rohatinski acted last month to curb the trend,raising banks’ marginal reserve requirements from 30to 40 per cent, aiming to slash yields on externalborrowing. He justified the move on May 18, saying: 'Ido not believe that the current mechanism (the kuna’slink to the euro) can be preserved under the currentcircumstances.'Mr Rohatinski says the frequency of central bankintervention has increased sharply in the past 12months. Asked if Croatia would be able to adopt theeuro by 2010, as some economists say the countryshould do, Mr Rohatinski defers. 'Five years is a longtime,' he says.Mr Rohatinski acknowledges that Croatia’sforeign-owned banks are only following commercialinstincts. 'The economic cycle in Italy and Germany isquiet modest right now, so quite logically they exporttheir capital to other countries. In Croatia, theiryield on capital stands at 16.5 per cent, and yield onassets stands at 1.7 per cent, which is better thanthey can do in their home markets.'Croatia’s central bank has acted previously torestrain foreign-owned banks, capping their annuallending growth at 16 per cent in 2003. Thisrestriction was dropped last year, but it demonstratedthe monetary authority’s readiness to intervene.Boris Vujcic, Mr Rohatinski’s deputy governor, assuresinvestors that the central bank intends to keep themanaged peg in place until Croatia fulfils its goal ofadopting the euro.Mr Vujcic ascribes pressure on the kuna not uniquelyto foreign banks, rather preferring to emphasise'financial markets and adjustments in the country’scurrent account deficit.' New government bond issuesand brisker sales on the Zagreb Stock Exchange alsoraise demand for Croatia’s currency.Mr Prka of PBZ cites a new trend. 'Until recently thefinancial system has been bank-centric. Since the endof last year there is a trend toward capital markets.'But this trend does not relieve the central bank ofits dilemma. It also traces back to the foreign-ownedbanks, all major players in the country’s developingcapital markets.---------------------------------------------Sport: After Goran, new stars court fame>By Eric Jansson>Published: June 6 2005 15:57 | Last updated: June 62005 15:57> >ÂFew tennis fans can forget Goran Ivanisevic’s victoryin the 2001 Wimbledon men’s final. For devotees of thegame, it was as gratifying an upset as they have everseen. The Croat player, then 29, injured and ranked125th in the world, battled through five sets tosnatch victory from Patrick Rafter, the favouredAustralian.For Croats, the victory transcended tennis. Riveted bythe spectacle of Croatia’s chequerboard red and whiteflag waving in Wimbledon’s centre court, a deliriousnation imagined its own apotheosis being transmittedby satellite to the watching eyes of the world.Miroslav Blazevic, then coach of Croatia’s nationalfootball team, solemnly but absurdly compared MrIvanisevic to Jesus Christ, testifying that he hadwitnessed 'another resurrection'.The champion returned home a national hero. Greeted inthe seaside city of Split by 150,000 fans, he strippedto his underwear, raised his fists and declared: 'Weare the craziest people in the world.''After that, kids appeared with rackets in thestreets, in the parks, playing tennis everywhere. Itwas a fairytale,' says Gordan Gabrovec, a leadingtennis journalist in Zagreb.But televised apotheoses have a way of fading. MrGavrovec says the country’s national system fordeveloping tennis players is weaker than it should be.Still known to every Croat as 'Goran', the local boymade good, Mr Ivanisevic is now retired and living inMonte Carlo. Croatia lives in the year 4 A.G., longingfor a new alter Christi on the men’s tour.If there is life after Goran, it comes at the momentin the form of Ivan Ljubicic, a Croat player rankedninth in the world by ATP, the men’s professionaltennis association, and rising.Mr Ljubicic crashed out early at the French Open inParis last month. But he remains an interesting figureto watch, not least because he bears littleresemblance to the erratic Mr Ivanisevic.ÂJudging from Mr Ljubicic’s performance, recent changeson Croatia’s tennis scene mirror broader changes inthe national character.Mr Ivanisevic, an emotional player prone to tempertantrums, was forever ridiculed by commentators whosaddled him with two nicknames - 'good Goran' for hismoments as a graceful charmer, 'bad Goran' for hisepisodes as a foul-mouthed prima donna.Commentators in the US and Europe did not alwaysrestrain themselves from drawing comparisons betweenthe shaggy, bearded star and Croatia as a whole, anation known equally during the 1990s for itsdelightful Mediterranean scenery and the war crimestoo often committed in its name.By contrast, the shaven-headed Mr Ljubicic, 26, is aportrait of discipline and calm. He quietly disposesof his opponents, then swiftly shifts his focus to thenext match.'Maybe my life experience is already a bit too roughfor me to be wild,' he explains in fluent, literateEnglish, which he speaks along with Italian.A war refugee from Banja Luka, the Bosnian Serbheadquarters during the Bosnian war and ever since MrLjubicic moved with his family to Italy. By the age of14, he was living alone and managing his own home.Mr Ljubicic’s success is a reminder that everyone canbecome a refugee. Some of the nation’s brightestlights were among those forced to flee the Balkanwars, though it may take some years for others toattain a similar level of prominence to Croatia’s newtennis star.Mr Ljubicic says he is pleased to be a new ambassadorfor his country, which is nowhere more visible beyondits borders than in the world of sport. 'We simplyseem to be really good at sport, whether it’s tennis,football, skiing, handball, whatever. We arephysically big, tall and strong, and we are a sportscountry. Open any newspaper and you will find 15 pagestotally dedicated to sport.'Tennis fans longing for a new glimpse of MrIvanisevic’s fire might invest some hope in21-year-old Mario Ancic, another Split native, whomATP currently ranks 18th in the world. Lanky, erraticand fond of tossing his racket, Mr Ancic knockedBritain’s Tim Henman out of Wimbledon in 2004 beforelosing in the semi-final.Whence comes that fire? 'Dalmatia,' says Mr Ljubicic,referring to Croatia’s coastal region. 'There’sdefinitely a difference. The Dalmatians show theiremotions. They want to win at any price. The rest ofus are calmer. I am calmer.'---------------------------------------------Tourism: Tension between two visions>By Eric Jansson>Published: June 7 2005 09:38 | Last updated: June 72005 09:38> >ÂThe boat drifted by one morning and lingered justoffshore. On board, a Russian businessman - a magnateof some stature if not quite an oligarch - gazedcoolly toward the land. His eyes settled on a brightyellow villa ornamented in Venetian gothic floralpatterns, built in 1905 for a wealthy Italian family.Days later, there was a knock on the door. The Russianwanted the villa and would pay €1m. 'No' came theanswer from Vjeko Martinko, the owner, who now enjoystelling this story.A few days passed, and again the Russian’s assistantarrived with an offer, higher into the millions. 'No'again.Once more the man visited, raising his offer. MrMartinko says he turned him down flatly, with someadvice. 'I’m sorry, but some things in life arepriceless. Some things cannot be sold. This place isone such thing.'Mr Martinko’s view of his private property, VillaAstra in the seaside retreat of Lovren, which he runsas a boutique hotel and gourmet restaurant, bearslittle resemblance to the view Croatia’s rulers oncetook of assets along the country’s splendid coastline.Under Yugoslav Communist rule, prize coastalproperties became gifts to Party loyalists - includingthose who once inhabited Villa Astra - while most ofthe shore became a playground for the proletariat.Crowds jammed into countless campsites andcement-block hotels. The state clung jealously to theland, as private owners like Mr Martinko now do, butit also cheapened it by opening it to all comers.In the new era, tension between these competingvisions - one of total exclusivity and one of totalaccessibility - defines the struggle for the future ofCroatian tourism.The stakes are high. Croatia attracted 9.8m foreignvisitors last year. Tourism accounted for more than 20per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), withreceipts worth €5.7m attributed directly to theindustry, according to state statistics.The London-based World Travel and Tourism Councilcalls Croatia’s tourism market the fifthfastest-growing market in the world and predicts thattourism will account for 30 per cent of the country’sGDP by the year 2015.ÂTo stay on track, Croatia must continue its balancingact, accommodating both high-end and low-endholidaymakers. For years, the former have holed up ingrand hotels around Dubrovnik, while the latter makedo in campsites and rooms-for-rent.But critics add that the country must also plug animportant hole in its market - the very-high end.With its vast shoreline and more than 1,000 islands,Croatia possess ample space to provide super-richguests - stars of business, sport and Hollywood - theprivacy they require. But the country’s existinghigh-end hotels, mostly massive resorts andself-catering villas, cannot always do the job.Such shortcomings drive the country’s wealthiestvisitors on to the water, where they spend cateredholidays on private holiday yachts, landing onlyoccasionally in secluded harbours to stretch legs.Some of these, like the aspiring Russian buyer, laterseek ways to buy their own exclusive properties.Spotting a business opportunity, a small but growingnumber of entrepreneurs aim to fill this gap.Among those tipped for success are Mr Martinko, withhis Villa Astra and other properties near Lovren, andthe Turkish proprietors of the Pucic Palace, the firstluxury boutique hotel to open within Dubrovnik’s oldwalled city.Benefiting from exclusivity and privacy, both optionsoffer delights found at none of Croatia’s luxurymega-hotels, including the newly refurbished 139-roomHilton Imperial Dubrovnik, the Hilton Group’s firststep into the market.At the Pucic Palace, guests sip cocktails on aexquisite stone porch overlooking Dubrovnik’s famoustiled rooftops. Rather than inducing claustrophobia,as the sometimes-crowded walled city can do, thelocation provides a soothing escape even in the heartof the city. Soundproofed walls block out the noise ofthe walking streets below.By contrast, Villa Astra, in the northern region ofIstria, capitalises on a quiet location directly onthe shore and exploits synergies with Mr Martinko’sother retreats, including a nearby hilltop farm. By aserene pool, guests eat sumptuous meals made oflocally harvested ingredients - scampi, mussels, wildasparagus, strawberries and nettles.'This is the future of tourism in Croatia,' MrMartinko says.He blasts both old-style mass tourism in Croatia andthe tendency of today’s top-end guests to hidethemselves away on hired yachts. Such tourism is 'anindustry with no human element.''There is so much capital floating around in theworld, targeting Croatia. We must focus it on what issustainable.'Some of the world’s most exclusive boutique hoteliersaim to enter the market, among them Singapore-basedAmanresorts International, whose only other effort inEurope to date operates in Courchevel, France.With new entrants like these, Croatia’s image couldsoon change for the better.http://news.ft.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 18 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6724/1/E-A-Conversation-with-Gary-Kasparov-from-Split-Croatia.html ÂÂA Conversation with Chess Master Gary Kasparov, from Split Croatia...about Bobby Fisherhttp://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=3806793  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 03 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6726/1/E-Prosecutors-to-blame-for-their-own-headache-.html ÂProsecutors to blame for their own headache (?)CHRIS STEPHEN Op-edFor someone who didn't suffer in Croatia, it is irrelevant what the charges are. Value on truth and justice need to be placed regardless of "headaches". They are NOTHING to compare with the "headaches" we had to go through.Nenad BachSLOBODAN Milosevic has dedicated his time in court to wrong-footing a legal process he refuses to recognise, but it is the former Yugoslav president's health that has created the biggest headache for prosecutors. It is not Mr Milosevic's fault that, at 62, this whisky-loving, heavy smoker is suffering from a heart condition which has forced the court into continual delays which have already stretched a six-month prosecution session into a two-year circus. And Milosevic is within his rights to demand the right to defend himself. In fact, prosecutors have only themselves to blame. It is they who chose to charge Milosevic with crimes in three wars, rather than just one, turning what might have been a fairly straightforward case into a vast undertaking. In 1999, when Milosevic was first indicted, he faced charges related only to crimes in Kosovo, the southern province where nearly a million ethnic Albanians were expelled, and ten thousand killed, by Serb forces. Had prosecutors stuck to these charges, the trial would be over now and a verdict would be in, almost certainly pronouncing him guilty. Instead, the current Hague tribunal chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, decided to charge him with crimes in Croatia and Bosnia as well. Not only did this decision triple the caseload of the trial, but it added new complications. In Kosovo, Milosevic was the legal commander-in-chief of the security forces, making it comparatively simple to prove him responsible for atrocities by those forces. But in Bosnia and Croatia, he had no official link to Serb forces in what were separate countries, and proving unofficial links has taken much court time. Finally, while there has been plenty of gruesome evidence of genocide in Bosnia, there has been none, at least in open court, showing that Milosevic ordered it.The result of this ambitious charge-sheet has been a whale of a trial, with a 125-page charge sheet, one of the longest in history outside fraud trials, comprising 66 separate counts. Proving guilt in two or three of these would be enough to put Milosevic away for life. Prosecutors insist that only with all 66 counts examined can they prove Milosevic was at the centre of all the Balkan wars of the 1990s. Yet their decision has left the judges on the horns of a dilemma. If they simply carry on with the trial, stopping each time Milosevic falls ill, the case may go on indefinitely. If they impose a lawyer, they will risk being accused of denying him his legal right to defend himself. Almost certainly a court-imposed lawyer will get no co-operation from the former president. The trial was supposed to announce the arrival of the war crimes process on the world stage. Instead, is has provoked questions about whether such mega-trials are practical, questions all the more pertinent with the start of Saddam Hussein's trial. • Chris Stephen is author of Judgment Day: The Trial of Slobodan Milosevic, published this month by Atlantic Bookshttp://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=772912004  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 07 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6725/1/E-The-Brief-Future-of-NATO-.html ÂThe Brief Future of NATO (?)Wednesday July 07, 2004 (0106 PST)Willard Payne Op-edYou can place your comments at the bottom. There are number of writings around the world about such topics and most of them have major flows in facts. I think that no matter how small the Newspaper/Emagazine is, that the truth should be spoken and published. This category is "Media Watch". When someone calls it "extremely ridiculous" and we call it "scream for freedom" there should be a civilized reaction. Microphone is yours. If you can not submit from this page, please go to the source page. NBWhen NATO agreed to recognize the extremely ridiculous division of Yugoslavia in 1991 it sealed their fate. The following year Iran established relations with Croatia. Since then Iran has stated Croatia is our entry into Central Europe. Iran does not mean a cultural entry but a Jihad invasion assisted by Balkan people. That is the reason Germany sent to Poland Leopard tanks and the US agreed to help Poland upgrade her air force. The upgrading began a little more than a year ago. About two months ago Iran's Defense Minister Adm. Ali Shamkani visited Warsaw no doubt to look over Poland's new equipment. I had truly believed Europe had gotten tired of map making and that World War II would be their last war fought in Europe. Their culture in fact so much of their militaristic identity resides in "Grand Design" visions. Grand Illusions which they assume will show the world their prominence and greatness. Sometimes the scheme works. The last time international stability broke down to this extent was 65 years ago. Of course the West believes, at least most of them, that things will never again to that extent but because of so much corruption on the highest level of Western and Russian society and Beijing's eagerness to arm the Islamic world, the powers that be have been investing in the breakdown all the time. I personally never believed I would ever see another European war in my own lifetime but I underestimated certain sinister aspects of European character. The Grand Deception, which you can see through if you know their history and therefore pattern. The diplomatic show, an elaborate subtle ritual designed to impress and at times insult with its procession of prominence, prestige, stature and of course power. In 1990 CNN showed a meeting of NATO and Warsaw Pact military representatives meeting somewhere in Europe. They were saying they were going to merge their military commands. The military delegates would not say publicly how they were going to achieve this but I could tell the way they were looking they were up to something extremely suspicious. The following year Yugoslavia is divided and the division is recognized, initially the twisted boundary of Croatia which cut off Serbia's access to the sea. It was designed to cause conflict but I assumed this new Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), headquartered in Vienna, and Brussels NATO headquarters, thought they could settle it diplomatically but they underestimated the impact of weapon dealers. Weapon dealers are perhaps the most profitable and busiest business operations in the world especially since the invention of the machine gun late in the 19th century. However not all the weapons were coming from Europe. During one of the winters in the first half of the 1990's when there was a pause in the fighting due to the weather, an article mentioned Serbia having by far the best weapon contacts including receiving weapons from Libya. I first assumed some Libyans simply wanted to cash in on the conflict but I eventually realized the Islamic world also knew the West put itself completely out of position by starting another front. As I believe I mentioned in an earlier article Khomeini's beliefs spreading over North Africa so of course you will have action in the Mediterranean, with the Balkans now fighting the West has simply started another front. Persia and the Arab world can use events just as well as anyone and.......for the whole article go to sourceSource: http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=69965 What do you think about the story? function cntrfunc() { document.speakoutForm.cntr.value = 5000 - document.speakoutForm.comments.value.length;}function validate() { if (document.speakoutForm.cntr.value < 0) { alert("Your comments exceeds the maximum limit"); return false; }}  Send us your comments:   Name: Your E-mail Address: Your Country: None Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Island Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda S. 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The PakTribune reserves the right to edit comments that are published.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 07 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6727/1/E-Magical-Mario-sparks-Croatian-revolution.html ÂMagical Mario sparks Croatian revolution LONDON : Wimbledon semi-finalist Mario Ancic is the latest in a long line of sportsmen from the tiny Balkan republic of Croatia to make an impact on the world stage. Since declaring independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, Croatia has produced several top talents despite having a population of just 4.5 million.For Croatia to produce tennis stars like Goran Ivanisevic, Iva Majoli, Ivo Karlovic and Karolina Sprem would be achievement enough.But the republic's football team reached the quarter-finals of the European Championships in 1996 and third place at the 1998 World Cup with players such as Davor Suker, Slaven Bilic and Zvonimir Boban.Croatia are the world champions at handball while skier Janica Kostelic pulled off the unprecedented feat of winning three gold medals at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.Her brother, Ivica, is the world slalom champion. Meanwhile, basketballers such as Toni Kukoc, with the Chicago Bulls, and the late Drazan Petrovic, who made his name at the New Jersey Nets, distingushed themselves in America's NBA.And this despite Croatian sport having no structure for nurturing talent early."No system is the best system," jokes Neven Berticevic, a journalist with Croatian sports daily Sportske Novosti."The truth is that we really do not have a sports system in our country. There is no system in schools or universities, everything is based on clubs in all the sports."Success in individual persuits has dramatically risen since independence. Team sports were very strong in the old Yugoslavia, with competitive leagues in football, handball and basketball.Sport funding was distributed centrally, whereas today the emphasis is on individuals finding the money themselves. Stars must make themselves in Croatia.So it helps to have the family onside.Ivanisevic senior sold the family home when his son was fourteen in order to invest in Goran's talent. When Ivanisevic junior made it as a professional, capping his career with the 2001 Wimbledon title, the family got their house back."They are not going to have any contracts or any money until they get to the top level of their sports, but it's not big money," said Berticevic."That's one of the reasons that of the Croatian team at Euro 2004, only one plays in the domestic league."If you want to succeed at a higher level and make big bucks, then you have to go abroad. A lot more people leave now."But despite the flight of talent from Croatia once it has reached international level, the fight to have made it stays with their players."He represented Croatia in so many ways," Ancic said of his mentor Ivanisevic."You saw here great Croatian performances. I think it's great for a small country that it is going to start developing even more. I think that's good."- AFPhttp://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_sports/view/93576/1/.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 03 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6728/1/E-Tuning-in-to-WELW.html ÂTuning in to WELW -"Voice of Croatia"04/27/04Clint O'Connor Plain Dealer ReporterYou know how radio stations brag about caring for the community? How they're close to home and right in your back yard (even though they're controlled by corporations thousands of miles away)? WELW is in someone's back yard. Literally. It's behind a tool shed, actually, down a long driveway in a tiny, lonely building that can best be described as a shack. The shack hides out in a residential neighborhood in Willoughby (and Eastlake), which also explains its call letters: ELW stands for "EastLakeWilloughby." In an era of suffocating consolidation, when most stations are controlled by distant giants such as Clear Channel, Infinity, Radio One and Salem, locally owned WELW AM/1330 is as unassuming as its home. It primarily offers "oldies," rock 'n' roll gems from the '50s, '60s and '70s.But if you tune in at 5:45 a.m., you'll hear a priest praying the rosary. Click on at 3 in the afternoon, and you'll catch Tony Petkovsek's "PolkaRadio." Nights are filled with Lake County Captains' baseball games and high school sports. On weekends, it's "Health Talk," a philosophical show called "Visions," "The Italian Hour," "Voice of Croatia" and "Shalom America." "We're really here for people over 50," said Ray Somich, the station's president and principal owner. "People in their 50s don't get a lot of respect from radio stations and advertisers. But we know that someone turns 50 every seven seconds." WELW signed on in 1965 as a religious station. It also has been Top 40, Country and Talk. Sadly, it no longer airs one of its signature shows, "Swap Shop," which allowed Maggie in Mentor to try to unload a set of dishes, while Earl in Euclid expressed his desire for a semidecent, secondhand lawn mower. The Somich strategy is simple: Keep it local, air as much community information as possible and be omnipresent at local events and promotions. WELW even has a mission statement. Mention a "Mission Statement" in most radio circles, and it probably would read something like: "To squeeze every miserable dime out of this station, trim budgets and staff, and make corporate headquarters smile." WELW's mission statement reads: "To continuously provide superior communication service, in accordance with the Ultimate Truth, to add value to the life of anyone whom we encounter, in an environment that unconditionally nurtures Respect, Integrity and Love." Zowie. When asked what the "Ultimate Truth" is, Somich says, "We are here to add value to the universe and the God that is in all of us. We're not all of one religion, but everyone here understands there is more to life than punching a time clock."That would include morning man Allan Parrish, "Dean of the Dusty Discs"; midday host and music director Ravenna Miceli; and Scott "The Scottster" Howitt, the mad rhymer who is on afternoons before and after polka. Miceli and Howitt were both formerly big-time jocks with big- time ratings at Majic (WMJI FM/105.7). It's akin to jumping from the QE2 cruise ship to a dinghy. They like the dinghy. "I'm blown away that people have found me here, it's really humbling," said Miceli. "The biggest difference is we're not controlled by corporate America. We're giving people what is not available on conventional radio." WELW boasts a much larger playlist than most oldies stations; the jocks will find and play that obscure request you call in, and, more importantly, they say they have the freedom to play and say anything they want. "We play the original hits," says Somich, "not the remix, not the shortened version, not the speeded-up version. The way they sounded before the conglomerates owned all the stations." On a recent afternoon, Howitt spun "She Ain't Lovin You" by the Distant Cousins ("one of those WIXY records") and "The Little Black Egg" by the Nightcrawlers ("an old WHK record"). They were not huge national hits, but they were Cleveland hits. Howitt's musical frame of reference is not necessarily bands and singles but the defunct Top 40 AM stations that played them: WIXY (as in Wicksy-1260), WHK, KYW and CKLW out of Canada. Back when listeners had extreme loyalty to a particular station. "Cleveland has this rich music and radio history," says Howitt. "That's what makes a station like this more precious. If you can make even a few people feel better, give them an escape feature from paying a buck-80 for gas, then you've done something." To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: coconnor@plaind.com, 216-999-4456 © 2004 The Plain Dealer. http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/108306900132521.xml  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6729/1/E-Music-around-the-bonfire.html ÂDancing around the fireOp-ed:Not sure about autheticityo of the story, but here it is, what people write and think.NBThursday, February 05, 2004Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury Music: Plucky charmsFlogging Molly upends Irish tradition By Ched Whitney For the uninitiated, the experience goes something like this: The ensemble comes on stage, toting the requisite traditional instruments--fiddle, tin whistle, mandolin, etc. The singer, a fortysomething Irish gentleman, cues the band members, and they launch into what sounds like a conventional Irish ditty. Then someone bumps the turntable to 78 rpm. Flogging Molly has been blending Irish folk rhythms with punk rock velocity since singer and acoustic guitarist Dave King got the band the together in the late '90s. King--who was the singer for the '80s hard rock band Fastway--met his bandmates at Molly Malone's, a venerable Los Angeles Irish pub where King performed on open-mic nights. "The guys and the girls used to come down and see me, and that's where we all met," King said recently from his L.A. home, where the band has been rehearsing for a new album, a follow-up to 2002's Drunken Lullabies. Having tasted some success and played at Madison Square Garden, King decided some of the associated trappings of that success didn't jibe with the lessons of his modest Irish upbringing. But the music did. "For me growing up in Ireland, I was brought-up piss-pot poor. We had nothing," King says. "We had one room in the flat. But we had a piano in that room. Almost every Friday and Saturday, my mother and father would go out to the pub, and they'd come back with a load of people. And they'd all sit around the room and take turns singing a song. All we had was music. "Looking back on it, it's almost like I'm trying to get back to that stage--the honesty of just music." Flogging Molly released its first studio album, Swagger, in 2000 and quickly built a cult following with frequent gigs. A much-hailed run on the 2001 Warped Tour brought the band additional notice. While King is certainly pleased with the success, he is adamant that the band makes music first and foremost for themselves. "People might say, `Why traditional music?' When you're young, you want to hear electric guitar and let your hair grow and fuckin' rock out or punk out, or whatever," he says. "To me, when I came over to America [about 10 years ago], it hit me: I was brought up on this music, and I ran away from it." And though King says, "I don't fuckin' care if you don't like [Flogging Molly]," he says he feels fortunate to be doing something that resonates with people. He relates a story from an Italian friend who worked in refugee camps inCroatia. Lacking the resources to rebuild the bombed-out cities, people were forced to live in camps. "Every night, Herzegovinians and Croatians and Yugoslavians were all sitting around the campfire and bickering. Every night they'd build a bonfire and the Croatians would want to here Croat music and they'd bicker over it." One night King's friend got out his boombox and put on Flogging Molly, and everyone stopped fighting and started dancing around the fire. "Now if I can be sitting here in L.A. rehearsing or something," King says, "and somebody that we don't know, who are going through hell on Earth... and we're putting a smile on their face? I mean, for fuck's sake, that's more than any politician will ever fuckin' do. It's very, very humbling to think that you're doing something in your life that maybe means something to somebody else."Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury, 2001 - 2004Stephens Media Group http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2004/MERC-Feb-05-Thu-2004/23132431.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 05 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6730/1/E-The-cell-phone-guns-made-in-Croatia---Time-Magazine.html ÂPress M for Murder: Cell Phones That KillN O T E B O O KPress M for Murder: Cell Phones That KillSecurity experts are watching for guns disguised as mobile phonesBy ADAM ZAGORINMonday, Feb. 02, 2004Don't be surprised if you're asked to whip out your cell phone and make a call next time you go through airport security. A mobile phone that masquerades as a gun may sound like a device concocted for 007, but it's the latest hidden weaponry to show up on the radar of law-enforcement folks. Sources tell TIME that cell-phone guns, some of which have been seized in drug raids in the Netherlands, England and Germany, have been cited in several federal security alerts over the past year, the most recent just over a month ago. Though heavier than normal phones, the lethal ones look nearly identical. The hollowed-out devices, made in Croatia, are fired by punching buttons on the keypad and can shoot four .22-cal. bullets in rapid succession. So far, no phony phones are known to have surfaced in the U.S. And aviation-security experts say screening equipment now in use can detect the cell guns and other "improvised explosive devices," such as fake calculators, cameras, laptops and PDAs. To speed your next security check, you may want to leave some of those gadgets behind, along with your tool kit. Says a senior U.S. law-enforcement official: "Even a screwdriver could conceal a shotgun shell in a hollowed-out handle."From the Feb. 02, 2004 issue of TIME magazinehttp://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040202-581402,00.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 29 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6731/1/E-Katarina-Tomasevski-Rapporteur-on-the-right-to-education.html ÂChina's education record of Tibet Disappoints UN expert ÂTibetNet[Sunday, December 21, 2003 10:14] Dharamsala 20 December: A UN human rights expert has sharply criticised the education policy pursued in Tibet by the People's Republic of China.Ms. Katarina Tomasevski (Croatia), the Special Rapporteur on the right to education of the UN Commission on Human Rights has submitted a report to the 60th session of the Commission following an official mission to Beijing in September this year. The report is made available on the official website of the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The 22-page report said that: "The Special Rapporteur was dismayed at the illiteracy rate in Tibet, 39.5 per cent, and asked the Ministry of Education (of PRC) whether one reason might be the fact that the literacy test was in Tibetan, while Mandarin is used in political, economic and social life." The Special Rapporteur recommends " full integration of human and minority rights in education policy, law and practice." Highlighting that her report was not a comprehensive one due to many factors, including budget restrictions and the duration of the mission of 10 working days being confined to Beijing, Ms. Tomasevski adds: "An education that would affirm minority rights necessitates full recognition by the majority of the worth of minority languages and religions in all facets of life. Otherwise, education is seen as assimilationist and, hence, not compatible with China's human rights obligations." On the denial of religious education in schools, the report points out: "Contrary to China's international human rights obligations, religious education remains prohibited in both public and private educational institutions. Although the first words of China's initial report under the Convention of the Rights of the Child describe it as "a consistent respecter and defender of children's rights", children's rights in education have yet to be recognized." The Special Rapporteur recommends "an immediate affirmation of China's international human rights obligation to ensure free education for all children by eliminating all financial obstacles" saying that Beijing's goals of eliminating illiteracy and attaining compulsory education were never accomplished. The report also dwells on China's failure to increase budgetary allocations to education and urges that "the budgetary allocation for education be increased to the internationally recommended minimum of 6 per cent of GDP, that is, doubled from 3 to 6 per cent of GDP. Although international human rights law mandates priority for human rights in resource allocation, China's budgetary allocations favour military expenditure at the expense of investment in education, the report said. The report (http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/(Symbol)/E.CN.4.2004.45.Add.1.En?Opendocument) will come up for discussion during the 60th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights which will take place next year at the UN office in Geneva, from 15 March to 23 April. The official mission of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education is the only third occasion when Beijing had invited a thematic special procedure of the UN Commission on Human Rights to either visit China or Tibet. In 1994 and 1997, China received the Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention with both missions being allowed to visit Tibet. http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=5699 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 31 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6732/1/E-OBSTRUCTIONIST-TACTICS-MUST-BE-UNMASKED.html ÂCROATIAN MEMBERSHIP OF THE EUROPEAN UNION: OBSTRUCTIONIST TACTICS MUST BE UNMASKED!17/12/2003 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------Brussels, 17 December 2003. In the process for enlargement to the countries of south-east Europe, the European Union has laid down that the conclusion of the process of ratification of the Association and Stabilisation Agreement (ASA) is a necessary condition for the formal commencement of membership negotiations. According to well-informed sources, it seems that 13 of the 15 Member States are finalising the process of ratification of the Association and Stabilisation Agreement with Croatia, while the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have frozen the process because they claim that Croatia has not fully respected its commitments towards the International Criminal Court for Crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia (ICC). Question from Olivier Dupuis, Member of the European Parliament, Radical, to the Commission: "Is the Commission aware of this difference of opinion between 13 Member States on one hand and 2 Member States on the other, founded according to some sources on the question of Croatia's respect of her commitments towards the ICC, and according to others on the will to link the membership of Croatia to that of other (or the other) countries of south-east Europe? Does the Commission believe that the recourse to a de facto suspension of the process of ratification of the Association and Stabilisation Agreement by two Member States is opportune? Does the Commission not agree that it should urge the Council to come to an immediate decision regarding Croatia's compliance with the criteria of the Association and Stabilisation Agreement, committing the European Union and all its Member States and putting an end to time-wasting tactics?"www.radicalparty.orghttp://coranet.radicalparty.org/pressreleases/press_release.php?func=detail&par=6411 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 18 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6734/1/E-Hold-Russia-to-the-same-standards-as-Croatia.html ÂRussia's a Grown-Up By Anne ApplebaumTuesday, December 9, 2003; Page A31 It has an army, a stock market and a national bank. It has a seat on the U.N. Security Council, ambassadors in most world capitals and Olympic ice skaters. It has a flag, and quite a few satellites. So why can't we treat Russia like a grown-up nation? Certainly at the moment we don't -- and we haven't, really, since the collapse of the Soviet Union. When George W. Bush meets Tony Blair, the atmosphere is friendly but businesslike. When he meets Jacques Chirac, the atmosphere is chilly but still businesslike. When he meets Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, Bush bends over backward, not just to be businesslike or friendly but to be best friends. The U.S. president looks into his Russian counterpart's eyes or steps out of line to compliment him for his "vision" of "democracy and freedom and rule of law" or invites him to his ranch. To be fair to President Bush, his tactics are no different from those adopted by President Clinton, who routinely greeted his best friend, then-president Boris Yeltsin, with an enormous bear hug. President Clinton was also similarly inclined to wax eloquent about freedom and democracy in Russia, even as both began shrinking. What neither president has been particularly good at -- what no one has ever been particularly good at -- is treating Russian leaders like responsible adults or treating Russia like a country capable of abiding by the rules of the Western institutions it wishes to join. This week, Russians participated in a parliamentary election that, for the first time, all of the normally mealy-mouthed Western observers actually declared to be unfair. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe called it "overwhelmingly distorted." The Council of Europe, which promotes human rights in Europe, criticized the use of state-run media and taxpayer money to promote pro-Kremlin candidates. Considering that in 2000 neither of those organizations picked up on the extensive fraud, documented by the Moscow Times, that marred the presidential elections in Russia, their remarks are quite extraordinary -- and there should be consequences. By that I don't mean we should send the Marines to Moscow or try to influence Russian voters. Our ability to alter the course of internal events in Russia is limited, and always has been. But we do have the ability to call a spade a spade or to call a non-democracy a non-democracy, and we should do so. The Russian president, for example, has lately appeared at meetings of what used to be called the G-7 -- the group of the seven richest democracies -- and is now, since President Clinton first invited President Yeltsin, known as the G-8. Since Russia is neither particularly rich nor a proper democracy, maybe it's time the Russian president stopped coming. The point would not be to punish Putin, who would save a lot of time and money if he stayed away from that particular gabfest anyway. The point would be to make sure that our rules remain our rules and that they are not distorted because we feel obliged to smile patronizingly whenever the Russians violate them. It's not as if it hasn't happened before. Back in the 1990s the International Monetary Fund bent over backward not to offend Russian sensibilities -- or to attach any of the normal strings to its loans -- and lost a good deal of money as a result. "We are a great country," said President Yeltsin at one point, in response to foreign economic advice, "and you cannot tell us what to do." Later he stomped out of an OSCE meeting when told that Russia was violating that organization's human rights rules in Chechnya. At the time, our polite toleration of that sort of thing was wrong but understandable, given Russia's instability, and the old Soviet Union's historical enmity. But now another decade has passed, the Soviet Union is a distant memory, and the current Russian government can hardly be described as unstable. Yet we still say nothing when Russians remain in violation of European security agreements, and appear reluctant to hold Russia to the same standards we require of, say, Croatia.The result is not only a distorted Russian-American relationship but a degrading of our own Western institutions and alleged ideals. Why should Iraqis listen when we talk about democracy if we don't talk about democracy with President Bush's best friend Vladimir? Why should Zimbabweans listen when we talk about human rights violations if we don't apply the same standards to Chechnya? The White House has issued a few statements of mild distress about what was clearly an electoral farce. That's fine, as long as we don't mind if others don't take us seriously in the future. applebaumanne@washpost.comÂhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51261-2003Dec9.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 12 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6733/1/E-Ivo-Sanader-Next-Croatian-Prime-Minister.html ÂCroatia Names Next Prime Minister Dr. Ivo SanaderIvo Sanader was named Croatia's prime minister designate on Tuesday and has been asked to form the country's new government. Sanader, whose center-right HDZ party won 66 of 160 parliamentary seats in elections held two weeks ago, must now piece together a ruling coalition. The HDZ has won the backing of six other parties, giving it a slim majority in the new parliament, although it still has to agree on the distribution of cabinet posts. The HDZ says it has abandoned the extremist nationalist policies of its former head, the late ex-President Franjo Tudjman, who led Croatia into international isolation until his death in 1999.Sanader says his government's priorities will be raising living standards at home, resolving unsettled issues with neighbors and acquiring EU membership. (EUObserver.com) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 12 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6736/1/E-RFERL-report---Croatian-elections.html ÂCroatian Elections ReportRADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC___________________________________________________________RFE/RL Balkan ReportVol. 7, No. 39, 5 December 2003A Weekly Review of Politics, Media, and Radio Free Europe/RadioCROATIAN VOTERS OUST THE GOVERNMENT. Croatian voters apparentlyreturned the late President Franjo Tudjman's Croatian DemocraticCommunity (HDZ) to power in the 23 November parliamentary elections.The ballot reflected a general disappointment with the sometimesfractious government of Social Democratic Prime Minister Ivica Racanand its failure to raise the standard of living, rather than a returnto the nationalism of the early 1990s (see "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 21November 2003).Racan admitted defeat, saying in Zagreb on 25 November thathis Social Democrats (SDP) clearly lost to the HDZ. "We congratulatethe HDZ on its very good results," Racan said. "We expect them totake responsibility and form a new government as soon as possible,"he added, noting that his government will continue in office in acaretaker capacity until HDZ leader Ivo Sanader forms a cabinet.Racan said that the SDP will then go into the opposition.With a voter turnout of about 66 percent, final officialreturns on 3 December showed the HDZ the clear winner. It will have66 seats in the new 152-member parliament, the SDP (with itscoalition partners Libra, the Liberal Party [LS], and the IstrianDemocratic Assembly [IDS]) 43, the Croatian People's Party (HNS)(with the regional Primorsko-goranski Alliance) 11, the CroatianPeasants Party (HSS) nine, the Croatian Party of [Historic] Rights(HSP) eight, the Croatian Pensioners' Party (HSU) three, theCroatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS)-Democratic Center (DC) coalitionthree, and one for the Croatian Democratic Peasants' Party(HDSS).In addition, eight seats were reserved for representatives ofethnic minorities. Four additional seats were assigned torepresentatives of the diaspora, all of which were for HDZ. The finalnumber of diaspora seats depended on precisely how many ballots werecast by Croats living outside Croatia. A 3 December statement by theelection commission (DIP) described the turnout among the minoritiesand the diaspora as "poor," both objectively and in comparison withthe 2000 elections.But the results seemed unambiguous, in any case. Sanader saidin Zagreb on 24 November that his government's priority will beraising the standard of living -- an apparent recognition of why theelectorate ousted the Racan team. Sanader pledged to cut VAT from 22percent to 20 percent, to seek admission to the EU by 2007 and toNATO by 2006, and to promote good relations with Croatia'sneighbors.He added that his pledge to promote integration with the EUand NATO clearly includes cooperation with the Hague-based war crimestribunal. Sanader stressed throughout the campaign that the HDZ hasbroken with its nationalistic and authoritarian past. Observers note,however, that nationalist rhetoric often emerged at HDZ campaignrallies.One question that quickly surfaced after the HDZ victory hadbecome clear was whether Sanader will be able to form a governmentwithout the open or tacit support of the HSP. The EU andCroatia's neighbors are likely to be wary of a government thatincludes HSP members or depends on HSP votes in the parliament. Thatparty is likely to insist on a tough line on cooperation with theHague-based war crimes tribunal as part of any price for its support.But HSP leader Anto Djapic told RFE/RL's South Slavic andAlbanian Languages Service on 2 December that his party will notsupport a government with its votes in the parliament if the cabinetdoes not include HSP ministers. The HDZ was reportedly reluctant toinclude HSP deputies in the cabinet lest it face internationalisolation as did the Austrian government when the far-right FreedomParty (FPO) first entered a cabinet.Attention is currently focused on whether Sanader can puttogether a working legislative majority with other parties,especially the HSS, rather than with the HSP. Talks with HSS leaderZlatko Tomcic and other party officials began soon after theelections, but attempts to hammer out a joint program seem to havestalled because of allegedly irreconcilable differences over economicpolicies. Tomcic said on 1 December, however, that the HSS is willingto support a minority HDZ government in the parliament. It is notclear whether the HSS has definitively ended negotiations or is usinga tactical ploy to extract better terms from the HDZ.A truly tantalizing possibility would be the entry into thegovernment of the Independent Democratic Serbian Party (SDSS), whichwill have three legislative seats allotted to the Serbian minority.Before the election, party leader Milorad Pupovac suggested such apossibility, as did his colleague Vojislav Stanimirovic after thevote.The SDSS subsequently backed off from its tentative offer,but as with the case of the HSS, it is too early to tell whether thisis the last word or a negotiating tactic. The SDSS can afford todrive a hard bargain, because Sanader knows he will have aninfinitely easier time convincing the EU, NATO, and other foreignpartners that the HDZ has mended its nationalist ways if Serbs are inhis cabinet.Croatia's neighbors and partners generally reacted calmlyto the news of the HDZ victory. Slovenian Foreign Minister DimitrijRupel said in Ljubljana on 24 November that Croatia will soon have astable government, recalling that Slovenia has worked with previousHDZ-led governments.Serbia and Montenegro's Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovictold RFE/RL in Belgrade that cooperation between the two countrieswill continue regardless of who is in power in either of them.In Sarajevo, Dragan Covic, who heads the Bosnian Presidencyand is a member of the Bosnian branch of the HDZ, hailed the Croatianelection results. Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic said inPodgorica that he congratulated Sanader and looks forward tocontinuing good bilateral cooperation.In Brussels, an EU spokesman noted that the elections "tookplace in an orderly fashion," stressing, as did several top EUofficials, that the Brussels-based bloc will judge the new governmenton the basis of its deeds and not its words. The EU did not fulfillthe outgoing government's hopes of being promised admission by2007. Brussels also alienated some Croats recently by appearing tosuggest to voters that they should not vote for the HDZ or its allies(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 October and 14 November 2003, and "RFE/RLBalkan Report," 27 June 2003).In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman RichardBoucher noted the Organization for Security and Cooperation inEurope's (OSCE) observation that the elections were fully up tointernational standards.And hope springs eternal. Vesna Pusic, who leads theleft-of-center HNS, said on 25 November that she hopes that her partyand the others in the Racan government will have a chance to form anew cabinet if the HDZ fails to put together a working legislativemajority. (Patrick Moore) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6735/1/E-Sanader-to-form-Croatia-cabinet.html ÂSanader to form Croatia cabinet ZAGREB, Dec. 9 - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic gave the leader of the formerly hardline nationalists who won last month's general election 30 days on Tuesday to form a new government and win parliamentary approval for it. Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Ivo Sanader said he would present his centre-right cabinet to the inaugural session of parliament on December 22. The move will restore to power the formerly hardline nationalist HDZ, which led Croatia to independence and then into international isolation during its 1990-2000 rule. A pragmatic technocrat, Sanader says he has reformed and moderated the party and has set out a pro-European agenda. Local media have speculated that the cabinet will contain few old faces from the HDZ hierarchy. ''My priorities are raising the living standards at home, gaining membership of NATO and the European Union and resolving open issues with our neighbours,'' Sanader said after meeting Mesic at the president's office. The international community remains wary of the party founded by the late President Franjo Tudjman and remembered for its hardline nationalism, poor human rights record and economic mismanagement while in power. A mission of Western human rights monitors, the OSCE, urged Sanader on Tuesday to boost human rights and help the return of Serb war refugees. ''(Human rights) are key for Croatia's EU integration,'' mission chief Peter Semneby said in a statement. The HDZ won 66 seats in the 152-seat parliament in the November 23 poll, but two parties quickly withdrew from coalition talks. Instead, Sanader will form a minority government with a small centrist ally -- a grouping made up of the Democratic Centre (DC) and the Social Liberal Party (HSLS). ''I am starting consultations for the posts within the party now, and with our partners next week, and I plan to present all the ministers to parliament on December 22,'' Sanader said. Sanader also counts on support from deputies for ethnic minorities and pensioners and will probably have enough hands in parliament to tackle vital issues like the budget and reforms necessary for progressing towards European Union membership. Analysts believe the new government will face an uphill task right from the start and some voiced fear that its minority status might slow the pace of reforms. ''Sanader's cabinet will have a serious test already on the budget approval, as the 2004 budget must be ready in March. I cannot be sure they will win support for it smoothly,'' political analyst Davor Gjenero said. The new government will also soon get new indictments from the United Nations war crimes tribunal against Croats suspected of atrocities during the 1991-95 independence war. Cooperation with the tribunal is one of the key areas on which Croatia will be judged as it seeks to persuade the European Commission to accept it as an EU candidate. Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6740/1/E-Nikolic-advocates-Greater-S.html ÂMedia WatchNikolic advocates "Greater Serbia"NOVI SAD -- Wednesday - Presidential hopeful Tomislav Nikolic said last night that his Serbian Radical Party had not given up on the idea of a "Greater Serbia". "My desire is to once again found a state in Serb Krajina", Nikolic told Novi Sad Television Apolo, in reference to the area in Croatia which was briefly declared a Serb republic during the war in the early 1990s. "Why wouldn't I want Greater Serbia to be united?" he asked. Nikolic, who topped Serbia's abortive presidential election, said that with the existing borders Serbia should cut diplomatic ties with Croatia. The Radicals' deputy leader said that if he became president he would insist on the return of the Serbian army and police to Kosovo. Asked if this implied the possibility of another war, Nikolic replied: "Yes, if you mean clashes with Albanian terrorists." "Whoever attacks a Serb village or a Serb house, we'll get into a conflict with him. If defending Serbs means confrontation, then I'm ready for confrontation".http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?&nav_category=&nav_id=25701&order=priority&style=headlinesRadical candidate says Croatia an "occupying force" | 16:18 | Tanjug BELGRADE -- Thursday - Serbian presidential hopeful Tomislav Nikolic has denied saying his Radical Party would go to war over the Krajina region of Croatia, but reiterated that Croatia remains "an occupying force" on Serb land. "It's a lie that I said we'd go to war", Nikolic told a press conference today, when asked about his comments on Tuesday evening on Novi Sad television Apolo.He claimed the media had summarised his hour-long interview in three sentences."This is my truth", he said today. "Croatia is an occupying force in the territory of the Republic of Serb Krajina. One day, when the circumstances in the world change, when each and every person in the world gets the opportunity to live on his own land, then I guess Serbs will also be allowed to live on their own property. Then, he added, Serbs living in Serb Krajina will have the right to say whom they wish to live with. Nikolic came top in this month's abortive Serbian presidential elections. His party is also expected to perform well in parliamentary elections in December. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 27 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6739/1/E-Croatian-New-pilgrims-give-thanks.html ÂNew 'pilgrims' give thanksBy STACEY PALEVSKY, Courier Staff WriterBRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photorapher Drajic, Stana and Milan Visnjic celebrate today their second Thanksgiving in America. They moved from Croatia to Waterloo last year. WATERLOO --- We all know the story of Thanksgiving --- pilgrims, Native Americans, corn, Plymouth Rock and turkey.But do we remember the reason for this feast?The meal celebrated the Puritans' successful escape of religious persecution in England.Last year, more than a million people immigrated to the United States. Today, like the Pilgrims did so many years ago, they will celebrate their new freedom with a Thanksgiving dinner of their own.Drajic and Stana Visnjic, with their sons Milan and Dusan, immigrated from Croatia last year. Today is their second Thanksgiving in Waterloo. This year they're inviting many people to dinner --- cousins, and friends from English as a second language classes.For the Visnjics, Thanksgiving is a deeply emotional holiday."First, we're thankful that we get the chance to enter the U.S.A. after a very hard and difficult period in our country during the war," Milan said through a translator. "Two, we're thankful to God because we've found here a lot of good people and good friends. My mom and dad have found a good new life."Stana is in charge of the kitchen, and she will prepare the Thanksgiving feast. She watched a how-to on television, but it was just for reinforcement --- they eat turkey in Croatia, too.Stana plans to make traditional soup and cookies, and also will serve potatoes and a salad. She'll also offer her guests a plate of cheese, since she likes cheese with her turkey.Miriam Rincon's family will also modify her turkey recipe. Rincon's mother will prepare the Thanksgiving feast for Rincon's children and her two brothers."We cook the turkey in Mexican way, and use some red sauce on the whole turkey," Rincon said. "We'll have rice and beans, too."She and her husband Domingo Rubio moved to Waterloo from Mexico about 10 years ago. Though she doesn't remember her first Thanksgiving, she does remember being grateful for a better life in America."This year I'm thankful for being in good health, that's one of the most important things," Rincon said.For refugees, life America can be not only a relief, but an answered prayer. After Esaie Toingar left Africa to escape Chad's civil war, his wife, Brigitte, soon followed. This Thanksgiving --- their third --- Brigitte is still appreciative of the peaceful life she has found in Cedar Falls."I thank God for the community. I thank him for guiding me, and for helping me get through a healthy birth," Toingar said. Three weeks ago the Toingar's welcomed a second daughter into the world, Joyce.But Thanksgiving can be bittersweet for immigrants and refugees.The Toingar's left most of their family in Chad, and though Brigitte is sad to be away from her family on this Thanksgiving, she can't help but be grateful for her escape. Her daughters will be safer in the U.S.The Visnjic's only daughter and grandchildren still live in Croatia."Our biggest wish is to celebrate next Thanksgiving with our daughter and grandkids," Drajic said. "We are living for that."Still, they are happy to be in the U.S., and look forward to sharing food and their home with others."We're thankful over here there is some holiday like Thanksgiving that gives a chance for family and friends to get together and talk about the year," Milan said.BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photorapher Drajic, Stana and Milan Visnjic celebrate today their second Thanksgiving in America. They moved from Croatia to Waterloo last year. http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2003/11/27/news/top_news/74b5312c676bb5a786256deb00011687.txt letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 27 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6738/1/E-Eurovision-Junior-on-Australian-TV-Croatia-Won.html ÂEurovision Junior on Australian TV (Croatianboy won)Saturday November 29 7.00 pm The biggest ever children's TV show is coming up on SBS Television on Saturday November 29 at 7.00pm, Eurovision Junior. The Eurovision Song Contest Junior will involve children from 15 European countries, aged 8 to 15. The participating countries will have held their national ESC shows for children prior to the main broadcast, and the 15 national winners will then take part in the European final to be held - for the first time - in Copenhagen. The show will be hosted by international names from the entertainment world and international stars will perform. The 15 finalists will naturally be the evening's main attraction. The children will perform their own compositions, written by themselves without professional help. Points will be awarded as per the existing EBU rules and telephone voting in each of the 15 participating countries will determine the evening's winner. During the wait for the results, international stars will perform. It is rumoured Robbie Williams, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears may be among them. Eurovision Junior will be an international, top class show. The show will be focusing on the children and their families, on togetherness and the children's talent. The children will be taken seriously, and organisers will hand them the stage for one night and put them in the spotlight. They are the stars of the evening, and will pass on to viewers their obvious pleasure in participating, providing all of Europe and the world with a unique experience. The concept is based on two years of experience in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The Eurovision Song Contest for Children idea is based on a local Danish song contest for children, held by The Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) in 2001 and a song contest for children was also held in Norway and Sweden that year. All three shows were very successful. The participating countries are: Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Macedonia, Malta, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands and the UK. The Australian broadcast of this event will be hosted by self-confessed Eurovision "nut" Des Mangan. Overseas hosts for the evening will be Denmark's Camilla Ottesen and rapper Remee. Related SBS Website : http://www.sbs.com.au/whatson/ http://www.sbs.com.au/whatson/index.php3?id=399 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 27 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6737/1/E-Image-building-on-a-national-scale.html ÂImage-building on a national scale Jim Rendon NYT Wednesday, November 26, 2003 Simon Anholt, a British expert on branding, spent a career developing international campaigns for Coca-Cola and Nestlé. Now he is trying to put his image-making skills to work for a very different type of client: countries with struggling economies, like Croatia and Slovenia.."I was getting bored with spending my life making already rich companies a little bit richer," said Anholt, who is 43 and based in London. So this year he opened his own agency, Placebrands, with one clear goal: to help countries develop themselves as brands, with a carefully managed international identity, as recognizable as any consumer product. He has worked with Germany, Britain and New Zealand, in addition to Croatia and Slovenia, and is now in negotiations with Mongolia.."When it comes to economic development, everyone talks about transportation, technology and civil service," Anholt said. "No one talks about marketing, which is bizarre. Marketing is at the heart of what makes rich countries rich.".Anholt said that by developing and communicating strong brand identities, countries could attract more foreign investors and tourists. That, in turn, could increase political influence and help a country's corporations grow..Next year, Finland will start a campaign to enhance its image as a center of high-tech innovation, with the hope of helping its technology companies fare better in the United States. Branding is also seen as crucial to many Central European countries, which have realized that their ability to compete for investment depends in part on how they are perceived by more developed neighbors like France and Germany..But while branding can help a country improve its communication with the world, it will not work if the country sends out lies or exaggerations, said Erich Joachimsthaler, chief executive of Vivaldi Partners, a four-year-old agency that specializes in branding. Joachimsthaler said that when working with Germany, he ran into a perception gap that is common in such efforts..His German clients wanted to portray themselves as a passionate, emotional, flexible people, an image that he said was "a whole bunch of baloney.".Charlotte Beers, former chief executive of the advertising agency Ogilvy Mather, served for a year and a half as President George W. Bush's under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs - and part of the job was the task of selling America to the Middle East..Jennifer Aaker, associate professor of marketing at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, said that task was almost impossible. "One of the reasons that effort failed was because of the underlying product - our policies were not perceived as pro-Middle East," she said. "We failed to understand the media, the culture, even the language in that region. It is difficult to garner favorable perceptions of the American brand in that context.".Working with countries can be exasperating. Corporations have top-down structures that require employees to get behind new projects and often have chief executives with long tenures. Nations have political factions, sudden leadership changes and vast bureaucracies. Furthermore, branding programs may be seen as superfluous..Many branding experts point to Japanese achievements as an example of how national and corporate identities can benefit each other. After World War II, Japan became associated with poor-quality products, but in the 1980's, with the emergence of successful companies like Toyota, Sony and Honda, the name Japan became synonymous with quality and technology..But to think that Anholt's branding efforts can do the same for Slovenian companies may be wishful thinking, said Desmond Lachman, an economist and resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative research organization based in Washington. Japan had high regulatory standards and a relatively large domestic market that helped its companies develop, Lachman said. Slovenia has a tiny domestic market. It will not become another Japan no matter how it is branded, he said..The New York Times letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 27 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6741/1/E-Millions-planning-to-retire-abroad---Croatia-Turkey.html ÂMillions planning to retire abroadDarren Behar, Evening Standard 18 November 2003 NE in five older people will soon choose to live out their retirement years abroad, a study has revealed. Increasingly affluent senior citizens are opting to retire to the warmer climes of the Mediterranean, America, Canada and Australia. And there will be a huge rise in the number moving to more unusual destinations such asCroatia and Turkey. Currently, one million over-50s have retired abroad but by 2020, one in five - an extra fourm - will be living outside the UK. The study, carried out for Alliance & Leicester by the Centre for Future Studies, reflects a more adventurous and self-reliant spirit among British pensioners. But it also marks the desire to escape to a warmer climate where taxes and prices are lower. Frank Shaw, author of the research, said: 'One of the key factors behind the move is the weather. But it's also quality of life and that is linked to cost of living and economics. There is also a belief that there is an infinitely better public service infrastructure and issues to do with healthcare are high on that agenda.' Instead of moving to live near relatives as they did in the past, older people are now prepared to take care of themselves in return for sunshine, better food and exquisite surroundings. Increasingly, they want a slower pace of life, lower crime and better transport and health systems. Cheaper and more accessible air travel also accounts partly for the trend and the cost of living abroad is often much cheaper. Taxes, food and house prices are lower in many retirement destinations. Mass tourism is also playing a huge part in encouraging retirement abroad. The research found that Britons made six million trips abroad in 1960, rising to 60m in 2001 and an estimated 117m in 2010, increasing exposure to foreign cultures.Many pensioners are likely to choose their destination on the basis of opportunities for part-time work and further education. Simon Hull, managing director of Alliance & Leicester International, said: 'We believe that British society is on the cusp of significant change in aspects of retirement migration. In the next two decades, we are likely to see far more British people retiring abroad.' The study claims foreign governments will be competing with each other to offer tax breaks and other incentives to entice retirement migrants. The global market for goods and services for British retirement migrants will be worth in excess of Â100bn in 2020. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 22 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6742/1/E-If-he-likes-the-country-he-may-buy-a-house-there.html ÂIf he likes the country, he may buy a house there (Croatia)Money? It's just part of the process... Paul Godfrey, the lyricist in pop group Morcheeba, takes a surprisingly laid-back approach to his finances - except tax Daisy O'CleeSaturday August 16, 2003The Guardian Morcheeba's back catalogue is worth several million pounds - but in 1995, the band's lyricist, Paul Godfrey, was so hard up that he almost signed away his song rights for £2,000. He was on the dole at the time, living in a bedsit with his brother Ross, the group's guitarist and melody maker. "I remember begging my music publisher to sign up all my songwriting so we could buy some equipment," says Paul, 31. "I probably could have renegotiated later but, basically, I would have been tied in." Fortunately, the offer was turned down. Within six months, the brothers and singer Skye Edwards had secured a record deal, bought a recording studio in Clapham and released their first album, Who Can You Trust. It cost just £10,000 to make, yet sold nearly 1m copies. The follow-up, Big Calm, was made for £20,000 and has gone on to sell almost 2m. This DIY approach to making music paid off and, after years of scraping by, Paul had cash in his pocket. "I went through a very flash phase when the first cheques came in. I bought a hot tub and a brand new BMW. "I guess worrying about money for a long time affected me to the point that, when we did make money, I didn't know what to do with it. I was just blowing it on drugs and booze for everybody, eating out all the time and ordering the most expensive champagne. Stupid behaviour," he now admits. Despite impressive record sales and a lavish lifestyle, Morcheeba weren't out of the woods financially. In fact, because of touring expenses, it took them five years to break even. "In America it would cost us $100,000 a week, so any money we were making on records was immediately wiped out." It was on tour that Paul met his wife, Jen, who was nanny to Skye's children. "I was in a bit of a state and she ended up nannying me as well!" he says. They fell in love, got married, bought a flat in south London for £100,000, then had a baby, Oscar, now three. "It all happened pretty quick," says Paul. "I had to go from being this carefree drunken loon to being a sensible family man." When their daughter, Eve, was born last year, the couple paid £425,000 for a home overlooking the sea in the Kent village of Saltwood, where Paul grew up. He owns another house in the area, has held on to his London flat and recently "chucked a load of money into a pension" on the recommendation of his financial adviser. He knows how much money the band makes on every CD - about £1.50 - but ask him about the stock market or whether he has an Isa, and he looks stultified. "That kind of thing just bores the hell out of me. I can't believe people actually talk about it. I mean, there's always going to be money so I should just enjoy it," he says. "I don't know exactly what my incomings or outgoings are. Really, all I know is that at any one time I'm OK, which tends to be enough." He would, however, like to be more savvy when it comes to tax. "I want to learn how to be a bit clever with that because we pay 40%. Last year, if we'd stayed out of the country for another week, we probably could have got out of paying tax in Britain altogether." This year Paul, who also produces and DJs, decided to take some time out. Instead of touring he is spending the summer with his family, travelling aroundCroatia in a new £35,000 VW camper van. If he likes the country, he may buy a house there. Meanwhile, Morcheeba's greatest hits compilation, Parts Of The Process, has been released. Paul denies that this spells the end for the band, although he does tell me that Skye is working on solo material and he is planning to launch a production and writing project with Ross. Whatever happens, he isn't going to lose sleep over how best to manage the money he has amassed so far. "I came from nothing and I'm sure I could get through again." How he spends itLottery: If he won £10m, he'd buy a desert island. Best buy: A sampler for £600. He borrowed the money but it was worthwhile as it helped him break into the music business. Tipping: If the service and food is poor he doesn't tip, points out why and never eats there again. If it's good he gives 20%-25%. Prefers to pay: In cash or by debit card. He doesn't have a credit card. "I've got so much money in the bank that I don't need one!" Collects: Records and watches. He buys and sells records through friends, storing thousands in his house and thousands more at the studio. His watch collection, which includes two Rolex Daytonas, is insured for up to £30,000. "I bought the one I'm wearing for £11,000 - it's worth about £15,000 now," he says. "If I fell on really hard times I could sell them. I'm not precious, I have them and I enjoy them but if they disappeared, I wouldn't mourn them." Outlook: Paul was influenced by his parents, who split up when he was 10. "My mum's from a very working class family and lived in a kind of bombed-out squat after the war. She's very thrifty. My dad was from a wealthy background and was a wine merchant. He liked material things. I have a lot of that from him and I guess, when I do worry about money, that comes from my mum." · Morcheeba are playing at the V Festival next weekend at Weston Park, Staffordshire, today and Hylands Park in Chelmsford on Sunday.http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian_jobs_and_money/story/0,3605,1019453,00.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 16 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6743/1/E-Foundation-winners-tell-of-their-travels-to-Croatia.html ÂFoundation winners tell of their travels to a Croatia too.Friday, 25 July 2003SHERRYN Phelan won the 2003 Bega Valley Rural Youth Travel Foundation last Saturday night at the Bega RSL Club, but while the judges were making their decision, the 2000 winner, Michael Rood, spoke of some of the places he visited and the things he did with his around the world air ticket.Michael just arrived back in Australia a few days ago.He left Australia on July 11, 2002, and Vancouver was his first stop then on to Toronto where he had lived a while back so there he helped his friends with a Holstein-Friesian sale.Michael then went to Prince Edward Island, Halifax and Quebec, before crossing into the United States travelling south to Littleton as a visit to Bega's sister city is a requisite for the Foundation winner.There he was hospitably entertained.Michael then flew to London, where he worked for a while, then on to the continent and back to Ireland, where he hitchhiked.A five week African safari in Kenya was the next part of Michael's around the world.He bungyjumped at Victoria Falls, then wnet on to Johannesburg and Capetown before coming back to the Valley,He said the best thing about his trip was the people he met.Felicity Northcott won the $500 second award at the 2000 conpetition and an following email from her was read by Sharon Spence."IT seems both a very long time and also a not so long time since I was standing here in person at the 2000 Travel Foundation Competition."I was very honoured to receive the award at that time and it was greatly appreciated in the planning and initial stages of my journey abroad!"As you are aware I am still on that same journey."I left Australia in October 2001 with only the first month planned."In that month I visited the USA, spending time with my host family from my Lions Exchange in 1992!"It was wonderful to see them again after nearly ten years!"In New York I found myself in the wake of September 11, an experience which was quite emotional and also strange to be part of."It is truly an overwhelming city."The rest of my time in this part of the world encompassed Boston, and then Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec City and Montreal in Canada."Quebec City was a definite favourite."I arrived in London at the end of October just as the winter was beginning to take over the city!"Two Northern Hemisphere winters later I am somehow still here, but most certainly looking forward to some Australian summer heat."Teaching in London was a special experience!"After several weeks supply teaching I took a placement in one school on the outskirts of London."It was very challenging, and highly rewarding at times, but after four months I decided to resign and try my hand at a few other things!"Since then I have been freelancing for theatre companies as a stage manager and front-of-house manager, and also worked for the BBC in a temporary capacity."My most interesting position was stage managing a play that toured to schools around London and the UK for two months earlier this year."The early mornings weren't very far removed from milking, except it meant dealing with actors sometimes 24 hours a day!"I also certainly got a good taste of heavy-vehicle driving over here, quite hectic at times."Aside from the interesting work I've come across, I've squashed in some side-trips to the continent!"My favourite was four weeks in Eastern Europe last October-November."The beauty of Croatia and Slovenia, the fairytale-like Prague and Czech Republic, the strangeness of Slovakia and the war-torn but forward looking Sarajevo and Bosnia, were all special, and fantastic people and places to have had the privilege to experience."Being dressed as a "good little Muslim" by our eccentric hostess in Sarajevo was definitely an amusing highlight and something not quickly forgotten."And in keeping with the strength of Rural Youth friendships across the world, I would like to mention that I have spent time with Sandra and Paul Ubly and their family in Cornwall - Sandra was a UK Exchangee we hosted in 1990."It has been wonderful to be in contact with them over here after many years of letter writing!"The past two years have been an incredible time for me, I know I have grown and perhaps changed as a person and I look forward to bringing all that I have learned and experienced home with me to keep building on."I've been so lucky to meet so many amazing people and to see and experience so many things."Thank you to the Travel Foundation for helping to make that possible, I look forward to seeing you all when I return later in the year!"Would you like to comment on this article? letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 28 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6745/1/E-Justice-Scalia-who-last-year-went-to-Croatia.html Justice Scalia, who last year went toCroatiaLaw.com Foreign MatterJuly 8, 2:00 am ET Tony Mauro, Legal Times Even though the Supreme Court has adjourned for the summer, a majority of the justices will be under the same roof later this week -- not in Washington, D.C., but at the Villa la Pietra in Florence, Italy. ADVERTISEMENTJustices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anthony Kennedy, Sandra Day O'Connor and Clarence Thomas are set to meet Wednesday through Friday with European judges and scholars to discuss the new European Constitution. And most of those five justices are also making other trips this summer to locales such as Luxembourg, Paris and Salzburg. In short, another typical summer of international travel for the modern day Supreme Court. But the justices' wanderlust has taken on extra significance in light of the Court's newfound interest in invoking the rulings and views of foreign courts and international authorities in its own jurisprudence. In the two decisions on domestic hot-button issues last month -- Lawrence v. Texas, on gay rights, and Grutter v. Bollinger, on affirmative action -- some of the justices surprised many scholars by looking beyond U.S. borders for precedential support. Justice Kennedy, writing for the majority in Lawrence, cited a 1957 report to the British Parliament and a 1981 ruling of the European Court of Human Rights to make the point that opposition to gay rights was neither long-standing nor universal. In the first sentence of her concurring opinion in Grutter, Justice Ginsburg invoked an international pact on combating discrimination as proof of an "international understanding" that affirmative action should not last forever. Those references may not seem like a lot. But to international law experts who have spent years urging the Court -- largely without success -- to take a more global view in its rulings, they were a very big deal -- and could foreshadow more to come. "This was a breakthrough term. The veil has been lifted. The ostrich's head came out of the sand," says Yale Law School professor Harold Koh, a former Supreme Court law clerk and assistant secretary of state for human rights in the Clinton administration. "And it is a function, really, of how much they travel." The trend toward citing foreign precedents is more than a high court oddity. It has provoked a sharp doctrinal debate inside the Court and in academia, and has political dimensions outside the Court as well -- exemplified by the fact that the practice is opposed by Justices Thomas and Antonin Scalia, and by Jack Goldsmith III, President George W. Bush's nominee to head the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice. Goldsmith, whose Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing is set for today, may play a key role in upcoming cases involving the detention of terrorist suspects and aliens. The role of foreign court precedents could be an issue. "Once you rely too heavily on foreign courts the question arises: Is the Court setting social policy, or is it interpreting our Constitution?" says University of Virginia law professor Curtis Bradley, co-author with Goldsmith of law review articles criticizing the use of international law. Bradley, too, ascribes the Court's interest in foreign law to the Court's heavy diet of international travel. "The more the justices travel abroad and the more interactions they have, the more references like these you'll get, the more cosmopolitan a lens they will look through." On their trips overseas, the justices learn much that helps explain their new internationalism, according to Koh and others. For one thing, they find out that foreign courts and their judges are mature, sophisticated counterparts grappling with many of the same issues the justices face back home. Affirmative action and gay rights, for example, have been before courts from India to South Africa for years. On human rights issues such as the death penalty, foreign courts have often debated -- and disposed of -- questions that the U.S. Supreme Court is still dealing with in its incremental style. A case in point is last year's high court decision in Atkins v. Virginia, the other recent ruling cited by Koh and others. In Atkins, Justice John Paul Stevens observed in a footnote that "within the world community, the imposition of the death penalty for crimes committed by mentally retarded offenders is overwhelmingly disapproved." By a 6-3 vote, the Court joined that disapproval. Which points up another lesson justices have seen in their travels: The U.S. Supreme Court is no longer viewed worldwide as a beacon or trailblazer on civil and individual rights. For example, Koh says, the European Court of Human Rights is "eight cases beyond Lawrence" in developing gay rights doctrine. Courts from South Africa to Canada have gone further on the gay marriage issue than the Supreme Court is likely to for years. At a personal level, too, the justices no longer find they are as exalted or revered as Supreme Court justices once were when they headed to overseas meetings. At an American Bar Association convention in London three years ago, O'Connor had to fight for a seat in the audience at a panel discussion, while on the stage, Kennedy was asked why the Supreme Court ignores international legal trends. His unpopular answer: Foreign courts are too "remote" and "unknown" for the American public to accept. A noted London barrister pointedly told Kennedy, "Your system is quite certain it has nothing much to learn from us." Now, as evidenced by Lawrence, Kennedy appears to be a convert. His reference to the European human rights court June 26 was the first in Supreme Court history to appear in the text of a decision rather than a footnote, according to Koh.O'Connor, too, has become an enthusiastic proponent of the view that U.S. judges can learn from the work of international and foreign tribunals. She is an active participant in an American Society of International Law (ASIL) program that seeks to educate U.S. judges about international developments. "Because of the scope of the problems that we face, understanding international law is no longer just a legal specialty," O'Connor said at the society's 2002 meeting. "It is becoming a duty." O'Connor this spring accepted an assignment from President Bush to lead a conference in Bahrain later this year on judicial reform in the Middle East. Oddly, though, O'Connor did not cite international decisions in her own majority in Grutter last week -- possibly an omission made to hold her majority. Earlier this year, Breyer told ASIL, "I have found discussions with foreign judges increasingly valuable" on institutional matters, and he quoted Ginsburg as saying, "We are the losers if we neglect what others can tell us about endeavors to eradicate bias against women, minorities, and other disadvantaged groups." Stevens and David Souter are also counted in the camp of justices who are sympathetic to the trend, though neither seems to hit the international circuit with much regularity. By the same token, not all of the world-traveling justices have come back eager to incorporate international trends into their writing. Justice Scalia, who last year went to China, Croatia, Switzerland and Austria, according to his financial disclosure form, is the most vehement opponent of the Court's use of international precedents. In Atkins, the death penalty case last term, Scalia said the views of the world community were "irrelevant." In his dissent in Lawrence, Scalia dismissed the majority's discussion of foreign views as "dangerous dicta." He also quoted Justice Thomas' statement in a 2002 decision that the Court "should not impose foreign moods, fads, or fashions on Americans." Chief Justice William Rehnquist, for his part, has remained relatively silent on the trend. He also frequently travels and teaches in Europe during the recess, though one of his frequent destinations, Innsbruck, Austria, is off the list this summer. The St. Mary's University School of Law's Innsbruck program, his host, announced last month that Rehnquist had canceled his appearance this summer on the recommendation of his doctor because of his knee surgery late last year. Virginia law professor Bradley thinks Scalia and Thomas are right to be concerned about the practice. "When you pick out a couple of cases from foreign courts, how do you know you are getting a good sense of an international trend?" he asks. Bradley also asserts the trend could backfire for those who hope it will bring more progressive rulings from the Court. In some areas of the law -- freedom of speech and of the press, most notably -- foreign courts are often far behind the U.S. high court's usually expansive understanding of the First Amendment. "How much you like this trend is affected by which issue you are talking about," Bradley notes. Yale's Koh thinks the Court's actions last month will be a signal to future litigants that they need not be shy about adding foreign citations to their briefs. He sees a potential danger in overdoing it, however. In cases that stem from the post-Sept. 11 detentions of aliens and enemy combatants, for example, Koh says it will be appropriate and useful for those who oppose the Bush administration's actions to cite at least some international precedents. But those foreign views, Koh adds, may be overshadowed by national security arguments on the government side. So Koh worries that if government opponents rely too heavily on foreign precedents and then lose, their use may become a scapegoat for defeat. "The Court might just blow off those [international] cases," he says, "and the progress we've made this term will be undone." http://biz.yahoo.com/law/030708/28e99ff477e33ad946c71638bfd8bdc2_1.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 20 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6744/1/E-Can-somebody-answer-to-this-provocations-Write-to-the-editor.html  Can somebody answer to this provocations? Not to the writer but editor in chief?ÂJulia Pascal@SibenikMonday July 14, 2003The GuardianI take my actors to the Sibenik International Children's Theatre Festival. On the idyllic Croatian coast, we pass burned-out Serbian villages. This is a clear message to any Serbs planning return.We are to perform The Golem. This Yiddish Frankenstein story comes from medieval Prague and, in my version, the monster created to defend ghettoised Jews from Catholics, is a metaphor for the conflict between self-defence and violence. Most importantly, it is about minority culture. The contradiction between what we are presenting and what we are seeing soon becomes apparent. U signs are common graffiti. This is the U of the fascist Ustashe, the puppet Nazi state of the second world war which still has underground support.We give theatre workshops to teenagers. War talk is taboo at home but with us, they feel safe enough to reveal childhood memories of bombings and tanks. Our workshop leader asks, "What is the U painted on the walls here?" The next day I am hauled into the theatre programmer's office and ordered to keep politics out of the festival. "Parents have been complaining," she says. "You mustn't talk about war and certainly never mention Ustashe in the theatre." Another theatre board member proclaims that my troupe are "not English, they're Jews". Before our performance, we give a synopsis of The Golem in Croatian for non-English speakers. The translation is scrupulously checked to ensure it contains no Serbian or international vocabulary. Language, as well as people, must be ethnically cleansed. Minorities have got the message. The few remaining Serbs and Bosnians here are fast changing their names and converting to Catholicism .I meet a 40-year-old Serb married to a Croatian. He was drafted by the Croatian army to fight Serbs in l99l. His reward was being thrown out of his flat for being a Serb. I meet J, a 76-year-old Croatian who, at 15, ran to the partisans. This war heroine fought Ustashe, Italians and Germans and still has a body full of shrapnel fragments. President Franjo Tudjman withdrew the partisans' pensions for six months during the 199l war and her husband, once Tito's bodyguard, starved to death. 0thers committed suicide at the humiliation of being transformed from heroes to pariahs.Today, J's pension has been cut in half, the stolen 50% going to the Ustashe fascists who attacked her in the 40s. I tell her joining the EU will rebalance this injustice, but I might as well be talking about flying saucers. All around I find suspicion of European solutions. Croatia is isolated and traumatised. J cries at the death of Tito's dream of a multi-ethnic Yugoslavia. "I am a Yugoslav," she insists. "I spent my whole life fighting nationalism. And it was all for nothing."Back in the Solaris Hotel I talk to a Croatian waiter, a former gastarbeiter in Germany. We discuss Berlin. "Sheisse," he spits. "Berlin is sheisse. Too many Turks. Just like the Bosnians. I hate Muslims, I want to go to Iraq and fight Muslims." On the last night of the festival, our driver, who is the son of a theatre secretary, is to return us to Solaris. His drinking mate, a six-foot giant, sandwiches me in. I am crushed between the two drunks who scream with laughter and hardly look at the road. "Calm down," I tell the driver who ignores me. When our Croatian actor/translator intervenes, he yells at her, "Fuck off, you. And your Jews."It is our last day and we chill out. One of the actors starts a jamming session on the beach. The Hotel Solaris Animation Team join us. These local musicians are paid to entertain the mainly German guests. Tonight is a Caribbean evening. The singers are wearing rasta wigs and have blacked up. I tell them, "You know this would be seen as offensive in Britain." "Look," they say in surprise, "we are not racist. We don't even dislike black people. We just hate Serbs."Julia Pascal's last play Crossing Jerusalem is published by Oberon Bookspascal7038@aol.comSource: http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,997925,00.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 20 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6746/1/EF-Freedom-of-press-in-Croatia---French-Style.html  Freedom of press in Croatia - French StyleÂCROATIA : Criminal code amendments and planned press law changes deal a blow to press freedom / CROATIE : Nouveau code pénal et projet de loi sur la presse - la liberté de la presse en régression17 July 2003International Secretariat Europe desk5, rue Geoffroy-Marie 75009 Paris FranceTél : (33) 1 44 83 84 84Fax : (33) 1 45 23 11 51E-mail : europe@rsf.orgWeb : www.rsf.orgwww.press-freedom.orgCROATIACriminal code amendments and planned press law changes deal a blow to press freedomReporters Without Borders today condemned newly adopted amendments to the criminal code and proposed changes to the press law, saying they would hamper access to official information, limit the possibility of criticising public figures and make it easier to prosecute journalists, thereby encouraging self-censorship."This regression in press freedom is very regrettable, especially as the president of the European Commission has just described Croatia as an example to follow for Balkan countries seeking to join the European Union," Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard said.Ménard urged Prime Minister Racan Ivica and culture minister Antun Vujic to do everything possible to ensure that the criminal code amendments are repealed and that any change to the press law does not obstruct the work of journalists.If the amendments to the press law are passed in their present form, the authorities will be able to refuse to provide information to the press without giving any explanation; the cut-off period for bringing a libel suit will be extended from six months to five years; a newspaper's editor in chief will be held responsible for libel damages rather than the publisher; and it will be forbidden to publish "official secrets" and "business secrets."In the first of the two amendments to the criminal code approved on 9 July, parliament repealed article 203, which protected journalists from prosecution for libel if they acted in good faith and there was no intent to defame. Under the second amendment, to article 309, any insult or criticism hampering the work of a judge or prosecutor is henceforth punishable by three years in prison and any journalist expressing an opinion on an ongoing trial can be sentenced to one year in prison.Liberté de la presse17 juillet 2003Secrétariat international Bureau Europe5, rue Geoffroy-Marie 75009 Paris FranceTél : (33) 1 44 83 84 84Fax : (33) 1 45 23 11 51E-mail : europe@rsf.orgWeb : www.rsf.orgwww.press-freedom.orgCROATIENouveau code pénal et projet de loi sur la presse :la liberté de la presse en régressionReporters sans frontières s'inquiète des nouvelles dispositions du code pénal, votées la semaine dernière par le Parlement, et du projet de loi sur la presse actuellement en discussion."Ces deux réformes facilitent les poursuites judiciaires contre les journalistes, entravent l'accès à l'information publique et réduisent les possibilités de critiquer les personnes publiques. Tout cela risque de renforcer l'autocensure de la presse. Il est très regrettable que la Croatie, que le président de la Commission européenne vient de qualifier d'exemple à suivre pour les pays des Balkans dans leur démarche en vue d'adhérer à l'Union européenne, régresse en termes de liberté de la presse", a déclaré Robert Ménard, secrétaire général de l'organisation. Reporters sans frontières a demandé au Premier ministre, Racan Ivica, et au ministre de la Culture, Antun Vujic, de tout mettre en ¦uvre pour que les nouveaux amendements au code pénal soient abrogés et pour que la réforme de la loi sur la presse n'entrave pas le travail des journalistes.Si le projet de loi sur la presse est approuvé en l'état, les pouvoirs publics pourront refuser de donner des informations à la presse sans fournir d'explication. De plus, le délai maximum de prescription pour la diffamation passera de six mois à cinq ans, et la responsabilité des dommages sera imputée non plus au directeur de publication mais au rédacteur en chef. Le texte propose également d'interdire la publication de "secrets officiels" et de "secrets d'affaires".Par ailleurs, le 9 juillet 2003, les députés ont approuvé deux amendements au code pénal concernant la diffamation. L'article 203, qui permettait à un journaliste de ne pas être poursuivi s'il était de bonne foi et si la diffamation n'était pas intentionnelle, a été abrogé. Désormais, le journaliste devra fournir la preuve de la véracité de ses propos. L'article 309 prévoit, avec la réforme, une peine de trois ans de prison pour toute insulte ou critique entravant le travail d'un juge ou d'un procureur. Ce dernier article prévoit également une peine allant jusqu'à un an de prison pour tout journaliste ayant exprimé son avis sur l'issue d'un procès en cours.Responsable Bureau Europe / Head Europe DeskReporters sans frontiTires / Reporters Without Borders5, rue Geoffroy Marie75 009 Paris, Francetel. 33 (1) 44 83 84 67, fax 33 (1) 45 23 11 51email : europe@rsf.orgWeb : http://www.rsf.orgPièce jointe : Auteur : RSF Europe - Publié le 2003-07-18 Source: http://www.categorynet.com/fr/cp/details.php?id=23939 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 18 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6747/1/E-Jason-Gardener-will-race-in-Croatia.html ÂJason Gardener will race in Croatia and ItalyBULLET ON TARGET FOR WORLDSÂ15:00 - 03 July 2003ÂJason Gardener will race in Croatia and Italy next week as he continues his build-up for next month's World Championships in Paris, writes James Pearce. The Bath Bullet flew home yesterday buoyed by Tuesday night's victory in the B race of the Athletissima meeting in Lausanne.The World indoor 60m bronze medallist easily defeated leading US sprinters Mickey Grimes and Shawn Crawford to win in 10.25secs.On a wet and cold night, running into a stiff breeze, it was an impressive display and Gardener believes that after a slow start to the outdoor season he is now firmly on track.He will fly off again on Sunday to prepare himself for Monday's meeting in Zagreb before competing in Rome on Friday evening.Conditions in Croatia should be more conducive to fast times and Gardener knows he needs races ahead of the British World Championship trials in Birmingham later this month.He said: "I've got some big races coming up and I want to be prepared for them."My performance in Lausanne has given me the right amount of confidence and I know I'm on my way now."We've lined up those two races next week to hopefully continue my progress and I'm looking forward to them."My aim is to be right for the World Championships and I need races to help me sharpen up."Conditions in Zagreb should suit me a lot better and help me to run a faster time."Gardener faces stiff competition from Dwain Chambers, Mark LewisFrancis and Darren Campbell for the three British 100m places at stake in the World Championships but he can take a lot of positives out of Tuesday's display.He added: "I was pleased to have won and happy to have beaten some very good athletes."It was just unfortunate that I had to run into a very strong head wind but that's typical of my luck at the moment."It's good to be winning and I feel that I'm starting to move along the right lines. I'm beginning to sharpen up - my start has come back and I'm finishing races well."Victory in yesterday's long jump gave Bath-based decathlete Dale Garland his second gold medal of the NatWest Island Games in Guernsey.The 23-year-old University of Bath student jumped 7.30m - some 46cm further than his nearest competitor - to take his second gold of the Games.He had already won the 400m hurdles final - even though it is not one of the 10 events that features in the decathlon.http://www.thisisbath.com/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=114015&command=displayContent&sourceNode=113977&contentPK=6237256 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 03 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6748/1/E-Capitals-chase-red-hot-Hollie-to-Sibenik-Croatia.html  Capitals chase red-hot Hollie ÂHOT PROPERTY: Tasmania's Hollie Grima is in demand in WNBL circles and has been described as the next Lauren Jackson. SYDNEY - Not content with winning three WNBL titles in four years, the Canberra Capitals are set to bolster their star- studded squad further by signing "the next Lauren Jackson".The Capitals - fresh from last weekend's Jackson-inspired WNBL grand final win over the Sydney Flames - are poised to win a tug-of-war over in-demand free agent and AIS centre Hollie Grima.Canberra is expected to stitch up a deal with the 19-year-old former Tasmanian after meeting with her management in two weeks, boosting a team that already boasts Opals star Jackson and WNBA guard Kristen Veal.Grima is expected to decide between three clubs after finishing eighth in WNBL scoring this season, averaging 14.2 points a game, and finishing second only to Jackson in rebounding (10.6).It looms as a hectic fortnight for Grima, who is resting in her home city, Launceston, before linking with the Australian under-23 team, the Sapphires, for a Melbourne camp from March 10-13.Grima - Basketball Australia's 2001-02 junior player of the year - will join a class training squad also boasting Adelaide forward Laura Summerton, who was with the Tasmanian in the Opals' 2002 world titles bronze medal campaign.After the camp, a 12-strong team will be selected to fly out on April 9 for a Four Nations Tournament in China against the Chinese senior team, a US college outfit and either Japan or Chinese Taipei.The Sapphires will then contest the World Championships for Young Women at Sibenik, Croatia from July 25 to August 3.The addition of Grima would further revitalise a Capitals outfit which has Jackson and Veal under contract for another two years and veteran Lucille Bailie committed to returning as skipper.SAPPHIRES SQUAD: Hollie Grima (AIS), Gabrielle Richards (AIS), Emma Randall (AIS), Katie Davis (AIS), Kelly Wilson (AIS), Jessica Mahony (Adelaide Lighting), Laura Summerton (Adelaide Lightning), Monique Bowley (Adelaide Lightning), Shelley Hammonds (Sydney Flames), Briana Hennessy (Sydney Flames), Carly Wilson (Dandenong Rangers), Michelle Musselwhite (Dandenong Rangers), Allison Downie (Dandenong Rangers), Samantha Richards (Dandenong Rangers), Tania Heritage (Townsville Fire). Source: http://www.examiner.com.au/story.asp?id=165438. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 01 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6749/1/E-Croatian-barber-became-area-institution.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂRetiring Croatianbarber became area institutionBY KEN GOZEÂSTAFF WRITERÂIf time on the job and reliability count for anything, John Sobol made a case for himself as Wilmette's Hardest Working Man.ÂWhen Sobol opened his barbershop in 1947, President Harry Truman hadn't yet sent troops to Korea. Sobol didn't set his clippers down for good until August, and for every one of 55 years you could get a haircut at his shop at Fourth and Linden while talking about baseball, family, or nothing of any importance at all.ÂSobol, who turned 81 last week, had become an institution in the east side neighborhood among several generations of customers, and left reluctantly due to health problems.Â"I was so lucky. I was there almost 56 years and for 45 years I never missed a day of work," said Sobol, who sold the shop to another operator.ÂLongtime customers fondly recall John's Barber Shop not only as a place for at trim, but a kind of informal men's club.ÂSobol was already well established when Bill Gourley of Wilmette, then a teacher at Loyola Academy, began going there in the early 1960s. One of Sobol's seven children was in Gourley's class.Â"He's a neat guy. He had a big encyclopedia on baseball. When somebody would get in a argument about that, they'd call him up to settle it. He had some of the greatest comic books you saw in your life," Gourley said. "He'd talk about his trips to Door County like people going to Europe or Africa. You felt like this guy really enjoys his life."Croatian rootsÂSobol's story began in Hreljin, Croatia, a mountainous region in the former Yugoslavia near the Italian border, where he was born as Zlatan Ivan Sobol. Sobol said his father had come to the United States earlier and worked in copper mines in Minnesota and advised his sons to find a less grueling career.ÂTwo of Sobol's older brothers had established themselves as barbers in Rogers Park, and after making the trip to the states, he decided to follow in their footsteps. His father had hope he would remain behind to look after family interests, but Sobol made the trip in 1936 at age 14.ÂHe took a job at the Chicago Athletic Club as a busboy and went to Joyce Kilmer School for a year to learn English.Â"Here I was, 14 1/2, and I was in the first grade for English," Sobol said.ÂAt 16, he went to barber school. As one of the older licensed trades, it demanded a fairly long instruction and apprentice program, followed by testing.Â"It took me quite a while to do, something like 1,800 hours. I think it took me a year and a half, then you take a test. Then two years later you take another test," Sobol said. "You had a free room in the back of the shop. You would get the bums, the street people. They would go in the back and wait. They got a free haircut and shave and you got to learn on live heads."Other skillsÂHe also followed another interest in engineering and communications, and during World War II worked for the Army Air Corps repairing radios and working in control towers. But the war ended before he was to be shipped overseas.ÂHe had another skill, dancing, that led him to meet his future wife, Rosemary Kelly, at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago and went back to cutting hair.ÂSobol bought his Wilmette shop after learning of the sale through another barber and friend of his brothers. At that time, the El train ran from Chicago to Linden Avenue for 10 cents and most of west Wilmette was farm field or brand new development.ÂSobol said he had to consult a former customer on what his rates were in those days.Â"She said when the haircuts went from 75 cents to $1, my boys got real short crew cuts," Sobol said.ÂFor most of his career, he had one and sometimes two helpers and catered to boys after school, businessmen and other area residents. He usually worked from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and was known to make house calls, going to priests at Loyola and housebound clients on off days.Â"When I got there, we worked half a day on Wednesday. About 20 years ago, they changed to Monday. That was by the union," Sobol said. "When the barbers union was around, they were very strict on the hours and what you charged. If you charged too little, they'd come by and break your windows."Famous customersÂSobol encountered many notable people over the years, both as neighbors and customers. Cubs announcer Jack Brickhouse lived nearby and made the barber shop a regular stop. Other customers included Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz and the Wrigleys. A partner in a nearby pie and ice cream place, David Edgerton, went on to launch Burger King.ÂKraft Foods founder J.L. Kraft, was not a customer, but lived nearby and had a driver who came to Sobol's shop. One day, when Sobol asked why the car was sagging, the driver showed him a trunk filled with gravel.Â"Kraft had a hobby. He made jewelry for his friends with some kind of blue stone," Kraft said.ÂIn the 1980s, U2 guitarist Edge stopped in while visiting friends in the area, and Sobol made sure to get an autograph for one of his younger daughters.Â"Most of my customers were everyday people," he said.ÂChicago Sun-Times columnist Henry Kisor recalled Sobol for his love of conversation in his 1990 book "What's That Pig Outdoors." The book recalled Kisor's lifelong struggles to overcome the limitations of total deafness. He developed the ability to speak with hearing people through speech and lip reading.Â"He cannot bear a conversational vacuum. Nor can he speak to the unresponsive sides and back of my head as he works upon them, but must stop now and then, whirl the chair so that I face him, and ask after my family or inquire about my opinion of a sporting event," Kisor wrote. "Am I impatient? No, for John refuses to let my deafness deprive him of his pleasure. He cuts, and he connects."Area institutionÂSobol worked for so long that he outlasted a number of people who were themselves considered elder statesmen of the neighborhood. Leo Elbaum left his post at the CTA newsstand several years ago at age 86, but Sobol remembers his predecessor, a man known as "Shorty." Pharmacy chain owner and developer David Lyman died in the 1980s and his successor at Linden Pharmacy, Lou Sotonoff, moved on in 2000 after nearly 30 years.ÂThe job had its perks. Sobol's customers often gave him free tickets for Northwestern or other teams, and they stuck by him when another business owner tried to take over his space about 10 years ago.Â"He wanted me out of there. A lot of my customers went over and told him you kick him out and we're not going to come here," Sobol said.ÂSobol said styles changed over the decades, but most of what he did was some variation of a Princeton or crew cut. The traditional straight-razor shave went by the wayside nearly 20 years ago.Â"It takes too long to give a person a shave. I told people they could go and buy a year's worth of razors for what I'd have to charge," Sobol said.ÂIn the last years at the shop, Sobol worked alone, and after recovering from hernia surgery in the mid 1990s, continued until a heart condition and his doctor encouraged him to retire. Long retirements weren't part of the Sobol tradition. His brother Frank continued as a barber until he was 90.Retirement funÂSobol, who lives in Glenview, said he's learning to enjoy retirement. "I'm catching up on all the sleep I missed. I can finally go to funerals and weddings," he said.ÂOne of his daughters, Diane McGuire, said she is impressed by her father's work ethic and the fact that he raised such a large family.Â"He's just the nicest, warmest guy. This is all I could ever hope for. I never expected that he could settle into any retirement," she said.ÂSobol's family is planning a reception from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 2 at the Shillelagh Room at Hackney's on Lake Avenue in Glenview. The reception is open to all of Sobol's customers and friends.Âhttp://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/gl/01-02-03-8682.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 01 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6751/1/E-Ina-Jazic-on-Jeopardy.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂIna Jazic on Jeopardy Quiz TV showNenad,Someone here at ASCAP noted a Jeopardy that was on a few weeks agoand there was a young girl from Croatia who was a contestant on the show.I have a video copy of the program, and Elinore below summed up the action.Just something for your interest.Trusting all is well, zdravo,MichaelMike,The girl's name is Ina Jazic, born in Zagreb, Croatia,she lives in what sounded like Molinbrook, Ill. Hubert Humphrey Middleschoolshe got to 2nd place at $18400. The leader was at $20400.Final question: Name one of two sate capitals ending in U.She bet everything and lost. Third kid ended up with $1. from $9800.The leader got it right (Juneau/ Honolulu was the other one)and he ended upwith $36800. That is what I had written down at home. Didn't get a chance to look up thecity and make sure that was write. Also, I don't think they mentioned howold she was or what grade but I may have missed that.Elinore ChechakOp-edIf anyone knows Ina Jazic, please let us know.Âbest,Nenad letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 19 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6750/1/E-No-place-like-home---Where-is-the-King-Tomislavs-picture.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂWhere is the KingTomislav's, the first monarch of Croatia,picture ?No place like homeJanuary 18 2003Ethnic food, culture, countrymen ... you can find them all without leaving town, as Mark Dapin found when he went around the world in 18 clubs.ÂSydney plays host to a United Nations of ethnic clubs, representing countries as far apart as Vietnam and Portugal. Like the UN, they bicker and divide. Unlike the UN, they are united by a love of VB, which half the clubs serve in preference to any national brew.Membership of registered clubs is open to anybody, regardless of race, religion or soccer affiliation. Visitors to ethnic clubs are always welcome and the clubs offer an authentic introduction to exotic foods, minority sports, rare beers, baffling politics and good old-fashioned weirdness.The Nineveh Assyrian ClubThe Assyrians have a social club, but they don't have a country."In the eyes of the world, we don't exist," says duty manager Sargon Raoul. "There's a lot of people who'll tell you we're extinct."All Sydney's ethnic clubs try to recreate an imaginary homeland, but the Nineveh Assyrian Club makes the most spectacular effort. The building recalls a desert fortress, with clay brick crenulation over the main door, which is flanked by soaring palm trees and guarded by two gigantic winged man-bulls.The Assyrians are the indigenous Christian people of modern-day Iraq. Their empire crumbled in 612BC and they have faced colonisation, persecution and attempted genocide ever since.The bistro serves Assyrian specials on weekends. I try some meat and potatoes in spicy tomato sauce. It's OK, but I wouldn't go halfway around the world and 2600 years back in time for it.Smithfield Road, Edensor Park, 9610 4655.Croatian clubsJadran Hajduk is a soccer team from Split on the Dalmatian Coast and not, as I imagined, a Croatian national hero. The Jadran Hajduk Croatian Club is the smaller of two Croatian clubs in the same street. There seems to be a history of bad blood between them (and don't even mention the Croatian Club in Terrey Hills) but it's not the kind of thing a casual drinker can come to grips with. The Jadran Hajduk's most interesting feature is a bocce alley; it's least interesting is a bank of pokies.130 Edensor Road, St Johns Park, 9610 1189.The King Tomislav Croatian Club is home of the Sydney United soccer team. The huge clubhouse has a barn of a bar, with dozens of old men playing cards. (These card players appear to be a feature of every European club in NSW.) There are three large portraits in the room, none of which features King Tomislav, the first monarch of Croatia. The two Irecognize are the Queen of England and Franjo Tudjman, the controversial founder of modern Croatia.I am peeking at a private function in the restaurant when the manager rumbles me as a spy and asks to see my identification. I am taken into the back room by a big man with a scar across his right eye and given a delicious plate of sausage, kebab, cabbage and chilli sauce. I am told about the planned renovations (they are going to knock through some of the walls, take down the gates, plant a hedge and put up some pictures of King Tomislav), and somebody manages to find a lithograph of a statue of King Tomislav in Zagreb.223 Edensor Road, Edensor Park, 9610 6111.Ukrainian Cultural and Social ClubThis has to be the friendliest club in Sydney. As soon as I show the vaguest interest in Ukrainian culture (I ask whether it sells Ukrainian beer - no, but there is VB), I'm given a brief lecture on national drinking habits and bustled into an officially closed restaurant, told what to order and served a Ukrainian mixed plate for $6.50. The food - a meat-stuffed cabbage roll and a kind of deep-fried burger - is very tasty but, having already eaten at the Assyrian, Croatian and Serbian clubs tonight, I'm starting to feel the strain.11 Church Street, Lidcombe, 9649 2285.Russian ClubAlthough the Russian Club dates back to just after the Russian Revolution, the building seems a bit synthetic and new, somehow lacking in pedigree.It is also strangely configured. The restaurant area is in a thoroughfare between the bar and the hall. I pass under a painting of warriors on the steppes and through an archway decorated with a Russian eagle, to reach a room lined with folk art depicting grinning Russian peasants in pre-revolutionary times.ÂFor $10, the club serves a four-course lunch including borsch, brown bread and dessert. My $12 beef stroganoff was served with Soviet-era courtesy, but was rich and creamy.Like the Ukrainian Club, the Russian Club offers $5 boxes of takeaway food - and very cheap pierogi - and plays host to a chess team.7 Albert Road, Strathfield, 9746 8364.Hakoah ClubThe Hakoah was founded as a soccer team by Hungarian-speaking Jewish migrants, but the club cut links with the footballers in 1987, for financial reasons."Soccer doesn't have such a great following," says secretary Angie Lipman, "and this was a little Jewish soccer club."Some of the Hungarian founders still visit daily, to drink coffee and eat the sweetest-looking cakes this side of Melbourne's St Kilda Road, but many new members belong to recently arrived communities of South African, Russian and Israeli Jews.There is a good gym upstairs, equipped with free weights, punching bags, a climbing wall, a swarm of spin cycles and a Bondi-specific machine called a swimming trainer.The Hakoah must be the only licensed club in NSW not to serve draught VB. It is certainly the only one I found to serve matzo ball soup.61-67 Hall Street, Bondi, 9365 9900.Czechoslovak Sokol Gymnastics AssociationThis Czech-and-Slovakian club is in an old school gymnasium, where local kids practise gymnastics. The restaurant - open at weekends - is the viewing gallery for the gym.There are only four dishes on the menu and the Bohemian roasted pork with sauerkraut has sold out. I try svickova, marinated beef in vegetable sauce, and it is gorgeous - easily the nicest meal I have had in any club. The meat is generously served and perfectly stewed and the strange gravy is thick, sweet and spicy. It comes with about 3000 kilojoules of dumplings.About half the patrons are Czech or Slovak, and most are old. The waiter who brings my Czech Pilsner Urquell beer is 78. He tells this to another diner, who replies with pride: "I'm 79."16 Grattan Crescent, Frenchs Forest, 9452 5617.Austrian ClubIn a satisfying accident of geographical fidelity, the Austrian Club in Frenchs Forest borders the Czech Club. Even better, there is a Dutch Club to the west (sadly closed for a long Christmas break) and a nearby Scandinavian House.The Austrian Club is run by volunteers. There are no pokies here (or in Austria, for that matter). A large mural of the Tyrolean Alps dominates the wall overlooking the dance floor, but the imaginary-Austria effect is spoilt by a view of bushland and the Georges River.The restaurant is another weekends-only affair. Schnitzel and pork knuckles are favourites. The beer, predictably, is great: try Schneider Weisse German wheat beer, or Austrian Gosser, available in dark or light.About 8.30pm, Austrian folk musicians strike up a tune and the older couples waltz. It is oddly moving to watch them, dancing as if they were in another time, rather than another place.20 Grattan Crescent, Frenchs Forest, 9452 3304.Concordia German ClubOne of the oldest clubs in NSW, the Concordia today is German practically in name only. Its sports teams have faded - only the old boys play soccer now - but the club has maintained a German choir and there is a German-style nine-pin skittle alley downstairs.The Concordia draws customers from across Marrickville's ethnic mix, mostly to play the pokies, although the beer selection is excellent, with DAB on tap and Warsteiner, Gosser, Beck's and Hansa in bottles.The Edelweiss Restaurant (speciality: pork knuckles) can be a lonely place on week nights.231 Stanmore Road, Stanmore, 9569 5911.Portuguese Community ClubSurrounded by factories, encircled by a goods-train line and directly under the flightpath, the Portuguese Community Club suffers from a location-location-location problem. It is a bit shabby but atmospheric. The bar is a fair place to drink Portuguese beer and the Vasco da Gama restaurant is probably justified in its claim to being the best Portuguese restaurant in Sydney. It isn't particularly cheap, however. I ordered the grilled barramundi ($16.50). Super Bock and Sagres are the beers to buy.Fraser Park, Marrickville, 9550 6344.Alexander the Great Macedonian Hellenic ClubThe large, cabaret-style restaurant is packed with Macedonian families wearing some of the most startling Friday-night fashions outside Skopje. A silver-haired gent in a white suit and red silk shirt stands out among stiff competition.A band strikes up what I guess is Macedonian music, joined suddenly by a booming, disembodied female voice, then a torch singer wearing a skimpy, skin-tight red dress appears, belting out what may well be a much-loved Macedonian standard.Meanwhile, the waitress serves an incredibly good-value plate of grilled meats and seafood ($25 for more than anybody could eat) washed down with Greek Mythos beer.I leave when the male crooner starts kissing men in the audience, but this might well encourage other people to stay all night.160-164 Livingstone Road, Marrickville, 9560 9766.Hellenic ClubThe oldest Greek club in NSW, the Hellenic Club includes an icon-and-souvenir shop, which is useful if you want to pretend you've been to Greece, or if you've returned from a Greek holiday and forgotten to buy a present for your niece.There is a bar for old Greek men - mostly single guys without families, who spend a lot of their time in the club - and a good-value restaurant that is more popular with cops from the nearby police centre and lawyers from the adjacent courts than with the regular Greek clientele.251 Elizabeth Street, city, 9264 5128.International Nippon Anzac ClubThe restaurant of the Nippon Anzac Club is decidedly more Nippon than Anzac, whereas the bar is pure digger. Most of the lunchtime diners are Asian, tucking into sushi and sashimi in a below-street-level dining room.The salmon sashimi lunchbox is salmon sashimi with rice and salad, served on a rock. Not "the rock", as in ice, but "a rock", as in something that is igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary. More Eastern colour is supplied by a large Japanese light, a fish tank and a giant kanji banner over the sushi bar. Asahi Dry beer is available at the bar.229 Macquarie Street, Sydney, 9232 2688.Chinese Cultural ClubI am not ashamed to admit it (OK, I am) but I once stood on stage and sang Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Old Oak Tree at the karaoke bar of the Chinese Cultural Club. As if to expunge the memory of my shame, the club has since moved to another building.Open seven days until 3am for the evil triumvirate of TAB, Keno and karaoke, the Chinese Cultural Club stands next to a pagoda-style shelter in the Haymarket heart of Sydney's imaginary China.Specials listed in the restaurant include lobster, dim sim and, alarmingly, parrot - but this turns out to be a fish. The club serves a workmanlike, fairly cheap yum cha, including the usual pop-art desserts in fluoro colours that do not occur in nature, but there is better to be had outside in Chinatown.Level 4, 25-29 Dixon Street, Sydney, 9211 1033.Mekong PanthersThe Mekong used to have a restaurant, but it suffered the same problems as the Chinese Cultural Club: there are perhaps 60 good Vietnamese places within five minutes' walk.The Mekong is as close as you can get to a casino without hiring croupiers. Among the forest of pokies sit three large Lightning Strike virtual roulette wheels and one five-players-against-the-house video-blackjack table.Asian beers are sometimes served and at weekends Vietnamese ballroom dancing is popular.117 John Street, Cabramatta, 9724 6688.Rembrandt Dutch ClubThe Rembrandt Dutch Club began as a snooker team, became a club, split into two clubs, then one club closed."And now," says Mia Joosten, "whoever is Dutch and wants to play billiards, they turn up here.""Here" is closed when I call (the club is open only on Friday nights) but Joosten assures me she serves regional food on Dutch dinner nights: Dutch croquettes, Dutch sausages and Dutch chips ("It's not your yellow, soggy chips - they have to be crisp") washed down with Amsterdam beer and Grolsch. On an ordinary night, fresh bread, smoked herring and eel are available.87 Dunheved Circuit, St Marys, 9623 2569.Spanish ClubAccording to the 2001 census, there are only about 5000 Spanish-born people in NSW and they are widely dispersed, so it's strange there should be an imaginary Spain in Liverpool Street in the city. From the window of the Spanish Club bar, you can see a Spanish pub bistro, a tapas bar and a Spanish delicatessen.All around the bar, people are speaking Spanish and drinking VB (although San Miguel is available). The restaurant upstairs can't match the local competition for quality or value, although it does host a flamenco dancer on Friday nights.The Spanish Club is in a better position than most to move into the future. There has been a global explosion of Hispanic culture: J-Lo and Enrique Iglesias, tapas and the tango, samba and sangria. Management has plans to turn the Spanish Club into a trendy nightspot.That's fine, of course. Just so long as they don't lose the lonely old blokes at the card tables - and the VB.88 Liverpool Street, city, 9267 8440http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/17/1042520769147.html. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 19 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6752/1/E-Brutal-fighting-techniques---read-massacre-of-unarmed.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂ"Brutal fighting techniques" ???Op-ed: read - massacre of unarmed populationAssassin testifies against MilosevicSlobodan Milosevic has returned to court after a three-week break to hear testimony from a former member of the Serbian Red Berets paramilitary group.Milosevic, sought to discredit the witness - named only as K-2 - by forcing an admission from him he was involved in an assassination after the end of the Balkan wars.During cross examination, K-2 acknowledged his involvement in the 2001 murder of the Serb warlord Zeljko Raznatovic, better known as Arkan.Arkan's assassination triggered speculation Milosevic had ordered him silenced because he could be a potential witness against him.K-2 told the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal in The Hague he had served in the Special Operations Unit of the Serbian Interior Ministry during the Bosnian war, a group he said operated under the direct command of Milosevic's regime.Pay slips or cash wages came in envelopes from the Serbian Interior Ministry, he said, and Milosevic had been the man in charge.The Red Berets, a hard-line nationalist Serb group known for its brutal fighting techniques in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo."Our unit had to do whatever it was asked to do. There was no possibility to say no. The doors of the president were open to us," said the witness, whose image was blurred on court monitors..Asked which president he meant, he replied "as far as I was able to gather, there was only one president and that was President Milosevic."Milosevic, on trial for war crimes including genocide, claimed the witness "doesn't know what he is talking about," and that the Red Berets were a "regular unit" that wore the hats commonly used by police and army forces. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 15 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6753/1/E-If-you-wouldnt-wear-your-dog-please-dont-wear-mine---Visnjic.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂGoran VisnjicGoran Visnjic, star of NBC's television show 'ER' poses with his dog Bugsy in an ad produced by PETA, in it's anti-fur ad targeting Eastern Europe. Workers began posting the billboards in Zagreb, Croatia Friday, Jan. 3, 2003. Visnjic is a native of Croatia.(AP Photo/Robert Sebree)ÂOp-edTo paraphrase it:"If you wouldn't wear your dog, please don't wear mine" - Nenad Bach -This add is so indicative of what is our potential. You remember Paul Hogan(Crocodile Dundee) and his "I'll put another shrimp for you add" that increasedAustralian tourism for 80% (not sure about percentage, but huge one).ÂCan you imagine Goran Visnjic on the walls of Dubrovnik recitingShakespeare and maybe putting some olive oil and barbequing fish "foryou". We need people with vision who can promote our Magic Kingdom ofCroatia.Nenad BachEditor - in ChiefCROWNAnimal Rights Group Ads Feature VisnjicÂBy The Associated PressÂZAGREB, Croatia (AP)--An animal rights group kicked off its first antifur campaign in eastern Europe with roadside billboards featuring Goran Visnjic and his pet dog Bugsy.ÂThe billboards show a picture of Visnjic, star of NBC's ``ER,'' cradling Bugsy and the slogan: ``If you wouldn't wear your dog, please don't wear any fur.''ÂWorkers began posting the billboards in Zagreb early Friday.ÂMichael McGraw, a spokesman for Norfolk, Va.-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said billboards would also be displayed in the city of Split and later in other eastern European cities.ÂHe said the billboards would be followed by a leaflet distribution campaign during which activists would target fur-wearers who are walking dogs.ÂThe campaign is also being run by local group Animal Friends Croatia.ÂVisnjic, who grew up in Sibenik, said in a statement released by PETA that he decided to support the campaign after he and his wife read a magazine article about fur.Â``We were disgusted,'' the 30-year-old actor said. ``What's going on? Civilization is advancing, but some people are going backward. Today we can use many different materials to warm ourselves without killing other beings.''ÂVisnjic joined the cast of ``ER'' in 1999. He plays Luka Kovac, a Croatian doctor who immigrated to the United States after the violent deaths of his wife and children.Â___On the Net:ÂPeople for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Web site: http://www.peta.orgÂÂNBC Web site: http://www.nbc.com/ER/index.htmlÂÂhttp://www.austin360.com/aas/life/ap/ap_story.html/Entertainment/AP.V9540.AP-Visnjic-Animal.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 03 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6755/1/E-Pope-and-a-Croatian-Tree---one-more-photo.html ÂPope &ÂCroatianTree Pope John Paul II blesses faithful from his studio's window overlooking St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2002. The pontiff told parents to provide loving and nourishing settings for their children, following after the model of the holy family that raised Jesus. In the foreground is seen a branch the 28-meter (71 foot) tree from a forest in the Gorski Kotar region, Croatia that decorates the square. (AP/Pier Paolo Cito) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6756/1/E-At-Boston-wharf-a-sailors-beacon.html At Boston wharf, a sailor's beaconÂAt Boston wharf, a sailor's beaconSeafarers Mission provides spiritual guidance and a home away from THE ASSOCIATED PRESSBOSTON - Working as a crewman on a tanker, Bong Hebrado is spending another Christmas half a world away from his family in the Philippines.That's why his face lit up when the Rev. Stephen Cushing strode into the crew's dining room on the liquefied natural gas tanker LNG Matthew, as the boat docked in Boston earlier this week."You know, every day on the ship there's no person you can talk to. And when you reach the port here, Father always comes in, and asks 'How are you,' 'If you have a problem, tell me or write me,'" Hebrado said Monday. "That's why we are very happy to see him, especially the Filipinos, because we know he cares."When sailors like Hebrado pull into Boston Harbor, usually for a day or less, the New England Seafarers Mission, headed by Cushing, makes life a little easier, providing them with a mixture of spiritual guidance and practical help.The Mission was established in 1880 for Scandinavian sailors docking at Boston. Now, its clientele includes sailors from about 102 countries, Cushing said, from Anguilla to Croatia to Trinidad and Tobago, with 400 to 500 ships docking each year.The Mission is tucked away in a corner of Boston's Black Falcon Terminal, housed in an old army warehouse. Here, behind the sliding industrial doors, sailors find a one-stop shop - a chapel to pray in, a telephone and Internet center to keep in touch with their families, a money transfer service to wire or mail money home, and a convenience store selling everything from Ramen noodles and Bibles to shampoo, bottled water and stamps.One of the Mission's most popular services is prepaid phone cards."People say that I'm a pastor, what am I doing selling phone cards?" Cushing joked. "But these men are not in constant communication with their family, and if I can do anything to help their reconnect with their family, help their with loneliness, that's a pastoral duty."The Mission's most frequent visitors are the crew members of cruise ships, since many industrial ships' crews aren't given clearance to go ashore. So during the cruise ship off-season, between November and April, Cushing fills up his backpack with phone cards and snack packets and takes the Mission to the sailors.Then he sits down at the crew dining area and waits: to talk to the man who's depressed and lonely; to sell a phone card to a new father who had a son born half a world away and wants to hear his baby breathe over the phone; or to pray with another who misses his family."The life of a seafarer, really, honestly speaking, just sucks," Cushing said. "They have to deal with loneliness, weeks and months on a ship, not much contact with their families, sometimes horrible eating and living conditions. They need that listening ear."Around this time of year, the Mission also brings some holiday cheer into the sailors' lives, at a time when many are missing their families most.The handmade gift ditty bags, donated by the Women's Seafarers Friends Society, are small and filled with basic essentials - a knit wool hat, socks, a T-shirt, a sewing kit, a razor, a calendar, a pen and a soup packet.But it's the thought behind the gifts that touches the gruff and weathered seamen who feel like they are often forgotten, Cushing said."Everything they get in the gifts, they could just go buy on their own. But the feeling that somebody remembered, that somebody intentionally went out of their way to do this for them, makes them feel so much better," Cushing said.(Published: December 26, 2002) Source: http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/atboston26.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 28 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6754/1/E-The-Communications-device-is-being-tested-now-in-Croatia.html ÂCommunications device is being tested now in CroatiaÂIt has been more than ten years since the United States fought a major battle in the Gulf.  Since then, they have developed a number of new high tech weapons and devices.   With military crews on alert tonight preparing for action in Iraq, a local company is helping to keep America safe with some breakthrough new technology that may even be used in Iraq.   A military tool called an Electronic Translator was developed by Lockheed Martin.  The device lets the holder speak in English, then it translates the phrase and also translates the answer back to English.   The Communications device is being tested now in Croatia, but will come in handy for other troops and peacekeepers.Source: http://www.wstm.com/Global/story.asp?S=1063646&nav=2aKDD5ob letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 28 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6758/1/E-Croatia-imports-beavers.html New CroatianImportBBC NewsChange to World Wednesday, 25 December, 2002, 21:56 GMTÂBavarian beavers sent across EuropeA century ago beavers were dying out in EuropeBy Katya AdlerÂIn Berlin In the southern German state of Bavaria, beavers - once threatened with near extinction - are breeding so successfully that wildlife conservationists are having to transport them abroad to save them from angry local farmers, whose crops they have been eating.Bavaria has become beaver country.ÂSix thousand beavers currently live there - a few thousand too many for the local farmers who regard the rodents as pests.Beavers love to nibble sugar cane and corn.ÂSo to rescue the beavers from the potentially murderous ire of the Bavarian farmers, a group of zoologists have been organising their safe transportation abroad.They are bundling them into trailers and motoring them across the border. New generationThanks to these self-styled beaver councillors, Bavarian beavers are now busy building dams across rivers and streams in Spain, Hungary, Croatia, Romania and Belgium.ÂA hundred years ago, beavers were dying out in Europe. They were killed to make fashionable winter coats and quack doctors used their sex glands in love potions.Only in Russia, southern France and Norway could beavers paddle with impunity. Until the 1970s that is, when German wildlife conservationists began to breed a new generation of beavers in Bavaria.ÂIt seems they were a little too successful in fulfilling their aims.Âhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2605959.stm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 26 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6757/1/EF-Zagreb-has-the-grace-and-the-dignity-of-old-Europe.html ÂZagreb has the grace and the dignity of oldEuropeStatues of ZagrebMichèle Bernardspecial collaboration, La Presse The statue of Proclamation, Josip Jelacic , Zagreb in Croatia.ÂZagreb has the grace and the dignity of old Europe. If to travel, is penetrated it the soul of a people, which is the key of this city? Follow the guide. Or better guides, because statues of parks teach the path of the heart of the millennial capital of the Croatia, the Hrvatska (to read Khoeur-vatt-ska).Zagreb remembers. In gardens of the low city sits the sculpture The History of Croats, work of Mestrovic (1932). A tranquil force emanates from the seated womanly youth. Memory of its people, it protects, its hands joint, the book written in glagoljica, alphabet invented in Croatia, ancestor of the handwriten cyrillique used by the orthodox orientals.The free and artistic Zagreb is well learned. Whole around parks flower, the proliferate cultural life with its theaters, opera, ballets, halls of concerts, national museums, naive art galleries and particular collections, university or serious academies.Zagreb the European. Ahead the station, one falls nose to nose with the statue of the king Tomislav, work of Mihanovic (1947). The second, the Esplanade hotel, Art style déco, dessert since 1925 travelers of the Orient - Express. Its restaurant resides one of the best count in city. And then the contemporary writer Miroslav Krleza proclaims,k L'EUROPE finishes on the terrace of the Esplanade»? Warlike Zagreb. Original of Carpates, the tribe of Croats is invited to the VIIth century by the Roman emperor Héraclius to defend Balkans. Croats have come, have seen and have conquered. Then, they have remained, bartered their conversion to the Christian faith against the protection of the pope John of Dalmatia. In 925, the emperor proclaims king their chief Tomislav. The lord unifies the country until the sea. The not hard kingdom and from 11e century, the Croatia eternalizes under the Hungarian domination.Ambiguous Zagreb. Even during the socialist yoke, the historical Croat pride subsists. «WHAT, you have no king? tease - they their neighbor come Slovenes to sell the product of closes them to the market Dolac. Where dominated already the beautiful red parasols of today, asserts - on. In the high city of Zagreb, hill Kaptol and Gradec rival since always. From 1093, the ecclesiastical Kaptol shelters bishopric and catholic cathedral. To 12e century, the secular Gradec lodges the Sabor -the Parliament - as well as the nobility and the middle class. Between the two, the place Jelacic is the point of fall of the city. "Place tournante" (turning point), all streetcars seem to end there. From there radiate pedestrian streets and commercial establishments, snack and restaurants, terraces and cafes where to taste the viennoiseries of usage. Youths give appointment «under the tail of the hors» of Josip Jelacic, work of the sculptor Fernhorn (1866).Resistant Zagreb. Slava mu, glory to it! The viceroy Jelacic requests in 1848 the abolition of all tutelage for Slavs of the empire Austro - Hungarian. It loses the battle and the Croatia residence submit until to 1918. Strange fact, the statue of Jelacic resides in place under the domination of magyars. In 1947, under the communist Tito, the statue disappears, struggle against all nationalism of the share of the six Yugoslav republics. Then, Jelacic leaves the dust in 1991 during the independence of the Croatia. Idealistic Zagreb. To 19e century, Strossmayer is partisan to the union of all southern Slavs, Yugo - Slavs. The severe enacts the patriot - bishop, work of Mestrovic (1925), throne in supporting gardens its name. Strossmayer has not seen neither the beginning nor the end of its dream, Yugoslavia. Tender Zagreb. Smile to lips, the passerbys melt ahead the Bench of Matos, work of the contemporary Ivan Kozaric (1972). Sat eternally, the sage and threadlike celebrity of bronze meditates near the funicular connecting low and high cities. Welcome to Zagreb.Dobrodosli.CROATIELes statues de ZagrebMichèle Bernardcollaboration spéciale, La PresseLa statue de Ban Josip Jelacic à Zagreb en Croatie.Zagreb a la grâce et la dignité de la vieille Europe. Si voyager, c'est pénétrer l'âme d'un peuple, quelle est la clé de cette ville? Suivez le guide. Ou mieux les guides, car les statues des parcs enseignent le chemin du coeur de la capitale millénaire de la Croatie, la Hrvatska (lire Khoeur-vatt-ska).Zagreb se souvient. Dans les jardins de la basse ville siège la sculpture L'Histoire des Croates, oeuvre de Mestrovic (1932). Une force tranquille émane de la jeune femme assise. Mémoire de son peuple, elle protège de ses mains jointes le livre rédigé en glagol, alphabet inventé en Croatie, ancêtre de l'écriture cyrillique utilisée par les orthodoxes orientaux.La libre et artistique Zagreb est bien savante. Tout autour des parcs fleuris, la vie culturelle prolifère avec ses théâtres, opéra, ballets, salles de concerts, musées nationaux, galeries d'art naïf et collections particulières, université ou sérieuses académies.Zagreb l'européenne. Devant la gare, on tombe nez à nez avec la statue du roi Tomislav, oeuvre de Mihanovic (1947). À deux pas, l'hôtel Esplanade, de style Art déco, dessert depuis 1925 les voyageurs de l'Orient-Express. Son restaurant demeure une des meilleures tables en ville. Et puis l'écrivain contemporain Miroslav Krleza ne proclame-t-il pas «L'Europe finit sur la terrasse de l'Esplanade»?Zagreb guerrière. Originaire des Carpates, la tribu des Croates est invitée au VIIe siècle par l'empereur romain Héraclius à défendre les Balkans. Les Croates sont venus, ont vu et ont vaincu. Puis, ils sont restés, troquant leur conversion à la foi chrétienne contre la protection du pape Jean de Dalmatie. En 925, l'empereur proclame roi leur chef Tomislav. Le seigneur unifie le pays jusqu'à la mer. Le royaume ne dure pas et à partir du 11e siècle, la Croatie s'éternise sous la domination hongroise.PublicitéZagreb ambiguë. Même pendant le joug socialiste, la fierté historique des Croates subsiste. «Quoi, vous n'avez pas de roi?» taquinent-ils leurs voisins slovènes venus vendre le produit de leur ferme au marché Dolac. Où dominaient déjà les beaux parasols rouges d'aujourd'hui, affirme-t-on.Dans la ville haute de Zagreb, les collines Kaptol et Gradec rivalisent depuis toujours. Dès 1093, l'ecclésiastique Kaptol abrite évêché et cathédrale catholiques. Au 12e siècle, la séculière Gradec loge le Sabor -le Parlement- ainsi que la noblesse et la bourgeoisie. Entre les deux, la place Jelacic est le point de chute de la ville. Plaque tournante, tous les tramways semblent y aboutir. De là rayonnent rues piétonnières et commerçantes, casse-croûte et restaurants, terrasses et cafés où déguster les viennoiseries d'usage. Les jeunes se donnent rendez-vous «sous la queue du cheval» de Josip Jelacic, oeuvre du sculpteur Fernhorn (1866).Zagreb résistante. Slava mu, gloire à lui! Le vice-roi Jelacic réclame en 1848 l'abolition de toute tutelle pour les Slaves de l'empire austro-hongrois. Il perd la bataille et la Croatie demeure soumise jusqu'en 1918. Fait étrange, la statue de Jelacic demeure en place sous la domination magyare. En 1947, le socialiste Tito la fait disparaître, luttant contre tout nationalisme de la part des six républiques yougoslaves. On sort Jelacic de la poussière en 1991 lors de l'indépendance de la Croatie.Zagreb idéaliste. Au 19e siècle, Strossmayer est partisan de la réunion de tous les Slaves du Sud, les Yugo-Slaves. La sévère statue du patriote-évêque, oeuvre de Mestrovic (1925), trône dans les jardins portant son nom. Strossmayer n'a vu ni le début ni la fin de son rêve, la Yougoslavie.Tendre Zagreb. Sourire aux lèvres, les passants s'attendrissent devant le Banc de Matos, oeuvre du contemporain Ivan Kozaric (1972). Assis éternellement, le sage et filiforme personnage de bronze médite près du funiculaire reliant villes haute et basse. Bienvenue à Zagreb.Dobrodosli. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 26 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6759/1/E-Milosevic-Watch-out-for-this-on-PBS---How-to-be-a-dictator-on-BBC.html ÂHOW TO BE ADICTATORThe following doucumentary was screened on BBC Four last week. It was superb, no "all sides guilty" here. Indeed, by the end it effectively blamed the Serb people as a whole.ÂThere is one scene which was JNA footage overflying devastated Vukovar, cutting back and forth with drivel from Milosevic's wife; the footage was the most striking I have seen of the devastation wreaked by the JNA.ÂLots in this programme. It was co-produced with WNET, so it should be available on US PBS TV.ÂMerry Christmas and a happy new year to all.Brian.Âhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/storyville/milosevic.shtml Leslie Woodhead and Paul Jenkins spent six months filming in Belgrade in order to reconstitute the career of Slobodan Milosevic. The man who is now on trail at The Hague for genocide proves to suffer from what witnesses refer to as a kind of autism. It is extremely hard ever to pin down what he did, but he proved able to exercise dictatorial powers over his country and also to wage a series of catastrophic wars that led to the break-up of Yugoslavia and many hundreds of thousands of deaths.ÂThis is a totally chilling film, made with the rigour and compassion that one has come to expect from Leslie Woodhead. It is not always easy viewing, but it does offer a definitive account of the blackness at the heart of Europe in the past decade.Storyville Homepage letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 21 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6760/1/E-Film-Propaganda---All-EQUALLY-Guilty.html  Film Propaganda - All EQUALLY GuiltyFilm offers different view of Yugoslav warAll sides in conflict are equally guilty, documentary arguesBy DUANE DUDEKE-mail Duane Dudek at ddudek@journalsentinel.com.ÂJournal Sentinel film critic(E) Film Propaganda - All GuiltyLast Updated: Nov. 4, 2002Everything you thought you knew about the war in Yugoslavia is wrong, according to filmmaker George Bogdanich. Even worse, according to a former U.S ambassador to Belgrade who appears in Bogdanich's documentary about the conflict, U.S. and NATO policies in the region were "immoral, illegal, unconstitutional, ineffective, incomprehensible (and) indefensible."If You GoWhat: "Yugoslavia, the Avoidable War"When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5Where: UWM Union Theatre, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd.Admission: FreeÂPerception is in the eye of the beholder and hindsight is 20/20.But one thing is clear - in Yugoslavia, the Western concepts of black and white became mired in the ghostly gray and bloodshed red of an internecine conflict whose interested parties over the years have included Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden."Yugoslavia, the Avoidable War," showing tonight at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Union Theatre, is a grueling, inch-by-inch, frame-by-frame, 165-minute crime-scene look at the historical, ethnic and political fragmentation of the region."The Avoidable War" was directed by Bogdanich, a University of Wisconsin-Madison alumnus who uses talking heads, persuasive reportage and a connect-the-dots skepticism toward conventional wisdom to argue that Western and European biases toward Croats and Bosnian Muslims over the Serbs were wrongheaded and shortsighted, since all sides were equally guilty.Former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic showed parts of the film at his trial for crimes against humanity, but he edited it to eliminate anything incriminating against him.Complicit in the conflict was a world media that was spoon-fed and then disseminated without question a barrage of misinformation and disinformation, exaggerated statistics and reports of atrocities that influenced public policy and world opinion, the film argues.The most damning charges in the film are that Croatian forces would fire missiles or stage an attack from demilitarized zones and make sure the press covered the Serbian retaliation. The film also offers anecdotal evidence that massacres were staged to look like Serb attacks in order to scuttle negotiations to end the conflict. Throughout the conflict, the film says, Croatia's Washington-based PR firm advised the country on how to ensure favorable media coverage.Bogdanich claims that on the one hand, German intelligence encouraged historically fascist and pro-Nazi forces in Croatia, while on the other, the U.S. allied itself with Muslim forces in Bosnia, supposedly to curry favor with Arab states. The movie argues that rather than calm waters, the West's biased intervention hindered a peaceful resolution.A degree in Balkan history or international relations might be required to argue for or against the point, because the swirl of broken accords and ancient grudges chronicled is overwhelming to the point where all but veteran observers will lose track of them.The web of intrigue even snared Microsoft, which, according to the agency representing the film, censored e-mails condemning Milosevic's use of the film at his trial by closing the agency's account. But this is just a sideshow to a tragedy that Bogdanich - who has served as a spokesman for Serbian-American causes - wishes had turned out differently.E-mail Duane Dudek at ddudek@journalsentinel.com.Âhttp://www.jsonline.com/onwisconsin/movies/nov02/93119.asp letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 11 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6761/1/E-Cool--Croatias-Parliament-live-from-the-Internet.html ÂCool ...Croatia's Parliament live from theInternetC-SPAN brings history into classroomBy SHUVA RAHIM, News-Sun Staff WriterChris Bauer, a senior at Springfield South High School, was amazed when he learned he could see Croatia's Parliament live from the Internet.Â"Wow! Cool!" he said Monday during a lab session with representatives from the C-SPAN cable network.ÂBauer and others in his government class were among several students Monday who learned about the network's Web site,www.cspan.org.ÂÂThey got a glimpse of what's available on the cable network, which is part of the regular package offered by Time Warner Cable in the Springfield area. People can also see live what's going on C-SPAN 2 and C-SPAN 3, which are carried on a tier package by the cable company.ÂThe Webcasts of the stations are new this year and are part of an ongoing effort to introduce high school and college students to how they can get access to information about politics, history and other topics, said Dennis Baltimore, master control operator for C-SPAN.ÂC-SPAN officials do a national bus tour that includes interactive features. But the bus was under maintenance Monday, causing network officials to go into the classroom instead. The tour usually targets places where C-SPAN doesn't have a strong presence.ÂStudents at South learned that "AA" in political lingo meant administrative assistant, not Alcoholics Anonymous, as many students initially thought.ÂThey also learned they could find information about the presidents, famous American authors and different policies.Â"Look at C-SPAN like you look at a library," Vanessa Melius, C-SPAN community relations representative, told students.ÂThe Web site is also a good resource for teachers, who she said usually don't have a lot of time to research information they want to teach.ÂPete Smith, who teaches American history and psychology, said the Web site offers his students a good review of what they've learned in class. C-SPAN's visit also meant some South teachers such as Smith would receive a six-foot wide, laminated poster titled, "C-SPAN's American Presidents Timeline."ÂThe poster showcases how long each president served, whether their career included military experience, and major events during their presidency, such as Sept. 11 and the World War II bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.ÂThe C-SPAN staff also reintroduced a contest in which students can win a trip to Washington{M4, D.C., by expressing their thoughts on public service. The topic this time is, "How do we balance civil liberties and national security to best serve the Common Good?" More information on the "Common Good" can be found atwww.c-span.org/classroom/commongood.ÂÂhttp://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/newsfd/auto/feed/news/2002/12/02/1038889231.03162.1095.4997.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 03 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6763/1/E-Sign-Language---Los-Angeles-Times.html PERRY C. RIDDLE / Los Angeles TimesÂSign LanguageRetiree John Pollard reads the inscription on the new "Sister Cities" monument on the lawn of Los Angeles City Hall. The monument, which symbolizes the city's ties to other cities worldwide and seeks to raise their profile here, was created by the L.A. Public Works and Transportation departments letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 03 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6766/1/E-Arrested-in-Sioux-Falls-convicted-by-a-Croatian-court.html ÂConvicted by a Croatiancourt and arrested in the USARefugee to fight return to CroatiaBy The Associated PressSIOUX FALLS  A Croatian Serb refugee arrested in Sioux Falls on a warrant accusing him of war crimes will fight deportation, his lawyer says."He is completely innocent," Dusan Vucicevic, a lawyer for Mitar Arambasic, said. "He was tried in absentia. Courts of the United States should not give it any credence."Arambasic was convicted by a Croatian court that relied on testimony from another Serbian prisoner who had been beaten and tortured, Vucicevic said.He said he will argue Arambasic's case in Immigration Court in Bloomington, Minn., later this month.U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service officials arrested Arambasic Sept. 5, when he tried to renew a work permit.He had worked at Sioux Falls Transit for 11 months.The renewal of the work permit triggered an extra check put in place after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the INS said. Reports surfaced that Arambasic had been sentenced to 20 years in prison.The charges involved "being in the area when two police officers were killed" and looting, Vucicevic said. Arambasic was out of the region before his trial was held in 1997, the Illinois lawyer said.Arambasic, his wife and two children entered the United States as refugees in 2000. His wife and children remain in Sioux Falls.The Minneapolis branch of the INS has accused Arambasic of violating U.S. immigration law by failing to report his war-crime conviction when he entered the United States.Vucicevic said Arambasic was convicted by a biased Croatian court. He said he will ask the immigration judge to release Arambasic and require the INS to investigate the objectivity of those proceedings before acting on deportation.Mayor Dave Munson said he didn't know about the Arambasic case until he read about it in Sunday's Sioux Falls Argus Leader.The INS "should have notified somebody," he said. "That's unfortunate. We should all be working together and informing each other. There's got to be a two-way communication on these things." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 29 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6765/1/E-Croatian-Victim-of-an-anti-personnel-mine.html ÂMine VictimEVENING NEWS 19.10.2002.ÂThe Croatian Mine Action Centre reported that its worker,ÂStjepan Haban (born in 1971), lost his life in an accident whichÂoccurred in a Slovene centre for the training of mine removalÂexperts on Friday.Under still unexplained circumstances, an anti-personnel mineÂexploded in the hands of Haban during lessons. In the explosion,Âanother Croat, Vladimir Orsolic, who is also an employee withÂthe Croatian Mine Action Centre, sustained light injuries. ThreeÂemployees of this Croatian company were attending the training,Âorganised by the International Trust Fund in the Slovene militaryÂbarracks of Ig, outside Ljubljana. An investigation in Friday'sÂaccident is under way. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 29 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6764/1/E-The-Queen-exchanges-gifts-with-the-President-of-Croatia.html ÂThe Queen exchanges gifts with the President ofCroatia19, December, 2001:The Queen exchanges gifts with the President of Croatia, Stjepan Mesic, who visited Buckingham Palace during a three-day visit to Britain letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 29 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6762/1/E-The-Croatia-Connection-Andrea-Rutnik-Shares-Experiences.html The Croatia Connection: Andrea Rutnik Shares Experiences and Impressions of U.S. ÂBy Mohira SuyarkulovaI saw the barren land of Vrlika, white rocks and the houses made of those white stones among which snakes and lizards dwell. I saw men and women dancing. . . in silence. There was no sound of music, no singing, just the rhythm created by people's stepping on the ground heavily. The moment was magic and mystical, for I have never seen anything as gracious and festive in my life?I saw that image as I was listening to Andrea describing the home village of her mother.Andrea Rutnik is 22 years old. She was born in Osijek, Croatia. Andrea studies philosophy and religion at UVM on the Open Society Institute Undergraduate Exchange Program.M: Andrea, why did you decide to apply for this program and spend a year of your life living and studying in the US?A: I wanted to come here to have a different experience. There is so much stuff that you hear about America, both good and bad. So, I wanted to give it a shot and see how I will fit in this big country. I am also trying to get more whole picture of the world. In order to do this it is good to have as many experiences as you can possibly get, so that you can have more knowledge when choosing paths you are going to take in your life. M: What were the differences, if any, in ways of life that surprised or even shocked you that you found in the US?A: I was actually more surprised about how many similarities I have found. When you make this big trip to the other part of the world, you expect some kind of shock. So I was looking out for some striking differences but there weren't any! I was surprised about that. The only thing that really shocked me was the washing machines. I am sorry but I have to say this: they suck. Clothes do not get properly washed in them.M: Then what do you like best about America?A: I feel that diversity here is more allowed than in Croatia. You can choose your own way and don't have to be anxious whether people will accept it or not. That's what I like.M: Tell me more about your hometown, please.A: Osijek is a town of about 100,000 in population, situated in the plain, on the right side of River Drava. There was a settlement there in Roman times and part of the town goes back to Middle Ages. Many old buildings that are preserved make the atmosphere of Osijek romantic. People there are kind-hearted and somewhat melancholic.Even when they are having fun they like to add some heartbreaking songs that draw tears to one's face. I think that it is a place where you can experience the beauty and the depth of sorrow. There is something in that surroundings that make it perfect for the times when you want to open your heart and cry on someone's shoulder. (Chuckle)M: There was a war in Croatia; what was your experience of it?A: The war began in summer 1991. I was 11 years old then.My hometown Osijek was besieged from three sides and because of the constant bombarding, people had to live for many months in the basements of their houses and buildings. During that time I was in Osijek only for month or two.My parents did not want my brother and me to be there so my father brought us to Germany and we stayed there with relatives for two months. Later we went with my mother to Slovenia and then to the seaside of Croatia, because there wasn't any shooting there. It was hard to understand why these things were happening.I feared, not for my life, but for my parents' lives, because at that stage of your life the parents are really important to you and losing them was the worst thing I could imagine. I just wanted this nightmare to end as soon as possible so that we could return to our normal life. I wished I could go to school and see my friends again.The most appalling thing I remember about that time is the fall of Vukovar, the town nearby to Osijek. It was completely surrounded for several months and bombed constantly.There were only civilians in the city, many of them children, woman and old people that haven't seen the daylight for a long time. Its citizens, not skilled solders, were defending it and Vukovar wouldn't surrender. This gave hope to everyone. Sitting down in the basement we would regularly listen to a radio reports from the surrounded city. There was one reporter in the basement of Vukovars hospital who was sending out news, telling us every day that even though the things are really tough, the city stands. All counted that help from the outside will be coming soon.People expected UN to intervene and save innocent civilians' lives. It was in November and I was in exile in Slovenia when I have heard that Vukovar had fallen.First pictures from the hero city after months of bombarding came - Vukovar ruined completely, not a single building left standing, pale sad faces of people, walking in the rows surrounded only by gray ruins. I cried the whole day after I have seen it in the news. I was a child so disappointed in the world community who did nothing to stop this from happening?M: To what extent do you think things have improved so far? Is there still inter-ethnic hostility?A: No. People realized that we have to move on, learn to compromise.We were friends before and I believe that we'll be friends again. The hearts of the people everywhere are the same. They all basically wish just to have a nice place under the sky that they can call a home, and loving people around them.It is politics that divide them, putting in their minds prejudges and ideas about all this differences.People are nad(ve and often more willing to listen what the politicians say, than what their heart is saying.The war is an ugly thing and those who try to convince you that it can bring good are liars. It brings so much destruction, pain and sadness that it is better to have decades of negotiations if necessary, than few months of the war.We should all decide for our self whether we want to live in the world of peace, and if so we should demand from our leaders to be the peacemakers, and not the warriors.I have read somewhere recently "When warriors are leaders, then you will have war". We must raise leaders of peace. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 24 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6768/1/E-BICIKLhr.html www.bicikl.hrPCN Goes Live In Croatia!Saturday, August 31, 2002 8:17:25 AM PTPress Release Thanks to the wonders of modern technolgy, and our good friends at the fine Croatian cycling website BICIKL.hr, PezCycling News is now available to all our Croatian-speaking friends. Check them out at www.bicikl.hr and say "bog"Âhttp://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=553 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 11 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6767/1/E-Croations-in-Palm-Beach-County-maintain-ties-to-homeland.html ÂCroations in Palm Beach County maintain ties to homelandÂOp-edSomeone please let them learn how to spell, with a gratitude of the publishedarticle,NBCroations in Palm Beach County maintain ties to homelandBy Christine DavisÂSpecial CorrespondentÂPosted September 6 2002ÂWhen Maryann Matesic, 48, of Boca Raton left her small village of Labin, Croatia, she was only 16, hadn't finished high school and had no prospects for a bright future."My parents were poor. We lived on a farm. We had six cows and 50 chickens," Matesic said. "We worked, my father and I, from 5 to 7 in the morning. Then I cleaned up to go to school. When I came home, I made dinner. I had been doing that from the time I was 9."But Matesic had "a bigger picture" for her life, as she put it.Without telling her parents, Joseph and Angela Skopac, Matesic contacted her uncle Mario Zuppicc in Astoria, N.Y., and asked for a ticket to the United States.Now, years later, Maryann, 48, and her husband, Sam, 55, are the owners of MaryAnn's Wallpaper and Window Boutique in Delray Beach.Maryann runs the store, Sam paints and hangs wallpaper.They've made a good life for themselves here, but they miss their families and friends and the country of their birth, one of five republics in the former Yugoslavia.For the past eight years, the Matesics have gone back to visit a new Croatia, independent since 1991 but still recovering from fierce ethnic fighting with neighboring Serbians. A United Nations member since 1992, in May, the country applied to become a member of NATO.The Matesics spent July in Croatia, celebrating two major family occasions -- Maryann's father turned 80 and her parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary."I thought I'd give my parents a second wedding party,'' Matesic said. "I never thought I'd see them married for 50 years."She wanted a family reunion and called her mother's sister to help arrange the party. "I hadn't seen my aunts, uncles and cousins for years," she said.More than 50 guests attended a big dinner at a local restaurant.Matesic cries when she thinks of home."I find it peaceful there. People are struggling, but they are working," she said."They watch what they buy and they are doing beautifully."Maybe their goals aren't as big. They don't have to have a house like the Joneses next door. They wear the same dress for a couple of years. It's not torn or dirty. You do what you have to do."Croatia has seen its share of hard times, but it's better now, Matesic said."People aren't anxious to leave. Today, it's a happy world. You see Serbian [license] plates. They are coming back slowly and people are trying to get along."Matesic met her husband at a Croatian social club when she was 18. They married, settled in Long Island, N.Y., and had two sons. Dean is 29 and Dennis is 22. The Matesic family moved to Boca Raton 12 years ago.Sam's family is from Diklo, near Zadar, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. He was 21 when he left home. "At that time, I wanted a better life,'' Sam said.He wound up in a Rome immigration camp waiting for his papers before finally making it to America. He had one friend in Astoria. "For a while, I wanted to go home, but I decided to stay," he said.Going back to her native country gives Maryann "goose bumps.""When I walk through the streets, I think I'm part of history. Every day I am amazed," she said. "I will see an old house, an old lady in the vegetable market selling her goods just to make a couple of dollars to pay for her medicine."She likes to spend her days in Croatia sightseeing, window shopping, and visiting old churches."One day, I would like to go back to planting vegetables because you can't get it out of your head what you did when you were young."The Matesics are active in the American-Croatian Club in Hallandale. "I want my kids to understand our culture," she said.They are thankful to their adopted homeland, but their roots are in Croatia. Someday, they hope to spend part of each year in Zadar. They both call it a magical town."I want to go back and fish all day," Sam said."Life gives you courage," Maryann said. "You just have to know how to use it."ÂCopyright © 2002, South Florida Sun-SentinelÂhttp://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-db06croatiasep06.story?coll=sfla%2Dnews%2Dpalm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 11 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6769/1/E-Great-Story-about-Croatians---Los-Angeles-Times.html ÂGreat StoryaboutCroatiansLos Angeles Times - Travel Section - September 29, 2002ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂLOST AND FOUND Last month my husband and I stayed at HotelNeptune in Dubrovnik, Croatia. After we left the country, I realized I had leftmy wedding ring on the bathroom sink at the hotel, and I was sick about itsloss. When I returned to California a couple ofweeks later, I contacted the hotel bye-mail to inquire about the ring. I was thrilled to learn that maid hadfound it. Now I have my wedding ring back - and positive thoughts about Croatia.ÂI highly recommend travel to this beautiful country and am thankful to itswonderful people.PATTY BAKERCorona del MarOp-edLet's find the person who found the ring and gave it to the owner. HotelNeptun in Dubrovnik. Shouldn't be difficult to find. And let's reward suchperson, symbolically but in my opinion it is very important to reward the gooddeeds.best,Nenad Bach letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 02 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6770/1/E-Berkeley-and-Croatian-Language---NEEDS-your-letter.html ÂDear All,ÂÂI will send few letters like this. Please send your letter to the email address or snail mail or call them. One doesn't exclude the other. Remember that if we do not do it, nobody will. So far, we are successful in almost every attempt. We need 30 letters and things will change. And if not we need another 50... As LONG AS IT TAKES. But do not wait for someone else to do it. YOU do it. Sample letter, you can find in the CROWN library under Letters to Editors. I'll publish more letters like this for you to have more choices. Few words count. Everything counts !ÂÂbest,ÂÂNenad BachÂeditor in chiefÂÂBerkeley also has the same problem:ÂÂhttp://ls.berkeley.edu/dept/slavic/ÂÂSvako dobro,MarkoÂÂhttp://ls.berkeley.edu/dept/slavic/ÂÂSlavic Languages and LiteraturesÂ6303 Dwinelle Hall #2979ÂU.C. BerkeleyÂBerkeley, CA 94720-2979  ÂGeneral Department InformationÂEllen LangerÂ6303 Dwinelle HallÂUniversity of California at BerkeleyÂÂPhone: (510) 642-2979ÂFax: (510) 642-6220ÂE-mail: issa@socrates.berkeley.eduÂÂLanguages: We teach Russian at all levels (through eight semesters) and a number of other languages of Slavic peoples and their neighbors. On a regular basis, we offer four semesters of instruction in other languages of Central Europe: Polish, Serbian/Croatian, Czech, Bulgarian, Hungarian, along with courses in English translation on the literature of these peoples. On an occasional basis, we teach other non-Slavic languages of importance to East Europe and West Asia.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) Thu, 28 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6771/1/E-TONIGHT-on-TV-landmine-awareness-on-WEST-WING.html ÂÂÂDear Roots of Peace Supporters,ÂÂÂPlease watch this week's episode on THE WEST WING, as it features the dilemma of the landmine issue. This popular show is poised to raise national landmine awareness on this humanitarian issue.ÂÂÂThe attached e-mail from our Advisory Board Member Jerry White depicts further details. Please forward this information to your constituents. Thank you.ÂÂÂSincerely,ÂÂÂHeidi KuhnÂPresident & FounderÂRoots of PeaceÂÂÂ-----Original Message-----ÂFrom: Landmine Survivors NetworkÂSubject: LSN urges you to watch this week's The West Wing on WednesdayÂÂFrom: GlobalvisionÂFROM ROOTS OF PEACE: WATCH WEST WING TONIGHTÂÂDuring my brief sabbatical from this log, I stopped in NorthernÂCalifornia to meet with an exceptional woman and an exiting new peaceÂinitiative called ROOTS OF PEACE. This group was the brainchild of aÂSan Rafael mom and former journalist named Heidi Kuhn who hasÂmobilized her community behind a campaign to remove land mines thatÂmenace millions world wide. Heidi has found support from 400ÂCalifornia vintners and Wine Companies under the slogan "MINES INTOÂVINES." It is a impressive undertaking that is already working atÂreclaiming land in the war torn areas of Croatia. It is a fabulousÂorganizing model linking private, public and community institutions.ÂHeidi writes this morning to urge Americans at least to watch theÂpopular prime time dramatic series on NBC, WEST WING. It is onÂtonight:ÂÂ"Tune in to The West Wing on Wednesday, March 27. President BartletÂis confronted by a challenge to his leadership: will he step up toÂban landmines and save thousands of innocent lives? In the time itÂtakes to watch the show, somewhere in the world, 3 peopleÂÂ"will step on a landmine. Some will lose arms and legs and others will die.ÂÂ"The Poet Laureate of America visits The West Wing and tries toÂpersuade Bartlet to join the ban. In real life our President needs toÂhear from YOU.ÂÂ"The Bush administration is currently reviewing the United StatesÂpolicy on landmines, and a decision on this review is imminent. ThisÂis a historic opportunity for President Bush to courageously lead ourÂcountry to a mine-safe world by banning landmines today.ÂÂ"Send President Bush an email. Time is running out. Let PresidentÂBush know that you believe landmines do more harm than good on theÂmodern battlefield."ÂÂInteresting isn't that an entertainment show is raising this issueÂwhile news programs and documentary series ignore it! That's aÂcomment on media if there ever was one.ÂÂDanny SchechterÂExecutive Editor Mediachannel.orgÂhttp://www.mediachannel.orgÂExecutive Producer, Globalvision.IncÂ1600 Broadway, #700 NY NY 10019 USAÂ212-246-0202ÂÂDistributed 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, 27 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6773/1/E-CIA-pages-on-Croatia.html Âhttp://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.htmlÂÂCroatiaÂÂIntroduction Geography People Government EconomyÂCommunications Transportation Military Transnational IssuesÂÂCroatia IntroductionÂBackground: In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became an independent communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands. Under UN supervision the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998.ÂCroatia Geography Top of PageÂLocation: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and SloveniaÂGeographic coordinates: 45 10 N, 15 30 EÂMap references: EuropeÂArea: total: 56,542 sq kmÂÂland: 56,414 sq kmÂÂwater: 128 sq kmÂArea - comparative: slightly smaller than West VirginiaÂLand boundaries: total: 2,028 kmÂÂborder countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km, Yugoslavia 266 km, Slovenia 501 kmÂCoastline: 5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)ÂMaritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationÂÂterritorial sea: 12 NMÂClimate: Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coastÂTerrain: geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islandsÂElevation extremes: lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 mÂÂhighest point: Dinara 1,830 mÂNatural resources: oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropowerÂLand use: arable land: 21%ÂÂpermanent crops: 2%ÂÂpermanent pastures: 20%ÂÂforests and woodland: 38%ÂÂother: 19% (1993 est.)ÂIrrigated land: 30 sq km (1993 est.)ÂNatural hazards: destructive earthquakesÂEnvironment - current issues: air pollution (from metallurgical plants) and resulting acid rain is damaging the forests; coastal pollution from industrial and domestic waste; landmine removal and reconstruction of infrastructure consequent to 1992-95 civil strifeÂEnvironment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, WetlandsÂÂsigned, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto ProtocolÂGeography - note: controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish StraitsÂCroatia People Top of PageÂPopulation: 4,334,142 (July 2001 est.)ÂAge structure: 0-14 years: 18.16% (male 403,722; female 383,151)ÂÂ15-64 years: 66.61% (male 1,452,872; female 1,434,086)ÂÂ65 years and over: 15.23% (male 245,727; female 414,584) (2001 est.)ÂPopulation growth rate: 1.48% (2001 est.)ÂBirth rate: 12.82 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)ÂDeath rate: 11.41 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)ÂNet migration rate: 13.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)ÂSex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/femaleÂÂunder 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/femaleÂÂ15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/femaleÂÂ65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/femaleÂÂtotal population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)ÂInfant mortality rate: 7.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)ÂLife expectancy at birth: total population: 73.9 yearsÂÂmale: 70.28 yearsÂÂfemale: 77.73 years (2001 est.)ÂTotal fertility rate: 1.94 children born/woman (2001 est.)ÂHIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)ÂHIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 350 (1999 est.)ÂHIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)ÂNationality: noun: Croat(s)ÂÂadjective: CroatianÂEthnic groups: Croat 78.1%, Serb 12.2%, Bosniak 0.9%, Hungarian 0.5%, Slovenian 0.5%, Czech 0.4%, Albanian 0.3%, Montenegrin 0.3%, Roma 0.2%, others 6.6% (1991)ÂReligions: Roman Catholic 76.5%, Orthodox 11.1%, Muslim 1.2%, Protestant 0.4%, others and unknown 10.8% (1991)ÂLanguages: Croatian 96%, other 4% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German)ÂLiteracy: definition: age 15 and over can read and writeÂÂtotal population: 97%ÂÂmale: 99%ÂÂfemale: 95% (1991 est.)ÂCroatia Government Top of PageÂCountry name: conventional long form: Republic of CroatiaÂÂconventional short form: CroatiaÂÂlocal long form: Republika HrvatskaÂÂlocal short form: HrvatskaÂGovernment type: presidential/parliamentary democracyÂCapital: ZagrebÂAdministrative divisions: 20 counties (zupanije, zupanija - singular), 1 city (grad -singular)*: Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska Zupanija, Brodsko-Posavska Zupanija, Dubrovacko-Neretvanska Zupanija, Istarska Zupanija, Karlovacka Zupanija, Koprivnicko-Krizevacka Zupanija, Krapinsko-Zagorska Zupanija, Licko-Senjska Zupanija, Medimurska Zupanija, Osjecko-Baranjska Zupanija, Pozesko-Slavonska Zupanija, Primorsko-Goranska Zupanija, Sibensko-Kninska Zupanija, Sisacko-Moslavacka Zupanija, Splitsko-Dalmatinska Zupanija, Varazdinska Zupanija, Viroviticko-Podravska Zupanija, Vukovarsko-Srijemska Zupanija, Zadarska Zupanija, Zagreb*, Zagrebacka ZupanijaÂIndependence: 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)ÂNational holiday: Republic Day/Statehood Day, 30 May (1990)ÂConstitution: adopted on 22 December 1990ÂLegal system: based on civil law systemÂSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)ÂExecutive branch: chief of state: President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC (since 18 February 2000)ÂÂhead of government: Prime Minister Ivica RACAN (since 27 January 2000); Deputy Prime Ministers Goran GRANIC (since 27 January 2000), Zeljka ANTUNOVIC (since 27 January 2000), Slavko LINIC (since 27 January 2000)ÂÂcabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and approved by the House of RepresentativesÂÂelections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 7 February 2000 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister nominated by the president in line with the balance of power in the AssemblyÂÂelection results: Stjepan MESIC elected president; percent of vote - Stjepan MESIC (HNS) 56%, Drazen BUDISA (HSLS) 44%ÂÂnote: government coalition - SDP, HSLS, HSS, LP, HNS, IDSÂLegislative branch: bicameral Assembly or Sabor consists of the House of Counties or Zupanijski Dom (68 seats, 63 directly elected by popular vote, 5 appointed by the president; members serve four-year terms; note - House of Counties to be abolished in 2001) and House of Representatives or the Zastupnicki Dom (151 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)ÂÂelections: House of Counties - last held 13 April 1997; House of Representatives - last held 2-3 January 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)ÂÂelection results: House of Counties - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - HDZ 42, HSLS/HSS 11, HSS 2, IDS 2, SDP/PGS/HNS 2, SDP/HNS 2, HSLS/HSS/HNS 1, HSLS 1; note - in some districts certain parties ran as coalitions, while in others they ran alone; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - HDZ 46, SDP 44, HSLS 24, HSS 17, HSP/HKDU 5, IDS 4, HNS 2, independents 4, minority representatives 5ÂJudicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; judges for both courts appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the Republic, which is elected by the House of RepresentativesÂPolitical parties and leaders: Alliance of Croatian Coast and Mountains Department or PGS [Luciano SUSANJ]; Croatian Christian Democratic Union or HKDU [Marko VESELICA]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ [Ivo SANADER]; Croatian Party of Rights or HSP [Dobroslav PARAGA]; Croatian Peasant Party or HSS [Zlatko TOMCIC]; Croatian People's Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC]; Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS [Drazen BUDISA]; Independent Democratic Serb Party or SDSS [Vojislav STANIMIROVIC]; Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS [Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Liberal Party or LP [leader NA]; Social Democratic Party of Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN]ÂÂnote: the Social Democratic Party or SDP and the Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS formed a coalition as did the HSS, HNS, LP, and IDS, which together defeated the Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ in the 2000 lower house parliamentary electionÂPolitical pressure groups and leaders: NAÂInternational organization participation: BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrOÂDiplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ivan GRDESICÂÂchancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008ÂÂtelephone: [1] (202) 588-5899ÂÂFAX: [1] (202) 588-8936ÂÂconsulate(s) general: Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New YorkÂDiplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Lawrence G. ROSSINÂÂembassy: Andrije Hebranga 2, 10000 ZagrebÂÂmailing address: use street addressÂÂtelephone: [385] (1) 661-2200ÂÂFAX: [385] (1) 661-2373ÂFlag description: red, white, and blue horizontal bands with Croatian coat of arms (red and white checkered)ÂCroatia Economy Top of PageÂEconomy - overview: Before the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the Republic of Croatia, after Slovenia, was the most prosperous and industrialized area, with a per capita output perhaps one-third above the Yugoslav average. Croatia faces considerable economic problems stemming from: the legacy of longtime communist mismanagement of the economy; damage during the internecine fighting to bridges, factories, power lines, buildings, and houses; the large refugee and displaced population, both Croatian and Bosnian; and the disruption of economic ties. Stepped-up Western aid and investment, especially in the tourist and oil industries, would help bolster the economy. The economy emerged from its mild recession in 2000 with tourism the main factor. Massive unemployment remains a key negative element. The government's failure to press the economic reforms needed to spur growth is largely the result of coalition politics and public resistance, particularly from the trade unions, to measures that would cut jobs, wages, or social benefits.ÂGDP: purchasing power parity - $24.9 billion (2000 est.)ÂGDP - real growth rate: 3.2% (2000 est.)ÂGDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,800 (2000 est.)ÂGDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10%ÂÂindustry: 19%ÂÂservices: 71% (1999 est.)ÂPopulation below poverty line: 4% (1999 est.)ÂHousehold income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%ÂÂhighest 10%: NA%ÂInflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (2000 est.)ÂLabor force: 1.68 million (October 2000)ÂLabor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%ÂUnemployment rate: 22% (October 2000)ÂBudget: revenues: $6 billionÂÂexpenditures: $4.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)ÂIndustries: chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal, electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum, paper, wood products, construction materials, textiles, shipbuilding, petroleum and petroleum refining, food and beverages; tourismÂIndustrial production growth rate: 1.7% (2000)ÂElectricity - production: 10.96 billion kWh (1999)ÂElectricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 40.89%ÂÂhydro: 59%ÂÂnuclear: 0%ÂÂother: 0.11% (1999)ÂElectricity - consumption: 13.643 billion kWh (1999)ÂElectricity - exports: 1 billion kWh (1999)ÂElectricity - imports: 4.45 billion kWh (1999)ÂAgriculture - products: wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, alfalfa, clover, olives, citrus, grapes, soy beans, potatoes; livestock, dairy productsÂExports: $4.3 billion (f.o.b., 1999)ÂExports - commodities: transport equipment, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuelsÂExports - partners: Italy 18%, Germany 15.7%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 12.8%, Slovenia 10.6%, Austria 6.2% (1999)ÂImports: $7.8 billion (c.i.f., 1999)ÂImports - commodities: machinery, transport and electrical equipment, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, foodstuffsÂImports - partners: Germany 18.5%, Italy 15.9%, Russia 8.6%, Slovenia 7.9%, Austria 7.1% (1999)ÂDebt - external: $9.9 billion (December 1999)ÂEconomic aid - recipient: $NAÂCurrency: kuna (HRK)ÂCurrency code: HRKÂExchange rates: kuna per US dollar - 8.089 (January 2001), 8.277 (2000), 7.112 (1999), 6.362 (1998), 6.101 (1997), 5.434 (1996)ÂFiscal year: calendar yearÂCroatia Communications Top of PageÂTelephones - main lines in use: 1.488 million (1997)ÂTelephones - mobile cellular: 187,000 (yearend 1998)ÂTelephone system: general assessment: NAÂÂdomestic: reconstruction plan calls for replacement of all analog circuits with digital and enlarging the network; a backup will be included in the plan for the main trunkÂÂinternational: digital international service is provided through the main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in the Trans-Asia-Europe (TEL) fiber-optic project which consists of two fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunk line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; Croatia is also investing in ADRIA 1, a joint fiber-optic project with Germany, Albania, and Greece (2000)ÂRadio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 98, shortwave 5 (1999)ÂRadios: 1.51 million (1997)ÂTelevision broadcast stations: 36 (plus 321 repeaters) (September 1995)ÂTelevisions: 1.22 million (1997)ÂInternet country code: .hrÂInternet Service Providers (ISPs): 9 (2000)ÂInternet users: 100,000 (1999)ÂCroatia Transportation Top of PageÂRailways: total: 2,296 kmÂÂstandard gauge: 2,296 km 1.435-m gauge (983 km electrified) (2000)ÂHighways: total: 27,840 kmÂÂpaved: 23,497 km (including 330 km of expressways)ÂÂunpaved: 4,343 km (1998)ÂWaterways: 785 kmÂÂnote: (perennially navigable; large sections of Sava blocked by downed bridges, silt, and debris)ÂPipelines: crude oil 670 km; petroleum products 20 km; natural gas 310 km (1992)ÂPorts and harbors: Dubrovnik, Dugi Rat, Omisalj, Ploce, Pula, Rijeka, Sibenik, Split, Vukovar (inland waterway port on Danube), ZadarÂMerchant marine: total: 53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 631,853 GRT/969,739 DWTÂÂships by type: bulk 11, cargo 18, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 5, container 3, multi-functional large-load carrier 3, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 4, short-sea passenger 3 (2000 est.)ÂAirports: 67 (2000 est.)ÂAirports - with paved runways: total: 22ÂÂover 3,047 m: 2ÂÂ2,438 to 3,047 m: 6ÂÂ1,524 to 2,437 m: 2ÂÂ914 to 1,523 m: 4ÂÂunder 914 m: 8 (2000 est.)ÂAirports - with unpaved runways: total: 45ÂÂ1,524 to 2,437 m: 1ÂÂ914 to 1,523 m: 8ÂÂunder 914 m: 36 (2000 est.)ÂHeliports: 1 (2000 est.)ÂCroatia Military Top of PageÂMilitary branches: Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air and Air Defense ForcesÂMilitary manpower - military age: 19 years of ageÂMilitary manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,085,877 (2001 est.)ÂMilitary manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 859,621 (2001 est.)ÂMilitary manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 30,037 (2001 est.)ÂMilitary expenditures - dollar figure: $575 million (2000)ÂMilitary expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.8% (2000)ÂCroatia Transnational Issues Top of PageÂÂDisputes - international: Croatia and Italy made progress toward resolving a bilateral issue dating from World War II over property and ethnic minority rights; progress with Slovenia on discussions of adjustments to land boundary, but problems remain in defining maritime boundary in Gulf of Piran; Croatia and Yugoslavia are negotiating the status of the strategically important Prevlaka Peninsula, which is currently under a UN military observer mission (UNMOP)ÂIllicit drugs: transit point along the Balkan route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe; a minor transit point for maritime shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western EuropeÂÂÂDistributed 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/6772/1/E-Washington-Post---NEEDS-YOUR-LETTER.html ÂDear All,There is a review by DessonHowe in the The Washington Post that created a new country of Serbo-Croatia.There is also a review by Michael O'Sullivan in the same newspapers that says for the same geographical term"Croatia". Attention for the first one came from Tony Marganand the second one from Judy- St. Louis.In an essence to be efficient in our respond to such missinformation, pleaseALWAYS send me html address of the actual site where the article exist.Therefore, we will not have confusion about the article. Second, please send thecontact address.email so that everybody can respond immediatelly and that I canpost it in an hour and distribute it. Then we have some reaction. So, pleasewrite a letter to : letters@washpost.com give themthe proper address: http://eg.washingtonpost.com/profile/1064375/?&flavor_id=12&context=movieand yourcomment about invention of new countries. Vukovar was NEVER Serbian. And willNEVER be. So, where is the confusion there. Either Mr.DessonHowe should study georgraphy or ethics, or both. Please find the contactforÂElie Chouraqui, the director of the film. We should shower him with love.NenadBachCROWNWhen 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.A glimpse of Harrison on a news video -- or someone who looks like him -- has been enough to convince her he's still alive."I'm going to bring him back, Cesar," she tells her son -- this after everyone has declared Harrison dead. We've seen enough movies to know that main characters don't say stuff they don't mean. Leaving her two children with relatives, Sarah flies straight into the Serbo-Croatian war of the early 1990s.It's hell, of course. A Croatian whom she gives a lift in her rented car is executed in front of her. Shells explode everywhere. Snipers are plentiful. Soldiers rape and shoot before they ask questions. But Sarah's determined to press on, enlisting help from two of Harrison's fellow photographers, Kyle (an overly angry Adrien Brody) and Stevenson (an assured, amusing Brendan Geeson). Almost ashamed of their own fears, the two men drive her directly into the vortex known as Vukovar, where Sarah believes she saw him in that video. Along the way, she also meets his closest friend, Yeager (Elias Koteas), an award-winning photographer who's also looking for Harrison.-- Desson Howe, Weekend*****************************************************************************HARRISON'S FLOWERS (R, 122 minutes) -- When her husband (DavidStrathairn), a photojournalist, is listed as missing in Croatia, Sarah Lloyd (AndieMacDowell) 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 (andcoscriptwriter) Isabel Ellsen. MacDowell enjoys her best movie performance. And war is made evocatively horrifying, thanks to production designer Giantito Burchiellaro and digital effects by StephaneBidault. Contains war atrocities, obscenity and sexual scenes. Area theaters -- Michael O'Sullivan The French Filmmaker, Bringing War Into Focus  "Harrison's Flowers" director Elie Chouraqui says of war photographers, "They are all witnesses. They are our eyes." (Jonathan Alcorn - For The Washington Post) By William BoothWashington Post Staff WriterThursday, March 14, 2002; Page C01 LOS ANGELES -- The entertainment industry has become remarkably adept, disturbingly precise, in the art of simulating war and its excess, right down to the way a pile of dead bodies, say, might look after a few days, covered in lime.This is a good thing and a bad thing, isn't it? In these times, we should look, and look hard, at what is happening around us, to us, by our hand. But the notion of thinking about these things at a cineplex takes some getting used to."The sound a tank makes, you know, its metal tracks, chewing on a road, and that squealing motor noise, very loud. That is the effect we wanted to produce, to make it real." This is the French director Elie Chouraqui talking about the research, the eye for detail, the pure craftsmanship necessary to make viewers feel like they are there, alongside his protagonist as she encounters the distilled violence that first spilled across Croatia in 1991, in his new film "Harrison's Flowers," which opens tomorrow. The movie is about -- what? Love, hate, war. About witnessing. About the awful and alluring profession of war photography, which requires a human being to stand 10 feet away from a street execution and, as the machete swings, press a Nikon to his face and punch the shutter.In "Harrison's Flowers," a fictional award-winning Newsweek photojournalist leaves his wife and two kids behind in Pottery Barn, N.J., for a quick assignment shooting a filthy little fight between ancient ethnic rivals in the Balkans. Nobody back home knows about the conflict, and nobody really cares. Remember when? The photographer, however, is soon lost and presumed dead in a town with the alien-sounding name of Vukovar; his wife does not believe it and goes to Croatia to find him, and that's when the film becomes a Pilgrim's Progress into Hell.In three minutes of film, the wife, Sarah (played by a frazzled but still lovely Andie MacDowell), drives her rental car from the Europe where we take vacations into a slaughterhouse where they make nightmares. There is a thunder crack, a dusty white concussion. Then the tank. Her car is crushed. A passenger she had picked up begs for his life before he is summarily shot -- just to shut him up -- by a Serb militiaman. Sarah is thrown onto the hood of the car, her legs spread, and is about to be raped, when just as suddenly, her assailants vanish.Here and gone, like an earthquake."I didn't want the audience to be watching the war," Chouraqui says. "I wanted the audience to be in a war. To understand, to have the feeling of war even if you are in a seat watching a screen."Chouraqui (pronounced shoe-rocky) is the film's co-writer, producer and director, and he is all Gallic intensity, explaining why he made the movie as he sits in a hotel suite in Los Angeles having a cigarette, sipping black coffee, eating strawberries, pondering man's inhumanity to man.He recalls those early months of the decade-long Balkan conflict, when the world first began to realize that there was a ground war being fought again in Europe."I am living in Paris," Chouraqui says. "And I am visiting the Venice Film Festival. I have some movie we produced and we see planes flying and crossing the sea, the Adriatic, and people were talking about it and I said, 'I think they are going to Yugoslavia.' "Then the news began to seep out. "I heard words like ethnic cleansing, and then you had camps, concentration camps, and it was 50 years ago, we had cleansing and camps and I decided I have to make a movie, that is my duty," Chouraqui says.He wrote the screenplay with Isabel Ellsen, a French photojournalist. Once, Chouraqui was looking at Ellsen's cameras and noticed a gash on a lens, a memento from Africa, from a machete.This is Chouraqui's first big American release. In his previous work, the director and his production company, 7 Films Cinema, were known for smaller films, like "Les Marmottes" (The Groundhogs) and "Les Menteurs" (The Liars), which were minor hits in France."It was not easy," he says, putting everything together. "To find the money, to write the script, to find the actors, to fight with the agents. It took years."The advertising campaign for "Harrison's Flowers" emphasizes the love story between Sarah and her husband, Harrison (David Strathairn). But MacDowell's character is essentially a surrogate for the audience, an American innocent who must make a perilous journey from the border across Croatia to Vukovar, which was under siege for 87 days.Chouraqui says his actors look haggard and frightened because they were exhausted (they made the film in nine weeks in and around Prague) and even a little bit scared during the filming of some scenes.Chouraqui used Serb and Croat actors to play the combatants, and he said he was awed to watch as they transformed themselves into the monsters seen onscreen. "They could explore this violence they had inside them," the director says.What most fascinated Chouraqui was the role of the photojournalist, which is not so different than his own, in the sense that every piece of film may contain, simultaneously, a truth and a lie."I ask them, first, why are you doing this? It's so strange. You go in front of danger, and you know that you are risking your life. Why are you doing this?" Chouraqui says. "And they all have different answers. My answer is that they did their duty. They are all witnesses. They are our eyes."The film will certainly receive mixed reviews from photographers and journalists who have covered the Balkans and are now busy in Afghanistan.In the movie, MacDowell is accompanied on her journey by a trio of photographers, the pill-popping angry young man Kyle (Adrien Brody), the Irish bear Stevenson (Brendan Gleeson) and Harrison's pal and competitor Yeager (Elias Koteas). Occasionally the actor-photographers are required to utter lines that the best among the world's war photographers (who, by the way, include more than a few women) would never say, such as "This is no place for the living" and "They know our photos will tell the story of this war."Great photographers may actually think thoughts like these, but God forbid they say them out loud at the bar. The film also ignores another fact of modern foreign reportage. Journalists today travel in strange and dangerous countries with native "fixers" who are often given the unpleasant task of negotiating with drunk soldiers at checkpoints. But in "Harrison's Flowers," the photogs go it alone, waving white flags at Serb gunmen, holding up their cameras as shields and squeaking "Press!" when they should be saying "Novinar."Regardless, the film could not be more timely. Slobodan Milosevic is in the dock at the Hague and troops are in the Afghan mountains, followed by more war photographers and their colleagues."I think of Danny Pearl," Chouraqui says of the slain Wall Street Journal reporter. "Everybody talks to me about him. He was with his wife and she is pregnant. I'm thinking about him. What pushed him? What brought you there? Why didn't you stay at home?" The director shakes his head, genuinely saddened. "Too much courage for such small information." But then again, "all the information becomes a picture and the picture tells us what is really going on in the world." That is the idea anyway.But one thing that is interesting about Chouraqui's film is that it does not actually try to make comprehensible the issues behind the war in the Balkans. It is, in that way, like a picture of a pile of dead bodies. There they are. It is awful. But what does it mean?© 2002 The Washington Post Company letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6775/1/E-Documentary-Concerning-Otpor-on-PBS-Tonight.html ÂI heard this evening that PBS will show a documentary on Otpor on March 31,Â2002. Let's keep a watch for inaccuracies. John KraljicÂÂDistributed 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, 21 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6774/1/E-Novi-List-Now-On-Line.html ÂRijeka's daily newspaper, Novi list, is (finally) on-line. Here's the site:ÂÂhttp://www.novilist.hr./ÂÂJohn KraljicÂÂDistributed 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, 20 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6776/1/E-Mestrovic-seeking-divine-relief-from-earthly-agony.html ÂÂhttp://www.dartreview.com/issues/2.4.02/split.htmlÂÂNationalism in Split, CroatiaÂby Christian HummelÂÂRobert Kaplan's praised (and despised) Balkan Ghosts considers the regionÂthrough the eyes of a well-informed traveler. Rather than merely reportingÂwhat he sees or writing tales of the places he visits, in this book, as inÂhis others, Kaplan attempts to map the dynamics at work today and the futureÂprocesses. To account for Croatian nationalism, for example, Kaplan turns toÂthe stories of two bishops, demonstrating the links between CroatianÂidentity and the Catholic Church. While the two are often deemed synonymous,ÂKaplan only weakly brings the two together. His biggest problem was that heÂwent to Zagreb in search of nationalism. He should have gone to Split.ÂSplit is the second largest city in Croatia, although its population is onlyÂa quarter of Zagreb's. Located on the Dalmatian coast, the city has alwaysÂdrawn its share of visitors. Having divided the Roman Empire, DiocletianÂbuilt a palace and camped out in Split for the remainder of his days. TheÂtown's history is a veritable "who's who" of Mediterranean conquerors, withÂthe Greeks, Romans, Slavs, Venetians, Turks, French, Italians, and Serbs allÂhaving overrun the place in the last 2000 or so years.ÂSplit's archaeological museum, like the ruins of the Roman town of SalonaÂjust outside the city, is a tribute to Franjo Bulic, the dean of CroatianÂarchaeology. The museum itself consists of a fairly straightforward displayÂof items from across the ages, while, outside, spectacular monuments areÂarranged unobtrusively and so largely unnoticed by visitors.ÂAlthough the archaeological museum and its accompanying ruins are among theÂbetter of the Adriatic, the best museum in Eastern Europe must surely be theÂIvan Mestrovic Gallery. And, while ancient ruins are nice, the true story ofÂSplit is to be found beyond Diocletian and his palace.ÂIvan Mestrovic was a 20th century sculptor, whose works can be viewed inÂsuch diverse weave's as Chicago's Grant Park, in front of the United NationsÂbuilding in New York, and all throughout Croatia.ÂThe development of Mestrovic's style is historically illuminating; itÂchronicles the decline of the Austro-Hungarian state and the rise in theÂaspirations for independence of the south Slavic peoples.ÂMestrovic trained in Vienna and his initial works display a strong emphasisÂof classical styles. His subjects are the characters of Greco-RomanÂmythology and generally lack any originality or excitement. Later, though,Âhis sculptures develop a unique character. Mestrovic embraced curved shapes,Âconveying alternately a sense of motion or one of stillness andÂcontemplation. Consistently though, the sculptures of this period are ofÂfigures with their heads bowed submissively. This aspect, present in worksÂlike "Contemplation" or "The History of Croatia," lasted until the outbreakÂof World War II. In the 1940's Mestrovic embraced a fascination withÂreligious figures that would persist for the rest of his career.ÂAmong the many striking works of his later career, "Job," dated 1946, bestÂreflects his connecting of religion and Balkan politics. Mestrovic'sÂtortured Old Testament figure comments on the war and Croatia's fate in theÂnew Yugoslavia. No longer submissive, his figures gaze upward, seekingÂdivine relief from earthly agony.ÂMestrovic is clearly an important figure. His career is reminiscent to thoseÂof other important figures in Croatian history, such as Bishop Strossmayer.ÂStrossmayer was educated in Vienna but rejected the control of theÂAustro-Hungarian Empire over the South Slavs. He was disappointed by theÂproblems of the first Yugoslavia, created after World War I, as theÂambitions of the Croats were relegated, in his eyes, to the dominatingÂinterests of the Serbs. Ultimately, he left Yugoslavia and settled in theÂUnited States, teaching at Syracuse and Notre Dame.ÂSplit remains a stronghold of nationalist sentiment.ÂWalking towards town center, my friend and I noticed a group of peopleÂgathered in front of the Franciscan monastery holding large banners. TheÂlargest sign read "Hungry for Justice," and it was clear that a hungerÂstrike was underway. Smaller signs mentioned indicted war criminals andÂOperations Storm and Flash. The strikers themselves were large men, for whomÂa few days without food might prove beneficial. They gathered in the shadeÂof the monastery, juice boxes and water bottle's in hand, and lit candlesÂaround themselves.ÂThe next day, the striking men all donned identical hats: ballcaps with aÂcheckerboard red and white design and HRVATSKA written on the back. The menÂwere cheerful and determined. On the final day of my stay, things changed.ÂA huge crowd had gathered in front of the men; something was afoot.ÂI meandered over to see the Bishop of Split talking to the strikers in front ofÂcameras from local media outlets. Later, I learned that he had asked the strikers toÂleave the monastery's premises. He did, however, give them books and a crucifix.ÂVoting patterns also indicate a strong nationalist bent in Dalmatia. TheÂHDZ's biggest stronghold is Dalmatia. That party controls most county andÂmunicipal governments in the area. I suspect there are several reasons forÂthis pattern, because, historically, Dalmatia was never considered a part ofÂCroatia proper until recently. First, the borders of Dalmatia include much moreÂthan the coast. In the hinterlands above the coast, the small, scattered population is almostÂentirely nationalist. Many served on the front-lines during the war. ThisÂdid not make them sympathetic to weaker politics.ÂSecond, the influx of refugees into the cities is a factor. Related to theÂpoint above, Split and the other large cities saw an influx of theÂdisplaced, not only from within Croatia, but from Herzegovina as well. ThisÂpopulation movement skewed the political demographics to the right.ÂNot that I have any problem with right-wing politics. It's just violentÂnationalists I distrust.ÂÂMr. Hummel is a graduate of the College and a Fulbright Scholar Studying in Croatia.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,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/6779/1/E-LINKS---check-them-out.html Dear All, Please view these links and let me know, through your eyes, what is their value. Especially one before the last one.NenadPostage Stamps of the Republic of Croatia Postage Stamps of the Republic of Croatia. Home: www.math.hr(Croatia). The Republic of Croatia ... http://www.math.hr/stamps/hr-stamps.html More Results From: www.math.hr Internet resources on Croatia ... Internet resources on Croatia. ... British Library - Croatian Collections; CroatianNational and University Library; Libraries in Croatia. Language and literature: ... http://www.ssees.ac.uk/croatia.htm Carinska uprava Republike Hrvatske! ... Carinska uprava Republike Hrvatske! Carinska tarifa za 2002. godinu(Tarifa2002.zip - Word format). Oznake jedinica mjere. ... http://www.carina.hr/ More Results From: www.carina.hr Political Resources on the Net - Croatia (Parties) Croatia (1:3 Parties) Last updated: croatia part 3 croatia part 4, ... Elections Croatia2000. Zvonimir Separovic Candidate to Presidential Elections 2000. ... http://www.politicalresources.net/croatia.htm More Results From: www.politicalresources.net MINISTARSTVO VANJSKIH POSLOVA REPUBLIKE HRVATSKE - Pocetna ... http://www.mvp.hr/ More Results From: www.mvp.hr USAID: Croatia Skip redundant navigation ... Croatia. >> E&E Home Page >> Croatia. FY 2001 BudgetJustification; Economic Growth Resources; Environment Resources. ... http://www.usaid.gov/countries/hr/ More Results From: www.usaid.gov • Internet Radio Stations in Croatia - NetRadioSearch - huge listing of Internet radio ...www.netradiosearch.com Wine Searcher - Find Croatia wine by searching over 200 wine merchants lists in a single ...www.wine-searcher.com • Flags of Croatia -Click Here! - Beautiful flags of Croatia in polyester or nylon, various ...www.flagline.com Croatia (Library of Congress) Portals to the World: Links to electronic resources selected by LC subjectexperts SELECTED INTERNET RESOURCES: CROATIA. ... http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/european/croatia/hr.html NSK National and University library of Zagreb, is one of the central cultural institutions in Croatia. Its mission is to promote Croatian culture, research and ... http://www.nsk.hr/ Colleges and Universities - Croatia [Blue Ribbon] Colleges and Universities - Croatia. (C)Copyright1995,1996 Christina DeMello. Reproduction ... http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/cdemello/hr.html HRS - Hrvatski Radioamaterski Savez ... Contest Club 9A-DIPLOME Croatian IOTA Reference Award Croatian Lighthouse AwardIslands of Croatia Award Diplome 9A-QRP kluba Vinko Bek W 9A-CW-G Members ... http://www.hamradio.hr/dokument.php3?DocName=callbook&DocHead=Callbook About Croatia Croatia. Croatia Economy. Croatia Defense. Croatia Geography. Croatia Government.Croatia People. Related Links. Home. Discuss World Issues! Shop our Online Store! ... http://www.countryreports.org/croatia.htm Ethnologue report for Croatia ... Languages of Croatia. National or official languages:Croatian, Italian. 4,481,000 (1998 UN). Part ... http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Croatia http://www.city.net/countries/croatia/ http://www.city.net/countries/croatia/ More Results From: www.city.net Croatia Subject Index ... Map of Croatia - Large; Map of Croatia; Welcome to Croatia! CircleWeb's Croatia Information;Internet resources on Croatia; Crolinks; Various Reports and Documents; ... http://www.columbia.edu/cu/sipa/REGIONAL/ECE/croatia.html The Republic of Croatia ... www.embassy.org, ... The Republic of Croatia. ... The Embassy of Croatia is located on "EmbassyRow," on Massachusetts Avenue. This page last updated 12/16/2001. ... http://www.embassy.org/embassies/hr.html ONLY-CROATIA.COM croatia.com, The #1 International Yellow Pages. Searchby Name: and/or Keyword: and/or Trade: categories. ... http://www.only-croatia.com/ OLYMPUS CROATIA OLYMPUS - The visible difference, Homepage UK http://www.olympus.hr/ Milosevic - Initial Indictment ... population from the approximately one-third of the territory of the Republic ofCroatia that he planned to become part of a new Serb-dominated state through ... http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/mil-ii011008e.htm More Results From: www.un.org WashingtonPost.com: International: Croatia ... CIA World Factbook A detailed list of facts and figures for Croatia. • US StateDepartment Notes This document describes the history, government, politics ... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/worldref/country/croatia.htm More Results From: www.washingtonpost.com The Croatia Genealogy HOMEPAGE [Croatia ... Index] The Croatia Genealogy HOMEPAGE. © copyright1996-1999 by FEEFHS, all rights reserved. ... http://feefhs.org/cro/frg-hr.html More Results From: feefhs.org CROATIA The homepage of the Republic of Croatia provides useful information about the country - general info, tourist info, geography, history, culture, nature... ... http://www.croatia.sk/ ARCHAEOLOGY NET/CROATIA NET: Prehistoric Archaeology in Croatia ... Brief Introduction. Although the title is Prehistoric Archaeology in Croatia, theregion covered on this web site is composed of what are today the countries ... http://www.archaeology.net/prehistory/ More Results From: www.archaeology.net Genealogy in Croatia - croatian ancestors, croatian descendants, ... , . .Genealogy in Croatia - Where to begin. Couldany of these be YOUR ancestors? ... http://www.appleby.net/genealogy.html More Results From: www.appleby.net Home Page of AIESEC in Croatia / Po?etna stranica AIESEC-au ... Welcome This is home page of AIESEC in Croatia Here you can choose between two languagesEnglish and Croatian Dobrodo?li Ovo je po?etna stranica AIESEC-au ... http://www.hr.aiesec.org/ http://www.angelcities.com/members/zibelboys/ http://www.angelcities.com/members/zibelboys/ Croatia: Myth and reality ... INTRODUCTION; CROATIA AND THE CROATIANS; MYTH: "THE CROATIANS ASKED TO JOIN YUGOSLAVIA";MYTH: "A CROATIAN USTASE TERRORIST ASSASSINATED KING ALEXANDER"; MYTH ... http://mirror.veus.hr/myth/ More Results From: mirror.veus.hr Permanent Mission of Croatia This page has moved. You will automatically go there in 5 seconds. ... Please updateyour favorites / bookmarks. You are going to http://www.un.int/croatia/. http://www.undp.org/missions/croatia/ Croatia Deutsche Version Croatia National anthem. ... Historical Overview links to detailedinformation. Croatia - Historical and Cultural Overview well-made pages. ... http://www.asg.physik.uni-erlangen.de/europa/cro/cro1e.htm Croatia ... an independent communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO. Although Croatiadeclared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of ... http://www.insidecroatia.com/ ProDiving Croatia - Tourist Diving Association. How to dive in ... Complete guide about dive in Croatia. Interactive map for destination of diving centers, school, wrecks. http://www.diving.hr/ CEETEL http://www.ceetel.hr/ Croatia Visa Application - Tourist Visas, Business Visas, ... ... Click on the continent above for a map of Croatia. Please Select the Topic forwhich you need detailed information. Entry and Visa Requirements: Entry ... http://www.traveldocs.com/hr/ index March 1999, Vol. 11, No. 3 (D). CROATIA SECOND CLASS CITIZENS:THE SERBS OF CROATIA Order online. SUMMARY. RECOMMENDATIONS. ... http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/croatia/ More Results From: www.hrw.org Study Abroad Programs in Croatia ... Nations Development Program UNDP Resident Representative Kumska 2 HR-10000 ZagrebCroatia Phone: 011+385-1-6129 537 Where: Zagreb Internship Programme: The ... http://action.edudirectories.com/sab_tango/sab_exp.taf?country=Croatia Distributed by 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/6778/1/E-Sanader-vs-Pasalic-in-Washington-Times.html Âhttp://www.washtimes.com/world/20020317-75538518.htmÂÂÂMarch 17, 2002ÂDivided rivals vie to lead oppositionÂBy Jeffrey T. KuhnerÂTHE WASHINGTON TIMESÂÂÂÂÂÂÂThe race for the leadership of Croatia's main opposition party has become a struggle between two candidates with different economic visions for the country.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂIvo Sanader, the current head of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), and Ivica Pasalic, former adviser to the late President Franjo Tudjman who led the country's 1991 drive for independence from Yugoslavia, are engaged in a leadership contest to lead the center-right party in general elections that could be held as early as this summer.ÂÂÂÂÂÂThe HDZ led Croatia into independence and ruled the country until it lost power to a center-left coalition in 2000 elections.ÂÂÂÂÂÂThe popularity of the ruling coalition in Zagreb has plummeted recently in the wake of the country's economic crisis and soaring unemployment rate, which is now at 23 percent. Elected on a platform of economic reform and forging closer links with the West, the government led by Prime Minister Ivica Racan's Social Democratic Party has lost significant support and faces an increasingly frustrated electorate.ÂÂÂÂÂÂNearly 2,000 HDZ delegates will elect the next party chief at a party congress on April 20-21. The winner will likely form the next government, since many opinion polls show the HDZ as the most popular party in Croatia. It won nationwide local elections last year.ÂÂÂÂÂÂMr. Sanader, 49, is a Reaganite conservative who advocates a tax-cutting, pro-growth agenda.ÂÂÂÂÂÂIn a speech at Georgetown University last Sunday, he touted the benefits of "Reaganomics" and vowed that if he should form the next government he would immediately "slash income and business taxes to stimulate economic growth and job creation."ÂÂÂÂÂÂHe also has pledged to cut government spending, streamline the public bureaucracy and "battle corruption" in order to encourage foreign investment and entrepreneurship.ÂÂÂÂÂÂMr. Pasalic, however, said in an interview that he champions a "social market economy" that seeks to combine free-market reforms with vigorous public spending on social programs for the unemployed and the poor.ÂÂÂÂÂÂ"I also want to attract investment from the Croatian diaspora abroad - to give them a chance to do business in Croatia," the 41-year-old contender said.ÂÂÂÂÂÂA third candidate in the campaign, party Vice President Maja Freundelic, is not considered a strong factor in the race.ÂÂÂÂÂÂBoth Mr. Sanader and Mr. Pasalic have said reversing the country's economic decline will be their top priority should the HDZ return to power. Both men also seek to obtain NATO and European Union membership for Croatia.ÂÂÂÂÂÂTomislav Sunic, a leading writer on Croatian affairs, said Mr. Pasalic's main weakness is his suspected involvement in economic corruption during the Tudjman regime in the 1990s.ÂÂÂÂÂÂ"There have been allegations that [Mr. Pasalic] had intimate knowledge and participated in some of the shady privatization measures that took place when the HDZ was in power," Mr. Sunic said. Mr. Pasalic has been virulently attacked by the liberal press in Zagreb even though no evidence has been found, he added.ÂÂÂÂÂÂ"The public perception of Sanader is more favorable and that he is honest," he added.ÂÂÂÂÂÂJosko Celan, a political analyst at Slobodna Dalmacija, a Split-based newspaper, agrees with that assessment.ÂÂÂÂÂÂ"Although Pasalic has leadership qualities that Sanader does not have," he said, "Pasalic will be attacked by the pro-government press in a general election campaign, and that is his greatest drawback."ÂÂÂÂÂÂ"It will be a close contest. But everything points to Sanader winning this race," Mr. Sunic said.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,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/6777/1/E-Public-TV-in-Croatia-Same-as-Ever.html ÂPublic TV in CroatiaÂÂDuring the transition process in Croatia following the first multipartyÂelections in 1990, at which time a new state was established inÂconditions of war, media freedom found itself at the brunt of anÂautocratic regime.ÂÂNow, two years since the change in government, the general conclusion isÂthat heavy pressure on journalism which had marked the Tudjman era hasÂdisappeared. However, it may also be concluded that almost all importantÂmedia-related problems from that era are still present - publicÂtelevision is still a distant goal, legal regulations on the media areÂstill far below the desired European standards, the state is still theÂowner of a large part of the media space.ÂÂSource: http://217.75.196.2/mediaupite/index.html - Media OnlineÂÂDanny SchechterÂExecutive Editor Mediachannel.orgÂhttp://www.mediachannel.orgÂExecutive Producer, Globalvision.IncÂÂDistributed 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/6780/1/E-Serbo-Croatia-in-the-Washington-Post-RESPONSE.html ÂNenad,ÂÂI want to notify you about the following article from the Entertainment section of the Washington Post about the movie, "Harrison's Flowers." I will be writing a note to the Post myself, but I think the members of the site will be interested in responding to this review as well. What is the problem? The first sentence is, in which the author refers to the movie as taking place in "Serbo-Croatia." This is the most ridiculousÂmistake I've ever seen... and it's not the first time. When I visited the Costume Institute at the Met in NYC in February, I saw a pair of "opanke" on display which were described as originating from "Serbo-Croatia" !! It is obvious that this mistake is the result from our language being called "Serbo-Croatian" (though I would like to ask the author and his editors where on which map they located the country of "Serbo-Croatia" ), and one more reason to the many as to why the "Serbo-Croatian language" must cease to exist.ÂÂThanks!ÂÂKatarina MilicevicÂÂOp-edÂPLEASE RESPONSE, even with one sentence.Âcontact for feedback:Âletters@washpost.comÂwebnews@washingtonpost.comÂÂhttp://eg.washingtonpost.com/profile/1064375/?&flavor_id=12&context=movieÂÂWhen her husband, a photojournalist, is listed as missing in Serbo-Croatia,ÂSarah Lloyd (Andie MacDowell) ignites with purpose. Devoted to HarrisonÂ(David Strathairn) and their family, she decides to find him, with only herÂlove and emotional resources to help her.ÂÂA glimpse of Harrison on a news video -- or someone who looks like him --Âhas been enough to convince her he's still alive.ÂÂ"I'm going to bring him back, Cesar," she tells her son -- this afterÂeveryone has declared Harrison dead. We've seen enough movies to know thatÂmain characters don't say stuff they don't mean. Leaving her two childrenÂwith relatives, Sarah flies straight into the Serbo-Croatian war of theÂearly 1990s.ÂÂIt's hell, of course. A Croatian whom she gives a lift in her rented car isÂexecuted in front of her. Shells explode everywhere. Snipers are plentiful.ÂSoldiers rape and shoot before they ask questions.ÂÂBut Sarah's determined to press on, enlisting help from two of Harrison'sÂfellow photographers, Kyle (an overly angry Adrien Brody) and Stevenson (anÂassured, amusing Brendan Geeson).ÂÂAlmost ashamed of their own fears, the two men drive her directly into theÂvortex known as Vukovar, where Sarah believes she saw him in that video.ÂAlong the way, she also meets his closest friend, Yeager (Elias Koteas), anÂaward-winning photographer who's also looking for Harrison.ÂÂ-- Desson Howe, WeekendÂÂOp-edÂcontact for feedback:Âletters@washpost.comÂwebnews@washingtonpost.comÂÂÂDistributed 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/6781/1/E-1000-Euros-from-Belgrade-to-Split-for-Feral-Tribune.html ÂÂOp-edÂPlease do not send messages like "why did you put this letter up on the web". You have to be able to read between the lines. The reason is to know. If you know you can change it and if you don't you cannot. Right or wrong. Although I am tempted to send more letters on this subject, I still focus on Croatia. We have been focused on other things for too long.ÂnbÂÂB92 journalists in act of solidarity with Feral TribuneÂÂÂÂBELGRADE, Monday ñ Journalists from Belgradeís Radio Television B92ÂÂhave made a donation of 1,000 Euros to Split weekly Feral TribuneÂÂfollowing their having been fined 200,000 Croatian kunas and theÂÂblocking of their bank accounts.ÂÂÂÂB92 sees this as an obvious attempt to crush critical opinion inÂÂCroatia and calls on other broadcasters and publishers to joinÂÂinstitutions fighting for the freedom of speech in this solidarityÂÂaction.ÂÂÂÂFor societies on their way out of totalitarianism, the status ofÂÂmedia is the most obvious test for democracy. The status of mediaÂÂin all post-war societies of the former Yugoslavia is proportionateÂÂto the quality of change and democratisation.ÂÂÂÂIn Kosovo, international control has been established over the mostÂÂinfluential broadcaster: Radio Television Kosovo. This had theÂÂunfortunate result of shelving the development of independent media.ÂÂI recently had the opportunity to see the inadequate conditionsÂÂunder which Kohavision TV is operating, two years after the bombing.ÂÂÂÂIndependent media have not even begun to evolve in Montenegro,ÂÂhaving fallen into the trap of fighting for national independence,ÂÂwhich has frequently taken priority over the professionalÂÂdevelopment and independence of the media.ÂÂÂÂIn Bosnia-Herzegovina, the international experiment with OBN TV hasÂÂfailed and this territory is in a constantly experimental phase withÂÂa negative attitude to independent media, which are kept at aÂÂdisadvantage with respect to state media.ÂÂÂÂIn Serbia, no single piece of legislation applying to the mediaÂÂfield has been adopted. Instead, a moratorium on frequencyÂÂdistribution was introduced, which provided for protÈgÈs of theÂÂMilosevic regime to keep their privileges by relying on the laws ofÂÂthe market. It is more than obvious that these companies have closeÂÂties to the new authorities. The murders of publisher SlavkoÂÂCuruvija and journalist Milan Pantic have not been solved. NINÂÂeditor Stevan Niksic has been sentenced to five yearsí imprisonment.ÂÂThe fact that media no longer face astronomical fines hasÂÂunfortunately not influenced their legal security and status.ÂÂÂÂA lack of tolerance for independent media and dissident opinion isÂÂalso part of the continuity with the former authorities in Croatia.ÂÂI have no doubt that Feral Tribune is a stumbling block for anyÂÂauthorities because of the high moral standards set by journalistsÂÂand editors.ÂÂÂÂThe inability to establish a process of facing our own past imposesÂÂthe need for the independent media to continue their role as aÂÂpublic service, because no real public service media exist. NotÂÂonly is this in direct opposition to the interests of the public,ÂÂbut the post-war governments, consisting mainly of broad coalitionsÂÂoften with contradictory programs, are thus the direct successors ofÂÂwartime governments, nationalist, chauvinist and frequently criminal.ÂÂÂÂThe refusal to critically consider the recent past and to establishÂÂthe truth about crimes and responsibility for them is a commonÂÂfeature of these governments. The principle of communicatingÂÂvessels still works today, just as in the time when Tudjman andÂÂMilosevic would occasionally help each other out by drawingÂÂattention away in crisis situations. Three Croats not delivered toÂÂthe Hague Tribunal are an excellent excuse for not delivering fiveÂÂSerbs. Ignoring cooperation with the Tribunal in Bosnia worksÂÂdirectly against legislation on cooperation in Serbia. The fact thatÂÂthere are no trials in local courts in Serbia slows down trials inÂÂCroatian courts and makes them meaningless.ÂÂÂÂThe same applies to independent media. The lack of resolve toÂÂreally free the media space in Croatia hinders this process in otherÂÂparts of South-East Europe and vice versa. The former politicalÂÂdomination of the media will be replaced by the domination of mediaÂÂmoguls. Strong independent media are an obstacle because theyÂÂinsist on questioning democracy in societies which control truth andÂÂcritical consciousness.ÂÂÂÂThese new threats will be difficult to oppose, but we can make it aÂÂchallenge for all of us. Now more than ever it is necessary toÂÂunite the forces in the region because a situation such as that inÂÂwhich Feral Tribune now finds itself could await any one of usÂÂtomorrow.ÂÂÂÂThe international community too must learn a less from cases such asÂÂthis. The international community must not make compromises withÂÂgovernments in the region for short-term interests in the matter ofÂÂthe stateís attitude to independent critical voices. EveryÂÂcompromise costs us dearly because it results in the crushing ofÂÂcriticism, the slowing down of the democratisation process andÂÂprevents the public from prospering.ÂÂÂÂVeran MaticÂÂEditor in Chief, RTV B92ÂÂBelgradeÂÂviaÂDanny SchechterÂExecutive Editor Mediachannel.orgÂhttp://www.mediachannel.orgÂExecutive Producer, Globalvision.IncÂ1600 Broadway, #700 NY NY 10019 USAÂÂÂDistributed 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, 12 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6782/1/E-Serbo-Croatian-at-UCLA-.html ÂSubj: Serbo-Croatian at UCLA !ÂÂI recently saw on the web that UCLA is still teaching Serbo-Crotian !!!! I find it redicuolus and unbelivable that a universitry as big as UCLA still offers Serbo-Croatian in their program at Slavic studies !! Nenad , Can you please send out the info to all Croats that this will not be allowed in this day and age,,and it is totally unacceptable to the Croatian community, we need to start writing letters to UCLA !!!!!Â>>web siteUCLA Slavic Languages & Literatures: FacultyÂÂwrite toÂMICHAEL HEIMÂ115 Kinsey HallÂPhone: (310) 825-7894Âheim@humnet.ucla.eduÂÂsincerely Danny dÂÂOp-edÂÂDear All,ÂÂPlease write civilized letters. We need 30-50 letters and 20 phone calls. We have been successful so far. There is no reason for bitterness. We have to change what is wrong and not always assume that people are malicious.ÂÂNenadÂÂDistributed 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) Thu, 07 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6783/1/E-Milosevic-trial---film-use-protest.html ÂLetters to the EditorÂThe New York TimesÂNew York, NY.ÂMarch 5, 2002ÂÂDear Editor:ÂÂThe news article about Milosevic's trial (March 2) mentions that Mr.ÂBogdanic, the Serb director of the so-called "documentary" film:Â"Yugoslavia, the Avoidable War" protested Milosevic's selective use ofÂthe film as part of his defense in his war crimes trial.ÂÂMr. Bogdanic's protests sound hollow, considering the content of hisÂfilm which portrays the republics of former Yugoslavia , Slovenia,ÂCroatia and Bosnia, as "armed separatists" which gave Milosevic theÂright to attack them. The historic facts of the events are quiteÂdifferent. The "armed separatists" were the ethnic Serbs in Croatia andÂBosnia, incited by Milosevic and armed by the Yugo/Serb army in order toÂprevent the legitimate right of the Republics to secede.ÂÂFar from the Republics' being "recognized too early", - a point made inÂBogdanic's film, - it was more than shameful that it took the West sixÂmonths of watching the vicious aggression on Croatia before acknowledgingÂits legal right to independence. The "tragic breakup" was only tragicÂbecause of the aggression by Serbia, not because of the wish of the otherÂRepublics to be free of Serb domination.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) Wed, 06 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6785/1/E-NGOs.html ÂSubj:Bloody NGO'sÂ"Get knotted" would the British reaction to such people.ÂBrianÂÂÂCroatian, Bosnian, Yugoslav NGOs advocate free trade zoneÂBBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 28, 2002ÂÂText of report in English by Croatian news agency HINAÂZagreb, 28 February: The Igman Initiative, a project launched by three NGOs from Croatia, Bosnia and Yugoslavia, briefed reporters in Zagreb on Thursday [28 February] about its work and proposals for the establishment of a free trade zone in the Dayton triangle and the revocation of visa requirements in this region.ÂAn expert team of the initiative proposes the harmonization of bilateral free trade agreements between Croatia, Bosnia and Yugoslavia, and the establishment of mechanisms to follow their implementation.ÂThe three countries should sign the agreements by the end of the year, which will be an important step in the establishment of a free trade zone throughout South Eastern Europe.ÂAgreements have already been signed between Croatia and Bosnia and between Bosnia and Yugoslavia. Croatia and Yugoslavia should sign one soon.ÂThe expert team also proposes introducing a no-visa regime between the three countries.ÂThe Croatia-Yugoslavia visa regime is one of the most rigid and should be at least alleviated, or abolished for at least some categories of people, said Aleksandar Popov of the Novi Sad Centre for Regionalism.ÂThe Bosnia-Yugoslavia visa regime has been abolished, and between Bosnia and Croatia it never existed.ÂThe Igman Initiative was established in November 2000 in Zagreb. It was initiated by three non-governmental organizations - the Citizens' Committee on Human Rights from Zagreb, the Democratic Alternative from Sarajevo and the Centre for Regionalism from Novi Sad. Currently the Initiative includes more than 100 various NGOs from Croatia, Bosnia, and Yugoslavia.ÂThe project was named in memory of a group of NGO activists from Serbia and Montenegro who crossed the mountain Igman in April 1995 to reach Sarajevo, at the time shelled and surrounded. Their action was a protest against the madness of war.ÂThe goal of the Igman Initiative is reconciliation, the establishment and normalization of relations in politics, economy, and culture between Croatia, Bosnia, and Yugoslavia, and the introduction of European standards in relations in the entire region, in view stepping up its integration with Euro-Atlantic structures.ÂÂSource: HINA news agency, Zagreb, in English 1851 gmt 28 Feb 02Â/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. All Material Subject to CopyrightÂÂÂDistributed 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) Mon, 04 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6784/1/E-Law--Order-Criminal-Intent-and-the-S-elements.html ÂÂIn a new episode of Law & Order CI (aired March 2nd) story revolvesÂaround a naturalized Serbian "debt collector" who uses kidnappingÂmethods to extract money from their victims. Before immigrating into theÂUS he was part of the Srpska Dobrovoljacka Garda (Tigers). As part ofÂone of the kidnappings he rapes one of the victims. During the show theyÂgo over articles about rape being used as the weapon of war in theÂBalkans. In the end he is indicted since the rape victim paints the SDGÂcoat of arms she saw tatooed on his back.ÂÂVladimirÂÂDistributed 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) Mon, 04 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6786/1/E-Bush-and-tribunal-in-Wall-Street-Journal.html ÂBush Seeks To Rein In U.N. CourtsÂÂU.S. Wants Timetable To Close Tribunals, Citing Some AbusesÂÂBy Jess BRAVINÂStaff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNALÂÂWASHINGTON-The Bush administration is seeking a firm timetable for shuttingÂdown United Nations war crimes tribunals, saying they have been marred byÂinstances of mismanagement and abuse that "challenge the integrity of theÂprocess."ÂOne U.N. court is trying Slobodan Milosevic and other alleged Yugoslav warÂcriminals, and another alleged Rwandan war criminals. The U.S. wants futureÂprosecutions handled by each country's own domestic justice system, as soonÂas current high-profile cases are completed.ÂThat view will be detailed today when the administration's top war-crimesÂofficial testifies before a House committee hearing on the tribunals. TheÂU.S. position has escalated a conflict with its major allies, which favorÂexpanding the reach of international tribunals; they plan to expand the U.N.Â's reach by replacing the ad hoc panels with a permanent InternationalÂCriminal Court for war crimes.ÂThe divide existed before Sept. 11; Washington traditionally has resistedÂinternational institutions that potentially might try to exerciseÂjurisdiction over the U.S.ÂBut the difference has grown sharper following the terrorist attacks, withÂthe U.S. vigorously opposing any move that suggests -as some EuropeanÂleaders have-that alleged perpetrators of international terrorism would bestÂbe tried by international panels rather than in U.S. courts.Â"We want to bring ownership of the process back to the people, .because thatÂis the only way the rule of law will become truly ingrained in a society,"Âsaid Pierre-Richard. Prosper, the U.S. ambassador at large for war-crimesÂissues. The U.S., he said, is prepared "to provide economic. technical,Âlegal and logistical support," to help improve domestic court systems, butÂthe amount has yet to be decided. Mr. Prosper is expected to testify todayÂbefore the House International Relations Committee.ÂWhile the current tribunals have done some good work, he said-and togetherÂhave indicted 193 suspects- "we don't want to create an environment whereÂthere is a dependency on international institutions."ÂEuropean officials said they don't understand why the Bush administrationÂis raising the rhetoric in the midst of the most notorious case sinceÂNuremburg: the trial of Mr. Milosevic for crimes against humanity whileÂserving as Serbia's president in the 1990s.ÂÂ"Undermining the credibility of the U.N. tribunal when we are at theÂpinnacle of its accomplishment is suicidal," said a European diplomat.ÂIn November, the war crimes prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, told the U.N.ÂSecurity Council that she hoped to wrap up trials by 2007. But the BushÂadministration believes that date can never be met if Ms. Ponte pursuesÂdozens of new investigations involving 150 additional suspects that she alsoÂtold the Security Council she intended to pursue.Â"We want her to focus on the leaden. the architects, the kingpins" ofÂgenocide, Mr. Prosper said, while prosecutions of "mid and lower levelÂplayers" should be delegated to national courts.ÂThe turning point for U.S. officials may come if the two most wantedÂfugitives, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, are turned over to theÂtribunal. The two former Bosnian Serb leaders have been indicted on genocideÂcharges for the killings of Bosnian Muslims In the mid 1990s.ÂThe Rwanda and Yugoslavia tribunals have moved too slowly, and have "beenÂtoo removed from everyday experiences of the people and the victims," Mr.ÂProsper said. They have been costly, with annual budgets of $100 millionÂeach, and have faced questions about "the integrity of the process," heÂsaid. Earlier this month. the Rwanda tribunal dismissed a defense attorney,Âafter allegations he inflated his bills and split his fees with a defendant.ÂSimilar problems have "plagued both tribunals," Mr. Prosper said.ÂWhile there have been problems, "people should keep in mind that the NATOÂcountries spent in one year [of military operations in Yugoslavia, 1999, theÂequivalent of 200 years of the Yugoslav tribunal budget," said William Pace,Âwho heads the Coalition for an International Criminal Court, an advocacyÂgroup that supports U.N. tribunals for war crimes.ÂThe remedy advocated by the Bush administration is strengthening theÂdomestic justice system in Rwanda, Yugoslavia and other countries. InÂYugoslavia, that means building up conventional courts, while in Rwanda theÂapproach may involve using the country's traditional "gacaca" system, withÂtribal elders dispensing justice to lower level perpetrators. "The penaltyÂmay he, 'Now you need to give two cows, or you need to farm the land ofÂthese people,' " said Mr. Prosper, a former assistant U.S. attorn ey whoÂhimself led a successful prosecution for genocide at the Rwanda tribunal inÂ1998.ÂBut most EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organization members are movingin theÂopposite direction, by establishing the International Criminal Court. TheÂICe treaty-signed by President Clinton in the last weeks of his term butÂnever sent to the Senate for approval - has been ratified by 52 countries.Âincluding Britain, Canada and Germany. Should eight more follow, asÂproportents expect this year. the ICC will begin operation in The Hague,Âwhere Rwanda and Yugoslavia tribunals are based.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,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 03 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6788/1/E-Another-Croatian-Reporter-at-Olympics.html ÂÂWe also have NBC sports contributor Mike Celizic who can be reached at elsombrero@hotmail.comÂÂÂDistributed 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, 26 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6790/1/E-Goran-Visnjic-on-the-cover-of-Esquire.html ÂÂGoran Visnjic graces the cover of the March 2002 issue of Esquire (USÂedition). A short but excellent article is included in the magazine.ÂUnfortunately, the story is still not on the internet.ÂÂJohn KraljicÂÂÂDistributed 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) Sat, 23 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6789/1/E-Harpers-Magazine-Issues-Correction.html ÂÂHarpers Magazine Issues CorrectionÂÂOn page 86 of the February 2002 issue of Harpers Magazine, the followingÂcorrection was issued:ÂÂ"CorrectionÂThe introduction to "Planning Croatia's Final Solution" [Readings,ÂDecember 2001] incorrectly stated the number of Serbs driven from theÂKrajina region in 1995. Between 150,000 and 200,000 Serbs, not almostÂ600,000, were driven away. We regret the error."ÂÂAttached is a record of an e-mail correspondence with Roger D. Hodge,Âeditor of the "Readings" section of Harpers, which led to the printingÂof the correction.ÂÂFrank Mustac, reporterÂÂFrom rdh@hedtk.com Tue Dec 04 14:11:06 2001ÂÂHi. I didn't realize you expected a response to your email since we had just spoken on the phone. We're researching the question, but it seems clear that we made an error, and we will print a correction. The correction will appear in the February issue (January went to press weeks ago).ÂÂMany thanks,ÂÂRoger D. HodgeÂÂOn Tue, Dec 04, 2001 at 01:44:12PM -0500, Frank Mustac wrote:Â> Dear Roger Hodge,Â>Â> Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with me on Nov. 27Â> on the telephone about the number of Serb refugees given in a piece inÂ> the Readings section of the December 2001 issue of Harper's MagazineÂ> titled "Planning Croatia's Final Solution."Â>Â> I sent an e-mail to the address readings@harpers.org on Nov. 27 aboutÂ> this issue, but as of yet, I have not received a response. I can onlyÂ> assume that that e-mail was not forwarded to you. Here is essentially the sameÂ> e-mail again.Â>Â> The introduction of the piece "Planning Croatia's Final Solution" statesÂ> that "600,000 Serbs were driven from the Krajina region" of Croatia. ThisÂ> number is not correct.Â>Â> The March 1999 issue of "Refugees Magazine," a publication of theÂ> United Nations High Commission on Refugees, cites the following numbersÂ> of Serb refugees from the Krajina in an article titledÂ> "Serbia: Europe's "forgotten" refugees."Â>Â> The article states:Â>Â> "In 1995, 170,000 local Serbs abandoned the Krajina region of CroatiaÂ> following a government onslaught called Operation Storm and trekkedÂ> on foot, by car, horse-drawn carts and tractors toward Belgrade."Â>Â> The incorrect number Harpers Magazine cites of 600,000 Serb refugeesÂ> from Krajina is closer to, yet exceeds, the total number of SerbÂ> refugeesÂ> currently residing in the rump Yugoslavia, which the same article givesÂ> as 550,000. The 550,000 number represents Serb refugees from BosniaÂ> and Herzegovina, Kosovo as well as from Croatia. The current YugoslaviaÂ> consists of only two states, Serbia and Montenegro.Â>Â> Here is the Web site for the article:Â>Â> http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/+xwwBmiuexumwwwwtwwwwwwwhFqhT0yfEtFqnp1xcAFqhT0yfEcFqrAGwzoDwMzmAwwwwwwwDzmxwwwwwwwdFqidGmnGaxOa-uPPyER0ay0Ig/opendoc.htmÂ>Â> Please, if you would, place a correction in the next issue of yourÂ> magazine stating the correct figures. Also, please e-mail me whether you willÂ> indeed be printing a correction, and if so when and where in the magazine itÂ> will appear.Â>Â> Thank you.Â>Â> Sincerely,Â>Â> Frank Mustac, reporterÂ> The Fairfax TimesÂ> 1760 Reston ParkwayÂ> Reston, VA 20190Â> 703-437-5400Â> http://www.fairfaxtimes.comÂÂÂOp-edÂBravo Frank. You did it again ! Therefore WE did it again.ÂnbÂÂÂDistributed 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) Sat, 23 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6791/1/E-NBC-contacts.html Âfrom the NBC site:ÂÂQuestions for NBC SportsÂEmail to: sports@msnbc.comÂAlso: nbcshows@nbc.comÂÂhttp://www.nbc.com/nbc/footer/Contact_Us.shtmlÂÂWrite to:ÂViewer RelationsÂ30 Rockefeller PlazaÂNew York, NY 10112ÂÂOp-edÂUSE IT !ÂNenadÂÂÂIt's not too late for Croatian coverage in this year's games. The Kostelic siblings will be skiing next week. Does anyone know an e-mail contact for NBC Sports? A quick writing campaign before they ski could convince NBC to give them proper coverage (and even include them showing the playing of Ljepa Nasa if either wins the gold).ÂÂÂJack BaricÂÂÂ[CROWN] (E) I leaned forward as the alphabetical procession reached CÂThu, 14 Feb 2002 19:00:42 ESTÂÂÂ"With nearly 100 countries participating, surely NBC can plumb the lineup forÂa more representative batch of bios. Like Hiroyasu Shimizu, a JapaneseÂspeedskater who committed himself to his sport to honor the memory hisÂfather, who died eight days before his 16th birthday; or Croatian AlpineÂskier Janica Kostelic, whose war-ravaged homeland considers her such aÂheroine that she's on a postage stamp; or Markku Uusipaavalniemi, a FinnishÂcurler reputed to be his country's finest math student. The guy actuallyÂsolved a Rubik's Cube in 25 seconds. Now that's must-see TV."ÂÂÂOp-edÂAs fellow Croatians, we truly understand this article. 4 out of 5 OlympicÂGames parade was without Croatia. It shouldn't be about selling the productÂbut supporting the idea of world peace.ÂÂÂNenad BachÂcrownÂÂÂDistributed 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, 19 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6792/1/E-What-does-it-take-for-a-country-like-Croatia-to-be-news-worthy.html ÂHi Nenad,ÂÂIn response to some of the comments generated by NBC's biased broadcast ofÂthe most watched opening of the Winter Olympic ceremonies in history, I haveÂto agree that NBC needs to re think their portrayal of American ideals.ÂAmerica is the ONLY place in the world where ethnicities, religions,Ânationalities from all around the world can come together and live in decentÂharmony. Why NBC has decided to ignore some of the other nationalities inÂthe world (Croatia being one of them) is quite mystifying.ÂÂWas not Croatia the country that placed itself on the media map by winningÂthird place in the previous World Cup? Was not Croatia (in the hands ofÂGoran Ivanesevic) the holder of the Wimbledon title this past summer? WasÂnot Croatia a country that found itself in a dreadful struggle forÂindependence during the last decade? Is not Croatia the home country toÂsome of the most successful business men in the United States and world?ÂWhat does it take to get a country like Croatia to be "news worthy?"ÂÂThe success stories that come out of such a small country that has struggledÂthrough years of war and economic difficulties should in fact be incrediblyÂinspiring to people across all borders. The odds that these people were upÂagainst would seem insurmountable to the average American who has beenÂfortunate enough to live in what many foreigners describe as "the land ofÂopportunity". NBC, as a representation and example of American media,Âshould rethink it's choices to "ignore" smaller countries that in their eyesÂseem insignificant. It is an embarrassing portrayal of ignorance thatÂunfairly associates itself with American culture as a whole.ÂÂMartina SolaÂÂÂÂThis message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and theirÂFriends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed onÂthis list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the readerÂof this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy allÂcopies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 14 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6794/1/E-Croatian-Engineers-build-NYC-Hotel.html ÂFrom today's NY Times. John KraljicÂÂÂÂFebruary 6, 2002ÂCOMMERCIAL REAL ESTATEÂDesigned to Stand Out in a CrowdÂÂÂBy JOHN HOLUSHAÂÂÂThe builders and operators of the new Westin Hotel, which is scheduledÂto open this November at Eighth Avenue and 43rd Street in Manhattan,Âwanted to draw attention to the building. So they commissioned the MiamiÂfirm of Arquitectonica to design a building that would cry look at meÂeven over the profusion of brightly lighted signs in Times Square.ÂThe firm responded with a design for a 45-story tower enclosed inÂmulticolored glass and split top to bottom by a curving beam of lightÂthat appears to burst into the sky.ÂÂThe eye catching facade design presented difficult engineering problemsÂfor Tishman Realty and Construction, the developer and owner of the $300Âmillion 860-room hotel. It will be operated by Starwood Hotels andÂResorts, the real estate investment trust that owns the Westin, W andÂSheraton brands.ÂÂIn most modern construction, the outer walls bear no weight and areÂsimply attached to the steel or reinforced concrete structure of theÂbuilding. These curtain walls are there to keep the heat andÂair-conditioning in and the weather out. They also establish the look ofÂthe building.ÂÂBecause of the curves on the north and south facades and the selectionÂof multiple colors of glass, very few of the aluminum-encased glassÂpanels are alike, complicating both the manufacture of the facade andÂits installation. "In a typical building you will have about 50Âdifferent types of panels," said David Horowitz, a Tishman viceÂpresident who is overseeing construction of the hotel. "Here we hadÂ1,200 to 1,300 unique panel types."ÂÂThe facade of the Westin hotel being built at 43rd Street and EighthÂAvenue poses special engineering problems.ÂTo handle the project, which is now nearing completion, TishmanÂassembled a multinational group of designers and fabricators to come upÂwith a skin for the building that met the architect's designÂrequirements and could still keep out the wind and the rain of the worstÂstorm that would be likely in a century.ÂBeginning in early 1998, Viracon, a glass manufacturer based inÂOwatonna, Minn., sent dozens of samples of glass to Arquitectonica,Âwhich selected 10 base colors: copper, gold, bronze, orange, white,Âsilver, violet, green, blue and aqua. Viracon would ultimately produceÂ8,000 glass sheets in those colors, and in clear glass panels, for theÂ184,000-square-foot outer wall of the hotel. Then, as usual, theÂarchitects turned their conceptual designs over to an engineeringÂcompany to figure out how to build the panels.ÂÂThe company selected was Permasteelisa Cladding Technologies, a companyÂin Northern Italy with an assembly plant in Windsor, Conn. The outerÂframes of the panels were designed to hold a clear inner pane of glassÂÂand a colored outer one separated by five-eighths of an inch of airÂspace for insulation.Once the design was completed and approved, theÂframes were formed by extrusion, in which aluminum alloy is drivenÂthrough a die with great force to form the desired shape.ÂBecause of the complexity of the project, each piece of the facade,Âincluding the glass, was marked with a bar code to help workers withÂthe assembly.ÂÂOnce formed, the frame pieces were sent to a painting specialist in theÂNetherlands to receive a highly durable coating of sliver or copperÂcolor, depending on its position in the facade. (The project wasÂactually even more international than it appears, Mr. Horowitz said -Âthe engineering team was mostly Croatian.)ÂÂOnce formed, painted and cut to length and machined, the parts wereÂcrated and shipped to the plant in Windsor where they were assembledÂinto panels and the glass installed. Most of the panels are about 5 feetÂwide but the height ranges from 9 to 18 feet, depending on the floorÂwhere they are to be installed.ÂÂAttaching the panels to the concrete structure of the building involvedÂadvanced planning. Before pouring each floor, crews embedded U-shapedÂmetal channels that will be held in place by the hardened concrete.ÂMetal anchor plates are bolted to the channels and then the panels areÂset onto clips attached to the anchor plates.ÂÂPermasteelisa's crews began installing the facade in mid-May last yearÂand reached the 45th floor by December. Installation of levels above theÂ45th floor is expected to take several months longer because of theÂdifficult logistics of lifting the panels from the 45th floor to higherÂlevels of the building.ÂÂThe elaborate facade is limited to the tower part of the project. TheÂlow-rise part of the hotel, which is above Tishman's existing E WalkÂentertainment, retail and restaurant complex on 42nd Street, will haveÂmetal facade panels that will present a smooth aluminum face to theÂexterior, interrupted by square windows.ÂÂThis lower part of the building runs from the 5th floor to the 17thÂfloor of the main building along Eighth Avenue. It was originallyÂdesigned to be operated by a separate company and to be aimed at leisureÂtravelers and families, as distinct from the business travelers moreÂtypical of Westin's guests, but it is now fully integrated with theÂhotel. There will be internal access from the 200,000-square-foot E WalkÂcomplex to the hotel - officially the Westin New York at Times Square.ÂÂdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comÂNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If youÂare not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified thatÂany dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachmentsÂis strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possibleÂextent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you haveÂreceived this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender byÂtelephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 08 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6793/1/E-Two-Good-Things.html ÂI wanted to share 2 good things with people which appeared in recentÂAmerican magazine.ÂÂÂTravel & Leisure had a cover story on the 50 most romantic hotels in theÂworld. In light of the general poor quality of hotels in Croatia, I wasÂsurprised to read that the Hotel Korcula in Korcula made the list (noÂphotos though).ÂÂThe March issue of Esquire magazine features Goran Visnjic on its coverÂand a small but good story about him.ÂÂJohn KraljicÂÂdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comÂNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If youÂare not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified thatÂany dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachmentsÂis strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possibleÂextent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you haveÂreceived this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender byÂtelephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 08 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6787/1/E-Letter-to-Woodrow-Wilson-Center.html ÂMr. Martin SletzingerÂDirectorÂEast European StudiesÂWoodrow Wilson CenterÂWashington, D.C. 20523ÂÂDear Sir:ÂÂIt is rather appalling to see so much false information coming from aÂhistory professor. I am referring to the article "The Fear of Islam inÂCroatian Politics" by professor Marko Prelec.ÂÂHe mentions the Balkan war of 1912-13 as "a war of South Slavs with theÂelement of explicitly racial hatred of Islamic Albanians" and Islam inÂgeneral. The war was not waged by "South Slavs", by which he would haveÂto include Croats and Slovenes. The war was waged by Serbia and its allyÂGreece against Bulgaria, a Slav nation. They took and divided among themÂMacedonia which was part of Bulgaria. Croats and Slovenes were at thatÂtime part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and had nothing to do with thatÂwar. In fact, Islam hating was not particularly long lasting in CroatiaÂafter the defeat of the Ottoman Empire.ÂÂProfessor Prelec seems to arrive at his opinions from strictly the SerbÂpoint of view, such as writing that "the Balkan wars taught the SouthÂSlavs the political technique used in 1990: the tarring of European GreatÂPower perfidy". Croatians always considered themselves Central EuropeansÂand putting them into the Balkans since they became part ofÂYugoslavia/Serbia was not to their liking, as can be seen even to thisÂday. It should be pointed out here that on May 4th, 1919 at the ParisÂpeace conference, the Croatian Parliament submitted a petition toÂPresident Wilson calling for an independent Croatia. It was relying onÂPresident Wilson's famed Fourteen Points, calling for "the freestÂopportunity of autonomous development for the nations of Austria HungaryÂand "international guarantees of independence and territorial integrity".ÂThe petition was ignored.ÂÂFurthermore, Croats never perceived themselves as identical parts of aÂsingle national community with the Serbs, as Mr. Prelec writes. Again,Âthis view is strictly the Serb one, as Serbs tried to convince CroatsÂthat they and Serbs are one and the same. Serbs subjugated Croats byÂevery means possible, even changing the name of the country from "TheÂKingdom of Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia" to "Yugoslavia" and the languageÂto "Serbo-Croatian" which never existed before. Let me assure you thatÂeven after 72 years they never succeeded Serbianizing Croatia, but theyÂdid succeed advancing their point of view in the rest of the world, sinceÂthey held all the power and with it all the strength of propaganda. IÂwould hope that well-known Studies Centers such as yours would in theÂfuture contact Croatian historians for a Croatian point of view and aÂtrue picture of Croatia.ÂÂSincerely,ÂÂHilda M. FoleyÂMedia relationsÂNational 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) Fri, 08 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6798/1/E-BBC-recognise-Croatian-as-a-language---NOT-BBC-monitoring.html ÂThe BBC does seem to recognise Croatian as a language, look:ÂÂÂhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/education/languages/european_languages/countries/croatia.ÂÂshtmlÂÂBBC monitoring still use "Serbo-Croat". I will be writing in due course.ÂÂThe BBC also has News in Croatian. I have no idea as to the quality ofÂreporting. From what little I know I have not been impressed.ÂÂhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/croatian/ÂÂBrianÂÂOp-edÂBrian, tell us where to send an email for BBC monitoring !Ânb letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 29 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6797/1/E-Second-Edition---Marcus-Tanners-book-Croatia-A-nation-forged-in-War.html ÂÂMarcus Tanner's book "Croatia: A nation forged in War" has just been updatedÂfor a second edition in paperback.ÂÂÂIt was the first sympathetic English language history of Croatia of note toÂbe published in the UK.ÂÂÂIt is important for such books to do well, to enable further books on CroatiaÂto be written.ÂÂÂFor various reasons I emphasise the last point!ÂÂÂHere are Amazon US and UK details:ÂÂÂAmazon US:ÂÂÂhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0300091257/ref%3Dsdp%5Famz%5F/102-59663ÂÂ59-6903362ÂÂÂAmazon UK:ÂÂÂhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0300091257/qid=1012157656/sr=1-2/ref=ÂÂsr_sp_re/202-7250249-5754248ÂÂÂBrianÂÂdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comÂNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If youÂare not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified thatÂany dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachmentsÂis strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possibleÂextent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you haveÂreceived this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender byÂtelephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 29 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6796/1/E-HUMAN-RIGHTS-DEVELOPMENTS-in-Croatia.html Âhttp://www.hrw.org/wr2k2/europe7.htmlÂÂOp-edÂThey need some serious letters about serious subjects. For example CroatiansÂin Vojvodina and Boka and Bosnia HerzegovinaÂnbÂÂCroatiaÂÂHUMAN RIGHTS DEVELOPMENTSÂÂPresident Stipe Mesic's government often failed to confront entrenched ethnicÂCroat nationalists obstructing reform, particularly on issues of impunity forÂwar-time abuses and the return of Serb refugees. The Parliament approvedÂconstitutional changes reducing presidential authority and abolishing theÂupper house of Parliament in November 2000 and March 2001 respectively. InÂlocal elections held throughout the country on May 20 nationalist partiesÂmade significant gains in some areas. Police intervention was required inÂsome areas, such as Vojnic, where ethnic Croat nationalist demonstratorsÂtried to keep elected Croatian Serbs from assuming office.ÂÂCroatia's first census since 1991 took place on March 31, 2001. Some CroatianÂSerb organizations protested that the government did not do enough to includeÂCroatian Serb refugees in the Fedral Republic of Yugoslavia and Bosnia andÂHerzegovina in the count. Serbian Democratic Forum (Srpski Demokratski Forum,ÂSDF), a Croatian NGO, distributed over 50,000 census forms abroad.ÂComprehensive statistics were not available at this writing, but preliminaryÂresults indicated that Croatian Serbs made up approximately 5 percent of theÂpopulation of 4.38 million in 2001, compared to approximately 12 percent inÂ1991.ÂÂOptimism over the extent of Croatia's cooperation with the InternationalÂCriminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) cooled when the ICTY'sÂchief prosecutor reported to the U.N. Security Council in November 2000 thatÂthe government's cooperation was unsatisfactory, particularly in providingÂaccess to documents requested by the tribunal.ÂÂDemands by opposition parties to cease cooperation with the ICTY resurfacedÂin June, after the ICTY issued indictments against Croatian generals RahimÂAdemi and Ante Gotovina. Opposition rhetoric cooled after the government,Âstanding by its commitment to cooperate with the ICTY, survived a vote ofÂconfidence in July. General Ademi, indicted for killing at least thirty-eightÂpeople and other abuses committed by troops under his command in the MedakÂpocket near Gospic in 1993, surrendered voluntarily to the ICTY in July. AtÂthe time of writing, General Gotovina, indicted for killings, houseÂdestruction, and other abuses against Croatian Serbs in 1995 remained atÂlarge. The ICTY also publicly charged Yugoslav and Serb personnel for abusesÂcommitted in Croatia in 1991. In October, the ICTY published a previouslyÂsealed indictment against four members of the Yugoslav People's Army and NavyÂfor crimes committed during attacks on the Dubrovnik region. Two of them,ÂPavle Strugar and Miodrag Jokic, surrendered to the tribunal in November.ÂAlso in October, the ICTY amended its indictment of former Serbian presidentÂSlobodan Milosevic to include charges of war crimes and crimes againstÂhumanity for the killings, torture, imprisonment, deportation, and otherÂcrimes amounting to persecution of the Croat and other non-Serb population ofÂCroatia in 1991.ÂÂProgress was also made on domestic accountability efforts. In February,ÂCroatian authorities expanded their investigation into the killing ofÂapproximately forty Croatian Serb civilians in the Gospic area in 1991,Ânaming as a suspect former Croatian Army general Mirko Norac, who reportedlyÂordered the formation of a firing squad. Protesters took to the streets toÂoppose General Norac's or ICTY involvement in his trial. The ICTY prosecutorÂhad not indicted General Norac, however, and she decided not to request thatÂthe Croatian court cede jurisdiction to the international tribunal. In June,ÂCroatian authorities arrested Fikret Abdic, the leader of the wartimeÂbreakaway Bihac pocket of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and charged him with warÂcrimes. Bosnian authorities had long sought his arrest, but his CroatianÂcitizenship prevented his extradition under Croatian law. In August, CroatianÂauthorities in Bjelovar detained four men, accusing them of killing CroatianÂSerb civilians and prisoners of war in 1991. In September, six formerÂmilitary police were arrested on charges of torturing and killing non-CroatÂdetainees in the Lora military prison in Split in 1991.ÂÂCroatian authorities also pursued war-crimes charges against Croatian Serbs.ÂThe OSCE noted a substantial increase in such cases, many of which involvedÂdefendants arrested pursuant to longstanding dormant indictments. AlthoughÂsome suspects were refugees arrested when attempting to return to Croatia,Âothers had been present in Croatia for years. In many cases charges wereÂsubsequently dropped, raising suspicions that the arrests were politicallyÂfounded and arbitrary. When three men from Glina were arrested in March onÂthe basis of a 1993 war-crimes indictment, the alleged witnesses, who hadÂbeen tortured at a detention center, were unable to identify any of the threeÂas having been present at the scene of the crimes. At least two of theÂsuspects had been living in Croatia for over a year and one had regularizedÂhis status as a returnee with the authorities. Although these men wereÂacquitted, fear of such arrests deterred many Croatian Serb men fromÂreturning to Croatia.ÂÂObstacles to the return of Croatian Serb refugees remained a significantÂhuman rights concern. Although by August 2001 over 100,000 Croatian Serbs hadÂreturned according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, most wereÂelderly. According to international organizations, significant numbers ofÂthese returnees may have again departed for the Federal Republic ofÂYugoslavia or Bosnia-Herzegovina after only a short stay in Croatia.ÂÂHuman rights violations contributed to the reluctance of refugees to returnÂand to their renewed flight. While violent attacks on Croatian SerbsÂcontinued to decrease in frequency, isolated serious incidents contributed toÂapprehension about return. Croatian authorities frequently condemnedÂethnically motivated attacks and opened investigations, but arrests orÂjudicial proceedings did not always follow.ÂÂA complicated web of discriminatory and confusing legislation meant that fewÂCroatian Serbs were able to repossess their pre-war homes or obtain governmeÂnt reconstruction assistance. Although the Croatian authorities acknowledgedÂthe difficulties and modified some legislation, in many cases these changesÂsimply exacerbated confusion over implementation. For example, theÂreconstruction law had excluded housing destroyed by "terrorist acts" fromÂreconstruction (a category the authorities often used to describe the tens ofÂthousands of Croatian Serb properties burned and looted following CroatianÂmilitary operations in 1995). Although this provision of the law wasÂrepealed, some county offices refused to consider such applications, claimingÂthat the amended reconstruction legislation contradicted other laws. With fewÂexceptions, courts also failed to rule favorably in repossession cases whereÂthe prewar housing had been socially owned and occupancy rights revokedÂbecause the residents were absent as refugees or internally displacedÂpersons. There were no mechanisms for compensating people deprived of suchÂproperty rights.ÂÂEven when their property rights were recognized, Croatian Serbs also facedÂdiscriminatory practices when attempting to physically repossess theirÂproperty. For example, in most jurisdictions, officials failed to implementÂcourt decisions, particularly with regard to evictions of ethnic Croats fromÂCroatian Serb property. Although the authorities acknowledged this commonÂproblem, they failed to condemn even the most flagrant cases, nor did theyÂtake action against officials who refused to implement the law.ÂÂÂDEFENDING HUMAN RIGHTSÂÂCroatia's vibrant civil society continued to make an active contribution toÂpublic life despite legislation restricting associations. In a serious butÂisolated incident, lawyer Srdj Jaksic of Dubrovnik, who was known for takingÂon human rights cases, was shot and injured shortly after his MontenegrinÂclient accused of war crimes was acquitted in December 2000. At the time ofÂwriting, there had been no substantial progress in the investigation.ÂÂÂTHE ROLE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITYÂÂÂUnited NationsÂÂThe U.N. Commission on Human Rights decided in April 2001 to exclude CroatiaÂfrom the mandate of its special representative on the former Yugoslavia. TheÂOffice of the High Commissioner for Human Rights maintained a field presenceÂin Croatia, however, focusing primarily on technical assistance to theÂauthorities. In March, the Human Rights Committee considered Croatia'sÂinitial report on implementation of the International Covenant on Civil andÂPolitical Rights. While commending Croatia on constitutional reforms, theÂcommittee criticized the continued impunity for killings and tortureÂcommitted during the armed conflict. The U.N. observer mission in PrevlakaÂwas extended until January 2002. In May, Croatia ratified the Statute of theÂInternational Criminal Court.ÂÂÂOrganization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)ÂÂIn June, the OSCE Mission to Croatia reported to the Permanent Council onÂCroatia's progress in meeting its international commitments, highlighting theÂcontinuing obstacles to the sustainable return of Croatian Serb refugees. TheÂmission's mandate was extended until December 2001, although staff numbersÂwere reduced in June.ÂÂÂCouncil of EuropeÂÂThe European Commission against Racism and Intolerance published its secondÂreport on Croatia in July. It found that despite the good will of nationalÂauthorities, discrimination endured, particularly against Croatian Serbs inÂwar-affected areas, but also against Roma.ÂÂÂEuropean UnionÂÂCroatia further advanced its ties to the European Union, in May initialing aÂStabilisation and Association Agreement, establishing favorable economic andÂtrade relations and cooperation in justice and internal affairs. The EuropeanÂUnion also continued to provide significant reconstruction and developmentÂaid to war-affected areas.ÂÂÂUnited StatesÂÂContinuing its support for moderate and non-nationalist reforms, the UnitedÂStates funded reconstruction and demining efforts, as well as development andÂtechnical assistance. The U.S. Agency for International Development did notÂdirectly engage in housing reconstruction, but it did fund communityÂinfrastructure and other projects.ÂÂdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comÂNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If youÂare not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified thatÂany dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachmentsÂis strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possibleÂextent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you haveÂreceived this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender byÂtelephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 29 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6795/1/E-HUMAN-RIGHTS-DEVELOPMENTS-in-BH.html Âhttp://www.hrw.org/wr2k2/europe5.htmlÂBosnia and HerzegovinaÂÂHUMAN RIGHTS DEVELOPMENTSÂÂThe return of displaced persons and refugees remained the principalÂunresolved rights issue confronting the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. TheÂmajor political development was the formation of non-ethnic-nationalistÂgovernments at the national level and in one of Bosnia's two constitutiveÂentities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The ethnic nationalistsÂcontinued, however, to exercise effective power in majority Croat cantons inÂthe federation. In the other entity, Republika Srpska, Serbian nationalistsÂremained a leading political force.ÂÂBosnian nongovernmental organizations reported that the general electionsÂheld on November 11, 2000, were the best-organized elections since the 1995Âsigning of the Dayton/Paris Peace Agreement. An "open list" system was usedÂin elections for the federal House of Representatives, entity parliaments,Âand the cantonal assemblies in the federation. The system enabled BosniacsÂand Croats in the federation to vote for candidates from the other ethnicÂgroup. The more numerous Bosniacs were thus able to influence the election ofÂCroat candidates. Unsatisfied with the electoral law, the main politicalÂparty of Bosnian Croats--the Croat Democratic Union (HDZ)--organized an adÂhoc referendum on Croat self-rule on the same day as general elections. TheÂparty also refused to cooperate with the implementation of election results.ÂÂOn February 22, Bosnia's central parliament elected a cabinet (Council ofÂMinisters) composed solely of the members of a moderate seven-party groupingÂdubbed the Alliance for Change. On March 12, the federation Parliament alsoÂelected an Alliance for Change government. On March 3, HDZ and itsÂnationalist allies proclaimed self-governance in the territory inhabited by aÂCroat majority. The efforts to establish self-rule suffered a decisive blowÂon April 18, when Stabilization Force (SFOR) troops and OHR entered the mainÂbranch of the Hercegovacka Bank in Mostar. International auditors blocked theÂHDZ's access to funds in the bank, thereby cutting off the sources of fundingÂfor the Croat self-governance initiative. By mid-June, Croat soldiers who hadÂleft the joint federation army at HDZ's invitation renewed their contractsÂwith the federation army.ÂÂAs the security situation and political climate for return improved, the U.N.ÂHigh Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) registered 56,683 returns ofÂminorities during the first nine months of 2001, an increase of almost 100Âpercent over the same period in 2000. Most returns continued to be to inÂrural areas. The return of minorities was still not self-sustaining, however,Âas returnees continued to face scant employment opportunities and greatÂobstacles to education for minority children. The international communityÂcontinued to fail to respond adequately to the increased interest in return,Âwith reconstruction funds falling far short of the amount needed. AlthoughÂrates of property repossession by returnees grew in comparison to previousÂyears, urban return remained modest.ÂÂWhile the security situation generally improved, serious incidents ofÂethnically motivated violence continued to occur. In a dozen cases inÂRepublika Srpska and, less frequently, in the Croat parts of the federation,Âunknown perpetrators blew up or set fire to reconstructed returnee houses,Âshot at returnees, or planted explosive devices under their cars. On JanuaryÂ24, Zijada Zulkic, a forty-nine-year-old Bosniac woman from Banja Luka, wasÂfound dead in her apartment with a bullet wound. On May 7, some 4,000 SerbsÂbeat and stoned three hundred elderly Bosniacs who came to Banja Luka for aÂceremony to mark the reconstruction of Ferhadija mosque. At least eightÂpeople were taken to the Banja Luka hospital for medical treatment. One ofÂthem, Murat Badic, aged sixty-one, died on May 26 of head injuries. On JulyÂ12, a sixteen-year-old Bosniac returnee, Meliha Duric, was shot dead by anÂunknown assailant in the village of Damdzici, near Vlasenica in RepublikaÂSrpska. In November, Seid Mutapcic, a Bosniac returnee, was killed in Pale inÂRepublika Srpska. Again the motive and perpetrators were unknown, but theÂcrime was disturbing to the returnee community.ÂÂOn April 6, an organized riot took place in west Mostar, Grude, SirokiÂBrijeg, Medjugorje, and Tomislavgrad, during an abortive international auditÂof the Hercegovacka Bank offices. A mob beat twenty-one members of SFOR andÂthe Office of the High Representative tasked with implementation of civilianÂaspects of the peace process; two gunmen in Grude took eight investigatorsÂhostage and threatened to execute one of them. On May 5, Republika SrpskaÂpolice in Trebinje did little to prevent several hundred Serb nationalistsÂfrom throwing rocks and bottles at a delegation of state and internationalÂofficials who came for a ceremony to mark the reconstruction of a mosque.ÂÂIndependent journalists received explicit threats from nationalists in bothÂentities. The Bosnian Helsinki Committee reported that journalist LjubaÂDjikic from Tomislavgrad was threatened with lynching after her son IvicaÂDjikic, also a journalist, expressed his opinion about the situation inÂCroat-controlled parts of the federation. Mika Damjanovic, a journalist ofÂthe Sarajevo daily "Dnevni Avaz" and reporter-cameraman of the Federation TV,Âwas attacked in Orasje by an HDZ activist who accused Damjanovic of being aÂ"Croatian traitor." A bomb exploded in the doorway of an apartment belongingÂto journalist Zoran Soviljs, causing only property damage. The InternationalÂPolice Task Force concluded that his coverage of trafficking and prostitutionÂhad motivated the attack. In April the Organization for Security andÂCooperation in Europe's Free Media Helpline registered an alarming increaseÂin complaints from radio and television stations in Croat-dominated areasÂabout pressure, threats, and intimidation of editors and staff made by theÂHDZ and other Croat self-rule supporters.ÂÂSFOR apprehended two war crimes suspects, both indicted by the InternationalÂCriminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in connection with crimesÂcommitted in Srebrenica in July 1995: Col. Dragan Obrenovic was arrested onÂApril 15, and Col. Vidoje Blagojevic on August 10. NATO officials repeatedlyÂclaimed that NATO did not always know the whereabouts of indicted wartimeÂBosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and former Serb army commander RatkoÂMladic. In the alternative, NATO officials suggested that the two were in theÂFederal Republic of Yugoslavia and thus out of reach of NATO troops.ÂÂOn August 4, the federation government surrendered to the tribunal threeÂBosniac officers of the Bosnia and Herzegovina army, Enver Hadzihasanovic,ÂMehmed Alagic, and Amir Kubura, charged with war crimes against BosnianÂCroats and Serbs during the 1992-1995 war. Bosnian Minister for RefugeesÂSefer Halilovic surrendered to the tribunal voluntarily on September 25. TheÂRepublika Srpska had still not apprehended and surrendered to the tribunal aÂsingle war crime indictee. The Tribunal Office of the Prosecutor stated inÂOctober that at least seventeen indictees were at large in Republika Srpska.ÂTwo indicted Bosnian Serbs, former Republika Srpska president Biljana PlavsicÂand Serb Army officer Dragan Jokic, voluntarily surrendered to the tribunal,Âon January 10 and August 15 respectively. On October 2, the Republika SrpskaÂNational Assembly adopted a law on cooperation with the tribunal.ÂÂÂDEFENDING HUMAN RIGHTSÂÂLocal and international human rights organizations were generally free toÂmonitor and report on the human rights situation. Due to concern forÂresearchers' safety, however, some organizations were unwilling to conductÂresearch into corruption in the country. The Helsinki Committee for HumanÂRights in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Helsinki Committee in RepublikaÂSrpska continued to be among the leading human rights groups in the country.ÂThe office of the Ombudsman for Republika Srpska became fully operative inÂNovember 2000. A similar institution had already been in existence in theÂfederation. Most decisions by the national Human Rights Chamber, Bosnia'sÂhuman rights court, pertained to repossession of houses and apartments byÂtheir pre-war owners.ÂÂLara, an antitrafficking NGO in Bijeljina, continued to offer assistance toÂwomen trafficked into Republika Srpska for forced prostitution and receivedÂthreats after launching a nationwide antitrafficking campaign.ÂÂÂTHE ROLE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITYÂÂÂOffice of the High Representative (OHR)ÂÂOn June 21, the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board extended theÂmandate of High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch for another year.ÂResponding to the March 3 proclamation of Croat self-governance in Bosnia andÂHerzegovina, on March 7 Petritsch removed Bosnian Croat leader Ante JelavicÂfrom his seat in the national Presidency and barred him from holding anyÂofficial or elected public office or post within political parties. BetweenÂMarch and June, the high representative also dismissed three leading HDZÂpoliticians and four top-ranking police officials in Croat canton sevenÂbecause of their obstruction of the implementation of the Dayton/Paris PeaceÂAgreement. The overall number of dismissals declined in comparison to theÂprevious year, reflecting the OHR-advocated principle of ownership, wherebyÂindigenous actors--rather than international supervisors--were to take theÂinitiative in the implementation of laws.ÂÂÂUnited NationsÂÂIn a resolution adopted June 21, the Security Council extended the mandate ofÂthe United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH), including theÂInternational Police Task Force (IPTF), for an additional twelve-monthÂperiod. The IPTF strength (around 1,800) remained below the authorized numberÂof 2,057. UNMIBH completed registration of all Bosnian police personnel inÂMay 2001 and granted provisional authorization to over 9,300 officers toÂexercise police powers. Twenty-three police officers had their authorizationÂwithdrawn for professional misconduct or for human rights violations. UNMIBHÂexpected that by late 2002 all law enforcement officials would have beenÂappropriately vetted prior to receiving UNMIBH final certification.ÂÂIn February, UNMIBH dismissed the police chief and the chief of the crimeÂdepartment in Bratunac, a municipality in Republika Srpska where incidentsÂagainst Bosniac returnees were frequent. In May, UNMIBH also dismissed sixÂtop-ranking police officials in the Croat part of the federation who refusedÂto accept the authority of the federal Ministry of Interior during the CroatÂself-rule campaign.ÂÂThe U.N. Commission on Human Rights adopted a resolution on April 18 on humanÂrights in parts of southeastern Europe, in which it welcomed theÂestablishment of non-nationalist parties in Bosnia and in the federation andÂcondemned the continued harassment of minority returnees. The chairman of theÂCommission appointed Jose Cutileiro of Portugal as a special representativeÂto examine the situation of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in theÂFederal Republic of Yugoslavia.ÂÂIn the first conviction on genocide charges before the U.N. InternationalÂCriminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Bosnian Serb Army GeneralÂRadislav Krstic was sentenced on August 2 to forty-six years in prison. TheÂtribunal found Krstic responsible for the murder of between 7,000 and 8,000ÂBosnian Muslim men and boys after the fall of Srebrenica in July 1995. OnÂFebruary 22, the ICTY convicted Bosnian Serbs Dragoljub Kunarac, RadomirÂKovac, and Zoran Vukovic for rape, torture, and enslavement committed in FocaÂduring the Bosnian war. This case marked the first time in history that anÂinternational tribunal brought charges expressly for crimes of sexualÂviolence against women. The decision also marked the first time that the ICTYÂfound rape and enslavement to be crimes against humanity. On August 1, theÂtribunal sentenced Stevan Todorovic, former police chief in Bosanski Samac,Âto ten years in prison for persecution of Bosniacs and Croats in 1992.ÂBosnian Croats Dario Kordic and Mario Cerkez were sentenced on February 26 toÂprison sentences for crimes committed against Bosniac civilians in 1992 andÂ1993.ÂÂÂOrganization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)ÂÂThe OSCE-chaired Provisional Election Commission (PEC) organized generalÂelections on November 11, 2000. In response to the illegal referendum onÂCroat self-rule on the day of the elections, the PEC's Election AppealsÂSub-Commission (EASC) nullified the mandates of the two HDZ candidates whoÂreceived the most votes among the party's candidates for each of fiveÂcantonal assemblies. The EASC also banned reallocation of their mandates toÂother candidates. The EASC ceased operations in April 2001 as part of theÂprocess of transferring responsibilities from the PEC to the permanent BosniaÂand Herzegovina election commission, which commenced its work on November 20,Â2001.ÂÂOn April 10, the OSCE Mission released its 2000 Free Media Help Line report,Âincluding a detailed review of cases reported to the Help Line in 2000. TheÂreport established that the most cases of threats and intimidation reportedÂin 2000 were committed by government or public officials (34.6 percent),Âfollowed by anonymous and unaffiliated individuals (with 25 percent each).ÂÂÂCouncil of EuropeÂÂAt a November 2000 session the Committee of Ministers of the Council ofÂEurope welcomed the progress achieved by Bosnia and Herzegovina towardÂmeeting the criteria for accession to the Council of Europe and added thatÂfurther progress was needed, including the adoption of an electoral law. TheÂministers in May 2001 invited the newly established governmental structuresÂin the country to accelerate the implementation of the required conditionsÂfor membership. The Bosnia and Herzegovina House of Representatives adoptedÂan Election Law on August 21. On September 27, the Political AffairsÂCommittee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly recommended thatÂthe Committee of Ministers invite Bosnia and Herzegovina to become a councilÂmember.ÂÂÂEuropean UnionÂÂThe Presidency of the European Union condemned unilateral moves of the CroatÂnationalist parties in March to establish a self-governing structure. TheÂPresidency also supported the decision of the high representative to removeÂBosnian Croat leader Ante Jelavic from his post in the Bosnian presidency. AtÂmeetings in May and June in Brussels, the E.U. General Affairs CouncilÂcondemned all forms of separatism and nationalist violence in Bosnia andÂHerzegovina and supported the high representative's responses to theseÂdevelopments. During a visit to Sarajevo in May, Chris Patten, the E.U.ÂExternal Relations Commissioner, and Anna Lindh, Foreign Minister of SwedenÂ(which held the E.U. Presidency at the time), stated that Bosnia's accessionÂto the Council of Europe was a precondition to further negotiations on aÂstabilization and association agreement with the European Union.ÂÂÂUnited StatesÂÂDuring the year, the United States reduced its contingent in theÂStabilization Force from 4,400 troops to 3,300. A spokesman for the U.S.Âcontingent stated in early October that U.S. troops in Bosnia would not beÂpulled out to engage in the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan. StateÂDepartment officials refused to meet with Republika Srpska President MirkoÂSarovic and Vice President Dragan Cavic during their visit to Washington inÂApril. Sarovic and Cavic are leaders of the Serbian Democratic Party, whichÂwas founded by indicted war criminal Radovan Karadzic. The United States alsoÂendorsed the elections of a non-nationalist national government and expressedÂsupport for the decision of the High Representative to dismiss Ante JelavicÂfrom office.ÂÂDynCorp, Inc., the U.S. contractor responsible for employing U.S. IPTFÂofficers and SFOR contractors, faced two lawsuits for wrongful terminationÂafter dismissing two DynCorp employees who raised allegations that DynCorpÂpersonnel had engaged in human trafficking-related activities. The lawsuitsÂwere still pending at the time of this writing.ÂÂdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comÂNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If youÂare not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified thatÂany dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachmentsÂis strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possibleÂextent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you haveÂreceived this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender byÂtelephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 29 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6799/1/E-RESPONSE-NEEDED---The-New-Republic.html The New Republic, 1220 19th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036E-mail - tnr@aol.comI came across a passage in this week's The New Republic. The article, acover story, is by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen (a professor at Harvard) whohad generated alot of press about 2 years ago in the US and Germany overhis book concerning the holocaust in Germany. The article is entitled"What Jesus Would Have Done? Pope Pius XII, the Catholic Church and theHolocaust." It is a review article of a number of books and isincredibly long (about 12 pages).There is a very short paragraph about Croatia where we read, among otherthings, the following:"This unbelievable state of affairs was etched even more starkly inCroatia, where many priests themselves committed mass murder, includingas commanders of approximately half of the twenty death camps set up bythe Ustashi regime. Menachem Shelah has observed that 'dozens, perhapseven hundreds of priests and monks shed their priestly apparel anddonned Ustashe uniforms, in order to share in the 'sacred work' ofmurder, rape and robbery.' The most notorious camp was Jasenovac, wherethe Croats killed two hundred thousand Jews, Serbs and Gypsies. Fortythousand of them perished under the unusually cruel reign of 'BrotherSatan,' the Franciscan friar Miroslav Filipovic-Majstrovic . . . ."Goldhagen goes on to claim that the Church never condemnded any of thesepriests.He goes on to make this most absurd statement: "In the most deeplyantisemitic societies, such as Croatia, Germany, Lithuania, Poland,Slovakia and Ukraine, churchmen tened to reflect the intensity and theparticular character of their antisemitism."Some comments: Goldhagen first off obviously is completely cluelesswhen it comes to Croatia. He lumps us together with countries that hadlarge Jewish populations and had historical problems with pograms,anti-semitism, etc. This was never the case in Croatia.Menachem Shelah, who Goldhagen quotes, is an Israeli survivor of theHolocaust who escaped from Croatia in WWII. He was written alot oftendentious "scholarly" material which is one-sided in its presentationof the holocaust in Croatia.As I understand it, in point of fact Filipovic Majstrovic was kicked outof the brotherhood when he became a commandant.There are other exaggerations here which one can dissect apart - thatthere were "dozens, perhaps hundreds of priests" who donned Ustasheapparel. Who were these people? There's a big difference between 3dozen (eg, 36 people) and "hundreds").These are libellous attacks against Croatia and the Catholic Church inCroatia. I beleive it would be especially effective if a scholar inCroatia could respond to this article (some one like Ivo Goldstein forinstance).Letters to the editor need to be SHORT!!! Please don't write abook or an article and don't address every point. Pick one point, stickwith one point and no more than 3-5 sentences. I especially suggestthat people write concerning the supposed "anti-semitic" nature ofCroatian society as this is a statement which relates not only to thehistory but is an attack on Croatian society today as well.Address: The New Republic, 1220 19th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036.E-mail - tnr@aol.com.John KraljicOp-edPlease, be civilized in your letters, no matter how much it hurts to read this and how much can one take it. Be above. People who go such distance to lie will not change their opinion. We are writing for the future.NBDistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachments is strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possible extent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 24 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6800/1/E-GLOBALVISION.html Dear colleagues, clients, investors, funders, and friends:Did you know that less than one-quarter of America's private firms honor Martin Luther King Jr. by CLOSING on the NATIONAL HOLIDAY in his name? Globalvision is of course among them, and we took the time off to ponder the legacy of Dr. King, catch our breath, and offer this short update on what our independent media company is doing as we move through our 15th year mere survival being an achievement itself in these volatile media times. We're proud to report that Globalvision is still alive, kickin' hard... and driven by a renewed sense of mission.NEW IN 2002:GLOBALVISION NEW MEDIA INC.*In April, our New Media subsidiary launches the GLOBALVISION NEWS NETWORK, an international news-and information syndication service offering "inside-out" news and perspectives from hundreds of credible partners worldwide. Visit our website, http://www.gvnews.net for more on how you can subscribe and support this initiative in promoting diverse news for a changing world. The network will use the WorldWideWeb as a delivery vehicle but is not a web site venture. Contact Globalvision President Rory O'Connor for more on this emerging, promising and innovative commercial enterprise. For press accounts from leading publications allover the world on GV's latest initiative,see: http://www.gvnews.net/html/Corp/press.html*Our MEDIACHANNEL.org now has 870 affiliates and has become the world's largest not for profit online media issues network with 70 advisors in 63 countries including Walter Cronkite. We offer daily media news and analysis from News Dissector Danny Schechter, MediaChannel.org's executive editor. Click on http://www.mediachannel.org to visit the site and be sure to sign up for the free weekly update on MediaChannel's global offerings.GLOBALVISION, INC.MEANWHILE, GLOBALVISION NEW MEDIA'S parent film and video company, Globalvision, INC., continues to break ground as a leader in independent documentary and news program production.*NEW GLOBALVISION FILM HAILED AT SUNDANCE:Our new film "We Are Family," a response by 200 artists and actors to the events of 9/11, (directed by Danny Schechter) received a standing ovation at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, America's premiere showcase for indepdendent. Our film and its rousing reception received considerable news attention, including live interviews on CNN, feature stories on the Sundance Channel, articles on the Associated Press wire, and many well-known TV entertainment programs. Have a look for yourself:http://www.ifctv.com/ifc/film/making/0,8424,CAT0-1821-CAT1-1825-CAT2-1 987-POS-0-CLR-yellow-BCLR-FFCC33-VID-1938-,00.htmlhttp://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20020113/re/leisure_sundance_attacks_dc_1.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/14/sun.september11.films/index.htmlhttp://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_email.asp?/news/687178.asphttp://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-Sundance-Sept-11.html?ex=10123 81191&ei=1&en=ecd930686c9942c8*GLOBALVISION VIDEO TO AIR AT WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM. Our colleagues at Anant Singh's company Videovision have chosen Globalvision to produce the opening video for the World Economic Form annual meeting before 200 business and civic leaders in New York this year. The video is called "THE DARKEST HOUR IS JUST BEFORE DAWN," and offers inspirational perspectives.*AT THE OLYMPICS: Once again, Globalvision is producing video profiles of the winners of the Annual Reebok Human Rights award....This year's videos will be shown at a special ceremony in Salt City during the Winter Olympics. This is the llth year that Globalvision has been hired to produce these tributes to OUTSTANDING young leaders under the age of 30. The Olympics itself has expressed an interest in screening WE ARE FAMILY.*COMBATTING AIDS: Globalvision's video "NKOSI: Voice of Africa's Aids Orphans" is being screened on PBS stations nationwide in February. It aids twice on New York's Channel 13 ( Feb. 13, 12 Midnight; 2/17, 2:30-3 PM). We also completed a third video for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP on the work of AMICAL, a local alliance of African Mayors and local leaders combatting Aids. The latest spotlights the work of local choirs in Swaziland who are helping to educate people about THE raging epidemic. A new anti-AIDS film, "SPEAK UP YOUNG AFRICA," is also underway as a callaboration with two African doctors who believe it is urgent to create programming to motivate African youth, who are most at risk.*IN PRODUCTION*"The Hole in the Wall" a new film about an innovative computer experiment in India that one day mau eliminate the 'digital divide' THAT is being directed by Rory O'Connor and new GV associate GIL ROSSELLINI, who is based in Rome and New Delhi.*"Counting on Democracy," an investigation into the untold story of voting irregularities in the 200 Presidential Elections, resumes production in February with Danny Schechter directing.These are just the highlights of Globalvision's current project and programming agenda. We welcome your interest and backing. Sustaining independent media is crucial in this peRiod.Globalvision is always seeking meaningful projects, and we welcome your work referrals or inquiries. Let us show you how Globalvision can help you tell your story.All of our best for the news year,RORY O'CONNOR, DANNY SCHECHTER, KELLY SHEEHAN, JOHN KIRBY and the Globalvision crew.PS. GENTRIFICATION ALERT. Our offices will soon become casualties of the "Disneyfication" of Times Square: We have just learned that we will be forced to relocate by year's end and welcome any tips or suggestions for equally affordable office space in Manhattan.Danny SchechterExecutive Editor Mediachannel.orghttp://www.mediachannel.orgExecutive Producer, Globalvision.Inc1600 Broadway, #700 NY NY 10019 USA212-246-0202distributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachments is strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possible extent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 22 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6803/1/E-Maybe-the-Croatian-media-should-be-the-first-place-to-turn.html Click Here: Crown Home PageI wholeheartedly agree.The HRT did a 2 cassette History of the Croatian People in the early 1990sin English. It wasn't too bad, but needs work.In the post-1995 period, the govt did a film called "Franjo Tudjman:Croatia's George Washington," or something like that. I never saw it but,as the title suggests, it was more an attempt to glorify Croatia's thenpresident than to necessarily glorify Croatia. Had the Croatian govt had aPublic Relations firm then, the firm would have told them that Tudjman wasjust so discredited by western media that they were wasting their time andmoney and that there were better means to promote Croatia in the west.Indeed, if Croatia had had a public relations firm, I beleive that thematerial broadcast on the History Channel never would have made it out! APR firm would, presumably, keep its ears to the ground to see what was inthe works rather than simply react as we are doing.Part of the problem, as I see it, is that people in Croatia itself are notaware of these shows and other negative matters concerning Croatia in thewestern media. For example, I have had a special interest in the portrayalof Croatia's coat of arms as being an Ustashe symbol, though it was evenused in Communist days. I was shocked when I recently learned that many toppeople in Croatia were not aware of this perception and indeed denied to methat this was an impression that the west had (one official telling me thatIsrael, for ex., would never allow an ustashe flag to be flown in itscountry).This motiviated me to put together (something I am working on with Hilda),under the auspices of the NFCA, a booklet with the numerous articles andbooks where this calumny has been mentioned - it is quite staggering theamount of material that I have dug up - which we will distribute, withEnglish and Croatian text, to relevant Croatian government officials as wellas the Croatian media (to give you an idea of the problem, I am aware of 4publications printed in 2001 alone which referred to the Croatian flag/coatof arms as being an Ustashe one: (i) the Los Angeles Times (article reMesic's visit to Israel), (ii) the Economist (article re Goran's Wimbledonwin), (iii) Current History, and (iv) a new book just issued re the warcrimes trials for BH and Rawanda by, I beleive, a Barbara Neuffler - I can'trecall the name of the book or author, but it was reviewed in last Sunday'sNY Times Review of Books).The idea is to try to convince relevant people in Croatia on the need for aPR firm (i.e., see what not having a PR firm has cost the country in termsof its image to the world). I would suggest that if anyone has a copy ofthe A&E Program that it be sent to Croatia. And I specifically suggest notjust sending it to government officials - perhaps members of the Croatianmedia will find the issue compelling or outrageous enough to write about itin their publications. Indeed, maybe the Croatian media should be the firstplace to turn.John Kraljicdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachments is strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possible extent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 20 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6802/1/Bill-KurtisCurtis-of-AE---is-a-Croatian-American.html Bill Kurtis/Curtis of A&E Investigative Reports- is a Croatian American. Spread the word to all. His original spelling was Kurtej. Maybe he could help fix this mess, I sure don't think he was involved.Martin Cvjetkovicdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachments is strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possible extent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 20 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6801/1/E-History-Channel---AE.html Dear All,We Will Win this battle. No doubt. We just have to learn that others are doing it too and better then us for a long time. It takes some risk, financing, guts and passion. Pamet i postenje. Brains and Honor.Here we go. Call. E-mail. Fax. To A&E, Charlton Heston , sponsors.But PLEASE BE POLITE. Not polite words are counterproductive. PERIOD!best,Nenad www.historychannel.comHistory Channel/A&E Viewer RelationsAttn: Charlie Maday, Program DirectorE-mail: viewr1@aetv.comFax: 212-983-4370History channel is part of :A&E Network, 235 E. 45th St. New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-210-1400Fax: 212-983-4370Mr. Charlton HestonPresidentNational Rifle Association1250 Waples Mill RoadFairfax, Va. 22030Phone: 703-267-1000-------------------The program, Sworn to Secrecy, Balkans Tinderbox aired on Wednesday,Jan. 16, from 9-10 a.m. Here's how the the History Channel's Web site describes theprogram:Balkans Tinderbox:A look at the secret forces behind the strife throughout the Balkan States. From a single gunshot in Sarajevo that started WWI to the Nazi occupation in WWII to ethnic cleansing and the war in Kosovo, this volatile region has long been a threat to world peace. Charlton Heston narrates. TV PGFrank Mustac-----------------------------To: viewr1@aetv.comDate: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 21:08:12 -0800Subject: Balkans tinderboxHistory Channel /A&E Viewer RelationsAttn: Charley Maday, Program DirectorDear Sir:No words could be adequate to describe the anger and outrage Croatianviewers feel regarding Wednesday's program "Sworn to Secrecy, BalkansTinderbox" in which you slander and malign a whole nation with deliberatelies, inaccuracies and gross exaggerations by pretending it to be ahistorical documentary. It would require several pages to address all thelies in this so-called documentary, so I am limiting myself to justmention a few.How dare you portray the notorious Bosnian Serb concentration camp ofOmarska as a Bosnian Croat camp holding Muslims, when even the slightestcheck of world reports of that year would have clearly shown to even animbecile that Omarska was a Serb-run camp in which Croats and Muslimswere tortured and killed daily until the Western press finally exposed itand forced the Serbs to close it down. Or have your "history experts" notnoticed that the Serb camp commander of Omarska was recently tried andsentenced by the ICTY in The Hague for the terrible crimes committedthere? Just what documentation do you have to make the absurd statement that thelate Croatian President Tudjman approached Serb general Mladic andBosnian Serb leader Karadzic to divide Bosnia? - General Mladic? - he whowas one of the Serb military commanders overseeing the destruction andoccupation of one third of Croatia! Where did you get your informationfrom - straight from Milosevic and his propaganda machine? But then , you probably believe that Milosevic is the innocent man unjustly accused of the horrendousatrocities committed with his blessing by his henchmen in Croatia, Bosniaand Kosovo! Your program was without doubt one of the worst anti-Croatian, pro-Serbpropaganda pieces of garbage seen in the recent past. We demand aretraction and apology to your viewership for the outrageousmisrepresentation of actual historical events under the guise of history,for poisoning the minds of many young students watching it and we expectyou to have the decency to remove the program promptly. Appalled,Hilda M. FoleyMedia Relations National Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange Knoll,Santa Ana, Ca 92705------------------------------------ Well, no need for a coffee this morning, the pure adrenalin of seeing the latest garbage that the Serbian lobby has managed to place on TV will keep me awake, no problem. I think it is important to find out who produced and paid for this trash, but equally, if not more importantly, to advise the History Channel sponsors/advertisers that their money is going towards advertising their products during apologist/propaganda shows that discredit not only the History Channel, but also any companies that promote themsleves during these absurd programs. I'm sure that big corporations, for example Kellogs, would not want to be associated with war-crimes apologists; we need to advise them that their advertising dollars are going towards shows like this. Our embassy needs to get off its derrier and into action as well. What are they being paid for? Allen-----------------------------------To all unfortunately, the Croatian Embassy staffs (in London, Ottawa, Washington and other embassies around the world - this problem is not just limited to the United States) seem to think that this type of work is the primary responsibility of the diaspora - in otherwords, "us".Well - there's some truth to this. But, this needs to be a team effort. We are being swamped with Serbian propaganda. Another reason why the CAA and the NFCA need to start co-operating, or at least start talking with each other. Tony Margan.-------------------------------I already wrote to A&E and the History Channel. And I am about to writeto the Ambassador and the Public Affairs Office in Zagreb. Thispropaganda has got to stop.Judy - St. Louis------------------------------Whomever suggested going after the sponsors of the program - the advertisers - is an excellent way to get the message across to just what one-sided filth they are being connected with. I would also suggest that we have someone with name recognition and/or title write an editorial disputing the "facts" in the program and send that off to the nation's largest newspapers such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal. For added punch, throw a line into the editorial naming the sponsors/advertisers to get their attention as well.jg ------------------------ Well done, I am writing to the History Channel right now as well. I would also appreciate if anyone who saw this program could advise me which corporations advertised during its airing, I would like to contact their public relations offices. I think that getting sponsors (at least some) to withdraw advertising funds will be the quickest way to get a reaction from the History Channel management. Allen Milcic Mississauga, CanadaDear Sirs:Your current series of shows titled "Balkan Tinderbox", in the 'Sworn to Secrecy' program, is an absolute travesty. The information provided therein is acutely anti-Croatian, attempts to make excuses and apologies for the aggressors in the "Balkan" conflict ("Balkan" is a misnomer in itself), while at the same time blaming the victims. The show is a pathetic compilation of largely baseless speculation, fraught with inaccuracies and falsehoods, full of embellishment and downright slanderous to the Republic of Croatia and the Croatian people at large. It serves up the same old lies, distortions and propaganda that one would expect from a Slobodan Milosevic (former president of Yugoslavia and war criminal, in case you have forgotten) public relations desk; this is NOT what one would expect from a TV channel purporting to present and teach HISTORY. How DARE you show the CROATIAN and Muslim victims of Omarska Concentration Camp, a camp run by the Bosnian Serbs, and blame the CROATS for this?? How dare you suggest that the Republic of Croatia, under attack by Serbian forces and fighting for its very existence, tried to make deals with Serbia vis-a-vis Bosnia?? This is libel, slander, and an outright scandal! I am absolutely aghast, and I can tell you with all seriousness that, should this mockery of a TV show not be pulled from the air with due apologies and retractions, myself, my family, my friends, and, indeed, the entire North American audience of the History Channel that is of Croatian descent will never again subscribe, watch or otherwise support your station. I fully expect that the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia will be contacting you as well with a strong note of protest, and I would not be surprised if legal action were contemplated. The children of North America watch your shows and learn from them; you have, therefore, taken upon yourself the responsibility and duty to provide quality, TRUTHFUL programming. Shows such as "Balkan Tinderbox" are a complete failure to do so, and are either a sign of wanton negligence, serious incompetence, or of a despicable sell-out of values to the highest bidder by allowing propaganda garbage to be aired. Disgusted,Allen MilcicMississauga, Canada-----------------------------------Dear all, I just received this note from Deanie G. and my blood pressure is goingup without having seen it. Please everyone, sit down and write yourprotest to the History channel. I feel very strongly that the CroatianEmbassy should also write a strong letter objecting these lies. Theysimply cannot be allowed to be disseminated among the US viewers, amongthem especially many high school and college students, the futuregeneration Croatia will be dealing with. Hilda Foley History channel is part of :A&E Network, 235 E. 45th St. New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel 212-210-1400----- Forwarded Message -----Subject: History ChannelDear Hilda,Want to get your blood pressure up?The History Channel is running a series "Balkan Tinderbox". It was soooobad, I had to turn it off before I had a stroke. All of the old lies,distortions, half-truths, etc. They even showed a clip of Omarska (youknow, the starving Muslims and Croats) and said it was a "Croatian Campfor the Muslims that they doublecrossed!" Even said that when Tudjmancouldn't get a deal out of Milosevic (to carve up Bosnia), he contactedKaradzic and Mladic! Now really???I'm sure I'm not the only one that saw it, so the e-mails should beflying soon. Deaniedistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachments is strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possible extent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 20 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6807/1/Map-of-Croatia---Croatia-on-the-Map.html Click Here: Crown Home PageAs you can see, The Orange County Register has irked me again so I wrote the following letter yesterday (bellow). Today I received a nice letter in return, that I am sending you after this one. (Have not figured out if both can be sent in the same e-mail - there is nothing like being a computer dummy!)Hilda To: gettingaway@ocregister.comDate: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 20:04:10 -0800Subject: Lake Balaton mapDear Mr. Warner:Looking at this Sunday's Getting Away Section article and map about Hungary's Lake Balaton, I noticed that Croatia is not shown on the map. It shows Bosnia which does not border Hungary and Yugoslavia with a short border, while omitting Croatia which has a long northeast border with Hungary. This is the second time recently that Croatia is being left out on the maps of that region by the Register. The last time it showed Yugoslavia stretched out over what is Croatia. The question is: Why? Since Croatia is a very beautiful country with the gorgeous Adriatic coast and islands, perhaps next Summer Getting Away could visit and enjoy its beauties and acquaint its readership with Dubrovnik, islands Korcula, Hvar, Mljet, the unique, fabulous Plitvice Lakes and many other charming places.Sincerely,Hilda M. Foley 13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, Ca 92705--------- Forwarded message ----------From: gettingaway@ocregister.comTo: Hilda FoleyDate: Fri, 11 Jan 2002Subject: Re: Lake Balaton mapMs. Foley: Thanks for your note. I've called the omission to the attention of our graphics staff. I don't know if the problem is the maps we are getting with the stories that are coming from our wire services or that we are using some map in our system that is flawed. Thanks for pointing it out.One of our staff writers, Jeff Miller, went to Croatia in 1999. In case you missed it, here's his story. I apologize in advance for the jumbled paragraphs in the computer-generated version.The Adriatic is a lovely area and I hope we'll get back there sometime in the not too distant future.VOYAGE CROATIA DALMATIAN RHAPSODY Fears slip away on the blue Adriatic JEFFREY MILLERPublished: SUN, June 27, 1999`You're going to Croatia? " The intonation varied when friends, family and co-workers questioned our plans to spend a week in the Balkans at the height of NATO's bombingcampaign against Serb forces in Kosovo. But the implication was always the same: Are you nuts? My wife, Kathie, and I had started planning the trip last year, before events in Yugoslavia reached crisis stage. Kathie suggested we visit Hvar, an island in theAdriatic, because her grandmother was born there. My interest was piqued when I read that travel writers had proclaimed Hvar one of the 10 most spectacular islands on the planet. After NATO began its nightly sorties over Pristina, Novi Sad and Belgrade, we looked at a map. The area of the Dalmatian coast we planned to visit is about 120 miles fromKosovo as the F-18 flies, too close for comfort for most vacationers. Tourist travel to Croatia is down by as much as 80 percent this year. Cruise lines have scratched ports such as Dubrovnik, Split, Korcula and Hvar from their routes. We debated changing our itinerary for several weeks, then decided to gofor it. We left with high hopes and a wee bit of anxiety. We came back with a few regrets that we didn't spend more time in Dalmatia, that we didn't get to visit more islands in the Adriatic, that we didn't pack sunscreen. Even though we visited at the worst of times, Croatia was the clearhighlight of our three-week vacation. By comparison, tourist meccas such as Venice, Italy; Innsbruck, Austria; and Munich, Germany, seemed overcrowded and artificial. Croatian tourist officials have spent the past decade trying to attractforeigners to the Dalmatian coast, a tourist destination since the mid-19th century. So far, it's been a tough sell, as one crisis or another has scared off visitors. If the recent peace agreement in Kosovo leads to a lasting peace in the region, tourists may again discover one of Europe's best-kept secrets. The overnight ferry that carried us from Ancona, Italy, to Split,Croatia, had a few dozen passengers, about one-fourth of its capacity. Thebiggest contingent was a group of Brazilian nuns on a pilgrimage to the shrine in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina. There were three other Americans aboard _ two youngwomen working with a Baptist missionary group in Sarajevo and a United Nations monitor also bound for Bosnia. The monitor, a retired police officer from Tucson, was chatting with aCroatian woman returning home from vacation. She spoke at length about thebeauty of Dalmatia and the nuances of the Croatian language. "The English alphabet has how many characters? 26? In Croatian, we have30," she said. "And in English, you have only a few bad words," sheadded,firing off a string of choice examples. "In Croatian, we have many, many more. " I asked herhowshe felt about the NATO operation. She waved her Lucky Strikedismissively. "I'm not much interested in politics," she said. Ironically, the war in the Balkans seemed more distant in Croatia thaninany of the other countries we visited last month. Anti-NATO graffiti was a frequent sight in Germany, Austria and Italy.U.S. = assassini read one spray-painted message that greeted tourists asthey rode gondolas through canals in Venice. In Split, taggers seemed largely apolitical, preferring to adornbuildings with names of rock bands, depictions of marijuana leaves andexpressions of loyalty to Hajduk Split, the local soccer club. During our first night in the city, the neighborhood around our hotelechoed with shouts, gunfire and explosions. The reason for the outburst:Hajduk had just tied the Croatian United club from Zagreb, earning the team a chance to playRijeka for the national championship. The celebration was boisterous, butessentially nonviolent. We later heard that disappointed fans in Zagreb had rioted that night,injuring three police officers. Split, a city of about 300,000 residents, is a curious mix of old andnew. Its old town, or grad, boasts beautiful stone structures dating fromthe reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian in the third century. However, its skyline is dominated byhideous, Soviet-style high-rise apartments built during the Marshal Titoera. Under capitalism, many residents _ at least those prosperous enough tocruise the town in shiny new Mercedes-Benzes and BMWs _ are abandoningthehigh-rises to move into brand-new homes and condos. The subdivisions sprouting aroundthe city have a look that would be familiar to anyone from Orange County:rows of peach stucco exteriors and red-tile roofs. After two days in Split, we took the Jadrolinija ferry to the villageofHvar, the largest town on the island of the same name. The two-hour journey, which wends past the islands of Brac and Solta,seems to span two worlds. Stepping out on the balcony of our room at Hvar's Hotel Palace, we tookin a scene of perfect tranquillity. Late afternoon sunshine glittered off the multihued blues of theAdriaticand bathed the town's ancient white stone buildings. Sparrows swooped from the hotel's bell tower and settled on thered-tiledroofs of nearby homes. The clamor of children playing soccer echoed fromthe town's piazza. It was the best hotel of our three-week vacation in Europe _ and thecheapest. In May, the nightly room rate is 327 Croatian kuna _ just under$49 U.S. _ with the price doubling during the peak summer period. The scenery of Hvar is an odd but stunning amalgam. Think of the SanJuanIslands of Puget Sound or maybe the Monterey peninsula, but with betterweather. Throw in a bit of Kauai. Or maybe Arizona. Pines, palms and cactuses grow next to each other. The Adriatic,turquoise along the shore, suddenly turns an intense indigo where thewaterdeepens. One day we took the bus to the village of Starigrad, where Kathie'sgrandmother was born, a 12-mile ride that was spectacular and harrowing.The road that creeps along the island's mountainous spine is about 1 1/2 lanes wide, which makesfora tight squeeze when a bus and cement mixer going in opposite directionsmeet. People in Hvar come off as friendly and boisterous. After dinner,restaurateurs insist that their guests enjoy a shot of grappa _ "Croatiancognac," as one described it _ a high-potency brandy with the fine bouquet of butane. One Fridayafternoon, scores of Hvar's teen-agers celebrated the warm weather andtheend of the school week by jumping _ or being pushed _ into the harbor. Merchants, hearing thescreams, came out of their shops to view the spectacle. They shook theirheads and smiled. We left the idyll of Hvar on a Sunday _ Super Bowl Sunday for Croatia.The boat was packed with young male fans of Hajduk Split, all sportingtheteam's logo on T-shirts and scarves. Some climbed onto the roof of the boat to wave the teamflag. Most were singing the team's song. All were pounding large amountsofKarlovacko beer. Game time was still seven hours away. "If we win, we will represent all Croatia," one fan told us, trying toexplain the frenzy. "If we lose ... there might be a war. " The scenearound the stadium that afternoon was a cross between game day at theOakland Coliseum and Independence Day during a bad year in HuntingtonBeach. Fans hurled beer bottles at police in riot gear, smashing windowsofcars and buses. For a minute, I thought the guy on the boat might be right. I alsoremembered that the other team, with police escort, was staying at ourhotel. Hajduk ended up losing, 3-1. But aside from a few minor incidents, likesetting the netting of the visiting team's goal on fire, the fans behavedthemselves. We left Dalmatia the next morning, sunburned, exhausted and vowing toreturn. There had been minor inconveniences and discomforts _ workingATMsare rare, exchanging currency is a much bigger hassle than it iselsewherein Europe, and almost everyone in Croatia chain-smokes. But these wereoutweighed by the stunning scenery and fun-loving spirit of the people.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------It was such a seemingly insignificant small step, writing about the mistake on the map, but look what it resulted in - no more dumb maps in the O.C. Register! Croatia will be on the appropriate map from now on - or they will hear from me again - trust me!!HildaDear All, After several weeks I finally found late last night a little time to lookup the web page of the HINA news and to my surprise and personal delightthe first article was about my cousin Mladen Tarbuk having been appointed Superintendent of the Zagreb National Opera House. The mandate from theGovernment is for four years or possibly eight. It is a great honor forhim, he is still quite young (40) He is the son of my uncle Milan Tarbuk,retired music professor, my Mom's brother. Mladen is also a composer andconductor of the symphony orchestra of Radio Zagreb, as well as directorand conductor of the Puhacki orkestar HV, the Croatian army's orchestrafor wind instruments. Besides that he is a professor of music at theZagreb Music Academy and guest conductor at the Zagreb, Prague and otheropera houses with excellent critiques. So I just had to brag a little,please excuse me! Anyway, with all this, don't ask how much he gets paid!Sometimes months late and peanuts!HildaDear Hilda,We congratulates you on everything. From the world politics and Media Watch to your personal happiness and successes. In short. We truly love you and we do appreciate you.Nenad BachEditor in ChiefCROWNdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachments is strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possible extent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 15 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6805/1/E-Amazoncom---E-pur-si-muove---We-Winn.html Click Here: Crown Home PageHi Nenad,Just to let people know how letters get results. Amazon.com has removed Yugoslavia from it's International/European Cinema catagory and in its place, has added the country as listed: Croatia (Former Yugoslavia. I might add that Croatia is the only country listed from the former Yugoslavia.http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/403802/103-7341998-0057423LindaOp-edBravo Linda, Bravo everybody who sent a letter. E pur si muove ! (nevertheless it does move).Ipak se mice! We are making it better every day. Who said that Croatian community can not do it? Who said it can not move? E pur si muove ! And this is not a first time. This is becoming regular. After we know that we can do it, then we move into a more constructive and active way. Nenad BachEditor in Chief    Galileo In 1611 he visited Rome to display the telescope to the papal court. In 1616 the system of Copernicus was denounced as dangerous to faith, and Galileo, summoned to Rome, was warned not to uphold it or teach it. But in 1632 he published a work written for the nonspecialist, Dialogo … sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo [dialogue on the two chief systems of the world] (tr. 1661; rev. and ed. by Giorgio de Santillana, 1953; new tr. by Stillman Drake, 1953, rev. 1967); that work, which supported the Copernican system as opposed to the Ptolemaic, marked a turning point in scientific and philosophical thought. Again summoned to Rome, he was tried (1633) by the Inquisition and brought to the point of making an abjuration of all beliefs and writings that held the sun to be the central body and the earth a moving body revolving with the other planets about it. Since 1761, accounts of the trial have concluded with the statement that Galileo, as he arose from his knees, exclaimed sotto voce, E pur si muove [nevertheless it does move]. That statement was long considered legendary, but it was discovered written on a portrait of Galileo completed c.1640.After the Inquisition trial Galileo was sentenced to an enforced residence in Siena. He was later allowed to live in seclusion at Arcetri near Florence, and it is likely that Galileo's statement of defiance was made as he left Siena for Arcetri. In spite of infirmities and, at the last, blindness, Galileo continued the pursuit of scientific truth until his death. His last book, Dialogues Concerning Two New Sciences (tr., 3d ed. 1939, repr. 1952), which contains most of his contributions to physics, appeared in 1638. In 1979 Pope John Paul II asked that the 1633 conviction be annulled. However, since teaching the Copernican theory had been banned in 1616, it was technically possible that a new trial could find Galileo guilty; thus it was suggested that the 1616 prohibition be reversed, and this happened in 1992. The pope concluded that while 17th-century theologians based their decision on the knowledge available to them at the time, they had wronged Galileo by not recognizing the difference between a question relating to scientific investigation and one falling into the realm of doctrine of the faith.distributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachments is strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possible extent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 14 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6804/1/E-httpwwwencyclopediacom.html Click Here: Crown Home PageThe Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Editionhttp://www.encyclopedia.comPlease someone check under "Croatia" all of the incorrect inputs. I am sure there is a lot to do. But, if not we, then who?Nenaddistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachments is strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possible extent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 14 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6808/1/Even-Croatia-beats-Britain-on-trains---Evening-Standard-London.html Click Here: Crown Home PageLondon's Evening Standard compared Britain's dire railways to Croatia. Don't have the full article but extracts appeare on the Croats in the UK board:"Even Croatia beats Britain on trains". : "Rail services in other European countries - even Croatia - leave Britain's standing. Only 79 per cent of our trains run within five minutes of being on time, and an average journey costs 14p per mile. In Croatia, still recovering from war, trains are on time 92 per cent of the time and cost an average of 1p per mile. All journeys, including the 400-mile journey from Zagreb to Split, cost under £10 each way"Whilst amusing (and no doubt true - I suffer the railways myself) it does show how Croatia is sometimes seen. "Even backward Croatia does better than us!" is the message.Albania of course is the usual country mentioned for in this regard, it seems to be a standard - unfairly I guess - for backwardness.And Croatia is to link up with it for SAA purposes.Brian Gallagherdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachments is strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possible extent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 13 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6809/1/E-Activism.html Click Here: Crown Home PageFor a sample how to make easy for us Croatians to get politically active please see the interactive political web page at the National Organization for Women www.now.org/congressThere you will find everything you need to be an effective voice for women's rights. Choose an issue, type in your zip code, and send an instant letter (which you can edit as you wish) to the media or your representatives in Congress.Katarina TepeshOp-edThere are many sites with such a mechanism. CROWN intention is to have the same, but specifically designed for Croatians around the world. One doesn't exclude the other, so it is always a great thing to have an access to the info. Great find Katarina. Everybody else ... make a bookmark note and use it. If anybody else finds similar mechanism, please report it to CROWN. We will build one and more we know better it will be.NBdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachments is strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possible extent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 11 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6810/1/Amazoncom---needs-a-letter.html ÂAmazon.comÂÂAmazon.com: Help / Contact Us / General QuestionsÂhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/handle-generic-form/104-0206532-1027169?actiÂÂon=next-page&target=stores/help/self-service-email-form-dispatch.html&display=ÂÂbasic&browse=560710&method=GET&cgi-post-result=1/103-7341998-0057423ÂYou can also use : feedback@amazon.comÂÂÂNenad,ÂÂI was looking for a Croatian film through Amazon.com and found that they listÂYugoslavia under the country category. Croatia is not listed at all, thoughÂI know some of the films, if not all of them are Croatian, and they areÂlisted under Yugoslavia. I have emailed them about this, and I suggestÂothers do the same. www.amazon.comÂÂLindaÂÂÂI sent the letter via the customer comments so, I do not have it, however, itÂwas something to this effect:ÂÂWhile searching for a Croatian video, I found that Amazon's InternationalÂcategory only lists Yugoslavia. I was rather taken aback, because some, ifÂnot all of these films listed are Croatian. Yugoslavia consists of onlyÂSerbia and Montenegro. This is quite disturbing, as over 10,000 CroatiansÂlost their lives fighting for their independence in a war of aggressionÂperpetrated by neighboring Serbia. Please respect those who suffered theÂloss of their families, homes and lives by adding the country of Croatia andÂlisting the proper films under the proper country.ÂÂThank you,ÂÂLinda HurleyÂÂop-edÂYou can also use : feedback@amazon.comÂÂdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comÂNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If youÂare not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified thatÂany dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachmentsÂis strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possibleÂextent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you haveÂreceived this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender byÂtelephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 09 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6811/1/E-Published---W-Magazine-November-issue.html This text appeared in "W" magazine, the November 2001 issue.ÂÂI must commend your article on Dubrovnik, Croatia in your most recentÂÂSeptember issue. I have been fortunate enough to travel to many beautiful,ÂÂexotic places. The pristine beauty of the Croatian coastline completely outÂÂdoes The Cote D'Azur and most other well known and over saturated touristÂÂmecca's. I have yet to see a place more rich with history, breath takingÂÂarchitecture, and more beautiful people. Croatia is truly a "hidden gem"ÂÂthat is now only being visited by those "in the know." To all W readers:ÂÂGet there before the rest of the world does...and you will truly feel likeÂÂyou have discovered one of the most priceless destinations in the world.ÂÂMartina SolaÂÂSaratoga, CA.ÂÂÂÂdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comÂNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If youÂare not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified thatÂany dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachmentsÂis strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possibleÂextent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you haveÂreceived this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender byÂtelephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 06 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6812/1/E-Letter-from-the-CROWNs-editor-in-Chief---WEBSITE.html Dear All,ÂÂGood bad or indifferent here we come.ÂThis is an unedited letter from an editor. Stream of consciousness.ÂÂWhen the spaceships will make daily flights between galaxies, I want this fewÂgigabytes to be relevant at that time. I want to create something that isÂsolid and passionate as well as competitive in the field of InformationÂTechnology. We are about to develop our own existence in words, music andÂpictures. This will be the story about our ancestors and our futureÂgrandchildren. I will support all of you especially people who found andÂdeveloped their own talent. CROWN is a nonconformist website and it will takeÂa long time to accomplish the first phase of what I have envisioned. I won'tÂtalk about deep future, but I know that TV and Computers will be one of theÂsame.ÂÂAt this moment of the Croatian history, we have responsibility to doÂsomething. Play ball and not just watch from the stands. It is OK to hurt aÂlittle bit, sometimes, but it feels great to be on the court as a part of theÂwining game. For thirteen centuries, others wrote our own history. We can seeÂrepercussions in just the last few decades. I, who was born well after 1945,Âam answering the questions that our previous generations didn't have guts toÂdo. It was difficult for sure, but majority of the people choose to be silentÂin the face of injustice. Now is the time to write our own history and theÂfuture as fair and factual as possible and share it on the world stage.ÂÂI want to create a website that will connect second and third generations ofÂCroatians around the world, who are proud to be who they are, but didn't knowÂwhere to turn. Well, now you will have home and place to find what interestsÂyou. From poetry to politics. From cuisine to church. From film toÂphilanthropy. From science to unseen.ÂÂAlone, I am not enough. But we as a team can accomplish this. I envisionedÂCroatian World Net to become a professional site. It will start the same wayÂI started this net almost three years ago on a volunteer basis, but soon, IÂdo expect to be more and more professional. Quality of the people who are onÂCROWN list is amazing. So far CROWN has successfully attracted a high profileÂaudience around the world. Few people are very active and many are passive,Âbut patience is my virtue. This is work in progress. We want to be part ofÂculture and politics of meaning and compassion. Many projects with very goodÂintentions were not fruitful, because of who we are. 95% of the humanÂpopulation is still not competent in their own chosen profession. Most of theÂpeople are not capable of making a phone call on time. My focus will be onÂyou who can.ÂÂThere is no perfect moment to start a family, there is no perfect moment toÂbuild a home. There is only the moment when we decide to do it or have anÂexcuse for not doing it. This is the moment I have decided to start a websiteÂafter all this years of struggle in everything. From financing to acceptance.ÂFrom criticism to abundance of praise beyond my wildest imagination.ÂÂOn a technical side, our webmaster for now will be Eugen Lezaja. Also aÂCroatian, living in New Jersey. A friend of mine and a brilliant mind in itsÂown class. I will accept all of your inputs, financing proposals (whoever isÂseriously interested, we will send them our business plan), donations, ideasÂand letters to be published as it was so far. The difference will be thatÂthis one will be permanent. I have received more then 500 emails a day,Âseveral times. For the volume that I envisioned and that will be 15,000Âsubscriptions in 3-5 years, we will need 2-3 people, just to open the emails.ÂYou will receive one letter per week with the links to the website.ÂAdditionally, we will send you approximately one letter every two weeks, forÂspecial projects. When someone writes about us in The New York Times good orÂbad, but important,...we have to react and proactively act. They have to knowÂthat we exist, that we read, that we write and that we are WILLING.ÂÂAs I mentioned the spaceships, well... that is not the future. Future is now.ÂInformation is flying all over the space and we better be ready to spread theÂwings. Many discussions where made on the closed, and not so closed, circleÂof e-mail chains. I never responded to that, because it is simply, unlessÂproductive, most of the time, counterproductive. I expect Marko Puljic to beÂpart of this team regardless whether Global Croatia goes or not. Marko,ÂHilda, Davor, Brian and few others are very active and productive in creatingÂwhat needs to be done for this kind of work. I will support all of theirÂeffort too, whether they go their own way or just a parallel path. And I willÂaccept their, so far generous and talented, help.ÂÂThrough my traveling around the globe, with my music, I stumbled upon manyÂinteresting characters. These people, although many of them not Croatian,Âwill also be interested to find out about our culture and country as a whole.ÂDeghettoisation (This is my word).ÂÂI waited for too long to hear something from our Croatian government andÂfinally I took this humongous task upon you and me. As they say "we are theÂgovernment" and if we do not do it ... nobody will.ÂÂThere is not a perfect moment to start a letter like this as well as not aÂperfect moment to finish it. One rule. Decency. Officially we plan to launchÂthe website on December 31st, 11:59 PM, 2001. New York time.ÂÂThis was an unedited letter from an editor. Stream of consciousness.ÂGood bad or indifferent here we come.ÂÂSvako dobro All the best,ÂÂNenad BachÂfounder andÂEditor in ChiefÂCROWN - Croatian World Net / Hrvatska Svjetska MrezaÂwww.CroatianWorld.netÂwww.CroatianWorld.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 16 Dec 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6815/1/E-PRESS-RELEASE---Croatian-Information-Office-London.html A small amount of effort can achieve a lot... for a while the BBC had beenÂpublishing stories about Croatia with links to their special report onÂYugoslavia (i.e. post-Milosevic Serbia) and also linking to the BBC WorldÂService in Serbian. Philip Magas of the CIO sent an e-mail questioning theseÂlinks to Croatian stories. Here is the response:ÂÂDear Mr MagasÂThank you for your email and the point you raise.ÂI have added our World Service Croatian news to the links on theÂstory, and it should now appear on all future versions.ÂThe original Serbian link was added because it was on a mini-sectionÂdedicated to Milosevic himself, and absolutely not because we in any wayÂfail to respect Croatia or any other ex-Yugoslav state as independentÂnations.ÂWIth thanks again, and best wishesÂRegardsÂBBC News OnlineÂhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/ ;Âhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/ÂÂ----Original Message-----ÂÂFrom: CIO London [mailto:ciolondon@hotmail.comÂ]ÂSent: 14 November 2001 23:29ÂTo: NewsOnlineÂSubject: DUBROVNIK STORYÂDear Sir/Madam,ÂWhy is it the link to World Service news on theÂstory about a Yugoslav general in the Hague over the bombing of the CroatianÂÂcity of Dubrovnik is only for BBC News in Serbian?ÂWhy not BBC News in Croatian?ÂCroatia is no longer a part of Yugoslavia and hasn'tÂbeen for a decade, but you only seem interested in the "Future ofÂYugoslavia" and pay little attention to Croatia or Bosnia as nations inÂtheir own right.ÂPhilip MagasÂCIO LondonÂE-mail from theÂCROATIAN INFORMATION OFFICE LONDONÂdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Dec 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6814/1/E-Russian-Oil-Through-Croatia.html From Nov. 27 New York Times. John KraljicÂÂÂOIL PROJECT ADVANCES Russia advanced an oil pipeline project toÂÂship Russian crude directly to Western European markets; the oil will goÂÂthrough the Croatian pipeline system to that country's Adriatic Sea portÂÂof Omisalj. In a meeting with Croatian officials, the Russian energyÂÂminister, Igor Yusufov, agreed to guarantee shipments of Russian crudeÂÂfor the pipeline and to hold talks with other participating countries.ÂÂUnder the project, pipeline and storage equipment would be upgraded toÂÂship 100,000 barrels of oil a day from Russia's main oil artery intoÂÂCentral Europe to the Croatian oil terminal by 2003.ÂSabrina TaverniseÂdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Dec 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6813/1/E-The-Washington-Times---Croation-opposition-emulate-GOP.html "http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20011127-97525998.htm">CroationÂopposition party chiefÂhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20011127-97525998.htmÂThe Washington TimesÂÂNovember 27, 2001ÂCroation opposition party chief would emulate GOPÂBy Jeffrey T. KuhnerÂTHE WASHINGTON TIMES     The leader of Croatia's main opposition party says that he will adoptÂPresident Bush's "compassionate conservative" agenda should he form the nextÂgovernment of his former Yugoslav republic.ÂTop Storie     Ivo Sanader, the head of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), said in anÂinterview that "my goal as leader is to create a Croatian version of theÂRepublican Party."     "I want to transform the HDZ into a modern conservative party that willÂimplement free-market policies necessary to stimulate economic growth and theÂcreation of wealth," he said.     Mr. Sanader also said he is a strong advocate of sweeping "income-taxÂcuts, deregulation and cuts in public spending" to reverse Croatia's slidingÂeconomy and 23 percent unemployment rate.     The HDZ leader, who calls himself an "admirer" of Mr. Bush and hisÂ"compassionate conservative policies," is a proponent of a pro-growth,Âeconomic-reform agenda.     "We are a party that accepts individual freedoms and choice and whichÂshares common values with like-minded conservative parties in Europe and theÂUnited States. The HDZ is committed to democracy and a free-marketÂphilosophy," Mr. Sanader said last week at a luncheon meeting at the CatoÂInstitute.     He also believes that Croatia should continue the process of joining theÂEuropean Union and NATO.     Mr. Sanader, 48, took over the leadership of the HDZ in April 2000 afterÂthe death of its founder, Franjo Tudjman, in December 1999. Mr. TudjmanÂsuccessfully led Croatia's bloody drive for independence from Yugoslavia inÂ1991.     However, Mr. Tudjman was criticized by Western governments during theÂ1990s for his regime's authoritarian tendencies, economic cronyism andÂrampant corruption. This led to Croatia's growing international isolation andÂthe threat of economic sanctions.     Mr. Sanader concedes the HDZ "made mistakes while we were in power,Âespecially with regard to economic policies and corruption. This led us toÂfundamentally reexamine our approach."     The election of a center-left coalition government in January 2000,Âwhich ran on a platform of economic reform and closer pro-Western links,Âreduced the once-dominant HDZ to a shadow of its former self. Yet theÂleft-leaning government's inability to overcome the nation's economic woesÂhas led to a resurgence in the popularity of the HDZ. The party won localÂelections in May.     Mr. Sanader said the revamped HDZ is now considerably ahead of PrimeÂMinister Ivica Racan's Social Democratic Party in public opinion polls withÂ"approximately 30 to 33 percent voter support."     Josko Celan, a political analyst at the Split-based newspaper SlobodnaÂDalmacija, said Mr. Sanader is committed to changing the HDZ into aÂWestern-style, conservative party. But Mr. Celan doubts whether Mr. SanaderÂwill be able to implement his tax-cutting, anti-statist agenda if he becomesÂCroatia's next prime minister.     "He would like to get rid of the old image of the HDZ," Mr. Celan saidÂin a telephone interview. "But Croatia and the United States are two veryÂdifferent societies. The tradition of a free-market economy in the UnitedÂStates is much longer and deeper. I believe it is his intention to pass taxÂcuts and other free-market measures. But I don't know how much he canÂachieve. He will face a very tough economic situation."     Mr. Sanader said the election of Mr. Bush and Italy's Prime MinisterÂSilvio Berlusconi has had an impact on Croatia's electorate, making it moreÂreceptive to the possibility of a conservative government capturing power inÂZagreb.     "The public feeling toward the HDZ is changing after the Italian andÂU.S. elections," Mr. Sanader said. "And they are now seeing conservative,Âcenter-right parties in a new, positive light."ÂÂÂcopyright © 2001 News World Communications, Inc.ÂÂÂSubmitted by Tomislav SunicÂdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Dec 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6823/1/E-15000-Recall-Siege-of-Vukovar-in-1991-New-York-Times.html November 19, 2001ÂÂÂ15,000 Recall Siege of Vukovar in 1991ÂÂBy THE ASSOCIATED PRESSÂÂUKOVAR, Croatia, Nov. 18 (AP) - About 15,000 people gathered today toÂcommemorate the 10th anniversary of the bombardment and three-month siege ofÂVukovar - a symbol of Croatian suffering from Serbian wartime brutality.ÂAbout 1,700 Croats were killed when the Yugoslav Army and rebel SerbsÂoverwhelmed the city after Croatia proclaimed independence. A column ofÂ22,000 people - half of the prewar population - walked out of Vukovar onÂNov. 18, 1991, expelled by its new rulers.ÂMost of the town, which sits on the bank of the Danube, was reduced to rubble.ÂToday, both Croats and Serbs make up the city's population, which is stillÂ22,000, but they live largely separate lives. Memory and emotions remainÂstrong. "Our priest tells us to forgive, if we cannot forget," said VeraÂJanjic, standing at the grave of her son, killed in 1991. "I'm trying hard,Âbut I cannot do it."ÂIn 1995, the United Nations war crimes tribunal indicted three formerÂYugoslav Army officers on charges of crimes against humanity, blaming themÂfor the indiscriminate shelling of Vukovar and deaths during the siege. ButÂthe men - Maj. Veselin Sljivancanin, Col. Mile Mrksic and Capt. MiroslavÂRadic - remain at large in Yugoslavia. Majda Glavasevic, who only buried herÂhusband four years ago when his remains were exhumed from a farm nearÂVukovar, said in Zagreb that she hoped they would be tried.ÂSuch a trial "cannot reverse history," she said. "But I want them to hearÂabout the pain they caused, to realize that the whole world is condemning itÂand to suffer, just a bit, locked up in jail, before they die of naturalÂcauses." Branko Borkovic, a commander of Vukovar's defense, said in anÂinterview with Reuters that his last image of Vukovar, before he retreatedÂthrough minefields, would remain with him forever.Â"I looked up as we were leaving and saw the skeleton of a town, dark andÂmisty, with ruins still smoldering," he said. "The last thing I saw was a dogÂtied in front of an empty house, barking happily at us. For a moment I had aÂweird thought that I should go back but I knew I couldn't. We never reallyÂhad a chance." The town reverted to Croatian control in 1998 after theÂSerbian rebellion was crushed elsewhere in the region.ÂÂdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 25 Nov 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6822/1/E-Croatia-supplement-in-The-Observer.html This supplement appeared in the UK Observer (a left of centre Sunday paper).ÂÂhttp://www.images-words.com/croatiaÂÂBrian GallagherÂÂÂdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 25 Nov 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6821/1/E-Lies-about-VUKOVAR-on-BBC-and-reply-by-B-Gallagher.html Misinformation on BBC and reply to the BBC by B. GallagherÂÂHere is the full correspondence I have had with the BBC, including theirÂcomments:ÂÂÂThank you for replying. The reason you can't find the reference (nor the bitÂabout the woman giving a Nazi salute) is because the items has been amended,Âas you probably are aware. Sadly, I kept no copy.ÂÂÂHowever, the original report is still on your website at:Âhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1662000/1662480.stmÂÂAnd it says this: "A candlelit vigil took place on Saturday night atÂVukovar's hospital from where hundreds of patients, mostly soldiers, wereÂtaken away and killed in November, 1991. "ÂÂand again "While hundreds of hospital patients, mostly soldiers, wereÂexecuted, the rest of the remaining inhabitants were forced to march to theÂnext Croat-controlled town"ÂÂSo yes, an attempt was made to play down the civilian deaths.ÂÂAlso, Ms Kroeger saidÂÂ"The town had a majority Serb population."ÂÂÂCompletely untrue. It does however, tie in with Serb propaganda of the timeÂthat parts of Croatia are 'really' Serbia.ÂÂÂThe fact that some 22, 500 Croats and non-Serbs were forced out of VukovarÂand thousands of civilians were killed was also not mentioned. Which wouldÂput into context the Mayor's remarks.ÂÂÂAnyone unfamilar with the situation would think that "mostly soldiers" diedÂat Vukovar and that Croats are preventing Serbs from returning to their cityÂwhere they were the "majority".ÂÂÂCroat bashing? Yes it certainly is. What next from the BBC? Serbs the trueÂvictims of Srebrinica?ÂÂÂOn the second itemÂ(http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1662000/1662896.stm),Âwhich was later revised to omit the "mostly soldiers" drivel, unusualÂattention is paid to Croat "neo-Nazis". This staggering quote appears: "TheÂrelationship between Croatian nationalism, Nazi sympathisers and the war 10Âyears ago is an uneasy one."ÂÂÂWould you say such a thing if a small group of British National PartyÂsupporters appeared at Remembrance day ceremony? I suspect not. The quoteÂclearly implies that patriotic Croats - "nationalists" - have fascistÂleanings and the war in 1991 was something to do with Croat fascists.ÂÂÂIs it a coincidence that the same line was given by the Serbs in 1991?ÂIndeed, the hospital atrocity at Vukovar and the destruction of the city wasÂjustified in precisely those terms. The crass insensitivity of Ms Kroeger'sÂcomments beggars belief. If the BBC were covering a Holocaust remembranceÂceremony, would you include Nazi propaganda drivel about Jews bringing aboutÂGerman decline etc etc. Quite rightly you would not. The BBC are happyÂhowever to lend credence to the sick excuses the Serbs gave for their crimesÂagainst Croats.ÂÂÂI invite you to examine the following line from the Hague MilosevicÂindictment for crimes inÂCroatia.(http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/mil-ii011008e.htm)ÂÂÂ"26 m) controlled, contributed to, or otherwise utilised Serbian state-runÂmedia outlets to manipulate Serbian public opinion by spreading exaggeratedÂand false messages of ethnically based attacks by Croats against Serb peopleÂin order to create an atmosphere of fear and hatred among Serbs living inÂSerbia and Croatia. The propaganda generated by the Serbian media was anÂimportant tool in contributing to the perpetration of crimes in Croatia. "ÂÂÂThe propaganda mentioned was of the "Croats are fascists" variety.ÂMilosevic, you will note, was also charged for the hospital crime at Vukovar.ÂÂÂHow fascinating that the BBC are mouthing similar sentiments to Milosevic'sÂpropaganda machine from 1991. The insensitivity of the BBC is beyond compare.ÂÂÂSo yes, the BBC do indulge in Croat bashing. And has a pro-Serb streak.ÂCertainly, if Mr Milosevic read those two items I am sure he would haveÂtoasted to Ms Kroeger's good health.ÂÂÂI also believe the BBC's - frankly sick - reporting on Vukovar requires widerÂattention. I do not pay my license fee for such drivel.ÂÂÂYours faithfullyÂÂÂBrian GallagherÂÂÂÂÂÂNewsOnline wrote:ÂÂI am unable to see the reference to which you refer, that the victims wereÂ"mostly" soldiers. I am also unable to accept your assertion that we areÂpro-Serb, or indulging inC roat-bashing. It is not the way we operate and IÂam disappointed that you should think it is.ÂÂRegardsÂÂÂBBC News OnlineÂÂhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/ÂÂ-----Original Message-----ÂÂFrom: Brian Gallagher [mailto:brigall@yahoo.co.uk]ÂÂSent: 18 November 2001 19:55ÂÂTo: NewsOnlineÂÂSubject: "Croat town remembers fall"ÂÂÂÂDear SirÂÂÂRe: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1662000/1662896.stmÂÂÂI wish to complain about the above story by Alix Kroeger.ÂÂÂI note that the earlier version of the story, to which I had telephoned aÂcomplaint to your duty office earlier today has been changed.ÂÂÂThe earlier version, amongst other things, had the utterly obscene remarkÂthat Vukovar had a majority Serbian population prior to the war. That was ofÂcourse, a complete untruth. It's rather like saying Belgrade has a majorityÂCroat population. A mistake, or a bit of Serbian propaganda? And where wasÂthe apology for such an insensitive comment, to which I think the city ofÂVukovar deserves?ÂÂÂYour updated version is little better. Ms Kroeger correctly points out that aÂmassacre occurred at the hospital in Vukovar. But then makes the claim thatÂthe victims were "mostly soldiers". Of course, that in itself is crime, butÂthe reality is that a great deal of civilians were murdered in that episode.ÂHere are two extracts from the International War Crimes indictment on theÂmatter (http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/mrk-ii951107e.htm)ÂÂÂ8. On the afternoon of 19 November 1991, JNA units arrived at VukovarÂHospital and took control of it. Those inside offered no resistance. EarlyÂthe following morning, Major SLJIVANCANIN ordered the nurses and doctors toÂassemble for a meeting. While the medical staff was attending this meeting,ÂJNA and Serb paramilitary soldiers hurriedly removed about 400 men from theÂhospital. Among those removed in this way werenglishemrk> htmiehtm, hospitalÂstaff, soldiers who had been defending the city, Croatian politicalÂactivists, and other civilians. By the time the medical staff meeting withÂMajor SLJIVANCANIN concluded, the soldiers had removed almost all of the menÂwho were at the hospital.ÂÂÂand:ÂÂÂ14. Of the 300 men taken from Vukovar Hospital on the morning of 20 NovemberÂ1991, 261 remain missing. All of these men were alive after the end ofÂhostilities in Vukovar, and all of these men were taken under JNA guard firstÂto the JNA barracks and then to the Ovcara farm. They have not been seenÂalive since that time.ÂÂÂThere is nothing in the indictment about "mostly soldiers" being the victims.ÂÂWhat is it Ms Kroeger knows the War Crimes Tribunal does not?ÂÂÂFurthermore, how is it that Ms Kroeger completely fails to mention that theÂthree men indicted by the Tribunal are at large - and protected - in Serbia?ÂÂÂHow is it also that the deaths of thousands of Croats - and others, such asÂHungarians - slaughtered during the Serbian assault on Vukovar was notÂmentioned? It was not just the hospital massacre. This was a war by theÂSerbs against civilians, not soldiers, as Ms Kroeger implies.ÂÂÂMs Kroeger also points out that one individual gave a Nazi salute. GivenÂthat no-one else apparently did, what was the point of mentioning it? ToÂimply many Croats are fascists? Given that the justification used by theÂSerbs to destroy Vukovar and commit various massacres including the hospitalÂslaughter was precisely that, Ms Kroeger's comments were wholly unnecessary,Âcrass and insensitive. I find it remarkable that the BBC is utilisingÂSerbian propaganda techniques from 1991.ÂÂÂThe piece conveys a number of messges. That what happened at Vukovar was oneÂmassacre of "mostly soldiers" - implying that civilians did not overly sufferÂand were not targeted by the Serbs - and that many Croats are fascists.ÂÂÂVukovar was one of the most appalling atrocities of the twentieth century. AÂcrime by the Serbs against Croat civilians and indeed, humanity. Thousands ofÂcivilians died and many more lost their homes.ÂÂÂTrust the BBC to play that down and turn a memorial to what happened into aÂCroat bashing item.ÂÂÂI would be interested in your comments.ÂÂÂYours faithfullyÂÂÂBrian GallagherÂÂÂHere is the full correspondence I have had with the BBC, including theirÂcomments:ÂÂÂThank you for replying.The reason you can't find the reference (nor the bitÂabout the woman giving a Nazi salute) is because the items has been amended,Âas you probably are aware. Sadly, I kept no copy.ÂÂHowever, the original report is still on your website at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1662000/1662480.stmÂÂÂÂAnd it says this: "A candlelit vigil took place on Saturday night atÂVukovar's hospital from where hundreds of patients, mostly soldiers, wereÂtaken away and killed in November, 1991. "ÂÂand again "While hundreds of hospital patients, mostly soldiers, wereÂexecuted, the rest of the remaining inhabitants were forced to march to theÂnext Croat-controlled town"ÂÂSo yes, an attempt was made to play down the civilian deaths.ÂÂAlso, Ms Kroeger said "The town had a majority Serb population." CompletelyÂuntrue. It does however, tie in with Serb propaganda of the time that partsÂof Croatia are 'really' Serbia. The fact that some 22, 500 Croats andÂnon-Serbs were forced out of Vukovar and thousands of civilians were killedÂwas also not mentioned. Which would put into context the Mayor's remarks.ÂAnyone unfamilar with the situation would think that "mostly soldiers" diedÂat Vukovar and that Croats are preventing Serbs from returning to their cityÂwhere they were the "majority". Croat bashing? Yes it certainly is. WhatÂnext from the BBC? Serbs the true victims of Srebrinica?ÂÂOn the second item (http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1662000/1662896.stmÂ), which was later revised to omit the "mostly soldiers" drivel, unusualÂattention is paid to Croat "neo-Nazis". This staggering quote appears: "TheÂrelationship between Croatian nationalism, Nazi sympathisers and the war 10Âyears ago is an uneasy one."ÂÂWould you say such a thing if a small group of British National PartyÂsupporters appeared at Remembrance day ceremony? I suspect not. The quoteÂclearly implies that patriotic Croats - "nationalists" - have fascistÂleanings and the war in 1991 was something to do with Croat fascists.ÂÂIs it a coincidence that the same line was given by the Serbs in 1991?ÂIndeed, the hospital atrocity at Vukovar and the destruction of the city wasÂjustified in precisely those terms. The crass insensitivity of Ms Kroeger'sÂcomments beggars belief. If the BBC were covering a Holocaust remembranceÂceremony, would you include Nazi propaganda drivel about Jews bringing aboutÂGerman decline etc etc. Quite rightly you would not. The BBC are happyÂhowever to lend credence to the sick excuses the Serbs gave for their crimesÂagainst Croats.ÂÂI invite you to examine the following line from the Hague MilosevicÂindictment for crimes in Croatia.(Âhttp://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/mil-ii011008e.htm)ÂÂ"26 controlled, contributed to, or otherwise utilised Serbian state-run mediaÂoutlets to manipulate Serbian public opinion by spreading exaggerated andÂfalse messages of ethnically based attacks by Croats against Serb people inÂorder to create an atmosphere of fear and hatred among Serbs living in SerbiaÂand Croatia. The propaganda generated by the Serbian media was an importantÂtool in contributing to the perpetration of crimes in Croatia. "ÂÂThe propaganda mentioned was of the "Croats are fascists" variety.ÂMilosevic, you will note, was also charged for the hospital crime at Vukovar.ÂÂHow fascinating that the BBC are mouthing similar sentiments to Milosevic'sÂpropaganda machine from 1991. The insensitivity of the BBC is beyond compare.ÂÂSo yes, the BBC do indulge in Croat bashing. And has a pro-Serb streak.ÂCertainly, if Mr Milosevic read those two items I am sure he would haveÂtoasted to Ms Kroeger's good health.I also believe the BBC's - frankly sick -Âreporting on Vukovar requires wider attention. I do not pay my license feeÂfor such drivel.ÂÂYours faithfullyÂÂBrian GallagherÂÂÂNewsOnline wrote:ÂÂI am unable to see the reference to which you refer, that the victims wereÂ"mostly" soldiers. I am also unable to accept your assertion that we areÂpro-Serb, or indulging in Croat-bashing. It is not the way we operate and IÂam disappointed that you should think it is.ÂÂÂRegardsÂÂBBC News OnlineÂhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/ÂÂ--ÂFrom: Brian Gallagher [mailto:brigall@yahoo.co.uk]ÂSent: 18 November 2001 19:55ÂSubject: "Croat town remembers fall"ÂÂÂÂDear SirÂÂRe: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1662000/1662896.stmÂÂI wish to complain about the above story by Alix Kroeger.ÂÂI note that the earlier version of the story, to which I had telephoned aÂcomplaint to your duty office earlier today has been changed.ÂÂThe earlier version, amongst other things, had the utterly obscene remarkÂthat Vukovar had a majority Serbian population prior to the war. That was ofÂcourse, a complete untruth. It's rather like saying Belgrade has a majorityÂCroat population. A mistake, or a bit of Serbian propaganda? And where wasÂthe apology for such an insensitive comment, to which I think the city ofÂVukovar deserves?ÂÂYour updated version is little better. Ms Kroeger correctly points out that aÂmassacre occurred at the hospital in Vukovar. But then makes the claim thatÂthe victims were "mostly soldiers". Of course, that in itself is crime, butÂthe reality is that a great deal of civilians were murdered in that episode.ÂHere are two extracts from the International War Crimes indictment on theÂmatter (Âhttp://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/mrk-ii951107e.htm)ÂÂBrian GallagherÂdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 25 Nov 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6820/1/E-Quite-obviously-an-operation-to-liberate-territory.html CROWN, HIC, Croatian American Times, feel free to distribute, republish,ÂÂÂThis was published - in slightly edited form - in InterLib No.5, theÂnewslettter of the Liberal International Group (although these are myÂpersonal views and not the Group's) and consequently has been read by aÂnumber of British Liberal parliamentarians. For illustrations, the VeritasÂwebsite may be of interest, with its "Krajina" images and reference fromÂBlewitt.ÂÂÂBrianÂÂÂInterLib No.5 November 2001ÂÂÂThe Gotovina War Crimes IndictmentÂÂÂBrian GallagherÂÂÂThe recent controversial indictment of Croatian General Ante Gotovina by theÂInternational Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is in manyÂways as significant as the forthcoming Milosevic trial. Gotovina is chargedÂwith ethnic cleansing - 'deportation' - of 'Krajina' Serbs in Croatia's 1995Â'Operation Storm' campaign to liberate its territories held since the SerbÂinvasion of 1991. The charges also include his responsibility for murders ofÂSerbs and destruction of property during and in the aftermath of OperationÂStorm. Before Gotovina has even stepped foot in The Hague - his whereaboutsÂare unknown - questions and doubts about this indictment have been raised inÂNewsweek and the Wall Street Journal.ÂÂÂTo find out what is problematic about this indictment, a quick re-cap of whatÂhappened in Croatia is required. In 1991, the Yugoslav Army invaded, occupiedÂand ethnically cleansed one third of Croatia. This included the destructionÂof Vukovar. In the occupied territories the illegal structure of 'Krajina'Âwas set up. In the process, at least 15,000 Croats were slaughtered and atÂleast 170,000 ethnically cleansed. The UN rolled in. Their mandate was toÂre-integrate territory with Croatia, disarm the combatants and returnÂrefugees. The UN failed to carry out this mandate, effectively protectingÂSerb gains. Ethnic cleansing of the remaining Croats continued. Furthermore,ÂCroat cities were bombarded from the occupied territories. 'Krajina' SerbsÂeven launched an invasion into Bosnia-Herzegovina to attack the UN safe havenÂof Bihac. This included aircraft bombing the enclave with napalm and clusterÂbombs. By August 1995 the situation was critical; if Bihac - strategicallyÂpositioned - fell, 'Greater Serbia' would have been effectively established.ÂShortly after Srebrenica, the fate of the citizens of Bihac would not beÂdifficult to imagine. Operation Storm was implemented.ÂÂÂThe 'Krajina' Serb leadership ordered the Serbs to leave, and most left aheadÂof the Croatian Army advance. Large swathes of Croatian territory wasÂrecovered, Bihac was saved and further chunks ofÂÂBosnia-Herzegovina liberated. The 'Greater Serbia' project was stopped deadÂand the end of the war the result. Since then, over 3,000 Croat corpses haveÂbeen dug up in the formerly occupied territories; an indicator of whatÂ'Krajina' was built on and why many Serbs were keen to leave. As can be seen,Â'Operation Storm' was a more than legitimate operation yet the ICTYÂcharacterise it as an ethnic cleansing exercise.ÂÂÂICTY indictments carry background histories to events. None of the aboveÂfacts are mentioned in the Gotovina indictment - bar a comment that theÂCroatian government stated that one third of Croatia was controlled by theÂYugoslav army and local Serbs. The omission of information such as howÂ'Krajina' was created gives the impression that 'Krajina' is a historic SerbÂdominated province that had always existed.ÂÂÂMost of Croatia's Serbs didn't even live in the occupied territories.Â'Krajina' was the term for the Austro-Hungarian 'Military Frontier' abolishedÂin 1881. There has never been any Serb 'Krajina' province. The correct termsÂfor the areas occupied are their historic names of Lika, Kordun andÂDalmatinska Zagora; ignored in the indictment.ÂÂÂIn a bizarre contradiction, the Milosevic indictment for Croatia doesÂdescribe the horror involved in setting up 'Krajina' which it describes asÂnothing less than part of a "criminal enterprise". It gives short shrift toÂthe whole 'Krajina' business, referring to "Croatian Serbs" rather thanÂ"Krajina Serbs" as in the Gotovina indictment. It refers quite clearly to theÂSerbs "occupying" this territory. The indictment talks of the ethnicÂcleansing of one third of Croatia, hundreds of murders, camps, torture, theÂcreation of 'Greater Serbia' etc. The horrors of the Serb occupation go aÂlong way to explain the unfortunate murders of Serbs and arson that took plaÂce during and after Operation Storm. This is not to excuse such behaviour,Âwhich the Croat authorities should indeed punish, but to put it into context.ÂÂÂThe Gotovina indictment goes so far as to refer to 'Krajina' as havingÂ"officially" declared independence. The Prosecution has effectivelyÂrecognised it as a legitimate state. This ignores both international law andÂlegitimises the methods - ethnic cleansing - by which it was created. UNÂresolutions previously referred to the areas as "occupied territories".ÂÂÂThe director of the Serbian 'Veritas' organisation, which claims to be aÂhuman rights organisation documenting crimes against Serbs, already considersÂthis indictment to be the basis of restoring 'Krajina'. Veritas has beenÂworking very closely with the ICTY for some years. This is dubious enough,Âgiven the organisations political aims. Aims clearly shown by the 'Krajina'Âimages on their home page - www.veritas.org.yu. It comes as a bit shock thenÂto see on their website this group being given a glowing reference by theÂICTY-as well as the UN and Red Cross - apparently in order to help VeritasÂraise funds for its projects. Whilst one may accept that the ICTY ProsecutorÂhas to deal with many people, giving a reference to a group that makesÂstatements in support of restoring a structure based upon violations ofÂinternational humanitarian law and illegally appropriating territory of a UNÂmember beggars belief - especially as the Prosecutors have themselvesÂreferred to the establishment of these structures as a "Criminal enterprise".ÂÂÂIt is well known that the Croats were assisted in 'Operation Storm' by USÂintelligence. The Americans may not take kindly to this indictment. What isÂimportant - as revealed by Newsweek - is that US intelligence material,Âincluding satellite images, help prove that Gotovina is innocent of theÂcharges, in particular the deportation charges. As the former US ambassadorÂto Croatia put it "You can't deport people who have already left". Given thatÂthe orders by the Serb leadership to evacuate Croatia have also been on theÂpublic record for some time, the Prosecutor may be in for a tough time.ÂÂÂBut why is the Prosecutor behaving in such a contradictory manner? Clearly,Âthere are different factions at work in The Hague. One group obviously doesÂnot want to spare anyone's blushes and is going for the jugular of those whoÂcommitted the most war crimes. The other is more concerned about creating anÂillusion of "all sides equally guilty". But why?ÂÂÂThe Croatian war is sensitive. As is known, Milosevic was originally backedÂby the Western powers. "All sides equally guilty" was the mantra of both SerbÂpropagandists and Western governments. 'Operation Storm' angered many in theÂWest who wanted to see the Serbs win quickly and have their gains legitimisedÂby 'peace plans' cooked up by David Owen, Carl Bildt etc. 'Operation Storm'Âmade fools of all these people. The late Croatian President Franjo Tudjman isÂnamed as a co-offender on the indictment; a blatantly political move.ÂÂÂSrebrinica is also relevant. Had Bihac fallen, there would have been anotherÂmassacre. The UN allowed the 'Krajina' Serbs to besiege and napalm Bihac; theÂvery forces the UN were supposed to be disarming. The UN was prepared toÂcountenance another Srebrenica. Not something many want known, hence theÂattempts to criminalize 'Operation Storm'.ÂÂÂWhen one considers the full truth of the war, Operation Storm is quiteÂobviously an operation to liberate territory. All countries have the right toÂself-defence, and given that the Prosecutors themselves refer to Croatia asÂhaving been part-occupied in the Milosevic indictment then to characteriseÂOperation Storm as nothing more than an ethnic cleansing operation is a bitÂmuch - especially when negotiations with the Serbs were fruitless after 4Âyears.ÂÂÂDue to the indictment's distortion of the historical record, just oneÂ'guilty' verdict on any Gotovina charge and the 'all sides equally guilty'Âview of history becomes 'legitimate' in the eyes of those who seek toÂpropagate that view: truth and memory are very seriously under attack here.ÂÂÂÂThis is a case that all concerned with a permanent war crimes court shouldÂobserve very closely indeed.ÂÂÂÂBoth the Gotovina "Operation Storm" and Milosevic "Croatia" indictments areÂavailable at the ICTY website at: http://www.un.org/icty/ - I recommend allÂinterested should compare and contrast the treatment of the 'Krajina'Âstructures in them.© Brian GallagherÂdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 25 Nov 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6819/1/E-SAVE-THIS-BBC-deny-their-own-words.html Greetings!ÂÂÂThe BBC have denied their referred to "mostly soldiers" being the victims ofÂthe Vukovar hospital massacre. Their story has been changed to omit it.ÂÂÂUnfortuantely for them, their original story is still on their website; theyÂmissed it. Here it is, with "mostly soldiers"and the comment about SerbsÂbeing the majority.ÂÂÂSave this; the BBC may delete the story after I contact themÂÂÂBrianÂÂÂ[input] [input] CATEGORIES TV RADIO COMMUNICATE WHERE I LIVE INDEXÂ--> SEARCH -ÂÂSERVICES Daily E-mailNews TickerNews for PDAFeedbackHelpLow GraphicsSunday,Â18 November, 2001, 01:40 GMT Croat town marks its fallÂÂÂPeople were ordered out by the Yugoslav armyÂÂBy the BBC's Alix Kroeger in VukovarÂÂThe Croatian town of Vukovar is marking the 10th anniversary of its fall toÂthe Yugoslav national army.ÂÂA candlelit vigil took place on Saturday night at Vukovar's hospital fromÂwhere hundreds of patients, mostly soldiers, were taken away and killed inÂNovember, 1991.ÂÂThe town is now equally divided between Croats and Serbs, but the Croat MayorÂhas said there is no place for Serbs at the commemoration.ÂÂWhen Vukovar fell to the Yugoslav national army it was a severe blow toÂCroatia's efforts to establish an independent state.ÂÂThe town had a majority Serb population. Its location on Croatia's easternÂborder made it a critical part of any plans to create a greater Serbia.ÂÂExecutions and expulsionsÂÂVukovar held out for three months under siege, before falling in November,Â1991.ÂÂWhile hundreds of hospital patients, mostly soldiers, were executed, the restÂof the remaining inhabitants were forced to march to the nextÂCroat-controlled town.ÂÂThe town council has organised a programme of commemorations for Sunday, butÂthe Mayor, Vladimir Stengl, has said Vukovar's Serbs have no place at theÂceremonies.ÂÂThe European security organisation, the OSCE, says the security situation inÂVukovar has improved and there are fewer attacks against returning refugees.ÂÂBut unemployment is high and government assistance for returns will stop atÂthe end of this year.ÂÂThe Croatian Government has recently reactivated dormant lists of hundreds ofÂpeople wanted for alleged war crimes.ÂÂThe OSCE says the lists are an extra deterrent to Serbs wanting to return,Âwho could face arrest at the border, or any time afterwards.ÂÂSee also:ÂÂÂ10 Feb 01 | EuropeÂÂCall for arrests over Vukovar massacre 29 Jun 01 | From Our Own CorrespondentÂÂViewpoint: The West did not do enough Internet links:ÂÂÂOSCEÂÂThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sitesÂÂTop Europe stories now:ÂÂÂJournalists killed in Afghan ambush Spanish 'evidence' of terror guilt EUÂrebuffs Kosovo independence calls Sharon 'summoned' by Belgian court GermanÂeconomy grinds to a standstill Anger as Gibraltar talks get set SocialistÂwins Bulgarian presidency Swiss comeback for Bamiyan Buddhas Links to moreÂEurope stories are at the foot of the page.ÂÂÂÂÂLinks to more Europe storiesÂÂÂIn This Section Journalists killed in Afghan ambush Spanish 'evidence' ofÂterror guilt EU rebuffs Kosovo independence calls Sharon 'summoned' byÂBelgian court German economy grinds to a standstill Anger as Gibraltar talksÂget set Socialist wins Bulgarian presidency Swiss comeback for BamiyanÂBuddhas US hands over Caroline suspect UK denies rift over Afghan troops LakeÂtragedy jail plea Bomb shakes Macedonia peace Authorities open Becker taxÂprobe EU seeks progress on reaction force Moulinex pays off sacked staffÂOlympic flame sparks to life Hijacker's farewell love letter Former CorsicaÂprefect in arson trial Moscow opens Chechnya peace talks Europe's airportsÂfly into turbulence US warning on Iraq bio-weapons Pope calls Assisi peaceÂmeeting Plane-spotters hope to be released Croat town remembers fall RussiansÂin Kabul for talks Rugova: Kosovo's political survivor Belgium link inÂLumumba death European press review Profile: Georgi Parvanov [input]ÂÂÂBrian GallagherÂÂÂSunday, 18 November, 2001, Croat town marks its fallÂBy the BBC's Alix Kroeger in VukovarÂÂThe Croatian town of Vukovar is marking the 10th anniversary of its fall toÂthe Yugoslav national army.ÂÂA candlelit vigil took place on Saturday night at Vukovar's hospital fromÂwhere hundreds of patients, mostly soldiers, were taken away and killed inÂNovember, 1991.ÂÂThe town is now equally divided between Croats and Serbs, but the Croat MayorÂhas said there is no place for Serbs at the commemoration.ÂÂWhen Vukovar fell to the Yugoslav national army it was a severe blow toÂCroatia's efforts to establish an independent state.ÂÂThe town had a majority Serb population. Its location on Croatia's easternÂborder made it a critical part of any plans to create a greater Serbia.ÂÂExecutions and expulsionsÂÂVukovar held out for three months under siege, before falling in November,Â1991.ÂÂWhile hundreds of hospital patients, mostly soldiers, were executed, the restÂof the remaining inhabitants were forced to march to the nextÂCroat-controlled town.ÂÂThe town council has organised a programme of commemorations for Sunday, butÂthe Mayor, Vladimir Stengl, has said Vukovar's Serbs have no place at theÂceremonies.ÂÂThe European security organisation, the OSCE, says the security situation inÂVukovar has improved and there are fewer attacks against returning refugees.ÂÂBut unemployment is high and government assistance for returns will stop atÂthe end of this year. The Croatian Government has recently reactivatedÂdormant lists of hundreds of people wanted for alleged war crimes. The OSCEÂsays the lists are an extra deterrent to Serbs wanting to return, who couldÂface arrest at the border, or any time afterwards.ÂÂCall for arrests over Vukovar massacreÂViewpoint: The West did not do enoughÂÂBrian GallagherÂdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 25 Nov 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6818/1/E-Squeaking-wheel-gets-the-oil---we-can-change-things-Its-possible.html NenadÂÂÂCan I just say the following via Croworld:ÂÂÂMy thanks to everyone who has contacted me over the BBC Vukovar scandal. IÂhave never been able to say defending Croatia is a thankless task and thatÂcertainly is not the case now. The gratitude does energise me. So differentÂfrom local politics! Truly, the Croats are well worth defending.ÂÂÂI shall be writing an article on the whole experience, and its implications.ÂÂÂOne darker thing to consider is that the BBC portrayal of Croatia in theÂfirst and second report will have gone down well with certain interests inÂCroatia. It is no coincidence, I fear, that there is no official response toÂthings such as this or other matters. I understand even worse has beenÂscreened on the BBC of late. A separate article will lay my cards out onÂwhat I mean.ÂÂÂPlease have a look at how the Lithuanians deal with rubbish:ÂÂÂhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/monitoring/media_reports/newsid_1Â669000/1669020.stmÂÂÂGood for them! Now, why can't Zagreb do the same on much worse matters?ÂReally just incompetence?ÂÂÂMy advice to everyone is to email media outlets when something upsettingÂappears. The more we sting, the more cautious people will be in writing onÂthe Croats. Others also wrote to the BBC on Vukovar; they were stung, henceÂthe hurried production of a sympathetic report.ÂÂÂIn such a way we can change things. It is possible.ÂÂÂBrianÂÂÂBrian GallagherÂÂop-edÂ100% agree. That is the reason of CROWN existence. To change things onÂbetter. And you certainly did your part so far. If there is a smart man orÂwoman that leads, follow them. On that note please check "how the LithuaniansÂdeal with..." (Click Here: BBC News | MEDIA REPORTS | Baltic upset over USÂ…) andÂif we DO respond on every literate and illiterate provocation, soon we can beÂmore proactive. One doesn't exclude the other, but it certainly helps to beÂmore free of constantly defending yourself. Thanks again Brian. It's an honorÂknowing you. I will also use this opportunity and ask number of people whoÂare constantly emailing to each other and at the same time carbon copyingÂeverybody else to STOP that. I am for freedom of expression, but not forÂabuse of the given opportunities. This is the 3rd year of CROWN and it'sÂexistence is valuable to us who DO understand it's value. I am happy toÂfollow the leads of smart people and am willing to put them in front of meÂany given moment. They are never a threat, but opposite. Mediocrity is threatÂto us. Thanks Brian and Davor and Marko and Hilda and all of you whoÂcontribute for our well being. We are stronger every day and it is gonna beÂbetter and easier. On that optimistic note, I promise to put CROWN on the WEBÂvery soon.ÂNenadÂdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 25 Nov 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6817/1/E-Victory-over-the-BBC---It-shows-that-resistance-works.html Greetings!ÂÂÂI think my emails to the BBC have had an effect, look:ÂÂhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1666000/1666300.stmÂÂA solid improvement over the previous stuff, which was indefensible. The oldÂarticles are still there, and I suspect the article was commissioned forÂ"balance" and to cover bottom.ÂÂÂThe change of tone is not, I suspect coincidence. Apart from Phil Magas (CIO)Âand myself I suspect others complained.ÂÂÂI think my quote from the Milosevic Croatia indictment of his propagandaÂagainst the Croats (ie Croats are fascists) may have had an effect on them.ÂThis could be key in countering fascist allegations; by pointing out suchÂcomments were used to justify atrocities against civilians as mentioned in aÂwar crimes indictment. You put people on the back foot that way.ÂÂÂHere is the para if anyone wants to use it:ÂÂ(http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/mil-ii011008e.htm)ÂÂÂ"26 m) controlled, contributed to, or otherwise utilised Serbian state-runÂmedia outlets to manipulate Serbian public opinion by spreading exaggeratedÂand false messages of ethnically based attacks by Croats against Serb peopleÂin order to create an atmosphere of fear and hatred among Serbs living inÂSerbia and Croatia. The propaganda generated by the Serbian media was anÂimportant tool in contributing to the perpetration of crimes in Croatia. "ÂÂÂWhat this shows is that resistance works.ÂÂI shall write an article on this affair, pulling together my thoughts.ÂÂTommorrow the BBC may publish something worse than before.ÂÂBut today we have scored a small victory. I shall have a small glass of wineÂto celebrate tonight. And I invite you all to do the same.ÂÂAnd I shall give some thought to the victims of Vukovar, because theyÂdeserved better from the BBC and also because a great many people wouldÂprefer they never be thought of.ÂÂÂBrian GallagherÂÂop-edÂCongratulations !!!Âdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 25 Nov 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6816/1/E-Wolfgang-Petrischs-article-in-NYT---John-Kraljics-response.html Wolfgang Petrsich had a piece in today's NY Times Op-Ed page. This is my response.ÂÂJohn KraljicÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂTo the Editor:ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂWolfgang Petrisch's claims concerning the recovery of Bosnia andÂÂHerzegovina reflect the Potemkin village like quality of his tenure asÂÂHigh Representative. Contrary to Mr. Petrisch's beliefs, his roleÂÂshould not be to promote a multiethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina but aÂÂdemocratic, law-abiding society where the rights of the threeÂÂconstituent nations comprising Bosnia and Herzegovina are respected.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂThis has certainly not been the case when it comes to the CroatsÂÂof that country. Mr. Petrisch denied them their rights to elect theirÂÂown representatives by engineering the elections to candidates moreÂÂfavorable to him. His decision to employ armed forces to allegedly stemÂÂcorruption at a local Croat-owned bank while indicted Serb war criminalsÂÂsuch as Radovan Karadzic remain free within the country reflects theÂÂOHR's skewed priorities.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂThat Mr. Petrisch's actions as OHR favor certain ethnic groupsÂÂover others is reflected upon an analysis of the very same refugeeÂÂreturns which Mr. Petrisch touts which show that most returns continueÂÂto occur in the Muslim-Croat Federation. Hundreds of thousands ofÂÂMuslim and Croat refugees can only dream that possibly within theirÂÂlifetimes they may travel back to their homes in ethnically cleansedÂÂRepublika Srpska.ÂÂÂVery truly yours,ÂÂÂJohn Peter KraljicÂÂPresident,ÂÂNational Federation of Croatian AmericansÂÂop-edÂNEW YORK TIMESÂTo e-mail a letter to the editor, write to letters@nytimes.comÂYou may also send your letter to:ÂLetters to the EditorÂThe New York TimesÂ229 West 43rd StreetÂNew York, NY 10036Âfax: (212) 556-3622Âdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 25 Nov 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6828/1/E-Book-CROATIANS-IN-CALIFORNIA-1849-1999.html CROATIANS IN CALIFORNIA, 1849-1999ÂNew BooksÂÂEterovich, Adam S. Croatians in California, 1849-1999. San Carlos, Ca:ÂRagusan Press, 2000. 640 Pages. Gold Rush pioneers, the wild west-saloons,Ârestaurants, farms, orchards, vineyards, fishermen, music, celebrations,Âsocieties, churches and 1000's of individuals. $30.00.ÂÂEterovich, Adam S. and Simich, Jerry L. General Index to Croatian Pioneers inÂCalifornia, 1849-1999. San Carlos, Ca.: Ragusan Press, 2000. 370 Pages. AnÂIndex by Name, Date, Occupation or Activity, Location, Town of Origin andÂReference Source. Abstracted from cemeteries, voting registers, census,Âsociety records church records and other source. 45,000 indIviduals.ÂIncludes marriage groups. $30.00.ÂÂAlthough the Southern United States had Croatians immigrants as early asÂ1760, they did not organize newspapers, benevolent societies or musicalÂgroups. It was the Croatian immigrants in the American West that had aÂcontinuity of Croatian organizations starting in the 1850's. The oldestÂCroatian newspapers, social organizations, musical groups in America areÂfound in California.ÂÂA major accomplishment of this study was to properly identify CroatianÂimmigrants as Croatians from Croatia. From 1849 to 1999 almost all CroatiansÂin California were recorded on official documents as Austrian, Turkish,ÂItalian, Hungarian, Yugoslav and locally as Slavonians. Reading this bookÂwill leave one with the impression that they were and are Croatians. VeryÂlittle reference is made to a person having come from Austria, Yugoslavia etcÂas a country, and when reference was found of such, it was changed to CroatiaÂ. The author endeavored to identify the immigrant's exact place of birth, ifÂpossible. Most came from Dalmatia and Istria. Identification was mostÂdifficult from 1849-1900 due to misspelling of names by American CensusÂtakers, Voting Registers, Cemeteries and other official records.ÂÂThe study covers Croatian religious, music, sports and media activities inÂCalifornia and gold rush pioneers, the wild west, saloons, restaurants,Âfarms, orchards, vineyards, fishermen, music, celebrations, societies,Âchurches and 1000's of individuals. It also includes 803 Biographies, 115ÂIllustrations and a Bibliography of over 1000 entries.ÂÂThe Index is by Name, Date, Occupation or Activity, Location, Town of OriginÂand Reference Source and was abstracted from cemeteries, voting registers,Âcensus, society records, church records and other sources. Includes 45,000Âindividuals-family groups.ÂÂAdam S. Eterovich 2527ÂSan Carlos Ave.ÂSan Carlos, CA 94070ÂÂcroatians@aol.comÂwww.croatians.comÂÂNAZOVITE HRVATSKUÂTELEFON .23 CENTA ZA MINUTUÂÂZa vasu informaciju mi smo provjerili i zakljucili da Globe Kompanija jeÂnajkvalitetnija i pruza najbolje cijene u Americi. Nazovite vas telefonskiÂbroj direktno i ne placate ekstra mjsecno za tu uslugu. Mozete zvati 24 sataÂna dan uz istu cijenu.ÂCijena za Hrvatsku, Bosnu i Hercegovinu je samo .23 centa po minuti. NazoviteÂGlobe Companiju besplatno:ÂTelefonski broj 1-800-935-2429.ÂNovim musterijama nudimo bespalatno Grbove (u boji 8X11) iz Hrvatske,ÂDalmacije, Slavonije, Istre ili Zagreba. Mi razumujemo i govorimo hrvatski.ÂAdam S. EterovichÂdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 18 Nov 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6827/1/E-Britains-low-dishonest-Balkan-decade---2-articles-of-interest.html 2 articles of interest: Unfinest Hour: Britain and the destruction ofÂBosnia by Brendan SimmsBritain's low, dishonest Balkan decadeMarcus Tanner13ÂNovember 2001ÂÂÂÂÂThis is a book about grovelling: that is, a book about how the BritishÂestablishment - Parliament, Army, Foreign Office and Fourth Estate -Âgrovelled before Serbia's murderous dictator Slobodan Milosevic and his stormÂtroopers in Bosnia from 1992 to 1995. Let's start with a photograph. It showsÂGeneral Sir Michael Rose, British head of the UN peacekeepers in Bosnia,Âhaving what looks like a fantastic time with a mass murderer, Ratko Mladic,Âlater indicted as a war criminal by the Hague tribunal.ÂÂÂRose is a central character in the book. Running what Brendan Simms cites asÂa "a cross between a third-rate public school and a brothel" in his BosniaÂHQ, he epitomised everything that was rotten, wrong and plain wicked aboutÂBritish policy in the Balkans. The book shows him to have been aÂmean-spirited bully towards the Muslims, and obsequious when it came toÂdealing with Mladic. Such was the climate of philistine Islamophobia atÂRose's HQ that when he chanced on President Izetbegovic listening toÂclassical music, he wondered how a Muslim could possibly appreciate itsÂ"Christian sentiments".ÂÂÂAs Simms makes clear, Rose was not isolated in his doltish prejudices. AllÂthe departments of the British state and the two main political parties wereÂas good as united in the belief that helping Bosnia (and Croatia) survive theÂSerb onslaught meant subscribing to some mysterious German conspiracy to takeÂover the world. This phobia informed Britain's hostility to the AmericanÂproposal to "lift and strike", meaning lift the arms embargo on Bosnia andÂstrike the Serb armies encircling Sarajevo.ÂÂÂThis opposition took Britain far down the road towards condoning Serbia'sÂgenocidal war aims. Listen to this. "The Serbs are one of the bravest,Âfiercest, most patriotic races on earth and always have been - Greater SerbiaÂis a dream that will never die." The voice of Milosevic? No, this is aÂBritish MP, Sir Peter Tapsell, in May 1995, three years after the giganticÂmassacres in the Drina valley and two months before Mladic exterminated theÂentire male Muslim population of Srebrenica, all 7,000 of them.ÂÂÂAnd here is Tam Dalyell, the revered Labour "Father of the House", coming upÂwith the strange remark that the Serbs could not be guilty of ethnicÂcleansing because the Bosnian Muslims were not an ethnic group; they were theÂgrandchildren of apostate Christians who had betrayed their faith under theÂTurks. Where did Dalyell get this tripe from? It sounds just like historyÂaccording to Tanjug, Milosevic's "news" agency, which churned out mountainsÂof pseudo-historical rubbish throughout the war.ÂÂÂThere is a happy ending of sorts. In 1995 the Americans put Britain back inÂthe box. They did what all the British generals and their smart-arsed mediaÂallies said was certain to bring the house down: they lifted and they struck.ÂAnd no, there was no new Nazi German Reich and no Third World War. WhatÂhappened was that the Greater Serbia that Tapsell had confidently prophesiedÂfell apart, and Sarajevo's miserable three-year siege ended.ÂÂÂSome books are hard to put down. This one is hard to pick up and read for anyÂlength of time, so excruciating are the remarks and actions it records. TalkÂabout a low, dishonest decade! Reading it made me want to throw my passportÂon the nearest rubbish heap, so total is the indictment not merely of theÂBritish state but of the British intelligentsia, too, from top to bottom andÂleft to right. And how curious that two of the handful of parliamentarians toÂemerge with any credit on the business were David Trimble and Iain DuncanÂSmith.ÂÂÂHere we are, a few years on, and wondering why so many Muslims round theÂworld - not to mention here - distrust and despise our much-proclaimedÂ"values". Want to know why? This book provides part of the answer.ÂÂÂThe reviewer's book 'Ireland's Holy Wars' is published this week by YaleÂÂÂAlso from the null sectionThe 50 Best collectionÂÂGlobal Community? Meet the people who are making it happenÂÂIndependent Health InsuranceÂÂContact UsÂÂSpecial offer ? save over £55ÂÂÂ-->Book ReviewsÂÂMelanie McDonaghMonday 12th November 2001ÂÂÂUnfinest Hour: Britain and the destruction of BosniaÂÂBrendan Simms Penguin, 462pp, £18.99ÂÂISBN 0713994258ÂÂÂThis is an important book, and opportune. It's not just that SlobodanÂMilosevic is back in the dock at the International War Crimes Tribunal in TheÂHague, threatening to tell all about the "green light" that British and otherÂwestern politicians gave his operations. It is the whole internationalÂclimate that makes this polemical history so timely. Britain and America areÂbusy building up an international coalition of Islamic states againstÂfundamentalist terrorism, which embraces some of the vilest and mostÂrepressive regimes in the world, including Sudan and Saudi Arabia. But if youÂcast your mind back a decade - difficult, I know, for those commentators whoÂthink forever in the present tense - there was rather a different scenario.ÂÂÂA European country with a history that long predated the Ottoman conquest,Âwhich had been recognised by the international community and had a majorityÂof Muslims quite unlike those with whom we now have to deal (viz, C of E inÂtemperament), was violently dismembered. That was Bosnia, whose war wasÂlazily described as a civil war. It wasn't. Without the actions of theÂBelgrade government in arming and directing the minority Serbs, and withoutÂthe arsenal of the Yugoslav army, let alone the propaganda directed fromÂSerbia, it would have been impossible for this conflict to have happened asÂit did. It became a complex, multi-sided war, but the origin was simpleÂenough. It was an attempt by the Bosnian Serb leadership, backed byÂMilosevic, to cleanse the greater part of Bosnia of its Croats and Muslims.ÂIt was an end usefully summed up by that silky euphemism, ethnic cleansing,Âand it was achieved with remarkable swiftness (70 per cent of the country wasÂcleansed in the first few months) by systematic terrorism, mass rapes,Âdetention/murder camps and conspicuously horrific massacres.ÂÂÂThe worst single massacre of all happened right at the end of the war, whenÂRatko Mladic's forces murdered more than 7,000 men in Srebrenica. He remainsÂat large. And when the mad mullahs, from Bradford to Islamabad, start to listÂthe iniquities of the west against Islam, they mention not only the bombingÂof Iraq, but Srebrenica, too. What such people wilfully ignore is that the USÂwas not to blame for the west's role in that massacre. Quite the contrary.ÂThe Tory administration in Britain was principally responsible for the policyÂof intervention in the Bosnian war on the wrong side.ÂÂÂBrendan Simms subjects the policy of Douglas Hurd to merciless analysis; itÂis remarkable, really, how easily John Major can be discounted on the majorÂforeign policy issue of his premiership. But his responsibility - as well asÂthat of lesser lights such as Douglas Hogg and Malcolm Rifkind - is no lessÂgreat because they were civilised and, in the case of Rifkind, intelligentÂpeople. As the author puts it: "Britain played a particularly disastrous roleÂin the destruction of Bosnia. Her political leaders became afflicted by aÂparticularly disabling form of conservative pessimism which disposed them notÂonly to reject military intervention themselves, but to prevent anybody else,Âparticularly the Americans, from intervening either."ÂÂÂImpartiality in the conflict would have been one thing, but Britain's dualÂpolicy of the arms embargo, which favoured only the Serbs, and its promotionÂof a series of plans for ethnic partition in Bosnia translated into takingÂthe Serbian side. The US policy of "lift and strike" (plus Afghan-style foodÂdrops for the enclaves ) was a coherent alternative to full-on groundÂinvolvement, but that was vetoed by the Brits. As for the humanitarianÂeffort, Simms sees it, for all its palliative effects, as an alibi forÂpolitical and military non-intervention.ÂÂÂFor all its measured lucidity, the author's tone is one of contained moralÂindignation. An academic historian and a lecturer in international affairs atÂCambridge, Simms is good at anger management, even though his main argumentÂis that Britain's finest made a bloody hash of the conflict in Bosnia. TheÂbook is based on sources available at the time to everyone. There's noÂfirst-person pain, no privileged insight - none of the "I was there and itÂwas awful" human-interest journalism. This is a cogent moral argument.ÂÂÂMelanie McDonagh reported on the war in Bosnia for the London EveningÂStandard, among other publicationsÂÂÂBrian GallagherÂdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 18 Nov 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6826/1/E-CAA-newsletter-for-the-full-letter-fwbrozhomecom.html Dear All,ÂÂIf you are interested in the complete and realy well done newsletter, pleaseÂemail Mr. Frank Brozovic (fwbroz@home.com) and ask him for the pdf fileÂ(Acrobat Reader). CROWN is not forwarding attachments, as of now. When weÂestablish website, we will post letters like this. Job well done CAA,ÂÂÂEditorÂÂÂLetter from the PresidentÂDear Fellow Croatian Americans:ÂWe are all moved by the devastating and tragic events of September 11th.ÂOn behalf of the Croatian American Association, the Executive Board wouldÂlike to express our deep sympathy to the families and friends of the deadÂand injured during the terrorist attacks. As America has been tragicallyÂdamaged by the loss of so many, we consider ourselves, as good Americans,Âto be among the wounded. We wish the President God's speed in his workÂto heal the nation in his pursuit of justice and suitable punishment.ÂIn these trying times, we must also continue to keep the faith with our fellowÂCroats in BiH and Croatia.ÂIn a letter to CAA, Ante Jelavic, President of Hrvatski Narodni Sabor ofÂBiH, thanked us for all our past support for the Croats of BiH. It is hisÂprofound hope that we will continue to support the Croats of BiH. In hisÂwords, our support is so important to their battle for survival in the land inÂwhich they have lived for centuries.ÂAnd now I would like to inform you of the recent efforts of the CAA onÂbehalf of the Croats of BiH:ÂJust this year, the CAA founded the Foreign Press Office (FPO) in Mostar.ÂIt was FPO personnel who first alerted the foreign press corps of the SFORÂraid on the Hercegovacka Banka in Mostar. As you may know, severalÂreporters in the international press have characterized this raid as theÂ"Great Bank Heist" or "Robbery". Now, when reporters come to BiH, theyÂroutinely check with the FPO to get the Croatian perspective before reportingÂa story. The FPO also issues daily news releases of events in BiH.ÂThe Croatian American Association, along with the Croatian CatholicÂUnion, was instrumental in securing the testimony of Cardinal Vinko PuljicÂand Bishop Ratko Peric at a recent House International RelationsÂCommittee hearing. The reports from BiH are that the hearing, more thanÂother single event, helped better the political fortunes of the Croats ofÂBosnia and Herzegovina.ÂThe CAA also initiated and is financing the suit filed by four BiH CroatÂwomen against the Organization for Security and Cooperation in EuropeÂfor disenfranchisement of the Croat electorate.ÂWith your help, the CAA will continue to fight for justice and equality forÂthe Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina and for justice in Croatia.ÂTogether, we can make a difference.ÂFrank Brozovich, DDSÂPresidentÂNational OfficersÂPresident, Frank BrozovichÂFirst Vice President, Tom KuzmanovicÂRegional Vice Presidents, Joe Mandic,ÂRadoslav Maric, Jerko SumeraÂSecretary, Margie Lisnich CikochÂAssistant Secretary, Janice JakelaÂTreasurer, Steve ZakicÂExecutive BoardÂJohn DidovicÂLidija Dorkin GrahovacÂIlija Letica, Honorary PresidentÂMate MihaljevicÂMelchoir MasinaÂVedran NazorÂPero NovakÂAnthony Peraica, Honorary PresidentÂStan RaguzÂRoy SenderÂBob TerzichÂIvo SvircicÂAnte VukovÂWashington, D.C. AddressÂCAAÂ2020 PA Avenue, NW #287ÂWashington, DC 20006ÂPhone: 202-429-5543ÂFax: 202-429-5543ÂChicago AddressÂCAAÂ3339 S. Halsted StreetÂChicago, IL 60608ÂPhone: 773-927-2999ÂA CAA Publication Nov 2001 Vol. 11 No. 4Âdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 18 Nov 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6825/1/E-Croatia-needs-more-than-PR.html Consider this constructive criticism.ÂÂAside from the dire need of talented PR people, Croatia desperately needsÂpeople with expertise in marketing! Dalmatia is an untapped goldmine! TheyÂdon't have a clue about marketing tourism, and don't have the infrastructureÂto support a tourist boom. Is anyone there planning to address this?ÂÂI have written to the minister of tourism, but never received a reply. WillÂthey ever end the Croatia Airlines stranglehold on the country? ThatÂmonopoly, with their limited availability, is a major deterrent for AmericanÂvisitors.ÂÂCroatia is in dire need of tourist dollars and job opportunities for theirÂcitizens, but it seems they make so little effort in that regard. Will theyÂever wake-up?ÂÂNancyÂNancyM3292@aol.comÂdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 18 Nov 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6824/1/E-Library-of-Congress-without-Croatia.html This is from "JOHN M. SARICH" :ÂÂPlease double check the following web site on the American Library ofÂCongress where Croatia is not listed as an independent country, but onlyÂas a part of Yugoslavia. (There is still East Germany)ÂÂMolim vas pogledajte slijedece stranice mreze od Americke KongresÂKnjiznice gdje ne postoji Hrvatska kao nezavisna zemlja nego samo kaoÂdio Jugoslavije. (Jos uvjek imaju Istocnu Njemacku)ÂÂhttp://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.htmlÂÂPlease forward this to all the Croats that you know to petition them toÂchange this immediately.ÂMolim vas posaljite svim Hrvatima koje god poznajete da posalju peticijuÂza promjenu odmah.ÂÂIvicaÂÂdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 18 Nov 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6806/1/E-Cyrus-Vance---lettersnytimescom-needed.html Op-edWe need 30 letters to The New York Times.Click Here: Crown Home PageDear Nenad:The January 13, 2001, New York Times article on passing of Cyrus Vance is once again forgery of history in the part of his dealings with Croatia. For that reason it deserves to be lauded on your network. His role in negotiations in dissolution of SFR Yugoslavia was nearsighted, and outright pro-Serbian. United Nations peace keeping force did not "disarm warring militias", as said article stated, but rather it had helped Serbia to easier control occupied territories within Croatia. Mr. Vance was personally responsible for executions of wounded defenders in The Vukovar Hospital, after the Serbian militia and Yugoslav Army overrun it in November 1991. For that role alone he should have been indicted by ICTY in the Haag, as coconspirator in the slaughter of defenseless civilians and wounded defenders. I for one cannot forget the picture of a young girl begging Mr. Vance to help, and he only kept smiling. (as seen on HRTV). Would be wise to send as many protest letters to The New York Times as possible. I am sending this one, somewhat changed. Best regards, DocMaric@aol.comBellow is the only paragraph related to Mr. Vance's engagement with Croatia:"After his return to private practice, Mr. Vance was repeatedly called back to the public arena to use his quiet negotiating skills on some of the bloodiest conflicts of the 1980's and 1990's: in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia; in South Africa; and in a disintegrating Yugoslavia. There, he successfully negotiated a cease-fire in Croatia to allow a United Nations peacekeeping force to enter and disarm warring militias." Subj: RE: DEATH OF CYRUS R. VANCE Date: Sunday, January 13, 2002 10:30:38 PMFrom: DocMaricTo: letters@nytimes.comDear Editor:The article on passing of Cyrus Vance is once again forgery of history in the part of his dealings with Croatia. It was only one sentence, and it was wrong.For that reason it deserves to be corrected. His role in negotiations in dissolution of SFR Yugoslavia was one-sided, outright pro-Serbian. United Nations peace keeping force did not "disarm warring militias", as the article stated, but rather it had helped Serbia to easier control occupied territories within Croatia and Bosnia for four years. Mr. Vance was personally responsible for executions of wounded defenders in The Vukovar Hospital, after the Serbian militia and Yugoslav Army overrun it on November 19, 1991. For his role in Vukovar alone he should have been indicted by ICTY in the Haag, as coconspirator in the slaughter of defenseless civilians and wounded defenders. I for one cannot forget the picture of a young girl begging Mr. Vance to help, and he only kept smiling. (as seen on TV documentary). DocMaric@aol.comRade Marich, M. D.Baldwin, NY 11510distributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachments is strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possible extent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Jan 2001 07:00:00 +0000