Is there really any question who was the villain?


From: hmfgsf@juno.com
To: ctc-tribletter@tribune.com
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006

Subject: Travel section article

Dear Editor,

While the travel article "Croatia with 40 nice people" ( June 25) by
Robert Cross was quite interesting and informative, one sentence was out
of place, not just because politics do not belong in the travel section,
but because it was also quite inaccurate. Mr. Cross writes: "Who exactly
were the villains and the heroes in Croatia's bid for independence and
its conflict with the Serbs is still a matter of debate across former
Yugoslavia."

As the tourists traveled through some areas of Croatia, mainly in the
vicinity of the beautiful Plitvice Lakes National Park, they could see
destroyed homes and pockmarked buildings caused by the aggression of the
Serb Yugoslav army and the ethnic Serb collaborators, who occupied one
third of Croatia during the war.
In contrast, tourists traveling to Serbia would not see any kind of
destruction caused by Croatia in Serbia, since Croatians never put a foot
on Serbia's soil. They only defended their own country, wishing
independence from Serb domination. Secession was their right under the
Yugoslav Constitution, but the Serbs and Montenegrins would not permit
it. Since they could not keep it they tried to destroy Croatia -
from Vukovar in the east to Dubrovnik in the south. Is there really any
question who was the villain?

Sincerely,

Hilda M. Foley
13272 Orange Knoll
Santa Ana, CA 92705
714 832-0289