"Heart of Croatia"

Back By Popular Demand!

Visit "Heart of Croatia" Gifts to see our beautiful Croatian blanket/throw, designed exclusively for us. We have a limited quantity available, so hurry to order! www.croatiagifts.com

Also back by popular demand are our Christmas cards by renowned artist, Marijana. Visit us at www.croatiagifts.com to order!

Hrvatski Tanac (Croatian Dance) Kolo Pin Now Available

We are excited to share these wonderful pewter pins with you! Representing the region of Croatia known asPrigorje, these pins were designed especially for "Heart of Croatia" gifts, and are available only through us! www.croatiagifts is where you want to go to see them first-hand.

Crystal Brandy Glasses from Croatia

Come see our imported crystal from Croatia......by Kristal Tuk in Samobor. We have crystal brandy glasses available for immediate delivery at very special prices for the pair! Also, this is the final week to place your crystal order with us in time for delivery by Christmas. Visit www.croatiagifts.com 

Croatian Christmas Items Available

Come see our many unique and distinctive Croatian Christmas gifts at www.croatiagifts.com!!! Santas, votives, snowmen, angels, videos, angel bears who sing "Sretan Ti Bozic," Snow Bears, Christmas slates, Christmas card holders, and much more-------all available at "Heart of Croatia" Gifts!!!

Best Regards,
Melissa and Pam @ Heart of Croatia Gifts
www.croatiagifts.com
obenaufm@alink.com 
Toll Free: 877-906-8314

How to seePope

Croatian History inItaly

Recently, while visiting Rome, Italy, I saw a fascinating, life size sculpture by Ivan Mestrovic on permanent exhibit in the "Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna". Also, the Italian television had a special on Brioni Islands and advertising the rest of Croatia. 

In preparation for my trip to Rome, I emailed a week in advance, a request for a ticket to the general audience with Pope John Paul II. It was granted, along with seven thousand other people with invitation which read, "Prefettura Della Casa Pontificia Udienza Generale di Sua Santita Giovanni Paolo II mercoledi 13 Novembre 2002". 

The Holy Father holds weekly audience where people can see and hear him, except when he is on vacation in the mountains of northern Italy, Castel Gandolfo. The audience lasts two hours. It includes prayers, songs, sermon by the Pope and his blessings. 

I received the ticket gratis with a donation to the home of the American Catholic church in Rome, the Church of Santa Susanna. While in church, I was stricken by its beauty and read the history, the story of Santa Susanna. 

The church of Santa Susanna is one of the 25 oldest churches in the city of Rome. Beneath the present floor of the church are the ruins of a Roman house that was constructed about the year 280 AD. This was the home of relatives of the General Gaius Aurelius Diocletian, who would become Emperor in 284 AD. Like the Emperor, the family of four brothers migrated from Dalmatia or what is now modern Croatia. Caius and Gabinus and Gabinus's daughter, Susanna lived here on the site of the present church. There were two other brothers, Maximus and Claudius who were a part of the Roman government and lived elsewhere in the city. The family's religious beliefs were divided. Caius, Gabinus and Susanna were Christians, while Maximus and Claudius remained followers of the old religion of Rome. Caius and Gabinus were not only Christians, they were priests and in December 283, Caius was elected Bishop of Rome. This family residence served as a "domus ecclesia," or house church as the Christian Church could not own property and private homes and other buildings served as the first churches. 

After becoming Emperor in 284 AD, Diocletian adopted a form of government called tetrarchy, or joint rule in order to insure peace and stability. There would be more than one Emperor and this would provide continuity. Diocletian who was called "Augustus" wanted to appoint the General Maxentius Galerius as a junior ruler or "Ceasar," with the right to succeed him. In the year 293 AD in order to further validate Maxentius's succession, Diocletian prepared to marry this young general into his immediate family. Diocletian's daughter, Valeria was married. The only unmarried young female in the family was Susanna, his cousin. So in the Spring of 293 AD, Diocletian announced the engagement of Maxentius Galerius to his cousin Susanna. This would lead to a family crisis and to martyrdom. 

The story of what occurred between members of the family comes from a 6th century account. Susanna refused the marriage proposal. Her father Gabinus and her uncle Caius supported this decision. Her non-Christian uncles, Claudius and Maximus tried to persuade Susanna to marry Maxentius. In a long debate between the four brothers that lasted through the night, Claudius and Maximus were converted to Christianity. Maxentius came to the house, believing he could persuade Susanna to marry him. Susanna's refusal led to the suspicion that she was a secret Christian. The Roman Consul Macedonius then called Susanna to the Roman Forum. Susanna was asked to prove her loyalty to the state by performing an act of worship, by placing incense before the God Jupiter. She refused. This confirmed what many Roman authorities had suspected, that Susanna and perhaps several other members of her family were Christians. There was no attempt to arrest Susanna, as she was also a member of the Emperor's family. 

Susanna had refused the marriage proposal, not only because she was a Christian but because she had taken a vow of virginity. When Diocletian on the eastern frontier learned of his cousin's refusal and the reasons why, he was deeply angered, and ordered her execution. A cohort of soldiers arrived here at the house and beheaded her. Her father Gabinus was arrested and died in prison. Maximus and the family of Claudius which included his wife Prepedigna and his children Alexander and Cuzia, were all martyred in Ostia where the present Fumicino airport is located. Ironically the only survivor was Pope Caius, who had escaped and hid in the catacombs. These murders within Diocletian's own family would foreshadow the last great persecution against the Christian church which the Emperor began in 303 AD. Diocletian's daughter Valeria was divorced, and in June 293 AD married Maxentius who would succeed Diocletian in 305 AD. 

The General Constantine had hoped to be chosen instead of Maxentius Galerius. He left Diocletian's staff in the east, and traveled to the frontiers in Gaul where his father, Constantius, was not Caesar of the west. When Constantius died in 306, the army in Gaul immediately proclaimed Constantine as his successor. On October 28, 312 AD, Constantine defeated Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge on the western side of the city of Rome. Maxentius drowned in the Tiber when the bridge collapsed. Constantine became ruler of the west and eventually sole ruler of the world. He would establish Christianity as the religion of his Empire. 

In the year 330 AD, a church was built over the site of the house of Susanna. It was first called Saint Caius in honor of the pope whose home it had been. The bodies of Susanna and Gabinus were brought back from the catacombs and buried in the church. In the year 590 AD, Pope Saint Gregory the Great, in recognition of the growing cult that had grown up around the tomb of Santa Susanna, renamed the church in her honor. 

The Church of Santa Susanna, Via Venti Settembre 15, 00187 Roma, Italy 
www.santasusanna.org   or http://www.santasusanna.org/popeVatican/tickets.html 

Kornati, Croatia

November 13 2002 
TRAVEL

Travel

November 10, 2002 
The Sunday Times
Less is more: 13 great escapes
Holidays that take you where the modern world can't follow. No phones, no internet, no hassle — the most relaxing holiday is one that goes far beyond the reach of everyday life. In his search for splendid isolation, Mark Hodson reveals the world’s 13 greatest escapes

A holiday is about getting away from it all — from work, routine, miserable weather and the daily hustle and hassle of modern life. Pick up any travel brochure and you won’t have to look far to see that phrase “away from it all”. It’s a promise repeated so often that it’s as meaningless as a mantra. 

Meaningless because, when you are on holiday, you’re often still surrounded by the annoying paraphernalia of the 21st century. The television in your room is tuned to CNN, there is a phone at your bedside (and sometimes in the bathroom), faxes shoved under your door, visits from people demanding to check your minibar. In a bid to escape, you stroll out, only to find internet cafes, shops selling goods imported from home and branches of Starbucks and McDonald’s. 

As the pace of life quickens and the world gets smaller, it’s increasingly difficult to find a place that is utterly different, where life is stripped down to its basics and slowed to the point where you can hear yourself think. But it’s a challenge worth taking on. When you do find that place, you’ll feel life’s stresses fall away. 

And you don’t have to go backpacking across China to find your own private paradise. It might be something as simple as a houseboat in the Devon countryside, a log cabin in Canada or a beach hut off the coast of Kenya. These are the places where you can still find splendid isolation. Some are expensive, some affordable. But here’s a promise: none has phones, faxes, televisions or internet cafes. 

FISHERMEN’S COTTAGES, CROATIA

The Kornati archipelago, off the coast of Croatia, is made up of 125 islands and crags, all uninhabited. On some are long-abandoned fishermen’s cottages that have recently been restored in traditional style and are now available for rent. 

A lack of sandy beaches and a fresh water supply has kept the developers away, but the compensations for today’s visitors are great: dramatic cliffs, rocky coves, limestone caves and pristine seas. The houses — all with easy access to the sea — are simple, with no mains electricity, phones or heating. Some are arranged in clusters, others have a large part of an island to themselves. They have gas for cooking, 12V batteries for lighting and enough well water to last the summer. 

A boat stops at all the cottages two or three times a week selling fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish. Fishing rods, motor boats and rowing boats can also be hired.

How do I get there? Take a charter flight from Gatwick or Manchester to Split, then a two-hour boat transfer to your island.

Details: from Ł600pp per week in the summer, including flights from Gatwick, with the Croatia specialist Bond Tours (01372 745300).

Further information: Croatian National Tourist Office (020 8563 7979, www.croatia.hr).

SKELETON COAST CAMP, NAMIBIA 

The Skeleton Coast is one of the most desolate and starkly beautiful spots on earth, a place of endless sand dunes that stretch down to a shoreline dotted with shipwrecks and whalebones. On a dry riverbed inside the Skeleton Coast National Park sits one of the world’s most remote safari camps, accessible only by air. 

Guests stay in one of six luxury tents, each raised on decking with a veranda and ensuite facilities. Meals are taken under an ancient leadwood tree, or, if the wind picks up and the sand starts blowing about, in an indoor dining area. 

It has no electric lights and no telephones — only a VHF radio for use in emergencies — and hot water comes from solar-heated tanks fed by springs. 

During the days, guests take walking safaris or drives into the desert, looking at shipwreck sites and seal colonies, visiting local villages, searching for ostrich and brown hyena, and staring into absolute nothingness. 


How do I get there? You take an over-night flight from London to Windhoek, then charter a light aircraft to the Skeleton Coast. 


The details: from Ł3,310pp for a week, including flights from Heathrow via Johannesburg with British Airways, transfers, meals and game drives. Through World Odyssey (01905 731373, www.world-odyssey.com). 


Further information: www.namibweb.com/scc.htm. 


BOATHOUSE, RIVER DART, DEVON 

Proof that you don’t need to cross oceans to find solitude, this boathouse in south Devon is completely secluded and surrounded by trees and water, with no television or phone. To reach it, guests must walk half a mile over fields and through a dense wood. Luggage is delivered by 4WD. 

The house sits on a bend in the river between Stoke Gabriel and Dittisham — a perfect spot to fish, watch birds (shelduck and egrets breed nearby), mess about in boats and generally contemplate nature. 

Simply furnished, it has a living room with an open fire, two bedrooms — one overlooking the river, with windows on three sides — and a veranda for breakfast and evening drinks. Stoke Gabriel, a quarter of a mile away, is a pretty village with a medieval church and three pubs. Bring a torch. 


How do I get there? The house is four miles from Torbay and five from Dartmouth. 


The details: a week’s rental for up to five people starts at Ł274 (up to Ł693 in high season) with Helpful Holidays. Three nights start at Ł196. 


Further information: 01647 433593, www.helpfulholidays.com. 


TAPROBANE ISLAND, SRI LANKA 

The only privately owned island in Sri Lanka, tiny Taprobane is dominated by a house built in the 1920s by an eccentric Englishman, and once owned by the writer Paul Bowles. Guests have included Arthur C Clarke and Peggy Guggenheim. 

The restored palladian-style house is built around a central hall surrounded by verandas and terraces looking out over trees and tropical flowers to superb sandy beaches and a nearby fishing village. It has an infinity pool, four bedrooms, each with an ensuite bathroom, and a staff of six. 

The island is yours: staff will lay out a table for eight anywhere you choose, on the terrace or under a tree in the garden. There is a telephone in the house, but none in the rooms; no television or internet, either. To reach the island, guests wade out into the shallow surf or take a small boat. 


How do I get there? Fly to Colombo, from where it’s a 3-hour drive. Taprobane is in the Bay of Weligama, near Galle, on the south coast. 


The details: Ł1,246pp for a week, room-only, including flights from Heathrow with Sri Lankan Airlines and transfers, based on eight sharing, with Scott Dunn (020 8682 5010, www.scottdunn.com). 


Further information: 00 94 74 380275, www.taprobaneisland.com. 


PINE CAY, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS 

The Turks and Caicos, a British protectorate just south of the Bahamas, has some of the world’s prettiest coral cays and most turquoise seas. Many of the islands are uninhabited, but one — Pine Cay — is owned by a select group of wealthy individuals devoted to preserving its natural beauty and privacy. 

The island has two miles of pristine beaches and no cars: just a small landing strip and sandy tracks that can be negotiated by cycle or golf buggy. A few of the houses — most of which are owned by CEOs of American and Canadian corp- orations — are available for rent, but they’re not cheap. A week in a one- bedroom cottage starts at Ł2,880. 

Guests can also stay in The Meridian Club hotel. Owned by the residents, it is as low-key as it is expensive. The 12 beachfront rooms are plainly but tastefully decorated, and have ceiling fans and outdoor showers; no televisions, phones or air conditioning. Meals are taken at the clubhouse. Guests are encouraged to walk around barefoot, and mobile phones are banned. 


How do I get there? Fly to the main island, Providenciales. From there, most guests make the short trip by private aircraft. If you stay on Pine Cay for a week, air transfers are included. Boat transfers can also be arranged. 


The details: rooms at The Meridian Club start at Ł520 per night, full-board, for two people. British Airways (0845 773 3377, www.ba.com) flies direct to Providenciales from Heathrow; from Ł641. 


Further information: 00 1 203 602 0300, www.meridianclub.com. 


FEDJE LIGHTHOUSE, NORWAY 

The remote island of Fedje (population 680), off the west coast of Norway, is known for both its tranquil beauty and its 150-year-old cast-iron lighthouse. Only in the past 10 years has the mechanism been automated and the lighthouse-keeper’s residence rented out. 

This is not a destination for wimps. 

The lighthouse and quarters sit on a small rock separated from Fedje by 50 yards of water. Residents have the use of a small rowing boat to take them back and forth. 

Day-trippers sometimes visit the lighthouse on summer weekends, but otherwise you are on your own. 



The house itself is surprisingly spacious, and has recently been refurbished. It has five bedrooms, a wood-burning sauna, two sitting rooms, a kitchen, a barbecue and a jetty from which you can fish. If nothing bites, you can buy from the local fishermen or rent your own boat and venture out to sea. Other provisions can be bought nearby. 

Back on the mainland, there is excellent hiking along the North Sea Trail and, if the weather is good, you can swim in a lake on Fedje.

How do I get there? Fly to Bergen. Take the airport bus to Bergen bus station, then another bus to Saevroy, about two hours away. From here, regular public ferries make the 30-minute crossing to Fedje. It’s then a two-mile taxi ride to the lighthouse. Alternatively, take an overnight car ferry from Newcastle to Bergen and drive all the way to the dockside.

Details: the house costs Ł14pp per night (children Ł7) with a minimum of Ł58 per night to rent the whole place. Book direct with Fedje tourist board (00 47 56 16 40 70, www.fedje.org). Flights from Heathrow to Bergen with Braathens (0191 214 0991, www.braathens.no) start at Ł109.

Ferries from Newcastle start at Ł400 return for a car and four people. Through Fjord Line (0191 296 1313, www. fjordline.com).

Further information: Norwegian tourist board (0906 302 2003, www.visitnorway.com).

FAIRMONT KENAUK, QUEBEC, CANADA

Kenauk is one of North America’s largest private fish and game reserves, made up of more than 70 lakes and 100 square miles of forest populated by deer, moose, coyote and bear. Deep within the park are 13 wood cabins, each on its own lake or stretch of river. 

The accommodation is simple but comfortable. The cabins have no electricity or phones, but they do have propane lights, a fridge, a stove, a furnace, a hot shower, an indoor toilet, a kitchen and a screened porch. Most have their own driveway; one can be reached only by motorboat. 

The reserve offers 25 miles of hiking trails and is home to 200 bird species. Anglers can expect to catch rainbow and speckled trout, as well as large- and smallmouth bass. Canoe trips and treks, in search of black bear and moose, can be arranged. 

The nearest town, Montebello, is a half-hour drive away, and has restaurants and shops. If the simple life gets all too much, you can visit Fairmont’s sister hotel, Le Château Montebello, which is so grand that it has hosted a meeting of G7 leaders.

How do I get there? Fly to Montreal and rent a car. The Fairmont Kenauk is 75 miles to the northwest.

Details: from Ł750 for two people in a cabin for a week, including fishing permit but not flights or car hire, with Clearwater Holidays (01993 868727, www.clearwaterholidays.co.uk). Virgin Travelstore (0870 066 4477, www.virgin.com) has flights from Gatwick to Montreal via Newark with Northwest; from Ł295. Holiday Autos (0870 400 0099, www.holidayautos.co.uk) has a week’s all-inclusive car hire from Ł214.

Further information: www.fairmont.com/kenauk.

PORUMA ISLAND, AUSTRALIA

In the Torres Strait, between the Australian mainland and Papua New Guinea, the tiny coral island of Poruma has recently opened to tourism, allowing visitors to experience for the first time Australia’s little-known “other” Aboriginal culture. 

The 200 inhabitants of Poruma are Melanesian and speak Kalaw Lagaw Ya, or Yumiplatok, as well as English. The main activities on offer for visitors are swimming, snorkelling and sunbathing, but locals also promise to take tourists out for a spot of fishing — demonstrating traditional techniques using nets and spears. 

Unspoilt and undeveloped, the island has little contact with the outside world. The only way to get there is on a low-altitude flight from Horn Island. The aircraft fly so low that passengers can spot manta rays and turtles in the shallows below. 

The newly built beachfront accommodation is all at the west end of the island, where the sun sets, and is made up of a bedroom, a bath garden, a plunge pool and a day room. Children are welcome — apparently, the kids on the island are looking forward to meeting some.

How do I get there? Fly to Cairns, then take a two-hour flight to Horn Island. From there, it’s a half-hour flight to Poruma.

Details: from Ł982pp for a week, full-board. Flights from Heathrow to Horn Island with Qantas, via Singapore and Cairns, start at Ł1,006 with Travelbag (0870 890 1458, www.travelbag.co.uk). Flights from Horn Island to Poruma start at Ł109, also bookable through Travelbag.

Further information: www.poruma.com.


SOMERI ISLAND, FINLAND

Every summer in Finland, the cities empty and the Finns go out to the lakes, the beaches and the forests in search of splendid isolation. 

It’s not difficult to find. Two-thirds of the country is covered by trees or water, and there are 188,000 lakes, many dotted with small, privately owned islands. 

On Paijanne, the country’s second largest lake, you can rent the tiny island of Someri, which has a single house equipped with a sauna, a wood fire and a speedboat. What to do there? In the long days of summer, when the sun barely sets, you can jump out of the sauna and swim naked in the crystal-clear waters of the lake — it’s clean enough to drink. 

This is basic living. The house consists of one studio room and an anteroom, with no electricity, no way of communicating with the outside world and no indoor toilet. It has a double bed, an Aga-style oven, a gas-powered fridge and fishing equipment. In the anteroom, there is a fold-out bed, suitable for children. For provisions, you must jump into the speedboat for the 15-minute trip to the village of Kuhmoinen.

How do I get there? Fly to Helsinki, then rent a car for the four-hour drive to Kuhmoinen, near Jamsa. There, you pick up the speedboat.

Details: Ł299 per week for up to four people, including the speedboat, with Holiday Rentals (020 8743 5577, www. holiday-rentals.com). British Airways (0845 773 3377, www.ba.com) flies to Helsinki from Heathrow (from Ł133) and Manchester (from Ł201).

Further information: Finnish Tourist Board (020 7365 2512, www.finland-tourism.com/uk).

KIPUNGANI BAY, LAMU, KENYA

Dozens of resorts along the coastline of Africa claim to offer barefoot luxury, away from the stresses of modern life. Among the best — and most remote — is Kipungani Bay, on its own 600yd beach on the historic island of Lamu. 

For a resort that charges up to Ł255 a night, Kipungani is remarkable for what it doesn’t have. It has no phones, faxes or televisions, no hot showers, no air conditioning, no door keys. In fact, the 14 thatched bandas, fashioned from palm leaves and mangrove poles, have no doors — they open directly onto the beach, and are cooled by sea breezes. What guests pay for is an almost unreal sense of isolation and beauty, combined with lots of fresh fruit, seafood and fish, as well as seamless service. The beach is superb. Income from the resort also supports a school in the local village.

How do I get there? Fly to Nairobi, then take a 90-minute flight by light aircraft to Lamu, followed by a 45-minute boat transfer to Kipungani Bay.

Details: from Ł1,002pp for a week, full-board, including flights from Heathrow to Nairobi and transfers. Through ITC Classics (01244 355527, www.itcclassics.co.uk).

Further information: www.heritagehotels.co.ke.

NINGALOO REEF RETREAT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Ningaloo Marine Park contains one of Australia’s most important reefs, and has a unique location: although remote to the point that it’s almost off the map, the reef itself is just a few yards from the shore, making it easily accessible with the aid of just a snorkel and a mask. Most visitors to the park are so entranced that they spend their days with their faces below the surface of the clear, shallow water, inspecting the 500 species of fish, 250 species of coral and magnificent turtles. Ningaloo Reef Retreat is built on sand dunes inside the national park. Guests sleep in tents or in swags under the stars. Meals are prepared communally, using fresh local ingredients, with everything running off solar power.

How do I get there? Fly to Perth, then take another flight 800 miles north to Learmonth. From there, a courtesy bus takes you the final 40 miles to Ningaloo.

Details: a wilderness tent with double bed and hammock costs Ł77 per night. A swag costs Ł56. Both prices include meals, transport, snorkelling and kayaks. Flights to Perth with Malaysia Airlines from Heathrow or Manchester start at Ł559; return flights from Perth to Learmonth with Skywest Airlines start at Ł180 (both through Quest Travel: 0870 442 3513, www.questtravel.com).

Further information: 00 61 8 9949 1776, www.ningalooreefretreat.com .

BARDSEY ISLAND, WALES

Among the most remote spots in the British Isles, Bardsey Island is a national nature reserve and a pilgrimage site that dates back to the 6th century. Although it’s only a mile off the coast of Lleyn, in North Wales, most tourists are deterred from visiting by the torrid waters that separate it from the mainland. The island has a stark, windswept beauty. Its mountains, sea cliffs, lowlands and beaches provide nesting grounds for dozens of species of birds, including razorbills, kittiwakes and moorhens, and there is a resident colony of 150 seals. Several cottages are available for rent, although facilities are basic. There is no electricity — fridges and cookers run on gas, and lighting is provided by candles and gas lamps.

How do I get there? Drive to Porth Meudwy, Aberdaron, leave your car and catch the boat (Ł26 return). Crossings are on Saturdays. Phone the Bardsey Island Trust (01758 730740, www.bardsey-island.co.uk) after 7.30pm on Friday to confirm. 

Details: from Ł180 per week for a two-bedroom cottage, to Ł420 for a farmhouse sleeping eight, peak season. Through Bardsey Island Trust.

Further information: Wales Tourist Board (0800 915 6567, www.visitwales.co.uk).

POUSADA BAIAZINHA, BRAZIL

The Pantanal is the world’s largest area of swamp-land, and a place of almost mythical status among animal- and bird-lovers. Amid hundreds of square miles of emptiness stands Pousada Baiazinha, a lodge built on stilts overlooking an islet that is home to spoonbills, egrets, cormorants and alligators. Guides take visitors out into the forest on foot, in canoes and on horseback to spot anaconda, cayman, capybara, anteaters, macaws, toucans, kingfishers and tiger herons. The lucky ones also see jaguars. The lodge has just six rooms, each with ensuite bathrooms and terraces, and a restaurant, a living room, an observation tower and a pool. There are no TVs or phones. Most guests get up for the dramatic sunrises, when the birds are at their most cacophonous.

How do I get there? Fly overnight to Săo Paulo, then to Campo Grande. From there, you will be taken by minibus to the lodge (3-4 hours).

Details: Ł1,595 for a week, full-board, including flights from Heathrow, transfers and activities, with Steppes Latin America (01285 885333, www.steppeslatinamerica.co.uk).

Further information: Brazilian tourist office (020 7629 6909, www.brazil.org.uk).


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,71-476850,00.html 

" Talking Dog Free to a Good Home."

Guy sees a sign in front of a house,

" Talking Dog Free to a Good Home."
He rings the bell and the owner tells him
the dog is in the back yard. The guy goes
into the back yard and sees a mutt sitting there.

" You talk?: he asks.
"Yep" the mutt replies.
"So what's your story ?"

The mutt looks up and says " Well, I discovered this gift pretty young
and I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA about my gift
and in no time they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in
rooms with spies and world leaders, 'cause no one figured a dog would
be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies eight years
running. The jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't
getting any younger and I wanted to settle down. So I signed up for a
job at the airport to do some undercover security work, mostly
wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some
incredible dealings there and was awarded a batch of medals.
Had a wife, a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired.

The guy is floored....and says to the owner, " This dog is amazing...incredible...
why on earth are you giving him away ?

The owner replies, " He's such a fricking liar."

Dinner by the Danube

Dinner by the Danube
Pilgrimage for peace, part V 

(Editor's Note: Englewood resident Jean Ranallo, representing the Florida Southwest Peace Coalition, recently returned from a trip to Croatia, where she and Mario Spalatin, president of the Croatian-American Society of Sarasota, toured the Eastern European country ravaged by war in the 1990s. Following is the fifth installment of Ranallo's first-person account of her trip. Part I appeared in the Oct. 1 paper, part II on Oct. 4, part III on Oct. 8, part IV on Oct. 11, part V on Oct. 15 and part VI on Oct. 22.
(The story continues with the author visiting her longtime friend Lidija Taus in war-torn Osijek.)
It was drizzling on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 21. The sunny Saturday seven days before would have been better for harvesting the grapes of Lidija's Uncle Geza, but some relatives who only visited once a year had come at that time, so the harvest was put off a week.

On Friday, Lidija's parents had taken a freshly slaughtered suckling pig to the baker to have him roast it for the harvest dinner Saturday. When we awoke that morning, they were already leaving with all the food to pick up the pig at the bakery on their way to Batina. Lidija and I soon followed in her car. 

It was a road I'd taken only once before, in the summer of 2000, when I was in a group of visiting teachers in Pecs, Hungary. One weekend, I visited Lidija's family and on that Sunday after the nine o'clock Mass at St. Michael's in the old town, we set out with the car loaded with food.

Shortly after crossing the Drava Bridge, we came to a back-up in traffic due to soldiers de-mining the woods near the road. We had to wait near the old front line. When we were allowed to proceed, we passed groups of exhausted soldiers sitting near ambulances. At that time, in July of 2000, one soldier had died and one had been seriously wounded while working to uncover and remove the mines.

This area had been seized by the Serbs in 1991 and given back after the Dayton Agreement, so it saw no fighting or shelling to speak of, and those who had fled have begun to return. On Sept. 21, we were going to a house in Batina that belonged to the family and was being used for Sunday dinners with Lidija's cousins and their parents. The house was located near Strauss' beautiful blue Danube. 

Now there was no delay. Soldiers are no longer risking their lives near the road and it is clearly marked where mines have not been removed. We quickly arrived in Batina, on whose slopes the grapes were ripe.

High on a hill is a huge Soviet memorial to those Russians who died fighting here, for it is at Batina that the Red Army was able to cross the Danube in the Second World War. 

The ground was damp and muddy and there was a light drizzle as several dozen of us snipped away at the clusters of sweet yellow grapes hanging from Uncle Geza's vines. In the early 1990s, vines from the Primorski Region of Slovenia, the only republic of the former Yugoslav Federation to succeed in seceding without much bloodshed, provided the grapes for wines that people could buy at Winn-Dixie and Publix, including a chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon that were real bargains. As I tasted Uncle Geza's sweet white grapes, I wondered if those from near the sea were similar.

When we were finished gathering the grapes, tables were waiting with platters of the roast suckling pig, salads, desserts from Osijek and sweets from Sombor. 

At the table, I sat next to Uncle Geza's sister-in-law, Mila Matasovic, who had been one of 10 children. She was from Karlovac, the city we passed through on our way to and from the Adriatic coast, a city whose ruins served as a reminder of the terrible fighting that had gone on there. 

Uncle Geza's beautiful house, which had been designed by his architect son, survived the conflict, but on the wall were photos of what it had looked like after Serbs had been living in it for about five years. All the furniture had been taken. There were piles of junk and garbage in the rooms and the gardens and vineyards were in an awful state.

Now everything looks as though nothing had happened. The furniture has all been replaced and there are no weeds or wild vines. The grounds look very well tended. And the house is lovely.

Aunt Mila, who was a geography teacher, asked if I had ever been to Egypt. Back in 1997 I had to decide whether to go to Guatemala or Egypt and it was the Mayan pyramids that I wound up climbing. She told of her travels to the land of the pharaohs and her enthusiasm was like that of all our Egyptologist friends. It makes me long to visit the graves of those whose dieties included both great gods and goddesses.

After coffee Lidija, her cousin Marta, and I went for a walk along the levee that protects the little houses of Batina from the high waters of the Danube. They told me about having taken a short trip across the Adriatic to Venice in the summer. At one time, long ago, Croatia's coast had been part of the Venetian Republic and even now there are Croatians of Italian descent for whom there are special schools where Italian is taught. Not only the Italian minority attend such schools, but also Croatians wishing to learn Italian.

We returned to Uncle Geza's and looked at the pictures from the trip to Venice. After another cup of coffee and some very moist rice cake, Lidija and I set out for Osijek in the early afternoon. The sun was trying to shine.


Return to Osijek
(Editor's Note: The following excerpt was inadvertently omitted from part V of the author's account of her trip to Croatia.)
Over the years, I'd been back to Osijek several times, visiting with Lidija while she was still living in Pecs.

In the summer of 2001, after Lidija had moved back to Croatia, my husband finally felt safe enough to come along. We stayed at the refurbished Hotel Osijek.

In September of this year, I noticed that much more of Osijek has been repaired. There remain some facades still to be brought back to their former glory, but life is returning to normal and those who fled are beginning, like Lidija, to return.

The drive from Pakrac to Osijek was slower this time, for only country roads remained and often, since we were passing through agricultural areas, we had to share the road with wagons with only one or two horsepower.

Arriving in Osijek, we went to the Center for Peace, located in a building near a McDonald's and an apricot-colored theater that had been destroyed in the winter of 1991 and rebuilt thanks to international donations. Shortly after it was rebuilt, however, the new facade began to crumble, with pieces falling on passersby. It had to be redone. I don't know if the facade of McDonald's had similar problems.

The Center for Peace occupied a floor of the building rent-free from the city of Osijek. Branka Kaselj and Snjezena Kovacovic met us and told us about their efforts to bring the various ethnic groups back together. 

They set up chess clubs and computer classes, tried to get people involved in community projects and organized holidays for children of different ethnicities. They were reaching out beyond Osijek as far as Pakrac and Vukovar, and even into Bosnia. 

We thanked them for meeting with us and Mario returned to Pakrac, while I went across the street to wait for Lidija in front of the cathedral. 

Soon Lidija's white car was making a U-turn and she was climbing out. After a quick hug, we put my bag in the trunk and pulled into traffic. The drive took us past parks and the old town with its many bright red rooves having been replaced after the shelling.

Behind the apartment building I got out of the car so Lidija could squeeze it into the garage. Up on the seventh floor, her parents were waiting and asked if I'd eaten. They had had milk-rice after Lidija had returned from school and there was plenty left. It hit the spot. 

Lidija had books to return to the library, so we walked along the Drava, paused at an ice cream stand and ordered scoops of hazelnut, pistachio and chestnut ice cream. 

A beggar came by asking for a hand-out, and Lidija gave him a coin. She explained that he was a sort of mascot in Osijek. He was always polite and always grateful. People liked him, she said, and his photo is in a little book about the city that tourists can pick up.

After dropping Lidija's books at the library, we returned home and ate supper rather late, watched a Hungarian costume drama on TV, then turned in.


By JEAN RANALLO
Special to the Sun


http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/110502/ew4.htm?date=110502&story=ew4.htm

Annan to visit Croatia

06 Nov 2002 23:47
Annan to visit Bosnia, Croatia, Yugoslavia

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 6 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi 
Annan visits Bosnia, Croatia and Yugoslavia later this month 
as part of a nine-day trip to Europe, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
The trip begins Nov. 17 with a series of official visits to 
Balkan states, U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said. Annan goes 
first to the Bosnian capital Sarajevo and then to the Yugoslav 
capital Belgrade and Croatia.
The secretary-general then travels Nov. 21 to the Netherlands, 
where he is to receive an honorary doctorate from Tilburg University.
He wraps up his trip with an official visit to France, 
returning to U.N. headquarters Nov. 26.
Bosnia has been bankrolled and supervised by the international 
community since its 1992-1995 war that gave rise to the term "ethnic cleansing."
The U.N. peacekeeping mission in the former Yugoslav republic 
is preparing to shut down by the end of the year and turn over 
its main project -- the creation of a professional multiethnic 
police force -- to the European Union.

Croatia - India 10 Years

Croatian president arrives on a five-day visit

CROATIA
Croatian president arrives on a five-day visit
NEW DELHI, NOV 12 (PTI)

Croatian President Stejpan Mesic arrived here today on a five-day state visit during which the two countries will sign agreements on enhancing cooperation in agriculture, export credit and guarantees and explore ways to further consolidate their economic and political ties.

The focus is expected to be on economic cooperation. Twenty prominent Croatian businessmen are accompanying Mesic who is coming here at the invitation of President A P J Abdul Kalam. Mesic's delegation also comprises several ministers.

Mesic will call on Kalam and hold wide-ranging discussions with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee besides meeting other Indian dignitaries. There will be a full review of political relations as also exchange of views on regional and international issues of mutual concern.

He will participate in joint business meetings being organised by CII and FICCI in New Delhi and Mumbai. He will also visit Agra and Jodhpur.

India attaches considerable significance to its relations with Croatia which has emerged as an important access point for Europe.

Relations between India and Croatia have traditionally been close. New Delhi is attaching considerable significance to the first state visit between the two countries that also marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.

While Indian exports to Croatia includes textile yarn, coffee, tobacco, readymade garments, footwear and carpets, main imports from that country comprise steam turbines, wool and other animal hair, textile and leather machinery and musical instruments.
RELATED STORIES

http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=96767 

Croatia has been the greatest single force

Dear CROWN:

One year later, the HIR puts the NATO/Balkans piece on its website. Slow recation, but in effect, timely, given the Prague Summit at the end of the month. 

Regards, Miles

Balkans in NATO: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Yugoslavia 
VITOMIR MILES RAGUZ
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Croatia has been the greatest single force in helping resolve the constant conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and as such, should be rewarded with membership in NATO. NATO will also benefit from the addition of Croatia s powerful army. Recently, Croatia was included in Partnership for Peace (PfP), a preliminary step to NATO membership, but a firmer commitment to allow it to join the organization is necessary. Croatia was instrumental in stopping the 1995 violence in BiH with its Operation Storm, allocation of funds, and acceptance of refugees, but unfortunately, its positive role was overshadowed by the unpopular government of Franjo Tudjman and by several decisions of the Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Meanwhile, BiH is not ready for NATO membership, primarily because of its two-army setup; possible solutions to this dilemma are a unified army (heavily opposed by both sides) or complete demobilization on the model of Costa Rica  this neutrality seems the best alternative for BiH.

BALKANS IN NATO: 
CROATIA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, AND YUGOSLAVIA
VITOMIR MILES RAGUZ

The next round of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) expansion is due in Fall 2002 at the Prague Summit of the NATO members heads of state. Not surprisingly, the debate over candidates is already in full swing. However, almost all of the debate has focused on the so-called Vilnius Nine Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia named after the Lithuanian capital where their leaders met last year to begin lobbying their cases.

Three European states Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and Yugoslavia were not invited to Vilnius. At the time, they had not met the internal stability requirements to participate. Consequently, they are generally overlooked in the present discussions. Since then, however, all three have voted into office new Western-leaning governments, one for the first time, and thus they deserve a closer look either as candidates for NATO membership or as countries where NATO can play an enhanced stabilizing role.

Croatia was recently included in the Partnership for Peace (PfP) program, the antechamber for eventual NATO candidacy. This is a significant boost for the region s basic security. The advancement of Western security policy in the region should not stop there, however. Croatia should move on to the next stage, not only because it deserves to, but also for the benefit of regional security.

Only two European states now remain without a formal relationship to NATO: BiH and Yugoslavia. BiH presents both a challenge and an opportunity to NATO. With more than 20,000 NATO troops in the country, the Western alliance should seriously consider how it can use those troops and its substantial influence to permanently stabilize BiH, thereby obtaining a long-desired exit for itself. Given the recent political developments in Belgrade, a similar opportunity for advancing Western interests may lie in Yugoslavia as well, for the first time in a decade. 

Croatia

Croatia s recent inclusion in the PfP program is long overdue. Since we often speak of NATO membership as a reward, the delay here is curious, as perhaps no new state deserves this honor more than Croatia. Since the breakup of the Warsaw Pact, Croatia has done more to benefit Western interests than any other new democracy. The smooth transformation of Zagreb politics from one-party monolith to multi-party government was indeed a welcome harbinger for democratization in the region, but Croatia s positive role in the region predates the January 2000 elections.

To begin, Croatia saved BiH. In the summer of 1995 its military operations, named Operation Storm, ended a carnage Europe had not seen since World War II a humanitarian catastrophe for which the West could not muster an appropriate response. The Western capitals often unfairly take credit for this turnaround; in fact, the peace in BiH came only once the Croatian Army (HV) had established a new balance of power in the region by its summer operations. Everything that followed, from the first exercise of NATO air power to the Dayton-Paris peace agreement, was a filling-in of a diplomatic puzzle.

 All along, the United States and its allies have been looking for a force other than themselves that could check Serbian and Bosnian Serb adventurism and produce a military balance on which realistic settlement could be built. Maybe such a force is now emerging: Croatia, wrote The Washington Post three days before Operation Storm commenced. At the end of the operation the Post added,  The Croatians argue they are not the problem but the solution; they claim to have created a new regional  balance on which  proper peace talks with the Serbs can begin. This line has been enthusiastically adopted by the American government, which is under pressure to show that the quiet political support it extended to Croatia had a legitimate purpose of promoting a negotiation in Bosnia.

Richard Holbrooke, the main US diplomatic broker in Dayton, makes a rather unflattering reference to the HV in his peace negotiations diary as  junkyard dogs, typical to his style, but he adds that Zagreb had Washington s unsaid support in its endeavors in BiH out of desperation, as the only alternative to the risk-averse West.

One military analyst at the time noted that the turnaround in Bosnia was 80 percent the doing of the HV, 15 percent of the Bosnian Croat militia (the HVO), and 5 percent of the Bosnian Muslim militia (the ABiH). Interestingly, Britain s leading commentator, Martin Wollacott, later concluded in The Washington Times that the Croatian military victories in 1995 changed the fortunes for BiH, while the Western diplomatic initiative that followed only protected the Serbs.

Controversies

Croatia s positive role that year has been overshadowed by the often confusing and unpopular policies of its past government, led by Franjo Tudjman. However, the recent political changes in Zagreb allow for a reconsideration of Croatia s role without having to refer to its previous leaders style of governing and understanding of democracy.

Croatia s positive role has also been overshadowed by two recent decisions in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY): Blaskic and Kordic, in which Croatia was found to have been involved as an aggressor in BiH in 1993. These decisions, however, are unlikely to stand the test of time, and should be reversed. The ICTY judges disregarded the case law on this issue, which required  command and control of a country s forces in foreign territory. The decision also included a spurious argument that, while Croatia s own forces were neither present nor involved in fighting in central Bosnia, its forces stationed further south in Herzegovina forces that were securing the isolated Croatian cities of Dubrovnik and Split relieved the Bosnian Croat militia from fighting the Bosnian Serb militia, thus allowing these forces to engage the Bosnian Muslim militia in central Bosnia.

In fact, the ICTY does not even have the mandate to decide on the question of international conflict, which is the domain of the International Court of Justice. The decisions in the two cases say more about ICTY than about the conflict in BiH. The ICTY appears to be more focused on creating new international criminal law, often far different from present international and any domestic law, rather than on dispensing justice and promoting truth and reconciliation inBiH.

This type of convoluted but policy-driven common wisdom about Croatia is not new. For instance, the view that Croats joined the Axis en masse in World War II, while the Serbs were the sole members of the Allied Partisan movement in the former Yugoslavia, was promoted for five decades. The objective was to discredit and discourage Croat self-determination, which threatened the stability of the favored communist regime of Tito and its unitary Yugoslavia. However, a reconstructed history of World War II shows that the Croats, and not the Serbs, initiated and provided the top leaders and disproportionate number of soldiers to the anti-fascist movement.

The politicized description of Croatia s role in BiH in 1993 will not endure as long. It should take historians much less time to deconstruct the present fallacy than it took them to disprove the one from World War II. In addition, the International Court of Justice may play a role should Zagreb seek a ruling there. Similarly, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in BiH which is about to emerge will bring forth new evidence removed from emotions and the logic of war.

The truth is that Croatia was indeed involved in BiH, though not out of altruism or expansion. Like most states that act across borders, it was pursuing its own security interests. For Croatia this meant limiting the costly refugee outflow from BiH, and, most importantly, protecting its sliver-like Dalmatian coast. Zagreb s control of the coast ran on average less than 10 miles inland, stretching 250 miles from Dubrovnik to Zadar. These and other key population and economic centers were un-defendable other than from neighboring Herzegovina.

Zagreb thus supported and financed the Croat-majority entity in BiH, called Herceg-Bosna, as an indispensable buffer zone. At the outset this zone was the only form of resistance to Belgrade s gains in BiH. Many point out correctly that if there had been no Herceg-Bosna in 1992, there would be no BiH today. Zagreb allocated about 10 percent of its military budget for the needs of Herceg-Bosna. Moreover, it allowed its ports, airports, and roads to be used for the benefit of the ABiH. Zagreb even served as a broker, with the blessings of Washington, in the arming of Sarajevo by the regime in Tehran.

No less important, Croatia minimized the migration effects on the stability of Europe by keeping one quarter of all BiH refugees in Croatia, while at the same time housing an equal number of its own displaced persons. It spent in excess of US$1 billion dollars for the care of refugees alone. Only Germany and perhaps Sweden spent more.

Four years later, during the Kosovo crisis, Croatia opened its airspace to the NATO alliance no questions asked. It could have demanded a substantial consideration, given its strategic importance for over-flights and the hundreds of millions of dollars in lost tourism and shipping revenues due to the air raids. One London investment bank estimated the loss at US$1.5 billion, a sum equal to seven percent of the country s GDP. The Western alliance spent hefty amounts to stabilize the other countries in the region for hard-currency losses due to NATO intervention. However, Croatia camecost-free

Croatia is BiH s principal security partner. Two-thirds of BiH s border is with Croatia. It is the primary transit country for international forces and supplies to this landlocked country, and Croatia s many ports and roads along the Adriatic are BiH s lifelines to the outside world. Bringing NATO to its borders will enhance BiH s attractiveness to investors and stabilize its trade routes. This is true for both of BiH s entities, the Federation and the Republika Srpska. The latter s capital, Banja Luka, is only a two-hour drive from Zagreb, a substantial European trade and communication center that BiH still lacks. From this perspective, the long-term security of BiH and the region would be best served if NATO leaders took the next logical step and included Croatia among the next round of new members. 

Bosnia and Herzegovina

While Croatia is now on the road to membership, BiH remains handicapped even for PfP association, primarily because it has more than one army: the Serb army and the Muslim-Croat army. The latter is segregated below the battalion level. For NATO to accept a country with multiple armies would be a precedent that it is not ready to accept. Recently NATO has encouraged the three sides in BiH to form a unified army. The Serb side is not ready to accept this solution, seeing it as a fundamental revision of the Dayton peace agreement. The recent political rebellion of the Croat community and the withdrawal of the Croat component from the Muslim-Croat army, only adds to the complexity of the BiH problem.

The Croat walkout, which was prompted by election-law changes rather than military matters, points to the problems caused by back-door revisions of Dayton that are intended to centralize the state. The Western powers now favor such a policy in general, although it has proven to be destabilizing in the short term. Moreover, the history of BiH tells us that centralization also fails in the long term. Contrary to popular wisdom, decentralization is a much more viable and stabilizing policy for BiH, a position that was argued convincingly by BiH s former defense minister, Miroslav Prce, in the Winter 2001 issue of the Fletcher Forum of World Affairs.

Just as Croats turned away from Sarajevo because of new election laws, the Serbs would also just as quickly turn away from state institutions if any attempt to centralize the BiH armed forces materialized. The Bosnian Serb opposition to this model compels us to look for other solutions.

Alternative Solutions

The formation of three territorial guards with common command authority, combined with the demobilization of heavy weapons, may eventually become acceptable for all three sides. With this solution, a NATO umbrella and sub-regional non-aggression treaties between BiH and its two neighbors, Yugoslavia and Croatia, may be necessary to maintain stability. This should be the first phase of a substantial decrease in military spending in the Balkans.

Other solutions are also on the table, including proposals to demobilize BiH altogether; to restructure the country s security needs along the Costa Rican model; or to reduce the two existing armies into two small professional armies. The last option is either a unified army, which is unacceptable to the Serbs, or two armies, which is unacceptable to NATO and the Croats. 

Many also point out that complete demilitarization is more likely in BiH than a unified army. Complete demilitarization would certainly be most beneficial to BiH taxpayers. They are already overburdened with post-war reconstruction costs, and the experience of the recent war certainly calls into question whether spending for arms has any purpose at all.

More importantly, ordinary BiH citizens, unlike the governing elites, dismiss outright the thought of a unified army. They argue that if it came to war with either Yugoslavia and Croatia, local Serbs and Croats would abandon ship either to fight alongside one of the two, or sit idly by until their own homesteads became endangered. As pointed out in 1999 by Jacques Klein, the UN special envoy for BiH to the Council of Europe, too many BiH citizens still have a problem identifying or associating with BiH. This reality is simply not conducive to crafting ambitious national-defense programs.

As an alternative to a unified or divided army, BiH may be able to adopt the example set by Costa Rica. The Costa Rica model would require complete demobilization, a NATO umbrella, and non-aggression agreements with neighbors. It would be coupled with an expanded police force, border police, and state disaster-relief corps. This solution has worked for Costa Rica for 50 years, and it may offer the best prospects for BiH. 

NATO would be wise to consider how it can use its enormous resources and moral force to move BiH to follow Costa Rica s direction. It is difficult to see how BiH can pursue any other model, given the extraordinary amount of resources it currently wastes on military spending. BiH now spends 40 percent of its budget for defense, compared to Europe s average of around two percent. Clearly, there is no room to maneuver here, nor will the opportunities for international subsidies continue for much longer.

BiH s future lies in a neutrality similar to that of Costa Rica. Moreover, future NATO membership is only theoretical, since the Serb side has the constitutional right of veto on this issue, and it has not expressed interests beyond the PfP association. But NATO can provide BiH with a future, thus enhancing the region s stability by being realistic rather than chimerical. The latter policy will force NATO to remain stationed and active in BiH for decades. The former will stabilize BiH using its own economic resources, free of arms that could be used to ignite passions, and create an early exit opportunity for NATO. 

Yugoslavia

After facing the might of NATO over Kosovo, it seems improbable that Yugoslavia would want to join the Western alliance at all. The new leader of Yugoslavia, Vojislav Kostunica, has never addressed this issue directly. However, his public discourse on the subject of NATO intervention suggests that he would want to sue NATO for damages and war crimes before considering a partnership. Belgrade s traditional affiliation with Russia is also a crucial factor. In short, Yugoslavia may prefer neutrality. This is consistent with recent remarks from Kostunica s cabinet. His aides suggested that PfP association would be acceptable, but membership would be out of question.

However, a group of Yugoslav army officers, led by wartime general Momcilo Perisic, have called not only for Yugoslavia s membership in the PfP, but also for early NATO membership. This may be a window of opportunity for the West, if it is willing to offer carrots and exercise patience. However, as Perisic is considered a war criminal in both BiH and Croatia, a more credible partner in Belgrade will be needed. 

One of the carrots that would be welcomed concerns the upgrade of the ICTY. Belgrade is not very happy with the ICTY s work so far, but neither is anyone else in the region. This regional discontent may make it easier for the Western powers to reform the ICTY to the pre-1995 standards of international law. 

Belgrade will look for other incentives as well, in particular regarding reconstruction assistance. Further, it will seek to gain advantages for the Serbs in Kosovo, to continue special relations with the Serb entity in BiH, and an early EU candidacy, which is something that Belgrade would treasure much more than NATO membership.On the military side, the Belgrade elite will most likely prefer to keep an open-door policy to Moscow for historical and religious reasons. The Tito-style strategy of  equi-distance was very profitable for the former Yugoslavia, and the new Yugoslavia is likely to play the same game. But Serbia s  quasi-neutrality (that is, its de facto economic alliance with Brussels coupled with military cooperation with Moscow) need not raise suspicions in the region, especially if Romania and Bulgaria are granted early membership. 

Vilnius 6+2+4 

With the expansion of the European Union and NATO to Eastern Europe as far as the Baltics and the Black Sea, the new Balkan states no longer play the strategic role for the Western powers that the former Yugoslavia enjoyed during the Cold War. Back then, the former Yugoslavia was a territorial and political dividing line between the East and the West, an ideological splinter in the Warsaw Pact, and a staging ground for covert operations. This is no longer the case.

Some argue that the new Yugoslavia will still remain a strategic point of interest for the West, given its close relationship to Moscow. Surely Yugoslavia can be grouped with the  Russia-sensitive sub-group of the Vilnius Nine, along with the Baltics, Romania, and Bulgaria. But the new Yugoslavia s importance declines as its neighbors to the east, Romania and Bulgaria, become members. 

Croatia belongs in a sub-group with Slovenia. By admitting either country, NATO gains an ideological surrogate whose military preparedness is top-notch, even if their strategic importance is minimal. NATO experts say that relative preparedness of both countries matches that of Spain when it joined in 1982. 

Croatia also comes with important advantages over Slovenia. Expanding NATO membership to Croatia aids the stability of the fragile Balkans. At the minimum, it secures supply lines to BiH. NATO also gets a winning combat-experienced army into its ranks. Policy-makers will probably not overlook the popular support for NATO membership that runs at 70 percent in Croatia, compared to 50 percent in Slovenia. Croatia has done the yeoman s task for the West for at least a decade. It should get the recognition that it is due.

Finally, BiH can probably be grouped with Albania, Macedonia, and Slovakia. All will require costly programs to rationalize or upgrade their armed forces to Western standards; all should be pursued with equal vigor. Even if these countries are of little global strategic value, they are important because without NATO leadership they may fall prey to regressive political and economic forces that are inherently destabilizing. The situation in BiH offers a historic opportunity to transform the present international administration into a viable state, allowing the Allies to draw down and redirect the huge resources they have invested into BiH over the years. 

Vitomir Miles Raguz was Ambassador of BiH to the E.U. and NATO from 1998-2000.
Vitomir Miles Raguz was Ambassador of BiH to the European Union and NATO from 1998 to 2000. 
http://hir.harvard.edu/back/article.php3?art_id=raguz2233&fulltext=1 

Croatian Club atDePaul University

I wanted to announce that this is the first time there is a Croatian Club at
DePaul University & we especially need people to join the club to help show
appreciation and recognition on campus for our culture. If anyone attends
DePaul University & is interested in joining, please contact me(Claudia) or
Davor at CroatianDePaul@hotmail.com . To be an official member you must be
a DePaul student, however, you don't have to be Croatian. If you are
interested in knowing more about this club, but don't attend DePaul, please
feel free to contact us.

Hope to here from all of you soon !!

Thanks >> Claudia / Davor <<

CroNetwork: The Croatian-American Organization for Young Professionals.

Annual Green Card Lottery of the United States

Op-ed: I got my Green Card onthis lottery, Nenad Bach

One person out of 70 applicants actually wins the American Green Card to Live and Work in America

Click here for details

http://www.usafis.org/faq/index.asp?af=adz&language=english 

Register Now For DV2005 
 Click here for details

Click Here and Apply for the Green Card Lottery Program.
Usafis Organization

Annual Green Card Lottery of the United States

USAFIS invites you to participate in the American Green Card Lottery program where you may win a green card and live and work in the United States. If you are not an American citizen, you must join the program and take advantage of the opportunity that has been offered to you by a program of the American government, through a law that has been passed by Congress – the “Diversity Green Card Lottery” program.

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Forms Related Questions

What information must I provide to enter the lottery?
The required information for participating in the lottery includes your place and date of birth, as well as that of your spouse and that of all your unmarried children under the age of 21. Similarly, your mailing address, a recent photo of all your family members and your signature. Failure to provide any of these particulars will lead to the disqualification of your application form. For your information, the online system will not proceed without required information entered (and will no reach the payment phase).

How should I send the registration form, the photos and the signature?
Once you completed the online process, you need to send the signed form along with family pictures to the Usafis offices in New York, to the address that appears on the form.

How can I be sure that all the information required appears on the form?
The online system will not facilitate completing entry and participation of a candidate who did not complete required details. Similarly, a candidate whose online registration process was not completed will not be charged.

Do the form, envelope, etc have a special format?
Yes, certainly, but you have no reason to worry about that since the automatic application system will make sure you complete all the relevant details and make the necessary preparations to send forms that meet the format (provided application fee has been paid).

What family members do I have to write down on the form?
You must register your spouse and all your unmarried children under the age of 21. You must register your spouse even if you are living apart. However, if you are divorced you do not have to register your spouse. It is compulsory to register all unmarried children under the age of 21, including adopted children, children of a spouse, and children from a previous marriage, even if these children are not currently living with you, and even if you do not intend to immigrate with them to the United States should you win the lottery.
Advanced Question

What happens if my form(s) gets to Usafis after the deadline?
In such a case, the organization will keep the form(s) for next year’s lottery. You will not be charged any additional fee, even in case of a change in application fee.

Can a husband and wife send a form separately?
Yes, absolutely. If one meets the requirements, both can submit a separate form. If one of the couple will be drawn in the lottery, the other spouse will be eligible for a green card. Note: couples cannot sign for one another. Each person must personally sign his/her own form.

If I have won, do I have to emigrate with my family?
No. The fact that you written down the names of family members on the form does not obligate them to emigrate with you. They can choose whether or not to join you. On the other hand, if you include on the visa request form (after winning the lottery) a family member who does not appear on the lottery form, your eligibility will be disqualified. However, the addition of other family members (brothers, sisters, a child over the age of 21, etc.) will not disqualify you from the lottery, but will not grant them the right for a visa.

Do I have to send the form on my own or can I use other services?
People participating in the lottery can prepare and sign forms on their own, or use other services. In any case, regardless of whether the participant or someone acting on his behalf completes the form, the participant must sign the form himself with his customary signature used on a daily basis. In any case, each candidate must send only one form, otherwise, participation will be disqualified. The winners – and only the winners – shall be informed only once at the address specified in the application form.

What are the minimum requirements for education and profession?
The law requires that a candidate have at least a high school education (12 grades), or the equivalent, or that over the past five years he/she has been working for at least two years in a profession requiring training or practical experience of at least two years.

What is the minimum age to participate?
There is no minimum age, but there is the requirement to complete high school or to have work experience, and as such, the program is designated for 18 year olds and up.

Is it important when and how I send the forms?
When a delivery is made through the Usafis organization, the organization verifies that all criteria have been met, and if this cannot be verified for the proximate lottery, the forms are transferred to next year’s lottery. Otherwise (if sent directly), forms that have arrived before or after the mailing period, or to an address different from the designated one according to the continent of origin, or through unauthorized mailing methods, will all be disqualified.

What happens to my spouse and the children?
If you win these family members can join you in filing a request for a visa based on your winning.

Does participation using the on-line system ensure winning or increase the chances of winning?
No. The service and the online system designed to assist you in preparing the form, are to be used at your discretion. The service confirms that you meet the minimum requirements; that the information on the form is complete; that the envelope and delivery service meet the requirements; and that the mailing address is correct. The objective of the service is to reduce the number of disqualified forms (in previous program, 3 million forms were disqualified out of 10 million forms that were sent, due to format and details errors).


Further information about the program may be obtained at the following site http://www.usafis.org/

One person out of 70 applicants actually wins
According to DV2003 results, about one of every 70 applicants was drawn to win the Green Card Lottery. Married applicants submitting double form (one for the applicant and one for the husband/wife) doubles their chances to about 1/35.
More information can be found in the
following message from the US State Department: 
Complete State Dep. message can be found here