CROWN - Croatian World Network

GLOBAL CROATIA/GLOBALNA HRVATSKA

The Beauty of Hands

I have a dream (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

      Vesna Krezich Kittelson is an outstanding Croatian painter from the Mid-West. She lives and works in Minneapolis (Minnesota), where she teaches painting at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Vesna was born in Trebinje, and raised in Split. While at Cambridge (England) studying law, she met an American scientist, David Kittelson, married him, and left for the other side of the Ocean. Her art work has been exhibited in Cambridge, Berlin, Split, Minneapolis, and in a series of museums and galleries in the Mid-West, most recently at the University Gallery of the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse.
     Ms. Kittelson entered the forefront of American mainstream art during the nineties, mostly through her remarkable series of War Paintings, her artistic reaction to the horrors of the war in Croatia. After this dramatic, post-modernist phase in unusual formats and materials, Vesna has reverted to more standard forms of panel painting, her color scale has brightened, and the critics have been comparing her new style with the art of Pompeian frescoes and the paintings by Tiepolo. Not long ago I have had a chance to see one of those paintings The Hands.
     In front of a turquoise and brown background, two hands with beautiful, long fingers bind themselves together by an almost invisible thread. At a closer look we recognize a childrens game played, I believe, all over the world, and known in English as The Cats Cradle. Upon those intertwined hands descends, from above, something like golden rain. And in the middle, we can see an outline of yet another pair of barely visible hands.
     For an artist, the image is primarily a fantasy of light and color, but the beauty of Vesnas hands has reminded me of something else. Two hands, two Croatias. Our Most Beautiful Homeland, and the Croatian communities abroad, all around the world, the Iseljena Hrvatska. Two parts, two halves of our national being, almost identical in numbers. One half in the small southeast European countries called the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina; the other half scattered all over the globe, mostly in the far away, overseas countries, the Croatian Outremer.
     In Vesnas painting, both hands are beautiful, and they equally participate in the game of recasting the thread. Skillful fingers produce harmonious, symmetrical movements. The thread links the hands as they act in unison.
     For many years, I have had a dream, shared, of course, by hundreds of thousands of my compatriots both at home and abroad. It was a dream of a harmonious relation between our homeland and her daughters and sons around the globe, of a great Croatian global community encompassing both the homelands of Croatian people, the Republics of Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and all our communities abroad. Briefly, of a harmonious and happy Croatian world community, a Global Croatia Globalna Hrvatska.
    This happy state of union Vesnas hands so much remind me of has never been a rule in relations between Croatian homeland and its lost global children. Since the moment we can with some historical accuracy follow the emigration of the Croats, in particular into the lands across the Ocean, since the time when Louisiana was still French, the authorities in Croatia, mostly foreign or foreign controlled, have been doing their best to keep the hands apart. Croats, especially those who had gone overseas, found themselves in the leading countries of modernization, urbanization, and free markets, countries which invented democracy, right to self-determination, human rights. As such, the diaspora Croats have for more than two centuries stood behind a dream of a free, democratic Croatia; and as such they were anathema to the home rulers be they Austrians, Hungarians, Venetian, Turkish, French, Yugoslav, or Communist. Croats were not leaving Croatia. They had been departing from the Habsburg, Austro-Hungarian, or Ottoman Empire, from the Venetian Republic or the Illyrian Provinces, the Kingdoms of Italy or SHS, or from the Communist Yugoslavia. As the Croats abroad systematically supported opposition movements against all of the above, the hands stayed separated. There was no thread to link them together, no golden rain to celebrate the beauty of their union.
      The authorities of the new, sovereign Republic of Croatia have also failed to produce the magic thread. The former government extended their hand to some, too few, groups abroad, and the current one behaves as if our diaspora did not exist. Even the hated word emigrant has made a comeback.
      We live in a period of globalization, as agreements signed between Croatia, and, for us most relevant global body, the European Union, clearly indicate. We are a small nation and it is only natural that some fear that process. National identity seems to be threatened.
      However, if we add to the Croats living in the constitutional homelands of Croatian people Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina all those living abroad, we become a much bigger, more experienced, and more affluent people. We may be cursed by the fact that we have had to leave and settle in almost every corner of the world, that we went away, as a Croatian proverb would have it, as crabs children (kao rakova djeca), but there is a silver lining to that curse. As I have said and wrote many a time, Croats need not fear globalization. Simply, we have already been globalized. Let us turn vice into virtue, and take advantage of it.
     This means: bring together the hands that have been separate so far.
     This means to recognize and take advantage of all that knowledge, experience, goodwill, political influence, and, yes, material wealth amassed by the Croats abroad, combine it with the Homelands great human, intellectual, emotional, and natural resources, and create that Global Croatia, a true partnership in which all of us work for the best interest of all. Let me put it in very clear terms: the Homeland has to understand that there are Croats abroad, quite different from those back home. The Croats abroad have to understand that there is a Croatia, a real land quite different from the one in their dreams, without which, we abroad, remain a crowd without roots or identity. It is, therefore, a question of a partnership of hands, not of a domination of one hand over another. It is a question of discovering (or inventing) that miraculous thread which may bind the hands together; of recognizing, even, those barely visible hands in the background which may breathe more unity into the activities of the two more prominently displayed hands of the Global Croatia.
      Maybe I should tell you more about my personal dream as I keep watching a reproduction of Vesna Kittelsons lovely painting. And the dream has to do exactly with those invisible hands. What are they? I experience them as those beautiful impalpable values culture, education, the arts. And I dream of the moment when they bring the hands closer together. For this to happen, the hands must get to know each other. And what better way to do so but by telling each other their dreams, their visions, their hopes, and even nightmares. This is what can be so well expressed and communicated through the arts and culture.
     Several years ago I wrote that culture may be Croatias best weapon in an ongoing propaganda battle for the political and economic goodwill of the worlds power centers. But, it is also true that the home hand can learn a lot about her sister abroad by listening to the stories of her dreams.
     Yet, how often do we see artists such as Vesna Kittelson, Marko Spalatin, Anton Cetin exhibited in Croatian museum and galleries? How many diaspora writers from Chile, Argentina, the U.S., Canada, or New Zealand are members of the Croatian Writers Association? How many Croatian institutions of higher learning offer courses or programs dealing with the Croatian diaspora, or with Global Croatology? How many diaspora organizations specialize in promoting Croatian artists and culture abroad?
     Let us ask ourselves these questions, and then, let us admit: Global Croatia is still a dream. The impalpable, invisible hands are one of the major roads toward the realization of that dream. I never asked Vesna Kittelson what she meant by painting The Hands. As an artist, she would have probably answered that she was looking for a certain harmony of color, a certain light; this or that type of expression. If I were to tell her my dream and intuition, she might agree, and she might not. Which does not prevent me, or any of us from having a dream. Of hands linked forever, permanently fertilized by a golden shower.

Vladimir P. Goss

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VIENNA, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Bank Austria Creditanstalt, a unit of Germany's HVB Group, said on Thursday it had signed a contract to buy a majority stake in Croatia's Splitska Banka in a deal valuing the bank at 150.8 million euros.

HVB, which like all major German banks reported a sharp drop in profits last year, is seeking to expand in central and eastern European countries which offer the prospect of more rapid growth than mature western markets.

Bank Austria Creditanstalt (BA/CA), which handles the HVB Group's central and eastern European activities, will buy a 25 percent stake from the Croatia privatisation agency DAB for 37.7 million euros and a 62.6 percent stake from Italian bank Unicredito (CRDI.MI for 94.4 million euros.

BA/CA said the deal was subject to Unicredito buying a majority stake in Zagrebacka Banka, another Croatian bank.

Splitska Banka, Croatia's third largest bank with a market share of seven percent, employs around 1,000 people in some 70 branches and will be merged with BA/CA's existing Croatian operations, HVB Croatia.

"We will signifcantly improve our market position through this acquisition in Croatia," BA/CA said in a statement. "It is also another significant step on our path towards expansion in south-east Europe."

UniCredito said it and the Croatian privatisation agency would sell 2,274,880 and 908,698 Splitska shares respectively at 41.5 euros per share under the deal.

UniCredito will record a one-time gain of 34.1 million euros from the transaction.

Shares in HVB, formerly known as HypoVereinsbank, were barely changed at 34.25 euros on a broadly steady Frankfurt stock exchange while Unicredito was down 0.16 percent at 4.43 euros in a slightly lower Milan market.

Splitska Bank posted a preliminary pre-tax profit of 20.8 million euros in 2001.

($1-1.155 Euro)

Op-ed
Will there be anything left for the new administration? Is there anybody in Croatia who can explain us who live outside, what is going on? Where is the production in Croatia?
nb


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Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic beat French veteran Cedric Pioline 6-3 6-2


      DUBAI (Reuters) - Top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero needed just one set to ease
      into the second round of the $1 million Dubai Open Tuesday when his
      opponent retired injured.

      The defending champion broke serve to take the first set from Bohdan
      Ulihrach 7-5 before the Czech pulled out of the match with tendinitis of
      the wrist.
      Spaniard Ferrero was joined in the second round by Australian Open (news -
      web sites) champion Thomas Johansson and Sebastien Grosjean.
      Third seed Johansson eased to an emphatic 6-3 6-0 win over Albert Costa
      (news - profile - photos), taking just an hour to overcome the dispirited
      Spaniard.

      Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic beat French veteran Cedric Pioline 6-3 6-2, and Spain's Alex Calatrava overcame Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-3 6-4.


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Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia topped defending champion Nicolas Kiefer of Germany 6-4, 6-2

      Wed Feb 27, 1:38 PM ET
      DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Second-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov (news -
      profile - photos) of Russia advanced to the quarterfinals of the Dubai
      Open on Wednesday after an hour-long second set, beating Sjeng Schalken of
      the Netherlands 6-1, 7-6 (5).

      "He is a tough opponent who will not give you many free points, I toughed
      it out, fought hard and was able to win the game," Kafelnikov said.
      In other second-round matches, Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia topped defending
      champion Nicolas Kiefer of Germany 6-4, 6-2; eighth-seeded Jiri Novak of
      the Czech Republic beat Axel Pretzsch of Germany 7-5, 6-1 and Fabrice
      Santoro of France upset fourth-seeded countryman Sebastien Grosjean 6-2,
      7-5.
      Kafelnikov cruised to a comfortable one-set lead in 26 minutes, but was
      broken in the second and fourth games of the second set. The Russian broke
      Schalken in the third and seventh.
      In first-round matches, sixth-seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland breezed
      through his match against Adrian Voinea of Romania 6-3, 6-4 in just 56
      minutes, and Max Mirnyi of Belarus defeated Renzo Furlan of Italy 7-6 (5),
      6-2.


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My latest item on www.AnteGotovina.com, timed for this congressional thing on Thursday. More should be made of the Veritas link; that's the sort of thing that would excites media/politicos (at least in the UK):

AnteGotovina.com's London Columnist, Brian Gallagher
The Hague Office of the Prosecutor and the Serbian Organization 'Veritas': Political Bias?

By Brian Gallagher 25/2/02

American politicians and policy-makers are correct to
be concerned that the future prosecutors of the
International Criminal Court (ICC) may operate on
political lines against the United States. There is
evidence that the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of
the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY) has taken a political view in
support of Serbian expansionist ideas in the case of
Croatian General Ante Gotovina. Furthermore, these
political views appear to have been incorporated in
the Ante Gotovina indictment itself. The nature of
these views contradict international law, UN
resolutions and indeed the OTPs own Milosevic Croatia
indictment.

On 2 March 2000, OTP Deputy Prosecutor Graham Blewitt
wrote a Letter of Endorsement to the Belgrade based
Serbian organisation Veritas. This letter is on
display at the Veritas website at www.veritas.org.yu.
Click under References and then under ICTY to see
it.

Veritas claims to be an NGO interested in presenting
evidence on crimes against Serbs. However, by its
website and the statements of its head, Savo Strbac,
it is clear that Veritas has a political agenda to
restore the illegal structure of the Republic of Serb
Krajina ('RSK'). By giving this group a reference,
the OTP is effectively endorsing such political views
- views that contradict the international law s that
the OTP is supposedly there to enforce and observe.

The 'RSK' was established in 1991 by the invasion and
ethnic cleansing of one third o f Croatia by Serbia,
which involved monstrous crimes against humanity
including the destruction of Vukovar, the ethnic
cleansing of over 170,000 non Serbs and mass slaughter
of civilians - over 15,000. The Milosevic indictment
correctly describes all this as a Criminal
Enterprise. Furthermore, UN resolutions and the
Milosevic indictment refer to the territories of RSK
as Occupied Territory.

The Veritas website homepage show s the borders of
this criminal enterprise, clearly demonstrating their
political acceptance of the horrifying RSK' state.
Indeed, within the website we see references to the
territory of RSK' . It describes itself as having
been established by RSK citizens. Demonstrably,
this group has a political agenda and viewpoint in
addition to any claim to be a documentation centre for
crimes against Serbs.

In the glowing reference by the OTPs Mr Blewitt he
says of Mr Strbac that he has assisted and still
assists the OTP in a professional, serious and
responsible manner by collecting information about
certain events which occurred during the period
1990-1995 in Croatia.

Who is this Savo Strbac that Mr Blewitt speaks of so
highly? It appears that Mr Strbac was an official of
the criminal enterprise known as the 'RSK' - as
defined in the Milosevic Croatia indictment - and very
prone to Greater Serbia rhetoric. A New York Times
report of 4 December 1994, identifying him as an
official of the RSK' quotes him as saying, Our wish
is to live with the other Serbs of the former
Yugoslavia.

An Agence France Presse report dated March 6 1995
describing him as Government Secretary of the RSK'
quotes him as saying Our final goal is union with
other Serbs (in Bosnia and the Republic of Serbia).
Quite the Greater Serbia enthusiast. This is the
sort of chap the OTP considers appropriate to gather
evidence from, to give references to and to work with,
in order to prosecute Croats; a former official of a
criminal enterprise occupying Croatia and Greater
Serbia enthusiast. It is difficult to believe this is
for real.

But it is. And it gets worse.

The reference the OTP gave states that they have been
working in successful co-operation with Veritas
since 1994. The Veritas website refers to Mr Strbac
authoring a Veritas book published in 1994/5. Mr
Strbac was working with Veritas whilst being an
official of the RSK'. So even during the Serbian
occupation, when crimes were still being committed
against the few remaining Croats in the occupied
areas, and while RSK' forces were napalming and
cluster bombing the UN safe area of Bihac in
Bosnia-Hercegovina, the OTP was happily dealing with
an organisation with links to the RSK'.

Quite apart from the questions thus raised of the
reliability of evidence that has been gathered from
Veritas by the OTP, by giving g a reference to raise
funds for this organisation, the OTP is clearly
endorsing both Mr Strbacs and Veritass political
views. Conflict of Interest barely begins to
describe all this.

And it gets worse still. It appears that the OTP has
incorporated Mr Strbacs political views into the
Gotovina indictment.

ICTY indictments carry background histories to events.
The Milosevic Croatia indictment goes into much
detail of how the RSK' was created; invasion,
massacres, Vukovar etc. It refers to Serb held areas
as occupied territory as per UN resolutions.

The Gotovina indictment fails to mention how the
'RSK' was created. It also does not refer to
occupied territory . Instead it outrageously
confers legitimacy on the 'RSK' by
claiming that it had officially declared
independence. The OTP clearly has no respect for
the internationally recognised borders of Croatia. Or
anywhere else, presumably. It would appear that you
can conquer, ethnically cleanse and occupy parts of
other countries. Then declare independence in the
areas you have cleansed of your victims - and the very
people who are supposed to investigate and punish your
behaviour will consider it official! So much for
deterring war crimes. The implications of the OTPs
behaviour for future ICC investigations are obvious.

Needless, to say, Mr Strbac is delighted by all this.
Indeed, he gave an interview to a Serbian newspaper,
where he stated quite clearly that the ICTY has
recognised the RSK' as a state, and considers the
indictment a basis for the re-establishment of the
'RSK'. His associates in the OTP have not disagreed
with him.

Its worth mentioning just how close the relationship
between Mr Strbac and the OTP is. Before the
indictments of Croatian Generals were officially
revealed, one Croatian newspaper claimed that three
generals were indicted. Mr Strbac informed Serbian
radio station B92 that two of the names were correct
and were in relation to Operation Storm and Medak
Pocket operations. Strbac, who often boasts of his
work with the OTP, was proved correct - demonstrating
just how involved this Serb expansionist is with the
work of the OTP.

Given Mr Strbacs close involvement with the OTP,
given his opinions and background and the fact that
the OTP has effectively endorsed his outspoken Serbian
expansionist politics, it is difficult to see how
General Gotovina can get a fair trial at the Hague.
The same may well apply to General Ademi, the other
Croatian Army General indicted by the Hague tribunal
for other alleged crimes against Serbs.

Can one imagine the future ICC investigating the US
war on terror, whilst working closely with, let us say
, a former official of The Taliban who wishes to
restore the Taliban to power, in prosecuting American
servicemen?

The Gotovina indictment demonstrates that it is not
too far fetched for a future ICC prosecutor to
consider such a course.

The OTP, in the case of Ante Gotovina, is clearly
politically biased in favour of the Serbs. Truly
Orwellian in that it says something different in
relation to Milosevic. Perhaps there is some strange
pro-Serb faction at work at the ICTY? Or more
likely, in a political effort to show that the old lie
of All sides are equally guilty is true, desperate
economies with the truth and misjudged alliances have
been made. Many in the UN and EU have never forgiven
the United States for its role in stopping the
Greater Serbia project. It is well known that the
United States assisted Croatia in Operation Storm.
Who knows what pressures have been exerted on the OTP?

The Veritas/OTP links must be fully examined. Some
form of enquiry is needed. Perhaps by the US Congress?
Such an enquiry can ask why so few investigations
have been conducted into Serb crimes in Croatia, as
well as if Mr Strbac has provided any infromation
about RSK crimes against Croats to the OTP. It can
also ask why the indictment makes no mention of the
fact that it was Milosevic and the RSK leadership
that evacuated the RSK' of its Serbs as detailed by
OTP spokesperson - and possible Gotovina defence
witness - Florence Hartmann in her 1999 book on
Milosevic.

The whole business is very disquieting. And anyone
with an interest in such issues should be concerned,
not just the United States.

(c) Brian Gallagher

and...

Mike Baresic is an unsung hero. He has clobbering various types on the Justwatch board for a while now, esp on the Gotovina indictment. They seem to be giving up now, the Hartmann revelations being the killer blow I guess. One Serbian suppoter is still trying, see how Mike deals with him below.
What is apparent from the discussions on this board is that Serb supporters in particular are quite afraid of the facts of Milosevic & co ordering out the 'Krajina Serbs'. Mike's critic here has never (so far) admitted it, and tries to divert attention.
It destroys their only myth of victimhood in the war.
So in my view it should be hammered on mercilessly. And we have the perfect evidence of it: Hague Prosecutor spokeswoman Florence Hartmann's book. Should always mention that!
The Hartmann thing can only rattle the Hague as well, and their particlular supporters.
Brian


Tue, 26 Feb 2002 09:41:23 EST
Reply-To: International Justice Watch Discussion List
              <JUSTWATCH-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU>
Sender: International Justice Watch Discussion List
              <JUSTWATCH-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU>
From: Mike Baresic <
Subject: Re: Florence Hartmann: Possible Gotovina Defence Witness?

danilo

> Ivankovic's book tells the story of how, unlike Cervenka,
> Gotovina had propsed a modal 'Storm', which in the end was
> implemented: a simultaneous attack on all sectors of the
> occupied territory in which the Serbian population would be
> left with free corridors to escape, alledgedly, exclusively
> out of humane reasons: to avoid having unnecessary victims."
>
>
> Gotovina and others incorporated ethnic cleansing as part
> of Operation Storm. The Serbs couldn't flee anyway they wanted to,
> but only on pre-planned, designated routes. The ethnic cleansing
> during Operation Storm wasn't ad-hoc, it was pre-meditated by
> Gotovina and others.
>

Daniel,

This is the best you can do? If this is the best argument that Gotovina's
accusers have, then his indictment is truly a travesty. Moreover, you fail
to even mention the fact that the RSK leadership ordered a total evacutation,
or that Hartmann contends it was part of Milosevic's plan to "ethnically
cleanse" the Serb population.

Leaving corridors open is nothing new in military planning. Indeed, it is
incorporated into most NATO military campaigns as a means of encouraging the
opposing enemy military to give up. Surrounding the enemy military and not
giving it the opportunity to escape only encourages that military to continue
to fight, and thus the risk of loss of life is increased to both sides.

In "Putting the Hague Court on Trial," [posted to the list 31 August 2001]
David Rivkin and Lee Casey explain this best:

<<<However, from start to finish, Operation Storm was executed as if it were
drawn from NATO's best playbook: a lightning offensive using highly mobile
ground forces, heavy firepower, and air support, designed to be decisive. It
was moreover carried out in a way that permitted the local civilian
population to leave the combat zone, which is the reason there was civilian
flight. The Croats prevailed in just 72 hours, with minimal casualties on
both sides. Until now, such campaigns have been considered fully consistent
with the laws of war, even if significant civilian dislocations were
involved.

Simply put, if the decisive use of overwhelming military force is to be
criminalized, largely on the grounds that it may prompt civilians to flee the
fighting, then it will not be long before NATO officers and officials are in
the dock. Modern wars are rarely fought in the desert (the Gulf War being the
exception rather than the rule), and civilian casualties and refugees are
inevitable in any conflict -- even one, such as NATO's 1999 air campaign
against Yugoslavia, where the most sophisticated "smart" munitions are used.
Indeed, even Desert Storm produced civilian casualties and refugees in Kuwait
and Iraq.

The traditional laws of war acknowledged these realities, providing that
civilians not be purposefully targeted, and that "collateral damage" to
noncombatants and their property not be disproportionate to the military
goals to be achieved. The premise of Gen. Gotovina's indictment, however, is
that any use of overwhelming force -- since civilian casualties and
population flight are clearly foreseeable -- should be considered illegal.
Such a "zero risk" approach would effectively proscribe any decisive use of
force, while perhaps allowing its limited employment as an adjunct of
diplomatic maneuvers.

Let's be clear about this. If the Hague prosecutors want to outlaw war, then
they should be upfront about it and a debate could be had by all. One thing
that should be considered in this debate is that the rule of law effectively
proposed by Gen. Gotovina's indictment would, among other things, have
criminalized NATO's "forward defense" strategy, which was used to keep the
peace in Europe until the Soviet Union's collapse. Under forward defense,
NATO would have engaged Warsaw Pact forces in the highly urbanized areas of
West Germany.

NATO planners knew full well that this battle plan would have produced
astronomical casualties, and horrific refugee flows. In fact, how to move
NATO reinforcements to the front, when all of the roads were expected to be
clogged by fleeing civilians, was always considered one of the more difficult
questions for NATO's operational planners.

The use of overwhelming force in conventional conflicts remains a central
feature of military doctrine among the Western countries with serious armies
(the United States, Germany, Britain, France and not many others). Indeed,
the so-called "Powell Doctrine," named for U.S. Secretary of State Colin
Powell when he was chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff in the late
1980s, holds that U.S. service personnel should be risked only when there are
clear objectives to a military operation (including an "exit strategy") and
overwhelming force can be brought to bear to ensure a quick victory.>>>

Thus, Daniel, your last-gasp effort to declare Operation Storm an "ethnic
cleansing" campaign simply because its planners allowed for escape routes
flies in the face of established NATO military doctrine. Moreover, you
totally ignore the fact that the Serb civilians fled en masse not because of
the fact that an escape route was open, but because of the fact that the Serb
leadership had ordered a total evacuation of the so-called "Krajina" [which
is well established by the book, "Knin Fell in Belgrade," by Sonja Biserko,
and by Florence Hartmann]. You ignore addressing this issue because you know
the truth: the Serb leadership cleansed its own population.

Again, if you are concerned about justice for the Serbs of so-called
"Krajina," don't you want to see the Milosevic indictment amended to include
the deportation of Serbs from Croatia?

Mike

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      Second-largest governing party wants to replace three ministers
      Wed Feb 27,11:10 AM ET

      ZAGREB, Croatia - The demand by the Social Liberals, Croatia's junior
      coalition partner, to replace three of its ministers is a serious problem
      for future government work, Prime Minister Ivica Racan said Wednesday.

      The demand, announced late Tuesday, is primarily aimed at removing Goran
      Granic, a deputy to Racan and a key aide.
      "This is a grave situation for the coalition," Racan told the state-run
      news agency HINA, hinting that the disagreement over ministers may
      precipitate early elections.
      The five-party coalition, which took power two years ago from the
      nationalists of the late President Franjo Tudjman, has been in trouble for
      weeks, ever since Drazen Budisa returned as the leader of the Social
      Liberals.
      Budisa, a moderate nationalist who stepped down as party leader last
      summer to protest the government's decision to extradite two Croatian
      generals to the U.N. war crimes court, has demanded that his party be
      given a greater say in the government.
      Budisa contends that members of his party in the coalition have neglected
      their party duties and become "lackeys" of Racan's dominant Social
      Democrats.
      However, Racan has previously expressed his satisfaction with the work of
      the Liberals in his government. He also insisted Granic was an integral
      part of the coalition.
      "I can't deny that we have established a great rapport," Racan said of his
      coalition partners.
      Parties in the government have a right to withdraw their ministers. But if
      Racan disagrees, the coalition could collapse, triggering new elections.
      The Liberal Party holds six posts in the 21-member Cabinet. On Tuesday
      evening, the Liberals also demanded that Budisa become Racan's deputy.
      Croatian media speculated Wednesday that Racan and Budisa may eventually
      reach a compromise, with Budisa joining and Granic remaining in the
      government.
      None of the ruling parties really want new elections and instead seek to
      enhance their positions with the positive results of economic reforms they
      have undertaken, which will only be seen in a year.
      (pvs/eb/rp)


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SJECANJE NA Prof.ANTUNA HEKA
POCIVAJTE U MIRU UZ BOZJI BLAGOSLOV, Prof.HEK

Pise Mario Viscovich

        Profesor Antun Hek,57-godisnji ravnatelj Pazinskog kolegija-klasicne gimnazije smrtno je stradao u prometnoj nesreci u nedjelju 24.veljace,oko 19.20 sati na cesti iz Novigrada za Pazin."Peugeot206"Pulske registracije koji je vozio prema Novigradu nasao se na krivoj strani ceste uz neprilagodjenu brzinu i udario u "Ford escort"kojim je upravljao Antun Hek.Nakon prvog udara,u "ford escort",koji nastavlja nekontroliranim kretanjem,udara i jos jedan auto"Renault laguna".Vozac"Ford escort"Antun Hek je poginuo,dok su jos trojica zadobili lakse ozljede.
      "Istrani New Yorka,za Pazinski Kolegij"naslov je clanka u casopisu "Besida"iz Toronta prosinac1993,broj 7.
       Uistinu bio je to veliki dogadjaj.
       Vlc.Antun Hek,ravnatelj Pazinskog kolegija i direktor Karitasa za Istru,nalazio se u mjesecu studenom 1993 u SAD kao gost"Istrian American Charities Associasion",a sredisnji dogadjaj te posjete bio je dobrotvoran banket odrzan 14.studenog 1993 u dvorani Cristal Palace" u Astoriji.Pocasni gosti uz vlc.Heka bili su hrvatski ambasador u SAD dr.Petar Sarcevic i vlc.Anton Bozanic,svecenik u Astoriji.Cisti prihod tog banketa isao je u korist kolegija u Pazinu.
       Tokom njegovog posjeta,posebno su prof.Heka ugostili istarski klubovi na podrucju New Yorka.
       To je bio prvi posjet vlc.Heka SAD-u,i izjavio je da mu je tesko vjerovati da se sve to dogadja u New Yorku a ne negdje na Labinstini.
       Za vrijieme boravka u SAD,vlc Hek je posjetio istarske klubove,biznise u vlasnistvu istrana,istarske obitelji,hrvatsku ambasadu u Washington DC,i neke americke katolicke skole.Posebno mu je bio dirljiv susret sa umjetnikom Josipom Crnoborijem.
       Ovaj nezaboravni susret izmedju pozrtvovanog vlc.Heka iz Pazina,uspjesnog i dokazanog umjetnika Josipa Crnoborija,te iseljenih istrana,posebno Labinjana,u cilju obnove i sacuvanja Pazinskog kolegija,na ponos je Istrana u domovini,kao i svima nama istarskog porijekla,koji se nalazimo u dijaspori.
       Obnova Pazinskog kolegija,izuzetno je vazan poduhvat, jer najbolji nacin ocuvanja jednog naroda ili njegovih posebnih grupacija je kroz ocuvanje jezika i kulture i kroz prernasanje istoga na nase mladje generacije.
       Nedelja 21.studenog1993,bio je dan oprostaja za vlc.Heka.Tog jutra imao je ranu misu za nase iseljenike u New Jersey u crkvi st.John u Fairwiew,gdje je na sluzbi nas vlc.Belanich.Drugu je misu istog jutra odrzao u Astoriji,uz vlc.Anton Bozanica.
       Posjet vlc.Heka i obnova Pazinskog kolegija,vazan je dogadjaj za sve hrvate,a narocito istrane,i evo tu ponavljam sam svoj citat iz 1993"Pazinski kolegij,kao prva katolicka skola te vrste u cjeloj Hrvatskoj,je obrazovna ustanova i povjesna cinjenica na koju trebamo svi biti ponosni i podrzavati obnovu iste,u svrhu buduceg uspjeha i usavrsavanja polaznika ove vazne obrazovne institucije.Nadajmo se,da ce nam ova obrazovna institucija iz sredisnje Istre,dati nase buduce uspjesne javne djelatnike u kulturnom,socijalnom,ekonomskom,vjerskom i politickom zivotu."
       I nakon sedam dana medju nama,oprostili smo se sa covjekom,smirene naravi,uz malo rijeci,koji nije uvjeravao a bio je jako uvjerljiv.Njegova iskrenost i dobrota nas je uvjerila da je "dobar covjek"koji nam je i pozeljan i potreban u nasem drustvu.
       I oprostili smo se.
       Oprostili smo se da bismo bili i dalje u stalnom kontaktu.Uvjek je imao vremena da porazgovara sa nama na telefon,da nas primi u Pazinu u kolegiju,da nam da savjet kad smo to od njega trazili.
       Klasicna gimnazija u Pazinu danas maturira stotine ucenika godisnje,posluje uspjesno,i uziva ugled u obrazovanju mladih.Plod je to nesebicnosti, truda i umjeca prof.Heka,njezinog ravnatelja,koji je u to ulozio puno ljubavi i paznje.
       Danas smo jako ozalosceni,izgubili smo velikog istarskog intelektualca,ravnatelja,
svecenika,covjeka koji je ostavio svoj utisak na mladez,crkvu,zajednicu,drzavu,a i na nas u dijaspori,i za to mu velika hvala.
       Profesor Hek,neka Vas Bog blagoslovi i pocivajte u miru.

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I visit a website called the International Movie DATABASE on a regular basis
and which is located at www.imdb.com. If I see an actor on TV or the movies
I can pull up information on what films and shows they have worked, maybe
read their bio see pictures, etc. This website gets a couple MILLION visits
a month.

What if we began a project to find all actors and actresses of Croatian
origin, and submit to the database people an e-mail saying that person is of
Croatian heritage. What if we could go further and provide biographical
information. We could read the submission details for photos, and submit
some thus filling out the database.

Case in point:

Tiger Joe Marsh (Joe Marusic) was a wrestler, actor and the original model
for Mr. Clean. On the International Movie Database it lists his name, place
and date of birth and place and date of death, and no mention of him being
Croatian: http://us.imdb.com/Name?Marsh,+Tiger+Joe Vladimir Novak published
an article about him in Matica. We have it on our website:
http://midwest-croatians.org/archives/mrclean.html What if we could get Mr.
Novak to forward his article to the editors of the website, so his biography
is online.

The same goes for John Northpole: http://us.imdb.com/Name?Northpole,+John I
think Vladimir Novak wrote something about him in Matica too...

On a positive note, there's also someone we know in the movie database:
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Bach,+Nenad It does mention his Croatian homeland :)

Finally, look at some of our neighbors:

http://us.imdb.com/Name?Malden,+Karl
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Davidovich,+Lolita
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Bogdanovich,+Peter

The point is, we can promote Croatia anytime, provided we keep our eyes open
for the right opportunity. It does not and would not take a lot of effort to
send e-mails, in this case saying an actor/actress is of Croatian heritage.
Even those few words can help a lot!

-Marko

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