On the latest violence
Hrvoje J Hrgovcic
MAY 6
YUGOSLAVIA'S IDEOLOGICAL SPLIT REFLECTED IN LATEST VIOLENCE
(Washington) The Yugoslav Army's tank blockades of a number of
Croatian cities and villages on April 28 marked the beginning
of the most violent period yet in Yugoslavia's political
transformation. The week-old clashes between Croatian police
and armed Serbs on the territory of the Republic of Croatia
continue as Yugoslavia's Federal Presidency condemned the acts
of terrorism committed against Croatian police and unarmed
civilians.
Earlier, on April 28, without any apparent authorization by
the Federal Presidency, the YugGoslavian Army (jNA) blocked access
to Kijevo, a village populated largely by Croatian citizens of
Croatian nationality, and where the Ministry of Internal
Affairs recently established a police station. Kijevo is in
the area of Croatia which has been designated "Krajina" by
local citizens of Serbian nationality who are calling for that
area's annexation to Serbia. Shortly before this move by the
JNA, Croatia's Stipe Mesic, who will be the first democratic
president of present-day Yugoslavia this May 15, was asked by
the current president, Borisav Jovic, to close down the
station or the Army would intervene.
The JNA, however, has shown signs of uncertainty in its
mission. In some but not all instances, the JNA would
cooperate with the Croatian police in quelling unrest.
Furthermore, the JNA prevented a medical team from aiding the
citizens of Kijevo. A truck containing humanitarian aid of
food and medicines was seized after the JNA assured Red Cross
representatives that passage would not be a problem. The
truck has not been recovered.
Since the JNA's intervention, in the past week terrorist
attacks on Croatian police and unarmed citizens have continued
daily, resulting in the deaths of somefourteen Croatian
police and three rebellious Serbs. The Croatian news agency,
HINA, reports that articles from the JNA's arsenal were found
on the spot where a rebel fell in a clash in the village of
Sotin near the Danube River. The cache included a chemical
bomb, an army medical bag, a Lux reflector, a clip with
fourteen large caliber bullets, a Kalashnikov clip and
grenades. This area of eastern Croatia is in the First Army
region, headquartered in Belgrade.
The most shocking event thus far was the decapitation of
four Croatian police in the village of Borovo Selo near
Croatia's eastern border with Serbian-controlled province of
Vojvodina. According to official reports, a unit of the
Croatian police was permitted safe passage to two captured
policemen when the terrorists opened fire on them. The
wounded were captured, mutilated and then decapitated.
Acts of terror continue in the Krajina area as well.
According to HINA, early this past Sunday morning, members of
the outlawed Krajina militia came to largely Croatian village
of Belina. One villager, Marin Usljebrk, resisted a kidnap
attempt until the outlawed militants brutally mistreated his
wife and children. Usljebrk was driven off to an unknown
destination.
Mesic's official car was shot at while the chauffeur was
driving back from Belgrade to Zagreb. Mesic had returned
Zagreb by plane after the most recent emergency meeting of the
presidency.
Citizens of Serbian nationality from all over Croatia have
joined with citizens of Croatian nationality in condemning the
terrorist actions. In the seaside town of Split, local
Serbians spoke on the local radio program expressing their
sympathy and protest of the deaths of Croatian policemen.
Similar expressions of grief and outrage came from Serbians
living in Zagreb, Imotski and Sinj. The local committee of
the Serbian Democratic Party in Drnis, a town in the
Dalamatian hinterland, declared that the interests of Serbs in
Croatia cannot be the "destruction of Croatia, but a model of
life together."
Slaven Letica, advisor to President Tudjman, said in an
interview with the Croatian Democracy Project that the
conflict is a result of the communist leadership in Serbia
attempting to thwart democratic change over all of Yugoslavia.
Members of the U.S. Congress, including Senator Dole and
Representatives Broomfield and Swett have stressed concern
over the escalation of violence. The U.S. State Department,
in a strong statement Friday said "The burden of
responsibility for this incident and consequences rests
squarely on those who use violence as a means to achieve
political goals."
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The Croatian Democracy Project is an independent, nonpartisan
and nonprofit information center established to promote
democracy and peace in the Republic of Croatia. We are
available to answer questions or provide you with additional
information.
Dragan Curcija
>
>MAY 6
>
>YUGOSLAVIA'S IDEOLOGICAL SPLIT REFLECTED IN LATEST VIOLENCE
>
>(Washington) The Yugoslav Army's tank blockades of a number of
>Croatian cities and villages on April 28 marked the beginning
I would like to express my OUTRAGE towards the attempts
to convert this forum into propaganda war. We all have acess to
E-Mail news, so meaningless repetition of articles does not
make any sense. If somebody wants to make the point, and wants
to use published material in support of that, then he (she) can
quote small portion(s) of an article and use it intelligently to
prove whatever wants to prove.
Pozdrav,
Dragan
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Historia Magistra Vitae Est
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