Letter from the vice prime minister, Zdravko Tomac, to Marco Pannella and to the Radical Party
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"You and your fellow party members will remain in the historical memory of the Croatian people, in the memory of this dire yet crucial moment of our history as great friends who helped us in our hardest times". This is the beginning of the letter which Zdravko Tomac, Croatian vice prime minister, sent Marco Pannella and the Radical Party. This text was published on Vecernji List, the most widely diffused Croatian newspaper, and was read unabridged by the Croatian TV. Excerpts of the letter were also broadcast by Radio 101.
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Zagreb - Vercenji List - 29 November 1991
"On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, we wish to thank you, Mr. Pannella, your party and the many parliamentarians from various States of the world, for all you have done and are doing to stir the sleeping conscience of the politicians of the world and of Europe, to force them to take concrete measures, to stop the aggression in Croatia and to obtain its recognition, according to the international law, as an independent and sovereign State.
On 18 November, after hearing of the fall of Vukovar, you Mr. Pannella, accompanied by parliamentarians from other countries, resumed your remonstrative hunger strike to protest against the passive and irresponsible policy of Europe. We wish to personally thank you, Mr. Aleksandar Kalinin - Soviet parliamentarian - the Czech parliamentarians Desider Balig, Ondrej Gina and Zdenek Guzi, Josip Valincic, member of the Croatian Parliament, and all the other members of your party throughout Europe, who have supported your action to convince the governments that the events which lead to the victims and martyrs of Vukovar should never take place again, in any part of the world.
Your demonstrations, organized in several countries and European cities, in particular in Rome, Prague and Budapest, where you requested that the Yugoslav ambassadors leave the country as representatives of a country which no longer exists; the demonstrations you are organizing together with several members of your party on 9 December in Maastricht, where the twelve European representatives will meet, in Brussels and in Strasbourg, as your other demonstrations, all greatly support and will continue to support the Croatian people in its struggle for freedom.
We will urge the Croatians in those countries to participate with you in the demonstrations.
The resolutions passed during the session of the leadership of your party and of 200 principal parliamentarians from several countries in Zagreb from 1 to 4 November, which are now applied, and the concrete actions which your parliamentarians are carrying out in several countries, as well as the refugee aid and the humanitarian actions, are truly useful.
Once again, we thank you on behalf of the government of the Republic of Croatia, and on behalf of all those women, children, civilians and soldiers who will survive in their free homeland thanks to you efforts to put an end to this war as soon as possible.
Mr. Pannella, let me assure you that you and your fellow party members will remain in the historical memory of the Croatian people, in the memory of this dire yet crucial moment of our history, as great friends who helped us in our hardest times, because unlike many others, you did all that you could, and more".
