by Olivier Dupuis and Sandro Ottoni
In the previous issue, we had interrupted our chronicle with the conclusion of the Radical Party's Federal Council, which took place in Zagreb between October and November.
Unfortunately, the obstinacy of the regime and of the putschist army of Belgrade on the one hand, and the scandalous "neutrality" of the European Community and of the West on the other, force us to continue this "chronicle of the European shame".
As in the previous issue, we will continue by quoting parts of addresses of radical exponents in various forums, taking into account also the initiatives taken by the radicals in many parts of Europe.
RADICAL INTERVENTION AT THE SENATE OF THE ITALIAN PARLIAMENT
5 November. Senate address by Lorenzo Strik Lievers, senator, member of the Radical Party:
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"Europe faces a trial. It must, because it can, stop the aggression now, at once, establishing sever sanctions against Serbia if it does not discontinue the military offensive immediately, and announcing that the sanctions will remain in force until the Serbian troops withdraw from all the occupied territories. Otherwise, continuing with cease-fires which are continuously violated, Europe will confirm itself as a knowing accomplice of the Serbian military coup which aims, through war, at pre-establishing the 'fait accompli' of new borders (...)".
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RADICAL DEMONSTRATIONS IN SEVERAL EUROPEAN CAPITALS
Between 8 and 15 November, the radicals demonstrated in several European capitals. Following are the objectives of their demonstrations:
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1) immediate recognition of the Republics of Slovenia and Croatia, against the blind and coward behaviour of the European Community and of Italy in particular, which on the one hand recognize the right to independence of the Republics of former Yugoslavia but on the other hand, by postponing the recognition itself or linking it to an improbable "cessation of hostilities", authorize the putschist army 'de facto' to continue in its work of death and destruction and to complete the military annexation of part of the Croatian territory;
2) denouncing the policy of "neutrality" of the Italian government and of the European Community, which makes no distinction between aggressors and aggressed, applying sanctions also to Croatia, which is the victim of a bloody aggression on the part of a federal army maneuvered by putschist generals and allied of the authoritarians and expansionist policy of Milosevic;
3) recognition of the Parliament and of the Government of Kosovo as legitimate representatives of the people of Kosovo;
4) immediate intervention to save the territories and the cities of the Republic of Croatia, especially Dubrovnik and Vukovar, from the destruction.
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ROME: EXPEL THE AMBASSADOR OF THE PUTSCHISTS
This is the text of a banner which the radicals exposed on 8 November in front of the Yugoslav embassy during a demonstration which infuriated the former Yugoslav diplomats. In a press note, the embassy informed that the diplomatic representative and the other federal institutions had not been founded by a party, and that it was not the "party" that established the relations of friendship between Yugoslavia and Italy.
Moreover, the embassy accused the radicals of fueling national hate, and of instigating one people against the other in Yugoslavia instead of actively struggling to put an end to the crisis.
MOSCOW: IN THE RED SQUARE FOR THE RECOGNITION
Over thirty radicals demonstrated in the Red Square in Moscow in front of Lenin's mausoleum and of the Palaces of Gorbachev and Yeltsin to urge the immediate recognition of Slovenia and Croatia and the end of the war. The radical slogans and symbols reminded the thousands of Muscovites and tourists crowing the square of the disaster in former Yugoslavia as well as of the possibility of demonstrating their dissent in the Red Square. Antonio Stango, Marino Busdachin and Alexander Kalinin of the Radical Party's Federal Council also took part in the initiative.
BUDAPEST - A GIFT FOR THE AMBASSADOR: A ONE-WAY TICKET FOR BELGRADE
On the same day, about eighty people gathered in front of the embassy of former Yugoslavia. During the demonstration, a delegation gave an embassy clerk a sum of money corresponding to the price of a one way Budapest-Belgrade ticket for the ambassador-impostor of Serbia.
Several journalists were there, belonging both to newspapers and radio stations. The TV was patently absent...following is the reply of the radicals in a communiqué:
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"(...) By denying those who consider the events in former Yugoslavia a war of aggression - in all respects - of the Serbian fascist-communist putschist regime against the republics which have freely and democratically voted for their independence, the Hungarian TV shows how fast Hungary is adapting to Europe. But which Europe? The Europe of shame, the Europe of Chamberlain and Daladier, today the Europe of Mitterrand, Craxi, Gonzales, De Michelis and Dumas. Bravo."
THE RADICALS ARE RECEIVED AT THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT
On 15 November in Prague, while about thirty radicals were demonstrating in front of the seat of government, a delegation was received by the deputy prime minister, Jozef Miklosko. During the meeting, radical Richard Stockar illustrated the contents of the initiatives, which was taking place simultaneously in several other European cities, and gave Miklosko the Motion passed at the conclusion of the second session of the Radical Party's Federal Council in Zagreb. The Czech national member of Parliament Vladimir Zeman, a member of the Radical Party, handed a personal letter to the members of the government. For his part, the federal parliamentarian Istvan Batta, also a member of the radical party, underlined the many victims of Hungarian and Slovak origin in the ongoing war of aggression, and declared he "would be proud if our government were the first to recognize the existence of these new States".
At the conclusion of the meeting, the deputy prime minister said his opinion was that "Czechoslovakia should recognize the independence of Croatia and Slovenia, even if such choice cannot be made by Czechoslovakia alone, or by Czechoslovakia first".
THE AGENDA OF THE ITALIAN SENATE
ON the institutional front, about twenty Italian senators, at the initiative of radical senator Lorenzo Strik-Lievers, submitted an agenda on 16 November, urging the recognition of Croatia and Slovenia, the immediate summons of the United Nations Security Council, the envoy of U.N. soldiers in the contended areas, the embargo and total economic boycott against Serbia. After a hard debate which highlighted contrasts which divided both oppositions and majority, the agenda was withdrawn following the pledge of minister Cirino Pomicino to discuss it as soon as possible.
THE FALL OF VUKOVAR
At the news of the fall of Vukovar on the evening of 17 November, Marco Pannella released the following statement:
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In the face of the emblematic news of the fall of Vukovar and of the shameful behaviour of Europe and of the so-called democrats, together with other colleagues of the Federal Council we have decided to add a hunger strike initiative in some European countries to all the institutional, parliamentary and political actions undertaken, to beat this behaviour and the pseudo-Serbian and in reality racist, militarist and totalitarian tumor.
In the coming days we will divulge the conditions and the precise objectives of this nonviolent initiative which begins, for some of us, at the very moment we receive the all too predictable news of the end of the heroic resistance of the men and women of Vukovar against the fascist violence of the army which is the heir of the fascist, Nazi and Stalinist armies.
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TELEGRAM FROM THE RADICAL PARTY TO PRESIDENT TUDJMAN, THE PRIME MINISTER GREGURIC, THE VICE PRIME MINISTER TOMAC
From several cities, at the news of the fall of Vukovar on 17 November, the radicals communicated their further sympathy to the highest Croatian authorities:
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Dear sirs,
As we learn from the Hungarian Radio of the fall of Vukovar, we members of the Radical Party operating in Hungary wish to thank you for the democratic and European resistance of the Croatian people.
Several parliamentarians and militants of our party from various European countries have announced new political and parliamentary initiatives, which include a hunger strike which we will begin very soon.
In these particularly tragic hours, we beg you to accept our active sympathy.
IS THE HUNGARIAN MINORITY A CONVENIENT ALIBI FOR ALL THE HUNGARIAN POLITICAL FORCES?
In the face of the increasingly European, that is, "neutral" behaviour of the Hungarian political forces, on 18 November the Radical Party divulged the following statement from Budapest:
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"(...) With its increasing concern for the situation of the Hungarian minority of Vojvodina, the whole of the Hungarian political forces is losing its capacity to understand the situation in former Yugoslavia and as a consequence of tackling it effectively.
Thus, for example, silence reigns over the imposition on the part of the dictator Milosevic of the Serbian minorities of Croatia at The Hague and the reiterated refusal to the presence not only of the minorities of Serbia (the Moslems of Sandjak, for example) at that same conference, but even to the real representation of the autonomous regions of Kosovo and Vojvodina, not to mention the systematic violations of human rights and of the rights of the minorities in these regions (...)".
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MADRID: THE RADICALS PROMOTE AN APPEAL OF INTELLECTUALS
On the same day - 18 November - in Madrid, the member of the Radical Party's Federal Council, Joaquim Arce Mateos submitted a manifesto to the Foreign Ministry, based on the motion of the radical Party and signed by a dozen prestigious Spanish intellectuals, including José Luis Aranguren, Fernando Savater, Luis Antonio Villena, Antonio Escohotado, Victoria Sendon, José Luis Sampedro, Vicente Molina Foix and Juan A. Gimbernat ...In this document, the signatories requested a radical change of position on the part of Spain vis-à-vis former Yugoslavia in the European Community and in other international organizations.
THE RADICAL PARTY'S APPEAL:
In those same days, the Radical Party sent all its members an appeal-invitation:
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THE RADICAL PARTY INVITES ALL ITS MILITANTS, ALL FOLLOWERS OF NONVIOLENCE, ALL COHERENT DEMOCRATS, TO MOBILIZE FOR A MAJOR INFORMATION, SUPPORT AND DENUNCIATION CAMPAIGN ON THE REALITY OF THE POLICY PURSUED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY, BY ITS CHIEF CHANCERIES, BY THE THE STATES OF REAL DEMOCRACY, VIS-A-VIS THE WAR WHICH AIMS AT IMPOSING AN AUTHORITARIAN, CHAUVINIST AND FUNDAMENTALLY FASCIST "NEW ORDER" ON THE POPULATIONS OF FORMER YUGOSLAVIA.
THE RADICAL PARTY DENOUNCES THE TERRIBLE RISK THAT THIS BEHAVIOUR BE AIMED AT ENCOURAGING THIS SAME TYPE OF SOLUTION OF THE POST-COMMUNIST CRISES ALSO IN THE U.S.S.R. AND IN OTHER COUNTRIES ON THE PART OF THE COUNTRIES OF "REAL DEMOCRACY" AS WELL AS BY THE COMMUNIST OR FASCIST HEIRS OF THE OLD ESTABLISHED "DISORDERS" THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AND IN PARTICULAR IN THOSE AREAS.
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THE ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER ANDREOTTI RECEIVES THE RADICALS
On 22 November, a delegation of the Radical Party formed by the First Secretary, Sergio Stanzani, the President of the Party, Emma Bonino, Roberto Cicciomessere, member of the Chamber European Federalist Group and by Lorenzo Strik Lievers, President of the Senate Environmentalist European Federalist Group, was received early in the afternoon yesterday by the Prime Minister, Giulio Andreotti. Following is the statement of the First Secretary of the Radical Party, Stanzani:
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"We asked to meet President Andreotti to express our distress and our protest for the acquiescent passivity shown until now by the European Community with regard to the atrocious war of aggression which is taking place in the heart of Europe (...). We reiterated the request of an immediate recognition of Croatia and Slovenia as the necessary premise to obtain peace and legality in the region; together we placed the problem of the need for initiatives aimed at safeguarding the rights of all the populations of former Yugoslavia, starting with the population of Kosovo (...). The other issue we submitted with urgency to the Prime Minister is that of recalling the Italian ambassador in Belgrade, or at least downgrading the diplomatic delegation. If it is true - as it is - that the Yugoslav federation no longer exists, and that the authority ruling in Belgrade is a putschist power guilty of aggression, it is both ambiguous and alarming to entertain normal diplomatic relations with it, especially considering that s
uch relations are not entertained with the victims of the aggression, who are legitimated by a democratic vote".
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ZAGREB: THE RADICALS MEET THE VICE PRIME MINISTER TOMAC
In Zagreb on 26 November, Zdravko Tomac, vice president of the government, received the radical federal councillor Sandro Ottoni, present in Zagreb to support the radical initiatives in Croatia and in Europe. With regard to the information on the radical initiatives, Marco Pannella's hunger strike, the demonstrations in Rome and in other capitals, the planned ones in Maastricht and Strasbourg, the initiatives promoted by radicals Franca Berger and Emilio Vesce at the Provincial council of Trento and in Veneto, the vice prime minister expressed his gratitude and regretted he could not appoint a special governmental committee to cooperate with the radical initiatives. He recalled the major human and material effort Croatia is forced to face, with 150.000 valid men at the front and 40% of the economy destroyed (among other things, many parliamentarians are at war, including Ivo Jelic, Ivan Babic and Miroslav Pavin, members of the Radical Party).
HUNGER STRIKE OF A PARLIAMENTARIAN FROM OSIJEK, JOSIP VALINCIC
On 26 November, on joining the hunger strike for the immediate recognition of Croatia and Slovenia, together with Italian, Czechoslovak, Russian colleagues, Josip Valincic declared:
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"(...) As a member of the Croatian Parliament, but also as a common citizen who is eager for freedom and democracy, together with thousands of citizens of good will, I could, through my modest adhesion, join a nonviolent mass struggle for the freedom of the peoples from totalitarianism and militarism, from nationalism and all those social oppressions which are inflicted today on the world (...)".
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TWENTY MEMBERS OF THE CROATIAN SABOR ARE ALSO MEMBERS OF THE RADICAL PARTY
In early December, in parallel with the summons of the Croatian Parliament, engaged in passing the new law on minorities, sixteen members of the Sabor took the occasion of the Federal Council in Zagreb to join the Radical Party. Among these, the former President of Yugoslavia, Stjepan Mesic, and the president of the socialist party, Zeljko Mazar.
SUMMONS OF THE DEMONSTRATIONS IN MAASTRICHT AND STRASBOURG
The radicals organize several demonstrations on the occasion of the summons of the European Council in Maastricht and of the session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Following is the text whereby they invite militants to take part in the demonstrations:
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"The ongoing tragedy in Yugoslavia, in the heart of Europe, calls into question the primary and inescapable responsibilities of Europe and of the European Community, which the peoples of former Yugoslavia continue to look to in vain.
The European Community's stubborn defence, against all evidence, of the federal unity of Yugoslavia, has in practice encouraged and legitimated the extremism and the aggression of the Serbian army.
The non-recognition on an international scale of the republics which have democratically proclaimed their independence, first of all on the part of the European Community and of its member States has prevented the formal definition of the international character of the conflict and therefore the rightful intervention of the United Nations Security Council.
The European Community's passivity, made of conspiratorial tolerance and shortsightedness in the face of the abyss which it prepares for all, recalls the fatal passivity of the European democracies of the thirties with regard to the Nazi and fascist aggressions, and represents a general rehearsal, in Yugoslavia, of that which could take place in the U.S.S.R. in terms of coups and authoritarianism.
We shall therefore demonstrate in Maastricht and Strasbourg
1) to denounce the blind and vile behaviour of the European Community;
2) to denounce the European Community's policy of "neutrality", which makes no distinction between assailants and victims;
3) to urge the immediate recognition of Croatia and Slovenia;
4) to urge the recognition of the Parliament and the Government of Kosovo, as legitimate representatives of the people of Kosovo, and the admission of the legitimate representative of Kosovo at the Conference of The Hague;
5) to urge the withdrawal from Belgrade of the ambassadors to former Yugoslavia".
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HUNDREDS OF RADICALS AND CROATIAN CITIZENS DEMONSTRATE IN MAASTRICHT AND IN STRASBOURG. CROATIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS JOSIP VALINCIC AND VJEKOSLAV STUDEN, MEMBERS OF THE RADICAL PARTY, PARTICIPATE IN THE DEMONSTRATIONS.
About three hundred radicals and Croatian citizens coming for the most part from Italy participated on 9 November in Maastricht (Netherlands) in a nonviolent demonstration organized by the Radical Party. With banners and posters that requested the immediate recognition of Croatia and Slovenia, the radicals awaited the arrival of the Heads of States of the EEC to denounce their responsibility in the continuation of the Yugoslav crisis. On the following day, the demonstrators moved to Strasbourg where they held a meeting at the European Parliament. In the meanwhile, Croatian parliamentarians Studen and Valincic met a number of representatives of the Parliament, belonging to various groups, to illustrate the situation of the war.
In the evening, a major torch-light procession in the centre of the city underlined, once more, the incapacity and the absence of decision-making powers of the European Parliament.
PANNELLA ANNOUNCES HIS INTENTION TO WEAR THE CROATIAN UNIFORM FOR A "FRONT LINE" UNARMED SERVICE
In an open letter to the editors of Italian newspapers and TV, as president of the Radical Party's federal Council and member of the European Parliament, Pannella announces from Strasbourg where he held a press conference with Adem Demaqi, prestigious political personality of Kosovo (recently awarded the Sacharov Prize by the Radical Party), that he will interrupt his hunger strike and the other ongoing activities to move to the besieged city of Osijek by Christmas.
In his letter, Pannella dares any journalist to deny that the initiatives carried out by the Radical Party for Yugoslavia as well as the prestigious enrolment of ministers and parliamentarians from Croatia, Kosovo and other republics of former Yugoslavia, represent "news". And he adds":
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(...) If we believed in "violence", or if we accepted to practice violent, "exasperated" forms of demonstration and struggle, we would no doubt have benefited of the privilege of having much publicity, reprobation but also information and debates for our evil actions. Our institutional, parliamentary actions, on the contrary, have been systematically denied, in all forums (...)".
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EUROPE: CONTINUITY IN IRRESPONSIBILITY
In commenting on the choices of the Council of Ministers of the E.C., Marco Pannella states on 16 December on Radio Radicale:
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"This type of decision represents the continuation of an irresponsible action, both in diplomatic and political terms. Now it is obvious that the putschists army will try, from now until the recognition, to devastate the maximum number of cities, and therefore to kill the greatest number of people".
"A preannouncement of this kind is absolutely incoherent, as incoherent have been all the announcements of cease-fire and armistice. The opposite should have been done: the recognition should have been made "by surprise" eight months ago, together with a pact of mutual assistance among the recognized and recognizing States".
"Once more, we may appear supercilious when we say that the Italians and now also the European political class is completely insane and obtuse. But, in this century, we have often found ourselves face to face with the folly of the establishment, precisely because the reality of democracy has been experienced very little in our societies and in our States, except, possibly, in the Anglo-Saxon ones. I believe today the fragile conditions of the development of the Radical Party are the only basis to hope for an improvement of the situation and for the passage from mortal folly to a possibly dramatic but certainly vital wisdom".
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APPEAL OF OVER 100 ITALIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS
At 22 December, over one hundred members of the Italian Chamber have signed an appeal asking the government to immediately recognize the Republics of Croatia and Slovenia, to recall the ambassadors from Belgrade and to pledge not to recognize the Serbian Republic unless it provides guaranties for the minorities.
On 26 December, Pannella announces in a press conference:
"The Radical Party's direct nonviolent action on the front of democracy, peace, freedom, with the Croatian defenders of Osijek", with the presence of Roberto Cicciomessere, Lorenzo Strik Lievers, Alessandro Tessari, Lucio Bertè, Sandro Ottoni, Olivier Dupuis and Renato Fiorelli.
PANNELLA AND OTHER RADICAL EXPONENTS ARRIVE IN ZAGREB WHILE THE PRESIDENT OF THE RADICAL PARTY, EMMA BONINO, MEETS SEVERAL EXPONENTS OF THE OPPOSITION IN BELGRADE
As the group of radicals arrived in Zagreb, in Belgrade Emma Bonino, President of the Radical Party, met several representatives of the opposition, in particular Dragoslav Micunic, parliamentarian and president of the Democratic Party, Nebosha Popov, president of the Alliance for democratic initiatives in Yugoslavia, Gabriela Tanic, journalist for a newspaper which takes a stance against the war and Milosevic, Republika, Stojan Cerovic (former member of the Radical Party), president of the Center for anti-war action and journalist at VREME (another newspaper which opposes the war and Milosevic), Vesna Pesic, sociologist, member of the anti-war movement. The meetings took place in parallel with an attempt to organize a peace vigil on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas (6 January). Systematically called "traitors, ...", they try amid many difficulties to organize this opposition to a war which they too consider an aggression. On Sunday 29, a demonstration of theirs featuring the presence of a few thousand peopl
e in Belgrade will be "extraordinarily" aired by the TV for a handful of seconds.
THE RADICALS ARE RECEIVED BY THE CROATIAN GOVERNMENT
The radicals are received by the Croatian foreign minister Separovic and by the deputy prime minister Tomac. On Sunday morning, the entire group was received at the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces by the Chief of Staff, General Tus, who informed the group of the military situation and expresses his complete and active support to their initiative.
OSIJEK
On the afternoon of 30 December, the radical militants arrive in Osijek, the Croatian city which has been besieged for months, and which counts 3,500 injured and 650 victims, half of whom civilians. After having met the civilian and military authorities of the city, whom they illustrated the meaning of the action they intend to carry out on the war front with the weapons of nonviolence, the radicals held a press conference, some wearing a uniform (Pannella and Dupuis) and some without (Cicciomessere, Tessari, Strik Lievers, Ottoni, Bertè, Fiorelli). In explaining the reasons for his decision to wear the Croatian uniform, Marco Pannella said:
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"Materially and symbolically, politically and civilly, I am wearing the Croatian uniform today because the proper use of this uniform is the basis for the struggle for the right to life and the life of rights of us all: Serbs, Albanians, Macedonians, Italians, Germans, French, Russians, Britons, Europeans, inhabitants of the world.
It is the basis for the ideal and the hope for democracy and peace. I am grateful and fraternally proud of this which is obviously an act of trust and a wish to honour us and honour me, for that which the transnational and transparty Radical Party of nonviolence represents and is trying to achieve in our time and in our society.
If we are sufficiently strong, from now on and from this initiative, we will undertake the creation of a system of "brigades of nonviolence" as the embryo of the strength of the international law for the safeguard of the individual and of the peoples of the world.
As representative of the European people, of the European Parliament, together with my fellow democratic representatives or militants of the radical party, we are here to avoid a repetition of the Europe of shame which in the thirties, with its cynicism and its pseudo-democratic rulers, today as then, made possible the rise of fascism, nationalism, communism, the spread of wars and of massacres.
For this uniform I am wearing today I have the duty to witness our being Croats, Europeans as well as soldiers.
I will do so first of all wishing the Serbian women and men of all the republics and living in any part of the world a year of freedom and democracy, peace, tolerance, joy and good health.
We answer with love and hope to the aggression of those who want them to be aggressors, oppressed, murderers or murdered; from the trenches where we will spend this night and the coming days, we struggle and will continue to struggle also for them, as brothers and sisters, despite the grief we witnessed and of which they are in practice blind instruments.
Lastly, we denounce the shame of a U.N. which instigates the Serbs to shoot, declaring that it will intervene only when peace will be largely achieved.
The followers of nonviolence, the democratic federalists, the Europeans, the internationalists, the people of good will of the transnational, transparty, environmental radical party affirm the honour, the grief, the joy of being on this front for a free Croatia, a free Serbia, a free Kosovo, a free Macedonia and a free Bosnia-Herzegovina. Where there are freedom and justice there will be peace, tolerance, justice and fraternity.
Thank you to the many Croatian citizens who are joining the Radical Party in these hours, we need their contribution enormously.
For all the women and men of this place and of the earth, may the best of their hopes and of their love live and prosper".
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In the afternoon, Marco Pannella, as member of the European Parliament, met the observers of the European Community who are currently in Osijek.
NEW YEAR'S EVE AT THE FRONT
On New Year's Eve, parliamentarians Marco Pannella, Roberto Cicciomessere, Alessandro Tessari, Lorenzo Strik-Lievers, the members of the Radical Party's Federal Council, Olivier Dupuis, Lucio Berté and Josip Pinezic joined the Croatian defence forces in three points of the front, wearing no weapons. Some of them reached the posts of the international brigade, the commander of which, Edoardo, is a member of the Radical Party. Renato Fiorelli, member of the town council of Gorizia, nurse, gave his services at the military medical facilities of the hospital of Osijek, one of the most frequently hit target on the part of the Serbian artilleries.
THE RADICALS' ACTIONS AND MEETINGS IN SLAVONIA CONTINUE
Between 1 and 2 January, radicals Pannella and Dupuis moved to Nova Gradiska, another city which suffered heavy bombings on the part of the putschist army of Belgrade. They were received by the members of the Radical Party, parliamentarians Ivan Babic and Vjekoslav Zugaj, members of the Radical Party, Zdravko Sokic, mayor and Miroslav Kupic, president of the crisis committee, who announced their intention to join the Radical Party.
On the following morning they were received by the Commander of the National Guard and by another parliamentarian from the region of Nova Gradiska, the sculptor Miroslav Zupancic, also a member of the Radical Party. The fourth and last parliamentarian from the region of Nova Gradiska, Alojz Dubiel, also a member of the Radical Party, could not attend as he was active at the front. Together with Babic and Zugaj they visited detachments of the front, in particular a Serbian village, where they could see that over half of the population had remained.
Back in Osijek, together with Vlastimi Kusik, an Osijek-born member for three years, they held a press conference in which they announced some of the initiatives taken, which include the collection of signatures on an appeal for the internationalization of Osijek (first signatory Kramaric, mayor of the city), the organization of presences "in turns" of parliamentarians and personalities from different countries in Osijek ad in the other cities of Croatia which have suffered the heaviest attacks.
From 3:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. they witnessed a major bombing (the heaviest one according to many of the inhabitants of Osijek) of the centre of the city, during which a building a few metres away from the hotel was struck by a bomb of the federal army.
PRESS CONFERENCE
In Zagreb Pannella, Ottoni, Dupuis and Pinezic, together with the deputy prime minister and radical member Tomac, held a press conference at the presence of many Croatian and international journalists, in which they summarized the situation. Following is the text given to the press:
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6:00 p.m. of yesterday has served the purpose - as in the previous ceasfires - of continuing in the systematic destruction of the economic, productive, cultural, artistic reality of Croatia, of assassinating with terrorist bombings defenceless men and women. Cyrus Vance is lying, and he knows it.
As in the thirties, we are witnessing a false confrontation between idiots and corrupt on the one hand and fools and criminals on the other. We need to mobilize at once, while there is time left, to avoid history from repeating itself, to avoid the defenceless or the deceived populations and the democrats from being the first victims.
Enough with these phony moralists. Kouchner himself is minister of an antidemocratic policy worthy of the Europe of the thirties.
The question is not removing the children, allowing the aggressor to kill their parents, and thus cleansing our conscience. The problem, if anything, is taking our own children among those who are aggressed, against the oppressors. And to resign as minister of Münich.
The same applies to that type of "pacifists" who always keep a neutral stance between fascism and antifascism, who have been the accomplices of the aggressors throughout the century and who have ultimately become their victims.
We understand the responsible, courageous and cautious policy of President Tudjman. But we are not in the conditions of clearly saying that the U.N. troops are sent here at the service of the realpolitik of the military-industrial-financial complex, and not at the service of the legality and of human rights, in complicity with the racist, blackmailing, fascist and palaeo-Bolshevist policy of Milosevic and company.
It is necessary to recognize at once and unconditionally the democratic Republics which have democratically declared their independence from the policy and the power of Belgrade.
It is necessary to immediately guarantee the Republics thus recognized with pacts of mutual assistance, also bilaterally, from
the war imposed to them by a putschist and outlawed army.
It is necessary to refuse any recognition of the Republic of Serbia, no matter what its name, unless it adopts the laws which Zagreb passed in defence of the minorities and of the rights of the citizens.
It is necessary to recognize the fully legitimate right to self-determination of the people of Kosovo, not in respect of an abstract demagogic and irresponsible principle, but in consideration of the concrete historical and political situation which has created itself. The Republic of Kosovo will also need to adopt the laws in defence of the minorities.
It is necessary to support the struggle for the democratic liberation of the Serbian people, oppressed and forced to war by a regime represented by the racist and nationalist demagogue Milosevic and by an army the commanders of which should be convicted penally, internationally and politically.
It is necessary to immediately internationalize the conflict in political terms with a wave of twinnings between European cities and the Croatian ones - firstly the ones that are most exposed to the aggression; with the interdiction of the Croatian air space to the "Serbian" aircraft, with the immediate international financing of the costly laws in favour of the minorities adopted by Zagreb; with the progressive creation of "brigades of nonviolence and legality" on a nonviolent and unarmed service of European democrats on all fronts.
It is necessary to democratically destroy the current regime of Belgrade with the weapons of legality, tolerance, inflexibility and intransigence against the aggressors, the oppressors, the racists and the antidemocrats.
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As a (temporary, alas!) conclusion of the account of the European shame, a comment by Darko Djuretek published on the Zagreb daily Vecernji List following the last press conference.
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OUTSPOKEN
The presence of Pannella on the front of Osijek cannot be compared to the many visits of the many European and international busybodies who want to convince themselves that at the end of this century there really is a war in Europe. It is not infrequent that these busybodies, to whom Croatia generously opens itself, that these international intellectuals, wear the mask of humanism when they return to their warm homes in Paris or elsewhere and they talk about this war with wonder. But nothing ensues of these visits, because these politicians or intellectuals accuse one or the other part ar war. For these representatives of the European conscience, there is no culprit for the bloodshed caused by Serbia on Croatian territory. Everyone is guilty.
Thanks to this, the European public opinion is rather confused, and this is the cause for the delay in aid and support to Croatia.
Marco Pannella, who was in Osijek to support Croatia, but also to intervene against the Serbian crimes and against the shameful silence of some of the powerful of the world, wore the Croatian uniform and went unarmed in a place where shooting and dying go on. Marco Pannella is a different type of man. He does not complain emptily about the horrors of the war, so as to increase his political prestige in the eyes of his colleagues and of fancy women with his humanistic commitment.
Pannella has long since been speaking openly. Most of his energy and activity have been used for a concrete action and a substantial support to the Croatian requests. His major political fame, of an atypical European (far removed from ambiguity and double games) has been committed unto the end to awaken the sleeping consciences of the Europeans and to help Croatia immediately and effectively.
In Zagreb the other day Pannella also said "...the Serbian people should be helped in obtaining a democratic liberation from the regime...." Very outspoken, Pannella said the European policy is blind and hypocritical, and denounced the corruption and the stupidity of many European politicians. Nor did he leave out the Serbian generals, whom he labeled as criminals.
Some might object that this language is typical of the radical Pannella, but one must often agree that he is right in many cases.
Pannella is not the only sincere and great friend of Croatia, but there are no doubts that he says out loud the things which other think. He is a sound and pure conscience of the world.
It is beyond question that he will remain politically "lively" and that his commitment in favour of peace, legality and just reasons will remain strong until the final liberation of Croatia.
Pannella and those who share his views have understood that Croatia has nothing to hide, that it has a clear conscience and for this reason deserves help".
