ABSTRACT: Letter sent by the President and the Secretary of the Radical Party to the environmental and pacifist movements of the republics of former Yugoslavia. After having recalled the initiatives of the Radical party for Yugoslavia's entry into the European Community, the authors of the letter provide information on the initiative of Marco Pannella, who decided to intensify his nonviolent action by "moving to Osijek by Christmas, wearing the Croatian uniform, to carry out an unarmed 'front line' service".

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Dear friend,

the Radical Party, after having in vain advocated the adhesion of Yugoslavia to the European Community, precisely so that the predictable crisis of the federate structure could find a nonconflictual outlet in the context of a wider and firmly established system of democratic guaranties for all minorities, is currently engaged in denouncing, by means of nonviolent and parliamentary initiatives, the shameful responsibilities and complicities of Europe vis-à-vis the ongoing conflict, in urging an international recognition for all those republics which have democratically decided their independence as the premise for an effective intervention of the United Nations, and in supporting all those forces which express positions of political tolerance in the various republics. We strongly denounced the aggressive nature of the ongoing war in Croatia, where an offensive is being carried out by a militarist power group which aims not only at a territorial expansion, but especially at suffocating every possibility of a d

emocratic development and of a European integration, especially in Serbia and in the other Republics and Provinces of former Yugoslavia. By means of demonstrations and parliamentary initiatives, we denounced the blindness and the objective complicity of the European political leadership with regard to this new militarist and totalitarian authority, which could affirm itself in the Balkans and which, if not restrained in time, could trigger other wars and genocides in the region.

As you perhaps know, Marco Pannella, who had undertaken a fast together with other Russian and Czechoslovak representatives when Bukovar was occupied, announced on 10 December his intention to intensify his nonviolent commitment by "moving to Osijek by Christmas, wearing the Croatian uniform, to carry out a 'front line' nonviolent service". Marco Pannella recalled the Gandhian inspiration of this assumption of full responsibility, remembering the behaviour of the Mahatma, who took part in the voluntary Defence Force of Natal against the Zulus in South Africa in 1906 by serving in the Indian Hospital Corps as sergeant major. We hope this will not remain a personal political initiative, or the initiative of the Radical party alone, but that it will involve all those forces which, in Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Slovenia and obviously in Croatia, oppose the war and are engaged in the creation of a new democratic system, respectful of the minorities of former Yugoslavia. We believe that "neutra

l" positions, which do not clearly support the aggressed part, regardless of the latter's ethnical belonging, contribute in convincing the international public opinion of that fact that the ongoing war is an ethnical war between Serbs and Croats, instead of a deliberate action carried out by a specific power group to maintain the political control of the remains of Yugoslavia and to repress the demands of democracy of the Serbs and of the other peoples of the region. The fact of siding clearly with the aggressed part as nonviolents from Italy, Serbia, Russia or Kosovo, represents the first urgent act to dispel the tragic deception of hate against the "foreigner", the "different", the "enemy", with which dictatorships have always lead peoples to war and to destruction.

With your support, and with the support of your friends, the Christmas meeting in Osijek could become the first emblematic and dramatic testimony, in the eyes of the world, of the existence of forces of different ethnical origin that wish to escape, with determination, the trap of nationalist hate as well as the even worse trap of indifference and neutrality as regards the aggression.

Dear friend,

we realize that other problems, other sensitivities and also many misunderstandings contribute to making difficult the "miracle" which we could cause on Christmas day: making thousands of young men, who are forced to kill to "conquer" Osjeck, realize that they have been cheated, that they have been sent to fight against their own brothers from Serbia or Montenegro, against the possibility of creating a democratic and federate Europe where no one should be forced to sacrifice his life to protect his own national community; convince them, in other words that the true enemy, as often in wars, is behind them, not in front of them.

Despite the scarce time available, the difficulties of the dialogue, we firmly believe that you will discuss these proposals with your friends and that you will responsibly make your decisions. Should you be in favour of the initiative, we could decide e meeting on Christmas eve (in Zagreb) with the other persons and groups that want to take part in the nonviolent action.

We would in any case be grateful for your answer (fax: 396/6545396).

Emma Bonino Sergio Stanzani