ABSTRACT: The citizens of the Croatian city of Osijek ask the governments and the parliaments of the countries that participate in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) to intervene in order to prevent the destruction and the occupation of their city on the part of the putschist army.

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As civil and military officials and as citizens of Osijek, as persons who have chosen to share the destiny of this city, we appeal to the Heads of Governments, to the Parliaments of the countries participating in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) so that the democratic countries may not witness with indifference the agony and the violence which are carried out against people and objects and against the very conditions of civil coexistence in this city.

Since May 1991, Osijek has been the object of unprecedented violences on the part of an openly putschist army, void of any constitutional legitimacy: the vast majority of inhabitants has been forced to flee after months of non-stop bombings, and those who remain are forced to live in cellars and shelters; 3.500 people have been injured, and 650 have been killed, half of whom civilians; most houses, facilities and productive plants have been severely damaged or destroyed.

The constant military pressure on the city suggests that the aggressors' intention is to occupy Osijek (after Vukovar) by 15 January in order to place the international community in front of a fait accompli.

All this takes place in the heart of Europe, with the most patent violation of the constitutive principles of the CSCE.

With great distress we witness the absence of effective interventions to halt the aggressor and discourage plans to overwhelm us. Today dozens of Croatian cities are in our same situation, and if measures are not taken to prevent the law of the jungle from prevailing, the same will happen in other parts of former Yugoslavia.

We believe the European conscience cannot accept and tolerate further. It would represent a precedent of absolute gravity, with extremely dangerous effects also as regards the other republics and provinces of former Yugoslavia, if the international community tolerated the fact that pure military force can impose its will with violence and massacres, in contrast with the decisions democratically made by a number of republics.

We are certain and convinced that at stake are, in addition to ours, the rights of democracy and freedom of the Serbian populations, of those of Kosovo, Bosnia Herzegovina, Montenegro and of all those who are forced to kill and be killed in the name of a wrongful sense of the nation and of supposed hegemonic ambitions.

We therefore ask you to enact, each within the field of its responsibilities, all those actions leading to the immediate recognition of the Republics which have freely decided their independence and which condemn the aggressive nature of the war waged against the people and the objects of the Republic of Croatia.

In particular, we ask the Parliaments to immediately ensure the presence of qualified delegations in Osijek and in the other Croatian cities which are most affected by the war, in order to discourage the military aggression and witness the common will to build a united Europe, based on the rule of law and on the respect of individual rights.

First signatories of the "appeal of Osijek"

Zlatko Kramaric - mayor of Osijek - professor of literature

Srecko Lovrincin - president of the town council of Osjiek

professor of architecture

Branko Roso - vice president of the town council - economist

Adam Mestrovic - councillor for education - teacher

Zoran Gucunski - councillor for culture - economist

Josip Valincic - member of the Croatian Parliament, elected in

Osijek, member of the Radical Party

Vlastimir Kusik - director of the museum of modern art of Osijek,

member of the Radical Party

and 246 more signatories