CROWN – Croatian World Network

Hypocrites at The Hague To: letters@nytimes.com Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2003 Subject: UN Court/Croatia Dear Editor: Your article “UN Court, Croatia at Odds over Runaway General”, 9/25 , quotes an incorrect indictment of Croatia’s General Gotovina by stating ” indicted for killings and widespread destruction during and after Zagreb’s final offensive against rebel Serbs in Aug. 1995″. The General’s indictment is for “command responsibility” while he never ordered civilian killings that occurred during some revenge-taking by Croats, who were not necessarily even part of the army. “Widespread destruction” is also very questionable! General Gotovina is an honorable and highly regarded officer, who is being made a scapegoat by hypocrites at The Hague ICTY in pursuit of an innocent person in order to “equalize” the guilt among Croats and Serbs, which was all along the West’s policy in that war. If such “command responsibility” is made a factor in wars, then every American officer must be indicted for the destruction of Iraqi property and the killing of thousands of Iraqi civilians. Sincerely, Hilda M. Foley National Federation of Croatian Americans 13272 Orange Knoll Santa Ana, Ca, 92705

Letter to EU Commission and reply I am sending you once more the letter I wrote to the President of the EU Commission, Mr. Prodi, so you can compare it with the answer I received today. Their letter is below mine. Hilda Foley The majority of the Croatian population approves of Croatia’s entering into the EU and we find the conditions which you mentioned in order to be accepted inconsistent with the ones’ other countries were required to meet. You mention for example “the return of refugees”. As you must realize, Croatia has only recently come out of a brutal war of aggression by Serbia, in which these Croatian Serb refugees were the ones who rebelled against Croatia and with the help of the Yugoslav/Serb army killed some twelve thousand and “ethnically cleansed” several hundred thousand Croatians in their own country, destroying and plundering their homes and properties. No other country in the world has been forced to forgive and forget so soon what has been done to it. May I remind you that the Czech Republic, which is accepted into the EU, has not allowed its Sudeten German refugees to return or compensate them for their material losses even after more than fifty years. This was not a requirement by the EU for the Czech Republic. Therefore, is it not obvious that the EU stand in regard to Croatia and the refugee situation is quite unfair and inconsistent. Furthermore, one has to realize that it was first the Croatians who were driven out by the Serbs (1991-1995), years before in 1995 Croatia liberated its Krajina territory and the Serbs left on the orders of their own leadership. Consequently, the returning long-time Croatian refugees must have preference for housing. Since Serbs destroyed most of Croatians’ homes, out of necessity Croatians have been settling in some of the Serb ones’. Croatia after the ravages of war simply does not have the money to build homes for all the refugees, Croatian or Serb. This problem should be understood by the EU and not held against Croatia. The other great inconsistency is the requirement for Croatia to open its borders without visa requirement to Serbia/Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina. If the EU wishes open borders between nations, why has Slovenia, next in line for EU membership admittance, been allowed to seal its borders with Croatia while Croatia must open its borders to its recent aggressor Serbia? Certainly the EU leadership must know about the huge criminal element in Serbia, Bosnia and Albania, with drugs, white slavery and people smuggling among other criminal activities in addition of providing easy access to terrorists and Islamic fundamentalists. Just why would then the EU require Croatia to freely open its borders to be inundated with such undesirables? Croatia does not want them or need them any more than any other European country. Obviously, such an EU demand of Croatia is totally unfair and detrimental. Last but not least, Slovenia was part of former Yugoslavia and will be accepted into the EU, on what grounds is Croatia less eligible? Slovenia was never in history a state, while Croatia was one of the oldest European kingdoms centuries ago. Croatia was never part of the Balkans as the border was between Croatia and Serbia. It divided the Western culture and Christianity from the Eastern Orthodox, Byzantine and Muslim culture and religion. Croatia only became part of the Balkans when, without the privilege of a vote, it was united with Serbia and Slovenia into Yugoslavia in 1918. Croatians are simply not Balkan people, they are Central and Mediterranean Europeans, historically and culturally. Excellency, please consider these facts and do not let the EU push Croatia into these Balkan associations to which it does not belong any more than does Slovenia and which goes against the wishes of the Croatian people. Very truly yours, Hilda Marija Foley American Croatian Association 13272 Orange Knoll Santa Ana, Ca. 92705 USA Here is the answer: EUROPEAN COMMISSION Aug. 5, 2003 External Relations Directorate General Directorate Western Balkans The Director Dear Ms. Foley, Thank you for your letter of July 22 2003 addressed to the President of the European Commission, Mr. Romano Prodi. Mr. Prodi’s cabinet has asked me to reply on his behalf. I appreciate your close interest in EU-Croatian relation in general and, more specifically, in President Prodi’s recent speech in the Croatian Parliament. However, some of your remarks cannot be deducted from this speech or need to be clarified. First of all, regarding your rethoric question whether Croatia is less eligible for EU membership than slovenia, I limit myself to recalling the following dates: Slovenia applied for EU membership in June 1996. The Commission Opinion was issued in 1997 and Slovenia started negotiations in March 1998. These negotiations were concluded in December 2003 and, following the ratification of the accession treaty, Slovenia will join the EU in May 2004. Croatia applied for EU membership in February 2003 and the Commission is now in the process of examining this application in order to prepare its opinion. The criteria for accession are the same for these two countries as well as for all countries applying for membership. Membership requires that the candidate country has achieved stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for the protection of minorities; the existence of a functioning market economy, as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union; and the ability to take on the obligations of membership, including adherence to the aim of political, economic and monatery union. As you can see from these conditions, there is simplyno place for ethnic discrimination within the European Union. It is therefore consistent that the European Union, within its Stabilisation and Association Process, insists on refugee return, be it in Croatia, in Bosnia and Herzegovina or in Serbia and Montenegro, be the refugees of Croatian, Serb or of any other origin. Within its CARDS programme, the European Commission has been providing significant financial assistance for housing reconstruction in Croatia in order to facilitate refugee return. Finally, the European Commission has not required Croatia to open its borders without visa requirements to Serbia and Montenegro. However, it welcomes and promotes all initiatives leading to increased co-operation and exchanges, including business exchanges, between these two countries. The fight against organized crime which you mention is also a prime example of a problem that can only be tackled if all the countries of the region co-operate. Moreover, regional co-operation is of course an excellent training ground for membership in the European Union: after all the EU itself is an example of very advanced regional co-operation and integration. Yours sincerely, signed: Reinhard PRIEBE

A Personal Appeal from Congressman Kucinich From: info@kucinich.us Dear Friend, I’m going to be blunt. My presidential campaign needs your help more than ever. There are only a few days left in this fundraising quarter (ending Sept. 30) and I need your support. If you saw last night’s nationally-televised debate, you know that I am speaking out for you…and for your issues. I spoke out for bringing the troops home from Iraq, and against the President’s request for $87 billion more. I was alone in discussing how the Iraq occupation hurts our economy. I was alone in advocating a withdrawal from NAFTA and the WTO in favor of bilateral trade pacts that protect workers’ rights and the environment. I spoke clearly about taking our healthcare system out of the hands of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies — and establishing nonprofit national health insurance, Enhanced Medicare for All. I alone called for returning the Social Security retirement age to 65. Our wealthy nation can afford healthcare and retirement security. But we have to rescind the tax breaks for the wealthy, and as I pointed out in last night’s debate, the wealthiest 1% in our country will get a majority of the Bush tax cut. To keep bringing these issues to the American people our campaign needs an infusion of funds. Please donate at https://www.kucinich.us/contribute.php Your contribution today will be doubled through federal matching funds arriving in a few months. I know many of you have donated as much as you can, and I thank you. But please reach out to three other people who share our values — by forwarding this email to them. If you watched last night’s debate, you saw me call for a 15% cut in Pentagon spending and an end to tax breaks for the wealthy in order to fund childcare and education and job creation. I spoke of my efforts to end the death penalty and to establish a cabinet-level Department of Peace. These issues reflect our unique and progressive grassroots campaign that you have helped build. To expand our insurgent campaign, please donate: https://www.kucinich.us/contribute.php Sincerely, Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich http://www.kucinich.us