*Srebrenica - four years later
It has been four years since the fall of Srebrenica. Four years since
this town has entered the new Bosnian and world history in the most
cruel way possible.
* Pact on Stability in Southeast Europe - Summit in Sarajevo
Speak the best about the dead ones. And usually, everyone is trying
to say something.
Also this time, many have gathered around Srebrenica memorial
activities, feeling the need to say "something". Just anything at
all.
The central manifestation to mark the fall of Srebrenica, under the
name "Let's Not Forget", took place in the middle of the last month
in Tuzla. As it usually happens, political commissioners visited the
survivers from Srebrenica - families of the killed, war invalids,
demobilized fighters... Their only purpose is to be visited once a
year, so the politicians who were accomplicers in these people's
tragedy, could release themselves from the guilt, once a year. Again,
till the next anniversary. Along with some promises that are used
only before the elections.
As I said, some more-or-less wellmeaning people have come to Tuzla -
members of local authorities, and many other foreign activists,
politicians. Dutch, and others.
To remind you, Dutch units that were part of the UN troops, were
securing the protected zone of Srebrenica. But they failed to defend
it properly, now fellow-citizens are there to lay down flowers, Maybe
they even defend the "innocence of the army" and honour of the
country they come from. With an inevitable compassion.
Hypocrisy or something else?
I have enough prejudice and and bitterness to leave the answer to
this question to others.
But, not the politicians or the foreigners managed to answer the
question which is a lot more important and I'm wondering; probably
this is out of place. Why and did Srebrenica have to happen? Was it
really necessary to send 10.000 people to death?
For what and why?
Maybe they are not able to answer this, but they are showing
compassion through an enormous doze of sympathy. There they are,
gathered around the deceased. All of them, whose "guilty conscience"
made them to be a part of the manifestation. If they were more
determend four years earlier, the history would have been different.
But it's too late today.
For many things.
I'm sure there will be other political commissioners and citizens of
other states that will be equally sorry and laying flowers, but this
time in Kosovo. And somewhere else after that.
The list is getting longer day by day. And Srebrenica is just another
metaphore for mass human slaughter houses which are becoming a very
frequent custom at the end of the 20th century.
Blood (ours, of course) is the easiest and the fastest way of getting
money these days. And the money makes the world go round.
We'll talk about humanity some other time.
One of the signs that International Community didn't forget this
country (in the words of one of our own politicians), is the summit
that is taking place in Sarajevo at the end of this month. The pact
on stability is the first of more meetings whith the goal to improve
the safety situations in this part of the continent.
It is expected 4000 diplomats and all 66 heads of the Pact members to
come during 29 and 30 July. There is only one number 6 missing to
imply something evil, but, no bad ideas this time. One high officer
in Bosnian police, described this as the arrival of, not one, but 66
Popes. So it should be treated as such. The most important figure in
all this is Bill Clinton, in person. It is clear that it's impossible
to decide about anything without the USA influence. Even if it had
very little (or nothing) to do with America.
The biggest part of the organization is up to state institutions with
a help from SFOR and International cops.
It is interesting that the summit costs will be only around 6 million
marks. And, of course, it would be naive to believe that the EU will
cover the costs. Most of them will be payed by this unfortunate
country. But who ever notices small things like that in a situation
when starvation is at the door of many houses in B&H, the industry
iss collapsing, waiting for their new privat owner and only a few get
salaries. The summit is what matters.
We wanted a summit - we've got it.
Those who should will make money on it. And they like to point out
that the profit doesn't matter. What matters is for Sarajevo to get
the supreme political meaning and event.
It's nice to have an excuse.
Enormous sums of money have been taken out of the national budget,
but it's obvious that idividuals will get the profit at the expense
of the country. That's why it's clear why the country won't give the
money to those who received the title of social cases during the war,
such as starving workers, pensioners and others. There are more and
more of them each day. The only way of making money on this people is
by taking from them, not giving.
All city services are at their best, to make everything look best for
the summit. It is unknown why we can't have Sarajevo like that
always, clean and beautiful as one communal organization says. Maybe
the recipe for that is to have summit every other day. Sarajevo is
cleaner than ever. Anything that can be fixed is being fix.
Does this town exist for the people who live in it or for the beasts
that crawl wherever they can smell blood and money, covered with
hundreds of cameras? I'm sorry to say that this latter thing seems to
be closer to the truth.
A few months ago, I wrote about Sarajevo as it really is. In a place
reallity is treu. I wrote about the flea-market in the centre of the
town, where misery has come up to the surface, like never before.
Without make-up. A couple of days ago, the bulldozers destroyed the
last tracks of that side of Sarajevo. As well as the hope of the
people that were selling the last parts of their belongings in order
to earn some money for surviving the following day. That image of
Sarajevo is unwanted in catalogues that will be offered to visitors.
Brecht's story of the mother killing her own children proved to be
true once again. After successfully chancing people in killing
machines, now these people are pushed to ruins.
It's been little discussed about the contest of the summit itself.
That's probably the least interesting part. Do you expect something
radical or spectacular? A new assassination or something like that?
I don't.
Euphoria is beginning.
A big circus is coming to town and the race for money and excitement
is growing day by day.
We'll talk about the result the month.