Introduction
what to take? ;)
leaving, all packed
in Paris, some history
drug donation
Fwd: Balkan Peace Team Work on the Kosovo War
Doctors Without Borders great work
first tetova visit
in country
flat in skopje
tetova 2
The russians are coming.
sunday mourning
Fox from Launceston Jail
workshops scheduled
MAIL15
MAIL16
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Introduction      Index

Andy went on a trip to Kosovo in June 1999 to record first hand what he would encounter. He announced that he would be sending emails to interested people. 21 Suns suggested that his email journals could be published here, and he accepted. This is a running record of these journals.

what to take? ;)      Index

some idea of what's in the bags....

articles, proposals, worksheets:
Nonviolent solutions in Kosov@, Howard Clark
Theoretic Foundation for Psychological Trauma Resolution
Nonviolence in Action (MLK 6 principles)
Five Core Skills for Peacemakers
Bibliography for Nonviolent Peaceworkers
198 Methods of Nonviolent Action
The Global Spread of Active Nonviolence
Moments of a Violent Act
Three types of Violence
Teaching about Nonviolent Action (Ronald McCarthy)
10 Points About Civilan Based Defense and Nonviolent Resistance (Albert Einstein Institute)
Historical Examples of Nonviolent Struggle
How Nonviolent Struggle Works
Correcting Common Misconceptions about Nonviolent Action
Family Violence Exercise
Guides to Transforming Power
Common Behavior that Perpetuate Relations of Domination (Adair,Howell)
Ideas on Taking Nonviolence Seriously (Lakey)

books and reports:
Report on Ritual Abuse (includes captivity and long term stress) (Daniela Coats, Vancouver)
Kosov@: Preparing For After The War, Howard Clark (Report for the Kosov@ working Group of the
Committee for Conflict Transformation Support)
Self Understanding of the Albanians in Non-Violence (Shkelzen Maliqi)
Kosov@: A War Not Fought (Alberto L'Abate, '96)
From Dictatorship To Democracy, Gene Sharp 77pp.

material aid (Crabgrass donations +):
110 pairs women's briefs
16 pairs stockings
5 large bottles acetaminophen
7 ibuprofen
condoms
tylenol
15 frisbees, 2 yoyos
basil, bean, zinnia seeds
16 balls of yarn
bras, socks, scarves
3 dozen pens, pencils
art only greeting cards

travel gear:
phrase book, albanian language tapes (po = yes, jo = no) :)
camera, 20 rolls of film
sleeping bag, air pad
jeans, t shirts to give away
no laptop (relying on Internet Cafe in Skop)
Peaceworkers stationary
food not bombs buttons

blessings:
Kunzom Thakuri and Dave Ridnell offered a kata and
protection necklace blessed by HH Dalai Lama. (cool)
Wisdom, Strength, Compassion icon from Jenn Iannello
The quartz egg, which received prayers at Nuke Test Site and
in Folsom Prison as well as at NCPCR.
ash from sacred fire at Nuke Test Site (Shoshone)
California sage

contacts (there):
UNHCR, Community Services
UNICEF, Psychosocial Services
Center for Protection of Women and Children
American Friends Service Committee
Most ('Bridge', Beograd)
Office of Transition Initiatives, AID
Center for Development of Civil Society
Search for Common Ground
Ethnic Conflict Resolution Project
Independent Student Union
Media Project
Balkan Peace Team
Koha (daily Albanian newspaper)
Council for Defense of Human Rights
Union of Independent Trade Unions
Green Movement
Open Society Institute (Soros) Roma Staff
Kosov@ Helsinki Committee
Balkan Peace Studies Center, University (Skop)
Roma Center Skop
Catholic Relief
Mercy Corps Int'l
UN World Food Program
Post Pessimists (youth nonviolence group)
El Hilal - Organizata Humanitare
League of Albanian Women in Macedonia
Macedonian Red Cross - Tetova

curricula:
Alternatives to Violence Project, Basic Manual
AVP, Forgiveness Workshop
Equality and Emotional Intimacy, Bill Moyer (partial)
Peaceworkers study session: True Justice, Concepts in Peacemaking
Beyond Violence: Building Sustainable Peace
sample files to teach web site building class
Self Help Groups: A Manual for Leaders (Trauma Listening, Warren Dale)
(Center For Changing Systems, Redwood City, CA)
agenda and notes from Advanced Facilitator Training (Lakey)
Mesonjetore E Vullnetit Te Mire (Grupi Most)

contacts here:
Crabgrass
Peaceworkers
Conflict Resolution Catalysts
Balkan Youth Link
Conflict Resolution Center International
Alliance for Global Justice
AVP
you

leaving, all packed      Index

what's Kosov@? Serbs spell it Kosovo and Kosovars spell it Kosova, so we're taking the middle road with Kosov@.

National Confernece for Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution in Phoeniz last week was really outstanding and I made lots of contacts for Kosov@ and also for nonviolent education for high schools. There was tons of good info and sharing and I'll report on that later.

Specifically Kosov@ info:

Gary Shapiro from Conflict Resolution Catalysts convened the first of four meetings. Various things were discussed including future plans for those in the room as well as information sharing.
check out www.crcvt.org for more info about Gary's project.
Gary had recently visited Macedonia and Albania and made these points: (these are 3rd hand, I didn't write down verbatim and so this is vague stuff).
. Kosovars are making the camps, which were set up military style more like a village. There were 8-12 in a tent with many more in some.
. Boredom and the potential for violence (riots) is part of camp life.
. Kosovar people are sophisticated people. Some had summer homes, although Kosova was the poorest of the yugo states. Many had pictures of their houses and their villages.
. Many were forced to leave Kosova with nothing and some ate flour out of the bag while waiting for Macedonia to open the border.
. Listening work was neccessary and a good contribution in the camps. Simply listening to exit stories had positive effect.
. KLA recruits men in the camps.

Gary was met by angry words in the center of Skop during an anti-NATO rally. Pro serbians portrayed Clinton as a fascist, Albright as a pig, wore swastikas.
Some language was strong, restating that Gary just didn't have his facts. "Did you know Kosovars practice incest?" was a question.
Some Macedonians are agitated that Kosovars are receiving lots of assistance and Macedonians are coming up shirt. Serbia was their main export buyer and there is no more business there.
Gary and the group took steps to commit to further work. I will rely what I hear from them. A statement for attenders of NCPCR to sign was worked out to be delivered to the President. It included a call to spend as much money for training NVCR workers as on military solutions.

----
other ideas:
Montenegro is the untold story here. This state of ex-Yugo has heroically defied Milosevic and has been occupied by the Serb army for it. Some compared Mont. to Switzerland, with still a real chance to demonstrate that different ethnic groups can live in peace. Mont. leader Milo Jukanovich was travelling Europe getting support to continue standing up to the Serbs.
Read "Balkan Ghosts"
Visiting democracy workers in Montenegro is important. The message to bring is "we are watching", "we care", and "we want to support you".

---
discussion with Njeza, who is with MOST ("Bridge") in Beograde. She worked with Albanian Kosovars before the war and made some points:
Kosovars a very sophisticated politically. They built a parallel government after the Serb regime nationalized their government and suspended the constitution in the early 90s. They organized a health care system "Mother Teresa Clinics" and schools after 14,000 workers (all state employed albanian kosovars) were fired.
K has a long experience with nonviolent organizers. Rugova led a Ghandhian movement, with many people involved.
The 'vendetta' tradition exists, but there has been strong solidarity among K people to get rid of it. There was a national day when 1000 families agreed to drop their familial vendettas (1991?).
Address older men first when introduced to a group. It's a patriarchy.
K are comfy sitting on the floor and talking in a circle.
Listen to the stories of the past, listen to the hopes for the future, listen for the activities in the present (in that order).

---
Because it is possible that there is nothing left in Prishtina I am taking a bit of literature for nonviolence education to restock.
I'm appending a list of contacts that I have that know someone I've met directly and I have phone numbers for. This is a great start so I'll set up meeting with folks when I get there.

---
Also received material aid from Fran Peavey with Crabgrass which was mostly women's items and over the counter drugs.
The little party at my house was fun, we raised over $700 with donations from Eric Sussman, David McClure, Masha Bykin, Andrea Shannon, Sharon Donovan, and some others. Pledge after the fact by emailing me at affirmingandy@yahoo.com and say if you'd like me to spend some money for you - it will become more clear what to buy later.

---
Special thanks to Dave and Jan Hartsough for the sendoff dinner and the guidance (for many years actually) and for informing and inspiring this actions.
Also to my great friends Jen, Laura, Sussty, Jay, Don, etc from Cornell for the support and tough questions,and cousin Jeffi for checking in.

---
There was an antiwar rally in Dolores park here in San Francisco today and it looked like about 8,000 people - SF FNB set up a great panel display of the history of the region and the war.
I'm leaving soon and it's a pretty amazing feeling. Tracy helped me pack the goods and I have two nice neat travel bags (green and purple) and a handy document carrier with all the printed stuff, after TONS of details (leaving work, packing up the cube) so I'm pretty tired. excited though for sure.
More later.

FOOD NOT BOMBS!

append: reposting some ideas of things to do, a bunch more people were added to the list that didn't see the first post.

Specifically I am considering:
. being useful in whatever ways arise. As Crabgrass demonstrated there are lots of ways to 'plug in' that emerge spontaneously.
. if possible, translate and distribute Warren Dale's curriculum for facilitating 'Self Help' groups, and also the AVP Basic Manual
. of course that would not happen without engaging local people who were interested in facilitating. A need for trauma listening and opportunities to build the 'safe containers' that can happen in an AVP workshop has been identified.
. connect with psycho-social services at the UNHCR meetings and report back on existing work and other opportunities.
. 'trauma listening' is a strong leading of mine, and I have prepared for this in a manner of ways. Warren Dale trained me and others in his 'self help' group facilitation and that was very useful. He supplied a curriculum for trainers. I HIGHLY recommend 'TRAUMA AND RECOVERY' by Herman M.D. Harvard (1992) for a _complete_ description of causes, symptoms, and treatments, and also a strong political connection to the work. I've also read 'METASKILLS:The Spiritual Art of Therapy' by Amy Mindel which outlines some skills for compassionate listening. Recent work in Folsom prison and roleplays is barely adequate for competence, but it's a start. "Trauma cannot be suffered alone" is the refrain from Herman's book and I am prepared to experience '2ndary trauma' from listening. I will need to talk about it.
. 'boredom' is a factor in the camps, and a need for activities from teens and yound adults was noticed. apparently UNICEF is doing more for young children. I intend to bring some Frisbee discs if that works out. I also can juggle : )
. I will also be travelling with software and will provide training for website development if the need is present.
. lastly provide enough details, make enough contacts, and generally build community to open the way for others to have like experiences.

in Paris, some history      Index

Chris Crass - can you forward this and other posts to FNB-L, I thought I could but I can't.
Ma, please put these mails in a folder cause I'm going to run out of disk space and won't be able to archive.
Dave Hartsough, can you please email me the name and email address of the fellow I talked to in Pennsylvania? thanks

____

People!

I'm writing from Paris, where it is absolutely lovely, and I'll take a train tommorrow to Frankfurt and hop a plane to Thessolonika and then on to Skopje. I have some new media contacts and possibly a development org for post war planning. I've been reading tons and understand that this campaign for albanian freedom is long and continues. I think the best thing for me is to help us all understand historically so that we can help in useful ways and also learn for our own communties. The fragmentation of Anerican society can look very similar to the Balkans and we should take the violence there as fair warning for home. I'll say more about that later.

Carol Rose has arranged a brilliant donation of medicines; eye infection, general broad antibiotics, bandages, gastro-intestinal treatments, water purification, hydrocortisone, disinfectants; etc, which will be very valuable for the Center for Protection of Women and Children. Thanks to cousins and Tom and Carol for hospitality! Also thanks to Anne, the nice woman on the plane who donated $100! And to Vanessa Warheit for her donation.

We spoke for a bit about the difference between treating trauma of the body and trauma of the mind, and agree that mind trauma needs a supportive community and sense of safety, which can take a long time at great expense to establish, before the neccessary work of giving voice to the experience can begin; in order to be effective and not destructive.

OK, follows is a text on the history of the conflict up until 1982, I'll get up to date later. I'm dropping any sort of differencing kosova/kosovo/kosov@ and will use interchangeably.

Thanks for the supportive notes, and welcome to new subscribers. If you want off this list let me know.

in good spirits-
-a

___

Doug writes:
If you know any other volunteers who are not on the Balkan Sunflowers USA mailing list, please forward this to them and ask them to either subscribe or send me their e-mail address. Send the reply back to me in the order above so that If necessary, I can import it into a database or phonebook program. Thanks,
Doug Williams
US Coordinator
doug323@aol.com

__________

some more history (Alberto L'Abate, Kosovo: A War Not Fought):
serbs say the area is traditionally Slav, as some beautiful orthodox cathedrals are here, and claim Albanians emigrated later with connivance of Turks and later Fascists and Nazis, and along with a high birth rate, have been able to force serbs out.

albanians say, supported by some archeology (and claim serbs covered up the digs) that Kosovars are indigenous descendents of Illyrians who've lived in the area since ancient Greece. "Albanian" is derived from "albanoi", the name of an illyrian tribe. Serbs invaded in 7th century, subjegated albanians, and built churches on Albanian catholic churches.

The Turk invasion in the 14th c. brought Islam, and also brought the defeat of Slavs at the Battle of the Plain of Blackbirds (albanian songs indicate alliance with serbs in this fight).

Turk empire lasted until 1912, when Albanians (according to them) reconquered the land. Also according to Albanian interpretation, "christian europe" did not want a moslem bridgehead in the area, and at the Conference of Ambassadors in London (1913) and again at Treaty of Versailles (1919) divided Albanians into Albania (ocean access), Kosovo (which became part of Serbian kingdom in 1913), Macedonia, Montenegro, and Greece. "Albania" was 'given' in thanks for Albanian contribution to the fall of the Turkish empire. The other divisions placed people into minority positions in ethnically different countries.

Albania saw unification from '41-'44 during Fascist-Nazi occupation. The Nazi occupation of Serbia was brutal with many men hanged in public squares for refusing to collaborate, and is "remembered by Serbs as an occasion for heavy dicrimination against them, and as a warning of what would happen to them if Kosova was no longer part of Yugoslavia." Albanians contributed to the fight for liberation from Fascist-Nazi and at the end of the war there was a failed project for Albanian-Yugoslavian federation. Representatives of the anti-fascist forces of Alb., Serbs, Montenegro, and Turks unanimously adopted a resolution providing for the possibility of reuniting Kosovo to Albania, which did not happen.

Different version of this history was a main reason for Albanians refusing to use Serb textbooks and Albanian's claim to use their own language in schools (and to eventually organize a parallel school system).

A student movement in 1968 became the Albanian nationalist movement during Tito. The 1974 Constitution which recognized Kosova as an autonomous province (as opposed to a 'state' ala Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia) with rights to veto territorial questions and voting rights took the steam out of that movement.

Kosovars, as the third largest ethnic group (after serbs and croats) continued to advocate for full state rights, with significant demonstrations in 1981 after Tito's death. Serbs framed this movement as 'secessionist', instituted a state of emergency, fell violently on the population, an arrested and imprisoned many of the intellectuals who had participated in the demos.

1988 saw the ascendency of Milosevic, a once banker and communist party official, who organized the 'Communist League of Serbia' later the 'Serbian Socialist Party', and led demonstrations in Belgrade demanding a new constitution. Tito's constitution gave equal representation to the states without concern for population. Serb rallying cries were of this nature: "we've had enough, a state that allows 12 million serbs to be overpowered by 2 million slovenians, or 600,00 montenegrins. " "Stop Slovenian explotation" "Stop with bureaucratic parasites who ruin factories. Stop with Croat and Bosnian politicians who occupy government buildings and collect salaries. " "It's time for new politics - One man, one vote". Milosevic took advantage of Kosovar agitation for political change by agitating himself, and demonizing Kosovar Albanians in the process. "Let's go to Kosovo" "Give us arms!"

Other yugoslav states joined in the fierce repression of Kosovo in 1989, until they saw more clearly Milosovic's agenda of "Greater Serbia", launched at the now infamous rally at the Plain of Blackbirds on June 28 1989. "Where a serb lives, there is Serbia" The dissolution of the Kosovo parliament by force caused the Yugoslav federation government to cease, and other states sought independence. Here started the popular saying: "Everything started with Kosovo, and everything will finish with Kosovo."

repression: Gen. Sec. of Kosovo Communist Party E. Vllasi who fought against changes to Tito's constitution Milosevic brought to approval, arrested 1988.
marches, demos and strikes (nonviolent actions) Nov. 88
Miners strike in Trepsa (feb. 89) total fast and barricaded themselves in the mine for 8 days
mass dessertion from communist party,
mass demonstrations brought shootings and killings fro, serbian forces.
The names of the dead were posted on trees in Prishtina.
March 90, 9 P.M. curfew established, "state of emergency" declared, Kosovo occupied
March 90, 7,000 school children poisoned. Evidence of Sarin nerve gas on clothes.
Serbian government removed the veto provision for Kosovo from the constitution.
Approval of the Kosovo parliament was obtained at gunpoint with tanks surrounding the building.
Violent clashes caused 24 deaths.
Serbia enacted laws disallowing Albanian on official documents.
Leader of Kosova continued to advocate for inclusion in the Federation of Yugoslavia as a full state (rather than an independent country), and met in front of the Parliament, as they were locked out of the building, to approve this. (July 2, 90)
5 July, Serbia dissolves government and parliament of Kosovo.
7 Sept, Republic of Kosova formed secretly, constitution adopted
28 Sept 90, Serb approves "Constitution of Serbia" depriving autonomy of previous provinces.
nonviolence continues to keep the conflict from exploding Shkelzen Maliki "The ethnic conflict in Kosovo has therefore assumed the form of an intensive war of nerves, in which one party stops at nothing in its brutal violation of human rights and freedom, indifferent to the strong protests of international organisaions which have special missions in Kosovo to monitor human rights violations, while the other party suffers humiliation and restrains itself, accumulating more and more despair, but also rage and hatred that threaten to explode"
90-91, military occupation extends to factories, newspapers, and schools, all public places, political, juridical, administrative offices, with over 14,000 workers dismissed. Teachers at all levels were required to sign loyalty oaths or dismissed.
Dec. 90, Faculty of Medicine at Prishtina U. closed. Teaching Albanian history or in Albanian language abolished.
June 91 Deans dismissed, enrollment by Albanians students greatly curtailed, later abolished
Sept 91 Referendum, very large majority voted for independence over autonomy (not recognized)
Oct 91 students and teachers in nonviolent protest beaten and arrested
Sept 92 thousands march to reopen the school and were beaten
Parallel government formed to organize health and education service.
"Mother Theresa" clinics formed (she is of Kosovar Albanian origin).
Parallel schools formed.
May 92, elections not recognized by Serb govt are held, monitored by internationals, where Rugova elected as President of Kosova Republic.
May 92, 200,000 march with a single coffin in the "Funeral of Violence".

Some define the situation as "apartheid" where Kosovars are not allowed access to schools, libraries, swimming pools, public meeting spaces, hotels, restaurants, etc.

Forced evictions continue. Imagine coming home from work to find your wife crying and your stuff in the street. You try to find out what's going on so you ask and get the butt of a rifle in your face. the next day this happens to your neighbor and so on. Another family occupies your house, and they speak a different language, worship differently, etc.

____

What of this nonviolent movement in Kosovo? This suprised the Serbs, which apparently were goading the Kosovars into confrontation in 1990 and later. Nonviolent response to oppression blunted the possible hostilities until 1996 with the emergence of the UCK (KLA).

from self understanding of the Albanians in Non Violence, Shkelzen Maliki
"Albanian Ghandiism came as a surprise to not only the Serbs, but also to Albanians who hardly imagined themsemves in that particular role before. In their self-understanding of national identity they had never upheld such values as non-violence, patience, non-reponse to strokes and insults, etc. Quite contrary they primarily valued the honour of the highlander and the so called ethics of an "untarnished face" which assumes vehemence, bravery, indomitability, readiness to sacrifice oneself for national freedom and ideals, declarations of 'we will all die for freedo, and justice' etc. "
"However in the winter of 89 and spring of 90 there was a sudden and radical change. Warriors went out of fashion overnight." Rugova was not specifically an albanian Ghandi, the strategy of nonviolence was formulated before his emergence. Somehow nonviolence was seen as the "best, most pragmatic and most effecient response to Serbian aggressive plans."

Maliqi theorizes that part of the reason was the wave of democratic change sweeping Europe. Poland, Russia, Germany, and many other states had begun or completed change toward self-government qnd reform. "There was no need for war. It is enough to raise hands and to know that all Albanians, who account for 90 per cent of the population of Kosovo, are in favour of an independent Kosovo. "

He also suggest the key was structuring an identity in contrast to the oppressor. "Unjustly dicredited and presented as monsters, seperatists, chauvinists, etc. Albanians ... developed a tendency to constantly search for a collective alibi on the one hand, and on the other, to keep their distance from the slanderers."

The peaceful protests of the Trepsa minors in Nov. 88 were in response to Milosevic arranged mass rallies where Kosovars were depicted as "rapists of serbian women, desecrators of serbian graves and sacred sites, who use their high birth rate to Albanize and take over Serbian land, and are primitive, violent people."

Peaceful conduct stated implicitly that Albanians were different and better than the Serbs and would not stoop to violence. Albanians even chanted "long live the brave serbian people" making the distinction between the regime and most serbs who wanted coexistence and peace.

_____

And the question of European and American support for "autonomy" versus independence...
"In reality Europe must conceal its criminal past, and even its present. It does not wish to raise the question of revision of borders. Namely, if Kosova was enabled to exercise the right of self-determination and secession through a plebiscite, why such a right should not be granted to the Corsicans, Scots, Catalans, and Flemish or some other people in Europe left without a state."

Of course the same question should be asked of the US with its long history of domination of landed first nations, Hawaiins, Puerto Ricans, pacific islanders, and first-Californians.

One world order does not tolerate "independence" and would like to keep the topic off the table.

drug donation      Index

doug323 : I'm not sure how to post to balkan-sunflower US list, can you repost please? or let me know how?

june 9

More later on preparing for after the war
Will be in skopje tommorrow

The pharmacist here in Paris donated hundreds of boxes of prescription drugs, which were returns but still not expired. I'll need to donate these to a french speaking doctor when I get there, possible Doctors Without Borders (anyone have a contact please email me). I'm hoping for no trouble bringing these into Greece and Macedonia. If you are planning to come, consider asking pharmacists for their unexpired returns.

en paz
-a

more recent history:

from David Hartsough, The Nonviolent Movement in Kosov@ and Yugoslavia
October 1, 1997 university students demanded the right to return to University, learn in Albanian language, and use their own curriculum. 20,000 students and professors demonstrated in a nonviolent and disciplined way. After 10 minutes, the police blocked the demonstration with armored personnel carriers, riot gear, and tear gas cannons. When stopped, the students stood in silence for 40 minutes. No stones or eggs thrown, no name callling or epithets. Without warning the police began attacking, beating and arresting leaders and firing hundreds of round of tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Kosovar Albanians did not give up, rather they invited internationals to witness and participate in more demonstrations, and continued through March of 1998 when Serb govt signed an agreement to allow students back into the buildings. By that time the emergence of violence between the KLA and police was beginning to escalate beyond control.

There were also large scale demos in Serbia in winter of 96-97 after Milosevic did not acknowledge electoral victories by his opponents in the Belgrade mayoral election and in a majority of cities in Serbia. Over one and a half million people took to the streets demanding their candidates take office.

--

Emergence of the KLA.

Assasinations and assasination attempts by unknowns of 'Albanian loyalists' or Albanian Kosovars that aligned with the Serbian government (or were moderates) happen in 1996 and 1997. One account I read reports that Kosovar nonviolent organizers had no idea where these came from or who was responsible. Press releases attributing these attacks to the UCK (or KLA in western press) came to a few papers without contact info. The Serb government uncovered nothing and appeared to not investigate. The question of KLA origin is therefor murky. One theory is that these were provacateurs, providing the Serb government with an excuse to mobilize military forces, as eventually happened with the massacre at Drenica, a supposed KLA headquarter in 1998. Another theory is that the long nonviolent struggle had worn the patience of a few who were ready to take arms, after the disappointment of Dayton Accords, which barely mentioned the Kosovo question.

Either way, the KLA is now a presence politically. After NATO bombing began, the political currency of the KLA ascended while that of the nonviolence leaders fell. The combination of NATO bombing, Serb military and police actions, and KLA violence, has driven the forces of democracy and nonviolence to the sidelines.

One thing is certain. The long nonviolent struggle in Kosovo is virtually unknown in the West and media attention only focused on Kosovo after the shooting started. This is one of the great disappointments of the nonviolent campaigners, and affirms the attractiveness of violence for the media.

Fwd: Balkan Peace Team Work on the Kosovo War      Index

Note: forwarded message attached.
From: David Hartsough
Subject: Balkan Peace Team Work on the Kosovo War

Dear Friends,
Thought you would like to see this.
Peace,
David
Balkan Peace Team, Ringstr. 9a, D-32427 Minden, Germany
Tel: 49-571-20776,
Email: Balkan-Peace-Team@Bionic.Zerberus.De

--

June 1999 Report from the Balkan Peace Team

THE WORK OF BPT-FRY
FOLLOWING THE OUTBREAK OF WAR IN KOSOVO

INTRODUCTION

In late March, when NATO planes began to bomb Serbian targets, and Yugoslav soldiers began forcing masses of Kosovo Albanians to flee their homes, a number of people asked whether the Balkan Peace Team project in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (BPT- FRY) would end its operations. Since our mandate has been to promote Serbian-Albanian dialogue, they naturally wondered if BPT might be another casualty of the new war.

We are pleased to report that BPT-FRY is continuing its work in the region. The war has meant that our team must temporarily change its base of operations to Macedonia, and must travel extensively in the countries surrounding FRY. We are reshaping the project activities to adapt to the disasters that the war has brought to both Serbian and Albanian societies, and to support local NGOs in the new struggles that they face. Our goals and mandate, however, remains as important as ever: to support civil society initiatives and to encourage and foster dialogue and other bridge-building efforts between Serbs and Albanians.

In a recent exploratory trip to the region, the BPT-FRY team heard from some of the people they met that reconciliation between Serbs and Albanians will now be impossible. From many others, however, they heard that future dialogue and communication is not only possible, but absolutely essential. BPT was given strong encouragement to continue filling our unique our role as networkers at the grassroots level, visiting and communicating with NGOs in both communities.

A SHORT BACKGROUND ON BALKAN PEACE TEAM

Balkan Peace Team is a project which places international volunteers in areas of the former Yugoslavia where their presence and their skills can be useful to local advocates of peace and human rights. Our teams are nonpartisan in their approach, seeking to support groups and individuals on all sides of a conflict.

BPT-FRY has been working in Serbia and Kosovo since 1994. Our primary focus there has been to build bridges between Serbs and Albanians, supporting dialogue efforts and other activities which strengthen civil society. The team's daily work is predominately networking: visiting regularly with local NGOs; learning about their situations and needs; offering information on international resources; and always listening carefully for where there is an interest to build links across ethnic lines. One highlights of our work was a dialogue and discussion which BPT helped to bring about in 1998 between Serbian and Albanian university students. Another example was BPTÆs work with a Serbian peace group who asked us to help them build their first links with like-minded Albanians. This activity eventually led their members to serve as observers at the 1997 nonviolent Albanian student demonstrations in Prishtina.

BPT-FRY ACTIVITIES SINCE THE WAR IN KOSOVO BEGAN

Leaving Belgrade

On March 24, the BPT-FRY volunteers, living in Belgrade, decided to temporarily leave FRY. They had developed a list of criteria and guidelines for making this difficult decision. They perceived that the new State of Emergency that was called by the Serbian government on the eve of the NATO bombing would severely limit their access to information and their ability to communicate. The team went by bus to Croatia, where the BPT maintains another project. There they met with their advisory Sub-Group and mapped out contingency plans.

Speaking Tours

BPT decided that the team should use the following weeks in April to travel and speak to European audiences. This would give them an opportunity to share their information about how the war was affecting the work of local NGOs. Two speaking tours were quickly organized, one in Germany and the Netherlands, which was coordinated by the BPT International Office, and one in the Great Britain, which was coordinated by the British office of Peace Brigades International. Team member Lyn Back traveled to 15 cities in Germany and the Netherlands, sometimes speaking at two or more events in a city. She received extensive local media coverage. Erik Torch and Alan Jones spoke at 9 events in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Alan, being Welsh, was interviewed a number of times for BBC Wales.

Their talks covered information about local NGOs in both the Serbian and Albanian communities and how the war was affecting their work. They explained the work of Balkan Peace Team. They described the nonviolent strategy which the Kosovo Albanians had followed for many years, something that most of audiences were not aware of. The talks always ended with suggestions of actions people could take in their own country.

These tours provided the team members with insights which will be helpful when they are back in the field. They now have a much greater understanding of how this war has sharply divided public opinion in European society. They are also more aware of how limited their audiences are in getting information about NGOs in the region. Such topics do not get much coverage in the international press.

The tour was followed by a second strategic planning session to assess the current political situation and map out further interim plans.

Travel in Macedonia and Hungary

In early May, the team embarked on a 2 1/2 week exploratory trip to Macedonia and Hungary. Their goal was to bring back an impression of civil society initiatives that are continuing to take place among Albanians and Serbs, now that their communities have been displaced and destroyed by the war. The team was particularly interested to find out if there were groups and individuals who still held an interest in future Serb-Albanian dialogues.

The team members drew up a long list of people to contact, including their former contacts. They were aware in advance that many of the people with whom they would be speaking would still be in some kind of shock and trauma after their experiences. The first step would be to listen to their stories. The team kept their expectations low and their approach low key.

In Macedonia, they were able to meet with several individuals and representatives from Kosovo NGOs they had known previously, as well as with international and Macedonian NGOs. Among others, they met with the Humanitarian Law Centre in Prishtina which is now gathering testimonies from refugees from the Drenica area; with a Kosovo woman who is trying to set up a cafÚ that will have Internet access and space for musicians and artists; and with the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation that has produced a pamphlet for refugees detailing their rights under Macedonian law. They were also able to meet with some young people from the Nansen Group, a project based in Norway which involved both Serbs and Albanians in training and dialogue experiences.

Team members visited five refugee camps in Macedonia and were also able to meet with refugees living in private accommodations. One of the camps was self-governing. While basic necessities were covered, they found that many camps lacked children's programs or any other organized social activities. They met with one international NGO, the American Friends Service Committee, which is working with a Kosovo women's group, to meet the social needs of women in one camp, setting up a "women's tent", for example, where the women can get together to drink coffee and talk.

In Hungary, the team focused on the refugees situation as well, but the information was more elusive. While only a few thousand Serbs are living in refugee camps, it was estimated that there are as many as 100,000 Serbian refugees in Hungary, most of them coming as tourists and arranging their own accommodations.

Conscientious objectors form a sizeable portion of the refugees in Hungary. BPT met with a Belgrade activist who is helping to organize a "Safehouse" project which will provide accommodation for C.O.s and serve as a gathering point for these young men. They met with two international organizations, the AFSC and Norwegian People's Aid, that have made their offices into gathering points for Serbian NGOs and activists who travel from Belgrade. They also met an Hungarian environmental group that is focusing now on the environmental effects of the NATO bombings.

During their stay in Budapest, team members found themselves spending much of their time relaying information about NGOs in Macedonia. The activists in Budapest were eager to learn about their Albanian friends and counterparts and the state of their NGO work.

Travel Insights

Short as their visit was, these meetings and visits in Macedonia and Hungary provided new insights about the role that BPT might fill and about some of the new struggles that groups are facing.

The team's ability to network between different groups was apparent. Each group they visited was eager for information about the others, and trusted BPT as the source. One activists put it directly to them, "you are in a very unique position to do this because you have a history or working with both Serbs and Albanians at the grassroots." In discussions with Kosovo Albanians, they often found an initial strong reaction that future dialogue possibilities between Serbs and Albanians were impossible. But at the same time, people would acknowledge that the two groups had to find a way to live together eventually. The greatest hope was with the young people. Many felt that reconciliation cannot happen with the current adult population but that with the youth, attitudes can still change. BPT saw that it was with the young people who had been in projects like the Nansen Group and the Post Pessimists that they found the most openness in considering future dialogues.

A FOUR MONTH PROGRAM PLAN

As a result of the trip and the information gathered by the team, BPT has mapped out an intensive program for the summer months. Because of the changing political situation, it is not time yet for longer-range planning.

In June, one team member will attend a Richardson Institute Serb-Albanian dialogue conference in Bulgaria, along with many of our Kosovo contacts. The team will then continue their travel and research into NGO activities. The will also begin to support some local activities which may lay the groundwork for future links between Serbs and Albanians. Most important, they will increase their efforts at conveying information between the different groups who are divided now by geography and by war.

BPT-FRY's program plans are as follows:

1. TO MAINTAIN A PRESENCE IN THE AREA
The team will base itself in Macedonia and make regular monthly visits to Hungary. This will put them in regular contact with the civic initiatives that are developing. Their regular availability and their consistency in visiting with both sides will strengthen the trust from local NGOs.

2. TO CONDUCT FURTHER TRAVEL AND RESEARCH
The team will travel to Albania for two weeks in July, and to Bosnia (Republika Srbska and Sarajevo) in August. These trips will involve visits Serbian and Kosovo Albanian NGOs, as well as local and international NGOs that are working with refugees. They will also seek out refugee self-organizing efforts. As with the first trip, their purpose will be to gather information on civic initiatives and to listen for openings for future dialogue.

3. NETWORKING AMONG DISPERSED AND DIVIDED COMMUNITIES
As they travel throughout the region, we anticipate that the team will help in building the following links:
* between Serb NGOs in Hungary and Kosovo Albanian NGOs in Macedonia;
* between Macedonian NGOs and Kosovo Albanian NGOs working in Macedonia;
* between Kosovo Albanian NGOs working with refugees in Macedonia and Albania;
* between international NGOs that have recently arrived and local NGOs; and
* between the Serbs and Albanians who have previously participated in dialogue workshops and trainings such as the Nansen Group and the Richardson Institute.

4. CHILDREN'S CAMP PROJECT
BPT has made contact with a Kosovo Albanian man who is concerned about how Albanian children are now surrounded by images that encourage them to hate all Serbs. He wants to arrange a holiday camp which will give children a needed break from the tensions of refugee life. He would like to include in the camp program a workshop that could address the need to unlearn this hatred. He has asked BPT to help with this aspect. We are encouraged and impressed by this conscious effort to prepare the younger generation for some kind of reconciliation. BPT-FRY will offer support by providing links to resources and similar projects in conflict areas, and by being available with other suggestions as the project takes shape.

5. LINKS TO SERBIAN REFUGEES IN MACEDONIA
BPT learned that there are 10,000 Serb refugees living in Macedonia who are mostly overlooked by the aid agencies. Using their links to Serbian NGOs as a way to build contacts and trust in this community, the BPT-FRY team will see what networking can be done to bring these refugees into contact with services and support.

6. NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR LONG TERM PROJECTS
In its travels and visits, the team will gather information about specific NGOs needs that could be met by the Balkan Peace Team. In particular the team will be listening and investigating ideas for concrete projects that could be part of our long-term strategy in the region.

7. CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS
While BPT will make no decisions about long-term projects until September 1999, one area of concern the team will explore during the summer will be the situation facing conscientious objectors and military resisters in both communities, those who resist or desert the Yugoslav military and those who choose not to join the Kosova Liberation Army (UCK).

8. MONTHLY REPORTS
The BPT-FRY team will produce regular monthly written reports which will be distributed by the BPT International Office. These will include descriptions of NGOs and observations of how political developments affect the NGOs.

BALKAN PEACE TEAM'S INCREASED FINANCIAL NEEDS

To carry out this new program, the BPT-FRY team's monthly expense budget has almost doubled. The increased travel, a new flat in Macedonia, increased communication costs and greater insurance coverage for the volunteers are just a few of the new expenses. Balkan Peace Team must raise 36, 000 DM over the regular budget. The full expense budget for the BPT-FRY project during this five-month period (May-September) is 71,000 DM. We are turning for support in this effort to individuals and groups throughout Europe and the USA who find our work valuable and who are concerned about breaking the cycle of violence in Kosovo and Serbia. A detailed budget is available on request.

NGO and peace researchers have commented that Balkan Peace Team carries out an extraordinary amount of work given our small number of volunteers and our limited budget. We are confident that the funds we must raise are a small and effective investment in valuable work.

CLOSING WORDS FROM A KOSOVO HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST

Perhaps the best evaluation of Balkan Peace Team's work comes from the Albanian and Serbian activists in the region. Ymer Jaka, who has been in the leadership of the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms, based in Prishtina, said in a recent speech in Paris, that "if reconciliation is going to happen, the work of the Balkan Peace Team must continue and be strengthened. "

## CrossPoint v3.02 ##

PEACEWORKERS
721 Shrader St.
San Francisco, CA 94117 USA
Phone and fax 415-751-0302
email PEACEWORKERS@igc.apc.org

Doctors Without Borders great work      Index

thought you'd like to see what one heavy duty agency is up to.

Note: forwarded message attached.
From: djoos@sonic.net
Subject: Re: drug donation

Info from DWB website... Other dates lead me to believe this page refers to action mid-May and earlier and is not up-to-date. I've put some towns in capital letters to help you skim this. I believe you're going only to Macedonia, but I've included everything. I'm imagining you'll get better info from people more in touch with the organizations and more up-to-date so this is proobably just a starter. No acknowledgment necessary.

Doctors Without Borders

--Shpendi, Doctors Without Borders translator, Kukes, Albania
With 112 international volunteers and approximately 300 local staff in the Balkans, Doctors Without Borders is currently assisting Kosovar refugees in Albania, Macedonia, and Montenegro. The organization has sent 37 cargo flights of medical and non-medical material to the region since the refugee crisis began on March 30. In all locations, teams are treating patients suffering from diarrhea and upper respiratory tract infections, and conducting epidemiological surveillance. Doctors Without Borders is also providing treatment for mental health problems-both directly and through peer counselor training-as trauma is the most pervasive health problem among refugees.

Albania

Sixty Doctors Without Borders volunteers are working throughout Albania, where 427,000 refugees have taken shelter.

In NORTHERN ALBANIA, in KUKES, Doctors Without Borders is working in two refugee camps, and has set up extensive water and sanitation systems. Medical volunteers have seen a number of refugees arriving with bullet wounds in recent days. In one camp, which houses 6,430 people in 535 tents, an information center has been set up to provide information on health, mental health, and refugee services; and medical staff are providing about 100 consultations per day. In a second camp, Doctors Without Borders has assumed management of the hospital compound.

In response to the overwhelming suffering experienced by the refugees, Doctors Without Borders has set up a psychological support program. Led by Connecticut psychologist Christina Moore, 14 Kosovar refugees have been trained to give basic support to members of their community. A peer-counseling program for teenagers is also underway.

KRUME, an entry point for many refugees, Doctors Without Borders has been providing general health consultations since the start of the refugee crisis. Now consultations have begun in the town for refugees who are staying with host families.

SHKODER, the largest town on Albania's borders with Montenegro, has recently received several thousand refugees fleeing from tensions in Montenegro. Doctors Without Borders is running a medical reception post at the border and operates an ambulance system from the border to the hospital. Doctors Without Borders is also managing a 7-building refugee camp for 5,000 people, which is situated in a tobacco factory.

In SOUTHERN ALBANIA, the town of KORCE is preparing to receive an influx of refugees from Macedonia. Approximately 12,000 refugees are already residing there, most with host families. A sports stadium that served as shelter for up to 1,500 refugees is being turned into permanent housing for 600. Doctors Without Borders provides medical care, blankets, and drinking water in this area.

In FIER, where 19,000 refugees have gathered, Doctors Without Borders has started constructing a camp for 3,200 people on a site not far from town. However, most refugees are staying with host families, who have received hygiene materials from Doctors Without Borders. For the longer term, the team is expanding its rehabilitation project in Fier's hospital, which now includes improvement of the water supply and toilets. Doctors Without Borders is distributing hygiene kits to newly arriving refugees and has trained an Albanian worker in stress management techniques to assist the new arrivals.

In Vlora, Doctors Without Borders is providing medical and sanitation assistance to approximately 2,300 refugees gathered in collective centers.

Macedonia

In MACEDONIA, which has absorbed more than 200,000 refugees, 44 Doctors Without Borders volunteers continue to work with local staff in BRAZDE, CEGRANE, and BLACE camps. Preparation is underway for a new influx of refugees. In Brazde camp, where the population has been reduced to 24,000 as transport of refugees to third countries continues, Doctors Without Borders is providing 300 to 400 medical consultations a day and also operates a mental health program. In Cegrane camp, where the population of 32,000 refugees is suffering from overcrowding, Doctors Without Borders is conducting an average of 350 medical consultations a day through two out-patient departments. Doctors Without Borders is also taking care of water and sanitation needs in Blace, close to the Kosovo border, and last week built latrines for 7,000 people.

Montenegro

In MONTENEGRO, 8 Doctors Without Borders international volunteers together with local staff are providing medical care and sanitation assistance to refugees in several locations. Volunteers are working in ROZAJE, running two medical centers, providing water and sanitation assistance, and supporting the local clinic in the displaced camps of Dekor and Kristal. Mobile medical teams are visiting refugees who are staying with host families and in collective centers. In ULCINJ, the Doctors Without Borders team is finishing the construction of a new camp and has started to transfer the displaced people there. Exploratory missions are underway to see whether Doctors Without Borders can provide more assistance to Montenegrin medical structures, especially with regard to pediatrics.

April 5, 1999 Update: Doctors Without Borders has appealed to the Macedonian authorities today to grant aid agencies unhindered access to the refugees stranded on the border with Kosovo. The sanitary and medical conditions on the ground have deteriorated considerably over the last few days.

"The fact that aid agencies have been prevented from providing the necessary assistance is totally unacceptable," said Dr. Lex Winkler a director of Doctors Without Borders, in Blace. "We have the capacity to intervene but the authorities continue to deny us the authorization to deploy our teams and equipment."

Aid agencies have been facing serious administrative delays in MACEDONIA and Albania since the beginning of the emergency. Doctors Without Borders has appealed to the authorities in both countries to speed up customs procedures, cut administrative delays, and grant free access to the population in need for humanitarian agencies, as required by international law.

The organization is also concerned about the effectiveness of the humanitarian coordination mechanism in Macedonia. "It is essential that this operation be coordinated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; only UNHCR has the legitimacy to lead this major humanitarian emergency," said Dr. Winkler.

April 1, 1999 Update: This morning, a DC-8 left Ostend, Belgium for Tirana, Albania, and a second plane left Amsterdam for SKOPJE, Macedonia, to deliver Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) supplies to refugees fleeing from Kosovo. The two planes are carrying 50 metric tons of medical supplies, blankets, tents and plastic sheeting, water tanks, and pumps. Four medical volunteers were on board the Skopje plane and three are on the Tirana plane to reinforce the teams that are already on the ground. The teams will provide water, food, and medical care for refugees crossing the borders into Macedonia and Albania from Kosovo. Additional relief cargoes are currently being prepared for delivery later this week. On the afternoon of April 1, 1999, Martin Tekulve, a Doctors Without Borders team member in Macedonia described the situation of the refugees streaming across the border from Kosovo:

"Today, with the sunshine, there's a risk of dehydration; not everyone has enough water. People are suffering from traumatic stress-people are shaking and in a state of shock; Some are exhausted from having walked and been outside without food or shelter. People have walked 20 kilometers, which, for elderly people, is an enormous distance. The line of vehicles to the border is very long, so people are starting to walk. ... People are automatically being transferred to private homes; but they are about to reach capacity of helping people, so first time there are collective centers for refugees." -- Martin Tekulve, Macedonia.

first tetova visit      Index

In skopje,

Tony helped me get things to the bus station. It's hot and somewhat dusty here. The city has block after block of government style apartments, 12 stories of concrete. Downtown has an ancient bridge from the bus station over to 'center'. I was going to get a bus to Tetova to deliver the goods. "Amdi" a Roma, was more than helpful in that confidence man way, and ended up selling me a nice watch for $10 (Cassio ?). He carried my bags around for me so I invited him for a Coke and mentioned the Roma Center. He got very excited and invited me to dinner, dancing, music, everything. I got his number and I'll get over to the Center some time. His German was better than his English (none), as he had worked in Dusseldorf for 3 months. So far every taxi driver I've met worked in Germany at one point.

I called John Ferrara at the American School Macedonia, and he offered to let me use his car to go out to Tetova. This was a great relief, because I had lots of luggage, so I took a cab over to the school. Situated in a two story wooden frame building, the red school house has elementary education upstairs and high school downstairs. What is very exciting to me about the school is that Macedonian, Serb, and Albanian children all come together here. John described a difficult time in March when bombing started in the journalism class. "I couldn't get the kids to talk. They checked out. I gave them the time to surf the net and the Slav kids could check out Slav websites and the Albanian kids could check out Albanian sites. It worked out OK." I noticed the screen savers had been changed to slide shows of US war airplanes on some of the Albanian kids machines. I, of course, would have none of that but maybe I'm too hardline.

A young Albanian, 17 years old, named Faton (fa-tahn') accompanied me out to Tetova. We picked up his uncle from a 'suburb', a neighborhood of highrises that is Albanian. Neighborhoods here are seperated by ethnicity, and the story goes something like this: an Albanian family pays double for a place on a block, then maybe another neighbor sells and gets 150%, then another may sell at the normal price, as the Macedonians get the idea that 'different people' are moving in, and the rest sell out soon after for less than normal. You may have heard this story for example in Chicago in the mid 20th C. when the 'color line' moved. I have NO idea how much of this happens or how much is true. There are so many rumors and prejudice here it's hard to tell anything really and it's very tiring and a little depressing.

In Tetova we visited the Center for the Protection of Women and Children, which has been renamed The Women's Center (they are 'simplifying'). I spoke with Shkendije, Nora, and Bukra Bayami there after dropping off the gifts from the Crabgrass organization and the medicines. Vjosa is a medical doctor there and can fully handle the drug donation. They were happy to talk about 'peace education' and Bukra was already holding some classes with children, where they do some art and some plays and talking. We talked about trauma listening and there was agreement that this was important and necessary and they are interested in examining the Dale booklet and trying some more training. I am going to see Vjose on Saturday to talk more about scheduling and other things that we can do together.

They figured something like 20%-33% of the men in Kosova participated in the KLA and they acknowledged that these people would need trauma listening after the war (that's about 100,000 or more men). Talking about it was a bit heavy and we didn't really talk about anything personal. Nora was in a very light mood and she joked around about underpants. She laughed 'did you know that was a refugee symptom' refering to sexualized conversation. This of course leaves lots of unanswered questions that I suppose we'll get around too. We also talked about the general reluctance of Albanians to talk about feelings or to cry in front of others.

The center has an office and an examining room that looked clean and safe. They are 'waiting for some more equipment' before things 'get really busy' so there was something of a lull. It is across the street from a multicolored mosque, on Braqa Milladinovi No. 172. Tetova is teeming with people. Fran reported that as many as 25 people were staying in a single house. If I took pictures of all the beautiful people I saw I'd run 20 rolls in an hour. I did not see very thin people or shoeless people but I've seen very little. The sidewalks are crumbling, although a new road is being constructed to Tetova from Skopje, and there is a dusty park by a small stream. There were 30 people sitting on the bridge rail over the stream and hundred milling about in the park.

Driving into Tetova was a moving experience. The countryside here reminds me of some ancient fairytale valley with steep mountains on either side and a lazy river running through it. Minerets rise up, surrounded by red clay roofed houses. It is a very beautiful place.

As we drove home we saw the Alexander Palace, where CNN is broadcasting from, and the international luminaries gather. There were Range Rovers and Four Runners in the parking lots with satellite dishes etc. The rear of the hotel had been converted to a studio. I'll get over there soon enough.

I spent the evening meeting with John and talking about his time as a principle and how the war effected the dynamic in the school. People are angry and distrustful and less inclined to do new things or try new things. Imagination is surpressed by suspicion. The burning of the embassy caused the flight of Americans, two who taught at the school. He also lossed good workers who were hired at triple wages by wealthy relief agencies.

Today I ran in the morning. Trying to take care 'cause I've been smoking and otherwise letting discipline slip. I also got in touch with Prof. Olga Murdzeva-Skaric, Director of the Balkan Peace Studies Center at Uni. In Skopje, and we're meeting Monday to talk about AVP and other things. She's happy to talk to me and will invite some 'grad students'.

I also got an update on the location of a number of contacts who are in Tetova including Shkelzen Maliqi. I talked to Vjosa today and we'll meet tommorrow.

More later…
En paz
-a

in country      Index

first contact

June 11, 10 am, writing from American School in Skopje, Macedonia - lots to report.

I woke up yesterday in Thesselonika, Greece after riding the train from Paris, (I am very appreciative of Tom and Carol for hosting me which gave me some time to adjust to the time zone and calm down a little, and for the medicine and cash donations), a plane from Frankfurt, and a car from the airport to a hotel - at 2am. (10,000 drachma, 8,000 if you don't need a shower in the room, Hotel Aegean downtown, about 30$)

A young man, returning for the summer from Manchester where he studies computer science, and his brother gave me a ride downtown, after he helped me communicate with the Greek customs about what my baggage was about. There was no problem after explaining where I was going - and that it was humanitarian.

"Why are you doing this?" the college student asked me after we stuffed everything into his brother's tiny car. Europe is full of the smallest cars I've ever seen. I explained that Dave and Jan had supported the Kosovars for some time and that I had followed the story and felt like doing something to continue the work and learn some things.

"This is good thing you are doing. Right now, 99% of greek people hate Americans." he emphasized hate. "The leaders, they hate the leaders - they don't see you with your medicines - they just hate." Greece, which shares a religious and cultural tradition with Serbs (orthodox catholic, slavic, I'm not really sure) is in NATO and its president is not opposing the bombing out loud. However he did disallow the Marines from landing in Thesselonika until yesterday, and Greece troops will not participate in the expedition. Perhaps he was responding to protests, apparently every day according to International Herald Tribune, which I didn't hear about in the western press. I read the NYT when I'm home which is not often, and read a little of the wire reports, also not often - I am hoping to avoid 'tertiary' trauma from the constant pain portrayed by the reporting, and unhealthy 1/2 truths and deceptions - and the US jingoism makes my stomach turn.

In the morning I got a cab out to the airport to meet a driver for the ride to Skopje. On the way out there I saw a sign that said "U (swastika) A" which scared me. I have seen Amerika and Amerikkka and heard of the US as fascist, but not outside of the US. I asked the cab driver in German, which is a handy language here, "How many people in Greece are against NATO these days?"

"Maybe 60%, maybe more. Slavic people don't like the bombing."

While I waited for the ride I got my first taste of Balkan racism (or was it practical advice).

"When you are in Yugoslavia or Albania," said an ederly Greek man, "watch your things closely. Many pandit (bandits) in Albania," he said nodding his head.

I was picked up at the Thess airport by Tony, a Macedonian from Skopje, and paid $140 for the ride, which was about 4 hours. I recommend flying into Skopje. One flight from Frankfurt is around $400. Or else take the train from Thess which is less than $20. If you want the car, call Savana Travel in Skopje (389 -91- 115-826).

Tony was very well spoken and had studied political science and law, and had interesting things to say. While we drove we saw very beautiful country, rich fertile plains that reminded me of the northern San Juaquin valley in central california. The land from Thess to Macedonia is historic Macedonia. Versailles ('20) created the kingdom of southern slavs, (Yugoslavia) with the serbian royalists as the head, and Macedonia, formerly a large province of the Ottoman empire, was divided into Bulgaria, Greece, and Yugo. In the 40s, Tito, leading the 'partisans', was able to defeat the fascists in WWII and also create a communist state. Macedonians agitated in Northern Greece, for both a Macedonian state and also for communism. NATO was formed in response and pumped weapons and money into Greece. 700,000 Macedonians were expelled and eventually took refuge in what was then the Macedonian state in Yugoslavia. Part of the overall NATO objectives is explicitly the maintanance of borders, and fear of popular movements to regain lost lands is part of the rationalization for Kosovar autonomy rather then independence.

(I am no expert in Balkan history, all or part of this may be wrong - it's what I heard from a history teacher here at the school). Seems like NATO's mandate to contain communism is being replaced with some sort of 'protection for human rights' which is a bunch of bullshit - unless they are going after Turkey for the treatment of Kurds, or bombing Sacramento for imprisoning 90,000 people on nonviolent offenses.

Tony was perturbed by the behavior of the media and the portrayal of Albanian deportees. He heard of some journalists asking to see crying refugees and the Albanian leader said, "no problem", found some girls and told them to cry, and they did. He also spoke of the high birth rate of the Albanians, saying they had 5 kids minumum and often more than 10. Macedonians on the other hand had one or two. He was concerned that soon Albanians would be in the majority in Macedonia and that would lead to trouble. His figures for Kosovo population were something like 20% Albanian in 1920 and 90% Albanian in 1998. Another concern of his was the Albanian university in Tetova, an Albanian town 35 k. west of Skopje. This U. seeks recognition from the government which so far has been blocked. It is called an 'illegal' university. This is remeniscent of the prohibitions on Albanian education in Kosova. Tony asked "why can't they come to the school in Skopje, why do they need their own school? They should come to the Macedonian school and study in Macedonian." He said Albanians were perceived as organized criminals using the money to support their large families to gain political ascendency. Of course if legitimate ways of earning money are cut off (as happened in Kosova) people will find other things.

Greek communists and anti-war activists and others blockaded the first NATO convoy for 13 hours according to the Macedonian who drove me from Thess to Skopje - I do not know the date, sometime in March before the bombing started(?). I took some photos of the billboards they wrote on. "American killers go home". "Adolph Clinton, take your dogs of war home." Hitler pounded Serbia, actually terrorizing civilians by hanging 'collaborators' which was anyone who wouldn't join the Nazi army, not that NATO is less worse.

The amount of hatred for the US and for NATO and NATO's action was clearly seen on March 25th when the US Embassy in Skopje was torched. One teacher here, Mirena Apostolova, was across the street with a class, and reported barracading her door and keeping the children safe while smoke poured past the window and the riot went on. John Ferrara, the retiring principle of the American School, reports his neighbors 'banging on his door' that night. He also had his camera confiscated by US servicemen when photographing the burning embassy. The previous popularity of the US here, which was discernable, is gone.

One way to see recent events is US led NATO bombed a country, without declaring war, without having its soveriegnty threatened, in an act of aggression. The Kosovo region is part of Serbia, and many people see the issue as an internal issue for Serbia to deal with. I have to believe there were other options, including the peaceful path Kosovars pursued for years, and the NATO countries need to take responsibility for the damage not just to Serbia but to the neighboring Slavic countries, particularly here. This whole situation has increased distrust and reliance on violence as a method to resolve conflicts and that's a sad fact for me. There are certainly a great deal more people than Albanians that are traumatized by this situation, and maybe a reporter might cover that.

We drove by long convoys of NATO troop carriers, armored personnel carriers, supply trucks, etc. We saw Greek licensed flat beds carrying heavy armor. Mostly Canadian but also German and Great Britain. American forces are around the airport in Skopje. Tony said there were 50,000 troops "all over the place". We saw 3 battle helicopters and 2 double prop helicopters. I have to admit some weird fascination with machines of war. I'm getting over it. The people in the machines were young men and women.

Tony reminded me that NATO had bombed the Hotel Yugoslavia in Belgrad, where he often visited to get visas for the travel agency. Also the chinese embassy was in a residential part of town. The was a village in Macedonia that was hit, no dead. 100 km from the border. NATO said it was a "mistake". A 100 km mistake?

The highway was empty. Tony said the road used to be full of travelers, as this was the main road from Europe to Greece (through Lubjuana, Zagreb, Belgrad, Skopje, Thess).

continued....

flat in skopje       Index

Sonja, I'm here and living in a flat in Skopje, which is available for rent - I can't get folks together quick enough to make any kind of decision except by myself so I'm going to go ahead and rent it for 3 months and when others come out they can use it and pay what they can (it is pretty cheap relatively, 500 DM per month which is about 260$) it's roomy and 1km near town center.

I've contacted Albanian (women's center) and Macedonian (at the University) and both expressed interest in AVP stuff so we'll see how that goes.

I'll try to figure out how long they want to run the center in Tetova, since they could go back to Prishtina possibly soon(?) although that may be very unrealistic given the roads are possibly mined, the bridges are possibly mined, water wells possibly poisoned, etc.

side note, interesting sentence on CNN this morning that some Belgrade people see the root of the wars in the UN sanctions on the country ('93?), which stirred up the sort of nationalism that was made extreme by the bombing.

-a

tetova 2      Index

In Tetova today I met with Nora and another worker there to learn more about the possibilities to work with people to develop 'self-help' groups or trauma listening groups.

We talked about trauma causes, symptoms, recovery, and classifying. We got to talk a little bit about our personal experiences and I saw that both of these people are strong and are healing themselves by working with others. I photocopied one of the Warren Dale trauma manuals and left them two copies, and also the Teachers Manual, Peace Games for High School, and Peace Games for Elementary School, which are written in Albanian and came from Group Most (Bridge) in Belgrade.

Vjosa, the Director, was not there but we'll see her Tuesday afternoon.

Nora has been keeping busy facilitating art students, 18-22 year olds, who were at the Uni in Prishtina (kosova) before the bombing. She received 500 DM from Balkan Sunflowers to do an art exhibit, which she spent on canvas, brushes, and paint. She asked me if I could help her pay for some more supplies, including an airbursh and more paint and sculpture supplies - she asked for 1000DM grant.

Of course this raises all sorts of concerns, which we all have re: charity like gosh, will they just ask for more (yes), and will it be spent in the right ways (in this case I'm sure, however who knows), and how many string can I attach, etc.

But I really do believe in Nora and her work and I'm happy to fund at least 1/2. I'll call around the other aid offices and see what's up. The project is legitimate, she already has students meeting and doing art and it's a good thing. It's called 'Exhibition for Prishtina Students'.

So if you're moved to, let me know if you want to put in 10$ or 50$ or whatever. (am I going to ask fo rmore money later, yes :)

We talked for a while about some other issues. I asked about 'why so many children in Albanian families'?

"The women that live in the country have many children because there is little else to do. They may have little education and they are bored, so they have kids."

I got a little harsher idea from the other woman. "Maybe they will lose one who getsshot by the police, or one may die in the army or something like that."

Nora said, "In Prishtina, in the city, there are much smaller families, may 4 kids at the most. I don't want to resent my kids and say I couldn't do something because I had kids. I have 2 kids." She has two daughters, 3 and 6 years old.

They also talked about government policies to keep women uneducated and not working, encouraging them to stay at home and "it is an honor to raise a family" - this apparently came from the Serbian dominent education, from the govermnet paid priests, and even from Albanian men (imagine that).

They asked "why do you think Macedonians don't want our university to be open?" they asked, refering to the Arts and Science Uni. in Tetova.

"Well, from what I understand from talking to the Mac. driver, they are afraid that Albanians will gain power in their country."

"And why are they afraid?"

"I don't know, because they think the Albanians will treat them poorly." I guessed.

"And why is that? I'll tell you why, because the treated us poorly, they are like Milosevic."

This tool me by surprise a little bit.

"The people that do nasty things to people are always thinking that people will get back at them. The nasty people end up afraid."

The center will stay open. Vjosa has in mind that there will be 10 centers for Women like the one in in tetova and like they had in Prishtina.

--

got to run more later
love
-a

The russians are coming.      Index

Wires are reporting that Russia's troop movements were 'politically motivated' that somehow some politician in Russia benefits from this action.

What is not reported in the news (that I've seen, which is Yahoo web coverage, which has wire reports and CNN, which we get for a couple hours at night) is where Trepca (trepsa) mines are in relation to the now being divided Kosova. Kosova has agricultural lands, fresh water, possibly some tourism in the distant future, and an educated multilingual hard working people. Mineral wealth is substantially located in one area however. There is a place called 'church lands' in the northern central part, with many orthodox churches and surrounding serb communities. Maps of this area frequently show a church near a mine. Serbs refer to Kosava as Kosovo - Mitokya (i'm spelling this wrong, that's what it sounds like) which means something like Kosova and the Church Lands, where as Kosovars refer to Kosova as Kosova (there are no 'church lands'). So the suspicion is that Russia will plop itself down on top of the mineral wealth, and General Shelton is not talking about this. Russia appears to be playing a fairly high stakes game of 'I don't know' when asked about what their plans are or who ordered the troops in.

And who knows what the US and Russia talk about in those closed sessions. They could be carving up Kosova, splitting K into regions for who knows how long, setting up the US citizens to hate the Russians - for appearing like an interloper, privatizing the mines, (selling it to Bechtel - Kissinger, George Schulze, et. al.), plus giving the Serbs yet another reason to hate anything. ah conspiracy... how come they get to meet in secret anyway?

At least one Albanian is realizing that Kosova will not be run by Kosovars for some time to come, if ever.

--

an exit story

I am a student of pharmacy at Uni. of Prishtina. A week after the bombing started my roommate was freaking out, packing everything and saying we needed to leave. The whole block that I lived on was packing up. My sister called and said for me to come with her and her children. "We should be together, where I go, you come." OK, I said. I took nothing with me. We drove from her house south towards Macedonia, and the serbian policemen directed us towards the mountains. Cars were coming from the other direction and said the police were not letting people through. We came to the checkpoint and were told to wait for one hour. The guards said we could pass if we payed 100DM for the care, so we payed. We waited for 12 hours on the border while the Macedonian police interviewed everyone and recorded names and addresses. Others waited 5 days.

I am hoping to come to America and finish my studies, that would be great.

--

part of a conversation with an Albanian woman from Prishtina.

"Will serbians leave?"

"When I left Prishtina a Serbian man held a gun to my chest and took my rings. He did not kill me because people were watching him. Do you think he will leave? I know him."

"Will all serbians leave?"

"Oh no. There are many good people who are Serbian. Our neighbor helped hide us. When the Serbs told him to put on a uniform or go to jail he fled and hid in the forest with us. He will stay, he is part of our community."

--

Nora said, "some psychologists were working with Albanian and Serbian children, seperately, and asked them to draw picture of war. The Albanian children drew houses on fire and the Serbian children drew soldiers with ears and eyeballs in their hands, trophies of war. How can we expect peace if the children are educated to see ears and eyeballs as war trophies?"

Nora is Albanian from Prishtina. Did she hear this story first or second hand? From another Albanian? From some sort of accredited psychological journal. I don't know her source. She was moved by the telling though, and we all sat in silence after consenting that there was a lot of work to be done in education.

---

Jane's Weekly is a source of information from a military perspective and includes some analysis that may be of interest if you are looking for more info (uses Java (?) so it takes a while to load) :
http://www.janes.com/defence/features/kosovo/kosovohome.html

re: Clinton's speech at U. Chicago graduation. It's hypocrisy.

A good list of governments that kill ethnic minorities that US supported or still supports:

Clinton's speech on Yugoslavia:
piling lie upon lie - World Socialist
Web Site (06/12/99)
http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/jun1999/war-j12.shtml

sunday mourning      Index

Let us then see what love can do - William Penn

The damn burst this morning and I cried and cried. At first I was angry at a person for taking too long to do what they said they'd do. Maybe they'll do it still, maybe not. Then I knew to give up the anger and feel what it was to have my trust in doubt. Sad because I want to trust. I want that relationship to be dependable. Then sad because that may not be the way of things at this time, and then sad for the woman yesterday who said that she may never love again, then sad for the people who call people names like shchuip, or nigger, then sad for the people who expect fairness and realize others aren't fair just because we were born different or sing different songs. Then sad for feeling sad, for realizing how I've accepted a racist world, how I've participated, how I've stood aside and looked away. Sad for when I was beat in school and called a fag for wearing colored suspenders, for when I spread toothpaste in a younger colored boy's sleeping bag in summer camp. Sad for the kids that realize it's unfair and can't do a thing about it because of fear. Their parents' fear. Then I got really sad and desperate and freaked out about how I keep myself from being honest, from saying how much this all really sucks, and how the world says you are a freak if you stand for love or peace - you are a 'hippy' or an 'idiot' or not a 'realist'. How I've oppressed myself and thrown myself into any other way, without concern for myself and hurt myself and others. How I am quick to pass judgement on the reporters who gather for the "11AM refugee protest against Russian occupation", the ex-pat relief workers on expense accounts in fancy trucks with satellite phones, and anyone who believes violence is OK as a 'last resort'. How others perceive the country I come from. How I've limited my acceptance of difference in my own way - afraid that maybe believers in violence are right, that I am some sort of freak, that I am dishonest, that I am violent. Sad that we've lost imagination, we no longer expect a world of peace, or imagine what that would be like. Where there will be love and happiness.

So I wipe my eyes and listen to the birds and take some breaths. The storm passes, the sadness persists but it is time for action, for connection, for clarity. What now?

meditate
some chanting, whatever comes to mind
gateh gateh para gateh para sam gateh bhodi svoha
gone, gone, completely gone, to the other shore, all praise

om ne ah pa benzra guru siddhi hung
om ah hung sri trang
om

clarify breath, big soft belly...
breath in, out 6 times, consider
generosity (towards self, no internal put downs, towards others, manners, kindness)
morality and discipline (no killing, lying, stealing, drinking, smoking, prurience, whatever feels like a tolerable regiment for today)
patience and tolerance (with myself and with others)
perseverance and joyful effort (crack a smile, lean to action)
concentration (sharp memory, clear vision, being now)
wisdom (things change, life is short)

take refuge

I, a miserable sentient being endlessly caught in the cycles of attachment and loss, desire and anger, accumulating karma for eons, take refuge in the teachings, and community of students of the teachings, and the successful practitioners of the teachings, for the purpose of enlightenment so that all may obtain freedom from the endless cycles.

offer up a beautiful image

... there is a beautiful backyard in san francisco with huge aloe plants and flowers that burst with color in the early summer sun, there is a meadow in Truckee that is covered with 4 feet of fresh powder, pure and white, soft and supportive, there is a valley in the Mexican rockies with jagged peaks and one that looks like a saddle, there is an old red barn in Vermont surrounded by trees with shades of red, gold, yellow, and orange.

focus on breath, allow thoughts to emerge as clouds drifting by on the pale blueness of emptiness. Thoughts arise and are not followed, there is no action of thinking, the thoughts dispell as bubbles rising from a cola, from the depths of the unconscience arise some older wisdom, if allowed.

dedicate the merit achieved to the benefits of all sentient beings, that we all may achieve and no longer be poisoned by jealousy, attachment, desire, hatred, and anger. That our habitual thinking will be seen in the light of wisdom as temporary and meaningless and we will come to a place of joy and happiness.

arise

- a. rose

Fox from Launceston Jail      Index

George Fox wrote in 'A Letter to Friends in the Ministry' while in Launceston Jail in 1656:

Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you go, so that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them. Then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one.

workshops scheduled      Index

I had some interesting conversations with my new landlord about religion and difference and acceptance, also with the taxi drivers about the future of peace in Macedonia, etc. I'll report that later.

re: AVP, We have a coordinator and translation of AVP Basic manual underway. Olga Murdzeva-Skaric, Prof, Director Balkan Peace Studies Center at Univ. Cyril & Methodius here is a power house organizer.

tentative based on signup Basic scheduled for Fri 18 June , Sat, Sunday, usual weekend schedule, 24 hours.

The participants will be screened for interest in continuing to Training for Trainers scheduled for 26,27 June (16 hours). Sonja or Sandy or anyone else on the way bring AVP supplements for Advanced, Advanced Manual, and T for T manual.

Sandy, it would be great if you can take your T4T workshop before you get here if you're interested in participating.

We're also scheduling self help group facilitator training, which is a 5 hour curriculum.

Most exciting is particpants will be macedonian, serb, and albanian women and some men.

Olga sort of immediately knew what we were about, apparently some quakers have been through here before and trained trainers for 'non violent parenting skills' which they turned into a program for 20 villages around here.

I'm off to Sophia in Bulgaria so have to run. Thanks SO MUCH for the notes, I'm sorry I cannot reply to you all individually since the internet is not so blazing here and switching pages is slow.

love, on the way,
-a

btw, if AVP is news to you check out www.avp-usa.org or webcom.com/peace

attached is the proposal submitted to Prof.

Training proposal:

I. Trauma and recovery self help groups.

5 hour training for facilitators of listening groups dealing with trauma Appropriate for community workers desiring skills to facilitate groups (refugees, effected children, victims of natural disaster, sexual abuse, veterans and demilitarized soldiers) for resolving trauma. agenda:

trauma

causes and physiology
symptoms (intrusion, dissociating, limiting choices)
classification (causes of trauma severity)
reactions (shock, pining, deep grief, recovery)
safety and reconnection
complex syndrome resulting from long term captivity or abuse

building a safe group, group agreements, facilitator's role

agenda for listening groups, time lengths

debriefing method

sensory based trauma resolution - role plays

responding to escalating feelings
distancing, imagery
journaling
physical, cognitive strategies

self care for group leaders, secondary trauma

II. Alternatives To Violence Program.

AVP, through experiential workshops, seeks to empower individuals to understand the role of conflict and conflict resolution in relationships. Training trainers requires that individuals experience the AVP workshop as participants so they understand what recipients of the workshop will experience. Typically AVP requires trainers to attend a Basic Workshop, an Advanced Workshop, and a Training For Trainers, which are each 24 hour curricula. The Advanced has been waived in situations where necessary and with individuals who have previous training of this type.

The AVP basic workshop covers directly skills for affirmation, communication and conflict resolution. Styles of conflict resolution are introduced. Participants are offered a 'safe space' to practice different strategies through role plays.

AVP Training for Trainers specifically covers group dynamics, and the importance of building 'safe containers' for groups to work in, as well as agenda building, facilitator team building, role play facilitation, emergent design, facilitating strong expressions of emotion, feedback skills, and attendees particular needs.

III. Proposal

A Basic workshop Friday June 18 - Sunday June 20 and a Training for Trainers the following weekend. I am happy to facilitate the trauma workshops at other times.

MAIL15      Index

MAIL16      Index

MAIL17      Index

MAIL18      Index