EUROPE CLOSES THE DOOR TO DESERTERS

Summary:

The regulation of refugee status in the countries of Western Europe increasingly difficult and complicated. An exceptionally vulnerable population category from ex-Yugoslavia - thousands of conscripts from Serbia and Croatia. Although initially reception proceeded without any problems, stricter rules of the game introduced as individual desertions turned into a general code of conduct for thousands of young men from Serbia and somewhat smaller number from Croatia. The hardest situation for deserters from former Yugoslavia in Denmark. Hectic preparations for total sealing of borders expedited as, according to some estimates, arrival of over 4 million refugees from former Yugoslavia to Western Europe expected this winter. Not much hope for deserters in the resolution of the European Parliament, initiated by the European Civil Forum, requesting European states to assist those who refused to take part in the war in former Yugoslavia.

AIM, AMSTERDAM, December 9, 1993

As matters stand now, regulation of refugee status in the West European countries in the coming months will become harder and more complicated in every respect.

There is not much left of the initial humane and humanitarian enthusiasm when it comes to the war on the territory of former Yugoslavia and refugees coming from these areas. Formally speaking, nationals of Bosnia and Herzegovina are in a somewhat better position compared to others, but in practice that doesn't change things much. Namely, not a single European country will turn back or deny hospitality to nationals of Bosnia and Herzegovina, once they are on their territories. However, the problem is that the Bosnians are practically unable to travel and consequently to find themselves in one of the "welfare" states. Individual visas are extremely difficult to obtain, reception of larger numbers of refugees is ever more rare so that the only, more or less safe (and exceptionally expensive) way of going to, eg.Geramny or Holland, is the illegal way, through secret channels of already well organized network of war vultures which charges three to six thousand German marks for the transfer of a three-member family from Zagreb to Munich. It is estimated that in this way several dozen thousands of Bosnians arrived to Western Europe from Croatia till now. It is easy to calculate the amount of money in question. However, as far as nationals of Croatia or rump Yugoslavia are concerned, at the moment there is not even a formal possibility for them to regulate their refugee status in Western countries. Any personal documents from Bosnia and Herzegovina, naturally forged, have extremely high price, so that trade in these brings in handsome income to skilful criminals. Such documents are most easily procured in Vienna, but also in Munich, Frankfurt or some other German cities.

The only thing left those to whom such document are unaffordable is a long, painful and uncertain procedure of requesting a political asylum while being forced to stay in camps for asylum-seekers. Few are those fortunate ones who succeed in regulating their status - a residence permit, work permit, right to a flat or some social welfare - through some of the organizations, mostly of a dubious character, which because of the war that broke out in Croatia, were established in great numbers with the task of protecting the rights of refugees and providing various forms of aid. The practice showed that some individuals from these organizations with pompous and impressive names, mostly used them for advancing their own interests, bringing very little benefit to the refugees who even frequently never heard of them.

A particularly vulnerable population category from ex-Yugoslavia in Western countries represent thousands of conscripts from Serbia and Croatia. At the beginning of the war they were received in all European countries without any problems, but the rules of the game eventually became more strict, as cases of individual desertions turned into a general code of conduct for thousands of young men from Serbia and somewhat smaller number from Croatia. For example, in April this year Holland "turned off the faucet" of privileges for military conscripts who are not from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a possibility of acquring a refugee status exists only if a person seeking refuge in Holland is able to also submit his draft call.

"I was born in Serbia. I have lived in Pancevo for 20 years. At the time the war broke out I was studying in Zagreb. As my father is a Croat from Istria I was granted Croat nationality. Soon after that came a draft call for the Croat Army. I did not want to join either the Chetniks, or any other army. Now I am in Amsterdam illegally and there is no way I can regulate my status. I needed a year to complete the studies of electrical engineering, and here I now walk dogs and clean lavatories in an Indian restaurant, normally illegally", says a 23 years old Milan K. There are thousands of other with similar destinies in the Netherlands alone.

Yet, deserters face the most difficult situation in Denmark, where a proposal on the total closing of borders for all refugees from the former Yugoslavia is awaiting parliamentary procedure. The Danish Right is doing all it can so as to simply put on trains and expel from the country all those who are already in Denmark. Indicative is the behaviour of other European states which do not announce any persecution nor further restrictions, at least not officially, but whose representatives of Internal Affairs Ministries have been meeting secretly for some time now within the so called C4 Commission so as to finally put up a barrier to waves of refugees from former Yugoslavia. Frantic preparations are underway for the total blocking of borders, since according to some estimates, it is expected that some 4 million ex-Yugoslav refugees will try to reach Western Europe during the coming winter.

Writing about this initiative the Italian "Corriere della Sera" claims that this practically means that the borders of united Europe will be closed to refugees. Thus, all stories of humanitarian and human rights, right to life and choice in the war proved to be a make-beleive, mimicry and pharisaism on the part of those who launch them...

Some hope should come from the move initiated by the European Civil Forum, by which the European Parliament member governments are requested to change their policy towards refugees, i.e. deserters from the territory of former Yugoslavia which was to date unclear and inconsistent. Assistance is requested for all those who refused to take armed part in the war on the territory of former Yugoslavia, and to that end a beginning of a major international action for the rights of deserters from the states of former Yugoslavia is announced for December 10. The campaign should give results in six months (securing the support and lobbysts, etc.), i.e. for the next session of European Parliament in June 1994. At the session of the European Parliament, which was held in late October this year, a resolution on deserters was adopted, but its implementation in practice will surely not be an easy task to accomplish. The resolution, inter alia, request the Danish Minister of Internal Affairs to make it possible for deserters from rump Yugoslavia to stay in Denmark, and calls upon other Member States to pursue their policy towards deserters - particularly those coming from Serbia and Montenegro - in such a way so as to facilitate regulation of their status in countries of refuge, as well as to assist them in any other way when they, as defectors, find themselves in the West. RAMIZ MEHULIC