SPRING CLEANING OF VUKOVAR

New Winds Blowing in Eastern Slavonia

"They keep telling us that we must stay, and allow Arkan and similar profiteers cut down forests freely and export it from Slavonia, in order to leave as little to the Croats as possible. How come, I ask you, leave it to the Croats, when we are supposed to stay here? The forests are ours, then, aren't they", the refugee from Lika wonders. "They are not too concerned either, for not having supplied us with enough fuel and fertilizers for sowing, because 'who knows who will harvest what we sow', and they want us to believe that it is best for us to settle down in this region. This is just driving people crazy all over again, and nothing else", the refugee from Krajina concludes.

AIM Vukovar, April 11, 1996

Between the March concert of the group called "Smoking Forbidden" and Dr. Nele Karajlic (the book titled "Brethren Living in Harmony" was also promoted on the occasion) and the announced voluntary work drive to be called "To Vukovar with Love" (in which the youth of this town are expected to voluntarily come out in the middle of April and clean the surroundings), other forms of "spring cleaning" are going on in Vukovar, too, in order to beautify this region for the welcome members of UNTAES and the international transitional administration.

The Secretariat for Housing and Public Services and the Institute for Reconstruction and Development of the city recently announced a public competition for tenders for clearing up ten thousand square metres of Vukovar ruins, instead of which (if the cheapest and fastest contractor applies) a 30- centimetre layer of Slavonian soil should soon stretch.

Deputies of the municipal assembly also constributed to a "nicer and better" Vukovar by discharging Mayor Slavko Dokmanovic and appointing mechanical enginer Miroslav Keravica in his place.

"This is nothing new and no change for the better", commented high school profesor M.B., adding that the name of the new mayor of Vukovar was connected with the old scandal with export of wheat and known for close contacts with Goran Hadzic, "chief inspector" of oil field Celetovci.

"Tractor drivers in power again", a refugee with the diploma of the economic faculty assesses briefly the political situation in Vukovar, alluding to the Mayor's deputy who got no further than elementary school in his education.

"A purge is being prepared in the Regional Executive Council", says a local journalist, who is a sympathizer of Borislav Drzajic, the first man of the regional government. "Drzajic's work", the journalist continues, "completely differs from that of these dilettantes. In just a short time he managed to gather around himself an enviable number of highly educated people and experts, and asked them to put their knowledge at the disposal of the Serb people and do everything they can to keep them in this space. Mr. Drzajic established good contacts with Mr. Klein's administration, and he has good manners which even those rare ones in the existing political set who have them dare not show".

For instance, after the incident at Vukovar marketplace which occurred on the occasion of the visit of American ambassador in UN, Madelaine Albright, Mr. Drzajic sent an apology note to Ms. Albright for the act of his fellow citizens, explaining it as a result of provocations of the Croat journalists who were present, but not justifying it with it.

Sudden increase of interest of media for everyday life in Vukovar was caused, among other, by the news that the Serbs are secretly, at night leaving the region of Slavonia and taking their property away.

Emigration concerned Jacques Klein more than the local Serb political elite which did not attach any great significance to this phenomenon, explaining it as a personal choice of a minority of waverers, which could not affect the stance of the majority of the Serbs to remain in their homeland. Just in case, however, the authorities in Vukovar temporarily banned departure and taking property out of the region, before the problem is considered in detail and with all its implications.

"I transported some furniture and appliances to Serbia, stored them at my relative's, where I will find them in case we have to go", says a citizen of Vukovar, who returned to town after he had transported his property. "Most of my neighbours reproach me for it", he adds, "but I do not wish to experience the same destiny as the Serbs from Krajina and Western Slavonia, and I must ensure myself 'just in case'..."

A refugee from Lika, temporarily living in the vicinity of Vukovar, considers reassurances of the authorities that there is no reason to panic - pure hypocrisy.

"They keep telling us that we must stay, and allow Arkan and similar profiteers cut down forests freely and export it from Slavonia, in order to leave as little to the Croats as possible. How come, to the Croats, when we will allegedly stay here? These are then our forests too, aren't they", the refugee from Lika wonders. "They are not too concerned either for not having supplied us with enough fuel and fertilizers for sowing, because 'who knows who will harvest what we sow', and they want us to believe that it is best for us to settle down in this region. This is just driving people crazy all over again, and nothing else", the refugee from Krajina concludes.

Driving them crazy or not, but many citizens of Vukovar, nevertheless, act in accordance with the new winds blowing over rivers Vuka and Danube. Peace is at hand, and people are trying to manage somehow. Culture has come to life again, entrepreneurs have perked up, new citizens' associations are founded. Printing of appropriate publications is announced which will include maps of natural and cultural resources of the region, and the Society of museologists and conservationists was reactivated.

Business Club of the Information Centre in Vukovar convened a meeting for manufacturers of equipment and illumination for restaurants, disco clubs and stores from Cacak and Kraljevo. News about revival of production have arrived from the agricultural industrial enterprise VUPEK, about expansion of the cattle farm, increase of capacity of the Hotel "Danube" and reconstruction of the port.

The recently established Information Bureau for Contacts with UNTAES appealled to all interested citizens who have a surplus of housing space (!?) to offer it civilian and military members of UNTAES.

Various associations were founded, one for revival of Vukovar, another for investigation of victims of the Croat regime, the third for problems of refugees and banished persons. Commissariat for Refugees is moving to new, better premises, visits to Vukovar and Beli Manastir of European and world humanitarians and businessmen have become quite frequent, certain vitality is also felt among journalists of the local Serb media which are gradually 'taken over' by Mr. Klein and his associates, who are organizing instructive and other meetings with the journalists in order to prepare them to inform the citizens during the forthcoming transitional period.

Members of UNTAES are setting up containers as accomodation facilities, equipment and arms are arriving, while the Serb tanks are withdrawing and (as a soldier told us) they are moved to Serbia before the official beginning of demilitarization of the region, in order to avoid their destruction "on site"...

In the meantime, prices have gone down in Vukovar market. Along with the local buyers, there is an increasing number of citizens from Serbia in the market. Cigarettes are, for example, 30 per cent cheaper than in Belgrade, prices of coffee are lower by even 40 per cent, and appliances are sold at half price in comparison with markets in Vojvodina. The official exchange rate of the German mark is equal to that on the black market (1 mark = 3.3 Yu-dinars), and there are other European currencies in circulation. The explanation for low prices is simple - no taxes or customs duties are paid for the goods, according to the directives of the authorities which wish to make this region interesting both for its inhabitants and for various merchants who are beginning to find Vukovar cheaper and closer than Subotica or Szeged.

The attitude to the American retired general, administrator of the region, Jacques Klein is also changing - he is becoming more popular.

"He is not that bad as it seemed in the beginning", says a middle-aged citizen of Vukovar, who attended the Easter mass in Catholic Church of Ilok out of curiosity, together with Mr. Klein, and who intends to watch Mr. Klein from afar at the Orthodox Easter service which will be held in Dalj where the omnipresent American has already announced he would be.

(AIM) Milka Ljubicic