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From notes@igc.apc.org Sat Mar 9 13:18:46 1996 Received: from igc5.igc.apc.org (192.82.108.36) by MediaFilter.org with SMTP (MailShare 1.0b10); Sat, 9 Mar 1996 13:18:48 -0500 Received: from cdp.igc.apc.org (cdp.igc.apc.org [192.82.108.1]) by igc5.igc.apc.org (8.7.3/8.7.3) id JAA24394; Sat, 9 Mar 1996 09:50:54 -0800 (PST) Date: 09 Mar 1996 09:32:37 Reply-To: Conference "zamir.chat"From: Ivo Skoric Subject: G. Soros To: Recipients of zamir-chat-l Message-ID: <199603091730.JAA11004@igc3.igc.apc.org> X-Gateway: conf2mail@igc.apc.org Errors-To: owner-zamir-chat-l@igc.apc.org Precedence: bulk Lines: 207 From: "Ivo Skoric" Date: Thu, 07 Mar 1996 15:05:00 +0100 > Article : "Ljiljan Newspapers" published in Bosnia and > Herzegovina > WRITTEN BY: Fahrudin DJAPO on February 28, 1996 > > Translated by: CHC for Human Rights, Zagreb, March 4, 1996 > > > > > SOROS'S WAR ORPHANS > > Geroge Soros, a Hungarian Jew with American passport, > millionaire and financial genius, philanthropist and an advocate > of open society is certainly one of the most controversial and > interesting persons from this end of the century. His foundation > Open Society Institute is present in almost every country in > transition. Soros financially supports hospitals, schools, > universities, publishers, refugees, autonomous businessmen, > However his support of independent media is surely the most > transparent part of the arrangement. His Belgrade's magazine > Vreme, Sarajevo's Slobodna Bosna, Split's Feral Tribune, > Ljubljana's (Sarajevo's) Svijet, Zagreb's Arkzin - are the > newspapers with more or less standardized pro-Serbian concept. As an avid reader and a friend of editors of Arkzin and Feral Tribune, I can't confirm them being standardized pro-Serb. I believe that Fahrudin Djapo substitutes a healthy critique of ones own government for working for the enemy. > Their general opinion is that the war in the Balkans was a > result of "nationalism" or in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina So far, it is a common opinion that (Serbian) nationalism was an instrument that started this war - not only among Soros's publications, but among 99% of media around the world (perhaps with the excepetion of Belgrade's Politika). I don't see why Fahrudin of all people should have problems with that. BTW - Serbian parliament just banned Soros's operations in Serbia. I guess you should send them your piece of mind. Maybe they reconsider their decision. > "nationalist parties" or "nationalists' leaders". Soros himself > does not consider these newspapers to be too influential or > powerful. As an example he mentioned Feral which "deals with the > most delicate issues, however there is a small number of those > ready or willing to listen and accept responsibilities and > consequences". > > THE ONLY BOSNIAN SPEAKS WITH A HEAVY SERBIAN ACCENT > > The most powerful "fist" of this 60 year old man, who > according to his own confessions "wishes to change the World", > is Radio Slobodna Europa (Free Europe, program broadcast in > South Slavic languages), which has been led by (recently) the > former editor of Sarajevo's TV Nenad Pejic. Although I agree to an extent that Radio Free Europe (as well as the Voice of America) used to promote Yugoslav agenda, and still are mostly under influence of Belgrade intellectual circles, they have not much to do with Soros: Soros does not either own or finance Radio Free Europe. Radio Free Europe is a U.S. government bureaucracy, that changes excruciatingly slow and probably still lives in 1950s when Croats were Ustashe and Serbs were the good guys. Nevertheless, I do not imagine anybody listens to AM radio broadcasts today with CNN and MTV around (at least nobody from the generation capable of carrying weapons). > It was first > broadcast from Munich and later from Prague (capital of the > Czech Republic where Soros's central offices are also located). > The program is available to all listeners from Macedonia to > Slovenia. A formulation such as a "program in south Slavic > languages" should suggest the language openness and > representation of all variants as precondition of political > independence and objectivity. However on Pejic's radio, Omer > Karabeg, only member of editorial office who according to his > name and surname is a Bosnian, ...i.e. Bosnian Muslim, isn't it, Fahrudine? What's then all that talk about multiethnicity if you will take only a Bosnian Muslim name as a truly Bosnian name? > speaks with such a heavy Serbian > accent (note: never Slovenian nor Macedonian languages which are > also South Slavic languages) on which even Srbislava Kobilarov, > the staff correspondent from Belgrade, could envy him. > The fact that Geroge Soros is interested in the former > Yugoslavia is a clear proof that behind his aureole of a genius > in one area of his work hides a really naive and dilettante man > in the other. If we accept Soros's well-meant intentions to help > us surpass the consequences of the Serbian aggression against > Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, then we cannot but ask > ourselves the following question: How come that such a financial > wizard who managed to destroy English pound in just one day at > the World Stock Market allowed Serbian lobby to deceive him and > play with him. I have a broader question: why the entire Western world allowed Serbian lobby to deceive them and play that game well for so long? The answer however would require a thorough analysis of the real role Yugoslavia and its crooked army played for superpowers during the cold war. > Soros "agrees and confirms that Serbia is the > aggressor", which is contrary to the statements of the editor of > the radio Free Europe or contrary to the articles written in the > independent media. Consciously or unconsciously, > multimillionaire Geroge Soros has become the puppet on the > string pulled by the quasi democrats Serbs, alleged citizen > alternative who work for Vreme or for Prague's editorial office, > whose most highest point of democracy and objectivity is > expressed by the attitude that nationalism is the main reason > for the outbreak of war in Yugoslavia. Milosevic and his nazi > regime derive more profit from the independent and open Free > Europe program than from TV Serbia, which it holds in its own > claws. The Free European reporters from Serbia engage in a foal > play. Trying to sound objective and critical, Srbislava > Kobilarov, Zoran Mamula, Dragoje Zarkovic, Milica Lucic and > others report about dramatic fights in the Parliament between > Milosevic and democratic opposition leaders such as DJindic, > Seselj, Kosutnica...., in which they criticize Milosevic, > executioner from Dedinje, because he has not been more > systematic in his genocide against the Bosnians. We should not > forget that they also regularly broadcast socio-economic > analysis, "with a critical tone". This should influence the > receivers of messages to create a picture of Serbia as dynamic > and somewhat undemocratic society, which still does not surpass > the limits of parliamentary democracy. > > PERSONAL AND NATIONAL INTERESTS DRAWN FROM THE AGGRESSION > > One of the most indicative examples of the recent > democratic changes in Serbian society was the following case: > Milosevic closed down and put under government control > "independent" radio station Studio B. Soros's Free Europe has > decided to protect freedom and independence of the media at once > and tried to sympathize with the colleagues from Belgrade. At > first sight nothing controversial has happened since all the > principles of the democratic state formed the part of the play. > To cry and whimper about the recent shut down of the sisterly > radio station is completely legitimate. The first most > important news on the Pejic's radio, (what a coincidence), is > the one relating to the event when IFOR captured the group of > Bosnian terrorists "trained" by three Iranis. Free Europe also > broadcast (with great pleasure) the news relating to the > quantities of the weapons and explosives in shape of children's > toys found at the spot and the conclusion drawn from the case > was that the aforementioned group was "under the direct control > of the Bosnian Government in Sarajevo". You should agree that this terrorist bootcamp was at least a serious diplomatic gaffe for Izetbegovic. The U.S. understands that the Serbs are "bad guys", but the U.S. does not take them as direct enemies - like Iranians, for example. > That's it, then! Milosevic is "not a democrat". He > threatens independent local station. On the other hand > Izetbegovic is the sponsor of "Irani terrorists". The news are, > (what a coincidence again), published again just before the > meeting in Rome. (February 16). > The special reporter from the Italian capital, Srdjan > Kusovac, added a special tone to it all, stating that there were > rumors around the city that Alija Izetbegovic was not willing to > leave Sarajevo at the time of the Ramadan. Such statements were > considered funny by Kusovac. > Tendency to interpret events around us by some theories of > conspiracy leads away from truth. We should not doubt the good > intentions of Soros and give negative connotations to his > mission without any solid arguments. One should look at things > without any bitterness and excess of emotions. Then we should > ask ourselves how Serbs managed to enchant and deceive Soros, > placing him in the service of their own national and personal > profits. > "Bosnia is more important to me than Croatia", says Soros. > In spite of the fact that Bosnians are already sick of > conspiracies, there are no reasons to worry about. Critical and > open media is not a rare or miraculous thing in Bosnia. It would > not hurt Bosnia if the wealthy Soros spent a few bucks on the > opening of the new newspapers which would be called "Grude > Tribune" or "Slobodne Pale" (Free Pale). There would not be a > lack of journalists who would be working for them because as one > of his ex employees said: "To work for Soros is easy and there > is a pile of money involved." > Contrary to that - my friends who work for Soros here in the U.S. constantly complain abot money and truckloads of office work and the Yugoslav project overseer is the most tightwad person I've heard of. > ivo > > > > > > ## CrossPoint v3.02 ## > > Ivo Skoric **************************** iskoric@igc.apc.org 212.369.9197 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ 1773 Lexington Ave, NYC NY 10029, USA http://www.peacenet.org/balkans/