A Bit of Croatia in Belgrade

He was born in Kucine, near Split, in 1927, and completed his high school education in Bjelovar. He read History and Philosophy in Zagreb, but was forced to interrupt his studies in 1949, and spent the next eleven years in the rather unpleasant surroundings of Lepoglava and Gradiska penitentiaries.

"The formulations used then were the usual ones: associating with the enemy with the idea of overthrowing the order", recalls Markovic. "In fact, the matter concerned two or three conversations on the status of Croats in Yugoslavia. But, as is well known, you weren't judged for acts then, but for assumed intentions," said Markovic. After leaving jail, Markovic changed his studies and finished dentistry. "Milan Babic (former leader of Krajina Serbs) and I are professional colleagues. Markovic married, has two daughters and recently became a Grandfather. Since March 11, 1994 he has been the head of the Republic of Croatia Bureau in Belgrade. Until work is completed on the house in Cakorska 1 in Belgrade's exclusive residential area of Dedinje, Markovic and the Croatian delegation are residing at Belgrade's Hyatt Regency, where an apartment costs 300 dollars/day.

"For the time being there are five of us here, which means that each day here costs us 1,500 dollars," complained Markovic. "Apart from really large expenses, we have other problems. Our most important task is resolving the humanitarian question. How can we tell refugees that we understand their problems while receiving them at the Hyatt. We can't wait for the house in Cakorska to be finished (there were some problems), and to start with our work." The Croatian flag will not be flying from the house in Cakorska (nor will the Yugoslav flag be raised at the residence in Zagreb). "The flag and coat of arms are placed on an embassy or consulate, which our Bureau is not", said Markovic. "A plate of the proper size will be put up, and that is all for the time being. Of course, after the mutual recognition of the two states, and a normalization of relations between Yugoslavia and Croatia, normal diplomatic relations will be established."

The temporary "bit of Croatia in Belgrade" does not differ in any way from other apartments in the hotel. The security is discreet, and with the exception of Croatian flags on the tables, there are no other visible signs. It seems that everything has been downplayed to Markovic's basic idea that the time for pragmatism has arrived.

"Demagogues on all sides are running out of contents and success. I'm glad because of that, since that is the only way to make some progress. The circumstances in the world are pushing us, more strongly than before, towards integration."

VREME: For the ordinary man in the street, the uppermost question is: when will traffic and telecommunications be normalized? So far, this has been put off several times. Where have things tripped up?

MARKOVIC: They haven't. The situation in this area is anarchic. Road, railway, river and sea traffic - everything is in a shambles, and interrupted. In Croatia, just as here in Yugoslavia, all big systems are suffering under the burden of a great number of the unemployed, refugees and displaced persons, and a lot of time and effort will be needed to start things moving along. The man in the street feels this most, and it seems that politicians and ideologues are realizing that it is increasingly difficult to convince people of the necessity of the situation in which we are stuck.

Is it true that Yugoslavia insists that the region of Krajina, i.e. the UNPA zone comes under Yugoslavia's code number in telephone communications, and that this is where the problem has arisen?

Yes, that is one of the central questions in talks so far. Yugoslavia's demand is illogical - it would be the same as if you called Belgrade from Zemun via Chile. I hope that there will be more understanding for this question and that the prerequisite conditions will be created for a further normalization of relations.

Yugoslav citizens who wish to travel to Croatia, must now go to Hungary for visas. Will they be able to get visas in Belgrade in future?

MARKOVIC: No. The Bureau is not an embassy or a consulate. We do have diplomatic status, but visas come within the competency of consulates. The opening of the Bureau, is just the first step towards the setting up of an embassy and consulate. It is a fact that Croatia and Yugoslavia are two states now. We cannot change the course of rivers or move mountains, and borders are not as changeable as was thought. It is necessary to enter more peaceful waters as soon as possible, and then the possibility for communications will be created, and the two nations will be able to live normally.

A great number of Serbs who fled from Western Slavonija have moved into abandoned Croatian houses in Eastern Slavonija and Baranja, and vice versa. Will these changes be legalized, or are different solutions being thought of?

The use of force has devastated these territories, and during times of fear, suffering and uncertainty, many fled from their homes. When peace returns to these areas, it would be logical to expect both sides to allow the return of refugees. We had a census relatively recently (1991), so that it is known who had a house, stables, an estate and where. It is important to free the people of fear and uncertainty - world factors are now involved, so that human rights and freedoms will not depend on the whims of local strongmen, but will be guaranteed by the international community.

How will Serbs who have fled from Croatia realize their rights to a Croatian citizenship should they want to? Is there a possibility of a dual citizenship - Yugoslav and Croatian?

Croatia has introduced the term "dual citizenship", which is part of international law. I am not familiar with details, but all that is possible under international experience will apply. When speaking of Croatia and Yugoslavia, the issue concerns a more difficult divorce case, and that is nothing new.

Can Serbs in Krajina receive pensions in Croatia if they have earned them?

Of course. Absolutely. A pension is a long-term investment made from wages into the pension fund. This is money which cannot be manipulated for political purposes. This holds for citizens of Benkovac, Obrovac and Knin, but not for those whose guns are still smoking, but for loyal citizens of Croatia. If it was possible to say in the beginning that Serbs in Croatia did not feel safe, now, when we have proved that we do not intend to resolve anything by force, such arguments don't hold water. Serbs in Croatia can receive cultural and political autonomy according to European examples. Europe has many multi-national states, many countries have resolved similar problems, so that we will not be left to resolve them as we wish. Serbs in Croatia can be divided roughly, into three big groups: a third live in the cities, a third in the UNPAs (Krajina), and a third are refugees. One third cannot decide in the name of all, nor is it logical that 3%-4% of Croatia's population hold one-third of the territory under occupation.

Many works of art have disappeared in the war, Croatia claims that over 30,000 are missing. Is there a precise inventory of missing art treasures, and will this topic be discussed?

There is an inventory, and this will certainly come up for discussion. We prepared for sacrifice, just as others prepared for attacks, so that we devoted a lot of attention to land-registers and other books, including lists of art works.

Montenegro has returned a part of the art treasure (around 460 objects) to Croatia. Was this resolved at state level, or in some other way?

The question of form is certainly less important. Such a well-intentioned move must be respected. This could become a model for the resolving of such problems. Of course, the details must be left to experts. But, the most important thing is that the two states have reached an agreement. I am glad that there was strong resistance in Montenegro to keeping the objects.

Presidential and parliamentary elections were held recently in Krajina, and they were not recognized by Croatia. Who do the Croatian authorities consider to be Krajina's legitimate negotiators: President Milan Martic's team or the local authorities which were elected before the war?

When speaking of the occupied parts of Croatia (the Krajinas or UNPA zones), the so-called authorities there are presented in two ways: the civilian and the military authorities. A battle for "authority", or the status of negotiator is currently going on between them. It must not be forgotten that the matter concerns a peripheral area of nearly 1,000 kilometers in length, where attempts are being made at creating a compact community of Dalmatians, the inhabitants of Lika, Kordun, Banija, Slavonija and Baranja. It is absolutely ridiculous that such a multifarious community made up of barely 5% of Croatia's population can hold one-third of the state's territory and force the remaining 95% of the population to fight for its survival. This is why we expect to receive a lot of help from Belgrade. I think of Serbia as a zeppelin with strong moorings and side weights (in Krajina, the Serb Republic in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Sandzak...). It is impossible to fly to Europe with such a burden.

The media in Croatia have devoted special attention to the problem of people who are registered as missing. How many such persons are there, and will your Bureau deal with such matters?

The term "missing" refers to people who could not be identified after death, or traced. There are 7,000 such persons. Out of respect to the victims, we will try to determine the time, place and manner of disappearance, and their further fate. We believe that there are missing persons in Yugoslavia.

How many and where?

That is the dilemma. Some have been killed, and the exact number of survivors is not easy to determine. It is certainly a very painful question, and must not be used for political purposes or be forgotten. It is an ethical issue.

Apart from ethical issues, Markovic has many other problems on his hands. The impression is that his first days in Belgrade are being spent in talking to journalists. He does, however, find time for a walk or dinner in Skadarlija (Bohemian Belgrade). It seems however, that proper work will start after the Croatian delegation has moved into its new residence, and as Markovic says: "I can't wait for the staff to be complete and to get down to some real work."