Escaping the War

The number one SPS (Socialist Party of Serbia) man in Vojvodina, Nikola Sipovac, has stated over a year ago that the undemocratic activities of the Democratic League of Hungarians in Vojvodina ( DLVM) and the Democratic League of Croats in Vojvodina could be prevented if SPS settles the accounts with their leaders - by force. That day the DLVM leaders have marked as the beginning of the goose chase on their League and Hungarians in general.

In the last few days the attention of the public was caught by the visit of Andras Agoston, the DLVM number one and an MP, to Paris and Brussels as well as by the letter which he sent to the UN Secretary General Boutros Ghali, all with the aim of acquainting the world with the position of Hungarians in Serbia.

"The visit to Paris and Brussels marks only the continuation of our presence on the European political scene. Last year we managed to get to Strasbourg and for the first time announced our views concerning the problem of Hungarians in Vojvodina. We later spoke the vice-president of the peace conference on Yugoslavia, we had talks in many embassies in Belgrade and, finally, this trip to Paris and Brussels is of paramount importance.

* Its importance can also be evaluated bearing in mind the personalities you spoke with and considering the issues you treated.

Yes, there were 19 talks in three days where the position of national minorities was the primary issue and, of course, the position of Hungarians in Serbia. We were met in Paris by the director for Europe of the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs and by the director for Eastern Europe of the same Ministry; we

then spoke to Mr. Morelle from Mitterand's team, Raymond Bart, Mitterand's adviser, and we also spoke with a few MPs. I saw Mr. Peter of NATO in Brussels; he is the chief of political administration for Central and Eastern Europe; I also met with Gunter Burbach, one of the EC directors, and, lastly, I went to the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We talked about two main issues: the present position of the Hungarians from Vojvodina and their possible constitutional recognition in the Yugoslav peace process. I pointed out that we are presented with a paradox, one of many, and that is that 25,000 Hungarians have fled in terror of the hard warmongering propaganda and forcible mobilization. Another paradox is that there are 7% to 8% of Hungarians among the Army reservists at the front which is two and a half times greater than the percentage participation of Hungarians in Serbia. For, Hungarians make up 3% of the population in Serbia.

* You forgot to mention the fact that one in five killed at the front is a Hungarian.

At the time this information was made public, it was true. The figures were based on the reports of our men from the field. We, of course, do not claim that our figures are the only correct ones, but I would like to see the figures of the Defence Minister and the Serbian Minister of Interior. That is the reason why I said in Paris and Brussels that my organization is of the opinion that we are faced with the forcible alteration of the ethnic structure in one region in Serbia something which is forbidden by the UN regulations. I have also stated that we wrote a letter to the president of the Serbian Parliament hoping that the Parliament would pass a decision which would enable all the runaway citizens to come back without any threat of legal repercussions. That, I think, is the first step the officials in Serbia should take at the time of this freshly established peace.

* You were explaining your position, looking for help, what about the effects? Will their be any?

I am surprised at the fact that my partners weren't interested in the facts. When I was giving them, they were saying - don't please, we already know them. They were only interested in our attitudes, how politically significant we are, what our position in Parliament is etc. Thus we arranged to keep them informed about our activities and about what will become of our request for the people to return home from exile. I would like to put a special emphasis on something I noticed in NATO and that is that the issue of minorities is becoming a part of the system of collective safety in Europe. We were also glad to hear an opinion that the general amnesty should be included in the peace conference on Yugoslavia. I would first like to say what we don't want because I am still under the influence of the recent happenings and because I wish to stress that we reject the accusations for separatist tendencies which have become intrinsic in the official war propaganda. We will not accept labeling either, which has also become a common thing. We are accused of cooperating with the Hungarian officials and of supporting their policy which is not true. That is nonsense. One should know that Hungary wishes with all its might to enter the EC and any political activity which would hinder them in realizing this aim is unwelcome. On the other hand, we have, as a separate political force, tried from the beginning to establish dialogue with both Serbian and Hungarian authorities. This claim of ours is supported by the fact that we have no problem with the Serbian authorities.

We argue for the formation of personal autonomy and we wish to realize it in three directions: education, culture and information. We will not back down on any of these issues and we will realize them through the legal system. We accept, of course, the control of the Federal Parliament so that we can no longer be accused of wanting to impinge on state sovereignty, as some wish to portray. We even think that the fourth version of the Hague document provides even more ground for the realization of our aims, or rather for granting special status to the boroughs where Hungarians are in majority.