PEACE ENCAMPMENT IN SARAJEVO
Marcus L. Endicott (mendicott@igc.apc.org)
Mon, 24 May 1993 11:36:26 -0700 (PDT)
/* Written 8:21 am May 24, 1993 by mlpedersen@igc.apc.org in igc:yugo.antiwar */
/* ---------- "PEACE ENCAMPMENT IN SARAJEVO" ---------- */
PEACE ENCAMPMENT IN SARAJEVO - JUNE 25TH - SEPT. 15TH 1993
NOTE: THIS DOCUMENT IS 12 PAGES
The following document fully describes a very promising project for
a permanent peace camp in Sarajevo from the 25th of June to the
15th of September, 1993. The document is 12 pages long and
includes guidelines for particiants and the international contact
numbers. At present, the U.S. contact is: Kathy Kelly, 1460 West
Carmen Avenue, Chicago, IL 60640 tel.: 312-784-8065 fax: 312-
282-9033 e-mail: mlpedersen@igc.apc.org.
Project: WE SHARE ONE PEACE SI VIVE UNA SOLA PACE
Co-ordinator: "Blessed are the Peace-Makers" ("Beati i
Costruttori di Pace") via Marsilio da Padova, 2
35139 Padova - Italy Tel/Fax 39-49-663882
Tel. 39-49-8755897
Promoters: ACLI, Associazione per la Pace, Beati i Costruttori de
Pace, Centro Interconfessionale per la Pace, Centro Psicopedagogico
per la Pace, Comitato delle Associazioni per la Pace e i Diriti
Umani - Roverto, Comitato Golfo, Comitato Nazionale Assemblea dei
di Helsinki (HCA), Coordinamento Nazionale Comunita di Accoglienza,
Difensa Populare Nonviolenta, Gruppo Abele, La Tenda - Firenze,
Lega Disarmo Unilaterale, Lega Internazionale per i Diritti e la
Liberazione dei Popoli, Lega Obiettori di Coscienza, M.I.R., Pax
Christi, Volontari di Pace in Medioriente.
Collaborator: Centro di Studi e di Formazione sui Diritti
dell'Uomo e dei l'opoli - Universita de Padova.
INTRODUCTION - OBJECTIVES
"We share one peace" is the name of a non-violent action,
which aims to contribute both to the peaceful solution of the armed
conflict in Bosnia-Hercegovina and to the real acknowledgement and
respect of the human rights of the people and groups involved in
the conflict.
Already in December '92, with the action "Solidarity for Peace
in Sarajevo", 500 people coming from Italy and other parts of the
world crossed the territories at war in order to assert the urgent
need to recognize the rights of all people to life and well being.
Their aim was both to exercise their international right, as
political subjects, to promote a peaceful solution of the conflict,
and to demonstrate that the search for peace is not an exclusive
function of governments, but belongs to every individual and to all
peoples, as is stated in the International Law of Human Rights.
Their action was a genuine example of popular diplomacy. It
led to manifold contacts (Italian Government, Vatican, UNO,
embassies, civil and religious authorities, etc.), and its aim was
not only to promote a negotiated solution to the conflict but also
to bear witness to violations of human rights, and to the living
conditions and the will to peace of the people affected by war.
The organizers of this action recognize that there is war not
only in Bosnia-Hercegovina but in many other parts of the world,
that the indescribable suffering which war poses is also a
terrible threat to mankind, and that world tensions today are such
that the threat of war is continually increasing.
The organizers are also aware of the massive economic
interests that lie behind every war. They, therefore, denounce the
leaders of the International community, particularly the
governments of the industrial countries, for their continued
support of the arms trade, despite their declared concern for
peace.
Faced with production and employment difficulties, instead of
trying to reconvert the arms industry, these governments work out
new 'defense' models, so that whole peoples pay for the tragedy of
war. Today conflicts are resolved only through force, yet such
resolutions have never brought any good to people who just wish to
live and work in peace.
The organizers confirm the importance of the political
proposal ('Blessed are the Peace-Makers', at Sarajevo on the
International Day for Human Rights, 1992) laid out in the paper
given to all the political, social, religious, intellectual and
military interlocutors met in the capital of Bosnia-Hercegovina
last December.
In particular, all the participants in the action feel that
peaceful intervention is urgently needed in order to promote human
rights, including the right to peace acknowledged in the
Declaration of Human Rights, in both the International Covenants on
Human Rights of 1966, and in the Declaration of Peoples' Right to
Peace in 1984. The International Covenant on Civil and Political
rights, signed by all countries, says that: "Each individual, being
responsible for the other individuals and the community he/she
belongs to, is bound to strive for the advancement and respect of
the rights acknowledged in the present Agreement."
And in the Declaration of Peoples' Right to Peace we find:
"...keeping up a peaceful way of living for their own people is the
sacred duty of each State," and also: "...all the peoples of our
planet have the sacred right to peace..."
Moreover, in accordance with what is stated in the proposal
for the Declaration, "on the right and responsibility of
individuals, groups and social bodies to promote and protect the
human rights and fundamental freedoms universally acknowledged,"
drawn up in 1992 by the UN Committee for Human Rights: "Everybody
has the right to devise new principles and ideas in the field of
human rights and to discuss and try to have them universally
acknowledged." The participants, therefore, ask that the principle
of humanitarian intervention by organized structures of civil
society where human rights are violated, be formally acknowledged.
The participants are going to set up a peace camp with groups
of 60 - 80 people, each group staying for a period of one or two
weeks, so as to ensure a permanent presence in the territory of
Sarajevo from the 25th of June to the 15th of September. The aim
is to share the suffering and problems caused by the war and to
bring solidarity and moral support. They will respond only to the
citizens' needs and emergencies, without ethnic, religious,
cultural or territorial discrimination, and will do all they can,
at all levels, to encourage efforts toward a political solution of
the conflict which respects everybody's rights.
Every participant, according to his/her own capacity, will
work in small projects. There will be groups working specifically
with women, children, ill people, elderly people, refugees and, in
addition, a permanent political-diplomatic commission, a cultural
one and one for monitoring.
They will use all means possible to further dialogue, an some
of them will be assigned specifically to this function. Without
claiming to take the place of local or international institutions,
but confident of the important contribution they an make in their
true and impartial search for peace these people will keep open all
possible channels with the chiefs of religious communities and the
civil and military representatives in order to favor
reconciliation.
Our presence there will be increased during the week of the
7th through the 15th of August, so as to allow the participation of
all those whose work keeps them at home for most of the year. We
wish we were a multitude! This will be a special week including an
ecumenical celebration and a meeting on "Peace from the point of
view of citizens" held with the presence and contribution of
various Peace Universities from different parts of the world.
The participant, though conscious of the risks involved, will
ensure that their presence, activities and contacts with the
parties involved are always visible, so that it is clear that their
actions are disinterested, and based on trust in the force of
nonviolence and the overcoming of an enemy based mentality. They
aim in this way to contribute, as citizens together with the
International Community, to a credible renewal of peace
negotiations starting from a ceasefire--aiming to respect peoples'
need for justice, freedom and democracy and to put a stop to the
power games.
Finally, the participants will urge the United Nations
Organization to allow a non-violent unarmed force, mainly composed
of conscientious objectors, to be posted besides the UNO forces
with the aim of reducing tension and favoring talks. This force
should be provided at once in the cities designated by the UNO as
'security zones.' It could help to defend ordinary people, to
disarm the warring parties and so to prepare the ground for genuine
peace negotiations.
The organizers are aware of the limits of their action, but
are also confident of the support of a great many people who
sincerely want peace and can no longer stand the injustice of war.
They hope also that the political and military authorities who have
enforced their will on the population of ex-Yugoslavia, and gained
force by arms, will now make amendments for the intolerable
suffering and the destruction they have caused. Our project is
part of all the peace efforts and projects working with the people
of ex-Yugoslavia, and seeks to involve all those who daily strive
for a new peace culture.
History compels all of us to continually reflect and
reconsider our choices. There is either one future for us all or
no future at all.
CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION
The action will be carried out according to the following
principles:
1. Independence: Every participant joins in the action as an
individual, regardless of his/her membership of, or commitment to,
any other organization.
2. Cooperation: Every participant pledges him/herself to
cooperate with the other participants, local authorities and
organizers so as to contribute to the realization of the action
goals in the best possible way. Based on our experience of the
"Solidarity for peace at Sarajevo" action, the organizers will
settle the terms and methods of such cooperation. They will do
this not because they always know what is best, but because they
have greater experience in dealing with local authorities, and have
declared themselves responsible for the group to these authorities.
3. Non-violence: This lies at the basis of the action. Every
participant must pledge him/herself to refrain from violence in
every case, even if the participants' lives themselves are in
danger. Furthermore, he/she must activate his/her energies and
capacities for the realization of the agreed-upon program.
4. Solidarity: This entails the moral engagement of every
participant, and support for the moral and humanitarian needs of
the civil population.
5. Impartiality: Participants must try to understand and talk
with all the warring parties.
6. Responsibility: Every participant is fully responsible for
his/her own participation. He/she must also be aware of being co-
responsible for the security and welfare of the group, in
conformity with the principles and conditions stated above. For
this purpose, all participants must undergo some training before
joining the action, and all will receive the "Guidelines for
Participants".
OPERATIVE ASPECTS
Operative aspects will be coordinated by an organizing
committee. Observers from this committee have already been in
Sarajevo and will pay periodical visits there in order to settle
all operative arrangements.
The route will be confirmed a week before the beginning of the
action.
Support offices will be set up at the place of departure, and
at Split, Zagreb and Belgrade, for the whole time the participants
are in Sarajevo.
The group will be completely self-sufficient. All food,
medical, and any other equipment will be conveyed with the group.
Our stay in Sarajevo and our activities there are being
planned in cooperation with local pacifist groups and peace-loving
people.
Information on our journey and activities will be given to the
international media, to international humanitarian organizations
working on ex-Yugoslavia, and to the governments concerned. We are
trying to get the cooperation of all these authorities.
FINANCING
There will be two ways of financing the action: donations to
the project, and sharing expenses among the participants. The
purchased equipment will be given to the civil population of
Sarajevo at the end of the action.
The group coordinating the project, "Blessed are the Peace-
Makers", is a humanitarian, non-profit-making organization,
registered in Padua in conformity with Italian law ((Reg. No.
01589, Ser. 3).
The organizers will do all they can to carry on the project,
but, because of the uncertain and changing situation in the
territories of ex-Yugoslavia, some degree of uncertainty will
always remain. This, nevertheless, will not prevent us proceeding,
step by step, towards our goal.
PERMANENT PEACE CAMP AT SARAJEVO
GUIDELINES FOR PARTICIPANTS
Participation in the Sarajevo peace camp entails a high level of
risk. Whereas none has been hurt during our briefer visits to
Sarajevo in the past, the permanent presence of several dozen
people in the neighborhood of the city does make it much more
likely that a member of the group may be injured or killed.
Bearing this in mind, the participants must formally declare that,
in assuming full responsibility for their presence there, they do
not want the death or injury of camp participants to be used as a
pretext for reprisals involving the use of force, and particularly
military force. It is vital, therefore, that participants prepare
public opinion in their own countries by publicizing the aims of
the camp and its emphasis on non-violence.
We also wish to emphasize that, given that it is impossible to
predict exactly how the conflict will develop and how international
reactions to it may change, the peace camp project has to be a
flexible one. Both its strategies and its short-term objectives
need to be open to adaptation, in order to achieve the primary
objective of a nonviolent solution to the current conflict and the
establishment of the peace process.
AIMS OF THE PEACE CAMP
The aims of the permanent peace camp and the principles on which it
is based are those described in the document by Blessed are the
Peacemakers of the 18th March, 1993 "We Share One Peace".
The issue of the recognition of human rights lies at the heart of
the peace camp project.
Our emphasis on the question of human rights should ensure that the
parties involved accept our presence in all three areas, and the
"Blessed are the Peace Makers" Diplomatic Committee expects to
achieve permission for the entry and exit of around 60 to 80 people
a week, and for the use of appropriate buildings and equipment.
The camp participants will be involved in:
1. forms of negotiation and popular diplomacy
2. concrete acts of solidarity
1. The forms of negotiation and popular diplomacy will relate
mainly to the preparation of the August initiative, in both
logistic and political terms, through:
-contacts with local groups and peace centers, where these
exist and/or are active;
-contacts with representatives of religious, political or
military organizations;
-activating, or facilitating the work of interethnic groups,
through preparatory seminars for the "Citizens' Peace Conference",
planned for August 12th in Sarajevo;
-acting as "permanent observers", of both developments in the
conflict and the situation as regards human rights;
-the planning and, if possible, the carrying out, of actions
to defend civilian targets (hospitals, reception centers,
aqueducts, etc.), in order to ensure that these continue
functioning, or to enable them to function again;
-the facilitating of communication between the warring
parties.
2. Acts of solidarity may include:
-the distribution of basic necessities
-setting up projects which respond to the expressed needs of
the civilian population (children's playgroups; assistance for
elderly people, or for the sick; support for women who have been
raped, etc.). It is essential that activities such as those
described above achieve a degree of continuity, and this continuity
is to be guaranteed by their location within the overall context of
the peace camp project.
MAINTAINING A CONTINUOUS PRESENCE
Duration of the camp
The peace camps in Sarajevo, Ilidza and Kiseljak are expected to
last from June 25th to September 15th, 1993, with maximum
participation between August 7th and 15th, to coincide with a
series of special initiatives. The form these take will depend on
developments and results achieved in the preceding months.
Forms of participation
There will be three forms of participation:
1. long term (from one to three months)
2. short term (13 - 15 days)
3. from August 7th to 15th (these dates don't include the
journey)
Long-term participation
Long-term participants will be responsible for ensuring continuity
in the administration of the camp.
They should:
--have attended,if possible, the course in popular diplomacy
--have proven experience in the sector with which they are dealing
--have the skills and knowledge to keep abreast of the political,
economic and military situation in the area
--be over 25
--maintain contact with the camp organizers
--know English (and possibly some serbo croat)
The permanent camp team will be organized into the following
committees:
1. Logistics Committee - tasks: camp administration; finding
homes for volunteers to stay; provisions; transport
(entries/exits/circulation of people and goods); coordinating all
the committees; contacts with local supporters (interpreters,
drivers, technicians, etc.) in relation to the mid-August
initiative.
2. Diplomatic Committee - tasks: mediation between the parties
involved, including the UN forces; gathering information on the
politico-military situation, in collaboration with the Liaison
Committee.
3. Liaison Committee - tasks: maintaining contacts between the
camp and the local population; facilitating communication, if this
is desired, between the civilian population and other places
4. Aid Committee - tasks: coordinating, and setting priorities
for, solidarity actions.
Short term participation
60-80 short-term participants will join the long-term participants
approximately every two weeks, with the length of each person's
stay dependent on their own availability and on the requirements of
the camp.
All participants, whether they come as individuals or as members of
groups, will be assigned to Affinity Groups, according to the types
of activity and the dates they choose.
To be effective, this initiative needs to have participants from as
many countries as possible, and it is hoped that Affinity Groups
will contain a good mix of nationalities.
Those planning to take part in the camp should work towards this
goal by encouraging friends from other countries to take part.
It is essential that all participants attend the preparatory
training sessions.
Travel details will be provided in advance by the Logistics
Committee.
Stages and deadline:
-launch of the peace camp initiative
-collect names of participants (for those joining the camp for
the first two weeks, these must be collected by May 16th)
-training for participants: dates and arrangements to be
communicated by the training committees in the different countries
-departures (from June 16th onwards)
Departures will take place according to the following timetable
Saturday Meet in Ancona (or Rijeka)
Sunday Preparations for departure, in Affinity
Groups
Sunday evening Departure for Spalato
Monday Departure for Sarajevo
Tuesday Arrival in Sarajevo
Following Friday Departure from Sarajevo
Following Sunday Arrival in Italy
Each group stays for a total of two weeks, with an overlap at the
end of each two week period to allow for exchange of information
and to lessen the risk of the camp being left empty if there are
any delays in arrivals.
THE PERIOD OF MAXIMUM PRESENCE FROM AUGUST 7th TO 15th
All those participating in the camp in the weeks preceding August
7th will help prepare this week of intensive activity, and the
exact form it takes will depend on the situation in ex-Yugoslavia
at the time.
The aim is to carry out a series of initiatives which help to
defuse tension in the area and to move towards peaceful solutions
to the conflict.
Local people will be kept informed of, and involved in, the
planning of the initiatives, which are likely to take the
following, very general, for:
August 1st to 7th: staggered arrival of the "unarmed
multitudes:, and preparatory groundwork
August 9th/10th: human chain, interdenominational religious
service, meetings with local leaders and representatives of
institutions
August 11th/12th: "Citizen's Peace" conference, organized with
the aid of Peace Universities worldwide, and of the Non
governmental institutions. Nobel Prize winners will also be
invited to attend
August 13th: closing ceremony
August 14th: staggered departures begin
INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS
Registration
All participants must register at the Padova offices
Registration involves:
1. Filling in and signing the appropriate form
2. Attending the training session in nonviolence
3. Stating what contribution the participant expects to make to
her/his expenses. In asking for these procedures to be followed,
we re not attempting to exclude participants who wish to take part
in the action in their own way. Our aim is rather to ensure that
those taking part are properly informed and well-prepared, so that
the project stays as close as possible to the principles on which
it is based, and so that participants are aa well-equipped as
possible to confront the high risks involved.
Training in nonviolence
All participants must attend this training, which will be organized
at national levels and according to the different departure dates.
The Affinity Groups will be set up, or reconfirmed at these
sessions. These groups, each containing between 15 and 20 people,
will be set up on the basis of various forms of affinity (for
example political, religious, professional, friendship) and
represented by a spokesperson
Coordinators and Decision-making processes
Although everyone participates in the camp on an equal basis, it is
important that participants act according to the instructions of
the coordinators. This is necessary for the following reasons: 1)
the coordinators have to answer to the various authorities; 2)
communication with those outside the camp can be most efficiently
achieved through a system of coordinators. A committee of Affinity
Group spokespeople will work alongside the coordinators, using
consensual decision-making processes. The committee and the
coordinators will meet on a daily basis, so that all participants
should have regular opportunities to make their views felt, and
coordinators will not make decisions without consulting with the
committee.
In emergencies, decisions will be taken by a small,
internationally-based, group of coordinators and representatives.
The names of those from Italy will be available after May 17th.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE CAMP
- Money: the only money currently circulating in Sarajevo is the
German mark. Don't bring too much money. 200-300 deutchmarks
should be more than sufficient.
- Telephones: no private calls will be possible from Sarajevo.
- Transport: participants must organize their own transport as far
as the departure point. They will then travel with the whole
group.
- Food: each participant or Affinity Group must furnish their own
supplies for the whole period of their stay, plus some food to
share with their host families. The Organizing Committee will
supply a list of the most useful foods. In Bosnia-Hercegovina it
is possible to buy food locally, but there are already supply
problems and we do not want to buy food on the black market.
- Water: it is possible that neither drinking water nor any
running water will be available in Sarajevo. Bring water bottles
and water-purifying tablets.
- Medicines and First Aid: bring aspirins, penicillin , bandages.
Participants with particular medical problems must bring a full
supply of the medicines they need, and tell the Health committee
about their problem. There will be doctors and nurses at the camp.
- Toilets: there will be mobile toilets, but only a small number of
them. It may not be possible to wash at all during your stay. It
would therefore be useful to bring paper handkerchiefs, and pre-
packed damp cloths. All participants must bring anything they need
for personal hygiene.
To sum up: everyone must be completely self-sufficient, for the
whole period of their stay.
The organizers will do their best to ensure reasonable facilities,
but participants must be adaptable.
- Cost: a two week stay, including the journey, should cost about
500.000 lire (about 240 pounds, 600 deutschmarks), to be supplied
by the participants. the Organizing Committee can help with costs
if absolutely necessary.
Postal Account no. 13132352
Bank account no. 34746 U - Banca Antoniana Ag. 1, Padova - ABI 5040
CAB 12101
- Electrical goods: there is no electricity in Sarajevo. Bring
a battery-powered torch, with spare batteries (such torches must
only be used as instructed by camp organizers).
- Colors: the clothes worn must respect and reflect our
neutrality and independence from any outside organizations. Colors
should not be too bright. We shall be devising a special, easily
recognizable logo, which will be used as means of identifying
participants, camp transport, and so on.
- Cameras and film: do not bring these -they could be
confiscated, and people taking photographs could be arrested on the
grounds that they were photographing military subjects, thus
endangering the entire camp.
- Addresses and phone numbers: only bring those strictly
necessary, and always keep them with you.
More detailed information will be supplied by observers already in
the area, and communicated before departure to all Affinity
Groups. It is advisable to set up local support groups for the
Affinity Groups, both to help prepare the action and to publicize
it at local level.
For all other information, whether general or specific, you can
contact our offices in Padua or Turin, or the relevant committees.
Please supply details of initiatives in your countries as soon as
possible.
ORGANIZERS
General Secretariat: Local Secretariat
Blessed are the Peacemkers Blessed are the Peacemakers
via Marsilio da Padova 2 c/o ACLI
35139 Padova - Italy Via Perrone, 3/B
Tel/Fax 39-49 663882 10125 TORINO
Tel. 39-49-8755897 Tel. 39-11-5612012 fax 5611922
Local Secretariat
Associazione per la Pace
Via G.B. Vico, 22
00196 ROMA
tel. 39 6 321406 / 85262464
NATIONAL COMMITTEES
The following committees are responsible for organization. Offers
to participate in, or collaborate with, these committees would be
very welcome.
In Padova:
Logistics Cmttee. contact: Paolo Lazzarini tel. 39-49-627080
Interntl. Cmttee. contact: Laura Linzi tel. 39-49-8802627
Diplomatic Cmttee. contact: Fabrizio Forti tel. 39-49-682056
Liaison Cmttee. contact: Vincenzo Barba tel. 39-49-413640
in Torino:
Information Cmttee. contact: Marco Ferrero tel. 39-11-8127206
Training Cmttee. contact: Anna Romano tel. 39-121-71936
in Roma:
Institution Cmtte. contact: Luisa Morgantini tel. 39-6-3214606
Women Cmtte.
Training in Italy will take place on the following dates:
22/23 May, 5/6 June: School of Popular Diplomacy (University of
Padova
27/30 May or 25/27 June or 17/19 July: training course for short -
term participants (course dates according to departure dates)
2/4 July: training course for those attending the cap between
August 7th and 15th
For any further information or necessity, please contact the
training committee in Turin or the International Committee in
Padova.
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