To the Editor:
In the article “Milosevic’s Name on the Ballot Signals Serbian Nationalism” (Dec. 27, 2003) Nicholas Wood is reminding readers about Croatian nationalists and the new government in Croatia, just to take attention from indicted Serbian war criminals in the Hague.
Mr. Wood, forgot to mention Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj and his well known proclamations and views in his article. To remind the readers of the New York Times I will mention few typical views of Mr. Seselj, arch Milosevic’s supporter and vice versa.
1. The Serbian Radical Party’s Seselj calls America an exporter of “evil, corruption and crime,” and Saddam Hussein “a victim of American hostility.” 2. The Serbian Radicals openly call for “Greater Serbia” at the expense of the neighbors and have pledged to cut diplomatic ties with Serbia’s main rival, Croatia. They also vowed not to extradite to the Hague tribunal the two top U.N. war crimes fugitives — former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his wartime military commander, Gen. Ratko Mladic.
3. The Serbian Radical Party’s lead candidate is Vojislav Seselj, a former Milosevic associate. Before he was jailed pending trial for alleged war crimes during the Yugoslavia wars, his claims to fame included spitting at the parliament speaker and brandishing a handgun in front of the parliament building.
4. Seselj, who once said the Croatian should have their eyes gouged out with rusty spoons.
5. Mr. Wood forgot to inform the readers of The New York Times of Mr. Milosevic’s responsibility for 8000 Bosnian innocent people slaughtered in so called U.N. safe zone of Srebrenica.
6. Also, proud march of the Yugoslav Socialist Federal Army 1991 from Belgrade to Croatia to kill and destroy whatever was on their way. City of Vukovar was on the way to the glory of the fifth strongest army in Europe.
Hopefully, Mr. Wood will use more facts in his next article, and less construction of the phobia when Croatia is concerned.
Josip Remenar – SutrA magazine – New York