European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 30, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Riser vow fun a memorial Church re designating Berlin As the Many get nans. A amps s ended Small a the Edo Miles i to in and has 33, a old Lead i m must i sees Hin d be f the a said recently. After All he noted a new York is not the capital of the United if Bonn is like the portable trailers used As offices at construction Sites a useful As temporary shelter but never intended to be permanent a Berlin could be compared to a partly renovated old mansion. Although Many buildings in its Eastern half need far Piore than a fresh coat of paint Berlin remains a world class City. It perceives itself As the political and economic Crossroads of Europe despite its geographic s wide tree lined streets separate ornate 18th Century architecture from spacious Public Parks and towering monuments. The Brandenburg Gate a Majestic 12-columned Orch is the Symbol to millions around the world who witnessed the nov. 9, 1989, opening of the communist Wall on television. A unified Berlin actually has two of Many things a including museums and opera houses a since it has been both the capital of East Germany and a tantalizing showcase of West German economic Success since world War ii. Beal estate agents certainly seem certain of the outcome of the Battle for the capital. Property values in Berlin have soared. In Bonn meanwhile there is a be on new government construction. Within a few years Bonn will lose perhaps half of its population Quot Trautwein said with resignation. Ethnic rivalries splinter Yugoslavia by Dusan Stojanovic associated press a while most of Europe is on the threshold of unification Yugoslavia a deeply divided states cannot agree on How to remain together. The troubled Balkan country is on the Brink of disintegration. Some politicians maintain that Yugoslavia has already fallen apart. Quot Yugoslavia no longer exists Quot said Dimitrij Rupel foreign minister of Slovenia the Republic leading the rebellion against Yugoslavia As the world has known it for the last 70 years. The country was formed As a joint kingdom of serbs croats and slovenes in the aftermath of world War i. After being occupied and dismembered by the germans in 1941, it re emerged As a communist style federation of six Quot Peoples republics Quot with Macedonia Montenegro and Bosnia Hercegovina added to the three pre War states under Yugoslavia s communist founder Josip Broz Tito. During the cold War Tito s nationalist politics were useful to the West which provided significant financial and other support to non aligned Yugoslavia As a Check on soviet influence in the sensitive Balkans. This in turn helped Tito impose Unity and the Rule of a communist parly that ostensibly Rose above Yugoslavia a traditional ethnic rivalries. But Trad ional ethnic and regional rivalries began to Bubble after Tito s death in 1980. And the message of greater democracy and human rights that spurred last years revolutions in Eastern Europe also worked against the old style centralized Rule from Belgrade. On july 2, Slovenia proclaimed its full sovereignty establishing an Independent Legal system and asserting the right to control All armed forces stationed on its territory. On the same Day ethnic albanian deputies of the volatile Southern province of Kosovo announced plans to secede from Serbia the largest of Yugoslavia a six republics. Croatia the second largest Republic has already demanded Radical reshaping of the Federal system bequeathed by Tito. President Franjo Tud Jmani Scenter right party won a landslide Victory in the Republic s free elections this Spring. Slovenia s freely elected president Milan Kucan said that his Republic will secede either alone or with Croatia if the country does not swiftly become a Loose confederation of fully Independent states. A the Only thing that could keep us together is constant and brutal repression a Rupel said a an apparent reference to repeated warnings by the communist run armed forces that the Quot Battle for Yugoslavia will not be fought without the in contrast the communist leaders of Serbia want a Federal system with a Strong Central authority and they oppose free elections. Slobodan Milosevic Serbia s president has effectively ruled out confederation. He has said Serbia y would agree Only if its present Borders Are revised to include the estimated 2 million serbs in Croatia and the Central Region of Bosnia Hercegovina. Retaining Kosovo an ancient serbian heartland now dominated by ethnic albanians and the assertion of serbian nationalism appear to take precedence Over ties with Slovenia and traditional rival Croatia. Many yugoslavs fear that Milosevic s demands which brought him wide popularity among Tho serbs could trigger ethnic violence. Rupel described Milosevic a aspirations As behind the ethnic divisions Lurk other clashes Over introducing democracy and integrating Yugoslavia with Western Europe. Slovenia and Croatia want to join the integration processes going on throughout Europe. In july their officials held exploratory talks with the european Community on eventually joining the grouping. The dec and the United states however View Yugoslavia As a single country and Wouk like it to remain that Way. Ii is difficult to see How the yugoslavs can reconcile their deep differences to meet Western demands for Unity and for an improved human rights record. Amnesty International and the european parliament repeatedly have condemned what they see As Gross human rights violations by Serbia against Kosovo s ethnic albanians. At least go Kosovo albanians who demand full autonomy and free elections have died in clashes with serbian Security forces since March 1989, when Serbia virtually abolished the Region s self government. Thousands have spent time in jail and Serbia has muzzled ethnic albanian Media for Many yugoslavs Federal Premier Ante Markovic remains the Only integrating Factor among the feuding pc republics. Markovic won widespread admiration for a remarkably Swift economic turnaround and his Market oriented programs have received wide support from Western governments and financial institutions. But Early optimism that Markovic could translate his economic Success into political clout and use it to form a new party has evaporated in the face of Slovenia s declaration of sovereignty and Serbia s reaction i. Monday by 30,1990 mid the stars and stripes a a a Pago 15
