BULLETIN - Serbian Unity Congress

Serbian Unity Congress Bulletin Issue No. 282, Summer 2007 

FIGHTING FOR KOSOVO IN WASHINGTON 

Third Annual Serbian-American Day on Capitol Hill 

CONTENTS: 

- Third Annual Serbian-American 

Day On The Hill - Fighting for 

Kosovo in Washington, p.3 

- Serbian Unity Congress Press 

Release on. US Secretary Rice’s 

Kosovo Remarks, p.4 

- Parenting Serbian-American 

way, p.5 

- In Memoriam - Desa Tomasevic- 

Wakeman, p.6 

- Action Alert - House Resolution 

445, p.7 

- Detroit Chapter Continues Its 

Work, p.11 

- Срби на Европском Фестивалу 

у Ванкуверу, p.12 

- The Story of a Wall - Visiting 

Kosovo and Metohija, p.14 

- Sharing our Treasures Across 

the Ages and the World - BLAGO 

went to Patriarchate of Pec, p.17 

SAVE THE DATE - Seventeenth Annual Convention 

SERBIAN UNITY CONGRESS 

2007 

1 7 T H C O N V E N T I O N - S A N F R A N C I S C O 

BULLETIN 

Major General Gregory Wayt of the Ohio National Guard, Congresswoman Melissa Bean and 

IOCC Chairman Alexander Machaskee speak out for Serbs and Kosovo on June 27 

Congressmen Jim McDermott and Peter Roskam showing their support for the Serbs 

SAN FRANCISCO - October 26-28, 2007 

Keynote Speaker: 

Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, Republic of Srpska 

Guests of Honor: 

Bajaga & Instruktori 

HRH Prince Alexander and HRH Princess Katherine 

Featured Speakers: Mr. Vuk Jeremic, Foreign 

Minister, Ms. Milica Cubrilo, Minister for Diaspora 

Special Guests: Mr. Oliver Dulic, Speaker of the Parliament, Mr. Slobodan Milosavljevic, 

Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Predrag Bubalo, Minister of Trade and Services 

Entertainment: Bajaga i Instruktori

FROM THE PRESIDENT 

From the President 

September 2007 

Dear Members and Friends – 

A great deal of time has passed since our 

last bulletin. Since I consider communications 

to members to be very important, I sincerely 

apologize to all our members for the 

delay. Nonetheless, our Web site has been 

kept up to date and you can easily track our 

activities there. 

In late June we completed our 3rd Serbian 

Day on Capitol Hill and filled the beautiful 

Caucus Room in the Cannon Office Building 

of the House of Representatives with our 

event participants and guests. Serbian Unity 

Congress members from 14 states attended 

the luncheon and evening Vespers and Memorial 

service. Five Congressmen attended 

-- Melissa Bean, Dan Burton, Rahm Emanuel, 

Peter Roskam, Jim McDermot -- along with 

representatives of the State Department, 

the Serbian Embassy, and Armenian and 

Greek organizations. Metropolitan Mitrofan 

also attended and gave the blessing. 

At the start of our luncheon, we had the 

bittersweet occasion to introduce Tina Hone, 

who originally conceived our Day on the Hill. 

Tina was in fresh mourning for her beloved 

aunt, Desa Tomasevic Wakeman, to whom 

she paid tribute. Desa was a shining light in 

the Serbian community and a founder and 

long-term supporter of the Serbian Unity 

Congress. She will be missed. We are carrying 

Tina’s remarks as obituary for Desa in 

this issue. 

Author Gregory Freeman spoke briefly 

about his forthcoming book, The Forgotten 

500: The Untold Story of the Men Who 

Risked All for the Greatest Rescue of World 

War II. Freeman said that the lunch was the 

first time he had been in a room full of people 

who knew so much about the story of our 

heroes in World War II. Our member, George 

Vujnovic, one of the heroes in the book, traveled 

from New York for our event. We were 

honored and happy to see him. 

We recognized the remarkable achievement 

of Xenia Lynn Teresa Wilkins [see our 

prior bulletin] and had her present to Congresswoman 

Melissa Bean the some 57,000 

signatures on the Internet petition that she 

organized to Save Kosovo. Also, thanks to 

our Chicago and Detroit chapters, on June 

27 we distributed about 600 letters to their 

Congressmen in support of House Resolution 

445, which calls for negotiations for a 

mutually agreed solution in Kosovo. Each of 

us must send a letter to our Representative 

urging him or her to support H.R. 445. 

Our eloquent keynote speakers were 

Alex Machaskee, Chairman of the International 

Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), 

and Major General Gregory Wayt of the Ohio 

National Guard. Alex spoke movingly about 

the scope and importance of the IOCC. He 

also spoke about the need for Serbia to 

modernize its laws and institutions and to 

crack down on graft and corruption in order 

to be able to attract investment and see its 

economy grow. General Wayt told us about 

the organization, size and mission of the 

Ohio National Guard and about its successful 

ongoing partnership program with the 

Serbian military. 

There is more information about the 

event both in this issue of our bulletin and 

on our Web site: www.serbianunity.net 

Soon after Vidovdan, I traveled to Serbia. 

Along with board members Dushan Bilbija 

and Nenad Vukicevic and the BLAGO team, 

we visited Kosovo and Metohija with. My essay 

on aspects of the trip also appears in 

this issue of our bulletin. 

At its meeting on August 25, 2007, 

based on input from a committee that had 

been tasked to study the structure of our organization, 

the Board adopted a number of 

Bylaw amendments. The Bylaws, as amended 

are posted on our Web site. In addition, 

you will soon be receiving a letter pointing 

out highlights of these amendments and the 

reasoning behind them. 

Finally, our 17th Convention will be held 

on October 26-28, 2007 in San Francisco. 

On Saturday, October 27, the Honorable 

Milorad Dodik, Prime Minister of Republika 

Srpska, will be our keynote speaker and the 

entertainment will be the famous Serbian 

pop-rock group, Bajaga i Instruktori. See 

you there! 

Sincerely, 

Jasmina Theodore Boulanger 

President 

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 

If you have a story to share or a comment 

on a recent article in our bulletin 

or the web site, please send it to the editor@serbianunity.net. 

It will be reviewed 

by our editorial staff and printed in the 

bulletin or our web site if appropriate. 

Activism Works! 

During the past few months we have 

sent a number of alerts. We achieved 

some results. 

A Serbian Unity Congress activist 

called the office of Congressman Jim 

McDermott (D-WA 7th District). As a 

result of this call, Congressman Mc- 

Dermott chose to attend the Serbian 

American Day on the Hill lunch, where 

Congresswoman (and Serbian Caucus 

Co-Chair) Melissa Bean spoke about 

her upcoming Congressional Delegation 

(CODEL) to Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia. 

Congressman McDermott signed 

up for the CODEL. 

Another Serbian Unity Congress activist 

met with the office of Congressman 

Charles Gonzalez (D-TX 20th District). 

Congressman Gonzalez subsequently 

called Congresswoman Bean’s office 

to cosponsor the H.RES.445. 

Zoran Golubovic, President of the Illinois 

Chapter and Vice President of 

the SUC, organized an effort to collect 

signatures of support for H.RES.445. 

People from the local church began 

faxing letters to the SUC office, where 

they were sorted and sent to area Congressional 

Representatives. Over 500 

letters have been sent, and as a result, 

the SUC office has been able to schedule 

a number of meetings with offices 

of potential new Serbian Caucus members. 

Call your Congressman, 

meet with them (or their 

legislative aide)... Activism 

works ! 

2 www.serbianunity.net 

Serbian Unity Congress Newsletter, No. 282, Summer 2007

Congressman Dan Burton, co-chair of 

Serbian Caucus, with congresswoman 

Melissa Bean 

The battle for Kosovo moved to 

Washington’s Capitol Hill on June 26-7 

as Serbs from across America answered 

a Serbian Unity Congress call for action. 

In two days of face-to-face meetings 

at congressmen’s offices, Serbian 

Americans told their elected representatives 

exactly why they oppose President 

George W. Bush’s comments in Albania 

in favor of independence for Serbia’s 

southern Kosovo province. 

Arguing for a “fair deal” in Kosovo, 

Serbian Unity Congress members and 

supporters from allied communities explained 

how there has been nothing fair 

at all since NATO arrived in the Serbian 

heartland. The theme of the talking sessions 

in congressional offices was that 

true negotiations cannot have a predetermined 

conclusion. 

Human rights was a central issue, focusing 

on the fact that Kosovo’s Serbs 

have no freedom of speech, movement, 

or even peaceful existence within the 

walls of their own homes. A number of 

Serbian Deputy Chief of Mission in 

Washngton, Borko Stefanovic 

Fighting for Kosovo in Washington 

congressional staffers were surprised 

to learn of the degree to which religious 

freedom is being denied to Kosovo’s 

Christians. Few knew that over 150 

Christian churches and religious monuments 

have been destroyed in peacetime, 

since NATO’s arrival. 

Broadening the message, the advocacy 

teams from the Serbian American 

community also stressed the fact that 

the destroyed religious sites are both a 

form of ethnic cleansing and an attack 

on the entire civilized world through the 

violent destruction of shared World Heritage. 

Participants in the Serbian Unity Congress 

Vidovdan “Serb Days on the Hill” 

reminded their fellow Americans in Con- 

Alex Machaskee, president of the International 

Orthodox Christian Charities and 

former Cleveland Plain Dealer publisher 

gress that the apprehended plotters in 

the attempted massacre of US servicemen 

at Fort Dix were ethnic Albanians, 

who have admitted to investigators that 

they wanted to, “Kill as many U.S. soldiers 

as possible.” 

Tina Hone Tomasevic, the niece of 

SUC founding member Desa Tomasevic, 

paid tribute to her late aunt, who passed 

away just one week before the Vidovdan 

event. She underlined the fact that such 

direct and honest advocacy was exactly 

the kind of thing that Desa had always 

said was the key to protecting Serbia in 

America. 

Deputy chief of mission, Mr. Borko 

Stefanovic, from the Serbian Embassy, 

applauded the teams on their efforts. 

WASHINGTON SCENE 

Xenia Williams started a petition against 

Kosovo Independence and collected over 

55000 signatures 

The record-high participation of more 

than one hundred people from coast to 

coast signaled the degree of Serb unity 

and commitment to Kosovo. 

At lunchtime, the advocacy teams 

gathered to hear speeches of encouragement 

from Mr. Alex Macheskee, 

president of the International Orthodox 

Christian Charities and former Cleveland 

Plain Dealer publisher. Mr. Gregory 

Freeman previewed his upcoming book, 

The Forgotten 500, the tale of how entire 

Serb villages chose death in World 

War Two rather than to revealing to the 

Nazis the hiding places of the over 500 

U.S. airman they saved after they were 

shot down over Serbia. 

Major General Gregory Wayt of the 

Ohio National Guard addressed the 

participants as the invited key speaker, 

demonstrating with his words and his 

presence that Serbia is an ideal part- 

Gregory Freeman, author of the upcoming 

book on Serbs rescuing 500 US airmen, 

“The Forgotten 500” 

1-202-463-8643 3


Tina Hone Tomasevic, the niece of SUC 

founding member Desa Tomasevic, paid 

tribute to her late aunt 

ner for the USA. His glowing description 

of the blossoming military cooperation 

showed another side of the US relationship 

with Serbia, one far different from 

that reflected in President Bush’s recent 

comments in favor of Kosovo separation. 

The two days Serbian American political 

action attracted a record turnout 

of U.S. Senators, Representatives and 

other officials, including leaders of other 

ethnic communities who strongly endorsed 

Serbia’s historic, legal and moral 

claim on Kosovo. 

Secretary Rice’s 

Irresponsible Kosovo 

Remarks Undermine 

U.S. Security 

Serbian Unity Congress Press 

Release 

During a recent visit to Portugal, 

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice 

stated that “we’re committed to an independent 

Kosovo and we will get there 

one way or another.” 

In the current delicate political juncture, 

when key international players (including 

UN Security Council members 

and EU nations ) involved in helping determine 

a fair resolution to the Kosovo 

issue have agreed that a new round of 

good-faith negotiations between the parties, 

with no fixed time limits or default 

solutions, is necessary to move forward 

from the current stalemate - the present 

statement amounts to a sabotage that 

mocks the process and dooms the outcome. 

A similar - though less brazen - stance 

by the State Department at the outset 

of the 2006 Vienna status talks likewise 

wiped out any substantive negotiations 

between the parties and directly led to 

the current political impasse. With a 

continuing American responsibility for 

assisting a just resolution to this political 

conflict, its ability to act as honest 

and independent broker is virtually destroyed 

with such an irresponsible bias 

towards one particular solution. 

Furthermore, the current insistence 

on this specific outcome compromises 

US foreign policy on multiple levels. 

Defying international law by pressing 

the dismembering of a state that has 

clearly committed to its territorial integrity 

is bound to open a Pandora’s box of 

secessionist claims worldwide, resultant 

instability and sundry blow back 

of a kind historically poorly handled by 

the US. Moreover, the abandonment 

of the earlier sensible “[human rights] 

standards before status” policy for the 

province, in the face of naked threats of 

violence by a narco-mafia clique with reported 

Al-Qaeda ties, is certain to bode 

ill for both our ongoing efforts in the War 

on Terror and the perceived sincerity of 

our worldwide human rights agenda. 

If there was any question about the 

effect of the Secretary’s public comments, 

that was promptly removed 

when the provincial Prime Minister Agim 

Ceku stated he will call on the Assembly 

of Kosovo to have November 28th as 

the day when the province will unilaterally 

declare its independence. This plan 

(called “Plan U” for “Unilateral Independence”) 

was presented to the Kosovo Albanian 

delegation in advance of its trip 

to Washington DC this week, to meet 

with Secretary Rice. 

This is sadly a very predictable outcome 

of a very irresponsible remark. 

We now have the Kosovo governmental 

institutions poised for a declaration of 

unilateral independence, an outcome 

feared by all other international factors, 

but with the explicit support of the United 

States. While the rest of the Inter- 

national Community is desperately trying 

to figure out a sustainable solution 

and bring lasting peace to the region, 

the Secretary of State is presenting 

the United States foreign policy as one 

where terrorism is not only tolerated, 

but rewarded. 

The Serbian Unity Congress strongly 

condemns such destructive statements, 

especially coming from a key player in 

the ongoing discussions on the future 

of this province. Furthermore, the Serbian 

Unity Congress calls on members 

of Congress and Senate to come out 

strongly against such acts, exerting their 

mandated oversight of the State Department, 

raise the level of scrutiny of the 

Administration’s policy regarding Kosovo-Metohija, 

and its implications on US 

security and national interest. 

Greetings from 

the Serbian Unity 

Congress to our 

Brothers and Sisters 

in Serbia on this 

Vidovdan 2007 

and the 618th 

anniversary of the 

Battle of Kosovo! 

We all know the special history, 

the symbolism and the legend that the 

very word “Vidovdan” means to Serbs. 

We cannot even say “Vidovdan” without 

stopping to think about its cascade of 

meaning. 

For those of us who are born or living 

abroad, on Vidovdan we all remember 

our roots. It is a focal point of our 

identity as people tied together by our 

ancestors, their actions and their values. 

While we remember Tsar Lazar and 

the loss on Kosovo Ravno, we are also 

proud of the outcome. 

In the early summer of 1389, our 



ancestors went bravely forth from their 

castles and fortresses, their wooden 

huts and farms to face a vast and powerful 

enemy. They knew full well that they 

might not return. But they went in defense 

of their homes, their families, their 

pleme and their Holy Orthodox Christian 

faith. This would be the second major 

and awful encounter between Serbs and 

the Ottomans after the Battle of Marica 

in 1371. The short time between these 

battles was not even adequate to raise a 

new generation of warriors to bolster the 

losses sustained in 1371. Nonetheless, 

when faced with a choice of submitting 

to tyranny or fighting for freedom, our 

ancestors chose the latter. They chose 

to do what is right and honorable regardless 

of the cost. 

More than six hundred years later, 

we gather to remember and honor the 

actions of all of our ancestors – from 

the Battle of Kosovo to the 1804 uprising, 

from two Balkan wars to two world 

wars, from their fights against tyranny to 

their struggle to survive today in Kosovo 

and Metohija. We thank them for their 

deeds of chivalry and valor. We thank 

them for their willingness to fight and 

die for what is right. We thank them for 

setting an example for us to follow every 

day of our lives. We thank them for 

showing by their deeds what it means 

to be a Serb – not so much a matter of 

genetics but, rather, a matter of moral 

values and conscious choice, the choice 

of the Kosovski zavet. 

The battle of Kosovo in 1389 and today 

is both internal and external. Each 

of us has a daily struggle to do what is 

right, to live true to the values of our 

shared culture and our faith. 

There is also the external battle. 

Today our people in Kosovo and Metohija 

face daily terrorism and occupation. 

Today we openly stand with them and 

work towards justice and fairness for all. 

While we may lose in the short-run, in 

the long-run doing what is right is always 

a victory. In this we are no different from 

our ancestors. 

Jasmina Theodore Boulanger 

President 

Serbian Unity Congress 

Poet Charles Simic 

is next U.S. laureate 

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Charles 

Simic, who learned English as a teenage 

immigrant, will be the new U.S. poet 

laureate, the Library of Congress announced 

Thursday. 

The native of Yugoslavia, who lives in 

Strafford, N.H., will replace another New 

Hampshire poet, Donald Hall, Wilmot, 

as head of the poet laureate program, 

which promotes poetry across the nation. 

“I’m overwhelmed,” Simic said. 

Simic taught at the University of New 

Hampshire for 34 years before moving 

to emeritus status. He won the Pulitzer 

Prize in poetry in 1990 for his book “The 

World Doesn’t End.” He also is an essayist, 

translator, editor and professor 

emeritus of creative writing and literature. 

“When you read it, you feel like he’s 

talking to you,” Marilyn Hoskin, dean of 

the college of liberal arts at UNH, said of 

Simic’s work, which she called “beautifully 

phrased.” 

Later Thursday, Simic received another 

honor, the 14th annual Wallace 

Stevens Award, a $100,000 prize from 

the Academy of American Poets for “outstanding 

and proven mastery in the art 

of poetry.” 

Simic starts his duties as poet laureate 

with a speech at the library’s National 

Book Festival on Sept. 29. 

Parenting Serbian- 

American way 

S. Simich 

Most parents agree that parenting 

teenagers is not easy. What I did not 

know is that in addition to the regular 

“Get off the phone! ” phrase , I would 

be yelling “ Who is your social studies 

teacher ?! “ at our 15-year-old daughter. 

I was not warned that parenting American-born 

children of Serbian descent 

would include defending their heritage 


from bigotry and defamation. 

It all started with our daughter’s involvement 

in the “Save Darfur” campaign, 

which had us driving to Washington 

rallies on several occasions. And 

than early in May of this year, the Jacob 

Burns Film Center and the Holocaust 

and Human Rights Education Center in 

New York, began publicizing a fundraising 

event to raise finds for Darfur. The 

event was the 24 Hour Human Rights 

Film Marathon, with a vision to initiate 

a collaboration of high school students 

countywide, whose collective efforts as 

“ upstanders” would raise funds and 

awareness for the humanitarian crisis 

in Darfur. They partnered with social 

studies teachers of 25 New York area 

schools involving thousands of students, 

and distributed pamphlets outlining six 

genocides in the 20th century. Descriptions 

included “Bosnia 1992-1995” as 

well as “World War II -The Holocaust”. 

Our daughter’s high school was one of 

the participants. 

The write-up on Bosnia opened with 

the following statement : “In the Republic 

of Bosnia-Herzegovina, conflict among 

the three main ethnic groups, the Serbs, 

Croats, and Muslims, resulted in genocide 

committed by the Serbs against 

the Muslims in Bosnia.” It continued describing 

“Serb snipers continually shot 

down helpless civilians in the streets, 

including eventually over 3,500 children… 

The Serbs continued to engage 

in mass rapes of Muslim females. By 

late 1995, more than 200,000 Muslim 

civilians had been systematically murdered. 

More than 20,000 were missing 

and feared dead, while 2,000,000 had 

become refugees.” 

Among the students involved in this 

film marathon were several Serbian- 

American children from the New York 

area, whose friends started making remarks 

related to the write-up. Defamatory 

generalizations were made by some 

of the teachers involved. Ironically, some 

of the students involved had relatives 

who were killed in the Bosnian conflict 

or were refugees from Bosnia. Our family’s 

Bosnian-Serb relatives were scattered 

as refugees across Europe and 

1-202-463-8643 5


IN MEMORIAM - DESA TOMASEVIC WAKEMAN 

On June 13, 2007, the Serbian community suddenly 

lost one of its most extraordinary members, Desa Tomasevic 

Wakeman. Gracious, generous, kind and always looking for 

the best in others – Desa was a humanitarian in the truest 

sense of the word. At her funeral, Father Dusan Bunjevic 

of St. John’s Church in San Francisco, brought tears to 

everyone’s eyes when he described Desa as our “Kosovo 

Maiden.” 

Desa did not have an easy life – even before the horrors 

of World War II. Born in Vocin, Slavonia, she was the second 

of five children. My father Nikolas was the oldest. When 

Desa was five, their father died. Her mother never remarried and Desa and the rest of 

the Tomasevic clan were left to be raised by two incredible women, their mother Mara 

and their grandmother Milica. I am convinced that it was life in this unusually matriarchal 

Serbian family that made Desa oblivious to the glass ceiling that she unwittingly 

shattered during her very successful business career in the US. 

Because of Desa’s modesty, few of you probably realize that Desa was a very successful 

business leader. Indeed, she was widely regarded as the founder of a multibillion 

dollar global industry -- the lease financing industry. That’s the industry that 

puts planes in the air, trains on the railroads and super tankers on the seas. When 

she finally retired – at age 71 – she enjoyed reminding everyone that she had to be 

replaced by TWO men. 

Desa often credited her training as an anthropologist as the secret to her business 

success. She believed her understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures and 

values helped her navigate a male dominated business environments smoothly before 

the term “diversity training” had even been contemplated. 

Although Desa was very “satisfied” (she never used the word “proud”) of her professional 

success, Desa’s greatest satisfaction came from helping others. Desa’s 

life experiences could have made her bitter and selfish. No one would have blamed 

her for that. Instead, though, these experiences gave her extraordinary empathy and 

compassion throughout her life for those less fortunate than her. 

During her retirement, she was busier than ever, often serving as a translator in the 

hospital or showing up in court of behalf of refugees from all sides of the conflict that 

led to the break up of Yugoslavia. She would sometimes call me for free legal advice 

and, to be honest, I was sometimes critical of her working so hard. But then she would 

say to me “But Dusho, I remember what it was to come to this country helpless, not 

knowing the language, afraid and alone. I have to help these people.” And so I would 

dispense as much legal advice as I could muster. Who could resist a plea from Desa! 

Ask John Boskic. Tiny little Desa literally grabbed him by the arm and said “Dusho, you 

must move to Washington and help the Serbian Unity Congress.” And here he is! 

If there is a legacy to Desa that we can all embrace, it is to see the good in everyone 

– but especially fellow Serbs. Desa was deeply saddened by the rivalries and jealousies 

that divided the Serbian people. She wanted nothing more than true Serbian 

unity, and I believe that is why she was so devoted to the SUC. 

So many of us have benefited from Desa’s love, kindness and generosity. She was 

my north star, my lighthouse in the storm - always there to show me the safe passage 

and way home. I realize that she was the same north star and lighthouse for countless 

others. We are all a little disoriented now. But if we listen carefully, we can 

still hear her gentle voice guiding us – guiding us to honor and respect one another 

despite our flaws, to work towards justice not just for Serbs but for all people and to 

finally achieve that elusive dream of true unity for the Serbian people. 

the US, victims of the Bosnian Muslim 

“ethnic cleansing”. 

Several parents contacted their 

respective schools, called the Jacob 

Burns Center, and notified the SUC 

of the issue, resulting in the following 

letter sent to the institutions involved: 

“As the diaspora of a country that has 

succumbed to a tragic civil war, we are 

very sensitive to the featured subject 

and unequivocally support open discussion 

of this topic. Only awareness 

can bring healing and ultimately preclude 

repetition of such tragedies. A 

productive discussion is first and foremost 

rooted in facts. We know that 

facts can be elusive, that they evolve 

and take time to be revealed and researched. 

In reading the pamphlet of 

your film marathon we came across 

the descriptions of the Bosnian conflict 

with many factual inaccuracies 

and outdated statistics. Your write up 

does not do justice to the complexity 

of the Bosnian conflict and all of its 

victims.” The letter also provided the 

corrected information citing the State 

Department and the UN statistics. 

On the subject of WWII victims, the 

parents wrote: “Moreover, we would 

like to point out that along with Jews, 

Gypsies, Poles, homosexuals, handicapped, 

Jehovah’s Witnesses, Soviet 

prisoners of war, all of whom are listed 

in your pamphlet, Serbs were also 

targeted victims of the World War II 

Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazi 

regime of Germany and should be included 

in your genocide description of 

“WWII - The Holocaust - 1933-1945”. 

For more information on this topic, 

we refer you to the Simon Wiesenthal 

Center for information on Jasenovac 

concentration camp (citing the Encyclopedia 

of the Holocaust).” Parents 

also asked for the write up to be retracted, 

and for the corrected version 

to be redistributed to schools and students 

with appropriate explanation. 

Jacob Burns Film Center responded 

with the following statement: “We 

have had an opportunity to meet and 

discuss the issues you brought forth 

to our attention yesterday regarding 




the statistics and language used when peans are predominantly against a rec- 

Expressing the sense of the House 

referring to the conflict in Bosnia. The ognition of Kosovo independence with- 

of Representatives that the United States 

source of information for our statistics out a Security Council resolution, could 

should support a mutually-agreed solu- 

was the United Human Rights Council have a bearing on the U.S.’s position.” 

tion for the future status of Kosovo and 

web site. Given the information you have “The matter has now moved from the 

reject an imposed solution for the status 

now brought to bare from the US State Security Council to the wider diplomatic 

of Kosovo. 

Department, we have amended our picture. That’s why a potential unilat- 

Whereas the United States has en- 

materials appropriately. An email with eral U.S. recognition of Kosovo independuring 

national interests in the peace 

these amendments will be sent to all of dence would destabilize the region, and 

and security of southeastern Europe, 

the teachers that received the original have completely the opposite effect to 

and in the greater integration of the re- 

information, with an explanation of our what American policy-making has been 

gion into the Euro-Atlantic community of 

actions.” It was later confirmed that the striving for these last fifteen years,” says 

democratic, well-governed states; 

letter was sent and reviewed with the the former ambassador. 

Whereas stability of Serbia and its 

participating schools and students. “Until 2006, the aim had been to find 

full integration into the Euro-Atlantic 

Later that week, glancing over the a mutually acceptable solution. And I still 

community of democracies furthers the 

“myspace” screen, our daughter mum- think that’s the best way.” says Bolton. 

stability in the entire Balkan region; 

bled: “Mom, I know you are a grown-up He repeated that “there is no doubt that 

Whereas the people of Serbia forced 

and all, but I also know that picking up there is a possibility of the U.S. unilater- 

Slobodan Milosevic out of power in Oc- 

the phone to call my school was hard. I ally recognizing Kosovo independence. 

tober 2000 and ever since have elected 

just want you to know …I am proud of That would, of course, be a mistake and 

pro-European and pro-Western leaders 

you.” 

I’m not yet sure whether it’s inevitable,” 

during the following seven democratic 

Parenting teenagers is not easy, and Bolton concluded. 

elections that have been conducted; 

parenting our Serbian-American chil- 

Whereas pursuant to all relevant indren 

is even harder. But occasionally, it ACTION ALERT! ternational agreements and treaties, 

has it’s fine moments. 

including the Charter of the United Na- 

H.Res. 445 

tions, United Nations Security Council 

Bolton: U.S. Kosovo 

Resolution 1244, and the Final Act of 

introduced 

the Conference on Security and Coop- 

policy “all wrong” Title: Expressing the sense of eration in Europe (Helsinki Final Act), 

B92/Beta, 11 September 

2007 

LONDON -- Former U.S. Ambassador 

to the UN John Bolton says that the U.S. 

would be wrong to recognize Kosovo’s 

independence. 

Speaking in a Serbian-language program 

on the BBC, Bolton added that the 

State Department “had led anti-Serbian 

politics ever since the break-up of the 

former Yugoslavia,” not distinguishing 

between today’s democratic Serbia and 

that of the former Slobodan Milošević 

regime. 

“I think the U.S. would be making a 

mistake if they unilaterally recognized 

Kosovo. The only reasonable solution 

would result from talks between the 

Serbs and Kosovo Albanians. A potential 

imposed solution could lead to violence, 

which is in no-one’s interests,” warned 

Bolton. 

In his opinion, the fact that “the Euro- 

the House of Representatives 

that the United States should 

support a mutually-agreed 

solution for the future status 

of Kosovo and reject an 

imposed solution for the 

status of Kosovo. 

110th CONGRESS 

1st Session 

H. RES. 445 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

May 24, 2007 

Ms. BEAN (for herself and Mr. BUR- 

TON of Indiana) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

and international law generally, Kosovo 

is legally part of Serbia and its state sovereignty; 

Whereas the vast majority of Serbs 

and other minorities live in isolation and 

extremely poor conditions in Kosovo 

especially in the central and eastern regions; 

Whereas United Nations Security 

Council Resolution 1244 established 

the United Nations Mission in Kosovo 

(UNMIK) to bring stability, the rule of 

law, protection of human rights, and reconstruction 

to the war-torn province of 

Kosovo; 

Whereas United Nations Security 

Council Resolution 1244 also reaffirms 

that Kosovo is a part of Serbia; 

Whereas since 1999 Serbia has had 

no political, military, or economic presence 

in its province of Kosovo ; 

Whereas since the arrival of UNMIK 

and North Atlantic Treaty Organization 

(NATO) forces in Kosovo , more than 

200,000 Serbs and other Kosovo mi- 

1-202-463-8643 7

We are happy to announce 


17th Convention 

San Francisco, October 26-28, 2007 

Keynote Speaker 

» Milorad Dodik 

Prime Minister, Republic of Srpska 

Entertainment 

» Bajaga & Instruktori 

Hotel 

» Parc 55 Hotel 

San Francisco 

Visit our website for more information 

about this event 

www.serbianunity.net 

or call our Washington office 

202-463-8644 

PROGRAM -- A NEW 

BEGINNING 

Friday, Oct 26, 2006 

Banquet - Tribute to Serb Ideals 

Saturday, Oct 27, 2007 

Workshops 

SUC Performance Reports 

Exploring “A New Beginning” 

Gala Dinner & Program 

Keynote Speaker 

Milorad Dodik 

Prime Minister, Republic of Srpska 

Milorad Dodik is the Prime Minister of Republika Srpska, 

one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the president 

of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats. In 1990, in the first 

multi-party elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina he was elected to the 

Parliament of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a 

candidate of the Union of Reform Forces. During the War in Bosnia, he 

served as a representative in the National Assembly of the Republika 

Srpska. During that time, he formed the Independent Members of Parliament 

Caucus, which which was the only political opposition the Serb 

Democratic Party, which held the absolute majority in the war-time 

parliament of the Republika Srpska. During the years in opposition, he 

concentrated on the strengthening of his political party, which swept 

the elections in October 2006. 

Entertainment 

Bajaga & Instruktori 

Bajaga & Instruktori are a highly popular rock 

band from Serbia. The group was founded in 

Belgrade in 1984 by composer, lyricist and guitarist Momčilo Bajagić, 

and continue to record music today. Their string of albums and awards in 

the mid-to-late 1980s rounded out the golden age of Yugoslav pop-rock. 

The album “Sa druge strane jastuka” is considered to be one of the best 

Yugoslav-Serbian pop-rock albums of all time. 

Visit their website: www.bajaga.com

Parc 55 Hotel 

55 Cyril Magnin Street 

San Francisco, CA 94102 

Toll-free phone number: 1-415-392-8000 

Please make hotel reservations individually by calling the 

PARC FIFTY FIVE HOTEL 

Reservations: 1-800-595-0507 

All other inquiries: 1-415-392-8000 

and specify that you are with “Serbian Unity Congress” 

or 

Make Your Reservations Online: 

go to www.serbianunity.net and follow the link on the front page 

Special SUC Convention Rates: 

$240 per night plus tax for single or double occupancy 

(All guests with accommodations at the Parc Fifty Five Hotel will receive a $25 discount on the convention 

registration for every paid night at the hotel during Oct 25-27) 

RATE INFORMATION: Room rates specified above are net, based on single or double occupancy and subject to room tax of 

15.4%.The charge for additional persons in a room is $20 per person per night, plus tax. Reservations must be guaranteed for 

arrival by a first night’s deposit or a major credit card. Check-in time is 3:00 PM, checkout time is 12:00 noon. 

THE “CUT-OFF DATE” IS OCTOBER 4, 2007 

The Preferred Choice Of Downtown San Francisco Hotels... 

A luxurious hotel just two blocks from Union Square in downtown San Francisco. Warmly appointed for business 

and leisure, our hotel affords unparalleled access to “everyone´s favorite city.” From sightseeing to dining - Alcatraz 

to Zuni Café - our unique location provides effortless convenience to it all: 

• Ideally situated in downtown San Francisco, California 

• Walking distance to numerous attractions and the financial district 

• Half-block to cable cars and accessible to Bay Area Rapid Transit 

• Convenient to airport by interstate highway or shuttle service 

New Heights Of Luxury At The Parc 55... 

Featuring 1,010 newly renovated guest rooms and 18 suites - all with bay-style windows that showcase panoramic 

city views - our San Francisco hotel is at once a comfortable home away from home. And with modern meeting 

facilities, complete support services, and convenient access to the city’s financial district and convention center, 

the Parc 55 offers a sophisticated setting for conducting business and hosting events of all sizes. 

As a four-diamond hotel, the Parc 55 leaves no guest service overlooked, with a whole host of lodging services and 

features. The Parc 55 has earned consistent recognition and honors as one of the leading hotels in San Francisco, 

including: 

• AAA Four-Diamond Award Distinction 

• Meeting & Conventions Magazine Gold Key Award 

• J.D. Power & Associates Award for Outstanding Guest Service


norities have been displaced from their 

homes in Kosovo by Albanian extremists, 

more than 1,500 Serbs have been 

murdered, more than 100 churches and 

monasteries have been burned and destroyed, 

and more than 20,000 houses 

have been destroyed; 

Whereas the current status of Kosovo 

is contentious for both Serbia and its 

province of Kosovo ; 

Whereas any attempt to impose a 

solution on Kosovo’s final status on Serbia 

could contribute to greater instability 

and inhibit its economic and political 

development; 

Whereas imposed independence for 

Kosovo will strengthen radical and nationalistic, 

anti-Western forces in Serbia 

and could hinder Serbia’s progress 

toward joining the European Union and 

NATO; 

Whereas in 2005, the United Nations 

Secretary-General appointed the former 

President of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari, as 

United Nations Special Envoy for Kosovo 

to develop a comprehensive settlement 

proposal to resolve the political status 

of Kosovo ; 

Whereas in March 2007, after 18 

months of inconclusive talks, the United 

Nations Special Envoy for Kosovo submitted 

to the Security Council a `comprehensive 

settlement proposal’ that 

would result in supervised independence 

for Kosovo ; 

Whereas the United Nations Special 

Envoy for Kosovo ultimately failed to 

reach a solution that would be acceptable 

for both sides; and 

Whereas the United Nations Special 

Envoy for Kosovo was unable to find a 

compromise solution between Serbia 

and the Kosovo Albanians that would allow 

an enduring and stable final status 

for Kosovo : Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That it is the sense of the 

House of Representatives that– 

(1) the United States should support 

a mutually-agreed solution for the future 

status of Kosovo for both Serbia and Kosovo 

through a new round of negotiations 

if needed; 


Serbian Unity Congress – Chicago Chapter again this year set up its booth at 

the traditional 4th July Picnic at New Gracanica Monastery in Libertyville, IL. As 

part of the ongoing campaign, our hardworking members were collecting signatures 

for the letter of support of the House Resolution #445 introduced by 

Congresswoman Melissa Bean. Almost 500 hundreds signatures were collected 

throughout the day, brining the total of more than 1,000 signatures that Chicago 

Chapter has gathered so far! The other main content of the SUC presentation 

was promoting the first “Belgrade Night in Chicago”, a joint project with the Belgrade 

Committee of the Chicago Sister City International Program. This exceptional 

event will take place at the Chicago Cultural Center, on July 13th. 

an outcome that creates an economically 

viable and politically stable Kosovo , 

Serbia, and greater Balkan region where 

the human rights of all persons are protected; 

(3) the United States should insist on 

fulfillment of all agreed-upon democratic 

standards in Kosovo set forth previously 

by the United Nations before supporting 

final status for Kosovo ; 

(4) the United States should, in consultation 

and cooperation with its allies, 

vigorously and patiently pursue a United 

Nations Security Council resolution that 

endorses a solution acceptable for both 

parties; 

(5) the United States should restrain 

from any unilateral action toward Kosovo’s 

independence, especially actions 

outside the United Nations, to prevent 

damaging the United States positions in 

the international community; 

(6) the United States should work 

together with the European Union in 

supporting the political and economic 

development of both the province of Kosovo 

and Serbia; 


the full integration of the province of Kosovo 

and Serbia into international and 

Euro-Atlantic institutions; 

(8) the United States should reaffirm 

its commitment to southeastern Europe, 

including its participation in the NATO 

mission in Kosovo to deter and disrupt 

any efforts to destabilize the region 

through violence; 

(9) the provincial Government of Kosovo 

should take full responsibility to reassure, 

protect, and ensure the full political 

and economic rights of Serbs and 

other minority communities in Kosovo ; 

(10) the provincial Government of 

Kosovo should make every effort to develop 

a cooperative relationship with the 

Government of Serbia, in recognition of 



its legitimate interests in the 

safety of the Serb population, 

the property rights of the Serb 

population in Kosovo and in 

the protection and preservation 

of the patrimonial sites of 

the Serbian Orthodox Church 

in Kosovo ; 

(11) the international 

community should recognize 

that additional negotiations 

and diplomacy does not represent 

a delay of the process 

and that it is better to find a 

mutually-acceptable solution 

than to have prolonged crisis 

and confrontation in the Balkans; 

(12) the international 

community should recognize 

that the Government 

of Serbia currently has legal 

sovereignty over Kosovo as 

outlined by United Nations 

Security Council Resolution 

1244; and 

(13) the Government 

of Serbia should continue 

toward a prosperous and 

peaceful future through regional 

cooperation and integration 

into Euro-Atlantic 

institutions, including NATO 

and the European Union, and 

toward the establishment of 

open, constructive relations 

with the provincial government 

of Kosovo. 

Kumovi for the Detroit Chapter Slava 

Amanda and Vukasin Dimic, V. Rev. Radomir 

Obsenica. Background: some of 

the SUC members and friends in attendance 

at the Slava 

Detroit Chapter 

Continues its 

Work 

The Detroit Chapter of 

Serbian Unity Congress has 

continued to stay active and 

busy. Last November, our 

chapter celebrated its Slava, 

St. Archangel Michael, with a 

dinner at St. Lazarus Ravanica 

Serbian Orthodox Church in 

Detroit. Kumovi for the occasion 

were Vukasin Dimic and 

his daughter, Amanda. Fr. Radomir 

Obsenica officiated the 

cutting of the kolac. Chapter 

President Zlatko Erdeljan and 

Kum Vukasin Dimic said a 

few words to mark the occasion. 

Special recognition was 

given to Stana Unkovich who 

in September celebrated her 

100th birthday. Stana has 

been a member of SUC since 

the organization began, and 

has been a contributor and 

benefactor to many Serbian 

churches and organizations 

throughout the country. As 

a token of our chapter’s appreciation, 

an engraved clock 

was presented to Stana with 

the inscription “Stana Unkovich 

– 100 year Serb”. This 

was just a small way for our 

chapter to thank Stana for 

her many years of 

tireless work and 

support of all Serbian 

causes. A young 

couple, Aleksandar 

and Kelli Tomic accepted 

the honor 

of being kumovi for 

next year’s slava. 

In February, our 

chapter held its annual 

meeting and 

elected the following 

board: 

President: Zlat- 

ko Erdeljan 

Vice President for 

Business Development: 

Velimir Dzebo 


Political Action: 

Violeta Grujovski 


Events: Zivoin Berar 


Membership: Vukasin 

Dimic 

Secretary: Bozana 

Miladinovich 

Treasurer: Ruzica 

Dzebo 

Members at Large: 

Aleksandar Filipovic, 

Rade Tesic, Andreja 

Jovic, Rade 

Miucic, Mike Birac, 

Ljubo Mijac 

Webmaster: Marko 

Markovic 

Audit Board: Aleksandar 

Lazovic, 

Zdravko Dobrasevic, 

Marie Nickson 

In April, our chapter 

distributed fliers at the local 

Serbian Orthodox churches 

letting them know about 

SUC. We also started collecting 

signatures for a petition 

asking our congressional representatives 

in Washington 

to oppose any resolution that 

would support independence 

for Kosovo. We have collected 

approximately 1,000 

signatures of local Serbs for 

our petition, which will now 

be forwarded to our local congressmen. 

In May, we coordinated 

letter writing campaigns to 

Congressman Thaddeus Mc- 

Cotter and Congresswoman 

Carolyn Kilpatrick, with the 

hopes that they will join the 

Serbian caucus. 

In June, our VP for Political 

Action, Violeta Grujovski, at- 

CHAPTERS AND ACTIVISM 

We would like to 

continue Kosovo 

Kitchen action - 

Please help! 

There is a movie about people, their 

life and existence in Kosovo, and 

about this very Kosovo Kitchen. It 

is titled “If Only There Was More 

Bread” (Кад би хлеба било више) 

- just go to http://video.google.com 

and enter the title in the search box. 

Please see it and forward it to all of 

your friends (movie is in Serbian, but 

has English subtitles). 

Please send your donations to : 


2311 M street NW # 402 

Washington DC 20037 

Please mark on the bottom of 

the check “For Kosovo Kitchen” 

If you have any questions and comments, 

please email Zvezdana at 

zvezdana@serbianunity.net 

tended the Vidovdan on the 

Hill event in Washington D.C., 

along with fellow Detroiters 

Cedo and Kata Ristic. They 

met with staff from quite a 

few of the 15 Michigan representatives 

and discussed 

various issues including the 

future status of Kosovo, human 

rights of minorities in 

Kosovo, and encouraging our 

congressmen to join the Serbian 

Caucus. 

For those of us who could 

not attend the event in Washington, 

our chapter sent out 

a mass mailing asking all 

Serbs in Detroit to call their 

representatives on June 28, 

to encourage them to join 

the Serbian caucus. So even 

though we were not in attendance 

in Washington, we still 

tried to coordinate our efforts 

and hope that a large num- 

1-202-463-8643 11

CHAPTERS AND ACTIVISM 

100-year Serb Stana Unkovich 

with Detroit chapter 

president Zlatko Erdeljan 

ber of Serbs 

called their 

congressmen 

on the 

same day. 

It was our 

little way to 

remember 

Vidovdan. 

Also included 

in 

our mass 

mailing was 

an appeal 

for help for 

two chari- 

table actions. The first was from our 

Washington D.C. chapter to raise funds 

for medicine for the Serbs of Orahovac. 

The second was from the Ruke Vida 

charity, raising funds for a school for 

blind children in Zemun. We hope that 

Detroit Serbs will hear the call and will 

help these worthy causes. 

Our future activities include helping 

with the Detroit SerbFest in August, organizing 

a picnic in September, organizing 

a charitable dinner for raising funds 

for the Djurdjevi Stupovi Monastery in 

Serbia, and continuing our efforts to inform 

our congressional representatives 

and to encourage them to join the Serbian 

caucus. 

We look forward to continuing to 

work with our national organization and 

other chapters for the benefit of Serbs 

everywhere! 

For more information on the Detroit 

Chapter, please visit our web site at 

www.sucdetroit.org. 

Срби на Европском 

Фестивалу 2007. у 

Ванкуверу 

Ванкуверски огранак КСУ већ 

више од пет година организује 

наступ овдашње српске заједнице на 

Европском фестивалу, који организују 

Канађани пореклом из двадесетак 

европских земаља. 

Земље учесници представљају се 

кроз получасовни сценски програм, 

изложбу и станд са националним 

специјалитетима. 

Наш циљ је да сваки пут на 

фестивалу представимо што више 

српског културног наслеђа и традиције 

из свих српских земаља (Србије, Црне 

Горе, Републике Српске и Републике 

Српске Крајине). На изложбеном 

станду приказивали смо туристичке 

лепоте свих српских крајева, затим 

наше прелепе манастире, иконе, 

наше обичаје. Нисмо пропустили 

да истакнемо Космет као колевку 

српства. Такође смо прошле године 

један део штанда посветили Николи 

Тесли. 

Поред наших увек добро 

припремљених фолклорних група 

(«Млада Србадија», «Вук Караџић» и 

«Градина») на фестивалу су наступали 

и хор српске заједнице, затим музичке 

групе , соло певачи , гитаристи, итд., 

са циљем да прикажемо разноврсност 

нашег културно уметничког наслеђа из 

свих крајева у којима живе Срби. 

Нисмо пропустили, наравно, да 

посетиоцима фестивала понудимо 

наше специјалитете (ћевапчићи, 

пљескавице, пите, колаче итд.). 

Мада се фестивал организује 

једанпут годишње, крајем маја 

месеца, и траје само један дан, за 

квалитетан и запажен наступ од стране 

око 5000 посетиоца потребно је много 

припрема и пуно добровољног рада. 

Зато се сви чланови нашег огранка 

несебично ангажују да би наш наступ 

био што успешнији. Оно што нас 

посебно радује је да сваке године 

имамо изузетну помоћ и подршку 

чланова Српског студентског клуба са 

Универзитета Британске Колумбије из 

Ванкувера. 

Како је изгледао наш овогодишњи, 

веома успешан и запажен наступ на 

Европском фестивала у Ванкуверу 

можете да видите на приложеним 

фотографијама. 

За КСУ Ванкувер 

Наташа Миловановић 

Do you have a story to tell from your 

Chapter or Serb Community? We 

would love to hear about it. Please 

send any news about local events activities 

in your area. Why not share 

with our readers news from your local 

Serb community? 



Председница КСУ у 

Београду 

После посете Косову и Метохији 

Јасмина Т. Булонже, Председница 

КСУ са члановима Управе срела се 

са Милицом Чубрило, Министром за 

дијаспору, Слободаном Самарџићем, 

Министром за Косово и Метохију и 

Душаном Пророковићем, Државним 

секретаром у истом министарству, 

Мајклом Полтом, Амбасадором САД у 

Београду и Китом Симонсом, Шефом 

мисије USAID. 

Главна тема ових састанака био 

је боравак делегације на Косову и 

Метохији и рад КСУ у Вашингтону као 

и могућности да се ојача укључење 

дијаспоре како би заједничким 

напорима прошли овај тежак период 

око судбине Косова и Метохије. 

Конференција за штампу 

Конференција за 

штампу 

У Београду је 13. јула 2007. године 

одржана конференција за штампу 

поводом посете делегације Конгреса 

српског уједињења Косову и Метохији. 

Конференција је одржана у великој 

сали Министарства за дијаспору, 

а били су присутни многи медији: 

Политика, РТВ Пинк, Глас јавности, 

Танјуг, Бета, Радио Београд, Српска ТВ 

Чикаго, Радио Југославија и Кишобран 

из Ванкувера. Са новинарима су 

разговарале Јасмина Т. Буланже, 

Председница КСУ и Славка Драшковић, 

Извршни директор Београдске 

Судија Гојко Лазарев са захвалницом КСУ 

канцеларије КСУ. 

На Конференцији за штампу 

додељена је посебна захвалница судији 

г. Гојку Лазареву из Шапца поводом 

изрицања првих пресуда у корист 

рехабилитације и реституције насилно 

одузете имовине. Овим чином КСУ је 

желео да скрене пажњу на несебичан 

рад и залагање г. Лазарева да се 

обелодани истина о нашој прошлости. 

Честитка Конгреса 

српског уједињења 

нашој браћи и 

сестрама у Србији 

за Видовдан и 618 

година од Косовске 

битке 

Сви знамо историју, симболику 

и легенду коју реч „Видовдан“ 

представља Србима. Не можемо 

једноставно изговорити „Видовдан“ 

а да не помислимо на многобројна 

значења те речи. 

Ми који смо рођени или живимо 

у дијаспори, на Видовдан се сетимо 

својих корена. Видовдан је суштина 

нашег идентитета који нас веже 

са прецима, њиховим делањем и 

вредностима. И док се сећамо Цара 

Лазара на „Косову Равном“, ми смо 

такође поносни на коначан исход. У 

рано лето 1389., наши преци храбро су 

кренули из својих замкова и тврђава, 

дрвених колиба и са својих имања да 

се суоче са многобројним и моћним 

BELGRADE SCENE 

непријатељем. Врло добро су знали 

да се можда неће вратити. Отишли 

су да бране своје домове, породице, 

своје племе и Свету православну 

веру. После битке на Марици 1371. 

године ово је била следећа велика и 

страшна битка Срба и Турака. Кратко 

време између ове две битке није било 

довољно да стаса нова генерација 

ратника који би ублажили губитке 

претрпљене 1371. године. Без обзира 

на околности, суочени са избором да 

се покоре тиранији или да се боре за 

слободу, наши преци су изабрали ово 

последње. Изабрали су оно што је 

исправно и часно не марећи за цену. 

Више од 600 година касније, 

окупили смо се да се сетимо и одамо 

почаст делима наших предака – од 

Косовске битке до Првог српског 

устанка 1804., од два Балканска до два 

светска рата, од борбе против тираније 

до данашње борбе за опстанак на 

Косову и Метохији. Захваљујемо им 

се за њихова витешка и часна дела. 

Захваљујемо им за оно што треба да 

следимо у животу. Захваљујемо им што 

су нам показали својим примером 

шта значи бити Србин – то није питање 

рођења, већ више питање моралних 

вредности и правог избора, избора 

Косовског завета. 

Битка на Косову 1389. и битка на 

Косову данас води се око и унутар нас 

самих. Свако од нас води борбу за 

правду, да живи у складу са вредностима 

наше културе и наше вере. Такође, 

постоји и спољна битка. Данас је наш 

народ на Косову и Метохији суочен 

са тероризмом и окупацијом. Данас 

отворено стајемо уз њих и боримо се 

за правду и једнакост за све. Можда 

можемо изгубити на кратке стазе, 

али дугорочно гледано радимо праву 

ствар што је увек победа. У овоме се 

не разликујемо од својих предака. 

Јасмина Т. Буланже 

Председник 

Конгрес српског уједињења 

1-202-463-8643 13

TRIP TO KOSOVO AND METOHIJA 

The Story of a Wall 

Visiting Kosovo and 

Metohija July 2007 

Jasmina T. Boulanger 

In mid-July 2007, the Serbian Unity 

Congress sent a delegation to Kosovo 

and Metohija so that we could get first 

hand knowledge of the conditions facing 

the minority Christian and Serb population. 

We drove through much of the 

area, visited three monastic communities 

and met with the US Chief of Mission 

in Priština. The BLAGO team traveled 

with us part way and stopped to do their 

photo-archiving work at the Patriarchate 

of Peć. The following is a description of 

my impressions of the trip. 

The drive from Belgrade to Kosovo 

was long, hot and difficult. The first half 

took us through the heart of Sumadija – 

the Ibar river gorge, forested mountains, 

fruit orchards and fields. We drove 

south along the Lilac Trail – miles of lilacs 

planted by King Stefan Uroš to greet 

Helen of Anjou when she came to marry 

him in the 1314. In the southern Serbian 

the town of Novi Pazar the first minarets 

appeared as did store and street 

signs in Albanian. Shortly thereafter, we 

came to the “border” crossing. 

The concept of a border crossing, 

while still on the sovereign territory of 

Serbia, was strange. We stopped on 

a bridge and a UN soldier from Nigeria 

inspected our passports and issued us 

entry documents. Then another soldier, 

whose shoulder markings included the 

German flag and the word “polizei” met 

us and drove in front of us to the first 

town. Here we unloaded our mini-bus 

and moved our luggage and the BLAGO 

team’s photo equipment to two vans 

that, for safety, did not have Serbian 

[Belgrade] license plates. These vans 

were old and tired, like much of this 

area. Two UN cars with flashing blue 

lights escorted us the many kilometers 

to Peć and the Peć Patriarchate. The 

“polizei” told us to follow them closely 

and disregard speed limits. 

Peć 

The Peć Patriarchate monastery 

is on the edge of town along a busy 

street. Here we stopped at a camouflaged 

checkpoint manned by Italian UN 

soldiers. They took and kept our passports, 

and after much crosschecking of 

lists finally let us onto the monastery 

grounds. 

Walking through the checkpoint one 

enters a parallel universe. One moment: 

noisy, dusty streets, cement barriers and 

barbed wire; the next moment: the medieval 

wall and the dark, weathered wood 

entry gate. On crossing the threshold, 

we found ourselves in a quiet garden 

filled with shade trees, hydrangeas and 

the group of churches of the Patriarchate 

of Peć that date back more than 

750 years. 

Italian soldiers guard the monastery 

grounds and the monastics, about 22 

nuns many of whom are elderly. A medieval 

stone wall surrounds the property. 

This wall is not high enough to provide 

adequate protection from the adjacent 

street, and the nuns have experienced 

shouted curses and insults and objects 

thrown over that wall. As a result, a new 

higher wall is being built to act as a final 

fortification to provide protection for 

the dreaded day when the UN and Nato 

troops leave. This wall is high, thick, fortified 

with a steel core, and its capstone is 

ready for attaching barbed wire (should 

that become necessary). 

Igumanija [Abbess] Fevronija is 84 

and has been at the monastery since 

1957. Although there is much work that 

the monastery could use, the Igumanija 

says that all they need is to have the 

Serbian people return. She says that a 

monastery needs its people to come and 

keep it a living thing. Only if the people 

cannot come are times hard. 

Few people can come. Besides the 

need for documentation and security 

checks, the remaining local Serbs have 

to run the gamut of the surrounding hostile 

Albanian Muslim population. One of 

the ladies in our delegation, who had 

left the area eight years ago, wished to 



go to the nearby cemetery to visit her 

husband’s grave. Thanks to the UN’s 

local municipal representative, she was 

able to go safely. This kind man drove 

her to the cemetery (which has suffered 

desecration), entered the grounds with 

her and stood guard. 

Visoki Dečani 

Our next stop was the Monastery 

of Visoki Dečani. Another drive with UN 

protection. Another 

lengthy document 

check before we can 

enter the road to the 

monastery. The drive 

started at a camouflaged 

and sandbagged 

checkpoint 

manned by machine 

gun carrying Italian soldiers wearing maroon 

caps with blue wool tassels. We 

had to zigzag through concrete barriers 

and slowly drive over road bumps to a 

second document check at the gate. 

While all the delays are for the protection 

of the monastery, it is still an aggravation. 

Then we walked through the gate 

into another world – quiet, pristine, sur- 

rounded by spectacular forested hills. 

The monastery of Visoki Dečani, built between 

1327-1335, is a magnificent holy 

place. The beauty of the Romanesque 

church with its phenomenal frescoes 

is beyond words. We were also privi- 

leged to venerate the holy relics of St. 

King Stefan of Dečani, who built and endowed 

the monastery. Visoki Dečani has 

been in continuous use as a monastery 

since it was built, and Stefan of Dečani’s 

remains have been there since his death 

in 1331. Now lying in a carved marble 

sarcophagus, his remains are intact and 

covered in red velvet cloth embroidered 

in gold and silver. A fragrance reminiscent 

of sandalwood and incense comes 

from the relics -- mysterious, strange, yet 

pleasant and comforting in an inexplicable 

way. 

To talk briefly about the frescoes in 

the church would be inadequate. They 

are rich in color, symbolism and subject 

matter. Go to www.srpskoblago.org/Archives/Decani 

for a virtual tour. 

One of the monks gave us a tour of the 

premises. Less than ten years ago, Visoki 

Dečani monastery, while rich in history, 

was poor in its physical plant. Since 

the end of the last war, it has received 

donations from individuals and some 

support from the Serbian government. 

There have been improvements in the facilities 

– farm, kitchen, visitors’ quarters. 

There have also been improvements in 


the walls around the 

farms -- for protection. 

The monks, like the 

nuns in Peć are very 

pleased with the work 

and attitude of the 

Italian soldiers who 

are providing round 

the clock protection. 

But, they are very worried that if there 

is trouble only American troop presence 

will save the day. There was a recent 

incident in Kosovo in which Romanian 

soldiers using rubber bullets killed two 

Albanians. So, now it seems that the 

KFOR troops cannot use rubber bullets, 

and the monks think that they can be 

overwhelmed if worse comes to worse. 

However, there is the belief that even if 

the KFOR troops cannot shoot, the US 

flag still has enough influence here that 

the Albanians will not risk angering the 

Americans. 

In the midst of living in a small, protected 

space, the monks maintain some 

humor. When asked how it feels to be 

isolated, they reply that the whole world 

comes here – a reference to the international 

troop presence. They joked about 

the time German and Italian troops were 

working together, that it was not “a marriage 

made in heaven,” especially when it 

came to food: the Italians never stood in 

the line for German food but the line for 

Italian cuisine kept getting longer. They 

also joked with some of the Turkish sol- 

1-202-463-8643 15


diers that the reason more Serbs go to 

Turkey on vacation than to Montenegro 

is that Serbs and Turks were in a “political 

union” for a longer period of time. 

The intelligence, subtlety and sophistication 

of Bishop Abbot Teodosije and 

Father Sava would be rare to find in any 

milieu. They speak softly and never in 

anger, though sometimes with disappointment. 

Their understanding of what 

it takes to live well with ones neighbors 

and what it takes to survive is both deep 

and sensible. They are too far from the 

rest of Serbia to expect any protection or 

for Serbs to come to the area and work at 

the monastery; consequently, they have 

to make certain accommodations. They 

freely admit that without a continuing international 

presence their very survival 

would be at stake. Even with the KFOR 

presence around the monastery, a few 

months ago a rocket propelled grenade 

hit a wall near the church. 

The monks will not leave their monastery; 

after all, they say, St. King Stefan 

Uroš Dečanski is not leaving. However, 

like the nuns at the Patriarchate of Peć, 

they too are building a fortified wall for 

protection. When US diplomats tell them 

that they should build friendships, not 

walls, the Abbot says, first the wall then 

they will be free to build friendships. My 

colleague Dushan and I told the Abbot 

about the Robert Frost poem “Mending 

Wall” and its refrain: “Good fences 

make good neighbors.” 

In many ways the monks are selfsufficient 

and grow their own food, make 

cheese, have honeybees and a vineyard. 

We drank their wines, which could have 

a label saying “Established 1310.” But 

amid their work and prayers, the monks 

carry a general disappointment of the 

lack of understanding of their situation 

by the outside world and even by their 

own government. 

Gračanica 

Our third stop was Gračanica. On 

the way we drove through the village of 

Kosovo Polje near the actual place of the 

famous battle. The Gazimestan monument 

was visible from the road but is 

daily getting more crowded by haphazard 

real estate development. Everywhere 

one drives in Kosovo and Metohija, one 

sees a need for urban planning and zoning 

regulations. 

The monastery in Gračanica is in an 

urban setting. A community of about 

8,000 Serbs lives precariously in the 

area around it. The monastery’s rocky 

medieval walls have seemingly random 

patches of three bricks placed either 

vertically and horizontally. From a 

distance the patches are not random, 

they occur in regularly spaced intervals 

at standing height and kneeling height. 

These are old defensive openings for 

guns. Today, the guns are carried by UN 

troops and by the nearby Albanian Mus- 

lims. In addition to the wall, the monastery 

is defended by small traffic barriers, 

barbed wire and KFOR troops from 

Norway. 

Gračanica with its current church, 

dating from 1321 with its famous fresco 

of Queen Simonida with the gouged-out 

eyes, has a very different feel from the 

other two monastic communities we 

visited. [See, www.srpskoblago.org/ 

Archives/Gracanica] This is the seat of 

Bishop Artemije, whose jurisdiction covers 

Kosovo and Metohija. The grounds 

are tired looking and not as pristine as 

those at Peć or Dečani. The small sisterhood 

tends a large garden and a recently 

planted fruit orchard. 

There are many visitors and events 

on the enclosed grounds surrounding 

the church. This walled refuge is a small 

breathing space for the beleaguered 

Serbs still left in the area. Yet, normal 

urban services such as refuse collection 

are random. Electricity brown-outs occur 

daily as do water outages. The Albanians 

control the water and power, and 

say that every one is subject to these 

inconveniences. They also claim that 

the Serbs do not pay regularly so their 

brown-outs and water outages are longer 

than those of the surrounding Albanian 

community. With so few jobs available 

and with the danger of going to and from 

work, the Serbs’ livelihood in the area is 

bleak. When the Belgrade government 

tries to pay for their utilities, the Albanians 

and their facilitators do not want 



to accept it since they say that end-users 

are supposed to pay for such services. 

The political powers play their games. In 

the meantime, the community is slowly 

being strangled. 

Departure 

The process of “return” to Serbia 

was also difficult. Our UN escorts left us 

in Kosovska Mitrovica. Next we had to 

go through the “border” crossing once 

more. This time our van with Kosovo 

plates had to pay an insurance fee on the 

Serbian side and get “temporary” license 

plates to be allowed on roads in the rest 

of Serbia. Serbia does not recognize 

plates issued by the authorities now controlling 

Kosovo. The clerk collecting the 

fee for the temporary plates was out of 

application forms – he had been out of 

forms all day and had been turning back 

“unlicensed” cars. We insisted that he 

call his manager for forms, which arrived 

after an endless hour during which time 

we sat on the side of the road. While 

treatment like this was inconvenient for 

us, it only underscores the isolation of 

the Serbs in Kosovo – this time by their 

own people. 

Later while in Belgrade, the director of 

our office was describing the many steps 

and papers (including invitations to visit) 

that she had to contend with in order to 

get a visa to go to an EU country. After 

rather successfully and peacefully working 

on its democracy for almost years 

ten years, Serbia itself has a wall around 

it. Ingress and egress throughout the 

region are fraught with bureaucracy and 

frustration. 

The entire visit to Kosovo and Metohija 

was an experience of walls -- some 

protective, some exclusionary. A people 

that must live behind walls to survive is a 

people under siege. It 

is elementary to conclude 

that such a life, 

deprived of liberty, is 

not good – not good 

psychologically, economically, 

physically, 

spiritually. The devastatingly 

sad thing is 

that the US administration 

has concluded 

that the road to liberty 

does not apply to the 

Serbs and other minorities 

in Kosovo and 

Metohija. 

There are two parallel ways to look at 

Kosovo: (i) as an independent country 

with a tiny Serb and other minority populations 

or (ii) as part of an intact Serbia 

with a sizable Albanian and other minority 

population. In Serbia, Albanians have 

the right to government-funded schooling 

in their language and to attend their 

mosques and go to work unmolested. In 

an Albanian dominated Kosovo, Serbs 

are clinging to the edge of an abyss: 

they cannot come and go without risk 

and thus cannot work outside their enclaves; 

they recently have seen their 

homes, villages and churches burned 

and their neighbors and friends beaten 

and killed. Yet, in defiance of logic, the 

US and much of Europe want to reward 

the KLA. When speaking with State Department 

functionaries, they sometimes 

bring up Milosevic as a reason for siding 

with the Albanians. When we counter 

that Milosevic is dead, and before he 

died he was overthrown by the citizens 

of Serbia and then sent to The Hague to 

face a form of justice, they have no answer. 

When we point out that the burnings 

and beatings of Serbs in Kosovo are 

ongoing, they worry about Muslim rioting 

and sound as sensible as Neville Chamberlain. 

I am truly disappointed in the policies 

being pursued by my country. Nonetheless, 

we are finding a small but growing 

understanding of the issues in Congress. 

Our efforts in educating our Senators 

and Congressmen about the facts cannot 

stop. If we do not do our part then 


the US will succeed in promoting a fast 

independence for the terrorists in Kosovo. 

If the US pursues this blind policy, 

alluding to Robert Frost once more, in 

years to come it is sure to regret “the 

road not taken.” 

Sharing our 

Treasures Across the 

Ages and the World 

- BLAGO went to 

Patriarchate of Pec 

For the past 10 years, the BLAGO 

(Treasure) Fund established by the Serbian 

Unity Congress has been preserving 

and promoting Serbian cultural 

heritage. Creating computerized virtualreality 

libraries of the interiors and exteriors 

of our monasteries, we give people 

around the world -- Serbs and all others 

-- a chance to visit these faraway gems 

of our culture. The center of these treasures 

historically and in terms of sheer 

richness, is in the southern Serbian province 

of Kosovo-and-Metohija, a place 

that people can today only visit with a 

1-202-463-8643 17


heavily armed escort of NATO troops to 

protect against Albanian attack. 

Having already recorded virtual libraries 

of the monasteries of Gracanica 

(gra-cha-nee-tsa) and Decani (de-chanee) 

our BLAGO (Treasure) team set out 

this summer for the Patriarchate of Pec 

(pech), a Serbian crown jewel and beacon 

of Christianity in Kosovo-and-Metohija. 

A single glance at the church complex 

and courtyard lets you know instantly 

why you have come. The essence of 

being Serbian and the repository of our 

nation’s collective memory is all rooted 

here in the history, Christianity, culture 

and architecture. Our project aims to 

share this window on our soul across the 

world, just as we cherish and admire the 

wonders of other nations’ historical treasuries. 

The Patriarchate of Pec, the historic 

seat of the patriarchs of the Serbian 

Orthodox Church, is a complex of four 

churches built over the eras of a succession 

of monarchs and patriarchs starting 

around the year 1230 AD. The three 

main churches share a common narthex 

entry or lobby, while 

the fourth and smallest 

has a separate 

entrance. As the center 

of Serbian Christianity 

for ages, the 

complex is the final 

resting place of a parade 

of patriarchs and 

royals, their tombs 

and sarcophaguses 

tended by monastic under the dim light 

of candles burning across the millennia. 

It was in this surreal atmosphere, surrounded 

by the sweet smell of incense 

that we began our work. To avoid setting 

up major scaffolding but to still 

get the perspective needed 

to photograph the church, we 

used a remote-control camera 

mounted atop a 30-foot telescoping 

pole with a flash on 

a second pole. We raised the 

poles from a 10-foot pedestal 

that we had to build to reach 

the top of the main dome. 

Using the very latest digital 

photographic equipment, we 

worked from 42 virtual-reality 

observation points, taking 5,000 highresolution 

photos over seven days of 

work. The result is 100 gigabytes of data 

to be processed into a seamless virtual 

space that visitors around the world will 

stroll through in wonder, using the computer 

screens in their homes. We started 

our work right after each morning’s 9 AM 

service, continuing uninterrupted till as 

late as 2 AM the next 

morning. 

Each team member 

had a role: supporting 

and building 

the observation 

structures, checking 

the photos on screen, 

or writing down the 

details of each shot. 

In addition, our two experts in Serbian 

medieval art put together a detailed history 

of each fresco as we went along. 

The nuns and others in the complex 

supported our efforts. A couple from the 

nearby Serbian village of Gorazdevac (gorazh-de-vats) 

prepared our meals in the 

finest tradition of first-class hosts typical 

of Serbia. Gorazdevac nestles quietly by 

the Bistrica (bis-tree-tsa) Stream where 

Serbian children frolicking in the water 

to cool off in a hot August four years ago 

were machine-gunned to death by an Albanian 

sniper hiding in the trees with an 

AK-47 automatic weapon. Their lifeless 

small bodies were given their last blessings 

in the glow of our other martyrs buried 

in the ancient patriarchate. 

Check our Web site www.srpskoblago. 

org for the images of our threatened heritage 

and please donate what you can to 

preserve it. 

This BLAGO (Treasure) team included 

Igor Jeremic, Zoran Jovanovic, Gordana 

Kojic, Ljubomir Medenica, Sasa Sekulic 

and Nenad Vukicevic. 

Negotiating for 

peace in Kosovo 

Washington Times, August 20, 

2007 

Dan Burton - In coming weeks, an 

international confrontation is likely to 

occur among the United States, the European 

Union, and Russia over an issue 

most Americans have long since forgotten: 

Kosovo, where a few hundred Americans 

remain deployed as part of a NATO 

force protecting a shaky interim peace 

that ended the 1999 U.S.-led intervention. 

For most Americans this obscure Serbian 

province, with its mainly Albanian 

Muslim population and its hundreds of 

Serbian Christian churches and monasteries, 

may be a little-remembered footnote 

to the breakup of Yugoslavia. However, 

now is the time for clear thinking 

about next steps if Kosovo is to avoid revisiting 

its history as a hotbed of regional 

instability and violence. 



The international mission in Kosovo 

for the last eight years has not met its 

original goals regarding establishment of 

an open, multiethnic and multireligious 

society. True, there has been no return to 

large-scale fighting. But remaining Christian 

Serbs are confined to NATO-protected 

enclaves for fear of endemic Muslim 

Albanian violence. A quarter of a million 

expellees — some two-thirds of the 

Serbs, Roma, Croats, and all the Jews — 

still cannot return safely to their homes. 

More than 150 Christian holy sites have 

been burned, blown up or desecrated. 

Organized crime is rampant, with allegations 

of corruption reaching into the 

upper levels of the U.N.-supervised local 

administration and unemployment outside 

these criminal elements remains 

more than 50 percent. 

Even Albanian officials have expressed 

concern at the growth of radical 

Wahhabist influence, and the reality 

of a dangerously segregated society, as 

hundreds of Saudi-financed mosques 

have sprung up to replace the destroyed 

churches. 

Although the situation on the ground 

in Kosovo has been a case study in U.N. 

mismanagement, there is no question of 

Kosovo’s legal status as part of Serbia. 

U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244, 

which ended the 1999 war, reaffirmed 

Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty 

while calling for substantial autonomy 

and self-government for Kosovo 

within Serbia. 

But against this clear standard for Kosovo’s 

future, the U.S. State Department 

has insisted the only possible solution 

for Kosovo is not autonomy, but independence 

— even though Serbia refuses to 

give up 15 percent of its territory. Even 

worse, during his recent trip to Albania, 

President Bush suggested that if a Rus- 

sian veto blocks any new Security Council 

Resolution to separate Kosovo from 

Serbia, the U.S. might take the lead in 

recognizing a unilateral declaration of 

Kosovo independence with no legitimate 

claim of authority at all. Within Europe 

itself there are growing misgivings and 

decisions about this course. 

This is a terrible idea. To start with, 

our policy is in contravention of international 

laws and will create a dangerous 

precedent. Also, there is no reason to 

suppose an independent Kosovo would 

be a viable state, either economically or 

politically. Terrorist and organized crime 

influences, already rampant in Kosovo, 

would be granted a consolidated haven 

for their operations. Independence would 

likely be followed by renewed anti-Serb 

attacks, at least against the smaller enclaves, 

if not against Northern Mitrovica, 

where most of the remaining Serbs enjoy 

relative security. Unrest in neighboring 

Albanian-dominated areas of southern 

Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia, 

even Greece, could be reignited. 

Perhaps most damaging, an imposed 

separation of Kosovo from Serbia would 

send a message to other trouble-spots, 

not just in the Balkans, that state borders 

are up for grabs. 

The American relationship with Serbia 

would suffer badly if we insist on inflicting 

on a democratic country of 10 million 

people an offense they cannot accept 

and never will forget. An imposed separation 

of Kosovo, the cradle of Serbia’s 

national and spiritual life, would alienate 

Serbs of all political stripes and could 

very well result in the implosion of Serbian 

democracy, with incalculable negative 

consequences. In short, an imposed 

independence of Kosovo could set the 

region back another decade. 

As an original cosponsor of a House 

resolution calling for the U.S. to support 

a mutually agreed solution for the future 

status of Kosovo and reject an imposed 

solution, I believe we can no longer proceed 

on a policy that is trapped in assumptions 

formed years ago. Instead 

of an imposed preconceived outcome, 

any viable solution for Kosovo must result 

from give-and-take negotiations between 

Serbia and the Kosovo Albanians, 

balancing Serbia’s legitimate concern 

for its sovereignty and the Albanians’ legitimate 

right of self-governance. 

It must be consistent with accepted 

international principles, including guarantees 

of both the territorial integrity of 

states as well as of human rights and 

self-determination. The U.S., the U.N., 

the European Union, Russia, or any other 

interested actor must not impose a solution 

on either of the parties, or bow to 

threats of violence if one of the parties’ 

demands is not met. 

As with any genuine negotiation, the 

eventual outcome cannot be foreseen 

with certainty. However, it is certain 

that unless we hit the reset button and 

reevaluate the situation, Kosovo may 

once again become a trouble-spot requiring 

American and NATO attention at 

a time we can least afford it. As Kosovo 

re-emerges from years of obscurity, we 

neednow to take another serious look 

at America’s options and long-term interests. 

As I stated before, the solution 

must come from negotiations between 

Serbia and Kosovo Albanians. 

Dan Burton, Indiana Republican, is 

ranking member of the U.S. House of 

Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee 

on the Western Hemisphere 

and serves on the House Foreign Affairs 

Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. 

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