VERONA Forum for Peace and Reconciliation in former Yugoslavia
II session - 2-4th April 1993 

Final Conclusions
1) Call for an Civic Peace Conference
2) Democratic Information in former Yugoslavia
3) Demands to the solidarity and peace movements

The Verona Forum for Peace and Reconciliation in the Territory of ex-Yugoslavia held its second plenary meeting on 2-4 April 1993. The Forum is an independent lobby group seeking to nurture democratic politic and civil society actors in the Balkans and to compell international institutions and governments to recognise the central role these people must play in any positive future for the region. The Forum was attended by more 85 participants from more than 50 different non-governmental organisations and political parties from all regions of the former Yugoslavia. More than 110 observers from throughouth Europe also attended. The meeting was convened by a 15-member steering committee under the chair of Marijana Grandits, Austrian MP, and Alexander Langer, Italy, Member of the European Parliament.

The Forum convened to review the work of the organisation since its founding meeting on 17-20 September 1992, to revise and update its policy proposals and demands, and to prepare the ground for a major Civic Peace Conference, to be held in Vienna, 11-13 June 1993. The Civic Peace Conference will aim to build up a structure for future democratic politics and civil society and raise international awareness of non-nationalist options. 

General Policy

The conferees confirmed their support of the conclusions of the founding conference of the Verona Forum, a detailed political statement which called, among other things, for:

- the establishment of a large-scale UN civil administration on all the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina
- support for the independent and democratic press throughout ex-Yugoslavia and other communications assistance
- acceptance by European states of refugees and significantly increased aid for them
- international recognition and reinforcement of Macedonia
- the deployment of military and human-rights observers in Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, Vojvodina, Macedonia and Montenegro
- the convening of international conferences on the status of Kosovo and Vojvodina
- the establishment of a permanent peace and reconciliation forum with access to the official peace process.

The Forum observed that renewed war is imminent in Croatia and fresh conflict is threatening the southern Balkans. The conferees appreciated the international peace efforts of the UN and EC. However, they criticised the Vance-Owen plan for Bosnia as ratifying war gains and the nationalist political structures that caused the war. The Forum expressed its strong belief that realistic peace negotiations require peace-minded partners. All people must realise their political and cultural identities through democratic means, without jeopardising the identity and lifes of other peoples.

Future Actions

1. Convene a Civic Peace Conference

The minimum requirements for the Peace Conference are:
A. No change of pre-war borders by violence
B. No discrimination of people by origin, faith, etc.
C. Repatriation of war prisoners, refugees, and displaced persons
D. Individual responsibility for war crimes
E. International guarantees for peacemaking and peacekeeping conditions

The Draft Agenda for the Peace Conference is:

1. Evaluation of previous peace efforts
2. The prospects of a peace settlement

3. Implementation
	a) the role of state institutions
	b) the role of media
	c) the role of religious communities
	d) the role of NGOs
	e) the role of citizens

The invitees to the Peace Conference will be:
From the former Yugoslavia
	regional human-rights NGOs and anti-war movements
	all religious communities
	independent media
	independent academics
	civil-state-oriented politicians
	minority representatives

From the rest of the world
	international NGOs
	religious communities
	CSCE, EEC, CE and UN representatives
	European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
	Representatives of selected governments
	Representatives of international media

2. Support for the Independent Media

The Verona Forum concluded that there can be no peace and political regeneration without really independent and impartial media. It declared that: 

A. It is absolutely necessary to support democratic-oriented independent media with money, technology and other facilities; the Forum expressed strong support for efforts to create out-of-country radio and TV broadcasting by journalists from the region. This support must be included as a primary component of humanitarian aid.

B. Sanctions on Serbia and Montenegro regarding culture, information and peace and human-rights movements must be lifted, because under existing sanctions the civil society in Serbia and Montenegro is even more paralysed by UN measures.

The Forum observed that the means of information are today under total control of newly established nationalistic governments, with just a few enclaves of independent and democratic press. In Croatia, the last independent daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija has recently been taken over by the government. In Serbia and Vojvodina in the past few months, more than 1,350 journalists and technicians have been fired for political reasons. The media situation is particularly dangerous in Kosovo, where the last Albanian TV and radio station was closed in 1990 and the last Albanian daily newspaper Bujku is heavily oppressed. 

In Macedonia, the access of different ethnic communities must be improved; the Forum recognised that the Macedonian government is seeking financial and technical assistance to improve the situation.

The Forum expressed special recognition of the efforts of the Sarajevo journalists editing the daily newspaper Oslobodjenje, which has continued publication despite the destruction of its officies and other horrible conditions of war.

  To the international solidarity movement was addressed the following appeal, calling for a more political committment, beyond the very necessary humanitarian assistance:

3) Demands to the solidarity movement for ex-Yugoslavia

  The war and the violent disintegration of civic life and inter-ethnic coexistence in Former Yugoslavia are the most disastrous defeat of civil Europe after Worldwar II. It endangers not only the directly suffering populations, but also democracy, peace, integration and security in the whole continent. The policy of ethnic 
purification (systematically practiced with different means, from discrimination and threatening to expulsion and genocide) is completely intolerable. Nobody can simply assist and wait. Those in Former Yugoslavia who suffer the direct consequences and those who oppose resistance and democratic alternatives to the ongoing aggression at the different levels, need concrete support from Europe: moral, political and material aid.
  The already existing solidarity movement is of the highest importance, but is still insufficient, if compared to the horrible character and the extension of the war.

Therefore we demand:

1) Give all possible political and material support, and ask to your governments and institutions to do so, for the victims and for the civic forces;
- open your doors to the refugees, revise your visa-policy, support the release of prisoners, provide aid for and, if needed, host raped and humiliated women, support those Republics which bear the burden of hundreds of thousands of refugees;
- multiply humanitarian aid
- push the governments to re-establish communication, at least via phone, between the different republics, and support those who provide communications on a voluntary base (like "Telefonski most")
- build up constant mutual relations through visits and partnerships between people in Former Yugoslavia and the rest of Europe
- support - politically and financially - independent groups, women's groups, peace movement, media, solidarity- and self-help networks in all parts of Former Yugoslavia (the examples of Kosova's self-established Albanian school and health system and of the project of "good-will-shops" in Vojvodina were discussed)

2) Humanitarian assistance may moderate some effects of the war, but it does not affect the causes. Therefore we stress first of all the material and political support for those groups, media and initiatives which are civil alternatives opposing the nationalistic regimes and the different warlords. We ask to the international community to recognize as partners and to strengthen the civic forces in all parts of Former Yugoslavia. The warlords will neither be willing nor able to lead towards a real peace.
  For this reason some of us criticize the Vance Owen Plan (which is already not signed and not implemented): it looks like an agreement between the warriors to provide a legal framework for a further violence. Some others prefer to emphasize certain positive aspects of this Plan, which is for the moment without alternatives, and ask to strengthen them: first of all in order to get a strong international committment (with civil and military forces) for disarmament, reconstruction of civil life, rule of law; the ethnic partition of Bosnia Herzegovina is not acceptable, the elements of peaceful integration must be stressed.
  On how to stop the war, there are no simple solutions: there must be combined many different tools, which all imply a very serious international committment. Our proposal of UN civil administration and assistance for Bosnia Herzegovina as a solution for transitional period requires such a committment, which may include the threat and the use of military force.
  
The feeling of impotence and the urgent need to act are widely spread: therefore we welcome with deep gratitude the initiative of those who are fastening in order to call public attention to the dramatic situation in Former Yugoslavia.

Verona, 4.4.1993

VERONA FORUM - c/ EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, B 1040 BRUSSELS, 97-113 rue Belliard, phone ++32-2-2845456, fax 2849456 (coord.: Rada Gavrilovic)