http://oea.serbian-church.net/info/908.html
Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada
Office of External Affairs
Washington D.C.
202 463 8643
OEA News Briefs: September 2002
OEA News Briefs
Responding to the UN and UNESCO on the Continuing
Destruction of
Churches in Kosovo and Metohija
Washington, DC (OEA) September 2002 - In response to
recent desecrations, vandalism, and
continuing patterns of violence facing Serbian
inhabitants, and churches, cemeteries and
cultural properties in Kosovo and Metohija, the
Office of External Affairs (OEA) working with the
Diocese of Raska and Prizren, has raised the issue to
the Secretary General of the United
Nations, His Excellency Kofi Annan on behalf of the
Episcopal Council of the Serbian Orthodox
Church in USA and Canada; as well as to the Director
of the World Heritage Centre, UNESCO,
Mr. Francesco Bandarin.
In two separate letters, the OEA cited these ongoing
hostilities with detailed reports indicating
to the leaders of the UN and UNESCO, that a great
number of these treasures date back to
the 13th century and not only provide a historical
account of Serbian culture and spirituality,
but are of great significance to world heritage at
large.
The loss of such precious frescoes, mosaics, and many
more of the finest examples of artwork
from Byzantine and successive eras underscores the
need for international organizations to
implement effective means of safeguarding and
preserving the treasures of Kosovo and
Metohija so as to avert the type of cultural
eradication that the world witnessed with the
Taliban's dynamiting of centuries old Buddhist
statues in Afghanistan.
Letter to Ambassador Dr. Ivan Grdesic Regarding
Hostility Towards Serbian
Students in Vukovar
Washington, DC (OEA) September 2002 - The Institute
for War and Peace Reporting
published a troubling article on September 24, 2002
entitled: Croatia: Xenophobes Prey on
Schoolchildren, in which specific cases of
intolerance and hate campaigns have been on the
rise in Croatia.
In response to a specific case of Roma and Serbian
students being denied the basic right to
education in their language, Croatian Prime Minister
Ivica Racan's government has backed off
from this and other related controversies, "in spite
of its official opposition to segregation on the
basis of race, nationality, or physical handicap."
The OEA responded by presenting the case of Serbian
students in Vukovar who were denied
the right to use the Serbian language and Cyrillic
alphabet to the Croatian Ambassador to the
United States, His Excellency Dr. Ivan Grdesic,
himself a former educator, to investigate and
resolve the matter for the good of all citizens of
Croatia.
For further information contact:
Steven Cupic, Administrative Assistant
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
The Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada
Office of External Affairs
2311 M Street Suite 402, Washington, DC
20037
Telephone: 202-463-8643, FAX: 202-463-8645
Serbian News Network - SNN
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http://www.antic.org/
