Newsletter Spring 2005 - National Federation of Croatian Americans

The Croatian American Advocate
SPRING 2005
NFCA 1329 Connecticut Avenue, N. W., Washington, D. C. 20036
Phone: (202) 331-2830 Fax: (202) 331-0050 [email protected]
THE
CROATIAN AMERICAN ADVOCATE
The Official Newsletter of the NFCA
and the NFCA Cultural Foundation
NFCA President Edward Andrus speaking at the launch of the
Congressional Croatian Caucus
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF CROATIAN
AMERICANS SPEARHEADS DRIVE TO FORM
CONGRESSIONAL CROATIAN CAUCUS
The National Federation of Croatian Americans (NFCA)
welcomed the official establishment of the Congressional Croatian
Caucus which was formally announced at a reception hosted by
the NFCA at the Rayburn Congressional Office Building on
Capitol Hill on February 1. Approximately 150 invited guests
attended the reception which featured an assortment of Croatia's
finest wines and excellent Croatian cuisine created by Chef Ivo
Svircic and provided by the Croatian Embassy. The NFCA
reception was funded in part by special donations from Mike
Grgich, Jure Sola, Tony Peraica, Janet Robert and Jamie Coleman.
The bipartisan Co-Chairs of this new Caucus, Rep. George P.
Radanovich (R-CA) and Rep. Peter J. Visclosky (D-IN),
welcomed all those present and discussed their long-standing
desire to establish this important association of Members of
Congress interested in promoting Croatian-American relations.
That both Co-Chairs are of Croatian descent gives even further
emphasis to this historic event for the Croatian American
community.
Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA) also addressed those present, noting
that he too has a personal connection to Croatia through his
daughter-in-law, a native of Split. Congressman Gallegly in
particular noted his deep appreciation of Croatia's beauty which he
experienced first hand when his son and daughter-in-law recently
renewed their marriage vows there. Rep. Gallegly will chair the
Europe Subcommittee of the House International Relations
Committee in the 109th Congress.
(Continued on page 2)
Croatian member of Parliament Mario Zubovic ,U.S. Rep. George
Radanovich, Croatian Minister of Culture Bozo Biskupic, Croatian
Ambassador to the United States Neven Jurica, U.S. Rep. Peter
Visclosky, NFCA President Edward Andrus.
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF CROATIAN AMERICANS
CRITICAL OF COMMENTS MADE BY U.S. AMBASSADOR
TO CROATIA RALPH FRANK
On December 21, 3004 , The National Federation of Croatian
Americans (NFCA) sent a letter written by its President, Edward
A. Andrus, to United States Ambassador to Croatia, Ralph Frank.
Copies of the letter were forwarded to Secretary of State Colin
Powell and Ranking Members of Congressional committees
dealing with foreign affairs.
Mr. Andrus' letter had been prompted by Croatian press stories
which reported that at a December 16, 2004 press conference,
Ambassador Frank had emphasized the overriding importance of
the surrender of General Gotovina to the International Criminal
Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) as a pre-condition to
Croatia's entry into Euro-Atlantic institutions. Ambassador Frank's
comments came in the wake of other press reports which stated that
the United States had forwarded a so-called "non-paper" to the
governments of members of the European Union (EU) urging them
not to set a date for accession talks for Croatia to join the EU prior
to the surrender of General Gotovina.
In his letter to Ambassador Frank, Mr. Andrus noted that
Ambassador Frank's comments as well as the apparent position
taken by the United States vis-à-vis the EU ignored the strides
Croatia had made not only with respect to cooperation with the
ICTY "but the increasingly significant role Croatia has played in
achieving regional stability and cooperation." Mr. Andrus
emphasized that "Croatia has done more than any nation-state in
the region to cooperate with the ICTY. Indeed, General Gotovina
remains the only fugitive from Croatia.”
(Continued on page 3)
The Croatian American Advocate
Croatian Caucus (continued from Page 2)
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) gave a short but powerful speech
in which he spoke about his personal involvement in Croatia's
struggle to gain independence and freedom for its people. He said
he admired the strength and resolve of the Croatian people during
that difficult period.
The Croatian Ambassador to the United States, Neven Jurica, said
a few words about Croatia's determination to join Euro-Atlantic
institutions and viewed the creation of the new Caucus as a step
toward fulfilling that goal. Ambassador Jurica also welcomed a
number of honored guests from Croatia, including Bozo Biskupic,
the Minister of Culture, and Dr. Mario Zubovic, a member of the
Croatian Parliament.
NFCA President Edward A. Andrus gave remarks on behalf of the
Croatian American community thanking the bipartisan Co-Chairs
and Founding Members while pledging to support the Caucus as it
engages on important matters relevent to the community and the
Republic of Croatia. He noted that the structuring of the Caucus
was a government relations task which demanded much effort and
many resources, not only from the NFCA but from other
individuals and organizations. Mr. Andrus specifically mentioned
the assistance provided by the Croatian Fraternal Union, Dr. Frank
Brozovich, the former President of the Croatian American
Association (CAA) and Honorary Consul of the Republic of
Croatia, and Cook County Commissioner Anthony J. Peraica, a
former board member of the NFCA and President of the CAA's
Illinois Chapter. Mr. Andrus also recognized in the audience the
presence of Dr. Jasenka Piljac from Zagreb, who coauthored an
English language book on the Croatian origins of the Zinfandel
grape which the NFCA has presented to all 41 of the Founding
Members of the Caucus as an expression of its appreciation for
their efforts on Croatia's behalf. (A copy of the "Zinfandel" book
can be ordered from NFCA Headquarters for $ 35.)
In addition to the four Congressmen who spoke, thirteen other
Congressmen, both members and non-members of the Croatian
Caucus made an appearance at the reception: Rep. Howard
Berman (D-CA), Rep. Judy Biggert (R- IL), Rep. Mike Doyle (DPA), Rep. Phil English (R- PA), Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), Rep.
Jay Inslee (D-WA), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Rep. Rick Larsen
(R-WA), Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Rep. Jim McDermott (DWA), Rep. Nick Joe Rahall (D-WV), Rep. Janice Schakowsky (DIL), and Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI)
The event was also attended by scores of Congressional officials
and staff members, representatives from the State Department,
leaders of the Croatian-American community from throughout the
United States, a number of prominent Croatian-Americans in the
Washington, D.C. area and Dr. Thomas P. Melady, former US
Ambassador to the Vatican and Senior Dipolmat in Residence at
the Institute of World Politics. Tony Butala of "The Lettermen"
singing group and members of the press were also present.
Speaking after the event, NFCA President Edward Andrus
reiterated the importance of the establishment of the Caucus and
the NFCA's role in same. "There had been talk for some time
about the need to establish a Caucus. The NFCA had a number of
discussions concerning the idea with Congressmen Radanovich
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SPRING 2005
and Visclosky and their staffs. They all expressed their enthusiasm
and we worked closely with their staffs in order to contact
members of Congress to encourage them to join the Caucus as
Founding Members. In this regard, not only did we rely on our
own members but we teamed with non-members as well to have
them reach out to their Congressional contacts. After all, while the
NFCA played the key role in moving this concept forward, the
Caucus itself is not a creature of the NFCA but is something from
which the entire Croatian-American community and the Republic
of Croatia will benefit."
In further discussing how the NFCA will work with the Croatian
Caucus, Mr. Andrus said that the NFCA now has the enhanced
ability to communicate with a group of Congressmen who have
expressed a keen interest in issues related to Croatia. "Up until
now, doing effective lobbying in Congress has been hampered
without the Caucus. We had to concentrate on approaching
individual Congressmen when we had some ideas or issues related
to improving Croatian-American relations and the status of Croats
in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Vojvodina. Now we have a group
which on its first day of existence consists of almost 10% of all
members of Congress. This will, we hope, allow the NFCA and
the Croatian-American community as a whole the ability to more
effectively present their views to Congress and have Congress
take those views under serious consideration."
Mr. Andrus noted that the establishment of the Caucus will now
actually require the NFCA and Croatian Americans to "step up to
the plate" in a more consistent manner. "We now have this most
efficient means to have Congress listen to our concerns, and there
are many of them. Croatia's entry into NATO and other EuroAtlantic institutions continues to encounter difficult obstacles
which our elected Representatives can help to remove. Our
community must become more engaged to make use of this
opportunity and in that regard I urge all Croatian Americans to
join us in further building on what I believe to be one of the
greatest successes the NFCA has had to date."
The 41 Founding Members of the Congressional Croatian Caucus
are as follows:
Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA) - Co-Chair, Rep. Peter
Visclosky (D-IN) - Co-Chair, Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), Rep.
Steve Chabot (R-OH), Rep. Ben Chandler (D-KY, Rep. Jerry
Costello (D-IL), Rep. Bud Cramer (D-AL), Rep. Joe Crowley (DNY), Rep. John Duncan (R-TN), Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), Rep.
Phil English (R-PA), Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-NJ), Rep. Elton
Gallegly (R-CA), Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-OH), Rep. Luis Gutierrez
(R-IL), Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), Rep. Melissa Hart (D-PA),
Rep. Maurice D. Hinchey (D-NY) Rep. Tim Holden (D-PA), Rep.
Jay Inslee (D-WA), Rep. Darrel Issa (R-CA), Rep. Dennis
Kucinich (D-OH), Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), Rep. Rick Larsen
(R-WA), Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-OH), Rep. Carolyn Maloney
(D-NY), Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA),
Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS), Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY), Rep.
Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ), Rep.
Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), Rep. Rob
Simmons (R-CT), Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), Rep. Mike
Thompson (D-CA), Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL), Rep. Lynn
Woosley (D-CA), Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), and Senator Rick
Santorum (R-PA).
The Croatian American Advocate
Frank Release (Continued from page 1)
Mr. Andrus wrote that even more importantly Croatia has become
the leading democratic state in the region. Mr. Andrus pointed out
that inter-ethnic relations in Croatia are today "better than in any
of the successor states of former Yugoslavia, including Slovenia,
an EU and NATO member whose de-recognition of its relatively
significant ethnic minority population has remained widely
ignored."
In his letter to Ambassador Frank, Mr. Andrus raised Croatia's
leading role in the reconciliation process in the area. "As a
signatory to the Adriatic Charter . . ., Croatia has shown that it is
committed to regional cooperation as it . . . seek[s] entry into
NATO. Moreover, Croatia has continued its efforts to establish
friendly relations with Serbia and Montenegro, as evidenced by
the recent trips to Belgrade by both Croatian President Mesic and
Croatian Prime Minister Sanader . . . ." Mr. Andrus further noted
that the Ambassador should keep in mind that such trips took
place in an atmosphere marked by the rise in power of "the
Serbian Radical Party of indicted war criminal Vojislav Seselj, a
Party which has not renounced its claims to territory in Croatia
and Bosnia and Herzegovina."
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SPRING 2005
who have had significantly greater resources than Croatia and full
reign over Bosnia and Herzegovina for 9 years, have a failed
record when it comes to seizing Mladic and Karadzic. This
underscores that your demands of Croatia are neither constructive
nor realistic."
Mr. Andrus went on to note that the close cooperation Croatia has
shown over the years in allowing American naval and air forces
use of their ports and air fields, sending units to assist in security
and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, and to assisting the
United States in tracking the activities of Islamic extremists in
neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina seem to have been forgotten.
He wrote that the role played by the United States in attempting to
influence the judgment of the members of the EU against setting a
start date for accession talks "reflects a lack of balance and
proportionality."
Mr. Andrus called on the United States to "reconsider its position
on General Gotovina and work to quickly change its treatment of
Croatia with regard to this matter, from one which is punitive to
one in which it appreciates the outstanding successes Croatia has
achieved and the important contributions she has made during the
past few years."
Mr. Andrus questioned Ambassador Frank's claim that the
surrender of General Gotovina formed a precondition to achieving
stability in the region. He noted that such statements are
inaccurate as Croatia has already achieved a stable democracy in
the region. Further, he questioned the continued emphasis being
given by the United States to the case of General Gotovina. Unlike
Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, General Gotovina has not
been charged with genocide.
Moreover, Mr. Andrus noted that even assuming that the charges
against General Gotovina are provable, they "pale in comparison
to those committed by Mladic and Karadzic. General Gotovina
commanded an operation which took place over a matter of days,
an operation carried out with the open support of the United
States. Mladic and Karadzic, on the other hand, engaged in
massive murder and genocide over a 4 years period."
Mr. Andrus further questioned statements made to the press by
Ambassador Frank in which he implied that all of what Croatia
has done to date is not as important as finding General Gotovina.
Mr. Andrus questioned how such a surrender could ever be
deemed as important as "the strengthening of democratic
institutions, reconciliation with neighboring states, and the [ongoing] cooperation between the Croatian government and
[Croatia's] major ethnic Serbian political party."
Mr. Andrus also found fault with the United States' position
requiring General Gotovina's surrender even though he may no
longer be in Croatia. He noted that Croatia is a relatively small
country, having a population only half that of New York City.
"Croatia simply does not have the resources to conduct a worldwide hunt for one person. Furthermore, your statement that it is
Croatia's sole responsibility to apprehend General Gotovina for
delivery to the ICTY, may not be practiable, fair, or as easily
fulfilled as initially assumed. American and other NATO forces,
NFCA Lobbyist Joe Foley with Illinois CAA President Anthony
Pericia and Congressman Cliff Stearns of Florida at the Caucus
launch reception
NFCA Board Members Steve Rukavina, Zvonko Labas, Anne
The Croatian American Advocate
Ed Andrus, Ginnie Maminski, Chef Ivo Svircic, Lynn Drake, and
Stan Maminski at Caucus launch reception
OMAHA HOSTS 2005 NFCA ASDEMBLY OF DELEGATES
Omaha will host the 2005 NFCA Assembly of Delegates Annual
Conference June 3, 2005 through June 5, 2005. All arrangements
have been completed for a weekend that serves to be exciting and
enjoyable for all delegates. Headquarters for the conference will
be the Downtown Doubletree, located at the intersection of 16th &
Dodge Street, and just a mere 7 minutes from Omaha's Eppley
Airfield. Rooms have been reserved for delegates at a special
NFCA rate of $69 per night, plus taxes. Rooms will be reserved
until May 15th by calling (800) 222-8733. After the 15th, you
must telephone the hotel directly by calling (402) 346-7600 and
ask for reservations. Shuttle service is available from the airport to
the hotel every 30 minutes, plus there is a courtesy hotel telephone
directly to the Doubletree within the airport lobby near the
baggage section.
The weekend will kickoff with a hospitality and social event at the
Croatian Cultural Society, with plenty of hors d'oeuvres, wine and
other liquid refreshments. Transportation will be provided from
the hotel to the Cultural Society. Conference registration will
begin at the Doubletree Hotel Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. at the
Missouri/Iowa Room, located on the mezzanine, with the
conference to open at 9:00 a.m. As in past years, lunch will be
held at the hotel featuring a board room deli buffet with an all
inclusive cost of $24 per delegate. Saturday night's banquet will be
held at the Croatian Cultural Society with plenty of food and
drinks to satisfy everyone's appetite. The all inclusive cost for both
Friday and Saturday night festivities, which includes food and all
drinks, is $30 per delegate. Transportation will again be available
from the hotel to the Cultural Society.
Omaha, located in the heart of the Midwest, will probably be a
first visit to most delegates. Omaha has much to offer just in case
you want to spend a day or two in addition to the conference. Just
minutes away from the hotel is the Old Market District, a one-time
warehouse area that has become a center for fine shopping and
dining with shops selling everything from antiques to fine Omaha
steaks, pasta, barbeque, etc. Two restaurants in the Old Market,
The Passport and The Omaha Prime, both carry Grgich Hills wine.
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, less than 10 minutes from the hotel,
is a world class zoo featuring the world’s largest indoor rain
forest; the Desert Dome, the world’s largest indoor desert; the
Pavlich, Tom Steich, Ed Andrus, and Dr. Judy Vogelsang
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SPRING 2005
Kingdoms of the Night, the worlds largest nocturnal exhibit; the
Scott Aquarium, the 4th largest aquarium in the world where one
can physically walk inside a glass bubble and go nose to nose with
fish of all kinds including sharks; the and the Hubbard Gorilla
Valley, one of the largest state of the art facilities in North
America that houses over 100 cats. Visitors to Omaha want to visit
Father Flanagan's world famous Boys Town, 20 minutes from the
hotel, that features one of the very finest grade and high school
campuses in the country that resembles a college campus. And just
30 minutes from the hotel is the Strategic Air and Space Museum,
a 300,000 square foot facility including WWII and Cold War
aircraft and artifacts, as well as traveling exhibits, a library,
children's gallery, theater, flight simulator, snack bar and more.
The Joslyn Art Museum, just seven blocks from the hotel, is
world-renowned for its blend of contemporary art, Native
American paintings and many famous pieces. The museum itself
is one of the finest examples of Art Deco buildings in the country.
Joslyn’s beauty, both inside and out, is a must see. If you do stay
in Omaha longer then the June 3-5, 2005 dates, you must
make your hotel reservation for additional days by calling the
hotel directly at (402) 346-7600, not the national reservation
center 800 number. P.S. The casinos (3 of them) are located
directly across the Missouri River, which boarders downtown
Omaha, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Welcome to Omaha!!!!!!!
Dobro Nam Dosli!!!!!!!!
Diane Rukavina, Zvonko Labas, and Sandy Cave
Jasenka Piljac signing a copy of her book for Congressman Tom
Feeney (R- FL) at the Caucus launch reception