[kan-l] KSG minutes 12/9/98

[Teresa Crawford]

**** Kosova Action Network Discussion List ****
Thought the list moght be interested in the work of our West Coast friends.
 Would be good to get ahold of Marek's thoughts after his trip to Kosova
recently.  Will see what I can do to get those out to people.

Teresa

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note:  	The next meeting of the Kosova/o Support Group will be held 
	on SATURDAY, JAN. 9, 1999 from 1-5pm at the 1st Congregational
	Church, Berkeley (the usual place).

I.   Concert
II.  Pet Walk in San Jose
III. Marek's report
IV.  Future Plans

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I.  Concert

The fundraiser concert in November raised about $600 for the KSG.  The
money is currently in the Crabgrass bank account for safe keeping.  Tova
volunteered to write thank you notes to the Arlekin Quartet and to Nancy
Knoff, the musical director of the Church.

II.  San Jose Pet Walk

Ali's group, the San Jose Peace Center, is sponsoring a "Pet March for
Peace" this Sunday, Dec. 13, in San Jose.  Meet at 2pm outside the Rose
Garden park on Dana Street, at McDaniel.  Proceeds go to the Kosova/o
Association of People with Paraplegia.  Donations can be sent directly to
the Peace Center (48 S 7th St., San Jose, CA 95112), or you can contact
Ali to sponsor her.

III.  Marek's Report

Marek gave an informative and moving report of his recent two-month long
trip to Poland, Italy, and several places in the former Yugoslavia,
including Kosova/o.  He also provided visual aids -- photographs and
posters.  He will email a list of recommendations for ways we can help
both Kosovar organizations and Serbian anti-war organizations only to
those people who were physically in attendance at the meeting.  He asks
that we immediately read this message and delete it from our hard drives,
in order to keep the information secure.  If you were not in attendance
and would like to see the recommendations, contact Marek directly
(marekzel at aol.com).

One of Marek's major points seemed to be that in order to create and
preserve peace in Kosova/o, there needs to be democracy in Yugoslavia as a
whole.  Paradoxically, however, before democracy is possible in
Yugoslavia, there needs to be peace in Kosova/o.  His recommendations may
help solve this connundrum. 

IV.  Future Plans of the KSG

We will address this topic more thoroughly at our next meeting after
reading Marek's recommendations.  In the meantime, Marek noted that he
offered to various students and professors in Kosova/o that we could send
the books we collected last spring, and did not notice much enthusiasm
from them.  He also noted that the organizations he visited expressed no
dramatic need for cash, or for humanitarian assistance.  Instead, he
suggests that we look at several specific projects of organizations and
decide to fund them on a case by case basis.  A letter from Vjosa (a
doctor with the Center for the Protection of Women and Children), read
aloud by Fran, seems to corroborate the wisdom of this approach.

We have $600 from the concert fundraiser, plus approximately $1000 that
the Church donated to Marek for his trip, which he did not use and which,
presumably, we can use for other projects.  

We will determine at the next meeting whether to divide the money equally
(or some other way, or not at all) between Kosovar and Serbian
organizations.

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Don't forget the next meeting, Jan. 9 from 1-5 at the Church.  
Bring snacks, as it is a long meeting.

---------------------------------
robinb at socrates.berkeley.edu
 
Robin S Brooks
  Department of Political Science
  210 Barrows Hall
  Berkeley, CA 94720  USA
  tel: (01-510) 595-6876
  fax: (01-510) 642-9515

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Submitted by: Teresa Crawford <tmcrawfo at mailbox.syr.edu>