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4 from Balkans tell of peace efforts SOU students upset with U.S.-led bombings By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune ASHLAND -- Four Southern Oregon University students from past and present Yugoslavia on Friday painted a picture of their struggles to bring about peaceful change, of appealing fruitlessly to the United States for help in bringing democracy and economic balance to their land and of dismay with U.S. involvement in the current bombing. During student protests in 1995-96, some 150,000 people blocked Belgrade streets asking for democratic and economic reforms, said Milan, a Serbian economics student who asked that his last name not be used because his family still lives under Communist rulers. Some 55,000 students demonstrated at the U.S. embassy there, but were told "it's your problem," he said. "The West lost its credibility as someone who can bring about change there," Milan said, "and they armed the KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army, comprised of ethnic Albanians). Without that, there would be no war." Speaking at a public round table discussion, the students said the conflict has nothing to do with religion. "People of different religions lived happily together a long time, and will again, without knowing who is Catholic or Muslim or whatever," said Boris Girt, a fine arts student from Sarajevo. "No one cared." However, warfare and poverty have "poured gasoline on sparks" and brought out nationalistic and religious fervor. "Now they hate each other and cling together in groups," he said. "It's not about religion; it's about money," said Csendi Kaszas of Novi Sad in northern Yugoslavia. She called the KLA a "terrorist group" and said the West has sought the pretext to create a presence in Yugoslavia. "It's because of the position of the country," said Nelli Hrabovski, a hotel and restaurant management student, because the country lies at the intersection of East and West in the hemisphere. "The U.S. government is very intelligent," said Girt. "Corrupt is a better word. They knew the bombing would escalate the flow of refugees (from Kosovo). Everyone expected ethnic cleansing to start if NATO bombed. If the U.S. cared for refugees, they would never have started the bombing." "Right now," said Kaszas, "there is no future. We see no outcome." Milan expressed contempt for Serbian ruler Slobodan Milosevic and said he would refer to him only by his initials. "We have to open our eyes to so many things now," he said, "because it's our country that's being bombed." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA