The Ban Bus

Davor was outside the office and ready to go and he was shaping up to be a great new member of the Ban Bus team. It seemed he was really buying into what we were trying to do. We made it to Nis before midnight and a great old hotel was to be home for the next few days. The Ambassador Hotel was a fading star of a long gone time when the Hollywood and European film elite stayed here. The walls were covered in pictures of Franco Nero, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton along with Robert DeNiro and others. All had passed these doors in the past. They probably would recognise the hotel still, as no new paint had been applied in 30 years.

Another local friend and person injured by the NATO attack in 1999 is Dejan and he was waiting for us in the lobby in the morning. A cluster bomb detonated outside his house and he almost had his leg severed. Luckily he kept it but it will never be right again as so much muscle was torn away. He had lined up an excellent days meeting around town so it was out to the Ban Bus and into it.

Our first stop was to the school that he teaches at and a meeting with the director. This was both a courtesy call and a confirmation that he will continue to allow Dejan the time needed to work on a cluster bomb ban. He was very supportive and confirmed his personal commitment. We walked towards the Primary School which was hit by the cluster bombs and on the way saw Dejan’s house and where he was hit. Shrapnel marks still show sprayed up the wall. The director of the Primary School also pledged his support and it was onto our first political meeting at the city hall.

The city counsellor that met us in Nis is a doctor who was at the Nis hospital when the NATO strikes came. No real need to educate as the reality of cluster strikes is well known. He hates them and offers his full support for a ban. The simple message I put to him is that we agree that a ban is essential but we will need friends to make sure the national governments follow through in fast time to make this ban a reality. The Cluster Munitions Coalition needs friends and in particular, friends in government. He pledges his support, then it’s onto the Ombudsman of Nis for our next meeting. Another supporter but one that had not really stopped to think too deeply on the subject. We fill his head with detail from the international perspective back to the local angle and he learns far more than he could imagine. Importantly the local officials now realise how important the contributions from Sladjen and Dejan are on the international stage and more doors at this higher level should now be well and truly open for them. Again we need more friends and to build the network at a local government level is very important.

Both our officials today agree to keep a close eye on the treaty process and keep pressure on the Serbian government to sign and then ratify the treaty as quickly as possible.

We wander Nis looking for a local restaurant and settle down to the carnivore’s paradise again. A mix of grilled meats is matched with every manner of paprika from grilled to stuffed and I feel myself just pressing the top of my trousers a little more.

Many people here are deeply religious and Dejan is no exception. After lunch we head for his local church to meet with his priest. The church has been on this site in one form or another since the 7th century. Father Malic is an energetic young clergyman who takes his responsibility and role within the community seriously. He’s busy now as there is a wedding about to take place and he invites us in to watch.

The inside of the church is magnificently decorated with floor to ceiling murals and icons. It really is a work of art but still a work in progress. There is a public appeal to raise more money to finish the job. The wedding is about to begin and we head upstairs to watch from above. I have no idea what is happening but it looks like fun and a lot of the priests singing and chanting. Crowns of gold are placed upon the heads of the bride and groom and the ceremony seals with a kiss.

Sladjen has a great idea. Let’s hit the pub! Now that really is a great idea. His little local is in amongst many little bars in the suburbs and we settle down to a lively conversation with his friends and the publican. Many of his friends are in the media and we find ourselves amongst some TV and print journalists and a cartoonist. The cartoonist is famous internationally and he is a great satirist. His poisoned pen cuts deep into the smoke and mirrors of international life and his art really tickles my funny bone. As the beer flows the bar owner suggests that he call another friend who has the Saturday Current Affairs program.

The call is made and a string of media opportunities unfold. He asks Sladjen and me to be on tomorrow’s program and we set up the time. There is a time in everyone’s day when they are too tired and have certainly drank enough beer so its back to the Ambassador Hotel. As I close my eyes I wonder if maybe Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton slept in this room. I wonder if they had the same loose spring stuck in their arse all night too.

My jetlag has not been too bad and I only nod off a few times in the car on the drive north. Mette has moved us out of the hotel and into the apartment of a friend of a friend. It really nice to be in a home and not in a hotel. Maca and her daughter even move to her sister’s place while we are here to give us a little more space. It never ceases to amaze me the generosity of people when they get connected to people who are working on an issue like banning cluster bombs.

Our friend Daniel is to arrive in the morning, another Australian who will do much of the media management for the Ban Bus. This could be anything from writing to filming to setting up media contacts, what ever it takes. Mette has tied up so many loose ends that I feel guilty that she has done so much of this alone. The launch of the Ban Bus will be on Wednesday night and a big event is planned. We have the stage in the Republica Square and it will be an evening of speeches, clearance demonstrations, pictures, film and a local rapper called Marchelo. Much of this has been in the hands of NPA and Emil and Ivana have moved heaven and earth to make the launch memorable. A press conference is also planned but the hard part is to try and get both the press conference and the evening launch covered by the media. The normal thing would be to do an afternoon press conference then the event but this would probably mean there would be no media for the event and as the press conference is largely talking and no visuals there is a risk that it could turn into a tiny paragraph of page 56 of the paper. The decision is made to first do the event and then the press conference the following day. This will put both in the same 24 hour press cycle and hopefully both will then be picked up.

Meanwhile, Mette has all her chickens coming home to roost. A photographic exhibition of my work has arrived, then magnetic signage in many languages and finally, the Ban Bus itself. What we finally got was a VW Transporter and a driver called Davor. It made sense to have a professional driver along with us as the time on the highway is an important time to work. It will also have someone who feels more comfortable with peak hour in Istanbul. There are some crazy drivers in the world and many of them live around here, so Davor will be worth his weight in gold.

The clock is ticking and we head for the Republica Square.

When we arrived in the square we found a protest in progress in support of Radovan Karadic who has recently been arrested and now stands trial in The Hague. This might prove interesting if they take a dislike to what we are about as they are reputed to not be against a bit of biffo. We drive the Ban Bus into the square and instantly one of them approaches and complains that we are covering up their banners. A good compromise is sorted out as our event is not till 7.30 pm and they should be gone by then so no tempers are frayed. The magnetic signage is unwrapped and the van gets its transformation. The Ban Bus has been born.

The Republica Square event will have me speaking followed by Branislav and Sladjen who were both blown up while clearing cluster bombs. Branislav has lost both his arms and legs and his sight is damaged. Sladjen lost both his hands. Their bodies may be injured but their spirit is unstoppable. Rarely have I known people more motivated than these two. The Secretary General of NPA will then speak and the rapper Marchello will close out the night. A backdrop of films and photos will run through out.

Marchelo is a very talented rapper with a strong political conscience and he is very anti war. He has that wonderful mix of youth and indignation at the affairs of the world. He is studying literature at University and has the passion of a true wordsmith. When he hits the stage the crowd lights up and we realise how popular this guy is. I have no idea what his lyrics said but you could see he hit the right chords with the audience.

The event was a success and the Ban Bus was now real. All we had to do now was drive the 10,000 km from one corner of Europe to the next and bend a few more countries onto the treaty.

The press conference the next day was well attended and the panel of speakers from ICRC, Branislav and me got the message out. By the time we got back to the NPA office we were on the wire services and that evening we were the opening news story on both the number 1 and 2 networks. They both had long pieces about the issue of cluster bombs, the Ban Bus and the evening’s event. With all of this done in Belgrade it was now time to hit the road again, south to Nis and onward to the east.