Pincer Movement

With a law enacted March 30, 2004, Rome declared February 10 the national day of commemoration for the ,,Esuli."¹⁾ That date is a reminder to the Paris Peace Treaty, signed Feb. 10, 1947, in which Italy engaged itself to relinquish the Istria Peninsula and parts of Dalmatia to Yugoslavia. A population resettlement took place, directed against the collaborators of the defeated occupation powers, similar to what happened in the former German Eastern Territories. A sector of the Italian speaking population of Yugoslavia, had supported the occupation policy of the Axis powers and carried out massacres of their Yugoslav compatriots during World War II. The resettlements were accompanied by numerous acts of unlawfulness and revenge.

National Consecration

With the establishment of days of commemoration, exaggerating individual attacks in order to create a national myth of victimization, Rome's foreign policy is aiming at the internationally valid peace treaty and sows doubt concerning its objectivity. The Italians, in so doing, are following the German example. The organizations of the ,,expellees" from the German Eastern territories, have for years been demanding that Berlin make Aug. 5, a day of national commemoration. Like the Italians, this date is chosen in order to form, in this case, a tangent to the Potsdam Treaty, signed August 2, 1945. In this treaty, the Anti-Hitler Coalition agreed to the resettlement measures, because they feared a resurgence of subversive activities by the German speaking minorities in the states of Eastern and Southeastern Europe.²⁾ A ,,Charta of the German Expellees" made public Aug. 5, 1950, is directed against enactment of the Treaty. According to the BdV, that date should receive national consecration.

La Nostra Gente

The central celebration to the first ,,Esuli" commemoration, to which the BdV President, Erika Steinbach delivered a statement of salutations, took place in Trieste with the Italian Foreign Mininster, Gianfranco Fini in attendance. The parliament in Rome respected a minute of silence for the ,,Exiles," and President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi laid a wreath. As the BdV emphasizes, this major event in Italy is supported by all Italian parties, ,,Even those, who for decades had maintained a different opinion, have placed the commemoration of the victims in the foreground - the human rights violation - and no longer the political orientation of those victimized."³⁾ The BdV is referring here to the history campaign that has taken place in Italy over the past few years, with the participation of the composite Italian media, to create a consensus for the revision of the context of post-war developments and international accords. The public television network, RAI, broadcast a serial on the fate of the resettled. The program was prepared just in time for the ,,national commemoration day" captivating the attention of about 10 million Italian viewers. In the plot the advance on Trst (Trieste) by the Yugoslav partisans and the military measures taken against Italian collaborators in Istria were transformed into a story of national suffering. Even serious journals, such as the ,,Corriere della Sera" over the past few years has repeatedly brought wide coverage articles about Yugoslav citizens of Italian origin - ,,la nostra gente" (our people).

Acceptance

The Italian opposition parties, comprised of former communists and social democrats, are, for the most part, going along with this re-valuation of history⁴⁾, agreeing with revisionist offenses of the Italian heads of state and by so doing helping the ,,Esuli" to growing acceptance among the population. Even the government's foreign policy maneuver of negotiating with Croatia for compensation for the ,,Esuli," is accepted without noticeable disfavor by the ,,left" opposition.

Assets

Following the most recent meeting of the Italian foreign minister with his Croatian counterpart, Hido Biscevic to discuss the ,,assets of the Italian Esuli", the revisionist organizations intensified through an ultimatum their pressure on the government in Rome.⁵⁾ According to the declaration made by the ,,Federazione delle associazioni degli esuli" the an end must be put to the fruitless negotiations. The successor states of Yugoslavia must be made clear that they cannot escape the restitution demands. With this, Croatia and Slovenia find themselves caught in an pincer movement between Italian and German foreign policies. Government offices in Berlin and Austrian ,,expellees" associations are demanding renegotiations of their presumptuous claims.

European

The BdV made known in Berlin that it intends to cooperate with the Italian re-settlers, ,,particularly in collaboration on the establishment of a 'Center against Expulsion."'⁶⁾ Erika Steinbach, BdV president, also announced support for an initiative of the ,,Unione degli Istriani" for an ,,European day of commemoration for all victims of expulsion" project.

1) Legge 30 marzo 2004, n.92
2) see also Only Half of the Guilt and Disputing Yalta
3) Italien gedenkt der Opfer von Triest, Deutscher Ostdienst 3/2005
4) Foibe: Ciampi: ,,Tragedia nella memoria di tutti"; Corriere della Sera 09.02.2004
5) Ultimatum della Federazione al Governo; www.unioneistriani.it 19.03.2005
6) Italien gedenkt der Opfer von Triest, Deutscher Ostdienst 3/2005