PRESS CONFERENCE BY BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Press Briefing
PRESS CONFERENCE BY BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
19970425
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
At a Headquarters press conference Thursday afternoon, the American rock and roll band Grand Funk Railroad presented a mock check for $30,000 to the Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina, representing the amount they raised for humanitarian relief in that country from a sold-out concert in Detroit.
Bosnia's Permanent Representative, Mohamed Sacirbey, told correspondents that when he had come to the United States as a young man, Grand Funk Railroad had influenced his life with their music and their message. Now, they had influenced his life again. Referring to himself, the band and its manager, he said that he hoped that the participation of a Muslim, Christians and an Orthodox Jew in the project would send a message to the people of Bosnia, who were struggling to affirm their multi-ethnic society.
The band's manager, David Fishof, told correspondents that he had been inspired to help Bosnia by the terrible stories of the Holocaust, to which his family had fallen victim. In Bosnia, he had met people his own age who had endured similar treatment. The barbarity of Nazi Germany and the suffering of the Jews still seemed incomprehensible. He hoped that in the spirit of Passover, the Jewish holiday of freedom, the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina might live together in peace and freedom.
Referring to the $30,000, Mr. Fishof said "this is just the beginning". The three original members of Grand Funk Railroad -- Mark Farner, Don Brewer and Mel Shacher -- had performed to a sold-out show in Detroit and would play additional dates in New York City and Los Angeles, together with musician Paul Shaffer and members of the Sarajevo Symphony. They would also be joined by guitarists Peter Frampton and Leslie West.
Mr. Farner said that it was an honour for a "garage band from Michigan" to be at the United Nations. He described the band's efforts as "real people doing something for real people" and added that they were not just throwing money at a problem. The band hoped to raise the awareness of the people of the world that Bosnia was still a war-torn country and "put their two cents in" to say that the kind of atrocities that had taken place in Bosnia would never happen again.
A correspondent, citing a map published in the Economist magazine showing how Bosnia might be permanently divided, asked whether such a scenario was "optimistic" or "pessimistic". Had the notion of a unified Bosnia been part of a "fraud" that had emerged from the Dayton Peace Accord?
Mr. Sacirbey said that the partition of Bosnia would mean that fascism had won and that genocide had been legitimized. Bosnia would not be partitioned. If the United States could find peace among people of different backgrounds and religions, the value of diversity could be understood in Europe and Bosnia.
What percentage of concert proceeds were going to charity? a correspondent asked. Mr. Fishof said that the band would not make any money on the charity shows. After expenses were deducted, all monies would go to the Bosnian-American Relief Fund. He had spoken with Ambassador Sacirbey for six months, planning an event for Bosnia. When he approached Grand Funk Railroad with the idea, they had said that they would love to help. Radio stations had volunteered air time to promote the events. Release of a compact disc of the concert would be announced within the next few weeks, with the proceeds also dedicated to charity.
Mr. Sacirbey said that a videotape had been made of the Detroit show, so that the concert could be shared with the peace-keepers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Implementation Force (IFOR). Grand Funk Railroad would play a benefit concert in Sarajevo, most likely in September.
How did the band choose which charities to support? a correspondent asked. Mr. Farner said that, in their hearts, all the members of the band had felt the desire to assist. At the intermission of the Detroit show, the charitable mission of the project had been described to the audience by Mr. Sacirbey and Mr. Fishof. When members of the Sarajevo Symphony played overtures from various Grand Funk songs, he had felt a "softball" in his throat. Mr. Sacirbey added that the wife of Mr. Shacher had also been very committed to the idea of a project to benefit Bosnia.
Asked to describe the charitable organization supported by the show, Mr. Sacirbey said that the Bosnian-American relief fund was a non-profit charity based in New Jersey and not affiliated with his Government. In Sarajevo, the Committee for Peace, composed of the Federation Government and the City of Sarajevo Government, would monitor the spending of monies raised by the concert.
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