Sir, - Since the Euro 2000 draw last Sunday, many misleading impressions have been created about the situation in the former Yugoslavia, particularly in relation to Irish fans travelling to Croatia, Yugoslavia and Macedonia ("Balkan nightmare", "war-torn", "Ireland outgunned", etc.)
We have been involved in humanitarian aid operations there for the past six years, mainly in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, and we have seen the situation evolve to its present normality since the Dayton Peace Agreement which finally silenced the guns.
Croatia's tourist industry is thriving, and places like Dubrovnik - "pearl of the Adriatic" - Split, Pula, Porec, Istria and Rovinj attract lots of Irish tourists each year. Zagreb is one of Europe's major cultural capitals, and its opera house compares favourably with Milan's La Scala.
On the Dalmatian coast between Split and Dubrovnik - formerly the Yugoslav Riviera - the wine is top-quality and cheap, and the craic is good: the basis for a terrific football holiday, especially if a game is played in Split.
Ireland's friendly game with Croatia in Dublin before Euro '96 ended in a diplomatic 2-2 draw and Ireland were by no means "outgunned". With world-class players like Boban, Suker and Boksic, the chips would really be down in Euro 2000. After Yugoslavia's 8-1 demolition of Hungary in Budapest, our section should be one of the most closely-contested and enjoyable in the competition. Ireland would have a major contribution to make to that, with our emerging young superstars.
Roll on Euro 2000 and our Balkan odyssey! - Yours, etc.,
Irish Bosnia Aid, Walnut Avenue, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.