American 'Superman' helps war-torn Bosnia

The newest comic book to hit the streets in Sarajevo is an American classic with a modern twist. Predictably, the hero wears a red cape and has a large "S" emblazoned across his chest. He has special vision, supernatural powers and a big heart.

But this Superman doesn't just fight villains in a mythical Metropolis. He is crossing the Atlantic to warn children in Bosnia and Herzegovina about the dangers of land mines in a region still emerging from the darkness of war.

Superman's arrival in Bosnia is the result of a public and private partnership involving our Defense Department, United Nations Ambassador Madeleine Albright, UNICEF and its special representative Judy Collins, Warner Bros, and DC Comics. The comic book will a vital educational took in a country where millions of land mines currently lie in for vulnerable children and civilians.

I was honored to help unveil the comic book at the White House this week and to announce a new American hospital partnership that will help boost the recovery effort in Bosnia.

Standing in the East Tom with children from Bosnia -- some of them war refuses -- and watching the mayors of Tuzla, Bosnia and Buffalo, N.Y., sign the hospital agreement, I felt pride in our nation's tradition of humanitarian assistance and our commitment to democracy in the former Yugoslavia and around the world.

The hospital partnership, sponsored by our government through the U.S. Agency for International Development and The American International Health Alliance, will involve Buffalo General Hospital and the Tuzla Clinical Center. Like other hospital partnerships that I've visited in Russia, Estonia, Ukraine and Belarus, this one will benefit both hospitals and countries involved.

Not only will American physicians and nurses be exposed to new and different medical challenges, the resources, expertise and technology they bring to Bosnia will improve the availability and quality of medical care for tens of thousands of people there. Many of those needing care are women, children and refugees suffering from physical and emotional traumas associated with years of violence and war.

Already, American medical personnel from Buffalo have raveled to Tuzla and worked side by side with their Bosnia colleagues, even in the midst of war and violence. They have procured US$1.5 million in supplies for use in Tuzla. And Eli Lily & Co. has committed $250, 000 in donations for next year.

In addition to expanding pediatric services, improving pre- natal care and the treatment of chronic diseases, the hospital partnership will enable the Tuzla Clinical Center to improve its care of children maimed and injured by land mines, many of whom are taken there.

Today, one out of every eight homes in Bosnia is endangered because of a proximity to mines. In center Bosnia, one of every three acres if land is unusable because of mines. And even though the fighting is over and peace has taken hold, the detonation of land mines has become the most common cause of serious injury in the country.

The prevalence of mines prompted UNICEF to launch a mine- awareness campaign for children and civilians. Superman seemed just the sort of person to help get the message across.

The comic book, called Superman: Deadly Legacy, tells the story of two boys in Bosnia. They are walking along a road looking for a friend when one bends down to pick up some debris from a mortar. Quickly, Superman pulls him away, and the boy narrowly misses stepping on a mine concealed underground.

As the boys continue to search for their friend, Superman teaches them how to avoid places where land mines might be hidden: bombed-out houses, abandoned buildings, old checkpoints and trench lines. Even paths and bridges are sometimes littered with land mines, Superman explains.

With Superman's help, the boys eventually find their friend but not before happening upon a wounded dog (who dies) and a playmate who has lost a leg and is wrapped in bandages. He tripped a mine while practicing soccer in an open field.

It is a chilling tale, one that reflects the chilling reality of children's lives in Bosnia. But it is also a tale of hope for the people of Bosnia who, with our help, will be able to take one more step to a stable, peaceful and democratic future.

-- Creators Syndicate, Inc.