Serbian Choir

“Pavarotti Hopes Music Can Help Heal Bosnia” (Dec. 22) states that the Serbian Children’s Choir of Banja Luka was prevented by their political leaders from attending the opening ceremony of the new War Child Music Center in Mostar, built by a London-based charity.

Particularly offensive was the remark by the executive director, David Wilson, who said: “In what other country in the world would a choir have to ask permission from politicians to go to sing. . . .?” The answer is very easy--the United States!

It was the U.S. Department of State that denied me and my Los Angeles-based charity visas for 43 Serbian children of the Kolebri Choir of Belgrade to accept an invitation from the children of San Francisco to sing at the 50th anniversary of the United Nations in 1995. I had also arranged for a performance at Disneyland while this famous children’s choir was on the West Coast. The State Department, which used ugly politics against these Serbian children, managed to grant a visa to Communist butcher Fidel Castro so he could attend this United Nations commemoration.

WILLIAM DORICH

Alhambra