The URL for this article is
http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/choss/fin.htm
www.tenc.net
[Emperor's Clothes]
WASHINGTON FINANCES ETHNIC WARFARE
IN THE BALKANS
by
Michel Chossudovsky [3 April 2001]
Professor of Economics, University of Ottawa, author of
The Globalization of Poverty, second edition, Common
Courage Press, 2001.
Synopsis
While Washington supports the Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia, it is at the same time --behind the scenes--
funneling money and military hardware to the Kosovo
Liberation Army (KLA) now engaged in a border war with
the Macedonian Security Forces. In a cruel irony,
Washington is arming and advising both the KLA attackers
and the Macedonian defenders under military and
intelligence authorization acts approved by the US
Congress. Military Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI), a
mercenary outfit on contract to the Pentagon, is helping
Macedonia --as part of a US military aid package-- "to
deter armed aggression and defend Macedonian territory."
But MPRI is also advising and equipping the KLA, which is
responsible for the terrorist assaults. In this war, the
American military-intelligence apparatus is pulling
strings "on both sides of the fence". What is the hidden
agenda?
"[The] United States of America and the Kosovo
Liberation Army stand for the same human values
and principles ... Fighting for the KLA is
fighting for human rights and American
values."(Senator Jo. Lieberman, quoted in the
'Washington Post', 28 April 1999)
-- M.C.
WASHINGTON FINANCES ETHNIC WARFARE
IN THE BALKANS
by Michel Chossudovsky [3 April 2001]
The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) --transformed in
September 1999 into the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC)
under UN auspices-- is behind the terrorist attacks in
the Tetovo region of Macedonia as well as in Southern
Serbia. In Macedonia, these assaults are waged by the
KLA's proxy: the Ushtira Clirimtare Komtare (UCK) or
National Liberation Army (NLA). The terrorists operate
from KLA bases inside Kosovo under KFOR protection.
Supported by the US, the KLA and its various proxies are
well equipped. According to Carl Bildt (special UN
coordinator for the Balkans), the Macedonian Security
Forces "are no match" for the rebels: 'the guerrillas are
a competent military organization� They have a core of
very experienced fighters. They are well fortified,
evidently well prepared, and in all probability they
control substantial parts of the hinterland.'"
But where did they get the money? The Western media
conveys the impression that the National Liberation Army
(NLA) developed into a modern rebel force overnight,
spontaneously "out of thin air" and that NATO leaders
have no contacts with the KLA.
UN PEACE-KEEPING FINANCES TERRORISM
According to the (London) 'Sunday Times',
"American intelligence agents have admitted
they helped to train the Kosovo Liberation Army
before NATO�s bombing of Yugoslavia".1
A review of US Congressional documents would suggest that
CIA support was not discontinued after the war.2
Moreover, while the KLA maintains its links both to the
CIA and criminal syndicates involved in the Balkans
narcotics trade, the paramilitary organisation -renamed
the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC) has been elevated to UN
status, implying the granting of legitimate sources of
funding through UN as well as through bilateral channels.
Procurement of military supplies, training of the KLA and
military advisers has been entrusted to Military
Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI), a US based mercenary
outfit linked to the Pentagon. The pattern is similar to
that followed in Croatia and in the Bosnian
Muslim-Croatian Federation where so-called "equip and
train" programmes were put together by the Pentagon.
MPRI's training concepts --which had already been tested
in Croatia and Bosnia� are based on imparting "offensive
tactics... as the best form of defence".3 In the Kosovar
context, this so-called "defensive doctrine" applied in
terrorist assaults in Southern Serbia and Macedonia is
intent upon transforming the KLA paramilitary into a
modern military force which serves the Alliance's
strategic objectives. MPRI listed in 1999 "ninety-one
highly experienced, former military professionals working
in Bosnia & Herzegovina".4 The number of military
officers working on contract with the KLA has not been
disclosed.
There is, however, a consistent thread: KLA Chief of
Staff Agim Ceku (previously with the Croatian Armed
Forces) has been involved in a long-term relationship
with the MPRI. Ceku started working with MPRI in 1995 in
the planning of "Operation Storm" in Croatia, which led
to ethnic massacres and the expulsion of more than
200.000 Serbs from the Krajina region of Croatia. The
fact that Ceku is "an alleged war criminal" -- according
to the files of the Hague Tribunal (a body reporting to
the UN Secretary General)-- does not, however, seem to
bother anybody in the "international community".5
Ceku holds a UN passport (Laissez-Passer) which provides
him with diplomatic immunity within Kosovo. According to
ICTY prosecutor Carla del Ponte, Ceku's reputation and
integrity, however, are unstained because the Hague
tribunal's "inquiries ... relate to atrocities committed
[by Ceku] in Krajina ... between 1993 and 1995... Ceku's
record in Kosovo itself is not thought to be in
question�".6
Behind to polite fa�ade of international diplomacy, UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan has --on Washington's
instructions-- knowingly and willfully approved the
appointment of "an alleged war criminal" to participate
in a UN peacekeeping operation. In other words, the UN
system is "financing terrorism," creating an ugly
precedent in the history of a respected international
body: "The United Nations is paying the salaries of many
of the gangsters," who are now involved in the terrorist
assaults into Macedonia.7
RECYCLING NARCO-DOLLARS
US support to the KLA is only one among several sources
of KLA financing. Various Islamic organisations have
channeled money and military equipment to the KLA. Prior
to the 1999 war,
"German, Turkish and Afghan instructors were
reported to be training the KLA in guerilla and
diversion tactics."8
Mujehadeen mercenaries recruited in a number of countries
fought against Serb Security forces alongside the KLA in
Kosovo. According to the 'Sunday Times,' the recent
assaults by the KLA's proxy in the Tetovo region of
Macedonia have been "encouraged by mercenaries from
Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia."9
Amply documented, the Balkans drug trade is used to
finance ethnic warfare with the complicity of the US and
NATO. The pattern of covert support --through the
recycling of narco-dollars-- has been an integral part of
CIA covert operations since the Soviet-Afghan war.
According to documents of the US Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA), "members of the notorious Albanian
mafia have links to a drug smuggling cartel'' based in
Kosovo's capital, Pristina. This cartel is allegedly
manned by ethnic Albanians who are members of the Kosovo
National Front (KNF) whose armed wing is the KLA. The DEA
documents apparently show it is one of the "most powerful
heroin smuggling organisations in the world'' with its
profits being diverted to the KLA to buy weapons.10
In the words of former DEA agent and author Michael
Levine:
"Ten years ago we were arming and equipping the
worst elements of the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan
- drug traffickers, arms smugglers,
anti-American terrorists�Now we're doing the
same thing with the KLA, which is tied in with
every known middle and far eastern drug cartel.
Interpol, Europol, and nearly every European
intelligence and counter-narcotics agency has
files open on drug syndicates that lead right
to the KLA, and right to Albanian gangs in this
country."11
While US aid --combined with drug money-- is channeled to
the KLA, Washington and Brussels perfunctorily condemn
the NLA-Tetovo instigated terrorist assaults while
casually denying the links of the attackers to the KLA.
In the words of former NATO Secretary General Javier
Solana: "'it would be a mistake to negotiate,� the
terrorists have to be isolated. All of us have to condemn
and isolate them. Nothing can be achieved through
violence'' �
NATO has pledged to ''starve'' the rebels by cutting
supply lines from neighboring Kosovo".12 While condemning
the terrorists, NATO --through the UN-- has also been
"raising the urgent need for restraint by the Macedonian
forces".13
This double talk is of course a form of political
camouflage: you say that you are against the terrorists
and then support them via the KLA with guns, ammo and
military advisers paid by the US public purse.
FINANCING BOTH SIDES
But there is something else even more terrifying which
has not been revealed to public opinion. The guerilla war
in the Tetovo region of Macedonia is being financed and
therefore controlled by Washington "on both sides" of the
border. While Washington pumps money into the KLA, the
FYR of Macedonia --which has been an obedient client
state-- is also the recipient of US military aid and
training. Macedonia is a member of NATO's Partnership for
Peace (PfP) and aspires to acquire full NATO membership.
The same group of US military advisers on contract with
the KLA is also "helping" the Macedonian Armed Forces.
The MPRI --while assisting the KLA in its terrorist
assaults-- is also present behind enemy lines in
Macedonia under a so-called "Stability and Deterrence
Program". The later is intent upon "assisting the
Macedonian Armed Forces � to deter armed aggression and,
should deterrence fail, defend Macedonian territory�".14
What is happening is that the US mercenary company with a
mandate "to defend the border" is also advising the KLA
on how best "to attack the border".
Is this not crystal clear: The military-intelligence ploy
is to finance both sides of the conflict, provide
military aid to one side and finance the other side. And
then "make them fight". It�s a sinister
military-intelligence game, an "insider operation" with
US military advisers on both sides from the same
mercenary outfit (the MPRI). Macedonia's "Stability and
Deterrence Program" is in fact largely supported by US
foreign military sales (FMS), namely MPRI is in charge of
delivering (i.e. dumping) to the Macedonian Armed Forces
obsolete weapons and hardware which the US Department of
Defense wants to get rid of.
Moreover, with its various sources of financing (drugs,
Islamic organisations, US military aid, contributions
from the US-Albanian community), the KLA and its
Macedonian proxy the Ushtira Clirimtare Komtare have the
upper edge. The money channeled from various sources
including the drug trade far exceeds the meager FMS
allocations granted in the form of surplus military
equipment to the Macedonian Ministry of Defence. 15
The friendly and cordial meetings held in Skopje (July
2000) between General Henry H. Shelton, Chairman of the
US Joint Chiefs of Staff and his Macedonian counterpart,
General Jovan Andrevski, constitute an obvious smoke
screen. While America's top brass pays lip service to its
PfP partner and ally, the KLA --with the support of the
Albanian American community-- is actively recruiting US
citizens to fight as volunteers against the Macedonian
Security Forces.16 Bear in mind that this pattern of
"financing both sides" is not limited to the Balkans:
since the end of the Cold War, Washington has been
involved in channeling covert financing and triggering
civil conflicts in different parts of the World including
Central Africa, the Caucasus and Central Asia. By
financing both sides of the conflict, the US controls the
outcome of the war.
MPRI OVERSEES THE SHOW
While recruiting a wide range of military and
intelligence expertise from its data bank of former
military personnel, MPRI is controlled by a handful of
former generals and ex-CIA officers. MPRI General
(retired) Rich Griffitts --responsible for MPRI's program
in Macedonia-- is talking to the Macedonian Chief of
Staff. He also talks to KLA Commander Agim Ceku --with
whom he has established a longstanding relationship since
Operation Storm in Croatia in 1995. Ceku is part of the
MPRI's "old boys network"; in collaboration with MPRI, he
was one of the main architects of "Operation Storm". In
this capacity, he also acted as Commander of the
Artillery division, which ruthlessly shelled Krajina Serb
civilians.!7
Whether MPRI personnel stationed in Kosovo is in direct
contact or communication with their colleagues in
Macedonia is not the issue: all MPRI military staff in
the field report back to Rich Griffitt, Crosbie Saint and
Carl Vuono (President of MPRI) at the company's
headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Crosbie Saint --in
charge of the company's "International Group"--
coordinates MPRI's various operations in Kosovo and
Macedonia as well as in Croatia and Bosnia. In turn,
Saint --who is a former director of military
intelligence-- is in permanent contact with the Pentagon,
KFOR and the CIA.18
HIDDEN AGENDA
So what kind of war is this? Both sides in the Macedonia
border war are controlled by the US. American military
personnel from the same private mercenary company are
stationed on "both sides of the fence" assisting their
local counterparts to fight a war on Washington's behest.
If this war is allowed to continue, it will inevitably
lead to the escalation of ethnic hatred, civilian
casualties and refugees. This in turn will result in
political destabilization and social unrest in both
Macedonia and Yugoslavia, thereby providing a pretext to
Washington and NATO to directly intervene under the
disguise of "peace-keeping" and "confidence building."
The hidden agenda also consists in the mobilization of
ethnic Albanians in Macedonia to support or become part
of the KLA'S structure.
In other words, Washington is "financing ethnic warfare"
as a means to achieving broad geopolitical, strategic and
economic objectives using the KLA as proxy force.
Meanwhile, the 'international community" --warning of an
impending "humanitarian disaster"-- has sent in an army
of observers and human rights experts, with a mandate to
protect the political and social rights of ethnic
Albanians. This brokered "reconciliation" --imposed by
NATO under UN auspices-- is based on the premise that
ethnic Albanians in Macedonia are an oppressed social
minority. It not only fosters socio-ethnic divisions
within Macedonia; it also provides legitimacy to the KLA
sponsored "freedom fighters" as well as international
media sympathy. It tends to discredit the Macedonian
Security Forces, thereby weakening their ability to fight
the KLA.
While Washington continues to support the terrorists
behind the scenes, the military alliance presents itself
as an impartial mediator. In turn, NATO's informal
mouthpiece, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation
in Europe (OSCE), is placing the blame on the Skopje
government, calling upon:
"the legal authorities in the FYR of Macedonia,
Presevo and Kosovo to act to restore peace and
security, � all sectors of the Macedonian
society [should] co-operate peacefully and �
build inter-ethnic confidence."19
The dispatching of Bulgarian troops into Macedonia (under
NATO's "Partnership for Peace" Program) to fight the
rebels could (if implemented) contribute to triggering a
much broader conflagration in the region. Similarly,
ethnic clashes --also engineered by Washington-- have
been triggered in Montenegro, which has a sizeable
Albanian ethnic minority. And in Montenegro, the MUP,
Montenegro's highly partisan police force is being
assisted by the Croatian Armed Forces, which in turn are
being trained by the MPRI under the so-called Croatian
Armed Forces Readiness and Training System (CARTS).
Similarly, demanding "autonomy" for ethnic Hungarians in
the North of Vojvodina is part of NATO's ploy with large
numbers of NATO troops stationed on the Hungarian side of
the border. More generally, the various military aid
packages provided to Croatia, Bosnia and the KLA are
ultimately directed against Serbia.20
Despite the compliance of the Belgrade and Skopje
governments to Washington's demands, US foreign policy
purports to eventually dismantle political institutions
and get rid of political parties which resist US-NATO
domination. Their objective is to eventually break up
what remains of Yugoslavia into what UN Balkans envoy
Carl Bildt has called a "patchwork of protectorates" on
the "Kosovo-Bosnia model under UN "peace-keeping", namely
under military occupation. 21
A Dayton-style agreement is the chosen framework for
displacing and destroying existing State institutions
including a fragile yet functioning parliamentary system.
With regard to Macedonia, the OSCE has appointed
Ambassador Robert Frowick to work with the Skopje
government. His terms of reference are clear. In 1996,
Frowick was put in charge of implementing "democracy" in
Bosnia-Hercegovina under the Dayton agreement: the
Bosnian "Constitution" -- previously drafted by American
lawyers at the US Air Force base in Dayton, Ohio-- was
appended to the 1995 US brokered "General Framework
Agreement."22
DISARMING THE NEW WORLD ORDER
The terrorist assaults in Macedonia and Southern Serbia
are serving Washington's strategic goals in blatant
violation of international law. NATO is increasingly
discredited in the eyes of World public opinion. The lies
and falsehoods are surfacing and the people of Yugoslavia
are determined to preserve their sovereignty in the face
of American aggression.
US foreign policy directed against so-called "rogue
states" lacks credibility both in the US and
internationally. Around the World, citizens are looking
to Yugoslavia and the courage of its people who have
resisted the imposition of the New World Order. The lies
concerning the war against Yugoslavia have been uncovered
and revealed to millions of people.
ENDNOTES
1. Tom Walker and Aiden Laverty, �CIA Aided Kosovo
Guerrilla Army�, Sunday Times, 12 March 2000) .
2. See "Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2000." HR 1555, Section 308 entitled "Report on Kosova
Liberation Army" available at
http://www.senate.gov/search/index.html).
3. See Tammy Arbucki, "Building a Bosnian Army", Jane
International Defence Review, August 1997.
4. See Military Professional Resources, Inc, "Personnel
Needs", MPRI web page at http://www.mpri.com/.
5. See Michel Chossudovsky, "United Nations Appoints
Alleged War Criminal", Emperors Clothes, March 2000,
http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/chuss/unandthe.htm).
6. See Tom Walker, "Kosovo Defense Chief Accused of War
Crimes", Sunday Times, London, 10 October 1999.
7. Quoted in John Sweeney and Jen Holsoe, "Kosovo
Disaster Response Service Stands Accused of Murder and
Torture," The Observer, London, 12 March 2000.
8. Michel Chossudovsky, "Kosovo Freedom Fighter Financed
by Organized Crime", Covert Action Quarterly, Fall 1999,
also published by Emperors Clothes,
http://emperors-clothes.com/indexe.htm
9. Tom Walker, "NATO Troops caught in a Balkan Ulster",
Sunday Times, London, 18 March 2001.
10. According to DEA documents reviewed and quoted in R.
Chandran, "US-backed KLA linked to Heroin Network"
http://www.voz-rebelde.de/ipan51.htm. See also Michel
Chossudovsky, Kosovo Freedom Fighters Financed by
Organized Crime".
11. Quoted in the New American Magazine, May 24, 1999)
12. Quoted in the New York Times, 20 March 2001)
13. United Nations Interim Administration Mission In
Kosovo (UNMIK), Press Release, 29 March 2001.
14. See MPRI at
http://www.mpri.com/subchannels/int_europe.html.
15. US military aid under the FMS program for Macedonia
was $4 million in FY 2000, 7.9 million was appropriated
for 2001. More recently, the US announced a $13.5 million
military aid package, See Government of Macedonia,
Ministry of Defence, Communique, 21 March 2001;
Congressional Budget Justification for Foreign
Operations, Fiscal Year 2001, Released by the Office of
the Secretary of State, Resources, Plans and Policy, U.S.
Department of State, March 15, 2000.
16. New York Times, 19 March 2001.
!7. See Michel Chossudovsky, NATO has Installed a Reign
of Terror in Kosovo, July 1999,
http://emperors-clothes.com/indexe.htm.
18. See MPRI web page, op cit
19. Statement by OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President
Severin on former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and
Kosovo, 23 March 2001,
http://www.osce.org/news/generate.php3?news_id63.
20. See Michel Chossudovsky, "The War Against Yugoslavia
Is Not Over", June 2000, at
www.emperors-clothes.com/articles/chuss/warnot.htm.
21. See Carl Bildt's statement at
http://www.usip.org/oc/cibriefing/bildt_cib.html, Bildt
was formerly the High Representative in Bosnia following
the adoption of the Dayton Agreement in 1995).
22. For a discussion see Michel Chossudovsky, Dismantling
Yugoslavia, Recolonizing Bosnia, Covert Action Quarterly,
Spring 1996, also published by Emperors Clothes at
http://emperors-clothes.com/indexe.htm. The text of the
Bosnian Constitution is available at
http://www.bosnia.co.uk/dayton.html
C Copyright by Michel Chossudovsky, Ottawa, March 2001.
All rights reserved. Permission is granted to post this
text on non-commercial community internet sites, provided
the essay remains intact and the copyright note is
displayed. To publish this text in printed and/or other
form, contact the author at chossudovsky@...,
fax: 1-514-4256224.
http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/choss/fin.htm
We may be free but we do need money...
Emperor's Clothes does not charge a subscription fee. But
of course nothing is free.
We rely mainly on volunteer labor. Nevertheless there are
plenty of bills. For example, the cost of Lexis, our
search engine, has doubled. Lexis is the best method of
rapidly locating news stories from several thousand
sources over the past twenty years. It is probably the
best political research tool ever available. But now it
costs twice as much.
We rely on our readers for contributions. If you like
what we're trying to do, please help.
Please mail a check to Emperor's Clothes, P.O. Box
610-321, Newton, MA 02461-0321. (USA)
Or if you have access to a computer, please go to our
secure server at
http://emperors-clothes.com/howyour.html#donate
Or you can call us at l 617 916-1705 between 9:30 AM and
5:30 PM, Eastern Time (USA) and Bob will take your credit
card information over the phone.
Thanks for reading Emperor's Clothes.
If you're reading this on a Website other than Emperor's
Clothes and would like to check out our home page, please
click here
www.tenc.net
[Emperor's Clothes]
---
Questa lista e' provvisoriamente curata da componenti
dell'ex Coordinamento Nazionale "La Jugoslavia Vivra'",
oggi "Comitato Promotore dell'Assemblea Antimperialista":
> http://www.tuttinlotta.org
I documenti distribuiti non rispecchiano necessariamente le
opinioni delle realta' che compongono questa struttura, ma
vengono fatti circolare per il loro contenuto informativo al
solo scopo di segnalazione e commento ("for fair use only").
Per iscriversi al bollettino: <jugoinfo-subscribe@...>
Per cancellarsi: <jugoinfo-unsubscribe@...>
Per inviare materiali e commenti: <jugocoord@...>
Archivio:
> http://www.domeus.it/circles/jugoinfo
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/messages
Sito WEB (non aggiornato):
> http://digilander.iol.it/lajugoslaviavivra
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Vuoi sapere proprio tutto su Domeus?
Chi siamo, cosa facciamo e a cosa serviamo?
Conoscici meglio!
tuttosu-subscribe@... oppure
http://www.domeus.it/ad1360570/www.domeus.it
Se vuoi cancellarti da questo gruppo, clicca qui: http://www.domeus.it/info/unsubscribe
http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/choss/fin.htm
www.tenc.net
[Emperor's Clothes]
WASHINGTON FINANCES ETHNIC WARFARE
IN THE BALKANS
by
Michel Chossudovsky [3 April 2001]
Professor of Economics, University of Ottawa, author of
The Globalization of Poverty, second edition, Common
Courage Press, 2001.
Synopsis
While Washington supports the Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia, it is at the same time --behind the scenes--
funneling money and military hardware to the Kosovo
Liberation Army (KLA) now engaged in a border war with
the Macedonian Security Forces. In a cruel irony,
Washington is arming and advising both the KLA attackers
and the Macedonian defenders under military and
intelligence authorization acts approved by the US
Congress. Military Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI), a
mercenary outfit on contract to the Pentagon, is helping
Macedonia --as part of a US military aid package-- "to
deter armed aggression and defend Macedonian territory."
But MPRI is also advising and equipping the KLA, which is
responsible for the terrorist assaults. In this war, the
American military-intelligence apparatus is pulling
strings "on both sides of the fence". What is the hidden
agenda?
"[The] United States of America and the Kosovo
Liberation Army stand for the same human values
and principles ... Fighting for the KLA is
fighting for human rights and American
values."(Senator Jo. Lieberman, quoted in the
'Washington Post', 28 April 1999)
-- M.C.
WASHINGTON FINANCES ETHNIC WARFARE
IN THE BALKANS
by Michel Chossudovsky [3 April 2001]
The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) --transformed in
September 1999 into the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC)
under UN auspices-- is behind the terrorist attacks in
the Tetovo region of Macedonia as well as in Southern
Serbia. In Macedonia, these assaults are waged by the
KLA's proxy: the Ushtira Clirimtare Komtare (UCK) or
National Liberation Army (NLA). The terrorists operate
from KLA bases inside Kosovo under KFOR protection.
Supported by the US, the KLA and its various proxies are
well equipped. According to Carl Bildt (special UN
coordinator for the Balkans), the Macedonian Security
Forces "are no match" for the rebels: 'the guerrillas are
a competent military organization� They have a core of
very experienced fighters. They are well fortified,
evidently well prepared, and in all probability they
control substantial parts of the hinterland.'"
But where did they get the money? The Western media
conveys the impression that the National Liberation Army
(NLA) developed into a modern rebel force overnight,
spontaneously "out of thin air" and that NATO leaders
have no contacts with the KLA.
UN PEACE-KEEPING FINANCES TERRORISM
According to the (London) 'Sunday Times',
"American intelligence agents have admitted
they helped to train the Kosovo Liberation Army
before NATO�s bombing of Yugoslavia".1
A review of US Congressional documents would suggest that
CIA support was not discontinued after the war.2
Moreover, while the KLA maintains its links both to the
CIA and criminal syndicates involved in the Balkans
narcotics trade, the paramilitary organisation -renamed
the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC) has been elevated to UN
status, implying the granting of legitimate sources of
funding through UN as well as through bilateral channels.
Procurement of military supplies, training of the KLA and
military advisers has been entrusted to Military
Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI), a US based mercenary
outfit linked to the Pentagon. The pattern is similar to
that followed in Croatia and in the Bosnian
Muslim-Croatian Federation where so-called "equip and
train" programmes were put together by the Pentagon.
MPRI's training concepts --which had already been tested
in Croatia and Bosnia� are based on imparting "offensive
tactics... as the best form of defence".3 In the Kosovar
context, this so-called "defensive doctrine" applied in
terrorist assaults in Southern Serbia and Macedonia is
intent upon transforming the KLA paramilitary into a
modern military force which serves the Alliance's
strategic objectives. MPRI listed in 1999 "ninety-one
highly experienced, former military professionals working
in Bosnia & Herzegovina".4 The number of military
officers working on contract with the KLA has not been
disclosed.
There is, however, a consistent thread: KLA Chief of
Staff Agim Ceku (previously with the Croatian Armed
Forces) has been involved in a long-term relationship
with the MPRI. Ceku started working with MPRI in 1995 in
the planning of "Operation Storm" in Croatia, which led
to ethnic massacres and the expulsion of more than
200.000 Serbs from the Krajina region of Croatia. The
fact that Ceku is "an alleged war criminal" -- according
to the files of the Hague Tribunal (a body reporting to
the UN Secretary General)-- does not, however, seem to
bother anybody in the "international community".5
Ceku holds a UN passport (Laissez-Passer) which provides
him with diplomatic immunity within Kosovo. According to
ICTY prosecutor Carla del Ponte, Ceku's reputation and
integrity, however, are unstained because the Hague
tribunal's "inquiries ... relate to atrocities committed
[by Ceku] in Krajina ... between 1993 and 1995... Ceku's
record in Kosovo itself is not thought to be in
question�".6
Behind to polite fa�ade of international diplomacy, UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan has --on Washington's
instructions-- knowingly and willfully approved the
appointment of "an alleged war criminal" to participate
in a UN peacekeeping operation. In other words, the UN
system is "financing terrorism," creating an ugly
precedent in the history of a respected international
body: "The United Nations is paying the salaries of many
of the gangsters," who are now involved in the terrorist
assaults into Macedonia.7
RECYCLING NARCO-DOLLARS
US support to the KLA is only one among several sources
of KLA financing. Various Islamic organisations have
channeled money and military equipment to the KLA. Prior
to the 1999 war,
"German, Turkish and Afghan instructors were
reported to be training the KLA in guerilla and
diversion tactics."8
Mujehadeen mercenaries recruited in a number of countries
fought against Serb Security forces alongside the KLA in
Kosovo. According to the 'Sunday Times,' the recent
assaults by the KLA's proxy in the Tetovo region of
Macedonia have been "encouraged by mercenaries from
Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia."9
Amply documented, the Balkans drug trade is used to
finance ethnic warfare with the complicity of the US and
NATO. The pattern of covert support --through the
recycling of narco-dollars-- has been an integral part of
CIA covert operations since the Soviet-Afghan war.
According to documents of the US Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA), "members of the notorious Albanian
mafia have links to a drug smuggling cartel'' based in
Kosovo's capital, Pristina. This cartel is allegedly
manned by ethnic Albanians who are members of the Kosovo
National Front (KNF) whose armed wing is the KLA. The DEA
documents apparently show it is one of the "most powerful
heroin smuggling organisations in the world'' with its
profits being diverted to the KLA to buy weapons.10
In the words of former DEA agent and author Michael
Levine:
"Ten years ago we were arming and equipping the
worst elements of the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan
- drug traffickers, arms smugglers,
anti-American terrorists�Now we're doing the
same thing with the KLA, which is tied in with
every known middle and far eastern drug cartel.
Interpol, Europol, and nearly every European
intelligence and counter-narcotics agency has
files open on drug syndicates that lead right
to the KLA, and right to Albanian gangs in this
country."11
While US aid --combined with drug money-- is channeled to
the KLA, Washington and Brussels perfunctorily condemn
the NLA-Tetovo instigated terrorist assaults while
casually denying the links of the attackers to the KLA.
In the words of former NATO Secretary General Javier
Solana: "'it would be a mistake to negotiate,� the
terrorists have to be isolated. All of us have to condemn
and isolate them. Nothing can be achieved through
violence'' �
NATO has pledged to ''starve'' the rebels by cutting
supply lines from neighboring Kosovo".12 While condemning
the terrorists, NATO --through the UN-- has also been
"raising the urgent need for restraint by the Macedonian
forces".13
This double talk is of course a form of political
camouflage: you say that you are against the terrorists
and then support them via the KLA with guns, ammo and
military advisers paid by the US public purse.
FINANCING BOTH SIDES
But there is something else even more terrifying which
has not been revealed to public opinion. The guerilla war
in the Tetovo region of Macedonia is being financed and
therefore controlled by Washington "on both sides" of the
border. While Washington pumps money into the KLA, the
FYR of Macedonia --which has been an obedient client
state-- is also the recipient of US military aid and
training. Macedonia is a member of NATO's Partnership for
Peace (PfP) and aspires to acquire full NATO membership.
The same group of US military advisers on contract with
the KLA is also "helping" the Macedonian Armed Forces.
The MPRI --while assisting the KLA in its terrorist
assaults-- is also present behind enemy lines in
Macedonia under a so-called "Stability and Deterrence
Program". The later is intent upon "assisting the
Macedonian Armed Forces � to deter armed aggression and,
should deterrence fail, defend Macedonian territory�".14
What is happening is that the US mercenary company with a
mandate "to defend the border" is also advising the KLA
on how best "to attack the border".
Is this not crystal clear: The military-intelligence ploy
is to finance both sides of the conflict, provide
military aid to one side and finance the other side. And
then "make them fight". It�s a sinister
military-intelligence game, an "insider operation" with
US military advisers on both sides from the same
mercenary outfit (the MPRI). Macedonia's "Stability and
Deterrence Program" is in fact largely supported by US
foreign military sales (FMS), namely MPRI is in charge of
delivering (i.e. dumping) to the Macedonian Armed Forces
obsolete weapons and hardware which the US Department of
Defense wants to get rid of.
Moreover, with its various sources of financing (drugs,
Islamic organisations, US military aid, contributions
from the US-Albanian community), the KLA and its
Macedonian proxy the Ushtira Clirimtare Komtare have the
upper edge. The money channeled from various sources
including the drug trade far exceeds the meager FMS
allocations granted in the form of surplus military
equipment to the Macedonian Ministry of Defence. 15
The friendly and cordial meetings held in Skopje (July
2000) between General Henry H. Shelton, Chairman of the
US Joint Chiefs of Staff and his Macedonian counterpart,
General Jovan Andrevski, constitute an obvious smoke
screen. While America's top brass pays lip service to its
PfP partner and ally, the KLA --with the support of the
Albanian American community-- is actively recruiting US
citizens to fight as volunteers against the Macedonian
Security Forces.16 Bear in mind that this pattern of
"financing both sides" is not limited to the Balkans:
since the end of the Cold War, Washington has been
involved in channeling covert financing and triggering
civil conflicts in different parts of the World including
Central Africa, the Caucasus and Central Asia. By
financing both sides of the conflict, the US controls the
outcome of the war.
MPRI OVERSEES THE SHOW
While recruiting a wide range of military and
intelligence expertise from its data bank of former
military personnel, MPRI is controlled by a handful of
former generals and ex-CIA officers. MPRI General
(retired) Rich Griffitts --responsible for MPRI's program
in Macedonia-- is talking to the Macedonian Chief of
Staff. He also talks to KLA Commander Agim Ceku --with
whom he has established a longstanding relationship since
Operation Storm in Croatia in 1995. Ceku is part of the
MPRI's "old boys network"; in collaboration with MPRI, he
was one of the main architects of "Operation Storm". In
this capacity, he also acted as Commander of the
Artillery division, which ruthlessly shelled Krajina Serb
civilians.!7
Whether MPRI personnel stationed in Kosovo is in direct
contact or communication with their colleagues in
Macedonia is not the issue: all MPRI military staff in
the field report back to Rich Griffitt, Crosbie Saint and
Carl Vuono (President of MPRI) at the company's
headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Crosbie Saint --in
charge of the company's "International Group"--
coordinates MPRI's various operations in Kosovo and
Macedonia as well as in Croatia and Bosnia. In turn,
Saint --who is a former director of military
intelligence-- is in permanent contact with the Pentagon,
KFOR and the CIA.18
HIDDEN AGENDA
So what kind of war is this? Both sides in the Macedonia
border war are controlled by the US. American military
personnel from the same private mercenary company are
stationed on "both sides of the fence" assisting their
local counterparts to fight a war on Washington's behest.
If this war is allowed to continue, it will inevitably
lead to the escalation of ethnic hatred, civilian
casualties and refugees. This in turn will result in
political destabilization and social unrest in both
Macedonia and Yugoslavia, thereby providing a pretext to
Washington and NATO to directly intervene under the
disguise of "peace-keeping" and "confidence building."
The hidden agenda also consists in the mobilization of
ethnic Albanians in Macedonia to support or become part
of the KLA'S structure.
In other words, Washington is "financing ethnic warfare"
as a means to achieving broad geopolitical, strategic and
economic objectives using the KLA as proxy force.
Meanwhile, the 'international community" --warning of an
impending "humanitarian disaster"-- has sent in an army
of observers and human rights experts, with a mandate to
protect the political and social rights of ethnic
Albanians. This brokered "reconciliation" --imposed by
NATO under UN auspices-- is based on the premise that
ethnic Albanians in Macedonia are an oppressed social
minority. It not only fosters socio-ethnic divisions
within Macedonia; it also provides legitimacy to the KLA
sponsored "freedom fighters" as well as international
media sympathy. It tends to discredit the Macedonian
Security Forces, thereby weakening their ability to fight
the KLA.
While Washington continues to support the terrorists
behind the scenes, the military alliance presents itself
as an impartial mediator. In turn, NATO's informal
mouthpiece, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation
in Europe (OSCE), is placing the blame on the Skopje
government, calling upon:
"the legal authorities in the FYR of Macedonia,
Presevo and Kosovo to act to restore peace and
security, � all sectors of the Macedonian
society [should] co-operate peacefully and �
build inter-ethnic confidence."19
The dispatching of Bulgarian troops into Macedonia (under
NATO's "Partnership for Peace" Program) to fight the
rebels could (if implemented) contribute to triggering a
much broader conflagration in the region. Similarly,
ethnic clashes --also engineered by Washington-- have
been triggered in Montenegro, which has a sizeable
Albanian ethnic minority. And in Montenegro, the MUP,
Montenegro's highly partisan police force is being
assisted by the Croatian Armed Forces, which in turn are
being trained by the MPRI under the so-called Croatian
Armed Forces Readiness and Training System (CARTS).
Similarly, demanding "autonomy" for ethnic Hungarians in
the North of Vojvodina is part of NATO's ploy with large
numbers of NATO troops stationed on the Hungarian side of
the border. More generally, the various military aid
packages provided to Croatia, Bosnia and the KLA are
ultimately directed against Serbia.20
Despite the compliance of the Belgrade and Skopje
governments to Washington's demands, US foreign policy
purports to eventually dismantle political institutions
and get rid of political parties which resist US-NATO
domination. Their objective is to eventually break up
what remains of Yugoslavia into what UN Balkans envoy
Carl Bildt has called a "patchwork of protectorates" on
the "Kosovo-Bosnia model under UN "peace-keeping", namely
under military occupation. 21
A Dayton-style agreement is the chosen framework for
displacing and destroying existing State institutions
including a fragile yet functioning parliamentary system.
With regard to Macedonia, the OSCE has appointed
Ambassador Robert Frowick to work with the Skopje
government. His terms of reference are clear. In 1996,
Frowick was put in charge of implementing "democracy" in
Bosnia-Hercegovina under the Dayton agreement: the
Bosnian "Constitution" -- previously drafted by American
lawyers at the US Air Force base in Dayton, Ohio-- was
appended to the 1995 US brokered "General Framework
Agreement."22
DISARMING THE NEW WORLD ORDER
The terrorist assaults in Macedonia and Southern Serbia
are serving Washington's strategic goals in blatant
violation of international law. NATO is increasingly
discredited in the eyes of World public opinion. The lies
and falsehoods are surfacing and the people of Yugoslavia
are determined to preserve their sovereignty in the face
of American aggression.
US foreign policy directed against so-called "rogue
states" lacks credibility both in the US and
internationally. Around the World, citizens are looking
to Yugoslavia and the courage of its people who have
resisted the imposition of the New World Order. The lies
concerning the war against Yugoslavia have been uncovered
and revealed to millions of people.
ENDNOTES
1. Tom Walker and Aiden Laverty, �CIA Aided Kosovo
Guerrilla Army�, Sunday Times, 12 March 2000) .
2. See "Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2000." HR 1555, Section 308 entitled "Report on Kosova
Liberation Army" available at
http://www.senate.gov/search/index.html).
3. See Tammy Arbucki, "Building a Bosnian Army", Jane
International Defence Review, August 1997.
4. See Military Professional Resources, Inc, "Personnel
Needs", MPRI web page at http://www.mpri.com/.
5. See Michel Chossudovsky, "United Nations Appoints
Alleged War Criminal", Emperors Clothes, March 2000,
http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/chuss/unandthe.htm).
6. See Tom Walker, "Kosovo Defense Chief Accused of War
Crimes", Sunday Times, London, 10 October 1999.
7. Quoted in John Sweeney and Jen Holsoe, "Kosovo
Disaster Response Service Stands Accused of Murder and
Torture," The Observer, London, 12 March 2000.
8. Michel Chossudovsky, "Kosovo Freedom Fighter Financed
by Organized Crime", Covert Action Quarterly, Fall 1999,
also published by Emperors Clothes,
http://emperors-clothes.com/indexe.htm
9. Tom Walker, "NATO Troops caught in a Balkan Ulster",
Sunday Times, London, 18 March 2001.
10. According to DEA documents reviewed and quoted in R.
Chandran, "US-backed KLA linked to Heroin Network"
http://www.voz-rebelde.de/ipan51.htm. See also Michel
Chossudovsky, Kosovo Freedom Fighters Financed by
Organized Crime".
11. Quoted in the New American Magazine, May 24, 1999)
12. Quoted in the New York Times, 20 March 2001)
13. United Nations Interim Administration Mission In
Kosovo (UNMIK), Press Release, 29 March 2001.
14. See MPRI at
http://www.mpri.com/subchannels/int_europe.html.
15. US military aid under the FMS program for Macedonia
was $4 million in FY 2000, 7.9 million was appropriated
for 2001. More recently, the US announced a $13.5 million
military aid package, See Government of Macedonia,
Ministry of Defence, Communique, 21 March 2001;
Congressional Budget Justification for Foreign
Operations, Fiscal Year 2001, Released by the Office of
the Secretary of State, Resources, Plans and Policy, U.S.
Department of State, March 15, 2000.
16. New York Times, 19 March 2001.
!7. See Michel Chossudovsky, NATO has Installed a Reign
of Terror in Kosovo, July 1999,
http://emperors-clothes.com/indexe.htm.
18. See MPRI web page, op cit
19. Statement by OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President
Severin on former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and
Kosovo, 23 March 2001,
http://www.osce.org/news/generate.php3?news_id63.
20. See Michel Chossudovsky, "The War Against Yugoslavia
Is Not Over", June 2000, at
www.emperors-clothes.com/articles/chuss/warnot.htm.
21. See Carl Bildt's statement at
http://www.usip.org/oc/cibriefing/bildt_cib.html, Bildt
was formerly the High Representative in Bosnia following
the adoption of the Dayton Agreement in 1995).
22. For a discussion see Michel Chossudovsky, Dismantling
Yugoslavia, Recolonizing Bosnia, Covert Action Quarterly,
Spring 1996, also published by Emperors Clothes at
http://emperors-clothes.com/indexe.htm. The text of the
Bosnian Constitution is available at
http://www.bosnia.co.uk/dayton.html
C Copyright by Michel Chossudovsky, Ottawa, March 2001.
All rights reserved. Permission is granted to post this
text on non-commercial community internet sites, provided
the essay remains intact and the copyright note is
displayed. To publish this text in printed and/or other
form, contact the author at chossudovsky@...,
fax: 1-514-4256224.
http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/choss/fin.htm
We may be free but we do need money...
Emperor's Clothes does not charge a subscription fee. But
of course nothing is free.
We rely mainly on volunteer labor. Nevertheless there are
plenty of bills. For example, the cost of Lexis, our
search engine, has doubled. Lexis is the best method of
rapidly locating news stories from several thousand
sources over the past twenty years. It is probably the
best political research tool ever available. But now it
costs twice as much.
We rely on our readers for contributions. If you like
what we're trying to do, please help.
Please mail a check to Emperor's Clothes, P.O. Box
610-321, Newton, MA 02461-0321. (USA)
Or if you have access to a computer, please go to our
secure server at
http://emperors-clothes.com/howyour.html#donate
Or you can call us at l 617 916-1705 between 9:30 AM and
5:30 PM, Eastern Time (USA) and Bob will take your credit
card information over the phone.
Thanks for reading Emperor's Clothes.
If you're reading this on a Website other than Emperor's
Clothes and would like to check out our home page, please
click here
www.tenc.net
[Emperor's Clothes]
---
Questa lista e' provvisoriamente curata da componenti
dell'ex Coordinamento Nazionale "La Jugoslavia Vivra'",
oggi "Comitato Promotore dell'Assemblea Antimperialista":
> http://www.tuttinlotta.org
I documenti distribuiti non rispecchiano necessariamente le
opinioni delle realta' che compongono questa struttura, ma
vengono fatti circolare per il loro contenuto informativo al
solo scopo di segnalazione e commento ("for fair use only").
Per iscriversi al bollettino: <jugoinfo-subscribe@...>
Per cancellarsi: <jugoinfo-unsubscribe@...>
Per inviare materiali e commenti: <jugocoord@...>
Archivio:
> http://www.domeus.it/circles/jugoinfo
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/messages
Sito WEB (non aggiornato):
> http://digilander.iol.it/lajugoslaviavivra
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Vuoi sapere proprio tutto su Domeus?
Chi siamo, cosa facciamo e a cosa serviamo?
Conoscici meglio!
tuttosu-subscribe@... oppure
http://www.domeus.it/ad1360570/www.domeus.it
Se vuoi cancellarti da questo gruppo, clicca qui: http://www.domeus.it/info/unsubscribe