Informazione
* Ambulanza della "Missione Arcobaleno" conteneva un arsenale
("Il Manifesto", Associated Press)
* Il punto della situazione... (G. Carpi)
* Ignobile comportamento dei "peacekeeper" olandesi ad Orahovac (Emperors
Clothes, Ova adresa el. pošte je zaštićena od spambotova. Omogućite JavaScript da biste je videli.)
* Devastato il settore nord di Mitrovica dalle truppe tedesche e statunitensi
"alla ricerca di armi" mentre in decine di migliaia marciano con bandiere
albanesi ed americane per chiedere la cacciata degli ultimi serbi rimasti.
Il comandante KFOR Reinhardt: "Stanno dimostrando per un futuro migliore"
(KFOR Press Update, stopnato@..., New York Times, Tanjug)
---
Da "Il manifesto" del 16 Febbraio 2000
KOSOVO/NATO-ONU
Ambulanza della "Missione Arcobaleno" trasportava armi a Mitrovica
Bernard Kouchner attacca il governo di Parigi: "Non mandate la polizia".
Verso le sue dimissioni?
- TOMMASO DI FRANCESCO -
L a notizia. Un'autoambulanza diretta a Kosovska Mitrovica, la città ancora
a ferro e fuoco nel nord del Kosovo, è finita fuori strada e al suo interno
la polizia dell'Onu ha scoperto un grosso carico di armi: 14 lanciarazzi,
182 granate, moltissime munizioni e sei casse di proiettili calibro 7,62 per
armi leggere. Secondo Andrea Angeli, portavoce della polizia Onu,
"l'incidente non è chiaro, non si sa se dell'autoambulanza fosse prima stato
denunciato un furto o che cosa...". Qual è il fatto esplosivo? E' che sulla
fiancata dell'autoambulanza svetta a lettere cubitali la scritta "Missione
Arcobaleno". L'autoambulanza risulta essere stata donata dal Cesvi, Ong di
Bergamo, all'ospedale di Glakovac - a circa 30-40 km da Pristina, nella
direzione di Pec sulla strada per Mitrovica - e quindi pagata con i soldi
della Missione Arcobaleno. Era stata forse rubata dall'ospedale per
trasportare armi - in Bosnia ambulanze dell'Onu sono spesso servite allo
stesso scopo - destinate agli albanesi di Mitrovica che riprendono la guerra
sparando per la prima volta sugli uomini del contingente francese della
Nato? Alla fine diranno che sì, era stata rubata. Ma la verità è che le armi
arrivano a Mitrovica dall'Uck che in Kosovo controlla tutto, dai comuni agli
ospedali, dalle strade ai fondi elargiti a piene mani da ampie strutture -
400 Ong solo a Pristina - che fanno riferimento all'Onu e
all'Amministratore, Bernard Kouchner. E questo perché l'Uck altro non è che
l'attuale Kpt (Kosovo Protection Corps) la nuova polizia voluta a tutti i
costi da Kouchner e dalla Nato che ha così riciclato, a partire dal
comandante Agim Ceku - su cui indaga il Tribunale dell'Aja - le sue
gerarchie di comando, i mezzi militari e le milizie.
Certo, è troppo presto per gettare discredito, anche qui, sulla Missione
Arcobaleno - anche se qualche risposta dal governo italiano dovrà pur
venire, come dallo stesso Kouchner che ogni giorno deve fare i conti con la
cappa di piombo del potere mafioso-malavitoso che in Kosovo controlla tutto.
Il fatto è che questa notizia-bomba, insieme alla crisi esplosiva della
città di Mitrovica, pongono all'ordine del giorno il nodo dei risultati
della guerra "umanitaria" della Nato. E sotto tiro è Bernard Kouchner.
Soprattutto dopo il duro scontro da lui avuto ieri addirittura con il
governo francese. Per il terzo mese di fila Kouchner ha accusato i governi
occidentali di non fornire forze di polizia all'Amministrazione Onu. Ieri ha
denunciato anche il comportamento di Parigi, che "dimentica di essere la
patria dei diritti umani" e dove "i politici francesi si 'sparano' addosso"
mentre a Mitrovica i cecchini albanesi sparano sui soldati francesi. Gli ha
risposto il ministro della difesa Jean Pierre Chevenement: "Quando si spara
sui soldati - ha detto duramente - l'aumento del numero dei poliziotti non è
forse la soluzione al problema". Uno scontro tutto interno alla sinistra di
governo che ha voluto l'intervento "umanitario".
La polemica ha raggiunto anche le Nazioni unite: Kouchner, dicono, non deve
pensare che la questione della sicurezza in Kosovo sia una questione "di
famiglia", tra lui e il governo francese. Un conflitto ingigantito dai fatti
di Mitrovica di questi giorni, dove cecchini albanesi hanno fatto fuoco sui
soldati della Nato per la prima volta, un ceccino albanese è stato ucciso e
la città è sotto coprifuoco, sempre divisa in due dal ponte sul fiume Ibar.
Kouchner, dicono fonti dell'Onu di Pristina, continua a ripetere che
"Mitrovica non è il simbolo del Kosovo", e qui sbaglia "perché i fatti di
Mitrovica sono proprio il simbolo di quello che ora il Kosovo rappresenta".
Lì le forze Kfor-Nato solo adesso difendono i serbi perché sono i pochi
serbi - cinquemila - rimasti in tutto il Kosovo, Mitrovica è il bantustan
più grosso con sacche di poche centinaia sparse a Pristina, Pec e in poche
altre parti. Dopo una mattanza su cui si è spesso taciuto che ha visto 500
civili serbi morire ammazzati dopo l'ingresso della Nato. Se i serbi
venissero cacciati anche da lì chi la racconterebbe più la favola degli
obiettivi multietnici? Sotto gli occhi della Nato l'Uck in sette mesi ha
cacciato dal Kosovo quasi 300.000 persone, serbi, albanesi
"collaborazionisti", goranci (serbi islamizzati, considerati agenti di
Belgrado) e tutti gli zingari le cui case sono state rase al suolo ovunque.
Mitrovica è il simbolo di tutto questo. Kouchner, su mandato Nato-Onu e di
tutti i governi europei, ha avviato di fatto l'indipendenza della regione
(con il libero corso del marco tedesco al posto del dinaro, con l'apertura
delle frontiere all'Albania, con le targhe autonome, con il governo senza
serbi, con la polizia emanazione dell'Uck, le telecomunicazioni a rete
autonoma da Belgrado - fra l'altro affidata alla francese Alcatel). Ma negli
accordi di pace il Kosovo resta regione della Serbia, e questo vogliono
ancora Unione europea e Stati uniti. Ora siamo nella palude. Washington
cerca in ogni modo di trovare una via d'uscita. Il cerino resta nelle mani
dell'Europa, e del signor Kouchner. A Pristina, negli ambienti Onu - come
alcuni giornali americani in questi giorni - dicono che le sfuriate di
Kouchner sulle forze di polizia che non arrivano, mentre incombe il
fallimento, sono una "dichiarazione d'impotenza, meglio a questo punto
passare la mano, girare pagina, meglio le sue dimissioni".
---
Weapons, ammunition found in ambulance in Kosovo
Associated Press
By ELENA BECATOROS
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Yugoslavia (February 15, 2000 10:57 a.m. EST
http://www.nandotimes.com) - Peacekeepers found a large stock of
powerful weapons and ammunition in an ambulance apparently driven by
ethnic Albanians and heading for this turbulent northern city, a NATO
spokesman said Tuesday.
The ambulance, its emergency signals flashing, veered off a road and
into a ditch while approaching a checkpoint outside Kosovska Mitrovica
late Monday, said Fabrice Turco, a spokesman for the French
peacekeepers. Peacekeepers found weapons and ammunition in the vehicle,
including 14 anti-tank rocket launchers and 182 high-explosive grenades,
NATO said.
The ambulance was marked with ethnic Albanian writing, which uses a
different alphabet from the Serb language. U.N. police were searching
Tuesday for the driver and a passenger, both of whom fled the vehicle
after it went into the ditch.
Kosovska Mitrovica has been a flashpoint for violence between the
province's ethnic Albanian and Serb populations for months. Unrest began
to escalate Feb. 2, when a grenade attack on a U.N. bus killed two
elderly Serbs.
Two French peacekeepers were injured by ethnic Albanian snipers here
over the weekend, and the NATO-led peacekeepers have arrested dozens of
people since. Of the 51 ethnic Albanians arrested, six have been
released.
In addition, the nightly curfew has been extended from seven hours to 12
hours. Under the new regulations, people are prohibited from circulating
on Kosovska Mitrovica's streets from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m.
The alliance reported no security incidents overnight, and the city was
calm. But a local ethnic Albanian human rights group said three more
Albanian families were forced to flee their homes on the northern,
Serb-controlled side of the city.
Additional Greek peacekeepers backed up by U.S. and Canadian soldiers
have been sent in to help cope with the weekend's outbreak of violence.
The peacekeepers are conducting extensive searches of houses and
buildings for weapons and other evidence of criminal intent.
Thousands of ethnic Albanians were killed by Serb forces during Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic's 18-month crackdown against separatists in
Kosovo. After NATO bombing forced the Serb troops to withdraw last
spring, ethnic Albanians began attacking Serbs in revenge.
The NATO peacekeeping mission, which began after the bombing, has
shifted over the last eight months from facilitating the return of
refugees to protecting Serbs and Gypsies from the ethnic Albanian
reprisals.
"I would remind all parties in Kosovo that it was NATO that put an end
to organized ethnic cleansing and has worked to restore peace and
stability for all ethnic groups in the province," NATO Secretary-General
Lord George Robertson said in Brussels, Belgium.
---
RIEPILOGO DELLA SITUAZIONE NELLA PRIMA META' DI FEBBRAIO
Il mese di febbraio comincia come meglio non si potrebbe: il 2/II un
autobus di civili serbi in uscita dall'enclave-ghetto di Kosovska
Mitrovica e' stata attaccato a colpi di razzi anticarro. Risultato,
due morti e cinque feriti, nonche' una prevedibile recrudescenza della
guerra per bande: il giorno dopo, tre albanesi kosovari vengono
"cecchinati" a Mitrovica e due granate lanciate in locali frequentati
da serbi fanno circa venticinque feriti. Gli scontri sono proseguiti
nei giorni successivi, costringendo circa 550 persone a lasciare le
proprie case, tanto che il rappresentante russo della missione ONU
Sergej Ivanov ha denunciato la totale impotenza della "forza di pace"
e ha minacciato di ritirare il proprio contingente. Intanto,
proseguono gli incendi, i rapimenti, i pestaggi e le esercitazioni
nello sport di lanciare granate in case, negozi e locali serbi: il
4/II a Obilic; nello stesso giorno, viene presa a colpi di granata una
corsia dell'ospedale di Prizren, col ferimento grave di 4 pazienti
serbe; a Gnjilane, il 9/II, 5 bombe in 24 ore, mentre nella stessa
citta' un serbo era stato ammazzato a casa sua il 4/II; un altro
autobus carico di serbi e' stato bersagliato a Lipljan l'8/II,
fortunatamente senza vittime.
Non stupisce quindi che i non albanesi continuino a lasciare il
Kosovo, spinti dalla paura o dai rastrellamenti dell'UCK. Il 2/II, gli
ultimi slavi-musulmani (circa un migliaio), hanno abbandonato la
regione di Prizren per rifugiarsi a Novi Pazar (Serbia). La
piccola comunita' ebraica di Pristina era gia' stata costretta in
novembre a rifugiarsi a Belgrado. "E' stato terribile quando due
dozzine di uomini armati, albanesi di Albania a giudicare dall'accento
(!), hanno fatto irruzione nel nostro appartamento." - Dichiara il
capo dell'ex comunita' ebraica Cedomir Prlincevic al quotidiano
tedesco "Neues Deutschland" (22/XII) - "Mia madre, che ha ottant'anni,
ha avuto un infarto perche' si e' ricordata delle SS di Hitler, che
nel 1943 irruppero nel suo appartemento allo stesso modo". Come spesso
accade, anche in questo caso le forze di occupazione KFOR si erano
distinte per l'atteggiamento pilatesco.
Mentre 45.000 soldati KFOR armati fino ai denti ignorano la
sistematica pulizia etnica condotta in Kosovo, impiegati come sono ad
occupare a lungo termine e a fortificare i nodi strategici
fondamentali della regione per futuri obiettivi che niente hanno a che
fare col "peacekeeping" (la base americana di Camp Bondsteel, costo
36,6 milioni di dollari, 6300 presenze, e' destinata a rimpiazzare
Aviano come testa di ponte verso oriente), il contingente civile ONU
e' totalmente privo di fondi (le quote dell'UE e degli USA sono
"sotto" di 102 milioni di dollari secondo lo stesso Rappresentante
Generale della missione ONU B. Kouchner) e non ha ancora avviato
nessuna delle opere di ricostruzione previste. In compenso, secondo
un'inchiesta del "London Times" (5/II), nella regione fioriscono
traffico di droga, rapimento e tratta dei bambini, prostituzione
(quest'ultima merce anche ad usum delle stesse truppe KFOR).
Intanto, se la struttura amministrativa ad interim, patrocinata da B.
Kouchner e non prevista dagli accordi di pace, nasce gia' lacerata
dalle liti inter-albanesi (gli altri gruppi etnici non vi
partecipano), l'UCK non perde occasione per ribadire a modo suo
l'egemonia de facto sulla maggior parte dei comuni: Hasim Chuse,
leader di un piccolo partito democratico, e' stato ritrovato morto il
2/II con tre proiettili nella nuca, dopo essere sparito di casa il
19/I.
Anche su questo versante, ben poche le garanzie offerte dalle forze
KFOR: dopo la perquisizione, con sequestro di un arsenale, a casa del
fratello del leader UCK Hashim Thaci e dopo le indagini su altri
capibanda, e' bastato che il portavoce UCK Krasniqi indirizzasse a
Kouchner e al generale Klaus Reinhardt (comandante generale della
KFOR) una lettera minatoria, accusando la KFOR di "agire come i
criminali serbi", perche' i due alti papaveri della forza di
occupazione si scusassero direttamente con Thaci. La concordia e'
stata prontamente ristabilita, e pochi giorni dopo Kouchner e
Reinhardt hanno tenuto a battesimo il nuovo "Corpo di Protezione del
Kosovo", interamente targato UCK a cominciare dal suo comandante Agim
Ceku, ex ufficiale disertore dell'esercito jugoslavo, poi noto come il
piu' feroce fra i capi dei contras kosovari, responsabile del massacro
di 120 serbi a Gospic (Croazia) gia' nel 1991.
Oltre che alla pulizia di casa propria, i terroristi UCK si dedicano
con un certo successo anche ai rapporti internazionali: il Primo
Ministro bulgaro Ivan Kostov (destra nazionalista e filo-atlantica),
ha invitato Thaci a Sofia in visita ufficiale, probabilmente sperando
che cio' acceleri il tanto ambito ingresso della Bulgaria nell'UE e
nella NATO. Non bastera' certo a rovinare l'intesa il recente
sequestro (29/I) di 38 chili di eroina su un tir albanese alla
frontiera bulgara: il paese gioca infatti da anni un ruolo chiave
nella via della droga gestita dalle mafie turca, albanese e kosovara
(261 kg sequestrati in Bulgaria nel '99).
Si sa: "business is business", e parallelamente alla colonizzazione
delle strutture produttive kosovare (vedi "Rinascita" del 14/I), gli
occupanti occidentali non perdono tempo neanche sul fronte
finanziario. Il 24/I ha iniziato le attivita' la "Micro Enterprise
Bank" (MEB), un ente di credito industriale acquartierato presso la
Missione ONU e patrocinato e diretto dai governi tedesco e olandese
(amministratore generale: l'olandese Koen Wasmus). In una situazione
di assoluto monopolio finanziario dopo la distruzione forzata di tutti
i legami economici fra Pristina e Belgrado, la MEB promette di
diventare il principale volano di colonizzazione economica della
regione, in modo non dissimile da quanto gia' da tempo attuato in
Bosnia dalla "Banca Europea per la Ricostruzione e lo Sviluppo" (BERS,
non a caso uno dei principali finanziatori anche della MEB).
Guido Carpi
Universita' di Cassino
Fonti: Tanjug; FreeB92; Agence France Presse; Transnational Foundation
for Peace and Future Research; "Il Manifesto"; Reuters; IWPR's Balkan
Crisis Report.
---
Date: Monday, February 21, 2000 3:29 AM
Subject: [sorabia] NATO Dutch Mercenaries Torment Serb Women and Children in
Orahovac
>Dutch Rep Office to UN
>Attn. Office Manager/Ambassador
>United Nations
>New York, NY
>
>Copies: Foreign Missions to UN, Foreign Embasses to US, State Department,
> US Congress, Senate, US and Intermnationa Media,
Concerned
>/ Involved Individuals Across the World
>
>February 20, 2000
>
>Dear Sir, or Madam,
>
>The arrogant Dutch mercenaries under the pirate NATO flag, both the aerial
>and the ground butchers, have been rated by the civilized world as the most
>notorious brutes and barbarous savages in the recent cowardly, terrorist
>attack on a small nation of the Serbs, in the motley pack of the wild and
>blood thirsty NATO professional killers of the children, nannies, sick and
>defenseless victims, under the command of the even more vicious military
and
>civilian superiors.
>
>Known as the nation of cowards in defending their homeland in W.W.II, that
>graciously forgave the Germans for pulverized Rotterdam, but then the
loyal,
>rubber-spine lackeys, subservient butlers, shoeshine boys and dog-walkers
of
>the victorious German Nazi officers. Now the armed Dutch, under the NATO
safe
>skirt, have displayed their true colors in Kosovo: monstrous bullies for
the
>helpless Serb women and children in Orahovac, who found their match and
ally
>in the Albanian cutthroats, both in the service of the same masters in
Bonn,
>Washington and London.
>Once a colonial power, the Dutch have become faithful colonial servants for
>the US and German empires, diligently wagging the tail for a piece of a
>chewed off bone.
>I am hoping the Dutch hunters of the Serbs will someday leave their crushed
>bones in the Serb Kosovo sacred soil-to contaminate it, as did the British
>and US depleted uranium shells. The Netherlands could not stoop any lower
in
>disgrace.
>
> Respectfully
and
>Truly Yours,
>
> Tika
Jankovic
> San Jose,
>California
>
>
>
>
>
>Can children be war criminals?'
>by Abe de Vries
>(Translated from Trouw, Amsterdam daily newspaper)
>www.emperors-clothes.com
>
>BELGRADE
>
>"The sooner the Dutch 'Yellow Riders' leave Orahovac, the better. They're
>worse than the Germans," says Mirjana. "The soldiers are not so bad, but
the
>officers are terrible'', according to Natasha. "They admit that they're
only
>here for the Albanians, not for the Serbs,'' says Simka.
>
>Three women from Orahovac, who until recently lived there or who have
family
>there. This is their story, which differs substantially from the one
>lieutenant-colonel Tony van Loon, the commander of the Yellow Riders, has
>told. (Trouw, November 11). His artillery unit will soon be replaced. [See
>Note # 1 at end]
>
>The women read the interview with Van Loon. In their eyes the Yellow Riders
>don't have even one reason to be proud of themselves. "Dear sir,'' begins
an
>open letter from the Humanitarian Committee of Women from Orahovac, ''the
>fact that you turned Orahovac into a test field where the Serbs - without a
>possibility to leave because you pretend not to be able to give them
>protection - are thus forced to stay imprisoned in a ghetto - should not be
>something you should be proud of, nor should you leave Kosovo with a clear
>conscience. To keep the Serbs as prisoners this way is to deliver them to
the
>mercy of terrorists. If this is the way to create a multi-ethnic society,
>than such a society existed also in Warshaw during World War Two.''
>
>In Orahovac 2500 Serbs and 500 gypsies live a terrible life. They are
packed
>into a few streets with only KFOR [NATO] checkpoints separating them from
the
>extremely hostile Albanian majority in the rest of the town. They all want
to
>leave for Serbia or Montenegro. Only one thing is keeping them in Orahovac:
>the fact that the Dutch don't want to guarantee their safety if they
venture
>out of the ghetto.
>
>The Yellow Riders say they're searching for possible war criminals amongst
>the Serbs. A lot of Serbian men are afraid the KLA has put their names on a
>secret list of suspects, so they stay where they are.
>
>Mirjana (26), Natasha (27) and Simka (35) have difficulty believing the
>Serbian police really murdered hundreds of Albanian citizens in Orahovac
and
>the surrounding villages. According to the Yellow Riders, Serbian police
>reservists born in the area executed perhaps some thousand Albanians in
cold
>blood. Until now, 400 bodies have been found. Natasha: "There was a war
going
>on. The KLA attacked the army and the police, who were not saying: 'O
please,
>kill us.' I was in Orahovac myself when the war started. It was a
>psychologically unbearable situation. While NATO bombed us from the air,
>uniformed terrorists were everywhere in the city. In Orahovac and the
>villages everyday Serbs were killed.'' Mirjana: "A number of bodies that
were
>found could belong to Serbs. Villages like Velika Hoca, Retimlje, Zociste
and
>Opterusa were mainly inhabited by Serbs. In Retimlje alone 30 Serbs were
>murdered last year. Where are the bodies of the Serbs?'' Simka: "People say
>all kinds of things. It's because of the hatred Albanians have for the Serb
>police.'' Natasha: "Let's say some Serbs did commit war crimes. Do you
think
>they'll be waiting in Orahovac for Kfor to arrest them? Those who maybe
>really did something wrong are long gone.'' Mirjana: "My husband was
director
>of a municipal archive. If he hadn't left on time, he would probably also
now
>be considered a war criminal. But he is not a nationalist. He fired some
>Albanians because they didn't work well.''
>
>The women do not understand why KFOR refuses to let at least the children
go.
>Until now only one convoy of 155 Serbs was allowed to leave town. Guarded
by
>Dutch troops, it was attacked by a large crowd of Albanians in the vicinity
>of Pec. After that UNHCR, the refugee-agency of the United Nations, stopped
>its humanitarian evacuations in Kosovo. Natasha and Simka both tried
several
>times to take the children of their relatives back to Serbia. Without
>success.
>
>"Can children also be war criminals?'' asks Natasha. "I've cried and I've
>screamed'', says Simka. "But this Dutch officer just stood there and looked
>at me as through a mask. He didn't show any emotion. Nothing. It was just
not
>allowed.'' Simka recently returned from a visit to Orahovac. She says the
>situation there is worse than a couple of weeks ago. Many times there are
>days without electricity, she says. The Serbs cannot buy food in Albanian
>shops They rely on humanitarian organisations to help them. Albanians block
>the road to Pristina, to stop a Russian batallion from entering the town
(the
>Russians are scheduled to replace the Dutch), so all kinds of shortages
>exist.
>
>Simka: "With winter coming, the Serbs are in panic. They're afraid
everybody
>will forget about them. Now they can still drive to Velika Hoca, where many
>Serbs live, but the road is in bad condition and nobody clears up the snow.
>They'll be stuck.''
>
>A visit to Orahovac is only possible with KFOR protection. Visitors have to
>leave the same day. The Serbs in Orahovac are allowed to use a Red Cross
>satellite telephonefor one minute a week. According to the women, the phone
>is bugged. Mirjana: "The line is cut the moment someone says something
>negative about life in Orahovac."
>
>Mail can be delivered to the Red Cross, but the letters are first examined
by
>a censor. Relatives in Serbia get them with thick black lines through the
>text.
>
>Since the arrival of the Dutch soldiers more than 20 Serbs from Orahovac
have
>been kidnapped and 136 Serbian houses have been burned to the ground. One
of
>the missing Serbs is the husband of a translator who worked for the Yellow
>Riders. In none of these cases have the Dutch started an investigation, let
>alone succeeded in bringing someone back, says Simka.
>
>In 1998, some 50 Serbs were kidnapped. Nobody has heard from them since.
She
>asks why the Dutch, who arrested 11 Serb war crimes suspects, have never
>arrested an Albanian for war crimes. The Albanian Ismet Tara is Orahovac's
>KLA-commander. He would be the biggest criminal. Simka: "His uncle had the
>reputation in 1941 of being the worst fascist in town. My uncle, who was a
>Partizan, told me that.'' Mirjana mentions Sebajdin Cena, her teacher at
>school. "My parents and I were at his wedding. My father gave him his first
>job. He was recognized as one of the organizors of the kidnappings last
>year.''
>
>The Dutch, conclude the women, are one-sided, anti-Serb and don't do a
thing
>to improve the situation for the Serbs in Orahovac. Natasja: "With them,
>every day is worse than the day before''. Mirjana: "I don't think this
[Dutch
>Col.] Van Loon will ever sleep well again."
>
>***
>
>Note # 1 - The above article is second in a series by Trouw. The first
>consisted of an interview with Dutch KFOR (NATO) Commander Col. Tony van
>Loon. Excerpts from that article with comments by Simca and Natasha can be
>read by clicking on The Women of Orahovac Answer the Colonel or going to
>http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/trouw.htm
>
>Note # 2 - To read interviews with the women from Orahovac, click on Save
the
>families: The women of Orahovac speak or go to
>http://www.emperors-clothes.com/misc/savethe.htm
>
>Enjoyed this article? Send it to a friend!
>
>To read more... please click here or go to http://www.emperors-clothes.com
>
>
>
>
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>page at http://www.egroups.com/list/sorabia
>for more informations about current situation in Serbia
http://www.sorabia.home.dhs.org
>
>
---
-----Original Message-----
From: NATODOC <natodoc@...>
To: NATODATA@...
<NATODATA@...>
Date: Monday, February 21, 2000 8:47 AM
Subject: KFOR Press Update, 21 February 2000
>KFOR
>Press Update
>Delivered by Lieutenant Commander Philip Anido
>KFOR Spokesman
>
>PRISTINA - Monday, 21 February 2000
>KFOR Search Operation in Mitrovica
>KFOR soldiers, supported by UNMIK police, began a second day of searches in
>several neighbourhoods in Mitrovica this morning at 7 a.m. They are looking
>for small and large caches of illegal and dangerous weapons.
>Owners of the weapons will be detained and turned over to UNMIK police, and
>those who are suspected for having been involved in the recent violent
>actions will be arrested.
>Yesterday, 11 arrests were made, all for weapons violations. The men
>included 10 Albanians and one Serb. Following identification and
>interrogation, nine were released. One Albanian and one Serb remain in
>custody.
>The latest report of weapons confiscated includes:
>* 22 rifles
>* 8 blocks of plastic explosive
>* 1 heavy machine gun
>* 18 rifle magazines loaded with ammunition; 30 bullets per
>* 1 hunting rifle
>* 1000's of rounds of ammunition
>* 2 automatic pistols
>* 4 hand grenade
>The search operation will continue until General Dr. Klaus Reinhardt, the
>Commander of KFOR, is satisfied that illegal activities have been stopped
>and dangerous weapons are banned from Mitrovica.
>KFOR and UNMIK will not allow any illegal activities that perpetuate the
>cycle of violence or hold up the process of peace and reconciliation in
>Kosovo to continue.
>Approximately 2,500 KFOR troops from 12 nations are supporting the
operation
>in Mitrovica.
>Demonstration
>Twenty thousand Albanian citizens from Pristina and other communities are
>marching to Mitrovica today to protest the situation in that troubled city.
>The men, women and children are marching on foot and driving in cars, vans
>and busses.
>UNMIK police are following the parade and KFOR soldiers are monitoring the
>progress along the route using foot patrols, vehicles and helicopters.
>The organizers have called for a peaceful demonstration and have agreed
that
>the protesters will stop in Vucitrn south of the city. From there, 12
>representatives will be allowed to deliver a letter to UN officials in
>Mitrovica.
>By 4 p.m. the crowds on foot will be picked up by bus for the return trip
to
>Pristina.
>Incidents During the Past 24 Hours
>Searches and Weapons Confiscations
>Multinational Brigade East
>Yesterday in Kravarica, a KFOR patrol confiscated two rifles
>and a quantity of ammunition.
>Incidents and Injuries
>Multinational Brigade Centre
>Yesterday evening, KFOR Norwegian troops reported that a
>home-made bomb was thrown into an occupied Serb house. There were no
>injuries but there was damage to the house. KFOR are using specially
>trained dogs in their investigation.
>Arrests
>Multinational Brigade West
>Yesterday morning in Pec, KFOR Military Police and UNMIK
>police arrested a Montenegrin man in connection with the shooting of an
>Albanian on 19 February in Vitomirica.
---
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.HOME-PAGE.ORG
[Finally, a headline has been assigned to this story
from the New York Times - by the Florida Sun Sentinel
- that doesn't grotesquely distort the truth.
For those who have been following the current state of
"Kosovo peacekeeping," in a province overrun by 50,000
NATO occupation troops an equal number of ethnic
Albanians "just happen" to gather in the capital city,
Pristina, and march 25 miles to Mitrovica.
Waving Albanian (that is, the nation of Albania's) and
American flags, the marchers - organized by whom, if
not the KLA? - are able to converge on Mitrovica
unhindered and ostensibly unnoticed by General
Reinhardt and his Balkans Korps, who are busy
ransacking Serb quarters in that city for non-existent
arms caches.
And then this from General Reinhardt: "They have
demonstrated how they want to live" - as they're
forcing their way through K-For cordons and
threatening God-knows-what violence should they
succeed - "and are demonstrating for a better future.
They want a united city."
They want a united city, indeed. United like Warsaw
became after Reinhardt's countrymen attacked the
Warsaw Ghetto some sixty-five years ago.
Beginning to sound surreal? No more than the entire
false rationale for NATO aggression and occupation in
the first place.]
_____________________________________________________
Thousands of Albanians rally to oust Serbs from city
in Kosovo
By CARLOTTA GALL
Web-posted: 10:55 p.m. Feb. 21, 2000
MITROVICA, Yugoslavia -- Thousands of ethnic Albanians
from throughout Kosovo marched on this divided city on
Monday and clashed with NATO-led troops who used tear
gas and fists to keep them from reaching the Serbian
district.
An estimated 25,000 protesters tried to cross the
main bridge that divides the Serb and Albanian
sections of this mining town, but were turned back as
thousands of Serbs stood watching from the other side.
The Albanians repeatedly pushed against the lines of
British and Canadian soldiers and French gendarmes as
fights broke out and demonstrators were hauled away.
Monday's showdown came as tensions continued to
build in the ethnically divided city of 90,000 people.
The violence of the past two weeks has left 11 people
dead and dozens wounded, including two French soldiers
who were shot in gun battles.
Wave after wave of protesters arrived Monday on
foot from Pristina, the capital of Kosovo province, 25
miles away, and from the western towns of Pec and
Srbica among others. Young men strode up the main
street waving red Albanian flags and banners as they
tried to breach the military lines.
Across the River Ibar, Serbs held the Serbian
tricolor aloft and played Serbian nationalist songs on
loudspeakers. For several hours peacekeepers struggled
to contain the crowd and French police resorted to
volley after volley of tear gas over the heads of the
British and Canadians, often leaving the soldiers
choking and retching along with the demonstrators.
By nightfall the protesters, some of whom had
walked for 10 hours, grew tired and drifted away. The
commander of the peacekeeping force, German Gen. Klaus
Reinhardt, climbed atop a British tank to talk to the
crowd. He praised his troops for their restraint and
said they had prevented any serious injuries or
consequences.
He also said he understood the demonstrators.
"They have shown the way they want to live and are
demonstrating for a better future. They want a united
city," he said.
But his words underlined the intractable problem
the city presents for the peacekeepers and the U.N.
administration. The Albanians all speak of liberating
the city, by which they mean moving back into the Serb
district en masse, which in turn would force the Serbs
to flee.
---
SERBIAN PROVINCE OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
BRUTAL AND BARBARIC ACT BY KFOR
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, February 21 (Tanjug) - Jovica Jovanovic, a member of
the subcommittee for administration and legislature of the Yugoslav
committee for cooperation with the United Nations mission in Kosovo and
Metohija province, said on Sunday that the search of apartments and
institutions in northern Kosovska Mitrovica by international force KFOR
U.S. and German troops was a brutal, barbaric and uncivilized act.
Jovanovic told reporters he had been present during a search of the
Faculty of Technology. He saw troops break down with axes the doors of a
laboratory and other premises.
Jovanovic also toured the school of technology which had also been a
target of KFOR's barbaric activities.
He said it was not by accident that the barbaric action was carried out by
U.S. and German troops. The presence of numerous foreign reporters and TV
crew at the very time when the action took place, and their on-the-spot
reporting is proof that this was all stage-managed, Jovanovc said.
The leading players in this action - U.S. and German troops - were not
picked at random, because there are no more Serbs in the parts of Kosovo
and Metohija where these troops are deployed, he said.
Jovanovic said it was an act of ultimate cynicism when French troops
brought the principal of the School of Technology about a dozen cylinder
locks and padlocks to compensate for the incurred damage.
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
("Il Manifesto", Associated Press)
* Il punto della situazione... (G. Carpi)
* Ignobile comportamento dei "peacekeeper" olandesi ad Orahovac (Emperors
Clothes, Ova adresa el. pošte je zaštićena od spambotova. Omogućite JavaScript da biste je videli.)
* Devastato il settore nord di Mitrovica dalle truppe tedesche e statunitensi
"alla ricerca di armi" mentre in decine di migliaia marciano con bandiere
albanesi ed americane per chiedere la cacciata degli ultimi serbi rimasti.
Il comandante KFOR Reinhardt: "Stanno dimostrando per un futuro migliore"
(KFOR Press Update, stopnato@..., New York Times, Tanjug)
---
Da "Il manifesto" del 16 Febbraio 2000
KOSOVO/NATO-ONU
Ambulanza della "Missione Arcobaleno" trasportava armi a Mitrovica
Bernard Kouchner attacca il governo di Parigi: "Non mandate la polizia".
Verso le sue dimissioni?
- TOMMASO DI FRANCESCO -
L a notizia. Un'autoambulanza diretta a Kosovska Mitrovica, la città ancora
a ferro e fuoco nel nord del Kosovo, è finita fuori strada e al suo interno
la polizia dell'Onu ha scoperto un grosso carico di armi: 14 lanciarazzi,
182 granate, moltissime munizioni e sei casse di proiettili calibro 7,62 per
armi leggere. Secondo Andrea Angeli, portavoce della polizia Onu,
"l'incidente non è chiaro, non si sa se dell'autoambulanza fosse prima stato
denunciato un furto o che cosa...". Qual è il fatto esplosivo? E' che sulla
fiancata dell'autoambulanza svetta a lettere cubitali la scritta "Missione
Arcobaleno". L'autoambulanza risulta essere stata donata dal Cesvi, Ong di
Bergamo, all'ospedale di Glakovac - a circa 30-40 km da Pristina, nella
direzione di Pec sulla strada per Mitrovica - e quindi pagata con i soldi
della Missione Arcobaleno. Era stata forse rubata dall'ospedale per
trasportare armi - in Bosnia ambulanze dell'Onu sono spesso servite allo
stesso scopo - destinate agli albanesi di Mitrovica che riprendono la guerra
sparando per la prima volta sugli uomini del contingente francese della
Nato? Alla fine diranno che sì, era stata rubata. Ma la verità è che le armi
arrivano a Mitrovica dall'Uck che in Kosovo controlla tutto, dai comuni agli
ospedali, dalle strade ai fondi elargiti a piene mani da ampie strutture -
400 Ong solo a Pristina - che fanno riferimento all'Onu e
all'Amministratore, Bernard Kouchner. E questo perché l'Uck altro non è che
l'attuale Kpt (Kosovo Protection Corps) la nuova polizia voluta a tutti i
costi da Kouchner e dalla Nato che ha così riciclato, a partire dal
comandante Agim Ceku - su cui indaga il Tribunale dell'Aja - le sue
gerarchie di comando, i mezzi militari e le milizie.
Certo, è troppo presto per gettare discredito, anche qui, sulla Missione
Arcobaleno - anche se qualche risposta dal governo italiano dovrà pur
venire, come dallo stesso Kouchner che ogni giorno deve fare i conti con la
cappa di piombo del potere mafioso-malavitoso che in Kosovo controlla tutto.
Il fatto è che questa notizia-bomba, insieme alla crisi esplosiva della
città di Mitrovica, pongono all'ordine del giorno il nodo dei risultati
della guerra "umanitaria" della Nato. E sotto tiro è Bernard Kouchner.
Soprattutto dopo il duro scontro da lui avuto ieri addirittura con il
governo francese. Per il terzo mese di fila Kouchner ha accusato i governi
occidentali di non fornire forze di polizia all'Amministrazione Onu. Ieri ha
denunciato anche il comportamento di Parigi, che "dimentica di essere la
patria dei diritti umani" e dove "i politici francesi si 'sparano' addosso"
mentre a Mitrovica i cecchini albanesi sparano sui soldati francesi. Gli ha
risposto il ministro della difesa Jean Pierre Chevenement: "Quando si spara
sui soldati - ha detto duramente - l'aumento del numero dei poliziotti non è
forse la soluzione al problema". Uno scontro tutto interno alla sinistra di
governo che ha voluto l'intervento "umanitario".
La polemica ha raggiunto anche le Nazioni unite: Kouchner, dicono, non deve
pensare che la questione della sicurezza in Kosovo sia una questione "di
famiglia", tra lui e il governo francese. Un conflitto ingigantito dai fatti
di Mitrovica di questi giorni, dove cecchini albanesi hanno fatto fuoco sui
soldati della Nato per la prima volta, un ceccino albanese è stato ucciso e
la città è sotto coprifuoco, sempre divisa in due dal ponte sul fiume Ibar.
Kouchner, dicono fonti dell'Onu di Pristina, continua a ripetere che
"Mitrovica non è il simbolo del Kosovo", e qui sbaglia "perché i fatti di
Mitrovica sono proprio il simbolo di quello che ora il Kosovo rappresenta".
Lì le forze Kfor-Nato solo adesso difendono i serbi perché sono i pochi
serbi - cinquemila - rimasti in tutto il Kosovo, Mitrovica è il bantustan
più grosso con sacche di poche centinaia sparse a Pristina, Pec e in poche
altre parti. Dopo una mattanza su cui si è spesso taciuto che ha visto 500
civili serbi morire ammazzati dopo l'ingresso della Nato. Se i serbi
venissero cacciati anche da lì chi la racconterebbe più la favola degli
obiettivi multietnici? Sotto gli occhi della Nato l'Uck in sette mesi ha
cacciato dal Kosovo quasi 300.000 persone, serbi, albanesi
"collaborazionisti", goranci (serbi islamizzati, considerati agenti di
Belgrado) e tutti gli zingari le cui case sono state rase al suolo ovunque.
Mitrovica è il simbolo di tutto questo. Kouchner, su mandato Nato-Onu e di
tutti i governi europei, ha avviato di fatto l'indipendenza della regione
(con il libero corso del marco tedesco al posto del dinaro, con l'apertura
delle frontiere all'Albania, con le targhe autonome, con il governo senza
serbi, con la polizia emanazione dell'Uck, le telecomunicazioni a rete
autonoma da Belgrado - fra l'altro affidata alla francese Alcatel). Ma negli
accordi di pace il Kosovo resta regione della Serbia, e questo vogliono
ancora Unione europea e Stati uniti. Ora siamo nella palude. Washington
cerca in ogni modo di trovare una via d'uscita. Il cerino resta nelle mani
dell'Europa, e del signor Kouchner. A Pristina, negli ambienti Onu - come
alcuni giornali americani in questi giorni - dicono che le sfuriate di
Kouchner sulle forze di polizia che non arrivano, mentre incombe il
fallimento, sono una "dichiarazione d'impotenza, meglio a questo punto
passare la mano, girare pagina, meglio le sue dimissioni".
---
Weapons, ammunition found in ambulance in Kosovo
Associated Press
By ELENA BECATOROS
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Yugoslavia (February 15, 2000 10:57 a.m. EST
http://www.nandotimes.com) - Peacekeepers found a large stock of
powerful weapons and ammunition in an ambulance apparently driven by
ethnic Albanians and heading for this turbulent northern city, a NATO
spokesman said Tuesday.
The ambulance, its emergency signals flashing, veered off a road and
into a ditch while approaching a checkpoint outside Kosovska Mitrovica
late Monday, said Fabrice Turco, a spokesman for the French
peacekeepers. Peacekeepers found weapons and ammunition in the vehicle,
including 14 anti-tank rocket launchers and 182 high-explosive grenades,
NATO said.
The ambulance was marked with ethnic Albanian writing, which uses a
different alphabet from the Serb language. U.N. police were searching
Tuesday for the driver and a passenger, both of whom fled the vehicle
after it went into the ditch.
Kosovska Mitrovica has been a flashpoint for violence between the
province's ethnic Albanian and Serb populations for months. Unrest began
to escalate Feb. 2, when a grenade attack on a U.N. bus killed two
elderly Serbs.
Two French peacekeepers were injured by ethnic Albanian snipers here
over the weekend, and the NATO-led peacekeepers have arrested dozens of
people since. Of the 51 ethnic Albanians arrested, six have been
released.
In addition, the nightly curfew has been extended from seven hours to 12
hours. Under the new regulations, people are prohibited from circulating
on Kosovska Mitrovica's streets from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m.
The alliance reported no security incidents overnight, and the city was
calm. But a local ethnic Albanian human rights group said three more
Albanian families were forced to flee their homes on the northern,
Serb-controlled side of the city.
Additional Greek peacekeepers backed up by U.S. and Canadian soldiers
have been sent in to help cope with the weekend's outbreak of violence.
The peacekeepers are conducting extensive searches of houses and
buildings for weapons and other evidence of criminal intent.
Thousands of ethnic Albanians were killed by Serb forces during Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic's 18-month crackdown against separatists in
Kosovo. After NATO bombing forced the Serb troops to withdraw last
spring, ethnic Albanians began attacking Serbs in revenge.
The NATO peacekeeping mission, which began after the bombing, has
shifted over the last eight months from facilitating the return of
refugees to protecting Serbs and Gypsies from the ethnic Albanian
reprisals.
"I would remind all parties in Kosovo that it was NATO that put an end
to organized ethnic cleansing and has worked to restore peace and
stability for all ethnic groups in the province," NATO Secretary-General
Lord George Robertson said in Brussels, Belgium.
---
RIEPILOGO DELLA SITUAZIONE NELLA PRIMA META' DI FEBBRAIO
Il mese di febbraio comincia come meglio non si potrebbe: il 2/II un
autobus di civili serbi in uscita dall'enclave-ghetto di Kosovska
Mitrovica e' stata attaccato a colpi di razzi anticarro. Risultato,
due morti e cinque feriti, nonche' una prevedibile recrudescenza della
guerra per bande: il giorno dopo, tre albanesi kosovari vengono
"cecchinati" a Mitrovica e due granate lanciate in locali frequentati
da serbi fanno circa venticinque feriti. Gli scontri sono proseguiti
nei giorni successivi, costringendo circa 550 persone a lasciare le
proprie case, tanto che il rappresentante russo della missione ONU
Sergej Ivanov ha denunciato la totale impotenza della "forza di pace"
e ha minacciato di ritirare il proprio contingente. Intanto,
proseguono gli incendi, i rapimenti, i pestaggi e le esercitazioni
nello sport di lanciare granate in case, negozi e locali serbi: il
4/II a Obilic; nello stesso giorno, viene presa a colpi di granata una
corsia dell'ospedale di Prizren, col ferimento grave di 4 pazienti
serbe; a Gnjilane, il 9/II, 5 bombe in 24 ore, mentre nella stessa
citta' un serbo era stato ammazzato a casa sua il 4/II; un altro
autobus carico di serbi e' stato bersagliato a Lipljan l'8/II,
fortunatamente senza vittime.
Non stupisce quindi che i non albanesi continuino a lasciare il
Kosovo, spinti dalla paura o dai rastrellamenti dell'UCK. Il 2/II, gli
ultimi slavi-musulmani (circa un migliaio), hanno abbandonato la
regione di Prizren per rifugiarsi a Novi Pazar (Serbia). La
piccola comunita' ebraica di Pristina era gia' stata costretta in
novembre a rifugiarsi a Belgrado. "E' stato terribile quando due
dozzine di uomini armati, albanesi di Albania a giudicare dall'accento
(!), hanno fatto irruzione nel nostro appartamento." - Dichiara il
capo dell'ex comunita' ebraica Cedomir Prlincevic al quotidiano
tedesco "Neues Deutschland" (22/XII) - "Mia madre, che ha ottant'anni,
ha avuto un infarto perche' si e' ricordata delle SS di Hitler, che
nel 1943 irruppero nel suo appartemento allo stesso modo". Come spesso
accade, anche in questo caso le forze di occupazione KFOR si erano
distinte per l'atteggiamento pilatesco.
Mentre 45.000 soldati KFOR armati fino ai denti ignorano la
sistematica pulizia etnica condotta in Kosovo, impiegati come sono ad
occupare a lungo termine e a fortificare i nodi strategici
fondamentali della regione per futuri obiettivi che niente hanno a che
fare col "peacekeeping" (la base americana di Camp Bondsteel, costo
36,6 milioni di dollari, 6300 presenze, e' destinata a rimpiazzare
Aviano come testa di ponte verso oriente), il contingente civile ONU
e' totalmente privo di fondi (le quote dell'UE e degli USA sono
"sotto" di 102 milioni di dollari secondo lo stesso Rappresentante
Generale della missione ONU B. Kouchner) e non ha ancora avviato
nessuna delle opere di ricostruzione previste. In compenso, secondo
un'inchiesta del "London Times" (5/II), nella regione fioriscono
traffico di droga, rapimento e tratta dei bambini, prostituzione
(quest'ultima merce anche ad usum delle stesse truppe KFOR).
Intanto, se la struttura amministrativa ad interim, patrocinata da B.
Kouchner e non prevista dagli accordi di pace, nasce gia' lacerata
dalle liti inter-albanesi (gli altri gruppi etnici non vi
partecipano), l'UCK non perde occasione per ribadire a modo suo
l'egemonia de facto sulla maggior parte dei comuni: Hasim Chuse,
leader di un piccolo partito democratico, e' stato ritrovato morto il
2/II con tre proiettili nella nuca, dopo essere sparito di casa il
19/I.
Anche su questo versante, ben poche le garanzie offerte dalle forze
KFOR: dopo la perquisizione, con sequestro di un arsenale, a casa del
fratello del leader UCK Hashim Thaci e dopo le indagini su altri
capibanda, e' bastato che il portavoce UCK Krasniqi indirizzasse a
Kouchner e al generale Klaus Reinhardt (comandante generale della
KFOR) una lettera minatoria, accusando la KFOR di "agire come i
criminali serbi", perche' i due alti papaveri della forza di
occupazione si scusassero direttamente con Thaci. La concordia e'
stata prontamente ristabilita, e pochi giorni dopo Kouchner e
Reinhardt hanno tenuto a battesimo il nuovo "Corpo di Protezione del
Kosovo", interamente targato UCK a cominciare dal suo comandante Agim
Ceku, ex ufficiale disertore dell'esercito jugoslavo, poi noto come il
piu' feroce fra i capi dei contras kosovari, responsabile del massacro
di 120 serbi a Gospic (Croazia) gia' nel 1991.
Oltre che alla pulizia di casa propria, i terroristi UCK si dedicano
con un certo successo anche ai rapporti internazionali: il Primo
Ministro bulgaro Ivan Kostov (destra nazionalista e filo-atlantica),
ha invitato Thaci a Sofia in visita ufficiale, probabilmente sperando
che cio' acceleri il tanto ambito ingresso della Bulgaria nell'UE e
nella NATO. Non bastera' certo a rovinare l'intesa il recente
sequestro (29/I) di 38 chili di eroina su un tir albanese alla
frontiera bulgara: il paese gioca infatti da anni un ruolo chiave
nella via della droga gestita dalle mafie turca, albanese e kosovara
(261 kg sequestrati in Bulgaria nel '99).
Si sa: "business is business", e parallelamente alla colonizzazione
delle strutture produttive kosovare (vedi "Rinascita" del 14/I), gli
occupanti occidentali non perdono tempo neanche sul fronte
finanziario. Il 24/I ha iniziato le attivita' la "Micro Enterprise
Bank" (MEB), un ente di credito industriale acquartierato presso la
Missione ONU e patrocinato e diretto dai governi tedesco e olandese
(amministratore generale: l'olandese Koen Wasmus). In una situazione
di assoluto monopolio finanziario dopo la distruzione forzata di tutti
i legami economici fra Pristina e Belgrado, la MEB promette di
diventare il principale volano di colonizzazione economica della
regione, in modo non dissimile da quanto gia' da tempo attuato in
Bosnia dalla "Banca Europea per la Ricostruzione e lo Sviluppo" (BERS,
non a caso uno dei principali finanziatori anche della MEB).
Guido Carpi
Universita' di Cassino
Fonti: Tanjug; FreeB92; Agence France Presse; Transnational Foundation
for Peace and Future Research; "Il Manifesto"; Reuters; IWPR's Balkan
Crisis Report.
---
Date: Monday, February 21, 2000 3:29 AM
Subject: [sorabia] NATO Dutch Mercenaries Torment Serb Women and Children in
Orahovac
>Dutch Rep Office to UN
>Attn. Office Manager/Ambassador
>United Nations
>New York, NY
>
>Copies: Foreign Missions to UN, Foreign Embasses to US, State Department,
> US Congress, Senate, US and Intermnationa Media,
Concerned
>/ Involved Individuals Across the World
>
>February 20, 2000
>
>Dear Sir, or Madam,
>
>The arrogant Dutch mercenaries under the pirate NATO flag, both the aerial
>and the ground butchers, have been rated by the civilized world as the most
>notorious brutes and barbarous savages in the recent cowardly, terrorist
>attack on a small nation of the Serbs, in the motley pack of the wild and
>blood thirsty NATO professional killers of the children, nannies, sick and
>defenseless victims, under the command of the even more vicious military
and
>civilian superiors.
>
>Known as the nation of cowards in defending their homeland in W.W.II, that
>graciously forgave the Germans for pulverized Rotterdam, but then the
loyal,
>rubber-spine lackeys, subservient butlers, shoeshine boys and dog-walkers
of
>the victorious German Nazi officers. Now the armed Dutch, under the NATO
safe
>skirt, have displayed their true colors in Kosovo: monstrous bullies for
the
>helpless Serb women and children in Orahovac, who found their match and
ally
>in the Albanian cutthroats, both in the service of the same masters in
Bonn,
>Washington and London.
>Once a colonial power, the Dutch have become faithful colonial servants for
>the US and German empires, diligently wagging the tail for a piece of a
>chewed off bone.
>I am hoping the Dutch hunters of the Serbs will someday leave their crushed
>bones in the Serb Kosovo sacred soil-to contaminate it, as did the British
>and US depleted uranium shells. The Netherlands could not stoop any lower
in
>disgrace.
>
> Respectfully
and
>Truly Yours,
>
> Tika
Jankovic
> San Jose,
>California
>
>
>
>
>
>Can children be war criminals?'
>by Abe de Vries
>(Translated from Trouw, Amsterdam daily newspaper)
>www.emperors-clothes.com
>
>BELGRADE
>
>"The sooner the Dutch 'Yellow Riders' leave Orahovac, the better. They're
>worse than the Germans," says Mirjana. "The soldiers are not so bad, but
the
>officers are terrible'', according to Natasha. "They admit that they're
only
>here for the Albanians, not for the Serbs,'' says Simka.
>
>Three women from Orahovac, who until recently lived there or who have
family
>there. This is their story, which differs substantially from the one
>lieutenant-colonel Tony van Loon, the commander of the Yellow Riders, has
>told. (Trouw, November 11). His artillery unit will soon be replaced. [See
>Note # 1 at end]
>
>The women read the interview with Van Loon. In their eyes the Yellow Riders
>don't have even one reason to be proud of themselves. "Dear sir,'' begins
an
>open letter from the Humanitarian Committee of Women from Orahovac, ''the
>fact that you turned Orahovac into a test field where the Serbs - without a
>possibility to leave because you pretend not to be able to give them
>protection - are thus forced to stay imprisoned in a ghetto - should not be
>something you should be proud of, nor should you leave Kosovo with a clear
>conscience. To keep the Serbs as prisoners this way is to deliver them to
the
>mercy of terrorists. If this is the way to create a multi-ethnic society,
>than such a society existed also in Warshaw during World War Two.''
>
>In Orahovac 2500 Serbs and 500 gypsies live a terrible life. They are
packed
>into a few streets with only KFOR [NATO] checkpoints separating them from
the
>extremely hostile Albanian majority in the rest of the town. They all want
to
>leave for Serbia or Montenegro. Only one thing is keeping them in Orahovac:
>the fact that the Dutch don't want to guarantee their safety if they
venture
>out of the ghetto.
>
>The Yellow Riders say they're searching for possible war criminals amongst
>the Serbs. A lot of Serbian men are afraid the KLA has put their names on a
>secret list of suspects, so they stay where they are.
>
>Mirjana (26), Natasha (27) and Simka (35) have difficulty believing the
>Serbian police really murdered hundreds of Albanian citizens in Orahovac
and
>the surrounding villages. According to the Yellow Riders, Serbian police
>reservists born in the area executed perhaps some thousand Albanians in
cold
>blood. Until now, 400 bodies have been found. Natasha: "There was a war
going
>on. The KLA attacked the army and the police, who were not saying: 'O
please,
>kill us.' I was in Orahovac myself when the war started. It was a
>psychologically unbearable situation. While NATO bombed us from the air,
>uniformed terrorists were everywhere in the city. In Orahovac and the
>villages everyday Serbs were killed.'' Mirjana: "A number of bodies that
were
>found could belong to Serbs. Villages like Velika Hoca, Retimlje, Zociste
and
>Opterusa were mainly inhabited by Serbs. In Retimlje alone 30 Serbs were
>murdered last year. Where are the bodies of the Serbs?'' Simka: "People say
>all kinds of things. It's because of the hatred Albanians have for the Serb
>police.'' Natasha: "Let's say some Serbs did commit war crimes. Do you
think
>they'll be waiting in Orahovac for Kfor to arrest them? Those who maybe
>really did something wrong are long gone.'' Mirjana: "My husband was
director
>of a municipal archive. If he hadn't left on time, he would probably also
now
>be considered a war criminal. But he is not a nationalist. He fired some
>Albanians because they didn't work well.''
>
>The women do not understand why KFOR refuses to let at least the children
go.
>Until now only one convoy of 155 Serbs was allowed to leave town. Guarded
by
>Dutch troops, it was attacked by a large crowd of Albanians in the vicinity
>of Pec. After that UNHCR, the refugee-agency of the United Nations, stopped
>its humanitarian evacuations in Kosovo. Natasha and Simka both tried
several
>times to take the children of their relatives back to Serbia. Without
>success.
>
>"Can children also be war criminals?'' asks Natasha. "I've cried and I've
>screamed'', says Simka. "But this Dutch officer just stood there and looked
>at me as through a mask. He didn't show any emotion. Nothing. It was just
not
>allowed.'' Simka recently returned from a visit to Orahovac. She says the
>situation there is worse than a couple of weeks ago. Many times there are
>days without electricity, she says. The Serbs cannot buy food in Albanian
>shops They rely on humanitarian organisations to help them. Albanians block
>the road to Pristina, to stop a Russian batallion from entering the town
(the
>Russians are scheduled to replace the Dutch), so all kinds of shortages
>exist.
>
>Simka: "With winter coming, the Serbs are in panic. They're afraid
everybody
>will forget about them. Now they can still drive to Velika Hoca, where many
>Serbs live, but the road is in bad condition and nobody clears up the snow.
>They'll be stuck.''
>
>A visit to Orahovac is only possible with KFOR protection. Visitors have to
>leave the same day. The Serbs in Orahovac are allowed to use a Red Cross
>satellite telephonefor one minute a week. According to the women, the phone
>is bugged. Mirjana: "The line is cut the moment someone says something
>negative about life in Orahovac."
>
>Mail can be delivered to the Red Cross, but the letters are first examined
by
>a censor. Relatives in Serbia get them with thick black lines through the
>text.
>
>Since the arrival of the Dutch soldiers more than 20 Serbs from Orahovac
have
>been kidnapped and 136 Serbian houses have been burned to the ground. One
of
>the missing Serbs is the husband of a translator who worked for the Yellow
>Riders. In none of these cases have the Dutch started an investigation, let
>alone succeeded in bringing someone back, says Simka.
>
>In 1998, some 50 Serbs were kidnapped. Nobody has heard from them since.
She
>asks why the Dutch, who arrested 11 Serb war crimes suspects, have never
>arrested an Albanian for war crimes. The Albanian Ismet Tara is Orahovac's
>KLA-commander. He would be the biggest criminal. Simka: "His uncle had the
>reputation in 1941 of being the worst fascist in town. My uncle, who was a
>Partizan, told me that.'' Mirjana mentions Sebajdin Cena, her teacher at
>school. "My parents and I were at his wedding. My father gave him his first
>job. He was recognized as one of the organizors of the kidnappings last
>year.''
>
>The Dutch, conclude the women, are one-sided, anti-Serb and don't do a
thing
>to improve the situation for the Serbs in Orahovac. Natasja: "With them,
>every day is worse than the day before''. Mirjana: "I don't think this
[Dutch
>Col.] Van Loon will ever sleep well again."
>
>***
>
>Note # 1 - The above article is second in a series by Trouw. The first
>consisted of an interview with Dutch KFOR (NATO) Commander Col. Tony van
>Loon. Excerpts from that article with comments by Simca and Natasha can be
>read by clicking on The Women of Orahovac Answer the Colonel or going to
>http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/trouw.htm
>
>Note # 2 - To read interviews with the women from Orahovac, click on Save
the
>families: The women of Orahovac speak or go to
>http://www.emperors-clothes.com/misc/savethe.htm
>
>Enjoyed this article? Send it to a friend!
>
>To read more... please click here or go to http://www.emperors-clothes.com
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Group Moderator: Ova adresa el. pošte je zaštićena od spambotova. Omogućite JavaScript da biste je videli.
>page at http://www.egroups.com/list/sorabia
>for more informations about current situation in Serbia
http://www.sorabia.home.dhs.org
>
>
---
-----Original Message-----
From: NATODOC <natodoc@...>
To: NATODATA@...
<NATODATA@...>
Date: Monday, February 21, 2000 8:47 AM
Subject: KFOR Press Update, 21 February 2000
>KFOR
>Press Update
>Delivered by Lieutenant Commander Philip Anido
>KFOR Spokesman
>
>PRISTINA - Monday, 21 February 2000
>KFOR Search Operation in Mitrovica
>KFOR soldiers, supported by UNMIK police, began a second day of searches in
>several neighbourhoods in Mitrovica this morning at 7 a.m. They are looking
>for small and large caches of illegal and dangerous weapons.
>Owners of the weapons will be detained and turned over to UNMIK police, and
>those who are suspected for having been involved in the recent violent
>actions will be arrested.
>Yesterday, 11 arrests were made, all for weapons violations. The men
>included 10 Albanians and one Serb. Following identification and
>interrogation, nine were released. One Albanian and one Serb remain in
>custody.
>The latest report of weapons confiscated includes:
>* 22 rifles
>* 8 blocks of plastic explosive
>* 1 heavy machine gun
>* 18 rifle magazines loaded with ammunition; 30 bullets per
>* 1 hunting rifle
>* 1000's of rounds of ammunition
>* 2 automatic pistols
>* 4 hand grenade
>The search operation will continue until General Dr. Klaus Reinhardt, the
>Commander of KFOR, is satisfied that illegal activities have been stopped
>and dangerous weapons are banned from Mitrovica.
>KFOR and UNMIK will not allow any illegal activities that perpetuate the
>cycle of violence or hold up the process of peace and reconciliation in
>Kosovo to continue.
>Approximately 2,500 KFOR troops from 12 nations are supporting the
operation
>in Mitrovica.
>Demonstration
>Twenty thousand Albanian citizens from Pristina and other communities are
>marching to Mitrovica today to protest the situation in that troubled city.
>The men, women and children are marching on foot and driving in cars, vans
>and busses.
>UNMIK police are following the parade and KFOR soldiers are monitoring the
>progress along the route using foot patrols, vehicles and helicopters.
>The organizers have called for a peaceful demonstration and have agreed
that
>the protesters will stop in Vucitrn south of the city. From there, 12
>representatives will be allowed to deliver a letter to UN officials in
>Mitrovica.
>By 4 p.m. the crowds on foot will be picked up by bus for the return trip
to
>Pristina.
>Incidents During the Past 24 Hours
>Searches and Weapons Confiscations
>Multinational Brigade East
>Yesterday in Kravarica, a KFOR patrol confiscated two rifles
>and a quantity of ammunition.
>Incidents and Injuries
>Multinational Brigade Centre
>Yesterday evening, KFOR Norwegian troops reported that a
>home-made bomb was thrown into an occupied Serb house. There were no
>injuries but there was damage to the house. KFOR are using specially
>trained dogs in their investigation.
>Arrests
>Multinational Brigade West
>Yesterday morning in Pec, KFOR Military Police and UNMIK
>police arrested a Montenegrin man in connection with the shooting of an
>Albanian on 19 February in Vitomirica.
---
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.HOME-PAGE.ORG
[Finally, a headline has been assigned to this story
from the New York Times - by the Florida Sun Sentinel
- that doesn't grotesquely distort the truth.
For those who have been following the current state of
"Kosovo peacekeeping," in a province overrun by 50,000
NATO occupation troops an equal number of ethnic
Albanians "just happen" to gather in the capital city,
Pristina, and march 25 miles to Mitrovica.
Waving Albanian (that is, the nation of Albania's) and
American flags, the marchers - organized by whom, if
not the KLA? - are able to converge on Mitrovica
unhindered and ostensibly unnoticed by General
Reinhardt and his Balkans Korps, who are busy
ransacking Serb quarters in that city for non-existent
arms caches.
And then this from General Reinhardt: "They have
demonstrated how they want to live" - as they're
forcing their way through K-For cordons and
threatening God-knows-what violence should they
succeed - "and are demonstrating for a better future.
They want a united city."
They want a united city, indeed. United like Warsaw
became after Reinhardt's countrymen attacked the
Warsaw Ghetto some sixty-five years ago.
Beginning to sound surreal? No more than the entire
false rationale for NATO aggression and occupation in
the first place.]
_____________________________________________________
Thousands of Albanians rally to oust Serbs from city
in Kosovo
By CARLOTTA GALL
Web-posted: 10:55 p.m. Feb. 21, 2000
MITROVICA, Yugoslavia -- Thousands of ethnic Albanians
from throughout Kosovo marched on this divided city on
Monday and clashed with NATO-led troops who used tear
gas and fists to keep them from reaching the Serbian
district.
An estimated 25,000 protesters tried to cross the
main bridge that divides the Serb and Albanian
sections of this mining town, but were turned back as
thousands of Serbs stood watching from the other side.
The Albanians repeatedly pushed against the lines of
British and Canadian soldiers and French gendarmes as
fights broke out and demonstrators were hauled away.
Monday's showdown came as tensions continued to
build in the ethnically divided city of 90,000 people.
The violence of the past two weeks has left 11 people
dead and dozens wounded, including two French soldiers
who were shot in gun battles.
Wave after wave of protesters arrived Monday on
foot from Pristina, the capital of Kosovo province, 25
miles away, and from the western towns of Pec and
Srbica among others. Young men strode up the main
street waving red Albanian flags and banners as they
tried to breach the military lines.
Across the River Ibar, Serbs held the Serbian
tricolor aloft and played Serbian nationalist songs on
loudspeakers. For several hours peacekeepers struggled
to contain the crowd and French police resorted to
volley after volley of tear gas over the heads of the
British and Canadians, often leaving the soldiers
choking and retching along with the demonstrators.
By nightfall the protesters, some of whom had
walked for 10 hours, grew tired and drifted away. The
commander of the peacekeeping force, German Gen. Klaus
Reinhardt, climbed atop a British tank to talk to the
crowd. He praised his troops for their restraint and
said they had prevented any serious injuries or
consequences.
He also said he understood the demonstrators.
"They have shown the way they want to live and are
demonstrating for a better future. They want a united
city," he said.
But his words underlined the intractable problem
the city presents for the peacekeepers and the U.N.
administration. The Albanians all speak of liberating
the city, by which they mean moving back into the Serb
district en masse, which in turn would force the Serbs
to flee.
---
SERBIAN PROVINCE OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
BRUTAL AND BARBARIC ACT BY KFOR
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, February 21 (Tanjug) - Jovica Jovanovic, a member of
the subcommittee for administration and legislature of the Yugoslav
committee for cooperation with the United Nations mission in Kosovo and
Metohija province, said on Sunday that the search of apartments and
institutions in northern Kosovska Mitrovica by international force KFOR
U.S. and German troops was a brutal, barbaric and uncivilized act.
Jovanovic told reporters he had been present during a search of the
Faculty of Technology. He saw troops break down with axes the doors of a
laboratory and other premises.
Jovanovic also toured the school of technology which had also been a
target of KFOR's barbaric activities.
He said it was not by accident that the barbaric action was carried out by
U.S. and German troops. The presence of numerous foreign reporters and TV
crew at the very time when the action took place, and their on-the-spot
reporting is proof that this was all stage-managed, Jovanovc said.
The leading players in this action - U.S. and German troops - were not
picked at random, because there are no more Serbs in the parts of Kosovo
and Metohija where these troops are deployed, he said.
Jovanovic said it was an act of ultimate cynicism when French troops
brought the principal of the School of Technology about a dozen cylinder
locks and padlocks to compensate for the incurred damage.
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
I SOCIALISTI NELLE ELEZIONI IN CROAZIA
Le recenti elezioni politiche in Croazia, vinte dai socialdemocratici di
Racan, sono state le prime cui ha partecipato la Socijalisticka Radnicka
Partija Hrvatske [SRP], formazione nata del 1997. Diversamente dagli altri
raggruppamenti, la SRP non e' entrata in alcuna coalizione con altre forze
politiche perche' - nelle parole del suo presidente Stipe Suvar - "noi siamo
per il socialismo del XXI secolo, mentre gli altri non vogliono sentir
nemmeno parlare di qualche tipo di socialismo".
La SRP ha ottenuto una percentuale di voti prossima all'uno per cento,
raccogliendo consensi soprattutto in Istria e nelle zone costiere. Sulla
base dell'analisi dello stesso Suvar, sotto riportata, alla SRP
auguriamo una crescita costante ed un piu' forte radicamento territoriale
ed organizzativo per il futuro. CRJ
---
Lettera del presidente del Partito Socialista Operaio della
Croazia Stipe Suvar alle organizzazioni ed agli iscritti
Zagreb, 5. sijeènja 1999.
Pismo predsjednika organizacijama i èlanovima
SRP je na izborima prošao relativno
dobro, kad se uzme u obzir da su u Sabor
ušle samo dvije koalicije koje æe preuzeti
vlast (dvojka + èetvorka), oèerupani i
pokunjeni HDZ, koji æe se ubrzano
dezintegrirati i dvojac s bukaèke desnice
(Ðapiæ - Veselica).
A nisu ušle stranke s desnice koje su
buèno najavljivale osvajanje mnoštva
mandata, Merèepova HPS i Prkaèinova NH.
ASH se prikljuèio “èetvorki”, ali njihov nijedan
kandidat nije se domogao mandata. SDU je
dobio minimalan broj glasova u tri izborne
jedinice, u kojima je nastupao.
Mjesta u Saboru takoðer nije osvojila ni jedna
regionalna stranka, osim onih koje su
zastupljene u dvije pobjednièke koalicije, ili
stranka nacionalnih manjina (ni Srpska
samostalna demokratska stranka).
Po izbornim rezultatima, SRP se probio na
treæe ili èetvrto mjesto meðu 31 stranke i 20
nezavisnih lista koje nisu ušle u Sabor (više
glasova od SRP-a dobile su jedino Hrvatska
stranka umirovljenika, Merèepova Hrvatska
puèka stranka i Paragina Hrvatska stranka
prava 1861).
Na izbore smo išli bez ikakvih para, osim
dobrovoljnih priloga naših èlanova, pa nismo
mogli plaæati ni reklame, ni prevoziti ljude
autobusima, ni prireðivati koncerte, ni tiskati i
masovno lijepiti plakate.
Naše su organizacije i èlanovi iskazali veliki
entuzijazam i požrtvovanje u animiranju ljudi,
prireðivanju predizbornih skupova, tiskanju,
dijeljenju i lijepljenju plakata koje su sami, iz
svojih sredstava tiskali, te u skupljanju priloga
za plaæanje dvorana. Naši su kandidati
sami sebi plaæali putne troškove, itd. Sve
to raduje i ohrabruje.
Stekli smo dragocjena iskustva za
iduæe izbore. Najteže je prvi puta izaæi pred
biraèe, zar ne?
Prema SRP-u postoji još mnogo predrasuda, a i
strah kod mnogih da nam pristupe ili da se
odazovu na naše skupove. No, nadajmo se da
æe i to jenjavati.
Naši istupi u predizbornoj kampanji bili su u
pravilu dobri. Pokazalo se da imamo mnogo
sposobnih ljudi koji mogu u ime stranke
istupati, i tumaèiti njezin program i politiku.
U cjelini, SRP je izašao iz poluilegale, u kojoj su
ga drugi držali i predstavio se najširoj hrvatskoj
javnosti kao stranka ozbiljnih namjera!
Kada smo osnivali SRP u listopadu 1997.
godine, u Hrvatskoj se gotovo nije smjelo
izjašnjavati za bilo kakav socijalizam, pa makar
i u buduænosti. Valjda æe u godinama pred
nama sve više ljudi i u Hrvatskoj shvaæati da
zalaganje za socijalizam 21. stoljeæa nije
donkihotsko. A tome bi trebala pridonijeti i
smjena na vlasti, premda se SDP ne izjašnjava
za socijalizam i premda se neæe i sam ponašati
kao istinska lijeva stranka.
Za SRP je sada najvažnije da pridobija mlade i
posebno da se širi Mlada demokratska ljevica
Hrvatske.
U toku veljaèe ili ožujka 2000. godine održat
æemo izborno-izvještajnu skupštinu SRP-a,
ponovo birati naša rukovodeæa tijela, dopuniti
Porgramsku deklaraciju, izvršiti neke izmjene
Statuta, pa æe to biti prilika i da vidimo što je
SRP postigao u dvije godine postojanja i što
mu je èiniti u iduæe dvije godine.
Mnogi ljudi koji su po svojim uvjerenjima na
liniji SRP-a i kojima je on blizak ovaj put su
glasali za koaliciju SDP-HSLS, želeæi time
pridonijeti HDZ-ovom silasku s vlasti. A ako se
ta koalicija ne pokaže vjerodostojna i ako se u
praksi ne potvrdi da odluèno raskida sa ZNA SE
politikom, ljudi æe sve više prilaziti SRP-u, tim
više ako budemo kao stranka agilni, ako se
budemo pravovremeno oglašavali i izlazili sa
svojim prijedlozima i zahtjevima u
odnosu na novu vlast.
Možda uskoro doðe i do izvanrednih izbora, a u
tom æe sluèaju SRP, nema nikakve sumnje,
mnogo bolje proæi!
Prema tome, na izlazak SRP-a na izbore 3.
sijeènja 2000. trebamo gledati kao na poèetak
naše jaèe prisutnosti na hrvatskoj politièkoj
sceni i našeg veæeg utjecaja, a ne kao na
nekakav (relativni) neuspjeh.
Po svoj prilici, ostat æemo jedina lijeva stranka
u Hrvatskoj, jer se druge neæe potvrditi kao
takve ili æe se ugasiti.
Moramo se širiti, osnivati nove organizacije
SRP-a, pridobijati nove èlanove i potvrðivati
svoju prisutnost u dnevnom pulsiranju
politièkog života.
U to ime sve vas pozdravljam i svima
želim sretnu 2000. godinu!
Stipe Šuvar, v.r.
http://srp.hr
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
Le recenti elezioni politiche in Croazia, vinte dai socialdemocratici di
Racan, sono state le prime cui ha partecipato la Socijalisticka Radnicka
Partija Hrvatske [SRP], formazione nata del 1997. Diversamente dagli altri
raggruppamenti, la SRP non e' entrata in alcuna coalizione con altre forze
politiche perche' - nelle parole del suo presidente Stipe Suvar - "noi siamo
per il socialismo del XXI secolo, mentre gli altri non vogliono sentir
nemmeno parlare di qualche tipo di socialismo".
La SRP ha ottenuto una percentuale di voti prossima all'uno per cento,
raccogliendo consensi soprattutto in Istria e nelle zone costiere. Sulla
base dell'analisi dello stesso Suvar, sotto riportata, alla SRP
auguriamo una crescita costante ed un piu' forte radicamento territoriale
ed organizzativo per il futuro. CRJ
---
Lettera del presidente del Partito Socialista Operaio della
Croazia Stipe Suvar alle organizzazioni ed agli iscritti
Zagreb, 5. sijeènja 1999.
Pismo predsjednika organizacijama i èlanovima
SRP je na izborima prošao relativno
dobro, kad se uzme u obzir da su u Sabor
ušle samo dvije koalicije koje æe preuzeti
vlast (dvojka + èetvorka), oèerupani i
pokunjeni HDZ, koji æe se ubrzano
dezintegrirati i dvojac s bukaèke desnice
(Ðapiæ - Veselica).
A nisu ušle stranke s desnice koje su
buèno najavljivale osvajanje mnoštva
mandata, Merèepova HPS i Prkaèinova NH.
ASH se prikljuèio “èetvorki”, ali njihov nijedan
kandidat nije se domogao mandata. SDU je
dobio minimalan broj glasova u tri izborne
jedinice, u kojima je nastupao.
Mjesta u Saboru takoðer nije osvojila ni jedna
regionalna stranka, osim onih koje su
zastupljene u dvije pobjednièke koalicije, ili
stranka nacionalnih manjina (ni Srpska
samostalna demokratska stranka).
Po izbornim rezultatima, SRP se probio na
treæe ili èetvrto mjesto meðu 31 stranke i 20
nezavisnih lista koje nisu ušle u Sabor (više
glasova od SRP-a dobile su jedino Hrvatska
stranka umirovljenika, Merèepova Hrvatska
puèka stranka i Paragina Hrvatska stranka
prava 1861).
Na izbore smo išli bez ikakvih para, osim
dobrovoljnih priloga naših èlanova, pa nismo
mogli plaæati ni reklame, ni prevoziti ljude
autobusima, ni prireðivati koncerte, ni tiskati i
masovno lijepiti plakate.
Naše su organizacije i èlanovi iskazali veliki
entuzijazam i požrtvovanje u animiranju ljudi,
prireðivanju predizbornih skupova, tiskanju,
dijeljenju i lijepljenju plakata koje su sami, iz
svojih sredstava tiskali, te u skupljanju priloga
za plaæanje dvorana. Naši su kandidati
sami sebi plaæali putne troškove, itd. Sve
to raduje i ohrabruje.
Stekli smo dragocjena iskustva za
iduæe izbore. Najteže je prvi puta izaæi pred
biraèe, zar ne?
Prema SRP-u postoji još mnogo predrasuda, a i
strah kod mnogih da nam pristupe ili da se
odazovu na naše skupove. No, nadajmo se da
æe i to jenjavati.
Naši istupi u predizbornoj kampanji bili su u
pravilu dobri. Pokazalo se da imamo mnogo
sposobnih ljudi koji mogu u ime stranke
istupati, i tumaèiti njezin program i politiku.
U cjelini, SRP je izašao iz poluilegale, u kojoj su
ga drugi držali i predstavio se najširoj hrvatskoj
javnosti kao stranka ozbiljnih namjera!
Kada smo osnivali SRP u listopadu 1997.
godine, u Hrvatskoj se gotovo nije smjelo
izjašnjavati za bilo kakav socijalizam, pa makar
i u buduænosti. Valjda æe u godinama pred
nama sve više ljudi i u Hrvatskoj shvaæati da
zalaganje za socijalizam 21. stoljeæa nije
donkihotsko. A tome bi trebala pridonijeti i
smjena na vlasti, premda se SDP ne izjašnjava
za socijalizam i premda se neæe i sam ponašati
kao istinska lijeva stranka.
Za SRP je sada najvažnije da pridobija mlade i
posebno da se širi Mlada demokratska ljevica
Hrvatske.
U toku veljaèe ili ožujka 2000. godine održat
æemo izborno-izvještajnu skupštinu SRP-a,
ponovo birati naša rukovodeæa tijela, dopuniti
Porgramsku deklaraciju, izvršiti neke izmjene
Statuta, pa æe to biti prilika i da vidimo što je
SRP postigao u dvije godine postojanja i što
mu je èiniti u iduæe dvije godine.
Mnogi ljudi koji su po svojim uvjerenjima na
liniji SRP-a i kojima je on blizak ovaj put su
glasali za koaliciju SDP-HSLS, želeæi time
pridonijeti HDZ-ovom silasku s vlasti. A ako se
ta koalicija ne pokaže vjerodostojna i ako se u
praksi ne potvrdi da odluèno raskida sa ZNA SE
politikom, ljudi æe sve više prilaziti SRP-u, tim
više ako budemo kao stranka agilni, ako se
budemo pravovremeno oglašavali i izlazili sa
svojim prijedlozima i zahtjevima u
odnosu na novu vlast.
Možda uskoro doðe i do izvanrednih izbora, a u
tom æe sluèaju SRP, nema nikakve sumnje,
mnogo bolje proæi!
Prema tome, na izlazak SRP-a na izbore 3.
sijeènja 2000. trebamo gledati kao na poèetak
naše jaèe prisutnosti na hrvatskoj politièkoj
sceni i našeg veæeg utjecaja, a ne kao na
nekakav (relativni) neuspjeh.
Po svoj prilici, ostat æemo jedina lijeva stranka
u Hrvatskoj, jer se druge neæe potvrditi kao
takve ili æe se ugasiti.
Moramo se širiti, osnivati nove organizacije
SRP-a, pridobijati nove èlanove i potvrðivati
svoju prisutnost u dnevnom pulsiranju
politièkog života.
U to ime sve vas pozdravljam i svima
želim sretnu 2000. godinu!
Stipe Šuvar, v.r.
http://srp.hr
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
LA ALBRIGHT SCAMBIATA PER UN ESSERE UMANO !
Il "Guardian" del 28 gennaio scorso riportava un trafiletto su di un
episodio avvenuto durante i colloqui-truffa di Rambouillet, presso
Parigi, nel febbraio 1999. Aggirandosi per i corridoi del castello che
ospitava tutte le delegazioni, Madeleine Albright si affaccio'
improvvisamente all'uscio di una stanza dove era riunita la delegazione
albanese. "Un membro della delegazione, che non si era reso conto di chi
si trattasse, e pensando probabilmente che fosse qualche donna delle
pulizie visto che la mezzanotte era gia' passata, le disse
semplicemente: 'Ci lasci cinque minuti e se ne vada'...", ricorda
Dugagjin Gorani, editore del giornale in lingua inglese "KD Times", che
era presente. Secondo Veton Surroi "la Albright sbotto' con una sequela
di espressioni che i traduttori non avrebbero mai potuto tradurre in
albanese".
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
Il "Guardian" del 28 gennaio scorso riportava un trafiletto su di un
episodio avvenuto durante i colloqui-truffa di Rambouillet, presso
Parigi, nel febbraio 1999. Aggirandosi per i corridoi del castello che
ospitava tutte le delegazioni, Madeleine Albright si affaccio'
improvvisamente all'uscio di una stanza dove era riunita la delegazione
albanese. "Un membro della delegazione, che non si era reso conto di chi
si trattasse, e pensando probabilmente che fosse qualche donna delle
pulizie visto che la mezzanotte era gia' passata, le disse
semplicemente: 'Ci lasci cinque minuti e se ne vada'...", ricorda
Dugagjin Gorani, editore del giornale in lingua inglese "KD Times", che
era presente. Secondo Veton Surroi "la Albright sbotto' con una sequela
di espressioni che i traduttori non avrebbero mai potuto tradurre in
albanese".
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
George Thompson: "LE RADICI DEL FASCISMO IN KOSOVO"
(dal sito "Emperors Clothes" - http://www.tenc.net)
IERI... "La popolazione serba in Kosovo dovrebbe essere cacciata il prima
possibile. I coloni serbi vanno ammazzati" (Il leader fascista albanese
Mustafa Kruja, giugno 1942).
...OGGI "Come molti ufficiali UCK, anch'egli dice apertamente che sogna un
Kosovo libero dai serbi" (Descrizione de "Il Maestro" Comandante di uno
squadrone della morte UCK, "Agence France Presse", 19 agosto 1999).
"Quando la Germania invase la Jugoslavia nel 1941, il popolo kosovaro fu
liberato dai tedeschi. Tutti i territori albanesi di questo stato, come il
Kosova, la Macedonia occidentale e le regioni di confine del Montenegro
furono riunificate con l'Albania propriamente detta. Furono ristabilite le
scuole in lingua albanese, l'amministrazione del governo, la stampa e la
radio" (Da: www.klpm.org, sito web affiliato all'UCK).
L'Italia di Mussolini occupo' l'Albania nell'aprile 1939 e insedio' un regime
collaborazionista con l'evidente entusiasmo di molti albanesi (1). Dopo che
Hitler ebbe invaso ed occupato la Jugoslavia nella primavera 1941, il grosso
dell'attuale Kosovo-Metohija fu posto sotto il controllo del governo
collaborazionista italo-albanese ed annesso all'Albania (2). Quando le forze
italiane entrarono in Kosovo, erano accompagnate da albanesi d'Albania. Gli
albanesi che vivevano in Kosovo si unirono alle forze di invasione che
aprivano loro la strada verso nord ed ovest, e tendevano agguati alle unita'
dell'esercito jugoslavo che affrontavano gli invasori. Questi albanesi,
nativi sia dell'Albania che del Kosovo, scatenarono una campagna di assassini
e deportazioni nei confronti dei serbi. Inizialmente, la mattanza era portata
avanti in modo disorganizzato da unita' di "Kachaki" irregolari. Si trattava
di briganti albanesi di entrambi i lati del confine che avevano combattutto
la Jugoslavia durante gli anni '20 e '30 (3). Nondimeno, venne presto
costituita una milizia kosovara locale. Tale milizia, detta "Vulnetari",
insieme ad altre unita' di polizia, inizio' persecuzioni piu' sistematiche (4).
I FASCISTI ITALIANI COLTI ALLA SPROVVISTA
Le autorita' italiane in Kosovo parvero alquanto spiazzate dal terrore contro
i serbi, e occasionalmente intervennero per prevenire attacchi albanesi, per
lo meno nelle aree urbane. Cosi' scrive uno storico serbo: "Le truppe italiane
furono dislocate nelle citta' del Kosovo e agivano come forza contenitrice..."
(5). Carlo Umilta', un ausiliario civile del Comando delle forze di
occupazione italiane, descrisse diversi episodi in cui le truppe italiane
aprirono il fuoco sugli albanesi per evitare massacri di serbi (6).
A causa della scarsita' di forze e dell'alleanza de facto fra albanesi e
forze dell'Asse, questi tentativi di contenimento costituirono ben poca cosa.
Tuttavia, gli occupanti italiani riferirono il loro disgusto per le azioni
degli albanesi alle autorita' di Roma. L'esercito italiano riferi' che gli
albanesi "stavano dando la caccia ai serbi", e che "la minoranza serba viveva
in condizioni veramente miserevoli, continuamente perseguitata dalla
brutalita' degli albanesi che alimenta l'odio razziale" (7). Carlo Umilta'
descrive alcune delle atrocita' nelle sue memorie e osserva che "gli albanesi
stanno sterminando gli slavi" (8). Alle sue parole fanno eco quelle di Hermann
Neubacher, il rappresentante del Terzo Reich per l'Europa sud-orientale: "Gli
schipetari avevano fretta di espellere il maggior numero possibile di Serbi
dal paese" (9).
Le atrocita' furono commesse deliberatamente, come parte di
un piano volto a creare una "grande Albania" libera dai serbi. Nel giugno
1942, il presidente fantoccio fascista dell'Albania Mustafa Kruja dichiaro'
candidamente i suoi principi davanti ai suoi seguaci kosovari: "La popolazione
serba in Kosovo dovrebbe essere cacciata il prima possibile. Tutti i serbi
indigeni dovrebbero essere qualificati come colonizzatori, e in quanto tali,
attraverso i governi albanese e italiano, mandati in campi di concentramento
in Albania. I coloni serbi vanno ammazzati" (10). Sentimenti simili furono
espressi da un capo albanese-kosovaro, Ferat-Bej Draga: "E' arrivato il
momento di sterminare i serbi. Non rimarra' alcun serbo sotto il sole del
Kosovo" (11). I pogrom anti-serbi si intensificarono dopo il collasso
italiano nel settembre '43. I nazisti tedeschi assunsero il controllo
dell'Albania, incluso il Kosovo. Le unita' militari italiane furono cacciate
e rimpiazzate da tre divisioni del XXI corpo alpino tedesco. La presenza
militare tedesca lascio' agli albanesi piena liberta' d'azione.
Le milizie nazionaliste kosovaro-albanesi, chiamate "Balli Kombaetar" (o
"Balisti") portarono avanti una campagna di deportazione e sterminio di serbi
nel '43-'44. Poi, su ordine esplicito di Hitler, i tedeschi formarono la
21¡ "Waffen-Gebirgsdivision SS" - la Divisione Skanderbeg. Con capi
tedeschi e ufficiali e truppa kosovaro-albanesi, gli hitleriani speravano che
usando gli Skanderbeg, la Germania avrebbe potuto "raggiungere il suo ben
noto obiettivo politico": creare una "grande Albania" vitale (cioe' pura) che
includesse il Kosovo (12).
In generale, la politica tedesca era quella di organizzare unita' militari
volontarie fra i simpatizzanti nazisti dei paesi occupati. Fra tutte le
nazioni occupate, solo i serbi, i greci e i polacchi rifiutarono
di formare unita' volontarie naziste. Piuttosto che unirsi ai nazisti, come
avevano fatto gli albanesi in Kosovo, i serbi organizzarono la piu' grande
resistenza antinazista in Europa. Sia i partigiani comunisti che i monarchici
cetnici erano principalmente serbi, e entrambi i gruppi combatterono i
tedeschi e i loro alleati locali in tutta la jugoslavia. I tedeschi
reclutarono i 9000 uomini della divisione Skanderbeg per combattere questi
gruppi di resistenza, ma gli albanesi della Skanderbeg non avevano interesse
ad affrontare soldati; essi volevano principalmente terrorizzare i civili
serbi, zingari ed ebrei locali. Molti di questi albanesi kosovari avevano
prestato servizio in precedenza nelle divisioni SS bosniaco-musulmane e
croate, note per i loro massacri di civili.
Come si spiega l'odio furioso per i non-albanesi? Un fattore importante era
la militanza islamica. La fondamentalista "Seconda Lega di Prizren" fu creata
nel settembre '43 da Xhafer Deva, un albanese kosovaro, per collaborare con
le autorita' germaniche. La lega proclamo' una jijad (guerra santa) contro
gli slavi. Essi erano supportati dal Gran Mufti di Gerusalemme El Haj Emin
Huseini, filonazista, che aspirava a liberarsi di tutti gli ebrei in quella
che al tempo era la Palestina occupata dai Britannici. L'intolleranza
religiosa albanese si manifesto' con evidenza negli attacchi a chiese e
monasteri ortodossi (13).
Non ci sono dati certi sulle perdite umane subite durante
l'olocausto fascista albanese. Le stime vanno da 10.000 a 30.000 serbi uccisi;
per lo meno 100.000 furono cacciati e rimpiazzati da persone "immigrate"
dall'Albania propriamente detta (14).
Nel giustificare l'attuale aspirazione kosovaro-albanese a secedere dalla
Serbia, i media hanno ripetuto come un mantra: il 90 per cento della
popolazione e' albanese. Anche se queste proporzioni sono molto esagerate
(nessuno lo sa con certezza, perche' i kosovaro-albanesi hanno boicottato
i censimenti per anni!) - la provincia e' certo in massima parte albanese.
Ma una causa determinante dell'attuale sproporzione demografica fu il
successo degli albanesi nel ruolo di volonterosi esecutori di Hitler durante
la II Guerra mondiale (15).
Oltre tutto, le loro attenzioni non si limitarono
ai serbi. Non si sa quanti zingari furono eliminati. E gli albanesi kosovari,
sia da soli che sotto la direzione tedesca, eliminarono molti degli ebrei del
Kosovo. L'opera principale sulla "soluzione finale" di Hitler in Jugoslavia
(16) stima che 550 ebrei vivessero in Kosovo al momento dell'invasione
nazista. 210 di essi, ossia il 38 per cento, furono uccisi in Kosovo, per
lo piu' da albanesi. Infatti, la prima operazione della divisione Skanderbeg
come "Einsatztruppen" fu un'incursione contro gli ebrei, e la seconda fu lo
sterminio del villaggio serbo di Velika, dove piu' di 400 serbi furono uccisi
(17).
Ceda Prlincevic, capo della Comunita' ebraica di Pristina e dirigente
degli archivi provinciali, ha spiegato alla Emperors-Clothes che gli ebrei
che non furono uccisi subito furono inviate dalla Skanderbeg nei campi di
sterminio tedeschi di Treblinka e Bergen-Belsen. Un treno diretto a
quest'ultimo prese la tratta sbagliata e fu intercettato dalle truppe russe
che avanzavano. Secondo Prlincevic, senza questo fortunato errore, l'intera
popolazione ebraica del Kosovo sarebbe stata eliminata.
Sebbene i sostenitori
dell'UCK oggi proclamino che non siano stati uccisi ebrei in Kosovo e che gli
ebrei siano stati difesi dagli albanesi-kosovari, tali affermazioni sono false
e dovrebbero essere trattate allo stesso modo in cui tratteremmo le altre
smentite sull'olocausto.
I FASCISTI ALBANESI CONTINUANO A COMBATTERE
I tedeschi si arresero nel 1945, ma i resti dei gruppi nazisti e fascisti
kosovaro-albanesi continuarono a combattere il governo jugoslavo per sei
anni, con una grande ribellione durata dal 1945 al 1948 (Drenica e' stata
il focolaio del reclutamento UCK nel '98-'99) sotto il comando di Shabhan
Paluzha. Violenze sporadiche continuarono fino al '51. E' vero alla lettera
dire che gli ultimi spari della II Guerra mondiale furono sparati in Kosovo.
IN CONCLUSIONE...
La scorsa estate, quando i Tedeschi sono entrati a Prizren per la prima volta
dopo la II Guerra mondiale, un corrispondente della NBC ha riportato:
"L'altra sera ero a cena con una gentile famiglia di kosovari musulmani,
quando il discorso e' caduto sulle truppe NATO tedesche che entravano in
citta' per farne il quartier generale del loro distretto di peacekeeping.
Il capofamiglia, un uomo abbastanza anziano da ricordare l'ultima volta che
le truppe germaniche erano entrate a Prizren, disse che si sentivano tutti al
sicuro ora. 'I soldati tedeschi sono eccellenti', egli disse. Poi aggiunse:
'Lo so ben io, ero uno di loro'. Allora ha sollevato il braccio in un saluto
nazista, ha detto 'heil' e si e' messo a ridere tutto contento"
(NBC, 18 giugno 1999).
---
INTRODUCTION
Why do some ethnic Albanians support KLA terror against Serbs, Roma
("Gypsies") and other Kosovo residents? The mass media says it's revenge,
revenge for Serbian misdeeds; this despite ever-growing evidence that the
tales of misdeeds are fiction. (See "Spinning the Kill" at
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/analysis/spin.htm
Nevertheless the revenge argument appears in some form in most Western
reports of KLA terror. (See "Mr. Kenigs has 2nd thoughts" at
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/egyptians.htm.)
But if revenge is not the reason some ethnic Albanians hate Serbs, Roma and
others, what is? During the U.S. Civil Rights movement, 'States Rights' was a
polite code for anti-Black racism. In Kosovo "secession" is the code for "Get
rid of all sub-humans." If this sounds like Nazism, good guess; the racist
movement came to power in Kosovo under Mussolini and Hitler, during W.W.II.
The article posted below, Mr. Thompson's "Roots of Kosovo fascism", is an
eye-opener.
ROOTS OF KOSOVO FACSIM
by George Thompson (2-19-00)
www.tenc.net [emperors-clothes]
THAT WAS THEN...
"The Serbian population in Kosovo should be removed as soon as possible.
Serbian settlers should be killed." (Albanian fascist leader Mustafa Kroja,
June 1942.)
...AND THIS IS NOW
"He, like many KLA officers, says openly that he dreams of a Kosovo without
Serbs." (Description of KLA death squad commander "the Teacher", Agence
France Presse, August 19, 1999)
"As Germany overtook Yugoslavia in 1941, the Kosovar people were liberated by
the Germans. All Albanian territories of this state, such as Kosova, western
Macedonia and border regions under Montenegro, were re-united into Albania
proper. Albanian schools, governmental administration, press and radio were
re-established." (From www.klpm.org , a Kosovo Liberation Army-affiliated
affiliated website)
Mussolini's Italy occupied Albania proper in April, 1939, and established a
collaborationist regime with the apparent enthusiasm of most Albanians.(1)
After Hitler invaded and occupied Yugoslavia in spring 1941, the bulk of
current Kosovo-Metohija was placed under Italian-Albanian collaborationist
control and annexed to Albania.(2)
When Italian forces moved into Kosovo they were accompanied by Albanians from
Albania. Albanians living in Kosovo joined the invasion force as it made its
way North and West, and also ambushed Yugoslav Army units moving to meet the
invaders. These Albanians, natives of both Albania and Kosovo, instituted a
campaign of murder and expulsion of Serbs. Initially, the mayhem was carried
out by disorganized "kachak" (irregular) units. These were Albanian brigands
from both sides of the border who had fought Yugoslavia throughout the 1920s
and 1930s.(3) However, soon a native Kosovo militia was formed. This militia,
called the Vulnetari, and various gendarme units, began more systematic
persecution.(4)
ITALIAN FASCISTS TAKEN ABACK
Italian authorities in Kosovo seemed a bit distressed by the terror against
Serbs and occasionally intervened to prevent Albanian attacks, at least in
urban areas. Thus a Serbian historian wrote: "Italian troops were stationed
in the towns of Kosovo and acted as a restraining force ..."(5) And Carlo
Umilta, a civilian aide to the Commander of the Italian occupation forces,
described several instances where Italian forces fired on Albanians to halt
massacres of Serbs.6)
Because of manpower limitations and the de facto alliance between Albanians
and the Axis powers, these efforts at restraint were limited. Nevertheless,
the Italian occupiers reported their disgust at Albanians’ actions to the
authorities in Rome. The Italian army reported that Albanians were "hunting
down Serbs", and that the "Serbian minority are living in conditions that are
truly disgraceful, constantly harassed by the brutality of the Albanians, who
are whipping up racial hatred."(7) Carlo Umilta described some of the
atrocities in his memoirs and observed that "the Albanians are out to
exterminate the Slavs."(8) His words were echoed by those of German diplomat
Hermann Neubacher, the Third Reich’s representative for southeastern Europe:
"Shiptars (i.e., Kosovo Albanians) were in a hurry to expel as many Serbs as
possible from the country."(9)
The atrocities were deliberate, part of a plan to create a Serb-free "Greater
Albania". In June 1942 the fascist puppet president of Albania, Mustafa
Kroja, declared his goals candidly before his followers in Kosovo:
"The Serbian population of Kosovo should be removed as soon as possible . . .
All indigenous Serbs should be qualified as colonists and as such, via the
Albanian and Italian governments, be sent to concentration camps in Albania.
Serbian settlers should be killed." (10)
Similar sentiments were expressed by a Kosovo Albanian leader, Ferat-bey
Draga:
"time has come to exterminate the Serbs . . . there will be no Serbs under
the Kosovo sun."(11)
The anti-Serb pogroms intensified after Italy's collapse in September 1943.
The German Nazi's assumed control of Albania, including Kosovo. Italian
military units pulled out and were replaced by three divisions of the German
XXI Mountain Corps. The German presence freed the Albanians of restraint.
Kosovo Albanian nationalist militias called the "Balli Kombëtar" (or
"Ballistas") carried out a campaign of deportation and murder of Serbs in
1943 and 1944. Then, on Hitler’s express order, the Germans formed the 21st
"Waffen-Gebirgs Division der SS" - the Skanderbeg Division. With German
leaders and Kosovo Albanian officers and troops, Hitler’s hoped that using
the Skanderbergs Germany could "achieve its well-known political objective"
of creating a viable (i.e., pure) "Greater Albania" including Kosovo.(12)
In general, German policy was to organize volunteer military units among Nazi
sympathizers in occupied countries. Of all the occupied nations only the
Serbs, Greeks and Poles refused to form Nazi volunteer units. Rather than
joining the Nazis, as the Albanians in Kosovo did, the Serbs organized the
largest anti-Nazi resistance in Europe. Both the Communist Partisans and thee
Royalist Chetniks were mainly Serbs and both groups fought the Germans and
their local allies throughout Yugoslavia.
The Germans recruited the 9,000 man Skanderbeg division to fight these
resistance groups But the Skanderberg's Albanians had little interest in
going up against soldiers; they mainly wanted to terrorize local Serbs,
"Gypsies" and Jews. Many of these Kosovo Albanians had seen prior service in
the Bosnian Muslim and Croatian SS divisions which were notorious for
slaughtering civilians.
What explained this passionate hatred for non-Albanians? A big factor was
militant Islam. The Fundamentalist "Second League of Prizren" was created in
September 1943 by Xhafer Deva, a Kosovo Albanian, to work with the German
authorities. The League proclaimed a jihad (holy war) against Slavs. They
were backed by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, El Haj Emin Huseini, who was
pro-Nazi and had called for getting rid of all Jews in what was at that time
British-occupied Palestine. Albanian religious intolerance was shown by their
targeting Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries for destruction.(13)
No one is certain of human destruction suffered in this Fascist Albanian
Holocaust. Estimates range from 10,000 to 30,000 Serbs murdered. At least
100,000 were driven from Kosovo and replaced with "immigrants" from Albania
proper.(14)
In justifying current Kosovo Albanian demands to secede from Serbia, the
media has repeated, like a mantra: 90% of the population is Albanian. While
this figure is most likely exaggerated (nobody knows for sure because Kosovo
Albanians boycotted the census for years!) - the province has been largely
Albanian. But a major cause of the current demographic imbalance: was the
Albanians' success as Hitler's willing executioners during World War II.(15)
And their attention was not limited to Serbs. Unknown numbers of Roma
("Gypsies") were liquidated. And Kosovo Albanians, acting alone as well as
under German direction, eliminated many of Kosovo's Jews.
The definitive work on Hitler's "Final Solution" in Yugoslavia (16) estimates
that 550 Jews lived in Kosovo Hitler took over Yugoslavia. 210 of them, or 38
percent, were murdered in Kosovo, mainly by Albanians. In fact, the
Skanderbeg division's first operation was to act as an "einsatzgruppen"
against the Jews, and its second was a similar extermination foray against
the Serb village of Velika where more than 400 Serbians were murdered.(17)
Ceda Prlincevic, head of the Jewish community in Pristina and an executive of
the provincial archives, has explained to Emperors-Clothes that the Jews who
were not murdered outright were sent by the Skanderbeg division to the German
death camps Treblinka and Bergen-Belsen. One train, on its way to the latter
camp, took the wrong track and was intercepted by advancing Russian soldiers.
According to Mr. Prlincevic, were it not for that fortunate detour, the
entire Jewish population of Kosovo would have been eliminated.
Although KLA supporters now claim that no Jews were killed in Kosovo and that
Jews were sheltered by the Kosovo Albanians, such claims are false and should
be treated the same way we would treat other Holocaust denials.
ALBANIAN FASCISTS GO ON FIGHTING
The Germans surrendered in 1945, but the remnants of the Kosovo Albanian Nazi
and fascist groups continued fighting the Yugoslav government for six years,
with a major rebellion from 1945 to 1948 in the Drenica region. (Drenica was
the hotbed for KLA recruiting in 1998-99). That rebellion was under the
command of Shabhan Paluzha; it is called the Shabhan Paluzha rebellion.
Sporadic violence continued until 1951. It is literally true to say that the
last shots of World War II were fired in Kosovo
PARTING THOUGHT
This past summer, as Germans entered Prizren in Kosovo for the first time
since World War II, an NBC correspondent reported:
"I was at dinner with a kind Kosovo Muslim family the other night when talk
turned to the German NATO troops that rolled into town to make the city the
headquarters of its peacekeeping district. The patriarch of the family, a man
old enough to remember the last time German troops rolled into Prizren, said
they all felt safe now. 'The German soldiers are excellent,' he said. Then he
added, 'I should know, I used to be one.' Then he raised his arm in a Nazi
salute and said, 'Heil,' and laughed merrily. (NBC, June 18, 1999)
FOOTNOTES
(1) Professor Nikalaos A. Stavrou, KFOR: Repeating History, The Washington
Times (August 11, 1999).
(2) Hugo Wolf, Kosovo Origins (1996) chapter 10. Portions of northern Kosovo,
from Mitrovica to the provincial border with Serbia, were administered by
Germany from the outset, primarily to exploit the mines in the area. An
eastern sliver of Kosovo was ceded to Bulgaria.
(3) Dr. Smilja Avramov, Genocide in Yugoslavia, Part 2, Chapter 5, "Genocide
in Kosovo and Metohija" (1995): "The crimes were begun by the ‘kachak’
guerrilla detachments which had been sent into Kosovo from Albania, but
members of the Shqiptar minority quickly joined in. Judging from Italian
reports, at first the situation resembled more the marauding of bandits than
a deliberate policy."
(4) Dr. Dusan Batakovic, The Kosovo Chronicles (1992); Avramov, supra.
(5) Dr. Smilja Avramov, supra.
(6) Carlo Umilta, Jugoslavia e Albania, Memoire di un diplomatico (1947), in
Avramov, supra, note 141.
(7) Dr. Smilja Avramov, supra, note 117.
(8) Carlo Umilta, Jugoslavia e Albania, Memoire di un diplomatico (1947), in
Avramov, supra, note 137.
(9) Hermann Neubacher, Sonderauftrag Sudost (1953), quoted in Dr. Slavenko
Terzic, Old Serbia and Albanians.
(10) Dr. Slavenko Terzic, Kosovo, Serbian Issue and the Greater Albania
Project.
(11) Batakovic, supra, citing H. Bajrami, Izvestaj Konstantina Plavsica Tasi
Dinicu, ministru unutrasnjih poslova u Nedicevoj vladi oktobra 1943, o
kosovsko-mitrovackanm srezu, Godisnjak arhiva Kosova XIV-XV (1978-1979) at
313.
(12) Avramov, supra, note 151.
(13) Avramov, supra, note 148, citing Bishop Atanisije Jevtic, From Kosovo to
Jadovno.
(14) Batakovic gives a conservative estimate of 10,000 dead while Dr.
Slavenko Terzic cites a contemporary American intelligence report that 10,000
died in the first year of occupation alone. Terzic, supra, citing Serge
Krizman, Maps of Yugoslavia at War (1943). Carl Kosta Savitch, in Genocide in
Kosovo: Skanderbeg Division, quotes a wartime account that 30,000 to 40,000
Serbs were killed by Albanians. In addition, an unknown number of Serbs dies
in the German-operated work camps of Pristina and Mitrovica, or were killed
by the Germans as reprisals against resistance activity.
The reported number of expelled Serbs also varies depending on the source.
Dragnich and Todorovich cited the figure of 70,000-100,000, based on a review
of wartime refugee records. Dmitri Bogdanovich estimates 100,000, but
acknowledges that the exact number has never been determined. Dmitri
Bogdanovich, The Kosovo Question: Past and Present (1985). Dr. Avramov notes
that wartime records showing 70,000 refugees from Kosovo counted only those
persons in need of government assistance who registered with the Commissariat
for Refugees in Belgrade. Records of those who did not register, or who fled
to Montenegro, apparently do not exist. Avramov, supra.
(15) Before world war 2 Serbs constituted a slight majority of the Kosovo
population. Avramov, supra. In addition to the murder and expulsion of Serbs,
the relative ethnic population balance was further skewed by the entrance of
hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanians from Albania proper during the war.
Relying on Italian records from the time, Dr. Avramov estimates that 150,000
to 200,000 Albanians moved into Kosovo between 1941 and 1943.
(16) The Crimes of Fascist Occupants and Their Collaborators Against the Jews
of Yugoslavia (1952, revised 1957) (published by The Federation of Jewish
Communities of Yugoslavia).
(17) Avramov, supra.
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(dal sito "Emperors Clothes" - http://www.tenc.net)
IERI... "La popolazione serba in Kosovo dovrebbe essere cacciata il prima
possibile. I coloni serbi vanno ammazzati" (Il leader fascista albanese
Mustafa Kruja, giugno 1942).
...OGGI "Come molti ufficiali UCK, anch'egli dice apertamente che sogna un
Kosovo libero dai serbi" (Descrizione de "Il Maestro" Comandante di uno
squadrone della morte UCK, "Agence France Presse", 19 agosto 1999).
"Quando la Germania invase la Jugoslavia nel 1941, il popolo kosovaro fu
liberato dai tedeschi. Tutti i territori albanesi di questo stato, come il
Kosova, la Macedonia occidentale e le regioni di confine del Montenegro
furono riunificate con l'Albania propriamente detta. Furono ristabilite le
scuole in lingua albanese, l'amministrazione del governo, la stampa e la
radio" (Da: www.klpm.org, sito web affiliato all'UCK).
L'Italia di Mussolini occupo' l'Albania nell'aprile 1939 e insedio' un regime
collaborazionista con l'evidente entusiasmo di molti albanesi (1). Dopo che
Hitler ebbe invaso ed occupato la Jugoslavia nella primavera 1941, il grosso
dell'attuale Kosovo-Metohija fu posto sotto il controllo del governo
collaborazionista italo-albanese ed annesso all'Albania (2). Quando le forze
italiane entrarono in Kosovo, erano accompagnate da albanesi d'Albania. Gli
albanesi che vivevano in Kosovo si unirono alle forze di invasione che
aprivano loro la strada verso nord ed ovest, e tendevano agguati alle unita'
dell'esercito jugoslavo che affrontavano gli invasori. Questi albanesi,
nativi sia dell'Albania che del Kosovo, scatenarono una campagna di assassini
e deportazioni nei confronti dei serbi. Inizialmente, la mattanza era portata
avanti in modo disorganizzato da unita' di "Kachaki" irregolari. Si trattava
di briganti albanesi di entrambi i lati del confine che avevano combattutto
la Jugoslavia durante gli anni '20 e '30 (3). Nondimeno, venne presto
costituita una milizia kosovara locale. Tale milizia, detta "Vulnetari",
insieme ad altre unita' di polizia, inizio' persecuzioni piu' sistematiche (4).
I FASCISTI ITALIANI COLTI ALLA SPROVVISTA
Le autorita' italiane in Kosovo parvero alquanto spiazzate dal terrore contro
i serbi, e occasionalmente intervennero per prevenire attacchi albanesi, per
lo meno nelle aree urbane. Cosi' scrive uno storico serbo: "Le truppe italiane
furono dislocate nelle citta' del Kosovo e agivano come forza contenitrice..."
(5). Carlo Umilta', un ausiliario civile del Comando delle forze di
occupazione italiane, descrisse diversi episodi in cui le truppe italiane
aprirono il fuoco sugli albanesi per evitare massacri di serbi (6).
A causa della scarsita' di forze e dell'alleanza de facto fra albanesi e
forze dell'Asse, questi tentativi di contenimento costituirono ben poca cosa.
Tuttavia, gli occupanti italiani riferirono il loro disgusto per le azioni
degli albanesi alle autorita' di Roma. L'esercito italiano riferi' che gli
albanesi "stavano dando la caccia ai serbi", e che "la minoranza serba viveva
in condizioni veramente miserevoli, continuamente perseguitata dalla
brutalita' degli albanesi che alimenta l'odio razziale" (7). Carlo Umilta'
descrive alcune delle atrocita' nelle sue memorie e osserva che "gli albanesi
stanno sterminando gli slavi" (8). Alle sue parole fanno eco quelle di Hermann
Neubacher, il rappresentante del Terzo Reich per l'Europa sud-orientale: "Gli
schipetari avevano fretta di espellere il maggior numero possibile di Serbi
dal paese" (9).
Le atrocita' furono commesse deliberatamente, come parte di
un piano volto a creare una "grande Albania" libera dai serbi. Nel giugno
1942, il presidente fantoccio fascista dell'Albania Mustafa Kruja dichiaro'
candidamente i suoi principi davanti ai suoi seguaci kosovari: "La popolazione
serba in Kosovo dovrebbe essere cacciata il prima possibile. Tutti i serbi
indigeni dovrebbero essere qualificati come colonizzatori, e in quanto tali,
attraverso i governi albanese e italiano, mandati in campi di concentramento
in Albania. I coloni serbi vanno ammazzati" (10). Sentimenti simili furono
espressi da un capo albanese-kosovaro, Ferat-Bej Draga: "E' arrivato il
momento di sterminare i serbi. Non rimarra' alcun serbo sotto il sole del
Kosovo" (11). I pogrom anti-serbi si intensificarono dopo il collasso
italiano nel settembre '43. I nazisti tedeschi assunsero il controllo
dell'Albania, incluso il Kosovo. Le unita' militari italiane furono cacciate
e rimpiazzate da tre divisioni del XXI corpo alpino tedesco. La presenza
militare tedesca lascio' agli albanesi piena liberta' d'azione.
Le milizie nazionaliste kosovaro-albanesi, chiamate "Balli Kombaetar" (o
"Balisti") portarono avanti una campagna di deportazione e sterminio di serbi
nel '43-'44. Poi, su ordine esplicito di Hitler, i tedeschi formarono la
21¡ "Waffen-Gebirgsdivision SS" - la Divisione Skanderbeg. Con capi
tedeschi e ufficiali e truppa kosovaro-albanesi, gli hitleriani speravano che
usando gli Skanderbeg, la Germania avrebbe potuto "raggiungere il suo ben
noto obiettivo politico": creare una "grande Albania" vitale (cioe' pura) che
includesse il Kosovo (12).
In generale, la politica tedesca era quella di organizzare unita' militari
volontarie fra i simpatizzanti nazisti dei paesi occupati. Fra tutte le
nazioni occupate, solo i serbi, i greci e i polacchi rifiutarono
di formare unita' volontarie naziste. Piuttosto che unirsi ai nazisti, come
avevano fatto gli albanesi in Kosovo, i serbi organizzarono la piu' grande
resistenza antinazista in Europa. Sia i partigiani comunisti che i monarchici
cetnici erano principalmente serbi, e entrambi i gruppi combatterono i
tedeschi e i loro alleati locali in tutta la jugoslavia. I tedeschi
reclutarono i 9000 uomini della divisione Skanderbeg per combattere questi
gruppi di resistenza, ma gli albanesi della Skanderbeg non avevano interesse
ad affrontare soldati; essi volevano principalmente terrorizzare i civili
serbi, zingari ed ebrei locali. Molti di questi albanesi kosovari avevano
prestato servizio in precedenza nelle divisioni SS bosniaco-musulmane e
croate, note per i loro massacri di civili.
Come si spiega l'odio furioso per i non-albanesi? Un fattore importante era
la militanza islamica. La fondamentalista "Seconda Lega di Prizren" fu creata
nel settembre '43 da Xhafer Deva, un albanese kosovaro, per collaborare con
le autorita' germaniche. La lega proclamo' una jijad (guerra santa) contro
gli slavi. Essi erano supportati dal Gran Mufti di Gerusalemme El Haj Emin
Huseini, filonazista, che aspirava a liberarsi di tutti gli ebrei in quella
che al tempo era la Palestina occupata dai Britannici. L'intolleranza
religiosa albanese si manifesto' con evidenza negli attacchi a chiese e
monasteri ortodossi (13).
Non ci sono dati certi sulle perdite umane subite durante
l'olocausto fascista albanese. Le stime vanno da 10.000 a 30.000 serbi uccisi;
per lo meno 100.000 furono cacciati e rimpiazzati da persone "immigrate"
dall'Albania propriamente detta (14).
Nel giustificare l'attuale aspirazione kosovaro-albanese a secedere dalla
Serbia, i media hanno ripetuto come un mantra: il 90 per cento della
popolazione e' albanese. Anche se queste proporzioni sono molto esagerate
(nessuno lo sa con certezza, perche' i kosovaro-albanesi hanno boicottato
i censimenti per anni!) - la provincia e' certo in massima parte albanese.
Ma una causa determinante dell'attuale sproporzione demografica fu il
successo degli albanesi nel ruolo di volonterosi esecutori di Hitler durante
la II Guerra mondiale (15).
Oltre tutto, le loro attenzioni non si limitarono
ai serbi. Non si sa quanti zingari furono eliminati. E gli albanesi kosovari,
sia da soli che sotto la direzione tedesca, eliminarono molti degli ebrei del
Kosovo. L'opera principale sulla "soluzione finale" di Hitler in Jugoslavia
(16) stima che 550 ebrei vivessero in Kosovo al momento dell'invasione
nazista. 210 di essi, ossia il 38 per cento, furono uccisi in Kosovo, per
lo piu' da albanesi. Infatti, la prima operazione della divisione Skanderbeg
come "Einsatztruppen" fu un'incursione contro gli ebrei, e la seconda fu lo
sterminio del villaggio serbo di Velika, dove piu' di 400 serbi furono uccisi
(17).
Ceda Prlincevic, capo della Comunita' ebraica di Pristina e dirigente
degli archivi provinciali, ha spiegato alla Emperors-Clothes che gli ebrei
che non furono uccisi subito furono inviate dalla Skanderbeg nei campi di
sterminio tedeschi di Treblinka e Bergen-Belsen. Un treno diretto a
quest'ultimo prese la tratta sbagliata e fu intercettato dalle truppe russe
che avanzavano. Secondo Prlincevic, senza questo fortunato errore, l'intera
popolazione ebraica del Kosovo sarebbe stata eliminata.
Sebbene i sostenitori
dell'UCK oggi proclamino che non siano stati uccisi ebrei in Kosovo e che gli
ebrei siano stati difesi dagli albanesi-kosovari, tali affermazioni sono false
e dovrebbero essere trattate allo stesso modo in cui tratteremmo le altre
smentite sull'olocausto.
I FASCISTI ALBANESI CONTINUANO A COMBATTERE
I tedeschi si arresero nel 1945, ma i resti dei gruppi nazisti e fascisti
kosovaro-albanesi continuarono a combattere il governo jugoslavo per sei
anni, con una grande ribellione durata dal 1945 al 1948 (Drenica e' stata
il focolaio del reclutamento UCK nel '98-'99) sotto il comando di Shabhan
Paluzha. Violenze sporadiche continuarono fino al '51. E' vero alla lettera
dire che gli ultimi spari della II Guerra mondiale furono sparati in Kosovo.
IN CONCLUSIONE...
La scorsa estate, quando i Tedeschi sono entrati a Prizren per la prima volta
dopo la II Guerra mondiale, un corrispondente della NBC ha riportato:
"L'altra sera ero a cena con una gentile famiglia di kosovari musulmani,
quando il discorso e' caduto sulle truppe NATO tedesche che entravano in
citta' per farne il quartier generale del loro distretto di peacekeeping.
Il capofamiglia, un uomo abbastanza anziano da ricordare l'ultima volta che
le truppe germaniche erano entrate a Prizren, disse che si sentivano tutti al
sicuro ora. 'I soldati tedeschi sono eccellenti', egli disse. Poi aggiunse:
'Lo so ben io, ero uno di loro'. Allora ha sollevato il braccio in un saluto
nazista, ha detto 'heil' e si e' messo a ridere tutto contento"
(NBC, 18 giugno 1999).
---
INTRODUCTION
Why do some ethnic Albanians support KLA terror against Serbs, Roma
("Gypsies") and other Kosovo residents? The mass media says it's revenge,
revenge for Serbian misdeeds; this despite ever-growing evidence that the
tales of misdeeds are fiction. (See "Spinning the Kill" at
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/analysis/spin.htm
Nevertheless the revenge argument appears in some form in most Western
reports of KLA terror. (See "Mr. Kenigs has 2nd thoughts" at
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/egyptians.htm.)
But if revenge is not the reason some ethnic Albanians hate Serbs, Roma and
others, what is? During the U.S. Civil Rights movement, 'States Rights' was a
polite code for anti-Black racism. In Kosovo "secession" is the code for "Get
rid of all sub-humans." If this sounds like Nazism, good guess; the racist
movement came to power in Kosovo under Mussolini and Hitler, during W.W.II.
The article posted below, Mr. Thompson's "Roots of Kosovo fascism", is an
eye-opener.
ROOTS OF KOSOVO FACSIM
by George Thompson (2-19-00)
www.tenc.net [emperors-clothes]
THAT WAS THEN...
"The Serbian population in Kosovo should be removed as soon as possible.
Serbian settlers should be killed." (Albanian fascist leader Mustafa Kroja,
June 1942.)
...AND THIS IS NOW
"He, like many KLA officers, says openly that he dreams of a Kosovo without
Serbs." (Description of KLA death squad commander "the Teacher", Agence
France Presse, August 19, 1999)
"As Germany overtook Yugoslavia in 1941, the Kosovar people were liberated by
the Germans. All Albanian territories of this state, such as Kosova, western
Macedonia and border regions under Montenegro, were re-united into Albania
proper. Albanian schools, governmental administration, press and radio were
re-established." (From www.klpm.org , a Kosovo Liberation Army-affiliated
affiliated website)
Mussolini's Italy occupied Albania proper in April, 1939, and established a
collaborationist regime with the apparent enthusiasm of most Albanians.(1)
After Hitler invaded and occupied Yugoslavia in spring 1941, the bulk of
current Kosovo-Metohija was placed under Italian-Albanian collaborationist
control and annexed to Albania.(2)
When Italian forces moved into Kosovo they were accompanied by Albanians from
Albania. Albanians living in Kosovo joined the invasion force as it made its
way North and West, and also ambushed Yugoslav Army units moving to meet the
invaders. These Albanians, natives of both Albania and Kosovo, instituted a
campaign of murder and expulsion of Serbs. Initially, the mayhem was carried
out by disorganized "kachak" (irregular) units. These were Albanian brigands
from both sides of the border who had fought Yugoslavia throughout the 1920s
and 1930s.(3) However, soon a native Kosovo militia was formed. This militia,
called the Vulnetari, and various gendarme units, began more systematic
persecution.(4)
ITALIAN FASCISTS TAKEN ABACK
Italian authorities in Kosovo seemed a bit distressed by the terror against
Serbs and occasionally intervened to prevent Albanian attacks, at least in
urban areas. Thus a Serbian historian wrote: "Italian troops were stationed
in the towns of Kosovo and acted as a restraining force ..."(5) And Carlo
Umilta, a civilian aide to the Commander of the Italian occupation forces,
described several instances where Italian forces fired on Albanians to halt
massacres of Serbs.6)
Because of manpower limitations and the de facto alliance between Albanians
and the Axis powers, these efforts at restraint were limited. Nevertheless,
the Italian occupiers reported their disgust at Albanians’ actions to the
authorities in Rome. The Italian army reported that Albanians were "hunting
down Serbs", and that the "Serbian minority are living in conditions that are
truly disgraceful, constantly harassed by the brutality of the Albanians, who
are whipping up racial hatred."(7) Carlo Umilta described some of the
atrocities in his memoirs and observed that "the Albanians are out to
exterminate the Slavs."(8) His words were echoed by those of German diplomat
Hermann Neubacher, the Third Reich’s representative for southeastern Europe:
"Shiptars (i.e., Kosovo Albanians) were in a hurry to expel as many Serbs as
possible from the country."(9)
The atrocities were deliberate, part of a plan to create a Serb-free "Greater
Albania". In June 1942 the fascist puppet president of Albania, Mustafa
Kroja, declared his goals candidly before his followers in Kosovo:
"The Serbian population of Kosovo should be removed as soon as possible . . .
All indigenous Serbs should be qualified as colonists and as such, via the
Albanian and Italian governments, be sent to concentration camps in Albania.
Serbian settlers should be killed." (10)
Similar sentiments were expressed by a Kosovo Albanian leader, Ferat-bey
Draga:
"time has come to exterminate the Serbs . . . there will be no Serbs under
the Kosovo sun."(11)
The anti-Serb pogroms intensified after Italy's collapse in September 1943.
The German Nazi's assumed control of Albania, including Kosovo. Italian
military units pulled out and were replaced by three divisions of the German
XXI Mountain Corps. The German presence freed the Albanians of restraint.
Kosovo Albanian nationalist militias called the "Balli Kombëtar" (or
"Ballistas") carried out a campaign of deportation and murder of Serbs in
1943 and 1944. Then, on Hitler’s express order, the Germans formed the 21st
"Waffen-Gebirgs Division der SS" - the Skanderbeg Division. With German
leaders and Kosovo Albanian officers and troops, Hitler’s hoped that using
the Skanderbergs Germany could "achieve its well-known political objective"
of creating a viable (i.e., pure) "Greater Albania" including Kosovo.(12)
In general, German policy was to organize volunteer military units among Nazi
sympathizers in occupied countries. Of all the occupied nations only the
Serbs, Greeks and Poles refused to form Nazi volunteer units. Rather than
joining the Nazis, as the Albanians in Kosovo did, the Serbs organized the
largest anti-Nazi resistance in Europe. Both the Communist Partisans and thee
Royalist Chetniks were mainly Serbs and both groups fought the Germans and
their local allies throughout Yugoslavia.
The Germans recruited the 9,000 man Skanderbeg division to fight these
resistance groups But the Skanderberg's Albanians had little interest in
going up against soldiers; they mainly wanted to terrorize local Serbs,
"Gypsies" and Jews. Many of these Kosovo Albanians had seen prior service in
the Bosnian Muslim and Croatian SS divisions which were notorious for
slaughtering civilians.
What explained this passionate hatred for non-Albanians? A big factor was
militant Islam. The Fundamentalist "Second League of Prizren" was created in
September 1943 by Xhafer Deva, a Kosovo Albanian, to work with the German
authorities. The League proclaimed a jihad (holy war) against Slavs. They
were backed by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, El Haj Emin Huseini, who was
pro-Nazi and had called for getting rid of all Jews in what was at that time
British-occupied Palestine. Albanian religious intolerance was shown by their
targeting Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries for destruction.(13)
No one is certain of human destruction suffered in this Fascist Albanian
Holocaust. Estimates range from 10,000 to 30,000 Serbs murdered. At least
100,000 were driven from Kosovo and replaced with "immigrants" from Albania
proper.(14)
In justifying current Kosovo Albanian demands to secede from Serbia, the
media has repeated, like a mantra: 90% of the population is Albanian. While
this figure is most likely exaggerated (nobody knows for sure because Kosovo
Albanians boycotted the census for years!) - the province has been largely
Albanian. But a major cause of the current demographic imbalance: was the
Albanians' success as Hitler's willing executioners during World War II.(15)
And their attention was not limited to Serbs. Unknown numbers of Roma
("Gypsies") were liquidated. And Kosovo Albanians, acting alone as well as
under German direction, eliminated many of Kosovo's Jews.
The definitive work on Hitler's "Final Solution" in Yugoslavia (16) estimates
that 550 Jews lived in Kosovo Hitler took over Yugoslavia. 210 of them, or 38
percent, were murdered in Kosovo, mainly by Albanians. In fact, the
Skanderbeg division's first operation was to act as an "einsatzgruppen"
against the Jews, and its second was a similar extermination foray against
the Serb village of Velika where more than 400 Serbians were murdered.(17)
Ceda Prlincevic, head of the Jewish community in Pristina and an executive of
the provincial archives, has explained to Emperors-Clothes that the Jews who
were not murdered outright were sent by the Skanderbeg division to the German
death camps Treblinka and Bergen-Belsen. One train, on its way to the latter
camp, took the wrong track and was intercepted by advancing Russian soldiers.
According to Mr. Prlincevic, were it not for that fortunate detour, the
entire Jewish population of Kosovo would have been eliminated.
Although KLA supporters now claim that no Jews were killed in Kosovo and that
Jews were sheltered by the Kosovo Albanians, such claims are false and should
be treated the same way we would treat other Holocaust denials.
ALBANIAN FASCISTS GO ON FIGHTING
The Germans surrendered in 1945, but the remnants of the Kosovo Albanian Nazi
and fascist groups continued fighting the Yugoslav government for six years,
with a major rebellion from 1945 to 1948 in the Drenica region. (Drenica was
the hotbed for KLA recruiting in 1998-99). That rebellion was under the
command of Shabhan Paluzha; it is called the Shabhan Paluzha rebellion.
Sporadic violence continued until 1951. It is literally true to say that the
last shots of World War II were fired in Kosovo
PARTING THOUGHT
This past summer, as Germans entered Prizren in Kosovo for the first time
since World War II, an NBC correspondent reported:
"I was at dinner with a kind Kosovo Muslim family the other night when talk
turned to the German NATO troops that rolled into town to make the city the
headquarters of its peacekeeping district. The patriarch of the family, a man
old enough to remember the last time German troops rolled into Prizren, said
they all felt safe now. 'The German soldiers are excellent,' he said. Then he
added, 'I should know, I used to be one.' Then he raised his arm in a Nazi
salute and said, 'Heil,' and laughed merrily. (NBC, June 18, 1999)
FOOTNOTES
(1) Professor Nikalaos A. Stavrou, KFOR: Repeating History, The Washington
Times (August 11, 1999).
(2) Hugo Wolf, Kosovo Origins (1996) chapter 10. Portions of northern Kosovo,
from Mitrovica to the provincial border with Serbia, were administered by
Germany from the outset, primarily to exploit the mines in the area. An
eastern sliver of Kosovo was ceded to Bulgaria.
(3) Dr. Smilja Avramov, Genocide in Yugoslavia, Part 2, Chapter 5, "Genocide
in Kosovo and Metohija" (1995): "The crimes were begun by the ‘kachak’
guerrilla detachments which had been sent into Kosovo from Albania, but
members of the Shqiptar minority quickly joined in. Judging from Italian
reports, at first the situation resembled more the marauding of bandits than
a deliberate policy."
(4) Dr. Dusan Batakovic, The Kosovo Chronicles (1992); Avramov, supra.
(5) Dr. Smilja Avramov, supra.
(6) Carlo Umilta, Jugoslavia e Albania, Memoire di un diplomatico (1947), in
Avramov, supra, note 141.
(7) Dr. Smilja Avramov, supra, note 117.
(8) Carlo Umilta, Jugoslavia e Albania, Memoire di un diplomatico (1947), in
Avramov, supra, note 137.
(9) Hermann Neubacher, Sonderauftrag Sudost (1953), quoted in Dr. Slavenko
Terzic, Old Serbia and Albanians.
(10) Dr. Slavenko Terzic, Kosovo, Serbian Issue and the Greater Albania
Project.
(11) Batakovic, supra, citing H. Bajrami, Izvestaj Konstantina Plavsica Tasi
Dinicu, ministru unutrasnjih poslova u Nedicevoj vladi oktobra 1943, o
kosovsko-mitrovackanm srezu, Godisnjak arhiva Kosova XIV-XV (1978-1979) at
313.
(12) Avramov, supra, note 151.
(13) Avramov, supra, note 148, citing Bishop Atanisije Jevtic, From Kosovo to
Jadovno.
(14) Batakovic gives a conservative estimate of 10,000 dead while Dr.
Slavenko Terzic cites a contemporary American intelligence report that 10,000
died in the first year of occupation alone. Terzic, supra, citing Serge
Krizman, Maps of Yugoslavia at War (1943). Carl Kosta Savitch, in Genocide in
Kosovo: Skanderbeg Division, quotes a wartime account that 30,000 to 40,000
Serbs were killed by Albanians. In addition, an unknown number of Serbs dies
in the German-operated work camps of Pristina and Mitrovica, or were killed
by the Germans as reprisals against resistance activity.
The reported number of expelled Serbs also varies depending on the source.
Dragnich and Todorovich cited the figure of 70,000-100,000, based on a review
of wartime refugee records. Dmitri Bogdanovich estimates 100,000, but
acknowledges that the exact number has never been determined. Dmitri
Bogdanovich, The Kosovo Question: Past and Present (1985). Dr. Avramov notes
that wartime records showing 70,000 refugees from Kosovo counted only those
persons in need of government assistance who registered with the Commissariat
for Refugees in Belgrade. Records of those who did not register, or who fled
to Montenegro, apparently do not exist. Avramov, supra.
(15) Before world war 2 Serbs constituted a slight majority of the Kosovo
population. Avramov, supra. In addition to the murder and expulsion of Serbs,
the relative ethnic population balance was further skewed by the entrance of
hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanians from Albania proper during the war.
Relying on Italian records from the time, Dr. Avramov estimates that 150,000
to 200,000 Albanians moved into Kosovo between 1941 and 1943.
(16) The Crimes of Fascist Occupants and Their Collaborators Against the Jews
of Yugoslavia (1952, revised 1957) (published by The Federation of Jewish
Communities of Yugoslavia).
(17) Avramov, supra.
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--
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
UN PAESE AFFIDABILE
"It was Italy's leadership that allowed NATO's strategic theory to be
transformed into strategic practice"
"E' stata la classe dirigente italiana a permettere la trasformazione
della teoria strategica della NATO in pratica strategica"
(Generale Wesley Clark, Roma, 7 ott. 1999)
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
"It was Italy's leadership that allowed NATO's strategic theory to be
transformed into strategic practice"
"E' stata la classe dirigente italiana a permettere la trasformazione
della teoria strategica della NATO in pratica strategica"
(Generale Wesley Clark, Roma, 7 ott. 1999)
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
MILITARI E SPIE DELLA NATO E DELL'OSCE
NELL'ORGANIZZAZIONE "UMANITARIA" CARE
Nelle scorse settimane sono emersi approcci tra la sezione australiana
della ONG transnazionale "CARE" ed i servizi segreti militari canadesi
(il Canada e' membro della NATO), questi ultimi interessati ad inserirsi
nelle operazioni di CARE nella RF di Jugoslavia.
Queste rivelazioni fanno seguito ad altre vicende squallide che hanno
coinvolto CARE in passato: citiamo ad esempio i legami tra la missione
CARE in Somalia ed i marines USA presenti nella citta' di Baidoa alla
fine del 1992; l'arresto al confine jugoslavo di alcuni membri di CARE
Australia (uno dei quali reo confesso) accusati di lavorare per la NATO
durante i bombardamenti del 1999; nonche' gli strani rapporti tra CARE e
la OSCE-na missione dell'OSCE nella provincia jugoslava del Kosmet, con
la quale venne preparato il terreno ai suddetti bombardamenti...
(Le altre ONG ed organizzazioni "Umanitarie" da noi analizzate in
passato: Medici senza Frontiere; Human Rights Watch)
---
HUMANITARIAN SPIES
by Jared Israel
WWW.TENC.NET (or WWW.EMPERORS-CLOTHES.COM)
It appears there are two types of Humanitarian Aid organizations in the
New
World Order: Them That Steals and Them That Spies. For the thieves, see
Soiled Rainbow at www.emperors-clothes.com/articles/martinez/soiled.htm
. If
you are interested in spies and the liars who cover up their work, stay
here.
I have been doing research on the CARE spy scandal for several days. It
is a
Labor of Sisyphus. No sooner does one think one has dug up all there is
to
dig then one encounters (if you will pardon the mixed metaphor) more
dirt
rolling down the hill. CARE has been compromised by this mess, but not
only
CARE. Also the Australian government, the US government, the OSCE
(Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) and the Western
mass
media. Perhaps the Western mass media worst of all.
On Nov 2, SBS TV in Australia revealed that CARE Canada had been
recruiting
what amounted to spies for NATO in Yugoslavia.
I've posted the hyperlink to the SBS CARE story below. It's worth
reading.
But before you look at the transcript, I suggest you read the background
material because in some ways it's more revealing than the TV show, more
damning. As happens often, when Western journalists uncovered this
cover-up,
they didn't uncover it all.
Spies or Victimized Aid Workers?
On March 31, 1999, three employees of CARE Australia, Steve Pratt, an
Australian who headed the Yugoslav operation, Peter Wallace, another
Australian, and Branko Jelen, a Yugoslav, were arrested at the
Serbian-Croatian border. Yugoslavia charged them with using CARE as a
cover
to spy for NATO.
CARE Australia officials ridiculed the charges, claiming CARE was
completely
neutral and that the confession of Steve Pratt, aired on Serbian TV,
could
only have resulted from coercion. Western mass media supported CARE,
presenting the men as Good Samaritans whose only crime was being in the
wrong
place at the wrong time and falling victim to Serbian paranoia and war
propaganda. CARE had clean hands...
Or did it?
Now comes a TV show, broadcast Nov. 2 by SBS in Australia. It reveals
that
CARE recruited and paid OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation
in
Europe) Verifiers in Kosovo from Oct. 1998 to March 1999. That much is
uncontested.
As you will see when you read the transcript, some CARE people justify
the
OSCE recruiting program on the grounds that the Verifiers were
legitimate
peacemakers. Alas, this simply does not wash.
Goals of the Kosovo Verification Mission
'Negotiated' (that is, 'coerced') under threat of NATO bombing last
October,
the Verification agreement let the OSCE send unarmed mediators into
Kosovo,
supposedly to help defuse tensions. However everything about the
Verification
mission suggests military intelligence, not mediation.
It was run by William Walker. Walker had no background as a mediator. He
wasn't even an expert in Balkans history or current politics. What he
did
know about was counter-insurgency and black ops. His role in Iran-Contra
and
his achievements in apologizing for the murderous El Salvador death
squads
all but prove he is a high-placed intelligence operative. (A factual
account
of Mr. Walker's work in Central America will be posted on
Emperors-Clothes as
soon as possible. In the absence of that account, which we have not had
time
yet to lay out, let me say these facts are uncontested. Period.)
The U.S. verification team was composed of employees of Dyncorp, a
Virginia
company that has grown rich off Government work. At the 1992 Senate
hearings
on R. James Woolsey's appointment as head of the CIA, Woolsey commented:
"I
own less than one-quarter of one percent of the -- diluted shares of a
company named Dyncorp here in the Washington, D.C. area. And the
corporation
has, from time to time, had a handful of very small contracts with the
Central Intelligence Agency." Ahh, sweet understatement. Dyncorp's "very
small contracts" have included covert work in Columbia and Peru. (Facts
on
this will be posted shortly on Emperors-clothes. Again, it is all
documented). In the case of Dyncorp's work in Columbia, the Clinton
administration was accused of using Dyncorp to circumvent human rights
restrictions on US aid to the death-squad-ridden Colombian military.
So what do we have? We have the head of the Verification mission and his
American team linked to covert operations and death squad activities in
Latin
America. Other than that, they have no qualifications for their work in
Kosovo.
Given this command structure, doesn't it stand to reason that the
Western
(i.e., U.S.) goal was a) to gather military intelligence and b) to
establish
command-relations with the Kosovo Liberation Army, an outfit whose
activities
- killing ethnic Serbian civilians and ethnic Albanian "collaborators"
as
well as employees of the Serbian state such as policemen, power line
repairmen, school officials, Yugoslav troops and even state-employed
wood
gatherers - whose activities are very much like those of Latin American
death
squads?
Indeed, isn't it reasonable to guess that the tactical similarity
between the
KLA and the Latin American death squads may result from their having had
the
same (US) advisors?
In any case this was the Verification Mission for which CARE Canada was
recruiting. Not only recruiting, but also apparently paying the
recruits'
salaries.
Even the Western press has virtually admitted that Walker & Co. were
spies.
Consider the following from the LA Times:
His [i.e., William Walker's] postings include a stint in Honduras from
1980
to 1982, when the Central American country was Washington's secret
conduit
for weapons and other support to right-wing Contras fighting to
overthrow the
Sandinistas in neighboring Nicaragua.
He also served as chief of the U.S. Embassy's political section in El
Salvador, another Central American hot spot, from 1974 to 1977, and
later as
the country's U.S. ambassador from 1988 to 1992. As a diplomat in
countries
so high on Washington's national security agenda, Walker couldn't help
knowing something about spying, said John Pike, a defense analyst at
Washington's Federation of American Scientists. "Those are front-line
postings where he would have unavoidably developed an acquaintance with
the
capabilities and limitations of intelligence sources and methods," Pike
said
from Washington. And it would be surprising if Walker's team of
ex-military
and other experts came to verify Kosovo's cease-fire without equipment
to
listen in on radio communications, Pike said. "Put it this way: They
would be
idiots if they weren't doing that," he added. "What are they going to
do,
read about it in the paper the next day?"( LA Times, Jan. 20, 1999, our
emphasis)
The Amazing Story of Mr. Pratt, Mr. Wallace and Mr. Jelen
So we had a neutral, Humanitarian Aid organization (CARE) recruiting
Verifiers, that is spies, for a Kosovo Mission run by CIA types. Shortly
after the Mission ended and NATO began bombing Yugoslavia, three of the
Humanitarian CARE employees were arrested for spying.
That was on March 31. At first CARE officials claimed they were not sure
of
the three men's whereabouts. Then, on April 11, Steve Pratt appeared on
Serbian Television, RTS. Here's the actual text of the RTS broadcast, as
transcribed by the BBC:
[Announcer] Through coordinated action, the security bodies of the
Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia have smashed a network of agents headed by Major
Steve
Pratt. The named person had been gathering intelligence on the movement
of
our military and police forces under the cover of the Care International
humanitarian organization before the aggression on our country, and,
during
the aggression, on the effects of the bombing.
[Pratt, recording in English with passage by passage Serbo-Croatian
translation] My name is Steve Pratt. I was born in 1949. I was born in
Australia and I am the citizen of Australia. Before I came to
Yugoslavia, I
worked in northern Iraq, Yemen, Zaire, Rwanda, and Kenya for the
humanitarian
organization Care of Australia.
When I came to Yugoslavia, I performed some intelligence tasks in this
country by using the cover of Care Australia. My concentration was on
Kosovo
and some effects of the bombing. I misused my Yugoslavian citizen staff
for
the acquisition of information. I realize that damage was done this
country
by these actions, for which I am greatly sorry. I always did and still
do
condemn the bombing of this country.
[Television footage shows Pratt sitting in a chair and making the
statement;
TV also shows Pratt's passport; there are no visible signs of physical
mistreatment of Pratt] (BBC, April 13, 1999)
The Western media presented a negative view of the RTS broadcast. One AP
report April 12th was headlined, "TV pictures of aid worker's spy
confession
fuzzy: Tapp". In the story Australian CARE chief Charles Tapp dismissed
the
RTS broadcast because Pratt was shown in profile, because it was
impossible
to see his eyes and because his confession was not very specific. (He
said
"confession" should be put in "immense inverted commas".) An Agence
France
Presse story on the 12th was headlined "Yugoslavs forced our man to
confess
to spying."
Amidst this reporting, which amounted to anti-Yugoslav propaganda, the
real
story was simply ignored by most of the media; where it was covered it
was
scornfully dismissed.
That story, which broke April 11th in the Australian Sunday Telegraph,
quoted
Steve Pratt's mother, Mrs. Mavis Pratt, concerning Pratt's past
activities. I
have not been able to see a copy of the Sunday Telegraph story.
Fortunately a
few sentences are quoted in a few places. One is an AP dispatch issued
hours
after the Sunday Telegraph report. According to the AP, Mrs. Pratt told
the
Telegraph that her son had worked for CARE in Iraq:
''He was letting the U.N. know what Iraq was doing, he was observing, so
Iraq
put a price on his head and they had to get him out of there quickly.''
In other words, he had been a spy.
Dishonor Thy Mother
How might one expect CARE executives to have responded to Pratt's
confession
and Mrs. Pratt's statement?
CARE presents itself as a politically neutral, humanitarian
organization.
Doesn't that suggest CARE leaders should have adopted a cautious,
neutral
approach? Perhaps said they have nothing but respect for the arrested
men and
established a fund legal expenses? Wouldn't any other approach
compromise
their neutrality and raise questions about their motives?
And what about the mass media? Since governments do employ spies, since
to be
effective, spies have to have some kind of cover, wouldn't it make sense
to
present the story in a factual manner and not use journalistic
techniques to
sway public opinion?
CARE and the media lash out at Yugoslavia
Let's look at the April 11 AP story, starting with the headline. The
headline
may be the only thing one reads and even if one reads further, the
headline
colors one's view of the rest.
What sort of headline would logically go with this story? Maybe
something
like:
Mom Says Arrested CARE worker Spied Before
Instead, AP chose:
CARE says Serbian spying 'confession' obtained under duress
This is a very strong statement. By making it the headline, AP lent it
credibility. Did it deserve such credibility?
The RTS broadcast with Pratt's confession had just been aired. What
could
Charles Tapp or anyone else at CARE actually have known about this case?
If Pratt had told them he was a spy, they would know. But if Pratt was a
spy
and told nobody, how could they have known?
Therefore Tapp's denial is either a) a lie (because he knew Pratt was a
spy
and therefore denied it) or b) pure speculation (because he had no way
of
knowing whether Pratt was innocent or guilty.)
So what's the point of the headline? By using the phrase "obtained under
duress" the headline creates a picture in the reader's mind - of threats
and
torture. Though the body of the article offers no factual basis for this
charge, the headline has a powerful impact.
Note that 'CARE' is not a person but an organization; how can CARE 'say'
anything? By quoting 'CARE' instead of a CARE executive, the AP story
capitalizes on Westerners' impression of CARE, the organization:
neutral,
selfless, honorable. A CARE spokesman might lie - but 'CARE' itself?
Never.
Compounding the Question
Note that by jumping to the question of how the confession was obtained
(supposedly 'under duress') the AP story gives the (false) impression
that
Pratt's innocence is an established fact.
The sleight of hand technique used here is similar to the compound
question.
A familiar example: "Do you still beat your wife?" The use of the very
aggressive "do you still" obscures the fact that the main charge is
unproven:
we have not been shown that you ever beat your wife. Similarly here, by
stressing the manner in which the (allegedly) false confession was
obtained
(that is, "under duress") the headline obscures the fact that we have
been
shown no evidence the confession was false.
Let's move onto the first paragraph in the article:
The aid agency CARE Australia on Monday said its field worker Steve
Pratt's
alleged spying confession broadcast by Serbian television was made under
duress.
This is just a repeat of the headline. Bad journalism, unless they want
us to
learn this statement by rote. Will there be a quiz?
Here's paragraph two:
CARE and the Australian government demanded immediate access to Pratt
and his
colleague, Peter Wallace, who were detained by Yugoslav authorities
March 31
after they left Belgrade for Montenegro to help refugees.
Still not quoting actual people, the AP adds a second institution, the
Australian government, by way of additional confirmation. The Yugoslav
offense is so great, all institutions are speaking out.
Moreover, by telling us these institutions have "demanded immediate
access to
Pratt" and Wallace, the article suggests Yugoslavia is denying such
access.
This in turn suggests the Yugoslavs must have something to hide - such
as
evidence that Pratt has been beaten. Note that there is no effort, here
or
elsewhere in the article, to discuss the normal procedure for allowing
access
to men accused of spying for a group of nations who are, in grave
violation
of international law, bombing your country.
The paragraph also includes the statement that the arrested man had been
arrested after they:
left Belgrade for Montenegro to help refugees. (My emphasis)
How could the AP possibly know why Pratt, Wallace and Jelen had left
Belgrade? Couldn't they have left to spy elsewhere? Or to escape
detection?
By asserting their humanitarian motives without evidence, the article
strengthens the reader's impression that the men are innocent.
A little further down, a CARE official is cited by name for the first
time:
CARE Australia's emergency coordinator, Brian Doolan, said threats may
have
been made against local staff or against Wallace to extract the
confession.
(My emphasis)
'May have been made.' Two thoughts on this: a) Doesn't the use of 'may'
completely contradict the headline and first paragraph, which have
'CARE'
(speaking as if it were a person) saying the confession WAS obtained
under
duress and b) isn't it true that it is always possible that a confession
'may' have been extracted based on threats?
Since by this point we've been told several times that Pratt was forced
to
confess, I would bet many readers wouldn't notice the use of "may".
The article continues as follows:
Doolan said the claims made against Pratt were ''absolute lunacy.''
If Pratt "may" (which suggests 'may not') have confessed under duress,
why is
Doolan sure the charges are lunacy? The AP ignores this obvious
contradiction. Nor does it try to bring some balance to the story by
talking
to someone from the Yugoslav side, for example a Yugoslav security
official.
Such a person might ask: "Since it's obvious that Mr. Pratt could be a
spy
without Mr. Doolan knowing, how can Mr. Doolan be so sure the charges
are
lunacy?"
And so the article continues for eight (8) more paragraphs,
strengthening the
impression that Pratt must be innocent until we get to the end, where
Mrs.
Pratt is quoted. But readers are not permitted to judge Mrs. Pratt's
words
for themselves; they are given a good deal of help by CARE Australia
chief
executive Charles Tapp who is quoted before and after Mrs. Pratt who
attacks
the charge that Pratt had previously spied against Iraq, attacks the
newspaper that covered it, and even tries to discredit Mrs. Pratt (her
sin is
being old). Here's how it reads:
...[CARE chief executive Tapp] rejected the suggestion that they [i.e.
the
arrested CARE workers] were acting for any other organization in any
capacity.
Speaking from the Yugoslavia-Croatia border, Tapp also slammed a
newspaper
report in which Pratt's mother, Mavis Pratt, was quoted as saying her
son had
supplied information about Iraqi forces to the United Nations during the
Gulf
War.
''He was letting the U.N. know what Iraq was doing, he was observing, so
Iraq
put a price on his head and they had to get him out of there quickly,''
she
[Mrs. Pratt] was quoted as saying.
Tapp said Mrs. Pratt was elderly and added, ''Frankly, I consider this
to be
extremely poor journalism.'' (AP Worldstream April 11, 1999; Sunday
22:06
Eastern Time )
When you think of it, the quote from Mrs. Pratt is the only news in this
entire news story. The rest is intended to give us a proper news
orientation.
The AP is evidently anxious to guarantee that readers approach the
arrests
with the preconception that Pratt and the others are innocent. Why?
As for CARE officials - their statements are suggestive. Consider: Pratt
confessed on April 11th. The Sunday Telegraph printed Mrs. Pratt's
statement
the next day and within hours AP broadcast furious denials from CARE
officials. How could these officials be so sure so fast? Why would they
react
without taking time to investigate and discuss the matter, including
privately with Yugoslav officials? Doesn't such a hasty and violent
response
suggest that:
Pratt et al were indeed spies;
Tapp and Doolan were fully aware that Pratt, Wallace and Jelen were
spies
because they were themselves involved in organizing such spying;
CARE officials were therefore worried that Yugoslav officials or, worse
yet,
Pratt or Wallace, might go public with more revelations, might expose
high-level CARE (and Australian government?) involvement, might talk
about
CARE spying in other countries, and so on. Thus it was crucial
immediately
(on Sunday!) to discredit the arrests and especially the public
confession.
By planting the thought that the confession was made 'under duress' and
'was
lunacy' and that Mrs. Pratt's own statement was unbelievable - the hope
was
to prejudice Western readers against any further revelations from
Belgrade or
Steve and Mavis Pratt.
Honor thy Satellite Phone
Four months later, Yugoslavia released Pratt and Wallace. In a dispatch
at
the time, the Australian news agency, AAP, explained that Yugoslav
border
guards had found:
...detailed maps, a satellite telephone and a laptop computer in their
car
when Pratt and Wallace tried to cross into Croatia.
Shouldn't this information have been presented as top news in April? It
was
not. Instead the media engaged in more preventive damage control.
Consider
this from the AAP on April 15th:
CARE Australia worker Steve Pratt, who is being held as a spy in
Yugoslavia,
would have collected some military information, his former boss said
today.
But it would only have been to help CARE's planning and would not have
been
given to any outside body, Tony McGee said...
Mind boggling, isn't this? Why on earth would CARE routinely gather
military
information? The article goes on:
Mr. McGee, like Mr. Pratt a former Australian army officer, said he
never
took any interest in military installations or troop movements except to
the
extent that they might affect CARE's safety and operations.
Are all these guys ex-Army officers? Doesn't CARE recruit any regular
folks?
And what about McGee's suggestion that by recruiting (supposedly) former
Army
officers CARE insures its employees will take no "interest in military
installations or troop movements except to the extent that they might
affect
CARE's safety and operations."
In case people are not convinced that military men would never take an
interest in military matters, Mr. McGee adds:
In any event, satellites could provide much better information than
anything
aid workers on the ground could gather.
So Pratt was certainly no spy because former military officers just
don't
have the military curiosity needed for spying and even if he was a spy
the
information he would gather would be of minor use. Doesn't this sound
more
and more like a) Pratt was a spy and b) all these guys knew it?
What is the point of McGee's statement? The only explanation I can
suggest
is: CARE officials knew Pratt was carrying incriminating equipment and
descriptions of troop movements when he was arrested; there was a danger
the
Yugoslavs would make this incriminating evidence public; McGee was
trying to
immunize the public beforehand. And once again, the media provided a
willing
PR forum.
Pratt, Critic of NATO (?)
Here's an AAP headline from April 12th:
Ex Army Major no spy say CARE colleagues
This article tells Pratt's life story, official version. We are told he
spent
years in the army where he worked in supply until at the request of
former
Australian Prime Minister and CARE Chairman Malcolm Fraser, he joined
CARE.
He what?
How comes an ordinary Army major to be recruited by a Prime Minister?
Isn't
this in itself a bit suspicious?
The AAP asks no embarrassing questions.
The article goes on to claim that Pratt:
also criticized the NATO bombing, and publicly attacked the destruction
of a
CARE-run refugee camp which killed nine people.
This is intended to prove Pratt's even-handedness. See? He criticizes
NATO.
(More evidence of his innocence.)
But consider Pratt's actual comments, recorded on March 29 in an AAP
Internet
Bulletin. He's talking about the NATO bombing of refugees who were
living in
abandoned Army barracks:
"I suspect the centers had been located very close to military targets.
The
report that I am getting that they have probably been caught up in some
sort
of collateral thing," Mr. Pratt said. The refugees killed were believed
to
include women and children who were ethnic Serb refugees who fled Bosnia
during the 1995 conflict.
"They were not directly hit, they don't seem to have been deliberately
targeted."...He said the center where eight refugees were confirmed
killed
had been located 60km southwest of the city of Nis in an old army
barracks
consisting of barracks of wooden huts. But two of the nine buildings had
been
damaged, including one which was burned down, when NATO hit a warehouse
about
100 meters away. "I believe (the damage) was accidental..."
Another refugee had been confirmed killed in Kosovo's capital of
Pristina in
a refugee center close to police headquarters. "Again this was a refugee
center too close to a NATO target. I suppose this is the way things are
in
war but it is extremely sad," he said.
Is Pratt "publicly attacking" NATO for the "destruction of a CARE-run
refugee
camp?" Or is he in fact excusing NATO of any criminal responsibility?
Why do you say 'Preposterous' Mr. Downer?
Two days after Pratt confessed on Yugoslav TV, The Guardian (London)
reported
that:
The Serbian government's claim that two Australian aid workers missing
for 14
days were gathering intelligence has been dismissed as 'preposterous' by
the
Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer. (The Guardian(London)
April
13, 1999)
Imagine you told your neighbor your wooden house was on fire and he
replied:
"Preposterous!"
Of course, you could be wrong - but preposterous?
How could Downer possibly be sure?
Australian Foreign Minister Downer's statement demonstrates his desire,
in
the absence of supporting evidence, to prove Pratt was innocent. This
puts
Downer in good company: Tapp, McGee, Doolan the AP, the AAP and the mass
media in general were all trying to convince the public that Pratt was
innocent. The Guardian could have contributed to news gathering by
questioning Downer: "How can you be sure? Why is everyone so anxious to
prove
the Yugoslavs are lying? Could this be a pre-emptive strike aimed at
preventing people from believing future Yugoslav revelations about
CARE's
involvement in spying?"
But the Guardian asked no such questions. Apparently they wanted to
prove
Pratt was innocent too.
Dishonor Thy Mother Some More
While most of the world had no idea Major Pratt's mother had nailed him
in
the Sunday Telegraph, the word got around in Australia. Hence the
following
bit of damage control published by the AAP on April 12th:
CARE Australia emergency coordinator Brian Doolan personally guaranteed
Mr.
Pratt was not spying when they worked together in Iraq from 1993 to
1995. Mr.
Doolan criticized Sydney's Sunday Telegraph reporters for speaking to
Mr.
Pratt's mother, Mavis Pratt, who told the newspaper: "He was letting the
UN
know what Iraq was doing, he was observing, so Iraq put a price on his
head
and they had to get him out of there quickly."
The newspaper's story was groundless, Mr. Doolan said. The elderly Mrs.
Pratt
was confronted through the fly-screen door by two young women saying
they
wanted to help her son, he said.
"They (the reporters) seemed to have spun a bit of line and she's given
them
bits of information, potted information, that she knows about Steve's
experience overseas," he said.
Huh? Has Downer actually proven anything here?
Forget Thy Mother and Ditto Thy Satellite Phone!
Apparently this was sufficient to eliminate mom because by April 26, in
a
story on the Pratt/Wallace affair (the news stories generally left out
Mr.
Jelen since he was only a Yugoslav) Time actually printed the following
sentence:
How the two aid workers came to be accused of spying has mystified their
families and friends.
Isn't this amazing?
Yes, one might argue, but perhaps 'Time' didn't know about the Mrs.
Pratt's
statement...
I find that hard to believe. Since they were writing a story about
Australians accused of spying, wouldn't the 'Time" reporters read what
the
Australian press (not the mention the AP) had published concerning the
arrests? How could they not know about Mavis Pratt's statement?
But let us concede, for the sake of argument, that Time didn't know.
The AAP certainly did know. After Pratt and Wallace were released in
September, the AAP published a story that tried to explain the
supposedly
irrational Yugoslav conviction that the men were spies. In it, the AAP
admitted that:
Serb authorities had intercepted Pratt's reports on troop movements,
but added that these reports:
were designed to help Aid agencies, not NATO's air strikes.
How could anyone think otherwise? the Yugoslav authorities must be
paranoid.
AAP adds:
There were other allegations that Pratt spied on Iraq for the United
Nations
while he was working there for CARE Australia.
These "other allegations" were the ones raised by Mrs. Pratt. Does the
AAP
see fit to mention her name? It does not. Instead it goes on to answer
the
anonymous allegations:
...the Army said Pratt had never undertaken intelligence work during his
military career...
Do you find this convincing? If Pratt was a spy would you expect the
Australian Army to admit it?
Arguments like this have no merit as arguments. If you isolate them from
the
larger text, they look ridiculous. But within the context of a barrage
of
propaganda, they do have an effect. Here's how it works:
The AAP and other Western media take meaningless statements that sound
like
arguments. They put this empty babble in the appropriate place for real
arguments. They string several such arguments together and they do this
over
and over again and in this way, by heaping one pro-establishment
pseudo-argument on top of another (though never offering real evidence)
the
reader is trained into a sort of glaze, thought dissipates, the proper
impression is planted and lingers.
Filing for ethical bankruptcy
The AAP story closes with an amazing statement. Referring to Peter
Wallace,
who had just been released along with Steve Pratt, the article states
that:
His family, like Pratt's, were shocked when he was accused of being a
spy.
(Our emphasis. AAP General News, Sept. 2, 1999)
Is it unreasonable to suggest that CARE, the mass media and the
Australian
government had fashioned a convenient cover story and Mrs. Pratt
statement
did not fit, so it was edited out?
Here is the hyperlink to the SBS TV show:
http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/transcript.html
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---
> STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.HOME-PAGE.ORG
>
> World Socialist Web Site www.wsws.org
> The CARE-OSCE connection in Kosovo
> New information on the case of two jailed Australian aid workers
> By Mike Head
> 9 February 2000
> A current affairs program on the Australian government's Special
> Broadcasting Services television network last week shed some further
> light on Yugoslavia's detention of two CARE aid workers last year. Steve
> Pratt and Peter Wallace were arrested with two carloads of computer
> files, a satellite telephone and other communications equipment when
> they tried to cross into Croatia from Serbia last March 31—just seven
> days after the US-NATO bombing of the country began.
> The SBS Dateline program belatedly disclosed two pieces of new
> information. The first was that CARE had a contract with the government
> of Canada, a NATO member, to recruit a team of monitors in Kosovo before
> the bombing. Under the arrangement, CARE Canada received $A32.2 million
> from CIDA, Canada's official aid agency, to select and put in place 60
> members of an Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
> monitoring force. CARE paid the observers and provided them with
> orientation briefings, medical services and administrative backup.
> Strictly speaking, the contract was with CARE Canada, but CARE
> Australia, as CARE's lead agency in Yugoslavia, approved it. In fact,
> Pratt, who was CARE International's country director in the former
> Yugoslavia, personally helped set up the operation. He accompanied CARE
> Canada's chief John Watson on a week-long tour when Watson arrived to
> establish the operation.
> Dateline cited an unnamed OSCE source stating that the data collected by
> the monitors was supplied to NATO, but not, as was supposed to happen,
> to Yugoslavia. The program also interviewed CARE Canada's chief John
> Watson and Stephen Wallace from CIDA who admitted that ex-military
> people and others "with experience in combat zones" were recruited for
> the operation. In other words, Pratt was directly linked to a network
> full of ex-military personnel sending reports to NATO.
> The second revelation came in an interview with CARE Australia chairman
> Malcolm Fraser, a former prime minister. Fraser admitted that the
> material that the two CARE workers tried to take across the border
> contained information on troop movements, tank positions and minefields.
> Fraser confirmed that the documents included "situation reports" written
> by Pratt in "military language".
> When the CARE workers were detained, on suspicion of spying or passing
> on information that aided the NATO bombing, the Australian government,
> opposition politicians and the media denounced the arrests as an
> "outrage" and condemned the Yugoslav regime of Slobodan Milosevic. For
> weeks on end, headlines and editorials accused the Belgrade
> administration of using innocent humanitarian workers as political
> pawns.
> As CARE's chief spokesman, Fraser was at the centre of the campaign. He
> loudly protested the complete innocence of the CARE staff, enlisting the
> support of dignitaries from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to South
> African President Nelson Mandela. Fraser was appointed a Special Envoy
> of the Howard government and eventually travelled to Belgrade to seek
> the prisoners' release.
> The propaganda campaign only intensified when it was revealed that Pratt
> had been a Major in the Australian army, as well as a one-time election
> candidate for the conservative Liberal Party. It also emerged that he
> had previously worked for CARE in such sensitive locations as Rwanda and
> had apparently been forced to flee Kurdistan, in northern Iraq, as a
> suspected spy. The media barrage continued unabated even when the
> Yugoslav court decided not to rely upon Pratt's televised confession,
> broadcast on Yugoslav TV, that he had "performed some intelligence tasks
> in this country, using the cover of CARE Australia". The court
> ultimately dismissed the spying charges but convicted the pair of lesser
> offences of passing information to a foreign organisation.
> Now Fraser has admitted that he and other CARE officials knew all along
> of highly incriminating evidence. Fraser claimed that he was not told
> about the Canadian contract until after Pratt and Wallace were detained.
> Nevertheless, as soon as he found out he insisted that the media
> suppress all mention of it. Dateline itself acknowledged that it had
> known of the Canadian contract since last June but did not report the
> information for seven months at Fraser's request.
> The significance of the Canadian contract can only be understood by
> examining the true role of the OSCE monitoring operation. The Dateline
> program depicted it as a "peace-monitoring" effort that had been agreed
> to by the Yugoslav authorities. In fact, the Milosevic regime was forced
> to allow the OSCE to send 2,000 civilian monitors under the direct
> threat of NATO bombing, as well as crippling economic sanctions. Under
> an agreement imposed by US diplomat Richard Holbrooke on October 20,
> 1998, Milosevic pledged to withdraw Yugoslav security forces from
> Kosovo, where they had been sent earlier in 1998 to combat units of the
> Albanian separatist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
> The monitors had nothing to do with peace. They were to be deployed to
> police Yugoslavia's compliance with the agreement, backed by NATO
> surveillance flights. A NATO rapid reaction force was to be assembled to
> intervene in the event of a breach by Serbia.
> Given the circumstances, it is inconceivable that the monitors did not
> include intelligence officers and agents. To the Serbian authorities
> this was obvious. Interviewed by Dateline, Deputy Information Minister
> Miodrag Popovic stated: "We knew all along about their intelligence
> activities. We knew all along about the real purpose of the OSCE mission
> and that was to justify later NATO aggression."
> Appointed to head the OSCE force was William Walker, a US diplomat who
> was previously implicated in the Nicaraguan Contra affair in the 1980s.
> As a deputy to the Reagan administration's Assistant Secretary of State
> Elliott Abrams, Walker was involved in illegally supplying weapons to
> the Contras who were seeking to overthrow the Sandinista government.
> The Milosevic-Holbrooke agreement provided the conditions for similar
> "dirty tricks" activity in Kosovo. The KLA, which had been suffering
> heavy losses at the hands of the Yugoslav army, was given the
> opportunity it needed to regroup, obtain fresh military equipment and
> step up its campaign to drive all Serbs from Kosovo.
> As fighting flared between Serbian and KLA units, the OSCE monitors
> claimed to have evidence of widespread Serbian atrocities. Walker was at
> the centre of the main incident used to trigger the NATO bombing—the
> alleged killings of 45 Kosovar peasants by Serbian forces in the village
> of Racak on January 15, 1999. When the bodies were discovered, Walker
> was the first observer on the scene and immediately declared that there
> had been a Serbian massacre. On-the-spot reports in the French press,
> however, suggested that the 45 could have been KLA fighters killed in
> violent clashes with Serb units near the village the day before.
> Racak, and the subsequent withdrawal of OSCE observers, provided the
> pretext for the Paris and Rambouillet conferences of February and March
> 1999 where the "Contact Group" of six nations demanded that Milosevic
> sign an Accord granting autonomy to Kosovo. Appendix B of the Accord
> required a full NATO occupation of Yugoslavia, also in the name of
> ensuring compliance. Milosevic refused to sign, objecting to the blanket
> infringement of Yugoslav's sovereignty, and the NATO bombing commenced
> just six days later.
> In his interview, Fraser defended the OSCE operation but said that "with
> hindsight" it was a mistake for CARE to have participated in it,
> blurring CARE's humanitarian mission. In another part of the interview,
> which has received no comment in the media, he said the Rambouillet
> conference was used to prepare for war. "It was the West's decision to
> go to war, not Yugoslavia's and when I say the West's decision, there is
> a great deal of evidence to say that Rambouillet was organised to
> provide an excuse to go to war and I say that quite clearly and
> deliberately," he said.
> Fraser's remarks provoked something of a storm within CARE. At one
> point, CARE's publicity manager Antony Funnell interrupted Fraser's
> interview, insisting that the CARE contract was with CIDA, not the
> Canadian government. Fraser responded furiously with a string of
> rebukes. "Do not interrupt when I am being interviewed and do not ever
> interrupt again," he thundered at one point. "Do you understand?"
> Canadian CARE's John Watson told Dateline that Fraser's objections
> flowed from a "traditional" view of aid activity, whereas CARE Canada
> had "a more progressive view of humanitarian work". When Fraser
> criticised CARE Australia's national director Charles Tapp for not
> objecting to the Canadian contract, Tapp responded by saying there were
> similar Australian government contracts with many aid organisations in
> Bougainville, East Timor and Indonesia.
> Aid agencies are used for such intelligence-gathering activities because
> they can place personnel on the ground in volatile areas where other
> observers would be under suspicion and scrutiny. As Pratt's record
> shows, their staffs often feature seasoned military operatives. Direct
> state funding of aid agencies to undertake such activities is a growing
> trend, as is overall dependence on government coffers. The Australian
> Council for Overseas Aid estimates that in 1998 government sources
> provided one-third of the $218 million raised by its affiliates.
> As limited as the SBS material was, it pointed to a number of unanswered
> questions about the CARE affair. Why was CARE asked to set up part of
> the OSCE monitoring force? What data did the OSCE compile and how was it
> used in the lead-up to the NATO bombing? What information did Pratt and
> his colleagues collate and to whom was it sent? Did their reports
> continue during the first week of the NATO onslaught?
> This week, Four Corners, a flagship current affairs program on the other
> government-funded TV network, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation,
> attempted to divert public attention away from the SBS revelations.
> Instead of a serious investigative examination of the new evidence, it
> devoted its weekly timeslot to lengthy, uncritical and sympathetic
> interviews with Pratt and Wallace. Every effort was made to pull on
> viewers' heartstrings. With a tender and commiserating expression,
> interviewer Liz Jackson dwelt on their traumatic experiences in
> detention, and their personal feelings. The SBS material was barely
> mentioned, and only at the end of the 45-minute program.
> Jackson did not ask either Pratt or Wallace any of the obvious
> questions. Exactly what part did Pratt play in setting up and running
> the Canadian contingent of the OSCE operation? Why did Pratt keep
> detailed records of military movements? Why did he and Wallace stay in
> Yugoslavia after the bombing commenced and then seek to leave Serbia
> with two carloads of extremely sensitive material, including reports
> associated with the OSCE operation?
> One new piece of information emerged showing that Pratt was no ordinary
> ex-army officer. Among the documents found in his possession was his
> military record of service between 1969 and 1992, revealing that before
> he left the army he had been appointed second-in-command of the United
> Nations Military Observer Team, on standby to deploy to the former
> Yugoslavia.
> Rather than report and examine the documents carried by Pratt and
> Wallace, which have never been released to the public, Four Corners
> quoted just three snippets. In one, Pratt reported that "fighting
> continues in the strategically important area of Podujevo". In a
> situation report, he wrote: "Significant government forces, backed by
> about 12 VJ (army) heavy tanks and armoured cars, launched operations
> against known KLA strong points recently established in Podujevo." Both
> clearly relate to military operations, not aid work.
> The third report, dated March 27, 1999, indicates that Pratt continued
> to send information to NATO-linked sources throughout the first week of
> bombing. "People are regularly moving into and out of air-raid shelters
> in the late afternoons and nights" in Belgrade, he reported, describing
> the tension in the city as "very high".
> In his interview, Wallace claimed not to have known that Pratt had these
> reports with him when they tried to leave the country. "What we should
> have done before we'd gone out was sanitise the files, that is, to take
> out anything that might be provocative," he suggested. The information,
> he admitted, "wasn't strictly relevant to a humanitarian operation and
> our need to know where the security risks were".
> Asked why he thought the material was there, Wallace paused awkwardly
> before saying: "Er, oh well, it's, um, just Steve's mistake". Suddenly
> the interview switched back to Pratt, who blithely declared that he was
> "comfortable" with the reports he had compiled.
> Much remains hidden about the Pratt-Wallace affair, and not just in
> Australia. Nothing has appeared in the Canadian press about the
> CARE-OSCE connection. In both countries, and elsewhere around the world,
> aid agencies such as CARE continue to attract donations and support,
> mounting considerable advertising campaigns to portray themselves as
> purely humanitarian organisations.
> Having had unwelcome attention drawn to the links between aid agencies
> and the intelligence services, considerable official and media effort is
> being made to prevent serious questions being asked. But what has
> emerged already is a high-level coverup, led by Fraser and the
> Australian government, assisted by the media, to suppress the facts
> about the use of CARE for intelligence gathering in the Balkans.
>
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
NELL'ORGANIZZAZIONE "UMANITARIA" CARE
Nelle scorse settimane sono emersi approcci tra la sezione australiana
della ONG transnazionale "CARE" ed i servizi segreti militari canadesi
(il Canada e' membro della NATO), questi ultimi interessati ad inserirsi
nelle operazioni di CARE nella RF di Jugoslavia.
Queste rivelazioni fanno seguito ad altre vicende squallide che hanno
coinvolto CARE in passato: citiamo ad esempio i legami tra la missione
CARE in Somalia ed i marines USA presenti nella citta' di Baidoa alla
fine del 1992; l'arresto al confine jugoslavo di alcuni membri di CARE
Australia (uno dei quali reo confesso) accusati di lavorare per la NATO
durante i bombardamenti del 1999; nonche' gli strani rapporti tra CARE e
la OSCE-na missione dell'OSCE nella provincia jugoslava del Kosmet, con
la quale venne preparato il terreno ai suddetti bombardamenti...
(Le altre ONG ed organizzazioni "Umanitarie" da noi analizzate in
passato: Medici senza Frontiere; Human Rights Watch)
---
HUMANITARIAN SPIES
by Jared Israel
WWW.TENC.NET (or WWW.EMPERORS-CLOTHES.COM)
It appears there are two types of Humanitarian Aid organizations in the
New
World Order: Them That Steals and Them That Spies. For the thieves, see
Soiled Rainbow at www.emperors-clothes.com/articles/martinez/soiled.htm
. If
you are interested in spies and the liars who cover up their work, stay
here.
I have been doing research on the CARE spy scandal for several days. It
is a
Labor of Sisyphus. No sooner does one think one has dug up all there is
to
dig then one encounters (if you will pardon the mixed metaphor) more
dirt
rolling down the hill. CARE has been compromised by this mess, but not
only
CARE. Also the Australian government, the US government, the OSCE
(Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) and the Western
mass
media. Perhaps the Western mass media worst of all.
On Nov 2, SBS TV in Australia revealed that CARE Canada had been
recruiting
what amounted to spies for NATO in Yugoslavia.
I've posted the hyperlink to the SBS CARE story below. It's worth
reading.
But before you look at the transcript, I suggest you read the background
material because in some ways it's more revealing than the TV show, more
damning. As happens often, when Western journalists uncovered this
cover-up,
they didn't uncover it all.
Spies or Victimized Aid Workers?
On March 31, 1999, three employees of CARE Australia, Steve Pratt, an
Australian who headed the Yugoslav operation, Peter Wallace, another
Australian, and Branko Jelen, a Yugoslav, were arrested at the
Serbian-Croatian border. Yugoslavia charged them with using CARE as a
cover
to spy for NATO.
CARE Australia officials ridiculed the charges, claiming CARE was
completely
neutral and that the confession of Steve Pratt, aired on Serbian TV,
could
only have resulted from coercion. Western mass media supported CARE,
presenting the men as Good Samaritans whose only crime was being in the
wrong
place at the wrong time and falling victim to Serbian paranoia and war
propaganda. CARE had clean hands...
Or did it?
Now comes a TV show, broadcast Nov. 2 by SBS in Australia. It reveals
that
CARE recruited and paid OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation
in
Europe) Verifiers in Kosovo from Oct. 1998 to March 1999. That much is
uncontested.
As you will see when you read the transcript, some CARE people justify
the
OSCE recruiting program on the grounds that the Verifiers were
legitimate
peacemakers. Alas, this simply does not wash.
Goals of the Kosovo Verification Mission
'Negotiated' (that is, 'coerced') under threat of NATO bombing last
October,
the Verification agreement let the OSCE send unarmed mediators into
Kosovo,
supposedly to help defuse tensions. However everything about the
Verification
mission suggests military intelligence, not mediation.
It was run by William Walker. Walker had no background as a mediator. He
wasn't even an expert in Balkans history or current politics. What he
did
know about was counter-insurgency and black ops. His role in Iran-Contra
and
his achievements in apologizing for the murderous El Salvador death
squads
all but prove he is a high-placed intelligence operative. (A factual
account
of Mr. Walker's work in Central America will be posted on
Emperors-Clothes as
soon as possible. In the absence of that account, which we have not had
time
yet to lay out, let me say these facts are uncontested. Period.)
The U.S. verification team was composed of employees of Dyncorp, a
Virginia
company that has grown rich off Government work. At the 1992 Senate
hearings
on R. James Woolsey's appointment as head of the CIA, Woolsey commented:
"I
own less than one-quarter of one percent of the -- diluted shares of a
company named Dyncorp here in the Washington, D.C. area. And the
corporation
has, from time to time, had a handful of very small contracts with the
Central Intelligence Agency." Ahh, sweet understatement. Dyncorp's "very
small contracts" have included covert work in Columbia and Peru. (Facts
on
this will be posted shortly on Emperors-clothes. Again, it is all
documented). In the case of Dyncorp's work in Columbia, the Clinton
administration was accused of using Dyncorp to circumvent human rights
restrictions on US aid to the death-squad-ridden Colombian military.
So what do we have? We have the head of the Verification mission and his
American team linked to covert operations and death squad activities in
Latin
America. Other than that, they have no qualifications for their work in
Kosovo.
Given this command structure, doesn't it stand to reason that the
Western
(i.e., U.S.) goal was a) to gather military intelligence and b) to
establish
command-relations with the Kosovo Liberation Army, an outfit whose
activities
- killing ethnic Serbian civilians and ethnic Albanian "collaborators"
as
well as employees of the Serbian state such as policemen, power line
repairmen, school officials, Yugoslav troops and even state-employed
wood
gatherers - whose activities are very much like those of Latin American
death
squads?
Indeed, isn't it reasonable to guess that the tactical similarity
between the
KLA and the Latin American death squads may result from their having had
the
same (US) advisors?
In any case this was the Verification Mission for which CARE Canada was
recruiting. Not only recruiting, but also apparently paying the
recruits'
salaries.
Even the Western press has virtually admitted that Walker & Co. were
spies.
Consider the following from the LA Times:
His [i.e., William Walker's] postings include a stint in Honduras from
1980
to 1982, when the Central American country was Washington's secret
conduit
for weapons and other support to right-wing Contras fighting to
overthrow the
Sandinistas in neighboring Nicaragua.
He also served as chief of the U.S. Embassy's political section in El
Salvador, another Central American hot spot, from 1974 to 1977, and
later as
the country's U.S. ambassador from 1988 to 1992. As a diplomat in
countries
so high on Washington's national security agenda, Walker couldn't help
knowing something about spying, said John Pike, a defense analyst at
Washington's Federation of American Scientists. "Those are front-line
postings where he would have unavoidably developed an acquaintance with
the
capabilities and limitations of intelligence sources and methods," Pike
said
from Washington. And it would be surprising if Walker's team of
ex-military
and other experts came to verify Kosovo's cease-fire without equipment
to
listen in on radio communications, Pike said. "Put it this way: They
would be
idiots if they weren't doing that," he added. "What are they going to
do,
read about it in the paper the next day?"( LA Times, Jan. 20, 1999, our
emphasis)
The Amazing Story of Mr. Pratt, Mr. Wallace and Mr. Jelen
So we had a neutral, Humanitarian Aid organization (CARE) recruiting
Verifiers, that is spies, for a Kosovo Mission run by CIA types. Shortly
after the Mission ended and NATO began bombing Yugoslavia, three of the
Humanitarian CARE employees were arrested for spying.
That was on March 31. At first CARE officials claimed they were not sure
of
the three men's whereabouts. Then, on April 11, Steve Pratt appeared on
Serbian Television, RTS. Here's the actual text of the RTS broadcast, as
transcribed by the BBC:
[Announcer] Through coordinated action, the security bodies of the
Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia have smashed a network of agents headed by Major
Steve
Pratt. The named person had been gathering intelligence on the movement
of
our military and police forces under the cover of the Care International
humanitarian organization before the aggression on our country, and,
during
the aggression, on the effects of the bombing.
[Pratt, recording in English with passage by passage Serbo-Croatian
translation] My name is Steve Pratt. I was born in 1949. I was born in
Australia and I am the citizen of Australia. Before I came to
Yugoslavia, I
worked in northern Iraq, Yemen, Zaire, Rwanda, and Kenya for the
humanitarian
organization Care of Australia.
When I came to Yugoslavia, I performed some intelligence tasks in this
country by using the cover of Care Australia. My concentration was on
Kosovo
and some effects of the bombing. I misused my Yugoslavian citizen staff
for
the acquisition of information. I realize that damage was done this
country
by these actions, for which I am greatly sorry. I always did and still
do
condemn the bombing of this country.
[Television footage shows Pratt sitting in a chair and making the
statement;
TV also shows Pratt's passport; there are no visible signs of physical
mistreatment of Pratt] (BBC, April 13, 1999)
The Western media presented a negative view of the RTS broadcast. One AP
report April 12th was headlined, "TV pictures of aid worker's spy
confession
fuzzy: Tapp". In the story Australian CARE chief Charles Tapp dismissed
the
RTS broadcast because Pratt was shown in profile, because it was
impossible
to see his eyes and because his confession was not very specific. (He
said
"confession" should be put in "immense inverted commas".) An Agence
France
Presse story on the 12th was headlined "Yugoslavs forced our man to
confess
to spying."
Amidst this reporting, which amounted to anti-Yugoslav propaganda, the
real
story was simply ignored by most of the media; where it was covered it
was
scornfully dismissed.
That story, which broke April 11th in the Australian Sunday Telegraph,
quoted
Steve Pratt's mother, Mrs. Mavis Pratt, concerning Pratt's past
activities. I
have not been able to see a copy of the Sunday Telegraph story.
Fortunately a
few sentences are quoted in a few places. One is an AP dispatch issued
hours
after the Sunday Telegraph report. According to the AP, Mrs. Pratt told
the
Telegraph that her son had worked for CARE in Iraq:
''He was letting the U.N. know what Iraq was doing, he was observing, so
Iraq
put a price on his head and they had to get him out of there quickly.''
In other words, he had been a spy.
Dishonor Thy Mother
How might one expect CARE executives to have responded to Pratt's
confession
and Mrs. Pratt's statement?
CARE presents itself as a politically neutral, humanitarian
organization.
Doesn't that suggest CARE leaders should have adopted a cautious,
neutral
approach? Perhaps said they have nothing but respect for the arrested
men and
established a fund legal expenses? Wouldn't any other approach
compromise
their neutrality and raise questions about their motives?
And what about the mass media? Since governments do employ spies, since
to be
effective, spies have to have some kind of cover, wouldn't it make sense
to
present the story in a factual manner and not use journalistic
techniques to
sway public opinion?
CARE and the media lash out at Yugoslavia
Let's look at the April 11 AP story, starting with the headline. The
headline
may be the only thing one reads and even if one reads further, the
headline
colors one's view of the rest.
What sort of headline would logically go with this story? Maybe
something
like:
Mom Says Arrested CARE worker Spied Before
Instead, AP chose:
CARE says Serbian spying 'confession' obtained under duress
This is a very strong statement. By making it the headline, AP lent it
credibility. Did it deserve such credibility?
The RTS broadcast with Pratt's confession had just been aired. What
could
Charles Tapp or anyone else at CARE actually have known about this case?
If Pratt had told them he was a spy, they would know. But if Pratt was a
spy
and told nobody, how could they have known?
Therefore Tapp's denial is either a) a lie (because he knew Pratt was a
spy
and therefore denied it) or b) pure speculation (because he had no way
of
knowing whether Pratt was innocent or guilty.)
So what's the point of the headline? By using the phrase "obtained under
duress" the headline creates a picture in the reader's mind - of threats
and
torture. Though the body of the article offers no factual basis for this
charge, the headline has a powerful impact.
Note that 'CARE' is not a person but an organization; how can CARE 'say'
anything? By quoting 'CARE' instead of a CARE executive, the AP story
capitalizes on Westerners' impression of CARE, the organization:
neutral,
selfless, honorable. A CARE spokesman might lie - but 'CARE' itself?
Never.
Compounding the Question
Note that by jumping to the question of how the confession was obtained
(supposedly 'under duress') the AP story gives the (false) impression
that
Pratt's innocence is an established fact.
The sleight of hand technique used here is similar to the compound
question.
A familiar example: "Do you still beat your wife?" The use of the very
aggressive "do you still" obscures the fact that the main charge is
unproven:
we have not been shown that you ever beat your wife. Similarly here, by
stressing the manner in which the (allegedly) false confession was
obtained
(that is, "under duress") the headline obscures the fact that we have
been
shown no evidence the confession was false.
Let's move onto the first paragraph in the article:
The aid agency CARE Australia on Monday said its field worker Steve
Pratt's
alleged spying confession broadcast by Serbian television was made under
duress.
This is just a repeat of the headline. Bad journalism, unless they want
us to
learn this statement by rote. Will there be a quiz?
Here's paragraph two:
CARE and the Australian government demanded immediate access to Pratt
and his
colleague, Peter Wallace, who were detained by Yugoslav authorities
March 31
after they left Belgrade for Montenegro to help refugees.
Still not quoting actual people, the AP adds a second institution, the
Australian government, by way of additional confirmation. The Yugoslav
offense is so great, all institutions are speaking out.
Moreover, by telling us these institutions have "demanded immediate
access to
Pratt" and Wallace, the article suggests Yugoslavia is denying such
access.
This in turn suggests the Yugoslavs must have something to hide - such
as
evidence that Pratt has been beaten. Note that there is no effort, here
or
elsewhere in the article, to discuss the normal procedure for allowing
access
to men accused of spying for a group of nations who are, in grave
violation
of international law, bombing your country.
The paragraph also includes the statement that the arrested man had been
arrested after they:
left Belgrade for Montenegro to help refugees. (My emphasis)
How could the AP possibly know why Pratt, Wallace and Jelen had left
Belgrade? Couldn't they have left to spy elsewhere? Or to escape
detection?
By asserting their humanitarian motives without evidence, the article
strengthens the reader's impression that the men are innocent.
A little further down, a CARE official is cited by name for the first
time:
CARE Australia's emergency coordinator, Brian Doolan, said threats may
have
been made against local staff or against Wallace to extract the
confession.
(My emphasis)
'May have been made.' Two thoughts on this: a) Doesn't the use of 'may'
completely contradict the headline and first paragraph, which have
'CARE'
(speaking as if it were a person) saying the confession WAS obtained
under
duress and b) isn't it true that it is always possible that a confession
'may' have been extracted based on threats?
Since by this point we've been told several times that Pratt was forced
to
confess, I would bet many readers wouldn't notice the use of "may".
The article continues as follows:
Doolan said the claims made against Pratt were ''absolute lunacy.''
If Pratt "may" (which suggests 'may not') have confessed under duress,
why is
Doolan sure the charges are lunacy? The AP ignores this obvious
contradiction. Nor does it try to bring some balance to the story by
talking
to someone from the Yugoslav side, for example a Yugoslav security
official.
Such a person might ask: "Since it's obvious that Mr. Pratt could be a
spy
without Mr. Doolan knowing, how can Mr. Doolan be so sure the charges
are
lunacy?"
And so the article continues for eight (8) more paragraphs,
strengthening the
impression that Pratt must be innocent until we get to the end, where
Mrs.
Pratt is quoted. But readers are not permitted to judge Mrs. Pratt's
words
for themselves; they are given a good deal of help by CARE Australia
chief
executive Charles Tapp who is quoted before and after Mrs. Pratt who
attacks
the charge that Pratt had previously spied against Iraq, attacks the
newspaper that covered it, and even tries to discredit Mrs. Pratt (her
sin is
being old). Here's how it reads:
...[CARE chief executive Tapp] rejected the suggestion that they [i.e.
the
arrested CARE workers] were acting for any other organization in any
capacity.
Speaking from the Yugoslavia-Croatia border, Tapp also slammed a
newspaper
report in which Pratt's mother, Mavis Pratt, was quoted as saying her
son had
supplied information about Iraqi forces to the United Nations during the
Gulf
War.
''He was letting the U.N. know what Iraq was doing, he was observing, so
Iraq
put a price on his head and they had to get him out of there quickly,''
she
[Mrs. Pratt] was quoted as saying.
Tapp said Mrs. Pratt was elderly and added, ''Frankly, I consider this
to be
extremely poor journalism.'' (AP Worldstream April 11, 1999; Sunday
22:06
Eastern Time )
When you think of it, the quote from Mrs. Pratt is the only news in this
entire news story. The rest is intended to give us a proper news
orientation.
The AP is evidently anxious to guarantee that readers approach the
arrests
with the preconception that Pratt and the others are innocent. Why?
As for CARE officials - their statements are suggestive. Consider: Pratt
confessed on April 11th. The Sunday Telegraph printed Mrs. Pratt's
statement
the next day and within hours AP broadcast furious denials from CARE
officials. How could these officials be so sure so fast? Why would they
react
without taking time to investigate and discuss the matter, including
privately with Yugoslav officials? Doesn't such a hasty and violent
response
suggest that:
Pratt et al were indeed spies;
Tapp and Doolan were fully aware that Pratt, Wallace and Jelen were
spies
because they were themselves involved in organizing such spying;
CARE officials were therefore worried that Yugoslav officials or, worse
yet,
Pratt or Wallace, might go public with more revelations, might expose
high-level CARE (and Australian government?) involvement, might talk
about
CARE spying in other countries, and so on. Thus it was crucial
immediately
(on Sunday!) to discredit the arrests and especially the public
confession.
By planting the thought that the confession was made 'under duress' and
'was
lunacy' and that Mrs. Pratt's own statement was unbelievable - the hope
was
to prejudice Western readers against any further revelations from
Belgrade or
Steve and Mavis Pratt.
Honor thy Satellite Phone
Four months later, Yugoslavia released Pratt and Wallace. In a dispatch
at
the time, the Australian news agency, AAP, explained that Yugoslav
border
guards had found:
...detailed maps, a satellite telephone and a laptop computer in their
car
when Pratt and Wallace tried to cross into Croatia.
Shouldn't this information have been presented as top news in April? It
was
not. Instead the media engaged in more preventive damage control.
Consider
this from the AAP on April 15th:
CARE Australia worker Steve Pratt, who is being held as a spy in
Yugoslavia,
would have collected some military information, his former boss said
today.
But it would only have been to help CARE's planning and would not have
been
given to any outside body, Tony McGee said...
Mind boggling, isn't this? Why on earth would CARE routinely gather
military
information? The article goes on:
Mr. McGee, like Mr. Pratt a former Australian army officer, said he
never
took any interest in military installations or troop movements except to
the
extent that they might affect CARE's safety and operations.
Are all these guys ex-Army officers? Doesn't CARE recruit any regular
folks?
And what about McGee's suggestion that by recruiting (supposedly) former
Army
officers CARE insures its employees will take no "interest in military
installations or troop movements except to the extent that they might
affect
CARE's safety and operations."
In case people are not convinced that military men would never take an
interest in military matters, Mr. McGee adds:
In any event, satellites could provide much better information than
anything
aid workers on the ground could gather.
So Pratt was certainly no spy because former military officers just
don't
have the military curiosity needed for spying and even if he was a spy
the
information he would gather would be of minor use. Doesn't this sound
more
and more like a) Pratt was a spy and b) all these guys knew it?
What is the point of McGee's statement? The only explanation I can
suggest
is: CARE officials knew Pratt was carrying incriminating equipment and
descriptions of troop movements when he was arrested; there was a danger
the
Yugoslavs would make this incriminating evidence public; McGee was
trying to
immunize the public beforehand. And once again, the media provided a
willing
PR forum.
Pratt, Critic of NATO (?)
Here's an AAP headline from April 12th:
Ex Army Major no spy say CARE colleagues
This article tells Pratt's life story, official version. We are told he
spent
years in the army where he worked in supply until at the request of
former
Australian Prime Minister and CARE Chairman Malcolm Fraser, he joined
CARE.
He what?
How comes an ordinary Army major to be recruited by a Prime Minister?
Isn't
this in itself a bit suspicious?
The AAP asks no embarrassing questions.
The article goes on to claim that Pratt:
also criticized the NATO bombing, and publicly attacked the destruction
of a
CARE-run refugee camp which killed nine people.
This is intended to prove Pratt's even-handedness. See? He criticizes
NATO.
(More evidence of his innocence.)
But consider Pratt's actual comments, recorded on March 29 in an AAP
Internet
Bulletin. He's talking about the NATO bombing of refugees who were
living in
abandoned Army barracks:
"I suspect the centers had been located very close to military targets.
The
report that I am getting that they have probably been caught up in some
sort
of collateral thing," Mr. Pratt said. The refugees killed were believed
to
include women and children who were ethnic Serb refugees who fled Bosnia
during the 1995 conflict.
"They were not directly hit, they don't seem to have been deliberately
targeted."...He said the center where eight refugees were confirmed
killed
had been located 60km southwest of the city of Nis in an old army
barracks
consisting of barracks of wooden huts. But two of the nine buildings had
been
damaged, including one which was burned down, when NATO hit a warehouse
about
100 meters away. "I believe (the damage) was accidental..."
Another refugee had been confirmed killed in Kosovo's capital of
Pristina in
a refugee center close to police headquarters. "Again this was a refugee
center too close to a NATO target. I suppose this is the way things are
in
war but it is extremely sad," he said.
Is Pratt "publicly attacking" NATO for the "destruction of a CARE-run
refugee
camp?" Or is he in fact excusing NATO of any criminal responsibility?
Why do you say 'Preposterous' Mr. Downer?
Two days after Pratt confessed on Yugoslav TV, The Guardian (London)
reported
that:
The Serbian government's claim that two Australian aid workers missing
for 14
days were gathering intelligence has been dismissed as 'preposterous' by
the
Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer. (The Guardian(London)
April
13, 1999)
Imagine you told your neighbor your wooden house was on fire and he
replied:
"Preposterous!"
Of course, you could be wrong - but preposterous?
How could Downer possibly be sure?
Australian Foreign Minister Downer's statement demonstrates his desire,
in
the absence of supporting evidence, to prove Pratt was innocent. This
puts
Downer in good company: Tapp, McGee, Doolan the AP, the AAP and the mass
media in general were all trying to convince the public that Pratt was
innocent. The Guardian could have contributed to news gathering by
questioning Downer: "How can you be sure? Why is everyone so anxious to
prove
the Yugoslavs are lying? Could this be a pre-emptive strike aimed at
preventing people from believing future Yugoslav revelations about
CARE's
involvement in spying?"
But the Guardian asked no such questions. Apparently they wanted to
prove
Pratt was innocent too.
Dishonor Thy Mother Some More
While most of the world had no idea Major Pratt's mother had nailed him
in
the Sunday Telegraph, the word got around in Australia. Hence the
following
bit of damage control published by the AAP on April 12th:
CARE Australia emergency coordinator Brian Doolan personally guaranteed
Mr.
Pratt was not spying when they worked together in Iraq from 1993 to
1995. Mr.
Doolan criticized Sydney's Sunday Telegraph reporters for speaking to
Mr.
Pratt's mother, Mavis Pratt, who told the newspaper: "He was letting the
UN
know what Iraq was doing, he was observing, so Iraq put a price on his
head
and they had to get him out of there quickly."
The newspaper's story was groundless, Mr. Doolan said. The elderly Mrs.
Pratt
was confronted through the fly-screen door by two young women saying
they
wanted to help her son, he said.
"They (the reporters) seemed to have spun a bit of line and she's given
them
bits of information, potted information, that she knows about Steve's
experience overseas," he said.
Huh? Has Downer actually proven anything here?
Forget Thy Mother and Ditto Thy Satellite Phone!
Apparently this was sufficient to eliminate mom because by April 26, in
a
story on the Pratt/Wallace affair (the news stories generally left out
Mr.
Jelen since he was only a Yugoslav) Time actually printed the following
sentence:
How the two aid workers came to be accused of spying has mystified their
families and friends.
Isn't this amazing?
Yes, one might argue, but perhaps 'Time' didn't know about the Mrs.
Pratt's
statement...
I find that hard to believe. Since they were writing a story about
Australians accused of spying, wouldn't the 'Time" reporters read what
the
Australian press (not the mention the AP) had published concerning the
arrests? How could they not know about Mavis Pratt's statement?
But let us concede, for the sake of argument, that Time didn't know.
The AAP certainly did know. After Pratt and Wallace were released in
September, the AAP published a story that tried to explain the
supposedly
irrational Yugoslav conviction that the men were spies. In it, the AAP
admitted that:
Serb authorities had intercepted Pratt's reports on troop movements,
but added that these reports:
were designed to help Aid agencies, not NATO's air strikes.
How could anyone think otherwise? the Yugoslav authorities must be
paranoid.
AAP adds:
There were other allegations that Pratt spied on Iraq for the United
Nations
while he was working there for CARE Australia.
These "other allegations" were the ones raised by Mrs. Pratt. Does the
AAP
see fit to mention her name? It does not. Instead it goes on to answer
the
anonymous allegations:
...the Army said Pratt had never undertaken intelligence work during his
military career...
Do you find this convincing? If Pratt was a spy would you expect the
Australian Army to admit it?
Arguments like this have no merit as arguments. If you isolate them from
the
larger text, they look ridiculous. But within the context of a barrage
of
propaganda, they do have an effect. Here's how it works:
The AAP and other Western media take meaningless statements that sound
like
arguments. They put this empty babble in the appropriate place for real
arguments. They string several such arguments together and they do this
over
and over again and in this way, by heaping one pro-establishment
pseudo-argument on top of another (though never offering real evidence)
the
reader is trained into a sort of glaze, thought dissipates, the proper
impression is planted and lingers.
Filing for ethical bankruptcy
The AAP story closes with an amazing statement. Referring to Peter
Wallace,
who had just been released along with Steve Pratt, the article states
that:
His family, like Pratt's, were shocked when he was accused of being a
spy.
(Our emphasis. AAP General News, Sept. 2, 1999)
Is it unreasonable to suggest that CARE, the mass media and the
Australian
government had fashioned a convenient cover story and Mrs. Pratt
statement
did not fit, so it was edited out?
Here is the hyperlink to the SBS TV show:
http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/transcript.html
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---
> STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.HOME-PAGE.ORG
>
> World Socialist Web Site www.wsws.org
> The CARE-OSCE connection in Kosovo
> New information on the case of two jailed Australian aid workers
> By Mike Head
> 9 February 2000
> A current affairs program on the Australian government's Special
> Broadcasting Services television network last week shed some further
> light on Yugoslavia's detention of two CARE aid workers last year. Steve
> Pratt and Peter Wallace were arrested with two carloads of computer
> files, a satellite telephone and other communications equipment when
> they tried to cross into Croatia from Serbia last March 31—just seven
> days after the US-NATO bombing of the country began.
> The SBS Dateline program belatedly disclosed two pieces of new
> information. The first was that CARE had a contract with the government
> of Canada, a NATO member, to recruit a team of monitors in Kosovo before
> the bombing. Under the arrangement, CARE Canada received $A32.2 million
> from CIDA, Canada's official aid agency, to select and put in place 60
> members of an Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
> monitoring force. CARE paid the observers and provided them with
> orientation briefings, medical services and administrative backup.
> Strictly speaking, the contract was with CARE Canada, but CARE
> Australia, as CARE's lead agency in Yugoslavia, approved it. In fact,
> Pratt, who was CARE International's country director in the former
> Yugoslavia, personally helped set up the operation. He accompanied CARE
> Canada's chief John Watson on a week-long tour when Watson arrived to
> establish the operation.
> Dateline cited an unnamed OSCE source stating that the data collected by
> the monitors was supplied to NATO, but not, as was supposed to happen,
> to Yugoslavia. The program also interviewed CARE Canada's chief John
> Watson and Stephen Wallace from CIDA who admitted that ex-military
> people and others "with experience in combat zones" were recruited for
> the operation. In other words, Pratt was directly linked to a network
> full of ex-military personnel sending reports to NATO.
> The second revelation came in an interview with CARE Australia chairman
> Malcolm Fraser, a former prime minister. Fraser admitted that the
> material that the two CARE workers tried to take across the border
> contained information on troop movements, tank positions and minefields.
> Fraser confirmed that the documents included "situation reports" written
> by Pratt in "military language".
> When the CARE workers were detained, on suspicion of spying or passing
> on information that aided the NATO bombing, the Australian government,
> opposition politicians and the media denounced the arrests as an
> "outrage" and condemned the Yugoslav regime of Slobodan Milosevic. For
> weeks on end, headlines and editorials accused the Belgrade
> administration of using innocent humanitarian workers as political
> pawns.
> As CARE's chief spokesman, Fraser was at the centre of the campaign. He
> loudly protested the complete innocence of the CARE staff, enlisting the
> support of dignitaries from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to South
> African President Nelson Mandela. Fraser was appointed a Special Envoy
> of the Howard government and eventually travelled to Belgrade to seek
> the prisoners' release.
> The propaganda campaign only intensified when it was revealed that Pratt
> had been a Major in the Australian army, as well as a one-time election
> candidate for the conservative Liberal Party. It also emerged that he
> had previously worked for CARE in such sensitive locations as Rwanda and
> had apparently been forced to flee Kurdistan, in northern Iraq, as a
> suspected spy. The media barrage continued unabated even when the
> Yugoslav court decided not to rely upon Pratt's televised confession,
> broadcast on Yugoslav TV, that he had "performed some intelligence tasks
> in this country, using the cover of CARE Australia". The court
> ultimately dismissed the spying charges but convicted the pair of lesser
> offences of passing information to a foreign organisation.
> Now Fraser has admitted that he and other CARE officials knew all along
> of highly incriminating evidence. Fraser claimed that he was not told
> about the Canadian contract until after Pratt and Wallace were detained.
> Nevertheless, as soon as he found out he insisted that the media
> suppress all mention of it. Dateline itself acknowledged that it had
> known of the Canadian contract since last June but did not report the
> information for seven months at Fraser's request.
> The significance of the Canadian contract can only be understood by
> examining the true role of the OSCE monitoring operation. The Dateline
> program depicted it as a "peace-monitoring" effort that had been agreed
> to by the Yugoslav authorities. In fact, the Milosevic regime was forced
> to allow the OSCE to send 2,000 civilian monitors under the direct
> threat of NATO bombing, as well as crippling economic sanctions. Under
> an agreement imposed by US diplomat Richard Holbrooke on October 20,
> 1998, Milosevic pledged to withdraw Yugoslav security forces from
> Kosovo, where they had been sent earlier in 1998 to combat units of the
> Albanian separatist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
> The monitors had nothing to do with peace. They were to be deployed to
> police Yugoslavia's compliance with the agreement, backed by NATO
> surveillance flights. A NATO rapid reaction force was to be assembled to
> intervene in the event of a breach by Serbia.
> Given the circumstances, it is inconceivable that the monitors did not
> include intelligence officers and agents. To the Serbian authorities
> this was obvious. Interviewed by Dateline, Deputy Information Minister
> Miodrag Popovic stated: "We knew all along about their intelligence
> activities. We knew all along about the real purpose of the OSCE mission
> and that was to justify later NATO aggression."
> Appointed to head the OSCE force was William Walker, a US diplomat who
> was previously implicated in the Nicaraguan Contra affair in the 1980s.
> As a deputy to the Reagan administration's Assistant Secretary of State
> Elliott Abrams, Walker was involved in illegally supplying weapons to
> the Contras who were seeking to overthrow the Sandinista government.
> The Milosevic-Holbrooke agreement provided the conditions for similar
> "dirty tricks" activity in Kosovo. The KLA, which had been suffering
> heavy losses at the hands of the Yugoslav army, was given the
> opportunity it needed to regroup, obtain fresh military equipment and
> step up its campaign to drive all Serbs from Kosovo.
> As fighting flared between Serbian and KLA units, the OSCE monitors
> claimed to have evidence of widespread Serbian atrocities. Walker was at
> the centre of the main incident used to trigger the NATO bombing—the
> alleged killings of 45 Kosovar peasants by Serbian forces in the village
> of Racak on January 15, 1999. When the bodies were discovered, Walker
> was the first observer on the scene and immediately declared that there
> had been a Serbian massacre. On-the-spot reports in the French press,
> however, suggested that the 45 could have been KLA fighters killed in
> violent clashes with Serb units near the village the day before.
> Racak, and the subsequent withdrawal of OSCE observers, provided the
> pretext for the Paris and Rambouillet conferences of February and March
> 1999 where the "Contact Group" of six nations demanded that Milosevic
> sign an Accord granting autonomy to Kosovo. Appendix B of the Accord
> required a full NATO occupation of Yugoslavia, also in the name of
> ensuring compliance. Milosevic refused to sign, objecting to the blanket
> infringement of Yugoslav's sovereignty, and the NATO bombing commenced
> just six days later.
> In his interview, Fraser defended the OSCE operation but said that "with
> hindsight" it was a mistake for CARE to have participated in it,
> blurring CARE's humanitarian mission. In another part of the interview,
> which has received no comment in the media, he said the Rambouillet
> conference was used to prepare for war. "It was the West's decision to
> go to war, not Yugoslavia's and when I say the West's decision, there is
> a great deal of evidence to say that Rambouillet was organised to
> provide an excuse to go to war and I say that quite clearly and
> deliberately," he said.
> Fraser's remarks provoked something of a storm within CARE. At one
> point, CARE's publicity manager Antony Funnell interrupted Fraser's
> interview, insisting that the CARE contract was with CIDA, not the
> Canadian government. Fraser responded furiously with a string of
> rebukes. "Do not interrupt when I am being interviewed and do not ever
> interrupt again," he thundered at one point. "Do you understand?"
> Canadian CARE's John Watson told Dateline that Fraser's objections
> flowed from a "traditional" view of aid activity, whereas CARE Canada
> had "a more progressive view of humanitarian work". When Fraser
> criticised CARE Australia's national director Charles Tapp for not
> objecting to the Canadian contract, Tapp responded by saying there were
> similar Australian government contracts with many aid organisations in
> Bougainville, East Timor and Indonesia.
> Aid agencies are used for such intelligence-gathering activities because
> they can place personnel on the ground in volatile areas where other
> observers would be under suspicion and scrutiny. As Pratt's record
> shows, their staffs often feature seasoned military operatives. Direct
> state funding of aid agencies to undertake such activities is a growing
> trend, as is overall dependence on government coffers. The Australian
> Council for Overseas Aid estimates that in 1998 government sources
> provided one-third of the $218 million raised by its affiliates.
> As limited as the SBS material was, it pointed to a number of unanswered
> questions about the CARE affair. Why was CARE asked to set up part of
> the OSCE monitoring force? What data did the OSCE compile and how was it
> used in the lead-up to the NATO bombing? What information did Pratt and
> his colleagues collate and to whom was it sent? Did their reports
> continue during the first week of the NATO onslaught?
> This week, Four Corners, a flagship current affairs program on the other
> government-funded TV network, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation,
> attempted to divert public attention away from the SBS revelations.
> Instead of a serious investigative examination of the new evidence, it
> devoted its weekly timeslot to lengthy, uncritical and sympathetic
> interviews with Pratt and Wallace. Every effort was made to pull on
> viewers' heartstrings. With a tender and commiserating expression,
> interviewer Liz Jackson dwelt on their traumatic experiences in
> detention, and their personal feelings. The SBS material was barely
> mentioned, and only at the end of the 45-minute program.
> Jackson did not ask either Pratt or Wallace any of the obvious
> questions. Exactly what part did Pratt play in setting up and running
> the Canadian contingent of the OSCE operation? Why did Pratt keep
> detailed records of military movements? Why did he and Wallace stay in
> Yugoslavia after the bombing commenced and then seek to leave Serbia
> with two carloads of extremely sensitive material, including reports
> associated with the OSCE operation?
> One new piece of information emerged showing that Pratt was no ordinary
> ex-army officer. Among the documents found in his possession was his
> military record of service between 1969 and 1992, revealing that before
> he left the army he had been appointed second-in-command of the United
> Nations Military Observer Team, on standby to deploy to the former
> Yugoslavia.
> Rather than report and examine the documents carried by Pratt and
> Wallace, which have never been released to the public, Four Corners
> quoted just three snippets. In one, Pratt reported that "fighting
> continues in the strategically important area of Podujevo". In a
> situation report, he wrote: "Significant government forces, backed by
> about 12 VJ (army) heavy tanks and armoured cars, launched operations
> against known KLA strong points recently established in Podujevo." Both
> clearly relate to military operations, not aid work.
> The third report, dated March 27, 1999, indicates that Pratt continued
> to send information to NATO-linked sources throughout the first week of
> bombing. "People are regularly moving into and out of air-raid shelters
> in the late afternoons and nights" in Belgrade, he reported, describing
> the tension in the city as "very high".
> In his interview, Wallace claimed not to have known that Pratt had these
> reports with him when they tried to leave the country. "What we should
> have done before we'd gone out was sanitise the files, that is, to take
> out anything that might be provocative," he suggested. The information,
> he admitted, "wasn't strictly relevant to a humanitarian operation and
> our need to know where the security risks were".
> Asked why he thought the material was there, Wallace paused awkwardly
> before saying: "Er, oh well, it's, um, just Steve's mistake". Suddenly
> the interview switched back to Pratt, who blithely declared that he was
> "comfortable" with the reports he had compiled.
> Much remains hidden about the Pratt-Wallace affair, and not just in
> Australia. Nothing has appeared in the Canadian press about the
> CARE-OSCE connection. In both countries, and elsewhere around the world,
> aid agencies such as CARE continue to attract donations and support,
> mounting considerable advertising campaigns to portray themselves as
> purely humanitarian organisations.
> Having had unwelcome attention drawn to the links between aid agencies
> and the intelligence services, considerable official and media effort is
> being made to prevent serious questions being asked. But what has
> emerged already is a high-level coverup, led by Fraser and the
> Australian government, assisted by the media, to suppress the facts
> about the use of CARE for intelligence gathering in the Balkans.
>
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
>
> TRIBUNALE ITALIANO CONTRO I CRIMINI DELLA NATO IN JUGOSLAVIA
> SEDUTA INAUGURALE
>
> LA VIOLAZIONE DEL DIRITTO INTERNAZIONALE E DELLA COSTITUZIONE E DELLE LEGGI
> ITALIANE.
>
> ROMA - 25 FEBBRAIO 2000
> LIBRERIA DE IL MANIFESTO - ORE 17.00
> VIA TOMACELLI
>
> INTERVENGONO
> RANIERO LA VALLE - COMITATO DIFESA DELLA DEMOCRAZIA INTERNAZIONALE
> GABRIELE CERMINARA - MAGISTRATO
> GIUSEPPE MATTINA - AVVOCATO
> PASQUALE VILARDO - AVVOCATO
> ALDO BERNARDINI - DOCENTE UNIVERSITARIO DIRITTO
> INTERNAZIONALE
> PER INFORMAZIONI : s.deangelis@... pona@...
--
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
> TRIBUNALE ITALIANO CONTRO I CRIMINI DELLA NATO IN JUGOSLAVIA
> SEDUTA INAUGURALE
>
> LA VIOLAZIONE DEL DIRITTO INTERNAZIONALE E DELLA COSTITUZIONE E DELLE LEGGI
> ITALIANE.
>
> ROMA - 25 FEBBRAIO 2000
> LIBRERIA DE IL MANIFESTO - ORE 17.00
> VIA TOMACELLI
>
> INTERVENGONO
> RANIERO LA VALLE - COMITATO DIFESA DELLA DEMOCRAZIA INTERNAZIONALE
> GABRIELE CERMINARA - MAGISTRATO
> GIUSEPPE MATTINA - AVVOCATO
> PASQUALE VILARDO - AVVOCATO
> ALDO BERNARDINI - DOCENTE UNIVERSITARIO DIRITTO
> INTERNAZIONALE
> PER INFORMAZIONI : s.deangelis@... pona@...
--
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
REUTERS 20/2/2000 ------------------------------------------
AEREI NATO VIOLANO LO SPAZIO AEREO JUGOSLAVO SUL MONTENEGRO?
NATO Denies Role In Yugoslav Airspace Mystery, Near-Miss With Slovenian
Plane
BRUSSELS, Feb 20, 2000 -- (Reuters) NATO on Friday denied charges by
Belgrade that alliance military aircraft violated Yugoslav air space
twice in the past week and put civilian airliners at risk over
Montenegro's Adriatic coast.
"On those dates and at these times there were no NATO aircraft in that
area. There were no near-misses and there was no NATO air exercise,"
spokesman Lee McClenny said.
McClenny said officials at NATO southern command in Naples had carefully
examined the detailed charges and established NATO was not in any way
involved in the alleged incidents.
Yugoslav Transport Minister Dejan Drobnjakovic said on Wednesday illegal
NATO air activity forced it to close Tivat airport on the Adriatic coast
of the Yugoslav republic of Montenegro.
The closure raised fears in pro-Western Montenegro of a fresh
confrontation over airport control, as happened last December when
federal troops loyal to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic faced off
with Montenegrin police.
Tivat was closed again on Friday. Yugoslav officials said it was due to
high winds - a frequent local problem in winter.
CYPRUS, SLOVENIA
FLIGHTS CITED
Drobnjakovic said NATO had caused a "classic near-miss" with an airliner
of Slovenian carrier Adria Airways on February 10 as it flew over the
area on a journey from Ljubljana to Tirana.
On February 14, he said, a Cyprus Airlines flight from London to Larnaca
reported unidentified aircraft in its vicinity. In Nicosia, Cyprus
Airways told Reuters its crew had reported unidentified aircraft, but no
safety hazards. Radar readings showed them about 300 meters (1,000 feet)
below the airliner's altitude, and on the limits of its radar range.
In Ljubljana, an Adria Airways spokeswoman said captain Andrej Travnik
reported that he was informed by air traffic control of another aircraft
flying below 9,000 meters (29,700 feet) in his vicinity on the flight to
Tirana.
PLANE NOT IN SIGHT
Travnik, however, said the plane was not visible and the crew had no
idea whether it was military or not.
Military sources said they could think of a few possible explanations
for the mystery encounters above Montenegro. There could be confusion
between air controllers in the area, which includes Croatia, Montenegro,
Belgrade and Bosnia. Or there was the possibility that military aircraft
were indeed operating in the space - in a secret Yugoslav Air Force
exercise which required the closure of Tivat airport under some other
pretext. Yugoslav flight control director Miodrag Hadzic told Reuters in
Belgrade on Wednesday that NATO had broken a fundamental rule of
aviation by not reporting its activities 48 hours in advance in a
so-called NOTAM, or Notification to Airman.
Belgrade authorities insisted they told the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) in Paris of the complaints. ICAO could not be
immediately contacted for comment
B92 19/2/2000 ---------------------------------
L'OPPOSIZIONE FILO-OCCIDENTALE SERBA A ZAGABRIA
INCONTRA LA ALBRIGHT, FISCHER E LA NUOVA DIRIGENZA CROATA
Opposition holds successful talks in Zagreb
CROATIA, Saturday - Serbian opposition representatives, in Zagreb for
the
inauguration of President Stipe Mesic, met American State Secretary
Madeleine
Albright and German Foreign Minister Joscha Fischer yesterday.
Opposition
representative Zarko Korac told B2 92 that they had discussed the
further
lifting of sanctions on Serbia and that the opposition had been invited
to
attend the next meeting of European Ministers scheduled to take place in
Lisbon at the beginning of March.
The Serbian opposition also met new Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan
and
talks were reported to be friendly. The main subject on the agenda was
the
return of Serbian refugees to Croatia.
ANCORA DUE PERSONE UCCISE IN KOSOVO DA ESTREMISTI PAN-ALBANESI
Two Serb males killed in Gornja Gusterica
KOSOVO, Saturday -- Two Serb males, Zoran Zivic and Radojica Trajkovic,
were
killed last night near the village of Gornja Gusterica in Kosovo, radio
amateurs report today. According to the same resource, UNMIK
representatives
did not allow local Serbs to approach the scene of the crime. After the
bodies were handed over, the families of the victims said that the men
had
been shot in the back while chopping wood.
KFOR spokesman Philip Anido today confirmed two Serb killings in Gornja
Gusterica and reported a further murder in Podujevo. Anido did not
release
the identity of the victims but reported that ten Albanians had been
arrested
in connection with the murders in Gornja Gusterica.
SOTTO INCHIESTA IL SOLDATO USA PER STUPRO ED OMICIDIO
Rangy hearing resumes today
KOSOVO, Saturday - The hearing in connection with the case of the
American
KFOR soldier, Frank Rangy will resume today in the American military
camp
near the town of Urosevac. Rangy has been charged with the rape and
murder of
an eleven-year-old Albanian girl. His lawyers told the press today that
the
evidence so far does not point to premeditated murder.
A ZAGABRIA LA ALBRIGHT INCONTRA I SECESSIONISTI
MONTENEGRINI E PROMETTE AIUTO
Albright: The security of Montenegro is in the interests of the US
CROATIA, Saturday - The security of Montenegro is in the interests of
the US,
American State Secretary Madeleine Albright told the press in Zagreb
after
meeting the Montenegrin Prime Minister Filip Vujanovic today. Vujanovic
said
that they had discussed the current state of relations between Serbia
and
Montenegro and Albright had agreed that Montenegro should act with
caution so
as to avoid provoking any conflict with Serbia. Vujanovic added that
Albright
had also expressed the intention of the US to provide Montenegro with
financial aid on the same level as last year and to back democratic
changes,
reforms and the integration of the republic into the international
community.
B92 18/2/2000 -------------------------
ANCORA TENSIONE ALL'AEREOPORTO DI TIVAT
PER GLI SCONFINAMENTI DEGLI AEREI NATO
Belgrade closes Montenegrin airport again
PODGORICA, Friday - The airport in the Montenegrin coastal town of Tivat
was
closed again yesterday after being opened only fifteen hours earlier.
Air
traffic control supervisor Mijat Petric told B292 that the airport had
been
closed because of poor weather conditions. Earlier in the week Yugoslav
air
traffic control was quoted as saying that the airport would close for
two
days because traffic was endangered by NATO aircraft over the Adriatic.
Petric told B292 today that the federal flight control had announced
that it
would close the airport in future as and when it needed to.
L'OPPOSIZIONE SERBA A LEZIONE DI DEMOCRAZIA IN CROAZIA
Serbian opposition in Zagreb
ZAGREB, Friday - A number of representatives of the Serbian opposition
are
this evening holding discussions with US Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright and German Foreign Minister Joscha Fischer in Zagreb. The
opposition
leaders, who were in Zagreb today for the inauguration of President
Stipe
Mesic, are also expected to meet Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan.
They
are expected to discuss the effects of the abolition of sanctions with
Albright and Fischer.
TOLTO L'EMBARGO SUI VOLI CIVILI
JAT back in the air
BELGRADE, Friday - The Yugoslav national airline, JAT, is to return to
the
European skies on February 22. A ban on JAT landings in European
airports was
lifted this week along with the air traffic embargo on Yugoslavia. The
company announced today that it will begin flying to Zurich five times a
week
from next Tuesday. Flights to other European destinations are expected
to
follow in the near future.
ANCORA IN SCIOPERO GLI INSEGNANTI SERBI PER
OTTENERE UN AUMENTO DEL SALARIO
Teachers refuse pay offer, continue industrial action
BELGRADE, Friday - The Serbian Education Union today declined an offer
from
the Serbian government and announced it would continue industrial
action.
Education Minister Jovo Todorovic offered a basic pay rate for teachers
of
305 dinars - below the union's demands. Union President Branislav
Pavlovic
told media today that if agreement were not reached the union would call
a
total strike.
CLARK: "LA NATO NON SI MUOVERA' DAI BALCANI FINCHE' C'E' MILOSEVIC"
US and NATO to stay while Milosevic in power: Clark
WASHINGTON, Thursday - US and NATO troops in Bosnia and Kosovo would
probably
stay as long as Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic remained in power,
NATO
European Commander Wesley Clark said today. Clark emphasised that it was
crucial that economic measures against Yugoslavia be targeted carefully
at
Milosevic and his authorities, not ordinary Serbs. "NATO has never been
against Serbs. We're against Milosevic," Clark told the US Congress
Committee
for Military Affairs. Clark was replying to members of the committee who
had
expressed dissatisfaction over slow progress by the international
community
in Kosovo and Bosnia.
IVANOVIC: "GLI ALBANESI-KOSOVARI STANNO PREPARANDO FUTURI ATTACCHI"
Albanians planning major attacks in Kosovo: Ivanovic
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Friday - Albanians in the southern part of the
divided
town of Kosovska Mitrovica are visibly arming themselves and regrouping
in
preparation for attacks, the president of the local Serb National
Council,
Oliver Ivanovic, warned today. Ivanovic told media in Bosnia that
serious
attacks on the northern, Serbian, zone of Mitrovica could be expected
soon.
The Mitrovica Serb leader added that he hoped that the international
community and KFOR would react in time to prevent such attacks. In any
case,
said Ivanovic, Serbs would not sit in the northern zone and wait for
Albanians to come and slaughter them.
IWPR #117, 18/2/2000 ------------------------------
MILOSEVIC STA AGGIRANDO L'EMBARGO ATTRAVERSO L'IRAQ
MILOSEVIC BREAKS FINANCIAL BLOCKADE
Western counties are undermining their own efforts to starve Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic of cash.
By Laura Rozen
Western countries seeking to deprive Slobodan Milosevic of hard currency
are
sanctioning multi-million dollar trade deals between Yugoslavia and
Iraq.
The United States, Britain and France, which are supposed to be trying
to
limit Milosevic's access to foreign capital, are represented on a UN
committee which has allowed him to earn millions of US dollars in trade
with
Baghdad.
The revelation comes as the European Union is considering ways of
tightening
so-called "smart-sanctions" aimed at hurting leading members of the
Belgrade
regime.
Milosevic is profiting from the UN's Oil-for-Food programme, which
enables
Iraq to sell oil on the open market and use the proceeds to buy
UN-approved
supplies in order to alleviate the humanitarian problems caused by years
of
economic sanctions.
The UN's 661 committee, which overseas the Oil-for-Food programme, has
over
the past few years approved several lucrative deals between the Yugoslav
government-owned company the Federal Directorate of Supply and
Procurement
(FDSP), known in Serbia as Yugoimport, and the Iraqi authorities. Any
member
of the UN committee can veto these contracts.
The UN approved two FDSP deals with Baghdad in 1998 worth $3.8 million
and
$18.3 million, respectively, the latter given the go-ahead just as NATO
threatened to intervene to thwart a Yugoslav military onslaught in
Kosovo.
Last month Yugoimport announced it had received permission for a $20
million
contract - and boasted its value would increase to $100 million by
year's
end.
The UN said no FDSP contracts had been approved this year. "It could
well be
that Yugoimport has signed a contract for further sale of wheat, but we
cannot confirm that they have submitted a contract to the UN for
approval,"
a UN spokesman said. "The other two contracts were approved quickly."
The 661 committee has put on hold three other contract applications
filed by
Yugoslav companies in 1999, to sell pitch, hydrocortisone, tyres tubes
and
flaps under Oil-for-Food. The US has faced criticism from Baghdad
officials
in the past month for blocking several other Iraqi contracts The
apparent
clampdown on Yugoslav-Iraq business may well have been prompted by
concerns
over the UN loophole in the financial sanctions regime against Belgrade.
There are some suggestions that it may also have come about as a result
of
fears that Milosevic is using the Oil-for Food programme as a front to
provide military support for Iraq. The 661 committee is obliged to block
any
deal that it suspects involves the sale to Baghdad of dual-use
technology
which might be used to enable Saddam Hussein to build weapons of mass
destruction. Although there is no direct evidence, there's mounting
suspicion that Yugoimport may be involved in such trade.
FDSP's own literature suggests that it might be in a position to help
Baghdad with its military goals. The company's website says that it
alone
accounts for just over 10 per cent of Yugoslav's exports and that its
activities include trade in defence equipment, technology transfer, and
the
construction of fortifications for military bases and airports.
Yugoimport's
military and economic role was underlined when it was targeted during
the
NATO bombardment of Belgrade last year.
In the past, Yugoslav companies have been instrumental in building much
of
Iraq's military infrastructure, according to William Arkin, a consultant
to
the arms division of campaign group Human Rights Watch. And recent
high-level discussions between Belgrade and Baghdad officials have
stressed
the importance of Iraqi security.
Following a meeting between Serbian interior ministry officials and the
Iraqi ambassador to Yugoslavia, Sami Sadun, the Yugoslav news agency,
Tanjug, reported that Sadun had said the preservation of economic
stability
and security in the country were priorities.
Laura Rozen, a regular contributor to IWPR, is a journalist specialising
in
the Balkans.
B92 17/2/2000 -----------------------------------
IL PORTAVOCE NATO CHIEDE SCUSA PER I SUOI ECCESSI
DI CATTIVO GUSTO SUI "DANNI COLLATERALI", NON PER
LE OPERAZIONI DI CARATTERE GENOCIDA CONTRO IL
PETROLCHIMICO DI PANCEVO...
Shea regrets using "collateral damage"
BONN, Thursday - NATO spokesman Jamie Shea told a German magazine today
that
he regretted using the term "collateral damage" during the NATO
intervention
in Yugoslavia. Shea told Stern that the euphemism for civilian
casualties was
"a really bad syntagm". The term was voted the ugliest word of 1999 by
German
linguists who explained it as NATO wanting to present the death of
civilians
as an unwanted side effect.
Shea also said today that he had never announced something deliberately
untrue during the war, adding that his denial of a NATO attack on a
civilian
convoy had been "a true mistake".
LE RICHIESTE DEL SINDACATO DEGLI INSEGNANTI IN SERBIA
Teacher's union in final demand
BELGRADE, Thursday - The president of the Serbian Education Union,
Branislav
Pavlovic announced today that the union would propose a minimum
teachers'
salary rise of 44 per cent, which would bring the average salary in
schools
to 1,800 dinars or about 90 DM. Pavlovic announced that the teachers'
industrial action would continue, saying that he was sceptical about the
government accepting the pay demand. Teachers in about 870 schools in
Serbia
are currently reducing class times from 45 to 30 minutes in support of
their
claims.
IMPORTAZIONE DI FARMACI DALLA CINA PER AGGIRARE L'EMBARGO:
IL PARTITO DEMOCRATICO DI DJINDJIC SI OPPONE
Chinese drug warning: Democratic Party
BELGRADE, Thursday - The Democratic Party has reacted with a warning to
yesterday's announcement that Serbia and China are about to reach
agreement
on import of pharmaceutical products to ease Serbia's acute shortage of
medicines. A statement from the party today said that the drugs from
China
were of questionable quality and carried no certificates of analysis. A
particular danger lay in the repackaging of drugs, the party warned.
Deputy Serbian Prime Minister Milovan Bojic yesterday told media that
the
deal on medicines from China would be completed within days and that the
crisis in Serbia's pharmacies would be solved very soon..
ANCORA BOMBE A MITROVICA CONTRO LE ABITAZIONI DEL SETTORE NORD
Bombs, no casualties in Mitrovica
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Thursday - Grenades were thrown in two separate
incidents
in the divided Kosovo town of Mitrovica. KFOR announced today that a
grenade
landed on a house occupied by a Serb family failed to explode. Another
Serb
family in the northern part of the town escaped injury in an explosion
when
their house was hit by a grenade.
B92 18/2/2000 -------------------------
AEREI NATO NELLO SPAZIO AEREO JUGOSLAVO
NATO aircraft in Yugoslav air space
BELGRADE, Wednesday - The airport in the Montenegrin coastal resort of
Tivat
has been closed for two days this week because international pilots
reported
seeing NATO aircraft in the area, Belgrade daily Glas javnosti writes
today.
According to the report, Belgrade air traffic control closed the airport
after pilots from Adria and British Airways reported the sightings,
because
the NATO aircraft could have endangered civilian flights. According to
sources quoted by Glas, NATO was probably using traffic zones they
themselves
had proclaimed without asking permission for the flights.
NATO yesterday denied having asked Belgrade to clear air space so that
it
could hold military manoeuvres after state radio in Montenegro reported
that
the closure had been agreed to by Belgrade flight control for that
reason.
IN ARRIVO / DALLA CINA / MARMELLATE / ED ASPIRINA...
Jam - and aspirin - tomorrow
BELGRADE, Wednesday - Serbia's acute shortage of medicines will be
solved
soon by imports from China, Deputy Serbian Prime Minister Milovan Bojic
promised today. Bojic told selected media today that the government had
struck a major deal with the Chinese pharmaceutical industry and it was
now
only a matter of days before supplies began arriving. The deputy prime
minister also said that an investigation was underway to discover who
was
responsible for the drug shortage and that nobody would escape
responsibility. When the investigation bore results the public would be
notified, said Bojic, at a press conference which Radio B292 was barred
from
attending.
SERBO ASSASSINATO A GNJILANE
Serb killed in Gnjilane
PRISTINA, Wednesday - A sixty-year-old Serb man was killed yesterday
when an
unknown gunman opened fire on a house in Gnjilane, a KFOR spokesman said
today. Although KFOR troops arrived quickly at the scene, the assailant
escaped capture.
REUTERS 17/2/2000 ---------------------------
TRUPPE GRECHE PER FRONTEGGIARE GLI ESTREMISTI
PAN-ALBANESI A MITROVICA
Greek troops reinforce French soldiers in Kosovo
ATHENS, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Greek troops from the NATO-led
peacekeeping force in Kosovo have been sent to reinforce French
soldiers in the volatile city of Mitrovica, a Greek official said
on Thursday.
"After orders from (the peacekeeping force) KFOR and its commander
General (Klaus) Reinhardt, a Greek company, consisting of about 100
men, has been sent to Mitrovica to temporarily reinforce French
forces in the region," the Greek foreign ministry official said.
The official said there was no special significance behind the
decision to send Greek troops to the northern city, where ethnic
violence between Serbs and Albanians has been rising.
Many within the minority Serb population, traditionally close to
fellow Orthodox Greeks, say they have been terrorised by extremist
elements of the Albanian majority in Kosovo.
"We urge the Albanian-speaking leadership in Kosovo to isolate all
terrorist units. The future of Kosovo lies within the democratic
republic of Yugoslavia, with a respect for human and minority rights,
and for the Serbian people in Kosovo," the Greek official added.
REUTERS 17/2/2000 ---------------------
LA NATO VIOLA LO SPAZIO AEREO JUGOSLAVO
http://www.centraleurope.com/yugoslaviatoday/newsphp3?=135475
YUGOSLAVIA NEWS
Yugoslavia Says NATO Planes Violated Its Airspace
BELGRADE, Feb 17, 2000 -- (Reuters) Yugoslavia accused
NATO on Wednesday of violating its airspace twice this
month, prompting it to temporarily close a Montenegrin
airport.
Yugoslav Transport Minister Dejan Drobnjakovic said
alliance planes had been spotted on February 10 and
February 14.
Yugoslav flight control closed the Tivat airport in
southern Montenegro on Monday, the day of the second
sighting, out of concern about safety. Montenegro and
Serbia together form Yugoslavia.
The airport was reopened on Wednesday, Drobnjakovic
told a news conference.
"On February 10, a pilot of Adria Airways flying from
Ljubljana to Tirana reported a presence of another
aircraft at a height of 8,200 metres in the zone of
Budva, Montenegro. That was NATO's plane. It was a
classic near-miss," he said.
"That was a flagrant violation of regulations and of
Yugoslavia's territory, endangering the safety of
Montenegro."
"On February 14, a pilot of Cyprus Airlines, flying
from London to Larnaca reported a presence of several
unknown aircraft around the point KONU, covering the
area between Dubrovnik (in Croatia) and Herceg Novi
(in Montenegro)."
Drobnjakovic said Croatian flight control had
confirmed the aircraft reported were NATO planes.
He said the decision to reopen the airport was based
on a response from the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO), which he said had contacted NATO
on the issue.
Montenegrin state radio reported on Tuesday that
Yugoslav flight control had closed the airport after
NATO asked it to do so because of planned exercises.
A NATO spokesman in Brussels denied on Tuesday that
any such exercises were being held in the region.
A Yugoslav flight control official said the airport
had been closed because of NATO activity, but added
that the alliance had not informed Belgrade about its
plans.
"According to civil aviation rules, NATO was obliged
to report its activities 48 hours before their start
in the form of a NOTAM - notification to airman. They
never sent a NOTAM," flight control director Miodrag
Hadzic told Reuters.
He said the civilian planes that had reported the
incidents had the evidence recorded on a tape.
REUTERS 16/2/2000 ------------------------------
I BATTELLIERI RUMENI FARANNO CAUSA ALLA NATO ED
AL PROPRIO GOVERNO PER AVERE UCCISO OGNI SCAMBIO
COMMERCIALE VIA DANUBIO
http://www.centraleurope.com/news.php?id=134927
Romania Danube Shippers To Sue Government, NATO
BUCHAREST, Feb 16, 2000 -- (Reuters) The association
of Romanian river shippers said on Tuesday it would
sue the Romanian government and NATO over a total
estimated loss of $90 million because of the Kosovo
conflict.
Association president Mircea Toader said the losses
had been caused by the embargo on Yugoslavia after the
Kosovo war and by the blockage of the Danube.
Toader, who was speaking at the end of a meeting in
the Danube port town of Galati, said the association -
representing 95 percent of Romania's river shippers -
voted to ask the Romanian state for damages worth $5.4
million for lost crude oil transport contracts during
the embargo.
The association also announced plans to sue the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization over alleged losses
indirectly caused by the bombing of Yugoslav bridges.
River traffic on the Danube is running at less than 25
percent of its full capacity at present, latest
association data showed.
YDS 15/2/2000 --------------------------
NIKITA MIKHALKOV IN VISITA IN JUGOSLAVIA
PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES MIKHALKOV AND BURLYAYEV
BELGRADE, February 14 (Tanjug) - President Slobodan Milosevic received
on
Monday the famous Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov and the famous actor
Nikolai Burlyayev, who have arrived for a visit to Yugoslavia.
Greeting one of the greatest world directors, Mikhalkov, and Burlyayev,
as
great friends of Yugoslavia, President Milosevic stressed the huge
importance of artistic creation and the affirmation of the highest human
values, in what the efforts of Mikhalkov have universal importance.
In a cordial and friendly conversation was expressed a high level of
proximity of views about developments in Yugoslavia and in Russia,
Europe
and the world, politics and culture.
The interest of the Yugoslav public and the reception reserved for films
directed by Mikhalkov in Yugoslavia demonstrate the identity of cultural
points of view that exist in the publics of the two countries.
The famous Russian artists expressed admiration for the struggle of the
Yugoslav peoples for their freedom and independence and expressed
sincere
support for their goals.
The reception was attended also by Serbian Minister of Culture Zeljko
Simic, and Jakov Gerasimov, Russian Embassy Charge d'Affaires in
Yugoslavia.
SOSPESO L'EMBARGO SUI VOLI DA E PER LA JUGOSLAVIA
EUROPE - YUGOSLAVIA - SANCTIONS
E.U. SUSPENDS EMBARGO ON AIR LINKS WITH YUGOSLAVIA
BRUSSELS, February 14 (Tanjug) - The E.U. Council decided on Monday to
suspend for six months the ban on air links with Yugoslavia including
international flights by national carrier JAT, Portuguese Foreign
Minister
Jaim Gama said on Monday.
The E.U. Foreign Ministers also agreed to set up temporary military and
political organs of the European Rapid Reaction Force.
Last year in Helsinki it was concluded that the European Corps should
consist of 50,000 - 60,000 troops.
YUGOSLAV AIRLINES JAT READY FOR EUROPEAN FLIGHTS
BELGRADE, February 14 (Tanjug) - Today's decision by European Union
(E.U.)
Ministers to suspend the ban on international air traffic with
Yugoslavia
is merely a realization of their political decision of July last year,
Yugoslav Airlines JAT Director General Zika Petrovic said on Monday.
In a statement to Tanjug, Petrovic said JAT expected the official
announcement of this decision in the E.U. official gazette, which will
precisely define all the conditions of the suspension.
It is still not clear if the sanctions are lifted automatically for all
European countries, or if the E.U. states will each do so individually,
Petrovic said.
Petrovic said JAT was ready immediately to join European international
flights.
BELGRADE AIRPORT COMPLETELY READY
BELGRADE, February 14 (Tanjug) - Belgrade Airport is completely ready to
take on major international traffic, as it has been modernized with a
new
automatic system for passenger registration, airport Director General
Ljubomir Acimovic said on Monday.
Acimovic said Yugoslav Airlines JAT would most probably start flying to
certain European destinations already in the second half of February,
and
that interested European Union airlines should start flying to Belgrade
in
about 10 days. "We expect our national airline will soon fly to Germany,
Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Italy," he said.
The first foreign aircrafts to arrive in Belgrade should be from
Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic, and in March from Italy and
some other European countries, he said.
Acimovic said certain other European airlines would be arriving in
Belgrade as of March 26, when the international flights timetable will
be
ready.
Until March 21 last year, in addition to Aeroflot of Russia, 11 foreign
airlines used Belgrade Airport, he said.
Acimovic said today's decision by European Union Ministers to suspend
the
flights ban on Yugoslavia was an implementation of their decision of
July
19 last year, which had been blocked by political reasons.
CONTRASTI TRA KOUCHNER ED IL GOVERNO FRANCESE
MINISTER CHEVENEMENT CONTRADICTS KOUCHNER
PARIS, February 15 (Tanjug)- French Interior Minister Jean-Pierre
Chevenement on Monday countered the criticism of head of the U.N. Civil
Mission in Kosovo and Metohija Bernard Kouchner that not enough French
policemen have been sent to Serbia's southern province.
"When soldiers are shot at," the sending of more policemen "cannot be a
solution," Chevenment said during a visit to the National Police School
in
Roubaix.
"When our soldiers are being fired at, I am not sure that the sending of
a
number of more policemen, who are more useful here in Roubaix, would be
a
solution," he specified.
Ethnic-Albanian sniper shooters fired at French KFOR troops in the town
of
Kosovska Mitrovica on Sunday, wounding two.
In statements made to the French press of late, Kouchner has criticized
France for having only about 30 policemen, instead of 80, in Kosovo and
Metohija. Minister Chevenement specified that there were 37 French
policemen in the Province, who he said were training the local police.
GRAVE INQUINAMENTO DEL DANUBIO PROVENIENTE DALLA ROMANIA
SERBIA - TISZA RIVER - POLLUTION
BAN ON USE OF WATER, FISH FROM DANUBE RIVER
BELGRADE, February 14 (Tanjug) - Pollution which reached the Danube from
the Tisza peaked at 8 p.m. on February 13, and cyanide was still above
permitted levels along the Danube's left bank in Zemun and Pancevo on
February 14, the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water
Resources said on Monday. The Ministry warned all those along the Danube
east of Belgrade not to use its waters. The Ministry banned fishing and
sales of fish in the territory of Serbia, with the exception of products
of
fisheries, the statement said.
Fish died on a smaller scale in Pancevo and Smederevo. Measures have
been
taken to collect and remove the dead fish.
According to the latest results, cyanide content in the Tisza is below
permitted levels, the Ministry statement said.
ROMANIA MINIMIZES POLLUTION OF SOMES AND TISZA
BUCAREST, February 14 (Tanjug) - Romania deployed on Monday near
Djerdap,
at the entrance of the Danube into its territory, teams of experts for
measuring water pollution, because also expected to reach there is a
part
of the cyanide that spilled over from the waste material reservoir of
the
gold mine in Transylvania.
Hungary and Romania plan to demand aid from the European Union to remove
the consequences of the damages caused by the spilling of the poison
into
the river Somes, a tributary of Tisza, that carried the cyanide also
into
the Danube. Besides Romania, also affected by the pollution are Hungary
and
Yugoslavia, through which Tisza flows along some one hundred kilometres
and
then, at Slankamen, into the Danube.
Official Bucarest kept silent for almost two weeks about the incident
that
only last week-end Premier Mugur Isaresku demanded that an investigation
into the causes of the pollution which has acquired the proportions of
an
ecological disaster.
The disaster occurred when, because of melting snow, the reservoir of
the
gold mine in Transylvania near Baia Mare spilled over its banks. Around
100,000 cubic meters of water polluted with cyanide then spilled over
into
the stream Lapos, and then into the river Somes.
The owner of the mine is the company Aurel, which was formed last year
by
the Romanian firm Remin and the Australian company Esmeralda.
The Romanian press ignored the incident, only electronic media carried
reports of foreign news agencies, including the Yugoslav news agency
Tanjug, and showed footage of Hungarian television.
CNN: FROM ROMANIA - ECOLOGICAL DISASTER
NEW YORK, February 14 (Tanjug) - From Romania has originated an
ecological
disaster which has caused unforeseeable consequences for plants and
animals
along the Tisza river (Tisa in Yugoslavia), all the way to the Danube,
said
on Monday the U.S. TV network CNN that gave wide coverage to the tragedy
caused by the spillage of cyanide from the Romanian mine near Baia Mare
in
Transylvania.
CNN has been repeating for several days reports about dead fish in Tisa,
in Yugoslavia, and about the efforts of Yugoslav officials and
ecologists
to stop and cleanse the polluted water.
Carried was the statement of the Serbian Minister for the Protection of
the Environment, Bratislav Blazic, who described the situation as a big
ecological disaster and that Yugoslavia will demand from the
international
court in The Hague to punish the perpetrators who must compensate for
the
damages.
Yugoslav officials are taking measures to destroy the poisoned fish and
also by other measures reduce the consequences, CNN said.
CNN carried also Hungarian statements and assessments that the cyanide
concentration in the Tisa river was the worst ecological disaster since
Chernobil.
U.S. media reports, however, ignore the fact that also responsible for
the
tragedy is an Australian company from Perth - Esmeralda Exploitation
which
is a co-owner of the Romania company from whose waste material spilled
cyanide, used in the process of separating gold from the ore.
The Australian firm claims that its experts are investigating the
pollution of the river into which the poison spilled because of apparent
carelessness and regulation breaches, and that the results of the
investigation will be known next week.
B92 15/2/2000 -------------------------------
DOPO L'ASSASSINIO BULATOVIC, NUOVO MINISTRO E
NUOVO CAPO DI STATO MAGGIORE DELL'ESERCITO
Army chief appointed defence minister
BELGRADE, Tuesday - The head of the Yugoslav Army Headquarters, General
Dragoljub Ojdanic was today appointed Federal Defence Minister, the post
left
vacant after the murder of Pavle Bulatovic earlier this month. The
commander
of the Third Yugoslav Army, Lieutenant General Nebojsa Pavkovic was
appointed
to replace Ojdanic at the helm of the Yugoslav Army.
Military political analyst Ljubodrag Stojadinovic told B292 today that
both
decisions were predictable, adding that Pavkovic had long been seen as a
future army chief because of his enormous popularity and the confidence
placed in him by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
Milosevic today met Ojdanic, and senior military commanders to discuss
the
current political situation of the army and its combat readiness.
Federal
Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic and Serbian President Milan Milutinovic
were
also present at the meeting.
YDS 13/2/2000 ----------------------------------
LETTERA DEL GOVERNO JUGOSLAVO ALL'ONU
SULLE CONTINUE VIOLAZIONI DELLA RISOLUZIONE 1244
SERBIAN PROVINCE OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT LETTER TO THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL
REGARDING VIOLATIONS OF RESOLUTION 1244
NEW YORK, February 13 (Tanjug) - The international community is well
aware
that the grave situation in Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province is a
consequence of the failure of the local United Nations mission, since
facts
which indicate this are more than obvious.
Consequently, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has yet again reacted
by
pointing out who is violating Resolution 1244, and how.
The latest government letter to the U.N. Security Council lists
precisely
and with irrefutable arguments all the resolution points which have been
violated most grossly.
The letter was sent by head of the Yugoslav Permanent Mission to the
U.N.,
Ambassador Vladislav Jovanovic, to U.N. Security Council President
Arnoldo
Listre and Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Saturday.
It unequivocally states that leading figures of the U.N. mission are
responsible for the chaos in this southern Serbian province, in
particular
the Secretary-General's High Representative Bernard Kouchner.
Point by point, the letter shows the disastrous steps taken by the
international community which have led into chaos - from failing to meet
its obligation to disarm the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army, to the
complete failure to establish a secure environment for all Kosovo
citizens.
"As a result, terrorism in the province has escalated at an
unprecedented
pace, so that the number of terrorist attacks since the arrival of KFOR
and
UNMIK increased 11-fold. 4,249 terrorist attacks, mainly against Serbs
and
other non-Albanians have been committed in the period since June 12,
1999
to date, in which 889 persons have been killed, 784 wounded and 834
abducted," said the letter.
The letter gives details and facts about brutal terrorist attacks in the
latest period when they have launched a new wave of terror.
By turning a blind eye to everything the terrorists did and are doing in
Kosovo and Metohija, the international security and civilian missions
have
not escaped responsibility. On the contrary, such actions have
contributed
to the expulsion of 350,000 Serbs, Montenegrins, Romanies, Muslims,
ethnic
Turks, Goranians, and other non-Albanians from the province.
The letter proceeds to give a long list of mistakes made by Kouchner and
descriptions of his unprecedented actions, showing that the mission head
is
the most responsible for developments in the province.
The series of so-called regulations which he has imposed are aimed at
separating Kosovo and Metohija from the constitutional, legal, economic,
customs, monetary, and banking systems of Yugoslavia and Serbia.
Kouchner
has thus acted contrary to the stand clearly taken by U.N. Security
Council
members - to preserve and respect the sovereignty and territorial
integrity
of Yugoslavia.
By constructing military bases and conducting military exercises in the
sovereign territory of Yugoslavia without the consent of the Yugoslav
government, the KFOR is in flagrant violation of the relevant resolution
and provides support to Kosovo terrorists and separatists, destabilizing
in
that way the entire region, the letter said.
ATTACCATE ABITAZIONI SERBE NEL SETTORE NORD DI MITROVICA
ETHNIC ALBANIANS ATTACKED SERB HOUSES
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, February 12 (Tanjug) - Ethnic Albanian extremists
attacked Serb houses in northern Kosovska Mitrovica during curfew late
on Friday.
Two bombs were thrown at the Milutinovic family home in the Bosnjacka
Mahala district at midnight, and automatic fire riddled their windows.
None
of the occupants were injured in this terrorist attack.
Terrorists also showered the house of Serb Dragi Jovanovic with rocks
and
stones in another district, near the hospital.
Dragica Jerotijevic, a Serb woman, was stoned at 4.30 p.m. Friday in the
Bosnjacka Mahala district, where only four Serb houses remain.
The perpetrators of these terrorist attacks have not been caught, even
though strong forces of the KFOR and UNMIK police have been protecting
the
Bosnjacka Mahala district round the clock, not just during curfew, since
it
was introduced on February 4.
NUOVE MISURE DI SICUREZZA A MITROVICA
NEW SECURITY MEASURES IN KOSOVSKA MITROVICA
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, February 12 (Tanjug) - UNMIK head Bernard Kouchner
has
decided about new security measures in Kosovska Mitrovica which will
take
effect next week.
A statement distributed to Serb reporters late on Saturday said that the
number of international police would be doubled. Three hundred new
policemen will be deployed within the six municipalities of this region,
the statement said.
Most policemen will be stationed in Kosovska Mitrovica itself. The first
100 policemen will arrive next week. They will cooperate closely with
KFOR
troops, the statement said.
The security zone established on both sides of the bridge over the Ibar
River will be expanded. The established checkpoints on both sides and
mobile police teams will be manned by KFOR troops as well - French,
Danish,
German and English.
Among the new measures which should contribute to a calming of the
situation in this town in Kosovo and Metohija province is the
proclamation
of a no-demonstrations zone.
The monitoring and control of the administrative border with Serbia
proper
will also be stepped up, the statement said.
SERBI SOTTO ATTACCO AD OBILIC
ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS ATTACKED SERBS IN OBILIC
OBILIC, February 13 (Tanjug) - A Serb-populated district of Obilic was
attacked with automatic firearms late on Friday, but there were no
casualties, radio amateurs reported from this part of Serbia's southern
Kosovo and Metohija province.
The attack went on for 20 minutes, resulting in shattered windows and
riddled walls. International force KFOR troops simply observed the
brutal
attack on the remaining Serbs in this district.
The Obilic KFOR command said it was continuing an intense search for the
perpetrators and that it believed, on the grounds of certain
intelligence,
that the perpetrators are from the territory of Obilic.
VOCI CONTRO L'EMBARGO ALLA RFJ DALLA REPUBBLICA CECA
ANTI-YUGOSLAV SANCTIONS - INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS
TV SHOW PARTICIPANTS CALL FOR LIFTING OF ANTI-YUGOSLAV SANCTIONS
PRAGUE, February 12 (Tanjug) - Participants in a popular Czech TV show,
Kotel (The Cauldron), have urged the soonest possible help for Yugoslav
citizens and the Czech government's contribution to this as a call for
the
lifting of the sanctions against Yugoslavia.
The demand voiced by ruling Social Democrat MP Jaroslav Foldina was
welcomed with loud applause from the audience.
Foldina asked Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kavan, another guest on the
show
of the private TV station Nova, to urge such actions with the
government,
since "it is not democratic to bomb someone, starve them, or make them
freeze to death". Yugoslavia and its citizens need immediate help,
Foldina
said.
SUMMIT BALCANICO A BUCAREST CON L'ESCLUSIONE DELLA RFJ
THE BALKANS - REGIONAL COOPERATION
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN SUMMIT WITHOUT YUGOSLAVIA
BUCHAREST, February 12 (Tanjug) - Government representatives of several
southeastern European countries signed a Charter on good-neighborly
relations, regional stability, security and cooperation in Bucharest on
Saturday, showing open awareness that these plans cannot be realized
without the participation of Yugoslavia.
At the third top-level meeting within the process of cooperation of
southeastern European countries, the Yugoslav flag was displayed at the
conference table, but the chairs for a Yugoslav delegation remained
vacant.
Opening the meeting, Romanian President Emil Constantinescu said
Yugoslav
representatives were absent because of restrictions enforced by the
European Union, practically confirming that he had yielded to the
interests
of extra-regional factors, and accepted interference in what are
exclusive
affairs of the regional countries.
And yet, Constantinescu had to face reality. He said no concrete
structures could be set up in the region without the participation of
the
Serbian people.
Today's one-day meeting was attended by prime ministers Costas Simitis
of
Greece, Ivan Kostov of Bulgaria, Ljupco Georgijevski of Macedonia,
Bulent
Ecevit of Turkey, Ilir Meta of Albania, and the Romanian head of state.
DOPO TRE ANNI LIBERATO IN CECENIA UNO JUGOSLAVO RAPITO A MOSCA
F.R. YUGOSLAVIA - CHECHNYA
RUSSIAN SPECIAL TROOPS LIBERATED A YUGOSLAV HELD CAPTIVE IN CHECHNYA
MOSCOW, February 13 (Tanjug) - Members of Russian special police units
for
fighting organized crime have liberated Yugoslav citizen Stanimir
Petrovic
from captivity in Chechnya, it was announced in Moscow on Sunday.
Petrovic worked in Moscow for the German firm Albana Export Import, and
was abducted together with his boss Rudolph Klaus Schmidt on August 2,
1997. They were intercepted at Slepcoski Airport in Ingushetia by armed
attackers and taken in an unknown direction.
No details about Petrovic's liberation were revealed, but it is known
that
no ransom has been paid and that the action was carried out by special
police units from the northern Caucasus regional administration for
combatting organized crime.
YDS 11/2/2000 -----------------------------------------------
ANCHE DALLA SLOVACCHIA VOCI CONTRARIE ALLA POLITICA CRIMINALE
DELLA NATO NEI CONFRONTI DELLA RF DI JUGOSLAVIA
F.R.YUGOSLAVIA - SLOVAKIA
NATO CONTINUES AGGRESSION IN EFFORT TO BREAK UP YUGOSLAVIA
BRATISLAVA, February. 11 (Tanjug)- Yugoslav ambassador to Slovakia
Veljko
Curcic has set out that, although morally defeated, the NATO countries
which had participated in the March-June, 1999 aggression on Yugoslavia
were still trying to achieve their goal -- to break up Yugoslavia --
through efforts "illegitimately to change the authorities in
Yugoslavia."
"The pressures continue in the period of Yugoslavia's reconstruction
above
all through the imposition of unjust economic and other sanctions. The
unscrupulous pressures are designed to prevent the reconstruction and
development of Yugoslavia, which they have devastated with their rockets
and bombs," ambassador Curcic said in an interview to the Slovak daily
Novy
Den.
When the policy of open aggression failed, aggression continued through
sanctions, blackmail, and the granting of more dollars for continued
efforts to topple the authorities in Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav ambassador
specified.
The Slovak daily said that Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and
Metohija was being ethnically cleansed by ethnic-Albanian terrorists and
separatists under the "patronage" of NATO troops.
It set out that the ethnic cleansing did not imply just the elimination
of
Serbs and their expulsion from the "heart" of Yugoslavia but also the
elimination of any trace of Serbs and Christians in general.
Ambassador Curcic said that the expulsion of Serbs, Montenegrins and
other
non-Albanians from the province, with the tacit consent of the KFOR and
UNMIK, was organized ethnic cleansing.
LA KFOR NON VEDE LA PULIZIA ETNICA IN ATTO NEL KOSMET?
KFOR OVERLOOKS ETHNIC CLEANSING OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
BONN, February. 11 (Tanjug)- The Berlin Junge Welt Friday carried an
article written by British Member of Parliament Alice Mahon, a
Labourite,
in which she said that Yugoslavia had a genuinely multi-ethnic society,
and
a large-scale operation of ethnic cleansing in Serbia's southern
province
of Kosovo and Metohija by ethnic-Albanian terrorists and separatists was
being overlooked by the KFOR international peace force.
Mahon, who chairs the British Parliament's Committee for the Balkans,
visited Kosovo and Metohija last autumn as a member of the so-called
North
Atlantic Assembly, an institution which is to exercise parliamentary
control of NATO.
Mahon said in the article that it did not take her long to realize what
was happening and subsequent reports of the OSCE and international human
rights organizations, including Amnesty International, had confirmed
that
Serbia's southern province was being ethnically cleansed by the KLA
while
the U.N. mission (UNMIK) and the KFOR did not show the slightest
readiness
to take legal action against them.
The British politician said that Serbs, Slavs of Muslim faith
(Goranacs),
Romanies, ethnic Turks and other non-Albanians were victims of daily
harassments, intimidation, abductions and torching.
Mahon cited the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry figures that 350,000 people
have
been forced to leave Kosovo and Metohija since the KFOR deployment in
June
last year.
MANIFESTAZIONE DEI SERBI-KOSOVARI A ZVECAN PRESSO PRISTINA
PROTEST RALLY IN ZVECAN
ZVECAN, February. 11 (Tanjug) - Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are the
teachers of patriotism and united they can realize their joint goal -
survival and preservation of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia and
Serbia
within its southern province, is the message of several thousand Serbs
gathered at a protest rally on Friday in Zvecan, close to Pristina.
The president of the Serbian National Forum of Zvecan, Dragisa Milovic,
said that Kosovo and Metohija "is a blot in the heart of Europe because
is
it rife with chaos, anarchy, violence, arms trading and white slavery
carried out by the masters (UNMIK head Bernard) Kouchner and (Hashim)
Thaqi."
"We only want to live in peace and in dignity and we demand security for
ourselves and our children, the return of the displaced and of our army
and
police," Milovic stated.
The speakers at the rally, often interrupted by shouts "Long Live
Serbia"
and "Long Live Yugoslavia", called for "all Serbs in these hard times to
form one party."
"We will not allow Kouchner to create another Albanian state based on
the
misfortune of the Serb people, nor will a single Serb enter his and
Thaqi's
government," the protesters said.
Deputy director of the hospital in Kosovska Mitrovica, Dr. Milan
Ivanovic,
stated that "the Serbs would prevent Kouchner from carrying out
experiments
on them 'in vivo', just those performed by Nazi doctor Mengele."
"Kouchner cannot chose a Serb who is convenient for his government
because
we will chose our own representative if the conditions for this arise,"
Ivanovic set out.
ANCHE L'ITALIANO "PANORAMA" RICONOSCE CHE IN KOSOVO COMANDA L'UCK
KLA, NOT KFOR, IS IN COMMAND IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA, ITALIAN PANORAMA
ROME, February. 11 (Tanjug)- The so-called ethnic-Albanian KLA is in
command in Kosovo and Metohija, Serbia's southern province, despite the
presence of the KFOR international forces, the Italian weekly Panorama
said
Friday, commenting the continued violence against the non-Albanian
population in the province.
Citing the OSCE report for December, Panorama said the violence was
organized by militant KLA separatists.
"The doubtful guerrilla movement has been accused also of cooperating
with
the Kosovo and Metohija mafia," the Milan weekly set out.
The Human Rights Watch shares the opinion that orders for the violence
in
Serbia's southern province come from the militant KLA and KLA members
are
the perpetrators of the most brutal crimes there.
"The anti-democratic and violent KLA, which is now unpopular among
Kosovo
and Metohija Albanians, themselves, is stronger than ever before," the
weekly Panorama said.
B92 11/2/2000 ------------------------------
SEMPRE PIU' VICINE LE MANOVRE NATO IN KOSMET
No reaction to NATO "provocation": Yugoslav Army
BELGRADE, Friday - The head of the Third Yugoslav Army, Vladimir
Lazarevic,
said today that the Army would not react to NATO military manoeuvres
planned
for Kosovo next month. Lazarevic, speaking to Belgrade news magazine
NIN,
said that the manoeuvres could represent an attempt by NATO to provoke
the
Yugoslav army.
YDS 10/2/2000 -----------
L'ASSASSINIO DI BULATOVIC
FR YUGOSLAVIA - TRAGIC DEATH OF DEFENCE MINISTER
ZIZIC: MONSTROUS SHOTS FIRED ON BULATOVIC WERE AN ATTACK ON YUGOSLAVIA
PODGORICA, February 9 (Tanjug) - Montenegro's Socialist People's Party
(SNP) held a commemoration meeting late on Wednesday in the presence of
more than 1,000 people following the assassination of Yugoslav Defence
Minister and top SNP official Pavle Bulatovic late on Monday.
The commemoration, held at the Yugoslav Army club, was attended by
Bulatovic's family and relatives as well as top SNP officials including
Momir Bulatovic, Srdja Bozovic, Predrag Bulatovic and Zoran Zizic,
Yugoslav
government ministers, representatives of the Yugoslav Second Army
command,
other party leaders and officials of various organisations and
associations.
Addressing those attending the commemoration, Zizic, SNP Vice-President,
said that the monstrous shots fired on Bulatovic were an attack on the
country, the SNP and the Yugoslav people's unwavering determination to
be
their own masters.
"Animosity towards our people and state and the atmosphere created by
those who spread hatred and divisions, in any case that what is terrible
and fatal for Montenegro, have caused the death of innocent Pavle
Bulatovic," he said.
Bulatovic's sudden and tragic death is a great loss for the SNP but it
also puts a major obligation before the party to continue his commitment
to
brotherly ties between Montenegro and Serbia, he said.
Thousands of people from all over Montenegro paid their last respects to
Bulatovic at the chapel at the Podgorica cemetery on Wednesday.
MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT OFFERED CONDOLENCES TO MINISTER BULATOVIC'S FAMILY
PODGORICA, February 10 (Tanjug) - President of the Yugoslav republic of
Montenegro Milo Djukanovic on Wednesday offered condolences to the
family
of assassinated Yugoslav Defence Minister Pavle Bulatovic, the
Presidential
Cabinet said late on Wednesday.
MINISTER MATIC: MURDER OF BULATOVIC IS PART OF ORGANISED TERRORISM
ORCHESTRATED FROM ABROAD
BELGRADE, February 9 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav Information Minister Goran
Matic
said on Wednesday that the assassination of Yugoslav Defence Minister
Pavle
Bulatovic was a part of the chain of organised terrorism orchestrated
from
abroad, and that the security of state officials in no way differed from
the security of other citizens.
Matic told the Belgrade 'Danas' newspaper that the state would do all
within its power to find murderers in each and every case and that state
authorities would put an end to terrorism and crime that were being used
as
an instrument for destabilising the country.
Matic had stated that a chain of subversive and terrorist actions was
being planned abroad and stimulated from abroad also at a session of the
Yugoslav Left (JUL) Directorate's Information Committee last October.
He had warned that subversive and terrorist actions were being planned
abroad in order to destabilise and destroy the country's political and
economic system.
He had also said that, after all its defeats, Washington's policy was
increasingly nearing actions based on subversive and destructive illegal
activities and military provocations and relying on a real network of
secret agents.
SULLE RELAZIONI TRA RFJ E ROMANIA
F.R. YUGOSLAVIA - ROMANIA
DEVELOPMENT OF COOPERATION BETWEEN YUGOSLAVIA AND ROMANIA
BUCHAREST, February 10 (Tanjug) - An international symposium on the
development and reconstruction of the Romania/Banat-Yugoslavia region
was
held in Timisoara, Romania, on Wednesday.
The symposium was organised by Pro Liberts Co. of Timisoara and
Germany's
Ostimpex of Hanau, one of Europe's biggest manufacturers of gas
installations equipment.
The Yugoslav side was represented by Termoelektro of Belgrade and
Inzenjering Biro of Novi Sad, as well as by designers of gas
installations.
Also attending were 30 or so Romanian businessmen.
Yugoslav businessmen had highly profitable talks with the Ostimpex
representatives, with both sides expressing a willingness to set up a
joint
venture in Timisoara.
==================================================================
NOTA DEL CRJ: Le notizie in lingua straniera sono introdotte da un
nostro titolo in italiano per facilitarne la consultazione.
La nostra selezione di notizie contiene brani da fonti diverse:
YDS - e' la "Yugoslav Daily Survey" del Ministero degli Esteri della
RFJ (cfr. http://www.mfa.gov.yu/ ).
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<info@...>
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> Cooperation Agency, MacArthur Foundation, Press Now and the Carnegie
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Tanjug - e' l'agenzia di stampa jugoslava: http://www.tanjug.co.yu
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
AEREI NATO VIOLANO LO SPAZIO AEREO JUGOSLAVO SUL MONTENEGRO?
NATO Denies Role In Yugoslav Airspace Mystery, Near-Miss With Slovenian
Plane
BRUSSELS, Feb 20, 2000 -- (Reuters) NATO on Friday denied charges by
Belgrade that alliance military aircraft violated Yugoslav air space
twice in the past week and put civilian airliners at risk over
Montenegro's Adriatic coast.
"On those dates and at these times there were no NATO aircraft in that
area. There were no near-misses and there was no NATO air exercise,"
spokesman Lee McClenny said.
McClenny said officials at NATO southern command in Naples had carefully
examined the detailed charges and established NATO was not in any way
involved in the alleged incidents.
Yugoslav Transport Minister Dejan Drobnjakovic said on Wednesday illegal
NATO air activity forced it to close Tivat airport on the Adriatic coast
of the Yugoslav republic of Montenegro.
The closure raised fears in pro-Western Montenegro of a fresh
confrontation over airport control, as happened last December when
federal troops loyal to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic faced off
with Montenegrin police.
Tivat was closed again on Friday. Yugoslav officials said it was due to
high winds - a frequent local problem in winter.
CYPRUS, SLOVENIA
FLIGHTS CITED
Drobnjakovic said NATO had caused a "classic near-miss" with an airliner
of Slovenian carrier Adria Airways on February 10 as it flew over the
area on a journey from Ljubljana to Tirana.
On February 14, he said, a Cyprus Airlines flight from London to Larnaca
reported unidentified aircraft in its vicinity. In Nicosia, Cyprus
Airways told Reuters its crew had reported unidentified aircraft, but no
safety hazards. Radar readings showed them about 300 meters (1,000 feet)
below the airliner's altitude, and on the limits of its radar range.
In Ljubljana, an Adria Airways spokeswoman said captain Andrej Travnik
reported that he was informed by air traffic control of another aircraft
flying below 9,000 meters (29,700 feet) in his vicinity on the flight to
Tirana.
PLANE NOT IN SIGHT
Travnik, however, said the plane was not visible and the crew had no
idea whether it was military or not.
Military sources said they could think of a few possible explanations
for the mystery encounters above Montenegro. There could be confusion
between air controllers in the area, which includes Croatia, Montenegro,
Belgrade and Bosnia. Or there was the possibility that military aircraft
were indeed operating in the space - in a secret Yugoslav Air Force
exercise which required the closure of Tivat airport under some other
pretext. Yugoslav flight control director Miodrag Hadzic told Reuters in
Belgrade on Wednesday that NATO had broken a fundamental rule of
aviation by not reporting its activities 48 hours in advance in a
so-called NOTAM, or Notification to Airman.
Belgrade authorities insisted they told the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) in Paris of the complaints. ICAO could not be
immediately contacted for comment
B92 19/2/2000 ---------------------------------
L'OPPOSIZIONE FILO-OCCIDENTALE SERBA A ZAGABRIA
INCONTRA LA ALBRIGHT, FISCHER E LA NUOVA DIRIGENZA CROATA
Opposition holds successful talks in Zagreb
CROATIA, Saturday - Serbian opposition representatives, in Zagreb for
the
inauguration of President Stipe Mesic, met American State Secretary
Madeleine
Albright and German Foreign Minister Joscha Fischer yesterday.
Opposition
representative Zarko Korac told B2 92 that they had discussed the
further
lifting of sanctions on Serbia and that the opposition had been invited
to
attend the next meeting of European Ministers scheduled to take place in
Lisbon at the beginning of March.
The Serbian opposition also met new Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan
and
talks were reported to be friendly. The main subject on the agenda was
the
return of Serbian refugees to Croatia.
ANCORA DUE PERSONE UCCISE IN KOSOVO DA ESTREMISTI PAN-ALBANESI
Two Serb males killed in Gornja Gusterica
KOSOVO, Saturday -- Two Serb males, Zoran Zivic and Radojica Trajkovic,
were
killed last night near the village of Gornja Gusterica in Kosovo, radio
amateurs report today. According to the same resource, UNMIK
representatives
did not allow local Serbs to approach the scene of the crime. After the
bodies were handed over, the families of the victims said that the men
had
been shot in the back while chopping wood.
KFOR spokesman Philip Anido today confirmed two Serb killings in Gornja
Gusterica and reported a further murder in Podujevo. Anido did not
release
the identity of the victims but reported that ten Albanians had been
arrested
in connection with the murders in Gornja Gusterica.
SOTTO INCHIESTA IL SOLDATO USA PER STUPRO ED OMICIDIO
Rangy hearing resumes today
KOSOVO, Saturday - The hearing in connection with the case of the
American
KFOR soldier, Frank Rangy will resume today in the American military
camp
near the town of Urosevac. Rangy has been charged with the rape and
murder of
an eleven-year-old Albanian girl. His lawyers told the press today that
the
evidence so far does not point to premeditated murder.
A ZAGABRIA LA ALBRIGHT INCONTRA I SECESSIONISTI
MONTENEGRINI E PROMETTE AIUTO
Albright: The security of Montenegro is in the interests of the US
CROATIA, Saturday - The security of Montenegro is in the interests of
the US,
American State Secretary Madeleine Albright told the press in Zagreb
after
meeting the Montenegrin Prime Minister Filip Vujanovic today. Vujanovic
said
that they had discussed the current state of relations between Serbia
and
Montenegro and Albright had agreed that Montenegro should act with
caution so
as to avoid provoking any conflict with Serbia. Vujanovic added that
Albright
had also expressed the intention of the US to provide Montenegro with
financial aid on the same level as last year and to back democratic
changes,
reforms and the integration of the republic into the international
community.
B92 18/2/2000 -------------------------
ANCORA TENSIONE ALL'AEREOPORTO DI TIVAT
PER GLI SCONFINAMENTI DEGLI AEREI NATO
Belgrade closes Montenegrin airport again
PODGORICA, Friday - The airport in the Montenegrin coastal town of Tivat
was
closed again yesterday after being opened only fifteen hours earlier.
Air
traffic control supervisor Mijat Petric told B292 that the airport had
been
closed because of poor weather conditions. Earlier in the week Yugoslav
air
traffic control was quoted as saying that the airport would close for
two
days because traffic was endangered by NATO aircraft over the Adriatic.
Petric told B292 today that the federal flight control had announced
that it
would close the airport in future as and when it needed to.
L'OPPOSIZIONE SERBA A LEZIONE DI DEMOCRAZIA IN CROAZIA
Serbian opposition in Zagreb
ZAGREB, Friday - A number of representatives of the Serbian opposition
are
this evening holding discussions with US Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright and German Foreign Minister Joscha Fischer in Zagreb. The
opposition
leaders, who were in Zagreb today for the inauguration of President
Stipe
Mesic, are also expected to meet Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan.
They
are expected to discuss the effects of the abolition of sanctions with
Albright and Fischer.
TOLTO L'EMBARGO SUI VOLI CIVILI
JAT back in the air
BELGRADE, Friday - The Yugoslav national airline, JAT, is to return to
the
European skies on February 22. A ban on JAT landings in European
airports was
lifted this week along with the air traffic embargo on Yugoslavia. The
company announced today that it will begin flying to Zurich five times a
week
from next Tuesday. Flights to other European destinations are expected
to
follow in the near future.
ANCORA IN SCIOPERO GLI INSEGNANTI SERBI PER
OTTENERE UN AUMENTO DEL SALARIO
Teachers refuse pay offer, continue industrial action
BELGRADE, Friday - The Serbian Education Union today declined an offer
from
the Serbian government and announced it would continue industrial
action.
Education Minister Jovo Todorovic offered a basic pay rate for teachers
of
305 dinars - below the union's demands. Union President Branislav
Pavlovic
told media today that if agreement were not reached the union would call
a
total strike.
CLARK: "LA NATO NON SI MUOVERA' DAI BALCANI FINCHE' C'E' MILOSEVIC"
US and NATO to stay while Milosevic in power: Clark
WASHINGTON, Thursday - US and NATO troops in Bosnia and Kosovo would
probably
stay as long as Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic remained in power,
NATO
European Commander Wesley Clark said today. Clark emphasised that it was
crucial that economic measures against Yugoslavia be targeted carefully
at
Milosevic and his authorities, not ordinary Serbs. "NATO has never been
against Serbs. We're against Milosevic," Clark told the US Congress
Committee
for Military Affairs. Clark was replying to members of the committee who
had
expressed dissatisfaction over slow progress by the international
community
in Kosovo and Bosnia.
IVANOVIC: "GLI ALBANESI-KOSOVARI STANNO PREPARANDO FUTURI ATTACCHI"
Albanians planning major attacks in Kosovo: Ivanovic
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Friday - Albanians in the southern part of the
divided
town of Kosovska Mitrovica are visibly arming themselves and regrouping
in
preparation for attacks, the president of the local Serb National
Council,
Oliver Ivanovic, warned today. Ivanovic told media in Bosnia that
serious
attacks on the northern, Serbian, zone of Mitrovica could be expected
soon.
The Mitrovica Serb leader added that he hoped that the international
community and KFOR would react in time to prevent such attacks. In any
case,
said Ivanovic, Serbs would not sit in the northern zone and wait for
Albanians to come and slaughter them.
IWPR #117, 18/2/2000 ------------------------------
MILOSEVIC STA AGGIRANDO L'EMBARGO ATTRAVERSO L'IRAQ
MILOSEVIC BREAKS FINANCIAL BLOCKADE
Western counties are undermining their own efforts to starve Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic of cash.
By Laura Rozen
Western countries seeking to deprive Slobodan Milosevic of hard currency
are
sanctioning multi-million dollar trade deals between Yugoslavia and
Iraq.
The United States, Britain and France, which are supposed to be trying
to
limit Milosevic's access to foreign capital, are represented on a UN
committee which has allowed him to earn millions of US dollars in trade
with
Baghdad.
The revelation comes as the European Union is considering ways of
tightening
so-called "smart-sanctions" aimed at hurting leading members of the
Belgrade
regime.
Milosevic is profiting from the UN's Oil-for-Food programme, which
enables
Iraq to sell oil on the open market and use the proceeds to buy
UN-approved
supplies in order to alleviate the humanitarian problems caused by years
of
economic sanctions.
The UN's 661 committee, which overseas the Oil-for-Food programme, has
over
the past few years approved several lucrative deals between the Yugoslav
government-owned company the Federal Directorate of Supply and
Procurement
(FDSP), known in Serbia as Yugoimport, and the Iraqi authorities. Any
member
of the UN committee can veto these contracts.
The UN approved two FDSP deals with Baghdad in 1998 worth $3.8 million
and
$18.3 million, respectively, the latter given the go-ahead just as NATO
threatened to intervene to thwart a Yugoslav military onslaught in
Kosovo.
Last month Yugoimport announced it had received permission for a $20
million
contract - and boasted its value would increase to $100 million by
year's
end.
The UN said no FDSP contracts had been approved this year. "It could
well be
that Yugoimport has signed a contract for further sale of wheat, but we
cannot confirm that they have submitted a contract to the UN for
approval,"
a UN spokesman said. "The other two contracts were approved quickly."
The 661 committee has put on hold three other contract applications
filed by
Yugoslav companies in 1999, to sell pitch, hydrocortisone, tyres tubes
and
flaps under Oil-for-Food. The US has faced criticism from Baghdad
officials
in the past month for blocking several other Iraqi contracts The
apparent
clampdown on Yugoslav-Iraq business may well have been prompted by
concerns
over the UN loophole in the financial sanctions regime against Belgrade.
There are some suggestions that it may also have come about as a result
of
fears that Milosevic is using the Oil-for Food programme as a front to
provide military support for Iraq. The 661 committee is obliged to block
any
deal that it suspects involves the sale to Baghdad of dual-use
technology
which might be used to enable Saddam Hussein to build weapons of mass
destruction. Although there is no direct evidence, there's mounting
suspicion that Yugoimport may be involved in such trade.
FDSP's own literature suggests that it might be in a position to help
Baghdad with its military goals. The company's website says that it
alone
accounts for just over 10 per cent of Yugoslav's exports and that its
activities include trade in defence equipment, technology transfer, and
the
construction of fortifications for military bases and airports.
Yugoimport's
military and economic role was underlined when it was targeted during
the
NATO bombardment of Belgrade last year.
In the past, Yugoslav companies have been instrumental in building much
of
Iraq's military infrastructure, according to William Arkin, a consultant
to
the arms division of campaign group Human Rights Watch. And recent
high-level discussions between Belgrade and Baghdad officials have
stressed
the importance of Iraqi security.
Following a meeting between Serbian interior ministry officials and the
Iraqi ambassador to Yugoslavia, Sami Sadun, the Yugoslav news agency,
Tanjug, reported that Sadun had said the preservation of economic
stability
and security in the country were priorities.
Laura Rozen, a regular contributor to IWPR, is a journalist specialising
in
the Balkans.
B92 17/2/2000 -----------------------------------
IL PORTAVOCE NATO CHIEDE SCUSA PER I SUOI ECCESSI
DI CATTIVO GUSTO SUI "DANNI COLLATERALI", NON PER
LE OPERAZIONI DI CARATTERE GENOCIDA CONTRO IL
PETROLCHIMICO DI PANCEVO...
Shea regrets using "collateral damage"
BONN, Thursday - NATO spokesman Jamie Shea told a German magazine today
that
he regretted using the term "collateral damage" during the NATO
intervention
in Yugoslavia. Shea told Stern that the euphemism for civilian
casualties was
"a really bad syntagm". The term was voted the ugliest word of 1999 by
German
linguists who explained it as NATO wanting to present the death of
civilians
as an unwanted side effect.
Shea also said today that he had never announced something deliberately
untrue during the war, adding that his denial of a NATO attack on a
civilian
convoy had been "a true mistake".
LE RICHIESTE DEL SINDACATO DEGLI INSEGNANTI IN SERBIA
Teacher's union in final demand
BELGRADE, Thursday - The president of the Serbian Education Union,
Branislav
Pavlovic announced today that the union would propose a minimum
teachers'
salary rise of 44 per cent, which would bring the average salary in
schools
to 1,800 dinars or about 90 DM. Pavlovic announced that the teachers'
industrial action would continue, saying that he was sceptical about the
government accepting the pay demand. Teachers in about 870 schools in
Serbia
are currently reducing class times from 45 to 30 minutes in support of
their
claims.
IMPORTAZIONE DI FARMACI DALLA CINA PER AGGIRARE L'EMBARGO:
IL PARTITO DEMOCRATICO DI DJINDJIC SI OPPONE
Chinese drug warning: Democratic Party
BELGRADE, Thursday - The Democratic Party has reacted with a warning to
yesterday's announcement that Serbia and China are about to reach
agreement
on import of pharmaceutical products to ease Serbia's acute shortage of
medicines. A statement from the party today said that the drugs from
China
were of questionable quality and carried no certificates of analysis. A
particular danger lay in the repackaging of drugs, the party warned.
Deputy Serbian Prime Minister Milovan Bojic yesterday told media that
the
deal on medicines from China would be completed within days and that the
crisis in Serbia's pharmacies would be solved very soon..
ANCORA BOMBE A MITROVICA CONTRO LE ABITAZIONI DEL SETTORE NORD
Bombs, no casualties in Mitrovica
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Thursday - Grenades were thrown in two separate
incidents
in the divided Kosovo town of Mitrovica. KFOR announced today that a
grenade
landed on a house occupied by a Serb family failed to explode. Another
Serb
family in the northern part of the town escaped injury in an explosion
when
their house was hit by a grenade.
B92 18/2/2000 -------------------------
AEREI NATO NELLO SPAZIO AEREO JUGOSLAVO
NATO aircraft in Yugoslav air space
BELGRADE, Wednesday - The airport in the Montenegrin coastal resort of
Tivat
has been closed for two days this week because international pilots
reported
seeing NATO aircraft in the area, Belgrade daily Glas javnosti writes
today.
According to the report, Belgrade air traffic control closed the airport
after pilots from Adria and British Airways reported the sightings,
because
the NATO aircraft could have endangered civilian flights. According to
sources quoted by Glas, NATO was probably using traffic zones they
themselves
had proclaimed without asking permission for the flights.
NATO yesterday denied having asked Belgrade to clear air space so that
it
could hold military manoeuvres after state radio in Montenegro reported
that
the closure had been agreed to by Belgrade flight control for that
reason.
IN ARRIVO / DALLA CINA / MARMELLATE / ED ASPIRINA...
Jam - and aspirin - tomorrow
BELGRADE, Wednesday - Serbia's acute shortage of medicines will be
solved
soon by imports from China, Deputy Serbian Prime Minister Milovan Bojic
promised today. Bojic told selected media today that the government had
struck a major deal with the Chinese pharmaceutical industry and it was
now
only a matter of days before supplies began arriving. The deputy prime
minister also said that an investigation was underway to discover who
was
responsible for the drug shortage and that nobody would escape
responsibility. When the investigation bore results the public would be
notified, said Bojic, at a press conference which Radio B292 was barred
from
attending.
SERBO ASSASSINATO A GNJILANE
Serb killed in Gnjilane
PRISTINA, Wednesday - A sixty-year-old Serb man was killed yesterday
when an
unknown gunman opened fire on a house in Gnjilane, a KFOR spokesman said
today. Although KFOR troops arrived quickly at the scene, the assailant
escaped capture.
REUTERS 17/2/2000 ---------------------------
TRUPPE GRECHE PER FRONTEGGIARE GLI ESTREMISTI
PAN-ALBANESI A MITROVICA
Greek troops reinforce French soldiers in Kosovo
ATHENS, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Greek troops from the NATO-led
peacekeeping force in Kosovo have been sent to reinforce French
soldiers in the volatile city of Mitrovica, a Greek official said
on Thursday.
"After orders from (the peacekeeping force) KFOR and its commander
General (Klaus) Reinhardt, a Greek company, consisting of about 100
men, has been sent to Mitrovica to temporarily reinforce French
forces in the region," the Greek foreign ministry official said.
The official said there was no special significance behind the
decision to send Greek troops to the northern city, where ethnic
violence between Serbs and Albanians has been rising.
Many within the minority Serb population, traditionally close to
fellow Orthodox Greeks, say they have been terrorised by extremist
elements of the Albanian majority in Kosovo.
"We urge the Albanian-speaking leadership in Kosovo to isolate all
terrorist units. The future of Kosovo lies within the democratic
republic of Yugoslavia, with a respect for human and minority rights,
and for the Serbian people in Kosovo," the Greek official added.
REUTERS 17/2/2000 ---------------------
LA NATO VIOLA LO SPAZIO AEREO JUGOSLAVO
http://www.centraleurope.com/yugoslaviatoday/newsphp3?=135475
YUGOSLAVIA NEWS
Yugoslavia Says NATO Planes Violated Its Airspace
BELGRADE, Feb 17, 2000 -- (Reuters) Yugoslavia accused
NATO on Wednesday of violating its airspace twice this
month, prompting it to temporarily close a Montenegrin
airport.
Yugoslav Transport Minister Dejan Drobnjakovic said
alliance planes had been spotted on February 10 and
February 14.
Yugoslav flight control closed the Tivat airport in
southern Montenegro on Monday, the day of the second
sighting, out of concern about safety. Montenegro and
Serbia together form Yugoslavia.
The airport was reopened on Wednesday, Drobnjakovic
told a news conference.
"On February 10, a pilot of Adria Airways flying from
Ljubljana to Tirana reported a presence of another
aircraft at a height of 8,200 metres in the zone of
Budva, Montenegro. That was NATO's plane. It was a
classic near-miss," he said.
"That was a flagrant violation of regulations and of
Yugoslavia's territory, endangering the safety of
Montenegro."
"On February 14, a pilot of Cyprus Airlines, flying
from London to Larnaca reported a presence of several
unknown aircraft around the point KONU, covering the
area between Dubrovnik (in Croatia) and Herceg Novi
(in Montenegro)."
Drobnjakovic said Croatian flight control had
confirmed the aircraft reported were NATO planes.
He said the decision to reopen the airport was based
on a response from the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO), which he said had contacted NATO
on the issue.
Montenegrin state radio reported on Tuesday that
Yugoslav flight control had closed the airport after
NATO asked it to do so because of planned exercises.
A NATO spokesman in Brussels denied on Tuesday that
any such exercises were being held in the region.
A Yugoslav flight control official said the airport
had been closed because of NATO activity, but added
that the alliance had not informed Belgrade about its
plans.
"According to civil aviation rules, NATO was obliged
to report its activities 48 hours before their start
in the form of a NOTAM - notification to airman. They
never sent a NOTAM," flight control director Miodrag
Hadzic told Reuters.
He said the civilian planes that had reported the
incidents had the evidence recorded on a tape.
REUTERS 16/2/2000 ------------------------------
I BATTELLIERI RUMENI FARANNO CAUSA ALLA NATO ED
AL PROPRIO GOVERNO PER AVERE UCCISO OGNI SCAMBIO
COMMERCIALE VIA DANUBIO
http://www.centraleurope.com/news.php?id=134927
Romania Danube Shippers To Sue Government, NATO
BUCHAREST, Feb 16, 2000 -- (Reuters) The association
of Romanian river shippers said on Tuesday it would
sue the Romanian government and NATO over a total
estimated loss of $90 million because of the Kosovo
conflict.
Association president Mircea Toader said the losses
had been caused by the embargo on Yugoslavia after the
Kosovo war and by the blockage of the Danube.
Toader, who was speaking at the end of a meeting in
the Danube port town of Galati, said the association -
representing 95 percent of Romania's river shippers -
voted to ask the Romanian state for damages worth $5.4
million for lost crude oil transport contracts during
the embargo.
The association also announced plans to sue the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization over alleged losses
indirectly caused by the bombing of Yugoslav bridges.
River traffic on the Danube is running at less than 25
percent of its full capacity at present, latest
association data showed.
YDS 15/2/2000 --------------------------
NIKITA MIKHALKOV IN VISITA IN JUGOSLAVIA
PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC RECEIVES MIKHALKOV AND BURLYAYEV
BELGRADE, February 14 (Tanjug) - President Slobodan Milosevic received
on
Monday the famous Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov and the famous actor
Nikolai Burlyayev, who have arrived for a visit to Yugoslavia.
Greeting one of the greatest world directors, Mikhalkov, and Burlyayev,
as
great friends of Yugoslavia, President Milosevic stressed the huge
importance of artistic creation and the affirmation of the highest human
values, in what the efforts of Mikhalkov have universal importance.
In a cordial and friendly conversation was expressed a high level of
proximity of views about developments in Yugoslavia and in Russia,
Europe
and the world, politics and culture.
The interest of the Yugoslav public and the reception reserved for films
directed by Mikhalkov in Yugoslavia demonstrate the identity of cultural
points of view that exist in the publics of the two countries.
The famous Russian artists expressed admiration for the struggle of the
Yugoslav peoples for their freedom and independence and expressed
sincere
support for their goals.
The reception was attended also by Serbian Minister of Culture Zeljko
Simic, and Jakov Gerasimov, Russian Embassy Charge d'Affaires in
Yugoslavia.
SOSPESO L'EMBARGO SUI VOLI DA E PER LA JUGOSLAVIA
EUROPE - YUGOSLAVIA - SANCTIONS
E.U. SUSPENDS EMBARGO ON AIR LINKS WITH YUGOSLAVIA
BRUSSELS, February 14 (Tanjug) - The E.U. Council decided on Monday to
suspend for six months the ban on air links with Yugoslavia including
international flights by national carrier JAT, Portuguese Foreign
Minister
Jaim Gama said on Monday.
The E.U. Foreign Ministers also agreed to set up temporary military and
political organs of the European Rapid Reaction Force.
Last year in Helsinki it was concluded that the European Corps should
consist of 50,000 - 60,000 troops.
YUGOSLAV AIRLINES JAT READY FOR EUROPEAN FLIGHTS
BELGRADE, February 14 (Tanjug) - Today's decision by European Union
(E.U.)
Ministers to suspend the ban on international air traffic with
Yugoslavia
is merely a realization of their political decision of July last year,
Yugoslav Airlines JAT Director General Zika Petrovic said on Monday.
In a statement to Tanjug, Petrovic said JAT expected the official
announcement of this decision in the E.U. official gazette, which will
precisely define all the conditions of the suspension.
It is still not clear if the sanctions are lifted automatically for all
European countries, or if the E.U. states will each do so individually,
Petrovic said.
Petrovic said JAT was ready immediately to join European international
flights.
BELGRADE AIRPORT COMPLETELY READY
BELGRADE, February 14 (Tanjug) - Belgrade Airport is completely ready to
take on major international traffic, as it has been modernized with a
new
automatic system for passenger registration, airport Director General
Ljubomir Acimovic said on Monday.
Acimovic said Yugoslav Airlines JAT would most probably start flying to
certain European destinations already in the second half of February,
and
that interested European Union airlines should start flying to Belgrade
in
about 10 days. "We expect our national airline will soon fly to Germany,
Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Italy," he said.
The first foreign aircrafts to arrive in Belgrade should be from
Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic, and in March from Italy and
some other European countries, he said.
Acimovic said certain other European airlines would be arriving in
Belgrade as of March 26, when the international flights timetable will
be
ready.
Until March 21 last year, in addition to Aeroflot of Russia, 11 foreign
airlines used Belgrade Airport, he said.
Acimovic said today's decision by European Union Ministers to suspend
the
flights ban on Yugoslavia was an implementation of their decision of
July
19 last year, which had been blocked by political reasons.
CONTRASTI TRA KOUCHNER ED IL GOVERNO FRANCESE
MINISTER CHEVENEMENT CONTRADICTS KOUCHNER
PARIS, February 15 (Tanjug)- French Interior Minister Jean-Pierre
Chevenement on Monday countered the criticism of head of the U.N. Civil
Mission in Kosovo and Metohija Bernard Kouchner that not enough French
policemen have been sent to Serbia's southern province.
"When soldiers are shot at," the sending of more policemen "cannot be a
solution," Chevenment said during a visit to the National Police School
in
Roubaix.
"When our soldiers are being fired at, I am not sure that the sending of
a
number of more policemen, who are more useful here in Roubaix, would be
a
solution," he specified.
Ethnic-Albanian sniper shooters fired at French KFOR troops in the town
of
Kosovska Mitrovica on Sunday, wounding two.
In statements made to the French press of late, Kouchner has criticized
France for having only about 30 policemen, instead of 80, in Kosovo and
Metohija. Minister Chevenement specified that there were 37 French
policemen in the Province, who he said were training the local police.
GRAVE INQUINAMENTO DEL DANUBIO PROVENIENTE DALLA ROMANIA
SERBIA - TISZA RIVER - POLLUTION
BAN ON USE OF WATER, FISH FROM DANUBE RIVER
BELGRADE, February 14 (Tanjug) - Pollution which reached the Danube from
the Tisza peaked at 8 p.m. on February 13, and cyanide was still above
permitted levels along the Danube's left bank in Zemun and Pancevo on
February 14, the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water
Resources said on Monday. The Ministry warned all those along the Danube
east of Belgrade not to use its waters. The Ministry banned fishing and
sales of fish in the territory of Serbia, with the exception of products
of
fisheries, the statement said.
Fish died on a smaller scale in Pancevo and Smederevo. Measures have
been
taken to collect and remove the dead fish.
According to the latest results, cyanide content in the Tisza is below
permitted levels, the Ministry statement said.
ROMANIA MINIMIZES POLLUTION OF SOMES AND TISZA
BUCAREST, February 14 (Tanjug) - Romania deployed on Monday near
Djerdap,
at the entrance of the Danube into its territory, teams of experts for
measuring water pollution, because also expected to reach there is a
part
of the cyanide that spilled over from the waste material reservoir of
the
gold mine in Transylvania.
Hungary and Romania plan to demand aid from the European Union to remove
the consequences of the damages caused by the spilling of the poison
into
the river Somes, a tributary of Tisza, that carried the cyanide also
into
the Danube. Besides Romania, also affected by the pollution are Hungary
and
Yugoslavia, through which Tisza flows along some one hundred kilometres
and
then, at Slankamen, into the Danube.
Official Bucarest kept silent for almost two weeks about the incident
that
only last week-end Premier Mugur Isaresku demanded that an investigation
into the causes of the pollution which has acquired the proportions of
an
ecological disaster.
The disaster occurred when, because of melting snow, the reservoir of
the
gold mine in Transylvania near Baia Mare spilled over its banks. Around
100,000 cubic meters of water polluted with cyanide then spilled over
into
the stream Lapos, and then into the river Somes.
The owner of the mine is the company Aurel, which was formed last year
by
the Romanian firm Remin and the Australian company Esmeralda.
The Romanian press ignored the incident, only electronic media carried
reports of foreign news agencies, including the Yugoslav news agency
Tanjug, and showed footage of Hungarian television.
CNN: FROM ROMANIA - ECOLOGICAL DISASTER
NEW YORK, February 14 (Tanjug) - From Romania has originated an
ecological
disaster which has caused unforeseeable consequences for plants and
animals
along the Tisza river (Tisa in Yugoslavia), all the way to the Danube,
said
on Monday the U.S. TV network CNN that gave wide coverage to the tragedy
caused by the spillage of cyanide from the Romanian mine near Baia Mare
in
Transylvania.
CNN has been repeating for several days reports about dead fish in Tisa,
in Yugoslavia, and about the efforts of Yugoslav officials and
ecologists
to stop and cleanse the polluted water.
Carried was the statement of the Serbian Minister for the Protection of
the Environment, Bratislav Blazic, who described the situation as a big
ecological disaster and that Yugoslavia will demand from the
international
court in The Hague to punish the perpetrators who must compensate for
the
damages.
Yugoslav officials are taking measures to destroy the poisoned fish and
also by other measures reduce the consequences, CNN said.
CNN carried also Hungarian statements and assessments that the cyanide
concentration in the Tisa river was the worst ecological disaster since
Chernobil.
U.S. media reports, however, ignore the fact that also responsible for
the
tragedy is an Australian company from Perth - Esmeralda Exploitation
which
is a co-owner of the Romania company from whose waste material spilled
cyanide, used in the process of separating gold from the ore.
The Australian firm claims that its experts are investigating the
pollution of the river into which the poison spilled because of apparent
carelessness and regulation breaches, and that the results of the
investigation will be known next week.
B92 15/2/2000 -------------------------------
DOPO L'ASSASSINIO BULATOVIC, NUOVO MINISTRO E
NUOVO CAPO DI STATO MAGGIORE DELL'ESERCITO
Army chief appointed defence minister
BELGRADE, Tuesday - The head of the Yugoslav Army Headquarters, General
Dragoljub Ojdanic was today appointed Federal Defence Minister, the post
left
vacant after the murder of Pavle Bulatovic earlier this month. The
commander
of the Third Yugoslav Army, Lieutenant General Nebojsa Pavkovic was
appointed
to replace Ojdanic at the helm of the Yugoslav Army.
Military political analyst Ljubodrag Stojadinovic told B292 today that
both
decisions were predictable, adding that Pavkovic had long been seen as a
future army chief because of his enormous popularity and the confidence
placed in him by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
Milosevic today met Ojdanic, and senior military commanders to discuss
the
current political situation of the army and its combat readiness.
Federal
Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic and Serbian President Milan Milutinovic
were
also present at the meeting.
YDS 13/2/2000 ----------------------------------
LETTERA DEL GOVERNO JUGOSLAVO ALL'ONU
SULLE CONTINUE VIOLAZIONI DELLA RISOLUZIONE 1244
SERBIAN PROVINCE OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT LETTER TO THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL
REGARDING VIOLATIONS OF RESOLUTION 1244
NEW YORK, February 13 (Tanjug) - The international community is well
aware
that the grave situation in Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province is a
consequence of the failure of the local United Nations mission, since
facts
which indicate this are more than obvious.
Consequently, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has yet again reacted
by
pointing out who is violating Resolution 1244, and how.
The latest government letter to the U.N. Security Council lists
precisely
and with irrefutable arguments all the resolution points which have been
violated most grossly.
The letter was sent by head of the Yugoslav Permanent Mission to the
U.N.,
Ambassador Vladislav Jovanovic, to U.N. Security Council President
Arnoldo
Listre and Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Saturday.
It unequivocally states that leading figures of the U.N. mission are
responsible for the chaos in this southern Serbian province, in
particular
the Secretary-General's High Representative Bernard Kouchner.
Point by point, the letter shows the disastrous steps taken by the
international community which have led into chaos - from failing to meet
its obligation to disarm the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army, to the
complete failure to establish a secure environment for all Kosovo
citizens.
"As a result, terrorism in the province has escalated at an
unprecedented
pace, so that the number of terrorist attacks since the arrival of KFOR
and
UNMIK increased 11-fold. 4,249 terrorist attacks, mainly against Serbs
and
other non-Albanians have been committed in the period since June 12,
1999
to date, in which 889 persons have been killed, 784 wounded and 834
abducted," said the letter.
The letter gives details and facts about brutal terrorist attacks in the
latest period when they have launched a new wave of terror.
By turning a blind eye to everything the terrorists did and are doing in
Kosovo and Metohija, the international security and civilian missions
have
not escaped responsibility. On the contrary, such actions have
contributed
to the expulsion of 350,000 Serbs, Montenegrins, Romanies, Muslims,
ethnic
Turks, Goranians, and other non-Albanians from the province.
The letter proceeds to give a long list of mistakes made by Kouchner and
descriptions of his unprecedented actions, showing that the mission head
is
the most responsible for developments in the province.
The series of so-called regulations which he has imposed are aimed at
separating Kosovo and Metohija from the constitutional, legal, economic,
customs, monetary, and banking systems of Yugoslavia and Serbia.
Kouchner
has thus acted contrary to the stand clearly taken by U.N. Security
Council
members - to preserve and respect the sovereignty and territorial
integrity
of Yugoslavia.
By constructing military bases and conducting military exercises in the
sovereign territory of Yugoslavia without the consent of the Yugoslav
government, the KFOR is in flagrant violation of the relevant resolution
and provides support to Kosovo terrorists and separatists, destabilizing
in
that way the entire region, the letter said.
ATTACCATE ABITAZIONI SERBE NEL SETTORE NORD DI MITROVICA
ETHNIC ALBANIANS ATTACKED SERB HOUSES
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, February 12 (Tanjug) - Ethnic Albanian extremists
attacked Serb houses in northern Kosovska Mitrovica during curfew late
on Friday.
Two bombs were thrown at the Milutinovic family home in the Bosnjacka
Mahala district at midnight, and automatic fire riddled their windows.
None
of the occupants were injured in this terrorist attack.
Terrorists also showered the house of Serb Dragi Jovanovic with rocks
and
stones in another district, near the hospital.
Dragica Jerotijevic, a Serb woman, was stoned at 4.30 p.m. Friday in the
Bosnjacka Mahala district, where only four Serb houses remain.
The perpetrators of these terrorist attacks have not been caught, even
though strong forces of the KFOR and UNMIK police have been protecting
the
Bosnjacka Mahala district round the clock, not just during curfew, since
it
was introduced on February 4.
NUOVE MISURE DI SICUREZZA A MITROVICA
NEW SECURITY MEASURES IN KOSOVSKA MITROVICA
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, February 12 (Tanjug) - UNMIK head Bernard Kouchner
has
decided about new security measures in Kosovska Mitrovica which will
take
effect next week.
A statement distributed to Serb reporters late on Saturday said that the
number of international police would be doubled. Three hundred new
policemen will be deployed within the six municipalities of this region,
the statement said.
Most policemen will be stationed in Kosovska Mitrovica itself. The first
100 policemen will arrive next week. They will cooperate closely with
KFOR
troops, the statement said.
The security zone established on both sides of the bridge over the Ibar
River will be expanded. The established checkpoints on both sides and
mobile police teams will be manned by KFOR troops as well - French,
Danish,
German and English.
Among the new measures which should contribute to a calming of the
situation in this town in Kosovo and Metohija province is the
proclamation
of a no-demonstrations zone.
The monitoring and control of the administrative border with Serbia
proper
will also be stepped up, the statement said.
SERBI SOTTO ATTACCO AD OBILIC
ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORISTS ATTACKED SERBS IN OBILIC
OBILIC, February 13 (Tanjug) - A Serb-populated district of Obilic was
attacked with automatic firearms late on Friday, but there were no
casualties, radio amateurs reported from this part of Serbia's southern
Kosovo and Metohija province.
The attack went on for 20 minutes, resulting in shattered windows and
riddled walls. International force KFOR troops simply observed the
brutal
attack on the remaining Serbs in this district.
The Obilic KFOR command said it was continuing an intense search for the
perpetrators and that it believed, on the grounds of certain
intelligence,
that the perpetrators are from the territory of Obilic.
VOCI CONTRO L'EMBARGO ALLA RFJ DALLA REPUBBLICA CECA
ANTI-YUGOSLAV SANCTIONS - INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS
TV SHOW PARTICIPANTS CALL FOR LIFTING OF ANTI-YUGOSLAV SANCTIONS
PRAGUE, February 12 (Tanjug) - Participants in a popular Czech TV show,
Kotel (The Cauldron), have urged the soonest possible help for Yugoslav
citizens and the Czech government's contribution to this as a call for
the
lifting of the sanctions against Yugoslavia.
The demand voiced by ruling Social Democrat MP Jaroslav Foldina was
welcomed with loud applause from the audience.
Foldina asked Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kavan, another guest on the
show
of the private TV station Nova, to urge such actions with the
government,
since "it is not democratic to bomb someone, starve them, or make them
freeze to death". Yugoslavia and its citizens need immediate help,
Foldina
said.
SUMMIT BALCANICO A BUCAREST CON L'ESCLUSIONE DELLA RFJ
THE BALKANS - REGIONAL COOPERATION
SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN SUMMIT WITHOUT YUGOSLAVIA
BUCHAREST, February 12 (Tanjug) - Government representatives of several
southeastern European countries signed a Charter on good-neighborly
relations, regional stability, security and cooperation in Bucharest on
Saturday, showing open awareness that these plans cannot be realized
without the participation of Yugoslavia.
At the third top-level meeting within the process of cooperation of
southeastern European countries, the Yugoslav flag was displayed at the
conference table, but the chairs for a Yugoslav delegation remained
vacant.
Opening the meeting, Romanian President Emil Constantinescu said
Yugoslav
representatives were absent because of restrictions enforced by the
European Union, practically confirming that he had yielded to the
interests
of extra-regional factors, and accepted interference in what are
exclusive
affairs of the regional countries.
And yet, Constantinescu had to face reality. He said no concrete
structures could be set up in the region without the participation of
the
Serbian people.
Today's one-day meeting was attended by prime ministers Costas Simitis
of
Greece, Ivan Kostov of Bulgaria, Ljupco Georgijevski of Macedonia,
Bulent
Ecevit of Turkey, Ilir Meta of Albania, and the Romanian head of state.
DOPO TRE ANNI LIBERATO IN CECENIA UNO JUGOSLAVO RAPITO A MOSCA
F.R. YUGOSLAVIA - CHECHNYA
RUSSIAN SPECIAL TROOPS LIBERATED A YUGOSLAV HELD CAPTIVE IN CHECHNYA
MOSCOW, February 13 (Tanjug) - Members of Russian special police units
for
fighting organized crime have liberated Yugoslav citizen Stanimir
Petrovic
from captivity in Chechnya, it was announced in Moscow on Sunday.
Petrovic worked in Moscow for the German firm Albana Export Import, and
was abducted together with his boss Rudolph Klaus Schmidt on August 2,
1997. They were intercepted at Slepcoski Airport in Ingushetia by armed
attackers and taken in an unknown direction.
No details about Petrovic's liberation were revealed, but it is known
that
no ransom has been paid and that the action was carried out by special
police units from the northern Caucasus regional administration for
combatting organized crime.
YDS 11/2/2000 -----------------------------------------------
ANCHE DALLA SLOVACCHIA VOCI CONTRARIE ALLA POLITICA CRIMINALE
DELLA NATO NEI CONFRONTI DELLA RF DI JUGOSLAVIA
F.R.YUGOSLAVIA - SLOVAKIA
NATO CONTINUES AGGRESSION IN EFFORT TO BREAK UP YUGOSLAVIA
BRATISLAVA, February. 11 (Tanjug)- Yugoslav ambassador to Slovakia
Veljko
Curcic has set out that, although morally defeated, the NATO countries
which had participated in the March-June, 1999 aggression on Yugoslavia
were still trying to achieve their goal -- to break up Yugoslavia --
through efforts "illegitimately to change the authorities in
Yugoslavia."
"The pressures continue in the period of Yugoslavia's reconstruction
above
all through the imposition of unjust economic and other sanctions. The
unscrupulous pressures are designed to prevent the reconstruction and
development of Yugoslavia, which they have devastated with their rockets
and bombs," ambassador Curcic said in an interview to the Slovak daily
Novy
Den.
When the policy of open aggression failed, aggression continued through
sanctions, blackmail, and the granting of more dollars for continued
efforts to topple the authorities in Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav ambassador
specified.
The Slovak daily said that Serbia's southern province of Kosovo and
Metohija was being ethnically cleansed by ethnic-Albanian terrorists and
separatists under the "patronage" of NATO troops.
It set out that the ethnic cleansing did not imply just the elimination
of
Serbs and their expulsion from the "heart" of Yugoslavia but also the
elimination of any trace of Serbs and Christians in general.
Ambassador Curcic said that the expulsion of Serbs, Montenegrins and
other
non-Albanians from the province, with the tacit consent of the KFOR and
UNMIK, was organized ethnic cleansing.
LA KFOR NON VEDE LA PULIZIA ETNICA IN ATTO NEL KOSMET?
KFOR OVERLOOKS ETHNIC CLEANSING OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
BONN, February. 11 (Tanjug)- The Berlin Junge Welt Friday carried an
article written by British Member of Parliament Alice Mahon, a
Labourite,
in which she said that Yugoslavia had a genuinely multi-ethnic society,
and
a large-scale operation of ethnic cleansing in Serbia's southern
province
of Kosovo and Metohija by ethnic-Albanian terrorists and separatists was
being overlooked by the KFOR international peace force.
Mahon, who chairs the British Parliament's Committee for the Balkans,
visited Kosovo and Metohija last autumn as a member of the so-called
North
Atlantic Assembly, an institution which is to exercise parliamentary
control of NATO.
Mahon said in the article that it did not take her long to realize what
was happening and subsequent reports of the OSCE and international human
rights organizations, including Amnesty International, had confirmed
that
Serbia's southern province was being ethnically cleansed by the KLA
while
the U.N. mission (UNMIK) and the KFOR did not show the slightest
readiness
to take legal action against them.
The British politician said that Serbs, Slavs of Muslim faith
(Goranacs),
Romanies, ethnic Turks and other non-Albanians were victims of daily
harassments, intimidation, abductions and torching.
Mahon cited the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry figures that 350,000 people
have
been forced to leave Kosovo and Metohija since the KFOR deployment in
June
last year.
MANIFESTAZIONE DEI SERBI-KOSOVARI A ZVECAN PRESSO PRISTINA
PROTEST RALLY IN ZVECAN
ZVECAN, February. 11 (Tanjug) - Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are the
teachers of patriotism and united they can realize their joint goal -
survival and preservation of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia and
Serbia
within its southern province, is the message of several thousand Serbs
gathered at a protest rally on Friday in Zvecan, close to Pristina.
The president of the Serbian National Forum of Zvecan, Dragisa Milovic,
said that Kosovo and Metohija "is a blot in the heart of Europe because
is
it rife with chaos, anarchy, violence, arms trading and white slavery
carried out by the masters (UNMIK head Bernard) Kouchner and (Hashim)
Thaqi."
"We only want to live in peace and in dignity and we demand security for
ourselves and our children, the return of the displaced and of our army
and
police," Milovic stated.
The speakers at the rally, often interrupted by shouts "Long Live
Serbia"
and "Long Live Yugoslavia", called for "all Serbs in these hard times to
form one party."
"We will not allow Kouchner to create another Albanian state based on
the
misfortune of the Serb people, nor will a single Serb enter his and
Thaqi's
government," the protesters said.
Deputy director of the hospital in Kosovska Mitrovica, Dr. Milan
Ivanovic,
stated that "the Serbs would prevent Kouchner from carrying out
experiments
on them 'in vivo', just those performed by Nazi doctor Mengele."
"Kouchner cannot chose a Serb who is convenient for his government
because
we will chose our own representative if the conditions for this arise,"
Ivanovic set out.
ANCHE L'ITALIANO "PANORAMA" RICONOSCE CHE IN KOSOVO COMANDA L'UCK
KLA, NOT KFOR, IS IN COMMAND IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA, ITALIAN PANORAMA
ROME, February. 11 (Tanjug)- The so-called ethnic-Albanian KLA is in
command in Kosovo and Metohija, Serbia's southern province, despite the
presence of the KFOR international forces, the Italian weekly Panorama
said
Friday, commenting the continued violence against the non-Albanian
population in the province.
Citing the OSCE report for December, Panorama said the violence was
organized by militant KLA separatists.
"The doubtful guerrilla movement has been accused also of cooperating
with
the Kosovo and Metohija mafia," the Milan weekly set out.
The Human Rights Watch shares the opinion that orders for the violence
in
Serbia's southern province come from the militant KLA and KLA members
are
the perpetrators of the most brutal crimes there.
"The anti-democratic and violent KLA, which is now unpopular among
Kosovo
and Metohija Albanians, themselves, is stronger than ever before," the
weekly Panorama said.
B92 11/2/2000 ------------------------------
SEMPRE PIU' VICINE LE MANOVRE NATO IN KOSMET
No reaction to NATO "provocation": Yugoslav Army
BELGRADE, Friday - The head of the Third Yugoslav Army, Vladimir
Lazarevic,
said today that the Army would not react to NATO military manoeuvres
planned
for Kosovo next month. Lazarevic, speaking to Belgrade news magazine
NIN,
said that the manoeuvres could represent an attempt by NATO to provoke
the
Yugoslav army.
YDS 10/2/2000 -----------
L'ASSASSINIO DI BULATOVIC
FR YUGOSLAVIA - TRAGIC DEATH OF DEFENCE MINISTER
ZIZIC: MONSTROUS SHOTS FIRED ON BULATOVIC WERE AN ATTACK ON YUGOSLAVIA
PODGORICA, February 9 (Tanjug) - Montenegro's Socialist People's Party
(SNP) held a commemoration meeting late on Wednesday in the presence of
more than 1,000 people following the assassination of Yugoslav Defence
Minister and top SNP official Pavle Bulatovic late on Monday.
The commemoration, held at the Yugoslav Army club, was attended by
Bulatovic's family and relatives as well as top SNP officials including
Momir Bulatovic, Srdja Bozovic, Predrag Bulatovic and Zoran Zizic,
Yugoslav
government ministers, representatives of the Yugoslav Second Army
command,
other party leaders and officials of various organisations and
associations.
Addressing those attending the commemoration, Zizic, SNP Vice-President,
said that the monstrous shots fired on Bulatovic were an attack on the
country, the SNP and the Yugoslav people's unwavering determination to
be
their own masters.
"Animosity towards our people and state and the atmosphere created by
those who spread hatred and divisions, in any case that what is terrible
and fatal for Montenegro, have caused the death of innocent Pavle
Bulatovic," he said.
Bulatovic's sudden and tragic death is a great loss for the SNP but it
also puts a major obligation before the party to continue his commitment
to
brotherly ties between Montenegro and Serbia, he said.
Thousands of people from all over Montenegro paid their last respects to
Bulatovic at the chapel at the Podgorica cemetery on Wednesday.
MONTENEGRIN PRESIDENT OFFERED CONDOLENCES TO MINISTER BULATOVIC'S FAMILY
PODGORICA, February 10 (Tanjug) - President of the Yugoslav republic of
Montenegro Milo Djukanovic on Wednesday offered condolences to the
family
of assassinated Yugoslav Defence Minister Pavle Bulatovic, the
Presidential
Cabinet said late on Wednesday.
MINISTER MATIC: MURDER OF BULATOVIC IS PART OF ORGANISED TERRORISM
ORCHESTRATED FROM ABROAD
BELGRADE, February 9 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav Information Minister Goran
Matic
said on Wednesday that the assassination of Yugoslav Defence Minister
Pavle
Bulatovic was a part of the chain of organised terrorism orchestrated
from
abroad, and that the security of state officials in no way differed from
the security of other citizens.
Matic told the Belgrade 'Danas' newspaper that the state would do all
within its power to find murderers in each and every case and that state
authorities would put an end to terrorism and crime that were being used
as
an instrument for destabilising the country.
Matic had stated that a chain of subversive and terrorist actions was
being planned abroad and stimulated from abroad also at a session of the
Yugoslav Left (JUL) Directorate's Information Committee last October.
He had warned that subversive and terrorist actions were being planned
abroad in order to destabilise and destroy the country's political and
economic system.
He had also said that, after all its defeats, Washington's policy was
increasingly nearing actions based on subversive and destructive illegal
activities and military provocations and relying on a real network of
secret agents.
SULLE RELAZIONI TRA RFJ E ROMANIA
F.R. YUGOSLAVIA - ROMANIA
DEVELOPMENT OF COOPERATION BETWEEN YUGOSLAVIA AND ROMANIA
BUCHAREST, February 10 (Tanjug) - An international symposium on the
development and reconstruction of the Romania/Banat-Yugoslavia region
was
held in Timisoara, Romania, on Wednesday.
The symposium was organised by Pro Liberts Co. of Timisoara and
Germany's
Ostimpex of Hanau, one of Europe's biggest manufacturers of gas
installations equipment.
The Yugoslav side was represented by Termoelektro of Belgrade and
Inzenjering Biro of Novi Sad, as well as by designers of gas
installations.
Also attending were 30 or so Romanian businessmen.
Yugoslav businessmen had highly profitable talks with the Ostimpex
representatives, with both sides expressing a willingness to set up a
joint
venture in Timisoara.
==================================================================
NOTA DEL CRJ: Le notizie in lingua straniera sono introdotte da un
nostro titolo in italiano per facilitarne la consultazione.
La nostra selezione di notizie contiene brani da fonti diverse:
YDS - e' la "Yugoslav Daily Survey" del Ministero degli Esteri della
RFJ (cfr. http://www.mfa.gov.yu/ ).
B92 - sono le notizie che provengono dalla mailing list di RadioB2-92,
di orientamento antigovernativo e filo-occidentale:
> freeb92-e is an open mailing list for distribution of news by Radio
> B2-92. News bulletins are updated at 19.00 CET Monday to Friday and
> at 23.00 CET on Saturday and Sunday.
> For more information on FreeB92 and Radio B2-92, visit:
> http://www.freeb92.net/
REUTERS - sono i dispacci della omonima agenzia di informazione
IWPR - e' il bollettino dell'Institute for War & Peace Reporting
<info@...>
> Balkan Crisis Report is supported by the Department for International
> Development, European Commission, Swedish International Development and
> Cooperation Agency, MacArthur Foundation, Press Now and the Carnegie
> Corporation. IWPR also acknowledges general support from the Ford
Foundation.
> *** VISIT IWPR ON-LINE: www.iwpr.net ***
Tanjug - e' l'agenzia di stampa jugoslava: http://www.tanjug.co.yu
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
QUARTO CONGRESSO DEL PARTITO SOCIALISTA DELLA SERBIA (SPS)
Il sito del IV Congresso dell'SPS:
http://www.sps.org.yu/kongresi/k4.html
La relazione introduttiva del presidente dell'SPS Slobodan Milosevic:
http://www.mfa.gov.yu/Bilteni/Srpski/si170200_s.html
http://www.mfa.gov.yu/Bilteni/Engleski/si170200_e.html
Il sito internet dell'SPS:
http://www.sps.org.yu/index-ne.htm
La cronaca della prima giornata del Congresso:
http://www.mfa.gov.yu/Bilteni/Engleski/b180200_e.html
---
SINTESI DELL'INTERVENTO DI MILOSEVIC (Beta/AIM)
BELGRADE, February 18, 2000 (Beta)
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who was
re-elected Socialist Party president on this party's
fourth congress, said on Feb. 17, that Yugoslavia is
being attacked by "a new fascism" and accused the
opposition of being in the service of the West.
"We have no intention of distancing ourselves from
any wrong moves we made, but let it be known that we
have no intention of distancing ourselves from the
impressive balance of good that this party has done
for the Serbian state, for all citizens in it and for
the entire Serb people," Milosevic pointed out in a
speech which ended the congress of the socialists.
According to him, this positive balance includes "not
only freedom and independence but also impressive
development."
He said that this did not fit "into the picture of
the future intended for this part of the world which
envisages a disunited society, a humiliated state, a
puppet government, disorientated people, accepting the
fact that the world is run by one government,
readiness to serve this government and also live in
this condition in happiness."
He said that for her "creative emancipated response"
to this picture Serbia was rewarded with NATO air
raids.
"The genocide against Albanians was fabricated to
serve as a pretext for genocide against a disobedient
European people. The entire world knows that we stood
up to this war in any way we could, with arms, media
and morally and that we were superior in all three,"
Milosevic said.
The "fascist textbook is not over yet. Undoubtedly,
the finest pages in this book should be written about
the experience of exterminating Serbs. In 1999, the
new fascism focused on Serbia."
"Thus, I believe in rebellion, resistance, protest,
because this message is not being conveyed only to one
people, that it will be exterminated if it is not
obedient. It is universal and it is being sent to
all," Milosevic said.
According to him the only obstacle to this goal can
be reason, "the reason of mankind, because this time
mankind is the target."
"This party and this country say to mankind that it
possesses the most powerful weapon - reason, the only
weapon which can save the world and the human race,
not only from the total colonization that is being
prepared, but also from the tragic illusion that evil
happens to others and that it will bypass them."
Regarding the political scene in Serbia, Milosevic
said that the Socialist Party of Serbia still believes
that "all war and other hatchets should be buried in
reform," and that common ground cannot be found with
those "who do not speak their mother tongue, but the
language of force which has frightened them and
humiliated them."
"Actually, we have no opposition in Serbia, we have a
group which is manipulating with emotions and needs,
and is lying that there is no solution to hardship
when faced with a force that has conquered the world."
Referring to Kosovo, he said that Serbia had
confidence in the peace agreement and the guarantees
of the U.N., "but nothing had come of peace, much less
of order, while there is no trace of normal life."
"Albanian terrorism has been legalized, Serbs have
mostly fled Kosovo. This shameful mission of the
so-called international community should end as soon
as possible and our country's authorities should take
over all functions on this sovereign part of
our territory," Milosevic said.
========
THE NEWS
========
Morning news edited by Rade Kuzmanovic
AIM, Belgrade, February 18 12:30
---
MESSAGGI DELLE DELEGAZIONI INTERNAZIONALI
THE FOURTH SPS CONGRESS - BILATERAL CONTACTS
JOVANOVIC RECEIVES DOUBRAVA OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF BOHEMIA
AND MORAVIA
BELGRADE, February 17 (Tanjug) - Socialist Party of Serbia
(SPS) Vice-President and Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin
Jovanovic on Thursday received Senator Jaroslav Doubrava, the
head of the delegation of the Communist Party of Bohemia and
Moravia.
Talks covered directions for the further strengthening of
cooperation between parties and parliaments, as well as prospects for
promoting overall relations and cooperation between Yugoslavia
and the Czech Republic, said a statement by the federal Foreign
Ministry.
PERCEVIC RECEIVES PASOK DELEGATION
BELGRADE, February 17 (Tanjug) - Socialist Party of Serbia
(SPS) Main Board Executive Council member Goran Percevic
received on Thursday a delegation of PASOK, which is attending
as a guest the 4th SPS Congress, said the information service of
SPS main board.
The PASOK delegation was headed by Alternative Int. Secretary
Jannis Nikolaou.
In the talks it was stressed that the traditional friendship
of the two peoples and the two parties will continue to give an
important
contribution to peace, stability and cooperation in the entire
region.
THE FOURTH SPS CONGRESS - FOREIGN DELEGATIONS' STATEMENTS
SERBIAN SOCIALISTS WIN THROUGH UNITY - UKRAINE'S OLEYNIK, M.P.
BELGRADE, February 17 (Tanjug) - Visiting Ukrainian writer and
academician Boris Oleynik, M.P., praised on Thursday the
work and programme of, and especially the atmosphere of
optimism pervading the current 4th congress of the Socialist Party of
Serbia (SPS).
According to Oleynik speaking for TANJUG, the congress has
rallied people who wish to win, united, against the infernal concepts
of the global power-wielders.
NATO IS A MILITARY, IMPERIALIST PACT - SLOVAK COMMUNISTS
BELGRADE, February 17 (Tanjug) - A Slovak communist party
official said on Thursday the party's delegation was attending the
4th congress of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) in order
to show solidarity with the brave Serbian people, who offered
resistance to NATO's barbaric aggression last year.
Ivan Hopta said the Communist Party of Slovakia was the first
party in Slovakia to organise protest rallies outside the U.S.
Embassy and outside other NATO countries' embassies in
Bratislava on the second day of NATO's aggression on Yugoslavia
last spring. Nearly 90 percent of the Slovaks opposed the
aggression and felt embarrassed by their government's opening its air
space to NATO planes for air strikes on Yugoslavia, said
Hopta, first vice president of the Communist Party of Slovakia.
He said his party was for disbanding NATO because its history
shows it is not working for peace, but is a military and imperialist
pact defending the interests of international capital,
primarily U.S.
He said he had assured himself that the Socialist Party of
Serbia (SPS) is a united, popular party which defends the interest of
all
people regardless of national or religious affiliation.
The Slovak party is also preparing for its 4th congress,
slated for September, he said, adding it would be an honour to welcome
the
SPS.
CHILEAN COMMUNISTS URGE COOPERATION, MUTUAL ASSISTANCE
BELGRADE, February 18 (Tanjug) - It is the first time that a
delegation of the Communist Party of Chile is attending a Socialist
Party of Serbia (SPS) Congress, the purpose of which is to get
acquainted with the organization of your governing party's work and
possibilities for cooperation, member of the Communist Party
of Chile Central Committee Ricard Sole said on Thursday.
The people of Chile does not have genuine information about
Yugoslavia because the information comes from NATO through the
media in the United States. One purpose of our visit is to get
acquainted with the actual situation in Yugoslavia and go back and
tell our people about it, Solo said.
It must not be allowed in the third millennium that problems
be resolved through the use of force and wars and that one group of
bigger countries influences the developments in smaller
countries, Solo set out.
The Communist Party of Chile is for cooperation and mutual
assistance between countries and against aggression and wars, the
Chilean guest underscored.
NEW IMPERIALIST POWERS DESTABILIZE EUROPE - ALBANIA
BELGRADE, February 17 (Tanjug) - Representative of the
Ecological Party of Albania Hamik Hoti at the 4th Congress of the
Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) said that new imperialist
tendencies of the great powers are leading to the destabilization of
Europe, and one of those attempts was the aggression on FR
Yugoslavia.
Hoti underlined that his party's position was extremely
anti-imperialist and anti-American.
A senior officer of that Albanian party said that he was
impressed by the very good organization of the 4th Congress of SPS and
confirmed that his positive position towards the principles of
that party had remained unchanged.
Hoti said he considered Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic
a friend and courageous figure.
HEGEMONICAL TENDENCIES PREVAIL IN WORLD - AUSTRALIA
BELGRADE, February 17 (Tanjug) - The world is in an extremely
difficult situation because in it prevail hegemony, imperialism
and antagonism, said a representative of the Communist Party
of Australia, Rob Gowland, guest of the 4th Congress of the
Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS).
Gowland told Tanjug that his party "opposes most strongly the
aggression of imperialist forces" on the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia.
Gowland assessed that the problem in Kosovo and Metohija had
been fabricated, and then used for the intervention of the great
powers and the realization of their interests in the region.
Western powers impose sanctions on countries that resist
hegemonical tendencies, Gowland said, and added that they want to
warn in that way the others not to attempt to oppose their
intentions.
He said that the Communist Party of Australia "condemned
sharply sanctions, that are a punishment of the innocent and constitute
a violation of the international convention on human rights,
and the principles of the United Nations" and that is why sanctions
against Yugoslavia "will have to be lifted urgently."
The Australian delegate predicted that in the future there
will be more wars, whose goal will be to establish control over regions
possessing a specific mineral wealth, as the region of central
Asia.
---
INDIRIZZO DI SALUTO DAL PARTITO DEL LAVORO DELLA COREA
Greetings to 4th congress of Socialist Party of Serbia
Pyongyang, February 17 (KCNA) -- The Worker's Party of Korea Central
Committee yesterday sent a message
of greetings to the 4th congress of the Socialist Party of Serbia.
The message expressed conviction that the 4th congress of the party
would mark an important occasion in the
party's activities to strengthen itself, defend the independence,
dignity
and sovereignty of the country and build a
prosperous nation.
Expressing belief that the traditional friendly and cooperative
relations between the two parties and peoples of
the two countries would further develop in the joint struggle for
independence against imperialism and for peace in
the future, the message wholeheartedly wished the congress of the party
great success in its work.
Salutations nord-coréennes au 4e congrès du Parti socialiste de Serbie
Pyongyang, 18 février (KCNA) -- Le Comité central du Parti du Travail de
Corée a envoyé hier un message de salutations au 4e congrès du Parti
socialiste de Serbie.
Le message exprime la conviction que le 4e congrès du Parti marquera une
importante occasion dans les activités du Parti pour se renforcer,
défendre
l'indépendance, la dignité et la souveraineté du pays et bâtir une
nation
prospère.
Exprime l'espoir que l'amitié traditionnelle et les relations de
coopération
entre les peuples des deux pays se développeront encore dans la lutte
commune pour l'indépendance contre l'impérialisme et pour la Paix dans
le
futur.
Le message souhaite de tout coeur grand succès au Parti dans son
travail.
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
Il sito del IV Congresso dell'SPS:
http://www.sps.org.yu/kongresi/k4.html
La relazione introduttiva del presidente dell'SPS Slobodan Milosevic:
http://www.mfa.gov.yu/Bilteni/Srpski/si170200_s.html
http://www.mfa.gov.yu/Bilteni/Engleski/si170200_e.html
Il sito internet dell'SPS:
http://www.sps.org.yu/index-ne.htm
La cronaca della prima giornata del Congresso:
http://www.mfa.gov.yu/Bilteni/Engleski/b180200_e.html
---
SINTESI DELL'INTERVENTO DI MILOSEVIC (Beta/AIM)
BELGRADE, February 18, 2000 (Beta)
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who was
re-elected Socialist Party president on this party's
fourth congress, said on Feb. 17, that Yugoslavia is
being attacked by "a new fascism" and accused the
opposition of being in the service of the West.
"We have no intention of distancing ourselves from
any wrong moves we made, but let it be known that we
have no intention of distancing ourselves from the
impressive balance of good that this party has done
for the Serbian state, for all citizens in it and for
the entire Serb people," Milosevic pointed out in a
speech which ended the congress of the socialists.
According to him, this positive balance includes "not
only freedom and independence but also impressive
development."
He said that this did not fit "into the picture of
the future intended for this part of the world which
envisages a disunited society, a humiliated state, a
puppet government, disorientated people, accepting the
fact that the world is run by one government,
readiness to serve this government and also live in
this condition in happiness."
He said that for her "creative emancipated response"
to this picture Serbia was rewarded with NATO air
raids.
"The genocide against Albanians was fabricated to
serve as a pretext for genocide against a disobedient
European people. The entire world knows that we stood
up to this war in any way we could, with arms, media
and morally and that we were superior in all three,"
Milosevic said.
The "fascist textbook is not over yet. Undoubtedly,
the finest pages in this book should be written about
the experience of exterminating Serbs. In 1999, the
new fascism focused on Serbia."
"Thus, I believe in rebellion, resistance, protest,
because this message is not being conveyed only to one
people, that it will be exterminated if it is not
obedient. It is universal and it is being sent to
all," Milosevic said.
According to him the only obstacle to this goal can
be reason, "the reason of mankind, because this time
mankind is the target."
"This party and this country say to mankind that it
possesses the most powerful weapon - reason, the only
weapon which can save the world and the human race,
not only from the total colonization that is being
prepared, but also from the tragic illusion that evil
happens to others and that it will bypass them."
Regarding the political scene in Serbia, Milosevic
said that the Socialist Party of Serbia still believes
that "all war and other hatchets should be buried in
reform," and that common ground cannot be found with
those "who do not speak their mother tongue, but the
language of force which has frightened them and
humiliated them."
"Actually, we have no opposition in Serbia, we have a
group which is manipulating with emotions and needs,
and is lying that there is no solution to hardship
when faced with a force that has conquered the world."
Referring to Kosovo, he said that Serbia had
confidence in the peace agreement and the guarantees
of the U.N., "but nothing had come of peace, much less
of order, while there is no trace of normal life."
"Albanian terrorism has been legalized, Serbs have
mostly fled Kosovo. This shameful mission of the
so-called international community should end as soon
as possible and our country's authorities should take
over all functions on this sovereign part of
our territory," Milosevic said.
========
THE NEWS
========
Morning news edited by Rade Kuzmanovic
AIM, Belgrade, February 18 12:30
---
MESSAGGI DELLE DELEGAZIONI INTERNAZIONALI
THE FOURTH SPS CONGRESS - BILATERAL CONTACTS
JOVANOVIC RECEIVES DOUBRAVA OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF BOHEMIA
AND MORAVIA
BELGRADE, February 17 (Tanjug) - Socialist Party of Serbia
(SPS) Vice-President and Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin
Jovanovic on Thursday received Senator Jaroslav Doubrava, the
head of the delegation of the Communist Party of Bohemia and
Moravia.
Talks covered directions for the further strengthening of
cooperation between parties and parliaments, as well as prospects for
promoting overall relations and cooperation between Yugoslavia
and the Czech Republic, said a statement by the federal Foreign
Ministry.
PERCEVIC RECEIVES PASOK DELEGATION
BELGRADE, February 17 (Tanjug) - Socialist Party of Serbia
(SPS) Main Board Executive Council member Goran Percevic
received on Thursday a delegation of PASOK, which is attending
as a guest the 4th SPS Congress, said the information service of
SPS main board.
The PASOK delegation was headed by Alternative Int. Secretary
Jannis Nikolaou.
In the talks it was stressed that the traditional friendship
of the two peoples and the two parties will continue to give an
important
contribution to peace, stability and cooperation in the entire
region.
THE FOURTH SPS CONGRESS - FOREIGN DELEGATIONS' STATEMENTS
SERBIAN SOCIALISTS WIN THROUGH UNITY - UKRAINE'S OLEYNIK, M.P.
BELGRADE, February 17 (Tanjug) - Visiting Ukrainian writer and
academician Boris Oleynik, M.P., praised on Thursday the
work and programme of, and especially the atmosphere of
optimism pervading the current 4th congress of the Socialist Party of
Serbia (SPS).
According to Oleynik speaking for TANJUG, the congress has
rallied people who wish to win, united, against the infernal concepts
of the global power-wielders.
NATO IS A MILITARY, IMPERIALIST PACT - SLOVAK COMMUNISTS
BELGRADE, February 17 (Tanjug) - A Slovak communist party
official said on Thursday the party's delegation was attending the
4th congress of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) in order
to show solidarity with the brave Serbian people, who offered
resistance to NATO's barbaric aggression last year.
Ivan Hopta said the Communist Party of Slovakia was the first
party in Slovakia to organise protest rallies outside the U.S.
Embassy and outside other NATO countries' embassies in
Bratislava on the second day of NATO's aggression on Yugoslavia
last spring. Nearly 90 percent of the Slovaks opposed the
aggression and felt embarrassed by their government's opening its air
space to NATO planes for air strikes on Yugoslavia, said
Hopta, first vice president of the Communist Party of Slovakia.
He said his party was for disbanding NATO because its history
shows it is not working for peace, but is a military and imperialist
pact defending the interests of international capital,
primarily U.S.
He said he had assured himself that the Socialist Party of
Serbia (SPS) is a united, popular party which defends the interest of
all
people regardless of national or religious affiliation.
The Slovak party is also preparing for its 4th congress,
slated for September, he said, adding it would be an honour to welcome
the
SPS.
CHILEAN COMMUNISTS URGE COOPERATION, MUTUAL ASSISTANCE
BELGRADE, February 18 (Tanjug) - It is the first time that a
delegation of the Communist Party of Chile is attending a Socialist
Party of Serbia (SPS) Congress, the purpose of which is to get
acquainted with the organization of your governing party's work and
possibilities for cooperation, member of the Communist Party
of Chile Central Committee Ricard Sole said on Thursday.
The people of Chile does not have genuine information about
Yugoslavia because the information comes from NATO through the
media in the United States. One purpose of our visit is to get
acquainted with the actual situation in Yugoslavia and go back and
tell our people about it, Solo said.
It must not be allowed in the third millennium that problems
be resolved through the use of force and wars and that one group of
bigger countries influences the developments in smaller
countries, Solo set out.
The Communist Party of Chile is for cooperation and mutual
assistance between countries and against aggression and wars, the
Chilean guest underscored.
NEW IMPERIALIST POWERS DESTABILIZE EUROPE - ALBANIA
BELGRADE, February 17 (Tanjug) - Representative of the
Ecological Party of Albania Hamik Hoti at the 4th Congress of the
Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) said that new imperialist
tendencies of the great powers are leading to the destabilization of
Europe, and one of those attempts was the aggression on FR
Yugoslavia.
Hoti underlined that his party's position was extremely
anti-imperialist and anti-American.
A senior officer of that Albanian party said that he was
impressed by the very good organization of the 4th Congress of SPS and
confirmed that his positive position towards the principles of
that party had remained unchanged.
Hoti said he considered Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic
a friend and courageous figure.
HEGEMONICAL TENDENCIES PREVAIL IN WORLD - AUSTRALIA
BELGRADE, February 17 (Tanjug) - The world is in an extremely
difficult situation because in it prevail hegemony, imperialism
and antagonism, said a representative of the Communist Party
of Australia, Rob Gowland, guest of the 4th Congress of the
Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS).
Gowland told Tanjug that his party "opposes most strongly the
aggression of imperialist forces" on the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia.
Gowland assessed that the problem in Kosovo and Metohija had
been fabricated, and then used for the intervention of the great
powers and the realization of their interests in the region.
Western powers impose sanctions on countries that resist
hegemonical tendencies, Gowland said, and added that they want to
warn in that way the others not to attempt to oppose their
intentions.
He said that the Communist Party of Australia "condemned
sharply sanctions, that are a punishment of the innocent and constitute
a violation of the international convention on human rights,
and the principles of the United Nations" and that is why sanctions
against Yugoslavia "will have to be lifted urgently."
The Australian delegate predicted that in the future there
will be more wars, whose goal will be to establish control over regions
possessing a specific mineral wealth, as the region of central
Asia.
---
INDIRIZZO DI SALUTO DAL PARTITO DEL LAVORO DELLA COREA
Greetings to 4th congress of Socialist Party of Serbia
Pyongyang, February 17 (KCNA) -- The Worker's Party of Korea Central
Committee yesterday sent a message
of greetings to the 4th congress of the Socialist Party of Serbia.
The message expressed conviction that the 4th congress of the party
would mark an important occasion in the
party's activities to strengthen itself, defend the independence,
dignity
and sovereignty of the country and build a
prosperous nation.
Expressing belief that the traditional friendly and cooperative
relations between the two parties and peoples of
the two countries would further develop in the joint struggle for
independence against imperialism and for peace in
the future, the message wholeheartedly wished the congress of the party
great success in its work.
Salutations nord-coréennes au 4e congrès du Parti socialiste de Serbie
Pyongyang, 18 février (KCNA) -- Le Comité central du Parti du Travail de
Corée a envoyé hier un message de salutations au 4e congrès du Parti
socialiste de Serbie.
Le message exprime la conviction que le 4e congrès du Parti marquera une
importante occasion dans les activités du Parti pour se renforcer,
défendre
l'indépendance, la dignité et la souveraineté du pays et bâtir une
nation
prospère.
Exprime l'espoir que l'amitié traditionnelle et les relations de
coopération
entre les peuples des deux pays se développeront encore dans la lutte
commune pour l'indépendance contre l'impérialisme et pour la Paix dans
le
futur.
Le message souhaite de tout coeur grand succès au Parti dans son
travail.
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
L'ANOMALIA DI MITROVICA, ULTIMA CITTA'
"MULTIETNICA" DEL "KOSSOVA"
Giriamo in lista un nuovo contributo apparso sul sito "Emperors
Clothes", che da molti mesi ormai riporta le analisi piu' brillanti e
significative sulla situazione in Jugoslavia e sulla disinformazione a
riguardo vigente nei paesi occidentali.
Nel contributo - che purtroppo e' ancora una volta in lingua inglese:
non riusciamo a tradurre tutto il materiale che accumuliamo, ma se
qualcuno fosse disponibile ad aiutarci ce lo faccia sapere - si spiegano
le ragioni della continua tensione e degli scontri nella citta' di
Mitrovica, a pochi chilometri dalla zona mineraria piu' ricca della RF
di Jugoslavia. Dopo una serie di innumerevoli attentati, comprese bombe
sulle linee ferroviarie e missili sparati contro gli autobus, da qualche
giorno si verificano persino sparatorie tra irredentisti albanesi da una
parte e soldati delle truppe occupanti (essenzialmente francesi, e non
per caso) dall'altra. Che questi episodi continuino, ccme gli attentati
e le violenze a danno della popolazione ortodossa in tutta la provincia,
ed anzi aumentino in presenza della KFOR (cioe' della NATO) appare
strano agli ingenui... Meno strano e' per chi conosce i rapporti
strutturali tra dirigenza UCK (oggi "Corpo di Protezione del Kosovo") e
strutture militari della NATO (specialmente i servizi segreti USA,
tedeschi e britannici), dei quali abbiamo avuto tante volte occasione di
parlare.
L'anomalia di Mitrovica consiste nell'esistenza di un settore
settentrionale, dove insieme alla popolazione serba vivono altre
nazionalita' ed anche tanti albanesi che non hanno mai avuto problemi
con i vicini di casa... Oggi questi ultimi sono bersaglio dell'UCK
insieme ai serbi. Accrescere la tensione serve da una parte a spingere
questa popolazione non secessionista ad andarsene, dall'altra a
giustificare la presenza continua, e magari in forze sempre maggiori,
delle truppe KFOR.
Questa situazione e' trattata spesso in maniera insufficiente sui media,
talvolta i fatti vengono semplicemente capovolti. Ci capita di ascoltare
o di leggere che "gli albanesi del settore nord di Mitrovica hanno
paura" perche' "sono soggetti a minacce e violenze" e "chiedono aiuto".
Naturalmente, la aggressione di UCK e NATO contro la Repubblica Federale
di Jugoslavia, che ha avuto il suo culmine con i bombardamenti della
scorsa primavera, ha determinato ulteriori difficolta' nella convivenza
tra nazionalita' diverse, ed episodi di violenza o ritorsione avvengono
in entrambi i campi; tuttavia, solo un esercizio di estrema malafede
consente di equiparare quello che sta succedendo ormai da giugno 1999
(il repulisti della provincia da parte degli alleati UCK e KFOR a danno
di tutta la popolazione jugoslavista, non solo serba) con pochi episodi
di segno opposto, a danno di albanesi. Comunque, ormai anche i sassi di
Campo dei Merli hanno capito che la menzogna e' uno strumento di guerra,
e che fino alla ulteriore frantumazione della Repubblica Federale di
Jugoslavia, la guerra non sara' finita. CRJ
---
WHY IS THE KLA SHOOTING AT KFOR?
by Nebojsa Malic, Max Sinclair and Jared Israel (2-17-00)
www.tenc.net [emperors-clothes]
What is happening in Mitrovica?
Last weekend the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) launched coordinated
attacks on
KFOR troops in this northern Kosovo town.
You remember the KLA. According to KFOR (NATO in Kosovo) it has ceased
to
exist. KFOR and the UN bureaucrats achieved this miracle by allowing the
KLA
thugs to be Kosovo's police force and government. New title, new uniform
and
voila! - new man.
The regulation targets for KLA snipers have been Serbs, Roma ("Gypsies")
Gorani (Slavic Muslims) Turks, non-KLA Albanians and Jews. But last
weekend
the snipers were shooting at NATO. Why? The KLA and other secessionists
have
been NATO's protégés and wards since the late 1980s. Do they shoot their
Masters?
At first glance, the shooting appears to have unhinged the leaders of
the
NATO establishment. Or perhaps not. Perhaps these gentlemen have simply
chosen to lie.
AN ISLAND OF MULTIETHNIC LIFE
Under NATO occupation, most potential opponents of the KLA have been
driven
from Kosovo. But in northern Mitrovica, thousands remain in their
ancestral
homes. Reinforced by a flood of anti-KLA refugees from elsewhere in
Kosovo,
the forces of the old Kosovo, that is of normal, multiethnic life, have
been
holding their own.
The KLA has no will to fight when people defend themselves. Hence they
have
chosen to avoid a frontal assault on northern Mitrovica. Instead, last
weekend, KLA operatives staged a provocation. They shot at French KFOR
troops
from positions on the non-KLA (that is, northern) side of the Ibar
River, as
if to make it appear that the shooting was the work of Serbs. The KLA
propaganda machine then kicked in with claims that hundreds of Albanians
had
been "ethnically cleansed" from the north.
Based on public statements by KLA leader Hacim Thaqi, the attacks were
not
the work of some rogue faction; Thaqi, who is closely allied with the
U.S.
military machine, warned that if the secessionists didn't get what they
wanted, more and worse attacks would follow.
The KLA is shooting at KFOR? As if that weren't unusual enough, KFOR
shot
back, killing one KLA sniper. Almost fifty more KLA types were arrested.
KFOR
troops fired warning shots to stop KLA supporters from crossing the
Ibar.
Meanwhile the UN actually contradicted and discredited the "ethnic
Albanian
[read: KLA] human rights center" by saying that not one ethnic Albanian
had
registered as expelled from northern Mitrovica last week.
What is going on?
THE NEW MATH: ONE PLUS ZERO EQUALS...2
Commenting on last weekend's firefight, State Department spokesman James
Rubin blamed "both ethnic Albanians and Serbs for incidents in the
city."
[AP, U.S. Condemns Violence in Kosovo, February 14]
Rubin admitted that the snipers were Albanian (read: KLA) yet he
concluded
that: "It should be very clear that the confrontation is coming from
both
sides." In a dazzling display of Slobophobia, Rubin added:
"We need to impress upon the parties their responsibility to deal with
the
hatreds and animosities that have been built up" and stoked by Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade.
"When things go bad, he feels like he had a good day," said Rubin. [AP,
2/14/00]
So according to the State Department, when Albanian secessionists shoot
at
KFOR the blame lies with Milosevich. Hmmm. Is this like original sin?
{James Rubin recently announced his resignation. Hopefully soon.}
Rubin was not the only American who presented the situation in Mitrovica
in a
totally illogical fashion, whether intentionally or due to some
unfortunate
disability. In Tuesday’s New York Times, he was joined by Carlotta Gall,
a
reporter with years of experience portraying the KLA snakes in a
flattering
light.
In her article "Kosovo Peacekeepers Warn That Extremists ‘Want Peace to
Fail’", NY Times, Feb. 15, 2000, Gall blamed faceless "extremists" for
the
fighting. Given the Times' constant attacks on Serbs, readers would find
it
easy to deduce whom Gall means. She cited the fears of senior UN and
KFOR
officials that "ethnic relations will be poisoned permanently."
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"General de Saqui de Sannes, [French commanding officer] who has blamed
the
violence on both sides, said individuals were instigating attacks
purposely
to escalate the violence and to destroy the last multiethnic town in
Kosovo
where Serbs and Albanians are still living side by side, if uneasily.
'"There are extremists who want the peace to fail,' he said in an
interview
at his headquarters. While the violence consists of 'isolated acts,' he
said,
the strategy is to escalate tensions and intolerance. 'I am worried that
we
may be in the process of an escalation of intolerance,' he said.
'"Some Albanians have wanted to push the Serbs in northern Mitrovica and
beyond out of Kosovo, and some Serbs have wanted to do the opposite—to
push
the Albanians remaining among them south of the Ibar river, which
divides
Mitrovica, in order to create a pure Serbian area in northern Kosovo,'
he
said. 'The people are hostages to this,' he said." (NY Times, Feb. 15,
2000)
(END OF EXCERPT)
Has Gen. de Sannes been on another planet? Back on Planet Earth, it's
too
late for "an escalation of intolerance": approximately 350,000
non-Albanians
and anti-KLA Albanians have already been forced out of Kosovo by KLA
terror.
Were all these people victims of "isolated" incidents? And how does
Albanians
firing on KFOR constitute Serbs trying to create an ethnically pure
zone? And
if they are trying to create such a zone, how come the UN says no
Albanian -
not one - has been forced out of the Northern side of town?
And what does "ethnic relations" have to do with KLA snipers shooting at
KFOR
anyway?
This is all rather dizzying.
Is the man deranged? Or is there method in his madness?
NEVER GIVE A SERB AN EVEN BREAK
Mitrovica is the last multiethnic town in Kosovo for two reasons: the
Serbs
and other anti-secessionists have fought eviction and the French troops
have
actually held the KLA in check. This as opposed to what's happened in
areas
under US, British and Dutch control. For example, British troops marched
into
Pristina alongside the KLA and oversaw the eviction of literally
thousands of
non-secessionist residents. (See Note 1). Similarly, Dutch troops have
given
the KLA free reign to terrorize and control Orahovac. (Note 2)
Clearly, if the Serbs and their allies would just leave Mitrovica, peace
would follow: no Serbs = no ethnic violence. Are Serbs then to blame
because
their very existence frustrates and provokes a faction of Albanians
beyond
endurance?
Along these lines, UN high official Mr. Marcone noted that although
Monday
was a "bad day for the Albanians," some Serbs will soon be arrested as
well.
For what? Since KFOR admits the violence derives entirely from the KLA
side,
is the unnamed crime for which the Serbs are to be punished existential:
"One
is a Serb; one exists; therefore, one is bad"?
Through the fog of misleading writing that is Ms. Gall's hallmark, some
light
filters. Consider the following:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"…Thousands flocked today to the burial of the one man killed by French
troops during the fighting Sunday.
"Avni Haradinaj, 35, a former guerrilla fighter of the Kosovo Liberation
Army
and a local hero, was buried with full honors by his former comrades in
arms.
His coffin, draped in the red Albanian flag, was carried up the hill to
the
edge of a wood outside the city, through a crowd of some 3,000 mourners.
"The Albanian mayor of Mitrovica, Bajram Rexhepi, who said he had been a
good
friend of the dead man, said Mr. Haradinaj was unarmed when he was shot
by
French soldiers and was in Mitrovica visiting his sisters. "There were
four
people with him and they explained that he had no weapon at the moment
he was
killed," he said.
"General de Saqui de Sannes insisted that Mr. Haradinaj was armed and
was
shooting at the soldiers when he was shot.
"The general tried to reassure the Albanians of French neutrality. 'If
we
were shot at by Albanians, it is difficult to arrest Serbs,' he said."
(ibid.) (END OF EXCERPT)
The French General is apologetic: he wishes to arrest Serbs, alas they
aren't
doing the shooting. Then why the apology?
WHY WOULD A FRENCH GENERAL APOLOGIZE TO TERRORISTS WHO ARE TRYING TO
KILL HIS
TROOPS?
Therein lies the question. In this world it is customary for people to
kiss
up to those more powerful than they. But why is this General currying
favor
with...the KLA, an organization which never won a battle against the
Yugoslav
Army, an organization which is only good at terrorizing old people,
shooting
farmers from the woods, ransacking apartment buildings and driving out
school
teachers and electrical engineers?
Perhaps the General isn't really bowing before the KLA. But if he isn't
really bowing before the KLA, then before whom is he bowing?
Let's assemble some facts, and let's think it over.
1) Last weekend's fighting was clearly an organized KLA operation. While
snipers shot at KFOR their compatriots tried to cross the Ibar River.
Forty-five Albanians were arrested, all men of fighting age. The KLA
sniper
whom the French troops shot was A. Haradinaj, age 35. Was he one of
Ramush
Haradinaj's five brothers? Ramush Haradinaj is a deputy of KLA boss
Hacim
Thaqi in the Kosovo Peace Corps, set up by…KFOR.
2) On Tuesday, Feb. 15, French KFOR troops found an ambulance abandoned
near
a checkpoint in south Mitrovica, i.e. the KLA side of the Ibar. In it
was a
huge stash of deadly weapons.
"Among the stash were 14 anti-tank rocket launchers, more than 180
high-explosive grenades, and more than 3,000 cartridges for guns,"
(Bergen
County Record, Feb. 16, 2000, from various wire services)
The ambulance had been donated by an Italian aid organization
(Cooperazione e
Sviluppo) to a KLA-controlled town.
3) In a rather surprising move, none less then Gen. Henry H. Shelton,
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made a statement about the
ambulance.
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"[Gen. Shelton] said today in Washington that the incident underscored
the
difficulty faced by the NATO-led Kosovo peacekeeping force in stopping
arms
from entering the province illegally.
"Getting weapons in (illegally) is no hard task," Shelton said. "You've
got a
fairly porous border. You've got everything from backpacks to mules that
can
bring in weapons, but you've got Lord knows how many thousands of
weapons
that may have been cached in the local area as (the Serbs) pulled out of
there." (AP Online Feb. 15, 2000) (END OF EXCERPT)
Is General Shelton suffering from some malfunction? First of all, the
administrative border between the Province of Kosovo (legally part of
Serbia)
and inner Serbia is quite well policed by Yugoslav troops. The truly
porous
border is between Kosovo and KLA-infested northern Albania; that border
is
porous precisely because Yugoslav border guards were forced to depart
under
the June peace agreement. So why is Shelton, who is responsible for the
absence of border guards, going on about Serbian weapons?
Indeed, why is he talking about borders and arms caches at all? A KLA
ambulance full of tactical weapons just got seized on its way to arm KLA
forces attacking French troops who are being shot by the KLA. The KLA
are
American proxies. Shouldn't Shelton use this opportunity to say to his
proxies: "We backed you up until now but if you pick on the French
troops and
try to destroy a multiethnic community, you're through!"? He does not.
Instead he talks wistfully about the difficulties of stopping illegal
arms;
he laments; he, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff laments; he
suffers
ennui; he speaks wistfully of mules and the impossibility of trying to
stop
the flow of arms as if it were arms and not the men, the KLA men, who
were
shooting at those French troops.
4) The ambulance full of weapons was driving towards Mitrovica from the
south, from a KLA controlled town. The deadliest weapon in that
ambulance was
a six-shot grenade launcher along with 180 high-explosive grenades,
usable
with devastating effect against, let us say, French troops guarding a
bridge.
That weapon did not come from hidden caches of Serbian weapons. It is
state
of the art. And as the Agence France Presse (but NOT the American
Associated
Press or British Reuters!) pointed out:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"Police intercepted a shipment of arms hidden in an ambulance heading
for
Mitrovica, including a US-made "street sweeper" grenade launcher..."
(AFP,
Feb. 156, 2000) (END OF EXCERPT)
U.S.-made.
5) Meanwhile, US-made allies have joined the fray. Dutch and special
British
troops, the so-called Royal Green Jackets previously assigned to Ulster,
arrived in Mitrovica, ostensibly to back up the French. The English and
Dutch
governments are the main US ally in Europe, often opposed by France and
Germany. For example, when Greece, Italy and Germany attempted to relax
the
sanctions that have kept heating fuel out of Serbia in this harshest of
winters, the Dutch and British delegates, acting on orders of the State
department, vetoed the measure. (Note 3)
Perhaps "US ally" is a mistaken way to describe the British, and
especially
the Dutch governments. A more accurate term might be "US servants." The
US
elite does not think along egalitarian lines. By way of illustration,
consider this comment made at a Senate hearing by Michael Short, the US
General who ran NATO's bombing campaign against the Serbs. Referring to
the
difference in status between the U.S. and "allied" forces, Short
testified
that:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"Our allies recognize that. They recognize that they are small dogs, but
they
want to have a seat at the table. I would use the Dutch as the prime
example.
A small air force, a proud air force, a competent air force. They have
bought
their own tankers. They have two modified DC-10s with the Israeli system
in
the front with mirrors to allow them to refuel their own airplanes. They
have
lantern pods. You'll remember on the first night of the war, a Dutch
F-16
shot down a MiG-29? A small air force, but a seat at the table.
"And I knew I could send the Dutch anyplace I had to send them and
they'd
salute and say, 'Yes, Boss, we'll be there.' "(Gen. Michael Short,
testifying
at the Oct 21, 1999 Senate Military Hearings) (END OF EXCERPT)
6) While Gen. Shelton was avoiding any criticism of his dear KLA, the
leader
of that non-existent organization, Hacim Thaqi, made his position on the
KLA-French conflict perfectly clear. Here's Thaqi:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"Hasidim Thaqi, co-chairman of Kosovo's Temporary Administrative
Council,
also told Koha Jone newspaper that French troops of the NATO-led KFOR
peacekeeping force must shoulder some blame for the gun battles that
erupted
on Sunday because they had allowed Serbs to control half of the town.
'"It is paramount the (U.N.) institutions be more active to solve the
situation in Mitrovica otherwise they will have to face bigger
problems,''
said Thaqi, a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army guerrillas.
'"`I also cannot exclude that such developments could spread to other
parts
of Kosovo,'' he went on.
"Fighting in Serb-dominated northern Mitrovica drew in Serbs, ethnic
Albanians and KFOR troops. Two French peacekeepers were wounded by
sniper
fire and one ethnic Albanian -- identified by KFOR as a sniper -- was
shot
dead by KFOR troops.
"Thaqi accused international peacekeepers of doing a '`weak job in
Mitrovica
and allowing terrorist groups and Belgrade institutions to function
freely
there.'' '
''These phenomena should be eliminated in order to solve the problem of
the
city as soon as possible,'' he added." ( Feb 15 ,2000, AFP) (EXCERPT
ENDS
HERE)
Conclusion
At first glance the KLA attacks on KFOR seem crazy, suicidal. But the
KLA has
a history of carrying out apparently crazy actions which are not really
crazy
at all but which are coordinated with covert operations by NATO,
especially
the US.
In this case, we think the KLA is acting as a proxy for the US which
cannot
itself attack French KFOR troops. The US (and its British and Dutch
servants)
is engaged in a struggle with the French and German elites - that is,
with
Europe. The US Empire is trying to consolidate its strength in Kosovo to
prepare for further attacks on Yugoslavia, with important geopolitical
goals.
Basically what is at stake here is a) gaining control of the formerly
Socialist East and b) preventing a unified and effectively powerful
Europe
(i.e., competition) from emerging.
To this end, one US goal is to put control of all Kosovo in the hands of
the
KLA, its proxy. The French have been resisting this - not out of any
love of
justice, but because the French elite sees the US as a serious menace.
Hence
the KLA attacks, the "reinforcement" by US servant troops, the official
endorsement of the attacks by Thaqi, with its threat of more unless the
French let the KLA take over northern Mitrovica and get rid of the
Serbian
terrorists (for which read: multiethnic society), the statement by Gen.
Shelton which, by not denouncing the KLA made it clear to the French
that the
US supports the attacks (though of course not publicly) and finally, the
weird statement by Gen. de Saqui de Sannes. At least now we can solve
the
puzzle: why was the General simultaneously resisting the KLA's
aggressive
stance and at the same time kissing up to the KLA? The answer is: he
wasn't
simultaneously resisting the KLA's aggressive stance and kissing up to
the
KLA. He was simultaneously resisting and kissing the ass of the USA.
And after all, isn't that what the French elite always does?
*****
NOTES
Note 1 - For an eye-witness account of British complicity in the KLA
rape of
Pristina this past July, see the interview with Cedda Prlincevic. Mr.
Prlincevic was the chief archivist of Kosovo and President of the Jewish
Community in Pristina. Click on Driven From Kosovo
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/prlincevic.htm
Note 2 - The Dutch have performed shockingly in Orahovac, where they
have
brought sheer terror to the Serbian and Roma ("Gypsy") communities.
Emperors-Clothes has run a number of articles on this subject. In
chronological order:
Save the Families: the Women of Orahovac Speak
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/misc/savethe.htm
The Women of Orahovac Answer the Colonel
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/trouw.htm
'Can children be war criminals?' Interview in a Dutch newspaper, Trouw.
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/can.htm
'Time is so Short' - an Interview with Simca Kazazic
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/simca.htm
Note 3 - Concerning the Dutch & British government's shameful veto of a
measure intended to alleviate Serbian suffering this winter, see
Europeans
Bow to U.S. Pressure, Extend Yugoslav Sanctions
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/articles/Johnstone/monsters.htm
* To browse articles at Emperors-clothes please go to
http://www.emperors-clothes.com
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--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
"MULTIETNICA" DEL "KOSSOVA"
Giriamo in lista un nuovo contributo apparso sul sito "Emperors
Clothes", che da molti mesi ormai riporta le analisi piu' brillanti e
significative sulla situazione in Jugoslavia e sulla disinformazione a
riguardo vigente nei paesi occidentali.
Nel contributo - che purtroppo e' ancora una volta in lingua inglese:
non riusciamo a tradurre tutto il materiale che accumuliamo, ma se
qualcuno fosse disponibile ad aiutarci ce lo faccia sapere - si spiegano
le ragioni della continua tensione e degli scontri nella citta' di
Mitrovica, a pochi chilometri dalla zona mineraria piu' ricca della RF
di Jugoslavia. Dopo una serie di innumerevoli attentati, comprese bombe
sulle linee ferroviarie e missili sparati contro gli autobus, da qualche
giorno si verificano persino sparatorie tra irredentisti albanesi da una
parte e soldati delle truppe occupanti (essenzialmente francesi, e non
per caso) dall'altra. Che questi episodi continuino, ccme gli attentati
e le violenze a danno della popolazione ortodossa in tutta la provincia,
ed anzi aumentino in presenza della KFOR (cioe' della NATO) appare
strano agli ingenui... Meno strano e' per chi conosce i rapporti
strutturali tra dirigenza UCK (oggi "Corpo di Protezione del Kosovo") e
strutture militari della NATO (specialmente i servizi segreti USA,
tedeschi e britannici), dei quali abbiamo avuto tante volte occasione di
parlare.
L'anomalia di Mitrovica consiste nell'esistenza di un settore
settentrionale, dove insieme alla popolazione serba vivono altre
nazionalita' ed anche tanti albanesi che non hanno mai avuto problemi
con i vicini di casa... Oggi questi ultimi sono bersaglio dell'UCK
insieme ai serbi. Accrescere la tensione serve da una parte a spingere
questa popolazione non secessionista ad andarsene, dall'altra a
giustificare la presenza continua, e magari in forze sempre maggiori,
delle truppe KFOR.
Questa situazione e' trattata spesso in maniera insufficiente sui media,
talvolta i fatti vengono semplicemente capovolti. Ci capita di ascoltare
o di leggere che "gli albanesi del settore nord di Mitrovica hanno
paura" perche' "sono soggetti a minacce e violenze" e "chiedono aiuto".
Naturalmente, la aggressione di UCK e NATO contro la Repubblica Federale
di Jugoslavia, che ha avuto il suo culmine con i bombardamenti della
scorsa primavera, ha determinato ulteriori difficolta' nella convivenza
tra nazionalita' diverse, ed episodi di violenza o ritorsione avvengono
in entrambi i campi; tuttavia, solo un esercizio di estrema malafede
consente di equiparare quello che sta succedendo ormai da giugno 1999
(il repulisti della provincia da parte degli alleati UCK e KFOR a danno
di tutta la popolazione jugoslavista, non solo serba) con pochi episodi
di segno opposto, a danno di albanesi. Comunque, ormai anche i sassi di
Campo dei Merli hanno capito che la menzogna e' uno strumento di guerra,
e che fino alla ulteriore frantumazione della Repubblica Federale di
Jugoslavia, la guerra non sara' finita. CRJ
---
WHY IS THE KLA SHOOTING AT KFOR?
by Nebojsa Malic, Max Sinclair and Jared Israel (2-17-00)
www.tenc.net [emperors-clothes]
What is happening in Mitrovica?
Last weekend the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) launched coordinated
attacks on
KFOR troops in this northern Kosovo town.
You remember the KLA. According to KFOR (NATO in Kosovo) it has ceased
to
exist. KFOR and the UN bureaucrats achieved this miracle by allowing the
KLA
thugs to be Kosovo's police force and government. New title, new uniform
and
voila! - new man.
The regulation targets for KLA snipers have been Serbs, Roma ("Gypsies")
Gorani (Slavic Muslims) Turks, non-KLA Albanians and Jews. But last
weekend
the snipers were shooting at NATO. Why? The KLA and other secessionists
have
been NATO's protégés and wards since the late 1980s. Do they shoot their
Masters?
At first glance, the shooting appears to have unhinged the leaders of
the
NATO establishment. Or perhaps not. Perhaps these gentlemen have simply
chosen to lie.
AN ISLAND OF MULTIETHNIC LIFE
Under NATO occupation, most potential opponents of the KLA have been
driven
from Kosovo. But in northern Mitrovica, thousands remain in their
ancestral
homes. Reinforced by a flood of anti-KLA refugees from elsewhere in
Kosovo,
the forces of the old Kosovo, that is of normal, multiethnic life, have
been
holding their own.
The KLA has no will to fight when people defend themselves. Hence they
have
chosen to avoid a frontal assault on northern Mitrovica. Instead, last
weekend, KLA operatives staged a provocation. They shot at French KFOR
troops
from positions on the non-KLA (that is, northern) side of the Ibar
River, as
if to make it appear that the shooting was the work of Serbs. The KLA
propaganda machine then kicked in with claims that hundreds of Albanians
had
been "ethnically cleansed" from the north.
Based on public statements by KLA leader Hacim Thaqi, the attacks were
not
the work of some rogue faction; Thaqi, who is closely allied with the
U.S.
military machine, warned that if the secessionists didn't get what they
wanted, more and worse attacks would follow.
The KLA is shooting at KFOR? As if that weren't unusual enough, KFOR
shot
back, killing one KLA sniper. Almost fifty more KLA types were arrested.
KFOR
troops fired warning shots to stop KLA supporters from crossing the
Ibar.
Meanwhile the UN actually contradicted and discredited the "ethnic
Albanian
[read: KLA] human rights center" by saying that not one ethnic Albanian
had
registered as expelled from northern Mitrovica last week.
What is going on?
THE NEW MATH: ONE PLUS ZERO EQUALS...2
Commenting on last weekend's firefight, State Department spokesman James
Rubin blamed "both ethnic Albanians and Serbs for incidents in the
city."
[AP, U.S. Condemns Violence in Kosovo, February 14]
Rubin admitted that the snipers were Albanian (read: KLA) yet he
concluded
that: "It should be very clear that the confrontation is coming from
both
sides." In a dazzling display of Slobophobia, Rubin added:
"We need to impress upon the parties their responsibility to deal with
the
hatreds and animosities that have been built up" and stoked by Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade.
"When things go bad, he feels like he had a good day," said Rubin. [AP,
2/14/00]
So according to the State Department, when Albanian secessionists shoot
at
KFOR the blame lies with Milosevich. Hmmm. Is this like original sin?
{James Rubin recently announced his resignation. Hopefully soon.}
Rubin was not the only American who presented the situation in Mitrovica
in a
totally illogical fashion, whether intentionally or due to some
unfortunate
disability. In Tuesday’s New York Times, he was joined by Carlotta Gall,
a
reporter with years of experience portraying the KLA snakes in a
flattering
light.
In her article "Kosovo Peacekeepers Warn That Extremists ‘Want Peace to
Fail’", NY Times, Feb. 15, 2000, Gall blamed faceless "extremists" for
the
fighting. Given the Times' constant attacks on Serbs, readers would find
it
easy to deduce whom Gall means. She cited the fears of senior UN and
KFOR
officials that "ethnic relations will be poisoned permanently."
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"General de Saqui de Sannes, [French commanding officer] who has blamed
the
violence on both sides, said individuals were instigating attacks
purposely
to escalate the violence and to destroy the last multiethnic town in
Kosovo
where Serbs and Albanians are still living side by side, if uneasily.
'"There are extremists who want the peace to fail,' he said in an
interview
at his headquarters. While the violence consists of 'isolated acts,' he
said,
the strategy is to escalate tensions and intolerance. 'I am worried that
we
may be in the process of an escalation of intolerance,' he said.
'"Some Albanians have wanted to push the Serbs in northern Mitrovica and
beyond out of Kosovo, and some Serbs have wanted to do the opposite—to
push
the Albanians remaining among them south of the Ibar river, which
divides
Mitrovica, in order to create a pure Serbian area in northern Kosovo,'
he
said. 'The people are hostages to this,' he said." (NY Times, Feb. 15,
2000)
(END OF EXCERPT)
Has Gen. de Sannes been on another planet? Back on Planet Earth, it's
too
late for "an escalation of intolerance": approximately 350,000
non-Albanians
and anti-KLA Albanians have already been forced out of Kosovo by KLA
terror.
Were all these people victims of "isolated" incidents? And how does
Albanians
firing on KFOR constitute Serbs trying to create an ethnically pure
zone? And
if they are trying to create such a zone, how come the UN says no
Albanian -
not one - has been forced out of the Northern side of town?
And what does "ethnic relations" have to do with KLA snipers shooting at
KFOR
anyway?
This is all rather dizzying.
Is the man deranged? Or is there method in his madness?
NEVER GIVE A SERB AN EVEN BREAK
Mitrovica is the last multiethnic town in Kosovo for two reasons: the
Serbs
and other anti-secessionists have fought eviction and the French troops
have
actually held the KLA in check. This as opposed to what's happened in
areas
under US, British and Dutch control. For example, British troops marched
into
Pristina alongside the KLA and oversaw the eviction of literally
thousands of
non-secessionist residents. (See Note 1). Similarly, Dutch troops have
given
the KLA free reign to terrorize and control Orahovac. (Note 2)
Clearly, if the Serbs and their allies would just leave Mitrovica, peace
would follow: no Serbs = no ethnic violence. Are Serbs then to blame
because
their very existence frustrates and provokes a faction of Albanians
beyond
endurance?
Along these lines, UN high official Mr. Marcone noted that although
Monday
was a "bad day for the Albanians," some Serbs will soon be arrested as
well.
For what? Since KFOR admits the violence derives entirely from the KLA
side,
is the unnamed crime for which the Serbs are to be punished existential:
"One
is a Serb; one exists; therefore, one is bad"?
Through the fog of misleading writing that is Ms. Gall's hallmark, some
light
filters. Consider the following:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"…Thousands flocked today to the burial of the one man killed by French
troops during the fighting Sunday.
"Avni Haradinaj, 35, a former guerrilla fighter of the Kosovo Liberation
Army
and a local hero, was buried with full honors by his former comrades in
arms.
His coffin, draped in the red Albanian flag, was carried up the hill to
the
edge of a wood outside the city, through a crowd of some 3,000 mourners.
"The Albanian mayor of Mitrovica, Bajram Rexhepi, who said he had been a
good
friend of the dead man, said Mr. Haradinaj was unarmed when he was shot
by
French soldiers and was in Mitrovica visiting his sisters. "There were
four
people with him and they explained that he had no weapon at the moment
he was
killed," he said.
"General de Saqui de Sannes insisted that Mr. Haradinaj was armed and
was
shooting at the soldiers when he was shot.
"The general tried to reassure the Albanians of French neutrality. 'If
we
were shot at by Albanians, it is difficult to arrest Serbs,' he said."
(ibid.) (END OF EXCERPT)
The French General is apologetic: he wishes to arrest Serbs, alas they
aren't
doing the shooting. Then why the apology?
WHY WOULD A FRENCH GENERAL APOLOGIZE TO TERRORISTS WHO ARE TRYING TO
KILL HIS
TROOPS?
Therein lies the question. In this world it is customary for people to
kiss
up to those more powerful than they. But why is this General currying
favor
with...the KLA, an organization which never won a battle against the
Yugoslav
Army, an organization which is only good at terrorizing old people,
shooting
farmers from the woods, ransacking apartment buildings and driving out
school
teachers and electrical engineers?
Perhaps the General isn't really bowing before the KLA. But if he isn't
really bowing before the KLA, then before whom is he bowing?
Let's assemble some facts, and let's think it over.
1) Last weekend's fighting was clearly an organized KLA operation. While
snipers shot at KFOR their compatriots tried to cross the Ibar River.
Forty-five Albanians were arrested, all men of fighting age. The KLA
sniper
whom the French troops shot was A. Haradinaj, age 35. Was he one of
Ramush
Haradinaj's five brothers? Ramush Haradinaj is a deputy of KLA boss
Hacim
Thaqi in the Kosovo Peace Corps, set up by…KFOR.
2) On Tuesday, Feb. 15, French KFOR troops found an ambulance abandoned
near
a checkpoint in south Mitrovica, i.e. the KLA side of the Ibar. In it
was a
huge stash of deadly weapons.
"Among the stash were 14 anti-tank rocket launchers, more than 180
high-explosive grenades, and more than 3,000 cartridges for guns,"
(Bergen
County Record, Feb. 16, 2000, from various wire services)
The ambulance had been donated by an Italian aid organization
(Cooperazione e
Sviluppo) to a KLA-controlled town.
3) In a rather surprising move, none less then Gen. Henry H. Shelton,
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made a statement about the
ambulance.
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"[Gen. Shelton] said today in Washington that the incident underscored
the
difficulty faced by the NATO-led Kosovo peacekeeping force in stopping
arms
from entering the province illegally.
"Getting weapons in (illegally) is no hard task," Shelton said. "You've
got a
fairly porous border. You've got everything from backpacks to mules that
can
bring in weapons, but you've got Lord knows how many thousands of
weapons
that may have been cached in the local area as (the Serbs) pulled out of
there." (AP Online Feb. 15, 2000) (END OF EXCERPT)
Is General Shelton suffering from some malfunction? First of all, the
administrative border between the Province of Kosovo (legally part of
Serbia)
and inner Serbia is quite well policed by Yugoslav troops. The truly
porous
border is between Kosovo and KLA-infested northern Albania; that border
is
porous precisely because Yugoslav border guards were forced to depart
under
the June peace agreement. So why is Shelton, who is responsible for the
absence of border guards, going on about Serbian weapons?
Indeed, why is he talking about borders and arms caches at all? A KLA
ambulance full of tactical weapons just got seized on its way to arm KLA
forces attacking French troops who are being shot by the KLA. The KLA
are
American proxies. Shouldn't Shelton use this opportunity to say to his
proxies: "We backed you up until now but if you pick on the French
troops and
try to destroy a multiethnic community, you're through!"? He does not.
Instead he talks wistfully about the difficulties of stopping illegal
arms;
he laments; he, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff laments; he
suffers
ennui; he speaks wistfully of mules and the impossibility of trying to
stop
the flow of arms as if it were arms and not the men, the KLA men, who
were
shooting at those French troops.
4) The ambulance full of weapons was driving towards Mitrovica from the
south, from a KLA controlled town. The deadliest weapon in that
ambulance was
a six-shot grenade launcher along with 180 high-explosive grenades,
usable
with devastating effect against, let us say, French troops guarding a
bridge.
That weapon did not come from hidden caches of Serbian weapons. It is
state
of the art. And as the Agence France Presse (but NOT the American
Associated
Press or British Reuters!) pointed out:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"Police intercepted a shipment of arms hidden in an ambulance heading
for
Mitrovica, including a US-made "street sweeper" grenade launcher..."
(AFP,
Feb. 156, 2000) (END OF EXCERPT)
U.S.-made.
5) Meanwhile, US-made allies have joined the fray. Dutch and special
British
troops, the so-called Royal Green Jackets previously assigned to Ulster,
arrived in Mitrovica, ostensibly to back up the French. The English and
Dutch
governments are the main US ally in Europe, often opposed by France and
Germany. For example, when Greece, Italy and Germany attempted to relax
the
sanctions that have kept heating fuel out of Serbia in this harshest of
winters, the Dutch and British delegates, acting on orders of the State
department, vetoed the measure. (Note 3)
Perhaps "US ally" is a mistaken way to describe the British, and
especially
the Dutch governments. A more accurate term might be "US servants." The
US
elite does not think along egalitarian lines. By way of illustration,
consider this comment made at a Senate hearing by Michael Short, the US
General who ran NATO's bombing campaign against the Serbs. Referring to
the
difference in status between the U.S. and "allied" forces, Short
testified
that:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"Our allies recognize that. They recognize that they are small dogs, but
they
want to have a seat at the table. I would use the Dutch as the prime
example.
A small air force, a proud air force, a competent air force. They have
bought
their own tankers. They have two modified DC-10s with the Israeli system
in
the front with mirrors to allow them to refuel their own airplanes. They
have
lantern pods. You'll remember on the first night of the war, a Dutch
F-16
shot down a MiG-29? A small air force, but a seat at the table.
"And I knew I could send the Dutch anyplace I had to send them and
they'd
salute and say, 'Yes, Boss, we'll be there.' "(Gen. Michael Short,
testifying
at the Oct 21, 1999 Senate Military Hearings) (END OF EXCERPT)
6) While Gen. Shelton was avoiding any criticism of his dear KLA, the
leader
of that non-existent organization, Hacim Thaqi, made his position on the
KLA-French conflict perfectly clear. Here's Thaqi:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"Hasidim Thaqi, co-chairman of Kosovo's Temporary Administrative
Council,
also told Koha Jone newspaper that French troops of the NATO-led KFOR
peacekeeping force must shoulder some blame for the gun battles that
erupted
on Sunday because they had allowed Serbs to control half of the town.
'"It is paramount the (U.N.) institutions be more active to solve the
situation in Mitrovica otherwise they will have to face bigger
problems,''
said Thaqi, a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army guerrillas.
'"`I also cannot exclude that such developments could spread to other
parts
of Kosovo,'' he went on.
"Fighting in Serb-dominated northern Mitrovica drew in Serbs, ethnic
Albanians and KFOR troops. Two French peacekeepers were wounded by
sniper
fire and one ethnic Albanian -- identified by KFOR as a sniper -- was
shot
dead by KFOR troops.
"Thaqi accused international peacekeepers of doing a '`weak job in
Mitrovica
and allowing terrorist groups and Belgrade institutions to function
freely
there.'' '
''These phenomena should be eliminated in order to solve the problem of
the
city as soon as possible,'' he added." ( Feb 15 ,2000, AFP) (EXCERPT
ENDS
HERE)
Conclusion
At first glance the KLA attacks on KFOR seem crazy, suicidal. But the
KLA has
a history of carrying out apparently crazy actions which are not really
crazy
at all but which are coordinated with covert operations by NATO,
especially
the US.
In this case, we think the KLA is acting as a proxy for the US which
cannot
itself attack French KFOR troops. The US (and its British and Dutch
servants)
is engaged in a struggle with the French and German elites - that is,
with
Europe. The US Empire is trying to consolidate its strength in Kosovo to
prepare for further attacks on Yugoslavia, with important geopolitical
goals.
Basically what is at stake here is a) gaining control of the formerly
Socialist East and b) preventing a unified and effectively powerful
Europe
(i.e., competition) from emerging.
To this end, one US goal is to put control of all Kosovo in the hands of
the
KLA, its proxy. The French have been resisting this - not out of any
love of
justice, but because the French elite sees the US as a serious menace.
Hence
the KLA attacks, the "reinforcement" by US servant troops, the official
endorsement of the attacks by Thaqi, with its threat of more unless the
French let the KLA take over northern Mitrovica and get rid of the
Serbian
terrorists (for which read: multiethnic society), the statement by Gen.
Shelton which, by not denouncing the KLA made it clear to the French
that the
US supports the attacks (though of course not publicly) and finally, the
weird statement by Gen. de Saqui de Sannes. At least now we can solve
the
puzzle: why was the General simultaneously resisting the KLA's
aggressive
stance and at the same time kissing up to the KLA? The answer is: he
wasn't
simultaneously resisting the KLA's aggressive stance and kissing up to
the
KLA. He was simultaneously resisting and kissing the ass of the USA.
And after all, isn't that what the French elite always does?
*****
NOTES
Note 1 - For an eye-witness account of British complicity in the KLA
rape of
Pristina this past July, see the interview with Cedda Prlincevic. Mr.
Prlincevic was the chief archivist of Kosovo and President of the Jewish
Community in Pristina. Click on Driven From Kosovo
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/prlincevic.htm
Note 2 - The Dutch have performed shockingly in Orahovac, where they
have
brought sheer terror to the Serbian and Roma ("Gypsy") communities.
Emperors-Clothes has run a number of articles on this subject. In
chronological order:
Save the Families: the Women of Orahovac Speak
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/misc/savethe.htm
The Women of Orahovac Answer the Colonel
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/trouw.htm
'Can children be war criminals?' Interview in a Dutch newspaper, Trouw.
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/can.htm
'Time is so Short' - an Interview with Simca Kazazic
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/simca.htm
Note 3 - Concerning the Dutch & British government's shameful veto of a
measure intended to alleviate Serbian suffering this winter, see
Europeans
Bow to U.S. Pressure, Extend Yugoslav Sanctions
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/articles/Johnstone/monsters.htm
* To browse articles at Emperors-clothes please go to
http://www.emperors-clothes.com
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http://www.emperors-clothes.com/howyour.htm to use our secure server.
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expenses are covered by donations. If you would rather send a check,
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Thank you.
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--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
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e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.iacenter.org
>
> Is the CIA Murdering Yugoslav Leaders?
> IAC Condemns Bulatovic Assassination
>
> The International Action Center condemns the murder of Yugoslav
> Defense Minister Pavle Bulatovic. The minister was gunned down in a
> Belgrade restaurant Feb. 7. The assassination was "part of a chain of
> organized terrorism orchestrated from abroad," Yugoslav Information
> Minister Goran Matic charged at a Feb. 9 press conference. It
> coincided with a new wave of terror against Serbs who have refused
> to leave their homes in the NATO-occupied province of Kosovo.
>
> Over the past three years at least a dozen Yugoslav officials have
> been assassinated. Most were members of the Yugoslav United Left
> or the Serbian Socialist Party. Is this a CIA "executive action"
> campaign to destabilize the government of Yugoslavia?
>
> Last October, at a session of the information committee of the United
> Yugoslav Left, Goran Matic had "warned that subversive and terrorist
> actions are being planned abroad in order to destabilize the country's
> political and economic system," the Yugoslav press agency Tanjug
> reported. He charged that Washington's policy would "increasingly
> rely on destructive and illegal activities ... relying on an existing
> network of secret agents."
>
> During the US-NATO bombing of Yugoslavia last spring, US missiles
> destroyed the bedroom of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic,
> and the Pentagon openly declared Yugoslav political leaders to be
> military targets. This was in brazen violation of the Geneva
> Convention, which prohibits political assassination. To set the stage
> for the bombing, the CIA-backed "Kosovo Liberation Army"
> murdered dozens of Kosovar Albanians, Serbs, Roma and others
> who opposed secession from Yugoslavia.
>
> As well as being Yugoslavia's defense minister, Bulatovic was a leader
> of the Montenegro Socialist People's Party, which wants Montenegro
> to stay part of Yugoslavia. The US and NATO have been
> encouraging a separatist movement in Yugoslavia, as they did
> previously in Slovenia, Croatia. Bosnia and, most recently, Kosovo.
> The Pentagon has gone so far as to warn the Yugoslav government
> not to "interfere" in Montenegro's affairs. Montenegro has been a part
> of Yugoslavia since that country was founded.
>
> >From the 1961 murder of Congo President Patrice Lumumba through
> the repeated attempts on the life of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, from
> Operation Phoenix in Vietnam to the murder of tens of thousands of
> Latin Americans by CIA-supervised death squads, the CIA and
> Pentagon have long used assassination as an instrument of war and
> policy. The CIA overthrow of Salvador Allende's pro-socialist
> government in Chile in 1973 was preceded by a wave of political
> assassinations. Nor can we forget the FBI-CIA domestic
> assassination program—the COINTELPRO murders of members of
> the Black Panther Party, the American Indian Movement and other
> activist organizations in the '60s and '70s. There is evidence that Dr.
> Martin Luther King was among COINTELPRO's victims.
>
> The corporate-owned major US news media have not even raised the
> question of a US hand in the assassinations in Yugoslavia. Ignoring the
> Yugoslav government's statements, they have implied the victims were
> involved in criminal activity—a classic "make 'em look dirty" means of
> blunting outrage-or insinuated the Yugoslav government itself had
> carried out the murders. The media made similar allegation about the
> January murder of anti-NATO Serb nationalist leader Zeljko
> Raznjatovic, popularly known as Arkan.
>
> This is the same corporate news media that uncritically repeated wild
> and now disproven Pentagon allegations of mass murder by the
> Yugoslav army in Kosovo, claims used to justify last spring's
> undeclared war. They have refused to report non-government efforts
> to investigate NATO war crimes in Yugoslavia, such as the
> Independent Commission of Inquiry founded by former US Attorney
> General Ramsey Clark. They have completely censored any news of
> the recent US-orchestrated presidential coup in Ukraine, which
> threatens to bring US troops to Russia's border. This level of media
> complicity with the State Department and Pentagon has not been seen
> since the height of the Cold War in the 1950s.
>
> The Bulatovic assassination and the new attacks on Serbs in Kosovo
> coincide with other bellicose moves by the US toward East Europe
> and the former USSR. The past few weeks have also seen a pro-
> NATO coup against Ukraine's parliament, the US Navy seizure of a
> Russian ship in the Persian Gulf and the State Department's
> declaration of support for anti-government forces in the former Soviet
> republic of Belarus. The Pentagon has also revived its "Star Wars"
> program and is planning NATO military exercises in July in Ukraine,
> Bulgaria and Estonia. For decades the Washington warmakers have
> dreamed of the military conquest of East Europe and what was once
> the Soviet Union. Now they appear to believe they can make this
> dream a reality. They must be stopped.
--
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Is the CIA Murdering Yugoslav Leaders?
> IAC Condemns Bulatovic Assassination
>
> The International Action Center condemns the murder of Yugoslav
> Defense Minister Pavle Bulatovic. The minister was gunned down in a
> Belgrade restaurant Feb. 7. The assassination was "part of a chain of
> organized terrorism orchestrated from abroad," Yugoslav Information
> Minister Goran Matic charged at a Feb. 9 press conference. It
> coincided with a new wave of terror against Serbs who have refused
> to leave their homes in the NATO-occupied province of Kosovo.
>
> Over the past three years at least a dozen Yugoslav officials have
> been assassinated. Most were members of the Yugoslav United Left
> or the Serbian Socialist Party. Is this a CIA "executive action"
> campaign to destabilize the government of Yugoslavia?
>
> Last October, at a session of the information committee of the United
> Yugoslav Left, Goran Matic had "warned that subversive and terrorist
> actions are being planned abroad in order to destabilize the country's
> political and economic system," the Yugoslav press agency Tanjug
> reported. He charged that Washington's policy would "increasingly
> rely on destructive and illegal activities ... relying on an existing
> network of secret agents."
>
> During the US-NATO bombing of Yugoslavia last spring, US missiles
> destroyed the bedroom of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic,
> and the Pentagon openly declared Yugoslav political leaders to be
> military targets. This was in brazen violation of the Geneva
> Convention, which prohibits political assassination. To set the stage
> for the bombing, the CIA-backed "Kosovo Liberation Army"
> murdered dozens of Kosovar Albanians, Serbs, Roma and others
> who opposed secession from Yugoslavia.
>
> As well as being Yugoslavia's defense minister, Bulatovic was a leader
> of the Montenegro Socialist People's Party, which wants Montenegro
> to stay part of Yugoslavia. The US and NATO have been
> encouraging a separatist movement in Yugoslavia, as they did
> previously in Slovenia, Croatia. Bosnia and, most recently, Kosovo.
> The Pentagon has gone so far as to warn the Yugoslav government
> not to "interfere" in Montenegro's affairs. Montenegro has been a part
> of Yugoslavia since that country was founded.
>
> >From the 1961 murder of Congo President Patrice Lumumba through
> the repeated attempts on the life of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, from
> Operation Phoenix in Vietnam to the murder of tens of thousands of
> Latin Americans by CIA-supervised death squads, the CIA and
> Pentagon have long used assassination as an instrument of war and
> policy. The CIA overthrow of Salvador Allende's pro-socialist
> government in Chile in 1973 was preceded by a wave of political
> assassinations. Nor can we forget the FBI-CIA domestic
> assassination program—the COINTELPRO murders of members of
> the Black Panther Party, the American Indian Movement and other
> activist organizations in the '60s and '70s. There is evidence that Dr.
> Martin Luther King was among COINTELPRO's victims.
>
> The corporate-owned major US news media have not even raised the
> question of a US hand in the assassinations in Yugoslavia. Ignoring the
> Yugoslav government's statements, they have implied the victims were
> involved in criminal activity—a classic "make 'em look dirty" means of
> blunting outrage-or insinuated the Yugoslav government itself had
> carried out the murders. The media made similar allegation about the
> January murder of anti-NATO Serb nationalist leader Zeljko
> Raznjatovic, popularly known as Arkan.
>
> This is the same corporate news media that uncritically repeated wild
> and now disproven Pentagon allegations of mass murder by the
> Yugoslav army in Kosovo, claims used to justify last spring's
> undeclared war. They have refused to report non-government efforts
> to investigate NATO war crimes in Yugoslavia, such as the
> Independent Commission of Inquiry founded by former US Attorney
> General Ramsey Clark. They have completely censored any news of
> the recent US-orchestrated presidential coup in Ukraine, which
> threatens to bring US troops to Russia's border. This level of media
> complicity with the State Department and Pentagon has not been seen
> since the height of the Cold War in the 1950s.
>
> The Bulatovic assassination and the new attacks on Serbs in Kosovo
> coincide with other bellicose moves by the US toward East Europe
> and the former USSR. The past few weeks have also seen a pro-
> NATO coup against Ukraine's parliament, the US Navy seizure of a
> Russian ship in the Persian Gulf and the State Department's
> declaration of support for anti-government forces in the former Soviet
> republic of Belarus. The Pentagon has also revived its "Star Wars"
> program and is planning NATO military exercises in July in Ukraine,
> Bulgaria and Estonia. For decades the Washington warmakers have
> dreamed of the military conquest of East Europe and what was once
> the Soviet Union. Now they appear to believe they can make this
> dream a reality. They must be stopped.
--
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
* LEGITTIMO LO SCIOPERO CONTRO LA GUERRA
* ASSOLTO BEPPE SINI E LE SUE "MONGOLFIERE PER LA PACE"
> From: "RdB Servizi" <rdbser@...>
>
>
> RAPPRESENTANZE SINDACALI DI BASE
> CONFEDERAZIONE UNITARIA DI BASE RdB/CUB
>
> LEGITTIMO LO SCIOPERO CONTRO LA GUERRA
>
> La Commissione di garanzia sullo sciopero, ha preso in esame gli esposti
di
> vari datori di lavoro in merito allo sciopero indetto dalle RdB in data
> 30/03/99 proclamato per protestare contro la aggressione Nato alla
> Jugoslavia.
>
> Gli esposti di cui sopra chiedevano di dichiarare illegittimo lo sciopero
in
> quanto non era stato rispettato il termine minimo di preavviso pari a 10
> giorni.
>
> La Commissione ha deciso di non dover procedere contro RdB in quanto, il
> preavviso non è obbligatorio se si tratta di "astensione dal lavoro in
> difesa dell'ordine costituzionale, o di protesta per gravi eventi lesivi
> dell'incolumità e della sicurezza dei lavoratori".
> E' un importante vittoria di RdB che immediatamente si mobilitò contro la
> guerra e denunciò la violazione dell'articolo 11 della Costituzione.
>
> Per i lavoratori e tutti coloro che si sono mobilitati contro la guerra
> nella città di Bologna la vittoria è doppia perchè solo due aziende locali
> hanno chiesto di dichiarare illegale lo sciopero RdB: la SEA di Milano e
la
> ATC di Bologna.
>
> Della denuncia fatta dall'ATC presieduta all'epoca dal "pacifista della
> domenica" nonché esponente di spicco della "sinistra DS" Ugo Mazza, si è
> saputo solo ora, a seguito della delibera della Commissione di garanzia.
> Ricordiamo che il "pacifista della domenica" ha perseguitato, con continui
> procedimenti disciplinari, gli autisti ATC che esponevano cartelli che
> riportavano fedelmente il testo dell'aticolo 11 della costituzione:
> "l'Italia ripudia la guerra come strumento di offesa alla libertà degli
> altri popoli e come mezzo di risoluzione delle controversie
internazionali".
>
> Oggi questi autisti, hanno ricevuto dalla nuova dirigenza ATC una
"censura"
> scritta per la loro protesta conto la guerra, sanzione questa "leggera",
ma
> ingiusta ed ingiustificata alla luce anche di quanto deliberato in data
> odierna dalla Commisssione di garanzia.
> Chiederemo quindi, nei prossimi giorni, di annullare anche questi richiami
> scritti.
>
> La delibera, rafforza anche la denuncia contro il Presidente del Consiglio
> D'Alema per violazione della Costituzione firmata anche da esponenti RdB.
>
>
> p. RdB Federazione Bologna
> Massimo Betti
>
>
> RdB/CUB Federazione di Bologna -Via Brugnoli 19/c 40122 Bologna tel.
> 051/523822-fax 523280
> C.F. 96138470586
>
---
Le "mongolfiere per la pace" sono state assolte. La Procura di Pordenone
ha emesso un decreto d'archiviazione in merito al procedimento penale a
carico di Peppe Sini, responsabile del Centro di ricerca per la pace di
Viterbo, per l'azione non violenta attuata mediante minimongolfiere
innalzate a bloccare i decolli da Aviano dei cacciabombardieri impiegati
durante la guerra del Kosovo.
Era l'11 aprile 1999... i pacifisti tentarono di fermare i raid della
Nato cercando di ostruire lo spazio aereo circostante e sovrastante
l'area di decollo della base pedemontana invadendolo con mongolfiere di
carta e palloncini gonfi di elio. Portavano appesi leggeri fogli
metallici adatti a disturbare l'avionica di bordo (una rudimentale forma
di "guerra elettronica")... Il primo maggio l'azione fu replicata... fu
aperto un fascicolo d'inchiesta nei confronti di Beppe Sini... imputato
dei reati previsti e puniti dagli articoli 432 (attentato alla sicurezza
dei trasporti) e 414 (istigazione a delinquere) del Codice Penale.
(Dal Gazzettino di Pordenone del 9-2-2000)
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
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------------------------------------------------------------
* ASSOLTO BEPPE SINI E LE SUE "MONGOLFIERE PER LA PACE"
> From: "RdB Servizi" <rdbser@...>
>
>
> RAPPRESENTANZE SINDACALI DI BASE
> CONFEDERAZIONE UNITARIA DI BASE RdB/CUB
>
> LEGITTIMO LO SCIOPERO CONTRO LA GUERRA
>
> La Commissione di garanzia sullo sciopero, ha preso in esame gli esposti
di
> vari datori di lavoro in merito allo sciopero indetto dalle RdB in data
> 30/03/99 proclamato per protestare contro la aggressione Nato alla
> Jugoslavia.
>
> Gli esposti di cui sopra chiedevano di dichiarare illegittimo lo sciopero
in
> quanto non era stato rispettato il termine minimo di preavviso pari a 10
> giorni.
>
> La Commissione ha deciso di non dover procedere contro RdB in quanto, il
> preavviso non è obbligatorio se si tratta di "astensione dal lavoro in
> difesa dell'ordine costituzionale, o di protesta per gravi eventi lesivi
> dell'incolumità e della sicurezza dei lavoratori".
> E' un importante vittoria di RdB che immediatamente si mobilitò contro la
> guerra e denunciò la violazione dell'articolo 11 della Costituzione.
>
> Per i lavoratori e tutti coloro che si sono mobilitati contro la guerra
> nella città di Bologna la vittoria è doppia perchè solo due aziende locali
> hanno chiesto di dichiarare illegale lo sciopero RdB: la SEA di Milano e
la
> ATC di Bologna.
>
> Della denuncia fatta dall'ATC presieduta all'epoca dal "pacifista della
> domenica" nonché esponente di spicco della "sinistra DS" Ugo Mazza, si è
> saputo solo ora, a seguito della delibera della Commissione di garanzia.
> Ricordiamo che il "pacifista della domenica" ha perseguitato, con continui
> procedimenti disciplinari, gli autisti ATC che esponevano cartelli che
> riportavano fedelmente il testo dell'aticolo 11 della costituzione:
> "l'Italia ripudia la guerra come strumento di offesa alla libertà degli
> altri popoli e come mezzo di risoluzione delle controversie
internazionali".
>
> Oggi questi autisti, hanno ricevuto dalla nuova dirigenza ATC una
"censura"
> scritta per la loro protesta conto la guerra, sanzione questa "leggera",
ma
> ingiusta ed ingiustificata alla luce anche di quanto deliberato in data
> odierna dalla Commisssione di garanzia.
> Chiederemo quindi, nei prossimi giorni, di annullare anche questi richiami
> scritti.
>
> La delibera, rafforza anche la denuncia contro il Presidente del Consiglio
> D'Alema per violazione della Costituzione firmata anche da esponenti RdB.
>
>
> p. RdB Federazione Bologna
> Massimo Betti
>
>
> RdB/CUB Federazione di Bologna -Via Brugnoli 19/c 40122 Bologna tel.
> 051/523822-fax 523280
> C.F. 96138470586
>
---
Le "mongolfiere per la pace" sono state assolte. La Procura di Pordenone
ha emesso un decreto d'archiviazione in merito al procedimento penale a
carico di Peppe Sini, responsabile del Centro di ricerca per la pace di
Viterbo, per l'azione non violenta attuata mediante minimongolfiere
innalzate a bloccare i decolli da Aviano dei cacciabombardieri impiegati
durante la guerra del Kosovo.
Era l'11 aprile 1999... i pacifisti tentarono di fermare i raid della
Nato cercando di ostruire lo spazio aereo circostante e sovrastante
l'area di decollo della base pedemontana invadendolo con mongolfiere di
carta e palloncini gonfi di elio. Portavano appesi leggeri fogli
metallici adatti a disturbare l'avionica di bordo (una rudimentale forma
di "guerra elettronica")... Il primo maggio l'azione fu replicata... fu
aperto un fascicolo d'inchiesta nei confronti di Beppe Sini... imputato
dei reati previsti e puniti dagli articoli 432 (attentato alla sicurezza
dei trasporti) e 414 (istigazione a delinquere) del Codice Penale.
(Dal Gazzettino di Pordenone del 9-2-2000)
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
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