Informazione
* JOHN MCCAIN E LA "DIOGUARDI-UCK CONNECTION" (antiwar.com)
* I REPUBBLICANI ALBANESI SALUTANO MCCAIN (Albanian Daily News, FEB. 2000),
MCCAIN SALUTA LA NOMINA DI DEMACI A "LEADER POLITICO" DELL'UCK (AUG. 1998)
* Ritratti: MR AND MRS DIOGUARDI, CHE BELLA COPPIA! (stopnato@...)
* Flashback: LA LOBBY PAN-ALBANESE NEL CONGRESSO USA (B. Works)
* Per il testo dell'articolo "LA CIA HA SOSTENUTO L'ESERCITO
GUERRIGLIERO DEL KOSOVO", da noi gia' distribuito ieri, si veda pure:
http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2000/03/12/stifgneur02002.html
---
JOHN MCCAIN E LA "DIOGUARDI-UCK CONNECTION"
(sullo stesso argomento vedasi anche: TiM GW Bulletin 2000/3-1:
http://www.truthinmedia.org/Bulletins2000/tim2000-3-1.html )
Antiwar.com
"Behind the headlines" - by Justin Raimondo
February 25, 2000
McCAIN AND THE KLA CONNECTION
George W. Bush has been taken out to the woodshed by
the liberal for appearing on the stage at Bob Jones
University in this day and age, to even appear on a
platform provided by a politically incorrect group
or institution is enough to condemn a candidate to
perdition. And the McCain campaign was quick to
capitalize on it. But why isn't McCain subjected to the
same scrutiny? Please direct your attention to the
photo below [http://www.marx2001.org/crj/IM/mccain.jpg%5d:
the caption informs us that McCain is speaking at "a
pro-Kosovo, pro-McCain rally across the street from his
New York City hotel Friday morning, Feb. 11, 2000.
McCain is in New York for the day to attend fundraisers
and to talk to the press before returning to South
Carolina Friday night." But who is the man on the right,
with the colorful KLA scarf and his big mouth wide open?
The caption-writer is mute on this point, but to anyone
who knows anything about New York's ethnic politics,
the face is all-too-familiar: it is none other than
former Republican Congressman Joe DioGuardi, now the
loquacious leader of the Albanian-American Civic League
(AACL) a group that not only actively represents the
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in America, but whose
leader has become a spokesman for the most radical
fringe elements of the KLA.
"Republican presidential candidate Sen. John
McCain, R-Ariz., speaks to a pro Kosovo, pro
McCain, rally across the street from his New York
City hotel Friday morning, Feb. 11, 2000. McCain
is in New York for the day to attend fundraisers
and to talk to the press before returning to South
Carolina Friday night. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)"
WHO IS JOE DIOGUARDI?
DioGuardi is an extremist who lost his seat in
Congress because his growing preoccupation with
creating a "Greater Albania" did not exactly fit in
with the pothole-fixing skills that must be the first
concern of New York City politicians. Most
Albanian-Americans support independence for Kosovo,
and look with disdain and bewilderment at the US
government's official position that Kosovo is still an
"autonomous" province of Yugoslavia. But DioGuardi
goes one step indeed, several steps further, and
envisions a "Greater Albania." Visitors to AACL's
website ( http://www.aacl.com )are confronted with a
map of this Albanian Empire, which, as Doug Bandow of
the Cato Institute said in his testimony before Congress
( http://www.cato.org/testimony/ct-db031099.html ),
illustrates "a breathtaking agenda," including as it
does "Albania, Kosovo, western Macedonia (along with
its capital, Skopje), southeastern Montenegro (along
with its capital, Podgorica), northern Greece, and
southern Serbia (north of Kosovo)." Alexander Cockburn's
comment on this outrageous map hit the nail on the head
( http://www.counterpunch.org/jatras.html ):
"When I first saw this map it struck a recollection of
something I had seen before. It occurred to me that it
is quite similar to one I have (printed by the State
Department in 1947) of interim territorial
arrangements during World War II. I can understand
that there is an element of hyperbole in critics'
calling NATO's air campaign "Nazi," but fail to see
what interest the United States has in helping to
restore the Nazi-imposed borders of 1943 or how this
helps preserve European stability."
THE KLA: A SHORT HISTORY
It is well-known that the original straight-arm salute
of the KLA was suppressed, by its CIA and German
intelligence handlers, in favor of a less controversial
American-style greeting. While one wing of the KLA
looks to the old-fashioned Stalinism of Enver Hoxha,
the Albanian Communist dictator who aided the early
student organizations that made up the Albanian
separatist movement, the other looks to the "Skanderberg
Division" of the Nazi SS, Albanians recruited by the
Germans to fight for Hitler's cause, for its political
antecedents. DioGuardi has been a vigorous publicist on
behalf of the KLA political commissar, Adem Demaci, a
militant who spent years in Yugoslav prisons. Demaci
denounced the Rambouillet agreement as a sellout and
(along with DioGuardi) rejected all negotiations on
principle. DioGuardi even wrote a letter
( http://www.bosnet.org/archive/bosnet.w3archive/9808/msg00080.html )
congratulating his fellow extremist when Demaci was
appointed chief of the KLA's political wing.
FOLLOW THAT GENIE!
Demaci, DioGuardi, and the KLA militants are now acting
on their dream of a "Greater Albania": this is the
meaning of recent events in Kosovo
( http://www.FreeRepublic.com/forum/a38b4490a4359.htm ).
Madeleine Albright is so frightened by the rising
demands of the pan-Albanians that she made a special
trip to Tirana to denounce the idea as "no more viable
than that of a Greater Serbia." But the genie is already
out of the bottle, and the question is: what will the
next Administration do?
A GREATER ALBANIA
As the KLA conducts its reign of terror in Kosovo,
driving out the Serbs and marching, in tens of
thousands, on the northern city of Mitrovica in an
effort to storm the last Serb bastion, John McCain is
standing alongside a man who is the chief apologist,
organizer, and fundraiser of the KLA in America, a man
who once declared:
"It is unfortunate that misguided European politics,
overly and unfairly influenced by Russia and Greece in
the early part of the twentieth century, resulted in a
partition of the Albanian nation so that more than
half the Albanians in the Balkans live outside the
state of Albania in hostile Slavic regimes, especially
Serbia and Macedonia. . . . With UDBA in Belgrade and
the Sigurimi in Tirana collaborating to buy, trick or
kill those Albanians with democratic aspirations, it
is no wonder that it has been extremely difficult for
seven million. Albanians to organize themselves as a
nation, or even politically within the five
jurisdictions in which they reside. While there is
some cooperation among political parties in certain
areas and across borders, true democratic,
independent-minded Albanian leadership has been
lacking and this has contributed to the divisions,
confusion, and betrayal of the Albanian cause in the
Balkans and in America."
CONSPIRACY THEORY
How's that for a conspiracy theory? According to
DioGuardi, all the nations of Europe conspired to keep
his people disunited. Naturally it is assumed that
every living ethnic Albanian must live in an Albanian
state, since, in the neo-fascist ideology of the KLA,
the State embodies the Race and must defend its
interests irrespective of current national borders.
And, oh yes, that's what we definitely need: more
"cooperation among parties in certain areas and across
borders," so as to spread the rabidly revanchist
ideology of the KLA and set the Balkans aflame.
THE DIOGUARDI-McCAIN CONNECTION
There they are, the two of them, DioGuardi and McCain,
side by side: one who would carve an Albanian empire
in the midst of the blood-soaked Balkans, and the
other who would be President of the United States. It
is a disturbing juxtaposition, to say the very least.
For if we can accuse poor Dubya of endorsing the
anti-Catholic rhetoric of the Bob Jones
fundamentalists simply by speaking at their
auditorium, then what are we to make of would-be
President John McCain appearing with a radical
Albanian nationalist who sees not only Belgrade but
also Skopje and Athens as the enemy? After all, this
is perhaps the wrong signal to the Macedonians, who
have so far enjoyed a fragile peace, and no doubt the
Greeks, our NATO allies, would be less than pleased.
And what of the Montenegrins, whose capital city
DioGuardi and the Albanian lobby covet, and whose
independence we are pledged to defend against the
alleged threat posed by Milosevic? If Bush must be
called to account for supposedly aligning himself with
the forces of intolerance in the US, for the sin of
appearing at Bob Jones U, then should we not call
McCain to account for sharing the platform with a
radical Albanian extremist and endangering the peace
of Europe
TURNING THE TABLES
Although the McCain campaign piously denied it, it has
since come out that they were responsible for phone
calls during the Michigan primary, run ostensibly by a
group called "Catholic Voter Alert," which demanded to
know why Bush had not disavowed the rhetoric of Bob
Jones and his flock about the church being "a Satanic
cult'! This from the campaign McCain piously described
to his followers as "one you can be proud of"! Well,
then, is it not time to turn the tables, and send out
a "Voter Alert" demanding to know why McCain hasn't
repudiated the rhetoric of Joe DioGuardi and his KLA
friends who want to ignite the Balkan tinderbox with
their crazed scheme to create an Albanian empire?
Indeed, this is a lot fairer than the alleged
Bush-Jones connection, because Bush has no history of
anti-Catholicism – the news of his sudden conversion
to the Jonesian doctrine that the Church is "the great
Whore" foretold in the Bible came as a bit of a
surprise. But McCain's apparent conversion to the
cause of pan-Albanian nationalism is far more
credible. For McCain was the most militant and visible
supporter of the Kosovo war, who demanded Clinton pull
out all the stops and send in the ground troops even
going so far as to introduce a Senate resolution that
went down to a well-deserved defeat at the hands of
his Republican colleagues.
THE KLA CANDIDATE
As General Wesley Clark, the US commander of our
troops in Kosovo, calls on NATO and Washington to send
in more troops – and I see, as I write this, that the
Marines are practically on the way the crisis in the
Balkans is approaching critical mass. The NATO-crats
are cranking up the propaganda machine, as the KLA
gets ready to complete the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo
and proceed to the next stage of the ongoing struggle
for a "Greater Albania." Ideologues like Adem Demaci,
in Kosovo, and Joe Dioguardi, in America, want to drag
the US into yet another Balkan war, to "finish the
job" and completely dismember the remnants of
Yugoslavia – using the US and NATO as both their sword
and their shield. With a sympathetic President in the
White House, who remembers how much money and
political support was raised on that trip to New York
at a crucial time in his campaign, DioGuardi and the
KLA may yet see their expansionist dream realized.
With Serbia finally subjugated, Albania would be free
to expand, absorbing not only Kosovo but also
destabilizing Macedonia and threatening Greece.
HOW MUCH?
The last GOP presidential candidate to cash in on the
Albanian connection was Bob Dole: in May 1987, Dole
and DioGuardi attended an Albanian-American
fund-raiser in New York City that raised $1.2 million
for Dole's campaign and $50,000 for DioGuardi's,
according to journalist Diana Johnstone
( http://www.swans.com/library/art5/zig025.html ) and researcher
Benjamin Works. The caption accompanying the above
photo says McCain was in New York doing some
fundraising, and it is fair to ask: how much money did
he get from the Albanian lobby? As the great "reform"
candidate who denounces the influence of "special
interests" and the power of money in politics, McCain
had better tell us exactly how much the Albanian lobby
has thrown his way – and to what effect. Of all the
lobbyists in Washington, it is the "special interests"
represented by the agents of foreign powers that pose
the greatest threat to the integrity of the
Presidency. Joe DioGuardi, rabid Albanian nationalist
and chief American apologist for the drug-connected
totalitarians of the KLA, has spread the money from
his political action committees far and wide
( http://www.siri-us.com/backgrounders/Archives_Kosovo/AlbanianAmericanPac-1980-98.html ),
and no doubt McCain is also the recipient of his largess
but at what price to the American people? The McCain
campaign must immediately release the figures, and
give us some "straight talk" about the KLA-McCain
connection: how much did they get-and in return for
what? The American people have a right to know how
many American soldiers will be put at risk in the
Balkans in the service of paying off President
McCain's political debts.
ALBANIAN PANDERFEST
Republicans are screaming about the panderfest
presided over by the Reverend Al Sharpton, at which Al
Gore and Bill Bradley outdid each other in denouncing
"white skin privilege," but what about McCain's
panderfest with the Albanian warmongers, who want to
drag the US even deeper into the Balkan quagmire? At
least Sharpton isn't demanding the that the lives of
American soldiers be put at risk.
THE BUCHANAN FACTOR
Naturally the American media, which made itself into
the willing instrument of the War Party during the
Kosovo conflict, is reluctant to uncover the fact of
McCain’s connection to Albanian extremists. The
inability or unwillingness of the Bush campaign to
call McCain to account on this question is due in
large part to its own commitment to the Albanian
lobby; their foreign policy advisor, Richard Perle,
was also an advisor to the Bosnian Muslims, who
enthusiastically supported the Kosovo war. The only
major candidate who has made opposition to the Kosovo
war – and opposition to the influence of foreign
lobbyists – a campaign issue has been Patrick J.
Buchanan, the likely Reform Party candidate. Buchanan
is the specter that is haunting this primary season,
with everyone and his brother claiming the mantle of
"reform" – but scurrying away from the vital foreign
policy issue, which only Buchanan has addressed. If
McCain, the would-be conqueror of the Balkans, is the
GOP nominee, then the Republicans, independents, and
Democrats who opposed that war and are horrified by
its frightening results will be driven into the
Reform Party column. Combined with the general
distaste for McCain among conservatives, this is the
one factor that those who prate about the
"electability" of the Warrior Candidate never discuss.
Once again, the Bush people are constrained from
making their best argument against McCain, this time
for fear of breaking the embargo on all discussion of
Buchanan and Reform as viable alternatives. The
impotence of the Bush campaign in the face of the
McCain insurgency is a function not only of the
shortcomings of their candidate, but of the
internationalism of his Establishment foreign policy
advisors and their instinctive fear of the Right. And
that, in the end, will be their undoing.
Please Support Antiwar.com
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---
STOP NATO: NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.HOME-PAGE.ORG - 28/2/2000
Albanian Daily News
Albanian Republicans Salute McCain
TIRANA- Albania's Republican Party salutes American runner for US
President John McCain, a daily "Republika" reported on Thursday.
The results published up to now of the American presidential campaign
show that John McCain lies some 6 points ahead of George W. Bush,
pushing Albanian republicans to declare their sympathy to their American
counterpart.
Referring to recent meetings between Albanian republican leader Mediu
and John McCain in Washington D.C, the party's daily underlined that
bilateral relations between the two parties have experienced further
strengthening and enrichment.
Albania's Republican Party hopes that such relations will create a
positive impact both for the party itself and its voters.
>-------------------------------------------------------------
>Kosova Crisis Center News <A
HREF="http://www.alb-net.com/html/kcc.html">http:
>//www.alb-net.com/html/kcc.html</A>
>________________________________________________________________
>Via AlBanian List
>August 22, 1998
>
> Adem Demaci
> Prishtina
> KOSOVA
>
> Dear Adem:
>
>The Albanian American Civic League is writing to congratulate you on your
>appointment as the leader of the political wing of the Kosova Liberation Army.
> As you said when you met with us in New York City in the spring of 1997, some time still had to pass before it would become clear who had integrity in the Albanian world and who did not, and some time still had to pass for the realization to take root that Albanians could not be liberated by the United States unless we fought on the ground for our freedom......We believe that you have the ability to lead the Albanian resistance in a courageous and uncompromising manner, and we want you to know that the Civic League is ready to support you and work with you in this important undertaking.
>
>As you probably already know, the Albanian American Civic League was the first organization in the Albanian diaspora to publicly support the Kosova
Liberation Army, both morally and financially. Most notably, we
successfully transformed the Congressional hearing on Bosnia last March into a hearing on Kosova--one in which, through our lobbying efforts, Clinton administration Balkan envoy Robert Gelbard was forced to concede that the KLA had not been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. This produced an immediate change in the Western media's depiction of the KLA and stopped the attempt to criminalize it.
>
>[...]It has also been apparent to us that Serbia's activities have been aided
and abetted by the failed policies of the passive resistance agenda in Kosova-policies that misled Kosovar Albanians and prevented them from preparing themselves for war.
>
Tragically, these policies have been supported and promoted by Western government officials, such as America's Richard Holbrooke and Germany's
Klaus Kinkel, who by their actions have given the green light to Slobodan Milosevic's campaign of state terrorism.[...]
>
When you visited us more than a year ago now, you agreed that there has to
be coordination on both sides of the Atlantic and that, consequently, serious
groups in Kosova and in the West have to synchronize their work. We want
you to know that we have informed the KLA about our Congressional-based
strategy to stop the war against Albanians, beginning with the introduction of
resolutions by Senator Al D'Amato and Congressman Christopher Smith to
indict Slobodan Milosevic as a war criminal in The Hague and with a campaign to stop the confirmation of Richard Holbrooke as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations[...]
>
>Sincerely Yours
>[signature]
>Joseph J. DioGuardi, President
>For the Albanian American Civic League
---
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.HOME-PAGE.ORG
Disgusting! I saw a link titled "Indipendent Kosova - Why" and clicked on.
There was no text, just photos of killed Albanians. Many were from the
Racak "massacre".
So these are the arguments for an "indipendent KosovA".
But why not to writeto this scum Joe DioGuardi? Here is his curriculum
vitae with the e-mail at the end:
Born in the Bronx, New York, on September 20, 1940, Joseph J. DioGuardi
moved to Westchester County with his
immigrant parents, brother, and sister
in 1957. He is a 1958 graduate of Fordham
Preparatory School, and in 1962
he graduated with honors from Fordham
University.
DioGuardi served for twenty-two years,
twelve of them as a tax partner, with
the international accounting firm of Arthur
Andersen & Co., one of the first
public advocates of governmental fiscal
responsibility. In November 1984, he
brought his extensive professional and
volunteer experience to Congress,
when he became the first practicing certified
public accountant ever elected
to the U.S. House of Representatives.
In Congress, DioGuardi took the lead in
sounding the call for truth in federal
budgeting, accounting, and reporting and in
bringing financial accountability
to Capitol Hill. He was the original author
of the Chief Financial Officer's Act,
signed by President George Bush in 1990, which mandated the
assignment of a CFO to each major
department and agency of the U.S. government. Charles Bowsher,
former Comptroller General of the General
Accounting Office, said in testimony before the U.S. Senate that
since the enactment of the bill, "we have
seen important progress in directly confronting serious financial
management weaknesses. "
DioGuardi has distinguished himself by finding bipartisan solutions
to difficult problems. On issues of local
concern, he founded and cochaired the Congressional Long Island
Sound and Hudson River Caucuses, which
secured vital increases in federal support for these embattled
waterways. In 1986, with the late Democratic
Congressman Mickey Leland, DioGuardi initiated legislation to confer
Congressional Medals of Honor on
Black World War I and World War II military heroes, thereby
correcting an historic injustice. More recently,
he cofounded with Congressman Jerrold Nadler the New York Task Force
for Port, Rail, and Industrial
Development in order to restore lost jobs to New York's
manufacturing and transportation industries.
DioGuardi is an advocate for the human rights and self-determination
of oppressed peoples in the Balkans.
Since 1989, he has made fifteen trips to the region. As president of
the Albanian American Civic League, he
and Congressman Tom Lantos made the first official trip to Albania
in fifty years, and he helped open the
doors to democracy in this former Communist dictatorship. In August
1990, DioGuardi persuaded Bob Dole
and six other U.S. senators to visit the two million Albanians in
Kosova under Serbian occupation. In
September 1996, he returned to Albania with Congressman Benjamin
Gilman, chairman of the Committee on
International Relations, to meet with President Sali Berisha to
discuss Albanian national security and
minority rights for the ethnic Greeks in southern Albania. In June
1997, Dio Guardi led a delegation to monitor
the national elections in Albania and in August, 1998 he traveled to
northern Albania to assess the
humanitarian crisis emanating from the war in Kosova, at the request
of Congressman Dana Rohrabacher.
Since leaving Congress in 1989, DioGuardi has established a
nonpartisan foundation, Truth In Government,
through which he continues his crusade for federal fiscal reforms.
The author of Unaccountable Congress: It
Doesn't Add Up, DioGuardi is a frequent speaker on fiscal
responsibility and public accountability. In August
1994, as a keynote speaker at the annual conference of the American
Accounting Association, DioGuardi
persuaded professors of accounting to play an active role in federal
budgeting and financial management. In
May 1996, he returned to Washington as a keynote speaker on federal
financial management reforms before
the Institute of Management Accountants (formerly the National
Association of Accountants). In April 1997,
the Texas Society of CPAs published an article by DioGuardi in
Today's CPA on the real magnitude of the
national debt.
DioGuardi is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including
investiture as a Knight of Malta in 1979,
the International Humanitarian Award The Boys Towns of Italy in
1986, the Outstanding CPA in Government
Award from the New York State Society of CPAs in 1986, the Torch of
Liberty Award from the New York
State Conservative Party in 1987, the Outstanding Public Service
Award from the Westchester County
Republican Committee in 1987, the Westchester Irish Committee's
Dedication to Peace and Justice Award in
1988, the Paul Harris Fellow Award of the Rotary Foundation of
Rotary International in 1988, and the Annual
Achievement Award of the Association of Government Accountants,
Boston Chapter, in 1992.
You can contact Joe DioGuardi by email at jjd@...
Here is DioGuardi's wife c.v.
Shirley Cloyes
Balkan Affairs Adviser
Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on October 18, 1950, Shirley
Cloyes was raised in Westfield, New
Jersey, and graduated from Westfield High School, where she was a
member of the National Honor
Society. She holds a a B.A. in sociology from Oberlin College,
Oberlin, Ohio, and a Master of Divinity,
specializing in systematic theology and culture, from Union
Theological Seminary in New York City.
Between her second and third year of graduate study, she studied the
Indonesian language at the University
of California at Berkeley and then taught for two years at Satya
Wacana University in Central Java, where
she developed and ran an interdisciplinary program on interethnic
relations and development.
In 1983, she coauthored a book entitled To Work and To Love with
German political theologian Dorothee
Soelle and joined the staff of The Seabury Press as an editor.
Following the closure of the house in 1984,
she became marketing director and editorial consultant in Black and
women's studies at Orbis Books.
In 1986, she joined the staff of Lawrence Hill & Company, an
offshoot of the breakup of Hill & Wang, as
associate publisher. The press specialized in African American and
African studies, the Middle East,
women's studies, and controversial domestic and international
political issues. When Larry Hill died in 1988,
she took over the house and was its publisher until the end of 1995.
Some of the noteworthy titles that she
published are The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global
Drug Trade by Alfred W. McCoy,
Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur, Ghosts in Our Blood: With
Malcolm X in Africa, England,
and the Caribbean by Jan Carew, My Friend, the Enemy by Uri Avnery,
and M.I.A. or Mythmaking in
America by H. Bruce Franklin.
In 1995, she published Yugoslavia's Ethnic Nightmare, the first book
on the causes and far-reaching
consequences of the Balkan conflict written from the perspective of
Bosnian Muslim, Croatian, Serbian,
and Macedonian journalists who opposed the war inside the former
Yugoslavia. That year she became the
Balkan Affairs Adviser to the Albanian American Civic League. She
has since written and lectured widely
about the Albanian dimension of the Balkan conflict and made eight
trips to the region.
Cloyes proposed the first Congressional hearing on the Albanian
dimension of the Balkan conflict.
Following the hearing in February 1995, which included
representatives from
all the Albanian lands in the former Yugoslavia, she and Civic
League President Joseph DioGuardi traveled
with Yugoslav dissident Mihaljo Mihaljov to Macedonia at the
invitation of Albanian leaders there to
monitor the reopening of the Albanian-language University of Tetova.
The Macedonian government
attacked the university on the morning of their departure, killing a
student, wounding hundreds, and jailing
the professors. In September of that year, she traveled to Tirana
with DioGuardi and Congressman
Benjamin Gilman, chair of the House Committee on International
Relations, to meet with then President Sali Berisha and to Istanbul
to make the case for the
the independence of Kosova at the National Press center and at the
University of Marmara.
Cloyes has testified before Congress at two historic turning points
in the life of the Albanian nation. In July
1996, she testified on behalf of the State of Albania before the
House Committee on International Relations
and exposed the role of Nicholas Gage of the Panepirotic Federation
and the Albanian Communists in
attempting to overthrow the democratically elected government of
Sali Berisha. In 1998, she testified in
support of U.S. troop deployment in Kosova, following Bob Dole, Jean
Kirkpatrick, and Henry Kissinger.
In February 1998, after the Serbian army attacked Drenice, Cloyes
worked with CNN to gain more
complete coverage of the crisis in Kosova. In March, she and
DioGuardi shifted the focus of a
Congressional hearing with U.S. Balkan envoy Robert Gelbard from
Bosnia to Kosova, and positioned the
questions that forced Gelbard to retract his earlier depiction of
the KLA as a "terrorist" organization. In
August of that year, she published two major articles on U.S.
foreign policy in the Balkans: "The Agony of
Kosova" and "Presiding over Genocide: The Shame of the West." Cloyes
is the author of the Civic
League's October 1999 public declaration, entitled "Resolving the
Albanian National Question," which
examines the internal and external factors that stand in the way of
creating a free and independent Kosova
and bringing a just and lasting peace to the Balkans.
With the start of the NATO bombing campaign against Serbia in March
1999, Cloyes and DioGuardi
appeared separately and together on more than 50 radio and TV
broadcasts. Since the war ended in June
1999, they have made three trips to Kosova to report back to
Congress on postwar conditions.
Cloyes and DioGuardi were married in June 1998.
What a wonderful couple!
****************************************
Maria
MR JAVIER BERNAL wrote:
> STOP NATO: ‘NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.HOME-PAGE.ORG
>
> Great Albania's Project in Action!
>
> http://www.aacl.com
---
Original URL: http://home.pacbell.net/fakta/buying.html
SPECIAL REPORT - Drugs and KLA
FROM BEN WORKS
Jul 5,1999
BUYING AN INTERVENTION: KOSOVO AND ALBANIAN PAC MONEY IN CONGRESS
By Benjamin Works, Director, The Strategic Issues Research Institute
Hack and I, along with a select group of others, have been at war with
the KLA over its heroin and terrorist connections. We also knew
something about how political money bought this war policy. Here's the
story.
Back in 1995, late in the Bosnian war, I got a reference to a 1986
Senate Resolution proposed by Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, decrying
Yugoslavian official oppression of the Albanian population of Kosovo
--that's 1986, when the Albanian Autonomous government was still fully
operational.
Joseph DioGuardi, a New York Republican, sponsored the companion House
Resolution, both of which never emerged from committee.
I got a copy of that Senate Resolution Nr. 150 from the Congressional
Register of June 19, 1986 and then let it sit in my file for a long
time, while the NATO occupation of Bosnia appeared to keep things calm.
Meanwhile, Bob Dole managed to lose the 1996 Presidential Election, then
vigorously supported Mr. Clinton's year-by-year extensions for keeping
some 6900 US soldiers in Bosnia.
As the KLA insurrection in Kosovo reached civil war levels, I began to
think about that resolution and how it misrepresented history. I had
done considerable reading on the origins of the Yugoslav conflicts,
pulling
Washington Post, New York Times and other reports from the 1980s,
bearing on Kosovo and the collapse of the Federative Republic's
communist government under the pressure of ethnic-nationalism. Well,
pieces fit together showing that all along it has been the ethnic
nationalist fascist losers of World War II in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo
who have been exploiting the political process in Germany and the United
States. Their goal has been to effect the division of Yugoslavia and the
cleansing of Serbian populations from their territories, while
purporting that "Greater Serbia" was the menace to European security and
not the post-fascist "Greater Croatia" and "Greater Albania."
Survivors of the Croat Ustashe movement in southern Germany began their
work in the 1960s, but Joseph DioGuardi must be given credit for a
sustained campaign to influence Congress beginning in the mid-1970s.
DioGuardi, an Albanian American whose ancestors came from an Albanian
transplant community in the heel of Italy, sat in Congress for several
years in the mid-1980s as a Conservative Republican from New York's
Westchester County, but creating a Greater Albania was his agenda as a
map on his website shows (www.aapac.com). His Political Action Committee
(PAC) activities are easy to follow from 1988 on. What makes the PAC and
individual contributions to campaigns more interesting is the
demonstrated connection between the Kosovo Heroin Mafia, its "pizza
connection" distribution ("inherited" from the Gambino crime family) and
money-laundering networks, and the number of pizzaria owner-contributors
listed in DioGuardi's filings. The Croats and Albanians came up with big
pots of laundered money, then spread it around selectively, with
American politicians helping to persuade other members in Congress.
I have indications of a political alliance between DioGuardi and Bob
Dole going as far back as the early 1970s, but have not yet got all the
evidence in hand. What I do have is sufficient to reach tentative
conclusions about how foreign policy, in a democracy, can be "bought"
--that is precisely what happened in the case of the Kosovo Air War.
In early 1987, kicking off his 1988 bid to wrest the GOP nomination from
then-vice president George Bush, Dole received $1.2 million from
Albanian American supporters in New York City, while DioGuardi received
$50,000 at the same dinner. I expect the funding trail goes back
further, at least to Dole's 1976 campaign. It certainly continued from
1987 through to the present.
As the collapse of Yugoslavia loomed, the Croatian and Albanian lobbies
continued their campaign: Defense & Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy,
Mar 31, 1993 issue, reported as much as $50 million was larded around
Capitol Hill in a two-year period which saw the defeat of George Bush
and led to Bob Dole's control of the Republican party: The United States
Congress, still reeling from a series of financial scandals involving
representatives and senators, is now bracing for a new problem: the
massive financial "contributions" which have been made to election funds
of politicians by Croatian sources over the past two to three years. One
Congressional investigator told Defense & Foreign Affairs Strategic
Policy that the donations and expenditures on Washington lobbying by the
Croatians over the past two years "could well exceed $50-million." Much
of this came directly from Croatian lobbyists, and some from Croatian
American businessmen" Many of the campaign contributions have been
recorded legally," the investigator said, "but many are questionable.
But what is more important is that there has been a pervasive attempt to
push the United States along a line defined by foreign powers-Croatia
and Germany-and it has not been
subtle. Elected officials are being told to either support the Croatian
line or face either a removal of funding or are told that funding will
be given to their opponents. Or they are literally bribed into
supporting the
Croatian line. This was going on long before Croatia even made its open
bid for recognition as an independent state." Now, as to individual
contributions, there are campaign contribution limits on individuals,
then there are Political Action Committees (PACs), "Soft Money"
contributed to the parties and fed back to candidates, and there is the
time-honored custom of passing bundles of hundred dollar bills in brown
paper bags to favored candidates. Federal Election Commission (FEC)
records are on-line (http://www.tray.com/fecinfo/) and I have been able
retrieve records for Joseph DioGuardi's PACs going back to the 1988
election cycle, and have also tested Bob Dole's 1996 Campaign and Liddy
Dole's
Campaign-2000. It is all there in the lists of candidates and
contributors.
In particular, most of the Congressmen speaking loudest against Serbia
and Serbs are those receiving money from DioGuardi's PAC. Some have
simply been beguiled, others may be more disingenuous. Recipients come
from both sides of the aisle but are mostly members of the House or
Senate foreign
relations committees: Joseph Lieberman and Jesse Helms, Benjamin Gillman
and Tom Lantos. These records do not reveal monster sums of money, but
demonstrate the tip of the iceberg, where "soft money," individual
declared contributions and bags full of $100 bills also find their way
to select candidates.
It is clear that Bob Dole and Joe DioGuardi, in league with Croat and
Bosnian fascist emigrees, worked very effectively to set up US foreign
policy to dismantle Yugoslavia and ruin the Serb people. They have
succeeded admirably because they were organized and persistent, while
their opponents were disorganized and, ultimately, outnumbered by the
overwhelming flood of media propaganda. Now, the US taxpayer is on the
hook for Billions of Dollars, while our service personnel will be tied
down for years in Bosnia and Kosovo, again attempting the kind of nation
building that failed so spectacularly in Somalia and Haiti.
For those wishing to inspect the details of these fundraising, I have
loaded the summary lists compiled thus far at my website along with a
companion reading file on the KLA and Heroin:
http://www.siri-us.com/backgrounders/Archives_Kosovo/AlbanianAmericanPac-198 0-98.html and
http://www.siri-us.com/backgrounders/Archives_Kosovo/KLA-Drugs.html
KLA in the U.S.A.
"These guys [the KLA] have a network that's active on the streets of
this country. The Albanian mob is a scary operation. In fact, the Mafia
relied on Albanian hitmen to carry out a lot of their contracts. They're
the worst elements of society that you can imagine, and now, according
to my sources in drug enforcement, they're politically protected."
In the words of a November 1997 statement issued by Interpol, the
international police agency, ``Kosovo Albanians hold the largest share
of the heroin market in Switzerland, in Austria, in Belgium, in Germany,
in Hungary, in the Czech Republic, in Norway and in Sweden.''
--------- 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 REPUBBLICANI ALBANESI SALUTANO MCCAIN (Albanian Daily News, FEB. 2000),
MCCAIN SALUTA LA NOMINA DI DEMACI A "LEADER POLITICO" DELL'UCK (AUG. 1998)
* Ritratti: MR AND MRS DIOGUARDI, CHE BELLA COPPIA! (stopnato@...)
* Flashback: LA LOBBY PAN-ALBANESE NEL CONGRESSO USA (B. Works)
* Per il testo dell'articolo "LA CIA HA SOSTENUTO L'ESERCITO
GUERRIGLIERO DEL KOSOVO", da noi gia' distribuito ieri, si veda pure:
http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2000/03/12/stifgneur02002.html
---
JOHN MCCAIN E LA "DIOGUARDI-UCK CONNECTION"
(sullo stesso argomento vedasi anche: TiM GW Bulletin 2000/3-1:
http://www.truthinmedia.org/Bulletins2000/tim2000-3-1.html )
Antiwar.com
"Behind the headlines" - by Justin Raimondo
February 25, 2000
McCAIN AND THE KLA CONNECTION
George W. Bush has been taken out to the woodshed by
the liberal for appearing on the stage at Bob Jones
University in this day and age, to even appear on a
platform provided by a politically incorrect group
or institution is enough to condemn a candidate to
perdition. And the McCain campaign was quick to
capitalize on it. But why isn't McCain subjected to the
same scrutiny? Please direct your attention to the
photo below [http://www.marx2001.org/crj/IM/mccain.jpg%5d:
the caption informs us that McCain is speaking at "a
pro-Kosovo, pro-McCain rally across the street from his
New York City hotel Friday morning, Feb. 11, 2000.
McCain is in New York for the day to attend fundraisers
and to talk to the press before returning to South
Carolina Friday night." But who is the man on the right,
with the colorful KLA scarf and his big mouth wide open?
The caption-writer is mute on this point, but to anyone
who knows anything about New York's ethnic politics,
the face is all-too-familiar: it is none other than
former Republican Congressman Joe DioGuardi, now the
loquacious leader of the Albanian-American Civic League
(AACL) a group that not only actively represents the
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in America, but whose
leader has become a spokesman for the most radical
fringe elements of the KLA.
"Republican presidential candidate Sen. John
McCain, R-Ariz., speaks to a pro Kosovo, pro
McCain, rally across the street from his New York
City hotel Friday morning, Feb. 11, 2000. McCain
is in New York for the day to attend fundraisers
and to talk to the press before returning to South
Carolina Friday night. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)"
WHO IS JOE DIOGUARDI?
DioGuardi is an extremist who lost his seat in
Congress because his growing preoccupation with
creating a "Greater Albania" did not exactly fit in
with the pothole-fixing skills that must be the first
concern of New York City politicians. Most
Albanian-Americans support independence for Kosovo,
and look with disdain and bewilderment at the US
government's official position that Kosovo is still an
"autonomous" province of Yugoslavia. But DioGuardi
goes one step indeed, several steps further, and
envisions a "Greater Albania." Visitors to AACL's
website ( http://www.aacl.com )are confronted with a
map of this Albanian Empire, which, as Doug Bandow of
the Cato Institute said in his testimony before Congress
( http://www.cato.org/testimony/ct-db031099.html ),
illustrates "a breathtaking agenda," including as it
does "Albania, Kosovo, western Macedonia (along with
its capital, Skopje), southeastern Montenegro (along
with its capital, Podgorica), northern Greece, and
southern Serbia (north of Kosovo)." Alexander Cockburn's
comment on this outrageous map hit the nail on the head
( http://www.counterpunch.org/jatras.html ):
"When I first saw this map it struck a recollection of
something I had seen before. It occurred to me that it
is quite similar to one I have (printed by the State
Department in 1947) of interim territorial
arrangements during World War II. I can understand
that there is an element of hyperbole in critics'
calling NATO's air campaign "Nazi," but fail to see
what interest the United States has in helping to
restore the Nazi-imposed borders of 1943 or how this
helps preserve European stability."
THE KLA: A SHORT HISTORY
It is well-known that the original straight-arm salute
of the KLA was suppressed, by its CIA and German
intelligence handlers, in favor of a less controversial
American-style greeting. While one wing of the KLA
looks to the old-fashioned Stalinism of Enver Hoxha,
the Albanian Communist dictator who aided the early
student organizations that made up the Albanian
separatist movement, the other looks to the "Skanderberg
Division" of the Nazi SS, Albanians recruited by the
Germans to fight for Hitler's cause, for its political
antecedents. DioGuardi has been a vigorous publicist on
behalf of the KLA political commissar, Adem Demaci, a
militant who spent years in Yugoslav prisons. Demaci
denounced the Rambouillet agreement as a sellout and
(along with DioGuardi) rejected all negotiations on
principle. DioGuardi even wrote a letter
( http://www.bosnet.org/archive/bosnet.w3archive/9808/msg00080.html )
congratulating his fellow extremist when Demaci was
appointed chief of the KLA's political wing.
FOLLOW THAT GENIE!
Demaci, DioGuardi, and the KLA militants are now acting
on their dream of a "Greater Albania": this is the
meaning of recent events in Kosovo
( http://www.FreeRepublic.com/forum/a38b4490a4359.htm ).
Madeleine Albright is so frightened by the rising
demands of the pan-Albanians that she made a special
trip to Tirana to denounce the idea as "no more viable
than that of a Greater Serbia." But the genie is already
out of the bottle, and the question is: what will the
next Administration do?
A GREATER ALBANIA
As the KLA conducts its reign of terror in Kosovo,
driving out the Serbs and marching, in tens of
thousands, on the northern city of Mitrovica in an
effort to storm the last Serb bastion, John McCain is
standing alongside a man who is the chief apologist,
organizer, and fundraiser of the KLA in America, a man
who once declared:
"It is unfortunate that misguided European politics,
overly and unfairly influenced by Russia and Greece in
the early part of the twentieth century, resulted in a
partition of the Albanian nation so that more than
half the Albanians in the Balkans live outside the
state of Albania in hostile Slavic regimes, especially
Serbia and Macedonia. . . . With UDBA in Belgrade and
the Sigurimi in Tirana collaborating to buy, trick or
kill those Albanians with democratic aspirations, it
is no wonder that it has been extremely difficult for
seven million. Albanians to organize themselves as a
nation, or even politically within the five
jurisdictions in which they reside. While there is
some cooperation among political parties in certain
areas and across borders, true democratic,
independent-minded Albanian leadership has been
lacking and this has contributed to the divisions,
confusion, and betrayal of the Albanian cause in the
Balkans and in America."
CONSPIRACY THEORY
How's that for a conspiracy theory? According to
DioGuardi, all the nations of Europe conspired to keep
his people disunited. Naturally it is assumed that
every living ethnic Albanian must live in an Albanian
state, since, in the neo-fascist ideology of the KLA,
the State embodies the Race and must defend its
interests irrespective of current national borders.
And, oh yes, that's what we definitely need: more
"cooperation among parties in certain areas and across
borders," so as to spread the rabidly revanchist
ideology of the KLA and set the Balkans aflame.
THE DIOGUARDI-McCAIN CONNECTION
There they are, the two of them, DioGuardi and McCain,
side by side: one who would carve an Albanian empire
in the midst of the blood-soaked Balkans, and the
other who would be President of the United States. It
is a disturbing juxtaposition, to say the very least.
For if we can accuse poor Dubya of endorsing the
anti-Catholic rhetoric of the Bob Jones
fundamentalists simply by speaking at their
auditorium, then what are we to make of would-be
President John McCain appearing with a radical
Albanian nationalist who sees not only Belgrade but
also Skopje and Athens as the enemy? After all, this
is perhaps the wrong signal to the Macedonians, who
have so far enjoyed a fragile peace, and no doubt the
Greeks, our NATO allies, would be less than pleased.
And what of the Montenegrins, whose capital city
DioGuardi and the Albanian lobby covet, and whose
independence we are pledged to defend against the
alleged threat posed by Milosevic? If Bush must be
called to account for supposedly aligning himself with
the forces of intolerance in the US, for the sin of
appearing at Bob Jones U, then should we not call
McCain to account for sharing the platform with a
radical Albanian extremist and endangering the peace
of Europe
TURNING THE TABLES
Although the McCain campaign piously denied it, it has
since come out that they were responsible for phone
calls during the Michigan primary, run ostensibly by a
group called "Catholic Voter Alert," which demanded to
know why Bush had not disavowed the rhetoric of Bob
Jones and his flock about the church being "a Satanic
cult'! This from the campaign McCain piously described
to his followers as "one you can be proud of"! Well,
then, is it not time to turn the tables, and send out
a "Voter Alert" demanding to know why McCain hasn't
repudiated the rhetoric of Joe DioGuardi and his KLA
friends who want to ignite the Balkan tinderbox with
their crazed scheme to create an Albanian empire?
Indeed, this is a lot fairer than the alleged
Bush-Jones connection, because Bush has no history of
anti-Catholicism – the news of his sudden conversion
to the Jonesian doctrine that the Church is "the great
Whore" foretold in the Bible came as a bit of a
surprise. But McCain's apparent conversion to the
cause of pan-Albanian nationalism is far more
credible. For McCain was the most militant and visible
supporter of the Kosovo war, who demanded Clinton pull
out all the stops and send in the ground troops even
going so far as to introduce a Senate resolution that
went down to a well-deserved defeat at the hands of
his Republican colleagues.
THE KLA CANDIDATE
As General Wesley Clark, the US commander of our
troops in Kosovo, calls on NATO and Washington to send
in more troops – and I see, as I write this, that the
Marines are practically on the way the crisis in the
Balkans is approaching critical mass. The NATO-crats
are cranking up the propaganda machine, as the KLA
gets ready to complete the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo
and proceed to the next stage of the ongoing struggle
for a "Greater Albania." Ideologues like Adem Demaci,
in Kosovo, and Joe Dioguardi, in America, want to drag
the US into yet another Balkan war, to "finish the
job" and completely dismember the remnants of
Yugoslavia – using the US and NATO as both their sword
and their shield. With a sympathetic President in the
White House, who remembers how much money and
political support was raised on that trip to New York
at a crucial time in his campaign, DioGuardi and the
KLA may yet see their expansionist dream realized.
With Serbia finally subjugated, Albania would be free
to expand, absorbing not only Kosovo but also
destabilizing Macedonia and threatening Greece.
HOW MUCH?
The last GOP presidential candidate to cash in on the
Albanian connection was Bob Dole: in May 1987, Dole
and DioGuardi attended an Albanian-American
fund-raiser in New York City that raised $1.2 million
for Dole's campaign and $50,000 for DioGuardi's,
according to journalist Diana Johnstone
( http://www.swans.com/library/art5/zig025.html ) and researcher
Benjamin Works. The caption accompanying the above
photo says McCain was in New York doing some
fundraising, and it is fair to ask: how much money did
he get from the Albanian lobby? As the great "reform"
candidate who denounces the influence of "special
interests" and the power of money in politics, McCain
had better tell us exactly how much the Albanian lobby
has thrown his way – and to what effect. Of all the
lobbyists in Washington, it is the "special interests"
represented by the agents of foreign powers that pose
the greatest threat to the integrity of the
Presidency. Joe DioGuardi, rabid Albanian nationalist
and chief American apologist for the drug-connected
totalitarians of the KLA, has spread the money from
his political action committees far and wide
( http://www.siri-us.com/backgrounders/Archives_Kosovo/AlbanianAmericanPac-1980-98.html ),
and no doubt McCain is also the recipient of his largess
but at what price to the American people? The McCain
campaign must immediately release the figures, and
give us some "straight talk" about the KLA-McCain
connection: how much did they get-and in return for
what? The American people have a right to know how
many American soldiers will be put at risk in the
Balkans in the service of paying off President
McCain's political debts.
ALBANIAN PANDERFEST
Republicans are screaming about the panderfest
presided over by the Reverend Al Sharpton, at which Al
Gore and Bill Bradley outdid each other in denouncing
"white skin privilege," but what about McCain's
panderfest with the Albanian warmongers, who want to
drag the US even deeper into the Balkan quagmire? At
least Sharpton isn't demanding the that the lives of
American soldiers be put at risk.
THE BUCHANAN FACTOR
Naturally the American media, which made itself into
the willing instrument of the War Party during the
Kosovo conflict, is reluctant to uncover the fact of
McCain’s connection to Albanian extremists. The
inability or unwillingness of the Bush campaign to
call McCain to account on this question is due in
large part to its own commitment to the Albanian
lobby; their foreign policy advisor, Richard Perle,
was also an advisor to the Bosnian Muslims, who
enthusiastically supported the Kosovo war. The only
major candidate who has made opposition to the Kosovo
war – and opposition to the influence of foreign
lobbyists – a campaign issue has been Patrick J.
Buchanan, the likely Reform Party candidate. Buchanan
is the specter that is haunting this primary season,
with everyone and his brother claiming the mantle of
"reform" – but scurrying away from the vital foreign
policy issue, which only Buchanan has addressed. If
McCain, the would-be conqueror of the Balkans, is the
GOP nominee, then the Republicans, independents, and
Democrats who opposed that war and are horrified by
its frightening results will be driven into the
Reform Party column. Combined with the general
distaste for McCain among conservatives, this is the
one factor that those who prate about the
"electability" of the Warrior Candidate never discuss.
Once again, the Bush people are constrained from
making their best argument against McCain, this time
for fear of breaking the embargo on all discussion of
Buchanan and Reform as viable alternatives. The
impotence of the Bush campaign in the face of the
McCain insurgency is a function not only of the
shortcomings of their candidate, but of the
internationalism of his Establishment foreign policy
advisors and their instinctive fear of the Right. And
that, in the end, will be their undoing.
Please Support Antiwar.com
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Into the Bosnian Quagmire: The Case Against U.S. Intervention in the
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---
STOP NATO: NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.HOME-PAGE.ORG - 28/2/2000
Albanian Daily News
Albanian Republicans Salute McCain
TIRANA- Albania's Republican Party salutes American runner for US
President John McCain, a daily "Republika" reported on Thursday.
The results published up to now of the American presidential campaign
show that John McCain lies some 6 points ahead of George W. Bush,
pushing Albanian republicans to declare their sympathy to their American
counterpart.
Referring to recent meetings between Albanian republican leader Mediu
and John McCain in Washington D.C, the party's daily underlined that
bilateral relations between the two parties have experienced further
strengthening and enrichment.
Albania's Republican Party hopes that such relations will create a
positive impact both for the party itself and its voters.
>-------------------------------------------------------------
>Kosova Crisis Center News <A
HREF="http://www.alb-net.com/html/kcc.html">http:
>//www.alb-net.com/html/kcc.html</A>
>________________________________________________________________
>Via AlBanian List
>August 22, 1998
>
> Adem Demaci
> Prishtina
> KOSOVA
>
> Dear Adem:
>
>The Albanian American Civic League is writing to congratulate you on your
>appointment as the leader of the political wing of the Kosova Liberation Army.
> As you said when you met with us in New York City in the spring of 1997, some time still had to pass before it would become clear who had integrity in the Albanian world and who did not, and some time still had to pass for the realization to take root that Albanians could not be liberated by the United States unless we fought on the ground for our freedom......We believe that you have the ability to lead the Albanian resistance in a courageous and uncompromising manner, and we want you to know that the Civic League is ready to support you and work with you in this important undertaking.
>
>As you probably already know, the Albanian American Civic League was the first organization in the Albanian diaspora to publicly support the Kosova
Liberation Army, both morally and financially. Most notably, we
successfully transformed the Congressional hearing on Bosnia last March into a hearing on Kosova--one in which, through our lobbying efforts, Clinton administration Balkan envoy Robert Gelbard was forced to concede that the KLA had not been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. This produced an immediate change in the Western media's depiction of the KLA and stopped the attempt to criminalize it.
>
>[...]It has also been apparent to us that Serbia's activities have been aided
and abetted by the failed policies of the passive resistance agenda in Kosova-policies that misled Kosovar Albanians and prevented them from preparing themselves for war.
>
Tragically, these policies have been supported and promoted by Western government officials, such as America's Richard Holbrooke and Germany's
Klaus Kinkel, who by their actions have given the green light to Slobodan Milosevic's campaign of state terrorism.[...]
>
When you visited us more than a year ago now, you agreed that there has to
be coordination on both sides of the Atlantic and that, consequently, serious
groups in Kosova and in the West have to synchronize their work. We want
you to know that we have informed the KLA about our Congressional-based
strategy to stop the war against Albanians, beginning with the introduction of
resolutions by Senator Al D'Amato and Congressman Christopher Smith to
indict Slobodan Milosevic as a war criminal in The Hague and with a campaign to stop the confirmation of Richard Holbrooke as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations[...]
>
>Sincerely Yours
>[signature]
>Joseph J. DioGuardi, President
>For the Albanian American Civic League
---
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.HOME-PAGE.ORG
Disgusting! I saw a link titled "Indipendent Kosova - Why" and clicked on.
There was no text, just photos of killed Albanians. Many were from the
Racak "massacre".
So these are the arguments for an "indipendent KosovA".
But why not to writeto this scum Joe DioGuardi? Here is his curriculum
vitae with the e-mail at the end:
Born in the Bronx, New York, on September 20, 1940, Joseph J. DioGuardi
moved to Westchester County with his
immigrant parents, brother, and sister
in 1957. He is a 1958 graduate of Fordham
Preparatory School, and in 1962
he graduated with honors from Fordham
University.
DioGuardi served for twenty-two years,
twelve of them as a tax partner, with
the international accounting firm of Arthur
Andersen & Co., one of the first
public advocates of governmental fiscal
responsibility. In November 1984, he
brought his extensive professional and
volunteer experience to Congress,
when he became the first practicing certified
public accountant ever elected
to the U.S. House of Representatives.
In Congress, DioGuardi took the lead in
sounding the call for truth in federal
budgeting, accounting, and reporting and in
bringing financial accountability
to Capitol Hill. He was the original author
of the Chief Financial Officer's Act,
signed by President George Bush in 1990, which mandated the
assignment of a CFO to each major
department and agency of the U.S. government. Charles Bowsher,
former Comptroller General of the General
Accounting Office, said in testimony before the U.S. Senate that
since the enactment of the bill, "we have
seen important progress in directly confronting serious financial
management weaknesses. "
DioGuardi has distinguished himself by finding bipartisan solutions
to difficult problems. On issues of local
concern, he founded and cochaired the Congressional Long Island
Sound and Hudson River Caucuses, which
secured vital increases in federal support for these embattled
waterways. In 1986, with the late Democratic
Congressman Mickey Leland, DioGuardi initiated legislation to confer
Congressional Medals of Honor on
Black World War I and World War II military heroes, thereby
correcting an historic injustice. More recently,
he cofounded with Congressman Jerrold Nadler the New York Task Force
for Port, Rail, and Industrial
Development in order to restore lost jobs to New York's
manufacturing and transportation industries.
DioGuardi is an advocate for the human rights and self-determination
of oppressed peoples in the Balkans.
Since 1989, he has made fifteen trips to the region. As president of
the Albanian American Civic League, he
and Congressman Tom Lantos made the first official trip to Albania
in fifty years, and he helped open the
doors to democracy in this former Communist dictatorship. In August
1990, DioGuardi persuaded Bob Dole
and six other U.S. senators to visit the two million Albanians in
Kosova under Serbian occupation. In
September 1996, he returned to Albania with Congressman Benjamin
Gilman, chairman of the Committee on
International Relations, to meet with President Sali Berisha to
discuss Albanian national security and
minority rights for the ethnic Greeks in southern Albania. In June
1997, Dio Guardi led a delegation to monitor
the national elections in Albania and in August, 1998 he traveled to
northern Albania to assess the
humanitarian crisis emanating from the war in Kosova, at the request
of Congressman Dana Rohrabacher.
Since leaving Congress in 1989, DioGuardi has established a
nonpartisan foundation, Truth In Government,
through which he continues his crusade for federal fiscal reforms.
The author of Unaccountable Congress: It
Doesn't Add Up, DioGuardi is a frequent speaker on fiscal
responsibility and public accountability. In August
1994, as a keynote speaker at the annual conference of the American
Accounting Association, DioGuardi
persuaded professors of accounting to play an active role in federal
budgeting and financial management. In
May 1996, he returned to Washington as a keynote speaker on federal
financial management reforms before
the Institute of Management Accountants (formerly the National
Association of Accountants). In April 1997,
the Texas Society of CPAs published an article by DioGuardi in
Today's CPA on the real magnitude of the
national debt.
DioGuardi is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including
investiture as a Knight of Malta in 1979,
the International Humanitarian Award The Boys Towns of Italy in
1986, the Outstanding CPA in Government
Award from the New York State Society of CPAs in 1986, the Torch of
Liberty Award from the New York
State Conservative Party in 1987, the Outstanding Public Service
Award from the Westchester County
Republican Committee in 1987, the Westchester Irish Committee's
Dedication to Peace and Justice Award in
1988, the Paul Harris Fellow Award of the Rotary Foundation of
Rotary International in 1988, and the Annual
Achievement Award of the Association of Government Accountants,
Boston Chapter, in 1992.
You can contact Joe DioGuardi by email at jjd@...
Here is DioGuardi's wife c.v.
Shirley Cloyes
Balkan Affairs Adviser
Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on October 18, 1950, Shirley
Cloyes was raised in Westfield, New
Jersey, and graduated from Westfield High School, where she was a
member of the National Honor
Society. She holds a a B.A. in sociology from Oberlin College,
Oberlin, Ohio, and a Master of Divinity,
specializing in systematic theology and culture, from Union
Theological Seminary in New York City.
Between her second and third year of graduate study, she studied the
Indonesian language at the University
of California at Berkeley and then taught for two years at Satya
Wacana University in Central Java, where
she developed and ran an interdisciplinary program on interethnic
relations and development.
In 1983, she coauthored a book entitled To Work and To Love with
German political theologian Dorothee
Soelle and joined the staff of The Seabury Press as an editor.
Following the closure of the house in 1984,
she became marketing director and editorial consultant in Black and
women's studies at Orbis Books.
In 1986, she joined the staff of Lawrence Hill & Company, an
offshoot of the breakup of Hill & Wang, as
associate publisher. The press specialized in African American and
African studies, the Middle East,
women's studies, and controversial domestic and international
political issues. When Larry Hill died in 1988,
she took over the house and was its publisher until the end of 1995.
Some of the noteworthy titles that she
published are The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global
Drug Trade by Alfred W. McCoy,
Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur, Ghosts in Our Blood: With
Malcolm X in Africa, England,
and the Caribbean by Jan Carew, My Friend, the Enemy by Uri Avnery,
and M.I.A. or Mythmaking in
America by H. Bruce Franklin.
In 1995, she published Yugoslavia's Ethnic Nightmare, the first book
on the causes and far-reaching
consequences of the Balkan conflict written from the perspective of
Bosnian Muslim, Croatian, Serbian,
and Macedonian journalists who opposed the war inside the former
Yugoslavia. That year she became the
Balkan Affairs Adviser to the Albanian American Civic League. She
has since written and lectured widely
about the Albanian dimension of the Balkan conflict and made eight
trips to the region.
Cloyes proposed the first Congressional hearing on the Albanian
dimension of the Balkan conflict.
Following the hearing in February 1995, which included
representatives from
all the Albanian lands in the former Yugoslavia, she and Civic
League President Joseph DioGuardi traveled
with Yugoslav dissident Mihaljo Mihaljov to Macedonia at the
invitation of Albanian leaders there to
monitor the reopening of the Albanian-language University of Tetova.
The Macedonian government
attacked the university on the morning of their departure, killing a
student, wounding hundreds, and jailing
the professors. In September of that year, she traveled to Tirana
with DioGuardi and Congressman
Benjamin Gilman, chair of the House Committee on International
Relations, to meet with then President Sali Berisha and to Istanbul
to make the case for the
the independence of Kosova at the National Press center and at the
University of Marmara.
Cloyes has testified before Congress at two historic turning points
in the life of the Albanian nation. In July
1996, she testified on behalf of the State of Albania before the
House Committee on International Relations
and exposed the role of Nicholas Gage of the Panepirotic Federation
and the Albanian Communists in
attempting to overthrow the democratically elected government of
Sali Berisha. In 1998, she testified in
support of U.S. troop deployment in Kosova, following Bob Dole, Jean
Kirkpatrick, and Henry Kissinger.
In February 1998, after the Serbian army attacked Drenice, Cloyes
worked with CNN to gain more
complete coverage of the crisis in Kosova. In March, she and
DioGuardi shifted the focus of a
Congressional hearing with U.S. Balkan envoy Robert Gelbard from
Bosnia to Kosova, and positioned the
questions that forced Gelbard to retract his earlier depiction of
the KLA as a "terrorist" organization. In
August of that year, she published two major articles on U.S.
foreign policy in the Balkans: "The Agony of
Kosova" and "Presiding over Genocide: The Shame of the West." Cloyes
is the author of the Civic
League's October 1999 public declaration, entitled "Resolving the
Albanian National Question," which
examines the internal and external factors that stand in the way of
creating a free and independent Kosova
and bringing a just and lasting peace to the Balkans.
With the start of the NATO bombing campaign against Serbia in March
1999, Cloyes and DioGuardi
appeared separately and together on more than 50 radio and TV
broadcasts. Since the war ended in June
1999, they have made three trips to Kosova to report back to
Congress on postwar conditions.
Cloyes and DioGuardi were married in June 1998.
What a wonderful couple!
****************************************
Maria
MR JAVIER BERNAL wrote:
> STOP NATO: ‘NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.HOME-PAGE.ORG
>
> Great Albania's Project in Action!
>
> http://www.aacl.com
---
Original URL: http://home.pacbell.net/fakta/buying.html
SPECIAL REPORT - Drugs and KLA
FROM BEN WORKS
Jul 5,1999
BUYING AN INTERVENTION: KOSOVO AND ALBANIAN PAC MONEY IN CONGRESS
By Benjamin Works, Director, The Strategic Issues Research Institute
Hack and I, along with a select group of others, have been at war with
the KLA over its heroin and terrorist connections. We also knew
something about how political money bought this war policy. Here's the
story.
Back in 1995, late in the Bosnian war, I got a reference to a 1986
Senate Resolution proposed by Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, decrying
Yugoslavian official oppression of the Albanian population of Kosovo
--that's 1986, when the Albanian Autonomous government was still fully
operational.
Joseph DioGuardi, a New York Republican, sponsored the companion House
Resolution, both of which never emerged from committee.
I got a copy of that Senate Resolution Nr. 150 from the Congressional
Register of June 19, 1986 and then let it sit in my file for a long
time, while the NATO occupation of Bosnia appeared to keep things calm.
Meanwhile, Bob Dole managed to lose the 1996 Presidential Election, then
vigorously supported Mr. Clinton's year-by-year extensions for keeping
some 6900 US soldiers in Bosnia.
As the KLA insurrection in Kosovo reached civil war levels, I began to
think about that resolution and how it misrepresented history. I had
done considerable reading on the origins of the Yugoslav conflicts,
pulling
Washington Post, New York Times and other reports from the 1980s,
bearing on Kosovo and the collapse of the Federative Republic's
communist government under the pressure of ethnic-nationalism. Well,
pieces fit together showing that all along it has been the ethnic
nationalist fascist losers of World War II in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo
who have been exploiting the political process in Germany and the United
States. Their goal has been to effect the division of Yugoslavia and the
cleansing of Serbian populations from their territories, while
purporting that "Greater Serbia" was the menace to European security and
not the post-fascist "Greater Croatia" and "Greater Albania."
Survivors of the Croat Ustashe movement in southern Germany began their
work in the 1960s, but Joseph DioGuardi must be given credit for a
sustained campaign to influence Congress beginning in the mid-1970s.
DioGuardi, an Albanian American whose ancestors came from an Albanian
transplant community in the heel of Italy, sat in Congress for several
years in the mid-1980s as a Conservative Republican from New York's
Westchester County, but creating a Greater Albania was his agenda as a
map on his website shows (www.aapac.com). His Political Action Committee
(PAC) activities are easy to follow from 1988 on. What makes the PAC and
individual contributions to campaigns more interesting is the
demonstrated connection between the Kosovo Heroin Mafia, its "pizza
connection" distribution ("inherited" from the Gambino crime family) and
money-laundering networks, and the number of pizzaria owner-contributors
listed in DioGuardi's filings. The Croats and Albanians came up with big
pots of laundered money, then spread it around selectively, with
American politicians helping to persuade other members in Congress.
I have indications of a political alliance between DioGuardi and Bob
Dole going as far back as the early 1970s, but have not yet got all the
evidence in hand. What I do have is sufficient to reach tentative
conclusions about how foreign policy, in a democracy, can be "bought"
--that is precisely what happened in the case of the Kosovo Air War.
In early 1987, kicking off his 1988 bid to wrest the GOP nomination from
then-vice president George Bush, Dole received $1.2 million from
Albanian American supporters in New York City, while DioGuardi received
$50,000 at the same dinner. I expect the funding trail goes back
further, at least to Dole's 1976 campaign. It certainly continued from
1987 through to the present.
As the collapse of Yugoslavia loomed, the Croatian and Albanian lobbies
continued their campaign: Defense & Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy,
Mar 31, 1993 issue, reported as much as $50 million was larded around
Capitol Hill in a two-year period which saw the defeat of George Bush
and led to Bob Dole's control of the Republican party: The United States
Congress, still reeling from a series of financial scandals involving
representatives and senators, is now bracing for a new problem: the
massive financial "contributions" which have been made to election funds
of politicians by Croatian sources over the past two to three years. One
Congressional investigator told Defense & Foreign Affairs Strategic
Policy that the donations and expenditures on Washington lobbying by the
Croatians over the past two years "could well exceed $50-million." Much
of this came directly from Croatian lobbyists, and some from Croatian
American businessmen" Many of the campaign contributions have been
recorded legally," the investigator said, "but many are questionable.
But what is more important is that there has been a pervasive attempt to
push the United States along a line defined by foreign powers-Croatia
and Germany-and it has not been
subtle. Elected officials are being told to either support the Croatian
line or face either a removal of funding or are told that funding will
be given to their opponents. Or they are literally bribed into
supporting the
Croatian line. This was going on long before Croatia even made its open
bid for recognition as an independent state." Now, as to individual
contributions, there are campaign contribution limits on individuals,
then there are Political Action Committees (PACs), "Soft Money"
contributed to the parties and fed back to candidates, and there is the
time-honored custom of passing bundles of hundred dollar bills in brown
paper bags to favored candidates. Federal Election Commission (FEC)
records are on-line (http://www.tray.com/fecinfo/) and I have been able
retrieve records for Joseph DioGuardi's PACs going back to the 1988
election cycle, and have also tested Bob Dole's 1996 Campaign and Liddy
Dole's
Campaign-2000. It is all there in the lists of candidates and
contributors.
In particular, most of the Congressmen speaking loudest against Serbia
and Serbs are those receiving money from DioGuardi's PAC. Some have
simply been beguiled, others may be more disingenuous. Recipients come
from both sides of the aisle but are mostly members of the House or
Senate foreign
relations committees: Joseph Lieberman and Jesse Helms, Benjamin Gillman
and Tom Lantos. These records do not reveal monster sums of money, but
demonstrate the tip of the iceberg, where "soft money," individual
declared contributions and bags full of $100 bills also find their way
to select candidates.
It is clear that Bob Dole and Joe DioGuardi, in league with Croat and
Bosnian fascist emigrees, worked very effectively to set up US foreign
policy to dismantle Yugoslavia and ruin the Serb people. They have
succeeded admirably because they were organized and persistent, while
their opponents were disorganized and, ultimately, outnumbered by the
overwhelming flood of media propaganda. Now, the US taxpayer is on the
hook for Billions of Dollars, while our service personnel will be tied
down for years in Bosnia and Kosovo, again attempting the kind of nation
building that failed so spectacularly in Somalia and Haiti.
For those wishing to inspect the details of these fundraising, I have
loaded the summary lists compiled thus far at my website along with a
companion reading file on the KLA and Heroin:
http://www.siri-us.com/backgrounders/Archives_Kosovo/AlbanianAmericanPac-198 0-98.html and
http://www.siri-us.com/backgrounders/Archives_Kosovo/KLA-Drugs.html
KLA in the U.S.A.
"These guys [the KLA] have a network that's active on the streets of
this country. The Albanian mob is a scary operation. In fact, the Mafia
relied on Albanian hitmen to carry out a lot of their contracts. They're
the worst elements of society that you can imagine, and now, according
to my sources in drug enforcement, they're politically protected."
In the words of a November 1997 statement issued by Interpol, the
international police agency, ``Kosovo Albanians hold the largest share
of the heroin market in Switzerland, in Austria, in Belgium, in Germany,
in Hungary, in the Czech Republic, in Norway and in Sweden.''
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
"ZA HRVATSKU I KRISTA - PROTIV KOMUNISTA"
Il generale dell'esercito croato Tihomir Blaskic, responsabile delle
violenze a danno dei bosniaco-musulmani soprattutto nella zona di Ahmici
(Bosnia-Erzegovina), immediatamente dopo essere stato messo sotto
inchiesta dal Tribunale dell'Aia fu decorato da Tudjman con una
onoreficenza. Ora, morto Tudjman, Blaskic e' stato condannato a 45 anni
di galera: subito si e' levata in sua difesa la voce della Chiesa
Cattolica Apostolica Romana, nelle persone del Capo dell'Ordinariato
Militare vescovo Jezerinac, del Provinciale dei Francescani della Bosnia
fra Petar Angelinovic, e dello stesso cardinale Vinko Puljic, primate di
Sarajevo (nominato cardinale da questo papa tra un pellegrinaggio e
l'altro alla tomba del nazista Stepinac)
(Fonte: "Il manifesto" 8/3/2000)
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
Il generale dell'esercito croato Tihomir Blaskic, responsabile delle
violenze a danno dei bosniaco-musulmani soprattutto nella zona di Ahmici
(Bosnia-Erzegovina), immediatamente dopo essere stato messo sotto
inchiesta dal Tribunale dell'Aia fu decorato da Tudjman con una
onoreficenza. Ora, morto Tudjman, Blaskic e' stato condannato a 45 anni
di galera: subito si e' levata in sua difesa la voce della Chiesa
Cattolica Apostolica Romana, nelle persone del Capo dell'Ordinariato
Militare vescovo Jezerinac, del Provinciale dei Francescani della Bosnia
fra Petar Angelinovic, e dello stesso cardinale Vinko Puljic, primate di
Sarajevo (nominato cardinale da questo papa tra un pellegrinaggio e
l'altro alla tomba del nazista Stepinac)
(Fonte: "Il manifesto" 8/3/2000)
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
COSA E' L'"INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP"?
Una delle piu' citate fonti di (dis)informazione sulla crisi nei Balcani
e fino all'Asia Centrale (vadasi ad es. la campagna sulla Cecenia,
ripresa in modo becero da "Il Manifesto" del 26/2/2000) e'
L'International Crisis Group (ICG). In passato abbiamo fatto gia' notare
come questa organizzazione "per la promozione dei diritti umani" in
tutti i paesi che intralciano i piani egemonici del Pentagono non sia
altro che una emanazione diretta del Dipartimento di Stato e di una
serie di Fondazioni USA che fortemente influenzano la politica estera
statunitense.
Riportiamo di seguito un po' di documentazione a riguardo. In alcuni
messaggi successivi tratteremo invece della disinformazione che l'ICG
sta attualmente facendo in merito ai problemi delle miniere del Kosmet.
---
http://www.intl-crisis-group.org/
The International Crisis Group (ICG) is a private, multinational
organisation committed to strengthening the capacity of the
international
community to understand and respond to impending crises.
ICG's approach is grounded in field research. Teams of political
analysts
based on the ground in countries at risk of crisis, gather information
from
a wide range of sources, assess local conditions and produce regular
analytical reports containing practical recommendations targeted at key
international decision-takers.
The next step is advocacy. ICG reports are distributed widely to
officials
in foreign ministries and international organisations and made available
to
the general public via the organisation's internet site, located at
www.crisisweb.org. The organisation works closely with governments and
the
press to highlight key issues identified in the field and to stimulate
discussion of potential policy responses. The ICG Board - which includes
prominent figures from the fields of politics, diplomacy, business and
the
media - is also involved in helping to bring ICG reports and
recommendations
to the attention of senior policy-makers around the world. The ICG Board
is
chaired by former US Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, who
recently
brokered the "Good Friday" Peace Agreement in Northern Ireland.
ICG is headquartered in Brussels with a U.S. branch in Washington DC.
The
organisation currently operates field projects in seven countries world
wide: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Macedonia, the Federal Republic
of
Yugoslavia, Algeria, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
ICG raises funds from the European Union, governments, charitable
foundations, companies and individual donors. The following governments
currently have funding agreements with ICG: Austria, Belgium, Canada,
Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway,
the
Republic of China (Taiwan), Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.
Private sector donors include the Blaustein Foundation, the Fares
Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation,
the
Open Society Institute, the Smith Richardson Foundation and the U.S.
Institute of Peace.
November 1999
Board of Trustees November 1999
George Soros Chairman, Open Society Institute
Senator George J. Mitchell, Chairman Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader
Morton Abramowitz Former US Assistant Secretary of State
Hon Gareth Evans QC, ICG President Former Foreign Minister of Australia
Gianfranco Dell'Alba Member of the European Parliament
Oscar Arias Sanchez Former President of Costa Rica; Nobel Peace Prize,
1987
Ersin Arioglu Chairman, Yapi Merkezi, Turkey
Christoph Bertram Director, Science and Policy Foundation
Alan Blinken Former US Ambassador to Belgium
Maria Livanos Cattaui Secretary-General, International Chamber of
Commerce
Mong Joon Chung Member of the Korean National Assembly
Alain Destexhe ICG President Emeritus, Member of the Belgian Senate.
Mou-Shih Ding Senior Advisor to the President, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Mark Eyskens Former Prime Minister of Belgium
Issam M Fares Chairman, Wedge International
Malcolm Fraser Former Prime Minister of Australia
HRH El-Hassan bin Talal Prince of Jordan Website:
http://www.princehassan.gov.jo
Marianne Heiberg Special Advisor to Director-General of UNESCO
Max Jakobson Former Ambassador of Finland to the UN
Elliott F. Kulick Chairman, Pegasus International
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman Novelist and journalist
Allan J MacEachen Former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
Graça Machel Vice Chair, ICG Former Minister of Education, Mozambique
Nobuo Matsunaga President, Japan Institute for International Affairs
Barbara McDougall Former Secretary of State for External Affairs, Canada
Matthew McHugh Counsellor to the President, The World Bank
Miklós Németh Vice President, European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development; Former Prime Minister of Hungary
Olara Otunnu President, International Peace Academy; Former Foreign
Minister
of Uganda
Wayne Owens President, Center for Middle East Peace and Economic
Cooperation
Shimon Peres Former Prime Minister, Israel; Nobel Prize, 1994
David de Pury Chairman, de Pury Pictet Turettini & Co. Ltd.; Former
Swiss
Trade Ambassador
Cyril Ramaphosa Deputy Executive Chairman, New Africa Investments Ltd.,
South Africa
Michel Rocard Former Prime Minister of France
Christian Schwarz-Schilling Member of Bundestag; Former Minister of Post
and
Telecommunications, Germany
William Shawcross Journalist and author
Michael Sohlman Executive Director, Nobel Foundation, Sweden
Stephen Solarz Vice Chair, ICG Former US Congressman
Pär Stenbäck President, Finnish Red Cross; Former Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Finland
Thorvald Stoltenberg Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway
William O Taylor Chairman, Globe Newspapers Co.,USA
Leo Tindemans Former Prime Minister of Belgium
Ed Turner Former Executive Vice President, Turner Broadcasting Inc., USA
Eduard van Thijn Former Minister of the Interior, The Netherlands;
Former
Mayor of Amsterdam
Simone Veil Former President of the European Parliament; Former Minister
for
Health, France
Shirley Williams Member of the House of Lords; Former Secretary of State
for
Education and Science, United Kingdom
---
intl-crisis-group.org - REPORTS INDEX
· Kosovo Albanians in Serbian Prisons: Kosovo's Unfinished
Business (26 January 2000)
· Starting from Scratch in Kosovo: The Honeymoon is over (10th
December 1999)
· Trepca: Making Sense of the Labyrinth (26th November 1999)
· Violence in Kosovo: Who's Killing Whom in Kososvo (2nd
November 1999)
· Waiting for Unmik: Local Administration in Kosovo (18th
October 1999)
· Macedonia: Gearing up for Presidential Elections (18th October
1999)
· Montenegro Briefing: Calm Before the Storm? (18th August 1999)
· Transforming Serbia: the Key to Long Term Stability (12th
August 1999)
· The Policing Gap: Law and Order in the New Kosovo (6th August
1999)
· ICG Balkans Briefing: Stability Pact Summit (27/07/99)
· Back to the Future: Milosevic Prepares For Life After Kosovo
(28 June 1999)
· Kosovo Briefing: Who Will Lead the Kosovo Albanians Now?:
Making sense of Kosovo's Feuding Factions
(28/06/99)
· The New Kosovo Protectorate (20 June 1999)
· Macedonia Briefing: Macedonian Government Holds Together, Eyes
Fixed on Upcoming Presidential Poll (June 14,
1999)
· Kosovo: ICG voices concern over Kosovo Peace Plan (11/06/99)
Press Release
· Wanted For War Crimes (31/05/99)
· Macedonia: Towards Destabilisation? (May 17, 1999)
· Kosovo: let's learn from Bosnia - Models and methods of
international administration (17/05/99)
· Milosevic's Aims In War And Diplomacy (12/05/99) pdf
· Albania Briefing: Albania - The Refugee Crisis (11/05/99)
· Montenegro Briefing: Milosevic to Move on Montenegro
(23/04/99)
· Milosevic Is Winning; NATO Must Change Course (20/04/99)Press
Release
· Consequences of the Kosovo Conflict and Future Options for
Kosovo and the Region (19/04/99)
· Toward an Endgame for Milosevic (08/04/99) Press Release
· Macedonia Update: Challenges and Choices for the New
Governement (06/04/99)
· The Albanian Refugee Crisis (02/04/99)
· Kosovo: Atrocities In Kosovo Must Be Stopped (29/03/99)
· Kosovo: Urgent Call For Protection Of Kosovo's Civilians
(26/03/99) Press Release
· Kosovo: Nato Ground Force Critical To Civilian Protection In
Kosovo (23/03/99) Press Release
· Kosovo: Nato Should Issue Ultimatum To Milosevic: Sign Kosovo
Peace Agreement Or Face Concerted Military
Action Within 72 Hours (15/03/99) Press Release
· Series of three new ICG reports on Kosovo crisis (15/03/99)
Press Release
· Yugoslavia: Sidelining Slobodan: Getting rid of Europe's last
dictator (15/03/99)
· Kosovo: The Road to Peace (12/03/99)
· Unifying The Kosovar Factions: The Way Forward (12/03/1999)
· Kosovo: Clear And Present Danger (26/02/99) Press Release
· Kosovo: Three Steps to Peace (05/02/99) Press Release
· Fear and Loathing in Belgrade (26/01/99)
· Kosovo: Bite The Bullet (22/01/99)
· Macedonia: New faces in Skopje (08/01/99)
· The State Of Albania (06/01/99)
· Milosevic: Déjà Vu All Over Again? (23/12/98)
· Intermediate Sovereignty as a Basis for Resolving the Kosovo
Crisis (09/11/98)
· Sandzak: Calm for Now (09/11/98)
· Macedonia Briefing: Opposition Wins Parliamentary Elections
(04/11/98)
· State Of The Balkans (04/11/98)
· 1998 Elections in Macedonia (09/10/98)
· Albania Crisis Briefing (01/10/98)
· Mr. President, Milosevic Is The Problem (22/09/98)
· Kosovo's Long Hot Summer: Briefing On Military, Humanitarian
And Political Developments In Kosovo
(02/09/98)
· ICG Briefs on Military, Humanitarian and Political
Developments in Kosovo (02/09/98) Press Release
· Macedonia: The Albanian Question In Macedonia: Implications Of
The Kosovo Conflict For Inter-Ethnic Relations
In Macedonia (11/08/98)
· Macedonia: ICG Publishes Report Examining the Macedonian
Dimension of the Kosovo Conflict (10/08/98) Press
Release
· The View From Tirana: The Albanian Dimension Of The Kosovo
Crisis (10/07/98)
· ICG Publishes Report Examining the Albanian Dimension of the
Kosovo Crisis (10/07/98) Press Release
· Yugoslavia:Inventory Of A Windfall: Milosevic's Gains From The
Kosovo Dialogue (28/05/98)
· Yugoslavia: Slobodan Milosevic's Manipulation of the Kosovo
Dispute (06/05/98)
· Kosovo: "War is on the way" (30/04/98) Press Release
· Kosovo Spring Report (20/03/98)
· Supporting Albania's Long-Haul Recovery (18/03/98)
· World powers' response to Kosovo crisis "doesn't go far
enough" warns ICG (10/03/98) Press Release
· Serbia - The Milosevic Factor, (24/0298)
· Kosovo Briefing, (17/02/98)
· Macedonia Update Report (04/12/97)
· Macedonia: The Politics of Ethnicity and Conflict (21/10/97)
· Preliminary Report From Albania (25/06/97)
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: cr-@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
Una delle piu' citate fonti di (dis)informazione sulla crisi nei Balcani
e fino all'Asia Centrale (vadasi ad es. la campagna sulla Cecenia,
ripresa in modo becero da "Il Manifesto" del 26/2/2000) e'
L'International Crisis Group (ICG). In passato abbiamo fatto gia' notare
come questa organizzazione "per la promozione dei diritti umani" in
tutti i paesi che intralciano i piani egemonici del Pentagono non sia
altro che una emanazione diretta del Dipartimento di Stato e di una
serie di Fondazioni USA che fortemente influenzano la politica estera
statunitense.
Riportiamo di seguito un po' di documentazione a riguardo. In alcuni
messaggi successivi tratteremo invece della disinformazione che l'ICG
sta attualmente facendo in merito ai problemi delle miniere del Kosmet.
---
http://www.intl-crisis-group.org/
The International Crisis Group (ICG) is a private, multinational
organisation committed to strengthening the capacity of the
international
community to understand and respond to impending crises.
ICG's approach is grounded in field research. Teams of political
analysts
based on the ground in countries at risk of crisis, gather information
from
a wide range of sources, assess local conditions and produce regular
analytical reports containing practical recommendations targeted at key
international decision-takers.
The next step is advocacy. ICG reports are distributed widely to
officials
in foreign ministries and international organisations and made available
to
the general public via the organisation's internet site, located at
www.crisisweb.org. The organisation works closely with governments and
the
press to highlight key issues identified in the field and to stimulate
discussion of potential policy responses. The ICG Board - which includes
prominent figures from the fields of politics, diplomacy, business and
the
media - is also involved in helping to bring ICG reports and
recommendations
to the attention of senior policy-makers around the world. The ICG Board
is
chaired by former US Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, who
recently
brokered the "Good Friday" Peace Agreement in Northern Ireland.
ICG is headquartered in Brussels with a U.S. branch in Washington DC.
The
organisation currently operates field projects in seven countries world
wide: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Macedonia, the Federal Republic
of
Yugoslavia, Algeria, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
ICG raises funds from the European Union, governments, charitable
foundations, companies and individual donors. The following governments
currently have funding agreements with ICG: Austria, Belgium, Canada,
Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway,
the
Republic of China (Taiwan), Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.
Private sector donors include the Blaustein Foundation, the Fares
Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation,
the
Open Society Institute, the Smith Richardson Foundation and the U.S.
Institute of Peace.
November 1999
Board of Trustees November 1999
George Soros Chairman, Open Society Institute
Senator George J. Mitchell, Chairman Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader
Morton Abramowitz Former US Assistant Secretary of State
Hon Gareth Evans QC, ICG President Former Foreign Minister of Australia
Gianfranco Dell'Alba Member of the European Parliament
Oscar Arias Sanchez Former President of Costa Rica; Nobel Peace Prize,
1987
Ersin Arioglu Chairman, Yapi Merkezi, Turkey
Christoph Bertram Director, Science and Policy Foundation
Alan Blinken Former US Ambassador to Belgium
Maria Livanos Cattaui Secretary-General, International Chamber of
Commerce
Mong Joon Chung Member of the Korean National Assembly
Alain Destexhe ICG President Emeritus, Member of the Belgian Senate.
Mou-Shih Ding Senior Advisor to the President, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Mark Eyskens Former Prime Minister of Belgium
Issam M Fares Chairman, Wedge International
Malcolm Fraser Former Prime Minister of Australia
HRH El-Hassan bin Talal Prince of Jordan Website:
http://www.princehassan.gov.jo
Marianne Heiberg Special Advisor to Director-General of UNESCO
Max Jakobson Former Ambassador of Finland to the UN
Elliott F. Kulick Chairman, Pegasus International
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman Novelist and journalist
Allan J MacEachen Former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
Graça Machel Vice Chair, ICG Former Minister of Education, Mozambique
Nobuo Matsunaga President, Japan Institute for International Affairs
Barbara McDougall Former Secretary of State for External Affairs, Canada
Matthew McHugh Counsellor to the President, The World Bank
Miklós Németh Vice President, European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development; Former Prime Minister of Hungary
Olara Otunnu President, International Peace Academy; Former Foreign
Minister
of Uganda
Wayne Owens President, Center for Middle East Peace and Economic
Cooperation
Shimon Peres Former Prime Minister, Israel; Nobel Prize, 1994
David de Pury Chairman, de Pury Pictet Turettini & Co. Ltd.; Former
Swiss
Trade Ambassador
Cyril Ramaphosa Deputy Executive Chairman, New Africa Investments Ltd.,
South Africa
Michel Rocard Former Prime Minister of France
Christian Schwarz-Schilling Member of Bundestag; Former Minister of Post
and
Telecommunications, Germany
William Shawcross Journalist and author
Michael Sohlman Executive Director, Nobel Foundation, Sweden
Stephen Solarz Vice Chair, ICG Former US Congressman
Pär Stenbäck President, Finnish Red Cross; Former Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Finland
Thorvald Stoltenberg Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway
William O Taylor Chairman, Globe Newspapers Co.,USA
Leo Tindemans Former Prime Minister of Belgium
Ed Turner Former Executive Vice President, Turner Broadcasting Inc., USA
Eduard van Thijn Former Minister of the Interior, The Netherlands;
Former
Mayor of Amsterdam
Simone Veil Former President of the European Parliament; Former Minister
for
Health, France
Shirley Williams Member of the House of Lords; Former Secretary of State
for
Education and Science, United Kingdom
---
intl-crisis-group.org - REPORTS INDEX
· Kosovo Albanians in Serbian Prisons: Kosovo's Unfinished
Business (26 January 2000)
· Starting from Scratch in Kosovo: The Honeymoon is over (10th
December 1999)
· Trepca: Making Sense of the Labyrinth (26th November 1999)
· Violence in Kosovo: Who's Killing Whom in Kososvo (2nd
November 1999)
· Waiting for Unmik: Local Administration in Kosovo (18th
October 1999)
· Macedonia: Gearing up for Presidential Elections (18th October
1999)
· Montenegro Briefing: Calm Before the Storm? (18th August 1999)
· Transforming Serbia: the Key to Long Term Stability (12th
August 1999)
· The Policing Gap: Law and Order in the New Kosovo (6th August
1999)
· ICG Balkans Briefing: Stability Pact Summit (27/07/99)
· Back to the Future: Milosevic Prepares For Life After Kosovo
(28 June 1999)
· Kosovo Briefing: Who Will Lead the Kosovo Albanians Now?:
Making sense of Kosovo's Feuding Factions
(28/06/99)
· The New Kosovo Protectorate (20 June 1999)
· Macedonia Briefing: Macedonian Government Holds Together, Eyes
Fixed on Upcoming Presidential Poll (June 14,
1999)
· Kosovo: ICG voices concern over Kosovo Peace Plan (11/06/99)
Press Release
· Wanted For War Crimes (31/05/99)
· Macedonia: Towards Destabilisation? (May 17, 1999)
· Kosovo: let's learn from Bosnia - Models and methods of
international administration (17/05/99)
· Milosevic's Aims In War And Diplomacy (12/05/99) pdf
· Albania Briefing: Albania - The Refugee Crisis (11/05/99)
· Montenegro Briefing: Milosevic to Move on Montenegro
(23/04/99)
· Milosevic Is Winning; NATO Must Change Course (20/04/99)Press
Release
· Consequences of the Kosovo Conflict and Future Options for
Kosovo and the Region (19/04/99)
· Toward an Endgame for Milosevic (08/04/99) Press Release
· Macedonia Update: Challenges and Choices for the New
Governement (06/04/99)
· The Albanian Refugee Crisis (02/04/99)
· Kosovo: Atrocities In Kosovo Must Be Stopped (29/03/99)
· Kosovo: Urgent Call For Protection Of Kosovo's Civilians
(26/03/99) Press Release
· Kosovo: Nato Ground Force Critical To Civilian Protection In
Kosovo (23/03/99) Press Release
· Kosovo: Nato Should Issue Ultimatum To Milosevic: Sign Kosovo
Peace Agreement Or Face Concerted Military
Action Within 72 Hours (15/03/99) Press Release
· Series of three new ICG reports on Kosovo crisis (15/03/99)
Press Release
· Yugoslavia: Sidelining Slobodan: Getting rid of Europe's last
dictator (15/03/99)
· Kosovo: The Road to Peace (12/03/99)
· Unifying The Kosovar Factions: The Way Forward (12/03/1999)
· Kosovo: Clear And Present Danger (26/02/99) Press Release
· Kosovo: Three Steps to Peace (05/02/99) Press Release
· Fear and Loathing in Belgrade (26/01/99)
· Kosovo: Bite The Bullet (22/01/99)
· Macedonia: New faces in Skopje (08/01/99)
· The State Of Albania (06/01/99)
· Milosevic: Déjà Vu All Over Again? (23/12/98)
· Intermediate Sovereignty as a Basis for Resolving the Kosovo
Crisis (09/11/98)
· Sandzak: Calm for Now (09/11/98)
· Macedonia Briefing: Opposition Wins Parliamentary Elections
(04/11/98)
· State Of The Balkans (04/11/98)
· 1998 Elections in Macedonia (09/10/98)
· Albania Crisis Briefing (01/10/98)
· Mr. President, Milosevic Is The Problem (22/09/98)
· Kosovo's Long Hot Summer: Briefing On Military, Humanitarian
And Political Developments In Kosovo
(02/09/98)
· ICG Briefs on Military, Humanitarian and Political
Developments in Kosovo (02/09/98) Press Release
· Macedonia: The Albanian Question In Macedonia: Implications Of
The Kosovo Conflict For Inter-Ethnic Relations
In Macedonia (11/08/98)
· Macedonia: ICG Publishes Report Examining the Macedonian
Dimension of the Kosovo Conflict (10/08/98) Press
Release
· The View From Tirana: The Albanian Dimension Of The Kosovo
Crisis (10/07/98)
· ICG Publishes Report Examining the Albanian Dimension of the
Kosovo Crisis (10/07/98) Press Release
· Yugoslavia:Inventory Of A Windfall: Milosevic's Gains From The
Kosovo Dialogue (28/05/98)
· Yugoslavia: Slobodan Milosevic's Manipulation of the Kosovo
Dispute (06/05/98)
· Kosovo: "War is on the way" (30/04/98) Press Release
· Kosovo Spring Report (20/03/98)
· Supporting Albania's Long-Haul Recovery (18/03/98)
· World powers' response to Kosovo crisis "doesn't go far
enough" warns ICG (10/03/98) Press Release
· Serbia - The Milosevic Factor, (24/0298)
· Kosovo Briefing, (17/02/98)
· Macedonia Update Report (04/12/97)
· Macedonia: The Politics of Ethnicity and Conflict (21/10/97)
· Preliminary Report From Albania (25/06/97)
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: cr-@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
TIM 2000/3-1 ----------------------------------------
IL POPE ARTEMIJE - AMBASCIATORE DI CHI E DI CHE COSA?
http://www.truthinmedia.org/Bulletins2000/tim2000-3-1.html
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 – “This morning (Feb. 25) Secretary of State
Madeleine K. Albright met with Kosovo Serb leaders Bishop Artemije
Radosavljevic and Father Sava Janjic to discuss the situation of the
Serb community in Kosovo and to continue a process of engagement with
moderate opposition leadership,” a State Department press release
stated.
TiM Ed.: Correction. “Kosovo Serb Leaders?” Neither Bishop Artemije,
nor any other Serb vassal who has ever accompanied him in his visits at
the State Dept., are “Serb leaders” by any stretch of the imagination.
They have been neither elected nor appointed as such, neither in Kosovo
nor anywhere else in Serbia. They may be “Serb leaders,” therefore,
only by a State Department’s effort to assign them a higher rank than
they deserve. Or by their own exaggerated and self-congratulatory
claims.
Take a look at the caption under a photo at the Decani web site
(http://www.decani.yunet.com/ ), maintained by Artemije’s close aide,
Fr. Sava Janjic, who, as you saw from the above State Department
release, was also present at their Feb. 25 meeting with Albright. The
caption reads: “Bishop Artemije - the missionary of peace again in US
to speak on behalf of his people.” The photo was taken in Washington,
DC, Feb/99.
“On behalf of his people?” His Disgrace would be well advised to speak
only on his own behalf. And to remember how “his people,” the Serbs of
Kosovo, jeered him and Albright the last time around when he cavorted
with the enemy during the U.S. Secretary of State’s visit to Kosovo in
July 1999 (see "Albright, Artemije Jeered by Serbs, Cheered by Serbs,
Cheered by Albanians" - S99-131, "Peace" 25, Item 1, July 31). We
understand that the Serb media have also published photos of Artemije
and Albright taken on Feb. 25, though we have not yet been able to
obtain one. For the time being, here’s a photo from an earlier visit by
Artemije et.al. to the State Dept.
As if cavorting with the person whom the London Telegraph dubbed “the
West's most influential anti-Serb hawk” in its Feb. 27 “post mortem” to
the Kosovo war weren’t bad enough, His Disrace also joined Albright in
reaffirming “their strong commitment to a multiethnic, democratic Kosovo
and their rejection of partition,” according to the Feb. 25 State Dept.
release. “The Secretary and Bishop Artemije strongly endorsed Special
Representative to the Secretary General (SRSG) Bernard Kouchner's Agenda
for Coexistence and agreed that it provided a basis for moving forward
toward participation of the Serb community in Kosovo's democratization.”
Raymond Kent, a former history professor at the Berkeley University in
California, described this French Jew as “France's most vocal and
opinionated Serbophobe,” in a Feb. 18 letter of protest against the
PBS/Jim Lehrer anti-Serbian bias (you can see the full text of his
letter in Item 6 below). Prof. Kent added, “this writer has personally
listened to him on the French TV on a dozen occasions spewing his
anti-Serb venom.
And so, His Grace stumbles from one disgraceful act to another… From
posing with the “the West's most influential anti-Serb hawk,” to
“strongly endorsing” the “France's most vocal and opinionated
Serbophobe.” Both gestures represent another act of Artemije’s
subservience to the New World Order, and another act of disservice to
the Serb people.
In a December 1999 TiM Bulletin, “Cavorting with the Enemy”, we also
condemned similar actions of some pro-western Serb opposition leaders
who traveled to Berlin to kiss up to Albright. Here’s the opening
paragraph:
“Can you imagine a Serb leader posing for reporters with one of Hitler's
top aides - after the Luftwaffe's April 6, 1941 bombing of Belgrade
which killed hundreds of civilians? Not if he hoped to be a Serb leader
for long, right?
Well, on Dec. 17, three would-be Serb leaders - Zoran Djindjic, Milo
Djukanovic and Vuk Draskovic did just that at a Berlin (how
appropriate!) Dec. 17 meeting with an unindicted war criminal, Madeleine
Albright, the U.S. Secretary of State. Or Hate, to be more accurate.
Take a look at the photo posted at our Web site. What are these people
smiling about? The thousands of Serb civilians killed or maimed by the
bombs in, what TIME magazine called, "Madeleine's War?" (see S99-81, Day
55, Item 2, May 17).”
More than 2,000 Serb civilians were killed by NATO under the auspices of
the war criminals, like Albright. Nearly 1,000 other Serb civilians
killed under the watchful eyes of Kouchner. Over 200,000 Serbs who were
driven from their ancestral homes in Kosovo during the NATO/KFOR “peace
farce.” And after all that, Artemije et. al. and the pro-western
vassals among the Serb opposition meet with, and pose for photographs,
with
the NATO war criminals?
[Text Box: Artemije with Clinton (Nov/99)] [Text Box: Artemije, Sava
with Holbrooke (Aug/99)] [Text Box: Artemije, Sava with Thaci (summer
1999)]
Nor are we talking only about Artemije-Albright tête-à-tête sessions.
Take at a look at the Decani web site. It’s full of boastful
photographs of this Serb bishop posing with leading New World Order
criminals. Artemije with Clinton… Artemije with Richard Holbrooke…
Artemije with Hashim Thaci… Artemije at the Council on Foreign Relations
(in New York), etc.
Such a disgraceful behavior by a Serb bishop, [Text Box: Artemije at
the CFR (Feb/99)] especially after the NATO bombing of Serbia, dishonors
all Serb victims of the New World Order crimes. If Artemije plans to
keep on acting as a quisling of the western powers that be, which he is
free to do as an individual, at least he should have enough decency to
take off his clerical robes when he cavorts with the war criminals.
For, his behavior can be also construed by uninitiated or malicious
people as the Serbian Orthodox Church’s endorsement of his shameful
missions. We don’t know who is paying for his trips to Washington and
New York, butas far as TiM is aware, Bishop Artemije only represents
himself, not the Serbian Orthodox Church, which has publicly denounced
Slobodan Milosevic, the NATO bombings, and the KFOR “peace farce.”
Artemije’s recent actions have rightly earned him the epithet – His
Disgrace. May he wear it in shame.
B92 1/3/2000 ------------------
FERITO UN PARA' RUSSO IN KOSMET
Russian paratrooper wounded
PRISTINA, Wednesday - A Russian KFOR paratrooper was wounded in a
firearm incident in Srbica yesterday, the Russian Ministry of Defence
announced today. The soldier has undergone surgery following what the
ministry describes as an accident which occurred while he was on guard
duties. His condition is reported to be stable..
IL POPE ARTEMIJE NEGLI USA
Kosovo cleric in US
WASHINGTON, Wednesday - Orthodox Bishop Artemije of Raska and Prizren
today told the US Congress Helsinki Committee that the status of Kosovo
should remain frozen until violence had been eliminated and democratic
processes begun not only in Kosovo but in the rest of Serbia and
Yugoslavia. Bishop Artemije also called on the international community
to take more resolute action in Kosovo as prescribed by UN Security
Council Resolution 1244. He emphasised that moderate Serbs in Kosovo
needed media access and better communication between their enclaves so
that their voices could be heard by all Kosovo Serbs.
REUTERS 1/3/2000 ---------------------------------
QUINDICIMILA IN PIAZZA A SKOPJE CONTRO LA POLITICA
ECONOMICA DEL GOVERNO DI DESTRA
Thousands Attend Macedonian Union Rally
SKOPJE, Mar 1, 2000 -- (Reuters) Around 15,000
Macedonian workers took to streets in the capital
Skopje on Tuesday to protest against high unemployment
and the economic policies of the center-right
government.
The demonstration was organized by the blue-collar
Alliance of Macedonian Unions.
Its president, Zivko Tolevski, called on the
center-right government to start a dialogue with
unions.
He urged it to not accept "blackmail from the
international financial institutions, especially the
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund".
"Should we close down all big companies? We are
opposed to that," he told the crowd.
"If they close down the loss-making companies so many
people would be left with no jobs. We are sure that
other solutions could be envisaged," he said.
Tolevski said the former Yugoslav republic, which
became independent in 1991, had one of Europe's
highest unemployment rates, 36 percent.
"We have a right to send a powerful message to the
international community and Europe that Macedonia can
not overcome its economic crisis with all these
barriers and blockades," said Tolevski, referring to
sanctions against its northern neighbour Serbia.
AP 1/3/2000 ---------------------------------
SERBI-KOSOVARI INFURIATI CONTRO I SOLDATI USA
http://www.newsday.com/ap/topnews/ap882.htm
Angry Serbs Surround U.S. Soldiers
PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) -- A crowd of chanting Serb
civilians surrounded a platoon of U.S. soldiers for
six hours in a small village in eastern Kosovo,
angrily insisting they hand over a Serb suspect
detained in a weapons search, U.S. officials said
Thursday.
The standoff in Gornje Kusce, two miles north of the
town of Gnjilane, ended only after the 15 soldiers
conducting a weapons search sought reinforcements and
the Serbs let them leave, said Maj. Debbie Allen, a
spokeswoman for U.S. forces.
No injuries were reported, but the government-run
Yugoslav news agency Tanjug said American troops beat
up three Serbs and arrested one. U.S. officials could
not be reached for comment.
The standoff began Wednesday evening when soldiers
conducting a weapons search detained a Serb man after
finding two AK-47s and several hundred rounds of
ammunition in his home. Some 200 Serbs gathered, and
refused to disperse despite efforts by the soldiers to
negotiate their way out.
After three hours, the troops called for
reinforcements. About 60 soldiers arrived, but could
not extricate the platoon. More reinforcements were
called, but the situation was defused only when the
crowd permitted the soldiers to leave with the
suspect.
About 100 soldiers had converged on the tiny village
by the time the standoff was over.
The village was the site of a massive funeral for a
Serb doctor slain last week.
Tanjug said the standoff occurred because U.S. troops
conducted a ''brutal'' search in the village. Serbs
were especially angered by the appearance of
''uniformed ethnic Albanians together with the
Americans.''
It was unclear who the ''uniformed ethnic Albanians''
were but ethnic Albanian interpreters who accompany
American troops wear green camouflage fatigues and
helmets like the U.S. soldiers.
REUTERS 2/3/2000 --------------------------
MUORE IL PARA' RUSSO IN SEGUITO ALLE FERITE
Russian Kosovo Soldier Dies Of Wounds
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Yugoslavia, Mar 2, 2000 -- (Reuters) A Russian
soldier serving with the KFOR peacekeeping force in Kosovo died of his
wounds after being shot in an ethnic Albanian town, the French army said
on Thursday.
"The Russian soldier died of internal bleeding overnight," said Major
Philippe Maurin, a spokesman for the French KFOR forces stationed in the
north of the turbulent province.
The Russian soldier, whose name was withheld pending notification of his
family, was shot on Tuesday in the overwhelmingly Albanian town of
Srbica.
The town is about 20 km (12 miles) south of Kosovska Mitrovica, the
mining city which has become the frontline of continuing ethnic tension
between Kosovo's ethnic Albanians and the dwindling Serb minority.
French officials said the incident was under investigation and have
declined to comment on a motive for the shooting.
The soldier, a driver, was hit once in the chest in broad daylight in
the center of Srbica, where he had taken his commanding officer for a
meeting with local officials.
Srbica is just north of the area of Kosovo usually patrolled by Russian
KFOR troops, who are distrusted and feared by ethnic Albanians who see
the Russians as natural allies of their fellow Orthodox co-religionists,
the Serbs
B92 2/3/2000 ------------------
SERBI AFFRONTANO LE TRUPPE KFOR
Serbs harass KFOR troops
PRISTINA, Thursday - The Serbian population of the Kosovo village of
Gornje
Kusce last night held off US troops with pitchforks and hoes, KFOR
spokesman
Hoening Philip told media today. According to Philip the incident
occurred
when the troops arrested a Serb after finding three automatic rifles in
his
house. Amateur radio operators reported that there had been six
Albanians
among the international troops and the Gornje Kusce residents had called
Russian soldiers from Kamenica to determine their identity. The crowd
eventually allowed the troops to leave with the arrested man after an
additional sixty soldiers were called.
LA FINANZA TEDESCA PER IL MONTENEGRO
German finance for Montenegro
BERLIN, Thursday - The German Government has approved a loan of 40
million
Deutsche Marks to Montenegro. The deal, which involves cooperative
projects
with German businesses, was announced after discussions today between
Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic and German Foreign Minister Joscha
Fischer in Berlin.
PROTESTE SERBE A MITROVICA
Up again down again bridge
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Thursday - Several hundred Serbs gathered today on
the
northern bank of the Ibar river in Kosovska Mitrovica in a protest
against a
pontoon bridge installed this morning by KFOR. The protesters told media
that
they had assembled to oppose KFOR attempts to transport a group of
Albanians
across the river from the southern part of the town into the Serb zone.
KFOR
eventually abandoned the attempt to move the Albanians. KFOR Northern
Centre
Command told Beta agency that the bridge would be open every day from
8.00 am
to 6.00 p.m. for pedestrian passage.
However KFOR troops later this afternoon dismantled the bridge less than
twelve hours after setting it up. The official reason given was "a rise
in
the water level of the river".
B92 3/3/2000 ----------------------------------------------
SCONTRI A MITROVICA IN SEGUITO ALLA PROVOCAZIONE DELLA KFOR
CHE FORZA IL "RIENTRO" DI ALBANESI NEL QUARTIERE
ZEPPO DI PROFUGHI SERBI
Repatriation "invasion" in northern Mitrovica
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Friday -- Serbs in northern Kosovska Mitrovica today
clashed violently with KFOR troops as international forces returned the
first
contingent of Albanian families to their homes in the Serbian zone of
the
divided town. After a crowd of several hundred Serbs stoned troops
stationed
on the bridge to protect the first group of Albanians, French KFOR
troops
dispersed the protesters with mace cartridges. France Press reports that
at
least six Serbs were hurt during the conflict and several KFOR vehicles
damaged.
The group of 38, mainly elderly Albanians reached the northern zone
shortly
before 4.00 p.m. A convoy of armed vehicles crossed the bridge and set
off
for Bnjaca mahal, the northern area where the Albanians lived.
KFOR confirmed yesterday that it had noted the emergence of a group of
armed
Albanians in Kosovo who were making incursions into the southern
municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, in Serbia proper. A
spokesman for KFOR Commander Klaus Reinhardt said today that KFOR had no
jurisdiction to intervene outside Kosovo but was patrolling the
administrative border in order to prevent illegal crossings.
MANOVRE NATO IN VISTA, ARTEMIJE LE APPOGGIA
NATO exercises "no cause for alarm"
BRUSSELS, Friday -- NATO's Dynamic Response 2000 manoeuvres, which are
planned to begin in two weeks in Kosovo, in no way represent a new
threat,
and nor did they celebrate a year from the beginning of the air strikes
against Yugoslavia, Belgrade daily Glas javnosti quotes sources in
NATO's
Brussels headquarters as saying today. An unnamed NATO source said that
the
exercises were only simulations of the supply of strategic support to
KFOR
and SFOR forces in the region. The same source added that the rumours
and
concerns in Yugoslavia that a new round of bombing could occur were
completely unfounded and unjustified, and that such stories were pure
political science fiction.
Bishop Artemije of the Kosovo diocese of Raska and Prizren expressed the
hope
today that the NATO manoeuvres would be the beginning of a more active
engagement of KFOR in protecting the remaining Serb other non-Albanian
population in the province. Bishop Artemije, speaking on his return from
the
US, said that US officials had shown great readiness to work on securing
conditions for the return of non-Albanians to Kosovo.
"WANTED" PER MILOSEVIC, KARADZIC E MLADIC
SECONDO IL MIGLIOR STILE DEL FAR WEST
"Wanted" posters of Milosevic, Kardzic and Mladic in Bosnia
WASHINGTON, Friday -- The US will display about 10,000 "wanted" posters
throughout Bosnia offering a five million dollar reward for information
leading to the capture of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, former
Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and wartime Bosnian Serb army
leader
General Ratko Mladic. The US State Department said today that the reward
offer stood also applied to another 27 indicted war crime suspects, but
the
posters would carry photos only of Milosevic, Mladic and Karadzic.
ALBRIGHT, KOUCHNER: FINALMENTE IL KOSOVO E' RIPULITO,
POSSIAMO TENERE DELLE BELLE ELEZIONI DEMOCRATICHE
International community calls for Kosovo elections
LISBON, Friday -- The foreign ministers of the European Union, meeting
with
their Russian and US counterparts in Lisbon today declared that the
prompt
organisation of local elections in Kosovo was necessary as part of
efforts to
re-establish peace in the region. The US Secretary of State, Madeleine
Albright, and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said that the
organisation
of elections didn't need an increase in KFOR troops but work on the
preparation of election conditions so that the polls could be fair.
Albright
called on the international community to secure appropriate financial
conditions so that the elections could be held under appropriate
conditions.
Albright said yesterday that the guiding principle in Kosovo could be
respect
for minority rights, rather than the establishment of the multiethnic
society
demanded by Western leaders so far. Speaking to a US Senate
sub-committee,
the secretary for state said that the international community was moving
towards a multi-ethnic ideal in Bosnia, but added that it was difficult
to
use that term in Kosovo because Serbs there were in the minority and so
their
interests were in the respect of minority rights.
Meanwhile, United Nations Kosovo mission chief Bernard Kouchner is on
his way
to New York where he will submit a report on Kosovo the United Nations
Security Council on Monday, a report which pays particular attention to
plans
for the stabilisation of Kosovska Mitrovica. KFOR Commander Klaus
Reinhardt
will accompany Kouchner. Kosovska Mitrovica Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic
said
today that Kouchner would convey to the Security Council the comments of
the
Serb community on his Strategy for Peaceful Co-existence in Mitrovica.
AFP 6/3/2000 ---------------------------------------------
SADDAM HUSSEIN AIUTEREBBE MILITARMENTE LA RF DI JUGOSLAVIA
Saddam Ready To Send Troops To Aid Serbia
BAGHDAD, Mar 6, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) Iraq is prepared to send
troops to Serbia, President Saddam Hussein has told a Serbian envoy,
Monday's official press reported.
"We are against the aggression against you," Saddam told the speaker of
Serbia's parliament, Dragan Tomic.
"Our position is voiced not only in words but by any means you consider
useful, including our presence at your side to fight the aggression," he
told Tomic, who is a senior official of Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic's Socialist Party of Serbia.
"We oppose all those who want to divide your country because we are on
the side of good and against evil," Saddam vowed.
He also seized the occasion to predict, once again, the defeat of the
United States.
"The arm used by the United States against Iraq, against Yugoslavia and
which they will probably use against others, will surely tire," the
president told the delegation, which included Yugoslav minister without
portfolio Zoran Vujovic.
"They will weaken more and more and will be defeated."
Saddam branded as "dogs" NATO forces which attacked Serbia last year and
condemned "the Arabs who sided with the dogs against you".
He urged "the people of the whole world to unite in strength to show
America its limits."
"It's the Zionists and not the Christians who set the American policy of
killing Muslims throughout the world," Saddam said.
The Iraqi strongman said he opposed the break up of countries into
ethnic or religious groupings and predicted that the United States,
which he said encouraged the process, would also break up one day.
"One day this will turn against America which is playing the role of
sorcerer's apprentice and I believe all the countries of the world will
rejoice when America breaks up."
Iraq, repeatedly bombed by the United States and Britain since 1991
following Baghdad's invasion of Kuwait, backed Belgrade against NATO.
Links between the two have strengthened in recent months. ((c) 2000
Agence France Presse)
VOICE OF RUSSIA 6/3/2000 -----------------------
DI CHI LA COLPA PER LA PULIZIA ETNICA IN KOSOVO?
Voice of Russia March 6, 2000
WHO IS TO BLAME FOR ETHNIC CLEANSINGS IN KOSOVO?
Exactly one year since the start of NATO's aggression against
Yugoslavia, Petr Iskenderov looks back at where things stood right
before it all happened…
A few days ago, the Albanian separatist leader Hashim Thaqi unveiled
some secret details of KLA operations in the period immediately
preceding last year's allied military operation.
The then KLA leader said that his organization was working flat out
using hit and run tactics against Serbian police officers and the
Yugoslav military with an eye to provoking retaliation from Belgrade.
This, he said, would give the separatists a chance to bring repression
charges against Yugoslavia and appeal for Western interference to end
alleged human rights abuses by Belgrade.
Apparently carried away, Mr. Thaqi also mentioned the tragedy in the
Serbian village of Racak where dozens of dead bodies have recently been
unearthed by OSCE experts who identified them as KLA fighters apparently
killed in action. And still, people at the NATO headquarters in Brussels
put the blame for the killings of peaceful Albanian peasants squarely on
Belgrade. The charge provided a comfortable justification for NATO's
subsequent aggression against Yugoslavia.
Making a clean breast on what really had happened, Mr. Thaqi admitted
that his militants had intentionally killed four Serb police officers at
Racak knowing that the Serbs would not take long retaliating for the
attack. The Serbs retaliated all right, but not against peaceful land
tillers. What they did was a large-scale operation against armed
Albanian paramilitaries who had turned the village into a major
stronghold. It was exactly their dead bodies, which were later found,
something that is now admitted even by the then KLA supremo who has
absolutely no reason to lie.
Which means that NATO launched its unprecedented aggression against a
sovereign state responding to a sheer provocation by the so-called
Kosovo Liberation Army. Moreover, none of the other much-trumpeted cases
of allegedly Serb-organized ethnic cleansings of local Albanians has
proved correct even though they have been investigated by experts from
such respected international organizations as the U. N., the OSCE and
even the British parliament. Not 50,000 massacred civilians but just a
few hundred fighters killed in action - that's the unanimous conclusion
made by American, British and Spanish experts, all of whom, as we can
see, come from NATO countries.
To err is human, of course, but when an ill-intentioned provocation
results in 78 days and nights of all out war then the whole thing is
just a perfect case for a military tribunal to mete out equal justice
for Hashim Thaqi, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Xavier Solana and other
"scriptwriters" .
03.06. 2000
REUTERS 6/3/2000 --------------------------------------
APPENA PRESO "SCAPPA" IL QUINDICENNE UCCISORE DEL PARA'
Suspect In Death Of Russian Kosovo Soldier Escapes PRISTINA, Yugoslavia,
Mar 6, 2000 -- (Reuters) A suspect in the killing of a Russian
peacekeeping soldier in Kosovo escaped from prison just two days after
he was arrested, a spokesman for the KFOR peacekeeping force said on
Sunday.
"The 15-year-old who was arrested for the killing of the Russian soldier
escaped," said Major Kristian Kahrs, a spokesman for the peacekeeping
force. He said he had no further details, including the suspect's name
or from which prison he escaped and how he got out. Private Igor
Korshunov, 31, was shot once in the chest in broad daylight by a gunman
in the overwhelmingly Albanian town of Srbica, 40 km (25 miles)
northwest of Pristina, on Tuesday.
French gendarmes in the French-controlled northern zone of Kosovo have
been investigating the incident but have not so far revealed the reason
for the shooting.
Korshunov is the third Russian soldier shot on peacekeeping duties in
Kosovo but the first to die. Russians have not been welcome in ethnic
Albanian areas of the predominantly Albanian province because of their
perceived sympathies for Orthodox co-religionist Serbs.
AFP 7/3/2000 ---------------------------------
AUMENTANO LE CRITICHE DA MOSCA PER LA CONDOTTA
INTERNAZIONALE IN KOSMET
Russian Official Accuses UN Of Failing To Fulfil
Kosovo Mission
MOSCOW, Mar 7, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) A
high-ranking Russian defense official on Monday
accused the United Nations and NATO of failing to
fulfil their obligations in Kosovo.
General Leonid Ivashov, in charge of international
cooperation at the defense ministry, singled out the
head of the UN mission in Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner,
for criticism.
His "categorical refusal to work with the Yugoslav
government" was one reason for the deterioration of
the situation in Kosovo, Ivashov said in a television
interview.
The NATO forces, in particular the United States want
Kosovo to cede completely from Yugoslavia, regardless
of UN resolutions to keep it within the rump
federation, he added.
The Alliance has taken the role of defending the
Kosovo Liberation Army -- the rebel group which has
been formally disbanded -- he said.
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said last
Thursday that Moscow would re-examine its
participation in KFOR if Yugoslavia's integrity was
not guaranteed. ((c) 2000 Agence France Presse)
REUTERS 7/3/2000 -----------------------
SCONTRI CON DECINE DI FERITI A MITROVICA
WIRE:03/07/2000 09:31:00 ET
French, Serbs, Albanians Hurt in Kosovo Clash
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Yugoslavia (Reuters) - At least seven French
KFOR soldiers, 20 Serbs and three Albanians were injured Tuesday in
the predominantly Serb part of the divided Kosovo town of Mitrovica.
A Reuters reporter at the scene said he saw at least six French
soldiers and one captain injured when Albanians threw two explosive
devices at soldiers who had surrounded an Albanian house from which
there had been shooting.
Some of the soldiers were evacuated to a nearby French military
hospital.
Philippe Paco, a spokesman for the United Nations Mission in Kosovo,
said he had heard that the incident started with a quarrel between
Albanian and Serb youths.
"One Albanian fired a hunting rifle on a young man and wounded him
and immediately after that Albanians from a courtyard fired two hand
grenades," Paco said.
A doctor at the hospital in northern Mitrovica, Marko Jaksic, said 20
Serbs had been injured.
"Twenty injured Serbs have been received in the hospital for
treatment and two of them are seriously wounded," said Jaksic, head
of the surgical ward of the Mitrovica hospital.
KFOR spokesman Lieutenant Christian Lindmeier said by telephone from
the Kosovo capital Pristina that he could confirm that 10 Serbs and
three Albanians had been wounded and "several" French soldiers had
received grenade injuries.
He said the French were not badly hurt.
The northern Mitrovica district where the firing broke out was
heavily fortified by KFOR last week when it managed to return some
Albanians to their homes there after a two-day standoff with angry
Serbs.
KFOR and the United Nations, anxious to demonstrate their backing for
a multi-ethnic Kosovo, put on a huge show of force to get the
Albanians back home through a gauntlet of Serbs, who said having
Albanians in their part of town was a threat to their safety.
The Albanians had fled to the purely Albanian southern part of the
town, which is divided by the River Ibar, last month after ethnic
violence drove them from their homes.
The shooting later died down. French KFOR spokesman Colonel Patrick
Chanliau said French soldiers were still surrounding the house where
the shooting had started. He also said two cars were burning and that
a child was among the injured.
Troops and U.N. police had reinforced the bridges dividing the town
where Serbs and Albanians had gathered on their respective sides of
the river. The atmosphere remained extremely tense but was quiet
after the shooting finished.
AP 8/3/2000 -------------------------------
SCOMODO "BENVENUTO" ALLA ALBRIGHT IN BOSNIA
New York Times/AP March 8, 2000
Serbs Protest Albright in Bosnia
Filed at 11:18 a.m. EST
By The Associated Press
BRCKO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) -- Hundreds of Serbs chanted
``killers´´ as Secretary of State Madeleine Albright drove by today,
marring her visit to a Bosnian city meant to serve as an example of
ethnic harmony for Kosovo´s residents.
Meanwhile, in Kiseljak, about 60 miles to the south, a demonstration by
close to 10,000 Bosnian Croats also turned into an anti-U.S. protest.
Albright, who earlier today concluded a sentimental visit to her Czech
homeland, arrived in Brcko for an announcement formally making the
northern city a multiethnic district.
Brcko already has a multiethnic government approved by the international
officials running the city. Its residents are exempt from the draft, a
symbolic gesture meant to demonstrate the importance of peace.
But as Albright's motorcade drove up to the municipal building where the
announcement and ceremony making the city a district was to take place,
about 300 Serbs began chanting ``killers,´´ ``thieves´´ and
obscenities.
One of the vehicles was hit by an egg, and many protesters waved three
fingers in the air in the traditional Serb salute. Some in the crowd
also chanted, ``Dodik, traitor´´ -- a reference to Milorad Dodik,
the pro-Western premier of the Serb half of Bosnia.
Nationalist Serbs still resent the United States for its support of
Muslims during the Bosnian war, which ended in 1995 after NATO bombing
helped force the Serbs to seek peace.
But Serbs aren't the only ethnic group in Bosnia angry at Americans.
In Kiseljack, protesters accused the West of being anti-Croat because of
the U.N. war crimes tribunal's recent decision to sentence Gen. Tihomir
Blaskic to 45 years in prison for atrocities against Muslims. They
burned a U.S. flag and whistled each time Albright's name was mentioned.
The U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo advised Americans to stay away from
Kiseljak, some 25 miles west of Sarajevo, and the southern city of
Mostar, where more demonstrations were expected.
The status of Brcko was the only territorial issue left unresolved in
the 1995 Dayton peace agreement.
Brcko had been under sole control of Bosnian Serbs until last year, when
it was placed under joint administration of the Serb republic and the
Muslim-Croat Federation.
Bosnian Serbs insisted on maintaining control because Brcko is on a
narrow corridor linking Serb-held lands in the east and west of the
country.
But the Muslim-Croat federation wanted access to the river and rail
facilities. The federation also wanted the thousands of mostly Muslim
refugees to be able to return to their homes in Brcko.
International mediators twice postponed a decision on Brcko's future
because of the sensitivity of the issue and the strong claims by both
sides. After the international decision in March 1999 removed it from
exclusive Serb control, hundreds of Bosnian Serbs demonstrated in the
Serb half of the country, refusing to accept its neutrality. The
protests eventually died down.
In a speech Tuesday in the Czech capital, Prague, Albright noted that
critics once feared the Brcko issue could derail the entire peace
process but said ``those predictions were wrong.´´ Albright said
that gives rise to hope that the same level of cooperation can be
reached eventually in Kosovo, especially in the explosive city of
Kosovska Mitrovica, where dozens were injured in ethnic clashes Tuesday.
During her two-day visit here, Albright is to meet with representatives
of all three ethnicities -- Muslims, Serbs and Croats.
Upon arriving in Sarajevo from Prague, Albright headed to the U.S.
Embassy for a meeting with Bosnian opposition leaders.
Albright was to return to Sarajevo today for meetings with the national
leaders before traveling to the Bosnian Serb capital, Banja Luka, for
talks with Dodik, the Bosnian Serb prime minister, and other moderate
leaders at odds with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
The United States and others accuse Milosevic of continuing to foment
ethnic conflict, not only in Kosovo but in Bosnia through efforts to
undermine pro-Western Bosnian Serb politicians.
YDS 8/3/2000 --------------------------------------
TERMINATA LA VISITA NEL LAOS DEL MINISTRO JUGOSLAVO
YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER ENDED VISIT TO LAOS
VIENTIANE, March 7 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin
Jovanovic
ended on Tuesday his three-day official visit to Laos during which he
had
met with the country's top officials.
Laos President Khamtay Siphandon received Jovanovic on Sunday, on Monday
he was received by Prime Minister Sisavat Keobounphanh, while on Tuesday
he
met with Parliament Speaker Saman Vignaket.
The country's military leadership showed interest in learning the causes
and consequences of NATO's March 24-June 10 1999 aggression on
Yugoslavia.
Jovanovic's meetings with the Laos officials showed that they shared
Yugoslavia's positions on and assessments of the NATO crime.
Vignaket said that the NATO aggression was a warning to all nations and
that the Yugoslav people and leadership's heroic resistance to it served
as
an example to other countries fighting for freedom and independence.
Jovanovic and Vignaket discussed the promotion of all-round cooperation
between the two countries, agreeing to ensure the exchange of visits by
the
two countries' parliamentary delegations and their joint activity within
the Interparliamentary Union.
LA JUGOSLAVIA VUOLE LA VERITA' DALL'ONU
F.R.YUGOSLAVIA - UN
YUGOSLAV U.N. AMBASSADOR URGED TRUTH ABOUT KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
NEW YORK, March 7 (Tanjug) - For nine months, the U.N. Security Council
has been in a blockade which prevents it from doing its duty in the
right
way and opening a debate on the true problems such as security in
Kosovo-Metohija and the inefficacy of the international mission there,
according to Yugoslavia's U.N. ambassador on Tuesday.
Ambassador Vladislav Jovanovic was making a critical appraisal of
Monday's
closed-door consultations in the Security Council, at which the civilian
and security mission chiefs to the U.N.-ruled Serbian (Yugoslav)
Kosovo-Metohija province, Bernard Kouchner and Klaus Reinhardt,
submitted
their reports.
Speaking at a news conference, Jovanovic said the Monday debate again
had
completely ignored the burning questions concerning Kosovo-Metohija,
where
he said there was chaos and where ethnic Albanian terrorist operations
were
continuing unabated.
He said the alarming nature of the situation was evident also from
Tuesday's reports about the latest wave of terrorist attacks in Kosovska
Mitrovica, in which a score of people were wounded, including
international
KFor force troops.
Regrettably, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's report, published on
the
eve of the arrival of Kouchner and Reinhardt at U.N. headquarters, had
done
the same as the Council debate - viz., distracted attention from the
true
problems and causes of the chaos in Kosovo-Metohija to quite tangential
ones.
His report, too, avoided pointing the finger at the true culprits for
the
ethnic cleansing of Kosovo-Metohija of its Serbs and other
non-Albanians,
and made no mention of the genocide committed thereby, Jovanovic said.
Although Annan did present some facts objectively, he yet buried the
complete picture and the truth under an avalanche of unimportant details
without making a right and comprehensive statement about the situation
in
Kosovo-Metohija or the true reasons for the difficult situation in the
province, Jovanovic said.
He went on to say that the international mission officials had done
nothing to discharge their mandate.
Turning a blind eye to what the terrorists are doing is the same as
siding
with them, according to Jovanovic, who said this only encouraged the
separatists and fed their belief that one day they might detach
Kosovo-Metohija from the parent state.
If U.N. Resolution 1244 clearly provides for an autonomous status and
self-rule for Kosovo-Metohija, then clearly Kouchner, with decisions
that
are at odds with it, is trying to open scope for wrong interpretations
and
distortions of the Resolution, Jovanovic said.
He went on to say this was the first time that the U.N. flag had been
abused for the purposes of ethnic cleansing.
The truth and only the truth is the way to speak about Kosovo- Metohija,
he stressed.
Facts and only facts must be the language in which to talk about the
situation in that U.N.-administered southern province of the Yugoslav
republic of Serbia and the true competencies of the international
presence
there, he emphasised.
ANNAN IN BILICO TRA FATTI E MENZOGNE
ANNAN BALANCING BETWEEN FACTS AND KOUCHNER'S LIES
NEW YORK, March 8 (Tanjug) - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan
held a press conference at the U.N. New York headquarters on Tuesday
which
was mostly devoted to Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province.
Reporters linked their questions with two events - Monday's
consultations
of the U.N. Security Council when Annan's special envoy Bernard Kouchner
presented a series of unobjective assessments and excuses for the
failure
of the Kosovo U.N. mission, and, second, Tuesday's press conference by
Yugoslav U.N. mission head Ambassador Vladislav Jovanovic and his
evaluation of the failure of the international mission and the Security
Council's inability objectively and comprehensively to discuss Kosovo
and
Metohija.
Annan reiterated his concern over the situation in the southern Serbian
province. He also said that it was not possible to deal with the
situation
in Kosovo separately from the rest of the region. Speaking about the
announced elections in the province, he said it was necessary that the
civilian mission UNMIK cooperate with the Yugoslav government.
The secretary-general tried to make an artificial balance between hard
facts and the lies relentlessly launched by his envoy Kouchner.
Asked to comment Kouchner's countless illegal moves in the province,
Annan
tried to present them as practical measures and steps without which it
would be difficult to manage the administration of the province.
Annan said he was aware that Yugoslavia saw these moves by Kouchner as
preparations for the independence of Kosovo and Metohija, but failed to
mention that other council members, primarily Russia and China, share
this
opinion and the critical evaluations presented by Yugoslavia, and that
they
also warn against Kouchner's dangerous activities.
Asked about Yugoslavia's criticisms of the inefficiency of the
international mission, Annan said he was familiar with these criticisms.
He
then admitted that the international mission faced great problems from
its
very start and that the United Nations had a very difficult mandate from
the very beginning.
KFOR ED UNMIK FATTO IL CONTRARIO DI QUANTO PREVISTO
NELLA RISOLUZIONE DELL'ONU 1244
KFOR, UNMIK FAIL TO IMPLEMENT KOSOVO AND METOHIJA RESOLUTION
VIENNA, March 7 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav ambassador in Vienna Rados
Smiljkovic said here Tuesday that the U.N. peacekeeping force KFOR and
the
U.N. civilian mission to Kosovo and Metohija (UNMIK) did not implement
and
even greatly violated U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244.
Presenting the Yugoslav government's memorandum on the resolution,
Smiljkovic said that the situation in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia's
southern province was deteriorating and that violence committed by
ethnic
Albanian extremists had begun spreading outside the province.
Attacks on Serbian authorities and Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic
are used to conceal the international factor's failure, while elections
in
Kosovo and Metohija are placed in the focus of the world public's
attention, he said.
He said that no elections would be possible as long as the remaining
non-Albanians in the province and loyal ethnic Albanians were killed on
a
daily basis by the ethnic Albanian terrorist organisation calling itself
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
He said that pressure on Yugoslavia was exerted through open attempts to
trigger a conflict between the country's two federal entities, Serbia
and
Montenegro, to divide and radicalise political forces in Yugoslavia and
to
use them in ousting the country's authorities ahead of the coming local
and
federal elections.
The further tightening of the sanctions against Yugoslavia, instead of
their lifting and the creation of conditions for a speedy economic
development and cooperation in the region, serves the same purpose, he
said.
He said that ethnic Albanian terrorists were used as an instrument to
destabilise not only Kosovo and Metohija but also the entire region in
order to conceal the United Nations' failure and justify NATO's further
presence in the region.
He said that there were indications that the retailoring of Balkan
borders, which had begun in 1991, had not been finished, warning that
another war might break out if certain countries continued to pursue
such a
policy.
Independence for Kosovo and Metohija automatically leads to further
retailoring of borders in the Balkans, he said. He stressed that
Yugoslavia
was doing all within its power to prevent another war, saying, however,
that certain other parties were trying to provoke the country.
"LIBERARE" MITROVICA (DAGLI ULTIMI JUGOSLAVI RIMASTI)
TERRORIST SCENARIO OF "LIBERATING" KOSOVSKA MITROVICA
PRISTINA, March 7 (Tanjug) - The Yugoslav committee for cooperation with
the U.N. mission in Kosovo and Metohija and the provisional executive
council of the autonomous province of Kosovo and Metohija assessed
Tuesday
evening that the development of that day in Kosovska Mitrovica, in which
scores of civilians were injured, but also KFOR troops, represents a
"planned and precise scenario recently made public" by Albanian
terrorists
on the "liberation" of the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica.
The statement said that "only two days ago the leader of Albanian
terrorists who is favoured by a part of the international community,
Hashim
Tachi, announced when he spoke in the village of Donji Prekaz, 40 km
south-east of Pristina, the "liberation" of the northern part of
Kosovska
Mitrovica that was to be carried out by the "Kosovo Liberation Army,"
non-existent for the West.
Also present in Donji Prekaz, when the new wave of terror was announced,
were representatives of the international community, who did not react
to
the threats of violence, the statement said.
"Western ideologists of crime against Serbs intend to continue in the
same
way, along with the terrorists, the ethnic cleansing of Serbs also from
north Kosovo and Metohija."
Developments in Kosovska Mitrovica have revealed the true face of the
representatives of the international community, of resolve to complete
the
ethnic cleansing of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, the
statement said among other things.
KOUCHNER NON RISPETTA IL MANDATO ONU
YUGOSLAV OFFICIAL ACCUSED KOUCHNER OF IGNORING U.N. MANDATE
PRISTINA, Serbia, March 7 (Tanjug) - Yugoslavia's official liaising with
the U.N. mission to Kosovo-Metohija (UNMIK) said on Tuesday that UNMIK
chief Bernard Kouchner's plan to draw up a provisional constitution for
that Serbian (Yugoslav) province was another instance of a wrong and
biased
policy.
In connection with Kouchner's request to the U.N. Security Council on
Monday to be allowed to draw up a provisional constitution of
Kosovo-Metohija, Ambassador Stanimir Vukicevic said the latest request
by
the UNMIK chief was another proof that he is acting outside the mandate
given him by the Security Council. "The U.N. Security Council's
Resolution
1244 envisages for autonomy for Kosovo-Metohija, nothing more,"
Vukicevic,
who chairs the Yugoslav committee liaising with UNMIK, said in Kosovo-
Metohija's city of Pristina.
He warned that, by promulgating a "constitution," Kouchner was seeking
to
endorse all his decisions taken so far, i.e., to sever all
Kosovo-Metohija's ties with Serbia and Yugoslavia.
"We expected Kouchner to put the true problem to the Council, i.e., to
brief the Council members on inadequate security for the Serbs,
Montenegrins and other non-Albanians, not to conceal the truth from them
by
asking for a provisional constitution for Kosovo-Metohija," Vukicevic
said.
He wondered who would vote for such a constitution in a situation where
more than 360,000 people from Kosovo-Metohija are living outside the
province.
"Kouchner is obviously in a hurry to rush through a constitution in
their
absence, a legal document that would seriously upset plans for the
return
of the more than 360,000 people to their homes in Kosovo-Metohija,"
Vukicevic said.
He said he hoped the international community had finally realised that
the
policy being pursued in that U.N.-ruled province of the Yugoslav
republic
of Serbia was not one that would solve the problem but rather one that
would prolong the Kosovo-Metohija crisis.
SUGLI ATTACCHI TERRORISTICI A MITROVICA
IVANOVIC: TERRORIST ATTACK - LARGE SPECTACLE
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, March 7 (Tanjug) - The terrorist attack on Serbs on
Tuesday is nothing but a large spectacle ahead of the arrival of Wesley
Clark in Kosovska Mitrovica, said a local Serb official.
Oliver Ivanovic, who heads the Serbian National Assembly in Kosovska
Mitrovica, said that Albanian terrorists acted on Tuesday in conformity
with "their doctrine" that prescribes as many wounded Serbs as possible
and
the greatest possible pressure on them.
Such a large number of wounded Serbs has not been registered since
October
12 when Albanian terrorists threw four grenades on Serbs gathered near
the
bridge on Ibar river and when 33 Serbs were wounded, Ivanovic said.
At least 14 French troops were seriously wounded when they intervened
during the afternoon to stop the Albanians who attacked Serbs in
Kosovska
Mitrovica.
In the attacks were wounded 22 Serbs, two of them seriously.
Albanians attacked with two grenades the French after troops surrounded
the house of Dzeljalja Ademi, an ethnic Albanian, in the northern
(Serbian)
part of town.
A large number of French, German and Danish troops are patrolling in
armoured cars the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, and helicopters
are
overflying the town.
THIRTY-SIX PERSONS WOUNDED IN ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORIST ATTACKS
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, March 7 (Tanjug) - Twenty-two
Serbs and 14 French peacekeepers, including an officer, were wounded
Tuesday in a series of attacks launched by ethnic Albanian terrorists in
the Bosnjacka district of Kosovska Mitrovica's northern section.
According to head of the town hospital's surgical and orthopaedic
department Marko Jaksic, two Serbs were seriously wounded, while 17
other
Serbs also had to remain in hospital.
Most of the Serbs wounded in the attacks, which began just before noon
and
lasted for two hours, are secondary school pupils. The terrorists used
hand
grenades and opened fire with small arms and heavy weapons in the
attacks.
The violence broke out when Ljuan Muftari, an ethnic Albanian who was
later arrested, approached a group of four Serb youths hitting one of
them
with an iron bar without any reason. After that, an ethnic Albanian came
out of his house with a rifle and opened fire on the Serb youths,
wounding
one them in the thigh.
Ethnic Albanian terrorists threw four hand grenades on another group of
Serbs. All this was happening in the presence of German troops
participating in the U.N. peacekeeping force KFOR who did nothing to
prevent the violence.
French KFOR troops arrested Dzeljaj Ademi, an ethnic Albanian from whose
house terrorists opened fire. Ademi, who up to this point worked with
Serbs
in Kosovska Mitrovica's northern, Serb-populated section, threw two hand
grenades on a group of Serbs and a cordon of French KFOR troops.
Around 1.30 p.m. local time, French peacekeepers surrounded the house
ordering the terrorists to surrender. The terrorists responded by
throwing
two hand grenades on them.
Strong KFOR troops guarded all three bridges dividing the town into its
northern and southern, ethnic Albanian-populated section, while the
town's
streets were patrolled by a large number of armoured personnel carriers
with French, German and Danish peacekeepers.
KFOR helicopters flew over the town's northern section for two hours.
Ethnic Albanian terrorist attacks on Serbs ahead of every international
official's visit to Kosovo and Metohija, including Tuesday's visit to
Kosovska Mitrovica by NATO Supreme Commander Europe Wesley Clark, are no
coincidence. They are part of the ethnic Albanian terrorists' plans to
provoke Serbs and pin the blame on them for unrest and clashes.
Tuesday's
terrorist attacks have also greatly resulted from KFOR's inefficiency
because the force has been informed that members of the ethnic Albanian
terrorist organisation calling itself Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) live
in
the Bosnjacka district.
RAZZIATE LE CASE DEI SERBI DI OBILIC
ETHNIC ALBANIAN EXTREMISTS STORM SERB HOUSES IN OBILIC
OBILIC, March 8 (Tanjug) - About 1,000 ethnic Albanian extremists
stormed
a block of houses with exclusively Serb tenants in the Kosovo and
Metohija
town of Obilic on Tuesday evening, said the local Committee for
Protection
and Human Rights.
There are no reports yet about possible casualties or damage.
Ethnic Albanians hurled stones at six houses built within the Yugoslav
program for settling Serbs and Montenegrins in the southern Serbian
province. Serbs have lived here in constant fear of terrorist actions by
ethnic Albanians, the sources said.
Almost all windows on the houses were broken, and the attackers also
used
firearms.
Ethnic Albanian extremists also went on a rampage in streets in downtown
Obilic, the committee representatives said.
The rampage went on for almost an hour. The local international force
KFOR
Norwegian contingent reacted only after the height of the violence
abated,
the committee said.
L'ONU PREPARA UN CENSIMENTO-TRUFFA NEL KOSOVO SETTENTRIONALE
UN TRIES TO CONDUCT ILLEGAL CENSUS IN NORTHERN KOSOVO
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, March 8 (Tanjug) - The United Nations population
agency UNFPA is secretly distributing forms in northern Kosovo and
Metohija
in an effort to collect data for an illegal census, within the illegal
decisions of U.N. Kosovo and Metohija mission chief Bernard Kouchner,
and
in direct violation of Security Council Resolution 1244.
The distribution of these forms began recently in the Serb-populated
municipalities of Zubin Potok and Leposavic. The questionnaires are
headed
- demographic and socio-economic studies, and allegedly serve
exclusively
for statistical purposes. The U.N. civilian mission UNMIK administrators
in
Zubin Potok, a U.S. citizen, and in Leposavic, a Dane, are behind these
illicit activities.
The local Serb population who were given the questionnaires reacted by
addressing the municipal authorities, which took the united stand that
this
was yet another manipulation and provocation by the international
community, led by Kouchner. The authorities said Serbs should not
respond
to these actions.
TERRORISTI PAN-ALBANESI VIAGGIANO SUI MEZZI STATUNITENSI
Ethnic Albanian terrorists in U.S. personnel carriers
March 08, 2000
Bujanovac, March 7 - That ethnic Albanian terrorists
in Kosovo and Metohija act in close conjunction with members of the
international forces (KFOR) has been confirmed by the action of
separatists who, accompanied by U.S. personnel carriers, arrived on
March 4 in the village of Rejanovac, municipality of
Kosovska Kamenica, and in the hamlet of Borovac opened automatic gun
fire on the defenders of Serbian houses.
This is what foreign reporters in Bujanovac learned
from a Serb who managed to get away from Borovac, a hamlet near Kosovska
Kamenica. He described the event which took place on Saturday, March 4.
In the action took part seven American armored personnel carriers.
While ethnic Albanian terrorists opened fire from the
direction of the village, U.S. KFOR troops were silent observers and
only filmed the scene, the man said. Ethnic Albanian terrorists were
wearing uniforms of U.S.KFOR troops, and came from the direction of
Rejanovac although that terrain is in the zone of responsibility of
Russian units.
From Rejanovac, ethnic Albanian terrorists previously
expelled 50 Roma and six Serbian families, but did not manage to
complete the ethnic cleansing.
When the shooting ceased, the terrorists climbed into
two U.S. personnel carriers, parked in the fields, and then withdrew,
failing to detect Serb defense positions.
The man who managed to get to Bujanovac said that KFOR
helicopters overflew Rejanovac only two meters above house roofs. Masked
terrorists stormed into undefended Serbian houses, grabbing money,
valuables and livestock.
Some twenty days ago, terrorists even dared attack
Russian KFOR troops, who returned fire. The Russians managed to seize
from the terrorists an anti-tank mine and three hand grenades.
B92 10/3/2000 ---------------------
SERBI FERITI IN SCONTRI CON LA KFOR
Serbs injured in clash with KFOR
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Friday - Three Serbs were injured yesterday in a
clash
with Danish KFOR troops in the village of Grabovac, near Kosovska
Mitrovica.
Villagers today complained that the Danish soldiers had treated them
roughly
during a search for illegal weapons, smashing furniture and scattering
firewood.
LA SIGNORA DAL PONTE INSABBIA L'INCHIESTA SULLA NATO
MA SARA' "SEVERISSIMA" CONTRO I CRIMINALI DI GUERRA CHE VUOLE LEI
Hague prosecutor wants to make life tough for accused
THE HAGUE, Friday - The Hague Tribunal's chief prosecutor said today
that she
intended to make life difficult for Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic and
others accused of war crimes. Carla del Ponte said that her absolute
priority
was the arrest of remaining suspects, adding that she particularly
sought the
arrest of Milosevic, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and
former
head of the Bosnian Serb Army Ratko Mladic, whom she considered
responsible
for the worst crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia.
IL MONTENEGRO PRONTO ALL'INDIPENDENZA
Montenegro preparing to protect statehood
PODGORICA, Friday - Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic said today
that
Yugoslavia's southern republic was investing maximum effort to prepare
state
bodies and the public to protect statehood and freedom in Montenegro.
Djukanovic, speaking at a joint press conference with EU Foreign Affairs
Commissioner Chris Patten in Podgorica, said that a new crisis in the
Balkans
was not desirable but that if the Belgrade regime began open
destruction,
Montenegro would be prepared.
The Montenegrin President also announced today that local elections
would be
held in Podgorica and Herceg Novi on June 11. The reason for this, he
said,
was that the municipal assemblies in these cities were not functioning
since
the ruling Better Life coalition had lost its majority.
YDS 9/3/2000 ---------------------------------------
JOVANOVIC IN VISITA IN INDONESIA DOPO COREA DEL NORD,
BIRMANIA, LAOS E CINA
TALKS IN JAKARTA
JAKARTA, March 8 (Tanjug) - The foreign ministers of Yugoslavia and of
Indonesia Zivadin Jovanovic and Alwi Abdurrahman Shihab held talks in
Jakarta on Wednesday.
It was mutually assessed in the talks, the first meeting of the two
foreign
ministers after a number of years, that regardless of some oscillations
the
half-a-century long friendship of the two countries had withstood the
test
of time, and that dialogue was maintained even in the most difficult
conditions. The embassies of the two countries worked continuously,
contacts were kept up between the representatives of the two ministries,
and Yugoslavia was visited last year by an Indonesian parliamentary
delegation.
The Yugoslav foreign minister visited Jakarta on his way back to
Belgrade
after official visits to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea,
Myanmar
and Laos and a stop-over in China.
The talks between Ministers Jovanovic and Shihab were held in a friendly
atmosphere and with a constructive approach of both sides to the
expansion
of bilateral relations. It was agreed that dialogue be continued and
promoted, and that visits be exchanged by businessmen, delegations of
chambers of commerce and social organizations.
It was agreed that the legal frames of cooperation be analyzed in detail
with a view to streamlining and completing them.
The Ministers talked about the cooperation of the two countries in
international organizations, and about the need to reactivate Yugoslavia
as
a full-fledged member of the U.N. and of the nonaligned movement.
Information was exchanged about the internal development of Yugoslavia,
and
Indonesia, about reform processes and economic-technological
development.
Jovanovic informed his counterpart about the results of renewal and
reconstruction in Yugoslavia and the importance of the Yugoslav economy
for
integration processes in the region, and about the concerning situation
in
Kosovo and Metohija.
He stressed that Yugoslavia insisted on the respect of its sovereignty
and
territorial integrity, on countering separatist and terrorist
activities,
and consistent compliance with Resolution 1244 on Kosovo and Metohija.
Yugoslavia is interested in open cooperation on an equal footing, both
with
neighbouring countries and with other countries who accept us as an
equal
partner, Jovanovic said, and invited Shihab to visit Yugoslavia, which
was
accepted by the Indonesia foreign minister with pleasure. Indonesia is
the
largest Islamic country with a population of 214 million and as an
influential member of a number of important international organizations,
it
is considered of key importance in southeastern Asia. As an exporter of
oil
it is an OPEC member and very active in ASEAN and OIC.
Jovanovic gave interviews in Jakarta to the newspaper Indonesia Observer
and to a popular T.V. station, Anteve.
GLI OBIETTIVI DEGLI USA
SECONDO IL MINISTRO DELL'INFORMAZIONE DELLA RFJ
MATIC: U.S. OBJECTIVES - ECONOMIC DOMINATION AND EXPLOITATION
BELGRADE, March 9 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav Information Minister Goran Matic
said
in a Serbian Radio Television RTS live broadcast late Wednesday that the
so-called new world order presented the aspiration of the U.S.
administration to enforce such an order on the whole world using any
means
possible.
Speaking about media and the new world order on "Open Studio," Matic
said
he agreed with statements by U.S. analysts who said that the United
States
was using its air force to finish what its media could not accomplish in
order to realize its interests through the implementation of the new
world
order.
This situation is not new, Matic said. It has been created repeatedly in
the whole 20th century. The United States always found it necessary to
create new crises in the world in order to realize its imperialist and
economic interests, since the U.S. interests are primarily economic
domination and exploitation, he said.
UNA TORTA IN FACCIA AL BUGIARDO PORTAVOCE DELLA NATO JAMIE SHEA
NATO SPOKESMAN SHEA GETS PIE IN THE FACE FOR SPREADING LIES
BRUSSELS, March 9 (Tanjug) - NATO spokesman Jamie Shea late Wednesday
had
yet another unpleasant encounter because of the lies he spread during
the
alliance's aggression on Yugoslavia last year in an effort to justify
the
bombing of civilians.
This latest incident occurred in the southern Belgian town of Gent,
where a
debate on the role of media during the NATO aggression was organized at
the
local university.
One of the participants in this event hurled a pie at Shea in protest
against the lies launched by the NATO propaganda, the Belgian news
agency
Belga said.
Already on entering the university building, Shea encountered about a
dozen
young people protesting against the NATO propaganda, of which Shea was
the
main mouthpiece.
The protesters chanted anti-NATO slogans and shouted that NATO used lies
and hypocrisy to present air strikes on civilians as some alleged
humanitarian mission.
INTERVISTA AL NUOVO CAPO DI STATO MAGGIORE DELLA RFJ
YUGOSLAV ARMY CHIEF: EFFICACIOUS DEFENCE FORCE BEING BUILT
BELGRADE, March 8 (Tanjug) - Reorganisation of the Yugoslav army will
produce a modern, numerically smaller, mobile army, whose capacitation
and
combat capability will be a deterrent to aggression, the chief of staff
is
quoted on Wednesday as saying.
Speaking for Vojska magazine in an interview due to appear on Thursday,
General Nebojsa Pavkovic said this means the Yugoslav army should have a
powerful and modern air defence and a significant special rapid reaction
strike force.
Also being considered, according to Pavkovic, are ways and means of
hitting
back at aggressors.
Speaking about the command staff's priorities, he said the big tasks
lying
ahead of the army were being complicated by the current military,
political
and security situation in the neighbourhood.
"It is up to us to monitor carefully all that is happening, to
anticipate
events and take the necessary measures," he said, adding the army would
maintain such a level of defence alert as would allow it to carry out
all
tasks set to it.
"The level of combat alert depends on the kind of threat to the country
and
is not set by the army on its own," he said, stressing that work would
continue on modernising and reorganising the army in line with the
country's economic and other capabilities and defence needs.
He said that the job of organising life and work in the new
circumstances
(following NATO's aggression on Yugoslavia last spring) would soon be
completed.
Also, he added, the remaining military infrastructure damaged or
destroyed
in the air strikes and not yet repaired would be rebuilt, first of all
personnel accommodation facilities, and after them the arsenals and
materiel storage facilities.
He stressed that "combat training will remain high on the list of
priorities, with the necessary innovations and the application of the
rich
war experience.
"In light of the results achieved in the armed struggle against the
aggressors, this is the best army in our history, and analyses by
foreign
and domestic authorities confirm its high quality."
He added that the command staff aspires for the army to be a factor of
security and unity of all nations and ethnic minorities in Yugoslavia
and,
as such, a key factor of stability in the troubled region.
He then spoke about the military-political situation in the immediate
neighbourhood, which he described as "extremely complex".
"The western military alliance, spearheaded by the United States, is
striving to achieve global control and to this end seeks to secure
permanent control of the processes in the Balkans, which is a crossroads
of
key strategic importance.
"This is why they are keeping up the pressure on our country," he
explained.
He went on to say that NATO's non-military aggression, which was
constantly
intensifying, was taking all kinds of shapes and forms, among which
efforts
to economically exhaust Yugoslavia by keeping up the sanctions.
Also, he added, they were deepening the crisis and trying to cause
social
unrest, stoking separatism in multiethnic communities, trying to weaken
the
morale and defence capability of the army, giving open support to the
separatists, all with the purpose of dismembering Yugoslavia into a host
of
stateless easy to control.
"The greatest threat to our country, as well as to the whole world,
comes
from the fact that the countries of the new world order have
incorporated
terrorism in their low-intensity strategies and that terrorism is the
first
echelon in the onslaught of the imperialist world.
"This is violence more brutal than classical warfare, which takes no
heed
of ethics or humanism, causing internal unrest in some countries which
grows into internal aggression, which is becoming the rule, with
external
aggression being the exception," he explained.
Pavkovic assessed that the interests for the Yugoslav region never
ceased
and that the s<br/><br/>(Message over 64 KB, truncated)
IL POPE ARTEMIJE - AMBASCIATORE DI CHI E DI CHE COSA?
http://www.truthinmedia.org/Bulletins2000/tim2000-3-1.html
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 – “This morning (Feb. 25) Secretary of State
Madeleine K. Albright met with Kosovo Serb leaders Bishop Artemije
Radosavljevic and Father Sava Janjic to discuss the situation of the
Serb community in Kosovo and to continue a process of engagement with
moderate opposition leadership,” a State Department press release
stated.
TiM Ed.: Correction. “Kosovo Serb Leaders?” Neither Bishop Artemije,
nor any other Serb vassal who has ever accompanied him in his visits at
the State Dept., are “Serb leaders” by any stretch of the imagination.
They have been neither elected nor appointed as such, neither in Kosovo
nor anywhere else in Serbia. They may be “Serb leaders,” therefore,
only by a State Department’s effort to assign them a higher rank than
they deserve. Or by their own exaggerated and self-congratulatory
claims.
Take a look at the caption under a photo at the Decani web site
(http://www.decani.yunet.com/ ), maintained by Artemije’s close aide,
Fr. Sava Janjic, who, as you saw from the above State Department
release, was also present at their Feb. 25 meeting with Albright. The
caption reads: “Bishop Artemije - the missionary of peace again in US
to speak on behalf of his people.” The photo was taken in Washington,
DC, Feb/99.
“On behalf of his people?” His Disgrace would be well advised to speak
only on his own behalf. And to remember how “his people,” the Serbs of
Kosovo, jeered him and Albright the last time around when he cavorted
with the enemy during the U.S. Secretary of State’s visit to Kosovo in
July 1999 (see "Albright, Artemije Jeered by Serbs, Cheered by Serbs,
Cheered by Albanians" - S99-131, "Peace" 25, Item 1, July 31). We
understand that the Serb media have also published photos of Artemije
and Albright taken on Feb. 25, though we have not yet been able to
obtain one. For the time being, here’s a photo from an earlier visit by
Artemije et.al. to the State Dept.
As if cavorting with the person whom the London Telegraph dubbed “the
West's most influential anti-Serb hawk” in its Feb. 27 “post mortem” to
the Kosovo war weren’t bad enough, His Disrace also joined Albright in
reaffirming “their strong commitment to a multiethnic, democratic Kosovo
and their rejection of partition,” according to the Feb. 25 State Dept.
release. “The Secretary and Bishop Artemije strongly endorsed Special
Representative to the Secretary General (SRSG) Bernard Kouchner's Agenda
for Coexistence and agreed that it provided a basis for moving forward
toward participation of the Serb community in Kosovo's democratization.”
Raymond Kent, a former history professor at the Berkeley University in
California, described this French Jew as “France's most vocal and
opinionated Serbophobe,” in a Feb. 18 letter of protest against the
PBS/Jim Lehrer anti-Serbian bias (you can see the full text of his
letter in Item 6 below). Prof. Kent added, “this writer has personally
listened to him on the French TV on a dozen occasions spewing his
anti-Serb venom.
And so, His Grace stumbles from one disgraceful act to another… From
posing with the “the West's most influential anti-Serb hawk,” to
“strongly endorsing” the “France's most vocal and opinionated
Serbophobe.” Both gestures represent another act of Artemije’s
subservience to the New World Order, and another act of disservice to
the Serb people.
In a December 1999 TiM Bulletin, “Cavorting with the Enemy”, we also
condemned similar actions of some pro-western Serb opposition leaders
who traveled to Berlin to kiss up to Albright. Here’s the opening
paragraph:
“Can you imagine a Serb leader posing for reporters with one of Hitler's
top aides - after the Luftwaffe's April 6, 1941 bombing of Belgrade
which killed hundreds of civilians? Not if he hoped to be a Serb leader
for long, right?
Well, on Dec. 17, three would-be Serb leaders - Zoran Djindjic, Milo
Djukanovic and Vuk Draskovic did just that at a Berlin (how
appropriate!) Dec. 17 meeting with an unindicted war criminal, Madeleine
Albright, the U.S. Secretary of State. Or Hate, to be more accurate.
Take a look at the photo posted at our Web site. What are these people
smiling about? The thousands of Serb civilians killed or maimed by the
bombs in, what TIME magazine called, "Madeleine's War?" (see S99-81, Day
55, Item 2, May 17).”
More than 2,000 Serb civilians were killed by NATO under the auspices of
the war criminals, like Albright. Nearly 1,000 other Serb civilians
killed under the watchful eyes of Kouchner. Over 200,000 Serbs who were
driven from their ancestral homes in Kosovo during the NATO/KFOR “peace
farce.” And after all that, Artemije et. al. and the pro-western
vassals among the Serb opposition meet with, and pose for photographs,
with
the NATO war criminals?
[Text Box: Artemije with Clinton (Nov/99)] [Text Box: Artemije, Sava
with Holbrooke (Aug/99)] [Text Box: Artemije, Sava with Thaci (summer
1999)]
Nor are we talking only about Artemije-Albright tête-à-tête sessions.
Take at a look at the Decani web site. It’s full of boastful
photographs of this Serb bishop posing with leading New World Order
criminals. Artemije with Clinton… Artemije with Richard Holbrooke…
Artemije with Hashim Thaci… Artemije at the Council on Foreign Relations
(in New York), etc.
Such a disgraceful behavior by a Serb bishop, [Text Box: Artemije at
the CFR (Feb/99)] especially after the NATO bombing of Serbia, dishonors
all Serb victims of the New World Order crimes. If Artemije plans to
keep on acting as a quisling of the western powers that be, which he is
free to do as an individual, at least he should have enough decency to
take off his clerical robes when he cavorts with the war criminals.
For, his behavior can be also construed by uninitiated or malicious
people as the Serbian Orthodox Church’s endorsement of his shameful
missions. We don’t know who is paying for his trips to Washington and
New York, butas far as TiM is aware, Bishop Artemije only represents
himself, not the Serbian Orthodox Church, which has publicly denounced
Slobodan Milosevic, the NATO bombings, and the KFOR “peace farce.”
Artemije’s recent actions have rightly earned him the epithet – His
Disgrace. May he wear it in shame.
B92 1/3/2000 ------------------
FERITO UN PARA' RUSSO IN KOSMET
Russian paratrooper wounded
PRISTINA, Wednesday - A Russian KFOR paratrooper was wounded in a
firearm incident in Srbica yesterday, the Russian Ministry of Defence
announced today. The soldier has undergone surgery following what the
ministry describes as an accident which occurred while he was on guard
duties. His condition is reported to be stable..
IL POPE ARTEMIJE NEGLI USA
Kosovo cleric in US
WASHINGTON, Wednesday - Orthodox Bishop Artemije of Raska and Prizren
today told the US Congress Helsinki Committee that the status of Kosovo
should remain frozen until violence had been eliminated and democratic
processes begun not only in Kosovo but in the rest of Serbia and
Yugoslavia. Bishop Artemije also called on the international community
to take more resolute action in Kosovo as prescribed by UN Security
Council Resolution 1244. He emphasised that moderate Serbs in Kosovo
needed media access and better communication between their enclaves so
that their voices could be heard by all Kosovo Serbs.
REUTERS 1/3/2000 ---------------------------------
QUINDICIMILA IN PIAZZA A SKOPJE CONTRO LA POLITICA
ECONOMICA DEL GOVERNO DI DESTRA
Thousands Attend Macedonian Union Rally
SKOPJE, Mar 1, 2000 -- (Reuters) Around 15,000
Macedonian workers took to streets in the capital
Skopje on Tuesday to protest against high unemployment
and the economic policies of the center-right
government.
The demonstration was organized by the blue-collar
Alliance of Macedonian Unions.
Its president, Zivko Tolevski, called on the
center-right government to start a dialogue with
unions.
He urged it to not accept "blackmail from the
international financial institutions, especially the
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund".
"Should we close down all big companies? We are
opposed to that," he told the crowd.
"If they close down the loss-making companies so many
people would be left with no jobs. We are sure that
other solutions could be envisaged," he said.
Tolevski said the former Yugoslav republic, which
became independent in 1991, had one of Europe's
highest unemployment rates, 36 percent.
"We have a right to send a powerful message to the
international community and Europe that Macedonia can
not overcome its economic crisis with all these
barriers and blockades," said Tolevski, referring to
sanctions against its northern neighbour Serbia.
AP 1/3/2000 ---------------------------------
SERBI-KOSOVARI INFURIATI CONTRO I SOLDATI USA
http://www.newsday.com/ap/topnews/ap882.htm
Angry Serbs Surround U.S. Soldiers
PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) -- A crowd of chanting Serb
civilians surrounded a platoon of U.S. soldiers for
six hours in a small village in eastern Kosovo,
angrily insisting they hand over a Serb suspect
detained in a weapons search, U.S. officials said
Thursday.
The standoff in Gornje Kusce, two miles north of the
town of Gnjilane, ended only after the 15 soldiers
conducting a weapons search sought reinforcements and
the Serbs let them leave, said Maj. Debbie Allen, a
spokeswoman for U.S. forces.
No injuries were reported, but the government-run
Yugoslav news agency Tanjug said American troops beat
up three Serbs and arrested one. U.S. officials could
not be reached for comment.
The standoff began Wednesday evening when soldiers
conducting a weapons search detained a Serb man after
finding two AK-47s and several hundred rounds of
ammunition in his home. Some 200 Serbs gathered, and
refused to disperse despite efforts by the soldiers to
negotiate their way out.
After three hours, the troops called for
reinforcements. About 60 soldiers arrived, but could
not extricate the platoon. More reinforcements were
called, but the situation was defused only when the
crowd permitted the soldiers to leave with the
suspect.
About 100 soldiers had converged on the tiny village
by the time the standoff was over.
The village was the site of a massive funeral for a
Serb doctor slain last week.
Tanjug said the standoff occurred because U.S. troops
conducted a ''brutal'' search in the village. Serbs
were especially angered by the appearance of
''uniformed ethnic Albanians together with the
Americans.''
It was unclear who the ''uniformed ethnic Albanians''
were but ethnic Albanian interpreters who accompany
American troops wear green camouflage fatigues and
helmets like the U.S. soldiers.
REUTERS 2/3/2000 --------------------------
MUORE IL PARA' RUSSO IN SEGUITO ALLE FERITE
Russian Kosovo Soldier Dies Of Wounds
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Yugoslavia, Mar 2, 2000 -- (Reuters) A Russian
soldier serving with the KFOR peacekeeping force in Kosovo died of his
wounds after being shot in an ethnic Albanian town, the French army said
on Thursday.
"The Russian soldier died of internal bleeding overnight," said Major
Philippe Maurin, a spokesman for the French KFOR forces stationed in the
north of the turbulent province.
The Russian soldier, whose name was withheld pending notification of his
family, was shot on Tuesday in the overwhelmingly Albanian town of
Srbica.
The town is about 20 km (12 miles) south of Kosovska Mitrovica, the
mining city which has become the frontline of continuing ethnic tension
between Kosovo's ethnic Albanians and the dwindling Serb minority.
French officials said the incident was under investigation and have
declined to comment on a motive for the shooting.
The soldier, a driver, was hit once in the chest in broad daylight in
the center of Srbica, where he had taken his commanding officer for a
meeting with local officials.
Srbica is just north of the area of Kosovo usually patrolled by Russian
KFOR troops, who are distrusted and feared by ethnic Albanians who see
the Russians as natural allies of their fellow Orthodox co-religionists,
the Serbs
B92 2/3/2000 ------------------
SERBI AFFRONTANO LE TRUPPE KFOR
Serbs harass KFOR troops
PRISTINA, Thursday - The Serbian population of the Kosovo village of
Gornje
Kusce last night held off US troops with pitchforks and hoes, KFOR
spokesman
Hoening Philip told media today. According to Philip the incident
occurred
when the troops arrested a Serb after finding three automatic rifles in
his
house. Amateur radio operators reported that there had been six
Albanians
among the international troops and the Gornje Kusce residents had called
Russian soldiers from Kamenica to determine their identity. The crowd
eventually allowed the troops to leave with the arrested man after an
additional sixty soldiers were called.
LA FINANZA TEDESCA PER IL MONTENEGRO
German finance for Montenegro
BERLIN, Thursday - The German Government has approved a loan of 40
million
Deutsche Marks to Montenegro. The deal, which involves cooperative
projects
with German businesses, was announced after discussions today between
Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic and German Foreign Minister Joscha
Fischer in Berlin.
PROTESTE SERBE A MITROVICA
Up again down again bridge
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Thursday - Several hundred Serbs gathered today on
the
northern bank of the Ibar river in Kosovska Mitrovica in a protest
against a
pontoon bridge installed this morning by KFOR. The protesters told media
that
they had assembled to oppose KFOR attempts to transport a group of
Albanians
across the river from the southern part of the town into the Serb zone.
KFOR
eventually abandoned the attempt to move the Albanians. KFOR Northern
Centre
Command told Beta agency that the bridge would be open every day from
8.00 am
to 6.00 p.m. for pedestrian passage.
However KFOR troops later this afternoon dismantled the bridge less than
twelve hours after setting it up. The official reason given was "a rise
in
the water level of the river".
B92 3/3/2000 ----------------------------------------------
SCONTRI A MITROVICA IN SEGUITO ALLA PROVOCAZIONE DELLA KFOR
CHE FORZA IL "RIENTRO" DI ALBANESI NEL QUARTIERE
ZEPPO DI PROFUGHI SERBI
Repatriation "invasion" in northern Mitrovica
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Friday -- Serbs in northern Kosovska Mitrovica today
clashed violently with KFOR troops as international forces returned the
first
contingent of Albanian families to their homes in the Serbian zone of
the
divided town. After a crowd of several hundred Serbs stoned troops
stationed
on the bridge to protect the first group of Albanians, French KFOR
troops
dispersed the protesters with mace cartridges. France Press reports that
at
least six Serbs were hurt during the conflict and several KFOR vehicles
damaged.
The group of 38, mainly elderly Albanians reached the northern zone
shortly
before 4.00 p.m. A convoy of armed vehicles crossed the bridge and set
off
for Bnjaca mahal, the northern area where the Albanians lived.
KFOR confirmed yesterday that it had noted the emergence of a group of
armed
Albanians in Kosovo who were making incursions into the southern
municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, in Serbia proper. A
spokesman for KFOR Commander Klaus Reinhardt said today that KFOR had no
jurisdiction to intervene outside Kosovo but was patrolling the
administrative border in order to prevent illegal crossings.
MANOVRE NATO IN VISTA, ARTEMIJE LE APPOGGIA
NATO exercises "no cause for alarm"
BRUSSELS, Friday -- NATO's Dynamic Response 2000 manoeuvres, which are
planned to begin in two weeks in Kosovo, in no way represent a new
threat,
and nor did they celebrate a year from the beginning of the air strikes
against Yugoslavia, Belgrade daily Glas javnosti quotes sources in
NATO's
Brussels headquarters as saying today. An unnamed NATO source said that
the
exercises were only simulations of the supply of strategic support to
KFOR
and SFOR forces in the region. The same source added that the rumours
and
concerns in Yugoslavia that a new round of bombing could occur were
completely unfounded and unjustified, and that such stories were pure
political science fiction.
Bishop Artemije of the Kosovo diocese of Raska and Prizren expressed the
hope
today that the NATO manoeuvres would be the beginning of a more active
engagement of KFOR in protecting the remaining Serb other non-Albanian
population in the province. Bishop Artemije, speaking on his return from
the
US, said that US officials had shown great readiness to work on securing
conditions for the return of non-Albanians to Kosovo.
"WANTED" PER MILOSEVIC, KARADZIC E MLADIC
SECONDO IL MIGLIOR STILE DEL FAR WEST
"Wanted" posters of Milosevic, Kardzic and Mladic in Bosnia
WASHINGTON, Friday -- The US will display about 10,000 "wanted" posters
throughout Bosnia offering a five million dollar reward for information
leading to the capture of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, former
Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and wartime Bosnian Serb army
leader
General Ratko Mladic. The US State Department said today that the reward
offer stood also applied to another 27 indicted war crime suspects, but
the
posters would carry photos only of Milosevic, Mladic and Karadzic.
ALBRIGHT, KOUCHNER: FINALMENTE IL KOSOVO E' RIPULITO,
POSSIAMO TENERE DELLE BELLE ELEZIONI DEMOCRATICHE
International community calls for Kosovo elections
LISBON, Friday -- The foreign ministers of the European Union, meeting
with
their Russian and US counterparts in Lisbon today declared that the
prompt
organisation of local elections in Kosovo was necessary as part of
efforts to
re-establish peace in the region. The US Secretary of State, Madeleine
Albright, and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said that the
organisation
of elections didn't need an increase in KFOR troops but work on the
preparation of election conditions so that the polls could be fair.
Albright
called on the international community to secure appropriate financial
conditions so that the elections could be held under appropriate
conditions.
Albright said yesterday that the guiding principle in Kosovo could be
respect
for minority rights, rather than the establishment of the multiethnic
society
demanded by Western leaders so far. Speaking to a US Senate
sub-committee,
the secretary for state said that the international community was moving
towards a multi-ethnic ideal in Bosnia, but added that it was difficult
to
use that term in Kosovo because Serbs there were in the minority and so
their
interests were in the respect of minority rights.
Meanwhile, United Nations Kosovo mission chief Bernard Kouchner is on
his way
to New York where he will submit a report on Kosovo the United Nations
Security Council on Monday, a report which pays particular attention to
plans
for the stabilisation of Kosovska Mitrovica. KFOR Commander Klaus
Reinhardt
will accompany Kouchner. Kosovska Mitrovica Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic
said
today that Kouchner would convey to the Security Council the comments of
the
Serb community on his Strategy for Peaceful Co-existence in Mitrovica.
AFP 6/3/2000 ---------------------------------------------
SADDAM HUSSEIN AIUTEREBBE MILITARMENTE LA RF DI JUGOSLAVIA
Saddam Ready To Send Troops To Aid Serbia
BAGHDAD, Mar 6, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) Iraq is prepared to send
troops to Serbia, President Saddam Hussein has told a Serbian envoy,
Monday's official press reported.
"We are against the aggression against you," Saddam told the speaker of
Serbia's parliament, Dragan Tomic.
"Our position is voiced not only in words but by any means you consider
useful, including our presence at your side to fight the aggression," he
told Tomic, who is a senior official of Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic's Socialist Party of Serbia.
"We oppose all those who want to divide your country because we are on
the side of good and against evil," Saddam vowed.
He also seized the occasion to predict, once again, the defeat of the
United States.
"The arm used by the United States against Iraq, against Yugoslavia and
which they will probably use against others, will surely tire," the
president told the delegation, which included Yugoslav minister without
portfolio Zoran Vujovic.
"They will weaken more and more and will be defeated."
Saddam branded as "dogs" NATO forces which attacked Serbia last year and
condemned "the Arabs who sided with the dogs against you".
He urged "the people of the whole world to unite in strength to show
America its limits."
"It's the Zionists and not the Christians who set the American policy of
killing Muslims throughout the world," Saddam said.
The Iraqi strongman said he opposed the break up of countries into
ethnic or religious groupings and predicted that the United States,
which he said encouraged the process, would also break up one day.
"One day this will turn against America which is playing the role of
sorcerer's apprentice and I believe all the countries of the world will
rejoice when America breaks up."
Iraq, repeatedly bombed by the United States and Britain since 1991
following Baghdad's invasion of Kuwait, backed Belgrade against NATO.
Links between the two have strengthened in recent months. ((c) 2000
Agence France Presse)
VOICE OF RUSSIA 6/3/2000 -----------------------
DI CHI LA COLPA PER LA PULIZIA ETNICA IN KOSOVO?
Voice of Russia March 6, 2000
WHO IS TO BLAME FOR ETHNIC CLEANSINGS IN KOSOVO?
Exactly one year since the start of NATO's aggression against
Yugoslavia, Petr Iskenderov looks back at where things stood right
before it all happened…
A few days ago, the Albanian separatist leader Hashim Thaqi unveiled
some secret details of KLA operations in the period immediately
preceding last year's allied military operation.
The then KLA leader said that his organization was working flat out
using hit and run tactics against Serbian police officers and the
Yugoslav military with an eye to provoking retaliation from Belgrade.
This, he said, would give the separatists a chance to bring repression
charges against Yugoslavia and appeal for Western interference to end
alleged human rights abuses by Belgrade.
Apparently carried away, Mr. Thaqi also mentioned the tragedy in the
Serbian village of Racak where dozens of dead bodies have recently been
unearthed by OSCE experts who identified them as KLA fighters apparently
killed in action. And still, people at the NATO headquarters in Brussels
put the blame for the killings of peaceful Albanian peasants squarely on
Belgrade. The charge provided a comfortable justification for NATO's
subsequent aggression against Yugoslavia.
Making a clean breast on what really had happened, Mr. Thaqi admitted
that his militants had intentionally killed four Serb police officers at
Racak knowing that the Serbs would not take long retaliating for the
attack. The Serbs retaliated all right, but not against peaceful land
tillers. What they did was a large-scale operation against armed
Albanian paramilitaries who had turned the village into a major
stronghold. It was exactly their dead bodies, which were later found,
something that is now admitted even by the then KLA supremo who has
absolutely no reason to lie.
Which means that NATO launched its unprecedented aggression against a
sovereign state responding to a sheer provocation by the so-called
Kosovo Liberation Army. Moreover, none of the other much-trumpeted cases
of allegedly Serb-organized ethnic cleansings of local Albanians has
proved correct even though they have been investigated by experts from
such respected international organizations as the U. N., the OSCE and
even the British parliament. Not 50,000 massacred civilians but just a
few hundred fighters killed in action - that's the unanimous conclusion
made by American, British and Spanish experts, all of whom, as we can
see, come from NATO countries.
To err is human, of course, but when an ill-intentioned provocation
results in 78 days and nights of all out war then the whole thing is
just a perfect case for a military tribunal to mete out equal justice
for Hashim Thaqi, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Xavier Solana and other
"scriptwriters" .
03.06. 2000
REUTERS 6/3/2000 --------------------------------------
APPENA PRESO "SCAPPA" IL QUINDICENNE UCCISORE DEL PARA'
Suspect In Death Of Russian Kosovo Soldier Escapes PRISTINA, Yugoslavia,
Mar 6, 2000 -- (Reuters) A suspect in the killing of a Russian
peacekeeping soldier in Kosovo escaped from prison just two days after
he was arrested, a spokesman for the KFOR peacekeeping force said on
Sunday.
"The 15-year-old who was arrested for the killing of the Russian soldier
escaped," said Major Kristian Kahrs, a spokesman for the peacekeeping
force. He said he had no further details, including the suspect's name
or from which prison he escaped and how he got out. Private Igor
Korshunov, 31, was shot once in the chest in broad daylight by a gunman
in the overwhelmingly Albanian town of Srbica, 40 km (25 miles)
northwest of Pristina, on Tuesday.
French gendarmes in the French-controlled northern zone of Kosovo have
been investigating the incident but have not so far revealed the reason
for the shooting.
Korshunov is the third Russian soldier shot on peacekeeping duties in
Kosovo but the first to die. Russians have not been welcome in ethnic
Albanian areas of the predominantly Albanian province because of their
perceived sympathies for Orthodox co-religionist Serbs.
AFP 7/3/2000 ---------------------------------
AUMENTANO LE CRITICHE DA MOSCA PER LA CONDOTTA
INTERNAZIONALE IN KOSMET
Russian Official Accuses UN Of Failing To Fulfil
Kosovo Mission
MOSCOW, Mar 7, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) A
high-ranking Russian defense official on Monday
accused the United Nations and NATO of failing to
fulfil their obligations in Kosovo.
General Leonid Ivashov, in charge of international
cooperation at the defense ministry, singled out the
head of the UN mission in Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner,
for criticism.
His "categorical refusal to work with the Yugoslav
government" was one reason for the deterioration of
the situation in Kosovo, Ivashov said in a television
interview.
The NATO forces, in particular the United States want
Kosovo to cede completely from Yugoslavia, regardless
of UN resolutions to keep it within the rump
federation, he added.
The Alliance has taken the role of defending the
Kosovo Liberation Army -- the rebel group which has
been formally disbanded -- he said.
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said last
Thursday that Moscow would re-examine its
participation in KFOR if Yugoslavia's integrity was
not guaranteed. ((c) 2000 Agence France Presse)
REUTERS 7/3/2000 -----------------------
SCONTRI CON DECINE DI FERITI A MITROVICA
WIRE:03/07/2000 09:31:00 ET
French, Serbs, Albanians Hurt in Kosovo Clash
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Yugoslavia (Reuters) - At least seven French
KFOR soldiers, 20 Serbs and three Albanians were injured Tuesday in
the predominantly Serb part of the divided Kosovo town of Mitrovica.
A Reuters reporter at the scene said he saw at least six French
soldiers and one captain injured when Albanians threw two explosive
devices at soldiers who had surrounded an Albanian house from which
there had been shooting.
Some of the soldiers were evacuated to a nearby French military
hospital.
Philippe Paco, a spokesman for the United Nations Mission in Kosovo,
said he had heard that the incident started with a quarrel between
Albanian and Serb youths.
"One Albanian fired a hunting rifle on a young man and wounded him
and immediately after that Albanians from a courtyard fired two hand
grenades," Paco said.
A doctor at the hospital in northern Mitrovica, Marko Jaksic, said 20
Serbs had been injured.
"Twenty injured Serbs have been received in the hospital for
treatment and two of them are seriously wounded," said Jaksic, head
of the surgical ward of the Mitrovica hospital.
KFOR spokesman Lieutenant Christian Lindmeier said by telephone from
the Kosovo capital Pristina that he could confirm that 10 Serbs and
three Albanians had been wounded and "several" French soldiers had
received grenade injuries.
He said the French were not badly hurt.
The northern Mitrovica district where the firing broke out was
heavily fortified by KFOR last week when it managed to return some
Albanians to their homes there after a two-day standoff with angry
Serbs.
KFOR and the United Nations, anxious to demonstrate their backing for
a multi-ethnic Kosovo, put on a huge show of force to get the
Albanians back home through a gauntlet of Serbs, who said having
Albanians in their part of town was a threat to their safety.
The Albanians had fled to the purely Albanian southern part of the
town, which is divided by the River Ibar, last month after ethnic
violence drove them from their homes.
The shooting later died down. French KFOR spokesman Colonel Patrick
Chanliau said French soldiers were still surrounding the house where
the shooting had started. He also said two cars were burning and that
a child was among the injured.
Troops and U.N. police had reinforced the bridges dividing the town
where Serbs and Albanians had gathered on their respective sides of
the river. The atmosphere remained extremely tense but was quiet
after the shooting finished.
AP 8/3/2000 -------------------------------
SCOMODO "BENVENUTO" ALLA ALBRIGHT IN BOSNIA
New York Times/AP March 8, 2000
Serbs Protest Albright in Bosnia
Filed at 11:18 a.m. EST
By The Associated Press
BRCKO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) -- Hundreds of Serbs chanted
``killers´´ as Secretary of State Madeleine Albright drove by today,
marring her visit to a Bosnian city meant to serve as an example of
ethnic harmony for Kosovo´s residents.
Meanwhile, in Kiseljak, about 60 miles to the south, a demonstration by
close to 10,000 Bosnian Croats also turned into an anti-U.S. protest.
Albright, who earlier today concluded a sentimental visit to her Czech
homeland, arrived in Brcko for an announcement formally making the
northern city a multiethnic district.
Brcko already has a multiethnic government approved by the international
officials running the city. Its residents are exempt from the draft, a
symbolic gesture meant to demonstrate the importance of peace.
But as Albright's motorcade drove up to the municipal building where the
announcement and ceremony making the city a district was to take place,
about 300 Serbs began chanting ``killers,´´ ``thieves´´ and
obscenities.
One of the vehicles was hit by an egg, and many protesters waved three
fingers in the air in the traditional Serb salute. Some in the crowd
also chanted, ``Dodik, traitor´´ -- a reference to Milorad Dodik,
the pro-Western premier of the Serb half of Bosnia.
Nationalist Serbs still resent the United States for its support of
Muslims during the Bosnian war, which ended in 1995 after NATO bombing
helped force the Serbs to seek peace.
But Serbs aren't the only ethnic group in Bosnia angry at Americans.
In Kiseljack, protesters accused the West of being anti-Croat because of
the U.N. war crimes tribunal's recent decision to sentence Gen. Tihomir
Blaskic to 45 years in prison for atrocities against Muslims. They
burned a U.S. flag and whistled each time Albright's name was mentioned.
The U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo advised Americans to stay away from
Kiseljak, some 25 miles west of Sarajevo, and the southern city of
Mostar, where more demonstrations were expected.
The status of Brcko was the only territorial issue left unresolved in
the 1995 Dayton peace agreement.
Brcko had been under sole control of Bosnian Serbs until last year, when
it was placed under joint administration of the Serb republic and the
Muslim-Croat Federation.
Bosnian Serbs insisted on maintaining control because Brcko is on a
narrow corridor linking Serb-held lands in the east and west of the
country.
But the Muslim-Croat federation wanted access to the river and rail
facilities. The federation also wanted the thousands of mostly Muslim
refugees to be able to return to their homes in Brcko.
International mediators twice postponed a decision on Brcko's future
because of the sensitivity of the issue and the strong claims by both
sides. After the international decision in March 1999 removed it from
exclusive Serb control, hundreds of Bosnian Serbs demonstrated in the
Serb half of the country, refusing to accept its neutrality. The
protests eventually died down.
In a speech Tuesday in the Czech capital, Prague, Albright noted that
critics once feared the Brcko issue could derail the entire peace
process but said ``those predictions were wrong.´´ Albright said
that gives rise to hope that the same level of cooperation can be
reached eventually in Kosovo, especially in the explosive city of
Kosovska Mitrovica, where dozens were injured in ethnic clashes Tuesday.
During her two-day visit here, Albright is to meet with representatives
of all three ethnicities -- Muslims, Serbs and Croats.
Upon arriving in Sarajevo from Prague, Albright headed to the U.S.
Embassy for a meeting with Bosnian opposition leaders.
Albright was to return to Sarajevo today for meetings with the national
leaders before traveling to the Bosnian Serb capital, Banja Luka, for
talks with Dodik, the Bosnian Serb prime minister, and other moderate
leaders at odds with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
The United States and others accuse Milosevic of continuing to foment
ethnic conflict, not only in Kosovo but in Bosnia through efforts to
undermine pro-Western Bosnian Serb politicians.
YDS 8/3/2000 --------------------------------------
TERMINATA LA VISITA NEL LAOS DEL MINISTRO JUGOSLAVO
YUGOSLAV FOREIGN MINISTER ENDED VISIT TO LAOS
VIENTIANE, March 7 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin
Jovanovic
ended on Tuesday his three-day official visit to Laos during which he
had
met with the country's top officials.
Laos President Khamtay Siphandon received Jovanovic on Sunday, on Monday
he was received by Prime Minister Sisavat Keobounphanh, while on Tuesday
he
met with Parliament Speaker Saman Vignaket.
The country's military leadership showed interest in learning the causes
and consequences of NATO's March 24-June 10 1999 aggression on
Yugoslavia.
Jovanovic's meetings with the Laos officials showed that they shared
Yugoslavia's positions on and assessments of the NATO crime.
Vignaket said that the NATO aggression was a warning to all nations and
that the Yugoslav people and leadership's heroic resistance to it served
as
an example to other countries fighting for freedom and independence.
Jovanovic and Vignaket discussed the promotion of all-round cooperation
between the two countries, agreeing to ensure the exchange of visits by
the
two countries' parliamentary delegations and their joint activity within
the Interparliamentary Union.
LA JUGOSLAVIA VUOLE LA VERITA' DALL'ONU
F.R.YUGOSLAVIA - UN
YUGOSLAV U.N. AMBASSADOR URGED TRUTH ABOUT KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
NEW YORK, March 7 (Tanjug) - For nine months, the U.N. Security Council
has been in a blockade which prevents it from doing its duty in the
right
way and opening a debate on the true problems such as security in
Kosovo-Metohija and the inefficacy of the international mission there,
according to Yugoslavia's U.N. ambassador on Tuesday.
Ambassador Vladislav Jovanovic was making a critical appraisal of
Monday's
closed-door consultations in the Security Council, at which the civilian
and security mission chiefs to the U.N.-ruled Serbian (Yugoslav)
Kosovo-Metohija province, Bernard Kouchner and Klaus Reinhardt,
submitted
their reports.
Speaking at a news conference, Jovanovic said the Monday debate again
had
completely ignored the burning questions concerning Kosovo-Metohija,
where
he said there was chaos and where ethnic Albanian terrorist operations
were
continuing unabated.
He said the alarming nature of the situation was evident also from
Tuesday's reports about the latest wave of terrorist attacks in Kosovska
Mitrovica, in which a score of people were wounded, including
international
KFor force troops.
Regrettably, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's report, published on
the
eve of the arrival of Kouchner and Reinhardt at U.N. headquarters, had
done
the same as the Council debate - viz., distracted attention from the
true
problems and causes of the chaos in Kosovo-Metohija to quite tangential
ones.
His report, too, avoided pointing the finger at the true culprits for
the
ethnic cleansing of Kosovo-Metohija of its Serbs and other
non-Albanians,
and made no mention of the genocide committed thereby, Jovanovic said.
Although Annan did present some facts objectively, he yet buried the
complete picture and the truth under an avalanche of unimportant details
without making a right and comprehensive statement about the situation
in
Kosovo-Metohija or the true reasons for the difficult situation in the
province, Jovanovic said.
He went on to say that the international mission officials had done
nothing to discharge their mandate.
Turning a blind eye to what the terrorists are doing is the same as
siding
with them, according to Jovanovic, who said this only encouraged the
separatists and fed their belief that one day they might detach
Kosovo-Metohija from the parent state.
If U.N. Resolution 1244 clearly provides for an autonomous status and
self-rule for Kosovo-Metohija, then clearly Kouchner, with decisions
that
are at odds with it, is trying to open scope for wrong interpretations
and
distortions of the Resolution, Jovanovic said.
He went on to say this was the first time that the U.N. flag had been
abused for the purposes of ethnic cleansing.
The truth and only the truth is the way to speak about Kosovo- Metohija,
he stressed.
Facts and only facts must be the language in which to talk about the
situation in that U.N.-administered southern province of the Yugoslav
republic of Serbia and the true competencies of the international
presence
there, he emphasised.
ANNAN IN BILICO TRA FATTI E MENZOGNE
ANNAN BALANCING BETWEEN FACTS AND KOUCHNER'S LIES
NEW YORK, March 8 (Tanjug) - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan
held a press conference at the U.N. New York headquarters on Tuesday
which
was mostly devoted to Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija province.
Reporters linked their questions with two events - Monday's
consultations
of the U.N. Security Council when Annan's special envoy Bernard Kouchner
presented a series of unobjective assessments and excuses for the
failure
of the Kosovo U.N. mission, and, second, Tuesday's press conference by
Yugoslav U.N. mission head Ambassador Vladislav Jovanovic and his
evaluation of the failure of the international mission and the Security
Council's inability objectively and comprehensively to discuss Kosovo
and
Metohija.
Annan reiterated his concern over the situation in the southern Serbian
province. He also said that it was not possible to deal with the
situation
in Kosovo separately from the rest of the region. Speaking about the
announced elections in the province, he said it was necessary that the
civilian mission UNMIK cooperate with the Yugoslav government.
The secretary-general tried to make an artificial balance between hard
facts and the lies relentlessly launched by his envoy Kouchner.
Asked to comment Kouchner's countless illegal moves in the province,
Annan
tried to present them as practical measures and steps without which it
would be difficult to manage the administration of the province.
Annan said he was aware that Yugoslavia saw these moves by Kouchner as
preparations for the independence of Kosovo and Metohija, but failed to
mention that other council members, primarily Russia and China, share
this
opinion and the critical evaluations presented by Yugoslavia, and that
they
also warn against Kouchner's dangerous activities.
Asked about Yugoslavia's criticisms of the inefficiency of the
international mission, Annan said he was familiar with these criticisms.
He
then admitted that the international mission faced great problems from
its
very start and that the United Nations had a very difficult mandate from
the very beginning.
KFOR ED UNMIK FATTO IL CONTRARIO DI QUANTO PREVISTO
NELLA RISOLUZIONE DELL'ONU 1244
KFOR, UNMIK FAIL TO IMPLEMENT KOSOVO AND METOHIJA RESOLUTION
VIENNA, March 7 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav ambassador in Vienna Rados
Smiljkovic said here Tuesday that the U.N. peacekeeping force KFOR and
the
U.N. civilian mission to Kosovo and Metohija (UNMIK) did not implement
and
even greatly violated U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244.
Presenting the Yugoslav government's memorandum on the resolution,
Smiljkovic said that the situation in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia's
southern province was deteriorating and that violence committed by
ethnic
Albanian extremists had begun spreading outside the province.
Attacks on Serbian authorities and Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic
are used to conceal the international factor's failure, while elections
in
Kosovo and Metohija are placed in the focus of the world public's
attention, he said.
He said that no elections would be possible as long as the remaining
non-Albanians in the province and loyal ethnic Albanians were killed on
a
daily basis by the ethnic Albanian terrorist organisation calling itself
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
He said that pressure on Yugoslavia was exerted through open attempts to
trigger a conflict between the country's two federal entities, Serbia
and
Montenegro, to divide and radicalise political forces in Yugoslavia and
to
use them in ousting the country's authorities ahead of the coming local
and
federal elections.
The further tightening of the sanctions against Yugoslavia, instead of
their lifting and the creation of conditions for a speedy economic
development and cooperation in the region, serves the same purpose, he
said.
He said that ethnic Albanian terrorists were used as an instrument to
destabilise not only Kosovo and Metohija but also the entire region in
order to conceal the United Nations' failure and justify NATO's further
presence in the region.
He said that there were indications that the retailoring of Balkan
borders, which had begun in 1991, had not been finished, warning that
another war might break out if certain countries continued to pursue
such a
policy.
Independence for Kosovo and Metohija automatically leads to further
retailoring of borders in the Balkans, he said. He stressed that
Yugoslavia
was doing all within its power to prevent another war, saying, however,
that certain other parties were trying to provoke the country.
"LIBERARE" MITROVICA (DAGLI ULTIMI JUGOSLAVI RIMASTI)
TERRORIST SCENARIO OF "LIBERATING" KOSOVSKA MITROVICA
PRISTINA, March 7 (Tanjug) - The Yugoslav committee for cooperation with
the U.N. mission in Kosovo and Metohija and the provisional executive
council of the autonomous province of Kosovo and Metohija assessed
Tuesday
evening that the development of that day in Kosovska Mitrovica, in which
scores of civilians were injured, but also KFOR troops, represents a
"planned and precise scenario recently made public" by Albanian
terrorists
on the "liberation" of the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica.
The statement said that "only two days ago the leader of Albanian
terrorists who is favoured by a part of the international community,
Hashim
Tachi, announced when he spoke in the village of Donji Prekaz, 40 km
south-east of Pristina, the "liberation" of the northern part of
Kosovska
Mitrovica that was to be carried out by the "Kosovo Liberation Army,"
non-existent for the West.
Also present in Donji Prekaz, when the new wave of terror was announced,
were representatives of the international community, who did not react
to
the threats of violence, the statement said.
"Western ideologists of crime against Serbs intend to continue in the
same
way, along with the terrorists, the ethnic cleansing of Serbs also from
north Kosovo and Metohija."
Developments in Kosovska Mitrovica have revealed the true face of the
representatives of the international community, of resolve to complete
the
ethnic cleansing of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, the
statement said among other things.
KOUCHNER NON RISPETTA IL MANDATO ONU
YUGOSLAV OFFICIAL ACCUSED KOUCHNER OF IGNORING U.N. MANDATE
PRISTINA, Serbia, March 7 (Tanjug) - Yugoslavia's official liaising with
the U.N. mission to Kosovo-Metohija (UNMIK) said on Tuesday that UNMIK
chief Bernard Kouchner's plan to draw up a provisional constitution for
that Serbian (Yugoslav) province was another instance of a wrong and
biased
policy.
In connection with Kouchner's request to the U.N. Security Council on
Monday to be allowed to draw up a provisional constitution of
Kosovo-Metohija, Ambassador Stanimir Vukicevic said the latest request
by
the UNMIK chief was another proof that he is acting outside the mandate
given him by the Security Council. "The U.N. Security Council's
Resolution
1244 envisages for autonomy for Kosovo-Metohija, nothing more,"
Vukicevic,
who chairs the Yugoslav committee liaising with UNMIK, said in Kosovo-
Metohija's city of Pristina.
He warned that, by promulgating a "constitution," Kouchner was seeking
to
endorse all his decisions taken so far, i.e., to sever all
Kosovo-Metohija's ties with Serbia and Yugoslavia.
"We expected Kouchner to put the true problem to the Council, i.e., to
brief the Council members on inadequate security for the Serbs,
Montenegrins and other non-Albanians, not to conceal the truth from them
by
asking for a provisional constitution for Kosovo-Metohija," Vukicevic
said.
He wondered who would vote for such a constitution in a situation where
more than 360,000 people from Kosovo-Metohija are living outside the
province.
"Kouchner is obviously in a hurry to rush through a constitution in
their
absence, a legal document that would seriously upset plans for the
return
of the more than 360,000 people to their homes in Kosovo-Metohija,"
Vukicevic said.
He said he hoped the international community had finally realised that
the
policy being pursued in that U.N.-ruled province of the Yugoslav
republic
of Serbia was not one that would solve the problem but rather one that
would prolong the Kosovo-Metohija crisis.
SUGLI ATTACCHI TERRORISTICI A MITROVICA
IVANOVIC: TERRORIST ATTACK - LARGE SPECTACLE
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, March 7 (Tanjug) - The terrorist attack on Serbs on
Tuesday is nothing but a large spectacle ahead of the arrival of Wesley
Clark in Kosovska Mitrovica, said a local Serb official.
Oliver Ivanovic, who heads the Serbian National Assembly in Kosovska
Mitrovica, said that Albanian terrorists acted on Tuesday in conformity
with "their doctrine" that prescribes as many wounded Serbs as possible
and
the greatest possible pressure on them.
Such a large number of wounded Serbs has not been registered since
October
12 when Albanian terrorists threw four grenades on Serbs gathered near
the
bridge on Ibar river and when 33 Serbs were wounded, Ivanovic said.
At least 14 French troops were seriously wounded when they intervened
during the afternoon to stop the Albanians who attacked Serbs in
Kosovska
Mitrovica.
In the attacks were wounded 22 Serbs, two of them seriously.
Albanians attacked with two grenades the French after troops surrounded
the house of Dzeljalja Ademi, an ethnic Albanian, in the northern
(Serbian)
part of town.
A large number of French, German and Danish troops are patrolling in
armoured cars the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, and helicopters
are
overflying the town.
THIRTY-SIX PERSONS WOUNDED IN ETHNIC ALBANIAN TERRORIST ATTACKS
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, March 7 (Tanjug) - Twenty-two
Serbs and 14 French peacekeepers, including an officer, were wounded
Tuesday in a series of attacks launched by ethnic Albanian terrorists in
the Bosnjacka district of Kosovska Mitrovica's northern section.
According to head of the town hospital's surgical and orthopaedic
department Marko Jaksic, two Serbs were seriously wounded, while 17
other
Serbs also had to remain in hospital.
Most of the Serbs wounded in the attacks, which began just before noon
and
lasted for two hours, are secondary school pupils. The terrorists used
hand
grenades and opened fire with small arms and heavy weapons in the
attacks.
The violence broke out when Ljuan Muftari, an ethnic Albanian who was
later arrested, approached a group of four Serb youths hitting one of
them
with an iron bar without any reason. After that, an ethnic Albanian came
out of his house with a rifle and opened fire on the Serb youths,
wounding
one them in the thigh.
Ethnic Albanian terrorists threw four hand grenades on another group of
Serbs. All this was happening in the presence of German troops
participating in the U.N. peacekeeping force KFOR who did nothing to
prevent the violence.
French KFOR troops arrested Dzeljaj Ademi, an ethnic Albanian from whose
house terrorists opened fire. Ademi, who up to this point worked with
Serbs
in Kosovska Mitrovica's northern, Serb-populated section, threw two hand
grenades on a group of Serbs and a cordon of French KFOR troops.
Around 1.30 p.m. local time, French peacekeepers surrounded the house
ordering the terrorists to surrender. The terrorists responded by
throwing
two hand grenades on them.
Strong KFOR troops guarded all three bridges dividing the town into its
northern and southern, ethnic Albanian-populated section, while the
town's
streets were patrolled by a large number of armoured personnel carriers
with French, German and Danish peacekeepers.
KFOR helicopters flew over the town's northern section for two hours.
Ethnic Albanian terrorist attacks on Serbs ahead of every international
official's visit to Kosovo and Metohija, including Tuesday's visit to
Kosovska Mitrovica by NATO Supreme Commander Europe Wesley Clark, are no
coincidence. They are part of the ethnic Albanian terrorists' plans to
provoke Serbs and pin the blame on them for unrest and clashes.
Tuesday's
terrorist attacks have also greatly resulted from KFOR's inefficiency
because the force has been informed that members of the ethnic Albanian
terrorist organisation calling itself Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) live
in
the Bosnjacka district.
RAZZIATE LE CASE DEI SERBI DI OBILIC
ETHNIC ALBANIAN EXTREMISTS STORM SERB HOUSES IN OBILIC
OBILIC, March 8 (Tanjug) - About 1,000 ethnic Albanian extremists
stormed
a block of houses with exclusively Serb tenants in the Kosovo and
Metohija
town of Obilic on Tuesday evening, said the local Committee for
Protection
and Human Rights.
There are no reports yet about possible casualties or damage.
Ethnic Albanians hurled stones at six houses built within the Yugoslav
program for settling Serbs and Montenegrins in the southern Serbian
province. Serbs have lived here in constant fear of terrorist actions by
ethnic Albanians, the sources said.
Almost all windows on the houses were broken, and the attackers also
used
firearms.
Ethnic Albanian extremists also went on a rampage in streets in downtown
Obilic, the committee representatives said.
The rampage went on for almost an hour. The local international force
KFOR
Norwegian contingent reacted only after the height of the violence
abated,
the committee said.
L'ONU PREPARA UN CENSIMENTO-TRUFFA NEL KOSOVO SETTENTRIONALE
UN TRIES TO CONDUCT ILLEGAL CENSUS IN NORTHERN KOSOVO
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, March 8 (Tanjug) - The United Nations population
agency UNFPA is secretly distributing forms in northern Kosovo and
Metohija
in an effort to collect data for an illegal census, within the illegal
decisions of U.N. Kosovo and Metohija mission chief Bernard Kouchner,
and
in direct violation of Security Council Resolution 1244.
The distribution of these forms began recently in the Serb-populated
municipalities of Zubin Potok and Leposavic. The questionnaires are
headed
- demographic and socio-economic studies, and allegedly serve
exclusively
for statistical purposes. The U.N. civilian mission UNMIK administrators
in
Zubin Potok, a U.S. citizen, and in Leposavic, a Dane, are behind these
illicit activities.
The local Serb population who were given the questionnaires reacted by
addressing the municipal authorities, which took the united stand that
this
was yet another manipulation and provocation by the international
community, led by Kouchner. The authorities said Serbs should not
respond
to these actions.
TERRORISTI PAN-ALBANESI VIAGGIANO SUI MEZZI STATUNITENSI
Ethnic Albanian terrorists in U.S. personnel carriers
March 08, 2000
Bujanovac, March 7 - That ethnic Albanian terrorists
in Kosovo and Metohija act in close conjunction with members of the
international forces (KFOR) has been confirmed by the action of
separatists who, accompanied by U.S. personnel carriers, arrived on
March 4 in the village of Rejanovac, municipality of
Kosovska Kamenica, and in the hamlet of Borovac opened automatic gun
fire on the defenders of Serbian houses.
This is what foreign reporters in Bujanovac learned
from a Serb who managed to get away from Borovac, a hamlet near Kosovska
Kamenica. He described the event which took place on Saturday, March 4.
In the action took part seven American armored personnel carriers.
While ethnic Albanian terrorists opened fire from the
direction of the village, U.S. KFOR troops were silent observers and
only filmed the scene, the man said. Ethnic Albanian terrorists were
wearing uniforms of U.S.KFOR troops, and came from the direction of
Rejanovac although that terrain is in the zone of responsibility of
Russian units.
From Rejanovac, ethnic Albanian terrorists previously
expelled 50 Roma and six Serbian families, but did not manage to
complete the ethnic cleansing.
When the shooting ceased, the terrorists climbed into
two U.S. personnel carriers, parked in the fields, and then withdrew,
failing to detect Serb defense positions.
The man who managed to get to Bujanovac said that KFOR
helicopters overflew Rejanovac only two meters above house roofs. Masked
terrorists stormed into undefended Serbian houses, grabbing money,
valuables and livestock.
Some twenty days ago, terrorists even dared attack
Russian KFOR troops, who returned fire. The Russians managed to seize
from the terrorists an anti-tank mine and three hand grenades.
B92 10/3/2000 ---------------------
SERBI FERITI IN SCONTRI CON LA KFOR
Serbs injured in clash with KFOR
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Friday - Three Serbs were injured yesterday in a
clash
with Danish KFOR troops in the village of Grabovac, near Kosovska
Mitrovica.
Villagers today complained that the Danish soldiers had treated them
roughly
during a search for illegal weapons, smashing furniture and scattering
firewood.
LA SIGNORA DAL PONTE INSABBIA L'INCHIESTA SULLA NATO
MA SARA' "SEVERISSIMA" CONTRO I CRIMINALI DI GUERRA CHE VUOLE LEI
Hague prosecutor wants to make life tough for accused
THE HAGUE, Friday - The Hague Tribunal's chief prosecutor said today
that she
intended to make life difficult for Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic and
others accused of war crimes. Carla del Ponte said that her absolute
priority
was the arrest of remaining suspects, adding that she particularly
sought the
arrest of Milosevic, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and
former
head of the Bosnian Serb Army Ratko Mladic, whom she considered
responsible
for the worst crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia.
IL MONTENEGRO PRONTO ALL'INDIPENDENZA
Montenegro preparing to protect statehood
PODGORICA, Friday - Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic said today
that
Yugoslavia's southern republic was investing maximum effort to prepare
state
bodies and the public to protect statehood and freedom in Montenegro.
Djukanovic, speaking at a joint press conference with EU Foreign Affairs
Commissioner Chris Patten in Podgorica, said that a new crisis in the
Balkans
was not desirable but that if the Belgrade regime began open
destruction,
Montenegro would be prepared.
The Montenegrin President also announced today that local elections
would be
held in Podgorica and Herceg Novi on June 11. The reason for this, he
said,
was that the municipal assemblies in these cities were not functioning
since
the ruling Better Life coalition had lost its majority.
YDS 9/3/2000 ---------------------------------------
JOVANOVIC IN VISITA IN INDONESIA DOPO COREA DEL NORD,
BIRMANIA, LAOS E CINA
TALKS IN JAKARTA
JAKARTA, March 8 (Tanjug) - The foreign ministers of Yugoslavia and of
Indonesia Zivadin Jovanovic and Alwi Abdurrahman Shihab held talks in
Jakarta on Wednesday.
It was mutually assessed in the talks, the first meeting of the two
foreign
ministers after a number of years, that regardless of some oscillations
the
half-a-century long friendship of the two countries had withstood the
test
of time, and that dialogue was maintained even in the most difficult
conditions. The embassies of the two countries worked continuously,
contacts were kept up between the representatives of the two ministries,
and Yugoslavia was visited last year by an Indonesian parliamentary
delegation.
The Yugoslav foreign minister visited Jakarta on his way back to
Belgrade
after official visits to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea,
Myanmar
and Laos and a stop-over in China.
The talks between Ministers Jovanovic and Shihab were held in a friendly
atmosphere and with a constructive approach of both sides to the
expansion
of bilateral relations. It was agreed that dialogue be continued and
promoted, and that visits be exchanged by businessmen, delegations of
chambers of commerce and social organizations.
It was agreed that the legal frames of cooperation be analyzed in detail
with a view to streamlining and completing them.
The Ministers talked about the cooperation of the two countries in
international organizations, and about the need to reactivate Yugoslavia
as
a full-fledged member of the U.N. and of the nonaligned movement.
Information was exchanged about the internal development of Yugoslavia,
and
Indonesia, about reform processes and economic-technological
development.
Jovanovic informed his counterpart about the results of renewal and
reconstruction in Yugoslavia and the importance of the Yugoslav economy
for
integration processes in the region, and about the concerning situation
in
Kosovo and Metohija.
He stressed that Yugoslavia insisted on the respect of its sovereignty
and
territorial integrity, on countering separatist and terrorist
activities,
and consistent compliance with Resolution 1244 on Kosovo and Metohija.
Yugoslavia is interested in open cooperation on an equal footing, both
with
neighbouring countries and with other countries who accept us as an
equal
partner, Jovanovic said, and invited Shihab to visit Yugoslavia, which
was
accepted by the Indonesia foreign minister with pleasure. Indonesia is
the
largest Islamic country with a population of 214 million and as an
influential member of a number of important international organizations,
it
is considered of key importance in southeastern Asia. As an exporter of
oil
it is an OPEC member and very active in ASEAN and OIC.
Jovanovic gave interviews in Jakarta to the newspaper Indonesia Observer
and to a popular T.V. station, Anteve.
GLI OBIETTIVI DEGLI USA
SECONDO IL MINISTRO DELL'INFORMAZIONE DELLA RFJ
MATIC: U.S. OBJECTIVES - ECONOMIC DOMINATION AND EXPLOITATION
BELGRADE, March 9 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav Information Minister Goran Matic
said
in a Serbian Radio Television RTS live broadcast late Wednesday that the
so-called new world order presented the aspiration of the U.S.
administration to enforce such an order on the whole world using any
means
possible.
Speaking about media and the new world order on "Open Studio," Matic
said
he agreed with statements by U.S. analysts who said that the United
States
was using its air force to finish what its media could not accomplish in
order to realize its interests through the implementation of the new
world
order.
This situation is not new, Matic said. It has been created repeatedly in
the whole 20th century. The United States always found it necessary to
create new crises in the world in order to realize its imperialist and
economic interests, since the U.S. interests are primarily economic
domination and exploitation, he said.
UNA TORTA IN FACCIA AL BUGIARDO PORTAVOCE DELLA NATO JAMIE SHEA
NATO SPOKESMAN SHEA GETS PIE IN THE FACE FOR SPREADING LIES
BRUSSELS, March 9 (Tanjug) - NATO spokesman Jamie Shea late Wednesday
had
yet another unpleasant encounter because of the lies he spread during
the
alliance's aggression on Yugoslavia last year in an effort to justify
the
bombing of civilians.
This latest incident occurred in the southern Belgian town of Gent,
where a
debate on the role of media during the NATO aggression was organized at
the
local university.
One of the participants in this event hurled a pie at Shea in protest
against the lies launched by the NATO propaganda, the Belgian news
agency
Belga said.
Already on entering the university building, Shea encountered about a
dozen
young people protesting against the NATO propaganda, of which Shea was
the
main mouthpiece.
The protesters chanted anti-NATO slogans and shouted that NATO used lies
and hypocrisy to present air strikes on civilians as some alleged
humanitarian mission.
INTERVISTA AL NUOVO CAPO DI STATO MAGGIORE DELLA RFJ
YUGOSLAV ARMY CHIEF: EFFICACIOUS DEFENCE FORCE BEING BUILT
BELGRADE, March 8 (Tanjug) - Reorganisation of the Yugoslav army will
produce a modern, numerically smaller, mobile army, whose capacitation
and
combat capability will be a deterrent to aggression, the chief of staff
is
quoted on Wednesday as saying.
Speaking for Vojska magazine in an interview due to appear on Thursday,
General Nebojsa Pavkovic said this means the Yugoslav army should have a
powerful and modern air defence and a significant special rapid reaction
strike force.
Also being considered, according to Pavkovic, are ways and means of
hitting
back at aggressors.
Speaking about the command staff's priorities, he said the big tasks
lying
ahead of the army were being complicated by the current military,
political
and security situation in the neighbourhood.
"It is up to us to monitor carefully all that is happening, to
anticipate
events and take the necessary measures," he said, adding the army would
maintain such a level of defence alert as would allow it to carry out
all
tasks set to it.
"The level of combat alert depends on the kind of threat to the country
and
is not set by the army on its own," he said, stressing that work would
continue on modernising and reorganising the army in line with the
country's economic and other capabilities and defence needs.
He said that the job of organising life and work in the new
circumstances
(following NATO's aggression on Yugoslavia last spring) would soon be
completed.
Also, he added, the remaining military infrastructure damaged or
destroyed
in the air strikes and not yet repaired would be rebuilt, first of all
personnel accommodation facilities, and after them the arsenals and
materiel storage facilities.
He stressed that "combat training will remain high on the list of
priorities, with the necessary innovations and the application of the
rich
war experience.
"In light of the results achieved in the armed struggle against the
aggressors, this is the best army in our history, and analyses by
foreign
and domestic authorities confirm its high quality."
He added that the command staff aspires for the army to be a factor of
security and unity of all nations and ethnic minorities in Yugoslavia
and,
as such, a key factor of stability in the troubled region.
He then spoke about the military-political situation in the immediate
neighbourhood, which he described as "extremely complex".
"The western military alliance, spearheaded by the United States, is
striving to achieve global control and to this end seeks to secure
permanent control of the processes in the Balkans, which is a crossroads
of
key strategic importance.
"This is why they are keeping up the pressure on our country," he
explained.
He went on to say that NATO's non-military aggression, which was
constantly
intensifying, was taking all kinds of shapes and forms, among which
efforts
to economically exhaust Yugoslavia by keeping up the sanctions.
Also, he added, they were deepening the crisis and trying to cause
social
unrest, stoking separatism in multiethnic communities, trying to weaken
the
morale and defence capability of the army, giving open support to the
separatists, all with the purpose of dismembering Yugoslavia into a host
of
stateless easy to control.
"The greatest threat to our country, as well as to the whole world,
comes
from the fact that the countries of the new world order have
incorporated
terrorism in their low-intensity strategies and that terrorism is the
first
echelon in the onslaught of the imperialist world.
"This is violence more brutal than classical warfare, which takes no
heed
of ethics or humanism, causing internal unrest in some countries which
grows into internal aggression, which is becoming the rule, with
external
aggression being the exception," he explained.
Pavkovic assessed that the interests for the Yugoslav region never
ceased
and that the s<br/><br/>(Message over 64 KB, truncated)
LA NOSTRA "GRANDE STAMPA" TACE MA TRA POCO LO SCRIVERANNO ANCHE SU
"TOPOLINO"...
> ASSASSINA E GENOCIDA LA OPERAZIONE CONGIUNTA ONU-NATO-UCK
> IN KOSMET. MAI TANTI CRIMINI CONTRO IL CARATTERE PLURINAZIONALE
> DELLA PROVINCIA JUGOSLAVA COME DAL GIUGNO 1999 AD OGGI
* "The Sunday Times" mette nero su bianco: DALLA CIA LE ARMI PER L'UCK
* "The London Observer": ASSASSINII, TORTURE ED ESTORSIONI DI CUI E'
RESPONSABILE ANCHE LA MISSIONE ONU IN KOSMET, ELENCATE E MESSE SULLA
SCRIVANIA DEL SIGNOR KOFI ANNAN
* "The Sunday Telegraph": A BRACCETTO USA ED UCK IN KOSMET
---
THEY HAVE ADMITTED EVERYTHING! LONDON TIMES CONFIRMATION FOLLOWS OUR
INTRODUCTION! SEE TENC.NET FOR MORE!!
In HUMANITARIAN SPIES we charged that the OSCE (Organization for
Security and
Cooperation in Europe) Verification mission in Kosovo that was in place
from
fall, 1998 until NATO started bombing in March, 1999 - that this was a
cover
for a) spies and b) establishment of liason between US covert agencies
and
the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
Here's an excerpt from HUMANITARIAN SPIES:
"'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. (See "MEET MR.
MASSACRE at http://www.emperors-clothes.com/analysis/meetmr.htm
"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 for the Company in Columbia
and
Peru.
"...Given this command structure, doesn't it stand to reason that the
U.S.
goal was a) to gather military intelligence and b) to establish
command-relations with the Kosovo Liberation Army? The goal was to bond
with
the KLA which killed and is still killing ethnic Serbs and ethnic
Albanian
"collaborators" Serbian State policemen, power line repairmen, school
officials, Yugoslav troops, even state-employed wood gatherers - just
like
the Latin American death squads Walker "observed" during previous CIA
assignemnts. " (END OF EXCERPT from Humanitarian Spies at
www.emperors-clothes.com/analysis/humanita.htm )
Now the (London) Sunday Times has confirmed our charges. The OSCE
Verification Mission in Kosovo for 6 months prior to the bombing of
Yugoslavia was indeed a phony, a cover for the CIA to set up liason with
the
KLA and spy on Yugoslavia. Walker was indeed creating another death
squad
operation - just as he did in El Salvador. Dyncorps, which supplied the
'verifiers', is indeed a 'Company' company. The US horror-show
government has
made fools of the 'honest broker' Euro leaders - that is, if there are
any
honest Euro leaders.
NATO MUST GET OUT OF KOSOVO NOW!
Here's the SUNDAY TIMES:
CIA aided Kosovo guerrilla army
Tom Walker and Aidan Laverty (posted 3-12-00)
>From the Sunday Times (London)
AMERICAN intelligence agents have admitted they helped to train the
Kosovo
Liberation Army before Nato's bombing of Yugoslavia. The disclosure
angered
some European diplomats, who said this had undermined moves for a
political
solution to the conflict between Serbs and Albanians. Central
Intelligence
Agency officers were ceasefire monitors in Kosovo in 1998 and 1999,
developing ties with the KLA and giving American military training
manuals
and field advice on fighting the Yugoslav army and Serbian police.
When the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE),
which
co-ordinated the monitoring, left Kosovo a week before airstrikes began
a
year ago, many of its satellite telephones and global positioning
systems
were secretly handed to the KLA, ensuring that guerrilla commanders
could
stay in touch with Nato and Washington. Several KLA leaders had the
mobile
phone number of General Wesley Clark, the Nato commander.
European diplomats then working for the OSCE claim it was betrayed by an
American policy that made airstrikes inevitable. Some have questioned
the
motives and loyalties of William Walker, the American OSCE head of
mission.
"The American agenda consisted of their diplomatic observers, aka the
CIA,
operating on completely different terms to the rest of Europe and the
OSCE,"
said a European envoy.
Several Americans who were directly involved in CIA activities or close
to
them have spoken to the makers of Moral Combat, a documentary to be
broadcast
on BBC2 tonight, and to The Sunday Times about their clandestine roles.
Walker dismissed suggestions that he had wanted war in Kosovo, but
admitted
the CIA was almost certainly involved in the countdown to airstrikes.
Initially some "diplomatic observers" arrived, followed in October by a
much
larger group that was eventually swallowed up into the OSCE's "Kosovo
Verification Mission".
Walker said: "Overnight we went from having a handful of people to 130
or
more. Could the agency have put them in at that point? Sure they could.
It's
their job. But nobody told me."
Walker, who was nominated by Madeleine Albright, the American secretary
of
state, was intensely disliked by Belgrade. He had worked briefly for the
United Nations in Croatia. Ten years earlier he was the American
ambassador
to El Salvador when Washington was helping the government there to
suppress
leftist rebels while supporting the contra guerrillas against the
Sandinista
government in Nicaragua.
Some European diplomats in Pristina, Kosovo's capital, concluded from
Walker's background that he was inextricably linked with the CIA. The
picture
was muddied by the continued separation of American "diplomatic
observers"
from the mission. The CIA sources who have now broken their silence say
the
diplomatic observers were more closely connected to the agency.
"It was a CIA front, gathering intelligence on the KLA's arms and
leadership," said one.
Another agent, who said he felt he had been "suckered in" by an
organisation
that has run amok in post-war Kosovo, said: "I'd tell them which hill to
avoid, which wood to go behind, that sort of thing."
The KLA has admitted its long-standing links with American and European
intelligence organisations. Shaban Shala, a KLA commander now involved
in
attempts to destabilise majority Albanian villages beyond Kosovo's
border in
Serbia proper, claimed he had met British, American and Swiss agents in
northern Albania in 1996.
Belgrade has alleged the CIA also helped to arm the KLA, but this was
denied
by the guerrillas and agency sources.
"It was purely the Albanian diaspora helping their brothers," said
Florin
Krasniqi, a New York builder and one of the KLA's biggest financiers. He
described how sniper rifles were exported from America using a loophole
in
federal law that allowed them to be shipped to "hunting clubs".
Armour-piercing Barratt rifles made their way to the KLA's "hunting
club" in
Albania.
Agim Ceku, the KLA commander in the latter stages of the conflict, had
established American contacts through his work in the Croatian army,
which
had been modernised with the help of Military Professional Resources
Inc, an
American company specialising in military training and procurement. This
company's personnel were in Kosovo, along with others from a similar
company,
Dyncorps, that helped in the American-backed programme for the Bosnian
army.
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editor
Jared Israel has been invited to speak at the Antiwar.com conference in
San
Francisco March 24, so our latest expense is...his plane ticket. We're
two
months behind on Lexis, the research tool that found the facts for
HUMANITARIAN SPIES. Please send a donation. Any amount will help! To use
our
SECURE SERVER, please click here or go to
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Emperors clothes articles are read by hundreds of thousands of people a
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and our work has had proven affects. Your donation will help us
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even more!
www.tenc.net [emperors-clothes]
---
HOW WILL YOU PLEAD AT YOUR TRIAL, MR. ANNAN?
www.tenc.net [emperors-clothes] (3-12-00)
The London Observer's summary of a non-public report on the Kosovo
situation
to Kofi Annan merely confirms what the anti-war movement has been saying
for
months. But now we have proof: UN leaders KNOW what they created in
Kosovo.
The UN report admits everything but the name, Fascism. Kofi Annan is, by
virute of receiving this report and not firing Bernard Kouchner, head of
his
Kosovo operation, an accomplice to fascist terror. Period. When Anan is
put
on trial for abetting monstrous crimes against all ethnic minorities in
Kosovo will be plead that he was only following U.S. orders?The UN and
NATO
exit Kosovo NOW! Only the Yugoslav Army can re-establish civil society
in
Kosovo - NOW!
Here is the London Observer -
Revealed: UN-backed unit's reign of terror
Kosovo 'disaster response service' stands accused of murder and torture
John Sweeney and Jens Holsoe
Sunday March 12, 2000
The Observer (lONDON)
Murder, torture and extortion: these are the extraordinary charges made
against the UN's own Kosovo Protection Corps in a confidential United
Nations
report written for Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The KPC stands accused in the document, drawn up on 29 February, of
'criminal
activities - killings, ill-treatment/torture, illegal policing, abuse of
authority, intimidation, breaches of political neutrality and
hate-speech'.
The 5,000-strong corps, funded by UN members including Britain, has a
£30
million aid budget for Kosovo. It was set up to provide 'disaster
response
services'; instead, says the UN, it has been murdering and torturing
people.
The UN's own damning verdict on its newly created civil defence force is
fresh evidence of the failure of Special Representative Bernard Kouchner
to
establish the rule of law in Kosovo. Many of the corps's recruits came
straight from the Kosovo Liberation Army, set up to meet the violence of
Slobodan Milosevic's police with violence.
Nato's intervention last June saw the departure of armed Serbs from
Kosovo,
but violence and gangsterism by Albanian extremists has not stopped. The
report's grim message is that the UN is paying the salaries of many of
the
gangsters.
The report covers the period from 21 January, when the corps formally
came
into being. Under the heading 'killings', the UN says: 'Dragash: two
members
of the KPC and three others were arrested by UN police in connection
with the
killing of an ethnic Gorani (11 February).'
There are three charges of ill-treatment and torture: in Pec, a man was
beaten senseless in the KPC's headquarters, suffering head injuries and
severe bruising from a rifle butt. The victim had been attacked in a
newspaper article, written by a former fighter in the KLA. In Prizren, a
man
from the Torbesh minority - a group of Muslim Turks suspected by the
Albanians of collaborating with the Serbs - was kidnapped and beaten up
by a
KPC member and three other men.
Also in Prizren, the KPC stands accused of using torture to obtain
confessions. After two men arrested on suspicion of stealing cars were
handed
over to UN police, they 'complained they had been severely ill-treated.
Subsequent medical examinations corroborated the victims' allegations'.
Troops from K-For, the multi-national force, suspended the two alleged
torturers from the KPC on 4 February.
The KPC is not a police force, and yet one of the grave concerns raised
by
the UN report, drawn up by Kouchner's own office, is that mem bers of
the KPC
are behaving as if they were above the law. The report lists complaints
from
UN police working for its mission in Kosovo, Unmik.
The KPC has been running protection rackets across Kosovo - in Pristina,
Suva
Reka, Dragash, Istok and Prizren - demanding 'contributions' from
shopkeepers, businessmen and contractors. In Suva Reka, KPC members are
alleged to have forced petrol stations to accept coupons rather than
money
for fuel.
In Vucitrn, the KPC reportedly demanded protection money from members of
an
ethnic minority, the Ashkali, originally from India. One family member
had
previously been kidnapped and the family had been bombed.
The KPC has a nice line in death threats, says the UN. Two members
threatened
to kill K-For interpreters after being arrested by Nato troops in
Kosovo.
Following the arrests, 20 KPC men mobbed the police station and demanded
their release. They were freed the next day.
The KPC may be running prostitution rackets, says the UN. A report was
received on 14 February that a high-ranking KPC officer may be
supervising a
forced prostitution racket running out of the Drenica Bar, close to the
Srbica KPC training camp.
The KPC is led by General Agim Ceku, who comes in for fierce criticism
from
the report. His earlier pledges not to tolerate any criminal behaviour
by KPC
members and to expel anyone who violates the law are mocked by the
report,
and Ceku, who was formerly a senior commander in the KLA, comes in for
personal criticism.
Under the heading 'Activities against minorities, including hate
speech',
Ceku is criticised for being present at a walk-out staged by Albanian
members
of the KPC when a speech was translated into Serbo-Croat - the language
of
the Muslim Slav minority suspected by the Albanians of collaboration
with the
Serbs.
The report comments: 'It was the clear opinion of those present that
this was
a premeditated action. The speeches of General Ceku and that of the
regional
KPC commander were not those agreed upon in advance. The men spoke of
the war
and loyalty to the "country" - 10 February.' Such a speech would
contradict
the policy of the UN, the general's paymaster.
Further Reading...
* The KLA is operating as the proxy arm of the U.S. government in
Kosovo. See
Why is the KLA SHooting at KFOR? at
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/analysis/whyisthe.htm
* We now have documented proof of our charge that the CIA is behind the
KLA
and was behind it BEFORE the bombing started - that the OSCE verifier
mission
was a cover for spying and death squad liason work. See The Cat's Outta
the
Bag! at http://emperors-clothes.com/news/ciaaided.htm
* One of the worst examples of UN/NATO creation of horror in Kosovo is
what
they have done to Orahovac:
The article, The Women of Orahovac answer the Colonel , deals with
claims
made by Dutch KFOR (NATO) Commander van Loon that his troops are doing a
good
job in the Kosovo town of Orahovac. In this article, women with intimate
knowledge of conditions in Orahovac answer Col. van Loon.
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/trouw.htm
The article, Save the families: The women of Orahovac speak includes
in-depth
interviews with women from Orahovac.
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/misc/savethe.htm
If you find emperors-clothes useful, you may want to help...
The Soros Foundation does NOT fund Emperors Clothes.
We rely on regular people to pay our many expenses.
* Emperors-clothes editor Jared Israel has been invited to speak at the
Antiwar.com conference in San Francisco March 24, so one of our latest
expenses is...his plane ticket.
* We're two months behind on Lexis, the research tool that found the
facts
for HUMANITARIAN SPIES. We also need money for software work to get
positioned on search engines. Please send a donation. Any amount will
help!
Emperors clothes articles are read by hundreds of thousands of people a
month
and our work has had proven effects. Your donation will help us
accomplish
even more! To use our SECURE SERVER, please click here or go to
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/howyour.htm. Or MAIL A CHECK to
Emperor's
Clothes, P.O. Box 610-321, Newton, MA 02461-0321.
www.tenc.net [emperors-clothes]
---
USA - KLA CONSPIRACY IN KOSOVO
London, February 27th - Tanjug -
The aggression on Yugoslavia and the NATO
involvement in Kosovo are the result of a joint
conspiracy of the American State Department and
the Albanian leaders of the KLA, reported today
the London "Sunday Telegraph".
The manipulations and the conspiracy were, as the
daily suggests, led by the American State Secretary,
Madeleine Albright, who is also described by the
"Sunday Telegraph" as "one of the West's leading
anti-Serb hawks".
The American State Secretary, the State Department
spokesman, James Rubin, and the leader of the
KLA, Hashim Thaci, admitted to this conspiracy in
their interviews given to the BBC, which is
preparing a broadcast on the occasion of marking
the first anniversary of the aggression, based on
which the London daily made its analysis.
The beginning of a realization of this conspiracy
were, it was reminded, the events in the village of
Racak, in December of 1998.
Thaci has, in his interview given to the BBC, quoted
by the "Sunday Telegraph", admitted that the
Albanians killed the four policemen in Racak
practically on purpose, because they knew that this
would trigger a conflict.
The Albanian terrorists, as Thaci admitted,
sacrificed the lives of common citizens
intentionally, because they
knew that thus they could win over the international
opinion.
Such a strategy, reminded the London daily, was
created with the help of the Albanian political
backers in Washington.
After the corpses of 45 ethnic-Albanians were found
in the village of Racak, the American State Secretary
started a campaign of pressuring the European allies.
She also admitted to this in her interview to the BBC
while saying that this event had to be developed and
"livened" in order to keep the pressure on the
allies.
This was why, according to the daily, the OSCE
Monitoring Mission was used.
FR Yugoslavia and Serbia, reported the London daily,
fulfilled all the obligations specified in the
October agreement, but the OSCE monitors failed to
make any moves towards the KLA, which used this
period for additional arming, regrouping and further
attacks on the police and army units.
The anti-Serb campaign started, as the daily pointed
out, even though the official document of the NATO
Council dated November 13th 1998 stated that the
KLA was "the main initiator of the violence which is
threatening the cease-fire arrangements".
The European countries opposed the US aggressive
campaign and the plans Washington made for the
applying of force in Kosovo, so a compromising
solution was given that the Rambouillet talks be
held.
Nonetheless, Madeleine Albright and the State
Department, the daily specified, did everything in
their power for these talks to fail.
For Ms Albright, reported the daily, the failure of
the Rambouillet talks was a triumph.
The State Department spokesman, James Rubin, also
admitted to this, by stating that the US did
everything in order for the Rambouillet talks to
fail. "Obviously, publicly, we had to make clear
that we were seeking an agreement", said Rubin, but
that their goal was for the agreement to be refused
by the Serbs and to be accepted by the Albanians.
In this way, reminded the "Sunday Telegraph", a small
group of Albanians and the State Department
maneuvered NATO into the Kosovo war.
TO VISIT-A VISITER : http://www.egroups.com/group/marxisme-leninisme/
http://www.ptb.be/
CONSPIRATION USA-UCK AU KOSOVO: QUEL TRIBUNAL INTERNATIONAL JUGERA DONC
CES
FAUTEURS et CRIMINELS de GUERRE ?
L'agression en Yougoslavie et l'empêtrement de l'OTAN au Kosovo sont le
résultat d'une conspiration commune du Département d'Etat américain et
des
dirigeants de l'UCK, rapporte récemment le "Sunday Telegraph" de
Londres.
Les manipulations et la conspiration ont été, comme le suggère le
quotidien,
menées par la Secrétaire d'Etat, qui est aussi située par le "Sunday
Telegraph comme étant parmi les faucons anti-serbes occidentaux.
La Secrétaire d'Etat américaine, le porte-parole du Département d'Etat,
James Rubin, et le leader de l'UCK, Hashim Thaci, ont admis cette
conspirattion dans leurs iintervews données à la BBC, à l'occasion de la
préparation d'une émission consacrée au premier anniversaire de
l'agression,
sur les bases de laquelle le qutotidien londonien fait ses analyses.
Le début de la réalisation de cette conspiration était, c'est rappelé,
les
événements dans le village de Racak, en décembre 1998.
Thaci a, dans son interview, donnée à la BBC, citée par le the "Sunday
Telegraph", admis que les Albanais ont tué les quatre policiers à Racak
pratiquement exprès, parce qu'ils savaient que cela déclencherait un
conflit.
Les terroristes albanais, comme Thaci l'a admis, ont sacrifié les vies
de
citoyens ordinaires, parce qu'ils savaient que ainsi ils pouvaient
gagner
l'opinion internationale à leur cause.
Une telle stratégie, rappelle le quotidien londonien, a été créée avec
l'aide des appuis politiques albanais à Washington.
Après que les 45 corps appartenant à l'ethnie albanaise furtent trouvés
dans
le village de Racak, la Secrétaire d'Etat américaine mena une campagne
de
pressions sur les alliés européens.
Elle a aussi admis pendant son interview à la BBC que cet événement
avait
été développé et entretenu dans le but de maintenir la pression sur les
alliés.
C'est aussi pourquoi, suivant le quotidien, la mission de contrôle de
l'OSCE
fut utilisée.
La RF de Yougoslavie et la Serbie, rapporte le quotidien londonien,
remplissaient toutes les obligations contenues dans l'accord d'octobre,
mais
la mission de contrôle échoua en raison des manoeuvres de l'UCK qui
profita
de cette période pour renforcer son armement et son regroupement et
ensuite
ses attaques contre la police et les unités de l'armée.
La campagne anti-serbe débuta, comme le montre le quotidien, bien que
le
document officiel du Conseil de l'OTAN daté du 13 novembre 1998
déclarait
que l'UCK était "le principal intiateur de la violence qui menaçait les
règlements de cessez-le-feu".
Les pays européens opposèrent à la campagne agressive et aux plans de
Washington l'application d'une force de paix au Kosovo, ainsi une
solution
de compromis était donnée aux pourparlers de Rambouillet.
Néanmoins, Madeleine Albright et le Département d'Etat, spécifie le
quotidien, firent tout en leur pouvoir pour faire échouer ces
pourparlers.
Pour Madame Albright, rapporte le quotidien, l'échec de Rambouillet fut
un
triomphe.
Le porte-parole du Département d'Etat, James Rubin, a aussi admis le
fait
que les USA firent tout en vue de faire échouer les pourparlers de
Rambouillet. "Evidemment, publiquement, nous devions éclaircir que nous
cherchions un arrangement, a dit Rubin, mais leur objectif était que
l'accord soit refusé par les Serbes et accepté par les Albanais.
Dans ce but, rappelle le "Sunday Telegraph", un petit groupe d'Albanais
et
le Département d'Etat ont manoeuvré dans la guerre du Kosovo.
(résumé-traduction)
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
"TOPOLINO"...
> ASSASSINA E GENOCIDA LA OPERAZIONE CONGIUNTA ONU-NATO-UCK
> IN KOSMET. MAI TANTI CRIMINI CONTRO IL CARATTERE PLURINAZIONALE
> DELLA PROVINCIA JUGOSLAVA COME DAL GIUGNO 1999 AD OGGI
* "The Sunday Times" mette nero su bianco: DALLA CIA LE ARMI PER L'UCK
* "The London Observer": ASSASSINII, TORTURE ED ESTORSIONI DI CUI E'
RESPONSABILE ANCHE LA MISSIONE ONU IN KOSMET, ELENCATE E MESSE SULLA
SCRIVANIA DEL SIGNOR KOFI ANNAN
* "The Sunday Telegraph": A BRACCETTO USA ED UCK IN KOSMET
---
THEY HAVE ADMITTED EVERYTHING! LONDON TIMES CONFIRMATION FOLLOWS OUR
INTRODUCTION! SEE TENC.NET FOR MORE!!
In HUMANITARIAN SPIES we charged that the OSCE (Organization for
Security and
Cooperation in Europe) Verification mission in Kosovo that was in place
from
fall, 1998 until NATO started bombing in March, 1999 - that this was a
cover
for a) spies and b) establishment of liason between US covert agencies
and
the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
Here's an excerpt from HUMANITARIAN SPIES:
"'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. (See "MEET MR.
MASSACRE at http://www.emperors-clothes.com/analysis/meetmr.htm
"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 for the Company in Columbia
and
Peru.
"...Given this command structure, doesn't it stand to reason that the
U.S.
goal was a) to gather military intelligence and b) to establish
command-relations with the Kosovo Liberation Army? The goal was to bond
with
the KLA which killed and is still killing ethnic Serbs and ethnic
Albanian
"collaborators" Serbian State policemen, power line repairmen, school
officials, Yugoslav troops, even state-employed wood gatherers - just
like
the Latin American death squads Walker "observed" during previous CIA
assignemnts. " (END OF EXCERPT from Humanitarian Spies at
www.emperors-clothes.com/analysis/humanita.htm )
Now the (London) Sunday Times has confirmed our charges. The OSCE
Verification Mission in Kosovo for 6 months prior to the bombing of
Yugoslavia was indeed a phony, a cover for the CIA to set up liason with
the
KLA and spy on Yugoslavia. Walker was indeed creating another death
squad
operation - just as he did in El Salvador. Dyncorps, which supplied the
'verifiers', is indeed a 'Company' company. The US horror-show
government has
made fools of the 'honest broker' Euro leaders - that is, if there are
any
honest Euro leaders.
NATO MUST GET OUT OF KOSOVO NOW!
Here's the SUNDAY TIMES:
CIA aided Kosovo guerrilla army
Tom Walker and Aidan Laverty (posted 3-12-00)
>From the Sunday Times (London)
AMERICAN intelligence agents have admitted they helped to train the
Kosovo
Liberation Army before Nato's bombing of Yugoslavia. The disclosure
angered
some European diplomats, who said this had undermined moves for a
political
solution to the conflict between Serbs and Albanians. Central
Intelligence
Agency officers were ceasefire monitors in Kosovo in 1998 and 1999,
developing ties with the KLA and giving American military training
manuals
and field advice on fighting the Yugoslav army and Serbian police.
When the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE),
which
co-ordinated the monitoring, left Kosovo a week before airstrikes began
a
year ago, many of its satellite telephones and global positioning
systems
were secretly handed to the KLA, ensuring that guerrilla commanders
could
stay in touch with Nato and Washington. Several KLA leaders had the
mobile
phone number of General Wesley Clark, the Nato commander.
European diplomats then working for the OSCE claim it was betrayed by an
American policy that made airstrikes inevitable. Some have questioned
the
motives and loyalties of William Walker, the American OSCE head of
mission.
"The American agenda consisted of their diplomatic observers, aka the
CIA,
operating on completely different terms to the rest of Europe and the
OSCE,"
said a European envoy.
Several Americans who were directly involved in CIA activities or close
to
them have spoken to the makers of Moral Combat, a documentary to be
broadcast
on BBC2 tonight, and to The Sunday Times about their clandestine roles.
Walker dismissed suggestions that he had wanted war in Kosovo, but
admitted
the CIA was almost certainly involved in the countdown to airstrikes.
Initially some "diplomatic observers" arrived, followed in October by a
much
larger group that was eventually swallowed up into the OSCE's "Kosovo
Verification Mission".
Walker said: "Overnight we went from having a handful of people to 130
or
more. Could the agency have put them in at that point? Sure they could.
It's
their job. But nobody told me."
Walker, who was nominated by Madeleine Albright, the American secretary
of
state, was intensely disliked by Belgrade. He had worked briefly for the
United Nations in Croatia. Ten years earlier he was the American
ambassador
to El Salvador when Washington was helping the government there to
suppress
leftist rebels while supporting the contra guerrillas against the
Sandinista
government in Nicaragua.
Some European diplomats in Pristina, Kosovo's capital, concluded from
Walker's background that he was inextricably linked with the CIA. The
picture
was muddied by the continued separation of American "diplomatic
observers"
from the mission. The CIA sources who have now broken their silence say
the
diplomatic observers were more closely connected to the agency.
"It was a CIA front, gathering intelligence on the KLA's arms and
leadership," said one.
Another agent, who said he felt he had been "suckered in" by an
organisation
that has run amok in post-war Kosovo, said: "I'd tell them which hill to
avoid, which wood to go behind, that sort of thing."
The KLA has admitted its long-standing links with American and European
intelligence organisations. Shaban Shala, a KLA commander now involved
in
attempts to destabilise majority Albanian villages beyond Kosovo's
border in
Serbia proper, claimed he had met British, American and Swiss agents in
northern Albania in 1996.
Belgrade has alleged the CIA also helped to arm the KLA, but this was
denied
by the guerrillas and agency sources.
"It was purely the Albanian diaspora helping their brothers," said
Florin
Krasniqi, a New York builder and one of the KLA's biggest financiers. He
described how sniper rifles were exported from America using a loophole
in
federal law that allowed them to be shipped to "hunting clubs".
Armour-piercing Barratt rifles made their way to the KLA's "hunting
club" in
Albania.
Agim Ceku, the KLA commander in the latter stages of the conflict, had
established American contacts through his work in the Croatian army,
which
had been modernised with the help of Military Professional Resources
Inc, an
American company specialising in military training and procurement. This
company's personnel were in Kosovo, along with others from a similar
company,
Dyncorps, that helped in the American-backed programme for the Bosnian
army.
If you find emperors-clothes useful, you may want to help...
The Soros Foundation does NOT fund Emperors Clothes.
We rely on regular people to pay our many expenses. Emperors-clothes
editor
Jared Israel has been invited to speak at the Antiwar.com conference in
San
Francisco March 24, so our latest expense is...his plane ticket. We're
two
months behind on Lexis, the research tool that found the facts for
HUMANITARIAN SPIES. Please send a donation. Any amount will help! To use
our
SECURE SERVER, please click here or go to
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/howyour.htm. Or MAIL A CHECK to
Emperor's
Clothes, P.O. Box 610-321, Newton, MA 02461-0321.
Emperors clothes articles are read by hundreds of thousands of people a
month
and our work has had proven affects. Your donation will help us
accomplish
even more!
www.tenc.net [emperors-clothes]
---
HOW WILL YOU PLEAD AT YOUR TRIAL, MR. ANNAN?
www.tenc.net [emperors-clothes] (3-12-00)
The London Observer's summary of a non-public report on the Kosovo
situation
to Kofi Annan merely confirms what the anti-war movement has been saying
for
months. But now we have proof: UN leaders KNOW what they created in
Kosovo.
The UN report admits everything but the name, Fascism. Kofi Annan is, by
virute of receiving this report and not firing Bernard Kouchner, head of
his
Kosovo operation, an accomplice to fascist terror. Period. When Anan is
put
on trial for abetting monstrous crimes against all ethnic minorities in
Kosovo will be plead that he was only following U.S. orders?The UN and
NATO
exit Kosovo NOW! Only the Yugoslav Army can re-establish civil society
in
Kosovo - NOW!
Here is the London Observer -
Revealed: UN-backed unit's reign of terror
Kosovo 'disaster response service' stands accused of murder and torture
John Sweeney and Jens Holsoe
Sunday March 12, 2000
The Observer (lONDON)
Murder, torture and extortion: these are the extraordinary charges made
against the UN's own Kosovo Protection Corps in a confidential United
Nations
report written for Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The KPC stands accused in the document, drawn up on 29 February, of
'criminal
activities - killings, ill-treatment/torture, illegal policing, abuse of
authority, intimidation, breaches of political neutrality and
hate-speech'.
The 5,000-strong corps, funded by UN members including Britain, has a
£30
million aid budget for Kosovo. It was set up to provide 'disaster
response
services'; instead, says the UN, it has been murdering and torturing
people.
The UN's own damning verdict on its newly created civil defence force is
fresh evidence of the failure of Special Representative Bernard Kouchner
to
establish the rule of law in Kosovo. Many of the corps's recruits came
straight from the Kosovo Liberation Army, set up to meet the violence of
Slobodan Milosevic's police with violence.
Nato's intervention last June saw the departure of armed Serbs from
Kosovo,
but violence and gangsterism by Albanian extremists has not stopped. The
report's grim message is that the UN is paying the salaries of many of
the
gangsters.
The report covers the period from 21 January, when the corps formally
came
into being. Under the heading 'killings', the UN says: 'Dragash: two
members
of the KPC and three others were arrested by UN police in connection
with the
killing of an ethnic Gorani (11 February).'
There are three charges of ill-treatment and torture: in Pec, a man was
beaten senseless in the KPC's headquarters, suffering head injuries and
severe bruising from a rifle butt. The victim had been attacked in a
newspaper article, written by a former fighter in the KLA. In Prizren, a
man
from the Torbesh minority - a group of Muslim Turks suspected by the
Albanians of collaborating with the Serbs - was kidnapped and beaten up
by a
KPC member and three other men.
Also in Prizren, the KPC stands accused of using torture to obtain
confessions. After two men arrested on suspicion of stealing cars were
handed
over to UN police, they 'complained they had been severely ill-treated.
Subsequent medical examinations corroborated the victims' allegations'.
Troops from K-For, the multi-national force, suspended the two alleged
torturers from the KPC on 4 February.
The KPC is not a police force, and yet one of the grave concerns raised
by
the UN report, drawn up by Kouchner's own office, is that mem bers of
the KPC
are behaving as if they were above the law. The report lists complaints
from
UN police working for its mission in Kosovo, Unmik.
The KPC has been running protection rackets across Kosovo - in Pristina,
Suva
Reka, Dragash, Istok and Prizren - demanding 'contributions' from
shopkeepers, businessmen and contractors. In Suva Reka, KPC members are
alleged to have forced petrol stations to accept coupons rather than
money
for fuel.
In Vucitrn, the KPC reportedly demanded protection money from members of
an
ethnic minority, the Ashkali, originally from India. One family member
had
previously been kidnapped and the family had been bombed.
The KPC has a nice line in death threats, says the UN. Two members
threatened
to kill K-For interpreters after being arrested by Nato troops in
Kosovo.
Following the arrests, 20 KPC men mobbed the police station and demanded
their release. They were freed the next day.
The KPC may be running prostitution rackets, says the UN. A report was
received on 14 February that a high-ranking KPC officer may be
supervising a
forced prostitution racket running out of the Drenica Bar, close to the
Srbica KPC training camp.
The KPC is led by General Agim Ceku, who comes in for fierce criticism
from
the report. His earlier pledges not to tolerate any criminal behaviour
by KPC
members and to expel anyone who violates the law are mocked by the
report,
and Ceku, who was formerly a senior commander in the KLA, comes in for
personal criticism.
Under the heading 'Activities against minorities, including hate
speech',
Ceku is criticised for being present at a walk-out staged by Albanian
members
of the KPC when a speech was translated into Serbo-Croat - the language
of
the Muslim Slav minority suspected by the Albanians of collaboration
with the
Serbs.
The report comments: 'It was the clear opinion of those present that
this was
a premeditated action. The speeches of General Ceku and that of the
regional
KPC commander were not those agreed upon in advance. The men spoke of
the war
and loyalty to the "country" - 10 February.' Such a speech would
contradict
the policy of the UN, the general's paymaster.
Further Reading...
* The KLA is operating as the proxy arm of the U.S. government in
Kosovo. See
Why is the KLA SHooting at KFOR? at
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/analysis/whyisthe.htm
* We now have documented proof of our charge that the CIA is behind the
KLA
and was behind it BEFORE the bombing started - that the OSCE verifier
mission
was a cover for spying and death squad liason work. See The Cat's Outta
the
Bag! at http://emperors-clothes.com/news/ciaaided.htm
* One of the worst examples of UN/NATO creation of horror in Kosovo is
what
they have done to Orahovac:
The article, The Women of Orahovac answer the Colonel , deals with
claims
made by Dutch KFOR (NATO) Commander van Loon that his troops are doing a
good
job in the Kosovo town of Orahovac. In this article, women with intimate
knowledge of conditions in Orahovac answer Col. van Loon.
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/trouw.htm
The article, Save the families: The women of Orahovac speak includes
in-depth
interviews with women from Orahovac.
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/misc/savethe.htm
If you find emperors-clothes useful, you may want to help...
The Soros Foundation does NOT fund Emperors Clothes.
We rely on regular people to pay our many expenses.
* Emperors-clothes editor Jared Israel has been invited to speak at the
Antiwar.com conference in San Francisco March 24, so one of our latest
expenses is...his plane ticket.
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facts
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---
USA - KLA CONSPIRACY IN KOSOVO
London, February 27th - Tanjug -
The aggression on Yugoslavia and the NATO
involvement in Kosovo are the result of a joint
conspiracy of the American State Department and
the Albanian leaders of the KLA, reported today
the London "Sunday Telegraph".
The manipulations and the conspiracy were, as the
daily suggests, led by the American State Secretary,
Madeleine Albright, who is also described by the
"Sunday Telegraph" as "one of the West's leading
anti-Serb hawks".
The American State Secretary, the State Department
spokesman, James Rubin, and the leader of the
KLA, Hashim Thaci, admitted to this conspiracy in
their interviews given to the BBC, which is
preparing a broadcast on the occasion of marking
the first anniversary of the aggression, based on
which the London daily made its analysis.
The beginning of a realization of this conspiracy
were, it was reminded, the events in the village of
Racak, in December of 1998.
Thaci has, in his interview given to the BBC, quoted
by the "Sunday Telegraph", admitted that the
Albanians killed the four policemen in Racak
practically on purpose, because they knew that this
would trigger a conflict.
The Albanian terrorists, as Thaci admitted,
sacrificed the lives of common citizens
intentionally, because they
knew that thus they could win over the international
opinion.
Such a strategy, reminded the London daily, was
created with the help of the Albanian political
backers in Washington.
After the corpses of 45 ethnic-Albanians were found
in the village of Racak, the American State Secretary
started a campaign of pressuring the European allies.
She also admitted to this in her interview to the BBC
while saying that this event had to be developed and
"livened" in order to keep the pressure on the
allies.
This was why, according to the daily, the OSCE
Monitoring Mission was used.
FR Yugoslavia and Serbia, reported the London daily,
fulfilled all the obligations specified in the
October agreement, but the OSCE monitors failed to
make any moves towards the KLA, which used this
period for additional arming, regrouping and further
attacks on the police and army units.
The anti-Serb campaign started, as the daily pointed
out, even though the official document of the NATO
Council dated November 13th 1998 stated that the
KLA was "the main initiator of the violence which is
threatening the cease-fire arrangements".
The European countries opposed the US aggressive
campaign and the plans Washington made for the
applying of force in Kosovo, so a compromising
solution was given that the Rambouillet talks be
held.
Nonetheless, Madeleine Albright and the State
Department, the daily specified, did everything in
their power for these talks to fail.
For Ms Albright, reported the daily, the failure of
the Rambouillet talks was a triumph.
The State Department spokesman, James Rubin, also
admitted to this, by stating that the US did
everything in order for the Rambouillet talks to
fail. "Obviously, publicly, we had to make clear
that we were seeking an agreement", said Rubin, but
that their goal was for the agreement to be refused
by the Serbs and to be accepted by the Albanians.
In this way, reminded the "Sunday Telegraph", a small
group of Albanians and the State Department
maneuvered NATO into the Kosovo war.
TO VISIT-A VISITER : http://www.egroups.com/group/marxisme-leninisme/
http://www.ptb.be/
CONSPIRATION USA-UCK AU KOSOVO: QUEL TRIBUNAL INTERNATIONAL JUGERA DONC
CES
FAUTEURS et CRIMINELS de GUERRE ?
L'agression en Yougoslavie et l'empêtrement de l'OTAN au Kosovo sont le
résultat d'une conspiration commune du Département d'Etat américain et
des
dirigeants de l'UCK, rapporte récemment le "Sunday Telegraph" de
Londres.
Les manipulations et la conspiration ont été, comme le suggère le
quotidien,
menées par la Secrétaire d'Etat, qui est aussi située par le "Sunday
Telegraph comme étant parmi les faucons anti-serbes occidentaux.
La Secrétaire d'Etat américaine, le porte-parole du Département d'Etat,
James Rubin, et le leader de l'UCK, Hashim Thaci, ont admis cette
conspirattion dans leurs iintervews données à la BBC, à l'occasion de la
préparation d'une émission consacrée au premier anniversaire de
l'agression,
sur les bases de laquelle le qutotidien londonien fait ses analyses.
Le début de la réalisation de cette conspiration était, c'est rappelé,
les
événements dans le village de Racak, en décembre 1998.
Thaci a, dans son interview, donnée à la BBC, citée par le the "Sunday
Telegraph", admis que les Albanais ont tué les quatre policiers à Racak
pratiquement exprès, parce qu'ils savaient que cela déclencherait un
conflit.
Les terroristes albanais, comme Thaci l'a admis, ont sacrifié les vies
de
citoyens ordinaires, parce qu'ils savaient que ainsi ils pouvaient
gagner
l'opinion internationale à leur cause.
Une telle stratégie, rappelle le quotidien londonien, a été créée avec
l'aide des appuis politiques albanais à Washington.
Après que les 45 corps appartenant à l'ethnie albanaise furtent trouvés
dans
le village de Racak, la Secrétaire d'Etat américaine mena une campagne
de
pressions sur les alliés européens.
Elle a aussi admis pendant son interview à la BBC que cet événement
avait
été développé et entretenu dans le but de maintenir la pression sur les
alliés.
C'est aussi pourquoi, suivant le quotidien, la mission de contrôle de
l'OSCE
fut utilisée.
La RF de Yougoslavie et la Serbie, rapporte le quotidien londonien,
remplissaient toutes les obligations contenues dans l'accord d'octobre,
mais
la mission de contrôle échoua en raison des manoeuvres de l'UCK qui
profita
de cette période pour renforcer son armement et son regroupement et
ensuite
ses attaques contre la police et les unités de l'armée.
La campagne anti-serbe débuta, comme le montre le quotidien, bien que
le
document officiel du Conseil de l'OTAN daté du 13 novembre 1998
déclarait
que l'UCK était "le principal intiateur de la violence qui menaçait les
règlements de cessez-le-feu".
Les pays européens opposèrent à la campagne agressive et aux plans de
Washington l'application d'une force de paix au Kosovo, ainsi une
solution
de compromis était donnée aux pourparlers de Rambouillet.
Néanmoins, Madeleine Albright et le Département d'Etat, spécifie le
quotidien, firent tout en leur pouvoir pour faire échouer ces
pourparlers.
Pour Madame Albright, rapporte le quotidien, l'échec de Rambouillet fut
un
triomphe.
Le porte-parole du Département d'Etat, James Rubin, a aussi admis le
fait
que les USA firent tout en vue de faire échouer les pourparlers de
Rambouillet. "Evidemment, publiquement, nous devions éclaircir que nous
cherchions un arrangement, a dit Rubin, mais leur objectif était que
l'accord soit refusé par les Serbes et accepté par les Albanais.
Dans ce but, rappelle le "Sunday Telegraph", un petit groupe d'Albanais
et
le Département d'Etat ont manoeuvré dans la guerre du Kosovo.
(résumé-traduction)
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
VENTI DI GUERRA (TANTO PER CAMBIARE...)
* MONTENEGRO/ALBANIA: Tutto pronto per nuove ondate di profughi
* TRIESTE: La portaerei Eisenhower in rada nel Golfo
* ALBRIGHT: Avvertimenti di stampo mafioso
* GRECIA: Voci contro i nuovi piani di guerra degli USA
---
Da "il manifesto" del 21 Gennaio 2000:
BALCANI
PER L'ONU PROBABILE UNA GUERRA TRA SERBIA E MONTENEGRO A PRIMAVERA
Albania, riparte il circo "umanitario"
L'Acnur prepara i piani per accogliere migliaia di profughi a Scutari.
Mobilitate le Ong
- CLAUDIO BAZZOCCHI * -
Da alcuni giorni si è cominciato a parlare sulla stampa albanese di una
possibile guerra fra Serbia e Montenegro e delle sue ricadute in termini
di emergenza umanitaria. L'ufficio dell'Alto commissariato Onu per i
rifugiati (Acnur) di Tirana ha avviato una serie di incontri con le Ong
presenti in Albania per verificare la possibilità di creare una
"struttura latente" capace di far fronte per le prime due settimane a un
eventuale afflusso profughi dal Montenegro. L'Acnur dunque si sta
preparando a una nuova crisi umanitaria che potrebbe scaturire da una
guerra fra Serbia e Montenegro in primavera.
Gli scenari sui quali ci si sta preparando sono i seguenti: 1) afflusso
di 10/15mila rifugiati (gli abitanti dei villaggi vicini al confine
albanese; 2) afflusso di 45mila rifugiati (la maggioranza degli albanesi
del Montenegro); 3) afflusso di 80mila rifugiati (tutti gli albanesi più
metà della popolazione slavo-musulmana). A partire dal 28 gennaio
verranno costituiti dall'Acnur in Albania dei gruppi di lavoro sui temi
classici dell'emergenza - riparo, cibo, acqua, trasporto e logistica,
igiene, salute, ecc.). Potranno partecipare a questi gruppi le
organizzazioni che saranno in grado per quella data di offrire risorse e
mezzi propri.
Dalla sede dell'Alto Commissariato a Ginevra sappiamo che questa
esercitazione in Albania viene considerata molto importante, anche se i
segnali che giungono dal Montenegro non inducono a particolare
preoccupazione.
Ma l'eventualità di una crisi in primavera sta già dando i primi
risultati
politici. E' di venerdì scorso la notizia dell'impegno congiunto
albanese-montenegrino per l'apertura dei valichi di frontiera di Hani i
Hoti, Muriqani, e Vermoshi. La settimana scorsa il governo albanese ha
approvato un memorandum di collaborazione economica con il Montenegro
che
prevede la creazione di una commissione ad hoc albanese-montenegrina. La
stampa albanese definisce l'accordo fra i due governi come la mossa
necessaria da parte del Montenegro per entrare nel Patto di Stabilità
nei
Balcani tramite la porta della collaborazione con l'Albania.
Da questo punto di vista l'evento più importante si è verificato martedì
scorso, quando i tre primi ministri di Albania, Macedonia e Montenegro
si sono incontrati a Ohrid in Macedonia. Alcune importanti decisioni
sono state prese durante l'incontro. I tre premier si sono accordati
sulla necessità di allargare al Montenegro il pacchetto di aiuti
previsto dal Patto di Stabilità. Vujanovic, primo ministro montenegrino,
ha inoltre chiesto ai propri partner l'apertura di un corridoio di
comunicazione tra la Macedonia e il Montenegro attraverso il Kosovo.
In un articolo del quotidiano albanese Koha Jone il triplice incontro
viene definito come la prima scintilla dell'allontanamento di Podgorica
da Belgrado. La stampa albanese comincia d'altra parte a dare risalto a
una possibile nuova crisi balcanica. Sempre su Koha Jone di mercoledì
scorso è possibile leggere un ampio resoconto della missione
dell'ufficio Acnur di Tirana a Scutari. I responsabili dell'Alto
Commissariato si sono incontrati lunedì scorso con il sindaco ed il
prefetto di Scutari e hanno valutato assieme le possibilità logistica
per accogliere i profughi provenienti dal Montenegro. Scutari, nelle
parole del corrispondente da quella città, sarà la nuova Kukes della
prossima crisi che appare "ormai inevitabile", dal momento che Podgorica
- scrive il corrispondente - chiederà presto la secessione da Belgrado.
Addirittura nella città si respirerebbe già aria di guerra.
Insomma, i maggiori quotidiani albanesi stanno preparando la propria
opinione pubblica all'eventualità di una nuova guerra nei Balcani e ne
stanno già indicando i possibili vantaggi: ulteriore destabilizzazione
del grande nemico Milosevic, se non la sua caduta definitiva, nuovo
afflusso di aiuti umanitari assieme a quello dei profughi.
C'è chi in Albania sta facendo anche altri conti su una nuova possibile
guerra nell'area. Berisha è sempre pronto a sfruttare l'instabilità
politica che ne deriverebbe, i clan mafiosi preparano nuovi traffici
illeciti ai confini e la maggioranza di governo si aspetta di poter
usare la risorsa del nazionalismo e dell'odio contro i serbi per
rafforzarsi: il ricevimento con tutti gli onori di Thaci, leader
dell'Uck, la settimana scorsa a Tirana lo dimostra con sufficiente
evidenza.
Siamo solo all'inizio di una spirale di conflitto e riscontri oggettivi
in Montenegro di una crisi così estrema al momento non ce ne sono. Certo
è che l'uccisione di Arkan dimostra che forse la resa dei conti a
Belgrado èiniziata e una guerra a primavera può essere una risorsa anche
per il
potere serbo.
* Consorzio italiano di solidarietà (Ics)
---
Da NOTIZIE EST #301 - SERBIA/MONTENEGRO
9 febbraio 2000
(...) Il 14 gennaio, il quotidiano on-line
"Albanian Daily News" ha diffuso la notizia
secondo cui il ministro dell'ordine pubblico
albanese, Spartak Poci, aveva visitato il
giorno precedente due campi profughi, quello
di Rrushkull, a 37 chilometri da Tirana e in
grado di ospitare 5.000 persone, e quello di
Katund i Ri, a 34 chilometri da Tirana.
"Dobbiamo prenderci cura di questi campi,
perché potrebbero servire come centri per
accogliere profughi dal Montenegro,
nell'eventuale scenario peggiore dello
scoppio di un conflitto tra tale repubblica e
la Serbia", ha dichiarato Poci durante la
visita. Uno dei maggiori quotidiani albanesi,
"Koha Jone", ha subito ripreso la notizia con
grande evidenza in prima pagina, mentre un
altro importante quotidiano, "Gazeta
Shqiptare", citava le parole di un
funzionario della compagnia di trasporto
Alaska Cargo Company, che aveva appena
trasportato a Durazzo 6.500 tonnellate di
farina donate dagli Stati Uniti all'Albania
"per i profughi", secondo cui tale primo
contingente è solo una piccola parte degli
aiuti che verranno congelati in attesa della
crisi dei profughi. La società di trasporto
ha un contratto con il Dipartimento di Stato
per il trasporto in Albania di 40.000
tonnellate di grano e 10.000 tonnellate di
farina, riso e olio, ha affermato il
funzionario. Della distribuzione degli aiuti
dovrebbe essere incaricata la ONG Mercy
International. "Gazeta Shqiptare", citando
fonti anonime, ha affermato inoltre che le
due repubbliche jugoslave potrebbero "entrare
in conflitto tra la fine di febbraio e
l'inizio di marzo". Sempre il 14 gennaio, a
Podgorica si sono svolte pacificamente le
celebrazioni per il capodanno serbo, per le
quali molti avevano previsto lo scoppio di
gravi incidenti. Al termine delle
celebrazioni, il premier jugoslavo Bulatovic,
oppositore di Djukanovic, ha dichiarato in
una conferenza stampa: "Grazie alla mia alta
posizione, sono venuto a sapere che si sta
preparando un complotto internazionale per la
preparazione di campi destinati alla
deportazione di montenegrini in Albania"
("Monitor" [Podgorica], 21 gennaio 2000). Il
21 gennaio, infine, "Albanian Daily News"
riportava la smentita del premier Ilir Meta
che l'Albania si stia preparando a ricevere
un'ondata di profughi dal Montenegro. La
notizia è stata il primo della lunga serie di
"allarmi" relativi all'imminente scoppio di
un conflitto tra Serbia e Montenegro.
Trasmessa prima da un tam-tam di operatori
umanitari, è stata infine raccolta con
svariati giorni di ritardo da "Der Spiegel"
e, piano piano, da vari altri media europei.
Negli USA, gli organi di stampa e i politici
hanno cominciato a parlare di un ipotetico
imminente conflitto solo nei primi giorni di
febbraio. (...)
Il 21 gennaio la Reuters ha pubblicato un
servizio da Londra del suo "diplomatic
editor", Paul Taylor, che di norma scrive i
pezzi politicamente più rilevanti. Nel
servizio Taylor riferisce che un "alto
diplomatico NATO" ha dichiarato che "il
Montenegro non deve attendersi che gli Stati
Uniti o la NATO interverranno per salvarlo se
dichiarerà l'indipendenza dalla Jugoslavia,
scatenando un confronto con la Serbia". Il
diplomatico, prosegue Taylor, ha affermato
che "l'Occidente reagirebbe più probabilmente
limitandosi a rafforzare le sanzioni
economiche contro la Serbia, nel caso in cui
Milosevic dovesse lanciare un attacco contro
la repubblica". Secondo il giornalista della
Reuters, "Djukanovic si trova ad affrontare
pressioni interne sempre più forti per indire
un referendum sull'indipendenza". Il
diplomatico NATO anonimo citato dalla Reuters
ha proseguito dicendo che "il dilemma che
stiamo affrontando è quello di come agire per
prevenire una prova di forza [...]
[Djukanovic] dovrà stare molto attento a non
provocare una prova di forza, perché non
potrà contare su un salvataggio da parte
degli USA o dei suoi alleati". Taylor nota
che si è trattato del secondo avvertimento di
tale tono nel corso della settimana, il primo
essendo stato quello dell'alto inviato
occidentale in Bosnia, Wolfgang Petritsch,
secondo il quale ogni mossa verso
l'indipendenza scatenerebbe una guerra. Il
diplomatico NATO citato da Taylor, tuttavia,
conclude affermando di non vedere nuvole di
tempesta a breve termine in Montenegro,
perché entrambe le parti sono consce dei
rischi (Reuters, 21 gennaio 2000).
Successivamente, le dichiarazioni riguardo ai
possibili scenari di un precipitare della
situazione in Montenegro non si sono più
contate. Da quella di un altro funzionario
anonimo della NATO, citato dall'agenzia
SENSE, secondo cui l'Alleanza "segue la
situazione e non si farà cogliere
impreparata", alle raccomandazioni fatte da
Gran Bretagna e USA, rispettivamente al
presidente Djukanovic e al premier Vujanovic,
affinché non facciano in questo momento mosse
verso l'indipendenza, alla dichiarazione del
capo della CIA Tenet, secondo cui un
confronto tra Milosevic e Djukanovic è quasi
inevitabile - "sia Milosevic che Djukanovic
cercheranno di evitare un confronto serio,
per ora, ma sarà difficile evitare una prova
di forza finale, che ritengo avverrà in
primavera" (AFP, 3 febbraio 2000).
---
TRIESTE: DI NUOVO NAVI STATUNITENSI NEL GOLFO...
Molti giornali italiani hanno parlato delle manovre militari congiunte
che alcuni paesi partecipanti alla missione KFOR terranno in Kosovo alla
fine di marzo. Per queste manovre - che esulano da qualsiasi mandato ONU
e suonano altamente ridicole in una situazione in cui i militari KFOR
"non riescono" nemmeno ad impedire le violenze quotidiane nella
provincia da loro stessi occupata - la Repubblica Federale di Jugoslavia
ha ripetutamente protestato.
Meno noto e' il programma di esercitazioni congiunte tra esercito
statunitense ed aviazione croata, che dovrebbe partire in questi giorni
ed interessare anche il lembo piu' meridionale della costa
dalmato-croata. Un inquietante segnale di questi movimenti si ha a
Trieste, dove da un paio di giorni e' ferma a poche centinaia di metri
dal centro cittadino la portaerei Eisenhower. Gli abitanti della citta'
si trovano cosi' ad incrociare un po' a tutte le ore drappelli di
marines in divisa o giovanissimi e ben riconoscibili yankees in libera
uscita.
Ma questa atmosfera, per la verita' non troppo nuova per Trieste, viene
vissuta davvero maluccio quest'anno, in particolare dalle migliaia di
lavoratori jugoslavi presenti in citta' e dai militanti della sinistra e
attivisti di iniziative di solidarieta' e contro la guerra, che provano
oggi profonda stizza ed angoscia guardando a questi soldati a causa del
ricordo dello shock della primavera dello scorso anno. Tra l'altro, i
bombardamenti della NATO contro la RFJ nel 1999 erano stati "annunciati"
a Trieste un paio di settimane prima che cominciassero proprio dalla
presenza massiccia di militari statunitensi...
Il gruppo regionale di Rifondazione Comunista ha immediatamente
presentato una interrogazione nella quale si fa presente che, tra le
altre cose, la Eisenhower e' a propulsione nucleare, e dunque la sua
presenza in quelle acque e' contraria ad ogni regolamento visto che
quello di Trieste non e' un porto attrezzato per la presenza del
nucleare - ma non e' nemmeno un porto militare!
Ovviamente di questo gli Stati Uniti d'America se ne fregano, cosi' come
se ne fregano anche i nostri governanti perche', se e' vero che Trieste
e' "italianissima" (?), e' anche vero che l'Italia e' lo zerbino degli
Stati Uniti d'America in Europa. (CRJ 11/3/2000)
Fonti: "Il Piccolo", 8-10/3/2000
---
MESSAGGIO MAFIOSO DA MADELEINE ALBRIGHT:
"La primavera non sempre e' una bella stagione nei Balcani"
FreeB92 News for 03/10/2000
Albright "concerned" over Balkans
BRUSSELS, Friday - US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said today
that she was very concerned about the situation in the Balkans region,
adding that spring was not always the best season in the Balkans.
Albright was speaking in Brussels where she will speak to US and EU
officials about lowering the temperature in the Balkans, especially
Kosovo. The US Secretary of State told media that she was in Brussels to
talk about how to help the UN Kosovo mission chief, Bernard Kouchner, to
do his job. The three things which needed to be done in Kosovo, she
said, were to establish self-management, create a broad autonomy and
hold elections.
---
PREOCCUPAZIONE IN GRECIA: "FERMARE GLI AMERICANI"
"The clouds of war are gathering again around the Balkans..."
Democratic Social Movement Party leader Dimitris Tsovolas, minister with
the ruling PASOK party, assessed that Washington was preparing for a new
blow against Yugoslavia, and called for the Greek government not to
allow foreign troops or war material destined for Kosovo to pass through
Greece.
_______________________________________
Greeks Concerned About Kosovo Tensions
By Louis Economopoulos
CNS Correspondent
03 March, 2000
Athens, Greece (CNSNews.com) - Amid media speculation of new NATO
military action in the Balkans, a top Greek military official expressed
concern this week that a new conflict zone may develop in Kosovo, near
the border with the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia.
Chief of the National Defense General Staff Manousos Paragioudakis told
a press conference on Thursday that tensions were rising in Prezovce
where 70,000 Albanians are situated and large number of Yugoslav
soldiers are reported to have gathered. The area is close to where U.S.,
British and Greek troops are stationed.
This new headache for the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping forces may further
\plain\lang1033\f4\fs23\cf0 destabilize the strife-torn region, already
facing an explosive situation in the divided northern Kosovo town of
Mitrovica.
Paragioudakis said Greek soldiers aboard a passenger train had been
forced to fire warning to prevent a fracas between Serbian passengers
and ethnic Albanian employees on Wednesday.
Such occurrences have become routine and expressed concern that the
situation in Kosovo was "difficult and dangerous."
In the event of a military confrontation in Kosovo, similar to the one
involving NATO airstrikes last year, Greece would consider opting out,
as new NATO policy leaves it up to each member to decide, Paragioudakis
added.
In last year's conflict, Greece held back from actively taking part in
the military action, while allowing its territory to be used for the
transporting of NATO troops and equipment.
Greece has always maintained friendly ties with Yugoslavia, and the
Greek people, virtually all of the Orthodox Christian faith, have
religious ties with the Orthodox Serbs.
The country has sent some 1,200 troops into the Kosovo region as part of
the KFOR operation. A company of 100 Greek soldiers is currently serving
in Mitrovica.
Addressing a Foreign Press Association luncheon, Greek Foreign Minister
George Papandreou said the situation in Kosovo was of grave concern, but
denied reports in the Greek press that the international community was
planning another military confrontation with Yugoslavia.
The U.S.-born and educated minister called on the international
community to send a clear message to Kosovo and the Balkans that it
would not tolerate a change in regional borders and that it would uphold
respect for all ethnic minorities in a multi-cultural Kosovo.
Papandreou called on both sides in Kosovo to assume their
responsibilities for peace in the broader region. "In the Balkans,
either way, we are condemned to live together," he said.
He again urged the international community to allow Yugoslavia to
participate in the process of democratisation and inclusion in European
structures, and said sanctions against the Serbs impeded the process.
The situation in Kosovo remains tense, said Greek government spokesman
Dimitris Reppas, adding that the international presence in the area
guarantees stability and underlining that any flare-up of fighting in
the KFOR-controlled Yugoslav province would be disastrous to all.
The heightened tensions in Kosovo and NATO's plans to increase military
presence have raised concern in the socialist Greek government that
violence in the area could escalate during the election period. General
elections are scheduled for April 9 and the socialists are holding on to
a slim lead in the latest pre-election polls over the conservatives.
This fear has been strengthened by the fact that in the next few days
about 2,000 more NATO troops will be passing through the northern Greek
city of Thessaloniki on their way to Kosovo and could become the focal
point for anti-NATO and anti-government protests.
"The clouds of war are gathering again over the Balkans, and once again
the government is displaying great willingness to add its black
assistance to NATO's efforts," said Greek Communist Party leader Aleka
Papariga in a pre-election campaign speech.
Democratic Social Movement Party leader Dimitris Tsovolas, a former
minister with the ruling socialist PASOK party, assessed that Washington
was preparing a new blow against Yugoslavia and called on the Greek
government not to allow foreign troops or war material destined for
Kosovo to pass through Greece.
A government official told the conservative daily newspaper Kathimerini
that if NATO attacked the Serbs, the Greek opposition political parties
would make the Greek government's life extremely difficult.
"We will face a strong dilemma; either to stop facilitating NATO
operations - which will mess up our relations with the Americans - or to
risk losing the elections," the unnamed official said.
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: cr-@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
* MONTENEGRO/ALBANIA: Tutto pronto per nuove ondate di profughi
* TRIESTE: La portaerei Eisenhower in rada nel Golfo
* ALBRIGHT: Avvertimenti di stampo mafioso
* GRECIA: Voci contro i nuovi piani di guerra degli USA
---
Da "il manifesto" del 21 Gennaio 2000:
BALCANI
PER L'ONU PROBABILE UNA GUERRA TRA SERBIA E MONTENEGRO A PRIMAVERA
Albania, riparte il circo "umanitario"
L'Acnur prepara i piani per accogliere migliaia di profughi a Scutari.
Mobilitate le Ong
- CLAUDIO BAZZOCCHI * -
Da alcuni giorni si è cominciato a parlare sulla stampa albanese di una
possibile guerra fra Serbia e Montenegro e delle sue ricadute in termini
di emergenza umanitaria. L'ufficio dell'Alto commissariato Onu per i
rifugiati (Acnur) di Tirana ha avviato una serie di incontri con le Ong
presenti in Albania per verificare la possibilità di creare una
"struttura latente" capace di far fronte per le prime due settimane a un
eventuale afflusso profughi dal Montenegro. L'Acnur dunque si sta
preparando a una nuova crisi umanitaria che potrebbe scaturire da una
guerra fra Serbia e Montenegro in primavera.
Gli scenari sui quali ci si sta preparando sono i seguenti: 1) afflusso
di 10/15mila rifugiati (gli abitanti dei villaggi vicini al confine
albanese; 2) afflusso di 45mila rifugiati (la maggioranza degli albanesi
del Montenegro); 3) afflusso di 80mila rifugiati (tutti gli albanesi più
metà della popolazione slavo-musulmana). A partire dal 28 gennaio
verranno costituiti dall'Acnur in Albania dei gruppi di lavoro sui temi
classici dell'emergenza - riparo, cibo, acqua, trasporto e logistica,
igiene, salute, ecc.). Potranno partecipare a questi gruppi le
organizzazioni che saranno in grado per quella data di offrire risorse e
mezzi propri.
Dalla sede dell'Alto Commissariato a Ginevra sappiamo che questa
esercitazione in Albania viene considerata molto importante, anche se i
segnali che giungono dal Montenegro non inducono a particolare
preoccupazione.
Ma l'eventualità di una crisi in primavera sta già dando i primi
risultati
politici. E' di venerdì scorso la notizia dell'impegno congiunto
albanese-montenegrino per l'apertura dei valichi di frontiera di Hani i
Hoti, Muriqani, e Vermoshi. La settimana scorsa il governo albanese ha
approvato un memorandum di collaborazione economica con il Montenegro
che
prevede la creazione di una commissione ad hoc albanese-montenegrina. La
stampa albanese definisce l'accordo fra i due governi come la mossa
necessaria da parte del Montenegro per entrare nel Patto di Stabilità
nei
Balcani tramite la porta della collaborazione con l'Albania.
Da questo punto di vista l'evento più importante si è verificato martedì
scorso, quando i tre primi ministri di Albania, Macedonia e Montenegro
si sono incontrati a Ohrid in Macedonia. Alcune importanti decisioni
sono state prese durante l'incontro. I tre premier si sono accordati
sulla necessità di allargare al Montenegro il pacchetto di aiuti
previsto dal Patto di Stabilità. Vujanovic, primo ministro montenegrino,
ha inoltre chiesto ai propri partner l'apertura di un corridoio di
comunicazione tra la Macedonia e il Montenegro attraverso il Kosovo.
In un articolo del quotidiano albanese Koha Jone il triplice incontro
viene definito come la prima scintilla dell'allontanamento di Podgorica
da Belgrado. La stampa albanese comincia d'altra parte a dare risalto a
una possibile nuova crisi balcanica. Sempre su Koha Jone di mercoledì
scorso è possibile leggere un ampio resoconto della missione
dell'ufficio Acnur di Tirana a Scutari. I responsabili dell'Alto
Commissariato si sono incontrati lunedì scorso con il sindaco ed il
prefetto di Scutari e hanno valutato assieme le possibilità logistica
per accogliere i profughi provenienti dal Montenegro. Scutari, nelle
parole del corrispondente da quella città, sarà la nuova Kukes della
prossima crisi che appare "ormai inevitabile", dal momento che Podgorica
- scrive il corrispondente - chiederà presto la secessione da Belgrado.
Addirittura nella città si respirerebbe già aria di guerra.
Insomma, i maggiori quotidiani albanesi stanno preparando la propria
opinione pubblica all'eventualità di una nuova guerra nei Balcani e ne
stanno già indicando i possibili vantaggi: ulteriore destabilizzazione
del grande nemico Milosevic, se non la sua caduta definitiva, nuovo
afflusso di aiuti umanitari assieme a quello dei profughi.
C'è chi in Albania sta facendo anche altri conti su una nuova possibile
guerra nell'area. Berisha è sempre pronto a sfruttare l'instabilità
politica che ne deriverebbe, i clan mafiosi preparano nuovi traffici
illeciti ai confini e la maggioranza di governo si aspetta di poter
usare la risorsa del nazionalismo e dell'odio contro i serbi per
rafforzarsi: il ricevimento con tutti gli onori di Thaci, leader
dell'Uck, la settimana scorsa a Tirana lo dimostra con sufficiente
evidenza.
Siamo solo all'inizio di una spirale di conflitto e riscontri oggettivi
in Montenegro di una crisi così estrema al momento non ce ne sono. Certo
è che l'uccisione di Arkan dimostra che forse la resa dei conti a
Belgrado èiniziata e una guerra a primavera può essere una risorsa anche
per il
potere serbo.
* Consorzio italiano di solidarietà (Ics)
---
Da NOTIZIE EST #301 - SERBIA/MONTENEGRO
9 febbraio 2000
(...) Il 14 gennaio, il quotidiano on-line
"Albanian Daily News" ha diffuso la notizia
secondo cui il ministro dell'ordine pubblico
albanese, Spartak Poci, aveva visitato il
giorno precedente due campi profughi, quello
di Rrushkull, a 37 chilometri da Tirana e in
grado di ospitare 5.000 persone, e quello di
Katund i Ri, a 34 chilometri da Tirana.
"Dobbiamo prenderci cura di questi campi,
perché potrebbero servire come centri per
accogliere profughi dal Montenegro,
nell'eventuale scenario peggiore dello
scoppio di un conflitto tra tale repubblica e
la Serbia", ha dichiarato Poci durante la
visita. Uno dei maggiori quotidiani albanesi,
"Koha Jone", ha subito ripreso la notizia con
grande evidenza in prima pagina, mentre un
altro importante quotidiano, "Gazeta
Shqiptare", citava le parole di un
funzionario della compagnia di trasporto
Alaska Cargo Company, che aveva appena
trasportato a Durazzo 6.500 tonnellate di
farina donate dagli Stati Uniti all'Albania
"per i profughi", secondo cui tale primo
contingente è solo una piccola parte degli
aiuti che verranno congelati in attesa della
crisi dei profughi. La società di trasporto
ha un contratto con il Dipartimento di Stato
per il trasporto in Albania di 40.000
tonnellate di grano e 10.000 tonnellate di
farina, riso e olio, ha affermato il
funzionario. Della distribuzione degli aiuti
dovrebbe essere incaricata la ONG Mercy
International. "Gazeta Shqiptare", citando
fonti anonime, ha affermato inoltre che le
due repubbliche jugoslave potrebbero "entrare
in conflitto tra la fine di febbraio e
l'inizio di marzo". Sempre il 14 gennaio, a
Podgorica si sono svolte pacificamente le
celebrazioni per il capodanno serbo, per le
quali molti avevano previsto lo scoppio di
gravi incidenti. Al termine delle
celebrazioni, il premier jugoslavo Bulatovic,
oppositore di Djukanovic, ha dichiarato in
una conferenza stampa: "Grazie alla mia alta
posizione, sono venuto a sapere che si sta
preparando un complotto internazionale per la
preparazione di campi destinati alla
deportazione di montenegrini in Albania"
("Monitor" [Podgorica], 21 gennaio 2000). Il
21 gennaio, infine, "Albanian Daily News"
riportava la smentita del premier Ilir Meta
che l'Albania si stia preparando a ricevere
un'ondata di profughi dal Montenegro. La
notizia è stata il primo della lunga serie di
"allarmi" relativi all'imminente scoppio di
un conflitto tra Serbia e Montenegro.
Trasmessa prima da un tam-tam di operatori
umanitari, è stata infine raccolta con
svariati giorni di ritardo da "Der Spiegel"
e, piano piano, da vari altri media europei.
Negli USA, gli organi di stampa e i politici
hanno cominciato a parlare di un ipotetico
imminente conflitto solo nei primi giorni di
febbraio. (...)
Il 21 gennaio la Reuters ha pubblicato un
servizio da Londra del suo "diplomatic
editor", Paul Taylor, che di norma scrive i
pezzi politicamente più rilevanti. Nel
servizio Taylor riferisce che un "alto
diplomatico NATO" ha dichiarato che "il
Montenegro non deve attendersi che gli Stati
Uniti o la NATO interverranno per salvarlo se
dichiarerà l'indipendenza dalla Jugoslavia,
scatenando un confronto con la Serbia". Il
diplomatico, prosegue Taylor, ha affermato
che "l'Occidente reagirebbe più probabilmente
limitandosi a rafforzare le sanzioni
economiche contro la Serbia, nel caso in cui
Milosevic dovesse lanciare un attacco contro
la repubblica". Secondo il giornalista della
Reuters, "Djukanovic si trova ad affrontare
pressioni interne sempre più forti per indire
un referendum sull'indipendenza". Il
diplomatico NATO anonimo citato dalla Reuters
ha proseguito dicendo che "il dilemma che
stiamo affrontando è quello di come agire per
prevenire una prova di forza [...]
[Djukanovic] dovrà stare molto attento a non
provocare una prova di forza, perché non
potrà contare su un salvataggio da parte
degli USA o dei suoi alleati". Taylor nota
che si è trattato del secondo avvertimento di
tale tono nel corso della settimana, il primo
essendo stato quello dell'alto inviato
occidentale in Bosnia, Wolfgang Petritsch,
secondo il quale ogni mossa verso
l'indipendenza scatenerebbe una guerra. Il
diplomatico NATO citato da Taylor, tuttavia,
conclude affermando di non vedere nuvole di
tempesta a breve termine in Montenegro,
perché entrambe le parti sono consce dei
rischi (Reuters, 21 gennaio 2000).
Successivamente, le dichiarazioni riguardo ai
possibili scenari di un precipitare della
situazione in Montenegro non si sono più
contate. Da quella di un altro funzionario
anonimo della NATO, citato dall'agenzia
SENSE, secondo cui l'Alleanza "segue la
situazione e non si farà cogliere
impreparata", alle raccomandazioni fatte da
Gran Bretagna e USA, rispettivamente al
presidente Djukanovic e al premier Vujanovic,
affinché non facciano in questo momento mosse
verso l'indipendenza, alla dichiarazione del
capo della CIA Tenet, secondo cui un
confronto tra Milosevic e Djukanovic è quasi
inevitabile - "sia Milosevic che Djukanovic
cercheranno di evitare un confronto serio,
per ora, ma sarà difficile evitare una prova
di forza finale, che ritengo avverrà in
primavera" (AFP, 3 febbraio 2000).
---
TRIESTE: DI NUOVO NAVI STATUNITENSI NEL GOLFO...
Molti giornali italiani hanno parlato delle manovre militari congiunte
che alcuni paesi partecipanti alla missione KFOR terranno in Kosovo alla
fine di marzo. Per queste manovre - che esulano da qualsiasi mandato ONU
e suonano altamente ridicole in una situazione in cui i militari KFOR
"non riescono" nemmeno ad impedire le violenze quotidiane nella
provincia da loro stessi occupata - la Repubblica Federale di Jugoslavia
ha ripetutamente protestato.
Meno noto e' il programma di esercitazioni congiunte tra esercito
statunitense ed aviazione croata, che dovrebbe partire in questi giorni
ed interessare anche il lembo piu' meridionale della costa
dalmato-croata. Un inquietante segnale di questi movimenti si ha a
Trieste, dove da un paio di giorni e' ferma a poche centinaia di metri
dal centro cittadino la portaerei Eisenhower. Gli abitanti della citta'
si trovano cosi' ad incrociare un po' a tutte le ore drappelli di
marines in divisa o giovanissimi e ben riconoscibili yankees in libera
uscita.
Ma questa atmosfera, per la verita' non troppo nuova per Trieste, viene
vissuta davvero maluccio quest'anno, in particolare dalle migliaia di
lavoratori jugoslavi presenti in citta' e dai militanti della sinistra e
attivisti di iniziative di solidarieta' e contro la guerra, che provano
oggi profonda stizza ed angoscia guardando a questi soldati a causa del
ricordo dello shock della primavera dello scorso anno. Tra l'altro, i
bombardamenti della NATO contro la RFJ nel 1999 erano stati "annunciati"
a Trieste un paio di settimane prima che cominciassero proprio dalla
presenza massiccia di militari statunitensi...
Il gruppo regionale di Rifondazione Comunista ha immediatamente
presentato una interrogazione nella quale si fa presente che, tra le
altre cose, la Eisenhower e' a propulsione nucleare, e dunque la sua
presenza in quelle acque e' contraria ad ogni regolamento visto che
quello di Trieste non e' un porto attrezzato per la presenza del
nucleare - ma non e' nemmeno un porto militare!
Ovviamente di questo gli Stati Uniti d'America se ne fregano, cosi' come
se ne fregano anche i nostri governanti perche', se e' vero che Trieste
e' "italianissima" (?), e' anche vero che l'Italia e' lo zerbino degli
Stati Uniti d'America in Europa. (CRJ 11/3/2000)
Fonti: "Il Piccolo", 8-10/3/2000
---
MESSAGGIO MAFIOSO DA MADELEINE ALBRIGHT:
"La primavera non sempre e' una bella stagione nei Balcani"
FreeB92 News for 03/10/2000
Albright "concerned" over Balkans
BRUSSELS, Friday - US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said today
that she was very concerned about the situation in the Balkans region,
adding that spring was not always the best season in the Balkans.
Albright was speaking in Brussels where she will speak to US and EU
officials about lowering the temperature in the Balkans, especially
Kosovo. The US Secretary of State told media that she was in Brussels to
talk about how to help the UN Kosovo mission chief, Bernard Kouchner, to
do his job. The three things which needed to be done in Kosovo, she
said, were to establish self-management, create a broad autonomy and
hold elections.
---
PREOCCUPAZIONE IN GRECIA: "FERMARE GLI AMERICANI"
"The clouds of war are gathering again around the Balkans..."
Democratic Social Movement Party leader Dimitris Tsovolas, minister with
the ruling PASOK party, assessed that Washington was preparing for a new
blow against Yugoslavia, and called for the Greek government not to
allow foreign troops or war material destined for Kosovo to pass through
Greece.
_______________________________________
Greeks Concerned About Kosovo Tensions
By Louis Economopoulos
CNS Correspondent
03 March, 2000
Athens, Greece (CNSNews.com) - Amid media speculation of new NATO
military action in the Balkans, a top Greek military official expressed
concern this week that a new conflict zone may develop in Kosovo, near
the border with the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia.
Chief of the National Defense General Staff Manousos Paragioudakis told
a press conference on Thursday that tensions were rising in Prezovce
where 70,000 Albanians are situated and large number of Yugoslav
soldiers are reported to have gathered. The area is close to where U.S.,
British and Greek troops are stationed.
This new headache for the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping forces may further
\plain\lang1033\f4\fs23\cf0 destabilize the strife-torn region, already
facing an explosive situation in the divided northern Kosovo town of
Mitrovica.
Paragioudakis said Greek soldiers aboard a passenger train had been
forced to fire warning to prevent a fracas between Serbian passengers
and ethnic Albanian employees on Wednesday.
Such occurrences have become routine and expressed concern that the
situation in Kosovo was "difficult and dangerous."
In the event of a military confrontation in Kosovo, similar to the one
involving NATO airstrikes last year, Greece would consider opting out,
as new NATO policy leaves it up to each member to decide, Paragioudakis
added.
In last year's conflict, Greece held back from actively taking part in
the military action, while allowing its territory to be used for the
transporting of NATO troops and equipment.
Greece has always maintained friendly ties with Yugoslavia, and the
Greek people, virtually all of the Orthodox Christian faith, have
religious ties with the Orthodox Serbs.
The country has sent some 1,200 troops into the Kosovo region as part of
the KFOR operation. A company of 100 Greek soldiers is currently serving
in Mitrovica.
Addressing a Foreign Press Association luncheon, Greek Foreign Minister
George Papandreou said the situation in Kosovo was of grave concern, but
denied reports in the Greek press that the international community was
planning another military confrontation with Yugoslavia.
The U.S.-born and educated minister called on the international
community to send a clear message to Kosovo and the Balkans that it
would not tolerate a change in regional borders and that it would uphold
respect for all ethnic minorities in a multi-cultural Kosovo.
Papandreou called on both sides in Kosovo to assume their
responsibilities for peace in the broader region. "In the Balkans,
either way, we are condemned to live together," he said.
He again urged the international community to allow Yugoslavia to
participate in the process of democratisation and inclusion in European
structures, and said sanctions against the Serbs impeded the process.
The situation in Kosovo remains tense, said Greek government spokesman
Dimitris Reppas, adding that the international presence in the area
guarantees stability and underlining that any flare-up of fighting in
the KFOR-controlled Yugoslav province would be disastrous to all.
The heightened tensions in Kosovo and NATO's plans to increase military
presence have raised concern in the socialist Greek government that
violence in the area could escalate during the election period. General
elections are scheduled for April 9 and the socialists are holding on to
a slim lead in the latest pre-election polls over the conservatives.
This fear has been strengthened by the fact that in the next few days
about 2,000 more NATO troops will be passing through the northern Greek
city of Thessaloniki on their way to Kosovo and could become the focal
point for anti-NATO and anti-government protests.
"The clouds of war are gathering again over the Balkans, and once again
the government is displaying great willingness to add its black
assistance to NATO's efforts," said Greek Communist Party leader Aleka
Papariga in a pre-election campaign speech.
Democratic Social Movement Party leader Dimitris Tsovolas, a former
minister with the ruling socialist PASOK party, assessed that Washington
was preparing a new blow against Yugoslavia and called on the Greek
government not to allow foreign troops or war material destined for
Kosovo to pass through Greece.
A government official told the conservative daily newspaper Kathimerini
that if NATO attacked the Serbs, the Greek opposition political parties
would make the Greek government's life extremely difficult.
"We will face a strong dilemma; either to stop facilitating NATO
operations - which will mess up our relations with the Americans - or to
risk losing the elections," the unnamed official said.
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: cr-@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
SEGNALAZIONE
E' uscito in questi giorni il numero di Febbraio 2000 de "l'Ernesto",
contenente un importante speciale sull'imperialismo. La rivista si
occupa di fornire materiali per un rilancio dell'analisi teorica
nell'ambiente comunista, con particolare attenzione al contesto
internazionale. Nei numeri passati sono stati pubblicati ad esempio
importanti articoli sulle vicende dell'Europa Orientale, dell'Asia
centrale e della Cina, con analisi rigorose - e coraggiose, assai
controcorrente rispetto al "pensiero unico" che paralizza la sinistra
sulle questioni internazionali.
L'ERNESTO - mensile comunista
direttore: Fosco Giannini
redazione: Via Lagrange 26, 28100 Novara, tel. (0321)468511
distribuzione: per abbonamento
per abbonarsi: versamento su c.c postale n. 18385104
annuale ordinario: lire 30.000
annuale sostenitore: lire 50.000
Dall'ultimo numero riceviamo, e volentieri diffondiamo, il seguente
contributo dedicato alle conseguenze ambientali della aggressione della
NATO contro la Repubblica Federale di Jugoslavia.
--------------------------------------------------------------
C'est trop facile quand les guerres sont finies
d'aller gueuler que c'etait la derniere.
Amis bourgeois vous me faites envie,
vous ne voyez donc point vos cimetieres.
(Jacques Brel, 1955)
Durante la guerra aggressiva condotta dal mondo occidentale e ricco
nei confronti della Jugoslavia, i colpi sono stati diretti soprattutto
verso le risorse economiche, gli stabilimenti produttivi, e le fonti
di energia. Evidentemente, gli obiettivi del bombardamento andavano
ben oltre quello dichiarato della difesa dei diritti umani: i nostri
governanti intendevano piegare un paese moderno e sviluppato, e farlo
regredire ad un livello da Terzo Mondo.
I terribili veleni che sono stati liberati nell'ambiente fanno
prefigurare una lenta agonia delle popolazioni balcaniche e del
territorio, ben oltre la durata dell'azione militare propriamente
detta. Con il bombardamento di impianti chimici e raffinerie sono
state immesse nell'aria e nei fiumi grandi concentrazioni di
pericolosi cancerogeni quali cloruro di vinile monomero, benzopirene e
diossine, e di sostanze pericolose per il sistema respiratorio quali
ammoniaca e anidride solforosa. Quest'ultima e' anche la principale
responsabile del fenomeno delle piogge acide, che degradano le
foreste di tutta l'Europa Centrale. Bisogna anche considerare che
tutti questi composti procurano danni enormi alla produzione agricola,
e si inseriscono nella catena alimentare. Ma l'assoluto spregio per le
popolazioni da parte dei paesi della NATO e' simboleggiato dall'uso di
armi contenenti uranio impoverito, metallo debolmente radioattivo che
diventa cancerogeno quando viene inalato, in quanto si fissa per
sempre nei polmoni e nelle ossa, agendo lentamente ma inesorabilmente.
Il primo conflitto dell'era NATO si prefigura quindi come GUERRA
ECOLOGICA.
Inoltre, i bombardamenti incessanti da parte degli Stati Uniti e
dell'Europa, che per tre mesi dello scorso anno hanno martoriato il
territorio balcanico, hanno messo in evidenza la necessita' di
interpretare gli avvenimenti internazionali oltre la scala locale.
Possiamo affermare che gran parte del pubblico non ha gli strumenti
conoscitivi ed ideologici adatti a vedere oltre la sfera piu' interna
degli avvenimenti. Questa visione miope si limita alla questione dei
nazionalismi ("etnie diverse impregnate di odi atavici non possono
convivere"), delle vere o presunte violazioni dei diritti umani
("quanto e' cattivo Milosevic"), degli interessi affaristico-elettorali
dei leader dei paesi coinvolti nelle guerre ("la Russia bombarda la
Cecenia in vista delle prossime elezioni presidenziali") e ad
interpretazioni psicologiche ("gli USA bombardano Bagdad ogni
qualvolta torna alla ribalta il sexygate"). Tutte interpretazioni
estremamente elementari e semplificate, al punto che ci arrivano anche
i giornalisti ed i politicanti. Per chi decide la guerra e la pace,
questi aspetti sono del tutto marginali: essi hanno importanza solo
per la loro funzione psicologica nei confronti dell'opinione pubblica.
Chi e' piu' attento, tuttavia, non ha potuto non estendere la propria
visione per lo meno alla scala regionale. Non lo hanno fatto soltanto
le "frange estremiste" ed i "pacifisti politicizzati": questo passo,
anzi, e' stato compiuto soprattutto dagli strateghi militari, nonche'
dai settori piu' attenti del mondo imprenditoriale e della Farnesina
(insomma, quelli che amano definirsi "i geopolitici"). Con lo sguardo
concentrato sulla scala regionale, la visione cambia radicalmente. I
dati di fatto sono l'affermarsi della Turchia come potenza regionale,
la retrocessione di una Russia umiliata e costretta a cedere uno dopo
l'altro i territori dell'ex-URSS, e l'aggressivita' economica della
Germania riunificata. Emerge cosi' l'importanza fondamentale dei
Balcani come luogo di passaggio per le merci, fra la Mitteleuropa e la
Turchia cosi' come fra il Caucaso ed il Mediterraneo, e diventa
indispensabile prendere in considerazione i vicini pozzi di petrolio
del Mar Caspio, per il controllo dei quali e' in atto una competizione
formidabile che coinvolge stati e grosse imprese petrolifere (si veda,
per esempio, Michel Collon, POKER MENTEUR, Editions EPO, Bruxelles
1998, libro di cui e' in corso di preparazione la traduzione italiana).
Proprio quest'ultima considerazione sul petrolio dovrebbe portare ad
estendere ulteriormente l'orizzonte, dalla sfera regionale a quella
mondiale e globale. Purtroppo questo ulteriore passo viene compiuto di
rado, ed i fenomeni su questa scala vengono sottovalutati o presentati
in forma edulcorata. Eppure essi riguardano argomenti della massima
importanza: il commercio mondiale, il debito estero, i flussi
migratori, le risorse del Pianeta e le materie prime. All'era del
bipolarismo e della guerra fredda e' succeduta non una fase monopolare,
come talvolta fa comodo pensare, bensi' un'epoca multipolare, che vede
affrontarsi (anche se non ancora sul piano militare, e spesso lontano
dai riflettori) colossi come la Cina, l'India, la Russia, l'Europa, e
la superpotenza leader degli Stati Uniti. A questi cinque giganti
(tutti localizzati nell'emisfero Nord) bisogna poi aggiungere le
multinazionali, nonche' tutto il Terzo Mondo, che malgrado sia
estremamente diviso sta prendendo coscienza della propria forza.
Desidero affrontare in particolare la questione delle risorse, e piu'
precisamente dell'energia, traendo spunto dallo studio pubblicato da
Alberto Di Fazio e che raccomando a tutti di leggere (A. Di Fazio, "Le
connessioni fra la guerra dei Balcani e la crisi energetica prossima
ventura", in IMBROGLI DI GUERRA, il libro di "Scienziate e scienziati
contro la guerra", Odradek 1999). Anche limitandoci a questa sola
questione, la situazione appare gia' terrificante. Da una parte, il
dato di fatto e' che non vengono quasi piu' scoperti nuovi giacimenti di
greggio; e che poiche' quelli noti fino ad oggi sono limitati, si
prevede che tra dieci anni circa comincera' il lento ed inesorabile
declino della produzione di petrolio che ci lascera' "a secco" fra
quaranta o cinquanta anni (con conseguente ritorno al carbone).
D'altra parte, bisogna cominciare a considerare anche l'aria come una
risorsa limitata: non tanto l'aria da respirare quanto quella da
inquinare. Il riscaldamento della Terra e la modifica del clima
avanzano sotto l'azione dell'effetto serra, ed aprono la strada a
disastri spaventosi quali l'innalzamento del livello del mare,
l'aumento della frequenza degli uragani, il propagarsi di pericolose
epidemie, la desertificazione, lo squilibrio nella produzione
agricola, eccetera. Il problema, anche se ignorato dal grande
pubblico, e' all'ordine del giorno nelle sedi dell'ONU, dove si
svolgono aspre negoziazioni sulla necessita' di limitare la
combustione, responsabile della maggior parte delle emissioni di
anidride carbonica. Il processo sotto accusa e' proprio quello della
produzione di energia.
Sia la fine delle risorse petrolifere sia le limitazioni alle
emissioni di anidride carbonica colpiscono al cuore il modello di
sviluppo vigente e universalmente celebrato: meno energia, infatti,
significa meno PIL, una conseguenza inaccettabile per un sistema
basato sull'aumento dei consumi e sulla CRESCITA perenne. Se da un
lato la soluzione apparentemente ovvia consiste nella drastica
riduzione del tenore di vita e del sistema di mercato in tutti i paesi
del mondo (in particolar modo in quelli piu' ricchi ed avanzati),
d'altra parte alcuni potrebbero ingenuamente pensare di potersi
"salvare" puntando sulle disuguaglianze e l'esclusione, costringendo
altri alla miseria. Questa sembra in effetti essere la politica
perseguita dagli Stati Uniti d'America, il che ne spiega la
propensione al dominio economico, politico e militare.
Le circostanze che favoriscono lo svilupparsi delle guerre sono
molteplici: e' troppo facile trincerarsi dietro a visioni parziali e
slogan semplicistici, quali quello della "guerra etnica" e della
"guerra per il petrolio". Quest'ultimo, in particolare, non ha
importanza solo per il suo valore economico, bensi' soprattutto per il
suo interesse strategico. Le guerre sono fenomeni complessi e sono
determinate da una serie di cause che agiscono a diversi livelli, come
in un sistema di sfere concentriche: sono le sfere piu' esterne a
determinare il comportamento ai livelli piu' interni (e raramente il
viceversa). La gravita' della situazione a livello di fattori globali
mette in evidenza la posta in gioco nello scontro fra le potenze. Di
fronte ad essa non vi sono diritti umani che tengano, e per i piu'
forti non possono esserci interventi che meritino di essere presi in
considerazione, se non vanno nella direzione della costruzione di una
gerarchia totalitaria di nazioni.
Concludendo, le guerre moderne sono allo stesso tempo la causa e
l'effetto della degradazione dell'ambiente sulla Terra, con la quale
sono avvolte in una pericolosa spirale che potrebbe portare la nave ad
affondare. In un goffo tentativo di salvaguardarsi dalle crisi
ambientali, alcuni stati percepiscono la guerra e l'oppressione come
gli unici strumenti utili per la propria sopravvivenza. E'
indispensabile, oltreche' urgente, sensibilizzare il pubblico sulla
tematica dei problemi globali, da cui viene accuratamente tenuto
all'oscuro. In particolare, bisogna puntare il dito sulla
responsabilita' del mondo scientifico, che invece di dedicarsi ad un
uso piu' razionale delle risorse e ad una piu' giusta distribuzione dei
frutti del lavoro dell'uomo, fornisce all'Impero le armi e le
innovazioni tecnologiche, nonche' l'impostazione di pensiero atta a
giustificarlo in tutte le sue azioni e malefatte (guerre "necessarie",
"chirurgiche" e "supertecnologiche"). La minaccia per l'Umanita' puo'
essere scongiurata soltanto se si prende coscienza del fatto che i
problemi vanno affrontati complessivamente e nell'interesse collettivo
di tutti gli abitanti del Pianeta.
Franco Marenco
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
E' uscito in questi giorni il numero di Febbraio 2000 de "l'Ernesto",
contenente un importante speciale sull'imperialismo. La rivista si
occupa di fornire materiali per un rilancio dell'analisi teorica
nell'ambiente comunista, con particolare attenzione al contesto
internazionale. Nei numeri passati sono stati pubblicati ad esempio
importanti articoli sulle vicende dell'Europa Orientale, dell'Asia
centrale e della Cina, con analisi rigorose - e coraggiose, assai
controcorrente rispetto al "pensiero unico" che paralizza la sinistra
sulle questioni internazionali.
L'ERNESTO - mensile comunista
direttore: Fosco Giannini
redazione: Via Lagrange 26, 28100 Novara, tel. (0321)468511
distribuzione: per abbonamento
per abbonarsi: versamento su c.c postale n. 18385104
annuale ordinario: lire 30.000
annuale sostenitore: lire 50.000
Dall'ultimo numero riceviamo, e volentieri diffondiamo, il seguente
contributo dedicato alle conseguenze ambientali della aggressione della
NATO contro la Repubblica Federale di Jugoslavia.
--------------------------------------------------------------
C'est trop facile quand les guerres sont finies
d'aller gueuler que c'etait la derniere.
Amis bourgeois vous me faites envie,
vous ne voyez donc point vos cimetieres.
(Jacques Brel, 1955)
Durante la guerra aggressiva condotta dal mondo occidentale e ricco
nei confronti della Jugoslavia, i colpi sono stati diretti soprattutto
verso le risorse economiche, gli stabilimenti produttivi, e le fonti
di energia. Evidentemente, gli obiettivi del bombardamento andavano
ben oltre quello dichiarato della difesa dei diritti umani: i nostri
governanti intendevano piegare un paese moderno e sviluppato, e farlo
regredire ad un livello da Terzo Mondo.
I terribili veleni che sono stati liberati nell'ambiente fanno
prefigurare una lenta agonia delle popolazioni balcaniche e del
territorio, ben oltre la durata dell'azione militare propriamente
detta. Con il bombardamento di impianti chimici e raffinerie sono
state immesse nell'aria e nei fiumi grandi concentrazioni di
pericolosi cancerogeni quali cloruro di vinile monomero, benzopirene e
diossine, e di sostanze pericolose per il sistema respiratorio quali
ammoniaca e anidride solforosa. Quest'ultima e' anche la principale
responsabile del fenomeno delle piogge acide, che degradano le
foreste di tutta l'Europa Centrale. Bisogna anche considerare che
tutti questi composti procurano danni enormi alla produzione agricola,
e si inseriscono nella catena alimentare. Ma l'assoluto spregio per le
popolazioni da parte dei paesi della NATO e' simboleggiato dall'uso di
armi contenenti uranio impoverito, metallo debolmente radioattivo che
diventa cancerogeno quando viene inalato, in quanto si fissa per
sempre nei polmoni e nelle ossa, agendo lentamente ma inesorabilmente.
Il primo conflitto dell'era NATO si prefigura quindi come GUERRA
ECOLOGICA.
Inoltre, i bombardamenti incessanti da parte degli Stati Uniti e
dell'Europa, che per tre mesi dello scorso anno hanno martoriato il
territorio balcanico, hanno messo in evidenza la necessita' di
interpretare gli avvenimenti internazionali oltre la scala locale.
Possiamo affermare che gran parte del pubblico non ha gli strumenti
conoscitivi ed ideologici adatti a vedere oltre la sfera piu' interna
degli avvenimenti. Questa visione miope si limita alla questione dei
nazionalismi ("etnie diverse impregnate di odi atavici non possono
convivere"), delle vere o presunte violazioni dei diritti umani
("quanto e' cattivo Milosevic"), degli interessi affaristico-elettorali
dei leader dei paesi coinvolti nelle guerre ("la Russia bombarda la
Cecenia in vista delle prossime elezioni presidenziali") e ad
interpretazioni psicologiche ("gli USA bombardano Bagdad ogni
qualvolta torna alla ribalta il sexygate"). Tutte interpretazioni
estremamente elementari e semplificate, al punto che ci arrivano anche
i giornalisti ed i politicanti. Per chi decide la guerra e la pace,
questi aspetti sono del tutto marginali: essi hanno importanza solo
per la loro funzione psicologica nei confronti dell'opinione pubblica.
Chi e' piu' attento, tuttavia, non ha potuto non estendere la propria
visione per lo meno alla scala regionale. Non lo hanno fatto soltanto
le "frange estremiste" ed i "pacifisti politicizzati": questo passo,
anzi, e' stato compiuto soprattutto dagli strateghi militari, nonche'
dai settori piu' attenti del mondo imprenditoriale e della Farnesina
(insomma, quelli che amano definirsi "i geopolitici"). Con lo sguardo
concentrato sulla scala regionale, la visione cambia radicalmente. I
dati di fatto sono l'affermarsi della Turchia come potenza regionale,
la retrocessione di una Russia umiliata e costretta a cedere uno dopo
l'altro i territori dell'ex-URSS, e l'aggressivita' economica della
Germania riunificata. Emerge cosi' l'importanza fondamentale dei
Balcani come luogo di passaggio per le merci, fra la Mitteleuropa e la
Turchia cosi' come fra il Caucaso ed il Mediterraneo, e diventa
indispensabile prendere in considerazione i vicini pozzi di petrolio
del Mar Caspio, per il controllo dei quali e' in atto una competizione
formidabile che coinvolge stati e grosse imprese petrolifere (si veda,
per esempio, Michel Collon, POKER MENTEUR, Editions EPO, Bruxelles
1998, libro di cui e' in corso di preparazione la traduzione italiana).
Proprio quest'ultima considerazione sul petrolio dovrebbe portare ad
estendere ulteriormente l'orizzonte, dalla sfera regionale a quella
mondiale e globale. Purtroppo questo ulteriore passo viene compiuto di
rado, ed i fenomeni su questa scala vengono sottovalutati o presentati
in forma edulcorata. Eppure essi riguardano argomenti della massima
importanza: il commercio mondiale, il debito estero, i flussi
migratori, le risorse del Pianeta e le materie prime. All'era del
bipolarismo e della guerra fredda e' succeduta non una fase monopolare,
come talvolta fa comodo pensare, bensi' un'epoca multipolare, che vede
affrontarsi (anche se non ancora sul piano militare, e spesso lontano
dai riflettori) colossi come la Cina, l'India, la Russia, l'Europa, e
la superpotenza leader degli Stati Uniti. A questi cinque giganti
(tutti localizzati nell'emisfero Nord) bisogna poi aggiungere le
multinazionali, nonche' tutto il Terzo Mondo, che malgrado sia
estremamente diviso sta prendendo coscienza della propria forza.
Desidero affrontare in particolare la questione delle risorse, e piu'
precisamente dell'energia, traendo spunto dallo studio pubblicato da
Alberto Di Fazio e che raccomando a tutti di leggere (A. Di Fazio, "Le
connessioni fra la guerra dei Balcani e la crisi energetica prossima
ventura", in IMBROGLI DI GUERRA, il libro di "Scienziate e scienziati
contro la guerra", Odradek 1999). Anche limitandoci a questa sola
questione, la situazione appare gia' terrificante. Da una parte, il
dato di fatto e' che non vengono quasi piu' scoperti nuovi giacimenti di
greggio; e che poiche' quelli noti fino ad oggi sono limitati, si
prevede che tra dieci anni circa comincera' il lento ed inesorabile
declino della produzione di petrolio che ci lascera' "a secco" fra
quaranta o cinquanta anni (con conseguente ritorno al carbone).
D'altra parte, bisogna cominciare a considerare anche l'aria come una
risorsa limitata: non tanto l'aria da respirare quanto quella da
inquinare. Il riscaldamento della Terra e la modifica del clima
avanzano sotto l'azione dell'effetto serra, ed aprono la strada a
disastri spaventosi quali l'innalzamento del livello del mare,
l'aumento della frequenza degli uragani, il propagarsi di pericolose
epidemie, la desertificazione, lo squilibrio nella produzione
agricola, eccetera. Il problema, anche se ignorato dal grande
pubblico, e' all'ordine del giorno nelle sedi dell'ONU, dove si
svolgono aspre negoziazioni sulla necessita' di limitare la
combustione, responsabile della maggior parte delle emissioni di
anidride carbonica. Il processo sotto accusa e' proprio quello della
produzione di energia.
Sia la fine delle risorse petrolifere sia le limitazioni alle
emissioni di anidride carbonica colpiscono al cuore il modello di
sviluppo vigente e universalmente celebrato: meno energia, infatti,
significa meno PIL, una conseguenza inaccettabile per un sistema
basato sull'aumento dei consumi e sulla CRESCITA perenne. Se da un
lato la soluzione apparentemente ovvia consiste nella drastica
riduzione del tenore di vita e del sistema di mercato in tutti i paesi
del mondo (in particolar modo in quelli piu' ricchi ed avanzati),
d'altra parte alcuni potrebbero ingenuamente pensare di potersi
"salvare" puntando sulle disuguaglianze e l'esclusione, costringendo
altri alla miseria. Questa sembra in effetti essere la politica
perseguita dagli Stati Uniti d'America, il che ne spiega la
propensione al dominio economico, politico e militare.
Le circostanze che favoriscono lo svilupparsi delle guerre sono
molteplici: e' troppo facile trincerarsi dietro a visioni parziali e
slogan semplicistici, quali quello della "guerra etnica" e della
"guerra per il petrolio". Quest'ultimo, in particolare, non ha
importanza solo per il suo valore economico, bensi' soprattutto per il
suo interesse strategico. Le guerre sono fenomeni complessi e sono
determinate da una serie di cause che agiscono a diversi livelli, come
in un sistema di sfere concentriche: sono le sfere piu' esterne a
determinare il comportamento ai livelli piu' interni (e raramente il
viceversa). La gravita' della situazione a livello di fattori globali
mette in evidenza la posta in gioco nello scontro fra le potenze. Di
fronte ad essa non vi sono diritti umani che tengano, e per i piu'
forti non possono esserci interventi che meritino di essere presi in
considerazione, se non vanno nella direzione della costruzione di una
gerarchia totalitaria di nazioni.
Concludendo, le guerre moderne sono allo stesso tempo la causa e
l'effetto della degradazione dell'ambiente sulla Terra, con la quale
sono avvolte in una pericolosa spirale che potrebbe portare la nave ad
affondare. In un goffo tentativo di salvaguardarsi dalle crisi
ambientali, alcuni stati percepiscono la guerra e l'oppressione come
gli unici strumenti utili per la propria sopravvivenza. E'
indispensabile, oltreche' urgente, sensibilizzare il pubblico sulla
tematica dei problemi globali, da cui viene accuratamente tenuto
all'oscuro. In particolare, bisogna puntare il dito sulla
responsabilita' del mondo scientifico, che invece di dedicarsi ad un
uso piu' razionale delle risorse e ad una piu' giusta distribuzione dei
frutti del lavoro dell'uomo, fornisce all'Impero le armi e le
innovazioni tecnologiche, nonche' l'impostazione di pensiero atta a
giustificarlo in tutte le sue azioni e malefatte (guerre "necessarie",
"chirurgiche" e "supertecnologiche"). La minaccia per l'Umanita' puo'
essere scongiurata soltanto se si prende coscienza del fatto che i
problemi vanno affrontati complessivamente e nell'interesse collettivo
di tutti gli abitanti del Pianeta.
Franco Marenco
--------- 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 CINA HA RAGIONE!
"Il governo americano dovrebbe tener d'occhio i problemi relativi ai
diritti umani all'interno degli USA, occuparsi delle sue faccende e
smetterla di interferire negli affari interni degli altri paesi
utilizzando il pretesto dei diritti umani"
(Agenzia di informazione Xinhua, Inside China Today Daily Brief
Tue, Feb. 29, 2000 - http://www.insidechina.com/ )
> Quote of the Day: "The American government needs to
> keep an eye on its own human rights problems, mind
> its own business and stop interfering in the internal
> affairs of other countries by utilizing the human
> rights question" -- Xinhua news agency, the
> government's Information Office of the State Council.
--------- 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 governo americano dovrebbe tener d'occhio i problemi relativi ai
diritti umani all'interno degli USA, occuparsi delle sue faccende e
smetterla di interferire negli affari interni degli altri paesi
utilizzando il pretesto dei diritti umani"
(Agenzia di informazione Xinhua, Inside China Today Daily Brief
Tue, Feb. 29, 2000 - http://www.insidechina.com/ )
> Quote of the Day: "The American government needs to
> keep an eye on its own human rights problems, mind
> its own business and stop interfering in the internal
> affairs of other countries by utilizing the human
> rights question" -- Xinhua news agency, the
> government's Information Office of the State Council.
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
* Quanti sono i soldati delle truppe di occupazione in Kosmet (Albanian
Daily News / AFP / Notizie Est)
* Bilancio della distruzione delle chiese cristiano-ortodosse nel Kosmet
per opera dell'UCKFOR (THE MONTREAL GAZETTE)
---
I NUMERI DELLA KFOR IN KOSOVO
("Albanian Daily News", 29 febbraio 2000)
(trad. su "Notizie Est" #307, 1/3/2000)
BRUXELLES - La KFOR, la forza multinazionale di
mantenimento della pace, ha attualmente in
Kosovo 37.200 soldati, mentre altri 5.600
forniscono supporto logistico in Macedonia,
Albania e Grecia.
Secondo le ultime cifre fornite dalla NATO, in
Kosovo gli Stati Uniti hanno il numero piu' alto
di soldati dispiegati sul campo, con 5.400
effettivi, seguiti dall'Italia (4.200), dalla
Germania (3.900), dalla Francia (3.900), dalla
Russia (3.150) e dalla Gran Bretagna (3.000).
Nel totale di 36 stati che contribuiscono alla
missione, gli altri paesi che hanno fornito
contingenti sostanziosi sono stati l'Olanda
(1.400), gli Emirati Arabi Uniti (1.300), il
Canada (1.100), la Grecia (1.100), la Norvegia
(1.000) e la Spagna (900). I paesi NATO coprono
circa i quattro quinti degli effettivi totali,
con circa 30.000 uomini.
I contingenti di supporto si trovano in
Macedonia, dove ci sono 4.000 militari KFOR, in
Albania, dove ve ne sono 1.400, e in Grecia,
dove sono 100.
Il Kosovo e' stato diviso in cinque settori,
ognuno sotto il comando di una diversa forza
partecipante: i francesi nel settore nord, gli
americani in quello est, i tedeschi in quello
sud, gli italiani in quello ovest e i britanni
in quello centrale.
La KFOR attualmente e' amministrata dal
Landcent, le forze di terra NATO nell'Europa
Centrale, con sede a Heidelberg, in Germania,
sotto il comando del generale tedesco Klaus
Reinhardt. Lo stato maggiore della KFOR e'
composto da circa 1.500 uomini di tutte le
nazionalita'.
Il Landcent verra' sostituito in aprile dallo
stato maggiore dell'Eurocorps, formato da
ufficiali di Belgio, Francia, Germania e Spagna.
La KFOR sara' a partire da allora comandata dal
generale spagnolo Juan Ortuno, che e' diventato
comandante dell'Eurocorps il 26 novembre 1999.
Eternera Mailing List - http://get.to/eternera
KFOR troop numbers in Kosovo
BRUSSELS, Feb 24 (AFP) - KFOR, the multinational peacekeeping
force in Kosovo, currently has 37,200 troops deployed in the
southern Serbian province and a further 5,600 troops providing
logistical support in Macedonia, Albania and Greece.
According to the latest figures supplied by NATO, the United
States has the largest number of soldiers deployed, with 5,400
troops in Kosovo, followed by Italy (4,200), Germany (3,900), France
(3,900), Russia (3,150) and Britain (3,000).
Among a total of 36 contributing nations, substantial
contingents have been provided by the Netherlands (1,400), the
United Arab Emirates (1,300), Canada (1,100), Greece (1,100), Norway
(1,000) and Spain (900).
NATO countries account for around four-fifths of the total,
contributing some 30,000 troops.
Support teams are based in Macedonia, where there are 4,100 KFOR
troops, Albania where there are 1,400 and Greece with 100.
The province has been divided into five sectors, each under the
command of a different contributing force: French in the northern
sector, American in the east, German in the south, Italian in the
west and British in the centre.
KFOR is currently administered from Landcent, NATO's land forces
in central Europe based at Heidelberg, in Germany, under the overall
command of German General Klaus Reinhardt.
The KFOR general staff comprises around 1,500 men of all
nationalities.
The Eurocorps general staff, comprising officers from Belgium,
France, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain, is due to take over from
Landcent in April.
KFOR will then be headed by Spanish General Juan Ortuno, who
took over as commander of Eurocorps on November 26, 1999.
---
THE MONTREAL GAZETTE, Sunday, February 27, 2000
God's houses in ruins: The world keeps silent as Serb churches,
monasteries are
destroyed in
Kosovo under noses of peacekeepers
MARK ABLEY
The Gazette
The Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, in the Kosovo village Banjska, was
probably not an international treasure.
As far as we know, it was just a modest house of God in an area dotted
with the same.
But no one may ever be sure. On Jan. 30, 11 kilograms of explosives were
detonated at the altar,
leaving much of the building in ruins.
The explosion forms part of a sad and continuing pattern. Since a wary
peace took shape in Kosovo in June 1999, nearly 80 of its Orthodox
churches and monasteries are known to have suffered heavy damage or
destruction. The total may be higher, given that a lot of churches are
located in remote areas where few, if any, Serbs still live.
These attacks did not occur during the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization's
bombing campaign
last spring. They have happened since the return of Kosovo's Albanian
majority. Extremists, usually assumed to be linked to the Kosovo
Liberation Army, have carried out a systematic campaign of destruction
under the eyes of international peacekeepers.
The unanswered question is why this devastation has caused so little
outcry.
British and French
media have paid some attention to the attacks; but the North American
media have carried few reports. Dozens of non-profit groups are now
working in Kosovo; they have said next to nothing.
"The Western world is rather fed up with the Balkans," suggested Colin
Kaiser, chief of the unit for southeast Europe and the Arab states in
UNESCO's Division of Cultural Heritage. "The wars, first in Croatia,
then
in Bosnia and most recently in Kosovo, became more and more intense in
terms of damage. But the cumulative effect has been that the Western
sensibility to it all has been dulled."
True enough. But beyond that, it also seems true that after the wars of
the past decade, few Westerners dare to sympathize with anything
Serbian.
Last September, Bishop Artemije, the head of the Orthodox diocese of
Raska and
Prizren, charged
that while the first aim of the Kosovo Albanians "is to expel all Serbs,
the second is to eradicate all traces and witnesses that could serve as
evidence that the Serbs have existed at all.
"But who and what are the witnesses? Churches, monasteries and holy
places. So
they set out to
destroy the witnesses, to obliterate the traces. In 21/2 months more
than 70
monasteries and
churches were burned or demolished. Among them were the churches built
by
our illustrious and holy ancestors in the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries.
The churches and monasteries, which survived 500 years of Turkish
occupation, did not endure two months in the presence of a 50,000-strong
international 'peacekeeping' force."
Peacekeeping troops from the United Arab Emirates, serving in the United
Nations' multinational
KFOR mission, had been stationed near the Church of St. Nicholas. But in
late January they withdrew, leaving the church unprotected. It was soon
blown to pieces.
The presence of the UN soldiers has slowed the rate of destruction in
recent months, but foreign troops can provide no guarantee of safety. On
Jan. 14, for instance, the Church of St. Elias, in a village called
Cernica, was partly destroyed by explosives. It stood just 70 metres
from
a checkpoint of U.S. soldiers.
Almost everyone would agree that the destruction of St. Elias's and St.
Nicholas's churches is regrettable. But what has so far escaped much
notice, particularly in North America, is that dozens of the earlier
victims were not just Serbian village churches, but buildings of great
beauty and historical significance. Among them:
- The Church of the Holy Virgin in Musutiste, built in 1315. Frescoes
painted in the following years were among the finest examples of
medieval
wall-painting in the entire region. The church was looted, burned and
mined by explosives.
- The Church of St. Nicholas in Prizren, which is said to date to 1348
or
earlier, and which contained medieval icons. Five explosives went off,
causing extensive damage.
- The Monastery of the Holy Trinity near Musutiste, built from 1465 on.
It
held a unique library of manuscripts as well as a collection of recent
icons. The monastery was first plundered, then burned and finally
leveled
with explosives.
- The Monastery of the Holy Archangels in Gornje Nerodimjle, built in
the
14th century, renewed and extended in 1700. The monastery was looted and
burned; a great pine tree, said to date from 1336, was chopped down and
burned; the cemetery was desecrated.
The stories go on and on. The pattern is undeniable - and for once, no
one
is even trying to claim that Yugoslavia's notorious president, Slobodan
Milosevic, is behind it.
So far, thanks to a 24-hour guard by foreign soldiers, the greatest of
all
treasures in the region - the monastic churches of Gracanica and Decani
-
have survived. Writers have waxed eloquent about them for generations;
Rebecca West, for one, called Gracanica "as religious a building as
Chartres Cathedral. The thought and feeling behind it were as complex.
There is in these frescoes, as in the parent works of Byzantium, the
height of accomplishment."
Some of the buildings were jewels of European civilization. Now they are
rubble.
- - -
Throughout the Balkans, politics and art, history and myth, oppression
and
religion are intertwined. The ruined Orthodox buildings of Kosovo were
not
only centres of worship and art; they were political symbols.
Since the mid-1980s, writes Michael Sells, professor of comparative
religion at
Haverford
College in Pennsylvania, "Serb nationalists have manipulated concern for
the (Kosovo) shrines to motivate, justify and implement 'ethnic
cleansing'
and annihilation of centuries of non-Serb artistic and religious
monuments.
"In exploiting Serbian monasteries and the heritage they represented to
foment hate and violence, they desecrated a great Serbian heritage that
deserves better."
It must also be said that if the KLA is behind the devastation, it's
following
a path already
trod by Serbs themselves. In Sarajevo, Banja Luka and other Bosnian
cities, the
Serbs blew up
historic mosques and Islamic shrines, as well as burning the Oriental
Institute and the National Library.
Moreover, between March and June last year, while NATO was bombing
Serbia and
hundreds of
thousands of Albanian-speaking Kosovars were seeking foreign refuge,
many
buildings in Kosovo
were subject to deliberate Serbian attack.
The main targets, however, do not seem to have been mosques. Serbian
forces
aimed most of their
destruction at Albanian houses and marketplaces.
Now the Serbs are reaping the whirlwind. Since the Kosovars poured back
into their ravaged homeland, any buildings where Serbs lived or prayed
have been vulnerable - even if they were homes built in Ottoman style
during the long centuries of Turkish rule.
Another of the recently damaged buildings is the Kosovo Battle Memorial,
built on the famous battleground of 1389. That losing fight against the
invading Turks became a cornerstone of Serbian memory and folk history.
It
also became a useful symbol for Milosevic when he wanted to stir up
nationalist fervour in the 1980s.
In recent months, the Yugoslav government has bitterly protested against
the desecration of Orthodox buildings in Kosovo. But the protests have
fallen on deaf ears.
"I don't know how many times we have said this already," complained
Ljiljana
Milojevic
Borovcanin, first counselor at the Yugoslav embassy in Ottawa. "We have
raised the issue at the United Nations and also bilaterally, with the
countries participating in KFOR."
Those countries include Canada. About 1,450 Canadian troops are now in
Kosovo, serving mostly in the central and northern areas alongside
soldiers from Britain, Finland,
Norway, Sweden and the
Czech Republic. The international community has a lot at stake in the
peacekeepers' success.
Under KFOR, Kosovo has been divided into five sectors, each run by a
NATO-led
brigade. The
peacekeeping force is made up of 42,500 soldiers from 28 countries, in
addition to a further 7,500 troops based in neighbouring countries. For
each soldier in the KFOR mission, only about two Serbs remain in Kosovo.
Borovcanin says she has spoken to Canadian officials about the
continuing
destruction of
Orthodox churches, "and the response was always diplomatic. The Canadian
government says it
regrets all the damage, but at no time will it take any action.
"Yet it's the non-implementation of the UN resolution that has enabled
this barbarism to occur."
She was alluding to Security Council Resolution 1244. Under its terms,
the
mandate of the KFOR troops involves "demilitarizing the Kosovo
Liberation
Army (KLA) and other armed Kosovo Albanian groups - establishing a
secure
environment in which refugees and displaced persons can return home in
safety - (and) ensuring public safety and order."
UNESCO has been in touch with KFOR leaders, Kaiser told The Gazette.
"We provided them with lists of heritage sites that were much longer
than what
they could
actually handle. We were told that they have many responsibilities, and
can't possibly station soldiers in front of every monastery."
Speaking from Pristina last week, KFOR spokesman Lt.-Commander Philip
Anido said that "KFOR and its soldiers have static guards on the sites
that are active. Some of the churches are guarded by moving patrols, and
it's up to the brigade commander to decide on the level of sensitivity
and
the level of risk."
About 800,000 Albanian refugees are thought to have fled Kosovo before
and
during the war last spring. Perhaps it's not surprising that Canada – a
full participant in the NATO bombing campaign - should be reluctant to
speak out publicly against the Kosovo Albanians whom it spent so much
time, effort and money in helping.
Canada even contributed $200,000 to help pay for a cultural festival in
Kosovo last September. On hand along with international stars like
Mikhail
Baryshnikov, Meryl Streep and Elton John was the Cape Breton choir Men
of
the Deeps, flown in to sing coal-mining songs.
"Canada is helping rebuild Kosovo," Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd
Axworthy
said at the time.
"That rebuilding effort must not only focus on bricks and mortar; we
must also
help rebuild the
human spirit."
But as elements of the KLA were quick to realize, the best way to crush
the spirit of Kosovo's remaining Serbs was to destroy significant chunks
of their bricks and mortar. The day after the cultural festival ended,
the
14th-century church of Saints Cosma and Damian in the village of Zociste
was razed. The church was noted for its frescoes of Old Testament
prophets.
On the same day, near the town of Vitina, the remnants of the
14th-century
monastery of the Holy
Archangel Gabriel were destroyed by explosives. The monastery had
already been
looted and
burned.
So much for the human spirit.
- - -
What is surprising, if not downright shocking, is that the destruction
of
churches and monasteries in Kosovo has aroused so little attention from
international groups that are supposedly dedicated to the preservation
of
cultural treasures.
To an outsider, it looks very much as though the ancient buildings and
artworks are somehow tainted by their association with present-day
Serbia.
When it comes to the monasteries and churches of Kosovo, silence has
become an unofficial policy.
Consider the following:
- The World Monuments Fund (a private, non-profit group based in New
York and
funded extensively
by American Express) placed no Kosovo buildings on its recent list of
the
100 most endangered sites around the world.
- The fund has given money for architectural restoration and
preservation to
165 projects in 51
countries - not including Kosovo. Its Web site includes no mention of
Kosovo, and a request for an interview with its president, Bonnie
Burnham,
was turned down.
- If you believe the Web site of the International Centre for the Study
of
the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, this awkwardly
named group is a "catalyst for action." But it has remained silent about
the dangers to cultural property in Kosovo. An E-mail asking for an
explanation went unanswered.
- At UNESCO's headquarters in Paris last July, a six-day official
meeting took
place under the
auspices of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World
Cultural and
Natural Heritage.
Member nations debated the threats to heritage sites in no fewer than 55
countries, including
Canada (a proposed open-pit mine near Jasper National Park came under
scrutiny); but Kosovo received only a brief general mention.
UNESCO did sponsor two missions of inquiry to Kosovo in July and
November. Yet
Colin Kaiser, who
led one of them, admitted that "UNESCO is not tooled to work quickly for
emergencies."
Part of the problem, he said, is that proper documentation is not
available for
Kosovo. The
agency intends to resume work there in co-operation with a Swedish group
called Cultural Heritage Without Borders.
"But we can't become involved in saying who did what," Kaiser
emphasized.
"UNESCO cannot take
sides."
- Last April, at the height of the war in Kosovo, a statement went out
from the International Committee of the Blue Shield (a joint endeavour
that unites librarians, archivists, museum curators and preservation
officials). The statement expressed a generalized "concern about all
damage to the cultural heritage of the peoples of Yugoslavia." Once the
war was over, the Blue Shield Committee had nothing more to say.
Last week, Manus Brinkman, the secretary-general of the International
Council of Museums, told The Gazette that "ICBS has not issued any new
appeals, because the first one is still as valuable as ever."
Asked about the response to the April statement, Brinkman said that
"there have
been a lot of
positive reactions and the appeal invoked much discussion. Sadly enough,
there was no reaction from the parties involved in the fighting in
Kosovo,
neither from the official Serbian or Albanian side, nor from NATO."
- Canada is one of many nations represented on ICOMOS, the International
Council on Monuments
and Sites, whose aim is "the conservation of the world's historic
monuments and
sites." The Web
site of ICOMOS Canada includes statements from 1997 onward. None
mentions
Kosovo.
The Canadian group's administrative secretary, Victoria Angel, said that
ICOMOS Greece has tried to raise awareness about the cultural monuments
in
Kosovo. But Greece was not one of the NATO members that bombed
Yugoslavia;
and anyway, a little-known non-profit group based in Athens can scarcely
be expected to kindle public attention in other countries.
"North America is still stuck with the message that there's a good guy
and
a bad guy in Kosovo," said Dinu Bumbaru, the head of Heritage Montreal
and
a vice-president of ICOMOS Canada. "And what the good guy does at the
end
of the movie is fine with us."
Bumbaru noted that while a great deal of information is available about
the Kosovo destruction, especially on the Internet, "there's no
communications campaign. Frankly I just wonder if, in the West, this is
of
interest."
In 1992, following Yugoslavian attacks on the magnificent Croatian city
Dubrovnik during a previous Balkan war, Bumbaru led a UNESCO-sponsored
mission to assess the damage. International funds were provided to help
Croatia, and Dubrovnik has largely been rebuilt.
But Croatia was widely seen as a victim, so, in the case of Dubrovnik,
it
was politically easy for other countries to do the right thing.
The Serbs, on the other hand, were widely seen as aggressors. Now
they're
outnumbered in Kosovo
nearly 20 to 1; and in Kaiser's words, "the problem is that ultimately,
the defence of anything depends upon local people.
"Ideally, both Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo will realize that the loss
of
the monasteries and churches, like the loss of the mosques and Ottoman
houses, will impoverish the whole area."
But that's a remote ideal. In the meantime, there appears to be no
political
will outside Kosovo
to stand up for an Orthodox heritage so fraught with beauty, so redolent
of pain.
- Reporter Mark Abley can be reached at (514) 987-2555 or by E-mail at
mabley@....
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
Daily News / AFP / Notizie Est)
* Bilancio della distruzione delle chiese cristiano-ortodosse nel Kosmet
per opera dell'UCKFOR (THE MONTREAL GAZETTE)
---
I NUMERI DELLA KFOR IN KOSOVO
("Albanian Daily News", 29 febbraio 2000)
(trad. su "Notizie Est" #307, 1/3/2000)
BRUXELLES - La KFOR, la forza multinazionale di
mantenimento della pace, ha attualmente in
Kosovo 37.200 soldati, mentre altri 5.600
forniscono supporto logistico in Macedonia,
Albania e Grecia.
Secondo le ultime cifre fornite dalla NATO, in
Kosovo gli Stati Uniti hanno il numero piu' alto
di soldati dispiegati sul campo, con 5.400
effettivi, seguiti dall'Italia (4.200), dalla
Germania (3.900), dalla Francia (3.900), dalla
Russia (3.150) e dalla Gran Bretagna (3.000).
Nel totale di 36 stati che contribuiscono alla
missione, gli altri paesi che hanno fornito
contingenti sostanziosi sono stati l'Olanda
(1.400), gli Emirati Arabi Uniti (1.300), il
Canada (1.100), la Grecia (1.100), la Norvegia
(1.000) e la Spagna (900). I paesi NATO coprono
circa i quattro quinti degli effettivi totali,
con circa 30.000 uomini.
I contingenti di supporto si trovano in
Macedonia, dove ci sono 4.000 militari KFOR, in
Albania, dove ve ne sono 1.400, e in Grecia,
dove sono 100.
Il Kosovo e' stato diviso in cinque settori,
ognuno sotto il comando di una diversa forza
partecipante: i francesi nel settore nord, gli
americani in quello est, i tedeschi in quello
sud, gli italiani in quello ovest e i britanni
in quello centrale.
La KFOR attualmente e' amministrata dal
Landcent, le forze di terra NATO nell'Europa
Centrale, con sede a Heidelberg, in Germania,
sotto il comando del generale tedesco Klaus
Reinhardt. Lo stato maggiore della KFOR e'
composto da circa 1.500 uomini di tutte le
nazionalita'.
Il Landcent verra' sostituito in aprile dallo
stato maggiore dell'Eurocorps, formato da
ufficiali di Belgio, Francia, Germania e Spagna.
La KFOR sara' a partire da allora comandata dal
generale spagnolo Juan Ortuno, che e' diventato
comandante dell'Eurocorps il 26 novembre 1999.
Eternera Mailing List - http://get.to/eternera
KFOR troop numbers in Kosovo
BRUSSELS, Feb 24 (AFP) - KFOR, the multinational peacekeeping
force in Kosovo, currently has 37,200 troops deployed in the
southern Serbian province and a further 5,600 troops providing
logistical support in Macedonia, Albania and Greece.
According to the latest figures supplied by NATO, the United
States has the largest number of soldiers deployed, with 5,400
troops in Kosovo, followed by Italy (4,200), Germany (3,900), France
(3,900), Russia (3,150) and Britain (3,000).
Among a total of 36 contributing nations, substantial
contingents have been provided by the Netherlands (1,400), the
United Arab Emirates (1,300), Canada (1,100), Greece (1,100), Norway
(1,000) and Spain (900).
NATO countries account for around four-fifths of the total,
contributing some 30,000 troops.
Support teams are based in Macedonia, where there are 4,100 KFOR
troops, Albania where there are 1,400 and Greece with 100.
The province has been divided into five sectors, each under the
command of a different contributing force: French in the northern
sector, American in the east, German in the south, Italian in the
west and British in the centre.
KFOR is currently administered from Landcent, NATO's land forces
in central Europe based at Heidelberg, in Germany, under the overall
command of German General Klaus Reinhardt.
The KFOR general staff comprises around 1,500 men of all
nationalities.
The Eurocorps general staff, comprising officers from Belgium,
France, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain, is due to take over from
Landcent in April.
KFOR will then be headed by Spanish General Juan Ortuno, who
took over as commander of Eurocorps on November 26, 1999.
---
THE MONTREAL GAZETTE, Sunday, February 27, 2000
God's houses in ruins: The world keeps silent as Serb churches,
monasteries are
destroyed in
Kosovo under noses of peacekeepers
MARK ABLEY
The Gazette
The Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, in the Kosovo village Banjska, was
probably not an international treasure.
As far as we know, it was just a modest house of God in an area dotted
with the same.
But no one may ever be sure. On Jan. 30, 11 kilograms of explosives were
detonated at the altar,
leaving much of the building in ruins.
The explosion forms part of a sad and continuing pattern. Since a wary
peace took shape in Kosovo in June 1999, nearly 80 of its Orthodox
churches and monasteries are known to have suffered heavy damage or
destruction. The total may be higher, given that a lot of churches are
located in remote areas where few, if any, Serbs still live.
These attacks did not occur during the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization's
bombing campaign
last spring. They have happened since the return of Kosovo's Albanian
majority. Extremists, usually assumed to be linked to the Kosovo
Liberation Army, have carried out a systematic campaign of destruction
under the eyes of international peacekeepers.
The unanswered question is why this devastation has caused so little
outcry.
British and French
media have paid some attention to the attacks; but the North American
media have carried few reports. Dozens of non-profit groups are now
working in Kosovo; they have said next to nothing.
"The Western world is rather fed up with the Balkans," suggested Colin
Kaiser, chief of the unit for southeast Europe and the Arab states in
UNESCO's Division of Cultural Heritage. "The wars, first in Croatia,
then
in Bosnia and most recently in Kosovo, became more and more intense in
terms of damage. But the cumulative effect has been that the Western
sensibility to it all has been dulled."
True enough. But beyond that, it also seems true that after the wars of
the past decade, few Westerners dare to sympathize with anything
Serbian.
Last September, Bishop Artemije, the head of the Orthodox diocese of
Raska and
Prizren, charged
that while the first aim of the Kosovo Albanians "is to expel all Serbs,
the second is to eradicate all traces and witnesses that could serve as
evidence that the Serbs have existed at all.
"But who and what are the witnesses? Churches, monasteries and holy
places. So
they set out to
destroy the witnesses, to obliterate the traces. In 21/2 months more
than 70
monasteries and
churches were burned or demolished. Among them were the churches built
by
our illustrious and holy ancestors in the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries.
The churches and monasteries, which survived 500 years of Turkish
occupation, did not endure two months in the presence of a 50,000-strong
international 'peacekeeping' force."
Peacekeeping troops from the United Arab Emirates, serving in the United
Nations' multinational
KFOR mission, had been stationed near the Church of St. Nicholas. But in
late January they withdrew, leaving the church unprotected. It was soon
blown to pieces.
The presence of the UN soldiers has slowed the rate of destruction in
recent months, but foreign troops can provide no guarantee of safety. On
Jan. 14, for instance, the Church of St. Elias, in a village called
Cernica, was partly destroyed by explosives. It stood just 70 metres
from
a checkpoint of U.S. soldiers.
Almost everyone would agree that the destruction of St. Elias's and St.
Nicholas's churches is regrettable. But what has so far escaped much
notice, particularly in North America, is that dozens of the earlier
victims were not just Serbian village churches, but buildings of great
beauty and historical significance. Among them:
- The Church of the Holy Virgin in Musutiste, built in 1315. Frescoes
painted in the following years were among the finest examples of
medieval
wall-painting in the entire region. The church was looted, burned and
mined by explosives.
- The Church of St. Nicholas in Prizren, which is said to date to 1348
or
earlier, and which contained medieval icons. Five explosives went off,
causing extensive damage.
- The Monastery of the Holy Trinity near Musutiste, built from 1465 on.
It
held a unique library of manuscripts as well as a collection of recent
icons. The monastery was first plundered, then burned and finally
leveled
with explosives.
- The Monastery of the Holy Archangels in Gornje Nerodimjle, built in
the
14th century, renewed and extended in 1700. The monastery was looted and
burned; a great pine tree, said to date from 1336, was chopped down and
burned; the cemetery was desecrated.
The stories go on and on. The pattern is undeniable - and for once, no
one
is even trying to claim that Yugoslavia's notorious president, Slobodan
Milosevic, is behind it.
So far, thanks to a 24-hour guard by foreign soldiers, the greatest of
all
treasures in the region - the monastic churches of Gracanica and Decani
-
have survived. Writers have waxed eloquent about them for generations;
Rebecca West, for one, called Gracanica "as religious a building as
Chartres Cathedral. The thought and feeling behind it were as complex.
There is in these frescoes, as in the parent works of Byzantium, the
height of accomplishment."
Some of the buildings were jewels of European civilization. Now they are
rubble.
- - -
Throughout the Balkans, politics and art, history and myth, oppression
and
religion are intertwined. The ruined Orthodox buildings of Kosovo were
not
only centres of worship and art; they were political symbols.
Since the mid-1980s, writes Michael Sells, professor of comparative
religion at
Haverford
College in Pennsylvania, "Serb nationalists have manipulated concern for
the (Kosovo) shrines to motivate, justify and implement 'ethnic
cleansing'
and annihilation of centuries of non-Serb artistic and religious
monuments.
"In exploiting Serbian monasteries and the heritage they represented to
foment hate and violence, they desecrated a great Serbian heritage that
deserves better."
It must also be said that if the KLA is behind the devastation, it's
following
a path already
trod by Serbs themselves. In Sarajevo, Banja Luka and other Bosnian
cities, the
Serbs blew up
historic mosques and Islamic shrines, as well as burning the Oriental
Institute and the National Library.
Moreover, between March and June last year, while NATO was bombing
Serbia and
hundreds of
thousands of Albanian-speaking Kosovars were seeking foreign refuge,
many
buildings in Kosovo
were subject to deliberate Serbian attack.
The main targets, however, do not seem to have been mosques. Serbian
forces
aimed most of their
destruction at Albanian houses and marketplaces.
Now the Serbs are reaping the whirlwind. Since the Kosovars poured back
into their ravaged homeland, any buildings where Serbs lived or prayed
have been vulnerable - even if they were homes built in Ottoman style
during the long centuries of Turkish rule.
Another of the recently damaged buildings is the Kosovo Battle Memorial,
built on the famous battleground of 1389. That losing fight against the
invading Turks became a cornerstone of Serbian memory and folk history.
It
also became a useful symbol for Milosevic when he wanted to stir up
nationalist fervour in the 1980s.
In recent months, the Yugoslav government has bitterly protested against
the desecration of Orthodox buildings in Kosovo. But the protests have
fallen on deaf ears.
"I don't know how many times we have said this already," complained
Ljiljana
Milojevic
Borovcanin, first counselor at the Yugoslav embassy in Ottawa. "We have
raised the issue at the United Nations and also bilaterally, with the
countries participating in KFOR."
Those countries include Canada. About 1,450 Canadian troops are now in
Kosovo, serving mostly in the central and northern areas alongside
soldiers from Britain, Finland,
Norway, Sweden and the
Czech Republic. The international community has a lot at stake in the
peacekeepers' success.
Under KFOR, Kosovo has been divided into five sectors, each run by a
NATO-led
brigade. The
peacekeeping force is made up of 42,500 soldiers from 28 countries, in
addition to a further 7,500 troops based in neighbouring countries. For
each soldier in the KFOR mission, only about two Serbs remain in Kosovo.
Borovcanin says she has spoken to Canadian officials about the
continuing
destruction of
Orthodox churches, "and the response was always diplomatic. The Canadian
government says it
regrets all the damage, but at no time will it take any action.
"Yet it's the non-implementation of the UN resolution that has enabled
this barbarism to occur."
She was alluding to Security Council Resolution 1244. Under its terms,
the
mandate of the KFOR troops involves "demilitarizing the Kosovo
Liberation
Army (KLA) and other armed Kosovo Albanian groups - establishing a
secure
environment in which refugees and displaced persons can return home in
safety - (and) ensuring public safety and order."
UNESCO has been in touch with KFOR leaders, Kaiser told The Gazette.
"We provided them with lists of heritage sites that were much longer
than what
they could
actually handle. We were told that they have many responsibilities, and
can't possibly station soldiers in front of every monastery."
Speaking from Pristina last week, KFOR spokesman Lt.-Commander Philip
Anido said that "KFOR and its soldiers have static guards on the sites
that are active. Some of the churches are guarded by moving patrols, and
it's up to the brigade commander to decide on the level of sensitivity
and
the level of risk."
About 800,000 Albanian refugees are thought to have fled Kosovo before
and
during the war last spring. Perhaps it's not surprising that Canada – a
full participant in the NATO bombing campaign - should be reluctant to
speak out publicly against the Kosovo Albanians whom it spent so much
time, effort and money in helping.
Canada even contributed $200,000 to help pay for a cultural festival in
Kosovo last September. On hand along with international stars like
Mikhail
Baryshnikov, Meryl Streep and Elton John was the Cape Breton choir Men
of
the Deeps, flown in to sing coal-mining songs.
"Canada is helping rebuild Kosovo," Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd
Axworthy
said at the time.
"That rebuilding effort must not only focus on bricks and mortar; we
must also
help rebuild the
human spirit."
But as elements of the KLA were quick to realize, the best way to crush
the spirit of Kosovo's remaining Serbs was to destroy significant chunks
of their bricks and mortar. The day after the cultural festival ended,
the
14th-century church of Saints Cosma and Damian in the village of Zociste
was razed. The church was noted for its frescoes of Old Testament
prophets.
On the same day, near the town of Vitina, the remnants of the
14th-century
monastery of the Holy
Archangel Gabriel were destroyed by explosives. The monastery had
already been
looted and
burned.
So much for the human spirit.
- - -
What is surprising, if not downright shocking, is that the destruction
of
churches and monasteries in Kosovo has aroused so little attention from
international groups that are supposedly dedicated to the preservation
of
cultural treasures.
To an outsider, it looks very much as though the ancient buildings and
artworks are somehow tainted by their association with present-day
Serbia.
When it comes to the monasteries and churches of Kosovo, silence has
become an unofficial policy.
Consider the following:
- The World Monuments Fund (a private, non-profit group based in New
York and
funded extensively
by American Express) placed no Kosovo buildings on its recent list of
the
100 most endangered sites around the world.
- The fund has given money for architectural restoration and
preservation to
165 projects in 51
countries - not including Kosovo. Its Web site includes no mention of
Kosovo, and a request for an interview with its president, Bonnie
Burnham,
was turned down.
- If you believe the Web site of the International Centre for the Study
of
the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, this awkwardly
named group is a "catalyst for action." But it has remained silent about
the dangers to cultural property in Kosovo. An E-mail asking for an
explanation went unanswered.
- At UNESCO's headquarters in Paris last July, a six-day official
meeting took
place under the
auspices of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World
Cultural and
Natural Heritage.
Member nations debated the threats to heritage sites in no fewer than 55
countries, including
Canada (a proposed open-pit mine near Jasper National Park came under
scrutiny); but Kosovo received only a brief general mention.
UNESCO did sponsor two missions of inquiry to Kosovo in July and
November. Yet
Colin Kaiser, who
led one of them, admitted that "UNESCO is not tooled to work quickly for
emergencies."
Part of the problem, he said, is that proper documentation is not
available for
Kosovo. The
agency intends to resume work there in co-operation with a Swedish group
called Cultural Heritage Without Borders.
"But we can't become involved in saying who did what," Kaiser
emphasized.
"UNESCO cannot take
sides."
- Last April, at the height of the war in Kosovo, a statement went out
from the International Committee of the Blue Shield (a joint endeavour
that unites librarians, archivists, museum curators and preservation
officials). The statement expressed a generalized "concern about all
damage to the cultural heritage of the peoples of Yugoslavia." Once the
war was over, the Blue Shield Committee had nothing more to say.
Last week, Manus Brinkman, the secretary-general of the International
Council of Museums, told The Gazette that "ICBS has not issued any new
appeals, because the first one is still as valuable as ever."
Asked about the response to the April statement, Brinkman said that
"there have
been a lot of
positive reactions and the appeal invoked much discussion. Sadly enough,
there was no reaction from the parties involved in the fighting in
Kosovo,
neither from the official Serbian or Albanian side, nor from NATO."
- Canada is one of many nations represented on ICOMOS, the International
Council on Monuments
and Sites, whose aim is "the conservation of the world's historic
monuments and
sites." The Web
site of ICOMOS Canada includes statements from 1997 onward. None
mentions
Kosovo.
The Canadian group's administrative secretary, Victoria Angel, said that
ICOMOS Greece has tried to raise awareness about the cultural monuments
in
Kosovo. But Greece was not one of the NATO members that bombed
Yugoslavia;
and anyway, a little-known non-profit group based in Athens can scarcely
be expected to kindle public attention in other countries.
"North America is still stuck with the message that there's a good guy
and
a bad guy in Kosovo," said Dinu Bumbaru, the head of Heritage Montreal
and
a vice-president of ICOMOS Canada. "And what the good guy does at the
end
of the movie is fine with us."
Bumbaru noted that while a great deal of information is available about
the Kosovo destruction, especially on the Internet, "there's no
communications campaign. Frankly I just wonder if, in the West, this is
of
interest."
In 1992, following Yugoslavian attacks on the magnificent Croatian city
Dubrovnik during a previous Balkan war, Bumbaru led a UNESCO-sponsored
mission to assess the damage. International funds were provided to help
Croatia, and Dubrovnik has largely been rebuilt.
But Croatia was widely seen as a victim, so, in the case of Dubrovnik,
it
was politically easy for other countries to do the right thing.
The Serbs, on the other hand, were widely seen as aggressors. Now
they're
outnumbered in Kosovo
nearly 20 to 1; and in Kaiser's words, "the problem is that ultimately,
the defence of anything depends upon local people.
"Ideally, both Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo will realize that the loss
of
the monasteries and churches, like the loss of the mosques and Ottoman
houses, will impoverish the whole area."
But that's a remote ideal. In the meantime, there appears to be no
political
will outside Kosovo
to stand up for an Orthodox heritage so fraught with beauty, so redolent
of pain.
- Reporter Mark Abley can be reached at (514) 987-2555 or by E-mail at
mabley@....
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
B92 20/2/2000 ---------------------------------
VANDALI CONTRO IL CONSOLATO DELLA RFJ A VUKOVAR
FRY Consulate damaged in Vukovar
CROATIA, Sunday - The FRY Consulate in Vukovar was damaged yesterday
during riots which took place before and after a local league football
match. Seven policemen were injured and numerous supporters arrested
during clashes between fans and police.
AP 20/2/2000 ---------------------------
CONVERGENZE TRA RF DI JUGOSLAVIA E LIBIA
Serbia's and Libya's top officials find much in common
February 20, 2000 Web posted at: 4:54 PM EST (2154 GMT)
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) -- Serbia's vice premier and Libya's deputy
foreign minister called Sunday for a joint Arab-Orthodox Christian front
against "American hegemonism," a government news release said.
Serbia's far-right vice premier, Vojislav Seselj, met with Abdelah
Beh-Yallah of Lybia, and both urged "closer cooperation between states
that value independence, freedom and territorial integrity," said a
statement released after the meeting.
"Orthodox and Arab countries need to join forces to create a common
strategy against American hegemonism," the statement said. "Europe must
free itself from American influence so that its peoples and states can
live in peace, harmony and religious tolerance."
Libya was an exception among Arab countries in speaking out against last
year's NATO military intervention to end the crackdown by Serb forces
against ethnic Albanians, who are Muslim.
Lybia had close ties with the former Yugoslavia which, after its 1991
breakup, continued in the form of the present-day rump Yugoslav
federation consisting of Serbia and Montenegro.
Policies pursued by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and his Libyan
counterpart, Moammer Gadhafi, have led both countries into international
isolation.
"Yugoslavia and Serbia appreciate the clear stand of Lybia and its
president who openly condemned NATO aggression against Yugoslavia," the
release issued in Belgrade said.
TIMES 21/2/2000 ------------------------------------
IN DECLINO IL MORALE DELLE TRUPPE TEDESCHE IN KOSMET
The Times (London)
Monday February 21 2000
Germans sent home
THE morale of German soldiers in Kosovo is beginning to crumble (Roger
Boyes writes). At least 90 soldiers, including 4 officers, have been
sent home because of disciplinary problems, according to Welt am
Sonntag. Another 55, including 6 officers, have been sent back from the
Sfor contingent in Bosnia. The cases are said to stem from alcohol and
drug abuse, but there have also been sexual violations. In Kosovo two
drunken German soldiers yelled racist comments at Albanians. Albanian
soldiers intervened, a fight ensued and the Germans were flown out.
B92 21/2/2000 ----------------------------------
DODIK SEMPRE PIU' ISOLATO NELLA REPUBLIKA SRPSKA
Chaos in Republic of Srpska Parliament
BANJA LUKA, Monday - The Chairman of the Bosnian Serb Republic's ruling
Sloga
Coalition, Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, today demanded that the
president of
the Parliament, Petar Djokic, return the coalition's mandate. Dodik told
media that the coalition was considering options for a new parliamentary
president. Dodik said that he had received written resignations from
Socialist Party ministers but had not accepted them. He added that the
ministers had agreed to remain within the government. The Sloga
Coalition's
presidency today met without the Socialist Party representative.
YDS 21/2/2000 -------------
VANDALISMO KFOR A MITROVICA
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.
LA SINISTRA UNITA JUGOSLAVA (JUL) INCONTRA LE FORZE
DELLA SINISTRA LATINOAMERICANA A MANAGUA
LATIN AMERICA - LEFT - CONFERENCE
YUGOSLAV LEFT OFFICIALS ATTEND CONFERENCE OF LATIN AMERICAN LEFTIST
PARTIES
MEXICO, February 21 (Tanjug) - The ninth conference of Latin American
leftist parties called the Sao Paulo Forum has opened in Nicaragua's
capital Managua, with a delegation of the Yugoslav Left (JUL) also
attending the conference.
The three-day conference, that is to focus on the Left's role in the new
century, was opened by Secretary-General of the Sandinista National
Liberation Front Daniel Ortega.
Officials of 98 parties in 36 countries are to review issues concerning
the uniting of leftist parties in the world and ways of how to oppose
attempts to impose neo-liberalism and the new world order.
A series of proposals were put forth on the promotion of cooperation
between Latin American and European leftist parties.
The JUL delegation, headed by secretary of the party's directorate in
charge of public relations Danilo Pantovic, is attending the forum in
the
capacity of observer. Pantovic has already met with officials of a large
number of South and Central American parties.
TACI "IL SERPENTE" POTREBBE ESSERE DENUNCIATO AL TRIBUNALE DELL'AIA
HAGUE TRIBUNAL HAS DISCREDITING INFORMATION ABOUT THAQI
LONDON, February 21 (Tanjug) - The U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague
has discrediting information about leader of the ethnic Albanian
terrorist
organisation calling itself Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) Hashim Thaqi,
The
Observer weekly of London has said.
The weekly's Pristina-based reporter asked recently the U.N.
administration in the chief city of Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija
province
why the court had not made any moves on the strength of that
information.
He was informed that it was not realistic to do so at this point. A U.N.
official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that it was not
in
the interests of the United Nations to instigate legal proceedings
against
Thaqi at this point.
The tribunal has launched an investigation also against Agim Ceku,
former
KLA commander and currently commander of the so-called Kosovo Protection
Corps, for his involvement in war crimes committed during hostilities in
Croatia, according to earlier reports in London. Ceku had served as a
brigadier general in the Croatian army.
Diplomatic circles in London say that the tribunal has launched a secret
investigation against Ramus Haradinaj, Ceku's deputy, who has committed
war
crimes in Kosovo and Metohija as a KLA member.
These are all people with whom top Western and NATO officials have
almost
daily contacts so that one cannot but speculate about the international
community's true intentions in Kosovo and Metohija.
ANSA 23/2/2000 -------------------------------------------
CECENIA: CAPI GUERRIGLIA VOGLIONO FUGGIRE IN KOSOVO, MOSCA
(ANSA) - MOSCA, 23 FEB - Informazioni su presunti piani di
alcuni capi della guerriglia islamica cecena di fuggire
nell'inquieta regione jugoslava a maggioranza albanese del
Kosovo sono state raccolte dai servizi segreti russi (Fsb). Lo
affermano oggi fonti dello stesso Fsb all'agenzia Interfax.
Secondo tali fonti, i miliziani ceceni avrebbero da tempo
''rapporti'' con i separatisti albanesi dell'Uck e alcuni di
loro avrebbero anche combattuto al fianco di questi ultimi nel
passato nella regione balcanica.
L'obiettivo dei capi ceceni sarebbe ora quello di trasferire
i loro familiari dalla repubblica caucasica, ormai in gran parte
riconquistata dalla truppe russe. Lo Fsb e' tornato inoltre a
ipotizzare un possibile progetto di dirottamento aereo da parte
di alcuni guerriglieri, forse proprio allo scopo di fuggire
verso il Kosovo.
Un tale progetto e' attribuito dai servizi segreti di Mosca
all'ex presidente ceceno Zelimkhan Iandarbiev - ospitato
peraltro attualmente in Pakistan - e da un secondo dirigente dei
separatisti, Movladi Udugov.
Fonti di stampa ed esponenti serbi avevano gia' parlato di
recente di un possibile trasferimento di capi ceceni e di loro
parenti nel Kosovo, dandolo in parte per gia' avvenuto.(ANSA).
LR 23-FEB-00 11:50
TANJUG 23/2/2000 -----------------------------
SOLIDARIETA' DAL GHANA PER LA RF DI JUGOSLAVIA
http://www.tanjug.co.yu/Arhiva/2000/Feb%20-%2000/23-02e03.html
Tanjug (Yu)
February 23, 2000
Ghana -- national solidarity with Yugoslavia
ACCRA -- Yugoslavia's ambassador in Accra briefed the Ghanaian
parliament on Tuesday on the consequences of NATO's March-June 1999
aggression on Yugoslavia and the latest developments in the U.N.-ruled
Serbian (Yugoslav) province of Kosovo-Metohija.
Presenting to Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee Yugoslavia's
White Book of documentary evidence on the aggression, Ambassador Milena
Lukovic Jovanovic said the aggression "was the worst crime against
humanity and peace since the Second World War."
Committee Chairman Kofi Ator emphasised Ghana's support for Yugoslavia's
sovereignty and territorial integrity and for its request that the U.N.
Security Council's Resolution 1244 on Kosovo- Metohija be consistently
implemented.
Ghana had condemned the aggression and expressed solidarity with
Yugoslavia, and would, in line with its principled policy, continue to
support Yugoslavia in the defence of its legitimate state and national
interests, he said.
The Ghanaian parliamentarians expressed indignation at and condemnation
of the NATO air strikes on Yugoslavia and admiration for the Serbian
people who bravely defended their sovereignty and territorial integrity.
REUTERS 24/2/2000 ----------------------------------
http://www.timesofindia.com/today/24worl49/htm
LA FYROM IN ALLERTA PER L'ACCRESCERSI DELLA TENSIONE
IN SERBIA MERIDIONALE
Thursday february 24, 2000
Macedonian army on alert along Serbia border
SKOPJEL: The Macedonian army said on Wednesday it had
raised its level of combat readiness along its border
with southern Serbia, after an upsurge of ethnic
violence in Kosovo.
"We are cautious because of events in the north and
for this reason the combat readiness of the Kumanovo
corps was raised to a higher level two days ago," army
spokesman Gjorgji Trendafilov told Reuters.
"Our border patrols are more frequent and our guards
are reinforced as well as the control on the border,"
he said. "From the other side of the border things can
happen which can get out of control."
Trendafilov, who did not specify which events in the
north he was referring to, stressed that the army was
not sending new troops to the border region.
On Monday, NATO Secretary-General George Robertson
said the alliance was monitoring a build-up of
Yugoslav forces in areas of southern Serbia where he
said there was "clearly rising tension".
Robertson was referring to the
Bujanovac-Presevo-Medvedja region, lying just east of
Kosovo and largely populated by ethnic Albanians. The
region lies north of Macedonia.
NATO sources said the report concerned four companies
of well-armed Interior Ministry police which had been
moved into the region, where recent local reports have
warned of mounting fear and violence.
The Yugoslav army, a completely separate institution
to the Interior Ministry troops, has denied any
build-up.
"Of course there are no additional troops of ours in
the territory of Presevo," the commander of
Yugoslavia's Third Army, Colonel-General Vladimir
Lazarevic, was quoted by Belgrade daily Vecernje
Novosti as saying on Wednesday.
"We have our border units there which very efficiently
secure the state border with Macedonia. They prevent
four to five illegal crossings daily in this border
area," he said.
There has also been fresh violence this month in the
northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica. On Monday, ethnic
Albanian protesters clashed with NATO-led peacekeepers
there.
Outbreaks of fighting in the city have left nine
people dead and more than 20 wounded in February,
including two French soldiers shot in gun battles.
The Macedonian army last raised its combat readiness
during last year's Kosovo war, when NATO bombed
Yugoslavia to halt its repression of the province's
ethnic Albanian majority. It also stepped up its
readiness during civil disturbances in neighbouring
Albania in the spring of 1997. (Reuters)
REUTERS 23/2/2000 --------------------------------------
GLI STROZZINI GLOBALI AUMENTANO LE PRESSIONI SULLA FYROM
World Bank Urges Macedonia Reforms Ahead Of Talks
SKOPJE, Feb 23, 2000 -- (Reuters) The World Bank told
Macedonia on Tuesday to step up reforms to qualify for
the agency's $40 million assistance later this year.
"Macedonia must speed up reforms in the social,
pension and labor sectors, as well as reforms in the
financial and enterprise sectors," World Bank Director
for Macedonia and Turkey Ajay Chhibber told a news
conference in Skopje.
Talks on a Financial and Enterprise Sector Adjustment
Loan (FESAL) were expected to begin by early April and
to end in May.
The pace of reforms and ability to transparently
restructure the largest loss-makers in the country
will decide the bank's future assistance, he said.
"The government ability to sell or liquidate the
deficit-ridden companies without incurring large
liabilities on the budget will determine the Bank's
ability to support Macedonia under a FESAL
arrangement," Chhibber said.
"The world Bank likes to urge the liquidation or a
sale of these enterprises in the most transparent
way," he said.
Macedonia has lagged behind a schedule to sell or
close at least seven large loss-making firms including
nickel producer Feni from Kavadarci.
TANJUG 24/2/2000 ------------------------------------------
SULLA STAMPA ISRAELIANA A QUALCUNO E' RITORNATA LA MEMORIA:
PARALLELI CON LA POLITICA NAZISTA NEI BALCANI
www.serbia-info.com/news
"Haarecu": NATO aggression similar to Hitler's crimes
February 24, 2000
NATO bombing of civilian facilities
Tel Aviv, February 24th (Tanjug) - The manner in which NATO committed
its aggression on FR Yugoslavia last year is very similar to the crimes
committed by Hitler's policy in this country, stated the historian, Anat
Peri, in the text "Let the truth be heard", published today in the
prominent Israeli "Haarecu" daily.
Simultaneously with the forming of the ustasha NDH (The Independent
State of Croatia) and the giving over of Kosmet to the fascistic
Albanian regime, Hitler requested that all Serbs opposing nazis be
expelled. Germany and the US have now, as Hitler did then, encouraged
the separation of Croatia and the expulsion of the Serbian population
from the Croatian territory, stated Peri.
The US has armed the Albanian army, encouraged it to attack FRY and take
over the control over parts of Kosmet, the southern Serbian province,
and launch attacks on Serbian soldiers. Aside from that, the US
supported the Albanian terrorists and mafia, while it accused the
Albanian intellectuals from Kosmet of collaborating with Serbs, reminded
the Israeli historian.
Peri said that today, Ibrahim Rugova, the leader of the Kosmet
Albanians, fears for his life because of the terrorists, which the US
supported and enabled to rule. These terrorists, proteges of the US, are
the murderers of, not only Serbs, but also Albanians, which are opposed
to violence. This is why there are many similarities between the
policies of NATO and Hitler, stated Peri.
It is in NATO's interest that there be violence between the small
nations in Yugoslavia in order for them to justify their policy of
enslavement, stated Peri, adding that any decent man must confess that
the only way to achieve peace in Kosmet is through extensive
negotiations between Serbs and ethnic-Albanians, as it is the only way
of achieving peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
The NATO aggression on FRY did not, as the aggressors claimed, protect
the lives of Albanians, but with it, the last Russian ally in Europe was
attacked, and from the territory of Kosmet, after the arrival of the
KFOR and UNMIK forces, the majority of the Serbian population was
expelled, the remaining Serbs are being murdered on daily basis, and the
representatives of KFOR and UNMIK are not interested in avoiding this,
said Peri.
B92 24/2/2000 -----------------------------
OPERAZIONE ANTI-PROSTITUZIONE IN MONTENEGRO
Montenegro deports foreign sex workers
PODGORICA, Thursday - Montenegrin police last night deported more than
seventy Russian, Moldavian and Ukrainian prostitutes, all of whom had
been
arrested in a raid over several days on cafes and clubs along the
Adriatic
Coast. Podgorica daily Vijesti reported that teams of police arrested
girls
in night clubs who were engaged in prostitution and striptease. Their
working
permits were annulled on the basis that they had violated the law on
foreign
residents. According to unofficial sources, the international community
had
asked Montenegro to crush the illegal white slave trade which was
working
from East to West through Montenegro.
REUTERS 25/2/2000 ---------------------------------------
NELLA FYROM SCOPERTO ARSENALE DEI NAZIONALISTI SCHIPETARI
Macedonian police find arms destined for Kosovo-TV
SKOPJE, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Macedonian police have uncovered a
cache of weapons destined for Kosovo in an Albanian-populated village
in the Balkan country, Macedonian television reported on Friday.
Privately-owned SITEL television said 120 cases with Kalashnikov
automatic rifles and Skorpion handguns and two tonnes of ammunition
had been found in a hotel in the southern village of Kravari.
The hotel owner and an Albanian citizen had been arrested, the
television said, quoting police sources. Another private television
station, A-1 TV, carried a similar report.
Police were not immediately available for comment.
Both stations said the weapons were smuggled in on mountain tracks
from Albania and were bound for Kosovo, the Yugoslav province to the
north which is now under de facto international rule.
Police had also found 40 kg (88 lbs) of marijuana, they said.
A-1 TV said the police acted after a routine check near Skopje
revealed 10 Kalashnikovs in a car driven by an Albanian man. SITEL
said police searches for more weapons were under way.
Kosovo has seen a recent upsurge in ethnic violence, particularly in
the northern town of Mitrovica, a major flashpoint between hostile
Serb and ethnic Albanian communities.
Earlier this week, the Macedonian army said it had raised its level
of combat readiness along its border with Serbia.
Albanians account for about one third of Macedonia's population of
roughly two million people.
AFP 25/2/2000 ----------------------------------
IVANOV: COSA CI STANNO A FARE I RUSSI IN KOSMET?
http://www.centraleurope.com/news.php3?id=138270
Russia Might Withdraw Its Troops From Kosovo, Says
Ivanov
MOSCOW, Feb 26, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) Russia
might withdraw its troops from NATO's KFOR
peacekeeping force in Kosovo in protest at the way it
is operated, Russian Security Council chief Sergei
Ivanov said via the Interfax news agency.
"A thought comes to mind: should we maintain the
presence of the Russian contingent and spend valuable
public money to be spectators," Ivanov said.
"We have a number of grievances" regarding the
international peacekeeping operation in Kosovo, he
said, adding that the province was in the process of
losing its multi-national character.
Of 800 deaths in the past six months, 700 were Serbs,
Ivanov noted.
Russia said Wednesday that KFOR and the UN mission in
Kosovo were incapable of ending violence in the region
or guaranteeing even minimal security for the Serb
population.
Moscow also protested the announcement by NATO of KFOR
military exercises in March, to which Russia was not
invited.
Some 3,600 Russian soldiers are currently taking part
in KFOR operations. ((c) 2000 Agence France Presse)
IWPR #119, 25/2/2000 ---------------
SULLE DIVISIONI TRA I SERBO-BOSNIACI
BOSNIAN SERB DIVISIONS WIDEN
Republika Srpska was again plunged into political turmoil this week
after a
key member of the government coalition quit.
By Janez Kovac in Sarajevo
The Bosnian Serb entity is on the brink of political chaos following the
withdrawal of the Socialist Party from the ruling pro-western coalition.
The move, allegedly orchestrated by the Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic, has widened the growing rift between Bosnian Serb politicians
and
delivered a blow to the international community's efforts to promote
political stability.
Republika Srpska has already been without a head of state for almost a
year.
Hard-line president Nikola Poplasen was dismissed last March by Bosnia's
top
international mediator for obstructing the peace process.
The withdrawal of the Socialist Party of Republika Srpska (SPRS) from
the
Sloga (Unity) coalition came after Bosnian Serb Premier Milorad Dodik
sacked
two senior SPRS officials from his government. The main board of the
SPRS
blamed Dodik for its decision to quit.
The move, a consequence of the ongoing power-struggle in the Unity
coalition, left Dodik with a minority government, which can survive only
with the strong support of international organisations in Bosnia.
Ever since it was set up in 1997, the Unity coalition was anything but
politically united, often reflecting an old Serb saying, "two Serbs -
three
political parties." Its members never really shared a common political
agenda. They were nationalists and political opportunists thrown
together
with international backing to topple Radovan Karadzic's hard-line
Serbian
Democratic Party (SDS).
Sloga succeeded in ousting the SDS and the Radical Party from positions
of
power, but a "monster" had been created, which international officials
were
either unable or too incompetent to control.
Through its main agency in Bosnia, the Office of the High
Representative,
the international community gave Sloga and its frontman, Milorad Dodik,
unconditional support.
Dodik and the coalition did improve the situation in Republika Srpska
somewhat, but mainly through western donations and loans. They remained
opportunists, however, and continued fighting each other for power.
Dodik
has maintained the upper hand in the struggle thanks to western backing.
This despite Sloga being mired in corruption, never fully accepting the
vision of a united Bosnia as drafted in the Dayton Peace Accord, nor
properly implementing one of its key conditions - the return of refugees
to
the Bosnian Serb-held areas.
The international community also turned a blind eye to Dodik's personal
shortcomings, allowing him to bully and replace his opponents as long as
he
was keeping the two nationalist parties - the SDS and the Radical Party
-
outside of government.
The international community also saw Dodik and his coalition as
important
weapons against Milosevic.
Dodik and other top Sloga officials publicly criticised Milosevic on
numerous occasions and gradually severed ties between Yugoslavia and
Republika Srpska, jeopardising Milosevic's self-proclaimed position as
leader of all Balkan Serbs.
But the arrangement backfired many times, putting western agencies in
often
awkward and sometimes absurd positions.
Along the way, Dodik made few friends and many enemies. He even lost
support
from political parties in the other Bosnian entity, the Bosnian
Federation.
At the same time, Milosevic increased his efforts to undermine Dodik and
Sloga, usually acting either through the hard-line SDS and Radical
parties,
or through the SPRS. A part of the SPRS, apparently led by party
vice-president Dragutin Ilic, remained loyal to Milosevic and close to
his
Socialist Party of Serbia.
As soon as SPRS announced its decision to step out of the coalition, key
Sloga leaders, Dodik and Biljana Plavsic, accused Republika Srpska
socialists of caving into pressure from Milosevic. They implied that
some of
the SPRS officials recently visited Belgrade and were taking directions
from
the Yugoslav president.
"I had hoped that SPRS would liberate itself from Serbia's pressure,"
Plavsic said, adding that the party's withdrawal from government was
"irresponsible" because it showed it was following "petty personal
interests" rather than those of all Bosnian Serbs and Republika Srpska.
"SPRS is not Sloga, but only a part of Sloga," Dodik said. And in an
attempt
to persuade the public that Republika Srpska was not facing a crisis, he
insisted the coalition would continue working.
Yet despite his words, everybody - western organisations and Bosnian
citizens alike - are aware the entity is entering its deepest political
crisis since the pro-Karadzic hard-liners were removed from power.
International support, however, should ensure that Dodik remains in
power
without serious challenges. But only for as long as Republika Srpska has
a
vacant presidential post, as only the head of state can propose a new
premier.
Meanwhile, the Bosnian Serb parliament will remain deadlocked with
political
factions unable to muster enough votes to push through decisions.
The most important consequence of the current chaos is that it could
open
the way for the re-emergence of the SDS in Bosnia's general election
scheduled for October.
The SDS, which has undergone key personnel changes since Karadzic was
leader, is now a solid opposition party, which sometimes behaves more
democratically than Sloga.
But although the SDS now appears to be quite different from the war
mongering party of old - its reappearance in the corridors of power
would
definitively alarm international organisations in Bosnia. But even
worse, it
would immediately boost ethnic tensions sky-high throughout Bosnia.
Janez Kovac is a regular contributor to IWPR from Sarajevo.
TANJUG 26/2/2000 -----------------------
RF DI JUGOSLAVIA ED IRAN SI RIAVVICINANO
http://www.tanjug.co.yu/Arhiva/2000/Feb%20-%2000/26-02e04.html
Tanjug (Yu)
February 26, 2000
Yugoslavia, Iran form closer links
BELGRADE -- The promotion of all forms of cooperation of FR Yugoslavia
and Iran, notably in the field of information, and the creation of
conditions for the Yugoslav and Iranian people, through authentic
information and without the mediation of global, world media, to inform
themselves about the most important events -- is of interest for both
friendly countries, it was mutually assessed at the talks held Friday
between Yugoslav Information Minister Goran Matic and the Iranian
Embassy charge d'affaires in Belgrade, Javad Moradkhan.
Moradkhan said that there was a need to a strengthen cooperation in the
field of the media with a view to authentically informing the publics in
the two countries, and to open correspondency offices of the Iranian
News Agency in Belgrade and of TANJUG in Teheran.
Matic, assessing that the future of the world was in a multipolar
society and that every people has the right to chose its govermment,
said that was the foundation the Yugoslav society was based on.
Matic said that Yugoslavia will open the door for better cooperation in
the field of information with Iran, pointing that action should be taken
against the terror of global media, who attempt to pit against one
another peoples, influence processes and the election of governments in
spite of the will of the people in certain countries.
B92 26/2/2000 -----------
"AIUTI" USA AL MONTENEGRO
US to provide Montenegro with flour and wheat supplies
MONTENEGRO, Saturday - The US will provide Montenegro with 500,000 tons
of
flour, Montenegrin Minister of Agriculture Milutin Simovic told the
press
today. On his return from an official visit to America, Simovic told the
press that in April the US would also supply Montenegro with 350,000
tons of
wheat which would ensure an adequate bread supply on the Montenegrin
market
and keep the cost of bread at current levels. During his visit, Simovic
signed several contracts aimed at boosting Montenegrin agriculture.
TENDENZE CENTRIFUGHE IN VOJVODINA
Vojvodina to become one of six Serbian Federal units
NOVI SAD, Saturday - The League of Vojvodina Social Democrats at their
third
congress in Novi Sad today adopted a resolution according to which
Vojvodina
will become one of the six Serbian Federal units, the other five being
Sumadija, Belgrade, Southeastern Serbia, Sandzak and Kosovo. In his
speech at
the congress, leader of the League of Vojvodina Social Democrats, Nenad
Canak
said that their aim was not to separate Vojvodina from Serbia, but to
redefine relations between Serbia and Vojvodina. Foreign guests who had
been
invited to attend the congress failed to show having been refused visas.
TELEGRAPH 26/2/2000 ---------------------
IRREDENTISMO PAN-ALBANESE ALL'OPERA ORMAI
ANCHE FUORI DAL KOSMET
The Telegraph (UK)
ISSUE 1737Saturday 26 February 2000
Fresh violence in Yugoslavia is blamed on ethnic Albanians
By Gillian Sandford in Bujanovac and Julius Strauss
ETHNIC Albanian extremists are suspected of being behind a fresh wave of
ethnic violence that has broken out in remote settlements of southern
Yugoslavia.
Although the villages concerned are close to Kosovo, ethnic Albanians,
Serbs and gipsies have lived peacefully there alongside each other for
years.
During the Nato air strikes last year, the Serbian authorities largely
ignored the area and local Albanians say some of them were protected by
their Serbian neighbours from the nationalism sweeping the country.
But now explosions, beatings, searches and tit-for-tat killings are
threatening to tear apart fragile communities and provoke new clashes
between Serbs and ethnic Albanians that could destabilise the entire
region. At the heart of the trouble is Bujanovac, a village consisting
of 55 per cent ethnic Albanians and 45 per cent Serbs and gipsies.
Although villagers crowd the market square as they always have, distrust
is beginning to permeate the atmosphere.
It is being registered far beyond Yugoslavia's borders. The Nato
Secretary-General, Lord Robertson, said recently: "There is clearly
rising tension in the southern part of Serbia and large numbers of
additional Yugoslav troops have moved into the area."
Asked about the reports of troop deployments, Stojanca Arsic, the mayor,
said: "We have stationary troops in Bujanovac. These are regular army
and they are doing their duty on a training programme."
In the village itself, there was little sign last week of a build-up of
Yugoslav forces. The only obvious activity consisted of four coachloads
of special police travelling north, apparently away from the border.
Yet there clearly had been violence. Nato and ethnic Albanian sources in
Kosovo said most of the responsibility lay with elements of the Kosovo
Liberation Army who are fighting for a unified Albania incorporating
parts of Macedonia and the territory populated by the 80,000 ethnic
Albanians still in Serbia.
The ethnic Albanian spiritual leader, Nexhmadin Saqipi, says that both
ethnic Albanian and Serbian extremists are worsening relations between
the two communities.
Mr Saqipi said: "During the bombing we helped each other. But now I am
afraid of these incidents escalating. The Serb mayor is a good man and
so is the local police commander. These events are all the results of
clashes between the politics of Belgrade and Pristina."
The violence in Bujanovac is a textbook example of the flash-fire nature
of Balkan ethnic strife. The trouble began after a local Albanian,
Shefket, returned from Kosovo and began fomenting trouble. In December a
bomb exploded at the Serbian elementary school. Two weeks later two
bombs went off in an Albanian and gipsy area.
Then in January the director of an Albanian school in the nearby village
of Muhovac was ambushed and killed on his way to work. Mr Arsic says he
was targeted because extremist Albanians considered him a collaborator.
A little later Shefket had an exchange of fire with Serb police and two
ethnic Albanian bystanders were killed. In retaliation, ethnic Albanians
claim, they are being roughed up by Serb police at checkpoints.
The violence in Bujanovac is part of a pattern of unrest spreading
through ethnic Albanian areas in Serbia and Macedonia.
In Presevo, local Albanians have reported that "outsiders" have arrived
to stoke up trouble with the Serbian police. They have been joined by
young Presevo men, some of whom fought in Kosovo.
British military sources in Kosovo say the KLA is also behind attacks on
Serb police units in other areas on the border, including one that left
two dead.
In neighbouring Macedonia, too, violence is spreading. Last month three
policemen were killed by ethnic Albanian gangsters who opened fire on
their car.
B92 27/2/2000 -----------------------
UN ALTRO SERBO FATTO FUORI A GNJILANE
Member of the Serbian Nation Council for Kosovo murdered in Gnjilane
KOSOVO, Sunday - Member of the Serbian Nation Council for Kosovo, Doctor
Josip Vasic was killed last night in the center of Gnjilane. An unknown
assailant fired four bullets at Vasic, the Serbian Nation Council for
Kosovo
headquarters stated today, condemning this murder as part of the
systematic
cleansing of Serbs from this region.
KFOR spokesman Philip Anido confirmed the murder of Serbian Doctor Josip
Vasic at a press conference in Pristina today. Anido said that Doctor
Vasic
died after being transferred to the American military hospital last
night.
ATTACCO DEI TERRORISTI N.A.T.O. (IRREDENTISTI PAN-ALBANESI)
CAUSA UN MORTO E TRE FERITI
One police officer killed and three injured in Albanian terrorist attack
in Konculj
BELGRADE, Sunday - Senior police officer, Slavisa Dimitrijevic was
killed and
a further three policemen injured during an attack carried out by Kosovo
Albanian terrorists on the road between Gnjilane and Bujanovac near the
village of Konculj ten kilometers from the Kosovo border last night, the
Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs stated today. The three injured
policemen have been hospitalised but have been taken off the danger
list.
According to the statement issued by the police, the terrorists left the
territory of Kosovo and ambushed a Serbian police patrol using hand
grenades
and automatic weapons. The police patrol managed to return fire, killing
one
of the Albanian terrorists, Fatmir Idrisi, who according to police
sources,
is a member of the Kosovo protection Corps. All local roads in the area
have
been closed for security reasons.
KCNA 27/2/2000 --------------------------------
JOVANOVIC IN VISITA UFFICIALE IN COREA DEL NORD
Reception given for Yugoslav Foreign Minister
Pyongyang, February 27 (KCNA) -- The DPRK Foreign Ministry gave a
reception for the Foreign Minister of
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and his party on a visit to Korea at
the
Mansudae Assembly Hall yesterday.
DPRK Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun in his speech said that Korea
visit
of the Yugoslav Foreign Minister and
his party will mark a significant occasion in expanding and developing
the
excellent friendly relations between the
two peoples to a new higher stage.
Stressing that the friendly and cooperative relations between the
two
countries whose firm foundation was laid
by the great leader Kim Il Sung are now growing stronger and developing
under the particular care of the great
leader Kim Jong Il, he said:
The DPRK will, in the future, too, make every possible effort to
further consolidate and develop these
traditional relations in keeping with the demands of the present
developing
situation.
Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic in his speech said that
the
Yugoslav leadership and people highly
appreciate the DPRK leadership and people for having condemned the
interference, pressure and aggressive
maneuvers of foreign forces against Yugoslavia and supported it in the
United Nations and the non-aligned
movement.
He said that Yugoslavia expresses full support to the Korean people
in
their struggle to reunify the country
independently and peacefully, true to the ten-point programme of the
great
unity of the whole nation for national
reunification set forth by Kim Il Sung and the five-point policy of
great
national unity advanced by Kim Jong Il.
He expressed the belief that the relations between the two countries
would further expand and develop in
political, economic, cultural and other fields.
B92 28/2/2000 -------------------------------------
ALTRI 180 NOMI NELLE LISTE DI PROSCRIZIONE DELLA UE
EU adds 180 names to Yugoslav black list
BRUSSELS, Monday - The European Union foreign ministers today added
another
180 names to the list of Yugoslav residents banned from entering EU
member
countries. EU officials said that the list, which now consists of about
780
names, consisted of people who were part of, or supported, the regime of
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
The new list is remarkable for the inclusion of the names of 54 Yugoslav
judges, magistrates and prosecutors who have been prominent in the
vexatious
prosecution of the independent media and opposition politicians.
The ministers were also expected today to confirm the suspension of air
traffic sanctions against Yugoslavia. The procedure of formally lifting
the
sanctions was expected to take another two weeks.
UN AUTOBUS (PER FORTUNA VUOTO) SU DI UNA MINA
Serbian bus hits landmine in Kosovo
BELGRADE, Monday - A passenger bus was badly damaged when it hit a
landmine
in Kosovo this morning. The bus, belonging to the Raska transport firm
Jugoprevoz, was carrying no passengers at the time of the explosion. The
driver was unhurt by the blast which occurred when the rear of the bus
hit
the mine as it was leaving the northern zone of Kosovska Mitrovica. The
Commander of the French KFOR sector, General Pierre de Saqui de Sannes
described the incident as an act of blatant violence.
The Serb National Council described the attack on the bus as a terrorist
act,
claiming that the intention of the terrorists was to intimidate the Serb
population and ethnically cleanse the northern part of Kosovo. The
council
statement went on to say that it was no coincidence that the attack had
occurred on the same day that the Albanians were celebrating the
establishment of Albanian terrorist groups in Kosovo and making new
threats
against Serbs.
The London "Guardian" writes today that armed members of the
officially-disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army wearing camouflage suits
were
attacking Serb police along the Kosovo-Serbia border in order to provoke
a
response from Serb security forces and consequently NATO intervention.
The
British paper quotes a US KFOR officer as saying that international
forces
would enter the territory of Serbia proper if there were atrocities. The
definition of that term was still being worked on, the US officer added.
IN DIECIMILA CELEBRANO LA LOTTA PER LA GRANDE ALBANIA
SOTTO GLI OCCHI (E LA PROTEZIONE) DELLA N.A.T.O.
Kosovo guerrillas celebrate second anniversary
PRISTINA, Monday - Members of the Kosovo Protection Corps today
celebrated
the second anniversary of the first major conflict between the Kosovo
Liberation Army and members of the Yugoslav security forces. The clash
occurred in the Drenica villages of Likosane and Ciriz. The Kosovo
Protection
Corps is largely made up of former members of the officially-disbanded
Kosovo
Liberation Army. Today's rally involved about 10,000 Albanians, none of
whom
carried arms or wore KLA uniforms. The Corps Commander Agim Ceku did not
attend the celebrations.
LA N.A.T.O. PRONTA A NUOVE MANOVRE
NATO exercises in Kosovo
BRUSSELS, Monday - About 2,000 troops will participate in NATO
manoeuvres in
Kosovo in March and April, NATO Supreme Command announced today. The
troops
are part of NATO's strategic reserve and the land command exercises
codenamed
"Dynamic Response 2000" would demonstrate NATO's resolution to maintain
a
safe environment for Kosovo and its citizens according to NATO's
statement.
The exercises will involve six countries, Argentina, Italy, Holland,
Poland,
Romania and the US.
B92 29/2/2000 -----------------------------------------
STEVAN MIRKOVIC: E' ORA CHE L'ESERCITO PRENDA IL POTERE
Former Army head calls for coup
BELGRADE, Tuesday - The Army should seize power, disband the government,
the
parliament and political parties, arrest Milo Djukanovic and eliminate
Slobodan Milosevic, former Yugoslav People's Army chief Stevan Mirkovic
said
today. Mirkovic told Belgrade daily Danas that if Milosevic had put the
army
on alert in order to expand his authority, it would be unproductive
because
the army would not dare enter a conflict with Montenegrin security
forces.
The former army chief added that he did not believe the army would step
outside its authority for the sake of one man's power but if it were
needed
to establish order and discipline in the country that would be something
else
altogether.
AFP 29/2/2000 -----------------------
GRANDE FEELING TRA TURCHIA ED ALBANIA
Turkey Promises To Help Albania Modernize Its Army
TIRANA, Feb 29, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) Turkish Prime Minister
Bulent Ecevit said Monday his country plans to give Albania more than
$120 million dollars over the next four years to help modernize its
army.
Ecevit, speaking at a joint press conference with Albanian counterpart
Ilir Meta during a two-day visit to Tirana, said Turkey saw an
up-to-date Albanian military as an important element for peace and
stability in the Balkans.
Ankara has already earmarked $41 million for the Albanian defense force
and planned to double that amount between now and 2004, Ecevit said,
adding that the change would also have a positive impact on the economy
of Albania, considered the poorest country in Europe.
An uprising in Albania in 1997 resulted in army weapons depots being
pillaged and around one million arms are believed to be in circulation.
Large parts of the country remain lawless.
Turkey, as a member of NATO, took part in the NATO bombardment of
Yugoslavia which eventually forced Yugoslav troops to end their
operation against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and to pull out of the
Serbian province.
Albania shares a border with Kosovo to the north and both Albania and
Turkey have predominantly Muslim populations. ((c) 2000 Agence France
Presse)
REUTERS 29/2/2000 -------------------------------------
IL MINISTRO LAZIC DENUNCIA LO SPORCO GIOCO DEGLI U.S.A.
NELLA SERBIA MERIDIONALE
http://www.centraleurope.com/news.php3?id=138917
Serb Minister Sees US-Albanian Plot In South Serbia
BELGRADE, Feb 29, 2000 -- (Reuters) A Serbian minister
accused the United States and Kosovo Albanian
"terrorists" on Monday of planning to provoke conflict
in an Albanian-populated area of southern Serbia close
to Kosovo.
Djura Lazic, minister without portfolio, said recent
ethnic Albanian attacks in the region were part of a
plan to justify new NATO intervention and extend
Kosovo to this area of Serbia.
He said they were also designed to drive remaining
Serbs out of Kosovo, which is now under de facto
international rule.
"The aim is not only ethnic cleansing of Kosovo of
Serbs, Montenegrins, Gypsies, Gorans and other
non-Albanians but also provoking conflicts and the
fire of war in Bujanovac, Medvedja and Presevo," Lazic
told the official Tanjug news agency.
The three towns are in an area of Serbia just east of
Kosovo, still legally part of Yugoslavia.
Lazic also criticized NATO plans to hold a military
exercise in Kosovo in March, saying it would encourage
Albanian "terrorists" - the term used by Belgrade for
guerrillas of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
NATO said in Brussels that it would send more than
2,000 troops to Kosovo next month for a training
exercise intended to show its resolve to keep the
peace.
Western diplomats and politicians have accused
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic of reinforcing
troops along the administrative border with Kosovo in
order to spread fear and drive out ethnic Albanians.
They have warned Belgrade the world will not tolerate
any attempt to destabilize the region further.
Belgrade says it is merely responding to "terrorism"
by Kosovo Albanians crossing the border.
On Sunday, Tanjug said a Serb policeman and an ethnic
Albanian guerrilla were killed in a shoot-out near
Bujanovac.
It said three other policemen were wounded after
"Albanian terrorists" crossed from Kosovo on Saturday
night and ambushed a police patrol with automatic
weapons and hand grenades.
Lazic said the aim of such attacks was to provoke Serb
police action and portray ethnic Albanians in the area
as being under threat, thus justifying new NATO
intervention.
Yugoslav forces withdrew from Kosovo last June after
11 weeks of NATO bombing to halt Belgrade's repression
of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority.
Also on Monday, the Yugoslav army denied accusations
it was massing troops in the area east of Kosovo.
"The Third Army command denies and emphatically
rejects all criticism and accusations that it is
allegedly conducting preparatory and provocative
actions directed against international forces in
Kosovo," said a statement.
====================================================================
NOTA DEL CRJ:
Le nostre selezioni di notizie non pretendono di informare
esaurientemente su tutti gli aspetti della problematica
jugoslava e balcanica, che e' vastissima, ma solamente di gettare
luce su alcune sfaccettature che non vengono trattate adeguatamente,
ne' potrebbero esserlo, dalla pubblicistica guerrafondaia attiva nel
nostro paese come in tutto l'Occidente.
Le notizie in lingua straniera sono introdotte da un nostro titolo
in italiano per facilitarne la consultazione.
I brani provengono da fonti diverse:
KCNA - E' l'agenzia della Repubblica Popolare di Corea
ANSA - E' la principale agenzia di stampa italiana
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.
AFP - e' l'agenzia di stampa francese France Presse.
AP - e' l'agenzia statunitense Associated Press.
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 ***
SerbiaInfo - e' il bollettino del Ministero dell'Informazione della
Repubblica di Serbia: http://www.serbia-info.com
Tanjug - e' l'agenzia di stampa jugoslava: http://www.tanjug.co.yu
TUTTE LE FONTI SONO CITATE
Distribution of copyright-protected materials is for general
information and discussion purposes only.
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
VANDALI CONTRO IL CONSOLATO DELLA RFJ A VUKOVAR
FRY Consulate damaged in Vukovar
CROATIA, Sunday - The FRY Consulate in Vukovar was damaged yesterday
during riots which took place before and after a local league football
match. Seven policemen were injured and numerous supporters arrested
during clashes between fans and police.
AP 20/2/2000 ---------------------------
CONVERGENZE TRA RF DI JUGOSLAVIA E LIBIA
Serbia's and Libya's top officials find much in common
February 20, 2000 Web posted at: 4:54 PM EST (2154 GMT)
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) -- Serbia's vice premier and Libya's deputy
foreign minister called Sunday for a joint Arab-Orthodox Christian front
against "American hegemonism," a government news release said.
Serbia's far-right vice premier, Vojislav Seselj, met with Abdelah
Beh-Yallah of Lybia, and both urged "closer cooperation between states
that value independence, freedom and territorial integrity," said a
statement released after the meeting.
"Orthodox and Arab countries need to join forces to create a common
strategy against American hegemonism," the statement said. "Europe must
free itself from American influence so that its peoples and states can
live in peace, harmony and religious tolerance."
Libya was an exception among Arab countries in speaking out against last
year's NATO military intervention to end the crackdown by Serb forces
against ethnic Albanians, who are Muslim.
Lybia had close ties with the former Yugoslavia which, after its 1991
breakup, continued in the form of the present-day rump Yugoslav
federation consisting of Serbia and Montenegro.
Policies pursued by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and his Libyan
counterpart, Moammer Gadhafi, have led both countries into international
isolation.
"Yugoslavia and Serbia appreciate the clear stand of Lybia and its
president who openly condemned NATO aggression against Yugoslavia," the
release issued in Belgrade said.
TIMES 21/2/2000 ------------------------------------
IN DECLINO IL MORALE DELLE TRUPPE TEDESCHE IN KOSMET
The Times (London)
Monday February 21 2000
Germans sent home
THE morale of German soldiers in Kosovo is beginning to crumble (Roger
Boyes writes). At least 90 soldiers, including 4 officers, have been
sent home because of disciplinary problems, according to Welt am
Sonntag. Another 55, including 6 officers, have been sent back from the
Sfor contingent in Bosnia. The cases are said to stem from alcohol and
drug abuse, but there have also been sexual violations. In Kosovo two
drunken German soldiers yelled racist comments at Albanians. Albanian
soldiers intervened, a fight ensued and the Germans were flown out.
B92 21/2/2000 ----------------------------------
DODIK SEMPRE PIU' ISOLATO NELLA REPUBLIKA SRPSKA
Chaos in Republic of Srpska Parliament
BANJA LUKA, Monday - The Chairman of the Bosnian Serb Republic's ruling
Sloga
Coalition, Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, today demanded that the
president of
the Parliament, Petar Djokic, return the coalition's mandate. Dodik told
media that the coalition was considering options for a new parliamentary
president. Dodik said that he had received written resignations from
Socialist Party ministers but had not accepted them. He added that the
ministers had agreed to remain within the government. The Sloga
Coalition's
presidency today met without the Socialist Party representative.
YDS 21/2/2000 -------------
VANDALISMO KFOR A MITROVICA
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.
LA SINISTRA UNITA JUGOSLAVA (JUL) INCONTRA LE FORZE
DELLA SINISTRA LATINOAMERICANA A MANAGUA
LATIN AMERICA - LEFT - CONFERENCE
YUGOSLAV LEFT OFFICIALS ATTEND CONFERENCE OF LATIN AMERICAN LEFTIST
PARTIES
MEXICO, February 21 (Tanjug) - The ninth conference of Latin American
leftist parties called the Sao Paulo Forum has opened in Nicaragua's
capital Managua, with a delegation of the Yugoslav Left (JUL) also
attending the conference.
The three-day conference, that is to focus on the Left's role in the new
century, was opened by Secretary-General of the Sandinista National
Liberation Front Daniel Ortega.
Officials of 98 parties in 36 countries are to review issues concerning
the uniting of leftist parties in the world and ways of how to oppose
attempts to impose neo-liberalism and the new world order.
A series of proposals were put forth on the promotion of cooperation
between Latin American and European leftist parties.
The JUL delegation, headed by secretary of the party's directorate in
charge of public relations Danilo Pantovic, is attending the forum in
the
capacity of observer. Pantovic has already met with officials of a large
number of South and Central American parties.
TACI "IL SERPENTE" POTREBBE ESSERE DENUNCIATO AL TRIBUNALE DELL'AIA
HAGUE TRIBUNAL HAS DISCREDITING INFORMATION ABOUT THAQI
LONDON, February 21 (Tanjug) - The U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague
has discrediting information about leader of the ethnic Albanian
terrorist
organisation calling itself Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) Hashim Thaqi,
The
Observer weekly of London has said.
The weekly's Pristina-based reporter asked recently the U.N.
administration in the chief city of Serbia's Kosovo and Metohija
province
why the court had not made any moves on the strength of that
information.
He was informed that it was not realistic to do so at this point. A U.N.
official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that it was not
in
the interests of the United Nations to instigate legal proceedings
against
Thaqi at this point.
The tribunal has launched an investigation also against Agim Ceku,
former
KLA commander and currently commander of the so-called Kosovo Protection
Corps, for his involvement in war crimes committed during hostilities in
Croatia, according to earlier reports in London. Ceku had served as a
brigadier general in the Croatian army.
Diplomatic circles in London say that the tribunal has launched a secret
investigation against Ramus Haradinaj, Ceku's deputy, who has committed
war
crimes in Kosovo and Metohija as a KLA member.
These are all people with whom top Western and NATO officials have
almost
daily contacts so that one cannot but speculate about the international
community's true intentions in Kosovo and Metohija.
ANSA 23/2/2000 -------------------------------------------
CECENIA: CAPI GUERRIGLIA VOGLIONO FUGGIRE IN KOSOVO, MOSCA
(ANSA) - MOSCA, 23 FEB - Informazioni su presunti piani di
alcuni capi della guerriglia islamica cecena di fuggire
nell'inquieta regione jugoslava a maggioranza albanese del
Kosovo sono state raccolte dai servizi segreti russi (Fsb). Lo
affermano oggi fonti dello stesso Fsb all'agenzia Interfax.
Secondo tali fonti, i miliziani ceceni avrebbero da tempo
''rapporti'' con i separatisti albanesi dell'Uck e alcuni di
loro avrebbero anche combattuto al fianco di questi ultimi nel
passato nella regione balcanica.
L'obiettivo dei capi ceceni sarebbe ora quello di trasferire
i loro familiari dalla repubblica caucasica, ormai in gran parte
riconquistata dalla truppe russe. Lo Fsb e' tornato inoltre a
ipotizzare un possibile progetto di dirottamento aereo da parte
di alcuni guerriglieri, forse proprio allo scopo di fuggire
verso il Kosovo.
Un tale progetto e' attribuito dai servizi segreti di Mosca
all'ex presidente ceceno Zelimkhan Iandarbiev - ospitato
peraltro attualmente in Pakistan - e da un secondo dirigente dei
separatisti, Movladi Udugov.
Fonti di stampa ed esponenti serbi avevano gia' parlato di
recente di un possibile trasferimento di capi ceceni e di loro
parenti nel Kosovo, dandolo in parte per gia' avvenuto.(ANSA).
LR 23-FEB-00 11:50
TANJUG 23/2/2000 -----------------------------
SOLIDARIETA' DAL GHANA PER LA RF DI JUGOSLAVIA
http://www.tanjug.co.yu/Arhiva/2000/Feb%20-%2000/23-02e03.html
Tanjug (Yu)
February 23, 2000
Ghana -- national solidarity with Yugoslavia
ACCRA -- Yugoslavia's ambassador in Accra briefed the Ghanaian
parliament on Tuesday on the consequences of NATO's March-June 1999
aggression on Yugoslavia and the latest developments in the U.N.-ruled
Serbian (Yugoslav) province of Kosovo-Metohija.
Presenting to Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee Yugoslavia's
White Book of documentary evidence on the aggression, Ambassador Milena
Lukovic Jovanovic said the aggression "was the worst crime against
humanity and peace since the Second World War."
Committee Chairman Kofi Ator emphasised Ghana's support for Yugoslavia's
sovereignty and territorial integrity and for its request that the U.N.
Security Council's Resolution 1244 on Kosovo- Metohija be consistently
implemented.
Ghana had condemned the aggression and expressed solidarity with
Yugoslavia, and would, in line with its principled policy, continue to
support Yugoslavia in the defence of its legitimate state and national
interests, he said.
The Ghanaian parliamentarians expressed indignation at and condemnation
of the NATO air strikes on Yugoslavia and admiration for the Serbian
people who bravely defended their sovereignty and territorial integrity.
REUTERS 24/2/2000 ----------------------------------
http://www.timesofindia.com/today/24worl49/htm
LA FYROM IN ALLERTA PER L'ACCRESCERSI DELLA TENSIONE
IN SERBIA MERIDIONALE
Thursday february 24, 2000
Macedonian army on alert along Serbia border
SKOPJEL: The Macedonian army said on Wednesday it had
raised its level of combat readiness along its border
with southern Serbia, after an upsurge of ethnic
violence in Kosovo.
"We are cautious because of events in the north and
for this reason the combat readiness of the Kumanovo
corps was raised to a higher level two days ago," army
spokesman Gjorgji Trendafilov told Reuters.
"Our border patrols are more frequent and our guards
are reinforced as well as the control on the border,"
he said. "From the other side of the border things can
happen which can get out of control."
Trendafilov, who did not specify which events in the
north he was referring to, stressed that the army was
not sending new troops to the border region.
On Monday, NATO Secretary-General George Robertson
said the alliance was monitoring a build-up of
Yugoslav forces in areas of southern Serbia where he
said there was "clearly rising tension".
Robertson was referring to the
Bujanovac-Presevo-Medvedja region, lying just east of
Kosovo and largely populated by ethnic Albanians. The
region lies north of Macedonia.
NATO sources said the report concerned four companies
of well-armed Interior Ministry police which had been
moved into the region, where recent local reports have
warned of mounting fear and violence.
The Yugoslav army, a completely separate institution
to the Interior Ministry troops, has denied any
build-up.
"Of course there are no additional troops of ours in
the territory of Presevo," the commander of
Yugoslavia's Third Army, Colonel-General Vladimir
Lazarevic, was quoted by Belgrade daily Vecernje
Novosti as saying on Wednesday.
"We have our border units there which very efficiently
secure the state border with Macedonia. They prevent
four to five illegal crossings daily in this border
area," he said.
There has also been fresh violence this month in the
northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica. On Monday, ethnic
Albanian protesters clashed with NATO-led peacekeepers
there.
Outbreaks of fighting in the city have left nine
people dead and more than 20 wounded in February,
including two French soldiers shot in gun battles.
The Macedonian army last raised its combat readiness
during last year's Kosovo war, when NATO bombed
Yugoslavia to halt its repression of the province's
ethnic Albanian majority. It also stepped up its
readiness during civil disturbances in neighbouring
Albania in the spring of 1997. (Reuters)
REUTERS 23/2/2000 --------------------------------------
GLI STROZZINI GLOBALI AUMENTANO LE PRESSIONI SULLA FYROM
World Bank Urges Macedonia Reforms Ahead Of Talks
SKOPJE, Feb 23, 2000 -- (Reuters) The World Bank told
Macedonia on Tuesday to step up reforms to qualify for
the agency's $40 million assistance later this year.
"Macedonia must speed up reforms in the social,
pension and labor sectors, as well as reforms in the
financial and enterprise sectors," World Bank Director
for Macedonia and Turkey Ajay Chhibber told a news
conference in Skopje.
Talks on a Financial and Enterprise Sector Adjustment
Loan (FESAL) were expected to begin by early April and
to end in May.
The pace of reforms and ability to transparently
restructure the largest loss-makers in the country
will decide the bank's future assistance, he said.
"The government ability to sell or liquidate the
deficit-ridden companies without incurring large
liabilities on the budget will determine the Bank's
ability to support Macedonia under a FESAL
arrangement," Chhibber said.
"The world Bank likes to urge the liquidation or a
sale of these enterprises in the most transparent
way," he said.
Macedonia has lagged behind a schedule to sell or
close at least seven large loss-making firms including
nickel producer Feni from Kavadarci.
TANJUG 24/2/2000 ------------------------------------------
SULLA STAMPA ISRAELIANA A QUALCUNO E' RITORNATA LA MEMORIA:
PARALLELI CON LA POLITICA NAZISTA NEI BALCANI
www.serbia-info.com/news
"Haarecu": NATO aggression similar to Hitler's crimes
February 24, 2000
NATO bombing of civilian facilities
Tel Aviv, February 24th (Tanjug) - The manner in which NATO committed
its aggression on FR Yugoslavia last year is very similar to the crimes
committed by Hitler's policy in this country, stated the historian, Anat
Peri, in the text "Let the truth be heard", published today in the
prominent Israeli "Haarecu" daily.
Simultaneously with the forming of the ustasha NDH (The Independent
State of Croatia) and the giving over of Kosmet to the fascistic
Albanian regime, Hitler requested that all Serbs opposing nazis be
expelled. Germany and the US have now, as Hitler did then, encouraged
the separation of Croatia and the expulsion of the Serbian population
from the Croatian territory, stated Peri.
The US has armed the Albanian army, encouraged it to attack FRY and take
over the control over parts of Kosmet, the southern Serbian province,
and launch attacks on Serbian soldiers. Aside from that, the US
supported the Albanian terrorists and mafia, while it accused the
Albanian intellectuals from Kosmet of collaborating with Serbs, reminded
the Israeli historian.
Peri said that today, Ibrahim Rugova, the leader of the Kosmet
Albanians, fears for his life because of the terrorists, which the US
supported and enabled to rule. These terrorists, proteges of the US, are
the murderers of, not only Serbs, but also Albanians, which are opposed
to violence. This is why there are many similarities between the
policies of NATO and Hitler, stated Peri.
It is in NATO's interest that there be violence between the small
nations in Yugoslavia in order for them to justify their policy of
enslavement, stated Peri, adding that any decent man must confess that
the only way to achieve peace in Kosmet is through extensive
negotiations between Serbs and ethnic-Albanians, as it is the only way
of achieving peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
The NATO aggression on FRY did not, as the aggressors claimed, protect
the lives of Albanians, but with it, the last Russian ally in Europe was
attacked, and from the territory of Kosmet, after the arrival of the
KFOR and UNMIK forces, the majority of the Serbian population was
expelled, the remaining Serbs are being murdered on daily basis, and the
representatives of KFOR and UNMIK are not interested in avoiding this,
said Peri.
B92 24/2/2000 -----------------------------
OPERAZIONE ANTI-PROSTITUZIONE IN MONTENEGRO
Montenegro deports foreign sex workers
PODGORICA, Thursday - Montenegrin police last night deported more than
seventy Russian, Moldavian and Ukrainian prostitutes, all of whom had
been
arrested in a raid over several days on cafes and clubs along the
Adriatic
Coast. Podgorica daily Vijesti reported that teams of police arrested
girls
in night clubs who were engaged in prostitution and striptease. Their
working
permits were annulled on the basis that they had violated the law on
foreign
residents. According to unofficial sources, the international community
had
asked Montenegro to crush the illegal white slave trade which was
working
from East to West through Montenegro.
REUTERS 25/2/2000 ---------------------------------------
NELLA FYROM SCOPERTO ARSENALE DEI NAZIONALISTI SCHIPETARI
Macedonian police find arms destined for Kosovo-TV
SKOPJE, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Macedonian police have uncovered a
cache of weapons destined for Kosovo in an Albanian-populated village
in the Balkan country, Macedonian television reported on Friday.
Privately-owned SITEL television said 120 cases with Kalashnikov
automatic rifles and Skorpion handguns and two tonnes of ammunition
had been found in a hotel in the southern village of Kravari.
The hotel owner and an Albanian citizen had been arrested, the
television said, quoting police sources. Another private television
station, A-1 TV, carried a similar report.
Police were not immediately available for comment.
Both stations said the weapons were smuggled in on mountain tracks
from Albania and were bound for Kosovo, the Yugoslav province to the
north which is now under de facto international rule.
Police had also found 40 kg (88 lbs) of marijuana, they said.
A-1 TV said the police acted after a routine check near Skopje
revealed 10 Kalashnikovs in a car driven by an Albanian man. SITEL
said police searches for more weapons were under way.
Kosovo has seen a recent upsurge in ethnic violence, particularly in
the northern town of Mitrovica, a major flashpoint between hostile
Serb and ethnic Albanian communities.
Earlier this week, the Macedonian army said it had raised its level
of combat readiness along its border with Serbia.
Albanians account for about one third of Macedonia's population of
roughly two million people.
AFP 25/2/2000 ----------------------------------
IVANOV: COSA CI STANNO A FARE I RUSSI IN KOSMET?
http://www.centraleurope.com/news.php3?id=138270
Russia Might Withdraw Its Troops From Kosovo, Says
Ivanov
MOSCOW, Feb 26, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) Russia
might withdraw its troops from NATO's KFOR
peacekeeping force in Kosovo in protest at the way it
is operated, Russian Security Council chief Sergei
Ivanov said via the Interfax news agency.
"A thought comes to mind: should we maintain the
presence of the Russian contingent and spend valuable
public money to be spectators," Ivanov said.
"We have a number of grievances" regarding the
international peacekeeping operation in Kosovo, he
said, adding that the province was in the process of
losing its multi-national character.
Of 800 deaths in the past six months, 700 were Serbs,
Ivanov noted.
Russia said Wednesday that KFOR and the UN mission in
Kosovo were incapable of ending violence in the region
or guaranteeing even minimal security for the Serb
population.
Moscow also protested the announcement by NATO of KFOR
military exercises in March, to which Russia was not
invited.
Some 3,600 Russian soldiers are currently taking part
in KFOR operations. ((c) 2000 Agence France Presse)
IWPR #119, 25/2/2000 ---------------
SULLE DIVISIONI TRA I SERBO-BOSNIACI
BOSNIAN SERB DIVISIONS WIDEN
Republika Srpska was again plunged into political turmoil this week
after a
key member of the government coalition quit.
By Janez Kovac in Sarajevo
The Bosnian Serb entity is on the brink of political chaos following the
withdrawal of the Socialist Party from the ruling pro-western coalition.
The move, allegedly orchestrated by the Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic, has widened the growing rift between Bosnian Serb politicians
and
delivered a blow to the international community's efforts to promote
political stability.
Republika Srpska has already been without a head of state for almost a
year.
Hard-line president Nikola Poplasen was dismissed last March by Bosnia's
top
international mediator for obstructing the peace process.
The withdrawal of the Socialist Party of Republika Srpska (SPRS) from
the
Sloga (Unity) coalition came after Bosnian Serb Premier Milorad Dodik
sacked
two senior SPRS officials from his government. The main board of the
SPRS
blamed Dodik for its decision to quit.
The move, a consequence of the ongoing power-struggle in the Unity
coalition, left Dodik with a minority government, which can survive only
with the strong support of international organisations in Bosnia.
Ever since it was set up in 1997, the Unity coalition was anything but
politically united, often reflecting an old Serb saying, "two Serbs -
three
political parties." Its members never really shared a common political
agenda. They were nationalists and political opportunists thrown
together
with international backing to topple Radovan Karadzic's hard-line
Serbian
Democratic Party (SDS).
Sloga succeeded in ousting the SDS and the Radical Party from positions
of
power, but a "monster" had been created, which international officials
were
either unable or too incompetent to control.
Through its main agency in Bosnia, the Office of the High
Representative,
the international community gave Sloga and its frontman, Milorad Dodik,
unconditional support.
Dodik and the coalition did improve the situation in Republika Srpska
somewhat, but mainly through western donations and loans. They remained
opportunists, however, and continued fighting each other for power.
Dodik
has maintained the upper hand in the struggle thanks to western backing.
This despite Sloga being mired in corruption, never fully accepting the
vision of a united Bosnia as drafted in the Dayton Peace Accord, nor
properly implementing one of its key conditions - the return of refugees
to
the Bosnian Serb-held areas.
The international community also turned a blind eye to Dodik's personal
shortcomings, allowing him to bully and replace his opponents as long as
he
was keeping the two nationalist parties - the SDS and the Radical Party
-
outside of government.
The international community also saw Dodik and his coalition as
important
weapons against Milosevic.
Dodik and other top Sloga officials publicly criticised Milosevic on
numerous occasions and gradually severed ties between Yugoslavia and
Republika Srpska, jeopardising Milosevic's self-proclaimed position as
leader of all Balkan Serbs.
But the arrangement backfired many times, putting western agencies in
often
awkward and sometimes absurd positions.
Along the way, Dodik made few friends and many enemies. He even lost
support
from political parties in the other Bosnian entity, the Bosnian
Federation.
At the same time, Milosevic increased his efforts to undermine Dodik and
Sloga, usually acting either through the hard-line SDS and Radical
parties,
or through the SPRS. A part of the SPRS, apparently led by party
vice-president Dragutin Ilic, remained loyal to Milosevic and close to
his
Socialist Party of Serbia.
As soon as SPRS announced its decision to step out of the coalition, key
Sloga leaders, Dodik and Biljana Plavsic, accused Republika Srpska
socialists of caving into pressure from Milosevic. They implied that
some of
the SPRS officials recently visited Belgrade and were taking directions
from
the Yugoslav president.
"I had hoped that SPRS would liberate itself from Serbia's pressure,"
Plavsic said, adding that the party's withdrawal from government was
"irresponsible" because it showed it was following "petty personal
interests" rather than those of all Bosnian Serbs and Republika Srpska.
"SPRS is not Sloga, but only a part of Sloga," Dodik said. And in an
attempt
to persuade the public that Republika Srpska was not facing a crisis, he
insisted the coalition would continue working.
Yet despite his words, everybody - western organisations and Bosnian
citizens alike - are aware the entity is entering its deepest political
crisis since the pro-Karadzic hard-liners were removed from power.
International support, however, should ensure that Dodik remains in
power
without serious challenges. But only for as long as Republika Srpska has
a
vacant presidential post, as only the head of state can propose a new
premier.
Meanwhile, the Bosnian Serb parliament will remain deadlocked with
political
factions unable to muster enough votes to push through decisions.
The most important consequence of the current chaos is that it could
open
the way for the re-emergence of the SDS in Bosnia's general election
scheduled for October.
The SDS, which has undergone key personnel changes since Karadzic was
leader, is now a solid opposition party, which sometimes behaves more
democratically than Sloga.
But although the SDS now appears to be quite different from the war
mongering party of old - its reappearance in the corridors of power
would
definitively alarm international organisations in Bosnia. But even
worse, it
would immediately boost ethnic tensions sky-high throughout Bosnia.
Janez Kovac is a regular contributor to IWPR from Sarajevo.
TANJUG 26/2/2000 -----------------------
RF DI JUGOSLAVIA ED IRAN SI RIAVVICINANO
http://www.tanjug.co.yu/Arhiva/2000/Feb%20-%2000/26-02e04.html
Tanjug (Yu)
February 26, 2000
Yugoslavia, Iran form closer links
BELGRADE -- The promotion of all forms of cooperation of FR Yugoslavia
and Iran, notably in the field of information, and the creation of
conditions for the Yugoslav and Iranian people, through authentic
information and without the mediation of global, world media, to inform
themselves about the most important events -- is of interest for both
friendly countries, it was mutually assessed at the talks held Friday
between Yugoslav Information Minister Goran Matic and the Iranian
Embassy charge d'affaires in Belgrade, Javad Moradkhan.
Moradkhan said that there was a need to a strengthen cooperation in the
field of the media with a view to authentically informing the publics in
the two countries, and to open correspondency offices of the Iranian
News Agency in Belgrade and of TANJUG in Teheran.
Matic, assessing that the future of the world was in a multipolar
society and that every people has the right to chose its govermment,
said that was the foundation the Yugoslav society was based on.
Matic said that Yugoslavia will open the door for better cooperation in
the field of information with Iran, pointing that action should be taken
against the terror of global media, who attempt to pit against one
another peoples, influence processes and the election of governments in
spite of the will of the people in certain countries.
B92 26/2/2000 -----------
"AIUTI" USA AL MONTENEGRO
US to provide Montenegro with flour and wheat supplies
MONTENEGRO, Saturday - The US will provide Montenegro with 500,000 tons
of
flour, Montenegrin Minister of Agriculture Milutin Simovic told the
press
today. On his return from an official visit to America, Simovic told the
press that in April the US would also supply Montenegro with 350,000
tons of
wheat which would ensure an adequate bread supply on the Montenegrin
market
and keep the cost of bread at current levels. During his visit, Simovic
signed several contracts aimed at boosting Montenegrin agriculture.
TENDENZE CENTRIFUGHE IN VOJVODINA
Vojvodina to become one of six Serbian Federal units
NOVI SAD, Saturday - The League of Vojvodina Social Democrats at their
third
congress in Novi Sad today adopted a resolution according to which
Vojvodina
will become one of the six Serbian Federal units, the other five being
Sumadija, Belgrade, Southeastern Serbia, Sandzak and Kosovo. In his
speech at
the congress, leader of the League of Vojvodina Social Democrats, Nenad
Canak
said that their aim was not to separate Vojvodina from Serbia, but to
redefine relations between Serbia and Vojvodina. Foreign guests who had
been
invited to attend the congress failed to show having been refused visas.
TELEGRAPH 26/2/2000 ---------------------
IRREDENTISMO PAN-ALBANESE ALL'OPERA ORMAI
ANCHE FUORI DAL KOSMET
The Telegraph (UK)
ISSUE 1737Saturday 26 February 2000
Fresh violence in Yugoslavia is blamed on ethnic Albanians
By Gillian Sandford in Bujanovac and Julius Strauss
ETHNIC Albanian extremists are suspected of being behind a fresh wave of
ethnic violence that has broken out in remote settlements of southern
Yugoslavia.
Although the villages concerned are close to Kosovo, ethnic Albanians,
Serbs and gipsies have lived peacefully there alongside each other for
years.
During the Nato air strikes last year, the Serbian authorities largely
ignored the area and local Albanians say some of them were protected by
their Serbian neighbours from the nationalism sweeping the country.
But now explosions, beatings, searches and tit-for-tat killings are
threatening to tear apart fragile communities and provoke new clashes
between Serbs and ethnic Albanians that could destabilise the entire
region. At the heart of the trouble is Bujanovac, a village consisting
of 55 per cent ethnic Albanians and 45 per cent Serbs and gipsies.
Although villagers crowd the market square as they always have, distrust
is beginning to permeate the atmosphere.
It is being registered far beyond Yugoslavia's borders. The Nato
Secretary-General, Lord Robertson, said recently: "There is clearly
rising tension in the southern part of Serbia and large numbers of
additional Yugoslav troops have moved into the area."
Asked about the reports of troop deployments, Stojanca Arsic, the mayor,
said: "We have stationary troops in Bujanovac. These are regular army
and they are doing their duty on a training programme."
In the village itself, there was little sign last week of a build-up of
Yugoslav forces. The only obvious activity consisted of four coachloads
of special police travelling north, apparently away from the border.
Yet there clearly had been violence. Nato and ethnic Albanian sources in
Kosovo said most of the responsibility lay with elements of the Kosovo
Liberation Army who are fighting for a unified Albania incorporating
parts of Macedonia and the territory populated by the 80,000 ethnic
Albanians still in Serbia.
The ethnic Albanian spiritual leader, Nexhmadin Saqipi, says that both
ethnic Albanian and Serbian extremists are worsening relations between
the two communities.
Mr Saqipi said: "During the bombing we helped each other. But now I am
afraid of these incidents escalating. The Serb mayor is a good man and
so is the local police commander. These events are all the results of
clashes between the politics of Belgrade and Pristina."
The violence in Bujanovac is a textbook example of the flash-fire nature
of Balkan ethnic strife. The trouble began after a local Albanian,
Shefket, returned from Kosovo and began fomenting trouble. In December a
bomb exploded at the Serbian elementary school. Two weeks later two
bombs went off in an Albanian and gipsy area.
Then in January the director of an Albanian school in the nearby village
of Muhovac was ambushed and killed on his way to work. Mr Arsic says he
was targeted because extremist Albanians considered him a collaborator.
A little later Shefket had an exchange of fire with Serb police and two
ethnic Albanian bystanders were killed. In retaliation, ethnic Albanians
claim, they are being roughed up by Serb police at checkpoints.
The violence in Bujanovac is part of a pattern of unrest spreading
through ethnic Albanian areas in Serbia and Macedonia.
In Presevo, local Albanians have reported that "outsiders" have arrived
to stoke up trouble with the Serbian police. They have been joined by
young Presevo men, some of whom fought in Kosovo.
British military sources in Kosovo say the KLA is also behind attacks on
Serb police units in other areas on the border, including one that left
two dead.
In neighbouring Macedonia, too, violence is spreading. Last month three
policemen were killed by ethnic Albanian gangsters who opened fire on
their car.
B92 27/2/2000 -----------------------
UN ALTRO SERBO FATTO FUORI A GNJILANE
Member of the Serbian Nation Council for Kosovo murdered in Gnjilane
KOSOVO, Sunday - Member of the Serbian Nation Council for Kosovo, Doctor
Josip Vasic was killed last night in the center of Gnjilane. An unknown
assailant fired four bullets at Vasic, the Serbian Nation Council for
Kosovo
headquarters stated today, condemning this murder as part of the
systematic
cleansing of Serbs from this region.
KFOR spokesman Philip Anido confirmed the murder of Serbian Doctor Josip
Vasic at a press conference in Pristina today. Anido said that Doctor
Vasic
died after being transferred to the American military hospital last
night.
ATTACCO DEI TERRORISTI N.A.T.O. (IRREDENTISTI PAN-ALBANESI)
CAUSA UN MORTO E TRE FERITI
One police officer killed and three injured in Albanian terrorist attack
in Konculj
BELGRADE, Sunday - Senior police officer, Slavisa Dimitrijevic was
killed and
a further three policemen injured during an attack carried out by Kosovo
Albanian terrorists on the road between Gnjilane and Bujanovac near the
village of Konculj ten kilometers from the Kosovo border last night, the
Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs stated today. The three injured
policemen have been hospitalised but have been taken off the danger
list.
According to the statement issued by the police, the terrorists left the
territory of Kosovo and ambushed a Serbian police patrol using hand
grenades
and automatic weapons. The police patrol managed to return fire, killing
one
of the Albanian terrorists, Fatmir Idrisi, who according to police
sources,
is a member of the Kosovo protection Corps. All local roads in the area
have
been closed for security reasons.
KCNA 27/2/2000 --------------------------------
JOVANOVIC IN VISITA UFFICIALE IN COREA DEL NORD
Reception given for Yugoslav Foreign Minister
Pyongyang, February 27 (KCNA) -- The DPRK Foreign Ministry gave a
reception for the Foreign Minister of
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and his party on a visit to Korea at
the
Mansudae Assembly Hall yesterday.
DPRK Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun in his speech said that Korea
visit
of the Yugoslav Foreign Minister and
his party will mark a significant occasion in expanding and developing
the
excellent friendly relations between the
two peoples to a new higher stage.
Stressing that the friendly and cooperative relations between the
two
countries whose firm foundation was laid
by the great leader Kim Il Sung are now growing stronger and developing
under the particular care of the great
leader Kim Jong Il, he said:
The DPRK will, in the future, too, make every possible effort to
further consolidate and develop these
traditional relations in keeping with the demands of the present
developing
situation.
Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic in his speech said that
the
Yugoslav leadership and people highly
appreciate the DPRK leadership and people for having condemned the
interference, pressure and aggressive
maneuvers of foreign forces against Yugoslavia and supported it in the
United Nations and the non-aligned
movement.
He said that Yugoslavia expresses full support to the Korean people
in
their struggle to reunify the country
independently and peacefully, true to the ten-point programme of the
great
unity of the whole nation for national
reunification set forth by Kim Il Sung and the five-point policy of
great
national unity advanced by Kim Jong Il.
He expressed the belief that the relations between the two countries
would further expand and develop in
political, economic, cultural and other fields.
B92 28/2/2000 -------------------------------------
ALTRI 180 NOMI NELLE LISTE DI PROSCRIZIONE DELLA UE
EU adds 180 names to Yugoslav black list
BRUSSELS, Monday - The European Union foreign ministers today added
another
180 names to the list of Yugoslav residents banned from entering EU
member
countries. EU officials said that the list, which now consists of about
780
names, consisted of people who were part of, or supported, the regime of
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
The new list is remarkable for the inclusion of the names of 54 Yugoslav
judges, magistrates and prosecutors who have been prominent in the
vexatious
prosecution of the independent media and opposition politicians.
The ministers were also expected today to confirm the suspension of air
traffic sanctions against Yugoslavia. The procedure of formally lifting
the
sanctions was expected to take another two weeks.
UN AUTOBUS (PER FORTUNA VUOTO) SU DI UNA MINA
Serbian bus hits landmine in Kosovo
BELGRADE, Monday - A passenger bus was badly damaged when it hit a
landmine
in Kosovo this morning. The bus, belonging to the Raska transport firm
Jugoprevoz, was carrying no passengers at the time of the explosion. The
driver was unhurt by the blast which occurred when the rear of the bus
hit
the mine as it was leaving the northern zone of Kosovska Mitrovica. The
Commander of the French KFOR sector, General Pierre de Saqui de Sannes
described the incident as an act of blatant violence.
The Serb National Council described the attack on the bus as a terrorist
act,
claiming that the intention of the terrorists was to intimidate the Serb
population and ethnically cleanse the northern part of Kosovo. The
council
statement went on to say that it was no coincidence that the attack had
occurred on the same day that the Albanians were celebrating the
establishment of Albanian terrorist groups in Kosovo and making new
threats
against Serbs.
The London "Guardian" writes today that armed members of the
officially-disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army wearing camouflage suits
were
attacking Serb police along the Kosovo-Serbia border in order to provoke
a
response from Serb security forces and consequently NATO intervention.
The
British paper quotes a US KFOR officer as saying that international
forces
would enter the territory of Serbia proper if there were atrocities. The
definition of that term was still being worked on, the US officer added.
IN DIECIMILA CELEBRANO LA LOTTA PER LA GRANDE ALBANIA
SOTTO GLI OCCHI (E LA PROTEZIONE) DELLA N.A.T.O.
Kosovo guerrillas celebrate second anniversary
PRISTINA, Monday - Members of the Kosovo Protection Corps today
celebrated
the second anniversary of the first major conflict between the Kosovo
Liberation Army and members of the Yugoslav security forces. The clash
occurred in the Drenica villages of Likosane and Ciriz. The Kosovo
Protection
Corps is largely made up of former members of the officially-disbanded
Kosovo
Liberation Army. Today's rally involved about 10,000 Albanians, none of
whom
carried arms or wore KLA uniforms. The Corps Commander Agim Ceku did not
attend the celebrations.
LA N.A.T.O. PRONTA A NUOVE MANOVRE
NATO exercises in Kosovo
BRUSSELS, Monday - About 2,000 troops will participate in NATO
manoeuvres in
Kosovo in March and April, NATO Supreme Command announced today. The
troops
are part of NATO's strategic reserve and the land command exercises
codenamed
"Dynamic Response 2000" would demonstrate NATO's resolution to maintain
a
safe environment for Kosovo and its citizens according to NATO's
statement.
The exercises will involve six countries, Argentina, Italy, Holland,
Poland,
Romania and the US.
B92 29/2/2000 -----------------------------------------
STEVAN MIRKOVIC: E' ORA CHE L'ESERCITO PRENDA IL POTERE
Former Army head calls for coup
BELGRADE, Tuesday - The Army should seize power, disband the government,
the
parliament and political parties, arrest Milo Djukanovic and eliminate
Slobodan Milosevic, former Yugoslav People's Army chief Stevan Mirkovic
said
today. Mirkovic told Belgrade daily Danas that if Milosevic had put the
army
on alert in order to expand his authority, it would be unproductive
because
the army would not dare enter a conflict with Montenegrin security
forces.
The former army chief added that he did not believe the army would step
outside its authority for the sake of one man's power but if it were
needed
to establish order and discipline in the country that would be something
else
altogether.
AFP 29/2/2000 -----------------------
GRANDE FEELING TRA TURCHIA ED ALBANIA
Turkey Promises To Help Albania Modernize Its Army
TIRANA, Feb 29, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) Turkish Prime Minister
Bulent Ecevit said Monday his country plans to give Albania more than
$120 million dollars over the next four years to help modernize its
army.
Ecevit, speaking at a joint press conference with Albanian counterpart
Ilir Meta during a two-day visit to Tirana, said Turkey saw an
up-to-date Albanian military as an important element for peace and
stability in the Balkans.
Ankara has already earmarked $41 million for the Albanian defense force
and planned to double that amount between now and 2004, Ecevit said,
adding that the change would also have a positive impact on the economy
of Albania, considered the poorest country in Europe.
An uprising in Albania in 1997 resulted in army weapons depots being
pillaged and around one million arms are believed to be in circulation.
Large parts of the country remain lawless.
Turkey, as a member of NATO, took part in the NATO bombardment of
Yugoslavia which eventually forced Yugoslav troops to end their
operation against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and to pull out of the
Serbian province.
Albania shares a border with Kosovo to the north and both Albania and
Turkey have predominantly Muslim populations. ((c) 2000 Agence France
Presse)
REUTERS 29/2/2000 -------------------------------------
IL MINISTRO LAZIC DENUNCIA LO SPORCO GIOCO DEGLI U.S.A.
NELLA SERBIA MERIDIONALE
http://www.centraleurope.com/news.php3?id=138917
Serb Minister Sees US-Albanian Plot In South Serbia
BELGRADE, Feb 29, 2000 -- (Reuters) A Serbian minister
accused the United States and Kosovo Albanian
"terrorists" on Monday of planning to provoke conflict
in an Albanian-populated area of southern Serbia close
to Kosovo.
Djura Lazic, minister without portfolio, said recent
ethnic Albanian attacks in the region were part of a
plan to justify new NATO intervention and extend
Kosovo to this area of Serbia.
He said they were also designed to drive remaining
Serbs out of Kosovo, which is now under de facto
international rule.
"The aim is not only ethnic cleansing of Kosovo of
Serbs, Montenegrins, Gypsies, Gorans and other
non-Albanians but also provoking conflicts and the
fire of war in Bujanovac, Medvedja and Presevo," Lazic
told the official Tanjug news agency.
The three towns are in an area of Serbia just east of
Kosovo, still legally part of Yugoslavia.
Lazic also criticized NATO plans to hold a military
exercise in Kosovo in March, saying it would encourage
Albanian "terrorists" - the term used by Belgrade for
guerrillas of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
NATO said in Brussels that it would send more than
2,000 troops to Kosovo next month for a training
exercise intended to show its resolve to keep the
peace.
Western diplomats and politicians have accused
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic of reinforcing
troops along the administrative border with Kosovo in
order to spread fear and drive out ethnic Albanians.
They have warned Belgrade the world will not tolerate
any attempt to destabilize the region further.
Belgrade says it is merely responding to "terrorism"
by Kosovo Albanians crossing the border.
On Sunday, Tanjug said a Serb policeman and an ethnic
Albanian guerrilla were killed in a shoot-out near
Bujanovac.
It said three other policemen were wounded after
"Albanian terrorists" crossed from Kosovo on Saturday
night and ambushed a police patrol with automatic
weapons and hand grenades.
Lazic said the aim of such attacks was to provoke Serb
police action and portray ethnic Albanians in the area
as being under threat, thus justifying new NATO
intervention.
Yugoslav forces withdrew from Kosovo last June after
11 weeks of NATO bombing to halt Belgrade's repression
of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority.
Also on Monday, the Yugoslav army denied accusations
it was massing troops in the area east of Kosovo.
"The Third Army command denies and emphatically
rejects all criticism and accusations that it is
allegedly conducting preparatory and provocative
actions directed against international forces in
Kosovo," said a statement.
====================================================================
NOTA DEL CRJ:
Le nostre selezioni di notizie non pretendono di informare
esaurientemente su tutti gli aspetti della problematica
jugoslava e balcanica, che e' vastissima, ma solamente di gettare
luce su alcune sfaccettature che non vengono trattate adeguatamente,
ne' potrebbero esserlo, dalla pubblicistica guerrafondaia attiva nel
nostro paese come in tutto l'Occidente.
Le notizie in lingua straniera sono introdotte da un nostro titolo
in italiano per facilitarne la consultazione.
I brani provengono da fonti diverse:
KCNA - E' l'agenzia della Repubblica Popolare di Corea
ANSA - E' la principale agenzia di stampa italiana
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.
AFP - e' l'agenzia di stampa francese France Presse.
AP - e' l'agenzia statunitense Associated Press.
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 ***
SerbiaInfo - e' il bollettino del Ministero dell'Informazione della
Repubblica di Serbia: http://www.serbia-info.com
Tanjug - e' l'agenzia di stampa jugoslava: http://www.tanjug.co.yu
TUTTE LE FONTI SONO CITATE
Distribution of copyright-protected materials is for general
information and discussion purposes only.
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
USA - AUSTRIA - THE NEDERLANDS -
iacenter@... wrote:
>
> AS THREAT OF NEW NATO BOMBING LOOMS,
> COMMEMORATION OF PAST WAR AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
>
> IAC CALLS FOR COAST-TO-COAST DEMONSTRATIONS
> MARCH 24
>
> The International Action Center, a leading organization in the
> movement opposing the U.S./NATO war on Yugoslavia last spring,
> called for united actions condemning NATO's occupation of Kosovo in
> cities across the United States on the one-year anniversary of the start
> of NATO’s 78-day bombing campaign.
>
> “We also want to call to attention,” said Sara Flounders, a national
> coordinator of the IAC, “the growing threat of another U.S.-NATO
> military assault on Yugoslavia. On Feb. 17, Gen. Wesley Clark
> charged the Yugoslav government with rebuilding its military forces and
> with planning to go back into Kosovo. Gen. Clark, we remember, was
> not only the strategist behind the vicious bombing campaign, he
> almost opened up a war with the Russian forces outside Pristina in
> June. These charges can only be part of preparation of further NATO
> aggression against Yugoslavia.”
>
> That NATO bombing, which began on March 24, 1999, started the first major
> war in Europe since Germany surrendered to the Allied Forces in the spring
> of 1945. It ended after the death of close to 3,000 Yugoslavs, mostly civilians,
> and the destruction of much of the industry and infrastructure of Serbia. It
> also ended with the occupation of Serbia’s Kosovo province by U.S.,
> German, French, British, Canadian and other NATO troops and some Russian
> troops, an occupation that continues to this day.
>
> Flounders said the demonstrations would be coordinated with similar
> demonstrations, meetings and protests in Europe called by anti-war
> organizations in NATO countries there. She said she knew of protests
> planned in Italy, Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic and Greece and
> expected there would be many more.
>
> Flounders explained that the actions were meant “both to remember the day
> and to protest aggression by the U.S. and other NATO powers against a
> small country unable to defend itself from an attack from the skies by the
> world’s great military powers. We also want to stop the sanctions against
> Yugoslavia that are aimed at the entire population and that hurt children and
> seniors the most. And we want to condemn the continued illegal occupation
> of Kosovo by NATO forces."
>
> Last June 5 some 10,000 people marched on the Pentagon in response to a
> call by the IAC to oppose the attack on Yugoslavia.
>
> Since the occupation of Kosovo last June 10, the IAC has launched an
> investigation into “U.S./NATO war crimes” in the form of tribunal hearings
> around the U.S. and around the world. IAC founder and former U.S. Attorney
> General Ramsey Clark prepared and delivered a 19-count indictment last July
> 31 against U.S. President Bill Clinton and other U.S. and NATO political and
> military leaders responsible for the war against Yugoslavia. He charged them
> with crimes against peace, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
>
> “This 19-point indictment,” said Flounders, “has been used as an inspiration
> or a model by anti-war forces in the U.S., other NATO and even non-NATO
> Central and East European countries to hold mass public inquiries of
> U.S./NATO war crimes. These hearings are still going on in Europe through
> this spring.
>
> IAC TO HOLD INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL
>
> “The IAC plans on June 10 to hold a final hearing in New York, where a panel
> of prestigious international judges will rule on evidence presented and
> decide if the NATO leaders are indeed guilty of the crimes Ramsey Clark has
> charged them with,” said Flounders.
On the Anniversary of the
U.S./NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
THE WAR IS NOT OVER
U.S./NATO out of KOSOVO !!!
Hands off the Balkans and Eastern Europe!
Friday, March 24
Assembly and Rally
at 5 P.M.
Times Square, 43rd Street & Broadway,
in front of the Armed Forces Recruiting Station
followed by the March
on The New York Times
Called by the International Action Center, (212) 633-6646
(www.iacenter.org)
Memorial Service for the victims of
war and NATO occupation will be held after the march at the
St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral,
25th Street & Broadway - New York
---
Zum Jahrestag des Nato-Aggressionskrieges gegen Jugoslawien:
Nein zur Beistandspflicht, NATO und WEU!
*******************
24. März
18 h 30 Parlament
20 h Stephansplatz
*******************
Vor einem Jahr hat die NATO Jugoslawien unter dem Vorwand der
Menschenrechte
„humanitär“ angegriffen. Heute kann jeder sehen, dass die Aggression der
NATO viel mehr Opfer gefordert hat als der vom Westen angestachelte
Bürgerkrieg davor. Im nun von der NATO besetzten Kosovo werden alle
Minderheiten „ethnisch gesäubert“ – es passiert also genau das, was es
angeblich zu verhindern galt. Der Rassismus, der Jugoslawien vorgeworfen
wurde, wurde und wird nicht nur massiv von den NATO-Verbündeten in
Kroatien,
Bosnien um im Kosovo, sondern ist in Europa allgegenwärtig und durch
Schengen institutionalisiert. Abgesehen davon, dass die NATO und EU
anderswo, wie beispielsweise gegenüber den Kurden in der Türkei die
Menschenrechte systematisch mit Füßen treten, kann es ihnen daher auch
in
Jugoslawien kaum um Demokratie gegangen sein. Vielmehr wurde der Krieg
schicht und einfach um die Ausdehnung ihres Herrschaftsbereichs geführt
–
auch um den Preis eines mörderischen Krieges und einer
Wirtschaftsblockade,
die die jugoslawischen Völker ins Elend gestürzt haben.
Die damalige Regierung der Großen Koalition hat die Kriegsverbrechen der
NATO politisch und stillschweigend auch militärisch unterstützt. Sie war
gerade dabei, die österreichische Neutralität durch eine europäische
Beistandspflicht abzuschaffen.
Die neue Regierung aus ÖVP und FPÖ ist noch radikaler für die NATO und
will
dieser über ein „europäisches Sicherheitssystem“ bzw. die WEU, dem
europäischen Arm der NATO, beitreten, in der Hoffnung so das Volk
täuschen
zu können.
Um so paradoxer scheint es, dass sie von den „humanitären“
Kriegstreibern
der NATO nun selbst unter Beschuss kommt. Doch geht es der NATO in aller
erster Linie darum, das Prinzip der Intervention, der Einmischung in die
inneren Angelegenheiten anderer Länder mit politischen, wirtschaftlichen
und
militärischen Mitteln durchzusetzen. Ihre Weltherrschaft im Dienst der
Bereicherung einiger weniger internationaler Konzerne und Banken soll
als
demokratisch und antifaschistisch erscheinen. Der USA und EU ist es
vorerst
scheinbar wichtiger diese Maske aufrecht zu erhalten als Österreich
schnell
in die NATO aufzunehmen.
Wir haben gesehen, wohin die „humanitären“ Kriege im Irak und in
Jugoslawien
geführt haben – zum schleichenden Völkermord! Die neoliberale
Globalisierung
und ihre auf weltweite militärische Gewalt aufgebauten Neuen
Weltordnung,
deren Wachhund die NATO ist, zeichnet für die Verarmung nicht nur großer
Teile der Weltbevölkerung, sondern auch für den Sozialabbau und die
zunehmende soziale Ungerechtigkeit in Österreich verantwortlich.
Gleichzeitig dreht sich die Milliarden und Abermilliarden verschlingende
Rüstungsspirale immer schneller (Abfangjäger für Österreich und für die
USA
eine Raketenabwehr, die ihnen den atomaren Erstschlag ermöglichen soll).
Wenn wir die NATO nicht stoppen, so wird sie uns in einen neuen
furchtbaren
Weltkrieg führen!
Für den Erhalt der Neutralität – Volksabstimmung jetzt sofort!
Nein zur neoliberalen Globalisierung und zum Interventionismus –
die Völker sollen über sich selbst bestimmen!
****************************
Jugoslawisch-Österreichische Solidaritätsbewegung (JÖSB)
PF 217, A-1040 Wien, Österreich
joesb@...
---
-----Original Message-----
From: Herman de Tollenaere <hermantl@...>
To: office@... <office@...>
Date: Monday, February 28, 2000 2:35 PM
Subject: DEMO The Hague 24 March: one year NATO war against Yugoslavia
>There will be a big demonstration in The Hague, The Netherlands, on Friday
>24 March, by the Balkan Peace Coalition. It is to mark the start, one year
>ago, of NATO's war against Yugoslavia. This is part of a world wide
>movement to remember the victims, help stop continuing violence in Kosovo,
>and prevent more war.
>
>The demonstration starts at 12.30, at the Malieveld near The Hague's
>Central railway station.
>
>More information: Balkan Vredescoalitie, Sloterkade 20, 1058 HE Amsterdam.
>Phone: +20-6151122
>Internet: http://www.geocities.com/vrede_nl
>e-mail: office@...
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
iacenter@... wrote:
>
> AS THREAT OF NEW NATO BOMBING LOOMS,
> COMMEMORATION OF PAST WAR AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
>
> IAC CALLS FOR COAST-TO-COAST DEMONSTRATIONS
> MARCH 24
>
> The International Action Center, a leading organization in the
> movement opposing the U.S./NATO war on Yugoslavia last spring,
> called for united actions condemning NATO's occupation of Kosovo in
> cities across the United States on the one-year anniversary of the start
> of NATO’s 78-day bombing campaign.
>
> “We also want to call to attention,” said Sara Flounders, a national
> coordinator of the IAC, “the growing threat of another U.S.-NATO
> military assault on Yugoslavia. On Feb. 17, Gen. Wesley Clark
> charged the Yugoslav government with rebuilding its military forces and
> with planning to go back into Kosovo. Gen. Clark, we remember, was
> not only the strategist behind the vicious bombing campaign, he
> almost opened up a war with the Russian forces outside Pristina in
> June. These charges can only be part of preparation of further NATO
> aggression against Yugoslavia.”
>
> That NATO bombing, which began on March 24, 1999, started the first major
> war in Europe since Germany surrendered to the Allied Forces in the spring
> of 1945. It ended after the death of close to 3,000 Yugoslavs, mostly civilians,
> and the destruction of much of the industry and infrastructure of Serbia. It
> also ended with the occupation of Serbia’s Kosovo province by U.S.,
> German, French, British, Canadian and other NATO troops and some Russian
> troops, an occupation that continues to this day.
>
> Flounders said the demonstrations would be coordinated with similar
> demonstrations, meetings and protests in Europe called by anti-war
> organizations in NATO countries there. She said she knew of protests
> planned in Italy, Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic and Greece and
> expected there would be many more.
>
> Flounders explained that the actions were meant “both to remember the day
> and to protest aggression by the U.S. and other NATO powers against a
> small country unable to defend itself from an attack from the skies by the
> world’s great military powers. We also want to stop the sanctions against
> Yugoslavia that are aimed at the entire population and that hurt children and
> seniors the most. And we want to condemn the continued illegal occupation
> of Kosovo by NATO forces."
>
> Last June 5 some 10,000 people marched on the Pentagon in response to a
> call by the IAC to oppose the attack on Yugoslavia.
>
> Since the occupation of Kosovo last June 10, the IAC has launched an
> investigation into “U.S./NATO war crimes” in the form of tribunal hearings
> around the U.S. and around the world. IAC founder and former U.S. Attorney
> General Ramsey Clark prepared and delivered a 19-count indictment last July
> 31 against U.S. President Bill Clinton and other U.S. and NATO political and
> military leaders responsible for the war against Yugoslavia. He charged them
> with crimes against peace, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
>
> “This 19-point indictment,” said Flounders, “has been used as an inspiration
> or a model by anti-war forces in the U.S., other NATO and even non-NATO
> Central and East European countries to hold mass public inquiries of
> U.S./NATO war crimes. These hearings are still going on in Europe through
> this spring.
>
> IAC TO HOLD INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL
>
> “The IAC plans on June 10 to hold a final hearing in New York, where a panel
> of prestigious international judges will rule on evidence presented and
> decide if the NATO leaders are indeed guilty of the crimes Ramsey Clark has
> charged them with,” said Flounders.
On the Anniversary of the
U.S./NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
THE WAR IS NOT OVER
U.S./NATO out of KOSOVO !!!
Hands off the Balkans and Eastern Europe!
Friday, March 24
Assembly and Rally
at 5 P.M.
Times Square, 43rd Street & Broadway,
in front of the Armed Forces Recruiting Station
followed by the March
on The New York Times
Called by the International Action Center, (212) 633-6646
(www.iacenter.org)
Memorial Service for the victims of
war and NATO occupation will be held after the march at the
St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral,
25th Street & Broadway - New York
---
Zum Jahrestag des Nato-Aggressionskrieges gegen Jugoslawien:
Nein zur Beistandspflicht, NATO und WEU!
*******************
24. März
18 h 30 Parlament
20 h Stephansplatz
*******************
Vor einem Jahr hat die NATO Jugoslawien unter dem Vorwand der
Menschenrechte
„humanitär“ angegriffen. Heute kann jeder sehen, dass die Aggression der
NATO viel mehr Opfer gefordert hat als der vom Westen angestachelte
Bürgerkrieg davor. Im nun von der NATO besetzten Kosovo werden alle
Minderheiten „ethnisch gesäubert“ – es passiert also genau das, was es
angeblich zu verhindern galt. Der Rassismus, der Jugoslawien vorgeworfen
wurde, wurde und wird nicht nur massiv von den NATO-Verbündeten in
Kroatien,
Bosnien um im Kosovo, sondern ist in Europa allgegenwärtig und durch
Schengen institutionalisiert. Abgesehen davon, dass die NATO und EU
anderswo, wie beispielsweise gegenüber den Kurden in der Türkei die
Menschenrechte systematisch mit Füßen treten, kann es ihnen daher auch
in
Jugoslawien kaum um Demokratie gegangen sein. Vielmehr wurde der Krieg
schicht und einfach um die Ausdehnung ihres Herrschaftsbereichs geführt
–
auch um den Preis eines mörderischen Krieges und einer
Wirtschaftsblockade,
die die jugoslawischen Völker ins Elend gestürzt haben.
Die damalige Regierung der Großen Koalition hat die Kriegsverbrechen der
NATO politisch und stillschweigend auch militärisch unterstützt. Sie war
gerade dabei, die österreichische Neutralität durch eine europäische
Beistandspflicht abzuschaffen.
Die neue Regierung aus ÖVP und FPÖ ist noch radikaler für die NATO und
will
dieser über ein „europäisches Sicherheitssystem“ bzw. die WEU, dem
europäischen Arm der NATO, beitreten, in der Hoffnung so das Volk
täuschen
zu können.
Um so paradoxer scheint es, dass sie von den „humanitären“
Kriegstreibern
der NATO nun selbst unter Beschuss kommt. Doch geht es der NATO in aller
erster Linie darum, das Prinzip der Intervention, der Einmischung in die
inneren Angelegenheiten anderer Länder mit politischen, wirtschaftlichen
und
militärischen Mitteln durchzusetzen. Ihre Weltherrschaft im Dienst der
Bereicherung einiger weniger internationaler Konzerne und Banken soll
als
demokratisch und antifaschistisch erscheinen. Der USA und EU ist es
vorerst
scheinbar wichtiger diese Maske aufrecht zu erhalten als Österreich
schnell
in die NATO aufzunehmen.
Wir haben gesehen, wohin die „humanitären“ Kriege im Irak und in
Jugoslawien
geführt haben – zum schleichenden Völkermord! Die neoliberale
Globalisierung
und ihre auf weltweite militärische Gewalt aufgebauten Neuen
Weltordnung,
deren Wachhund die NATO ist, zeichnet für die Verarmung nicht nur großer
Teile der Weltbevölkerung, sondern auch für den Sozialabbau und die
zunehmende soziale Ungerechtigkeit in Österreich verantwortlich.
Gleichzeitig dreht sich die Milliarden und Abermilliarden verschlingende
Rüstungsspirale immer schneller (Abfangjäger für Österreich und für die
USA
eine Raketenabwehr, die ihnen den atomaren Erstschlag ermöglichen soll).
Wenn wir die NATO nicht stoppen, so wird sie uns in einen neuen
furchtbaren
Weltkrieg führen!
Für den Erhalt der Neutralität – Volksabstimmung jetzt sofort!
Nein zur neoliberalen Globalisierung und zum Interventionismus –
die Völker sollen über sich selbst bestimmen!
****************************
Jugoslawisch-Österreichische Solidaritätsbewegung (JÖSB)
PF 217, A-1040 Wien, Österreich
joesb@...
---
-----Original Message-----
From: Herman de Tollenaere <hermantl@...>
To: office@... <office@...>
Date: Monday, February 28, 2000 2:35 PM
Subject: DEMO The Hague 24 March: one year NATO war against Yugoslavia
>There will be a big demonstration in The Hague, The Netherlands, on Friday
>24 March, by the Balkan Peace Coalition. It is to mark the start, one year
>ago, of NATO's war against Yugoslavia. This is part of a world wide
>movement to remember the victims, help stop continuing violence in Kosovo,
>and prevent more war.
>
>The demonstration starts at 12.30, at the Malieveld near The Hague's
>Central railway station.
>
>More information: Balkan Vredescoalitie, Sloterkade 20, 1058 HE Amsterdam.
>Phone: +20-6151122
>Internet: http://www.geocities.com/vrede_nl
>e-mail: office@...
--------- 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'AUTORE:
Knut Krusewitz, della Technische Universitaet di Berlino, docente di
Pianificazione ambientale e autore di una delle relazioni più rigorose e
intelligenti sul tema dei bombardamenti nei Balcani (industrie chimiche
e uranio), pubblicata da 'Il Manifesto' del 4.1.2000 p. 10.
(http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Chateau/9161/comitato/krusewitz.html)
10 novembre 1999
traduzione: 20 novembre 1999
Versione integrale
*** N.A.T.O.: condotta di guerra e conseguenze ambientali ***
1. Proposizione del problema.
La domanda che deve porsi dal punto di vista delle scienze ambientali e'
quali metodi bellici e quali mezzi la NATO abbia utilizzato durante la
sua
Operation Allied Force e quali danni essa abbia causato all'ambiente
naturale e sociale. La domanda deve essere posta in quanto sussiste il
fondato sospetto che l'alleanza bellica contro la Jugoslavia abbia
urtato i
principi e le norme del Trattato sul divieto di guerra ecologica e
contro il
divieto di danneggiamento ambientale prescritto dal diritto
internazionale
umanitario.
Le relative prescrizioni del diritto internazionale bellico includono in
primo luogo l'intenzionale danneggiamento dell'ambiente nell'ambito
della
condotta bellica.
Inoltre esse si applicano anche ai danni collaterali, se questi
conducono a
conseguenze dannose gravi, estese e durature, e percio' portano con se'
un
perturbamento significativo della vita umana, delle risorse naturali ed
economiche.
In questo caso sarebbe rilevante non solo dal punto di vista ambientale,
ma
anche di quello del diritto internazionale poter provare che l'Alleanza
abbia fatto uso nell'ambito della sua condotta bellica di metodi e mezzi
che
dal punto di vista ambientale erano mirati o da cui ci si doveva
aspettare
che essi causassero danni ambientali persistenti di simile entita'. Si
tratterebbe allora di gravi violazioni delle leggi e consuetudini
belliche,
che potrebbero essere punite come crimini di guerra.
Su questo sfondo e' divenuta un argomento di dibattito internazionale la
questione se il bilancio ambientale della guerra consenta la conclusione
che
la NATO abbia effettivamente condotto una guerra ecologica contro la
Jugoslavia. Con il mio contributo io cerco di dare un apporto al
chiarimento
di questa controversia. A questo fine e' necessario innanzitutto
trattare dei
danni ambientali nel teatro di guerra; infine cerchero' di ordinare e
valutare questi danni secondo il diritto internazionale.
2. Come si comunicano e valutano i danni ambientali di guerra?
2.1. Per la critica del concetto dell'UNEP.
Gia' durante la guerra, ancor prima che vi fosse il primo bilancio
empirico
dei danni ambientali, il direttore esecutivo del Programma Ambientale
delle
Nazioni Unite (ingl.: United Nations Environmental Programme: UNEP),
l'ex
ministro dell'ambiente Klaus Toepfer (cristiano-democratico), riferi'
che la
guerra non aveva causato alcuna catastrofe ecologica.
L'11 maggio 1999 costui rese nota la costituzione di una Balkan Task
Force
(BTF), un gruppo di lavoro speciale per l'ambiente nell'area di guerra.
Esso
avrebbe dovuto "raccogliere e confrontare informazioni credibili sulle
conseguenze ambientali della crisi del Kossovo" (Haavisto, 1999), al
fine di
togliere fondamento a "speculazioni su una catastrofe ecologica dovuta
alla
guerra del Kossovo" (Sueddeutsche Zeitung, (a), 1999, p. 7). Infatti a
Toepfer
non interessavano speculazioni, ma cose concrete. La sua BTF doveva
raccogliere per tempo determinate informazioni ambientali, con cui la
NATO
potesse eventualmente provare di aver condotto una guerra conforme a
diritto
internazionale. Mentre Toepfer strumentalizzava l'UNEP e la BTF, rendeva
ogni
dichiarazione sul significato ecologico della guerra un argomento
ambientale
e di politica militare, ma soprattutto di diritto internazionale dalla
forza
dirompente.
Dall'UNEP-BTF si pretese una prestazione apologetica, che strutturo' il
rapporto interno tra incarico di indagare, metodo d'indagine e risultato
dell'indagine. A causa della preponderante funzione discolpatoria del
rapporto finale dell'UNEP e' giocoforza contrapporvi una critica sui
metodi.
2.2.1. Incarico di indagine:
Toepfer conferi' al BTF solo un incarico di indagine tecnicamente
ristretto,
che non doveva mettere in luce ne' gli aspetti militari, ne' di
giusinternazionalistici, ne' sociali del problema ambientale. L'incarico
di
indagine non riguardava quindi la questione, evidente dal punto di vista
ecologico e sollevabile dal punto di vista del diritto internazionale,
della
concatenazione tra metodi di condotta della guerra NATO e i danni
ambientali
che ne sono derivati nella regione dei Balcani.
Pekka Haavisto, direttore di questa technical mission, formulo' poi
questo
equivoco concetto di indagine in un programma di valutazione
apparentemente
obiettivo: "L'incarico viene suddiviso tra cinque gruppi tematici: 1.
Stima
dei danni ambientali derivanti dagli impianti industriali distrutti; 2.
Danubio; 3. Conseguenze della guerra sulle risorse naturali; 4. Effetti
a
lungo termine della guerra sulla salute degli uomini e sull'ambiente; 5.
Insediamenti umani." (Haavisto, ibid.).
Al contrario di quanto annunciato la BTF non si occupo' in loco degli
"effetti a lungo termine della crisi sulla salute umana e
sull'ambiente".
Cio' potrebbe essere effettuato da uno studio di lungo periodo ordinato
di
recente dalla Commissione Europea. Il suo titolo: "Valutazione accurata
degli influssi sull'ambiente della guerra in Jugoslavia" (Commissione
Europea, 1999). Il suo rapporto finale verra' in essere tuttavia solo
nell'
autunno del 2000. Il Gruppo di lavoro UNEP ha tentato nonostante cio' di
valutare la contaminazione dell'ambiente dovuta al munizionamento
all'uranio
impoverito (depleted uranium: DU). Esso fu costretto a convocare un
Depleted
Uranium Desk Asessment Group (che si riuniva a Ginevra), giacche' la
NATO si
era rifiutata di fornire indicazioni sulla quantita' di armi DU
impiegate e
sui loro bersagli.
2.2.2. Metodo di indagine:
La direttiva politica del direttore UNEP propizio' presso la BTF una
percezione specifica delle conseguenze ecologiche della guerra, che
rimase
quindi allineata non a riflessioni di natura obiettiva, quanto piuttosto
di
natura opportunistica. Dal momento in cui la BTF accetto' acriticamente
la
direttiva extrascientifica del suo committente politico, ando' perfino
ad
oscurare quegli ambiti di realta' scientificamente considerevoli, che un
resoconto obiettivo avrebbe sicuramente resi parte costitutiva di
un'analisi
e valutazione imparziale.
La BTF concepi' il suo programma d'indagine in modo tale da relegare in
un
novero di dati extrascientifico la connessione tematica tra condotta
bellica
NATO, scelta dei mezzi bellici e danni ambientali da esse provocati.
Solo in
questo modo essa poteva considerare i gravi danni della guerra
all'ambiente
naturale e sociale come meri danni collaterali, a guisa di "incidenti
sul
lavoro" di guerra.
2.2.3. Risultati dell'indagine.
Non pare aver minimamente disturbato la BTF il dover presentare un
rapporto
il cui riusultato era gia' stabilito prima che si esaminasse la prima
misurazione dei danni in loco, premessa irrinunciabile della valutazione
tecnica dei danni ambientali di guerra.
Nonostante -od a causa- dell'immunizzazione politicamente stabilita
della
realta' e della connessa minimizzazione del problema la BTF trovo' prove
sul
fatto che la Nato aveva ripetutamente causato consistenti danni
ambientali
in quattro localita', cioe' Pancevo, Kragujevac, Novi Sad e Bor.
I risultati delle loro indagini furono banali, giacche' essi
confermarono
soltanto cio' che esperti ed esperte di disastri sapevano gia' in
precedenza:
chi distrugge militarmente complessi industriali - installazioni
petrolchimiche, raffinerie, depositi di carburante, centrali elettriche,
fabbriche di munizioni, di fertilizzanti, ed impianti chimici - libera
con
cio' sostanze nocive all'ambiente ed alla salute, che naturalmente si
depositano anche nelle vicinanze degli impianti bombardati. Ma certo non
solo li', giacche' esse si diffondono a grande distanza con le termiche,
i
venti, il ciclo delle acque.
La BTF trascuro' deliberatamente questo importante dato di fatto
ecologico,
nonostante allora le fossero noti i risultati delle misurazioni al
riguardo
eseguite dal Dipartimento di Tecniche Ambientali dell'Universita'
Demokritos
di Xanthi (Tracia) (Rapsomanikis, 1999 pag. 1-4; Sueddeutsche Zeitung,
(b)
1999, pag. 5).
Ergo: il concetto metodico dell'UNEP-BTF non era minimamente idoneo all'
elaborazione di un bilancio dei danni ambientali che sarebbe bastato
alla
loro stessa pretesa di presentare "un rapporto completo che sia
neutrale,
obiettivo e scientificamente credibile" (Haavisto, ibid.). Percio' la
parte
empirica del rapporto UNEP contribuiva ben poco al chiarimento del
quesito
qui trattato, se la NATO abbia o meno condotto una guerra ecologica.
2.3. Problematica della pianificazione ambientale.
Le guerre mondiali e le successive forme della "moderna" condotta di
guerra
hanno causato danni non soltanto all'ambiente naturale, ma anche a
quello
sociale (Krusewitz, 1985; idem, 1999, pag. 5-7). Compito di una scienza
ambientale illuministica e' percio' rilevare e valutare non solo i
"danni
collaterali ecologici", effetti primari della guerra, alla qual cosa si
e'
limitata essenzialmente la UNEP-BTF, ma anche i suoi effetti secondari e
terziari. Se la guerra contro la Jugoslavia abbia in effetti causato
soltanto danni collaterali all'ambiente naturale, o se non abbia
prodotto
piuttosto pregiudizi macroscopici, duraturi e gravi all'ambiente
naturale e
sociale, puo' giudicarsi solo se si esaminano i suoi effetti primari,
secondari e terziari. A questo fine utilizzo un metodo di ricerca che ho
sviluppato nell'analisi delle guerre moderne.
2.3.1. Effetti primari.
Quali metodi e mezzi di condotta bellica ha scelto la NATO? Quali armi
vi ha
impiegato? Quali sostanze tossiche/cancerogene/radioattive sono finite
nell'
ambiente, da quali sorgenti provenivano, in quali quantita' cio' e'
accaduto e
come si sono diffuse nello spazio? Quali danni si possono documentare
nella
biosfera (nel bilancio naturale regionale), nei paesaggi culturali, nei
territori protetti, nei territori di ricreazione, come pure nelle
regioni-modello internazionali (riserve della biosfera dell'UNESCO)?
Con riguardo agli effetti primari della guerra si conosce qualche cosa
rispetto ai danni ambientali di limitata estensione, ma poco riguardo a
quelli di ampio raggio. Dati primari sono stati rilevati soprattutto
presso
i siti industriali bombardati.
Sono stati aggrediti e distrutti da attacchi con bombe o missili oltre
20
impianti che contenevano sostanze e/o energie pericolose come:
- Raffinerie di petrolio, oleodotti, depositi di carburante, stazioni di
carico;
- Impianti industriali chimici e farmaceutici;
- Fabbriche di ammoniaca, fertilizzanti e fitofarmaci.
Con cio' sono state liberate in un'area considerevole sostanze
cancerogene,
tossiche ed ecotossiche. Finora tali inquinanti sono stati misurati e
segnalati nelle seguenti localita' (Stephan/Strobel/Klass, 1999; FOCUS,
1999;
Tehnokratia, 1999; UNEP/UNCHS, 1999):
Pancevo: 1,2 dicloroetano (ECD), cloruro di vinile monomero (VCM),
diossina,
furani, fosgene, benzo(a')pirene, ammoniaca, bifenili policlorati
(PCBs),
mercurio, anidride solforosa, ossido d'azoto, fuliggine, fumo;
Kragujevac: PCBs, diossina, furani, benzolo, toluolo, tetracloroetilene,
tricloroetano, rame, zinco, cobalto;
Novi Sad: PCBs, c-esano, idrocarburi liquidi, anidride solforosa,
piombo,
mercurio, fuliggine, fumo;
Bor: PCBs, rame, arsenico, cadmio, piombo, zinco;
Kraljevo: idrocarburi liquidi, gasolio, toluolo, benzolo;
Nis: idrocarburi liquidi, PCBs, diossina;
Novi Beograd: idrocarburi liquidi, benzina;
Smederova: fuliggine, fumo, PCK, idrocarburi liquidi;
Cacak: metalli pesanti.
Questi gli effetti primari della guerra. E' incontestabile che la
Operation
Allied Force ha danneggiato notevolmente l'ambiente naturale nei
dintorni
dei complessi industriali distrutti, e con cio' ha compromesso la salute
della popolazione. E' tuttavia controverso se i danni all'ambiente siano
solo
notevoli o non piuttosto gravi, estese e durature. Su cio' ritornero'
nella
sezione dedicata alla valutazione della condotta di guerra secondo il
diritto internazionale.
2.3.2. Effetti secondari.
Come agiscono tali inquinanti e tali danni ambientali su uomini, salute,
agricoltura, forestazione, risorse acquee, aree protette,
regioni-modello,
approvigionamento idrico, infrastrutture del traffico, ed insediamenti?
Quali tendenze seguono nel corso del tempo le concentrazioni degli
inquinanti e quali ne sono i motivi? Si devono adottare misure di
emergenza
in aree ad alto rischio (per es. presso le fabbriche chimiche
distrutte)?
Quali procedure tecniche devono essere messe in atto per la diminuzione
o l'
eliminazione dei danni? Le discariche militari sono riconoscibili e da
risanare? Puo' essere ripristinato lo status quo ante ecologico?
In questo momento nella Repubblica Jugoslava sono stati rilevati solo
pochi
dati riguardanti gli effetti secondari. Cio' per motivi di politica
interna,
per le sanzioni, per motivi strutturali, ma anche per motivi legati alle
tecniche di misurazione ambientale, di cui non ci si occupa piu'
dettagliatamente.
Tuttavia, nel caso dei complessi industriali bombardati a Pancevo, si
puo'
esporre in modo esemplare il nesso causale tra effetti sull'ambiente
della
condotta bellica NATO primari e secondari. La NATO attacca piu' volte
con
missili (Cruise Missiles) la localita' industriale Pancevo - un
complesso di
stabilimenti petrolchimici, raffinerie di idrocarburi, fabbriche di
fertilizzanti, impianti di cloruro di vinile monomero ed etilene - e lo
distrugge insieme con i suoi grandi depositi.
Le sostanze tossiche da cio' sprigionate formavano ad ogni attacco nubi
tossiche, che contenevano di volta in volta miscugli corrosivi di ECD,
cloruro di vinile monomero (VCM), diossine, fosgene, anidride solforosa,
ossidi di azoto, benzo(a')pirene ed ammoniaca.
In alcune notti di bombardamento le concentrazioni di veleni erano
altrettanto alte che dopo un grande attacco con armi chimiche. La
popolazione e' stata ripetutamente esposta, in quasi tutti i casi
indifesa, a
queste sostanze tossiche.
Percio' i danni alla salute "si mostreranno in parte soltanto fra molti
anni"
(Stephan, 1999, pag. 42).
2.3.3. Effetti terziari.
Quali costi per l'economia nazionale sorgeranno dai programmi di
ricostruzione e risanamento? Chi li finanziera'? Come agiranno le
conseguenze
della guerra sul mercato e sulle condizioni del lavoro? Come i costi
naturali e sociali della guerra cambieranno lo standard di vita, le
condizioni culturali ed educative della societa'? Le opzioni di sviluppo
economiche, politiche ed internazionale delle parti in conflitto sono
ragguardevolmente limitate? I danni economici sono percio' significativi
dal
punto di vista della pianificazione ambientale, poiche' le loro
dimensioni
decidono se, e, se si', sotto quali condizioni, si potranno sostenere i
costi
ambientali naturali e sociali della guerra.
I tre settori-chiave dell'industria jugoslava, chimico, energetico,
metallurgico sono stati gravemente danneggiati. La petrolchimica, il
ramo
industriale piu' redditizio del paese, e' quasi completamente distrutto,
con
nefaste ed incalcolabili conseguenze ecologiche, il moderno impianto
chimico
Petrohemija di Pancevo e' stato raso al suolo.
Altrettanto distrutte sono entrambe le fabbriche di fertilizzanti di
Novi
Sad e Pancevo. Cio' significa "un'ipoteca particolarmente pesante per il
futuro. La Jugoslavia e' un paese agricolo, ed e' sopravvissuta agli
anni dell
'isolamento solo della propria produzione alimentare. Negli anni scorsi
la
quota dell'agricoltura nel prodotto interno lordo e' salita dal 35 a
quasi il
50%" (Israel, 1999, pag. 8).
A Pancevo si trovavano anche le maggiori raffinerie della Jugoslavia,
che
ora sono ridotte in macerie. L'economia energetica e' il secondo settore
economico fondamentale che e' stato duramente danneggiato dalla guerra.
"Nel
settore-chiave della metallurgia gli stabilimenti del gruppo Zastava,
soprattutto a Kragujevac, sono stati largamente distrutti. 120 imprese
fornitrici dipendono da questo complesso industriale automobilistico"
(Spiegel, 1999, pag. 153).
Un primo bilancio degli effetti terziari nell'economia nazionale
presenta,
secondo l'inventario di un economista jugoslavo, il seguente quadro: "A
causa della guerra e delle sue conseguenze la produzione industriale
nella
Repubblica Federale Jugoslava, confrontata coll'anno precedente, calera'
del
44,4% [...]. Il prodotto interno lordo dovrebbe affondare del 40,7%, l'
impotr-export di oltre il 50%, la disoccupazione dovrebbe salire al
32,6%"
(Sueddeutsche Zeitung, 1999, pag. 25).
3. Valutazione dei danni ambientali secondo il diritto internazionale
bellico.
Alla spiegazione della questione, se la NATO abbia condotto una guerra
ecologica contro la Jugoslavia contribuisce il diritto internazionale
bellico. Le norme ed i principi relativi si trovano:
-nell'accordo sul divieto dell'uso militare o comunque ostile di
tecniche
che alterino l'ambiente, unitamente all'appendice e intesa del 18 maggio
1977 - accordo sul divieto di guerra ecologica, ingl.: Environmental
Mpodification Convention, citato come ENMOD-Convention (Fahl, 1980,
pagg.
136-143), e
- nel 39o protocollo aggiuntivo dell'8 giugno 1977 alla Convenzione di
Ginevra del 12 agosto 1949 sulla protezione delle vittime dei conflitti
armati -citato come PA I- (Randelzhofer, 1999, pagg. 569-617).
In base all'esperienza della condotta bellica USA in Vietnam l'ONU varo'
nel
1977 la ENMOD-Convention; la Repubblica Federale Tedesca la ratifico'
nel
1983.
Secondo l'art. I dell'accordo e' vietato l'uso "di tecniche che alterino
l'
ambiente che producano effetti gravi, estesi e duraturi" come mezzo di
condotta bellica. "Il bersaglio e' dunque l'uso delle cosiddette
environmental modification techniques come strumenti militari, cioe' il
mirato abuso dell'ambiente come arma" (Oeter, 1994, pag. 98). Ogni
"manipolazione" militare "dei processi naturali" (art. II) e' pertanto
interdetta.
Le Intese (Understandings) sugli articoli I e II stabiliscono che si
intende
"esteso" un ambito di varie centinaia di chilometri quadrati; per
"duraturi"
s'intendono danni militari che si prolungano per vari mesi (circa una
stagione), e "grave" e' un effetto che porta con se' disturbi seri e
significativi alla vita umana, alle risorse economiche e naturali e ad
altri
beni.
Se viene violato uno di questi limiti, entra in gioco il divieto
dell'ENMOD.
Con l'art. 35, sez. 3, PA I e le norme complementari dell'art. 55 nello
stesso Protocollo Aggiuntivo e' stato "introdotto un assoluto divieto di
danni ambientali persistenti nel diritto internazionale umanitario"
(Oeter,
ibid.).
Se e' chiaro o presumibile che si pervenga a danni ambientali gravi,
estesi e
duraturi, anche l'impiego di tali mezzi e metodi dannosi per l'ambiente
non
e' piu' ammissibile, nemmeno se asseritamente necessario dal punto di
vista
militare.
Arrecare consapevolmente od accettare semplicemente il rischio di creare
danni gravi e persistenti all'ambiente sono coomportamenti con cio'
pienamente considerati nell'ambito della condotta bellica.
Le norme del protocollo aggiuntivo I superano in p'rincipio il divieto
della
ENMOD. Non vi sono solo compresi l'intenzionale danneggiamento
dell'ambiente
nell'ambito della condotta bellica (come nel caso della convenzione sul
divieto di guerra ecologica), ... ... ... ... danni collaterali" (Oeter,
ibid.).
Poiche' ogni condotta bellica causa notevoli danni collaterali
all'ambiente,
la questione sulle disposizioni limitative della guerra nel Protocollo
Aggiuntivo I non e' soltanto di prevalente interesse militare, ma anche
di
interesse per la pace.
"La Conferenza Diplomatica ha percio' utilizzato i concetti-soglia
esteso,
duraturo e grave impiegati analogamente alla ENMOD, non ugualmente in
modo
alternativo (come per la ENMOD) ma in modo cumulativo. Solo i danni
collaterali coinvolgenti grandi superfici, che contemporaneamente
persistono
per lunghi lassi di tempo e che inoltre comportano gravi pregiudizi per
l'
ambiente, sono compresi dai divieti dell'art. 35, 3o co., e 55 del PA I
(Oeter, loc. cit. pag. 99).
4. Applicazione dei criteri di valutazione giusinternazionalistici alla
condotta bellica della N.A.T.O.
Si ammette qui che una complessiva, sistematica analisi dei dati
rilevanti
dal punto di vista ambientale, se fosse in effetti possibile, non e'
stata
fino a questo momento (ottobre 2999) ancora fornita.
Tuttavia le informazioni introdotte nei dati sono sufficienti ad
ottenere
istruttivi risultati sul nesso causale tra condotta bellica e
conseguenze
ambientali; conformemente a cio' determinati effetti primari, secondari
e
terziari sono duraturi, si presentano in modo esteso, ed indicano danni
gravi all'ambiente naturale, dai quali la salute della popolazione e'
considerevolmente minacciata.
4.1. Danni ambientali duraturi.
Violazioni delle disposizioni delle intese relative all'art. I, II della
ENMOD-Convention in relazione con l'art. 35, sez. 3, art. 55, sez. 1, PA
I.
Al contrario dell'impressione comunicata dal Gruppo di lavoro dell'UNEP,
raccolta dei dati e valutazione della pericolosita' dei danni ambientali
si
mostrano complicate, poiche' con la distruzione dei complessi
industriali si
sono formate contaminazioni miste di varie sostanze. "L'effetto dell'
interazione di tali miscugli di inquinanti nel sottosuolo e' assai
difficilmente valutabile ed ancora poco studiato". (UBA, 1999, pag. 9).
"Sicuramente dal cio' che resta dalla distruzione di discariche
industriali
derivera' nelle regioni colpite una minaccia per gli esseri umani che
agira'
ben oltre la fine della guerra.
Questo giudizio prognostico e' stato confermato dall'Ufficio per le
sostanze
pericolose (Halle) e dall'Oko-Control (Dessau) nel caso di Opovo: "Near
Opovo, forest damage which suggests contamination by fumes was clearly
perceptible. [...] Crop losses (probably over a period of several years)
should be taken in account, as well as a detrimental impact upon the
natural
fauna and flora" (Stephan/Strobel/Klass, loc. cit., pag. 54).
4.2. Danni ambientali estesi.
Violazioni delle disposizioni delle intese sugli artt. I e II della
ENMOD-Convention in relazione con l'art. 35, sez. 3, ed art. 55, sez. I,
PA
I.
Inoltre la minaccia si estende largamente oltre le regioni colpite. Due
prove empiriche al riguardo:
-"The results from Pancevo (including Opovo) and Novi Sad show that the
chemical consequences of the war are not limited to local effects but
are of
at least regional impact, and since they also effect the Danube they
could
have also trans-border impacts" (Stephan/Strobel/Klass, loc. cit., pag.
54).
-"Between March 24 and June 10, 1999 a large number of chemicals were
ejected in the atmosphere because of air strikes in chemical industries
and
oil storage facilities in former Yugoslavia. Chemicals released in the
atmosphere under suitable meteorological conditions can be transported
across borders to large distances. The releases contain not only
conventionel air pollutants but also semi-volatile organic compounds
(SVOs)
which include dioxins, furans, PCBs, PAHs and organic phthalates, all
known
to be hazardous to health" (FOCUS, 1999).
Resta da chiarire come mai soltanto istituti ecologici greci abbiano
misurato la diffusione di inquinanti su spazi estesi in Europa.
4.3. Danni ambientali gravi.
Violazioni delle disposizioni nelle intese relative agli artt. I, II
della
ENMOD-Convention in relazione agli artt. 35, sez. 3; 54, sez. 2, 55 sez.
1,
PA I.
L'Ufficio Federale dell'Ambiente (Umweltbundesamt: UBA) gia' il 5 maggio
1999
avvisava che per le conseguenze ambientali della guerra un "uso civile
di
larga parte di queste regioni non sara' possibile per la minaccia alla
salute
derivante dalla contaminazione del suolo e delle acque profonde e
superficiali" (UBA, 1999, pag. 10). Questa previsione e' stata finora
confermata in due gravi casi. Si tratta del significativo danneggiamento
delle risorse naturali ed economiche, come anche della vita umana, in un
caso per lo sprigionamento di policlordibenzodiossine (PCDDs: diossina
di
Seveso) e di policlordibenzofurani (PCDFs); ed altrettanto nell'altro
caso,
relativo allo sprigionamento di prodotti radiotossici e chemiotossici
della
disintegrazione di munizioni di uranio (munizioni DU).
4.3.1. Azione dei PCDDs e PCDFs:
"It can be claimed that considerable amounts of PCDDs/PCDFs must have
been
distributed by gas clouds. [It] would therefore be necessary [to]
examine
the contamination of agricultural and horticultural lands over which the
gas
clouds passed, the substances carried by the clouds would have been
partly
distributed by precipitation. The values obtained [...] reach limits for
agricultural and horticultural land use and suggest the need for
inspection
and remidial action of restricted use" (Stephan/Strobel/Klass, loc.
cit.,
pag. 52).
Cio' sarebbe "non una catastrofe ambientale, ma chiaramente una
perturbazione
dell'ambiente", sentenzia il direttore della Divisione Chimica
Ambientale
dell'Universita' di Ulm, Karlheinz Ballschmiter. I cancerogeni furani e
diossine sarebbero immagazzinati prevalentemente nei prodotti agricoli
ed
"al 95 per cento introdotti nella catena alimentare". Cosi' le vacche
avranno
prossimamente anche dalle nostre parti un carico piu' elevato. "Gli
esseri
umani sono colpiti attraverso i prodotti lattiero-caseari". Tuttavia il
"carico a Belgrado e dintorni" sarebbe "molto piu' elevato". "Se in quei
luoghi tra due anni si analizzasse il latte materno, il risultato si
rispecchierebbe negli inquinanti in esso contenuti" (Sueddeutsche
Zeitung,
(a), loc. cit., pag. 5).
4.3.2. Effetti delle munizioni DU:
Nell'aprile 1999 diversi media tedeschi annunciavano che la NATO aveva
"confermato, che la forza d'attacco USA impiega in Jugoslavia
munizionamento
radioattivo. Allo stesso tempo l'alleanza smentiva pero' voci sulla
pericolosita' per i civili estranei (Fuldaer Zeitung, 1999, pag. 3).
Questa
affermazione della NATO era falsa. Vero e' al contrario che l'impiego di
queste munizioni rappresenta un notevole pericolo per uomo e natura.Allo
stato naturale il metallo pesante uranio e' un miscuglio degli isotopi
U235 e
U238. L'isotopo U235 e' presente in questo metallo pesante soltanto in
misura
limitata. Per l'utilizzzo dell'uranio nelle armi nucleari e' necessario
elevare la quota di U235 con dei procedimenti di arricchimento. Con cio'
avanza U238 in grandi quantita'. Questo U238 viene anche qualificato
come
depleted uranium (DU).L'interesse militare per il DU fu svegliato
poiche'
esso possiede una densita' molto piu' elevata di altri materiali
imopiegati
nella produzione di munizioni. Cosi' il DU e' quasi tre volte piu'
pesante
dell'acciaio, cosa che ad una granata riempita di DU consente di avere
una
forza di penetrazione molto maggiore nei confronti delle corazze dei
veicoli
militari. Poiche' il DU e' piu' tenero dell'acciaio, esso si polverizza
nel
penetrare le corazze. Se un tale proiettile colpisce la superficie del
bersaglio, una gran parte dell'energia cinetica si converte in calore.
Allora il proiettile si accende ed agisce all'interno del carro armato
come
un proiettile incendiario. (Rodejohann, 1977, pagg. 39 e segg.) Dopo l'
esplosione l'U238 si comporta da radiotossico, in quanto emette raggi
alfa,
e da chemiotossico in quanto metallo pesante.
"Secondo ricerche intraprese nel frattempo la produzione di
radioattivita'
alla superficie del proiettile da me [cioe' il prof. Siegwart-Horst
Guenther]
rinvenuto nel 1991 ammontava ad 11 microSievert al minuto. La dose
ammessa
in Germania viene definita in 300 microSievert all'anno. Avendo a che
fare
con un proiettile di uranio, pertanto, la dose annua si raggiunge
abbondantemente in un giorno" (Guenther, 1999, pag. 184). Nell'aria le
particelle di uranio si legano ad areosol. Essi possono essere inalati
attraverso le vie respiratorie od ingeriti attraverso la catena
alimentare.
Possibili conseguenze: "anemia, leucemia, tumore osseo, danni
all'embrione"
(Wolff, 1998, volantino).
Sebbene la NATO finora si rifiuti di dare indicazioni sulle aree e
quantita'
di impiego del munizionamento DU, e' sicuro che essa ha adoperato
quest'arma
nella regione di Prizren. "In aprile, durante il conflitto del Kossovo,
scienziati dell'Istituto Nazionale per la Difesa della Salute in
Macedonia
hanno misurato nell'aria valori otto volte piu' elevati di quegli
emettitori
di raggi alfa derivanti dai proiettili di uranio" (Peterson, 1999, pag.
11).
Anche il Ministero dell'Ambiente serbo ha misurato "in Kossovo una
maggiore
emisssione radioattiva nella misura di 3,4 Mega Becquerel. Essa sarebbe
stata causata da U238 non fissile, contenuto nei proiettili sparati
dagli
aerei americani modello A-10" (IPPNW, 1999, pag. 23). L'Autorita'
Britannica
per la Protezione dalle Radiazioni avvertiva in luglio, che i maggiori
rischi in Kossovo erano da ricercare ove erano state sparate munizioni
di
uranio. Percio' le truppe britanniche ivi stanziate erano state
avvertite di
indossare tute protettive, "se il contatto con obiettivi colpiti da
munizioni di uranio e' inevitabile" (Peterson, ibid.).
Per un'efficace protezione della popolazione civile dai persistenti
pericoli
per la salute di questi componenti per la salute, nessuno si e' in ogni
caso
finora dichiarato competente.
4.4. I danni ambientali persistenti erano prevedibili (art. 35 sez. 3,
55
sez. 1, PA I)
Le prove qui esposte del fatto che la NATO con la sua condotta bellica
abbia
causato danni estesi, duraturi e gravi all'ambiente naturale e sociale,
volgono l'interesse sull'interrogativo, se essa abbia agito in modo
premeditato od inconsapevole.
Il Governo Federale ha preso la seguente posizione al riguardo. "La
pianificazione degli obiettivi, cioe' l'individuazione dei bersagli e la
scelta della procedura d'attacco era studiata in modo tale da evitare
possibili danni collaterali, soprattutto ai civili, ma anche
all'ambiente.
Percio' la NATO ha impiegato una complessa procedura, in cui giocavano
un
ruolo tutte le informazioni disponibili sul bersaglio stesso, su
possibili
bersagli collaterali, cosi' come sull'azione dei vari tipi di armamento
in
questione nel combattimento. In parte sono state usate simulazioni
computerizzate, per testare l'arma col piu' ridotto rischio di danni
collaterali. Dei giuristi hanno valutato ogni bersaglio dal punto di
vista
della liceita' del combattimento secondo il diritto internazionale"
(Parlamento Tedesco -Bundestag, Drs. 14/1788, pag. 4).
Questa argomentazione non convince affatto, perche' non chiarisce i
danni
ambientali duraturi della guerra. Ancor piu' notevole e' il riferimento
al
diritto internazionale, e cio' per due motivi.
In primo luogo poiche' all'interno degli Stati belligeranti v'erano
concezioni notevolmente diuverse su cio' che nell'ambito della Operation
Allied Force era o no0n era conforme a diritto internazionale.
Contrariamente agli altri Stati della NATO, gli Stati Uniti da oltre
vent'
anni non hanno ratificato i relativi trattati di diritto internazionale
bellico.
In secondo luogo, in quanto esso suscita la questione su che tipo di
giuristi internazionalisti debbano essere quelli che ritengono conformi
a
diritto internazionale dei metodi di condotta bellica secondo i quali e'
lecito utilizzare impianti chimici come armi ecologiche secondarie, al
fine
di condurre una guerra chimica contro natura ed uomo senza armi
chimiche.
E se i pianificatori di obiettivi abbiano effettivamente impiegato allo
scopo simulazioni computerizzate, non si potra' indagare fintanto che i
ministeri della guerra della NATO non renderanno pubblici le analisi,
segretate, degli effetti delle armi (BDA: Battle Damage Assessment)
(Bundestag tedesco, loc. cit., pag. 3). In conclusione con tali
simulazioni
i militari avrebbero potuto scegliere anche l'arma piu' pericolosa.
Nel caso di Pancevo vi sono indizi che convalidano questa ipotesi.
Dopo i bombardamenti dell'impianto di VCM della fabbrica chimica HIP
AZOTARA
con missili Cruise si sprigiono' tra l'altro del fosgene, una sostanza
una
volta e mezzo piu' velenosa dell'acido cianidrico (o prussico).
"After the bombing on April 15 and 18, and thus after the distruction of
the
VCM plant by fire, test results showed the following pollution levels:
[...]phosgene: concentration detected: 10 ppm; concentration causing
irritation: 1-3 ppm; lethal concentration: 10 ppm"
(Stephan/Strobel/Klass,
loc. cit., pagg. 21 e segg.). 1 ppm (parte per milione) e'
l'abbreviazione
riferita al peso (1 mg/kg).
Con tali attacchi la NATO ha messo in pericolo consapevolmente vita,
salute
e sicurezza della popolazione civile, come anche la biosfera nell'area
urbana di Belgrado. Consapevolmente, giacche' essa poteva prevederne le
conseguenze devastanti. L'alleanza militare aveva sviluppato gia' due
decenni
fa un marcato interesse proprio per gli scenari di ricaduta del fosgene.
Uno degli studiosi di ricadute dell'epoca, nel frattempo divenuto membro
della direzione della Shell tedesca s.p.a., il chimicon Fritz
Vahrenholt,
riferiva nel 1979 in un simposio NATO a Roma i risultati delle relative
simulazioni al computer:
"Quanto al fosgene, che fu impiegato nella guerra mondiale come arma
chimica
contro i Francesi e che oggi e' utilizzato in una serie di processi
chimici,
nel 1978 e' stato calcolato dal TUV (ente di supervisione tecnica) della
Renania quali effetti potrebbe avere una ricaduta in condizioni
estremamente
sfavorevoli: in regioni densamente popolarte come la zona di Colonia
oltre
2.000 morti e quasi 20.000 feriti gravi (Vahrenholt, 1982, pag. 193).
Nel
1979 la ricerca fu ripetuta, su incarico della NATO, dal meteorologo
berlinese Bernd Gutsche, con un modello di diffusione
matematico-meteorologico. Risultato: "A seconda delle condizioni
meteorologiche una nube di fosgene si puo' estendere fino a sei, ma
anche
oltre 100 chilometri, nel qual caso nella zona interna morirebbe un
abitante
su due. Nel caso peggiore potrebbe essere investita un area di circa
1200
chilometri quadrati" (Gutsche, 1980, pag. 217). La quantita' critica di
questi prodotti chimici esplosivi in grado che potrebbe causare una tale
dinamica catastrofica, consiste di 2 tonnellate. Quanti morti o feriti
si
aspettava la NATO nell'aprile del999 dal suo attacco alcomplesso
chimico?
Evidentemente dobbiamo riconsiderare il nostro concetto di guerra
chimica.
Guerre chimiche moderne non vengono piu' condotte con armi chimiche
primarie,
bensi' secondarie, cioe' attraverso il bombardamento, secondo le
condizioni
ecologiche e metereologiche, di impianti contenenti sostanze e/o energie
pericolose.
Dal momento che i pianificatori di guerra della NATO conoscevano la
quantita'
critica di questi prodotti chimici, che agiscono in modo simile alle
armi
chimiche se liberate durante un attacco, io rinfaccio loro che proprio
l'
incontrollabilita' delle ricadute chimiche di natura militare e' insita
nell'
elemento tattico essenziale della condotta di guerra.
Questa ipotesi e' suffragata dall' ufficio federale per l'ambiente
attraverso
la seguente congettura sulla prognosi di ricaduta:
"generalmente si presuppone che attraverso la liberazione, incendio,
esplosione di sostanze pericolose :
-in impianti di raffinerie petrolifere sono coinvolti tutti i derivati
compreso l'idrocarburo policiclico;
-in fabbriche di concimi sono coinvolti in particolare ammoniaca, acido
nitrico, fosfati; in caso di incendi bisogna mettere in conto grandi
quantita' di gas nitroso;
-inoltre nel caso di serbatoi di carburante e di magazzini di gas
liquido
bisogna tenere conto eventualmente di notevoli danni a causa di
esplosioni
con ricaduta di detriti, inoltre gli idrocarburi liquidi liberati
provocano
inquinamento del terreno e dell'acqua;[...]
-in impianti chimici puo' sussistere un evidente pericolo a causa delle
qualita' specifiche dei materiali coinvolti." (UBA,a.a. O, S 4).
I materiali pericolosi possono essere immessi nell'atmosfera, nel
terreno, e
percio' sia nelle acque sotterranee che in quelle di superficie.
"Incendi di
grandi dimensioni causano, sulla base della termica connessa, un ampio ,
sconfinato spargimento di materiale dannoso." (UBA, ebda. S.5).
Il caso Pancevo spiega infine il perche' la NATO riteneva di poter
raggiungere il proprio fine strategico solo coi metodi e mezzi della
condotta bellica ecologica. Essa causo' premeditatamente dei danni
collaterali che coinvolsero vaste aree; tali danni parimenti permangono
piu'
a lungo e percio' mettono seriamente in pericolo la salute della
popolazione:
e questo con l'intenzione di far insorgere la popolazione contro il
governo
da essa scelto. "La campagna aerea della NATO [sic!] ha contribuito
militarmente al cedimento finale di Slobodan Milosevic. Il presidente
jugoslavo si e' accorto infine che la popolazione non era pronta a
sopportare
piu' a lungo le privazioni della vita quotidiana causate dagli attacchi
ad
obiettivi di rilievo militare. (Deutscher Bundestag, Drs. 14/1788, p 4).
Solo dalla prospettiva di una condotta di guerra totale devono sembrare
rilevanti dal punto di vista militare tutti gli obiettivi naturali e
sociali. Ma solo in questa prospettiva. Per gli uomini colpiti dalla
guerra,
invece, l'affermazione del nostro governo federale secondo cui gli
attacchi
aerei NATO "non sono stati rivolti ne' contro la popolazione ne' contro
l'
economia jugoslava" (Deutscher Bundestag, Drs.14/1788, p.4) suona come
una
presa in giro delle loro sofferenze per la guerra .
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
Knut Krusewitz, della Technische Universitaet di Berlino, docente di
Pianificazione ambientale e autore di una delle relazioni più rigorose e
intelligenti sul tema dei bombardamenti nei Balcani (industrie chimiche
e uranio), pubblicata da 'Il Manifesto' del 4.1.2000 p. 10.
(http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Chateau/9161/comitato/krusewitz.html)
10 novembre 1999
traduzione: 20 novembre 1999
Versione integrale
*** N.A.T.O.: condotta di guerra e conseguenze ambientali ***
1. Proposizione del problema.
La domanda che deve porsi dal punto di vista delle scienze ambientali e'
quali metodi bellici e quali mezzi la NATO abbia utilizzato durante la
sua
Operation Allied Force e quali danni essa abbia causato all'ambiente
naturale e sociale. La domanda deve essere posta in quanto sussiste il
fondato sospetto che l'alleanza bellica contro la Jugoslavia abbia
urtato i
principi e le norme del Trattato sul divieto di guerra ecologica e
contro il
divieto di danneggiamento ambientale prescritto dal diritto
internazionale
umanitario.
Le relative prescrizioni del diritto internazionale bellico includono in
primo luogo l'intenzionale danneggiamento dell'ambiente nell'ambito
della
condotta bellica.
Inoltre esse si applicano anche ai danni collaterali, se questi
conducono a
conseguenze dannose gravi, estese e durature, e percio' portano con se'
un
perturbamento significativo della vita umana, delle risorse naturali ed
economiche.
In questo caso sarebbe rilevante non solo dal punto di vista ambientale,
ma
anche di quello del diritto internazionale poter provare che l'Alleanza
abbia fatto uso nell'ambito della sua condotta bellica di metodi e mezzi
che
dal punto di vista ambientale erano mirati o da cui ci si doveva
aspettare
che essi causassero danni ambientali persistenti di simile entita'. Si
tratterebbe allora di gravi violazioni delle leggi e consuetudini
belliche,
che potrebbero essere punite come crimini di guerra.
Su questo sfondo e' divenuta un argomento di dibattito internazionale la
questione se il bilancio ambientale della guerra consenta la conclusione
che
la NATO abbia effettivamente condotto una guerra ecologica contro la
Jugoslavia. Con il mio contributo io cerco di dare un apporto al
chiarimento
di questa controversia. A questo fine e' necessario innanzitutto
trattare dei
danni ambientali nel teatro di guerra; infine cerchero' di ordinare e
valutare questi danni secondo il diritto internazionale.
2. Come si comunicano e valutano i danni ambientali di guerra?
2.1. Per la critica del concetto dell'UNEP.
Gia' durante la guerra, ancor prima che vi fosse il primo bilancio
empirico
dei danni ambientali, il direttore esecutivo del Programma Ambientale
delle
Nazioni Unite (ingl.: United Nations Environmental Programme: UNEP),
l'ex
ministro dell'ambiente Klaus Toepfer (cristiano-democratico), riferi'
che la
guerra non aveva causato alcuna catastrofe ecologica.
L'11 maggio 1999 costui rese nota la costituzione di una Balkan Task
Force
(BTF), un gruppo di lavoro speciale per l'ambiente nell'area di guerra.
Esso
avrebbe dovuto "raccogliere e confrontare informazioni credibili sulle
conseguenze ambientali della crisi del Kossovo" (Haavisto, 1999), al
fine di
togliere fondamento a "speculazioni su una catastrofe ecologica dovuta
alla
guerra del Kossovo" (Sueddeutsche Zeitung, (a), 1999, p. 7). Infatti a
Toepfer
non interessavano speculazioni, ma cose concrete. La sua BTF doveva
raccogliere per tempo determinate informazioni ambientali, con cui la
NATO
potesse eventualmente provare di aver condotto una guerra conforme a
diritto
internazionale. Mentre Toepfer strumentalizzava l'UNEP e la BTF, rendeva
ogni
dichiarazione sul significato ecologico della guerra un argomento
ambientale
e di politica militare, ma soprattutto di diritto internazionale dalla
forza
dirompente.
Dall'UNEP-BTF si pretese una prestazione apologetica, che strutturo' il
rapporto interno tra incarico di indagare, metodo d'indagine e risultato
dell'indagine. A causa della preponderante funzione discolpatoria del
rapporto finale dell'UNEP e' giocoforza contrapporvi una critica sui
metodi.
2.2.1. Incarico di indagine:
Toepfer conferi' al BTF solo un incarico di indagine tecnicamente
ristretto,
che non doveva mettere in luce ne' gli aspetti militari, ne' di
giusinternazionalistici, ne' sociali del problema ambientale. L'incarico
di
indagine non riguardava quindi la questione, evidente dal punto di vista
ecologico e sollevabile dal punto di vista del diritto internazionale,
della
concatenazione tra metodi di condotta della guerra NATO e i danni
ambientali
che ne sono derivati nella regione dei Balcani.
Pekka Haavisto, direttore di questa technical mission, formulo' poi
questo
equivoco concetto di indagine in un programma di valutazione
apparentemente
obiettivo: "L'incarico viene suddiviso tra cinque gruppi tematici: 1.
Stima
dei danni ambientali derivanti dagli impianti industriali distrutti; 2.
Danubio; 3. Conseguenze della guerra sulle risorse naturali; 4. Effetti
a
lungo termine della guerra sulla salute degli uomini e sull'ambiente; 5.
Insediamenti umani." (Haavisto, ibid.).
Al contrario di quanto annunciato la BTF non si occupo' in loco degli
"effetti a lungo termine della crisi sulla salute umana e
sull'ambiente".
Cio' potrebbe essere effettuato da uno studio di lungo periodo ordinato
di
recente dalla Commissione Europea. Il suo titolo: "Valutazione accurata
degli influssi sull'ambiente della guerra in Jugoslavia" (Commissione
Europea, 1999). Il suo rapporto finale verra' in essere tuttavia solo
nell'
autunno del 2000. Il Gruppo di lavoro UNEP ha tentato nonostante cio' di
valutare la contaminazione dell'ambiente dovuta al munizionamento
all'uranio
impoverito (depleted uranium: DU). Esso fu costretto a convocare un
Depleted
Uranium Desk Asessment Group (che si riuniva a Ginevra), giacche' la
NATO si
era rifiutata di fornire indicazioni sulla quantita' di armi DU
impiegate e
sui loro bersagli.
2.2.2. Metodo di indagine:
La direttiva politica del direttore UNEP propizio' presso la BTF una
percezione specifica delle conseguenze ecologiche della guerra, che
rimase
quindi allineata non a riflessioni di natura obiettiva, quanto piuttosto
di
natura opportunistica. Dal momento in cui la BTF accetto' acriticamente
la
direttiva extrascientifica del suo committente politico, ando' perfino
ad
oscurare quegli ambiti di realta' scientificamente considerevoli, che un
resoconto obiettivo avrebbe sicuramente resi parte costitutiva di
un'analisi
e valutazione imparziale.
La BTF concepi' il suo programma d'indagine in modo tale da relegare in
un
novero di dati extrascientifico la connessione tematica tra condotta
bellica
NATO, scelta dei mezzi bellici e danni ambientali da esse provocati.
Solo in
questo modo essa poteva considerare i gravi danni della guerra
all'ambiente
naturale e sociale come meri danni collaterali, a guisa di "incidenti
sul
lavoro" di guerra.
2.2.3. Risultati dell'indagine.
Non pare aver minimamente disturbato la BTF il dover presentare un
rapporto
il cui riusultato era gia' stabilito prima che si esaminasse la prima
misurazione dei danni in loco, premessa irrinunciabile della valutazione
tecnica dei danni ambientali di guerra.
Nonostante -od a causa- dell'immunizzazione politicamente stabilita
della
realta' e della connessa minimizzazione del problema la BTF trovo' prove
sul
fatto che la Nato aveva ripetutamente causato consistenti danni
ambientali
in quattro localita', cioe' Pancevo, Kragujevac, Novi Sad e Bor.
I risultati delle loro indagini furono banali, giacche' essi
confermarono
soltanto cio' che esperti ed esperte di disastri sapevano gia' in
precedenza:
chi distrugge militarmente complessi industriali - installazioni
petrolchimiche, raffinerie, depositi di carburante, centrali elettriche,
fabbriche di munizioni, di fertilizzanti, ed impianti chimici - libera
con
cio' sostanze nocive all'ambiente ed alla salute, che naturalmente si
depositano anche nelle vicinanze degli impianti bombardati. Ma certo non
solo li', giacche' esse si diffondono a grande distanza con le termiche,
i
venti, il ciclo delle acque.
La BTF trascuro' deliberatamente questo importante dato di fatto
ecologico,
nonostante allora le fossero noti i risultati delle misurazioni al
riguardo
eseguite dal Dipartimento di Tecniche Ambientali dell'Universita'
Demokritos
di Xanthi (Tracia) (Rapsomanikis, 1999 pag. 1-4; Sueddeutsche Zeitung,
(b)
1999, pag. 5).
Ergo: il concetto metodico dell'UNEP-BTF non era minimamente idoneo all'
elaborazione di un bilancio dei danni ambientali che sarebbe bastato
alla
loro stessa pretesa di presentare "un rapporto completo che sia
neutrale,
obiettivo e scientificamente credibile" (Haavisto, ibid.). Percio' la
parte
empirica del rapporto UNEP contribuiva ben poco al chiarimento del
quesito
qui trattato, se la NATO abbia o meno condotto una guerra ecologica.
2.3. Problematica della pianificazione ambientale.
Le guerre mondiali e le successive forme della "moderna" condotta di
guerra
hanno causato danni non soltanto all'ambiente naturale, ma anche a
quello
sociale (Krusewitz, 1985; idem, 1999, pag. 5-7). Compito di una scienza
ambientale illuministica e' percio' rilevare e valutare non solo i
"danni
collaterali ecologici", effetti primari della guerra, alla qual cosa si
e'
limitata essenzialmente la UNEP-BTF, ma anche i suoi effetti secondari e
terziari. Se la guerra contro la Jugoslavia abbia in effetti causato
soltanto danni collaterali all'ambiente naturale, o se non abbia
prodotto
piuttosto pregiudizi macroscopici, duraturi e gravi all'ambiente
naturale e
sociale, puo' giudicarsi solo se si esaminano i suoi effetti primari,
secondari e terziari. A questo fine utilizzo un metodo di ricerca che ho
sviluppato nell'analisi delle guerre moderne.
2.3.1. Effetti primari.
Quali metodi e mezzi di condotta bellica ha scelto la NATO? Quali armi
vi ha
impiegato? Quali sostanze tossiche/cancerogene/radioattive sono finite
nell'
ambiente, da quali sorgenti provenivano, in quali quantita' cio' e'
accaduto e
come si sono diffuse nello spazio? Quali danni si possono documentare
nella
biosfera (nel bilancio naturale regionale), nei paesaggi culturali, nei
territori protetti, nei territori di ricreazione, come pure nelle
regioni-modello internazionali (riserve della biosfera dell'UNESCO)?
Con riguardo agli effetti primari della guerra si conosce qualche cosa
rispetto ai danni ambientali di limitata estensione, ma poco riguardo a
quelli di ampio raggio. Dati primari sono stati rilevati soprattutto
presso
i siti industriali bombardati.
Sono stati aggrediti e distrutti da attacchi con bombe o missili oltre
20
impianti che contenevano sostanze e/o energie pericolose come:
- Raffinerie di petrolio, oleodotti, depositi di carburante, stazioni di
carico;
- Impianti industriali chimici e farmaceutici;
- Fabbriche di ammoniaca, fertilizzanti e fitofarmaci.
Con cio' sono state liberate in un'area considerevole sostanze
cancerogene,
tossiche ed ecotossiche. Finora tali inquinanti sono stati misurati e
segnalati nelle seguenti localita' (Stephan/Strobel/Klass, 1999; FOCUS,
1999;
Tehnokratia, 1999; UNEP/UNCHS, 1999):
Pancevo: 1,2 dicloroetano (ECD), cloruro di vinile monomero (VCM),
diossina,
furani, fosgene, benzo(a')pirene, ammoniaca, bifenili policlorati
(PCBs),
mercurio, anidride solforosa, ossido d'azoto, fuliggine, fumo;
Kragujevac: PCBs, diossina, furani, benzolo, toluolo, tetracloroetilene,
tricloroetano, rame, zinco, cobalto;
Novi Sad: PCBs, c-esano, idrocarburi liquidi, anidride solforosa,
piombo,
mercurio, fuliggine, fumo;
Bor: PCBs, rame, arsenico, cadmio, piombo, zinco;
Kraljevo: idrocarburi liquidi, gasolio, toluolo, benzolo;
Nis: idrocarburi liquidi, PCBs, diossina;
Novi Beograd: idrocarburi liquidi, benzina;
Smederova: fuliggine, fumo, PCK, idrocarburi liquidi;
Cacak: metalli pesanti.
Questi gli effetti primari della guerra. E' incontestabile che la
Operation
Allied Force ha danneggiato notevolmente l'ambiente naturale nei
dintorni
dei complessi industriali distrutti, e con cio' ha compromesso la salute
della popolazione. E' tuttavia controverso se i danni all'ambiente siano
solo
notevoli o non piuttosto gravi, estese e durature. Su cio' ritornero'
nella
sezione dedicata alla valutazione della condotta di guerra secondo il
diritto internazionale.
2.3.2. Effetti secondari.
Come agiscono tali inquinanti e tali danni ambientali su uomini, salute,
agricoltura, forestazione, risorse acquee, aree protette,
regioni-modello,
approvigionamento idrico, infrastrutture del traffico, ed insediamenti?
Quali tendenze seguono nel corso del tempo le concentrazioni degli
inquinanti e quali ne sono i motivi? Si devono adottare misure di
emergenza
in aree ad alto rischio (per es. presso le fabbriche chimiche
distrutte)?
Quali procedure tecniche devono essere messe in atto per la diminuzione
o l'
eliminazione dei danni? Le discariche militari sono riconoscibili e da
risanare? Puo' essere ripristinato lo status quo ante ecologico?
In questo momento nella Repubblica Jugoslava sono stati rilevati solo
pochi
dati riguardanti gli effetti secondari. Cio' per motivi di politica
interna,
per le sanzioni, per motivi strutturali, ma anche per motivi legati alle
tecniche di misurazione ambientale, di cui non ci si occupa piu'
dettagliatamente.
Tuttavia, nel caso dei complessi industriali bombardati a Pancevo, si
puo'
esporre in modo esemplare il nesso causale tra effetti sull'ambiente
della
condotta bellica NATO primari e secondari. La NATO attacca piu' volte
con
missili (Cruise Missiles) la localita' industriale Pancevo - un
complesso di
stabilimenti petrolchimici, raffinerie di idrocarburi, fabbriche di
fertilizzanti, impianti di cloruro di vinile monomero ed etilene - e lo
distrugge insieme con i suoi grandi depositi.
Le sostanze tossiche da cio' sprigionate formavano ad ogni attacco nubi
tossiche, che contenevano di volta in volta miscugli corrosivi di ECD,
cloruro di vinile monomero (VCM), diossine, fosgene, anidride solforosa,
ossidi di azoto, benzo(a')pirene ed ammoniaca.
In alcune notti di bombardamento le concentrazioni di veleni erano
altrettanto alte che dopo un grande attacco con armi chimiche. La
popolazione e' stata ripetutamente esposta, in quasi tutti i casi
indifesa, a
queste sostanze tossiche.
Percio' i danni alla salute "si mostreranno in parte soltanto fra molti
anni"
(Stephan, 1999, pag. 42).
2.3.3. Effetti terziari.
Quali costi per l'economia nazionale sorgeranno dai programmi di
ricostruzione e risanamento? Chi li finanziera'? Come agiranno le
conseguenze
della guerra sul mercato e sulle condizioni del lavoro? Come i costi
naturali e sociali della guerra cambieranno lo standard di vita, le
condizioni culturali ed educative della societa'? Le opzioni di sviluppo
economiche, politiche ed internazionale delle parti in conflitto sono
ragguardevolmente limitate? I danni economici sono percio' significativi
dal
punto di vista della pianificazione ambientale, poiche' le loro
dimensioni
decidono se, e, se si', sotto quali condizioni, si potranno sostenere i
costi
ambientali naturali e sociali della guerra.
I tre settori-chiave dell'industria jugoslava, chimico, energetico,
metallurgico sono stati gravemente danneggiati. La petrolchimica, il
ramo
industriale piu' redditizio del paese, e' quasi completamente distrutto,
con
nefaste ed incalcolabili conseguenze ecologiche, il moderno impianto
chimico
Petrohemija di Pancevo e' stato raso al suolo.
Altrettanto distrutte sono entrambe le fabbriche di fertilizzanti di
Novi
Sad e Pancevo. Cio' significa "un'ipoteca particolarmente pesante per il
futuro. La Jugoslavia e' un paese agricolo, ed e' sopravvissuta agli
anni dell
'isolamento solo della propria produzione alimentare. Negli anni scorsi
la
quota dell'agricoltura nel prodotto interno lordo e' salita dal 35 a
quasi il
50%" (Israel, 1999, pag. 8).
A Pancevo si trovavano anche le maggiori raffinerie della Jugoslavia,
che
ora sono ridotte in macerie. L'economia energetica e' il secondo settore
economico fondamentale che e' stato duramente danneggiato dalla guerra.
"Nel
settore-chiave della metallurgia gli stabilimenti del gruppo Zastava,
soprattutto a Kragujevac, sono stati largamente distrutti. 120 imprese
fornitrici dipendono da questo complesso industriale automobilistico"
(Spiegel, 1999, pag. 153).
Un primo bilancio degli effetti terziari nell'economia nazionale
presenta,
secondo l'inventario di un economista jugoslavo, il seguente quadro: "A
causa della guerra e delle sue conseguenze la produzione industriale
nella
Repubblica Federale Jugoslava, confrontata coll'anno precedente, calera'
del
44,4% [...]. Il prodotto interno lordo dovrebbe affondare del 40,7%, l'
impotr-export di oltre il 50%, la disoccupazione dovrebbe salire al
32,6%"
(Sueddeutsche Zeitung, 1999, pag. 25).
3. Valutazione dei danni ambientali secondo il diritto internazionale
bellico.
Alla spiegazione della questione, se la NATO abbia condotto una guerra
ecologica contro la Jugoslavia contribuisce il diritto internazionale
bellico. Le norme ed i principi relativi si trovano:
-nell'accordo sul divieto dell'uso militare o comunque ostile di
tecniche
che alterino l'ambiente, unitamente all'appendice e intesa del 18 maggio
1977 - accordo sul divieto di guerra ecologica, ingl.: Environmental
Mpodification Convention, citato come ENMOD-Convention (Fahl, 1980,
pagg.
136-143), e
- nel 39o protocollo aggiuntivo dell'8 giugno 1977 alla Convenzione di
Ginevra del 12 agosto 1949 sulla protezione delle vittime dei conflitti
armati -citato come PA I- (Randelzhofer, 1999, pagg. 569-617).
In base all'esperienza della condotta bellica USA in Vietnam l'ONU varo'
nel
1977 la ENMOD-Convention; la Repubblica Federale Tedesca la ratifico'
nel
1983.
Secondo l'art. I dell'accordo e' vietato l'uso "di tecniche che alterino
l'
ambiente che producano effetti gravi, estesi e duraturi" come mezzo di
condotta bellica. "Il bersaglio e' dunque l'uso delle cosiddette
environmental modification techniques come strumenti militari, cioe' il
mirato abuso dell'ambiente come arma" (Oeter, 1994, pag. 98). Ogni
"manipolazione" militare "dei processi naturali" (art. II) e' pertanto
interdetta.
Le Intese (Understandings) sugli articoli I e II stabiliscono che si
intende
"esteso" un ambito di varie centinaia di chilometri quadrati; per
"duraturi"
s'intendono danni militari che si prolungano per vari mesi (circa una
stagione), e "grave" e' un effetto che porta con se' disturbi seri e
significativi alla vita umana, alle risorse economiche e naturali e ad
altri
beni.
Se viene violato uno di questi limiti, entra in gioco il divieto
dell'ENMOD.
Con l'art. 35, sez. 3, PA I e le norme complementari dell'art. 55 nello
stesso Protocollo Aggiuntivo e' stato "introdotto un assoluto divieto di
danni ambientali persistenti nel diritto internazionale umanitario"
(Oeter,
ibid.).
Se e' chiaro o presumibile che si pervenga a danni ambientali gravi,
estesi e
duraturi, anche l'impiego di tali mezzi e metodi dannosi per l'ambiente
non
e' piu' ammissibile, nemmeno se asseritamente necessario dal punto di
vista
militare.
Arrecare consapevolmente od accettare semplicemente il rischio di creare
danni gravi e persistenti all'ambiente sono coomportamenti con cio'
pienamente considerati nell'ambito della condotta bellica.
Le norme del protocollo aggiuntivo I superano in p'rincipio il divieto
della
ENMOD. Non vi sono solo compresi l'intenzionale danneggiamento
dell'ambiente
nell'ambito della condotta bellica (come nel caso della convenzione sul
divieto di guerra ecologica), ... ... ... ... danni collaterali" (Oeter,
ibid.).
Poiche' ogni condotta bellica causa notevoli danni collaterali
all'ambiente,
la questione sulle disposizioni limitative della guerra nel Protocollo
Aggiuntivo I non e' soltanto di prevalente interesse militare, ma anche
di
interesse per la pace.
"La Conferenza Diplomatica ha percio' utilizzato i concetti-soglia
esteso,
duraturo e grave impiegati analogamente alla ENMOD, non ugualmente in
modo
alternativo (come per la ENMOD) ma in modo cumulativo. Solo i danni
collaterali coinvolgenti grandi superfici, che contemporaneamente
persistono
per lunghi lassi di tempo e che inoltre comportano gravi pregiudizi per
l'
ambiente, sono compresi dai divieti dell'art. 35, 3o co., e 55 del PA I
(Oeter, loc. cit. pag. 99).
4. Applicazione dei criteri di valutazione giusinternazionalistici alla
condotta bellica della N.A.T.O.
Si ammette qui che una complessiva, sistematica analisi dei dati
rilevanti
dal punto di vista ambientale, se fosse in effetti possibile, non e'
stata
fino a questo momento (ottobre 2999) ancora fornita.
Tuttavia le informazioni introdotte nei dati sono sufficienti ad
ottenere
istruttivi risultati sul nesso causale tra condotta bellica e
conseguenze
ambientali; conformemente a cio' determinati effetti primari, secondari
e
terziari sono duraturi, si presentano in modo esteso, ed indicano danni
gravi all'ambiente naturale, dai quali la salute della popolazione e'
considerevolmente minacciata.
4.1. Danni ambientali duraturi.
Violazioni delle disposizioni delle intese relative all'art. I, II della
ENMOD-Convention in relazione con l'art. 35, sez. 3, art. 55, sez. 1, PA
I.
Al contrario dell'impressione comunicata dal Gruppo di lavoro dell'UNEP,
raccolta dei dati e valutazione della pericolosita' dei danni ambientali
si
mostrano complicate, poiche' con la distruzione dei complessi
industriali si
sono formate contaminazioni miste di varie sostanze. "L'effetto dell'
interazione di tali miscugli di inquinanti nel sottosuolo e' assai
difficilmente valutabile ed ancora poco studiato". (UBA, 1999, pag. 9).
"Sicuramente dal cio' che resta dalla distruzione di discariche
industriali
derivera' nelle regioni colpite una minaccia per gli esseri umani che
agira'
ben oltre la fine della guerra.
Questo giudizio prognostico e' stato confermato dall'Ufficio per le
sostanze
pericolose (Halle) e dall'Oko-Control (Dessau) nel caso di Opovo: "Near
Opovo, forest damage which suggests contamination by fumes was clearly
perceptible. [...] Crop losses (probably over a period of several years)
should be taken in account, as well as a detrimental impact upon the
natural
fauna and flora" (Stephan/Strobel/Klass, loc. cit., pag. 54).
4.2. Danni ambientali estesi.
Violazioni delle disposizioni delle intese sugli artt. I e II della
ENMOD-Convention in relazione con l'art. 35, sez. 3, ed art. 55, sez. I,
PA
I.
Inoltre la minaccia si estende largamente oltre le regioni colpite. Due
prove empiriche al riguardo:
-"The results from Pancevo (including Opovo) and Novi Sad show that the
chemical consequences of the war are not limited to local effects but
are of
at least regional impact, and since they also effect the Danube they
could
have also trans-border impacts" (Stephan/Strobel/Klass, loc. cit., pag.
54).
-"Between March 24 and June 10, 1999 a large number of chemicals were
ejected in the atmosphere because of air strikes in chemical industries
and
oil storage facilities in former Yugoslavia. Chemicals released in the
atmosphere under suitable meteorological conditions can be transported
across borders to large distances. The releases contain not only
conventionel air pollutants but also semi-volatile organic compounds
(SVOs)
which include dioxins, furans, PCBs, PAHs and organic phthalates, all
known
to be hazardous to health" (FOCUS, 1999).
Resta da chiarire come mai soltanto istituti ecologici greci abbiano
misurato la diffusione di inquinanti su spazi estesi in Europa.
4.3. Danni ambientali gravi.
Violazioni delle disposizioni nelle intese relative agli artt. I, II
della
ENMOD-Convention in relazione agli artt. 35, sez. 3; 54, sez. 2, 55 sez.
1,
PA I.
L'Ufficio Federale dell'Ambiente (Umweltbundesamt: UBA) gia' il 5 maggio
1999
avvisava che per le conseguenze ambientali della guerra un "uso civile
di
larga parte di queste regioni non sara' possibile per la minaccia alla
salute
derivante dalla contaminazione del suolo e delle acque profonde e
superficiali" (UBA, 1999, pag. 10). Questa previsione e' stata finora
confermata in due gravi casi. Si tratta del significativo danneggiamento
delle risorse naturali ed economiche, come anche della vita umana, in un
caso per lo sprigionamento di policlordibenzodiossine (PCDDs: diossina
di
Seveso) e di policlordibenzofurani (PCDFs); ed altrettanto nell'altro
caso,
relativo allo sprigionamento di prodotti radiotossici e chemiotossici
della
disintegrazione di munizioni di uranio (munizioni DU).
4.3.1. Azione dei PCDDs e PCDFs:
"It can be claimed that considerable amounts of PCDDs/PCDFs must have
been
distributed by gas clouds. [It] would therefore be necessary [to]
examine
the contamination of agricultural and horticultural lands over which the
gas
clouds passed, the substances carried by the clouds would have been
partly
distributed by precipitation. The values obtained [...] reach limits for
agricultural and horticultural land use and suggest the need for
inspection
and remidial action of restricted use" (Stephan/Strobel/Klass, loc.
cit.,
pag. 52).
Cio' sarebbe "non una catastrofe ambientale, ma chiaramente una
perturbazione
dell'ambiente", sentenzia il direttore della Divisione Chimica
Ambientale
dell'Universita' di Ulm, Karlheinz Ballschmiter. I cancerogeni furani e
diossine sarebbero immagazzinati prevalentemente nei prodotti agricoli
ed
"al 95 per cento introdotti nella catena alimentare". Cosi' le vacche
avranno
prossimamente anche dalle nostre parti un carico piu' elevato. "Gli
esseri
umani sono colpiti attraverso i prodotti lattiero-caseari". Tuttavia il
"carico a Belgrado e dintorni" sarebbe "molto piu' elevato". "Se in quei
luoghi tra due anni si analizzasse il latte materno, il risultato si
rispecchierebbe negli inquinanti in esso contenuti" (Sueddeutsche
Zeitung,
(a), loc. cit., pag. 5).
4.3.2. Effetti delle munizioni DU:
Nell'aprile 1999 diversi media tedeschi annunciavano che la NATO aveva
"confermato, che la forza d'attacco USA impiega in Jugoslavia
munizionamento
radioattivo. Allo stesso tempo l'alleanza smentiva pero' voci sulla
pericolosita' per i civili estranei (Fuldaer Zeitung, 1999, pag. 3).
Questa
affermazione della NATO era falsa. Vero e' al contrario che l'impiego di
queste munizioni rappresenta un notevole pericolo per uomo e natura.Allo
stato naturale il metallo pesante uranio e' un miscuglio degli isotopi
U235 e
U238. L'isotopo U235 e' presente in questo metallo pesante soltanto in
misura
limitata. Per l'utilizzzo dell'uranio nelle armi nucleari e' necessario
elevare la quota di U235 con dei procedimenti di arricchimento. Con cio'
avanza U238 in grandi quantita'. Questo U238 viene anche qualificato
come
depleted uranium (DU).L'interesse militare per il DU fu svegliato
poiche'
esso possiede una densita' molto piu' elevata di altri materiali
imopiegati
nella produzione di munizioni. Cosi' il DU e' quasi tre volte piu'
pesante
dell'acciaio, cosa che ad una granata riempita di DU consente di avere
una
forza di penetrazione molto maggiore nei confronti delle corazze dei
veicoli
militari. Poiche' il DU e' piu' tenero dell'acciaio, esso si polverizza
nel
penetrare le corazze. Se un tale proiettile colpisce la superficie del
bersaglio, una gran parte dell'energia cinetica si converte in calore.
Allora il proiettile si accende ed agisce all'interno del carro armato
come
un proiettile incendiario. (Rodejohann, 1977, pagg. 39 e segg.) Dopo l'
esplosione l'U238 si comporta da radiotossico, in quanto emette raggi
alfa,
e da chemiotossico in quanto metallo pesante.
"Secondo ricerche intraprese nel frattempo la produzione di
radioattivita'
alla superficie del proiettile da me [cioe' il prof. Siegwart-Horst
Guenther]
rinvenuto nel 1991 ammontava ad 11 microSievert al minuto. La dose
ammessa
in Germania viene definita in 300 microSievert all'anno. Avendo a che
fare
con un proiettile di uranio, pertanto, la dose annua si raggiunge
abbondantemente in un giorno" (Guenther, 1999, pag. 184). Nell'aria le
particelle di uranio si legano ad areosol. Essi possono essere inalati
attraverso le vie respiratorie od ingeriti attraverso la catena
alimentare.
Possibili conseguenze: "anemia, leucemia, tumore osseo, danni
all'embrione"
(Wolff, 1998, volantino).
Sebbene la NATO finora si rifiuti di dare indicazioni sulle aree e
quantita'
di impiego del munizionamento DU, e' sicuro che essa ha adoperato
quest'arma
nella regione di Prizren. "In aprile, durante il conflitto del Kossovo,
scienziati dell'Istituto Nazionale per la Difesa della Salute in
Macedonia
hanno misurato nell'aria valori otto volte piu' elevati di quegli
emettitori
di raggi alfa derivanti dai proiettili di uranio" (Peterson, 1999, pag.
11).
Anche il Ministero dell'Ambiente serbo ha misurato "in Kossovo una
maggiore
emisssione radioattiva nella misura di 3,4 Mega Becquerel. Essa sarebbe
stata causata da U238 non fissile, contenuto nei proiettili sparati
dagli
aerei americani modello A-10" (IPPNW, 1999, pag. 23). L'Autorita'
Britannica
per la Protezione dalle Radiazioni avvertiva in luglio, che i maggiori
rischi in Kossovo erano da ricercare ove erano state sparate munizioni
di
uranio. Percio' le truppe britanniche ivi stanziate erano state
avvertite di
indossare tute protettive, "se il contatto con obiettivi colpiti da
munizioni di uranio e' inevitabile" (Peterson, ibid.).
Per un'efficace protezione della popolazione civile dai persistenti
pericoli
per la salute di questi componenti per la salute, nessuno si e' in ogni
caso
finora dichiarato competente.
4.4. I danni ambientali persistenti erano prevedibili (art. 35 sez. 3,
55
sez. 1, PA I)
Le prove qui esposte del fatto che la NATO con la sua condotta bellica
abbia
causato danni estesi, duraturi e gravi all'ambiente naturale e sociale,
volgono l'interesse sull'interrogativo, se essa abbia agito in modo
premeditato od inconsapevole.
Il Governo Federale ha preso la seguente posizione al riguardo. "La
pianificazione degli obiettivi, cioe' l'individuazione dei bersagli e la
scelta della procedura d'attacco era studiata in modo tale da evitare
possibili danni collaterali, soprattutto ai civili, ma anche
all'ambiente.
Percio' la NATO ha impiegato una complessa procedura, in cui giocavano
un
ruolo tutte le informazioni disponibili sul bersaglio stesso, su
possibili
bersagli collaterali, cosi' come sull'azione dei vari tipi di armamento
in
questione nel combattimento. In parte sono state usate simulazioni
computerizzate, per testare l'arma col piu' ridotto rischio di danni
collaterali. Dei giuristi hanno valutato ogni bersaglio dal punto di
vista
della liceita' del combattimento secondo il diritto internazionale"
(Parlamento Tedesco -Bundestag, Drs. 14/1788, pag. 4).
Questa argomentazione non convince affatto, perche' non chiarisce i
danni
ambientali duraturi della guerra. Ancor piu' notevole e' il riferimento
al
diritto internazionale, e cio' per due motivi.
In primo luogo poiche' all'interno degli Stati belligeranti v'erano
concezioni notevolmente diuverse su cio' che nell'ambito della Operation
Allied Force era o no0n era conforme a diritto internazionale.
Contrariamente agli altri Stati della NATO, gli Stati Uniti da oltre
vent'
anni non hanno ratificato i relativi trattati di diritto internazionale
bellico.
In secondo luogo, in quanto esso suscita la questione su che tipo di
giuristi internazionalisti debbano essere quelli che ritengono conformi
a
diritto internazionale dei metodi di condotta bellica secondo i quali e'
lecito utilizzare impianti chimici come armi ecologiche secondarie, al
fine
di condurre una guerra chimica contro natura ed uomo senza armi
chimiche.
E se i pianificatori di obiettivi abbiano effettivamente impiegato allo
scopo simulazioni computerizzate, non si potra' indagare fintanto che i
ministeri della guerra della NATO non renderanno pubblici le analisi,
segretate, degli effetti delle armi (BDA: Battle Damage Assessment)
(Bundestag tedesco, loc. cit., pag. 3). In conclusione con tali
simulazioni
i militari avrebbero potuto scegliere anche l'arma piu' pericolosa.
Nel caso di Pancevo vi sono indizi che convalidano questa ipotesi.
Dopo i bombardamenti dell'impianto di VCM della fabbrica chimica HIP
AZOTARA
con missili Cruise si sprigiono' tra l'altro del fosgene, una sostanza
una
volta e mezzo piu' velenosa dell'acido cianidrico (o prussico).
"After the bombing on April 15 and 18, and thus after the distruction of
the
VCM plant by fire, test results showed the following pollution levels:
[...]phosgene: concentration detected: 10 ppm; concentration causing
irritation: 1-3 ppm; lethal concentration: 10 ppm"
(Stephan/Strobel/Klass,
loc. cit., pagg. 21 e segg.). 1 ppm (parte per milione) e'
l'abbreviazione
riferita al peso (1 mg/kg).
Con tali attacchi la NATO ha messo in pericolo consapevolmente vita,
salute
e sicurezza della popolazione civile, come anche la biosfera nell'area
urbana di Belgrado. Consapevolmente, giacche' essa poteva prevederne le
conseguenze devastanti. L'alleanza militare aveva sviluppato gia' due
decenni
fa un marcato interesse proprio per gli scenari di ricaduta del fosgene.
Uno degli studiosi di ricadute dell'epoca, nel frattempo divenuto membro
della direzione della Shell tedesca s.p.a., il chimicon Fritz
Vahrenholt,
riferiva nel 1979 in un simposio NATO a Roma i risultati delle relative
simulazioni al computer:
"Quanto al fosgene, che fu impiegato nella guerra mondiale come arma
chimica
contro i Francesi e che oggi e' utilizzato in una serie di processi
chimici,
nel 1978 e' stato calcolato dal TUV (ente di supervisione tecnica) della
Renania quali effetti potrebbe avere una ricaduta in condizioni
estremamente
sfavorevoli: in regioni densamente popolarte come la zona di Colonia
oltre
2.000 morti e quasi 20.000 feriti gravi (Vahrenholt, 1982, pag. 193).
Nel
1979 la ricerca fu ripetuta, su incarico della NATO, dal meteorologo
berlinese Bernd Gutsche, con un modello di diffusione
matematico-meteorologico. Risultato: "A seconda delle condizioni
meteorologiche una nube di fosgene si puo' estendere fino a sei, ma
anche
oltre 100 chilometri, nel qual caso nella zona interna morirebbe un
abitante
su due. Nel caso peggiore potrebbe essere investita un area di circa
1200
chilometri quadrati" (Gutsche, 1980, pag. 217). La quantita' critica di
questi prodotti chimici esplosivi in grado che potrebbe causare una tale
dinamica catastrofica, consiste di 2 tonnellate. Quanti morti o feriti
si
aspettava la NATO nell'aprile del999 dal suo attacco alcomplesso
chimico?
Evidentemente dobbiamo riconsiderare il nostro concetto di guerra
chimica.
Guerre chimiche moderne non vengono piu' condotte con armi chimiche
primarie,
bensi' secondarie, cioe' attraverso il bombardamento, secondo le
condizioni
ecologiche e metereologiche, di impianti contenenti sostanze e/o energie
pericolose.
Dal momento che i pianificatori di guerra della NATO conoscevano la
quantita'
critica di questi prodotti chimici, che agiscono in modo simile alle
armi
chimiche se liberate durante un attacco, io rinfaccio loro che proprio
l'
incontrollabilita' delle ricadute chimiche di natura militare e' insita
nell'
elemento tattico essenziale della condotta di guerra.
Questa ipotesi e' suffragata dall' ufficio federale per l'ambiente
attraverso
la seguente congettura sulla prognosi di ricaduta:
"generalmente si presuppone che attraverso la liberazione, incendio,
esplosione di sostanze pericolose :
-in impianti di raffinerie petrolifere sono coinvolti tutti i derivati
compreso l'idrocarburo policiclico;
-in fabbriche di concimi sono coinvolti in particolare ammoniaca, acido
nitrico, fosfati; in caso di incendi bisogna mettere in conto grandi
quantita' di gas nitroso;
-inoltre nel caso di serbatoi di carburante e di magazzini di gas
liquido
bisogna tenere conto eventualmente di notevoli danni a causa di
esplosioni
con ricaduta di detriti, inoltre gli idrocarburi liquidi liberati
provocano
inquinamento del terreno e dell'acqua;[...]
-in impianti chimici puo' sussistere un evidente pericolo a causa delle
qualita' specifiche dei materiali coinvolti." (UBA,a.a. O, S 4).
I materiali pericolosi possono essere immessi nell'atmosfera, nel
terreno, e
percio' sia nelle acque sotterranee che in quelle di superficie.
"Incendi di
grandi dimensioni causano, sulla base della termica connessa, un ampio ,
sconfinato spargimento di materiale dannoso." (UBA, ebda. S.5).
Il caso Pancevo spiega infine il perche' la NATO riteneva di poter
raggiungere il proprio fine strategico solo coi metodi e mezzi della
condotta bellica ecologica. Essa causo' premeditatamente dei danni
collaterali che coinvolsero vaste aree; tali danni parimenti permangono
piu'
a lungo e percio' mettono seriamente in pericolo la salute della
popolazione:
e questo con l'intenzione di far insorgere la popolazione contro il
governo
da essa scelto. "La campagna aerea della NATO [sic!] ha contribuito
militarmente al cedimento finale di Slobodan Milosevic. Il presidente
jugoslavo si e' accorto infine che la popolazione non era pronta a
sopportare
piu' a lungo le privazioni della vita quotidiana causate dagli attacchi
ad
obiettivi di rilievo militare. (Deutscher Bundestag, Drs. 14/1788, p 4).
Solo dalla prospettiva di una condotta di guerra totale devono sembrare
rilevanti dal punto di vista militare tutti gli obiettivi naturali e
sociali. Ma solo in questa prospettiva. Per gli uomini colpiti dalla
guerra,
invece, l'affermazione del nostro governo federale secondo cui gli
attacchi
aerei NATO "non sono stati rivolti ne' contro la popolazione ne' contro
l'
economia jugoslava" (Deutscher Bundestag, Drs.14/1788, p.4) suona come
una
presa in giro delle loro sofferenze per la guerra .
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
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