Informazione
Echange de courriers entre Annie Lacroix-Riz et un de ses correspondants sur la future béatification de Pie XII et la politique vaticane.
-----Message d'origine-----
Envoyé : mardi 22 décembre 2009 17:59
À : Annie Lacroix-Riz
Chère Annie
au sujet du procès en béatification de Sa Sainteté Pie XII, relancé par
le Saint Père actuel, UAVJ envisage un communiqué. Non pas tant pour le
silence de Pie XII sur les génocides pratiqués par les nazis, mais plus
profondément sur sa sympathie pour le nazisme.
J'ai un souvenir vague de documents historiques qui suggéraient
fortement cette sympathie. Mais pas moyen de me souvenir ou je les avais
vus, ni quand.
Pourrais-tu éventuellement, donner un coup de main à UAVJ, en nous
suggérant quelques références, ou en nous envoyant des documents?
Merci d'avance
Et bonnes fêtes!
Amitiés
pascal
Réponse de Annie Lacroix-Riz :
Cher Pascal,
Eugenio Pacelli, futur Pie XII, est la vedette de mon ouvrage Le Vatican, l'Europe et le Reich de la Première Guerre mondiale à la Guerre froide (1914-1955), Paris, Armand Colin, 1996, 540 p. (réimprimé en 2007), à tel point que son nom ne figure pas dans l'index. C'est là que tu trouveras le maximum des références archivistiques (et bibliographiques) concernant celui qui fut le représentant par excellence de la politique vaticane résolument allemande après avoir été autrichienne jusqu'au milieu du 19e siècle.
Mais j'ai également à disposition des articles assez nombreux sur cet antisémite frénétique, notoirement pronazi (je dis bien pronazi) dès les années 1920, qui ne manquait pas, en Bavière, les réunions de l’hitlérien Ludendorff et « couvrait » et promouvait les membres du clergé adhérant à l'Orgesch («“groupes de guerre civile” constitués le 11 août 1920 à Munich par la fusion des mouvements qui avaient écrasé les conseils bavarois »), vivier du NSDAP.
Je te joins deux de ces articles (mentionnés ci-dessous) et te fournis, également ci-dessous, une liste de certains de mes articles sur le Vatican disponibles, centrés sur le rôle de celui que les Italiens et les Polonais appelaient après la Deuxième Guerre mondiale «Il Tedesco» (l'Allemand). On relèvera sur ce point, comme sur le reste, la parenté du pape Ratzinger, surnommé « El pastore tedesco » (et qui, lui, est allemand de naissance), avec l’idole qu’il s’apprête à béatifier (ce dont le pape Wojtyla, d'ailleurs conseillé par le présent pape, rêvait mais qu’il n’avait pas osé réaliser).
Certains de ces articles ont été, de 1996 à 1998, rédigés pour la revue Golias, qui m’avait sollicitée à plusieurs reprises, mais qui en 1999-2000 a brutalement cessé de le faire, sans explication ni contact, tout éclaircissement ayant été à ma grande surprise refusé par Christian Terras (ce silence obstiné est intervenu après la lourde condamnation pécuniaire infligée à la revue catholique par la justice à la suite de la rédaction par Christian Terras d’un Trombinoscope des évêques (français), condamnation d'ailleurs, curieusement, non suivie d’effet : l'épiscopat français bénéficiaire de cette décision, qui eût été fatale à la survie de ladite revue, n'en aurait pas réclamé l'application). De sorte que la recension que j'avais pour Golias rédigée en 1997 de la biographie hagiographique de Jean-Paul II ‑ un des favoris de Pie XII dans le combat territorial (et pas seulement antibolchevique) de ce dernier contre l'Europe orientale slave ‑ par Carl Bernstein et Marco Politi (Sa Sainteté. Jean-Paul II et l’histoire cachée de notre époque, 1996), n'a jamais été publiée. Elle figure dans le lot des pièces disponibles dont tu trouveras la liste ci-dessous.
Un lecteur attentif de Golias dans la décennie 1990 (ce fut mon cas) est susceptible d’observer la considérable différence d’approche et de ton de la revue envers le pape Pacelli (et son successeur allemand, ancien membre des Jeunesses hitlériennes, et principal collaborateur de Jean-Paul II) entre cette période et l’article de C. Terras (« Pourquoi Benoît XVI béatifiera prochainement Pie XII ? ») mis en ligne le 19 décembre 2009 (http://www.golias-editions.fr/spip.php?article3270), texte d’une prudence extrême sur les deux personnalités concernées, se portant notamment caution de leur rejet du fascisme ou du nazisme. Ce changement, particulièrement frappant dans une publication naguère moins précautionneuse, souligne à quel point le cléricalisme ambiant, que je déplorais dans la recension de 2000 intitulée « Le pape et Hitler » (ci-jointe), a progressé et liquidé de fait l’étude scientifique de Pacelli qui avait fleuri, même en France, dans les années 1960.
Tout est utilisable et diffusable (compte tenu, en cas d’utilisation, du respect de la "propriété intellectuelle", c'est à dire de la mention de l'auteur).
Bonnes fêtes et meilleurs vœux,
Annie
Pièces jointes:
«Le Vatican, de l'antisémitisme des années trente au sauvetage-recyclage des bourreaux», Golias, n° 47, mai 1996, p. 72-89 (dont la bibliographie a été complétée dans « Le Vatican et les juifs de l’entre-deux-guerres au sauvetage-recyclage des criminels de guerre », Marie-Danielle Demélas, éd., Militantisme et histoire, Mélanges en l’honneur de Rolande Trempé, Presses Universitaires du Mirail, Paris, 2000, p. 293-320)
« Le pape et Hitler », La pensée, n° 322, avril-juin 2000, p. 137-152
Liste des pièces disponibles (sous forme électronique):
« Le Vatican et la France entre les deux guerres : entre “catholicisme social” et plans fascistes », publié en deux parties
I. « “Catholicisme social”et modèle fasciste italien dans les années vingt », L’idée libre, revue de la Libre Pensée, n° 273, juin 2006, p. 28-33
II. « “Catholicisme social” et modèle hitlérien dans les années trente », La Raison, mensuel de la Libre Pensée, n° 515, novembre 2006, p. 17-21.
« L’Église de France et la reconstitution de la droite après la Libération, 1944-1946 », colloque sur « la reconstitution de la droite de 1944 à 1948 », Rennes, 22-24 mai 2003, Gilles Richard et Jacqueline Sainclivier, dir., La recomposition des droites en France à la Libération 1944-1948,Rennes, Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2004, p. 111-124.
« Le Vatican et le fascisme : l’exemple allemand », colloque de l’IRELP (Institut de recherches et d’études sur l’histoire de la Libre Pensée), 27-28 mars 2001, Actes, Paris, IRELP, 2002, p. 184-208.
«Les rapports entre le Vatican et la Pologne, 1918-1958: la thèse de l'alliance catholique et des "persécutions bolcheviques" revisitée », deux articles (inédits dans leur version intégrale) « Le Vatican et la Pologne depuis la reconstitution de l'État polonais: I. haine nationale et faux ciment antibolchevique, 1918-1939 »; II, « De la guerre à la Guerre Froide, 1939-années cinquante »
La dernière partie (1949-1958) du second a été publiée, sous le titre « Le sens "polonais" du pontificat de Karol Wojtyla», Golias, n° 50, septembre-octobre 1996, p. 61-75, 48 bis).
Une partie importante du second a été publiée, sous le titre : « Le Vatican et la Pologne de 1945 à 1958 : Église persécutée ou vieil instrument contre les frontières? », communication au colloque La Pologne et l’Europe occidentale du Moyen-Age à nos jours, 28-29 octobre 1999, dir. Marie-Louise Pelus-Kaplan et Daniel Tollet, Instytut Historii UAM, Poznan-Paris, 2004, p. 141-171.
« De la “repentance” à ce qui fut », présentation critique de huit textes relatifs à l’Église de France, de juin 1940 à juillet 1944, Golias, n° 56, septembre-octobre 1997, p. 6-9.
« Stepinac, symbole de la politique à l’Est du Vatican », Golias, n° 63, novembre-décembre 1998, p. 52-59.
http://www.historiographie.info/stepinac.html
Ce texte peut être téléchargé en version PDF en cliquant ICI: http://www.historiographie.info/arch/stepinac.pdf
Ce texte peut être téléchargé en version PDF en cliquant ICI: http://www.historiographie.info/arch/stepinac.pdf
« Le Vatican et la question “yougoslave” depuis la fin du XIXème siècle : haine contre la Serbie et recours au bras séculier », Les cahiers de l’Orient, n° 59, 3e trimestre 2000, p. 79-101.
http://www.historiographie.info/vatyougo.html Ce texte peut être téléchargé en version PDF en cliquant ICI: http://www.historiographie.info/arch/vatyougo.pdf
« La découverte tardive de l’Amérique et ses lacunes: autour de l’ouvrage de Carl Bernstein et Marco Politi, Sa Sainteté. Jean-Paul II et l’histoire cachée de notre époque », 1997, rédigé pour Golias, non publié, mis en ligne en décembre 2009 sur le site www.historiographie.info
À paraître :
« Les carences de l’histoire cléricale de l’Église romaine : l’exemple de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale », recension de l’ouvrage en deux volumesReligion under Siege (1939-1950), Lieve Gevers et Jan Bank, dir., Peeters, Louvain, 2007, pour la Revue belge de philologie et d’histoire, à paraître 2009 ou 2010 (22 000 signes) (non disponible avant publication), avec des références bibliographiques récentes, naturellement.
(francais / english.
Nello stesso giorno in cui la Serbia si è formalmente candidata ad entrare nella Unione Europea, la Corte per i Diritti Umani di Strasburgo ha condannato la Bosnia-Erzegovina per discriminazione razziale nei confronti delle sue minoranze etniche... Pare uno straordinario capovolgimento dello schema buoni-cattivi che ci hanno voluto imporre tanti "intellettuali di servizio" da venti anni a questa parte! E' questo l'oggetto del commento ironico di Daniel S. Schiffer, filosofo, apparso su una delle principali riviste francesi: "Marianne".
La condanna nei confronti della Bosnia-Erzegovina è dovuta al fatto che la sua Costituzione esclude che rappresentanti di etnie minoritarie, quali i Rom e gli Ebrei, possano diventare membri della Presidenza bosniaca o della Camera delle Nazioni.)
BOSNIE-SERBIE :
LA GUERRE DES INTELLOS ET LES LECONS DE L’HISTOIRE
(ici le texte original de l'article paru samedi 26 décembre 2009 sur le site internet de l'hebdomadaire "Marianne" - "Marianne 2" -, l'un des plus importants de France: http://www.marianne2.fr/Serbie-et-Bosnie-et-si-le-mechant-n-etait-pas-celui-qu-on-croit_a183252.html )
Quel extraordinaire, paradoxal et historique retournement de situation, au regard de l’opinion publique internationale, que celui que vivent actuellement, depuis ce mardi 22 décembre 2009, deux des pays les plus douloureusement touchés, lors de la guerre civile qui les vit s’affronter entre les années 1991 et 1995, de l’ex-Yougoslavie : la Bosnie et la Serbie.
La Bosnie, tout d’abord, celle-là même que ne cessèrent d’encenser au prix de mensonges souvent éhontés, en voulant nous la présenter comme un modèle de société multiculturelle et pluriethnique, quelques-uns de nos intellectuels les plus médiatisés, au premier rang desquels émerge un imposteur de taille : Bernard-Henri Lévy. Je me souviens, en particulier, de la manière, aussi partisane qu’effrontée, dont ce grand mystificateur s’évertua, durant toutes ces années de guerre et contre le sens de la vérité elle-même, à glorifier les soi-disant mérites de son idole politique d’alors : Alija Izetbegovic, premier Président de la Bosnie indépendante, mais, surtout, fondamentaliste musulman dont la tristement célèbre « Déclaration Islamique », publiée à Sarajevo en 1970, affirme textuellement, niant là les valeurs de nos sociétés laïques, qu’ « il n’y a pas de paix ni de coexistence entre la religion islamique et les institutions sociales et politiques non islamiques ». Et encore, ces mots terribles, dignes de l’intégrisme religieux le plus dangereux pour la sauvegarde de nos démocraties mêmes, sinon du sens de la fraternité entre les peuples : « Avant le droit de gouverner lui-même et son monde, l’islam exclut clairement le droit et la possibilité de la mise en œuvre d’une idéologie étrangère sur son territoire. Il n’y a donc pas de principe de gouvernement laïc, et l’Etat doit être l’expression et le soutien de concepts moraux de la religion. ». Edifiante, cette étrange conception de la tolérance chez les amis de BHL et Cie, pour la plupart anciens « maoïstes » ou « trotskystes-léninistes » repentis de surcroît !
Eh bien c’est cette Bosnie prétendument multiculturelle et pluriethnique, mais assurément prise aujourd’hui en flagrant délit d’antisémitisme, celle-là même que Bernard-Henri Lévy et ses acolytes « nouveaux philosophes » (André Glucksmann, Alain Finkielkraut, Pascal Bruckner…) s’échinèrent à angéliser, qui vient à présent (et enfin !) de jeter le masque : elle s’est vue très justement condamnée par la Cour Européenne des Droits de l’Homme, ce 22 décembre 2009 donc, pour discrimination raciale à l’encontre de ses minorités ethniques (*). Et, en particulier, des Juifs et des Roms, interdits, par la Constitution Bosniaque actuelle, de se présenter à certains scrutins nationaux et élections de toute première importance pour la vie politique du pays, dont la présidence de l’Etat.
Le motif de cette condamnation, de la part des juges européens, de la Bosnie ? Celle-ci, aussi fondée qu’imparable : l’interdiction faite aux minorités de se présenter à certains scrutins « ne repose pas sur une justification objective et raisonnable » et est donc contraire, comme telle, à la Convention Européenne des Droits de l’Homme.
A propos : ces Juifs et ces Roms, n’étaient-ils pas déjà ceux-là mêmes que les divisions SS « Handjar » du grand mufti de Sarajevo, alors alliées inconditionnelles des encore plus terrifiants « Oustachis » d’Ante Pavelic, persécutèrent avec une effroyable cruauté, à faire pâlir d’horreur les nazis eux-mêmes, lors de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale ?
Le Serbie, ensuite, ce pays que ces mêmes « nouveaux philosophes », et l’impayable BHL en tête toujours, s’acharnèrent, avec un zèle inégalé, à démoniser systématiquement, jusqu’à contribuer, y compris lors de la guerre du Kosovo (1997-1999), à sa longue et éprouvante mise au ban des nations.
Et bien, c’est cette Serbie, guidée aujourd’hui de main de maître par son Président pro-occidental, le très éclairé et très démocrate Boris Tadic, qui a déposé formellement, ce même 22 décembre 2009, sa candidature à l’adhésion, après avoir obtenu quelques jours auparavant la libéralisation des visas pour ses citoyens, à l’Union Européenne.
Reste à espérer que l’Europe accédera rapidement à cette demande, en tout point légitime, de la Serbie. Et que le manichéisme pour le moins étriqué de ces intellectuels en chambre, aveuglément « pro-bosniaques » et unilatéralement « anti-serbes », retrouvent enfin les lumières, qui leur a si longtemps fait défaut, de la raison.
Quel cinglant démenti, par les voix les plus officielles, à leurs diverses manipulations idéologiques : un véritable boomerang ! Et quelle leçon d’Histoire, magistrale, pour eux !
DANIEL SALVATORE SCHIFFER*
* Philosophe, auteur de « Les Intellos ou la dérive d’une caste - de Dreyfus à Sarajevo » (Ed. L’Âge d’Homme) et « Grandeur et misère des intellectuels - Histoire critique de l’intelligentsia du XXe siècle » (Editions du Rocher).
(*) Bosnia discriminates against Jews, Roma, says court
Strasbourg, 22/12/2009 - The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has condemned Bosnia-Herzegovina over a controversial ban. This country is preventing members of its Roma and Jewish communities from becoming members of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the House of Peoples of the state parliament.
Roma Council of Bosnia-Herzegovina Coordinator Dervo Sejdić and President of the Jewish Community in Bosnia-Herzegovina Jakup Finci filed a lawsuit against the state for discriminatory provisions of its Constitution, and those found in the election legislation which do not allow Romas or Jews to become members of the two institutions.
The court in Strasbourg decided that there was "no reasonable and objective excuse” for such a ban to be in place, and that it was therefore contrary to the European Human Rights Convention which forbids discrimination. The Constitution of Bosnia-Herzegovina mentions two categories of citizens – members of the "constitutional peoples, i.e. Serbs, Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), Croats, and "others" – which includes Jews, Roma and members of other ethnic minorities. Only those with ethnic background in the three "constitutional peoples" can become candidates for positions in the Presidency and the House of Peoples. The Strasbourg court has also ordered Bosnia-Herzegovina to pay Sejdić EUR 1,000, while Finci will receive EUR 20,000, to cover their expenses.
(Source: Beta)
Serbia–NATO: towards mere servility?
(Le relazioni tra Serbia e NATO, instaurate e via via consolidate a partire dal golpe antidemocratico ed antiparlamentare compiuto in Serbia il 3 ottobre 2000 con il determinante appoggio di UE e USA, stanno assumendo adesso una dimensione paradossale: il Ministro della Difesa della Serbia si dice favorevole ad "entrare nella NATO senza esserne membro", che tradotto dalla lingua dei bugiardi alla lingua italiana significa: aprire alla NATO per esserne sudditi senza godere delle clausole che equiparerebbero il paese a tutti gli altri membri NATO in caso ad es. di necessità di difesa rispetto alle aggressioni di terzi. Un affarone, insomma...
Ricordiamo che la Serbia ha già aderito alla Partnership for Peace (anticamera della NATO), ha inviato suoi soldati in Afghanistan, ed ha appena chiesto l'adesione alla UE, adesione che difficilmente sarà approvata se non preceduta dall'entrata nella NATO come è già stato per altri paesi, ad es. la confinante Romania. Ricordiamo anche che l'ex primo ministro Kostunica è "caduto in disgrazia" ed è stato rimosso proprio dopo che aveva dichiarato la contrarietà del suo partito alla entrata della Serbia nella NATO.
[a cura di Italo Slavo] )
1) Belgrade prepares to set up NATO mission (Vecernje Novosti - November 4, 2009)
2) Defense minister meets U.S. counterpart (Beta News Agency - December 2, 2009)
3) "U.S. visit brings better cooperation" (Beta News Agency - December 5, 2009)
4) "Serbians should decide on joining NATO" (Blic/Tanjug News Agency - December 14, 2009)
5) U.S.: Belgrade must cooperate with Pristina (Politika - December 27, 2009)
6) Serbian Minister of Defense: Serbia to be in NATO, even if not member (Tanjug News Agency - December 30, 2009)
7) Belgrade Forum’s position on Serbia–NATO relationship (Zivadin Jovanovic)
==========================
Source: Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato
Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/
==========================
Source: Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato
Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/
==========================
Useful links:
Serbian military in Afghanistan
Blic (Serbia) - September 23, 2006
Koštunica says his party is against NATO membership
Beta News Agency (Serbia) - September 15, 2007
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=09&dd=15&nav_category=90&nav_id=43781Most Serbians Reject NATO Accession
Angus Reid Global Monitor: Polls & Research (Canada) - November 5, 2007
=== 1 ===
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=11&dd=04&nav_id=62806
Vecernje Novosti - November 4, 2009
Belgrade prepares to set up NATO mission
BELGRADE: The foreign affairs and defense ministries are wrapping up preparations for opening the Serbian mission at NATO HQ, daily Vecernje Novosti writes.
According to the Belgrade newspaper, the government recently named Branislav Milinkovic as Serbia’s ambassador to the western military alliance, and he will most likely submit his credentials by the end of the year.
The question of finding a location for the Serbian mission in Brussels is expected to be taken care of soon, as well as all other personnel related issues, the article says.
The daily writes that the Serbian ambassador to NATO will not be alone at the mission, as a military representative "will be dispatched as well".
Defense Ministry State Secretary Dusan Spasojevic said that by the end of this week, once the changes and amendments to the Law on Defense and Army take effect, there will be a procedure started up officially for selecting the military staff to be sent to Brussels.
“It is certain that our military official will be a general, who will be appointed by President Boris Tadic according to a recommendation by the Defense Ministry. In addition, there will be eight more officers in the mission, six from the military's jurisdiction and two experts in the field of defense policies,” Spasojevic said.
He explained that the point of the mission will be to improve cooperation and everyday communication with NATO, participate in the work of 100 expert committees, and improve what the daily refers to as cooperation with "50 member-states" of the "political" alliance.
All missions of countries that are participating in the Partnership for Peace program are also located in the NATO headquarters, in the offices designated for partners.
The enormous NATO complex is located on the outskirts of Brussels. This is where the Serbian mission is currently looking to find a location for its mission, says the daily.
Vecernje Novosti - November 4, 2009
Belgrade prepares to set up NATO mission
BELGRADE: The foreign affairs and defense ministries are wrapping up preparations for opening the Serbian mission at NATO HQ, daily Vecernje Novosti writes.
According to the Belgrade newspaper, the government recently named Branislav Milinkovic as Serbia’s ambassador to the western military alliance, and he will most likely submit his credentials by the end of the year.
The question of finding a location for the Serbian mission in Brussels is expected to be taken care of soon, as well as all other personnel related issues, the article says.
The daily writes that the Serbian ambassador to NATO will not be alone at the mission, as a military representative "will be dispatched as well".
Defense Ministry State Secretary Dusan Spasojevic said that by the end of this week, once the changes and amendments to the Law on Defense and Army take effect, there will be a procedure started up officially for selecting the military staff to be sent to Brussels.
“It is certain that our military official will be a general, who will be appointed by President Boris Tadic according to a recommendation by the Defense Ministry. In addition, there will be eight more officers in the mission, six from the military's jurisdiction and two experts in the field of defense policies,” Spasojevic said.
He explained that the point of the mission will be to improve cooperation and everyday communication with NATO, participate in the work of 100 expert committees, and improve what the daily refers to as cooperation with "50 member-states" of the "political" alliance.
All missions of countries that are participating in the Partnership for Peace program are also located in the NATO headquarters, in the offices designated for partners.
The enormous NATO complex is located on the outskirts of Brussels. This is where the Serbian mission is currently looking to find a location for its mission, says the daily.
=== 2 ===
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=12&dd=02&nav_id=63445
Beta News Agency - December 2, 2009
Defense minister meets U.S. counterpart
WASHINGTON: Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac on Tuesday met with his U.S. counterpart Robert Gates in Washington, Beta reports.
He said afterward that it was one of the most important encounters since he assumed the helm of the ministry and that the visit should improve the overall relations between Serbia and the U.S., and not only in the area of defense.
"It is well-known that in the last decade of the last century we had a lot of problems, but it is also well-known that in the last few years the ministry has been making big steps to stabilize relations between Serbia and the U.S.," Sutanovac told Serbian and American journalists after meeting with Gates at the Pentagon.
He said a recent visit by U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden had shown that "there is respect" for Serbia overseas, which is very important, and added that he and Gates had agreed that defense relations were among the best aspects of the cooperation between the two countries.
Sutanovac reminded that the Serbian Army had several dozen officers at prestigious U.S. military academies, and stated that he and Gates had mentioned continuing to exchange experiences in education and training.
The Serbian minister and American secretary also discussed further Serbian Army participation in NATO's Partnership for Peace program, while Sutanovac acquainted Gates with the participation of a Serbian Army medical team in a peacekeeping mission in Chad and the desire to see Serbian armed forces in other missions with "partners from Europe."
On the first day of his visit to the U.S., Sutanovac laid a wreath at the monument to the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. While in Washington, he is to have several meetings at the Senate, Congress and White House, and in Ohio with representatives of the Ohio National Guard.
Sutanovac is in the U.S. at the invitation of Gates, the first such request to a Serbian defense minister in 25 years.
Beta News Agency - December 2, 2009
Defense minister meets U.S. counterpart
WASHINGTON: Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac on Tuesday met with his U.S. counterpart Robert Gates in Washington, Beta reports.
He said afterward that it was one of the most important encounters since he assumed the helm of the ministry and that the visit should improve the overall relations between Serbia and the U.S., and not only in the area of defense.
"It is well-known that in the last decade of the last century we had a lot of problems, but it is also well-known that in the last few years the ministry has been making big steps to stabilize relations between Serbia and the U.S.," Sutanovac told Serbian and American journalists after meeting with Gates at the Pentagon.
He said a recent visit by U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden had shown that "there is respect" for Serbia overseas, which is very important, and added that he and Gates had agreed that defense relations were among the best aspects of the cooperation between the two countries.
Sutanovac reminded that the Serbian Army had several dozen officers at prestigious U.S. military academies, and stated that he and Gates had mentioned continuing to exchange experiences in education and training.
The Serbian minister and American secretary also discussed further Serbian Army participation in NATO's Partnership for Peace program, while Sutanovac acquainted Gates with the participation of a Serbian Army medical team in a peacekeeping mission in Chad and the desire to see Serbian armed forces in other missions with "partners from Europe."
On the first day of his visit to the U.S., Sutanovac laid a wreath at the monument to the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. While in Washington, he is to have several meetings at the Senate, Congress and White House, and in Ohio with representatives of the Ohio National Guard.
Sutanovac is in the U.S. at the invitation of Gates, the first such request to a Serbian defense minister in 25 years.
=== 3 ===
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=12&dd=05&nav_id=63523
Beta News Agency - December 5, 2009
"U.S. visit brings better cooperation"
BELGRADE: Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said that his ongoing visit to the U.S. will contribute to better cooperation between Serbia and America.
“Taking into consideration the fact that they invited us to the Pentagon, White House, Senate and Congress, we tried to reawaken relations and to act in all possible fields,” Sutanovac told RTS, adding that the best cooperation between Serbia and the U.S. currently is in the defense sector.
“We want to cooperate in other fields as well, we will try to improve and develop cooperation in the coming period,” Sutanovac said.
SHe said that Kosovo is the stumbling block in relations between the two countries, and that this issue cannot be solved during this visit, but that a number of other issues can be solved.
Sutanovac said that during 2010, he is expecting a visit to Serbia from the commander of the American National Guard, adding that Serbia’s military chief-of-staff is expected to visit Washington in February as well.
Beta News Agency - December 5, 2009
"U.S. visit brings better cooperation"
BELGRADE: Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said that his ongoing visit to the U.S. will contribute to better cooperation between Serbia and America.
“Taking into consideration the fact that they invited us to the Pentagon, White House, Senate and Congress, we tried to reawaken relations and to act in all possible fields,” Sutanovac told RTS, adding that the best cooperation between Serbia and the U.S. currently is in the defense sector.
“We want to cooperate in other fields as well, we will try to improve and develop cooperation in the coming period,” Sutanovac said.
SHe said that Kosovo is the stumbling block in relations between the two countries, and that this issue cannot be solved during this visit, but that a number of other issues can be solved.
Sutanovac said that during 2010, he is expecting a visit to Serbia from the commander of the American National Guard, adding that Serbia’s military chief-of-staff is expected to visit Washington in February as well.
=== 4 ===
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=12&dd=14&nav_id=63743
Blic/Tanjug News Agency - December 14, 2009
"Serbians should decide on joining NATO"
BELGRADE: NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says he "welcomes the steps Serbia had recently taken in order to promote its cooperation with NATO".
Rasmussen told Belgrade daily Blic that it is "up to the citizens of Serbia to decide whether the country's membership in the Alliance would be useful for Serbia".
According to the newspaper, the NATO chief said that he does not see the Declaration of Neutrality, proclaimed by the Serbian Parliament, as an obstacle to the development of cooperation between NATO and Serbia.
Many neutral countries, such as Austria and Finland for example, are considerably engaged as NATO's partners, said Rasmussen, adding that Serbia had joined the Partnership for Peace Program in late 2006, but that it had "not fully used the program's potential over the past period".
"I hope that Serbia will become more active, but it is up to your government to decide whether it wants to do that," said Rasmussen.
As for the western military alliance's announcements it would scale down its presence in Kosovo by 2,500 soldiers, he stated that this was a "gradual transition of KFOR units toward a conflict-deterring force", which comes as a "natural result of the increased and sustainable normalization of the security situation on the ground in Kosovo".
Blic/Tanjug News Agency - December 14, 2009
"Serbians should decide on joining NATO"
BELGRADE: NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says he "welcomes the steps Serbia had recently taken in order to promote its cooperation with NATO".
Rasmussen told Belgrade daily Blic that it is "up to the citizens of Serbia to decide whether the country's membership in the Alliance would be useful for Serbia".
According to the newspaper, the NATO chief said that he does not see the Declaration of Neutrality, proclaimed by the Serbian Parliament, as an obstacle to the development of cooperation between NATO and Serbia.
Many neutral countries, such as Austria and Finland for example, are considerably engaged as NATO's partners, said Rasmussen, adding that Serbia had joined the Partnership for Peace Program in late 2006, but that it had "not fully used the program's potential over the past period".
"I hope that Serbia will become more active, but it is up to your government to decide whether it wants to do that," said Rasmussen.
As for the western military alliance's announcements it would scale down its presence in Kosovo by 2,500 soldiers, he stated that this was a "gradual transition of KFOR units toward a conflict-deterring force", which comes as a "natural result of the increased and sustainable normalization of the security situation on the ground in Kosovo".
=== 5 ===
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=12&dd=27&nav_id=64061
Politika - December 27, 2009
U.S.: Belgrade must cooperate with Pristina
BELGRADE: Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, Jennifer Brush, said that Belgrade must cooperate with Pristina.
She said that America does not expect Serbia to recognize Kosovo’s independence.
Brush said that cooperation is necessary so that the problems that affect both sides can be figured out.
She told daily Politika that she does not believe that new status talks will be able to be scheduled after the opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality of Kosovo’s declared independence is given.
As far as the eventual membership of Serbia in NATO is concerned, Brush said that the decision is up to Serbia to make, but that the U.S. and Alliance members believe that NATO membership would be good for Serbia.
Brush said that Serbia needs to define what it means by military neutrality.
“It is still unclear to me, personally. On one side, NATO membership gives a clear concept, it is an extension of multilateral relations,” she said.
She said that the U.S. supports Serbia’s European integration, adding that the visa liberalization and unfreezing of the interim trade agreement were good things that occurred at the end of this year, and were promised by President Boris Tadić while campaigning in 2008.
Brush said that relations between America and Serbia have improved and will continue to do so, adding that the government, President Tadic and former ambassador Cameron Munter had a lot to do with the improved relations.
She also said that the visit of U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden to Serbia in 2009 was a very significant event.
“I believe that his visit brought a very important turnaround in our relations and offered new hope for stronger bilateral cooperation,” Brush said.
Politika - December 27, 2009
U.S.: Belgrade must cooperate with Pristina
BELGRADE: Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, Jennifer Brush, said that Belgrade must cooperate with Pristina.
She said that America does not expect Serbia to recognize Kosovo’s independence.
Brush said that cooperation is necessary so that the problems that affect both sides can be figured out.
She told daily Politika that she does not believe that new status talks will be able to be scheduled after the opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality of Kosovo’s declared independence is given.
As far as the eventual membership of Serbia in NATO is concerned, Brush said that the decision is up to Serbia to make, but that the U.S. and Alliance members believe that NATO membership would be good for Serbia.
Brush said that Serbia needs to define what it means by military neutrality.
“It is still unclear to me, personally. On one side, NATO membership gives a clear concept, it is an extension of multilateral relations,” she said.
She said that the U.S. supports Serbia’s European integration, adding that the visa liberalization and unfreezing of the interim trade agreement were good things that occurred at the end of this year, and were promised by President Boris Tadić while campaigning in 2008.
Brush said that relations between America and Serbia have improved and will continue to do so, adding that the government, President Tadic and former ambassador Cameron Munter had a lot to do with the improved relations.
She also said that the visit of U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden to Serbia in 2009 was a very significant event.
“I believe that his visit brought a very important turnaround in our relations and offered new hope for stronger bilateral cooperation,” Brush said.
=== 6 ===
http://bsanna-news.ukrinform.ua/newsitem.php?id=11788&lang=en
Tanjug News Agency - December 30, 2009
Serbian Minister of Defense: Serbia to be in NATO, even if not member
BELGRADE: Serbian Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac has said that Serbia will be in the scope of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) even if it does not become a member of the alliance, like Austria, and added that the applying for the membership itself is not the issue at this moment.
“Serbia will be in NATO, even if it does not become its member, such as, for example, Austria,” Sutanovac said in an interview for the Belgrade magazine Ekonomist when asked if it is possible that Serbia remains neutral given the fact that it is surrounded by countries which have already or are about to join NATO.
“This debate is sure to be opened in 2010, and we will have to organize talks on introducing Serbia into European integration which implies the European system of values comprising a Euro-Atlantic security policy,” the minister of defense assessed.
“We want our system of defense to be organized in accordance with the world's best standards, and the best one at this moment is the NATO standard,” he stressed.
Sutanovac underscored that Serbia should take a number of steps related to the Partnership for Peace, and that there is no plan to apply for NATO membership at this moment.
Speaking of professionalization of the army which should be performed by the end of 2010, he underlined that he hopes that the plan for professionalization will be fulfilled on time.
Sutanovac pointed out that Serbia's system of defense in the whole will have 36,000 employees, 114 of whom will be state officials.
The minister added that the plan is to have 10,600 work places for professional soldiers and 2,000 places for those who will serve the army voluntarily.
Tanjug News Agency - December 30, 2009
Serbian Minister of Defense: Serbia to be in NATO, even if not member
BELGRADE: Serbian Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac has said that Serbia will be in the scope of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) even if it does not become a member of the alliance, like Austria, and added that the applying for the membership itself is not the issue at this moment.
“Serbia will be in NATO, even if it does not become its member, such as, for example, Austria,” Sutanovac said in an interview for the Belgrade magazine Ekonomist when asked if it is possible that Serbia remains neutral given the fact that it is surrounded by countries which have already or are about to join NATO.
“This debate is sure to be opened in 2010, and we will have to organize talks on introducing Serbia into European integration which implies the European system of values comprising a Euro-Atlantic security policy,” the minister of defense assessed.
“We want our system of defense to be organized in accordance with the world's best standards, and the best one at this moment is the NATO standard,” he stressed.
Sutanovac underscored that Serbia should take a number of steps related to the Partnership for Peace, and that there is no plan to apply for NATO membership at this moment.
Speaking of professionalization of the army which should be performed by the end of 2010, he underlined that he hopes that the plan for professionalization will be fulfilled on time.
Sutanovac pointed out that Serbia's system of defense in the whole will have 36,000 employees, 114 of whom will be state officials.
The minister added that the plan is to have 10,600 work places for professional soldiers and 2,000 places for those who will serve the army voluntarily.
=== 7 ===
Zivadin Jovanovic
President of the Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals
Belgrade Forum’s position on Serbia–NATO relationship
1. Serbia as a small peace-loving country should remain militarily neutral. Serbia should not be a member of any military alliance. Serbia differs from the rest of the countries in the region, firstly, in that Serbia had never been a member of either the Warsaw Pact or of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and, secondly, no country in the region has ever been the victim of a NATO attack except Serbia. Serbian neutrality has been defined by the National Assembly Resolution binding the government.
2. As Serbia has already joined the Partnership for Peace program, this also is part of the political reality. Austria, Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Malta and Switzerland are constitutionally neutral countries but members of the PFP.
3. Since its aggression against Serbia (Yugoslavia) in 1999, NATO has demonstrated that it was meant to be a precedent for launching similar attacks and military interventions in other regions out of its jurisdiction defined by the NATO Founding Act. Its offensive character was later confirmed in Iraq and elsewhere. In addition, NATO has demonstrated its ignorance of basic international principles and laws and the role of United Nations Security Council.
4. Having played a leading role in supporting the unilateral, illegal secession of Kosovo and Metohija from Serbia in 2008, the U.S. government and NATO proved that their prime interest in 1999 was to establish a NATO state on 15 percent of Serbian state territory [Kosovo].
The U.S. first established the Camp Bondsteel military base in Kosovo and Metohija in 1999, the biggest American military camp outside of American soil. The U.S. government didn't have Serbia’s or the UN's authorization to establish such a base. It was an impetus to spread military bases further to the East (for example, threein Bulgaria , another four in Romania and so on). The U.S. and other NATO countries have established an “independent Kosovo’s Army” by “transforming” the terrorist KLA/UCK.
5. Surveys of public opinion show that about 75 percent of Serbia’s population is against Serbia’s membership in NATO.
6. As the part of the present government is clearly pro-NATO, they may be tempted to ignore the will of the majority and force a short-cut road towards NATO membership. That’s why many civil society associations, including the Belgrade Forum, as well as many political parties keep publically cautioning that the final decision on NATO membership is exclusively in the hands of the people who will have a say at a referendum.
7. Formally the government agrees with the inevitability of a referendum. But in practice nobody dares to organize it as the result is quite clear in advance.
So Serbia is faced with NATO advocates' tactics - step by step getting deeper involved in NATO structures and operations directing the process to the point of no return.
At the same time NATO and the government spend huge amounts of money propagating NATO as the guardian of paradise. The masters of this operation count the effects of promises of a “better life” to the nation suffering from poverty, unemployment and confusion.
Belgrade Forum’s position on Serbia–NATO relationship
1. Serbia as a small peace-loving country should remain militarily neutral. Serbia should not be a member of any military alliance. Serbia differs from the rest of the countries in the region, firstly, in that Serbia had never been a member of either the Warsaw Pact or of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and, secondly, no country in the region has ever been the victim of a NATO attack except Serbia. Serbian neutrality has been defined by the National Assembly Resolution binding the government.
2. As Serbia has already joined the Partnership for Peace program, this also is part of the political reality. Austria, Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Malta and Switzerland are constitutionally neutral countries but members of the PFP.
3. Since its aggression against Serbia (Yugoslavia) in 1999, NATO has demonstrated that it was meant to be a precedent for launching similar attacks and military interventions in other regions out of its jurisdiction defined by the NATO Founding Act. Its offensive character was later confirmed in Iraq and elsewhere. In addition, NATO has demonstrated its ignorance of basic international principles and laws and the role of United Nations Security Council.
4. Having played a leading role in supporting the unilateral, illegal secession of Kosovo and Metohija from Serbia in 2008, the U.S. government and NATO proved that their prime interest in 1999 was to establish a NATO state on 15 percent of Serbian state territory [Kosovo].
The U.S. first established the Camp Bondsteel military base in Kosovo and Metohija in 1999, the biggest American military camp outside of American soil. The U.S. government didn't have Serbia’s or the UN's authorization to establish such a base. It was an impetus to spread military bases further to the East (for example, threein Bulgaria , another four in Romania and so on). The U.S. and other NATO countries have established an “independent Kosovo’s Army” by “transforming” the terrorist KLA/UCK.
5. Surveys of public opinion show that about 75 percent of Serbia’s population is against Serbia’s membership in NATO.
6. As the part of the present government is clearly pro-NATO, they may be tempted to ignore the will of the majority and force a short-cut road towards NATO membership. That’s why many civil society associations, including the Belgrade Forum, as well as many political parties keep publically cautioning that the final decision on NATO membership is exclusively in the hands of the people who will have a say at a referendum.
7. Formally the government agrees with the inevitability of a referendum. But in practice nobody dares to organize it as the result is quite clear in advance.
So Serbia is faced with NATO advocates' tactics - step by step getting deeper involved in NATO structures and operations directing the process to the point of no return.
At the same time NATO and the government spend huge amounts of money propagating NATO as the guardian of paradise. The masters of this operation count the effects of promises of a “better life” to the nation suffering from poverty, unemployment and confusion.
[Also on: Global Research, December 30, 2009
