Informazione
Kosovo: On the complicity of German KFOR troops in the March 2004
pogroms
1. Germany to send 600 extra troops to help quell Kosovo unrest (March
19) / Svilanovic: Germany is leading pro-independence policy for Kosovo
(March 26) / Germany rejects Svilanovic’s criticism (March 26) / KFOR
refuses to secure Orahovac Serbs (April 9)
2. Bishop Artemije sharply criticizes German KFOR / Remark by the ERP
KIM Info-Service regarding the complaint of Colonel Hintelmann / Total
failure of the German KFOR mission in Prizren
(ERP KiM Newsletter 12-04-04)
3. GERMANS PROHIBIT ARCHANGELS MONKS FROM RETURN / PRIZREN REFUGEES
FORCIBLY CONVERTED
(Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church, March 2004)
4. NATO in Kosovo, a place of divided goals
(Scott Taylor, 19/4/2004)
5. GERMAN ARMY READY TO FLY THE EU FLAG IN JUNGLE, PEAK AND DESERT
(german-foreign-policy.com - 28.05.2004)
# SEE ALSO:
German chief of UNMIK Police in Prizren - a modern example of Baron
Munchausen
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/81032
The Cowards of Kosovo (by David Binder)
http://news.serbianunity.net/bydate/2004/May_27/9.html?w=p
Der Spiegel: THE RABBITS OF KOSOVO / DIE HASEN VOM AMSELFELD / ZECEVI
SA KOSOVA
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3532
GERMAN WEEKLY LEVELS ACCUSATIONS
The Hamburg weekly "Der Spiegel" alleged on 3 May that
the German KFOR contingent stationed in the Kosovar
city of Prizren failed to protect Serbian civilians,
property, and cultural monuments during the recent
outbreak of violence. The German troops also failed to
support and protect German UNMIK police forces, the
weekly charged. The failure to protect Serbian houses,
churches, and monasteries was due in part to the
German soldiers' mandate, which reportedly does not
include such duties. Other shortcomings are of legal
nature, as German legislation bans the army to use
teargas or pepper spray because they are regarded as
"chemical weapons." In response to suggestions of
cowardice, German Lieutenant General Holger
Kammerhoff, who commands KFOR, warned that "whoever
attacks Serb enclaves or [Serbian] cultural monuments
in the future will face KFOR," according to "Der Spiegel." UB
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - May 4, 2004)
# IN GERMAN / AUF DEUTSCH:
BND-Mann an UCK-Spitze (19/11/04)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/4024
KFOR VERWEIGERT DEN MÖNCHEN IN PRIZREN LEBENSMITTEL, STROM UND
BEGLEITSCHUTZ (5/2/04)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3164
# MORE RELATED ARTICLES:
HELMUT KOHL SUCCESSORS CONTINUE WAR AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
http://www.freenations.freeuk.com/news-2004-04-06.htm
and: ERP KiM Newsletter 06-04-04d, History is repeating 60 years later:
Tragic events of March 17-18 evoke the painful memories of the past
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3403
GERMAN SOLDIERS - FORCED PROSTITUTION IN KOSOVO - AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
REPORT
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3853
German Defense Minister: NATO Needs to Stay in Kosovo Beyond 2006
http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1433_A_1148683_1_A,00.html
German soldier also stole
http://bgd.frvesti.com/vest.asp?t=300697&s=dnevnik.gif&e=#top
or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/81499
Pogrom Divides Kosovo Occupiers
(By Nebojsa Malic - Reality Macedonia, April 21, 2004)
http://www.realitymacedonia.org.mk/web/news_page.asp?nid=3161
Unpleasant incident between German soldiers and Serbian reporters
http://www.kosovo.net/node/view/151
German "Liberal" Foundation demands Kosovo surrender to EU
http://www.freenations.freeuk.com/news-2004-05-17.html
German party wants Kosovo to be "Special Economic Zone"
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/article/1083874908.php
FAZ: German military still has much to do (by Peter Carstens)
http://www.balkanpeace.org/hed/archive/sep04/hed6663.shtml
FAZ: Germany learns lessons in Kosovo (by Aaron Kirchfeld)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/84164
Defense Minister: German armed forces doing a good job (sic) in Kosovo
http://www.bundesregierung.de/servlet/
init.cms.layout.LayoutServlet?global.naviknoten=10001&link=bpa_notiz_dru
ck&global.printview=2&link.docs=725651
BEHIND THE TURMOIL IN KOSOVO
By John Catalinotto and Heather Cottin (1 Apr 2004)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3385
The European Union and German influence in Eastern Europe
By Dr. Miroslav Polreich
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3512
AUF DEUTSCH:
Kosovo: Deutsche Soldaten bei Zwangsprostituierten
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3853
Treuhandgebiet Kosovo
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3484
Deutsche Imperialisten wollen Serbien zerstueckeln
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3846
Vier Jahre danach, katastrophale Bilanz im Kosovo
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3816
Interview mit Heinz Loquai
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3360
Deutschland, Albanien und der Kosovo
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3346
Moderne Christenverfolgung (Feb 2004)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3232
Abschied auf Raten: Die serbische Provinz Kosovo auf ihrem Weg in die
Unabhängigkeit (Von R. Göbel, Juni 2003)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3164
### VEDI ANCHE:
Kosovo: la NATO e l'ONU responsabili del "boom" della prostituzione
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3525
BND-Mann an UCK-Spitze - introduzione (19/11/04)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/4024
=== 1 ===
Germany to send 600 extra troops to help quell Kosovo unrest
Source: Agence France-Presse English Wire Date: March 19, 2004
BERLIN, March 19 (AFP) - Germany is to send 600 extra soldiers to
Kosovo to help contain a bloody surge of inter-ethnic fighting in the
Serbian province, Defence Minister Peter Struck announced Friday.
Struck said the reinforcements had been requested by the German
commander of the NATO-led peacekeeping force already deployed in Kosovo.
Britain said 150 extra infantrymen had already arrived in the province,
riven by strife between its Serb and ethnic Albanian populations, and
another 600 would leave over the weekend.
France was also rushing reinforcements to Kosovo, Defence Minister
Michele Alliot-Marie said, announcing that some 400 were expected to
arrive later Friday.
Germany currently has some 3,200 troops serving in the Kosovo force
KFOR, but under its mandate from the German parliament the deployment
can be raised to a total of 8,500 if necessary. The extra troops from
an armoured battalion will begin deploying Saturday, the defence
ministry said. A spokesman for the ministry said their deployment sent
"a clear signal to the conflict parties to resolve their arguments
speedily."
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder vowed that Germany would continue to play
its part in helping stabilise southeast Europe.
"The current events show how important the role we are fulfilling there
is, and how important it remains for the stability of our continent,"
he said in a speech opening an academy on security policy.
He warned that the progress that had been achieved in the region in
recent years "is now being jeopardised."
Kosovo has been under UN administration since July 1999, when NATO
forced the Serbian army out in a campaign to end a crackdown on the
ethnic Albanian majority.
It is now patrolled by the 17,000-strong NATO force and 10,000 UN and
local police.
The violence, which has left 31 people dead, is the latest between the
Serb and Albanian communities since the province came under UN control.
KFOR troops have been authorized to use force to quash the unrest, in
which 35 of their soldiers have been wounded so far.
km/kjm
---
Svilanovic: Germany is leading pro-independence policy for Kosovo
(Vecernje Novosti/B92 , 26/3/04)
The SaM FM Goran Svilanovic stated that Germany was most resolutely
against passing a declaration in the UN SC that would clearly define
who was responsible for the violence against K-Serbs. In his statement
for B92, Svilanovic said that Germany was leading a pro-independence
Kosovo policy, adding that Germany was also articulating similar
views of some other countries. "In discussions that I have had with
their officials over the last couple of years, I could have noticed
their resolve in advocating an independent Kosovo. I know that this is
only my assessment of their policy, and that they perhaps will not
agree with it, and even consider it as dramatic," said Svilanovic.
He said that it has become clear that SaM and Germany have different
views and interests in Kosovo and singled out the main Political
Advisor to the German FM Joseph Fischer, Mr.Scheffer as the leading
advocate of such a policy. Svilanovic added that Germany is one of the
most respectable members of the EU and the international community and
opined that it was speaking on the behalf of a larger number of
countries in the SC. The SaM FM also pointed out that Germany was the
leading foreign trade partner of SaM, adding that efforts should
be made to maintain friendly relations with it. He expected that
Germany would change its stands on Kosovo, saying that certain
signals, like his last meeting with German FM Joschka Fisher,
indicate such an outcome. Svilanovic also expected that the
following weeks and months would bring a new Kosovo policy of the
international community, adding that the State bodies would take an
active role in this process.
---
Germany rejects Svilanovic’s criticism
(Balkan , 26/3/04)
Germany has rejected criticism by SaM Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic
regarding its policy towards Kosovo. Goran Svilanovic’s comments “do
not agree with the facts,” the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin said
in a statement. “The opinion of the majority of members of the United
Nations Security Council last week was that all sides should be called
to reason. That position was reflected in the declaration adopted on
March 19 in the Security Council,” said the statement issued in Berlin.
---
KFOR refuses to secure Orahovac Serbs
(Vecernje Novosti - SOURCE: Apis Group office, Belgrade Media
Highlights, 9 April 2004)
The command of the German KFOR has turned down the request by the
Women’s Organization from Orahovac to enable the Serbs from Prizren,
who had been left without homes in the latest wave of Albanian violence
and who are sheltered at the German base, to attend Easter liturgy in
the Serb part of Orahovac, as well as to visit Velika Hoca. The request
was turned down without an explanation, local Serb sources in Orahovac
claim. The Raska-Prizren Eparchy has on that occasion expressed a harsh
protest over such relationship towards Serb refugees from Prizren who
had been recently served un-Orthodox mass against their will.
=== 2 ===
Bishop Artemije sharply criticizes German KFOR
http://www.kosovo.net/node/view/129
ERP KiM Newsletter 12-04-04
Bishop Artemije sharply criticized German KFOR and requested immediate
return for Holy Archangels brotherhood
Bishop Artemije demanded that the brotherhood of the monastery of Holy
Archangels be permitted to return as soon as possible next to the ruins
of the monastery residence hall whose restoration will begin in the
near future. "The results of the March ethnic cleansing must not be
accepted as an accomplished fact and our holy shrines must be
restored," said Bishop Artemije at the end of the meeting.
[PHOTO: After burning the small church of St. George of Runjevac (14th
c) and scattering the bones in the tombs of Serb archbishops Kosovo
Albanians left the sign of Swastika on the church wall. Bundeswehr
signed an agreement in 1999 with Bishop Artemije promising that
Orthodox sites would be protected - one of many other failures and
false promises. (photo taken during Bishop Artemije's visit to Prizren,
ERP KIM)]
ERP KIM Info Service
Gracanica, April 11, 2004
Bishop Artemije met with the commander of German KFOR forces in Prizren
colonel Hintelmann on Saturday in Gracanica Monastery and expressed his
deep dissatisfaction and horror that almost 4,000 German soldiers and
police failed to preserve a single Orthodox Christian church on March
17-18, allowing thousands of Albanians to barbarically destroy the
entire old quarter of Prizren, including the Bishop's residence.
Colonel Hintelmann tried to explain that about 500 Albanian women and
children blocked the arrival of German reinforcements and complained to
Bishop Artemije that the ERP KIM Info Service reported that German KFOR
failed to do its job in the Prizren region. Col. Hintelmann accused the
Diocese of unrealistically depicting the situation in Kosovo and of
"pursuing a policy that will not yield any results".
Bishop Artemije responded to the colonel's accusations by saying that
"the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo doesn't have a policy except to
save its faithful people, and it speaks in the language of facts. The
churches that have been burned and destroyed say far more than our
words ever can. The photographs speak for themselves. These are facts,
they are still here, anyone can verify them. The photographs have been
distributed worldwide. There is a resolution on the basis of which you
are presently here in Kosovo. This resolution defines your mandate
here. There are facts that confirm that you did not fulfill your
obligations. Our view of what happened on March 17 does not correspond
to yours. For us, what happened here was a great tragedy! A pogrom!
Ethnic cleansing! Cultural genocide against the Serb people in Kosovo!
You would like me to speak in terms more acceptable to you? I will not,
sir; I say what I feel; you say what is more expedient to you."
Bishop Artemije also demanded that the brotherhood of the monastery of
Holy Archangels be permitted to return as soon as possible next to the
ruins of the monastery residence hall whose restoration will begin in
the near future. "The results of the March ethnic cleansing must not be
accepted as an accomplished fact and our holy shrines must be
restored," said Bishop Artemije at the end of the meeting which passed
in a very tense atmosphere.
---
Remark by the ERP KIM Info-Service regarding the complaint of Colonel
Hintelmann:
The Diocesan Information service regrets that Colonel Hintelmann
wrongly interpreted one of our previous Newsletters and accused the
Diocese in his discussion with the Bishop that he was referred by the
ERP KIM Info Service as "Hitlermann". In fact the ERP KIM Info-service
only reported that this was the nickname which the German Colonel has
already been given by many Serbs in Kosovo and some media (that is
exactly what in English words used in the Newsletter of March 27:
"Colonel Hintelman dubbed as Hitlermann" mean). In all ERP KIM
Info-Service official reports the German Colonel is referred by his
family name Hintelmann and the ERP KIM service strongly distances
itself from any association of the Colonel with any infamous
individuals from the German history. However, it is up to the Colonel
to think why he and his soldiers are so unpopular among the Serbian
people (and not only Serbian) and who are quite reasonably shocked by
what happened in Prizren! The Diocese, as Bishop Artemije clearly
explained, has every democratic right to criticize the work of German
KFOR and request responsibility of its leading officers for their
failures. This criticism is by no means addressed against German
people, many of which showed their solidarity and wrote to us
expressing their shock and disappointment with the role of Bundeswehr
and its failure in Kosovo "peace mission".
Photos speak louder than false justifications
For those who want to see what happened in Prizren on March 17 and
where was Bundeswehr please visit the grabbed Kosovo Albanian site
showing streets without a single German soldier or military vehicles.
Albanians were allowed to destroy Christian sites without any
resistance:
http://www.kosovo.com/www.besimi.com/prizreni/default.htm
How was it possible that after the riots began in Mitrovica and
Caglavica regions in the morning of March 17 German KFOR waited in
their base until the evening and did not reinforce their presence in
the town practically allowing gathering of several thousands of
Albanians in Prizren who torched all Orthodox Christian sites, brutally
beat elderly Serbs and burned their homes. Apparently according to the
words of the German Colonel Hintelmann 500 Albanian women and children
stopped his army of 4.000 troops, armored vehicles and helicopters. Not
quite convincing justification indeed!
[PHOTOS: Albanians gather in front of the Seminary, hoist their flag
and begin their barbaric festivities by torching the Seminary and
teachers' residences. On these photos no KFOR or UNMIK police personnel
can be seen in the streets. The rioters carried out their vandalous
attacks unimpeded. No German KFOR or police are visible in the photos.
A Serb man was burned alive in the Seminary building.]
Total failure of the German KFOR mission in Prizren
Five years after their deployment all Serb churches destroyed, all
Serbs expelled, all Serb homes torched. Is Church supposed to praise
their work or say the truth which can be seen on the photos taken by
Albanians themselves! Again no KFOR around the cathedral to protect it
from destruction!
Albanians destroy Cathedral of St. George in Prizren, March 17
[PHOTOS: Albanian mob sifts through the ruins of the Orthodox Cathedral
of the Holy Great Martyr George in Prizren - In the next three days the
church would be demolished even further with explosives. Although the
representative of the Bundeswehr (German Army) signed a contract with
Bishop Artemije in 1999 that the German KFOR will protect the Bishop's
residence and the Cathedral of St. George was proved to be one of many
unfulfilled promises. Compared to other KFOR contingents who fought to
protect the churches, German KFOR under the command of Colonel
Hintelmann did nothing to prevent the mob destroy Christian Orthodox
sites without any obstacle. All they did is that they evacuated the
monks and hid themselves in the KFOR base.]
=== 3 ===
GERMANS PROHIBIT ARCHANGELS MONKS FROM RETURN
The Diocese of Raska-Prizren received painful and shocking news today
from Abbot Herman Vucicevic and priest-monk Benedict Preradovic of Holy
Archangels Monastery who met today with the German military commander
in Prizren, Colonel Hintelmann. The monks asked Hintelman to enable
their return to the ruins of Holy Archangels as soon as possible,
saying they would stay under a tent at first and restore the monastery
itself over time. Colonel Hintelmann categorically stated that return
is impossible "for security reasons", adding that if the monks should
try to return on their own "before a political agreement is reached,
they will be stopped by force".
The Archangels monks informed the Diocese that the behavior of German
KFOR is unprecedented and that the ERP KIM Info Service will soon
publish a detailed report how German soldiers observed indifferently as
Albanian rioters set fire to Holy Archangels and danced on the very
tomb of the Holy King Dusan.
Serbian Orthodox Diocese is shocked by absence of any attempt on the
part of the German army to protect a single Orthodox Christian site in
Prizren. While their colleagues in other contingents were risking their
own lives Germans in Prizren let the mob burn the churches, destroy
frescoes and loot the Church valuables.
Regrettably, two Germans: KFOR Commander Holger Kammerhof and the chief
of UNMIK police Stephan Feller (nicknamed Mr. Fehler) are among the
most responsible international officials for such terrible outcome of
the last week's pogrom and the Church will insist on their resignation
and leaving of the German contingent from Kosovo completely.
"We hoped that Germans will show another face from the one in the World
War II. However, we can see that the same pattern of behavior continued
now", said one of the Serbs I. Jovanovic who lost his home in Prizren.
Under the Nazi Germany in the World War II Kosovo Albanian extremists
were organized within SS Skenderbey division and committed many crimes
against Serbs and Macedonians under the tacit approval of the Wehrmacht
and SS command.
PRIZREN REFUGEES FORCIBLY CONVERTED
Fr. Sava Janjic, personally spoke by phone today with Verica
Grigorijevic, one of the 35-odd Serbs evacuated from Potkaljaje, the
Serb quarter of Prizren completely burned by Albanian mob last week,
who are presently lodged in a building on the German military base in
Prizren. Mrs. Grigorijevic stated that many of the present Serbs are
shaken and in a deep state of shock as a result of the terror they
survived. Some of them were beaten by the Albanian crowd. Several of
them are in very serious psychological condition. The Germans are
giving them food and drink but people's minds are elsewhere, she said.
Mrs.Grigorijevic informed Fr. Sava that today at about 15:30 a Roman
Catholic priest arrived in the building where the Serbs are lodged
without any invitation by them and told them he would SERVE MASS. Some
Serbs asked why they did not allow their priests to come and serve them
an Orthodox Christian service, but the Germans insisted that the R.
Catholic mass should be served. The Serbs were asked to hold candles in
their hands and at the end of the service the Catholic priest gave
several of the elderly Serbs who are serious psychological condition
Roman Catholic communion (wafers). Some of the Serbs refused to take
this communion, horrified that they were being forcibly converted to a
different faith, even though Orthodox monks and priest-monks from Holy
Archangels are only five kilometers away from them but are being denied
the right to visit their faithful people even though they have asked to
do so. Weeping, Mrs. Grigorijevic reported this sad news with the
request that Bishop Artemije and the Patriarchate in Belgrade be
informed.
The Diocese most strongly condemns this scandalous action of BLATANT
PROSELYTISM on the part of the German military Roman Catholic priest
and appeals for the evacuation of all remaining Orthodox Serbs from the
base of the German soldiers whose behavior in the past and in this
latest provocation have evoked the most difficult memories from World
War II when Roman Catholic priests (in Croatia) took advantage of the
suffering of the Serbs and pulled them out from under Ustashe Nazi
knives in order to forcibly give their communion under the pretext of
saving their lives. Forcible communion represents one of the most
horrible examples of violence against religious freedom.
One of the Serbs present at this sad event said: "Not only are they
trying to kill us but they are trying to take our souls, too."
Mrs. Grigorijevic spoke personally to Fr. Sava, the author of this
article on the basis of her testimony and later related her story
directly to Hs Grace Bishop Artemije.
SOURCE:
The Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church
March 2004
Copyright © 1999-2004 by
The Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church
11000 Belgrade
Kralja Petra I no.5
+381 11 3282 596
e-mail <mailto:PPress@ spc.yu>
=== 4 ===
NATO in Kosovo, a place of divided goals
Scott Taylor ON TARGET
Prizren, Kosovo - "No photos!" yelled the German military policeman,
and when I did not immediately lower my camera, he and his colleague
moved toward me menacingly.
"Drop your camera - NOW!" they demanded.
What I had been trying to photograph was the charred ruins of an
11th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery in a steep ravine just south of
the town of Prizren.
On March 17, during widespread Albanian rioting throughout Kosovo,
German troops stationed at the monastery had evacuated the monks and
abandoned the entire compound. Once the NATO detachment fled, the mob
of Albanians broke into the site, destroying some buildings and setting
fire to the remainder.
Surveying the terrain, a single narrow approach road flanked by steep
cliffs on either side, I asked the Germans how it was possible their
detachment could not have protected the ancient monastery.
"You were not here, so you cannot judge the situation," replied the
military policeman. "There were only 20 of us stationed here and the
Albanian mob from Prizren numbered at least 200."
Incredulous, I questioned him further. 'How could you simply abandon
your post?" I asked.
Angered at my accusation of having failed in his duty, the German drew
himself to his full height and spat out the words slowly: "Sir, we do
not shoot women and children."
I laughed out loud and said: "So you retreated from the threat of
unarmed women and children, and the property you were charged with
protecting was destroyed. Would you not call that a complete military
failure?"
A German officer appeared on the scene and had overheard this last
exchange.
He exploded in rage at me and said: "It is not our mandate to harm
innocent civilians to protect an old church."
He stormed off before I could ask him what was innocent about a mob
wielding Molotov cocktails and sledgehammers, and why NATO would build
a guardhouse and station soldiers at a location they felt no obligation
to actually defend.
Later that day, when I visited the main German camp in Prizren, I
learned that I was not alone in questioning the failure of the NATO
detachment to protect the monastery.
"If Georgian troops were stationed there we would have defended this
holy site," said a young corporal from Tiblisi. "We understand the
importance of such things. The Germans, on the other hand, are only
intent on maintaining friendly relations with the local Albanians."
The German brigade in Prizren suffered no casualties during the 48
hours of chaos that occurred throughout Kosovo between March 17 and 19.
By contrast the other NATO contingents and police forces suffered a
collective 188 injuries. Besides the destroyed monastery, two Serbian
Orthodox churches and the rest of the Serb houses in the German sector
of Prizren were set ablaze during the riots. However, in the areas
where NATO troops actually clashed with Albanian protesters, the
current situation is a little more tense.
"My platoon suffered 14 wounded outside the village of Caglovica," said
Cpl. Anderson of the Swedish battalion. "While the incident took us by
complete surprise, we are now looking forward to Round 2 with these
Albanians - it will definitely be payback time."
At the NATO checkpoint on the administrative boundary between Serbia
and Kosovo, members of the Czech battalion now routinely flash Albanian
motorists the three extended fingers hand-sign that symbolize Serbian
nationalism. In response to these deliberate provocations, Albanian
drivers draw a finger across their throats at the Czech troops.
"At the height of the recent crisis, NATO reinforced Kosovo with 3,000
soldiers from Bosnia, and we are very glad that the majority of these
troops were British," said Stephen Moran, the head of Canada's liaison
office in Pristina. "While other contingents with Serbs and Albanians
(respectively), it seems that both factions respect the British."
While the martial ethos of the Brits can rarely be called into
question, and certainly commands respect, the impartiality of the
Kosovo reinforcements may not live up to expectations. On a fast patrol
through Pristina, Pte. McWilliams of the Gloucester Regiment expressed
his personal opinion on the March 17 crisis. "I don't know why the
Serbs don't get the message. They are not wanted here, so they should
go back to their own country," he said.
When it was explained to him that Kosovo still officially remains an
autonomous province of Serbia, the young British soldier replied: "You
can't claim what you can't defend."
http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2004/04/19/fWorld185.raw.html
=== 5 ===
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com//en/news/article/1085695200.php
GERMAN ARMY READY TO FLY THE EU FLAG IN JUNGLE,PEAK AND DESERT
28.05.2004
A Bloody World Market
BERLIN (Own report) - The Inspector-General of German Armed Forces
(Bundeswehr) has called for a state of continual preparedness for
military operations. German soldiers must be available for call-up
world-wide ,,with quick availability, without a long preparation
period, for frequent operations of long duration". Reservists should be
better ,,caught" in order to use their capabilities in these wars, said
General Schneiderhan. His call to arms came shortly before the meeting
of the German parliament which dealt with the continuing occupation of
Kosovo.
According to General Schneiderhan, the Bundeswehr is undergoing a
,,transformation process"1) to fit it for ,,peace enforcement"
operations in all corners of the world. For this ,,complete training in
classical warfare is necessary" because all arms will be involved.
Schneiderhan believes that reservists are combat-ready for basic
service as ,,supply line troops (...) for fighter/bomber squadrons" or
as ,,radar operators for fire-control groups" directing rocket attacks
on foreign towns.
Jungle, Peak and Desert
In the presence of the German Minister of Defence, Schneiderhan said
that forces should be prepared for ,,similar operations to those in the
Balkans, Afghanistan or the Horn of Africa as well as on the streets of
Gibraltar or in Georgia". German special forces were presently training
for armed operations ,,in all climate zones of the earth"2). For this
purpose they were in training camps from French Guyana (Jungle) to
Norway (mountains) to Arizona (desert).
Human Rights
48 hours after the Inspector-General's3) speech, the Berlin parliament
decided to extend the occupation of Kosovo by German forces. This is
termed a ,,Security Presence". All parties agreed to the government
proposal without specifying a withdrawal date. The stationing of troops
is tied to decisions by the NATO council. NATO attacked Yugoslavia five
years ago on the pretext of punishing ,,human rights violations". Since
then occupation troops have not succeded in coming close to their
stated objectives (,,multi-ethnic society", ,,democracy" etc).
A Model
If the stationing of German troops was originally founded on
humanitarian concern for the Albanian people of Kosovo, today's
humanitarian concern is for the remaining Serbian inhabitants. This
exchange of altruistic pretexts belongs to the standard repertoire of
colonial and neo-colonial military policy. In fact, rabid nationalism
and oligarchy rule in Kosovo. German soldiers are also involved in
widespread criminality (including child prostitution and drug
dealing).4) According to General Schneiderhan their training rests on
,,a model which has shown itself day by day to be effective" and which
,,can stand comparison with anything on the world market".5)
1) ,,Sicherheit geht uns alle an: Zukunftsmodell Wehrpflicht". Vortrag
des Generalinspekteurs der Bundeswehr General Wolfgang Schneiderhan bei
der Wehrpflichttagung des Beirates Innere Fuehrung am 25. Mai 2004 in
Berlin; www.bmvg.de
2) Einfach Elite; Die Welt 27.05.2004
3) ,,Inspector General" is a sort of cover title. In earlier days the
General would have been designated Chief of the Great General Staff.
4) See also earlier article Soldiers
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/article/1085004000.php%5d
5) ,,Sicherheit geht uns alle an: Zukunftsmodell Wehrpflicht". Vortrag
des Generalinspekteurs der Bundeswehr General Wolfgang Schneiderhan bei
der Wehrpflichttagung des Beirates Innere Fuehrung am 25. Mai 2004 in
Berlin; www.bmvg.de
Informationen zur Deutschen Außenpolitik
© www.german-foreign-policy.com
pogroms
1. Germany to send 600 extra troops to help quell Kosovo unrest (March
19) / Svilanovic: Germany is leading pro-independence policy for Kosovo
(March 26) / Germany rejects Svilanovic’s criticism (March 26) / KFOR
refuses to secure Orahovac Serbs (April 9)
2. Bishop Artemije sharply criticizes German KFOR / Remark by the ERP
KIM Info-Service regarding the complaint of Colonel Hintelmann / Total
failure of the German KFOR mission in Prizren
(ERP KiM Newsletter 12-04-04)
3. GERMANS PROHIBIT ARCHANGELS MONKS FROM RETURN / PRIZREN REFUGEES
FORCIBLY CONVERTED
(Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church, March 2004)
4. NATO in Kosovo, a place of divided goals
(Scott Taylor, 19/4/2004)
5. GERMAN ARMY READY TO FLY THE EU FLAG IN JUNGLE, PEAK AND DESERT
(german-foreign-policy.com - 28.05.2004)
# SEE ALSO:
German chief of UNMIK Police in Prizren - a modern example of Baron
Munchausen
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/81032
The Cowards of Kosovo (by David Binder)
http://news.serbianunity.net/bydate/2004/May_27/9.html?w=p
Der Spiegel: THE RABBITS OF KOSOVO / DIE HASEN VOM AMSELFELD / ZECEVI
SA KOSOVA
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3532
GERMAN WEEKLY LEVELS ACCUSATIONS
The Hamburg weekly "Der Spiegel" alleged on 3 May that
the German KFOR contingent stationed in the Kosovar
city of Prizren failed to protect Serbian civilians,
property, and cultural monuments during the recent
outbreak of violence. The German troops also failed to
support and protect German UNMIK police forces, the
weekly charged. The failure to protect Serbian houses,
churches, and monasteries was due in part to the
German soldiers' mandate, which reportedly does not
include such duties. Other shortcomings are of legal
nature, as German legislation bans the army to use
teargas or pepper spray because they are regarded as
"chemical weapons." In response to suggestions of
cowardice, German Lieutenant General Holger
Kammerhoff, who commands KFOR, warned that "whoever
attacks Serb enclaves or [Serbian] cultural monuments
in the future will face KFOR," according to "Der Spiegel." UB
(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - May 4, 2004)
# IN GERMAN / AUF DEUTSCH:
BND-Mann an UCK-Spitze (19/11/04)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/4024
KFOR VERWEIGERT DEN MÖNCHEN IN PRIZREN LEBENSMITTEL, STROM UND
BEGLEITSCHUTZ (5/2/04)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3164
# MORE RELATED ARTICLES:
HELMUT KOHL SUCCESSORS CONTINUE WAR AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
http://www.freenations.freeuk.com/news-2004-04-06.htm
and: ERP KiM Newsletter 06-04-04d, History is repeating 60 years later:
Tragic events of March 17-18 evoke the painful memories of the past
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3403
GERMAN SOLDIERS - FORCED PROSTITUTION IN KOSOVO - AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
REPORT
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3853
German Defense Minister: NATO Needs to Stay in Kosovo Beyond 2006
http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1433_A_1148683_1_A,00.html
German soldier also stole
http://bgd.frvesti.com/vest.asp?t=300697&s=dnevnik.gif&e=#top
or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/81499
Pogrom Divides Kosovo Occupiers
(By Nebojsa Malic - Reality Macedonia, April 21, 2004)
http://www.realitymacedonia.org.mk/web/news_page.asp?nid=3161
Unpleasant incident between German soldiers and Serbian reporters
http://www.kosovo.net/node/view/151
German "Liberal" Foundation demands Kosovo surrender to EU
http://www.freenations.freeuk.com/news-2004-05-17.html
German party wants Kosovo to be "Special Economic Zone"
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/article/1083874908.php
FAZ: German military still has much to do (by Peter Carstens)
http://www.balkanpeace.org/hed/archive/sep04/hed6663.shtml
FAZ: Germany learns lessons in Kosovo (by Aaron Kirchfeld)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/84164
Defense Minister: German armed forces doing a good job (sic) in Kosovo
http://www.bundesregierung.de/servlet/
init.cms.layout.LayoutServlet?global.naviknoten=10001&link=bpa_notiz_dru
ck&global.printview=2&link.docs=725651
BEHIND THE TURMOIL IN KOSOVO
By John Catalinotto and Heather Cottin (1 Apr 2004)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3385
The European Union and German influence in Eastern Europe
By Dr. Miroslav Polreich
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3512
AUF DEUTSCH:
Kosovo: Deutsche Soldaten bei Zwangsprostituierten
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3853
Treuhandgebiet Kosovo
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3484
Deutsche Imperialisten wollen Serbien zerstueckeln
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3846
Vier Jahre danach, katastrophale Bilanz im Kosovo
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3816
Interview mit Heinz Loquai
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3360
Deutschland, Albanien und der Kosovo
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3346
Moderne Christenverfolgung (Feb 2004)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3232
Abschied auf Raten: Die serbische Provinz Kosovo auf ihrem Weg in die
Unabhängigkeit (Von R. Göbel, Juni 2003)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3164
### VEDI ANCHE:
Kosovo: la NATO e l'ONU responsabili del "boom" della prostituzione
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3525
BND-Mann an UCK-Spitze - introduzione (19/11/04)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/4024
=== 1 ===
Germany to send 600 extra troops to help quell Kosovo unrest
Source: Agence France-Presse English Wire Date: March 19, 2004
BERLIN, March 19 (AFP) - Germany is to send 600 extra soldiers to
Kosovo to help contain a bloody surge of inter-ethnic fighting in the
Serbian province, Defence Minister Peter Struck announced Friday.
Struck said the reinforcements had been requested by the German
commander of the NATO-led peacekeeping force already deployed in Kosovo.
Britain said 150 extra infantrymen had already arrived in the province,
riven by strife between its Serb and ethnic Albanian populations, and
another 600 would leave over the weekend.
France was also rushing reinforcements to Kosovo, Defence Minister
Michele Alliot-Marie said, announcing that some 400 were expected to
arrive later Friday.
Germany currently has some 3,200 troops serving in the Kosovo force
KFOR, but under its mandate from the German parliament the deployment
can be raised to a total of 8,500 if necessary. The extra troops from
an armoured battalion will begin deploying Saturday, the defence
ministry said. A spokesman for the ministry said their deployment sent
"a clear signal to the conflict parties to resolve their arguments
speedily."
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder vowed that Germany would continue to play
its part in helping stabilise southeast Europe.
"The current events show how important the role we are fulfilling there
is, and how important it remains for the stability of our continent,"
he said in a speech opening an academy on security policy.
He warned that the progress that had been achieved in the region in
recent years "is now being jeopardised."
Kosovo has been under UN administration since July 1999, when NATO
forced the Serbian army out in a campaign to end a crackdown on the
ethnic Albanian majority.
It is now patrolled by the 17,000-strong NATO force and 10,000 UN and
local police.
The violence, which has left 31 people dead, is the latest between the
Serb and Albanian communities since the province came under UN control.
KFOR troops have been authorized to use force to quash the unrest, in
which 35 of their soldiers have been wounded so far.
km/kjm
---
Svilanovic: Germany is leading pro-independence policy for Kosovo
(Vecernje Novosti/B92 , 26/3/04)
The SaM FM Goran Svilanovic stated that Germany was most resolutely
against passing a declaration in the UN SC that would clearly define
who was responsible for the violence against K-Serbs. In his statement
for B92, Svilanovic said that Germany was leading a pro-independence
Kosovo policy, adding that Germany was also articulating similar
views of some other countries. "In discussions that I have had with
their officials over the last couple of years, I could have noticed
their resolve in advocating an independent Kosovo. I know that this is
only my assessment of their policy, and that they perhaps will not
agree with it, and even consider it as dramatic," said Svilanovic.
He said that it has become clear that SaM and Germany have different
views and interests in Kosovo and singled out the main Political
Advisor to the German FM Joseph Fischer, Mr.Scheffer as the leading
advocate of such a policy. Svilanovic added that Germany is one of the
most respectable members of the EU and the international community and
opined that it was speaking on the behalf of a larger number of
countries in the SC. The SaM FM also pointed out that Germany was the
leading foreign trade partner of SaM, adding that efforts should
be made to maintain friendly relations with it. He expected that
Germany would change its stands on Kosovo, saying that certain
signals, like his last meeting with German FM Joschka Fisher,
indicate such an outcome. Svilanovic also expected that the
following weeks and months would bring a new Kosovo policy of the
international community, adding that the State bodies would take an
active role in this process.
---
Germany rejects Svilanovic’s criticism
(Balkan , 26/3/04)
Germany has rejected criticism by SaM Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic
regarding its policy towards Kosovo. Goran Svilanovic’s comments “do
not agree with the facts,” the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin said
in a statement. “The opinion of the majority of members of the United
Nations Security Council last week was that all sides should be called
to reason. That position was reflected in the declaration adopted on
March 19 in the Security Council,” said the statement issued in Berlin.
---
KFOR refuses to secure Orahovac Serbs
(Vecernje Novosti - SOURCE: Apis Group office, Belgrade Media
Highlights, 9 April 2004)
The command of the German KFOR has turned down the request by the
Women’s Organization from Orahovac to enable the Serbs from Prizren,
who had been left without homes in the latest wave of Albanian violence
and who are sheltered at the German base, to attend Easter liturgy in
the Serb part of Orahovac, as well as to visit Velika Hoca. The request
was turned down without an explanation, local Serb sources in Orahovac
claim. The Raska-Prizren Eparchy has on that occasion expressed a harsh
protest over such relationship towards Serb refugees from Prizren who
had been recently served un-Orthodox mass against their will.
=== 2 ===
Bishop Artemije sharply criticizes German KFOR
http://www.kosovo.net/node/view/129
ERP KiM Newsletter 12-04-04
Bishop Artemije sharply criticized German KFOR and requested immediate
return for Holy Archangels brotherhood
Bishop Artemije demanded that the brotherhood of the monastery of Holy
Archangels be permitted to return as soon as possible next to the ruins
of the monastery residence hall whose restoration will begin in the
near future. "The results of the March ethnic cleansing must not be
accepted as an accomplished fact and our holy shrines must be
restored," said Bishop Artemije at the end of the meeting.
[PHOTO: After burning the small church of St. George of Runjevac (14th
c) and scattering the bones in the tombs of Serb archbishops Kosovo
Albanians left the sign of Swastika on the church wall. Bundeswehr
signed an agreement in 1999 with Bishop Artemije promising that
Orthodox sites would be protected - one of many other failures and
false promises. (photo taken during Bishop Artemije's visit to Prizren,
ERP KIM)]
ERP KIM Info Service
Gracanica, April 11, 2004
Bishop Artemije met with the commander of German KFOR forces in Prizren
colonel Hintelmann on Saturday in Gracanica Monastery and expressed his
deep dissatisfaction and horror that almost 4,000 German soldiers and
police failed to preserve a single Orthodox Christian church on March
17-18, allowing thousands of Albanians to barbarically destroy the
entire old quarter of Prizren, including the Bishop's residence.
Colonel Hintelmann tried to explain that about 500 Albanian women and
children blocked the arrival of German reinforcements and complained to
Bishop Artemije that the ERP KIM Info Service reported that German KFOR
failed to do its job in the Prizren region. Col. Hintelmann accused the
Diocese of unrealistically depicting the situation in Kosovo and of
"pursuing a policy that will not yield any results".
Bishop Artemije responded to the colonel's accusations by saying that
"the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo doesn't have a policy except to
save its faithful people, and it speaks in the language of facts. The
churches that have been burned and destroyed say far more than our
words ever can. The photographs speak for themselves. These are facts,
they are still here, anyone can verify them. The photographs have been
distributed worldwide. There is a resolution on the basis of which you
are presently here in Kosovo. This resolution defines your mandate
here. There are facts that confirm that you did not fulfill your
obligations. Our view of what happened on March 17 does not correspond
to yours. For us, what happened here was a great tragedy! A pogrom!
Ethnic cleansing! Cultural genocide against the Serb people in Kosovo!
You would like me to speak in terms more acceptable to you? I will not,
sir; I say what I feel; you say what is more expedient to you."
Bishop Artemije also demanded that the brotherhood of the monastery of
Holy Archangels be permitted to return as soon as possible next to the
ruins of the monastery residence hall whose restoration will begin in
the near future. "The results of the March ethnic cleansing must not be
accepted as an accomplished fact and our holy shrines must be
restored," said Bishop Artemije at the end of the meeting which passed
in a very tense atmosphere.
---
Remark by the ERP KIM Info-Service regarding the complaint of Colonel
Hintelmann:
The Diocesan Information service regrets that Colonel Hintelmann
wrongly interpreted one of our previous Newsletters and accused the
Diocese in his discussion with the Bishop that he was referred by the
ERP KIM Info Service as "Hitlermann". In fact the ERP KIM Info-service
only reported that this was the nickname which the German Colonel has
already been given by many Serbs in Kosovo and some media (that is
exactly what in English words used in the Newsletter of March 27:
"Colonel Hintelman dubbed as Hitlermann" mean). In all ERP KIM
Info-Service official reports the German Colonel is referred by his
family name Hintelmann and the ERP KIM service strongly distances
itself from any association of the Colonel with any infamous
individuals from the German history. However, it is up to the Colonel
to think why he and his soldiers are so unpopular among the Serbian
people (and not only Serbian) and who are quite reasonably shocked by
what happened in Prizren! The Diocese, as Bishop Artemije clearly
explained, has every democratic right to criticize the work of German
KFOR and request responsibility of its leading officers for their
failures. This criticism is by no means addressed against German
people, many of which showed their solidarity and wrote to us
expressing their shock and disappointment with the role of Bundeswehr
and its failure in Kosovo "peace mission".
Photos speak louder than false justifications
For those who want to see what happened in Prizren on March 17 and
where was Bundeswehr please visit the grabbed Kosovo Albanian site
showing streets without a single German soldier or military vehicles.
Albanians were allowed to destroy Christian sites without any
resistance:
http://www.kosovo.com/www.besimi.com/prizreni/default.htm
How was it possible that after the riots began in Mitrovica and
Caglavica regions in the morning of March 17 German KFOR waited in
their base until the evening and did not reinforce their presence in
the town practically allowing gathering of several thousands of
Albanians in Prizren who torched all Orthodox Christian sites, brutally
beat elderly Serbs and burned their homes. Apparently according to the
words of the German Colonel Hintelmann 500 Albanian women and children
stopped his army of 4.000 troops, armored vehicles and helicopters. Not
quite convincing justification indeed!
[PHOTOS: Albanians gather in front of the Seminary, hoist their flag
and begin their barbaric festivities by torching the Seminary and
teachers' residences. On these photos no KFOR or UNMIK police personnel
can be seen in the streets. The rioters carried out their vandalous
attacks unimpeded. No German KFOR or police are visible in the photos.
A Serb man was burned alive in the Seminary building.]
Total failure of the German KFOR mission in Prizren
Five years after their deployment all Serb churches destroyed, all
Serbs expelled, all Serb homes torched. Is Church supposed to praise
their work or say the truth which can be seen on the photos taken by
Albanians themselves! Again no KFOR around the cathedral to protect it
from destruction!
Albanians destroy Cathedral of St. George in Prizren, March 17
[PHOTOS: Albanian mob sifts through the ruins of the Orthodox Cathedral
of the Holy Great Martyr George in Prizren - In the next three days the
church would be demolished even further with explosives. Although the
representative of the Bundeswehr (German Army) signed a contract with
Bishop Artemije in 1999 that the German KFOR will protect the Bishop's
residence and the Cathedral of St. George was proved to be one of many
unfulfilled promises. Compared to other KFOR contingents who fought to
protect the churches, German KFOR under the command of Colonel
Hintelmann did nothing to prevent the mob destroy Christian Orthodox
sites without any obstacle. All they did is that they evacuated the
monks and hid themselves in the KFOR base.]
=== 3 ===
GERMANS PROHIBIT ARCHANGELS MONKS FROM RETURN
The Diocese of Raska-Prizren received painful and shocking news today
from Abbot Herman Vucicevic and priest-monk Benedict Preradovic of Holy
Archangels Monastery who met today with the German military commander
in Prizren, Colonel Hintelmann. The monks asked Hintelman to enable
their return to the ruins of Holy Archangels as soon as possible,
saying they would stay under a tent at first and restore the monastery
itself over time. Colonel Hintelmann categorically stated that return
is impossible "for security reasons", adding that if the monks should
try to return on their own "before a political agreement is reached,
they will be stopped by force".
The Archangels monks informed the Diocese that the behavior of German
KFOR is unprecedented and that the ERP KIM Info Service will soon
publish a detailed report how German soldiers observed indifferently as
Albanian rioters set fire to Holy Archangels and danced on the very
tomb of the Holy King Dusan.
Serbian Orthodox Diocese is shocked by absence of any attempt on the
part of the German army to protect a single Orthodox Christian site in
Prizren. While their colleagues in other contingents were risking their
own lives Germans in Prizren let the mob burn the churches, destroy
frescoes and loot the Church valuables.
Regrettably, two Germans: KFOR Commander Holger Kammerhof and the chief
of UNMIK police Stephan Feller (nicknamed Mr. Fehler) are among the
most responsible international officials for such terrible outcome of
the last week's pogrom and the Church will insist on their resignation
and leaving of the German contingent from Kosovo completely.
"We hoped that Germans will show another face from the one in the World
War II. However, we can see that the same pattern of behavior continued
now", said one of the Serbs I. Jovanovic who lost his home in Prizren.
Under the Nazi Germany in the World War II Kosovo Albanian extremists
were organized within SS Skenderbey division and committed many crimes
against Serbs and Macedonians under the tacit approval of the Wehrmacht
and SS command.
PRIZREN REFUGEES FORCIBLY CONVERTED
Fr. Sava Janjic, personally spoke by phone today with Verica
Grigorijevic, one of the 35-odd Serbs evacuated from Potkaljaje, the
Serb quarter of Prizren completely burned by Albanian mob last week,
who are presently lodged in a building on the German military base in
Prizren. Mrs. Grigorijevic stated that many of the present Serbs are
shaken and in a deep state of shock as a result of the terror they
survived. Some of them were beaten by the Albanian crowd. Several of
them are in very serious psychological condition. The Germans are
giving them food and drink but people's minds are elsewhere, she said.
Mrs.Grigorijevic informed Fr. Sava that today at about 15:30 a Roman
Catholic priest arrived in the building where the Serbs are lodged
without any invitation by them and told them he would SERVE MASS. Some
Serbs asked why they did not allow their priests to come and serve them
an Orthodox Christian service, but the Germans insisted that the R.
Catholic mass should be served. The Serbs were asked to hold candles in
their hands and at the end of the service the Catholic priest gave
several of the elderly Serbs who are serious psychological condition
Roman Catholic communion (wafers). Some of the Serbs refused to take
this communion, horrified that they were being forcibly converted to a
different faith, even though Orthodox monks and priest-monks from Holy
Archangels are only five kilometers away from them but are being denied
the right to visit their faithful people even though they have asked to
do so. Weeping, Mrs. Grigorijevic reported this sad news with the
request that Bishop Artemije and the Patriarchate in Belgrade be
informed.
The Diocese most strongly condemns this scandalous action of BLATANT
PROSELYTISM on the part of the German military Roman Catholic priest
and appeals for the evacuation of all remaining Orthodox Serbs from the
base of the German soldiers whose behavior in the past and in this
latest provocation have evoked the most difficult memories from World
War II when Roman Catholic priests (in Croatia) took advantage of the
suffering of the Serbs and pulled them out from under Ustashe Nazi
knives in order to forcibly give their communion under the pretext of
saving their lives. Forcible communion represents one of the most
horrible examples of violence against religious freedom.
One of the Serbs present at this sad event said: "Not only are they
trying to kill us but they are trying to take our souls, too."
Mrs. Grigorijevic spoke personally to Fr. Sava, the author of this
article on the basis of her testimony and later related her story
directly to Hs Grace Bishop Artemije.
SOURCE:
The Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church
March 2004
Copyright © 1999-2004 by
The Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church
11000 Belgrade
Kralja Petra I no.5
+381 11 3282 596
e-mail <mailto:PPress@ spc.yu>
=== 4 ===
NATO in Kosovo, a place of divided goals
Scott Taylor ON TARGET
Prizren, Kosovo - "No photos!" yelled the German military policeman,
and when I did not immediately lower my camera, he and his colleague
moved toward me menacingly.
"Drop your camera - NOW!" they demanded.
What I had been trying to photograph was the charred ruins of an
11th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery in a steep ravine just south of
the town of Prizren.
On March 17, during widespread Albanian rioting throughout Kosovo,
German troops stationed at the monastery had evacuated the monks and
abandoned the entire compound. Once the NATO detachment fled, the mob
of Albanians broke into the site, destroying some buildings and setting
fire to the remainder.
Surveying the terrain, a single narrow approach road flanked by steep
cliffs on either side, I asked the Germans how it was possible their
detachment could not have protected the ancient monastery.
"You were not here, so you cannot judge the situation," replied the
military policeman. "There were only 20 of us stationed here and the
Albanian mob from Prizren numbered at least 200."
Incredulous, I questioned him further. 'How could you simply abandon
your post?" I asked.
Angered at my accusation of having failed in his duty, the German drew
himself to his full height and spat out the words slowly: "Sir, we do
not shoot women and children."
I laughed out loud and said: "So you retreated from the threat of
unarmed women and children, and the property you were charged with
protecting was destroyed. Would you not call that a complete military
failure?"
A German officer appeared on the scene and had overheard this last
exchange.
He exploded in rage at me and said: "It is not our mandate to harm
innocent civilians to protect an old church."
He stormed off before I could ask him what was innocent about a mob
wielding Molotov cocktails and sledgehammers, and why NATO would build
a guardhouse and station soldiers at a location they felt no obligation
to actually defend.
Later that day, when I visited the main German camp in Prizren, I
learned that I was not alone in questioning the failure of the NATO
detachment to protect the monastery.
"If Georgian troops were stationed there we would have defended this
holy site," said a young corporal from Tiblisi. "We understand the
importance of such things. The Germans, on the other hand, are only
intent on maintaining friendly relations with the local Albanians."
The German brigade in Prizren suffered no casualties during the 48
hours of chaos that occurred throughout Kosovo between March 17 and 19.
By contrast the other NATO contingents and police forces suffered a
collective 188 injuries. Besides the destroyed monastery, two Serbian
Orthodox churches and the rest of the Serb houses in the German sector
of Prizren were set ablaze during the riots. However, in the areas
where NATO troops actually clashed with Albanian protesters, the
current situation is a little more tense.
"My platoon suffered 14 wounded outside the village of Caglovica," said
Cpl. Anderson of the Swedish battalion. "While the incident took us by
complete surprise, we are now looking forward to Round 2 with these
Albanians - it will definitely be payback time."
At the NATO checkpoint on the administrative boundary between Serbia
and Kosovo, members of the Czech battalion now routinely flash Albanian
motorists the three extended fingers hand-sign that symbolize Serbian
nationalism. In response to these deliberate provocations, Albanian
drivers draw a finger across their throats at the Czech troops.
"At the height of the recent crisis, NATO reinforced Kosovo with 3,000
soldiers from Bosnia, and we are very glad that the majority of these
troops were British," said Stephen Moran, the head of Canada's liaison
office in Pristina. "While other contingents with Serbs and Albanians
(respectively), it seems that both factions respect the British."
While the martial ethos of the Brits can rarely be called into
question, and certainly commands respect, the impartiality of the
Kosovo reinforcements may not live up to expectations. On a fast patrol
through Pristina, Pte. McWilliams of the Gloucester Regiment expressed
his personal opinion on the March 17 crisis. "I don't know why the
Serbs don't get the message. They are not wanted here, so they should
go back to their own country," he said.
When it was explained to him that Kosovo still officially remains an
autonomous province of Serbia, the young British soldier replied: "You
can't claim what you can't defend."
http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2004/04/19/fWorld185.raw.html
=== 5 ===
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com//en/news/article/1085695200.php
GERMAN ARMY READY TO FLY THE EU FLAG IN JUNGLE,PEAK AND DESERT
28.05.2004
A Bloody World Market
BERLIN (Own report) - The Inspector-General of German Armed Forces
(Bundeswehr) has called for a state of continual preparedness for
military operations. German soldiers must be available for call-up
world-wide ,,with quick availability, without a long preparation
period, for frequent operations of long duration". Reservists should be
better ,,caught" in order to use their capabilities in these wars, said
General Schneiderhan. His call to arms came shortly before the meeting
of the German parliament which dealt with the continuing occupation of
Kosovo.
According to General Schneiderhan, the Bundeswehr is undergoing a
,,transformation process"1) to fit it for ,,peace enforcement"
operations in all corners of the world. For this ,,complete training in
classical warfare is necessary" because all arms will be involved.
Schneiderhan believes that reservists are combat-ready for basic
service as ,,supply line troops (...) for fighter/bomber squadrons" or
as ,,radar operators for fire-control groups" directing rocket attacks
on foreign towns.
Jungle, Peak and Desert
In the presence of the German Minister of Defence, Schneiderhan said
that forces should be prepared for ,,similar operations to those in the
Balkans, Afghanistan or the Horn of Africa as well as on the streets of
Gibraltar or in Georgia". German special forces were presently training
for armed operations ,,in all climate zones of the earth"2). For this
purpose they were in training camps from French Guyana (Jungle) to
Norway (mountains) to Arizona (desert).
Human Rights
48 hours after the Inspector-General's3) speech, the Berlin parliament
decided to extend the occupation of Kosovo by German forces. This is
termed a ,,Security Presence". All parties agreed to the government
proposal without specifying a withdrawal date. The stationing of troops
is tied to decisions by the NATO council. NATO attacked Yugoslavia five
years ago on the pretext of punishing ,,human rights violations". Since
then occupation troops have not succeded in coming close to their
stated objectives (,,multi-ethnic society", ,,democracy" etc).
A Model
If the stationing of German troops was originally founded on
humanitarian concern for the Albanian people of Kosovo, today's
humanitarian concern is for the remaining Serbian inhabitants. This
exchange of altruistic pretexts belongs to the standard repertoire of
colonial and neo-colonial military policy. In fact, rabid nationalism
and oligarchy rule in Kosovo. German soldiers are also involved in
widespread criminality (including child prostitution and drug
dealing).4) According to General Schneiderhan their training rests on
,,a model which has shown itself day by day to be effective" and which
,,can stand comparison with anything on the world market".5)
1) ,,Sicherheit geht uns alle an: Zukunftsmodell Wehrpflicht". Vortrag
des Generalinspekteurs der Bundeswehr General Wolfgang Schneiderhan bei
der Wehrpflichttagung des Beirates Innere Fuehrung am 25. Mai 2004 in
Berlin; www.bmvg.de
2) Einfach Elite; Die Welt 27.05.2004
3) ,,Inspector General" is a sort of cover title. In earlier days the
General would have been designated Chief of the Great General Staff.
4) See also earlier article Soldiers
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/article/1085004000.php%5d
5) ,,Sicherheit geht uns alle an: Zukunftsmodell Wehrpflicht". Vortrag
des Generalinspekteurs der Bundeswehr General Wolfgang Schneiderhan bei
der Wehrpflichttagung des Beirates Innere Fuehrung am 25. Mai 2004 in
Berlin; www.bmvg.de
Informationen zur Deutschen Außenpolitik
© www.german-foreign-policy.com
Volksgruppenpolitik
(english / deutsch)
[ Dall'Ottantanove in poi la Germania persegue esplicitamente una
strategia politica europea tutta ruotante attorno all'idea dei "gruppi
etnici". Questa strategia le consente da una parte di porsi come
paladina e tutrice di quelle "etnie" che gia' servirono al Terzo Reich
per destabilizzare e squartare tutti gli Stati confinanti; d'altro
canto, essa implica anche necessariamente una posizione di leadership
assoluta sul continente visto che quella "germanica" e' l'"etnia" (in
tempi meno ipocriti avrebbero detto forse: la razza) largamente
maggioritaria in Europa, con una presenza in numerosi paesi, non solo
del centro-est europeo - si pensi anche all'Italia!
Una delle organizzazioni para-governative che esprimono e mettono in
pratica questa strategia tedesca e' la "Federalistische Union
Europaeischer Volksgruppen" (FUEV, Unione Federalista dei Gruppi Etnici
Europei), fondata negli anni Venti del Novecento, che si e'
recentemente riunita in assemblea plenaria in Ungheria... (a cura di
Italo Slavo)
Sulla stessa questione vedi anche:
EUROPA: UNIONE E DISGREGAZIONE
https://www.cnj.it/documentazione/europaquemada.htm
ed in particolare la scheda sulla FUEV. ]
1. ,,Begegnung der Völker"
(www.german-foreign-policy.com/ - 18.11.2004)
2. Aktionseinheiten
(www.german-foreign-policy.com/ - 29.10.2004)
3. IMPERIALISM BY "HUMAN RIGHTS" AND RETAILING
(29th July 2004 - www.freenations.freeuk.com/ -
german-foreign-policy.com )
See also:
"ANOTHER GERMAN ATTACK ON CZECH REPUBLIC"
http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?disc=217548;article=5718
=== 1 ===
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1100744308.php
18.11.2004
,,Begegnung der Völker"
PÉCS/BUDAPEST - Die Regierungen Ungarns und Rumäniens wollen an der
territorialen Ausweitung der deutschen ,,Volksgruppen"-Politik
mitarbeiten. Mit der deutschen Führungsspitze der ,,Föderalistischen
Union Europäischer Volksgruppen" (FUEV), einer Vorfeldorganisation der
deutschen Ethno-Politik, haben Vertreter beider Regierungen in
Anwesenheit eines Abgesandten des deutschen Innenministeriums die
Kooperation bei einer großangelegten Kampagne vereinbart. Diese soll in
den kommenden Jahren in den Ländern der Europäischen Union den
Zusammenschluss der ,,Volksgruppen"-Organisationen unter Führung der
FUEV vorantreiben. Die Orientierung Ungarns und Rumäniens an der
deutschen ,,Volkstums"-Politik hat bereits in der Vergangenheit schwere
Spannungen zwischen den beiden Ländern und mit ihren Nachbarstaaten
begünstigt.
Transportfähig
Die Vertreter der deutschsprachigen FUEV-Mitgliedsverbände hatten
kürzlich im ungarischen Pécs ihre 14. interne Jahrestagung abgehalten.
Unter Ausschluss der nicht deutschsprachigen FUEV-Organisationen
besprachen Vertreter des deutschen Innenministeriums mit den
Tagungsteilnehmern das weitere Vorgehen der ,,deutschen Volksgruppen",
die sich in Zukunft zu staatenübergreifenden ,,Arbeitsgruppen"
zusammenschließen wollen.1) Die Teilnehmer informierten sich aus diesem
Anlass über die ungarische Minderheitenpolitik, die sich an der
deutschen ,,Volksgruppen"-Ideologie orientiert und in Deutschland als
,,vorbildlich" angesehen wird. Die FUEV selbst erachtet das Vorgehen
der Budapester Regierung, die als Schutzmacht des ,,Ungarntums"
auftritt und Sonderrechte an Angehörige ,,ungarischer Minderheiten" in
den Nachbarländern vergibt, als ,,durchaus transportfähig".2)
Volkstümer
Zeitgleich zum Treffen der ,,deutschen Volksgruppen" hob die FUEV ihre
Arbeit auf eine qualitativ neue Stufe und etablierte erstmals eine
bisher nicht gekannte Zusammenarbeit zwischen ausländischen Regierungen
und der Vorfeldorganisation der Berliner Außenpolitik. Verabredet wurde
das neue Projekt von einer illustren Runde am 28. Oktober im Budapester
,,Amt für nationale Minderheiten". Gastgeber war der ungarische
Staatsekretär für Minderheitenangelegenheiten Vilmos Szabo, dem das
,,Amt für Ungarn außerhalb der Landesgrenzen" untersteht. Szabo soll im
Zuge der Umstrukturierung der Regierung außen- und
sicherheitspolitischer Berater des Ministerpräsidenten werden. Als
Vertreter der rumänischen Regierung war der Staatssekretär für
,,Interethnische Angelegenheiten" Cristian Jura anwesend, der bereits
im März 2004 dem FUEV-Generalsekretariat einen Besuch abgestattet und
über die Einbeziehung seines Departements in die Aktivitäten der
,,Volksgruppen"-Organisation verhandelt hatte.3) Auch die rumänische
Regierung hat die deutsche Politik der völkischen ,,Neuordnung"
Südosteuropas aufgegriffen und fordert von seinen Nachbarn
Vergünstigungen für das ,,Rumänentum".4)
Führungsriege
Die nach Budapest gereiste FUEV-Delegation bestand aus dem Vorsitzenden
der ,,Arbeitsgemeinschaft deutscher Minderheiten in der FUEV" Hans
Heinrich Hansen, dem FUEV-Generalsekretär Frank Nickelsen und dem
Präsidenten der FUEV-Jugendorganisation Stephan Kleinschmidt, allesamt
Mitglieder des in Dänemark wirkenden ,,Bund deutscher Nordschleswiger"
(BdN), der den Großteil der FUEV-Führungsriege stellt.5) Begleitet
wurden sie von der seit 2001 als Vorsitzende des FUEV-Beirats
fungierenden ,,Beauftragten für nationale Minderheiten und
Volksgruppen, Grenzlandarbeit und Niederdeutsch" des deutschen
Bundeslandes Schleswig-Holstein, Renate Schnack, und von dem im
deutschen Bundesinnenministerium für ,,Minderheitenangelegenheiten"
zuständigen Ministerialrat Detlev Rein.
Kooperationen
Die staatlichen Vertreter und die ,,Volksgruppen"-Aktivisten
vereinbarten, bei einem groß angelegten Projekt zusammenzuarbeiten, das
von der FUEV und diversen nationalen Regierungen getragen werden soll.
Die finanziellen Mittel wollen die Organisationen bei der EU
akquirieren. Das ,,Civil Society Dialogue" genannte Projekt werde eine
,,Begegnung der Völker Europas" darstellen, erklärt die FUEV zu den
geplanten Aktionen.6) Das Vorhaben geht auf eine Initiative des
FUEV-Beirats zurück und soll nach der Vorstellung der deutschen
,,Volksgruppen"-Beauftragten Schnack in Form einer Kampagne
durchgeführt werden, die ,,jährlich ab 2005 bis 2015/30 in einem der
Mitgliedsländer der EU stattfinden könnte". Sie soll die Arbeit der
Berliner Vorfeldorganisation EU-weit verankern: Das Projekt werde
,,Kooperationen zwischen Minderheitenorganisationen in Europa" fördern,
heißt es.7)
Erst im Vorjahr war ein weiteres Projekt aufgelegt worden, mit dem die
Menschenrechts- und Minderheitenbeauftragten europäischer und anderer
Staaten in die Internationalisierung des ,,Volksgruppen"-Konzepts
eingebunden werden sollen.8) Erklärtes Ziel der deutschen Ethno-Politik
ist es nach den Worten des Berliner Beauftragten für ,,Aussiedlerfragen
und nationale Minderheiten", Jochen Welt (BMI), das an ethnischen
Kollektiven orientierte deutsche Minderheitenprinzip zur ,,Richtschnur"
für die Europäische Union zu machen.9)
1) s. dazu Aktionseinheiten
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1099006279.php%5d
2) ,,Minderheitenpolitik in Ungarn ist durchaus transportfähig",
Pressemitteilung 2004-61; www.fuen.org. S. auch Deutschland - Ungarn:
,,Spiel mit der völkischen Karte"
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1012863600.php%5d
und Wert der Waffen
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1074207600.php%5d
3) Rumänischer Staatssekretär besucht die FUEV, Pressemitteilung
2004-11; www.fuen.org
4) s. auch Rumänien im Schlepptau deutscher ,,Blutspolitik"
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1031781600.php%5d
und Nicht ausgeschlossen
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1083279215.php%5d
5) zum BdN s. auch Außenstelle
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1093644000.php%5d
6) Ungarn, Rumänien und Deutschland planen mit FUEV erstes gemeinsames
,,Civil Society Dialogue" Projekt, Pressemitteilung 2004-62;
www.fuen.org
7) FUEV-Beirat schlägt der FUEV neue Initiative vor; www.fuen.org
8) s. auch Transmissionsriemen
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1067903837.php%5d
9) s. auch ,,Volksgruppen" für ,,Europa"
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1065480883.php%5d
Informationen zur Deutschen Außenpolitik
© www.german-foreign-policy.com
=== 2 ===
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1099006279.php
29.10.2004
Aktionseinheiten
PÉCS - In Ungarn halten seit dem gestrigen Donnerstag Vertreter
deutschsprachiger Minderheitenorganisationen (,,deutsche Volksgruppen")
eine Tagung ab. Bei den Organisationen handelt es sich um
Mitgliedsverbände der ,,Föderalistischen Union Europäischer
Volksgruppen" (FUEV), einer Vorfeldorganisation der Berliner
Außenpolitik. Unter Ausschluss der nicht deutschsprachigen
FUEV-Organisationen besprechen Vertreter des deutschen
Innenministeriums mit den Tagungsteilnehmern das weitere Vorgehen der
,,deutschen Volksgruppen", die sich in Zukunft zu staatenübergreifenden
,,Arbeitsgruppen" zusammenschließen wollen. Die deutschsprachigen
Minderheiten aus europäischen und zentralasiatischen Ländern von
Frankreich bis Kasachstan bündeln damit ihre bisherige Kooperation und
stärken so ihren Zusammenhalt.
Die im Jahr 1991 auf Initiative des Bundesministeriums des Innern
gegründete informelle ,,Arbeitsgemeinschaft deutscher Minderheiten in
der Föderalistischen Union Europäischer Volksgruppen (FUEV)" knüpft an
Organisationsformen der 1920er und 1930er Jahre an. Zwischen 1925 und
1938 diente die Vorläuferorganisation der FUEV, der ,,Europäische
Nationalitätenkongress", der Propagierung deutscher Forderungen nach
einer völkischen ,,Neuordnung" Europas. Schon damals wurde mittels
separater Tagungen der im ,,Nationalitätenkongress" organisierten
,,deutschen Volksgruppen" die Strategie der Minderheitenorganisation
von Berlin aus festgelegt.1)
Grenzüberschreitend
Während die bisherigen Zusammenkünfte in Deutschland stattfanden, wird
die diesjährige vierzehnte Tagung vom 28. bis zum 31. Oktober in Pécs
(Ungarn2)) durchgeführt. Vertreter des deutschen Innenministeriums, das
die Tagungen der Arbeitsgemeinschaft auch finanziert, geben den
Teilnehmern einen Ausblick auf die Aktivitäten im kommenden Jahr. Im
Vorjahr stand noch die rechtliche Absicherung der Stellung der
,,deutschen Volksgruppen"3) im Mittelpunkt, diesmal sollen gemeinsame
staatenübergreifende Aktionen der deutschsprachigen Organisationen
koordiniert und vorbereitet werden. Im Zentrum der Veranstaltung, zu
der neben den Vertretern des deutschen Innenministeriums bis zu 50
Teilnehmer aus 20 Staaten erwartet werden, stehen ,,Möglichkeiten der
grenzüberschreitenden regionalen Zusammenarbeit deutscher
Minderheiten". Der FUEV zufolge sollen die ,,deutschen Volksgruppen"
sich zu größeren regionalen Aktionseinheiten zusammenschließen, um ihre
Ethno-Politik besser umsetzen zu können: ,,Wir denken an Arbeitsgruppen
wie: Ungarn, Slowakei, Tschechien, Polen, Südtirol als EU-Länder +
Rumänien, Kroatien, Serbien; Dänemark, baltische Staaten +
GUS-Staaten".4)
Ausgewogen
Während die ,,deutschen Volksgruppen" sich enger zusammenschließen und
die Arbeit der FUEV bestimmen, verlieren die nichtdeutschen
Organisationen innerhalb des Verbandes an Boden. Ebenfalls in diesem
Monat sollte in Burg bei Cottbus die Jahrestagung der slawischen
Minderheiten in der FUEV stattfinden. Eine deutsche
Mitgliedsorganisation (der ,,Bund der Lausitzer Sorben 'Zwjazk
Lu?iskich Serbow Domowina"') organisiert seit etwa zehn Jahren
alljährliche ,,Seminare slawischer Volksgruppen und Minderheiten", an
denen zuletzt Vertreter zwölf nationaler Minderheiten u.a. aus Polen,
Tschechien, Slowakei, Ungarn, Jugoslawien, Litauen, Estland und der
Ukraine teilnahmen. Die geplante Konferenz musste nun aufgrund zu
geringer Teilnehmerzahl abgesagt werden. Da vom deutschen
Innenministerium nicht ausreichend Mittel zur Verfügung gestellt
wurden, konnten die Fahrtkosten der Teilnehmer aus Ost- und
Südosteuropa nicht erstattet werden. Weil den Organisatoren der Tagung
der ,,deutschen Volksgruppen" erheblich höhere Mittel zur Verfügung
standen, fühlen die nichtdeutschen Verbände sich benachteiligt und
bitten die FUEV, ,,in Zukunft auf eine ausgewogene Finanzierung der
Konferenzen seitens des Bundesinnenministeriums zu achten".5)
1) s. auch Hintergrundbericht: Die Föderalistische Union Europäischer
Volksgruppen
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1043794801.php%5d
2) Die ungarische Minderheitenpolitik gilt Berlin als ,,vorbildlich".
Der Anspruch der Budapester Regierung, entsprechend dem deutschen
Vorbild als ,,Schutzmacht" der ,,ungarischen Volksgruppe" in den
angrenzenden Staaten zu fungieren, hat bereits zu Konflikten in
Rumänien, der Slowakei und im ehemaligen Jugoslawien geführt. S. dazu
Deutschland - Ungarn: ,,Spiel mit der völkischen Karte"
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1012863600.php%5d
sowie Wert der Waffen
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1074207600.php%5d
und Kolonialherren
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1095112800.php%5d
3) Berlin will ,,Volksgruppen"-Rechte in der EU-Verfassung verankern,
um damit entsprechende Rückwirkungen auf die Entwicklung in den
Mitgliedsstaaten zu erreichen. S. dazu ,,Volksgruppen" für ,,Europa"
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1065480883.php%5d
und Berlin organisiert seine ,,Volksgruppen"
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1067212663.php%5d
4) Deutsche Minderheiten aus 20 Staaten in Ungarn. 14. Jahrestagung der
Arbeitsgemeinschaft deutscher Minderheiten in der FUEV,
Pressemitteilung 2004-57; www.fuen.org
5) FUEN Konferenz der slawischen Minderheiten 2004 abgesagt,
Pressemitteilung 2004-58; www.fuen.org
Informationen zur Deutschen Außenpolitik
© www.german-foreign-policy.com
=== 3 ===
http://www.freenations.freeuk.com/news-2004-07-29.html
IMPERIALISM BY "HUMAN RIGHTS" AND RETAILING
"Rights are of course always defined by the State
while freedom is defined by the people."
Dateline: 29th July 2004
INTRODUCTION (by Rodney Atkinson) Although there is little historic
experience of or political sympathy for nationhood and democracy among
the German political class (of left or right) there is an unusual
emphasis on "human rights". Why? Because they serve the imperial cause
of Franco-German Europe. Unlike freedom, common law and democratic
nationhood which concern the Anglo Saxon nations the Franco German
political logic has always dictated "rights", State authority,
centralised power through statutes and a rigid constitution which
leaves little freedom to parliamentary sovereignty - but gives
excessive power to judges. Rights are of course always defined by the
State while freedom is defined by the people, with Government having
specifically to remove a freedom before it can become law. It was this
logic in the United Kingdom which used to dictate that no law or part
of any law could be removed except by express repeal. Needless to say
this was the first of the basic principles thrown out by Edward Heath's
"Conservative" Government when European Treaties were put into British
law after 1972.
But for the German politician the emphasis on human rights (and the
emphasis on the irrelevance of the nation states) today plays a
significant role in the re-conquest of Eastern Europe. It is the "human
rights" of individual Germans which serve as the battering ram for the
expansion of the German State eastwards. As we have noted on previous
occasions on this website the European Citizens' rights to move,
settle, purchase and invest enshrined in the European Treaties serve
this aim.
We have translated extracts from two articles from our German friends
at german-foreign-policy.com The first confirms the success of this
policy in Poland and the Czech Republic as the European Courts now form
a far more powerful army of conquest than tanks and armies. The second
article shows how the intended mass migration of Germans eastwards is
being preceded by an invasion of German retailers - which is much
resented!
STRASBOURG/KOENIGSWINTER German expellees filed suit for the return of
their former properties before the European Court for Human Rights in
Strasbourg. The properties had been confiscated in the Czech Republic
in 1945 (as were all foreign owned assets, not just German). The lawyer
for the plaintiff explained that the admission of the Czech Republic
into the European Human Rights Convention is the central basis for such
a lawsuit. Moreover, a director of the Interior Ministry of the German
Federal Republic confirms that the German government ,,views a
confiscation of German assets without compensation as contrary to
international law".
The 79 ,,Sudeten-Germans", who had filed their suit in Strasbourg on 28
April 2004, demand the return of their confiscated assets or ,,full
market value compensation" from the Czech government. The legal
representative of the plaintiffs, Thomas Gertner explains that
concerning the ,,issue of property", the Czech Government is in
violation of Article 1 of the first supplementary protocol to the
European Human Rights Convention (EMRK) as well as the prohibition
against discrimination of Article 14. According to the claim, these
provisions would have to be applied by the Czech Republic to the
expropriation of Sudeten German assets. This is in spite of the fact
that the expropriations took place a long time before Prague's
admission to the EMRK.
The complaints before the European Court for Human Rights are
coordinated by the ,,Sudeten-German Initiative" (SDI) which consists of
several Sudeten-German groups. The SDI chairman, Erich Hoegn, explained
during an interview with the rightwing Austrian monthly ,,Die Aula"
that the ,,Sudeten-German homeland association" has expressed its
willingness, to allow the checking of the SDI complaint by expert
jurists. Hoegn, who was a member of the federal council of the
Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft (SL) subdivision ,,Witiko-Bund" in 2002
had previously been speaker for a ,,basic seminar" of the extreme
rightwing ,,Young Homeland Association of East Prussia" (Junge
Landsmannschaft Ostpreussen, JLO). The JLO declares ,,the East German
issue (...) to be unchanged and open even after May 1, 2004."
,,Genocide"
Claims for restitution by relocated Germans which impact Polish
territory, are deemed ,,not hopeless" according to the opinion of
German legal experts. A study published by the institute for Eastern
law in Munich, states that ,,ethnic discrimination" exists in the
Polish law of January 3, 1946, for the purpose of nationalising private
property. This contradicts the EMRK. Gertner, lawyer for the SDI,
pleads to classify the relocation of Germans as ,,genocide." Should
this succeed, one could certainly assume that we will win our claims,
Gertner stated recently during the ,,Day of the Sudeten-Germans" in
Nuernberg.
Meanwhile, Klaus Poehle, director in the interior ministry, confirms
that the German government classifies the relocation of the Germans
with its attending expropriations as an injustice. ,,The present
Federal Government, like all previous governments, has always
considered the expulsion and uncompensated expropriation of German
assets as a violation of international law." ,,This position remains
unchanged" according to Poehle's welcoming speech before the
Koenigswinter conference of the ,,cultural endowment of the German
expellees". The conference was dedicated to the ,,right to a homeland"
with which the German associations of ,,expellees" intend to strengthen
their claims vis-à-vis their states of origin. The conference was
promoted by the German Federal Interior Ministry.
GERMAN RETAILERS DOMINATE IN EASTERN EUROPE
West European corporations, in particular German firms, are dominating
the food retail business in the new EU member States. Local traders are
losing out and being pushed to the wall. The aggressive expansionist
course of these German companies is meeting resistance in some of these
countries.
As the German market goes into retreat (due to the grotesque Euro
policy of German Governments since Helmut Kohl - ed) German companies
are expanding abroad into those very countries enticed into the failing
European Union! Vast sums are being invested in these new growing
markets where larger profit margins entice!
While the Baltic States have remained relatively untouched these large
retailers dominate Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and
Slovenia.
The Cologne based Rewe Group after the take-over of Billa, Merkur and
others now the market leader in Austria already has a turnover in
Eastern Europe of 2.4 billion Euros (circa £1.6 billion) and seeks
further expansion. The chemist Schlecker is expanding into five new
countries this year. The German discount store Lidl is opening ever
more stores in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Lidl
is exploiting its position in Austria as a door opener for the Balkans
- in particular Slovenia and Croatia. The leading German discount store
Aldi is now considering entering Poland and the Czech Republic.
The German Trading Group Metro AG which already has 65% of its profit
before interest and tax outside Germany is well represented in the new
EU member states. Metro which is invloved in wholesale, electronics
(Saturn) construction, hypermarkets and food retailing is now the
largest private company in Poland. In Russia the company has been in
the wholesale market since 2001 and continues to expand. They intend to
double their investment in the Ukraine and Metro intends to open in
Serbia and Moldova this year.
In Slovakia foreign trading companies have acquired since 1999 35% of
the market (note how these new member states were not allowed to trade
freely with the rest of the EU until 2004!) The German firms Metro and
Tengelman are already there and Lidl is due to arrive soon. Most of the
market is covered by local cooperatives which are now trying to defend
themselves by forming purchasing alliances.
(english / deutsch)
[ Dall'Ottantanove in poi la Germania persegue esplicitamente una
strategia politica europea tutta ruotante attorno all'idea dei "gruppi
etnici". Questa strategia le consente da una parte di porsi come
paladina e tutrice di quelle "etnie" che gia' servirono al Terzo Reich
per destabilizzare e squartare tutti gli Stati confinanti; d'altro
canto, essa implica anche necessariamente una posizione di leadership
assoluta sul continente visto che quella "germanica" e' l'"etnia" (in
tempi meno ipocriti avrebbero detto forse: la razza) largamente
maggioritaria in Europa, con una presenza in numerosi paesi, non solo
del centro-est europeo - si pensi anche all'Italia!
Una delle organizzazioni para-governative che esprimono e mettono in
pratica questa strategia tedesca e' la "Federalistische Union
Europaeischer Volksgruppen" (FUEV, Unione Federalista dei Gruppi Etnici
Europei), fondata negli anni Venti del Novecento, che si e'
recentemente riunita in assemblea plenaria in Ungheria... (a cura di
Italo Slavo)
Sulla stessa questione vedi anche:
EUROPA: UNIONE E DISGREGAZIONE
https://www.cnj.it/documentazione/europaquemada.htm
ed in particolare la scheda sulla FUEV. ]
1. ,,Begegnung der Völker"
(www.german-foreign-policy.com/ - 18.11.2004)
2. Aktionseinheiten
(www.german-foreign-policy.com/ - 29.10.2004)
3. IMPERIALISM BY "HUMAN RIGHTS" AND RETAILING
(29th July 2004 - www.freenations.freeuk.com/ -
german-foreign-policy.com )
See also:
"ANOTHER GERMAN ATTACK ON CZECH REPUBLIC"
http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?disc=217548;article=5718
=== 1 ===
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1100744308.php
18.11.2004
,,Begegnung der Völker"
PÉCS/BUDAPEST - Die Regierungen Ungarns und Rumäniens wollen an der
territorialen Ausweitung der deutschen ,,Volksgruppen"-Politik
mitarbeiten. Mit der deutschen Führungsspitze der ,,Föderalistischen
Union Europäischer Volksgruppen" (FUEV), einer Vorfeldorganisation der
deutschen Ethno-Politik, haben Vertreter beider Regierungen in
Anwesenheit eines Abgesandten des deutschen Innenministeriums die
Kooperation bei einer großangelegten Kampagne vereinbart. Diese soll in
den kommenden Jahren in den Ländern der Europäischen Union den
Zusammenschluss der ,,Volksgruppen"-Organisationen unter Führung der
FUEV vorantreiben. Die Orientierung Ungarns und Rumäniens an der
deutschen ,,Volkstums"-Politik hat bereits in der Vergangenheit schwere
Spannungen zwischen den beiden Ländern und mit ihren Nachbarstaaten
begünstigt.
Transportfähig
Die Vertreter der deutschsprachigen FUEV-Mitgliedsverbände hatten
kürzlich im ungarischen Pécs ihre 14. interne Jahrestagung abgehalten.
Unter Ausschluss der nicht deutschsprachigen FUEV-Organisationen
besprachen Vertreter des deutschen Innenministeriums mit den
Tagungsteilnehmern das weitere Vorgehen der ,,deutschen Volksgruppen",
die sich in Zukunft zu staatenübergreifenden ,,Arbeitsgruppen"
zusammenschließen wollen.1) Die Teilnehmer informierten sich aus diesem
Anlass über die ungarische Minderheitenpolitik, die sich an der
deutschen ,,Volksgruppen"-Ideologie orientiert und in Deutschland als
,,vorbildlich" angesehen wird. Die FUEV selbst erachtet das Vorgehen
der Budapester Regierung, die als Schutzmacht des ,,Ungarntums"
auftritt und Sonderrechte an Angehörige ,,ungarischer Minderheiten" in
den Nachbarländern vergibt, als ,,durchaus transportfähig".2)
Volkstümer
Zeitgleich zum Treffen der ,,deutschen Volksgruppen" hob die FUEV ihre
Arbeit auf eine qualitativ neue Stufe und etablierte erstmals eine
bisher nicht gekannte Zusammenarbeit zwischen ausländischen Regierungen
und der Vorfeldorganisation der Berliner Außenpolitik. Verabredet wurde
das neue Projekt von einer illustren Runde am 28. Oktober im Budapester
,,Amt für nationale Minderheiten". Gastgeber war der ungarische
Staatsekretär für Minderheitenangelegenheiten Vilmos Szabo, dem das
,,Amt für Ungarn außerhalb der Landesgrenzen" untersteht. Szabo soll im
Zuge der Umstrukturierung der Regierung außen- und
sicherheitspolitischer Berater des Ministerpräsidenten werden. Als
Vertreter der rumänischen Regierung war der Staatssekretär für
,,Interethnische Angelegenheiten" Cristian Jura anwesend, der bereits
im März 2004 dem FUEV-Generalsekretariat einen Besuch abgestattet und
über die Einbeziehung seines Departements in die Aktivitäten der
,,Volksgruppen"-Organisation verhandelt hatte.3) Auch die rumänische
Regierung hat die deutsche Politik der völkischen ,,Neuordnung"
Südosteuropas aufgegriffen und fordert von seinen Nachbarn
Vergünstigungen für das ,,Rumänentum".4)
Führungsriege
Die nach Budapest gereiste FUEV-Delegation bestand aus dem Vorsitzenden
der ,,Arbeitsgemeinschaft deutscher Minderheiten in der FUEV" Hans
Heinrich Hansen, dem FUEV-Generalsekretär Frank Nickelsen und dem
Präsidenten der FUEV-Jugendorganisation Stephan Kleinschmidt, allesamt
Mitglieder des in Dänemark wirkenden ,,Bund deutscher Nordschleswiger"
(BdN), der den Großteil der FUEV-Führungsriege stellt.5) Begleitet
wurden sie von der seit 2001 als Vorsitzende des FUEV-Beirats
fungierenden ,,Beauftragten für nationale Minderheiten und
Volksgruppen, Grenzlandarbeit und Niederdeutsch" des deutschen
Bundeslandes Schleswig-Holstein, Renate Schnack, und von dem im
deutschen Bundesinnenministerium für ,,Minderheitenangelegenheiten"
zuständigen Ministerialrat Detlev Rein.
Kooperationen
Die staatlichen Vertreter und die ,,Volksgruppen"-Aktivisten
vereinbarten, bei einem groß angelegten Projekt zusammenzuarbeiten, das
von der FUEV und diversen nationalen Regierungen getragen werden soll.
Die finanziellen Mittel wollen die Organisationen bei der EU
akquirieren. Das ,,Civil Society Dialogue" genannte Projekt werde eine
,,Begegnung der Völker Europas" darstellen, erklärt die FUEV zu den
geplanten Aktionen.6) Das Vorhaben geht auf eine Initiative des
FUEV-Beirats zurück und soll nach der Vorstellung der deutschen
,,Volksgruppen"-Beauftragten Schnack in Form einer Kampagne
durchgeführt werden, die ,,jährlich ab 2005 bis 2015/30 in einem der
Mitgliedsländer der EU stattfinden könnte". Sie soll die Arbeit der
Berliner Vorfeldorganisation EU-weit verankern: Das Projekt werde
,,Kooperationen zwischen Minderheitenorganisationen in Europa" fördern,
heißt es.7)
Erst im Vorjahr war ein weiteres Projekt aufgelegt worden, mit dem die
Menschenrechts- und Minderheitenbeauftragten europäischer und anderer
Staaten in die Internationalisierung des ,,Volksgruppen"-Konzepts
eingebunden werden sollen.8) Erklärtes Ziel der deutschen Ethno-Politik
ist es nach den Worten des Berliner Beauftragten für ,,Aussiedlerfragen
und nationale Minderheiten", Jochen Welt (BMI), das an ethnischen
Kollektiven orientierte deutsche Minderheitenprinzip zur ,,Richtschnur"
für die Europäische Union zu machen.9)
1) s. dazu Aktionseinheiten
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1099006279.php%5d
2) ,,Minderheitenpolitik in Ungarn ist durchaus transportfähig",
Pressemitteilung 2004-61; www.fuen.org. S. auch Deutschland - Ungarn:
,,Spiel mit der völkischen Karte"
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1012863600.php%5d
und Wert der Waffen
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1074207600.php%5d
3) Rumänischer Staatssekretär besucht die FUEV, Pressemitteilung
2004-11; www.fuen.org
4) s. auch Rumänien im Schlepptau deutscher ,,Blutspolitik"
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1031781600.php%5d
und Nicht ausgeschlossen
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1083279215.php%5d
5) zum BdN s. auch Außenstelle
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1093644000.php%5d
6) Ungarn, Rumänien und Deutschland planen mit FUEV erstes gemeinsames
,,Civil Society Dialogue" Projekt, Pressemitteilung 2004-62;
www.fuen.org
7) FUEV-Beirat schlägt der FUEV neue Initiative vor; www.fuen.org
8) s. auch Transmissionsriemen
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1067903837.php%5d
9) s. auch ,,Volksgruppen" für ,,Europa"
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1065480883.php%5d
Informationen zur Deutschen Außenpolitik
© www.german-foreign-policy.com
=== 2 ===
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1099006279.php
29.10.2004
Aktionseinheiten
PÉCS - In Ungarn halten seit dem gestrigen Donnerstag Vertreter
deutschsprachiger Minderheitenorganisationen (,,deutsche Volksgruppen")
eine Tagung ab. Bei den Organisationen handelt es sich um
Mitgliedsverbände der ,,Föderalistischen Union Europäischer
Volksgruppen" (FUEV), einer Vorfeldorganisation der Berliner
Außenpolitik. Unter Ausschluss der nicht deutschsprachigen
FUEV-Organisationen besprechen Vertreter des deutschen
Innenministeriums mit den Tagungsteilnehmern das weitere Vorgehen der
,,deutschen Volksgruppen", die sich in Zukunft zu staatenübergreifenden
,,Arbeitsgruppen" zusammenschließen wollen. Die deutschsprachigen
Minderheiten aus europäischen und zentralasiatischen Ländern von
Frankreich bis Kasachstan bündeln damit ihre bisherige Kooperation und
stärken so ihren Zusammenhalt.
Die im Jahr 1991 auf Initiative des Bundesministeriums des Innern
gegründete informelle ,,Arbeitsgemeinschaft deutscher Minderheiten in
der Föderalistischen Union Europäischer Volksgruppen (FUEV)" knüpft an
Organisationsformen der 1920er und 1930er Jahre an. Zwischen 1925 und
1938 diente die Vorläuferorganisation der FUEV, der ,,Europäische
Nationalitätenkongress", der Propagierung deutscher Forderungen nach
einer völkischen ,,Neuordnung" Europas. Schon damals wurde mittels
separater Tagungen der im ,,Nationalitätenkongress" organisierten
,,deutschen Volksgruppen" die Strategie der Minderheitenorganisation
von Berlin aus festgelegt.1)
Grenzüberschreitend
Während die bisherigen Zusammenkünfte in Deutschland stattfanden, wird
die diesjährige vierzehnte Tagung vom 28. bis zum 31. Oktober in Pécs
(Ungarn2)) durchgeführt. Vertreter des deutschen Innenministeriums, das
die Tagungen der Arbeitsgemeinschaft auch finanziert, geben den
Teilnehmern einen Ausblick auf die Aktivitäten im kommenden Jahr. Im
Vorjahr stand noch die rechtliche Absicherung der Stellung der
,,deutschen Volksgruppen"3) im Mittelpunkt, diesmal sollen gemeinsame
staatenübergreifende Aktionen der deutschsprachigen Organisationen
koordiniert und vorbereitet werden. Im Zentrum der Veranstaltung, zu
der neben den Vertretern des deutschen Innenministeriums bis zu 50
Teilnehmer aus 20 Staaten erwartet werden, stehen ,,Möglichkeiten der
grenzüberschreitenden regionalen Zusammenarbeit deutscher
Minderheiten". Der FUEV zufolge sollen die ,,deutschen Volksgruppen"
sich zu größeren regionalen Aktionseinheiten zusammenschließen, um ihre
Ethno-Politik besser umsetzen zu können: ,,Wir denken an Arbeitsgruppen
wie: Ungarn, Slowakei, Tschechien, Polen, Südtirol als EU-Länder +
Rumänien, Kroatien, Serbien; Dänemark, baltische Staaten +
GUS-Staaten".4)
Ausgewogen
Während die ,,deutschen Volksgruppen" sich enger zusammenschließen und
die Arbeit der FUEV bestimmen, verlieren die nichtdeutschen
Organisationen innerhalb des Verbandes an Boden. Ebenfalls in diesem
Monat sollte in Burg bei Cottbus die Jahrestagung der slawischen
Minderheiten in der FUEV stattfinden. Eine deutsche
Mitgliedsorganisation (der ,,Bund der Lausitzer Sorben 'Zwjazk
Lu?iskich Serbow Domowina"') organisiert seit etwa zehn Jahren
alljährliche ,,Seminare slawischer Volksgruppen und Minderheiten", an
denen zuletzt Vertreter zwölf nationaler Minderheiten u.a. aus Polen,
Tschechien, Slowakei, Ungarn, Jugoslawien, Litauen, Estland und der
Ukraine teilnahmen. Die geplante Konferenz musste nun aufgrund zu
geringer Teilnehmerzahl abgesagt werden. Da vom deutschen
Innenministerium nicht ausreichend Mittel zur Verfügung gestellt
wurden, konnten die Fahrtkosten der Teilnehmer aus Ost- und
Südosteuropa nicht erstattet werden. Weil den Organisatoren der Tagung
der ,,deutschen Volksgruppen" erheblich höhere Mittel zur Verfügung
standen, fühlen die nichtdeutschen Verbände sich benachteiligt und
bitten die FUEV, ,,in Zukunft auf eine ausgewogene Finanzierung der
Konferenzen seitens des Bundesinnenministeriums zu achten".5)
1) s. auch Hintergrundbericht: Die Föderalistische Union Europäischer
Volksgruppen
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1043794801.php%5d
2) Die ungarische Minderheitenpolitik gilt Berlin als ,,vorbildlich".
Der Anspruch der Budapester Regierung, entsprechend dem deutschen
Vorbild als ,,Schutzmacht" der ,,ungarischen Volksgruppe" in den
angrenzenden Staaten zu fungieren, hat bereits zu Konflikten in
Rumänien, der Slowakei und im ehemaligen Jugoslawien geführt. S. dazu
Deutschland - Ungarn: ,,Spiel mit der völkischen Karte"
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1012863600.php%5d
sowie Wert der Waffen
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1074207600.php%5d
und Kolonialherren
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1095112800.php%5d
3) Berlin will ,,Volksgruppen"-Rechte in der EU-Verfassung verankern,
um damit entsprechende Rückwirkungen auf die Entwicklung in den
Mitgliedsstaaten zu erreichen. S. dazu ,,Volksgruppen" für ,,Europa"
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1065480883.php%5d
und Berlin organisiert seine ,,Volksgruppen"
[http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/news/article/1067212663.php%5d
4) Deutsche Minderheiten aus 20 Staaten in Ungarn. 14. Jahrestagung der
Arbeitsgemeinschaft deutscher Minderheiten in der FUEV,
Pressemitteilung 2004-57; www.fuen.org
5) FUEN Konferenz der slawischen Minderheiten 2004 abgesagt,
Pressemitteilung 2004-58; www.fuen.org
Informationen zur Deutschen Außenpolitik
© www.german-foreign-policy.com
=== 3 ===
http://www.freenations.freeuk.com/news-2004-07-29.html
IMPERIALISM BY "HUMAN RIGHTS" AND RETAILING
"Rights are of course always defined by the State
while freedom is defined by the people."
Dateline: 29th July 2004
INTRODUCTION (by Rodney Atkinson) Although there is little historic
experience of or political sympathy for nationhood and democracy among
the German political class (of left or right) there is an unusual
emphasis on "human rights". Why? Because they serve the imperial cause
of Franco-German Europe. Unlike freedom, common law and democratic
nationhood which concern the Anglo Saxon nations the Franco German
political logic has always dictated "rights", State authority,
centralised power through statutes and a rigid constitution which
leaves little freedom to parliamentary sovereignty - but gives
excessive power to judges. Rights are of course always defined by the
State while freedom is defined by the people, with Government having
specifically to remove a freedom before it can become law. It was this
logic in the United Kingdom which used to dictate that no law or part
of any law could be removed except by express repeal. Needless to say
this was the first of the basic principles thrown out by Edward Heath's
"Conservative" Government when European Treaties were put into British
law after 1972.
But for the German politician the emphasis on human rights (and the
emphasis on the irrelevance of the nation states) today plays a
significant role in the re-conquest of Eastern Europe. It is the "human
rights" of individual Germans which serve as the battering ram for the
expansion of the German State eastwards. As we have noted on previous
occasions on this website the European Citizens' rights to move,
settle, purchase and invest enshrined in the European Treaties serve
this aim.
We have translated extracts from two articles from our German friends
at german-foreign-policy.com The first confirms the success of this
policy in Poland and the Czech Republic as the European Courts now form
a far more powerful army of conquest than tanks and armies. The second
article shows how the intended mass migration of Germans eastwards is
being preceded by an invasion of German retailers - which is much
resented!
STRASBOURG/KOENIGSWINTER German expellees filed suit for the return of
their former properties before the European Court for Human Rights in
Strasbourg. The properties had been confiscated in the Czech Republic
in 1945 (as were all foreign owned assets, not just German). The lawyer
for the plaintiff explained that the admission of the Czech Republic
into the European Human Rights Convention is the central basis for such
a lawsuit. Moreover, a director of the Interior Ministry of the German
Federal Republic confirms that the German government ,,views a
confiscation of German assets without compensation as contrary to
international law".
The 79 ,,Sudeten-Germans", who had filed their suit in Strasbourg on 28
April 2004, demand the return of their confiscated assets or ,,full
market value compensation" from the Czech government. The legal
representative of the plaintiffs, Thomas Gertner explains that
concerning the ,,issue of property", the Czech Government is in
violation of Article 1 of the first supplementary protocol to the
European Human Rights Convention (EMRK) as well as the prohibition
against discrimination of Article 14. According to the claim, these
provisions would have to be applied by the Czech Republic to the
expropriation of Sudeten German assets. This is in spite of the fact
that the expropriations took place a long time before Prague's
admission to the EMRK.
The complaints before the European Court for Human Rights are
coordinated by the ,,Sudeten-German Initiative" (SDI) which consists of
several Sudeten-German groups. The SDI chairman, Erich Hoegn, explained
during an interview with the rightwing Austrian monthly ,,Die Aula"
that the ,,Sudeten-German homeland association" has expressed its
willingness, to allow the checking of the SDI complaint by expert
jurists. Hoegn, who was a member of the federal council of the
Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft (SL) subdivision ,,Witiko-Bund" in 2002
had previously been speaker for a ,,basic seminar" of the extreme
rightwing ,,Young Homeland Association of East Prussia" (Junge
Landsmannschaft Ostpreussen, JLO). The JLO declares ,,the East German
issue (...) to be unchanged and open even after May 1, 2004."
,,Genocide"
Claims for restitution by relocated Germans which impact Polish
territory, are deemed ,,not hopeless" according to the opinion of
German legal experts. A study published by the institute for Eastern
law in Munich, states that ,,ethnic discrimination" exists in the
Polish law of January 3, 1946, for the purpose of nationalising private
property. This contradicts the EMRK. Gertner, lawyer for the SDI,
pleads to classify the relocation of Germans as ,,genocide." Should
this succeed, one could certainly assume that we will win our claims,
Gertner stated recently during the ,,Day of the Sudeten-Germans" in
Nuernberg.
Meanwhile, Klaus Poehle, director in the interior ministry, confirms
that the German government classifies the relocation of the Germans
with its attending expropriations as an injustice. ,,The present
Federal Government, like all previous governments, has always
considered the expulsion and uncompensated expropriation of German
assets as a violation of international law." ,,This position remains
unchanged" according to Poehle's welcoming speech before the
Koenigswinter conference of the ,,cultural endowment of the German
expellees". The conference was dedicated to the ,,right to a homeland"
with which the German associations of ,,expellees" intend to strengthen
their claims vis-à-vis their states of origin. The conference was
promoted by the German Federal Interior Ministry.
GERMAN RETAILERS DOMINATE IN EASTERN EUROPE
West European corporations, in particular German firms, are dominating
the food retail business in the new EU member States. Local traders are
losing out and being pushed to the wall. The aggressive expansionist
course of these German companies is meeting resistance in some of these
countries.
As the German market goes into retreat (due to the grotesque Euro
policy of German Governments since Helmut Kohl - ed) German companies
are expanding abroad into those very countries enticed into the failing
European Union! Vast sums are being invested in these new growing
markets where larger profit margins entice!
While the Baltic States have remained relatively untouched these large
retailers dominate Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and
Slovenia.
The Cologne based Rewe Group after the take-over of Billa, Merkur and
others now the market leader in Austria already has a turnover in
Eastern Europe of 2.4 billion Euros (circa £1.6 billion) and seeks
further expansion. The chemist Schlecker is expanding into five new
countries this year. The German discount store Lidl is opening ever
more stores in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Lidl
is exploiting its position in Austria as a door opener for the Balkans
- in particular Slovenia and Croatia. The leading German discount store
Aldi is now considering entering Poland and the Czech Republic.
The German Trading Group Metro AG which already has 65% of its profit
before interest and tax outside Germany is well represented in the new
EU member states. Metro which is invloved in wholesale, electronics
(Saturn) construction, hypermarkets and food retailing is now the
largest private company in Poland. In Russia the company has been in
the wholesale market since 2001 and continues to expand. They intend to
double their investment in the Ukraine and Metro intends to open in
Serbia and Moldova this year.
In Slovakia foreign trading companies have acquired since 1999 35% of
the market (note how these new member states were not allowed to trade
freely with the rest of the EU until 2004!) The German firms Metro and
Tengelman are already there and Lidl is due to arrive soon. Most of the
market is covered by local cooperatives which are now trying to defend
themselves by forming purchasing alliances.
Basi americane:
"Caro Silvio, avrei bisogno di Napoli, Taranto, Milano, e anche..."
(Alessandro Marescotti, Peacelink, 5 giugno 2004)
VEDI ANCHE:
Convegno Nazionale
NESSUNA BASE NESSUNA GUERRA,
in programma per il prossimo 20 novembre a Taranto:
- vedi al sito
http://italy.peacelink.org/pace/articles/art_7927.html
oppure https://www.cnj.it/INIZIATIVE/taranto201104.htm
la convocazione ed il programma del Convegno;
- vedi alla pagina
https://www.cnj.it/INIZIATIVE/taranto201104.htm
il testo dell'intervento del Coordinamento Nazionale per la Jugoslavia.
SEE ALSO:
America's Empire of Bases
By Chalmers Johnson, Tomdispatch.com
According to the Defense Department's annual "Base Structure Report"
for fiscal year 2003, which itemizes foreign and domestic U.S. military
real estate, the Pentagon currently owns or rents 702 overseas bases in
about 130 countries and has another 6,000 bases in the United States
and its territories. Pentagon bureaucrats calculate that it would
require at least $113.2 billion to replace just the foreign bases...
http://www.alternet.org/story/17563
---
"Caro Silvio, avrei bisogno di Napoli, Taranto, Milano, e anche..."
Alessandro Marescotti
La nuova mappa delle basi e dei comandi militari dietro i colloqui di
Roma
La storia è nei dettagli. Quando Bush è andato dal Papa ha lasciato
fuori dalla sala la valigetta nera con i codici di lancio dei missili
nucleari. Ma vi sono anche altri dettagli che Bush a Roma non ha
rivelato ai giornalisti. Le forze Usa stanno traslocando dal Nord
Europa e il baricentro del potere navale della Us Navy sarà spostato in
Italia. Il Quartier generale di Londra - che comanda tutte le forze
navali Usa in Europa - migrerà a Napoli. Il Comando della Sesta Flotta
sorgerà a Taranto. La nuova "autostrada" militare Usa che passa per
Milano-Solbiate Olona, Livorno-Camp Darby, Catania-Sigonella. E prevede
l'ampliamento della micidiale base nucleare della Maddalena. Dietro i
fumogeni della cronaca e la spettacolarità ecco i "dettagli" della
visita di Bush.
Alessandro Marescotti
5 giugno 2004
Bush è venuto da Berlusconi non solo per l'Iraq ma anche per le basi
Nato e Usa in Italia. E' questo il dato che non dovrebbe sfuggire al
movimento pacifista.
Il comando navale europeo Usa di Londra è ormai fuori gioco rispetto
alle nuove guerre. Le truppe americane in Germania sono un
soprammobile. Occorre spostare tutto. Ma dove?
Le basi spagnole sono un'incognita con Zapatero, nessuna base turca ha
(come Taranto) la certificazione Nato HRF per l'alta prontezza d'uso
delle forze navali Usa. E allora che fare? Bush va da Berlusconi e,
dietro i fumogeni della cronaca e della spettacolarità, chiede di
potenziare i punti nevralgici della logistica militare Usa in Italia.
E' questo il retroscena della visita di Bush a Roma, con il suo staff
di esperti e uomini in uniforme. Al centro c'è la nuova mappa militare
Usa a Napoli, Taranto, Milano-Solbiate Olona, La Maddalena,
Livorno-Camp Darby, Catania-Sigonella.
Bush ha chiesto nuovamente a Berlusconi carta bianca per ridislocare a
proprio piacimento comandi militari, navi, uomini e armi Usa in Italia:
ha chiesto di realizzare una più rapida rete logistica militare.
L'Italia non è più trincea della guerra di posizione contro l'Est con
tante piccole basi disseminate nella Penisola.
L'Italia diventa punto di passaggio e "autostrada militare" con
superbasi veloci per la guerra di movimento amaricana.
Nessuna informazione è ufficialmente trapelata - il Parlamento
italiano sarà l'ultimo a sapere cosa gli Usa faranno in Italia - ma si
registrano interessanti novità.
Le informazioni più recenti sono quelle pubblicate dal New York Times
che rivela un progetto rimasto fino ad ora segreto: il comando europeo
della Us Navy potrebbe trasferirsi da Londra a Napoli.
Per saperne di più su questa novità clamorosa occorre cliccare su:
http://www.paginedidifesa.it/2004/zuccotti_040605.
html
http://www.panorama.it/europa/capitali/articolo/ix
1-A020001024944
http://www.agi.it/news.pl?doc=200406041119-1036-RT1-CRO-0-
NF60&page=0&id=agionline.dalmondo
http://www.giornale.it/folder/news5Giu200484324.sh
tml
http://www.raulken.it/article2593.html
Alle ore 8.57 del 5 giugno 2004 l'esperto di questioni militari e
strategiche Enrico Iacchia ha anche lui confermato a Radiotre (per
informazioni: grr@...) che in questi giorni - in cui l'attenzione
focalizzata sulla guerra in Iraq e sulla visita di Bush a Roma - è
passato in secondo piano il progetto del Pentagono di ridislocare le
sue forze in Europa, ritirando massicciamente i militari Usa dalla
Germania e intendendo trasferire il comando navale europeo Usa da
Londra - "ormai fuori mano", ha argomentato Iacchia - a Napoli, ossia
più a sud.
Attualmente il comando navale Usa per l'Europa è a Londra. "Gli Stati
Uniti avrebbero voluto spostarlo in Spagna, ma con Zapatero sono sorti
dei problemi. E allora probabilmente andrà in Italia, forse a Napoli",
ha concluso Iacchia.
L’intero comando europeo della Us Navy è composto da almeno 1500
uomini e - dalla seconda guerra mondiale ad oggi - ha avuto il suo
perno operativo nella palazzina vittoriana in North Audley Street a
Londra a Napoli. In quel comando sono stati pensati i piani di guerra
contro la flotta sovietica: fino agli anni Novanta il centro nevralgico
della flotta americana in Europa erano le acque profonde a nord della
Gran Gretagna, era la calotta polare artica dove si andavano a
nascondere i sottomarini nucleari. Era un confronto torbido fatto di
testate nucleari pronte per il lancio da abissi gelidi.
Ora il baricentro operativo si sposta a sud in mari più caldi, nel
Mediterraneo.
Pizza, mandolino, Vesuvio, cozze e propulsori nucleari.
L'Italia si appresta ad un potenziamento della presenza americana in
alcuni punti strategici. Nuovi accordi, accordi da perfezionare,
accordi da ratificare. Con il via libera dei due Presidenti sono ora lì
quelle carte, sui tavoli che decidono il potenziamento del dispositivo
militare Usa a Napoli e a Taranto.
Al centro ora c'è - in simbiosi con il ridislocamento strategico da
Londra a Napoli del comando di tutte le forze navali Usa nei mari che
bagnano l'Europa - il ruolo della più grande base navale della Nato nel
Mediterraneo, cioè Taranto.
Quando a febbraio abbiamo - documenti alla mano - parlato di
trasferimento del comando della VI Flotta Usa da Gaeta a Taranto,
pensavamo ad un "alleggerimento di Napoli", come se Napoli e Gaeta
"andassero in pensione". E invece sembra che le cose si dirigano verso
esiti che non avevamo previsto: da una prospettiva di ridislocamento a
sud delle forze esistenti in Italia si passa ad uno spostamento
complessivo verso l'Italia del baricentro militare navale americano.
Lo spostamento da Napoli-Gaeta verso Taranto in realtà fa posto ad un
corposo spostamento dal comando di Londra verso il Sud dell'Italia.
E veniamo alle ripercussioni sulla base di Taranto, da poco diventata
Nato con certificazione di alta prontezza d'uso HRF (che nessuna base
turca ha).
A Taranto Bush vorrebbe un'altra base. Gli industriali di Taranto
hanno già detto di sì alla "superbase" sulle pagine del giornale "La
Voce del Popolo".
La nuova base Usa a Taranto dovrebbe sorgere nella zona del porto
commerciale, a cinque chilometri di distanza dalla nuovissima base Nato
di Chiapparo che fra poche settimane sarà inaugurata (si dice alla
presenza di Ciampi). Gli Usa vorrebbero gestire un'ampia banchina di
attracco acquisendone - tramite una banca americana - la dispobibilità.
La zona è quella del molo polisettoriale e lì la maggiore profondità
non comporta problemi per le portaerei. Già le ultime tre navi
americane giunte in occasioni diverse a Taranto nel 2004 hanno
attraccato in quella zona del porto commerciale e non nella nuova base
Nato di Chiapparo.
La nuova base che Bush vorrebbe a Taranto è anche più lontana dalla
vista di occhi indiscreti. Non potrebbe essere osservata dal lungomare
o da palazzi vicini con il binocolo come è invece comodamente possibile
per la base Nato di Chiapparo.
La nuova base desiderata da Bush presenterebbe quindi condizioni di
maggiore segretezza e sicurezza per le navi Usa. E avrebbe più spazio
rispetto a Chiapparo.
Questo rafforza l'idea che tutte le componenti operative (le navi
della VI Flotta) presenti a Napoli e Gaeta vadano a Taranto. A Napoli
verrebbe traslocato il comando navale Nato di Londra che si
unificherebbe con l'HQ Allied Naval Forces Southern Europe già
esistente nella città del Vesuvio.
Della strategia di potenziamento delle basi Usa in Italia ne aveva già
parlato Ennio Caretto sul Corriere della Sera del 27 novembre 2003 con
un pezzo titolato "Bush riorganizza le Forze Usa in Europa. Sarà dato
più peso alle basi nella Penisola". Sottotitolo: "Forse un comando dei
reparti speciali e una struttura di intelligence".
Scriveva Caretto che gli Stati Uniti intendono riposizionare le
proprie truppe ritirando parte delle forze dislocate in Germania e
precisava: "Non è prevista la richiesta di nuove basi in Italia, ma
alcune infrastrutture militari Usa esistenti nel nostro Paese saranno
potenziate. E al Pentagono si discute se creare nuovi centri di comando
regionali, tra cui uno italiano, per intelligence e corpi speciali".
E dalla Casa Bianca confermavano: "Da oggi gli Usa terranno intense
consultazioni con amici, alleati e partner di tutto il mondo per porre
le forze necessarie nei luoghi più appropriati in risposta alle nuove
esigenze di sicurezza. Missioni ad alto livello si recheranno nelle
capitali straniere». Tra la fine di novembre e la prima settimana di
dicembre del 2004 vi sono state apposite riunioni dei ministri di
Difesa ed Esteri alla Nato a Bruxelles. "Vogliamo sentire le loro idee
- ha detto il capo del Pentagono, Donald Rumsfeld - vedere insieme che
cosa si può fare".
Oltre a Napoli e a Taranto, altro punto nodale è Livorno dove un
accordo tra governo italiano e governo Usa sancisce il raddoppio del
canale di Camp Darby, per dimezzare i tempi di carico delle navi. Altro
punto nevralgico è La Maddalena dove è previsto un amplimaneto della
base dei sommergibili nucleari di Santo Stefano, impiegati anche per
l'intelligence. Accordo di potenziamento anche per le strutture di
Catania-Sigonella. L'obiettivo è quello di consentire la maggiore
mobilità possibile alle truppe e ai mezzi, organizzando in qualsiasi
momento ponti aerei verso il Medio Oriente. Il questo quadro il nuovo
comando Nato di Solbiate Olona, a pochi chilometri da Milano e
dall'aeroporto di Malpensa, sarà un punto nevralgico per le future
mobilitazioni di rapido intervento delle truppe di terra Usa.
Ennio Caretto pecisava sul Corriere della Sera: "L'amministrazione
Bush mantiene il massimo riserbo sui dettagli del piano di
riposizionamento". E questo ci spiega come mai a Roma a nessun
giornalista è stata rivelata la parte più delicata e riservata della
missione dello staff di Bush.
Alessandro Marescotti
presidente di PeaceLink
Alle ore 8.57 del 5 giugno 2004 l'esperto di questioni militari e
strategiche Enrico Iacchia ha anche lui confermato a Radiotre (per
informazioni: grr@ peacelink.it )
http://italy.peacelink.org/editoriale/
The address of this page is : www.uruknet.info?p=3409
The original address of this article is :
italy.peacelink.org/editoriale/
"Caro Silvio, avrei bisogno di Napoli, Taranto, Milano, e anche..."
(Alessandro Marescotti, Peacelink, 5 giugno 2004)
VEDI ANCHE:
Convegno Nazionale
NESSUNA BASE NESSUNA GUERRA,
in programma per il prossimo 20 novembre a Taranto:
- vedi al sito
http://italy.peacelink.org/pace/articles/art_7927.html
oppure https://www.cnj.it/INIZIATIVE/taranto201104.htm
la convocazione ed il programma del Convegno;
- vedi alla pagina
https://www.cnj.it/INIZIATIVE/taranto201104.htm
il testo dell'intervento del Coordinamento Nazionale per la Jugoslavia.
SEE ALSO:
America's Empire of Bases
By Chalmers Johnson, Tomdispatch.com
According to the Defense Department's annual "Base Structure Report"
for fiscal year 2003, which itemizes foreign and domestic U.S. military
real estate, the Pentagon currently owns or rents 702 overseas bases in
about 130 countries and has another 6,000 bases in the United States
and its territories. Pentagon bureaucrats calculate that it would
require at least $113.2 billion to replace just the foreign bases...
http://www.alternet.org/story/17563
---
"Caro Silvio, avrei bisogno di Napoli, Taranto, Milano, e anche..."
Alessandro Marescotti
La nuova mappa delle basi e dei comandi militari dietro i colloqui di
Roma
La storia è nei dettagli. Quando Bush è andato dal Papa ha lasciato
fuori dalla sala la valigetta nera con i codici di lancio dei missili
nucleari. Ma vi sono anche altri dettagli che Bush a Roma non ha
rivelato ai giornalisti. Le forze Usa stanno traslocando dal Nord
Europa e il baricentro del potere navale della Us Navy sarà spostato in
Italia. Il Quartier generale di Londra - che comanda tutte le forze
navali Usa in Europa - migrerà a Napoli. Il Comando della Sesta Flotta
sorgerà a Taranto. La nuova "autostrada" militare Usa che passa per
Milano-Solbiate Olona, Livorno-Camp Darby, Catania-Sigonella. E prevede
l'ampliamento della micidiale base nucleare della Maddalena. Dietro i
fumogeni della cronaca e la spettacolarità ecco i "dettagli" della
visita di Bush.
Alessandro Marescotti
5 giugno 2004
Bush è venuto da Berlusconi non solo per l'Iraq ma anche per le basi
Nato e Usa in Italia. E' questo il dato che non dovrebbe sfuggire al
movimento pacifista.
Il comando navale europeo Usa di Londra è ormai fuori gioco rispetto
alle nuove guerre. Le truppe americane in Germania sono un
soprammobile. Occorre spostare tutto. Ma dove?
Le basi spagnole sono un'incognita con Zapatero, nessuna base turca ha
(come Taranto) la certificazione Nato HRF per l'alta prontezza d'uso
delle forze navali Usa. E allora che fare? Bush va da Berlusconi e,
dietro i fumogeni della cronaca e della spettacolarità, chiede di
potenziare i punti nevralgici della logistica militare Usa in Italia.
E' questo il retroscena della visita di Bush a Roma, con il suo staff
di esperti e uomini in uniforme. Al centro c'è la nuova mappa militare
Usa a Napoli, Taranto, Milano-Solbiate Olona, La Maddalena,
Livorno-Camp Darby, Catania-Sigonella.
Bush ha chiesto nuovamente a Berlusconi carta bianca per ridislocare a
proprio piacimento comandi militari, navi, uomini e armi Usa in Italia:
ha chiesto di realizzare una più rapida rete logistica militare.
L'Italia non è più trincea della guerra di posizione contro l'Est con
tante piccole basi disseminate nella Penisola.
L'Italia diventa punto di passaggio e "autostrada militare" con
superbasi veloci per la guerra di movimento amaricana.
Nessuna informazione è ufficialmente trapelata - il Parlamento
italiano sarà l'ultimo a sapere cosa gli Usa faranno in Italia - ma si
registrano interessanti novità.
Le informazioni più recenti sono quelle pubblicate dal New York Times
che rivela un progetto rimasto fino ad ora segreto: il comando europeo
della Us Navy potrebbe trasferirsi da Londra a Napoli.
Per saperne di più su questa novità clamorosa occorre cliccare su:
http://www.paginedidifesa.it/2004/zuccotti_040605.
html
http://www.panorama.it/europa/capitali/articolo/ix
1-A020001024944
http://www.agi.it/news.pl?doc=200406041119-1036-RT1-CRO-0-
NF60&page=0&id=agionline.dalmondo
http://www.giornale.it/folder/news5Giu200484324.sh
tml
http://www.raulken.it/article2593.html
Alle ore 8.57 del 5 giugno 2004 l'esperto di questioni militari e
strategiche Enrico Iacchia ha anche lui confermato a Radiotre (per
informazioni: grr@...) che in questi giorni - in cui l'attenzione
focalizzata sulla guerra in Iraq e sulla visita di Bush a Roma - è
passato in secondo piano il progetto del Pentagono di ridislocare le
sue forze in Europa, ritirando massicciamente i militari Usa dalla
Germania e intendendo trasferire il comando navale europeo Usa da
Londra - "ormai fuori mano", ha argomentato Iacchia - a Napoli, ossia
più a sud.
Attualmente il comando navale Usa per l'Europa è a Londra. "Gli Stati
Uniti avrebbero voluto spostarlo in Spagna, ma con Zapatero sono sorti
dei problemi. E allora probabilmente andrà in Italia, forse a Napoli",
ha concluso Iacchia.
L’intero comando europeo della Us Navy è composto da almeno 1500
uomini e - dalla seconda guerra mondiale ad oggi - ha avuto il suo
perno operativo nella palazzina vittoriana in North Audley Street a
Londra a Napoli. In quel comando sono stati pensati i piani di guerra
contro la flotta sovietica: fino agli anni Novanta il centro nevralgico
della flotta americana in Europa erano le acque profonde a nord della
Gran Gretagna, era la calotta polare artica dove si andavano a
nascondere i sottomarini nucleari. Era un confronto torbido fatto di
testate nucleari pronte per il lancio da abissi gelidi.
Ora il baricentro operativo si sposta a sud in mari più caldi, nel
Mediterraneo.
Pizza, mandolino, Vesuvio, cozze e propulsori nucleari.
L'Italia si appresta ad un potenziamento della presenza americana in
alcuni punti strategici. Nuovi accordi, accordi da perfezionare,
accordi da ratificare. Con il via libera dei due Presidenti sono ora lì
quelle carte, sui tavoli che decidono il potenziamento del dispositivo
militare Usa a Napoli e a Taranto.
Al centro ora c'è - in simbiosi con il ridislocamento strategico da
Londra a Napoli del comando di tutte le forze navali Usa nei mari che
bagnano l'Europa - il ruolo della più grande base navale della Nato nel
Mediterraneo, cioè Taranto.
Quando a febbraio abbiamo - documenti alla mano - parlato di
trasferimento del comando della VI Flotta Usa da Gaeta a Taranto,
pensavamo ad un "alleggerimento di Napoli", come se Napoli e Gaeta
"andassero in pensione". E invece sembra che le cose si dirigano verso
esiti che non avevamo previsto: da una prospettiva di ridislocamento a
sud delle forze esistenti in Italia si passa ad uno spostamento
complessivo verso l'Italia del baricentro militare navale americano.
Lo spostamento da Napoli-Gaeta verso Taranto in realtà fa posto ad un
corposo spostamento dal comando di Londra verso il Sud dell'Italia.
E veniamo alle ripercussioni sulla base di Taranto, da poco diventata
Nato con certificazione di alta prontezza d'uso HRF (che nessuna base
turca ha).
A Taranto Bush vorrebbe un'altra base. Gli industriali di Taranto
hanno già detto di sì alla "superbase" sulle pagine del giornale "La
Voce del Popolo".
La nuova base Usa a Taranto dovrebbe sorgere nella zona del porto
commerciale, a cinque chilometri di distanza dalla nuovissima base Nato
di Chiapparo che fra poche settimane sarà inaugurata (si dice alla
presenza di Ciampi). Gli Usa vorrebbero gestire un'ampia banchina di
attracco acquisendone - tramite una banca americana - la dispobibilità.
La zona è quella del molo polisettoriale e lì la maggiore profondità
non comporta problemi per le portaerei. Già le ultime tre navi
americane giunte in occasioni diverse a Taranto nel 2004 hanno
attraccato in quella zona del porto commerciale e non nella nuova base
Nato di Chiapparo.
La nuova base che Bush vorrebbe a Taranto è anche più lontana dalla
vista di occhi indiscreti. Non potrebbe essere osservata dal lungomare
o da palazzi vicini con il binocolo come è invece comodamente possibile
per la base Nato di Chiapparo.
La nuova base desiderata da Bush presenterebbe quindi condizioni di
maggiore segretezza e sicurezza per le navi Usa. E avrebbe più spazio
rispetto a Chiapparo.
Questo rafforza l'idea che tutte le componenti operative (le navi
della VI Flotta) presenti a Napoli e Gaeta vadano a Taranto. A Napoli
verrebbe traslocato il comando navale Nato di Londra che si
unificherebbe con l'HQ Allied Naval Forces Southern Europe già
esistente nella città del Vesuvio.
Della strategia di potenziamento delle basi Usa in Italia ne aveva già
parlato Ennio Caretto sul Corriere della Sera del 27 novembre 2003 con
un pezzo titolato "Bush riorganizza le Forze Usa in Europa. Sarà dato
più peso alle basi nella Penisola". Sottotitolo: "Forse un comando dei
reparti speciali e una struttura di intelligence".
Scriveva Caretto che gli Stati Uniti intendono riposizionare le
proprie truppe ritirando parte delle forze dislocate in Germania e
precisava: "Non è prevista la richiesta di nuove basi in Italia, ma
alcune infrastrutture militari Usa esistenti nel nostro Paese saranno
potenziate. E al Pentagono si discute se creare nuovi centri di comando
regionali, tra cui uno italiano, per intelligence e corpi speciali".
E dalla Casa Bianca confermavano: "Da oggi gli Usa terranno intense
consultazioni con amici, alleati e partner di tutto il mondo per porre
le forze necessarie nei luoghi più appropriati in risposta alle nuove
esigenze di sicurezza. Missioni ad alto livello si recheranno nelle
capitali straniere». Tra la fine di novembre e la prima settimana di
dicembre del 2004 vi sono state apposite riunioni dei ministri di
Difesa ed Esteri alla Nato a Bruxelles. "Vogliamo sentire le loro idee
- ha detto il capo del Pentagono, Donald Rumsfeld - vedere insieme che
cosa si può fare".
Oltre a Napoli e a Taranto, altro punto nodale è Livorno dove un
accordo tra governo italiano e governo Usa sancisce il raddoppio del
canale di Camp Darby, per dimezzare i tempi di carico delle navi. Altro
punto nevralgico è La Maddalena dove è previsto un amplimaneto della
base dei sommergibili nucleari di Santo Stefano, impiegati anche per
l'intelligence. Accordo di potenziamento anche per le strutture di
Catania-Sigonella. L'obiettivo è quello di consentire la maggiore
mobilità possibile alle truppe e ai mezzi, organizzando in qualsiasi
momento ponti aerei verso il Medio Oriente. Il questo quadro il nuovo
comando Nato di Solbiate Olona, a pochi chilometri da Milano e
dall'aeroporto di Malpensa, sarà un punto nevralgico per le future
mobilitazioni di rapido intervento delle truppe di terra Usa.
Ennio Caretto pecisava sul Corriere della Sera: "L'amministrazione
Bush mantiene il massimo riserbo sui dettagli del piano di
riposizionamento". E questo ci spiega come mai a Roma a nessun
giornalista è stata rivelata la parte più delicata e riservata della
missione dello staff di Bush.
Alessandro Marescotti
presidente di PeaceLink
Alle ore 8.57 del 5 giugno 2004 l'esperto di questioni militari e
strategiche Enrico Iacchia ha anche lui confermato a Radiotre (per
informazioni: grr@ peacelink.it )
http://italy.peacelink.org/editoriale/
The address of this page is : www.uruknet.info?p=3409
The original address of this article is :
italy.peacelink.org/editoriale/
MILOSEVIC QUESTIONS HIS FIRST DEFENSE WITNESS
(italiano / english)
1. MILOSEVIC: AL TPI PRIMO TESTIMONE DIFESA PER SLOBO (ANSA 16/11/04)
2. Milosevic Wants Clinton to Testify by Christmas
(By Paul Gallagher, Reuters 11/11/04)
..."We're talking about William Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Anthony
Blair, Gerhard Schroeder and Rudolf Scharping in the first group," he
said, also adding retired general Clark, who directed the 1999 NATO
bombing of Serbia, to his list...
3. MILOSEVIC QUESTIONS HIS FIRST DEFENSE WITNESS
(Andy Wilcoxson, 16/11/04)
4. MR. NICE CROSS-EXAMINES PROFESSOR MARKOVIC
(Andy Wilcoxson, 17/11/04)
5. IVASHOV AND RYZHKOV TO APPEAR AS DEFENSE WITNESSES AT MILOSEVIC
TRIAL IN HAGUE
(RIA Novosti - November 18, 2004)
SEE ALSO, on the anti-yugoslav website www.iwpr.net :
MILOSEVIC JUDGES FACE NEW CHALLENGE Appeals chamber's decision to
restore accused's right to defend himself will require judges to
maintain firm control of the trial. By Ana Uzelac in The Hague
IWPR'S TRIBUNAL UPDATE No. 380, November 05, 2004
MILOSEVIC CALLS FOR CLINTON Former Serb leader wants high-profile
witnesses to testify by Christmas. By Alison Freebairn in The Hague
IWPR'S TRIBUNAL UPDATE No. 281, November 14, 2004
=== 1 ===
MILOSEVIC: AL TPI PRIMO TESTIMONE DIFESA PER SLOBO
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 16 NOV - Prima udienza al Tribunale penale
internazionale sull'ex Jugoslavia con Slobodan Milosevic nel ruolo di
'autodifesa': l'ex uomo forte di Belgrado ha oggi rivolto delle domande
a un testimone chiamato a deporre in sua difesa, Mihajlo Markovic,
ideologo del Partito socialista della Serbia. Milosevic ha qualche
settimana fa ottenuto dalla Corte dell'Aja la possibilita' di
difendersi da solo, lasciando da parte i due avvocati d'ufficio, al
termine di un lungo braccio di ferro con i giudici del Tribunale.
Quella iniziata oggi rappresenta ''una nuova era'' per l'imputato, ha
commentato il presidente della Corte, Patrick Robinson, che ha posto
pero' delle severe regole che Milosevic dovra' rispettare nei suoi
interrogatori. ''Voi non avete il diritto di porre domande che inducano
ad una risposta, i testimoni devono portare le prove di cio' che
dicono, voi non potete fare dei discorsi'', ha messo in guardia
Robinson, rivolgendosi all'imputato. Nelle domande che ha posto a
Markovic, Milosevic ha in sostanza cercato di far emergere la tesi che
le ''crisi'' che si sono succedute in Jugoslavia negli anni '90 sono
state la diretta conseguenza delle tendenze separatiste messe in moto
dai croati, dagli sloveni e dagli albanesi. Milosevic e' accusato dal
Tpi di genocidio, crimini contro l'umanita' e crimini di guerra per le
sue responsabilita' nei conflitti esplosi in Jugoslavia nei primi anni
'90. (ANSA) RIG 16/11/2004 19:24
=== 2 ===
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=564&e=2&u=/nm/
20041111/ts_nm/milosevic_dc
Reuters - November 11, 2004
Milosevic Wants Clinton to Testify by Christmas
By Paul Gallagher
AMSTERDAM - Slobodan Milosevic called on judges to
subpoena former U.S. President Bill Clinton and
British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday, saying
he would like them to testify at his war crimes trial
by Christmas.
The former Yugoslav president, charged with genocide,
crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Balkans
in the 1990s, opened his defense in August in what is
seen as Europe's most significant war crimes trial
since the end of World War II.
Milosevic asked for The Hague tribunal to also summon
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, former German
Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping, former Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright and retired U.S. General
Wesley Clark.
"We're talking about William Clinton, Madeleine
Albright, Anthony Blair, Gerhard Schroeder and Rudolf
Scharping in the first group," he said, also adding
retired general Clark, who directed the 1999 NATO
bombing of Serbia, to his list.
"I would ask you to issue an order now for them to be
heard if possible before the Christmas recess,"
Milosevic said.
Milosevic, who has been on trial in The Hague since
February 2002 charged with ethnic cleansing in
Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo, said he had done the
groundwork by sending letters to embassies and
providing clarification when asked why he wanted the
witnesses to give evidence during his defense case.
"By conclusive action it has been shown that they are
not willing to appear," Milosevic told the trial's
three judges in a webcast of a hearing at the U.N.
tribunal.
KEY LEADERS
Presiding judge Patrick Robinson said he would not
issue a subpoena unless Milosevic submitted his
request in writing.
"You must make a written submission setting out the
circumstances which show that they are unwilling to
come and setting out the evidence you want them to
give," he said. (...)
Milosevic won back the right to lead his own defense
earlier this month in an appeal against a decision by
judges in September to appoint two lawyers to manage
and present his case to prevent trial delays due to
his ill health.
Milosevic, who has described himself as a peacemaker
in the Balkans and does not recognize the court, has
dismissed the charges he faces as politically
motivated "lies" and declined to enter a plea. Pleas
of not guilty were entered on his behalf.
=== 3 ===
MILOSEVIC QUESTIONS HIS FIRST DEFENSE WITNESS
www.slobodan-milosevic.org - November 16, 2004
Written by: Andy Wilcoxson
Slobodan Milosevic questioned his first defense witness at the Hague
tribunal on Tuesday. The witness, Mihajlo Markovic, a Serbian social
sciences professor, testified about a number of topics, including a
1986 draft memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences,
which he helped to write.
A number anti-Serb propagandists, including the ICTY prosecution, have
taken bits and pieces of this incomplete memorandum out of context, and
tried to twist it into being some sort of platform for virulent Serbian
nationalism.
The professor put a great many manipulations concerning this
memorandum to bed. The memorandum explicitly states that all of the
nationalities in Yugoslavia had to be equal. It stipulated that
Yugoslavia could only survive if the principle of equality among
peoples was respected.
The memorandum stated on a number of occasions that human rights and
high democratic standards had to be rigorously adhered to.
In the context of the need for equality and human rights for everybody
in Yugoslavia, the memorandum made note of the dire situation of
Kosovo’s non-Albanian population, and observed that in the 1980s (much
as today) the human rights of Kosovo’s non-Albanian population was not
respected. The memorandum condemned the ethnic discrimination as being
unacceptable anywhere in Yugoslavia.
Markovic destroyed any idea that the Albanian secessionism in Kosovo
is the result of any of Milosevic’s politics. Markovic pointed out that
Albanian secessionists attempted an insurrection in 1968 and that Tito
had to send in the Army to quell it. He also pointed out that there
were other secessionist outbursts by Albanians in Kosovo in the early
and mid-1980s; before Milosevic ever came to power.
Markovic pointed out that each time the Kosovo-Albanian secessionists
ramped up their activities, the non-Albanian population was subjected
to increased pressure and violence which, already before Milosevic came
to power, had led to an exodus of tens of thousands of non-Albanians
from Kosovo. He pointed out that this expulsion of non-Albanians is
what gave rise to the term “ethnic cleansing” in the first place.
In addition to Albanian secessionism in Kosovo, Markovic testified
about Slovenian and Croatian secessionism. He pointed out that these
secessionist movements also began before Milosevic ever came on the
scene.
Markovic testified that Slovenia had already made up its mind to leave
Yugoslavia in the mid-1980s. He spoke of a conference that he attended
in Ljubljana in 1985 where eminent figures in Slovenian intellegencia
and politics were already saying that “Yugoslavia was dead,” and that
Slovenia only regarded Yugoslavia as “a transit station.”
Markovic noted that a Croatian secessionist movement was already well
underway with the so-called “mass national movement” in 1971.
Markovic spoke of the HDZ’s 1990 congress. He said that secession was
already foremost on the HDZ agenda, and that approximately 100 former
members of the Ustasha attended the HDZ congress.
Markovic destroyed the idea that Yugoslavia collapsed because it was
dominated by Serbs. In fact the witness observed that the opposite was
true. Serbs, who were the largest ethnic group, were under represented
in Yugoslavia.
At the time of Yugoslavia’s dissolution, in the early 1990s, the Prime
Minister of Yugoslavia was a Croat, the Defense Minister was half
Croat, the Foreign Minister was a Croat, and the President of the
Presidency of Yugoslavia was a Croat. In the top echelons of the
Yugoslav Military there were 16 Croats compared to only 2 Serbs. There
was absolutely no Serb domination in Yugoslavia when the country broke
apart.
Professor Markovic explained the origins of this propaganda about Serb
domination. He traced it back to Soviet attempts to destabilize and
take-over Yugoslavia. He said that the Soviet Union had a plan to take
over Yugoslavia and annex it to the USSR.
The Soviet plan called for turning the other Yugoslav nationalities
against the Serbs (the biggest group in Yugoslavia) by putting forward
an idea that the Serbs were unfairly dominating the country.
Markovic said that the Soviet plan called for supporting nationalistic
and secessionist groups, which would invariably arise in order to
escape the phony Serb domination.
In this way, the Soviets hoped to subdue the biggest part of the
Yugoslav population (the Serbs), by turning the other nationalities
against them. Then, once Yugoslavia’s unity was destroyed and the Serbs
were subdued, the USSR could walk in and take-over.
The Soviets never saw their plan bear fruit, but the Germans and the
Americans did what the Soviets failed to do. They managed to destroy
Yugoslavia by precisely the method laid-out in the Soviet plan.
Professor Markovic laid the thesis to rest that Milosevic had
abolished Kosovo’s autonomy in 1989. Markovic pointed out that the
constitutional changes that were adopted preserved Kosovo’s autonomy,
and that those changes were agreed to by the Kosovo assembly, and by
all of the other republics in Yugoslavia.
Markovic gave the results of the vote in the Kosovo Assembly when the
constitutional changes were adopted. 180 out of 190 deputies were
present, 10 voted against, 4 abstained, and 166 voted in favor of
adopting the constitutional changes.
Professor Markovic was an eye witness to Milosevic’s famous 1989
speech in Kosovo. Many anti-Serb propagandists, including Mr. Nice,
have manipulated and told lies about this speech, but Markovic’s
testimony puts those people in their place.
Markovic testified that it was not a nationalistic speech, and that it
did not incite ethnic intolerance. In fact that the speech did the
opposite; the professor testified that the speech called for
brotherhood and unity among the peoples of Yugoslavia.
In order to prove the tolerant nature of the speech, Milosevic read
out excerpts from the speech and asked Professor Markovic to comment on
them. Milosevic also provided the tribunal with the english translation
of the speech (which he obtained from www.slobodan-milosevic.org).
Milosevic also tendered a video tape of the speech in to evidence.
Professor Markovic, who played an important role in defining the
ideology of the Socialist Party of Serbia in the early 1990s, testified
that there were more than 50,000 non-Serbian members of the SPS.
Markovic who is one of the drafters of the SPS platform, and a former
vice-president of the party, cited internal party documents which show
that the SPS and its leadership desired a political solution to the
Kosovo crisis, and always insisted on full equality and rights for
Kosovo’s Albanian population in spite of the problems with Albanian
terrorism.
Markovic said that Milosevic, far from espousing any ideas about
greater Serbia, would not even let the SPS expand outside of Serbia’s
borders. In spite of the fact that the SDA (Bosnian-Muslim Party of
Democratic Action) was allowed to establish branches in Serbia,
primarily in the Raska district (Sandzak).
Markovic categorized the Hague Tribunal’s indictment against Milosevic
as being untrue and illogical. Markovic observed that Milosevic was not
a dictator, and that Serbia’s ethnic make-up remains the same today as
it was in the 1970s, which is something that other former-Yugoslav
republics can not say.
Professor Markovic’s examination was very successful for Milosevic.
The fact that so much important evidence was brought forward in only
one day proves that Slobodan Milosevic is the only one competent to
lead his defense. Mr. Kay never would have done such a good job.
It is even more amazing that President Milosevic managed to elicit all
of this evidence in spite of frequent interruptions and harassment both
from the Judges and from Mr. Nice.
President Milosevic managed to conclude his examination-in-chief by
the end of the day. Markovic will continue his testimony tomorrow with
cross-examination from Mr. Nice.
=== 4 ===
MR. NICE CROSS-EXAMINES PROFESSOR MARKOVIC
www.slobodan-milosevic.org - November 17, 2004
Written by: Andy Wilcoxson
Professor Mihajlo Markovic was cross-examined by prosecutor Geoffrey
Nice in the Hague Tribunal's proceedings against Slobodan Milosevic
today.
Mr. Nice was remarkably unprepared for the task of cross-examination.
Mr. Nice wanted to question Markovic about articles and papers that he
had written, but he didn't have the texts of the documents. What Mr.
Nice attempted to do instead was pass off what somebody else had
written about Markovic's writings as if that material was what Markovic
had written.
Mr. Nice's cross-examination was so sloppy that it drew a rare rebuke
from Judge Bonamy, who accused the prosecutor of wasting time.
Mr. Nice was completely unable to discredit any of Markovic's
testimony. Mr. Nice failed miserably in all of his attempts to use
Markovic's testimony as a vehicle to incriminate Milosevic. In fact,
Mr. Nice's cross-examination only brought out more details that favored
Milosevic.
Markovic testified in cross-examination that Milosevic opened the doors
to freedom of speech in Serbia. Markovic noted that the League of
Communists under Ivan Stambolic had pursued what he called a "witch
hunt" against the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Professor Markovic said that Milosevic ushered in a new era of free
speech and democracy in Serbia. He testified that Milosevic ended the
witch hunt against Serbian intellectuals, that Milosevic abolished laws
pertaining to so-called "verbal crimes," and that Milosevic freed all
political prisoners who were held by the communists.
Mr. Nice, realizing that his cross-examination was in a shambles,
turned his attention to Kosovo and asked the witness if tanks had been
sent in to Kosovo in order to intimidate deputies in the Kosovo
assembly to vote for the constitutional changes that were adopted in
1989. Markovic refuted the testimony of an earlier prosecution
witnesses and said that there were no tanks.
Un-phased by the fact that the complete texts of both, the 1986
memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences and Milosevic's
1989 speech at Gazimestan, had been provided and extensively quoted
from the previous day Mr. Nice none-the-less tried to manipulate these
documents.
For example, Nice quoted an article from an obscure Slovenian newspaper
that reported negatively on Milosevic's 1989 speech. Nice treated the
newspaper's opinion about the speech as if it were a better indicator
of the speech's content than the actual transcript of the speech itself.
Markovic answered Nice's intellectually dishonest questions with poise
and dignity. Markovic simply quoted from the memorandum and the speech,
and all of Nice's attempts to obscure the truth were defeated.
The only time that professor Markovic showed the slightest hint of
anger towards Mr. Nice, was when Nice made the absurd suggestion that
the Serbs were "provoking" the Albanians by celebrating the 600th
anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, as if the Serbs have no right to
commemorate the anniversary of a significant event in their history.
Mr. Nice's cross-examination was so ineffective that Milosevic didn't
have the need to ask a single question in re-examination.
But to be fair, Mr. Nice was at a major disadvantage. First of all,
professor Markovic is clearly much smarter than Mr. Nice. This fact was
demonstrated repeatedly over the course of the cross-examination, Nice
repeatedly tried to confuse and trick the witness with misleading
questions and was beaten every time.
Secondly, professor Markovic only told the plain and simple truth,
whereas Mr. Nice has the near impossible burden of keeping all of his
lies straight. There was no contest, Mr. Nice never stood a chance.
The only bad thing about what happened today is the fact that Mr. Nice
wasted an entire day of the time allotted for Milosevic's defense case,
which has been limited to a mere 150 days (as opposed to the nearly 300
days that the prosecution was given).
The proceedings have been adjourned until next Monday's late session.
=== 5 ===
IVASHOV AND RYZHKOV TO APPEAR AS DEFENSE WITNESSES AT MILOSEVIC TRIAL
IN HAGUE
RIA Novosti - November 18, 2004
MOSCOW, November 18 (RIA Novosti) - Leonid Ivashov and Nikolai Ryzhkov
are flying on Friday to The Hague to appear as witnesses for defense at
the trial of ex-Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, Leonid Ivashov,
vice-president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, told RIA
Novosti.
"Nikolai Ryzhkov and myself are flying on Friday to The Hague to give
evidence. The current head of Russia's Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, Yevgeny Primakov, will also go to The Hague at the end of the
month," Mr. Ivashov said.
He pointed out that the aim of his appearance at the trial is to give
objective witness evidence about processes that were under way inside
the federal republic of Yugoslavia and around it.
Mr. Ivashov motivated his desire to address the court by the fact that
"on the other side high-profile NATO officials come forward with
statements, exonerating themselves and justifying the aggression. They
demonize Milosevic, the Serbs and the political leadership of
Yugoslavia."
According to him, the Russian representatives will appear in the
courtroom of the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on
Saturday and Sunday.
This week, defense witnesses for the former Yugoslav president resumed
giving evidence. Slobodan Milosevic is accused of genocide in Bosnia
and Herzegovina and crimes against humanity in Croatia and Kosovo. The
first to take the witness stand was Mihail Markovic, who was considered
to be the ideologist of the Socialist Party of Serbia, whose chairman
is still Mr. Milosevic.
Mr. Ivashov took a direct part in efforts to settle the Kosovo crisis
as a representative of Russia's Defense Ministry, while Mr. Ryzhkov
headed the committee of the State Duma (lower house of Russian
parliament) to render assistance to Yugoslavia. Mr. Ivashov repeatedly
visited the country and had meetings with the Yugoslav leadership.
Yevgeny Primakov in March 1999, being Russia's prime minister, turned
back his plane over the Atlantic on which he was flying for a visit to
the United States in protest against the US decision to begin the
bombing of Yugoslavia.
The tribunal in September of this year attempted, contrary to the will
of Mr. Milosevic who was defending himself, to saddle him with a
Western lawyer whose remit included defining defense witnesses, the
nature of evidence, and its interpretation. Following which witnesses
began refusing en masse to testify.
Also refusing to come to The Hague were Russian witnesses for Mr.
Milosevic, since "in those conditions appearance as a defense witness
could be used against Milosevic and did not promote objectivity and
adoption of a just decision," the Russian general indicated.
The resumption of the trial became possible after the court again
allowed the accused to defend himself.
Judge Patrick Robinson said in The Hague last week that Mr. Milosevic
must complete his defense within 150 working days and any
unpremeditated break unconnected with an illness will be included in
this period. Mr. Milosevic indicated that he would demand an extension
of the period concerned, allocated for his defense. He also requested
that former and current western leaders - Bill Clinton, Tony Blair,
Madeleine Albright, Wesley Clark, Gerhard Schroeder and Rudolf
Scharping - be summoned to the trial and heard out.
Story Filed: 2004-11-18 11:51
Copyright 2004 RIA Novosti
Posted for Fair Use only.
(italiano / english)
1. MILOSEVIC: AL TPI PRIMO TESTIMONE DIFESA PER SLOBO (ANSA 16/11/04)
2. Milosevic Wants Clinton to Testify by Christmas
(By Paul Gallagher, Reuters 11/11/04)
..."We're talking about William Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Anthony
Blair, Gerhard Schroeder and Rudolf Scharping in the first group," he
said, also adding retired general Clark, who directed the 1999 NATO
bombing of Serbia, to his list...
3. MILOSEVIC QUESTIONS HIS FIRST DEFENSE WITNESS
(Andy Wilcoxson, 16/11/04)
4. MR. NICE CROSS-EXAMINES PROFESSOR MARKOVIC
(Andy Wilcoxson, 17/11/04)
5. IVASHOV AND RYZHKOV TO APPEAR AS DEFENSE WITNESSES AT MILOSEVIC
TRIAL IN HAGUE
(RIA Novosti - November 18, 2004)
SEE ALSO, on the anti-yugoslav website www.iwpr.net :
MILOSEVIC JUDGES FACE NEW CHALLENGE Appeals chamber's decision to
restore accused's right to defend himself will require judges to
maintain firm control of the trial. By Ana Uzelac in The Hague
IWPR'S TRIBUNAL UPDATE No. 380, November 05, 2004
MILOSEVIC CALLS FOR CLINTON Former Serb leader wants high-profile
witnesses to testify by Christmas. By Alison Freebairn in The Hague
IWPR'S TRIBUNAL UPDATE No. 281, November 14, 2004
=== 1 ===
MILOSEVIC: AL TPI PRIMO TESTIMONE DIFESA PER SLOBO
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 16 NOV - Prima udienza al Tribunale penale
internazionale sull'ex Jugoslavia con Slobodan Milosevic nel ruolo di
'autodifesa': l'ex uomo forte di Belgrado ha oggi rivolto delle domande
a un testimone chiamato a deporre in sua difesa, Mihajlo Markovic,
ideologo del Partito socialista della Serbia. Milosevic ha qualche
settimana fa ottenuto dalla Corte dell'Aja la possibilita' di
difendersi da solo, lasciando da parte i due avvocati d'ufficio, al
termine di un lungo braccio di ferro con i giudici del Tribunale.
Quella iniziata oggi rappresenta ''una nuova era'' per l'imputato, ha
commentato il presidente della Corte, Patrick Robinson, che ha posto
pero' delle severe regole che Milosevic dovra' rispettare nei suoi
interrogatori. ''Voi non avete il diritto di porre domande che inducano
ad una risposta, i testimoni devono portare le prove di cio' che
dicono, voi non potete fare dei discorsi'', ha messo in guardia
Robinson, rivolgendosi all'imputato. Nelle domande che ha posto a
Markovic, Milosevic ha in sostanza cercato di far emergere la tesi che
le ''crisi'' che si sono succedute in Jugoslavia negli anni '90 sono
state la diretta conseguenza delle tendenze separatiste messe in moto
dai croati, dagli sloveni e dagli albanesi. Milosevic e' accusato dal
Tpi di genocidio, crimini contro l'umanita' e crimini di guerra per le
sue responsabilita' nei conflitti esplosi in Jugoslavia nei primi anni
'90. (ANSA) RIG 16/11/2004 19:24
=== 2 ===
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=564&e=2&u=/nm/
20041111/ts_nm/milosevic_dc
Reuters - November 11, 2004
Milosevic Wants Clinton to Testify by Christmas
By Paul Gallagher
AMSTERDAM - Slobodan Milosevic called on judges to
subpoena former U.S. President Bill Clinton and
British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday, saying
he would like them to testify at his war crimes trial
by Christmas.
The former Yugoslav president, charged with genocide,
crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Balkans
in the 1990s, opened his defense in August in what is
seen as Europe's most significant war crimes trial
since the end of World War II.
Milosevic asked for The Hague tribunal to also summon
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, former German
Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping, former Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright and retired U.S. General
Wesley Clark.
"We're talking about William Clinton, Madeleine
Albright, Anthony Blair, Gerhard Schroeder and Rudolf
Scharping in the first group," he said, also adding
retired general Clark, who directed the 1999 NATO
bombing of Serbia, to his list.
"I would ask you to issue an order now for them to be
heard if possible before the Christmas recess,"
Milosevic said.
Milosevic, who has been on trial in The Hague since
February 2002 charged with ethnic cleansing in
Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo, said he had done the
groundwork by sending letters to embassies and
providing clarification when asked why he wanted the
witnesses to give evidence during his defense case.
"By conclusive action it has been shown that they are
not willing to appear," Milosevic told the trial's
three judges in a webcast of a hearing at the U.N.
tribunal.
KEY LEADERS
Presiding judge Patrick Robinson said he would not
issue a subpoena unless Milosevic submitted his
request in writing.
"You must make a written submission setting out the
circumstances which show that they are unwilling to
come and setting out the evidence you want them to
give," he said. (...)
Milosevic won back the right to lead his own defense
earlier this month in an appeal against a decision by
judges in September to appoint two lawyers to manage
and present his case to prevent trial delays due to
his ill health.
Milosevic, who has described himself as a peacemaker
in the Balkans and does not recognize the court, has
dismissed the charges he faces as politically
motivated "lies" and declined to enter a plea. Pleas
of not guilty were entered on his behalf.
=== 3 ===
MILOSEVIC QUESTIONS HIS FIRST DEFENSE WITNESS
www.slobodan-milosevic.org - November 16, 2004
Written by: Andy Wilcoxson
Slobodan Milosevic questioned his first defense witness at the Hague
tribunal on Tuesday. The witness, Mihajlo Markovic, a Serbian social
sciences professor, testified about a number of topics, including a
1986 draft memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences,
which he helped to write.
A number anti-Serb propagandists, including the ICTY prosecution, have
taken bits and pieces of this incomplete memorandum out of context, and
tried to twist it into being some sort of platform for virulent Serbian
nationalism.
The professor put a great many manipulations concerning this
memorandum to bed. The memorandum explicitly states that all of the
nationalities in Yugoslavia had to be equal. It stipulated that
Yugoslavia could only survive if the principle of equality among
peoples was respected.
The memorandum stated on a number of occasions that human rights and
high democratic standards had to be rigorously adhered to.
In the context of the need for equality and human rights for everybody
in Yugoslavia, the memorandum made note of the dire situation of
Kosovo’s non-Albanian population, and observed that in the 1980s (much
as today) the human rights of Kosovo’s non-Albanian population was not
respected. The memorandum condemned the ethnic discrimination as being
unacceptable anywhere in Yugoslavia.
Markovic destroyed any idea that the Albanian secessionism in Kosovo
is the result of any of Milosevic’s politics. Markovic pointed out that
Albanian secessionists attempted an insurrection in 1968 and that Tito
had to send in the Army to quell it. He also pointed out that there
were other secessionist outbursts by Albanians in Kosovo in the early
and mid-1980s; before Milosevic ever came to power.
Markovic pointed out that each time the Kosovo-Albanian secessionists
ramped up their activities, the non-Albanian population was subjected
to increased pressure and violence which, already before Milosevic came
to power, had led to an exodus of tens of thousands of non-Albanians
from Kosovo. He pointed out that this expulsion of non-Albanians is
what gave rise to the term “ethnic cleansing” in the first place.
In addition to Albanian secessionism in Kosovo, Markovic testified
about Slovenian and Croatian secessionism. He pointed out that these
secessionist movements also began before Milosevic ever came on the
scene.
Markovic testified that Slovenia had already made up its mind to leave
Yugoslavia in the mid-1980s. He spoke of a conference that he attended
in Ljubljana in 1985 where eminent figures in Slovenian intellegencia
and politics were already saying that “Yugoslavia was dead,” and that
Slovenia only regarded Yugoslavia as “a transit station.”
Markovic noted that a Croatian secessionist movement was already well
underway with the so-called “mass national movement” in 1971.
Markovic spoke of the HDZ’s 1990 congress. He said that secession was
already foremost on the HDZ agenda, and that approximately 100 former
members of the Ustasha attended the HDZ congress.
Markovic destroyed the idea that Yugoslavia collapsed because it was
dominated by Serbs. In fact the witness observed that the opposite was
true. Serbs, who were the largest ethnic group, were under represented
in Yugoslavia.
At the time of Yugoslavia’s dissolution, in the early 1990s, the Prime
Minister of Yugoslavia was a Croat, the Defense Minister was half
Croat, the Foreign Minister was a Croat, and the President of the
Presidency of Yugoslavia was a Croat. In the top echelons of the
Yugoslav Military there were 16 Croats compared to only 2 Serbs. There
was absolutely no Serb domination in Yugoslavia when the country broke
apart.
Professor Markovic explained the origins of this propaganda about Serb
domination. He traced it back to Soviet attempts to destabilize and
take-over Yugoslavia. He said that the Soviet Union had a plan to take
over Yugoslavia and annex it to the USSR.
The Soviet plan called for turning the other Yugoslav nationalities
against the Serbs (the biggest group in Yugoslavia) by putting forward
an idea that the Serbs were unfairly dominating the country.
Markovic said that the Soviet plan called for supporting nationalistic
and secessionist groups, which would invariably arise in order to
escape the phony Serb domination.
In this way, the Soviets hoped to subdue the biggest part of the
Yugoslav population (the Serbs), by turning the other nationalities
against them. Then, once Yugoslavia’s unity was destroyed and the Serbs
were subdued, the USSR could walk in and take-over.
The Soviets never saw their plan bear fruit, but the Germans and the
Americans did what the Soviets failed to do. They managed to destroy
Yugoslavia by precisely the method laid-out in the Soviet plan.
Professor Markovic laid the thesis to rest that Milosevic had
abolished Kosovo’s autonomy in 1989. Markovic pointed out that the
constitutional changes that were adopted preserved Kosovo’s autonomy,
and that those changes were agreed to by the Kosovo assembly, and by
all of the other republics in Yugoslavia.
Markovic gave the results of the vote in the Kosovo Assembly when the
constitutional changes were adopted. 180 out of 190 deputies were
present, 10 voted against, 4 abstained, and 166 voted in favor of
adopting the constitutional changes.
Professor Markovic was an eye witness to Milosevic’s famous 1989
speech in Kosovo. Many anti-Serb propagandists, including Mr. Nice,
have manipulated and told lies about this speech, but Markovic’s
testimony puts those people in their place.
Markovic testified that it was not a nationalistic speech, and that it
did not incite ethnic intolerance. In fact that the speech did the
opposite; the professor testified that the speech called for
brotherhood and unity among the peoples of Yugoslavia.
In order to prove the tolerant nature of the speech, Milosevic read
out excerpts from the speech and asked Professor Markovic to comment on
them. Milosevic also provided the tribunal with the english translation
of the speech (which he obtained from www.slobodan-milosevic.org).
Milosevic also tendered a video tape of the speech in to evidence.
Professor Markovic, who played an important role in defining the
ideology of the Socialist Party of Serbia in the early 1990s, testified
that there were more than 50,000 non-Serbian members of the SPS.
Markovic who is one of the drafters of the SPS platform, and a former
vice-president of the party, cited internal party documents which show
that the SPS and its leadership desired a political solution to the
Kosovo crisis, and always insisted on full equality and rights for
Kosovo’s Albanian population in spite of the problems with Albanian
terrorism.
Markovic said that Milosevic, far from espousing any ideas about
greater Serbia, would not even let the SPS expand outside of Serbia’s
borders. In spite of the fact that the SDA (Bosnian-Muslim Party of
Democratic Action) was allowed to establish branches in Serbia,
primarily in the Raska district (Sandzak).
Markovic categorized the Hague Tribunal’s indictment against Milosevic
as being untrue and illogical. Markovic observed that Milosevic was not
a dictator, and that Serbia’s ethnic make-up remains the same today as
it was in the 1970s, which is something that other former-Yugoslav
republics can not say.
Professor Markovic’s examination was very successful for Milosevic.
The fact that so much important evidence was brought forward in only
one day proves that Slobodan Milosevic is the only one competent to
lead his defense. Mr. Kay never would have done such a good job.
It is even more amazing that President Milosevic managed to elicit all
of this evidence in spite of frequent interruptions and harassment both
from the Judges and from Mr. Nice.
President Milosevic managed to conclude his examination-in-chief by
the end of the day. Markovic will continue his testimony tomorrow with
cross-examination from Mr. Nice.
=== 4 ===
MR. NICE CROSS-EXAMINES PROFESSOR MARKOVIC
www.slobodan-milosevic.org - November 17, 2004
Written by: Andy Wilcoxson
Professor Mihajlo Markovic was cross-examined by prosecutor Geoffrey
Nice in the Hague Tribunal's proceedings against Slobodan Milosevic
today.
Mr. Nice was remarkably unprepared for the task of cross-examination.
Mr. Nice wanted to question Markovic about articles and papers that he
had written, but he didn't have the texts of the documents. What Mr.
Nice attempted to do instead was pass off what somebody else had
written about Markovic's writings as if that material was what Markovic
had written.
Mr. Nice's cross-examination was so sloppy that it drew a rare rebuke
from Judge Bonamy, who accused the prosecutor of wasting time.
Mr. Nice was completely unable to discredit any of Markovic's
testimony. Mr. Nice failed miserably in all of his attempts to use
Markovic's testimony as a vehicle to incriminate Milosevic. In fact,
Mr. Nice's cross-examination only brought out more details that favored
Milosevic.
Markovic testified in cross-examination that Milosevic opened the doors
to freedom of speech in Serbia. Markovic noted that the League of
Communists under Ivan Stambolic had pursued what he called a "witch
hunt" against the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Professor Markovic said that Milosevic ushered in a new era of free
speech and democracy in Serbia. He testified that Milosevic ended the
witch hunt against Serbian intellectuals, that Milosevic abolished laws
pertaining to so-called "verbal crimes," and that Milosevic freed all
political prisoners who were held by the communists.
Mr. Nice, realizing that his cross-examination was in a shambles,
turned his attention to Kosovo and asked the witness if tanks had been
sent in to Kosovo in order to intimidate deputies in the Kosovo
assembly to vote for the constitutional changes that were adopted in
1989. Markovic refuted the testimony of an earlier prosecution
witnesses and said that there were no tanks.
Un-phased by the fact that the complete texts of both, the 1986
memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences and Milosevic's
1989 speech at Gazimestan, had been provided and extensively quoted
from the previous day Mr. Nice none-the-less tried to manipulate these
documents.
For example, Nice quoted an article from an obscure Slovenian newspaper
that reported negatively on Milosevic's 1989 speech. Nice treated the
newspaper's opinion about the speech as if it were a better indicator
of the speech's content than the actual transcript of the speech itself.
Markovic answered Nice's intellectually dishonest questions with poise
and dignity. Markovic simply quoted from the memorandum and the speech,
and all of Nice's attempts to obscure the truth were defeated.
The only time that professor Markovic showed the slightest hint of
anger towards Mr. Nice, was when Nice made the absurd suggestion that
the Serbs were "provoking" the Albanians by celebrating the 600th
anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, as if the Serbs have no right to
commemorate the anniversary of a significant event in their history.
Mr. Nice's cross-examination was so ineffective that Milosevic didn't
have the need to ask a single question in re-examination.
But to be fair, Mr. Nice was at a major disadvantage. First of all,
professor Markovic is clearly much smarter than Mr. Nice. This fact was
demonstrated repeatedly over the course of the cross-examination, Nice
repeatedly tried to confuse and trick the witness with misleading
questions and was beaten every time.
Secondly, professor Markovic only told the plain and simple truth,
whereas Mr. Nice has the near impossible burden of keeping all of his
lies straight. There was no contest, Mr. Nice never stood a chance.
The only bad thing about what happened today is the fact that Mr. Nice
wasted an entire day of the time allotted for Milosevic's defense case,
which has been limited to a mere 150 days (as opposed to the nearly 300
days that the prosecution was given).
The proceedings have been adjourned until next Monday's late session.
=== 5 ===
IVASHOV AND RYZHKOV TO APPEAR AS DEFENSE WITNESSES AT MILOSEVIC TRIAL
IN HAGUE
RIA Novosti - November 18, 2004
MOSCOW, November 18 (RIA Novosti) - Leonid Ivashov and Nikolai Ryzhkov
are flying on Friday to The Hague to appear as witnesses for defense at
the trial of ex-Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, Leonid Ivashov,
vice-president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, told RIA
Novosti.
"Nikolai Ryzhkov and myself are flying on Friday to The Hague to give
evidence. The current head of Russia's Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, Yevgeny Primakov, will also go to The Hague at the end of the
month," Mr. Ivashov said.
He pointed out that the aim of his appearance at the trial is to give
objective witness evidence about processes that were under way inside
the federal republic of Yugoslavia and around it.
Mr. Ivashov motivated his desire to address the court by the fact that
"on the other side high-profile NATO officials come forward with
statements, exonerating themselves and justifying the aggression. They
demonize Milosevic, the Serbs and the political leadership of
Yugoslavia."
According to him, the Russian representatives will appear in the
courtroom of the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on
Saturday and Sunday.
This week, defense witnesses for the former Yugoslav president resumed
giving evidence. Slobodan Milosevic is accused of genocide in Bosnia
and Herzegovina and crimes against humanity in Croatia and Kosovo. The
first to take the witness stand was Mihail Markovic, who was considered
to be the ideologist of the Socialist Party of Serbia, whose chairman
is still Mr. Milosevic.
Mr. Ivashov took a direct part in efforts to settle the Kosovo crisis
as a representative of Russia's Defense Ministry, while Mr. Ryzhkov
headed the committee of the State Duma (lower house of Russian
parliament) to render assistance to Yugoslavia. Mr. Ivashov repeatedly
visited the country and had meetings with the Yugoslav leadership.
Yevgeny Primakov in March 1999, being Russia's prime minister, turned
back his plane over the Atlantic on which he was flying for a visit to
the United States in protest against the US decision to begin the
bombing of Yugoslavia.
The tribunal in September of this year attempted, contrary to the will
of Mr. Milosevic who was defending himself, to saddle him with a
Western lawyer whose remit included defining defense witnesses, the
nature of evidence, and its interpretation. Following which witnesses
began refusing en masse to testify.
Also refusing to come to The Hague were Russian witnesses for Mr.
Milosevic, since "in those conditions appearance as a defense witness
could be used against Milosevic and did not promote objectivity and
adoption of a just decision," the Russian general indicated.
The resumption of the trial became possible after the court again
allowed the accused to defend himself.
Judge Patrick Robinson said in The Hague last week that Mr. Milosevic
must complete his defense within 150 working days and any
unpremeditated break unconnected with an illness will be included in
this period. Mr. Milosevic indicated that he would demand an extension
of the period concerned, allocated for his defense. He also requested
that former and current western leaders - Bill Clinton, Tony Blair,
Madeleine Albright, Wesley Clark, Gerhard Schroeder and Rudolf
Scharping - be summoned to the trial and heard out.
Story Filed: 2004-11-18 11:51
Copyright 2004 RIA Novosti
Posted for Fair Use only.
