Informazione
*** Kosmet: privatizing the State-owned enterprises ***
About the privatizations and the robbery of refugees properties see
also:
Vecernje Novosti Daily: Billions given to Albanians as gift
(by Z. Aracki)
http://www.kosovo.com/erpkim16apr03.html#4
Vecernje Novine Daily: Ancestral homes not for sale
(by D. Damjanovic)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/74440
===
ERP KIM Newsletter 15-04-03b
http://www.kosovo.com/erpkim15apr03b.html
STOP TO ROBBERY OF SERBIAN PROPERTY
If an additional 20 billion in state-owned property is taken from it
by the Albanians, it turns out that Serbia has thrown billions down
the river. No one normal in the world would allow this and neither
will we, says Engineer Dragan Markovic, the long-term director of
"Elektro Kosmet"
Vecernje Novosti Daily, Belgrade
April 13, 2003
By Dragan Damjanovic
(photo: the power plant in Obilic)
PRISTINA - "Tenders cannot be published for about 400 socially
owned firms in Kosovo and Metohija until the expelled Serbs
and Montenegrins who used to work in them return. No one,
except the state, has the right to sell someone else's property as
their own; consequently, UNMIK, KFOR and the Kosovo Government must
stop the announced privatization of collectives in the Province." This
excerpt from a letter from the world association of syndicate workers
with over 130 million members was sent to the aforementioned Pristina
addresses. Blazo Milosavljevic, the chair of the Union of Syndicates
of Kosovo and Metohija, informed reporters in Kosovska Mitrovica of
the fact, adding that representatives of the world syndicate would
arrive in the Province next week.
UNMIK's decree on privatization legalizes the usurpation of Serbian
firms in the Province. According to Goran Bogdanovic, minister in the
Kosovo Government and member of the board of directors of the trust
agency, so far 16 firms have been commercialized, including "Progres"
in Prizren, "Sar" in Djeneral Jankovic, "Pivara" in Pec... where
approximately 5,000 are employed, and not one Serb or Montenegrin.
SERBIA "THREW AWAY" BILLIONS
In addition to the previously mentioned 400 socially owned firms and
75 corporations, Serbia contributed 60 percent of the total investment
in the Fund for Underdeveloped [Regions] and Kosmet [Kosovo and
Metohija]. Four years ago, these firms were turned over to UNMIK for
administration, says Engineer Dragan Markovic, the long-term director
of "Elektro Kosmet". At the same time, the state suffered damage
because of the Albanians during the bombing of almost 30 billion
dollars. If an additional 20 billion in state-owned property is taken
from it by the Albanians, it turns out that Serbia has thrown billions
down the river. No one normal in the world would allow this and
neither will we.
An increasing number of Kosmet businessmen, Serbs and Montenegrins, as
well as Bosniacs, Turks and Goranis, is convinced that the announced
privatization is the product of "Steiner's haste" due to promises
given to the Albanians, as well as deferment of accumulated problems.
This would serve to fulfill at least part of what was promised to the
Albanians, while the Serbs and Montenegrins, instead of talks on
returns, need to be further subjected to this suffering, too.
"If Mr. Steiner's message is that it is too early to decide on the
final status of Kosovo, while at the same time transferring some of
his authorities to provincial provisional institutions, then it is not
too early to begin defining what belongs to whom in this province,"
says Arif Sulja, a Gorani businessman from Prizren. Sulja, like other
businessmen, believes that it would come as no surprise if other
former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as
for "their piece of the pie" upon launching tenders in the province.
Macedonia alone, for example, invested millions of German marks in the
construction of a TE Kosovo block for the use of the Skopje steel
plant.
YUGOSLAVIA ALSO INVESTED
(photo: Trepca smelting plant in Zvecan, near Kosovska Mitrovica)
Firms in the province were built by the former Yugoslavia;
consequently, it is impossible to calculate at this time how much of
the Yugoslav budget went into the Pristina till. Data indicates that
Serbia earmarked a fifth of its foreign debt for a budget from which
money was withdrawn for the construction of Kosmet firms.
"A lot was invested here. Instead of working in those firms, today
Albanians are working in commerce: smuggling drugs, weapons, white
slaves, various goods... Unemployment is close to 70 percent. The
giant "Trepca", which once employed 12,000 people, has stopped all
operations since it was taken over by KFOR on August 14, 2000. The
same thing happened with "Feronikal" and other big firms," stresses
Engineer Radomir Kilibarda, a respected businessman.
Stopping work at "Trepca" included stopping work at all 13 of its
mines, the lead and zinc smelting plant and the battery factory in
Kosovska Mitrovica.
"There are some indications that the English, who held Trepca prior to
World War II, are interested in continuing its operations," emphasizes
Engineer Branislav Kokeric, one of the former directors. He adds that
there are also rumors that it has also attracted the attention of some
businessman from Germany, so it's not hard to determine why the head
of the UNMIK administration is hurrying into privatization.
Even though something huge is brewing in Kosmet, say the Serb and
Montenegrin businessmen, it is nevertheless important that the
representatives of the world syndicate have understood that
state-owned property cannot belong to everyone, especially not those
who worked on destroying the state and today seek in that state, on
its territory and with its money to create their own state and fill
their own pockets.
NO JOBS
"Approximately 50,000 Serbs and Montenegrins formerly employed in
Kosmet lack basic means of sustenance today. These are primarily heads
of households where few people in the family are working," says Blazo
Milosavljevic, the chair of the Union of Syndicates of Kosmet. He adds
that some of the workers, thanks to the Serbian Government's
assistance, are receiving part of their wages as if they were working,
while many are considered to be temporarily laid off (na sistemu
cekanja).
PLAN
According to Goran Bogdanovic, in its plan UNMIK foresees the
privatization of all 400 state-owned firms in the province which once
employed 130,000 people. According to UNMIK, this change is to occur
through transformation, redistribution of the means of production and
reorganization.
Translation by S.L.
===
+++SERBEN ZUM VERKAUF IHRER HÄUSER GEZWUNGEN
BELGRAD. In der serbischen Provinz Kosovo und Metochien wurden seit
der Besatzung durch die NATO mehr als 15 000 Immobilien serbischer
Vertriebener an die ethnischen Albaner verkauft. Die UN-Mission in der
serbischen Provinz bezeichnet diese Verkäufe als "freiwillig". Das
Leben und Eigentum serbischer Vertriebener wird weder von der
UN-Polizei noch von den NATO-Soldaten geschützt und so sind die
vertriebenen Serben gezwungen ihren Eigentum an die ethnischen Albaner
zu verkaufen.
Trotz dieser Verkäufe besitzen die Serben immer noch 62% an Grund und
Boden in Kosovo und Metochien. STIMME KOSOVOS+++
Balkan-Telegramm 5/3/2003 - www.amselfeld.com
===
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2836447.stm
BBC Business News
March 10, 2003
UN plans Kosovo asset sell-off
By Stefan Armbruster
BBC News Online business reporter
Of about 350 socially-owned enterprises (SOEs) - a
type of social ownership unique to the Communist-era
Yugoslavia - 50 will be sold and another 300 shut
down, Ms Hackaj said.
Kosovo's UN-run administration is preparing the first
privatisation of the protectorate's assets, but admits
that it does not know their worth.
The sales, which have been opposed by Serbia and local
trade unions, are described by the UN Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) as vital for
restarting the economy.
"We need to move the economy on, and the sales are
covered by (UN) resolution number 1244," UNMIK
spokeswoman Sarah Hackaj told BBC News Online.
Of about 350 socially-owned enterprises (SOEs) - a
type of social ownership unique to the Communist-era
Yugoslavia - 50 will be sold and another 300 shut
down, Ms Hackaj said.
She said the UN had no valuations for the assets,
which would be "left up to the market".
Kosovo is one of the poorest regions of Europe, the
majority of the working population is unemployed and
foreign donor support has dwindled in recent years.
Belgrade's opposition
Western analysts say the privatisation is vital for
attracting investment to reinvigorate the economy
after years of neglect by the former Yugoslav
government.
In June last year, Serbia asked the UN Security
Council to suspend the privatisation programme in
Kosovo because of lack of consultation with Belgrade.
Legally, Kosovo remains a part of Serbia.
Belgrade has said it does not oppose privatisations
but wants Serbian interests to be protected.
The Serbian Government is particularly concerned about
$1.4bn in international debts it has guaranteed but
are owed by Kosovo's businesses.
A special chamber of the Kosovo Supreme Court will
deal with any outstanding claims and ownership
disputes.
"They (Serbia) would have to go through the special
chamber," Ms Hackaj said.
Land rights
The sale of six companies, which were to have been
advertised this week, have been delayed because the UN
in New York has not passed special "land use"
regulations covering disputed or unclear titles.
"The regulation will allow people to use land, but if
there is no clear law which allow us to sell to
private businesses, then the whole process is
pointless," Ms Hackaj said.
"Once the regulation has been approved, it will be
full-steam ahead with the advertisements."
The six businesses are described as medium-size
businesses, with about 100 employees, in sectors
ranging from brickworks to refrigeration.
Kosovo became a UN protectorate in June 1999 after an
11 week bombing campaign by Nato led to a Serbian
withdrawal.
While the province remains part of the union of Serbia
and Montenegro, its majority-Albanian population is
seeking independence.
More companies are expected to be offered for sale
later this year.
About the privatizations and the robbery of refugees properties see
also:
Vecernje Novosti Daily: Billions given to Albanians as gift
(by Z. Aracki)
http://www.kosovo.com/erpkim16apr03.html#4
Vecernje Novine Daily: Ancestral homes not for sale
(by D. Damjanovic)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/74440
===
ERP KIM Newsletter 15-04-03b
http://www.kosovo.com/erpkim15apr03b.html
STOP TO ROBBERY OF SERBIAN PROPERTY
If an additional 20 billion in state-owned property is taken from it
by the Albanians, it turns out that Serbia has thrown billions down
the river. No one normal in the world would allow this and neither
will we, says Engineer Dragan Markovic, the long-term director of
"Elektro Kosmet"
Vecernje Novosti Daily, Belgrade
April 13, 2003
By Dragan Damjanovic
(photo: the power plant in Obilic)
PRISTINA - "Tenders cannot be published for about 400 socially
owned firms in Kosovo and Metohija until the expelled Serbs
and Montenegrins who used to work in them return. No one,
except the state, has the right to sell someone else's property as
their own; consequently, UNMIK, KFOR and the Kosovo Government must
stop the announced privatization of collectives in the Province." This
excerpt from a letter from the world association of syndicate workers
with over 130 million members was sent to the aforementioned Pristina
addresses. Blazo Milosavljevic, the chair of the Union of Syndicates
of Kosovo and Metohija, informed reporters in Kosovska Mitrovica of
the fact, adding that representatives of the world syndicate would
arrive in the Province next week.
UNMIK's decree on privatization legalizes the usurpation of Serbian
firms in the Province. According to Goran Bogdanovic, minister in the
Kosovo Government and member of the board of directors of the trust
agency, so far 16 firms have been commercialized, including "Progres"
in Prizren, "Sar" in Djeneral Jankovic, "Pivara" in Pec... where
approximately 5,000 are employed, and not one Serb or Montenegrin.
SERBIA "THREW AWAY" BILLIONS
In addition to the previously mentioned 400 socially owned firms and
75 corporations, Serbia contributed 60 percent of the total investment
in the Fund for Underdeveloped [Regions] and Kosmet [Kosovo and
Metohija]. Four years ago, these firms were turned over to UNMIK for
administration, says Engineer Dragan Markovic, the long-term director
of "Elektro Kosmet". At the same time, the state suffered damage
because of the Albanians during the bombing of almost 30 billion
dollars. If an additional 20 billion in state-owned property is taken
from it by the Albanians, it turns out that Serbia has thrown billions
down the river. No one normal in the world would allow this and
neither will we.
An increasing number of Kosmet businessmen, Serbs and Montenegrins, as
well as Bosniacs, Turks and Goranis, is convinced that the announced
privatization is the product of "Steiner's haste" due to promises
given to the Albanians, as well as deferment of accumulated problems.
This would serve to fulfill at least part of what was promised to the
Albanians, while the Serbs and Montenegrins, instead of talks on
returns, need to be further subjected to this suffering, too.
"If Mr. Steiner's message is that it is too early to decide on the
final status of Kosovo, while at the same time transferring some of
his authorities to provincial provisional institutions, then it is not
too early to begin defining what belongs to whom in this province,"
says Arif Sulja, a Gorani businessman from Prizren. Sulja, like other
businessmen, believes that it would come as no surprise if other
former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as
for "their piece of the pie" upon launching tenders in the province.
Macedonia alone, for example, invested millions of German marks in the
construction of a TE Kosovo block for the use of the Skopje steel
plant.
YUGOSLAVIA ALSO INVESTED
(photo: Trepca smelting plant in Zvecan, near Kosovska Mitrovica)
Firms in the province were built by the former Yugoslavia;
consequently, it is impossible to calculate at this time how much of
the Yugoslav budget went into the Pristina till. Data indicates that
Serbia earmarked a fifth of its foreign debt for a budget from which
money was withdrawn for the construction of Kosmet firms.
"A lot was invested here. Instead of working in those firms, today
Albanians are working in commerce: smuggling drugs, weapons, white
slaves, various goods... Unemployment is close to 70 percent. The
giant "Trepca", which once employed 12,000 people, has stopped all
operations since it was taken over by KFOR on August 14, 2000. The
same thing happened with "Feronikal" and other big firms," stresses
Engineer Radomir Kilibarda, a respected businessman.
Stopping work at "Trepca" included stopping work at all 13 of its
mines, the lead and zinc smelting plant and the battery factory in
Kosovska Mitrovica.
"There are some indications that the English, who held Trepca prior to
World War II, are interested in continuing its operations," emphasizes
Engineer Branislav Kokeric, one of the former directors. He adds that
there are also rumors that it has also attracted the attention of some
businessman from Germany, so it's not hard to determine why the head
of the UNMIK administration is hurrying into privatization.
Even though something huge is brewing in Kosmet, say the Serb and
Montenegrin businessmen, it is nevertheless important that the
representatives of the world syndicate have understood that
state-owned property cannot belong to everyone, especially not those
who worked on destroying the state and today seek in that state, on
its territory and with its money to create their own state and fill
their own pockets.
NO JOBS
"Approximately 50,000 Serbs and Montenegrins formerly employed in
Kosmet lack basic means of sustenance today. These are primarily heads
of households where few people in the family are working," says Blazo
Milosavljevic, the chair of the Union of Syndicates of Kosmet. He adds
that some of the workers, thanks to the Serbian Government's
assistance, are receiving part of their wages as if they were working,
while many are considered to be temporarily laid off (na sistemu
cekanja).
PLAN
According to Goran Bogdanovic, in its plan UNMIK foresees the
privatization of all 400 state-owned firms in the province which once
employed 130,000 people. According to UNMIK, this change is to occur
through transformation, redistribution of the means of production and
reorganization.
Translation by S.L.
===
+++SERBEN ZUM VERKAUF IHRER HÄUSER GEZWUNGEN
BELGRAD. In der serbischen Provinz Kosovo und Metochien wurden seit
der Besatzung durch die NATO mehr als 15 000 Immobilien serbischer
Vertriebener an die ethnischen Albaner verkauft. Die UN-Mission in der
serbischen Provinz bezeichnet diese Verkäufe als "freiwillig". Das
Leben und Eigentum serbischer Vertriebener wird weder von der
UN-Polizei noch von den NATO-Soldaten geschützt und so sind die
vertriebenen Serben gezwungen ihren Eigentum an die ethnischen Albaner
zu verkaufen.
Trotz dieser Verkäufe besitzen die Serben immer noch 62% an Grund und
Boden in Kosovo und Metochien. STIMME KOSOVOS+++
Balkan-Telegramm 5/3/2003 - www.amselfeld.com
===
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2836447.stm
BBC Business News
March 10, 2003
UN plans Kosovo asset sell-off
By Stefan Armbruster
BBC News Online business reporter
Of about 350 socially-owned enterprises (SOEs) - a
type of social ownership unique to the Communist-era
Yugoslavia - 50 will be sold and another 300 shut
down, Ms Hackaj said.
Kosovo's UN-run administration is preparing the first
privatisation of the protectorate's assets, but admits
that it does not know their worth.
The sales, which have been opposed by Serbia and local
trade unions, are described by the UN Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) as vital for
restarting the economy.
"We need to move the economy on, and the sales are
covered by (UN) resolution number 1244," UNMIK
spokeswoman Sarah Hackaj told BBC News Online.
Of about 350 socially-owned enterprises (SOEs) - a
type of social ownership unique to the Communist-era
Yugoslavia - 50 will be sold and another 300 shut
down, Ms Hackaj said.
She said the UN had no valuations for the assets,
which would be "left up to the market".
Kosovo is one of the poorest regions of Europe, the
majority of the working population is unemployed and
foreign donor support has dwindled in recent years.
Belgrade's opposition
Western analysts say the privatisation is vital for
attracting investment to reinvigorate the economy
after years of neglect by the former Yugoslav
government.
In June last year, Serbia asked the UN Security
Council to suspend the privatisation programme in
Kosovo because of lack of consultation with Belgrade.
Legally, Kosovo remains a part of Serbia.
Belgrade has said it does not oppose privatisations
but wants Serbian interests to be protected.
The Serbian Government is particularly concerned about
$1.4bn in international debts it has guaranteed but
are owed by Kosovo's businesses.
A special chamber of the Kosovo Supreme Court will
deal with any outstanding claims and ownership
disputes.
"They (Serbia) would have to go through the special
chamber," Ms Hackaj said.
Land rights
The sale of six companies, which were to have been
advertised this week, have been delayed because the UN
in New York has not passed special "land use"
regulations covering disputed or unclear titles.
"The regulation will allow people to use land, but if
there is no clear law which allow us to sell to
private businesses, then the whole process is
pointless," Ms Hackaj said.
"Once the regulation has been approved, it will be
full-steam ahead with the advertisements."
The six businesses are described as medium-size
businesses, with about 100 employees, in sectors
ranging from brickworks to refrigeration.
Kosovo became a UN protectorate in June 1999 after an
11 week bombing campaign by Nato led to a Serbian
withdrawal.
While the province remains part of the union of Serbia
and Montenegro, its majority-Albanian population is
seeking independence.
More companies are expected to be offered for sale
later this year.
Rapporto UNEP sull'U238 in Bosnia (italiano / english / deutsch)
Dopo piu' di sette anni dai fatti l'agenzia ONU per l'ambiente UNEP ha
confermato la persistenza di contaminazione da uranio "impoverito"
(U238 o DU) in Bosnia-Erzegovina.
Ricordiamo che la presenza di U238 sul terreno e' dovuta ai
bombardamenti sulla Repubblica Serba di Bosnia, effettuati da aerei
NATO partiti da basi in territorio italiano allo scopo di imporre
condizioni favorevoli alla parte croato-musulmana nei futuri accordi
di pace di Dayton.
Per inciso, quanto avvenuto in Bosnia e poi in Serbia-Montenegro
rispetto alle armi all'U238 e' poca cosa se paragonato ai micidiali
bombardamenti che gli occidentali hanno effettuato in Iraq, gia' nel
1991 e poi di nuovo massicciamente nei giorni scorsi. Il nostro
pensiero va dunque innanzitutto alla popolazione dell'Iraq vittima
degli stessi interessi e delle stesse pratiche criminali usate dai
paesi della NATO.
CNJ
=== RAPPORTO UNEP REPORT ===
Depleted Uranium Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment
http://www.unep.org/Documents/
Default.asp?DocumentID=309&ArticleID=3952
DU contamination found in Bosnia and Herzegovina
http://www.unep.org/Documents/
Default.asp?DocumentID=298&ArticleID=3926
UNEP final report on DU in Bosnia and Herzeg. (23/3/03)
http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/BiH_DU_report.pdf
FYI:
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina, March 25, 2003 (ENS) - For the first
time, a United Nations research team has confirmed that depleted
uranium from weapons used in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994 and 1995
has contaminated local supplies of drinking water, and can still be
found in dust particles suspended in the air. Depleted uranium is
used in armour penetrating military ordinance because of its high
density, and also in the manufacture of defensive armor plate.
Check
http://www.mapcruzin.com/news/war032503a.htm
for full articleand links to UNEP report.
===
PRC: VENDOLA, DOVE SONO CADUTE BOMBE URANIO IN BOSNIA?
(ANSA) - ROMA, 11 FEB - Ad oggi non sono stati ancora
resi noti i punti di caduta anche se questi dati risultano
dai rapporti di volo dei piloti che hanno effettuato i raids
partendo soprattutto dalla base di Aviano. E' il quesito
che Nichi Vendola (Prc) rivolge in una lettera al
ministro Martino dopo una risposta, ritenuta insoddisfacente,
data ad una sua interrogazione parlamentare. Vendola parla
delle bombe all'uranio impoverito usate in Bosnia e ai relativi
rischi di contaminazione e di malattie per i nostri soldati di
cui si e' interessata anche la commissione Mandelli con
una serie di relazioni.
''E' ovviamente del massimo interesse conoscere a quali
distanze si sono trovati i nostri reparti dai punti di esplosione.
Ritengo davvero importante che al Parlamento sia reso noto
l'elenco di coloro che sono stati presenti in Bosnia unitamente
alle mappe delle localita' interessate all'esposizione al
rischio di contaminazione'' , scrive Vendola.
''Il personale che si reca in transito a Tirana, a
Skopjie, a Valona o in altri luoghi dei Balcani, con
soste magari di un solo giorno o qualche ora, non puo'
essere certamente considerato come esposto a radiazioni
da uranio impoverito e quindi non interessa ovviamente i
calcoli della Relazione Mandelli ed e' percio' estraneo a quanto
da me richiesto nella interrogazione presentata''.
''Ritengo quindi vi sia stata una serie di malintesi e
torno a richiederLe il numero dei militari presenti nelle zone
di esposizione e le localita' che sono state interessate, sempre
con riferimento al personale che non ha adottato misure di
protezione.'' (ANSA). CP 11/02/2003 15:21
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/bosnia/20030211152132470742.html
===
GALILEO - GIORNALE DI SCIENZA E PROBLEMI GLOBALI
http://www.galileonet.it
URANIO IMPOVERITO
Bosnia Erzegovina, sei anni dopo
In Bosnia Herzegovina deve essere mantenuto alto il livello di guardia
per le acque sotterranee e potabili e per il suolo contaminati
dall'uranio impoverito dei bombardamenti del 1994 e del 1995. Lo
afferma un nuovo rapporto dell'Unep, l'agenzia Onu per l'ambiente,
che riporta i risultati di campionature effettuate nell'ottobre 2002.
Il documento dipinge una situazione analoga a quella rilevata da
precedenti studi realizzati dall'agenzia in Kosovo (2001), in Serbia e
in Montenegro (2002). ma fornisce anche nuovi elementi per la
valutazione del rischio ambientale deivato dall'impiego bellico di
uranio impoverito. In primo luogo, che la contaminazione del suolo nei
15 siti presi in considerazione si ferma a 1-2 metri di profondità.
Secondo, che i proiettili rimasti sotto terra si sono corrosi
rapidamente, perdendo in sei anni circa il 25 per cento della loro
massa. E ciò significa che nel giro di 25-30 anni si saranno
completamente dissolti andando a contaminare ulteriormente le falde
acquifere. Infine, in due casi è stata rilevata anche una
contaminazione atmosferica, in particolare all'interno di alcuni
edifici all'epoca colpiti dai bombardamenti e oggi ancora utilizzati.
L'inquinamento sarebbe dovuto al sollevamento da parte del vento o di
interventi umani di particelle di uranio rilasciate nelle esplosioni.
Nonostante non abbia potuto stabilire una correlazione diretta tra
l'esposizione all'uranio impoverito e la comparsa di specifiche forme
tumorali sulla popolazione, gli esperti raccomandano la bonifica dei
siti contaminati. Per esempio, con la raccolta dei resti delle
munizioni e la copertura dei suoli contaminati con asfalto o
terra pulita. (s.ca.)
(mercoledì 26 marzo)
===
+++NATO HAT REPUBLIK SRPSKA UND KOSOVO RADIOAKTIV VERSEUCHT
NAIROBI. Ein aktueller Bericht des UN-Umweltprogramms UNEP bestätigt
erstmals, dass abgereichertes Uran durch im Krieg der NATO gegen die
Serben verwendete Waffen die lokale Trinkwasserversorgung
kontaminierte. Die Kontamination sei sehr gering und stellte kein
unmittelbares Risiko für Mensch und Umwelt dar. Die Ergebnisse in
Republik Srpska stimmen mit Studien der UNEP in der serbischen Provinz
Kosovo und Metochien 2001 bzw. Serbien und Montenegro im Jahr 2002
überein. Im Oktober 2002 wählte die UNEP 15 Regionen in Republik
Srpska für Untersuchungen aus. In fünf dieser Gebiete kam laut
Informationen der NATO abgereichertes Uran (DU; depleted uranium)
zum Einsatz. Mit hochempfindlichen Instrumenten wurden von einem
17-köpfigen Expertenteam Messungen der Oberflächen-Radioaktivität
vorgenommen. Die Kontaminationsstellen fanden sich alle in der
Ortschaft Hadzici. Die serbischen Behörden hatten schon im Herbst 1995
von erheblich erhöhter radioaktiver Strahlung in Hadzici und Umgebung
berichtet. Eine mehr als ausreichende Anzahl von wissenschaftlichen
Ergebnissen belegt, dass radioaktive DU-Aerosole sich vom "Punkt der
Freisetzung" aus über eine große Fläche ausbreiten. Dies bedeutet,
dass große Teile der serbischen Provinz Kosovo und Metochien verseucht
sind. http://www.unep.org+++
===
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/ax/
Qbosnia-environment-nato.RTx__DMP.html
[From UNEP, so downplays dangers]
Traces of war-related uranium found in Bosnia: UN
-It is highly likely that majority of DU ammunition
hit the ground and remained hidden under the surface,
where it "may constitute a risk of future groundwater
and drinking water contamination," the report said,
suggesting annual testing of underground water.
According to NATO, each of the two areas -- Hadzici
and Han Pijesak -- was hit by 200 depleted uranium
shells.
During air strikes against Bosnian Serbs in 1994 and
1995 Bosnia was hit by a total of three tonnes of
depleted uranium NATO shells.
Traces of war-related uranium found in Bosnia: UN
SARAJEVO, March 25 (AFP) - Traces of depleted uranium
have been found in three sites hit in Bosnia by the
NATO air strikes of the 1990's, a report from the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) said Tuesday, urging
local authorities in the Balkan country to undertake
decontamination measures.
The presence of depleted uranium (DU), used in
armour-piercing western munitions, was confirmed in a
former tank repair factory and an ammunition storage
facility in the Sarajevo suburb of Hadzici and in an
artillery storage in Han Pijesak in eastern Bosnia,
the report said.
"None of the sites showed signs of widespread
contamination of the ground surface," it said.
The report presents findings of DU testing conducted
by a 17-member UNEP team last October at 15 sites
across the country. The team took and tested some 130
samples of soil, water, air and other substances from
the sites.
"The only risk of any potential significance would be
though touching contamination point, thereby
contaminating the body," the report said.
There are "tens" of DU ammunition fragments found on
the ground at the three sites, Pekka Haavisto, the
UNEP team leader, said.
The report recommended decontamination of the sites by
local authorities.
It stressed that NATO coordinates of six other
DU-attack sites in vicinity of Sarajevo were "still
missing" and "should be disclosed to the
Bosnia-Hercegovina authorities without delay."
It is highly likely that majority of DU ammunition hit
the ground and remained hidden under the surface,
where it "may constitute a risk of future groundwater
and drinking water contamination," the report said,
suggesting annual testing of underground water.
According to NATO, each of the two areas -- Hadzici
and Han Pijesak -- was hit by 200 depleted uranium
shells.
During air strikes against Bosnian Serbs in 1994 and
1995 Bosnia was hit by a total of three tonnes of
depleted uranium NATO shells.
In early 2001 many NATO and non-NATO countries raised
concern over a possible link between the use of
depleted uranium munitions in the Balkans and
increased cancer rates among soldiers who had taken
part in peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and the
Serbian province of Kosovo.
A NATO committee has said that scientific and medical
research has so far not shown any link between
depleted uranium and reported health problems.
However, UNEP has warned that slightly radioactive and
toxic DU may have a long-term negative effect if
carried close to the body or if DU dust has been
inhaled, which may cause kidney problems.
===
Subject: [yugoslaviainfo] [DU-WATCH] Balkans - Depleted uranium
pollution continues -- study
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 23:47:26 -0600 (CST)
From: Predrag Tosic
To: yugoslaviainfo <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
[From Greenwire, via du-watch forum. ]
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
BALKANS
Depleted uranium pollution continues -- study
Depleted uranium (DU) ammunition, which coalition
forces have used in Iraq, continues to pollute the air
and water in Bosnia-Herzegovina, according to a United
Nations Environment Programme report released this
month.
Nato forces used DU, a metal that is 1.7 times as
dense as lead and can punch through armour and tanks,
in the Balkans in the mid-1990s. The UNEP report
discovered DU groundwater pollution for the first
time, as well as air contamination and low levels of
ground contamination where fragments of DU have
penetrated. Levels of pollution warrant caution and
the continued monitoring of ground and drinking water,
but "these findings must not be seen as a cause for
alarm," said Klaus Toepfer, executive director of
UNEP.
DU rods have been blamed for illnesses in Gulf War
veterans and health problems in the Balkans. Iraqi
doctors have attributed an increased rate of cancer in
the country to DU bombs dropped during the 1991
Persian Gulf War. Iraqi cancer specialist Jawad al-Ali
said the cancer rate in the heavily targeted city of
Basra, Iraq, rose from 11 cases per 100,000 people in
the city in 1988 to 116 per 100,000 in 2001. The
United States and other western countries have
repeatedly denied that DU shells cause any health or
environmental hazards (Greenwire, Jan. 27).
The UNEP report said, "The existing scientific data
... indicate that it is highly unlikely that DU could
be associated with any of the reported health
problems." But Pekko Haavisto, chair of UNEP's DU
projects, said there is not much comprehensive cancer
data. She said finding DU in groundwater made her "a
bit concerned." Haavisto: "If DU is used in Iraq I
think the consequences will be similar. It's something
that should be followed very closely" (Alex Kirby, BBC
online, March 25).
Click here to download a copy of the UNEP report. --
AAF
Dopo piu' di sette anni dai fatti l'agenzia ONU per l'ambiente UNEP ha
confermato la persistenza di contaminazione da uranio "impoverito"
(U238 o DU) in Bosnia-Erzegovina.
Ricordiamo che la presenza di U238 sul terreno e' dovuta ai
bombardamenti sulla Repubblica Serba di Bosnia, effettuati da aerei
NATO partiti da basi in territorio italiano allo scopo di imporre
condizioni favorevoli alla parte croato-musulmana nei futuri accordi
di pace di Dayton.
Per inciso, quanto avvenuto in Bosnia e poi in Serbia-Montenegro
rispetto alle armi all'U238 e' poca cosa se paragonato ai micidiali
bombardamenti che gli occidentali hanno effettuato in Iraq, gia' nel
1991 e poi di nuovo massicciamente nei giorni scorsi. Il nostro
pensiero va dunque innanzitutto alla popolazione dell'Iraq vittima
degli stessi interessi e delle stesse pratiche criminali usate dai
paesi della NATO.
CNJ
=== RAPPORTO UNEP REPORT ===
Depleted Uranium Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment
http://www.unep.org/Documents/
Default.asp?DocumentID=309&ArticleID=3952
DU contamination found in Bosnia and Herzegovina
http://www.unep.org/Documents/
Default.asp?DocumentID=298&ArticleID=3926
UNEP final report on DU in Bosnia and Herzeg. (23/3/03)
http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/BiH_DU_report.pdf
FYI:
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina, March 25, 2003 (ENS) - For the first
time, a United Nations research team has confirmed that depleted
uranium from weapons used in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994 and 1995
has contaminated local supplies of drinking water, and can still be
found in dust particles suspended in the air. Depleted uranium is
used in armour penetrating military ordinance because of its high
density, and also in the manufacture of defensive armor plate.
Check
http://www.mapcruzin.com/news/war032503a.htm
for full articleand links to UNEP report.
===
PRC: VENDOLA, DOVE SONO CADUTE BOMBE URANIO IN BOSNIA?
(ANSA) - ROMA, 11 FEB - Ad oggi non sono stati ancora
resi noti i punti di caduta anche se questi dati risultano
dai rapporti di volo dei piloti che hanno effettuato i raids
partendo soprattutto dalla base di Aviano. E' il quesito
che Nichi Vendola (Prc) rivolge in una lettera al
ministro Martino dopo una risposta, ritenuta insoddisfacente,
data ad una sua interrogazione parlamentare. Vendola parla
delle bombe all'uranio impoverito usate in Bosnia e ai relativi
rischi di contaminazione e di malattie per i nostri soldati di
cui si e' interessata anche la commissione Mandelli con
una serie di relazioni.
''E' ovviamente del massimo interesse conoscere a quali
distanze si sono trovati i nostri reparti dai punti di esplosione.
Ritengo davvero importante che al Parlamento sia reso noto
l'elenco di coloro che sono stati presenti in Bosnia unitamente
alle mappe delle localita' interessate all'esposizione al
rischio di contaminazione'' , scrive Vendola.
''Il personale che si reca in transito a Tirana, a
Skopjie, a Valona o in altri luoghi dei Balcani, con
soste magari di un solo giorno o qualche ora, non puo'
essere certamente considerato come esposto a radiazioni
da uranio impoverito e quindi non interessa ovviamente i
calcoli della Relazione Mandelli ed e' percio' estraneo a quanto
da me richiesto nella interrogazione presentata''.
''Ritengo quindi vi sia stata una serie di malintesi e
torno a richiederLe il numero dei militari presenti nelle zone
di esposizione e le localita' che sono state interessate, sempre
con riferimento al personale che non ha adottato misure di
protezione.'' (ANSA). CP 11/02/2003 15:21
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/bosnia/20030211152132470742.html
===
GALILEO - GIORNALE DI SCIENZA E PROBLEMI GLOBALI
http://www.galileonet.it
URANIO IMPOVERITO
Bosnia Erzegovina, sei anni dopo
In Bosnia Herzegovina deve essere mantenuto alto il livello di guardia
per le acque sotterranee e potabili e per il suolo contaminati
dall'uranio impoverito dei bombardamenti del 1994 e del 1995. Lo
afferma un nuovo rapporto dell'Unep, l'agenzia Onu per l'ambiente,
che riporta i risultati di campionature effettuate nell'ottobre 2002.
Il documento dipinge una situazione analoga a quella rilevata da
precedenti studi realizzati dall'agenzia in Kosovo (2001), in Serbia e
in Montenegro (2002). ma fornisce anche nuovi elementi per la
valutazione del rischio ambientale deivato dall'impiego bellico di
uranio impoverito. In primo luogo, che la contaminazione del suolo nei
15 siti presi in considerazione si ferma a 1-2 metri di profondità.
Secondo, che i proiettili rimasti sotto terra si sono corrosi
rapidamente, perdendo in sei anni circa il 25 per cento della loro
massa. E ciò significa che nel giro di 25-30 anni si saranno
completamente dissolti andando a contaminare ulteriormente le falde
acquifere. Infine, in due casi è stata rilevata anche una
contaminazione atmosferica, in particolare all'interno di alcuni
edifici all'epoca colpiti dai bombardamenti e oggi ancora utilizzati.
L'inquinamento sarebbe dovuto al sollevamento da parte del vento o di
interventi umani di particelle di uranio rilasciate nelle esplosioni.
Nonostante non abbia potuto stabilire una correlazione diretta tra
l'esposizione all'uranio impoverito e la comparsa di specifiche forme
tumorali sulla popolazione, gli esperti raccomandano la bonifica dei
siti contaminati. Per esempio, con la raccolta dei resti delle
munizioni e la copertura dei suoli contaminati con asfalto o
terra pulita. (s.ca.)
(mercoledì 26 marzo)
===
+++NATO HAT REPUBLIK SRPSKA UND KOSOVO RADIOAKTIV VERSEUCHT
NAIROBI. Ein aktueller Bericht des UN-Umweltprogramms UNEP bestätigt
erstmals, dass abgereichertes Uran durch im Krieg der NATO gegen die
Serben verwendete Waffen die lokale Trinkwasserversorgung
kontaminierte. Die Kontamination sei sehr gering und stellte kein
unmittelbares Risiko für Mensch und Umwelt dar. Die Ergebnisse in
Republik Srpska stimmen mit Studien der UNEP in der serbischen Provinz
Kosovo und Metochien 2001 bzw. Serbien und Montenegro im Jahr 2002
überein. Im Oktober 2002 wählte die UNEP 15 Regionen in Republik
Srpska für Untersuchungen aus. In fünf dieser Gebiete kam laut
Informationen der NATO abgereichertes Uran (DU; depleted uranium)
zum Einsatz. Mit hochempfindlichen Instrumenten wurden von einem
17-köpfigen Expertenteam Messungen der Oberflächen-Radioaktivität
vorgenommen. Die Kontaminationsstellen fanden sich alle in der
Ortschaft Hadzici. Die serbischen Behörden hatten schon im Herbst 1995
von erheblich erhöhter radioaktiver Strahlung in Hadzici und Umgebung
berichtet. Eine mehr als ausreichende Anzahl von wissenschaftlichen
Ergebnissen belegt, dass radioaktive DU-Aerosole sich vom "Punkt der
Freisetzung" aus über eine große Fläche ausbreiten. Dies bedeutet,
dass große Teile der serbischen Provinz Kosovo und Metochien verseucht
sind. http://www.unep.org+++
===
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/ax/
Qbosnia-environment-nato.RTx__DMP.html
[From UNEP, so downplays dangers]
Traces of war-related uranium found in Bosnia: UN
-It is highly likely that majority of DU ammunition
hit the ground and remained hidden under the surface,
where it "may constitute a risk of future groundwater
and drinking water contamination," the report said,
suggesting annual testing of underground water.
According to NATO, each of the two areas -- Hadzici
and Han Pijesak -- was hit by 200 depleted uranium
shells.
During air strikes against Bosnian Serbs in 1994 and
1995 Bosnia was hit by a total of three tonnes of
depleted uranium NATO shells.
Traces of war-related uranium found in Bosnia: UN
SARAJEVO, March 25 (AFP) - Traces of depleted uranium
have been found in three sites hit in Bosnia by the
NATO air strikes of the 1990's, a report from the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) said Tuesday, urging
local authorities in the Balkan country to undertake
decontamination measures.
The presence of depleted uranium (DU), used in
armour-piercing western munitions, was confirmed in a
former tank repair factory and an ammunition storage
facility in the Sarajevo suburb of Hadzici and in an
artillery storage in Han Pijesak in eastern Bosnia,
the report said.
"None of the sites showed signs of widespread
contamination of the ground surface," it said.
The report presents findings of DU testing conducted
by a 17-member UNEP team last October at 15 sites
across the country. The team took and tested some 130
samples of soil, water, air and other substances from
the sites.
"The only risk of any potential significance would be
though touching contamination point, thereby
contaminating the body," the report said.
There are "tens" of DU ammunition fragments found on
the ground at the three sites, Pekka Haavisto, the
UNEP team leader, said.
The report recommended decontamination of the sites by
local authorities.
It stressed that NATO coordinates of six other
DU-attack sites in vicinity of Sarajevo were "still
missing" and "should be disclosed to the
Bosnia-Hercegovina authorities without delay."
It is highly likely that majority of DU ammunition hit
the ground and remained hidden under the surface,
where it "may constitute a risk of future groundwater
and drinking water contamination," the report said,
suggesting annual testing of underground water.
According to NATO, each of the two areas -- Hadzici
and Han Pijesak -- was hit by 200 depleted uranium
shells.
During air strikes against Bosnian Serbs in 1994 and
1995 Bosnia was hit by a total of three tonnes of
depleted uranium NATO shells.
In early 2001 many NATO and non-NATO countries raised
concern over a possible link between the use of
depleted uranium munitions in the Balkans and
increased cancer rates among soldiers who had taken
part in peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and the
Serbian province of Kosovo.
A NATO committee has said that scientific and medical
research has so far not shown any link between
depleted uranium and reported health problems.
However, UNEP has warned that slightly radioactive and
toxic DU may have a long-term negative effect if
carried close to the body or if DU dust has been
inhaled, which may cause kidney problems.
===
Subject: [yugoslaviainfo] [DU-WATCH] Balkans - Depleted uranium
pollution continues -- study
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 23:47:26 -0600 (CST)
From: Predrag Tosic
To: yugoslaviainfo <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
[From Greenwire, via du-watch forum. ]
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
BALKANS
Depleted uranium pollution continues -- study
Depleted uranium (DU) ammunition, which coalition
forces have used in Iraq, continues to pollute the air
and water in Bosnia-Herzegovina, according to a United
Nations Environment Programme report released this
month.
Nato forces used DU, a metal that is 1.7 times as
dense as lead and can punch through armour and tanks,
in the Balkans in the mid-1990s. The UNEP report
discovered DU groundwater pollution for the first
time, as well as air contamination and low levels of
ground contamination where fragments of DU have
penetrated. Levels of pollution warrant caution and
the continued monitoring of ground and drinking water,
but "these findings must not be seen as a cause for
alarm," said Klaus Toepfer, executive director of
UNEP.
DU rods have been blamed for illnesses in Gulf War
veterans and health problems in the Balkans. Iraqi
doctors have attributed an increased rate of cancer in
the country to DU bombs dropped during the 1991
Persian Gulf War. Iraqi cancer specialist Jawad al-Ali
said the cancer rate in the heavily targeted city of
Basra, Iraq, rose from 11 cases per 100,000 people in
the city in 1988 to 116 per 100,000 in 2001. The
United States and other western countries have
repeatedly denied that DU shells cause any health or
environmental hazards (Greenwire, Jan. 27).
The UNEP report said, "The existing scientific data
... indicate that it is highly unlikely that DU could
be associated with any of the reported health
problems." But Pekko Haavisto, chair of UNEP's DU
projects, said there is not much comprehensive cancer
data. She said finding DU in groundwater made her "a
bit concerned." Haavisto: "If DU is used in Iraq I
think the consequences will be similar. It's something
that should be followed very closely" (Alex Kirby, BBC
online, March 25).
Click here to download a copy of the UNEP report. --
AAF
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: DA RIVISTA SCIENTIFICA
A VELINA PROPAGANDISTICA DEL COLONIALISMO U.S.A.
La National Geographic Society e' stata fondata a Washington D.C. come
associazione scientifica e pedagogica "senza fini di lucro". Dal 1888
la Society ha sostenuto "7000 esplorazioni e progetti di ricerca" per
contribuire alla "conoscenza" della terra, dei mari e del cielo. Ma la
concezione del mondo diffusa dalla rivista della Society lascia spesso
adito a giustificate critiche, soprattutto quando popoli e paesi sono
presentati attraverso la lente della piu' tradizionale e bieca
ideologia colonialista occidentale.
Gia' nel 1999 avevamo notato e fatto notare articoli sul
Kosovo-Metohija di infimo livello scientifico, atti a presentare una
"realta' antropologica" di maniera, tutta funzionale alla propaganda
della guerra della NATO (e nessun cenno sul patrimonio
artistico-culturale cristiano-ortodosso!). Non passano poi inosservati
i toni insistenti e compiaciuti su realta' come quella tibetana, che
gli strateghi del Pentagono cercano di usare come piede di porco per
iniziare la demolizione della scomoda potenza cinese.
Oggi, attraverso il suo forum online
(http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0304/feature3/index.html) la
rivista riapre all'attenzione mondiale la secessione corsa, in diretta
risposta alla non adesione della Francia all'aggressione bellica
contro l'Iraq, volta all'appropriazione delle riserve petrolifere del
paese.
Si sta dunque riaprendo, dopo il Kosovo, un nuovo fronte per la
destabilizzazione dell'Europa, con il sostegno USA, sempre facendo
leva sul differenzialismo etnico... E per una impresa del genere il
servizio che puo' essere reso da antropologi e scienziati compiacenti,
come sempre, e' prezioso. D'altronde, la Francia ha ben poco di cui
lamentarsi, visto che ha anch'essa appoggiato con zelo lo squartamento
della RFS di Jugoslavia con il sostegno dato ai settori neofascisti e
micronazionalisti in tutti i Balcani. Chi di spada ferisce...
(I. Slavo. Da una segnalazione di M. Cristaldi su "La Voce del
GAMADI", maggio 2003)
A VELINA PROPAGANDISTICA DEL COLONIALISMO U.S.A.
La National Geographic Society e' stata fondata a Washington D.C. come
associazione scientifica e pedagogica "senza fini di lucro". Dal 1888
la Society ha sostenuto "7000 esplorazioni e progetti di ricerca" per
contribuire alla "conoscenza" della terra, dei mari e del cielo. Ma la
concezione del mondo diffusa dalla rivista della Society lascia spesso
adito a giustificate critiche, soprattutto quando popoli e paesi sono
presentati attraverso la lente della piu' tradizionale e bieca
ideologia colonialista occidentale.
Gia' nel 1999 avevamo notato e fatto notare articoli sul
Kosovo-Metohija di infimo livello scientifico, atti a presentare una
"realta' antropologica" di maniera, tutta funzionale alla propaganda
della guerra della NATO (e nessun cenno sul patrimonio
artistico-culturale cristiano-ortodosso!). Non passano poi inosservati
i toni insistenti e compiaciuti su realta' come quella tibetana, che
gli strateghi del Pentagono cercano di usare come piede di porco per
iniziare la demolizione della scomoda potenza cinese.
Oggi, attraverso il suo forum online
(http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0304/feature3/index.html) la
rivista riapre all'attenzione mondiale la secessione corsa, in diretta
risposta alla non adesione della Francia all'aggressione bellica
contro l'Iraq, volta all'appropriazione delle riserve petrolifere del
paese.
Si sta dunque riaprendo, dopo il Kosovo, un nuovo fronte per la
destabilizzazione dell'Europa, con il sostegno USA, sempre facendo
leva sul differenzialismo etnico... E per una impresa del genere il
servizio che puo' essere reso da antropologi e scienziati compiacenti,
come sempre, e' prezioso. D'altronde, la Francia ha ben poco di cui
lamentarsi, visto che ha anch'essa appoggiato con zelo lo squartamento
della RFS di Jugoslavia con il sostegno dato ai settori neofascisti e
micronazionalisti in tutti i Balcani. Chi di spada ferisce...
(I. Slavo. Da una segnalazione di M. Cristaldi su "La Voce del
GAMADI", maggio 2003)
http://www.antiwar.com/malic/m-col.html
ANTIWAR, Thursday, April 17, 2003
Balkan Express
by Nebojsa Malic
Antiwar.com
Empire's 'Liberation'
The Opposite of Liberty
Last week's "liberation" of Iraq bore
a striking resemblance to the
"liberation" of Kosovo four years ago,
or the continuing "freedom" Bosnia
enjoys, replete with the Imperial
occupation troops, a viceroy, general
devastation and cultural destruction.
Empire's quest for a global Balkans
grows more apparent by the day. The
polls may indicate that most Americans
are happy with the Brave New World
thrust upon them, but the wise are
already wondering if what has emerged
could be better called Communist,
Fascist or something else altogether.
In any case, not the Republic
envisioned by its Founders.
Nor are its occupied territories and
vassal domains in the Balkans anything
like the public has been led to
believe. Bosnia has been writhing in torment
for over a decade, in a Hell partly of
its own making, but now run by an
Imperial viceroy. Kosovo is a land of
darkness and despair, mired in terror
and lies. Serbia has fallen under a
reign of terror cleverly disguised as a
"war on crime." But at least they all
have democracy seeping out of every
wound, and isn't it grand?
Illusions of truth, perversions of
justice, and a demonic sort of
"democracy" are today's Balkans
reality, and the coming reality of
"liberated" Iraq.
Truth?
The "liberated" Kosovo is an example
of many things: naked aggression posing
as humanitarianism; ethnic cleansing
and cultural persecution posing as
multi-cultural tolerance; an
occupation posing as freedom. It is also a
symbol of the way the Empire decides
what is reality: whatever it says it
is. One could talk about the way NATO
fabricated pretexts and justifications
for its invasion, or how it twisted
the armistice to mean unconditional
surrender, or how it "interprets" the
fig-leaf UN mandate to do whatever it
wants.
Or one could just read the recent news
reports about a string of terrorist
attacks by an "Albanian National Army"
(AKSh), whose very existence NATO and
its flunkies hotly deny. So a northern
Kosovo railroad track blew itself up
this weekend, and the two terrorists
who died in the explosion did not
really exist. The non-existent
organization certainly doesn't have a
web site. The simultaneous bombing of two
police stations in Pristina last
month? Never happened. And the
February bombing of a court house in
Struga, Macedonia? Figment of someone's
imagination.
This deliberate denial of the obvious
is staggering. A major witness against
KLA officers charged with murder,
torture and abductions is gunned down in a
family car, yet the UN police say they
"do not know" who did it, "nor the
motive." The pinnacle of outrage
surely must be the insinuation by Empire's
propaganda vehicle, Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty, which blamed Serbs
for many deaths of Albanian civilians and
KLA officers in the first year of
Kosovo's occupation. But for all the
Empire has done, and is doing, in
Kosovo, that should not come as a
surprise.
To the Indispensable Nation, truth is
a matter of convenience.
Justice?
News came from Bosnia last Friday that
Naser Oric, former commander of
Muslim forces in Srebrenica, was
seized and shipped off to the Hague
Inquisition, on charges of war crimes.
Oric was the notorious warlord who
abused Srebrenica's status as a UN "safe
haven" to launch raids on nearby Serb
villages, and is directly responsible
for hundreds of murders. He even
videotaped some, and those videos are
evidence beyond reasonable doubt that
the man ordered and committed
atrocities. All of which makes his
indictment by the Inquisition even more
insidious.
"Serbs begin believing in justice and
The Hague" read a headline in
Sarajevo's daily Oslobodjenje on
Monday, the paper unwittingly revealing
the real reason behind Oric's arrest. The
illegal and illegitimate Hague
"tribunal" is desperate to create a
perception among all Balkans peoples,
but mainly the Serbs that it is really
a legal, legitimate institution,
meritorious to decide whether war
crimes happened and who was responsible
for them. Occasional arrests and
convictions of non-Serbs are supposed
to serve this important credibility
effort. Meanwhile, the Inquisition's
actual goal to fabricate charges of a
"joint criminal enterprise" of Serbian
leadership to foment and conduct the
Balkan wars and commit atrocities
therein can proceed unchallenged.
People like Oric, or the Celebici
torturers, or Stela and Tuta, are but
sacrifices. Whether they committed
atrocities or not is irrelevant to
the Big Picture, which demands their
conviction for the sake of "bagging"
the Serbs. In fact, the Inquisition is
really not interested in establishing
whether its Serb detainees actually
committed the atrocities they stand
accused of. Their very indictment is
proof enough, and the conviction merely
a preordained matter of procedure.
There has been word of possible US
military tribunals trying Iraqi officers
and officials for "crimes" committed
under the rule of Saddam Hussein,
as a "sovereign right" of the conqueror.
Between The Hague Inquisition and
this, it is obvious that any pretense of
justice has been perverted and corrupted
to serve the interests of power.
Democracy Incarnate
Purges initiated by the Serbian
government after the assassination of
Prime Minister Djindjic last month continue
unabated, targeting the regime's
political rivals even as the new Prime
Minister denied such a thing was
happening.
Following the lead of His Most
Democratic Majesty, Zivkovic offered
no argument beyond his assertions.
"Because I say so" seems to be the popular
argument these days. Unsurprisingly,
the supine media took his word for
it, and ran headlines proclaiming "No
repression in Serbia" or some such.
Ah, freedom at work! At the same time,
Zivkovic indicated that "it may happen"
that top opposition politicians would
be found guilty of crime connections.
Well, how convenient.
The Serbian parliament - a mockery of
that institution if there ever was one
- recently passed new laws allowing
the police to detain people up to 60
days without charges, legal counsel or
visitation, all in the name of
"fighting crime," of course. A
comparison with the intent, if not extent, of
the USA Patriot Act would be tempting,
except that the term "patriot" has
been banned in Serbian public
discourse, and will likely be replaced
by "democrat." Furthermore, there is
nothing patriotic about the amendments
to the extradition law, passed purely to
appease the Empire.
But none of it matters, because the
people overwhelmingly support the
government - or so the government
says. DOS' approval rates match those of
His Imperial Majesty so much that they
might have been cribbed from American
pollsters. But any media examination
of these claims is, of course, banned
under the State of Emergency Act.
Culture Cleansing
Another disturbing trend in Serbian
purges is the emerging Kulturkampf
component. The arrest of folk singer
Ceca Raznatovic for weapons possession
and alleged links to the Djindjic
assassination prompted a condemnation
of the "symbiosis" between Serbian
popular culture, crime, and the
[former/evil - as opposed to current/good]
Government.
Proponents of "cultural cleansing" who
fashion themselves Serbia's "civil
society" don't have a problem with
government manipulating the popular
culture, as long as it is the culture
they approve of. Their sentiments
go beyond the dislike of some
contemporary trends of truly questionable
quality, but actually represent a
fiery hatred of all Serbian folk culture
as lowly, unworthy, primitive and
"retrograde."
The next step is, logically, the
elimination of Serbian folk culture in
favor of a more "progressive" set of
values, imposed by the all-benevolent
State for everyone's benefit, under
the pretext of "de-Nazification" and
"lustration." After surviving almost
60 years of social engineering, the
Serbian society would be finished off
by the modern managerial State and
its faithful flunkies.
The Real Liberation
One libertarian columnist recently
remarked that the young countries can
prosper only in the climate of
"culture-driven self-government, absent
outside military interference and
manipulation from great powers and
entangling alliances. It's kind of
like what the founding fathers envisioned
for this country. A variation of
national socialism, administered by
outsiders or their handpicked minions,
will stifle and annoy any country,
but especially one that has been
promised 'liberation'."
Empire's "liberation" is the actual
polar opposite of liberty.
Based on just the examples cited
above, the truth of this proposition
has already been decisively demonstrated
in the Balkans. It will be demonstrated
again in Iraq. The Empire has denied
it, and will continue to deny it,
because this truth is inconvenient,
but it is truth nonetheless. So long
as we refuse to accept it, we will
continue to be in thrall to Empire's
lies - as well as our own.
ANTIWAR, Thursday, April 17, 2003
Balkan Express
by Nebojsa Malic
Antiwar.com
Empire's 'Liberation'
The Opposite of Liberty
Last week's "liberation" of Iraq bore
a striking resemblance to the
"liberation" of Kosovo four years ago,
or the continuing "freedom" Bosnia
enjoys, replete with the Imperial
occupation troops, a viceroy, general
devastation and cultural destruction.
Empire's quest for a global Balkans
grows more apparent by the day. The
polls may indicate that most Americans
are happy with the Brave New World
thrust upon them, but the wise are
already wondering if what has emerged
could be better called Communist,
Fascist or something else altogether.
In any case, not the Republic
envisioned by its Founders.
Nor are its occupied territories and
vassal domains in the Balkans anything
like the public has been led to
believe. Bosnia has been writhing in torment
for over a decade, in a Hell partly of
its own making, but now run by an
Imperial viceroy. Kosovo is a land of
darkness and despair, mired in terror
and lies. Serbia has fallen under a
reign of terror cleverly disguised as a
"war on crime." But at least they all
have democracy seeping out of every
wound, and isn't it grand?
Illusions of truth, perversions of
justice, and a demonic sort of
"democracy" are today's Balkans
reality, and the coming reality of
"liberated" Iraq.
Truth?
The "liberated" Kosovo is an example
of many things: naked aggression posing
as humanitarianism; ethnic cleansing
and cultural persecution posing as
multi-cultural tolerance; an
occupation posing as freedom. It is also a
symbol of the way the Empire decides
what is reality: whatever it says it
is. One could talk about the way NATO
fabricated pretexts and justifications
for its invasion, or how it twisted
the armistice to mean unconditional
surrender, or how it "interprets" the
fig-leaf UN mandate to do whatever it
wants.
Or one could just read the recent news
reports about a string of terrorist
attacks by an "Albanian National Army"
(AKSh), whose very existence NATO and
its flunkies hotly deny. So a northern
Kosovo railroad track blew itself up
this weekend, and the two terrorists
who died in the explosion did not
really exist. The non-existent
organization certainly doesn't have a
web site. The simultaneous bombing of two
police stations in Pristina last
month? Never happened. And the
February bombing of a court house in
Struga, Macedonia? Figment of someone's
imagination.
This deliberate denial of the obvious
is staggering. A major witness against
KLA officers charged with murder,
torture and abductions is gunned down in a
family car, yet the UN police say they
"do not know" who did it, "nor the
motive." The pinnacle of outrage
surely must be the insinuation by Empire's
propaganda vehicle, Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty, which blamed Serbs
for many deaths of Albanian civilians and
KLA officers in the first year of
Kosovo's occupation. But for all the
Empire has done, and is doing, in
Kosovo, that should not come as a
surprise.
To the Indispensable Nation, truth is
a matter of convenience.
Justice?
News came from Bosnia last Friday that
Naser Oric, former commander of
Muslim forces in Srebrenica, was
seized and shipped off to the Hague
Inquisition, on charges of war crimes.
Oric was the notorious warlord who
abused Srebrenica's status as a UN "safe
haven" to launch raids on nearby Serb
villages, and is directly responsible
for hundreds of murders. He even
videotaped some, and those videos are
evidence beyond reasonable doubt that
the man ordered and committed
atrocities. All of which makes his
indictment by the Inquisition even more
insidious.
"Serbs begin believing in justice and
The Hague" read a headline in
Sarajevo's daily Oslobodjenje on
Monday, the paper unwittingly revealing
the real reason behind Oric's arrest. The
illegal and illegitimate Hague
"tribunal" is desperate to create a
perception among all Balkans peoples,
but mainly the Serbs that it is really
a legal, legitimate institution,
meritorious to decide whether war
crimes happened and who was responsible
for them. Occasional arrests and
convictions of non-Serbs are supposed
to serve this important credibility
effort. Meanwhile, the Inquisition's
actual goal to fabricate charges of a
"joint criminal enterprise" of Serbian
leadership to foment and conduct the
Balkan wars and commit atrocities
therein can proceed unchallenged.
People like Oric, or the Celebici
torturers, or Stela and Tuta, are but
sacrifices. Whether they committed
atrocities or not is irrelevant to
the Big Picture, which demands their
conviction for the sake of "bagging"
the Serbs. In fact, the Inquisition is
really not interested in establishing
whether its Serb detainees actually
committed the atrocities they stand
accused of. Their very indictment is
proof enough, and the conviction merely
a preordained matter of procedure.
There has been word of possible US
military tribunals trying Iraqi officers
and officials for "crimes" committed
under the rule of Saddam Hussein,
as a "sovereign right" of the conqueror.
Between The Hague Inquisition and
this, it is obvious that any pretense of
justice has been perverted and corrupted
to serve the interests of power.
Democracy Incarnate
Purges initiated by the Serbian
government after the assassination of
Prime Minister Djindjic last month continue
unabated, targeting the regime's
political rivals even as the new Prime
Minister denied such a thing was
happening.
Following the lead of His Most
Democratic Majesty, Zivkovic offered
no argument beyond his assertions.
"Because I say so" seems to be the popular
argument these days. Unsurprisingly,
the supine media took his word for
it, and ran headlines proclaiming "No
repression in Serbia" or some such.
Ah, freedom at work! At the same time,
Zivkovic indicated that "it may happen"
that top opposition politicians would
be found guilty of crime connections.
Well, how convenient.
The Serbian parliament - a mockery of
that institution if there ever was one
- recently passed new laws allowing
the police to detain people up to 60
days without charges, legal counsel or
visitation, all in the name of
"fighting crime," of course. A
comparison with the intent, if not extent, of
the USA Patriot Act would be tempting,
except that the term "patriot" has
been banned in Serbian public
discourse, and will likely be replaced
by "democrat." Furthermore, there is
nothing patriotic about the amendments
to the extradition law, passed purely to
appease the Empire.
But none of it matters, because the
people overwhelmingly support the
government - or so the government
says. DOS' approval rates match those of
His Imperial Majesty so much that they
might have been cribbed from American
pollsters. But any media examination
of these claims is, of course, banned
under the State of Emergency Act.
Culture Cleansing
Another disturbing trend in Serbian
purges is the emerging Kulturkampf
component. The arrest of folk singer
Ceca Raznatovic for weapons possession
and alleged links to the Djindjic
assassination prompted a condemnation
of the "symbiosis" between Serbian
popular culture, crime, and the
[former/evil - as opposed to current/good]
Government.
Proponents of "cultural cleansing" who
fashion themselves Serbia's "civil
society" don't have a problem with
government manipulating the popular
culture, as long as it is the culture
they approve of. Their sentiments
go beyond the dislike of some
contemporary trends of truly questionable
quality, but actually represent a
fiery hatred of all Serbian folk culture
as lowly, unworthy, primitive and
"retrograde."
The next step is, logically, the
elimination of Serbian folk culture in
favor of a more "progressive" set of
values, imposed by the all-benevolent
State for everyone's benefit, under
the pretext of "de-Nazification" and
"lustration." After surviving almost
60 years of social engineering, the
Serbian society would be finished off
by the modern managerial State and
its faithful flunkies.
The Real Liberation
One libertarian columnist recently
remarked that the young countries can
prosper only in the climate of
"culture-driven self-government, absent
outside military interference and
manipulation from great powers and
entangling alliances. It's kind of
like what the founding fathers envisioned
for this country. A variation of
national socialism, administered by
outsiders or their handpicked minions,
will stifle and annoy any country,
but especially one that has been
promised 'liberation'."
Empire's "liberation" is the actual
polar opposite of liberty.
Based on just the examples cited
above, the truth of this proposition
has already been decisively demonstrated
in the Balkans. It will be demonstrated
again in Iraq. The Empire has denied
it, and will continue to deny it,
because this truth is inconvenient,
but it is truth nonetheless. So long
as we refuse to accept it, we will
continue to be in thrall to Empire's
lies - as well as our own.
