MEMORANDUM ON FOREIGN INTERFERENCE
REGARDING ELECTIONS IN
THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA
September-October 2000
1. Before as well as during the electoral process conducted so
far, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and its citizens have been
incessantly exposed to systematic and brutal pressure by some influential
international factors, primarily the United States Administration and NATO
countries, with an undisguised aim of directly interfering in the electoral
process in the FR of Yugoslavia and of bringing an inadmissible pressure to
bear on the electoral will of its population.
a) Political and psychological pressures and subversive activities:
In the period prior to elections in Yugoslavia, centres for
assisting Yugoslav opposition and destabilization of Yugoslavia were
established in neighbouring countries (Szeged, Hungary; Timisoara, Romania;
Sofia, Bulgaria; Skopje, Macedonia; and Tirana, Albania).
A month before the elections, a US Regional Centre was set up to
co-ordinate the work of centres in individual countries of South Eastern
Europe in order to exert political, psychological, diplomatic and
subversive pressure (on 15 August 2000). The Budapest-based US Centre has
engaged more than 30 experts for intelligence, propaganda, military
intelligence and subversive activities against the FR of Yugoslavia under
the direction of former US Ambassador to Croatia William Montgomery. The
Centre recruits experts from USIS, CIA, USAID, DIA and other similar US
agencies. For this reason, the FR of Yugoslavia lodged an official written
protest with the United Nations Security Council on 18 September 2000 by
qualifying the establishment of this centre as a violation of the Vienna
Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations and international law and
describing it as a gross interference in the internal affairs of the FR of
Yugoslavia (S/2000/880). During the month of August this year, Director of
CIA George Tennet visited the broader region of South Eastern Europe
(Bulgaria, Romania) to step up and co-ordinate pressure in the run-up to
elections in Yugoslavia.
A ring of radio and TV centres was established around the FR of
Yugoslavia to transmit anti-Yugoslav propaganda, the well-known system of
NATO propaganda such as Radio Free Europe, Deutshe Welle, Voice of America
and others. Hundreds of hours of anti-Yugoslav propaganda aimed at
psychological and political pressure on the citizens of the FR of
Yugoslavia, concocted in US and NATO centres of subversion and
destabilization, are being aired via these systems and their transmitters
from the territories of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Romania,
Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania, on a daily basis. Many of
these radio and television transmitters operate illegally on the same
frequencies that, according to international conventions, belong to the FR
of Yugoslavia and that are used by Yugoslav radio and television stations.
Also, statements of representatives from NATO countries have been
noted to the effect that Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) concerning
the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija will not be implemented as long
as the opposition in Belgrade is not victorious, which directly represents
continuation of support for separatism, terrorism and international crime
in Kosovo and Metohija and in Montenegro.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, on the very date of
the elections (24 September) said: If opposition comes to power, the United
States will take steps to lift the sanctions, but if President Milosevic
stays in power, it will continue with its policy of sanctions and further
isolation of the Yugoslav Government. This being recognition of the fact
that sanctions have been used to wear down and punish a nation and as a
form of prolonged aggression.
The European Union too sent a "message to the Serbian people" on
18 September, on the eve of the elections, giving overtly support to the
Serbian opposition and promising to lift sanctions against it if it votes
for the opposition. This is evidence of the illegal nature and
unjustifiableness of sanctions as an instrument to violate fundamental
human rights, grossly intervene in internal affairs and bring about the
accomplishment of illegitimate political goals. On this score, an EU
representative was delivered the strongest protest in the Federal Ministry
of Foreign Affairs on 21 September and at EU headquarters in Brussels on 22
September, respectively.
Similar malicious views were publicly expressed every day in the
media by the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, by
the Foreign Ministers of a number of EU countries, the EU High
Representative and Commissioner for External Relations, as well as by the
EU Stability Pact Co-ordinator and the Secretary General of the Council of
Europe, with a view to exercising an organized pressure on the public in
the FRof Yugoslavia and on its electoral bodies and to prejudicing
election results.
b) Opposition funding:
The US Administration, the Governments of NATO countries and
various foundations, such as the Soros foundation, openly finance Yugoslav
opposition and various forms of subversive activity aimed at destabilizing
the FRof Yugoslavia and at overthrowing its legitimate Government. This
funding has been intensified in particular after the announcement
of nation-wide parliamentary, presidential and local elections. Funds have
openly been allocated to opposition political parties and their leaders, to
the so-called independent media, associations and structures of the
so-called civil society and to individuals. Prior to these elections, the
US Administration paid US$ 77.2 million to Yugoslav opposition, a public
fact also confirmed by a daily close to US Administration, The Washington
Post, on 22 September 2000. The same was also confirmed by sources in US
Congress, the Department of State and others.
Only a day after the elections and the first round of Presidential
election in the FR of Yugoslavia,
US Congress passed on 25 September the "Democratization of Serbia Act",
making a series of gross and unsubstantiated allegations against the
legitimate authorities in the FR of Yugoslavia and appropriating additional
financial resources, to the tune of US$ 105 million, to bring them down,
i.e. for the purposes of the Serbian opposition. This document, under the
guise of an alleged concern for human rights, openly supported the
separatism of ethnic Hungarians in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, where
the majority Serbs live in harmony with 25 minorities.
A week before the elections, the Charge d'Affaires of the Royal
Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade handed out cash funds in Deutsche marks to
students and young people in several towns in Serbia, thus directly
promoting the cause of the opposition. The so-called independent media and
the statements made by the Norwegian Charge bear witness to it. Such
conduct by the Norwegian Charge, as an abuse of the hospitality of the
Yugoslav Government , contradicts his diplomatic functions, whereas giving
bribe is punishable by law in all countries of the world. The Charge was
twice officially warned (on 30 August and on 22 September 2000) in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs that such activity is a flagrant interference
in internal affairs and a gross violation of the Vienna Convention on
Diplomatic Relations. He was asked not to do so and to channel all
assistance in accordance with the agreements and the normal practice
existing in co-operation among sovereign States, via competent Government
authorities, which the Charge completely ignored.
b) Military pressure:
Prior to the elections, NATO forces began a series of military
exercises in the immediate neighbourhood of the FR of Yugoslavia. Thus,
during the month of September the territory of Romania was used to stage
the military exercises codenamed "Co-operative Key 2000", while during the
course of October the exercises "Aquanaut 2000" are being conducted in the
Romanian waters of the Black Sea, with the participation of British and
Dutch commandos. These exercises have been followed by those carried out
jointly by NATO forces in the Aegean and Black Seas and in Eastern
Mediterranean, with the participation of about 70 warships. The American
Sixth Fleet demonstrated force in the Adriatic close to the Yugoslav coast
on the pretext of staging joint exercises with the Croatian armed forces.
All these have been coupled with threatening statements by senior
military and political officials in US Administration and from other NATO
countries and orchestrated by announcements in the media of another
military campaign against the FR of Yugoslavia "should Milosevic wins".
2. The above facts testify to flagrant foreign interference
in electoral processes by using propaganda, psychological , political and
military pressure aimed at influencing the will of the electorate, which is
contrary to what democracy is about and which constitutes a violation of
all norms of international law, in particular the Charter of the United
Nations*, of UN General Assembly resolution 54/168, on non-interference in
electoral processes**, the Declaration on Principles of International Law
Concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in accordance
with the Charter of the United Nations***.
3. The Government of the FR of Yugoslavia recalls that following
the interference of foreign factors in its electoral process, it has
already addressed the UN Security Council on 20 September 2000
(S/2000/885). The letter from the Ambassador of the FR of Yugoslavia to the
United Nations, among other things, pointed out that:"The countries that,
in wanton disregard for the Charter of the United Nations and circumventing
the Security Council, carried out an armed aggression against my country
last year, have now taken another step down the shameful road of disrespect
for the basic norms of international law. In doing so, they have publicly
and unscrupulously disparaged and encroached upon the inalienable right of
Yugoslav voters to elect their own legitimate representatives. They have
also violated General Assembly resolution 54/168... (which) was adopted
exactly to prevent such inadmissible acts and practices."
The Yugoslav Government requested on that occasion the Security
Council to address this important and urgent issue and to take measures to
put an end to flagrant interference in our internal affairs and to ensure
respect for international law and decisions of the United Nations.
Considering that the UN Security Council has not yet reacted to this
communication, the Yugoslav Government, presenting once again the above
facts, calls again upon the Security Council to take specific steps to
condemn in the strongest terms interference by the above-mentioned external
factors in the internal affairs of the FR of Yugoslavia, especially
interference in its electoral process and threats of force, so as to ensure
the respect for the Charter of the United Nations, international law and UN
General Assembly documents.
Belgrade, 4 October 2000
________________________________________
(3) Also reaffirms that any activities that attempt, directly or
indirectly, to interfere in the free development of national electoral
processes,... violate the spirit and letter of the principles established
in the Charter and in the Declaration on Principles of International Law
Concerning Friendly Relations...
(5) Strongly appeals to all States to refrain from financing
political parties or groups in other States and taking any other action
that undermines their electoral processes."
*** This principle has been defined in more detail and elaborated in this
Declaration (UNGA resolution 2625(XXV) of 24 October 1970) , which, inter
alia, states as follows:
"No State or group of States has the right to intervene, directly
or indirectly, for any reason whatsoever, in the internal or external
affairs of any State..."
"No State may use or encourage the use of economic, political or
any other type of measures to coerce another State in order to obtain from
it the subordination of the exercise of its sovereign rights and to secure
from it advantages of any kind. Also, no State shall organize, assist,
foment, finance, incite or tolerate subversive, terrorist or armed
activities directed towards the violent overthrow of the regime of another
State, or interfere in civil strife in another State."
"Every State has an inalienable right to choose its political,
economic, social and cultural systems, without interference in any form by
another State."
---
Bollettino di controinformazione del
Coordinamento Nazionale "La Jugoslavia Vivra'"
> http://digilander.iol.it/lajugoslaviavivra
I documenti distribuiti non rispecchiano necessariamente le
opinioni delle realta' che compongono il Coordinamento, ma vengono
fatti circolare per il loro contenuto informativo al solo scopo di
segnalazione e commento ("for fair use only")
Per contributi e segnalazioni: jugocoord@...
*** QUESTO SERVIZIO E' ANCORA IN FASE SPERIMENTALE ***
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Il tuo sondaggio sul web sugli argomenti che preferisci
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REGARDING ELECTIONS IN
THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA
September-October 2000
1. Before as well as during the electoral process conducted so
far, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and its citizens have been
incessantly exposed to systematic and brutal pressure by some influential
international factors, primarily the United States Administration and NATO
countries, with an undisguised aim of directly interfering in the electoral
process in the FR of Yugoslavia and of bringing an inadmissible pressure to
bear on the electoral will of its population.
a) Political and psychological pressures and subversive activities:
In the period prior to elections in Yugoslavia, centres for
assisting Yugoslav opposition and destabilization of Yugoslavia were
established in neighbouring countries (Szeged, Hungary; Timisoara, Romania;
Sofia, Bulgaria; Skopje, Macedonia; and Tirana, Albania).
A month before the elections, a US Regional Centre was set up to
co-ordinate the work of centres in individual countries of South Eastern
Europe in order to exert political, psychological, diplomatic and
subversive pressure (on 15 August 2000). The Budapest-based US Centre has
engaged more than 30 experts for intelligence, propaganda, military
intelligence and subversive activities against the FR of Yugoslavia under
the direction of former US Ambassador to Croatia William Montgomery. The
Centre recruits experts from USIS, CIA, USAID, DIA and other similar US
agencies. For this reason, the FR of Yugoslavia lodged an official written
protest with the United Nations Security Council on 18 September 2000 by
qualifying the establishment of this centre as a violation of the Vienna
Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations and international law and
describing it as a gross interference in the internal affairs of the FR of
Yugoslavia (S/2000/880). During the month of August this year, Director of
CIA George Tennet visited the broader region of South Eastern Europe
(Bulgaria, Romania) to step up and co-ordinate pressure in the run-up to
elections in Yugoslavia.
A ring of radio and TV centres was established around the FR of
Yugoslavia to transmit anti-Yugoslav propaganda, the well-known system of
NATO propaganda such as Radio Free Europe, Deutshe Welle, Voice of America
and others. Hundreds of hours of anti-Yugoslav propaganda aimed at
psychological and political pressure on the citizens of the FR of
Yugoslavia, concocted in US and NATO centres of subversion and
destabilization, are being aired via these systems and their transmitters
from the territories of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Romania,
Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania, on a daily basis. Many of
these radio and television transmitters operate illegally on the same
frequencies that, according to international conventions, belong to the FR
of Yugoslavia and that are used by Yugoslav radio and television stations.
Also, statements of representatives from NATO countries have been
noted to the effect that Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) concerning
the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija will not be implemented as long
as the opposition in Belgrade is not victorious, which directly represents
continuation of support for separatism, terrorism and international crime
in Kosovo and Metohija and in Montenegro.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, on the very date of
the elections (24 September) said: If opposition comes to power, the United
States will take steps to lift the sanctions, but if President Milosevic
stays in power, it will continue with its policy of sanctions and further
isolation of the Yugoslav Government. This being recognition of the fact
that sanctions have been used to wear down and punish a nation and as a
form of prolonged aggression.
The European Union too sent a "message to the Serbian people" on
18 September, on the eve of the elections, giving overtly support to the
Serbian opposition and promising to lift sanctions against it if it votes
for the opposition. This is evidence of the illegal nature and
unjustifiableness of sanctions as an instrument to violate fundamental
human rights, grossly intervene in internal affairs and bring about the
accomplishment of illegitimate political goals. On this score, an EU
representative was delivered the strongest protest in the Federal Ministry
of Foreign Affairs on 21 September and at EU headquarters in Brussels on 22
September, respectively.
Similar malicious views were publicly expressed every day in the
media by the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, by
the Foreign Ministers of a number of EU countries, the EU High
Representative and Commissioner for External Relations, as well as by the
EU Stability Pact Co-ordinator and the Secretary General of the Council of
Europe, with a view to exercising an organized pressure on the public in
the FRof Yugoslavia and on its electoral bodies and to prejudicing
election results.
b) Opposition funding:
The US Administration, the Governments of NATO countries and
various foundations, such as the Soros foundation, openly finance Yugoslav
opposition and various forms of subversive activity aimed at destabilizing
the FRof Yugoslavia and at overthrowing its legitimate Government. This
funding has been intensified in particular after the announcement
of nation-wide parliamentary, presidential and local elections. Funds have
openly been allocated to opposition political parties and their leaders, to
the so-called independent media, associations and structures of the
so-called civil society and to individuals. Prior to these elections, the
US Administration paid US$ 77.2 million to Yugoslav opposition, a public
fact also confirmed by a daily close to US Administration, The Washington
Post, on 22 September 2000. The same was also confirmed by sources in US
Congress, the Department of State and others.
Only a day after the elections and the first round of Presidential
election in the FR of Yugoslavia,
US Congress passed on 25 September the "Democratization of Serbia Act",
making a series of gross and unsubstantiated allegations against the
legitimate authorities in the FR of Yugoslavia and appropriating additional
financial resources, to the tune of US$ 105 million, to bring them down,
i.e. for the purposes of the Serbian opposition. This document, under the
guise of an alleged concern for human rights, openly supported the
separatism of ethnic Hungarians in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, where
the majority Serbs live in harmony with 25 minorities.
A week before the elections, the Charge d'Affaires of the Royal
Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade handed out cash funds in Deutsche marks to
students and young people in several towns in Serbia, thus directly
promoting the cause of the opposition. The so-called independent media and
the statements made by the Norwegian Charge bear witness to it. Such
conduct by the Norwegian Charge, as an abuse of the hospitality of the
Yugoslav Government , contradicts his diplomatic functions, whereas giving
bribe is punishable by law in all countries of the world. The Charge was
twice officially warned (on 30 August and on 22 September 2000) in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs that such activity is a flagrant interference
in internal affairs and a gross violation of the Vienna Convention on
Diplomatic Relations. He was asked not to do so and to channel all
assistance in accordance with the agreements and the normal practice
existing in co-operation among sovereign States, via competent Government
authorities, which the Charge completely ignored.
b) Military pressure:
Prior to the elections, NATO forces began a series of military
exercises in the immediate neighbourhood of the FR of Yugoslavia. Thus,
during the month of September the territory of Romania was used to stage
the military exercises codenamed "Co-operative Key 2000", while during the
course of October the exercises "Aquanaut 2000" are being conducted in the
Romanian waters of the Black Sea, with the participation of British and
Dutch commandos. These exercises have been followed by those carried out
jointly by NATO forces in the Aegean and Black Seas and in Eastern
Mediterranean, with the participation of about 70 warships. The American
Sixth Fleet demonstrated force in the Adriatic close to the Yugoslav coast
on the pretext of staging joint exercises with the Croatian armed forces.
All these have been coupled with threatening statements by senior
military and political officials in US Administration and from other NATO
countries and orchestrated by announcements in the media of another
military campaign against the FR of Yugoslavia "should Milosevic wins".
2. The above facts testify to flagrant foreign interference
in electoral processes by using propaganda, psychological , political and
military pressure aimed at influencing the will of the electorate, which is
contrary to what democracy is about and which constitutes a violation of
all norms of international law, in particular the Charter of the United
Nations*, of UN General Assembly resolution 54/168, on non-interference in
electoral processes**, the Declaration on Principles of International Law
Concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in accordance
with the Charter of the United Nations***.
3. The Government of the FR of Yugoslavia recalls that following
the interference of foreign factors in its electoral process, it has
already addressed the UN Security Council on 20 September 2000
(S/2000/885). The letter from the Ambassador of the FR of Yugoslavia to the
United Nations, among other things, pointed out that:"The countries that,
in wanton disregard for the Charter of the United Nations and circumventing
the Security Council, carried out an armed aggression against my country
last year, have now taken another step down the shameful road of disrespect
for the basic norms of international law. In doing so, they have publicly
and unscrupulously disparaged and encroached upon the inalienable right of
Yugoslav voters to elect their own legitimate representatives. They have
also violated General Assembly resolution 54/168... (which) was adopted
exactly to prevent such inadmissible acts and practices."
The Yugoslav Government requested on that occasion the Security
Council to address this important and urgent issue and to take measures to
put an end to flagrant interference in our internal affairs and to ensure
respect for international law and decisions of the United Nations.
Considering that the UN Security Council has not yet reacted to this
communication, the Yugoslav Government, presenting once again the above
facts, calls again upon the Security Council to take specific steps to
condemn in the strongest terms interference by the above-mentioned external
factors in the internal affairs of the FR of Yugoslavia, especially
interference in its electoral process and threats of force, so as to ensure
the respect for the Charter of the United Nations, international law and UN
General Assembly documents.
Belgrade, 4 October 2000
________________________________________
(3) Also reaffirms that any activities that attempt, directly or
indirectly, to interfere in the free development of national electoral
processes,... violate the spirit and letter of the principles established
in the Charter and in the Declaration on Principles of International Law
Concerning Friendly Relations...
(5) Strongly appeals to all States to refrain from financing
political parties or groups in other States and taking any other action
that undermines their electoral processes."
*** This principle has been defined in more detail and elaborated in this
Declaration (UNGA resolution 2625(XXV) of 24 October 1970) , which, inter
alia, states as follows:
"No State or group of States has the right to intervene, directly
or indirectly, for any reason whatsoever, in the internal or external
affairs of any State..."
"No State may use or encourage the use of economic, political or
any other type of measures to coerce another State in order to obtain from
it the subordination of the exercise of its sovereign rights and to secure
from it advantages of any kind. Also, no State shall organize, assist,
foment, finance, incite or tolerate subversive, terrorist or armed
activities directed towards the violent overthrow of the regime of another
State, or interfere in civil strife in another State."
"Every State has an inalienable right to choose its political,
economic, social and cultural systems, without interference in any form by
another State."
---
Bollettino di controinformazione del
Coordinamento Nazionale "La Jugoslavia Vivra'"
> http://digilander.iol.it/lajugoslaviavivra
I documenti distribuiti non rispecchiano necessariamente le
opinioni delle realta' che compongono il Coordinamento, ma vengono
fatti circolare per il loro contenuto informativo al solo scopo di
segnalazione e commento ("for fair use only")
Per contributi e segnalazioni: jugocoord@...
*** QUESTO SERVIZIO E' ANCORA IN FASE SPERIMENTALE ***
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
eCircle ti offre una nuova opportunit�:
Il tuo sondaggio sul web sugli argomenti che preferisci
Facile da gestire e con rappresentazioni grafiche dei risultati.
E' facile, veloce e gratuito!
Da oggi su
http://www.ecircle.de/ad171136/www.ecircle.it