Informazione
Kostunica says some backers "unconsciously work for American imperial
goals"
'NY Times' article with commentary by Jared Israel and Max Sinclair
---
> The Sunday Times
> October 1 2000
> EASTERN EUROPE
> SAS trains Montenegrin police
> A HIGHLY secretive SAS mission in Montenegro has spent the past six
> months training the Yugoslav republic's elite special police against
> terrorist threats from Serbia, writes Tom Walker.
> The 1,500-strong commando units of the new Montenegrin force, who
wear
> distinctive black uniforms, are now a common sight near government
> buildings and on Montenegro's borders. The commandos are backed up by
> another 5,000 special police.
> Neither the Montenegrins nor the British government have admitted the
> presence of SAS trainers on Yugslav territory, for fear of provoking
a
> confrontation with the Yugoslav army of President Slobodan Milosevic.
> Diplomats say they believe the trainers, said to have been a squad of
> be-tween four and eight, have now left after concern for their
safety.
> The SAS trainers were experienced Balkan hands. Several had assisted
> Nato's operation in Kosovo last year. "I saw some familiar faces
while I
> was wandering across a park here. They saw me and dived behind a
tree,"
> said one diplomat.
> The British involvement with the Montenegrin police is plain to see.
> More than 150 Land Rovers have been im-ported in the past year. The
> Foreign Office said two ex-port licences had been granted permitting
> civilian use.
> Intelligence sources familiar with the police programme run by the
SAS
> said the trainers were based near Bar, Yugoslavia's main port. The
> police have been given new mountaineering, diving and parachuting
> skills, and some officers are also be-lieved to have been given
training
> in Britain.
> "They've turned the police into a sort of light infantry militia-type
> outfit that can tackle any hijack or hostage crisis, the sort of
thing
> that Serbia might provoke here," said one diplomat. He said most of
the
> police armaments and uniforms came from America. The special police
have
> sub-machineguns, mortars and bazookas, but cannot counter the heavy
> armoury of the Yugoslav army.
>
YUGOSLAV DAILY SURVEY
BELGRADE, 2 October 2000 No. 3200
S P E C I A L I S S U E
YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC ADDRESSES THE NATION
BELGRADE, October 2 (Tanjug). Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic addressed on Monday the nation over the Serbian radio and
television.
"Dear citizens,
In the expectation of the second round of the election, I take
the
opportunity to explain to you my views on the electoral and political
situation in our country, especially in Serbia.
As you know, efforts have been underway for a whole decade to
place the entire Balkan peninsula under the control of some western
powers.
A big part of that job was done by establishing puppet governments in
some
countries, by transforming them into countries with limited sovereignty
or
even deprived of any sovereignty at all.
Due to our resistance to such a fate for our country, we were
subjected to all forms of pressure to which people in the contemporary
world can be subjected. The number and intensity of the pressures
multiplied as time went by. All experience the big powers gained in the
second half of the 20th century in overthrowing governments, causing
unrest, instigating civil wars, disparaging or liquidating national
freedom
fighters, bringing states and nations to the brink of poverty all this
was
applied to our country and our people.
The developments organized for our elections are also a part of
the organized persecution of our country and our people, because our
country and our people constitute a barrier to the establishment of full
domination in the Balkan peninsula.
A grouping has for a long time now been present in our midst
which, under the guise of opposition political parties of democratic
orientation, represents the interests of governments which are the
protagonists of pressures against Yugoslavia, and especially against
Serbia. That grouping appeared in these elections under the name
Democratic
Opposition of Serbia. Its true head is not its presidential candidate.
Its
head for many years has been the president of the Democratic Party and
collaborator of the military alliance which waged a war against our
country. He could not even conceal his collaboration with that alliance.
In
fact, our entire public knows of his appeal to NATO to bomb Serbia for
as
many weeks as necessary to break its resistance. The grouping organized
in
this manner for these elections therefore represents the armies and
governments which recently waged war against Yugoslavia.
In representing their interests, the grouping launched messages
to
our public that with them at the head, Yugoslavia would be out of any
danger of war or violence, that economic prosperity would come, the
standard of living would improve visibly and rapidly, that Yugoslavia
would
allegedly reintegrate in international institutions, and so forth.
Distinguished citizens,
It is my duty to warn you publicly and in time that such
promises
are false and that the situation is quite different. It is precisely our
policy which guarantees peace and theirs only lasting conflicts and
violence, and I shall tell you why.
With the establishment of an administration supported or
installed
by a community of countries gathered within NATO, Yugoslavia would
inevitably become a country whose territory would quickly be
dismembered.
These are not only NATO's intentions. These are the preelection promises
of
the Democratic Opposition of Serbia. We have heard from its
representatives
that Sandzak would get the autonomy that a member of its coalition and
leader of a separatist Muslim organization Sulejman Ugljanin has been
advocating for ten years, and which would in fact mean a definite
separation of Sandzak from Serbia. Their promises also include giving to
Vojvodina an autonomy that would not only separate it from Serbia and
Yugoslavia but would in fact make it an integral part of neighbouring
Hungary. In a similar manner other areas would be separated from Serbia
and
some other border areas. Their annexation by neighbouring states has for
a
long time been a hot issue in those states, which keep inciting their
minorities in Yugoslavia to make a contribution to an integration of
parts
of our country with neighbouring states.
Within this policy of dismembering Yugoslavia, Kosovo would be
the
first victim. Its present status would be proclaimed legal and final. It
is
the first part of its territory to which Serbia would have to bid
farewell,
without even voicing hope that this part of its land could once be
returned
to it.
The remaining territory that would bear the name Serbia would
be
occupied by international, US or some third military forces, which would
treat this territory as their military training ground and as their
property to be controlled in line with the interests of the power whose
army is present there.
We have been looking at cases of such control and consequences
thereof for decades, and especially in this decade in many countries
around
the world, unfortunately lately even in Europe, for instance in Kosovo,
Republika Srpska and Macedonia, in our immediate neighbourhood. The
people
of Serbia would know the fate of the Kurds, with a prospect of being
exterminated more speedily than the Kurds since they are less numerous,
and
since their movements would be limited to a much smaller area than the
one
in which Kurds have been present for decades.
As for Montenegro, its fate would be left in the hands of the
mafia, whose rules of the game should be made well known to the
citizens:
any breach of discipline and especially any opposition to mafia
interests
is punishable by death without any right to appeal.
I have presented to you the fate of Yugoslavia in case of
acceptance of the NATO option for our country, in order to warn you
that,
in addition to a loss of land and humiliation of the people, all would
live
under ceaseless violence.
The new owners of former Yugoslavia's state territory and
occupiers of the remaining Serbian territory would, as is the nature of
things, terrorize the population whose territory they will have
occupied.
The Serb people itself would at the same time fight continuously for the
reestablishment of a Serb state in which it could reassemble. They do
not
want peace or prosperity in the Balkans. They want this to be a zone of
permanent conflicts and wars which would provide them with an alibi for
their lasting presence.
"A puppet government therefore guarantees violence, possibly
many
years of war, anything but peace. Only our own administration guarantees
peace.
Moreover, all countries finding themselves with a status of
limited sovereignty and with governments under the influence of foreign
powers, have speedily become impoverished in a manner destroying all
hope
for more just and humane social relations. A great division into a poor
majority and a rich minority - this has been the picture of eastern
Europe
for some years now that we can all see. That picture would also include
us.
We, too, would under the command and control of the owners of our
country
quickly have a tremendous majority of the very poor, whose prospects of
coming out of their poverty would be very, very uncertain and far away.
The
rich minority would be constituted by the black marketeering elite,
which
would be allowed to be rich only on condition that it be fully loyal to
the
command which decides the fate of their country.
Public and social property would quickly be transformed into
private property, but its owners, as demonstrated by the experience of
our
neighbours, would as a rule be foreigners.
Among few exceptions would be only those who would purchase
their
right to ownership by their loyalty and submission, which would lead to
the
elimination of elementary national and human dignity. The greatest
national
assets in such circumstances become the property of foreigners, and the
people who used to manage them would continue to do so in these changed
circumstances but as employees of foreign companies in their own
country.
National humiliation, state fragmentation and social poverty
would
necessarily lead to many forms of social pathology, of which crime would
be
the first. This is not just an assumption, this is the experience of all
countries which have taken the path that we are trying to avoid at any
cost. The centres of European crime are no longer in the west, they were
moved to eastern Europe a decade ago. Our people find it hard to bear
already the present crime incidence, as we lived for a long time from
World War II to the 1990s in a society which hardly knew any crime at
all.
Any large-scale crime, such as cannot be avoided in a society that we
would
become with the loss of sovereignty and a large part of territory, such
large-scale crime would be as dangerous for our small and unused to
crime
people as war is dangerous for the society and its citizens.
One of the essential tasks of a puppet government in any
country,
including ours were we to have such a government, is loss of identity.
Countries under foreign command relatively quickly part with their
history,
their past, their tradition, their national symbols, their way of
living,
often their own literary language. Invisible at first, but very
efficient
and merciless selection of national identity would reduce it to a few
local
dishes, a few songs and folk dances, the names of national heroes used
as
brand names for food products or cosmetics.
One of the really obvious consequences of the takeover of
territories of countries by the big powers in the 20th century is the
annihilation of the identity of the people of those countries.
Experience
of other countries shows that people can hardly come to terms with the
speed with which they are starting to use a foreign language as their
own,
to identify with foreign historic figures forgetting their own, to be
better acquainted with the literature of their occupiers than their own,
to
glorify the history of others while mocking their own, to resemble
others
instead of themselves. The loss of a national identity is the greatest
defeat a nation can know, which is inevitable in the contemporary form
of
colonization. Besides, that new form of colonization by its very nature
rules out any possibility of free speech or free will, and especially
rules
out any creativity of any kind. Countries which are not free deny to the
people who live in them the right to freely express their opinion, as
that
opinion would be in collision with the absence of freedom. This is why
torture over thought is the most consistent and essential form of
torture
in a country that has lost its freedom. As for exercising free will, it
is,
naturally, out of the question. Free will is allowed only as a farce. It
is
allowed only to the lackeys of foreign masters, whose simulated free
will
is used by the occupiers as a justification for establishing democracy
in
whose name they have taken possession of another people's country. I
would
like to stress particularly because of young people, intellectuals,
scientists, that countries deprived of sovereignty are as a rule
deprived
of the right to creative work, and especially creative work in the field
of
science. Large centers and large powers finance scientific work, control
its attainments and decide about the application of its results.
Dependent
states, if they have scientific laboratories and scientific institutes,
are
not independent ones but operate as branches controlled by one center.
Their attainments must remain within bounds that will not introduce in
occupied countries and occupied peoples the seed of rebellion and
emancipation.
At this moment ahead of the runoff elections, because the
Democratic Opposition of Serbia doubts it can achieve the result it
needs,
leaders of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia with money introduced
into
the country are bribing, blackmailing and harassing citizens and
organizing
strikes, unrest and violence in order to stop production, all work and
every activity. All that, of course, with the aim of stopping life in
Serbia and with the explanation that life can start again and go on
successfully and well, when it is organized by those who represent here
the
intentions, plans and interests of occupiers. Our country is a sovereign
state. It has its laws, its Constitution, its institutions. Serbia is
duty bound, and it deserves to defend itself from invasion which has
been
prepared against it through different forms of subversion.
And the citizens should know, that by participating in
subversion
whose objective is foreign domination over their country or the
occupation
of their country, they bear the historical responsibility of denying to
their country the right to exist and also the responsibility of losing
control over their own lives.
By giving up their country to others, to foreign will they also
surrender to foreign will their own life and the life of their children
and
of many other people.
I considered it my duty, to warn the citizens of our country
about
the consequences of the activities financed and supported by the
governments of NATO countries. Citizens can trust me but they do not
have
to. My wish is only that they do not realize this when it is too late,
that
they do not realize this when it will be difficult to redress mistakes
that
citizens naively, superficially or erroneously made, as those mistakes
will
be difficult to rectify and some will never be rectified.
My motive to express my opinion in this way is not, at all, of
personal nature. I was elected twice President of Serbia and once
President
of Yugoslavia. It should be clear to all, after these ten years, that
they
are not attacking Serbia because of Milosevic, but Milosevic because of
Serbia. My conscience in that respect is absolutely clear. My
conscience,
however, would not at all be clear if I would not tell my people, after
all
these years at their head, what I think about their fate if that fate is
imposed by someone else, even if it means to explain to the people that
they have chosen that fate themselves.
The misjudgment that they are choosing what has been chosen by
someone else, is the most dangerous misjudgment and the main reason of
my
decision to address publicly the citizens of Yugoslavia.
Thank you."
YUGOSLAV ELECTION COMMISSION REJECTS DOS COMPLAINT
BELGRADE, Oct 1 (Tanjug) The Yugoslav election commission, at
a
session presided over by Borivoje Vukicevic, determined on Saturday the
list of candidates for electing the president of Yugoslavia in a runoff,
said a statement from Yugoslav parliament.
Candidates for president of Yugoslavia are:
1. Vojislav Kostunica, Ph.D. of law, born 1944, from Belgrade,
nominated by the Democratic Party, Democratic Party of Serbia,
SocialDemocracy, Civil Alliance of Serbia, ChristianDemocratic Party of
Serbia, New Serbia, Movement for Democratic Serbia, Vojvodina League of
SocialDemocrats, Reformist Democratic Party of Vojvodina, Vojvodina
Coalition, Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians, Democratic Alternative,
Democratic Center, New Democracy, SocialDemocratic Union, Democratic
Action, League for Sumadija, Serbian Resistance Movement Democratic
Movement.
2. Slobodan Milosevic, B.A. of law, born 1941, from Belgrade,
nominated by the Socialist Party of Serbia, the Yugoslav Left and the
Socialist People's Party of Montenegro.
At the same time, the commission made a decision that the
election
councils, which conducted the elections for Yugoslav president in the
first
round, will conduct the elections for Yugoslav president in the runoff,
the
statement said.
The election commission has also made a decision about the
printing of election material for the election of Yugoslav president in
the
runoff. Ballots will be printed in the same number as the number of
voters
in the first round, and that number is 7,861,421. The printing of
ballots
in several languages will start on Sunday, October 1, 2000.
The Yugoslav election commission has rejected the complaint of
DOS
about balloting results for Yugoslav president as unfounded. Also
reviewed
were a number of complaints concerning local elections, said the
statement
of the Yugoslav parliament information section.
BULGARIANATOTRIBUNAL
WESTERN LEADERS, NATO FOUND GUILTY
SOFIA, Oct 1 (Tanjug) Court council of the International
Social
Tribunal based in Moscow found guilty, on Sunday, at the end of the
trial
in Sofia, 14 Western leaders and the NATO alliance of crimes committed
during NATO's aggression last year on FR Yugoslavia.
The verdict, read by tribunal president Mihail Kuznyecov for
war
crimes, crimes against humanity, violation of all international norms
and
regulations and other crimes, found guilty: William Clinton, Madeleine
Albright, Wiliam Cohen, Gerhard Schroeder, Jozef Fischer, Rudolf
Scharping,
Anthony Blair, Robin Cook, George Robertson, Jacque Chirac, Hubert
Vedrine,
Alain Richard, Javier Solana and Wesley Clark.
The verdict was signed by the 14 judges of the council from ten
countries.
SERBIAN PROVINCE OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
THREE POWER TRANSFORMERS BURNED IN FIRE IN "TREPCA"
ZVECAN, Oct 1 (Tanjug) In a fire that broke out Saturday
evening
around 22.00 in the power plant of Trepca's lead metallurgy plant were
burned down three 35kilowat transformers, that lead to power outages in
Zvecan and surrounding villages.
Tanjug's reporter learnt on the spot that the fire was very
quickly brought under control by fire brigade units from the
northernSerbian part of Kosovska Mitrovica.
According to the first information the fire was caused by a
technical malfunction of a power line that has been submerged under
water
for days. A few Serbs working on the maintenance of the plant, the only
ones to remain at their work posts after the forcible takeover of Trepca
by
KFOR in August this year, have warned KFOR members about that,
apparently
to no avail.
The situation has also stabilized around the plant, and UNMIK
and
KFOR helicopetres are no longer overflying the area since midnight.
ÿ
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Per contributi e segnalazioni: jugocoord@...
*** QUESTO SERVIZIO E' ANCORA IN FASE SPERIMENTALE ***
BELGRADE, October 3 (Tanjug) The Yugoslav Parliament's Chamber
of
Citizens President Milomir Minic on Tuesday sent a letter to Yugoslav
presidential candidate of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS)
Vojislav Kostunica in answer to Kostunica's letter sent to the
presidents
of the two chambers of Yugoslav parliament.
In his answer to Kostunica, Minic said that the federal
parliament, as the country's top legislative organ, acting in keeping
with
the federal election laws, had appointed a Federal Electoral Commission
from among the ranks of bearers of legislative functions and prominent
legal experts, whose task it is to organize, carry out and determine the
results of the elections.
Representatives of all proposers who nominated presidential
candidates, including DOS representatives, took part in the work of the
Federal Electoral Commission.
The entire election process was managed by over 10,000
electoral
committees in whose work more than 180,000 citizens
participated representatives of all parties which took part in the
elections.
All participants in the elections on Sept 24, 2000, agreed that
the elections had been fair and passed in a democratic atmosphere, and
that
they had been realized in keeping with the elections legislature. This
was
confirmed also by 220 observers from 54 countries the world over, Minic
said.
In establishing the results of the vote, the Federal Electoral
Commission was guided strictly by original records from polling
stations.
"In keeping with the law, every representative of proposers who
nominated candidates for Yugoslav president had the right to review the
election material at the Federal Electoral Commission, which a
representative of those who put forward your nomination also did," Minic
said.
In keeping with the election results, it was undeniably
established that the Yugoslav president was not elected in the first
round,
so that the Federal Electoral Commission, in keeping with the law,
decided
that citizens will elect the Yugoslav president in a second round on Oct
8.
"In line with your calling on the understanding of honour,
democracy, and your claims that you are a legalist I urge you to
prevent
manipulations and calls to unrest and violence launched by the DOS
Election
Headquarters, to accept the will of the people and to respect the
decision
of the Federal Electoral Commission. The citizens of the Federal
Republic
of Yugoslavia will choose, of their own will, the Yugoslav president in
the
second round in keeping with the Yugoslav Constitution and the Law on
the
election of Republican president," said Minic in closing in his letter
to
DOS presidential candidate Kostunica.
FEDERAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION: DOS ELECTION STAFF MISINFORMING PUBLIC
BELGRADE, October 3 (Tanjug) The Federal Electoral Commission
on
Monday released a statement in reaction to "misinformation and false
data
constantly released by the Election Headquarters of the Democratic
Opposition of Serbia (DOS)."
"The Federal Electoral Commission points out that authorized
persons from the Democratic Opposition of Serbia had had access to all
election material which they had demanded, and that they had been
enabled
insight into these materials in keeping with the Law on the election of
the
president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in the official
premises
and within the prescribed deadline."
The Commission said "the election campaign headquarters of
Vojislav Kostunica announced in public in the past seven days first that
their candidate won 2,783,870 votes on Tuesday, September 26, 2,649,003
on
Wednesday, September 27, 2,424,187 votes on Saturday, September 30, and
today, on Monday, October 2, 2,414,876 votes."
"They bombarded our public with figures that Vojislav Kostunica
won 2,649,003 votes, that this is 52.54 percent of the 5,041,878 votes
cast," the Commission statement said, adding:
"Today, they say that Vojislav Kostunica won 2,414,876 votes
and
that 4,704,685 voters went to the polls.
"In order to maintain a majority in his favour, they reduced
the
number of citizens who had voted by close to 350,000 erasing all
citizens
who voted in Kosovo and Metohija and displaced persons from Kosmet and
all
citizens who voted in Montenegro.
"The Federal Electoral Commission is not obliged by
manipulations
or mistakes in the DOS Election Headquarters.
"It was possible for the DOS Election Headquarters, since they
had
representatives in all polling stations and all records, to be assured
of
the legitimacy of the data released by the Federal Electoral Commission.
"The Federal Electoral Commission has asked the Supervising
Committee to warn the DOS Election Headquarters that spreading lies,
threats to members of the Electoral Commission, calls for lynching, and
provocation of unrest present a form of impermissible pressure and
intimidation of voters.
"The Federal Electoral Commission informs the public that all
preparations for holding the runoff to the election of Yugoslav
president,
set for Oct 8, 2000, are proceeding in keeping with the law," the
Commission statement said.
INTERFERENCE IN YUGOSLAV INTERNAL AFFAIRS IS INADMISSIBLE,
LUKASHENKO SAYS
MOSCOW, October 3 (Tanjug) Belarussian President Alexander
Lukashenko said on Tuesday that foreign interference in Yugoslav
internal
affairs is inadmissible.
According to Moscow media, Lukashenko said that the Yugoslav
people should express their own free will. The Serbian people are able
to
elect the man who will really represent their interests, said
Lukashenko.
The Belarussian observers who had monitored the first round of
Yugoslav elections think that everything was fair and absolutely
democratic, Lukashenko said.
The friendly ties between the two countries have nothing to do
with the names of current, former or future Russian or Belarussian
presidents, they are the "factual truth", stressed Lukashenko accepting
credentials from new Yugoslav Ambassador to Belarus Milorad Radovic.
FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA
SERBIAN GOVERNMENT DISCUSSES CURRENT SITUATION
BELGRADE, October 3 (Tanjug) The Serbian Government held a
session on Tuesday chaired by Premier Mirko Marjanovic and discussed the
current situation in the republic. It noted that various foreign
agencies
are continuing their special war against Yugoslavia and attempting to
cause
chaos, intimidate the people and prevent normal functioning of state
institutions.
All political subjects have the right, guaranteed by the
Constitution, to engage in political activities, hold public assemblies
and
express freely their political views, but such activities must not
endanger
the rights and freedoms of the citizens, the government said quoted in a
statement by the information ministry.
Any attempt at subversive activities endangering personal
safety
or property of the citizens must therefore be prevented and sanctioned
according to law, the statement says.
The violent behaviour of individuals and groups that threatens
citizens' lives, disrupts normal functioning of traffic, prevents normal
work of industry, schools, institutions and health facilities will be
proscribed by law, the statement says.
Special measures will be taken against the organisers of these
criminal activities. These measures also apply to media that are
financed
from abroad and are breeding lies, untruths and inciting bloodshed, the
statement says.
Due to the attempt at sabotage at the Kolubara mining and power
complex, and in order to maintain stable functioning of the power supply
system, the government adopted a decision on minimum compulsory work in
Serbia's power industry, the statement says.
YUGOSLAV DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER CONFERS WITH UN OFFICIAL
BELGRADE, October 2 (Tanjug) Yugoslav Deputy Foreign Minister
Zoran Novakovic has received the special U.N. envoy for human rights in
BosniaHerzegovina, Croatia and Yugoslavia Jiri Dienstbier, Yugoslav
Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Novakovic informed Dienstbier about the dramatic situation in
the
U.N.run Serbian (Yugoslav) province of KosovoMetohija which is getting
worse daily, especially after UNMIK chief Bernard Kouchner had scheduled
elections for October 28 despite the fact that no conditions have been
provided for them.
He stressed that the situation in the southern Serbian province
is
characterized by systematic deliberate violations of Security Council
Resolution 1244, specifically Yugoslavia's territorial integrity and
sovereignty, and by mass violations of the human rights of both Serbs
and
other nonAlbanians.
Novakovic urged Dienstbier to oppose the local elections in
KosovoMetohija because they encourage terrorism and separatism and also
can
endanger peace and stability not only in the province but throughout the
region.
Dienstbier once again stressed that he supports sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Yugoslavia and opposes sanctions against the
Yugoslav people.
He was specifically interested in the Yugoslav elections held
on
Sept 24, and expressed his best wishes for their peaceful outcome, the
statement said.
CANCELLATION OF VIENNA CONFERENCE IS GROSS INTERFERENCE IN YUGOSLAV
AFFAIRS
VIENNA, October 3 (Tanjug) The 2nd Conference on the
Implementation of the Subregional Arms Control Accord (Florence Accord)
which is one of the basic elements of DaytonParis accord, was due to be
held on October 4 in Vienna.
All preparations for the Conference have been completed
successfully and on time, organized by the Yugoslav delegation which had
been appointed to chair the conference. The Conference, however, will
not
be held, because delegations from Croatia and BosniaHerzegovina
Federation
refused to participate, justifying their decision by the allegedly
serious
situation in Yugoslavia.
Yugoslav delegation chief, Deputy Foreign Minister Miroslav
Milosevic said at the preparatory committee session convened just before
the conference was due to be held, that this pointless politically
motivated act is an attempt at gross interference in internal affairs of
sovereign Yugoslavia. This is one of the most serious blows to the
entire
DaytonParis accord, Milosevic said.
SERBIA'S OPPOSITION ORGANIZES ROAD BLOCKS, STRIKES, PRESSURES
BELGRADE, October 3 (Tanjug) The Democratic Opposition of
Serbia
(DOS) organized again on Tuesday road blocks and protests, preventing
normal daily activities and work in some towns and industries in Serbia.
Belgrade residents were thus again forced to walk to work due
to
traffic stoppages in several city thoroughfares, organized by DOS, the
Otpor organization, the G 17 group and other socalled independent
organizations.
DOS followers erected road blocks around Smederevska Palanka,
preventing access to the Belgrade Nis highway. However, the Gosa
industry
and many other companies in the town are working as usual.
In Paracin, DOS followers blocked the Paracin Bor road at 5
a.m.,
and the road towards Krusevac and other access roads some time later.
This
has prevented the deliveries of cement from the Novi Popovac plant,
where
production has been reduced due to fuel shortage, deputy manager Miodrag
Stefanovic told Tanjug.
The Buducnost cable manufacturing industry in Paracin has also
stopped production as imported raw materials and other inputs cannot
reach
the plant. Employees, however, come to work every day, Buducnost
executive
Dragan Vasic told Tanjug.
Workers at the Paracin glass works are, however, on strike, and
the industry is operating at minimum capacity.
Several thousand DOS followers once again blocked the main road
through Uzice Tuesday morning for they said three hours, allowing only
ambulances through.
Food shops and green markets in Uzice were open only until 10
a.m.
Tuesday, while other shops and restaurants remained closed.
Primary and high schools in the town were closed, but the
teachers' college and the technical college are working normally.
In the Uzice municipality which is administered by DOS parties,
the copper and aluminum processing industry in Sevojno and some other
plants are on strike.
The Uzice power distribution network has started alternating
fourhour power cuts in town districts.
KOSOVOMETOHIJA TERRORISM
KOSOVO ALBANIAN TERRORISTS HURL GRENADE AT SERBS IN PASJANE VILLAGE
GNJILANE, October 3 (Tanjug) Five Serbs were injured in
Pasjane
village near Gnjilane shortly after 8 p.m. on Monday when ethnic
Albanian
extremists hurled a hand grenade at a group of Serbs standing outside a
store.
Zoran Stojanovic, 35, and Ljubisa Maksimovic, 21, were gravely
injured, while Sasa Aksic, 27, Srboljub Stojkovic, 29, and Srdjan
Andjelkovic, 31, sustained minor injuries.
The international force KFOR medical center in the village
administered first aid to the injured Serbs. The seriously injured
casualties will most probably be taken to the U.S. Bondsteel base near
Sojevo for further treatment, amateur radio operators reported from the
U.N.run Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija.
The three attackers fled from the scene in a red Golf
automobile
without license plates in the direction of the neighbouring village of
Vlastica, populated by ethnic Albanians.
---
> a.. * * FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA OPPOSITION WANTS TO
>PROVOKE CHAOS, CLASHES, MILUTINOVIC SAYS NOVI SAD, October 1 (Tanjug) -
>Serbian President Milan Milutinovic talked on Sunday in Novi Sad with
>officials in Vojvodina about the political situation and the importance
of the
>run-off elections for Yugoslav president and deputies in the provincial
>assembly. Milutionovic warned that for many, both in the country and
abroad,
>election results are not the primary goal, but provoking chaos, clashes
and
>unrest in the state, and calling for some kind of intervention and
>interference in our internal affairs. "Neither will those conditions be
>created, nor will there be any kind of intervention because our people,
>despite all those attempts, will make a decision in the runoff that
will
>preserve freedom, independence, integrity, equality and peace in the
country,"
>Milutinovic added. That, he said, "can be ensured only by our forces,
headed
>by Slobodan Milosevic." Speaking about the importance of the run-off
elections
>for deputies in the Assembly of Vojvodina, the Serbian President
pointed to
>the danger of candidates of parties with a separatist orientation that
are
>also part of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia. Their intention,
Milutinovic
>specified, "is to separate Vojvodina first from Serbia, and then, under
the
>mask of regionalization, to divide it into districts in which Serbs
would be a
>minority." "That would be a new tragic tearing apart of the Serbian
national
>corps and the end of the Serbian national being in the territory. At
the same
>time, it would mean the end of economic independence and of Vojvodina
as a
>whole and the end of all its farmers, whether they are Serbs,
Hungarians,
>Romanians, Slovaks or any other," Milutinovic warned. Because of all
that, the
>outcome of the run-off election will decide "whether or not Vojvodina,
Serbia
>and Yugoslavia will remain one whole, free and independent and whether
the
>Serbian national corps will be preserved or further torn apart."
"Serbia and
>Yugoslavia will not lose their state and soul and will not be
colonies,"
>Milutinovic said, affirming his belief that "both in Vojvodina and
throughout
>Serbia the Serbian people will wake up and understand what is going on,
and
>what could happen."
> b..
> c..
> d.. BULATOVIC: YUGOSLAVIA AGAIN WINNING TICKET AT ELECTIONS
PODGORICA,
>October 2 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav Prime Minister and Socialist People's
Party
>(SNP) of Montenegro President Momir Bulatovic said on Monday that
Yugoslavia
>had made a significant step in its democratic development at the
September 24
>elections, and thus also in the protection of its most important state
>interests. "None of the terrible predictions about a civil war, state
of
>emergency or a new NATO intervention have come to pass," Bulatovic said
in an
>interview to the Podgorica daily Dan. "In spite of unprecedented
pressure from
>outside and brutal torture from within by Djukanovic, Kouchner and
Thaci,
>acting on instructions from the same boss, Yugoslav citizens went to
the polls
>en masse, and expressed their political will peacefully and in a
dignified
>manner," he said. Yugoslavia has again triumphed at these elections,
Bulatovic
>said. "This is especially good for Montenegro, where, in spite of the
>anticivilizational and hooligan behaviour of the Montenegrin
authorities, an
>admirably great number of people had summoned up civil and every other
courage
>to resist intimidation, threats and blackmail," he said. In reaction to
a
>comment that the results of these elections are "controversial, to say
the
>least," Bulatovic said presidential candidate Vojislav Kostunica had
won the
>great confidence of Serbian citizens to become Yugoslav president.
Voters in
>Montenegro overwhelmingly voted for the SNP presidential candidate -
Slobodan
>Milosevic. Both these facts are equally binding for the SNP, Bulatovic
said.
>"We will continue to support our presidential candidate without any
dilemmas
>or calculations," Bulatovic said, adding that the SNP is also ready to
accept
>and respect a majority decision "which need not be in agreement with
our
>determination." "The legal path and legal means to which DOS and
candidate
>Kostunica have resorted should remove any possible dilemma. However,
there is
>no other way or any other legally established pathway for determining
the
>actual will of Yugoslav citizens. We trust the Federal Electoral
Commission
>and other state institutions of Yugoslavia. That is why the SNP is
getting
>ready to take part in the second round of the presidential elections,"
he
>said. Commenting on the political situation in Yugoslavia after the
first
>round of elections, Bulatovic said that, according to what is known so
far,
>the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) have refused to accept the
results
>of the Federal Electoral Commission and have opted for large-scale
civil
>protests. The right to peaceful democratic rallies and manifestation of
one's
>political stand is firmly embedded in our constitutional system and our
state
>practice, he said. "Personally, I am very sorry that this is happening
in our
>country which is at the height of its economic activities and the
process of
>renewing objects destroyed during the NATO aggression," Bulatovic said,
and
>appealed for the preservation of peace, the victory of reason, and,
regardless
>of the strength of individual beliefs, that "we should not work
generally to
>our own detriment." "The SNP was, is and will be devoted to full
coalition
>cooperation with the SPS. The joint list SPS-JUL in Federal Parliament
has
>enough deputies to appoint, together with SNP deputies, presidents of
>municipal councils and to decide about the structure of the new
government,"
>Bulatovic said. Bulatovic said it was the proposal of the SNP, from the
very
>beginning of this election cycle, that he be the federal prime
>minister-designate, Srdja Bozovic the president of the Chamber of
Republics,
>and that this is why neither he, nor other prominent SNP members who
held
>important positions in the Federal Government, were not on the lists of
>candidates for deputies. Colleagues from the coalition leftist bloc are
fully
>in agreement with this proposal, he said. "That is why it could be said
with a
>great dose of certainty that this job has been done. That is why I am
already
>at this time carrying out preliminary consultations about the program
and
>composition of the future federal government," Bulatovic told Dan.
> e..
> f.. MINISTER JOVANOVIC EXTENDS FELICITATIONS TO NIGERIAN FOREIGN
MINISTER
>BELGRADE, October 2 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin
Jovanovic has
>sent a note of felicitations to Nigerian Foreign Minister Alhadji Sule
Lamidou
>on the occasion of the national holiday of this country. The note said
that
>relations between these two countries will in future also continue to
develop
>in the spirit of confidence, cooperation and the traditional friendship
of the
>two peoples.
> g..
> h.. SERBIAN JUSTICE MINISTER CONFERS WITH UN OFFICIALS BELGRADE,
October 2
>(Tanjug) - Serbian Justice Minister Dragoljub Jankovic received special
U.N.
>envoy for human rights Jiri Dienstbier and U.N. human rights Belgrade
office
>chief Barbara Davis on Monday, said a statement of the Serbian Justice
>Ministry. Dienstbier was specifically interested in the status and
position of
>detained and charged ethnic Albanians in prisons in Serbia. He was also
>interested to learn about the just held elections in Yugoslavia and the
>situation in the country after the elections. Jankovic for his part
said that
>the detained and charged ethnic Albanians who had been displaced from
the
>Serbian (Yugoslav) province of Kosovo-Metohija due to last year's NATO
>aggression on Yugoslavia have the same status and treatment as all
other
>inmates. Their lawyers, family members and International Red Cross
Committee
>members regularly visit ethnic Albanian prisoners. Jovanovic also
briefed the
>visitors on the legal procedure for holding elections in Yugoslavia,
and noted
>that relevant bodies were acting in conformity with it.
STRIKES, ROAD BLOCKADES ORGANIZED BY DOS BELGRADE, October 2 (Tanjug)
>- The Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) organized on Monday in
Belgrade
>and in a number of other towns in Serbia road blockades, and strong
pressure
>is made on schools and schoolchildren who did not heed the calls for
strike.
>Public transportation in Belgrade and in some parts of the city came to
a
>standstill due to the blockade of streets, so that, despite the fact
that this
>morning 534 buses were dispatched, most people had to walk to work. In
Pirot,
>4,700 workers of the "Tigar" factory, the trade union said, will not
halt
>production because that would result in huge losses due to obligations
towards
>foreing partners involving deadlines. However, the first shift in the
textile
>factory "Prvi maj" of Pirot went on strike this morning, while workers
in
>other factories will make decisions during the afternoon. In
Smederevska
>Palanka and in Smederevo, firms are working while DOS organized a
blockade of
>roads, and a number of schools have also stopped working. In
Smederevska
>Palanka, an incident occurred when citizens who gathered at a rally,
started a
>walk through town and while passing by the building housing the SPS
>headquarters threw stones and oranges and broke several windows. State
bodies
>did not intervene, they only warned that roads blockades should be
lifted. In
>Pancevo, due to road blockades, the regular delivery of milk from the
Pancevo
>dairy for the capital city could not be made. Kragujevac was supplied
this
>morning with milk, bread and other products and state-owned stores are
open.
>Most "Zastava" plants were working today, but a smaller number of
workers
>joined the strikers who threaten the further blockade of some state
firms and
>institutions. Class has been organized on a number of faculties.
According to
>the Ministry of Education office chief in Pozarevac Srboljub Cojkic,
>highschools in Brancevski and Podunavski districts had regular class
but
>manipulations with pupils started later. In some schools, pupils were
not
>allowed into schools campuses. Some parents have passed their political
>convictions on to their children, and some professors have openly
called and
>taken pupils to the streets. After a several-hour walk, pupils
dispersed while
>in the afternoon regular class resumed. One of the reasons why pupils
did not
>get to schools on time in the morning was the blockade of roads, but
also the
>strike of a number of bus drivers. Public transportation went back to
normal
>in the afternoon. In the municipalities of these two districts, where
the left
>has won at local elections, there was no response to DOS calls for
civic
>disobedience.
> y.. KOSOVO-METOHIJA - TERRORISM SERB HOUSES IN KOSOVO-METOHIJA
MOGULA
>VILLAGE RAZED KOSOVSKA VITINA, October 2 (Tanjug) - Ethnic Albanian
extremists
>blasted late on Sunday three Serb-owned houses and a business premises
in the
>multi-ethnic Mogula village (Kosovska Vitina municipality) of Serbia's
>Kosovo-Metohija province, local amateur radio operators said on Monday.
The
>explosion was a very powerful one, inflicting great damage to the
buildings,
>owned by Serb Stanimir Bocic. No one was hurt in the incident.
According to
>the operators, a group of ethnic Albanian terrorists called "Leopard",
is
>responsible for the act. These extremists have been active in the area
for a
>long time, the sources said
> z..
> aa.. FROM DOMESTIC PRESS SERBIAN RADIO TELEVISION: DOS TRYING TO
GET OUT
>OF ITS LIES BELGRADE, October 1 (Tanjug) - It has been shown that the
results
>and figures announced these days by the headquarters of the Democratic
>Opposition of Serbia (DOS) present a blatant lie, and now DOS leaders
are
>trying to get out of these lies, said a commentary by Serbian Radio
Television
>RTS on Saturday. "One such attempt is to substitute theses, in fact to
accuse
>the Federal Electoral Commission that votes have been stolen, and
another to
>object to the results of the elections in Kosmet (Kosovo and Metohija
>province). However, it is immediately evident that DOS in their
objection did
>not complain about or deny the result of Vojislav Kostunica which has
been
>determined by the Federal Electoral Commission and according to which
>Kostunica won 2,474,392 votes. It is incredible, but true, DOS do not
deny the
>results and yet claim their votes have been stolen. After insight into
records
>of the Federal Electoral Commission, DOS did not deny a single vote it
had
>counted in favour of Kostunica. But they lied to the public that they
had not
>had access to the records. Who needs this lie and why? The only thing
they
>deny in their complaint is the number of votes which the presidential
>candidates won in Kosmet. However, this complaint is brimful of
falsehoods.
>DOS claim that the Electoral Commission of the Vranje electoral
precinct has
>annulled elections at a certain number of polling stations for the
election of
>federal deputies but not for the election of president. That is an
absolute
>lie. According to a decision of September 27, the Federal Electoral
Commission
>did this in Vranje. And DOS know this, and yet they delude the public.
DOS
>also complained about the results of elections at 15 polling stations
in
>Prizren. However, none of these polling stations opened, not a single
voter
>cast their votes there, and not a single candidate won a single vote
there.
>The situation is the same also at polling stations in the
municipalities of
>Srbica, Podujevo, Decane, Klina, Istok, Suva Reka, Orahovac, and
Djakovica. It
>is more than absurd that DOS complain of election results at polling
stations
>where elections were not even held, or where, naturally, no candidate
won any
>votes! Over 90 percent of the polling stations about which DOS
complained were
>not even opened. Who needs this lie and why? It is obvious that it is
clear
>even to DOS that the election results determined by the Federal
Electoral
>Commission are absolutely correct, and, since they cannot change them,
DOS are
>trying to cast aspersions on the Federal Electoral Commission and
discredit it
>in every way. DOS want to show that there are no Serbs in Kosmet.
Kouchner is
>doing the same thing. Djindjic wants to show that Serbs do not live in
>Gracanica, Ranilug, Strpce, Kosovsko Pomoravlje, Gorazdevac, and 150
other
>places. That displaced Serbs did not vote, that they, not only have not
been
>expelled from Kosmet, but have even vanished from Serbia. For Djindjic
and
>DOS, Serbs of Kosmet do not exist. That is DOS's revenge to Kosmet
Serbs for
>the way they welcomed Kostunica in Kosovska Mitrovica. Everything DOS
leaders
>said and announced over the past days is bursting with lies and
falsehoods.
>That clearly indicates that the elections are not an issue here. It is
clear
>even to them that the results of the Federal Electoral Commission are
correct
>and cannot be different by one single vote. The issue here is Zoran
Djindjic's
>plan to use manipulations and lies to bring citizens into the streets
and try
>to topple the state and cause chaos. That is something Zoran Djindjic
has been
>working on for the past 30 years," the RTS commentary said.
> ab..
ÿ
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 ***
GIOVEDI' 5 OTTOBRE 2000
alle ore 18
riprendono le trasmissioni di
NORDSUD - resistere alla globalizzazione
su RADIO ONDA ROSSA - 87.9 MHz a Roma e nel Lazio
Argomento della trasmissione:
le elezioni nella Repubblica Federale Jugoslava
---
giovedi 12 OTTOBRE,
ore 21,00, a Foligno,
nell'Auditorium si S. Domenico, la
sala piu' prestigiosa della citta',
avremo l'incontro con Fulvio Grimaldi
contro gli Embarghi!
Voce Operaia
---
*** J�SB-Zeitung "Target" Nr. 3 erschienen
Mit der Schlagzeile
"Internationale Solidarit�tskampagne:
Ein Boot durchbricht das Embargo gegen Jugoslawien!"
ist die dritte Ausgabe der Zeitung der Jugoslawisch-�sterreichischen
Solidarit�tsbewegung (J�SB) erschienen. Wie der Titel bereits darauf
hinweist besch�ftigt sie sich schwerpunktm��ig mit dem internationalen
Kampf
gegen die menschenverachtende Blockade gegen Jugoslawien.
Hier eine Darstellung der Kampagne gegen das Embargo:
http://www.vorstadtzentrum.net/cgi-bin/joesb/news/viewnews.cgi?category=5&id
�9990281
Weiters zum immer offeneren Kurs der �sterreichischen Regierung auf
einen
flagranten Verfassungsbruch durch die Missachtung der Neutralit�t, die
Teilnahme an europ�ischen Militarismus und vor allem die Ann�herung an
die
Nato:
http://www.vorstadtzentrum.net/cgi-bin/joesb/news/viewnews.cgi?category=5&id
�9990029
Deutscher General Loquai entlarvt Hufeisenplan als L�ge und F�lschung:
http://www.vorstadtzentrum.net/cgi-bin/joesb/news/viewnews.cgi?category=5&id
�9989411
Weiters befindet sich ein ausf�hrlicher Bericht sowie eine reiche
Debatte
�ber die Nato-Okkupation des Kosovo in dieser Ausgabe, die allgemein
unter
www.vorstadtzentrum.net/joesb abgerufen werden kann.
*** Malte Olschewski stellt sein neues Buch vor
Von den Karawanken bis zum Kosovo -
die geheime Geschichte der Kriege in Jugoslawien
erschienen im Braunm�ller-Verlag (seit 1783)
anschlie�end Diskussion mit dem Autor
Vorstadtzentrum XV
15., Meiselstra�e 46/4
Donnerstag, 12. Oktober, 19 Uhr
Achtung: diese Veranstaltung wurde im Target Nr. 3 f�r So, 8.10.
angek�ndigt, doch musste sie auf den 12.10. verschoben werden.
***Jugoslawisch-�sterreichische Solidarit�tsbewegung (J�SB)
PF 217, A-1040 Wien, �sterreich
Tel/Fax +43 1 924 31 61
Mobil +43 6991 924 31 61
joesb@...
www.vorstadtzentrum.net/joesb
Kto-Nr. 9282, RB Schwechat, BLZ 32823
---
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�:
la tua agenda sul web - per te e per i tuoi amici
Organizza on line i tuoi appuntamenti .
E' facile, veloce e gratuito!
Da oggi su
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PARLAMENTARI DELLA RF DI JUGOSLAVIA, 24/9/2000
Estratto dei risultati ufficiali pubblicati sulla Gazzetta Ufficiale
della RFJ il 2/10/2000 (vedasi in fondo al messaggio per un quadro piu'
completo; in caso di aggiornamenti, invieremo nuove informazioni
prossimamente. Fonte: contatti personali a Kragujevac ed in Germania)
Numero degli aventi diritto al voto: 7 216 920
*** CAMERA DEI DEPUTATI
Votanti: 5 003 640
DOS 2 005 319 55 seggi
SPS/JUL 1 595 551 46 seggi
SNP 104 198 28 seggi
(...)
NKPJ 35 740 NOVA KOMUNISTICKA PARTIJA JUGOSLAVIJE (B. KITANOVIC)
RP 12 192 RADNICKI POKRET (KRAGUJEVAC)
JK 5 105 JUGOSLAVENSKI KOMUNISTI (D. DRASKOVIC)
SKJ-S 2 278 SAVEZ KOM. JUGOSLAVIJE U SRBIJI - KOMUNISTI SUBOTICE
SKJ-CG 1 946 SAVEZ KOM. JUGOSLAVIJE - KOMUNISTI CRNE GORE
JUL-CG 1 627 JUGOSLAVENSKA UDRUZENA LEVICA ZA CRNU GORU
*** CAMERA DELLE REPUBBLICHE
* SERBIA
Votanti: 5 003 640
DOS 2 097 701 10 seggi
SPS/JUL 1 652 025 7 seggi
(...)
risultati non pervenuti
* MONTENEGRO
Votanti: 123 047
SNP 102 256 19 seggi
(...)
JK 796 JUGOSLAVENSKI KOMUNISTI (D. DRASKOVIC)
JUL-CG 1 925 JUGOSLAVENSKA UDRUZENA LEVICA ZA CRNU GORU
SKJ-CG 1 236 SAVEZ KOM. JUGOSLAVIJE - KOMUNISTI CRNE GORE
---
LA SITUAZIONE A KRAGUJEVAC
Zivorad Jevtic, Radnicki Pokret (Movimento dei Lavoratori), Kragujevac,
ha scritto il 29/9/2000:
> "Nasa organizacija (Radnicki pokret) u subotu drzi sednicu
> Predsednistva u Kraljevu, pa cemo Vam nakon toga dati detaljnije
> informacije. (...)
> Male radnicke i komunisticke partije nisu se ni pojavile na izborima
> izuzev Nove komunisticke partije (Branka Kitanovica), Savez komunista
> Jugoslavije u Srbiji (Miklos Olajos i Stevan Mirkovic) i nase
> organizacije (Radnicki pokret, formiran 1998. kao nezavisna radnicka
> organizacija). Na sutrasnjoj sednici cemo analizirati nase rezultate.
> Sada Vam samo mozemo reci da smo na lokalnim izborima nasi odbornicki
> kandidati dobili izmedju 5% i 9.1%."
Il primo ottobre ha scritto di nuovo, aggiungendo:
> "Kruze glasine da je vecina clanova Savezne izborne komisije podnela
> ostavke.
> Savezna izborna komisija jos uvek nije drzala konferenciju za stampu.
> Sta je tacno ne znamo upravo zbog nepojavljivanja Komisije u javnosti.
> Nastojimo da dobijemo podatke iz pojedinih gradova kako bismo stekli
> pravu sliku.
> U subotu je opoziciona stampa objavila faksimil "Sluzbenog lista" sa
> rezultatima izbora u kojima sa pojavljuje jedna nelogicnost: da je
> broj primljenih glasackih listica veci od broja biraca. O cemu se radi
> videcemo u ponedeljak kada dobijemo "Sluzbeni list".
>
> Price o radnicima "Zastave" su glupost. Glasanje je bilo tajno.
> Niko ne zna kako su drugi glasali. Znamo da su u gradu Kragujevcu za
> Milosevica glasali 36.641 gradjanin, za Kostunicu 62.947, a za ostale
> kandidate 10.815.
> U izbornoj jedinici 16 (Kragujevac i 5 susednih manjih gradova) za
> Miloseveca je glasalo oko 66.000, a za Kostunicu oko 108.000 gradjana.
>
> U Kraljevu nasi kandidati za savezne poslanike dobili su nesto preko
> 3.000 glasova, a u Krusevcu preko 8.000. Toliko za sada znamo.
>
> Radnici "Zastave" su u petak radili normalno. Od oko 30.000 radnika
> angazovano na radu je oko 30%. Ostali su na placenom odsustvu zbog
> nedostatka posla. Primaju oko 10 DEM mesecno. Socijalna situacija je
> katastrofalna.
> Radnici nisu glasali za Kostunicu - glasali su protiv svoje mizerije.
> Kako ce se situacija razvijati u ponedeljak 02.10.2000. videcemo.
> Jedno je sigurno: gradjanskog rata nece biti. Za gradjanski rat je
> potrebno raspolozenje naroda za rat i oruzje na obe strana. Mi
> smatramo da narod nije za rat, a oruzje ima samo vlast.
>
> Umesanost americkog imperijalizma nije sporna, finansijska podrska
> opoziciji je ocigledna. Ali, to nije od presudnog znacaja. Presudno je
> nezadovoljstvo naroda ekonomskom situacijom."
TRADUZIONE:
"La nostra organizzazione (Movimento dei Lavoratori) sabato terra' la
Direzione a Kraljevo, dopodiche' potremo darvi informazioni piu'
dettagliate... I piccoli partiti operai e comunisti non si sono
presentati alle elezioni, a parte il Nuovo Partito Comunista di
Jugoslavia (di Branko Kitanovic), La Lega dei Comunisti di Jugoslavia in
Serbia (di Miklos Olajos e Stevan Mirkovic) e la nostra organizzazione
(Movimento dei Lavoratori, formato nel 1998 come organizzazione operaia
indipendente). La prossima settimana analizzeremo i nostri risultati.
Adesso vi possiamo dire solamente che alle elezioni locali i nostri
candidati hanno raccolto tra il 5 ed il 9.1%"
"Le voci di corridoio dicono che la maggioranza dei
membri della Commissione Elettorale Federale si e'
dimessa. La Commissione Elettorale Federale non ha tenuto
ancora una conferenza stampa. Non sappiamo quale sia
la verita' perche' la Commissione non e' si fatta viva
in pubblico. Proviamo a raccogliere le informazioni
da alcune citta' per ottenere un quadro completo.
Sabato la stampa di opposizione ha pubblicato dei fac-
simile della Gazzetta Ufficiale con i risultati
elettorali, dai quali emerge qualcosa di illogico: e
cioe' che il numero delle schede elettorali raccolte
e' superiore al numero degli elettori. Vedremo lunedi
di cosa si tratta, quando riceveremo la Gazzetta
Ufficiale.
Le storie sugli operai della Zastava sono stupidaggini.
La votazione era segreta, percio' nessuno sa come hanno
votato gli altri. Sappiamo che nella citta' di Kragujevac
per Milosevic hanno votato in 36641 contro 62947 che
hanno votato per Kostunica e 10815 che hanno votato
per gli altri candidati. Nella circoscrizione elettorale
numero 16 (Kragujevac piu' altre 5 piccole citta')
per Milosevic hanno votato 66mila e per Kostunica
circa 108mila elettori. A Kraljevo i nostri candidati
al Parlamento federale hanno ottenuto piu' di tremila
voti e a Krusevac piu' di ottomila. Questo e' quanto
sappiamo per adesso.
Gli operai della Zastava hanno lavorato normalmente
venerdi. Su circa 30mila operai vanno a lavorare piu'
o meno il 30 per cento, gli altri sono assenti
retribuiti per la mancanza di lavoro. Prendono sulle
10mila lire al mese. La situazione sociale e'
catastrofica, Gli operai non hanno votato per Kostunica,
hanno votato contro la loro miseria. Come si evolvera'
la situazione lunedi 2 ottobre 2000 lo vedremo.
L'unica cosa sicura e' che la guerra civile non avra'
luogo. Per la guerra civile e' necessario che la
popolazione voglia la guerra, e che entrambe le
parti abbiano le armi. Noi pensiamo che il popolo
non ha intentione di fare la guerra, e le armi ce le
ha soltanto il potere. Le interferenze dell'imperialismo
americano sono evidenti, come anche l'appoggio
finanziario all'opposizione, ma questo non e' di
importanza primaria, primaria e' l'insoddisfazione
del popolo rispetto alla situazione economica."
---
IL 2 OTTOBRE, CI HANNO SCRITTO DALLA GERMANIA:
Postovani prijatelji i drugari !
Citao sam da do subote jos niste imali rezultati izbora.
Zato molim Vas da dozvolite meni obsirenje nekih izbornih rezultata:
Vece gradjana savezne skupstuine:
Broj biraca: 7 216 920
broj biraca koji su glasali: 5 003 640
brojevi glasova:
DOS 2 005 319 55 mandati
SPS/JUL 1 595 551 46 mandati
SRS 406 770 4 mandati
SPO 234 317
SNP 104 198 28 mandati
Savez Vojvodjanskih madjara
47 768 1 mandat
...
NKPJ 35 740
DSVM 35 582
Radikalna Stranka Levice "Nikola Pasic"
32 503
Savez za mir - Sokol Djuse 1 mandat
23 829
...
Stranka srpskog jedinstva 1 mandat
16 231
Radnicki pokret (Kragujevac)
12 192
Srpska narodna stranka
8 048 2 mandata
... ... ... ...
Jugoslovenski komunisti (prof. dr. Dragomir Draskovic)
5 105
Koalicija "Vojvodina za Jugoslaviju"
4 614
...
Savez za mir (KDI i RPA, Faik Jasari)
3 237
... ...
SKJ u Srbiji - Komunisti Subotice
2 278
...
SKJ - Komunist Crne Gore
1 946
JUL za Crnu Goru
1 627
... ... ...
ukupno: 138 mandati
Vece republika savezne skupstine:
Srbija:
broj vazecih glasackih listica: 4 720 278
brojevi glasova:
DOS 2 097 701 10 mandati
...
SRS 481 976 2 mandata
Radikalna stranka levice "Nikola Pasic"
100 368
SPS/JUL 1 652 025 7 mandati
SPO 284 186 1 mandat
ukupno: 20
Crna Gora:
broj vazecih glasackih listica: 123 047
brojevi glasova:
SRS 5 544
SNP CG 102 256 19 mandati
...
Jugoslovenski Komunisti
796
JUL za Crnu Goru
1 925
SKJ - Komunisti Crne Gore
1 236
Srpska narodna stranka 1 mandat
9 303
...
ukupno: 20
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
la Jugoslavia si chiude. Il nostro lavoro tuttavia prosegue, in
collaborazione con le realta' attive nella solidarieta' alla Jugoslavia
sparse su tutto il territorio italiano, attraverso la creazione di un
notiziario del COORDINAMENTO NAZIONALE "LA JUGOSLAVIA VIVRA'"
> jugoinfo@...
Tutti gli indirizzi iscritti al bollettino vecchio saranno
automaticamente iscritti in quello nuovo.
Smrt fasizmu - sloboda narodu!
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
* ETHNIC ALBANIANS FIRE AT FRENCH KFOR POINT
* LORD ROBINSON: "IN KOSOVO LA SITUAZIONE E' MOLTO POSITIVA, I TRENI
VIAGGIANO, I CONTADINI RACCOLGONO LE MESSI..."
NATO's New Agenda: More Progress than Meets the Eye
Remarks by The Rt. Hon. Lord Robertson of Port Ellen
Secretary General of NATO
6 Sept. 2000, The SACLANT Symposium Reykjavik, Iceland
* COLONY KOSOVO, WHERE COPS DO-GOODERS AND PRIVATEERS
RUN THE SHOW
By Christian Parenti (8-29-00)
* The lies of war crimes mass graves (by Kevin Ovenden)
* KLA commanders trained in Albania (By LULZIM COTA)
ALTRI DOCUMENTI SEGNALATI:
> http://www.rockfordinstitute.org/NewsST092200.htm
Friday, September 22, 2000
GREATER ALBANIA IN THE MAKING?
Srdja Trifkovic
> http://www.suc.org/news/ilustrovana_politika/2.html
2134, 19 Dec 1999
Siptarska veza i mafijaski rat
Borba klanova u Zagrebu
La guerra dei clan a Zagabria
Mafia albanese e la guerra delle mafie in Croazia !
> http://www.repubblica.it/online/mondo/fossa/soldato/soldato.html
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_927000/927323.stm
BBC News
Saturday, 16 September, 2000, 08:29 GMT 09:29 UK
US servicemen 'beat Kosovo civilians'
---
1985-2000. E' MORTO UN SIMBOLO DELL'AGONIA DEL KOSOVO JUGOSLAVO
Djordje Martinovic, metafora dell'agonia dei serbi del
Kosovo, e' morto il 6 settembre scorso nel villaggio di
Citluk, presso Krusevac. Era diventato noto all'opinione
pubblica il 4 maggio del 1985, quando fu diffusa la
notizia che l'impiegato della Casa dell'Esercito Djordje
Martinovic di Gnjilane (in Kosmet) era stato impalato il
primo maggio sul suo terreno in localita' Jaruga, a 2
chilometri da Gnjilane.
Il crimine era stato compiuto da terroristi schipetari.
In cima al palo era stata posta una bottiglia che e'
rimasta conficcata nel ventre della vittima. Martinovic
e' stato operato all'Ospedale di Pristina, poi e' stato
trasferito all'Ospedale militare di Belgrado, e dopo a
Londra, dove e' stato operato due volte, con un dispaccio
clinico secondo il quale "non e' possibile che abbia
infierito su se stesso da solo", come era stato insinuato
da certi mezzi di informazione.
(da "OKO", settimanale belgradese, 15/9/2000. La vicenda,
mai riportata nelle cronache ne' nelle retrospettive sul
problema kosovaro in Italia, che fanno sempre iniziare
la storia del Kosmet con il discorso di Milosevic del
1989, era stata tuttavia menzionata sul nostro "Dossier
Kosovo" apparso sul mensile Nuova Unita' nel 1998)
Djordje Martinovic, metafora stradanja Srba na Kosmetu,
preminuo je 6. septembra u selu Citluk kod Krusevca.
Postao je poznat svetskoj javnosti 4. maja 1985. kad je
objavljena informacija da je sluzbenik Doma JNA u Gnjilanu
Djordje Martinovic nabijen na kolac 1. maja na svojoj
njivi Jaruga, dva kilometra od Gnjilana. Ovo zlodelo
su izvrsili siptarski teroristi. Na vrhu kolca bila
je flasa, koja je ostala u otrobi zrtve. Operisan je
u pristinskoj bolnici, potom je prebacen na VMA, pa u
London, gde je dva puta operisan, uz saopstenje da
"samopovredjivanje nije moguce", o cemu je bilo
insinuacija u javnosti.
---
ETHNIC ALBANIANS FIRE AT FRENCH KFOR POINT
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, September 30 (Tanjug) Ethnic Albanian
terrorists opened fire on Thursday evening at the French KFOR point in
the
village of Banje inhabited mostly by Serbs, Serbian sources confirmed to
Tanjug in Mitrovica.
Two grenades were fired at the French from the direction of the
Albanian village of Rudnik in the vicinity of Banje.
There were no killed or wounded in the incident, and the French
conducted a search in the village of Rudnik and found a large quantity
of
arms that belonged to the "KLA," which was transformed by Kouchner into
the
socalled Kosovo protection corps.
French KFOR members arrested on the spot a number of ethnic
Albanians and because they refuse to release them, ethnic Albanians have
blocked the regional road Kosovska MitrovicaPec near the village of
Rudnik,
making impossible the passage of KFOR vehicles.
---
>Below are excerpts from the official text of a speech by George Robertson
>in Iceland.
>
>Subjects are:
>Kosovo
>Partnership for Peace
>NATO Enlargement
>EU-NATO co-operation
>UN and NATO
>Increasing military spending
>
>
>
>NATO's New Agenda:
>More Progress than Meets the Eye
>Remarks by The Rt. Hon. Lord Robertson of Port Ellen
>Secretary General of NATO
>6 Sept. 2000
>The SACLANT Symposium Reykjavik, Iceland
>
>
>[KOSOVO]
>Let us go through the current NATO agenda, starting with Kosovo. If we
>stand back for a moment to look at the overall picture, it is actually very
>positive
>Just two years ago, most people in Kosovo feared for their lives and their
>property. At the height of the crisis, 80 percent of the population had
>fled their homes to avoid wanton ethnic violence.
>Today, the vast majority live in peace, and have renewed hope for the
>future. Today, for the first time in at least a decade, there are
>administrative structures in place that include all ethnic groups, not one.
>And in just a few weeks, there will be truly free elections in Kosovo for
>the first time in collective memory.
>Refugees have gone back and rebuilt their homes. Schools - even those
>flattened by Serb paramilitaries - have come back to life. Trains are
>running. Farmers are bringing in the harvest. Imagine what the situation
>could have become, and look at what it is today.
>Of course, there is much work to be done, and it will not be easy. There
>will be more violence, more accusations of discrimination, more boycotts
>and more standoffs.
>But the real news story is not the protest outside a mine, or the tragic
>and regrettable killing of an ethnic Serb. The news story is that in
>Kosovo, NATO, the other KFOR contributors, and the UN Administration are
>building hope and the rule of law out of what had been the rule of terror.
>Our goal is still to build a Kosovo that allows all of its people to share
>in the peace, freedom and democracy that we, and they, consider to be their
>right. And we are making progress. It is an opportunity we don't intend to
>miss.
>Just as we are making visible progress in Kosovo, we can already look back
>on considerable achievement in Bosnia-Herzegovina. As we approach the 11
>November elections there, we're truly turning a corner.
>Already in the robustly contested local elections earlier this year, more
>moderate politicians were elected to office than ever before - and the
>trend is set to continue this autumn.
>Refugees are returning in record numbers, and several municipalities -
>previously hostile to such returns - are now working with the international
>community to accept the returnees.
>Defence budgets and the Entity Armed Forces are being cut, as they should
>be. Bosnia-Herzegovina is even sending a multi-ethnic Olympic team to the
>Games in Sydney.
>The headlines of five years ago in Bosnia-Herzegovina were surely not
these. (...)
---
The San Francisco Bay Guardian, August 23, 2000
(reprinted in http://www.tenc.net
COLONY KOSOVO, WHERE COPS DO-GOODERS AND PRIVATEERS
RUN THE SHOW
By Christian Parenti (8-29-00)
CLOGGED WITH ALMOST 800,000 souls, Pristina, Kosovo, a city of tower
blocks rising from a parched valley floor, now holds twice the
population for which it was built. The air reeks of exhaust and burning
garbage. Ceaseless hot winds blow litter and clouds of gritty dust from
the huge mountain of mine tailings that lies a dozen miles due west. At
night one still hears the snap of gunfire and, the next day, rumors of
another unsolved murder.
Despite the city's modernist aesthetic (the place was rebuilt from
scratch after an earthquake in 1963), Pristina has no public
transportation or refuse collection. All the most impressive modernist
buildings downtown have been reduced to bombed-out relics. Throngs of
cell phone-wielding crowds and streams of new Mercedes and Audis choke
the streets below the charred towers. Water and electrical services are
intermittent, yet several cybercafés and brothels operate around the
clock.
Welcome to ground zero of NATO's reincarnation as what Secretary of
State Madeline Albright has called "a force for peace from the Middle
East to Central Africa." Billed as the greatest humanitarian
intervention since WWII, the U.N.-NATO occupation of Kosovo doesn't look
so noble up close. Rather than a multiethnic democracy, Kosovo is
shaping up to be a violent, corrupt, free-market colony.
'HUMANITARIAN' IMPERIALISM
Kosovar Albanians may talk about "their country," but the foreign-aid
workers in official white SUVs make the real decisions. After NATO's
78-day bombing, the United Nations Mission in Kosovo(UNMIK) was created
as an "interim administration." The U.N., in turn, has opened Kosovo to
a kaleidoscopic jumble of governmental and nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) ranging from Oxfam to obscure evangelical ministries.
At the apex of it all sits Bernard Krouchner, the Secretary General's
Special Representative in Kosovo. Founder of Médecins Sans Frontières
and a former socialist, Krouchner took a sharp right turn in the 1980s
when he championed the use of Western (particularly American) military
intervention as the path to human rights. Krouchner's left-wing critics
who argue that American and European corporate power and military aid
are the main causes of human rights violations internationally see
Krouchner as a Clinton-Blair "third way" hypocrite. Meanwhile, many
mainstream right-wing commentators see the short, thin Frenchman as a
publicity-seeking autocrat.
In Kosovo, Krouchner's responsibilities range from censoring the local
press when it offends him to appointing all local government personnel
http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/chuss/unandthe.htm to schmoozing
with international donors.
Adding muscle to Krouchner's administrative decisions such as
unilaterally ditching the Yugoslavian dinar for the mark are about 4,000
so called UNMIK police, many of whom are transplanted American cops. For
the heavy lifting, Krouchner can count on the 40,000 international
soldiers that make up KFOR, the Kosovo Implementation Force.
Along with putting down the occasional ethnic riot, protecting convoys
of refugees, and guarding the few small Serb enclaves remaining in
Kosovo, http://emperors-clothes.com/interviews/simca.htm KFOR and the
UNMIK police occasionally uncover caches of weapons belonging to the
officially disarmed Kosovo Liberation Army.
http://emperors-clothes.com/news/u.htm#disarm
Such operations are usually followed up with robust KFOR statements
reaffirming their commitment to "building a multiethnic society."
Yet, strangely, the ethnic cleansing this time Albanian against Serb
and Roma (Gypsy) never stops.
VIOLENCE STILL
"This place is a shit hole. All the young people I meet, I tell 'em: get
out! Go to another country," booms Doc Giles, a tanned, muscled American
cop who speaks in a thick, south-Jersey accent. A longtime narc-officer
from hyperviolent Camden, N.J., Giles has spent the last year working
homicide in Pristina with UNMIK. The pack on his bike sports a "Daniel
Faulkner: fallen not forgotten" button. (Faulkner was the cop whom death
row inmate and journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal may or may not have murdered
18 years ago in Philadelphia.)
Giles's maggot's-eye view of interethnic relations is sobering: "Look,
all the perps are oo-che-kaa," Giles says, using the Albanian form for
the Kosovo Liberation Army's acronym. "They're fucking gangsters. I
don't care what anyone says they're an organized crime structure. And
all the judges are either scared or pro-KLA. They're like: you shot a
89-year-old Serb grandmother? Good for you. Get out of jail."
Of the province's 276 judges, only two are Serb, so Albanian hit squads
operate with near total impunity. Among their favorite targets during
the last year have been Orthodox churches and monasteries, more than 85
of which have been burned, looted, or demolished, according to both the
U.N. and a detailed report by the Serbian Orthodox Church.
After hearing one of Giles's rants about KLA death squads and
15-year-old Maldovan girls "turned out" as prostitutes
http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/jared/susan.htm, you'd almost agree
with his prescription: "What they should've done was put this place
under martial law, get a bunch of American cops from cities like Philly,
Dallas, and Denver to come in here and just kick the shit out of
everyone
for a few months. Then turn it over to your NGOs, or whatever."
Terrified merchants also tell stories of KLA thuggery.
http://emperors-clothes.com/news/reporter.htm "Ten percent. They take
10 percent of everything you make. And you pay or it's kaput," says a
nervous restaurateur in Prizren, an ancient town near the Albanian
border. He's a Kosovar Turk whose great-grandparents probably moved here
during the twilight of the Ottoman Empire, but he says that when he gets
enough money, he's taking his two children to Canada.
PRIVATIZATION
While Giles and his comrades recycle Albanian "perps" through a
nonworking judicial system, the U.N.'s paper pushers and its partner
organizations are hard at work trying to turn Kosovo into a free-market
paradise.
"We must privatize so as to secure investment and new technology. There
is no alternative," says Dianna Stefanova,
http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/chuss/opening.htm director of the
European Agency for Reconstruction's office on privatization, which is
working under the auspices of UNMIK and Krouchner.
But the industries located in Kosovo are not UNMIK's to privatize. Nor
does the wording of Security Council resolution 1244 the document
defining the U.N.'s role in Kosovo give UNMIK the power to sell off
local industries. And when Krouchner made his pitch for mass
privatization to the Security Council in late June, he met with stiff
opposition from the Russians.
Oddly, despite the U.N.-NATO occupation, resolution 1244 recognizes
Kosovo as an integral province of Yugoslavia and does not empower the
U.N. to privatize. To get around this, Krouchner has devised a creative
bit of legerdemain: the U.N. isn't actually selling off assets; it's
just offering 10- and 15-year leases to foreign transnationals. The
first industry to go was the huge Sharr Cement factory, leased to the
Swiss firm Holderbank. "Sharr could produce all the cement for
reconstruction, and even export," says Roy Dickinson, a privatization
specialist with the European Agency for Reconstruction.
The next assets on the block are a series of vineyards and wine
cooperatives, but the ultimate prize is the gargantuan Trepca mining and
metallurgical complex that sprawls across northern Kosovo and into the
mountains of southern Serbia.
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/inthewee.htm
Since Roman times, foreign armies have targeted these massive mineral
deposits. Hitler took Trepca in 1941, and thereafter the mines some of
the richest in the world supplied German munitions factories with 40
percent of their lead inputs.
Trepca contains all of Yugoslavia's nickel deposits and three-quarters
of its other mineral wealth; during the 1990s the 42 mines and attendant
factories were one of Yugoslavia's leading export industries.
The Belgrade government and a private Greek bank that has also invested
in the mines insist that Trepca shall not change hands. The U.N. isn't
so sure. "The question of who gets what will be settled by a panel of
judges that UNMIK is still setting up," says a coy Stefanova. In the
meantime UNMIK is drawing up plans to downsize local industries and
streamline enterprise to appeal to foreign investors. But there's
another piece in the equation: who controls the land above the mines?
That, of course, brings us back to the issue of ethnic cleansing.
BALKAN BELFAST
The swift and shallow river Ibar, bisecting the town of Mitrovic, is the
front line in an unfinished war that pits Albanians against Serbs and
Roma. All non-Albanians have been expelled from south of the Ibar and
all Albanians driven from its northern bank.
[Emperor's Clothes note: Regarding the area North of the Ib,
the statement is incorrect, according to Oliver Ivanovic, a key leader
on the North shore. He insists that a large Albanian community remains,
and though relations are cold the Serbs have no desire to drive these
people out; quite the contrary.]
http://emperors-clothes.com/interviews/avictory.htm
Thus crossing into north Mitrovic is much like entering Serbia: the
language, the music, and the beer are all Serbian, and people use the
dinar. This is also the heart of the Trepca complex.
Here, despite occupation by French troops
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/whyisthe.htm the Belgrade
government still pays salaries and pensions and still provides health
care.
And if even a fraction of U.N. and KFOR accusations are true, then some
of the hard men with mobile phones who lounge at the Dolce Vita Cafe on
the banks of the Ibar are probably undercover cops from Serbia (some of
whom, you will recall, have been indicted by the International Tribunal
on War Crimes at the Hague and could be arrested by KFOR).
"We're in a prison, and under attack," a young Serb named Branislav
says. "If I cross that bridge, I'll be killed."
This, it seems, is the future: an ethnically "pure" and therefore
"stable" Albanian Kosovo in the south, hosting huge NATO installations
like the sprawling 775-acre American base Bondsteel, with its 4000 G.I.s
on the plains of southeast Kosovo. In the north, on the other hand,
astride some small part of the Trepca mines and in a few other spots,
Serb and Roma ghettos will remain, possibly as parts of Serbia. And in
the places where these communities overlap there will be trouble and,
therefore, a plausible reason for the West to maintain a long-term
military presence.
[Reprinted from the The San Francisco Bay Guardian, August 23, 2000]
---
The lies of war crimes mass graves
by Kevin Ovenden
KOSOVO. THREE men in a car hurl a grenade at a group of children playing
basketball and then
speed off.
Nine children are left injured. All are lucky to be alive. This gruesome
scene is not from early last
year. It happened last week in the village of Crkvena Vodica, and the
victims were Serb, not
Albanian. The Guardian gave just two paragraphs to the story on
Saturday.
Shootings, bombings, kidnappings, murders and intimidation have forced
most of Kosovo's
pre-war Serb and Roma Gypsy populations to flee. The Guardian and the
rest of the press
justified NATO's intervention as the only way to stop "ethnic cleansing"
against Albanians. Well,
NATO now occupies Kosovo and ethnic cleansing is continuing, this time
against non-Albanians
and those who defend them. On Friday a bomb damaged a building which
houses the offices of
Ibrahim Rugova's Democratic League of Kosovo, and of the authority
representing Serbs in
Kosovo. But, say the Guardian, foreign secretary Robin Cook, and NATO
chief George Robertson,
such killings are as nothing compared with the atrocities committed by
Serb forces in Kosovo.
Remember the claims by NATO governments during the war about obscene
atrocities and
"genocide" by Serbs in Kosovo? US defence secretary William Cohen said
as the bombing
intensified in March that 100,000 Albanian men of military age were
missing, adding, "They may
have been murdered."
The media dutifully repeated the wartime propaganda. Even the left of
Labour paper Action for
Solidarity ["Shachtmanist entryists" in Blair's party] quoted "100,000
Young Men Slaughtered".
Opponents of the war faced vilification, particularly at the hands of
allegedly liberal journalists
who backed the bombing. John Sweeney, journalist on the Guardian's
sister paper, the Observer,
accused anti-war campaigner John Pilger of being an apologist for mass
murder.
Remit
Sweeney predicted that those against the war would hang their heads in
shame when the war
ended and "tens of thousands of bodies are discovered in mass graves".
Investigators for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia reported last week.
After a year of examining hundreds of sites they discovered less than
3,000 bodies of civilians in
the whole of Kosovo.
That figure fits the estimate by the International Committee of the Red
Cross earlier this year of
about 2,400 Albanian dead. The tribunal's findings are significant.
It is a pro-Western body. Its remit excludes investigating NATO war
crimes. It is allowed to retry
someone found innocent until it gets a conviction. Its rules of evidence
favour the prosecution.
And much of its $93 million budget comes from private sources, notably
US billionaire George
Soros.
Yet its investigators say they have not found mass graves. Rather,
according to Benedicte
Giaever of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
"What we have are
consistent small numbers-two here, five there, ten here, seven there."
Shot
The tribunal refuses to say how many of those people were shot at close
range - executed - and
how many were killed by long range fire or explosions, what NATO refers
to as "collateral
damage" when its bombs kill civilians.
"Those of us who opposed the war are absolutely vindicated. We were
right to challenge NATO's
claims because this will happen again," said Phillip Knightley, author
and anti-war campaigner.
Serbian forces did commit atrocities in Kosovo but on nothing like the
scale NATO and the media
claimed-and mainly after NATO started bombing.
Audrey Gillan was one of the few journalists to say this at the time.
She described again in the
Guardian on Monday how journalists were under instructions from their
editors at the time to
come up with the most grotesque atrocity stories.
Basic procedures, such as checking facts or taking account of the
distressed state of Albanian
refugees, went out the window. The Guardian now blames NATO governments
for misleading the
public over the scale of the horror and the success of the bombing,
conveniently whitewashing the
media's role.
It still backs the bombing "in spite of the lies". It gives no apology
for spreading those lies or for
refusing space to anti-war campaigners. "Liberal bombers" such as
Sweeney and Jonathan
Freedland have yet to admit they were wrong. They are quite prepared to
churn out the same stuff
the next time the West goes to war.
Who exactly should be hanging their heads in shame?
from:
Socialist Worker [London weekly], No. 1711, 26 August 2000
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/
---
> From Antiwar.com (25. 8. 2000)
>
>
>
> KLA commanders trained in Albania
>
> Wednesday, 23 August 2000 12:45 (ET)
>
>
> KLA commanders trained in Albania
> By LULZIM COTA
>
> TIRANA, Albania, Aug. 23 (UPI) - Senior Kosovo Liberation Army
commanders
> trained in Albania starting in 1991, KLA deputy chief of staff Colonel
> Dilaver Goxhaj, said in interview published here on Wednesday "The
organized
> military training of Kosovo men continued until 1993 when Albania's police
> arrested Adem Jashari for illegal possession of weapons," Goxhaj said in
the
> interview with the daily Shekulli.
>
> Jashari, the first KLA commander, was killed together with 56 relatives,
> including children, when the Yugoslav army shelled his home in Prekaz, in
> March 1998. The incident inspired a rapid rise in the size of the KLA
which,
> according to Goxhaj, numbered 19,800 fighters before NATO air strikes
on
> Yugoslavia began on March 24, 1999.
>
> Goxhaj was born in Gjirokastra, south Albania, close to Greek border
and
> educated at a military school. Until 1993 Goxhaj was an instructor in the
> use of anti aircraft guns at the Albanian Military Academy. He joined the
> KLA in September 1998 and became deputy chief of staff. In Kosovo he was
> known as Commander Shpetim Golemi. Now back in Albania, he did not say
> whether he will return to Kosovo.
>
> The KLA set up a staff in December 1993, Goxhaj said, after "intensive
> preparation in Albania and a propaganda campaign in Kosovo and abroad."
> Another Albanian military expert, who had taught Jashari the use of
infantry
> weapons, confirmed Goxhaj story.
>
> According to Goxhaj's interview, there was close cooperation between the
> KLA, NATO and Albania's army in exchanging information about Yugoslav army
> movements, techniques and coordinates. Goxhaj confirms NATO had informed
> them when the air strikes were to begin. "We were in the KLA headquarters
in
> Kostrec village when Hashim Thaci, our chief commander, phoned from
Brussels
> and said 'today at 20 hours NATO will start air strikes."
>
> "NATO asked us to mark Serb army targets, their position, number,
> ammunition, the presence of anti-aircraft guns and their distance from
> civilians." NATO agreed to bomb only when civilian populations or KLA
forces
> were at least a kilometer from the Serb positions, Goxhaj said. All cases
of
> NATO hitting civilians or KLA forces, he said, followed from its aircraft
> finding targets for themselves and not as a result of information provided
> by the KLA.
>
> KLA forces doubled in size during the Kosovo fighting, Goxhai said. Some
> 10,000 Kosovo men and women joined after the Serbs began ethnic cleansing
> operations and another 11,000 volunteers came from the United States and
> Europe.
>
> Between November 28, 1997, when the KLA publicly announced its
existence,
> and June 20, 1999, when fighting ended, 2,000 members were killed and
4,800
> injured, he said. There were 12,000 civilian victims and 10,000 injured
> during the same period. Goxhaj's figures are lower than NATO reports on
the
> Kosovo conflict.
>
> Goxhaj thanked the military hospital in Tirana for saving many KLA lives
> and an Albanian helicopter brigade for transporting the injured to the
> hospital. Before and during the conflict, Albania denied Belgrade
> accusations that it allowed the KLA training camps on its territory. After
> the conflict, Fatos Nano, Albanian premier during the conflict, admitted
> Albania's help to the KLA and said there had been contacts between KLA
> leaders and American officials including Richard Holbrook, currently U.S.
> ambassador to the United Nations.
>
> --
> Copyright 2000 by United Press International.
> All rights reserved.
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
Osservatorio Etico Ambientale wrote:
>
> VI CONTESTO QUESTA CILEGINA perché Alessandro Curzi,
> HA DETTO LA VERITÀ !!!
>
> Siete attenti a criticare gli altri, e nello stesso momento siete carenti del
> senso di auto critica !!
>
> Siete politicamente scorretti !
>
> In poche parole, voi tutti siete per una Dittatura che si chiama: Dittatura
> del Proletariato !?
> Io sono di origine jugoslava e in ex-Yugoslavia non c'è stata mai la Dittatura
> del Proletariato ! C'è stata la Dittatura, però, la Dittatura
> del CKMP Yugoslavije [Comitato Centrale del Partito Comunista]!!! Il resto è
> stata solo una illusione: i operai non hanno avuto mai la voce in capitolo: la
> famosa autogestione " fabbriche agli operai", era solo sulla carta e nei mass
> media ! Gli operai non avevano diritto di contestare assolutamente niente,
> altrimenti chi lo faceva subiva delle persecuzioni di vario tipo ! Il
> Sindacato era di fatto una struttura virtuale ! Non hanno mai curato gli
> interessi degli operai, mentre la "borghesia rossa" del Comitato Centrale del
> Partito Comunista Yugoslavo faceva bello e cattivo tempo !!! Si sanno queste
> cose molto bene, è inutile nascondersi dietro un dito !
>
> Chi non era iscritto nel Partito Comunista non poteva fare nessun passo nella
> vita, malgrado la capacità e qualità che avevano le persone ! Quasi tutto
> funzionava sulla raccomandazione e familiarissimo ... chi non condivideva tale
> politica fu perseguitato con l'accusa di essere dissidente, o traditore o
> fascista o mercenario delle "forze nefaste occidentali" ...
>
> PIACE O NO, questa è la verità !
>
> Chi dice diversamente semplicemente è: o un ignorante o è un essere in mala
> fede che difende interessi chissà quali !!!
>
> Da parte nostra possiamo solo salutare le parole del
> Compagno Direttore Alessandro Curzi !!
>
> BRAVO CURZI, BEN'DETTO !!!
>
> Voi in Italia avete tanti di quelli problemi e "pani sporchi", [per esempio:
> avete ancora le leggi fascista in vigore], che di certo non potete criticare
> il popolo yugolsavo e le loro legittime scelte !!!
>
> Il voto del popolo yugoslavo è una svolta millenaria e di certo non
> permetteranno a nessuno di confiscare la Vittoria storica ! Noi non abbiamo
> dimenticato cosa è successo nel famoso 1948. quando regime di Staglin ci
> voleva sotto il suo ombrello. Sono stati per primi proprio i comunisti
> italiani di allora ad appoggiare Staglin ... !!
>
> Se vi piace così tanto la Dittatura di qualsiasi tipo perché non mettete Slobo
> Milosevic, Mira Markovic, Vojislav Seselj, Zjugunov e Zirinowschi
> nel vostro Montecitorio ?!
>
> Ma per favore, fate un aggiornamento della vostra geografia mentale ?!
>
> Un altra cosa, dovete moderare il vostro linguaggio:"...con le pezze al culo
> ..." è una espressione di peggior giornalismo, compreso pure quel giornalismo
> italiano noto come giornalismo inquisitorio pieno di bugie, menzogne e
> disinformazione lanciate a insabbiare ogni progresso delle
> forze veramente sane !!!!
>
> Mi state deludeno, mi dispiace !!!!
>
> Ciao a tutti,
>
> Danica Razlag
> http://stop-u238.i.am
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> Date: Sat, 30 Sep 00 12:47PM MET DST
> From: Coordinamento Romano per la Jugoslavia <crj@...>
> To: crj <crj@...>
> Subject: Ciliegina numero 206 BIS
>
> DEMOCRAZIA O DITTATURA?
>
> Subject: Re: Ciliegina numero 206
> Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 12:12:35 +0200
> From: "sorgiorgio"
> To: <alessandro.curzi@...>, "crj"
>
> Caro Compagno Direttore Alessandro Curzi,
> hai torto! In Jugoslavia, purtroppo, c'è la democrazia. Quando c'era la
> Dittatura, la Dittatura del Proletariato,
> le cose andavano molto meglio.
> Vedi la Russia adesso c'è la democrazia e sono con le pezze al culo.
> Cordiali saluti
>
Gentile signora Danica,
kao prvo, mi od CRJ nismo samo italijani, ima i jugoslavena, i to znaci
OD CIJELE SFRJ-e.
La RFS di Jugoslavia poteva certo essere meglio di quello che e' stata,
fatto sta che - proprio in base ai discutibili criteri di democrazia da
lei richiamati - era assai piu' "democratica" del resto dei paesi a
"socialismo reale". La conseguenza di questa "democraticita'", tanto
apprezzata allora anche dalla nostra "sinistra" che oggi vi bombarda, e'
stato lo sfascio del paese, caduto in mano alle forze "democratiche"
filooccidentali, nazionaliste borghesi e secessioniste.
Lei scrive: "chi non condivideva tale politica fu perseguitato con
l'accusa di essere dissidente, o traditore o fascista o mercenario delle
'forze nefaste occidentali'". Magari avesse ragione! Dissidenti,
traditori, fascisti e mercenari al soldo dell'occidente erano veramente
un pericolo che purtroppo fu preso sottogamba, come e' dimostrato dal
fatto che quando queste canaglie hanno preso il potere - da Jansa a
Tudjman a Izetbegovic a Djukanovic a Thaci - la RFSJ e' precipitata in
un bagno di sangue.
Per quanto riguarda il libero voto del popolo jugoslavo, siete voi che
non lo state rispettando: infatti - come blocco DOS - avete partecipato
alle elezioni, eravate presenti come scrutatori in tutti i seggi, avete
lavorato nella commissione elettorale centrale insieme ai rappresentanti
di tutti i candidati. ED AVETE VINTO: quasi la maggioranza assoluta!
Allora, perche' non volete andare al ballottaggio? Con l'appoggio di
Seselj, di Djukanovic e di chissa' chi altro otterreste una maggioranza
schiacciante!
Perche' non volete andare al ballottaggio?
Perche' ve lo dicono gli USA, dai quali ricevete miliardi di dollari,
che vogliono gettare discredito sul sistema politico della RF di
Jugoslavia per condurre ad uno sfascio ulteriore, incominciando dalla
secessione del Montenegro, che e' gia' un feudo della mafia albanese.
S jugoslavenkim pozdravima
CRJ
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
2d Session
H. R. 1064
AN ACT
To authorize a coordinated program to promote the development of
democracy in Serbia and Montenegro.
HR 1064 EH
106th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 1064
AN ACT
To authorize a coordinated program to promote the development of
democracy in Serbia and Montenegro.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE- This Act may be cited as the `Serbia Democratization
Act of
2000'.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS- The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
TITLE I--SUPPORT FOR THE DEMOCRATIC FORCES
Sec. 101. Findings and policy.
Sec. 102. Assistance to promote democracy and civil society in
Yugoslavia.
Sec. 103. Authority for radio and television broadcasting.
Sec. 104. Development of political contacts relating to the Republic of
Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro.
TITLE II--ASSISTANCE TO THE VICTIMS OF OPPRESSION
Sec. 201. Findings.
Sec. 202. Sense of the Congress.
Sec. 203. Assistance.
TITLE III--`OUTER WALL' SANCTIONS
Sec. 301. `Outer Wall' sanctions.
Sec. 302. International financial institutions not in compliance with
`Outer
Wall' sanctions.
TITLE IV--OTHER MEASURES AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
Sec. 401. Blocking assets in the United States.
Sec. 402. Suspension of entry into the United States.
Sec. 403. Prohibition on strategic exports to Yugoslavia.
Sec. 404. Prohibition on loans and investment.
Sec. 405. Prohibition of military-to-military cooperation.
Sec. 406. Multilateral sanctions.
Sec. 407. Exemptions.
Sec. 408. Waiver; termination of measures against Yugoslavia.
Sec. 409. Statutory construction.
TITLE V--MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Sec. 501. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Sec. 502. Sense of the Congress with respect to ethnic Hungarians of
Vojvodina.
Sec. 503. Ownership and use of diplomatic and consular properties.
Sec. 504. Transition assistance.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES- The term `appropriate
congressional committees' means the Committee on Foreign Relations of
the
Senate and the Committee on International Relations of the House of
Representatives.
(2) COMMERCIAL EXPORT- The term `commercial export' means the sale of an
agricultural commodity, medicine, or medical equipment by a United
States
seller to a foreign buyer in exchange for cash payment on market terms
without benefit of concessionary financing, export subsidies, government
or
government-backed credits or other nonmarket financing arrangements.
(3) INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA OR
TRIBUNAL-
The term `International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia' or
the
`Tribunal' means the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of
Persons
Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law
Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia Since 1991, as
established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 827 of May 25,
1993.
(4) YUGOSLAVIA- The term `Yugoslavia' means the so-called Federal
Republic
of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), and the term `Government of
Yugoslavia' means the central government of Yugoslavia.
TITLE I--SUPPORT FOR THE DEMOCRATIC FORCES
SEC. 101. FINDINGS AND POLICY.
(a) FINDINGS- Congress finds the following:
(1) The President of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic, has consistently
engaged in undemocratic methods of governing.
(2) Yugoslavia has passed and implemented a law strictly limiting
freedom of
the press and has acted to intimidate and prevent independent media from
operating inside Yugoslavia.
(3) Although the Yugoslav and Serbian constitutions provide for the
right of
citizens to change their government, citizens of Serbia in practice are
prevented from exercising that right by the Milosevic regime's
domination of
the mass media and manipulation of the electoral process.
(4) The Yugoslav and Serbian governments have orchestrated attacks on
academics at institutes and universities throughout the country in an
effort
to prevent the dissemination of opinions that differ from official state
propaganda.
(5) The Yugoslav and Serbian governments hinder the formation of
nonviolent,
democratic opposition through restrictions on freedom of assembly and
association.
(6) The Yugoslav and Serbian governments use control and intimidation to
control the judiciary and manipulate the country's legal framework to
suit
the regime's immediate political interests.
(7) The Government of Serbia and the Government of Yugoslavia, under the
direction of President Milosevic, have obstructed the efforts of the
Government of Montenegro to pursue democratic and free-market policies.
(8) At great risk, the Government of Montenegro has withstood efforts by
President Milosevic to interfere with its government.
(9) The people of Serbia who do not endorse the undemocratic actions of
the
Milosevic government should not be the target of criticism that is
rightly
directed at the Milosevic regime.
(b) POLICY; SENSE OF THE CONGRESS-
(1) POLICY- It is the policy of the United States to encourage the
development of a government in Yugoslavia based on democratic principles
and
the rule of law and that respects internationally recognized human
rights.
(2) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS- It is the sense of the Congress that--
(A) the United States should actively support the democratic forces in
Yugoslavia, including political parties and independent trade unions, to
develop a legitimate and viable alternative to the Milosevic regime;
(B) all United States Government officials, including individuals from
the
private sector acting on behalf of the United States Government, should
meet
regularly with representatives of democratic forces in Yugoslavia and
minimize to the extent practicable any direct contacts with officials of
the
Yugoslav or Serbian governments, and not meet with any individual
indicted
by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia,
particularly President Slobodan Milosevic; and
(C) the United States should emphasize to all political leaders in
Yugoslavia the importance of respecting internationally recognized human
rights for all individuals residing in Yugoslavia.
SEC. 102. ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTE DEMOCRACY AND CIVIL SOCIETY IN
YUGOSLAVIA.
(a) ASSISTANCE FOR THE SERBIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCES-
(1) PURPOSE OF ASSISTANCE- The purpose of assistance under this
subsection
is to promote and strengthen institutions of democratic government and
the
growth of an independent civil society in Serbia, including ethnic
tolerance
and respect for internationally recognized human rights.
(2) AUTHORIZATION FOR ASSISTANCE- To carry out the purpose of paragraph
(1),
the President is authorized to furnish assistance and other support for
the
activities described in paragraph (3).
(3) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED- Activities that may be supported by assistance
under paragraph (2) include the following:
(A) Democracy building.
(B) The development of nongovernmental organizations.
(C) The development of independent Serbian media.
(D) The development of the rule of law, to include a strong, independent
judiciary, the impartial administration of justice, and transparency in
political practices.
(E) International exchanges and advanced professional training programs
in
skill areas central to the development of civil society and a market
economy.
(F) The development of all elements of the democratic process, including
political parties and the ability to administer free and fair elections.
(G) The development of local governance.
(H) The development of a free-market economy.
(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS-
(A) IN GENERAL- There is authorized to be appropriated to the President
$50,000,000 for the period beginning October 1, 2000, and ending
September
30, 2001, to be made available for activities in support of the
democratization of the Republic of Serbia (excluding Kosovo) pursuant to
this subsection.
(B) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS- Amounts appropriated pursuant to subparagraph
(A)
are authorized to remain available until expended.
(b) PROHIBITION ON ASSISTANCE TO GOVERNMENT OF YUGOSLAVIA OR OF SERBIA-
In
carrying out subsection (a), the President should take all necessary
steps
to ensure that no funds or other assistance is provided to the
Government of
Yugoslavia or to the Government of Serbia, except for purposes permitted
under this title.
(c) ASSISTANCE TO GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO-
(1) IN GENERAL- The President may provide assistance to the Government
of
Montenegro, unless the President determines, and so reports to the
appropriate congressional committees, that the leadership of the
Government
of Montenegro is not committed to, or is not taking steps to promote,
democratic principles, the rule of law, or respect for internationally
recognized human rights.
(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- Unless the President makes the
determination, and so reports to the appropriate congressional
committees,
under paragraph (1), there is authorized to be appropriated to the
President
$55,000,000 for the period beginning October 1, 2000, and ending
September
30, 2001, to be made available for activities for or in the Republic of
Montenegro for purposes described in subsection (a), as well as to
support
ongoing political and economic reforms, and economic stabilization in
support of democratization.
SEC. 103. AUTHORITY FOR RADIO AND TELEVISION BROADCASTING.
(a) IN GENERAL- The Broadcasting Board of Governors shall further the
open
communication of information and ideas through the increased use of
radio
and television broadcasting to Yugoslavia in both the Serbo-Croatian and
Albanian languages.
(b) IMPLEMENTATION- Radio and television broadcasting under subsection
(a)
shall be carried out by the Voice of America and, in addition, radio
broadcasting under that subsection shall be carried out by RFE/RL,
Incorporated. Subsection (a) shall be carried out in accordance with all
the
respective Voice of America and RFE/RL, Incorporated, standards to
ensure
that radio and television broadcasting to Yugoslavia serves as a
consistently reliable and authoritative source of accurate, objective,
and
comprehensive news.
(c) STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION- The implementation of subsection (a) may not
be
construed as a replacement for the strengthening of indigenous
independent
media called for in section 102(a)(3)(C). To the maximum extent
practicable,
the two efforts (strengthening independent media and increasing
broadcasts
into Serbia) shall be carried out in such a way that they mutually
support
each other.
SEC. 104. DEVELOPMENT OF POLITICAL CONTACTS RELATING TO THE REPUBLIC OF
SERBIA AND THE REPUBLIC OF MONTENEGRO.
(a) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS- It is the sense of the Congress that
political
contacts between United States officials and those individuals who, in
an
official or unofficial capacity, represent a genuine desire for
democratic
governance in the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro
should
be developed through regular and well publicized meetings.
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There is authorized to be
appropriated
to the Secretary of State $350,000 for fiscal year 2001 for a voluntary
contribution to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly--
(1) to facilitate contacts by those who, in an official or unofficial
capacity, represent a genuine desire for democratic governance in the
Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro, with their
counterparts
in other countries; and
(2) to encourage the development of a multilateral effort to promote
democracy in the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro.
TITLE II--ASSISTANCE TO THE VICTIMS OF OPPRESSION
SEC. 201. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Beginning in February 1998 and ending in June 1999, the armed forces
of
Yugoslavia and the Serbian Interior Ministry police force engaged in a
brutal crackdown against the ethnic Albanian population in Kosovo.
(2) As a result of the attack by Yugoslav and Serbian forces against the
Albanian population of Kosovo, more than 10,000 individuals were killed
and
1,500,000 individuals were displaced from their homes.
(3) The majority of the individuals displaced by the conflict in Kosovo
was
left homeless or was forced to find temporary shelter in Kosovo or
outside
the country.
(4) The activities of the Yugoslav armed forces and the police force of
the
Serbian Interior Ministry resulted in the widespread destruction of
agricultural crops, livestock, and property, as well as the poisoning of
wells and water supplies, and the looting of humanitarian goods provided
by
the international community.
SEC. 202. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that--
(1) the Government of Yugoslavia and the Government of Serbia bear
responsibility to the victims of the conflict in Kosovo, including
refugees
and internally displaced persons, and for property damage in Kosovo;
(2) under the direction of President Milosevic, neither the Government
of
Yugoslavia nor the Government of Serbia provided the resources to assist
innocent, civilian victims of oppression in Kosovo; and
(3) because neither the Government of Yugoslavia nor the Government of
Serbia fulfilled the responsibilities of a sovereign government toward
the
people in Kosovo, the international community offers the only recourse
for
humanitarian assistance to victims of oppression in Kosovo.
SEC. 203. ASSISTANCE.
(a) AUTHORITY- The President is authorized to furnish assistance under
section 491 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2292) and
the
Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 (22 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.),
as
appropriate, for--
(1) relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction in Kosovo; and
(2) refugees and persons displaced by the conflict in Kosovo.
(b) PROHIBITION- No assistance may be provided under this section to any
organization that has been designated as a foreign terrorist
organization
under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1189).
(c) USE OF ECONOMIC SUPPORT FUNDS- Any funds that have been allocated
under
chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C.
2346
et seq.) for assistance described in subsection (a) may be used in
accordance with the authority of that subsection.
TITLE III--`OUTER WALL' SANCTIONS
SEC. 301. `OUTER WALL' SANCTIONS.
(a) APPLICATION OF MEASURES- The sanctions described in subsections (c)
through (g) shall apply with respect to Yugoslavia until the President
determines and certifies to the appropriate congressional committees
that
the Government of Yugoslavia has made significant progress in meeting
the
conditions described in subsection (b).
(b) CONDITIONS- The conditions referred to in subsection (a) are the
following:
(1) Agreement on a lasting settlement in Kosovo.
(2) Compliance with the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia
and
Herzegovina.
(3) Implementation of internal democratic reform.
(4) Settlement of all succession issues with the other republics that
emerged from the break-up of the Socialist Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia.
(5) Cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia, including the transfer to The Hague of all individuals in
Yugoslavia indicted by the Tribunal.
(c) INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS- The Secretary of the Treasury
shall instruct the United States executive directors of the
international
financial institutions to oppose, and vote against, any extension by
those
institutions of any financial assistance (including any technical
assistance
or grant) of any kind to the Government of Yugoslavia.
(d) ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE- The Secretary
of
State should instruct the United States Ambassador to the Organization
for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to oppose and block any
consensus
to allow the participation of Yugoslavia in the OSCE or any organization
affiliated with the OSCE.
(e) UNITED NATIONS- The Secretary of State should instruct the United
States
Permanent Representative to the United Nations--
(1) to oppose and vote against any resolution in the United Nations
Security
Council to admit Yugoslavia to the United Nations or any organization
affiliated with the United Nations; and
(2) to actively oppose and, if necessary, veto any proposal to allow
Yugoslavia to assume the membership of the former Socialist Federal
Republic
of Yugoslavia in the United Nations General Assembly or any other
organization affiliated with the United Nations.
(f) NATO- The Secretary of State should instruct the United States
Permanent
Representative to the North Atlantic Council to oppose and vote against
the
extension to Yugoslavia of membership or participation in the
Partnership
for Peace program or any other organization affiliated with NATO.
(g) SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN COOPERATION INITIATIVE- The Secretary of State
should
instruct the United States Representatives to the Southeast European
Cooperation Initiative (SECI) to actively oppose the participation of
Yugoslavia in SECI.
(h) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS- It is the sense of the Congress that--
(1) the President should not restore full diplomatic relations with
Yugoslavia until the President has determined and so reported to the
appropriate congressional committees that the Government of Yugoslavia
has
met the conditions described in subsection (b); and
(2) the President should encourage all other European countries to
diminish
their level of diplomatic relations with Yugoslavia.
(i) INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTION DEFINED- In this section, the
term
`international financial institution' includes the International
Monetary
Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the
International Development Association, the International Finance
Corporation, the Multilateral Investment Guaranty Agency, and the
European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
SEC. 302. INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH
`OUTER WALL' SANCTIONS.
It is the sense of the Congress that, if any international financial
institution (as defined in section 301(i)) approves a loan or other
financial assistance to the Government of Yugoslavia over the opposition
of
the United States, then the Secretary of the Treasury should withhold
from
payment of the United States share of any increase in the paid-in
capital of
such institution an amount equal to the amount of the loan or other
assistance.
TITLE IV--OTHER MEASURES AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
SEC. 401. BLOCKING ASSETS IN THE UNITED STATES.
(a) BLOCKING OF ASSETS- All property and interests in property,
including
all commercial, industrial, or public utility undertakings or entities,
of
or in the name of the Government of Serbia or the Government of
Yugoslavia
that are in the United States, that come within the United States, or
that
are or come within the possession or control of United States persons,
including their overseas branches, are blocked.
(b) PROHIBITED TRANSFERS- Payments or transfers of any property or any
transactions involving the transfer of anything of economic value by any
United States person to the Government of Serbia, the Government of
Yugoslavia, or any person or entity acting for or on behalf of, or owned
or
controlled, directly or indirectly, by any of those governments,
persons, or
entities, are prohibited.
(c) EXERCISE OF AUTHORITIES- The Secretary of the Treasury, in
consultation
with the Secretary of State, shall take such actions, including the
promulgation of regulations, orders, directives, rulings, instructions,
and
licenses, and employ all powers granted to the President by the
International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as may be necessary to
carry
out the purposes of this section, including, but not limited to, taking
such
steps as may be necessary to continue in effect the measures contained
in
Executive Order No. 13088 of June 9, 1998, and Executive Order No. 13121
of
April 30, 1999, and any rule, regulation, license, or order issued
thereunder.
(d) PAYMENT OF EXPENSES- All expenses incident to the blocking and
maintenance of property blocked under subsection (a) shall be charged to
the
owners or operators of such property, and expenses shall not be paid for
from blocked funds.
(e) PROHIBITIONS- The following are prohibited:
(1) Any transaction within the United States or by a United States
person
relating to any vessel in which a majority or controlling interest is
held
by a person or entity in, or operating from, Serbia, regardless of the
flag
under which the vessel sails.
(2)(A) The exportation to Serbia or to any entity operated from Serbia
or
owned and controlled by the Government of Serbia or the Government of
Yugoslavia, directly or indirectly, of any goods, software technology,
or
services, either--
(i) from the United States;
(ii) requiring the issuance of a license by a Federal agency; or
(iii) involving the use of United States registered vessels or aircraft.
(B) Any activity that promotes or is intended to promote exportation
described in subparagraph (A).
(3)(A) Any dealing by a United States person in--
(i) property exported from Serbia; or
(ii) property intended for exportation from Serbia to any country or
exportation to Serbia from any country.
(B) Any activity of any kind that promotes or is intended to promote any
dealing described in subparagraph (A).
(4) The performance by any United States person of any contract,
including a
financing contract, in support of an industrial, commercial, public
utility,
or governmental project in Serbia.
(f) EXCEPTIONS- Nothing in this section shall apply to--
(1) assistance provided under section 102 or section 203 of this Act; or
(2) information or informational materials described in section
203(b)(3) of
the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
(g) DEFINITION- In this section, the term `United States person' means
any
United States citizen, any alien lawfully admitted for permanent
residence
within the United States, any entity organized under the laws of the
United
States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States.
SEC. 402. SUSPENSION OF ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES.
(a) PROHIBITION- The President shall use his authority under section
212(f)
of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)) to suspend the
entry into the United States of any alien who--
(1) holds a position in the senior leadership of the Government of
Yugoslavia or the Government of Serbia; or
(2) is a spouse, minor child, or agent of a person inadmissible under
paragraph (1).
(b) SENIOR LEADERSHIP DEFINED- In subsection (a)(1), the term `senior
leadership'--
(1) includes--
(A) the President, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers, and
government
ministers of Yugoslavia;
(B) the Governor of the National Bank of Yugoslavia; and
(C) the President, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers, and
government
ministers of the Republic of Serbia; and
(2) does not include the President, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime
Ministers,
and government ministers of the Republic of Montenegro.
SEC. 403. PROHIBITION ON STRATEGIC EXPORTS TO YUGOSLAVIA.
(a) PROHIBITION- No computers, computer software, or goods or technology
intended to manufacture or service computers may be exported to or for
use
by the Government of Yugoslavia or by the Government of Serbia, or by
any of
the following entities of either government:
(1) The military.
(2) The police.
(3) The prison system.
(4) The national security agencies.
(b) STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION- Nothing in this section shall prevent the
issuance of licenses to ensure the safety of civil aviation and safe
operation of United States-origin commercial passenger aircraft and to
ensure the safety of ocean-going maritime traffic in international
waters.
SEC. 404. PROHIBITION ON LOANS AND INVESTMENT.
(a) UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT FINANCING- No loan, credit guarantee,
insurance, financing, or other similar financial assistance may be
extended
by any agency of the United States Government (including the
Export-Import
Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation) to the Government
of
Yugoslavia or the Government of Serbia.
(b) TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY- No funds made available by law may be
available for activities of the Trade and Development Agency in or for
Serbia.
(c) THIRD COUNTRY ACTION- The Secretary of State is urged to encourage
all
other countries, particularly European countries, to suspend any of
their
own programs providing support similar to that described in subsection
(a)
or (b) to the Government of Yugoslavia or the Government of Serbia,
including by rescheduling repayment of the indebtedness of either
government
under more favorable conditions.
(d) PROHIBITION ON PRIVATE CREDITS-
(1) IN GENERAL- Except as provided in paragraph (2), no national of the
United States may make or approve any loan or other extension of credit,
directly or indirectly, to the Government of Yugoslavia or to the
Government
of Serbia or to any corporation, partnership, or other organization that
is
owned or controlled by either the Government of Yugoslavia or the
Government
of Serbia.
(2) EXCEPTION- Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a loan or extension of
credit for any housing, education, or humanitarian benefit to assist the
victims of oppression in Kosovo.
SEC. 405. PROHIBITION OF MILITARY-TO-MILITARY COOPERATION.
The United States Government (including any agency or entity of the
United
States) shall not provide assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of
1961 or the Arms Export Control Act (including the provision of Foreign
Military Financing under section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act or
international military education and training under chapter 5 of part II
of
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961) or provide any defense articles or
defense services under those Acts, to the armed forces of the Government
of
Yugoslavia or of the Government of Serbia.
SEC. 406. MULTILATERAL SANCTIONS.
It is the sense of the Congress that the President should continue to
seek
to coordinate with other countries, particularly European countries, a
comprehensive, multilateral strategy to further the purposes of this
title,
including, as appropriate, encouraging other countries to take measures
similar to those described in this title.
SEC. 407. EXEMPTIONS.
(a) EXEMPTION FOR KOSOVO- None of the restrictions imposed by this Act
shall
apply with respect to Kosovo, including with respect to governmental
entities or administering authorities or the people of Kosovo.
(b) EXEMPTION FOR MONTENEGRO- None of the restrictions imposed by this
Act
shall apply with respect to Montenegro, including with respect to
governmental entities of Montenegro, unless the President determines and
so
certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that the
leadership of
the Government of Montenegro is not committed to, or is not taking steps
to
promote, democratic principles, the rule of law, or respect for
internationally recognized human rights.
SEC. 408. WAIVER; TERMINATION OF MEASURES AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA.
(a) GENERAL WAIVER AUTHORITY- Except as provided in subsection (b), the
requirement to impose any measure under this Act may be waived for
successive periods not to exceed 12 months each, and the President may
provide assistance in furtherance of this Act notwithstanding any other
provision of law, if the President determines and so certifies to the
appropriate congressional committees in writing 15 days in advance of
the
implementation of any such waiver that--
(1) it is important to the national interest of the United States; or
(2) significant progress has been made in Yugoslavia in establishing a
government based on democratic principles and the rule of law, and that
respects internationally recognized human rights.
(b) EXCEPTION- The President may implement the waiver under subsection
(a)
for successive periods not to exceed 3 months each without the 15 day
advance notification under that subsection--
(1) if the President determines that exceptional circumstances require
the
implementation of such waiver; and
(2) the President immediately notifies the appropriate congressional
committees of his determination.
(c) TERMINATION OF RESTRICTIONS- The restrictions imposed by this title
shall be terminated if the President determines and so certifies to the
appropriate congressional committees that the Government of Yugoslavia
is a
government that is committed to democratic principles and the rule of
law,
and that respects internationally recognized human rights.
SEC. 409. STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.
(a) IN GENERAL- None of the restrictions or prohibitions contained in
this
Act shall be construed to limit humanitarian assistance (including the
provision of food and medicine), or the commercial export of
agricultural
commodities or medicine and medical equipment, to Yugoslavia.
(b) SPECIAL RULE- Nothing in subsection (a) shall be construed to permit
the
export of an agricultural commodity or medicine that could contribute to
the
development of a chemical or biological weapon.
TITLE V--MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
SEC. 501. INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA.
(a) FINDINGS- Congress finds the following:
(1) United Nations Security Council Resolution 827, which was adopted
May
25, 1993, established the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia to prosecute persons responsible for serious violations of
international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former
Yugoslavia since January 1, 1991.
(2) United Nations Security Council Resolution 827 requires full
cooperation
by all countries with the Tribunal, including the obligation of
countries to
comply with requests of the Tribunal for assistance or orders.
(3) The Government of Yugoslavia has disregarded its international
obligations with regard to the Tribunal, including its obligation to
transfer or facilitate the transfer to the Tribunal of any person on the
territory of Yugoslavia who has been indicted for war crimes or other
crimes
against humanity under the jurisdiction of the Tribunal.
(4) The Government of Yugoslavia publicly rejected the Tribunal's
jurisdiction over events in Kosovo and has impeded the investigation of
representatives from the Tribunal, including denying those
representatives
visas for entry into Yugoslavia, in their efforts to gather information
about alleged crimes against humanity in Kosovo under the jurisdiction
of
the Tribunal.
(5) The Tribunal has indicted President Slobodan Milosevic for--
(A) crimes against humanity, specifically murder, deportations, and
persecutions; and
(B) violations of the laws and customs of war.
(b) POLICY- It shall be the policy of the United States to support fully
and
completely the investigation of President Slobodan Milosevic by the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for genocide,
crimes against humanity, war crimes, and grave breaches of the Geneva
Convention.
(c) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS- Subject to subsection (b), it is the sense of
the
Congress that the United States Government should gather all information
that the intelligence community (as defined in section 3(4) of the
National
Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 401a(4)) collects or has collected to
support an investigation of President Slobodan Milosevic for genocide,
crimes against humanity, war crimes, and grave breaches of the Geneva
Convention by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia
(ICTY) and that the Department of State should provide all appropriate
information to the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICTY under procedures
established by the Director of Central Intelligence that are necessary
to
ensure adequate protection of intelligence sources and methods.
(d) REPORT TO CONGRESS- Not less than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter for the succeeding
5-year period, the President shall submit a report, in classified form
if
necessary, to the appropriate congressional committees that describes
the
information that was provided by the Department of State to the Office
of
the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia for the purposes of subsection (c).
SEC. 502. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS WITH RESPECT TO ETHNIC HUNGARIANS OF
VOJVODINA.
(a) FINDINGS- Congress finds that--
(1) approximately 350,000 ethnic Hungarians, as well as several other
minority populations, reside in the province of Vojvodina, part of
Serbia,
in traditional settlements in existence for centuries;
(2) this community has taken no side in any of the Balkan conflicts
since
1990, but has maintained a consistent position of nonviolence, while
seeking
to protect its existence through the meager opportunities afforded under
the
existing political system;
(3) the Serbian leadership deprived Vojvodina of its autonomous status
at
the same time as it did the same to the province of Kosovo;
(4) this population is subject to continuous harassment, intimidation,
and
threatening suggestions that they leave the land of their ancestors; and
(5) during the past 10 years this form of ethnic cleansing has already
driven 50,000 ethnic Hungarians and members of other minority
communities
out of the province of Vojvodina.
(b) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS- It is the sense of the Congress that the
President should--
(1) condemn harassment, threats, and intimidation against any ethnic
group
in Yugoslavia as the usual precursor of violent ethnic cleansing;
(2) express deep concern over the reports on recent threats,
intimidation,
and even violent incidents against the ethnic Hungarian inhabitants of
the
province of Vojvodina;
(3) call on the Secretary of State to regularly monitor the situation of
the
Hungarian ethnic group in Vojvodina; and
(4) call on the NATO allies of the United States, during any negotiation
on
the future status of Kosovo, also to pay substantial attention to
establishing satisfactory guarantees for the rights of the people of
Vojvodina, and, in particular, of the ethnic minorities in the province.
SEC. 503. OWNERSHIP AND USE OF DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR PROPERTIES.
(a) FINDINGS- Congress finds the following:
(1) The international judicial system, as currently structured, lacks
fully
effective remedies for the wrongful confiscation of property and for
unjust
enrichment from the use of wrongfully confiscated property by
governments
and private entities at the expense of the rightful owners of the
property.
(2) Since the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia
until March and June 1999, when the United States Government took
custody,
the Government of Yugoslavia exclusively used, and benefited from the
use
of, properties located in the United States that were owned by the
Socialist
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
(3) Until the United States Government took custody, the Governments of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia,
and Slovenia were blocked by the Government of Yugoslavia from using, or
benefiting from the use of, any property located in the United States
that
was previously owned by the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
(4) The occupation and use by officials of Yugoslavia of that property
without prompt, adequate, and effective compensation under the
applicable
principles of international law to the Governments of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and
Slovenia is unjust and unreasonable.
(b) POLICY ON NEGOTIATIONS REGARDING PROPERTIES- It is the policy of the
United States to insist that the Government of Yugoslavia has a
responsibility to, and should, actively and cooperatively engage in good
faith negotiations with the Governments of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Croatia,
the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Slovenia for resolution
of
the outstanding property issues resulting from the dissolution of the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including the disposition of
the
following properties located in the United States:
(1) 2222 Decatur Street, NW, Washington, DC.
(2) 2410 California Street, NW, Washington, DC.
(3) 1907 Quincy Street, NW, Washington, DC.
(4) 3600 Edmonds Street, NW, Washington, DC.
(5) 2221 R Street, NW, Washington, DC.
(6) 854 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY.
(7) 730 Park Avenue, New York, NY.
(c) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS ON RETURN OF PROPERTIES- It is the sense of
the
Congress that, if the Government of Yugoslavia refuses to engage in good
faith negotiations on the status of the properties listed in subsection
(b),
the President should take steps to ensure that the interests of the
Governments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav
Republic
of Macedonia, and Slovenia are protected in accordance with
international
law.
SEC. 504. TRANSITION ASSISTANCE.
(a) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS- It is the sense of the Congress that once the
regime of President Slobodan Milosevic has been replaced by a government
that is committed to democratic principles and the rule of law, and that
respects internationally recognized human rights, the President of the
United States should support the transition to democracy in Yugoslavia
by
providing immediate and substantial assistance, including facilitating
its
integration into international organizations.
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE- The President is authorized to furnish
assistance to Yugoslavia if he determines, and so certifies to the
appropriate congressional committees that the Government of Yugoslavia
is
committed to democratic principles and the rule of law and respects
internationally recognized human rights.
(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS-
(1) DEVELOPMENT OF PLAN- The President shall develop a plan for
providing
assistance to Yugoslavia in accordance with this section. Such
assistance
would be provided at such time as the President determines that the
Government of Yugoslavia is committed to democratic principles and the
rule
of law and respects internationally recognized human rights.
(2) STRATEGY- The plan developed under paragraph (1) shall include a
strategy for distributing assistance to Yugoslavia under the plan.
(3) DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS- The President shall take the necessary steps--
(A) to seek to obtain the agreement of other countries and international
financial institutions and other multilateral organizations to provide
assistance to Yugoslavia after the President determines that the
Government
of Yugoslavia is committed to democratic principles, the rule of law,
and
that respects internationally recognized human rights; and
(B) to work with such countries, institutions, and organizations to
coordinate all such assistance programs.
(4) COMMUNICATION OF PLAN- The President shall take the necessary steps
to
communicate to the people of Yugoslavia the plan for assistance
developed
under this section.
(5) REPORT- Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of
this
Act, the President shall transmit to the appropriate congressional
committees a report describing in detail the plan required to be
developed
by paragraph (1).
Passed the House of Representatives September 25, 2000.
Attest:
Clerk.
END
The International Monetary Fund And The Yugoslav Elections
by Michel Chossudovsky and Jared Israel (9-28-2000)
www.tenc.net
[Emperor's Clothes]
>"We want to be open colony and open society." G-17 coordinator VESELIN
>VUKOTIC interviewed on "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer", US Public
Television,
>July 14, 1999.
>
>How the International Monetary Fund and World Bank operate: "First, they
>force governments to do away with any social protections - subsidized food
or
>rent, free transportation, free medical care. Second, they force
businesses -
>public and private - into bankruptcy. Then these businesses are taken over
by
>a small clique of leveraged buyout speculators and other powerful foreign
>economic interests. They purchase the businesses at rock bottom prices.
This
>is called "Privatization through Liquidation" which is standard practice in
>the Balkans and Eastern Europe." (From the text below)
>
>Recently there's been a lot of interest in the economists in the Yugoslav
>group G-17. They wrote the Program adopted by the so-called "democratic"
>opposition and its Presidential candidate, Vojislav Kostunica. (For a
>discussion of that Program, see "US Arrogance & Yugoslav Elections" at
>www.emperors-clothes.com/engl.htm )
>
>The G-17 likes to give the impression it is independent and
>Yugoslav-oriented. In fact it is funded mainly through the Washington-based
>Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). CIPE describes itself
as
>"an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce." But in fact it is "a core
>institute" of the National Endowment for Democracy which has nothing to do,
>as far as we can tell, with Democracy. Rather, the Endowment was created in
>1983 to solve a problem of Empire. People knew that the CIA bribed
>intellectuals and leaders and set up front groups to carry out US policy:
>
>"When these covert activities surfaced (as they inevitably did), the
fallout
>was devastating." ('Washington Post', Sept. 22, 1991).
>
>This is why Congress created the National Endowment for Democracy.
>
>Allen Weinstein, who planned the Endowment, said:
>
>"A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA."
>('Washington Post', Sept. 21, 1991)
>
>The National Endowment for Democracy (a sort of CIA spin-off) controls and
>pays for the Center for International Private Enterprise which in turn
funds
>the G-17.
>
>Three of the leading members of G-17 are Washington-based staff members of
>the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. They are, Dusan Vujovic,
>Zeliko Bogetic and Branko Milanovic. In addition, G-17 coordinator
Professor
>Veselin Vukotic has worked closely with the World Bank. He was in charge of
>the World Bank "bankruptcy program" in Yugoslavia during 1989-1990, which
led
>to the devastation of the Yugoslav economy and set the stage for the
breakup
>of Yugoslavia. While on IMF/WB payrolls, they are heavily involved in
>politics in Serbia and Montenegro. Other members of the G-17 consult for
the
>World Bank and attend World Bank-organized meetings.
>
>The "democratic" opposition works with the G-17. It has endorsed the G-17
>Economic program. If it got into power, the G-17 economists would be in
>charge of remaking Yugoslavia. This is not a guess. The opposition Program
>calls for working closely with the International Monetary Fund. The Fund
>always insists that its men run the show. That is not open for negotiation.
>And the IMF's men can conveniently be found among the leading members of
G-17.
>
>On their Website, the G-17 states that their aim is to establish: "...a
>network of experts in all Serbian towns able to create and practically
>implement necessary changes in all fields of social life."
>
>This is not simply a group of economists. It is a network. The
International
>Monetary Fund and World Bank are using this network to impose their
policies
>on Yugoslavia. Meanwhile they tell everyone the fiction that G-17 is a
>home-grown alternative.
>
>G-17 Coordinator Mladjan Dinkic is right now on his way to Bulgaria to draw
>up a "Letter Of Intent" with his colleagues at the International Monetary
>Fund. This will be the first step toward enforcing IMF "economic medicine."
>"We hope they will accept it," Dinkic said to a Pacifica Radio reporter.
>
>Economic Medicine Worse than Russia and Ukraine
>
>What happens when the IMF takes over a country?
>
>One of writers, Prof. Chossudovsky, studies the International Monetary Fund
>and World Bank and what their policies do to countries. . The G-17 Economic
>Program contains the same measures they forced on Russia, the Ukraine,
>Bulgaria and Peru, and many others. The results: social and economic
>devastation.
>
>But Yugoslavia has resisted NATO's attack on its national sovereignty. So
the
>IMF will hit Yugoslavia with even harder economic medicine.
>
>Forced Bankruptcies and Mass Misery
>
>G-17 economists like to talk about "free markets" and "privatization." But
in
>fact their International Monetary Fund wrecks countries.
>
>First, they force governments to do away with any social protections -
>subsidized food or rent, free transportation, free medical care. Out the
>window.
>
>Second, they use economic manipulation and new laws to force businesses -
>public and private - into bankruptcy. Then these businesses are taken over
by
>a small clique of leveraged buyout speculators and other powerful foreign
>economic interests. They purchase the businesses at rock bottom prices.
This
>is called "Privatization through Liquidation" and it is standard practice
in
>the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
>
>A case in point: Yugoslavia, 1989
>
>The elder statesman of the G-17 is Professor Veselin Vukotic. Presently he
is
>one of the economic brains behind Montenegrin secessionism.
>
>But what was he doing before the breakup of Yugoslavia?
>
>In 1989 he was appointed Minister of Privatization under Yugoslav Premier
>Ante Markovic.
>
>Yugoslavs have bitter memories of 1989-1991. But do they "put a human face"
>on the nightmare? Perhaps people think the economic disaster resulted from
>"market mechanisms" or "incompetent government." In fact it resulted from a
>World Bank plan.
>
>People in Ante Markovic's government pulled the strings. In 1989-90,
>Professor Vukotic worked with his Cabinet colleagues and an army of Western
>lawyers and consultants. They imposed the Financial Operations Act. It was
a
>World Bank plan.
>
>Under this law, companies were carefully selected for bankruptcy or
>liquidation. They were forced to meet impossible conditions. In this way,
the
>World Bank, through the Ministry of Privatization headed by Professor
Vukotic
>orchestrated the breakup of fifty percent of Yugoslav industry. World Bank
>data confirms that under his direction more than 1100 industrial firms were
>wiped out from January 1989 to September 1990
>
>And that was only the beginning.
>
>Over 614,000 industrial workers were laid off out of 2.7 million. The areas
>hardest hit were: Serbia, including Kosovo, and Bosnia-Herzegovina and
>Macedonia. Real wages did a nose-dive. Social programs collapsed.
>Unemployment shot up.
>
>And now this same Professor Vukotic, a key man in the G-17, wants to return
>to power. When the IMF gets its jaws on a country it forces the government
to
>work under people who have already served the IMF and World Bank before.,
>People like Professor Vukotic. Vukotic could finish the job he started in
>1989 under the World Bank, a job ironically discontinued when economic
>sanctions were imposed in 1992. (Bulgaria would probably be better off
today
>if it had been hit with sanctions instead of with the International
Monetary
>Fund!)
>
>Giving Montenegrin Property to Foreign Speculators
>
>While Prof. Vukotic hopes to regain cabinet status in a "democratic"
>opposition government in Yugoslavia he has also been working closely with
the
>secessionist government of Montenegro. Montenegrin President Milo
Djukanovic,
>his former student, had put him in charge of the privatization program
which
>is auctioning off state property in Montenegro.
>
>Recently we found a US Commerce Department advertisement on the internet.
The
>title is: " Montenegro: Seeks Privatization Fund Managers."
>
>The advertisement explains that these Managers are needed in Montenegro,
>where US officials are "providing technical support" for so-called
>privatization. The managers would control "funds" that would take over
>ownership of what is now public property. The Managers could "restructure"
>these privatized companies - lay off the workers and sell the most valuable
>components. The Commerce department promises that this "should be quite
>profitable." Note how brazenly the U.S. Commerce Department celebrates
>turning Montenegrin property into foreign profit.
>
>Kosovo
>
>Professor Vukotic has also been vocal on the political and economic status
of
>Kosovo. Last June NATO marched into Kosovo, and the UCK (or Kosovo
Liberation
>Army) along with them. Wherever they went, they drove loyal Yugoslav
citizens
>from their homes, stole or destroyed their property and threatened them
with
>death. By June 26, the expulsions were at a peak.
>
>While Kosovo was devastated, Professor Vukotic said: "Kosovo should also
have
>its own currency." That's virtually the same as saying Kosovo should be a
>separate country. ('Associated Press,' June 26, 1999)
>
>The Deutschmark was adopted as legal tender and almost the entire banking
>system in Kosovo was handed over to Germanys Commerzbank A.G. And the G-17
>economists applaud
>
>The G-17 on the IMF-World Bank Payroll
>
>One of the most prominent members of the G-17 is Dr. Dusan Vujovic, a
senior
>economist at the World Bank. He acts as a link between the G-17 and
>Washington. He has been very active overseeing "reforms" in so-called
>"transition countries". In August 2000, Vujovic was put in charge of
>negotiating one of the World Bank's most deadly economic packages. It was
>imposed on the Ukraine, already devastated by earlier IMF-World Bank
reforms.
>
>What happened to the Ukraine? The Ukraine disaster started in the fall of
>1994. Prime Minister Vitali Masol signed an agreement with the
International
>Monetary Fund. In exchange for accepting "economic shock treatment" Ukraine
>got a 360 million dollar loan. That's a very small amount for a country..
>"Reforms" began in mid-October, 1994. The IMF ordered the Ukrainian
>authorities to end State controls over the currency exchange rate. This led
>to the collapse of the currency. The price of bread shot up overnight -
300%.
>Electricity- up 600%. Public transportation - up 900%.
>
>The population was forced to buy necessities based on "dollarized" prices.
>Meanwhile people were earning less than ten dollars a month. Credit was
>frozen. With electricity prices sky high and no credit, public and private
>industries were destroyed. The international speculators moved in like
sharks
>in a frenzy.
>
>Then in November 1994, World Bank negotiators were sent in to further
>"advise" the government. This time they overhauled Ukraine's agriculture.
The
>grain market was deregulated. This allowed the US to dump grain surpluses
on
>the Ukraine market. Ukraine went from being a grain exporter to begging for
>Food Aid from the European Union and the U.S. Thanks to the International
>Monetary Fund, Ukraine is now a starving political protectorate of the US
and
>Germany. And remember, Ukraine never did anything to offend the U.S.. It
>didn't rebel for 10 years, like Yugoslavia.
>
>The Case of Bulgaria
>
>Another key member of the G-17 is Dr. Zeliko Bogetic who holds a senior
>position at the International Monetary Fund. The International Monetary
Fund
>has been the doctor in many economic cures. The patient always dies. In
>1994-96, Bogetic participated on behalf of the IMF in forcing a structural
>adjustment program (SAP) on Bulgaria. All social defenses - price controls,
>subsidized food, housing and medical care - were stripped away.
>
>The program led to mass poverty and terrible suffering. By 1997, old age
>pensions (according to World Bank sources) had collapsed to two dollars a
>month. The World Bank admits that 90 percent of Bulgarians now live below
the
>poverty line but, they announce, much economic progress is being made.
>Perhaps when all the Bulgarians are dead they will announce the achievement
>of perfection.
>
>In early 2000, Bogetic was dispatched by the International Monetary Fund to
>Podgorica, Montenegro to advise the pro-secessionist government of
President
>Milo Djukanovic. Bogetic was to help set up a currency board modeled on
that
>of Bosnia under the Dayton Accord. Bogetic's advice was to stop using the
>Dinar, the Yugoslav currency. He said that under no circumstances should
>Montenegro establish a Central Bank. Now remember, the Djukanovic
government
>in Montenegro says it wants "independence" from Yugoslavia. But a Central
>Bank is the requirement for real independence. No, said Bogetic, that is
the
>"worst possible solution". So this "independence" really means "colony"!
>
>
>Bogetic would be the likely candidate for Yugoslav Central Bank Governor if
>the "democratic" opposition were to win. He'd do the same thing he's doing
in
>Montenegro. He'd establish a colonial style currency board linked to the
>Deutschmark. Then monetary policy would be controlled by the country's
>creditors. This would be a excellent for the creditors but very bad for the
>common people including local businessmen and farmers. It would make it
>impossible to finance economic reconstruction through the mobilization of
>Yugoslavia's own domestic resources. The country would be in a
straightjacket.
>
>If the "democratic opposition" came to power they have said they will
>introduce International Monetary Fund medicine. That's what they say in
their
>Program. But would this be the same medicine that the IMF have prescribed
for
>Russia, Bulgaria and Ukraine?
>
>Russia, Bulgaria and Ukraine cooperated fully with Washington. As nations,
>they never resisted being turned into colonies. Was the West merciful?
>Consider Russia. During the first year that the reforms were applied, which
>was 1992, wages collapsed by 86 percent. And in many of the countries of
the
>Balkans and Eastern Europe, economic activity has been cut in half. And
these
>are cooperative countries. As everyone knows, the U.S. is very annoyed with
>Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia has not been a good slave. It has not kissed the
hand
>of the bombers.
>
>History shows that if the International Monetary Fund gets hold of a
country
>that has been rebellious the treatment is vicious. And we are not talking
>about major rebels, like Yugoslavia. We are talking about very moderate
>rebels, like Peru.
>
>In Peru, the government of President Alan Garcia (1985-1990) refused to do
>some of what the International Monetary Fund ordered. In 1985, it decided
to
>pay international debts at a reduced rate. It instituted an economic
program
>that would help (instead of destroying) the economy.
>
>The International Monetary Fund Responds
>
>The country was immediately put on a black list by the . This disrupted
>Peru's foreign trade. It damaged the economy. It produced discontent.
>
>Enter Professor Alberto Fujimori. It was the 1990 elections. With help from
>Washington, Peru was having economic problems. Many people wanted change.
>Professor Fujimori was unknown. People felt he was "honest" and
"promising".
>He led a tiny party that had never held power. He was the winner in the
1990
>elections.
>
>Once in office, Fujimori caved in to the International Monetary Fund's
>demands. What followed was the most deadly economic "reform" in Latin
>American history. From one day to the next, the price of fuel increased by
31
>times (2,968 per cent). The price of bread increased more than twelve times
>(1,150 per cent).
>
>People could no longer afford to boil water. A cholera epidemic broke out.
>The social consequences were devastating. An agricultural worker in August
>1990 was paid $7.50 a month (US). That was enough to buy two hamburgers and
a
>drink at McDonalds. Consumer prices in Lima were higher than New York. Real
>earnings dropped by 60 per cent. By mid-1991 the standard of living had
>declined by 85 per cent compared to the levels in the 1970s.And this was
the
>just beginning of ten years of deadly reforms under Fujimori.
>
>And remember, Peru didn't really do anything. Just resisted a few
>International Monetary Fund Measures. But Yugoslavia? Yugoslavia resisted
>colonial domination by Germany during World War II and now by the U.S.A.
>
>Washington and Berlin would like nothing more than to make Yugoslavia an
>example of what happens when you resist. That is, they would like to make
it
>a "model" protectorate.
>
>Haven't the U.S. and Germany made this perfectly clear in Kosovo? A
>gangster-fascist regime with links to the drug trade has been installed.
And
>Western leaders are fully aware of the horror they have wrought in Kosovo.
UN
>Secretary General Kofi Annan received a special report about this. The
report
>was discussed by the British newspaper, The Observer':
>
>"Murder, torture and extortion: these are the extraordinary charges made
>against the UN's own Kosovo Protection Corps in a confidential United
Nations
>report written for Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
>
>"The KPC stands accused in the document, drawn up on 29 February, of
>'criminal activities - killings, ill-treatment/torture, illegal policing,
>abuse of authority, intimidation, breaches of political neutrality and
>hate-speech'. " (quoted in "How Will You Plead at your Trial, Mr. Annan?"
at
>http://emperors-clothes.com/news/howwill.htm )
>
>What would Washington do if it's G-17 employees got hold of Yugoslavia?
They
>would institute the most extreme economic "reforms". Prices would go sky
>high. Farmers would lose their land. Businesses would be bought up and
closed
>down.
>
>This kind of suffering produces ethnic tension. Washington would whip this
up
>by sending in their UCK (KLA) terrorists. Why does Washington keep the UCK
in
>power in Kosovo? Because they want to use them again. For what? They are
>incapable of fighting a real army. What are they good for?
>
>They are good for driving 350,000 unarmed civilians from their homes,
>kidnapping hundreds of people, killing hundreds or perhaps thousands. They
>can be used again in Serbia north of Kosovo - if the US gives them the nod.
>
>A Washington-controlled government would bring in NATO troops to "help keep
>order." The troops would never leave. The hunt for imaginary war criminals
>would go on, a thousand times worse than it is in the Bosnian Serb
Republic.
>Croatians, Bosnian Muslims and ethnic Albanians who fled to Serbia to
escape
>fascist persecution would be put on the list of phony war criminals. All
>loyal Yugoslavs would have to pay for their (imaginary) crimes so that
>"healing can begin."
>
>Every effort would be made to humiliate the people, to break their spirit,
>and to eliminate potential leaders of resistance.
>
>The example of post-war relations between the US and Vietnam is
informative.
>When the Vietnam War ended, the US government ordered an embargo which
>seriously hurt Vietnam, socially and economically. A few years ago,
>Washington agreed to lift the embargo following a secret agreement under
the
>Paris Club of official creditors. Vietnam agreed to pay the debts of the
>former South Vietnamese government. This was a puppet regime set up by
>Washington. It had gone into debt borrowing money from the US, money which
>was mainly used to buy weapons from the US to kill Vietnamese. And now
>Vietnam must repay Washington this odious debt.
>
>While Kostunica presents himself as a nationalist critical of NATO, he also
>wants to "normalise" Yugoslavia's relationship to the IMF and the OSCE. But
>these are "sister institutions", they work together in one big family. NATO
>is the "military arm" of Western financial interests. It does not operate
>independently but works in close consultation with Wall Street and the IMF.
>In Bosnia and Kosovo, NATO military repression is coordinated with actions
of
>the IMF and the World Bank.
>
>Under the IMF, the country would be transformed into a protectorate.
>"Economic warfare" would devastate the society. The Yugoslav people have
done
>remarkable work rebuilding what was destroyed by the NATO bombing last
year.
>But the IMF working through G-17 economists would work to liquidate
national
>industry . (We have seen a sample of this in Kosovo with the Trepca mining
>complex. It was handed over on a silver platter to the powerful "Washington
>Group", a US based construction, mining and defence contractor. The local
>employees have been discharged,)
>
>This economic assault would tend to increase ethnic tensions, providing
>opportunities for provocateurs. NATO could use the excuse of "age old
ethnic
>hatreds" to bring troops into the country. Meanwhile, as indicated in the
>G-17 Program, the IMF would order cuts in military spending. With a
weakened
>army it would be much more difficult to deal with the influx of Kosovo
>Liberation Army terrorists.
>
>Of course, the Yugoslav people could and undoubtedly would organize to
oppose
>these measures. But people should be aware that this can be the result of
>letting the International Monetary Fund get a grip on Yugoslavia.
>
>***
>
>Michel Chossudovsky is Professor of Economics at the University of Ottawa.
He
>is author of "The Globalization of Poverty, Impacts of IMF and World Bank
>Reforms," TWN, Penang and Zed Books, London, 1997. His special expertise is
>studying the consequences of the intervention by Western dominated economic
>institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank in Third World and former
>Socialist countries.
>
>Jared Israel, the editor of Emperor's Clothes, was a leader of the student
>antiwar movement in the 1960s. The Yugoslav resistance to U.S. government
>bullying inspired him to return to antiwar activity. He has written about
the
>struggle in the Balkans in newspapers around the world.
>
>To read articles by Chossudovsky or Israel go to
>http://emperors-clothes.com/artbyauth.html and click on "c" or "i"
>
>***
>
>If you find emperors-clothes useful, we can use your help...
>
>(The Soros Foundation doesn't fund us...)
>
>We rely on volunteer labor and donations. Our expenses include: Internet
>fees, Lexis, our Internet research tool, equipment and phone bills. We use
>the phone for interviews and editorial changes.
>
>Every month hundreds of thousands of people read articles from Emperor's
>Clothes. By making a contribution you will be helping to spread the word.
>
>To use our secure server to make a donation please go to
>http://www.emperors-clothes.com/howyour.htm . Or you can mail a check to
>Emperor's Clothes, P.O. Box 610-321, Newton, MA 02461-0321. (USA) Or call
in
>a contribution at 617 916-1705
>
>Thanks for reading and thanks for helping.
>
>www.tenc.net
>[Emperor's Clothes]
>
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
by Michel Chossudovsky and Jared Israel
* Joseph Biden (US congressman): "We, the Congress, are saying to the
people of Serbia that they are our friends, not our enemies. It is their
Government, it is Slobodan Milosevic that is the problem, not the
Serbian people... Should our West European allies choose to embrace a
post-Milosevic, democratically elected, but ultra-nationalistic Serbia,
then I would say to them `good luck'..."
* Washington Votes to Finance Yugoslav Runoff Election
by Michel Chossudovsky
* Blatant U.S. intervention in Yugoslav elections protested; Group calls
for investigation (IAC)
* Are Washingtonians Helping Milosevic Survive?
by Srdja Trifkovic
---
URL for this article is http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/11.htm
Yugoslav 'Opposition' Negotiates Sale of Yugoslavia!
by Michel Chossudovsky and Jared Israel
www.tenc.net
[Emperor's Clothes]
>People may not be aware that two prominent members of the Democratic
>Opposition of Serbia (DOS) just made a very important trip to Bulgaria.
They
>met with representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the
World
>Bank and the NATO governments at a so-called "donor conference." The
purpose
>was to set the stage for NATO governments to takeover Yugoslavia.
>
>The trip was announced the day after the Yugoslav elections. Mladjan
Dinkic,
>the most likely Finance Minister in an opposition government, "said that
>representatives of his G-17 Plus will travel to Bulgaria this week for a
>donor conference on Yugoslavia with representatives of the International
>Monetary Fund." (United Press International, 27 September 2000)
>
>Dinkic was accompanied by Dr. Dragoslav Avramovic, an economist in Zoran
>Djindjic's 'Alliance for Change'. These so-called "democratic opposition"
>groups have been paid huge sums by US government agencies.
>
>Dinkic told United Press International that "Dragoslav Avramovic had
drafted
>a letter of intent with a request to the IMF and World Bank. Dinkic said he
>expected that this would be followed by negotiations with creditor
countries,
>the so-called Paris Club..." These are the NATO countries.
>
>A "Letter of Intent" includes a "Memorandum on Economic and Financial
>Policies". This establishes the conditions under which all of Yugoslavia
>would be put under the control of Western donors and creditors. Only a
>Yugoslav Finance Minister, selected by Parliament, has a legal right to
draft
>a "Letter of Intent." But Dinkic and Avramovic represent only the so-called
>"democratic" opposition. In what country is it legal for opposition
elements
>to "negotiate" with enemy countries who finance their movement? This is an
>extreme act of interference by the NATO countries.
>
>What measures do the NATO countries want to impose?
>
>* End of all government price controls;
>
>* Introduction of "free markets" without any protection for farmers or
>businesses from dumping of foreign goods;
>
>* End to all social protection. No government help with medical care,
>transportation , food or heating;
>
>* A freeze on credit to businesses
>
>* Massive layoffs of workers and drastic pay cuts for workers and farmers;
>
>* Forced liquidation of important businesses and industries, public and
>private
>
>* Any future reconstruction work to correct bombing damage be entrusted to
>companies from the NATO countries. They would be paid with money Yugoslavia
>would be forced to borrow from international lenders.
>
>The result of these policies would be: food prices would go fly high;
>enterprises would be driven into bankruptcy and liquidation; foreign
capital
>would seize the entire economy.
>
>The "Letter of Intent" would require the acceptance of Washington's
political
>demands. These were just laid out in the so-called "Serbian Democratization
>Act," # HR1064. It was passed by the US House of Representatives on
September
>25, the day Dinkic announced his trip to Bulgaria. Good timing. This law
>states that for Yugoslavia to be free of sanctions, and for it to be
>"allowed" into the IMF it would have to:
>
>1) Negotiate independence (meaning secession) for Kosovo and probably
>Vojvodina
>
>2) Completely "democratize" the country. "Democratize" is a code word for
>carrying out all US government orders;
>
>3) Settle "all succession issues with the other republics". This would
>include the 50 billion (US) that the Croatian government and the
Izetbegovic
>government in Bosnia are demanding as war reparations. The money would go
>right to these countries' creditors, which are NATO governments and Western
>Banks;
>
>4) Fully cooperate "with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
>Yugoslavia, including the transfer to The Hague of all individuals in
>Yugoslavia indicted by the Tribunal." This means the Yugoslav Army would
have
>to hunt down any person the Hague tribunal said was a war criminal. Any
>leader of resistance could be put on the Hague's secret list of phony war
>criminals..
>
>All this makes perfectly clear that Mr. Kostunica's promise to work with
the
>International Monetary Fund but at the same time "safeguard Yugoslavia" is
>hollow words: they sound good but mean nothing. In agreeing to draft a
Letter
>of Intent, Kostunica's coalition has already deserted national sovereignty.
>They have sold Yugoslavia, its economy, its institutions and its people.
>
>Meanwhile, the US law, HR 1064, authorizes the US government to immediately
>transfer another $105 million to the so-called "democratic" opposition and
>the secessionist government in Montenegro. American money -- together with
>funds transferred from other sources -- will not only pay for campaign
>expenses, it will finance payoffs.
>
>Washington and NATO are openly paying key individuals in the opposition
>parties to do what they are told to do. They are on the NATO bombers'
>payroll.
>
>Further reading:
>
>'The International Monetary Fund And The Yugoslav Elections' by Michel
>Chossudovsky and Jared Israel. Summarizes devestating effects of World
>Bank/IMF intervention in several countries. Discusses link between Western
>financial takeover and social-political destruction.
>http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/1.htm
>
>'How the U.S. has Created a Corrupt Opposition in Serbia'
>By Jared Israel, Prof. Michel Chossudovsky, Karen Talbot, Nico Varkevisser
>and Prof. Petar Maher.
>http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/scam.htm
>
>''NY Times' Confirms Charge: U.S. Gov't Meddles in Yugoslavia' with
comments
>by Jared Israel. "Suitcases full of cash" says the 'Times.'
>http://emperors-clothes.com/news/erlang.htm
>
>'Emperor's Clothes Interviews Radio B292'
>Revealing interviews by Jared Israel with two staff members at the U.S.
>"independent" radio station in Belgrade.
>http://emperors-clothes.com/interviews/emperor.htm
>
>'Criticism of Emperor's Clothes on the Yugoslav Elections, with Reply'
>Prof. Robert Hayden & Jared Israel
>http://emperors-clothes.com/letters/yugoltr.htm
>
>'Will the US Get Their Money's Worth in Yugo Elections?' by George Szamuely
>at http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/szamuely/willthe.htm
>
>'U.S. Law Passed by House of Represntatives on Funding Yugo Opposition and
>Harsh Terms for Lifting Sanctions'
>http://emperors-clothes.com/news/1064.htm (If this link gives you a server
>error please try a bit later; it is being set up.)
>
>www.tenc.net
>[Emperor's Clothes]
--
AP Worldstream
September 27, 2000; Wednesday 1:59 PM Eastern Time
Croatia's president said Wednesday that the West should maintain
sanctions
against Yugoslavia until Belgrade starts cooperating with the U.N.
tribunal
in The Hague and extradites suspected war criminals.
Following are comments by Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) on the Senate floor
on
9/26/00 re the elections in Serbia. They fully illustrate why action on
HR
1064, a bill purportedly aimed at supporting democracy in Serbia, would
be
counterproductive. Once again, this bill would help save the Clinton
policy (and possibly save Milosevic too), not help get Milosevic out of
power.
Senator Biden says that "We, the Congress, are saying to the people of
Serbia that they are our friends, not our enemies. It is their
Government,
it is Slobodan Milosevic that is the problem, not the Serbian people."
But
a simple reading of the balance of his comments show that that is
clearly
not the case: under HR 1064 sanctions punishing Serbia -- not Milosevic
and
his black-market gang -- will be codified and kept in place (with some
unspecified "flexibility" generously promised by Sec. Albright) until
Kostunica complies with every demand from Washington, including sending
all
indicted war criminals to The Hague. Kostunica has stated that he will
not
do so, and as a patriot is he is no less
willing to send any of his countrymen to The Hague than any real
American
would be to send any U.S. citizen, however criminal he might be, to be
tried by a United Nations court.
The fact that this bill is a weapon aimed not at Milosevic but at
Kostunica
or any other democratic successor -- and that Kostunica has been
condemned
in advance as an "ultra-nationalist" if he does not agree to become
exactly
the quisling Milosevic accuses him of being -- is betrayed by the
following
comments near the end:
" To be blunt: respect for Dayton and cooperation with The Hague
Tribunal
must be litmus tests for any democratic government in Serbia. I
fervently
hope that Mr. Kostunica emerges victorious in the Yugoslav elections. If
he
does, the United States should immediately extend to him a sincere hand
of
friendship, with the assistance outlined in the pending legislation. .
. .
If, on the other hand, Mr. Kostunica comes to power and thinks that his
undeniable and praiseworthy democratic credentials will enable him to
pursue an aggressive Serbian nationalist policy with a kinder face, then
we
must disabuse him of this notion. Should our West European allies
choose
to embrace a post-Milosevic , democratically elected, but
ultra-nationalistic Serbia, then I would say to them `good luck; we'll
concentrate our policy in the former Yugoslavia on preparing democratic
and
prosperous Slovenia for the next round of NATO enlargement, on
continuing
to help reconstruct Bosnia and Kosovo, and on supporting the democratic
governments in Macedonia, Croatia, and Montenegro."
SUPPORTING DEMOCRACY IN SERBIA (Senate - September 26, 2000)
[Page: S9251] GPO's PDF
Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, on another matter which relates to another
form
of human rights, I wish to speak to the legislation we are going to
bring
up tomorrow, the Serbian Democratization Act of 2000. I am an original
cosponsor of this legislation. I am told that tomorrow we are going to
get
a chance to deal with this issue.
As everyone knows, Slobodan Milosevic is on the ropes. Despite
Milosevic's
massive systematic effort to steal Sunday's Yugoslav Presidential
election,
his state election commission had to admit that the opposition candidate
Vojislav Kostunica won at least the plurality of the votes already
counted;
48.22 percent to be exact.
According to opposition poll watchers, Kostunica in all probability
actually won about 55 percent of the vote, which would have obviated the
need for a two-candidate second-round runoff with Milosevic , which now
seems likely.
It is still unclear whether the democratic opposition will go along with
this semi-rigged, desperation plan of Milosevic's to hang on by rigging
the
runoff. Even if Milosevic loses the runoff and is forced to recognize
the
results of the election, he may still attempt to hold on to the levers
of
power through his control of the federal parliament and of the Socialist
Party with its network of political cronies
and corrupt businessmen.
He may use the classic tactic of provoking a foreign crisis by trying to
unseat the democratically elected, pro-Western government in Montenegro,
a
move I warned against on this floor several months ago.
We will have to wait and see for a few days before knowing exactly how
the
situation in Yugoslavia is going to develop, but there is no doubt
whatsoever as to who the primary villain in this drama is. It was, it
is,
and it continues to be Slobodan Milosevic , one of the most despicable
men
I have personally met, and, as everyone in this Chamber knows, a man who
has been indicted by The Hague Tribunal for war crimes and is the chief
obstacle to peace and stability in the Balkans.
Therefore, it should be--and has been--a primary goal of U.S. foreign
policy to isolate Milosevic and his cronies, and to assist the Serbian
democratic opposition in toppling him.
Earlier this year, with this goal in mind, the Serbian Democratization
Act
of 2000 was drafted in a bipartisan effort. It is particularly timely
that
the Senate consider this legislation tomorrow, precisely at the moment
when the Serbian people have courageously voted against Milosevic's
tyranny
that has so thoroughly ruined their country during the last decade.
I would like to review the main provisions of the legislation we will be
voting on tomorrow and then propose alternative strategies for our
relations with Serbia, depending upon the outcome of the elections.
The act supports the democratic opposition by authorizing $50 million
for
fiscal year 2001 to promote democracy and civil society in Serbia and
$55
million to assist the Government of Montenegro in its ongoing political
and economic reform efforts. It also authorizes increasing Voice of
America and Radio Free Europe broadcasting to Yugoslavia in both the
Serbo-Croatian and Albanian languages.
Second, the act prescribes assistance to the victims of Serbian
oppression
by authorizing the President of the United States to use authorities in
the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide humanitarian assistance to
individuals living in Kosovo for relief, rehabilitation, and
reconstruction, and to refugees and persons displaced by the conflict.
Third, the act we will vote on tomorrow codifies the so-called `outer
wall'
of sanctions by multilateral organizations, including the international
financial institutions.
I talked about this with Senator Voinovich of Ohio, and we agreed that
we
have to give the President more flexibility in this area.
Fourth, it authorizes other measures against Yugoslavia, including
blocking
Yugoslavia's assets in the United States; prohibits the issuance of
visas
and admission into the United States of any alien who holds a position
in
the senior leadership of the Government of Yugoslavia of Slobodan
Milosevic
or the
Government of Serbia and to members of their families; and prohibits
strategic exports to Yugoslavia, on private loans and investments and on
military-to-military cooperation.
The act also grants exceptions on export restrictions for humanitarian
assistance to Kosovo and on visa prohibitions to senior officials of the
Government of Montenegro, unless that Government changes its current
policy
of respect forinternational norms.
The act contains a national interest waiver for the President. The
President may also waive the act's provision if he certifies that
`significant progress has been made in Yugoslavia in establishing a
government based upon democratic principles and the rule of law, and
that
respects internationally recognized human rights.'
Clearly, if the democratic opposition triumphs in the current elections,
the chances will increase dramatically that the President will exercise
this waiver option.
We, the Congress, are saying to the people of Serbia that they are our
friends, not our enemies. It is their Government, it is Slobodan
Milosevic
that is the problem, not the Serbian people.
Today in the Committee on Foreign Relations, we discussed at length with
Madeleine Albright what we should be doing about Serbia. I have
discussed
it as well with Senator Voinovich.
I see the Senator from Iowa is on the floor. He may be here for other
reasons, but I know his keen interest in Serbia, the Serbian people, and
the need for us to render assistance if they, in fact, move in the
direction of democracy.
The act calls for Serbia to cooperate with the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
It also contains two important Sense of the Congress provisions. The
first
is that the President should condemn the harassment, threats, and
intimidation against any ethnic group in Yugoslavia, but in particular
against such persecution of the ethnic Hungarian minority in the Serbian
province of Vojvodina.
The second voices support for a fair and equitable disposition of the
ownership and use of the former Yugoslavia's diplomatic and consular
properties in the United States.
Finally, in a move to facilitate the transition to democracy in the
Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia, Congress authorizes the President to furnish
assistance to Yugoslavia if he determines and certifies to the
appropriate
congressional committees that a post-Milosevic Government of Yugoslavia
is
`committed to democratic principles and the rule of law, and that
respects
internationally recognized human rights.'
Mr. President, the Serbia Democratization Act offers the President ample
flexibility in dealing with Serbia. If Milosevic should succeed in
frustrating the will of the Serbian people by stealing this election,
the
act will give the President of the United States a complete kit of
peaceful
tools to continue to try to undermine his oppressive regime.
If, on the other hand, the democratic opposition led by Mr. Kostunica
manages to make its electoral victory stick, then the final provision of
the act becomes the operative one in which we open up the spigot of
increased assistance to a democratic Serbia. Obviously, this would be
the
preferred option.
Unfortunately, however, foreign policy is rarely so black and white. The
apparent winner of the election, Mr. Kostunica, is vastly preferable to
Milosevic, but this may be a case of damning by faint praise. As many of
my
colleagues have heard me say on other occasions, I met Milosevic in
Belgrade during the Bosnian war and called him a war criminal to his
face.
Not only is he a war criminal, but he is thoroughly corrupt and
anti-democratic.
Mr. Kostunica, by all accounts, is honest and democratic, a dissident in
Communist times and a man with a reputation for probity. He seems,
however,
to represent a democratic, honest variant of a rather extreme Serbian
nationalism.
His language describing NATO's Operation Allied Force has been strident.
Like Milosevic --and most other Serbian politicians--he calls for the
return of Kosovo to Belgrade's rule. But I am prepared to have an open
mind
on what he said. I can understand why, in running for President, being
labeled by Mr. Milosevic as the `dupe of the West' and `a puppet of the
United States,' he would feel the need to openly condemn the United
States.
I also do not have a problem with the fact that he may have used tough
language with regard to Kosovo. There is a difference between words and
his
actions. So I will have great problems with him if, in fact, he tries to
again suppress the Kosovars, who, if he comes to power will probably
increase their agitation for independence.
Moreover, Kostunica has repeatedly said that if he is elected he would
refuse to hand over The Hague those Serbs indicted by the International
War
Crimes Tribunal.
To a large extent Kostunica's criticism of Milosevic's policies toward
non-Serbs in the old Yugoslavia--Slovenes, Croats, Bosniaks, and
Kosovars--is that those policies resulted in four failed wars. There is
no
indication, for example, that Kostunica would cut off Belgrade's support
for the radical Bosnian Serbs who on a daily basis are trying to
undermine
the Dayton Agreement.
Of course, as I have indicated earlier, Kostunica's policies must be
seen
in the context of an electoral campaign. Nonetheless, they do reflect
what
the traffic will bear. In other words, they reflect his view of
contemporary Serbian society.
During the Bosnian war and after it, I often stated publicly that in my
opinion Croatian President Franjo Tudjman was cut from the same cloth as
Milosevic --an aggressive, anti-democratic leader. The only reason I
advocated helping to rebuild his army was because, unlike Serbia,
Croatia
did not represent a major threat to the region. In fact, in the summer
of
1995 the reorganized Croatian Army provided the
Bosnian Army and the Bosnian Croat militia the support necessary to rout
the Bosnian Serbs and bring all parties to the negotiating table.
Since Tudjman's death, Croatia has proven that beneath the surface of
Tudjman's authoritarianism a genuine, Western-style democratic body
politic
survived. The newly elected government of President Stipe Mesic and
Prime
Minister Ivica Racan has utilized this mandate not only to enact
domestic
democratic reforms, but also to cut off support for the radical
Herzegovina
Croats who have done everything in their power to undo Dayton. The
government has also taken the much less popular step of handing over to
The
Hague Tribunal several high-ranking Croats who were indicted for alleged
war crimes.
The United States has a great deal invested in a democratic, multiethnic
Bosnia, and if Serbia and the rest of the world is lucky enough to be
rid
of Slobodan Milosevic , we should not give him an ex post facto victory
by
applying a looser standard of behavior on his successor than we have to
Tudjman's successors in Croatia. To be blunt: respect for Dayton and
cooperation with The Hague Tribunal must
be litmus tests for any democratic government in Serbia.
I fervently hope that Mr. Kostunica emerges victorious in the Yugoslav
elections. If he does, the United States should immediately extend to
him a
sincere hand of friendship, with the assistance outlined in the pending
legislation.
We should make clear to him that if he chooses to cooperate with us, a
`win-win' situation would result, with tangible benefits for the
long-suffering and isolated Serbian people who, we should never forget,
were this country's allies in two world wars during the twentieth
century.
If, on the other hand, Mr. Kostunica comes to power and thinks that his
undeniable and praiseworthy democratic credentials will enable him to
pursue an aggressive Serbian nationalist policy with a kinder face, then
we
must disabuse him of this notion.
Should our West European allies choose to embrace a post-Milosevic ,
democratically elected, but ultra-nationalistic Serbia, then I would say
to
them `good luck; we'll concentrate our policy in the former Yugoslavia
on
preparing democratic and prosperous Slovenia for the next round of NATO
enlargement, on continuing to help reconstruct Bosnia and Kosovo, and on
supporting the democratic
governments in Macedonia, Croatia, and Montenegro.'
Mr. President, the long-frozen, icy situation in Serbia appears finally
to
be breaking up. I genuinely hope that Serbia is on the verge of
democracy.
I urge my colleagues to support the Serbia Democratization Act of 2000
in
order to enable ourgovernment peacefully to deal with any eventuality in
that country.
---
Washington Votes to Finance Yugoslav Runoff Election
by Professor Michel Chossudovsky (9-27-2000)
Washington is preparing for the run-off election in Yugoslavia. More
money is scheduled to be wired to opposition groups to their bank
accounts
in Budapest with fresh and "clean" dollar bills to be transported in
suitcases across the border. And this time it's big bucks: 500 million
US
dollars...
Perfect timing. On the day after the Presidential election, the US
House
of Representatives approved a bill:
"authorizing financial aid for opposition groups in Serbia. The
bill
authorizes $500
million to help finance democratic forces in Serbia and
Montenegro,
including $ 50 million
to fund the activities of pro-democracy and dissident groups.".
('Los Angeles Times,' September 26, 2000).
In an ironic twist, while the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS)
receives big bucks from the
bombers, it has committed itself in its electoral platform to adopting
"new laws" on the financing of
political parties. These laws are to be:
"in accordance with the generally accepted standards of democratic
societies.
Republican parliaments will be advised to adjust their legislation
according
to these principles."
(Election manifesto of "Democratic Opposition of Serbia", 5
September
2000).
With opposition political parties on the enemy's payroll, the Western
media has casually accused the
Yugoslav authorities of electoral fraud. In any other country,
receiving
cash from a foreign government would lead to the immediate indictment of
the political parties concerned. Their bank
accounts would be frozen. This has not happened yet in Yugoslavia.
Yet the media accuses the Yugoslav government of mistreating the
"democratic" opposition. In the
US, taking money from an unfriendly foreign power, especially a hostile
one, to finance campaign
expenses would quite understandably be considered "un-American". But in
Belgrade opposition forces say that they are patriotic. For them it is
not
"un-Yugoslav" to accept 500 million dollars from the bombers of their
country...
Michel Chossudovsky
---
International Action Center
39 West 14th Street, #206
New York, NY 10011
212-633-6646
212-633-2889 fax
iacenter@...
www.iacenter.org
International Action Center statement--
September 28, 2000; For immediate release:
Blatant U.S. intervention in Yugoslav elections protested; Group calls
for
investigation
In response to the emergency situation in Yugoslavia caused by the open
and extensive intervention in that nations election process by the U.S.
and
West European governments, the International Action Center is calling
for
the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate U.S.
manipulation of elections and other interference in the internal affairs
of
sovereign countries.
This intervention has taken the form of military pressure, with NATO
naval
maneuvers in the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas and threats of resumed
bombings, economic pressure that a 9-year-long embargo would be relieved
only if the vote went against President Slobodan Milosevic, and direct
financing of organizations and parties that oppose the Milosevic-lead
coalition.
The IAC, founded in 1992 by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark
and
other anti-war activists, has played a leading role in the anti-war
struggle in
the United States and in the fight to end sanctions against Iraq,
Yugoslavia,
Cuba and other countries.
In calling for the creation of the Commission of Inquiry Ramsey Clark
drew
attention to past U.S. manipulations of elections, giving the examples
of
Nicaragua, where the popular Sandinista government was voted out in 1990
and where Washington injected $54 million into that poor country. He
also
spoke of countries where the U.S. overrode the electoral process and
organized violent coups to put in their own person, as with Mobutu in
Zaire
(now Congo), or in Chile, Haiti and Iran.
In all cases where the U.S. put its man in office, said Clark, the
people
wound up worse off than before. Think of what Mobutu did to the Congo,
what Pinochet did to Chile, and that under the U.S.-backed governments
after
the Sandinistas in Nicaragua that country was reduced to one of the
poorest
on the earth. After the election in each country, U.S. money stopped
coming
in.
The U.S. never kept its promises of aid to develop Nicaragua. Currently
Taiwanese bankers and industrialists are the major exploiters of
low-paid
Nicaraguan labor in the free-trade zones, where conditions of work in
the
sweatshops are about the worst in the world. The money Washington put
into the country was not a promise of things to come but an investment
expected to earn a quick return.
We need, said Clark, to expose the way the U.S. government takes
advantage of elections to put in a regime of their choice, and how this
has
always been harmful to the people of that country.
The U.S. government has boasted that it injected $77 million into
Yugoslavia
to build up the opposition to President Slobodan Milosevic and his
governing coalition. Another $105 million has been authorized on
September
26th by the U.S. House of Representatives for similar use.
To put this amount in perspective, said IAC co-director Sara
Flounders,
The U.S. has voted more money to subvert an election in little
Yugoslavia
than the total funds both major U.S. Presidential candidates have
raised. This
year Al Gore has reported $47 million in contributions and George W.
Bush
$87 million. And thats for a rich country with almost 300 million
people.
This money goes a long way in Yugoslaviaa much poorer country with
only 11 million people. Its as if some foreign country recently a U.S.
enemy
put tens of billions of dollars behind a candidate in the U.S. And this
is only
hard money. What about the millions of dollars in soft money from the
Soros
Foundation and the NGOs?
You can only imagine, continued Flounders, the hysteria it would
arouse
if that happened here. Those taking the money would be labeled as
traitors,
refused the right to run and probably charged with crimes.
Flounders said the Commission of Inquiry was calling on others who have
the detailed information to show just what methods were used to
influence
the Yugoslav elections as well as other elections in the past. Others
may
want to illustrate how the U.S. government tried to buy elections in
their
countries. She also suggested that organizations in the other NATO
countries might want to investigate what the governments there have done
to manipulate the Yugoslav elections.
The Yugoslav people heroically faced NATO bombing for 78 days last
year, she said. Now they are facing an equally heavy barrage of
high-tech
propaganda beamed in from the most powerful lie machine the human race
ever saw. We plan to reveal the insides of that machine and expose its
dangers to the world.
For more information, call 212-633-6646 or look at the IAC web site at
www.iacenter.org.
---
http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/NewsST092800.htm
CHRONICLES ONLINE, Thursday, September 28, 2000
Are Washingtonians Helping Milosevic Survive?
by Srdja Trifkovic
Facts never speak for themselves, but people do.Those who still
doubt that there are powerful forces in Washington that are scared stiff
of Milosevics defeat are well advised to read some comments made by
Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) on the Senate floor on Tuesday, September 26,
regarding the elections in Serbia.
Senator Biden was speaking in support of HR 1064.This bill is
ostensibly aimed at supporting democracy in Serbia, but in terms of its
assumptions and practical consequences it could be called Saving
Slobos Skin. Biden opened by saying that Slobodan Milosevic is the
problem, not the Serbian people, but then he explained that under HR
1064 the array of sanctions punishing Serbia -- not Milosevic and his
cronies --will be re-codified and kept in place until Vojislav
Kostunica (or any other successor to Milosevic) complies with every
demand from Washington, including the delivery of all indicted war
criminals to The Hague tribunal. Dr. Kostunica has repeatedly stated
that this he will not do.Even if this tribunal wasnt a purely
political construct devoid of legal basis -- which it is -- Kostunica
would be right to loath sending any of his countrymen to The Hague, just
as any real American should shudder at the thought of sending any U.S.
citizen, however culpable, to be tried by a United Nations court.
Throwing the challenge of HR 1064 at Kostunica and doing so at the
very moment when he is locked in a life-and-death struggle with
Milosevic is either utterly insane, or deeply devious.Bad, or mad,
or both, Biden is very much in charge of Senate foreign relations, and
the context of his remarks makes it evident that this bill enjoys full
Administration support. It is not promoting democracy in Serbia but
preventing it.To Milosevics infinite delight Biden has condemned
Kostunica in advance as an ultra-nationalist if he does not agree to
become exactly the kind of NATO-friendly quisling the Belgrade regime
accuses him of being.The spirit and true intent of the bill is fully
betrayed by the following comments at the end of Bidens address:
To be blunt: respect for Dayton and cooperation with The Hague
Tribunal must be litmus tests for any democratic government in Serbia.I
fervently hope that Mr. Kostunica emerges victorious in the Yugoslav
elections.If he does, the United States should immediately extend to him
a
sincere hand of friendship, with the assistance outlined in the pending
legislation.If, on the other hand, Mr. Kostunica comes to power and
thinks
that his undeniable and praiseworthy democratic credentials will enable
him to
pursue an aggressive Serbian nationalist policy with a kinder face, then
we
must disabuse him of this notion.
In summary, to lay prostrate merits a friendly hand.The refusal to
submit is aggressive nationalism. Plus ca change: in June 1992 I
attended a meeting in Washington with then-assistant to the National
Security Advisor for European affairs, Jenone Walker.Referring to the
sanctions against Serbia -- in the context of Milosevics offer to
resign if they were lifted -- she stated that (quite apart from
Milosevic) they would stay in force until all current and potential
sources of conflict in the former Yugoslavia were removed, agreements
signed and sealed, and respected by the Serbs to the satisfaction of the
U.S. government.Eight years later HR 1064 proves that, on some issues
at least, there IS remarkable continuity and consistency in Washington.
But back to Biden. His concluding remarks had a threatening air: Should
our West European allies choose to embrace a post-Milosevic,
democratically elected, but ultra-nationalistic Serbia, then I would say
to them good luck; well concentrate our policy in the former Yugoslavia
on preparing democratic and prosperous Slovenia for the next round of
NATO enlargement, on continuing to help reconstruct Bosnia and Kosovo,
and on supporting the democratic governments in Macedonia, Croatia, and
Montenegro.
This is the kind of challenge Americas European partners may well
accept this time.Some are keen to lift all sanctions against Serbia
regardless of who prevails in Belgrade.Theyve had enough of this kind
of neoimperial arrogance French planes are landing in Baghdad these
days - and they could easily turn the policy towards Belgrade after
Milosevic into a litmus test of their ability to say no to
Washington.The writing has been on the wall ever since the EU foreign
ministers had announced that all sanctions against Serbia would be
unconditionally lifted if Milosevic were to fall, and the country itself
welcomed with open arms into Europe, and helped financially.
This prospect is anathema to Joseph Biden and his like-minded friends
and colleagues in Washington.They dont want a democratic Serbia
reintegrated into the community of European nations, but a
Gauleiter-ruled colony in which any attempt to assert ones dignity, let
alone pride in ones identity, would be equated with aggressive
ultra-nationalism.That much has become clear in their attempt to
sabotage Milosevics opponents while he is struggling for survival.As
a UPI report noted last Monday, from Washingtons point of view a
Kostunica victory would derail U.S. hopes of negotiating a broad
settlement to Yugoslav issues on Washingtons terms.Those terms
entail acceptance of the loss of sovereignty (The Hague) and loss of
territory (Kosovo), plus whatever else is ordered from Washington.Last
Monday night Kostunica replied when he said that Yugoslavia must not
become anybodys protectorate.In the eyes of Biden & Co. this merely
confirms that he is an ultra-nationalist, which proves that we need HR
1064 enacted before Milosevic falls.
As Serbias true democrats struggle against that misshapen despot whose
strongest trump card is to accuse them of being pro-NATO traitors, a
concerted attempt is under way in Washington to impose humiliating
conditions on them that no democratically elected leaders of any nation
could ever accept.The participants in that endeavor know not what is
shame.The rest of us do, living as we do in the eighth year of the
Clinton-Gore presidency.
P.S.: From our We Told You So department:
It hardly needs stating that Americas support to the democratic
opposition in Belgrade has nothing to do with the alleged democratic
credentials of the specific parties, and everything to do with the
degree of its leaders professed readiness to act in accordance with the
diktat from Washington.[They need to be] submissive to the West,
a-national to the point of self-hatred, brazenly materialistic,
antitraditionalist and secular.With such an opposition, it is
unsurprising that the popular discontent with Milosevic could not have
been channeled into a victory for his enemies.Even thoroughly moderate
patriots with impeccable democratic credentials such as Dr. Kostunica
were simply not kosher enough for the U.S. State Department.
(Slobodan Milosevic, Our S.O.B. Chronicles, June 1997)
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
Queste le parole di VESELIN VUKOTIC, coordinatore del gruppo di
economisti "G-17" del blocco di opposizione serbo DOS - ai quali si
richiama Kostunica nel suo programma elettorale - intervistato da "The
News Hour with Jim Lehrer", US Public Television, il 14 luglio 1999.
Il 31 agosto successivo Vukotic, che e' anche responsabile governativo
per le privatizzazioni in Montenegro, dichiara a Guido Ruotolo sul
"Manifesto" che le imprese montenegrine non verranno "svendute" al
capitale straniero bensi', piu' semplicemente, "regalate" perche'
altrimenti non sarebbero appetibili.
---
> http://www.egroups.com/message/crj-mailinglist/489
REACTIONS TO THE CONGRESS ACT HR 1064
* Yugoslav 'Opposition' Negotiates Sale of Yugoslavia!
by Michel Chossudovsky and Jared Israel
(original: http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/11.htm )
* Joseph Biden (US congressman): "We, the Congress, are saying to the
people of Serbia that they are our friends, not our enemies. It is their
Government, it is Slobodan Milosevic that is the problem, not the
Serbian people... Should our West European allies choose to embrace a
post-Milosevic, democratically elected, but ultra-nationalistic Serbia,
then I would say to them `good luck'..."
* Washington Votes to Finance Yugoslav Runoff Election
by Michel Chossudovsky
* Blatant U.S. intervention in Yugoslav elections protested; Group calls
for investigation (IAC)
* Are Washingtonians Helping Milosevic Survive?
by Srdja Trifkovic
> http://www.egroups.com/message/crj-mailinglist/487
H. R. 1064: AN ACT To authorize a coordinated program to promote the
development of democracy in Serbia and Montenegro.
> http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/1.htm
> http://www.egroups.com/message/crj-mailinglist/488
The International Monetary Fund And The Yugoslav Elections
by Michel Chossudovsky and Jared Israel (9-28-2000)
> http://www.egroups.com/message/crj-mailinglist/461
Who Are the G-17?
By Michel Chossudovsky
> http://www.egroups.com/message/crj-mailinglist/217
IL PROGRAMMA "SEED", RADIO B92 ed il GRUPPO G17
---
CHINA: ELECTIONS IN YUGOSLAVIA ARE NOT OVER YET
PEKING, Sept 28 (Tanjug) - The elections in Yugoslavia have not been
completed yet and it is not known at this time who the president will
be,
Chinese Foreign Ministry representative Sun Yuxi said on Thursday.
Pointing out the results announced by the Yugoslav federal Electoral
Commission, Sun told a regular press conference that these elections are
exclusively an internal affair of Yugoslavia and underscored that China
respects the choice of the Yugoslav people. He said he hoped Yugoslavia
would preserve its political stability and achieve economic and social
growth. Sun expressed hope that Chinese-Yugoslav relations would
continue
to grow and pointed out that China and Yugoslavia have maintained, and
will
continue to maintain, economic and trade cooperation on the grounds of
equality and mutual benefits, cooperation which is in the interests and
beneficial to the peoples of both countries. China has repeatedly
announced
over the past few days that foreign interference in the internal affairs
of
a country, or in the electoral and post-election process in Yugoslavia,
is
unacceptable.
WEST DOES NOT CARE FOR SERBIAN PEOPLE
BEIJING, Sept 28 (Tanjug) - Chinese media carried on Thursday a Yugoslav
Electioral Commission statement that incumbent President Slobodan
Milosevic
and the opposition candidate Vojislav Kostunica must undergo a second
round
of elections on Oct 8 as neither won a majority in the first.
Chinese Worker's Daily said in a commentary on the Yugoslav elections
that
the West does not care for free and fair elections in Yugoslavia or for
the
future of Serbian people, but only for its own interests, as
demonstrated
by its economic, political and even military pressures against
Yugoslavia.
The daily warns that this is gross interference in the internal affairs
of
Yugoslavia, adding that the chief aim of the West is to use pressure to
overthrow the current government in Belgrade.
Illustrating the media and other forms of pressure, the daily said that
the western media announced immediately after polling stations closed
Sunday evening that "President Slobodan Milosevic lost the elections".
Pointing to other means of gross interference of the West, the daily
stressed "threats and promises" of the West as regards economy, quoting
some western officials who said that the sanctions against Yugoslavia
would
be strenghtened if the election results were not in conformity to their
will. Media in Beijing stressed that Russia urged the West against
destabilizing Yugoslavia, quoting Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov's
statement that the Yugoslav people have full freedom to express their
will
without internal or external pressure.
---
Church's Appeal (STATEMENT TEXT)
Church's appeal to
Kostunica
The church's Bishop Justin congratulated Mr Kostunica
The text of the Serbian Orthodox Church's
statement to opposition candidate Vojislav
Kostunica calling on him to assume the
duties of Yugoslav president.
Dear Dr Vojislav Kostunica, elected president
of Yugoslavia,
In a sign of joy that the presidential,
parliamentary and local elections in our
homeland, on 24 September 2000, transpired
peacefully and with dignity, the Holy Synod of
the Serbian Orthodox Church calls on Dr
Vojislav Kostunica and his fellow elected
citizens to assume the administration of the
state, its parliament and municipalities in an
equally peaceful and dignified manner.
With dignity and on the
basis of the results
received, which are
proof of the trust of
the people to which
they belong.
With dignity and
responsibility in the
absolute sense of the
word, because we
know that this nation,
which has suffered
frequently, has always
thought about its freedom.
Therefore, today, when to all intents and
purposes it has achieved the freedom it has
wished for, those it has elected must not,
through their behaviour, allow the tears of
sorrow to flow down a single face.
Only in that case will the Lord of the Sky and
the Earth in the Holy Trinity - the Father, the
Son and the Holy Spirit - bless the start of
your daily work and answer the prayers of the
Orthodox Church of Saint Sava, with the
Patriarch at its head.
Chairman, Holy Synod AEM and Serbian
Patriarch, Pavle.
---
ELECTION SUPERVISING BOARD: YUGOSLAV POLLING WAS IN LINE WITH
LAW
BELGRADE, September 29 (Tanjug) September 24 Yugoslav
presidential and parliamentary elections and local polls in its republic
of
Serbia were peaceful and dignified, with full application of the
election
laws and generally accepted international standards, according to the
Yugoslav Election Supervising Board on Friday.
In view of the official election results and the presidential
runoff called for Oct. 8, the Board appealed to the presidential
candidates
and the parties that nominated them to exercise their rights in the
election process in line with the law.
It also invited all participants in the election process to
carry
out their electoral activities in accordance with the law and the
existing
regulations.
In this way, they would allow the presidential polls to be
concluded in a climate of tolerance and in conformity with the universal
democratic principles, the Board said. It added it would continue
to
monitor electoral activities and the behaviour of the participants in
the
election process.
INSTEAD OF 10,677 POLLING STATIONS, 10,309 OPENED
BELGRADE, September 30 (Tanjug) Yugoslav Statistics Institute
Director and Federal Election Commission member Milovan Zivkovic stated
on
Friday that the commission had correctly announced that on voters' rolls
before the elections were registered 7,861,421 voters at 10,677 polling
stations, but that the commission, because on election day in Kosovo and
Metohija were not opened 368 polling stations, with 611,590 registered
voters, announced that 7,249,831 was the total number of registered
voters.
Because in Kosovo and Metohija those polling stations were not
opened, from the point of view of statistics, election material could
not
be processed from 100 percent of polling stations, but from 96.55
percent,
Zivkovic said in a statement to Tanjug.
Since those polling stations were not opened, that means that
611,590 voters registered at those places fictitiously represent part of
the 7,861,421 voters, registered before the elections, Zivkovic said.
"That is why we have decided to announced that 7,249,831 voters
represents the complete number of voters registered from opened polling
stations, from which voting material has arrived and was processed,"
Zivkovic said.
The difference that has appeared, he said, represents the
number
of voters registered at polling stations that were not opened, Zivkovic
said, "which cannot influence total results."
"Simply, the commission has concluded that those voters were
unable to vote, because the polling stations where they are registered
had
not been opened, so that the number of 7,861,421 voters was no longer
relevant for total results," Zivkovic said.
YUGOSLAV ARMY REMAINS LOYAL TO PRINCIPLE OF DEPOLITIZATION
BELGRADE, September 30 (Tanjug) Yugoslav Army spokesman, Col.
Svetozar Radisic condemned on Friday the attempts of political parties
to
drag the Yugoslav Army into party disputes and said that the Yugoslav
Army
will remain consistent in observing the principle of depolitization.
In a written statement, Radisic says that in connection with
the
elections for president and for Yugoslav parliament, held on September
24,
at party rallies members of the Yugoslav Army are invited to declare
their
party affiliation and "representatives of some parties aggressively
demand
from officers to individually express themselves about election results
and
about the work of the federal election commission."
"Commands, units and institutions are not operationally linked
with parties, as they are not an element of the political system, and
that
is why there will be no meetings with party representatives in army
commands and headquarters or contacts with party representatives" the
statement said.
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
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Venerdi' 29 settembre, ore 20.20 circa, a "Zapping", RadioUno:
Sandro Curzi, sulla Jugoslavia:
"...tutta quella gente in piazza, quella e' democrazia. Be', poi certo,
li' c'e' la dittatura...".
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------