Informazione
"Giornata del ricordo": non chiedeteci di condividere
1. Contro il revisionismo, contro l’uso politico ed elettorale della
storia (Rifondazione Comunista, Fed. Pavia)
2. Giornata del ricordo: NON CHIEDETECI DI CONDIVIDERE (I. Canciani,
Segretario Provinciale PRC Trieste)
3. LINK
=== 1 ===
www.resistenze.org - osservatorio - italia - politica e società -
23-02-04
Contro il revisionismo, contro l’uso politico ed elettorale della storia
Come Partito della Rifondazione Comunista abbiamo già votato contro il
“Giorno del ricordo” votato il 10 febbraio dalla Camera dei Deputati.
Solide motivazioni di coerenza politica e di analisi storica sono alla
base di questa nostra contrarietà.
Sul terreno di una macabra “par condicio” e di discutibili silenzi e
rimozioni, si vuole imprimere un’ evidente accelerazione alla
“pacificazione nazionale” ed al revisionismo che la sottende.
Banalizzando, anzi in questo caso tacendo sulle responsabilità
prioritarie del fascismo e del nazismo (ma anche del precedente
nazionalismo giuliano con l’annesso razzismo antislavo) e confondendo i
fatti del ’43 con quelli del ’45 ed il tutto con l’esodo italiano
dall’Istria, si avvalora la propaganda già esibita dall’estrema destra
neofascista sin dal primo dopoguerra. Propaganda che gonfiava a
dismisura sia i morti nelle foibe (cumulati in parte con gli scomparsi
nell’esodo istriano) e mascherava come semplici italiani i
collaborazionisti ed i gerarchi e militari attivi nella repressione
antipartigiana ed antislava.
Una solida e attiva storiografia ha ampiamente dimostrato
l’inconsistenza quantitativa e qualitativa della leggenda nera sulle
foibe. Si è arrivati perfino, è il caso del Presidente della Regione
Lazio Storace, a parlare di “Olocausto italiano”, in spregio non solo
della Shoah in genere, ma alludendo offensivamente alla Risiera di San
Sabba in quanto campo di sterminio ed effettiva appendice della Shoah
sul suolo italico.
Questa storiografia dimostra l’entità delle rimozioni. Quindi le colpe
dell’ Italia prefascista, che sotto il pretesto “irredentistico”
esercitò nei territori jugoslavi annessi un dominio di tipo
colonialista (simile a quello inglese sull’Irlanda) con oppressione
coloniale (snazionalizzazione, italianizzazione forzata,
discriminazione linguistica e occupazionale) e ancor più sociale
(sovrasfruttamento dei lavoratori in gran parte agricoli). Il fascismo
esasperò oltremodo questa oppressione sociale e nazionale. Aggiunse
infatti una più estesa “colonizzazione” con insediamento di numerosi
italiani e inasprì con veri e propri metodi di terrore la repressione
del movimento partigiano e di ogni organizzazione indipendente dei
lavoratori agricole ed industriali. Infine con il sostegno pecuniario,
militare, politico, diplomatico ed ideologico al regime ustascia croato
(un vero e proprio stato-fantoccio hitleriano) che in alcuni aspetti ha
sorpassato i suoi stessi padroni (non solo nel feroce sterminio di
comunisti, ebrei, zingari, ma anche di serbi in quanto tali). A tutto
ciò aggiungiamo la collaborazione attiva dell’esercito italiano (non
solo i volontari fascisti) alla guerra del III Reich contro la
Jugoslavia ed alle atroci repressioni contro il movimento partigiano,
per cui molti dirigenti e quadri superiori militari vennero accusati
dagli stessi inglesi di “crimini contro l’umanità”.
Senza queste importanti premesse dalla forte valenza causale non si
può inquadrare i successivi fatti sia delle foibe che dell’esodo
dall’Istria. La loro completa rimozione parla da sola di quanto agli
eredi, e non, del fascismo importi la ricerca della verità e pure del
ricordo delle sofferenze. L’uso politico o addirittura elettorale della
storia rimangono invece sul terreno della propaganda più spicciola.
Rifondazione Comunista, Fed. Pavia
=== 2 ===
www.resistenze.org - osservatorio - italia - politica e società -
21-02-04
COMUNICATO STAMPA
Giornata del ricordo: non chiedeteci di condividere.
I fatti degli ultimi cinque giorni dimostrano inequivocabilmente che
abbiamo fatto bene a dissociarci fin dall’inizio, nel metodo e nel
merito, da quanti sono riusciti nell’ intento di portare a termine,
sulla pelle di milioni di italiane ed italiani del tutto ignari della
storia di Trieste, della Venezia Giulia, dell'Istria e del confine
orientale, un’operazione tutta ed esclusivamente ideologica e
revisionista, inspiegabilmente avallata dal centro sinistra intero e
dai DS in particolare. E’ stato tutto molto chiaro fin dalle aperture
dei TG di prima serata, lo è divenuto di più nei giorni seguenti,
assistendo alla sequela di trasmissioni televisive e radiofoniche che
possono finalmente offendere con il crisma dell’ufficialità la storia e
la verità, le coscienze ancora non del tutto sopite, il concetto di
pacificazione nazionale e di rigore storico tanto richiamati in questi
ultimi anni da destra e da ampi settori del centro sinistra. Quanto è
stato prodotto finora, in questi primi giorni purtroppo supera ogni
possibile immaginazione. La memoria “condivisa" di tutti gli italiani,
la Giornata del Ricordo è già puro e semplice evento televisivo che fa
leva sul patriottismo più retrivo che dissimula l'esodo e riporta in
auge le foibe, che grazie a Fassino riscopre tardivamente misteriosi
espansionismi slavi inesistenti e disconosce addirittura il ruolo
perseguito attivamente dopo la guerra dal PCI sul confine orientale.
Ormai nulla ha più importanza. II ricordo deve servire ad introdurre
elementi di mistificazione e confusione, a preparare generazioni
future di italiane ed italiani ad essere educate nell’oblio e nella
rimozione. E non si tratta solamente della rimozione di vent’ anni di
storia e dell'impatto che il fascismo ha avuto sui popoli - è doveroso
sottolineare il plurale - di queste terre, si tratterebbe di far luce
sull’ effetto di quarant'anni d’irredentismo e del ruolo che la
borghesia Liberal nazionalista aveva assunto dal 1880 al 1918, ben
prima dell' avvento del fascismo, ma anche dell’affermazione di quella
logica perversa che in nome dell'uso politico della storia, rende tutto
lecito.
E proprio chi per anni giustamente si opponeva ai primati della
sofferenza, al giustificazionismo ed al riduzionismo proposto da
quanti, sbagliando, giustificavano le uccisioni -anche di innocenti -
richiamandosi all’esiguità delle cifre, adesso si può parlare in
libertà, far crescere a sproposito le vittime italiane delle foibe,
gridare in televisione che si tratta di decine di migliaia, o per dirla
con Gasparri e Storace, di milioni e milioni di morti “colpevoli solo
di essere italiani".
Adesso ormai il dado è tratto. Niente e nessuno potrà più arrestare il
minuetto di menzogne al quale certamente dovremo assistere nei prossimi
mesi, forse anni. Ma almeno non chiedeteci di condividere questo
prodotto incrociato di menzogne e di revisionismo, di parzialità
elevata a valore assoluto.
Oggi noi siamo convinti e consapevoli di quanto ci ha insegnato il
passato e ci battiamo affinché la storia non abbia bisogno di alcuna
levatrice, nel contempo però non possiamo dimenticare che il fascismo
ed il nazismo sono stati generati senza alcun dolore dal ventre molle
di democrazie formali ormai svuotate di contenuti sostanziali.
Trieste, 14 febbraio 2004
Igor Canciani
Segretario Provinciale PRC
=== 3 : LINK ===
*** Sullo stesso tema vedi tutta la documentazione che abbiamo
distribuito nelle scorse settimane:
1. Un comunicato di Nuova Unita'
2. Un commento di A. Martocchia
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3211
1. Nelle foibe la falsa innocenza della patria (di Enzo Collotti)
2. «Quella tragedia non giustifica le colpe del fascismo» (intervista a
Galliano Fogar)
3. Confine orientale: le foibe tra imperialismo e resistenza (di
Antonino Marceca)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3203
1. Lettera Aperta di Aurelio Juri al segretario DS Piero Fassino
2. "La memoria è mia, è nostra" di Babsi Jones
3. "Parliamo di fogne" di A. Tarozzi
4. Re: [JUGOINFO] Fascio, fascino, fassino. Carissimi, ma perchè
sorprendersi? Di Alessandro Di Meo
5. Lettera al giornalista del "Sole-24 ore" ed a "Prima pagina", di
Ivan Pavicevac
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3202
Fascio, fascino, fassino
1. Premessa
2. Lettere a "Liberazione"
3. La Camera inventa la giornata del ricordo
4. Foibe. Rizzo: i DS rispettino chi e' ancora antifascista
5. Intervista di Armando Cossutta al Corsera
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3187
J. Tkalec: Lettera aperta ai compagni in Italia
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3182
"Rimasi così nella foiba per un paio di ore. Poi col favore della
notte, uscii...". A proposito della propaganda bugiarda e slavofoba di
RAI3
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3171
Gli sloveni, questi inguaribili infoibatori !
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3170
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3185
1. «Il Pci con gli esuli istriani sbagliò» (da L'Unita', 06.02.2004)
2. Il commento di A. Kersevan
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3167
*** Sul dibattito interno al PRC vedi anche:
Una lettera di P. Behrens a "Liberazione"
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3179
G. Pegolo: Ma si puo' costruire qualcosa da un cumulo di macerie?
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3156
La posizione di Bertinotti sulla violenza politica
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3095
Il commento di Claudia Cernigoi sulle dichiarazioni di Bertinotti
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3088
Foibe: dalla propaganda fascista al revisionismo storico. Un opuscolo
di controinformazione
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2951
Foibe e monumenti
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2855
Spunti di discussione
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2852
Luca Casarini ed i suoi squadristi
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2838
I "Centri Sociali del Nord Est" di nuovo in azione
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2830
*** Per un inquadramento storico complessivo vedi infine il testo di
Claudia Cernigoi OPERAZIONE FOIBE A TRIESTE:
https://www.cnj.it/FOIBEATRIESTE/index.htm
1. Contro il revisionismo, contro l’uso politico ed elettorale della
storia (Rifondazione Comunista, Fed. Pavia)
2. Giornata del ricordo: NON CHIEDETECI DI CONDIVIDERE (I. Canciani,
Segretario Provinciale PRC Trieste)
3. LINK
=== 1 ===
www.resistenze.org - osservatorio - italia - politica e società -
23-02-04
Contro il revisionismo, contro l’uso politico ed elettorale della storia
Come Partito della Rifondazione Comunista abbiamo già votato contro il
“Giorno del ricordo” votato il 10 febbraio dalla Camera dei Deputati.
Solide motivazioni di coerenza politica e di analisi storica sono alla
base di questa nostra contrarietà.
Sul terreno di una macabra “par condicio” e di discutibili silenzi e
rimozioni, si vuole imprimere un’ evidente accelerazione alla
“pacificazione nazionale” ed al revisionismo che la sottende.
Banalizzando, anzi in questo caso tacendo sulle responsabilità
prioritarie del fascismo e del nazismo (ma anche del precedente
nazionalismo giuliano con l’annesso razzismo antislavo) e confondendo i
fatti del ’43 con quelli del ’45 ed il tutto con l’esodo italiano
dall’Istria, si avvalora la propaganda già esibita dall’estrema destra
neofascista sin dal primo dopoguerra. Propaganda che gonfiava a
dismisura sia i morti nelle foibe (cumulati in parte con gli scomparsi
nell’esodo istriano) e mascherava come semplici italiani i
collaborazionisti ed i gerarchi e militari attivi nella repressione
antipartigiana ed antislava.
Una solida e attiva storiografia ha ampiamente dimostrato
l’inconsistenza quantitativa e qualitativa della leggenda nera sulle
foibe. Si è arrivati perfino, è il caso del Presidente della Regione
Lazio Storace, a parlare di “Olocausto italiano”, in spregio non solo
della Shoah in genere, ma alludendo offensivamente alla Risiera di San
Sabba in quanto campo di sterminio ed effettiva appendice della Shoah
sul suolo italico.
Questa storiografia dimostra l’entità delle rimozioni. Quindi le colpe
dell’ Italia prefascista, che sotto il pretesto “irredentistico”
esercitò nei territori jugoslavi annessi un dominio di tipo
colonialista (simile a quello inglese sull’Irlanda) con oppressione
coloniale (snazionalizzazione, italianizzazione forzata,
discriminazione linguistica e occupazionale) e ancor più sociale
(sovrasfruttamento dei lavoratori in gran parte agricoli). Il fascismo
esasperò oltremodo questa oppressione sociale e nazionale. Aggiunse
infatti una più estesa “colonizzazione” con insediamento di numerosi
italiani e inasprì con veri e propri metodi di terrore la repressione
del movimento partigiano e di ogni organizzazione indipendente dei
lavoratori agricole ed industriali. Infine con il sostegno pecuniario,
militare, politico, diplomatico ed ideologico al regime ustascia croato
(un vero e proprio stato-fantoccio hitleriano) che in alcuni aspetti ha
sorpassato i suoi stessi padroni (non solo nel feroce sterminio di
comunisti, ebrei, zingari, ma anche di serbi in quanto tali). A tutto
ciò aggiungiamo la collaborazione attiva dell’esercito italiano (non
solo i volontari fascisti) alla guerra del III Reich contro la
Jugoslavia ed alle atroci repressioni contro il movimento partigiano,
per cui molti dirigenti e quadri superiori militari vennero accusati
dagli stessi inglesi di “crimini contro l’umanità”.
Senza queste importanti premesse dalla forte valenza causale non si
può inquadrare i successivi fatti sia delle foibe che dell’esodo
dall’Istria. La loro completa rimozione parla da sola di quanto agli
eredi, e non, del fascismo importi la ricerca della verità e pure del
ricordo delle sofferenze. L’uso politico o addirittura elettorale della
storia rimangono invece sul terreno della propaganda più spicciola.
Rifondazione Comunista, Fed. Pavia
=== 2 ===
www.resistenze.org - osservatorio - italia - politica e società -
21-02-04
COMUNICATO STAMPA
Giornata del ricordo: non chiedeteci di condividere.
I fatti degli ultimi cinque giorni dimostrano inequivocabilmente che
abbiamo fatto bene a dissociarci fin dall’inizio, nel metodo e nel
merito, da quanti sono riusciti nell’ intento di portare a termine,
sulla pelle di milioni di italiane ed italiani del tutto ignari della
storia di Trieste, della Venezia Giulia, dell'Istria e del confine
orientale, un’operazione tutta ed esclusivamente ideologica e
revisionista, inspiegabilmente avallata dal centro sinistra intero e
dai DS in particolare. E’ stato tutto molto chiaro fin dalle aperture
dei TG di prima serata, lo è divenuto di più nei giorni seguenti,
assistendo alla sequela di trasmissioni televisive e radiofoniche che
possono finalmente offendere con il crisma dell’ufficialità la storia e
la verità, le coscienze ancora non del tutto sopite, il concetto di
pacificazione nazionale e di rigore storico tanto richiamati in questi
ultimi anni da destra e da ampi settori del centro sinistra. Quanto è
stato prodotto finora, in questi primi giorni purtroppo supera ogni
possibile immaginazione. La memoria “condivisa" di tutti gli italiani,
la Giornata del Ricordo è già puro e semplice evento televisivo che fa
leva sul patriottismo più retrivo che dissimula l'esodo e riporta in
auge le foibe, che grazie a Fassino riscopre tardivamente misteriosi
espansionismi slavi inesistenti e disconosce addirittura il ruolo
perseguito attivamente dopo la guerra dal PCI sul confine orientale.
Ormai nulla ha più importanza. II ricordo deve servire ad introdurre
elementi di mistificazione e confusione, a preparare generazioni
future di italiane ed italiani ad essere educate nell’oblio e nella
rimozione. E non si tratta solamente della rimozione di vent’ anni di
storia e dell'impatto che il fascismo ha avuto sui popoli - è doveroso
sottolineare il plurale - di queste terre, si tratterebbe di far luce
sull’ effetto di quarant'anni d’irredentismo e del ruolo che la
borghesia Liberal nazionalista aveva assunto dal 1880 al 1918, ben
prima dell' avvento del fascismo, ma anche dell’affermazione di quella
logica perversa che in nome dell'uso politico della storia, rende tutto
lecito.
E proprio chi per anni giustamente si opponeva ai primati della
sofferenza, al giustificazionismo ed al riduzionismo proposto da
quanti, sbagliando, giustificavano le uccisioni -anche di innocenti -
richiamandosi all’esiguità delle cifre, adesso si può parlare in
libertà, far crescere a sproposito le vittime italiane delle foibe,
gridare in televisione che si tratta di decine di migliaia, o per dirla
con Gasparri e Storace, di milioni e milioni di morti “colpevoli solo
di essere italiani".
Adesso ormai il dado è tratto. Niente e nessuno potrà più arrestare il
minuetto di menzogne al quale certamente dovremo assistere nei prossimi
mesi, forse anni. Ma almeno non chiedeteci di condividere questo
prodotto incrociato di menzogne e di revisionismo, di parzialità
elevata a valore assoluto.
Oggi noi siamo convinti e consapevoli di quanto ci ha insegnato il
passato e ci battiamo affinché la storia non abbia bisogno di alcuna
levatrice, nel contempo però non possiamo dimenticare che il fascismo
ed il nazismo sono stati generati senza alcun dolore dal ventre molle
di democrazie formali ormai svuotate di contenuti sostanziali.
Trieste, 14 febbraio 2004
Igor Canciani
Segretario Provinciale PRC
=== 3 : LINK ===
*** Sullo stesso tema vedi tutta la documentazione che abbiamo
distribuito nelle scorse settimane:
1. Un comunicato di Nuova Unita'
2. Un commento di A. Martocchia
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3211
1. Nelle foibe la falsa innocenza della patria (di Enzo Collotti)
2. «Quella tragedia non giustifica le colpe del fascismo» (intervista a
Galliano Fogar)
3. Confine orientale: le foibe tra imperialismo e resistenza (di
Antonino Marceca)
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3203
1. Lettera Aperta di Aurelio Juri al segretario DS Piero Fassino
2. "La memoria è mia, è nostra" di Babsi Jones
3. "Parliamo di fogne" di A. Tarozzi
4. Re: [JUGOINFO] Fascio, fascino, fassino. Carissimi, ma perchè
sorprendersi? Di Alessandro Di Meo
5. Lettera al giornalista del "Sole-24 ore" ed a "Prima pagina", di
Ivan Pavicevac
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3202
Fascio, fascino, fassino
1. Premessa
2. Lettere a "Liberazione"
3. La Camera inventa la giornata del ricordo
4. Foibe. Rizzo: i DS rispettino chi e' ancora antifascista
5. Intervista di Armando Cossutta al Corsera
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3187
J. Tkalec: Lettera aperta ai compagni in Italia
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3182
"Rimasi così nella foiba per un paio di ore. Poi col favore della
notte, uscii...". A proposito della propaganda bugiarda e slavofoba di
RAI3
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3171
Gli sloveni, questi inguaribili infoibatori !
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3170
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3185
1. «Il Pci con gli esuli istriani sbagliò» (da L'Unita', 06.02.2004)
2. Il commento di A. Kersevan
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3167
*** Sul dibattito interno al PRC vedi anche:
Una lettera di P. Behrens a "Liberazione"
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3179
G. Pegolo: Ma si puo' costruire qualcosa da un cumulo di macerie?
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3156
La posizione di Bertinotti sulla violenza politica
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3095
Il commento di Claudia Cernigoi sulle dichiarazioni di Bertinotti
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3088
Foibe: dalla propaganda fascista al revisionismo storico. Un opuscolo
di controinformazione
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2951
Foibe e monumenti
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2855
Spunti di discussione
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2852
Luca Casarini ed i suoi squadristi
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2838
I "Centri Sociali del Nord Est" di nuovo in azione
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2830
*** Per un inquadramento storico complessivo vedi infine il testo di
Claudia Cernigoi OPERAZIONE FOIBE A TRIESTE:
https://www.cnj.it/FOIBEATRIESTE/index.htm
A DUE CONDIZIONI
"Il riconoscimento virtuoso dell'autonomia dei movimenti" ed "il
riconoscimento del valore del conflitto".
(condizioni imprescindibili poste da Fausto Bertinotti per la entrata
di esponenti del PRC all'interno di un prossimo governo in qualita' di
ministri. Fonte: intervista rilasciata a La Repubblica, 26/2/2004)
"Il riconoscimento virtuoso dell'autonomia dei movimenti" ed "il
riconoscimento del valore del conflitto".
(condizioni imprescindibili poste da Fausto Bertinotti per la entrata
di esponenti del PRC all'interno di un prossimo governo in qualita' di
ministri. Fonte: intervista rilasciata a La Repubblica, 26/2/2004)
(na srpskohrvatskom dole)
Addolorati annunciamo la morte di MILENA CUBRAKOVIC,
cara compagna, fedele amica, quasi una sorella maggiore
per alcuni di noi.
Milena si e' spenta, a 79 anni, la notte scorsa - tra il 25 ed
il 26 febbraio - in una clinica romana, dopo alcune settimane
di agonia. Nota pittrice, e' stata donna di grande creatività
ed intelligenza, e maestra nel cinema di animazione.
Appartenne come artista all'Avanguardia storica jugoslava
(in una prossima mostra permanente a Rovereto dedicata a
questa corrente della pittura e' prevista l'esposizione di parte
della produzione artistica di Milena: ne daremo annuncio a
tempo debito).
Le esequie si terranno nella Chiesa Ortodossa Russa in via
Palestro a Roma nei prossimi giorni. Milena sarà poi sepolta nella
cittadina natale di Breznica in Serbia. Per ulteriori informazioni,
amici, conoscenti e compagni possono chiamare il numero
06-4828957.
--
Jucer, 26. aprila, u ranim jutarnjim satima u Rimu, nakon kratke
bolesti, u 79-oj godini zivota, umrla je MILENA CUBRAKOVIC.
Slikarica historijske Avangarde i Animiranog filma, te rodoljubni
pjesnik. Posljednja njena samostalna izlozba odrzala se proslog
ljeta u Beogradu i imala je odjeka u dnevnoj stampi i na TV.
Misa zadusnica nezaboravne Milene obavit ce se u Ruskoj
pravoslavnoj crkvi u Rimu, a po svojoj posljednjoj zelji bit ce
sahranjena u rodnom mjestu Breznici u Srbiji.
Za informacije: (0039) 06 4828957.
Addolorati annunciamo la morte di MILENA CUBRAKOVIC,
cara compagna, fedele amica, quasi una sorella maggiore
per alcuni di noi.
Milena si e' spenta, a 79 anni, la notte scorsa - tra il 25 ed
il 26 febbraio - in una clinica romana, dopo alcune settimane
di agonia. Nota pittrice, e' stata donna di grande creatività
ed intelligenza, e maestra nel cinema di animazione.
Appartenne come artista all'Avanguardia storica jugoslava
(in una prossima mostra permanente a Rovereto dedicata a
questa corrente della pittura e' prevista l'esposizione di parte
della produzione artistica di Milena: ne daremo annuncio a
tempo debito).
Le esequie si terranno nella Chiesa Ortodossa Russa in via
Palestro a Roma nei prossimi giorni. Milena sarà poi sepolta nella
cittadina natale di Breznica in Serbia. Per ulteriori informazioni,
amici, conoscenti e compagni possono chiamare il numero
06-4828957.
--
Jucer, 26. aprila, u ranim jutarnjim satima u Rimu, nakon kratke
bolesti, u 79-oj godini zivota, umrla je MILENA CUBRAKOVIC.
Slikarica historijske Avangarde i Animiranog filma, te rodoljubni
pjesnik. Posljednja njena samostalna izlozba odrzala se proslog
ljeta u Beogradu i imala je odjeka u dnevnoj stampi i na TV.
Misa zadusnica nezaboravne Milene obavit ce se u Ruskoj
pravoslavnoj crkvi u Rimu, a po svojoj posljednjoj zelji bit ce
sahranjena u rodnom mjestu Breznici u Srbiji.
Za informacije: (0039) 06 4828957.
Ramsey Clark: Divide and Conquer. The Destruction of the Balkan
Federation by the United States and NATO
2 : A BRIEF EXAMINATION OF THE VIOLENT DESTRUCTION OF THE
SOCIALIST FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA BY THE UNITED STATES AND
NATO
http://www.iacenter.org/yugo/divide&conquer.htm
http://www.icdsm.org/more/rclarkUN2.htm
---
PART TWO
A BRIEF EXAMINATION OF THE VIOLENT DESTRUCTION OF THE SOCIALIST
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA BY THE UNITED STATES AND NATO
VI. With the Economic Collapse of the USSR and Eastern Bloc
Nations the US and Several Western European Nations Intervened
Internally In the Affairs of Yugoslavia And Its several Republics
Supporting Secessionist Movements: 1990-
In November 1990, the US Congress enacted legislation
sponsored by the Bush Administration requiring the termination of
all forms of US credit and loans to Yugoslavia, if within six
months each of the six republics within the federation did not
hold separate elections. The purpose was to break up Yugoslavia,
creating an early incentive for secession by Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia
and Macedonia. Under the guise of democracy, the US acted
directly in the internal affairs of the federation.
This was a technique for regime change the US had
employed before and since, most recently in 2003 in Liberia and
Venezuela where it has insisted on new elections in violation of
national constitutions despite the international certification of
the fairness of the election of incumbent presidents.
The history of US attempts and successes at regime
change is a history of tragedy for the countries involved.
Consider only Iran in 1953; Guatemala in 1954; the Democratic
Republic of the Congo in 1962; South Vietnam in 1963; Chile in
1970 and 1973; Haiti and many other Western Hemisphere countries
over the decades. US intervened in Nicaragua repeatedly in the 1980s
and 1990s, effectively stole the country from the Sandinistas by
combination of economic warfare, financing the Contras in military
insurgency and financing opposition politicians.
In Angola the US demanded elections and a drastic 1/3
reduction in the Angolan Army to prevent intimidation of voters.
After President Dos Santos, who was opposed by the US, won
re-election by an overwhelming majority, hostile UNITA forces led
by Jonas Savimbi invaded and overran most of the Angola before
being stopped. The cost in lives and property was enormous. In Rwanda
in 2003 the US supported elections in which opposition parties and
candidates were prevented from effective participation resulting
in a claimed 95% vote for Paul Kagame to create the appearance of
democracy.
At the same time the US legislation demanded separate
elections in each of the six republics of Yugoslavia, it provided
aid and assistance to Slovenia, Croatia, Muslims and Croats in
Bosnia and to Macedonia to build support for secession and to
train and provide arms to achieve it.
The US legislation addressed to Yugoslavia also
provided that each republic that held independent elections would
receive economic aid from the US, again by-passing the federal
government in Belgrade and providing a strong incentive for
separation. Economic support was specifically authorized for
"democratic" organizations within the republics for "emergency
humanitarian aid and protection of human rights."
This is a means used by the US to create internal
opposition and destabilize governments the US opposes as it does
in Cuba among many other places today. It is used against
democracies more frequently than other form of government. It is
a strategy for regime change that supports those who would take over
government, but also supports existing governments challenged by
parties, or leaders the US opposes. A US government agency, the
National Endowment for Democracy (NED) provides millions of
dollars to frustrate self-determination in countries where the US
has an interest in elections.
Such unilateral interventions are destructive of
sovereignty, independence, self-determination and peace. They
should be the subject of international criminal sanctions. US
funding specifically and openly targeting the Socialist Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia was used to support secessionist movements
in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia while the US acted in direct
opposition to the federal government of Yugoslavia.
The same legislation directed US representatives in
international financial and trade organizations, including the
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, to use their
influence to have those institutions adopt the same policies.
This brought the enormous economic power of international finance into
the service of US policies of political and economic subversion
and discouraged unilateral support, loans, trade and investment
for Belgrade from abroad.
The legislation was designed to bring about the
dissolution of Yugoslavia. Following the US lead, Germany, Italy,
the UK, the Netherlands and other European countries joined by
February 1991 to threaten the economic isolation of Yugoslavia
unless multi-party elections in each of the constituent republics were
held promptly.
Arms were shipped to Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia from
European countries. Private funds were raised in the US and with
public funds sent to the northern Yugoslav states for arms,
supplies and training to enforce secession. On March 5, 1991, a
federal army base at Gospic in Croatia was attacked.
The United Nations and its members seeking peace,
political and economic independence and sovereign equality should
have acted to preserve the Socialist Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia.
In the 1990s, forgotten were the dismemberment of the
second Yugoslavia during World War II, the slaughter of its
peoples and its heroic resistance far exceeding that of any nation
wholly occupied by Axis forces. The re-emergence of Yugoslavia
from the devastation of World War II strong, independent, and
progressive, able to avoid domination by the East, or West during
the Cold War, a leader in the non-Aligned and forty-five years of
peace confirmed the viability of Balkan federation and its
necessity for peace in Europe, east Asia, the Middle East and the
larger region.
To the extent that reform of the Yugoslavia federation
was needed, UN efforts should have addressed those issues. Its
failure to do so enabled the US to have its way with results that
left the US unrestrained and set a precedent for US unilateralism
and the UN failure to prevent the US from attacking Iraq in 2003.
President Milosevic struggled with all his ability to
preserve the Federal Republic. It was his Constitutional duty to
do so. His compromises with the forces for secession of Slovenia,
Croatia, Macedonia, at Dayton for Bosnia all were intended to
preserve peace at the price of equal sovereignty of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia. Approval of the April 27, 1992, Constitution
for a third Yugoslavia reduced to Serbia and Montenegeo was his
effort to preserve federation so that it might endure and grow to
its ideal limits as chosen by the people that lived there. All
his efforts to preserve the union did not alter the US
determination for Balkan debilitation and regime change in
Serbia. Preserving the Yugoslav union was also the duty of every
nation, organization and individual that wanted peace, prosperity,
and self-determination in the Balkans and for other peoples
affected by its destiny.
VII. The Second Dismemberment of Yugoslavia and The
Balkanization of the Balkans: 1992-
On June 25, 1991 Croatia and Slovenia announced their
independence. The second dismemberment of Yugoslavia had begun.
The US directly provided training and military supplies for
Slovenian, Croatian and Bosnian armies. In October 1991 formal
proclamations of independence were made by Croatia and Slovenia.
Germany quickly recognized both as new nations. The US and other
European countries followed suit in early 1992.
In September 1991 the European Community had
endeavored to negotiate a political settlement in Yugoslavia in a
conference at the Hague chaired by Lord Carrington, former British
foreign secretary under Margaret Thatcher. In November the UN
took over the peace effort appointing Cyrus Vance, former US Secretary
of State under President Carter as its Special Envoy.
The European Community reentered the negotiations,
creating a mechanism for the recognition of any Yugoslavia member
republic past, or present, informing each republic on December 16,
1991, though a panel chaired by Robert Badinter, former Justice
Minister of France under President Mitterrand, that it could apply
for international recognition. Within one week Croatia, Slovenia,
Bosnia and Macedonia had applied for recognition.
In addition to inadequate, sometimes harmful efforts
by the UN, the European Community and a host of nations acting
independently, leadership throughout Yugoslavia sought to prevent
war. In a notable effort, Bosnian, Muslim, Croat and Serb leaders
meeting in Lisbon agreed on March 19, 1992 to a unified, multi-
ethnic and peaceful Bosnia which could have been. But Alija
Izetbegovic, head of the right wing Muslim Party for Democratic
Action in Bosnia, backed by the US, proclaimed a Bosnian
government under his Presidency, excluding other political parties
and Bosnian Croat and Serb leaders. Violence broke out and
continued for 3 1/2 years in Bosnia.
The US action was consistent with its enormous support
of Muslims in their struggle to drive the USSR out of Afghanistan
and of Muslim separatists in predominantly Muslim Republics of the
USSR. Violence and conflict between Slavic peoples and Muslims
promoted by the US has eroded the power of the two greatest
barriers to US world domination since World War II. The war in
Bosnia like the war in Afghanistan brought Muslims from all over the
world to fight Slavs. In the process it fostered the belief that
Islam was under attack and Muslim militancy. The US policy has
nurtured extremism within both the Slavic and Muslim populations
each of which is enormous and strong, and contributed to
instability and violence worldwide.
Under US pressure, the UN Security Council in 1992
imposed sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
complementing the unilateral sanctions of the US, declaring it
responsible for civil war within its territory. On April 27,
1992, a new constitution for the remaining states, Serbia and
Montenegro was affirmed. A new Yugoslavia, vastly diminished and
more embattled than ever, was born. The army of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia ceased operations and withdrew to the
greatly diminished third federation of Southern Slavs.
In May 1992, the General Assembly granted UN
membership to Slovenia and Croatia. On September 22, 1992, it
suspended the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from work of UN
bodies. Macedonia seceded from Yugoslavia and achieved UN recognition
as the "former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia" in April 1993.
A consequence of secession and the ensuing conflicts
was a balkanization of the Balkans beyond anything the region had
ever known. "Ethnic cleansing" was rampant and refugees among
Muslims, Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Slovenes, Croats, Serbs,
Macedonians, Montenegrans and Romanis streamed toward the perceived
security of kindred populations.
By the end of 1995 more than 500,000 Serbs were driven
from Croatia, fully 12% of the entire population. Most left the
Krajina area of Croatia to which their forebears had fled from the
Ottomans centuries before. Refugees from all over the former
federal republic, caught up in violence, seeking safety, or re
uniting with families, created the most intensely segregated area in
the world. Altogether Serbia was supporting more than a million
refugees by 1998, adding to the enormous strain on its depressed
economy.
The UN Security Council under pressure from the US
imposed severe economic sanctions on Serbia on May 30, 1992,
blocking exports, imports and vital shipping on the Danube
injuring all the nations of the Balkans, including Greece and most
other European states. The combined effect of US and UN sanctions is
still felt and shipping on the Danube is only now slowly returning.
During 1992, the economy of all six republics
collapsed. Industrial output fell by 25% compared to 1990, which
had seen an 11% decline and an 8.5% shrinkage of gross domestic
product. Per capita income in Serbia declined from $3,000 in 1990
to $700 in 1991. Ninety percent of all trade of the federation had
been within and among the six republics before 1990 and only 10% with
other nations. Trade among the former states has been radically
curtailed since dismemberment.
A Pentagon document leaked to the NY Times and
published on March 8, 1992, forewarned the wary:
It is of fundamental importance to preserve NATO as the
primary instrument of Western defense and security as well as
the channel for US influence and participation in European
security affairs... We must seek to prevent the emergence of
European-only security arrangements which would undermine NATO.
The document proclaimed the most important basis of US policy to be
...the sense that the world order is ultimately backed by the
US.... The US should be positioned to act independently when
collective action cannot be orchestrated.
It is instructive that Dick Cheney, now Vice President, was
Secretary of Defense at the time. Paul Wolfowitz, now Deputy
Secretary of Defense, was the alleged author.
An op-ed piece in the N.Y. Times on November 29, 1992
gave further evidence of US intentions. Entitled "Operation
Balkan Storm", it stated, "A win in the Balkans would establish US
leadership in the post-Cold War world in a way Operation Desert
Storm never could." The author, retired US General Michael J.
Dugan, was the Chief of Staff of the US. Air Force in September
1990 when the US was planning operation Desert Storm and George
Kenney who was classified with the US Department of State.
General Dugan was removed from his position after an
interview in September 1990 in which he listed civilian targets in
Iraq stating "the cutting edge would be downtown Baghdad." His
continuing influence is found in the fact that this is what
happened to Baghdad in 1991, again in 2003, occasionally in
between, and to Belgrade in 1999.
With secession, violence broke out. There were brief
military clashes in Slovenia, more protracted combat and violence
in Croatia and continuing deadly clashes and ethnic violence and
"cleansing" in Bosnia over a period of more than three years,
primarily between Serbs, or Croats and Muslims.
VIII. The US With NATO Commenced Wars Of Aggression Against
Bosnian Serbs and Serbia: 1993-
The US, seeking to create the appearance of an
international action, enlisted NATO, which it dominated, and
without Security Council approval began a war of aggression
against Yugoslavia, starting with sporadic bombing in Bosnia from
1993 to 1995.
Under the distraction and protection of US bombing
attacks in August 1995 called "Operation Storm," the Croatian Army
with US military assistance and guidance from the US Ambassador
and other US leadership cleansed the Krajina area of Croatia of
more than 300,000 Serb civilians, killing thousands. NATO aerial
assaults during the operation exceeded 4,000 bombing sorties. Leading
the Croatian assault was General Agim Cheku who would later lead
the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during massive US/NATO aerial
assaults on Serbia, including Kosovo.
The US took over peace negotiations in Bosnia again in
1995, replacing UN and EU efforts, assuring further fragmentation
of the region. Convening meetings at a US Air Force Base in
Dayton, Ohio attended by President Milosevic, the US forced
recognition of a Constitution for an independent Bosnia that divided
the small, economically unviable area into two apartheid-like
portions. The agreement signed in November 1995 provided for the
occupation of Bosnia by 60,000 NATO troops.
Violence spread from Bosnia to Kosovo. The KLA with
US support conducted a growing terrorist-guerilla upheaval against
the Serbian government, Serb population and loyal citizens of all
ethnicities. Serbia reinforced police capacities in Kosovo to
provide security and prevent KLA assaults. With violence
escalating, the Serbian Army attacked the KLA to restore order. The US
and NATO began aerial assaults on Serbia on March 24, 1999 which
continued for 78 days to June 10, inflicting billions of dollars
of damage to the vital facilities of the country and taking
thousands of civilians lives.
IX. The US and NATO Committed Crimes Against Peace and War
Crimes in Their Wars of Aggression Against Bosnian Serbs and Serbia
The US, in defiance of the Charter of the United
Nations, the Nuremberg Charter, the Geneva Conventions and other
international laws, joined by NATO, initiated and led attacks
against Serbs in Bosnia and against the Republic of Serbia killing
thousands of civilians and destroying billions of dollars of vital
civilian facilities, buildings and other property.
The UN Charter, to end the scourge of war, recognizes
the "sovereign equality" of all its Members and prohibits "the
threat or use of force" by one Member against another. Article
II(2) and (4).
While the Security Council may call on Members to
contribute military forces to confront threats to, or breaches of
the peace, or acts of aggression, Members cannot commit acts of
war, or threaten, or use force without explicit authorization of
the Security Council under Chapter VII of the Charter, except "in
self defense if an armed attack occurs against" it and then only until
the Security Council has taken measures to restore peace and
security, or exercised authority as provided in Article 51.
No one attacked, or threatened, the US, or any other
NATO member and the US and NATO never sought authority from the
Security Council to attack Yugoslavia.
There is no legal basis for a claim by the US that its
attacks in Bosnia and Serbia were in self-defense, or otherwise
legal. General Wesley K. Clark, Supreme Allied Commander of NATO
and a General in the US Army wrote in his book "Waging Modern War"
It was coercive diplomacy, the use of armed forces to impose
the political will of the NATO nations on the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia, or more specifically, on Serbia. The NATO
nations voluntarily undertook this war. It was not forced on
them, nor was it strictly defensive.... It was much more like
the interventions of an earlier era... Id at p. 418.
General Clark is now a candidate for the office of the President
of the US.
The US violated its obligations to the United Nations
and became an outlaw nation when it unilaterally initiated
military aggression against Bosnian Serbs and later against
Serbia. The violations challenged the Security Council to act and
its failure to do so weakened its authority in the international
community and violated its awesome duty to end the scourge of war.
The US inducement of NATO to support its unlawful
attacks brought NATO into violation of the UN Charter and the NATO
Charter as well. It increased the challenge to UN authority by
involving an organization of the richest countries, all Caucasian,
including most of the Colonial powers of recent centuries, the
most sophisticated military technologies, the greatest arms industries
and stockpiles of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.
It set a precedent for NATO's illegal involvement in Afghanistan
which brought the youth of rich nations, white and Christian
bearing deadly, sophisticated arms to attack a poor, Muslim nation
of dark-skinned people. It wrested military support from Canada
and European nations in a military organization created to
confront the USSR and dominated by the US, challenging the broader
based European Community, which dealt with all the problems of the
Continent including security. The need for NATO has happily
expired. It should be abolished. But its use as an international
military and police force in underdeveloped countries is the worst
possible choice for a world seeking peace, for a peaceful planet.
The violation also set a dangerous precedent, which
the US followed as it threatened to do, for its massive unilateral
"Shock and Awe" war of aggression against Iraq in March and April
2003 and its continuing unlawful military occupation. At least
30,000 Iraqi lives have been lost, including thousands of
civilians. Their deaths are rarely noticed and never counted in
the international media. No single violation of the UN Charter has
created a greater risk of wars without end. Daily violence in
Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and terrorist bombs in Casablanca,
Jakarta, and against the UN in Baghdad are warning signs of what
may come.
The Nuremberg Charter makes "Crimes Against Peace" the
first of the three offenses it defines, followed by "War Crimes"
and "Crimes Against Humanity." Principle VI, Charter of the
Nuremberg Tribunal. The first crime against peace is a war of
aggression. Principle VI(a)(i). Id. It is the most serious of
all international crimes because it unleashes the demons of war
with the uncontrollable and unforeseeable consequences that can
follow.
The US and NATO war crimes committed in their assaults
which began February 5, 1994, with attacks against Bosnian Serb
military facilities and continued through the massive 78-day
aerial assault on civilians and civilian facilities in Serbia in
1999 was a celebration of war against defenseless people. Direct
bombardment of cities including Belgrade, Pristina, Novi Sad and Nis
made civilians and civilian facilities the direct object of
attack, taking thousands of civilian lives in violation of the
Geneva Convention 1977, Protocol 1 Additional, Article 51.
Apartment houses, homes, hospitals, schools, office
buildings and other facilities essential to support civilian life
were damaged and destroyed. Bridges across the Danube at Novi Sad
and elsewhere in Serbia were destroyed. The Serb radio and
television building in the heart of Belgrade was targeted with cruise
missiles and reduced to rubble, killing 16 people and injuring
others. Many other radio and TV facilities were attacked and
destroyed. Housing for refugees was attacked in Belgrade and
elsewhere.
In Kosovo, among the many attacks on civilians, the
heart of Pristina was destroyed, the university and many other
facilities there were extensively damaged.
Elsewhere in Kosovo, remembered by persons all over
the world who watched films of the attacks on T.V., a train
crossing a bridge over the Grdelica gorge was attacked by US
aircraft on April 12, 1999, causing many deaths. On April 15 a
refugee convoy near Djakovisa was attacked by US planes, killing
scores. On May 14, the village of Korisa was attacked with 87 reported
dead.
The international media worldwide reported other fatal
NATO attacks against Serbia daily.
On April 22, 1999 the home of President Milosevic,
hundreds of feet from any other structure in a wooded residential
area of Belgrade, was destroyed. The family survived only because
they were not home when the missiles struck.
Huge amounts of depleted uranium were spread by bombs
and missiles throughout Serbia promising death from cancers,
leukemia, tumors, and future birth defects to the population and
to occupying NATO personnel in Kosovo. The reported unprecedented
incidence of cancer among Italian soldiers who had been stationed
in Kosovo created alarm in Italy and in other countries who contributed
troops as early as 2000. The long-term consequences for the
population, the members of the occupying forces, subsequent
generations and the environment are unknown.
Cluster bombs fell among apartment houses in Novi Sad,
in the major regional hospital complex in Nis, the suburbs of
Belgrade and in generous amounts elsewhere.
The central heating plant for New Belgrade was bombed
into scrap metal, leaving hundreds of thousands of people with the
prospect of a heatless winter.
The Chinese Embassy in New Belgrade was targeted and
extensively damaged, killing three persons. On May 27, 1999, one
week before the end of the bombing, US/NATO bombs damaged the
Greek Consulate in Nis, a prominent 19th Century building. Lesser
acts have caused bigger wars.
The bombing of Yugoslavia came in part from airfields
in Italy, Hungary and Turkey recalling past aggressions on
southern Slavs from those quarters and in creating new hostility
among nations that have warred against each other in the past.
Already nations are using the precedent of US
assassinations and attempts to assassinate in foreign countries
and its wars of aggression to commit the same crimes. Both
Pakistan and India have cited US conduct to justify military,
interventions in Kashmir. Israel cites US conduct to justify its
almost daily assassinations of Palestinians and on October 4, its
bombing raids in Syria.
These crimes are a small illustration of what the US
and NATO war of aggression inflicted on the defenseless people of
Yugoslavia.
X. The US and NATO Must Be Held Accountable For Their
Illegal War Of Aggression Against Bosnian Serbs And All Of Serbia,
Including Kosovo
The US and NATO caused the deaths of thousands of
people and inflicted billions of dollars in property damages
against Serbs in Bosnia, primarily in Republika Srpska, and later
throughout Serbia, including concentrated attacks in Kosovo. All
the deaths and destruction came from aerial assaults. Because the UN
failed to address their illegality, these lawless assaults, lead to
later wars of aggression by the US in Afghanistan where it was
later assisted by NATO and in Iraq. Together they threaten the
utility, credibility and very existence of the United Nations when
it is most needed. To assure the integrity of the Charter of the
United Nations, there must be accountability for these crimes and
reparations for the deaths and destruction they inflicted.
The spectacle of a superpower capable of destroying
any country on earth, unilaterally attacking a nation that is no
possible threat to it and is defenseless against its bombs and
missiles poses the greatest danger to world peace and are the
deadliest terrorist acts on the planet.
The United Nations should assume leadership in
compelling accountability by the US and NATO through payments to
families of persons killed by their illegal acts and for public
and private properties destroyed. There must not be impunity for
wars of aggression, or profits for aggressor nations through economic
exploitation of their victims, through contracts for reconstruction,
or from profits from privatization of public utilities, services
and properties.
Federation by the United States and NATO
2 : A BRIEF EXAMINATION OF THE VIOLENT DESTRUCTION OF THE
SOCIALIST FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA BY THE UNITED STATES AND
NATO
http://www.iacenter.org/yugo/divide&conquer.htm
http://www.icdsm.org/more/rclarkUN2.htm
---
PART TWO
A BRIEF EXAMINATION OF THE VIOLENT DESTRUCTION OF THE SOCIALIST
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA BY THE UNITED STATES AND NATO
VI. With the Economic Collapse of the USSR and Eastern Bloc
Nations the US and Several Western European Nations Intervened
Internally In the Affairs of Yugoslavia And Its several Republics
Supporting Secessionist Movements: 1990-
In November 1990, the US Congress enacted legislation
sponsored by the Bush Administration requiring the termination of
all forms of US credit and loans to Yugoslavia, if within six
months each of the six republics within the federation did not
hold separate elections. The purpose was to break up Yugoslavia,
creating an early incentive for secession by Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia
and Macedonia. Under the guise of democracy, the US acted
directly in the internal affairs of the federation.
This was a technique for regime change the US had
employed before and since, most recently in 2003 in Liberia and
Venezuela where it has insisted on new elections in violation of
national constitutions despite the international certification of
the fairness of the election of incumbent presidents.
The history of US attempts and successes at regime
change is a history of tragedy for the countries involved.
Consider only Iran in 1953; Guatemala in 1954; the Democratic
Republic of the Congo in 1962; South Vietnam in 1963; Chile in
1970 and 1973; Haiti and many other Western Hemisphere countries
over the decades. US intervened in Nicaragua repeatedly in the 1980s
and 1990s, effectively stole the country from the Sandinistas by
combination of economic warfare, financing the Contras in military
insurgency and financing opposition politicians.
In Angola the US demanded elections and a drastic 1/3
reduction in the Angolan Army to prevent intimidation of voters.
After President Dos Santos, who was opposed by the US, won
re-election by an overwhelming majority, hostile UNITA forces led
by Jonas Savimbi invaded and overran most of the Angola before
being stopped. The cost in lives and property was enormous. In Rwanda
in 2003 the US supported elections in which opposition parties and
candidates were prevented from effective participation resulting
in a claimed 95% vote for Paul Kagame to create the appearance of
democracy.
At the same time the US legislation demanded separate
elections in each of the six republics of Yugoslavia, it provided
aid and assistance to Slovenia, Croatia, Muslims and Croats in
Bosnia and to Macedonia to build support for secession and to
train and provide arms to achieve it.
The US legislation addressed to Yugoslavia also
provided that each republic that held independent elections would
receive economic aid from the US, again by-passing the federal
government in Belgrade and providing a strong incentive for
separation. Economic support was specifically authorized for
"democratic" organizations within the republics for "emergency
humanitarian aid and protection of human rights."
This is a means used by the US to create internal
opposition and destabilize governments the US opposes as it does
in Cuba among many other places today. It is used against
democracies more frequently than other form of government. It is
a strategy for regime change that supports those who would take over
government, but also supports existing governments challenged by
parties, or leaders the US opposes. A US government agency, the
National Endowment for Democracy (NED) provides millions of
dollars to frustrate self-determination in countries where the US
has an interest in elections.
Such unilateral interventions are destructive of
sovereignty, independence, self-determination and peace. They
should be the subject of international criminal sanctions. US
funding specifically and openly targeting the Socialist Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia was used to support secessionist movements
in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia while the US acted in direct
opposition to the federal government of Yugoslavia.
The same legislation directed US representatives in
international financial and trade organizations, including the
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, to use their
influence to have those institutions adopt the same policies.
This brought the enormous economic power of international finance into
the service of US policies of political and economic subversion
and discouraged unilateral support, loans, trade and investment
for Belgrade from abroad.
The legislation was designed to bring about the
dissolution of Yugoslavia. Following the US lead, Germany, Italy,
the UK, the Netherlands and other European countries joined by
February 1991 to threaten the economic isolation of Yugoslavia
unless multi-party elections in each of the constituent republics were
held promptly.
Arms were shipped to Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia from
European countries. Private funds were raised in the US and with
public funds sent to the northern Yugoslav states for arms,
supplies and training to enforce secession. On March 5, 1991, a
federal army base at Gospic in Croatia was attacked.
The United Nations and its members seeking peace,
political and economic independence and sovereign equality should
have acted to preserve the Socialist Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia.
In the 1990s, forgotten were the dismemberment of the
second Yugoslavia during World War II, the slaughter of its
peoples and its heroic resistance far exceeding that of any nation
wholly occupied by Axis forces. The re-emergence of Yugoslavia
from the devastation of World War II strong, independent, and
progressive, able to avoid domination by the East, or West during
the Cold War, a leader in the non-Aligned and forty-five years of
peace confirmed the viability of Balkan federation and its
necessity for peace in Europe, east Asia, the Middle East and the
larger region.
To the extent that reform of the Yugoslavia federation
was needed, UN efforts should have addressed those issues. Its
failure to do so enabled the US to have its way with results that
left the US unrestrained and set a precedent for US unilateralism
and the UN failure to prevent the US from attacking Iraq in 2003.
President Milosevic struggled with all his ability to
preserve the Federal Republic. It was his Constitutional duty to
do so. His compromises with the forces for secession of Slovenia,
Croatia, Macedonia, at Dayton for Bosnia all were intended to
preserve peace at the price of equal sovereignty of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia. Approval of the April 27, 1992, Constitution
for a third Yugoslavia reduced to Serbia and Montenegeo was his
effort to preserve federation so that it might endure and grow to
its ideal limits as chosen by the people that lived there. All
his efforts to preserve the union did not alter the US
determination for Balkan debilitation and regime change in
Serbia. Preserving the Yugoslav union was also the duty of every
nation, organization and individual that wanted peace, prosperity,
and self-determination in the Balkans and for other peoples
affected by its destiny.
VII. The Second Dismemberment of Yugoslavia and The
Balkanization of the Balkans: 1992-
On June 25, 1991 Croatia and Slovenia announced their
independence. The second dismemberment of Yugoslavia had begun.
The US directly provided training and military supplies for
Slovenian, Croatian and Bosnian armies. In October 1991 formal
proclamations of independence were made by Croatia and Slovenia.
Germany quickly recognized both as new nations. The US and other
European countries followed suit in early 1992.
In September 1991 the European Community had
endeavored to negotiate a political settlement in Yugoslavia in a
conference at the Hague chaired by Lord Carrington, former British
foreign secretary under Margaret Thatcher. In November the UN
took over the peace effort appointing Cyrus Vance, former US Secretary
of State under President Carter as its Special Envoy.
The European Community reentered the negotiations,
creating a mechanism for the recognition of any Yugoslavia member
republic past, or present, informing each republic on December 16,
1991, though a panel chaired by Robert Badinter, former Justice
Minister of France under President Mitterrand, that it could apply
for international recognition. Within one week Croatia, Slovenia,
Bosnia and Macedonia had applied for recognition.
In addition to inadequate, sometimes harmful efforts
by the UN, the European Community and a host of nations acting
independently, leadership throughout Yugoslavia sought to prevent
war. In a notable effort, Bosnian, Muslim, Croat and Serb leaders
meeting in Lisbon agreed on March 19, 1992 to a unified, multi-
ethnic and peaceful Bosnia which could have been. But Alija
Izetbegovic, head of the right wing Muslim Party for Democratic
Action in Bosnia, backed by the US, proclaimed a Bosnian
government under his Presidency, excluding other political parties
and Bosnian Croat and Serb leaders. Violence broke out and
continued for 3 1/2 years in Bosnia.
The US action was consistent with its enormous support
of Muslims in their struggle to drive the USSR out of Afghanistan
and of Muslim separatists in predominantly Muslim Republics of the
USSR. Violence and conflict between Slavic peoples and Muslims
promoted by the US has eroded the power of the two greatest
barriers to US world domination since World War II. The war in
Bosnia like the war in Afghanistan brought Muslims from all over the
world to fight Slavs. In the process it fostered the belief that
Islam was under attack and Muslim militancy. The US policy has
nurtured extremism within both the Slavic and Muslim populations
each of which is enormous and strong, and contributed to
instability and violence worldwide.
Under US pressure, the UN Security Council in 1992
imposed sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
complementing the unilateral sanctions of the US, declaring it
responsible for civil war within its territory. On April 27,
1992, a new constitution for the remaining states, Serbia and
Montenegro was affirmed. A new Yugoslavia, vastly diminished and
more embattled than ever, was born. The army of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia ceased operations and withdrew to the
greatly diminished third federation of Southern Slavs.
In May 1992, the General Assembly granted UN
membership to Slovenia and Croatia. On September 22, 1992, it
suspended the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from work of UN
bodies. Macedonia seceded from Yugoslavia and achieved UN recognition
as the "former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia" in April 1993.
A consequence of secession and the ensuing conflicts
was a balkanization of the Balkans beyond anything the region had
ever known. "Ethnic cleansing" was rampant and refugees among
Muslims, Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Slovenes, Croats, Serbs,
Macedonians, Montenegrans and Romanis streamed toward the perceived
security of kindred populations.
By the end of 1995 more than 500,000 Serbs were driven
from Croatia, fully 12% of the entire population. Most left the
Krajina area of Croatia to which their forebears had fled from the
Ottomans centuries before. Refugees from all over the former
federal republic, caught up in violence, seeking safety, or re
uniting with families, created the most intensely segregated area in
the world. Altogether Serbia was supporting more than a million
refugees by 1998, adding to the enormous strain on its depressed
economy.
The UN Security Council under pressure from the US
imposed severe economic sanctions on Serbia on May 30, 1992,
blocking exports, imports and vital shipping on the Danube
injuring all the nations of the Balkans, including Greece and most
other European states. The combined effect of US and UN sanctions is
still felt and shipping on the Danube is only now slowly returning.
During 1992, the economy of all six republics
collapsed. Industrial output fell by 25% compared to 1990, which
had seen an 11% decline and an 8.5% shrinkage of gross domestic
product. Per capita income in Serbia declined from $3,000 in 1990
to $700 in 1991. Ninety percent of all trade of the federation had
been within and among the six republics before 1990 and only 10% with
other nations. Trade among the former states has been radically
curtailed since dismemberment.
A Pentagon document leaked to the NY Times and
published on March 8, 1992, forewarned the wary:
It is of fundamental importance to preserve NATO as the
primary instrument of Western defense and security as well as
the channel for US influence and participation in European
security affairs... We must seek to prevent the emergence of
European-only security arrangements which would undermine NATO.
The document proclaimed the most important basis of US policy to be
...the sense that the world order is ultimately backed by the
US.... The US should be positioned to act independently when
collective action cannot be orchestrated.
It is instructive that Dick Cheney, now Vice President, was
Secretary of Defense at the time. Paul Wolfowitz, now Deputy
Secretary of Defense, was the alleged author.
An op-ed piece in the N.Y. Times on November 29, 1992
gave further evidence of US intentions. Entitled "Operation
Balkan Storm", it stated, "A win in the Balkans would establish US
leadership in the post-Cold War world in a way Operation Desert
Storm never could." The author, retired US General Michael J.
Dugan, was the Chief of Staff of the US. Air Force in September
1990 when the US was planning operation Desert Storm and George
Kenney who was classified with the US Department of State.
General Dugan was removed from his position after an
interview in September 1990 in which he listed civilian targets in
Iraq stating "the cutting edge would be downtown Baghdad." His
continuing influence is found in the fact that this is what
happened to Baghdad in 1991, again in 2003, occasionally in
between, and to Belgrade in 1999.
With secession, violence broke out. There were brief
military clashes in Slovenia, more protracted combat and violence
in Croatia and continuing deadly clashes and ethnic violence and
"cleansing" in Bosnia over a period of more than three years,
primarily between Serbs, or Croats and Muslims.
VIII. The US With NATO Commenced Wars Of Aggression Against
Bosnian Serbs and Serbia: 1993-
The US, seeking to create the appearance of an
international action, enlisted NATO, which it dominated, and
without Security Council approval began a war of aggression
against Yugoslavia, starting with sporadic bombing in Bosnia from
1993 to 1995.
Under the distraction and protection of US bombing
attacks in August 1995 called "Operation Storm," the Croatian Army
with US military assistance and guidance from the US Ambassador
and other US leadership cleansed the Krajina area of Croatia of
more than 300,000 Serb civilians, killing thousands. NATO aerial
assaults during the operation exceeded 4,000 bombing sorties. Leading
the Croatian assault was General Agim Cheku who would later lead
the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during massive US/NATO aerial
assaults on Serbia, including Kosovo.
The US took over peace negotiations in Bosnia again in
1995, replacing UN and EU efforts, assuring further fragmentation
of the region. Convening meetings at a US Air Force Base in
Dayton, Ohio attended by President Milosevic, the US forced
recognition of a Constitution for an independent Bosnia that divided
the small, economically unviable area into two apartheid-like
portions. The agreement signed in November 1995 provided for the
occupation of Bosnia by 60,000 NATO troops.
Violence spread from Bosnia to Kosovo. The KLA with
US support conducted a growing terrorist-guerilla upheaval against
the Serbian government, Serb population and loyal citizens of all
ethnicities. Serbia reinforced police capacities in Kosovo to
provide security and prevent KLA assaults. With violence
escalating, the Serbian Army attacked the KLA to restore order. The US
and NATO began aerial assaults on Serbia on March 24, 1999 which
continued for 78 days to June 10, inflicting billions of dollars
of damage to the vital facilities of the country and taking
thousands of civilians lives.
IX. The US and NATO Committed Crimes Against Peace and War
Crimes in Their Wars of Aggression Against Bosnian Serbs and Serbia
The US, in defiance of the Charter of the United
Nations, the Nuremberg Charter, the Geneva Conventions and other
international laws, joined by NATO, initiated and led attacks
against Serbs in Bosnia and against the Republic of Serbia killing
thousands of civilians and destroying billions of dollars of vital
civilian facilities, buildings and other property.
The UN Charter, to end the scourge of war, recognizes
the "sovereign equality" of all its Members and prohibits "the
threat or use of force" by one Member against another. Article
II(2) and (4).
While the Security Council may call on Members to
contribute military forces to confront threats to, or breaches of
the peace, or acts of aggression, Members cannot commit acts of
war, or threaten, or use force without explicit authorization of
the Security Council under Chapter VII of the Charter, except "in
self defense if an armed attack occurs against" it and then only until
the Security Council has taken measures to restore peace and
security, or exercised authority as provided in Article 51.
No one attacked, or threatened, the US, or any other
NATO member and the US and NATO never sought authority from the
Security Council to attack Yugoslavia.
There is no legal basis for a claim by the US that its
attacks in Bosnia and Serbia were in self-defense, or otherwise
legal. General Wesley K. Clark, Supreme Allied Commander of NATO
and a General in the US Army wrote in his book "Waging Modern War"
It was coercive diplomacy, the use of armed forces to impose
the political will of the NATO nations on the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia, or more specifically, on Serbia. The NATO
nations voluntarily undertook this war. It was not forced on
them, nor was it strictly defensive.... It was much more like
the interventions of an earlier era... Id at p. 418.
General Clark is now a candidate for the office of the President
of the US.
The US violated its obligations to the United Nations
and became an outlaw nation when it unilaterally initiated
military aggression against Bosnian Serbs and later against
Serbia. The violations challenged the Security Council to act and
its failure to do so weakened its authority in the international
community and violated its awesome duty to end the scourge of war.
The US inducement of NATO to support its unlawful
attacks brought NATO into violation of the UN Charter and the NATO
Charter as well. It increased the challenge to UN authority by
involving an organization of the richest countries, all Caucasian,
including most of the Colonial powers of recent centuries, the
most sophisticated military technologies, the greatest arms industries
and stockpiles of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.
It set a precedent for NATO's illegal involvement in Afghanistan
which brought the youth of rich nations, white and Christian
bearing deadly, sophisticated arms to attack a poor, Muslim nation
of dark-skinned people. It wrested military support from Canada
and European nations in a military organization created to
confront the USSR and dominated by the US, challenging the broader
based European Community, which dealt with all the problems of the
Continent including security. The need for NATO has happily
expired. It should be abolished. But its use as an international
military and police force in underdeveloped countries is the worst
possible choice for a world seeking peace, for a peaceful planet.
The violation also set a dangerous precedent, which
the US followed as it threatened to do, for its massive unilateral
"Shock and Awe" war of aggression against Iraq in March and April
2003 and its continuing unlawful military occupation. At least
30,000 Iraqi lives have been lost, including thousands of
civilians. Their deaths are rarely noticed and never counted in
the international media. No single violation of the UN Charter has
created a greater risk of wars without end. Daily violence in
Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and terrorist bombs in Casablanca,
Jakarta, and against the UN in Baghdad are warning signs of what
may come.
The Nuremberg Charter makes "Crimes Against Peace" the
first of the three offenses it defines, followed by "War Crimes"
and "Crimes Against Humanity." Principle VI, Charter of the
Nuremberg Tribunal. The first crime against peace is a war of
aggression. Principle VI(a)(i). Id. It is the most serious of
all international crimes because it unleashes the demons of war
with the uncontrollable and unforeseeable consequences that can
follow.
The US and NATO war crimes committed in their assaults
which began February 5, 1994, with attacks against Bosnian Serb
military facilities and continued through the massive 78-day
aerial assault on civilians and civilian facilities in Serbia in
1999 was a celebration of war against defenseless people. Direct
bombardment of cities including Belgrade, Pristina, Novi Sad and Nis
made civilians and civilian facilities the direct object of
attack, taking thousands of civilian lives in violation of the
Geneva Convention 1977, Protocol 1 Additional, Article 51.
Apartment houses, homes, hospitals, schools, office
buildings and other facilities essential to support civilian life
were damaged and destroyed. Bridges across the Danube at Novi Sad
and elsewhere in Serbia were destroyed. The Serb radio and
television building in the heart of Belgrade was targeted with cruise
missiles and reduced to rubble, killing 16 people and injuring
others. Many other radio and TV facilities were attacked and
destroyed. Housing for refugees was attacked in Belgrade and
elsewhere.
In Kosovo, among the many attacks on civilians, the
heart of Pristina was destroyed, the university and many other
facilities there were extensively damaged.
Elsewhere in Kosovo, remembered by persons all over
the world who watched films of the attacks on T.V., a train
crossing a bridge over the Grdelica gorge was attacked by US
aircraft on April 12, 1999, causing many deaths. On April 15 a
refugee convoy near Djakovisa was attacked by US planes, killing
scores. On May 14, the village of Korisa was attacked with 87 reported
dead.
The international media worldwide reported other fatal
NATO attacks against Serbia daily.
On April 22, 1999 the home of President Milosevic,
hundreds of feet from any other structure in a wooded residential
area of Belgrade, was destroyed. The family survived only because
they were not home when the missiles struck.
Huge amounts of depleted uranium were spread by bombs
and missiles throughout Serbia promising death from cancers,
leukemia, tumors, and future birth defects to the population and
to occupying NATO personnel in Kosovo. The reported unprecedented
incidence of cancer among Italian soldiers who had been stationed
in Kosovo created alarm in Italy and in other countries who contributed
troops as early as 2000. The long-term consequences for the
population, the members of the occupying forces, subsequent
generations and the environment are unknown.
Cluster bombs fell among apartment houses in Novi Sad,
in the major regional hospital complex in Nis, the suburbs of
Belgrade and in generous amounts elsewhere.
The central heating plant for New Belgrade was bombed
into scrap metal, leaving hundreds of thousands of people with the
prospect of a heatless winter.
The Chinese Embassy in New Belgrade was targeted and
extensively damaged, killing three persons. On May 27, 1999, one
week before the end of the bombing, US/NATO bombs damaged the
Greek Consulate in Nis, a prominent 19th Century building. Lesser
acts have caused bigger wars.
The bombing of Yugoslavia came in part from airfields
in Italy, Hungary and Turkey recalling past aggressions on
southern Slavs from those quarters and in creating new hostility
among nations that have warred against each other in the past.
Already nations are using the precedent of US
assassinations and attempts to assassinate in foreign countries
and its wars of aggression to commit the same crimes. Both
Pakistan and India have cited US conduct to justify military,
interventions in Kashmir. Israel cites US conduct to justify its
almost daily assassinations of Palestinians and on October 4, its
bombing raids in Syria.
These crimes are a small illustration of what the US
and NATO war of aggression inflicted on the defenseless people of
Yugoslavia.
X. The US and NATO Must Be Held Accountable For Their
Illegal War Of Aggression Against Bosnian Serbs And All Of Serbia,
Including Kosovo
The US and NATO caused the deaths of thousands of
people and inflicted billions of dollars in property damages
against Serbs in Bosnia, primarily in Republika Srpska, and later
throughout Serbia, including concentrated attacks in Kosovo. All
the deaths and destruction came from aerial assaults. Because the UN
failed to address their illegality, these lawless assaults, lead to
later wars of aggression by the US in Afghanistan where it was
later assisted by NATO and in Iraq. Together they threaten the
utility, credibility and very existence of the United Nations when
it is most needed. To assure the integrity of the Charter of the
United Nations, there must be accountability for these crimes and
reparations for the deaths and destruction they inflicted.
The spectacle of a superpower capable of destroying
any country on earth, unilaterally attacking a nation that is no
possible threat to it and is defenseless against its bombs and
missiles poses the greatest danger to world peace and are the
deadliest terrorist acts on the planet.
The United Nations should assume leadership in
compelling accountability by the US and NATO through payments to
families of persons killed by their illegal acts and for public
and private properties destroyed. There must not be impunity for
wars of aggression, or profits for aggressor nations through economic
exploitation of their victims, through contracts for reconstruction,
or from profits from privatization of public utilities, services
and properties.
=== DA ICDSM ITALIA RICEVIAMO E DIFFONDIAMO ===
La Sezione Italiana dell'ICDSM ringrazia tutti quelli che hanno finora
contribuito alla campagna di finanziamento per la difesa di Milosevic.
La richiesta dell'ICDSM internazionale, tuttavia, e' che tali sforzi
vengano RADDOPPIATI nel prossimo futuro, poiche' le spese sono ingenti.
Non esistono altre fonti di finanziamento: la situazione a Belgrado e'
irrespirabile, i lavoratori ... non lavorano, chi ha i soldi per
mangiare li tiene stretti e non rischia certo la galera in attivita'
politiche o di solidarieta' a favore di Milosevic, che viene presentato
dai media laggiu' esattamente come da noi, cioe' come un dittatore
criminale e ferrovecchio. I nuovi ricchi votano i partiti
filo-occidentali e di destra e non appoggiano certo Milosevic. Per di
piu', alla campagna per
Milosevic l'SPS e' sostanzialmente ESTRANEO, poiche' la leadership
parlamentare di quel partito ha scelto una linea accomodante con
Kostunica ed e' in rotta di collisione con il gruppo organizzatosi
attorno a SLOBODA (sezione belgradese dell'ICDSM).
A tutti deve essere infine chiaro che non esiste alcun "tesoro
nascosto" di Milosevic e che il nostro impegno e' insostituibile ed
indispensabile.
Per contribuire dall'Italia:
Conto Corrente Postale numero 86557006
intestato ad Adolfo Amoroso, ROMA
causale: DIFESA MILOSEVIC
Per contatti:
ICDSM - Sezione Italiana
c/o GAMADI, Via L. Da Vinci 27
00043 Ciampino (Roma)
email: icdsm-italia@...
=== * ===
Da: ICDSM Italia
Data: Ven 27 Feb 2004 12:37:29 Europe/Rome
A: Ova adresa el. pošte je zaštićena od spambotova. Omogućite JavaScript da biste je videli.
Oggetto: [icdsm-italia] Interview with Tiphaine Dickson on resignation
of Richard May
[ Una intervista all'avvocato canadese Tiphaine Dickson, assistente
dell'ICDSM, sulle dimissioni inaspettatamente presentate pochi giorni
fa dal "giudice" del "processo" in corso, presso il tribunale speciale
della NATO, contro Slobodan Milosevic... ]
Da: "Vladimir Krsljanin"
Data: Mer 25 Feb 2004 16:35:36 Europe/Rome
Oggetto: Inteview with Tiphaine Dickson on resignation of Richard May
Interview with Quebec ICDSM-lawyer Tiphaine Dickson on the resignation
of presiding judge in the Milosevic-case, Richard May
**********************************************************
Q: Late Sunday, the President of the ICTY, Theodor Meron, announced the
resignation of Richard May of the United Kingdom, the presiding judge
in the Milosevic trial. Officially, the resignation is due to the ill
health of judge May.
What was your first take on these developments?
Tiphaine Dickson: This is a spectacular development-- only days before
the end of the presentation of the prosecution's evidence-- which has
gone on for two years already. This resignation demonstrates that the
length and complexity of this process, not to mention the hundreds of
witnesses, 30,000 pages of transcripts, 500 videotapes, hundreds of
audiotapes, and huge quantity of other exhibits cannot be adequately
handled, let alone be meaningfully understood, by a person in ill
health. It is unfortunate that Slobodan Milosevic-- whose
health concerns similarly reduce his capacity properly to analyse and
challenge the voluminous record generated so far-- has not been treated
with the same deference accorded to Richard May. Much has been made in
the mainstream press
about President Milosevic's illness "wasting the court's time", yet
Richard May's undisclosed health problems are not treated with
contempt, but rather with compassion and concern. Slobodan Milosevic
cannot resign from the ICTY for health reasons, and on the contrary, he
has confronted this process while struggling against a life-threatening
illness, despite being denied provisional release or specialized
medical care to treat his condition.
Q: In recent days, the international press reported that the genocide
charge has not been proven.
Dickson: The press' assessment of the quality of evidence presented so
far is accurate to the extent that the evidence presented by the ICTY
prosecutor has been anemic, rife with hearsay, opinion, speculation and
irrelevancies. It is evident that counts should be dismissed, and in my
opinion, the prosecutor has not succeeded in presenting a coherent or
compelling case, in accordance with the standards of criminal justice.
Q: Some media went even further, saying that even evidence of war
crimes in Bosnia and Croatia seems to be very shaky. If so, the
remaining part would be the Kosovo indictment. Is that a way for the
press to prepare the public for some charges being dropped or might
there be something else behind this? For Mr.
Milosevic it would not make any difference whether he gets one or five
life sentences. But for the Western governments it would make a
difference whether Milosevic's defense case covers all three
indictments or is reduced to just Kosovo. If reduced to Kosovo, would
Mr. Milosevic still be able to tell the
whole story that there was a plan to destroy Yugoslavia-something to
qualify the 'plan' not from his side but from the West, from Croatia
and Bosnia? Or could we consider it an attempt to destroy a successful
defense case?
Dickson: If the Chamber were to dismiss both the Bosnia and Croatia
indictments, it would still be possible for SM to present his defense
as announced in his opening statement. Kosovo was the West's-- NATO,
the EU, US and other powers-- pretext for a gruesome 78-day bombing
campaign, executed in
violation of international law, using weapons, targets, and tactics
which violate the laws and customs of war. This aggression marked the
culmination of the decade-long
effort to dismember Yugoslavia. As such, and in particular given the
fact that the Kosovo indictment was served in the course of the
bombing, to neutralize the Yugoslav leadership's potential to negotiate
peace-- which had always been
successfully achieved by President Milosevic in the past-- it is open
to him to contextualize this indictment
It is highly likely that Mr. Milosevic will present the defense he has
planned and will demonstrate that there was only one war: the war
against Yugoslavia. In any event, the Prosecutor has chosen to allege,
in the Kosovo indictment, that Slobodan Milosevic was the principal
interlocutor for the "international
community" since 1989, and "was the primary representative of the SFRY
and FRY: The Hague Conference in 1991; the Paris negotiations of March
1993; the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia in January
1993; the Vance-Owen peace plan negotiations between January and May
1993; the Geneva peace talks in the summer of 1993; the Contact Group
meeting in June 1994; the negotiations for a cease fire in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, 9-14 September 1995; the
negotiations to end the bombing by the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 14-20 September 1995;
and the Dayton peace negotiations in November 1995."
The Prosecutor made the decision to stipulate President Milosevic's
primary role in these largely successful peace negotiations in order to
establish, astonishingly, his responsibility for the commission of
crimes, rather than for
having negotiated peace. Slobodan Milosevic is therefore entitled to
explore all issues relevant to these conferences and negotiations,
including the underlying conflicts that led to them. In doing this, he
will have the opportunity to identify the foreign interests which were
responsible for the dismemberment of
Yugoslavia, from the first unconstitutional secessions to the illegal
bombing of Yugoslavia.
Q: How will the trial continue?
The rules of procedure provide that a new judge cannot be assigned to a
trial-- and in this case, evidence has been heard for two years--
unless the accused consents to such a measure. However, the judges may
disregard the accused's
objection if the "interests of justice" so dictate. The accused's
consent appears illusory if the Chamber is entitled to ignore it, even
if they do so "in the interests of justice". If the remaining judges
choose to assign a new judge despite Mr. Milosevic's objections-- which
is very likely, as the President of the ICTY, Theodor Meron, has
essentially prejudged the issue in his press release announcing Richard
May's resignation, by stating that he is "confident that Judge May's
resignation will not have an unduly disruptive effect on any
proceedings before the Tribunal"-- President Milosevic is nonetheless
entitled to appeal their decision. Furthermore, any new judge assigned
must certify that he or she is familiar with the record before sitting
on the case. The evidence presented so far has generated over 33,000
pages of transcripts, not to mention tapes, both audio and video, maps,
and a variety of other exhibits. It would not be decent to suggest that
one could skim through-- let alone "familiarize"-- oneself with such a
voluminous record, in such an important trial, in less than a year.
It is important to point out that courts of appeal rarely overturn
trial judgments with respect to credibility. This is because trial
judges are deemed to have had a unique opportunity to assess the
witness' demeanor in a courtroom.
In this case, over 200 witnesses have testified so far, and matters of
credibility have been of crucial importance. How could a new judge
appreciate the eloquent body language of witnesses such as Rade
Markovic or Captain Dragan Vasilikovic without having seen them? It
would be necessary for any new judge, in addition to reading--and
understanding-- the record in its entirety, to carefully watch the
video footage from the beginning of the process. This requires at least
one year's time.
Although it appears that the ICTY will push to continue the matter
despite Richard May's resignation, it is important to note that in
common law proceedings, this situation would normally constitute a
mistrial, and require that proceedings start anew. Unfortunately, the
political pressure is such that on this issue-- like so many others--
the rights of the defendant will likely take a back seat to political
expedience. The ICTY judges could even modify the rules in order to
facilitate the continuation of the process, as they have now amended
their rules 28 times in a little over a decade. Such a development
would be an unfortunate precedent for the future of international law.
Thank you, Maitre Dickson, for answering those questions.
Interviewer: Cathrin Schütz
A shortened version of this interview was published in the German daily
"junge Welt", February 25, 2004
*******************************************************
STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM AND TRUTH ABOUT THE SERBIAN PEOPLE
AND YUGOSLAVIA IS IN THE CRUCIAL PHASE. NATO AND ITS SERVICES
IN BELGRADE AND THE HAGUE HAVE NO INTEREST TO SUPPORT IT.
*******************************************************
SO IT TOTALLY DEPENDS ON YOU!
*******************************************************
A SMALL TEAM OF PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC'S ASSISTANTS, WHICH IS
BECOMING INTERNATIONAL, HAS TO HAVE CONDITIONS TO WORK
AT THE HAGUE IN THE TIME OF INTENSIVE PREPARATIONS FOR THE
FINAL PRESENTATION OF TRUTH AND DURING THAT
PRESENTATION.
*******************************************************
TO DONATE, PLEASE CONTACT SLOBODA OR THE NEAREST ICDSM
BRANCH, OR
find the instructions at:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/pomoc.htm
================================================
To join or help this struggle, visit:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/ (Sloboda/Freedom association)
http://www.icdsm.org/ (the international committee to defend Slobodan
Milosevic)
http://www.free-slobo.de/ (German section of ICDSM)
http://www.icdsm-us.org/ (US section of ICDSM)
http://www.icdsmireland.org/ (ICDSM Ireland)
http://www.wpc-in.org/ (world peace council)
http://www.geocities.com/b_antinato/ (Balkan antiNATO center)
================================================
==========================
ICDSM - Sezione Italiana
c/o GAMADI, Via L. Da Vinci 27
00043 Ciampino (Roma)
email: icdsm-italia@...
Conto Corrente Postale numero 86557006
intestato ad Adolfo Amoroso, ROMA
causale: DIFESA MILOSEVIC
La Sezione Italiana dell'ICDSM ringrazia tutti quelli che hanno finora
contribuito alla campagna di finanziamento per la difesa di Milosevic.
La richiesta dell'ICDSM internazionale, tuttavia, e' che tali sforzi
vengano RADDOPPIATI nel prossimo futuro, poiche' le spese sono ingenti.
Non esistono altre fonti di finanziamento: la situazione a Belgrado e'
irrespirabile, i lavoratori ... non lavorano, chi ha i soldi per
mangiare li tiene stretti e non rischia certo la galera in attivita'
politiche o di solidarieta' a favore di Milosevic, che viene presentato
dai media laggiu' esattamente come da noi, cioe' come un dittatore
criminale e ferrovecchio. I nuovi ricchi votano i partiti
filo-occidentali e di destra e non appoggiano certo Milosevic. Per di
piu', alla campagna per
Milosevic l'SPS e' sostanzialmente ESTRANEO, poiche' la leadership
parlamentare di quel partito ha scelto una linea accomodante con
Kostunica ed e' in rotta di collisione con il gruppo organizzatosi
attorno a SLOBODA (sezione belgradese dell'ICDSM).
A tutti deve essere infine chiaro che non esiste alcun "tesoro
nascosto" di Milosevic e che il nostro impegno e' insostituibile ed
indispensabile.
Per contribuire dall'Italia:
Conto Corrente Postale numero 86557006
intestato ad Adolfo Amoroso, ROMA
causale: DIFESA MILOSEVIC
Per contatti:
ICDSM - Sezione Italiana
c/o GAMADI, Via L. Da Vinci 27
00043 Ciampino (Roma)
email: icdsm-italia@...
=== * ===
Da: ICDSM Italia
Data: Ven 27 Feb 2004 12:37:29 Europe/Rome
A: Ova adresa el. pošte je zaštićena od spambotova. Omogućite JavaScript da biste je videli.
Oggetto: [icdsm-italia] Interview with Tiphaine Dickson on resignation
of Richard May
[ Una intervista all'avvocato canadese Tiphaine Dickson, assistente
dell'ICDSM, sulle dimissioni inaspettatamente presentate pochi giorni
fa dal "giudice" del "processo" in corso, presso il tribunale speciale
della NATO, contro Slobodan Milosevic... ]
Da: "Vladimir Krsljanin"
Data: Mer 25 Feb 2004 16:35:36 Europe/Rome
Oggetto: Inteview with Tiphaine Dickson on resignation of Richard May
Interview with Quebec ICDSM-lawyer Tiphaine Dickson on the resignation
of presiding judge in the Milosevic-case, Richard May
**********************************************************
Q: Late Sunday, the President of the ICTY, Theodor Meron, announced the
resignation of Richard May of the United Kingdom, the presiding judge
in the Milosevic trial. Officially, the resignation is due to the ill
health of judge May.
What was your first take on these developments?
Tiphaine Dickson: This is a spectacular development-- only days before
the end of the presentation of the prosecution's evidence-- which has
gone on for two years already. This resignation demonstrates that the
length and complexity of this process, not to mention the hundreds of
witnesses, 30,000 pages of transcripts, 500 videotapes, hundreds of
audiotapes, and huge quantity of other exhibits cannot be adequately
handled, let alone be meaningfully understood, by a person in ill
health. It is unfortunate that Slobodan Milosevic-- whose
health concerns similarly reduce his capacity properly to analyse and
challenge the voluminous record generated so far-- has not been treated
with the same deference accorded to Richard May. Much has been made in
the mainstream press
about President Milosevic's illness "wasting the court's time", yet
Richard May's undisclosed health problems are not treated with
contempt, but rather with compassion and concern. Slobodan Milosevic
cannot resign from the ICTY for health reasons, and on the contrary, he
has confronted this process while struggling against a life-threatening
illness, despite being denied provisional release or specialized
medical care to treat his condition.
Q: In recent days, the international press reported that the genocide
charge has not been proven.
Dickson: The press' assessment of the quality of evidence presented so
far is accurate to the extent that the evidence presented by the ICTY
prosecutor has been anemic, rife with hearsay, opinion, speculation and
irrelevancies. It is evident that counts should be dismissed, and in my
opinion, the prosecutor has not succeeded in presenting a coherent or
compelling case, in accordance with the standards of criminal justice.
Q: Some media went even further, saying that even evidence of war
crimes in Bosnia and Croatia seems to be very shaky. If so, the
remaining part would be the Kosovo indictment. Is that a way for the
press to prepare the public for some charges being dropped or might
there be something else behind this? For Mr.
Milosevic it would not make any difference whether he gets one or five
life sentences. But for the Western governments it would make a
difference whether Milosevic's defense case covers all three
indictments or is reduced to just Kosovo. If reduced to Kosovo, would
Mr. Milosevic still be able to tell the
whole story that there was a plan to destroy Yugoslavia-something to
qualify the 'plan' not from his side but from the West, from Croatia
and Bosnia? Or could we consider it an attempt to destroy a successful
defense case?
Dickson: If the Chamber were to dismiss both the Bosnia and Croatia
indictments, it would still be possible for SM to present his defense
as announced in his opening statement. Kosovo was the West's-- NATO,
the EU, US and other powers-- pretext for a gruesome 78-day bombing
campaign, executed in
violation of international law, using weapons, targets, and tactics
which violate the laws and customs of war. This aggression marked the
culmination of the decade-long
effort to dismember Yugoslavia. As such, and in particular given the
fact that the Kosovo indictment was served in the course of the
bombing, to neutralize the Yugoslav leadership's potential to negotiate
peace-- which had always been
successfully achieved by President Milosevic in the past-- it is open
to him to contextualize this indictment
It is highly likely that Mr. Milosevic will present the defense he has
planned and will demonstrate that there was only one war: the war
against Yugoslavia. In any event, the Prosecutor has chosen to allege,
in the Kosovo indictment, that Slobodan Milosevic was the principal
interlocutor for the "international
community" since 1989, and "was the primary representative of the SFRY
and FRY: The Hague Conference in 1991; the Paris negotiations of March
1993; the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia in January
1993; the Vance-Owen peace plan negotiations between January and May
1993; the Geneva peace talks in the summer of 1993; the Contact Group
meeting in June 1994; the negotiations for a cease fire in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, 9-14 September 1995; the
negotiations to end the bombing by the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 14-20 September 1995;
and the Dayton peace negotiations in November 1995."
The Prosecutor made the decision to stipulate President Milosevic's
primary role in these largely successful peace negotiations in order to
establish, astonishingly, his responsibility for the commission of
crimes, rather than for
having negotiated peace. Slobodan Milosevic is therefore entitled to
explore all issues relevant to these conferences and negotiations,
including the underlying conflicts that led to them. In doing this, he
will have the opportunity to identify the foreign interests which were
responsible for the dismemberment of
Yugoslavia, from the first unconstitutional secessions to the illegal
bombing of Yugoslavia.
Q: How will the trial continue?
The rules of procedure provide that a new judge cannot be assigned to a
trial-- and in this case, evidence has been heard for two years--
unless the accused consents to such a measure. However, the judges may
disregard the accused's
objection if the "interests of justice" so dictate. The accused's
consent appears illusory if the Chamber is entitled to ignore it, even
if they do so "in the interests of justice". If the remaining judges
choose to assign a new judge despite Mr. Milosevic's objections-- which
is very likely, as the President of the ICTY, Theodor Meron, has
essentially prejudged the issue in his press release announcing Richard
May's resignation, by stating that he is "confident that Judge May's
resignation will not have an unduly disruptive effect on any
proceedings before the Tribunal"-- President Milosevic is nonetheless
entitled to appeal their decision. Furthermore, any new judge assigned
must certify that he or she is familiar with the record before sitting
on the case. The evidence presented so far has generated over 33,000
pages of transcripts, not to mention tapes, both audio and video, maps,
and a variety of other exhibits. It would not be decent to suggest that
one could skim through-- let alone "familiarize"-- oneself with such a
voluminous record, in such an important trial, in less than a year.
It is important to point out that courts of appeal rarely overturn
trial judgments with respect to credibility. This is because trial
judges are deemed to have had a unique opportunity to assess the
witness' demeanor in a courtroom.
In this case, over 200 witnesses have testified so far, and matters of
credibility have been of crucial importance. How could a new judge
appreciate the eloquent body language of witnesses such as Rade
Markovic or Captain Dragan Vasilikovic without having seen them? It
would be necessary for any new judge, in addition to reading--and
understanding-- the record in its entirety, to carefully watch the
video footage from the beginning of the process. This requires at least
one year's time.
Although it appears that the ICTY will push to continue the matter
despite Richard May's resignation, it is important to note that in
common law proceedings, this situation would normally constitute a
mistrial, and require that proceedings start anew. Unfortunately, the
political pressure is such that on this issue-- like so many others--
the rights of the defendant will likely take a back seat to political
expedience. The ICTY judges could even modify the rules in order to
facilitate the continuation of the process, as they have now amended
their rules 28 times in a little over a decade. Such a development
would be an unfortunate precedent for the future of international law.
Thank you, Maitre Dickson, for answering those questions.
Interviewer: Cathrin Schütz
A shortened version of this interview was published in the German daily
"junge Welt", February 25, 2004
*******************************************************
STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM AND TRUTH ABOUT THE SERBIAN PEOPLE
AND YUGOSLAVIA IS IN THE CRUCIAL PHASE. NATO AND ITS SERVICES
IN BELGRADE AND THE HAGUE HAVE NO INTEREST TO SUPPORT IT.
*******************************************************
SO IT TOTALLY DEPENDS ON YOU!
*******************************************************
A SMALL TEAM OF PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC'S ASSISTANTS, WHICH IS
BECOMING INTERNATIONAL, HAS TO HAVE CONDITIONS TO WORK
AT THE HAGUE IN THE TIME OF INTENSIVE PREPARATIONS FOR THE
FINAL PRESENTATION OF TRUTH AND DURING THAT
PRESENTATION.
*******************************************************
TO DONATE, PLEASE CONTACT SLOBODA OR THE NEAREST ICDSM
BRANCH, OR
find the instructions at:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/pomoc.htm
================================================
To join or help this struggle, visit:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/ (Sloboda/Freedom association)
http://www.icdsm.org/ (the international committee to defend Slobodan
Milosevic)
http://www.free-slobo.de/ (German section of ICDSM)
http://www.icdsm-us.org/ (US section of ICDSM)
http://www.icdsmireland.org/ (ICDSM Ireland)
http://www.wpc-in.org/ (world peace council)
http://www.geocities.com/b_antinato/ (Balkan antiNATO center)
================================================
==========================
ICDSM - Sezione Italiana
c/o GAMADI, Via L. Da Vinci 27
00043 Ciampino (Roma)
email: icdsm-italia@...
Conto Corrente Postale numero 86557006
intestato ad Adolfo Amoroso, ROMA
causale: DIFESA MILOSEVIC
Aereo presidenziale macedone abbattuto sul cielo bosniaco da una
"tragica ironia" antieuropea
"...Il primo ministro Branko Crvenkovski ha appreso la notizia mentre
si trovava Dublino, dove oggi doveva presentare la domanda di
ammissione della Macedonia all'Unione europea. La delegazione
governativa sta rientrando d'urgenza a Skopje. (ANSA)..."
Tutti gli aggiornamenti su:
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/macedonia/macedonia.shtml
MACEDONIA: SI SCHIANTA FRA LE MINE AEREO PRESIDENZIALE /ANSA (di Carlo
Bollino)
(ANSA) - SKOPJE, 26 FEB - Nello stesso giorno [SIC] in cui il suo
paese viveva la tappa storica della richiesta di adesione all'Unione
europea, si e' schiantato con l'aereo di Stato contro una montagna
della Bosnia. Il presidente della repubblica macedone Boris
Trajkosvki e' morto questa mattina, intorno ale 8:45, in una tragedia
aerea dai contorni non ancora definiti [SIC]. Il suo corpo e quelli
delle altre otto persone che viaggiavano con lui, sono tuttora sparsi
insieme ai rottami del velivolo su un imprecisato costone di montagna
della Bosnia meridionale, nascosti dalla nebbia [SIC] e resi finora
inavvicinabili da una distesa di mine [SIC], residuati di quella
guerra jugoslava dalla quale la sua piccola repubblica si era
miracolosamente [SIC] salvata. E' una tragedia terribilmente
balcanica [SIC] questa, piena di simboli [SIC] e di coincidenze
[SIC], come e' tradizione [SIC] nella turbolenta storia di questo
strano [SIC] pezzo d'Europa. Boris Trajkosvki, in carica dal 1999 e
che il prossimo autunno avrebbe concluso il suo mandato, era partito
questa mattina dall'aeroporto 'Petrovec' di Skopje diretto a Mostar
per partecipare ad un vertice economico che doveva veder riuniti
tutti i paesi della regione. Il vecchio [SIC] turbo-elica Beechcraft
King Air 200 del protocollo di Stato era decollato poco dopo le 6:30
(ora locale e italiana): sulla Macedonia imperversava brutto tempo,
ma non tale da impedire la partenza. Insieme con lui viaggiavano tre
consiglieri (fra cui la portavoce Dimka Ilkova Boskovic), due
guardie del corpo e l'equipaggio. L'aereo, dono del governo americano
[SIC] e che alla fine dello scorso anno aveva subito un altro
incidente [SIC], ha sorvolato l'Albania, poi un tratto di mare
Adriatico e infine la Croazia: appena entrato nello spazio aereo
bosniaco e' scomparso dai radar. Da Mostar sono partiti i primi
mezzi di soccorso della Forza di stabilizzazione della Nato [SIC]
(Sfor) e della polizia locale. Le ricerche si sono subito indirizzate
verso Stolac, una localita' montagnosa 40 chilometri a sud-ovest di
Mostar dove testimoni avevano riferito di aver udito un'esplosione.
Nella tarda mattinata e' circolata la voce che i resti dell'aereo
presidenziale erano stati localizzati sul costone del monte Hrdog. Il
governo macedone ha poi rettificato [SIC], annunciando che il
ritrovamento era invece avvenuto sul monte Risnic, vicino a Lubjnje.
Il presidente bosniaco ha addirittura comunicato il recupero dei
primi quattro corpi. Ma nel pomeriggio la nuova svolta [SIC]: fonti
della Sfor e successivamente del governo macedone hanno precisato che
in realta' i resti del velivolo non sono stati ancora localizzati
[SIC], e che si cerca in un'area particolarmente impervia estesa per
circa 16 chilometri quadrati, coperta dalla nebbia [SIC] e piena di
campi minati. [SIC] Contraddizioni che tuttavia non tolgono nulla
[SIC] all'evidenza della tragedia: ''Non c'e' nessuna speranza che vi
siano sopravvissuti'' ha annunciato il premier Branko Crvenkovski,
rientrato d'urgenza da Dublino dove oggi [SIC] avrebbe dovuto
presentare la domanda di ammissione al presidente di turno del
semestre europeo. Era stato questo l'ultimo documento ufficiale
firmato ieri sera dal presidente Trajkovski. Ed e' al sogno europeo
che aveva dedicato poche ore prima del tragico volo, quella che si e'
rivelata la sua ultima dichiarazione: ''Dal giorno della nostra
indipendenza e fino ad oggi - aveva detto Trajkovski - non c'e' stato
progetto piu' grande e di interesse strategico che la nostra domanda
di adesione all'Unione europea''. La fatalita' [SIC] della sua
morte ha pero' congelato l'evento: la cerimonia a Dublino e' stata
annullata [SIC] e la delegazione guidata da Crvenkovski ha fatto
immediatamente rientro in patria. La notizia della morte di Trajkovski
ha sconvolto l'opinione pubblica macedone. Nella turbolenta storia
degli ultimi anni, questo giurista prestato alla politica veniva
considerato come unico punto fermo nel pericoloso scontro fra
nazionalismi albanesi e macedoni. La stessa comunita' internazionale
(Europa e Stati Uniti in testa) lo aveva prescelto come interlocutore
privilegiato per traghettare il paese verso una stabile democrazia
occidentale. La sua morte ora rischia di rimettere in discussione i
fragili equilibri interni di un paese che e' tuttora alla ricerca di
una propria identita' nazionale. Una preoccupazione evidentemente
condivisa dallo stesso primo ministro: ''E' necessario che la nostra
nazione resti unita'' ha detto questa sera parlando alla televisione
di Stato. Un appello seguito all'annuncio del ministero dell'Interno
di misure speciali di sicurezza introdotte in tutto il paese.
(ANSA) BLL-COR 26/02/2004 19:59
MACEDONIA: TRAJKOVSKI; LOCALIZZATI RESTI AEREO (2)
(ANSA) - SKOPJE, 27 FEB - Secondo il procuratore generale della
Federazione bosniaca Redzita Kreso, citato dalla televisione
nazionale macedone, i resti dell'aereo di Trajkovski sono stati
localizzati a 15 km dall'aeroporto di Mostar, dove ieri mattina
avrebbe dovuto atterrare. La localita' si chiama Kuskovici e stando
allo stesso procuratore si tratta di un'area sotto il controllo della
Sfor [SIC]; e questo ha impedito finora all'autorita' giudiziaria
bosniaca di recarsi sul posto [SIC]. Le ricerche per localizzare
i resti dell'aereo erano riprese fin da questa mattina dopo che ieri
sera erano state sospese a causa del buio [SIC] e delle pessime
condizioni del tempo [SIC]. Fonti della Sfor escludono che vi siano
sopravvissuti. (ANSA). BLL-COR/MRY 27/02/2004 10:00
MACEDONIA: TRAJKOVSKI; SOLANA, GIORNO TRAGICO PER TUTTI
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 26 FEB - ''Un giorno tragico per il popolo della
Macedonia e per tutti gli europei''. Cosi' l'alto rappresentante per la
politica estera e di difesa comune dell'Unione europea Javier Solana ha
commentato la morte, avvenuta oggi in un incidente aereo, del
presidente della Macedonia Boris Trajkovski che ha definito ''un grande
politico ed un grande patriota, che ha aperto la porta a cambi
importanti nel suo paese ed ha aperto il cammino a legami stretti con
l'Ue''.
Solana, in una dichiarazione, ha ricordato che Trajkovski ''lascia
molti amici in Europa e nel mondo. Era anche un grande amico mio - ha
aggiunto - un'amicizia sviluppatasi durante i difficili giorni del suo
paese'' nei quali ''ha avuto un ruolo decisivo per risolvere la crisi''.
Oltre ad esprimere le condoglianze ai familiari del presidente ed a
quelli delle altre vittime dell'incidente, Solana ha sottolineato che
''abbiamo perso un grande politico europeo e sara' molto difficile
farne a meno''.
Il responsabile della politica estera dell'Ue ha quindi sottolineato
''che per una tragica ironia il disastro aereo e' avvenuto in un giorno
in cui il paese presieduto da Trajkovski stava per presentare la
domanda di adesione all'Unione europea. Ma sono sicuro - ha concluso
Solana- che i macedoni opereranno per fare in modo che il sogno del
presidente Trajkovski diventi realta' e sostengano il paese nel cammino
verso l'Unione europea''. (ANSA).
COM-VS 26/02/2004 15:54
"tragica ironia" antieuropea
"...Il primo ministro Branko Crvenkovski ha appreso la notizia mentre
si trovava Dublino, dove oggi doveva presentare la domanda di
ammissione della Macedonia all'Unione europea. La delegazione
governativa sta rientrando d'urgenza a Skopje. (ANSA)..."
Tutti gli aggiornamenti su:
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/macedonia/macedonia.shtml
MACEDONIA: SI SCHIANTA FRA LE MINE AEREO PRESIDENZIALE /ANSA (di Carlo
Bollino)
(ANSA) - SKOPJE, 26 FEB - Nello stesso giorno [SIC] in cui il suo
paese viveva la tappa storica della richiesta di adesione all'Unione
europea, si e' schiantato con l'aereo di Stato contro una montagna
della Bosnia. Il presidente della repubblica macedone Boris
Trajkosvki e' morto questa mattina, intorno ale 8:45, in una tragedia
aerea dai contorni non ancora definiti [SIC]. Il suo corpo e quelli
delle altre otto persone che viaggiavano con lui, sono tuttora sparsi
insieme ai rottami del velivolo su un imprecisato costone di montagna
della Bosnia meridionale, nascosti dalla nebbia [SIC] e resi finora
inavvicinabili da una distesa di mine [SIC], residuati di quella
guerra jugoslava dalla quale la sua piccola repubblica si era
miracolosamente [SIC] salvata. E' una tragedia terribilmente
balcanica [SIC] questa, piena di simboli [SIC] e di coincidenze
[SIC], come e' tradizione [SIC] nella turbolenta storia di questo
strano [SIC] pezzo d'Europa. Boris Trajkosvki, in carica dal 1999 e
che il prossimo autunno avrebbe concluso il suo mandato, era partito
questa mattina dall'aeroporto 'Petrovec' di Skopje diretto a Mostar
per partecipare ad un vertice economico che doveva veder riuniti
tutti i paesi della regione. Il vecchio [SIC] turbo-elica Beechcraft
King Air 200 del protocollo di Stato era decollato poco dopo le 6:30
(ora locale e italiana): sulla Macedonia imperversava brutto tempo,
ma non tale da impedire la partenza. Insieme con lui viaggiavano tre
consiglieri (fra cui la portavoce Dimka Ilkova Boskovic), due
guardie del corpo e l'equipaggio. L'aereo, dono del governo americano
[SIC] e che alla fine dello scorso anno aveva subito un altro
incidente [SIC], ha sorvolato l'Albania, poi un tratto di mare
Adriatico e infine la Croazia: appena entrato nello spazio aereo
bosniaco e' scomparso dai radar. Da Mostar sono partiti i primi
mezzi di soccorso della Forza di stabilizzazione della Nato [SIC]
(Sfor) e della polizia locale. Le ricerche si sono subito indirizzate
verso Stolac, una localita' montagnosa 40 chilometri a sud-ovest di
Mostar dove testimoni avevano riferito di aver udito un'esplosione.
Nella tarda mattinata e' circolata la voce che i resti dell'aereo
presidenziale erano stati localizzati sul costone del monte Hrdog. Il
governo macedone ha poi rettificato [SIC], annunciando che il
ritrovamento era invece avvenuto sul monte Risnic, vicino a Lubjnje.
Il presidente bosniaco ha addirittura comunicato il recupero dei
primi quattro corpi. Ma nel pomeriggio la nuova svolta [SIC]: fonti
della Sfor e successivamente del governo macedone hanno precisato che
in realta' i resti del velivolo non sono stati ancora localizzati
[SIC], e che si cerca in un'area particolarmente impervia estesa per
circa 16 chilometri quadrati, coperta dalla nebbia [SIC] e piena di
campi minati. [SIC] Contraddizioni che tuttavia non tolgono nulla
[SIC] all'evidenza della tragedia: ''Non c'e' nessuna speranza che vi
siano sopravvissuti'' ha annunciato il premier Branko Crvenkovski,
rientrato d'urgenza da Dublino dove oggi [SIC] avrebbe dovuto
presentare la domanda di ammissione al presidente di turno del
semestre europeo. Era stato questo l'ultimo documento ufficiale
firmato ieri sera dal presidente Trajkovski. Ed e' al sogno europeo
che aveva dedicato poche ore prima del tragico volo, quella che si e'
rivelata la sua ultima dichiarazione: ''Dal giorno della nostra
indipendenza e fino ad oggi - aveva detto Trajkovski - non c'e' stato
progetto piu' grande e di interesse strategico che la nostra domanda
di adesione all'Unione europea''. La fatalita' [SIC] della sua
morte ha pero' congelato l'evento: la cerimonia a Dublino e' stata
annullata [SIC] e la delegazione guidata da Crvenkovski ha fatto
immediatamente rientro in patria. La notizia della morte di Trajkovski
ha sconvolto l'opinione pubblica macedone. Nella turbolenta storia
degli ultimi anni, questo giurista prestato alla politica veniva
considerato come unico punto fermo nel pericoloso scontro fra
nazionalismi albanesi e macedoni. La stessa comunita' internazionale
(Europa e Stati Uniti in testa) lo aveva prescelto come interlocutore
privilegiato per traghettare il paese verso una stabile democrazia
occidentale. La sua morte ora rischia di rimettere in discussione i
fragili equilibri interni di un paese che e' tuttora alla ricerca di
una propria identita' nazionale. Una preoccupazione evidentemente
condivisa dallo stesso primo ministro: ''E' necessario che la nostra
nazione resti unita'' ha detto questa sera parlando alla televisione
di Stato. Un appello seguito all'annuncio del ministero dell'Interno
di misure speciali di sicurezza introdotte in tutto il paese.
(ANSA) BLL-COR 26/02/2004 19:59
MACEDONIA: TRAJKOVSKI; LOCALIZZATI RESTI AEREO (2)
(ANSA) - SKOPJE, 27 FEB - Secondo il procuratore generale della
Federazione bosniaca Redzita Kreso, citato dalla televisione
nazionale macedone, i resti dell'aereo di Trajkovski sono stati
localizzati a 15 km dall'aeroporto di Mostar, dove ieri mattina
avrebbe dovuto atterrare. La localita' si chiama Kuskovici e stando
allo stesso procuratore si tratta di un'area sotto il controllo della
Sfor [SIC]; e questo ha impedito finora all'autorita' giudiziaria
bosniaca di recarsi sul posto [SIC]. Le ricerche per localizzare
i resti dell'aereo erano riprese fin da questa mattina dopo che ieri
sera erano state sospese a causa del buio [SIC] e delle pessime
condizioni del tempo [SIC]. Fonti della Sfor escludono che vi siano
sopravvissuti. (ANSA). BLL-COR/MRY 27/02/2004 10:00
MACEDONIA: TRAJKOVSKI; SOLANA, GIORNO TRAGICO PER TUTTI
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 26 FEB - ''Un giorno tragico per il popolo della
Macedonia e per tutti gli europei''. Cosi' l'alto rappresentante per la
politica estera e di difesa comune dell'Unione europea Javier Solana ha
commentato la morte, avvenuta oggi in un incidente aereo, del
presidente della Macedonia Boris Trajkovski che ha definito ''un grande
politico ed un grande patriota, che ha aperto la porta a cambi
importanti nel suo paese ed ha aperto il cammino a legami stretti con
l'Ue''.
Solana, in una dichiarazione, ha ricordato che Trajkovski ''lascia
molti amici in Europa e nel mondo. Era anche un grande amico mio - ha
aggiunto - un'amicizia sviluppatasi durante i difficili giorni del suo
paese'' nei quali ''ha avuto un ruolo decisivo per risolvere la crisi''.
Oltre ad esprimere le condoglianze ai familiari del presidente ed a
quelli delle altre vittime dell'incidente, Solana ha sottolineato che
''abbiamo perso un grande politico europeo e sara' molto difficile
farne a meno''.
Il responsabile della politica estera dell'Ue ha quindi sottolineato
''che per una tragica ironia il disastro aereo e' avvenuto in un giorno
in cui il paese presieduto da Trajkovski stava per presentare la
domanda di adesione all'Unione europea. Ma sono sicuro - ha concluso
Solana- che i macedoni opereranno per fare in modo che il sogno del
presidente Trajkovski diventi realta' e sostengano il paese nel cammino
verso l'Unione europea''. (ANSA).
COM-VS 26/02/2004 15:54
Intellettuali di servizio: Adriano Sofri (5)
SE ADRIANO SOFRI FOSSE NATO IN CECENIA...
DA FAMIGLIA DI LINGUA RUSSA, PER ESEMPIO
Le puntate precedenti su:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2069
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2010
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2647
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2650
Vedi anche il commento di Fulvio Grimaldi
IL RATTO GLORIFICATO su:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3191
---
Se fossi nato in Cecenia
di Adriano Sofri
Che cosa dire, come dirlo, per far si' che le persone vogliano
figurarsi che cosa succede in Cecenia? Che vi si immedesimino per un
momento, e se ne spaventino a morte?
La Cecenia e' grande come l'Abruzzo e il Molise. Prima delle due guerre
dell'ultimo decennio, aveva piu' o meno un milione di persone. Sono
morte fra un quinto e un quarto. In percentuale, e' come se fossero
morte nell'Abruzzo e nel Molise 350-450 mila persone. Oppure, se in
Italia negli ultimi dieci anni fossero venute due guerre come quelle
russe in Cecenia, in proporzione sarebbero morte 13 milioni di persone
circa, e una ventina di milioni sarebbero andati profughi all'estero.
Io compiro' 62 anni l'estate prossima. Se fossi nato in Cecenia, invece
che in Italia, sarei stato deportato in Kazakistan con tutta la mia
nazione, il 23 febbraio del 1944. Avrei viaggiato in un treno bestiame,
a un anno e mezzo, con un fratello di sette anni. Uno su tre mori' in
quel viaggio. Dunque se fossi stato deportato coi miei genitori almeno
uno di noi quattro sarebbe morto. Se fossi morto io -il piu' debole- e
fossero sopravvissuti i miei genitori, la mia cara sorella, che ha tre
anni meno di me, sarebbe nata in Kazakistan, e avrebbe visto il cielo
del Caucaso solo dopo aver compiuto dodici anni. Pero' a questo punto
almeno un altro membro della mia famiglia sarebbe morto. Dei figli
miei, di mio fratello e di mia sorella, uno su tre sarebbe morto negli
ultimi dieci anni.
La Russia ha una popolazione di quasi 150 milioni di persone. E' un
grande paese, molto triste. Si e' saputo in questi giorni che vi
muoiono 170 persone per ogni 100 nuovi nati. La speranza di vita media
per gli uomini maschi e' di 58 anni, di 71 per le donne. In Italia e'
di 77 anni per i maschi, di 83 per le donne. La Russia occupa con un
esercito di centomila armati -ma e' arrivata ad averne molte volte di
piu' - una sua (la
rivendica come propria, infatti) repubblica di 700.000 abitanti si e no.
E' come se l'Italia occupasse il Molise con un esercito italiano di
50.000 armati.
Se fossi nato in Cecenia e non in Italia, il mio cielo sarebbe nero del
fumo delle citta' e dei villaggi bruciati. La mia terra sarebbe nera
di fango, petrolio, bombe e cingoli. Rosse di sangue, terra e cielo. Se
fosse successo in Italia quello che e' successo in Cecenia, non uno dei
monumenti che adornano questo paese esisterebbe ancora. Polvere e
rovine lo coprirebbero. Niente piu' Venezia, niente piu' Roma e Firenze
e Palermo. Niente Tiziano ne' Michelangelo. Niente Posillipo e lago
Maggiore. Le case violate, gli uomini rastrellati e torturati. Chiesto
un riscatto ai parenti dei rapiti, solo per riottenerli cadaveri. Donne
stuprate e assassinate dai mercenari occupanti, o abbandonate alla
vergogna pubblica: e poi uccise dai loro parenti, o ricattate dal
cinismo dei signori della guerra per tramutarsi in bombe umane. Dal
fango dei campi di profughi, dal fondo delle fosse a cielo aperto in
cui vengono
gettati, legati fra loro, i prigionieri, chiamerei al soccorso i
governanti dei paesi civili. I governanti dei paesi civili
esprimerebbero la loro comprensione per la persecuzione genocida di cui
sono bersaglio.
In nome della guerra al terrorismo, si farebbero complici della guerra
terrorista. Desidererei solo di morire, chiederei al mio cielo oscurato
la giustizia e la vendetta che la terra mi nega.
Sentii da un vecchio ceceno, uno di quei vecchi caucasici dalla
leggendaria longevita' -invece sono solo i superstiti di un genocidio-
dalla circassa chiara e la sciapka di astrakhan, uno che i giovani
additavano mormorando: «Non sai quanti russi ha ammazzato!», gli sentii
dire:
«I ceceni sono stati creati da Dio per stare come un moscerino
nell'occhio della Russia».
Guerriero lui, guerriero il suo moscerino. Noi cittadini non violenti
dell'Europa dobbiamo stare come un moscerino non
violento nell'occhio dei capi russi, ubriachi della propria
brutalita' . Il Caucaso e' in Europa. L'Europa vi nacque. E' li' che
l'aquila squarcia ogni giorno le carni del Prometeo incatenato. La
Russia perde l'anima in Cecenia. L'Europa vende l'anima alla Russia.
Oggi, a sessant'anni dalla deportazione staliniana di ceceni e ingusci,
in tante citta' del mondo persone manifestano. Dicono che sono venute
a conoscenza di quel genocidio, e che vogliono farlo sapere agli altri.
E che sono venute a conoscenza del tentato genocidio degli ultimi dieci
anni. Che sono scandalizzate da una guerra ripugnante, e da una
risposta terrorista disperata e infame. Che la loro Europa si sente
responsabile di quel lembo d'Europa. Che soffre e si vergogna per le
sofferenze indicibili di quel popolo. Che la gente cecena e' al bivio
fra un occidente che non e' se non l'Europa, e l'oriente distorto del
fanatismo islamista. Che la
comunita' internazionale deve esigere dalla Russia il rispetto per i
diritti umani, e per il diritto -e il rispetto di se'; e deve
rivendicare una tutela delle Nazioni Unite su una terra e una gente
destinate a devastazione umiliazione e morte. Si manifesta per questo a
Roma, davanti a Palazzo Chigi, oggi pomeriggio, alle 17,30. Ho seguito
lo sciopero della fame di Olivier Dupuis, dura dal 18 gennaio, e'
arrivato al punto in cui
e' giusto allarmarsi. Ha ottenuto molto, gli chiedo fermamente di
smettere oggi: per la discussione al Parlamento europeo del 26 e' gia'
abbastanza scheletrico. Lui sa che, se fosse utile, ci sono altri
pronti a dargli il cambio. E' importante che i Ds abbiano aderito
pienamente alla manifestazione di oggi e ai suoi obiettivi. Andateci,
voi che vi opponete alle guerre senza se e ma, e voi che vi opponete
alle guerre coi se e coi ma. La' e' il fondo del pozzo. Chi si affacci
al bordo di quel pozzo, non
trovera' pretesti per dissentire. Qualcuno ci vada anche per me, per
favore. Non esito a chiederlo. Dopo si sentira' meglio.
--- COMMENTO ---
Ovviamente nessuno rispondera' a questo grande intellettuale
vittima di un sistema che pero' ora lo vorrebbe laicamente santificare.
Sarebbe bello poter ricordare a costui che le terribili deportazioni
del 1944 non furono un caso. Il 1944 non e' stato un anno come tanti
altri, ed il popolo dell'Unione delle Repubbliche Socialiste Sovietiche
non era libero di procedere nella costruzione del proprio paese ma,
come accadeva, per esempio, a Londra v'era un comune banale dettaglio:
l'aggressione delle truppe nazi-fasciste!
Il dettaglio piu' importante ma ovviamente dimenticato e' che il popolo
dell'URSS era sottoposto ad una devastante guerra che aveva un duplice
obbiettivo: annientare l'URSS come stato socialista e conquistarne le
riserve energetiche del Caucaso.
Ovviamente e' molto di moda dimenticare che senza la grandiosa
resistenza a Stalingrado dell'Armata Rossa i nazifascisti avrebbero
conquistato le ricchezze del Caucaso e forse avrebbero potuto vincere
la guerra. In tali condizioni ovviamente le nostre vite sarebbero ben
diverse.
Ma questo molti nobili intellettuali della nostrana "gauche caviar" lo
dimenticano.
In pochi ricordano che in quella devastante aggressione i
nazifascisti - per spezzare la diffusa resistenza popolare -
cominciarono a promettere terre a patrie a tutti i nazionalisti locali:
dalla Moldavia fino al Caucaso. Questo avvenne anche nella Jugoslavia:
vedi Croazia e Kosovo.
Nello scontro con i nazifascisti tutti i metodi usati hanno trovato la
l'ultima ragione nella difesa della liberta' e dell'uguaglianza di
tutti minacciate da Hitler, Mussolini e dal Giappone. Dresda ha avuto
un senso, ahime' anche Hiroshima e Nagasaki, e cosi' anche lo
sposatamento delle popolazioni aizzate dai nazi-fascisti.
Veniamo all'altroieri ed all'oggi:
Come mai nessuno ricorda quale degrado delle condizioni di vita si e'
avuto nella ex-URSS da quando l'unione e' stata disciolta?
Nel 90/91 tutti in occidente celebravano la fine di un "nemico" ma sono
stati i cittadini dell'URSS a pagare sulla loro pelle la vittoria degli
USA nella cosiddetta "guerra fredda": salari da fame, distruzione delle
sicurezze sociali.
Quella sconfitta per l'URSS ha radici lontane e motivazioni complesse,
pero' vi sono domande che sembrano poco "politically correct" ma che
sono centrali per capire quanto e' avvenuto e sta avvenendo.
Chi ha fomentato l'integralismo nell'Asia centrale negli anni 70/80?
Chi ha armato i cosiddetti "freedom fighter" dell'Afganistan?
...e li ha poi persino utilizzati in Bosnia-Herzegovina?
Non e' pche per caso dietro questi irredentismi ci sia qualche cosa
d'altro dal sapore antico ed... oleoso?
Come mai se uno prende la mappa delle "terre irredente" e la sovrappone
a quelle delle risorse energetiche e relative pipe-lines trova
sorpendenti coincidenze?
Non e' che qualcuno sta (da lungo tempo) giocando la carta
"nazionalista" che a suo tempo fu giocata dai nazifascisti?
C'e solo da augurasi che i popoli dell'URSS si ritrovino
nuovamente uniti contro i nuovi barbari ed il loro veleno nazionalista.
Luca
PS:
Scorrendo la rete ed i giornali (letti molto attentamente) si puo'
osservare che tutto l'insieme di organizzazioni che a fine anni Ottanta
si sono prodigate per la scientifica destabilizzazione della Repubbilca
Socialista Federativa di Jugoslavia e che hanno poi fomentato e
fomentano il nazionalismo integralista della Cecenia, ultimamente si
stanno impegnando nel tentativo di destabilizzare il Tibet, il sud-est
della Cina e - dulcis in fundo - la Repubblica del Viet Nam. Ovviamente
il tutto viene artatamente mistificato da varie ONG e "battaglie per la
democrazia", e nessuno osa parlare di tali iniziative.
La mancanza di attenzione fa si che la spudoratezza raggiunga livelli
assolutamente incredibili. In Viet Nam, queste organizzazioni stanno
collegandosi apertamente con tutti gli ex-collaborazionisti degli
invasori francesi prima ed amiricani poi.
Che dire?
C'e' da augurarsi che questi loschi figuri vengano trattati come lo
furono gli altri invasori in passato, e cosi' facciano la fine degli
americani che nell'aprile 1975 fuggirono da Ho Chi Minh Ville (allora
Saigon) attaccandosi ai sostegni degli elicotteri...
SE ADRIANO SOFRI FOSSE NATO IN CECENIA...
DA FAMIGLIA DI LINGUA RUSSA, PER ESEMPIO
Le puntate precedenti su:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2069
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2010
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2647
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/2650
Vedi anche il commento di Fulvio Grimaldi
IL RATTO GLORIFICATO su:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3191
---
Se fossi nato in Cecenia
di Adriano Sofri
Che cosa dire, come dirlo, per far si' che le persone vogliano
figurarsi che cosa succede in Cecenia? Che vi si immedesimino per un
momento, e se ne spaventino a morte?
La Cecenia e' grande come l'Abruzzo e il Molise. Prima delle due guerre
dell'ultimo decennio, aveva piu' o meno un milione di persone. Sono
morte fra un quinto e un quarto. In percentuale, e' come se fossero
morte nell'Abruzzo e nel Molise 350-450 mila persone. Oppure, se in
Italia negli ultimi dieci anni fossero venute due guerre come quelle
russe in Cecenia, in proporzione sarebbero morte 13 milioni di persone
circa, e una ventina di milioni sarebbero andati profughi all'estero.
Io compiro' 62 anni l'estate prossima. Se fossi nato in Cecenia, invece
che in Italia, sarei stato deportato in Kazakistan con tutta la mia
nazione, il 23 febbraio del 1944. Avrei viaggiato in un treno bestiame,
a un anno e mezzo, con un fratello di sette anni. Uno su tre mori' in
quel viaggio. Dunque se fossi stato deportato coi miei genitori almeno
uno di noi quattro sarebbe morto. Se fossi morto io -il piu' debole- e
fossero sopravvissuti i miei genitori, la mia cara sorella, che ha tre
anni meno di me, sarebbe nata in Kazakistan, e avrebbe visto il cielo
del Caucaso solo dopo aver compiuto dodici anni. Pero' a questo punto
almeno un altro membro della mia famiglia sarebbe morto. Dei figli
miei, di mio fratello e di mia sorella, uno su tre sarebbe morto negli
ultimi dieci anni.
La Russia ha una popolazione di quasi 150 milioni di persone. E' un
grande paese, molto triste. Si e' saputo in questi giorni che vi
muoiono 170 persone per ogni 100 nuovi nati. La speranza di vita media
per gli uomini maschi e' di 58 anni, di 71 per le donne. In Italia e'
di 77 anni per i maschi, di 83 per le donne. La Russia occupa con un
esercito di centomila armati -ma e' arrivata ad averne molte volte di
piu' - una sua (la
rivendica come propria, infatti) repubblica di 700.000 abitanti si e no.
E' come se l'Italia occupasse il Molise con un esercito italiano di
50.000 armati.
Se fossi nato in Cecenia e non in Italia, il mio cielo sarebbe nero del
fumo delle citta' e dei villaggi bruciati. La mia terra sarebbe nera
di fango, petrolio, bombe e cingoli. Rosse di sangue, terra e cielo. Se
fosse successo in Italia quello che e' successo in Cecenia, non uno dei
monumenti che adornano questo paese esisterebbe ancora. Polvere e
rovine lo coprirebbero. Niente piu' Venezia, niente piu' Roma e Firenze
e Palermo. Niente Tiziano ne' Michelangelo. Niente Posillipo e lago
Maggiore. Le case violate, gli uomini rastrellati e torturati. Chiesto
un riscatto ai parenti dei rapiti, solo per riottenerli cadaveri. Donne
stuprate e assassinate dai mercenari occupanti, o abbandonate alla
vergogna pubblica: e poi uccise dai loro parenti, o ricattate dal
cinismo dei signori della guerra per tramutarsi in bombe umane. Dal
fango dei campi di profughi, dal fondo delle fosse a cielo aperto in
cui vengono
gettati, legati fra loro, i prigionieri, chiamerei al soccorso i
governanti dei paesi civili. I governanti dei paesi civili
esprimerebbero la loro comprensione per la persecuzione genocida di cui
sono bersaglio.
In nome della guerra al terrorismo, si farebbero complici della guerra
terrorista. Desidererei solo di morire, chiederei al mio cielo oscurato
la giustizia e la vendetta che la terra mi nega.
Sentii da un vecchio ceceno, uno di quei vecchi caucasici dalla
leggendaria longevita' -invece sono solo i superstiti di un genocidio-
dalla circassa chiara e la sciapka di astrakhan, uno che i giovani
additavano mormorando: «Non sai quanti russi ha ammazzato!», gli sentii
dire:
«I ceceni sono stati creati da Dio per stare come un moscerino
nell'occhio della Russia».
Guerriero lui, guerriero il suo moscerino. Noi cittadini non violenti
dell'Europa dobbiamo stare come un moscerino non
violento nell'occhio dei capi russi, ubriachi della propria
brutalita' . Il Caucaso e' in Europa. L'Europa vi nacque. E' li' che
l'aquila squarcia ogni giorno le carni del Prometeo incatenato. La
Russia perde l'anima in Cecenia. L'Europa vende l'anima alla Russia.
Oggi, a sessant'anni dalla deportazione staliniana di ceceni e ingusci,
in tante citta' del mondo persone manifestano. Dicono che sono venute
a conoscenza di quel genocidio, e che vogliono farlo sapere agli altri.
E che sono venute a conoscenza del tentato genocidio degli ultimi dieci
anni. Che sono scandalizzate da una guerra ripugnante, e da una
risposta terrorista disperata e infame. Che la loro Europa si sente
responsabile di quel lembo d'Europa. Che soffre e si vergogna per le
sofferenze indicibili di quel popolo. Che la gente cecena e' al bivio
fra un occidente che non e' se non l'Europa, e l'oriente distorto del
fanatismo islamista. Che la
comunita' internazionale deve esigere dalla Russia il rispetto per i
diritti umani, e per il diritto -e il rispetto di se'; e deve
rivendicare una tutela delle Nazioni Unite su una terra e una gente
destinate a devastazione umiliazione e morte. Si manifesta per questo a
Roma, davanti a Palazzo Chigi, oggi pomeriggio, alle 17,30. Ho seguito
lo sciopero della fame di Olivier Dupuis, dura dal 18 gennaio, e'
arrivato al punto in cui
e' giusto allarmarsi. Ha ottenuto molto, gli chiedo fermamente di
smettere oggi: per la discussione al Parlamento europeo del 26 e' gia'
abbastanza scheletrico. Lui sa che, se fosse utile, ci sono altri
pronti a dargli il cambio. E' importante che i Ds abbiano aderito
pienamente alla manifestazione di oggi e ai suoi obiettivi. Andateci,
voi che vi opponete alle guerre senza se e ma, e voi che vi opponete
alle guerre coi se e coi ma. La' e' il fondo del pozzo. Chi si affacci
al bordo di quel pozzo, non
trovera' pretesti per dissentire. Qualcuno ci vada anche per me, per
favore. Non esito a chiederlo. Dopo si sentira' meglio.
--- COMMENTO ---
Ovviamente nessuno rispondera' a questo grande intellettuale
vittima di un sistema che pero' ora lo vorrebbe laicamente santificare.
Sarebbe bello poter ricordare a costui che le terribili deportazioni
del 1944 non furono un caso. Il 1944 non e' stato un anno come tanti
altri, ed il popolo dell'Unione delle Repubbliche Socialiste Sovietiche
non era libero di procedere nella costruzione del proprio paese ma,
come accadeva, per esempio, a Londra v'era un comune banale dettaglio:
l'aggressione delle truppe nazi-fasciste!
Il dettaglio piu' importante ma ovviamente dimenticato e' che il popolo
dell'URSS era sottoposto ad una devastante guerra che aveva un duplice
obbiettivo: annientare l'URSS come stato socialista e conquistarne le
riserve energetiche del Caucaso.
Ovviamente e' molto di moda dimenticare che senza la grandiosa
resistenza a Stalingrado dell'Armata Rossa i nazifascisti avrebbero
conquistato le ricchezze del Caucaso e forse avrebbero potuto vincere
la guerra. In tali condizioni ovviamente le nostre vite sarebbero ben
diverse.
Ma questo molti nobili intellettuali della nostrana "gauche caviar" lo
dimenticano.
In pochi ricordano che in quella devastante aggressione i
nazifascisti - per spezzare la diffusa resistenza popolare -
cominciarono a promettere terre a patrie a tutti i nazionalisti locali:
dalla Moldavia fino al Caucaso. Questo avvenne anche nella Jugoslavia:
vedi Croazia e Kosovo.
Nello scontro con i nazifascisti tutti i metodi usati hanno trovato la
l'ultima ragione nella difesa della liberta' e dell'uguaglianza di
tutti minacciate da Hitler, Mussolini e dal Giappone. Dresda ha avuto
un senso, ahime' anche Hiroshima e Nagasaki, e cosi' anche lo
sposatamento delle popolazioni aizzate dai nazi-fascisti.
Veniamo all'altroieri ed all'oggi:
Come mai nessuno ricorda quale degrado delle condizioni di vita si e'
avuto nella ex-URSS da quando l'unione e' stata disciolta?
Nel 90/91 tutti in occidente celebravano la fine di un "nemico" ma sono
stati i cittadini dell'URSS a pagare sulla loro pelle la vittoria degli
USA nella cosiddetta "guerra fredda": salari da fame, distruzione delle
sicurezze sociali.
Quella sconfitta per l'URSS ha radici lontane e motivazioni complesse,
pero' vi sono domande che sembrano poco "politically correct" ma che
sono centrali per capire quanto e' avvenuto e sta avvenendo.
Chi ha fomentato l'integralismo nell'Asia centrale negli anni 70/80?
Chi ha armato i cosiddetti "freedom fighter" dell'Afganistan?
...e li ha poi persino utilizzati in Bosnia-Herzegovina?
Non e' pche per caso dietro questi irredentismi ci sia qualche cosa
d'altro dal sapore antico ed... oleoso?
Come mai se uno prende la mappa delle "terre irredente" e la sovrappone
a quelle delle risorse energetiche e relative pipe-lines trova
sorpendenti coincidenze?
Non e' che qualcuno sta (da lungo tempo) giocando la carta
"nazionalista" che a suo tempo fu giocata dai nazifascisti?
C'e solo da augurasi che i popoli dell'URSS si ritrovino
nuovamente uniti contro i nuovi barbari ed il loro veleno nazionalista.
Luca
PS:
Scorrendo la rete ed i giornali (letti molto attentamente) si puo'
osservare che tutto l'insieme di organizzazioni che a fine anni Ottanta
si sono prodigate per la scientifica destabilizzazione della Repubbilca
Socialista Federativa di Jugoslavia e che hanno poi fomentato e
fomentano il nazionalismo integralista della Cecenia, ultimamente si
stanno impegnando nel tentativo di destabilizzare il Tibet, il sud-est
della Cina e - dulcis in fundo - la Repubblica del Viet Nam. Ovviamente
il tutto viene artatamente mistificato da varie ONG e "battaglie per la
democrazia", e nessuno osa parlare di tali iniziative.
La mancanza di attenzione fa si che la spudoratezza raggiunga livelli
assolutamente incredibili. In Viet Nam, queste organizzazioni stanno
collegandosi apertamente con tutti gli ex-collaborazionisti degli
invasori francesi prima ed amiricani poi.
Che dire?
C'e' da augurarsi che questi loschi figuri vengano trattati come lo
furono gli altri invasori in passato, e cosi' facciano la fine degli
americani che nell'aprile 1975 fuggirono da Ho Chi Minh Ville (allora
Saigon) attaccandosi ai sostegni degli elicotteri...
Ramsey Clark: Divide and Conquer. The Destruction of the Balkan
Federation by the United States and NATO
2 : Centuries of Balkan History Proclaim The Necessity Of Federation
To Prevent War
http://www.iacenter.org/yugo/divide&conquer.htm
http://www.icdsm.org/more/rclarkUN2.htm
---
PART ONE
Centuries of Balkan History Proclaim The Necessity Of Federation
To Prevent War.
I. Geography, History and Rich Mixtures Of Peoples,
Cultures and Religions Conspired To Create A Special Need For a
Federal Government Capable Of Assuring Peace, Equality and Justice
In The Balkans
The history of the Balkans over centuries has been
dominated by violent struggles of its many parts and peoples,
cultures and religions, for self-determination and independence
from foreign empires. The Ottoman Turks brought yet another alien
civilization to the Balkans beginning in the 14th century which
occupied large areas of the peninsula. For the next half
millennium it introduced a foreign culture in conflict with both
Orthodox Russia and western European civilizations that held sway
over the region. For the next half millennium the Ottoman Empire
both conspired and contended at various times with the British,
Austrian, Germany, Russia and French Empires for domination and
exploitation of the Balkans and the subjugation of its people.
The southern and western Balkans under Ottoman control
experienced near constant rebellion and violence during most of
the 19th century.
The Serbs, Greeks and others struggled for
independence, usually separately, but always aware of the plight
of each other. The Serbian uprising of 1804 began, as is often
the case, from a local conflict that sparked a full-scale war for
national liberation. The other Empires with interests in the region,
Russia, France, Great Britain and Austria, generally found their
opposition to national liberation greater than their opposition to
the Ottoman, or other Empires, much as the European and US empires
with interests in the Carribean opposed the slave rebellion in
Haiti in 1791 more than they opposed the other empires competing
for the wealth of the region. The spoils of rule are ended for
all empires when peoples theretofore subjugated establish their own
free and independent government.
In 1815, a second Serbian uprising against Ottoman
rule achieved limited autonomy in part of Serbia.
From 1812 through 1850 Muslims in Bosnia,
overwhelmingly Slavs whose forebears had converted to Islam,
revolted sporadically against the Ottoman Empire seeking to
maintain and expand the power and privilege they had gained under it.
From the seventeenth century until the end of World
War I in 1918, the Austrian Empire dominated the northern
Balkans. In the year 1848, Serbs and Croats joined Hungarians and
some other nations in political uprisings aimed at securing
national autonomy for their peoples but fearing the Ottoman, under the
protection of the Austrian Empire. The Russians invaded the region
to restore the status quo. At the same time, France invaded Italy
to prop up the western half of the Austrian Empire.
Thereafter the Austrians sought to crush Serbian and
Croatian aspirations for self determination by force. Among its
methods, Austria permitted Hungarian nobility to exploit the
Vojvodina region. Later it used Russia, and then Bismarck's new
German Empire as allies to gain southward expansion of its Empire
into the Balkans at the expense of the Turks.
In 1875 the Serbian national struggle for independence
spread into Bosnia and Herzegovina. Similar revolts occurred
among the Bulgarians and Romanians. In part to annex Romanian
lands as agreed to with the Austrians, Russia engaged the Ottoman
Empire in war in 1877.
With the defeat of the Ottoman Empire by Russia,
European powers divided rule over the Balkans among themselves in
the Congress of Berlin of 1878.
By an agreement between Britain Prime Minister
Benjamin Disraeli and German Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck, Austria
occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina where Serbs were a majority,
depriving them of self rule. To give an appearance of balance
after the subjugation of Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro were finally
given full independence, which they had largely exercised for some
years. To deter Serbia from any attempt to unite Serbs in one
country, a continuing concern of the empires, Bismarck, Disraeli
and the representatives of other world powers at the Congress of
Berlin agreed that Austrian troops should be stationed in the
Sandjak region dividing Serbia and Montenegro to assure continuing
political separation. In 1908, Austria annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The experience in the north of the Balkans, Slovenia
and Croatia, under the Austria-Hungarian Empire during the
centuries of Ottoman occupation in the Balkans had been little
better. The people suffered under foreign domination and
exploitation. The violence of several centuries had forced migrations
among the Balkans states with large populations of Serbs moving
into Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia. Croatians moved into Bosnia
and Hungarians moved into Vojvodina where they settled and lived,
some families for centuries, retaining most of their old ways and
loyalties. Many Croatians, Macedonians and Hungarians moved into
Serbia and thousands of Albanians from Kosovo relocated to Belgrade
and other cities in Serbia where their rights were protected.
To protect themselves from powerful neighbors and
internal strife, small Balkan States sought independence, economic
security and physical safety in coalitions.
In 1911, a loose Balkan League of Greece, Serbia,
Montenegro, and Bulgaria was formed to strengthen its members
against the declining Ottoman Empire.
The following year the First Balkan War broke out
between Turkey and members of the Balkan League which ended in
July 1913 in victory for the Balkan federation. At the conference
in London establishing the terms of peace, Britain and Austria
dominated decisions over new borders. Albania was made independent of
Turkey, which had long controlled it, but placed under
international control dominated by Britain and Austria.
A Second Balkan war followed from the terms of the
London conference in late 1913. Combatants were Bulgaria, Serbia,
Greece, Romania and Turkey. While the conflict was quickly
settled, tensions from it simmered until the outbreak of World War
I.
In 1914 Bosnian revolutionaries seeking separation
from Austria and to join Bosnia with Serbia assassinated Austrian
Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Austria declared war on Serbia
following the assassination of its Archduke and Crown Prince
Ferdinand. With Germany, Austria planned and carried out a deadly
assault on Serbia.
World War I was extremely violent for the Balkans, the
Serbs suffering more than 800,000 deaths resisting Austria and
Germany. Ivo Andrics' book The Bridge on the Drina remains an
invaluable portrayal of this history, centered in Bosnia from the
arrival of the Turks in the 14th Century to the end of World War I
and told from the perspective of all the peoples who lived in this
oppressed region.
II. The First Balkan Federation: 1919-1941
After World War I, it was clear that a federation of
peoples in the predominantly Slavic Balkans, however difficult to
achieve, was essential to a future of peace in the region and
beyond. No one understood this better than the people who lived
there.
The idea of a federation of South Slav nations had
existed since the end of the 18th Century. It was seen as a
necessary shield against domination by foreign empires fighting
over Balkans soil and bodies and the internal divisions caused by
such conflicts.
A consideration of the history of Yugoslav federation
since 1918 sheds light on the future course required for peace if
history is not to repeat itself once again in this beautiful,
tragic land.
The creation of a Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and
Slovenes in 1918 was a recognition of the necessity for unity
among the conflicting cultures, religions, histories, alliances
and antagonisms of societies within the region. The new union was
supported, if ineffectively, by the League of Nations, which understood
the importance of Balkan federation but was able to contribute
only modestly to its fragile struggle.
Nine difficult years of external pressures, internal
strife and dictatorial measures, were all too similar to the
insecure, painful and divisive experiences under the former
empires from Europe and Asia. Pressures from more powerful
neighbors like Italy and others seeking to dismember it, led the Balkan
Kingdom to enter into a treaty of friendship with France in 1927
in an effort to protect its sovereignty and unity. Growing
tensions culminated in the assassinations in the Parliament of
Croat member Stjepan Radic in 1928. Radic was head of the
Croatian Peasant Party.
In 1929, King Alexander changed the name of the
precarious and struggling nation to Yugoslavia (Nation of South
Slaves) and pressed for reforms in the division of power in order
to hold the ancient antagonistic sectors together.
In 1934 while on a state visit to France, King
Alexander and the Foreign Minister of France were assassinated in
Marseilles by a Macedonian with close connections to Ante Pavelic,
a Croat separatist associated with a Croatian paramilitary group
known as Ustashe, and with Italian and Hungarian authorities.
Thereafter, under King Alexander's cousin Regent Paul,
Yugoslavia was caught in the growing tensions between the European
Axis powers, Germany and Italy, and the principal Allies, Britain
and France.
Struggling to maintain its neutrality from the great
powers to no avail, the Yugoslavia entered into an alliance with
Czechoslovakia and Romania, called the Little Entente.
Because of proximity to the Axis powers and greater
coercive acts from them, the Yugoslavian government was forced to
align with the Axis nations and in March 1941 signed the
Tripartite Pact of the Axis. The next day, angry crowds and army
rebelled and established a new government, which renounced Yugoslavian
acceptance of the Tripartite agreement. Despite all these
difficulties, there was a federation and no war in the Balkans for
twenty-two years.
III. In April 1941, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria and Hungary
invaded, divided and occupied Yugoslavia. Slovenia was divided
between Italy and Germany. Germany occupied Serbia. Ante
Pavelic, head of the Ustashe, was placed in control of the independent
state of Croatia, which included all of Bosnia. Bulgaria occupied
Macedonia and part of Serbia. Hungary occupied Vojvodina.
Albania, controlled by Italy, divided Kosovo with Bulgaria.
Hundreds of thousands of Serbs were killed during the
war years, perhaps as many as a million. Some of the worst
atrocities of World War II were committed against Yugoslavia and
directed primarily at the Serbs.
The Croatian Ustashe fascists acting independently and
for the Nazis conducted assaults of liquidation against Serbs,
Jews and Romani or gypsy people. Their concentration camps, the
most infamous at Jasenovac, where as many as six hundred thousand
people died, were among the most vicious in Europe. Vladimir
Dedijer, an internationally respected Serbian writer and human rights
activist, compiled an important report on these atrocities and the
role the Catholic Church played.
Yugoslav Partisan resistance fighters, lead by Tito,
initially centered in Bosnia, waged effective attacks against
German forces and the Ustashe Croats from the mountainous areas of
the country. By 1944 they controlled much of Serbia and had
250,000 men under arms. Yugoslavia resistance was greater and
more effective than that of any other country overrun by the Nazis.
They joined Soviet armies as they approached from the east in the
summer of 1944 and took Belgrade in October of that year. US air
raids on Belgrade on Easter 1945 created lasting resentment. Only
the Nazi aerial bombardment of Belgrade in 1941 had been worse.
Two US planes were shot down over Yugoslavia in 1946 revealing the
continuing anger created by the Eastern assault and as an assertion
of independence.
The Yalta Conference, held among the USSR, the US and
Britain in February 1945, revealed continuing competing interests
in the Balkans and particular concerns of the British, and the
Yugoslavia borders with Italy and Austria. The British Foreign
Minister Anthony Eden expressed opposition to a Yugoslav-
Bulgarian pact or alliance that could have strengthened the
independence of the Balkans. The "Big Three" recognized Marshal
Tito, and called for the creation of a new government on an
agreement he had made. The new Yugoslavia reached out to provide
aid to Greece and Albania and reached out as well, to Bulgaria and
Romania, hoping to create a truly pan-Balkan federation later in
the 1940's.
IV. For Nearly Half a Century, Yugoslavia Progressed
Domestically and Internationally as a Federal Republic: 1945-1992
Arising from the ruins of World War II, Yugoslavia
demonstrated its ability to function effectively with its diverse
religions, histories, traditions, ambitions and interests. A
Federation of six Republics emerged before 1945. It adopted its
first Constitution in January 1946. The Constitution contained
affirmative provisions specifically protecting the three major
religions, assuring religious tolerance and minority rights. It
recognized the different natures and traditions of the six
republics and protected them even from federal interference,
striving for political balance to fulfill the different needs and
interests of its distinct parts and peoples. As early as 1946 and
1947, Yugoslavia discussed federation with Bulgaria, but Soviet
opposition prevented action.
In 1953, a new constitution achieved better balance
and incorporated progressive provisions including limitations on
the terms of office to two and assuring fidelity to the
constitution by empowering the Courts to invalidate legislation in
violation of the constitution.
Initially Yugoslavia appeared to be close to the
Soviet Union, but in 1948 the USSR attempted to overthrow its
government and expelled Yugoslavia from the Cominform, primarily
because of its aggressive modernization of its industry and its
independent foreign policy. Yugoslavia never joined the Warsaw Treaty
Organization.
Thereafter Yugoslavia, despite its history and
location between contending powers, was successful in pursuing an
independent course between pressures from the East and West,
primarily the US and the USSR. President Tito was courted by and
visited both countries.
Yugoslavia provided important leadership in the
Non-Aligned Movement, which helped maintain some balance during
the Cold War and avoid conflicts which wracked countries in
Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. The movement was an
important symbol of the possibility of independence for smaller nations
from foreign militarism, interference in domestic affairs and
economic exploitation.
As the economic collapse of the USSR and its Eastern
European bloc approached in the late 1980's, Yugoslavia was in the
strongest political and economic position of all the Slavic
countries and expected to flourish free of Cold War pressures.
But the United States and other interests were already working for
regime change and the dismemberment of Yugoslavia. The US began
exerting its influence and providing aid for separation in
Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia. Other European
governments, especially Germany, supported and aided the US
actions.
Foreign influences seeking geopolitical and economic
advantage and no longer confronted by the opposing force of the
USSR, fed old prejudices and ambitions for the fragmentation of
the federation. When Yugoslavia was finally free of cold war
pressure, secessionist movements fostered by powerful foreign
governments, primarily the US, achieved its second dismemberment.
Regime change in Serbia itself was a major ideological motivation
of the US. A socialist government would not be permitted to
survive, however benevolent and flexible its economic and foreign
policies.
V. The UN Should Act Now to Assist in Planning the
Creation of A Federation for the Balkans and Neighboring States.
If the lessons of history are learned, a federation
including Balkan nations will be understood as essential to peace
and prosperity in the area. The General Assembly should assist in
developing plans and support for federations working with the
European Union and nations in the Balkans and adjacent areas.
The European Union has already considered proposals
for a Western Balkans union to include the former republics of
Yugoslavia, except Slovenia, and including Albania. It is
important for such proposals to be developed with all the nations
in the area participating.
The overview of the General Assembly is important to
help find the ideal form of federation and membership and provide
resources to accomplish the purpose. NATO members participated in
the second dismemberment of Yugoslavia and retained economic and
other interests in the region. A new federation including Balkan
nations must not become a southern ghetto for Europe's poorest, but a
free, vital and prosperous part of the world community.
Accountability for the tragedy of the violent
dismemberment of Yugoslavia and stability and prosperity in the
region requires UN guidance and support for the ideal federation
for the peoples of the Balkans.
Federation by the United States and NATO
2 : Centuries of Balkan History Proclaim The Necessity Of Federation
To Prevent War
http://www.iacenter.org/yugo/divide&conquer.htm
http://www.icdsm.org/more/rclarkUN2.htm
---
PART ONE
Centuries of Balkan History Proclaim The Necessity Of Federation
To Prevent War.
I. Geography, History and Rich Mixtures Of Peoples,
Cultures and Religions Conspired To Create A Special Need For a
Federal Government Capable Of Assuring Peace, Equality and Justice
In The Balkans
The history of the Balkans over centuries has been
dominated by violent struggles of its many parts and peoples,
cultures and religions, for self-determination and independence
from foreign empires. The Ottoman Turks brought yet another alien
civilization to the Balkans beginning in the 14th century which
occupied large areas of the peninsula. For the next half
millennium it introduced a foreign culture in conflict with both
Orthodox Russia and western European civilizations that held sway
over the region. For the next half millennium the Ottoman Empire
both conspired and contended at various times with the British,
Austrian, Germany, Russia and French Empires for domination and
exploitation of the Balkans and the subjugation of its people.
The southern and western Balkans under Ottoman control
experienced near constant rebellion and violence during most of
the 19th century.
The Serbs, Greeks and others struggled for
independence, usually separately, but always aware of the plight
of each other. The Serbian uprising of 1804 began, as is often
the case, from a local conflict that sparked a full-scale war for
national liberation. The other Empires with interests in the region,
Russia, France, Great Britain and Austria, generally found their
opposition to national liberation greater than their opposition to
the Ottoman, or other Empires, much as the European and US empires
with interests in the Carribean opposed the slave rebellion in
Haiti in 1791 more than they opposed the other empires competing
for the wealth of the region. The spoils of rule are ended for
all empires when peoples theretofore subjugated establish their own
free and independent government.
In 1815, a second Serbian uprising against Ottoman
rule achieved limited autonomy in part of Serbia.
From 1812 through 1850 Muslims in Bosnia,
overwhelmingly Slavs whose forebears had converted to Islam,
revolted sporadically against the Ottoman Empire seeking to
maintain and expand the power and privilege they had gained under it.
From the seventeenth century until the end of World
War I in 1918, the Austrian Empire dominated the northern
Balkans. In the year 1848, Serbs and Croats joined Hungarians and
some other nations in political uprisings aimed at securing
national autonomy for their peoples but fearing the Ottoman, under the
protection of the Austrian Empire. The Russians invaded the region
to restore the status quo. At the same time, France invaded Italy
to prop up the western half of the Austrian Empire.
Thereafter the Austrians sought to crush Serbian and
Croatian aspirations for self determination by force. Among its
methods, Austria permitted Hungarian nobility to exploit the
Vojvodina region. Later it used Russia, and then Bismarck's new
German Empire as allies to gain southward expansion of its Empire
into the Balkans at the expense of the Turks.
In 1875 the Serbian national struggle for independence
spread into Bosnia and Herzegovina. Similar revolts occurred
among the Bulgarians and Romanians. In part to annex Romanian
lands as agreed to with the Austrians, Russia engaged the Ottoman
Empire in war in 1877.
With the defeat of the Ottoman Empire by Russia,
European powers divided rule over the Balkans among themselves in
the Congress of Berlin of 1878.
By an agreement between Britain Prime Minister
Benjamin Disraeli and German Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck, Austria
occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina where Serbs were a majority,
depriving them of self rule. To give an appearance of balance
after the subjugation of Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro were finally
given full independence, which they had largely exercised for some
years. To deter Serbia from any attempt to unite Serbs in one
country, a continuing concern of the empires, Bismarck, Disraeli
and the representatives of other world powers at the Congress of
Berlin agreed that Austrian troops should be stationed in the
Sandjak region dividing Serbia and Montenegro to assure continuing
political separation. In 1908, Austria annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The experience in the north of the Balkans, Slovenia
and Croatia, under the Austria-Hungarian Empire during the
centuries of Ottoman occupation in the Balkans had been little
better. The people suffered under foreign domination and
exploitation. The violence of several centuries had forced migrations
among the Balkans states with large populations of Serbs moving
into Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia. Croatians moved into Bosnia
and Hungarians moved into Vojvodina where they settled and lived,
some families for centuries, retaining most of their old ways and
loyalties. Many Croatians, Macedonians and Hungarians moved into
Serbia and thousands of Albanians from Kosovo relocated to Belgrade
and other cities in Serbia where their rights were protected.
To protect themselves from powerful neighbors and
internal strife, small Balkan States sought independence, economic
security and physical safety in coalitions.
In 1911, a loose Balkan League of Greece, Serbia,
Montenegro, and Bulgaria was formed to strengthen its members
against the declining Ottoman Empire.
The following year the First Balkan War broke out
between Turkey and members of the Balkan League which ended in
July 1913 in victory for the Balkan federation. At the conference
in London establishing the terms of peace, Britain and Austria
dominated decisions over new borders. Albania was made independent of
Turkey, which had long controlled it, but placed under
international control dominated by Britain and Austria.
A Second Balkan war followed from the terms of the
London conference in late 1913. Combatants were Bulgaria, Serbia,
Greece, Romania and Turkey. While the conflict was quickly
settled, tensions from it simmered until the outbreak of World War
I.
In 1914 Bosnian revolutionaries seeking separation
from Austria and to join Bosnia with Serbia assassinated Austrian
Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Austria declared war on Serbia
following the assassination of its Archduke and Crown Prince
Ferdinand. With Germany, Austria planned and carried out a deadly
assault on Serbia.
World War I was extremely violent for the Balkans, the
Serbs suffering more than 800,000 deaths resisting Austria and
Germany. Ivo Andrics' book The Bridge on the Drina remains an
invaluable portrayal of this history, centered in Bosnia from the
arrival of the Turks in the 14th Century to the end of World War I
and told from the perspective of all the peoples who lived in this
oppressed region.
II. The First Balkan Federation: 1919-1941
After World War I, it was clear that a federation of
peoples in the predominantly Slavic Balkans, however difficult to
achieve, was essential to a future of peace in the region and
beyond. No one understood this better than the people who lived
there.
The idea of a federation of South Slav nations had
existed since the end of the 18th Century. It was seen as a
necessary shield against domination by foreign empires fighting
over Balkans soil and bodies and the internal divisions caused by
such conflicts.
A consideration of the history of Yugoslav federation
since 1918 sheds light on the future course required for peace if
history is not to repeat itself once again in this beautiful,
tragic land.
The creation of a Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and
Slovenes in 1918 was a recognition of the necessity for unity
among the conflicting cultures, religions, histories, alliances
and antagonisms of societies within the region. The new union was
supported, if ineffectively, by the League of Nations, which understood
the importance of Balkan federation but was able to contribute
only modestly to its fragile struggle.
Nine difficult years of external pressures, internal
strife and dictatorial measures, were all too similar to the
insecure, painful and divisive experiences under the former
empires from Europe and Asia. Pressures from more powerful
neighbors like Italy and others seeking to dismember it, led the Balkan
Kingdom to enter into a treaty of friendship with France in 1927
in an effort to protect its sovereignty and unity. Growing
tensions culminated in the assassinations in the Parliament of
Croat member Stjepan Radic in 1928. Radic was head of the
Croatian Peasant Party.
In 1929, King Alexander changed the name of the
precarious and struggling nation to Yugoslavia (Nation of South
Slaves) and pressed for reforms in the division of power in order
to hold the ancient antagonistic sectors together.
In 1934 while on a state visit to France, King
Alexander and the Foreign Minister of France were assassinated in
Marseilles by a Macedonian with close connections to Ante Pavelic,
a Croat separatist associated with a Croatian paramilitary group
known as Ustashe, and with Italian and Hungarian authorities.
Thereafter, under King Alexander's cousin Regent Paul,
Yugoslavia was caught in the growing tensions between the European
Axis powers, Germany and Italy, and the principal Allies, Britain
and France.
Struggling to maintain its neutrality from the great
powers to no avail, the Yugoslavia entered into an alliance with
Czechoslovakia and Romania, called the Little Entente.
Because of proximity to the Axis powers and greater
coercive acts from them, the Yugoslavian government was forced to
align with the Axis nations and in March 1941 signed the
Tripartite Pact of the Axis. The next day, angry crowds and army
rebelled and established a new government, which renounced Yugoslavian
acceptance of the Tripartite agreement. Despite all these
difficulties, there was a federation and no war in the Balkans for
twenty-two years.
III. In April 1941, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria and Hungary
invaded, divided and occupied Yugoslavia. Slovenia was divided
between Italy and Germany. Germany occupied Serbia. Ante
Pavelic, head of the Ustashe, was placed in control of the independent
state of Croatia, which included all of Bosnia. Bulgaria occupied
Macedonia and part of Serbia. Hungary occupied Vojvodina.
Albania, controlled by Italy, divided Kosovo with Bulgaria.
Hundreds of thousands of Serbs were killed during the
war years, perhaps as many as a million. Some of the worst
atrocities of World War II were committed against Yugoslavia and
directed primarily at the Serbs.
The Croatian Ustashe fascists acting independently and
for the Nazis conducted assaults of liquidation against Serbs,
Jews and Romani or gypsy people. Their concentration camps, the
most infamous at Jasenovac, where as many as six hundred thousand
people died, were among the most vicious in Europe. Vladimir
Dedijer, an internationally respected Serbian writer and human rights
activist, compiled an important report on these atrocities and the
role the Catholic Church played.
Yugoslav Partisan resistance fighters, lead by Tito,
initially centered in Bosnia, waged effective attacks against
German forces and the Ustashe Croats from the mountainous areas of
the country. By 1944 they controlled much of Serbia and had
250,000 men under arms. Yugoslavia resistance was greater and
more effective than that of any other country overrun by the Nazis.
They joined Soviet armies as they approached from the east in the
summer of 1944 and took Belgrade in October of that year. US air
raids on Belgrade on Easter 1945 created lasting resentment. Only
the Nazi aerial bombardment of Belgrade in 1941 had been worse.
Two US planes were shot down over Yugoslavia in 1946 revealing the
continuing anger created by the Eastern assault and as an assertion
of independence.
The Yalta Conference, held among the USSR, the US and
Britain in February 1945, revealed continuing competing interests
in the Balkans and particular concerns of the British, and the
Yugoslavia borders with Italy and Austria. The British Foreign
Minister Anthony Eden expressed opposition to a Yugoslav-
Bulgarian pact or alliance that could have strengthened the
independence of the Balkans. The "Big Three" recognized Marshal
Tito, and called for the creation of a new government on an
agreement he had made. The new Yugoslavia reached out to provide
aid to Greece and Albania and reached out as well, to Bulgaria and
Romania, hoping to create a truly pan-Balkan federation later in
the 1940's.
IV. For Nearly Half a Century, Yugoslavia Progressed
Domestically and Internationally as a Federal Republic: 1945-1992
Arising from the ruins of World War II, Yugoslavia
demonstrated its ability to function effectively with its diverse
religions, histories, traditions, ambitions and interests. A
Federation of six Republics emerged before 1945. It adopted its
first Constitution in January 1946. The Constitution contained
affirmative provisions specifically protecting the three major
religions, assuring religious tolerance and minority rights. It
recognized the different natures and traditions of the six
republics and protected them even from federal interference,
striving for political balance to fulfill the different needs and
interests of its distinct parts and peoples. As early as 1946 and
1947, Yugoslavia discussed federation with Bulgaria, but Soviet
opposition prevented action.
In 1953, a new constitution achieved better balance
and incorporated progressive provisions including limitations on
the terms of office to two and assuring fidelity to the
constitution by empowering the Courts to invalidate legislation in
violation of the constitution.
Initially Yugoslavia appeared to be close to the
Soviet Union, but in 1948 the USSR attempted to overthrow its
government and expelled Yugoslavia from the Cominform, primarily
because of its aggressive modernization of its industry and its
independent foreign policy. Yugoslavia never joined the Warsaw Treaty
Organization.
Thereafter Yugoslavia, despite its history and
location between contending powers, was successful in pursuing an
independent course between pressures from the East and West,
primarily the US and the USSR. President Tito was courted by and
visited both countries.
Yugoslavia provided important leadership in the
Non-Aligned Movement, which helped maintain some balance during
the Cold War and avoid conflicts which wracked countries in
Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. The movement was an
important symbol of the possibility of independence for smaller nations
from foreign militarism, interference in domestic affairs and
economic exploitation.
As the economic collapse of the USSR and its Eastern
European bloc approached in the late 1980's, Yugoslavia was in the
strongest political and economic position of all the Slavic
countries and expected to flourish free of Cold War pressures.
But the United States and other interests were already working for
regime change and the dismemberment of Yugoslavia. The US began
exerting its influence and providing aid for separation in
Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia. Other European
governments, especially Germany, supported and aided the US
actions.
Foreign influences seeking geopolitical and economic
advantage and no longer confronted by the opposing force of the
USSR, fed old prejudices and ambitions for the fragmentation of
the federation. When Yugoslavia was finally free of cold war
pressure, secessionist movements fostered by powerful foreign
governments, primarily the US, achieved its second dismemberment.
Regime change in Serbia itself was a major ideological motivation
of the US. A socialist government would not be permitted to
survive, however benevolent and flexible its economic and foreign
policies.
V. The UN Should Act Now to Assist in Planning the
Creation of A Federation for the Balkans and Neighboring States.
If the lessons of history are learned, a federation
including Balkan nations will be understood as essential to peace
and prosperity in the area. The General Assembly should assist in
developing plans and support for federations working with the
European Union and nations in the Balkans and adjacent areas.
The European Union has already considered proposals
for a Western Balkans union to include the former republics of
Yugoslavia, except Slovenia, and including Albania. It is
important for such proposals to be developed with all the nations
in the area participating.
The overview of the General Assembly is important to
help find the ideal form of federation and membership and provide
resources to accomplish the purpose. NATO members participated in
the second dismemberment of Yugoslavia and retained economic and
other interests in the region. A new federation including Balkan
nations must not become a southern ghetto for Europe's poorest, but a
free, vital and prosperous part of the world community.
Accountability for the tragedy of the violent
dismemberment of Yugoslavia and stability and prosperity in the
region requires UN guidance and support for the ideal federation
for the peoples of the Balkans.
Da: Italo Slavetti
A: MANTOVANI_R , GIORDANO_F , MASCIA_G , RUSSOSPENA_G ,
BERTINOTTI_F , VENDOLA_N , VALPIANA_T , DEIANA_E , DESIMONE_C ,
GIANNI_A , PISAPIA_G , l.malabarba , t.sodano , l.togni ,
lmorgantini , lvinci , gdilello , fbertinotti , europarlamento
Cc: jugocoord
Subject: Una provocazione contro il PRC?
Inviato: 10/02/2004 14:58
Ricevo e giro a mia volta questo incredibile documento.
Credo sia una provocazione contro il nostro partito.
Fraterni saluti,
Italo Slavetti
---
Il piccolo BUDDHINOTTI
Una proposta per il congresso
Bisogna andare avanti, il percorso ormai va portato fino in fondo!
Il nostro segretario ha indicato la via con allusioni e atti concreti
che solo ora svelano ai pochi illuminati il proprio significato.
Dopo essersi rifiutato di incontrare quel criminale di Tarek Aziz,
ha partecipato alla beatificazione del Dalai Lama e da allora
tutto è chiaro: non violenza assoluta e allontanamento dalla
finta realtà, per avvicinarsi allo zen in un percorso collettivo di
liberazione. Fantastico!
Ora dobbiamo compiere il passo successivo: introdurre nello
statuto il principio che la designazione del Segretario non debba più
avvenire con le vecchie forme elettive, appartenenti all'ormai superato
Novecento ma - innovando - per "reincarnazione".
Il nuovo Segretario deve essere sostituito dal "designato": la sua
reincarnazione. Solo così ci libereremo dal vecchio modo di fare
politica.
Mi rendo conto che potrei generare dissensi ma, come dice Fausto,
"quando una proposta è innovativa non ci può essere unanimità".
Piuttosto il problema serio è un altro: chi è il "designato"?
Il CPN, le Federazioni, i Giovani Comunisti, sono pieni di persone che
parlano come LUI, gesticolano come LUI, sognano come LUI.
Come faremo, allora?
Certo, non possiamo fare come i monaci tibetani, che nelle contese per
il "designato" se le danno nonviolentemente di santa ragione.
No, noi no!
Ma tutto questo lo risolveremo in qualche modo. Intanto, occorre fare
presto ed estendere questo ragionamento a tutti i livelli di gruppi
dirigenti.
Non sottovalutiamo Schifani: gli stalinisti sono ovunque!
IL BUDDHA RISIEDE NEI PETALI DI UN FIORE COME NELLA TASTIERA DI UNA
PLAY-STATION
Ps
Non mi firmo per paura: loro sono dappertutto...
A: MANTOVANI_R , GIORDANO_F , MASCIA_G , RUSSOSPENA_G ,
BERTINOTTI_F , VENDOLA_N , VALPIANA_T , DEIANA_E , DESIMONE_C ,
GIANNI_A , PISAPIA_G , l.malabarba , t.sodano , l.togni ,
lmorgantini , lvinci , gdilello , fbertinotti , europarlamento
Cc: jugocoord
Subject: Una provocazione contro il PRC?
Inviato: 10/02/2004 14:58
Ricevo e giro a mia volta questo incredibile documento.
Credo sia una provocazione contro il nostro partito.
Fraterni saluti,
Italo Slavetti
---
Il piccolo BUDDHINOTTI
Una proposta per il congresso
Bisogna andare avanti, il percorso ormai va portato fino in fondo!
Il nostro segretario ha indicato la via con allusioni e atti concreti
che solo ora svelano ai pochi illuminati il proprio significato.
Dopo essersi rifiutato di incontrare quel criminale di Tarek Aziz,
ha partecipato alla beatificazione del Dalai Lama e da allora
tutto è chiaro: non violenza assoluta e allontanamento dalla
finta realtà, per avvicinarsi allo zen in un percorso collettivo di
liberazione. Fantastico!
Ora dobbiamo compiere il passo successivo: introdurre nello
statuto il principio che la designazione del Segretario non debba più
avvenire con le vecchie forme elettive, appartenenti all'ormai superato
Novecento ma - innovando - per "reincarnazione".
Il nuovo Segretario deve essere sostituito dal "designato": la sua
reincarnazione. Solo così ci libereremo dal vecchio modo di fare
politica.
Mi rendo conto che potrei generare dissensi ma, come dice Fausto,
"quando una proposta è innovativa non ci può essere unanimità".
Piuttosto il problema serio è un altro: chi è il "designato"?
Il CPN, le Federazioni, i Giovani Comunisti, sono pieni di persone che
parlano come LUI, gesticolano come LUI, sognano come LUI.
Come faremo, allora?
Certo, non possiamo fare come i monaci tibetani, che nelle contese per
il "designato" se le danno nonviolentemente di santa ragione.
No, noi no!
Ma tutto questo lo risolveremo in qualche modo. Intanto, occorre fare
presto ed estendere questo ragionamento a tutti i livelli di gruppi
dirigenti.
Non sottovalutiamo Schifani: gli stalinisti sono ovunque!
IL BUDDHA RISIEDE NEI PETALI DI UN FIORE COME NELLA TASTIERA DI UNA
PLAY-STATION
Ps
Non mi firmo per paura: loro sono dappertutto...
Da: ICDSM Italia
Data: Mer 25 Feb 2004 11:32:24 Europe/Rome
A: Ova adresa el. pošte je zaštićena od spambotova. Omogućite JavaScript da biste je videli.
Oggetto: [icdsm-italia] Communique of the Russian National Committee to
Defend Slobodan Milosevic
http://www.icdsm.org/more/russia1202.htm
COMMUNIQUE OF THE RUSSIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE
TO DEFEND SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC
At The Hague, in the NATO’s “Tribunal” for the former Yugoslavia,
unscrupulous violence is continuing, not only against Slobodan
Milosevic but also against the very notion of international judiciary.
President Milosevic has been banned from contacting with the outside
world, once more and for another month’s extension, under the pretext
of him being able to influence the circumstances in Serbia. This is an
absurd pretence, because nobody has ever deprived President Milosevic
of his unalienable political rights. In accordance with the principle
of the presumption of innocence, he is innocent until a court has
proved otherwise.
In full view of everybody, the proceedings at The Hague are a fiasco on
account of the utter lack of any evidence to support the accusations
against Slobodan Milosevic. But this is precisely the reason why the
repression is intensifying. They are trying to bury him alive in
prison.
Already for more than three months the “Tribunal” has been blocking the
visits to President Milosevic by his friends, Party colleagues,
representatives of the organizations that support him. His telephone
contacts with the outside world have been banned. And the visitation
time for the members of his family, instead of 15 days a month as for
all other detainees, has stuck to three days – only for Slobodan
Milosevic, ever since the first day of his stay in prison.
And this is just a part of the measures that drastically abridge his
rights and that are not applied to other detainees. It is insufficient
for the “Tribunal” to make its own “rules” (which is otherwise in
contravention of the generally accepted principles of law), it even
breaks them by itself.
The grueling everyday court sessions have undermined the health of
Slobodan Milosevic. However, the “Tribunal” refuses to provide him with
medical treatment in a specialized clinic. The “Tribunal” covers up
information on the health condition of President Milosevic and it bans
the physicians visiting him from publishing the results of their
examinations. Recently, the proceedings were interrupted again because
of the illness of Slobodan Milosevic, but they have resumed before he
was restored to health. At the same time, a previous decision made at
the request of the physicians, to reduce the duration of the court
sittings, has been violated.
Soon President Milosevic will begin to present his case to accuse NATO
of war crimes. The “Tribunal” is doing everything to prevent him in
this. The huge bureaucratic machinery of the “Tribunal” (more than
1,000 people) took four years to write up hundreds of volumes of lies.
And Slobodan Milosevic is supposed to get prepared alone, in a prison
cell, with the tightest restrictions in contacting witnesses for the
Defense, in just three months in order to refute gigantic deposits of
slander presented.
We condemn the refusal of the “Tribunal” to allot Slobodan Milosevic
sufficient time to prepare his defense, as an open violation of
equality of arms principle in court proceedings and as an admission of
the “Tribunal” to being afraid of the Accused.
We most categorically condemn the continuation of keeping President
Milosevic in custody even after the Indictment ended in failure, as
well as the cruel measures that impose on him the isolation from the
outside world and represent a criminal threat to his health and his
life.
We call upon the UN and the organizations for the protection of human
rights and justice to get involved without delay, in order to prevent
settling up with a political prisoner. The institution operating at The
Hague is no international tribunal whatsoever – it is a lynch law.
We demand Slobodan Milosevic to be released forthwith, because the
accusations against him have failed to be proven. He should be
urgently provided with medical treatment in a specialized cardiology
clinic.
In Moscow, 12 February 2004
CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE
Alexander Zinoviev
---
STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM AND TRUTH ABOUT THE SERBIAN PEOPLE AND
YUGOSLAVIA IS IN THE CRUCIAL PHASE. NATO AND ITS SERVICES IN BELGRADE
AND THE HAGUE HAVE NO INTEREST TO SUPPORT IT.
SO IT TOTALLY DEPENDS ON YOU!
A SMALL TEAM OF PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC'S ASSISTANTS, WHICH IS BECOMING
INTERNATIONAL, HAS TO HAVE CONDITIONS TO WORK AT THE HAGUE IN THE TIME
OF INTENSIVE PREPARATIONS FOR THE FINAL PRESENTATION OF TRUTH AND
DURING THAT PRESENTATION.
TO DONATE, PLEASE CONTACT SLOBODA OR THE NEAREST ICDSM BRANCH, OR
find the instructions at:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/pomoc.htm
To join or help this struggle, visit:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/ (Sloboda/Freedom association)
http://www.icdsm.org/ (the international committee to defend
Slobodan Milosevic)
http://www.free-slobo.de/ (German section of ICDSM)
http://www.icdsm-us.org/ (US section of ICDSM)
http://www.icdsmireland.org/ (ICDSM Ireland)
http://www.wpc-in.org/ (world peace council)
http://www.geocities.com/b_antinato/ (Balkan antiNATO center)
==========================
ICDSM - Sezione Italiana
c/o GAMADI, Via L. Da Vinci 27
00043 Ciampino (Roma)
email: icdsm-italia@...
Conto Corrente Postale numero 86557006
intestato ad Adolfo Amoroso, ROMA
causale: DIFESA MILOSEVIC
Data: Mer 25 Feb 2004 11:32:24 Europe/Rome
A: Ova adresa el. pošte je zaštićena od spambotova. Omogućite JavaScript da biste je videli.
Oggetto: [icdsm-italia] Communique of the Russian National Committee to
Defend Slobodan Milosevic
http://www.icdsm.org/more/russia1202.htm
COMMUNIQUE OF THE RUSSIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE
TO DEFEND SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC
At The Hague, in the NATO’s “Tribunal” for the former Yugoslavia,
unscrupulous violence is continuing, not only against Slobodan
Milosevic but also against the very notion of international judiciary.
President Milosevic has been banned from contacting with the outside
world, once more and for another month’s extension, under the pretext
of him being able to influence the circumstances in Serbia. This is an
absurd pretence, because nobody has ever deprived President Milosevic
of his unalienable political rights. In accordance with the principle
of the presumption of innocence, he is innocent until a court has
proved otherwise.
In full view of everybody, the proceedings at The Hague are a fiasco on
account of the utter lack of any evidence to support the accusations
against Slobodan Milosevic. But this is precisely the reason why the
repression is intensifying. They are trying to bury him alive in
prison.
Already for more than three months the “Tribunal” has been blocking the
visits to President Milosevic by his friends, Party colleagues,
representatives of the organizations that support him. His telephone
contacts with the outside world have been banned. And the visitation
time for the members of his family, instead of 15 days a month as for
all other detainees, has stuck to three days – only for Slobodan
Milosevic, ever since the first day of his stay in prison.
And this is just a part of the measures that drastically abridge his
rights and that are not applied to other detainees. It is insufficient
for the “Tribunal” to make its own “rules” (which is otherwise in
contravention of the generally accepted principles of law), it even
breaks them by itself.
The grueling everyday court sessions have undermined the health of
Slobodan Milosevic. However, the “Tribunal” refuses to provide him with
medical treatment in a specialized clinic. The “Tribunal” covers up
information on the health condition of President Milosevic and it bans
the physicians visiting him from publishing the results of their
examinations. Recently, the proceedings were interrupted again because
of the illness of Slobodan Milosevic, but they have resumed before he
was restored to health. At the same time, a previous decision made at
the request of the physicians, to reduce the duration of the court
sittings, has been violated.
Soon President Milosevic will begin to present his case to accuse NATO
of war crimes. The “Tribunal” is doing everything to prevent him in
this. The huge bureaucratic machinery of the “Tribunal” (more than
1,000 people) took four years to write up hundreds of volumes of lies.
And Slobodan Milosevic is supposed to get prepared alone, in a prison
cell, with the tightest restrictions in contacting witnesses for the
Defense, in just three months in order to refute gigantic deposits of
slander presented.
We condemn the refusal of the “Tribunal” to allot Slobodan Milosevic
sufficient time to prepare his defense, as an open violation of
equality of arms principle in court proceedings and as an admission of
the “Tribunal” to being afraid of the Accused.
We most categorically condemn the continuation of keeping President
Milosevic in custody even after the Indictment ended in failure, as
well as the cruel measures that impose on him the isolation from the
outside world and represent a criminal threat to his health and his
life.
We call upon the UN and the organizations for the protection of human
rights and justice to get involved without delay, in order to prevent
settling up with a political prisoner. The institution operating at The
Hague is no international tribunal whatsoever – it is a lynch law.
We demand Slobodan Milosevic to be released forthwith, because the
accusations against him have failed to be proven. He should be
urgently provided with medical treatment in a specialized cardiology
clinic.
In Moscow, 12 February 2004
CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE
Alexander Zinoviev
---
STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM AND TRUTH ABOUT THE SERBIAN PEOPLE AND
YUGOSLAVIA IS IN THE CRUCIAL PHASE. NATO AND ITS SERVICES IN BELGRADE
AND THE HAGUE HAVE NO INTEREST TO SUPPORT IT.
SO IT TOTALLY DEPENDS ON YOU!
A SMALL TEAM OF PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC'S ASSISTANTS, WHICH IS BECOMING
INTERNATIONAL, HAS TO HAVE CONDITIONS TO WORK AT THE HAGUE IN THE TIME
OF INTENSIVE PREPARATIONS FOR THE FINAL PRESENTATION OF TRUTH AND
DURING THAT PRESENTATION.
TO DONATE, PLEASE CONTACT SLOBODA OR THE NEAREST ICDSM BRANCH, OR
find the instructions at:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/pomoc.htm
To join or help this struggle, visit:
http://www.sloboda.org.yu/ (Sloboda/Freedom association)
http://www.icdsm.org/ (the international committee to defend
Slobodan Milosevic)
http://www.free-slobo.de/ (German section of ICDSM)
http://www.icdsm-us.org/ (US section of ICDSM)
http://www.icdsmireland.org/ (ICDSM Ireland)
http://www.wpc-in.org/ (world peace council)
http://www.geocities.com/b_antinato/ (Balkan antiNATO center)
==========================
ICDSM - Sezione Italiana
c/o GAMADI, Via L. Da Vinci 27
00043 Ciampino (Roma)
email: icdsm-italia@...
Conto Corrente Postale numero 86557006
intestato ad Adolfo Amoroso, ROMA
causale: DIFESA MILOSEVIC
BEOGRADSKI FORUM
1. Saopstenje
2. Okrugli sto povodom pete godisnjice agresije NATO na SRJ
--- 1 ---
http://www.artel.co.yu/sr/reakcije_citalaca/2004-02-25_1.html
BEOGRADSKI FORUM ZA SVET RAVNOPRAVNIH
Beograd, 12. 02. 2004. godine
Saopstenje
Beogradski forum za svet ravnopravnih pokrece javnu raspravu o
nacionalnim i drzavnim prioritetima.
Imajuci u vidu dubinu krize u kojoj se nalazi nase drustvo i drzava,
Forum smatra da je o ovoj temi potrebna siroka drustvena rasprava, uz
ucesce najodgovornijih naucnih, kulturnih, duhovnih, drzavnih i drugih
institucija i pojedinaca. Utvrdjivanje najvaznijih nacionalnih i
drzavnih interesa i postizanje saglasnosti o tim prioritetima i nacinu
njihovog ostvarivanja sustinska je pretpostavka pokretanja procesa
izlaska iz krize.
Bez pretenzija da unapred odredjuje i rangira nacionalne i drzavne
prioritete, Beogradski forum uzima slobodu da pomene samo neke o kojima
je imao preliminarne razmene misljenja na sednicama Upravnog odbora i
Skupstine. To su - ocuvanje nacionalnog i drzavnog suvereniteta,
slobode i nezavisnosti, ocuvanje zajednicke drzave Srbije i Crne Gore,
jedinstvo Srbije sa Kosovom i Metohijom kao autonomnom pokrajinom,
nacionalno, duhovno i kulturno jedinstvo i identitet srpskog naroda,
zaustavljanje demografske erozije, uvazavanje interesa i snazenje veza
sa dijasporom, povratak izbeglica i raseljenih lica, dobrosusedstvo i
saradnja sa drugim zemljama i medjunarodnim organizacijama, ocuvanje
bezbednosti zemlje i ulazak u Evropske integracije sa medjunarodno
priznatim granicama, izgradnja savremenog parlamentarnog sistema i
demokratske drzave, privredni sistem zasnovan na trzisnoj privredi,
mesovitoj svojini i socijalnoj pravdi.
Javna rasprava pocinje odrzavanjem okruglog stola u subotu, 28.
februara 2004. godine, sa pocetkom u 10 casova, u Etnografskom muzeju u
Beogradu, Uzun Mirkova 1, sala u prizemlju.
Beogradski forum ima do sada vise prijavljenih ucesnika u raspravi, a
poziva i druge zainteresovane za ucesce da se prijave Sekretarijatu
Foruma.
Okrugli sto je otvoren za janost.
--- 2 ---
http://www.artel.co.yu/sr/reakcije_citalaca/2004-02-25.html
BEOGRADSKI FORUM: Okrugli sto povodom pete godisnjice agresije NATO na
SRJ
BEOGRADSKI FORUM ZA SVET RAVNOPRAVNIH
Beograd, 24. februar 2004. godine
Okrugli sto povodom pete godisnjice agresije NATO na SRJ
Povodom pete godisnjice pocetka agresije NATO na SR Jugoslaviju,
Beogradski forum za svet ravnopravnih organizuje okrugli sto o
uzrocima, ciljevima, povodima, karakteristikama i posledicama agresije.
Okrugli sto ce se odrzati u sredu, 24. marta 2004. godine, u Centralnom
domu Vojske SCG u Beogradu, sa pocetkom u 09:00 casova.
Uvodna izlaganja podnece afirmisani naucnici, strucnjaci i analiticari
iz zemlje i inostranstva - autori zapazenih knjiga i publikacija o
agresiji NATO.
U diskusiji mogu ucestvovati sve pozvane licnosti koje smatraju da mogu
doprineti celovitoj i objektivnoj analizi agresije, njenih ciljeva,
karakteristika i posledica na regionalnom i sirem medjunarodnom planu.
Cast nam je da vas pozovemo da prisustvujete i izmete ucesce u radu
ovog okruglog stola.
Pozeljno je da se pripreme pismena izlaganja cije citanje ne bi trajalo
duze od 10 minuta. To bi omogucilo da veci broj gostiju moze
ucestvovati u radu okruglog stola, a ujedno bi organizatoru olaksalo
pripremu i stampanje zbornika.
Zao nam je sto Beogradski forum, zbog finansijskih teskoca, nije u
mogucnosti da pokrije troskove ucesnika okruglog stola.
U nadi da cete se odazvati nasem pozivu, ostajemo
S postovanjem,
Predsednik Beogradskog foruma
Zivadin Jovanovic
---
BEOGRADSKI FORUM ZA SVET RAVNOPRAVNIH
11000 Beograd, MIsarska 6/II, Srbija i Crna Gora
Tel/Fax: (+381 11) 32435601
E-Mail: beoforum@...
www.belgrade-forum.org
1. Saopstenje
2. Okrugli sto povodom pete godisnjice agresije NATO na SRJ
--- 1 ---
http://www.artel.co.yu/sr/reakcije_citalaca/2004-02-25_1.html
BEOGRADSKI FORUM ZA SVET RAVNOPRAVNIH
Beograd, 12. 02. 2004. godine
Saopstenje
Beogradski forum za svet ravnopravnih pokrece javnu raspravu o
nacionalnim i drzavnim prioritetima.
Imajuci u vidu dubinu krize u kojoj se nalazi nase drustvo i drzava,
Forum smatra da je o ovoj temi potrebna siroka drustvena rasprava, uz
ucesce najodgovornijih naucnih, kulturnih, duhovnih, drzavnih i drugih
institucija i pojedinaca. Utvrdjivanje najvaznijih nacionalnih i
drzavnih interesa i postizanje saglasnosti o tim prioritetima i nacinu
njihovog ostvarivanja sustinska je pretpostavka pokretanja procesa
izlaska iz krize.
Bez pretenzija da unapred odredjuje i rangira nacionalne i drzavne
prioritete, Beogradski forum uzima slobodu da pomene samo neke o kojima
je imao preliminarne razmene misljenja na sednicama Upravnog odbora i
Skupstine. To su - ocuvanje nacionalnog i drzavnog suvereniteta,
slobode i nezavisnosti, ocuvanje zajednicke drzave Srbije i Crne Gore,
jedinstvo Srbije sa Kosovom i Metohijom kao autonomnom pokrajinom,
nacionalno, duhovno i kulturno jedinstvo i identitet srpskog naroda,
zaustavljanje demografske erozije, uvazavanje interesa i snazenje veza
sa dijasporom, povratak izbeglica i raseljenih lica, dobrosusedstvo i
saradnja sa drugim zemljama i medjunarodnim organizacijama, ocuvanje
bezbednosti zemlje i ulazak u Evropske integracije sa medjunarodno
priznatim granicama, izgradnja savremenog parlamentarnog sistema i
demokratske drzave, privredni sistem zasnovan na trzisnoj privredi,
mesovitoj svojini i socijalnoj pravdi.
Javna rasprava pocinje odrzavanjem okruglog stola u subotu, 28.
februara 2004. godine, sa pocetkom u 10 casova, u Etnografskom muzeju u
Beogradu, Uzun Mirkova 1, sala u prizemlju.
Beogradski forum ima do sada vise prijavljenih ucesnika u raspravi, a
poziva i druge zainteresovane za ucesce da se prijave Sekretarijatu
Foruma.
Okrugli sto je otvoren za janost.
--- 2 ---
http://www.artel.co.yu/sr/reakcije_citalaca/2004-02-25.html
BEOGRADSKI FORUM: Okrugli sto povodom pete godisnjice agresije NATO na
SRJ
BEOGRADSKI FORUM ZA SVET RAVNOPRAVNIH
Beograd, 24. februar 2004. godine
Okrugli sto povodom pete godisnjice agresije NATO na SRJ
Povodom pete godisnjice pocetka agresije NATO na SR Jugoslaviju,
Beogradski forum za svet ravnopravnih organizuje okrugli sto o
uzrocima, ciljevima, povodima, karakteristikama i posledicama agresije.
Okrugli sto ce se odrzati u sredu, 24. marta 2004. godine, u Centralnom
domu Vojske SCG u Beogradu, sa pocetkom u 09:00 casova.
Uvodna izlaganja podnece afirmisani naucnici, strucnjaci i analiticari
iz zemlje i inostranstva - autori zapazenih knjiga i publikacija o
agresiji NATO.
U diskusiji mogu ucestvovati sve pozvane licnosti koje smatraju da mogu
doprineti celovitoj i objektivnoj analizi agresije, njenih ciljeva,
karakteristika i posledica na regionalnom i sirem medjunarodnom planu.
Cast nam je da vas pozovemo da prisustvujete i izmete ucesce u radu
ovog okruglog stola.
Pozeljno je da se pripreme pismena izlaganja cije citanje ne bi trajalo
duze od 10 minuta. To bi omogucilo da veci broj gostiju moze
ucestvovati u radu okruglog stola, a ujedno bi organizatoru olaksalo
pripremu i stampanje zbornika.
Zao nam je sto Beogradski forum, zbog finansijskih teskoca, nije u
mogucnosti da pokrije troskove ucesnika okruglog stola.
U nadi da cete se odazvati nasem pozivu, ostajemo
S postovanjem,
Predsednik Beogradskog foruma
Zivadin Jovanovic
---
BEOGRADSKI FORUM ZA SVET RAVNOPRAVNIH
11000 Beograd, MIsarska 6/II, Srbija i Crna Gora
Tel/Fax: (+381 11) 32435601
E-Mail: beoforum@...
www.belgrade-forum.org
(english / italiano)
"Processo" Milosevic / Milosevic "trial":
IL GIUDICE MAY HA GETTATO LA SPUGNA,
TUTTO E' FERMO !
1. Udienza del 2/2 sospesa per motivi di salute / Milosevic ill,
hearings cancelled, re-scheduling
2. Former state security chief claims had been asked to
accuse Milosevic / L'EX CAPO DEI SERVIZI RADE MARKOVIC RIVELA: IL
MINISTRO DEGLI INTERNI DUSAN MIHAJLOVIC MI HA CHIESTO DI ACCUSARE
MILOSEVIC
3. FEBRUARY 10, 2004 - VENEZUELAN AMBASSADOR TO UN TESTIFIES AGAINST
MILOSEVIC
4. TPI PROROGA RESTRIZIONE A COMUNICAZIONI SLOBO
5. BILJANA PLAVSIC NON TESTIMONIERA' A PROCESSO MILOSEVIC / Plavsic
refuses to testify at Milosevic trial: sources
6. PROBLEMI SALUTE, DUE SETTIMANE SENZA UDIENZE / MILOSEVIC ILL,
"TRIAL" DELAYED AGAIN AND AGAIN...
NEW RE-SCHEDULING
7. IL GIUDICE MAY GETTA LA SPUGNA ! JUDGE MAY RESIGNES !
8. MILOSEVIC: TPI, PIENO DI INCOGNITE FUTURO PROCESSO / ANSA
=== DA ICDSM ITALIA RICEVIAMO E DIFFONDIAMO ===
La Sezione Italiana dell'ICDSM ringrazia tutti quelli che hanno finora
contribuito alla campagna di finanziamento per la difesa di Milosevic.
La richiesta dell'ICDSM internazionale, tuttavia, e' che tali sforzi
vengano RADDOPPIATI nel prossimo futuro, poiche' le spese sono ingenti.
Non esistono altre fonti di finanziamento: la situazione a Belgrado e'
irrespirabile, i lavoratori ... non lavorano, chi ha i soldi per
mangiare li tiene stretti e non rischia certo la galera in attivita'
politiche o di solidarieta' a favore di Milosevic, che viene presentato
dai media laggiu' esattamente come da noi, cioe' come un dittatore
criminale e ferrovecchio. I nuovi ricchi votano i partiti
filo-occidentali e di destra e non appoggiano certo Milosevic. Per di
piu', alla campagna per
Milosevic l'SPS e' sostanzialmente ESTRANEO, poiche' la leadership
parlamentare di quel partito ha scelto una linea accomodante con
Kostunica ed e' in rotta di collisione con il gruppo organizzatosi
attorno a SLOBODA (sezione belgradese dell'ICDSM).
A tutti deve essere infine chiaro che non esiste alcun "tesoro
nascosto" di Milosevic e che il nostro impegno e' insostituibile ed
indispensabile.
Per contribuire dall'Italia:
Conto Corrente Postale numero 86557006
intestato ad Adolfo Amoroso, ROMA
causale: DIFESA MILOSEVIC
Per contatti:
ICDSM - Sezione Italiana
c/o GAMADI, Via L. Da Vinci 27
00043 Ciampino (Roma)
email: icdsm-italia@...
=== 1 ===
MILOSEVIC: TPI, UDIENZA DI DOMANI SOSPESA PER MOTIVI SALUTE
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 2 FEB - Nuova sospensione per ''motivi di
salute'' del processo in corso all'Aja di Slobodan Milosevic da parte
del Tribunale penale internazionale sull'ex Jugoslavia. Lo ha reso
noto un comunicato della Corte dell'Aja, precisando che l'udienza
prevista per domani non avra' luogo proprio per le condizioni di
salute dell'ex presidente jugoslavo. Il processo contro 'Slobo',
62 anni, iniziato nel febbraio di due anni fa, e' stato interrotto
piu' di una decina di occasioni a causa dello stato di salute
dell'imputato, e cioe' per influenze, spossatezza e soprattutto
problemi di pressione. Milosevic e' accusato al Tpi di genocidio,
crimini di guerra e contro l'umanita' per i conflitti balcanici dei
primi anni '90. (ANSA).
RIG 02/02/2004 18:23
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/serbiamontenegro/20040202182332832026.html
---
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty020204.htm
Press Advisory . Avis pour information
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
The Hague, 2 February 2004
JM/P.I.S./PA158
MILOSEVIC TRIAL:
HEARING ON TUESDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2004 CANCELLED
Please be advised that the hearing on Tuesday 3 February 2004 in the
Milosevic trial has been cancelled due to the ill health of the
accused.
For further information please call: +31 (70) 512-5343 or 512-5356.
---
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty020504.htm
Case No.: IT-02-54-T
IN THE TRIAL CHAMBER
Before:
Judge Richard May, Presiding
Judge Patrick Robinson
Judge O-Gon Kwon
Registrar:
Mr. Hans Holthuis
Decision of:
5 February 2004
PROSECUTOR v. SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC
ORDER SCHEDULING HEARINGS TO THE CLOSE OF THE PROSECUTION CASE
The Office of the Prosecutor
Ms. Carla Del Ponte
Mr. Geoffrey Nice
Mr. Dermot Groome
The Accused
Mr. Slobodan Milosevic
Amici Curiae
Mr. Steven Kay, QC
Mr. Branislav Tapuskovic
Mr. Timothy L.H. McCormack
THIS TRIAL CHAMBER of 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 ("the International Tribunal"),
Proprio motu
NOTING that the Prosecution is to conclude its case within seven
sitting days,
CONSIDERING that the Trial Chamber was required to cancel the
proceedings for the sitting days of 3 to 5 February 2004 due to the
illness of the Accused, and that it is in the interests of justice
that the Prosecution case be brought to a close by 19 February 2004,
CONSIDERING that it is therefore appropriate to schedule the remainder
of the Prosecution case to be completed in five sitting days, the
times for which will be lengthened to accommodate the remaining time
available to the Prosecution to conclude its case,
CONSIDERING that because the Accused must prepare for five longer
sitting days in circumstances where he is currently unwell, and
because the longer sitting days will create a requirement for the
Accused to make preparations outside of the normal sitting schedule,
it is appropriate for the Registrar to provide whatever reasonable
assistance the Accused may require to prepare for court,
PURSUANT TO Rule 54 of the Rules,
HEREBY ORDERS AS FOLLOWS:
The Trial Chamber will sit in this case on Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday, 10 – 12 February 2004 and Wednesday and Thursday, 18 – 19
February 2004, at the following times:
9am – 10.30am
11am – 12.30pm
2pm – 3.15pm
3.30pm – 4.45pm
which shall be the time available for the Prosecution to conclude
its case; and
The Registrar is requested to lend all appropriate assistance to the
Accused in order to facilitate his preparation for court under the
revised sitting schedule.
Done in English and French, the English text being authoritative.
Patrick Robinson
Judge
Dated this fifth day of February 2004
At The Hague
The Netherlands
[Seal of the Tribunal]
=== 2 ===
L'EX CAPO DEI SERVIZI RADE MARKOVIC RIVELA: IL MINISTRO DEGLI INTERNI
DUSAN MIHAJLOVIC MI HA CHIESTO DI ACCUSARE MILOSEVIC
http://www.tanjug.co.yu/
EYug.htm#Former%20state%20security%20chief%20claims%20had%20been%20asked
%20to%20accuse%20Milosevic
Tanjug - February 3, 2004
Former state security chief claims had been asked to
accuse Milosevic
20:38 BELGRADE , Feb 3 (Tanjug) - At the retrial for
the murder of four Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO)
officials in 1999, former Serbian Satate Security
Service (RDB) chief Radomir Markovic said Tuesday that
Serbian Minister of the Interior Dusan Mihajlovic had
asked him to accuse former Yugoslav president Slobodan
Milosevic of this crime and some others.
Markovic said that he had been offered in exchange
personal safety, lifelong financial support and choice
of his future country of residence.
=== 3 ===
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg021004.htm
MILOSEVIC "TRIAL" SYNOPSIS - FEBRUARY 10, 2004 - VENEZUELAN AMBASSADOR
TO UN TESTIFIES AGAINST MILOSEVIC
www.slobodan-milosevic.org - February 11, 2004
Tuesday, February 10, 2004 – Reynauld Theunens finished his testimony.
He was cross-examined by Mr. Tapuskovic, and some useful points were
raised.
Mr. Tapuskovic began his cross-examination of this witness on January
28th. On the 28th Tapuskovic managed to use this witness to prove that
the JNA never issued a single order to any paramilitary formation.
On Tuesday Mr. Tapuskovic asked the witness questions raised by the
transcript of the July 1, 1991 SFRY Presidency session.
From the transcript it can be seen that Yugoslavia’s former Defense
Minister, Veljko Kadijevic, is asking the presidency for permission to
disarm all armed formations on the territory of the SFRY except for the
JNA.
You can also see from the transcript that the only person who is
opposed to the disarming of these illegal armed groups is the President
of the Presidency, Mr. Stjepan Mesic.
Mesic explained that he couldn’t go along with the proposal to disarm
illegal paramilitary formations because he “couldn’t go back to
Croatia as a traitor.” In other words, Croatia was preparing to fight a
war. The next month, in August of 1991 the Croatian paramilitaries
attacked the JNA and laid siege on them in their barracks.
Mr. Theunens tried to pretend as if he hadn’t seen this document
before. It is hard to believe that he could miss a document of this
sort. As I said in the last report, Mr. Theunens is an employee of the
Office of the Prosecutor, and this document was exhibited on the very
first day of the Croatia phase of the “trial,” and has been referred
to many times since.
After Theunens withdrew President Milosevic made objections to some
recent decisions made by the “tribunal”. First of all the “tribunal”
has extended the communications ban on him. He is still cut off from
the outside world. President Milosevic objected to this because he
rightly pointed out that it will be impossible for him to prepare his
defense if he is under a communications ban.
He also objected to the longer sitting days, because the detention
unit locks down at 5 PM, and with the “trial” ending at 4:45 PM he has
no chance to meet with his associates to plan out his cross-examination
for the next day.
After his objections were heard the next witness was brought in. Diego
Enrique Arlie was Venezuela’s permanent representative to the UN in
1992-93.
Mr. Arlie was a regular drama queen. He employed the method of
“support and justification masquerading as dissent.” Mr. Arlie was
critical of the international community because he thought that it
wasn’t hard enough on the Serbs.
The man had only been to Yugoslavia once during the war. On April
23-26, 1993 he visited Belgrade, Zagreb, and a handful of places in
Bosnia. He claimed that the information he got from the UN was flawed,
and so he relied on the media for his information.
Because he was ignorant, and clearly incapable of answering the
questions put to him, he spoke in sound bytes that were obviously
designed for the media. He used the term “slow motion genocide”
countless times to refer to the situation in Srebrenia, and he said
that Srebrenica was “a concentration camp policed by the UN.” Of
course he failed to mention that Srebrenica’s male inhabitants, led by
Nasir Oric, were using the so-called “safe area” as a staging ground
to launch attacks on the neighboring Serbian villages.
As I said before, Mr. Arlie was a drama queen. He acted all dramatic
and emotional, just like a teenage girl. He took his so-called
“criticism” of the international community to ridiculous extremes, and
in doing so he probably ruined his career. I would imagine that he got
more than a few angry phone calls the next day.
In his written statement, Arlie said that Cyrus Vance, David Owen, and
Butros Butros Gali were conspiring with Milosevic to create a “greater
Serbia” and were conspiring to implement apartheid in Bosnia. He went
on to say that Butros Butros Gali was withholding and fabricating
information in order to mislead the UN.
In spite of the fact that President Milosevic read all of this out of
the witness’s own statement and the witness stood by his statement;
the witness denied accusing anybody but Milosevic of anything.
Those sound like accusations to me. In fact, they sound like very
serious accusations. Mr. Arlie had probably realized by now that he
was in over his head, and so he was trying to back off of his
accusations, but alas he had already made them.
Slobodan Milosevic asked Mr. Arlie if he was aware that Bosnia was a
civil war. Of course Arlie tried to say that it wasn’t, he said that
Milosevic tried to invade and conquer Bosnia. Mr. Arlie explained that
the VRS “didn’t appear in Bosnia by magic” and so he concluded that
Milosevic must have sent them there.
Apparently Mr. Arlie was unaware that the members of the VRS lived in
Bosnia. They were Bosnian Serbs. Milosevic didn’t send them there.
They just lived there. Quite frankly, if the only alternative that Mr.
Arlie could see besides “Milosevic sending them there” was magic, then
I have to wonder about his intelligence.
In order to prove this point, President Milosevic showed Mr. Arlie a
report of the UN Secretary General dated May 30, 1992. In the report
it said quite clearly that JNA soldiers from Serbia and Montenegro were
being withdrawn to Serbia and Montenegro, while soldiers who were
indigenous to Bosnia stayed in Bosnia, and were no longer under the
control of Belgrade. It wasn’t magic at all. The VRS was formed by
those JNA soldiers who were native to Bosnia. Nobody sent them there.
They just stayed there where they lived. The report said that Croatia,
on the other hand, had its regular troops in Bosnia.
When Mr. Arlie was first shown the report he tried to say that it was
a forgery. Mr. Robinson then said that he was familiar with UN
documents and that he wanted to have a look at it. Mr. Robinson looked
at the document, and concluded that it was authentic. He then
instructed Mr. Arlie to answer the questions. Of course Arlie didn’t
want to answer the questions and so he refused, because he said he had
never seen the document before.
Even after seeing the report of the Secretary General. Arlie continued
to maintain that Bosnia was not a civil war. To prove his point he
employed some of the most “magnificent” logic that I’ve ever seen. He
asked Milosevic a rhetorical question. He said, “If Bosnia was a civil
war then how come we put sanctions on you?” As if his own stupid
actions could somehow prove Milosevic’s actions.
Milosevic, who was obviously taken aback by the sheer stupidity of the
witness, calmly and politely explained that Peter Hohenfellner, the
Austrian Ambassador who was supposed to present the report of the
Secretary General to the Security Council withheld the report until
after the sanctions were imposed on the FRY.
It is a matter of record. The report is dated May 30, 1992. The
sanctions were imposed the same day, and Hohenfeller didn’t present the
report until after the decision to impose the sanctions had been
passed. In spite of what was right in front of his face, Mr. Arlie
stated his conviction that the Austrians wouldn’t withhold this
information, even though they were Croatia’s ally, and withholding it
would help Croatia, because the report incriminated the Croats.
Mr. Arlie, ever the drama queen, then presented this “compelling”
argument. He said that Belgrade was only masquerading as not having
command, and to support this claim he pointed out that Gen. Mladic
attended military school in Belgrade.
Way to go Sherlock! Of course Mladic attended military school in
Belgrade. Before the war, when Yugoslavia was all one country, Mladic
was an officer in the JNA, and like all officers in the JNA he attended
military school in Yugoslavia’s capital city, Belgrade. The fact that
Mr. Arlie would even make this sort of retarded argument demonstrates
just how dumb he is.
Mr. Arlie clearly hadn’t learned his lesson from earlier in the day,
and he persisted in slinging absurd accusations at everybody. He
accused the Swiss police of mistreating the Muslim delegates so that
they could not attend the Geneva peace conference. Maybe he thinks
Milosevic secretly controlled the Swiss police too.
One might think that with less than a week to present their case that
the prosecution would like to try bring in a witness who isn’t a
complete moron.
Unfortunately, I was unable to see the end of Arlie’s testimony. I was
watching the recorded video of the “trial” from the Bard college
website, and they cut off the last two sessions of the day.
=== 4 ===
MILOSEVIC: TPI PROROGA RESTRIZIONE A COMUNICAZIONI SLOBO
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 10 FEB - Impedire una partecipazione attiva alla
vita politica della Serbia: e' questo l'obiettivo della decisione
annunciata oggi dal Tribunale penale internazionale dell'Aja sull'ex
Jugoslavia, che ha prorogato di trenta giorni le restrizioni imposte
tempo fa alle comunicazioni con l'esterno di Slobodan Milosevic.
La stessa decisione e' stata presa per il leader ultranazionalista
serbo Vojislav Seselj - anche lui detenuto delle carceri del Tpi - ha
detto la Corte dell'Aja, precisando di aver ordinato di vietare ogni
comunicazione sia di Milosevic sia di Seselj, ad eccezione di quelle
con i familiari, i legali e i rappresentanti diplomatici o consolari.
Nel caso dell'ex presidente della Jugoslavia - ha aggiunto il Tpi
- le restrizioni non si applicheranno ''per le comunicazioni e visite
necessarie alla preparazione della difesa dell'imputato'', a
condizione pero' che Milosevic ''non utilizzi tali contatti per
comunicare con i media''. Nel dicembre scorso, i giudici del Tpi
avevano sospeso per 30 giorni ogni visita, e contatti telefonici, di
Milosevic e Seselj, in vista delle elezioni politiche del 28 dicembre
scorso in Serbia. (ANSA). RIG 10/02/2004 12:50
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/serbiamontenegro/20040210125032838440.html
=== 5 ===
TPI: BILJANA PLAVSIC NON TESTIMONIERA' A PROCESSO MILOSEVIC
(ANSA) - L'AJA, 16 FEB - Biljana Plavsic, ex presidente dei serbi di
Bosnia, non testimoniera' davanti al Tribunale penale internazionale
(Tpi) nel processo contro l'ex presidente jugoslavo Slobodan
Milosevic. Lo ha detto oggi il procuratore del Tpi Carla Del Ponte,
in un'intervista all'Afp. Plavsic, condannata per crimini contro
l'umanita', era stata trasferita dalla Svezia - dove sta scontando la
pena - all'Aja per presentarsi davanti alla corte che giudica Slobo.
Ma dopo un incontro con Del Ponte ed i magistrati che rappresentano
la procura nel processo contro Milosevic e' stato deciso di
rinunciare alla sua testimonianza perche' all'accusa restano ancora
solo due udienze, quelle di mercoledi' e giovedi', e non c'e' tempo
per inserire la deposizione dell'ex presidente dei serbi di Bosnia.
In una dichiarazione fatta quando ha ammesso le sue responsabilita'
Plavsic ha indicato Milosevic quale uno dei principali responsabili
della campagna di pulizia etnica fatta contro le popolazioni croate e
musulmane di Bosnia. Del Ponte ha informato che Plavsic potrebbe
essere sentita quale testimone in altri processi in corso davanti al
Tpi, sempre per fatti accaduti nella ex Jugoslavia. Il processo
contro Milosevic e' giunto il 12 febbraio scorso al giro di boa. Dopo
due anni riservati all'accusa e ai suoi testimoni, dal 19 maggio la
parola passera' all'imputato. Milosevic e' accusato di crimini
contro l'umanita' e di guerra. (ANSA). VS 16/02/2004 12:39
---
Plavsic refuses to testify at Milosevic trial: sources
FoNet - February 13, 2004
THE HAGUE -- Friday – Former Bosnian Serb president and convicted war
criminal Biljana Plavsic has refused to testify at the trial of
Slobodan Milosevic, having been transferred to The Hague from prison
in Sweden, according to sources close to her family.
“I didn’t like Slobodan Milosevic, and he hated me,” sources quoted
Plavsic as saying, adding that the former Republika Srpska president
was not among Milosevic’s close associates and was unable to shed any
light on his actions.
Plavsic, who is serving an 11-year sentence, was transferred to the war
crimes tribunal in The Hague earlier this week, though it has not been
confirmed why she was called to testify.
A prosecutor in the Milosevic trial told the Trial Chamber today that
one of the prosecution’s final witnesses would not be testifying,
without specifying who.
Sources close to the tribunal say Plavsic was also due to testify at
the trial of former Bosnian Serb parliament speaker Momcilo Krajisnik.
Her testimony at this trial is also now in doubt, B92 was told.
Plavsic, 72, was sentenced at the tribunal in February 2003, after she
admitted playing a leading role in the campaign of persecution against
Bosnian Croats and Muslims during the 1992-95 war.
She is currently serving her sentence in Sweden.
=== 6 ===
Fonte: http://www.ansa.it/balcani/
MILOSEVIC: TPI, NUOVA SOSPENSIONE PROCESSO
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 18 FEB - Nuova sospensione, sempre per ragioni di
salute, del processo in corso all'Aja contro Slobodan Milosevic: lo
ha annunciato stamane un portavoce del Tribunale penale
internazionale sulla ex Jugoslavia.
L'udienza di oggi e' stata sospesa, ha detto il portavoce, senza
precisare se il processo riprendera' domani. Milosevic, 62 anni, e'
accusato al Tpi di genocidio, crimini di guerra e contro l'umanita'
per i conflitti balcanici dei primi anni '90.
Il processo contro 'Slobo', iniziato nel febbraio di due anni fa, e'
stato interrotto piu' di una decina di occasioni a causa dello stato
di salute dell'imputato, e cioe' per influenze, spossatezza e
soprattutto problemi di pressione. (ANSA)
RIG 18/02/2004 09:39
MILOSEVIC: TPI; PROBLEMI SALUTE, SETTIMANA SENZA UDIENZE
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 18 FEB - Nuova sospensione, sempre ''per ragioni
di salute'', del processo in corso all'Aja contro Slobodan Milosevic:
lo ha annunciato un portavoce del Tribunale penale internazionale
sulla ex Jugoslavia, sottolineando che anche l'udienza di domani e'
stata sospesa. ''Nessun'altra udienza e' prevista per questa
settimana'', ha detto il portavoce, ricordando che l'ex presidente
jugoslavo ''e' stato visitato da un dottore e che i giudici
riceveranno nella giornata di oggi un rapporto'' sulle condizioni di
salute di Milosevic, ''sulla base del quale decideranno - ha
precisato - quale sara' il prossimo passo'' del processo.
Milosevic, 62 anni, e' accusato al Tpi di genocidio, crimini di
guerra e contro l'umanita' per i conflitti balcanici dei primi anni
'90. Il processo contro 'Slobo', iniziato nel febbraio di due anni
fa, e' stato interrotto in piu' di una decina di occasioni a causa
dello stato di salute dell'imputato, e cioe' per influenze,
spossatezza e soprattutto problemi di pressione. (ANSA).
RIG 18/02/2004 16:16
---
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty021804.htm
Press Advisory . Avis pour information
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
The Hague, 18 February 2004
JM/P.I.S./PA164
MILOSEVIC TRIAL:
HEARING CANCELLED FOR THURSDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2004
NO FURTHER HEARINGS SCHEDULED FOR THIS WEEK
Please be advised that the hearing scheduled for tomorrow,
Thursday 19 February 2004, in the case The Prosecutor v.
Slobodan Milosevic has been cancelled due to the ill-health
of the accused and that no further hearings are scheduled
for this week. The Press Office will update the media as to
when the next hearing will take place in due course.
For further information please call: +31 (70) 512-5343 or 512-5356.
---
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty022004.htm
Press Advisory . Avis pour information
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
The Hague, 20 February 2004
JM/P.I.S./PA166
MILOSEVIC TRIAL:
HEARINGS TO CONCLUDE THE PROSECUTION CASE RE-SCHEDULED
Please be advised that the hearing in the case The Prosecutor
v. Slobodan Milosevic for Monday, 23 February 2004 has been
cancelled due to the ill-health of the accused.
The Trial Chamber will still sit on Tuesday, 24 February 2004
from 9am to 4.45pm as previously scheduled and on Wednesday,
25 February 2004 from 9am to 1.45pm.
For further information please call: +31 (70) 512-5343 or
512-5356.
---
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty022304.htm
Press Advisory . Avis pour information
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
The Hague, 23 February 2004
JM/P.I.S./PA167
MILOSEVIC TRIAL:
HEARINGS CANCELLED FOR TUESDAY 24 AND WEDNESDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2004
Please be advised that the hearings scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday 24
February and Wednesday 25 February 2004, in the case The
Prosecutor v. Slobodan Milosevic have been cancelled due to
the ill-health of the accused.
For further information please call: +31 (70) 512-5343 or
512-5356.
---
MILOSEVIC: TPI, ANNULLATE UDIENZE DOMANI E MERCOLEDI'
(ANSA) - L'AJA, 23 FEB - Le udienze del processo Milosevic previste
per domani e mercoledi' sono state cancellate per ragioni di salute
addotte dall'imputato. Ne da' notizia un comunicato del Tribunale
internazionale per i crimini commessi nella ex Jugoslavia. (ANSA).
OS
23/02/2004 14:47
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/serbiamontenegro/20040223144732852622.html
=== 7 ===
MILOSEVIC: TPI; NUOVO CONTRATTEMPO, LASCIA PRESIDENTE PROCESSO
(ANSA-AFP-REUTERS) - L'AJA, 22 FEB - Nuovo contrattempo nel processo
all'ex presidente Slobodan Milosevic al Tribunale penale
internazionale dell'Aja: Richard May, il giudice britannico che
presiede il processo, lascera' il suo incarico il 31 maggio prossimo
per motivi di salute. Lo ha comunicato il presidente del Tpi Theodor
Meron, in un comunicato.
Richard May, 65 anni, presiede il processo all'ex uomo forte di
Belgrado dal 12 febbraio 2002.
Il procuratore terminera' la presentazione dei capi di accusa tra
martedi' e mercoledi' prossimi. Le dimissioni di May non ritarderanno
questa fase del processo anche se il giudice britannico non sara'
presente alle audizioni a causa della sua malattia. Assisteranno al
dibattito i giudici giamaicano Patrick Robinson e sudcoreano O-Gon
Kwo.
Ma le dimissioni di May provocheranno una fermata del processo, gia'
catalogato come il piu' lungo nella storia della giustizia
internazionale. Secondo lo statuto del Tpi, in caso di dimissioni di
un giudice, il presidente puo' designare un altro magistrato per
sostituirlo, il quale giudice a sua volta avra' bisogno di tempo per
immergersi nel contesto.
Alcuni esperti ritengono che questo non sara' possibile nell'arco di
tre mesi , la pausa tra la fine della presentazione dei capi di
accusa e l'avvio della presentazione delle tesi della difesa.
Inoltre, Milosevic dovra' dare il suo consenso a un proseguimento del
processo in queste condizioni. Se rifiutera', i giudici potranno
decidere di passare sopra il suo rifiuto o, al contrario, decidere
per un nuovo processo.
Finora il processo e' stato interrotto piu' di una decina di volte
per la fragile salute di Milosevic, sofferente di problemi
cardio-circolatori. (ANSA-AFP-REUTERS)
LD 22/02/2004 20:15
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/fattidelgiorno/200402222015138986/
200402222015138986.html
---
Press Release . Communiqué de presse
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
PRESIDENT
PRÉSIDENT
The Hague, 22 February 2004
MF/P.I.S./824e
STATEMENT OF JUDGE THEODOR MERON, PRESIDENT OF THE ICTY, UPON THE
RESIGNATION
OF JUDGE RICHARD GEORGE MAY
Judge Richard George May of the United Kingdom has informed me of his
resignation as a Judge of the International Tribunal, effective 31 May
2004, due to health reasons. Judge May’s letter of resignation states
that his recent illness will make it increasingly difficult for him to
continue the performance of his duties and that he believes, however
reluctantly, that his resignation is in the best interests of the
Tribunal.
I have transmitted Judge May’s letter of resignation to the
Secretary-General of the United Nations at Judge May’s request and
pursuant to Rule 16 of the Tribunal’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence.
I am confident that the Secretary-General will soon appoint a successor
Judge under Article 13 bis of the Statute of the Tribunal.
For more than six years, Judge May’s formidable intellect and
unwavering dedication have made him one of the Tribunal’s mainstays.
Since taking the oath of office in November 1997, Judge May has worked
tirelessly to carry out the Tribunal’s mandate to ensure that persons
accused of serious violations of international humanitarian law are
tried according to procedures that are fair, efficient, and sound.
The roster of Tribunal cases that have benefited from Judge May’s care
makes up a significant portion of the Tribunal’s entire docket. As a
member of Trial Chamber II, Judge May participated in the trial and
final judgement in the cases of Furundzija and Kupreskic. As Presiding
Judge of Trial Chamber III, a position he has held since November 1998,
he has presided over the trials in the cases of Kordic and Cerkez and,
most recently, Milosevic. He deliberated on numerous sentencing
judgements, including in the Celebici Camp case and the cases of
Sikirica, Plavsic, and Banovic. He has also taken part in hundreds of
Trial Chamber decisions on matters of procedure and served as Presiding
Judge of the Tribunal’s Appeals Chamber in the Aleksovski case.
Judge May has brought his practical wisdom and mastery of substantive
criminal law to bear on many unprecedented challenges. He has
shepherded the Milosevic case, one of historical importance and
daunting dimensions, through a major part of the trial with patience
and care and handled the unique issues presented by that case
creatively and effectively. Judge May’s extraordinary skill is evident
from the striking in all of his cases of an appropriate balance between
the rights of the accused and efficient trial management.
Judge May also served for five years as Chair of the Tribunal’s
Committee on the Rules of Procedure and Evidence. The work of that
Committee has been invaluable in developing procedures that are geared
to the special requirements of
international criminal prosecutions and that combine the disparate
approaches of common law and civil law systems. One of the Tribunal’s
major contributions to the evolution of international criminal law is
its elaboration of a procedural framework that allows the effective
conduct of trials while respecting the rights of the accused. Much of
the Tribunal’s ability to conduct credible and sophisticated
proceedings is due to Judge May’s skilled leadership of the Rules
Committee.
The Judges and staff of the Tribunal shall continue to work hard to
fulfill the historic mission of the Tribunal, even in Judge May’s
absence. I am confident that Judge May’s resignation will not have an
unduly disruptive effect on any proceedings before the Tribunal. The
conduct of the Milosevic trial remains
in the safe hands of Trial Chamber III.
A witness at the Tribunal once described Judge May as being "made of
reinforced platinum." The metaphor is quite apt. Like platinum, Judge
May is strong, noble, brilliant and, above all, of a very rare quality.
To me personally, Judge May is a close friend and a valued mentor. We
at the Tribunal have treasured
him as a colleague, and we look forward to his continued insights into
the work of the Tribunal as an enlightened outside observer. We are
very grateful to Judge May for his years of service and wish him a
swift and full recovery.
=== 8 ===
MILOSEVIC: TPI, PIENO DI INCOGNITE FUTURO PROCESSO / ANSA
(ANSA) - L'AJA, 23 FEB - (di Marisa Ostolani) - E' gia' stato
catalogato come il processo piu' lungo nella storia recente della
giustizia internazionale, ma a due anni dall'apertura, dopo 290
giorni di udienze, e ad un passo dalla chiusura del lavoro
dell'accusa, Slobodan Milosevic potrebbe chiedere di ricominciare
tutto da capo. L'incognita, pesante come un macigno, pesa da ieri
sul Tribunale internazionale dell'Aja per i crimini compiuti nella
ex Jugoslavia, dopo l'annuncio delle dimissioni di Richard May. Il
giudice britannico, 65 anni, che presiede la Corte, lascera'
l'incarico il 31 maggio prossimo per ragioni di salute. ''Se un
giudice e' malato noi possiamo aspettare che guarisca'', ha
dichiarato Zdenko Tomanovic, che guida il collegio legale di
Milosevic: ''Ma se un giudice deve lasciare - ha aggiunto -
l'imputato ha il diritto di chiedere che il procedimento ricominci da
capo''. La possibilita' che l'ex presidente Jugoslavo, 62 anni,
accusato dal Tribunale di genocidio, crimini di guerra e contro
l'umanita' per i conflitti nei Balcani degli anni '90, chieda un
nuovo processo e' giudicata ''improbabile'' negli ambienti del
Tribunale dall'Aja, ma resta un'opzione che aumenta le incertezze che
gravano sul procedimento. La conclusione del processo, prevista per
dopodomani, con la presentazione delle ultime prove contro Milosevic
da parte del procuratore generale Carla Del Ponte, e' intanto
slittata a data da destinarsi: l'imputato oggi ha chiesto, e
ottenuto, la cancellazione delle udienze di domani e mercoledi' per
ragioni di salute. Lo ha gia' fatto almeno una dozzina di volte a
causa dei problemi cardio-vascolari e di alta pressione che lo
affliggono. ''Non siamo sicuri su quando si potranno tenere le nuove
udienze, forse gia' entro questa settimana, forse la prossima'', ha
detto il portavoce del Tpi Jim Landel, precisando che ''la
cancellazione delle ultime sedute e le dimissioni del giudice May
sono pero' due cose separate''. Lo statuto della Corte prevede che
il segretario generale dell'Onu, Kofi Annan, designi un successore.
''Speriamo che le Nazioni Unite decidano nel tempo piu' breve
possibile'', ha sottolineato Landel. ''Nell'interesse della
giustizia, noi crediamo che il procedimento possa proseguire.
L'interruzione gia' prevista di tre mesi da' al Tribunale il respiro
necessario per consentire ad un nuovo giudice di insediarsi. C'e'
tutto il tempo necessario perche' possa familiarizzare con il
processo''. I tre mesi di pausa erano gia' previsti per consentire
a Milosevic di preparare la sua difesa. Slobo, che non ha mai
riconosciuto la Corte e si e' sempre dichiarato innocente, si
difendera' da solo dai 66 capi di imputazione. L'avvio della difesa
era previsto per il 19 maggio prossimo, mentre la chiusura del
processo nel 2006, quattro anni dopo la prima udienza, celebrata il
12 febbraio del 2002. Oltre che sul calendario, gravano incertezze
anche sulla possibilita' per il procuratore del Ponte di dimostrare
il piu' importante capo di imputazione contro Milosevic: quello di
genocidio dei 7000 musulmani bosniaci in Srebrenica, nel 1995.
Secondo l'Istituto per l'informazione sulla guerra e la pace, un
centro di studi britannico specializzato in conflitti nei Balcani e
in altre parti del mondo, Milosevic passera' il resto della sua vita
in prigione, ma sara' assolto dall'accusa di genocidio. Gli esperti
legali dell'Istituto che hanno seguito il caso ritengono che il
procuratore Del Ponte non abbia trovato le prove per giustificare una
sentenza di colpevolezza.(ANSA). OS 23/02/2004 18:41
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/serbiamontenegro/20040223184132853067.html
"Processo" Milosevic / Milosevic "trial":
IL GIUDICE MAY HA GETTATO LA SPUGNA,
TUTTO E' FERMO !
1. Udienza del 2/2 sospesa per motivi di salute / Milosevic ill,
hearings cancelled, re-scheduling
2. Former state security chief claims had been asked to
accuse Milosevic / L'EX CAPO DEI SERVIZI RADE MARKOVIC RIVELA: IL
MINISTRO DEGLI INTERNI DUSAN MIHAJLOVIC MI HA CHIESTO DI ACCUSARE
MILOSEVIC
3. FEBRUARY 10, 2004 - VENEZUELAN AMBASSADOR TO UN TESTIFIES AGAINST
MILOSEVIC
4. TPI PROROGA RESTRIZIONE A COMUNICAZIONI SLOBO
5. BILJANA PLAVSIC NON TESTIMONIERA' A PROCESSO MILOSEVIC / Plavsic
refuses to testify at Milosevic trial: sources
6. PROBLEMI SALUTE, DUE SETTIMANE SENZA UDIENZE / MILOSEVIC ILL,
"TRIAL" DELAYED AGAIN AND AGAIN...
NEW RE-SCHEDULING
7. IL GIUDICE MAY GETTA LA SPUGNA ! JUDGE MAY RESIGNES !
8. MILOSEVIC: TPI, PIENO DI INCOGNITE FUTURO PROCESSO / ANSA
=== DA ICDSM ITALIA RICEVIAMO E DIFFONDIAMO ===
La Sezione Italiana dell'ICDSM ringrazia tutti quelli che hanno finora
contribuito alla campagna di finanziamento per la difesa di Milosevic.
La richiesta dell'ICDSM internazionale, tuttavia, e' che tali sforzi
vengano RADDOPPIATI nel prossimo futuro, poiche' le spese sono ingenti.
Non esistono altre fonti di finanziamento: la situazione a Belgrado e'
irrespirabile, i lavoratori ... non lavorano, chi ha i soldi per
mangiare li tiene stretti e non rischia certo la galera in attivita'
politiche o di solidarieta' a favore di Milosevic, che viene presentato
dai media laggiu' esattamente come da noi, cioe' come un dittatore
criminale e ferrovecchio. I nuovi ricchi votano i partiti
filo-occidentali e di destra e non appoggiano certo Milosevic. Per di
piu', alla campagna per
Milosevic l'SPS e' sostanzialmente ESTRANEO, poiche' la leadership
parlamentare di quel partito ha scelto una linea accomodante con
Kostunica ed e' in rotta di collisione con il gruppo organizzatosi
attorno a SLOBODA (sezione belgradese dell'ICDSM).
A tutti deve essere infine chiaro che non esiste alcun "tesoro
nascosto" di Milosevic e che il nostro impegno e' insostituibile ed
indispensabile.
Per contribuire dall'Italia:
Conto Corrente Postale numero 86557006
intestato ad Adolfo Amoroso, ROMA
causale: DIFESA MILOSEVIC
Per contatti:
ICDSM - Sezione Italiana
c/o GAMADI, Via L. Da Vinci 27
00043 Ciampino (Roma)
email: icdsm-italia@...
=== 1 ===
MILOSEVIC: TPI, UDIENZA DI DOMANI SOSPESA PER MOTIVI SALUTE
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 2 FEB - Nuova sospensione per ''motivi di
salute'' del processo in corso all'Aja di Slobodan Milosevic da parte
del Tribunale penale internazionale sull'ex Jugoslavia. Lo ha reso
noto un comunicato della Corte dell'Aja, precisando che l'udienza
prevista per domani non avra' luogo proprio per le condizioni di
salute dell'ex presidente jugoslavo. Il processo contro 'Slobo',
62 anni, iniziato nel febbraio di due anni fa, e' stato interrotto
piu' di una decina di occasioni a causa dello stato di salute
dell'imputato, e cioe' per influenze, spossatezza e soprattutto
problemi di pressione. Milosevic e' accusato al Tpi di genocidio,
crimini di guerra e contro l'umanita' per i conflitti balcanici dei
primi anni '90. (ANSA).
RIG 02/02/2004 18:23
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/serbiamontenegro/20040202182332832026.html
---
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty020204.htm
Press Advisory . Avis pour information
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
The Hague, 2 February 2004
JM/P.I.S./PA158
MILOSEVIC TRIAL:
HEARING ON TUESDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2004 CANCELLED
Please be advised that the hearing on Tuesday 3 February 2004 in the
Milosevic trial has been cancelled due to the ill health of the
accused.
For further information please call: +31 (70) 512-5343 or 512-5356.
---
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty020504.htm
Case No.: IT-02-54-T
IN THE TRIAL CHAMBER
Before:
Judge Richard May, Presiding
Judge Patrick Robinson
Judge O-Gon Kwon
Registrar:
Mr. Hans Holthuis
Decision of:
5 February 2004
PROSECUTOR v. SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC
ORDER SCHEDULING HEARINGS TO THE CLOSE OF THE PROSECUTION CASE
The Office of the Prosecutor
Ms. Carla Del Ponte
Mr. Geoffrey Nice
Mr. Dermot Groome
The Accused
Mr. Slobodan Milosevic
Amici Curiae
Mr. Steven Kay, QC
Mr. Branislav Tapuskovic
Mr. Timothy L.H. McCormack
THIS TRIAL CHAMBER of 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 ("the International Tribunal"),
Proprio motu
NOTING that the Prosecution is to conclude its case within seven
sitting days,
CONSIDERING that the Trial Chamber was required to cancel the
proceedings for the sitting days of 3 to 5 February 2004 due to the
illness of the Accused, and that it is in the interests of justice
that the Prosecution case be brought to a close by 19 February 2004,
CONSIDERING that it is therefore appropriate to schedule the remainder
of the Prosecution case to be completed in five sitting days, the
times for which will be lengthened to accommodate the remaining time
available to the Prosecution to conclude its case,
CONSIDERING that because the Accused must prepare for five longer
sitting days in circumstances where he is currently unwell, and
because the longer sitting days will create a requirement for the
Accused to make preparations outside of the normal sitting schedule,
it is appropriate for the Registrar to provide whatever reasonable
assistance the Accused may require to prepare for court,
PURSUANT TO Rule 54 of the Rules,
HEREBY ORDERS AS FOLLOWS:
The Trial Chamber will sit in this case on Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday, 10 – 12 February 2004 and Wednesday and Thursday, 18 – 19
February 2004, at the following times:
9am – 10.30am
11am – 12.30pm
2pm – 3.15pm
3.30pm – 4.45pm
which shall be the time available for the Prosecution to conclude
its case; and
The Registrar is requested to lend all appropriate assistance to the
Accused in order to facilitate his preparation for court under the
revised sitting schedule.
Done in English and French, the English text being authoritative.
Patrick Robinson
Judge
Dated this fifth day of February 2004
At The Hague
The Netherlands
[Seal of the Tribunal]
=== 2 ===
L'EX CAPO DEI SERVIZI RADE MARKOVIC RIVELA: IL MINISTRO DEGLI INTERNI
DUSAN MIHAJLOVIC MI HA CHIESTO DI ACCUSARE MILOSEVIC
http://www.tanjug.co.yu/
EYug.htm#Former%20state%20security%20chief%20claims%20had%20been%20asked
%20to%20accuse%20Milosevic
Tanjug - February 3, 2004
Former state security chief claims had been asked to
accuse Milosevic
20:38 BELGRADE , Feb 3 (Tanjug) - At the retrial for
the murder of four Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO)
officials in 1999, former Serbian Satate Security
Service (RDB) chief Radomir Markovic said Tuesday that
Serbian Minister of the Interior Dusan Mihajlovic had
asked him to accuse former Yugoslav president Slobodan
Milosevic of this crime and some others.
Markovic said that he had been offered in exchange
personal safety, lifelong financial support and choice
of his future country of residence.
=== 3 ===
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/smorg021004.htm
MILOSEVIC "TRIAL" SYNOPSIS - FEBRUARY 10, 2004 - VENEZUELAN AMBASSADOR
TO UN TESTIFIES AGAINST MILOSEVIC
www.slobodan-milosevic.org - February 11, 2004
Tuesday, February 10, 2004 – Reynauld Theunens finished his testimony.
He was cross-examined by Mr. Tapuskovic, and some useful points were
raised.
Mr. Tapuskovic began his cross-examination of this witness on January
28th. On the 28th Tapuskovic managed to use this witness to prove that
the JNA never issued a single order to any paramilitary formation.
On Tuesday Mr. Tapuskovic asked the witness questions raised by the
transcript of the July 1, 1991 SFRY Presidency session.
From the transcript it can be seen that Yugoslavia’s former Defense
Minister, Veljko Kadijevic, is asking the presidency for permission to
disarm all armed formations on the territory of the SFRY except for the
JNA.
You can also see from the transcript that the only person who is
opposed to the disarming of these illegal armed groups is the President
of the Presidency, Mr. Stjepan Mesic.
Mesic explained that he couldn’t go along with the proposal to disarm
illegal paramilitary formations because he “couldn’t go back to
Croatia as a traitor.” In other words, Croatia was preparing to fight a
war. The next month, in August of 1991 the Croatian paramilitaries
attacked the JNA and laid siege on them in their barracks.
Mr. Theunens tried to pretend as if he hadn’t seen this document
before. It is hard to believe that he could miss a document of this
sort. As I said in the last report, Mr. Theunens is an employee of the
Office of the Prosecutor, and this document was exhibited on the very
first day of the Croatia phase of the “trial,” and has been referred
to many times since.
After Theunens withdrew President Milosevic made objections to some
recent decisions made by the “tribunal”. First of all the “tribunal”
has extended the communications ban on him. He is still cut off from
the outside world. President Milosevic objected to this because he
rightly pointed out that it will be impossible for him to prepare his
defense if he is under a communications ban.
He also objected to the longer sitting days, because the detention
unit locks down at 5 PM, and with the “trial” ending at 4:45 PM he has
no chance to meet with his associates to plan out his cross-examination
for the next day.
After his objections were heard the next witness was brought in. Diego
Enrique Arlie was Venezuela’s permanent representative to the UN in
1992-93.
Mr. Arlie was a regular drama queen. He employed the method of
“support and justification masquerading as dissent.” Mr. Arlie was
critical of the international community because he thought that it
wasn’t hard enough on the Serbs.
The man had only been to Yugoslavia once during the war. On April
23-26, 1993 he visited Belgrade, Zagreb, and a handful of places in
Bosnia. He claimed that the information he got from the UN was flawed,
and so he relied on the media for his information.
Because he was ignorant, and clearly incapable of answering the
questions put to him, he spoke in sound bytes that were obviously
designed for the media. He used the term “slow motion genocide”
countless times to refer to the situation in Srebrenia, and he said
that Srebrenica was “a concentration camp policed by the UN.” Of
course he failed to mention that Srebrenica’s male inhabitants, led by
Nasir Oric, were using the so-called “safe area” as a staging ground
to launch attacks on the neighboring Serbian villages.
As I said before, Mr. Arlie was a drama queen. He acted all dramatic
and emotional, just like a teenage girl. He took his so-called
“criticism” of the international community to ridiculous extremes, and
in doing so he probably ruined his career. I would imagine that he got
more than a few angry phone calls the next day.
In his written statement, Arlie said that Cyrus Vance, David Owen, and
Butros Butros Gali were conspiring with Milosevic to create a “greater
Serbia” and were conspiring to implement apartheid in Bosnia. He went
on to say that Butros Butros Gali was withholding and fabricating
information in order to mislead the UN.
In spite of the fact that President Milosevic read all of this out of
the witness’s own statement and the witness stood by his statement;
the witness denied accusing anybody but Milosevic of anything.
Those sound like accusations to me. In fact, they sound like very
serious accusations. Mr. Arlie had probably realized by now that he
was in over his head, and so he was trying to back off of his
accusations, but alas he had already made them.
Slobodan Milosevic asked Mr. Arlie if he was aware that Bosnia was a
civil war. Of course Arlie tried to say that it wasn’t, he said that
Milosevic tried to invade and conquer Bosnia. Mr. Arlie explained that
the VRS “didn’t appear in Bosnia by magic” and so he concluded that
Milosevic must have sent them there.
Apparently Mr. Arlie was unaware that the members of the VRS lived in
Bosnia. They were Bosnian Serbs. Milosevic didn’t send them there.
They just lived there. Quite frankly, if the only alternative that Mr.
Arlie could see besides “Milosevic sending them there” was magic, then
I have to wonder about his intelligence.
In order to prove this point, President Milosevic showed Mr. Arlie a
report of the UN Secretary General dated May 30, 1992. In the report
it said quite clearly that JNA soldiers from Serbia and Montenegro were
being withdrawn to Serbia and Montenegro, while soldiers who were
indigenous to Bosnia stayed in Bosnia, and were no longer under the
control of Belgrade. It wasn’t magic at all. The VRS was formed by
those JNA soldiers who were native to Bosnia. Nobody sent them there.
They just stayed there where they lived. The report said that Croatia,
on the other hand, had its regular troops in Bosnia.
When Mr. Arlie was first shown the report he tried to say that it was
a forgery. Mr. Robinson then said that he was familiar with UN
documents and that he wanted to have a look at it. Mr. Robinson looked
at the document, and concluded that it was authentic. He then
instructed Mr. Arlie to answer the questions. Of course Arlie didn’t
want to answer the questions and so he refused, because he said he had
never seen the document before.
Even after seeing the report of the Secretary General. Arlie continued
to maintain that Bosnia was not a civil war. To prove his point he
employed some of the most “magnificent” logic that I’ve ever seen. He
asked Milosevic a rhetorical question. He said, “If Bosnia was a civil
war then how come we put sanctions on you?” As if his own stupid
actions could somehow prove Milosevic’s actions.
Milosevic, who was obviously taken aback by the sheer stupidity of the
witness, calmly and politely explained that Peter Hohenfellner, the
Austrian Ambassador who was supposed to present the report of the
Secretary General to the Security Council withheld the report until
after the sanctions were imposed on the FRY.
It is a matter of record. The report is dated May 30, 1992. The
sanctions were imposed the same day, and Hohenfeller didn’t present the
report until after the decision to impose the sanctions had been
passed. In spite of what was right in front of his face, Mr. Arlie
stated his conviction that the Austrians wouldn’t withhold this
information, even though they were Croatia’s ally, and withholding it
would help Croatia, because the report incriminated the Croats.
Mr. Arlie, ever the drama queen, then presented this “compelling”
argument. He said that Belgrade was only masquerading as not having
command, and to support this claim he pointed out that Gen. Mladic
attended military school in Belgrade.
Way to go Sherlock! Of course Mladic attended military school in
Belgrade. Before the war, when Yugoslavia was all one country, Mladic
was an officer in the JNA, and like all officers in the JNA he attended
military school in Yugoslavia’s capital city, Belgrade. The fact that
Mr. Arlie would even make this sort of retarded argument demonstrates
just how dumb he is.
Mr. Arlie clearly hadn’t learned his lesson from earlier in the day,
and he persisted in slinging absurd accusations at everybody. He
accused the Swiss police of mistreating the Muslim delegates so that
they could not attend the Geneva peace conference. Maybe he thinks
Milosevic secretly controlled the Swiss police too.
One might think that with less than a week to present their case that
the prosecution would like to try bring in a witness who isn’t a
complete moron.
Unfortunately, I was unable to see the end of Arlie’s testimony. I was
watching the recorded video of the “trial” from the Bard college
website, and they cut off the last two sessions of the day.
=== 4 ===
MILOSEVIC: TPI PROROGA RESTRIZIONE A COMUNICAZIONI SLOBO
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 10 FEB - Impedire una partecipazione attiva alla
vita politica della Serbia: e' questo l'obiettivo della decisione
annunciata oggi dal Tribunale penale internazionale dell'Aja sull'ex
Jugoslavia, che ha prorogato di trenta giorni le restrizioni imposte
tempo fa alle comunicazioni con l'esterno di Slobodan Milosevic.
La stessa decisione e' stata presa per il leader ultranazionalista
serbo Vojislav Seselj - anche lui detenuto delle carceri del Tpi - ha
detto la Corte dell'Aja, precisando di aver ordinato di vietare ogni
comunicazione sia di Milosevic sia di Seselj, ad eccezione di quelle
con i familiari, i legali e i rappresentanti diplomatici o consolari.
Nel caso dell'ex presidente della Jugoslavia - ha aggiunto il Tpi
- le restrizioni non si applicheranno ''per le comunicazioni e visite
necessarie alla preparazione della difesa dell'imputato'', a
condizione pero' che Milosevic ''non utilizzi tali contatti per
comunicare con i media''. Nel dicembre scorso, i giudici del Tpi
avevano sospeso per 30 giorni ogni visita, e contatti telefonici, di
Milosevic e Seselj, in vista delle elezioni politiche del 28 dicembre
scorso in Serbia. (ANSA). RIG 10/02/2004 12:50
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/serbiamontenegro/20040210125032838440.html
=== 5 ===
TPI: BILJANA PLAVSIC NON TESTIMONIERA' A PROCESSO MILOSEVIC
(ANSA) - L'AJA, 16 FEB - Biljana Plavsic, ex presidente dei serbi di
Bosnia, non testimoniera' davanti al Tribunale penale internazionale
(Tpi) nel processo contro l'ex presidente jugoslavo Slobodan
Milosevic. Lo ha detto oggi il procuratore del Tpi Carla Del Ponte,
in un'intervista all'Afp. Plavsic, condannata per crimini contro
l'umanita', era stata trasferita dalla Svezia - dove sta scontando la
pena - all'Aja per presentarsi davanti alla corte che giudica Slobo.
Ma dopo un incontro con Del Ponte ed i magistrati che rappresentano
la procura nel processo contro Milosevic e' stato deciso di
rinunciare alla sua testimonianza perche' all'accusa restano ancora
solo due udienze, quelle di mercoledi' e giovedi', e non c'e' tempo
per inserire la deposizione dell'ex presidente dei serbi di Bosnia.
In una dichiarazione fatta quando ha ammesso le sue responsabilita'
Plavsic ha indicato Milosevic quale uno dei principali responsabili
della campagna di pulizia etnica fatta contro le popolazioni croate e
musulmane di Bosnia. Del Ponte ha informato che Plavsic potrebbe
essere sentita quale testimone in altri processi in corso davanti al
Tpi, sempre per fatti accaduti nella ex Jugoslavia. Il processo
contro Milosevic e' giunto il 12 febbraio scorso al giro di boa. Dopo
due anni riservati all'accusa e ai suoi testimoni, dal 19 maggio la
parola passera' all'imputato. Milosevic e' accusato di crimini
contro l'umanita' e di guerra. (ANSA). VS 16/02/2004 12:39
---
Plavsic refuses to testify at Milosevic trial: sources
FoNet - February 13, 2004
THE HAGUE -- Friday – Former Bosnian Serb president and convicted war
criminal Biljana Plavsic has refused to testify at the trial of
Slobodan Milosevic, having been transferred to The Hague from prison
in Sweden, according to sources close to her family.
“I didn’t like Slobodan Milosevic, and he hated me,” sources quoted
Plavsic as saying, adding that the former Republika Srpska president
was not among Milosevic’s close associates and was unable to shed any
light on his actions.
Plavsic, who is serving an 11-year sentence, was transferred to the war
crimes tribunal in The Hague earlier this week, though it has not been
confirmed why she was called to testify.
A prosecutor in the Milosevic trial told the Trial Chamber today that
one of the prosecution’s final witnesses would not be testifying,
without specifying who.
Sources close to the tribunal say Plavsic was also due to testify at
the trial of former Bosnian Serb parliament speaker Momcilo Krajisnik.
Her testimony at this trial is also now in doubt, B92 was told.
Plavsic, 72, was sentenced at the tribunal in February 2003, after she
admitted playing a leading role in the campaign of persecution against
Bosnian Croats and Muslims during the 1992-95 war.
She is currently serving her sentence in Sweden.
=== 6 ===
Fonte: http://www.ansa.it/balcani/
MILOSEVIC: TPI, NUOVA SOSPENSIONE PROCESSO
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 18 FEB - Nuova sospensione, sempre per ragioni di
salute, del processo in corso all'Aja contro Slobodan Milosevic: lo
ha annunciato stamane un portavoce del Tribunale penale
internazionale sulla ex Jugoslavia.
L'udienza di oggi e' stata sospesa, ha detto il portavoce, senza
precisare se il processo riprendera' domani. Milosevic, 62 anni, e'
accusato al Tpi di genocidio, crimini di guerra e contro l'umanita'
per i conflitti balcanici dei primi anni '90.
Il processo contro 'Slobo', iniziato nel febbraio di due anni fa, e'
stato interrotto piu' di una decina di occasioni a causa dello stato
di salute dell'imputato, e cioe' per influenze, spossatezza e
soprattutto problemi di pressione. (ANSA)
RIG 18/02/2004 09:39
MILOSEVIC: TPI; PROBLEMI SALUTE, SETTIMANA SENZA UDIENZE
(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 18 FEB - Nuova sospensione, sempre ''per ragioni
di salute'', del processo in corso all'Aja contro Slobodan Milosevic:
lo ha annunciato un portavoce del Tribunale penale internazionale
sulla ex Jugoslavia, sottolineando che anche l'udienza di domani e'
stata sospesa. ''Nessun'altra udienza e' prevista per questa
settimana'', ha detto il portavoce, ricordando che l'ex presidente
jugoslavo ''e' stato visitato da un dottore e che i giudici
riceveranno nella giornata di oggi un rapporto'' sulle condizioni di
salute di Milosevic, ''sulla base del quale decideranno - ha
precisato - quale sara' il prossimo passo'' del processo.
Milosevic, 62 anni, e' accusato al Tpi di genocidio, crimini di
guerra e contro l'umanita' per i conflitti balcanici dei primi anni
'90. Il processo contro 'Slobo', iniziato nel febbraio di due anni
fa, e' stato interrotto in piu' di una decina di occasioni a causa
dello stato di salute dell'imputato, e cioe' per influenze,
spossatezza e soprattutto problemi di pressione. (ANSA).
RIG 18/02/2004 16:16
---
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty021804.htm
Press Advisory . Avis pour information
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
The Hague, 18 February 2004
JM/P.I.S./PA164
MILOSEVIC TRIAL:
HEARING CANCELLED FOR THURSDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2004
NO FURTHER HEARINGS SCHEDULED FOR THIS WEEK
Please be advised that the hearing scheduled for tomorrow,
Thursday 19 February 2004, in the case The Prosecutor v.
Slobodan Milosevic has been cancelled due to the ill-health
of the accused and that no further hearings are scheduled
for this week. The Press Office will update the media as to
when the next hearing will take place in due course.
For further information please call: +31 (70) 512-5343 or 512-5356.
---
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty022004.htm
Press Advisory . Avis pour information
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
The Hague, 20 February 2004
JM/P.I.S./PA166
MILOSEVIC TRIAL:
HEARINGS TO CONCLUDE THE PROSECUTION CASE RE-SCHEDULED
Please be advised that the hearing in the case The Prosecutor
v. Slobodan Milosevic for Monday, 23 February 2004 has been
cancelled due to the ill-health of the accused.
The Trial Chamber will still sit on Tuesday, 24 February 2004
from 9am to 4.45pm as previously scheduled and on Wednesday,
25 February 2004 from 9am to 1.45pm.
For further information please call: +31 (70) 512-5343 or
512-5356.
---
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/icty022304.htm
Press Advisory . Avis pour information
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
The Hague, 23 February 2004
JM/P.I.S./PA167
MILOSEVIC TRIAL:
HEARINGS CANCELLED FOR TUESDAY 24 AND WEDNESDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2004
Please be advised that the hearings scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday 24
February and Wednesday 25 February 2004, in the case The
Prosecutor v. Slobodan Milosevic have been cancelled due to
the ill-health of the accused.
For further information please call: +31 (70) 512-5343 or
512-5356.
---
MILOSEVIC: TPI, ANNULLATE UDIENZE DOMANI E MERCOLEDI'
(ANSA) - L'AJA, 23 FEB - Le udienze del processo Milosevic previste
per domani e mercoledi' sono state cancellate per ragioni di salute
addotte dall'imputato. Ne da' notizia un comunicato del Tribunale
internazionale per i crimini commessi nella ex Jugoslavia. (ANSA).
OS
23/02/2004 14:47
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/serbiamontenegro/20040223144732852622.html
=== 7 ===
MILOSEVIC: TPI; NUOVO CONTRATTEMPO, LASCIA PRESIDENTE PROCESSO
(ANSA-AFP-REUTERS) - L'AJA, 22 FEB - Nuovo contrattempo nel processo
all'ex presidente Slobodan Milosevic al Tribunale penale
internazionale dell'Aja: Richard May, il giudice britannico che
presiede il processo, lascera' il suo incarico il 31 maggio prossimo
per motivi di salute. Lo ha comunicato il presidente del Tpi Theodor
Meron, in un comunicato.
Richard May, 65 anni, presiede il processo all'ex uomo forte di
Belgrado dal 12 febbraio 2002.
Il procuratore terminera' la presentazione dei capi di accusa tra
martedi' e mercoledi' prossimi. Le dimissioni di May non ritarderanno
questa fase del processo anche se il giudice britannico non sara'
presente alle audizioni a causa della sua malattia. Assisteranno al
dibattito i giudici giamaicano Patrick Robinson e sudcoreano O-Gon
Kwo.
Ma le dimissioni di May provocheranno una fermata del processo, gia'
catalogato come il piu' lungo nella storia della giustizia
internazionale. Secondo lo statuto del Tpi, in caso di dimissioni di
un giudice, il presidente puo' designare un altro magistrato per
sostituirlo, il quale giudice a sua volta avra' bisogno di tempo per
immergersi nel contesto.
Alcuni esperti ritengono che questo non sara' possibile nell'arco di
tre mesi , la pausa tra la fine della presentazione dei capi di
accusa e l'avvio della presentazione delle tesi della difesa.
Inoltre, Milosevic dovra' dare il suo consenso a un proseguimento del
processo in queste condizioni. Se rifiutera', i giudici potranno
decidere di passare sopra il suo rifiuto o, al contrario, decidere
per un nuovo processo.
Finora il processo e' stato interrotto piu' di una decina di volte
per la fragile salute di Milosevic, sofferente di problemi
cardio-circolatori. (ANSA-AFP-REUTERS)
LD 22/02/2004 20:15
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/fattidelgiorno/200402222015138986/
200402222015138986.html
---
Press Release . Communiqué de presse
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
PRESIDENT
PRÉSIDENT
The Hague, 22 February 2004
MF/P.I.S./824e
STATEMENT OF JUDGE THEODOR MERON, PRESIDENT OF THE ICTY, UPON THE
RESIGNATION
OF JUDGE RICHARD GEORGE MAY
Judge Richard George May of the United Kingdom has informed me of his
resignation as a Judge of the International Tribunal, effective 31 May
2004, due to health reasons. Judge May’s letter of resignation states
that his recent illness will make it increasingly difficult for him to
continue the performance of his duties and that he believes, however
reluctantly, that his resignation is in the best interests of the
Tribunal.
I have transmitted Judge May’s letter of resignation to the
Secretary-General of the United Nations at Judge May’s request and
pursuant to Rule 16 of the Tribunal’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence.
I am confident that the Secretary-General will soon appoint a successor
Judge under Article 13 bis of the Statute of the Tribunal.
For more than six years, Judge May’s formidable intellect and
unwavering dedication have made him one of the Tribunal’s mainstays.
Since taking the oath of office in November 1997, Judge May has worked
tirelessly to carry out the Tribunal’s mandate to ensure that persons
accused of serious violations of international humanitarian law are
tried according to procedures that are fair, efficient, and sound.
The roster of Tribunal cases that have benefited from Judge May’s care
makes up a significant portion of the Tribunal’s entire docket. As a
member of Trial Chamber II, Judge May participated in the trial and
final judgement in the cases of Furundzija and Kupreskic. As Presiding
Judge of Trial Chamber III, a position he has held since November 1998,
he has presided over the trials in the cases of Kordic and Cerkez and,
most recently, Milosevic. He deliberated on numerous sentencing
judgements, including in the Celebici Camp case and the cases of
Sikirica, Plavsic, and Banovic. He has also taken part in hundreds of
Trial Chamber decisions on matters of procedure and served as Presiding
Judge of the Tribunal’s Appeals Chamber in the Aleksovski case.
Judge May has brought his practical wisdom and mastery of substantive
criminal law to bear on many unprecedented challenges. He has
shepherded the Milosevic case, one of historical importance and
daunting dimensions, through a major part of the trial with patience
and care and handled the unique issues presented by that case
creatively and effectively. Judge May’s extraordinary skill is evident
from the striking in all of his cases of an appropriate balance between
the rights of the accused and efficient trial management.
Judge May also served for five years as Chair of the Tribunal’s
Committee on the Rules of Procedure and Evidence. The work of that
Committee has been invaluable in developing procedures that are geared
to the special requirements of
international criminal prosecutions and that combine the disparate
approaches of common law and civil law systems. One of the Tribunal’s
major contributions to the evolution of international criminal law is
its elaboration of a procedural framework that allows the effective
conduct of trials while respecting the rights of the accused. Much of
the Tribunal’s ability to conduct credible and sophisticated
proceedings is due to Judge May’s skilled leadership of the Rules
Committee.
The Judges and staff of the Tribunal shall continue to work hard to
fulfill the historic mission of the Tribunal, even in Judge May’s
absence. I am confident that Judge May’s resignation will not have an
unduly disruptive effect on any proceedings before the Tribunal. The
conduct of the Milosevic trial remains
in the safe hands of Trial Chamber III.
A witness at the Tribunal once described Judge May as being "made of
reinforced platinum." The metaphor is quite apt. Like platinum, Judge
May is strong, noble, brilliant and, above all, of a very rare quality.
To me personally, Judge May is a close friend and a valued mentor. We
at the Tribunal have treasured
him as a colleague, and we look forward to his continued insights into
the work of the Tribunal as an enlightened outside observer. We are
very grateful to Judge May for his years of service and wish him a
swift and full recovery.
=== 8 ===
MILOSEVIC: TPI, PIENO DI INCOGNITE FUTURO PROCESSO / ANSA
(ANSA) - L'AJA, 23 FEB - (di Marisa Ostolani) - E' gia' stato
catalogato come il processo piu' lungo nella storia recente della
giustizia internazionale, ma a due anni dall'apertura, dopo 290
giorni di udienze, e ad un passo dalla chiusura del lavoro
dell'accusa, Slobodan Milosevic potrebbe chiedere di ricominciare
tutto da capo. L'incognita, pesante come un macigno, pesa da ieri
sul Tribunale internazionale dell'Aja per i crimini compiuti nella
ex Jugoslavia, dopo l'annuncio delle dimissioni di Richard May. Il
giudice britannico, 65 anni, che presiede la Corte, lascera'
l'incarico il 31 maggio prossimo per ragioni di salute. ''Se un
giudice e' malato noi possiamo aspettare che guarisca'', ha
dichiarato Zdenko Tomanovic, che guida il collegio legale di
Milosevic: ''Ma se un giudice deve lasciare - ha aggiunto -
l'imputato ha il diritto di chiedere che il procedimento ricominci da
capo''. La possibilita' che l'ex presidente Jugoslavo, 62 anni,
accusato dal Tribunale di genocidio, crimini di guerra e contro
l'umanita' per i conflitti nei Balcani degli anni '90, chieda un
nuovo processo e' giudicata ''improbabile'' negli ambienti del
Tribunale dall'Aja, ma resta un'opzione che aumenta le incertezze che
gravano sul procedimento. La conclusione del processo, prevista per
dopodomani, con la presentazione delle ultime prove contro Milosevic
da parte del procuratore generale Carla Del Ponte, e' intanto
slittata a data da destinarsi: l'imputato oggi ha chiesto, e
ottenuto, la cancellazione delle udienze di domani e mercoledi' per
ragioni di salute. Lo ha gia' fatto almeno una dozzina di volte a
causa dei problemi cardio-vascolari e di alta pressione che lo
affliggono. ''Non siamo sicuri su quando si potranno tenere le nuove
udienze, forse gia' entro questa settimana, forse la prossima'', ha
detto il portavoce del Tpi Jim Landel, precisando che ''la
cancellazione delle ultime sedute e le dimissioni del giudice May
sono pero' due cose separate''. Lo statuto della Corte prevede che
il segretario generale dell'Onu, Kofi Annan, designi un successore.
''Speriamo che le Nazioni Unite decidano nel tempo piu' breve
possibile'', ha sottolineato Landel. ''Nell'interesse della
giustizia, noi crediamo che il procedimento possa proseguire.
L'interruzione gia' prevista di tre mesi da' al Tribunale il respiro
necessario per consentire ad un nuovo giudice di insediarsi. C'e'
tutto il tempo necessario perche' possa familiarizzare con il
processo''. I tre mesi di pausa erano gia' previsti per consentire
a Milosevic di preparare la sua difesa. Slobo, che non ha mai
riconosciuto la Corte e si e' sempre dichiarato innocente, si
difendera' da solo dai 66 capi di imputazione. L'avvio della difesa
era previsto per il 19 maggio prossimo, mentre la chiusura del
processo nel 2006, quattro anni dopo la prima udienza, celebrata il
12 febbraio del 2002. Oltre che sul calendario, gravano incertezze
anche sulla possibilita' per il procuratore del Ponte di dimostrare
il piu' importante capo di imputazione contro Milosevic: quello di
genocidio dei 7000 musulmani bosniaci in Srebrenica, nel 1995.
Secondo l'Istituto per l'informazione sulla guerra e la pace, un
centro di studi britannico specializzato in conflitti nei Balcani e
in altre parti del mondo, Milosevic passera' il resto della sua vita
in prigione, ma sara' assolto dall'accusa di genocidio. Gli esperti
legali dell'Istituto che hanno seguito il caso ritengono che il
procuratore Del Ponte non abbia trovato le prove per giustificare una
sentenza di colpevolezza.(ANSA). OS 23/02/2004 18:41
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/serbiamontenegro/20040223184132853067.html
Jugocoord su Telegram
Jugocoord su Facebook