Informazione
Ciao,
desideriamo farti sapere che, nella sezione File del gruppo
crj-mailinglist, troverai un nuovo file appena caricato.
File : /primorski.pdf
Caricato da : jugocoord <jugocoord@...>
Descrizione : ...UGRIZNIL "PARTIZANSKI" ("Primorski Dnevnik" 22/11/2002 - http://www.primorski.it/pes/NOV04.pdf)
Puoi accedere al file dal seguente indirizzo:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/files/primorski.pdf
Per ulteriori informazioni su come condividere i file con gli altri
iscritti al tuo gruppo, vai invece alla sezione di Aiuto al seguente
indirizzo:
http://help.yahoo.com/help/it/groups/files
Cordiali saluti,
jugocoord <jugocoord@...>
desideriamo farti sapere che, nella sezione File del gruppo
crj-mailinglist, troverai un nuovo file appena caricato.
File : /primorski.pdf
Caricato da : jugocoord <jugocoord@...>
Descrizione : ...UGRIZNIL "PARTIZANSKI" ("Primorski Dnevnik" 22/11/2002 - http://www.primorski.it/pes/NOV04.pdf)
Puoi accedere al file dal seguente indirizzo:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/files/primorski.pdf
Per ulteriori informazioni su come condividere i file con gli altri
iscritti al tuo gruppo, vai invece alla sezione di Aiuto al seguente
indirizzo:
http://help.yahoo.com/help/it/groups/files
Cordiali saluti,
jugocoord <jugocoord@...>
1. Russian Duma on Milosevic
2. Secret Witness C-025 vs. Milosevic
=== 1 ===
International Committee to Defend Slobodan Milosevic (ICDSM)
URL for this article is http://www.icdsm.org/more/duma2.htm
Subscribe to our email list at http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm/maillist.htm
*Receive articles from the ICDSM Website*
Please send the link to this text to a friend. Or if you're receiving this
article via e-mail, please forward it to your friends!
An ICDSM delegation is going to The Hague. You can help. (See end of text.)
==================================================
Russian Duma is Unanimous: 'Political Prisoner Milosevic' must be Given Proper
Medical Care!
[Posted 13 December 2002]
==================================================
* Declaration of the State Duma *
Concerning the inhuman treatment of the political prisoner, Slobodan Milosevic,
by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia:
The State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation views with deep
concern information concerning the sharp deterioration of the health of the
former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic who
is being held in the prison of the International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at The Hague.
According to official sources from The Hague, during the nine months of the
process in the case of Slobodan Milosevic (since February 2002) the ICTY
sessions have been disrupted four times, which makes 31 working day (without
weekends), specifically due to Slobodan Milosevic's poor health. The lawyers
(amici curiae) appointed by ICTY have addressed to the ICTY judges a proposal to
make a one year recess in the process in the case of Slobodan Milosevic for the
same reason - the prisoner's poor health.
The arterial hypertension associated with the cardiovascular illness from which
Slobodan Milosevic has suffered since before his imprisonment, is an imminent
threat to his life. The exhausting ICTY sessions, which are many hours long, the
lack of specialized medical aid and the lack of opportunity to get fresh air
worsen the health condition of Slobodan Milosevic.
The former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia undergoes a
humiliating procedure, which includes being handcuffed every time he is
transported from the prison to the court and back.
The State Duma has condemned the actions of the ICTY more than once in the
resolutions of:
- June 28, 2001, No.1719-III GD, "On the address of the State Duma of the
Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to the leadership of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia concerning the outlawing of the handing over Slobodan
Milosevic to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia"
- And of February 15, 2002 No.2480-III GD "On the necessity to impose time
limits to the works of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia".
These Resolutions made critical estimates of the ICTY's work, emphasizing
violations of the norms of international humanitarian law and the political
character of the ICTY [Hague Tribunal].
In relation to the above-mentioned, the State Duma considers it a priority that
political prisoner Slobodan Milosevic undergo appropriate medical examination
administered by Yugoslav doctors and other specialists.
The State Duma, in accordance with the provisions of UN General Assembly
Resolution 37/194 of December 18, 1982 on the Principles of Medical Ethics,
determining the role of health care workers, in the first place physicians, in
the medical protection of prisoners, requests the Government of the Russian
Federation to send to The Hague highly qualified Russian doctors to take part in
the medical examination of Slobodan Milosevic.
(Adopted unanimously, December 11, 2002)
Note from ICDSM: For the UN Resolution mentioned above go to
http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/37/a37r194.htm
==============================
We're Taking on The Hague Dec. 16th! Please Help Get us There!
==============================
Slobodan Milosevic has requested to meet with a delegation from his support
committee, the ICDSM. That delegation is going to The Hague the week of 16
December. It includes Quebec Attorney Tiphaine Dickson, whom the ICDSM has
retained as counsel, as well as ICDSM Vice-Chairmen, Nico Varkevisser and
myself, Jared Israel, who are also editors of the Emperor's Clothes Website.
It is very possible that on Wednesday, 18 December, the Tribunal will rule on
two vital issues. One is whether and how to adjust the trial proceedings to
remove the mortal threat to Mr. Milosevic's life. The second is whether to force
unwanted counsel on Mr. Milosevic.
It is very important that we be there to help fight for Mr. Milosevic - and the
truth - through publicity and legal measures. The Tribunal is trying to justify
forcing substitute counsel on Mr. Milosevic based on the false excuse that that
is the only way to protect his health. This is discussed in our motion which can
be read at
http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm/motion.htm
We are desperately short on cash to cover the expenses of this trip. If you can
help please do so. The ways you may contribute are listed below.
If possible, please help, and ask others who support this work to help as well!
-- Jared Israel
You can contribute any amount - $30 $60 $100 $250 $500 or more. (More would be
wonderful!)
** Here is How to Make a Donation **
Donate using PayPal. Go to
https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=icdsm%40aol.com
PayPal accepts VISA and MasterCard
Send us a check. Make it payable to:
ICDSM
831 Beacon St., #295
Newton Centre, MA 02459 (USA)
* Make a donation at our secure server. Go to
https://emperor.securesites.com/transactions/icdsm.php
You can use VISA, MasterCard or Discover
Donate by credit card over the phone. Call us at:
ICDSM, USA 1 617 916-1705
or
Freedom Association, Belgrade 381 11 3282491 or 381 638 862 301
Thank you!
ICDSM
www.icdsm.org
Backup ICDSM Website at
http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm
=== 2 ===
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 2002 11:10:20 -0500 (EST)
From: "Wolfgang Mueller"
Subject: Secret Witness C-025 vs. Milosevic
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/804561/posts
DEc 10th report from Un Tribunal - Secret Witness C-025 vs. Milosevic
jurist.com ^ | Tuesday December 10, 2002 at 8:53 pm | Vera Markovic
Posted on 12/11/2002 4:01 AM PST by vooch
There was another witness, who testified yesterday and today: C-025.
This was another protected Serb from CRO, a former policeman, but
from a region first time introduced - Baranja.
For those unfamiliar, it's a rich flat triangle between rivers Drava
and Danube, almost at the far east of CRO, not far from Vukovar. What
is interesting about this particular piece of Serb-inhabited
territory, it didn't exactly have too many clashes, actually hardly
any.
Thus, any potential witness living there has very little to testify,
and C-025 couldn't and didn't meet the Prosecution's needs. Why they
called him to the stand anyway, it really beats me. Is he one of
those 14 lesser-quality witnesses given up in exchange for the
prolongation of Babic? Or do they consider him a higher-quality
witness? They're really scraping the bottom of the barrel here.
The man only testified that the Serbian Security Service had been
active on the territory of Baranja (imagine that!), that there were
some weapons distributed to people by somebody, to which he never
witnessed, and that some Croats had been arrested and exchanged later
on. He finished his examination-in-chief in couple of hours, although
Nice dragged each question endlessly. Would you believe that he even
dwelled upon the alleged misappropriation of stolen cars within the
local police force (war crime, no doubt!).
However, Milosevic had a field trip with this one: in a dozen short
descriptions he managed to sum up the happenings in Baranja in 1991-
92, that really showed what the 'war' in CRO was all about. Listen.
(Milosevic finished each one of these descriptions with a
question 'Would you agree with that?', and C-025 agreed each time.)
There were hardly any clashes in Baranja. JNA intervened just once to
divide local Serbs and Croat forces, and prevented any battle to
happen by its mere presence, by placing few armoured cars between the
two sides. The same happened in the nearby Vukovar region, in Borovo
Selo, the difference being that there were about one hundred dead
before JNA stepped in [this was the famous case that triggered it
all, which happened 3 May 1991: the Croatian police first provoked by
putting new Fascist flag in the middle of this Serb village, the flag
was taken down, the police came back tomorrow in few buses with
hundreds of paramilitaries, shooting wantonly around, but the
peasants were ready with their hunting guns - Croats were ambushed,
about a hundred of them got killed and the others were saved by JNA].
C-025 further confirmed that there were several militant extremist
Croat groups organized, openly calling themselves 'Ustasa'. That
there were Serb houses and business premises mined, as well as
POLITIKA representative office in Osijek (major town of the region).
That he personally knew 7-8 prominent Serbs from Osijek, mostly
doctors, holding no extremist views whatsoever, who got killed.
That 57 Serbs got killed in the municipality of Beli Manastir (the
second major town) in the period 1991-93. That after one of such
killings, few villages organized their village patrols. That the
local Serbs from Baranja organized their own military unit, complete
with mortars, uncertain of the possible JNA help they would receive.
That the local Serbs made no attacks upon the Croatian villages or
individuals. That JNA, before it was withdrawn from Baranja as well
as from the whole of CRO, had fought several battles with the newly
established Croatian forces which would always try to penetrate this
area through the Hungarian territory (and Hungary let them!); this is
a marshy region, with an important border army watchtower Torjanci.
The first time the Croats tried to seize it, they came into the mine-
field and got all captured.
The second time, they managed to come by a small village of Torjanci,
where they killed all its Gypsy population, but the JNA fought them
back to Hungary. The third time was interesting: they came via
Hungary with heavy weaponry (mortars, artillery); either they were
invisible or the Hungarians mistook them for their own forces (?);
again they had to retreat with heavy casualties. C-025 confirmed all
that and recognized names of the Serbs killed, quoted by Milosevic.
In short, he turned out to be another witness for the Defence, making
its case to perfection.
Nice must've been mortified, so when he got another chance to
redirect, I expected he would find something strong to pull out this
sinking ship. But look what he came up with. He reiterated about the
illegal arming of the Serbs; C-025 said that "part of it was legal,
which was the arming of the TO (Territorial Defence)"; Nice suggested
so subtly that maybe this 'illegal part of the arming was causing the
disturbance among the non-Serbs, contributing to their moving out of
the region', to which C-025 responded: "Well, I think that part of
the arming had been made in secrecy."
So, the non-Serbs could not have been disturbed by it, could they?!
Poor Nice, he just abruptly ended: "Er… Thank you. That concludes my
redirect."
But, what was really amazing is the more and more obvious expert help
(and I mean intelligence data) available to Milosevic. He not only
quoted all the events, dates, places, even names of villagers, he
also started to quote some seriously fresh info re Croatian current
Security Service.
In the part of his cross-examination aimed at undermining the
credibility of the witness, he quoted some names of local as well as
top Zagreb Counter-Intelligence Service officials, with whom C-025 is
allegedly connected and accused him of being their witness,
instructed by them. He described dates of their phone calls last
month, places of their meeting, organization of the trip to The Hague
from Osijek via Zagreb, even the make of the car used, a Zagreb
tavern of venue, who said what at the goodbye-meeting with the top
brass.
Really scary. Of course, C-025 denied it all, but had to admit he
does "go fishing with Pekic quite often" [Pekic being a local top
official of the Service in Osijek]. You know what makes me believe
there is some truth in it? You remember the witness Mustafa Candic, a
Major/Muslim/ex-JNA Security Service officer? Remember how he spoke
of the 'secret operations for arming of the Serbs, called
Breakthrough 1 and 2' (of which nobody else but him knew the
existence!) and how it was subsequently established that, after
leaving JNA, he went over to the Croatian Secret Service and sold
them his stories, before crossing over to Alija Izetbegovic?
Well, in his testimony concerning weapons, C-025 mentioned 'Operation
Breakthrough'. Now, how could a simple local policeman know about
such a thing, even if it did exists, and particularly if it didn't?!
Obviously, the Croatian Service briefed him and the Prosecution
wanted to use him as another source who would independently confirm
this bogus story.
But, C-025 simply wasn't up to the task; he did mention that, but
somewhat shyly (I hardly managed to notice it) and instead dwelled
endlessly upon the re-registration of stolen cars, as any simple cop
would do. The truth is always so much more interesting and easier to
spin to simple people. You should've heard him while eagerly
confirming every bit of the situation-depicting description that
Milosevic gave.
Keep these witnesses coming, Prosecutor Nice. Another one of even
lower calibre already came - Jeri Laber.
Vera Martinovic
Belgrade
Yugoslavia
FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
Powered by Focus Forum (working name), Copyright 2000-2002 Robinson-
DeFehr Consulting, LLC
2. Secret Witness C-025 vs. Milosevic
=== 1 ===
International Committee to Defend Slobodan Milosevic (ICDSM)
URL for this article is http://www.icdsm.org/more/duma2.htm
Subscribe to our email list at http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm/maillist.htm
*Receive articles from the ICDSM Website*
Please send the link to this text to a friend. Or if you're receiving this
article via e-mail, please forward it to your friends!
An ICDSM delegation is going to The Hague. You can help. (See end of text.)
==================================================
Russian Duma is Unanimous: 'Political Prisoner Milosevic' must be Given Proper
Medical Care!
[Posted 13 December 2002]
==================================================
* Declaration of the State Duma *
Concerning the inhuman treatment of the political prisoner, Slobodan Milosevic,
by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia:
The State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation views with deep
concern information concerning the sharp deterioration of the health of the
former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic who
is being held in the prison of the International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia (ICTY) at The Hague.
According to official sources from The Hague, during the nine months of the
process in the case of Slobodan Milosevic (since February 2002) the ICTY
sessions have been disrupted four times, which makes 31 working day (without
weekends), specifically due to Slobodan Milosevic's poor health. The lawyers
(amici curiae) appointed by ICTY have addressed to the ICTY judges a proposal to
make a one year recess in the process in the case of Slobodan Milosevic for the
same reason - the prisoner's poor health.
The arterial hypertension associated with the cardiovascular illness from which
Slobodan Milosevic has suffered since before his imprisonment, is an imminent
threat to his life. The exhausting ICTY sessions, which are many hours long, the
lack of specialized medical aid and the lack of opportunity to get fresh air
worsen the health condition of Slobodan Milosevic.
The former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia undergoes a
humiliating procedure, which includes being handcuffed every time he is
transported from the prison to the court and back.
The State Duma has condemned the actions of the ICTY more than once in the
resolutions of:
- June 28, 2001, No.1719-III GD, "On the address of the State Duma of the
Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to the leadership of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia concerning the outlawing of the handing over Slobodan
Milosevic to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia"
- And of February 15, 2002 No.2480-III GD "On the necessity to impose time
limits to the works of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia".
These Resolutions made critical estimates of the ICTY's work, emphasizing
violations of the norms of international humanitarian law and the political
character of the ICTY [Hague Tribunal].
In relation to the above-mentioned, the State Duma considers it a priority that
political prisoner Slobodan Milosevic undergo appropriate medical examination
administered by Yugoslav doctors and other specialists.
The State Duma, in accordance with the provisions of UN General Assembly
Resolution 37/194 of December 18, 1982 on the Principles of Medical Ethics,
determining the role of health care workers, in the first place physicians, in
the medical protection of prisoners, requests the Government of the Russian
Federation to send to The Hague highly qualified Russian doctors to take part in
the medical examination of Slobodan Milosevic.
(Adopted unanimously, December 11, 2002)
Note from ICDSM: For the UN Resolution mentioned above go to
http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/37/a37r194.htm
==============================
We're Taking on The Hague Dec. 16th! Please Help Get us There!
==============================
Slobodan Milosevic has requested to meet with a delegation from his support
committee, the ICDSM. That delegation is going to The Hague the week of 16
December. It includes Quebec Attorney Tiphaine Dickson, whom the ICDSM has
retained as counsel, as well as ICDSM Vice-Chairmen, Nico Varkevisser and
myself, Jared Israel, who are also editors of the Emperor's Clothes Website.
It is very possible that on Wednesday, 18 December, the Tribunal will rule on
two vital issues. One is whether and how to adjust the trial proceedings to
remove the mortal threat to Mr. Milosevic's life. The second is whether to force
unwanted counsel on Mr. Milosevic.
It is very important that we be there to help fight for Mr. Milosevic - and the
truth - through publicity and legal measures. The Tribunal is trying to justify
forcing substitute counsel on Mr. Milosevic based on the false excuse that that
is the only way to protect his health. This is discussed in our motion which can
be read at
http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm/motion.htm
We are desperately short on cash to cover the expenses of this trip. If you can
help please do so. The ways you may contribute are listed below.
If possible, please help, and ask others who support this work to help as well!
-- Jared Israel
You can contribute any amount - $30 $60 $100 $250 $500 or more. (More would be
wonderful!)
** Here is How to Make a Donation **
Donate using PayPal. Go to
https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=icdsm%40aol.com
PayPal accepts VISA and MasterCard
Send us a check. Make it payable to:
ICDSM
831 Beacon St., #295
Newton Centre, MA 02459 (USA)
* Make a donation at our secure server. Go to
https://emperor.securesites.com/transactions/icdsm.php
You can use VISA, MasterCard or Discover
Donate by credit card over the phone. Call us at:
ICDSM, USA 1 617 916-1705
or
Freedom Association, Belgrade 381 11 3282491 or 381 638 862 301
Thank you!
ICDSM
www.icdsm.org
Backup ICDSM Website at
http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm
=== 2 ===
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 2002 11:10:20 -0500 (EST)
From: "Wolfgang Mueller"
Subject: Secret Witness C-025 vs. Milosevic
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/804561/posts
DEc 10th report from Un Tribunal - Secret Witness C-025 vs. Milosevic
jurist.com ^ | Tuesday December 10, 2002 at 8:53 pm | Vera Markovic
Posted on 12/11/2002 4:01 AM PST by vooch
There was another witness, who testified yesterday and today: C-025.
This was another protected Serb from CRO, a former policeman, but
from a region first time introduced - Baranja.
For those unfamiliar, it's a rich flat triangle between rivers Drava
and Danube, almost at the far east of CRO, not far from Vukovar. What
is interesting about this particular piece of Serb-inhabited
territory, it didn't exactly have too many clashes, actually hardly
any.
Thus, any potential witness living there has very little to testify,
and C-025 couldn't and didn't meet the Prosecution's needs. Why they
called him to the stand anyway, it really beats me. Is he one of
those 14 lesser-quality witnesses given up in exchange for the
prolongation of Babic? Or do they consider him a higher-quality
witness? They're really scraping the bottom of the barrel here.
The man only testified that the Serbian Security Service had been
active on the territory of Baranja (imagine that!), that there were
some weapons distributed to people by somebody, to which he never
witnessed, and that some Croats had been arrested and exchanged later
on. He finished his examination-in-chief in couple of hours, although
Nice dragged each question endlessly. Would you believe that he even
dwelled upon the alleged misappropriation of stolen cars within the
local police force (war crime, no doubt!).
However, Milosevic had a field trip with this one: in a dozen short
descriptions he managed to sum up the happenings in Baranja in 1991-
92, that really showed what the 'war' in CRO was all about. Listen.
(Milosevic finished each one of these descriptions with a
question 'Would you agree with that?', and C-025 agreed each time.)
There were hardly any clashes in Baranja. JNA intervened just once to
divide local Serbs and Croat forces, and prevented any battle to
happen by its mere presence, by placing few armoured cars between the
two sides. The same happened in the nearby Vukovar region, in Borovo
Selo, the difference being that there were about one hundred dead
before JNA stepped in [this was the famous case that triggered it
all, which happened 3 May 1991: the Croatian police first provoked by
putting new Fascist flag in the middle of this Serb village, the flag
was taken down, the police came back tomorrow in few buses with
hundreds of paramilitaries, shooting wantonly around, but the
peasants were ready with their hunting guns - Croats were ambushed,
about a hundred of them got killed and the others were saved by JNA].
C-025 further confirmed that there were several militant extremist
Croat groups organized, openly calling themselves 'Ustasa'. That
there were Serb houses and business premises mined, as well as
POLITIKA representative office in Osijek (major town of the region).
That he personally knew 7-8 prominent Serbs from Osijek, mostly
doctors, holding no extremist views whatsoever, who got killed.
That 57 Serbs got killed in the municipality of Beli Manastir (the
second major town) in the period 1991-93. That after one of such
killings, few villages organized their village patrols. That the
local Serbs from Baranja organized their own military unit, complete
with mortars, uncertain of the possible JNA help they would receive.
That the local Serbs made no attacks upon the Croatian villages or
individuals. That JNA, before it was withdrawn from Baranja as well
as from the whole of CRO, had fought several battles with the newly
established Croatian forces which would always try to penetrate this
area through the Hungarian territory (and Hungary let them!); this is
a marshy region, with an important border army watchtower Torjanci.
The first time the Croats tried to seize it, they came into the mine-
field and got all captured.
The second time, they managed to come by a small village of Torjanci,
where they killed all its Gypsy population, but the JNA fought them
back to Hungary. The third time was interesting: they came via
Hungary with heavy weaponry (mortars, artillery); either they were
invisible or the Hungarians mistook them for their own forces (?);
again they had to retreat with heavy casualties. C-025 confirmed all
that and recognized names of the Serbs killed, quoted by Milosevic.
In short, he turned out to be another witness for the Defence, making
its case to perfection.
Nice must've been mortified, so when he got another chance to
redirect, I expected he would find something strong to pull out this
sinking ship. But look what he came up with. He reiterated about the
illegal arming of the Serbs; C-025 said that "part of it was legal,
which was the arming of the TO (Territorial Defence)"; Nice suggested
so subtly that maybe this 'illegal part of the arming was causing the
disturbance among the non-Serbs, contributing to their moving out of
the region', to which C-025 responded: "Well, I think that part of
the arming had been made in secrecy."
So, the non-Serbs could not have been disturbed by it, could they?!
Poor Nice, he just abruptly ended: "Er… Thank you. That concludes my
redirect."
But, what was really amazing is the more and more obvious expert help
(and I mean intelligence data) available to Milosevic. He not only
quoted all the events, dates, places, even names of villagers, he
also started to quote some seriously fresh info re Croatian current
Security Service.
In the part of his cross-examination aimed at undermining the
credibility of the witness, he quoted some names of local as well as
top Zagreb Counter-Intelligence Service officials, with whom C-025 is
allegedly connected and accused him of being their witness,
instructed by them. He described dates of their phone calls last
month, places of their meeting, organization of the trip to The Hague
from Osijek via Zagreb, even the make of the car used, a Zagreb
tavern of venue, who said what at the goodbye-meeting with the top
brass.
Really scary. Of course, C-025 denied it all, but had to admit he
does "go fishing with Pekic quite often" [Pekic being a local top
official of the Service in Osijek]. You know what makes me believe
there is some truth in it? You remember the witness Mustafa Candic, a
Major/Muslim/ex-JNA Security Service officer? Remember how he spoke
of the 'secret operations for arming of the Serbs, called
Breakthrough 1 and 2' (of which nobody else but him knew the
existence!) and how it was subsequently established that, after
leaving JNA, he went over to the Croatian Secret Service and sold
them his stories, before crossing over to Alija Izetbegovic?
Well, in his testimony concerning weapons, C-025 mentioned 'Operation
Breakthrough'. Now, how could a simple local policeman know about
such a thing, even if it did exists, and particularly if it didn't?!
Obviously, the Croatian Service briefed him and the Prosecution
wanted to use him as another source who would independently confirm
this bogus story.
But, C-025 simply wasn't up to the task; he did mention that, but
somewhat shyly (I hardly managed to notice it) and instead dwelled
endlessly upon the re-registration of stolen cars, as any simple cop
would do. The truth is always so much more interesting and easier to
spin to simple people. You should've heard him while eagerly
confirming every bit of the situation-depicting description that
Milosevic gave.
Keep these witnesses coming, Prosecutor Nice. Another one of even
lower calibre already came - Jeri Laber.
Vera Martinovic
Belgrade
Yugoslavia
FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
Powered by Focus Forum (working name), Copyright 2000-2002 Robinson-
DeFehr Consulting, LLC
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 11:17:50 +0100
From: "Vladimir Krsljanin" <vlada>
Subject: Appeal again! Read the ICTY President's reply to SLOBODA.
APPEAL AGAIN WITH FULL STRENGTH!
NATO criminals are trying to drown all your appeals!
NATO + Hague Tribunal = Farewell to human
rights!
Attempted murder continues! One has to be happy because their therapy "reduces
the possibility of death by 11 percent"!
The so-called Trial Chamber III of the Hague Tribunal made up to now no formal
decision on the life of President Milosevic. Instead, they will discuss
"administrative issues" on December 18, 2002. For accountants of death, life is
nothing else but an administrative issue.
Demonstrate your disagreement with murder before that date!
Obviously somebody already signed a silent death verdict. Here is the proof - a
letter from the President of the Tribunal:
United Nations
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
H. E. Judge Claude Jorda
President
The Hague, 27 November 2002
Dear Mr Raicevic,
I received your correspondence dated 13 October 2002 in which you
share your concerns about Mr Milosevic's medical condition and request his
provisional release so that he may receive appropriate medical treatment in the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
I wish firstly to inform you that your request does not fall within
the province of the President of the International Tribunal. Pursuant to Rules
65 and 74 bis of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence of the International
Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, it is for the Trial Chamber seized
of the case to order the medical examination of an accused and to rule on
requests for provisional release. I am taking the liberty of pointing out to you
that Trial Chamber III ruled on the matter on 6 March 2002.
Moreover, the question of organising the hearings is the
responsibility of the Trial Chamber which ensures the proper conduct of the
proceedings with respect for the rights and health of the accused. In this
respect, Trial Chamber III is taking due consideration of Mr Milosevic's medical
condition when scheduling the hearings. Furthermore, like all the detainees, Mr
Milosevic is receiving close medical attention of a high quality from the
medical staff of the United Nations Detention Centre. As Registrar of the
Tribunal, Mr Holthuis is following the situation closely and will, if necessary,
keep you informed of changes in Mr Milosevic's medical condition.
Yours sincerely,
/signed/
___________________
Claude Jorda
Monsieur Igor Raicevic
President
Assembly of the Freedom Association
What is the March 6 decision? Their refusal of the first request for provisional
release, which was NOT connected with the health situation, seriously
deteriorated in the mean time.
What is high quality close medical attention? It is STILL one visit of the
prison doctor in a week. AND daily visit of the nurse who brings a pill. AND
there is no even nurse during the weekends.
What is the medical staff of the United Nations Detention Centre? It is one
doctor and one nurse.
Yes, they did something more. The Trial Chamber III appointed Dr P.R.M. van
Dijkman, cardiologist from Bronovo Hospital at The Hague to write a report. So,
on November 15 President Milosevic has been examined by a cardiologist for FIRST
and ONLY time. And a report has been written.
Here are several lines from THAT report:
"Cardiac case history: Essential hypertension with secondary organ damage:
hypertrophy of the left ventricle. (...)
In recent weeks during trial again steep increase in blood pressure up to around
220/130 mmHg. (...)
During the tiring process of the trial, Mr Milosevic experiences a condition
that looks like hypertensive urgency. (...)
The treatment of increased blood pressure with medication generally reduces the
possibility of death by 11 percent, of coronary heart disease by 14 percent, of
cerebovascular accident by 33 percent and of vascular diseases (coronary heart
disease or CVA) by 22 percent. (Source: Revised Guidelines for Increased Blood
Pressure, CBO Quality Institute for Health Care). (...)
It can be concluded that with a combination of sufficient rest and medication,
the level of Mr Milosevic's blood pressure will be an acceptable one. (...)
However, it has become apparent time and again during the trial that there are
moments which cause Mr. Milosevic's blood pressure to "get out of hand".
My advice on the matter as formulated in the letter of 19 August 2002 remains
unchanged: sufficient rest periods in combination with antihypertensive
medication to keep the blood pressure at an acceptable level. (...)
I leave it to the Tribunal to decide in what way sufficient rest periods can be
incorporated into the trial. "
NO COMMENT!
To join or help this struggle, visit:
http://www.sps.org.yu/ (official SPS website)
http://www.belgrade-forum.org/ (forum for the world of equals)
http://www.icdsm.org/ (the international committee to defend Slobodan Milosevic)
icdsm temporary address:
http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm/index.htm
for your donations:
http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm/donations.htm
===
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 08:46:58 -0800 (PST)
From: Rick Rozoff <r_rozoff>
Subject: Russian MPs Urge UN To Allow Russian Doctors To Examine Milosevic
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/cn/Qwarcrimes-yugo-russia.Rr0h_CDB.html
Russian MPs urge UN to allow Russian medics to examine
ailing Milosevic
-"The Duma considers it a priority that political
prisoner Slobodan Milosevic undergo medical tests
administered by Yugoslav doctors and other
specialists," read the resolution adopted unanimously
by parliament's lower house.
MOSCOW, Dec 11 (AFP) - Russia's parliament on
Wednesday urged the UN war crimes tribunal in the
Hague to allow a team of Russian and Yugoslav doctors
to examine former Yugoslav president Slobodan
Milosevic, who has complained of worsening health
since his trial opened in February.
"The Duma considers it a priority that political
prisoner Slobodan Milosevic undergo medical tests
administered by Yugoslav doctors and other
specialists," read the resolution adopted unanimously
by parliament's lower house.
It also urged the Kremlin to send "to the Hague
qualified Russian doctors to take part in Slobodan
Milosevic's medical examination."
Milosevic, 61, has fallen ill five times since
February, disrupting his trial on dozens of war crimes
charges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.
The former strongman has refused to undergo
psychiatric tests for "mental strain", but medical
checks showed that he suffers from high blood pressure
and is at risk of a heart attack.
Russian deputies urged further medical exams because
"the arterial hypertension associated with Slobodan
Milosevic's cardiovascular illness threatens his
life."
While the court's prosecution has some 60 people
helping its side, Milosevic has undertaken his own
defense against some 66 charges of war crimes and
crimes against humanity for his involvement in the
wars in Kosovo (1998-99), Croatia (1991-95) and
Bosnia-Hercegovina (1992-95).
If convicted, the former president could spend the
rest of his life behind bars.
Russia backed Milosevic -- with reservations --
throughout the Balkan wars of the 1990s before finally
rallying behind current President Vojislav Kostunica,
who defeated Milosevic in the 2000 elections.
Russian Communists and nationalists, and leading
Russian politicians such as former prime minister
Yevgeny Primakov, have repeatedly voiced support for
Milosevic and Moscow has expressed deep reservations
about his trial.
===
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 10:37:53 -0800 (PST)
From: Rick Rozoff <r_rozoff>
Subject: Russian Duma Unanimously Calls For Independent Milosesic Exam
http://www.rnw.nl/news/news.html#3428629
Radio Netherlands
December 11, 2002
Russians want own doctors to examine Milosevic
The Russian parliament has unanimously passed a
resolution calling for former Yugoslav president
Slobodan Milosevic to be examined by Russian doctors.
The health of the 61-year-old Mr Milosevic has
deteriorated since his trial at the Yugoslav Tribunal
in The Hague began in February.
The trial has been suspended five times because of the
former president's poor health. Mr Milosevic has been
diagnosed as suffering from high blood pressure and at
risk of having a heart attack.
Russia has long been a staunch supporter of the former
Yugoslav leader.
From: "Vladimir Krsljanin" <vlada>
Subject: Appeal again! Read the ICTY President's reply to SLOBODA.
APPEAL AGAIN WITH FULL STRENGTH!
NATO criminals are trying to drown all your appeals!
NATO + Hague Tribunal = Farewell to human
rights!
Attempted murder continues! One has to be happy because their therapy "reduces
the possibility of death by 11 percent"!
The so-called Trial Chamber III of the Hague Tribunal made up to now no formal
decision on the life of President Milosevic. Instead, they will discuss
"administrative issues" on December 18, 2002. For accountants of death, life is
nothing else but an administrative issue.
Demonstrate your disagreement with murder before that date!
Obviously somebody already signed a silent death verdict. Here is the proof - a
letter from the President of the Tribunal:
United Nations
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
H. E. Judge Claude Jorda
President
The Hague, 27 November 2002
Dear Mr Raicevic,
I received your correspondence dated 13 October 2002 in which you
share your concerns about Mr Milosevic's medical condition and request his
provisional release so that he may receive appropriate medical treatment in the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
I wish firstly to inform you that your request does not fall within
the province of the President of the International Tribunal. Pursuant to Rules
65 and 74 bis of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence of the International
Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, it is for the Trial Chamber seized
of the case to order the medical examination of an accused and to rule on
requests for provisional release. I am taking the liberty of pointing out to you
that Trial Chamber III ruled on the matter on 6 March 2002.
Moreover, the question of organising the hearings is the
responsibility of the Trial Chamber which ensures the proper conduct of the
proceedings with respect for the rights and health of the accused. In this
respect, Trial Chamber III is taking due consideration of Mr Milosevic's medical
condition when scheduling the hearings. Furthermore, like all the detainees, Mr
Milosevic is receiving close medical attention of a high quality from the
medical staff of the United Nations Detention Centre. As Registrar of the
Tribunal, Mr Holthuis is following the situation closely and will, if necessary,
keep you informed of changes in Mr Milosevic's medical condition.
Yours sincerely,
/signed/
___________________
Claude Jorda
Monsieur Igor Raicevic
President
Assembly of the Freedom Association
What is the March 6 decision? Their refusal of the first request for provisional
release, which was NOT connected with the health situation, seriously
deteriorated in the mean time.
What is high quality close medical attention? It is STILL one visit of the
prison doctor in a week. AND daily visit of the nurse who brings a pill. AND
there is no even nurse during the weekends.
What is the medical staff of the United Nations Detention Centre? It is one
doctor and one nurse.
Yes, they did something more. The Trial Chamber III appointed Dr P.R.M. van
Dijkman, cardiologist from Bronovo Hospital at The Hague to write a report. So,
on November 15 President Milosevic has been examined by a cardiologist for FIRST
and ONLY time. And a report has been written.
Here are several lines from THAT report:
"Cardiac case history: Essential hypertension with secondary organ damage:
hypertrophy of the left ventricle. (...)
In recent weeks during trial again steep increase in blood pressure up to around
220/130 mmHg. (...)
During the tiring process of the trial, Mr Milosevic experiences a condition
that looks like hypertensive urgency. (...)
The treatment of increased blood pressure with medication generally reduces the
possibility of death by 11 percent, of coronary heart disease by 14 percent, of
cerebovascular accident by 33 percent and of vascular diseases (coronary heart
disease or CVA) by 22 percent. (Source: Revised Guidelines for Increased Blood
Pressure, CBO Quality Institute for Health Care). (...)
It can be concluded that with a combination of sufficient rest and medication,
the level of Mr Milosevic's blood pressure will be an acceptable one. (...)
However, it has become apparent time and again during the trial that there are
moments which cause Mr. Milosevic's blood pressure to "get out of hand".
My advice on the matter as formulated in the letter of 19 August 2002 remains
unchanged: sufficient rest periods in combination with antihypertensive
medication to keep the blood pressure at an acceptable level. (...)
I leave it to the Tribunal to decide in what way sufficient rest periods can be
incorporated into the trial. "
NO COMMENT!
To join or help this struggle, visit:
http://www.sps.org.yu/ (official SPS website)
http://www.belgrade-forum.org/ (forum for the world of equals)
http://www.icdsm.org/ (the international committee to defend Slobodan Milosevic)
icdsm temporary address:
http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm/index.htm
for your donations:
http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm/donations.htm
===
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 08:46:58 -0800 (PST)
From: Rick Rozoff <r_rozoff>
Subject: Russian MPs Urge UN To Allow Russian Doctors To Examine Milosevic
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/cn/Qwarcrimes-yugo-russia.Rr0h_CDB.html
Russian MPs urge UN to allow Russian medics to examine
ailing Milosevic
-"The Duma considers it a priority that political
prisoner Slobodan Milosevic undergo medical tests
administered by Yugoslav doctors and other
specialists," read the resolution adopted unanimously
by parliament's lower house.
MOSCOW, Dec 11 (AFP) - Russia's parliament on
Wednesday urged the UN war crimes tribunal in the
Hague to allow a team of Russian and Yugoslav doctors
to examine former Yugoslav president Slobodan
Milosevic, who has complained of worsening health
since his trial opened in February.
"The Duma considers it a priority that political
prisoner Slobodan Milosevic undergo medical tests
administered by Yugoslav doctors and other
specialists," read the resolution adopted unanimously
by parliament's lower house.
It also urged the Kremlin to send "to the Hague
qualified Russian doctors to take part in Slobodan
Milosevic's medical examination."
Milosevic, 61, has fallen ill five times since
February, disrupting his trial on dozens of war crimes
charges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.
The former strongman has refused to undergo
psychiatric tests for "mental strain", but medical
checks showed that he suffers from high blood pressure
and is at risk of a heart attack.
Russian deputies urged further medical exams because
"the arterial hypertension associated with Slobodan
Milosevic's cardiovascular illness threatens his
life."
While the court's prosecution has some 60 people
helping its side, Milosevic has undertaken his own
defense against some 66 charges of war crimes and
crimes against humanity for his involvement in the
wars in Kosovo (1998-99), Croatia (1991-95) and
Bosnia-Hercegovina (1992-95).
If convicted, the former president could spend the
rest of his life behind bars.
Russia backed Milosevic -- with reservations --
throughout the Balkan wars of the 1990s before finally
rallying behind current President Vojislav Kostunica,
who defeated Milosevic in the 2000 elections.
Russian Communists and nationalists, and leading
Russian politicians such as former prime minister
Yevgeny Primakov, have repeatedly voiced support for
Milosevic and Moscow has expressed deep reservations
about his trial.
===
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 10:37:53 -0800 (PST)
From: Rick Rozoff <r_rozoff>
Subject: Russian Duma Unanimously Calls For Independent Milosesic Exam
http://www.rnw.nl/news/news.html#3428629
Radio Netherlands
December 11, 2002
Russians want own doctors to examine Milosevic
The Russian parliament has unanimously passed a
resolution calling for former Yugoslav president
Slobodan Milosevic to be examined by Russian doctors.
The health of the 61-year-old Mr Milosevic has
deteriorated since his trial at the Yugoslav Tribunal
in The Hague began in February.
The trial has been suspended five times because of the
former president's poor health. Mr Milosevic has been
diagnosed as suffering from high blood pressure and at
risk of having a heart attack.
Russia has long been a staunch supporter of the former
Yugoslav leader.
---------- Initial Header -----------
From : icdsm@...
To : jugocoord@...
Cc :
Date : Thu, 12 Dec 2002 11:22:48 -0500
Subject : "Two Unbelievable Documents from The Hague," by Jared Israel
This is being sent on behalf of icdsm@...
as part of the mailing list that you joined.
List: ICDSM
URL: http://www.icdsm.org
------------------------------------------------------------
International Committee to Defend Slobodan Milosevic (ICDSM)
URL for this article is http://www.icdsm.org/more/fight.htm
Subscribe to our email list at http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm/maillist.htm
*Receive articles from the ICDSM Website*
Please Send the link to this text to a friend. Or if you're receiving this
article via e-mail, please forward it to your friends!
==========================================================
Two Unbelievable Documents from The Hague
by Jared Israel
[Posted 12 December 2002]
Note: Some have asked for a reading list on Slobodan Milosevic. We'll prepare
one. Meanwhile, a good start is Prof. Gil-White's article, "Media
Misrepresentation of Slobodan Milosevic" at
www.icdsm.org/more/gw.htm
==========================================================
Next week (16 December) Attorney Tiphaine Dickson, Nico Varkevisser and I are
going to The Hague Tribunal at the invitation of the prisoner, Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic. Our goal: to discuss strategy and to defend
Milosevic and the truth about Yugoslavia. We urgently need help to cover the
costs of this effort. At the end of the text is an appeal for funds.
I have just read two documents from The Hague Tribunal. Both include statements
that are simultaneously so outrageous and at the same time so matter-of-fact
that I thought, "This man cannot possibly be saying what it appears he is
saying." But in both cases, "This man was saying exactly what it appeared he was
saying."
The documents are a) a note from Hague Tribunal President Claude Jorda and b)
cardiologist P.R.M. van Dijkman's November 18th report on Slobodan Milosevic.
Both are posted below.
Two thoughts about these documents.
First, The Hague's treatment of Slobodan Milosevic, such as the deliberate
withholding of proper medical care and the worsening of his already
life-threatening conditions, amounts to torture. That was the ruling of the UN
Commission on Human Rights in a situation involving a much less serious medical
condition. For more on that UN ruling, see
http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm/motion.htm#FNote4
Second, the torture of Milosevic is an analogue for NATO's torture of
Yugoslavia: systematic, brutal and politically motivated.
Let us read and analyze the documents.
Judge Claude Jorda is President of The Hague Tribunal (ICTY). The November 27th
letter was his response to an October 13th letter from Freedom Foundation
(Sloboda) in Belgrade. Sloboda requested urgent action to prevent the death of
Slobodan Milosevic. So: Freedom Foundation writes Jorda on October 13; Jorda
responds to Freedom Foundation November 27. That's 44 days. How long does he
take when it is *not* an emergency?
More comments after the letter:
[Start Letter]
United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
H. E. Judge Claude Jorda President
The Hague, 27 November 2002
Dear Mr Raicevic,
I received your correspondence dated 13 October 2002 in which you share your
concerns about Mr Milosevic's medical condition and request his provisional
release so that he may receive appropriate medical treatment in the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia.
I wish firstly to inform you that your request does not fall within the province
of the President of the International Tribunal. Pursuant to Rules 65 and 74 bis
of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence of the International Criminal Tribunal
for the Former Yugoslavia, it is for the Trial Chamber seized of the case to
order the medical examination of an accused and to rule on requests for
provisional release. I am taking the liberty of pointing out to you that Trial
Chamber III ruled on the matter on 6 March 2002.
Moreover, the question of organising the hearings is the responsibility of the
Trial Chamber which ensures the proper conduct of the proceedings with respect
for the rights and health of the accused. In this respect, Trial Chamber III is
taking due consideration of Mr Milosevic's medical condition when scheduling the
hearings. Furthermore, like all the detainees, Mr Milosevic is receiving close
medical attention of a high quality from the medical staff of the United Nations
Detention Centre. As Registrar of the Tribunal, Mr Holthuis is following the
situation closely and will, if necessary, keep you informed of changes in Mr
Milosevic's medical condition. Yours sincerely,
/signed/ ___________________ Claude Jorda
Monsieur Igor Raicevic
President Assembly of the Freedom Association [Sloboda]
[End Letter]
Ok, some comments on Judge Jorda's letter:
On March 6, the trial chamber did indeed rule on Freedom Association's first
request for the provisional release of Slobodan Milosevic. However, contrary to
Mr. Jorda's assertion, that request *did not even mention* Mr. Milosevic's
health. Moreover, the court made its ruling without considering arguments by the
amici (court-appointed attorneys who comment on the proceedings) or for that
matter by Mr. Milosevich, who has some interest in the outcome of the decision.
President Milosevic's health has deteriorated sharply since then. The
deterioration was publicly admitted by Judge Richard May, President of Trial
Chamber III. Judge May stated on July 26 that:
"We have received a doctors' report which in its conclusion states that the
accused is a man exposed to a serious cardiovascular risk which requires careful
health monitoring in the future. The authors of the report advise a reduction in
the workload of this trial and advise further treatment by a cardiologist." -
ICTY transcript, 26 July 2002.
Following the resumption of proceedings after the summer recess the trial
chamber did *not* decrease Mr. Milosevic's trial schedule. Instead they
increased his hours in court to a full day, that is, to a greater workload than
was the case when Judge May addressed the issue on July 26!
The focus of Freedom Foundation's October 13th letter was precisely to criticize
the Trial Chamber's blatant disregard of the medical report:
[Start Excerpt from October 13th Letter]
October 13, 2002
Dear Mr. Jorda,
After our several letters to ICTY and many appeals of organizations and
individuals from Yugoslavia and other countries, aiming to secure the proper
life and health conditions for President Slobodan Milosevic, we came to the
conclusion that the whole construction of the process against President
Milosevic has as one of its intentions to break the health and threaten the life
of President Milosevic. In spite of the oral promises of Mr. Richard May and the
Trial Chamber that they would follow the recommendations of the ICTY-appointed
physicians, that President Milosevic should get a cardiologic check-up,
appropriate health monitoring and therapy, as well as that intensity of the
process should be slowed down - in spite of those promises, the only thing that
happened is that the Trial Chamber has returned to whole-day-long proceedings.
That is why we demand release of President Milosevic and his return to
Yugoslavia for recovery and appropriate specialists' medical treatment.
Yours sincerely,
Igor Raicevic
President Assembly of the Freedom Association [Sloboda]
-- Full text at www.icdsm.org/more/letterff.htm
[End Excerpt from October 13th Letter]
Obviously this is not your typical request for provisional release or a typical
statement of concern about medical issues.
It is a complaint about *abuses* inflicted by the Trial Chamber. It was directed
to Judge Jorda because Judge Jorda presides over the whole operation. So Judge
Jorda receives a complaint about Trial Chamber III, to which the learned Judge
replies: 'That should properly be addressed to the Trial Chamber III.'
Disregarding the content of the Freedom Foundation's complaint, Judge Jorda
states that:
"I wish firstly to inform you that your request does not fall within the
province of the President of the International Tribunal."
But in the same document, he also states:
"...the Trial Chamber III is taking due consideration of Mr Milosevic's medical
condition when scheduling the hearings."
If the request by Freedom Association is not within Jorda's province, then why
does he respond to it? Out of one side of his mouth he says, 'This is none of my
business.' But out of the other side of his mouth he says, 'We're handling this
correctly.' Thus he concedes a) that Mr. Milosevic's life is potentially in
danger and b) that he has authority to deal with the issue.
Judge Jorda gives The Hague high marks for the medical care it is providing to
Mr. Milosevic:
"Furthermore, like all the detainees, Mr Milosevic is receiving close medical
attention of a high quality from the medical staff of the United Nations
Detention Centre."
First, Mr. Milosevic is not like all the detainees. He has a life-threatening
heart condition.
Second, the medical staff referred to consists of: one doctor (a general
practitioner) and one nurse. Mr. Milosevic is visited daily by the one nurse,
not by the doctor. She gives the President a pill. The doctor is not a heart
specialist. The nurse is gone on weekends.
To describe this as constituting "close medical attention of a high quality
...medical staff" for a man with a life-threatening heart condition leaves me
speechless.
Third, on what basis does Judge Jorda makes this evaluation? Is it a matter of
faith? That is, having *faith* that The Hague Tribunal always gives good medical
care, is it therefore revealed to him that of course Mr. Milosevic must be
receiving good medical care? Is Mr. Jorda a judge or is Mr. Jorda a priest?
Because if this Tribunal is ruled by Priests, why don't they just name it
Inquisition and get it over with?
Or perhaps Jorda 'knows' Mr. Milosevic is getting good care because after
receiving the Foundation's letter he investigated the matter. But wouldn't such
investigation itself constitute admission that Jorda has jurisdiction concerning
the issues raised? And if he did investigate why did he not consult the
Foundation which had brought the complaint?
And given the life-threatening issues and most serious charges in the Freedom
Foundation letter, why did it take Judge Jorda 44 days to reply that he is not
the right person to consider the issue?
Why didn't he a) immediately send the letter to the right person and b)
immediately contact Freedom Foundation to tell them he had done so? What took
him 44 days?
Moreover, on 2 November Freedom Foundation sent Judge Jorda *and* Judge May
(i.e., the President of Trial Chamber III) a *second* letter raising the same
issues, indeed more sharply, and citing UN rules that *require* the Chamber to
deal adequately with President Milosevic's heart condition. This letter can be
read at http://emperors-clothes.com/milo/2nd.htm
Judge Jorda and Judge May received this second letter 25 days before Jorda's
reply - but Judge Jorda entirely ignores the second letter.
Judge Jorda's response is even more shocking in light of the report by the Dr.
P.R.M. van Dijkman, the cardiologist who was - finally and only once - told to
examine Slobodan Milosevic on Nov. 17th.
*How a UN Doctor Deals with UN Medical Abuse *
[Start Report]
"Cardiac case history: Essential hypertension with secondary organ damage:
hypertrophy of the left ventricle. (...) In recent weeks during trial again
steep increase in blood pressure up to around 220/130 mmHg. (...) During the
tiring process of the trial, Mr Milosevic experiences a condition that looks
like hypertensive urgency.
(...) The treatment of increased blood pressure with medication generally
reduces the possibility of death by 11 percent, of coronary heart disease by 14
percent, of cerebovascular accident by 33 percent and of vascular diseases
(coronary heart disease or CVA) by 22 percent. (Source: Revised Guidelines for
Increased Blood Pressure, CBO Quality Institute for Health Care).
(...) It can be concluded that with a combination of sufficient rest and
medication, the level of Mr Milosevic's blood pressure will be an acceptable one.
(...) However, it has become apparent time and again during the trial that there
are moments which cause Mr. Milosevic's blood pressure to "get out of hand". My
advice on the matter as formulated in the letter of 19 August 2002 remains
unchanged: sufficient rest periods in combination with antihypertensive
medication to keep the blood pressure at an acceptable level.
(...) I leave it to the Tribunal to decide in what way sufficient rest periods
can be incorporated into the trial. "
-- The doctor's full report may be read at
http://emperors-clothes.com/milo/dijkman.htm
[End Report]
This report is truly remarkable.
1) The doctor admits that the chances of Mr. Milosevic suffering a sudden stroke
or heart attack and possible death are directly related to his work load and
amount of rest;
2) The doctor all but states that his recommendations have not been followed:
[Start quote]
"However, it has become apparent time and again during the trial that there are
moments which cause Mr. Milosevic's blood pressure to 'get out of hand'.
"My advice on the matter as formulated in the letter of 19 August 2002 remains
unchanged..."
[End quote]
3) Prior to Nov. 17th, no heart specialist examined Mr. Milosevic.
Yet this cardiologist states that he made recommendations for care two months
earlier - on 19 August. That is, he made medical recommendations regarding a
patient who suffered a manifestly life-threatening condition *without examining
the patient.* And why did he prescribe without examining the patient? Because
The Tribunal did not *want* him to examine the patient.
This behavior of a specialist *working for the United Nations* in a case in
which we charge the United Nations is acting as a weapon of NATO - this behavior
illustrates the urgency of our demand that Mr. Milosevic be transferred to
Belgrade's superb military hospital. There he will be examined by the best
doctors, who are familiar with his medical history, and who do not follow Hague
Tribunal orders to violate their Oath by prescribing treatment without properly
examining the patient.
That said, van Dijkman did at least state that the court urgently needs to
change Mr. Milosevic's conditions. But then look how he concludes the report:
"I leave it to the Tribunal to decide in what way sufficient rest periods can be
incorporated into the trial."
He leaves it to the Tribunal! First Dr. Dijkman agrees to prescribe without
examination, and then, when at last he does examine, he surrenders his
professional duty to prescribe treatment to Dr. Richard May et al at Trial
Chamber III.
Slobodan Milosevic has requested to meet with a delegation from his support
committee, the ICDSM. That delegation is going to The Hague next week. It
includes Quebec Attorney Tiphaine Dickson, whom the ICDSM has retained as
counsel, as well as ICDSM Vice-Chairmen, Nico Varkevisser and myself, Jared Israel.
It is very possible that on Wed., 18 December, the Tribunal will rule on two
vital issues. One is whether and how to adjust the trial proceedings to remove
the mortal threat to Mr. Milosevic's life. The second is whether to force
unwanted counsel on Mr. Milosevic. It is very important that we be there to help
fight for Mr. Milosevic - and the truth - through publicity and legal measures.
We are desperately short on cash to cover the expenses of this trip. If you can
help please do so. You may make contributions by going to www.icdsm.org/help.htm
Thank you!
==============================
We're Taking on The Hague Dec. 16th! Please Help Get us There!
==============================
Slobodan Milosevic has refused to bow. We are going to The Hague to support this
brave and principled leader.
Please help get us there. We need funds for airfare, an eight-day stay and a
press conference. We have received some contributions - for which thank you! -
but we are several thousand dollars short.
It is crucial that we go!
If possible, please help!
-- Jared Israel
You can contribute any amount - $30 $60 $100 $250 $500 or more. (More would be
wonderful!)
** Here is How to Make a Donation **
Donate using PayPal. Go to
https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=icdsm%40aol.com
PayPal accepts VISA and MasterCard
Send us a check. Make it payable to:
ICDSM
831 Beacon St., #295
Newton Centre, MA 02459 (USA)
* Make a donation at our secure server. Go to
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You can use VISA, MasterCard or Discover
Donate by credit card over the phone. Call us at:
ICDSM, USA 1 617 916-1705
or
Freedom Association, Belgrade 381 11 3282491 or 381 638 862 301
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From : icdsm@...
To : jugocoord@...
Cc :
Date : Thu, 12 Dec 2002 11:22:48 -0500
Subject : "Two Unbelievable Documents from The Hague," by Jared Israel
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as part of the mailing list that you joined.
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International Committee to Defend Slobodan Milosevic (ICDSM)
URL for this article is http://www.icdsm.org/more/fight.htm
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Two Unbelievable Documents from The Hague
by Jared Israel
[Posted 12 December 2002]
Note: Some have asked for a reading list on Slobodan Milosevic. We'll prepare
one. Meanwhile, a good start is Prof. Gil-White's article, "Media
Misrepresentation of Slobodan Milosevic" at
www.icdsm.org/more/gw.htm
==========================================================
Next week (16 December) Attorney Tiphaine Dickson, Nico Varkevisser and I are
going to The Hague Tribunal at the invitation of the prisoner, Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic. Our goal: to discuss strategy and to defend
Milosevic and the truth about Yugoslavia. We urgently need help to cover the
costs of this effort. At the end of the text is an appeal for funds.
I have just read two documents from The Hague Tribunal. Both include statements
that are simultaneously so outrageous and at the same time so matter-of-fact
that I thought, "This man cannot possibly be saying what it appears he is
saying." But in both cases, "This man was saying exactly what it appeared he was
saying."
The documents are a) a note from Hague Tribunal President Claude Jorda and b)
cardiologist P.R.M. van Dijkman's November 18th report on Slobodan Milosevic.
Both are posted below.
Two thoughts about these documents.
First, The Hague's treatment of Slobodan Milosevic, such as the deliberate
withholding of proper medical care and the worsening of his already
life-threatening conditions, amounts to torture. That was the ruling of the UN
Commission on Human Rights in a situation involving a much less serious medical
condition. For more on that UN ruling, see
http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm/motion.htm#FNote4
Second, the torture of Milosevic is an analogue for NATO's torture of
Yugoslavia: systematic, brutal and politically motivated.
Let us read and analyze the documents.
Judge Claude Jorda is President of The Hague Tribunal (ICTY). The November 27th
letter was his response to an October 13th letter from Freedom Foundation
(Sloboda) in Belgrade. Sloboda requested urgent action to prevent the death of
Slobodan Milosevic. So: Freedom Foundation writes Jorda on October 13; Jorda
responds to Freedom Foundation November 27. That's 44 days. How long does he
take when it is *not* an emergency?
More comments after the letter:
[Start Letter]
United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
H. E. Judge Claude Jorda President
The Hague, 27 November 2002
Dear Mr Raicevic,
I received your correspondence dated 13 October 2002 in which you share your
concerns about Mr Milosevic's medical condition and request his provisional
release so that he may receive appropriate medical treatment in the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia.
I wish firstly to inform you that your request does not fall within the province
of the President of the International Tribunal. Pursuant to Rules 65 and 74 bis
of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence of the International Criminal Tribunal
for the Former Yugoslavia, it is for the Trial Chamber seized of the case to
order the medical examination of an accused and to rule on requests for
provisional release. I am taking the liberty of pointing out to you that Trial
Chamber III ruled on the matter on 6 March 2002.
Moreover, the question of organising the hearings is the responsibility of the
Trial Chamber which ensures the proper conduct of the proceedings with respect
for the rights and health of the accused. In this respect, Trial Chamber III is
taking due consideration of Mr Milosevic's medical condition when scheduling the
hearings. Furthermore, like all the detainees, Mr Milosevic is receiving close
medical attention of a high quality from the medical staff of the United Nations
Detention Centre. As Registrar of the Tribunal, Mr Holthuis is following the
situation closely and will, if necessary, keep you informed of changes in Mr
Milosevic's medical condition. Yours sincerely,
/signed/ ___________________ Claude Jorda
Monsieur Igor Raicevic
President Assembly of the Freedom Association [Sloboda]
[End Letter]
Ok, some comments on Judge Jorda's letter:
On March 6, the trial chamber did indeed rule on Freedom Association's first
request for the provisional release of Slobodan Milosevic. However, contrary to
Mr. Jorda's assertion, that request *did not even mention* Mr. Milosevic's
health. Moreover, the court made its ruling without considering arguments by the
amici (court-appointed attorneys who comment on the proceedings) or for that
matter by Mr. Milosevich, who has some interest in the outcome of the decision.
President Milosevic's health has deteriorated sharply since then. The
deterioration was publicly admitted by Judge Richard May, President of Trial
Chamber III. Judge May stated on July 26 that:
"We have received a doctors' report which in its conclusion states that the
accused is a man exposed to a serious cardiovascular risk which requires careful
health monitoring in the future. The authors of the report advise a reduction in
the workload of this trial and advise further treatment by a cardiologist." -
ICTY transcript, 26 July 2002.
Following the resumption of proceedings after the summer recess the trial
chamber did *not* decrease Mr. Milosevic's trial schedule. Instead they
increased his hours in court to a full day, that is, to a greater workload than
was the case when Judge May addressed the issue on July 26!
The focus of Freedom Foundation's October 13th letter was precisely to criticize
the Trial Chamber's blatant disregard of the medical report:
[Start Excerpt from October 13th Letter]
October 13, 2002
Dear Mr. Jorda,
After our several letters to ICTY and many appeals of organizations and
individuals from Yugoslavia and other countries, aiming to secure the proper
life and health conditions for President Slobodan Milosevic, we came to the
conclusion that the whole construction of the process against President
Milosevic has as one of its intentions to break the health and threaten the life
of President Milosevic. In spite of the oral promises of Mr. Richard May and the
Trial Chamber that they would follow the recommendations of the ICTY-appointed
physicians, that President Milosevic should get a cardiologic check-up,
appropriate health monitoring and therapy, as well as that intensity of the
process should be slowed down - in spite of those promises, the only thing that
happened is that the Trial Chamber has returned to whole-day-long proceedings.
That is why we demand release of President Milosevic and his return to
Yugoslavia for recovery and appropriate specialists' medical treatment.
Yours sincerely,
Igor Raicevic
President Assembly of the Freedom Association [Sloboda]
-- Full text at www.icdsm.org/more/letterff.htm
[End Excerpt from October 13th Letter]
Obviously this is not your typical request for provisional release or a typical
statement of concern about medical issues.
It is a complaint about *abuses* inflicted by the Trial Chamber. It was directed
to Judge Jorda because Judge Jorda presides over the whole operation. So Judge
Jorda receives a complaint about Trial Chamber III, to which the learned Judge
replies: 'That should properly be addressed to the Trial Chamber III.'
Disregarding the content of the Freedom Foundation's complaint, Judge Jorda
states that:
"I wish firstly to inform you that your request does not fall within the
province of the President of the International Tribunal."
But in the same document, he also states:
"...the Trial Chamber III is taking due consideration of Mr Milosevic's medical
condition when scheduling the hearings."
If the request by Freedom Association is not within Jorda's province, then why
does he respond to it? Out of one side of his mouth he says, 'This is none of my
business.' But out of the other side of his mouth he says, 'We're handling this
correctly.' Thus he concedes a) that Mr. Milosevic's life is potentially in
danger and b) that he has authority to deal with the issue.
Judge Jorda gives The Hague high marks for the medical care it is providing to
Mr. Milosevic:
"Furthermore, like all the detainees, Mr Milosevic is receiving close medical
attention of a high quality from the medical staff of the United Nations
Detention Centre."
First, Mr. Milosevic is not like all the detainees. He has a life-threatening
heart condition.
Second, the medical staff referred to consists of: one doctor (a general
practitioner) and one nurse. Mr. Milosevic is visited daily by the one nurse,
not by the doctor. She gives the President a pill. The doctor is not a heart
specialist. The nurse is gone on weekends.
To describe this as constituting "close medical attention of a high quality
...medical staff" for a man with a life-threatening heart condition leaves me
speechless.
Third, on what basis does Judge Jorda makes this evaluation? Is it a matter of
faith? That is, having *faith* that The Hague Tribunal always gives good medical
care, is it therefore revealed to him that of course Mr. Milosevic must be
receiving good medical care? Is Mr. Jorda a judge or is Mr. Jorda a priest?
Because if this Tribunal is ruled by Priests, why don't they just name it
Inquisition and get it over with?
Or perhaps Jorda 'knows' Mr. Milosevic is getting good care because after
receiving the Foundation's letter he investigated the matter. But wouldn't such
investigation itself constitute admission that Jorda has jurisdiction concerning
the issues raised? And if he did investigate why did he not consult the
Foundation which had brought the complaint?
And given the life-threatening issues and most serious charges in the Freedom
Foundation letter, why did it take Judge Jorda 44 days to reply that he is not
the right person to consider the issue?
Why didn't he a) immediately send the letter to the right person and b)
immediately contact Freedom Foundation to tell them he had done so? What took
him 44 days?
Moreover, on 2 November Freedom Foundation sent Judge Jorda *and* Judge May
(i.e., the President of Trial Chamber III) a *second* letter raising the same
issues, indeed more sharply, and citing UN rules that *require* the Chamber to
deal adequately with President Milosevic's heart condition. This letter can be
read at http://emperors-clothes.com/milo/2nd.htm
Judge Jorda and Judge May received this second letter 25 days before Jorda's
reply - but Judge Jorda entirely ignores the second letter.
Judge Jorda's response is even more shocking in light of the report by the Dr.
P.R.M. van Dijkman, the cardiologist who was - finally and only once - told to
examine Slobodan Milosevic on Nov. 17th.
*How a UN Doctor Deals with UN Medical Abuse *
[Start Report]
"Cardiac case history: Essential hypertension with secondary organ damage:
hypertrophy of the left ventricle. (...) In recent weeks during trial again
steep increase in blood pressure up to around 220/130 mmHg. (...) During the
tiring process of the trial, Mr Milosevic experiences a condition that looks
like hypertensive urgency.
(...) The treatment of increased blood pressure with medication generally
reduces the possibility of death by 11 percent, of coronary heart disease by 14
percent, of cerebovascular accident by 33 percent and of vascular diseases
(coronary heart disease or CVA) by 22 percent. (Source: Revised Guidelines for
Increased Blood Pressure, CBO Quality Institute for Health Care).
(...) It can be concluded that with a combination of sufficient rest and
medication, the level of Mr Milosevic's blood pressure will be an acceptable one.
(...) However, it has become apparent time and again during the trial that there
are moments which cause Mr. Milosevic's blood pressure to "get out of hand". My
advice on the matter as formulated in the letter of 19 August 2002 remains
unchanged: sufficient rest periods in combination with antihypertensive
medication to keep the blood pressure at an acceptable level.
(...) I leave it to the Tribunal to decide in what way sufficient rest periods
can be incorporated into the trial. "
-- The doctor's full report may be read at
http://emperors-clothes.com/milo/dijkman.htm
[End Report]
This report is truly remarkable.
1) The doctor admits that the chances of Mr. Milosevic suffering a sudden stroke
or heart attack and possible death are directly related to his work load and
amount of rest;
2) The doctor all but states that his recommendations have not been followed:
[Start quote]
"However, it has become apparent time and again during the trial that there are
moments which cause Mr. Milosevic's blood pressure to 'get out of hand'.
"My advice on the matter as formulated in the letter of 19 August 2002 remains
unchanged..."
[End quote]
3) Prior to Nov. 17th, no heart specialist examined Mr. Milosevic.
Yet this cardiologist states that he made recommendations for care two months
earlier - on 19 August. That is, he made medical recommendations regarding a
patient who suffered a manifestly life-threatening condition *without examining
the patient.* And why did he prescribe without examining the patient? Because
The Tribunal did not *want* him to examine the patient.
This behavior of a specialist *working for the United Nations* in a case in
which we charge the United Nations is acting as a weapon of NATO - this behavior
illustrates the urgency of our demand that Mr. Milosevic be transferred to
Belgrade's superb military hospital. There he will be examined by the best
doctors, who are familiar with his medical history, and who do not follow Hague
Tribunal orders to violate their Oath by prescribing treatment without properly
examining the patient.
That said, van Dijkman did at least state that the court urgently needs to
change Mr. Milosevic's conditions. But then look how he concludes the report:
"I leave it to the Tribunal to decide in what way sufficient rest periods can be
incorporated into the trial."
He leaves it to the Tribunal! First Dr. Dijkman agrees to prescribe without
examination, and then, when at last he does examine, he surrenders his
professional duty to prescribe treatment to Dr. Richard May et al at Trial
Chamber III.
Slobodan Milosevic has requested to meet with a delegation from his support
committee, the ICDSM. That delegation is going to The Hague next week. It
includes Quebec Attorney Tiphaine Dickson, whom the ICDSM has retained as
counsel, as well as ICDSM Vice-Chairmen, Nico Varkevisser and myself, Jared Israel.
It is very possible that on Wed., 18 December, the Tribunal will rule on two
vital issues. One is whether and how to adjust the trial proceedings to remove
the mortal threat to Mr. Milosevic's life. The second is whether to force
unwanted counsel on Mr. Milosevic. It is very important that we be there to help
fight for Mr. Milosevic - and the truth - through publicity and legal measures.
We are desperately short on cash to cover the expenses of this trip. If you can
help please do so. You may make contributions by going to www.icdsm.org/help.htm
Thank you!
==============================
We're Taking on The Hague Dec. 16th! Please Help Get us There!
==============================
Slobodan Milosevic has refused to bow. We are going to The Hague to support this
brave and principled leader.
Please help get us there. We need funds for airfare, an eight-day stay and a
press conference. We have received some contributions - for which thank you! -
but we are several thousand dollars short.
It is crucial that we go!
If possible, please help!
-- Jared Israel
You can contribute any amount - $30 $60 $100 $250 $500 or more. (More would be
wonderful!)
** Here is How to Make a Donation **
Donate using PayPal. Go to
https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=icdsm%40aol.com
PayPal accepts VISA and MasterCard
Send us a check. Make it payable to:
ICDSM
831 Beacon St., #295
Newton Centre, MA 02459 (USA)
* Make a donation at our secure server. Go to
https://emperor.securesites.com/transactions/icdsm.php
You can use VISA, MasterCard or Discover
Donate by credit card over the phone. Call us at:
ICDSM, USA 1 617 916-1705
or
Freedom Association, Belgrade 381 11 3282491 or 381 638 862 301
Thank you!
ICDSM
http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm
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http://www.resistenze.org/sito/te/po/yu/poyu2n01.htm
www.resistenze.org - popoli resistenti - jugoslavia - 01-12-02
Il paese di cui non si parla più …
di Michel Collon (traduzione integrale - parte 1/2)
L’impennata dei prezzi, dei licenziamenti, dei tumori, dei suicidi. E il
rifiuto del governo del FMI.
Perché non si parla più della Jugoslavia?
Con il nuovo regime, il prezzo del pane, della verdura e
dell’elettricità sono esplosi. I suicidi anche. Esattamente come gli
scioperi. Ma i minatori di Kolubura, che avevano aiutato a rovesciare
Milosevic, adesso, dal ministro Djindjic sono definiti “ricattatori”. Ed
il suo indice di popolarità è sceso all’8%.
Di questi tempi, il Kosovo, quel ne che rimane dopo i bombardamenti,vive
sotto il terrore dellla mafia e della pulizia etnica di tutte le etnie,a
dispetto(o a causa?) della presenza di 40.000 soldati della Nato.
Benvenuto nella Jugoslavia, la neocolonia nella vetrina della
mondializzazione. Un grosso monito per tutti i paesi che gli USA si
apprestano “a conquistare”, oltre che un’esperienza interessante per
tutti coloro avevanosostenuto la guerra della Nato nel 99’.
Perché, adesso, questa gente non si chiede come mai la maggioranza dei
serbi si rifiuta di andare a votare?
Il prezzo del pane è passata da 4 a 30 dinari in un anno. Il maiale al
Kg. da 180 a 260 dinari (era a 60 sotto Milosevic). Le patate da 7 a 12,
lo zucchero da 25 a 50, un litro d’olio da 36 a 70 dinari.
Le differenze con il periodo Milosevic sono ancora più grandi. Il gas al
m³ è passato da 3 a 11,20 dinari. 170.000 famiglie di Belgrado non
possono più pagare l’elettricità, che su richiesta del FMI è raddoppiata
in quattro mesi, ed altri rincari sono già annunciati. Quest’inverno
saranno privati anche del riscaldamento.
« I francesi non potrebbero vivere con così poco » ,mi confida
Dominique, di ritorno da Belgrado ;
« I miei amici, un gruppo di intellettuali di Belgrado, mangiano una
banana o un yogurt, non possono spendere di più. Il caffè non si vende a
pacchetti da un Kg., ma solo da cento grammi.
Ma loro non lo bevono più, è diventato un lusso. - Si, ci si arrangia
-, mi dicono loro, ma intanto hanno perso dei chili. Un pasto, è una
scatola di sardine per tre, un po’ di paprika, pane …. E non si contano
più i suicidi dei vecchi, che non resistono a vedersi ridotti come dei
mendicanti ».
La stessa cosa per Senka, manager di Jagodina, ci dice con angoscia : «
Come faccio, la mattina quando mio figlio chiede : - Mamma : del Pane !
del Latte ! - e io non ho niente da dargli ? »
« Non c’è più nessuno che ha la possibilità di comprare », spiega il suo
amico francese : « Non c’è più nessuno che abbia lavoro o collocazione
sociale. Si sopravvive grazie a degli espedienti del tipo « Io ti
aggiusto la macchina, tu mi dai tre Kg. di patate oppure dell’olio ».
Quasi tutti hanno dei parenti in campagna che li aiutano a mangiare,
senò non potrebbero campare.
Dei militanti del neonato Partito del Lavoro, hanno condotto una piccola
inchiesta per noi :
« In tre città operaie di media importanza l’85% della gente dichiara
che il loro livello di vita si è abbassato del 150% ».
A Belgrado ci sono 4.900 donne malate di cancro e senza cure. Avevano
già sofferto molto per le privazioni imposte dal 91’ per via
dell’embargo occidentale, e subito i gravi inquinamenti provocati dalla
Nato quando, violando le leggi di guerra, ha bombardato il complesso
chimico di Pancevo.
Non c’è poi stato alcun miglioramento con la caduta drammatica del
livello di vita e dell’alimentazione. E per finire, la privatizzazione
ha fatto i suoi disastri : fine dell’accesso alle medicine a buon
mercato vendute delle farmacie dello Stato, ormai introvabili. Di fatto,
ci vuole un buon portafoglio per pagarsi i farmaci. 30 pastiglie anti -
cancro costano 60 € : quasi l’equivalente di una pensione operaia
mensile. Secondo il giornale Novosti, 4.900 donne di Belgrado sono
malate di cancro, ma sono private dell’accesso alle medicine. Si osserva
altrove una forte recrudescenza del tasso di malattie cancerose,
soprattutto polmonari. Il ministero della Sanità ha riconosciuto il
fenomeno, ma non ha attivato alcuna ricerca in merito. Sarà l’URANIO ?
Il problema della sanità rischia di diventare enorme: una recente
statistica constata l’aumento dei decessi del 30% in tre anni, che
colpisce tutte le fasce d’età, giovani compresi.
Un amico di Belgrado ci confida con amarezza che quando suo padre è
deceduto, la famiglia ha dovuto attendere settimane per l’inumazione,
perché non si trovano posti nei cimiteri, sono diventati troppo piccoli …
Che fine hanno fatto le promesse del 2000?
Che contrasto con le promesse ellettorali sciorinate nell’ottobre del
2000 dai partiti filo-occidentali.
A crederli, la prosperità aspettava ogni serbo, bastava rivolgersi
all’Occidente …
Al momento, sotto il titolo « Kostunica, Djindjic e Washington
manterranno le loro promesse? » noi scriviamo : una grande illusione
domina attualmente la gioventù jugoslava, quella che nutre le illusioni
verso le promesse dell’Occidente. La grande illusione è quella di
credere che accettando la volontà delle multinazionali e dei dirigenti
occidentali, la popolazione jugoslava sarà ricompensata con la
prosperità. Resta la questione decisiva : « Cosa valgono le promesse
degli Stati Uniti e dei loro alleati ? » Allettati da promesse di
prosperità come quelle fatte nell’89’, paesi come la Russia, la Bulgaria
o l’Albania si sono messi in ginocchio davanti al capitalismo occidentale.
Oggi i loro popoli vivono come prima? Rispondono i fatti.
Anche a Belgrado, dopo due anni, i fatti hanno risposto. La
mondializzazione made in USA e Bruxelles è finalmente apparsa ai popoli.
Eccoli, sono i famosi « investitori occidentali », come dice chi ha
voluto ed ottenuto la fine del controllo dei prezzi.
Il FMI ha fatto licenziare almeno 800.000 lavoratori
Il livello di vita e la sanità si potranno raddrizzare nei prossimi anni
? Non si può aspettare, la disoccupazione sta diventando catastrofe : «
Bisogna licenziare almeno 800.000 lavoratori serbi dei servizi pubblici
e delle imprese di Stato », scrive Arvo Cuddo, responsabile della Banca
Mondiale. Tutto preso nel consigliare ai governanti di procedere
progressivamente e di prevedere compensazioni onde evitare una
situazione sociale esplosiva.
In fondo, da parte della Banca Mondiale non c’è niente di nuovo. Già
nell’ 89’, chi voleva il fallimento di 2.435 imprese jugoslave e il
licenziamento in massa dei lavoratori (due su tre in Serbia) ? Queste
esigenze occidentali avevano spinto i dirigenti di diverse repubbliche
alla fuga in avanti dei rilanci nazionalisti.
I primi colpi della guerra sono stati sparati dalla Banca Mondiale e dal
FMI.
Dieci anni più tardi, grazie alle bombe della Nato, la privatizzazione
ha debuttato sul serio. Le cinque maggiori imprese pubbliche sono il
bersaglio del governo Djindjic, ma le resistenze sono forti. Per
esempio, tra i 36.000 lavoratori dell’impresa agro - alimentare Karnex.
In giugno hanno scoperto che la loro cassa sociale è vuota, sicchè un
lavoratore che si ammala non ha più diritto a nessuna retribuzione. Dove
sono i soldi ? « Non si sa », risponde il governo, tentando di fargli
accettare la privatizzazione. « Non importa» rispondono allora i
lavoratori, e si decidono a vendere i loro prodotti direttamente ai
supermercati e non più al governo che accaparra il 50% dei profitti :
« Quando noi consegniamo, ci pagate solo in parte, e con ritardo. Ma noi
non abbiamo bisogno di capitali stranieri per salvarci.Ce la faremo
senza di voi. »
La resistenza alle privatizzazioni
I lavoratori cercano di salvare il loro sistema di autogestione. Questo
lo si vede anche nel successo dell’iniziativa del nuovo sindacato
(d’opposizione) « Verso il futuro » , che ha proposto agli operai di
fondare una cassa sociale, da creare lavorando quattro sabati al mese.
Negli altri quattro grandi stabilimenti i problemi sono identici :
Zastava (auto), Smederevo (metallurgia), GOSA (edilizia), e Stardit 13.
In questa fabbrica sono state consegnate al governo 150.000 tonnellate
d’acciaio prodotte in tre mesi, ma dal governo non sono ancora state
pagate. Il salario degli operai è stato invece ridotto della metà,
perciò la cassa è senza fondi. In giugno il primo ministro Djindjic ha
visitato l’acciaieria proponendo di recuperare quel denaro ..
privatizzandola, ma la manovra è stata rifiutata con uno scipero di 48 ore.
Di fatto, i cinque più grandi stabilimenti industriali del paese
restano fedeli all’autogestione e non accettano di essere privatizzati e
svenduti alle mutinazionali straniere. GOSA è bramata da interessi
tedeschi mentre Peugeot addocchia la Zastava. Poco prima delle elezioni,
il governo, dopo aver licenziato la metà di trentamila lavoratori, ha
fatto luccicare di nuovo delle belle promesse. Alla vigilia delle
elezioni, giocando d’azzardo, ha annunciato che l’acciaieria sarà
ripresa da un miracoloso investimento USA, che prometteva di rilanciare
la produzione fino a 220.000 vetture all’anno ! Poco probabile, visto
che al momento l’industria automobilistica del capitalismo mondiale
produce circa 70 milioni di auto all’anno di cui riesce a venderne solo
50 milioni, e si trova alle prese con una crisi di sovrapproduzione.
Inoltre si licenziano ed impoveriscono i potenziali clienti, e a chi
vendere allora ?
Di fronte a tutte queste promesse, la sfiducia ha sostituito le
illusioni precedenti :
« Il governo non si preoccupa della gente, solo delle sue tasche ».
E’ soprattutto la privatizzazione a riempire quelle tasche ? Alcuni
esempi lo confermano. La metà della Telecom era già stata venduta, la
rete Mobil 063 è caduta nelle mani dei fratelli Karic. Tutti si chiedono
da dove è arrivato il denaro necessario ad installare una rete in tutta
la Serbia, e anche i fondi per finanziare la televisione BK, che ha i
migliori programmi del paese. I fratelli Karic sono molto vicini a
Djindjic… Quanto alla rete 064, si tratta di capitali tedeschi.
Chi si arricchisce in Jugoslavia ?
Se la maggior parte degli jugoslavi si sono molto impoveriti, dove vanno
questi soldi ? « Sono quelli che mangiano, è la mafia intorno a Djindjic
», denuncia Zarko, riassumendo un sentimento generale. Mafia ? Accusa
esagerata ? Per niente ; ci scrive un francese al ritorno da Belgrado :
« Un imprenditore vicino al partito del signor Djindjic è stato
recentemente assassinato. Aveva ottenuto la concessione di sfruttamento
dell’autostrada Belgrado - Horgos ed in principio doveva finirne la
costruzione .. Se ci andate in automobile, vedrete che è ancora
esattamente come l’aveva lasciata Milosevic. Si pensa che questo
imprenditore sia stato eliminato per nascondere il dirottamento dei
fondi verso la DOS ». Questa è l’accusa indicata anche dall’entourage
del presidente Kostunica. A fine agosto, i ministri del suo partito, il
DSS, hanno lasciato il governo in segno di protesta contro la morte di
Momir Gavrilovic. Alto responsabile dei servizi di sicurezza, tornava da
una visita a Kostunica per informarlo dei legami tra il primo ministro
Djindjic e il boss mafioso Stanko Subotic. Da allora, dell’assassinio
non è stato né incolpato né arrestato nessuno. Si noterà anche che la
privatizzazione delle principali imprese pubbliche è stata condotta a
profitto di membri del partito di governo DOS ...
Il potere non è a Belgrado
Ma non si arricchiscono solo gli amici del signor Djindjic. Quando hanno
chiuso le quattro maggiori banche serbe, licenziando migliaia
d’impiegati, chi le ha rilevate? La Società Generale francese e la banca
tedesca Raiffeisen. Nel settore della birra, è l’imprenditore belga
Interbrew che si è piazzato.
Qual è il paese che si prende la fetta più grande della torta? La
Germania, senza dubbio. Alcuni parlano già della “nuova invasione
tedesca”. A scuola il corso di tedesco sta soppiantando l’inglese.
Quest’invasione riguarda vari settori. E’ una ditta tedesca che vuole
gli impianti idrici del Montengro, e sono società tedesche che hanno
raccattato la maggior parte dei media serbi: Westdeutsche Allgmeine
Zeiutng ha acquistato il controllo del celebre quotidiano Politika,
mentre Grunner & Jahr si è impossessato del rotocalco Blic.
Un inciso; all’epoca di Milosevic l’opposizione filoccidentale,
generosamente finanziata da miliardari USA come George Soros,
controllava la maggior parte dei giornali, ora, tutte le testate sono
filoccidentali. E’ questo il pluralismo ?
Non è una sorpresa. Ciò che sta accadendo non è che l’applicazione di
uno scenario scritto da anni a Washington, Berlino e Bruxelles. Sono gli
Stati Uniti e l’Unione Europea che hanno preso direttamente in mano la
vita economica e sociale della Jugoslavia. Esercitano il controllo
assoluto con il “G17 ”, un ordine economico finanziato dall’occidente
composto di vecchi responsabili del FMI e della Banca Mondiale. E’ il
G17 che ha fornito gli uomini chiave del nuovo regime : il vice primo
ministro Mirojslav Labus, il governatore della Banca Nazionale Mladan
Dinkic e il ministro delle finanze Bozidar Djelic. Sono quellli che
hanno preparato tutte le leggi di liquidazione delle protezioni sociali
e dello smantellamento dei diritti dei lavoratori.
Sono loro, gli uomini del FMI, che hanno scatenato la privatizzazione
delle imprese autogestite dai lavoratori, l’ultima eredità di Tito.
Ventidue società sono state vendute agli offerenti, 5 privatizzate e 26
sono in via di ristrutturazione. Il divieto di licenziamento è stato
cancellato per ingraziarsi gli investitori stranieri. E’ Djelic che
recentemente ha abbassato l’imposta delle imprese dal 20% al 14%. Ora,
quando la gente semplice non ha più di che vivere, si fanno regali ai
nuovi padroni, alle multinazionali e ai paesi ricchi. Djelic ha
annunciato che il suo governo « rimborserà » immediatamente la Banca
Mondiale, la Banca Europea d’Investimento e il « Club di Parigi » di 60
milioni di euro.
L’Occidente ha distrutto la Jugoslavia, ma si fa « rimborsare » !
Disilusioni, ma anche resistenza
Oggi, due serbi su tre vivono sotto la soglia della povertà, questa
situazione provoca disillusione, ma anche resistenza.
Come sono i serbi oggi ? La risposta è un’anime : « Delusi,
disincantati, disgustati » dice Dominique, « Si rendono conto che sono
stati raggirati. Si accusa Milosevic, ma quando lui era al potere si
mangiava tre volte al giorno. Ora invece … ». La debolissima
partecipazione alle ultime elezioni conferma la tabula rasa nei
confronti dei partiti : « Tutti uguali ! ». Djindjic, il nuovo primo
ministro vede la sua popolarità cadere all’8%. Ma ce n’è anche per
Kostunica : « Promette molto, ma non fa niente », s’indigna Branko, che
aveva votato per lui speranzoso. Lo stesso vale per i giovani, ostili a
Milosevic, e che speravano di gustare il tenore di vita occidentale,
adesso anche loro sono delusi. Il tasso di suicidi è esploso: l’anno
scorso a Belgrado ne sono stati dichiarati 900. A Nis, città di 350.000
abitanti, la polizia segnala un suicidio ogni 5 giorni. Nel 2001 i serbi
hanno consumato 41 milioni di compresse anti - stress Bensedin, 63
milioni di Bromazepam e 40 milioni di Diazepam. La stessa agenzia
occidentale Associated Press segnala la catastrofe sociale : « Migliaia
di tassisti hanno paralizzato il traffico di Belgrado, protestano contro
una nuova tassa (un mese di salario medio) che colpisce gli autisti di
taxi, e reclamano dal governo di poter aumentare le tariffe ». Lo slogan
dei protestanti « DOS - ta ! » (Basta !) eprime bene la disillusione
totale nella DOS messa al potere dall’Occidente nell’ottobre 2000.
Quest’estate, molte manifestazion sono state represse con brutalità
dalla polizia (rimpiazzata quasi al completo dal nuovo regime). In
giugno, davanti al Parlamento di Belgrado, 10 persone sono state ferite
durante una manifestazione di « poveri ».
Ma tutto questo non passsa il filtro dei media occidentali. L’opinione
pubblica occidentale è tenuta allo scuro. Ci si guarda bene dallo
spiegare il disincanto profondo della popolazione jugoslava verso coloro
che promettevano. Questo disincanto è la reale causa della crisi
politica in Serbia, dal confronto Kostunica - Djindjic al recente flop
elettorale. Ma, prima di tutto, bisogna esaminare le vere ragioni che
hanno portato gli USA e la Germania ad intervenire nei Balcani, e notare
gli strani rapporti con la mafia e i terroristi locali.
La “battaglia per i corridoi” esce dall’ombra
In effetti, il crimine maggiore della Jugoslavia fu di pretendere di
conservare un sistema d’ispirazione sociale e indipendente dalle
multinazionali. Ma cè anche stato il crimine “geografico”: la Jugoslavia
si trova nel cuore dei “corridoi 8 e 10”.
Cos’è un “corridoio”? Si tratta di un insieme di comunicazioni moderne:
autostrade, ferrovie, porti marittimi e fluviali, oleodotti e gasdotti.
L’obiettivo: portare verso l’Europa occidentale i prodotti delocalizzati
più vicino, e soprattutto il petrolio ed il gas provenienti dal Caucaso
e dall’Asia centrale.
Questo gigantesco progetto dell’Unione Europea (90 miliardi di euro
d’investimento previsti fino al 2015), è uno degli assi strategici del
commercio mondiale del futuro.
Dove passerà il corridoio? Tracciati diversi si oppongono da una decina
d’anni, posta in gioco di una segreta rivalità tra Washington e Berlino.
Questa rivalità è stata il cuore del conflitto in Jugoslavia, giacchè
ogni grande potenza voleva controllarlo, come abbiamo già scritto in
“Poker falso e Monopolio”.
La politica internazionale sembra complicata e a volte
incomprensibile ? Ecco un una regola facile per renderla più chiara : in
ogni regione del mondo dove si trova una via del petrolio o del gas, gli
USA cercano di installare delle loro basi militari, provocando o
inasprendo dei conflitti locali, per immischiarsi e presentarsi subito
come osservatori o come pompieri. Questa regola essenziale spiega la
maggior parte delle guerre « incomprensibili » : Jugoslavia, Macedonia,
Cecenia, Caucaso, Afghanistan, ex - repubbliche sovietiche dell’Asia
centrale …
Nei balcani, la via tedesca è questa : Constanza (porto rumeno) -
Belgrado - Amburgo. E poi da costruire oleodotti, ferrovie, porti
marittimi e fluviali lungo il Danubio, autostrade da raddoppiare.
La via rivale è quella degli USA : Bulgaria - Macedonia - Albania
(Mediterraneo). Tre stati che Washington fa di tutto per farli
controllare dall’unione Europea.
Le nostre teorie dei corridoi intesi come motori della guerra contro la
Jugoslavia avevano lasciato scettici alcuni .. Ecco la discreta
confessione del generale Jackson, comandante in capo della Nato in
Macedonia, e poi in Kosovo nel 99’ : « Certamente qui resteremo a lungo,
per garantire la sicurezza dei corridoi energetici che attraversano il
paese ». Ma più recentemente, il 10 settembre scorso, ecco che i
corridoi escono definitivamente dall’ombra; i ministri dell’economia di
Romania, Jugoslavia e Croazia hanno dato il via al « Corridoio 10 ». Un
oleodotto di 1.200 Km. che trasporterà tonnellate di greggio all’anno,
con possibilità d’estensione verso l’Italia ed il Mediterraneo.
E le strade ? Anche lì si affrontano tracciati rivali. Belgrado ha
appena scelto d’investire nel completamento del Corridoio 10 : il
raccordo Nord - Sud con la Grecia. Quest’investimenti si fanno a
detrimento del raccordo Ovest - Est con la Bulgaria. L’Agenzia Europea
per la ricostruzione ha investito 47 milioni di euro in strade e
autostrade del Kosovo, complementari al Corridoio 10. Di contro, è nel
tracciato rivale del Corridoio 10: Bulgaria - Macedonia - Albania, che
l’United States Agency for International Development ha investito 30
milioni di dollari.
Gli jugoslavi hanno pagato per queste rotte commerciali, tanto sospirate
dalle multinazionali europee.Certo, ufficialmente l’Occidente « aiuta
». Anzi, la Banca Europea per la Ricostruzione e lo Sviluppo (BERD) e la
Banca Eurpea d’Investimento hanno fornito dei capitali per la
costruzione del « Corriodo 10 ». Ma quest’ « aiuto » consiste nel fare
prestiti. Quelli che permettono di incassare dall’ « assistito », che
pagherà caro per il rimborso ; lo stato Jugoslavo dovrà colpire le spese
sociali e l’impiego pubblico.
L’espressione « aiuto » non sarà anche sinonimo di «ricatto » ?
Ecco un esempio che riguarda la vicina Macedonia. Nel giugno scorso,
siccome quella non si sottomette tanto in fretta a tali esigenze, il FMI
rompe i negoziati e sospende tutti gli accordi. Blocca anche « i
progetti che non potevano essere legalmente fermati », afferma il
ministro macedone delle Finanze, Nikola Gruevski. I soli progetti che
sono buoni agli occhi del FMI sono quelli che favoriscono i ribelli
albanesi dell’UCK. « Aiuto » = ricatto.
Ancora una volta, niente di tutto questo avviene per caso. Lo scenario
non è improvvisato, come ci spiega questo commento del settore «
Business » dell’agenzia stampa USA UPI : « La costruzione delle
infrastrutture nei Balcani è stata caratterizzata dal carattere politico
degli aiuti internazionali accordati. La guerra della Nato nel 99’ ha
distrutto infrastrutture come la raffineria di petrolio di Novi Sad, la
radio - televisione serba, strade, ponti, ecc. E subito le politiche
occidentali sono state imposte nei piani di ricostruzione, non era una
sorpresa, né un fenomeno a breve scadenza ». Dunque, tre anni più tardi,
è chiaro che volutamente sono stati bombardati obiettivi economici, non
militari, e ciò tradotto in un linguaggio meno ipocrita significa : le
bombe della Nato sono state la prima tappa della privatizzazione -
globalizzazione. Quindi, gli jugoslavi hanno patito più volte per lo
stesso obiettivo : 1. Prima l’Occidente ha distrutto le loro ricchezze
2. Fatto questo, li ha privati del loro lavoro e mezzi di sussistenza 3.
Adesso, farà anche pagare loro una « ricostruzione » il cui profitto
sarà delle multinazionali occidentali.
(1/2 segue)
www.resistenze.org - popoli resistenti - jugoslavia - 01-12-02
Il paese di cui non si parla più …
di Michel Collon (traduzione integrale - parte 1/2)
L’impennata dei prezzi, dei licenziamenti, dei tumori, dei suicidi. E il
rifiuto del governo del FMI.
Perché non si parla più della Jugoslavia?
Con il nuovo regime, il prezzo del pane, della verdura e
dell’elettricità sono esplosi. I suicidi anche. Esattamente come gli
scioperi. Ma i minatori di Kolubura, che avevano aiutato a rovesciare
Milosevic, adesso, dal ministro Djindjic sono definiti “ricattatori”. Ed
il suo indice di popolarità è sceso all’8%.
Di questi tempi, il Kosovo, quel ne che rimane dopo i bombardamenti,vive
sotto il terrore dellla mafia e della pulizia etnica di tutte le etnie,a
dispetto(o a causa?) della presenza di 40.000 soldati della Nato.
Benvenuto nella Jugoslavia, la neocolonia nella vetrina della
mondializzazione. Un grosso monito per tutti i paesi che gli USA si
apprestano “a conquistare”, oltre che un’esperienza interessante per
tutti coloro avevanosostenuto la guerra della Nato nel 99’.
Perché, adesso, questa gente non si chiede come mai la maggioranza dei
serbi si rifiuta di andare a votare?
Il prezzo del pane è passata da 4 a 30 dinari in un anno. Il maiale al
Kg. da 180 a 260 dinari (era a 60 sotto Milosevic). Le patate da 7 a 12,
lo zucchero da 25 a 50, un litro d’olio da 36 a 70 dinari.
Le differenze con il periodo Milosevic sono ancora più grandi. Il gas al
m³ è passato da 3 a 11,20 dinari. 170.000 famiglie di Belgrado non
possono più pagare l’elettricità, che su richiesta del FMI è raddoppiata
in quattro mesi, ed altri rincari sono già annunciati. Quest’inverno
saranno privati anche del riscaldamento.
« I francesi non potrebbero vivere con così poco » ,mi confida
Dominique, di ritorno da Belgrado ;
« I miei amici, un gruppo di intellettuali di Belgrado, mangiano una
banana o un yogurt, non possono spendere di più. Il caffè non si vende a
pacchetti da un Kg., ma solo da cento grammi.
Ma loro non lo bevono più, è diventato un lusso. - Si, ci si arrangia
-, mi dicono loro, ma intanto hanno perso dei chili. Un pasto, è una
scatola di sardine per tre, un po’ di paprika, pane …. E non si contano
più i suicidi dei vecchi, che non resistono a vedersi ridotti come dei
mendicanti ».
La stessa cosa per Senka, manager di Jagodina, ci dice con angoscia : «
Come faccio, la mattina quando mio figlio chiede : - Mamma : del Pane !
del Latte ! - e io non ho niente da dargli ? »
« Non c’è più nessuno che ha la possibilità di comprare », spiega il suo
amico francese : « Non c’è più nessuno che abbia lavoro o collocazione
sociale. Si sopravvive grazie a degli espedienti del tipo « Io ti
aggiusto la macchina, tu mi dai tre Kg. di patate oppure dell’olio ».
Quasi tutti hanno dei parenti in campagna che li aiutano a mangiare,
senò non potrebbero campare.
Dei militanti del neonato Partito del Lavoro, hanno condotto una piccola
inchiesta per noi :
« In tre città operaie di media importanza l’85% della gente dichiara
che il loro livello di vita si è abbassato del 150% ».
A Belgrado ci sono 4.900 donne malate di cancro e senza cure. Avevano
già sofferto molto per le privazioni imposte dal 91’ per via
dell’embargo occidentale, e subito i gravi inquinamenti provocati dalla
Nato quando, violando le leggi di guerra, ha bombardato il complesso
chimico di Pancevo.
Non c’è poi stato alcun miglioramento con la caduta drammatica del
livello di vita e dell’alimentazione. E per finire, la privatizzazione
ha fatto i suoi disastri : fine dell’accesso alle medicine a buon
mercato vendute delle farmacie dello Stato, ormai introvabili. Di fatto,
ci vuole un buon portafoglio per pagarsi i farmaci. 30 pastiglie anti -
cancro costano 60 € : quasi l’equivalente di una pensione operaia
mensile. Secondo il giornale Novosti, 4.900 donne di Belgrado sono
malate di cancro, ma sono private dell’accesso alle medicine. Si osserva
altrove una forte recrudescenza del tasso di malattie cancerose,
soprattutto polmonari. Il ministero della Sanità ha riconosciuto il
fenomeno, ma non ha attivato alcuna ricerca in merito. Sarà l’URANIO ?
Il problema della sanità rischia di diventare enorme: una recente
statistica constata l’aumento dei decessi del 30% in tre anni, che
colpisce tutte le fasce d’età, giovani compresi.
Un amico di Belgrado ci confida con amarezza che quando suo padre è
deceduto, la famiglia ha dovuto attendere settimane per l’inumazione,
perché non si trovano posti nei cimiteri, sono diventati troppo piccoli …
Che fine hanno fatto le promesse del 2000?
Che contrasto con le promesse ellettorali sciorinate nell’ottobre del
2000 dai partiti filo-occidentali.
A crederli, la prosperità aspettava ogni serbo, bastava rivolgersi
all’Occidente …
Al momento, sotto il titolo « Kostunica, Djindjic e Washington
manterranno le loro promesse? » noi scriviamo : una grande illusione
domina attualmente la gioventù jugoslava, quella che nutre le illusioni
verso le promesse dell’Occidente. La grande illusione è quella di
credere che accettando la volontà delle multinazionali e dei dirigenti
occidentali, la popolazione jugoslava sarà ricompensata con la
prosperità. Resta la questione decisiva : « Cosa valgono le promesse
degli Stati Uniti e dei loro alleati ? » Allettati da promesse di
prosperità come quelle fatte nell’89’, paesi come la Russia, la Bulgaria
o l’Albania si sono messi in ginocchio davanti al capitalismo occidentale.
Oggi i loro popoli vivono come prima? Rispondono i fatti.
Anche a Belgrado, dopo due anni, i fatti hanno risposto. La
mondializzazione made in USA e Bruxelles è finalmente apparsa ai popoli.
Eccoli, sono i famosi « investitori occidentali », come dice chi ha
voluto ed ottenuto la fine del controllo dei prezzi.
Il FMI ha fatto licenziare almeno 800.000 lavoratori
Il livello di vita e la sanità si potranno raddrizzare nei prossimi anni
? Non si può aspettare, la disoccupazione sta diventando catastrofe : «
Bisogna licenziare almeno 800.000 lavoratori serbi dei servizi pubblici
e delle imprese di Stato », scrive Arvo Cuddo, responsabile della Banca
Mondiale. Tutto preso nel consigliare ai governanti di procedere
progressivamente e di prevedere compensazioni onde evitare una
situazione sociale esplosiva.
In fondo, da parte della Banca Mondiale non c’è niente di nuovo. Già
nell’ 89’, chi voleva il fallimento di 2.435 imprese jugoslave e il
licenziamento in massa dei lavoratori (due su tre in Serbia) ? Queste
esigenze occidentali avevano spinto i dirigenti di diverse repubbliche
alla fuga in avanti dei rilanci nazionalisti.
I primi colpi della guerra sono stati sparati dalla Banca Mondiale e dal
FMI.
Dieci anni più tardi, grazie alle bombe della Nato, la privatizzazione
ha debuttato sul serio. Le cinque maggiori imprese pubbliche sono il
bersaglio del governo Djindjic, ma le resistenze sono forti. Per
esempio, tra i 36.000 lavoratori dell’impresa agro - alimentare Karnex.
In giugno hanno scoperto che la loro cassa sociale è vuota, sicchè un
lavoratore che si ammala non ha più diritto a nessuna retribuzione. Dove
sono i soldi ? « Non si sa », risponde il governo, tentando di fargli
accettare la privatizzazione. « Non importa» rispondono allora i
lavoratori, e si decidono a vendere i loro prodotti direttamente ai
supermercati e non più al governo che accaparra il 50% dei profitti :
« Quando noi consegniamo, ci pagate solo in parte, e con ritardo. Ma noi
non abbiamo bisogno di capitali stranieri per salvarci.Ce la faremo
senza di voi. »
La resistenza alle privatizzazioni
I lavoratori cercano di salvare il loro sistema di autogestione. Questo
lo si vede anche nel successo dell’iniziativa del nuovo sindacato
(d’opposizione) « Verso il futuro » , che ha proposto agli operai di
fondare una cassa sociale, da creare lavorando quattro sabati al mese.
Negli altri quattro grandi stabilimenti i problemi sono identici :
Zastava (auto), Smederevo (metallurgia), GOSA (edilizia), e Stardit 13.
In questa fabbrica sono state consegnate al governo 150.000 tonnellate
d’acciaio prodotte in tre mesi, ma dal governo non sono ancora state
pagate. Il salario degli operai è stato invece ridotto della metà,
perciò la cassa è senza fondi. In giugno il primo ministro Djindjic ha
visitato l’acciaieria proponendo di recuperare quel denaro ..
privatizzandola, ma la manovra è stata rifiutata con uno scipero di 48 ore.
Di fatto, i cinque più grandi stabilimenti industriali del paese
restano fedeli all’autogestione e non accettano di essere privatizzati e
svenduti alle mutinazionali straniere. GOSA è bramata da interessi
tedeschi mentre Peugeot addocchia la Zastava. Poco prima delle elezioni,
il governo, dopo aver licenziato la metà di trentamila lavoratori, ha
fatto luccicare di nuovo delle belle promesse. Alla vigilia delle
elezioni, giocando d’azzardo, ha annunciato che l’acciaieria sarà
ripresa da un miracoloso investimento USA, che prometteva di rilanciare
la produzione fino a 220.000 vetture all’anno ! Poco probabile, visto
che al momento l’industria automobilistica del capitalismo mondiale
produce circa 70 milioni di auto all’anno di cui riesce a venderne solo
50 milioni, e si trova alle prese con una crisi di sovrapproduzione.
Inoltre si licenziano ed impoveriscono i potenziali clienti, e a chi
vendere allora ?
Di fronte a tutte queste promesse, la sfiducia ha sostituito le
illusioni precedenti :
« Il governo non si preoccupa della gente, solo delle sue tasche ».
E’ soprattutto la privatizzazione a riempire quelle tasche ? Alcuni
esempi lo confermano. La metà della Telecom era già stata venduta, la
rete Mobil 063 è caduta nelle mani dei fratelli Karic. Tutti si chiedono
da dove è arrivato il denaro necessario ad installare una rete in tutta
la Serbia, e anche i fondi per finanziare la televisione BK, che ha i
migliori programmi del paese. I fratelli Karic sono molto vicini a
Djindjic… Quanto alla rete 064, si tratta di capitali tedeschi.
Chi si arricchisce in Jugoslavia ?
Se la maggior parte degli jugoslavi si sono molto impoveriti, dove vanno
questi soldi ? « Sono quelli che mangiano, è la mafia intorno a Djindjic
», denuncia Zarko, riassumendo un sentimento generale. Mafia ? Accusa
esagerata ? Per niente ; ci scrive un francese al ritorno da Belgrado :
« Un imprenditore vicino al partito del signor Djindjic è stato
recentemente assassinato. Aveva ottenuto la concessione di sfruttamento
dell’autostrada Belgrado - Horgos ed in principio doveva finirne la
costruzione .. Se ci andate in automobile, vedrete che è ancora
esattamente come l’aveva lasciata Milosevic. Si pensa che questo
imprenditore sia stato eliminato per nascondere il dirottamento dei
fondi verso la DOS ». Questa è l’accusa indicata anche dall’entourage
del presidente Kostunica. A fine agosto, i ministri del suo partito, il
DSS, hanno lasciato il governo in segno di protesta contro la morte di
Momir Gavrilovic. Alto responsabile dei servizi di sicurezza, tornava da
una visita a Kostunica per informarlo dei legami tra il primo ministro
Djindjic e il boss mafioso Stanko Subotic. Da allora, dell’assassinio
non è stato né incolpato né arrestato nessuno. Si noterà anche che la
privatizzazione delle principali imprese pubbliche è stata condotta a
profitto di membri del partito di governo DOS ...
Il potere non è a Belgrado
Ma non si arricchiscono solo gli amici del signor Djindjic. Quando hanno
chiuso le quattro maggiori banche serbe, licenziando migliaia
d’impiegati, chi le ha rilevate? La Società Generale francese e la banca
tedesca Raiffeisen. Nel settore della birra, è l’imprenditore belga
Interbrew che si è piazzato.
Qual è il paese che si prende la fetta più grande della torta? La
Germania, senza dubbio. Alcuni parlano già della “nuova invasione
tedesca”. A scuola il corso di tedesco sta soppiantando l’inglese.
Quest’invasione riguarda vari settori. E’ una ditta tedesca che vuole
gli impianti idrici del Montengro, e sono società tedesche che hanno
raccattato la maggior parte dei media serbi: Westdeutsche Allgmeine
Zeiutng ha acquistato il controllo del celebre quotidiano Politika,
mentre Grunner & Jahr si è impossessato del rotocalco Blic.
Un inciso; all’epoca di Milosevic l’opposizione filoccidentale,
generosamente finanziata da miliardari USA come George Soros,
controllava la maggior parte dei giornali, ora, tutte le testate sono
filoccidentali. E’ questo il pluralismo ?
Non è una sorpresa. Ciò che sta accadendo non è che l’applicazione di
uno scenario scritto da anni a Washington, Berlino e Bruxelles. Sono gli
Stati Uniti e l’Unione Europea che hanno preso direttamente in mano la
vita economica e sociale della Jugoslavia. Esercitano il controllo
assoluto con il “G17 ”, un ordine economico finanziato dall’occidente
composto di vecchi responsabili del FMI e della Banca Mondiale. E’ il
G17 che ha fornito gli uomini chiave del nuovo regime : il vice primo
ministro Mirojslav Labus, il governatore della Banca Nazionale Mladan
Dinkic e il ministro delle finanze Bozidar Djelic. Sono quellli che
hanno preparato tutte le leggi di liquidazione delle protezioni sociali
e dello smantellamento dei diritti dei lavoratori.
Sono loro, gli uomini del FMI, che hanno scatenato la privatizzazione
delle imprese autogestite dai lavoratori, l’ultima eredità di Tito.
Ventidue società sono state vendute agli offerenti, 5 privatizzate e 26
sono in via di ristrutturazione. Il divieto di licenziamento è stato
cancellato per ingraziarsi gli investitori stranieri. E’ Djelic che
recentemente ha abbassato l’imposta delle imprese dal 20% al 14%. Ora,
quando la gente semplice non ha più di che vivere, si fanno regali ai
nuovi padroni, alle multinazionali e ai paesi ricchi. Djelic ha
annunciato che il suo governo « rimborserà » immediatamente la Banca
Mondiale, la Banca Europea d’Investimento e il « Club di Parigi » di 60
milioni di euro.
L’Occidente ha distrutto la Jugoslavia, ma si fa « rimborsare » !
Disilusioni, ma anche resistenza
Oggi, due serbi su tre vivono sotto la soglia della povertà, questa
situazione provoca disillusione, ma anche resistenza.
Come sono i serbi oggi ? La risposta è un’anime : « Delusi,
disincantati, disgustati » dice Dominique, « Si rendono conto che sono
stati raggirati. Si accusa Milosevic, ma quando lui era al potere si
mangiava tre volte al giorno. Ora invece … ». La debolissima
partecipazione alle ultime elezioni conferma la tabula rasa nei
confronti dei partiti : « Tutti uguali ! ». Djindjic, il nuovo primo
ministro vede la sua popolarità cadere all’8%. Ma ce n’è anche per
Kostunica : « Promette molto, ma non fa niente », s’indigna Branko, che
aveva votato per lui speranzoso. Lo stesso vale per i giovani, ostili a
Milosevic, e che speravano di gustare il tenore di vita occidentale,
adesso anche loro sono delusi. Il tasso di suicidi è esploso: l’anno
scorso a Belgrado ne sono stati dichiarati 900. A Nis, città di 350.000
abitanti, la polizia segnala un suicidio ogni 5 giorni. Nel 2001 i serbi
hanno consumato 41 milioni di compresse anti - stress Bensedin, 63
milioni di Bromazepam e 40 milioni di Diazepam. La stessa agenzia
occidentale Associated Press segnala la catastrofe sociale : « Migliaia
di tassisti hanno paralizzato il traffico di Belgrado, protestano contro
una nuova tassa (un mese di salario medio) che colpisce gli autisti di
taxi, e reclamano dal governo di poter aumentare le tariffe ». Lo slogan
dei protestanti « DOS - ta ! » (Basta !) eprime bene la disillusione
totale nella DOS messa al potere dall’Occidente nell’ottobre 2000.
Quest’estate, molte manifestazion sono state represse con brutalità
dalla polizia (rimpiazzata quasi al completo dal nuovo regime). In
giugno, davanti al Parlamento di Belgrado, 10 persone sono state ferite
durante una manifestazione di « poveri ».
Ma tutto questo non passsa il filtro dei media occidentali. L’opinione
pubblica occidentale è tenuta allo scuro. Ci si guarda bene dallo
spiegare il disincanto profondo della popolazione jugoslava verso coloro
che promettevano. Questo disincanto è la reale causa della crisi
politica in Serbia, dal confronto Kostunica - Djindjic al recente flop
elettorale. Ma, prima di tutto, bisogna esaminare le vere ragioni che
hanno portato gli USA e la Germania ad intervenire nei Balcani, e notare
gli strani rapporti con la mafia e i terroristi locali.
La “battaglia per i corridoi” esce dall’ombra
In effetti, il crimine maggiore della Jugoslavia fu di pretendere di
conservare un sistema d’ispirazione sociale e indipendente dalle
multinazionali. Ma cè anche stato il crimine “geografico”: la Jugoslavia
si trova nel cuore dei “corridoi 8 e 10”.
Cos’è un “corridoio”? Si tratta di un insieme di comunicazioni moderne:
autostrade, ferrovie, porti marittimi e fluviali, oleodotti e gasdotti.
L’obiettivo: portare verso l’Europa occidentale i prodotti delocalizzati
più vicino, e soprattutto il petrolio ed il gas provenienti dal Caucaso
e dall’Asia centrale.
Questo gigantesco progetto dell’Unione Europea (90 miliardi di euro
d’investimento previsti fino al 2015), è uno degli assi strategici del
commercio mondiale del futuro.
Dove passerà il corridoio? Tracciati diversi si oppongono da una decina
d’anni, posta in gioco di una segreta rivalità tra Washington e Berlino.
Questa rivalità è stata il cuore del conflitto in Jugoslavia, giacchè
ogni grande potenza voleva controllarlo, come abbiamo già scritto in
“Poker falso e Monopolio”.
La politica internazionale sembra complicata e a volte
incomprensibile ? Ecco un una regola facile per renderla più chiara : in
ogni regione del mondo dove si trova una via del petrolio o del gas, gli
USA cercano di installare delle loro basi militari, provocando o
inasprendo dei conflitti locali, per immischiarsi e presentarsi subito
come osservatori o come pompieri. Questa regola essenziale spiega la
maggior parte delle guerre « incomprensibili » : Jugoslavia, Macedonia,
Cecenia, Caucaso, Afghanistan, ex - repubbliche sovietiche dell’Asia
centrale …
Nei balcani, la via tedesca è questa : Constanza (porto rumeno) -
Belgrado - Amburgo. E poi da costruire oleodotti, ferrovie, porti
marittimi e fluviali lungo il Danubio, autostrade da raddoppiare.
La via rivale è quella degli USA : Bulgaria - Macedonia - Albania
(Mediterraneo). Tre stati che Washington fa di tutto per farli
controllare dall’unione Europea.
Le nostre teorie dei corridoi intesi come motori della guerra contro la
Jugoslavia avevano lasciato scettici alcuni .. Ecco la discreta
confessione del generale Jackson, comandante in capo della Nato in
Macedonia, e poi in Kosovo nel 99’ : « Certamente qui resteremo a lungo,
per garantire la sicurezza dei corridoi energetici che attraversano il
paese ». Ma più recentemente, il 10 settembre scorso, ecco che i
corridoi escono definitivamente dall’ombra; i ministri dell’economia di
Romania, Jugoslavia e Croazia hanno dato il via al « Corridoio 10 ». Un
oleodotto di 1.200 Km. che trasporterà tonnellate di greggio all’anno,
con possibilità d’estensione verso l’Italia ed il Mediterraneo.
E le strade ? Anche lì si affrontano tracciati rivali. Belgrado ha
appena scelto d’investire nel completamento del Corridoio 10 : il
raccordo Nord - Sud con la Grecia. Quest’investimenti si fanno a
detrimento del raccordo Ovest - Est con la Bulgaria. L’Agenzia Europea
per la ricostruzione ha investito 47 milioni di euro in strade e
autostrade del Kosovo, complementari al Corridoio 10. Di contro, è nel
tracciato rivale del Corridoio 10: Bulgaria - Macedonia - Albania, che
l’United States Agency for International Development ha investito 30
milioni di dollari.
Gli jugoslavi hanno pagato per queste rotte commerciali, tanto sospirate
dalle multinazionali europee.Certo, ufficialmente l’Occidente « aiuta
». Anzi, la Banca Europea per la Ricostruzione e lo Sviluppo (BERD) e la
Banca Eurpea d’Investimento hanno fornito dei capitali per la
costruzione del « Corriodo 10 ». Ma quest’ « aiuto » consiste nel fare
prestiti. Quelli che permettono di incassare dall’ « assistito », che
pagherà caro per il rimborso ; lo stato Jugoslavo dovrà colpire le spese
sociali e l’impiego pubblico.
L’espressione « aiuto » non sarà anche sinonimo di «ricatto » ?
Ecco un esempio che riguarda la vicina Macedonia. Nel giugno scorso,
siccome quella non si sottomette tanto in fretta a tali esigenze, il FMI
rompe i negoziati e sospende tutti gli accordi. Blocca anche « i
progetti che non potevano essere legalmente fermati », afferma il
ministro macedone delle Finanze, Nikola Gruevski. I soli progetti che
sono buoni agli occhi del FMI sono quelli che favoriscono i ribelli
albanesi dell’UCK. « Aiuto » = ricatto.
Ancora una volta, niente di tutto questo avviene per caso. Lo scenario
non è improvvisato, come ci spiega questo commento del settore «
Business » dell’agenzia stampa USA UPI : « La costruzione delle
infrastrutture nei Balcani è stata caratterizzata dal carattere politico
degli aiuti internazionali accordati. La guerra della Nato nel 99’ ha
distrutto infrastrutture come la raffineria di petrolio di Novi Sad, la
radio - televisione serba, strade, ponti, ecc. E subito le politiche
occidentali sono state imposte nei piani di ricostruzione, non era una
sorpresa, né un fenomeno a breve scadenza ». Dunque, tre anni più tardi,
è chiaro che volutamente sono stati bombardati obiettivi economici, non
militari, e ciò tradotto in un linguaggio meno ipocrita significa : le
bombe della Nato sono state la prima tappa della privatizzazione -
globalizzazione. Quindi, gli jugoslavi hanno patito più volte per lo
stesso obiettivo : 1. Prima l’Occidente ha distrutto le loro ricchezze
2. Fatto questo, li ha privati del loro lavoro e mezzi di sussistenza 3.
Adesso, farà anche pagare loro una « ricostruzione » il cui profitto
sarà delle multinazionali occidentali.
(1/2 segue)
(segue da: http://www.resistenze.org/sito/te/po/yu/poyu2n01.htm )
La guerra e le basi militari … un ottimo affare
Ciò che più ci ha colpiti nel 99’ è stato che la Jugoslavia era il
bersaglio non di questioni umanitarie, ma di una guerra per
ricolonizzare. Per annettere il suo mercato al « gran mercato » delle
multinazionali, e per controllare le sue rotte strategiche. Inoltre
quella guerra è stata anche un’operazione « self - service » per certi
dirigenti statunitensi legati alle grandi imprese produttrici d’armi.
In Kosovo, proprio sopra la rotta del petrolio, gli USA hanno costruito
una gigantesca base militare : Camp Bondsteel. Un luogo strategico per
intervenire nel Medio Oriente, nel caucaso, oppure un giorno, contro
Mosca. Chi ha costruito questa base, chi la gestisce, chi intasca gli
enormi benefici ? Brown & Root Service,una filiale statunitense dei
servizi petroliferi Haliburton, in cui troviamo … Dick Cheney, l’attuale
vice - presidente degli Stati Uniti.
Brown & Root, specializzata nelle forniture all’esercito degli Stati
Uniti, ha assunto importanza nel 92’ quando Dick Cheney, allora
segretario alla Difesa del governo Bush senior, gli ha conferito il
contratto per il sostegno logistico alle operazioni all’estero dell’US
Army. Tra il 95’ e il 2000, Cheney lascia la politica ed entra nela
Haliburton Corporation. La fornitura di quest’impresa s’è impennata
paralleleamente alla escalation del militarismo degli USA.
Nel 92’ B&R costruisce e gestisce le basi dell’US Army in Somalia, e
guadagna 62 milioni di dollari. Che diventano il doppio nel 94’ : 133
milioni di dollari per costruire installazioni militari in Ungheria,
Croazia e Bosnia. Ma è Campo Bondsteel che diventa la « perla » del
contratto, come spiega Paul Stuart …
« A Camp Bondsteel, è B&R che fornisce tutto : 2.500 m³ d’acqua al
giorno, elettricità suffciente ad una città di 25.000 abitanti,
lavanderia per 1.200 ceste di biancheria, 18.000 pasti al giorno, il 95%
dei collegamenti ferroviari ed aerei, più il servizio antincendio. Con
5.000 dipendenti albanesi kosovari e 15.000 venuti da fuori, B&R è il
primo datore di lavoro del Kosovo ».
Lo conferma David Capouya, il suo direttore : « Noi qui facciamo di
tutto, tranne che portare un fucile ». Effettivamente, la ditta di
Houston fornisce tutto, dalla colazione ai ricambi dei blindati.
Sicchè la guera ingrossa direttamente il portafoglio del signor Cheney.
Anche l’occupazione dell’ Afghanistan ha procurato dei gustosi
contratti a B&R, e nei balcani, è sempre questa società che ha
realizzato gli studi preparatori dell’autostrada greca Egnatia (il
prolungamento del Corridoio 10). Così come gli studi per l’oleodotto
nordamericano Bulgaria - Macedonia - Albania descritto in precedenza.
L’amministrazione Bush pratica veramente il self - sevice con un’
impudenza record.
Perché USA e Germania sono accusati di essersi appoggiati a razzisti e
criminali ?
Per prendere i controllo delle rotte strategiche balcaniche, Washington
e Berlino avevano bisogno di forze locali su cui appoggiarsi per evitare
di fare la guerra troppo direttamente.
Chi le ha scelte ed armate ?
- Per la Croazia, è stato il gruppo razzista intorno a Tudjman. L’uomo
che riscriveva in modo revisionista la storia della seconda guera
mondiale. Un Le Pen croato che si fregiava del fatto che sua moglie non
era « né ebrea né serba ».
- Per la Bosnia, è stato il nazionalista islamista Izetbegovic. Per
lui«non c’era coesistenza possibile tra la religione islamica e le
istituzioni sociali e politiche non islamiche ».Quello che non si è
fatto scrupoli di sparare su musulmani, a Bihac e a Sarajevo. Questo
fanatico è stato anche ribattezzato « democratico » ed « antifascista ».
Ma ora che il vento è cambiato, riconosce - molto discretamente - che
Washington ha inviato una gran quantità di mujaheddin
dell’organizzazione di Ben Laden.
- Per il Kosovo, lo strumento è stato l’UCK, un’organizzazione
separatista e razzista, che ha provocato la guerra (è proprio scritto
nei suoi documenti) per imporre una « Grande Albania » etnicamente pura.
L’inviato speciale degli USA nella regione, Robert Gelbard, aveva
dichiarato a più riprese, nel febbraio del 98’ alla stampa
internazionale : « L’UCK è senza alcun dubbio un gruppo terrorista ».
Così come aveva confermato il ministri degli affari esteri USA : «
Responsabili dell’UCK hanno minacciato dei paesani d’incendiare le loro
case se non si fossere uniti ai loro ranghi. La minaccia dell’UCK assume
tali proporzioni che gli abitanti di sei villaggi della zona di Stimlje
si preparano a scappare ».
Malgrado tutto, tre mesi dopo la Nato diventava la forza aerea dell’UCK
« terrorista ». E la morale degli Stati Uniti, che pretendono d’imporre
la guerra dappertutto in nome della lotta al terrorismo ?
Ancora oggi si sforzano di utilizzare certi terroristi islamici, per
esempio i ceceni.
Il Kosovo “Natoizzato”: pulizia etnica, terrore e mafia
Quali sono oggi le conseguenze? Ebbene, come abbiamo mostrato nel film
“I dannati del Kosovo”, in questa regione c’è stata, e c’è ancora, una
pulizia etnica, ci sono terrore e mafia. La soluzione di un conflitto
locale non è per niente vicina, ma si è allontanta del tutto. Una vera
pulizia etnica ha cacciato dal Kosovo la maggior parte dei non -
albanesi: serbi, ebrei, rom, musulmani, turchi, gorani, egizi, ecc.
…Tutte queste etnie sono state sistematicamente espulse col terrore:
attentati dinamitardi, assassinii, distruzione delle loro case, minacce
costanti … 230.000 hanno dovuto rifugiarsi in Serbia, Montenegro,
Macedonia o altrove. Quelli che restano, sono bloccati dentro piccole
enclavi - ghetto da cui non possono uscire che raramente, e sotto scorta
delle truppe della Nato.
Questa “pulizia” è stata limitata al periodo che ha seguito l’immediato
dopoguerra?
Qualcuno vorrrebbe farlo credere. Ma in seguito alle rivelazioni del
nostro film “ I dannati del Kosovo”, un giornalista ha intervistato
Genève Niurka Pineiro, portavoce dell’Organizzazione Internazionale per
le Migrazioni, che dipende dall’ONU. Ella conferma: “Continuiamo a
registrare intimidazioni e molestie quotidiane, ed attacchi di una
violenza estrema, sovente mortali, più che numerosi”. Certi difensori
della Nato pretendono che le cose siano sul punto di aggiustarsi, ci
sarebbero meno morti che all’inizio. In effetti è così, ma perché ? Pur
correndo il rischio di sembrare cinici, il vero motivo è che la
maggioranza dei membri delle minoranze sono scappati, e il resto .. è
morto !
Infatti, la situazione non è migliorata per niente, riconosce lo stesso
portavoce dell’ONU : « Le minoranze restano vulnerabili agli attacchi
(..) la libertà dei movimenti rimane il loro problema chiave, impedendo
loro di fare una vita normale (..) Senza libertà di movimento, l’accesso
ai servizi essenziali, all’uso delle strutture civili (ospedali, scuole,
ecc.) rimane estremamente difficile e spesso addirittura impossibile ».
Riassumiamo. Niente libera circolazione, niente acceso ai
servizi pubblci, né alle scuole, né agli ospedali, niente occupazione. E
soprattutto il terrore quotidiano. Il Kosovo « Natoizzato » rimane una
terra fuorilegge, un’inerno per tutti, compresi molti albanesi, bersagli
dell’UCK.
Il 5 novembre scorso, il governatore ONU del Kosovo, Michale Steiner, ha
pure lui riconosciuto che : « i membri delle piccole comunità del Kosovo
non sono ancora tornati alle loro case, e la maggior parte di quelli che
sono rimasti sul posto vivono in condizioni inaccettabili »
Il pretesto dell’intervento della Nato continuerà per sempre?
Perché nei media occidentali e in una certa sinistra non se ne parla?
Nel Kosovo, la Nato ha sposato la regione con la mafia
Perché la natura mafiosa e criminale dei regimi creati dalla Nato non
sono mai stati analizzati ?
Il risoluto, e perciò chiaro James Bisset, anziano ambasciatore canadese
in Jugoslavia afferma:
« Il Kosovo resta una società fuorilegge, completamente intollerante
delle minoranze etniche ed uno deiposti più pericolosi della terra ».
Perché il Kosovo è una terra senza legge? A causa dei pressanti
interessi economici, spiega l’esperto canadese Chossudowsky : « I boss
della droga kosovari, albanesi e macedoni, sono diventati le nuove
élites economiche, spesso legate a importanti interessi commerciali
occidentali.
I profitti finanziari dei traffici di droga e d’armi si sono riciclati
in altre attività illegali, come lo sfruttamento della prostituzione ».
Alti responsabili del regime del presidente albanese Berisha sono stati
implicati in traffico di droga e d’armi con il Kosovo. Traffici che
hanno potuto fiorire impunemente malgrado la presenza dal 93’ di un
importante contingente di truppe americane. In questi ultimi anni,
questo traffico di droga ha consentito all’UCK di mettere in campo
30.000 uomini in armi in poco tempo. « La Nato ha sposato la regione con
la Mafia ». E’ quanto confermano i servizi di polizia europea e in
particolare l’Agenzia Criminale Federale di Germania : « Gli albanesi,
al momento, sono il più importante gruppo per la diffusione dell’eroina
in Occidente ».
Si sa che la droga, con le armi e la pubblicità, è uno dei tre settori
economici più importanti dell’attuale società capitalista. Si sa anche
che la CIA ha attivato, un po’ dappertutto sul pianeta, traffci o
baratti « armi - droga - petrolio », e ciò con la complicità dei più
importanti gruppi mafiosi. Il flirt con l’UCK ha numerosi precedenti. La
mafia albanese controlla anche il giro degli aiuti internazionali,
riesportati con la corruzione, che intanto dilaga. In luglio 2002,
inchieste dell’Unione Europea hanno scoperto 4,5 milioni di euro su
diversi conti a Gibilterra ». Questi soldi erano stati sottratti
all’Agenzia dell’Energia del Kosovo. Non stupirà, quindi, il flusso
quotidiano d’interruzioni della corrente.
Tutte queste frodi sono un’incidente, un fenomeno secondario? O, al
contrario, parte integrante del sistema istituito? Un ufficiale europeo,
parlando nell’anonimato, risponde : « Nei tre anni scorsi, la comunità
internazionale ha buttato nel Kosovo tra i 15 e i 18 miliono di euro, ma
non abbiamo ancora costruito le infrastrutture di base ». Non si tratta
di frodi secondarie. La stesa evasione massiccia è avvenuta in Bosnia,
intorno al clan del presidente musulmano Izebetgevovic.
Territori occupati : un’economia artificiale e corrotta
L’economia dei territori sotto amministrazione neocoloniale costituisce
un sistema del tutto artificiale. I numerosi 4 x 4 delle ONG
internazionali, così come le decine di hotel e di centri di servizio
costruiti lungo le strade, possono colpire. Ma nelle enclavi - ghetto
delle minoranze, non esiste ricostruzione, e come si è già detto, il
principale datore di lavoro del Kosovo resta la ditta USA B&R che
gestisce la base militare di Camp Bondsteel.
I due protettorati occidentali dei Balcani sono infatti i due « paesi »
con il tasso di ricatto più elevati d’Europa. 57% in Kosovo (footnote
25), 60% in Bosnia (footnote 26).
Tutto questo significa un’ « inevitabile transizione » o un fenomeno
duraturo? In realtà, l’occupazione di parti della ex - Jugoslavia
trasformati in protettorati è una catastrofe a lungo termine per le
popolazioni locali. Lungi dal decollare, queste economie sono
colonizzate. E moralmente pervertite. In Bosnia, allo stesso modo,
l’occupazione militare USA ha creato un sistema di traffici recentemente
bene illustrati dallo scandalo DynCorp. Questa ditta, una dei più grossi
fornitori di servizi dell’esercito USA, aveva inviato in Bosnia 181
impiegati e quadri per la manutenzione degli elicotteri Apache e Blachhawk.
Nel gennaio 2002, uno di questi impiegati, Ben Johnston, ha denunciato
le ignobili pratiche di schiavitù sessuali regnanti nel DynCorp : « Da
quando sono arrivato, mi si è parlato di prostituzione, ma ho impiegato
del tempo per capire che si compravano le ragazze con 600/800 dollari.
Io ho detto che questa è semplicemente schiavitù ». Alcune di queste
ragazze avevano tra i 12 e i 15 anni. Le denuncie di Johnston gli
costeanno il suo impiego, ma finiranno anche per scatenare un’inchiesta.
Ciononostante l’esercito USA aveva avuto cura d’imporre nel 95’
l’impunità per i suoi soldati e altro personale che, di fatto, sfugge
alle leggi del paese. Pertanto, i colpevoli possono tornare negli USA
senza essere perseguiti. Commento indignato di Christine Dolan,
fondatrice della Campagna Internazionale Umanitaria contro lo
Sfruttamento dei Bambini :
« Di fronte a dei dipendenti dei fornitori dell’esercito USA a letto
con la mafia e con bambini come oggetti sessuali, è una sorpresa sapere
che il DynCorp ha potuto mantenere il suo contratto, quando gli Stati
Uniti pretendono di voler mettere fine alla tratta degli esseri umani! ».
Nei fatti, in tutto il mondo, le basi militari USA sono veri
catalizzatori della schiavitù sessuale femminile, organizzata con la
mafia locale. Un documento dell’alto commissariato dell’ONU per i
diritti umani, spiega che la Bosnia nel dopoguerra è diventata
un’importante crocevia del traffico di donne. Il documento non fa
menzione, beninteso, dei legami con la base militare della Nato a Tuzla,
dove vivono migliaia di uomini. Ma spiega il capo islamico Mrisada
Siljic : « Come si fa a pensare a 20.000 giovani senza donne per un
anno? ». Già nel 95’, il New York Times titolava in modo eloquente «
Tuzla : arrivano gli americani. La prostituzione, la droga e l’AIDS,
anche ».
Il governo Djindjic vuole in tutta fretta far aderire la Serbia alla
Nato. Se questo succedesse, la sorte delle donne di Serbia sarà diversa
da quella delle donne di Bosnia?
L’affare DynCorp non è uno scandalo isolato. Si tratta di un fenomeno
classico. Alla fine della seconda guerra mondiale, i soldati americani
hanno spinto 40.000 donne napoletane a prostituirsi, circa un terzo
della popolazione femminile. Durante la guerra d’Algeria, la violenza
sulle donne algerine da parte delle truppe francesi, era usata come arma
contro i combattenti del FLN e la popolazione civile, come si è visto in
un recente documentario basato su numerose testimonianze.
I media occidentali sono ben disposti a dare lezioni sui crimini di
guerra (reali e non) delle nazioni « inferiori ». Di contro, sono
generalmente molto più discreti su questo fatto incontestabile :
l’arrivo degli eserciti delle grandi potenze occidentali è inseparabile
dallo sfruttamento economico e sociale dei popoli occupati, in
particolare delle donne.
« Gli albanesi hanno ammazzato tutti quelli che sono rimasti »
Perché i capi dell’UCK non hanno nessuna intenzione di cercare una
soluzione ai problemi del Kosovo? Perché vogliono proteggere i loro
interessi economici mafiosi. Instabilità e illegalità, per loro sono,
indispensabili. Pertanto, la protezione dell’Occidente a sostegno della
strategia razzista e terrorista dell’UCK, costituisce una vera bomba ad
orologeria per i mesi e gli anni a venire. Ecco perché i capi dell’UCK
sono ancora così minacciosi. Per esempio, Ethem Ceku, ministro
dell’ambiente e cugino d’Agim Ceku, capo dei TMK « Corpo di Protezione
Civile » (nuovo nome delle milizie UCK integrate nell’attuale apparato
dello Stato). Inizio 2002, egli dichiara pubblicamente : « I serbi che
tentano di tornare senza autorizzazione nel Kosovo saranno respinti con
la forza necessaria ». Una minaccia presa molto sul serio da Everett
Erlandson, poliziotto in pensione di Chicago, ed oggi in servizio a
Pristina con le forze ONU : «Loro, gli internazionali, hanno lasciato il
Kosovo, gli albanesi sono tutto quello che rimane ».
Ma gli Stati Uniti hanno intenzione di lasciare il Kosovo? O per lo
meno di mostrarsi più severi verso i terroristi ? La recente « evasione
» di Florim Ejupi prova il contrario.
Come evadere senza problemi da una base militare USA …
Chi è Florim Ejupi? Un uomo dalle mani coperte di sangue … Il 16
febbraio 2001, terroristi albanesi facevano esplodere una bomba
comandata a distanza al passaggio di un’autobus serbo della linea Nis -
Gracanica: 11 morti, 40 feriti. “C’erano fumo e sangue dappertutto”,
racconta la giornalista Gorica Scepanovic, età 25 anni, “chi è
sopravvissuto all’attentato rimarrà segnato da quest’esperienza
orribile”. Per una volta, l’inchiesta ottiene qualcosa. “Nonostante la
si sia accusata di lentezza, si è trattato di un buon lavoro di
polizia”, ha dichiarato la britannica Derek Chappell, portavoce della
polizia dell’ONU.
Vengono arrestate quattro persone, tra cui due ufficiali del « Corpo di
Protezione Civile del Kosovo » (l’ex UCK), ma ne viene imprigionato uno
solo, Florim Ejupi. Siccome la polizia dell’ONU supponeva che avrebbero
tentato di liberarlo con la forza, lo si trasferisce dal Centro
Detentivo di Pristina alla base USA di Camp Bondsteel.
Sembrava una buona idea, a credere alla descrizione della base fatta
dall’esperto militare canadese Scott Taylor : « Piazzata sulla cima di
una collina, quest’impressionante struttura - 40 Km.² - è una vera
fortezza. Completamente roteata da tre file di filo spinato, con
perimetri di protezione molto larghi, torrette d’osservazione e
fotocellule dapertutto ». Ma nonostante tutti questi ostacoli, Ejupi è
uscito tranquillamente da Camp Bondsteel nel maggio 2002, prima d’essere
giudicato.
La reazione indignata dello stesso poliziotto britannico Chappell : «
Gli americani ci hanno detto che lui aveva trovato un oggetto metallico
in una torta agli spinaci… Proprio così, non invento niente ».
C’è di che indignarsi. Come può un prigioniero che indossa una tuta
arancio, scappare tranquillamente in mezzo a circa 5.000 soldati
statunitensi, che l’abbiano lasciato andare di proposito?
L’UCK: improvvisa metamorfosi o truffa commerciale?
Sono supposizioni esagerate? Sono solo i serbi e le altre minoranze
etniche ad accusare gli Usa di proteggere i criminali? No. Il generale
Klaus Reinhardt, comandante delle truppe Nato del Kosovo fino al marzo
2000, sbotta così: “Gli americani si fidano troppo della lealtà delle
truppe dell’UCK. Gli estremisti albanesi che sono stati arrestati dalla
KFOR sono stati rilasciati velocemente. Se la KFOR avesse potuto agire
contro gli estremisti, la situazione in Macedonia non sarebbe così
degenerata”.
Se ci si permette di criticare così i “cari alleati” è a causa della
sempre più forte rivalità Washington - Berlino nei Balcani e nel mondo.
Sullo sfondo della crisi dell’economia “globale”.
Per questo è il settimanale tedesco Der Spiegel - non la stampa USA -
che ci spiega che i dirigenti dell’UCK non erano per niente quelli che
ci avevano descritto. Il 21 settembre scorso, lo Spiegel intervistava
Bujar Bukoshi, un tempo « primo ministro » dei kosovari albanesi in
esilio : « Dopo la guerra, le eliminazioni più crudeli sono avvenutre
tra albanesi. Con il pretesto che si trattava di « collaboratori », i
dirigenti dell’UCK hanno liquidato i loro avversari politici ».
Secondo l’inchiesta dello Spiegel, « un vecchio comandante dell’UCK
avrebbe arruolato un criminale di guerra per assassinare Ekrem Rexha,
anche lui un vecchio capo dell’UCK ». Rexha preparava un libro sui
crimini di guerra compiuti in Kosovo, in particolare quelli dell’UCK.
I rifugiati serbi del Kosovo sono diventati i palestinesi d’Europa
Perché non l’hanno detto? I leaders dell’UCK erano angeli quando la Nato
se ne serviva per distruggere la Jugoslavia? Oppure erano già dei
“terroristi”, come li aveva definiti l’inviato speciale degli USA nella
regione?
Questo viene raccontato solo ora perché Washington e Berlino sono sempre
più in conflitto sui corridoi energetici dei Balcani e su un sacco
d’altre cose. Ma non si tratta di una metamorfosi dell’UCK.
Semplicemente, le grandi potenze hanno nascosto la verità perché avevano
bisogno dei suoi servizi.
Il dramma del Kosovo aggiunge discredito alla Nato e all’attuale governo
serbo. Non solo non si muove nulla circa il rientro dei 230.000
rifugiati serbi ed altri espulsi dal Kosovo, che sono diventati i
palestinesi d’Europa. Ma in più, gli amministratori occidentali dirigono
la missione ONU sforzandosi di smantellare … la sola zona del Kosovo che
resta popolati di serbi. La parte nord della città di Kosova Mitrovica.
Il numero degli albanesi nella zona è relativamente limitato, circa
5.000 persone. Troppo pochi in confronto ai 230.000 espulsi delle altre
etnie. Ma il loro ritorno è la priorità assoluta dell’amministrazione ONU.
Alcuni reclamano addirittura un atteggiamento ancora più aggressivo
contro i serbi. Per esempio l’Internationl Crisis Group, un gruppo di
pressione della CIA finanziato dal miliardario USA G. Soros. Secondo
questa lobby, che comprende Louise Arbour, ex procuratore all’Aia e
Wesley Clark, il capo dei bombardamenti della Nato nel 99’: “L’ONU e le
truppe della KFOR dirette dalla Nato devono imporre la loro autorità su
Mitrovica. Il nuovo governatore del Kosovo, Michael Steiner, ha
annunciato nuovi arresti di serbi”.
Kosovo : « Grande Albania » e nuova Israele ?
All’inizio, il Kosovo faceva parte della Jugoslavia, secondo la
risoluzione dell’Onu che ha messo fine alla guerra. Ma allora come oggi,
gli USA non considerano risoluzioni che quelle che servono i loro
interessi. Numerose pubblicazioni attuali dei media USA preparano la
loro opinione pubblica all’indipendenza del Kosovo. Era la promessa
fatta dal « matrimonio » con l’UCK. L’opzione della separazione pura e
semplice è suggerita da una commissione che si autodefinisce
indipendente, ed è composta da qualche « esperto » tra cui Robertson,
segretario genrale dell’ONU.
Ma le potenze europee non sostengono quest’indipendenza. Sanno che
Washington cerca di creare un’Israele nei Balcani. Uno stato che gli
dovrebbe tutto e che potrebbero usare come portaerei.
Detto ciò, gli Stati uniti cercano davvero di arrivare a
quest’indipendenza ? Senza dubbio non è così. La strategia della
tensione gli è utile. Il mantenimento del conflitto - e delle sue
sofferenze - gli serve per giustificare i mantenimento delle loro basi
militari. E’ incoraggiando la politica del terrore che incoraggia gli
altri separatismi nelle regioni vicine. Il Montenegro e la Macedonia
sono ugualmente convolte dall’UCK. Ma il primo attacco sarà forse in un
territorio del sud - ovest della Serbia. Non si parla di guerra, ma il
Sangiaccato potrebbe essere una nuova Bosnia.
Domani il Sangiaccato?
Un istituto filo - occidentale specializzato nelle questioni balcaniche,
l’International War and Peace Report, conferma : « I serbi stimano che
circa mille dei loro hanno lasciato la città di Novi Pazar negli ultimi
anni ». Le insegne « Si vende » appaioni quasi ogni giorno sulle case e
le terre serbe. Si stima che l’esodo è stato accelerato dal partito SDA,
a preminenza musulmana, che ha revocato i direttori serbi delle imprese
pubbliche e delle amministrazioni locali. La percentuale serba nella
popolazione si sarebbe abbassata dal 22% al 17% (N.B. Un esodo simile,
ma più massiccio si era prodotto in Kosovo negli 70 e 80).
Nel giugno scorso, il Consiglio Nazionale Bosniaco del Sangiaccato
legato al partito musulmano ha dichiarato : « Non abbiamo ragione
d’integrarci alla Serbia o al Montenegro, o alla comunità
internazionale, il Sangiaccato deve diventare un’entità territoriale
separata ».
Il Sangiaccato s’infiammerà a sua volta? Dipende. Come in Bosnia e nel
Kosovo, gli Stati uniti getteranno benzina sul fuoco se hanno delle
pedine da manovrare sullo scacchiere. In ogni caso, il quotidiano serbo
Vecernje Novosti, suona l’allerta : « Presto le passeggiate e i caffè
del Sangiaccato saranno divisi e tutto avverrà più in fretta che in
Bosnia, scatteranno i primi incidenti armati : gli assassinii politici.
Se le autorità non fanno niente, il Sangiaccato s’incendierà da qui ad
un anno ».
Perché questo silenzio degli intelletuali occidentali?
Qui, in Occidente, una cosa dovrebbe insospettire: il silenzio dei
media. Avevano presentato come una benedizione il cambio di regime
dell’ottobre 2000. La sostituzione di Milosevic con partiti filo -
occidentali era la porta aperta per un futuro più o meno felice.
Kostunica era l’uomo presidenziale. La Nato stava per risolvere il
problema del Kosovo … Questa analisi era esposta dagli intelletuali
“mediatici”. Appena due anni dopo, la maggioranza dei serbi rifiuta di
pronunciarsi nelle elezioni presidenziali, e questo non suscita nessun
commento, nessuan analisi dei media occidentali. Amnesia?
O si rifiuta di dibattere da una posizione che sarebbe confutata nella
pratica ?
Dopo l’Afghanistan e l’Irak, di fronte alla guerra globale, è ora di
fare il bilancio catastrofico di ciò che gli USA hanno fatto nei
Balcani. E’ la paralisi delle posizioni del tipo « Né Bush né Saddam »,
« Ne Bush, né Milosevic », « Né la Nato né Milosevic », « Né Sharon né
Arafat ». Dopo 12 anni, questa posizione dominante nella sinistra
intellettuale europea condanna il movimento contro - la guerra alla
passività.
Perché mette sullo stesso piano l’aggressore e l’aggredito. Se sono
tutti malvagi allo stesso modo, non c’è ragione di far smettere
l’aggressione.
Il « Nè, nè », è il cancro del movimento contro la guerra. Bisogna
finirla. Non è saddam o Milosevic che minaccia il mondo intero, è Bush.
Non sono la Jugoslavia o L’Irak che quotidianamente condannano a morte
35.000 bambini del terzo mondo, sono le multinazionali.
Gli USA minacciano la pace in tutto il mondo. Anteponendo i rimproveri,
veri o no, degli stati che gli resistono, si fa soltanto il gioco
degll’aggressione. Non sta ai governi occidentali decidere chi deve
dirigere tal o tal altro paese del terzo mondo e secondo quali
interessi. Sta ai popoli di quei paesi decidere. Ma se si lascia
Washington occupare queste regioni, nessuna lotta sociale o democratica
diverrà più facile, sarà il contrario. Ci guadagnano soo le multinazionali
(Vedi il nostr testo « La malattia del « né, né » : cancro del movimento
contro la guerra »).
Che rabbia e sofferenza si trasformino in forza
Perché abbiamo scritto quest’articolo? Per analizzare un problema del
passato che non si può più mutare? No, per mettere in guardia: quello
che gli USA hanno combinato nei Balcani, stanno per rifarlo in Irak. E
poi, verrà il turno dei paesi che rifiutano di mettersi in ginocchio di
fronte alla mondializzazione: Iran, Corea, Cuba, Venezuela, Congo,
Palestina, Colombia e molti altri …
Perché è importante continuare a parlare della Jugoslavia e di
continuare a sostenere la lotta di questo popolo? Per 5 ragioni.
La disinformazione servirà ancora per giustificare le numerose guerre
future. Perché è cruciale ripetere il sonnomediatico che ha giustificato
la guerra contro la Jugoslavia. L’aggressione della Nato era una
privatizzazione con le bombe. Oggi, la popolazione perde il proprio
lavoro, il potere d’acquisto, la sanità. Aiutarli a sviluppare la loro
resistenza fa parte della lotta anti - mondializzazione. Se subisce,
sarà inflitta a tutti i popoli dei paesi che presto saranno aggrediti.
Ciascuno ha il dovere morale di sostenere il diritto di migliaia di
profughi cacciati dalle proprie case del Kosovo. Proprio come quelli
della Palestina. Al momento, la Nato estende le sue grinfie sull’Europa
dell’Est e sui Balcani, al momento 188 intellettuali sloveni vogliono un
referendum sull’integrazione del loro paese in quest’alleanza militare,
sottolineando l’idea che “rifiutare la Nato è rifiutare il mondo, una
pericolosa manipolazione dell’opinione pubblica”. Al momento è
importante mostrare tutto il catastrofico bilancio della Nato nel Kosovo
e i suoi veri e premeditati obiettivi.
In Irak, come in Jugoslavia, gli USA elaborano piani per scagliare le
nazionalità e le regioni una contro l’altra per provocare la guerra
civile ed il caos. Dopo aver preso il controllo dell’Irak, Bush se ne
servirà come base per destabilizzare e controllare la Siria e l’Iran e
tenere d’occhio l’Arabia Saudita. Tutti i grandi paesi petroliferi
potranno essere spezzettati in mini - stati più facili da colonizzare.
Il Medioriente e anche il Caucaso saranno « balcanizzati »: sbriciolati
con la formula che ha funzionato in Jugoslavia. Se si lascerà fare di
nuovo in Irak, i rapporti di forze sul piano globale si altererà. Ogni
volta che Washington riesce a bruciare uno stato che gli resiste, si
pone in condizione più favorevole per attaccare il seguente.
4. Per unire il popolo resistente alla mondializzazione e alle sue
guerre, è importante isolare completamente la strategia degli Stati
Uniti. Molti arabi e musulmani affermano con forza che la guerra contro
la Jugoslavia era condotta allo stesso modo che contro l’Irak ed i
palestinesi. Gli USA, che massacrano i musulmani in Palestina ed Irak,
non possono essere loro amici in Bosnia e nel Kosovo. Anche i musulmani
sono vittime della pulizia etnica organizzata dall’UCK con la
complicità di Washington.
In Irak, come in Jugoslavia, l’esercito USA bombarderà di nuovo
stabilimenti chimici e di nuovo userà le nuove e terribili armi
all’uranio. Provochera di nuovo cancri, leucemie e malformazioni
mostruose. Di nuovo per le popolazioni locali, ma anche per i soldati
occidentali che interverranno. Un recente rapporto dell’ONU (Institute
for Energy and Environmental resarch), sottolinea che « questi atti in
Jugoslavia hanno provocato gravi conseguenze a lungo termine
sull’ambiente e la sanità » in particolare per la liberazione massiccia
di PCB e di mercurio. Il rapporto mette in guardia esplicitamente contro
la ripetizione in Irak della violazione di tali convenzioni internazionali.
Non dimentichiamo la Jugoslavia, non dimentichiamo quelli che hanno
resistito al FMI e alla Nato.
Quello che sopportano è un’avvertimento per tutti i paesi che gli USA si
apprestano « a conquistare ».
Che le loro sofferenze si trasformino in forza per bloccare le
aggressioni già programmate.
Traduzione a cura di Flavio Rossi - Associazione “SOS Yugoslavia”, Torino
(fine)
La guerra e le basi militari … un ottimo affare
Ciò che più ci ha colpiti nel 99’ è stato che la Jugoslavia era il
bersaglio non di questioni umanitarie, ma di una guerra per
ricolonizzare. Per annettere il suo mercato al « gran mercato » delle
multinazionali, e per controllare le sue rotte strategiche. Inoltre
quella guerra è stata anche un’operazione « self - service » per certi
dirigenti statunitensi legati alle grandi imprese produttrici d’armi.
In Kosovo, proprio sopra la rotta del petrolio, gli USA hanno costruito
una gigantesca base militare : Camp Bondsteel. Un luogo strategico per
intervenire nel Medio Oriente, nel caucaso, oppure un giorno, contro
Mosca. Chi ha costruito questa base, chi la gestisce, chi intasca gli
enormi benefici ? Brown & Root Service,una filiale statunitense dei
servizi petroliferi Haliburton, in cui troviamo … Dick Cheney, l’attuale
vice - presidente degli Stati Uniti.
Brown & Root, specializzata nelle forniture all’esercito degli Stati
Uniti, ha assunto importanza nel 92’ quando Dick Cheney, allora
segretario alla Difesa del governo Bush senior, gli ha conferito il
contratto per il sostegno logistico alle operazioni all’estero dell’US
Army. Tra il 95’ e il 2000, Cheney lascia la politica ed entra nela
Haliburton Corporation. La fornitura di quest’impresa s’è impennata
paralleleamente alla escalation del militarismo degli USA.
Nel 92’ B&R costruisce e gestisce le basi dell’US Army in Somalia, e
guadagna 62 milioni di dollari. Che diventano il doppio nel 94’ : 133
milioni di dollari per costruire installazioni militari in Ungheria,
Croazia e Bosnia. Ma è Campo Bondsteel che diventa la « perla » del
contratto, come spiega Paul Stuart …
« A Camp Bondsteel, è B&R che fornisce tutto : 2.500 m³ d’acqua al
giorno, elettricità suffciente ad una città di 25.000 abitanti,
lavanderia per 1.200 ceste di biancheria, 18.000 pasti al giorno, il 95%
dei collegamenti ferroviari ed aerei, più il servizio antincendio. Con
5.000 dipendenti albanesi kosovari e 15.000 venuti da fuori, B&R è il
primo datore di lavoro del Kosovo ».
Lo conferma David Capouya, il suo direttore : « Noi qui facciamo di
tutto, tranne che portare un fucile ». Effettivamente, la ditta di
Houston fornisce tutto, dalla colazione ai ricambi dei blindati.
Sicchè la guera ingrossa direttamente il portafoglio del signor Cheney.
Anche l’occupazione dell’ Afghanistan ha procurato dei gustosi
contratti a B&R, e nei balcani, è sempre questa società che ha
realizzato gli studi preparatori dell’autostrada greca Egnatia (il
prolungamento del Corridoio 10). Così come gli studi per l’oleodotto
nordamericano Bulgaria - Macedonia - Albania descritto in precedenza.
L’amministrazione Bush pratica veramente il self - sevice con un’
impudenza record.
Perché USA e Germania sono accusati di essersi appoggiati a razzisti e
criminali ?
Per prendere i controllo delle rotte strategiche balcaniche, Washington
e Berlino avevano bisogno di forze locali su cui appoggiarsi per evitare
di fare la guerra troppo direttamente.
Chi le ha scelte ed armate ?
- Per la Croazia, è stato il gruppo razzista intorno a Tudjman. L’uomo
che riscriveva in modo revisionista la storia della seconda guera
mondiale. Un Le Pen croato che si fregiava del fatto che sua moglie non
era « né ebrea né serba ».
- Per la Bosnia, è stato il nazionalista islamista Izetbegovic. Per
lui«non c’era coesistenza possibile tra la religione islamica e le
istituzioni sociali e politiche non islamiche ».Quello che non si è
fatto scrupoli di sparare su musulmani, a Bihac e a Sarajevo. Questo
fanatico è stato anche ribattezzato « democratico » ed « antifascista ».
Ma ora che il vento è cambiato, riconosce - molto discretamente - che
Washington ha inviato una gran quantità di mujaheddin
dell’organizzazione di Ben Laden.
- Per il Kosovo, lo strumento è stato l’UCK, un’organizzazione
separatista e razzista, che ha provocato la guerra (è proprio scritto
nei suoi documenti) per imporre una « Grande Albania » etnicamente pura.
L’inviato speciale degli USA nella regione, Robert Gelbard, aveva
dichiarato a più riprese, nel febbraio del 98’ alla stampa
internazionale : « L’UCK è senza alcun dubbio un gruppo terrorista ».
Così come aveva confermato il ministri degli affari esteri USA : «
Responsabili dell’UCK hanno minacciato dei paesani d’incendiare le loro
case se non si fossere uniti ai loro ranghi. La minaccia dell’UCK assume
tali proporzioni che gli abitanti di sei villaggi della zona di Stimlje
si preparano a scappare ».
Malgrado tutto, tre mesi dopo la Nato diventava la forza aerea dell’UCK
« terrorista ». E la morale degli Stati Uniti, che pretendono d’imporre
la guerra dappertutto in nome della lotta al terrorismo ?
Ancora oggi si sforzano di utilizzare certi terroristi islamici, per
esempio i ceceni.
Il Kosovo “Natoizzato”: pulizia etnica, terrore e mafia
Quali sono oggi le conseguenze? Ebbene, come abbiamo mostrato nel film
“I dannati del Kosovo”, in questa regione c’è stata, e c’è ancora, una
pulizia etnica, ci sono terrore e mafia. La soluzione di un conflitto
locale non è per niente vicina, ma si è allontanta del tutto. Una vera
pulizia etnica ha cacciato dal Kosovo la maggior parte dei non -
albanesi: serbi, ebrei, rom, musulmani, turchi, gorani, egizi, ecc.
…Tutte queste etnie sono state sistematicamente espulse col terrore:
attentati dinamitardi, assassinii, distruzione delle loro case, minacce
costanti … 230.000 hanno dovuto rifugiarsi in Serbia, Montenegro,
Macedonia o altrove. Quelli che restano, sono bloccati dentro piccole
enclavi - ghetto da cui non possono uscire che raramente, e sotto scorta
delle truppe della Nato.
Questa “pulizia” è stata limitata al periodo che ha seguito l’immediato
dopoguerra?
Qualcuno vorrrebbe farlo credere. Ma in seguito alle rivelazioni del
nostro film “ I dannati del Kosovo”, un giornalista ha intervistato
Genève Niurka Pineiro, portavoce dell’Organizzazione Internazionale per
le Migrazioni, che dipende dall’ONU. Ella conferma: “Continuiamo a
registrare intimidazioni e molestie quotidiane, ed attacchi di una
violenza estrema, sovente mortali, più che numerosi”. Certi difensori
della Nato pretendono che le cose siano sul punto di aggiustarsi, ci
sarebbero meno morti che all’inizio. In effetti è così, ma perché ? Pur
correndo il rischio di sembrare cinici, il vero motivo è che la
maggioranza dei membri delle minoranze sono scappati, e il resto .. è
morto !
Infatti, la situazione non è migliorata per niente, riconosce lo stesso
portavoce dell’ONU : « Le minoranze restano vulnerabili agli attacchi
(..) la libertà dei movimenti rimane il loro problema chiave, impedendo
loro di fare una vita normale (..) Senza libertà di movimento, l’accesso
ai servizi essenziali, all’uso delle strutture civili (ospedali, scuole,
ecc.) rimane estremamente difficile e spesso addirittura impossibile ».
Riassumiamo. Niente libera circolazione, niente acceso ai
servizi pubblci, né alle scuole, né agli ospedali, niente occupazione. E
soprattutto il terrore quotidiano. Il Kosovo « Natoizzato » rimane una
terra fuorilegge, un’inerno per tutti, compresi molti albanesi, bersagli
dell’UCK.
Il 5 novembre scorso, il governatore ONU del Kosovo, Michale Steiner, ha
pure lui riconosciuto che : « i membri delle piccole comunità del Kosovo
non sono ancora tornati alle loro case, e la maggior parte di quelli che
sono rimasti sul posto vivono in condizioni inaccettabili »
Il pretesto dell’intervento della Nato continuerà per sempre?
Perché nei media occidentali e in una certa sinistra non se ne parla?
Nel Kosovo, la Nato ha sposato la regione con la mafia
Perché la natura mafiosa e criminale dei regimi creati dalla Nato non
sono mai stati analizzati ?
Il risoluto, e perciò chiaro James Bisset, anziano ambasciatore canadese
in Jugoslavia afferma:
« Il Kosovo resta una società fuorilegge, completamente intollerante
delle minoranze etniche ed uno deiposti più pericolosi della terra ».
Perché il Kosovo è una terra senza legge? A causa dei pressanti
interessi economici, spiega l’esperto canadese Chossudowsky : « I boss
della droga kosovari, albanesi e macedoni, sono diventati le nuove
élites economiche, spesso legate a importanti interessi commerciali
occidentali.
I profitti finanziari dei traffici di droga e d’armi si sono riciclati
in altre attività illegali, come lo sfruttamento della prostituzione ».
Alti responsabili del regime del presidente albanese Berisha sono stati
implicati in traffico di droga e d’armi con il Kosovo. Traffici che
hanno potuto fiorire impunemente malgrado la presenza dal 93’ di un
importante contingente di truppe americane. In questi ultimi anni,
questo traffico di droga ha consentito all’UCK di mettere in campo
30.000 uomini in armi in poco tempo. « La Nato ha sposato la regione con
la Mafia ». E’ quanto confermano i servizi di polizia europea e in
particolare l’Agenzia Criminale Federale di Germania : « Gli albanesi,
al momento, sono il più importante gruppo per la diffusione dell’eroina
in Occidente ».
Si sa che la droga, con le armi e la pubblicità, è uno dei tre settori
economici più importanti dell’attuale società capitalista. Si sa anche
che la CIA ha attivato, un po’ dappertutto sul pianeta, traffci o
baratti « armi - droga - petrolio », e ciò con la complicità dei più
importanti gruppi mafiosi. Il flirt con l’UCK ha numerosi precedenti. La
mafia albanese controlla anche il giro degli aiuti internazionali,
riesportati con la corruzione, che intanto dilaga. In luglio 2002,
inchieste dell’Unione Europea hanno scoperto 4,5 milioni di euro su
diversi conti a Gibilterra ». Questi soldi erano stati sottratti
all’Agenzia dell’Energia del Kosovo. Non stupirà, quindi, il flusso
quotidiano d’interruzioni della corrente.
Tutte queste frodi sono un’incidente, un fenomeno secondario? O, al
contrario, parte integrante del sistema istituito? Un ufficiale europeo,
parlando nell’anonimato, risponde : « Nei tre anni scorsi, la comunità
internazionale ha buttato nel Kosovo tra i 15 e i 18 miliono di euro, ma
non abbiamo ancora costruito le infrastrutture di base ». Non si tratta
di frodi secondarie. La stesa evasione massiccia è avvenuta in Bosnia,
intorno al clan del presidente musulmano Izebetgevovic.
Territori occupati : un’economia artificiale e corrotta
L’economia dei territori sotto amministrazione neocoloniale costituisce
un sistema del tutto artificiale. I numerosi 4 x 4 delle ONG
internazionali, così come le decine di hotel e di centri di servizio
costruiti lungo le strade, possono colpire. Ma nelle enclavi - ghetto
delle minoranze, non esiste ricostruzione, e come si è già detto, il
principale datore di lavoro del Kosovo resta la ditta USA B&R che
gestisce la base militare di Camp Bondsteel.
I due protettorati occidentali dei Balcani sono infatti i due « paesi »
con il tasso di ricatto più elevati d’Europa. 57% in Kosovo (footnote
25), 60% in Bosnia (footnote 26).
Tutto questo significa un’ « inevitabile transizione » o un fenomeno
duraturo? In realtà, l’occupazione di parti della ex - Jugoslavia
trasformati in protettorati è una catastrofe a lungo termine per le
popolazioni locali. Lungi dal decollare, queste economie sono
colonizzate. E moralmente pervertite. In Bosnia, allo stesso modo,
l’occupazione militare USA ha creato un sistema di traffici recentemente
bene illustrati dallo scandalo DynCorp. Questa ditta, una dei più grossi
fornitori di servizi dell’esercito USA, aveva inviato in Bosnia 181
impiegati e quadri per la manutenzione degli elicotteri Apache e Blachhawk.
Nel gennaio 2002, uno di questi impiegati, Ben Johnston, ha denunciato
le ignobili pratiche di schiavitù sessuali regnanti nel DynCorp : « Da
quando sono arrivato, mi si è parlato di prostituzione, ma ho impiegato
del tempo per capire che si compravano le ragazze con 600/800 dollari.
Io ho detto che questa è semplicemente schiavitù ». Alcune di queste
ragazze avevano tra i 12 e i 15 anni. Le denuncie di Johnston gli
costeanno il suo impiego, ma finiranno anche per scatenare un’inchiesta.
Ciononostante l’esercito USA aveva avuto cura d’imporre nel 95’
l’impunità per i suoi soldati e altro personale che, di fatto, sfugge
alle leggi del paese. Pertanto, i colpevoli possono tornare negli USA
senza essere perseguiti. Commento indignato di Christine Dolan,
fondatrice della Campagna Internazionale Umanitaria contro lo
Sfruttamento dei Bambini :
« Di fronte a dei dipendenti dei fornitori dell’esercito USA a letto
con la mafia e con bambini come oggetti sessuali, è una sorpresa sapere
che il DynCorp ha potuto mantenere il suo contratto, quando gli Stati
Uniti pretendono di voler mettere fine alla tratta degli esseri umani! ».
Nei fatti, in tutto il mondo, le basi militari USA sono veri
catalizzatori della schiavitù sessuale femminile, organizzata con la
mafia locale. Un documento dell’alto commissariato dell’ONU per i
diritti umani, spiega che la Bosnia nel dopoguerra è diventata
un’importante crocevia del traffico di donne. Il documento non fa
menzione, beninteso, dei legami con la base militare della Nato a Tuzla,
dove vivono migliaia di uomini. Ma spiega il capo islamico Mrisada
Siljic : « Come si fa a pensare a 20.000 giovani senza donne per un
anno? ». Già nel 95’, il New York Times titolava in modo eloquente «
Tuzla : arrivano gli americani. La prostituzione, la droga e l’AIDS,
anche ».
Il governo Djindjic vuole in tutta fretta far aderire la Serbia alla
Nato. Se questo succedesse, la sorte delle donne di Serbia sarà diversa
da quella delle donne di Bosnia?
L’affare DynCorp non è uno scandalo isolato. Si tratta di un fenomeno
classico. Alla fine della seconda guerra mondiale, i soldati americani
hanno spinto 40.000 donne napoletane a prostituirsi, circa un terzo
della popolazione femminile. Durante la guerra d’Algeria, la violenza
sulle donne algerine da parte delle truppe francesi, era usata come arma
contro i combattenti del FLN e la popolazione civile, come si è visto in
un recente documentario basato su numerose testimonianze.
I media occidentali sono ben disposti a dare lezioni sui crimini di
guerra (reali e non) delle nazioni « inferiori ». Di contro, sono
generalmente molto più discreti su questo fatto incontestabile :
l’arrivo degli eserciti delle grandi potenze occidentali è inseparabile
dallo sfruttamento economico e sociale dei popoli occupati, in
particolare delle donne.
« Gli albanesi hanno ammazzato tutti quelli che sono rimasti »
Perché i capi dell’UCK non hanno nessuna intenzione di cercare una
soluzione ai problemi del Kosovo? Perché vogliono proteggere i loro
interessi economici mafiosi. Instabilità e illegalità, per loro sono,
indispensabili. Pertanto, la protezione dell’Occidente a sostegno della
strategia razzista e terrorista dell’UCK, costituisce una vera bomba ad
orologeria per i mesi e gli anni a venire. Ecco perché i capi dell’UCK
sono ancora così minacciosi. Per esempio, Ethem Ceku, ministro
dell’ambiente e cugino d’Agim Ceku, capo dei TMK « Corpo di Protezione
Civile » (nuovo nome delle milizie UCK integrate nell’attuale apparato
dello Stato). Inizio 2002, egli dichiara pubblicamente : « I serbi che
tentano di tornare senza autorizzazione nel Kosovo saranno respinti con
la forza necessaria ». Una minaccia presa molto sul serio da Everett
Erlandson, poliziotto in pensione di Chicago, ed oggi in servizio a
Pristina con le forze ONU : «Loro, gli internazionali, hanno lasciato il
Kosovo, gli albanesi sono tutto quello che rimane ».
Ma gli Stati Uniti hanno intenzione di lasciare il Kosovo? O per lo
meno di mostrarsi più severi verso i terroristi ? La recente « evasione
» di Florim Ejupi prova il contrario.
Come evadere senza problemi da una base militare USA …
Chi è Florim Ejupi? Un uomo dalle mani coperte di sangue … Il 16
febbraio 2001, terroristi albanesi facevano esplodere una bomba
comandata a distanza al passaggio di un’autobus serbo della linea Nis -
Gracanica: 11 morti, 40 feriti. “C’erano fumo e sangue dappertutto”,
racconta la giornalista Gorica Scepanovic, età 25 anni, “chi è
sopravvissuto all’attentato rimarrà segnato da quest’esperienza
orribile”. Per una volta, l’inchiesta ottiene qualcosa. “Nonostante la
si sia accusata di lentezza, si è trattato di un buon lavoro di
polizia”, ha dichiarato la britannica Derek Chappell, portavoce della
polizia dell’ONU.
Vengono arrestate quattro persone, tra cui due ufficiali del « Corpo di
Protezione Civile del Kosovo » (l’ex UCK), ma ne viene imprigionato uno
solo, Florim Ejupi. Siccome la polizia dell’ONU supponeva che avrebbero
tentato di liberarlo con la forza, lo si trasferisce dal Centro
Detentivo di Pristina alla base USA di Camp Bondsteel.
Sembrava una buona idea, a credere alla descrizione della base fatta
dall’esperto militare canadese Scott Taylor : « Piazzata sulla cima di
una collina, quest’impressionante struttura - 40 Km.² - è una vera
fortezza. Completamente roteata da tre file di filo spinato, con
perimetri di protezione molto larghi, torrette d’osservazione e
fotocellule dapertutto ». Ma nonostante tutti questi ostacoli, Ejupi è
uscito tranquillamente da Camp Bondsteel nel maggio 2002, prima d’essere
giudicato.
La reazione indignata dello stesso poliziotto britannico Chappell : «
Gli americani ci hanno detto che lui aveva trovato un oggetto metallico
in una torta agli spinaci… Proprio così, non invento niente ».
C’è di che indignarsi. Come può un prigioniero che indossa una tuta
arancio, scappare tranquillamente in mezzo a circa 5.000 soldati
statunitensi, che l’abbiano lasciato andare di proposito?
L’UCK: improvvisa metamorfosi o truffa commerciale?
Sono supposizioni esagerate? Sono solo i serbi e le altre minoranze
etniche ad accusare gli Usa di proteggere i criminali? No. Il generale
Klaus Reinhardt, comandante delle truppe Nato del Kosovo fino al marzo
2000, sbotta così: “Gli americani si fidano troppo della lealtà delle
truppe dell’UCK. Gli estremisti albanesi che sono stati arrestati dalla
KFOR sono stati rilasciati velocemente. Se la KFOR avesse potuto agire
contro gli estremisti, la situazione in Macedonia non sarebbe così
degenerata”.
Se ci si permette di criticare così i “cari alleati” è a causa della
sempre più forte rivalità Washington - Berlino nei Balcani e nel mondo.
Sullo sfondo della crisi dell’economia “globale”.
Per questo è il settimanale tedesco Der Spiegel - non la stampa USA -
che ci spiega che i dirigenti dell’UCK non erano per niente quelli che
ci avevano descritto. Il 21 settembre scorso, lo Spiegel intervistava
Bujar Bukoshi, un tempo « primo ministro » dei kosovari albanesi in
esilio : « Dopo la guerra, le eliminazioni più crudeli sono avvenutre
tra albanesi. Con il pretesto che si trattava di « collaboratori », i
dirigenti dell’UCK hanno liquidato i loro avversari politici ».
Secondo l’inchiesta dello Spiegel, « un vecchio comandante dell’UCK
avrebbe arruolato un criminale di guerra per assassinare Ekrem Rexha,
anche lui un vecchio capo dell’UCK ». Rexha preparava un libro sui
crimini di guerra compiuti in Kosovo, in particolare quelli dell’UCK.
I rifugiati serbi del Kosovo sono diventati i palestinesi d’Europa
Perché non l’hanno detto? I leaders dell’UCK erano angeli quando la Nato
se ne serviva per distruggere la Jugoslavia? Oppure erano già dei
“terroristi”, come li aveva definiti l’inviato speciale degli USA nella
regione?
Questo viene raccontato solo ora perché Washington e Berlino sono sempre
più in conflitto sui corridoi energetici dei Balcani e su un sacco
d’altre cose. Ma non si tratta di una metamorfosi dell’UCK.
Semplicemente, le grandi potenze hanno nascosto la verità perché avevano
bisogno dei suoi servizi.
Il dramma del Kosovo aggiunge discredito alla Nato e all’attuale governo
serbo. Non solo non si muove nulla circa il rientro dei 230.000
rifugiati serbi ed altri espulsi dal Kosovo, che sono diventati i
palestinesi d’Europa. Ma in più, gli amministratori occidentali dirigono
la missione ONU sforzandosi di smantellare … la sola zona del Kosovo che
resta popolati di serbi. La parte nord della città di Kosova Mitrovica.
Il numero degli albanesi nella zona è relativamente limitato, circa
5.000 persone. Troppo pochi in confronto ai 230.000 espulsi delle altre
etnie. Ma il loro ritorno è la priorità assoluta dell’amministrazione ONU.
Alcuni reclamano addirittura un atteggiamento ancora più aggressivo
contro i serbi. Per esempio l’Internationl Crisis Group, un gruppo di
pressione della CIA finanziato dal miliardario USA G. Soros. Secondo
questa lobby, che comprende Louise Arbour, ex procuratore all’Aia e
Wesley Clark, il capo dei bombardamenti della Nato nel 99’: “L’ONU e le
truppe della KFOR dirette dalla Nato devono imporre la loro autorità su
Mitrovica. Il nuovo governatore del Kosovo, Michael Steiner, ha
annunciato nuovi arresti di serbi”.
Kosovo : « Grande Albania » e nuova Israele ?
All’inizio, il Kosovo faceva parte della Jugoslavia, secondo la
risoluzione dell’Onu che ha messo fine alla guerra. Ma allora come oggi,
gli USA non considerano risoluzioni che quelle che servono i loro
interessi. Numerose pubblicazioni attuali dei media USA preparano la
loro opinione pubblica all’indipendenza del Kosovo. Era la promessa
fatta dal « matrimonio » con l’UCK. L’opzione della separazione pura e
semplice è suggerita da una commissione che si autodefinisce
indipendente, ed è composta da qualche « esperto » tra cui Robertson,
segretario genrale dell’ONU.
Ma le potenze europee non sostengono quest’indipendenza. Sanno che
Washington cerca di creare un’Israele nei Balcani. Uno stato che gli
dovrebbe tutto e che potrebbero usare come portaerei.
Detto ciò, gli Stati uniti cercano davvero di arrivare a
quest’indipendenza ? Senza dubbio non è così. La strategia della
tensione gli è utile. Il mantenimento del conflitto - e delle sue
sofferenze - gli serve per giustificare i mantenimento delle loro basi
militari. E’ incoraggiando la politica del terrore che incoraggia gli
altri separatismi nelle regioni vicine. Il Montenegro e la Macedonia
sono ugualmente convolte dall’UCK. Ma il primo attacco sarà forse in un
territorio del sud - ovest della Serbia. Non si parla di guerra, ma il
Sangiaccato potrebbe essere una nuova Bosnia.
Domani il Sangiaccato?
Un istituto filo - occidentale specializzato nelle questioni balcaniche,
l’International War and Peace Report, conferma : « I serbi stimano che
circa mille dei loro hanno lasciato la città di Novi Pazar negli ultimi
anni ». Le insegne « Si vende » appaioni quasi ogni giorno sulle case e
le terre serbe. Si stima che l’esodo è stato accelerato dal partito SDA,
a preminenza musulmana, che ha revocato i direttori serbi delle imprese
pubbliche e delle amministrazioni locali. La percentuale serba nella
popolazione si sarebbe abbassata dal 22% al 17% (N.B. Un esodo simile,
ma più massiccio si era prodotto in Kosovo negli 70 e 80).
Nel giugno scorso, il Consiglio Nazionale Bosniaco del Sangiaccato
legato al partito musulmano ha dichiarato : « Non abbiamo ragione
d’integrarci alla Serbia o al Montenegro, o alla comunità
internazionale, il Sangiaccato deve diventare un’entità territoriale
separata ».
Il Sangiaccato s’infiammerà a sua volta? Dipende. Come in Bosnia e nel
Kosovo, gli Stati uniti getteranno benzina sul fuoco se hanno delle
pedine da manovrare sullo scacchiere. In ogni caso, il quotidiano serbo
Vecernje Novosti, suona l’allerta : « Presto le passeggiate e i caffè
del Sangiaccato saranno divisi e tutto avverrà più in fretta che in
Bosnia, scatteranno i primi incidenti armati : gli assassinii politici.
Se le autorità non fanno niente, il Sangiaccato s’incendierà da qui ad
un anno ».
Perché questo silenzio degli intelletuali occidentali?
Qui, in Occidente, una cosa dovrebbe insospettire: il silenzio dei
media. Avevano presentato come una benedizione il cambio di regime
dell’ottobre 2000. La sostituzione di Milosevic con partiti filo -
occidentali era la porta aperta per un futuro più o meno felice.
Kostunica era l’uomo presidenziale. La Nato stava per risolvere il
problema del Kosovo … Questa analisi era esposta dagli intelletuali
“mediatici”. Appena due anni dopo, la maggioranza dei serbi rifiuta di
pronunciarsi nelle elezioni presidenziali, e questo non suscita nessun
commento, nessuan analisi dei media occidentali. Amnesia?
O si rifiuta di dibattere da una posizione che sarebbe confutata nella
pratica ?
Dopo l’Afghanistan e l’Irak, di fronte alla guerra globale, è ora di
fare il bilancio catastrofico di ciò che gli USA hanno fatto nei
Balcani. E’ la paralisi delle posizioni del tipo « Né Bush né Saddam »,
« Ne Bush, né Milosevic », « Né la Nato né Milosevic », « Né Sharon né
Arafat ». Dopo 12 anni, questa posizione dominante nella sinistra
intellettuale europea condanna il movimento contro - la guerra alla
passività.
Perché mette sullo stesso piano l’aggressore e l’aggredito. Se sono
tutti malvagi allo stesso modo, non c’è ragione di far smettere
l’aggressione.
Il « Nè, nè », è il cancro del movimento contro la guerra. Bisogna
finirla. Non è saddam o Milosevic che minaccia il mondo intero, è Bush.
Non sono la Jugoslavia o L’Irak che quotidianamente condannano a morte
35.000 bambini del terzo mondo, sono le multinazionali.
Gli USA minacciano la pace in tutto il mondo. Anteponendo i rimproveri,
veri o no, degli stati che gli resistono, si fa soltanto il gioco
degll’aggressione. Non sta ai governi occidentali decidere chi deve
dirigere tal o tal altro paese del terzo mondo e secondo quali
interessi. Sta ai popoli di quei paesi decidere. Ma se si lascia
Washington occupare queste regioni, nessuna lotta sociale o democratica
diverrà più facile, sarà il contrario. Ci guadagnano soo le multinazionali
(Vedi il nostr testo « La malattia del « né, né » : cancro del movimento
contro la guerra »).
Che rabbia e sofferenza si trasformino in forza
Perché abbiamo scritto quest’articolo? Per analizzare un problema del
passato che non si può più mutare? No, per mettere in guardia: quello
che gli USA hanno combinato nei Balcani, stanno per rifarlo in Irak. E
poi, verrà il turno dei paesi che rifiutano di mettersi in ginocchio di
fronte alla mondializzazione: Iran, Corea, Cuba, Venezuela, Congo,
Palestina, Colombia e molti altri …
Perché è importante continuare a parlare della Jugoslavia e di
continuare a sostenere la lotta di questo popolo? Per 5 ragioni.
La disinformazione servirà ancora per giustificare le numerose guerre
future. Perché è cruciale ripetere il sonnomediatico che ha giustificato
la guerra contro la Jugoslavia. L’aggressione della Nato era una
privatizzazione con le bombe. Oggi, la popolazione perde il proprio
lavoro, il potere d’acquisto, la sanità. Aiutarli a sviluppare la loro
resistenza fa parte della lotta anti - mondializzazione. Se subisce,
sarà inflitta a tutti i popoli dei paesi che presto saranno aggrediti.
Ciascuno ha il dovere morale di sostenere il diritto di migliaia di
profughi cacciati dalle proprie case del Kosovo. Proprio come quelli
della Palestina. Al momento, la Nato estende le sue grinfie sull’Europa
dell’Est e sui Balcani, al momento 188 intellettuali sloveni vogliono un
referendum sull’integrazione del loro paese in quest’alleanza militare,
sottolineando l’idea che “rifiutare la Nato è rifiutare il mondo, una
pericolosa manipolazione dell’opinione pubblica”. Al momento è
importante mostrare tutto il catastrofico bilancio della Nato nel Kosovo
e i suoi veri e premeditati obiettivi.
In Irak, come in Jugoslavia, gli USA elaborano piani per scagliare le
nazionalità e le regioni una contro l’altra per provocare la guerra
civile ed il caos. Dopo aver preso il controllo dell’Irak, Bush se ne
servirà come base per destabilizzare e controllare la Siria e l’Iran e
tenere d’occhio l’Arabia Saudita. Tutti i grandi paesi petroliferi
potranno essere spezzettati in mini - stati più facili da colonizzare.
Il Medioriente e anche il Caucaso saranno « balcanizzati »: sbriciolati
con la formula che ha funzionato in Jugoslavia. Se si lascerà fare di
nuovo in Irak, i rapporti di forze sul piano globale si altererà. Ogni
volta che Washington riesce a bruciare uno stato che gli resiste, si
pone in condizione più favorevole per attaccare il seguente.
4. Per unire il popolo resistente alla mondializzazione e alle sue
guerre, è importante isolare completamente la strategia degli Stati
Uniti. Molti arabi e musulmani affermano con forza che la guerra contro
la Jugoslavia era condotta allo stesso modo che contro l’Irak ed i
palestinesi. Gli USA, che massacrano i musulmani in Palestina ed Irak,
non possono essere loro amici in Bosnia e nel Kosovo. Anche i musulmani
sono vittime della pulizia etnica organizzata dall’UCK con la
complicità di Washington.
In Irak, come in Jugoslavia, l’esercito USA bombarderà di nuovo
stabilimenti chimici e di nuovo userà le nuove e terribili armi
all’uranio. Provochera di nuovo cancri, leucemie e malformazioni
mostruose. Di nuovo per le popolazioni locali, ma anche per i soldati
occidentali che interverranno. Un recente rapporto dell’ONU (Institute
for Energy and Environmental resarch), sottolinea che « questi atti in
Jugoslavia hanno provocato gravi conseguenze a lungo termine
sull’ambiente e la sanità » in particolare per la liberazione massiccia
di PCB e di mercurio. Il rapporto mette in guardia esplicitamente contro
la ripetizione in Irak della violazione di tali convenzioni internazionali.
Non dimentichiamo la Jugoslavia, non dimentichiamo quelli che hanno
resistito al FMI e alla Nato.
Quello che sopportano è un’avvertimento per tutti i paesi che gli USA si
apprestano « a conquistare ».
Che le loro sofferenze si trasformino in forza per bloccare le
aggressioni già programmate.
Traduzione a cura di Flavio Rossi - Associazione “SOS Yugoslavia”, Torino
(fine)
FILE
Naser Oric, war criminal
Murderer From Srebrenica
Muslim soldiers describe him as a man who demanded unquestioning
obedience and iron discipline from his men. Mirsad Sulejmanovic "Skejo"
remembers that "after the attack on Kravica, Naser's soldiers caught
five or six Serbs in the village of Kajici and they slit their throats"
by "REPORTER'S" INVESTIGATIVE TEAM
Reporter, Banja Luka, Srpska, B-H, April 10, 2001
During testimony in the case against General Radislav Krstic, accused on
the basis of command responsibility for war crimes against the Bosniak
population of Srebrenica in July 1995, the chief of staff of the BH Army
at that time, retired General Enver Hadzihasanovic was asked in a
courtroom of the Hague Tribunal why so many thousands of people were
killed after Serb forces took over Srebrenica. Without batting an
eyelash, Hadzihasanovic replied as follows: "To this very day, I have
been asking myself the question what induced those people in the
Republic of Srpska Army to simply murder completely innocent people.
Believe me, I have still not found a decent answer."
Decent answer: To the extent that there can be an explanation for a
crime, in this case it would be that there were guilty people in Srebrenica.
General Hadzihasanovic, as ill-prepared as many others in this country
to acknowledge the crimes that individual members of his people
committed against others, gave a false response because both he
personally and the entire Bosniak military and political leadership are
fully aware of the fact that crimes that took places prior to April
1993, when Srebrenica was declared "a United Nations safe haven". They
are also aware of crimes that occurred later against Serb civilians in
Srebrenica, Skelani, Bratunac and Milici municipalities. These crimes
were committed by Bosniaks from Srebrenica led by their war commander,
Naser Oric.
According to reliable testimony by Serbs and Bosniaks from this region,
through April 1993 units of the Muslim army attacked more than one
hundred Serb villages and hamlets in these four municipalities (70 of
the attacks took place through December 1992), killing approximately
1,000 civilians and members of the Republic of Srpska Army (VRS), and
wounding or injuring between 2,800 and 3,200 Serbs. In the book "A
Chronicle of Our Cemetery", Milivoje Ivanisevic, listing the names of
the people killed and the locations where crimes occurred, presents the
fact that 999 persons of Serb nationality were killed but also warns
that a completely accurate number of victims is impossible to determine
because the fate of persons who were imprisoned, captured or in any
other way found themselves in Muslim-controlled territory remains
unknown. The majority of attacks on unprotected Serb villages near
Srebrenica, Bratunac, Skelani and Milici were led by Naser Oric himself.
Oric's units and Oric personally massacred 87 persons using knives,
pitchforks, blunt objects, by crucifixion, castration, setting on fire
and torture... During this period (May 1992 - February 1993) almost 800
Serb children lost one or both parents; all villages that came under
attack were completely devastated and generally burnt to the ground.
Approximately 5,400 families lost their land and personal property while
approximately 12,800 Serbs or 45 percent of the Serb population of the
region left their homes.
Milosevic's bodyguard: Naser Oric was born in 1967 in Potocarska Rijeka,
Srebrenica municipality. He is a well-educated and trained policeman, a
member of the special forces of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs
(MUP) who prior to the war in BH even served as a member of the personal
security team of Slobodan Milosevic, then president of Serbia.
At the end of 1991 or the beginning of 1992, he returned to Srebrenica
and was given the task by the Bosniak political leadership to organize a
training camp for armed paramilitary and para-police groups in Potocari
near Srebrenica. He had already formed several separate groups in the
town under different command structures. Feuding regarding command
authority was brought to an abrupt halt by a dispatch from Sarajevo
naming Naser Oric as the Srebrenica commander. It is not known exactly
when this order arrived but its effects were felt at the beginning of
May 1992 by the Serbs in Srebrenica and the surrounding region.
The first attacks on Serb villages in Bratunac and Srebrenica
municipalities were carried out the same day - the feast of St. George
[Djurdjevdan] on May 6, 1992. The targets were a part of the village of
Bljeceva (Bratunac municipality) and the hamlet of Gniona (Srebrenica
municipality). According to testimony by surviving Serbs, the attack on
Bljeceva was led by Hasib Ibrahimovic, the attack on Gniona by Naser
Oric himself. The people killed in Bljeceva included the elderly woman
Kosana Zekic (whose throat was slit inside her house), Milan Zekic and
elderly man Gojko Jovanovic, born in 1917. In Gniona two elderly men
were killed: Lazar Simic (1936) and Radojko Milosevic (1928), the later
an ailing and half-blind man who was burned to death inside his house.
The entire village was completely destroyed and burned to the ground.
Marko Slijepcevic and Miladin Vukadinovic, who survived the attack on
Gniona, testified that Oric, using a loudspeaker, called on the Serbs in
the village to surrender and threatened he would kill them all if they
failed to do so.
Oric's crimes: In order to make it clear to the non-Muslim population of
Srebrenica as to what awaited them in the near future unless they moved
out of the town, after the attacks described above Oric ordered the
murder of Goran Zekic, a respected Srebrenica judge and the deputy of
the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) in the [former Yugoslav republic of]
Bosnia-Hercegovina Parliament. Zekic was murdered on May 8, 1992 from an
ambush near the village of Zalazje on the approach to Srebrenica. On May
9 Serbs began to leave town.
On June 1 Oric organized an attack on the hamlet of Oparci in Srebrenica
municipality; six local residents were murdered and 22 Serb houses were
burned to the ground. On June 21 the village of Ratkovici was attacked
during which five women and three men ranging in age from 64 to 71 years
were killed. Even greater crimes were committed in the village of
Brezani, Srebrenica municipality, on June 30 when 19 local residents
were murdered.
Milos Novkovic (1956) was found beheaded while Vidoje Lazic (1937) was
crucified and then set on fire. Also set on fire in her house was
Kristina Lazic (1935). Witnesses claim that the attack was led by Oric
and also identified several of his infamous accomplices: former convict
Zulfo Tursanovic, a native of the village of Suceska; Hakija Meholjic,
Akif Ustic (deceased), Huso and Resad Halilovic, Osman Zukic, and Akif
and Vehbija Jahic.
In the villages of Krnjici and Oricevi the fighters slew 16 local
residents on July 5. The throat of Vaso Paraca (1912) was slit while a
pitchfork was driven through the body of Ms. Soka Vujic. On July 12, the
same group committed the greatest crime of all during that bloody summer
in an attack on the hamlet of Zalazje in the immediate vicinity of
Srebrenica. 39 local Serbs were murdered in that hamlet; in addition to
the names already cited, Hajrudin Besic; Azem, Nezir and Hajrudin Bezic,
and Amir Mehmedovic are mentioned as perpetrators.
After a brief pause, the now hardened murderers attacked the village of
Podravanje on September 24, 1992, killing 31 people there. The attackers
were particularly brutal toward the local residents: the victims were
found burned to death, with their throats slit, beheaded, with their
stomachs slit open and killed by blunt objects. On the same day,
September 24, Oric personally led an attack against guards on the
surface excavation site of a bauxite mine 25 kilometers from Milici. The
attack was renewed on December 3 and seven security guards were murdered
and massacred. Besides Oric,
participants in this attack included Zulfo Tursunovic, Becir Mekanic,
Ibrahim Ademovic "Cagura" and Mujo Bektic from the village of Podgaji in
Srebrenic municipality.
Bloody Christmas: Attacks on the villages of Fakovici and Boljevici in
Bratunac municipality (October 5) and Bjelovac and Sikiric (December 14)
and Glogova (December 24, 1992) were preparations for the general attack
by Oric's fighters on the large Serb village of Kravica on the road from
Konjevic Polje to Bratunac. Nineteen local residents were killed in
Fakovici, eight in Boljevici, 24 in Bjelovac, 21 in Sikiric and 16 in
Glogova.
With the fall of Glogova, Kravica was completely surrounded by Muslims.
On Christmas morning, January 7, 1993, 3,000 Muslim fighters led by
Naser Oric attacked. A fierce battle ensued and thanks to the courage of
Serb fighters in the village, many civilians managed to make it out of
Kravica. Everyone who remained in Kravica was slaughtered. The final
score of "the bloody Christmas" was 46 dead and 36 injured soldiers and
civilians. According to the testimony of the survivors, even dogs and
cats were shot while all houses in the village, numbering 690, were
looted and set on fire. Grave markers at the Orthodox cemetery were
destroyed and desecrated, and even the bodies of the deceased were not
spared from looting and desecration.
Not even this was enough for Oric and his killers. On January 16, 1993
they attacked the villages of Cosici, Kostolomci, Kusici (Skelani
municipality), as well as the municipal seat of Skelani itself. On that
day a total of 48 persons were killed in the municipality.
Prisons in Srebrenica: Oric did not like to take prisoners. He took them
only when he had to exchange them for one of his fighters. Several Serbs
have testified that detainees in the basement of the police building,
the courthouse and the municipal building in Srebrenica suffered through
the most horrible torture; some of them died in hospital after being
exchanged.
Veselin Sarac, who died as a result of heavy beatings sustained in
Srebrenica prisons, testified prior to his death that Oric was among the
men who beat him. All surviving prisoners say the greatest perpetrator
of evil was Hakija Meholjic.
Captured Muslim soldiers also testified regarding Oric's crimes. They
describe him as a man who demanded unquestioning obedience and iron
discipline from his men. Mirsad Sulejmanovic "Skejo" remembers that
"after the attack on Kravica, Naser's soldiers caught five or six Serbs
in the village of Kajici and they slit their throats".
The crimes of the Srebrenica Bosniaks could not remain without reaction
on the part of the Serb units. At the end of February 1993, the joint
forces of the VRS Drina Corps launched a counteroffensive, taking
Cerska, Konjevic Polje and liberating Kravica. Oric's forces were pushed
back toward Srebrenica which on April 17, 1993 was declared a "safe
haven" from which they continued to carry out sabotage operations and
ambushes deep into RS territory.
Testimony: The commander of the [Muslim] BH Army at the time, General
Sefer Halilovic, as well as already mentioned General Hadzihasanovic,
gave the same statements before the Hague Tribunal in answer to the
question whether any crimes were committed from the Srebrenica enclave
after April 17, 1993.
"The enclave did not represent a threat to the Bosnian Serbs because the
forces that were protecting it were poorly alarmed. If there were any
sabotage operations conducted from the 'safe haven', I think that was a
mistake," stated Halilovic, while General Hadzihasanovic called the
units in the enclave "useless for combat".
"Mistakes by units useless for combat" continued to take lives of Serb
civilians. In an attack carried out on May 27, 1995 in the region of
Rupovo Brdo in Milici municipality, five Serb civilians who were cutting
wood in the forest were killed. An ambush in the area of Skelani
municipality on June 23 resulted in the murder of four civilians; three
days later, Muslim soldiers from the "safe haven" forced their way into
the village of Visnjica in Milici municipality, killing one and wounding
two civilians.
"In accordance with Oric's good old habit", the village was burned to
the ground.
These three attacks (there were many more of them) from the "safe haven"
were characterized by the fact that they were not ordered by Naser Oric.
Together with 18 "key officers", Oric left Srebrenica in April 1995 for
"training in Zenica", according to the testimony of generals Halilovic
and Hadzihasanovic. If one reads a little between the lines, Halilovic
would go on to accuse the Bosniak political leadership of abandoning the
Srebrenica enclave to the Serbs. From such a position on Halilovic's
part it is possible to draw several conclusions. The Bosniak leadership
knew of Oric's crimes committed in 1992 and 1993 and therefore wished to
remove him from Srebrenica to prevent him from possibly becoming a live
witness in the hands of the Serbs. Second, the sentiment of the Serb
fighters toward the Srebrenica Bosniaks after the above described crimes
could be discerned.
This sentiment was further fanned by the above cited sabotage operations
carried out on the eve of the Serb offensive against Srebrenica. Whether
anyone wants to admit it or not, the Serbs wanted revenge and this
development was favorable to those who wanted to suppress information
about Oric's and all other crimes committed by Bosniaks against Serbs in
the municipalities of Srebrenica, Bratunac, Skelani and Milici.
Hague logic: After Serb crimes in Srebrenica, there were few who wanted
or dared to mention Naser Oric and his bloody works in this region. The
complete documentation on the case was submitted to the prosecutors of
the Hague tribunal as early as July 1996 by Marko Arsovic, the then RS
justice minister, and his deputy and the RS liaison officer to the
tribunal, Goran Neskovic, personally. It makes sense that a that time
the Hague prosecutors did not do anything to initiate procedures
regarding any of the documented crimes because protests such as those
recently held in front of the UN headquarters in Sarajevo at that time
were not only the privilege of the women of Srebrenica.
Oric, however, sooner or later had to come before the Hague investigators.
The political moment is right because Serbs in both Belgrade and Banja
Luka are far less nauseated at the very mention of the Tribunal and
Slobodan Milosevic is in jail. In the Public Security Center in Zvornik,
Reporter learned that tribunal investigators have already spent five
days in Milici and Zvornik, where they are questioning exclusively Serb
witnesses regarding Bosniak crimes. A Public Security Center source told
us that this is their third visit in the past two years and assessed
their work as "very thorough and professional". The Zvornik police has
also provided them with new documentation and turned over 10 cases of
criminal charges filed against Naser Oric and his subordinates, whose
criminal activities were proven long ago.
The Hague indictment against Oric is slowly gathering momentum but it
will be finalized, Reporter has learned, depending on political
conditions, as always. Ultimately, it will not be stopped by the
"incomplete" generals' testimony in The Hague, protests or the
destruction of the fence in front of the UN headquarters in Sarajevo, or
even by statements given under coercion, such as Klein's "Oric has not
been arrested and indicted". The truth and justice are on the side of
the victims of the Srebrenica butchers. Justice is slow but, we hope,
within reach.
"The Chronicle of Our Cemetery"
In preparing this article Reporter is deeply indebted to Milivoj
Ivanisevic and his book "The Chronicle of Our Cemetery" in which
everything that occurred from May 1992 to February 1993 in the areas of
Bratunac, Milici, Skelani and Srebrenica municipalities is described and
demonstrated in a distinctly objective and clear manner.
Ivanisevic is an outside associate of the Belgrade Committee for
Gathering of Data on War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and
International Law. This book was published as far back as 1994,
translated into English and French, and sent to all relevant
international political and legal institutions, as
well as the media. If an appropriate response had occurred at that time,
it is possible that further tragedies of both Serbs and Bosniaks in this
region could have been avoided.
"The Chronicle of Our Cemetery" is also the primary source for the book
"Bloody Christmas" on crimes in the village of Kravica, written by
reporter and publicist Boro Miljanovic. The book was originally
published by Belgrade publisher "Magenta" in 1996; a second edition was
published in 2000. Some facts and information from this book were also
used by "Reporter" in preparation of this article.
Translated by S. Lazovic (Pascha, 2001)
http://www.cdsp.neu.edu/info/students/marko/reporter/reporter107.html
Naser Oric, war criminal
Murderer From Srebrenica
Muslim soldiers describe him as a man who demanded unquestioning
obedience and iron discipline from his men. Mirsad Sulejmanovic "Skejo"
remembers that "after the attack on Kravica, Naser's soldiers caught
five or six Serbs in the village of Kajici and they slit their throats"
by "REPORTER'S" INVESTIGATIVE TEAM
Reporter, Banja Luka, Srpska, B-H, April 10, 2001
During testimony in the case against General Radislav Krstic, accused on
the basis of command responsibility for war crimes against the Bosniak
population of Srebrenica in July 1995, the chief of staff of the BH Army
at that time, retired General Enver Hadzihasanovic was asked in a
courtroom of the Hague Tribunal why so many thousands of people were
killed after Serb forces took over Srebrenica. Without batting an
eyelash, Hadzihasanovic replied as follows: "To this very day, I have
been asking myself the question what induced those people in the
Republic of Srpska Army to simply murder completely innocent people.
Believe me, I have still not found a decent answer."
Decent answer: To the extent that there can be an explanation for a
crime, in this case it would be that there were guilty people in Srebrenica.
General Hadzihasanovic, as ill-prepared as many others in this country
to acknowledge the crimes that individual members of his people
committed against others, gave a false response because both he
personally and the entire Bosniak military and political leadership are
fully aware of the fact that crimes that took places prior to April
1993, when Srebrenica was declared "a United Nations safe haven". They
are also aware of crimes that occurred later against Serb civilians in
Srebrenica, Skelani, Bratunac and Milici municipalities. These crimes
were committed by Bosniaks from Srebrenica led by their war commander,
Naser Oric.
According to reliable testimony by Serbs and Bosniaks from this region,
through April 1993 units of the Muslim army attacked more than one
hundred Serb villages and hamlets in these four municipalities (70 of
the attacks took place through December 1992), killing approximately
1,000 civilians and members of the Republic of Srpska Army (VRS), and
wounding or injuring between 2,800 and 3,200 Serbs. In the book "A
Chronicle of Our Cemetery", Milivoje Ivanisevic, listing the names of
the people killed and the locations where crimes occurred, presents the
fact that 999 persons of Serb nationality were killed but also warns
that a completely accurate number of victims is impossible to determine
because the fate of persons who were imprisoned, captured or in any
other way found themselves in Muslim-controlled territory remains
unknown. The majority of attacks on unprotected Serb villages near
Srebrenica, Bratunac, Skelani and Milici were led by Naser Oric himself.
Oric's units and Oric personally massacred 87 persons using knives,
pitchforks, blunt objects, by crucifixion, castration, setting on fire
and torture... During this period (May 1992 - February 1993) almost 800
Serb children lost one or both parents; all villages that came under
attack were completely devastated and generally burnt to the ground.
Approximately 5,400 families lost their land and personal property while
approximately 12,800 Serbs or 45 percent of the Serb population of the
region left their homes.
Milosevic's bodyguard: Naser Oric was born in 1967 in Potocarska Rijeka,
Srebrenica municipality. He is a well-educated and trained policeman, a
member of the special forces of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs
(MUP) who prior to the war in BH even served as a member of the personal
security team of Slobodan Milosevic, then president of Serbia.
At the end of 1991 or the beginning of 1992, he returned to Srebrenica
and was given the task by the Bosniak political leadership to organize a
training camp for armed paramilitary and para-police groups in Potocari
near Srebrenica. He had already formed several separate groups in the
town under different command structures. Feuding regarding command
authority was brought to an abrupt halt by a dispatch from Sarajevo
naming Naser Oric as the Srebrenica commander. It is not known exactly
when this order arrived but its effects were felt at the beginning of
May 1992 by the Serbs in Srebrenica and the surrounding region.
The first attacks on Serb villages in Bratunac and Srebrenica
municipalities were carried out the same day - the feast of St. George
[Djurdjevdan] on May 6, 1992. The targets were a part of the village of
Bljeceva (Bratunac municipality) and the hamlet of Gniona (Srebrenica
municipality). According to testimony by surviving Serbs, the attack on
Bljeceva was led by Hasib Ibrahimovic, the attack on Gniona by Naser
Oric himself. The people killed in Bljeceva included the elderly woman
Kosana Zekic (whose throat was slit inside her house), Milan Zekic and
elderly man Gojko Jovanovic, born in 1917. In Gniona two elderly men
were killed: Lazar Simic (1936) and Radojko Milosevic (1928), the later
an ailing and half-blind man who was burned to death inside his house.
The entire village was completely destroyed and burned to the ground.
Marko Slijepcevic and Miladin Vukadinovic, who survived the attack on
Gniona, testified that Oric, using a loudspeaker, called on the Serbs in
the village to surrender and threatened he would kill them all if they
failed to do so.
Oric's crimes: In order to make it clear to the non-Muslim population of
Srebrenica as to what awaited them in the near future unless they moved
out of the town, after the attacks described above Oric ordered the
murder of Goran Zekic, a respected Srebrenica judge and the deputy of
the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) in the [former Yugoslav republic of]
Bosnia-Hercegovina Parliament. Zekic was murdered on May 8, 1992 from an
ambush near the village of Zalazje on the approach to Srebrenica. On May
9 Serbs began to leave town.
On June 1 Oric organized an attack on the hamlet of Oparci in Srebrenica
municipality; six local residents were murdered and 22 Serb houses were
burned to the ground. On June 21 the village of Ratkovici was attacked
during which five women and three men ranging in age from 64 to 71 years
were killed. Even greater crimes were committed in the village of
Brezani, Srebrenica municipality, on June 30 when 19 local residents
were murdered.
Milos Novkovic (1956) was found beheaded while Vidoje Lazic (1937) was
crucified and then set on fire. Also set on fire in her house was
Kristina Lazic (1935). Witnesses claim that the attack was led by Oric
and also identified several of his infamous accomplices: former convict
Zulfo Tursanovic, a native of the village of Suceska; Hakija Meholjic,
Akif Ustic (deceased), Huso and Resad Halilovic, Osman Zukic, and Akif
and Vehbija Jahic.
In the villages of Krnjici and Oricevi the fighters slew 16 local
residents on July 5. The throat of Vaso Paraca (1912) was slit while a
pitchfork was driven through the body of Ms. Soka Vujic. On July 12, the
same group committed the greatest crime of all during that bloody summer
in an attack on the hamlet of Zalazje in the immediate vicinity of
Srebrenica. 39 local Serbs were murdered in that hamlet; in addition to
the names already cited, Hajrudin Besic; Azem, Nezir and Hajrudin Bezic,
and Amir Mehmedovic are mentioned as perpetrators.
After a brief pause, the now hardened murderers attacked the village of
Podravanje on September 24, 1992, killing 31 people there. The attackers
were particularly brutal toward the local residents: the victims were
found burned to death, with their throats slit, beheaded, with their
stomachs slit open and killed by blunt objects. On the same day,
September 24, Oric personally led an attack against guards on the
surface excavation site of a bauxite mine 25 kilometers from Milici. The
attack was renewed on December 3 and seven security guards were murdered
and massacred. Besides Oric,
participants in this attack included Zulfo Tursunovic, Becir Mekanic,
Ibrahim Ademovic "Cagura" and Mujo Bektic from the village of Podgaji in
Srebrenic municipality.
Bloody Christmas: Attacks on the villages of Fakovici and Boljevici in
Bratunac municipality (October 5) and Bjelovac and Sikiric (December 14)
and Glogova (December 24, 1992) were preparations for the general attack
by Oric's fighters on the large Serb village of Kravica on the road from
Konjevic Polje to Bratunac. Nineteen local residents were killed in
Fakovici, eight in Boljevici, 24 in Bjelovac, 21 in Sikiric and 16 in
Glogova.
With the fall of Glogova, Kravica was completely surrounded by Muslims.
On Christmas morning, January 7, 1993, 3,000 Muslim fighters led by
Naser Oric attacked. A fierce battle ensued and thanks to the courage of
Serb fighters in the village, many civilians managed to make it out of
Kravica. Everyone who remained in Kravica was slaughtered. The final
score of "the bloody Christmas" was 46 dead and 36 injured soldiers and
civilians. According to the testimony of the survivors, even dogs and
cats were shot while all houses in the village, numbering 690, were
looted and set on fire. Grave markers at the Orthodox cemetery were
destroyed and desecrated, and even the bodies of the deceased were not
spared from looting and desecration.
Not even this was enough for Oric and his killers. On January 16, 1993
they attacked the villages of Cosici, Kostolomci, Kusici (Skelani
municipality), as well as the municipal seat of Skelani itself. On that
day a total of 48 persons were killed in the municipality.
Prisons in Srebrenica: Oric did not like to take prisoners. He took them
only when he had to exchange them for one of his fighters. Several Serbs
have testified that detainees in the basement of the police building,
the courthouse and the municipal building in Srebrenica suffered through
the most horrible torture; some of them died in hospital after being
exchanged.
Veselin Sarac, who died as a result of heavy beatings sustained in
Srebrenica prisons, testified prior to his death that Oric was among the
men who beat him. All surviving prisoners say the greatest perpetrator
of evil was Hakija Meholjic.
Captured Muslim soldiers also testified regarding Oric's crimes. They
describe him as a man who demanded unquestioning obedience and iron
discipline from his men. Mirsad Sulejmanovic "Skejo" remembers that
"after the attack on Kravica, Naser's soldiers caught five or six Serbs
in the village of Kajici and they slit their throats".
The crimes of the Srebrenica Bosniaks could not remain without reaction
on the part of the Serb units. At the end of February 1993, the joint
forces of the VRS Drina Corps launched a counteroffensive, taking
Cerska, Konjevic Polje and liberating Kravica. Oric's forces were pushed
back toward Srebrenica which on April 17, 1993 was declared a "safe
haven" from which they continued to carry out sabotage operations and
ambushes deep into RS territory.
Testimony: The commander of the [Muslim] BH Army at the time, General
Sefer Halilovic, as well as already mentioned General Hadzihasanovic,
gave the same statements before the Hague Tribunal in answer to the
question whether any crimes were committed from the Srebrenica enclave
after April 17, 1993.
"The enclave did not represent a threat to the Bosnian Serbs because the
forces that were protecting it were poorly alarmed. If there were any
sabotage operations conducted from the 'safe haven', I think that was a
mistake," stated Halilovic, while General Hadzihasanovic called the
units in the enclave "useless for combat".
"Mistakes by units useless for combat" continued to take lives of Serb
civilians. In an attack carried out on May 27, 1995 in the region of
Rupovo Brdo in Milici municipality, five Serb civilians who were cutting
wood in the forest were killed. An ambush in the area of Skelani
municipality on June 23 resulted in the murder of four civilians; three
days later, Muslim soldiers from the "safe haven" forced their way into
the village of Visnjica in Milici municipality, killing one and wounding
two civilians.
"In accordance with Oric's good old habit", the village was burned to
the ground.
These three attacks (there were many more of them) from the "safe haven"
were characterized by the fact that they were not ordered by Naser Oric.
Together with 18 "key officers", Oric left Srebrenica in April 1995 for
"training in Zenica", according to the testimony of generals Halilovic
and Hadzihasanovic. If one reads a little between the lines, Halilovic
would go on to accuse the Bosniak political leadership of abandoning the
Srebrenica enclave to the Serbs. From such a position on Halilovic's
part it is possible to draw several conclusions. The Bosniak leadership
knew of Oric's crimes committed in 1992 and 1993 and therefore wished to
remove him from Srebrenica to prevent him from possibly becoming a live
witness in the hands of the Serbs. Second, the sentiment of the Serb
fighters toward the Srebrenica Bosniaks after the above described crimes
could be discerned.
This sentiment was further fanned by the above cited sabotage operations
carried out on the eve of the Serb offensive against Srebrenica. Whether
anyone wants to admit it or not, the Serbs wanted revenge and this
development was favorable to those who wanted to suppress information
about Oric's and all other crimes committed by Bosniaks against Serbs in
the municipalities of Srebrenica, Bratunac, Skelani and Milici.
Hague logic: After Serb crimes in Srebrenica, there were few who wanted
or dared to mention Naser Oric and his bloody works in this region. The
complete documentation on the case was submitted to the prosecutors of
the Hague tribunal as early as July 1996 by Marko Arsovic, the then RS
justice minister, and his deputy and the RS liaison officer to the
tribunal, Goran Neskovic, personally. It makes sense that a that time
the Hague prosecutors did not do anything to initiate procedures
regarding any of the documented crimes because protests such as those
recently held in front of the UN headquarters in Sarajevo at that time
were not only the privilege of the women of Srebrenica.
Oric, however, sooner or later had to come before the Hague investigators.
The political moment is right because Serbs in both Belgrade and Banja
Luka are far less nauseated at the very mention of the Tribunal and
Slobodan Milosevic is in jail. In the Public Security Center in Zvornik,
Reporter learned that tribunal investigators have already spent five
days in Milici and Zvornik, where they are questioning exclusively Serb
witnesses regarding Bosniak crimes. A Public Security Center source told
us that this is their third visit in the past two years and assessed
their work as "very thorough and professional". The Zvornik police has
also provided them with new documentation and turned over 10 cases of
criminal charges filed against Naser Oric and his subordinates, whose
criminal activities were proven long ago.
The Hague indictment against Oric is slowly gathering momentum but it
will be finalized, Reporter has learned, depending on political
conditions, as always. Ultimately, it will not be stopped by the
"incomplete" generals' testimony in The Hague, protests or the
destruction of the fence in front of the UN headquarters in Sarajevo, or
even by statements given under coercion, such as Klein's "Oric has not
been arrested and indicted". The truth and justice are on the side of
the victims of the Srebrenica butchers. Justice is slow but, we hope,
within reach.
"The Chronicle of Our Cemetery"
In preparing this article Reporter is deeply indebted to Milivoj
Ivanisevic and his book "The Chronicle of Our Cemetery" in which
everything that occurred from May 1992 to February 1993 in the areas of
Bratunac, Milici, Skelani and Srebrenica municipalities is described and
demonstrated in a distinctly objective and clear manner.
Ivanisevic is an outside associate of the Belgrade Committee for
Gathering of Data on War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and
International Law. This book was published as far back as 1994,
translated into English and French, and sent to all relevant
international political and legal institutions, as
well as the media. If an appropriate response had occurred at that time,
it is possible that further tragedies of both Serbs and Bosniaks in this
region could have been avoided.
"The Chronicle of Our Cemetery" is also the primary source for the book
"Bloody Christmas" on crimes in the village of Kravica, written by
reporter and publicist Boro Miljanovic. The book was originally
published by Belgrade publisher "Magenta" in 1996; a second edition was
published in 2000. Some facts and information from this book were also
used by "Reporter" in preparation of this article.
Translated by S. Lazovic (Pascha, 2001)
http://www.cdsp.neu.edu/info/students/marko/reporter/reporter107.html
---------- Initial Header -----------
From : Rick Rozoff
Date : Wed, 11 Dec 2002 03:46:58 -0800 (PST)
Subject : Balkan Syndrome Resurrected
http://www.tol.cz/look/BRR/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=9&NrIssue=1&NrSection=4&NrArticle=8027
Transitions Online (Open Society Institute)
December 10, 2002
Balkan Syndrome Resurrected
-During NATO’s 1994 and 1995 bombings of Bosnian Serb
positions around Sarajevo, NATO aircraft used
munitions containing depleted uranium, a slightly
radioactive heavy metal that is effective in piercing
armor. Most of those bombs were fired in Hadzici. In
one day in October 1995 alone, NATO planes fired 300
projectiles into the Sarajevo suburb. According to the
Bosnian government, NATO forces fired some 10,800
rounds of 30mm armor-piercing projectiles during the
war.
-In her report, Jovanovic wrote that since the end of
the war, 25 percent of wartime Hadzici residents have
died of various cancers, tumors, and heart attacks. In
Bratunac alone in the last four years, 500 of the
5,000 Hadzici refugees have died. One Hadzici refugee
dies every three to four days, and every second one
dies from cancer.
The UN releases a study that lends credence to health
experts’ cries that NATO’s wartime uranium-tipped
weapons have left behind a deadly, cancerous legacy.
by Anes Alic and Dragan Stanimirovic
SARAJEVO and BANJA LUKA, Bosnia and Herzegovina--After
two years of silence, Balkan Syndrome--better known as
the depleted uranium affair--is getting its due
attention. The United Nations Environmental Protection
Agency (UNEP) in November confirmed the dangerous
presence of depleted uranium in areas of Bosnia bombed
by NATO aircraft in 1994 and 1995, which Bosnian
officials say has led to a shocking increase in
cancer-related deaths.
UN experts confirmed the discovery of two locations
containing a high level of radiation from depleted
uranium from NATO bombings: the Sarajevo suburb of
Hadzici, where a munitions warehouse and a tank-repair
facility are located, and a Bosnian Serb army barracks
in Han-Pijesak, also near Sarajevo. Investigators
discovered uranium materials and dust inside the
buildings.
The UNEP task force says that depleted uranium can
create an increase in uranium concentration 100 times
the natural levels contained in groundwater.
Upon the release of the November UN expert study on
depleted uranium, health officials from Republika
Srpska confirmed that uranium has indeed caused many
civilian deaths in those two regions. Health officials
say that civilian deaths in those regions are double
what they are in other, unaffected regions.
Earlier this year, the Bosnian government invited 17
international experts to investigate rumors that
depleted uranium is still present in the environment
and may be adversely affecting the health not only of
the local population but also of international
peacekeepers stationed in Bosnia.
The team of experts investigated 14 separate locations
over a one-month period, finding traces of radiation
in three places. Investigators were not able to
examine eight other locations--four small towns near
Sarajevo and four others in eastern Bosnia--deemed to
be too risky due to the presence of land mines.
Pekka Haavisto, who heads the UNEP task force, told
the daily Oslobodjenje: “We are concerned about the
situation at the Hadzici tank-repair facility and the
Han-Pijesak barracks and the health condition of the
citizens.” Haavisto said that after being analyzed in
Western European laboratories, the final results would
be released in March 2003.
Recent years have brought growing concern among
experts that shrapnel from depleted uranium-tipped
weapons from could cause cancer or other
radiation-related problems. According to health
experts, dust particles from depleted uranium could be
inhaled, or the substance could leach into the ground
and the water supply.
AFTEREFFECTS
During NATO’s 1994 and 1995 bombings of Bosnian Serb
positions around Sarajevo, NATO aircraft used
munitions containing depleted uranium, a slightly
radioactive heavy metal that is effective in piercing
armor. Most of those bombs were fired in Hadzici. In
one day in October 1995 alone, NATO planes fired 300
projectiles into the Sarajevo suburb. According to the
Bosnian government, NATO forces fired some 10,800
rounds of 30mm armor-piercing projectiles during the
war.
Under the November 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, some
Sarajevo suburbs held by Serbs during the war came
under the control of the mostly Bosniak and Bosnian
Croat federation entity of Bosnia. One of those
suburbs was Hadzici. Most of the approximately 30,000
Bosnian Serbs who lived there fled their homes and
moved as refugees to other parts of the Republika
Srpska entity of Bosnia and to Yugoslavia.
Some 5,000 civilians from Hadzici fled to Bratunac, in
eastern Republika Srpska. Medical analysis conducted
by the local Institute for Health in 1998 showed that
the mortality of Hadzici refugees was double the
mortality rate for the rest of Bratunac’s residents.
The study’s author, Dr. Slavica Jovanovic, told the
SRNA news agency that she has no doubt that depleted
uranium is responsible for the increased death rate of
those people.
“We can say that the mortality rate of the refugee
population is greater because of high stress, poor
nutrition, and bad living conditions. But we were
shocked to discover that deaths among Hadzici’s
refugees are much more numerous than [among] other
[refugees],” Jovanovic told SRNA. She blamed those
deaths on the fact that the refugees from Hadzici were
exposed to radiation because they lived close to the
bombed locations.
In her report, Jovanovic wrote that since the end of
the war, 25 percent of wartime Hadzici residents have
died of various cancers, tumors, and heart attacks. In
Bratunac alone in the last four years, 500 of the
5,000 Hadzici refugees have died. One Hadzici refugee
dies every three to four days, and every second one
dies from cancer.
Jovanovic said that she could not say for sure how
many Hadzici refugees have cancer because many do not
check themselves into hospitals since they cannot
afford medical treatment. The doctor said she is
hoping that the international community will step in
and find some way to examine the town’s refugee
population and help provide treatment.
After the UNEP report was released, the Republika
Srpska army evacuated soldiers from its barracks in
Han-Pijesak. Officials say that organized medical
exams will soon begin for soldiers who were in the
barracks during the past seven years.
At the same time, medical workers from the federation
entity are also sending out warnings to people still
living in Hadzici--but they are expanding their
warning to the general public, which they fear could
also be affected by the presence of depleted uranium.
Federation health officials say they are also worried
that that radiation has caused an increase in the
number of diseases such as cancers--especially
leukemia--tumors, cerebral palsy, and others.
After the reintegration of Hadzici into the federation
entity, prewar Bosniak and Croat workers began
cleaning out the munitions warehouse and tank-repair
facility, removing more than 1,000 truckloads of
garbage and munitions
Now those workers fear they too have been
contaminated. Unfortunately, they will have to wait to
find out. Workers have begun undergoing medical
examinations, but the results will not be available
until April 2003. What’s more, despite UNEP warnings
to immediately evacuate all workers because of danger
of inhaling depleted uranium dust, some workers from
Hadzici are still on duty.
“Believe me, I am very afraid. But if I have been
inhaling radiation for the past seven years, I can do
it until they publish the final results,” Zijad
Fazlic, director of the Hadzici tank-repair facility,
told TOL on November 24. “All we can do now is to wait
for the results. I don’t know what we are going to do,
but if I had known this, I would never have come here
to work. Families of workers also live here,” he said.
Soon after the UNEP report was published, federation
medical officials started to speculate that it is
possible that depleted uranium is the cause for the
shocking jump in cases of leukemia in children.
“It has not yet been proven, but we cannot see
anything else except uranium,” Edo Hasanbegovic,
director of the ontological department in Sarajevo’s
Kosevo clinic, told the daily Oslobodjenje on 21
November.
Hasanbegovic said that research is set to begin soon
to find out whether a connection can be made between
the increase in diseases and depleted uranium. But he
said he is certain that depleted uranium is one of the
elements that causes leukemia in Bosnia. “That we can
claim without medical research. Every year we have a
50 percent to 70 percent increase in the number of new
underage patients,” said Hasanbegovic.
PLAYING CATCH-UP
Lejla Saracevic, chief of radiobiology at Sarajevo
University, told TOL on 29 November that before the
depleted uranium affair was made known to the public,
local experts had asked the government to allow them
to conduct research in potentially contaminated areas.
The government, however, refused, saying there was
insufficient money in the budget for such
research--research Saracevic said costs little.
Saracevic said that once the most critical locations
have been decontaminated, it is necessary to find out
how much of the rest of the region is radioactive. “It
has been a long time. In seven years the uranium has
migrated into the ground and through the water. It is
very possible that it now exists in our vegetation and
possibly in our food. Our priority is to check that
now,” she said.
Before the war in Bosnia, the annual number of new
cases of children with leukemia was never greater than
13. Since the end of the war, that number has grown
every year: Last year it was 26. The situation is the
same with other cancers: Every year the number grows.
And almost 80 percent of those new cases are coming
from areas that were exposed to the radiation of
depleted uranium--areas that were bombed during the
war.
The so-called Balkan Syndrome affair first aroused
attention in early 2001, when Italian media published
reports that one Italian soldier who had served in
Bosnia had died of leukemia and that five more were
very ill. The Italian media blamed the sicknesses on
NATO’s use of depleted uranium in its weapons.
At the time, all governments denied that NATO was
using uranium-tipped munitions. Nonetheless, medical
examinations of soldiers were promptly begun, with
many being diagnosed with leukemia and other forms of
cancer.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anes Alic is TOL’s correspondent in Sarajevo. Dragan
Stanimirovic is TOL’s correspondent in Banja Luka.
From : Rick Rozoff
Date : Wed, 11 Dec 2002 03:46:58 -0800 (PST)
Subject : Balkan Syndrome Resurrected
http://www.tol.cz/look/BRR/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=9&NrIssue=1&NrSection=4&NrArticle=8027
Transitions Online (Open Society Institute)
December 10, 2002
Balkan Syndrome Resurrected
-During NATO’s 1994 and 1995 bombings of Bosnian Serb
positions around Sarajevo, NATO aircraft used
munitions containing depleted uranium, a slightly
radioactive heavy metal that is effective in piercing
armor. Most of those bombs were fired in Hadzici. In
one day in October 1995 alone, NATO planes fired 300
projectiles into the Sarajevo suburb. According to the
Bosnian government, NATO forces fired some 10,800
rounds of 30mm armor-piercing projectiles during the
war.
-In her report, Jovanovic wrote that since the end of
the war, 25 percent of wartime Hadzici residents have
died of various cancers, tumors, and heart attacks. In
Bratunac alone in the last four years, 500 of the
5,000 Hadzici refugees have died. One Hadzici refugee
dies every three to four days, and every second one
dies from cancer.
The UN releases a study that lends credence to health
experts’ cries that NATO’s wartime uranium-tipped
weapons have left behind a deadly, cancerous legacy.
by Anes Alic and Dragan Stanimirovic
SARAJEVO and BANJA LUKA, Bosnia and Herzegovina--After
two years of silence, Balkan Syndrome--better known as
the depleted uranium affair--is getting its due
attention. The United Nations Environmental Protection
Agency (UNEP) in November confirmed the dangerous
presence of depleted uranium in areas of Bosnia bombed
by NATO aircraft in 1994 and 1995, which Bosnian
officials say has led to a shocking increase in
cancer-related deaths.
UN experts confirmed the discovery of two locations
containing a high level of radiation from depleted
uranium from NATO bombings: the Sarajevo suburb of
Hadzici, where a munitions warehouse and a tank-repair
facility are located, and a Bosnian Serb army barracks
in Han-Pijesak, also near Sarajevo. Investigators
discovered uranium materials and dust inside the
buildings.
The UNEP task force says that depleted uranium can
create an increase in uranium concentration 100 times
the natural levels contained in groundwater.
Upon the release of the November UN expert study on
depleted uranium, health officials from Republika
Srpska confirmed that uranium has indeed caused many
civilian deaths in those two regions. Health officials
say that civilian deaths in those regions are double
what they are in other, unaffected regions.
Earlier this year, the Bosnian government invited 17
international experts to investigate rumors that
depleted uranium is still present in the environment
and may be adversely affecting the health not only of
the local population but also of international
peacekeepers stationed in Bosnia.
The team of experts investigated 14 separate locations
over a one-month period, finding traces of radiation
in three places. Investigators were not able to
examine eight other locations--four small towns near
Sarajevo and four others in eastern Bosnia--deemed to
be too risky due to the presence of land mines.
Pekka Haavisto, who heads the UNEP task force, told
the daily Oslobodjenje: “We are concerned about the
situation at the Hadzici tank-repair facility and the
Han-Pijesak barracks and the health condition of the
citizens.” Haavisto said that after being analyzed in
Western European laboratories, the final results would
be released in March 2003.
Recent years have brought growing concern among
experts that shrapnel from depleted uranium-tipped
weapons from could cause cancer or other
radiation-related problems. According to health
experts, dust particles from depleted uranium could be
inhaled, or the substance could leach into the ground
and the water supply.
AFTEREFFECTS
During NATO’s 1994 and 1995 bombings of Bosnian Serb
positions around Sarajevo, NATO aircraft used
munitions containing depleted uranium, a slightly
radioactive heavy metal that is effective in piercing
armor. Most of those bombs were fired in Hadzici. In
one day in October 1995 alone, NATO planes fired 300
projectiles into the Sarajevo suburb. According to the
Bosnian government, NATO forces fired some 10,800
rounds of 30mm armor-piercing projectiles during the
war.
Under the November 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, some
Sarajevo suburbs held by Serbs during the war came
under the control of the mostly Bosniak and Bosnian
Croat federation entity of Bosnia. One of those
suburbs was Hadzici. Most of the approximately 30,000
Bosnian Serbs who lived there fled their homes and
moved as refugees to other parts of the Republika
Srpska entity of Bosnia and to Yugoslavia.
Some 5,000 civilians from Hadzici fled to Bratunac, in
eastern Republika Srpska. Medical analysis conducted
by the local Institute for Health in 1998 showed that
the mortality of Hadzici refugees was double the
mortality rate for the rest of Bratunac’s residents.
The study’s author, Dr. Slavica Jovanovic, told the
SRNA news agency that she has no doubt that depleted
uranium is responsible for the increased death rate of
those people.
“We can say that the mortality rate of the refugee
population is greater because of high stress, poor
nutrition, and bad living conditions. But we were
shocked to discover that deaths among Hadzici’s
refugees are much more numerous than [among] other
[refugees],” Jovanovic told SRNA. She blamed those
deaths on the fact that the refugees from Hadzici were
exposed to radiation because they lived close to the
bombed locations.
In her report, Jovanovic wrote that since the end of
the war, 25 percent of wartime Hadzici residents have
died of various cancers, tumors, and heart attacks. In
Bratunac alone in the last four years, 500 of the
5,000 Hadzici refugees have died. One Hadzici refugee
dies every three to four days, and every second one
dies from cancer.
Jovanovic said that she could not say for sure how
many Hadzici refugees have cancer because many do not
check themselves into hospitals since they cannot
afford medical treatment. The doctor said she is
hoping that the international community will step in
and find some way to examine the town’s refugee
population and help provide treatment.
After the UNEP report was released, the Republika
Srpska army evacuated soldiers from its barracks in
Han-Pijesak. Officials say that organized medical
exams will soon begin for soldiers who were in the
barracks during the past seven years.
At the same time, medical workers from the federation
entity are also sending out warnings to people still
living in Hadzici--but they are expanding their
warning to the general public, which they fear could
also be affected by the presence of depleted uranium.
Federation health officials say they are also worried
that that radiation has caused an increase in the
number of diseases such as cancers--especially
leukemia--tumors, cerebral palsy, and others.
After the reintegration of Hadzici into the federation
entity, prewar Bosniak and Croat workers began
cleaning out the munitions warehouse and tank-repair
facility, removing more than 1,000 truckloads of
garbage and munitions
Now those workers fear they too have been
contaminated. Unfortunately, they will have to wait to
find out. Workers have begun undergoing medical
examinations, but the results will not be available
until April 2003. What’s more, despite UNEP warnings
to immediately evacuate all workers because of danger
of inhaling depleted uranium dust, some workers from
Hadzici are still on duty.
“Believe me, I am very afraid. But if I have been
inhaling radiation for the past seven years, I can do
it until they publish the final results,” Zijad
Fazlic, director of the Hadzici tank-repair facility,
told TOL on November 24. “All we can do now is to wait
for the results. I don’t know what we are going to do,
but if I had known this, I would never have come here
to work. Families of workers also live here,” he said.
Soon after the UNEP report was published, federation
medical officials started to speculate that it is
possible that depleted uranium is the cause for the
shocking jump in cases of leukemia in children.
“It has not yet been proven, but we cannot see
anything else except uranium,” Edo Hasanbegovic,
director of the ontological department in Sarajevo’s
Kosevo clinic, told the daily Oslobodjenje on 21
November.
Hasanbegovic said that research is set to begin soon
to find out whether a connection can be made between
the increase in diseases and depleted uranium. But he
said he is certain that depleted uranium is one of the
elements that causes leukemia in Bosnia. “That we can
claim without medical research. Every year we have a
50 percent to 70 percent increase in the number of new
underage patients,” said Hasanbegovic.
PLAYING CATCH-UP
Lejla Saracevic, chief of radiobiology at Sarajevo
University, told TOL on 29 November that before the
depleted uranium affair was made known to the public,
local experts had asked the government to allow them
to conduct research in potentially contaminated areas.
The government, however, refused, saying there was
insufficient money in the budget for such
research--research Saracevic said costs little.
Saracevic said that once the most critical locations
have been decontaminated, it is necessary to find out
how much of the rest of the region is radioactive. “It
has been a long time. In seven years the uranium has
migrated into the ground and through the water. It is
very possible that it now exists in our vegetation and
possibly in our food. Our priority is to check that
now,” she said.
Before the war in Bosnia, the annual number of new
cases of children with leukemia was never greater than
13. Since the end of the war, that number has grown
every year: Last year it was 26. The situation is the
same with other cancers: Every year the number grows.
And almost 80 percent of those new cases are coming
from areas that were exposed to the radiation of
depleted uranium--areas that were bombed during the
war.
The so-called Balkan Syndrome affair first aroused
attention in early 2001, when Italian media published
reports that one Italian soldier who had served in
Bosnia had died of leukemia and that five more were
very ill. The Italian media blamed the sicknesses on
NATO’s use of depleted uranium in its weapons.
At the time, all governments denied that NATO was
using uranium-tipped munitions. Nonetheless, medical
examinations of soldiers were promptly begun, with
many being diagnosed with leukemia and other forms of
cancer.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anes Alic is TOL’s correspondent in Sarajevo. Dragan
Stanimirovic is TOL’s correspondent in Banja Luka.
"VAFFANCULO"
Riferisco in termini rigorosamente fattuali, necessitato anche dalla
presenza del pubblico, quanto si è verificato ieri, domenica 8
dicembre, al cinema Tibur in Roma, in occasione dell'incontro con
la delegazione di parlamentari italiani di ritorno dall'Iraq.
Sono intervenuti Elettra Dejana, Paolo Cento, Silvana Pisa e,
particolarmente equilibrata e corretta, Loredana De Petris che,
almeno, si è astenuta dal ripetere gli stereotipi della propaganda
imperialista sugli "orrori" di regime. Alcuni interventi -
frutto di appena 3 giorni di presenza in Iraq e di lunghi anni di
intossicazione mediatica - sono risultati più polemici contro il
governo iracheno che contro gli aggressori e sanzionatori
angloamericani. Impressioni superficiali sono diventate
verità incontrovertibili. Solo qualche esempio: "I veli sono
aumentati del 50%", cifra del tutto inventata e senza sapere che a
Baghdad risultano esserci oggi più donne velate soprattutto perchè
ci sono oltre un milione di profughi sciti dal Sud uranizzato e
bombardato giornalmente (e che da sempre portano il velo); "Ai giovani
si inibisce la ricerca di certi siti in internet", totalmente
falso, la navigazione su internet è totalmente libera
e viene praticata in tantissimi "internetcafè" in giro per Baghdad. "Siamo
stati accompagnati in tutti i nostri movimenti e contatti da agenti di
polizia, segno di mancanza di libertà", si trascura che gli interessati
erano una delegazione ufficiale parlamentare e che sarebbero stati
accompagnati in qualsiasi paese del mondo; qualsiasi visitatore
straniero e giornalista è invece liberissimo di girare dove e
come vuole per Baghdad, incontrare chi vuole, fare amicizia,
visitare famiglie, andare allo stadio, frequentare studenti e tutto
il resto, come accertato da me in 25 anni di visite in Iraq
e da chiunque altro. Inoltre, il meccanismo statale per cui
all'85% degli iracheni viene garantito un quantitativo di cibo
sufficiente a sopravvivere all'embargo genocida e che i
responsabili dell'ONU Denis Halliday e Hans Von Sponeck hanno
definito "uno dei più efficienti e meno corrotti del mondo"
viene interpretato da Dejana come strumento per aumentare la
dipendenza del popolo dal regime, la cui iconografia, in
effetti eccessiva (ma non più dell'iconografia cattolica da cui siamo
sommersi da 2000 anni e dei valori consumistico-capitalistici che ci
assediano giorno e notte) viene attribuita a una cultura patologica e
paranoica. Si à anche voluto attribuire a una risorgenza islamica il fatto
che la comunità cattolica caldea sia diminuita in dieci anni di 200.000
unità Invece l'Iraq è riconosciuto da tutte le Chiese (Vaticano compreso)
come uno dei paesi più rispettosi delle varie religioni esistenti al suo
interno. Se tanti cristiani hanno potuto sottrarsi alla disperazione della
fame, delle bombe e della morte da uranio e malattie varie, è perchè i
caldei rappresentavano da sempre un ceto tra i più benestanti del paese e,
diversamente dagli altri, hanno potuto ricorrere alle proprie
disponibilità per emigrare e rifarsi una vita altrove.
Il bello è venuto al termine degli interventi e all'inizio del dibattito.
Notato che milioni di persone in Iraq, come "denunciato" da Elettra Dejana
("società militarizzata"), avessero l'arma in casa facendo parte di una
milizia di difesa territoriale e di resistenza antisraeliana in Palestina,
il moderatore Sergio Cararo ha notato con ironia che un regime che si può
permettere di avere metà della sua popolazione armata non si deve sentire
poi tanto contrastato. La battuta di Cararo è stata salutata da un lungo
applauso il che ha ulteriormente fatto inviperire Elettra Dejana che,
rivoltasi al sottoscritto, pure plaudente alla battuta, ha urlato: "Stai
facendo propaganda pro-Saddam". La mia risposta è stata :"Direi piuttosto
che qui si rasenta la propaganda americana". La risposta della Dejana,
parlamentare di RC come io ne sono militante e dirigente federale, a
volume ancora più sorprendente è stata "Ma va' a fare in culo,
Grimaldi".
Sconcerto generale nel pubblico e poi fischi e proteste. A mia volta
sottolineavo: "Elegante terminologia per una parlamentare". La Deiana
si sottraeva sia a un confronto civile, allontanandosi
rapidamente insieme al suo seguito, sia ai successivi interventi,
continuando a schiammazzare contro di me e, ormai, contro quasi
tutti gli altri.
Mi limito a riferire che nel mio intervento, poi, mi sono limitato a
sottolineare i pericoli di un eurocentrismo anche "di sinistra", con i
suoi rischi di colonialismo politico, e di una evidente
subalternità alle intossicazioni e diffamazioni imperialiste. E' un
film già visto in occasione dello squartamento imperialista della
Jugoslavia, agevolato dall'accettazione passiva da parte di molta
Sinistra delle fandonie inventate su Serbi e Milosevic, successivamente
tutte rigorosamente smentite. Forse c'è una coda di paglia, certo che
la Sinistra non si può permettere un altro tragico errore del genere.
Risulta evidente a chiunque non sia blindato nei suoi pregiudizi e nella
mania di applicare etichette calunniatrici che tutto questo non è
"propaganda pro-Saddam", ma semplice elencazione di fatti
incontrovertibili e accertabili da chiunque non si limiti a tre
giorni di delegazione in un paese, ma si assuma la responsabilità
di una ricerca approfondita e, soprattutto, di una meno pigra
individuazione delle fonti.
Della serie: I favori resi all'imperialismo dalla bomba "diritti umani",
come condivisi da D'Alema, e dal missile "democrazia", come praticato
negli USA.
Fulvio Grimaldi
9/12/2002
Riferisco in termini rigorosamente fattuali, necessitato anche dalla
presenza del pubblico, quanto si è verificato ieri, domenica 8
dicembre, al cinema Tibur in Roma, in occasione dell'incontro con
la delegazione di parlamentari italiani di ritorno dall'Iraq.
Sono intervenuti Elettra Dejana, Paolo Cento, Silvana Pisa e,
particolarmente equilibrata e corretta, Loredana De Petris che,
almeno, si è astenuta dal ripetere gli stereotipi della propaganda
imperialista sugli "orrori" di regime. Alcuni interventi -
frutto di appena 3 giorni di presenza in Iraq e di lunghi anni di
intossicazione mediatica - sono risultati più polemici contro il
governo iracheno che contro gli aggressori e sanzionatori
angloamericani. Impressioni superficiali sono diventate
verità incontrovertibili. Solo qualche esempio: "I veli sono
aumentati del 50%", cifra del tutto inventata e senza sapere che a
Baghdad risultano esserci oggi più donne velate soprattutto perchè
ci sono oltre un milione di profughi sciti dal Sud uranizzato e
bombardato giornalmente (e che da sempre portano il velo); "Ai giovani
si inibisce la ricerca di certi siti in internet", totalmente
falso, la navigazione su internet è totalmente libera
e viene praticata in tantissimi "internetcafè" in giro per Baghdad. "Siamo
stati accompagnati in tutti i nostri movimenti e contatti da agenti di
polizia, segno di mancanza di libertà", si trascura che gli interessati
erano una delegazione ufficiale parlamentare e che sarebbero stati
accompagnati in qualsiasi paese del mondo; qualsiasi visitatore
straniero e giornalista è invece liberissimo di girare dove e
come vuole per Baghdad, incontrare chi vuole, fare amicizia,
visitare famiglie, andare allo stadio, frequentare studenti e tutto
il resto, come accertato da me in 25 anni di visite in Iraq
e da chiunque altro. Inoltre, il meccanismo statale per cui
all'85% degli iracheni viene garantito un quantitativo di cibo
sufficiente a sopravvivere all'embargo genocida e che i
responsabili dell'ONU Denis Halliday e Hans Von Sponeck hanno
definito "uno dei più efficienti e meno corrotti del mondo"
viene interpretato da Dejana come strumento per aumentare la
dipendenza del popolo dal regime, la cui iconografia, in
effetti eccessiva (ma non più dell'iconografia cattolica da cui siamo
sommersi da 2000 anni e dei valori consumistico-capitalistici che ci
assediano giorno e notte) viene attribuita a una cultura patologica e
paranoica. Si à anche voluto attribuire a una risorgenza islamica il fatto
che la comunità cattolica caldea sia diminuita in dieci anni di 200.000
unità Invece l'Iraq è riconosciuto da tutte le Chiese (Vaticano compreso)
come uno dei paesi più rispettosi delle varie religioni esistenti al suo
interno. Se tanti cristiani hanno potuto sottrarsi alla disperazione della
fame, delle bombe e della morte da uranio e malattie varie, è perchè i
caldei rappresentavano da sempre un ceto tra i più benestanti del paese e,
diversamente dagli altri, hanno potuto ricorrere alle proprie
disponibilità per emigrare e rifarsi una vita altrove.
Il bello è venuto al termine degli interventi e all'inizio del dibattito.
Notato che milioni di persone in Iraq, come "denunciato" da Elettra Dejana
("società militarizzata"), avessero l'arma in casa facendo parte di una
milizia di difesa territoriale e di resistenza antisraeliana in Palestina,
il moderatore Sergio Cararo ha notato con ironia che un regime che si può
permettere di avere metà della sua popolazione armata non si deve sentire
poi tanto contrastato. La battuta di Cararo è stata salutata da un lungo
applauso il che ha ulteriormente fatto inviperire Elettra Dejana che,
rivoltasi al sottoscritto, pure plaudente alla battuta, ha urlato: "Stai
facendo propaganda pro-Saddam". La mia risposta è stata :"Direi piuttosto
che qui si rasenta la propaganda americana". La risposta della Dejana,
parlamentare di RC come io ne sono militante e dirigente federale, a
volume ancora più sorprendente è stata "Ma va' a fare in culo,
Grimaldi".
Sconcerto generale nel pubblico e poi fischi e proteste. A mia volta
sottolineavo: "Elegante terminologia per una parlamentare". La Deiana
si sottraeva sia a un confronto civile, allontanandosi
rapidamente insieme al suo seguito, sia ai successivi interventi,
continuando a schiammazzare contro di me e, ormai, contro quasi
tutti gli altri.
Mi limito a riferire che nel mio intervento, poi, mi sono limitato a
sottolineare i pericoli di un eurocentrismo anche "di sinistra", con i
suoi rischi di colonialismo politico, e di una evidente
subalternità alle intossicazioni e diffamazioni imperialiste. E' un
film già visto in occasione dello squartamento imperialista della
Jugoslavia, agevolato dall'accettazione passiva da parte di molta
Sinistra delle fandonie inventate su Serbi e Milosevic, successivamente
tutte rigorosamente smentite. Forse c'è una coda di paglia, certo che
la Sinistra non si può permettere un altro tragico errore del genere.
Risulta evidente a chiunque non sia blindato nei suoi pregiudizi e nella
mania di applicare etichette calunniatrici che tutto questo non è
"propaganda pro-Saddam", ma semplice elencazione di fatti
incontrovertibili e accertabili da chiunque non si limiti a tre
giorni di delegazione in un paese, ma si assuma la responsabilità
di una ricerca approfondita e, soprattutto, di una meno pigra
individuazione delle fonti.
Della serie: I favori resi all'imperialismo dalla bomba "diritti umani",
come condivisi da D'Alema, e dal missile "democrazia", come praticato
negli USA.
Fulvio Grimaldi
9/12/2002
ARTEL GEOPOLITIKA by www.artel.co.yu
office@...
Datum: 10 decembar 2002
Ustavna povelja :KORAK NAZAD - DVA KORAKA NAPRED
Prof. Dr Oskar Kovac
Beograd, 10 decembar 2002. godine
Uvodno izlaganje pripremljeno za:
okrugli sto Beogradskog foruma za svet ravnopravnih
"Medija centar" Beograd. Makedonska 5/II
Cetvrtak 12. decembra 2002. g. u 11,oo h.
Jugoslavija se nalazi pred provalijom svog nestanka. Mnogi joj
preporucuju da ucini korak nazad, a zatim dva koraka napred!
Predlog Ustavne povelje je u svakom pogledu korak nazad. Ceo
svet zna da se ona donosi samo zato sto SAD i Evropska unija
zele privremeno da odloze secesiju Crne Gore. Zato sto se jos
nisu odlucili kako da u(ne)rede ovaj preostali deo prethodne
Jugoslavije. Otcepljenje Crne Gore sada im ne odgovara zato
sto bi sledilo otcepljenje Kosova i Metohije sa ciljem stvaranja
velike Albanije. To bi im u okviru NATO pakta izazvalo velike
probleme u Grckoj i Bivsoj jugoslovenskoj republici Makedoniji,
a okupirani juzni deo "zapadnog Balkana" definitivno bi se
pretvorio u kloaku Evrope. Zato su uzeli time out od tri godine
i za Kosovo i Metohiju i za Crnu Goru.
Ustavna povelja je od pocetka koncipirana tako da predvidjena
toboznja drzavna zajednica ne moze da funkcionise, ali da se
sa njom prihvati vec ostvareni visok stepen separacije Crne
Gore i unapred legalizuje njeno "eventualno" otcepljenje posle
tri godine.
U Ustavnu povelju su ugradjene konstrukcione greske zbog kojih
buduca zajednica ne moze ekonomski da se odrzi.
Ustavna povelja predvidja dva odvojena privredna sistema i samo
njihovu harmonizaciju. Dva privredna sistema imaju razlicite
nacionalne valute, sopstve centralne banke, sopstvena carinska
podrucja (i carinske prihode) i sopstvene fiskalne sisteme.
Ustavna povelja deklarativno predvidja "zajednicko trziste"
ali ga u konkretnim resenjima onemogucava. Zajednicko trziste
ne postoji bez carinske unije (jednog carinskog podrucja, jedne
carinske tarife i zajednickih carinskih prihoda). Sa sopstvenim
carinskim podrucjima Srbija i Crna Gora nisu u zajednickom
trzistu nego u zoni slobodne trgovine. U toj zoni kretanje
robe poreklom iz Srbije u Crnu Goru i obratno bilo bi bez carine.
Takve zone slobodne trgovine Jugoslavija vec ima sa BiH,
Madjarskom i Ruskom federacijom, a da sa njima nema nikakvu
"drzavnu zajednicu". Da se roba iz trecih zemalja ( za koju
bi carinu naplatila i za sebe zadrzala jedna drzava) ne bi
bez carine pojavila u drugoj drzavi, izmedju Srbije i Crne
Gore bi se morala postaviti carinska granica. Na njoj bi se
kontrolisala uverenja o poreklu robe kao bi bescarinski pristup
imala samo roba pretezno proizvedena u Srbiji, odnosno Crnoj
Gori.
Nije jasno zasto posrednici iz Evropske unije pristaju na
ovakvu zloupotrebu termina "zajednicko trziste" ? Zemlje
EU su taj pojam jasno definisale pre pola veka u Rimskom
ugovoru o stvaranju Evropske ekonomske zajednice, a carinsku
uniju su ostvarile pre roka! Od carinske unije presle su u
jedinstveno trziste, ekonomsku i monetarnu uniju. Vec dve
godine pripremaju svoj Ustav, a ne Ustavnu povelju!
Principi Ustavne povelje povecavaju konfuziju i time sto
izme|u Srbije i Crne Gore predvidjaju "slobodno kretanje
kapitala". S obzirom na postojanje razlicitih nacionalnih
valuta i finansijskih trzista (Crna Gora ima svoju drzavnu
Komisiju za hartije od vrednosti), jasno je da ne moze biti
ni potpuno slobodnog kretanja kapitala izmedju njih. Hartije
od vrednosti koje glase na stranu valutu su inostrane hartije,
kretanje kapitala u tudjoj valuti takodje. To u svakoj drzavi
regulise Zakon o deviznom poslovanju, a konvertibilnost ne
vazi za kapitalne transakcije. Uostalom, nije ni dozvoljeno
da se evro iz Crne Gore bilo gde tretira povoljnije nego evro
iz zemalja koje su ga stvorile!
Kada su zemlje EU ukinule svoje nacionalne valute i uvele
evro, glavno obrazlozenje bilo je: "jedno trziste - jedna
valuta". To sto EU podrzava besmisleno resenje o jednoj
drzavi sa dve valute, objektivno znaci da priznaje da buduca
Srbija i Crna Gora nije ni jedno trziste, niti jedna drzava.
Ustavna povelja predvidja jedno clanstvo Srbije i Crne Gore
u medjunarodnim finansijskim organizacijama ali to prakticno
onemogucava. Po statutima Medjunarodnog monetarnog fonda i
Svetske banke, svaku drzavu predstavlja guverner centralne
banke, odnosno ministar finansija. Po Ustavnoj povelji,
Srbija i Crna Gora nece imati nijednu od tih institucija.
Nije verovatno da ce MMF i SB promeniti svoje statute zbog
Srbije i Crne Gore.
Cinjenica da Srbija i Crna Gora nece imati svoju imovinu
(izuzev male imovine u inostranstvu i administrativnih
zgrada u Beogradu i Podgorici), nece imati devizne rezerve
niti drzavni budzet, ugrozavace mogucnosti njenog pristupa
medjunarodnim finansijskim trzistima. Zato sto nece imati
sta da ponudi kao materijalnu garanciju za obaveze koje
preuzima. Bez drzavnog budzeta, centralne banke i deviznih
rezervi ona nece uzivati poverenje u sposobnost urednog
otplacivanja spoljnog duga.
Bez tih uslova stranim investitorima nece biti jasno ko
ce im garantovati njihova prava i uslove privredjivanja.
Sudeci po Ustavnoj povelji, to nije ni predvidjeno! Ko
nema centralnu banku niti ministarstvo finansija sa
drzavnim budzetom i sopstvenim izvorima prihoda (carine,
porezi) nema instrumenata monetarne i fiskalne politike.
Bez tih instrumenata nema ni makroekonomske politike Srbije
i Crne Gore.
Uostalom, nece biti ni drugih neophodnih segmenata makroekonomske
politike. Samo na prvi pogled dva ministra u Savetu ministara
imaju neke veze sa privredom. Ustavna povelja odredjuje da je
ministar za ekonomske odnose sa inostranstvom "odgovoran za
pregovaranje i koordinaciju implementacije medjunarodnih
sporazuma, ukljucujuci ugovorne odnose sa EU i koordinaciju
odnosa sa medjunarodnim finansijskim institucijama" i to
samo "nakon konsultacija sa nadleznim ministrima drzava
clanica". Ni reci o tome da predlaze zakone iz oblasti
ekonomskih odnosa sa inostranstvom! Ministar za unutrasnje
ekonomske odnose takodje samo koordinira harmonizaciju
odvojenih "ekonomskih sistema drzava clanica" a ni na koji
nacin ne vodi ekonomsku politiku niti predlaze zakone.
Jasno je da na nivou zajednice drzava Srbije i Crne Gore
nije predvidjeno donosenje zakona iz oblasti privrede, kao
sto su zakon o preduzecima, devizni zakon, poreski zakoni,
zakon o bankama, hartijama od vrednosti i finansijskom trzistu.
Nakon svega, postavlja se pitanje: kakva je to drzava koja
nema svoje ime, svoj Ustav, svoju imovinu, nema jedinstveni
privredni prostor, svoju nacionalnu valutu i centralnu banku,
budzet, ekonomsku i razvojnu politiku?
Odgovor je: nikakva!
office@...
Datum: 10 decembar 2002
Ustavna povelja :KORAK NAZAD - DVA KORAKA NAPRED
Prof. Dr Oskar Kovac
Beograd, 10 decembar 2002. godine
Uvodno izlaganje pripremljeno za:
okrugli sto Beogradskog foruma za svet ravnopravnih
"Medija centar" Beograd. Makedonska 5/II
Cetvrtak 12. decembra 2002. g. u 11,oo h.
Jugoslavija se nalazi pred provalijom svog nestanka. Mnogi joj
preporucuju da ucini korak nazad, a zatim dva koraka napred!
Predlog Ustavne povelje je u svakom pogledu korak nazad. Ceo
svet zna da se ona donosi samo zato sto SAD i Evropska unija
zele privremeno da odloze secesiju Crne Gore. Zato sto se jos
nisu odlucili kako da u(ne)rede ovaj preostali deo prethodne
Jugoslavije. Otcepljenje Crne Gore sada im ne odgovara zato
sto bi sledilo otcepljenje Kosova i Metohije sa ciljem stvaranja
velike Albanije. To bi im u okviru NATO pakta izazvalo velike
probleme u Grckoj i Bivsoj jugoslovenskoj republici Makedoniji,
a okupirani juzni deo "zapadnog Balkana" definitivno bi se
pretvorio u kloaku Evrope. Zato su uzeli time out od tri godine
i za Kosovo i Metohiju i za Crnu Goru.
Ustavna povelja je od pocetka koncipirana tako da predvidjena
toboznja drzavna zajednica ne moze da funkcionise, ali da se
sa njom prihvati vec ostvareni visok stepen separacije Crne
Gore i unapred legalizuje njeno "eventualno" otcepljenje posle
tri godine.
U Ustavnu povelju su ugradjene konstrukcione greske zbog kojih
buduca zajednica ne moze ekonomski da se odrzi.
Ustavna povelja predvidja dva odvojena privredna sistema i samo
njihovu harmonizaciju. Dva privredna sistema imaju razlicite
nacionalne valute, sopstve centralne banke, sopstvena carinska
podrucja (i carinske prihode) i sopstvene fiskalne sisteme.
Ustavna povelja deklarativno predvidja "zajednicko trziste"
ali ga u konkretnim resenjima onemogucava. Zajednicko trziste
ne postoji bez carinske unije (jednog carinskog podrucja, jedne
carinske tarife i zajednickih carinskih prihoda). Sa sopstvenim
carinskim podrucjima Srbija i Crna Gora nisu u zajednickom
trzistu nego u zoni slobodne trgovine. U toj zoni kretanje
robe poreklom iz Srbije u Crnu Goru i obratno bilo bi bez carine.
Takve zone slobodne trgovine Jugoslavija vec ima sa BiH,
Madjarskom i Ruskom federacijom, a da sa njima nema nikakvu
"drzavnu zajednicu". Da se roba iz trecih zemalja ( za koju
bi carinu naplatila i za sebe zadrzala jedna drzava) ne bi
bez carine pojavila u drugoj drzavi, izmedju Srbije i Crne
Gore bi se morala postaviti carinska granica. Na njoj bi se
kontrolisala uverenja o poreklu robe kao bi bescarinski pristup
imala samo roba pretezno proizvedena u Srbiji, odnosno Crnoj
Gori.
Nije jasno zasto posrednici iz Evropske unije pristaju na
ovakvu zloupotrebu termina "zajednicko trziste" ? Zemlje
EU su taj pojam jasno definisale pre pola veka u Rimskom
ugovoru o stvaranju Evropske ekonomske zajednice, a carinsku
uniju su ostvarile pre roka! Od carinske unije presle su u
jedinstveno trziste, ekonomsku i monetarnu uniju. Vec dve
godine pripremaju svoj Ustav, a ne Ustavnu povelju!
Principi Ustavne povelje povecavaju konfuziju i time sto
izme|u Srbije i Crne Gore predvidjaju "slobodno kretanje
kapitala". S obzirom na postojanje razlicitih nacionalnih
valuta i finansijskih trzista (Crna Gora ima svoju drzavnu
Komisiju za hartije od vrednosti), jasno je da ne moze biti
ni potpuno slobodnog kretanja kapitala izmedju njih. Hartije
od vrednosti koje glase na stranu valutu su inostrane hartije,
kretanje kapitala u tudjoj valuti takodje. To u svakoj drzavi
regulise Zakon o deviznom poslovanju, a konvertibilnost ne
vazi za kapitalne transakcije. Uostalom, nije ni dozvoljeno
da se evro iz Crne Gore bilo gde tretira povoljnije nego evro
iz zemalja koje su ga stvorile!
Kada su zemlje EU ukinule svoje nacionalne valute i uvele
evro, glavno obrazlozenje bilo je: "jedno trziste - jedna
valuta". To sto EU podrzava besmisleno resenje o jednoj
drzavi sa dve valute, objektivno znaci da priznaje da buduca
Srbija i Crna Gora nije ni jedno trziste, niti jedna drzava.
Ustavna povelja predvidja jedno clanstvo Srbije i Crne Gore
u medjunarodnim finansijskim organizacijama ali to prakticno
onemogucava. Po statutima Medjunarodnog monetarnog fonda i
Svetske banke, svaku drzavu predstavlja guverner centralne
banke, odnosno ministar finansija. Po Ustavnoj povelji,
Srbija i Crna Gora nece imati nijednu od tih institucija.
Nije verovatno da ce MMF i SB promeniti svoje statute zbog
Srbije i Crne Gore.
Cinjenica da Srbija i Crna Gora nece imati svoju imovinu
(izuzev male imovine u inostranstvu i administrativnih
zgrada u Beogradu i Podgorici), nece imati devizne rezerve
niti drzavni budzet, ugrozavace mogucnosti njenog pristupa
medjunarodnim finansijskim trzistima. Zato sto nece imati
sta da ponudi kao materijalnu garanciju za obaveze koje
preuzima. Bez drzavnog budzeta, centralne banke i deviznih
rezervi ona nece uzivati poverenje u sposobnost urednog
otplacivanja spoljnog duga.
Bez tih uslova stranim investitorima nece biti jasno ko
ce im garantovati njihova prava i uslove privredjivanja.
Sudeci po Ustavnoj povelji, to nije ni predvidjeno! Ko
nema centralnu banku niti ministarstvo finansija sa
drzavnim budzetom i sopstvenim izvorima prihoda (carine,
porezi) nema instrumenata monetarne i fiskalne politike.
Bez tih instrumenata nema ni makroekonomske politike Srbije
i Crne Gore.
Uostalom, nece biti ni drugih neophodnih segmenata makroekonomske
politike. Samo na prvi pogled dva ministra u Savetu ministara
imaju neke veze sa privredom. Ustavna povelja odredjuje da je
ministar za ekonomske odnose sa inostranstvom "odgovoran za
pregovaranje i koordinaciju implementacije medjunarodnih
sporazuma, ukljucujuci ugovorne odnose sa EU i koordinaciju
odnosa sa medjunarodnim finansijskim institucijama" i to
samo "nakon konsultacija sa nadleznim ministrima drzava
clanica". Ni reci o tome da predlaze zakone iz oblasti
ekonomskih odnosa sa inostranstvom! Ministar za unutrasnje
ekonomske odnose takodje samo koordinira harmonizaciju
odvojenih "ekonomskih sistema drzava clanica" a ni na koji
nacin ne vodi ekonomsku politiku niti predlaze zakone.
Jasno je da na nivou zajednice drzava Srbije i Crne Gore
nije predvidjeno donosenje zakona iz oblasti privrede, kao
sto su zakon o preduzecima, devizni zakon, poreski zakoni,
zakon o bankama, hartijama od vrednosti i finansijskom trzistu.
Nakon svega, postavlja se pitanje: kakva je to drzava koja
nema svoje ime, svoj Ustav, svoju imovinu, nema jedinstveni
privredni prostor, svoju nacionalnu valutu i centralnu banku,
budzet, ekonomsku i razvojnu politiku?
Odgovor je: nikakva!
http://www.zmag.org/content/print_article.cfm?itemID=2545%c2%a7ionID=18
ZNet | Kosovo
Milosevic at the Hague
Round Two
by Andrej Grubacec; October 27, 2002
In the latest instalment of the cycle of trials at the Hague, where
Milosevic is charged with alleged war crimes in Croatia and Bosnia, the
current president of Croatia Stjepan Mesic and Slobodan Milosevic had a
much anticipated confrontation. According to the Serbian and Croatian
press, the televised verbal duel between Milosevic and Mesic in the
Hague courtroom was closely watched by approximately 90% of the total
population in each state.
As a witness against Milosevic, the choice of Stjepan Mesic seems
somewhat unusual, if not downright bizarre. Most citizens in both Serbia
and Croatia remember all too well his most quoted and notorious
utterance. At the beginning of December 1991, Mesic, the author of the
book "How we brought about the collapse of Yugoslavia", announced in the
Croatian parliament: "I think my mission has been accomplished,
Yugoslavia no longer exists ." Six months later, in May 1992, the late
president Franjo Tudjman reminded those assembled in the Ban Josip
Jelacic Square in Zagreb: "The war could not have happened had Croatia
not wanted it. Had we not done it, had we not armed ourselves, we would
not have achieved our goal!"
The problem of history
So began the Croatian chapter. In the aftermath, history has become so
entangled with the contested questions raised at the Milosevic trial,
that is becoming quite clear to the public that British judge Richard
May and his team (South Korea's Kwan and Jamaica's Robinson) are on
"mission impossible" ..
To date, judge May has consistently antagonized the Serbian and Yugoslav
public with his utter neglect and scorn for historical context. But his
statement that "Jasenovac (a WWII concentration camp in which some 700
000 Serbs were slaughtered by Croatian fascists) is irrelevant to the
fear experienced by Serbs in Croatia" at the outset of the war is
shocking and incomprehensible. Similarly, the claim made by Mesic in his
testimony that during World War II in Yugoslavia "mostly Jews and some
Serbs" met their doom, is ripe for debate (the genocide of the Serbs in
Croatia during the WWII is acknowledged as one of the most horrendous
episodes in the whole war).
May dismissively concluded that fifty years is too distant a history to
account for the fear of Serbs in Krajina at the outbreak of hostilities.
He did not even falter when his own prosecution witness, identified only
as C37 from Pakrac (a village in Croatia), substantiated that during the
time of Tito's rule (the former Yugoslav president for life), he had
learned in "Croatian schools that 700 000 Serbs perished in Jasenovac."
Throughout the first few days of the trial regarding the case of
Croatia, countless such instances occurred in which the prosecution
presented as uncontestable a very partial version of history that is
unacceptable, if not insulting, for the Serbian public. The prosecution
has tried to corroborate this version through their witnesses, a
strategy which has ultimately proved to be very risky. Even their first
witness, C37, testified that his father had perished in a concentration
camp, and that for Serbs in Krajina at the outset of the latest war,
this history had been cause for great fear and insecurity.
Milosevic proficiently exploits these historical inaccuracies that have
been handed to him on a platter by the prosecution, relishing the
opportunity to point out the obvious discrepancies, because they provide
him with the opportunity to portray the entire proceedings as a trial
against the Serbian people. This plays into his strategy, because in
doing so, he is able to portray himself as their "ad hoc" defender.
The Enigma of Karadjordjevo
It became clear very early in the court conversation between Milosevic
and Mesic, two lucid politicians and lawyers, that Stjepan Mesic would
not prove to be an effective witness against Milosevic. When speaking of
the political aspirations of the former president of the neighbouring
state (Serbia), the Croatian president characterized them as a conscious
effort to destroy Yugoslavia, as the homogenization of all Serbs who
inhabited it, and the gradual creation of a "greater Serbia." Mesic
substantiated his claim that Belgrade officials of the nineties were
responsible for the war by citing Milosevic's famous speech in Kosovo,
and the "serbianization" campaign of the JNA (Yugoslav national army)
during the armed rebellion of Serbs in Croatia.
Milosevic immediately countered that this was a case of thesis
substitution. "It turns out that you were for Yugoslavia, while I
contrived to break it up. Well this would be the laughing stock of any
child in Serbia, mister Mesic!" "That may be, but I am not on trial
here, you are!" was the answer. Which was again met by Milosevic's
acerbic: "That is the point, mister Mesic, that is the point!"
However, Stjepan Mesic's testimony in the Hague did reveal two key
points. The first was the Croatian president's confirmation of the
authenticity of key documents that revealed the modus operandi and
decision making process of the former Presidency of the SFRJ (Social
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the former Yugoslav state founded after
WWII).
The second revelation is much more significant for the internal politics
of Croatia - more so than for Serbia. It has to do with the well-known
meeting of Franjo Tudjman and Slobodan Milosevic in a small place called
Karadjordjevo in March 1991. Stjepan Mesic testified in the Hague that
Tudjman told him at the time that he was going to meet Slobodan
Milosevic alone in Karadjordjevo. According to Mesic's testimony, the
late Croatian president returned to Zagreb a changed man. Mesic claims
that Tudjman had always, until that meeting with Milosevic, supported
the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Hertzegovina. But he returned
from Karadjordjevo convinced that Croatia would be able to return to its
territorial boundaries from 1939 (the province of "Banovina" at the
time). Though the public remained ignorant of this fact for a long time,
the formation of the Serbian Republic and the Croatian Republic of
"Herzeg-Bosnia" soon followed, and it became clear that new borders were
being drawn in Yugoslavia. Stjepan Mesic also stated that "expert
commissions" were appointed for the configuration of those borders, and
convened secret meetings in Belgrade and Zagreb during this period.
Unlike Slobodan Milosevic, who almost completely disregarded the matter
of Karadjordjevo in his cross-examination, Mesic's testimony sent a
shockwave through Croatia, particularly to politicians in Zagreb. The
extreme Croatian right is furious, arguing that that Mesic is betraying
his country cheaply, selling it out and not for the first time.
Meanwhile, war veterans are angrily demanding that he be relieved of his
presidential duties.
The torments of Mesic
The dispute on the nature of the Belgrade regime at the Hague was also
the most sensitive and perilous element of Stjepan Mesic's testimony.
Although, on his first day in court, he gave strong arguments on all of
the circumstances he faced as the last president of the Yugoslav
presidency in the former SFRJ, he failed to respond with precise answers
when cross-examined by Milosevic on the second day of the trial.
Particularly striking was the fact that he could not, nor did he attempt
to, deny the intense climate of fear that the Serbs in Zagreb and the
rest of Croatia were subjected to in the nineties. When Slobodan
Milosevic quoted with astounding precision the racist slogans that were
proclaimed in the Croatian National Parliament in the fall of 1990,
Mesic acknowledged that those statements damaged Croatia's reputation.
But he responded by shifting the blame for them, arguing that Milosevic
was responsible for them, not the authors of these slogans, nor he
himself (since Mesic had been president of the Zagreb parliament at the
time). Soon after, many thousands of Serbs from Croatia lost their jobs
in state management, the media, public companies and industry. When
Milosevic asked whether such a threatening atmosphere in Croatia had the
Serbs in Zagreb worried, and whether Mesic himself returned from
Belgrade in order to instigate a rebellion against the "national
government" (of the SFRY), Mesic acknowledge that incidents such as
those had occurred. Then he immediately returned to the war motive of
"greater Serbian" borders. He claimed that the border was created by the
army and paramilitary formations, along with Serb insurgents in Croatia,
controlled and armed by Milosevic himself.
Though it was expected prior to their confrontation in court that
Milosevic would seek to undermine the moral and political value of the
current Croatian president's testimony, Stjepan Mesic was perceptibly
unnerved by Milosevic's questions about his time in prison between 1975
and 1976. Mesic testified that he had been the mayor of Orahovica at the
time, and that he ended up in jail because of an inflammatory
nationalist statement that "Croats cleared the path to the Adriatic sea
with our swords, while all the others arrived there simply due to our
kindness or our naiveté". He was sentenced to two years in prison, yet
his sentence was soon halved. Slobodan Milosevic attempted to prove or
at least imply that the reduction of his sentence occurred due to
Mesic's collaboration with the departments of national security in
Croatia and Yugoslavia. Mesic denied this, but failed to respond to
Milosevic's direct questions with plausible answers.
The parting with Tudjman
One of the weakest points in Stjepan Mesic's verbal confrontation with
Milosevic was the polemic concerning his rift with Tudjman, the ruling
party of the time, the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Community), and official
Croatian politics in the spring of 1994. Mesic claimed that he parted
with Tudjman based on their disagreement over the division of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, because Tudjman refused to end the state plunder of
Croatia, and because Tudjman was clearly not prone to abide by the law
and a lawful state. Milosevic responded by asking the obvious: why
hadn't he demonstrated those concerns sooner, rather than staying on as
the second most powerful man in the Croatian government during the most
horrible crimes against the Croatian Serbs (many of which still remain
unpunished)? His meaningless reply, that the country had by that time
been exposed to " Serbian aggression", returned the story back to the
beginning.
The initial encounter
After the cross-examination of the strongest Croatian witness against
Milosevic, the prosecution must have been very disappointed. The two
presidents of states once on a war path, the former and the current one,
squabbled endlessly over the country that no longer exists, only to wave
their responsibility for the war in which it perished. Not even twelve
years later, now that borders, states, ethnicities of the population and
the leaders have all changed, none of the protagonists of the Yugoslav
drama is willing to claim their share of the blame for its disappearance
from the political map of Europe and the world. Milosevic wants to be
remembered as its protector, and Mesic refuses to take any blame for the
war.
This was starkly illustrated by Stjepan Mesic's description of his first
personal encounter with Slobodan Milosevic. It was in the spring of
1991, in Belgrade. The then president of Serbia invited Mesic and the
late president of Croatia, Franjo Tudjman, to his office to discuss the
possible consequences of the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Tudjman
carefully examined a map that Milosevic claimed had been drawn up by the
most renowned world experts. Tudjman put the map in his pocket and
carried it with him to Zagreb. There he repeated Milosevic's words, and
some time later, they both met in Karadjordjevo and reached an agreement
on Bosnia. The origin and the real meaning of this unusual map, that
supposedly depicted terrible consequences for Croats and Serbs in case
of Yugoslav disintegration, has never been determined nor confirmed.
Prosecutor Nice showed little concern over the issue. He sarcastically
remarked that he himself could obtain all the necessary maps on
Southeastern Europe. Even if it meant "walking into the nearest Hague
supermarket and buying the first available highway map". So much for law
and sovereignty, states and borders, along with the seriousness of the
Hague "Tribunal."
ZNet | Kosovo
Milosevic at the Hague
Round Two
by Andrej Grubacec; October 27, 2002
In the latest instalment of the cycle of trials at the Hague, where
Milosevic is charged with alleged war crimes in Croatia and Bosnia, the
current president of Croatia Stjepan Mesic and Slobodan Milosevic had a
much anticipated confrontation. According to the Serbian and Croatian
press, the televised verbal duel between Milosevic and Mesic in the
Hague courtroom was closely watched by approximately 90% of the total
population in each state.
As a witness against Milosevic, the choice of Stjepan Mesic seems
somewhat unusual, if not downright bizarre. Most citizens in both Serbia
and Croatia remember all too well his most quoted and notorious
utterance. At the beginning of December 1991, Mesic, the author of the
book "How we brought about the collapse of Yugoslavia", announced in the
Croatian parliament: "I think my mission has been accomplished,
Yugoslavia no longer exists ." Six months later, in May 1992, the late
president Franjo Tudjman reminded those assembled in the Ban Josip
Jelacic Square in Zagreb: "The war could not have happened had Croatia
not wanted it. Had we not done it, had we not armed ourselves, we would
not have achieved our goal!"
The problem of history
So began the Croatian chapter. In the aftermath, history has become so
entangled with the contested questions raised at the Milosevic trial,
that is becoming quite clear to the public that British judge Richard
May and his team (South Korea's Kwan and Jamaica's Robinson) are on
"mission impossible" ..
To date, judge May has consistently antagonized the Serbian and Yugoslav
public with his utter neglect and scorn for historical context. But his
statement that "Jasenovac (a WWII concentration camp in which some 700
000 Serbs were slaughtered by Croatian fascists) is irrelevant to the
fear experienced by Serbs in Croatia" at the outset of the war is
shocking and incomprehensible. Similarly, the claim made by Mesic in his
testimony that during World War II in Yugoslavia "mostly Jews and some
Serbs" met their doom, is ripe for debate (the genocide of the Serbs in
Croatia during the WWII is acknowledged as one of the most horrendous
episodes in the whole war).
May dismissively concluded that fifty years is too distant a history to
account for the fear of Serbs in Krajina at the outbreak of hostilities.
He did not even falter when his own prosecution witness, identified only
as C37 from Pakrac (a village in Croatia), substantiated that during the
time of Tito's rule (the former Yugoslav president for life), he had
learned in "Croatian schools that 700 000 Serbs perished in Jasenovac."
Throughout the first few days of the trial regarding the case of
Croatia, countless such instances occurred in which the prosecution
presented as uncontestable a very partial version of history that is
unacceptable, if not insulting, for the Serbian public. The prosecution
has tried to corroborate this version through their witnesses, a
strategy which has ultimately proved to be very risky. Even their first
witness, C37, testified that his father had perished in a concentration
camp, and that for Serbs in Krajina at the outset of the latest war,
this history had been cause for great fear and insecurity.
Milosevic proficiently exploits these historical inaccuracies that have
been handed to him on a platter by the prosecution, relishing the
opportunity to point out the obvious discrepancies, because they provide
him with the opportunity to portray the entire proceedings as a trial
against the Serbian people. This plays into his strategy, because in
doing so, he is able to portray himself as their "ad hoc" defender.
The Enigma of Karadjordjevo
It became clear very early in the court conversation between Milosevic
and Mesic, two lucid politicians and lawyers, that Stjepan Mesic would
not prove to be an effective witness against Milosevic. When speaking of
the political aspirations of the former president of the neighbouring
state (Serbia), the Croatian president characterized them as a conscious
effort to destroy Yugoslavia, as the homogenization of all Serbs who
inhabited it, and the gradual creation of a "greater Serbia." Mesic
substantiated his claim that Belgrade officials of the nineties were
responsible for the war by citing Milosevic's famous speech in Kosovo,
and the "serbianization" campaign of the JNA (Yugoslav national army)
during the armed rebellion of Serbs in Croatia.
Milosevic immediately countered that this was a case of thesis
substitution. "It turns out that you were for Yugoslavia, while I
contrived to break it up. Well this would be the laughing stock of any
child in Serbia, mister Mesic!" "That may be, but I am not on trial
here, you are!" was the answer. Which was again met by Milosevic's
acerbic: "That is the point, mister Mesic, that is the point!"
However, Stjepan Mesic's testimony in the Hague did reveal two key
points. The first was the Croatian president's confirmation of the
authenticity of key documents that revealed the modus operandi and
decision making process of the former Presidency of the SFRJ (Social
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the former Yugoslav state founded after
WWII).
The second revelation is much more significant for the internal politics
of Croatia - more so than for Serbia. It has to do with the well-known
meeting of Franjo Tudjman and Slobodan Milosevic in a small place called
Karadjordjevo in March 1991. Stjepan Mesic testified in the Hague that
Tudjman told him at the time that he was going to meet Slobodan
Milosevic alone in Karadjordjevo. According to Mesic's testimony, the
late Croatian president returned to Zagreb a changed man. Mesic claims
that Tudjman had always, until that meeting with Milosevic, supported
the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Hertzegovina. But he returned
from Karadjordjevo convinced that Croatia would be able to return to its
territorial boundaries from 1939 (the province of "Banovina" at the
time). Though the public remained ignorant of this fact for a long time,
the formation of the Serbian Republic and the Croatian Republic of
"Herzeg-Bosnia" soon followed, and it became clear that new borders were
being drawn in Yugoslavia. Stjepan Mesic also stated that "expert
commissions" were appointed for the configuration of those borders, and
convened secret meetings in Belgrade and Zagreb during this period.
Unlike Slobodan Milosevic, who almost completely disregarded the matter
of Karadjordjevo in his cross-examination, Mesic's testimony sent a
shockwave through Croatia, particularly to politicians in Zagreb. The
extreme Croatian right is furious, arguing that that Mesic is betraying
his country cheaply, selling it out and not for the first time.
Meanwhile, war veterans are angrily demanding that he be relieved of his
presidential duties.
The torments of Mesic
The dispute on the nature of the Belgrade regime at the Hague was also
the most sensitive and perilous element of Stjepan Mesic's testimony.
Although, on his first day in court, he gave strong arguments on all of
the circumstances he faced as the last president of the Yugoslav
presidency in the former SFRJ, he failed to respond with precise answers
when cross-examined by Milosevic on the second day of the trial.
Particularly striking was the fact that he could not, nor did he attempt
to, deny the intense climate of fear that the Serbs in Zagreb and the
rest of Croatia were subjected to in the nineties. When Slobodan
Milosevic quoted with astounding precision the racist slogans that were
proclaimed in the Croatian National Parliament in the fall of 1990,
Mesic acknowledged that those statements damaged Croatia's reputation.
But he responded by shifting the blame for them, arguing that Milosevic
was responsible for them, not the authors of these slogans, nor he
himself (since Mesic had been president of the Zagreb parliament at the
time). Soon after, many thousands of Serbs from Croatia lost their jobs
in state management, the media, public companies and industry. When
Milosevic asked whether such a threatening atmosphere in Croatia had the
Serbs in Zagreb worried, and whether Mesic himself returned from
Belgrade in order to instigate a rebellion against the "national
government" (of the SFRY), Mesic acknowledge that incidents such as
those had occurred. Then he immediately returned to the war motive of
"greater Serbian" borders. He claimed that the border was created by the
army and paramilitary formations, along with Serb insurgents in Croatia,
controlled and armed by Milosevic himself.
Though it was expected prior to their confrontation in court that
Milosevic would seek to undermine the moral and political value of the
current Croatian president's testimony, Stjepan Mesic was perceptibly
unnerved by Milosevic's questions about his time in prison between 1975
and 1976. Mesic testified that he had been the mayor of Orahovica at the
time, and that he ended up in jail because of an inflammatory
nationalist statement that "Croats cleared the path to the Adriatic sea
with our swords, while all the others arrived there simply due to our
kindness or our naiveté". He was sentenced to two years in prison, yet
his sentence was soon halved. Slobodan Milosevic attempted to prove or
at least imply that the reduction of his sentence occurred due to
Mesic's collaboration with the departments of national security in
Croatia and Yugoslavia. Mesic denied this, but failed to respond to
Milosevic's direct questions with plausible answers.
The parting with Tudjman
One of the weakest points in Stjepan Mesic's verbal confrontation with
Milosevic was the polemic concerning his rift with Tudjman, the ruling
party of the time, the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Community), and official
Croatian politics in the spring of 1994. Mesic claimed that he parted
with Tudjman based on their disagreement over the division of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, because Tudjman refused to end the state plunder of
Croatia, and because Tudjman was clearly not prone to abide by the law
and a lawful state. Milosevic responded by asking the obvious: why
hadn't he demonstrated those concerns sooner, rather than staying on as
the second most powerful man in the Croatian government during the most
horrible crimes against the Croatian Serbs (many of which still remain
unpunished)? His meaningless reply, that the country had by that time
been exposed to " Serbian aggression", returned the story back to the
beginning.
The initial encounter
After the cross-examination of the strongest Croatian witness against
Milosevic, the prosecution must have been very disappointed. The two
presidents of states once on a war path, the former and the current one,
squabbled endlessly over the country that no longer exists, only to wave
their responsibility for the war in which it perished. Not even twelve
years later, now that borders, states, ethnicities of the population and
the leaders have all changed, none of the protagonists of the Yugoslav
drama is willing to claim their share of the blame for its disappearance
from the political map of Europe and the world. Milosevic wants to be
remembered as its protector, and Mesic refuses to take any blame for the
war.
This was starkly illustrated by Stjepan Mesic's description of his first
personal encounter with Slobodan Milosevic. It was in the spring of
1991, in Belgrade. The then president of Serbia invited Mesic and the
late president of Croatia, Franjo Tudjman, to his office to discuss the
possible consequences of the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Tudjman
carefully examined a map that Milosevic claimed had been drawn up by the
most renowned world experts. Tudjman put the map in his pocket and
carried it with him to Zagreb. There he repeated Milosevic's words, and
some time later, they both met in Karadjordjevo and reached an agreement
on Bosnia. The origin and the real meaning of this unusual map, that
supposedly depicted terrible consequences for Croats and Serbs in case
of Yugoslav disintegration, has never been determined nor confirmed.
Prosecutor Nice showed little concern over the issue. He sarcastically
remarked that he himself could obtain all the necessary maps on
Southeastern Europe. Even if it meant "walking into the nearest Hague
supermarket and buying the first available highway map". So much for law
and sovereignty, states and borders, along with the seriousness of the
Hague "Tribunal."
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/dec2002/yugo-d10_prn.shtml
World Socialist Web Site www.wsws.org
WSWS : News & Analysis : Europe : The Balkans
Long-term environmental damage due to NATO bombing in Yugoslavia
By Tony Robson
10 December 2002
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 breached international
humanitarian law and caused long-term environmental damage, a report by
the American based research group, Institute for Energy and
Environmental Research (IEER), has found.
The IEER carried out a case study of two industrial facilities targeted
by NATO in Operation Allied Force. The Pancevo industrial complex,
consisting of a petrochemical and fertiliser plant as well as an oil
refinery, is situated 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Belgrade. The
Zastava car plant in Kragujevac is 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of
Belgrade.
The Pancevo plant stands at the confluence of the River Tamis and the
Danube while Zastava is located on the Lepenica River, a tributary of
the Velika Morava, which in turn meets the Danube 60 kilometres
downstream. After the bombings, toxic chemicals gushed into the waters
of Europe’s second largest river. Civilians living near the plants
became vulnerable to major health risks from contamination of the
atmosphere, food produced locally and the water supply.
The authors caution, “As modern warfare becomes more technologically
sophisticated and targeting more precise, it is essential not to succumb
to the idea that the damage on the ground is also precise and limited.
It may be in some cases, but precise bombing does not always yield
precise or limited damage. As this study indicates, the health and
environmental consequences of precision bombing can affect unborn
generations far into the future, even when the bombs are entirely
successfully in finding their targets.”
The IEER chose the two facilities as case studies because NATO had
carefully selected them as targets. Pancevo and Kragujevac are two of
four areas designated as environmental “hotspots” by the international
body charged with overseeing the post-war cleanup operation, the United
Nations Environmental Program Balkan Task Force (UNEP/BTF.) The report’s
pollution estimates are based largely upon surveys conducted by the
UNEP/BTF in the immediate aftermath of Operation Allied Force. The
majority of the pollutants dealt with in the report can be found in the
Top Twenty Hazardous Substances listed by the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
Pancevo
Three people were killed directly by NATO bombing of the industrial
complex when it was hit repeatedly during April 1999. The NIS Oil
Refinery was the most heavily targeted and was bombed as late as June.
The report concentrates on the major contamination by mercury and
1,2-dichlorethane. Eight metric tonnes and 2,100 metric tonnes were
released of the toxic chemicals respectively. The former is known to
cause brain and digestive disorders and lead to birth defects, while the
latter is classified as a probable human carcinogen and can attack the
nervous system. Both are known to percolate rapidly into the groundwater
when released into the soil, threatening the water supply. Until now
only the mercury spill has received immediate attention, as this is
highly volatile and the vapours pose an immediate threat. While large
amounts of the contaminated soil have been removed, there is still a
residual amount that has entered the groundwater.
The report warns about the lack of action to clear up the
1,2-dichlorethane spill. Fifty percent was released into the ground with
the remainder in the plant’s waste channel. The report explains, “The
fact that the area of contamination has not really spread
1,2-dichlorethane on the surface indicates that any movement from a
surface spill would be downward toward the [local] aquifer. As described
earlier, once contamination has reached the aquifer, it spreads
horizontally in the direction of the groundwater flow” ( Precision
Bombing, Widespread Harm by Sriram Gopal and Nicole Deller, Institute
for Energy and Environmental Research, page.38).
The US Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation for the
concentration of 1,2-dichlorethane in drinking water is set at five
micrograms per litre. The concentrations found in the groundwater around
Pancevo exceeded that by several thousand times in some instances. This
constitutes the main long-term threat in the area as the chemical has a
half-life of 30 years.
Additional sources of toxic pollutants in the area are those released by
fires caused by NATO bombing. At the petrochemical plant, 460 metric
tonnes of vinyl chloride were incinerated whilst 62,000 metric tonnes of
oil and oil related products were burnt at the oil refinery. The result
was a release of hydrochloric acid fumes and nitrogen and sulphur
compounds, which cause respiratory problems. The report states that the
fires at the oil refinery probably released significant amounts of
sulphur dioxide and nitrates, “These two compounds are associated with
acid rain that results from industrial activities.”
A reporter who visited the area noted, “The repeated air strikes on the
industrial complex, which covers several acres, culminated in three huge
hits at 1.00 a.m. on April 18. The bombs sent fireballs into the air and
enveloped Pancevo in clouds of black smoke and milky white gasses.
Flames leapt from the facilities for 10 days.”
An estimated 1,500 tonnes of vinyl chloride, 3,000 times higher than
permitted levels, burned into the air or poured into the soil and river,
according to municipal officials in Pancevo. This has left the banks of
the river edged with white foam that still clogs the canals around the
town. Huge quantities of other noxious chemicals burned or gushed out of
storage facilities, including an estimated 15,000 tonnes of ammonia, 800
tonnes of hydrochloric acid, 250 tonnes of liquid chlorine, vast
quantities of dioxin (a component of Agent Orange and other defoliants)
and 100 tonnes of mercury.
By the dawn of the night attack, dozens of people were hospitalised
gasping for air, or were temporarily blinded or unable to digest food,
witnesses said. At its peak, on the night of April 18, the number of
people evacuated from the town and surrounding villages reached 80,000,
approximately one-tenth of the population.
Kragujevac
The Zastava car plant in Kragujevac, a town with a population of
150,000, was bombed twice, once on April 9 and again on April 12, 1999.
It was hit with a dozen bombs. Before the imposition of sanctions, this
was one of the largest industrial plants in the whole of the Balkans.
In an attempt to deter NATO air strikes, the workers and management at
the plant issued an open letter three days after Operation Allied Force
began explaining that they were forming a human shield around the site.
NATO didn’t alter its plans and 124 people were injured in the
subsequent bombing.
In a further appeal the workers explained, “Tonight, the 9th of April,
the Zastava factory plants in Kragujevac were bombed. The live shield
was broken through. This bombardment has inflicted severe damage to the
factory equipment and almost completely destroyed the energy supply
complex that served not only the Zastava factory, but also the heating
needs of the entire city of Kragujevac: its residential houses, schools,
faculties, hospitals....” [ World Socialist Web Site, April 13, 1999
Workers at Serb car plant bombed by NATO make appeal to world public,
http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/apr1999/zast-a13.shtml%5d
The report concentrates on the dangers posed by the release of
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), a mix of 209 individual chlorinated
compounds generally used as coolants and lubricants in transformers and
other electrical equipment. Since 1977 their manufacture has been
stopped in the US because they are known to pose a severe health risk.
According to ATSDR, the discharge or accidental release of 1 pound or
more of PCBs into the environment should be reported immediately to the
Environmental Protection Agency. It is a probable human carcinogen and
can cause endocrine disruption.
The power station, assembly line, paint shop and computer centre
suffered either major damage or total destruction. Two transformers were
hit and leaked PCBs into the surrounding area. From one transformer
alone 1,400 litres of pyralene oil (transformer oil composed of PCBs and
another highly toxic substance, tricholrobenzenes, otherwise known as
“trike”) leaked into the floor and waste pits. Workers involved in the
initial clean up did not wear protective clothing and some were taken ill.
The transformer at the power station leaked unknown quantities of PCBs
into the Lepenica River via the sewage system. The gravel basin
underneath the transformer was unable to cope with the volume that was
released and the concentrations of PCBs around the rainwater drain were
higher than inside the plant. The operation to remove the contamination
within the plant has largely been completed by UNEP/BTF, but the same
cannot be said about the drainage system outside. Flooding during July
1999 may have spread pollutants in the waterways to nearby low-lying
agricultural areas. Tests for PCB contamination have not been conducted
on the water wells on the shores of the Morava River by either the
city’s public health institute or UNEP/BTF.
The issue of adequate funding raises the question of liability for the
damages, something that NATO refuses to accept responsibility for. To
make matters worse, other Balkan countries are making compensation
claims against Serbia. The report cites the fact that Hungary has
demanded that Serbia refund orders paid for in advance from the
petrochemical plants destroyed during the bombing.
Violation of international humanitarian law
NATO maintained that its military offensive against Yugoslavia was
justified on humanitarian grounds. However, the report questions the
moral and legal authority of Operation Allied Force. NATO’s military
action did not comply with the Geneva Convention and the laws protecting
the lives of non-combatants adopted in 1949 and the two Additional
Protocols that became international law in 1978. Two years ago, Amnesty
International (AI) found NATO responsible for perpetuating war crimes
after demonstrating that it had violated these laws.
While the IEER estimate the number of civilians killed during Operation
Allied Force at 500, Christopher Layne writing for the Cato Institute
estimates that between 1,200 and 2,000 civilians were killed.
As Operation Allied Force progressed, an increasing array of weaponry
was used including cluster bombs and missiles tipped with depleted
uranium (DU). This was carried out under the auspices of downgrading
Yugoslavia’s military capability as the term “dual-use” was stretched to
efface any meaningful distinction between military and civilian
installations. The report cites several cases where existing
international law on discriminating between the former and the latter
were ignored by NATO.
Apart from the oil refinery neither of the case studies in the report
could qualify as playing a critical role militarily. The Zastava car
plant was not involved in arms production at the time. Moreover, even
where a military use can be proven this does not remove the need to
ensure that civilian fatalities are avoided.
The report notes that Article 35 of Additional Protocol I prohibits the
use of weaponry “of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary
suffering” and “methods or means of warfare which are intended, or may
be expected, to cause widespread, long term and severe damage to the
natural environment.”
Of the 19 NATO countries that took part in the bombings, 16 have
ratified Additional Protocol I. Turkey has not, France did so only after
the Operation Allied Force, while the US was signatory to the treaty but
did not ratify it. However, it did ratify the 1977 Convention on the
Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental
Modification Techniques (ENMOD). This came into effect after the Vietnam
War and forbids the use of the environment or environmental modification
as a means of warfare. The bombings of installations storing such large
quantities of toxic substances amounted to a form of chemical warfare.
NATO’s greatest crime was that against peace, the report continues. The
bombing was in breach of international law that only recognises military
force as an act of self-defence. The report cites the United Nations
Charter Article I, paragraph I which explains that its main objective
is: “To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to
take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of
threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts or other breaches
of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity
with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or
settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a
breach of the peace.”
It was to circumvent opposition within the United Nations Security
Council that America launched its military offensive through NATO. At no
stage can it be credibly argued that all means towards a peaceful
settlement in the Kosovo conflict had been exhausted, the report insists.
The US committed over 700 of the 1055 aircraft used in Operation Allied
Force and US aircraft flew more than 29,000 of the 38,000 sorties flown
during the campaign. However, it is impossible to say whether it was US
aircraft that bombed the facilities in Pancevo and Kragujevac as this
information has not been declassified. Attempts by IEER to obtain the
targeting criteria used during the bombings under the Freedom of
Information Act was rejected by the US Department of Defense, which
handed over 42 blank pages marked “classified”. An analysis of Yugoslav
bombing campaign carried out this year by the US General Accounting
Office, the investigative arm of Congress, remains classified as well.
Copyright 1998-2002
World Socialist Web Site
All rights reserved
World Socialist Web Site www.wsws.org
WSWS : News & Analysis : Europe : The Balkans
Long-term environmental damage due to NATO bombing in Yugoslavia
By Tony Robson
10 December 2002
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 breached international
humanitarian law and caused long-term environmental damage, a report by
the American based research group, Institute for Energy and
Environmental Research (IEER), has found.
The IEER carried out a case study of two industrial facilities targeted
by NATO in Operation Allied Force. The Pancevo industrial complex,
consisting of a petrochemical and fertiliser plant as well as an oil
refinery, is situated 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Belgrade. The
Zastava car plant in Kragujevac is 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of
Belgrade.
The Pancevo plant stands at the confluence of the River Tamis and the
Danube while Zastava is located on the Lepenica River, a tributary of
the Velika Morava, which in turn meets the Danube 60 kilometres
downstream. After the bombings, toxic chemicals gushed into the waters
of Europe’s second largest river. Civilians living near the plants
became vulnerable to major health risks from contamination of the
atmosphere, food produced locally and the water supply.
The authors caution, “As modern warfare becomes more technologically
sophisticated and targeting more precise, it is essential not to succumb
to the idea that the damage on the ground is also precise and limited.
It may be in some cases, but precise bombing does not always yield
precise or limited damage. As this study indicates, the health and
environmental consequences of precision bombing can affect unborn
generations far into the future, even when the bombs are entirely
successfully in finding their targets.”
The IEER chose the two facilities as case studies because NATO had
carefully selected them as targets. Pancevo and Kragujevac are two of
four areas designated as environmental “hotspots” by the international
body charged with overseeing the post-war cleanup operation, the United
Nations Environmental Program Balkan Task Force (UNEP/BTF.) The report’s
pollution estimates are based largely upon surveys conducted by the
UNEP/BTF in the immediate aftermath of Operation Allied Force. The
majority of the pollutants dealt with in the report can be found in the
Top Twenty Hazardous Substances listed by the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
Pancevo
Three people were killed directly by NATO bombing of the industrial
complex when it was hit repeatedly during April 1999. The NIS Oil
Refinery was the most heavily targeted and was bombed as late as June.
The report concentrates on the major contamination by mercury and
1,2-dichlorethane. Eight metric tonnes and 2,100 metric tonnes were
released of the toxic chemicals respectively. The former is known to
cause brain and digestive disorders and lead to birth defects, while the
latter is classified as a probable human carcinogen and can attack the
nervous system. Both are known to percolate rapidly into the groundwater
when released into the soil, threatening the water supply. Until now
only the mercury spill has received immediate attention, as this is
highly volatile and the vapours pose an immediate threat. While large
amounts of the contaminated soil have been removed, there is still a
residual amount that has entered the groundwater.
The report warns about the lack of action to clear up the
1,2-dichlorethane spill. Fifty percent was released into the ground with
the remainder in the plant’s waste channel. The report explains, “The
fact that the area of contamination has not really spread
1,2-dichlorethane on the surface indicates that any movement from a
surface spill would be downward toward the [local] aquifer. As described
earlier, once contamination has reached the aquifer, it spreads
horizontally in the direction of the groundwater flow” ( Precision
Bombing, Widespread Harm by Sriram Gopal and Nicole Deller, Institute
for Energy and Environmental Research, page.38).
The US Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation for the
concentration of 1,2-dichlorethane in drinking water is set at five
micrograms per litre. The concentrations found in the groundwater around
Pancevo exceeded that by several thousand times in some instances. This
constitutes the main long-term threat in the area as the chemical has a
half-life of 30 years.
Additional sources of toxic pollutants in the area are those released by
fires caused by NATO bombing. At the petrochemical plant, 460 metric
tonnes of vinyl chloride were incinerated whilst 62,000 metric tonnes of
oil and oil related products were burnt at the oil refinery. The result
was a release of hydrochloric acid fumes and nitrogen and sulphur
compounds, which cause respiratory problems. The report states that the
fires at the oil refinery probably released significant amounts of
sulphur dioxide and nitrates, “These two compounds are associated with
acid rain that results from industrial activities.”
A reporter who visited the area noted, “The repeated air strikes on the
industrial complex, which covers several acres, culminated in three huge
hits at 1.00 a.m. on April 18. The bombs sent fireballs into the air and
enveloped Pancevo in clouds of black smoke and milky white gasses.
Flames leapt from the facilities for 10 days.”
An estimated 1,500 tonnes of vinyl chloride, 3,000 times higher than
permitted levels, burned into the air or poured into the soil and river,
according to municipal officials in Pancevo. This has left the banks of
the river edged with white foam that still clogs the canals around the
town. Huge quantities of other noxious chemicals burned or gushed out of
storage facilities, including an estimated 15,000 tonnes of ammonia, 800
tonnes of hydrochloric acid, 250 tonnes of liquid chlorine, vast
quantities of dioxin (a component of Agent Orange and other defoliants)
and 100 tonnes of mercury.
By the dawn of the night attack, dozens of people were hospitalised
gasping for air, or were temporarily blinded or unable to digest food,
witnesses said. At its peak, on the night of April 18, the number of
people evacuated from the town and surrounding villages reached 80,000,
approximately one-tenth of the population.
Kragujevac
The Zastava car plant in Kragujevac, a town with a population of
150,000, was bombed twice, once on April 9 and again on April 12, 1999.
It was hit with a dozen bombs. Before the imposition of sanctions, this
was one of the largest industrial plants in the whole of the Balkans.
In an attempt to deter NATO air strikes, the workers and management at
the plant issued an open letter three days after Operation Allied Force
began explaining that they were forming a human shield around the site.
NATO didn’t alter its plans and 124 people were injured in the
subsequent bombing.
In a further appeal the workers explained, “Tonight, the 9th of April,
the Zastava factory plants in Kragujevac were bombed. The live shield
was broken through. This bombardment has inflicted severe damage to the
factory equipment and almost completely destroyed the energy supply
complex that served not only the Zastava factory, but also the heating
needs of the entire city of Kragujevac: its residential houses, schools,
faculties, hospitals....” [ World Socialist Web Site, April 13, 1999
Workers at Serb car plant bombed by NATO make appeal to world public,
http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/apr1999/zast-a13.shtml%5d
The report concentrates on the dangers posed by the release of
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), a mix of 209 individual chlorinated
compounds generally used as coolants and lubricants in transformers and
other electrical equipment. Since 1977 their manufacture has been
stopped in the US because they are known to pose a severe health risk.
According to ATSDR, the discharge or accidental release of 1 pound or
more of PCBs into the environment should be reported immediately to the
Environmental Protection Agency. It is a probable human carcinogen and
can cause endocrine disruption.
The power station, assembly line, paint shop and computer centre
suffered either major damage or total destruction. Two transformers were
hit and leaked PCBs into the surrounding area. From one transformer
alone 1,400 litres of pyralene oil (transformer oil composed of PCBs and
another highly toxic substance, tricholrobenzenes, otherwise known as
“trike”) leaked into the floor and waste pits. Workers involved in the
initial clean up did not wear protective clothing and some were taken ill.
The transformer at the power station leaked unknown quantities of PCBs
into the Lepenica River via the sewage system. The gravel basin
underneath the transformer was unable to cope with the volume that was
released and the concentrations of PCBs around the rainwater drain were
higher than inside the plant. The operation to remove the contamination
within the plant has largely been completed by UNEP/BTF, but the same
cannot be said about the drainage system outside. Flooding during July
1999 may have spread pollutants in the waterways to nearby low-lying
agricultural areas. Tests for PCB contamination have not been conducted
on the water wells on the shores of the Morava River by either the
city’s public health institute or UNEP/BTF.
The issue of adequate funding raises the question of liability for the
damages, something that NATO refuses to accept responsibility for. To
make matters worse, other Balkan countries are making compensation
claims against Serbia. The report cites the fact that Hungary has
demanded that Serbia refund orders paid for in advance from the
petrochemical plants destroyed during the bombing.
Violation of international humanitarian law
NATO maintained that its military offensive against Yugoslavia was
justified on humanitarian grounds. However, the report questions the
moral and legal authority of Operation Allied Force. NATO’s military
action did not comply with the Geneva Convention and the laws protecting
the lives of non-combatants adopted in 1949 and the two Additional
Protocols that became international law in 1978. Two years ago, Amnesty
International (AI) found NATO responsible for perpetuating war crimes
after demonstrating that it had violated these laws.
While the IEER estimate the number of civilians killed during Operation
Allied Force at 500, Christopher Layne writing for the Cato Institute
estimates that between 1,200 and 2,000 civilians were killed.
As Operation Allied Force progressed, an increasing array of weaponry
was used including cluster bombs and missiles tipped with depleted
uranium (DU). This was carried out under the auspices of downgrading
Yugoslavia’s military capability as the term “dual-use” was stretched to
efface any meaningful distinction between military and civilian
installations. The report cites several cases where existing
international law on discriminating between the former and the latter
were ignored by NATO.
Apart from the oil refinery neither of the case studies in the report
could qualify as playing a critical role militarily. The Zastava car
plant was not involved in arms production at the time. Moreover, even
where a military use can be proven this does not remove the need to
ensure that civilian fatalities are avoided.
The report notes that Article 35 of Additional Protocol I prohibits the
use of weaponry “of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary
suffering” and “methods or means of warfare which are intended, or may
be expected, to cause widespread, long term and severe damage to the
natural environment.”
Of the 19 NATO countries that took part in the bombings, 16 have
ratified Additional Protocol I. Turkey has not, France did so only after
the Operation Allied Force, while the US was signatory to the treaty but
did not ratify it. However, it did ratify the 1977 Convention on the
Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental
Modification Techniques (ENMOD). This came into effect after the Vietnam
War and forbids the use of the environment or environmental modification
as a means of warfare. The bombings of installations storing such large
quantities of toxic substances amounted to a form of chemical warfare.
NATO’s greatest crime was that against peace, the report continues. The
bombing was in breach of international law that only recognises military
force as an act of self-defence. The report cites the United Nations
Charter Article I, paragraph I which explains that its main objective
is: “To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to
take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of
threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts or other breaches
of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity
with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or
settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a
breach of the peace.”
It was to circumvent opposition within the United Nations Security
Council that America launched its military offensive through NATO. At no
stage can it be credibly argued that all means towards a peaceful
settlement in the Kosovo conflict had been exhausted, the report insists.
The US committed over 700 of the 1055 aircraft used in Operation Allied
Force and US aircraft flew more than 29,000 of the 38,000 sorties flown
during the campaign. However, it is impossible to say whether it was US
aircraft that bombed the facilities in Pancevo and Kragujevac as this
information has not been declassified. Attempts by IEER to obtain the
targeting criteria used during the bombings under the Freedom of
Information Act was rejected by the US Department of Defense, which
handed over 42 blank pages marked “classified”. An analysis of Yugoslav
bombing campaign carried out this year by the US General Accounting
Office, the investigative arm of Congress, remains classified as well.
Copyright 1998-2002
World Socialist Web Site
All rights reserved
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