Informazione
[Le elezioni nella Republika Srpska non hanno avuto l'esito desiderato
e la Cia si sforza di rovesciare la situazione, e di imporre una
"propria" gestione unificata per entrambe le "entita'" della
Bosnia-Erzegovina...
I dispacci ANSA - tratti dalla URL
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/jugoslavia/jugoslavia.shtml -
sono qui riportati in ordine cronologico inverso.]
JUGOSLAVIA: VENDITA ARMI A IRAQ, NUOVO DIRETTORE JUGOIMPORT
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 5 NOV - Stevan Nikcevic, viceministro degli interni
jugoslavo, e' stato nominato oggi a capo della societa' a
partecipazione statale Jugoimport, recentemente implicata in un grave
scandalo per esportazione illegale di armi verso l'Iraq.
Nikcevic sostituisce il generale in pensione Jovan Cekovic, silurato
proprio a causa dello scandalo. La vicenda continua a crescere nel
paese, con nuove rivelazioni che appaiono ormai quasi quotidianamente
sulla stampa.
Stasera e' atteso a Belgrado il ministro degli esteri britannico Jack
Strow. Il tema delle esportazioni illegali di armi via Belgrado verso
paesi interdetti da embargo dovrebbe essere il tema centrale dei suoi
previsti incontri con il presidente jugoslavo Vojislav Kostunica, il
ministro degli esteri Goran Svilanovic, il vicepremier serbo Neobojsa
Covic e altri esponenti governativi. (ANSA). 05/11/2002 16:35
BOSNIA: NATO, ISPEZIONE CASERMA E AEROPORTO DI BANJA LUKA
(ANSA) - SARAJEVO, 05 NOV - La Forza di stabilizzazione della Nato
(Sfor) ha ispezionato oggi la caserma di Zaluzani e l'aeroporto
militare Mahovljani, nei pressi di Banja Luka, capoluogo della
Republika Srpska (Rs, entita' serba di Bosnia). Lo ha reso noto la
televisione di Sarajevo. La Sfor non ha voluto commentare le ipotesi
che l'ispezione di oggi, definita di routine, sia collegata a quella
fatta il 12 ottobre nella societa' militare Orao di Bijeljina, quando
furono trovate prove sulle forniture, tramite l'agenzia governativa di
Belgrado Jugoimport, di pezzi di ricambio e assistenza tecnica
all'aeronautica di Baghdad. Mentre i militari della Nato controllavano
la caserma e l'aeroporto dell'esercito serbo bosniaco, un'altra
ispezione si e' svolta, con un'imponente dispiegamento delle unita'
di polizia militare, nella societa' Kosmos, sempre a Banja Luka. Il
direttore della Kosmos, generale Cvijetko Savic, ha dichiarato che
gli ispettori, dello stato maggiore e del ministero della difesa
della Rs, hanno controllato tutti i contratti della societa' sulle
forniture di materiali militari. Dopo lo scandalo della violazione
dell'embargo contro l'Iraq, oltre ai dirigenti della Orao, il governo
della Rs ha silurato il ministro della difesa Slobodan Bilic e il
capo di stato maggiore dell'esercito Rs Novica Simic, ma la comunita'
internazionale insiste perche' sia condotta un'inchiesta dettagliata e
trasparente per individuare tutti i responsabili, senza escludere
''ripercussioni'' contro i leader politici se sara' accertato che sono
implicati nella vendita di materiali militari all'Iraq. Il
viceministro della difesa della Federazione Bh (croato musulmana)
Ferid Buljubasic ha annunciato oggi che anche in questa entita'
saranno effettuati dettagliati controlli delle nove aziende di
produzione militare. Il governo centrale bosniaco ha vietato intanto
ogni commercio di armamenti ed equipaggiamenti militari fino a che non
sara' definito un nuovo sistema di controllo dell'industria militare a
livello dello Stato di Bosnia Erzegovina, che non ha un ministero
della difesa. Sono le due entita' in cui e' divisa la Bosnia
dall'accordo di pace di Dayton, la Rs e la Federazione Bh (croato
musulmana), ad avere invece ciascuna un esercito e un ministero della
difesa. Ora la comunita' internazionale insiste perche' siano creati
strumenti di controllo e istituzioni a livello dello Stato. Un unico
comando delle forze armate e un ministero della difesa e' anche la
condizione prima per l'entrata della Bosnia nel partenariato per la
pace della Nato. (ANSA). COR*VD 05/11/2002 19:45
IRAQ: TARGATO BELGRADO IL BUNKER D'ORO DI SADDAM / ANSA
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 5 NOV - Maniglie, rubinetteria e decorazioni in oro
massiccio, pavimenti e pareti ricoperti dei marmi piu' pregiati
provenienti da ogni angolo del mondo: sembra uscito da una favola
delle 'Mille e una notte' il bunker segreto del presidente iracheno
Saddam Hussein, nel racconto che ne ha fatto alla stampa serba il
supervisore dei lavori, l'ex generale jugoslavo Sreten Cupic. Cupic,
ingegnere militare ormai in pensione, e' ancora molto reticente in
proposito: ''Non posso descrivere tutto - dice in una intervista al
quotidiano Blic - perche' esistono vincoli contrattuali tuttora in
vigore. Non chiedetemi quindi se sotto quel bunker, progettato per
resistere a un attacco atomico, ci sia una vera e propria citta' di
fedelissimi, come vorrebbero le voci. Ma una cosa ve la dico per
certa: quando abbiamo iniziato la costruzione, nel 1981, quello
era il progetto piu' costoso dell'anno in tutto il mondo. Pensate, un
miliardo e cento milioni di dollari, a quell'epoca''. Del lusso
sfrenato di quel rifugio pero' l'ingegner Cupic non fa mistero:
''Vedevo arrivare carichi e carichi degli arredi piu' costosi, di
marmi, legni pregiati e oro, tantissimo oro. Panorama a parte, quel
bunker non ha nulla da invidiare alle ville piu' sontuose del globo,
tranne forse il buon gusto''. La reggia sotterranea di Saddam, per
quanto suggestiva (progetto segreto codice 1100, costruito da operai
militari) non e' la sola opera monumentale, ne' certamente la piu'
pericolosa costruita da Belgrado in Iraq fra gli anni '70 e gli anni
'80. ''Dal 1976 al 1982 ero capo dei nostri progetti commerciali
militari per gli iracheni - racconta Cupic - e abbiamo fatto affari
d'oro. Le commesse raggiungevano cifre di 600-800 milioni di
dollari l'anno, con una punta di 2,5 miliardi di anticipi nell' '81,
l'anno di avvio dei lavori del bunker''. Fra le decine di opere -
''avevamo 70 cantieri aperti, un numero di operai jugoslavi attorno
alle 20.000 unita', con punte di 26.000 in alcuni momenti'' - la piu'
inquietante e' il gigantesco complesso chimico etichettato in codice
Kol1: 17 fabbriche di esplosivi, gas e quant'altro sparse su un'area
di 70 chilometri quadrati, ''che per essere visitata interamente
richiede almeno quattro giorni. E' la base della loro industria
militare'', afferma l'ingegnere. E ancora: tre fabbriche di armi -
soprattutto fucili a ripetizione e kalashnikov - e una di munizioni,
tre grandi basi aeronautiche e una piu' piccola, tutte dotate di
hangar sotterranei ''grandi come citta''', il tutto concentrato in
una regione di 500 chilometri attorno a Baghdad. Nonche' fabbriche per
la riparazione di carri armati, postazioni militari di comando sparse
un po' in tutto il paese, i quartier generali dello stato maggiore e
dell'aeronautica.
''Tutte le societa' jugoslave in quegli anni - ricorda Cupic - erano
coinvolte e facevano grandi affari con l'Iraq, era il periodo d'oro
dei paesi non allineati. Oltre a Jugoimport, che come e' stato
dimostrato ha continuato a lavorare in Iraq anche dopo l'avvento
della democrazia in Serbia, operavano a Baghdad le maggiori imprese
costruttrici jugoslave, come Energoproject e Rad, le fabbriche di
esplosivi come la Prva Iskra di Baric o la Zastava di Kragujevac''.
Ora, con lo scandalo Jugoimport che sembra allargarsi a macchia
d'olio, Washington potrebbe presentare a Belgrado un conto salato per
quella collaborazione mai interrotta: ''Penso - afferma il navigato
ingegnere - che ci sia un fondamento di verita' nelle voci che
ho sentito di una consegna dei nostri progetti iracheni agli Stati
Uniti, per uscire fuori da questa situazione''. (ANSA). OT 05/11/2002
20:04
IRAQ: GB CHIEDE A JUGOSLAVIA DI CESSARE VENDITA ARMI
(ANSA-AFP) - LONDRA, 31 OTT - Il ministro degli Esteri britannico Jack
Straw ha chiesto alla Jugoslavia di cessare le vendite di armi
all'Iraq e alla Liberia, in violazione delle sanzioni imposte
dall'Onu, in occasione di un incontro, ieri a Londra, con il collega
jugoslavo Goran Svilanovic.
In un comunicato, Straw afferma di aver espresso la sua ''seria
preoccupazione riguardo a informazioni su vendite d'armi dalla
Repubblica federale jugoslava all'Iraq''. ''Ho anche evocato altre
violazioni di sanzioni dell'Onu'', ha aggiunto il segretario al
Foreign Office, menzionando forniture d'armi alla Liberia. ''Ho
sollecitato Svilanovic ad assicurarsi che codeste vendite d'armi
siano oggetto di un'inchiesta approfondita, che porti se necessario a
procedimenti giudiziari'', ha proseguito Straw. Il ministro ha
altresi' espresso preoccupazione per la mancanza di una cooperazione
piena di Belgrado con il Tribunale penale internazionale sulla ex
Jugoslavia (Tpi), annunciando di aver chiesto un ''accesso completo ai
documenti e ai testimoni, compresi gli ufficiali e il personale
militare'' e il trasferimento all'Aja di ''tutti gli imputati che si
trovano sul territorio'' jugoslavo. La compagnia statale jugoslava
Jugoimport e' stata chiamata in causa dalle autorita' della Republika
Srpska (Rs, entita' serba di Bosnia) in relazione a forniture a
Baghdad di pezzi di ricambio per aerei militari prodotti dalla ditta
serbo-bosniaca Orao. Belgrado ha licenziato due persone sospettate di
coinvolgimento in vendite d'armi illegali e ordinato un' inchiesta
sulle attivita' di Jugoimport. (ANSA-AFP). DIG
31/10/2002 02:19
JUGOSLAVIA: LIBIA, GRUPPO IMPRESE AIUTO' A PRODURRE MISSILI
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 30 OTT - Un gruppo di imprese jugoslave avrebbe
aiutato in passato la Libia a sviluppare un programma missilistico a
lungo raggio, vettori capaci di raggiungere Israele e di trasportare
anche armi di distruzione di massa. Lo rivela il settimanale 'Nedeljni
Telegraf', che pubblica un documento di protesta degli Stati Uniti nei
confronti di Belgrado. ''Gli Stati Uniti - si legge nel documento
pubblicato - si oppongono a qualsiasi cooperazione di tipo
missilistico con la Libia e l'Iraq e lavora attivamente per impedire
l'acceso (di Libia e Iraq) a tecnologie ed equipaggiamento
missilistici''. Secondo quanto sostenuto nel documento Usa, il
missile libico in questione e' capace di trasportare una testata di
500 chili ad una distanza di 1.500 chilometri, includendo dunque fra
i propri obiettivi Israele, tutto il Medio Oriente e anche il sud
d'Europa, Italia compresa. Nei confronti della Libia le sanzioni Onu
sono state sospese alcuni anni fa quando Tripoli consegno' i suoi
agenti sospettati della strage di Lockerbie. Ma la diffusione delle
tecnologie di supporto alle armi di distruzione di massa e' messa al
bando dal Regime di controllo sulla tecnologia missilistica, del
1987. (ANSA). COR-GV 30/10/2002 19:39
IRAQ: ARMI BOSNIA, DIMISSIONI MINISTRO DIFESA ENTITA' SERBA
(ANSA-AFP) - BANJA LUKA (BOSNIA ERZEGOVINA), 29 OTT - Il ministro
della difesa della Republika Srpska (Rs, entita' serba di
Bosnia) Slobodan Bilic, e il capo di stato maggiore dell'esercito,
Novica Simic, si sono dimessi in seguito allo scandalo delle forniture
di armi all'Iraq in violazione dell'embargo imposto dall'Onu. Lo ha
annunciato ieri un comunicato del Consiglio superiore di Difesa della
Rs. Il comunicato e' stato diramato al termine di una riunione durata
diverse ore del Consiglio superiore, che include il presidente della
Rs Mirko Sarovic e il premier Mladen Ivanic, e precisa che le
dimissioni dei due sono state accettate. Il Consiglio superiore
''ritiene che tale atto contribuisca a migliorare la posizione
internazionale delle Republika Srpska e della Bosnia, malgrado il
fatto che non vi sia una responsabilita' diretta'' dei due
dimissionari nella vicenda. Il 23 ottobre scorso la Rs aveva ammesso
che la societa' Orao (aquila), azienda serbo bosniaca che lavora per
l'esercito della Rs, aveva fabbricato componenti destinate ad aerei
caccia iracheni e che tali pezzi erano stati consegnati tramite la
compagnia jugoslava Jugoimport. Il 23 e 24 ottobre erano stati
silurati il direttore generale della Jugoimport, il generale in
pensione Jovan Cekovic, il direttore della Orao Milan Prica, il
comandante dell'Aeronautica col. Milan Vlacic e il capo della
Direzione del ministero della difesa per il traffico di materiali
militari e armamenti, Spasoje Orasanin.(ANSA-AFP). MC 29/10/2002
08:03
IRAQ: EMBARGO ARMI, SILURATI TRE FUNZIONARI SERBO-BOSNIACI
(ANSA) - SARAJEVO, 24 OTT - Il governo della Republika Srpska (Rs,
entita' serba di Bosnia) ha deciso oggi la destituzione di tre persone
responsabili delle forniture di materiale militare all'Iraq da parte
dell'istituto dell'aeronautica militare 'Orao' di Bijeljina, in
violazione dell'embargo dell'Onu. Lo ha reso noto l'agenzia di stampa
Fena citando un comunicato diffuso questo pomeriggio a Banja Luka.
Nel corso di una riunione straordinaria del governo, alla quale ha
presenziato anche il presidente uscente della Rs Mirko Sarovic, sono
stati rimossi il direttore della Orao Milan Prica, il comandante
dell'Aeronautica col. Milan Vlacic e il capo della Direzione del
ministero della difesa per il traffico di materiali militari e
armamenti, Spasoje Orasanin.
''Il governo ha anche ordinato al ministero della difesa - si dice nel
comunicato - di condurre dettagliate indagini per accertare eventuali
responsabilita' dirette di altri funzionari e ufficiali''.
I documenti sequestrati il 12 ottobre dalla Forza di stabilizzazione
della Nato in Bosnia (Sfor) presso la Orao, hanno confermato le accuse
degli Usa, che risalgono ai primi di settembre, secondo cui la Orao
ha fornito a Baghdad, tramite l'agenzia governativa Jugoimport di
Belgrado, materiali per la manutenzione e la revisione dei motori di
aerei Mig-21 e Mig-29 e l'assistenza tecnica.
Martedi' sera il governo jugoslavo ha destituito il direttore della
Jugoimport, il generale in pensione Jovan Cekovic, e il viceministro
della difesa per le questioni economiche Ivan Djokic, ordinando la
chiusura dell'ufficio della societa' a Baghdad.
Accusato dagli Usa di lungaggini nell'inchiesta, il governo
serbo-bosniaco ieri ha ammesso la violazione dell'embargo contro
l'Iraq ed ha promesso sanzioni contro i responsabili.
Secondo quanto scrive oggi il quotidiano di Banja Luka Nezavisne
novine, tra le prove schiaccianti ritrovate dalla Sfor ci sarebbe
anche il contratto della Jugoimport con la 'Al bashair trade company'
di Baghdad, che prevede, oltre la fornitura di pezzi di ricambio, la
revisione da parte dei tecnici della Orao dei motori dei Mig21 e
Mig29 dall'ottobre 2000 all'ottobre 2005, per un ammontare di 8,5
milioni di dollari all'anno. (ANSA).
COR*VD 24-OTT-02 19:27 NNNN 24/10/2002 20:22
IRAQ: GOVERNO SERBOBOSNIACO AMMETTE VIOLAZIONE EMBARGO ARMI
(ANSA) - SARAJEVO, 23 OTT - Il governo della Republika Srpska (Rs,
entita' serba di Bosnia) ha ammesso oggi la violazione dell'embargo
sulla vendita di armi all'Iraq. Lo ha reso noto la televisione
bosniaca. In una conferenza stampa Cvijeta Kovacevic, la portavoce del
governo ha ammesso che ''le informazioni mostrano l'esistenza di una
violazione dell'embargo''. ''Il governo ritiene necessarie le
sanzioni - ha aggiunto la portavoce - contro i dirigenti dell'azienda
Orao, dello stato maggiore e del ministero della difesa della Rs''. La
Forza di stabilizzazione della Nato in Bosnia (Sfor) ha raccolto le
prove dell'esportazione in Iraq di materiale militare da parte
dell'azienda militare Orao di Bijeljina, nella Rs, tramite la
Jugoimport di Belgrado. (ANSA) COR-VD 23/10/2002 16:17
IRAQ: VIOLAZIONE EMBARGO ARMI, DJINDJIC CRITICA KOSTUNICA
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 23 OTT - Il primo ministro serbo Zoran Djindjic ha
accusato il presidente jugoslavo Vojislav Kostunica di ''mancanza di
professionalita''' per lo scandalo delle forniture di materiale
bellico bosniaco all'Iraq tramite la societa' di Belgrado
'Jugoimport', in violazione dell'embargo di armi contro Baghdad. La
vicenda, ha sottolineato Djindjic, ''danneggia seriamente la nostra
immagine all'estero. Credo che il presidente jugoslavo, come
comandante in capo dell'esercito, debba occuparsi di tali questioni, e
il non averlo fatto e' indice di mancanza di professionalita' ''. Lo
scandalo, ieri discusso dal governo federale in una riunione di
emergenza, ha gia' portato al siluramento del direttore di
'Jugoimport', il generale in pensione Jovan Cekovic, e del
viceministro della difesa incaricato delle quetioni economiche Ivan
Djokic, nonche' all'ordine di chiudere l'ufficio di Baghdad della
societa'. (ANSA). OT 23/10/2002 17:02
IRAQ: GOVERNO SERBOBOSNIACO AMMETTE VIOLAZIONE EMBARGO ARMI
(ANSA) - SARAJEVO, 23 OTT - Il governo della Republika Srpska (Rs,
entita' serba di Bosnia) ha ammesso oggi la violazione dell'embargo
sulla vendita di armi all'Iraq. Lo ha reso noto la televisione
bosniaca. In una conferenza stampa Cvijeta Kovacevic, la portavoce del
governo ha ammesso che ''le informazioni mostrano l'esistenza di una
violazione dell'embargo''. ''Il governo ritiene necessarie le
sanzioni - ha aggiunto la portavoce - contro i dirigenti dell'azienda
Orao, dello stato maggiore e del ministero della difesa della Rs''.
La Forza di stabilizzazione della Nato in Bosnia (Sfor) ha raccolto
le prove dell'esportazione in Iraq di materiale militare da parte
dell'azienda militare Orao di Bijeljina, nella Rs, tramite la
Jugoimport di Belgrado. (ANSA) COR-VD 23/10/2002 16:17
IRAQ: FORNITURE BOSNIA, SILURATO CAPO JUGOIMPORT
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 22 OTT - Il direttore generale della societa'
Jugoimport, il generale in pensione Jovan Cekovic, e' stato silurato
per decisione del governo federale jugoslavo al termine di una
riunione di emergenza dedicata allo scandalo della fornitura di
assistenza militare all'Iraq. Lo riferisce la televisione di stato
Rts. Jugoimport, stando alla stampa balcanica, aveva funto da tramite
fra Baghdad e la fabbrica serbo-bosniaca di aeroplani Orao (aquila)
per la manutenzione e riparazione dei motori dei Mig-21 e Mig-29 in
dotazione alle forze armate irachene. Stando alle rivelazioni dei
quotidiani, che citavano materiale sequestrato a Bijeljina
(Repubblica Srpska, l'entita' serba bosniaca) dai soldati della Sfor
(la forza di stabilizzazione della Nato in Bosnia), Orao e Jugoimport
avrebbero fornito a Baghdad ricambi e personale specializzato, nonche'
dettagliate istruzioni su come smontare varie componenti in modo da
superare eventuali controlli da parte degli ispettori dell'Onu.
Jugoimport aveva oggi smentito coinvolgimenti nella vicenda,
affermando di non avere rapporti d'affari con l'Iraq dagli anni '90 e
di avere tenuto aperto il suo ufficio di Baghdad solo per recuperare
crediti per 1,3 miliardi di dollari risalenti agli anni '70-80.
(ANSA). OT 22/10/2002 20:47
IRAQ: FORNITURE BOSNIA, RIUNIONE A BELGRADO SU JUGOIMPORT
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 22 OTT - Il governo federale jugoslavo ha indetto
una riunione di emergenza per fare luce sulle notizie di stampa che
riguardano il coinvolgimento della societa' Jugoimport nella
fornitura all'Iraq di tecnici e materiale della fabbrica
serbo-bosniaca Orao per la manutenzione di aerei militari Mig-21 e
Mig-29. Alla riunione partecipano il premier federale Dragisa Pesic,
il vicepremier Miroljub Labus, il ministro degli interni Zoran
Zivkovic e il ministro degli interni serbo Dusan Mihajlovic,
quest'ultimo presidente del comitato di controllo sulle attivita'
della Jugoimport. ''Ne' io, ne' il comitato eravamo stati informati
della vicenda'', ha dichiarato Mihajlovic ai giornalisti sottolineando
che la Serbia ''e' schierata col fronte internazionale per la lotta
al terrorismo e rispetta i regimi di sanzioni'' e che una
''approfondita indagine'' e' stata ordinata non solo nei confronti
della Jugoimport, ma anche delle altre aziende produttrici di
armamenti del paese. La Jugoimport, un tempo interamente controllata
dalle forze armate jugoslave, ha tutt'ora al vertice un generale,
Jovan Cekovic, e il capo del suo ufficio di Baghdad, Krsto Grujovic,
e' un colonnello. Alla riunione del governo federale non prende parte
il capo di stato maggiore ad interim Branko Krga, impegnato in
una visita in Repubblica ceca, ne' si ha notizia della presenza di
altri rappresentanti delle forze armate. (ANSA) OT 22/10/2002 18:02
IRAQ: DA BOSNIA VIA SERBIA MATERIALE E TECNICI, STAMPA
(ANSA) - SARAJEVO, 22 OTT - I documenti sequestrati dalla Forza di
stabilizzazione della Nato in Bosnia (Sfor) presso l'istituto
dell'aeronautica Orao di Bijeljina, confermano le accuse degli Usa
secondo cui la Orao ha fornito a Baghdad, tramite Belgrado, materiali
per la manutenzione e la revisione dei motori di aerei Mig-21 e
Mig-29, in violazione delle risoluzioni del Consiglio di sicurezza
dell'Onu. Lo scrive oggi il quotidiano di Sarajevo Oslobodjenje
richiamandosi a fonti che hanno chiesto l'anonimato. Secondo le fonti,
i tecnici della Orao, rimasti a tutt'oggi in Iraq, stanno febbrilmente
cercando, prima dell'arrivo degli ispettori dell'Onu, di nascondere
le tracce da documenti, impianti e pezzi di ricambio, numeri di serie,
insegne e marchi della Orao, libretti di istruzioni in serbo-croato.
Prima della ispezione della Sfor il 12 ottobre scorso, Washington
aveva protestato con il governo centrale di Sarajevo per la fornitura
di materiali militari da parte ''di un'impresa della Republika
Srpska'' (Rs, entita' serba di Bosnia) ed e' stata avviata un'indagine
dal ministero di difesa della Rs. Ma, secondo gli americani, scrive
ancora il giornale, l'inchiesta non viene condotta seriamente,
nonostante alla commissione ministeriale siano stati messi a
disposizioni alcuni documenti ritrovati dalla Sfor. La Bosnia ora,
secondo Oslobojenje, rischia sanzioni. ''I rappresentanti degli Usa
hanno offerto alle autorita' della Rs l'opportunita' di condurre
un'inchiesta autonoma - ha detto la fonte - e di intraprendere le
misure contro i responsabili, ma ora stanno perdendo la pazienza''.
''Sono possibili - ha aggiunto - vari tipi di sanzioni contro la
Bosnia, la Rs, le singole imprese come la Orao, ma anche singoli
individui''. In sanzioni potrebbe incorrere anche la Jugoslavia,
scrive oggi dal suo canto il quotidiano di Belgrado 'Blic' rivelando
che e' la societa' 'Jugoimport' di Belgrado che da tempo esporta in
Iraq il materiale militare della Orao. La Jugoimport ha anche un
ufficio di rappresentanza a Baghdad, il direttore del quale, Krsto
Grujovic, ha firmato una lettera - datata 25 settembre e ritrovata
dalla Sfor a Bijeljina, in cui si danno istruzioni agli iracheni su
come deve essere mascherata la provenienza degli impianti e dei
ricambi forniti. I tecnici presenti in Iraq, che secondo
Blic sono jugoslavi, si dice ancora nella lettera, potranno
smantellare alcuni impianti in dieci giorni e rimontarli di nuovo,
sempre in dieci giorni, dopo il passaggio degli ispettori dell'Onu.
Buone relazioni commerciali in campo militare tra Belgrado e Baghdad
risalgono ancora all'epoca della Jugoslavia di Tito e secondo fonti
bene informate, Belgrado le ha mantenute anche dopo la dissoluzione
dell'ex Jugoslavia. L'istituto dell'aeronautica Orao (Aquila),
situato prima della guerra (1992-95) a Rajlovac, alla periferia di
Sarajevo, e' stato trasferito dall'esercito federale jugoslavo durante
l'assedio della capitale bosniaca nel nord-est della Bosnia, vicino al
confine jugoslavo, a Bijeljina, citta' che oggi fa parte della
Rs. La Rs e la Federazione Bh (croato musulmana), le due entita' che
compongono la Bosnia secondo l'accordo di pace di Dayton (1995), hanno
ciascuna un proprio esercito e ministero della difesa e le forze
armate e l'industria militare della Rs sono rimaste anche dopo la
guerra fortemente legate con la Jugoslavia: fino al marzo scorso gli
alti ufficiali dell' esercito della Rs sono stati sul libro paga di
Belgrado. (ANSA) COR*VD 22/10/2002 16:15
e la Cia si sforza di rovesciare la situazione, e di imporre una
"propria" gestione unificata per entrambe le "entita'" della
Bosnia-Erzegovina...
I dispacci ANSA - tratti dalla URL
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/jugoslavia/jugoslavia.shtml -
sono qui riportati in ordine cronologico inverso.]
JUGOSLAVIA: VENDITA ARMI A IRAQ, NUOVO DIRETTORE JUGOIMPORT
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 5 NOV - Stevan Nikcevic, viceministro degli interni
jugoslavo, e' stato nominato oggi a capo della societa' a
partecipazione statale Jugoimport, recentemente implicata in un grave
scandalo per esportazione illegale di armi verso l'Iraq.
Nikcevic sostituisce il generale in pensione Jovan Cekovic, silurato
proprio a causa dello scandalo. La vicenda continua a crescere nel
paese, con nuove rivelazioni che appaiono ormai quasi quotidianamente
sulla stampa.
Stasera e' atteso a Belgrado il ministro degli esteri britannico Jack
Strow. Il tema delle esportazioni illegali di armi via Belgrado verso
paesi interdetti da embargo dovrebbe essere il tema centrale dei suoi
previsti incontri con il presidente jugoslavo Vojislav Kostunica, il
ministro degli esteri Goran Svilanovic, il vicepremier serbo Neobojsa
Covic e altri esponenti governativi. (ANSA). 05/11/2002 16:35
BOSNIA: NATO, ISPEZIONE CASERMA E AEROPORTO DI BANJA LUKA
(ANSA) - SARAJEVO, 05 NOV - La Forza di stabilizzazione della Nato
(Sfor) ha ispezionato oggi la caserma di Zaluzani e l'aeroporto
militare Mahovljani, nei pressi di Banja Luka, capoluogo della
Republika Srpska (Rs, entita' serba di Bosnia). Lo ha reso noto la
televisione di Sarajevo. La Sfor non ha voluto commentare le ipotesi
che l'ispezione di oggi, definita di routine, sia collegata a quella
fatta il 12 ottobre nella societa' militare Orao di Bijeljina, quando
furono trovate prove sulle forniture, tramite l'agenzia governativa di
Belgrado Jugoimport, di pezzi di ricambio e assistenza tecnica
all'aeronautica di Baghdad. Mentre i militari della Nato controllavano
la caserma e l'aeroporto dell'esercito serbo bosniaco, un'altra
ispezione si e' svolta, con un'imponente dispiegamento delle unita'
di polizia militare, nella societa' Kosmos, sempre a Banja Luka. Il
direttore della Kosmos, generale Cvijetko Savic, ha dichiarato che
gli ispettori, dello stato maggiore e del ministero della difesa
della Rs, hanno controllato tutti i contratti della societa' sulle
forniture di materiali militari. Dopo lo scandalo della violazione
dell'embargo contro l'Iraq, oltre ai dirigenti della Orao, il governo
della Rs ha silurato il ministro della difesa Slobodan Bilic e il
capo di stato maggiore dell'esercito Rs Novica Simic, ma la comunita'
internazionale insiste perche' sia condotta un'inchiesta dettagliata e
trasparente per individuare tutti i responsabili, senza escludere
''ripercussioni'' contro i leader politici se sara' accertato che sono
implicati nella vendita di materiali militari all'Iraq. Il
viceministro della difesa della Federazione Bh (croato musulmana)
Ferid Buljubasic ha annunciato oggi che anche in questa entita'
saranno effettuati dettagliati controlli delle nove aziende di
produzione militare. Il governo centrale bosniaco ha vietato intanto
ogni commercio di armamenti ed equipaggiamenti militari fino a che non
sara' definito un nuovo sistema di controllo dell'industria militare a
livello dello Stato di Bosnia Erzegovina, che non ha un ministero
della difesa. Sono le due entita' in cui e' divisa la Bosnia
dall'accordo di pace di Dayton, la Rs e la Federazione Bh (croato
musulmana), ad avere invece ciascuna un esercito e un ministero della
difesa. Ora la comunita' internazionale insiste perche' siano creati
strumenti di controllo e istituzioni a livello dello Stato. Un unico
comando delle forze armate e un ministero della difesa e' anche la
condizione prima per l'entrata della Bosnia nel partenariato per la
pace della Nato. (ANSA). COR*VD 05/11/2002 19:45
IRAQ: TARGATO BELGRADO IL BUNKER D'ORO DI SADDAM / ANSA
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 5 NOV - Maniglie, rubinetteria e decorazioni in oro
massiccio, pavimenti e pareti ricoperti dei marmi piu' pregiati
provenienti da ogni angolo del mondo: sembra uscito da una favola
delle 'Mille e una notte' il bunker segreto del presidente iracheno
Saddam Hussein, nel racconto che ne ha fatto alla stampa serba il
supervisore dei lavori, l'ex generale jugoslavo Sreten Cupic. Cupic,
ingegnere militare ormai in pensione, e' ancora molto reticente in
proposito: ''Non posso descrivere tutto - dice in una intervista al
quotidiano Blic - perche' esistono vincoli contrattuali tuttora in
vigore. Non chiedetemi quindi se sotto quel bunker, progettato per
resistere a un attacco atomico, ci sia una vera e propria citta' di
fedelissimi, come vorrebbero le voci. Ma una cosa ve la dico per
certa: quando abbiamo iniziato la costruzione, nel 1981, quello
era il progetto piu' costoso dell'anno in tutto il mondo. Pensate, un
miliardo e cento milioni di dollari, a quell'epoca''. Del lusso
sfrenato di quel rifugio pero' l'ingegner Cupic non fa mistero:
''Vedevo arrivare carichi e carichi degli arredi piu' costosi, di
marmi, legni pregiati e oro, tantissimo oro. Panorama a parte, quel
bunker non ha nulla da invidiare alle ville piu' sontuose del globo,
tranne forse il buon gusto''. La reggia sotterranea di Saddam, per
quanto suggestiva (progetto segreto codice 1100, costruito da operai
militari) non e' la sola opera monumentale, ne' certamente la piu'
pericolosa costruita da Belgrado in Iraq fra gli anni '70 e gli anni
'80. ''Dal 1976 al 1982 ero capo dei nostri progetti commerciali
militari per gli iracheni - racconta Cupic - e abbiamo fatto affari
d'oro. Le commesse raggiungevano cifre di 600-800 milioni di
dollari l'anno, con una punta di 2,5 miliardi di anticipi nell' '81,
l'anno di avvio dei lavori del bunker''. Fra le decine di opere -
''avevamo 70 cantieri aperti, un numero di operai jugoslavi attorno
alle 20.000 unita', con punte di 26.000 in alcuni momenti'' - la piu'
inquietante e' il gigantesco complesso chimico etichettato in codice
Kol1: 17 fabbriche di esplosivi, gas e quant'altro sparse su un'area
di 70 chilometri quadrati, ''che per essere visitata interamente
richiede almeno quattro giorni. E' la base della loro industria
militare'', afferma l'ingegnere. E ancora: tre fabbriche di armi -
soprattutto fucili a ripetizione e kalashnikov - e una di munizioni,
tre grandi basi aeronautiche e una piu' piccola, tutte dotate di
hangar sotterranei ''grandi come citta''', il tutto concentrato in
una regione di 500 chilometri attorno a Baghdad. Nonche' fabbriche per
la riparazione di carri armati, postazioni militari di comando sparse
un po' in tutto il paese, i quartier generali dello stato maggiore e
dell'aeronautica.
''Tutte le societa' jugoslave in quegli anni - ricorda Cupic - erano
coinvolte e facevano grandi affari con l'Iraq, era il periodo d'oro
dei paesi non allineati. Oltre a Jugoimport, che come e' stato
dimostrato ha continuato a lavorare in Iraq anche dopo l'avvento
della democrazia in Serbia, operavano a Baghdad le maggiori imprese
costruttrici jugoslave, come Energoproject e Rad, le fabbriche di
esplosivi come la Prva Iskra di Baric o la Zastava di Kragujevac''.
Ora, con lo scandalo Jugoimport che sembra allargarsi a macchia
d'olio, Washington potrebbe presentare a Belgrado un conto salato per
quella collaborazione mai interrotta: ''Penso - afferma il navigato
ingegnere - che ci sia un fondamento di verita' nelle voci che
ho sentito di una consegna dei nostri progetti iracheni agli Stati
Uniti, per uscire fuori da questa situazione''. (ANSA). OT 05/11/2002
20:04
IRAQ: GB CHIEDE A JUGOSLAVIA DI CESSARE VENDITA ARMI
(ANSA-AFP) - LONDRA, 31 OTT - Il ministro degli Esteri britannico Jack
Straw ha chiesto alla Jugoslavia di cessare le vendite di armi
all'Iraq e alla Liberia, in violazione delle sanzioni imposte
dall'Onu, in occasione di un incontro, ieri a Londra, con il collega
jugoslavo Goran Svilanovic.
In un comunicato, Straw afferma di aver espresso la sua ''seria
preoccupazione riguardo a informazioni su vendite d'armi dalla
Repubblica federale jugoslava all'Iraq''. ''Ho anche evocato altre
violazioni di sanzioni dell'Onu'', ha aggiunto il segretario al
Foreign Office, menzionando forniture d'armi alla Liberia. ''Ho
sollecitato Svilanovic ad assicurarsi che codeste vendite d'armi
siano oggetto di un'inchiesta approfondita, che porti se necessario a
procedimenti giudiziari'', ha proseguito Straw. Il ministro ha
altresi' espresso preoccupazione per la mancanza di una cooperazione
piena di Belgrado con il Tribunale penale internazionale sulla ex
Jugoslavia (Tpi), annunciando di aver chiesto un ''accesso completo ai
documenti e ai testimoni, compresi gli ufficiali e il personale
militare'' e il trasferimento all'Aja di ''tutti gli imputati che si
trovano sul territorio'' jugoslavo. La compagnia statale jugoslava
Jugoimport e' stata chiamata in causa dalle autorita' della Republika
Srpska (Rs, entita' serba di Bosnia) in relazione a forniture a
Baghdad di pezzi di ricambio per aerei militari prodotti dalla ditta
serbo-bosniaca Orao. Belgrado ha licenziato due persone sospettate di
coinvolgimento in vendite d'armi illegali e ordinato un' inchiesta
sulle attivita' di Jugoimport. (ANSA-AFP). DIG
31/10/2002 02:19
JUGOSLAVIA: LIBIA, GRUPPO IMPRESE AIUTO' A PRODURRE MISSILI
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 30 OTT - Un gruppo di imprese jugoslave avrebbe
aiutato in passato la Libia a sviluppare un programma missilistico a
lungo raggio, vettori capaci di raggiungere Israele e di trasportare
anche armi di distruzione di massa. Lo rivela il settimanale 'Nedeljni
Telegraf', che pubblica un documento di protesta degli Stati Uniti nei
confronti di Belgrado. ''Gli Stati Uniti - si legge nel documento
pubblicato - si oppongono a qualsiasi cooperazione di tipo
missilistico con la Libia e l'Iraq e lavora attivamente per impedire
l'acceso (di Libia e Iraq) a tecnologie ed equipaggiamento
missilistici''. Secondo quanto sostenuto nel documento Usa, il
missile libico in questione e' capace di trasportare una testata di
500 chili ad una distanza di 1.500 chilometri, includendo dunque fra
i propri obiettivi Israele, tutto il Medio Oriente e anche il sud
d'Europa, Italia compresa. Nei confronti della Libia le sanzioni Onu
sono state sospese alcuni anni fa quando Tripoli consegno' i suoi
agenti sospettati della strage di Lockerbie. Ma la diffusione delle
tecnologie di supporto alle armi di distruzione di massa e' messa al
bando dal Regime di controllo sulla tecnologia missilistica, del
1987. (ANSA). COR-GV 30/10/2002 19:39
IRAQ: ARMI BOSNIA, DIMISSIONI MINISTRO DIFESA ENTITA' SERBA
(ANSA-AFP) - BANJA LUKA (BOSNIA ERZEGOVINA), 29 OTT - Il ministro
della difesa della Republika Srpska (Rs, entita' serba di
Bosnia) Slobodan Bilic, e il capo di stato maggiore dell'esercito,
Novica Simic, si sono dimessi in seguito allo scandalo delle forniture
di armi all'Iraq in violazione dell'embargo imposto dall'Onu. Lo ha
annunciato ieri un comunicato del Consiglio superiore di Difesa della
Rs. Il comunicato e' stato diramato al termine di una riunione durata
diverse ore del Consiglio superiore, che include il presidente della
Rs Mirko Sarovic e il premier Mladen Ivanic, e precisa che le
dimissioni dei due sono state accettate. Il Consiglio superiore
''ritiene che tale atto contribuisca a migliorare la posizione
internazionale delle Republika Srpska e della Bosnia, malgrado il
fatto che non vi sia una responsabilita' diretta'' dei due
dimissionari nella vicenda. Il 23 ottobre scorso la Rs aveva ammesso
che la societa' Orao (aquila), azienda serbo bosniaca che lavora per
l'esercito della Rs, aveva fabbricato componenti destinate ad aerei
caccia iracheni e che tali pezzi erano stati consegnati tramite la
compagnia jugoslava Jugoimport. Il 23 e 24 ottobre erano stati
silurati il direttore generale della Jugoimport, il generale in
pensione Jovan Cekovic, il direttore della Orao Milan Prica, il
comandante dell'Aeronautica col. Milan Vlacic e il capo della
Direzione del ministero della difesa per il traffico di materiali
militari e armamenti, Spasoje Orasanin.(ANSA-AFP). MC 29/10/2002
08:03
IRAQ: EMBARGO ARMI, SILURATI TRE FUNZIONARI SERBO-BOSNIACI
(ANSA) - SARAJEVO, 24 OTT - Il governo della Republika Srpska (Rs,
entita' serba di Bosnia) ha deciso oggi la destituzione di tre persone
responsabili delle forniture di materiale militare all'Iraq da parte
dell'istituto dell'aeronautica militare 'Orao' di Bijeljina, in
violazione dell'embargo dell'Onu. Lo ha reso noto l'agenzia di stampa
Fena citando un comunicato diffuso questo pomeriggio a Banja Luka.
Nel corso di una riunione straordinaria del governo, alla quale ha
presenziato anche il presidente uscente della Rs Mirko Sarovic, sono
stati rimossi il direttore della Orao Milan Prica, il comandante
dell'Aeronautica col. Milan Vlacic e il capo della Direzione del
ministero della difesa per il traffico di materiali militari e
armamenti, Spasoje Orasanin.
''Il governo ha anche ordinato al ministero della difesa - si dice nel
comunicato - di condurre dettagliate indagini per accertare eventuali
responsabilita' dirette di altri funzionari e ufficiali''.
I documenti sequestrati il 12 ottobre dalla Forza di stabilizzazione
della Nato in Bosnia (Sfor) presso la Orao, hanno confermato le accuse
degli Usa, che risalgono ai primi di settembre, secondo cui la Orao
ha fornito a Baghdad, tramite l'agenzia governativa Jugoimport di
Belgrado, materiali per la manutenzione e la revisione dei motori di
aerei Mig-21 e Mig-29 e l'assistenza tecnica.
Martedi' sera il governo jugoslavo ha destituito il direttore della
Jugoimport, il generale in pensione Jovan Cekovic, e il viceministro
della difesa per le questioni economiche Ivan Djokic, ordinando la
chiusura dell'ufficio della societa' a Baghdad.
Accusato dagli Usa di lungaggini nell'inchiesta, il governo
serbo-bosniaco ieri ha ammesso la violazione dell'embargo contro
l'Iraq ed ha promesso sanzioni contro i responsabili.
Secondo quanto scrive oggi il quotidiano di Banja Luka Nezavisne
novine, tra le prove schiaccianti ritrovate dalla Sfor ci sarebbe
anche il contratto della Jugoimport con la 'Al bashair trade company'
di Baghdad, che prevede, oltre la fornitura di pezzi di ricambio, la
revisione da parte dei tecnici della Orao dei motori dei Mig21 e
Mig29 dall'ottobre 2000 all'ottobre 2005, per un ammontare di 8,5
milioni di dollari all'anno. (ANSA).
COR*VD 24-OTT-02 19:27 NNNN 24/10/2002 20:22
IRAQ: GOVERNO SERBOBOSNIACO AMMETTE VIOLAZIONE EMBARGO ARMI
(ANSA) - SARAJEVO, 23 OTT - Il governo della Republika Srpska (Rs,
entita' serba di Bosnia) ha ammesso oggi la violazione dell'embargo
sulla vendita di armi all'Iraq. Lo ha reso noto la televisione
bosniaca. In una conferenza stampa Cvijeta Kovacevic, la portavoce del
governo ha ammesso che ''le informazioni mostrano l'esistenza di una
violazione dell'embargo''. ''Il governo ritiene necessarie le
sanzioni - ha aggiunto la portavoce - contro i dirigenti dell'azienda
Orao, dello stato maggiore e del ministero della difesa della Rs''. La
Forza di stabilizzazione della Nato in Bosnia (Sfor) ha raccolto le
prove dell'esportazione in Iraq di materiale militare da parte
dell'azienda militare Orao di Bijeljina, nella Rs, tramite la
Jugoimport di Belgrado. (ANSA) COR-VD 23/10/2002 16:17
IRAQ: VIOLAZIONE EMBARGO ARMI, DJINDJIC CRITICA KOSTUNICA
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 23 OTT - Il primo ministro serbo Zoran Djindjic ha
accusato il presidente jugoslavo Vojislav Kostunica di ''mancanza di
professionalita''' per lo scandalo delle forniture di materiale
bellico bosniaco all'Iraq tramite la societa' di Belgrado
'Jugoimport', in violazione dell'embargo di armi contro Baghdad. La
vicenda, ha sottolineato Djindjic, ''danneggia seriamente la nostra
immagine all'estero. Credo che il presidente jugoslavo, come
comandante in capo dell'esercito, debba occuparsi di tali questioni, e
il non averlo fatto e' indice di mancanza di professionalita' ''. Lo
scandalo, ieri discusso dal governo federale in una riunione di
emergenza, ha gia' portato al siluramento del direttore di
'Jugoimport', il generale in pensione Jovan Cekovic, e del
viceministro della difesa incaricato delle quetioni economiche Ivan
Djokic, nonche' all'ordine di chiudere l'ufficio di Baghdad della
societa'. (ANSA). OT 23/10/2002 17:02
IRAQ: GOVERNO SERBOBOSNIACO AMMETTE VIOLAZIONE EMBARGO ARMI
(ANSA) - SARAJEVO, 23 OTT - Il governo della Republika Srpska (Rs,
entita' serba di Bosnia) ha ammesso oggi la violazione dell'embargo
sulla vendita di armi all'Iraq. Lo ha reso noto la televisione
bosniaca. In una conferenza stampa Cvijeta Kovacevic, la portavoce del
governo ha ammesso che ''le informazioni mostrano l'esistenza di una
violazione dell'embargo''. ''Il governo ritiene necessarie le
sanzioni - ha aggiunto la portavoce - contro i dirigenti dell'azienda
Orao, dello stato maggiore e del ministero della difesa della Rs''.
La Forza di stabilizzazione della Nato in Bosnia (Sfor) ha raccolto
le prove dell'esportazione in Iraq di materiale militare da parte
dell'azienda militare Orao di Bijeljina, nella Rs, tramite la
Jugoimport di Belgrado. (ANSA) COR-VD 23/10/2002 16:17
IRAQ: FORNITURE BOSNIA, SILURATO CAPO JUGOIMPORT
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 22 OTT - Il direttore generale della societa'
Jugoimport, il generale in pensione Jovan Cekovic, e' stato silurato
per decisione del governo federale jugoslavo al termine di una
riunione di emergenza dedicata allo scandalo della fornitura di
assistenza militare all'Iraq. Lo riferisce la televisione di stato
Rts. Jugoimport, stando alla stampa balcanica, aveva funto da tramite
fra Baghdad e la fabbrica serbo-bosniaca di aeroplani Orao (aquila)
per la manutenzione e riparazione dei motori dei Mig-21 e Mig-29 in
dotazione alle forze armate irachene. Stando alle rivelazioni dei
quotidiani, che citavano materiale sequestrato a Bijeljina
(Repubblica Srpska, l'entita' serba bosniaca) dai soldati della Sfor
(la forza di stabilizzazione della Nato in Bosnia), Orao e Jugoimport
avrebbero fornito a Baghdad ricambi e personale specializzato, nonche'
dettagliate istruzioni su come smontare varie componenti in modo da
superare eventuali controlli da parte degli ispettori dell'Onu.
Jugoimport aveva oggi smentito coinvolgimenti nella vicenda,
affermando di non avere rapporti d'affari con l'Iraq dagli anni '90 e
di avere tenuto aperto il suo ufficio di Baghdad solo per recuperare
crediti per 1,3 miliardi di dollari risalenti agli anni '70-80.
(ANSA). OT 22/10/2002 20:47
IRAQ: FORNITURE BOSNIA, RIUNIONE A BELGRADO SU JUGOIMPORT
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 22 OTT - Il governo federale jugoslavo ha indetto
una riunione di emergenza per fare luce sulle notizie di stampa che
riguardano il coinvolgimento della societa' Jugoimport nella
fornitura all'Iraq di tecnici e materiale della fabbrica
serbo-bosniaca Orao per la manutenzione di aerei militari Mig-21 e
Mig-29. Alla riunione partecipano il premier federale Dragisa Pesic,
il vicepremier Miroljub Labus, il ministro degli interni Zoran
Zivkovic e il ministro degli interni serbo Dusan Mihajlovic,
quest'ultimo presidente del comitato di controllo sulle attivita'
della Jugoimport. ''Ne' io, ne' il comitato eravamo stati informati
della vicenda'', ha dichiarato Mihajlovic ai giornalisti sottolineando
che la Serbia ''e' schierata col fronte internazionale per la lotta
al terrorismo e rispetta i regimi di sanzioni'' e che una
''approfondita indagine'' e' stata ordinata non solo nei confronti
della Jugoimport, ma anche delle altre aziende produttrici di
armamenti del paese. La Jugoimport, un tempo interamente controllata
dalle forze armate jugoslave, ha tutt'ora al vertice un generale,
Jovan Cekovic, e il capo del suo ufficio di Baghdad, Krsto Grujovic,
e' un colonnello. Alla riunione del governo federale non prende parte
il capo di stato maggiore ad interim Branko Krga, impegnato in
una visita in Repubblica ceca, ne' si ha notizia della presenza di
altri rappresentanti delle forze armate. (ANSA) OT 22/10/2002 18:02
IRAQ: DA BOSNIA VIA SERBIA MATERIALE E TECNICI, STAMPA
(ANSA) - SARAJEVO, 22 OTT - I documenti sequestrati dalla Forza di
stabilizzazione della Nato in Bosnia (Sfor) presso l'istituto
dell'aeronautica Orao di Bijeljina, confermano le accuse degli Usa
secondo cui la Orao ha fornito a Baghdad, tramite Belgrado, materiali
per la manutenzione e la revisione dei motori di aerei Mig-21 e
Mig-29, in violazione delle risoluzioni del Consiglio di sicurezza
dell'Onu. Lo scrive oggi il quotidiano di Sarajevo Oslobodjenje
richiamandosi a fonti che hanno chiesto l'anonimato. Secondo le fonti,
i tecnici della Orao, rimasti a tutt'oggi in Iraq, stanno febbrilmente
cercando, prima dell'arrivo degli ispettori dell'Onu, di nascondere
le tracce da documenti, impianti e pezzi di ricambio, numeri di serie,
insegne e marchi della Orao, libretti di istruzioni in serbo-croato.
Prima della ispezione della Sfor il 12 ottobre scorso, Washington
aveva protestato con il governo centrale di Sarajevo per la fornitura
di materiali militari da parte ''di un'impresa della Republika
Srpska'' (Rs, entita' serba di Bosnia) ed e' stata avviata un'indagine
dal ministero di difesa della Rs. Ma, secondo gli americani, scrive
ancora il giornale, l'inchiesta non viene condotta seriamente,
nonostante alla commissione ministeriale siano stati messi a
disposizioni alcuni documenti ritrovati dalla Sfor. La Bosnia ora,
secondo Oslobojenje, rischia sanzioni. ''I rappresentanti degli Usa
hanno offerto alle autorita' della Rs l'opportunita' di condurre
un'inchiesta autonoma - ha detto la fonte - e di intraprendere le
misure contro i responsabili, ma ora stanno perdendo la pazienza''.
''Sono possibili - ha aggiunto - vari tipi di sanzioni contro la
Bosnia, la Rs, le singole imprese come la Orao, ma anche singoli
individui''. In sanzioni potrebbe incorrere anche la Jugoslavia,
scrive oggi dal suo canto il quotidiano di Belgrado 'Blic' rivelando
che e' la societa' 'Jugoimport' di Belgrado che da tempo esporta in
Iraq il materiale militare della Orao. La Jugoimport ha anche un
ufficio di rappresentanza a Baghdad, il direttore del quale, Krsto
Grujovic, ha firmato una lettera - datata 25 settembre e ritrovata
dalla Sfor a Bijeljina, in cui si danno istruzioni agli iracheni su
come deve essere mascherata la provenienza degli impianti e dei
ricambi forniti. I tecnici presenti in Iraq, che secondo
Blic sono jugoslavi, si dice ancora nella lettera, potranno
smantellare alcuni impianti in dieci giorni e rimontarli di nuovo,
sempre in dieci giorni, dopo il passaggio degli ispettori dell'Onu.
Buone relazioni commerciali in campo militare tra Belgrado e Baghdad
risalgono ancora all'epoca della Jugoslavia di Tito e secondo fonti
bene informate, Belgrado le ha mantenute anche dopo la dissoluzione
dell'ex Jugoslavia. L'istituto dell'aeronautica Orao (Aquila),
situato prima della guerra (1992-95) a Rajlovac, alla periferia di
Sarajevo, e' stato trasferito dall'esercito federale jugoslavo durante
l'assedio della capitale bosniaca nel nord-est della Bosnia, vicino al
confine jugoslavo, a Bijeljina, citta' che oggi fa parte della
Rs. La Rs e la Federazione Bh (croato musulmana), le due entita' che
compongono la Bosnia secondo l'accordo di pace di Dayton (1995), hanno
ciascuna un proprio esercito e ministero della difesa e le forze
armate e l'industria militare della Rs sono rimaste anche dopo la
guerra fortemente legate con la Jugoslavia: fino al marzo scorso gli
alti ufficiali dell' esercito della Rs sono stati sul libro paga di
Belgrado. (ANSA) COR*VD 22/10/2002 16:15
1. Kosovo, elezioni farsa (27/10/02)
2. Kosovo, voto e strage (29/10/02)
3. Alcuni reportages sulla situazione in Kosovo-Metohija:
- Responding to the UN and UNESCO on the Continuing Destruction of
Churches in Kosovo and Metohija (OEA, September 2002)
- Council of Europe Human Rights Report (October 2002)
- European Agency for Reconstruction, Community Stabilisation
Initiatives, Jennifer Zimmermann's Report (August 2002)
4. Fondato il "Fronte Unito Nazionale Albanese" (Makfax 31/10/02)
5. Dientsbier says terrorism is with international blessing (Makfax
30/10/02)
6. Kosovo Serb refugees afraid they will never see their home again
(AFP 30/10/02)
7. PRISTINE: CENTER OF ETHNIC HATRED - NATO and the UNO, shame on you!
(PRAVDA 26/9/02)
=== 1 ===
http://www.ilmanifesto.it/Quotidiano-archivio/
27-Ottobre-2002/art49.html
il manifesto - 27 Ottobre 2002
Kosovo, elezioni farsa
Dalla contropulizia etnica, le amministrative. I serbi rimasti nel
terrore, non votano
TOMMASO DI FRANCESCO
Si chiamava Svetlana Stankova, la donna serba di 43 anni, madre di due
figli, uccisa il 14 ottobre scorso con una mina piazzata nelle
adiacenze di casa sua da estremisti nazionalisti albanesi nel
villaggio di Klokot (Gjilane), lo stesso dove un mese fa sono state
fatte saltare in aria 4 abitazioni di serbi. Svetlana ieri non è
potuta andare a votare alle elezioni amministrative farsa. Formalmente
a votare sarebbero dovuti andare in un milione e 300mila. Ma con
Svetlana - ultima vittima di una litania di morti che non hanno mai
fatto notizia - non hanno potuto votare i più di mille serbi,
rom, goranci e albanesi moderati, uccisi dai miliziani ex Uck a
partire dall'ingresso delle truppe Nato in Kosovo, dall'estate del
1999. Né hanno potuto votare i 1300 desaparecidos, serbi, rom e
albanesi moderati, rapiti e fatti sparire chissà dove. Così come non
hanno votato i 250.000 serbi e rom fuggiti nel terrore grazie alla
contropulizia etnica avviata sotto gli occhi dei contingenti «di pace»
della Kfor-Nato (35mila uomini).
Questi sono i «risultati» della guerra rivendicata da D'Alema. Hanno
però votato solo i kosovaro-albanesi. Per la terza volta dalla fine
dei bombardamenti «umanitari» della Nato contro la Jugoslavia nel `99.
Era considerato come l'ultimo banco di prova per le future possibilità
di coesistenza pacifica tra le due etnie della regione amministrata
dall'Onu, la maggioranza albanese e la minoranza serba. Ma i serbi
rimasti però ieri non sono andati a votare, determinati a boicottare
il voto, in segno di protesta contro le tragiche condizioni in cui
sono costretti adesso a vivere.
L'Occidente che con le Amministrazioni Onu (Unmik) ha di fatto avviato
l'indipendenza della regione, in aperto dispregio degli accordi di
Kumanovo, a questo punto spinge il piede sull'acceleratore, forte
anche del caos in Jugoslavia. Punta al fatto compiuto per nascondere
la verità: che per la legalità internazionale lo status del Kosovo è
quello di regione autonoma della Serbia e quindi della Federazione
jugoslava (verso la Serbia-Montenegro). Le elezioni amministrative
servono per consolidare la finta pace interna. In questi giorni il
governatore Onu per il Kosovo, Michael Steiner, per convincere i
pochi serbi rimasti a votare - ma dove potevano votare i profughi, non
l'ha detto -, ha proposto la nascita di «municipalità serbe»: una
sorta di bantustan che nemmeno Milosevic ha mai pensato per gli
albanesi.
Intanto tra un voto e l'altro, con candidati in guerra fra di loro per
spartirsi la torta kosovara (v. i cosiddetti aiuti internazionali e i
corridoi strategici), ma sempre d'accordo per l'indipendenza,
crescono depositi di armi, santuari della guerriglia che opera in
Macedonia, uccisioni di serbi e albanesi moderati. Al voto di ieri 68
formazioni. I principali partiti, entrambi albanesi, sono la Lega
Democratica del Kosovo (Ldk) guidata da Ibrahim Rugova, e il Partito
Democratico del Kosovo (Pdk), guidato da Hashim Thaci, ex leader
dell'Uck. Entrambi vogliono l'indipendenza del Kosovo. Ma in questi
tre anni l'ex Uck ha decimato con uccisioni la leadership de Ldk di
Rugova.
Ma davvero vanno così le cose in Kosovo? Peggio. Spesso c'è la farsa:
arriva anche il procuratore Carla Del Ponte a promettere, come ha
fatto il 21 ottobre scorso che «entro la fine dell'anno sarà
incriminato all'Aja il primo albanese del Kosovo». Lo fa da tre anni,
ma non accade mai. Eppure la cronaca di questi giorni dice che ce ne
sarebbero gli estremi. Il 10 ottobre i militari italiani sono dovuti
intervenire a Pec (Peja) contro una manifestazione di mille albanesi
scesi in piazza con sassi e molotov per cacciare un pullman di 50
anziani serbi, fatti rientrare dall'Onu in un villaggio adiacente.
In piazza c'erano leader locali che facevano un comizio per le
elezioni di ieri, e che aizzavano a cacciare i serbi. Sempre a Pec
(Peja) il contingente italiano ha scoperto un deposito di armi e
materiale di contrabbando: in carcere è finito il cugino del generale
Agim Ceku, ex capo militare dell'Uck, e ora capo del Tmk , la polizia
del Kosovo pagata dall'Onu, insieme ad Ekrem Lluka, proprietario della
«Dukagjini», il più grosso gruppo imprenditoriale del Kosovo-ovest.
Giustizia fatta? Poche ore dopo erano tutti in libertà. Per andare a
votare ieri.
L'Osce ha monitorato il voto: è la stessa organizzazione che il 24
marzo 1999, guidata dall'americano William Walker, abbandonò la sua
missione internazionale autorizzando di fatto i bombardamenti Nato.
E' iniziato lo spoglio delle schede. I primi risultati oggi, quelli
definitivi a dicembre.
Va tutto bene.
=== 2 ===
il manifesto - 29 Ottobre 2002
KOSOVO
Voto e strage
T. D. F.
Il giorno dopo le elezioni amministrative in Kosovo, il sindaco della
città di Suva Reka, nel sud, e due delle sue guardie del corpo sono
rimaste uccise in una sparatoria, secondo l'Osce che monitorava le
amministrative. Il sindaco, Uke Bytyci, è deceduto una mezz'ora dopo
la sparatoria nell'ospedale di Prizren. Esponente di spicco della
Lega Democratica del Kosovo (Ldk), di Ibrahim Rugova il maggior
partito della maggioranza kosovaro-albanese, Bytyci sarabbe stato
colpito in uno scontro tra suoi simpatizzanti e un altro gruppo
kosovaro-albanese in un villaggio presso Suva Reka, ha raccontato il
capo degli osservatori della Azione Kosovara d'Iniziativa Civica
(Kaci). Sarebbero - secondo fonti da noi ascoltate direttamente -
sempre uomini dell'ex Uck che in questi due anni dall'ingreso delle
truppe Nato in Kosovo, hanno decimato la leadership di Rugova.
Nonostante la strage, l'Ldk ha avuto la maggioranza assoluta in 11
delle 30 municipalità in cui si è votato (tra cui Pristina), ma in
altre 8 ha la maggioranza relativa. Una calo rispetto al Pdk dell'ex
comandante dell'Uck, Hashim Thaqi, che ha avuto la maggioranza
assoluta in 4 municipalità, ma in altre 3 è in forte crescita.
=== 3 ===
REPORT SULLA CONTINUA DISTRUZIONE DEI MONUMENTI RELIGIOSI IN
KOSOVO-METOHIJA
http://oea.serbian-church.net/info/908.html
Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada Office of External
Affairs - Washington D.C. 202 463 8643
OEA News Briefs: September 2002
Responding to the UN and UNESCO on the Continuing Destruction of
Churches in Kosovo and Metohija
Washington, DC (OEA) September 2002 - In response to recent
desecrations, vandalism, and continuing patterns of violence facing
Serbian inhabitants, and churches, cemeteries and cultural properties
in Kosovo and Metohija, the Office of External Affairs (OEA)
working with the Diocese of Raska and Prizren, has raised the issue to
the Secretary General of the United Nations, His Excellency Kofi
Annan on behalf of the Episcopal Council of the Serbian Orthodox
Church in USA and Canada; as well as to the Director of the World
Heritage Centre, UNESCO, Mr. Francesco Bandarin.
In two separate letters, the OEA cited these ongoing hostilities with
detailed reports indicating to the leaders of the UN and UNESCO, that
a great number of these treasures date back to the 13th century and
not only provide a historical account of Serbian culture and
spirituality, but are of great significance to world heritage at
large.
The loss of such precious frescoes, mosaics, and many more of the
finest examples of artwork from Byzantine and successive eras
underscores the need for international organizations to implement
effective means of safeguarding and preserving the treasures of Kosovo
and Metohija so as to avert the type of cultural eradication that the
world witnessed with the Taliban's dynamiting of centuries old
Buddhist statues in Afghanistan.
Beta News Agency, Belgrade
October 22, 2002 22:17
---
REPORT DEL CONSIGLIO D'EUROPA SUI DIRITTI UMANI
Subject: [yugoslaviainfo] CoE Human Rights Report Criticizes
UNMIK-NATO For Plight Of Serbs, Others
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 2002 03:16:00 -0700 (PDT)
From: Rick Rozoff <r_rozoff@...>
http://www.seeurope.net/en/Story.php?StoryID=33405&LangID=1
For full report see:
http://www.seeurope.net/en/Story.php?StoryID=33399&LangID=1
-Of the 250,000 Serbian, Roma and other minority
internally displaced persons (IDPs) officially
registered in Serbia and Montenegro and the 3,300,
predominantly Roma, refugees in the Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, the vast majority of whom fled
after the arrival of KFOR ground troops, only a few
thousand have so far returned.
-The security situation for Serbs, and to a lesser
extent, Roma, Egyptians and Ashkalies remains
difficult. Indeed, except for returning to established
Serb enclaves, returnees effectively require round the
clock KFOR protection and are barely able to travel
without escort.
Seeurope.net
Saturday, October 26, 2002
YUGOSLAVIA: Report On The Human Rights Situation In Kosovo
2002-10-25 14:24:14
The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of
Europe, Mr. Alvaro Gil-Robles wrote a report, entitled
"Kosovo: the human rights situation and the fate of
persons displaced from their homes".
The report was prepared in response to a request by
the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to
examine these issues in the context of the adhesion of
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to the Council of
Europe.
It contains considerable criticism of the performance
of the international presence in certain areas.
The report highlights a number of special powers
enjoyed by the international community, which pose
serious problems from a human rights perspective.
---
REPORT SULLE CONDIZIONI DI VITA DEI NON-ALBANESI
SERBIAN ORTHODOX DIOCESE OF RASKA AND PRIZREN
KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
Information Service
Newsletter, October 25, 2002
LIFE AT THE MARGINS OF SOCIETY
We would like to present the following report which deals with the
situation in which Kosovo Serbs and other non-majority communities in
Kosovo live today. The report explores ecconomic aspects of the life
of these vulnerable communities in the pervading atmosphere of
insecurity and lack of basic human rights and freedoms. Full
text in PDF is available at our Web-site (
http://www.kosovo.com/jzimm2.pdf ),
Executive summary and conclusions are available in html format on:
http://www.kosovo.com/jzimm2.html
THE UNSUSTAINABLE MINORITY LIVELIHOOD
Justifying the Need for Greater Economic Assistance
The European Agency for Reconstruction
Community Stabilisation Initiatives
Jennifer Zimmermann
August 2002
Full Text in PDF
161 pages in A4 format, 470 KB
http://www.kosovo.com/jzimm2.pdf
Detailed overview of the situation in which non-majority communities
in Kosovo live (figures, tables)
This report was prepared with financial assistance from the European
Commission. The views expressed are those of the consultant and do not
necessarily represent any official view of the Commission.
Previous report by Jennifer Zimmerman, 2001
Why minority rights go unprotected- the international community's
tacit approval of reverse-ethnic cleansing in Kosovo
http://www.kosovo.com/jzimm.html
=== 4 ===
FONDATA NUOVA ORGANIZZAZIONE GRANDE-ALBANESE
http://news.serbianunity.net/bydate/2002/October_31/3.html
Albania: New organization to unite Albanian territories, Makfax,
October 31st 2002
TIRANA, Albania (Makfax) - The United Albanian National Front is the
name of the new organization founded by the Albanian diaspora, mainly
in Europe. This organization aims to unite "all Albanian territories",
said Tirana's daily newspaper Balkan.
The newly founded organization shares the position with the so-called
Albanian National Army (ANA) regarding the unification of "Albanian
lands". This organization is likely to provide a military back-up to
the so-called ANA. This organization will expand its operations in the
Greek northern district of Chameria.
"The stabilization of Kosovo and the Albanian part of Macedonia are
not the only goals of the pan-Albanian movement, it also includes the
Chameria issue," Tirana's daily says.
The same source says the new organization has already made contacts
with the Albanian diaspora in Switzerland, Denmark and Germany. This
organization is headquartered in Tirana and it is fully supported by
the state and the ruling Socialists.
On the other hand, intelligence sources say the Albanian secret
service SHIK is dealing with this organization amid fears that this
organization could affect Albania-Greece relations.
=== 5 ===
http://news.serbianunity.net/bydate/2002/October_30/4.html
Dientsbier says terrorism is with international blessing
Makfax, October 30th 2002
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (Makfax) - Terrorism, including
the latest terrorist act in Moscow, did not break out
last September when the United States was under
attack, it started much earlier in Bosnia, Albania and
Kosovo, said the former Czech Minister of Foreign
Affairs Jiri Dientsbier, who was also the U.N. human
rights special envoy.
In Friday's interview with the Prague newspaper Pravo,
Dientsbier said not only the media but also the
politicians, who divided the terrorists into 'good
ones' and 'bad ones', were doing service to terrorism.
This is the case with the Chechens and the Kosovo
Liberation Army (KLA) as well.
"When Osama bin Laden founded his own humanitarian
organizations in Bosnia and Hercegovina and Albania,
and later on he entered into arrangements with
Algerian terrorists in Albania (1994), nobody could
assume the eventual link to terrorism. During the
NATO-led bombardment on Yugoslavia, the Kosovo
Liberation Army was used as a ground force. The KLA
engagement during the NATO-led air strikes on
Yugoslavia enabled this organization to rule in Kosovo
and mastermind and carry out attacks in Macedonia,
southern Serbia and Montenegro", Dientsbier said.
Dientsbier underlines that U.S. President George Bush
had added a number of KLA members under the Executive
Order on Extremism in the Western Balkans, including
the leader of the National Liberation Army (NLA) Ali
Ahmeti, who won some 70 percent of the Albanian vote
in Macedonia's parliamentary elections.
Dientsbier says the Albanian extremists had also
killed thousands of Albanians, adding that ongoing
efforts to arrest those responsible turned
inconsequent.
"The international representatives in Kosovo fear that
the former KLA members could resort to violence
against the U.N. representatives and KFOR soldiers",
Dientsbier said in an interview with the Prague
newspaper Pravo.
=== 6 ===
From: Rick Rozoff
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/bv/Qyugo-kosovo-serbs.R-yQ_COU.html
[Pardon the heavy-handed editorializing - standard in
all establishment press wire reports on Kosovo and the
Balkans in general.
For example, the inevitable mantra applied to the
murder and ethnic cleansing of over a third of a
million Serbian and other civilians: 'Revenge
attacks.']
Kosovo Serb refugees afraid they will never see their home again
Jean-Eudes Barbier
MATARUSKA BANJA, Yugoslavia, Oct 30 (AFP) - Not far
from their homeland in Kosovo that they left three
years ago under pressure from ethnic Albanian
guerrillas, thousands of Serbs fear they will never
see their homes again.
In the pretty spa of Mataruska Banja, near the
southern Serbian town of Kraljevo, a former hospital
was transformed into a "collective center," sheltering
dozens of Serb families who fled Kosovo following the
withdrawal of Belgrade troops in 1999.
The building hosts more than 200 men, women and
children who, ever since they fled their homes in the
western Kosovo region of Pec, have known only
idleness, but also feel totally abandoned.
"We are getting some supplies from the international
community. Nothing else. It's worse here than in
prison. There, the inmates have at least three meals
per day!" complained Milan, a man in his thirties.
Full of anger and impatience, Milan vows to find
something to do, to try to make money to survive. But
he said he was happy to find a week-long job at the
construction site, nothing longer.
"I spend my time biting my nails," he said.
Kosovo Serbs, most without work, gathered in a big
park in the spa, enjoying the mild sun in late
October. Two men were playing chess, hidden in the
shadow of a big tree.
"It's only when the weather is nice that we can enjoy
playing chess. Inside, there is only one big room
where everyone gathers, it's impossible to
concentrate," one of the players, Radovan, said.
This old man already fears the coming winter.
"It's terrible in winter. We see only each other, each
curled into his own glum thoughts. Not to mention
hygenic standards! Only seven bathrooms for all of us.
It's been like this for three years now," he
complained.
Radovan remembered how he and his neighbours had left
their homes in Klina, east of Pec, leaving their
belongings, land and animals, as quickly as they
could, although Yugoslav troops had still been present
in the area that summer of 1999.
The clashes between ethnic Albanian guerrillas of the
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and Belgrade troops ended
in June, in the aftermath of the NATO bombing campaign
on Yugoslavia. But Yugoslav troops had to withdraw
from the Albanian-dominated Kosovo.
"They did not have means to protect us any more. The
soldiers were only thinking of leaving. And the KLA
fighters were everywhere, approaching," Radovan said.
Several families have briefly returned to Klina to
check what happened with their property.
"My farm was ransacked. Nothing was left. My four
hectares of land are now cultivated by Albanian
peasants. Fortunately, I have my property papers, so
one day, I would be able to get compensation for what
I have lost: a lifetime work," said 53-year-old farmer
Miroslav.
This father of three said living conditions for his
family were "deplorable. "
"Thank God my children go to school. I have to hope
there is still hope for them," Miroslav said.
And those who live in this collective center
complained that no state official has visited them so
far.
"It was the same during the times of (former president
Slobodan) Milosevic as it is now with (President
Vojislav) Kostunica! They act as if we do not exist!"
said Branka, a young woman from Klina.
"My family lived there, in Kosovo, for centuries, what
can we do here?" she asked.
For them, the first step for a return to Kosovo would
be a change of the attitude of the UN administration,
which has run the southern Yugoslav province since
1999, towards ethnic Albanians.
"As long as they are supported as they are now, we
Serbs will never be able to return," one of the Kosovo
Serb refugees insisted.
More than 200,000 Serbs fled Kosovo in 1999 for other
parts of Serbia or neighbouring Montenegro, fearing
revenge attacks by ethnic Albanians after Belgrade's
troops pulled out.
The Serbs complain that both the UN and NATO
peacekeepers have failed to protect their communities
from ethnic Albanian reprisals or create the security
conditions necessary for the return of refugees.
=== 7 ===
http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/09/26/37324.html
2002.09.26/20:21
PRISTINE: CENTER OF ETHNIC HATRED
NATO and the UNO, shame on you!
Protosyncellus of the Serbian Orthodox Church Sava Janic (the Diocese
of Raska and Prizren) describes the situation in Pristine, the
capital Kosovo, the autonomous Serbian region.
The number of Serbs living in Pristine before NATO started bombing in
1999 made up over 20,000 people. Currently, Serb population of
Pristine, a real Serb ghetto, makes up only 200 people. After the
ethnic cleansing operations held by militants of the allegedly
disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army, in the presence of KFOR and the UN
Civil Mission, hundreds of Pristine Serbs were killed; kidnapped on
the streets, hospitals, schools; and thousands were forced to leave
their homes for central Serbia.
Pristine is Europe's only large city where the freedom and rights of
any particular person depend exclusively upon his ethnic and religious
belonging. The events we currently witness in Pristine are happening
not in war time or under the totalitarian authority of some
nationalist leader.
Everything is going on in presence of well-armed NATO soldiers and
thousands of UN peacemakers. For three years after the armed conflict
in Kosovo, Serbs are still denied free access to schools,
universities, and other institutions everywhere in Kosovo and Metohja
where Albanians dominate.
Sometimes, some brave young Serbs dare to walk Pristine's streets
completely unprotected, with the a disdain for the ethnic hatred and
intolerance that Albanians have for anything of Serbian and Slavic
origin. At the same time, these young Serbs are really very cautious
and speak only English in crowded places. Some of them have forged
passports alleging that they are guests in the Kosovo capital; the
documents are issued by international organizations for the sake of
saving people?s lives amidst the hatred and intolerance.
Foreigners visiting Pristine usually don?t feel the atmosphere of
ethnic hatred in the streets. They don?t understand that the people
who innocently smile in the streets, restaurants, and shops are
Kosovo Albanians, for whom the noisy public life in Pristine means the
success of the mission to establish a multi-ethic community there. At
the same time, only a second, a closer glance reveals that the city
sticks to its own law, radically differing from habitual human laws.
Even deputies of a so-called multi-ethnic Kosovo parliament
"protecting" the interests of the Serb community, leave the Skupstine
building for a cafe or somewhere else only in armored police vehicles.
We won?t reconcile to the fact that the majority of international
representatives get used to this situation and do nothing at all to
change it for the better. Albanian politicians and the "intellectual
elite" are satisfied with the situation.
Under the "totalitarian" regimes of Milosevic and Tudjman in Serbia
and Croatia, many public and political organizations and students
openly protested against the terror in Pristine and in the Kosovo
region on the whole. Unfortunately, currently, there is no power to
openly oppose the discrimination of Serbs and other non-Albanians in
Kosovo.
Against this unfavorable background, the Albanian media in Kosovo
continues to "cleanse" everything of Serbian origin. The OSCE and UN
peacemaking missions call it "freedom of press." In the meantime, life
for the handful of Serbs still living in Pristine is becoming more and
more unbearable.
Compiled by Sergey Stefanov
PRAVDA.Ru
Father Sava Janic is one of Kosovo.com editors
Translated by Maria Gousseva
©1999 "Pravda.RU". When reproducing our materials in whole or in part,
reference to Pravda.RU should be made.
2. Kosovo, voto e strage (29/10/02)
3. Alcuni reportages sulla situazione in Kosovo-Metohija:
- Responding to the UN and UNESCO on the Continuing Destruction of
Churches in Kosovo and Metohija (OEA, September 2002)
- Council of Europe Human Rights Report (October 2002)
- European Agency for Reconstruction, Community Stabilisation
Initiatives, Jennifer Zimmermann's Report (August 2002)
4. Fondato il "Fronte Unito Nazionale Albanese" (Makfax 31/10/02)
5. Dientsbier says terrorism is with international blessing (Makfax
30/10/02)
6. Kosovo Serb refugees afraid they will never see their home again
(AFP 30/10/02)
7. PRISTINE: CENTER OF ETHNIC HATRED - NATO and the UNO, shame on you!
(PRAVDA 26/9/02)
=== 1 ===
http://www.ilmanifesto.it/Quotidiano-archivio/
27-Ottobre-2002/art49.html
il manifesto - 27 Ottobre 2002
Kosovo, elezioni farsa
Dalla contropulizia etnica, le amministrative. I serbi rimasti nel
terrore, non votano
TOMMASO DI FRANCESCO
Si chiamava Svetlana Stankova, la donna serba di 43 anni, madre di due
figli, uccisa il 14 ottobre scorso con una mina piazzata nelle
adiacenze di casa sua da estremisti nazionalisti albanesi nel
villaggio di Klokot (Gjilane), lo stesso dove un mese fa sono state
fatte saltare in aria 4 abitazioni di serbi. Svetlana ieri non è
potuta andare a votare alle elezioni amministrative farsa. Formalmente
a votare sarebbero dovuti andare in un milione e 300mila. Ma con
Svetlana - ultima vittima di una litania di morti che non hanno mai
fatto notizia - non hanno potuto votare i più di mille serbi,
rom, goranci e albanesi moderati, uccisi dai miliziani ex Uck a
partire dall'ingresso delle truppe Nato in Kosovo, dall'estate del
1999. Né hanno potuto votare i 1300 desaparecidos, serbi, rom e
albanesi moderati, rapiti e fatti sparire chissà dove. Così come non
hanno votato i 250.000 serbi e rom fuggiti nel terrore grazie alla
contropulizia etnica avviata sotto gli occhi dei contingenti «di pace»
della Kfor-Nato (35mila uomini).
Questi sono i «risultati» della guerra rivendicata da D'Alema. Hanno
però votato solo i kosovaro-albanesi. Per la terza volta dalla fine
dei bombardamenti «umanitari» della Nato contro la Jugoslavia nel `99.
Era considerato come l'ultimo banco di prova per le future possibilità
di coesistenza pacifica tra le due etnie della regione amministrata
dall'Onu, la maggioranza albanese e la minoranza serba. Ma i serbi
rimasti però ieri non sono andati a votare, determinati a boicottare
il voto, in segno di protesta contro le tragiche condizioni in cui
sono costretti adesso a vivere.
L'Occidente che con le Amministrazioni Onu (Unmik) ha di fatto avviato
l'indipendenza della regione, in aperto dispregio degli accordi di
Kumanovo, a questo punto spinge il piede sull'acceleratore, forte
anche del caos in Jugoslavia. Punta al fatto compiuto per nascondere
la verità: che per la legalità internazionale lo status del Kosovo è
quello di regione autonoma della Serbia e quindi della Federazione
jugoslava (verso la Serbia-Montenegro). Le elezioni amministrative
servono per consolidare la finta pace interna. In questi giorni il
governatore Onu per il Kosovo, Michael Steiner, per convincere i
pochi serbi rimasti a votare - ma dove potevano votare i profughi, non
l'ha detto -, ha proposto la nascita di «municipalità serbe»: una
sorta di bantustan che nemmeno Milosevic ha mai pensato per gli
albanesi.
Intanto tra un voto e l'altro, con candidati in guerra fra di loro per
spartirsi la torta kosovara (v. i cosiddetti aiuti internazionali e i
corridoi strategici), ma sempre d'accordo per l'indipendenza,
crescono depositi di armi, santuari della guerriglia che opera in
Macedonia, uccisioni di serbi e albanesi moderati. Al voto di ieri 68
formazioni. I principali partiti, entrambi albanesi, sono la Lega
Democratica del Kosovo (Ldk) guidata da Ibrahim Rugova, e il Partito
Democratico del Kosovo (Pdk), guidato da Hashim Thaci, ex leader
dell'Uck. Entrambi vogliono l'indipendenza del Kosovo. Ma in questi
tre anni l'ex Uck ha decimato con uccisioni la leadership de Ldk di
Rugova.
Ma davvero vanno così le cose in Kosovo? Peggio. Spesso c'è la farsa:
arriva anche il procuratore Carla Del Ponte a promettere, come ha
fatto il 21 ottobre scorso che «entro la fine dell'anno sarà
incriminato all'Aja il primo albanese del Kosovo». Lo fa da tre anni,
ma non accade mai. Eppure la cronaca di questi giorni dice che ce ne
sarebbero gli estremi. Il 10 ottobre i militari italiani sono dovuti
intervenire a Pec (Peja) contro una manifestazione di mille albanesi
scesi in piazza con sassi e molotov per cacciare un pullman di 50
anziani serbi, fatti rientrare dall'Onu in un villaggio adiacente.
In piazza c'erano leader locali che facevano un comizio per le
elezioni di ieri, e che aizzavano a cacciare i serbi. Sempre a Pec
(Peja) il contingente italiano ha scoperto un deposito di armi e
materiale di contrabbando: in carcere è finito il cugino del generale
Agim Ceku, ex capo militare dell'Uck, e ora capo del Tmk , la polizia
del Kosovo pagata dall'Onu, insieme ad Ekrem Lluka, proprietario della
«Dukagjini», il più grosso gruppo imprenditoriale del Kosovo-ovest.
Giustizia fatta? Poche ore dopo erano tutti in libertà. Per andare a
votare ieri.
L'Osce ha monitorato il voto: è la stessa organizzazione che il 24
marzo 1999, guidata dall'americano William Walker, abbandonò la sua
missione internazionale autorizzando di fatto i bombardamenti Nato.
E' iniziato lo spoglio delle schede. I primi risultati oggi, quelli
definitivi a dicembre.
Va tutto bene.
=== 2 ===
il manifesto - 29 Ottobre 2002
KOSOVO
Voto e strage
T. D. F.
Il giorno dopo le elezioni amministrative in Kosovo, il sindaco della
città di Suva Reka, nel sud, e due delle sue guardie del corpo sono
rimaste uccise in una sparatoria, secondo l'Osce che monitorava le
amministrative. Il sindaco, Uke Bytyci, è deceduto una mezz'ora dopo
la sparatoria nell'ospedale di Prizren. Esponente di spicco della
Lega Democratica del Kosovo (Ldk), di Ibrahim Rugova il maggior
partito della maggioranza kosovaro-albanese, Bytyci sarabbe stato
colpito in uno scontro tra suoi simpatizzanti e un altro gruppo
kosovaro-albanese in un villaggio presso Suva Reka, ha raccontato il
capo degli osservatori della Azione Kosovara d'Iniziativa Civica
(Kaci). Sarebbero - secondo fonti da noi ascoltate direttamente -
sempre uomini dell'ex Uck che in questi due anni dall'ingreso delle
truppe Nato in Kosovo, hanno decimato la leadership di Rugova.
Nonostante la strage, l'Ldk ha avuto la maggioranza assoluta in 11
delle 30 municipalità in cui si è votato (tra cui Pristina), ma in
altre 8 ha la maggioranza relativa. Una calo rispetto al Pdk dell'ex
comandante dell'Uck, Hashim Thaqi, che ha avuto la maggioranza
assoluta in 4 municipalità, ma in altre 3 è in forte crescita.
=== 3 ===
REPORT SULLA CONTINUA DISTRUZIONE DEI MONUMENTI RELIGIOSI IN
KOSOVO-METOHIJA
http://oea.serbian-church.net/info/908.html
Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada Office of External
Affairs - Washington D.C. 202 463 8643
OEA News Briefs: September 2002
Responding to the UN and UNESCO on the Continuing Destruction of
Churches in Kosovo and Metohija
Washington, DC (OEA) September 2002 - In response to recent
desecrations, vandalism, and continuing patterns of violence facing
Serbian inhabitants, and churches, cemeteries and cultural properties
in Kosovo and Metohija, the Office of External Affairs (OEA)
working with the Diocese of Raska and Prizren, has raised the issue to
the Secretary General of the United Nations, His Excellency Kofi
Annan on behalf of the Episcopal Council of the Serbian Orthodox
Church in USA and Canada; as well as to the Director of the World
Heritage Centre, UNESCO, Mr. Francesco Bandarin.
In two separate letters, the OEA cited these ongoing hostilities with
detailed reports indicating to the leaders of the UN and UNESCO, that
a great number of these treasures date back to the 13th century and
not only provide a historical account of Serbian culture and
spirituality, but are of great significance to world heritage at
large.
The loss of such precious frescoes, mosaics, and many more of the
finest examples of artwork from Byzantine and successive eras
underscores the need for international organizations to implement
effective means of safeguarding and preserving the treasures of Kosovo
and Metohija so as to avert the type of cultural eradication that the
world witnessed with the Taliban's dynamiting of centuries old
Buddhist statues in Afghanistan.
Beta News Agency, Belgrade
October 22, 2002 22:17
---
REPORT DEL CONSIGLIO D'EUROPA SUI DIRITTI UMANI
Subject: [yugoslaviainfo] CoE Human Rights Report Criticizes
UNMIK-NATO For Plight Of Serbs, Others
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 2002 03:16:00 -0700 (PDT)
From: Rick Rozoff <r_rozoff@...>
http://www.seeurope.net/en/Story.php?StoryID=33405&LangID=1
For full report see:
http://www.seeurope.net/en/Story.php?StoryID=33399&LangID=1
-Of the 250,000 Serbian, Roma and other minority
internally displaced persons (IDPs) officially
registered in Serbia and Montenegro and the 3,300,
predominantly Roma, refugees in the Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, the vast majority of whom fled
after the arrival of KFOR ground troops, only a few
thousand have so far returned.
-The security situation for Serbs, and to a lesser
extent, Roma, Egyptians and Ashkalies remains
difficult. Indeed, except for returning to established
Serb enclaves, returnees effectively require round the
clock KFOR protection and are barely able to travel
without escort.
Seeurope.net
Saturday, October 26, 2002
YUGOSLAVIA: Report On The Human Rights Situation In Kosovo
2002-10-25 14:24:14
The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of
Europe, Mr. Alvaro Gil-Robles wrote a report, entitled
"Kosovo: the human rights situation and the fate of
persons displaced from their homes".
The report was prepared in response to a request by
the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to
examine these issues in the context of the adhesion of
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to the Council of
Europe.
It contains considerable criticism of the performance
of the international presence in certain areas.
The report highlights a number of special powers
enjoyed by the international community, which pose
serious problems from a human rights perspective.
---
REPORT SULLE CONDIZIONI DI VITA DEI NON-ALBANESI
SERBIAN ORTHODOX DIOCESE OF RASKA AND PRIZREN
KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
Information Service
Newsletter, October 25, 2002
LIFE AT THE MARGINS OF SOCIETY
We would like to present the following report which deals with the
situation in which Kosovo Serbs and other non-majority communities in
Kosovo live today. The report explores ecconomic aspects of the life
of these vulnerable communities in the pervading atmosphere of
insecurity and lack of basic human rights and freedoms. Full
text in PDF is available at our Web-site (
http://www.kosovo.com/jzimm2.pdf ),
Executive summary and conclusions are available in html format on:
http://www.kosovo.com/jzimm2.html
THE UNSUSTAINABLE MINORITY LIVELIHOOD
Justifying the Need for Greater Economic Assistance
The European Agency for Reconstruction
Community Stabilisation Initiatives
Jennifer Zimmermann
August 2002
Full Text in PDF
161 pages in A4 format, 470 KB
http://www.kosovo.com/jzimm2.pdf
Detailed overview of the situation in which non-majority communities
in Kosovo live (figures, tables)
This report was prepared with financial assistance from the European
Commission. The views expressed are those of the consultant and do not
necessarily represent any official view of the Commission.
Previous report by Jennifer Zimmerman, 2001
Why minority rights go unprotected- the international community's
tacit approval of reverse-ethnic cleansing in Kosovo
http://www.kosovo.com/jzimm.html
=== 4 ===
FONDATA NUOVA ORGANIZZAZIONE GRANDE-ALBANESE
http://news.serbianunity.net/bydate/2002/October_31/3.html
Albania: New organization to unite Albanian territories, Makfax,
October 31st 2002
TIRANA, Albania (Makfax) - The United Albanian National Front is the
name of the new organization founded by the Albanian diaspora, mainly
in Europe. This organization aims to unite "all Albanian territories",
said Tirana's daily newspaper Balkan.
The newly founded organization shares the position with the so-called
Albanian National Army (ANA) regarding the unification of "Albanian
lands". This organization is likely to provide a military back-up to
the so-called ANA. This organization will expand its operations in the
Greek northern district of Chameria.
"The stabilization of Kosovo and the Albanian part of Macedonia are
not the only goals of the pan-Albanian movement, it also includes the
Chameria issue," Tirana's daily says.
The same source says the new organization has already made contacts
with the Albanian diaspora in Switzerland, Denmark and Germany. This
organization is headquartered in Tirana and it is fully supported by
the state and the ruling Socialists.
On the other hand, intelligence sources say the Albanian secret
service SHIK is dealing with this organization amid fears that this
organization could affect Albania-Greece relations.
=== 5 ===
http://news.serbianunity.net/bydate/2002/October_30/4.html
Dientsbier says terrorism is with international blessing
Makfax, October 30th 2002
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (Makfax) - Terrorism, including
the latest terrorist act in Moscow, did not break out
last September when the United States was under
attack, it started much earlier in Bosnia, Albania and
Kosovo, said the former Czech Minister of Foreign
Affairs Jiri Dientsbier, who was also the U.N. human
rights special envoy.
In Friday's interview with the Prague newspaper Pravo,
Dientsbier said not only the media but also the
politicians, who divided the terrorists into 'good
ones' and 'bad ones', were doing service to terrorism.
This is the case with the Chechens and the Kosovo
Liberation Army (KLA) as well.
"When Osama bin Laden founded his own humanitarian
organizations in Bosnia and Hercegovina and Albania,
and later on he entered into arrangements with
Algerian terrorists in Albania (1994), nobody could
assume the eventual link to terrorism. During the
NATO-led bombardment on Yugoslavia, the Kosovo
Liberation Army was used as a ground force. The KLA
engagement during the NATO-led air strikes on
Yugoslavia enabled this organization to rule in Kosovo
and mastermind and carry out attacks in Macedonia,
southern Serbia and Montenegro", Dientsbier said.
Dientsbier underlines that U.S. President George Bush
had added a number of KLA members under the Executive
Order on Extremism in the Western Balkans, including
the leader of the National Liberation Army (NLA) Ali
Ahmeti, who won some 70 percent of the Albanian vote
in Macedonia's parliamentary elections.
Dientsbier says the Albanian extremists had also
killed thousands of Albanians, adding that ongoing
efforts to arrest those responsible turned
inconsequent.
"The international representatives in Kosovo fear that
the former KLA members could resort to violence
against the U.N. representatives and KFOR soldiers",
Dientsbier said in an interview with the Prague
newspaper Pravo.
=== 6 ===
From: Rick Rozoff
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/bv/Qyugo-kosovo-serbs.R-yQ_COU.html
[Pardon the heavy-handed editorializing - standard in
all establishment press wire reports on Kosovo and the
Balkans in general.
For example, the inevitable mantra applied to the
murder and ethnic cleansing of over a third of a
million Serbian and other civilians: 'Revenge
attacks.']
Kosovo Serb refugees afraid they will never see their home again
Jean-Eudes Barbier
MATARUSKA BANJA, Yugoslavia, Oct 30 (AFP) - Not far
from their homeland in Kosovo that they left three
years ago under pressure from ethnic Albanian
guerrillas, thousands of Serbs fear they will never
see their homes again.
In the pretty spa of Mataruska Banja, near the
southern Serbian town of Kraljevo, a former hospital
was transformed into a "collective center," sheltering
dozens of Serb families who fled Kosovo following the
withdrawal of Belgrade troops in 1999.
The building hosts more than 200 men, women and
children who, ever since they fled their homes in the
western Kosovo region of Pec, have known only
idleness, but also feel totally abandoned.
"We are getting some supplies from the international
community. Nothing else. It's worse here than in
prison. There, the inmates have at least three meals
per day!" complained Milan, a man in his thirties.
Full of anger and impatience, Milan vows to find
something to do, to try to make money to survive. But
he said he was happy to find a week-long job at the
construction site, nothing longer.
"I spend my time biting my nails," he said.
Kosovo Serbs, most without work, gathered in a big
park in the spa, enjoying the mild sun in late
October. Two men were playing chess, hidden in the
shadow of a big tree.
"It's only when the weather is nice that we can enjoy
playing chess. Inside, there is only one big room
where everyone gathers, it's impossible to
concentrate," one of the players, Radovan, said.
This old man already fears the coming winter.
"It's terrible in winter. We see only each other, each
curled into his own glum thoughts. Not to mention
hygenic standards! Only seven bathrooms for all of us.
It's been like this for three years now," he
complained.
Radovan remembered how he and his neighbours had left
their homes in Klina, east of Pec, leaving their
belongings, land and animals, as quickly as they
could, although Yugoslav troops had still been present
in the area that summer of 1999.
The clashes between ethnic Albanian guerrillas of the
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and Belgrade troops ended
in June, in the aftermath of the NATO bombing campaign
on Yugoslavia. But Yugoslav troops had to withdraw
from the Albanian-dominated Kosovo.
"They did not have means to protect us any more. The
soldiers were only thinking of leaving. And the KLA
fighters were everywhere, approaching," Radovan said.
Several families have briefly returned to Klina to
check what happened with their property.
"My farm was ransacked. Nothing was left. My four
hectares of land are now cultivated by Albanian
peasants. Fortunately, I have my property papers, so
one day, I would be able to get compensation for what
I have lost: a lifetime work," said 53-year-old farmer
Miroslav.
This father of three said living conditions for his
family were "deplorable. "
"Thank God my children go to school. I have to hope
there is still hope for them," Miroslav said.
And those who live in this collective center
complained that no state official has visited them so
far.
"It was the same during the times of (former president
Slobodan) Milosevic as it is now with (President
Vojislav) Kostunica! They act as if we do not exist!"
said Branka, a young woman from Klina.
"My family lived there, in Kosovo, for centuries, what
can we do here?" she asked.
For them, the first step for a return to Kosovo would
be a change of the attitude of the UN administration,
which has run the southern Yugoslav province since
1999, towards ethnic Albanians.
"As long as they are supported as they are now, we
Serbs will never be able to return," one of the Kosovo
Serb refugees insisted.
More than 200,000 Serbs fled Kosovo in 1999 for other
parts of Serbia or neighbouring Montenegro, fearing
revenge attacks by ethnic Albanians after Belgrade's
troops pulled out.
The Serbs complain that both the UN and NATO
peacekeepers have failed to protect their communities
from ethnic Albanian reprisals or create the security
conditions necessary for the return of refugees.
=== 7 ===
http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/09/26/37324.html
2002.09.26/20:21
PRISTINE: CENTER OF ETHNIC HATRED
NATO and the UNO, shame on you!
Protosyncellus of the Serbian Orthodox Church Sava Janic (the Diocese
of Raska and Prizren) describes the situation in Pristine, the
capital Kosovo, the autonomous Serbian region.
The number of Serbs living in Pristine before NATO started bombing in
1999 made up over 20,000 people. Currently, Serb population of
Pristine, a real Serb ghetto, makes up only 200 people. After the
ethnic cleansing operations held by militants of the allegedly
disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army, in the presence of KFOR and the UN
Civil Mission, hundreds of Pristine Serbs were killed; kidnapped on
the streets, hospitals, schools; and thousands were forced to leave
their homes for central Serbia.
Pristine is Europe's only large city where the freedom and rights of
any particular person depend exclusively upon his ethnic and religious
belonging. The events we currently witness in Pristine are happening
not in war time or under the totalitarian authority of some
nationalist leader.
Everything is going on in presence of well-armed NATO soldiers and
thousands of UN peacemakers. For three years after the armed conflict
in Kosovo, Serbs are still denied free access to schools,
universities, and other institutions everywhere in Kosovo and Metohja
where Albanians dominate.
Sometimes, some brave young Serbs dare to walk Pristine's streets
completely unprotected, with the a disdain for the ethnic hatred and
intolerance that Albanians have for anything of Serbian and Slavic
origin. At the same time, these young Serbs are really very cautious
and speak only English in crowded places. Some of them have forged
passports alleging that they are guests in the Kosovo capital; the
documents are issued by international organizations for the sake of
saving people?s lives amidst the hatred and intolerance.
Foreigners visiting Pristine usually don?t feel the atmosphere of
ethnic hatred in the streets. They don?t understand that the people
who innocently smile in the streets, restaurants, and shops are
Kosovo Albanians, for whom the noisy public life in Pristine means the
success of the mission to establish a multi-ethic community there. At
the same time, only a second, a closer glance reveals that the city
sticks to its own law, radically differing from habitual human laws.
Even deputies of a so-called multi-ethnic Kosovo parliament
"protecting" the interests of the Serb community, leave the Skupstine
building for a cafe or somewhere else only in armored police vehicles.
We won?t reconcile to the fact that the majority of international
representatives get used to this situation and do nothing at all to
change it for the better. Albanian politicians and the "intellectual
elite" are satisfied with the situation.
Under the "totalitarian" regimes of Milosevic and Tudjman in Serbia
and Croatia, many public and political organizations and students
openly protested against the terror in Pristine and in the Kosovo
region on the whole. Unfortunately, currently, there is no power to
openly oppose the discrimination of Serbs and other non-Albanians in
Kosovo.
Against this unfavorable background, the Albanian media in Kosovo
continues to "cleanse" everything of Serbian origin. The OSCE and UN
peacemaking missions call it "freedom of press." In the meantime, life
for the handful of Serbs still living in Pristine is becoming more and
more unbearable.
Compiled by Sergey Stefanov
PRAVDA.Ru
Father Sava Janic is one of Kosovo.com editors
Translated by Maria Gousseva
©1999 "Pravda.RU". When reproducing our materials in whole or in part,
reference to Pravda.RU should be made.
1. Links
2. Offensive of Lies against RS: Media War against Orao Aeronautics
(RS News)
3. Empire's Playground. Balkans Scandals Are Deadly Experiments
(Nebojsa Malic)
4. Tanjug and Beta dispatches
5. AFP dispatches
=== 1 ===
COMMENTARY AND GENERAL:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/DJ26Ak01.html
Saddam and the Yugoslav link (by David Isenberg)
http://www.vj.yu/english/index.htm
YUGOSLAV ARMY WEB SITE
NEWS:
>
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021024/ap_wo_en_po/yugoslavia_helping_iraq_24
Yugoslav arms dealer violating U.N. arms embargo was target of NATO
missiles in 1999
Thu Oct 24,12:35 PM ET
By MISHA SAVIC, Associated Press Writer - BELGRADE, Yugoslavia
> http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/24/international/europe/24BOSN.html
THE NEW YORK TIMES, Thursday, October 24, 2002
Yugoslav Aides Are Fired for Sales of Fighter-Jet Parts to Iraq
By DANIEL SIMPSON - BELGRADE, Serbia, Oct. 23
>
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-arms23oct23.story
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Balkan Firm Is Supplying Iraq, U.S. Says
Weapons factory has been exporting military equipment, officials
contend. Leaders in
Yugoslavia and Bosnia pledge to investigate.
By Alissa J. Rubin and Zoran Cirjanovic Special to The Times
October 23 2002 - BELGRADE, Yugoslavia
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24696-2002Oct26.html
THE WASHINGTON POST: New Yugoslav-Iraqi Ties Alleged
U.S. Says Defense Firms Developing Cruise Missile for Baghdad
By Nicholas Wood - Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, October 27, 2002; Page A18
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,820369,00.html
Serbs helping Iraq build cruise missile, US says
Washington's claims follow raid on aviation plant in Bosnia
Nicholas Wood in Belgrade - Monday October 28, 2002 - The Guardian
(London)
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/2373781.stm
Tuesday, 29 October, 2002, 21:28 GMT
Bosnia bans all arms exports
The claims centre on spare parts for Mig planes
By Matthew Price, Belgrade
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/2370505.stm
Tuesday, 29 October, 2002, 02:10 GMT
Bosnian officials quit over Iraq sales
Spare parts for Mig fighters were sold to Iraq
>
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=search&StoryID=1652218
Bosnia Bans Arms Exports, Sacks Officials over Iraq
Last Updated: October 29, 2002 07:03 PM ET
By Daria Sito-Sucic - SARAJEVO, Bosnia (Reuters)
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021029/
ap_wo_en_po/bosnia_weapons_iraq_6
Bosnian Serb top military officials resign over scandal
involving exports to Iraq - Tue Oct 29, 1:28 PM ET
By IRENA GAJIC, Associated Press Writer
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/2381095.stm
Thursday, 31 October, 2002, 18:21 GMT
Bosnia mired in arms scandal
There may be a Balkan-wide network of arms traders
By Alix Kroeger, BBC regional analyst
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021031/
ap_wo_en_po/yugoslavia_helping_iraq_1
Yugoslavia cuts all military, economic ties with countries
under U.N. embargo
Thu Oct 31,12:14 PM ET - By KATARINA KRATOVAC, Associated Press Writer
> http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20021031-015437-8058r.htm
THE WASHINGTON TIMES - October 31, 2002
Croatis says it is not arms trafficking
ZAGREB, Croatia, Oct. 31 (UPI)
> http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/31/international/31BELG.html
THE NEW YORK TIMES, Thursday, October 31, 2002
Belgrade Accused of Involvement in Arms Sales to Baghdad
By DANIEL SIMPSON
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,822827,00.htmlA
Ashdown says arms row may hit Bosnia
Ian Black in Brussels
Thursday October 31, 2002 - The Guardian (London)
> http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/304/nation/
US_reportedly_ties_Libya_missiles_to_Serbia+.shtml
THE BOSTON GLOBE
US reportedly ties Libya missiles to Serbia
By Reuters, 10/31/2002
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49272-2002Oct31.html
THE WASHINGTON POST
Yugoslavia's Arms Ties to Iraq Draw U.S. Scrutiny
By Daniel Williams and Nicholas Wood
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, November 1, 2002; Page A26
> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-4064-466876,00.
THE TIMES (London) - November 02, 2002
Belgrade told to stop arms sales to Saddam
By Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor, and Zoran
Kusovac in Belgrade
>
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=search&StoryID=1676751
Straw to press Yugoslavia over Iraq arms
Last Updated: November 04, 2002 12:58 PM ET
LONDON (Reuters)
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,830067,00.html
Straw to tackle Belgrade on arms to Africa
Ewen MacAskill, and Nicholas Wood in Belgrade
Tuesday November 5, 2002 - The Guardian (London)
=== 2 ===
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/srpska/message/13477
REPUBLIKA SRPSKA NEWS
OFFENSIVE OF LIES AGAINST REPUBLIKA SRPSKA MEDIA WAR AND EVERY OTHER
FORM OF WAR AGAINST "ORAO" AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE
By Gostimir T. Popovic
prota49@...
Since the end of September 2002 and the beginning of the media war
against "Orao" Aeronautics Institute, a manufacturing and maintenance
facility in Republika Srpska, the media has provided us with daily
information regarding the supposed violation of a Security Council
resolution on supplying Iraq with arms - without presenting the public
with a single shred of authentic evidence.
The unfolding of this as yet unprecedented campaign and the production
of lies demonstrates that the key actors involved are people for whom
truth, law and justice are completely foreign categories while the
so-called "evidence" provided thus far is comprised of blatant
falsifications which even a layman can debunk (if he so desires).
First, officials of the BH Ministry of Foreign Affairs released
information that "someone from Republika Srpska" was exporting weapons
and military equipment to Iraq. They were immediately joined by a
chorus of officials from the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo who confirmed
this, indirectly revealing that they were the
source of the original information.
Second, members of the multinational forces, completely overstepping
their mandate and standard procedures, illegally broke into "Orao"
Aeronautics Institute and removed whatever they saw fit - without
receipts, due process or any legal justification whatsoever.
Third, alleged evidence, that is, copies of supposed contracts began
to appear in much of the media. Representatives of stabilization
forces then announced the unveiling of new documents in the near
future, as if they had removed at least five tons of incriminating
evidence from "Orao".
Fourth, yet unnamed RS government officials began replacing everyone
holding any position from director to office clerk in both the RS
Government and RS Army General Staff.
Fifth, intensive psychological preparation of the RS population is
being carried out to get it to accept that "there must be some truth
to this" while some politicians are beginning their customary
flirtation with their U.S. mentors, positing their demands for
initiating a concrete investigation without knowing why or against
whom.
Brief commentary on these events:
The initiation of the campaign against "Orao" lies in Sarajevo but the
threads are being manipulated from a much greater distance. The
original information was only the fiery prologue to see how the RS
public will react. Since no political or legal reaction was
forthcoming, the creators of the offensive will go further.
By illegally breaking into "Orao" the so-called stabilization forces
have reminded us that they remain an uncouth and unbridled force; and
they have also informed us that they are quite skillful in the
collection of data which no one controls and in its subsequent misuse.
Details regarding the confiscation of remote
access computers, diskettes and notebooks, intentionally leaked,
served only to further fan doubt and prepare for the presentation of
the falsified copies.
The copies of the alleged documents which are being published are
blatant falsifications; however, the RS Government has not reacted at
all to this.
The staff changes which have been carried out are also illegal and
unjustified - yet another response by the RS Government to its own
detriment.
Confusion is already present among the residents of RS regarding who
to believe; although the director of "Orao" has clearly and
unambiguously stated the facts, no one is listening to him.
On top of everything else, who should appear but the High
Representative who, in keeping with old habits, longs to punish
someone or something; and it goes almost without saying that the
targets are the Serb people and Serb institutions.
In this difficult situation, when much time has already been lost, it
is extremely difficult to draw conclusions regarding necessary
measures; nevertheless, truth will still stand a chance if RS
officials undertake at least some of these steps:
1. "Orao" Aeronautics Institute should IMMEDIATELY initiate legal
proceedings in the appropriate courts against the BH Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo and other officials who
are damaging its professional reputation by false statements;
2. The Republika Srpska Government not only should but MUST stand
behind its company and its workers, who are a group of the best
experts in their field and in the region and of incalculable value to
Republika Srpska.
3. Working together, the RS Government and "Orao" need to create an
intensive media "anti-campaign" to inform representatives of the
press; after all, they hold the aces in their hands - the truth and
the documents to support it.
If the RS Government and other high officials of Republika Srpska do
not engage all available resources to defend themselves from this
unprecedented campaign of lies, it is not difficult to imagine the
ramifications and what is yet to come upon our society as a whole.
=== 3 ===
http://www.antiwar.com/malic/m-col.html
ANTIWAR, Thursday, October 31, 2002
Balkan Express
by Nebojsa Malic
Antiwar.com
Empire's Playground
Balkans Scandals Are Deadly Experiments
The Serbs are arming Saddam Hussein's drive for world domination.
Huh?
If it sounds like a plot of a pathetic spy caper, that's because it
does.
But even Hollywood flacks, who habitually insult the intelligence of
American moviegoers, would never dare stoop this low. It just wouldn't
sell. Unsurprisingly, this particular plot was written in Washington,
where no one cares a whit about the audience. After all, they have no
choice but to listen and obey.
Imperial potentates greatly respect the power of human gullibility,
but they also know its limitations. Once in the right frame of mind,
people will believe the most outrageous things - but only up to a
point. Rabid warmongering propaganda may have succeeded in confusing
Americans to the point where most of their opposition to invading Iraq
- or conquering the world, for that matter - is technical in nature,
but it still exists. Lo and behold, to carry them over that threshold
of disbelief comes a scandal: "Iraq-Serbia."
Bombs And Missiles Imaginary
Having hit a snag in their efforts to resurrect Saddam Hussein's
nefarious reputation they'd crafted in the early 1990s, Imperial City
producers decided to bring in a 'supporting villain' that might still
be fresh in people's minds.
"US Says Two Serb Firms Are Helping Iraqis," declares the Washington
Post, adding four days later, "New Yugoslav-Iraqi Ties Alleged: U.S.
Says Defense Firms Developing Cruise Missile for Baghdad." The
Guardian, always eager to score a few Serb scalps, chimed in: "Serbs
Helping Iraq Build Cruise Missile, US Says," announced an October 28
headline.
The best lies always contain a kernel of truth. It is entirely
plausible and probably true that both the Bosnian Serbs and Belgrade
had done business with Iraq at the time when they were both under a
US-sponsored UN blockade, and maybe even after that. The old
Yugoslavia had traded with Iraq a lot. So did Britain, France, China,
Russia, and not the least of all, the US. But spare parts for aircraft
engines don't make a good plot point, especially since the Iraqi air
force hasn't flown in years.
Enter a ship full of powder, originating in Montenegro and impounded
by Croatian authorities. The mysterious powder, US officials claim, is
fuel for cruise missiles the Wicked Serbs have been developing for
Evil Saddam!
Of course, there is a theoretical possibility that the charge might be
true. But it makes no sense. If the Serbs had the technology to build
cruise missiles, wouldn't they have used it by now? Some such missiles
could have definitely come in handy during the NATO attack in 1999,
for instance. Just as, if that uranium fuel seized from Vinca Labs a
few months back really had been bomb-worthy, Serbia could have joined
the nuclear club years ago - and NATO would have found someone else to
occupy and abuse.
Curiously, the New York Times - usually a rabid Serb-baiter - took a
decidedly low-key approach to the matter. "Yugoslav Aides Are Fired
for Sale of Fighter-Jet Parts to Iraq," avers an October 24 article,
noting that the case "appears to focus on the violation of the United
Nations arms embargo rather than the military significance of any
sales."
Maybe those were hypothetical missiles Saddam "might" use one day??
Uncontrollable Fallout
More instructive is the way the charges have been met in Bosnia and
Serbia. The government in Belgrade, always overeager to please its
masters, has sacked several high-ranking officials in charge of the
defense industry, and promised "full cooperation" - whatever that
means. Tuesday's Belgrade daily Glas Javnosti reported an optimistic
prediction by one Prvoslav Davinic, Serbian coordinator for the
Balkans Stability Pact, that the scandal would accelerate Serbia's
entry into NATO's Partnership for Peace program, because
a crackdown on arms dealers would demonstrate its commitment to NATO.
The Pact was established after the Kosovo War, to bring all the
Balkans vassals into Empire's fold. Obviously, anyone associated with
it would lead in the worship of Imperial overlords - but Davinic's
attitude is reflected by most Serbian government officials. They know
which side their bread is buttered on, and it's not the side of the
Serbian people?
In Bosnia, where the entire sordid affair started, Muslim politicians
are using the affair to again call for abolition of the Serb Republic.
A commentator for Sarajevo daily Oslobodjenje minced no words in
calling the Serb Republic "a paradigm (sic) of aggression, genocide,
war profiteering and plunder."
Even though Viceroy Ashdown shares their desire for a unified Bosnian
State, he apparently decided to curb their enthusiasm, by reportedly
suggesting that some Muslim and Croat factories have engaged in
not-so-legal arms trade as well.
The intensity of the fallout comes as a surprise to the Imperials
themselves, then. They forgot that, in the Balkans, nothing is simple.
Even the tiniest attempts at manipulation create unexpected
shockwaves.
Our Arms Traders, And Theirs
Take, for example, the infamous "Washington sniper," who killed ten
people in the Imperial City just this month. On October 20, days
before the arrest of a Gulf veteran suspected of the spree, Stacy
Sullivan penned a paean to gun control for the New York Times,
illustrating the ease of purchasing sniper rifles in the US by
describing in great detail - and sympathetically - how Albanian
expatriates armed the terrorist KLA in Kosovo and Macedonia. This is
why NATO couldn't stop the smugglers, just as it had said back in
2001. It couldn't have deployed troops in New Jersey.
Isn't it ironic that the Empire is now in furor over alleged Serb arms
trade with Iraq, though its own citizens were arming terrorists in the
Balkans?
But of course, the KLA were our terrorists?
The Future Is Now
This entire cheap melodrama about alleged arms smuggling diverts
attention from other experiments in the Balkans Laboratory. For
instance, expect new Imperial conquests to be treated with a heavy
dose of democracy- a religious practice brimming with mysticism but
utterly devoid of meaning - and elections, the main ritual of this
strange religion. Bosnia has had seven, Kosovo three; one for every
year they've been occupied.
And even if the ritual does not unfold exactly as planned, the Empire
always makes sure it fits the predetermined outcome, even if some of
the results need to be adjusted, as it is currently happening in
Bosnia. Praising the elections, the outgoing head of the UN mission,
Jacques Klein, shared this cheerful prediction with his bosses the
Security Council last week:
"the nationalists' strong showing created 'a more challenging
political environment that will require strong intervention and
continued commitment' on the international community's part."
(Reuters)
Strong intervention and continued commitment. Music to Empire's ears.
The Fate of Heretics
So important is the ballot religion, that anyone refusing to
participate is deemed a heretic, persecuted and punished. Such is the
fate of Kosovo Serbs, who boycotted last weekend's municipal election,
having realized - albeit belatedly - that it would only legitimize
Albanian domination of the NATO-occupied province. Refusing to go
along with their captors is just about the only recourse they still
have, since appeals to NATO's humanity, international law, UN
resolutions, and common sense have all failed. But
don't expect the Empire to understand.
A glimpse of its rage was apparent in a recent Reuters report about a
political murder perpetrated by Albanians. Even though the elections
serve to justify their claims for independence, some Albanians still
honor the gods of violence when the ballot gods fail them. A former
KLA leader was killed by his comrades a day after the vote, presumably
for daring to represent a rival party. Yet somehow it's the Serbs'
fault. Well, isn't everything?
The Serbs who did vote thus supported "hardliners skeptical of
Serb-Albanian coexistence," while the boycott hurt "U.N. efforts to
integrate Serbs into the political scene and overcome ethnic divisions
threatening further violence." These are mere prevarications, of
course. The real bald-faced lies go something like this:
"Ethnically motivated killings have diminished since the United
Nations and NATO took control of the Yugoslav province three years
ago."
Yes, that's exactly what the Reuters article said. No wonder it ended
with a despicable comment that US bombing "ended a near century of
Serbian dominance," lifted straight out of the KLA manifesto.
Today The Balkans, Tomorrow The World
Intoxicated by their apparent successes in the Balkans, Empire's mad
scientists - social managers, to be precise - plot on, convinced
somehow that they will succeed where everyone before has failed. Iraq
is just the first step, the "cruise missile" affair just a casus
belli. The Balkans, having served as a laboratory for experiments in
Imperial intervention, will now become a template for the world.
For the unconvinced, there is Viceroy Ashdown's own confession, on the
pages of the New York Times this past Monday:
"History will look back on our engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina as
the first faltering step toward a doctrine of international community.
Bosnia will be seen as a new model for international intervention -
one designed not to pursue narrow national interests but to prevent
conflict, to promote human rights and to rebuild war-torn societies.
We are already applying the lessons of Bosnia in Kosovo, East Timor
and Afghanistan. Perhaps they will be applied in Iraq as well."
It almost makes this column seem superfluous.
=== 4 ===
Yugoslav government commission to investigate DEFENSE ministry's work
BELGRADE, Oct 25 (Tanjug) - The Yugoslav government has set up a
three-member commission that should investigate whether there were any
irregularities in the Yugoslav Defense Ministry's license for the
export
of arms and military equipment and the operation of Jugoimport SDPR,
the Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti reported on Friday.
The commission will be headed by Yugoslav Interior Minister Zoran
Zivkovic and the other members are Yugoslav Defense Minister Velimir
Radojevic and acting Yugoslav Finance Minister Veroljub Dugalic.
"I can't say anything at this moment. An investigation is under way
and as soon as it is completed, the public will be informed about its
results.
At this point, I can only promise that our work will not last long and
that we will try to complete our work as soon as possible. We are well
under way," Zivkovic said.
DAVINIC: YUGOSLAVIA HAS NOT BEEN ISSUING PERMITS FOR ARMS EXPORTS TO
IRAQ
Belgrade, Oct 24 (Beta) - Yugoslav ambassador and national coordinator
in charge of the army, police and judiciary in the Stability Pact,
Prvoslav Davinic, said on Oct 24 that the Yugoslav authorities had not
been issuing permits for the export of military equipment to Iraq.
Davinic told Radio B92 that according to the documents he had had the
chance to review, "it is certain that Yugoslavia has not willingly or
knowingly issued any permits for the export of arms to the countries
under an embargo."
"The question remains about whether these things have been done
illegally.
The inquiry launched to investigate it shows that the country is ready
to initiate criminal proceedings against those who have violated such
an embargo," said Davinic.
The director of the Federal Customs Authority, Vladan Begovic, said in
the evening of Oct. 24 that the Jugoimport company had not exported
weapons and military equipment to Iraq in the past two years.
Yugoslav customs authority director says Jugoimport did not export
weapons to Iraq
BELGRADE, Oct 24 (Tanjug) - No weapons or military equipment have been
exported from Yugoslavia to Iraq, as had there been an attempt to do
so, the Federal Customs Authority (SUC) would not have allowed it in
compliance with relevant UN resolutions, SUC Director Vladan Begovic
said Thursday evening.
The Jugoimport SDPR company has been exporting weapons and military
equipment over the past two years, but according to SUC knowledge,
none of the exports were made to Iraq but only to several countries in
its
neighborhood, Begovic told Serbian TV.
UN coordinator says Jugoimport affair will not affect Yugoslav-UN
relations
BELGRADE, Oct 24 (Tanjug) - The UN Coordinator for Yugoslavia Francis
O'Donnell said Thursday in Belgrade that the Jugoimport affair of arms
sales to Iraq in violation of US sanctions will not affect
Yugoslavia's
relations with the UN.
He welcomed the measures taken by the Yugoslav government, which has
relieved of office the Jugoimport general director and undertaken an
investigation of the company's activities.
USA offers cooperation to Yugoslav authorities
SARAJEVO, Oct 24 (Tanjug) - The United States has offered full support
and cooperation to the Yugoslav authorities in the investigation and
is offering technical and expert aid in the implementation of
appropriate measures and mechanisms for the control of arms transfers,
the US Embassy in Sarajevo said in relation to the affair of military
equipment exports from Republika Srpska and Yugoslavia to Iraq.
The statement recalled that the United States welcomed steps taken by
the Yugoslav government following the revelation that the air force
institute Orao of Bijeljina and the Belgrade company Jugoimport were
implicated in the transfer of military technology and cooperation with
Iraq.
The Embassy statement also said that the authorities of Bosnia and
Herzegovina are expected to take appropriate steps to end immediately
any kind of cooperation with Iraq and to conduct an investigation and
find out who is responsible for the violation of the UN Security
Council resolution on an arms embargo.
YUGOSLAV ARMY NOT INVOLVED IN WEAPONS TRADE - STAFF
BELGRADE, Oct 25 (Tanjug) - The Yugoslav Army (VJ) is not empowered to
trade in weapons or military equipment, and is not involved in any way
in any such trade with Iraq, the VJ General Staff said in a statement
Friday. The VJ reiterates that it is open and ready for full
implementation of civilian control
of the army by relevant state institutions in line with the
Constitution and their law, and this also
applies to this case, the statement says.
KOSTUNICA ON JUGOIMPORT AFFAIR
BELGRADE, Oct. 27 (Beta) - Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica has
said that he will meet with top federal government officials on Oct.28
over the Jugoimport affair.
At a Oct. 25 news conference, Kostunica said that Jugoimport's
business dealings were no matter to be dismissed, and that it could
cost Yugoslavia dearly. He said that the whole matter was an
irresponsible
business undertaking, but that the repair of outdated aircraft was
still of a much more benevolent scope than the alleged sale of weapons
in violation of the Iraq arms embargo and that it could not be
identified with the country's political orientation.
The Yugoslav president said that the affair could be solved by police
investigation, through the formation of a federal commission or
through a debate in federal parliament, with the prior formation of a
investigative committee.
BETA has learned that Yugoslav, Bosnian, RS and U.S. embassy
representatives in Sarajevo and Belgrade met on Oct. 25 on the affair.
One of the participants, who declined to be named, told BETA that
"information was exchanged and further investigation was agreed."
Serbian Premier Zoran Djindjic announced that his cabinet would insist
on bringing those responsible to account. Djindjic said that he had
confidence in the federal government to investigate the case.
Serbian Interior Minister and chairman of the Jugoimport weapon
dealer's executive board Dusan Mihajlovic said that his position did
not involve knowing about the company's business arrangements in
particular
and denied any knowledge of such undertakings.
"According to the law, the executive board is charged with reviewing a
company's business dealings in general, and not contracts in
particular. This is the job of the management and the GM alone. I was
not
informed of any concrete arrangement, because it was not in my
jurisdiction," Mihajlovic said in an interview with the Oct. 26 issue
of Vecernje Novosti.
Yugoslav Defense Minister Velimir Radojevic said that no permits were
issued for arms or military equipment exports to countries under U.N.
or U.S. weapons embargoes while he was in office. He added that new
legislation was in preparation and that it would change how the field
was regulated.
Radojevic added that "contracts and possible permits in regard to the
affair," would have to date from the time when he and Yugoslav Prime
Minister were not in office.
The Yugoslav army also denied involvement in the affair. A statement
said that the army was not authorized to trade in weapons and military
equipment.
Statement following meeting on Jugoimport company affair
BELGRADE, Oct 29 (Tanjug) - Top state officials met at the office of
Yugolav President Vojislav Kostunica late Monday to discuss the
Jugoimport-SDPR affair and concluded a state commission should be
formed. The commission will "professionally deal with the issue of
economic cooperation in the area of special-purpose production, having
in mind the mutual obligations which our country is determined to
honor in full, as well as the requirements and position of the
military-economic department in Yugoslavia," said a statement from
Kostunica's office received by Tanjug.
The meeting was devoted to measures taken so far to establish the
facts on business operations of the public company Jugoimport-SDPR,
which, according to available information, violated the UN embargo on
arms sales and military-technical assistance to Iraq. In addition to
the Yugoslav president, the meeting was attended by Yugoslav Prime
Minister Dragisa Pesic, Deputy Premier and Foreign Trade Minister
Miroljub Labus, Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic, and federal and
republican interior ministers Zoran Zivkovic and Dusan Mihajlovic.
Evidence about Orao, Jugoimport sent to Belgrade, Sarajevo by United
States
WASHINGTON, Oct 29 (Tanjug) -State Department spokesman Richard
Baucher has confirmed that the US government sent firm evidence to the
governments of Yugoslavia and Bosnia and Herzegovina about the
transactions of the Belgrade Jugoimport and the military plant Orao
from Bjeljina with Baghdad,
in direct violation of the UN resolution banning exports of weapons
and equipment to Iraq.
At a press briefing in the State Department Baucher did not wish to
comment Monday on a Washington Post story in its Sunday edition
according to which Yugoslav experts were helping the Iraqis build a
cruise missile. He just repeated that Washington welcomes the steps
taken by Yugoslavia that include dismissing of those responsible for
the transactions, launching a full investigation, and committing
itself to take appropriate measures for regulating the transfer of
military technology and weapons. Washington,
Baucher said, welcomes the closing down of Jugoimport's office in
Baghdad and offers full support to the Yugoslav authorities in
conducting the investigation and the development of legal and police
measures and
mechanisms for the control of exports of military and other sensitive
materials.
NATO: BELGRADE SHOULD CLEAR UP ORAO AFFAIR
BRUSSELS, Oct. 31 (Beta) - NATO spokesman Yves Brodeur said on Oct. 31
that the Alliance expected the
Belgrade authorities "to swiftly and completely clear up the Orao
affair" regarding military equipment
exports to Iraq.
He emphasized that it would not affect the rapprochement between
Yugoslavia and NATO in any way, including Belgrade's desire to enter
the Partnership for Peace.
Brodeur confirmed to BETA that the discovery that the Orao company
from Republika Srpska was exporting
military equipment to Iraq through a military company in Belgrade,
thus violating the UN embargo, has
commanded "attention and concern" in NATO circles.
He said that Orao company from Republika Srpska was delivering
"components for rocket engines."
MINISTER ZIVKOVIC ON JUGOIMPORT SCANDAL
BELGRADE, Nov 4 (Tanjug) - The Jugoimport scandal is over, Yugoslav
Interior Minister Zoran Zivkovic has said and added that a Yugoslav
government commission had determined that there had been cases of
violation of a UN Security Council resolution banning the export of
arms and military equipment to Iraq, primarily because of regulations
that allowed different interpretations.
Zivkovic told the Monday issue of the Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti
that all measures had been taken aimed at preventing the repetition
of such as case not only with Iraq, but also with all other countries
under sanctions. He said that competent organs, primarily the Serbian
police, would continue doing their job and that those for whom there
is proof they had been violating the law, would bear legal
consequences. Asked about the possibility of production of cruising
missiles in the country, Zivkovic said that this was high technology
and that he was certain that they could not have been made in the
country. We do not have cruising missiles, Zivkovic said.
SVILANOVIC SAYS MILITARY COOPERATION WITH IRAQ HAS CEASED
BELGRADE,Nov5 (Beta)-Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic said
on Nov. 5 that Yugoslavia had stopped military hardware exports to
Iraq and emphasized that the authorities were keenly monitoring and
controlling the entire sector.
"A state commission has been established to investigate not only
Jugoimport, but the entire military trade sector, which includes a
number of other private companies. We want to find out whether any
U.N. arms
embargoes were violated. The state commission will take charge of the
process so that the country's military industry can get back to
business and we do not want to breach our international obligations at
any moment," Svilanovic said.
=== 5 ===
US demands more action against Bosnian firm that dealt with Iraq
WASHINGTON, Oct 28 (AFP) - The United States on Monday demanded Bosnia
take further action against a firm it claims sold military equipment
and sensitive technology to Iraq while welcoming Belgrade's steps
against a Yugoslav company accused of assisting in the transfers.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said moves by the Bosnian
Serb entity Republika Srpska against the Orao company -- firing the
general manager and removing a military officer and a senior
government official affiliated with the firm -- were insufficient.
"This is a good start, but more needs to be done," he told reporters,
noting that the company had close ties with the government and
military.
"Orao's illegal activities would have required extensive coordination
with the ministry of defense and possibly other parts of the Bosnian
government," Boucher said.
"The United States expects the relevant authorities in
Bosnia-Herzegovina, and particularly the Republika Srpska, to conduct
a thorough investigation and to hold accountable those responsible
regardless of the seniority or position."
Orao is one of two firms in the former Yugoslavia that Washington has
publicly accused of transferring military parts and technology --
specifically airplane parts and mechanics -- to Iraq in violation of
UN sanctions.
Officials in Belgrade have punished the other company, Jugoimport,
taking action against company officials as well as military officers
as well as launching an investigation into the defense ministry and
moving to
tighten its export control regime.
Boucher called these moves, in addition to the closure of the
Jugoimport office in Baghdad, "significant and serious actions."
"We welcome these steps," he said, repeating Washington's offer to
assist Yugoslav authorities in their investigation and help revamp
the export rules.
The Yugoslav government has admitted that Jugoimport had acted as a
middleman in the supply of aviation parts and equipment from Orao.
Boucher declined to comment on reports that other companies in the
former Yugoslavia had also been supplying Iraq and Libya with missile
technology, a far more serious contravention of the UN sanctions that
spare aircraft parts.
However, one senior State Department official said the firms were
selling "far more than just aviation parts and training" to Iraq.
Earlier Monday, the Yugoslav newspaper Blic reported that Washington
had told Belgrade five months ago that a number of companies were
helping Iraq and Libya develop their missile programs.
In addition to Jugoimport, the daily also listed the Infinity, Bruner
Ede-pro firms as having ties with Baghdad and Tripoli and said that
experts from those firms had traveled to Iraq and Libya over the past
two years to assist in the development of cruise missiles.
That report followed one in Sunday's Washington Post that said the
United States had presented a document to Yugoslav government
officials outlining work done by firms in the country to develop a
turbo-jet engine for Iraq's cruise missile program.
AFP Bosnia bans military exports amid arms-to-Iraq scandal
SARAJEVO, Oct 29 (AFP) - Bosnia has banned all military exports
following the recent discovery that a Bosnian Serb defense firm made
secret military sales to Iraq, officials said Tuesday.
"The ban has been imposed for an indefinite period of time, depending
on the speed with which control procedures will be set up at the
state level," said Azra Hadziahmetovic, Bosnia's minister for foreign
trade and economic relations.
The move was the latest measure by the country's authorities to
prevent possible UN and US sanctions over the scandal.
The government of the Serb-run side has sacked five officials over
the affair, including its defense minister and army chief-of-staff,
following sharp warnings from the West.
The NATO-led force in Bosnia discovered earlier this month that a
defense company in the country's Serb-run part had been secretly
selling military material to Baghdad in violation of an UN arms
embargo on Iraq.
Production and sale of military materials has so far come under the
authority of Bosnia's two entities, the Serb-run Republika Srpska (RS)
and the Musleim-Croat federation.
After the secret sales by the Bosnian Serb firm Orao were discovered,
international officials demanded that control procedures to be set up
at the state level.
The 1995 peace deal that ended Bosnia's 1992-95 war split the country
into the two entities, which are linked by weak central institutions,
have separate governments, parliaments, police and armed forces.
Hadziahmetovic, whose ministry will take over control for the
weapons' trade, said it was uncertain how quickly the new procedures
could be set up as they depended on various state-level institutions.
He spoke after meeting with international representatives in Bosnia,
including the chief aide to Bosnia's top international envoy Paddy
Ashdown.
"We totally support the current ban on exports of weapons and other
facilities that would eventually be part of the (state-level) export
regime," said aide Donald Hays.
He said Ashdown would travel to Brussels Thursday to brief NATO and
the European Union on situation in Bosnia, and specifically on the
Orao affair.
Robert Beecroft, head of the mission here of the pan-European security
and cooperation body (OSCE), said experts would be assigned to work
with Bosnian authorities to set up the new control procedures.
AFP More sackings expected over Bosnia's arms-to-Iraq scandal
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Oct 30 (AFP) - An ongoing probe into
a Bosnian Serb firm which sold arms to Iraq in violation of the
United Nations arms embargo will result in more sackings, a senior
international official in Bosnia said on Wednesday.
"I made it clear... that the investigation that is being undertaken
will result in further dismissals," said Donald Hays, chief aide to
Bosnia's top international envoy, Paddy Ashdown.
"If there is political involvement, regardless of where that
political involvement stems from, there will be repercussions on
those involved, however high," Hays said adding that the scandal
"probably involves more than just one company."
He said there was a need for a comprehensive review, not only in the
Serb-run entity of Republika Srpska (RS) but also in the Muslim-Croat
Federation.
Post-war Bosnia is composed of two entities -- the Serb-run RS and
the Muslim-Croat Federation -- which have separate governments,
parliaments, police and armed forces and are linked by weak central
institutions.
The government of the Serb-run side has sacked five officials over
the affair, including its defense minister and army chief-of-staff,
following sharp warnings from the West.
The scandal emerged earlier this month after the NATO-led
peacekeeping force in Bosnia discovered that defence firm Orao had
been refurbishing military aircrafts for Iraq via a state-owned
Yugoslav company,
Jugoimport.
Bosnian Serb outgoing Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic agreed after
meeting Hays in Banja Luka that it was in the interest of the RS "to
have the whole truth" on the scandal discovered.
The investigation is to be wrapped up by November 27.
The US ambassador to Bosnia, Clifford Bond, said Washington was not
convinced the dismissal of the officials satisfied US demands for the
culprits to be punished.
"I think it is too early to say whether the dismissals so far are
sufficient," Bond told AFP.
"The investigation has to be completed before we determine who should
be accountable and on what level."
In a speech to EU and NATO leaders in Brussels, Ashdown warned the
Bosnian Serb authorities would have to choose "whether to take the
road to Brussels or to Baghdad".
NATO forces raided Orao following US allegations in September that
the company had breached the UN arms embargo on Iraq.
In an additional effort to avert possible UN and US sanctions over
the scandal, Bosnia's central authorities on Tuesday banned all arms
exports for an indefinite period of time.
The Bosnian Serb tax department said Wednesday it had also launched
an investigation of Orao, an aviation company operating under the
authority of Bosnian Serb military headquarters.
AFP Britain urges Yugoslavia to halt arms sales to Iraq, Liberia
LONDON, Oct 30 (AFP) - British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw called
Wednesday on Yugoslavia to halt the sale of arms to Iraq and Liberia,
in breach of UN sanctions, after a meeting with his Yugoslav
counterpart Goran Svilanovic.
Straw welcomed steps Belgrade had taken to deal with the issue but
expressed "serious concern at recent reports concerning the sale of
arms from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) to Iraq."
"I also raised other violations of UN sanctions including reports of
FRY involvement in arms sales to Liberia in contravention of the UN
sanctions regime," Straw said in a press release.
"I urged Dr. Svilanovic to ensure a thorough investigation into these
arms sales, leading to prosecutions as necessary," the statement
added.
The British foreign secretary said he was also deeply concerned by
the failure of the FRY to fully co-operate with the International
Criminal Tribunal in The Hague (ICTY).
"I urge the FRY authorities to take immediate steps to settle this
matter once and for all, with full access to documents, witnesses,
including officials and military personnel, and the transfer of all
remaining ICTY indictees on FRY territory to The Hague," Straw said.
"Failure to do so," said the foreign secretary, "would undermine the
excellent progress made by Yugoslav authorities since October 2000."
The Iraqi arms scandal broke last week when Washington went public
with allegations that a state-run trading company, Jugoimport, had
acted as a middleman in the supply of spare parts for Iraqi fighter
jets.
The State Department said a state-owned Bosnian firm, Orao, was
manufacturing the parts and selling them through Jugoimport to Saddam
Hussein's regime in breach of UN sanctions.
Belgrade reacted swiftly by sacking the chief of Jugoimport and a
deputy defence minister.
Jugoimport's office in Baghdad was closed and a special committee was
established to investigate both the company and the defence ministry.
According to the British foreign office press release, a UN report
dated October 7 stated that six cargo aircraft in June, July and
August 2002 delivered 200 tons of Yugoslav weapons to Liberia.
AFP Yugoslav minister confirms one arms delivery to Liberia
BELGRADE, Nov 1 (AFP) - Yugoslavia's interior minister confirmed
Friday that at least one illegal delivery of weapons had been made to
Liberia in August in breach of United Nations sanctions.
Minister Zoran Zivkovic told AFP he was aware that a local private
company had sent one plane-load of weapons to Liberia, but he could
not confirm UN allegations that six shipments of weapons had been made
between June and August.
"I am aware of only one ... That aircraft had papers for Nigeria as
well as a certificate from the Nigerian defense ministry or
government that the weapons would go there," he said.
"Later on it was found out that it had gone to Liberia."
Zivkovic said an investigation was underway into the company, Temex,
amid damaging revelations that Yugoslav state-run and private firms
also have been selling military equipment to Iraq and Libya.
"An investigation has been launched into Temex, a dealer company that
exported weapons on the aircraft," he said.
A deputy Yugoslav defence minister and a director of the state-run
Jugoimport company were sacked last week after Washington went public
with allegations the company was helping to supply parts for Iraqi
fighter jets.
The government also closed Jugoimport's office in Baghdad, suspended
all military sales to countries under UN sanctions and launched a
wider probe of military-related businesses as well as the defence
ministry.
"Inspections have entered all companies that have done weapons sales,
those are 32 or 33 private companies and one state-owned --
Jugoimport," Zivkovic said.
2. Offensive of Lies against RS: Media War against Orao Aeronautics
(RS News)
3. Empire's Playground. Balkans Scandals Are Deadly Experiments
(Nebojsa Malic)
4. Tanjug and Beta dispatches
5. AFP dispatches
=== 1 ===
COMMENTARY AND GENERAL:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/DJ26Ak01.html
Saddam and the Yugoslav link (by David Isenberg)
http://www.vj.yu/english/index.htm
YUGOSLAV ARMY WEB SITE
NEWS:
>
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021024/ap_wo_en_po/yugoslavia_helping_iraq_24
Yugoslav arms dealer violating U.N. arms embargo was target of NATO
missiles in 1999
Thu Oct 24,12:35 PM ET
By MISHA SAVIC, Associated Press Writer - BELGRADE, Yugoslavia
> http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/24/international/europe/24BOSN.html
THE NEW YORK TIMES, Thursday, October 24, 2002
Yugoslav Aides Are Fired for Sales of Fighter-Jet Parts to Iraq
By DANIEL SIMPSON - BELGRADE, Serbia, Oct. 23
>
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-arms23oct23.story
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Balkan Firm Is Supplying Iraq, U.S. Says
Weapons factory has been exporting military equipment, officials
contend. Leaders in
Yugoslavia and Bosnia pledge to investigate.
By Alissa J. Rubin and Zoran Cirjanovic Special to The Times
October 23 2002 - BELGRADE, Yugoslavia
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24696-2002Oct26.html
THE WASHINGTON POST: New Yugoslav-Iraqi Ties Alleged
U.S. Says Defense Firms Developing Cruise Missile for Baghdad
By Nicholas Wood - Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, October 27, 2002; Page A18
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,820369,00.html
Serbs helping Iraq build cruise missile, US says
Washington's claims follow raid on aviation plant in Bosnia
Nicholas Wood in Belgrade - Monday October 28, 2002 - The Guardian
(London)
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/2373781.stm
Tuesday, 29 October, 2002, 21:28 GMT
Bosnia bans all arms exports
The claims centre on spare parts for Mig planes
By Matthew Price, Belgrade
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/2370505.stm
Tuesday, 29 October, 2002, 02:10 GMT
Bosnian officials quit over Iraq sales
Spare parts for Mig fighters were sold to Iraq
>
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=search&StoryID=1652218
Bosnia Bans Arms Exports, Sacks Officials over Iraq
Last Updated: October 29, 2002 07:03 PM ET
By Daria Sito-Sucic - SARAJEVO, Bosnia (Reuters)
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021029/
ap_wo_en_po/bosnia_weapons_iraq_6
Bosnian Serb top military officials resign over scandal
involving exports to Iraq - Tue Oct 29, 1:28 PM ET
By IRENA GAJIC, Associated Press Writer
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/2381095.stm
Thursday, 31 October, 2002, 18:21 GMT
Bosnia mired in arms scandal
There may be a Balkan-wide network of arms traders
By Alix Kroeger, BBC regional analyst
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021031/
ap_wo_en_po/yugoslavia_helping_iraq_1
Yugoslavia cuts all military, economic ties with countries
under U.N. embargo
Thu Oct 31,12:14 PM ET - By KATARINA KRATOVAC, Associated Press Writer
> http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20021031-015437-8058r.htm
THE WASHINGTON TIMES - October 31, 2002
Croatis says it is not arms trafficking
ZAGREB, Croatia, Oct. 31 (UPI)
> http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/31/international/31BELG.html
THE NEW YORK TIMES, Thursday, October 31, 2002
Belgrade Accused of Involvement in Arms Sales to Baghdad
By DANIEL SIMPSON
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,822827,00.htmlA
Ashdown says arms row may hit Bosnia
Ian Black in Brussels
Thursday October 31, 2002 - The Guardian (London)
> http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/304/nation/
US_reportedly_ties_Libya_missiles_to_Serbia+.shtml
THE BOSTON GLOBE
US reportedly ties Libya missiles to Serbia
By Reuters, 10/31/2002
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49272-2002Oct31.html
THE WASHINGTON POST
Yugoslavia's Arms Ties to Iraq Draw U.S. Scrutiny
By Daniel Williams and Nicholas Wood
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, November 1, 2002; Page A26
> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-4064-466876,00.
THE TIMES (London) - November 02, 2002
Belgrade told to stop arms sales to Saddam
By Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor, and Zoran
Kusovac in Belgrade
>
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=search&StoryID=1676751
Straw to press Yugoslavia over Iraq arms
Last Updated: November 04, 2002 12:58 PM ET
LONDON (Reuters)
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,830067,00.html
Straw to tackle Belgrade on arms to Africa
Ewen MacAskill, and Nicholas Wood in Belgrade
Tuesday November 5, 2002 - The Guardian (London)
=== 2 ===
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/srpska/message/13477
REPUBLIKA SRPSKA NEWS
OFFENSIVE OF LIES AGAINST REPUBLIKA SRPSKA MEDIA WAR AND EVERY OTHER
FORM OF WAR AGAINST "ORAO" AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE
By Gostimir T. Popovic
prota49@...
Since the end of September 2002 and the beginning of the media war
against "Orao" Aeronautics Institute, a manufacturing and maintenance
facility in Republika Srpska, the media has provided us with daily
information regarding the supposed violation of a Security Council
resolution on supplying Iraq with arms - without presenting the public
with a single shred of authentic evidence.
The unfolding of this as yet unprecedented campaign and the production
of lies demonstrates that the key actors involved are people for whom
truth, law and justice are completely foreign categories while the
so-called "evidence" provided thus far is comprised of blatant
falsifications which even a layman can debunk (if he so desires).
First, officials of the BH Ministry of Foreign Affairs released
information that "someone from Republika Srpska" was exporting weapons
and military equipment to Iraq. They were immediately joined by a
chorus of officials from the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo who confirmed
this, indirectly revealing that they were the
source of the original information.
Second, members of the multinational forces, completely overstepping
their mandate and standard procedures, illegally broke into "Orao"
Aeronautics Institute and removed whatever they saw fit - without
receipts, due process or any legal justification whatsoever.
Third, alleged evidence, that is, copies of supposed contracts began
to appear in much of the media. Representatives of stabilization
forces then announced the unveiling of new documents in the near
future, as if they had removed at least five tons of incriminating
evidence from "Orao".
Fourth, yet unnamed RS government officials began replacing everyone
holding any position from director to office clerk in both the RS
Government and RS Army General Staff.
Fifth, intensive psychological preparation of the RS population is
being carried out to get it to accept that "there must be some truth
to this" while some politicians are beginning their customary
flirtation with their U.S. mentors, positing their demands for
initiating a concrete investigation without knowing why or against
whom.
Brief commentary on these events:
The initiation of the campaign against "Orao" lies in Sarajevo but the
threads are being manipulated from a much greater distance. The
original information was only the fiery prologue to see how the RS
public will react. Since no political or legal reaction was
forthcoming, the creators of the offensive will go further.
By illegally breaking into "Orao" the so-called stabilization forces
have reminded us that they remain an uncouth and unbridled force; and
they have also informed us that they are quite skillful in the
collection of data which no one controls and in its subsequent misuse.
Details regarding the confiscation of remote
access computers, diskettes and notebooks, intentionally leaked,
served only to further fan doubt and prepare for the presentation of
the falsified copies.
The copies of the alleged documents which are being published are
blatant falsifications; however, the RS Government has not reacted at
all to this.
The staff changes which have been carried out are also illegal and
unjustified - yet another response by the RS Government to its own
detriment.
Confusion is already present among the residents of RS regarding who
to believe; although the director of "Orao" has clearly and
unambiguously stated the facts, no one is listening to him.
On top of everything else, who should appear but the High
Representative who, in keeping with old habits, longs to punish
someone or something; and it goes almost without saying that the
targets are the Serb people and Serb institutions.
In this difficult situation, when much time has already been lost, it
is extremely difficult to draw conclusions regarding necessary
measures; nevertheless, truth will still stand a chance if RS
officials undertake at least some of these steps:
1. "Orao" Aeronautics Institute should IMMEDIATELY initiate legal
proceedings in the appropriate courts against the BH Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo and other officials who
are damaging its professional reputation by false statements;
2. The Republika Srpska Government not only should but MUST stand
behind its company and its workers, who are a group of the best
experts in their field and in the region and of incalculable value to
Republika Srpska.
3. Working together, the RS Government and "Orao" need to create an
intensive media "anti-campaign" to inform representatives of the
press; after all, they hold the aces in their hands - the truth and
the documents to support it.
If the RS Government and other high officials of Republika Srpska do
not engage all available resources to defend themselves from this
unprecedented campaign of lies, it is not difficult to imagine the
ramifications and what is yet to come upon our society as a whole.
=== 3 ===
http://www.antiwar.com/malic/m-col.html
ANTIWAR, Thursday, October 31, 2002
Balkan Express
by Nebojsa Malic
Antiwar.com
Empire's Playground
Balkans Scandals Are Deadly Experiments
The Serbs are arming Saddam Hussein's drive for world domination.
Huh?
If it sounds like a plot of a pathetic spy caper, that's because it
does.
But even Hollywood flacks, who habitually insult the intelligence of
American moviegoers, would never dare stoop this low. It just wouldn't
sell. Unsurprisingly, this particular plot was written in Washington,
where no one cares a whit about the audience. After all, they have no
choice but to listen and obey.
Imperial potentates greatly respect the power of human gullibility,
but they also know its limitations. Once in the right frame of mind,
people will believe the most outrageous things - but only up to a
point. Rabid warmongering propaganda may have succeeded in confusing
Americans to the point where most of their opposition to invading Iraq
- or conquering the world, for that matter - is technical in nature,
but it still exists. Lo and behold, to carry them over that threshold
of disbelief comes a scandal: "Iraq-Serbia."
Bombs And Missiles Imaginary
Having hit a snag in their efforts to resurrect Saddam Hussein's
nefarious reputation they'd crafted in the early 1990s, Imperial City
producers decided to bring in a 'supporting villain' that might still
be fresh in people's minds.
"US Says Two Serb Firms Are Helping Iraqis," declares the Washington
Post, adding four days later, "New Yugoslav-Iraqi Ties Alleged: U.S.
Says Defense Firms Developing Cruise Missile for Baghdad." The
Guardian, always eager to score a few Serb scalps, chimed in: "Serbs
Helping Iraq Build Cruise Missile, US Says," announced an October 28
headline.
The best lies always contain a kernel of truth. It is entirely
plausible and probably true that both the Bosnian Serbs and Belgrade
had done business with Iraq at the time when they were both under a
US-sponsored UN blockade, and maybe even after that. The old
Yugoslavia had traded with Iraq a lot. So did Britain, France, China,
Russia, and not the least of all, the US. But spare parts for aircraft
engines don't make a good plot point, especially since the Iraqi air
force hasn't flown in years.
Enter a ship full of powder, originating in Montenegro and impounded
by Croatian authorities. The mysterious powder, US officials claim, is
fuel for cruise missiles the Wicked Serbs have been developing for
Evil Saddam!
Of course, there is a theoretical possibility that the charge might be
true. But it makes no sense. If the Serbs had the technology to build
cruise missiles, wouldn't they have used it by now? Some such missiles
could have definitely come in handy during the NATO attack in 1999,
for instance. Just as, if that uranium fuel seized from Vinca Labs a
few months back really had been bomb-worthy, Serbia could have joined
the nuclear club years ago - and NATO would have found someone else to
occupy and abuse.
Curiously, the New York Times - usually a rabid Serb-baiter - took a
decidedly low-key approach to the matter. "Yugoslav Aides Are Fired
for Sale of Fighter-Jet Parts to Iraq," avers an October 24 article,
noting that the case "appears to focus on the violation of the United
Nations arms embargo rather than the military significance of any
sales."
Maybe those were hypothetical missiles Saddam "might" use one day??
Uncontrollable Fallout
More instructive is the way the charges have been met in Bosnia and
Serbia. The government in Belgrade, always overeager to please its
masters, has sacked several high-ranking officials in charge of the
defense industry, and promised "full cooperation" - whatever that
means. Tuesday's Belgrade daily Glas Javnosti reported an optimistic
prediction by one Prvoslav Davinic, Serbian coordinator for the
Balkans Stability Pact, that the scandal would accelerate Serbia's
entry into NATO's Partnership for Peace program, because
a crackdown on arms dealers would demonstrate its commitment to NATO.
The Pact was established after the Kosovo War, to bring all the
Balkans vassals into Empire's fold. Obviously, anyone associated with
it would lead in the worship of Imperial overlords - but Davinic's
attitude is reflected by most Serbian government officials. They know
which side their bread is buttered on, and it's not the side of the
Serbian people?
In Bosnia, where the entire sordid affair started, Muslim politicians
are using the affair to again call for abolition of the Serb Republic.
A commentator for Sarajevo daily Oslobodjenje minced no words in
calling the Serb Republic "a paradigm (sic) of aggression, genocide,
war profiteering and plunder."
Even though Viceroy Ashdown shares their desire for a unified Bosnian
State, he apparently decided to curb their enthusiasm, by reportedly
suggesting that some Muslim and Croat factories have engaged in
not-so-legal arms trade as well.
The intensity of the fallout comes as a surprise to the Imperials
themselves, then. They forgot that, in the Balkans, nothing is simple.
Even the tiniest attempts at manipulation create unexpected
shockwaves.
Our Arms Traders, And Theirs
Take, for example, the infamous "Washington sniper," who killed ten
people in the Imperial City just this month. On October 20, days
before the arrest of a Gulf veteran suspected of the spree, Stacy
Sullivan penned a paean to gun control for the New York Times,
illustrating the ease of purchasing sniper rifles in the US by
describing in great detail - and sympathetically - how Albanian
expatriates armed the terrorist KLA in Kosovo and Macedonia. This is
why NATO couldn't stop the smugglers, just as it had said back in
2001. It couldn't have deployed troops in New Jersey.
Isn't it ironic that the Empire is now in furor over alleged Serb arms
trade with Iraq, though its own citizens were arming terrorists in the
Balkans?
But of course, the KLA were our terrorists?
The Future Is Now
This entire cheap melodrama about alleged arms smuggling diverts
attention from other experiments in the Balkans Laboratory. For
instance, expect new Imperial conquests to be treated with a heavy
dose of democracy- a religious practice brimming with mysticism but
utterly devoid of meaning - and elections, the main ritual of this
strange religion. Bosnia has had seven, Kosovo three; one for every
year they've been occupied.
And even if the ritual does not unfold exactly as planned, the Empire
always makes sure it fits the predetermined outcome, even if some of
the results need to be adjusted, as it is currently happening in
Bosnia. Praising the elections, the outgoing head of the UN mission,
Jacques Klein, shared this cheerful prediction with his bosses the
Security Council last week:
"the nationalists' strong showing created 'a more challenging
political environment that will require strong intervention and
continued commitment' on the international community's part."
(Reuters)
Strong intervention and continued commitment. Music to Empire's ears.
The Fate of Heretics
So important is the ballot religion, that anyone refusing to
participate is deemed a heretic, persecuted and punished. Such is the
fate of Kosovo Serbs, who boycotted last weekend's municipal election,
having realized - albeit belatedly - that it would only legitimize
Albanian domination of the NATO-occupied province. Refusing to go
along with their captors is just about the only recourse they still
have, since appeals to NATO's humanity, international law, UN
resolutions, and common sense have all failed. But
don't expect the Empire to understand.
A glimpse of its rage was apparent in a recent Reuters report about a
political murder perpetrated by Albanians. Even though the elections
serve to justify their claims for independence, some Albanians still
honor the gods of violence when the ballot gods fail them. A former
KLA leader was killed by his comrades a day after the vote, presumably
for daring to represent a rival party. Yet somehow it's the Serbs'
fault. Well, isn't everything?
The Serbs who did vote thus supported "hardliners skeptical of
Serb-Albanian coexistence," while the boycott hurt "U.N. efforts to
integrate Serbs into the political scene and overcome ethnic divisions
threatening further violence." These are mere prevarications, of
course. The real bald-faced lies go something like this:
"Ethnically motivated killings have diminished since the United
Nations and NATO took control of the Yugoslav province three years
ago."
Yes, that's exactly what the Reuters article said. No wonder it ended
with a despicable comment that US bombing "ended a near century of
Serbian dominance," lifted straight out of the KLA manifesto.
Today The Balkans, Tomorrow The World
Intoxicated by their apparent successes in the Balkans, Empire's mad
scientists - social managers, to be precise - plot on, convinced
somehow that they will succeed where everyone before has failed. Iraq
is just the first step, the "cruise missile" affair just a casus
belli. The Balkans, having served as a laboratory for experiments in
Imperial intervention, will now become a template for the world.
For the unconvinced, there is Viceroy Ashdown's own confession, on the
pages of the New York Times this past Monday:
"History will look back on our engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina as
the first faltering step toward a doctrine of international community.
Bosnia will be seen as a new model for international intervention -
one designed not to pursue narrow national interests but to prevent
conflict, to promote human rights and to rebuild war-torn societies.
We are already applying the lessons of Bosnia in Kosovo, East Timor
and Afghanistan. Perhaps they will be applied in Iraq as well."
It almost makes this column seem superfluous.
=== 4 ===
Yugoslav government commission to investigate DEFENSE ministry's work
BELGRADE, Oct 25 (Tanjug) - The Yugoslav government has set up a
three-member commission that should investigate whether there were any
irregularities in the Yugoslav Defense Ministry's license for the
export
of arms and military equipment and the operation of Jugoimport SDPR,
the Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti reported on Friday.
The commission will be headed by Yugoslav Interior Minister Zoran
Zivkovic and the other members are Yugoslav Defense Minister Velimir
Radojevic and acting Yugoslav Finance Minister Veroljub Dugalic.
"I can't say anything at this moment. An investigation is under way
and as soon as it is completed, the public will be informed about its
results.
At this point, I can only promise that our work will not last long and
that we will try to complete our work as soon as possible. We are well
under way," Zivkovic said.
DAVINIC: YUGOSLAVIA HAS NOT BEEN ISSUING PERMITS FOR ARMS EXPORTS TO
IRAQ
Belgrade, Oct 24 (Beta) - Yugoslav ambassador and national coordinator
in charge of the army, police and judiciary in the Stability Pact,
Prvoslav Davinic, said on Oct 24 that the Yugoslav authorities had not
been issuing permits for the export of military equipment to Iraq.
Davinic told Radio B92 that according to the documents he had had the
chance to review, "it is certain that Yugoslavia has not willingly or
knowingly issued any permits for the export of arms to the countries
under an embargo."
"The question remains about whether these things have been done
illegally.
The inquiry launched to investigate it shows that the country is ready
to initiate criminal proceedings against those who have violated such
an embargo," said Davinic.
The director of the Federal Customs Authority, Vladan Begovic, said in
the evening of Oct. 24 that the Jugoimport company had not exported
weapons and military equipment to Iraq in the past two years.
Yugoslav customs authority director says Jugoimport did not export
weapons to Iraq
BELGRADE, Oct 24 (Tanjug) - No weapons or military equipment have been
exported from Yugoslavia to Iraq, as had there been an attempt to do
so, the Federal Customs Authority (SUC) would not have allowed it in
compliance with relevant UN resolutions, SUC Director Vladan Begovic
said Thursday evening.
The Jugoimport SDPR company has been exporting weapons and military
equipment over the past two years, but according to SUC knowledge,
none of the exports were made to Iraq but only to several countries in
its
neighborhood, Begovic told Serbian TV.
UN coordinator says Jugoimport affair will not affect Yugoslav-UN
relations
BELGRADE, Oct 24 (Tanjug) - The UN Coordinator for Yugoslavia Francis
O'Donnell said Thursday in Belgrade that the Jugoimport affair of arms
sales to Iraq in violation of US sanctions will not affect
Yugoslavia's
relations with the UN.
He welcomed the measures taken by the Yugoslav government, which has
relieved of office the Jugoimport general director and undertaken an
investigation of the company's activities.
USA offers cooperation to Yugoslav authorities
SARAJEVO, Oct 24 (Tanjug) - The United States has offered full support
and cooperation to the Yugoslav authorities in the investigation and
is offering technical and expert aid in the implementation of
appropriate measures and mechanisms for the control of arms transfers,
the US Embassy in Sarajevo said in relation to the affair of military
equipment exports from Republika Srpska and Yugoslavia to Iraq.
The statement recalled that the United States welcomed steps taken by
the Yugoslav government following the revelation that the air force
institute Orao of Bijeljina and the Belgrade company Jugoimport were
implicated in the transfer of military technology and cooperation with
Iraq.
The Embassy statement also said that the authorities of Bosnia and
Herzegovina are expected to take appropriate steps to end immediately
any kind of cooperation with Iraq and to conduct an investigation and
find out who is responsible for the violation of the UN Security
Council resolution on an arms embargo.
YUGOSLAV ARMY NOT INVOLVED IN WEAPONS TRADE - STAFF
BELGRADE, Oct 25 (Tanjug) - The Yugoslav Army (VJ) is not empowered to
trade in weapons or military equipment, and is not involved in any way
in any such trade with Iraq, the VJ General Staff said in a statement
Friday. The VJ reiterates that it is open and ready for full
implementation of civilian control
of the army by relevant state institutions in line with the
Constitution and their law, and this also
applies to this case, the statement says.
KOSTUNICA ON JUGOIMPORT AFFAIR
BELGRADE, Oct. 27 (Beta) - Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica has
said that he will meet with top federal government officials on Oct.28
over the Jugoimport affair.
At a Oct. 25 news conference, Kostunica said that Jugoimport's
business dealings were no matter to be dismissed, and that it could
cost Yugoslavia dearly. He said that the whole matter was an
irresponsible
business undertaking, but that the repair of outdated aircraft was
still of a much more benevolent scope than the alleged sale of weapons
in violation of the Iraq arms embargo and that it could not be
identified with the country's political orientation.
The Yugoslav president said that the affair could be solved by police
investigation, through the formation of a federal commission or
through a debate in federal parliament, with the prior formation of a
investigative committee.
BETA has learned that Yugoslav, Bosnian, RS and U.S. embassy
representatives in Sarajevo and Belgrade met on Oct. 25 on the affair.
One of the participants, who declined to be named, told BETA that
"information was exchanged and further investigation was agreed."
Serbian Premier Zoran Djindjic announced that his cabinet would insist
on bringing those responsible to account. Djindjic said that he had
confidence in the federal government to investigate the case.
Serbian Interior Minister and chairman of the Jugoimport weapon
dealer's executive board Dusan Mihajlovic said that his position did
not involve knowing about the company's business arrangements in
particular
and denied any knowledge of such undertakings.
"According to the law, the executive board is charged with reviewing a
company's business dealings in general, and not contracts in
particular. This is the job of the management and the GM alone. I was
not
informed of any concrete arrangement, because it was not in my
jurisdiction," Mihajlovic said in an interview with the Oct. 26 issue
of Vecernje Novosti.
Yugoslav Defense Minister Velimir Radojevic said that no permits were
issued for arms or military equipment exports to countries under U.N.
or U.S. weapons embargoes while he was in office. He added that new
legislation was in preparation and that it would change how the field
was regulated.
Radojevic added that "contracts and possible permits in regard to the
affair," would have to date from the time when he and Yugoslav Prime
Minister were not in office.
The Yugoslav army also denied involvement in the affair. A statement
said that the army was not authorized to trade in weapons and military
equipment.
Statement following meeting on Jugoimport company affair
BELGRADE, Oct 29 (Tanjug) - Top state officials met at the office of
Yugolav President Vojislav Kostunica late Monday to discuss the
Jugoimport-SDPR affair and concluded a state commission should be
formed. The commission will "professionally deal with the issue of
economic cooperation in the area of special-purpose production, having
in mind the mutual obligations which our country is determined to
honor in full, as well as the requirements and position of the
military-economic department in Yugoslavia," said a statement from
Kostunica's office received by Tanjug.
The meeting was devoted to measures taken so far to establish the
facts on business operations of the public company Jugoimport-SDPR,
which, according to available information, violated the UN embargo on
arms sales and military-technical assistance to Iraq. In addition to
the Yugoslav president, the meeting was attended by Yugoslav Prime
Minister Dragisa Pesic, Deputy Premier and Foreign Trade Minister
Miroljub Labus, Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic, and federal and
republican interior ministers Zoran Zivkovic and Dusan Mihajlovic.
Evidence about Orao, Jugoimport sent to Belgrade, Sarajevo by United
States
WASHINGTON, Oct 29 (Tanjug) -State Department spokesman Richard
Baucher has confirmed that the US government sent firm evidence to the
governments of Yugoslavia and Bosnia and Herzegovina about the
transactions of the Belgrade Jugoimport and the military plant Orao
from Bjeljina with Baghdad,
in direct violation of the UN resolution banning exports of weapons
and equipment to Iraq.
At a press briefing in the State Department Baucher did not wish to
comment Monday on a Washington Post story in its Sunday edition
according to which Yugoslav experts were helping the Iraqis build a
cruise missile. He just repeated that Washington welcomes the steps
taken by Yugoslavia that include dismissing of those responsible for
the transactions, launching a full investigation, and committing
itself to take appropriate measures for regulating the transfer of
military technology and weapons. Washington,
Baucher said, welcomes the closing down of Jugoimport's office in
Baghdad and offers full support to the Yugoslav authorities in
conducting the investigation and the development of legal and police
measures and
mechanisms for the control of exports of military and other sensitive
materials.
NATO: BELGRADE SHOULD CLEAR UP ORAO AFFAIR
BRUSSELS, Oct. 31 (Beta) - NATO spokesman Yves Brodeur said on Oct. 31
that the Alliance expected the
Belgrade authorities "to swiftly and completely clear up the Orao
affair" regarding military equipment
exports to Iraq.
He emphasized that it would not affect the rapprochement between
Yugoslavia and NATO in any way, including Belgrade's desire to enter
the Partnership for Peace.
Brodeur confirmed to BETA that the discovery that the Orao company
from Republika Srpska was exporting
military equipment to Iraq through a military company in Belgrade,
thus violating the UN embargo, has
commanded "attention and concern" in NATO circles.
He said that Orao company from Republika Srpska was delivering
"components for rocket engines."
MINISTER ZIVKOVIC ON JUGOIMPORT SCANDAL
BELGRADE, Nov 4 (Tanjug) - The Jugoimport scandal is over, Yugoslav
Interior Minister Zoran Zivkovic has said and added that a Yugoslav
government commission had determined that there had been cases of
violation of a UN Security Council resolution banning the export of
arms and military equipment to Iraq, primarily because of regulations
that allowed different interpretations.
Zivkovic told the Monday issue of the Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti
that all measures had been taken aimed at preventing the repetition
of such as case not only with Iraq, but also with all other countries
under sanctions. He said that competent organs, primarily the Serbian
police, would continue doing their job and that those for whom there
is proof they had been violating the law, would bear legal
consequences. Asked about the possibility of production of cruising
missiles in the country, Zivkovic said that this was high technology
and that he was certain that they could not have been made in the
country. We do not have cruising missiles, Zivkovic said.
SVILANOVIC SAYS MILITARY COOPERATION WITH IRAQ HAS CEASED
BELGRADE,Nov5 (Beta)-Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic said
on Nov. 5 that Yugoslavia had stopped military hardware exports to
Iraq and emphasized that the authorities were keenly monitoring and
controlling the entire sector.
"A state commission has been established to investigate not only
Jugoimport, but the entire military trade sector, which includes a
number of other private companies. We want to find out whether any
U.N. arms
embargoes were violated. The state commission will take charge of the
process so that the country's military industry can get back to
business and we do not want to breach our international obligations at
any moment," Svilanovic said.
=== 5 ===
US demands more action against Bosnian firm that dealt with Iraq
WASHINGTON, Oct 28 (AFP) - The United States on Monday demanded Bosnia
take further action against a firm it claims sold military equipment
and sensitive technology to Iraq while welcoming Belgrade's steps
against a Yugoslav company accused of assisting in the transfers.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said moves by the Bosnian
Serb entity Republika Srpska against the Orao company -- firing the
general manager and removing a military officer and a senior
government official affiliated with the firm -- were insufficient.
"This is a good start, but more needs to be done," he told reporters,
noting that the company had close ties with the government and
military.
"Orao's illegal activities would have required extensive coordination
with the ministry of defense and possibly other parts of the Bosnian
government," Boucher said.
"The United States expects the relevant authorities in
Bosnia-Herzegovina, and particularly the Republika Srpska, to conduct
a thorough investigation and to hold accountable those responsible
regardless of the seniority or position."
Orao is one of two firms in the former Yugoslavia that Washington has
publicly accused of transferring military parts and technology --
specifically airplane parts and mechanics -- to Iraq in violation of
UN sanctions.
Officials in Belgrade have punished the other company, Jugoimport,
taking action against company officials as well as military officers
as well as launching an investigation into the defense ministry and
moving to
tighten its export control regime.
Boucher called these moves, in addition to the closure of the
Jugoimport office in Baghdad, "significant and serious actions."
"We welcome these steps," he said, repeating Washington's offer to
assist Yugoslav authorities in their investigation and help revamp
the export rules.
The Yugoslav government has admitted that Jugoimport had acted as a
middleman in the supply of aviation parts and equipment from Orao.
Boucher declined to comment on reports that other companies in the
former Yugoslavia had also been supplying Iraq and Libya with missile
technology, a far more serious contravention of the UN sanctions that
spare aircraft parts.
However, one senior State Department official said the firms were
selling "far more than just aviation parts and training" to Iraq.
Earlier Monday, the Yugoslav newspaper Blic reported that Washington
had told Belgrade five months ago that a number of companies were
helping Iraq and Libya develop their missile programs.
In addition to Jugoimport, the daily also listed the Infinity, Bruner
Ede-pro firms as having ties with Baghdad and Tripoli and said that
experts from those firms had traveled to Iraq and Libya over the past
two years to assist in the development of cruise missiles.
That report followed one in Sunday's Washington Post that said the
United States had presented a document to Yugoslav government
officials outlining work done by firms in the country to develop a
turbo-jet engine for Iraq's cruise missile program.
AFP Bosnia bans military exports amid arms-to-Iraq scandal
SARAJEVO, Oct 29 (AFP) - Bosnia has banned all military exports
following the recent discovery that a Bosnian Serb defense firm made
secret military sales to Iraq, officials said Tuesday.
"The ban has been imposed for an indefinite period of time, depending
on the speed with which control procedures will be set up at the
state level," said Azra Hadziahmetovic, Bosnia's minister for foreign
trade and economic relations.
The move was the latest measure by the country's authorities to
prevent possible UN and US sanctions over the scandal.
The government of the Serb-run side has sacked five officials over
the affair, including its defense minister and army chief-of-staff,
following sharp warnings from the West.
The NATO-led force in Bosnia discovered earlier this month that a
defense company in the country's Serb-run part had been secretly
selling military material to Baghdad in violation of an UN arms
embargo on Iraq.
Production and sale of military materials has so far come under the
authority of Bosnia's two entities, the Serb-run Republika Srpska (RS)
and the Musleim-Croat federation.
After the secret sales by the Bosnian Serb firm Orao were discovered,
international officials demanded that control procedures to be set up
at the state level.
The 1995 peace deal that ended Bosnia's 1992-95 war split the country
into the two entities, which are linked by weak central institutions,
have separate governments, parliaments, police and armed forces.
Hadziahmetovic, whose ministry will take over control for the
weapons' trade, said it was uncertain how quickly the new procedures
could be set up as they depended on various state-level institutions.
He spoke after meeting with international representatives in Bosnia,
including the chief aide to Bosnia's top international envoy Paddy
Ashdown.
"We totally support the current ban on exports of weapons and other
facilities that would eventually be part of the (state-level) export
regime," said aide Donald Hays.
He said Ashdown would travel to Brussels Thursday to brief NATO and
the European Union on situation in Bosnia, and specifically on the
Orao affair.
Robert Beecroft, head of the mission here of the pan-European security
and cooperation body (OSCE), said experts would be assigned to work
with Bosnian authorities to set up the new control procedures.
AFP More sackings expected over Bosnia's arms-to-Iraq scandal
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Oct 30 (AFP) - An ongoing probe into
a Bosnian Serb firm which sold arms to Iraq in violation of the
United Nations arms embargo will result in more sackings, a senior
international official in Bosnia said on Wednesday.
"I made it clear... that the investigation that is being undertaken
will result in further dismissals," said Donald Hays, chief aide to
Bosnia's top international envoy, Paddy Ashdown.
"If there is political involvement, regardless of where that
political involvement stems from, there will be repercussions on
those involved, however high," Hays said adding that the scandal
"probably involves more than just one company."
He said there was a need for a comprehensive review, not only in the
Serb-run entity of Republika Srpska (RS) but also in the Muslim-Croat
Federation.
Post-war Bosnia is composed of two entities -- the Serb-run RS and
the Muslim-Croat Federation -- which have separate governments,
parliaments, police and armed forces and are linked by weak central
institutions.
The government of the Serb-run side has sacked five officials over
the affair, including its defense minister and army chief-of-staff,
following sharp warnings from the West.
The scandal emerged earlier this month after the NATO-led
peacekeeping force in Bosnia discovered that defence firm Orao had
been refurbishing military aircrafts for Iraq via a state-owned
Yugoslav company,
Jugoimport.
Bosnian Serb outgoing Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic agreed after
meeting Hays in Banja Luka that it was in the interest of the RS "to
have the whole truth" on the scandal discovered.
The investigation is to be wrapped up by November 27.
The US ambassador to Bosnia, Clifford Bond, said Washington was not
convinced the dismissal of the officials satisfied US demands for the
culprits to be punished.
"I think it is too early to say whether the dismissals so far are
sufficient," Bond told AFP.
"The investigation has to be completed before we determine who should
be accountable and on what level."
In a speech to EU and NATO leaders in Brussels, Ashdown warned the
Bosnian Serb authorities would have to choose "whether to take the
road to Brussels or to Baghdad".
NATO forces raided Orao following US allegations in September that
the company had breached the UN arms embargo on Iraq.
In an additional effort to avert possible UN and US sanctions over
the scandal, Bosnia's central authorities on Tuesday banned all arms
exports for an indefinite period of time.
The Bosnian Serb tax department said Wednesday it had also launched
an investigation of Orao, an aviation company operating under the
authority of Bosnian Serb military headquarters.
AFP Britain urges Yugoslavia to halt arms sales to Iraq, Liberia
LONDON, Oct 30 (AFP) - British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw called
Wednesday on Yugoslavia to halt the sale of arms to Iraq and Liberia,
in breach of UN sanctions, after a meeting with his Yugoslav
counterpart Goran Svilanovic.
Straw welcomed steps Belgrade had taken to deal with the issue but
expressed "serious concern at recent reports concerning the sale of
arms from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) to Iraq."
"I also raised other violations of UN sanctions including reports of
FRY involvement in arms sales to Liberia in contravention of the UN
sanctions regime," Straw said in a press release.
"I urged Dr. Svilanovic to ensure a thorough investigation into these
arms sales, leading to prosecutions as necessary," the statement
added.
The British foreign secretary said he was also deeply concerned by
the failure of the FRY to fully co-operate with the International
Criminal Tribunal in The Hague (ICTY).
"I urge the FRY authorities to take immediate steps to settle this
matter once and for all, with full access to documents, witnesses,
including officials and military personnel, and the transfer of all
remaining ICTY indictees on FRY territory to The Hague," Straw said.
"Failure to do so," said the foreign secretary, "would undermine the
excellent progress made by Yugoslav authorities since October 2000."
The Iraqi arms scandal broke last week when Washington went public
with allegations that a state-run trading company, Jugoimport, had
acted as a middleman in the supply of spare parts for Iraqi fighter
jets.
The State Department said a state-owned Bosnian firm, Orao, was
manufacturing the parts and selling them through Jugoimport to Saddam
Hussein's regime in breach of UN sanctions.
Belgrade reacted swiftly by sacking the chief of Jugoimport and a
deputy defence minister.
Jugoimport's office in Baghdad was closed and a special committee was
established to investigate both the company and the defence ministry.
According to the British foreign office press release, a UN report
dated October 7 stated that six cargo aircraft in June, July and
August 2002 delivered 200 tons of Yugoslav weapons to Liberia.
AFP Yugoslav minister confirms one arms delivery to Liberia
BELGRADE, Nov 1 (AFP) - Yugoslavia's interior minister confirmed
Friday that at least one illegal delivery of weapons had been made to
Liberia in August in breach of United Nations sanctions.
Minister Zoran Zivkovic told AFP he was aware that a local private
company had sent one plane-load of weapons to Liberia, but he could
not confirm UN allegations that six shipments of weapons had been made
between June and August.
"I am aware of only one ... That aircraft had papers for Nigeria as
well as a certificate from the Nigerian defense ministry or
government that the weapons would go there," he said.
"Later on it was found out that it had gone to Liberia."
Zivkovic said an investigation was underway into the company, Temex,
amid damaging revelations that Yugoslav state-run and private firms
also have been selling military equipment to Iraq and Libya.
"An investigation has been launched into Temex, a dealer company that
exported weapons on the aircraft," he said.
A deputy Yugoslav defence minister and a director of the state-run
Jugoimport company were sacked last week after Washington went public
with allegations the company was helping to supply parts for Iraqi
fighter jets.
The government also closed Jugoimport's office in Baghdad, suspended
all military sales to countries under UN sanctions and launched a
wider probe of military-related businesses as well as the defence
ministry.
"Inspections have entered all companies that have done weapons sales,
those are 32 or 33 private companies and one state-owned --
Jugoimport," Zivkovic said.
1. MONTENEGRO: CREDO FERMAMENTE NELL'INDIPENDENZA, DJUKANOVIC (ANSA)
2. CONTRABBANDO: DENUNCIA UE; FORSE BASATA SU ATTI DDA BARI (ANSA)
3. CONTRABBANDO: CHIESTE 16 CONDANNE E 17 RINVII A GIUDIZIO (ANSA)
4. Idea of Montenegrin independence is not dead, Djukanovic (Tanjug)
http://www.svedok.co.yu/index.asp?show=32602
EKSKLUZIVNO
ISTINA O LAZNIM SVEDOCENJIMA U HAGU (2)
NAKNADNA MESICEVA PAMET ZA LAZNI EFEKAT U HAGU
* isav JOVIC
Danas jako lepo zvuci kad neupuceni ljudi cuju da je bilo tako
"pametnih" predloga, koji bi, da su nekom srecom bili usvojeni od
Srbije, doprineli da se izbegnu svi sukobi i katastrofe koje smo
doziveli.
Nazalost, nije tako. Kada se danas govori o tom projektu, koji su zaista
bile predlozile Slovenija i Hrvatska, govori se nepotpuno i uprosceno,
da bi se postigao politicki efekat prenosenja odgovornosti na onoga ko
ga nije prihvatao.
Prava istina je, medjutim, drugacija:Predsednistvo SFRJ je pripremalo
projekat buducih odnosa u jugoslovenskoj federaciji, i vecinom clanova
Predsednistva zakljuceno je da Saveznoj skupstini predlozi korekture
postojeceg Ustava, kako bi bile uklonjene njegove ocigledne slabosti, i
kako bi se prevazisle medjurepublicke suprotnosti.
Slovenija i Hrvatska se s tim konceptom nisu slagale, i dale su svoj
projekat konfederalnog ugovora koji bi trajao pet godina, a koji bi
posle toga automatski prestao da postoji, ako ne bi bio sporazumno
produzen. Nije, dakle, Srbija bila jedina za korekture postojeceg
Ustava, niti jedina protiv predlozenog konfederalnog koncepta, nego
vecina republika i clanova Predsednistva SFRJ. Ipak, Predsednistvo je
uputilo Saveznoj skupstini oba predloga kao ravnopravna. Ali, kao sto
je poznato, nikada nije mogao da bude postignut sporazum ni o jednom
predlogu.
Moglo bi se, dakle, pre govoriti da je raspad Jugoslavije nastao zato
sto Slovenija i Hrvatska, koje su bile u tom trenutku u manjini, nisu
prihvatile vecinski predlog za izmenu Ustava zemlje. Medjutim, to bi
samo bio "utuk na utuk", jer je izjasnjavanje za jedan ili drugi predlog
bio samo "vrh ledenog brega", iza koga se skrivala prva sustina stvari,
o kojoj Mesic izbegava da govori.
Sustina problema, koju je hrvatsko rukovodstvo vrlo dobro videlo i
znalo, sastojala se u cinjenici da ono zeli da odvoji Hrvatsku od
Jugoslavije, bez uvazavanja ravnopravnosti srpskog naroda koji zivi u
toj republici, bez mogucnosti da i on odlucuje o svojoj sudbini.
Ideja predloga o konfederaciji bila je sledeca: sve republike se
proglasavaju samostalnim drzavama, a potom zakljucuju ugovor o
konfederaciji, koji ce trajati pet godina. Posle toga - kud koji mili
moji. Prividno ostajemo zajedno, a fakticki stavljamo "pod tepih"
kljucno pitanje, da li je u republikama koje to predlazu pribavljena
saglasnost konstitutivnih naroda za takvu odluku, da izadju iz
zajednicke drzave. Sasvim je jasno bilo da se time pokusava preskociti
ustavna procedura, koja mora da prethodi rasturanju drzave i stvaranju
konfedercije, i da bi cak, ne znam kako i od koga - usvajanje takvog
predloga na nivou federacije ili u nekoj drugoj republici, pa i u
Srbiji, moglo da ukloni sve probleme koji su kasnije ispoljeni u
Hrvatskoj, kada se drugim putem krenulo ka istom cilju, odvajanju
Hrvatske u samostalnu drzavu, bez uvazavanja ravnopravnosti oba
ustavotvorna naroda.
Kada je postalo jasno da se politicka kriza zemlje nije mogla resiti
dogovorom na osnovu bilo koga od dva ponudjena resenja, Predsednistvo
SFRJ je razradilo novi predlog - da se u republikama
koje predlazu konfederaciju obave referendumi - za federaciju ili za
konfederaciju. Za one republike koje su bile za federaciju, ona bi se
rekonstruisala na osnovu njihove saglasnosti, a za one koje se izjasne
na referendumu za konfederaciju, doneo bi se zakon o razgranicenju i
odvajanju od Jugoslavije. Pa bi se, potom, s njima pregovaralo o
konfederalnom ugovoru. Glasanje o konfederaciji, u svakoj republici,
bilo bi i glasanje o otcepljenju, pri cemu se podrazumevalo da se
postuju ustavotvorna prava naroda.
Na sednici Predsednistva, na kojoj je o tome odlucivano, ucestvovali su
i predsednici republika. Pored ostalih, i predsednik Hrvatske Franjo
Tudjman, i predsednik Slovenije Milan Kucan. Samo njih
dvojica i, naravno, clanovi Predsednistva iz Slovenije i Hrvatske,
odbili su pomenuti predlog Predsednistva. Bez obzira na postignutu
dovoljnu vecinu u Predsednistvu, pomenuti projekat resavanja politicke
krize nije mogao da se realizuje, jer upravo republike u kojima bi
trebalo da se obave referendumi o osamostaljenju, na osnovu zakona koji
bi bio donet, na to nisu pristajale. Iako su ostle republike, koje bi
ostale u rekonstruisanoj federaciji, pristale i na njihovo otcepljenje i
zakljucenje konfederalnog ugovora s njima.
Ni Hrvatskoj, ni Sloveniji, nije odgovaralo donosenje zakona o
postupku za otcepljenje. Hrvatska je znala da bi imala teskoce da
ostvari otcepljenje bez saglasnosti srpskog naroda u svojoj republici,
a Slovenija je uporno nametala iracionalan zahtev o "razdruzivanju",
dakle rasturanju cele Jugoslavije, a ne o otcepljenju pojedinih
republika, iz razloga koji bi mozda samo ona mogla da objasni.
Tako je propao projekat konfederacije, a ne odbijanjem samo jedne
republike, kako Mesic zeli da prikaze. Taj projekat bi imao smisla da su
Hrvatska i Slovenija bile razumne da prihvate ono sto je na
Predsednistvu procenjeno kao dobro resenje, da te dve republike (i jos
neka, ako se tako odluci) budu u konfederalnom odnosu sa Jugoslavijom, u
kojoj bi ostale one repulike koje to zele, sa redefinisanim ustavnim
resenjem.
Dakle, predlog o konfederaciji bio je samo nacin zavaravanja javnosti.
Danas, posle dvanaest godina, njegovi autori zele da zavaraju i Haski
tribunal, i da se prikazu kao zagovornici ocuvanja
Jugoslavije.
Smesno.
(Nastavlja se)
PLAN ODBRANE HRVATSKE
Da bi se bolje razumelo ponasanje Hrvatske u odnosu na sopstveni predlog
o konfederaciji, treba danas pogledati tekst dokumenta "Plan odbrane
Hrvatske", citiran na 205. strani moje knjige "Poslednji dani SFRJ", u
kome izricito stoji stvarna hrvatska namera da "nikakav referendum o
buducem uredjenju Jugoslavije ne dolazi u obzir, i da ce HDZ diktirati
takve uslove, da njen koncept konfederativnog uredjenja bude tako
postavljen, da unapred bude neprihvatljiv za Srbe".
---
http://www.svedok.co.yu/index.asp?show=32708
ISTINA O LAZNIM SVEDOCENJIMA U HAGU (3)
MESIC SADA POKUSAVA DA OPOVRGNE I ISKRIVI
SVE STO JE PRIZNAO NA PREDSEDNISTVU SFRJ
@ Dr Borisav JOVIC
Teza je Stjepana Mesica da je iz Srbije dosao podsticaj za pobunu Srba u
Hrvatskoj, da su oni poceli da pruzaju otpor novoizabranoj HDZ vlasti,
da su podizali barikade da bi onemogucavali
funkcionisanje glavnih saobracajnih magistrlaa, da su se naoruzali i
smetali legalnoj hrvatskoj vlasti da obezbedi funkcionisanje drzave.
Dalje, teza je da je hrvatska drzava morala da se naoruza da bi tu
pobunu suzbila.
Koliko god da se i Mesic i Hrvatska upinju da dokazu da stvari stoje
onako kako bi njima odgovaralo, istorijske cinjenice govore o sasvim
drugacijem rasporedu i redosledu dogadjaja.
Po dolasku na vlast Hrvatske demokratske zajednice, izmenjen je Ustav
Hrvatske na nacin da je srpski narod od, do tada, ustavotvornog,
pretvoren u nacionalnu manjinu. Naravno, bez da je
njega iko o tome pitao, i bez njegove saglasnosti. U svim dotadasnjim
ustavima Hrvatske, ta je repulika bila definisana kao republika dva
ravnopravna naroda - Hrvata i Srba. To je bila logicna posledica
cinjenice da u toj repulici na oko 30 odsto teritorije vekovima zivi
vecinsko srpsko stanovnistvo. To je bio i jedino moguci nacin da se
usvoji sporazumno politicko resenje za formiranje jedne republike na
ravnopravnim osnovama dva naroda koji tamo zive.
Brisanjem srpskog naroda kao ustavotvornog, izazvalo je veliko
uznemirenje kod srpskog stanovnistva u Hrvatskoj, kod koga je jos bio u
secanju progon i pokolj izvrsen nad njim u toku Drugog svetskog rata.
Pogotovo sto je novoizabrana vlast nagovestila politiku izdvajanja iz
Jugoslavije. Bilo je ocigledno da se pomenutom ustavnom revizijom
pripremalo ukidanje ustavotvornog prava srpskog naroda da ucestvuje u
odlucivanju o sopstvenoj sudbini. Srpski narod u Hrvatskoj se
plebiscitarno izjasnio protiv takve ustavne promene, ali to aktuelna
hrvatska vlast nije uzimala u obzir.
Predstavnici srpskog naroda pokusavali su da svoja prava zastite zaleci
se organima Federacije, ukljucujuci i Predsednistvo SFRJ, ali ovi nisu
imali pravne instrumente za to. Politicki pokusaji, nazalost, nisu dali
rezultate.
To stanje je raspravljano na Predsednistvu SFRJ, upravo u vreme
desavanja, sa izvestajima kompetentnih organa sa terena, svestrano i uz
sve raspolozive argumente. Sednica Predsednistva
SFRJ odrzana je 2. oktobra 1990, a trajala je citav dan i do duboko u
noc. U njenom radu iz Hrvatske su ucestvovali predsednik Tudjman i
predsednici Sabora i Vlade Hrvatske. Posle svestrane rasprave, bez
ijednog glasa protiv i uz saglasnost pomenutih predstavnika Hrvatske,
Predsednistvo je zakljucilo da se uzroci medjunacinalnih konflikata u
Kninu i drugim mestima sa vecinskim srpskim stanovnistvom nalaze u
odlukama aktuelne hrvatske vlasti, koje ugrozavaju nacionalna prava i
interese srpskog stanovnista.
Zakljuceno je da se stanje moze popraviti, ako se odmah preduzmu mere
da se oni uklone. Predsednistvo je nalozilo da se svi sporovi rasprave
i da se pronadju adekvatna resenja koja ce ukloniti tenzije.
U zakljucku pomenute sednice Predsednistva SFRJ od 2. oktobra 1990,
pored ostalog, se kaze: "Predsednistvo SFRJ je zatrazilo da se izvrsi
detaljna analiza uzroka koji su doveli do
medjunacionalnih oruzanih sukoba i utvrdilo obaveze za sve nadlezne
organe, kako bi se pronasli mirni putevi za resenje konfliktne
situacije i zahtevalo da organi Republike Hrvatske sagledaju i otklone
uzroke koji izazivaju strah, otpor, pa i masovnu gradjansku
neposlusnost (podvukao B.J.).
Vreme je prolazilo, stanje se pogorsavalo, a uroci sukoba nisu
otklanjani. Zato je Predsednistvo SFRJ na novoj sednici, odrzanoj 7. i
8. maja 1991, ponovo potvrdilo ranije ocene o uzrocima stanja u
Hrvatskoj i naredilo niz mera koje bi trebalo da dovedu do uklanjanja
medjunacionalnih sukoba. Tacka 5. zakljucaka Predsednistva je glasila:
"Odmah formirati paritetnu grupu sastavljenu od
predstavnika Republike Hrvatske i legitimnih predstavnika srpskog
naroda iz Hrvatske, radi otpocinjanja razgovora o svim spornim
politickim pitanjima za koje se smatra da su uzrocnik krize, kao sto
su: ustavna ravnopravnost hrvatskog i srpskog naroda, jezik, pismo,
nacionalni i drzavni simboli, pravo naroda na samoopredeljenje do
otcepljenja, nacin izjasnjavanja na referendumu i sl."
Na toj sednici su ucestvovali predsednici svih republika, a zakljucci
su doneti bez ijednog glasa protiv, jednostavno zato sto nije bilo
argumenata protiv cinjenica na kojima su se zakljucci zasnivali.
Pritesnjeno nepobitnim argumentima, hrvatsko rukovodstvo je na
Predsednistvu SFRJ prihvatilo pomenute ocene i stavove, ali mu ni na
pamet nije padalo da ih sprovede u zivot. Naprotiv, nastavilo je jos
zesce ostvarivanje politike izdvajanja Hrvatske iz Jugoslavije metodom
svrsenog cina, bez uvazavanja ikakvih prava srpskog naroda. Hrvatski
Sabor je doneo odluku o samostalnosti Hrvatske, odnosno o otcepljenju
od Jugoslavije, sto je izazvalo srpski narod u
Hrvatskoj da na sopstvenom referendumu odbaci takvu odluku, i da
proglasi otcepljenje od Hrvatske.
Sve to je konflikt dovelo do usijanja.
Stjepan Mesic bi trebalo da objasni, kako je bilo moguce da upravo u
vreme kada se sve desavalo, kada su svi izvestaji sa terena i svi
argumenti bili na stolu Predsednistva SFRJ, nije bio u stanju da dokaze
ono sto sada pokusava, da je otpor srpskog naroda u Hrvatskoj izazvan
iz Srbije. Nego je, pred svim clanovima Predsednistva iz cele
Jugoslavije, a ne samo Srbije, i pred svim predsednicima republika, bio
prinudjen da prihvati jedinstvenu ocenu uzroka koji su doveli do
otpora srpskog naroda u Hrvatskoj. Danas, kada pokusava da stvari
prikaze drugacije, pokusava i da zaboravi sta je stvarno bilo.
Medjutim, mi nismo zaboravili. A postoje i stenogrami, zapisnici,
odluke i druga dokumenta koja nece dozvoliti falsifikovanje istorije.
UKINULI CIRILICU, "OCISTILI" POLICIJU
Odmah po donosenju izmena Ustava, hrvatska vlast je krenula na njegovu
prakticnu realizaciju. Pocela je da ukida dotadasnja nacionalna prava
srpskog naroda: pravo da se u sluzbenim poslovima sluzi srpskim
nacionalnim pismom - cirilicom, pravom da deca srpske nacionalnosti u
skolama uce na svom jeziku i pisu svojim nacionalnim pismom. Ukinute su
srpske kulturne institucije, koje su postojale vekovina. Lokalna
policija, ciji je nacionalni sastav odgovarao sastavu stanovnistva,
stavljen je pod komandu Zagreba i menjan na stetu srpskog ucesca u
strukturi. Smanjivan je broj zaposlenih gradjana srpske nacionalnosti u
policiji, drzavnim sluzbama i javnim ustanovama i preduzecima, a sa
rukovodecih mesta, cak i u privredi, udaljeni su skoro svi Srbi,
nezavisno od toga koliko su bili uspesni.
Jednom recju, vodjena je politika uznemiravanja srpskog stanovnistva i
izazivanja njegovog otpora, kako bi se kasnije moglo opravdavati
naoruzavanje radi nasilnog odvajanja od Jugoslvije.
EKSKLUZIVNO
ISTINA O LAZNIM SVEDOCENJIMA U HAGU (2)
NAKNADNA MESICEVA PAMET ZA LAZNI EFEKAT U HAGU
* isav JOVIC
Danas jako lepo zvuci kad neupuceni ljudi cuju da je bilo tako
"pametnih" predloga, koji bi, da su nekom srecom bili usvojeni od
Srbije, doprineli da se izbegnu svi sukobi i katastrofe koje smo
doziveli.
Nazalost, nije tako. Kada se danas govori o tom projektu, koji su zaista
bile predlozile Slovenija i Hrvatska, govori se nepotpuno i uprosceno,
da bi se postigao politicki efekat prenosenja odgovornosti na onoga ko
ga nije prihvatao.
Prava istina je, medjutim, drugacija:Predsednistvo SFRJ je pripremalo
projekat buducih odnosa u jugoslovenskoj federaciji, i vecinom clanova
Predsednistva zakljuceno je da Saveznoj skupstini predlozi korekture
postojeceg Ustava, kako bi bile uklonjene njegove ocigledne slabosti, i
kako bi se prevazisle medjurepublicke suprotnosti.
Slovenija i Hrvatska se s tim konceptom nisu slagale, i dale su svoj
projekat konfederalnog ugovora koji bi trajao pet godina, a koji bi
posle toga automatski prestao da postoji, ako ne bi bio sporazumno
produzen. Nije, dakle, Srbija bila jedina za korekture postojeceg
Ustava, niti jedina protiv predlozenog konfederalnog koncepta, nego
vecina republika i clanova Predsednistva SFRJ. Ipak, Predsednistvo je
uputilo Saveznoj skupstini oba predloga kao ravnopravna. Ali, kao sto
je poznato, nikada nije mogao da bude postignut sporazum ni o jednom
predlogu.
Moglo bi se, dakle, pre govoriti da je raspad Jugoslavije nastao zato
sto Slovenija i Hrvatska, koje su bile u tom trenutku u manjini, nisu
prihvatile vecinski predlog za izmenu Ustava zemlje. Medjutim, to bi
samo bio "utuk na utuk", jer je izjasnjavanje za jedan ili drugi predlog
bio samo "vrh ledenog brega", iza koga se skrivala prva sustina stvari,
o kojoj Mesic izbegava da govori.
Sustina problema, koju je hrvatsko rukovodstvo vrlo dobro videlo i
znalo, sastojala se u cinjenici da ono zeli da odvoji Hrvatsku od
Jugoslavije, bez uvazavanja ravnopravnosti srpskog naroda koji zivi u
toj republici, bez mogucnosti da i on odlucuje o svojoj sudbini.
Ideja predloga o konfederaciji bila je sledeca: sve republike se
proglasavaju samostalnim drzavama, a potom zakljucuju ugovor o
konfederaciji, koji ce trajati pet godina. Posle toga - kud koji mili
moji. Prividno ostajemo zajedno, a fakticki stavljamo "pod tepih"
kljucno pitanje, da li je u republikama koje to predlazu pribavljena
saglasnost konstitutivnih naroda za takvu odluku, da izadju iz
zajednicke drzave. Sasvim je jasno bilo da se time pokusava preskociti
ustavna procedura, koja mora da prethodi rasturanju drzave i stvaranju
konfedercije, i da bi cak, ne znam kako i od koga - usvajanje takvog
predloga na nivou federacije ili u nekoj drugoj republici, pa i u
Srbiji, moglo da ukloni sve probleme koji su kasnije ispoljeni u
Hrvatskoj, kada se drugim putem krenulo ka istom cilju, odvajanju
Hrvatske u samostalnu drzavu, bez uvazavanja ravnopravnosti oba
ustavotvorna naroda.
Kada je postalo jasno da se politicka kriza zemlje nije mogla resiti
dogovorom na osnovu bilo koga od dva ponudjena resenja, Predsednistvo
SFRJ je razradilo novi predlog - da se u republikama
koje predlazu konfederaciju obave referendumi - za federaciju ili za
konfederaciju. Za one republike koje su bile za federaciju, ona bi se
rekonstruisala na osnovu njihove saglasnosti, a za one koje se izjasne
na referendumu za konfederaciju, doneo bi se zakon o razgranicenju i
odvajanju od Jugoslavije. Pa bi se, potom, s njima pregovaralo o
konfederalnom ugovoru. Glasanje o konfederaciji, u svakoj republici,
bilo bi i glasanje o otcepljenju, pri cemu se podrazumevalo da se
postuju ustavotvorna prava naroda.
Na sednici Predsednistva, na kojoj je o tome odlucivano, ucestvovali su
i predsednici republika. Pored ostalih, i predsednik Hrvatske Franjo
Tudjman, i predsednik Slovenije Milan Kucan. Samo njih
dvojica i, naravno, clanovi Predsednistva iz Slovenije i Hrvatske,
odbili su pomenuti predlog Predsednistva. Bez obzira na postignutu
dovoljnu vecinu u Predsednistvu, pomenuti projekat resavanja politicke
krize nije mogao da se realizuje, jer upravo republike u kojima bi
trebalo da se obave referendumi o osamostaljenju, na osnovu zakona koji
bi bio donet, na to nisu pristajale. Iako su ostle republike, koje bi
ostale u rekonstruisanoj federaciji, pristale i na njihovo otcepljenje i
zakljucenje konfederalnog ugovora s njima.
Ni Hrvatskoj, ni Sloveniji, nije odgovaralo donosenje zakona o
postupku za otcepljenje. Hrvatska je znala da bi imala teskoce da
ostvari otcepljenje bez saglasnosti srpskog naroda u svojoj republici,
a Slovenija je uporno nametala iracionalan zahtev o "razdruzivanju",
dakle rasturanju cele Jugoslavije, a ne o otcepljenju pojedinih
republika, iz razloga koji bi mozda samo ona mogla da objasni.
Tako je propao projekat konfederacije, a ne odbijanjem samo jedne
republike, kako Mesic zeli da prikaze. Taj projekat bi imao smisla da su
Hrvatska i Slovenija bile razumne da prihvate ono sto je na
Predsednistvu procenjeno kao dobro resenje, da te dve republike (i jos
neka, ako se tako odluci) budu u konfederalnom odnosu sa Jugoslavijom, u
kojoj bi ostale one repulike koje to zele, sa redefinisanim ustavnim
resenjem.
Dakle, predlog o konfederaciji bio je samo nacin zavaravanja javnosti.
Danas, posle dvanaest godina, njegovi autori zele da zavaraju i Haski
tribunal, i da se prikazu kao zagovornici ocuvanja
Jugoslavije.
Smesno.
(Nastavlja se)
PLAN ODBRANE HRVATSKE
Da bi se bolje razumelo ponasanje Hrvatske u odnosu na sopstveni predlog
o konfederaciji, treba danas pogledati tekst dokumenta "Plan odbrane
Hrvatske", citiran na 205. strani moje knjige "Poslednji dani SFRJ", u
kome izricito stoji stvarna hrvatska namera da "nikakav referendum o
buducem uredjenju Jugoslavije ne dolazi u obzir, i da ce HDZ diktirati
takve uslove, da njen koncept konfederativnog uredjenja bude tako
postavljen, da unapred bude neprihvatljiv za Srbe".
---
http://www.svedok.co.yu/index.asp?show=32708
ISTINA O LAZNIM SVEDOCENJIMA U HAGU (3)
MESIC SADA POKUSAVA DA OPOVRGNE I ISKRIVI
SVE STO JE PRIZNAO NA PREDSEDNISTVU SFRJ
@ Dr Borisav JOVIC
Teza je Stjepana Mesica da je iz Srbije dosao podsticaj za pobunu Srba u
Hrvatskoj, da su oni poceli da pruzaju otpor novoizabranoj HDZ vlasti,
da su podizali barikade da bi onemogucavali
funkcionisanje glavnih saobracajnih magistrlaa, da su se naoruzali i
smetali legalnoj hrvatskoj vlasti da obezbedi funkcionisanje drzave.
Dalje, teza je da je hrvatska drzava morala da se naoruza da bi tu
pobunu suzbila.
Koliko god da se i Mesic i Hrvatska upinju da dokazu da stvari stoje
onako kako bi njima odgovaralo, istorijske cinjenice govore o sasvim
drugacijem rasporedu i redosledu dogadjaja.
Po dolasku na vlast Hrvatske demokratske zajednice, izmenjen je Ustav
Hrvatske na nacin da je srpski narod od, do tada, ustavotvornog,
pretvoren u nacionalnu manjinu. Naravno, bez da je
njega iko o tome pitao, i bez njegove saglasnosti. U svim dotadasnjim
ustavima Hrvatske, ta je repulika bila definisana kao republika dva
ravnopravna naroda - Hrvata i Srba. To je bila logicna posledica
cinjenice da u toj repulici na oko 30 odsto teritorije vekovima zivi
vecinsko srpsko stanovnistvo. To je bio i jedino moguci nacin da se
usvoji sporazumno politicko resenje za formiranje jedne republike na
ravnopravnim osnovama dva naroda koji tamo zive.
Brisanjem srpskog naroda kao ustavotvornog, izazvalo je veliko
uznemirenje kod srpskog stanovnistva u Hrvatskoj, kod koga je jos bio u
secanju progon i pokolj izvrsen nad njim u toku Drugog svetskog rata.
Pogotovo sto je novoizabrana vlast nagovestila politiku izdvajanja iz
Jugoslavije. Bilo je ocigledno da se pomenutom ustavnom revizijom
pripremalo ukidanje ustavotvornog prava srpskog naroda da ucestvuje u
odlucivanju o sopstvenoj sudbini. Srpski narod u Hrvatskoj se
plebiscitarno izjasnio protiv takve ustavne promene, ali to aktuelna
hrvatska vlast nije uzimala u obzir.
Predstavnici srpskog naroda pokusavali su da svoja prava zastite zaleci
se organima Federacije, ukljucujuci i Predsednistvo SFRJ, ali ovi nisu
imali pravne instrumente za to. Politicki pokusaji, nazalost, nisu dali
rezultate.
To stanje je raspravljano na Predsednistvu SFRJ, upravo u vreme
desavanja, sa izvestajima kompetentnih organa sa terena, svestrano i uz
sve raspolozive argumente. Sednica Predsednistva
SFRJ odrzana je 2. oktobra 1990, a trajala je citav dan i do duboko u
noc. U njenom radu iz Hrvatske su ucestvovali predsednik Tudjman i
predsednici Sabora i Vlade Hrvatske. Posle svestrane rasprave, bez
ijednog glasa protiv i uz saglasnost pomenutih predstavnika Hrvatske,
Predsednistvo je zakljucilo da se uzroci medjunacinalnih konflikata u
Kninu i drugim mestima sa vecinskim srpskim stanovnistvom nalaze u
odlukama aktuelne hrvatske vlasti, koje ugrozavaju nacionalna prava i
interese srpskog stanovnista.
Zakljuceno je da se stanje moze popraviti, ako se odmah preduzmu mere
da se oni uklone. Predsednistvo je nalozilo da se svi sporovi rasprave
i da se pronadju adekvatna resenja koja ce ukloniti tenzije.
U zakljucku pomenute sednice Predsednistva SFRJ od 2. oktobra 1990,
pored ostalog, se kaze: "Predsednistvo SFRJ je zatrazilo da se izvrsi
detaljna analiza uzroka koji su doveli do
medjunacionalnih oruzanih sukoba i utvrdilo obaveze za sve nadlezne
organe, kako bi se pronasli mirni putevi za resenje konfliktne
situacije i zahtevalo da organi Republike Hrvatske sagledaju i otklone
uzroke koji izazivaju strah, otpor, pa i masovnu gradjansku
neposlusnost (podvukao B.J.).
Vreme je prolazilo, stanje se pogorsavalo, a uroci sukoba nisu
otklanjani. Zato je Predsednistvo SFRJ na novoj sednici, odrzanoj 7. i
8. maja 1991, ponovo potvrdilo ranije ocene o uzrocima stanja u
Hrvatskoj i naredilo niz mera koje bi trebalo da dovedu do uklanjanja
medjunacionalnih sukoba. Tacka 5. zakljucaka Predsednistva je glasila:
"Odmah formirati paritetnu grupu sastavljenu od
predstavnika Republike Hrvatske i legitimnih predstavnika srpskog
naroda iz Hrvatske, radi otpocinjanja razgovora o svim spornim
politickim pitanjima za koje se smatra da su uzrocnik krize, kao sto
su: ustavna ravnopravnost hrvatskog i srpskog naroda, jezik, pismo,
nacionalni i drzavni simboli, pravo naroda na samoopredeljenje do
otcepljenja, nacin izjasnjavanja na referendumu i sl."
Na toj sednici su ucestvovali predsednici svih republika, a zakljucci
su doneti bez ijednog glasa protiv, jednostavno zato sto nije bilo
argumenata protiv cinjenica na kojima su se zakljucci zasnivali.
Pritesnjeno nepobitnim argumentima, hrvatsko rukovodstvo je na
Predsednistvu SFRJ prihvatilo pomenute ocene i stavove, ali mu ni na
pamet nije padalo da ih sprovede u zivot. Naprotiv, nastavilo je jos
zesce ostvarivanje politike izdvajanja Hrvatske iz Jugoslavije metodom
svrsenog cina, bez uvazavanja ikakvih prava srpskog naroda. Hrvatski
Sabor je doneo odluku o samostalnosti Hrvatske, odnosno o otcepljenju
od Jugoslavije, sto je izazvalo srpski narod u
Hrvatskoj da na sopstvenom referendumu odbaci takvu odluku, i da
proglasi otcepljenje od Hrvatske.
Sve to je konflikt dovelo do usijanja.
Stjepan Mesic bi trebalo da objasni, kako je bilo moguce da upravo u
vreme kada se sve desavalo, kada su svi izvestaji sa terena i svi
argumenti bili na stolu Predsednistva SFRJ, nije bio u stanju da dokaze
ono sto sada pokusava, da je otpor srpskog naroda u Hrvatskoj izazvan
iz Srbije. Nego je, pred svim clanovima Predsednistva iz cele
Jugoslavije, a ne samo Srbije, i pred svim predsednicima republika, bio
prinudjen da prihvati jedinstvenu ocenu uzroka koji su doveli do
otpora srpskog naroda u Hrvatskoj. Danas, kada pokusava da stvari
prikaze drugacije, pokusava i da zaboravi sta je stvarno bilo.
Medjutim, mi nismo zaboravili. A postoje i stenogrami, zapisnici,
odluke i druga dokumenta koja nece dozvoliti falsifikovanje istorije.
UKINULI CIRILICU, "OCISTILI" POLICIJU
Odmah po donosenju izmena Ustava, hrvatska vlast je krenula na njegovu
prakticnu realizaciju. Pocela je da ukida dotadasnja nacionalna prava
srpskog naroda: pravo da se u sluzbenim poslovima sluzi srpskim
nacionalnim pismom - cirilicom, pravom da deca srpske nacionalnosti u
skolama uce na svom jeziku i pisu svojim nacionalnim pismom. Ukinute su
srpske kulturne institucije, koje su postojale vekovina. Lokalna
policija, ciji je nacionalni sastav odgovarao sastavu stanovnistva,
stavljen je pod komandu Zagreba i menjan na stetu srpskog ucesca u
strukturi. Smanjivan je broj zaposlenih gradjana srpske nacionalnosti u
policiji, drzavnim sluzbama i javnim ustanovama i preduzecima, a sa
rukovodecih mesta, cak i u privredi, udaljeni su skoro svi Srbi,
nezavisno od toga koliko su bili uspesni.
Jednom recju, vodjena je politika uznemiravanja srpskog stanovnistva i
izazivanja njegovog otpora, kako bi se kasnije moglo opravdavati
naoruzavanje radi nasilnog odvajanja od Jugoslvije.
1. Hague Tries Quietly to Murder Milosevic; His Defense in Financial
Crisis (PRAVDA.RU)
2. Murder At The Hague? - An Investigation Into The Alleged Suicide
Of Slavko Dokmanovic (F. J. Gil-White)
A USEFUL LINK:
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org
=== 1 ===
http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/11/01/39019.html
20:51 2002-11-01
Hague Tries Quietly to Murder Milosevic; His Defense in Financial
Crisis
The Hague "Tribunal" show trial has disastrously backfired. Slobodan
Milosevic has so thoroughly defeated this NATO "court" that the
pro-NATO media has eliminated virtually all TV and newspaper coverage.
Since, because Milosevic is brilliant and because they are lying, the
Hague cannot "show" their trial, they are trying to defeat Mr.
Milosevic the way they find most natural: by murdering him. Meanwhile,
his support Committees have been hindered by a drastic lack of funds.
Last night Slobodan Milosevic suffered an attack of ultra-high blood
pressure, typical of his malignant hypertension. This condition,
requiring that a cardiologist monitor Mr. Milosevic, can easily cause
heart attack or stroke. His heart is already damaged.
On July 26, Richard May, the so-called judge at The Hague proceeding
against Slobodan Milosevic, made the following statement in "court":
"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."
Despite warnings from Yugoslav cardiologists and our committees, this
was the first time The Hague permitted even non-specialists to examine
President Milosevic. And despite their doctors' recommendation of
"careful health monitoring in the future.. a reduction in the workload
of this trial and. further treatment by a cardiologist," The Hague
has, illegally, done the opposite:
-His "trial" day used to end at 2 PM. Now it ends at 5 PM. He is
subjected to a long, tiring, absurd and humiliating security procedure
going to and from the "court" room. He gets back to jail so late that
he must choose: a short walk for some fresh air, or dinner.
-His cell is in an old Nazi prison. The windows are hermetically
sealed. The air is so dirty his wife reports her shoes are covered
with white dust after a two-hour visit.
-He is given poor quality, greasy foods instead of the
vegetable-centered diet required for a heart patient.
Under international humanitarian law it is illegal to deny a prisoner
necessary medical treatment. Given the requirements stated in the
doctors' report, it is clear that this worsening of Milosevic's living
conditions is an attempt to give him a stroke or heart attack and thus
"solve" the problem that he is defeating NATO.
What We Can Do
We urge everyone to publicize and protest this international crime.
You can protest directly by calling The Hague
at 3170 416 5000 or 3170 512 5334
Mr. Milosevic's support committees, the Freedom Foundation in Belgrade
and the ICDSM (International Committee to Defend Slobodan Milosevic)
are in financial crisis. The Websites of the ICDSM and Milosevic's own
party, the SPS, are shut down for lack of money. The ICDSM's temporary
address is
http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm/index.htm
We need to bring the Quebec attorney, Tiphaine Dickson, to The Hague
for consultations with Mr. Milosevic. Presently we do not have the
funds even for her plane fare.
The kidnapping and "trial" of Mr. Milosevic is an attack on all of us
- on Russia, for this attack is part of NATO's drive to the East; on
the rule of law, for the Hague "tribunal" is modeled on the
Inquisition; and on the United Nations, because this "tribunal" is run
by NATO, that is, by the war criminals who attacked Yugoslavia. It
criminalizes the UN.
It is thus of great importance that we not be silenced. If you have
not contributed to Mr. Milosevic's defense - to our *common* defense -
please consider doing so. Those of us who are directly involved have
exhausted our financial resources. We cannot continue without you.
You can make a donation in several ways. Please consult our Donations
page, which can be found at this time at
http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm/donations.htm
Thank you.
Jared Israel, Spokesperson, International Committee to Defend Slobodan
Milosevic, USA
Vladimir Krsljanin, Spokesperson, Freedom Foundation, Yugoslavia
Jared Israel contributed this article to PRAVDA.Ru
=== 2 ===
Subject: Murder At The Hague?
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002 10:33:44 +0100
From: "Vladimir Krsljanin" <vlada@...>
President Milosevic has not been able to appear this morning as well.
Those who are still in doubt whether to react or not, should read the
following analysis:
http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/gilwhite/dokmanovic.htm
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
---
Is the Hague Tribunal (ICTY) murdering its prisoners?
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==================================================
Murder At The Hague?
An Investigation Into The Alleged Suicide
Of Slavko Dokmanovic
by Francisco J. Gil-White
fjgil@...
http://www.psych.upenn.edu/~fjgil/
[4 November 2002]
==================================================
** Preface: Is Milosevic In Danger? **
Recently, trial proceedings at The Hague were interrupted
because of Slobodan Milosevic?s health problems. As reported in
the Ottawa Citizen:[1]
[Start Ottawa Citizen Quote]
The war crimes trial of former Serbian leader
Slobodan Milosevic was adjourned yesterday after he
complained of exhaustion, prompting fears that the
case may not be finished on time. Mr. Milosevic?has
been plagued by heart and high-blood pressure
problems, and suffered several bouts of influenza.
[End Ottawa Citizen Quote]
Supporters of Milosevic believe the Hague Tribunal is
deliberately trying to strain Milosevic in the hopes that he will
die of a heart attack or stroke.
They have reason to worry.
This past July, The Hague finally permitted doctors to examine
Slobodan Milosevic. Commenting on the doctor's findings, judge
Richard May said:[&]
[Start Quote From Hague Transcript]
JUDGE MAY: ??We have received a report, a medical report,
which in its conclusion describes the accused as a man with
severe cardiovascular risk which demands careful future
monitoring. The authors recommend that his workload be
reduced??
[End Quote From Hague Transcript]
However, subsequent to this report, Milosevic's conditions have
deteriorated and his workload has been increased.
Several prisoners at The Hague have died already in suspicious
circumstances. In this piece I consider the details surrounding
the dramatic case of Slavko Dokmanovic, whose death was
alleged by the tribunal to be a suicide. After looking at the
evidence, it is almost impossible not to conclude that
Dokmanovic was murdered at The Hague, while in detention,
and that the court authorities are covering it up. This precedent
establishes ample cause for worry about Milosevic?s fate.
** Did Dokmanovic Really Commit
Suicide? **
It was announced on June 29th, 1998, that Slavko Dokmanovic
had committed suicide in his cell, just one week before the
tribunal was to pass a verdict on the charges against him. The
Yugoslav government reacted to Dokmanovic?s death as
follows:[2]
[Start BBC Quote]
?Bearing in mind the circumstances accompanying
the Dokamovic case, including his arrest, trial,
medical treatment and attitude of the prison
authorities towards his health problems, the
[Yugoslav] Justice Ministry considers the tribunal
responsible for the death of Dokmanovic.
The ministry expresses its concern for the health of
the other war crimes indictees, and demands that the
tribunal undertake necessary steps to guarantee safety
and treatment in keeping with international
standards.
In regard with the above, the ministry has lodged a
protest by Justice Minister Zoran Knezevic to the
president of the tribunal, Louise Arbour.?
[End BBC Quote]
As this analysis will show, the Yugoslav government could, and
should have, leveled charges more serious than these. Had it
known the facts, certainly, it would have.
Consider first that, on the day that Dokmanovic?s death was
announced, the Associated Press wrote the following (the
emphases are mine):[3]
[Start Associated Press Quote]
??Dokmanovic had complained through his lawyers of
feeling depressed and had been visited regularly by a
psychiatrist, but he never hinted he was suicidal. In
fact, he was seen as having a good chance at
acquittal?"
[End Associated Press Quote]
A man accused of war crimes (especially if he is innocent!) may
naturally feel distraught and require psychiatric help. Feelings of
apprehension may rise immediately prior to the verdict. But
would a man expecting an acquittal commit suicide?
Every alleged suicide is a possible murder, so if a man with good
reason to live appears to have killed himself, the responsible
authorities are supposed to investigate with zeal-especially if
there are suspicious circumstances, as was the case for
Dokmanovic. About those circumstances, the same Associated
Press wire wrote:
[Back to the Associated Press]
?The body of Slavko Dokmanovic, 48, was found
hanging on the hinge of the door to his cell in the
U.N. court's detention unit in The Hague shortly after
midnight, tribunal spokesman Christian Chartier said.
?Chartier said Dokmanovic had complained to guards
Sunday afternoon that he was not feeling well, and he
was placed on a suicide watch. The guards checked on
him every half-hour and last saw him alive at 11:30
p.m. Sunday, he said.
The lights were on in his cell at that time, but shortly
thereafter, Dokmanovic managed to short-circuit the
electricity in his cell using an electric razor, and the
lights went out, Chartier said.
When a guard next passed by his cell just after
midnight, the body was found dangling in the
darkened cell.?
[End Associated Press Quote]
It is difficult to find anything here that makes sense.
First, if the guards last saw him alive at 11:30pm, and didn?t
check on him again until midnight, when the body was
supposedly found, then how can Chartier know that
Dokmanovic shorted the light in his cell *shortly after 11:30*?
Is he psychic?
Second, if Dokmanovic never even hinted at having suicidal
thoughts, why place him on suicide watch when he merely
complains about not ?feeling well?? But if he was placed on
suicide watch, why could he still hang himself?
A later wire, from Inter-Press Service, would have us believe
that this was in fact relatively *easy* because Dokmanovic?s
keepers obliged his supposedly suicidal intentions by leaving him
his tie![4]
[Start Inter-Press Service Quote]
??Slavko Dokmanovic, a 49-year-old Croatian Serb,
hung himself with a tie ?[at the] ? detention center in
Scheveningen, in the Netherlands, run by the
International Criminal Tribunal for Former
Yugoslavia (ICTY)
.?Dokmanovic's death was pronounced ?unfortunate?
by the ICTY, although it was never explained how a
man who tried to commit suicide twice while in
detention was left with a tie or an electric razor.?
[End Inter-Press Service Quote]
Notice that this is in direct contradiction to what we saw earlier:
a man first described as never even hinting that he was suicidal
is now alleged to have tried to kill himself twice before! Shall we
pick our favorite version? And if Dokmanovic was placed on
suicide watch, then it is not merely strange but downright
incomprehensible that they should have left him his tie or razor.
I contacted the 18th District Philadelphia Police Department to
obtain details about their policies in a suicide watch, and I
learned the following:
1) The prisoner is placed in a separate, Plexiglas cell.
2) Anything that could be used as a weapon, or used by
the prisoner to hang him/herself is removed. Ties, belts,
shoe-laces, etc.-all must go. Only a safety razor would
be provided (certainly not a real razor, or an electric
razor which the prisoner could use to electrocute
himself). The prisoner will be watched at all times
while operating the safety razor.
3) In Philadelphia, even the prisoner?s clothes are
removed and s/he is given a special jumpsuit made of
paper that cannot be used for hanging.
4) The prisoner is checked every *15 minutes*.
My informant, one Sergeant Walsh, was not sure why the
regulation time between checks is exactly 15 minutes, but he
agreed with me that this is probably so that especially crafty
prisoners will not find time enough to suffocate. Asked how he
felt about a 30 minute interval, he reacted with surprise-no, that
was *much* too long. We?ve been told, however, that Slavko
Dokmanovic was checked only every 30 minutes.
Sergeant Walsh also impressed upon me that suicide-watch
regulations are not flexible in the least, as failure to follow
them to the letter will result in suspension without pay. And when
asked what the procedure would be in case a prisoner placed on
suicide watch died, he said: ?To give you an idea of how serious
this would be, any time there is a cell block incident it is
investigated by a homicide unit.?
Now compare this to what the tribunal spokesman, Christian
Chartier, said to the press and see if you can find anything that
looks plausible. One version has Slavko Dokmanovic on suicide
watch even though he never hinted he was suicidal and merely
complained of not feeling well. The other version has him trying
to commit suicide twice before, but he is nevertheless given long,
30-minute intervals between checks, his clothes are not
removed, and-most scandalously-his tie and electric razor are
left in his cell! Why? To give him a better chance on his third
try?
We have nothing but suspicious stories here, and all the worse
for not being mutually consistent. But, troubling as these
questions may seem, they pale compared to those raised by
glaring inconsistencies in other reports of the discovery of
Dokmanovic?s body.
This, for example, is from Deutsche Presse-Agentur:[5]
[Start DPA Quote]
?On Sunday evening, Dokmanovic had again
complained about feeling unwell and was examined
by a doctor. He was immediately placed under
surveillance and a guard had checked on his condition
every half hour.
At 11.30 pm, everything had been normal, Chartier
said. But at midnight the accused had been found
dead.
Chartier was quoted by the British BBC as saying:
?Dokmanovic used an electric shaver to short-circuit
the light in his cell. When the prison guard went to
check on him he could not see in, so he opened the
door. That was when he discovered the body.??
[Start DPA Quote]
Notice what a different picture we get here. So casual. The
guard opened the door because...he could not see in! There was
no particular alarm about the light being out.
That is consistent with Dokmanovic complaining about not
feeling well and getting checked by ?a doctor,? not by a
psychiatrist. Very casual. Health problems: routine.
But this contradicts the Associated Press wire cited earlier,
which said that Dokmanovic was seen by a *psychiatrist* and
placed on *suicide watch*. And yet, both reports are from the
same day, and both cite the same Christian Chartier as their
source!
The report below, which appeared the next day in The
Scotsman, is also inconsistent:[6]
[Start Scotsman Quote]
?The judges were expected to deliver their verdict on 7
July. After a visit the next day, his lawyer, Domo Fila,
was so disturbed by Dokmanovic's mental condition
that he asked for his client's medication to be
increased and for a warder to check his condition
every 30 minutes.
According to Zoran Jovanovic, a legal colleague in
Belgrade, Mr Fila had been confident of securing
Dokmanovic's release. ?But he was not at all well
during that time,? said Zoran Jovanovic from
Belgrade.?
[End Scotsman Quote]
This account has Dokmanovic?s lawyer (Toma Fila, not as
written above) worrying about the supposedly suicidal
Dokmanovic, and requesting medication and checks every 30
minutes. The Scotsman?s information supposedly comes from
Jovanovic, a colleague of Fila?s, not from Chartier.
What are we supposed to believe? Concern about Dokmanovic
was raised either by a psychiatrist, a doctor, Dokmanovic
complaining to his guards, or by his lawyer. Subsequently, either
the prison guards, or his lawyer, decided to either put him on
suicide watch or on informal monitoring. The reason for this
was either because of depression or a health concern, and he was
either given medication or not (but either way they left him his
tie and razor even though in one of these universes he had
already attempted to commit suicide twice!). The source for all
of this is mostly one Christian Chartier, who is reported to have
said in one account that Dokmanovic was placed on suicide
watch, but in another (see below), that he was not placed on
suicide watch! If people are straightforwardly reporting the facts
from mostly *one source*-one man, Christian Chartier-is it
possible to get this many different stories in two days?
** The Washington Post Weighs In **
The following report in the Washington Post, on June 30th, rises
to new heights of creativity, providing yet a new story with a
more extended narrative (the emphases are mine):[7]
[Start Washington Post Quote]
?Officials at the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The
Hague concluded that the death of Slavko
Dokmanovic, 48, was a suicide. He had complained of
depression, they said, and on a doctor's
recommendation Sunday night had been put under
medication and subjected to stepped-up monitoring
with his cell lights permanently switched on.
Dokmanovic's 13-square-yard cell was lighted when
a guard passed on a half-hourly round at 11:30 p.m.,
tribunal sources said. But at the midnight check, the
lights were off -- deliberately short-circuited.
The suspect had been able to get the locked cell
door open, and in the darkness hanged himself with
an unspecified kind of cord suspended from a door
hinge, the sources said.
...Christian Chartier, a spokesman for the tribunal,
said the monitoring of Dokmanovic was ?not a
suicide watch.?
However, he said that in 1997 ?for the same
reasons? Dokmanovic had been put under even
closer observation that included round-the-clock
video surveillance.?
[End Washington Post Quote]
Deconstructing the absurdities in this tale takes some work
because there are so many of them, and so we have to take turns
holding some of them constant while considering the others.
First, we hear that Dokmanovic -- get this -- *unlocked his
cell door*! How likely is this? And why would Dokmanovic even
try it?
The ICTY?s detention center is a ?heavily-monitored
high-security prison,?[8] and sergeant Walsh (of the 18th
District Philadelphia Police Department) informs me that such
prisons will have cell doors that open to the *outside* so the
hinge knuckles are also on the outside. Dokmanovic, then,
cannot hang himself by looping a cord around the hinge without
first opening the door. This is therefore the only plausible reason
for a suicidal Dokmanovic to try to open his cell door.
But Sergeant Walsh also explained to me that the locks on cell
doors in a high-security prison would stump most accomplished
professional thieves even if they (1) had ample time; (2) did not
fear discovery; and (3) were on the *outside* of the cell.
The last point is important. Walsh explained to me that in such
prisons ?The door?s are perfectly smooth on the inside?there is
no door knob and there is no way-lock.? So even if
Dokmanovic, the ex-mayor of a small town, had the exotic skills
of a world-class professional thief who can pick the lock to a
?heavily monitored high-security prison? cell in well under 30
minutes (for he still needs time left over to hang himself and
suffocate), he could not even begin to attempt this because, on
the inside, where Dokmanovic found himself, there was
*nothing to pick*!
(...?!)
What is going on here? Let us begin with the least damning
interpretation This says that the tribunal authorities indeed
found Dokmanovic hanging from the hinge to his cell door.
When they realized this would have required that he first
*unlock* this door they concluded that Dokmanovic did this.
But if concluding ?suicide? requires that Dokmanovic perform
miracles, shouldn?t they conclude that he must have been
*murdered*? And so this interpretation forces the conclusion
that the Tribunal authorities are mentally retarded.
A more damning interpretation resolves the absurdities, and
does not require Tribunal authorities to suffer from mental
handicaps. Suppose that the allegation of Dokmanovic?s suicide
is a *lie* to cover up that the Tribunal authorities are
themselves complicit in murdering Dokmanovic. Like most
hasty lies, it is not very good, and it eventually dawns on the
spin doctors that Dokmanovic would have had first to open his
cell door (perhaps a reporter raised the question during a press
conference). But how to solve this problem given that Hague
officials had already said that Dokmanovic hanged himself on
the hinge to his cell door? Simple: say that Dokmanovic
managed to unlock this door.
Presto!
This explains the prevarications of the tribunal officials. What it
certainly does *not* explain, however, is why the Washington
Post mentions Dokmanovic?s superhuman miracles only in
passing. After all, Harry Houdini himself could not pull this off
in his wildest dreams. This was a front page headline all by
itself!
Is the Post asleep?
We already have more than enough, but just for sport, let us
imagine that Dokmanovic has magical powers with which he
picks a lock that isn?t there. Does the rest of the Post's story
now make sense?
Alas!
Dokmanovic still could not succeed in hanging himself, as he
cannot pass his tie around the hinge merely by cracking the door
ajar. If you try this at home you will find that the door needs to
be opened almost completely. So even if Dokmanovic was quick
and subsequently forced the door shut again, how can it go
unnoticed, in a ?heavily monitored high-security prison,? that
an *especially monitored* prisoner has opened his cell door wide
and momentarily fiddles at the door?s hinge? After all, as
Sergeant Walsh explained, there is always a guard, at all times,
in the cell block (see below).
Again for sport, let us say that we are gullible enough to accept
that Dokmanovic is a superhuman who can not only pick locks
that aren't there, but he manages to open his cell door wide and
then passes his tie over the hinge -- all unnoticed. Does the rest
of the Post's story now make sense?
Alas! No... Insurmountable absurdities remain.
Why did Dokmanovic short-circuit the light? If Dokmanovic
can pick a lock that isn?t there he is super-intelligent, so how
can this genius not understand that shorting the light-when he
is being closely monitored-will attract attention? Sergeant
Walsh tells me that ?any lights that would go off in the cells
should be noticed immediately?there is a ?turn-key,? who is a
cell block attendant, who monitors the cells the whole time.
There is always somebody in the cell block.? So, given that this
is the cell of an especially monitored prisoner in a
?heavily-monitored, high-security prison,? shouldn?t his light
going off be noticed with alarm? Especially given that a
short-circuit will cause *sparks*, causing a breaker to bust and
other lights to go off!
But suppose that the genius Dokmanovic was nevertheless so
stupid on this particular point that he decided to short the light.
If we assume that Dokmanovic did this *before* he miraculously
opened the door, then we only add to his miracles, for now we
have him unlocking the door *in darkness*. If we suppose
instead that Dokmanovic short-circuited the light *after*
opening the door we hardly make more sense: the sparks would
immediately attract attention to the open door-that is, the same
door that he must now open wide in order to pass his tie around
the hinge! And if we say that Dokmanovic shorted the light after
passing his tie over the hinge and closing the door again, then
we are saying that he tried his best to attract attention to
himself when he needed a few precious minutes by himself so he
could suffocate.
Why should Dokmanovic want to short-circuit the light?
As before, if the story is a hastily concocted lie, this can
explain the absurdities. Perhaps it was claimed that Dokmanovic
shorted the light in order to suggest that this is how he escaped
detection while committing suicide. The liars responsible, however,
did not pause long enough to realize that shorting the light is
precisely the sort of thing that would have brought guards rushing
to the cell of an especially monitored prisoner who is potentially
suicidal in a high-security prison.
Hasty lies often have problems of this sort.
Also consistent with the cover-up hypothesis is Christian
Chartier?s reversal on whether Dokmanovic had been put on
suicide watch. First he said yes, but now he says no. If this is
all a cover up, then the first claim was issued to make Dokmanovic
seem plausibly suicidal (only a suicidal person would be put on
suicide watch). But somebody then noticed that suicide watch
involves round-the-clock video surveillance, so Chartier came
up with a much improved story, as reported in the Post article:
Dokmanovic was not on suicide watch *this* time (so it is more
plausible that he succeeded), but he had been placed on suicide
watch-complete with video surveillance-on *other* occasions
(so he was, after all, suicidal).
Very convenient.
Despite this fix, there are problems with this point. The first is
that if we suppose Dokmanovic was not on suicide watch, but
that, as Chartier claims, he had a suicidal history, then why was
he not placed on suicide watch *this* time?
The second problem concerns the fact that we cannot accept
Chartier?s claim that this was not a suicide watch because of
the description: ?[Dokmanovic] had complained of
depression?and on a doctor's recommendation?had been put
under medication and subjected to stepped-up monitoring with
his cell lights permanently switched on.? A depressive prisoner
who gets medication and stepped up monitoring is on?what?
*Suicide watch*. So this again raises the question of how this
watch could be so incompetent (including leaving him his tie!) if
Dokmanovic indeed had a history of attempted suicides, as
Chartier claims.
Remember, the last points are all icing on my cake. I examine
them merely to offer further demonstrations that people are
lying. All we really need to make the case that a murder is being
covered up is the fact that Dokmanovic cannot pick a lock that
isn't there.
But this is what they claim he did!
Why didn?t the Western media notice any of this? If the Hague
Tribunal authorities had said that pigs flew, would they have
reported this with the same equanimity?
** The Tribunal?s Official Inquiry **
The Tribunal authorities supposedly conducted an inquiry into
Dokmanovic?s death. This ?inquiry? was entrusted to one Judge
Almiro Rodrigues, whose final report was presented on 21 July,
1998, and subsequently published on the Tribunal?s website.[9]
As we shall see, rather than resolve the absurdities, Rodrigues?
report introduces fresh ones. Not intended to be one, of course,
the report nevertheless reads like a guilty confession.
Here is the tribunal?s bulleted summary of their findings,
printed at the end of the report.
[Start Quote from Hague Tribunal Report]
Findings Of The Inquiry:
1. Dokmanovic was suffering from depression and, for
that reason, was under particular medical care;
2. From about 23 June 1998, Mr. Dokmanovic was
checked every half-hour, during low service hours;
[End Quote]
What are they telling us here? It?s confusing. The Tribunal
claims that Dokmanovic was depressed and was getting special
medical care for it. And starting a week before his death, we are
told, he was closely monitored. The two words apparently
missing from points 1 and 2 are ?suicide watch.? Why are they
omitted?
[Back to the Hague Tribunal?s Report]
3. Under the rules of the Detention Unit, a detainee
may keep in his possession all clothes and personal
items for his own use or consumption unless, in the
opinion of the Commanding Officer or the General
Director, such items constitute a threat to the security
or good order of the detention unit or the host prison,
or to the health or safety of any person therein;
4. This is the reason why items such as cutlery, ties,
shoe laces, electric and manual razors, electric cables,
are among those commonly found in a detainee?s cell
and were found in Mr. Dokmanovic?s as well;
[End Quote]
Now we can appreciate the fix the tribunal is in-they must try
their hardest to lay all of the blame on one person: Dokmanovic.
On the one hand, he must seem obviously suicidal, and must
have weapons handy, in order to preempt the argument that he
was murdered. But on the other hand-and here is the
difficulty-this ?obviously suicidal? Dokmanovic cannot have
been on ?suicide watch,? for otherwise it would be *criminally
negligent* -- wouldn't it? --
to leave any weapons in his cell.
Pity them: the tribunal authorities must walk a line so thin that
it vanishes!
The chosen story line is thus that Dokmanovic was getting
?particular medical care? because he was ?suffering from
depression,? and this whispers he supposedly had suicidal
tendencies without actually using the forbidden word. The word
must be avoided because if they actually write down ?suicidal?
then the reader immediately wants to know why he was not on
?suicide watch.?
Similarly, elsewhere in the report we are told that he got ?one of
the highest levels of supervision *other* than the 24-hour
watch by closed circuit TV.? In other words, *not* the highest
level of supervision because *that*, of course, would be a
?suicide watch.?
The ?conclusion? that the report would have us reach is
therefore that, since the ?Commanding Officer or the General
Director? had not made the relevant judgment call to put the
depressive Dokmanovic on the highest level of supervision (i.e. a
?suicide watch?), it is perfectly understandable (isn?t it?) that
an astonishing menu of weapons remained in Dokmanovic?s cell:
?cutlery, ties, shoe laces, electric and manual razors, electric
cables?? (the only thing missing was a loaded gun and some
hemlock!).
Nobody?s fault??
But the Tribunal's rhetorical strategy requires that would-be
skeptics read its report in a daze much closer to death than
distraction, and also that they not be reminded of earlier and
sloppier attempts by the Tribunal to walk this very same
vanishing line.
These earlier attempts relied on the allegation that Dokmanovic
had tried to commit suicide twice before but that they
nevertheless didn?t consider him to be suicidal! For example, on
June 29th, the Associated Press reported:[10]
[Start AP Quote]
?Although tribunal officials were familiar with
Dokmanovic's medical records, his depression and his
regular meetings with a psychiatrist, ?he was not
known to us as a suicide candidate,? Chartier said.
However, Chartier disclosed on Monday that there
had been a ?previous incident? last year in which
Dokmanovic was placed under tighter
supervision that included surveillance cameras in his
cell. He refused to elaborate.?
[End Quote]
What ?previous incident? that is *not* a suicide attempt could
cause prison officials to place Dokmanovic ?under tighter
supervision that included surveillance cameras in his cell?? That
is what a suicide watch is? They were obviously suggesting that
Dokmanovic was suicidal. However, at the same time, Chartier
explained that Dokmanovic ?was not known to us as a suicide
candidate?!
Is the press asleep? Why weren?t they hounding this Chartier as
if he were fresh-cooked meat?
In its official report about its supposed inquiry into itself, the
Tribunal has now made the official story less ridiculous, even if
it is still preposterous. Gone are any suggestions of past suicide
attempts. This is important because the Tribunal must avoid
convicting itself: if they say there were previous suicide
attempts, then Dokmanovic was suicidal and the Tribunal was
criminally negligent.
Despite this ?fix,? as we have seen, the line they must walk
vanishes.
[Back to the Hague Tribunal?s Report]
5. On the night from 28 to 29 June 1998, after 10.00
p.m, Mr. Dokmanovic twice attempted to commit
suicide by trying to cut his veins with a razor blade
and by attempting to hang himself using a tie;
6. These attempts were not visible to the guards
checking his cell. This check consists of opening the
little window on the cell door and looking through it
into the cell. If the guard notices something unusual
or abnormal, he must call at least one other guard to
be present before opening the cell door itself. On the
date in question, nothing unusual was detected until
midnight;
[End Quote]
In what universe does a detention facility institute 'checks' on a
prisoner that are so pathetically inadequate that they cannot
reveal to the guards doing the checking that Dokmanovic has
already attempted to commit suicide twice!
The tribunal is stating an absurdity. Merely on such grounds it
can be accused of criminal negligence. So why do they say this?
Because this item makes a very important point between the
lines: Dokmanovic was fanatically determined to commit
suicide. Look: he kept trying! With such determination, how
could the Hague tribunal authorities stop him?
So?nobody?s fault?
[Back to the Hague Tribunal?s Report]
7. Between 11.30 p.m. and 00.05 a.m., Mr.
Dokmanovic short-circuited the general power supply
of his cell by placing the two extreme prongs of a fork
(the middle prongs of which had been deliberately
bent) into one of the wall sockets. He did that in order
to avoid the regular half-hour guards checking his
cell;
[End Quote]
The story has changed. Before, they told us-and repeatedly-that
Dokmanovic did this with his electric razor. Now they say it was
with his fork.
Whatever?
However, since the Hague investigators cannot possibly have
asked the dead Dokmanovic what his motive was for
short-circuiting the light, one has to wonder how they know
what he *intended* by it. And notice what they want you to
believe: as I speculated above, they wish you to believe that
Dokmanovic shorted the light so that the guards would not
come to check on him.
*That* is why Dokmanovic succeeded?! Because, once in the
dark, the guards could not see what he was doing??!
However, we were told that Dokmanovic ?had been put under
medication and subjected to stepped-up monitoring with his cell
lights permanently switched on.?[11] And according to the
tribunal?s own report, Dokmanovic was under surveillance so
close that it was only one notch below their highest level of
monitoring. Well, if so, then for Dokmanovic to plunge his cell
into darkness would be the very thing to attract the attention of
his keepers-they would immediately check his cell, especially
given that shorting a light will produce sparks, bust a breaker,
and turn off other lights. It stretches credulity to the point of
rupture to think that Dokmanovic was so stupid he did not to
realize this. But even if he was, shorting the light should have
guaranteed discovery before he could commit suicide!
[Back to the Hague Tribunal?s Report]
8. Finally, he managed to hang himself by fastening
on to the top door hinge of his cell?s wardrobe the end
of a second tie that he had firmly attached around his
neck; Mr. Dokmanovic was found dead shortly after
midnight;
[End Quote]
This explanation at least removes the earlier absurdity where
the Washington Post has Dokmanovic unlocking his *cell* door
in order to commit suicide. But it is important to note that this
new explanation is a patch.
When the Washington Post alleged that Dokmanovic had used
the hinge to his *cell* door, it had lots of company. I was able to
find a total of 17 major newspaper stories that, immediately
after the story broke, reported that Dokmanovic had used the
hinge to his cell door, and also 20 wires that said the same
thing.[12]
On the other hand, I could not find a *single* newspaper article
that reported Dokmanovic hanging himself on the door to his
wardrobe. As for the wires, a couple of wires reported the
wardrobe version, but only *after* the tribunal had made this
report public on July 21st, 1998.[13]
Furthermore, the Washington Post didn?t merely report that
Dokmanovic had supposedly hung himself on the hinge to his
cell door, it went to the trouble of *explaining it*! In other
words, they told us that Dokmanovic unlocked his cell door by
way of explaining that he used the hinge to this door in order to
hang himself). Liars always talk too long?
The hanging-from-the-wardrobe version in the tribunal?s
report is obviously a patch to correct the preposterous lies that
were initially put out in haste.
The mind nevertheless boggles. Why did the tribunal?s
spin-doctors *not* hang Dokmanovic from the door to his
wardrobe from the very beginning? That would have sounded
immediately more plausible and would have never required a
patch for a preposterous lie.
I do not have an answer to everything, and I do not have access
to what goes on in the minds of The Hague spin doctors. But
one possibility is that perhaps Dokmanovic?s cell *had* no
wardrobe. I digress briefly to consider this.
Below is a diagram of Milosevic?s cell that appeared in Radio
Netherlands (do not take literally that the door opens to the
inside; Radio Netherlands is constrained to this because it must
fit everything in the rectangle):[14]
Milosevic?s cell features a closet (wardrobe), and the New York
Times says that ?every cell, measuring 10 feet by 17 feet [about
19 sq yards], has its own shower, toilet, closet and desk.? [15]
But this appears to be in error.
Radio Netherlands says that Milosevic?s cell is 18 sq. yards (3×5
m.), and so did Agence France Presse (15 sq. m.).[16] The New
York Times (above) says 19 sq. yards, as did the Times of
London,[17] and the Sunday Telegraph.[18] The slight
discrepancies suggest that Milosevic?s cell size is indeed in the
close neighborhood of 19 sq. yards. However, the Washington
Post says *Dokmanovic?s* cell was about 30% smaller, at only
13 sq. yards.[19] If this is true, then it is false that *every*
cell has the dimensions that the NYT gives, and Dokmanovic?s
smaller cell may not contain a wardrobe -- much less one with
a hinged door that requires space in which to swing open.
But is it possible for a paper to claim that all inmates have cells
of the same size when they don?t? Sure it is.
Martin Fletcher wrote this for the Times of London: ?Like all
other inmates, [Milosevic] is locked up from 8.30pm to 8.30am in
a 10ft by 17ft cell [19 sq. yards].?[20] And the *same* Martin
Fletcher wrote this in an article for the Ottawa Citizen: ?Each
man has a modern cell of about 12-square metres [about 14 sq.
yards].? [21] Clearly, two statements that say every prisoner has
a cell of size X cannot be simultaneously true if they each give a
different dimension. So Fletcher misspoke.
Why the mistake?
When Fletcher gave the larger cell area, he was reporting about
*Milosevic*; when he gave the lower cell area, he was reporting
about *other* inmates at The Hague. So it seems that Fletcher,
in each case, distractedly generalized to all other inmates the
cell size that was relevant to his current topic.
Fletcher gives a list of the things that one finds inside the
smaller cells: ?Each man has a modern cell of about 12-square
metres [about 14 sq. yards] with a window, basin, shower, toilet
and coffee machine.?[22] No wardrobe. Moreover, the 14 sq.
yards cell area that he gives is quite close to the size given by
the Washington Post for Dokmanovic?s cell: 13 sq. yards.
Thus, if Dokmanovic was murdered in a cell that did not have a
wardrobe, his murderers could not set him up as if he had hung
himself from the wardrobe. So they used the cell door. But
when it became clear that nobody was going to come look, and
that the only investigation would be in-house, they tossed out
the absurd story where Dokmanovic is a magical lock-pick and
simply changed it, 'explaining' that Dokmanovic had hung
himself from the (possibly nonexistent) wardrobe.
What changes if someone can prove that Dokmanovic's cell
really did sport a wardrobe?
Nothing. Because it never made any sense whatever for The
Hague officials to say that Dokmanovic hung himself on the
hinge to his cell door -- after unlocking it! -- if what he really
did was hang himself from the wardrobe. That anything so
preposterous was ever said, therefore, is strong evidence that
Dokmanovic did *not* hang himself -- not from the wardrobe
or anything else.
[Back to the Hague Tribunal?s Report]
9. All of the Rules of the Detention Unit concerning
Security were observed. No negligent behaviour was
identified;
[End Quote]
Right, nobody?s fault! By now you are fully entitled to reach a
different conclusion, and to observe how fortunate for the
tribunal that it investigates itself.
I now turn to the last bulleted point in the tribunal?s report,
which deserves some discussion.
** There Was No Post-Mortem! **
The last bulleted point in the Tribunal?s report says the
following:
[Back to the Hague Tribunal?s Report]
10. The investigation conducted did not evidence any
sign of violence either at the scene of the incident or
on the body of Mr. Dokmanovic that would suggest a
criminal act.
[End Quote]
This is where the Tribunal tells us that it is officially
exonerating itself.
But notice what the Tribunal?s acquittal of itself requires: not
much. There is no mention of a post-mortem, which is precisely
how one would establish that there was no evidence on the body
suggesting a criminal act.
If there *had* been a post-mortem, we would be hearing about
it (why should the Tribunal omit pointing out how professional
its investigation was?). The omission thus suggests that there
was no post-mortem.
It is not the only thing that does. The day Dokmanovic?s suicide
was announced, it was reported that ?Dokmanovic?s corpse was
taken to a nearby *hospital* morgue [my emphasis],?[23] and
also that ?Both the tribunal and local Dutch authorities have
launched investigations that *could include* an autopsy [my
emphasis].?[24] And the next day it was said that
?Dokmanovic's body is expected to be transferred to his family
after a *possible* post-mortem examination [my
emphasis].?[25]
Why all this talk about a *possible* post-mortem? As in most
other places, the law in the Netherlands makes a post-mortem
after an apparent suicide not optional but *obligatory*.
Professor Barend A.J. Cohen teaches Clinical Forensic Medicine
and Medical Jurisprudence at the Netherlands' School of Public
Health (NSPH) in Utrecht. Professor Cohen states:[26]
[Start Quote]
?According to the law of the Netherlands, it is the
responsibility of the Medical Examiner to investigate
all deaths from criminal violence, accident or suicide,
as well as those that occurred when the person was in
apparent good health, was not attended by a
physician, was imprisoned, or died in any suspicious
manner.?
[End Quote]
Dokmanovic?s death was alleged to be a suicide; it occurred
while he was imprisoned; he was not attended by a physician;
and there are all sorts of suspicious circumstances surrounding
it. In other words, Dokmanovic?s death satisfies four separate
conditions, only one of which is needed to force, by law, that the
Medical Examiner in the Netherlands investigate. Why then do
we hear that his body was taken to a *hospital*-not a
police-morgue, and that *maybe* there would be a
post-mortem? Why is there no report of a post-mortem in the
tribunal?s report of the inquiry?
When the death of Dokmanovic was announced at the end of
June, it was said that there would be a separate Dutch
investigation into his death.[27] On July 23rd, the Associated
Press was still saying that ?Dutch authorities are conducting a
separate probe and are expected to publish their findings within
a week.?[28] That wire was authored by Mike Corder and filed
at 07:58 Eastern Time. Only three hours later, at 11:05 Eastern
Time, Mike Corder filed a very similar wire but this time all
mention of a parallel Dutch investigation was dropped.[29]
There is something else that is funny about these two wires. The
first has the ironic title ?Yugoslav Tribunal Exonerates Staff,?
whereas the second has the title ?Tribunal staff, procedures not
to blame for suicide in custody.? Did somebody in the editorial
office ring up Mike Corder and explain to him that if the
tribunal exonerates itself this should be reported as *fact* rather
than as irony?
I looked for any mention of the report which the ?Dutch
authorities,? according to Corder, were going to publish in a
week?s time. But I found nothing. Nothing at all. What I did
find a week later, in a wire dated August 1st, is that another
Hague prisoner had died suspiciously.[30] And in a wire dated
August 12th, the Associated Press wrote the following:[31]
[Start AP Quote]
In recent months, two Bosnian Serb suspects have
died in their cells, prompting critics to contend that
inmates are getting inadequate medical treatment.
Suspect Slavko Dokmanovic committed suicide in his
cell in June, and on Aug. 1, detainee Milan Kovacevic
died of a heart attack. Both deaths have been followed
by tribunal investigations.
[End Quote]
A reference was made to a tribunal in-house investigation for
each of these cases. But absolutely nothing was said about an
investigation by the Dutch authorities. This is already *three*
weeks after the original Corder AP wire! In fact, no news item
ever said anything about any report of a Dutch investigation
getting published.
The internal investigation into the second death, that of Milan
Kovacevic, was again conducted by the same Judge Almiro
Rodrigues. The same Mike Corder, from the Associated Press,
wrote the following on Sept. 7, 1998:[32]
[Start AP Quote]
It took prison guards 35 minutes to contact a
physician after Kovacevic first complained of severe
pain, and a full hour before the doctor arrived,
according to the investigation led by tribunal Judge
Almiro Rodrigues of Portugal.
Although Rodrigues conceded that ?some criticism
may be leveled against the medical emergency
procedures,? he insisted the delay was not the cause of
death.
?The inquiry revealed no indication of negligence on
the part of the duty doctor ... or any other person,?
Rodrigues concluded.
?An internal inquiry also cleared the tribunal of
blame for the death in June, of Slavko Dokmanovic,
who hanged himself in his cell while awaiting the
verdict in his war crimes trial.?
[End AP Quote]
Once again Mike Corder said nothing about a Dutch
investigation. And he reported on the fact that the tribunal
cleared *itself* -- and twice -- quite matter-of-factly. Corder
had apparently learned his lesson.
If, as seems to be the case, there was no separate Dutch
investigation, and no post-mortem on Dokmanovic?s body, did
this not violate Dutch law? Apparently not, because ?The ICTY
detention centre?was built in 1994 inside a Dutch prison but is
not subject to Dutch law.?[33]
If the ICTY is indeed not subject to Dutch law, then the initial
reports of an impending Dutch investigation were in error. This
seems probable, because if this Dutch investigation had occurred
at all, and if its results concurred with those of the Tribunal?s
report, the latter would not have failed to loudly mention this. A
post-mortem may be obligatory under Dutch law, but the
Hague Tribunal obviously does whatever it wants when it
investigates itself.
Notice, when a prisoner on suicide watch dies in Philadelphia?s
18th district, this is very serious. ?To give you an idea of how
serious this would be,? Sergeant Walsh explained to me, ?any
time there is a cell block incident it is investigated by a
homicide unit.? Well, that?s Philadelphia. At the UN's
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY),
it is not so serious.
Why? Because the tribunal is a law unto itself; it answers to
nobody.
** A Convenient Suicide **
The convenient absence of a post-mortem by an independent
authority is added to another happy ?coincidence? for the
Tribunal. ?Dokmanovic?s death means the case is closed, and no
verdict will be released posthumously, tribunal spokesman
Christian Chartier said. ?You can't pass judgment on a dead
person.??[34] Poor Dokmanovic! Wherever else he went after
death, *under the law*, he is eternally in limbo.
But what a convenient twist of international law this is for the
tribunal! It avoids not merely the embarrassment of the expected
acquittal, and the spectacle of Dokmanovic giving press
conferences about how he was illegally kidnapped and
mistreated (this issue will be addressed in a forthcoming article).
That would have been bad enough. But try to imagine the
Tribunal having to explain that the man they illegally abducted,
and who subsequently died in custody, was innocent! That
would be a tremendous scandal. Better to keep people guessing
as to whether Dokmanovic was or not a war criminal, in which
case people will not be so sure that they should mourn him. It is
therefore very convenient that the expected ?not guilty? verdict
cannot be passed down posthumously.
About the inability to get a verdict at this point, Christian
Chartier said that ?It must be very frustrating for the family, for
the relatives of the victims, for the prosecution and the defense,
and maybe for historians.?[35] But why should this be
frustrating for the alleged relatives of the alleged victims? An
acquittal was expected! Is the tribunal?s spokesman suggesting
that we should consider this man guilty despite this expectation?
He sounds like one of the prosecutors...! Or is he suggesting that
the alleged families of these alleged victims would have found
catharsis in the acquittal of a man who was illegally kidnapped
and brought to the Hague, and who was nowhere near the
alleged massacres he was alleged to participate in?
As for historians, not to worry: they will have a field day when
they read this article.
Finally, since somebody could have raised questions later, it is
very convenient for the tribunal that some media outlets later
began untruthfully reporting that Dokmanovic had actually
been found guilty! For example, an Inter-Press Service wire, a
few months later, reported that ?[Dokmanovic] was found guilty
of involvement in the killing of more than 200 unarmed men
after their forcible evacuation from a Vukovar hospital in
November 1991. He died a week before he was due to
be sentenced.?[36]
This is perfectly false, as any reader can confirm by going to the
ICTY?s website and consulting their own posted documents
concerning the termination of trial proceedings against Slavko
Dokmanovic upon his death.[37]
** Conclusion **
The facts reviewed have already spoken for themselves, so a
short statement will suffice. The *best* we can say is that
Dokmanovic?s story argues for a ?tribunal? that is criminally
negligent with regard to the health and welfare of its prisoners,
and a mainstream Western media that is pathologically unable
to carry out the most elementary forms of reporting, let alone
questioning, analysis, and investigation.
But the above interpretation, terribly damning as it already is, in
fact is very difficult to swallow, for mere criminal negligence
does not explain why the Hague Tribunal?s report has neither
head nor tails, plus all the other sundry absurdities we have
reviewed. If we instead conclude this is a case of ?malice
aforethought? (?to kill either deliberately and intentionally or
recklessly with extreme disregard for human life?[38])-that is,
*premeditated murder*-we can explain the inconsistencies and
absurdities as resulting from an awkward cover-up.
Finally, if we add to all this that the press is not incompetent
but complicit, we can better explain its behavior. Because not only
was the mainstream Western media dishing out absurdities and
repeating what the Hague officials said with zero analysis, they
also failed to report crucial details. For example, no media
source mentioned that Dokmanovic was a leader for peace and
one of the signers of the Erdut peace agreement.[39] *Why*?
That turns out to be a crucially important omission.
Consider: is it plausible that Croatian leaders would have sat at
the table with Slavko Dokmanovic to talk peace if Dokmanovic
were really a notorious war criminal with blood fresh on his
hands, as the Hague Tribunal alleges?
Of course not.
So it is very important to both NATO and the Hague Tribunal
that ordinary people in the West not find out that Dokmanovic
was a leader for peace. The fact that the mainstream Western
media obliged NATO?s interests by giving us complete silence
on Dokmanovic?s background speaks volumes about the media?s
complicity. A forthcoming piece will examine the importance of
Dokmanovic?s role as a leader for peace in providing NATO
with a motive to kill him.
+
[Footnotes Follow The Appeal]
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FOOTNOTES
*************
[1] Ottawa Citizen, November 2, 2002 Saturday Final Edition,
News; Pg. A18, 180 words, Milosevic's illness delays war crimes
trial, LONDON
[&] Court transcript July 25th, 2002 (p. 8642);
http://www.un.org/icty/transe54/020725ME.htm
[2] BBC Worldwide Monitoring, June 30, 1998
[3] AP Worldstream, June 29, 1998; Monday, International news,
670 words, AP Photo AMS101, JENIFER CHAO, THE HAGUE, Netherlands
[4] Inter Press Service, September 22, 1998, Tuesday, 844 words,
RIGHTS-YUGOSLAVIA: DEATHS IN THE HAGUE "JUSTIFY"
BELGRADE STANCE, By Vesna Peric-Zimonjic, BELGRADE, Sep. 22
[5] Deutsche Presse-Agentur, June 29, 1998, Monday, International
News, 497 words, Serb war-crimes suspect found hanged in cell
days before verdict due, The Hague
[6] The Scotsman, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, Pg. 9, 601 words,
SERB WAR CRIMES SUSPECT FOUND HANGED IN CELL, Alex Blair
Foreign Affairs Reporter
[7] The Washington Post, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, Final Edition, A
SECTION; Pg. A11, 551 words, Serb Found Hanged in U.N. Prison;
War-Crime Suspect's Death Called Suicide, Charles Trueheart,
Washington Post Foreign Service, PARIS, June 29
[8] ?Hague officials also said that an investigation would be
launched into questions of how the suicide had gone undetected in the
heavily monitored high-security prison, which was located in the
nearby town of Scheveningen.? Facts on File World News Digest, July
2, 1998, EUROPE; Croatia, Pg. 458 G3, 163 words, War Crimes
Suspect Commits Suicide;
?Red brick walls stretch around the high-security compound here,
the largest prison in the Netherlands, with close to 750 inmates.
Within this compound, invisible from the road, lies the modern,
independent cell block, built by the Dutch government and leased to
the tribunal. Last year, its budget was $3.3 million, paid for by the
United Nations.? The New York Times, July 15, 2001, Sunday, Late
Edition - Final, Section 1; Page 8; Column 1; Foreign Desk, 1502
words, Milosevic's Abode: 10 by 17 Feet but No Dungeon, By MARLISE
SIMONS, SCHEVENINGEN, the Netherlands
[9] http://www.un.org/icty/bulletin21-e/dokman.htm
[10] AP Worldstream, June 29, 1998; Monday 09:44 Eastern Time;
SECTION: International news; LENGTH: 663 words; HEADLINE: AP
Photos AMS101-102; BYLINE: JENIFER CHAO; DATELINE: THE
HAGUE, Netherlands
[11] The Washington Post, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, Final Edition,
A SECTION; Pg. A11, 551 words, Serb Found Hanged in U.N. Prison;
War-Crime Suspect's Death Called Suicide, Charles Trueheart,
Washington Post Foreign Service, PARIS, June 29
[12] Major Newspapers that reported Dokmanovic hanged himself from
the hinge of his cell door. (No other newspapers made reference to
any specific door.)
1. The Baltimore Sun, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, FINAL
EDITION, Pg. 7A, 416 words, Serbian war crimes suspect hangs
himself; U.N. court was close to a verdict on his guilt
2. The New York Times, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, Late
Edition - Final, Section A; Page 6; Column 4; Foreign Desk, 918
words, Serb Charged in Massacre Commits Suicide, By MARLISE SIMONS,
THE HAGUE, June 29
3. The Times, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, Overseas news, 450
words, Serb war crime suspect found hanged in cell, Tom Walker
4. The Toronto Star, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, METRO
EDITION, NEWS; Pg. A12, 376 words, Accused war criminal found
hanged, (Reuters), AMSTERDAM
5. The Washington Post, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, Final
Edition, A SECTION; Pg. A11, 551 words, Serb Found Hanged in U.N.
Prison; War-Crime Suspect's Death Called Suicide, Charles Trueheart,
Washington Post Foreign Service, PARIS, June 29
6. The Seattle Times, June 29, 1998, Monday, Final
Edition, NEWS;, Pg. A9;, 702 words, AROUND THE WORLD
7. THE AUSTRALIAN, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, WORLD; Pg.10,
60 words, War crime suicide
8. Chicago Sun-Times, June 30, 1998, TUESDAY, Late Sports
Final Edition, NEWS; NATION/WORLD BRIEFS; Pg. 17, 593
words, World War II flying ace slain in home robbery.
9. COURIER-MAIL, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, NEWS; Pg. 18,
479 words, Suicide Serb beats war crimes verdict, CHAO J
10. The Gazette (Montreal), June 30, 19<br/><br/>(Message over 64 KB, truncated)
Crisis (PRAVDA.RU)
2. Murder At The Hague? - An Investigation Into The Alleged Suicide
Of Slavko Dokmanovic (F. J. Gil-White)
A USEFUL LINK:
http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org
=== 1 ===
http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/11/01/39019.html
20:51 2002-11-01
Hague Tries Quietly to Murder Milosevic; His Defense in Financial
Crisis
The Hague "Tribunal" show trial has disastrously backfired. Slobodan
Milosevic has so thoroughly defeated this NATO "court" that the
pro-NATO media has eliminated virtually all TV and newspaper coverage.
Since, because Milosevic is brilliant and because they are lying, the
Hague cannot "show" their trial, they are trying to defeat Mr.
Milosevic the way they find most natural: by murdering him. Meanwhile,
his support Committees have been hindered by a drastic lack of funds.
Last night Slobodan Milosevic suffered an attack of ultra-high blood
pressure, typical of his malignant hypertension. This condition,
requiring that a cardiologist monitor Mr. Milosevic, can easily cause
heart attack or stroke. His heart is already damaged.
On July 26, Richard May, the so-called judge at The Hague proceeding
against Slobodan Milosevic, made the following statement in "court":
"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."
Despite warnings from Yugoslav cardiologists and our committees, this
was the first time The Hague permitted even non-specialists to examine
President Milosevic. And despite their doctors' recommendation of
"careful health monitoring in the future.. a reduction in the workload
of this trial and. further treatment by a cardiologist," The Hague
has, illegally, done the opposite:
-His "trial" day used to end at 2 PM. Now it ends at 5 PM. He is
subjected to a long, tiring, absurd and humiliating security procedure
going to and from the "court" room. He gets back to jail so late that
he must choose: a short walk for some fresh air, or dinner.
-His cell is in an old Nazi prison. The windows are hermetically
sealed. The air is so dirty his wife reports her shoes are covered
with white dust after a two-hour visit.
-He is given poor quality, greasy foods instead of the
vegetable-centered diet required for a heart patient.
Under international humanitarian law it is illegal to deny a prisoner
necessary medical treatment. Given the requirements stated in the
doctors' report, it is clear that this worsening of Milosevic's living
conditions is an attempt to give him a stroke or heart attack and thus
"solve" the problem that he is defeating NATO.
What We Can Do
We urge everyone to publicize and protest this international crime.
You can protest directly by calling The Hague
at 3170 416 5000 or 3170 512 5334
Mr. Milosevic's support committees, the Freedom Foundation in Belgrade
and the ICDSM (International Committee to Defend Slobodan Milosevic)
are in financial crisis. The Websites of the ICDSM and Milosevic's own
party, the SPS, are shut down for lack of money. The ICDSM's temporary
address is
http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm/index.htm
We need to bring the Quebec attorney, Tiphaine Dickson, to The Hague
for consultations with Mr. Milosevic. Presently we do not have the
funds even for her plane fare.
The kidnapping and "trial" of Mr. Milosevic is an attack on all of us
- on Russia, for this attack is part of NATO's drive to the East; on
the rule of law, for the Hague "tribunal" is modeled on the
Inquisition; and on the United Nations, because this "tribunal" is run
by NATO, that is, by the war criminals who attacked Yugoslavia. It
criminalizes the UN.
It is thus of great importance that we not be silenced. If you have
not contributed to Mr. Milosevic's defense - to our *common* defense -
please consider doing so. Those of us who are directly involved have
exhausted our financial resources. We cannot continue without you.
You can make a donation in several ways. Please consult our Donations
page, which can be found at this time at
http://emperor.vwh.net/icdsm/donations.htm
Thank you.
Jared Israel, Spokesperson, International Committee to Defend Slobodan
Milosevic, USA
Vladimir Krsljanin, Spokesperson, Freedom Foundation, Yugoslavia
Jared Israel contributed this article to PRAVDA.Ru
=== 2 ===
Subject: Murder At The Hague?
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002 10:33:44 +0100
From: "Vladimir Krsljanin" <vlada@...>
President Milosevic has not been able to appear this morning as well.
Those who are still in doubt whether to react or not, should read the
following analysis:
http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/gilwhite/dokmanovic.htm
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
---
Is the Hague Tribunal (ICTY) murdering its prisoners?
Join our email list at http://emperors-clothes.com/f.htm
Receive articles from Emperor's Clothes Website
Send the link to this text to a friend. If you're reading this in
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==================================================
Murder At The Hague?
An Investigation Into The Alleged Suicide
Of Slavko Dokmanovic
by Francisco J. Gil-White
fjgil@...
http://www.psych.upenn.edu/~fjgil/
[4 November 2002]
==================================================
** Preface: Is Milosevic In Danger? **
Recently, trial proceedings at The Hague were interrupted
because of Slobodan Milosevic?s health problems. As reported in
the Ottawa Citizen:[1]
[Start Ottawa Citizen Quote]
The war crimes trial of former Serbian leader
Slobodan Milosevic was adjourned yesterday after he
complained of exhaustion, prompting fears that the
case may not be finished on time. Mr. Milosevic?has
been plagued by heart and high-blood pressure
problems, and suffered several bouts of influenza.
[End Ottawa Citizen Quote]
Supporters of Milosevic believe the Hague Tribunal is
deliberately trying to strain Milosevic in the hopes that he will
die of a heart attack or stroke.
They have reason to worry.
This past July, The Hague finally permitted doctors to examine
Slobodan Milosevic. Commenting on the doctor's findings, judge
Richard May said:[&]
[Start Quote From Hague Transcript]
JUDGE MAY: ??We have received a report, a medical report,
which in its conclusion describes the accused as a man with
severe cardiovascular risk which demands careful future
monitoring. The authors recommend that his workload be
reduced??
[End Quote From Hague Transcript]
However, subsequent to this report, Milosevic's conditions have
deteriorated and his workload has been increased.
Several prisoners at The Hague have died already in suspicious
circumstances. In this piece I consider the details surrounding
the dramatic case of Slavko Dokmanovic, whose death was
alleged by the tribunal to be a suicide. After looking at the
evidence, it is almost impossible not to conclude that
Dokmanovic was murdered at The Hague, while in detention,
and that the court authorities are covering it up. This precedent
establishes ample cause for worry about Milosevic?s fate.
** Did Dokmanovic Really Commit
Suicide? **
It was announced on June 29th, 1998, that Slavko Dokmanovic
had committed suicide in his cell, just one week before the
tribunal was to pass a verdict on the charges against him. The
Yugoslav government reacted to Dokmanovic?s death as
follows:[2]
[Start BBC Quote]
?Bearing in mind the circumstances accompanying
the Dokamovic case, including his arrest, trial,
medical treatment and attitude of the prison
authorities towards his health problems, the
[Yugoslav] Justice Ministry considers the tribunal
responsible for the death of Dokmanovic.
The ministry expresses its concern for the health of
the other war crimes indictees, and demands that the
tribunal undertake necessary steps to guarantee safety
and treatment in keeping with international
standards.
In regard with the above, the ministry has lodged a
protest by Justice Minister Zoran Knezevic to the
president of the tribunal, Louise Arbour.?
[End BBC Quote]
As this analysis will show, the Yugoslav government could, and
should have, leveled charges more serious than these. Had it
known the facts, certainly, it would have.
Consider first that, on the day that Dokmanovic?s death was
announced, the Associated Press wrote the following (the
emphases are mine):[3]
[Start Associated Press Quote]
??Dokmanovic had complained through his lawyers of
feeling depressed and had been visited regularly by a
psychiatrist, but he never hinted he was suicidal. In
fact, he was seen as having a good chance at
acquittal?"
[End Associated Press Quote]
A man accused of war crimes (especially if he is innocent!) may
naturally feel distraught and require psychiatric help. Feelings of
apprehension may rise immediately prior to the verdict. But
would a man expecting an acquittal commit suicide?
Every alleged suicide is a possible murder, so if a man with good
reason to live appears to have killed himself, the responsible
authorities are supposed to investigate with zeal-especially if
there are suspicious circumstances, as was the case for
Dokmanovic. About those circumstances, the same Associated
Press wire wrote:
[Back to the Associated Press]
?The body of Slavko Dokmanovic, 48, was found
hanging on the hinge of the door to his cell in the
U.N. court's detention unit in The Hague shortly after
midnight, tribunal spokesman Christian Chartier said.
?Chartier said Dokmanovic had complained to guards
Sunday afternoon that he was not feeling well, and he
was placed on a suicide watch. The guards checked on
him every half-hour and last saw him alive at 11:30
p.m. Sunday, he said.
The lights were on in his cell at that time, but shortly
thereafter, Dokmanovic managed to short-circuit the
electricity in his cell using an electric razor, and the
lights went out, Chartier said.
When a guard next passed by his cell just after
midnight, the body was found dangling in the
darkened cell.?
[End Associated Press Quote]
It is difficult to find anything here that makes sense.
First, if the guards last saw him alive at 11:30pm, and didn?t
check on him again until midnight, when the body was
supposedly found, then how can Chartier know that
Dokmanovic shorted the light in his cell *shortly after 11:30*?
Is he psychic?
Second, if Dokmanovic never even hinted at having suicidal
thoughts, why place him on suicide watch when he merely
complains about not ?feeling well?? But if he was placed on
suicide watch, why could he still hang himself?
A later wire, from Inter-Press Service, would have us believe
that this was in fact relatively *easy* because Dokmanovic?s
keepers obliged his supposedly suicidal intentions by leaving him
his tie![4]
[Start Inter-Press Service Quote]
??Slavko Dokmanovic, a 49-year-old Croatian Serb,
hung himself with a tie ?[at the] ? detention center in
Scheveningen, in the Netherlands, run by the
International Criminal Tribunal for Former
Yugoslavia (ICTY)
.?Dokmanovic's death was pronounced ?unfortunate?
by the ICTY, although it was never explained how a
man who tried to commit suicide twice while in
detention was left with a tie or an electric razor.?
[End Inter-Press Service Quote]
Notice that this is in direct contradiction to what we saw earlier:
a man first described as never even hinting that he was suicidal
is now alleged to have tried to kill himself twice before! Shall we
pick our favorite version? And if Dokmanovic was placed on
suicide watch, then it is not merely strange but downright
incomprehensible that they should have left him his tie or razor.
I contacted the 18th District Philadelphia Police Department to
obtain details about their policies in a suicide watch, and I
learned the following:
1) The prisoner is placed in a separate, Plexiglas cell.
2) Anything that could be used as a weapon, or used by
the prisoner to hang him/herself is removed. Ties, belts,
shoe-laces, etc.-all must go. Only a safety razor would
be provided (certainly not a real razor, or an electric
razor which the prisoner could use to electrocute
himself). The prisoner will be watched at all times
while operating the safety razor.
3) In Philadelphia, even the prisoner?s clothes are
removed and s/he is given a special jumpsuit made of
paper that cannot be used for hanging.
4) The prisoner is checked every *15 minutes*.
My informant, one Sergeant Walsh, was not sure why the
regulation time between checks is exactly 15 minutes, but he
agreed with me that this is probably so that especially crafty
prisoners will not find time enough to suffocate. Asked how he
felt about a 30 minute interval, he reacted with surprise-no, that
was *much* too long. We?ve been told, however, that Slavko
Dokmanovic was checked only every 30 minutes.
Sergeant Walsh also impressed upon me that suicide-watch
regulations are not flexible in the least, as failure to follow
them to the letter will result in suspension without pay. And when
asked what the procedure would be in case a prisoner placed on
suicide watch died, he said: ?To give you an idea of how serious
this would be, any time there is a cell block incident it is
investigated by a homicide unit.?
Now compare this to what the tribunal spokesman, Christian
Chartier, said to the press and see if you can find anything that
looks plausible. One version has Slavko Dokmanovic on suicide
watch even though he never hinted he was suicidal and merely
complained of not feeling well. The other version has him trying
to commit suicide twice before, but he is nevertheless given long,
30-minute intervals between checks, his clothes are not
removed, and-most scandalously-his tie and electric razor are
left in his cell! Why? To give him a better chance on his third
try?
We have nothing but suspicious stories here, and all the worse
for not being mutually consistent. But, troubling as these
questions may seem, they pale compared to those raised by
glaring inconsistencies in other reports of the discovery of
Dokmanovic?s body.
This, for example, is from Deutsche Presse-Agentur:[5]
[Start DPA Quote]
?On Sunday evening, Dokmanovic had again
complained about feeling unwell and was examined
by a doctor. He was immediately placed under
surveillance and a guard had checked on his condition
every half hour.
At 11.30 pm, everything had been normal, Chartier
said. But at midnight the accused had been found
dead.
Chartier was quoted by the British BBC as saying:
?Dokmanovic used an electric shaver to short-circuit
the light in his cell. When the prison guard went to
check on him he could not see in, so he opened the
door. That was when he discovered the body.??
[Start DPA Quote]
Notice what a different picture we get here. So casual. The
guard opened the door because...he could not see in! There was
no particular alarm about the light being out.
That is consistent with Dokmanovic complaining about not
feeling well and getting checked by ?a doctor,? not by a
psychiatrist. Very casual. Health problems: routine.
But this contradicts the Associated Press wire cited earlier,
which said that Dokmanovic was seen by a *psychiatrist* and
placed on *suicide watch*. And yet, both reports are from the
same day, and both cite the same Christian Chartier as their
source!
The report below, which appeared the next day in The
Scotsman, is also inconsistent:[6]
[Start Scotsman Quote]
?The judges were expected to deliver their verdict on 7
July. After a visit the next day, his lawyer, Domo Fila,
was so disturbed by Dokmanovic's mental condition
that he asked for his client's medication to be
increased and for a warder to check his condition
every 30 minutes.
According to Zoran Jovanovic, a legal colleague in
Belgrade, Mr Fila had been confident of securing
Dokmanovic's release. ?But he was not at all well
during that time,? said Zoran Jovanovic from
Belgrade.?
[End Scotsman Quote]
This account has Dokmanovic?s lawyer (Toma Fila, not as
written above) worrying about the supposedly suicidal
Dokmanovic, and requesting medication and checks every 30
minutes. The Scotsman?s information supposedly comes from
Jovanovic, a colleague of Fila?s, not from Chartier.
What are we supposed to believe? Concern about Dokmanovic
was raised either by a psychiatrist, a doctor, Dokmanovic
complaining to his guards, or by his lawyer. Subsequently, either
the prison guards, or his lawyer, decided to either put him on
suicide watch or on informal monitoring. The reason for this
was either because of depression or a health concern, and he was
either given medication or not (but either way they left him his
tie and razor even though in one of these universes he had
already attempted to commit suicide twice!). The source for all
of this is mostly one Christian Chartier, who is reported to have
said in one account that Dokmanovic was placed on suicide
watch, but in another (see below), that he was not placed on
suicide watch! If people are straightforwardly reporting the facts
from mostly *one source*-one man, Christian Chartier-is it
possible to get this many different stories in two days?
** The Washington Post Weighs In **
The following report in the Washington Post, on June 30th, rises
to new heights of creativity, providing yet a new story with a
more extended narrative (the emphases are mine):[7]
[Start Washington Post Quote]
?Officials at the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The
Hague concluded that the death of Slavko
Dokmanovic, 48, was a suicide. He had complained of
depression, they said, and on a doctor's
recommendation Sunday night had been put under
medication and subjected to stepped-up monitoring
with his cell lights permanently switched on.
Dokmanovic's 13-square-yard cell was lighted when
a guard passed on a half-hourly round at 11:30 p.m.,
tribunal sources said. But at the midnight check, the
lights were off -- deliberately short-circuited.
The suspect had been able to get the locked cell
door open, and in the darkness hanged himself with
an unspecified kind of cord suspended from a door
hinge, the sources said.
...Christian Chartier, a spokesman for the tribunal,
said the monitoring of Dokmanovic was ?not a
suicide watch.?
However, he said that in 1997 ?for the same
reasons? Dokmanovic had been put under even
closer observation that included round-the-clock
video surveillance.?
[End Washington Post Quote]
Deconstructing the absurdities in this tale takes some work
because there are so many of them, and so we have to take turns
holding some of them constant while considering the others.
First, we hear that Dokmanovic -- get this -- *unlocked his
cell door*! How likely is this? And why would Dokmanovic even
try it?
The ICTY?s detention center is a ?heavily-monitored
high-security prison,?[8] and sergeant Walsh (of the 18th
District Philadelphia Police Department) informs me that such
prisons will have cell doors that open to the *outside* so the
hinge knuckles are also on the outside. Dokmanovic, then,
cannot hang himself by looping a cord around the hinge without
first opening the door. This is therefore the only plausible reason
for a suicidal Dokmanovic to try to open his cell door.
But Sergeant Walsh also explained to me that the locks on cell
doors in a high-security prison would stump most accomplished
professional thieves even if they (1) had ample time; (2) did not
fear discovery; and (3) were on the *outside* of the cell.
The last point is important. Walsh explained to me that in such
prisons ?The door?s are perfectly smooth on the inside?there is
no door knob and there is no way-lock.? So even if
Dokmanovic, the ex-mayor of a small town, had the exotic skills
of a world-class professional thief who can pick the lock to a
?heavily monitored high-security prison? cell in well under 30
minutes (for he still needs time left over to hang himself and
suffocate), he could not even begin to attempt this because, on
the inside, where Dokmanovic found himself, there was
*nothing to pick*!
(...?!)
What is going on here? Let us begin with the least damning
interpretation This says that the tribunal authorities indeed
found Dokmanovic hanging from the hinge to his cell door.
When they realized this would have required that he first
*unlock* this door they concluded that Dokmanovic did this.
But if concluding ?suicide? requires that Dokmanovic perform
miracles, shouldn?t they conclude that he must have been
*murdered*? And so this interpretation forces the conclusion
that the Tribunal authorities are mentally retarded.
A more damning interpretation resolves the absurdities, and
does not require Tribunal authorities to suffer from mental
handicaps. Suppose that the allegation of Dokmanovic?s suicide
is a *lie* to cover up that the Tribunal authorities are
themselves complicit in murdering Dokmanovic. Like most
hasty lies, it is not very good, and it eventually dawns on the
spin doctors that Dokmanovic would have had first to open his
cell door (perhaps a reporter raised the question during a press
conference). But how to solve this problem given that Hague
officials had already said that Dokmanovic hanged himself on
the hinge to his cell door? Simple: say that Dokmanovic
managed to unlock this door.
Presto!
This explains the prevarications of the tribunal officials. What it
certainly does *not* explain, however, is why the Washington
Post mentions Dokmanovic?s superhuman miracles only in
passing. After all, Harry Houdini himself could not pull this off
in his wildest dreams. This was a front page headline all by
itself!
Is the Post asleep?
We already have more than enough, but just for sport, let us
imagine that Dokmanovic has magical powers with which he
picks a lock that isn?t there. Does the rest of the Post's story
now make sense?
Alas!
Dokmanovic still could not succeed in hanging himself, as he
cannot pass his tie around the hinge merely by cracking the door
ajar. If you try this at home you will find that the door needs to
be opened almost completely. So even if Dokmanovic was quick
and subsequently forced the door shut again, how can it go
unnoticed, in a ?heavily monitored high-security prison,? that
an *especially monitored* prisoner has opened his cell door wide
and momentarily fiddles at the door?s hinge? After all, as
Sergeant Walsh explained, there is always a guard, at all times,
in the cell block (see below).
Again for sport, let us say that we are gullible enough to accept
that Dokmanovic is a superhuman who can not only pick locks
that aren't there, but he manages to open his cell door wide and
then passes his tie over the hinge -- all unnoticed. Does the rest
of the Post's story now make sense?
Alas! No... Insurmountable absurdities remain.
Why did Dokmanovic short-circuit the light? If Dokmanovic
can pick a lock that isn?t there he is super-intelligent, so how
can this genius not understand that shorting the light-when he
is being closely monitored-will attract attention? Sergeant
Walsh tells me that ?any lights that would go off in the cells
should be noticed immediately?there is a ?turn-key,? who is a
cell block attendant, who monitors the cells the whole time.
There is always somebody in the cell block.? So, given that this
is the cell of an especially monitored prisoner in a
?heavily-monitored, high-security prison,? shouldn?t his light
going off be noticed with alarm? Especially given that a
short-circuit will cause *sparks*, causing a breaker to bust and
other lights to go off!
But suppose that the genius Dokmanovic was nevertheless so
stupid on this particular point that he decided to short the light.
If we assume that Dokmanovic did this *before* he miraculously
opened the door, then we only add to his miracles, for now we
have him unlocking the door *in darkness*. If we suppose
instead that Dokmanovic short-circuited the light *after*
opening the door we hardly make more sense: the sparks would
immediately attract attention to the open door-that is, the same
door that he must now open wide in order to pass his tie around
the hinge! And if we say that Dokmanovic shorted the light after
passing his tie over the hinge and closing the door again, then
we are saying that he tried his best to attract attention to
himself when he needed a few precious minutes by himself so he
could suffocate.
Why should Dokmanovic want to short-circuit the light?
As before, if the story is a hastily concocted lie, this can
explain the absurdities. Perhaps it was claimed that Dokmanovic
shorted the light in order to suggest that this is how he escaped
detection while committing suicide. The liars responsible, however,
did not pause long enough to realize that shorting the light is
precisely the sort of thing that would have brought guards rushing
to the cell of an especially monitored prisoner who is potentially
suicidal in a high-security prison.
Hasty lies often have problems of this sort.
Also consistent with the cover-up hypothesis is Christian
Chartier?s reversal on whether Dokmanovic had been put on
suicide watch. First he said yes, but now he says no. If this is
all a cover up, then the first claim was issued to make Dokmanovic
seem plausibly suicidal (only a suicidal person would be put on
suicide watch). But somebody then noticed that suicide watch
involves round-the-clock video surveillance, so Chartier came
up with a much improved story, as reported in the Post article:
Dokmanovic was not on suicide watch *this* time (so it is more
plausible that he succeeded), but he had been placed on suicide
watch-complete with video surveillance-on *other* occasions
(so he was, after all, suicidal).
Very convenient.
Despite this fix, there are problems with this point. The first is
that if we suppose Dokmanovic was not on suicide watch, but
that, as Chartier claims, he had a suicidal history, then why was
he not placed on suicide watch *this* time?
The second problem concerns the fact that we cannot accept
Chartier?s claim that this was not a suicide watch because of
the description: ?[Dokmanovic] had complained of
depression?and on a doctor's recommendation?had been put
under medication and subjected to stepped-up monitoring with
his cell lights permanently switched on.? A depressive prisoner
who gets medication and stepped up monitoring is on?what?
*Suicide watch*. So this again raises the question of how this
watch could be so incompetent (including leaving him his tie!) if
Dokmanovic indeed had a history of attempted suicides, as
Chartier claims.
Remember, the last points are all icing on my cake. I examine
them merely to offer further demonstrations that people are
lying. All we really need to make the case that a murder is being
covered up is the fact that Dokmanovic cannot pick a lock that
isn't there.
But this is what they claim he did!
Why didn?t the Western media notice any of this? If the Hague
Tribunal authorities had said that pigs flew, would they have
reported this with the same equanimity?
** The Tribunal?s Official Inquiry **
The Tribunal authorities supposedly conducted an inquiry into
Dokmanovic?s death. This ?inquiry? was entrusted to one Judge
Almiro Rodrigues, whose final report was presented on 21 July,
1998, and subsequently published on the Tribunal?s website.[9]
As we shall see, rather than resolve the absurdities, Rodrigues?
report introduces fresh ones. Not intended to be one, of course,
the report nevertheless reads like a guilty confession.
Here is the tribunal?s bulleted summary of their findings,
printed at the end of the report.
[Start Quote from Hague Tribunal Report]
Findings Of The Inquiry:
1. Dokmanovic was suffering from depression and, for
that reason, was under particular medical care;
2. From about 23 June 1998, Mr. Dokmanovic was
checked every half-hour, during low service hours;
[End Quote]
What are they telling us here? It?s confusing. The Tribunal
claims that Dokmanovic was depressed and was getting special
medical care for it. And starting a week before his death, we are
told, he was closely monitored. The two words apparently
missing from points 1 and 2 are ?suicide watch.? Why are they
omitted?
[Back to the Hague Tribunal?s Report]
3. Under the rules of the Detention Unit, a detainee
may keep in his possession all clothes and personal
items for his own use or consumption unless, in the
opinion of the Commanding Officer or the General
Director, such items constitute a threat to the security
or good order of the detention unit or the host prison,
or to the health or safety of any person therein;
4. This is the reason why items such as cutlery, ties,
shoe laces, electric and manual razors, electric cables,
are among those commonly found in a detainee?s cell
and were found in Mr. Dokmanovic?s as well;
[End Quote]
Now we can appreciate the fix the tribunal is in-they must try
their hardest to lay all of the blame on one person: Dokmanovic.
On the one hand, he must seem obviously suicidal, and must
have weapons handy, in order to preempt the argument that he
was murdered. But on the other hand-and here is the
difficulty-this ?obviously suicidal? Dokmanovic cannot have
been on ?suicide watch,? for otherwise it would be *criminally
negligent* -- wouldn't it? --
to leave any weapons in his cell.
Pity them: the tribunal authorities must walk a line so thin that
it vanishes!
The chosen story line is thus that Dokmanovic was getting
?particular medical care? because he was ?suffering from
depression,? and this whispers he supposedly had suicidal
tendencies without actually using the forbidden word. The word
must be avoided because if they actually write down ?suicidal?
then the reader immediately wants to know why he was not on
?suicide watch.?
Similarly, elsewhere in the report we are told that he got ?one of
the highest levels of supervision *other* than the 24-hour
watch by closed circuit TV.? In other words, *not* the highest
level of supervision because *that*, of course, would be a
?suicide watch.?
The ?conclusion? that the report would have us reach is
therefore that, since the ?Commanding Officer or the General
Director? had not made the relevant judgment call to put the
depressive Dokmanovic on the highest level of supervision (i.e. a
?suicide watch?), it is perfectly understandable (isn?t it?) that
an astonishing menu of weapons remained in Dokmanovic?s cell:
?cutlery, ties, shoe laces, electric and manual razors, electric
cables?? (the only thing missing was a loaded gun and some
hemlock!).
Nobody?s fault??
But the Tribunal's rhetorical strategy requires that would-be
skeptics read its report in a daze much closer to death than
distraction, and also that they not be reminded of earlier and
sloppier attempts by the Tribunal to walk this very same
vanishing line.
These earlier attempts relied on the allegation that Dokmanovic
had tried to commit suicide twice before but that they
nevertheless didn?t consider him to be suicidal! For example, on
June 29th, the Associated Press reported:[10]
[Start AP Quote]
?Although tribunal officials were familiar with
Dokmanovic's medical records, his depression and his
regular meetings with a psychiatrist, ?he was not
known to us as a suicide candidate,? Chartier said.
However, Chartier disclosed on Monday that there
had been a ?previous incident? last year in which
Dokmanovic was placed under tighter
supervision that included surveillance cameras in his
cell. He refused to elaborate.?
[End Quote]
What ?previous incident? that is *not* a suicide attempt could
cause prison officials to place Dokmanovic ?under tighter
supervision that included surveillance cameras in his cell?? That
is what a suicide watch is? They were obviously suggesting that
Dokmanovic was suicidal. However, at the same time, Chartier
explained that Dokmanovic ?was not known to us as a suicide
candidate?!
Is the press asleep? Why weren?t they hounding this Chartier as
if he were fresh-cooked meat?
In its official report about its supposed inquiry into itself, the
Tribunal has now made the official story less ridiculous, even if
it is still preposterous. Gone are any suggestions of past suicide
attempts. This is important because the Tribunal must avoid
convicting itself: if they say there were previous suicide
attempts, then Dokmanovic was suicidal and the Tribunal was
criminally negligent.
Despite this ?fix,? as we have seen, the line they must walk
vanishes.
[Back to the Hague Tribunal?s Report]
5. On the night from 28 to 29 June 1998, after 10.00
p.m, Mr. Dokmanovic twice attempted to commit
suicide by trying to cut his veins with a razor blade
and by attempting to hang himself using a tie;
6. These attempts were not visible to the guards
checking his cell. This check consists of opening the
little window on the cell door and looking through it
into the cell. If the guard notices something unusual
or abnormal, he must call at least one other guard to
be present before opening the cell door itself. On the
date in question, nothing unusual was detected until
midnight;
[End Quote]
In what universe does a detention facility institute 'checks' on a
prisoner that are so pathetically inadequate that they cannot
reveal to the guards doing the checking that Dokmanovic has
already attempted to commit suicide twice!
The tribunal is stating an absurdity. Merely on such grounds it
can be accused of criminal negligence. So why do they say this?
Because this item makes a very important point between the
lines: Dokmanovic was fanatically determined to commit
suicide. Look: he kept trying! With such determination, how
could the Hague tribunal authorities stop him?
So?nobody?s fault?
[Back to the Hague Tribunal?s Report]
7. Between 11.30 p.m. and 00.05 a.m., Mr.
Dokmanovic short-circuited the general power supply
of his cell by placing the two extreme prongs of a fork
(the middle prongs of which had been deliberately
bent) into one of the wall sockets. He did that in order
to avoid the regular half-hour guards checking his
cell;
[End Quote]
The story has changed. Before, they told us-and repeatedly-that
Dokmanovic did this with his electric razor. Now they say it was
with his fork.
Whatever?
However, since the Hague investigators cannot possibly have
asked the dead Dokmanovic what his motive was for
short-circuiting the light, one has to wonder how they know
what he *intended* by it. And notice what they want you to
believe: as I speculated above, they wish you to believe that
Dokmanovic shorted the light so that the guards would not
come to check on him.
*That* is why Dokmanovic succeeded?! Because, once in the
dark, the guards could not see what he was doing??!
However, we were told that Dokmanovic ?had been put under
medication and subjected to stepped-up monitoring with his cell
lights permanently switched on.?[11] And according to the
tribunal?s own report, Dokmanovic was under surveillance so
close that it was only one notch below their highest level of
monitoring. Well, if so, then for Dokmanovic to plunge his cell
into darkness would be the very thing to attract the attention of
his keepers-they would immediately check his cell, especially
given that shorting a light will produce sparks, bust a breaker,
and turn off other lights. It stretches credulity to the point of
rupture to think that Dokmanovic was so stupid he did not to
realize this. But even if he was, shorting the light should have
guaranteed discovery before he could commit suicide!
[Back to the Hague Tribunal?s Report]
8. Finally, he managed to hang himself by fastening
on to the top door hinge of his cell?s wardrobe the end
of a second tie that he had firmly attached around his
neck; Mr. Dokmanovic was found dead shortly after
midnight;
[End Quote]
This explanation at least removes the earlier absurdity where
the Washington Post has Dokmanovic unlocking his *cell* door
in order to commit suicide. But it is important to note that this
new explanation is a patch.
When the Washington Post alleged that Dokmanovic had used
the hinge to his *cell* door, it had lots of company. I was able to
find a total of 17 major newspaper stories that, immediately
after the story broke, reported that Dokmanovic had used the
hinge to his cell door, and also 20 wires that said the same
thing.[12]
On the other hand, I could not find a *single* newspaper article
that reported Dokmanovic hanging himself on the door to his
wardrobe. As for the wires, a couple of wires reported the
wardrobe version, but only *after* the tribunal had made this
report public on July 21st, 1998.[13]
Furthermore, the Washington Post didn?t merely report that
Dokmanovic had supposedly hung himself on the hinge to his
cell door, it went to the trouble of *explaining it*! In other
words, they told us that Dokmanovic unlocked his cell door by
way of explaining that he used the hinge to this door in order to
hang himself). Liars always talk too long?
The hanging-from-the-wardrobe version in the tribunal?s
report is obviously a patch to correct the preposterous lies that
were initially put out in haste.
The mind nevertheless boggles. Why did the tribunal?s
spin-doctors *not* hang Dokmanovic from the door to his
wardrobe from the very beginning? That would have sounded
immediately more plausible and would have never required a
patch for a preposterous lie.
I do not have an answer to everything, and I do not have access
to what goes on in the minds of The Hague spin doctors. But
one possibility is that perhaps Dokmanovic?s cell *had* no
wardrobe. I digress briefly to consider this.
Below is a diagram of Milosevic?s cell that appeared in Radio
Netherlands (do not take literally that the door opens to the
inside; Radio Netherlands is constrained to this because it must
fit everything in the rectangle):[14]
Milosevic?s cell features a closet (wardrobe), and the New York
Times says that ?every cell, measuring 10 feet by 17 feet [about
19 sq yards], has its own shower, toilet, closet and desk.? [15]
But this appears to be in error.
Radio Netherlands says that Milosevic?s cell is 18 sq. yards (3×5
m.), and so did Agence France Presse (15 sq. m.).[16] The New
York Times (above) says 19 sq. yards, as did the Times of
London,[17] and the Sunday Telegraph.[18] The slight
discrepancies suggest that Milosevic?s cell size is indeed in the
close neighborhood of 19 sq. yards. However, the Washington
Post says *Dokmanovic?s* cell was about 30% smaller, at only
13 sq. yards.[19] If this is true, then it is false that *every*
cell has the dimensions that the NYT gives, and Dokmanovic?s
smaller cell may not contain a wardrobe -- much less one with
a hinged door that requires space in which to swing open.
But is it possible for a paper to claim that all inmates have cells
of the same size when they don?t? Sure it is.
Martin Fletcher wrote this for the Times of London: ?Like all
other inmates, [Milosevic] is locked up from 8.30pm to 8.30am in
a 10ft by 17ft cell [19 sq. yards].?[20] And the *same* Martin
Fletcher wrote this in an article for the Ottawa Citizen: ?Each
man has a modern cell of about 12-square metres [about 14 sq.
yards].? [21] Clearly, two statements that say every prisoner has
a cell of size X cannot be simultaneously true if they each give a
different dimension. So Fletcher misspoke.
Why the mistake?
When Fletcher gave the larger cell area, he was reporting about
*Milosevic*; when he gave the lower cell area, he was reporting
about *other* inmates at The Hague. So it seems that Fletcher,
in each case, distractedly generalized to all other inmates the
cell size that was relevant to his current topic.
Fletcher gives a list of the things that one finds inside the
smaller cells: ?Each man has a modern cell of about 12-square
metres [about 14 sq. yards] with a window, basin, shower, toilet
and coffee machine.?[22] No wardrobe. Moreover, the 14 sq.
yards cell area that he gives is quite close to the size given by
the Washington Post for Dokmanovic?s cell: 13 sq. yards.
Thus, if Dokmanovic was murdered in a cell that did not have a
wardrobe, his murderers could not set him up as if he had hung
himself from the wardrobe. So they used the cell door. But
when it became clear that nobody was going to come look, and
that the only investigation would be in-house, they tossed out
the absurd story where Dokmanovic is a magical lock-pick and
simply changed it, 'explaining' that Dokmanovic had hung
himself from the (possibly nonexistent) wardrobe.
What changes if someone can prove that Dokmanovic's cell
really did sport a wardrobe?
Nothing. Because it never made any sense whatever for The
Hague officials to say that Dokmanovic hung himself on the
hinge to his cell door -- after unlocking it! -- if what he really
did was hang himself from the wardrobe. That anything so
preposterous was ever said, therefore, is strong evidence that
Dokmanovic did *not* hang himself -- not from the wardrobe
or anything else.
[Back to the Hague Tribunal?s Report]
9. All of the Rules of the Detention Unit concerning
Security were observed. No negligent behaviour was
identified;
[End Quote]
Right, nobody?s fault! By now you are fully entitled to reach a
different conclusion, and to observe how fortunate for the
tribunal that it investigates itself.
I now turn to the last bulleted point in the tribunal?s report,
which deserves some discussion.
** There Was No Post-Mortem! **
The last bulleted point in the Tribunal?s report says the
following:
[Back to the Hague Tribunal?s Report]
10. The investigation conducted did not evidence any
sign of violence either at the scene of the incident or
on the body of Mr. Dokmanovic that would suggest a
criminal act.
[End Quote]
This is where the Tribunal tells us that it is officially
exonerating itself.
But notice what the Tribunal?s acquittal of itself requires: not
much. There is no mention of a post-mortem, which is precisely
how one would establish that there was no evidence on the body
suggesting a criminal act.
If there *had* been a post-mortem, we would be hearing about
it (why should the Tribunal omit pointing out how professional
its investigation was?). The omission thus suggests that there
was no post-mortem.
It is not the only thing that does. The day Dokmanovic?s suicide
was announced, it was reported that ?Dokmanovic?s corpse was
taken to a nearby *hospital* morgue [my emphasis],?[23] and
also that ?Both the tribunal and local Dutch authorities have
launched investigations that *could include* an autopsy [my
emphasis].?[24] And the next day it was said that
?Dokmanovic's body is expected to be transferred to his family
after a *possible* post-mortem examination [my
emphasis].?[25]
Why all this talk about a *possible* post-mortem? As in most
other places, the law in the Netherlands makes a post-mortem
after an apparent suicide not optional but *obligatory*.
Professor Barend A.J. Cohen teaches Clinical Forensic Medicine
and Medical Jurisprudence at the Netherlands' School of Public
Health (NSPH) in Utrecht. Professor Cohen states:[26]
[Start Quote]
?According to the law of the Netherlands, it is the
responsibility of the Medical Examiner to investigate
all deaths from criminal violence, accident or suicide,
as well as those that occurred when the person was in
apparent good health, was not attended by a
physician, was imprisoned, or died in any suspicious
manner.?
[End Quote]
Dokmanovic?s death was alleged to be a suicide; it occurred
while he was imprisoned; he was not attended by a physician;
and there are all sorts of suspicious circumstances surrounding
it. In other words, Dokmanovic?s death satisfies four separate
conditions, only one of which is needed to force, by law, that the
Medical Examiner in the Netherlands investigate. Why then do
we hear that his body was taken to a *hospital*-not a
police-morgue, and that *maybe* there would be a
post-mortem? Why is there no report of a post-mortem in the
tribunal?s report of the inquiry?
When the death of Dokmanovic was announced at the end of
June, it was said that there would be a separate Dutch
investigation into his death.[27] On July 23rd, the Associated
Press was still saying that ?Dutch authorities are conducting a
separate probe and are expected to publish their findings within
a week.?[28] That wire was authored by Mike Corder and filed
at 07:58 Eastern Time. Only three hours later, at 11:05 Eastern
Time, Mike Corder filed a very similar wire but this time all
mention of a parallel Dutch investigation was dropped.[29]
There is something else that is funny about these two wires. The
first has the ironic title ?Yugoslav Tribunal Exonerates Staff,?
whereas the second has the title ?Tribunal staff, procedures not
to blame for suicide in custody.? Did somebody in the editorial
office ring up Mike Corder and explain to him that if the
tribunal exonerates itself this should be reported as *fact* rather
than as irony?
I looked for any mention of the report which the ?Dutch
authorities,? according to Corder, were going to publish in a
week?s time. But I found nothing. Nothing at all. What I did
find a week later, in a wire dated August 1st, is that another
Hague prisoner had died suspiciously.[30] And in a wire dated
August 12th, the Associated Press wrote the following:[31]
[Start AP Quote]
In recent months, two Bosnian Serb suspects have
died in their cells, prompting critics to contend that
inmates are getting inadequate medical treatment.
Suspect Slavko Dokmanovic committed suicide in his
cell in June, and on Aug. 1, detainee Milan Kovacevic
died of a heart attack. Both deaths have been followed
by tribunal investigations.
[End Quote]
A reference was made to a tribunal in-house investigation for
each of these cases. But absolutely nothing was said about an
investigation by the Dutch authorities. This is already *three*
weeks after the original Corder AP wire! In fact, no news item
ever said anything about any report of a Dutch investigation
getting published.
The internal investigation into the second death, that of Milan
Kovacevic, was again conducted by the same Judge Almiro
Rodrigues. The same Mike Corder, from the Associated Press,
wrote the following on Sept. 7, 1998:[32]
[Start AP Quote]
It took prison guards 35 minutes to contact a
physician after Kovacevic first complained of severe
pain, and a full hour before the doctor arrived,
according to the investigation led by tribunal Judge
Almiro Rodrigues of Portugal.
Although Rodrigues conceded that ?some criticism
may be leveled against the medical emergency
procedures,? he insisted the delay was not the cause of
death.
?The inquiry revealed no indication of negligence on
the part of the duty doctor ... or any other person,?
Rodrigues concluded.
?An internal inquiry also cleared the tribunal of
blame for the death in June, of Slavko Dokmanovic,
who hanged himself in his cell while awaiting the
verdict in his war crimes trial.?
[End AP Quote]
Once again Mike Corder said nothing about a Dutch
investigation. And he reported on the fact that the tribunal
cleared *itself* -- and twice -- quite matter-of-factly. Corder
had apparently learned his lesson.
If, as seems to be the case, there was no separate Dutch
investigation, and no post-mortem on Dokmanovic?s body, did
this not violate Dutch law? Apparently not, because ?The ICTY
detention centre?was built in 1994 inside a Dutch prison but is
not subject to Dutch law.?[33]
If the ICTY is indeed not subject to Dutch law, then the initial
reports of an impending Dutch investigation were in error. This
seems probable, because if this Dutch investigation had occurred
at all, and if its results concurred with those of the Tribunal?s
report, the latter would not have failed to loudly mention this. A
post-mortem may be obligatory under Dutch law, but the
Hague Tribunal obviously does whatever it wants when it
investigates itself.
Notice, when a prisoner on suicide watch dies in Philadelphia?s
18th district, this is very serious. ?To give you an idea of how
serious this would be,? Sergeant Walsh explained to me, ?any
time there is a cell block incident it is investigated by a
homicide unit.? Well, that?s Philadelphia. At the UN's
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY),
it is not so serious.
Why? Because the tribunal is a law unto itself; it answers to
nobody.
** A Convenient Suicide **
The convenient absence of a post-mortem by an independent
authority is added to another happy ?coincidence? for the
Tribunal. ?Dokmanovic?s death means the case is closed, and no
verdict will be released posthumously, tribunal spokesman
Christian Chartier said. ?You can't pass judgment on a dead
person.??[34] Poor Dokmanovic! Wherever else he went after
death, *under the law*, he is eternally in limbo.
But what a convenient twist of international law this is for the
tribunal! It avoids not merely the embarrassment of the expected
acquittal, and the spectacle of Dokmanovic giving press
conferences about how he was illegally kidnapped and
mistreated (this issue will be addressed in a forthcoming article).
That would have been bad enough. But try to imagine the
Tribunal having to explain that the man they illegally abducted,
and who subsequently died in custody, was innocent! That
would be a tremendous scandal. Better to keep people guessing
as to whether Dokmanovic was or not a war criminal, in which
case people will not be so sure that they should mourn him. It is
therefore very convenient that the expected ?not guilty? verdict
cannot be passed down posthumously.
About the inability to get a verdict at this point, Christian
Chartier said that ?It must be very frustrating for the family, for
the relatives of the victims, for the prosecution and the defense,
and maybe for historians.?[35] But why should this be
frustrating for the alleged relatives of the alleged victims? An
acquittal was expected! Is the tribunal?s spokesman suggesting
that we should consider this man guilty despite this expectation?
He sounds like one of the prosecutors...! Or is he suggesting that
the alleged families of these alleged victims would have found
catharsis in the acquittal of a man who was illegally kidnapped
and brought to the Hague, and who was nowhere near the
alleged massacres he was alleged to participate in?
As for historians, not to worry: they will have a field day when
they read this article.
Finally, since somebody could have raised questions later, it is
very convenient for the tribunal that some media outlets later
began untruthfully reporting that Dokmanovic had actually
been found guilty! For example, an Inter-Press Service wire, a
few months later, reported that ?[Dokmanovic] was found guilty
of involvement in the killing of more than 200 unarmed men
after their forcible evacuation from a Vukovar hospital in
November 1991. He died a week before he was due to
be sentenced.?[36]
This is perfectly false, as any reader can confirm by going to the
ICTY?s website and consulting their own posted documents
concerning the termination of trial proceedings against Slavko
Dokmanovic upon his death.[37]
** Conclusion **
The facts reviewed have already spoken for themselves, so a
short statement will suffice. The *best* we can say is that
Dokmanovic?s story argues for a ?tribunal? that is criminally
negligent with regard to the health and welfare of its prisoners,
and a mainstream Western media that is pathologically unable
to carry out the most elementary forms of reporting, let alone
questioning, analysis, and investigation.
But the above interpretation, terribly damning as it already is, in
fact is very difficult to swallow, for mere criminal negligence
does not explain why the Hague Tribunal?s report has neither
head nor tails, plus all the other sundry absurdities we have
reviewed. If we instead conclude this is a case of ?malice
aforethought? (?to kill either deliberately and intentionally or
recklessly with extreme disregard for human life?[38])-that is,
*premeditated murder*-we can explain the inconsistencies and
absurdities as resulting from an awkward cover-up.
Finally, if we add to all this that the press is not incompetent
but complicit, we can better explain its behavior. Because not only
was the mainstream Western media dishing out absurdities and
repeating what the Hague officials said with zero analysis, they
also failed to report crucial details. For example, no media
source mentioned that Dokmanovic was a leader for peace and
one of the signers of the Erdut peace agreement.[39] *Why*?
That turns out to be a crucially important omission.
Consider: is it plausible that Croatian leaders would have sat at
the table with Slavko Dokmanovic to talk peace if Dokmanovic
were really a notorious war criminal with blood fresh on his
hands, as the Hague Tribunal alleges?
Of course not.
So it is very important to both NATO and the Hague Tribunal
that ordinary people in the West not find out that Dokmanovic
was a leader for peace. The fact that the mainstream Western
media obliged NATO?s interests by giving us complete silence
on Dokmanovic?s background speaks volumes about the media?s
complicity. A forthcoming piece will examine the importance of
Dokmanovic?s role as a leader for peace in providing NATO
with a motive to kill him.
+
[Footnotes Follow The Appeal]
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FOOTNOTES
*************
[1] Ottawa Citizen, November 2, 2002 Saturday Final Edition,
News; Pg. A18, 180 words, Milosevic's illness delays war crimes
trial, LONDON
[&] Court transcript July 25th, 2002 (p. 8642);
http://www.un.org/icty/transe54/020725ME.htm
[2] BBC Worldwide Monitoring, June 30, 1998
[3] AP Worldstream, June 29, 1998; Monday, International news,
670 words, AP Photo AMS101, JENIFER CHAO, THE HAGUE, Netherlands
[4] Inter Press Service, September 22, 1998, Tuesday, 844 words,
RIGHTS-YUGOSLAVIA: DEATHS IN THE HAGUE "JUSTIFY"
BELGRADE STANCE, By Vesna Peric-Zimonjic, BELGRADE, Sep. 22
[5] Deutsche Presse-Agentur, June 29, 1998, Monday, International
News, 497 words, Serb war-crimes suspect found hanged in cell
days before verdict due, The Hague
[6] The Scotsman, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, Pg. 9, 601 words,
SERB WAR CRIMES SUSPECT FOUND HANGED IN CELL, Alex Blair
Foreign Affairs Reporter
[7] The Washington Post, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, Final Edition, A
SECTION; Pg. A11, 551 words, Serb Found Hanged in U.N. Prison;
War-Crime Suspect's Death Called Suicide, Charles Trueheart,
Washington Post Foreign Service, PARIS, June 29
[8] ?Hague officials also said that an investigation would be
launched into questions of how the suicide had gone undetected in the
heavily monitored high-security prison, which was located in the
nearby town of Scheveningen.? Facts on File World News Digest, July
2, 1998, EUROPE; Croatia, Pg. 458 G3, 163 words, War Crimes
Suspect Commits Suicide;
?Red brick walls stretch around the high-security compound here,
the largest prison in the Netherlands, with close to 750 inmates.
Within this compound, invisible from the road, lies the modern,
independent cell block, built by the Dutch government and leased to
the tribunal. Last year, its budget was $3.3 million, paid for by the
United Nations.? The New York Times, July 15, 2001, Sunday, Late
Edition - Final, Section 1; Page 8; Column 1; Foreign Desk, 1502
words, Milosevic's Abode: 10 by 17 Feet but No Dungeon, By MARLISE
SIMONS, SCHEVENINGEN, the Netherlands
[9] http://www.un.org/icty/bulletin21-e/dokman.htm
[10] AP Worldstream, June 29, 1998; Monday 09:44 Eastern Time;
SECTION: International news; LENGTH: 663 words; HEADLINE: AP
Photos AMS101-102; BYLINE: JENIFER CHAO; DATELINE: THE
HAGUE, Netherlands
[11] The Washington Post, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, Final Edition,
A SECTION; Pg. A11, 551 words, Serb Found Hanged in U.N. Prison;
War-Crime Suspect's Death Called Suicide, Charles Trueheart,
Washington Post Foreign Service, PARIS, June 29
[12] Major Newspapers that reported Dokmanovic hanged himself from
the hinge of his cell door. (No other newspapers made reference to
any specific door.)
1. The Baltimore Sun, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, FINAL
EDITION, Pg. 7A, 416 words, Serbian war crimes suspect hangs
himself; U.N. court was close to a verdict on his guilt
2. The New York Times, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, Late
Edition - Final, Section A; Page 6; Column 4; Foreign Desk, 918
words, Serb Charged in Massacre Commits Suicide, By MARLISE SIMONS,
THE HAGUE, June 29
3. The Times, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, Overseas news, 450
words, Serb war crime suspect found hanged in cell, Tom Walker
4. The Toronto Star, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, METRO
EDITION, NEWS; Pg. A12, 376 words, Accused war criminal found
hanged, (Reuters), AMSTERDAM
5. The Washington Post, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, Final
Edition, A SECTION; Pg. A11, 551 words, Serb Found Hanged in U.N.
Prison; War-Crime Suspect's Death Called Suicide, Charles Trueheart,
Washington Post Foreign Service, PARIS, June 29
6. The Seattle Times, June 29, 1998, Monday, Final
Edition, NEWS;, Pg. A9;, 702 words, AROUND THE WORLD
7. THE AUSTRALIAN, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, WORLD; Pg.10,
60 words, War crime suicide
8. Chicago Sun-Times, June 30, 1998, TUESDAY, Late Sports
Final Edition, NEWS; NATION/WORLD BRIEFS; Pg. 17, 593
words, World War II flying ace slain in home robbery.
9. COURIER-MAIL, June 30, 1998, Tuesday, NEWS; Pg. 18,
479 words, Suicide Serb beats war crimes verdict, CHAO J
10. The Gazette (Montreal), June 30, 19<br/><br/>(Message over 64 KB, truncated)
NOTA: Le notizie che seguono non sono in alcun modo esaustive degli
avvenimenti nella provincia di Kosovo-Metohija, e vengono qui
riportate solo come esempi delle informazioni negate alla pubblica
opinione.
=== * ===
AMMINISTRAZIONE O.N.U. IN KOSMET APRE POSTI DI
FRONTIERA TRA ALBANIA E JUGOSLAVIA
PROTEST OVER OPENING BORDER CROSINGS WITH ALBANIA
BELGRADE, Oct. 17 (Beta) - The Yugoslav Foreign Ministry
protested on Oct 17 to the U.N. Security Council because two border
crosings had been opened between Albania and Yugoslavia in the
Kosovo and Metohija area.
The permanent Yugoslav representative in the U.N., Ambasador Dejan
Sahovic, told the cairman of the Security Council in New York that
the move contravened the provisions of U.N. Security Council
Resolution 1244, especially in view of the fact that the decision to
open border crosings had been made without prior agreement with the
Yugoslav government.
The two border crosings on the AlbanianYugoslav border in the
villages of Orcusa and Kukes were opened on Wednesday.
=== * ===
ANZIANO SERBO AGGREDITO A GNJILANE
+++ SERBE ZUSAMMENGESCHLAGEN
GNJILANE. Laut einer Meldung von INET-News, wurde gestern
ein 75-jähriger Serbe, Zivorad Dokic, aus dem Dorf Zilova in
Gnjilane überfallen und zusammengeschlagen. Dokic ist nach
Gnjilane gekommen, um seine Rentenangelegenheiten zu
regulieren. INET-NEWS +++
Balkan-Telegramm, 18.Oktober 2002 - http://www.amselfeld.com
=== * ===
"POLIZIOTTI" KOSOVARO-ALBANESI MALTRATTANO
PRETE ORTODOSSO SOTTO GLI OCCHI DEI SOLDATI
ITALIANI
+++ ALBANISCHE "POLIZISTEN" MISSHANDELN MÖNCH
KULA, DECANI. Albanische Angehörige der sogenannten "Polizei"
der serbischen Provinz Kosovo und Metochien haben den Abt des
Klosters Visoki Decani mißhandelt. Der Vorfall ereignete sich an
einem Kontrollpunkt an der Grenze der serbischen Provinz zur
Teilrepublik Montenegro. Die albanischen "Polizisten" attackierten
den Abt zunächst verbal und schlugen ihn dann auch. Der Vorfall
ereignete sich unter den Augen italienischer KFOR-Soldaten.
STIMME KOSOVOS +++
Balkan-Telegramm, 19.Oktober 2002 - http://www.amselfeld.com
=== * ===
SOLDATI STATUNITENSI MALTRATTANO PROFUGHI SERBI
E GIORNALISTI A KLOKOT
DIOCESE OF RASKA AND PRIZREN DEEPLY HURT BY
BEHAVIOR OF U.S. KFOR IN KLOKOT
It is unacceptable for KFOR troops to beat unarmed people
COMMUNIQUE
Gracanica, October 19, 2002
The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raska and Prizren is deeply hurt by
the rough behavior of U.S. KFOR troops in the Serb village of Klokot
following the recent crime by extremists leading to the death of
Svetlana Stankovic. It is absolutely unacceptable to apply force
against unarmed civilians who were only trying to return to their
homes, deeply embittered because of the attack. Especially pathetic
was the humiliation of two Serb women, Radmila Dimic and Dobrila
Milenkovic, who were, according to their own statement, kept
handcuffed for serveral hours. Klokot residents confirmed to the
representative of the Church that the U.S. soldiers beat the Serbs
using sticks and feet.
We are also concerned regarding information by the Independent
Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) that Radio Television
Serbia (RTS) reporters who filmed the incident in Klokot were
reportedly abused and kept for two hours, handcuffed, in the mud.
Such unsuitable behavior on the part of U.S. KFOR troops is
undermining their moral reputation and the trust of the Serbs in
peacekeeping forces. We therefore appeal that this incident be
thoroughly investigated and that measures are taken to prevent
similar excesses from reoccurring.
It is quite incomprehensible that KFOR troops are blocking the Serb
village and abusing its residents, including the family members of the
deceased woman, instead of seeking the perpetrators of the most recent
attack against the Serbs. A similar situation occurred following the
recent attack by Albanian extremists in which five Serb houses were
blown up in July. Kosovo Albanian extremists have killed no fewer
that 12 Serbs from the village of Klokot since the end of war despite
the presence of KFOR forces. Despite claims that the security
situation in the region is improving, the Serb people live in
increasing uncertainty, especially after the recent incident in
Klokot. Regrettably, this is not the first time that Albanian
extremists plant land mines in Serb fields. The claim that the mine
remained in the field from the war in 1999 is unfounded because the
field has been regularly cultivated by Stankovic family since 1999 and
no explosive devices were found in this area after a thorough KFOR
search. That is one reason more why the residends of Klokot were
shocked by the reaction of peacekeepers.
---
Politika, Belgrade
PROTEST BY INDEPENDENT ASSOCIATION OF JOURNALISTS
Unacceptable behavior towards journalists
October 18, 2002
The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS)
addressed a protest letter yesterday to UNMIK head Michael Steiner
regarding the arrest, abuse and threat of imprisonment of Radio
Television Serbia (RTS) reporter Zarko Joksimovic and photographer
Boban Sekulic by US KFOR troops in the village of Klokot despite
the fact that both possessed valid accreditation.
In the letter NUNS states that Joksimovic and Sekulic were in the
village of Klokot for the purpose of filming a report regarding the
death of Svetlana Stankovic. It advises Steiner that there is no
justification for forcing the two men to lie for two hours on the wet
earth while handcuffed with 20 rifles pointed at them before
they were expelled from Klokot.
UNS emphasizes that the public is justifiably awaiting an
investigation of the incident and emphasizes that UNMIK's task "is
anything but the violation of human rights of residents of Kosovo and
Metohija, and the human and professional rights of Joksimovic and
Sekulic".
=== * ===
LA KFOR ITALIANA ARRESTA CUGINO DI AGIM CEKU (EX
CAPO UCK) PER CONTRABBANDO DI SIGARETTE.
MA VIENE SUBITO RILASCIATO PER MOTIVI CHE NON E' DATO SAPERE
KFOR ARRESTS AGIM CEKU'S BROTHER, EKREM LUKA
PEC, Oct. 22 (Beta) - KFOR arrested the brother of Kosovo
Protection Corps Commander Agim Ceku and Ekrem Luka in Pec on
Oct. 22, on suspicion that they are involved in the smuggling of large
quantities of cigarettes, BETA has learned from ethnic Albanian
sources in Pristina. Luka is the owner of Dukadjini, the biggest
private company in Kosovo.
KFOR arrested another two persons, but their identity has not been
disclosed.
According to well informed sources in Kosovo, Ekrem Luka is a close
friend of Alliance for Future of Kosovo leader Ramush Haradinaj and
other former leaders of the officially disbanded Kosovo Liberation
Army in western Kosovo.
UNMIK: CEKU'S BROTHER NOT ARRESTED
PRISTINA, Oct 23 (Beta) - UNMIK spokesperson Andrea Angeli told
BETA on Oct. 23, that none of four persons, apprehended in Pec on
Oct. 22, was the brother of Kosovo Protection Corps Commander
Agim Ceku. Angeli said that the four persons, found to be in
possession of arms, were released in the afternoon on Oct. 22,
following an injunction by the relevant judge. He added that an
investigation into the matter was underway.
BETA has learned from eyewitnesses that the rumor about Ceku's
brother being arrested had spread because during the arrest, one of
the suspects said: "Don't touch me, I am Agim Ceku's brother."
KOSOVO: ITALIANI KFOR SCOPRONO DEPOSITO ARMI E SIGARETTE (2)
(ANSA) - PRISTINA, 22 OTT - Tra i quattro albaneso-kosovari
arrestati questa mattina dalla polizia militare italiana a Peja c'e'
Ekrem Lluka, 47 anni, proprietario della ''compagnia Dukagjini'',
che e' il piu' grosso gruppo imprenditoriale del Kosovo occidentale.
In carcere e' finito pure un fratello del generale Agim Ceku, ex capo
militare dell'Uck e attuale comandante del Tmk, il corpo di
protezione civile del Kosovo. ''Al momento i quattro arrestati
vengono interrogati dalla polizia italiana inquadrata nella missione
delle Nazioni Unite'' ha detto all'Ansa Andrea Angeli, portavoce
dell'Unmik. Tra il materiale sequestrato, ci sono anche
apparecchiature per la produzione di etichette di sigarette false
trovate in una tipografia del gruppo. La polizia militare italiana ha
effettuato una perquisizione anche presso gli studi di Radio
Dukagjini, un'emittente privata che fa capo all'impresa di Lluka. Gli
arresti di oggi rischiano di provocare tensioni a Peja, zona sotto il
controllo dei militari italiani e dove Ekrem Lluka e' particolarmente
influente.(ANSA) BLL 22/10/2002 16:24
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/kosovo/20021022162432362436.html
KOSOVO: RILASCIATI QUATTRO ARRESTATI DA MILITARI ITALIANI
(ANSA) - PRISTINA, 24 OTT - Sono stati rilasciati dopo poche ore
su decisione di un tribunale locale i quattro albanesi-kosovari
arrestati lo scorso 22 ottobre dalla polizia militare del contingente
italiano della Kfor, forza di pace in Kosovo a guida Nato: lo apprende
oggi l'Ansa da fonti informate. Tra gli arrestati c'era Ekrem Lluka,
47 anni, titolare del piu' importante gruppo imprenditoriale del
Kosovo occidentale, e Selman Ceku, 45 anni, in un primo momento
indicato dagli inquirenti come fratello del generale Agim Ceku, ex
capo militare della guerriglia albanese (Uck) e attuale comandante
del Tmk, il corpo di protezione civile del Kosovo. Le stesse fonti
hanno successivamente rettificato, affermando che in realta' l'uomo e'
solo un cugino del generale Ceku. Gli arresti erano avvenuti dopo che
in uno dei depositi di proprieta' di Lluka erano state ritrovate armi
e 270 tonnellate di sigarette che in un primo momento si era
sospettato fossero di contrabbando. (ANSA). 24/10/2002 17:15
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/kosovo/20021024171532365176.html
=== * ===
AGGREDITO AMMINISTRATORE UNMIK A PRIZREN
RADIO JUGOSLAVIA
Prizren Administrator Attacked By Albanians
October 22, 2002
In Prizren, southern Kosmet, six Albanians beat up the deputy
UNMIK administrator, Julian Bilbao, causing numerous injuries.
According to news agencies, special units of the UNMIK police
intervened, and one policeman was slightly injured. All the
perpetrators were arrested and criminal proceedings are to be
instigated against them.
=== * ===
AGGREDITO ANZIANO SERBO A KOSOVO POLJE
+++ SERBE ZUSAMMENGESCHLAGEN
KOSOVO POLJE. Auf dem Bahnhof von Kosovo Polje wurde
am Mittwoch gegen 20 Uhr der 75-jährige Serbe Miodrag Stankovic
zusammengeschlagen. Der alte Mann, wohnhaft in Kosovo Polje,
wurde von zwei ethnisch-albanischen Männern zu Boden geworfen
und anschließend mit Händen und Füßen attackiert. Hierbei wurden
ihm schwere Verletzungen zugefügt. TANJUG/INET-NEWS +++
Balkan-Telegramm, 24.Oktober 2002 - http://www.amselfeld.com
=== * ===
LA KFOR PRIVA GLI STUDENTI SERBI DI PROTEZIONE PER
ANDARE A SCUOLA A MITROVICA
Tanjug - Belgrade
KFOR Escort Canceled For Serbian Students
October 23, 2002
Kosovska Mitrovica, 23 Oct - On Wednesday, KFOR canceled the
escorts for Serbian students from Crkvena Vodica, Obilic, Janjina
Voda, and the villages from central Kosovo. Those students are
attending the schools in Plemetina and Priluzje, so it is unknown how
they will attend the schools in the future, says the head of the
Department of Education in Kosovska Mitrovica, Predrag Stojcetovic.
Stojcetovic pointed out that the parents would not allow the children
to go to school without a KFOR escort, because according to the
parents of Serbian students, their children are not safe on their way
from their homes to the school.
=== * ===
AGGREDITO ANZIANO SERBO A STRPCE
+++ SERBE VON ALBANERN ANGEGRIFFENS
STRPCE. Eine Gruppe bewaffneter ethnischer Albaner haben heute
gegen 15 Uhr den 71-jährigen Serben Bora Serafimovic aus dem
Dorf Pasjane bei Gnjilane angegriffen, während dieser Kühe hütete.
Die Angreifer, aus dem anliegenden Dorf Vlastice, haben den Mann
auf den Boden gestoßen, mehrmals auf den Kopf geschlagen und
anschließend seine Kühe weggeführt. Wegen den schweren
Verletzungen am Kopf wurde Serafimovic in das Krankenhaus von
Vranje verlegt. TANJUG +++
Balkan-Telegramm, 25.Oktober 2002 - http://www.amselfeld.com
=== * ===
REGOLAMENTO DI CONTI POST-ELETTORALE
ALBANISCHE ABRECHNUNGEN IN SUVA REKA
PRIZREN. Der ?Bürgermeister" der Gemeinde Suva Reka, der
Albaner Uka Bitici und zwei seiner Mitarbeiter wurden gestern Abend
aus einem fahrenden Auto heraus von albanischen Terroristen
erschossen. Bitici und seine Mitarbeiter gehörten der Partei des
Albanerführers Rugova an. STIMME KOSOVOS
Balkan-Telegramm, 27.Oktober 2002 - http://www.amselfeld.com
---
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/dp/Qkosovo-vote-shooting.Rlhy_COR.html
Three shot dead by political opponents after Kosovo vote
-Hysa said celebrating members of the LDK -- which is
expected to win Saturday's election -- ran into
supporters of the rival Party of Democratic Kosovo
(PDK), led by former ethnic Albanian rebel Hashim Thaci.
"A young supporter of the PDK drew a gun and shot at
the mayor and two other people accompanying him. All
three have died," Hysa said.
PRISTINA, Yugoslavia, Oct 27 (AFP) - A senior member
in the party of Kosovo's Albanian president, Ibrahim
Rugova, and two other men were shot dead by political
opponents in western Kosovo on Sunday, a day after
local elections there, officials said.
It was the first politically motivated attack during
the election period.
Kosovo's first local election in 2000, overwhelmingly
won by Rugova's League of Democratic Kosovo (LDK), was
marred by political violence between rival ethnic
Albanian groups.
Ylber Hysa, head of the non-governmental Kosovo Action
for Civic Initiatives (KACI) monitoring the election,
identified the dead LDK official as Uke Bytyci.
Bytyci was mayor of Suva Reka, some 60 kilometres (35
miles) west of provincial capital Pristina.
Hysa said celebrating members of the LDK -- which is
expected to win Saturday's election -- ran into
supporters of the rival Party of Democratic Kosovo
(PDK), led by former ethnic Albanian rebel Hashim
Thaci.
"A young supporter of the PDK drew a gun and shot at
the mayor and two other people accompanying him. All
three have died," Hysa said.
Andrea Angeli, spokesman for the United Nation mission
in Kosovo, confirmed the information.
"There is evidence to indicate that it was an ambush,"
he said from Pristina, adding that police were
investigating the incident.
Michael Steiner, the United Nation's top official in
the province, condemned the shooting as "an appalling
act of calculated murder".
"Callous killing is particularly distressing after
yesterday's municipal elections in Kosovo, which were
conducted so smoothly and without a violent incident,"
Steiner said in a statement.
Angeli said Bytyci and two people with him had been
shot and injured by at least one person in the village
of Lesan, some six kilometres south of Suva Reka.
He said UN police were interrogating a suspect held at
Suva Reka police station.
Although the official results of Kosovo's local
election have yet to be announced by the Organisation
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Hysa's
KACI said the LDK had won the vote in most of the
province's 30 municipalities, including Suva Reka.
The Albanian-dominated southern Serbian province of
Kosovo has been under UN and NATO administration since
1999.
=== * ===
VITTORIO SGARBI PRENDE IN GIRO I SERBI DEL KOSOVO:
"BISOGNEREBBE PROTEGGERE I VOSTRI MONUMENTI"
SERBIAN ORTHODOX DIOCESE OF RASKA AND PRIZREN
KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
For immediate release
Info - Service ERP KIM
RENOWNED ITALIAN ACTIVIST FOR PROTECTION OF
CULTURAL HERITAGE SEEKS PROTECTION OF SERBIAN
ORTHODOX MONASTERIES IN KOSOVO
Sgarbi emphasises responsibility of KFOR for protection of Visoki
Decani and Pec Patriarchate
October 27, 2002
Rome - Italian deputy-minister of culture and a member of
Parliament Hon.Vittorio Sgarbi sent a letter to the new KFOR
commander, Italian general Fabio Mini, proposing special protection
of Serb Orthodox religious monuments in Kosovo. "The situation in
Kosovo and the unavoidable reduction of NATO forces in coming
months are cause for grave concern for the future protection of the
heritage of Serbian Orthodox culture and religion, especially of
Visoki Decani Monastery and the Pec Patriarchate, which are of great
significance for art history," wrote Sgarbi. Sgarbi notes in his
letter that many Orthodox religious monuments in Kosovo are already
damaged, and in many cases irreparably destroyed. "I wish to draw
your attention especially to the precarious situation in which two
pearls in northwestern Kosovo, Visoki Decani and the Pec Patriarchate
Monasteries, are found in comparison with well-guarded Gracanica
Monastery," emphasized Sgarbi. He added that the recent attack on
Serb pensioners in Pec clearly demonstrates the length of the path to
reconciliation between the [Serb and Albanian] communities and the
high degree of violence still reigning in Kosovo. Sgarbi expressed his
hope that Decani Monastery and Pec Patriarchate will be equally well
protected in future as they are now under the Italian military
command.
=== * ===
ARMI PER IL KOSOVO E L'ALBANIA VIA MONTENEGRO
Blic, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
October 26, 2002
Weapons for Kosovo and Albania via Podgorica
Large quantities of infantry weapons, ammunition and military
equipment often end up in well-guarded depots in central
Montenegro, not in Middle Eastern countries; from
there, the weapons are then smuggled into Albania and Kosovo
M.B., a businessman in the Podgorica quarter of Zagoric formerly
dealing in military surplus and equipment, purchased a small quanitity
of weapons and military equipment at the beginning of May of this
year for 25,000 dollars. Instead of being loaded onto ships, about
five truckloads of various weapons ended up in central Montenegro,
where they remain in warehouses today. He has already sold some of
the of the weapons and military equipment "without difficulty" to
parties in Albania and Kosovo. According to Blic's source, as a result
of information on smuggling of weapons and military equipment
provided to Western intelligence agencies the Montenegrin State
Security has been engaged in "intensive activity" in recent months.
International forces are presently conducting little more than formal
control of the border between Kosovo and Albania. Smuggling of
arms, narcotics, white slavery and incursions, that is, unhindered
entrance of various armed groups, are taking place without
obstruction. For example, at the Cafa Morina - Tropoja border
crossing there are only two-three policemen on the Albanian side and
two members of KFOR and one member of the Kosovo Protection
Corps on the Kosovo side of the border. Inspection of documents is a
mere formality; vehicles, transporter trucks and other transportation
is not inspected at all. Only a kilometer and a half from this
crossing there is a cobblestone road going from Tropoja to Bajram Curi
to the village of Junik village in Kosovo where there is no inspection
at all.
This is the road most often used for smuggling of drugs, weapons and
military equipment, and white slaves.
Cigarettes are now generally transported from Greece through
Albania to Kosovo and further toward Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
According to our source, intelligence sources are aware that the same
dealers are involved in all these activities.
The situation is similar at a second border crossing at Cafa - Prushit
from the Albanian side on the road toward Djakovica. Inspection on
the Albanian side is carried out by only one policeman in civilian
clothing, while on the Kosovo side no one is controlling the state
border at all.
=== * ===
CONTADINO SERBO AGGREDITO A KOSOVSKA MITROVICA
Ethnic Albanians beat up Serb in central Kosovo-Metohija
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Oct 30 (Tanjug) - A group of unidentified ethnic
Albanians beat up Kosovo Serb Ranko Pajevic of the village of Grace
as he was farming his land on Tuesday afternoon, Tanjug was told on
Wednesday. Pajevic was farming his land in the hamlet of Tomic near
Grace in central Kosovo-Metohija, when a group of ethnic Albanians
attacked and seriously injured him.
Ethnic Albanians also stole Pajevic's tractor and fled. Pajevic early
on Wednesday reported the case to UNMIK's police station in
Priluzje.
This is not the only attack ethnic Albanians carried out against
Serbs from this village. Serbs from Grace have repeatedly reported
cases in which their ethnic Albanian neighbors had forcibly seized
their land, stole their cattle or burnt their yield, to Kosovo's
multinational police. Grace is populated by about 250 Serbs.
=== * ===
CHIESTO IL RILASCIO DI TRE SERBI IN GALERA DA ANNI
CON IMPUTAZIONI ASSURDE
http://www.serbia.sr.gov.yu/news/2002-10/31/326512.html
SERBIAN GOVERNMENT
Bozovic demands three Serbs be released
October 31, 2002
Belgrade, Oct. 30, 2002 - Coordinating Centre for Kosovo-Metohija
official Vladimir Bozovic sent a request to the UN's international
prosecutor for Kosovo-Metohija, Michael Hartmann, for the urgent
release of three imprisoned Serbs.
Bozovic revealed the identities of the three imprisoned Serbs to the
Beta news agency: Orahovac municipality President Anjelko
Kolasinac, who has been imprisoned for more than four years; Veselin
Besovic, from Pec, held in prison without evidence for almost three
years; and Slavoljub Jovic, who was, Bozovic claims, arrested
without proof.
The branch of the international criminal council in the Gnjilane
Municipal Court cleared another Serb, Bozidar Stojanovic, of
allegations of murdering an ethnic Albanian, his lawyer Zivojin
Jokanovic said. Stojanovic was previously sentenced to 16 years in
prison.
Stojanovic spent 38 months in detention. His lawyers managed to get a
new trial and prove his innocence. Hartmann was made aware of this
case of negligence. "We personally called on him and the whole
UNMIK judiciary to release the three Serbs," Bozovic said.
=== * ===
AVVIATE LE ESUMAZIONI DEI CADAVERI SCOPERTI NEL
CIMITERO ORTODOSSO DI PRIZREN - LA STAMPA
OCCIDENTALE *NON* PARLA DI FOSSE COMUNI
SERBIAN ORTHODOX DIOCESE OF RASKA AND PRIZREN
KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
Information Service
Newsletter, Oct 30, 2002
SRNA Serbian News Agency
27 BODIES EXHUMED
PRISTINA, OCTOBER 29 (SRNA) - "Members of the Yugoslav
Government's expert team exhumed the remains of 27 people, most
probably Serbs killed during 1999, at the Orthodox cemetery in
Prizren yesterday and today," Vukasin Otasevic, a team member,
told SRNA this evening. "We will continue with exhumations
tomorrow; we cannot say how many bodies there may be at this time,"
said Otasevic. He added that he expects successful cooperation with
members of UNMIK's expert team, led by the head of the
Office for Missing and Kidnapped Persons, Jose Pablo Baraibar, to
continue. He expressed the hope that Serbian Government's expert
team will complete exhumations at several additional locations by the
end of the year. "Exhumations at the Orthodox cemetery in Prizren
began upon our initiative but are being conducted under the
organization of UNMIK's Office for Missing and Kidnapped
Persons," said Otasevic.
30 BODIES FOUND IN PRIZREN CEMETARY
PRIZREN, Oct 30 (Beta)- Thirty unidentified bodies have been found
during three days of exhumation at the Orthodox Christian cemetery
in Prizren, said Kosovo expert team chief, pathologist Slavisa
Dobricanin.
There are no more unexamined graves in this location, said
Dobricanin, adding that the first results show that the bodies are
Serbian.
Exhumations in several more locations in Kosovo, especially in the
Djakovica municipality, will be carried out by the end of the year.
=== * ===
AGGREDITO SERBO PRESSO GRACE
Radio Yugoslavia
A SERB BEATEN BY ALBANIANS
VUCITRN, October 30
Ranko Pajevic, a Serb from the village of Grace, northern Kosmet, has
been beaten up by a group of unidentified Albanians, Tanjug learns.
The agency reports that while working in the field, Pajevic was
attacked by a group of Albanians and sustained heavy bodily injuries.
http://www.mfa.gov.yu/Pressframe14.htm
ETHNIC ALBANIANS BEAT UP SERB IN CENTRAL
KOSOVO-METOHIJA
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Oct 30 (Tanjug) - A group of
unidentified ethnic Albanians beat up Kosovo Serb
Ranko Pajevic of the village of Grace as he was
farming his land on Tuesday afternoon, Tanjug was told
on Wednesday. Pajevic was farming his land in the
hamlet of Tomic near Grace in central Kosovo-Metohija,
when a group of ethnic Albanians attacked and
seriously injured him.
Ethnic Albanians also stole Pajevic's tractor and
fled. Pajevic early on Wednesday reported the case to
UNMIK's police station in Priluzje. This is not the
only attack ethnic Albanians carried out against Serbs
from this village. Serbs from Grace have repeatedly
reported cases in which their ethnic Albanian
neighbors had forcibly seized their land, stole their
cattle or burnt their yield, to Kosovo's multinational
police. Grace is populated by about 250 Serbs.
=== * ===
ANCHE AD OBILIC LA KFOR ELIMINA LA PROTEZIONE PER
GLI SCOLARI SERBI - IMPEDITA LA FREQUENTAZIONE
DELLE SCUOLE
POLITIKA (Belgrade daily)
KFOR QUITS ESCORTING SCHOOLCHILDREN IN OBILIC
MUNICIPALITY
October 30, 2002
For more than a week schoolchildren of four primary and three
secondary schools have not attended their classes, since KFOR has
suspended escorting them. According to Radmila Premovic, the
principle of the primary school Branko Radicevic, pupils have
not attended the classes for some ten days. The classes have stopped,
as Norwegian KFOR has not escorted primary and secondary
schoolchildren, who commute to their schools for some 10 kilometres
through Albanian populated places. According to the principle, KFOR
as a reason stated that their base has been moved to the village of
Lebane. KFOR recently has also stopped protecting school premises.
Radio Yugoslavia
October 30, 2002
Some 1,200 Serb pupils living in enclaves in central Kosmet have not
been attending school for 10 days now due to the safety situation, the
head of the Education Ministry Department for Kosovska Mitrovica,
Predrag Stojcetovic, said. He said that KFOR had ceased to escort Serb
children from Vucitrn, Obilic, Crkvena Vodica, Babin Most and
Plemetina on their way to school. The head of the MP club of the Serb
POVRATAK coalition, Rada Trajkovic, called on institutions and
organizations in charge of children's rights to react in order that a
solution be found.
ABOUT 1200 SERB STUDENTS MISSING CLASSES IN
KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Oct 30 (Tanjug) - About 1200 Serb
students who live in enclaves in central Kosovo and Metohija have
been compelled to miss out on their classes for the past 10 days
because they cannot travel to their schools in safety, Ministry of
Education Kosovska Mitrovica Department chief Predrag Stojcevic
told Tanjug on Wednesday.
Stojcevic said the local international peacekeeping force KFOR
in the UN-administered southern Serbian province had suspended
escorts for Serb children from Vucitrn, Obilic, Crkvene Vodice,
Babin Most, and Plemetina on their way to and from school.
Kosovo-Metohija parliament Serb coalition Return whip
Rada Trajkovic gave a statement to Tanjug, in which she called on
all institutions and organizations in charge of children's rights
to react so that a safe life and regular classes can be secured for
Serb children in Kosovo and Metohija.
=== * ===
ITALIANI ED ALBANESI ARRESTATI A TIRANA IN POSSESSO
DI 18 CHILI DI EROINA
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/
ap/20021101/ap_wo_en_po/albania_drugs_1
Police detain Italians and Albanians with heroin
Fri Nov 1,11:17 AM ET
TIRANA, Albania - Police have cracked an Italian-Albanian drug
ring, arresting several people and seizing eight kilograms (18 pounds)
of heroin, the biggest drug haul in the last three months, an Interior
Ministry official said Friday.
A ministry spokesman, Florian Serjani, said that police detained the
suspects - Albanians and Italians - on Thursday at a hotel in the port
town of Durres, 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of the capital, Tirana.
He would not say how many people were detained and declined to
provide further details.
But an Albanian newspaper, Shekulli, quoted unnamed police in
Durres as saying that police had cracked a mafia network that
transports drugs from Albania to Italy.
Three Italians and six Albanians were detained, the daily reported.
Albania is a transit country for drug trafficking rings that are
active across the Balkans.
=== * ===
A KOSOVSKA MITROVICA LE STRADE VENGONO
RIBATTEZZATE CON I NOMI DELLE FIGURE
DI SPICCO DEL NAZIFASCISMO
Politika, Belgrade
November 1, 2002
SERB STREETS RENAMED AFTER BALISTS*
(Balists, or Balli Combetar, members of a pro-Nazi Albanian
nationalist organization in WW2)
Only John Kennedy and Tetovska Streets unchanged
Kosovska Mitrovica, October 31
Assemblymen of the mono-national municipal assembly of Kosovska
Mitrovica have voted unanimously to change the names of almost 260
streets and publci squares in this city on the Ibar River. Obviously
their only criterion was to replace streets bearing the names of Serbs
and other non-Albanians with the names of dead Albanian
terrorists from the ranks of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army
and notorious Balists during World War II.
The UNMIK administration did nothing to attempt to prevent the
name changes which, it should be added, are written exclusively in
Albanian in the southern, Albanian part of the city. The changing of
street names in Kosovska Mitrovica comes after the Albanians first
renamed all towns in the southern Serbian province, and then all the
street names, even in Serb enclaves where there are no Albanians. For
example, in Kosovska Mitrovica, Pasiceva Street became Milos
Kopilic Street. Karadjordjeva Street received the name of the
notorious Drenica region terrorist Adem Jashari, Duciceva Street now
bears the name Arta (golden), Railroad Street bears the name of
Bislim Bajgora, Hajduk-Stanka Street has been renamed Drenicka
Street, Drvarska Street has become Bujanska Conference Street, while
Kosovo-Maiden Street has now been renamed after the Bitoljski
Congress. Ramiz Sadiku Street has also changed its name and now
bears the name of Xhafer Deva, a notorious Balist who greeted the
fascist forces in Kosovska Mitrovica in World War II. The street
leading from the bus station which is located on the edge of the
southern, Albanian part of the city and leads to Srbica, is now called
Bloody Bridge Street. However, it was not enough for the
assemblymen to rename the streets by giving them names of terrorists
of the so-called KLA and Balists from World War II so they also gave
them names of cities in Albania. Thus some streets are now called
Shkodra, Tirana, Tropoja, Kukes... The only streets which did not
offend and are not nationalistic in tone are John Kennedy
Street and Tetovska Street. As well, it should be noted that the
assemblymen of the mono-national municipal assembly of Kosovska
Mitrovica have neglected to name at least some of the 260 streets in
the city on the Ibar River after well-known scientists, writers or
other
figures of renown in the world or at least in the region.
B. Radomirovic
=== * ===
L'INVIATO SPECIALE ONU JOSE CUTILEIRO RICONOSCE LA
SITUAZIONE INACCETTABILE DAL PUNTO DI VISTA DEI
DIRITTI UMANI IN KOSOVO-METOHIJA
CUTILEIRO DISSATISFIED WITH HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD IN KOSOVO
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Nov 3 (Tanjug) - The special human
rights envoy Jose Cutileiro said on Sunday that the human rights
record in Kosovo and Metohija has not improved.
In terms of improvement of the status of human rights, nothing
has changed since February last year when he visited Kosovo the
last time, Cutileiro told reporters in Kosovska Mitrovica,
following talks with a member of the presidency of Kosovo
parliament Oliver Ivanovic. He said he was particularly dissatisfied
with the fact that the process of return of Serbs to Kosovo and
Metohija was weak and not yet sustainable.
avvenimenti nella provincia di Kosovo-Metohija, e vengono qui
riportate solo come esempi delle informazioni negate alla pubblica
opinione.
=== * ===
AMMINISTRAZIONE O.N.U. IN KOSMET APRE POSTI DI
FRONTIERA TRA ALBANIA E JUGOSLAVIA
PROTEST OVER OPENING BORDER CROSINGS WITH ALBANIA
BELGRADE, Oct. 17 (Beta) - The Yugoslav Foreign Ministry
protested on Oct 17 to the U.N. Security Council because two border
crosings had been opened between Albania and Yugoslavia in the
Kosovo and Metohija area.
The permanent Yugoslav representative in the U.N., Ambasador Dejan
Sahovic, told the cairman of the Security Council in New York that
the move contravened the provisions of U.N. Security Council
Resolution 1244, especially in view of the fact that the decision to
open border crosings had been made without prior agreement with the
Yugoslav government.
The two border crosings on the AlbanianYugoslav border in the
villages of Orcusa and Kukes were opened on Wednesday.
=== * ===
ANZIANO SERBO AGGREDITO A GNJILANE
+++ SERBE ZUSAMMENGESCHLAGEN
GNJILANE. Laut einer Meldung von INET-News, wurde gestern
ein 75-jähriger Serbe, Zivorad Dokic, aus dem Dorf Zilova in
Gnjilane überfallen und zusammengeschlagen. Dokic ist nach
Gnjilane gekommen, um seine Rentenangelegenheiten zu
regulieren. INET-NEWS +++
Balkan-Telegramm, 18.Oktober 2002 - http://www.amselfeld.com
=== * ===
"POLIZIOTTI" KOSOVARO-ALBANESI MALTRATTANO
PRETE ORTODOSSO SOTTO GLI OCCHI DEI SOLDATI
ITALIANI
+++ ALBANISCHE "POLIZISTEN" MISSHANDELN MÖNCH
KULA, DECANI. Albanische Angehörige der sogenannten "Polizei"
der serbischen Provinz Kosovo und Metochien haben den Abt des
Klosters Visoki Decani mißhandelt. Der Vorfall ereignete sich an
einem Kontrollpunkt an der Grenze der serbischen Provinz zur
Teilrepublik Montenegro. Die albanischen "Polizisten" attackierten
den Abt zunächst verbal und schlugen ihn dann auch. Der Vorfall
ereignete sich unter den Augen italienischer KFOR-Soldaten.
STIMME KOSOVOS +++
Balkan-Telegramm, 19.Oktober 2002 - http://www.amselfeld.com
=== * ===
SOLDATI STATUNITENSI MALTRATTANO PROFUGHI SERBI
E GIORNALISTI A KLOKOT
DIOCESE OF RASKA AND PRIZREN DEEPLY HURT BY
BEHAVIOR OF U.S. KFOR IN KLOKOT
It is unacceptable for KFOR troops to beat unarmed people
COMMUNIQUE
Gracanica, October 19, 2002
The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raska and Prizren is deeply hurt by
the rough behavior of U.S. KFOR troops in the Serb village of Klokot
following the recent crime by extremists leading to the death of
Svetlana Stankovic. It is absolutely unacceptable to apply force
against unarmed civilians who were only trying to return to their
homes, deeply embittered because of the attack. Especially pathetic
was the humiliation of two Serb women, Radmila Dimic and Dobrila
Milenkovic, who were, according to their own statement, kept
handcuffed for serveral hours. Klokot residents confirmed to the
representative of the Church that the U.S. soldiers beat the Serbs
using sticks and feet.
We are also concerned regarding information by the Independent
Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) that Radio Television
Serbia (RTS) reporters who filmed the incident in Klokot were
reportedly abused and kept for two hours, handcuffed, in the mud.
Such unsuitable behavior on the part of U.S. KFOR troops is
undermining their moral reputation and the trust of the Serbs in
peacekeeping forces. We therefore appeal that this incident be
thoroughly investigated and that measures are taken to prevent
similar excesses from reoccurring.
It is quite incomprehensible that KFOR troops are blocking the Serb
village and abusing its residents, including the family members of the
deceased woman, instead of seeking the perpetrators of the most recent
attack against the Serbs. A similar situation occurred following the
recent attack by Albanian extremists in which five Serb houses were
blown up in July. Kosovo Albanian extremists have killed no fewer
that 12 Serbs from the village of Klokot since the end of war despite
the presence of KFOR forces. Despite claims that the security
situation in the region is improving, the Serb people live in
increasing uncertainty, especially after the recent incident in
Klokot. Regrettably, this is not the first time that Albanian
extremists plant land mines in Serb fields. The claim that the mine
remained in the field from the war in 1999 is unfounded because the
field has been regularly cultivated by Stankovic family since 1999 and
no explosive devices were found in this area after a thorough KFOR
search. That is one reason more why the residends of Klokot were
shocked by the reaction of peacekeepers.
---
Politika, Belgrade
PROTEST BY INDEPENDENT ASSOCIATION OF JOURNALISTS
Unacceptable behavior towards journalists
October 18, 2002
The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS)
addressed a protest letter yesterday to UNMIK head Michael Steiner
regarding the arrest, abuse and threat of imprisonment of Radio
Television Serbia (RTS) reporter Zarko Joksimovic and photographer
Boban Sekulic by US KFOR troops in the village of Klokot despite
the fact that both possessed valid accreditation.
In the letter NUNS states that Joksimovic and Sekulic were in the
village of Klokot for the purpose of filming a report regarding the
death of Svetlana Stankovic. It advises Steiner that there is no
justification for forcing the two men to lie for two hours on the wet
earth while handcuffed with 20 rifles pointed at them before
they were expelled from Klokot.
UNS emphasizes that the public is justifiably awaiting an
investigation of the incident and emphasizes that UNMIK's task "is
anything but the violation of human rights of residents of Kosovo and
Metohija, and the human and professional rights of Joksimovic and
Sekulic".
=== * ===
LA KFOR ITALIANA ARRESTA CUGINO DI AGIM CEKU (EX
CAPO UCK) PER CONTRABBANDO DI SIGARETTE.
MA VIENE SUBITO RILASCIATO PER MOTIVI CHE NON E' DATO SAPERE
KFOR ARRESTS AGIM CEKU'S BROTHER, EKREM LUKA
PEC, Oct. 22 (Beta) - KFOR arrested the brother of Kosovo
Protection Corps Commander Agim Ceku and Ekrem Luka in Pec on
Oct. 22, on suspicion that they are involved in the smuggling of large
quantities of cigarettes, BETA has learned from ethnic Albanian
sources in Pristina. Luka is the owner of Dukadjini, the biggest
private company in Kosovo.
KFOR arrested another two persons, but their identity has not been
disclosed.
According to well informed sources in Kosovo, Ekrem Luka is a close
friend of Alliance for Future of Kosovo leader Ramush Haradinaj and
other former leaders of the officially disbanded Kosovo Liberation
Army in western Kosovo.
UNMIK: CEKU'S BROTHER NOT ARRESTED
PRISTINA, Oct 23 (Beta) - UNMIK spokesperson Andrea Angeli told
BETA on Oct. 23, that none of four persons, apprehended in Pec on
Oct. 22, was the brother of Kosovo Protection Corps Commander
Agim Ceku. Angeli said that the four persons, found to be in
possession of arms, were released in the afternoon on Oct. 22,
following an injunction by the relevant judge. He added that an
investigation into the matter was underway.
BETA has learned from eyewitnesses that the rumor about Ceku's
brother being arrested had spread because during the arrest, one of
the suspects said: "Don't touch me, I am Agim Ceku's brother."
KOSOVO: ITALIANI KFOR SCOPRONO DEPOSITO ARMI E SIGARETTE (2)
(ANSA) - PRISTINA, 22 OTT - Tra i quattro albaneso-kosovari
arrestati questa mattina dalla polizia militare italiana a Peja c'e'
Ekrem Lluka, 47 anni, proprietario della ''compagnia Dukagjini'',
che e' il piu' grosso gruppo imprenditoriale del Kosovo occidentale.
In carcere e' finito pure un fratello del generale Agim Ceku, ex capo
militare dell'Uck e attuale comandante del Tmk, il corpo di
protezione civile del Kosovo. ''Al momento i quattro arrestati
vengono interrogati dalla polizia italiana inquadrata nella missione
delle Nazioni Unite'' ha detto all'Ansa Andrea Angeli, portavoce
dell'Unmik. Tra il materiale sequestrato, ci sono anche
apparecchiature per la produzione di etichette di sigarette false
trovate in una tipografia del gruppo. La polizia militare italiana ha
effettuato una perquisizione anche presso gli studi di Radio
Dukagjini, un'emittente privata che fa capo all'impresa di Lluka. Gli
arresti di oggi rischiano di provocare tensioni a Peja, zona sotto il
controllo dei militari italiani e dove Ekrem Lluka e' particolarmente
influente.(ANSA) BLL 22/10/2002 16:24
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/kosovo/20021022162432362436.html
KOSOVO: RILASCIATI QUATTRO ARRESTATI DA MILITARI ITALIANI
(ANSA) - PRISTINA, 24 OTT - Sono stati rilasciati dopo poche ore
su decisione di un tribunale locale i quattro albanesi-kosovari
arrestati lo scorso 22 ottobre dalla polizia militare del contingente
italiano della Kfor, forza di pace in Kosovo a guida Nato: lo apprende
oggi l'Ansa da fonti informate. Tra gli arrestati c'era Ekrem Lluka,
47 anni, titolare del piu' importante gruppo imprenditoriale del
Kosovo occidentale, e Selman Ceku, 45 anni, in un primo momento
indicato dagli inquirenti come fratello del generale Agim Ceku, ex
capo militare della guerriglia albanese (Uck) e attuale comandante
del Tmk, il corpo di protezione civile del Kosovo. Le stesse fonti
hanno successivamente rettificato, affermando che in realta' l'uomo e'
solo un cugino del generale Ceku. Gli arresti erano avvenuti dopo che
in uno dei depositi di proprieta' di Lluka erano state ritrovate armi
e 270 tonnellate di sigarette che in un primo momento si era
sospettato fossero di contrabbando. (ANSA). 24/10/2002 17:15
http://www.ansa.it/balcani/kosovo/20021024171532365176.html
=== * ===
AGGREDITO AMMINISTRATORE UNMIK A PRIZREN
RADIO JUGOSLAVIA
Prizren Administrator Attacked By Albanians
October 22, 2002
In Prizren, southern Kosmet, six Albanians beat up the deputy
UNMIK administrator, Julian Bilbao, causing numerous injuries.
According to news agencies, special units of the UNMIK police
intervened, and one policeman was slightly injured. All the
perpetrators were arrested and criminal proceedings are to be
instigated against them.
=== * ===
AGGREDITO ANZIANO SERBO A KOSOVO POLJE
+++ SERBE ZUSAMMENGESCHLAGEN
KOSOVO POLJE. Auf dem Bahnhof von Kosovo Polje wurde
am Mittwoch gegen 20 Uhr der 75-jährige Serbe Miodrag Stankovic
zusammengeschlagen. Der alte Mann, wohnhaft in Kosovo Polje,
wurde von zwei ethnisch-albanischen Männern zu Boden geworfen
und anschließend mit Händen und Füßen attackiert. Hierbei wurden
ihm schwere Verletzungen zugefügt. TANJUG/INET-NEWS +++
Balkan-Telegramm, 24.Oktober 2002 - http://www.amselfeld.com
=== * ===
LA KFOR PRIVA GLI STUDENTI SERBI DI PROTEZIONE PER
ANDARE A SCUOLA A MITROVICA
Tanjug - Belgrade
KFOR Escort Canceled For Serbian Students
October 23, 2002
Kosovska Mitrovica, 23 Oct - On Wednesday, KFOR canceled the
escorts for Serbian students from Crkvena Vodica, Obilic, Janjina
Voda, and the villages from central Kosovo. Those students are
attending the schools in Plemetina and Priluzje, so it is unknown how
they will attend the schools in the future, says the head of the
Department of Education in Kosovska Mitrovica, Predrag Stojcetovic.
Stojcetovic pointed out that the parents would not allow the children
to go to school without a KFOR escort, because according to the
parents of Serbian students, their children are not safe on their way
from their homes to the school.
=== * ===
AGGREDITO ANZIANO SERBO A STRPCE
+++ SERBE VON ALBANERN ANGEGRIFFENS
STRPCE. Eine Gruppe bewaffneter ethnischer Albaner haben heute
gegen 15 Uhr den 71-jährigen Serben Bora Serafimovic aus dem
Dorf Pasjane bei Gnjilane angegriffen, während dieser Kühe hütete.
Die Angreifer, aus dem anliegenden Dorf Vlastice, haben den Mann
auf den Boden gestoßen, mehrmals auf den Kopf geschlagen und
anschließend seine Kühe weggeführt. Wegen den schweren
Verletzungen am Kopf wurde Serafimovic in das Krankenhaus von
Vranje verlegt. TANJUG +++
Balkan-Telegramm, 25.Oktober 2002 - http://www.amselfeld.com
=== * ===
REGOLAMENTO DI CONTI POST-ELETTORALE
ALBANISCHE ABRECHNUNGEN IN SUVA REKA
PRIZREN. Der ?Bürgermeister" der Gemeinde Suva Reka, der
Albaner Uka Bitici und zwei seiner Mitarbeiter wurden gestern Abend
aus einem fahrenden Auto heraus von albanischen Terroristen
erschossen. Bitici und seine Mitarbeiter gehörten der Partei des
Albanerführers Rugova an. STIMME KOSOVOS
Balkan-Telegramm, 27.Oktober 2002 - http://www.amselfeld.com
---
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/dp/Qkosovo-vote-shooting.Rlhy_COR.html
Three shot dead by political opponents after Kosovo vote
-Hysa said celebrating members of the LDK -- which is
expected to win Saturday's election -- ran into
supporters of the rival Party of Democratic Kosovo
(PDK), led by former ethnic Albanian rebel Hashim Thaci.
"A young supporter of the PDK drew a gun and shot at
the mayor and two other people accompanying him. All
three have died," Hysa said.
PRISTINA, Yugoslavia, Oct 27 (AFP) - A senior member
in the party of Kosovo's Albanian president, Ibrahim
Rugova, and two other men were shot dead by political
opponents in western Kosovo on Sunday, a day after
local elections there, officials said.
It was the first politically motivated attack during
the election period.
Kosovo's first local election in 2000, overwhelmingly
won by Rugova's League of Democratic Kosovo (LDK), was
marred by political violence between rival ethnic
Albanian groups.
Ylber Hysa, head of the non-governmental Kosovo Action
for Civic Initiatives (KACI) monitoring the election,
identified the dead LDK official as Uke Bytyci.
Bytyci was mayor of Suva Reka, some 60 kilometres (35
miles) west of provincial capital Pristina.
Hysa said celebrating members of the LDK -- which is
expected to win Saturday's election -- ran into
supporters of the rival Party of Democratic Kosovo
(PDK), led by former ethnic Albanian rebel Hashim
Thaci.
"A young supporter of the PDK drew a gun and shot at
the mayor and two other people accompanying him. All
three have died," Hysa said.
Andrea Angeli, spokesman for the United Nation mission
in Kosovo, confirmed the information.
"There is evidence to indicate that it was an ambush,"
he said from Pristina, adding that police were
investigating the incident.
Michael Steiner, the United Nation's top official in
the province, condemned the shooting as "an appalling
act of calculated murder".
"Callous killing is particularly distressing after
yesterday's municipal elections in Kosovo, which were
conducted so smoothly and without a violent incident,"
Steiner said in a statement.
Angeli said Bytyci and two people with him had been
shot and injured by at least one person in the village
of Lesan, some six kilometres south of Suva Reka.
He said UN police were interrogating a suspect held at
Suva Reka police station.
Although the official results of Kosovo's local
election have yet to be announced by the Organisation
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Hysa's
KACI said the LDK had won the vote in most of the
province's 30 municipalities, including Suva Reka.
The Albanian-dominated southern Serbian province of
Kosovo has been under UN and NATO administration since
1999.
=== * ===
VITTORIO SGARBI PRENDE IN GIRO I SERBI DEL KOSOVO:
"BISOGNEREBBE PROTEGGERE I VOSTRI MONUMENTI"
SERBIAN ORTHODOX DIOCESE OF RASKA AND PRIZREN
KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
For immediate release
Info - Service ERP KIM
RENOWNED ITALIAN ACTIVIST FOR PROTECTION OF
CULTURAL HERITAGE SEEKS PROTECTION OF SERBIAN
ORTHODOX MONASTERIES IN KOSOVO
Sgarbi emphasises responsibility of KFOR for protection of Visoki
Decani and Pec Patriarchate
October 27, 2002
Rome - Italian deputy-minister of culture and a member of
Parliament Hon.Vittorio Sgarbi sent a letter to the new KFOR
commander, Italian general Fabio Mini, proposing special protection
of Serb Orthodox religious monuments in Kosovo. "The situation in
Kosovo and the unavoidable reduction of NATO forces in coming
months are cause for grave concern for the future protection of the
heritage of Serbian Orthodox culture and religion, especially of
Visoki Decani Monastery and the Pec Patriarchate, which are of great
significance for art history," wrote Sgarbi. Sgarbi notes in his
letter that many Orthodox religious monuments in Kosovo are already
damaged, and in many cases irreparably destroyed. "I wish to draw
your attention especially to the precarious situation in which two
pearls in northwestern Kosovo, Visoki Decani and the Pec Patriarchate
Monasteries, are found in comparison with well-guarded Gracanica
Monastery," emphasized Sgarbi. He added that the recent attack on
Serb pensioners in Pec clearly demonstrates the length of the path to
reconciliation between the [Serb and Albanian] communities and the
high degree of violence still reigning in Kosovo. Sgarbi expressed his
hope that Decani Monastery and Pec Patriarchate will be equally well
protected in future as they are now under the Italian military
command.
=== * ===
ARMI PER IL KOSOVO E L'ALBANIA VIA MONTENEGRO
Blic, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
October 26, 2002
Weapons for Kosovo and Albania via Podgorica
Large quantities of infantry weapons, ammunition and military
equipment often end up in well-guarded depots in central
Montenegro, not in Middle Eastern countries; from
there, the weapons are then smuggled into Albania and Kosovo
M.B., a businessman in the Podgorica quarter of Zagoric formerly
dealing in military surplus and equipment, purchased a small quanitity
of weapons and military equipment at the beginning of May of this
year for 25,000 dollars. Instead of being loaded onto ships, about
five truckloads of various weapons ended up in central Montenegro,
where they remain in warehouses today. He has already sold some of
the of the weapons and military equipment "without difficulty" to
parties in Albania and Kosovo. According to Blic's source, as a result
of information on smuggling of weapons and military equipment
provided to Western intelligence agencies the Montenegrin State
Security has been engaged in "intensive activity" in recent months.
International forces are presently conducting little more than formal
control of the border between Kosovo and Albania. Smuggling of
arms, narcotics, white slavery and incursions, that is, unhindered
entrance of various armed groups, are taking place without
obstruction. For example, at the Cafa Morina - Tropoja border
crossing there are only two-three policemen on the Albanian side and
two members of KFOR and one member of the Kosovo Protection
Corps on the Kosovo side of the border. Inspection of documents is a
mere formality; vehicles, transporter trucks and other transportation
is not inspected at all. Only a kilometer and a half from this
crossing there is a cobblestone road going from Tropoja to Bajram Curi
to the village of Junik village in Kosovo where there is no inspection
at all.
This is the road most often used for smuggling of drugs, weapons and
military equipment, and white slaves.
Cigarettes are now generally transported from Greece through
Albania to Kosovo and further toward Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
According to our source, intelligence sources are aware that the same
dealers are involved in all these activities.
The situation is similar at a second border crossing at Cafa - Prushit
from the Albanian side on the road toward Djakovica. Inspection on
the Albanian side is carried out by only one policeman in civilian
clothing, while on the Kosovo side no one is controlling the state
border at all.
=== * ===
CONTADINO SERBO AGGREDITO A KOSOVSKA MITROVICA
Ethnic Albanians beat up Serb in central Kosovo-Metohija
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Oct 30 (Tanjug) - A group of unidentified ethnic
Albanians beat up Kosovo Serb Ranko Pajevic of the village of Grace
as he was farming his land on Tuesday afternoon, Tanjug was told on
Wednesday. Pajevic was farming his land in the hamlet of Tomic near
Grace in central Kosovo-Metohija, when a group of ethnic Albanians
attacked and seriously injured him.
Ethnic Albanians also stole Pajevic's tractor and fled. Pajevic early
on Wednesday reported the case to UNMIK's police station in
Priluzje.
This is not the only attack ethnic Albanians carried out against
Serbs from this village. Serbs from Grace have repeatedly reported
cases in which their ethnic Albanian neighbors had forcibly seized
their land, stole their cattle or burnt their yield, to Kosovo's
multinational police. Grace is populated by about 250 Serbs.
=== * ===
CHIESTO IL RILASCIO DI TRE SERBI IN GALERA DA ANNI
CON IMPUTAZIONI ASSURDE
http://www.serbia.sr.gov.yu/news/2002-10/31/326512.html
SERBIAN GOVERNMENT
Bozovic demands three Serbs be released
October 31, 2002
Belgrade, Oct. 30, 2002 - Coordinating Centre for Kosovo-Metohija
official Vladimir Bozovic sent a request to the UN's international
prosecutor for Kosovo-Metohija, Michael Hartmann, for the urgent
release of three imprisoned Serbs.
Bozovic revealed the identities of the three imprisoned Serbs to the
Beta news agency: Orahovac municipality President Anjelko
Kolasinac, who has been imprisoned for more than four years; Veselin
Besovic, from Pec, held in prison without evidence for almost three
years; and Slavoljub Jovic, who was, Bozovic claims, arrested
without proof.
The branch of the international criminal council in the Gnjilane
Municipal Court cleared another Serb, Bozidar Stojanovic, of
allegations of murdering an ethnic Albanian, his lawyer Zivojin
Jokanovic said. Stojanovic was previously sentenced to 16 years in
prison.
Stojanovic spent 38 months in detention. His lawyers managed to get a
new trial and prove his innocence. Hartmann was made aware of this
case of negligence. "We personally called on him and the whole
UNMIK judiciary to release the three Serbs," Bozovic said.
=== * ===
AVVIATE LE ESUMAZIONI DEI CADAVERI SCOPERTI NEL
CIMITERO ORTODOSSO DI PRIZREN - LA STAMPA
OCCIDENTALE *NON* PARLA DI FOSSE COMUNI
SERBIAN ORTHODOX DIOCESE OF RASKA AND PRIZREN
KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
Information Service
Newsletter, Oct 30, 2002
SRNA Serbian News Agency
27 BODIES EXHUMED
PRISTINA, OCTOBER 29 (SRNA) - "Members of the Yugoslav
Government's expert team exhumed the remains of 27 people, most
probably Serbs killed during 1999, at the Orthodox cemetery in
Prizren yesterday and today," Vukasin Otasevic, a team member,
told SRNA this evening. "We will continue with exhumations
tomorrow; we cannot say how many bodies there may be at this time,"
said Otasevic. He added that he expects successful cooperation with
members of UNMIK's expert team, led by the head of the
Office for Missing and Kidnapped Persons, Jose Pablo Baraibar, to
continue. He expressed the hope that Serbian Government's expert
team will complete exhumations at several additional locations by the
end of the year. "Exhumations at the Orthodox cemetery in Prizren
began upon our initiative but are being conducted under the
organization of UNMIK's Office for Missing and Kidnapped
Persons," said Otasevic.
30 BODIES FOUND IN PRIZREN CEMETARY
PRIZREN, Oct 30 (Beta)- Thirty unidentified bodies have been found
during three days of exhumation at the Orthodox Christian cemetery
in Prizren, said Kosovo expert team chief, pathologist Slavisa
Dobricanin.
There are no more unexamined graves in this location, said
Dobricanin, adding that the first results show that the bodies are
Serbian.
Exhumations in several more locations in Kosovo, especially in the
Djakovica municipality, will be carried out by the end of the year.
=== * ===
AGGREDITO SERBO PRESSO GRACE
Radio Yugoslavia
A SERB BEATEN BY ALBANIANS
VUCITRN, October 30
Ranko Pajevic, a Serb from the village of Grace, northern Kosmet, has
been beaten up by a group of unidentified Albanians, Tanjug learns.
The agency reports that while working in the field, Pajevic was
attacked by a group of Albanians and sustained heavy bodily injuries.
http://www.mfa.gov.yu/Pressframe14.htm
ETHNIC ALBANIANS BEAT UP SERB IN CENTRAL
KOSOVO-METOHIJA
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Oct 30 (Tanjug) - A group of
unidentified ethnic Albanians beat up Kosovo Serb
Ranko Pajevic of the village of Grace as he was
farming his land on Tuesday afternoon, Tanjug was told
on Wednesday. Pajevic was farming his land in the
hamlet of Tomic near Grace in central Kosovo-Metohija,
when a group of ethnic Albanians attacked and
seriously injured him.
Ethnic Albanians also stole Pajevic's tractor and
fled. Pajevic early on Wednesday reported the case to
UNMIK's police station in Priluzje. This is not the
only attack ethnic Albanians carried out against Serbs
from this village. Serbs from Grace have repeatedly
reported cases in which their ethnic Albanian
neighbors had forcibly seized their land, stole their
cattle or burnt their yield, to Kosovo's multinational
police. Grace is populated by about 250 Serbs.
=== * ===
ANCHE AD OBILIC LA KFOR ELIMINA LA PROTEZIONE PER
GLI SCOLARI SERBI - IMPEDITA LA FREQUENTAZIONE
DELLE SCUOLE
POLITIKA (Belgrade daily)
KFOR QUITS ESCORTING SCHOOLCHILDREN IN OBILIC
MUNICIPALITY
October 30, 2002
For more than a week schoolchildren of four primary and three
secondary schools have not attended their classes, since KFOR has
suspended escorting them. According to Radmila Premovic, the
principle of the primary school Branko Radicevic, pupils have
not attended the classes for some ten days. The classes have stopped,
as Norwegian KFOR has not escorted primary and secondary
schoolchildren, who commute to their schools for some 10 kilometres
through Albanian populated places. According to the principle, KFOR
as a reason stated that their base has been moved to the village of
Lebane. KFOR recently has also stopped protecting school premises.
Radio Yugoslavia
October 30, 2002
Some 1,200 Serb pupils living in enclaves in central Kosmet have not
been attending school for 10 days now due to the safety situation, the
head of the Education Ministry Department for Kosovska Mitrovica,
Predrag Stojcetovic, said. He said that KFOR had ceased to escort Serb
children from Vucitrn, Obilic, Crkvena Vodica, Babin Most and
Plemetina on their way to school. The head of the MP club of the Serb
POVRATAK coalition, Rada Trajkovic, called on institutions and
organizations in charge of children's rights to react in order that a
solution be found.
ABOUT 1200 SERB STUDENTS MISSING CLASSES IN
KOSOVO AND METOHIJA
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Oct 30 (Tanjug) - About 1200 Serb
students who live in enclaves in central Kosovo and Metohija have
been compelled to miss out on their classes for the past 10 days
because they cannot travel to their schools in safety, Ministry of
Education Kosovska Mitrovica Department chief Predrag Stojcevic
told Tanjug on Wednesday.
Stojcevic said the local international peacekeeping force KFOR
in the UN-administered southern Serbian province had suspended
escorts for Serb children from Vucitrn, Obilic, Crkvene Vodice,
Babin Most, and Plemetina on their way to and from school.
Kosovo-Metohija parliament Serb coalition Return whip
Rada Trajkovic gave a statement to Tanjug, in which she called on
all institutions and organizations in charge of children's rights
to react so that a safe life and regular classes can be secured for
Serb children in Kosovo and Metohija.
=== * ===
ITALIANI ED ALBANESI ARRESTATI A TIRANA IN POSSESSO
DI 18 CHILI DI EROINA
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/
ap/20021101/ap_wo_en_po/albania_drugs_1
Police detain Italians and Albanians with heroin
Fri Nov 1,11:17 AM ET
TIRANA, Albania - Police have cracked an Italian-Albanian drug
ring, arresting several people and seizing eight kilograms (18 pounds)
of heroin, the biggest drug haul in the last three months, an Interior
Ministry official said Friday.
A ministry spokesman, Florian Serjani, said that police detained the
suspects - Albanians and Italians - on Thursday at a hotel in the port
town of Durres, 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of the capital, Tirana.
He would not say how many people were detained and declined to
provide further details.
But an Albanian newspaper, Shekulli, quoted unnamed police in
Durres as saying that police had cracked a mafia network that
transports drugs from Albania to Italy.
Three Italians and six Albanians were detained, the daily reported.
Albania is a transit country for drug trafficking rings that are
active across the Balkans.
=== * ===
A KOSOVSKA MITROVICA LE STRADE VENGONO
RIBATTEZZATE CON I NOMI DELLE FIGURE
DI SPICCO DEL NAZIFASCISMO
Politika, Belgrade
November 1, 2002
SERB STREETS RENAMED AFTER BALISTS*
(Balists, or Balli Combetar, members of a pro-Nazi Albanian
nationalist organization in WW2)
Only John Kennedy and Tetovska Streets unchanged
Kosovska Mitrovica, October 31
Assemblymen of the mono-national municipal assembly of Kosovska
Mitrovica have voted unanimously to change the names of almost 260
streets and publci squares in this city on the Ibar River. Obviously
their only criterion was to replace streets bearing the names of Serbs
and other non-Albanians with the names of dead Albanian
terrorists from the ranks of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army
and notorious Balists during World War II.
The UNMIK administration did nothing to attempt to prevent the
name changes which, it should be added, are written exclusively in
Albanian in the southern, Albanian part of the city. The changing of
street names in Kosovska Mitrovica comes after the Albanians first
renamed all towns in the southern Serbian province, and then all the
street names, even in Serb enclaves where there are no Albanians. For
example, in Kosovska Mitrovica, Pasiceva Street became Milos
Kopilic Street. Karadjordjeva Street received the name of the
notorious Drenica region terrorist Adem Jashari, Duciceva Street now
bears the name Arta (golden), Railroad Street bears the name of
Bislim Bajgora, Hajduk-Stanka Street has been renamed Drenicka
Street, Drvarska Street has become Bujanska Conference Street, while
Kosovo-Maiden Street has now been renamed after the Bitoljski
Congress. Ramiz Sadiku Street has also changed its name and now
bears the name of Xhafer Deva, a notorious Balist who greeted the
fascist forces in Kosovska Mitrovica in World War II. The street
leading from the bus station which is located on the edge of the
southern, Albanian part of the city and leads to Srbica, is now called
Bloody Bridge Street. However, it was not enough for the
assemblymen to rename the streets by giving them names of terrorists
of the so-called KLA and Balists from World War II so they also gave
them names of cities in Albania. Thus some streets are now called
Shkodra, Tirana, Tropoja, Kukes... The only streets which did not
offend and are not nationalistic in tone are John Kennedy
Street and Tetovska Street. As well, it should be noted that the
assemblymen of the mono-national municipal assembly of Kosovska
Mitrovica have neglected to name at least some of the 260 streets in
the city on the Ibar River after well-known scientists, writers or
other
figures of renown in the world or at least in the region.
B. Radomirovic
=== * ===
L'INVIATO SPECIALE ONU JOSE CUTILEIRO RICONOSCE LA
SITUAZIONE INACCETTABILE DAL PUNTO DI VISTA DEI
DIRITTI UMANI IN KOSOVO-METOHIJA
CUTILEIRO DISSATISFIED WITH HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD IN KOSOVO
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Nov 3 (Tanjug) - The special human
rights envoy Jose Cutileiro said on Sunday that the human rights
record in Kosovo and Metohija has not improved.
In terms of improvement of the status of human rights, nothing
has changed since February last year when he visited Kosovo the
last time, Cutileiro told reporters in Kosovska Mitrovica,
following talks with a member of the presidency of Kosovo
parliament Oliver Ivanovic. He said he was particularly dissatisfied
with the fact that the process of return of Serbs to Kosovo and
Metohija was weak and not yet sustainable.
IMPEDITA INIZIATIVA SULLA JUGOSLAVIA AL SFE DI FIRENZE
"Un'altra Europa e' possibile": questo lo slogan del Social Forum
Europeo, che si svolgera' a Firenze dal 6 al 10 novembre 2002. Ma di
quale "altra Europa" si tratta? La domanda acquista un significato
limpido e pressante nel momento in cui la partecipazione al Forum e'
stata negata a dei sindacalisti jugoslavi, quelli della "Zastava" di
Kragujevac, che possono essere considerati "testimonianza vivente" degli
effetti micidiali del neo-liberismo in Europa ed in particolare in quei
paesi europei definiti "in transizione".
La "Zastava" di Kragujevac e' stata bombardata e distrutta da governi
neo-liberisti; la sua produzione e' stata bloccata, gli operai
licenziati o messi in cassa-integrazione, l'intero complesso e' stato
messo in liquidazione da un governo neo-liberista; l'azienda e' stata
recentissimamente inglobata in una ditta statunitense, secondo il piu'
classico modello neo-liberista e nel dettame della "globalizzazione".
Di tutto questo, delle conseguenze di tutto questo per le famiglie dei
lavoratori e per la popolazione tutta, i sindacalisti jugoslavi a
Firenze non potranno parlare; viceversa, tra gli interventi programmati
nei seminari del "Forum" ci e' stata segnalata la presenza di personaggi
di punta per l'affermazione della ideologia neo-liberista in Jugoslavia,
come Sonja Licht-Biserko, rappresentante in Serbia della Fondazione
Soros: propaganda ultra-liberista all'interno del Forum europeo contro
il neo-liberismo.
(I. Slavo)
---
Subject: da Alma - SOCIAL FORUM DI FIRENZE
Date: Sat, 2 Nov 2002 08:26:26 +0100
From: "Rossi Alma" <alma@...>
SOSPESA L'INIZIATIVA CON I SINDACALISTI DELLA ZASTAVA PROGRAMMATA PER IL
7 NOVEMBRE A FIRENZE IN OCCASIONE DEL FORUM SOCIALE EUROPEO.
purtroppo dobbiamo registare l'ennesimo boicottaggio del Social Forum.
L'ambasciata Italiana di belgrado non concede i visti ai delegati della
Zastava ed alla esponente del sindacato metalmeccanici nazionale
Jugoslavo.
I visti erano stati richiesti 15 giorni fa dalla Cgil di Brescia con
preghiera di sollecito per garantire la presenza dei rappresentanti
sindacali della Jugoslavia di partecipare ad un ciclo di iniziative che
si sarebbero svolte in Italia dal 4 al 12 di Novembre.
Una procedura identica a quella utilizzata in tante altre occasioni, con
addirittura un maggiore anticipo (in altre occasioni la richiesta,
successivamente accolta, era stata anche di 5-6 giorni).
L'Ambasciata Italiana a Belgrado, nonostante a conoscenza che la
richiesta di visto riguardava il periodo dal 4 al 12 di novembre,
comunica ai sindacalisti Jugoslavi di presentarsi all'ambasciata
il giorno 7 novembre.
Non già per concedere loro il visto ma per essere sottoposti ad un
colloquio dal quale poi sarebbe dipesa la decisione di rilasciare o
meno il visto, comunque non prima del 12 novembre.
Una atteggiamento chiaramente provocatorio. L'ambasciata sapeva bene
che la richiesta di visto, motivata, riguardava un periodo precedente, e
che la richiesta era fatta appositamente per permettere ai sindacalisti
Jugoslavi di essere presenti ad un ciclo di iniziative già programmato.
Nonostante questo si è operato esplicitamente per non permettere che
ciò evvenisse.
Pretestuosi anche gli argomenti utilizzati per giustificare questa
stravagante procedura.
Dall'ufficio visti, sollecitato successivamente, oltre che da noi, anche
da interventi di parlamentari di Rifondazione e dal compagno Vinci
deputato europeo, ci è stato risposto che l'appuntamento per il
giorno 7 è stato programmato per evitare a chi doveva presentarsi
per ottenere il visto, lunghe ed estenuanti code.
Ma perchè, visto che la richiesta era che la delegazione Jugoslava fosse
in Italia il giorno 4, l'appuntamento è stato convocato per il 7 con la
promessa che il visto sarebbe stato loro concesso il 12 ??.
E perchè l'Ambasciata non ha ritenuto necessario avvisare di ciò il
richiedente (cioè la Cgil di Brescia)???
Tra le motivazioni di questa lungaggine ci è stata segnalata
dall'ambasciata di Belgrado la necessità di tenere sotto controllo un
fenomeno di emigrazione ormai sempre più elevato (non gli è neppure
venuto il dubbio che ciò è causato proprio dai bombardamenti
effettuati sulla serbia, ed ora che fanno .. si stupiscono che la gente
cerchi di scappare dalla miseria che gli
occidentali hanno coscentemente prodotto in quel paese), trattando
quindi la delegazione sindacale Jugoslava al pari di "Clandestini" che
cercavano di scappare nel ricco occidente.
Altra motivazione era quella di contrastare il diffondersi dei "falsi
visti".... (sic). Ma se il visto viene chiesto all'ambasciata ... ??? è
falso anche quello ???.
Ci dicono che uguale atteggiamento è stato tenuto da altre ambasciate.
Una conferma in più di come in tanti stiano operando per il
boicottaggio del Social Forum Europeo.
Non si potrà quindi tenere la prevista conferenza sulle condizioni della
classe operaia in Jugoslavia convocata per il 7 novembre. Ce ne
rammarichiamo, sopratutto perchè questa sospensione è "subita" ed è la
conseguenza dell'arroganza di una amministrazione Consolare tutta
piegata, non già ad assistere gli interessi e le iniziative dei
cittadini
Italiani (in questo caso la possibilità di avare in Italia una
delegazione
per partecipare ad iniziative sindacali pubbliche), e perchè viene
meno la possibilità di un utilissimo confronto con rappresentanti di
una realtà oggi in lotta per la difesa dei diritti e contro l'invasività
di una agressione economica (dopo quella militare) iperliberista che
sta distruggendo ogni tutela del lavoro e del salario, ogni dignità,
con l'obiettivo di asservire alle leggi nel nuovo mercato globalizzato
un'intero territorio e la sua forza lavoro.
Alma Rossi - email - alma@...
indirizzo internet del Coordinamento RSU - http://www.ecn.org/coord.rsu/
"Un'altra Europa e' possibile": questo lo slogan del Social Forum
Europeo, che si svolgera' a Firenze dal 6 al 10 novembre 2002. Ma di
quale "altra Europa" si tratta? La domanda acquista un significato
limpido e pressante nel momento in cui la partecipazione al Forum e'
stata negata a dei sindacalisti jugoslavi, quelli della "Zastava" di
Kragujevac, che possono essere considerati "testimonianza vivente" degli
effetti micidiali del neo-liberismo in Europa ed in particolare in quei
paesi europei definiti "in transizione".
La "Zastava" di Kragujevac e' stata bombardata e distrutta da governi
neo-liberisti; la sua produzione e' stata bloccata, gli operai
licenziati o messi in cassa-integrazione, l'intero complesso e' stato
messo in liquidazione da un governo neo-liberista; l'azienda e' stata
recentissimamente inglobata in una ditta statunitense, secondo il piu'
classico modello neo-liberista e nel dettame della "globalizzazione".
Di tutto questo, delle conseguenze di tutto questo per le famiglie dei
lavoratori e per la popolazione tutta, i sindacalisti jugoslavi a
Firenze non potranno parlare; viceversa, tra gli interventi programmati
nei seminari del "Forum" ci e' stata segnalata la presenza di personaggi
di punta per l'affermazione della ideologia neo-liberista in Jugoslavia,
come Sonja Licht-Biserko, rappresentante in Serbia della Fondazione
Soros: propaganda ultra-liberista all'interno del Forum europeo contro
il neo-liberismo.
(I. Slavo)
---
Subject: da Alma - SOCIAL FORUM DI FIRENZE
Date: Sat, 2 Nov 2002 08:26:26 +0100
From: "Rossi Alma" <alma@...>
SOSPESA L'INIZIATIVA CON I SINDACALISTI DELLA ZASTAVA PROGRAMMATA PER IL
7 NOVEMBRE A FIRENZE IN OCCASIONE DEL FORUM SOCIALE EUROPEO.
purtroppo dobbiamo registare l'ennesimo boicottaggio del Social Forum.
L'ambasciata Italiana di belgrado non concede i visti ai delegati della
Zastava ed alla esponente del sindacato metalmeccanici nazionale
Jugoslavo.
I visti erano stati richiesti 15 giorni fa dalla Cgil di Brescia con
preghiera di sollecito per garantire la presenza dei rappresentanti
sindacali della Jugoslavia di partecipare ad un ciclo di iniziative che
si sarebbero svolte in Italia dal 4 al 12 di Novembre.
Una procedura identica a quella utilizzata in tante altre occasioni, con
addirittura un maggiore anticipo (in altre occasioni la richiesta,
successivamente accolta, era stata anche di 5-6 giorni).
L'Ambasciata Italiana a Belgrado, nonostante a conoscenza che la
richiesta di visto riguardava il periodo dal 4 al 12 di novembre,
comunica ai sindacalisti Jugoslavi di presentarsi all'ambasciata
il giorno 7 novembre.
Non già per concedere loro il visto ma per essere sottoposti ad un
colloquio dal quale poi sarebbe dipesa la decisione di rilasciare o
meno il visto, comunque non prima del 12 novembre.
Una atteggiamento chiaramente provocatorio. L'ambasciata sapeva bene
che la richiesta di visto, motivata, riguardava un periodo precedente, e
che la richiesta era fatta appositamente per permettere ai sindacalisti
Jugoslavi di essere presenti ad un ciclo di iniziative già programmato.
Nonostante questo si è operato esplicitamente per non permettere che
ciò evvenisse.
Pretestuosi anche gli argomenti utilizzati per giustificare questa
stravagante procedura.
Dall'ufficio visti, sollecitato successivamente, oltre che da noi, anche
da interventi di parlamentari di Rifondazione e dal compagno Vinci
deputato europeo, ci è stato risposto che l'appuntamento per il
giorno 7 è stato programmato per evitare a chi doveva presentarsi
per ottenere il visto, lunghe ed estenuanti code.
Ma perchè, visto che la richiesta era che la delegazione Jugoslava fosse
in Italia il giorno 4, l'appuntamento è stato convocato per il 7 con la
promessa che il visto sarebbe stato loro concesso il 12 ??.
E perchè l'Ambasciata non ha ritenuto necessario avvisare di ciò il
richiedente (cioè la Cgil di Brescia)???
Tra le motivazioni di questa lungaggine ci è stata segnalata
dall'ambasciata di Belgrado la necessità di tenere sotto controllo un
fenomeno di emigrazione ormai sempre più elevato (non gli è neppure
venuto il dubbio che ciò è causato proprio dai bombardamenti
effettuati sulla serbia, ed ora che fanno .. si stupiscono che la gente
cerchi di scappare dalla miseria che gli
occidentali hanno coscentemente prodotto in quel paese), trattando
quindi la delegazione sindacale Jugoslava al pari di "Clandestini" che
cercavano di scappare nel ricco occidente.
Altra motivazione era quella di contrastare il diffondersi dei "falsi
visti".... (sic). Ma se il visto viene chiesto all'ambasciata ... ??? è
falso anche quello ???.
Ci dicono che uguale atteggiamento è stato tenuto da altre ambasciate.
Una conferma in più di come in tanti stiano operando per il
boicottaggio del Social Forum Europeo.
Non si potrà quindi tenere la prevista conferenza sulle condizioni della
classe operaia in Jugoslavia convocata per il 7 novembre. Ce ne
rammarichiamo, sopratutto perchè questa sospensione è "subita" ed è la
conseguenza dell'arroganza di una amministrazione Consolare tutta
piegata, non già ad assistere gli interessi e le iniziative dei
cittadini
Italiani (in questo caso la possibilità di avare in Italia una
delegazione
per partecipare ad iniziative sindacali pubbliche), e perchè viene
meno la possibilità di un utilissimo confronto con rappresentanti di
una realtà oggi in lotta per la difesa dei diritti e contro l'invasività
di una agressione economica (dopo quella militare) iperliberista che
sta distruggendo ogni tutela del lavoro e del salario, ogni dignità,
con l'obiettivo di asservire alle leggi nel nuovo mercato globalizzato
un'intero territorio e la sua forza lavoro.
Alma Rossi - email - alma@...
indirizzo internet del Coordinamento RSU - http://www.ecn.org/coord.rsu/
Questo testo in formato HTML:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/files/vola_16_11.html
Questo testo in formato WORD (volantino):
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/files/vola_16_11.doc
--- CONVEGNO ---
Coordinamento Nazionale per la Jugoslavia
Italijanska Koordinacija za Jugoslaviju
Trieste 16 novembre 2002 ore 10.30
(Trattoria sociale di Contovello-Trieste, Contovello 152)
Convegno
Sulle macerie del Muro di Berlino parlavano di pace e di progresso.
In tutti questi anni abbiamo visto invece solamente un crescendo di
guerre e di miserie: dall'Iraq all'Afghanistan alla Palestina, per
ritornare di nuovo all'Iraq
... PASSANDO SEMPRE PER LA JUGOSLAVIA...
In Jugoslavia, al centro dell'Europa, l'aggressione e' stata
inininterrotta e la spoliazione procede oggi a gonfie vele. Quale e'
la vera situazione economica e sociale sul terreno, al di la' della
disinformazione o dell'omerta' dei mass-media? Come far procedere le
tante iniziative di solidarieta' verso la popolazione bombardata?
Interventi programmati:
* Igor Canciani (PRC Trieste): Introduzione al convegno
* Andrea Catone (CNJ / Most za Beograd, Bari): "Imperialismo e
guerre: l'aggressione alla RFJ"
* Gordana Pavlovic (Ass. Decja Istina, Belgrado): "La situazione
sociale nella RFJ due anni dopo il 5-10-2000"
* Vladimir Kapuralin (Partito Socialista Operaio, Pola): "La
situazione economica e sociale nelle repubbliche ex-jugoslave oggi. Il
caso croato"
* Lino Anelli (CGIL Lombardia): "Il caso Zastava"
* Fabio Sebastiani (Liberazione, Roma): "Le iniziative di
solidarieta'"
* Renato Kneipp (CGIL Trieste): "L'immigrazione jugoslava a Trieste"
* Ivan Pavicevac (CNJ / "Voce Jugoslava" su Radio Citta' Aperta,
Roma): "La disinformazione di guerra: il caso jugoslavo"
Presiede: Gilberto Vlaic (CNJ / ZASTAVA Trieste)
Organizzano:
Coordinamento Nazionale per Jugoslavia, Gruppo ZASTAVA Trieste
Partecipa:
PRC - Federazione di Trieste
L'iniziativa durera' tutta la giornata.
C'e' la possibilita' di pranzare in loco a prezzi modici (si prega di
prenotare al numero: 040-225168)
Per ulteriori informazioni:
338-9116688 - 339-6587490 - <jugocoord@l...>
Coordinamento Nazionale per la Jugoslavia - https://www.cnj.it/
Gruppo ZASTAVA Trieste - http://digilander.libero.it/zastavatrieste/
--- INFORMAZIONI LOGISTICHE ---
Coordinamento Nazionale per la Jugoslavia
Italijanska Koordinacija za Jugoslaviju
Trieste 16 novembre 2002 ore 10.30
(Trattoria sociale di Contovello-Trieste, Contovello 152)
Convegno: "... PASSANDO SEMPRE PER LA JUGOSLAVIA..."
INFORMAZIONI LOGISTICHE
Per chi arriva in macchina:
Dall'autostrada, passato il casello di Monfalcone, si percorrono altri
6-7 Km circa di superstrada verso Trieste. Si esce allo svincolo di
Sgonico.
Prendere a sinistra in direzione Trieste; dopo un chilometro circa si
entra a Prosecco; in centro paese girare a destra per Trieste e dopo
500 metri si e' a Contovello, di fronte alla Trattoria Sociale /
Drustvena Gostilna di Contovello / Kontovel. Chiunque sia del posto sa
indicarla.
Per chi viene da Fernetti: uscire a Prosecco e seguire le indicazioni
Prosecco/Contovello, poi come sopra.
Per chi arriva in treno:
Gli autobus urbani per arrivare a Contovello sono il 42 e il 44 con
capolinea in piazza Oberdan, a circa 300 metri dalla stazione
ferroviaria. Il tragitto dura circa 15 minuti. Chiedere all'autista di
scendere alla Trattoria Sociale di Contovello.
Partenze autobus n. 42 da Piazza Oberdan:
8.25 8.40 9.05 9.50 10.30 11.10 11.50
Partenze autobus n. 44 da Piazza Oberdan:
8.45 9.25 10.05 10.45 11.25
Per chi dovesse pernottare:
Di seguito riportiamo la lista delle pensioni economiche con qualche
disponibilita' di posti per la notte del 15 e/o per la notte del 16;
chi dovesse prenotare deve farlo con urgenza. Le pensioni sono tutte
vicinissime alla stazione e a Piazza Oberdan.
Nuovo Albergo Centro
Via Roma 11, tel. 040-3478790
(solo camere doppie: 42 euro senza bagno, 62 con bagno)
Rittmeyer
Via de Rittmeyer 2, tel. 040-762233
(24 euro singola senza bagno, 40 doppia senza bagno, 55 doppia con
bagno)
Affittacamere
Via Roma 13, tel. 040-636249
(26 euro singola senza bagno, 40 doppia senza bagno)
C'e' poi l'Ostello della Gioventu', a circa mezzora di autobus dalla
Stazione Centrale. Attenzione! L'Ostello chiude alle 23:30, l'ultimo
autobus che lo collega alla citta' termina il servizio attorno alle
21:00.
Ostello Tergeste
Viale Miramare 331, tel. 040-567722.
Costo 12 euro + 5.5 euro (tessera)
---
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/files/vola_16_11.html
Questo testo in formato WORD (volantino):
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/files/vola_16_11.doc
--- CONVEGNO ---
Coordinamento Nazionale per la Jugoslavia
Italijanska Koordinacija za Jugoslaviju
Trieste 16 novembre 2002 ore 10.30
(Trattoria sociale di Contovello-Trieste, Contovello 152)
Convegno
Sulle macerie del Muro di Berlino parlavano di pace e di progresso.
In tutti questi anni abbiamo visto invece solamente un crescendo di
guerre e di miserie: dall'Iraq all'Afghanistan alla Palestina, per
ritornare di nuovo all'Iraq
... PASSANDO SEMPRE PER LA JUGOSLAVIA...
In Jugoslavia, al centro dell'Europa, l'aggressione e' stata
inininterrotta e la spoliazione procede oggi a gonfie vele. Quale e'
la vera situazione economica e sociale sul terreno, al di la' della
disinformazione o dell'omerta' dei mass-media? Come far procedere le
tante iniziative di solidarieta' verso la popolazione bombardata?
Interventi programmati:
* Igor Canciani (PRC Trieste): Introduzione al convegno
* Andrea Catone (CNJ / Most za Beograd, Bari): "Imperialismo e
guerre: l'aggressione alla RFJ"
* Gordana Pavlovic (Ass. Decja Istina, Belgrado): "La situazione
sociale nella RFJ due anni dopo il 5-10-2000"
* Vladimir Kapuralin (Partito Socialista Operaio, Pola): "La
situazione economica e sociale nelle repubbliche ex-jugoslave oggi. Il
caso croato"
* Lino Anelli (CGIL Lombardia): "Il caso Zastava"
* Fabio Sebastiani (Liberazione, Roma): "Le iniziative di
solidarieta'"
* Renato Kneipp (CGIL Trieste): "L'immigrazione jugoslava a Trieste"
* Ivan Pavicevac (CNJ / "Voce Jugoslava" su Radio Citta' Aperta,
Roma): "La disinformazione di guerra: il caso jugoslavo"
Presiede: Gilberto Vlaic (CNJ / ZASTAVA Trieste)
Organizzano:
Coordinamento Nazionale per Jugoslavia, Gruppo ZASTAVA Trieste
Partecipa:
PRC - Federazione di Trieste
L'iniziativa durera' tutta la giornata.
C'e' la possibilita' di pranzare in loco a prezzi modici (si prega di
prenotare al numero: 040-225168)
Per ulteriori informazioni:
338-9116688 - 339-6587490 - <jugocoord@l...>
Coordinamento Nazionale per la Jugoslavia - https://www.cnj.it/
Gruppo ZASTAVA Trieste - http://digilander.libero.it/zastavatrieste/
--- INFORMAZIONI LOGISTICHE ---
Coordinamento Nazionale per la Jugoslavia
Italijanska Koordinacija za Jugoslaviju
Trieste 16 novembre 2002 ore 10.30
(Trattoria sociale di Contovello-Trieste, Contovello 152)
Convegno: "... PASSANDO SEMPRE PER LA JUGOSLAVIA..."
INFORMAZIONI LOGISTICHE
Per chi arriva in macchina:
Dall'autostrada, passato il casello di Monfalcone, si percorrono altri
6-7 Km circa di superstrada verso Trieste. Si esce allo svincolo di
Sgonico.
Prendere a sinistra in direzione Trieste; dopo un chilometro circa si
entra a Prosecco; in centro paese girare a destra per Trieste e dopo
500 metri si e' a Contovello, di fronte alla Trattoria Sociale /
Drustvena Gostilna di Contovello / Kontovel. Chiunque sia del posto sa
indicarla.
Per chi viene da Fernetti: uscire a Prosecco e seguire le indicazioni
Prosecco/Contovello, poi come sopra.
Per chi arriva in treno:
Gli autobus urbani per arrivare a Contovello sono il 42 e il 44 con
capolinea in piazza Oberdan, a circa 300 metri dalla stazione
ferroviaria. Il tragitto dura circa 15 minuti. Chiedere all'autista di
scendere alla Trattoria Sociale di Contovello.
Partenze autobus n. 42 da Piazza Oberdan:
8.25 8.40 9.05 9.50 10.30 11.10 11.50
Partenze autobus n. 44 da Piazza Oberdan:
8.45 9.25 10.05 10.45 11.25
Per chi dovesse pernottare:
Di seguito riportiamo la lista delle pensioni economiche con qualche
disponibilita' di posti per la notte del 15 e/o per la notte del 16;
chi dovesse prenotare deve farlo con urgenza. Le pensioni sono tutte
vicinissime alla stazione e a Piazza Oberdan.
Nuovo Albergo Centro
Via Roma 11, tel. 040-3478790
(solo camere doppie: 42 euro senza bagno, 62 con bagno)
Rittmeyer
Via de Rittmeyer 2, tel. 040-762233
(24 euro singola senza bagno, 40 doppia senza bagno, 55 doppia con
bagno)
Affittacamere
Via Roma 13, tel. 040-636249
(26 euro singola senza bagno, 40 doppia senza bagno)
C'e' poi l'Ostello della Gioventu', a circa mezzora di autobus dalla
Stazione Centrale. Attenzione! L'Ostello chiude alle 23:30, l'ultimo
autobus che lo collega alla citta' termina il servizio attorno alle
21:00.
Ostello Tergeste
Viale Miramare 331, tel. 040-567722.
Costo 12 euro + 5.5 euro (tessera)
---
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