L'ANOMALIA DI MITROVICA, ULTIMA CITTA'
"MULTIETNICA" DEL "KOSSOVA"
Giriamo in lista un nuovo contributo apparso sul sito "Emperors
Clothes", che da molti mesi ormai riporta le analisi piu' brillanti e
significative sulla situazione in Jugoslavia e sulla disinformazione a
riguardo vigente nei paesi occidentali.
Nel contributo - che purtroppo e' ancora una volta in lingua inglese:
non riusciamo a tradurre tutto il materiale che accumuliamo, ma se
qualcuno fosse disponibile ad aiutarci ce lo faccia sapere - si spiegano
le ragioni della continua tensione e degli scontri nella citta' di
Mitrovica, a pochi chilometri dalla zona mineraria piu' ricca della RF
di Jugoslavia. Dopo una serie di innumerevoli attentati, comprese bombe
sulle linee ferroviarie e missili sparati contro gli autobus, da qualche
giorno si verificano persino sparatorie tra irredentisti albanesi da una
parte e soldati delle truppe occupanti (essenzialmente francesi, e non
per caso) dall'altra. Che questi episodi continuino, ccme gli attentati
e le violenze a danno della popolazione ortodossa in tutta la provincia,
ed anzi aumentino in presenza della KFOR (cioe' della NATO) appare
strano agli ingenui... Meno strano e' per chi conosce i rapporti
strutturali tra dirigenza UCK (oggi "Corpo di Protezione del Kosovo") e
strutture militari della NATO (specialmente i servizi segreti USA,
tedeschi e britannici), dei quali abbiamo avuto tante volte occasione di
parlare.
L'anomalia di Mitrovica consiste nell'esistenza di un settore
settentrionale, dove insieme alla popolazione serba vivono altre
nazionalita' ed anche tanti albanesi che non hanno mai avuto problemi
con i vicini di casa... Oggi questi ultimi sono bersaglio dell'UCK
insieme ai serbi. Accrescere la tensione serve da una parte a spingere
questa popolazione non secessionista ad andarsene, dall'altra a
giustificare la presenza continua, e magari in forze sempre maggiori,
delle truppe KFOR.
Questa situazione e' trattata spesso in maniera insufficiente sui media,
talvolta i fatti vengono semplicemente capovolti. Ci capita di ascoltare
o di leggere che "gli albanesi del settore nord di Mitrovica hanno
paura" perche' "sono soggetti a minacce e violenze" e "chiedono aiuto".
Naturalmente, la aggressione di UCK e NATO contro la Repubblica Federale
di Jugoslavia, che ha avuto il suo culmine con i bombardamenti della
scorsa primavera, ha determinato ulteriori difficolta' nella convivenza
tra nazionalita' diverse, ed episodi di violenza o ritorsione avvengono
in entrambi i campi; tuttavia, solo un esercizio di estrema malafede
consente di equiparare quello che sta succedendo ormai da giugno 1999
(il repulisti della provincia da parte degli alleati UCK e KFOR a danno
di tutta la popolazione jugoslavista, non solo serba) con pochi episodi
di segno opposto, a danno di albanesi. Comunque, ormai anche i sassi di
Campo dei Merli hanno capito che la menzogna e' uno strumento di guerra,
e che fino alla ulteriore frantumazione della Repubblica Federale di
Jugoslavia, la guerra non sara' finita. CRJ
---
WHY IS THE KLA SHOOTING AT KFOR?
by Nebojsa Malic, Max Sinclair and Jared Israel (2-17-00)
www.tenc.net [emperors-clothes]
What is happening in Mitrovica?
Last weekend the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) launched coordinated
attacks on
KFOR troops in this northern Kosovo town.
You remember the KLA. According to KFOR (NATO in Kosovo) it has ceased
to
exist. KFOR and the UN bureaucrats achieved this miracle by allowing the
KLA
thugs to be Kosovo's police force and government. New title, new uniform
and
voila! - new man.
The regulation targets for KLA snipers have been Serbs, Roma ("Gypsies")
Gorani (Slavic Muslims) Turks, non-KLA Albanians and Jews. But last
weekend
the snipers were shooting at NATO. Why? The KLA and other secessionists
have
been NATO's protégés and wards since the late 1980s. Do they shoot their
Masters?
At first glance, the shooting appears to have unhinged the leaders of
the
NATO establishment. Or perhaps not. Perhaps these gentlemen have simply
chosen to lie.
AN ISLAND OF MULTIETHNIC LIFE
Under NATO occupation, most potential opponents of the KLA have been
driven
from Kosovo. But in northern Mitrovica, thousands remain in their
ancestral
homes. Reinforced by a flood of anti-KLA refugees from elsewhere in
Kosovo,
the forces of the old Kosovo, that is of normal, multiethnic life, have
been
holding their own.
The KLA has no will to fight when people defend themselves. Hence they
have
chosen to avoid a frontal assault on northern Mitrovica. Instead, last
weekend, KLA operatives staged a provocation. They shot at French KFOR
troops
from positions on the non-KLA (that is, northern) side of the Ibar
River, as
if to make it appear that the shooting was the work of Serbs. The KLA
propaganda machine then kicked in with claims that hundreds of Albanians
had
been "ethnically cleansed" from the north.
Based on public statements by KLA leader Hacim Thaqi, the attacks were
not
the work of some rogue faction; Thaqi, who is closely allied with the
U.S.
military machine, warned that if the secessionists didn't get what they
wanted, more and worse attacks would follow.
The KLA is shooting at KFOR? As if that weren't unusual enough, KFOR
shot
back, killing one KLA sniper. Almost fifty more KLA types were arrested.
KFOR
troops fired warning shots to stop KLA supporters from crossing the
Ibar.
Meanwhile the UN actually contradicted and discredited the "ethnic
Albanian
[read: KLA] human rights center" by saying that not one ethnic Albanian
had
registered as expelled from northern Mitrovica last week.
What is going on?
THE NEW MATH: ONE PLUS ZERO EQUALS...2
Commenting on last weekend's firefight, State Department spokesman James
Rubin blamed "both ethnic Albanians and Serbs for incidents in the
city."
[AP, U.S. Condemns Violence in Kosovo, February 14]
Rubin admitted that the snipers were Albanian (read: KLA) yet he
concluded
that: "It should be very clear that the confrontation is coming from
both
sides." In a dazzling display of Slobophobia, Rubin added:
"We need to impress upon the parties their responsibility to deal with
the
hatreds and animosities that have been built up" and stoked by Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade.
"When things go bad, he feels like he had a good day," said Rubin. [AP,
2/14/00]
So according to the State Department, when Albanian secessionists shoot
at
KFOR the blame lies with Milosevich. Hmmm. Is this like original sin?
{James Rubin recently announced his resignation. Hopefully soon.}
Rubin was not the only American who presented the situation in Mitrovica
in a
totally illogical fashion, whether intentionally or due to some
unfortunate
disability. In Tuesday’s New York Times, he was joined by Carlotta Gall,
a
reporter with years of experience portraying the KLA snakes in a
flattering
light.
In her article "Kosovo Peacekeepers Warn That Extremists ‘Want Peace to
Fail’", NY Times, Feb. 15, 2000, Gall blamed faceless "extremists" for
the
fighting. Given the Times' constant attacks on Serbs, readers would find
it
easy to deduce whom Gall means. She cited the fears of senior UN and
KFOR
officials that "ethnic relations will be poisoned permanently."
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"General de Saqui de Sannes, [French commanding officer] who has blamed
the
violence on both sides, said individuals were instigating attacks
purposely
to escalate the violence and to destroy the last multiethnic town in
Kosovo
where Serbs and Albanians are still living side by side, if uneasily.
'"There are extremists who want the peace to fail,' he said in an
interview
at his headquarters. While the violence consists of 'isolated acts,' he
said,
the strategy is to escalate tensions and intolerance. 'I am worried that
we
may be in the process of an escalation of intolerance,' he said.
'"Some Albanians have wanted to push the Serbs in northern Mitrovica and
beyond out of Kosovo, and some Serbs have wanted to do the opposite—to
push
the Albanians remaining among them south of the Ibar river, which
divides
Mitrovica, in order to create a pure Serbian area in northern Kosovo,'
he
said. 'The people are hostages to this,' he said." (NY Times, Feb. 15,
2000)
(END OF EXCERPT)
Has Gen. de Sannes been on another planet? Back on Planet Earth, it's
too
late for "an escalation of intolerance": approximately 350,000
non-Albanians
and anti-KLA Albanians have already been forced out of Kosovo by KLA
terror.
Were all these people victims of "isolated" incidents? And how does
Albanians
firing on KFOR constitute Serbs trying to create an ethnically pure
zone? And
if they are trying to create such a zone, how come the UN says no
Albanian -
not one - has been forced out of the Northern side of town?
And what does "ethnic relations" have to do with KLA snipers shooting at
KFOR
anyway?
This is all rather dizzying.
Is the man deranged? Or is there method in his madness?
NEVER GIVE A SERB AN EVEN BREAK
Mitrovica is the last multiethnic town in Kosovo for two reasons: the
Serbs
and other anti-secessionists have fought eviction and the French troops
have
actually held the KLA in check. This as opposed to what's happened in
areas
under US, British and Dutch control. For example, British troops marched
into
Pristina alongside the KLA and oversaw the eviction of literally
thousands of
non-secessionist residents. (See Note 1). Similarly, Dutch troops have
given
the KLA free reign to terrorize and control Orahovac. (Note 2)
Clearly, if the Serbs and their allies would just leave Mitrovica, peace
would follow: no Serbs = no ethnic violence. Are Serbs then to blame
because
their very existence frustrates and provokes a faction of Albanians
beyond
endurance?
Along these lines, UN high official Mr. Marcone noted that although
Monday
was a "bad day for the Albanians," some Serbs will soon be arrested as
well.
For what? Since KFOR admits the violence derives entirely from the KLA
side,
is the unnamed crime for which the Serbs are to be punished existential:
"One
is a Serb; one exists; therefore, one is bad"?
Through the fog of misleading writing that is Ms. Gall's hallmark, some
light
filters. Consider the following:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"…Thousands flocked today to the burial of the one man killed by French
troops during the fighting Sunday.
"Avni Haradinaj, 35, a former guerrilla fighter of the Kosovo Liberation
Army
and a local hero, was buried with full honors by his former comrades in
arms.
His coffin, draped in the red Albanian flag, was carried up the hill to
the
edge of a wood outside the city, through a crowd of some 3,000 mourners.
"The Albanian mayor of Mitrovica, Bajram Rexhepi, who said he had been a
good
friend of the dead man, said Mr. Haradinaj was unarmed when he was shot
by
French soldiers and was in Mitrovica visiting his sisters. "There were
four
people with him and they explained that he had no weapon at the moment
he was
killed," he said.
"General de Saqui de Sannes insisted that Mr. Haradinaj was armed and
was
shooting at the soldiers when he was shot.
"The general tried to reassure the Albanians of French neutrality. 'If
we
were shot at by Albanians, it is difficult to arrest Serbs,' he said."
(ibid.) (END OF EXCERPT)
The French General is apologetic: he wishes to arrest Serbs, alas they
aren't
doing the shooting. Then why the apology?
WHY WOULD A FRENCH GENERAL APOLOGIZE TO TERRORISTS WHO ARE TRYING TO
KILL HIS
TROOPS?
Therein lies the question. In this world it is customary for people to
kiss
up to those more powerful than they. But why is this General currying
favor
with...the KLA, an organization which never won a battle against the
Yugoslav
Army, an organization which is only good at terrorizing old people,
shooting
farmers from the woods, ransacking apartment buildings and driving out
school
teachers and electrical engineers?
Perhaps the General isn't really bowing before the KLA. But if he isn't
really bowing before the KLA, then before whom is he bowing?
Let's assemble some facts, and let's think it over.
1) Last weekend's fighting was clearly an organized KLA operation. While
snipers shot at KFOR their compatriots tried to cross the Ibar River.
Forty-five Albanians were arrested, all men of fighting age. The KLA
sniper
whom the French troops shot was A. Haradinaj, age 35. Was he one of
Ramush
Haradinaj's five brothers? Ramush Haradinaj is a deputy of KLA boss
Hacim
Thaqi in the Kosovo Peace Corps, set up by…KFOR.
2) On Tuesday, Feb. 15, French KFOR troops found an ambulance abandoned
near
a checkpoint in south Mitrovica, i.e. the KLA side of the Ibar. In it
was a
huge stash of deadly weapons.
"Among the stash were 14 anti-tank rocket launchers, more than 180
high-explosive grenades, and more than 3,000 cartridges for guns,"
(Bergen
County Record, Feb. 16, 2000, from various wire services)
The ambulance had been donated by an Italian aid organization
(Cooperazione e
Sviluppo) to a KLA-controlled town.
3) In a rather surprising move, none less then Gen. Henry H. Shelton,
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made a statement about the
ambulance.
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"[Gen. Shelton] said today in Washington that the incident underscored
the
difficulty faced by the NATO-led Kosovo peacekeeping force in stopping
arms
from entering the province illegally.
"Getting weapons in (illegally) is no hard task," Shelton said. "You've
got a
fairly porous border. You've got everything from backpacks to mules that
can
bring in weapons, but you've got Lord knows how many thousands of
weapons
that may have been cached in the local area as (the Serbs) pulled out of
there." (AP Online Feb. 15, 2000) (END OF EXCERPT)
Is General Shelton suffering from some malfunction? First of all, the
administrative border between the Province of Kosovo (legally part of
Serbia)
and inner Serbia is quite well policed by Yugoslav troops. The truly
porous
border is between Kosovo and KLA-infested northern Albania; that border
is
porous precisely because Yugoslav border guards were forced to depart
under
the June peace agreement. So why is Shelton, who is responsible for the
absence of border guards, going on about Serbian weapons?
Indeed, why is he talking about borders and arms caches at all? A KLA
ambulance full of tactical weapons just got seized on its way to arm KLA
forces attacking French troops who are being shot by the KLA. The KLA
are
American proxies. Shouldn't Shelton use this opportunity to say to his
proxies: "We backed you up until now but if you pick on the French
troops and
try to destroy a multiethnic community, you're through!"? He does not.
Instead he talks wistfully about the difficulties of stopping illegal
arms;
he laments; he, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff laments; he
suffers
ennui; he speaks wistfully of mules and the impossibility of trying to
stop
the flow of arms as if it were arms and not the men, the KLA men, who
were
shooting at those French troops.
4) The ambulance full of weapons was driving towards Mitrovica from the
south, from a KLA controlled town. The deadliest weapon in that
ambulance was
a six-shot grenade launcher along with 180 high-explosive grenades,
usable
with devastating effect against, let us say, French troops guarding a
bridge.
That weapon did not come from hidden caches of Serbian weapons. It is
state
of the art. And as the Agence France Presse (but NOT the American
Associated
Press or British Reuters!) pointed out:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"Police intercepted a shipment of arms hidden in an ambulance heading
for
Mitrovica, including a US-made "street sweeper" grenade launcher..."
(AFP,
Feb. 156, 2000) (END OF EXCERPT)
U.S.-made.
5) Meanwhile, US-made allies have joined the fray. Dutch and special
British
troops, the so-called Royal Green Jackets previously assigned to Ulster,
arrived in Mitrovica, ostensibly to back up the French. The English and
Dutch
governments are the main US ally in Europe, often opposed by France and
Germany. For example, when Greece, Italy and Germany attempted to relax
the
sanctions that have kept heating fuel out of Serbia in this harshest of
winters, the Dutch and British delegates, acting on orders of the State
department, vetoed the measure. (Note 3)
Perhaps "US ally" is a mistaken way to describe the British, and
especially
the Dutch governments. A more accurate term might be "US servants." The
US
elite does not think along egalitarian lines. By way of illustration,
consider this comment made at a Senate hearing by Michael Short, the US
General who ran NATO's bombing campaign against the Serbs. Referring to
the
difference in status between the U.S. and "allied" forces, Short
testified
that:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"Our allies recognize that. They recognize that they are small dogs, but
they
want to have a seat at the table. I would use the Dutch as the prime
example.
A small air force, a proud air force, a competent air force. They have
bought
their own tankers. They have two modified DC-10s with the Israeli system
in
the front with mirrors to allow them to refuel their own airplanes. They
have
lantern pods. You'll remember on the first night of the war, a Dutch
F-16
shot down a MiG-29? A small air force, but a seat at the table.
"And I knew I could send the Dutch anyplace I had to send them and
they'd
salute and say, 'Yes, Boss, we'll be there.' "(Gen. Michael Short,
testifying
at the Oct 21, 1999 Senate Military Hearings) (END OF EXCERPT)
6) While Gen. Shelton was avoiding any criticism of his dear KLA, the
leader
of that non-existent organization, Hacim Thaqi, made his position on the
KLA-French conflict perfectly clear. Here's Thaqi:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"Hasidim Thaqi, co-chairman of Kosovo's Temporary Administrative
Council,
also told Koha Jone newspaper that French troops of the NATO-led KFOR
peacekeeping force must shoulder some blame for the gun battles that
erupted
on Sunday because they had allowed Serbs to control half of the town.
'"It is paramount the (U.N.) institutions be more active to solve the
situation in Mitrovica otherwise they will have to face bigger
problems,''
said Thaqi, a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army guerrillas.
'"`I also cannot exclude that such developments could spread to other
parts
of Kosovo,'' he went on.
"Fighting in Serb-dominated northern Mitrovica drew in Serbs, ethnic
Albanians and KFOR troops. Two French peacekeepers were wounded by
sniper
fire and one ethnic Albanian -- identified by KFOR as a sniper -- was
shot
dead by KFOR troops.
"Thaqi accused international peacekeepers of doing a '`weak job in
Mitrovica
and allowing terrorist groups and Belgrade institutions to function
freely
there.'' '
''These phenomena should be eliminated in order to solve the problem of
the
city as soon as possible,'' he added." ( Feb 15 ,2000, AFP) (EXCERPT
ENDS
HERE)
Conclusion
At first glance the KLA attacks on KFOR seem crazy, suicidal. But the
KLA has
a history of carrying out apparently crazy actions which are not really
crazy
at all but which are coordinated with covert operations by NATO,
especially
the US.
In this case, we think the KLA is acting as a proxy for the US which
cannot
itself attack French KFOR troops. The US (and its British and Dutch
servants)
is engaged in a struggle with the French and German elites - that is,
with
Europe. The US Empire is trying to consolidate its strength in Kosovo to
prepare for further attacks on Yugoslavia, with important geopolitical
goals.
Basically what is at stake here is a) gaining control of the formerly
Socialist East and b) preventing a unified and effectively powerful
Europe
(i.e., competition) from emerging.
To this end, one US goal is to put control of all Kosovo in the hands of
the
KLA, its proxy. The French have been resisting this - not out of any
love of
justice, but because the French elite sees the US as a serious menace.
Hence
the KLA attacks, the "reinforcement" by US servant troops, the official
endorsement of the attacks by Thaqi, with its threat of more unless the
French let the KLA take over northern Mitrovica and get rid of the
Serbian
terrorists (for which read: multiethnic society), the statement by Gen.
Shelton which, by not denouncing the KLA made it clear to the French
that the
US supports the attacks (though of course not publicly) and finally, the
weird statement by Gen. de Saqui de Sannes. At least now we can solve
the
puzzle: why was the General simultaneously resisting the KLA's
aggressive
stance and at the same time kissing up to the KLA? The answer is: he
wasn't
simultaneously resisting the KLA's aggressive stance and kissing up to
the
KLA. He was simultaneously resisting and kissing the ass of the USA.
And after all, isn't that what the French elite always does?
*****
NOTES
Note 1 - For an eye-witness account of British complicity in the KLA
rape of
Pristina this past July, see the interview with Cedda Prlincevic. Mr.
Prlincevic was the chief archivist of Kosovo and President of the Jewish
Community in Pristina. Click on Driven From Kosovo
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/prlincevic.htm
Note 2 - The Dutch have performed shockingly in Orahovac, where they
have
brought sheer terror to the Serbian and Roma ("Gypsy") communities.
Emperors-Clothes has run a number of articles on this subject. In
chronological order:
Save the Families: the Women of Orahovac Speak
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/misc/savethe.htm
The Women of Orahovac Answer the Colonel
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/trouw.htm
'Can children be war criminals?' Interview in a Dutch newspaper, Trouw.
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/can.htm
'Time is so Short' - an Interview with Simca Kazazic
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/simca.htm
Note 3 - Concerning the Dutch & British government's shameful veto of a
measure intended to alleviate Serbian suffering this winter, see
Europeans
Bow to U.S. Pressure, Extend Yugoslav Sanctions
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/articles/Johnstone/monsters.htm
* To browse articles at Emperors-clothes please go to
http://www.emperors-clothes.com
If you would like to help Emperors-Clothes... please go to
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/howyour.htm to use our secure server.
Our
expenses are covered by donations. If you would rather send a check,
please
mail it to Emperor's Clothes, P.O. Box 610-321, Newton, MA 02461-0321.
Thank you.
www.tenc.net write to: emperors1000@...
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------
"MULTIETNICA" DEL "KOSSOVA"
Giriamo in lista un nuovo contributo apparso sul sito "Emperors
Clothes", che da molti mesi ormai riporta le analisi piu' brillanti e
significative sulla situazione in Jugoslavia e sulla disinformazione a
riguardo vigente nei paesi occidentali.
Nel contributo - che purtroppo e' ancora una volta in lingua inglese:
non riusciamo a tradurre tutto il materiale che accumuliamo, ma se
qualcuno fosse disponibile ad aiutarci ce lo faccia sapere - si spiegano
le ragioni della continua tensione e degli scontri nella citta' di
Mitrovica, a pochi chilometri dalla zona mineraria piu' ricca della RF
di Jugoslavia. Dopo una serie di innumerevoli attentati, comprese bombe
sulle linee ferroviarie e missili sparati contro gli autobus, da qualche
giorno si verificano persino sparatorie tra irredentisti albanesi da una
parte e soldati delle truppe occupanti (essenzialmente francesi, e non
per caso) dall'altra. Che questi episodi continuino, ccme gli attentati
e le violenze a danno della popolazione ortodossa in tutta la provincia,
ed anzi aumentino in presenza della KFOR (cioe' della NATO) appare
strano agli ingenui... Meno strano e' per chi conosce i rapporti
strutturali tra dirigenza UCK (oggi "Corpo di Protezione del Kosovo") e
strutture militari della NATO (specialmente i servizi segreti USA,
tedeschi e britannici), dei quali abbiamo avuto tante volte occasione di
parlare.
L'anomalia di Mitrovica consiste nell'esistenza di un settore
settentrionale, dove insieme alla popolazione serba vivono altre
nazionalita' ed anche tanti albanesi che non hanno mai avuto problemi
con i vicini di casa... Oggi questi ultimi sono bersaglio dell'UCK
insieme ai serbi. Accrescere la tensione serve da una parte a spingere
questa popolazione non secessionista ad andarsene, dall'altra a
giustificare la presenza continua, e magari in forze sempre maggiori,
delle truppe KFOR.
Questa situazione e' trattata spesso in maniera insufficiente sui media,
talvolta i fatti vengono semplicemente capovolti. Ci capita di ascoltare
o di leggere che "gli albanesi del settore nord di Mitrovica hanno
paura" perche' "sono soggetti a minacce e violenze" e "chiedono aiuto".
Naturalmente, la aggressione di UCK e NATO contro la Repubblica Federale
di Jugoslavia, che ha avuto il suo culmine con i bombardamenti della
scorsa primavera, ha determinato ulteriori difficolta' nella convivenza
tra nazionalita' diverse, ed episodi di violenza o ritorsione avvengono
in entrambi i campi; tuttavia, solo un esercizio di estrema malafede
consente di equiparare quello che sta succedendo ormai da giugno 1999
(il repulisti della provincia da parte degli alleati UCK e KFOR a danno
di tutta la popolazione jugoslavista, non solo serba) con pochi episodi
di segno opposto, a danno di albanesi. Comunque, ormai anche i sassi di
Campo dei Merli hanno capito che la menzogna e' uno strumento di guerra,
e che fino alla ulteriore frantumazione della Repubblica Federale di
Jugoslavia, la guerra non sara' finita. CRJ
---
WHY IS THE KLA SHOOTING AT KFOR?
by Nebojsa Malic, Max Sinclair and Jared Israel (2-17-00)
www.tenc.net [emperors-clothes]
What is happening in Mitrovica?
Last weekend the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) launched coordinated
attacks on
KFOR troops in this northern Kosovo town.
You remember the KLA. According to KFOR (NATO in Kosovo) it has ceased
to
exist. KFOR and the UN bureaucrats achieved this miracle by allowing the
KLA
thugs to be Kosovo's police force and government. New title, new uniform
and
voila! - new man.
The regulation targets for KLA snipers have been Serbs, Roma ("Gypsies")
Gorani (Slavic Muslims) Turks, non-KLA Albanians and Jews. But last
weekend
the snipers were shooting at NATO. Why? The KLA and other secessionists
have
been NATO's protégés and wards since the late 1980s. Do they shoot their
Masters?
At first glance, the shooting appears to have unhinged the leaders of
the
NATO establishment. Or perhaps not. Perhaps these gentlemen have simply
chosen to lie.
AN ISLAND OF MULTIETHNIC LIFE
Under NATO occupation, most potential opponents of the KLA have been
driven
from Kosovo. But in northern Mitrovica, thousands remain in their
ancestral
homes. Reinforced by a flood of anti-KLA refugees from elsewhere in
Kosovo,
the forces of the old Kosovo, that is of normal, multiethnic life, have
been
holding their own.
The KLA has no will to fight when people defend themselves. Hence they
have
chosen to avoid a frontal assault on northern Mitrovica. Instead, last
weekend, KLA operatives staged a provocation. They shot at French KFOR
troops
from positions on the non-KLA (that is, northern) side of the Ibar
River, as
if to make it appear that the shooting was the work of Serbs. The KLA
propaganda machine then kicked in with claims that hundreds of Albanians
had
been "ethnically cleansed" from the north.
Based on public statements by KLA leader Hacim Thaqi, the attacks were
not
the work of some rogue faction; Thaqi, who is closely allied with the
U.S.
military machine, warned that if the secessionists didn't get what they
wanted, more and worse attacks would follow.
The KLA is shooting at KFOR? As if that weren't unusual enough, KFOR
shot
back, killing one KLA sniper. Almost fifty more KLA types were arrested.
KFOR
troops fired warning shots to stop KLA supporters from crossing the
Ibar.
Meanwhile the UN actually contradicted and discredited the "ethnic
Albanian
[read: KLA] human rights center" by saying that not one ethnic Albanian
had
registered as expelled from northern Mitrovica last week.
What is going on?
THE NEW MATH: ONE PLUS ZERO EQUALS...2
Commenting on last weekend's firefight, State Department spokesman James
Rubin blamed "both ethnic Albanians and Serbs for incidents in the
city."
[AP, U.S. Condemns Violence in Kosovo, February 14]
Rubin admitted that the snipers were Albanian (read: KLA) yet he
concluded
that: "It should be very clear that the confrontation is coming from
both
sides." In a dazzling display of Slobophobia, Rubin added:
"We need to impress upon the parties their responsibility to deal with
the
hatreds and animosities that have been built up" and stoked by Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade.
"When things go bad, he feels like he had a good day," said Rubin. [AP,
2/14/00]
So according to the State Department, when Albanian secessionists shoot
at
KFOR the blame lies with Milosevich. Hmmm. Is this like original sin?
{James Rubin recently announced his resignation. Hopefully soon.}
Rubin was not the only American who presented the situation in Mitrovica
in a
totally illogical fashion, whether intentionally or due to some
unfortunate
disability. In Tuesday’s New York Times, he was joined by Carlotta Gall,
a
reporter with years of experience portraying the KLA snakes in a
flattering
light.
In her article "Kosovo Peacekeepers Warn That Extremists ‘Want Peace to
Fail’", NY Times, Feb. 15, 2000, Gall blamed faceless "extremists" for
the
fighting. Given the Times' constant attacks on Serbs, readers would find
it
easy to deduce whom Gall means. She cited the fears of senior UN and
KFOR
officials that "ethnic relations will be poisoned permanently."
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"General de Saqui de Sannes, [French commanding officer] who has blamed
the
violence on both sides, said individuals were instigating attacks
purposely
to escalate the violence and to destroy the last multiethnic town in
Kosovo
where Serbs and Albanians are still living side by side, if uneasily.
'"There are extremists who want the peace to fail,' he said in an
interview
at his headquarters. While the violence consists of 'isolated acts,' he
said,
the strategy is to escalate tensions and intolerance. 'I am worried that
we
may be in the process of an escalation of intolerance,' he said.
'"Some Albanians have wanted to push the Serbs in northern Mitrovica and
beyond out of Kosovo, and some Serbs have wanted to do the opposite—to
push
the Albanians remaining among them south of the Ibar river, which
divides
Mitrovica, in order to create a pure Serbian area in northern Kosovo,'
he
said. 'The people are hostages to this,' he said." (NY Times, Feb. 15,
2000)
(END OF EXCERPT)
Has Gen. de Sannes been on another planet? Back on Planet Earth, it's
too
late for "an escalation of intolerance": approximately 350,000
non-Albanians
and anti-KLA Albanians have already been forced out of Kosovo by KLA
terror.
Were all these people victims of "isolated" incidents? And how does
Albanians
firing on KFOR constitute Serbs trying to create an ethnically pure
zone? And
if they are trying to create such a zone, how come the UN says no
Albanian -
not one - has been forced out of the Northern side of town?
And what does "ethnic relations" have to do with KLA snipers shooting at
KFOR
anyway?
This is all rather dizzying.
Is the man deranged? Or is there method in his madness?
NEVER GIVE A SERB AN EVEN BREAK
Mitrovica is the last multiethnic town in Kosovo for two reasons: the
Serbs
and other anti-secessionists have fought eviction and the French troops
have
actually held the KLA in check. This as opposed to what's happened in
areas
under US, British and Dutch control. For example, British troops marched
into
Pristina alongside the KLA and oversaw the eviction of literally
thousands of
non-secessionist residents. (See Note 1). Similarly, Dutch troops have
given
the KLA free reign to terrorize and control Orahovac. (Note 2)
Clearly, if the Serbs and their allies would just leave Mitrovica, peace
would follow: no Serbs = no ethnic violence. Are Serbs then to blame
because
their very existence frustrates and provokes a faction of Albanians
beyond
endurance?
Along these lines, UN high official Mr. Marcone noted that although
Monday
was a "bad day for the Albanians," some Serbs will soon be arrested as
well.
For what? Since KFOR admits the violence derives entirely from the KLA
side,
is the unnamed crime for which the Serbs are to be punished existential:
"One
is a Serb; one exists; therefore, one is bad"?
Through the fog of misleading writing that is Ms. Gall's hallmark, some
light
filters. Consider the following:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"…Thousands flocked today to the burial of the one man killed by French
troops during the fighting Sunday.
"Avni Haradinaj, 35, a former guerrilla fighter of the Kosovo Liberation
Army
and a local hero, was buried with full honors by his former comrades in
arms.
His coffin, draped in the red Albanian flag, was carried up the hill to
the
edge of a wood outside the city, through a crowd of some 3,000 mourners.
"The Albanian mayor of Mitrovica, Bajram Rexhepi, who said he had been a
good
friend of the dead man, said Mr. Haradinaj was unarmed when he was shot
by
French soldiers and was in Mitrovica visiting his sisters. "There were
four
people with him and they explained that he had no weapon at the moment
he was
killed," he said.
"General de Saqui de Sannes insisted that Mr. Haradinaj was armed and
was
shooting at the soldiers when he was shot.
"The general tried to reassure the Albanians of French neutrality. 'If
we
were shot at by Albanians, it is difficult to arrest Serbs,' he said."
(ibid.) (END OF EXCERPT)
The French General is apologetic: he wishes to arrest Serbs, alas they
aren't
doing the shooting. Then why the apology?
WHY WOULD A FRENCH GENERAL APOLOGIZE TO TERRORISTS WHO ARE TRYING TO
KILL HIS
TROOPS?
Therein lies the question. In this world it is customary for people to
kiss
up to those more powerful than they. But why is this General currying
favor
with...the KLA, an organization which never won a battle against the
Yugoslav
Army, an organization which is only good at terrorizing old people,
shooting
farmers from the woods, ransacking apartment buildings and driving out
school
teachers and electrical engineers?
Perhaps the General isn't really bowing before the KLA. But if he isn't
really bowing before the KLA, then before whom is he bowing?
Let's assemble some facts, and let's think it over.
1) Last weekend's fighting was clearly an organized KLA operation. While
snipers shot at KFOR their compatriots tried to cross the Ibar River.
Forty-five Albanians were arrested, all men of fighting age. The KLA
sniper
whom the French troops shot was A. Haradinaj, age 35. Was he one of
Ramush
Haradinaj's five brothers? Ramush Haradinaj is a deputy of KLA boss
Hacim
Thaqi in the Kosovo Peace Corps, set up by…KFOR.
2) On Tuesday, Feb. 15, French KFOR troops found an ambulance abandoned
near
a checkpoint in south Mitrovica, i.e. the KLA side of the Ibar. In it
was a
huge stash of deadly weapons.
"Among the stash were 14 anti-tank rocket launchers, more than 180
high-explosive grenades, and more than 3,000 cartridges for guns,"
(Bergen
County Record, Feb. 16, 2000, from various wire services)
The ambulance had been donated by an Italian aid organization
(Cooperazione e
Sviluppo) to a KLA-controlled town.
3) In a rather surprising move, none less then Gen. Henry H. Shelton,
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made a statement about the
ambulance.
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"[Gen. Shelton] said today in Washington that the incident underscored
the
difficulty faced by the NATO-led Kosovo peacekeeping force in stopping
arms
from entering the province illegally.
"Getting weapons in (illegally) is no hard task," Shelton said. "You've
got a
fairly porous border. You've got everything from backpacks to mules that
can
bring in weapons, but you've got Lord knows how many thousands of
weapons
that may have been cached in the local area as (the Serbs) pulled out of
there." (AP Online Feb. 15, 2000) (END OF EXCERPT)
Is General Shelton suffering from some malfunction? First of all, the
administrative border between the Province of Kosovo (legally part of
Serbia)
and inner Serbia is quite well policed by Yugoslav troops. The truly
porous
border is between Kosovo and KLA-infested northern Albania; that border
is
porous precisely because Yugoslav border guards were forced to depart
under
the June peace agreement. So why is Shelton, who is responsible for the
absence of border guards, going on about Serbian weapons?
Indeed, why is he talking about borders and arms caches at all? A KLA
ambulance full of tactical weapons just got seized on its way to arm KLA
forces attacking French troops who are being shot by the KLA. The KLA
are
American proxies. Shouldn't Shelton use this opportunity to say to his
proxies: "We backed you up until now but if you pick on the French
troops and
try to destroy a multiethnic community, you're through!"? He does not.
Instead he talks wistfully about the difficulties of stopping illegal
arms;
he laments; he, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff laments; he
suffers
ennui; he speaks wistfully of mules and the impossibility of trying to
stop
the flow of arms as if it were arms and not the men, the KLA men, who
were
shooting at those French troops.
4) The ambulance full of weapons was driving towards Mitrovica from the
south, from a KLA controlled town. The deadliest weapon in that
ambulance was
a six-shot grenade launcher along with 180 high-explosive grenades,
usable
with devastating effect against, let us say, French troops guarding a
bridge.
That weapon did not come from hidden caches of Serbian weapons. It is
state
of the art. And as the Agence France Presse (but NOT the American
Associated
Press or British Reuters!) pointed out:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"Police intercepted a shipment of arms hidden in an ambulance heading
for
Mitrovica, including a US-made "street sweeper" grenade launcher..."
(AFP,
Feb. 156, 2000) (END OF EXCERPT)
U.S.-made.
5) Meanwhile, US-made allies have joined the fray. Dutch and special
British
troops, the so-called Royal Green Jackets previously assigned to Ulster,
arrived in Mitrovica, ostensibly to back up the French. The English and
Dutch
governments are the main US ally in Europe, often opposed by France and
Germany. For example, when Greece, Italy and Germany attempted to relax
the
sanctions that have kept heating fuel out of Serbia in this harshest of
winters, the Dutch and British delegates, acting on orders of the State
department, vetoed the measure. (Note 3)
Perhaps "US ally" is a mistaken way to describe the British, and
especially
the Dutch governments. A more accurate term might be "US servants." The
US
elite does not think along egalitarian lines. By way of illustration,
consider this comment made at a Senate hearing by Michael Short, the US
General who ran NATO's bombing campaign against the Serbs. Referring to
the
difference in status between the U.S. and "allied" forces, Short
testified
that:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"Our allies recognize that. They recognize that they are small dogs, but
they
want to have a seat at the table. I would use the Dutch as the prime
example.
A small air force, a proud air force, a competent air force. They have
bought
their own tankers. They have two modified DC-10s with the Israeli system
in
the front with mirrors to allow them to refuel their own airplanes. They
have
lantern pods. You'll remember on the first night of the war, a Dutch
F-16
shot down a MiG-29? A small air force, but a seat at the table.
"And I knew I could send the Dutch anyplace I had to send them and
they'd
salute and say, 'Yes, Boss, we'll be there.' "(Gen. Michael Short,
testifying
at the Oct 21, 1999 Senate Military Hearings) (END OF EXCERPT)
6) While Gen. Shelton was avoiding any criticism of his dear KLA, the
leader
of that non-existent organization, Hacim Thaqi, made his position on the
KLA-French conflict perfectly clear. Here's Thaqi:
(EXCERPT BEGINS HERE)
"Hasidim Thaqi, co-chairman of Kosovo's Temporary Administrative
Council,
also told Koha Jone newspaper that French troops of the NATO-led KFOR
peacekeeping force must shoulder some blame for the gun battles that
erupted
on Sunday because they had allowed Serbs to control half of the town.
'"It is paramount the (U.N.) institutions be more active to solve the
situation in Mitrovica otherwise they will have to face bigger
problems,''
said Thaqi, a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army guerrillas.
'"`I also cannot exclude that such developments could spread to other
parts
of Kosovo,'' he went on.
"Fighting in Serb-dominated northern Mitrovica drew in Serbs, ethnic
Albanians and KFOR troops. Two French peacekeepers were wounded by
sniper
fire and one ethnic Albanian -- identified by KFOR as a sniper -- was
shot
dead by KFOR troops.
"Thaqi accused international peacekeepers of doing a '`weak job in
Mitrovica
and allowing terrorist groups and Belgrade institutions to function
freely
there.'' '
''These phenomena should be eliminated in order to solve the problem of
the
city as soon as possible,'' he added." ( Feb 15 ,2000, AFP) (EXCERPT
ENDS
HERE)
Conclusion
At first glance the KLA attacks on KFOR seem crazy, suicidal. But the
KLA has
a history of carrying out apparently crazy actions which are not really
crazy
at all but which are coordinated with covert operations by NATO,
especially
the US.
In this case, we think the KLA is acting as a proxy for the US which
cannot
itself attack French KFOR troops. The US (and its British and Dutch
servants)
is engaged in a struggle with the French and German elites - that is,
with
Europe. The US Empire is trying to consolidate its strength in Kosovo to
prepare for further attacks on Yugoslavia, with important geopolitical
goals.
Basically what is at stake here is a) gaining control of the formerly
Socialist East and b) preventing a unified and effectively powerful
Europe
(i.e., competition) from emerging.
To this end, one US goal is to put control of all Kosovo in the hands of
the
KLA, its proxy. The French have been resisting this - not out of any
love of
justice, but because the French elite sees the US as a serious menace.
Hence
the KLA attacks, the "reinforcement" by US servant troops, the official
endorsement of the attacks by Thaqi, with its threat of more unless the
French let the KLA take over northern Mitrovica and get rid of the
Serbian
terrorists (for which read: multiethnic society), the statement by Gen.
Shelton which, by not denouncing the KLA made it clear to the French
that the
US supports the attacks (though of course not publicly) and finally, the
weird statement by Gen. de Saqui de Sannes. At least now we can solve
the
puzzle: why was the General simultaneously resisting the KLA's
aggressive
stance and at the same time kissing up to the KLA? The answer is: he
wasn't
simultaneously resisting the KLA's aggressive stance and kissing up to
the
KLA. He was simultaneously resisting and kissing the ass of the USA.
And after all, isn't that what the French elite always does?
*****
NOTES
Note 1 - For an eye-witness account of British complicity in the KLA
rape of
Pristina this past July, see the interview with Cedda Prlincevic. Mr.
Prlincevic was the chief archivist of Kosovo and President of the Jewish
Community in Pristina. Click on Driven From Kosovo
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/prlincevic.htm
Note 2 - The Dutch have performed shockingly in Orahovac, where they
have
brought sheer terror to the Serbian and Roma ("Gypsy") communities.
Emperors-Clothes has run a number of articles on this subject. In
chronological order:
Save the Families: the Women of Orahovac Speak
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/misc/savethe.htm
The Women of Orahovac Answer the Colonel
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/trouw.htm
'Can children be war criminals?' Interview in a Dutch newspaper, Trouw.
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/can.htm
'Time is so Short' - an Interview with Simca Kazazic
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/simca.htm
Note 3 - Concerning the Dutch & British government's shameful veto of a
measure intended to alleviate Serbian suffering this winter, see
Europeans
Bow to U.S. Pressure, Extend Yugoslav Sanctions
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/articles/Johnstone/monsters.htm
* To browse articles at Emperors-clothes please go to
http://www.emperors-clothes.com
If you would like to help Emperors-Clothes... please go to
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/howyour.htm to use our secure server.
Our
expenses are covered by donations. If you would rather send a check,
please
mail it to Emperor's Clothes, P.O. Box 610-321, Newton, MA 02461-0321.
Thank you.
www.tenc.net write to: emperors1000@...
--------- COORDINAMENTO ROMANO PER LA JUGOSLAVIA -----------
RIMSKI SAVEZ ZA JUGOSLAVIJU
e-mail: crj@... - URL: http://marx2001.org/crj
http://www.egroups.com/group/crj-mailinglist/
------------------------------------------------------------