Hi Macdonald,
you are right that the UN does not recognize the right of national
selfdetermination for the Albanian Kosovaris but keeps on regarding Kosova as a
province of Serbia (which if I may remind you became part of Serbia in 1912/13
when the Serbian monarchy annexed the territory in a bloody war - you may read
about it in the book 'Serbia and Albania' written by tze Serb socialist leader
of the time Dimitrije Tucovic. It again forcibly became a part of Serbia after
WWII although during the war Tito had promised free choice to the local
population). The question of the social/political character of the UCK (KLA) is
secondary in this respect. They have of course sided with imperialism, but I
fear that we must face the fact that almost any of the national liberation
movements we have supported rightly militarily but wrongly politically in the
epoch before the demise of the 'socialist' countries would in one way or another
today have saught support from this or that imperialist power. The KLA I feel
didn't have the chance to pose as 'antiimperialist' since they couldn't ask the
USSR for arms. I also fear that apart from the habitual national chauvinism
inherent in any bourgeois movement one major reason for the ethnic cleansing
done after the Serbian army was thrown out of Kosova is the very fact that
nobody was ready to officially recognize the right of secession for the
Albanians there. By throwing out all non-Albanians they (among other simpler
reasons like putting their hands on those peoples's property)tried to destroy
the basis of a return to Serbia and thus force the hands of the imperialists to
recognize their statehood. Up to now this has not materialized, and this again
proves that the imperialist did not come for the sake of the Albanians but
because of their own imperialist agenda for the region.
Finally: I agree with you that Milosevic is doing a good job in Den
Haag, but I think that we would make a logical mistake if we thought that this
proves that he is an innocent friend of the common people. It only proves the
corruption of the Den Haag court. Have you ever read about the reciprocal
reproaches made by Stalin and Tito when they broke relations? In accusing each
other of various crimes both were fundamentally right. I think that as far as
Kosova is concerned Miloseviv is being tried by those imperialist forces who
obviously are in the same boat with him when national selfdetermination is
being denied to the Kosovaris. And this denial is the basis of all the crimes
committed by the Serbian authorities. While the Den Haag court and other
imperialist forces have invented a certain number of 'Serbian crimes' that does
not mean that there were none. In any situation like that (secessionist movement
waging armed struggle) all sorts of crimes are are bound to be committed by both
sides.
To summarize: I'm with you in applauding Milo's stand in Den Haag, but I
warn of misjudging this as a proof that he's a good guy whom we should regard as
one of ours (hoping that we are the 'good guys' - you never know).
A. Holberg
Macdonald Stainsby schrieb:
> Hi Jared/everyone: when I have time I am enjoying watching the trial. Slobodan
> is doing very well... but at one point in the Friday trial, I was perplexed.
>
> The KLA apologist produced documents from the "republic of Kosova (sic)" and
> they were dated after KFOR took the province, and Slobo asked if the witness
> considered them legal. The witness said yes, but Slobo made no mention of the
> UN
> deal ending the war. Correct me if I am wrong, but the UN resolution states
> that
> Kosovo is a province de jure- not even a republic within Yugoslavia, correct?
> Why is this not mentioned? It seemed like Milosevic had him cornered, but let
> him go.
>
> The way that the little proto fascist KLA man spoke was a riot. Apparently
> Serbs
> got some great pleasure out of tormenting Albanians but the KLA, just like
> Jesus
> Christ himself, turned the other cheek and never carried out reprisals. This
> "trial" is taking on the proportions of a really badly written,
> yet-to-be-unearthed Shakespearean tragi-comedy.
>
> Macdonald
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
>
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