11th anniversary of NATO aggression on Serbia (Yugoslavia) Zivadin Jovanovic President of the Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals
1999 NATO AGRESSION AGAINST SERBIA (FRY) WAS A CRIME AGAINST PEACE March 24th marks 11th anniversary of the start of NATO's aggression against Serbia (Yugoslavia). During continuous bombardments lasting 78 days, between 3,500 and 4,000 people were killed and about 10,000 wounded, two-thirds of whom were civilians. How many have died in the meantime as a consequence of serious wounds, the use of depleted uranium weapons, unexploded cluster bombs and other means of indiscriminate killing and destruction is hard to establish. The economic damage was evaluated at the time at over 100 billion U.S. dollars. After the aggression, Kosovo and Metohija was occupied by about 40,000 NATO troops, called KFOR, under the flag of the UN. About 250,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians have been ethnically cleansed from the Serbian Autonomous Province. Eleven years afterward they still have not been permitted to return to their ancestors' homes. While the province has been run by the UN mission (UNMIK), over 150 Serbian medieval monasteries and churches have been destroyed by Albanian terrorists, tens of thousands of Serbian homes have been set on fire, dozens of graveyards flattened and ploughed over so as not to leave traces of Serbs and Christianity. The so-called Plan of Martti Ahtisaari for conditional (gradual) independence of Kosovo and Metohija has never been approved by the UN Security Coucil. Yet in February 2008, with the backing of the U.S., Great Britain, Germany and France, Albanian separatists and leaders of the terrorist KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) unilaterally declared the separation of the province from Serbia, violating UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) which explicitly guarantees the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia (FRY). The first to recognize this illegal independence was Afghanistan, followed by the U.S. and its closest allies. In spite of the enormous pressure by the U.S. administration on other countries, this illegal creation named the “Republic of Kosovo” is recognized by less than a third of UN members. Even the EU could not reach unity on the question, having five member countries refusing to obey the direct request of Washington (Spain, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Cyprus). Kosovo today is run by Hashim Thachi, former leader of the terrorist KLA, and his comrades, many of whom have combined terrorist, drug and human trafficking, and other criminal activities. Over 50 percent of the population is unemployed. About 80 percent of heroin smuggled to Europe is under the control of the Kosovo Albanian network. Many civic organizations in Serbia are currently reminding the Serbian public of this anniversary, pointing out that the NATO aggression was a crime against peace and stability. It was undertaken contrary to the UN Charter, without the approval of UN Security Council, contrary to the Founding Act of the Alliance and in violation of the national constitutions of all NATO member countries, the U.S. included. They point out that the U.S. and other NATO member countries continue to put the blame on Serbia, on the late Slobodan Milosevic and his government, even on the entire Serbian nation, thus trying to cover up their own responsibility for crimes, destruction and other tragic consequences. They recall that this aggression was perpetuated for the sake of the deployment of U.S. military bases and troops toward the East (Russia), the Caspian Sea Basin, Central Asia and the Middle East. Aggression against Serbia (DRY) in 1999 was aimed at, among other objectives, setting up a precedent for military Interventions without the consent of the Unitde Nations Security Council all over the world. Many new books analyzing the roots and consequences of the NATO aggression are being published in Serbia to coincide with this anniversary. Former Serbian generals, diplomats and political writers have been engaged in an extraordinary effort to present the truth of the imperialistic policy of the U.S. and NATO demonstrated 11 years ago against Serbia. While the government-controlled media try to play down growing anti-NATO public sentiments, many others, including in Belgrade, are devoting considerable space and time to open criticism of U.S./NATO policy of domination and (the current government's) official pro-NATO policy. After the recent public appeal of over 200 highly prominent Serbian intellectuals to hold a referendum on the issue of NATO membership, recently an initiative has been launched to have military neutrality included in the country’s Constitution, thus making it impossible to even consider membership in NATO, or any other military alliance. On the 24th of March, in various places in Belgrade and all over the country, flowers will be laid at the graves and monuments to the victims of the NATO aggression. _______________________________________________ News mailing list News@antic.org http://lists.antic.org/mailman/listinfo/news
