Response to Wesley Clark's opinion article from the Wall Street Journal titled: "Set Kosovo Free" (February 1, 2005; Page A12)
February 16, 2004 CONTACT: Andy Verich 202-463-8643 [ printer-friendly version ] It is not surprising to see Wesley Clark arguing for the independence of Kosovo and Metohija, in order to defend his legacy given his role in NATO that wrestled control of the province from Serbia in 1999. In the process, more then two thousand civilians were killed. Under NATO's watch (then under General Clark's command) since the end of the campaign, more than 200,000 Serbs have been expelled from the province. None of them have returned. The painful reality on the ground is this: many Serbs live in ghettoes, requiring 24x7 armed protection for such menial tasks as going to the grocery store; more then 3,000 have been killed or have gone missing; to avail themselves of the judicial system they require precise scheduling of military transport to and from the courts; their churches are under constant watch for fear of destruction and desecration, a fate suffered by many Christian monasteries of spiritual and historical value already. Are these among the indicators which lead Mr. Clark to conclude that "It [Kosovo] has laid the basis for statehood"? Virtually the entire International Community called the riots of last March a planned effort by the Albanian population to expel the last pockets of Serbian people from the province. It is sad to hear Wesley Clark arguing that independence is a requirement to prevent another similar riot, caused and planned by Albanians, from happening. On more than one occasion Mr. Clark placed a condition on affording Serbs the basic rights to which they are entitled. Security is not a privilege, it is a right. Such talk from a man who aspires to the presidency of the United States is not only shameful, it is alarming. Validating the results of terror and violence is something that the current Bush administration cannot allow itself to do, especially in the light of ongoing efforts in the war on terror. Serbia is a democratic country and as such has every intention to resolve this issue by peaceful means. So far, the Albanians failed to meet any benchmark of stability and progress toward democracy. Among these are security, respect for human rights, return of refugees, and responsibility of elected leadership to effect change and carry out its duties of protecting its constituents. Mr. Clark said: "The framework for Kosovo's future should be: no return to Belgrade rule; no partition of its territory; and no future union with Albania or any neighboring territory". The framework for Kosovo's future begins with security, accountability and protection of human rights for all citizens. This MUST be the starting point of any discussions of the future of Kosovo. http://news.serbianunity.net/press/files/1108561009_hbubfltyoil_suc310.pdf Serbian News Network - SNN news@antic.org http://www.antic.org/
