"We have a moral responsibility to act to
defend our values once the efforts of
diplomacy have failed."
"Our strategy is working."
Javier Solana, NATO Secretary-General
This statement was found at http://www.nationalpost.com/
under "commentary", "NATO: united to succeed"
Unfortunately, as that website uses a frames format
you may not be able to find the document after today,
May 3, 1999. Although you may be able to locate it
using the search function. I did not try.
Monday, May 03, 1999
NATO: united to succeed
Javier Solana
National Post
The world has changed dramatically in half a
century. The Cold War is over. Globalization has
affected all aspects of our lives. The concept of
security embraces economic, social, and
humanitarian issues.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has
[Image] changed too: The new NATO that emerged from the
Search Help Washington Summit is ready for the next
millennium. In all of this our core principles
Sort by: remain constant: In 1949, the founding members of
Date [GO] NATO signed the North Atlantic Treaty to defend
Rank democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of
law. These remain directly relevant to the world
of today, but proclaiming them is not sufficient.
The Kosovo crisis obliged us to take action to
defend them. This challenge is every bit as great
as those we faced 50 years ago. Our New Strategic
Concept approved in Washington helps equip NATO
for such new challenges. We have a moral
responsibility to act to defend our values once
the efforts of diplomacy have failed. And we are
doing so with the determination that has become
our characteristic since 1949. This has not
changed. Our action in the Balkans is the latest
chapter in a long history of standing up for
these principles. Principles that will help
ensure Europe enters the next millennium a
peaceful and stable place.
The Washington summit endorsed our continuing
action in Kosovo. It showed that the resolve of
the international community is getting stronger;
and it encouraged us to intensify this action
with immediate effect. We will do so. And, more
than ever, I am totally confident that we will
succeed. We have three key strengths: unity of
spirit; clarity of purpose, and the right
strategy.
At the Washington summit, more than 40 countries
stood shoulder to shoulder: not only the 19
Allies but also our partners, with whom deepening
our co-operative relations is one of our top
priorities. And the countries neighbouring
Yugoslavia asked us to follow our efforts through
to the end. They do not enjoy living next door to
the Milosevic regime. We value their help to us
-- both in the military and humanitarian effort.
It is vital to the success of our operation. And
NATO will respond to any challenges made to them
by Yugoslavia.
Our aims remain clear. The Washington summit
wholeheartedly confirmed NATO's continuing
commitment to them. We welcome the continuing
diplomatic efforts of the international
community. I am in close contact with Kofi Annan.
I also welcome the efforts of Viktor
Chernomyrdin. Russia will be central to the
lasting solution. But let us be clear -- the aims
we set out on April 12 are not negotiable.
And our longer-term strategy remains the
achievement of a lasting political settlement,
based on the Rambouillet agreement. After that, I
look forward to the day when we will be able to
welcome a democratic Yugoslavia back into the
European family, as part of a stable Balkan
region.
Our strategy is working. Day by day we are
gradually degrading Milosevic's war machine,
cutting off his ability to sustain his forces in
Kosovo. The air campaign has so far made a
dramatic impact: The air-defences are weak; the
air force no longer takes to the air -- many
aircraft have been destroyed and fuel is in short
supply -- as most of the storage capacity has
been eliminated.
In Washington we had one simple message for
Milosevic: NATO's resolve is unshakeable. You
have the power to end the campaign. Meanwhile,
the damage to your country's infrastructure, and
every single casualty, is your responsibility.
But our military goals must not deter us from our
humanitarian mission. Indeed we are committed to
helping those who have suffered as a result of
Milosevic's actions. More than 700,000 refugees
have fled Kosovo. Our troops will go on working
in support of the United Nations High Commission
for Refugees and other agencies in the camps.
12,000 troops are helping with the humanitarian
effort in the former Yugoslav republic of
Macedonia, 5,000 in Albania. They have helped in
the delivery of more than 3,000 tons of food, 800
tons of medical supplies, and 1,500 tons of
tents.
The Allies will work with the rest of the
international community to help rebuild Kosovo
once the crisis is over: The International
Monetary Fund and Group of Seven industrialized
countries are among those who stand ready to
offer financial help to the countries of the
region. We want to ensure proper co-ordination of
aid and help countries to respond to the effects
of the crisis. This should go hand in hand with
the necessary structural reforms in the countries
affected -- helped by budget support from the
international community.
Our ultimate aim is to build lasting peace in the
Balkans. Serbia is an integral part of that
effort. It must be at the centre of any attempt
to bring stability to the region. We will help
the Serbian people recover from the situation to
which Mr. Milosevic's actions have led them. The
people of Serbia are not responsible for their
condition. The blame sits squarely on the
shoulders of the Milosevic regime. Thanks to a
decade of Milosevic, a bankrupt Serbia is now
isolated in the world.
This is another tragedy of this crisis. What
right does one man have to doom a nation to this
fate? His slaughter in Kosovo is mirrored by his
systematic destruction of his country and people.
I must stress once again to the Serbian people:
Our quarrel is not with you, it is with your
leader. Milosevic has brought you to economic
ruin; and has made your country an outcast in the
international community. NATO is determined to
reverse that. To help achieve this we agreed in
Washington to pursue an initiative targeted at
South-Eastern Europe. We are determined to play
our full part in building a secure and
co-operative relationship with and between the
countries of the region.
To this end, the Alliance will establish a
consultative forum to consider security issues
with the countries of the region, building on the
Euro Atlantic Partnership Council and the
Partnership for Peace. This will include full
consultations between the North Atlantic Council
and each of the countries of the region; the
promotion of regional co-operation; targeted
security co-operation programs, regionally
focused activities, and exercises; and better
targeting and co-ordination of allies' and
partners' bilateral assistance to the region.
And we welcome the efforts of the European Union
and other international organizations. In
particular, we look forward to the EU Conference
on a Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe on
May 27. We must all work together to achieve our
common aim.
The Washington summit showed that NATO is ready
for the next millennium. The values we agreed in
1949 are also the values of the next millennium.
We now have a framework to move forward; and to
play our part in ensuring a safe and stable
Europe for tomorrow.
In this context the Kosovo crisis is a challenge
to us to turn words into deeds. We are determined
to succeed. Our unity and tenacity will help
enable the Balkan region to play a full part in
the peaceful and stable Europe we are building
for the next century.
Javier Solana is Secretary-General of NATO.
Copyright © Southam Inc.
============================================
Subject: Fwd: Appeal from Trade Unionists in Yugoslavia]
In the spirit of May Day, please circulate the following appeal, which
puts forward a somewhat different perspective on the war in the
Balkans than the one issued by the ICFTU (which acknowledged the
"inevitability" of NATO intervention), and passed along on H-Labor last
week. Workers of the World, Unite!
Brian Kelly
***************************************************************
"Deeply shocked by NATO's devastation of our country and the plight of
Kosovo Albanians, we, the representatives of non-governmental
organizations and the
Nezavisnost Trade Union Confederation, energetically demand that those
who have created this tragedy immediately take all necessary steps to
create conditions for the resumption of the peace process. The most
powerful military, political and economic countries in the world have
been killing people, and destroying military and civilian facilities,
bridges, railway lines, factories, heating plants, storage facilities
and fuel tanks. This has produced an exodus of unrpecedented
proportions.
Hundreds of thousands of Yugoslavs, primarily ethnic Albanians, are
forced to leave their devastated homes to escape the bombing and
military actions of the regime and the KLA, in the hope that they will
find salvation in the tragic status of refugees. It is obvious that
all
this leads to catastrophe, and that a negotiated and peaceful solution
to the Kosovo problem, which we have urged for years, is now further
away than ever. We have courageously and consistently fought against
every warmongering and nationalistic policy, and for the respect of
human rights, and particularly against the repression of the Kosovo
Albanians.
We have always insisted on the respect of their human rights and
freedoms, and on the restoration of autonomy for Kosovo. Faced with
the
current tragic situation, we put forward the following demands in the
name of humanity and the values and ideals that have been guiding our
activities:
1) We demand an immediate cessation of bombing and all armed
operations.
2) We demand the resumption of the peace process with international
mediation.
3) We demand that the European Union and Russia take their share of
the
responsibility for finding a peaceful solution to the crisis.
4) We demand an end to the practice of ethnic cleansing and
repatriation
of refugees.
5) We demand support for peace, stability, and democratization of
Montenegro.
6) We demand the Serbian and international media report professionally
and impartially about current developments and refrain from fanning
inter-ethnic hatred, hysteria and glorification of force as the only
way
out of the crisis.
We are unable to achieve this on our own and ask for you support.
(signed):
Association of Citizens for Democracy; Social Justice and Support for
Trade Unions;
Belgrade Circle; Studetns Union of Serbia; Yugoslav Lawyers Committee
for Human Rights; Nezavisnost Trade Union Federation; and 12 other
organizations.
If your organization would like to endorse this statement, contact Ken
Coates at the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, Gamble Street,
Nottingham NG7 4ET.
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