Lawyers: Milosevic To Stay On Attack [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- Wednesday July 4, 4:48 AM Milosevic to stay on attack, lawyer says THE HAGUE, July 3 (AFP) - Slobodan Milosevic will stay on the offensive in his trial at the UN war crimes tribunal, lawyer Zdenko Tomanovich predicted Tuesday. He's not going to defend himself, he's going to attack, Tomanovich told reporters, adding that it was therefore not important whether Milosevic was represented before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Milosevic, who faces life imprisonment if convicted, will not have a lawyer in further proceedings, Tomanovich said through an interpreter. Tomanovich, who stressed that he was neither the defendant's spokesman nor his lawyer, said that at Tuesday's initial appearance, the defiant ex-president was not defending himself, he was attacking the court. The fallen strongman [TM courtesy of NWO, Inc.], appearing before the ICTY to answer charges over his role in the 1998-99 Serbian crackdown on ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, waived his right to counsel, rejected the charges against him and branded the tribunal illegal. Presiding Judge Richard May prevented the defendant -- the first former head of state to face the tribunal -- from elaborating on his assertions by cutting off the sound on two occasions, a prerogative allowed under tribunal rules. Tomanovich said Milosevic was aware that his microphone could be disabled during the hearing, and had expected it. The Belgrade lawyer also said that Milosevic refused, after the 10-minute hearing, to speak to chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte in a meeting that normally follows an initial court appearance. He didn't want to meet a person with whom he didn't want to talk and whom he didn't want to see, Tomanovich said. Del Ponte's spokeswoman Florence Hartman earlier told AFP that the two had spoken during their brief meeting. [You mean Del Ponte lied?] The high-profile defendant's refusal to appoint a lawyer prompted fears that the tribunal would be unable to ensure a fair trial, with deputy chief prosecutor Graham Blewitt saying the former president had the right to the best legal defence in the world. We would like to see him totally defended so that at the end of the process, whatever the verdict is, the international community can have confidence in the process, Blewitt said. Tribunal spokesman Christian Cartier said the court might deem it necessary to appoint a lawyer to defend Milosevic, should his defense seem diminished over the course of a trial that is expected to last some two years. [You're going to have a lawyer whether you want one or not. What do you think this is, an inquisition?] __ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
What To Expect: More Racak Perjury [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- Wednesday July 4, 2:56 AM [You'll recall reading two days ago a report on ICTY witnesses from Racak in which alleged eyewitnesses recounted stories of 63 alleged victims, of both sexes, who were reputedly killed by Yugoslav security forces, replete with accounts of eyes being gouged out, hearts being torn out of ribcages and assorted other gruesome touches. Now, the witnesses have reverted to their original story, that 45 Albanian men were killed on January 15, 1999. Notwithstanding, Agence France Presse appears to have located someone who lost both parents, a biological peculiarity that only Carla Del Ponte can explain. That the one incident which provided the pretext for NATO to launch its war against Yugoslavia is riddled with so many mutually exclusive claims would be sufficient reason to have any charges relating to it - and charges relating to Racak are at the very core of the ICTY's case - thrown out of any reputable court. But that Finnish and other forensic experts who examined the evidence assert or strongly imply that the deceased were killed in armed combat would alone render all the affidavits gathered by Del Ponte's Gestapo beyond ridicule. It's in the very nature of a kangaroo court, though, to issue indictments first and to fabricate evidence later. Who better than William Walker to have discovered the bodies of 44 ethnic Albanian men, generally of military age, the day after a firefight observed by Western reporters and Walker's own OSCE personnel, and to turn the results into a massacre. [Not that Walker dosen't know a real massacre when he sees one, his experience in El Salvador being what it was.] Provocative question: Why wasn't the man in his twenties...injured in the back and leg by mortar shrapnel, quoted below, also taken to a nearby hill where police executed - in theory - so many others? He was a man of military age in a village controlled by armed insurgents who, given the nature of his injuries, would hardly have been able to flee. Just a thought.] Racak: More than just a name on the Milosevic charge-sheet RACAK, Yugoslavia, July 3 (AFP) - In the southern Kosovo village of Racak -- one of the key massacre sites that finally put Slobodan Milosevic in the dock of the UN war crimes court Tuesday -- the trial of the former strongman brought little relief to families who lost their loved ones. It's a small relief to see him in The Hague, but there are still lots of war criminals walking free around Kosovo, said Agim Kameri, mayor of Racak, where 45 ethnic Albanian men were brutally killed by Serb forces. It is little comfort to the people of this village at the foot of mountains stretching off to Macedonia that the killings provided the final impetus to push NATO into war and then provided a key case for Milosevic's indictment. The residents, all of whom lost at least one relative that day, are still traumatised by the events of 15 January 1999, and gripped by a hatred of Serbs. Milosevic is nothing, said Sami Syla, a man in his forties whose father and two brothers were killed by Serb forces. They have to send to The Hague the whole Serbian government, the paramilitaries, Arkan's men, all those who killed unarmed people, he said. All the same, it's good that he's there, he said, surrounded by younger villagers hanging on his every word. Syla said Milosevic deserves the death penalty, but not a swift death like in the United States. Seven minutes would be a luxurious death for him ... but since the UN court doesn't have a death penalty, we hope he'll get life. Hasan Metushi, who lost his parents in the war, said he knew the initial hearing in The Hague court was on television but did not watch it. But Habi Kameri said he and his whole family watched Milosevic's brief appearance to hear the charges against him, and said with a broad smile: Oh, it was good, but all the other culprits must pay too. Kameri, a man in his twenties, was injured in the back and leg by mortar shrapnel as the army bombarded the village. According to the indictment of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugsolavia, on January 15 1999, Yugoslav forces launched an offensive against the village of Racak. After a bombardment by army units, Serbian police entered the village and started searching it house by house. The inhabitants tried to flee the police but were killed across the village. A group of around 25 men who tried to hide in a building were discovered by the police. These men were beaten and then taken to a nearby hill where the police executed them. In total, Yugoslav and Serbian forces killed around 45 people of Albanian origin in Racak and its surroundings, the ICTY said. When US diplomat William
Greek Cypriots Storm British Military, Police Sites [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Have you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay -- http://www.newsday.com/ap/international/ap224.htm [What damn right does Britain have to continue its military occupation of parts of Cyprus in the face of such obvious opposition? Note that in the following Associated Press report, bearing the date July 4, the U.S.'s national holiday, which celebrates actions like the Boston Tea Party in gaining independence from the same Great Britain the Greeks in Cyprus would like to oust from their country, the Greeks are referred to as rioters.] July 4, 2001 Greek Rioters Storm Police Station EPISKOPI-AKROTIRI, Cyprus (AP) -- Hundreds of Greek Cypriot rioters stormed a police station, released a detainee and torched vehicles at this British military base overnight Tuesday. The freed prisoner was a Cypriot member of parliament, Marios Matsakis, who had been arrested for leading a protest on Monday against the base's construction of a network of communications antennae in an environmentally sensitive area. After releasing Matsakis, the 400 to 500 demonstrators went to the construction site and began setting fire to vehicles and destroying equipment. British troops and police fired tear gas and wielded clubs to disperse the rioters, but clashes continued until early Tuesday morning. The base on the southern Cypriot coast is one of two sovereign areas that Britain retained in Cyprus after it granted independence to the island in 1960. Twenty-seven British policemen were wounded in the clashes, one ''very seriously,'' British base spokesman Rob Need said early Wednesday. Most injuries were caused by stone throwing. The protesters believe the erection of antennae at Akrotiri Salt Lake, which lies within the base, will have an adverse affect on local residents and migratory birds. __ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Reichstag Fire Trial, the Sequel [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- The URL for this article is http://emperors-clothes.com/milo/point1.htm Send this article to a friend! www.tenc.net * [Emperor's Clothes] Reichstag Fire Trial, the Sequel by Jared Israel [4 July 2001] I just saw Milosevic. He told this criminal Western kangaroo court that he doesn't recognize them. So I wish there was a lot more of those guys, like Milosevic. -- Comment of a refugee from the U.S.-installed Taliban regime in Afghanistan, presently residing in California, after watching President Slobodan Milosevic tell off the NATO's Tribunal earlier today. [This is article does not aim to present a literal transcript of President Milosevic's confrontation with the Hague 'Tribunal.' A video is currently viewable at http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/cta/events01/world/eur/milosevic_trial/hague_03j uly.ram ] How is one to describe it? The other day, Slobodan Milosevic, who has a genius for brevity, called it a 'genocidal circus.' Should the powers-that-be have allowed this confrontation to be televised? On the one hand, a modest man, genuine, smart, accusing his accusers; on the other hand, a sugary nightmare of Empire. Now that Americans run the world, they like to wheel out a Brit sometimes for effect (they got class, you know) but it wasn't enough. At least two times 'Judge' Richard May, 'Chairman' of the 'Tribunal,' (in the New World Unreality, one is driven to quotation marks...) was witnessed by 300 million viewers cutting Slobodan Milosevic's microphone. I'll say one thing for May: he's quick with the cutoff button. When Milosevic finishes making a complete fool of him, he'll be much sought-after as a radio Talk Show host. To the glib unreality of CNN's standard coverage, with cameras at first lingering on Stately Buildings and a reporter who talked like the guy who narrated 'Lives of the Rich and Famous,' was added the faux-judicial atmosphere of the Tribunal, which looks like a movie set designed by an ad agency. What are they selling? 'Chairman' May was the perfect TV pitchman, delivering memorized lines with what someone called cut glass politeness. And of course, upper class British. That sells in the colonies. You will be accorded the full rights of the accused, according to international law, ' May promised Slobodan Milosevic plus hundreds of millions of viewers as if we were fools, as if in this theme park of a court room with its designer robes he was addressing a fellow actor instead of the man who led his country ten years resisting Washington's attempt to destroy it (during which Washington violated every known international law plus human decency). The full protections of international law, intoned May. As if Milosevic had not just been kidnapped and thrown in a cell, apparently without his heart pills. What are the rights of a kidnap victim under international law? These proceedings will be long and complex and you may wish to reconsider whether you want to have counsel, cooed the false May. The real Slobodan Milosevic answered, I consider this tribunal false tribunal and indictments false indictments. It is illegal, not being appointed by UN general assembly so I have no need to appoint council to illegal organ. May frowned. He explained to the three hundred million that of course this unwise decision to decline counsel could be reversed anytime because NATO's court was entirely fair minded and now would or would not Mr. Milosevic care to exercise his inalienable right to hear the lies fabricated against him? That's your problem, said Milosevic. May looked pained, meaning, 'Now do you see why we dropped uranium-encased bombs on them?' What is your plea? Answered Milosevic: This Tribunal aims to produce false justification for the war crimes of NATO committed in Yugoslavia. I asked you a question, said May, reminding the world that: 'The International Community's patience is not infinite.' As if the world didn't already know. I have given you my answer, replied Milosevic. Furthermore, this so-called Tribunal - - May hit the mike-cut button. The rules state that if an accused fail to enter a plea then the trial chamber will enter a plea of not guilty on his behalf. Milosevic replied, speaking in Serbo-Croatian. As I have said, the aim of this tribunal is to justify the crimes committed in Yugoslavia. That is why this is a false tribunal, and illegitimate - The translator hesitated a moment. I am sorry, she said. The mike is not on. One almost expected a Director to interrupt, crying: CUT! CUT! Mr. Milosevic, if it is not too too much trouble could I ask you to kindly stick to your lines? Now let us try again, shall we? 'NATO Shows The
NATO's 'Beachboys' Party As Serb Homes Burn [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Have you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay -- While genocide continues apace in Kosovo 1)KFOR News Update Pristina, 02 July 2001 By Squadron Leader Roy Brown, KFOR Spokesman Multinational Brigade Centre Weapon Confiscated A pistol and 12 rounds of ammunition were confiscated after a vehicle was stopped at a KFOR checkpoint last night. The weapon and ammunition were found during a routine search of a car that had been stopped at a vehicle checkpoint near Govorce. Three men in the car were detained and handed over to UMMIK Police. A follow-up search was made but no additional items of interest were found. UNMIK-Police are continuing to investigate these men. Multinational Brigade East Patrols increased after suspect arson attack KFOR's Multinational Brigade East has stepped up the frequency of patrols in the vicinity of Cernice / Cernica, following a suspected arson attack yesterday. A house belonging to one of five Kosovo Serb families, that had recently left the village, was apparently set on fire at just before nine o'clock last night. UNMIK-Police and the local fire department responded and quickly extinguished the blaze. UNMIK-Police, who are investigating, are treating the incident as arson. KFOR has increased its presence in order to protect other vacant Kosovo Serb properties in the area. Multinational Brigade South Weapons found in lorry A rifle and a quantity of ammunition were seized from a lorry entering Kosovo at the Morine / Morina border crossing point yesterday afternoon. A rifle, 196 rounds of assorted ammunition and one 20mm rifle grenade were found when the lorry was searched by KFOR Multinational Brigade South soldiers, as part of KFOR's ongoing operations to prevent the smuggling of weapons through Kosovo. The driver was detained and taken to the Military Police Station in Prizren for further questioning. Papers - indicating a connection to ethnic Albanian armed groups - were also found. Multinational Brigade West Men and weapon handed to UNMIK-Police In Dakovica yesterday, soldiers from KFOR's Multinational Brigade Task Force Falco stopped a car with two men in it. During a routine check of the vehicle, they found a pistol with a full ammunition magazine, containing 13 nine millimetre rounds of ammunition, and a radio. The men, weapons and ammunition were handed over to UNMIK-Police. KFOR Multinational Brigade West intelligence staff are examining the radio set. Search Operation In Dakovica yesterday afternoon, KFOR Multinational Brigade West's Task Force Falco carried out a search operation, recovering one AK-47 assault rifle with an ammunition magazine and 30 roundsof ammunition. The weapon and ammunition were delivered to UNMIK-Police for further investigation. No arrests were made. ...NATO 'peacekeepers' protect...Albania. 2)KFOR News The Beachboys out west DURRES: Deployed directly on the beach of Durres in Albania, our boys out west are living in a surfers paradise. But the only place the KFOR soldiers at COMM-Z WEST are allowed to surf, is on the Internet! Alternative: We are the alternative to Thessaloniki, Italian Captain Umberto Salvador in the Joint Operation Command (JOC) Plepa says. In the JOC an old map from Hoxa's days are still hanging in there. At first sight, any KFOR soldier deployed in Kosovo or the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) would more than envy their colleagues in compound Plepa in Durres. But the beautiful view with palm trees on a beach by a blue sea is just as fake as any picture in a travel catalogue offering holidays; it only tells half the truth. A walk down onto the beach tells you the other half. In between the barbed wire and beside a watchtower, a big sign clearly spells it out for you: No swimming! And no wonder the soldiers have to stick to surfing on Internet, the sea out of Durres is even more polluted than the Web. That doesn't however stop the troops in this subordinate command of the KFOR NATO-led international force in Kosovo, from using the beach for everything else except swimming. Being active playing beach volleyball, jogging, or just going for a stroll, the beachboys out west use the seashore for all kinds of activities in their time off in the evenings. The alternative During the daytime there are duties to maintain for the more than 1,200 soldiers assigned under Brig. Gen. Giovani Marizza's command and operating in several cities throughout Albania. The task given to them is to maintain open access of the lines of communication (LOC) throughout Albania and along the
1,300 Serb Civilians Still Missing In Kosovo [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Have you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay -- [Zoran Djindic, Hashim Thaci and Agim Ceku together One of the more interesting gatherings since Munich in 1938.] Serbian Prime Minister Wants to Discuss Missing Serbs With Kosovo Leader BELGRADE, Jul 4, 2001 -- (Agence France Presse) Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic said Tuesday he wants to meet Hashim Thaci, former head of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian guerillas, to discuss the fate of more than 1,300 Serbs who went missing in the province during and after the conflict there. A 10-member team grouping representatives of the families of the missing, the Serbian government and myself will ask for a meeting with Albanians who wield influence in Kosovo, Djindjic said here. Djindjic said the team would also demand a meeting with Kosovo's UN administrator, Hans Haekkerup, and urge him to organize talks with Thaci and Agim Ceku, leaders of the now dismantled Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), to discuss and resolve the fate of our 1,300 citizens. Thaci now leads his own political party, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), while Ceku is commander of the KLA's civilian successor, the Kosovo Protection Corp, tasked with civil disaster relief. More than 1,300 Serbs were abducted or have gone missing since the start of the war in the province in 1998, but most vanished after Belgrade's troops withdrew from Kosovo in June 1999 after NATO's bombing campaign. Djindjic met with representatives of the families of missing Serbs, who have accused the former KLA guerillas of being behind the kidnappings. All the war criminals -- Albanians, Croats, Muslims and Serbs -- should answer for their crimes ... That day will come, sooner or later, Simo Spajic, of the union grouping the relatives of the missing. The union has been trying in vain for three years to obtain information about their kin, meeting only with smiles of sympathy or goodwill rhetoric, from Western officials they asked for assistance, Spajic said. ((c) 2001 Agence France Presse) __ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Macedonia: UCK/KLA Attacks Police Station [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- Macedonian Police Station Attacked by Rebels in Night SKOPJE, Jul 4, 2001 -- (dpa) Ethnic Albanian rebels attacked a Macedonian police station at Radusa, the new hotspot in the Balkan republic, during the night, army spokesman Blagoja Markovski said Wednesday morning. There were no government casualties in the clash 38 kilometers north of Skopje. Macedonian forces used artillery and helicopters against the rebels. Macedonian television claimed the rebel commander in Radusa, named as Adnan was killed. This could not be confirmed. Presidential officials said meanwhile there would be a statement later about talks with leaders of the main political parties and U.S. and EU envoys, James Pardew and Francois Leotard, on a peace plan. A press release said the Tuesday meeting was very constructive. (C)2001. dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur __ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Belfast Death Squad Kills 19-Year-Old Man [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- [As the British press is having a field day detailing - alleged - human rights abuses in Yugoslavia two and a half years ago.] Wednesday July 4 8:56 AM ET Catholic Shot Dead As N.Irish Peace Deal Falters BELFAST (Reuters) - A 19-year-old Roman Catholic man was shot dead in Northern Ireland on Wednesday in a guerrilla-style attack that fueled tension as the province's peace process tottered. Police described it as a brutal, cold-blooded shooting but said it was too early to specify a motive or say which of the British-ruled province's militias was involved. But Sinn Fein, the political arm of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) guerrilla group, branded it a sectarian murder and blamed pro-British Protestant ``loyalist´´ hard-liners. The Irish government condemned the shooting, with Foreign Minister Brian Cowen issuing a statement expressing ``utter revulsion´´ at the ``vicious and cowardly murder,´´ which he said ´´bears all the hallmarks of a sectarian attack.´´ ``The perpetrators have no mandate and no support from any decent member of society, north or south,´´ Cowen said. ``They seek a return to the despair and misery of the failed politics of the past. We are determined they will not succeed.´´ The killing happened as Britain and the Irish Republic struggled to keep the 1998 Good Friday peace accord alive just four days before one of its toughest tests -- a Protestant parade near a Catholic area at Drumcree in County Armagh, a traditional flashpoint. WORSENING POLITICAL CRISIS The British and Irish prime ministers were due later on Wednesday to hold talks in London to try to pull the landmark pact out of a worsening political crisis. Protestant leader David Trimble resigned as Northern Ireland's first minister on Sunday over the IRA's failure to give up its guerrilla weapons. The victim of Wednesday's attack was waiting for a ride to work when he was gunned down by two men on a motorcycle, police said. ``We obviously cannot rule out a sectarian motive but we will be pursuing every possible line of inquiry,´´ Alan McQuillan, a senior Northern Irish police officer, said. ``Clearly from the nature of it, some sort of paramilitary group was involved in the sense that it was a very coldly carried out attack and very well-organized...but which one we are not yet sure,´´ he told BBC radio. Sinn Fein politician Martin McManus accused loyalist militiamen. ``It is a sectarian shooting, there´s no doubt about it,´´ said McManus, who knew the victim. The annual Drumcree parade is the most volatile in a traditionally turbulent series of annual parades by Protestant fraternities celebrating historic battlefield victories over Catholics. Authorities have banned it from entering a Catholic zone. The organizers, the Orange Order, have condemned the ban but appealed for peace during next Sunday's march. __ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Yugo Ex-Premier Hails Milosevic As 'Quite Brave' At Trial [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Have you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay -- [* denotes examples of Western free press reporting at its most impartial and objective] Wednesday July 4, 7:28 PM Yugoslav ex-premier hails Milosevic as quite brave at trial BELGRADE, July 4 (AFP) - Zoran Zizic, who quit his post as Yugoslav prime minister last week in protest at the extradition of Slobodan Milosevic, said Wednesday the former *hardliner behaved quite bravely in defying the UN court. I think Mr Milosevic behaved quite bravely, that his first appearance left a positive impression. I see that world media had the same impression, said Zizic, whose protest resignation brought down the whole cabinet. Milosevic refused to recognise the legitimacy of the *UN court that indicted him for war crimes *commmitted in Kosovo. Zizic, a member of the Montenegrin Socialist People's Party (SNP) which once backed Milosevic but *jumped into bed with Serbian *reformers who ousted him last year, said that if a new federal government is not formed within 90 days, new federal elections should be called. But he admitted that might be difficult, as voters have cast their ballots twice in the last 10 months, first in September's federal election which *toppled Milosevic and then in separate polls in Serbia and Montenegro, the last two republics in the federation. Zizic said that appointing a new government from the sitting parliament would be more practical. The parliament met in an extraordinary session Wednesday and formally accepted Zizic's resignation, which caused the federal government to collapse. The current government will act as a caretaker until a new line-up is announced by Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica, with no deadline for a decision to be made. Zizic said the new government should focus on harmonising relations between Serbia and its tiny, independence-minded sister republic of Montegenro. That process could be over by March or April, when new elections could be held for a new assembly which would adopt a new constitution which would establish the basis of the common country, he said. He said his resignation should be seen as an intention to strengthen the federal state and to return to the frameworks of legality, respect of freedom and civic rights. He stepped down in protest at the decision by the Serbian government, made up of *democratic *reformers, to *extradite Milosevic despite the objections of the SNP and the constitutional court, which is still *stacked with *loyalists of the *old regime. __ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Belarus Decries 'Diktat Of Force And Bombs' [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- [As a citizen of the United States, I don't find Belarus President Lukashenko's statements the least bit anti-U.S. In fact, they echo my own sentiments, and are the sort of thing anyone who cared about the political and moral well-being of Americans should be telling us.] Events in the Balkans show that some countries haven't learned lessons drawn fom the Second World War. Belarus President in Anti-U.S. Remarks at National Day Rally MINSK, Jul 4, 2001 -- (Agence France Presse) Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko took an indirect swipe at the United States and its diktat of force and bombs, during a speech Tuesday marking the ex-Soviet republic's national day. Events in the Balkans show that some countries haven't learned lessons drawn from the Second World War, Lukashenko said in reference to the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. Former allies of the Soviet Union against the Nazis are seeking to drag the world community into a new arms race. Some states are using the diktat of force and bombs to impose their own geo-political interests, he said in a clear allusion to the United States and its proposed anti-missile defense shield. The international situation forces us to have a very professional and mobile army, he said. July 3 marks both the 1991 independence of the ex-Soviet republic as well as its liberation from German occupation in 1944. Lukashenko, whose authoritarian regime is criticized by the West, last week denounced the transfer of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic to the UN War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. ((c) 2001 Agence France Presse) __ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Georgia KosovA Peacekeeper$ P*ssed [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Have you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay -- Peacekeepers Sue Georgian Defense Ministry for Salary Arrears TBILISI, Jul 4, 2001 -- (RFE/RL) A Tbilisi court has begun hearing a suit brought against the Ministry of Defense by 15 Georgian servicemen who served with the UN peacekeeping force in Kosova, Caucasus Press reported on 2 July. The men are demanding payment of their salary arrears for the six months they served in the Balkans and an additional payment of $600 to which they are contractually entitled. __ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
FW: A Greek colleague and friend of mine on Milosevic's [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] extradiction
Title: FW: A Greek colleague and friend of mine on Milosevic's extradiction STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ListBot SponsorHave you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today.http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay It is a sad irony, that those Serbs who choose to convince themselves that Milosevic is the monster that NATO interests want everyone on earth to believe, have themselves turned into a collective monster... a giant pet 'Serbosaur' - imprisoned behind gold-painted steel bars far stronger than his poorly secured cell door in the Hague will ever be. This ravening but stupid beast devours chunks of its own self-respect tossed to it by Western handlers... who gleefully watch it tearing at the very heart of Serbian honour - (that quality, in Milosevic, they still respect and fear most!) - with every fresh bite. It is not necessary to be a supporter of Milosevic to recognize in him that admirable natural dignity, fearless independence and indefatigable strength of purpose everyone used to be able to take it for granted they would find in almost every Serb... John Jay -- From: Predrag Tosic [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: A Greek colleague and friend of mine on Milosevic's extradiction Date: Sun, Jul 1, 2001, 10:08 pm [While I do not share all of Ioannis' views, I could not agree more that the way this whole extradition ordeal took place is a disgrace for the Serbian and FRY authorities. I am yet to meet a true Libertarian, or a Progressive, or indeed a single Serb living in the diaspora, who agrees with Milosevic being transferred to this clearly political (and not very legitimate) court in The Hague, nor with the way this was done by Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic and the Serbian government. (For the record, most of the Serbs living in North America, myself included, have NEVER politically supported Slobodan Milosevic). -- PT ] On Fri, 29 Jun 2001, Ioannis Tziligakis wrote: So finally Milosevic was sold by the people he put his life in danger for and will be dragged to the International Mockery of Human Rights court, in Hague. That's really really sad and disappointing. They sold the soul of a nation of 12 million people for 1.2 billion dollars... Do the math... that means every Serb is worth $100!!! I cannot believe a single Serb cannot afford $100 to save his soul... To save the politician who could only be defeated by U.N diplomatic frauds lies and gimmicks... In the Battlefield Slobo was undefeated even when he fought with the Entire NATO. He beat Croats, Muslims, NATO and KLA... Slobo is one of the few politicians who had the guts to spit in the face of the bullies - namely U.S.A and their NATO puppets... Unbelievably... the people who accused Milosevic of being a dictator, a Nazi and a fascist (with no proof of course) had to take resort to fascist regime practices, ignore the Supreme Constitutional Courts ruling and abduct a citizen from his own country, completely in the dark by bribing some spineless, gutless and brainless officials... Today it's going to be a day of mourning and lamentation for Democracy, for civil and human rights, for human dignity... I'm sure that Slobodan Milosevic will survive the torture that he's being put through and will live to be a Martyr of the Serbian Nation and a symbol and an example of uncompromised fighter against the injustice of the World-Wide Bullies. I'm deeply saddened by the unfortunate fact that this great nation, the Serbian Nation, seems to have been depleted of men of courage, vigor, intellect and patriotism. Best Regards, Ioannis Tziligakis Research Assistant Dept. of Physics University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL, 61801 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
WHAT DECISIONS OF KOSTUNICA OPPOSED THE KIDNAPPING?? [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
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--
Dear people,
Amidst the insanity of this trial-by-international-piracy (kidnapping with
full guarantees that all norms of international law will be respected!!) it
is not suprising, I suppose, that the Left should sound a little strange too.
I keep getting emails in which I am told that the kidnapping contradicted
the decisions of the President of Yugoslavia. It did? What decisions? I
will pay $5 (and I am POOR) to any human or beast who can tell me ONE
decision Kostunica made (other than the decision to engage in double talk)
that contradicted this kidnapping. Any takers? Five bucks, guys.
Here is a piece that Richard Hugus, Chris Black and I wrote, refuting the
kostunica-is-innocent' stuff.
Best regards,
Jared Israel
The URL for this article is http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/treas.htm
Send this article to a friend! www.tenc.net * [Emperor's Clothes]
THE TREASON OF VOJISLAV KOSTUNICA
By Chris Black, Richard Hugus and Jared Israel [2 July 2001]
A chorus of voices of remarkable diversity is proclaiming Vojislav Kostunica
innocent of kidnapping President Slobodan Milosevic. This chorus includes not
only the mainstream media, which uniformly supports the kidnapping, but also
various groups and individuals who oppose the kidnapping. Their common view
is that Kostunica was out of the loop; that the kidnapping was a big surprise
or even an attack on him by Serbian Prime Minister Djindjic.
The evidence doesn't support this view.
KOSTUNICA BLAMES THE VICTIMS
Yesterday Mr. Kostunica issued a statement on the kidnapping. In it he blamed
everyone but himself. Remarkably, the blame extended to the Montenegrin
Socialists (SNP).
According to Kostunica, by refusing to support his proposed extradition law,
the SNP had blocked an:
opportunity to legally regulate cooperation with the tribunal so that our
citizens could be protected. {Kostunica's statement, as translated by
Emperor's Clothes}
Huh?
Mr. Kostunica's proposed law would have established regulations to speedily
extradite anyone demanded by NATO's Hague Tribunal. How can that be portrayed
as protecting citizens? When a government regulates Injustice, does that
make it Just?
In his statement, Kostunica whitewashed Washington and blamed Mr. Milosevic
for getting kidnapped:
From the arsenal of Milosevic's politics, which was truly defeatist for the
state and the people, are now adopted and revived precisely its most
undemocratic elements: illegality and the pulling off of humiliating
maneuvers that no one in the international community asked for, at least not
explicitly. {Ibid.}
Huh?
First of all, the international community definitely did demand Milosevic
be brought to The Hague. And they praised the kidnapping once it happened.
Why does Kostunica deny these publicly known facts? And what is the meaning
of at least not explicitly?
Second, as far as the kidnapping having roots in Milosevic's practices, what
practices? Kostunica doesn't say.
Did Milosevic kidnap people and send them to the Tribunal? No. Did he rule by
decree? No. If Milosevic was such a terrible dictator, how come he didn't
even arrest Mr. Kostunica, whose Presidential election campaign last year
accepted tens of millions of illegal U.S. dollars, smuggled into Serbia in
'suitcases of cash?' (1)
SHOW PROOF OR BE SILENT
It seems that every time Vojislav Kostunica makes a statement he manages to
include an attack Slobodan Milosevic, accusing him of various crimes. But
Kostunica never provides evidence to support his accusations.
A hundred times Kostunica has said, Milosevic should be tried at home for
his crimes. This suggests to the casual listener (that is, most of us) that
the existence of crimes is a proven fact.
The opposite is true.
Mr. Milosevic was arrested and held in Belgrade jail for 13 weeks, supposedly
for purposes of investigation. He was not allowed out on bail because he
might try to influence witnesses. During that time no evidence of any kind
was presented. No witnesses testified against him. Is it a coincidence that
Milosevic was kidnapped from jail precisely when the legally allowed three
month investigation period had expired? When prosecutors had to produce
evidence or release him?
If Vojislav Kostunica possessed facts implicating Milosevic in any crime he
would have turned that evidence over to prosecutors. Therefore he had no
evidence. Therefore Kostunica's constant accusations have been lies that
relied on and reinforced the
RE: [TW] Milosevic hearing transcript - Comment from Italian TV. [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK][WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: FW: [TW] Milosevic hearing transcript - Comment from Italian TV. STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ListBot SponsorHave you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today.http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay A true sign of the fair hearing he will receive. He can defend himself as long as he doesn't say anything! JDK -Original Message-From: John Jay [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2001 8:45 PMTo: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: FW: [TW] Milosevic hearing transcript - Comment from Italian TV. [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ListBot Sponsor --From: Luciano Di Cocco [EMAIL PROTECTED]To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: Re: [TW] Milosevic hearing transcriptDate: Tue, Jul 3, 2001, 7:16 pm To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: [TW] Milosevic hearing transcript - Comment from Italian TV. [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK][WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: FW: [TW] Milosevic hearing transcript - Comment from Italian TV. STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ListBot Sponsor And you can disagree with the ruling pro-democracy forces in Serbia as long as you dont try to demonstrate against them and for Milosevic (thats banned) and you can vote down extradition proposals, naively exercising your authority as a federal legislator, as long as you dont expect your vote to be enforced. And you can defend Yugoslavias sovereignty and defend the Serbs against defamation on the Tribunal Watch [sic] list, as long as you dont mind being branded a Cetnik by the racist dumbass list owner and dont, say, call the people with whom you disagree Ustashas, in which case youd be put on notice, and then bounced if youre not repentant. Enjoy your trip through the Looking Glass. -Original Message- From: Jonathan Knight [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 1:18 PM To: 'STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN!' Subject: RE: [TW] Milosevic hearing transcript - Comment from Italian TV. [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK][WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ListBot Sponsor Have you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay A true sign of the fair hearing he will receive. He can defend himself as long as he doesn't say anything! JDK -Original Message- From: John Jay [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2001 8:45 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: FW: [TW] Milosevic hearing transcript - Comment from Italian TV. [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ListBot Sponsor -- From: Luciano Di Cocco [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [TW] Milosevic hearing transcript Date: Tue, Jul 3, 2001, 7:16 pm To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
FW: [JUGOINFO] Guerres latentes et stratégie améri [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]caine des Contras
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 1:55 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [JUGOINFO] Guerres latentes et stratégie américaine des Contras Nikolaï von KREITOR Guerres latentes et stratégie américaine des Contras Parmi les éléments clefs de la doctrine de Reagan, introduite au début des années 80, il y avait l'application de la tactique de la guerre indirecte, par le truchement de groupes criminels, agissant au titre de marionnettes (cf. les termes War by proxy, guerre par procuration, et Contras strategy, stratégie des contras). Cette stratégie a été appliquée à grande échelle au Nicaragua, un pays qui, pendant plusieurs années consécutives, a subi une attaque de la part des Etats-Unis, par le biais d'unités composées de bandits (les Contras), entièrement financées, armées et entraînées par les Etats-Unis. En vue d'examiner la stratégie américaine consistant à mener des guerres indirectes (la stratégie des Contras) à la lumière de la législation internationale positive, il faut préalablement se référer à la décision de la Cour Internationale de La Haye, qui constitue un précédent valable. En 1986, cette Cour a condamné les actes de terrorisme international, tels qu'ils avaient été mis en forme par la politique étrangère américaine à la suite de la Doctrine Reagan. Au cours du procès Nicaragua against the US, la Cour internationale a dit que les Etats-Unis avaient violé la législation internationale, à la suite d'actes d'agression prouvés. La sentence de la Cour a été énoncée comme suit: (3) Considérant que les Etats-Unis, en entraînant, fournissant, finançant, équipant et armant les forces des Contras, et également en encourageant, maintenant et organisant des opérations militaires et para-militaires contre le Nicaragua et sur le territoire de ce pays, ont agi contre la République du Nicaragua, en contrevenant de manière flagrante les normes de la législation internationale communément acceptée, en intervenant dans les affaires intérieures d'autres pays. (4) [La Cour] estime dès lors que les Etats-Unis d'Amérique ont commis des attaques armées contre Puerto Sandino le 13 septembre et le 14 octobre 1983, et ont également commis d'autres actes d'intervention, tels que mentionnés dans le paragraphe 3 de la présente sentence, y compris l'usage de la force militaire contre la République du Nicaragua, en contrevenant de manière flagrante les normes de la législation internationale communément acceptée, qui rejettent les interventions dans les affaires intérieures d'autres pays (1). L'élément, la composante, de violence est particulièrement évidente dans le cas d'une intervention soutenue par l'usage de la force - dans sa forme ouverte, par un usage direct de la force militaire, ou dans sa forme latente, par le soutien apporté aux actions terroristes et subversives se déroulant sur le territoire d'un autre Etat (3). En outre, il nous semble bon de rappeler ici que, durant les sessions du Premier Tribunal Russell International, qui examinait les crimes de l'armée américaine au Vietnam, le célèbre philosophe britannique Lord Bertrand Russell, de concert avec Jean-Paul Sartre, a déclaré, en tant que représentant principal de ce Tribunal, que les Etats-Unis considéraient le Vietnam de la même façon que Hitler avait considéré l'Espagne. Si Lord Russell était toujours vivant, il ajouterait aujourd'hui que les Etats-Unis considèrent la Yougoslavie comme Hitler considérait l'Espagne. Dans son message adressé au Second Tribunal Russell International, qui examinait les crimes contre la paix et contre l'humanité, ainsi que les crimes de guerre américains en Amérique latine, Lord Russell a déclaré: Les formes modernes d'agression internationale consistent à établir des régimes marionnettes, servant les intérêts d'Etats étrangers. La caractéristique principale de ces régimes marionnettes réside dans leur fonction, qui est de garantir la continuité des investissements étrangers (soit l'expansionnisme géopolitique étranger). Ces gouvernements marionnettes liquident brutalement tous les opposants politiques qui osent dénoncer le comportement collaborationniste de ces marionnettesS Les Etats-Unis emploient la CIA dans ce sens et dépensent des millions de dollars pour acheter, tuer ou renverser les gouvernements qui résistent à l'impérialisme américain (4). L'établissement de régimes marionnettes est historiquement l'une des méthodes traditionnelles, bien éprouvée, de la politique américaine pour détruire la souveraineté des pays et pour réduire les peuples en esclavage. Dans cette optique, il est désormais nécessaire de considérer ces méthodes comme des actes d'agression, relevant de
FW: The Times editorial [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: FW: The Times editorial STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ListBot Sponsor All in all, the tribunal looks less like a neutral court of international law than a creature of global power politics. Fears that such a body will dispense a justice tainted with double standards are unlikely to have been assuaged by plans to establish a permanent International Criminal Court which, as then Foreign Secretary Robin Cook assured Newsnight viewers last year, ³is not a court set up to bring to book Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom or Presidents of the United States²... (see below) How true!... JJ -- From: Branka Josilo-Perry [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Marbles [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: The Times editorial Date: Mon, Jul 2, 2001, 4:54 pm MONDAY JULY 02 2001 Milosevic might be a monster - but this is no way to bring him to justice MICK HUME Whatever untruths he might tell in the dock, Slobodan Milosevic surely had a point when he described his forthcoming trial at the International War Crimes Tribunal as a ³political circus². The debate over war crimes often reveals motives that have rather more to do with politics than justice. The former Yugoslav President may be guilty of many crimes. The court at The Hague will be asking what happened in Kosovo, Bosnia and Croatia, and to what extent Milosevic can be held responsible. There are, however, some broader questions about the current drive for war crimes trials that we might all do well to ponder in the months before the hearings begin. What exactly do we understand by a war crime? This question has always been politically loaded. Military conflict is not cricket, and combatants rarely behave like gentlemen. In the brutalising circumstances of war, all kinds of normal people become capable of doing terrible things, and one man¹s act of war is another¹s atrocity. On what basis do we single out some as war crimes? Why now? In the half century after the trials of leading Nazis at Nuremberg, many atrocities were committed around the world, a good many of them by governments allied to the West in the Cold War. Yet there was never any serious consideration given to setting up an international tribunal. So why is there now such enthusiasm for war crimes trials in relation to the civil wars in the former Yugoslavia? And even there, it is at least worth asking why Milosevic has been singled out. He has blood on his hands, but it is hard to see how that makes him much different from Croatia¹s late President Tudjman, or the other Stalinist-turned-nationalist politicians engaged in a local power struggle in the Balkans. Is it possible for a Western soldier or statesman to commit a war crime? History suggests that we tend to think not. Proposals that Britons and Americans should be tried over acts of war in the Falklands, the Gulf or Serbia have been quickly dismissed. And what of the response on those occasions when it is acknowledged that Western commanders were responsible for a massacre? In April 1919, at Amritsar, British Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer ordered his troops to fire unprovoked on a crowd of unarmed Indian protesters, leaving almost 400 dead. The Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab supported it as ³the least amount of firing which would produce the necessary moral and widespread effect². Dyer was relieved of his command, but returned to England a hero to many, who presented him with a purse of thousands of pounds and a sword inscribed ³Saviour of the Punjab². In March 1968, US infantrymen under the command of Lieutenant William Calley massacred the civilian population of the Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai in four hours. When Calley eventually faced a court martial, he said: ³I was ordered to go in there and destroy the enemy . . . I did not sit down and think in terms of men, women and children. They were all classified the same.² Calley was sentenced to life imprisonment. After just three days in prison, President Richard Nixon ordered that he be moved to his apartment under house arrest. Three years later he was free on parole. Back in the present, another question remains as to whether the war crimes tribunal should sit in judgment on a former head of a sovereign state. It is arguable that the existence of this tribunal is an infringement of international law. It was set up by the permanent members of the UN Security Council the US, UK, France, Russia and China in contravention of the UN¹s own principle of non-intervention in the affairs of member states. There are no juries at The Hague, and measures have been permitted during trials such as the use of hearsay evidence and anonymous witnesses that even new Labour Home Secretaries have so far fought shy of proposing for UK courts. All in all, the tribunal looks less like a neutral court of international law than a creature of global power politics. Fears that such a body will dispense a justice tainted with double standards are unlikely to have been assuaged
FW: Justice in the Hague - by Michel Collon of Belgium [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: FW: Justice in the Hague - by Michel Collon of Belgium STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ListBot Sponsor -- From: Michel Collon [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Engl. Span. Ital: Justice in the Hague Date: Wed, Jul 4, 2001, 7:03 pm Dear friends, Please find below English versions of my recent article about Milosevic and The Hague. Also a previous text about the rules of the Tribunal itself. -- Michel Collon - Belgium [EMAIL PROTECTED] (For fair use only) Justice at the Hague Michel Collon If they tell us that everything that has happened in Yugoslavia is the fault of one man, all the while hiding the manoeuvring by the German and subsequently the American Secret Services to blow to pieces this too independent country, and remaining silent on the arms they furnished to the enemies of the Serbs, long before these wars; If they hide the discreet but revealing words with which Clinton and other US and NATO leaders admitted that they were carrying out this war on behalf of Globalisation, the Multinationals and the control of the oil supply lines; If they admit today that public opinion was manipulated with regard to the true reasons for past wars(Korea, Suez, Algeria, the Gulf) as well as with regard to the crimes committed by the armies of the West during those wars, but that in recent wars everything was better and the media told the truth; If the media Magnates persist in courageously refusing all debate on the recent media lies; If the Western leaders affirm in 1998 that the KLA is a terrorist organisation, in 1999 that it is not at all and that in 2001 it most certainly is, If they want to make us believe that justice will be done by a tribunal that has no legal basis, largely funded from not disinterested private finance (Soros, Rockefeller, Time Warner), a tribunal that has no respect for any of the basic principles of law (not least of which is the presumption of innocence until proved guilty) a tribunal that changes the rules every time that it suits it to do so and which refuses to try the crimes committed in ex-Yugoslavia by Washington¹s protégés, not to mention NATO¹s own crimes; If they claim that it was right to wage war and kill thousands of civilians to put in power a democratic and legalist president when the deportation of Milosevic was carried out in violation of the laws of Yugoslavia, of its government and of its judicial system; If they claim that the criteria of what is democratic or not in the world must be fixed by a United States President, elected by a quarter of the population (without the vote of the poor), once billions of dollars from the multi-nationals have limited the choice to two bought candidates and once public opinion has been totally manipulated by the most stupefying media in the world; If they tell us that such a President can put in power, arm, finance and protect Mobutu, Sharon and Pinochet and nearly all the military dictators in the world for the last fifty years, while claiming the right to condemn the Heads of State they do not like. If they tell us that the United States leadership can assassinate with immunity, legally elected Heads of State Allende, Lumumba, six attempts on the life of Castro and many others while retaining the right to kidnap any Third World leader who resists Globalisation (of course after skilfully orchestrated media demonisation); Then I say they are taking us for a bunch of idiots. Michel Collon 1st July 2001 Quotes and sources available in the book NATO and World Conquest (in various languages) see site www.lai-aiborg/balkans. ³International War Crimes Tribunal² financed by the United States Government and US Multinationals It¹s as if Washington itself were to try Milosevic! MICHEL COLLON (March 2001) The ³Tribunal² is only interested in putting Milosevic on trial - not Sharon, nor Pinochet nor the Murderer Generals from Turkey: Is it impartial? Financed by the United States government and by Americain millionaires, it refuses to investigate the war-crimes committed by NATO and by the Albanian terrorists: Is it independent? Its modus-operandi throws overboard numerous principles of law: Is it legal? We have a portrait of a very bizarre ³Tribunal². Should Milosevic go on trial in the Hague? Whatever your opinion of the former President of Yugoslavia (and on the people really responsible for the wars in the Balkans) should he not have the same right as any other man to be tried by a fair and neutral tribunal that respects the law? According to article 16 of the statute book of this famous War Crime Tribunal, the Prosecutor is to act independently and not be subject to orders from any government. According to article 32, the expenses of the tribunal must be covered by the United Nations Budget. These two principles are constantly being thrown out of the window. The President of the Tribunal, Gabriella Kirk McDonald, herself, told the United States Supreme Court ³We benefited from the
FW: [TW] FW: HRW say Transfer of Milosevic Founded in [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] International Law - but I think not.
Title: FW: [TW] FW: HRW say Transfer of Milosevic Founded in International Law - but I think not. STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ListBot SponsorHave you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today.http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay Justice according to convenience - Selective justice - is not justice at all. JJ -- From: Jonathan Knight [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [TW] FW: [balkanhr] Transfer of Milosevic Founded in International Law Date: Wed, Jul 4, 2001, 6:41 pm One problem with this... FRY was also entitled to protection from NATO aggression, which was not forthcoming. The United States, amongst others, refused to recognize FRY, thus that country could legitimately ignore UN resolutions since, according to Clinton Co, it did not exist as a sovereign independent nation. Thus anything imposed upon them by the US could safely be ignored, just as the US for so many years refused to pay its UN dues. JK -Original Message- From: Rachel Bien [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Monday, July 02, 2001 6:36 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [balkanhr] Transfer of Milosevic Founded in International Law FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Transfer of Milosevic Founded in International Law (The Hague, July 2, 2001)-The transfer of Slobodan Milosevic to the war crimes court in The Hague is a historic precedent with a sound basis in international law, Human Rights Watch said today. Since 1998, eight Security Council resolutions have called on the Yugoslav government to cooperate fully with the International Criminal Tribunal on the former Yugoslavia. To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Yugoslavia: Treason, Blackmail, Gangsterism [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- The Guardian (Australia) Wednesday, July 4th, 2001. Yugoslavia: Treason, blackmail, gangsterism Treason, blackmail, kidnapping and gangsterism are the only fitting words to describe the actions of the Federal Government of Yugoslavia in the kidnapping of Milosevic which involved a British military plane and bribery by the European Union and the US. The operation was marked by the disregard of a ruling by the High Court of Yugoslavia that suspended the Governmentís decree authorising the extradition of Milosevic and others. The Government in effect tore up the Yugoslav Constitution which specifically rules out the extradition of Yugoslav citizens to other countries. It then, together with British and American authorities, organised the spiriting away of Slobodan Milosevic from his Belgrade prison in a bread delivery van. He was delivered to an American base from where he was flown to The Hague in a British military plane. All this was associated with the billion dollar bribe of the Yugoslav Government by the European Union and the US. Milosevic is now to be arraigned before NATOís kangaroo court in The Hague. Belgrade is in turmoil following the illegal extradition of Milosevic. Even before Mr. Milosevic was secretly taken from his prison, huge Belgrade crowds reacted angrily to the news that the Yugoslav Government cabinet had issued a decree authorising the extradition of Milosevic and other Yugoslav citizens to NATO's so-called War Crimes Tribunal. Between 100,000 to 200,000 people rallied and marched in Republic Square in Belgrade. Speakers were saying this is treason to the Serbian nation. The Constitution is the highest legal obligation of any state and by breaking the Constitution one betrays the nation. They are saying that all Serbian people and others loyal to Yugoslavia must unite and take back their government and throw out those who have betrayed the nation to Washington, which dangles false bribes to humiliate the Serbian people, says an urgent message from Jared Israel (journalist of Emperor's Clothes) who was on the phone to Belgrade as the rally went on. At the rally people were speaking with one voice. They said: Abolish the decree! Serbian and Yugoslav governments should resign! Nobody should be extradited to The Hague! Those who adopted this illegal decree should be criminally charged! There must be general elections on all levels because the government has committed treason and lied and therefore nobody any longer supports them. The President of Yugoslavia, Vojislav Kostunica claimed that he had found out about the transportation of Mr Milosevic from the media [sic] and that his deportation was illegal. International reaction: International reaction to the events in Belgrade was swift and furious. Despite attempts of western media outlets to present the case as a just and well-deserved outcome, alternative voices hit the Internet to express their views. Demonstrations were organised and petitions and protests sent to Yugoslav authorities. Momir Bulatovic, President of the Socialist People's Party (SNP) of Montenegro, a major party in the ruling coalition, announced that the Prime Minister and six Ministers would quit the federal government in protest. The SNP Vice President, Mr Jovanovic, told the media that the Serbian Government's decision to hand over Milosevic in defiance of the Federal Constitutional Courtís ruling amounted to a coup. What happened is that Djindjic suspended the constitutional system of Yugoslavia. Djindjic introduced dictatorship, and the responsibility for that lies on him and all others who did nothing to prevent this. As another official of the Yugoslav Socialist Party said at the Belgrade rally: The masks have fallen from the Serbian traitors, especially [Serbian Prime Minister] Djindjic. Fidel Castro declared that the sending of Milosevic over there (to The Hague) is illegal, it does not correspond with international laws. He said that it was madness to concede the right of extra-territorial action for their penal laws and judicial authorities to NATO and the powerful nations. Eighty Greek parliamentary deputies from all political parties signed a protest to be delivered to the embassy of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in Athens expressing their opposition to the extradition. The Portuguese Communist Party points out in their protest that such an action, which on all counts is illegal and illegitimate, can only contribute to worsen the situation in Yugoslavia and dangerously destabilise the whole Balkan region. The offensive of the KLA bands in Macedonia, under the cover and support of US and KFOR forces, can lead to a tragedy of huge proportions. Christians Against NATO Aggression, a UK
Re: And Now, From London, Your Milosevic Misinfo for the Day (for TOOLGT) [WW... [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- In a message dated 03/07/01 19:29:25 Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Yugoslav officials complained that evidence had disappeared and witnesses refused to cooperate. Meaning they can't manufacture any and nobody else will lie. Cynthia Carl Bildt who is the UN envoy to the Balkans, I think, when asked by the BBC if it would be difficult to prove anything because Milosevic probably destroyed files answered something along the lines of Um, the question is are there any documents in the first place, the actual file on Milosevic is pretty thin Furthermore in today's Globe and Mail they talked about the difficulty of prooving that Milosevic directed war crimes especially since there are files that actually show the opposite, that he ordered troops to preserve civilian lives. cheers! Kole __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: FW: A Greek colleague and friend of mine on Milosevic's [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG... [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- John, just thought you might want to know that the Serbs have been under quisling, pro-imperialist regimes before as well. Case in point is the rule of the Obrenovic dynasty in the 19th century, which brutally suppressed internal dissent and warmed to the hated Austro-Hungarians. There was also the regency of Prince Paul, from 1934-1941, where Yugoslav policy was increasingly drawn into the Axis orbit and attempts were made to introduce outright fascist rule. Fortunately, the Serbs rebelled several times in the late thirties and early fourties against this pro-fascist and pro-German line, culminating in the famous 1941 uprising by Yugoslav officers to overthrow the regency and place the young King Peter on the throne. During WWII Serbia was run by the hated Nedic collaborationist regime that was imposed by the Germans. It was a Vichyite type arrangement (although Nedic NEVER enjoyed anything like the support the Vichy regime enjoyed in France). So as you can seeSerbs have even chaffed under brutal domestic rulers whose sympathies lay more with Vienna, Berlin, and now Washington, than with their own people...Fortunately, the liberationist and egalitarian ethic of Serbian patriots - which is Roussauesque in its bourgeois variant, and nearly anarchist in its socialist variant - is so strong, and so deeply encoded in the cultural fabric of Serbian life, that it is unlikely that things can last this way without a full NATO occupation. You've got to remember, once the Balkans are fully occupied, NATO will be siting ducks ripe for the picking...here's to the day that the Serbian chetas and Partizan guerrillas rise up again! Ziveli! Kole In a message dated 04/07/01 13:03:15 Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: It is a sad irony, that those Serbs who choose to convince themselves that Milosevic is the monster that NATO interests want everyone on earth to believe, have themselves turned into a collective monster... a giant pet 'Serbosaur' - imprisoned behind gold-painted steel bars far stronger than his poorly secured cell door in the Hague will ever be. This ravening but stupid beast devours chunks of its own self-respect tossed to it by Western handlers... who gleefully watch it tearing at the very heart of Serbian honour - (that quality, in Milosevic, they still respect and fear most!) - with every fresh bite. It is not necessary to be a supporter of Milosevic to recognize in him that admirable natural dignity, fearless independence and indefatigable strength of purpose everyone used to be able to take it for granted they would find in almost every Serb... John Jay __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From The Nation That Gave Us May, Shea, Cromwell Rhodes [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
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[It's going to take quite a while to repair relations
between the British military and the local population
UK Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw...Relations could be
'repaired' immediately if you took your NATOite
imperialist arses out of Cyprus - RR]
Wednesday, 4 July, 2001, 18:28 GMT 19:28 Britain on
Cyprus alert
Rioters caused £120,000 of damage on [Less than a
fifth the price of a cruise missile] Tuesday night.
Greek Cypriots have continued their demonstrations
outside the island's British base at Akrotiri,
following violent clashes on Tuesday night.
But this time the protest was peaceful, with several
hundred people gathering in opposition to the
construction of radio masts at the base.
About 40 police officers were injured in Tuesday's
violence, when cars and buildings were set on fire.
[The same amount of Yugoslav or Iraqi civilians torn
to pieces in a typical British or American bombing
raid, no?]
But the British police presence this time was low key,
and a senior police officer welcomed the peaceful
nature of the latest protest.
[These satanic antennae will kill children and
destroy the environment. I have done my duty and have
no regrets
Marios Matsakis (I couldn't think of a better
adjective; the one thing Khomeini got right.)]
A deputy from Nicosia's parliament, Marios Matsakis,
who was arrested for leading the protest on Monday,
was also present on Wednesday.
He defended his actions: These satanic antennae will
kill children and destroy the environment. I have done
my duty and have no regrets.
Condemnation
Earlier UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw condemned the
violence as completely unacceptable and said every
effort had been made to assure the Cypriots that
radiation from the masts posed no risk. [The Man of
Straw is deeply offended. Morally offended. The very
day an Irish teenager was gunned down by a pro-London
Loyalist death squad. Radiation poses no risk. Isn't
this the same claim that the UK and US made to the
thousands of Bosnian Serbians dying of leukemia?]
The trouble flared following Mr Matsakis' arrest for
trying to break into the Akrotiri base.
Protesters burst into a nearby British police station
where he was being held, demanding his release.
Riot troops
Troops in riot gear confronted the crowd of protesters
and fired tear gas in clashes which lasted all Tuesday
evening. {British riot troops would be better deployed
in Belfast, Burnley and Oldham - if they could be
trusted not to make the situations even worse.]
Forty police officers were injured during the trouble
A British military spokesman called the protests one
of the most violent and abhorrent acts of lawlessness
ever seen in Cyprus. [The most abhorrent act in Cyrus
is the very presence of British colonial occupation
forces.]
Protesters say the six low-frequency masts to be built
near UK bases by 2003 will emit radiation that could
seriously harm local residents, especially children.
They are also concerned about possible effects on
migratory birds.
British authorities deny there is any risk to health,
and say the antennae are needed for the UK military's
global communications network.
There are about 3,500 British soldiers based in
Cyprus. [Kick the imperialist occupiers out!]
__
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Re: Yugoslavia: Treason, Blackmail, Gangsterism [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- A refreshing change from, what I assume to be, a main-stream publication(?)... On 4 Jul 01, at 15:53, Rick Rozoff wrote: STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- The Guardian (Australia) Wednesday, July 4th, 2001. Yugoslavia: Treason, blackmail, gangsterism Treason, blackmail, kidnapping and gangsterism are the only fitting words to describe the actions of the Federal Government of Yugoslavia in the kidnapping of Milosevic which involved a British military plane and bribery by the European Union and the US. The operation was marked by the disregard of a ruling by the High Court of Yugoslavia that suspended the Governmentís decree authorising the extradition of Milosevic and others. The Government in effect tore up the Yugoslav Constitution which specifically rules out the extradition of Yugoslav citizens to other countries. It then, together with British and American authorities, organised the spiriting away of Slobodan Milosevic from his Belgrade prison in a bread delivery van. He was delivered to an American base from where he was flown to The Hague in a British military plane. All this was associated with the billion dollar bribe of the Yugoslav Government by the European Union and the US. Milosevic is now to be arraigned before NATOís kangaroo court in The Hague. Belgrade is in turmoil following the illegal extradition of Milosevic. Even before Mr. Milosevic was secretly taken from his prison, huge Belgrade crowds reacted angrily to the news that the Yugoslav Government cabinet had issued a decree authorising the extradition of Milosevic and other Yugoslav citizens to NATO's so-called War Crimes Tribunal. Between 100,000 to 200,000 people rallied and marched in Republic Square in Belgrade. Speakers were saying this is treason to the Serbian nation. The Constitution is the highest legal obligation of any state and by breaking the Constitution one betrays the nation. They are saying that all Serbian people and others loyal to Yugoslavia must unite and take back their government and throw out those who have betrayed the nation to Washington, which dangles false bribes to humiliate the Serbian people, says an urgent message from Jared Israel (journalist of Emperor's Clothes) who was on the phone to Belgrade as the rally went on. At the rally people were speaking with one voice. They said: Abolish the decree! Serbian and Yugoslav governments should resign! Nobody should be extradited to The Hague! Those who adopted this illegal decree should be criminally charged! There must be general elections on all levels because the government has committed treason and lied and therefore nobody any longer supports them. The President of Yugoslavia, Vojislav Kostunica claimed that he had found out about the transportation of Mr Milosevic from the media [sic] and that his deportation was illegal. International reaction: International reaction to the events in Belgrade was swift and furious. Despite attempts of western media outlets to present the case as a just and well-deserved outcome, alternative voices hit the Internet to express their views. Demonstrations were organised and petitions and protests sent to Yugoslav authorities. Momir Bulatovic, President of the Socialist People's Party (SNP) of Montenegro, a major party in the ruling coalition, announced that the Prime Minister and six Ministers would quit the federal government in protest. The SNP Vice President, Mr Jovanovic, told the media that the Serbian Government's decision to hand over Milosevic in defiance of the Federal Constitutional Courtís ruling amounted to a coup. What happened is that Djindjic suspended the constitutional system of Yugoslavia. Djindjic introduced dictatorship, and the responsibility for that lies on him and all others who did nothing to prevent this. As another official of the Yugoslav Socialist Party said at the Belgrade rally: The masks have fallen from the Serbian traitors, especially [Serbian Prime Minister] Djindjic. Fidel Castro declared that the sending of Milosevic over there (to The Hague) is illegal, it does not correspond with international laws. He said that it was madness to concede the right of extra-territorial action for their penal laws and judicial authorities to NATO and the powerful nations. Eighty Greek parliamentary deputies from all political parties signed a protest to be delivered to the embassy of the Federal Republic of
RE: Yugoslavia: Treason, Blackmail, Gangsterism [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- Isn't the Aussie Guardian a progressive pub? CPA, n'est-ce pas? -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 8:40 PM To: STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! Subject: Re: Yugoslavia: Treason, Blackmail, Gangsterism [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- A refreshing change from, what I assume to be, a main-stream publication(?)... On 4 Jul 01, at 15:53, Rick Rozoff wrote: STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- The Guardian (Australia) Wednesday, July 4th, 2001. Yugoslavia: Treason, blackmail, gangsterism Treason, blackmail, kidnapping and gangsterism are the only fitting words to describe the actions of the Federal Government of Yugoslavia in the kidnapping of Milosevic which involved a British military plane and bribery by the European Union and the US. The operation was marked by the disregard of a ruling by the High Court of Yugoslavia that suspended the Governmentís decree authorising the extradition of Milosevic and others. The Government in effect tore up the Yugoslav Constitution which specifically rules out the extradition of Yugoslav citizens to other countries. It then, together with British and American authorities, organised the spiriting away of Slobodan Milosevic from his Belgrade prison in a bread delivery van. He was delivered to an American base from where he was flown to The Hague in a British military plane. All this was associated with the billion dollar bribe of the Yugoslav Government by the European Union and the US. Milosevic is now to be arraigned before NATOís kangaroo court in The Hague. Belgrade is in turmoil following the illegal extradition of Milosevic. Even before Mr. Milosevic was secretly taken from his prison, huge Belgrade crowds reacted angrily to the news that the Yugoslav Government cabinet had issued a decree authorising the extradition of Milosevic and other Yugoslav citizens to NATO's so-called War Crimes Tribunal. Between 100,000 to 200,000 people rallied and marched in Republic Square in Belgrade. Speakers were saying this is treason to the Serbian nation. The Constitution is the highest legal obligation of any state and by breaking the Constitution one betrays the nation. They are saying that all Serbian people and others loyal to Yugoslavia must unite and take back their government and throw out those who have betrayed the nation to Washington, which dangles false bribes to humiliate the Serbian people, says an urgent message from Jared Israel (journalist of Emperor's Clothes) who was on the phone to Belgrade as the rally went on. At the rally people were speaking with one voice. They said: Abolish the decree! Serbian and Yugoslav governments should resign! Nobody should be extradited to The Hague! Those who adopted this illegal decree should be criminally charged! There must be general elections on all levels because the government has committed treason and lied and therefore nobody any longer supports them. The President of Yugoslavia, Vojislav Kostunica claimed that he had found out about the transportation of Mr Milosevic from the media [sic] and that his deportation was illegal. International reaction: International reaction to the events in Belgrade was swift and furious. Despite attempts of western media outlets to present the case as a just and well-deserved outcome, alternative voices hit the Internet to express their views. Demonstrations were organised and petitions and protests sent to Yugoslav authorities. Momir Bulatovic, President of the Socialist People's Party (SNP) of Montenegro, a major party in the ruling coalition, announced that the Prime Minister and six Ministers would quit the federal government in protest. The SNP Vice President, Mr Jovanovic, told the media that the Serbian Government's decision to hand over Milosevic in defiance of the Federal Constitutional Courtís ruling amounted to a coup. What happened is that Djindjic suspended the constitutional system of Yugoslavia. Djindjic introduced dictatorship, and the responsibility for that lies on him and all others who did nothing to prevent this. As another official of the Yugoslav Socialist Party said
RE: Yugoslavia: Treason, Blackmail, Gangsterism [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- With that name, I mistakenly assumed it was some offshoot of the Guardian of London... On 4 Jul 01, at 20:24, Jim Yarker wrote: STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- Isn't the Aussie Guardian a progressive pub? CPA, n'est-ce pas? -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 8:40 PM To: STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! Subject: Re: Yugoslavia: Treason, Blackmail, Gangsterism [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- A refreshing change from, what I assume to be, a main-stream publication(?)... On 4 Jul 01, at 15:53, Rick Rozoff wrote: STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- The Guardian (Australia) Wednesday, July 4th, 2001. Yugoslavia: Treason, blackmail, gangsterism Treason, blackmail, kidnapping and gangsterism are the only fitting words to describe the actions of the Federal Government of Yugoslavia in the kidnapping of Milosevic which involved a British military plane and bribery by the European Union and the US. The operation was marked by the disregard of a ruling by the High Court of Yugoslavia that suspended the Governmentís decree authorising the extradition of Milosevic and others. The Government in effect tore up the Yugoslav Constitution which specifically rules out the extradition of Yugoslav citizens to other countries. It then, together with British and American authorities, organised the spiriting away of Slobodan Milosevic from his Belgrade prison in a bread delivery van. He was delivered to an American base from where he was flown to The Hague in a British military plane. All this was associated with the billion dollar bribe of the Yugoslav Government by the European Union and the US. Milosevic is now to be arraigned before NATOís kangaroo court in The Hague. Belgrade is in turmoil following the illegal extradition of Milosevic. Even before Mr. Milosevic was secretly taken from his prison, huge Belgrade crowds reacted angrily to the news that the Yugoslav Government cabinet had issued a decree authorising the extradition of Milosevic and other Yugoslav citizens to NATO's so-called War Crimes Tribunal. Between 100,000 to 200,000 people rallied and marched in Republic Square in Belgrade. Speakers were saying this is treason to the Serbian nation. The Constitution is the highest legal obligation of any state and by breaking the Constitution one betrays the nation. They are saying that all Serbian people and others loyal to Yugoslavia must unite and take back their government and throw out those who have betrayed the nation to Washington, which dangles false bribes to humiliate the Serbian people, says an urgent message from Jared Israel (journalist of Emperor's Clothes) who was on the phone to Belgrade as the rally went on. At the rally people were speaking with one voice. They said: Abolish the decree! Serbian and Yugoslav governments should resign! Nobody should be extradited to The Hague! Those who adopted this illegal decree should be criminally charged! There must be general elections on all levels because the government has committed treason and lied and therefore nobody any longer supports them. The President of Yugoslavia, Vojislav Kostunica claimed that he had found out about the transportation of Mr Milosevic from the media [sic] and that his deportation was illegal. International reaction: International reaction to the events in Belgrade was swift and furious. Despite attempts of western media outlets to present the case as a just and well-deserved outcome, alternative voices hit the Internet to express their views. Demonstrations were organised and petitions and protests sent to Yugoslav authorities. Momir Bulatovic, President of the Socialist People's Party (SNP) of Montenegro, a major party in the ruling coalition, announced that the Prime Minister and six Ministers would quit the
Toronto Star Editorial on illegal decree... [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Have you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay -- [Courtesy of a disgusting paper, with despicable editors parading as progressive...] No place to hide Thus do despots fall. Two years ago, Slobodan Milosevic was undisputed master of Yugoslavia. A notorious Balkan nationalist, he seduced his people with dreams of a Greater Serbia, delivered nothing but ethnic hatred, war, disintegration, sanctions and ruin, yet remained in power. He seemed untouchable. Not so today. Milosevic has been replaced by a reformist democrat, President Vojislav Kostunica. He was ousted in a remarkable popular uprising last October. On April 1 Milosevic was arrested by fellow Serbs, charged with corruption, jailed, served with a warrant to face United Nations accusations of crimes against humanity, and now is fighting extradition to the U.N. war crimes tribunal at The Hague. After more than a decade of self-imposed isolation, Serbia is rejoining the family of nations. Milosevic's fate is a powerful caution to other political leaders who may imagine themselves to be above the rule of law. His comfortable world changed in May, 1999 when a Canadian jurist serving as U.N. chief war crimes prosecutor, Madam Justice Louise Arbour, made legal history by issuing the indictment against him and his cronies for crimes in Kosovo, where thousands of ethnic Albanians were killed by Serb forces and hundreds of thousands driven from their homes. That made him the first political leader in office to be so charged. At the time, Milosevic sneered that the court would never touch him, claiming its reach did not extend to Serbia. How wrong he was. The law proved more powerful than his bluster. Arbour's indictment, no less than the North Atlantic Treaty Organization air campaign to prevent Milosevic's army from rampaging through Kosovo, shattered his credibility with Serbs and ultimately his regime. Today, a broken man, Milosevic sits in a Belgrade prison fighting extradition, pitying himself and threatening suicide. Yugoslavia's international obligation as a U.N. member state is to co-operate with The Hague tribunal, said Nebojsa Covic, a Kostunica ally. We must no longer allow ourselves to be Milosevic's hostages.'' The Kostunica government deserves credit for adopting a cabinet decree on Saturday promising to send Milosevic to The Hague for trial for his role in Balkan campaigns of ``ethnic cleansing'' and terror that killed 250,000 or more. The decree is meant to override the Yugoslav parliament's refusal to change the law prohibiting such extradition. Parliament is still thick with holdover Milosevic cronies. Judges and prosecutors must now co-operate fully with The Hague, which yesterday requested Milosevic's extradition. Cabinet's decree recognizes that international law takes precedence over national law in war crimes cases. This gesture took political courage, because many Serbs still oppose Milosevic's extradition, though few want him back in office. It should spur the United States, Canada and other countries to pledge $1.5 billion or more in aid to Yugoslavia, to begin rebuilding its war- and sanctions-shattered economy. A donors' conference will be held in Brussels this coming weekend. Belgrade has earned some help. The sooner democratic Yugoslavia can regain its feet, and rejoin the European community of nations, the better. __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The Hague wolf looks for more sheep... [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- Hague sets its sights on Karadzic, Mladic Former Bosnian Serb leader ready to testify against Milosevic: sources RELATED LINKS · UN war crimes indictment against Milosevic · Guardian special report: Yugoslavia War Crimes · Hague sets its sights on Karadzic, Mladic (July 4) · Milosevic arrives in The Hague · Star editorial: No Place To Hide · Legacy: 'Moral, economic ruin' (Apr. 2) · Radio B92 Belgrade BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) - Slobodan Milosevic's appearance before the UN war-crimes tribunal has raised hopes that his former wartime allies - Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and military commander Gen. Ratko Mladic - soon will join him. The two fugitives, who top the tribunal's most-wanted list, have been evading justice since the end of the Bosnian war in 1995. They stand accused of genocide against Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica, the worst single atrocity in Europe since the Second World War. Karadzic is known to be hiding in the mountains of eastern Bosnia, somewhere near the town of Foca. Those who have seen him recently say he has changed his trademark bushy hairstyle to a shaven head, has grown a large beard and dresses in black robes like a Serbian priest to evade NATO-led patrols who have orders to arrest him. In the past, Karadzic often changed his hide-outs - including Serbian Orthodox monasteries and specially refurbished mountain caves - and travelled in ambulances with flashing lights to zip through NATO checkpoints undetected. His associates say Karadzic has often visited his wife, Ljiljana, daughter, Sonja, and son, Sasa, in the Bosnian Serb stronghold of Pale, east of Sarajevo, under cover of darkness. He reportedly also has visited his sick mother in the mountains of neighbouring Montenegro, and last year went to Budva on the Yugoslav republic's Adriatic coast. Those in his inner circle have even claimed that Karadzic once sneaked into Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital which his troops shelled relentlessly for three years, and had coffee with his friends in a downtown cafe. Locals f ailed to recognize him in disguise, they say. But one of his associates, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Karadzic is preparing to surrender to the tribunal in The Hague. The source said that Karadzic realizes he can't stay on the run forever, and is running out of money to pay the bodyguards who have been protecting him - and now have begun to abandon him. Karadzic has decided to testify against Milosevic in exchange for a lighter sentence, the associate said, and for the past two years has been collecting documents that would put the blame for Bosnian atrocities squarely o n Milosevic. For now, Milosevic - who inspired the Serb rebellion in Bosnia - has been charged only with war crimes in Kosovo, although the tribunal has said that indictments dealing with atrocities in Bosnia and Croatia also are bein g prepared. Mladic led the 1995 Serb onslaught against the UN-protected enclave of Srebrenica. Serb troops bombarded Srebrenica for five days and gunned down columns of refugees fleeing the town. At least 7,500 Muslim men and boys we re reported dead or missing. Mladic lived freely in Belgrade until Milosevic was ousted from power last October. He had shown up openly at soccer stadiums and had dined in plush restaurants. When Yugoslavia's new pro-democracy authorities signalled that they might have to hand Mladic over to the tribunal, he apparently left the Yugoslav capital for Bosnia. But just last month, he was seen dining in a well-kno wn Belgrade fish restaurant - one that is also frequented by foreign diplomats. Patrik Volf, the spokesperson for Bosnia's top international official, High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch, said Milosevic's transfer to the UN court ''sets the stage for the arrest and transfer to The Hague of the rem aining individuals indicted by the tribunal.'' ''The High Representative thus expects that others such as Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, former Bosnian Serb leaders likewise indicted by the Hague Tribunal for their role in Bosnia's bloody war, will also appear sho rtly before the court in The Hague,'' Volf said. Zoran Djindjic, the Serbian prime minister who was instrumental in Milosevic's sudden extradition last week, recently promised that all war crimes suspects living in Serbia, the dominant Yugoslav republic, soon will be ha nded over to The Hague. There are other high-ranking indicted suspects who remain at large and live freely in Belgrade - at least for now. They include Serbian President Milan Milutinovic; former army chief of staff Col. Gen. Dragoljub Ojdanic; former Serbian Interior Minister Vlajko Stojiljkovic; and former Yugoslav deputy prime minister
RE: Toronto Star Editorial on illegal decree... [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- The Kostunica government deserves credit for adopting a cabinet decree on Saturday... but as we've seen, he's far too modest to take the credit -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 9:02 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; activistlist; Eternera Mailing List Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Toronto Star Editorial on illegal decree... [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Have you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay -- [Courtesy of a disgusting paper, with despicable editors parading as progressive...] No place to hide Thus do despots fall. Two years ago, Slobodan Milosevic was undisputed master of Yugoslavia. A notorious Balkan nationalist, he seduced his people with dreams of a Greater Serbia, delivered nothing but ethnic hatred, war, disintegration, sanctions and ruin, yet remained in power. He seemed untouchable. Not so today. Milosevic has been replaced by a reformist democrat, President Vojislav Kostunica. He was ousted in a remarkable popular uprising last October. On April 1 Milosevic was arrested by fellow Serbs, charged with corruption, jailed, served with a warrant to face United Nations accusations of crimes against humanity, and now is fighting extradition to the U.N. war crimes tribunal at The Hague. After more than a decade of self-imposed isolation, Serbia is rejoining the family of nations. Milosevic's fate is a powerful caution to other political leaders who may imagine themselves to be above the rule of law. His comfortable world changed in May, 1999 when a Canadian jurist serving as U.N. chief war crimes prosecutor, Madam Justice Louise Arbour, made legal history by issuing the indictment against him and his cronies for crimes in Kosovo, where thousands of ethnic Albanians were killed by Serb forces and hundreds of thousands driven from their homes. That made him the first political leader in office to be so charged. At the time, Milosevic sneered that the court would never touch him, claiming its reach did not extend to Serbia. How wrong he was. The law proved more powerful than his bluster. Arbour's indictment, no less than the North Atlantic Treaty Organization air campaign to prevent Milosevic's army from rampaging through Kosovo, shattered his credibility with Serbs and ultimately his regime. Today, a broken man, Milosevic sits in a Belgrade prison fighting extradition, pitying himself and threatening suicide. Yugoslavia's international obligation as a U.N. member state is to co-operate with The Hague tribunal, said Nebojsa Covic, a Kostunica ally. We must no longer allow ourselves to be Milosevic's hostages.'' The Kostunica government deserves credit for adopting a cabinet decree on Saturday promising to send Milosevic to The Hague for trial for his role in Balkan campaigns of ``ethnic cleansing'' and terror that killed 250,000 or more. The decree is meant to override the Yugoslav parliament's refusal to change the law prohibiting such extradition. Parliament is still thick with holdover Milosevic cronies. Judges and prosecutors must now co-operate fully with The Hague, which yesterday requested Milosevic's extradition. Cabinet's decree recognizes that international law takes precedence over national law in war crimes cases. This gesture took political courage, because many Serbs still oppose Milosevic's extradition, though few want him back in office. It should spur the United States, Canada and other countries to pledge $1.5 billion or more in aid to Yugoslavia, to begin rebuilding its war- and sanctions-shattered economy. A donors' conference will be held in Brussels this coming weekend. Belgrade has earned some help. The sooner democratic Yugoslavia can regain its feet, and rejoin the European community of nations, the better. __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
PROCLAMATION OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY OF SERBIA A day after! [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Have you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay -- To join or help this struggle, visit: http://www.sps.org.yu/ (official SPS website) http://www.belgrade-forum.org/ (forum for the world of equals) http://www.icdsm.org/ (the international committee to defend Slobodan Milosevic) Socialist Party of Serbia 29.06.2001. B e l g r a d e PROCLAMATION Citizens of Serbia are embittered by the treason committed by the DOS regime headed by the Djindjic. Long time President of the Republic of Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, founder and Chairman of the Socialist Party of Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic was abducted and surrendered into the hands of NATO war criminals. Such a shameful act of capitulation and selling of national sovereignty has no precedent in the history of civilisation. Utmost responsibility for the unforeseen consequences (of this act) is borne by the Serbian Prime Minster Zoran Djindjic and the President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Vojislav Kostunica. By his decree, Zoran Djindjic abolished the constitutional system, took all the power into his (own) hands and thus committed coup d' etat. That is something he ought to bear responsibility for. It is known to the public that DOS group of ministers in the Federal Government, lead by Miroljub Labus passed on June 23rd 2001 Decree on extradition of our citizens to the Hague. That was a clear violation of the Constitution of Yugoslavia and Serbia respectively, both explicitly banning extradition of citizens. Such a decree was passed without agreement and knowledge of the members of the Federal Cabinet from the coalition partners from Montenegro. Group of DOS ministers abused their office and usurped the authority of the Federal Government, thus mocking the Constitution. That is something they ought to bear responsibility for. Federal Constitutional Court on 28th of June passed decision suspending implementation of the mentioned DOS Decree. Same day, on the St. Vid's Day, Zoran Djindjic proclaimed his Decree by which decision of the Federal Constitutional Court is directly breached, something never recorded in democratic states, and constitutional order put out of force and his dictatorship introduced. Citizens of Serbia condemn and do not accept Djindjic's dictatorship. They decisively request Djindjic's responsibility for his keen, premeditated actions in destruction of constitutional system of the country and for inflicting unforeseen damage to the state and the people. They also request responsibility of Vojislav Kostunica for not executing his constitutional and political responsibilities and for being accomplice in the shameful surrender of the national sovereignty. Serb people refuses to bear any consequences of the treason of the country. Citizens of Serbia and Yugoslavia, we are at a historical turning point - either we shall preserve our state and dignity or dictators shall surrender us to those who put on the mask of merciful angel in order to destroy inside us everything we build through centuries, even the very motive of existence and creation. Workers, peasants, social misery and making your painstaking work worthless are both direct consequence of the policy of the treacherous regime currently in power. Would you allow that to continue? Youth and students, does your education and future depends on you and your parented or on the wheelers and dealers that are trampling over Constitution and selling off the state in order to preserve their personal power and to promote foreign interests. Intellectuals, subservient DOS authorities and their servility towards foreign tutors inflicted indelible stain over heroic and freedom-loving traditions of our long history. It is also your responsibility not to leave such a infamy as a heritage to the future generations of Serb and Montenegrin people. Citizens, Yugoslavia as common home of Serbia and Montenegro makes today much more sense then ever before in history. It is expression of the will of the people and their understanding of own interests as well as of the interests of the peace at the Balkans and in the Europe. Yugoslavia is not needed only by these who would divide in order to rule, who incite hatred, terrorism's and separatism's to trample over International Law and to impose low of force, instead applying force of law.. Socialist Party of Serbia, together with all the other democratic and patriotic political forces in the country requests that people's will is
International Co-op Day, Saturday 7 July [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Have you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay -- [Via Communist Internet... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . . - Original Message - From: E. Kim Coontz [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 12:13 AM Subject: Re: International Co-op Day, Saturday 7 July Just a reminder that this Saturday is International Co-op Day! In celebration of the event are several opportunities for people interested in cooperatives. To learn more about the history and context of this 77 year-old event, visit the Co-op Day website at http://www.co-opday.org/. The website also offers an opportunity to participate in discussion of an International Cooperative called The Castor Project . To contribute to the discussion click contribute on the home page (don't worry they're not asking for money!). On Saturday, 7/7 a Northern California-based site will use interactive telecast to link with the conference hosts at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Other participants include cooperators in Johannesburg, Bangalore, California, Mondragon, London and Nova Scotia. For more information call the UCD Center for Cooperatives for details (752-2408). Special thanks to the primary organizers of the celebration-the Scottish Co-op and the University of Glasgow. This event offers each of us the opportunity to educate ourselves, participate, but above all open our minds further to the vast range of possibilities available when people work together. E. Kim Coontz[EMAIL PROTECTED] Academic Coordinator Center for Cooperatives One Shields Ave. (530) 752-1366 University of CaliforniaFAX: (530) 752-5451 Davis, CA 95616Web: http://cooperatives.ucdavis.edu __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Food cannot be subjected to the market [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Have you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay -- [Via Communist Internet... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . . - Original Message - From: Walter Lippmann [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: CubaNews [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 3:00 AM Subject: [CubaNews] Food cannot be subjected to the market GRANMA July 3, 2001 Food cannot be subjected to the savage laws of the market 1st World Forum on Food Sovereignty, an alternative parallel to the Rome + 5 Summit, to be celebrated in Cuba BY RAISA PAGES (Granma International staff writer) THE leaders of the world movement against neoliberal globalization who confronted police repression in Davos, Seattle, Bangkok, Prague, Porto Alegre and Quebec have now chosen a very different stage for battling the burning question of food sovereignty, at a time when the number of hungry people exceeds 800 million globally. Early in the month of September, the 1st World Forum on Food Sovereignty will take place in Cuba. According to the organizers, Cuba has been chosen because - as a consequence of the U.S. blockade - it is one of the nations which most suffers the most aggressions against its possibilities to produce and import food. In an autonomous and open manner, and sponsored by 16 non-governmental organizations, the forum will take place on September 3-7, at the International Conference Center in Havana, with the participation of 300 delegates from 100 nations. In 1996, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) sponsored a World Food Summit in Rome, in which government representatives and multilateral organizations participated. The agreement that came out of that meeting was to reduce by 50%, the number of underfed people on the planet, which was then estimated to be nearly 800 million. Now, as the Rome + 5 Summit approaches, the number of starving people, far from diminishing, is growing. The organization of a forum in Havana, alternative to the government forum which will take place in Europe, responds to an idea that emerged from the World Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil, last January. Eleven social organizations are sponsoring the world meeting in Cuba, with the addition of 15 NGOs, whose members have been protagonists of the latest massive protests against neoliberal globalization. The executive committee of the forum is made up of Cuban Gilberto Zayas of the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP); Spaniard Vicente Garcés of the Center for Rural Studies and International Agriculture; Brazilian Francisco Meneses of the Inter-American Network on Agriculture and Democracy; Frenchman Pierre Vuarin of the APM world network; and Honduran Rafael Alegría of Vía Campesina, an international organization of landless men and women. There is no political will on the part of many governments to discuss the agreements signed in Rome, affirmed Meneses. In a public statement, the executive committee underlined that it defends those who suffer from the commercialization of land, the savage opening of borders, the privatization of life and the increase in poverty and inequalities. FOOD IS NOT A COMMODITY For campesino leader Rafael Alegría, food cannot be considered a commodity, nor can it be subject to the illogical laws of the market. Alegría pointed out that the world of today is an example of the implantation of an exclusive, inhumane and imperialist economic model which is neoliberalism. We are denied access to land. Agrarian reforms have either been paralyzed or reversed. Forests, seeds and natural resources are being privatized. They are taking away the campesino's historic right to guarantee food security, he indicated. This Honduran campesino spoke about the demonstrations planned in Geneva and in other countries, to coincide with the next meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Qatar. He explained that they planned to rent a ship which will leave from Italy with international press aboard, in order to get close to the island where the WTO executives will be meeting. The WTO is considered by some as a tool in the democratization process, and by others as an instrument of the large transnational corporations. Since they will not allow us to land, we will send a call to the world conscience from the sea, the representative of Via Campesina pointed out. In Seattle we said that we would follow them wherever they went, and we will, he assured. __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Vieques, Hsiitii... S. Korea [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Have you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay -- [Via Communist Internet... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . .Closure of U.S. bombing range urged in S. Korea Pyongyang, July 3 (KCNA) -- Tens of members of the all-people measure committee for closure of the U.S. military bombing range in Maehyang-ri and the measure committee for compensation for the damage of Maehyang-ri villagers held a protesting rally on June 28 in front of the building of the U.S. lockheed martin company in Seoul which manages the bombing range, according to Yonhap News from Seoul. They submitted a letter of protest to the company side, demanding the closure of the range. Meanwhile, the all-people measure committee said that Maehyang-ri villagers are suffering heavy injury from the firing exercises of U.S. fighter planes in the range and that it is preparing to take the action for damages against the authorities early in July. __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Talks held between military delegations of DPRK and Cuba [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Have you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay -- [Via Communist Internet... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . .Talks held between military delegations of DPRK and Cuba Pyongyang, July 3 (KCNA) -- Talks were held here today between the military delegations of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Cuba. At the talks, both sides reiterated their will to boost the friendly relations between the armies of the two countries and exchanged their views on a series of matters of mutual concern. Present at the talks were vice marshal Kim Yong Chun, chief of the general staff of the Korean People's Army, colonel general O Kum Chol, lieutenant general Pak Sung Won, and other generals and officers and members of the Cuban delegation headed by colonel general Alvaro Lopez Miera, vice-minister of the revolutionary armed forces and chief of the general staff, and Eduardo Sanchez Pena, military attache of the Cuban embassy here. The talks proceeded in a comradely and friendly atmosphere. __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Anti-WEF-protests in Salzburg, Once again police repression... [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- [Via Communist Internet... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . . - Original Message - From: secr [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 10:56 AM Subject: [mobilize-globally] Anti-WEF-protests in Salzburg, Once again police repression... Subject: [UK_Left_Network] Anti-WEF-protests in Salzburg, Once again police repression... Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2001 08:52:36 - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-WEF-protests in Salzburg Once again police repression... http://www.marxist.com/Globalisation/salzburg_antiWEF.html by our correspondents in Salzburg, 2 July 2001 On Sunday, 1st of July, the World Economic Forum (WEF) started its European Summit in Salzburg, Austria. The list of the 1000 members of the WEF is something like the who's who of the biggest and most powerful corporations like McDonald's, Monsanto, Nike, Shell, Coca Cola or Microsoft. This year the WEF wants to discuss mainly the question of the further enlargement of the European Union towards the east of the continent and the process of capitalist transformation in Eastern Europe. Together with the Austrian government the WEF invited the political elite of nearly all the countries of Eastern Europe. The idea of the WEF lies exactly in building and deepening channels of communication between the capitalist corporations and governments and state officials to solve political and economic problems in the interest of these corporations. After the protests in Seattle, Prague, Davos or Gothenburg this WEF summit in Salzburg was a unique occasion to build the anticapitalist movement also in Austria. Salzburg will become part of the anticapitalist Summer, following on from the protests in Gothenburg and Barcelona and in anticipation of the G8-demonstration in Genoa, Italy. The police had been preparing for months. Since April it had been clear that the police would bring some 4000 policemen to Salzburg to protect the WEF. In the media there has been an unprecedented virulent campaign against the planned protests presenting everybody who wanted to go to Salzburg to protest as anarchist terrorists. After the bloody events in Gothenburg this campaign reached hysterical levels, totally out of proportion from the real situation on the ground. The anarchist groups in Austria are very small and do not even have the forces to challenge the police. And it was extremely unlikely that there would be bigger and more experienced groups coming from Germany or Italy who would be prepared for an open street battle with the police. Although it was clear to everybody that there would not be more than some 2000 people on the demonstration against the WEF, the police had forbidden all the planned demonstrations except for a rally in front of the station. Initially, they had even proposed to the Communist Party to hold the rally in the stadium! The balance of forces was absolutely in favour of the police. The media campaign led many people to stay at home. The OGB (Austrian Trade Union Council) refused to mobilise against the WEF. The trade unions only agreed to support the counter summit organised by ATTAC. All attempts to organise special trains paid by the unions failed. The lack of mobilisation on the part of the OGB left the radical left- wing groups isolated. However, this did not stop them from going ahead with their strategy of seeking clashes with the police. Their main aim was to prevent the WEF summit by all means necessary and without taking into account the numerical superiority of the police - not to mention that the police was well equipped and prepared for an open street battle. Already on the train our delegation from the Young Socialists was checked by the police. Arriving at the station it was full of policemen. The whole town was like a militarised zone. The police carried out several acts of provocation several times. One journalist from Germany was arrested and his material destroyed. Nevertheless on Saturday evening we decided to occupy a McDonald's restaurant to show our symbolic protest against corporate greed and exploitation. Of course it wasn't only the journalists that came, but also lots of police. When we left the restaurant the police prevented us from going back to the station to join a demonstration which had come to show their solidarity with us. The police surrounded our demonstration and forced us then to leave under their directions. On Sunday we participated in the demonstration with our own bloc with some 150 comrades. There was a very militant mood in our delegation singing revolutionary songs,
Vietnam: Party leader highlights importance of national defence [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Have you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay -- [Via Communist Internet... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . .Party leader highlights importance of national defence General Secretary Nong Duc Manh of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) emphasised the importance of national defence work while addressing a conference of army officers in Hanoi on July 2 and 3. He called for concerted efforts to build the army into a revolutionary, professional, and modern fighting force ready to defend Vietnam from any threat. Mr Manh, who is also Secretary of the Central Military Party Committee, spoke highly of the army's boundless loyalty to the Party and people and persistent adherence to the ideal of national independence and socialism. The army has always risen to the challenge when faced with adversity, he stressed. The officers' conference was held to review military work in the first six months of 2001 and discuss the implementation of military tasks in the second half of the year. Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Pham Van Tra who is also CPVCC Politburo member and Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Party Committee; Lieutenant General Le Van Dung, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Director of the Political General Department; and Deputy Defence Ministers Lieutenant General Phung Quang Thanh and Nguyen Huy Hieu were among those present at conference. (VNA) __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Belarus Decries 'Diktat Of Force And Bombs' [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- ListBot Sponsor -- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb -- [Via Communist Internet... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . . - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2001 10:26 AM Subject: Belarus Decries 'Diktat Of Force And Bombs' From: Rick Rozoff [EMAIL PROTECTED] Belarus President in Anti-U.S. Remarks at National Day Rally MINSK, Jul 4, 2001 -- (Agence France Presse) Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko took an indirect swipe at the United States and its diktat of force and bombs, during a speech Tuesday marking the ex-Soviet republic's national day. Events in the Balkans show that some countries haven't learned lessons drawn from the Second World War, Lukashenko said in reference to the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. Former allies of the Soviet Union against the Nazis are seeking to drag the world community into a new arms race. Some states are using the diktat of force and bombs to impose their own geo-political interests, he said in a clear allusion to the United States and its proposed anti-missile defense shield. The international situation forces us to have a very professional and mobile army, he said. July 3 marks both the 1991 independence of the ex-Soviet republic as well as its liberation from German occupation in 1944. Lukashenko, whose authoritarian regime is criticized by the West, last week denounced the transfer of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic to the UN War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. ((c) 2001 Agence France Presse) _ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ __ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Milosevic Defiant at War Crimes Court [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ListBot SponsorMilosevic Defiant at War Crimes Court Yugoslav Refuses To Answer Charges _Transcript_ 'These Are False Indictments': Transcript of Slobodan Milosevic before the International War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague. _Commentary_ Jenny Martinez, a former law clerk at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, writes in Troubles at the Tribunal that "There are fundamental problems with what is going on in The Hague that the international community must confront if the Milosevic proceedings are to be anything more than a costly show trial." _Special Report_ Milosevic on Trial Full Post coverage of Milosevic's fall from power and the efforts to try him in the Hague. _Indictment_ Excerpts: Major Charges Against Milosevic Full Text: Indictment Against Milosevic E-Mail This Article Printer-Friendly Version Subscribe to The Post By Keith B. RichburgWashington Post Foreign ServiceWednesday, July 4, 2001; Page A01 THE HAGUE, July 3 -- Defiant and outwardly calm, former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic refused to respond to the charges against him today in his first appearance before an international war crimes tribunal, seeking instead to turn a brief arraignment into an attack on the court's legitimacy and on NATO for its 1999 bombing of Serbia. "I consider this tribunal a false tribunal and indictments false indictments," Milosevic said in English, making his first public comments since his arrest in Belgrade on April 1 on unrelated corruption charges, followed by a dramatic nighttime transfer here last Thursday. Leaning forward in his chair, his eyes steely and with one arm leaning on his desk, he said, "It is illegal, being not appointed by the U.N. General Assembly. So I have no need to appoint counsel to [an] illegal organ." Despite Milosevic's refusal to name a lawyer, Presiding Judge Richard May of Britain asked him whether he would like to have the indictment against him read out or whether he would waive that right, to which Milosevic answered in a voice laced with scorn: "That's your problem." When asked if he wished to enter a plea today, or within 30 days as required by the court, Milosevic replied: "This tribunal's aim is to produce false justification for the war crimes committed by NATO against Yugoslavia." May again asked if Milosevic wished to enter a plea, and he responded: "I have given you my answer. Furthermore, this so-called tribunal . . . " and then his microphone was cut off. The court entered a plea of not guilty on Milosevic's behalf. At that point, Milosevic spoke again. "As I have said, the aim of this tribunal is to justify the crimes committed in Yugoslavia," he said. "That is why this is a false tribunal, and illegitimate." The judge cut him off with an admonishment, declaring: "This is not the time for speeches. As I have said, you will have the full opportunity, in due course, to defend yourself and to make your defense before the tribunal. This is not the moment to do so." May set the next hearing for Aug. 27 to assess the status of the case before the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Milosevic, along with four other top military and political officials still at large, has been charged with crimes against humanity for a campaign of terror and deportation against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo carried out from January to June 1999 by the Yugoslav army and police, the Serbian police and Serbian
CIA Gave $10 Million to Peru's Ex-Spymaster [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ListBot Sponsor CIA Gave $10 Million to Peru's Ex-Spymaster Angel Paez, The Public iJuly 3, 2001 The Central Intelligence Agency gave ex-Peruvian spymaster Vladimiro Montesinos at least $10 million in cash over the last decade, as well as high-tech surveillance equipment that he used against his political opponents, the Center for Public Integrity has learned. Montesinos, who now faces trial on murder, arms and drug trafficking charges, among others, had founded and personally controlled a counter-drug unit within Peru's National Intelligence Service, known by its Spanish acronym SIN. It was to that Narcotics Intelligence Division, known as DIN, that the CIA directed at least $10 million in cash payments from 1990 until September 2000, U.S. officials told the Center's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Most of the money was to have financed intelligence activities in the drug war, though officials acknowledged a small part was for antiterrorist activities. The CIA knew the money was going directly to Montesinos and had receipts for the payments, the sources said. "It was an agency-to-agency relationship," said one U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity in Lima, the capital, "with Vladimiro Montesinos as the intermediary Montesinos had the money under his control." The new information on Montesinos is part of an extensive soon-to-be-released report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) on U.S. aid to Latin America. The material on Montesinos is based on multiple interviews with U.S. and Peruvian officials. A CIA spokesman in Washington refused to confirm or deny that the agency had helped fund DIN, and that part of those funds went into Montesino's pockets. However, an intelligence official who asked not to be further identified confirmed that Montesinos had pocketed some, but not most, of the funds. He said that the CIA had been fully aware that Montesino was involved in corrupt deals and that the CIA had briefed the National Security Council, State Department and Pentagon about the alleged corruption. He said the agencies directed the CIA to continue to work with Montesinos because he was Peru's designated chief of counternarcotics and the only game in town. Montesinos disappeared in October as the regime of Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori collapsed under wide-ranging corruption allegations and was seized in Venezuela on Saturday night, June 23. Montesinos was returned to Peru on June 25 to face an array of government charges. U.S. Shrugged Off Reports Over the years, the United States accumulated plenty of evidence of corruption, human rights abuses and other anti-democratic actions by Montesinos, but it shrugged off the reports because Montesinos -- the unofficial head of the National Intelligence Service -- was a CIA asset deemed key to Washington's drug war in the Andes. But the final blow appeared to be Montesinos double-dealing in Colombia. In what is surely among the most embarrassing turns in post-Cold War U.S. foreign policy, Montesinos used his CIA-backed position of influence to get rich and to betray his benefactors. He arranged an arms deal that sent at least 10,000 AK-47 assault rifles from Jordan to Colombia's leftist FARC guerrillas, collectively public enemy number one in the U.S. war on drugs in Latin America and the main target of Washington's $1.3 billion counternarcotics aid package to Colombia. Montesinos had long been fingered as corrupted by drug money, although many of the earlier claims that surfaced came from arrested drug dealers. But by 1997, the State Department began to document Montesinos' questionable activities in its annual human rights reports. The Senate Appropriations Committee noted in 1999 that it had "repeatedly expressed concern about U.S. support for the Peruvian National Intelligence Service" and requested that it "be consulted prior to any decision to provide assistance to the SIN." Diversion of Funds No Surprise The CIA suspected that Montesinos was involved in some illegal activities and was not surprised when informed of the diversion of funds, U.S. sources said. It continued doing business with him "because he solved problems, including problems he created himself," one U.S. source told ICIJ. The U.S. Embassy has provided Peru's anti-corruption prosecutor with detailed information about the CIA's payments to Montesinos in response to the Peruvian government's wide-ranging investigations into Montesinos' malfeasance. The prosecutor, Ana Cecilia Magallanes, has told U.S. officials that she has documents showing the diversion of SIN money, including the CIA payments, toward illegal activities. Sources would not elaborate on what those activities included, but the prosecutor said it did not appear that those monies were diverted into Montesinos'
International Law Should Not Be Victors' Justice [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: Message STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ListBot Sponsor Published on Wednesday, July 4, 2001 in the Toronto Star International Law Should Not Be Victors' JusticeIndicted or convicted war criminals are all citizens of small, poor countries by Richard Gwyn THE OTHER day the Los Angeles Times ran an op-ed piece by freelance journalist Robert Scheer arguing that Robert McNamara, the U.S. defence secretary during the 1960s, ought to be tried as a war criminal for his conduct during the Vietnam War. Scheer wrote: "(Former Yugoslav President) Slobodan Milosevic is accused of using military force to wage a campaign of terror against the civilian population of Kosovo. Yet it was McNamara who defined the largest part of the Vietnamese countryside, populated by peasants, as a free-fire zone." Scheer is being extreme. But he has a point. So also does Richard Falk, professor of international law at Princeton, who when asked on a recent BBC-TV program whether Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had been guilty of a war crime when he failed to prevent a massacre of Palestinian refugees in the Sabra and Shatila camps in Lebanon, answered, "No doubt whatsoever." And so did British journalist Christopher Hitchins in his recent book describing former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger as a serial war criminal for his actions in Vietnam, in Chile, in Cyprus. Yesterday, Milosevic appeared in court in The Hague to hear the charges against him - genocide and violations of human rights in Kosovo. The actual trial will probably be held next year. While, of course, innocent until proven guilty, the case against Milosevic is overwhelming. An eventual guilty verdict is all but inevitable. Universal applause has greeted Milosevic's handover to the United Nations special tribunal. His conviction will similarly be applauded and will enable Yugoslavia to fully re-enter the community of nations, even though Milosevic's actual delivery to The Hague was done under suspect legal circumstances (the Yugoslav constitution provides for him to be tried first in Belgrade). Everywhere, so it seems, those who violate human rights have had their immunity stripped away from them. Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is under arrest and his future depends upon the determination of a Chilean high court about whether he is mentally and physically fit to stand trial. Former Peruvian internal security chief Vladimiro Montesinos has just been extradited from Venezuela to stand trial for corruption. Former Argentine president Carlos Menem is under house arrest pending being charged with illegal arms sales. And while the wheels of international justice grind slowly, they do achieve their goals. Former Rwandan prime minister Jean Kambanda has been convicted for genocide by the U.N.'s special tribunal in that country (he's the first head of government to be charged as a war criminal, not Milosevic, as has been said many times this week). Convictions against less-important figures have been secured against those who committed war crimes in both Bosnia and in Rwanda (in the latter instance, including two nuns). There is, though, a troubling characteristic about all these indicted or convicted war criminals. They are all citizens of small, and usually poor, countries. The only inquiry into potential war crimes committed by the public officials of large, wealthy and powerful countries has been the U.N. special tribunal's examination of charges that NATO's bombing of Serbia, a part of which was targeted at civilians, was a war crime. (The tribunal rejected the accusation.) As well, a Paris judge examining charges against Chile's Pinochet has asked Kissinger to give testimony (Kissinger was in Paris, but said he was too busy to attend). A defence for this one-sidedness exists. Industrial democracies have mechanisms (a free press, a political opposition) to examine publicly their own past - by the U.S. of its actions in Vietnam, for example, or currently, by France of its use of torture in Algeria. The U.N.'s special tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and eventually the international criminal court, in effect extend the rule of law of democratic states to those parts of the world where to be in power has been, until now, to be free to do almost anything. Nevertheless, the disparity in the treatment between leaders in rich and poor countries will eventually become too obvious to be
There was never any question that Milosevic was above the law. But is NATO? [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: Message STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ListBot SponsorHave you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today.http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay There was never any question that Milosevic was above the law. But is NATO? by Stephen Gowans The extradition of Mr. Milosevic is a vindication of the whole idea of international law, declared one newspaper. Another: No one can escape the long arm of international law. To which may have been added, "Except Ariel Sharon, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Henry Kissinger, and a list longer than your arm." As seems to be true with much you read in the newspaper, the exact opposite of what front pages proclaim is closer to the truth. Milosevic being hustled onto a plane to the Hague wasn't a vindication of international law. It was the very repudiation of the whole idea that international law should apply to all, and that no one -- not Sharon, or Clinton or Blair -- stands above it. Mr. Milosevic has been extradited to a court that was largely established, and is controlled, by the same countries that openly violated international law when they bombed Yugoslavia for 78 days in 1999. They will never have to answer for their breaches of international law, or for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in reducing the civilian and economic infrastructure of Yugoslavia to rubble, and neither for the killing of hundreds, if not thousands, of Yugoslav civilians. Nor for the permanent disabilities of thousands of others. The tribunal is the creation of the UN Security Council, whose members, including the US and Britain, the principal NATO countries, enjoy immunity from prosecution, by virtue of the vetoes they wield on the Security Council, and by virtue of the fact that they've appointed the prosecution staff. The proposed International Criminal Court, which would make prosecution of all leaders possible by removing the odious principle that Security Council members stand above the law, has been blocked by the US. Some are above international law, others are not. Washington likes it that way. Despite the strong propagandistic strain that snakes its way through descriptions of Milosevic as a strongman, as heartless, as the "butcher of Belgrade," the case for prosecuting NATO's leaders is stronger than the case against Milosevic. The tribunal hasn't indicted Milosevic on genocide charges. All the bodies NATO darkly warned of, were never found. Instead, he's been indicted for the murder of 391 people. By contrast, the most conservative estimate of the number of Yugoslav civilians killed by NATO bombs -- made by Human Rights Watch -- is 500. Other groups put the number higher, in the order of 2,000. And that doesn't include the thousands who will eventually die from cancers induced by the terrible environmental catastrophe NATO's air assault wrought. As writer Diana Johnstone put it, "American officials are quoted as urging Serbian authorities to keep searching for some crime committed by Milosevic, since 'he's certainly guilty of something...' No such frantic search is necessary to find the guilt of NATO leaders. They launched an illegal war. They targeted civilian infrastructure, used toxic weapons. " The strategic forecasting group, Stratfor, warns that the tribunal has set the bar so low on prosecution of leaders, that it's now "easy for international courts to try a variety of foreign leaders and military officers, including Americans." Gasp! Not to worry overly much, Stratfor quickly adds, "No court in the world has the ability to coerce China, Russia or the United States to hand over a current of former leader." Law hardly matters here, a point Stratfor acknowledges, if not the media. All that matters is who has more power. NATO brazenly tramples international law to attack Yugoslavia because it can get away with it, and the Serb Prime Minister, Zoran Zjindjic, brazenly ignores the federal parliament and the Constitutional Court to transfer Milosevic to the Hague. Djindjic's actions are as outrageous, it's been pointed out, as the governor of Georgia turning over a prisoner to an international tribunal in defiance of the President, the Congress, and the Supreme Court. There's no rule of law here. It's hard not to conclude that the press doesn't exist to serve a propaganda function, when blatant violations of the rule of law are held up as vindications of the rule of law, or when, in another part of the world, Goliaths, with helicopter gunships and jet fighters and bulldozers, become make-believe Davids, threatened by make-believe Goliaths hurling stones. Or when who's called a rebel and who's called a terrorist depends entirely on power politics, and
The Times 4.7.01 [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: The Times 4.7.01 STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ListBot Sponsor WEDNESDAY JULY 04 2001 New world order beset by old world's flawsSIMON JENKINSSlobodan Milosevic¹s defence yesterday before the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague was blunt. ³That¹s your problem² he told the judge, Richard May, when asked if he would like to hear the indictments. The court was illegal and the accusations false. To Mr Milosevic this was a show trial to cover Nato¹s own crimes against the Serb people. The Hague trial is hailed as a triumph for the new world order. The architect of appalling acts against a civilian population now finds himself before a public court. He may be no more than an overblown mobster, but he must account for himself. This is not the smoke of battle, the clamour of the mob or even the rough justice of the world media. This is a court of law. Those whose deeds have outraged world opinion are to be weighed in the scales. I may be sceptical of modern hip-shooting Western interventionism, but I cannot defend Mr Milosevic against the charges laid before him. If America and this is America¹s doing means to police the world, I prefer it to use bribes and judges than bombs and missiles. No, Mr Milosevic is the problem and a court is the proper theatre for a solution. Yet as I watched Mr Milosevic¹s performance, I felt a terrible doubt. Western policy towards the Balkans has so often been counterproductive, could this trial merely arouse Slav opinion in favour of the accused, as the bombing of Iraq has for President Saddam Hussein? Rather than let Mr Milosevic rot in a local jail, the West has put him on a public platform. It has invited him to sneer ³That¹s your problem² at the pomp, the politesse and the legal courtesies of those who so humiliated his country. Terrible deeds will be laid at his door, but he too will tell tales of devious Western diplomacy and horrific Nato bombing. In reality, what Mr Milosevic thinks of the Hague court does not matter. What matters is what the outside world thinks, and especially that part of the world to which The Hague is supposed to send a message. Russia¹s Vladimir Putin asked on Monday whether the trial would really bring ³democracy, stability and predictability closer in the Balkans². His answer was ³I doubt it². International justice, like its domestic counterpart, must be rooted in a general legitimacy and consent. This is not because otherwise it is not justice, but because otherwise it will not work. It will carry no conviction and serve as no deterrent. As it is, I doubt if the Albanian gangsters currently cleansing Kosovo of its Serbs and Gypsies regard themselves as remotely at risk from any war crimes tribunal. The reason is that they know Nato is on their side, indeed is watching as it happens. The West never demanded the extradition to The Hague of Franjo Tudjman of Croatia, though his anti-Serb deeds in Krajina, committed with American support, were no less ³crimes against humanity² than those of Mr Milosevic at the same time in Bosnia. Nato did not regard crimes against Serbs as crimes. Any visitor to Belgrade (or Moscow) will attest that those whose respect the Hague tribunal most needs to win, those fighting tribal secession round the world, regard it as biased. It is seen as the agent of Nato, a force whose kill-rate in former Yugoslavia could yet exceed that attributable to Mr Milosevic. The truth is that outsiders who intervene on one side in a civil war can hardly claim to be even-handed arbiters of its horror. Either way, if one side¹s case is to be heard, so should the other. Mr Milosevic may be king villain, but Nato troops have made no effort to arrest his henchmen, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, in the Bosnia they claim to have ³pacified² at vast expense. Attempts to arrest Croatian war criminals have been half-hearted. How much more plausible would this trial be if it were even-handed? As always in the Balkans, the longer one is stuck in the morass the more stuck one becomes. Nato¹s early interventions had the best of intentions, but the longer it stays the less impartial it appears. Nato¹s Secretary-General, Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, was a loud and naive cheerleader for Albanian expansionism. His chickens are coming to roost in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, where he wants British troops to ³disarm² his former friends. If our troops cannot disarm Bosnians, Kosovans or the IRA, they are unlikely to disarm the Albanians of northern Macedonia. International jurisprudence would indeed win respect if it could convincingly embrace both wars of aggression and wars of civil suppression. Jaw, jaw, even among lawyers, is better than war, war. But the Hague tribunal bears more similarity to a post-victory show trial than to any impartial court of justice. To find its villain, the Americans had to offer blood money to the Serb
An Opening on Chechnya [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ListBot SponsorHave you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today.http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay An Opening on Chechnya By Zbigniew Brzezinski, Max Kampelman and Alexander M. Haig Jr.Wednesday, July 4, 2001; Page A19 Shortly after the Bush-Putin meeting in Slovenia last month, the Russian president held a lengthy press conference with a group of American newsmen. His comments in it were obviously designed for the American audience. Not surprisingly, the interview drew much attention and commentary. It is thus all the more surprising that a remarkable passage in Putin's answer pertaining to the tragic war in Chechnya (quoted in the Moscow newspaper Strana) drew so little public attention. In fact, it was not much noted in the major American stories covering the interview. Putin, although offering the usual justifications for the Russian military campaign, then went on to note -- and the passage deserves to be quoted in full -- the following: "For us the question today of Chechnya's dependence on or independence from Russia is absolutely of no fundamental importance. What is of fundamental importance to us is just one issue. We will not allow this territory to be used any longer as a bridgehead for an attack on Russia. We will not allow it!" It is perfectly reasonable for a head of state to declare his determination not to permit any territory to be used as "a bridgehead" for hostile attack on his country. That posture is not only normal but also quite legitimate under international law. But the phrasing implies more than that: It draws a subtle though unstated distinction between Russia and the alleged origin of the security threat. Moreover, the opening sentence of the passage quoted above carefully but deliberately distinguishes between what is "fundamentally" important and what is secondary. In making these comments, Putin may have opened the door to a dialogue about ways and means for ending the conflict. After all, no one can, or should, dispute the point that Putin defines as "of fundamental importance." To be sure, any dialogue on the issue of Chechnya will be both difficult and delicate. Too much blood has been spilled for it to be otherwise. Many Russians died to preserve the territorial status of the Russian Federation, and even more Chechens died for national independence. But the basic premise of such a dialogue can be exactly what Putin defined as centrally important. In making these points it is also necessary to stress that the Russian people should understand that not all opponents of the war -- including the writers of this article -- are motivated by hatred for Russia. In fact, it is undeniable that some Russian concerns regarding developments within Chechnya prior to the outbreak of hostilities had merit, even if the conduct of the war as such -- and especially the suffering it inflicted -- prompted serious international criticism. But the war not only precipitated enormous suffering, it also adversely affected the process of Russia's gradual engagement with the democratic Western world. That engagement is in the interest of international stability; whatever impedes it affects the long-term interests of Russia, other European countries and the United States. That is why President Bush was justified in raising the issue of Chechnya with President Putin during their recent meeting. There have been some recent indications that Russian public opinion is beginning to reevaluate that war. For the first time since its start, more Russians -- according to two recent polls -- favor its peaceful resolution than its endless pursuit. On the Chechen side, too, according to journalists who have recently been to Chechnya, there is war-weariness and a prevailing desire to end the fighting. Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, elected in voting supervised by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, has recently again indicated his willingness to discuss peace without any preconditions. Given that political context, it should prove possible to undertake a careful, and probably indirect, exploration of what a reasonable -- and perhaps initially only transitional -- arrangement might involve. One can envisage various formulas that would satisfy the fundamental standard of expectations as defined by Putin while not trampling on the aspirations for which so many Chechens sacrificed their lives. The key point is that the international community should now explore more actively whether Putin's formulation can serve as a "bridgehead" for a peace that is long overdue. The writers lead the American Committee for Peace in Chechnya. Zbigniew Brzezinski was national security adviser to President Carter.
