-Caveat Lector- POLITICS: YUGOSLAVIA SEEKS WORLD COURT RULING ON AIR STRIKES UNITED NATIONS, (Apr. 29) IPS - Yugoslavia, battered by six weeks of constant air strikes by NATO warplanes, is taking its case before the World Court -- accusing 10 countries of bombing its territory in violation of their international obligation not to use force against another sovereign State. The 10 countries named are the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Portugal and Spain -- all members of the 19-nation North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). But either for political or other reasons, Yugoslavia has not included the remaining nine members of NATO, namely, Greece, Turkey, Iceland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, who technically also are vat war with the Belgrade. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) said today it will hold hearings on the Yugoslav complaint beginning May 10 at its headquarters in the Hague. In its submission to the Court, Yugoslavia said that the 10 countries named in the complaint have committed "acts by which (they) have violated (their) international obligations not to use force against another state, not to intervene in (that State's) internal affairs" and "not to violate sovereignty." Yugoslavia declared that both military and civilian targets had come under attack during the air strikes, causing many casualties -- "about 1,000 civilians, including 19 children, killed and more than 4,500 sustaining serious injuries" -- and enormous damage to schools, hospitals, radio and television stations, cultural monuments and places of worship. Additionally, the 10 NATO countries are accused of destroying a large number of bridges, roads, and railway lines, as well as oil refineries and chemical plants, resulting in serious health and environmental damage. As for the legal basis for its claim, Yugoslavia cited provisions of several international conventions, including the Geneva Convention of 1949 and the additional 1997 protocol on the Protection of Civilians and Civilian Objects in Time of War and the 1948 Convention on Free Navigation on the Danube. It also cited provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Yugoslavia pointed out that the activities of the 10 states are "contrary to Article 53, paragraph 1, of the Charter of the United Nations." The relevant paragraph said that "the (U.N.) Security Council shall, where appropriate, utilize (such) regional arrangements or agencies for enforcement action under its authority." But the Charter provision also said that no enforcement action shall be taken under regional arrangements or by regional agencies without authorization of the Security Council. Since the beginning of the attacks on Mar. 24, Yugoslavia has consistently argued that the military strikes are illegal because they were not authorized by the Council. The Security Council voted 12 to 3 in late March to reject a Russian-sponsored resolution to end the NATO air strikes. In a letter to Annan, Vladislav Jovanovic, Charge d'Affaires of the Yugoslav Mission to the United Nations, has urged the Secretary-General to "urgently act" within his powers, "particularly those spelled out in Article 99 of the U.N. charter, in order to put an end to the NATO aggression and the further endangerment of international peace and security." Article 99 said that "the Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security." But since the Council has already acted on the matter, Annan has said there is very little he can do to resolve the crisis in Yugoslavia. "You are faced with a historic opportunity to take the side of justice and law, and at the threshold of a new century, to protect the authority of the United Nations, and to restore the trust of humanity in the world Organization," Jovanovic said. "The alternative is that by failing to fulfil your obligations you will become an accomplice in undermining the system of the United Nations," he added. "I hope that it is still not too late for you to make the right choice, and that you will muster the courage to stand for the rule of law rather than aggression and force," the letter said. News provided by COMTEX. 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