>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Reprinted from the June 8, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- >PRETEXT FOR WAR IN KOSOVO WAS A HOAX: >REPORT FINDS NO EVIDENCE OF "RACAK MASSACRE" > >By John Catalinotto > >A team of Finnish pathologists sent to Kosovo in January >1999 to investigate the so-called Racak massacre has at >last publicized its findings. > >The result is further proof that the U.S. government >manipulated both events in Kosovo and media coverage of >them as part of its effort to justify U.S./NATO aggression >against Yugoslavia. > >The NATO powers prevented the truth from being publicized >before or during the war. The reason is obvious. > >U.S. manipulation of the Racak incident was an essential >step in initiating the war. > >On Jan. 15, 1999, Serbian police--accompanied by observers >from the OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission and an Associated >Press video team who were French citizens--had entered the >village of Racak, a stronghold of the so-called Kosovo >Liberation Army. A firefight ensued, in which the Serb >police bested their attackers. > >The next day, KLA members led William Walker, the head of >the OSCE mission, and journalists of the international >media to a gully at the edge of the village. Walker was >also serving as U.S. ambassador to Yugoslavia at the time, >and had a record of not exposing but covering up heinous >crimes earlier when he was U.S. ambassador to El Salvador >and Nicaragua. > >The KLA took them to the bodies of some 20 people lying >there, and another 20 throughout the village. > >Before the international media, Walker immediately accused >Serbian security forces of having committed a massacre of >ethnic Albanian "unarmed civilians." He declared, "I don't >hesitate to accuse the Yugoslav security forces of this >crime." > >The story was spread worldwide. U.S. President Bill >Clinton condemned the "massacre" in the most absolute >terms. He spoke of "a deliberate and arbitrary act of >murder." > >The German foreign ministry proclaimed, "Those responsible >have to know that the international community is not >prepared to accept the brutal persecution and murder of >civilians in Kosovo." > >The Yugoslav government categorically denied the >allegations and called the incident a manipulation. It >accused the KLA of gathering the corpses of its fighters, >killed in the preceding day's battle, and arranging them so >as to resemble a mass execution of civilians. > >The "Racak massacre" was without doubt the trigger event >that made NATO's war against Yugoslavia a certainty. The >Washington Post of April 18, 1999, described Racak as >having "transformed the West's Balkan policy as singular >events seldom do." > >NATO immediately convoked an emergency meeting. On Jan. >19, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright called for >bombing Yugoslavia as "punishment." The punishment was >delayed, however, as Washington went through the charade of >talks in Rambouillet, France--at which it imposed demands >that it knew the Yugoslav government could not accept. > >In the meantime, teams of forensic experts arrived in >Racak from Belarus, from Yugoslavia and-sent by the United >Nations-from Finland. > >In February 1999, the Belarus and Yugoslav experts both >said there had been no massacre. But the Finnish >spokesperson gave a vague report that allowed Walker's >unsupported charges to stand. > >Now, after the most brutal war in Europe since World War >II, the same team of Finnish pathologists isn't sure there >was a massacre after all. > >CBC Radio News learned and reported on May 22 that the >Finnish pathologists' autopsy report reveals no evidence >that the 40 bodies were intentionally mutilated. Only one >of them showed any sign of being killed at close range. > >The doctor in charge of the autopsies is expected to >release a full report within a few weeks. But the most >reasonable conclusion is that there was a firefight, that >KLA fighters were killed, and that the United States and >NATO kept the report suppressed to help confuse public >opinion. > >There was no massacre--other than NATO's massacre of the >Yugoslav people. > > - END - > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
