The Global Reflexion Foundation contributes, according to her ability, to the distribution of information on international issues that in the media does not recieve proper attention or is presented in a distorted way. We receive information from different sources, that does not necessary reflect our opinion. If you don't want to receive it, please send us an e-mail. ****************************************************** Monday, October 2, 2000 1. Yugoslav 'Opposition' Negotiates Sale of Yugoslavia 2. Canadian observers in Yugoslavia 3. Russian Balkans expert on post-election situation in Yugoslavia **************************************************** URL for this article is http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/11.htm Yugoslav 'Opposition' Negotiates Sale of Yugoslavia by Michel Chossudovsky and Jared Israel People may not be aware that two prominent members of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) just made a very important trip to Bulgaria. They met with representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the NATO governments at a so-called "donor conference." The purpose was to set the stage for NATO governments to takeover Yugoslavia. The trip was announced the day after the Yugoslav elections. Mladjan Dinkic, the most likely Finance Minister in an opposition government, "said that representatives of his G-17 Plus will travel to Bulgaria this week for a donor conference on Yugoslavia with representatives of the International Monetary Fund." (United Press International, 27 September 2000) Dinkic was accompanied by Dr. Dragoslav Avramovic, an economist in Zoran Djindjic's 'Alliance for Change'. These so-called "democratic opposition" groups have been paid huge sums by US government agencies. Dinkic told United Press International that "Dragoslav Avramovic had drafted a letter of intent with a request to the IMF and World Bank. Dinkic said he expected that this would be followed by negotiations with creditor countries, the so-called Paris Club..." These are the NATO countries. A "Letter of Intent" includes a "Memorandum on Economic and Financial Policies". This establishes the conditions under which all of Yugoslavia would be put under the control of Western donors and creditors. Only a Yugoslav Finance Minister, selected by Parliament, has a legal right to draft a "Letter of Intent." But Dinkic and Avramovic represent only the so-called "democratic" opposition. In what country is it legal for opposition elements to "negotiate" with enemy countries who finance their movement? This is an extreme act of interference by the NATO countries. What measures do the NATO countries want to impose? � End of all government price controls; � Introduction of "free markets" without any protection for farmers or businesses from dumping of foreign goods; � End to all social protection. No government help with medical care, transportation , food or heating; � A freeze on credit to businesses � Massive layoffs of workers and drastic pay cuts for workers and farmers; � Forced liquidation of important businesses and industries, public and private � Any future reconstruction work to correct bombing damage be entrusted to companies from the NATO countries. They would be paid with money Yugoslavia would be forced to borrow from international lenders. The result of these policies would be: food prices would go fly high; enterprises would be driven into bankruptcy and liquidation; foreign capital would seize the entire economy. The "Letter of Intent" would require the acceptance of Washington's political demands. These were just laid out in the so-called "Serbian Democratization Act," # HR1064. It was passed by the US House of Representatives on September 25, the day Dinkic announced his trip to Bulgaria. Good timing. This law states that for Yugoslavia to be free of sanctions, and for it to be "allowed" into the IMF it would have to: 1) Negotiate independence (meaning secession) for Kosovo and probably Vojvodina 2) Completely "democratize" the country. "Democratize" is a code word for carrying out all US government orders; 3) Settle "all succession issues with the other republics". This would include the 50 billion (US) that the Croatian government and the Izetbegovic government in Bosnia are demanding as war reparations. The money would go right to these countries' creditors, which are NATO governments and Western Banks; 4) Fully cooperate "with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, including the transfer to The Hague of all individuals in Yugoslavia indicted by the Tribunal." This means the Yugoslav Army would have to hunt down any person the Hague tribunal said was a war criminal. Any leader of resistance could be put on the Hague's secret list of phony war criminals.. All this makes perfectly clear that Mr. Kostunica's promise to work with the International Monetary Fund but at the same time "safeguard Yugoslavia" is hollow words: they sound good but mean nothing. In agreeing to draft a Letter of Intent, Kostunica's coalition has already deserted national sovereignty. They have sold Yugoslavia, its economy, its institutions and its people. Meanwhile, the US law, HR 1064, authorizes the US government to immediately transfer another $105 million to the so-called "democratic" opposition and the secessionist government in Montenegro. American money -- together with funds transferred from other sources -- will not only pay for campaign expenses, it will finance payoffs. Washington and NATO are openly paying key individuals in the opposition parties to do what they are told to do. They are on the NATO bombers' payroll. Further reading: � 'The International Monetary Fund And The Yugoslav Elections' by Michel Chossudovsky and Jared Israel. Summarizes devestating effects of World Bank/IMF intervention in several countries. Discusses link between Western financial takeover and social-political destruction. http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/1.htm � 'How the U.S. has Created a Corrupt Opposition in Serbia' By Jared Israel, Prof. Michel Chossudovsky, Karen Talbot, Nico Varkevisser and Prof. Petar Maher. http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/scam.htm � ''NY Times' Confirms Charge: U.S. Gov't Meddles in Yugoslavia' with comments by Jared Israel. "Suitcases full of cash" says the 'Times.' http://emperors-clothes.com/news/erlang.htm � 'Emperor's Clothes Interviews Radio B292' Revealing interviews by Jared Israel with two staff members at the U.S. "independent" radio station in Belgrade. http://emperors-clothes.com/interviews/emperor.htm � 'Criticism of Emperor's Clothes on the Yugoslav Elections, with Reply' Prof. Robert Hayden & Jared Israel. http://emperors-clothes.com/letters/yugoltr.htm � 'Will the US Get Their Money's Worth in Yugo Elections?' by George Szamuely at http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/szamuely/willthe.htm � 'U.S. Law Passed by House of Represntatives on Funding Yugo Opposition and Harsh Terms for Lifting Sanctions' http://emperors-clothes.com/news/1064.htm (If this link gives you a server error please try a bit later; it is being set up.) www.tenc.net [Emperor's Clothes] ******************************************************* Press release 22 / 09/ 2000 ======================== CANADIAN OBSERVERS IN YUGOSLAVIA Marjaleena Repo BELGRADE. The international observers of the Yugoslavian presidential and parliamentary elections have arrived in Belgrade - some 200 of them from (so far) 54 countries. Contrary to the reports that "they have not been allowed in," there are registered observers from the following Western European countries. Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Sweden and UK. (The so far single American observer is an active senior participant in the Gore presidential campaign.) Among the observers are parlamentarians, delegates from political parties and organizations, as well as independents like the two participants from Canada. The Canadian delegates have attended political rallies of the three major presidential candidates, in Belgrade and Novi Sad. These events were noisy and lively affairs, without any observable disturbances and any noticeable police presence. Literature was freely distributed and received at these events, in a way no different from political rallies in Canada. One of us (Marjaleena Repo) has paid particular attention to election posters as she has been involved in the long-standing and not-yet-finished fight for the right to poster in Canada - and she can report that posters are everywhere in the street scene, accompanied by graffiti and the defacing of each others posters even-steven fashion, it seems. She has seen posterers at work in downtown Belgrade with posters urging women to vote, while postering on top of other election messages! She had a chance to discuss this contradiction with five English-speaking Yugoslavian youth with their buckets and sponges. Unlike in Canadian cities, the posters appear not to be scraped down by city workers but live to suffer the indignities from competeing political parties. In addition, there are huge billboards advertising the three major presidential candidates all around the cityscape. All in all, the appearance of democracy in action. The other Canadian delegate, Professor Dimitri Kitsikis, has a long-time experience of national elections, having systematically studied and observed them in many countries, notably in France, Greece and Turkey. His observations are therefore particularly valid and he has been unshaken by Western insistence that Yugoslav elections could be rigged. On the contrary, he is observing that these elections do not differ from those in any other democratic countries, particularly from France, of which Dr. Kitsikis is an expert. The delegates have attended an information session on the electoral process in Yugoslavia and have been provided with background information and documentation on how the system works and how it makes an effort to guarantee an equal, free and transparent voting method leading to reliable results. Questions were invited and responded to. We were informed that the delegates will be able to attend any and all polling stations on voting day, Sept. 24, and officials at the polls have been instructed to welcome foreign observers with full access to the actual voting situation, while respecting the citizens' right to privacy. While in Belgrade, disturbing news reached the observers. The International Herald Tribune of Sept. 20 has a front page story, titled "U.S. aids Milosevic foes: Millions allocated to a democracy program." The article states that U.S. officials have acknowledged $77 million financial "contribution" to opposition groups in Yugoslavia, from students to labour, from so-called independent media to political rock bands, and the newspaper states that "There is nothing secret or even particularly unusual about the U.S. democracy-building program in Serbia, which is closely co-ordinated with European allies and is similar to previous campaigns in pre-democratic Chile, South Africa and Eastern Europe, among other places." Washington Post (Sept. 21) further reveals that U.S. officials and corporations are also "providing a sophisticated opinion survey system, engaging for the purpose the New York firm that has done the job for Bill Clinton [Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates]" which explains the many polls that "prove" that an opposition candidate is ahead of President Milosevic and suggest vigorously that Mr. Milosevic will only win by fraud. While the Canadian and other Western media have alredy declared the election to be "rigged" (without any evidence, of course), we believe that the actual evidence for rigging and distorting the Yugoslavian election results has been found in the pre-democratic countries of U.S. and the European Union who in an wholly illegal and undemocratic fashion are interfering in the domestic affairs of a sovereign country. This, of course, must be condemned by all true democrats, be they individuals, organizations or nations. - 30- MARJALEENA REPO is a social justice activist and a long-standing member of Canada's "democracy movement," with hands-on experience on how Canada's democracy does and does not work. In April '99, she was a founding member of The Ad Hoc Committee to Stop Canada's Participation in the War Against Yugoslavia. She lives in Saskatoon, Sask. DR. DIMITRI KITSIKIS is a professor of International Relations at the University of Ottawa since 1970 and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He is a specialist of the Balkans and Turkey and has written many books on the area. Professor Kitsikis is multi-lingual and can give interviews in French and Greek as well as in English. Back in Canada on September 29, Ms. Repo can be reached at (416)466-6533 or (306)244-9724. Professor Kitsikis will be back in Ottawa on October 2, and can be reached at University of Ottawa, tel: (613)562-5735 or at his home tel: (613)834-4634. ******************************************************* RUSSIAN BALKANS EXPERT ON POST-ELECTION SITUATION IN YUGOSLAVIA Source: Russia TV, Moscow, in Russian 1630 gmt 27 Sep 00 Interviewed in Russia TV's "Details" programme on 27th September, Russian Balkans expert Vladimir Volkov said the situation in Yugoslavia after the elections is new and very alarming. Morally, the Milosevic regime is suffering defeat, but the constitution requires a second round to be held. However, Vojislav Kostunica is backed and funded by Western leaders and NATO's aggression against Yugoslavia in 1998 is now repeating itself. It is true however that Milosevic is on a losing streak and that logic suggests a change of political leaders. But the West should not foster any Illusions about Kostunica being an obedient toy, given the existence of the Serb ethnic question. Following are excerpts of the interview. Subheadings have been inserted editorially. [Presenter Sergey Pashkov] The "Details" programme is on the air. Hullo! It looks as if the political map of Central Europe is changing again. It looks as if Milosevic is on the way out: eight per cent is a wide gap and perhaps, a second tour, an extra two weeks, would be needed by Slobodan Milosevic in order to come to agreement both with the opposition and perhaps with the West, to exchange his personal security and the security of his comrades-in-arms for a peaceful handover of power, perhaps, at worst. At best, Slobodan Milosevic can lay claim to a fairly high post inside Yugoslavia: he has a very large party and he has a very large faction in parliament. What will happen? What will happen in Europe? What implications does this hold for Russia? We will be talking about this today with Professor Vladimir Konstantinovich Volkov, director of the Institute of Slavistics and Balkan Studies, doctor of history... Situation is new and very alarming [Q] Let's get to the point straight away: the situation in the Balkans, the situation in Belgrade, is this at last the long-awaited stability and peace or is it the forerunner of a new civil war? [A] Unfortunately, it does not seem to me that this draws a final line. This is rather a new and a very alarming interim stage. We are now seeing a totally unique situation and, evidently, it is necessary to separate the situation, which has arisen in Yugoslavia itself, from the situation we are observing now in the international arena. Morally, the Milosevic regime is suffering defeat [Q] Let's first talk about the situation which has arisen in Yugoslavia itself. Do you agree with the thesis that the Milosevic regime is declining in importance: Milosevic, as a politician, has ceased his existence? [A] I agree with your remark that eight per cent is a very large gap and the recognition of this fact by the Central Electoral Commission is in itself already a very serious phenomenon. We can say that, morally speaking, the Milosevic regime is suffering defeat. But the sphere of moral assessments is one thing, another matter is that we are dealing with a specific constitutional situation. Under the Yugoslav constitution and in accordance with all electoral regulations, the winner is he who gets over 50 per cent of the vote... [Q] Is 50 per cent of the vote also needed in the second round? Or is an ordinary majority enough? [A] An ordinary majority is needed there. But inasmuch as there are [only] two candidates and there will not be any dissipation of votes, the winner will be perfectly evident. Kostunica backed and funded by Western leaders But here we have come up against a totally unique situation when literally the same evening when balloting had ended, the Democratic Opposition of Serbia, whose leader and candidate is Vojislav Kostunica, declared itself the winner. That is not something which has occurred in any other state. Nowhere else have we come up against such a situation. [Q] But unique is that this position was backed there and then by Western leaders: both the prime minister of Great Britain and the president of the United States said that they are absolutely certain that such statements by the Serb opposition are well-founded. [A] There we move to the other aspect of these elections, namely the international situation in which they are taking place. Please pay attention to the following matters. Literally a week or even more prior to the elections, the mass media in the West, and not only they, but officials as well, started saying that they would not allow Milosevic, as they put it, "steal victory". That is to say, he was accused beforehand of a premeditated attempt to rig the elections. They were saying that under no circumstances would they allow him to walk off with this victory, they predicted Kostunica's victory. That is the first thing. Secondly, we know that officially - and that is also an absolutely new fact - large funds were handed over to the opposition, which this opposition is using to operate. I am not at all against this political struggle and it seems to me that both the Democratic Opposition of Serbia and Kostunica are very worthy leaders, but when such a - well - public struggle is unfolding around these elections, such a whipping up of passions from outside, this is blatant interference in Serbia's internal affairs. NATO's aggression in 1998 is repeating itself [Q] But as regards Serbia and the Balkans, this is not exactly new: There has been both the bombing of Belgrade, military pressure, real pressure on the Milosevic regime on the part of the NATO countries - this is already as it were an event of the most recent history: political pressure and military pressure. What does this mean for us? Does this mean that if Kostunica wins, that if the West is now investing financially, backing the victorious Serb opposition, Russia will have no place left in the Balkans? [A] You have touched on an entire set of problems. Let's try sorting them out a bit... Now we are seeing a repetition of this [1998] situation and I am getting the impression that NATO simply wants to take revenge for the thwarting of its preliminary scenario over a year ago. And we can now see that a very unconcealed and very powerful news-and-psychological, propaganda war is being waged against Yugoslavia. An economic war - sanctions - is being waged against it. But, at the same time we can also see and are observing that the ships of the 6th American Fleet in the Mediterranean have been put on combat alert, the troops stationed in Kosovo have been placed in a state of increased combat readiness, and in Croatia, Yugoslavia's neighbour, military manoeuvres are taking place, that is to say, evident sabre-rattling is in progress. How do you assess this situation? [Q] Well, one can interpret it two ways. On the one hand, one can say that this is pressure on Yugoslavia, on the other hand, one can say that this is pressure on the Milosevic regime. After all, objectively this entire situation is being supported by Kostunica: we have outlined this topic. Milosevic on a losing streak -logic suggests change of political leaders. Let's talk about Russia now. I would like to know what will happen to our policy in the Balkans? [A] Russia has been placed in a very difficult position in this situation. First of all, I would like to stress that Russia has long-standing, friendly relations with Serbia and we regard Serbs and Serbia as a state which is very close to us, but this does not mean that Russia should support the Milosevic regime. Unfortunately, the situation has turned out in such a way now that Milosevic is losing one round after another, both in the international arena and in domestic politics. Naturally, the logic itself of the unfolding of events prompts the need for a change of political leaders. That is one issue. Kostunica will not be obedient toy in the hands of the West [Q] But will we be able to come to an agreement with the new political leader, will we be able to come to an agreement with the Democratic Opposition of Serbia or will they already be staunch and stable allies of the West? [A] That is difficult to say. It seems to me that if the West fosters great illusions about, say, Serbia's new leader - let's assume this will be Kostunica - being an absolutely obedient toy in the hands of the Western powers, that is an illusion. It is an illusion because, it seems me, many analysts in the West do not realize, it would seem, a simple truth: as a result of the ethno-civilian conflicts in the former Yugoslavia a new and very dangerous question has arisen: the Serb ethnic question: Serbs, as a nation, have found themselves dismembered. The territory on which the Serb population has lived for centuries has found itself cut off: the Serb Krajina in Croatia, the territory of Bosnia-Hercegovina, the territory of Kosovo which was the heart of the medieval Serbian state. As a result of the collapse of the old Yugoslavia, the Serb people has found itself dismembered, divided and all the gains it received through two Balkans wars and two world wars have been cancelled. [Q] Moreover, I believe that the issue of the future of Montenegro also arises now . I believe that Montenegro's president, [Milo] Djukanovic, will raise the matter of Montenegro leaving the federal Yugoslavia and thus the existence of Yugoslavia as such can be can called into question. Albanian national question also rears its head There is also the Albanian question, the question of Macedonia's Albanians. That is to say, the apparently explosive situation there is not very reassuring. [A] Here we have touched one more problem which is interconnected with other questions existing in the Balkans. Apart from the Serb national question which has arisen as a result of the ethno-civilian conflicts in Yugoslavia, the Albanian national question also exists objectively. The Albanians, as a nation, have found themselves historically divided among various states... Therefore this question is very complicated. We cannot say that peace could come the Balkans even as a result of this question being resolved. Stability in Balkans is in the West's interests Thank you, Vladimir Konstantinovich. The question is whether the West will be able, whether the West will try - by investing substantial funds in Serbia, in Yugoslavia - avoiding new bloody conflicts. At any rate, it is evident, that it is in the interests, of Western leaders, including Bill Clinton, who has elections coming up and a chance for [Albert] Gore to win in the elections, to achieve some stability in the region. The question about what Russian diplomacy will do in the Balkans henceforth, remains open. You have listened to the "Details" programme. All the best! ******************************************************* Global Reflexion - Amsterdam - The Netherlands
