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 9, 2000 1. Did any major power NOT fund the Kostunica campaign? 2. Don't be fooled by posturing o Yugo coup 'government' 3. From Milosevic to the Future 4. Djindjic: Future state will be Union of Serbia and Montenegro 5. Djindjic says Yugoslavia will get government in a fortnight 6. Three Montenegro SNP vice-presidents: Kostinuca de facto Yugoslav President 7. Why Germany is in a hurry to help 8. Albright Says Priority Is to Help Kostunica 9. Dinkic: Rate of exchange halved for D-Mark ****************************************************** The url for this article is http://emperors-clothes.com/news/everybody's.htm Did any major power NOT fund the Kostunica campaign? "For Germans it was 'an obligation based on history.' to back the push for democracy [said Fischer.]... ''Der Spiegel also reported that Fischer, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and some G-8 foreign ministers brought the Yugoslav opposition together in Berlin on December 17. '''We read the riot act to the opposition then and told them to get their act together,'' it quoted one participant as saying.'' [From article below] [Note: If you are familiar with Germany's history in the Balkans Fischer's remark is chilling. Our thanks to Professor of Linguistics Peter Maher for sending in this story.] BERLIN, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Germany said on Saturday it had supported the Yugoslav opposition with millions of marks in financial aid. Norway also said it had helped fund the Yugoslav opposition's election campaign, which led to victory by opposition candidate Vojislav Kostunica and soon afterwards to the overthrow of strongman President Slobodan Milosevic. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said in a magazine interview that Germany had been duty bound to provide financial support to Slobodan Milosevic's opponents. ``It could have all ended up being far bloodier,'' Fischer told Der Spiegel. For Germans it was ``an obligation based on history'' to back the push for democracy, he added. Der Spiegel said around $30 million, mostly from the United States, was channelled through an office in Budapest. Another 45 million marks ($20 million) from Germany and other Western states went to cities that were under opposition control. Der Spiegel said the Foreign Ministry sent around 17 million marks through 16 German towns, which also contributed. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry confirmed the figures. ``It was not disguised but rather it was entirely normal financial aid from the budget,'' she said. She said four million marks in media support went to Yugoslavia. She declined to identify which media outlets channelled the money, but Der Spiegel said state broadcasters ZDF and Bayerischer Rundfunk were used. No one from either broadcaster was available for comment. Der Spiegel also reported that Fischer, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and some G-8 foreign ministers brought the Yugoslav opposition together in Berlin on December 17. ``We read the riot act to the opposition then and told them to get their act together,'' it quoted one participant as saying. Most of the opposition, long divided by infighting and personality clashes, united behind Kostunica in last month's presidential election that ultimately ended Milosevic's rule. Germany urged the European Union on Friday to offer immediate assistance to the new government in Belgrade. Economics Minister Werner Mueller promised in an interview with Bild am Sonntag newspaper to be published on Sunday that Yugoslavia would receive ``immediate aid'' from the EU. NORWAY ALSO SAYS HELPED OPPOSITION In Oslo, Foreign Ministry spokesman Victor Roenneberg told Reuters the government had given ``several million crowns'' in financial aid to Yugoslavia and provided supplies ranging from computer and communications equipment for the opposition's vote count to oil to opposition-controlled villages. Norway also funded opposition-run newspapers, radio stations and Internet media, he said. ``It is highly unusual to fund one party against another, but because we had assisted the opposition throughout the election, we were quite convinced that the opposition had a clear majority from the beginning,'' Roenneberg said. Norwegian Foreign Minister Thorbjoern Jagland arrived in Belgrade early on Saturday and met with Kostunica, who was to be sworn in at a ceremony later in the day. ``Norwegian diplomacy manages to do things even though it works quietly,'' Jagland told national news agency NTB. Norway has also said it will concentrate more of its foreign aid on Yugoslavia. (c) Reuters 2000. Reposted for fair use only. www.tenc.net [Emperor's Clothes] ******************************************************** DON'T BE FOOLED BY POSTURING O YUGO COUP "GOVERNMENT" Dear people, In a message posted earlier there is a quote from the British 'Independent' which reads: << The new government of Yugoslavia was furious yesterday after Washington suggested that sanctions would not be lifted unless Slobodan Milosevic was handed over to the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. Vladeta Jankovic, the number two to the president-elect, Vojislav Kostunica, issued a stark warning that relations between the new government and the West will not run as smoothly as had been hoped >> Bertolt Brecht says: "When the leaders speak of peace the common people know war is coming." In other words, beware of posturing. I think it's very important that the peace movement not be fooled by some recent posturing on the part of the self-proclaimed "new government" in Yugoslavia. This is a US-installed regime, not a "new Government" - it only exists as a government, if indeed it does exist as a government, by virtue of a fortune in US bribe money, which financed its organizing efforts, its violence, aimed at denying the recent election and the endorsement of Western Imperial governments. The parliamentary election that accompanied the election for the ceremonial post of President on Sept. 24, gave a full majority in both houses to the coalition the West calls "Milosevich". Milosevich personally leads far and away the biggest mass party in the Balkans. This despite the dangling of massive US government monetary bribes for any leader willing to join the DOS coalition which supports Kostunica. Kostunica was 'approved' as President by the Yugoslav Constitutional Court in a situation where a mob straight out of Roman history (but even better than Rome cause they had cellular phones) had already gutted parliament, looted everything possible, and had beaten resisting officials. That is, the Court gave its approval in a very dangerous situation. Precisely because the Kostunica/Djidjic Coup was NOT approved by a majority - between the people who voted against Kostunica and the people who didn't vote, the vast majority have never expressed support for him and many of those who did vote for him certainly did not vote for a coup - precisely because most people do NOT approve what he has done, he cannot appear to be subservient to the US. His position is most fragile. His entire apparatus of support is US funded. This is true of the so-called independent media, which now has taken control, gangster fashion, of the mass media such as Politika that was not previously in the peace of the US government. This is true of the political parties that comprise the DOS coalition which is Kostunica's tenuous (because infested with mutual hostility) base of support. Because Kostunica relies on US paid groups and media in a country that loathes the US government, his position is fragile. The US has recognized this and countless articles hint, or even state outright, that US officials are trying not to look to supportive. Obviously a little public squabbling with the US is useful. But this is for appearance. As someone once said, if you want to figure out where political loyalties lie, "Look at the money, stupid." And the bribe money comes from Uncle Sugar. Perhaps the socialist party or other anti-DOS groups needed to make the best of a bad situation. Perhaps they intelligently avoided a fight when the mob ransacked Belgrade because they realized the US was looking for a blood bath as an excuse to intervene. Perhaps they handled a very difficult situation brilliantly. Does that mean we have should be silence in the face of a US-paid for coup? If we do not expose the fact that a NATO proxy force has seized power, or at least partly seized power, if we attempt to gloss over the hard reality, that US government overt and covert agencies organized and financed a coup in Yugoslavia - if we do not tell the truth about these things we would become the pets of the Empire: Yap yap, cute doggy; don't worry, he doesn't bite. We would fail in our most important task: to help the people in our countries understand the Imperial hand behind these events. Peace activist Marjaleena Repo and Canadian Professor Kitsikis (the latter specializes in electoral practices in the Balkans) interviewed Vladeta Jankovic, the man quoted by the "independent' above. This was at the time of the Sept 24 Yugoslav elections. Jankovic endorsed the taking of vast sums of US money. Jankovic justified it by saying "we really need it badly" - an argument that can be used to justify any crime. Indeed. Prof. Kitsikis responded that this was high treason. Jankovic had no answer. Isn't it a bit late for Mr. Jankovic to posture about his virginity? Jared Israel For more on these questions please see www.tenc.net [Emperor's Clothes] ****************************************************** >From Milosevic to the Future >From the standpoint of cameras and Western journalists, the fall of Milosevic appears indistinguishable from other velvet and near-velvet revolutions that have toppled dictators from Prague to Manila. A righteous outpouring of people into the streets, a ham-handed, venal government capitulates and a new day is born. But it is never as simple as breathless broadcasts might paint it. To understand the fall of Slobodan Milosevic, it is important to understand the manner in which he fell. The truth in Yugoslavia lies somewhere between the grand aesthetic of the public drama and the more mundane details of deal making. Indeed, the latter is frequently more defining than the former. And many disappointed expectations are rooted in details overlooked by revolution's glamour. The roots of Milosevic's demise can be traced to the frustration of the American and British governments, enmeshed in the realities of peacekeeping in Kosovo, with no hope of conclusion. NATO was trapped in a quagmire without exit. In Belgrade, the opposition failed, divided, and were discredited as agents of NATO, all against a backdrop of Serb victimization. Everyday Serbs were convinced of two things: They had not committed atrocities, and they themselves were the targets of an unjust bombing campaign. Milosevic was the great beneficiary. He might have been a swine, but he was Serbia's swine. Incompetent on many fronts, he at least defended the national interest. In this context, the opposition had as much chance of winning as Quisling had of carrying Norway in World War II. The United States reacted with a new strategy. Described in "Toppling Milosevic: The Carrot Instead of the Stick," the new strategy consisted of splitting Milosevic from his followers. Cracks opened but were contained when Milosevic called for elections. But before the election it became clear Milosevic had nearly trapped himself, as recounted in "Checkmate in Yugoslavia,". Milosevic's Cabinet, his cronies and the army and police held the key to the drama. Milosevic had to be isolated from those levers of power before the crowds could storm parliament. Thousands could have been killed, as they were in Romania with the fall of Ceaucescu. Milosevic might cling to power. It was imperative the leadership split from Milosevic and accommodate Kostunica. Public displays of police suddenly embracing demonstrators probably had less to do with the passions of the moment than with fevered deals being made between Kostunica and former Milosevic followers. These deals brought both the peace and the revolution. The deals also created a revolution with a complex genesis and an uncertain future. Milosevic is certainly gone. The temptation among many, including his closest followers, is to blame everything on him. The head of the international war crimes tribunal in the Hague has made it clear Milosevic should be tried for war crimes, but Kostunica has made it clear he does not want to see prosecution proceed. As president, he might be able to stomach Milosevic's trial, but many of the people he and the United States had to deal with over the past few months are also subject to indictment and trial. They would not have been as cooperative had Kostunica and likely the United States not made guarantees about their legal status. Given the example of former President Augusto Pinochet of Chile, it seems probable that any world-wise operators asked for promises. As important as the status of charges against Milosevic followers, is the issue of Serbian territorial claims, particularly in Kosovo. Kostunica was an adamant supporter of Serbian claims in Kosovo. What did the United States promise Kostunica? Indeed, how long can Kostunica survive without some movement on Kosovo? And what will Albanians do about the new darling of the West? Kostunica himself remains an enigma. The West would like to turn him into another Vaclav Havel. He is not a communist, but he is not a liberal either. He is a nationalist who, like the rest of Serbia, has viewed the West with suspicion. He has also created a coalition of diverse elements, including former Milosevic supporters who hope to retain their influence, if not their position. It is reasonable to say Kostunica is a snapshot of Serbia today: tired of Milosevic, deeply suspicious and resentful of the West, nationalistic to the very bone. Kostunica is formally democratic, but he understands the complex personalism and clannishness that comprise Balkan culture. No Havel, Kostunica is a hardline nationalist who has come to power partly by accommodating his public enemies. The fall of Milosevic gives the West the opportunity to wash its hands of the mess. But trying to wash hands and actually washing them are different things. The West now finds itself in a position in which it must support a political figure financially and politically. The problem is that political figure has certain interests that will likely be anathema. If the West does not support him, it loses credibility. If it does, it can wind up supporting the very perspectives that helped lead to war in the first place. This is what the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo will fear most. They see Kostunica as the West's excuse to abandon the Albanians to the Serbs once again. And, indeed, that might be the case. Washington, weary of the mess, may well declare victory and go home. (c) 2000 Stratfor, Inc. *************************************************************** DJINDJIC: FUTURE STATE WILL BE UNION OF SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO ZAGREB, October 7 (Tanjug) - The future state will not be Yugoslavia but a union of Serbia and Montenegro with a common foreign policy, defense and currency, Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) election headquarters chief Zoran Djindjic said for the Zagreb daily Jutarnji list on Saturday. Everything else will be separate, he said, adding that a common parliament, government and president were "unnecessary." Asked if he would agree to a secession of Montenegro, Djindjic said this republic could be as independent as it wished, and that, if the majority people agreed to secession, "that is not an issue at all." The situation with Kosovo and Metohija province is different "because that region is seen by people as a cradle of the Serb being," Djindjic said. "Our monasteries, our history" are there, he said. "In Kosovo at first we want to be present in resolving problems and realizing international decisions through a new ministry in Pristina which would settle problems in the field. Anything else would be an illusion. Integration is not realistic," he said. Djindjic said the main issue in future contacts with Croatia would be the problem of refugees, and that relations would become harmonious once this was settled. He said he believed there was no more hatred for Croatia in Serbia. *************************************************************** DJINDJIC SAYS YUGOSLAVIA WILL GET GOVERNMENT IN A FORTNIGHT BELGRADE, October 8 (Tanjug) - Democratic Party (DS) leader Zoran Djindjic said late on Saturday that Yugoslavia should get a new government within a fortnight. "We need an instrument for administering the country", Djindjic said, speaking after the verification of mandates in the Yugoslav Federal Parliament, adding that what was needed was a government that could immediately sue for a lifting of anti-Yugoslav sanctions. "This is something the President of the Republic alone cannot do. He can help it along with his authority, but there has to be a government, because sanctions are in the province of the government and its departments", he explained. Asked what would happen if the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) could not reach accord with the Socialist People's Party (SNP) of Montenegro, he replied this would exacerbate the crisis at the federal level and leave Yugoslavia in isolation. He went on to say that the logical solution would be a sort of technical coalition, without high-profile politicians. However, if the SNP is permanently committed to a coalition with the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), then on its own head be it, according to Djindjic. He said he was sure there was enough time and space for negotiation. He also said that the police "has reorganized, stabilized, and realized what is the national interest, and it is practically immune to orders and instructions which might lead to a conflict with the people". ********************************************** THREE MONTENEGRO SNP VICE-PRESIDENTS: KOSTUNICA DE FACTO YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT PODGORICA, October 6 (Tanjug) - Socialist People's Party (SNP) of Montenegro vice-presidents Predrag Bulatovic, Zoran Zizic and Srdja Bozovic said on Friday that a popular plebiscite in Belgrade on Thursday had defended the election will of Yugoslav citizens and that Vojislav Kostunca is the de facto newly elected president of Yugoslavia. Speaking at a press conference in Podgorica, Zizic pointed out the SNP stands voiced earlier that presidential candidate of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), Yugoslav Left (JUL) and SNP Slobodan Milosevic had lost in the first election round to the presidential candidate of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS). "Our party admitted this fact, and during the election process asked that vague points in the conflicts over vote counting be resolved. We also supported the peaceful civil protests and defense of the freely expressed will of the Yugoslav citizens," Zizic said. "In Serbia, in the course of yesterday, in a plebiscite-like manner by the people, the free election will of Yugoslav citizens was defended and the winner of the first election round Vojislav Kostunica is the de facto newly elected Yugoslav president," Zizic underscored, and, on behalf of the SNP, wished Kostunica wisely to perform the office to which he has been elected. Zizic asked the SPS, with which the SNP is in a coalition at the federal level, to join them in this. He then proceeded to speak about possibilities for an imminent calling of a constituent session of the new composition of the Yugoslav parliament, in which the SNP is individually the biggest parliamentary party according to the number of won seats. Zizic said SNP top officials had contacts with Kostunica today and had asked him to begin the legal procedure for calling a federal parliament session. "We asked that he call on presidents Srdja Bozovic of the Chamber of Republics and Milomir Minic of the Chamber of Citizens to call federal parliament, since there is no reason for the parliament to begin with some faults in its work, just as there is no reason for any organ at federal level to have faults in their work," Zizic said. The SNP, as a responsible party, will join in this process with full legitimacy which it received from Montenegrin citizens, demanding respect for the Constitution and laws, he said. "The time which is ahead is an occasion to carry out a harmonization of relations between Montenegro and Serbia, a harmonization of relations in our common state, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which is the basic political goal of the SNP," Zizic said. Asked by reporters about the future new prime minister, Bulatovic welcomed Kostunica's principled stand that "he will respect the Constitution and entrust the SNP with the mandate of federal prime minister." "Our party advocates that Montenegro be equal in the Yugoslav federation, and that is proven also in the fact that Kostunica announced the prime-minister designate for the new federal government would be from our party, as the strongest political party in Montenegro which took part in the elections and won 19 seats in the Chamber of Republics and 28 in the Chamber of Citizens of the federal parliament," Bulatovic said. "We will not declare ourselves at this time, there will be consultations, and the most important thing for us at this time is that there is respect for the Constitution and that the mandate of the federal prime minister is given to the SNP," he said. "In keeping with that mandate, we will work on uniting all political forces in the federal parliament on preserving the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia," Bulatovic said. *********************************************** Why Germany is in a hurry to help GERMANY DISBURSES A MILLION EUROS FOR CLEARING DANUBE IN YUGOSLAVIA BERLIN, October 8 (Tanjug) - Germany paid on Friday the first instalment out of one million euros (1.95 million German marks) pledged for clearing the River Danube through Yugoslavia, according to a foreign ministry spokesman in Berlin on Saturday. The payment of 500,000 euros (977,500 G-marks), spokesman Andreas Michaelis said, was made into an international fund for clearing the Danube, an important European traffic artery that NATO's bombs closed to navigation last year. This makes Germany the first donor actually to make a payment to the Fund, Michaelis said, adding that Germany was giving the first clear signal of support for a democratic Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, both bilaterally and as a member of the European Union. He explained that the campaign for clearing the Danube of the debris of war had long been planned, but could not be implemented because of frequent disagreements with the Yugoslav side. He went on to say that the problem was expected to be cleared up soon with the inauguration of Yugoslavia's new President Vojislav Kostunica. ********************************************** Albright Says Priority Is to Help Kostunica WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Sunday that its priority in Yugoslavia was to help President Vojislav Kostunica by lifting economic sanctions and giving the people of Yugoslavia a democracy dividend. Accountability for defeated Yugoslav leader and indicted war criminal Slobodan Milosevic (news - web sites) will come ``ultimately'' as Yugoslavia becomes part of a democratic Europe, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said on NBC's ``Meet the Press'' program. Kostunica took the oath of office on Saturday, one day after Milosevic conceded defeat in presidential elections held on Sept. 24. He has said he opposes extraditing Milosevic to face trial on war crimes charges in The Hague. Albright said she was confident that Yugoslavs would eventually come round to the view that Milosevic should face trial. ``They will get behind this, believe me, when they figure out that they are free and democratic and that they will be a part of a real Europe,'' she said. But she added: ``We have to show the Serb people that they did the right thing by going out to vote. They need to have some dividends out of democracy. ``I have no doubt that there will be accountability and Yugoslavia will not be truly free until that happens. We have to give President Kostunica now a chance. Let's help him. The people of Serbia have voted for him. Let's help him.'' ``We want to support him, we want to get assistance to him. I've been talking to our European partners. We will be lifting certain economic sanctions to make sure that the people can recover and the Danube is cleared,'' she added. Portions of the Danube River in Yugoslavia are closed to traffic because of bridges wrecked by NATO (news - web sites)'s bombing campaign last year. The European Union is expected on Monday to lift a ban on oil sales and flights to Yugoslavia. A freeze on the assets of former leaders will stay. Pressed on whether extradition of Milosevic was a condition for an end to sanctions, Albright noted there was no time limit on prosecutions for war crimes for Milosevic and other indicted Serbs, such as Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic and his military chief Ratko Mladic. ``It doesn't run out. ... The United States has insisted and, believe me, their time will come,'' she said. Albright also made a rare foray into domestic politics, backing Vice President Al Gore (news - web sites), a fellow Democrat, against Texas Governor George Bush on Balkan policy. In the first presidential debate on Tuesday, the Republican Bush called for a bigger Russian role in pushing Milosevic to leave power, a position Gore opposed on the grounds that the Russians had not yet recognized Kostunica as winner. Albright criticized the Russians for their delay in deciding that Milosevic had lost. ``Frankly they were late. It took them a little while to assess the reality there but ultimately, in recognizing President Kostunica they have done the right thing. ``We did not want the Russians to mediate, and Vice President Gore made that quite clear. ... The way the vice president described it was right. They did not play the role that they needed to at the right time,'' she said. ********************************************************* DINKIC: RATE OF EXCHANGE HALVED FOR D-MARK BELGRADE, October 8 (Tanjug) - G 17 PLUS Executive Director Mladjan Dinkic said on Sunday that the new authorities have taken control over the Foreign Currency Department and the Payment Operations Service of the National Bank of Yugoslavia. Consequently, the black-market rate of exchange for the D-mark has been halved and the going rate is now 22 dinars, instead of 40 of two days ago, Dinkic said. The new authorities prevented the withdrawal of some 50 million D-marks from an account at the National Bank on Friday, even though the withdrawal slip had been based on a legitimate decision of the federal government, Dinkic said, explaining that this action had been carried out in the interest of the people. ************************************************************ Global Reflexion - Amsterdam - The Netherlands
