> > WW News Service Digest #184 > > 1) U.S., NATO stage massive assault on Vieques > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 2) WWP candidates statement on Vieques > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 3) What's at stake in Colombia? > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 4) Belarus: NATO's next target? > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 5) IMF policies make inroads in Yugoslavia > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 6) Letter from Tel Aviv: Arab and Jewish protesters condemn Barak > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Nov. 2, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >VIEQUES RESISITANCE CONTINUES: >U.S., NATO STAGE MASSIVE ASSAULT ON ISLAND > >By Berta Joubert-Ceci > >In the early morning hours of Oct. 17, some 2,000 U.S. >troops invaded the eastern part of the island of Vieques, >Puerto Rico, to practice amphibious landing maneuvers. This >was part of the latest round of Pentagon war practices that >continue against the wishes of the island's residents. > >Two-thirds of Vieques is used by the U.S. Navy for >ammunition storage and bombing practices. It's been that way >since Washington forcibly removed the population from those >areas before World War II. > >In April 1999 an F-18 fighter jet dropped two 500-pound >bombs during a practice run. A civilian guard was killed and >four others were injured. The outrage felt by the people in >Vieques and on the Big Island of Puerto Rico led to a >people's occupation of the restricted bombing territory. > >Encampments set up by activists effectively stopped the >Pentagon's practices for a year, until they were evicted >last May by hundreds of heavily-armed U.S. marshals and FBI >agents. > >Since then, the Pentagon has tried several times to re- >establish its military exercises. But each time, they have >been disrupted or forced to stop short due to the ingenious >actions of anti-Navy protesters. > >The current military exercise, called "Unified Spirit," >encompasses 50 vessels, including the USS Harry S. Truman >and the USS Nassau, and 31,000 soldiers from the Navy, Air >Force, Army and Marines. It's a NATO exercise, which means >Canada, France, Denmark, Germany and Britain are also >participating. > >It's also the largest military presence on Vieques since >April 1999. > >U.S. imperialism takes these exercises seriously. It needs >NATO trained and ready to undertake missions like the brutal >78-day bombing war that slaughtered women, men and children >in Yugoslavia last year. > >TRAINING FOR COUNTER-REVOLUTION > >The code name for Vieques during these exercises is >"Springer Island." According to the Pentagon, the maneuvers >mimic a "United Nations peacekeeping operation" where NATO >countries intervene in a republic whose "democratic >government" has been overthrown by revolutionaries. > >Besides amphibious landings, the NATO forces practiced >bombing by air and sea. > >On Oct. 17, nine Vieques activists penetrated the restricted >military area in an effort to stop the bombing. The Navy >knew they were there, but bombed anyway. > >Two of the activists were veterans of U.S. wars--one a 70- >year-old Korean War vet, the other a Vietnam War survivor. >They reported that not all of the bombs used in the practice >were inert. A directive issued by President Bill Clinton >last January had instructed the Navy not to use live >ammunition. > >Marine Commander Col. Paul Lefebvre had earlier complained >about the ban on live ammunition in Vieques. "The goal is to >fire as much as we can to gain as much proficiency as we >can," he said. "That's the stress, that's the reality of >real combat." > >RESIDENTS BLOCKADE BASE > >Ismael Guadalupe, leader of the Committee for the Rescue and >Development of Vieques (CPRDV), told Workers World that the >incursion into the bombing range was one of several actions >taken by his organization during what he called "the week of >denunciation." > >Days before the bombing started, Guadalupe said, a caravan >of residents surrounded the Naval base, effectively shutting >it down for over an hour. > >On Oct. 22, in an action called the "Second Human Chain," >more than 100 activists angrily tore apart a chain-link >fence separating the bombing range from the civilian area of >the island. They ripped away hundreds of feet of the fence >in defiance of the now-routine heavy police presence in the >area. > >Anger is growing in Vieques and the U.S. military knows it. >The Pentagon's response has been to try to bribe the >impoverished residents. But to no avail. > >An appeal for funds has been issued by the CPRDV. Due to the >many arrests and the need to organize events, the group's >coffers are depleted. Funds are urgently needed to continue >the struggle. > >Readers who want to make a donation can make checks or money >orders payable to CPRDV and send them to Comite Pro Rescate >y Desarrollo de Vieques, Apartado 1424, Vieques, PR 00765. > >- END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > > > > > >Message-ID: <002901c04372$f0a12800$0a00a8c0@linux> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] WWP candidates statement on Vieques >Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000 14:44:10 -0500 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="Windows-1252" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Nov. 2, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >SOCIALIST CANDIDATES DECLARE: >"SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF VIEQUES!" > >[Workers World Party candidates Monica Moorehead and Gloria >La Riva issued the following statement Oct. 21.] > >While Democrats and Republicans attempt the difficult task >of differentiating themselves in order to get elected this >November, they consistently join together in reinforcing the >arrogance and racism of U.S. imperialism. Nowhere is this >clearer than in the case of Vieques, Puerto Rico. > >Both George W. Bush and Al Gore pay lip service to the >people of Vieques, but refuse to call for any concrete >solutions, such as getting the U.S. Navy out. The U.S. >Congress has approved an even more treacherous directive >than the one signed by President Bill Clinton. The original >directive and the congressionally-approved version both >attempt to permanently impose U.S. military training >practices on that island against the will of the majority of >Puerto Ricans. > >These directives came about as a result of the massive >opposition by the Puerto Rican people against the U.S. Navy >bombing of Vieques. > >Since 1941, the U.S. military has used Vieques as a bombing >range for practices by all of its military branches and its >NATO allies. Three-fourths of the island is occupied by the >U.S. military. The Pentagon has polluted the air, water and >land with innumerable contaminants, including napalm and >depleted uranium. There is a high incidence of cancer. > >The military practices have resulted in the economic >devastation of the island, too. The population suffers from >50-percent unemployment. > >All of this would be impossible if Puerto Rico was an >independent country. But Puerto Rico is a colony of the >United States, lacking any authority over its own land. The >Pentagon now houses its military arm for Latin America--the >U.S. Southern Army--in Puerto Rico, having been ousted from >Panama. > >The people of Vieques have always opposed the use of their >land for military maneuvers. But after two 500-pound bombs >dropped by a fighter plane killed civilian guard David Sanes >in April 1999, a massive movement developed to oust the Navy >from Vieques. People from Vieques and Puerto Rico poured >into the restricted military areas. They set up encampments >that effectively stopped the Pentagon's exercises for a >whole year. > >Last May, federal marshals, FBI agents and U.S. military >personnel forcibly evicted the demonstrators and arrested >them. Helicopters and battleships surrounded the island and >reinforced their operation. > >Since then, the struggle has continued with massive >demonstrations, incursions into the restricted areas and >international solidarity. The people of Vieques are >committed to ousting the U.S. Navy once and for all. They >know that this is the only way to bring peace and stability >to their land. > >U.S. Navy out of Vieques! U.S. imperialism out of Puerto >Rico! > >[Monica Moorehead traveled to Vieques in August 1999. She >took part in solidarity rallies there, where she pledged her >support for the people of Vieques and Puerto Rico in their >struggle to beat the most powerful armada in the world. >Moorehead and her running mate, Gloria La Riva, have helped >to organize demonstrations in support of the Vieques >movement. Workers World Party offers unconditional support >to this magnificent struggle and vows to do everything it >can to assist the people's movement.] > >- END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > > > > > >Message-ID: <003101c04373$01b038c0$0a00a8c0@linux> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] What's at stake in Colombia? >Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000 14:44:38 -0500 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="Windows-1252" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Nov. 2, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >WHAT'S AT STAKE IN COLOMBIA? >REBELS FIGHT TO KEEP LIBERATED TERRITORY > >By Teresa Gutierrez > >The U.S. and Colombian governments' war plans were dealt a >serious blow in mid-October when rebel forces shot down a >U.S. Black Hawk helicopter in Dabeiba, Colombia. > >In all, over 50 Colombian soldiers and police have been >killed since Oct. 18, when fighting escalated in several >parts of the country. > >"This is probably no different than Chicago was when people >were fighting for control of liquor in the Prohibition >days," said a senior U.S. diplomat, Phillip Chicola. > >This deceitful statement underscores the warlike propaganda >campaign that U.S. imperialism is carrying out to justify >its bloody intervention in Colombia. > >'WAR ON DRUGS' IS A LIE > >Hardly a single press account about the situation in >Colombia is issued without couching the 40-year conflict in >the guise of the so-called war on drugs. The billion-dollar >project approved by Congress last summer--Plan Colombia--was >passed precisely under the pretext of "fighting drugs" in >that nation. > >But what is occurring in Colombia today has nothing to do >with fighting drugs, much less anything like the Prohibition >era here. > >For over 40 years, the Colombian people have been involved >in an intense civil war. Since 1990 alone, over 35,000 >people have been killed, the overwhelming majority at the >hands of the Colombian military and death squads. > >The war is not a struggle over coca fields. Rather it is a >just struggle over poverty, unemployment, imperialist >domination and extreme repression. > >Yet the bourgeois media and the U.S. government would have >people in this country believe that the conflict in Colombia >is all about drugs. > >U.S. FEARS SPREAD OF STRUGGLE > >U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen said on Oct. 17: "If >you don't treat the illegal drug trafficking, it will spread >like a cancer to other regions." > >What Cohen fears is not the spread of drug trafficking, but >rather the spread of the struggle against U.S.-sponsored >repression. > >Cohen and other U.S. representatives traveled throughout >Latin America in October in an attempt to line up support >for Plan Colombia. Their efforts were a bust, however, as >leader after leader voiced opposition to the plan. > >The possibility of outright U.S. military intervention >therefore becomes more and more likely. > >Chicola, who compared Colombia's situation to Prohibition, >is the U.S. State Department's director of Andean affairs. >While touring Latin America, Chicola made a statement >attacking the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia- >People's Army (FARC-EP)--the largest guerrilla group in the >country. > >Chicola said: "It is clear that the FARC has totally failed >to take any steps or make any gestures that indicate even a >willingness to be forthcoming as part of the peace process." >Chicola was referring to a supposed peace conference that >was taking place in Costa Rica in mid-October. > >Human rights groups, the Colombian government, the Nation >Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas and others, including a >U.S. government representative, attended that meeting. >According to the Associated Press, the conference became "a >forum for criticism of the U.S. aid package." Conference >organizers asked that Plan Colombia be suspended. They also >called for a 100-day cease-fire in Colombia. > >The FARC-EP stated that it did not attend the meeting for >security and political reasons. It considered the conference >a distraction that played into U.S. interests. > >DEMILITARIZED ZONES > >Plan Colombia is designed to provide the Colombian >government with enough military aid to escalate the war >against the pro-socialist FARC-EP and ELN. One of the plan's >main objectives is to take back areas controlled by the >revolutionary groups. > >In fact, the agreement between the Colombian government and >the FARC-EP granting the rebels control over the >demilitarized zones expires in November. If the agreement >was not renewed, and the rebels lost control of the zones, >it would be a terrible setback for the struggle. > >The demilitarized zones controlled by the guerrillas >represent liberated territory. If they were lost, the >liberation forces would have one less lever of power in >their hands. > >Is it any wonder, therefore, that the FARC-EP has escalated >its successful military actions against the Colombian >military? These actions tell the government in Bogota that >it must negotiate seriously with the rebels. > >It is becoming clearer every day that there are only two >sides in the Colombian conflict. The Colombian government >and U.S. imperialism, which has the blood of millions of >Latinos and other oppressed people on its hands, are on one >side. On the other side are the forces that want to see >profound social change in Colombia to benefit the workers >and peasants. > >Years ago the Black liberation movement in the United States >raised a slogan that was picked up by struggling peoples all >over the world: "No justice, no peace." That is the message >the anti-war movement in this country must send to U.S. >imperialism today as it attempts to escalate its >intervention in Colombia. > >- END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > > > >Message-ID: <003901c04373$15da4520$0a00a8c0@linux> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] Belarus: NATO's next target? >Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000 14:45:12 -0500 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="Windows-1252" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Nov. 2, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >BELARUS: NATO'S NEXT TARGET? > >By John Catalinotto > >Flushed with their success in removing Slobodan Milosevic >from the presidency of Yugoslavia, the NATO powers moved on >quickly to begin to undermine another country further to the >east. Their media also began to compare Milosevic with that >country's leader. > >The target this time was Belarus and especially its >president, Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus, a country of 10 >million people that until 1991 was part of the USSR, had > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for anti-imperialist news. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________
