From: Rick Rozoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: "STOP NATO: �NO PASARAN!" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Russian Officials Hold NATO Responsible for Balkans Crisis MOSCOW, Jun 28, 2001 -- (dpa) Senior Russian government and military officials charged Wednesday that NATO and the European Union are responsible for the crisis in Macedonia and the Balkans. "Certain circles, including NATO, do not so much want to see an end to the conflict in the Balkans as its permanent continuation," said General Leonid Ivashov, head of the Russian Defense Ministry's department for international cooperation. The escalating crisis in Macedonia was a consequence of "an all to great tolerance" accorded by NATO to the Albanian rebels in Kosovo, he added in an interview given to the state news agency Itar-Tass. "It is precisely NATO's actions that provoked the internal crisis in Macedonia," he said, and restated Russian demands for the "complete disarmament and neutralization" of the gunmen. "NATO has in effect enabled the continued existence of the armed groups in Kosovo which have now opened up a second front in Macedonia," Ivashov said. An unnamed member of the leadership in Moscow told the Interfax news agency that "the unprincipled policies of the European Union and NATO are paving the way toward the disintegration of Macedonia." NATO and the EU had "tied the hands" of the Macedonian leadership, the official said. "Just as the Macedonian government was about to decisively nip the separatist revolt in the bud, it was abruptly halted by the EU and NATO," he added. "And for good measure, when the Macedonians moved to acquire weapons from the Commonwealth of Independent States for the fight against the separatists they were given a thorough dressing down by NATO." (C)2001. dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
