-----Original Message----- From: Phil Gasper <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thursday, April 01, 1999 4:54 PM Subject: Fwd: Report from 2 Belgrade Socialists >Forwarded by LabourNet <http://www.labournet.org> > >Dear friends, > >We are witnessing at this very moment the military acton of NATO over >Yugoslavia (rockets and bombs are burtsing around us in Belgrade every >minute while we sit in our basement studio with E-mail). As we have already >stated on many occasions such an action of bombing will only strengthhen >the present disastrous regime. The military intervention will be misused by >the regime's media to create a "stampedo" xenophobia and give additional >impetus to already growing extreme nationalism. The UN sanctions helped >only the hunta group to accumulate greater financial and property power >over the rest of the local community, war criminals have not been even >caught and not sued by Hague tribunal which is more then inefficient. > >Money laundering via Cyprus banks and elsewhere, and other Mafia type of >activities which we are sure could be stopped by the West, have not even >been tackled. Human sufferings and disaster will continue and even worsen. >The evil can not be fought with a negative action of bombing and more >sanctions, but only by the positive engagement in improving communication >and free media, and by the greater support to democratic forces and >individuals which still exist in Serbia, which kept alive the solidarity >and support to the similar groups in the newly created states in the region >even during the most dramatic moments. > >The only effective way for the real democratization is not by "from above" >diplomacy with bombing and hi-tech action from a distance, but with a much >more concrete, intensive, efficient activities on the ground and in the >"grass route" environment. And with a much stronger visible support for >democratic forces (peace activists, credible and respected highly >professional individuals and independent intellectuals who stood against >the war crimes since the beginning of social restructuring, articulated >NGOs lobbying for civil society issue, independent media, democratic >political parties > >We strongly believe that bombing of military targets in Serbia will not >achieve a desired changes towards the stability and a real democratization >in Balkans (and ex-Yu). The source of the real trouble are the junta type >of nationalistic regimes in Belgrade, Zagreb and elsewhere (including the >Albanian tradition of tribal nontolerance) and in other regional centers >were a post-communist "monarchs" engaged in the national-communism adventures. > >Recent elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina are the sad profile of the >dominance of the nationalistic forces despite the terrible human sufferings >during the civil war, and despite the considerable political, military and >humanitarian involvement of the international community. The transition >pattern in Balkans (and elsewhere) took a disastrous route due to a >complete failure of the way in which it as been handled and managed from >the centers of power. Instead of giving an adequate support (integrative >economic/banking/market/cultural/ institutional etc..) to improve however >slim democratic standards and civilization achievements and remains of the >multicultural society (not completely destroyed in the Yugoslav type of >selfmanagement socialism), the international community negotiated with (and >in that way recognizing them) the "governors" of war. > >Sonja & Milan Prodanovic >Ecourban workshop >Supilova 11 >11000 Beograd, >Serbia, Yu >Tel fax +381 11 750 ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
