IN THIS MESSAGE: AFL Statement on Kosovo; LCLAA Statement on Kosovo;
Military Bombing Practice Kills Civilian in Puerto Rico
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AFL-CIO CONDEMNS "ETHNIC CLEANSING" IN KOSOV
PROTESTS MURDERS OF LABOR LEADERS BY SERBS
WASHINGTON, DC, April 1 ---- John J. Sweeney, President of the
AFL-CIO, today issued the following statement on the crisis in
Kosovo:
"The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial
Organizations (AFL-CIO) condemns the savage human and worker
rights violations being committed by Serb military forces and
security police in Kosovo.
We are horrified at the news that Agim Hajrizi, founding member of
the independent trade union movement in the province and president
of the BSPK (Bashkimi Sindikate Pavarura Kosova) Assembly was
murdered a few days ago along with his twelve-year old son and
mother. And we are concerned that a similar fate has befallen Dr.
Hajrullah Gorani, president of the BSPK, who has been missing
since the night of March 25, when police raided his home.
The AFL-CIO calls upon the international community to make
protection of civilians and of human rights a priority of the NATO
operations and to declare that the continuing atrocities in Kosovo
constitute war crimes on the part of Serbian political and
military leaders, as well as those who are taking innocent lives
in this senseless slaughter.
We urge working Americans of all religions and faiths to offer
prayers for the refugees from Kosovo and to send contributions to:
American Red Cross International Response Fund, P.O. Box 37243,
Washington, DC 20013, Tel: 1-800-HELP-NOW."
Sweeney also conveyed these positions in letters to President Bill
Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright today.
For Information Contact :
Naomi Walker (202)637-5093
AFL-CIO Home Page | Public Documents Page | Public Documents
Search
------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright ) AFL-CIO
=======================================
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 21:24:27 -0700
From: Ed Rosario <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: labor newsline <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: S.F. LCLAA Says "No" to U.S./NATO Intervention in Yugoslavia
To All Supporters of Human Rights:
This is the official position of the San Francisco Chapter of the Labor
Council for Latin American Advancement (AFL-CIO). The vote for the
resolution passed unanimously on April 20, 1999.
Whereas, the U.S./NATO military intervention in Yugoslavia is
ill-conceived, illegal, and a serious threat to international peace, and
Whereas, this intervention demonstrates that NATO is not concerned about
any of the Balkan peoples' right to self-determination, and
Whereas, the bombings have already caused severe harm to the people
these efforts are supposed to help, and the continuing attacks result in
bringing death and misery to the general population, and
Whereas, the billions of dollars to finance the bombings of auto
factories, apartment buildings, bridges, and other targets would be more
productively spent on human needs in that region as well as here in the
United States,
Therefore Be It Resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council for Latin
American Advancement (AFL-CIO), opposes the U.S./NATO bombings and all
other forms of military intervention in Yugoslavia, and supports the
people of the Balkans right to self-determination.
In Solidarity,
Eduardo (Eddie) Rosario - President
S.F. - Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)
****************************************
SF-LCLAA meetings are held at:
660 Howard Street (UNITE Building)
Between New Montgomery and 3rd Streets
6 PM, every 3rd Tuesday of the month.
****************************************
====================================================
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 22:47:13 -0700
From: Ed Rosario <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 03:30:52 EDT
Subject: Bombardeo en Vieques: un muerto y 4 heridos; vecinos en peligro
constante
_______________________
Errant Bombs Kill 1 in Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (April 19) -- Two U.S. Marine jets dropped bombs on a
lookout post at a remote training ground in Puerto Rico on Monday, killing
one
civilian and injuring four people.
The two F-18 jets based on the USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier were on a
night training run over Vieques, an island off the coast of Puerto Rico, at
about
7:30 p.m., said Roberto Nelson, spokesman for Roosevelt Roads Naval Station.
The Navy base operates the training ground in the U.S. territory.
Their bombs missed a target area and landed near the post where four civilian
contractors and one military observer were working. The blasts killed one
contractor
and injured the other people, though the Navy would not release their
conditions.
``They were just in the area, doing their job, when this unfortunate accident
occurred,''
Nelson said. ``We empathize and sympathize with the family of the deceased,
and
we will do a full investigation to see what happened here.''
The injured were flown to the Roosevelt Roads Navy base hospital, about 20
miles
away.
Nelson said the Navy would not identify the victims until family members had
been
notified.
He said it was not unusual for airplanes to do bombing at night at the site.
Police and Civil Defense officials on the island of Vieques said they
received a
call from a security guard in the area asking for ambulances soon after the
explosions.
The U.S. Navy controls about 75 percent of Vieques for military maneuvers
and weapons storage. The island is 21 miles long and four miles wide, located
about eight miles east of Puerto Rico.
Residents oppose the use of live munitions there, saying the frequent
explosions
disturb fishing grounds and have thwarted the island's efforts to attract
tourism.
Opponents of the U.S. military presence on the island said the accident had
confirmed their worst fears.
``What happened is what for years they have been saying was going to
happen,''
said Robert Rabin, who manages the Conde de Mirasol local history museum. `
`Vieques lives under the continual danger that this type of situation will
happen
if the Navy makes a mistake in its bombardment from ships and airplanes.''
But Nelson defended the training ground's importance, noting that most of the
Navy and Marine aircraft involved in the Kosovo conflict trained there.
``All of those pilots who are in Kosovo have dropped live ordnance in
Vieques,''
Nelson said. ``That is the importance of Vieques in this (Kosovo)
operation.''
----------------- End Forwarded Message -----------------
