STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- ListBot Sponsor -------------------------- Have you visited eBayTM lately? The Worlds Marketplace where you can buy and sell practically anything keeps getting better. From consumer electronics to movies, find it all on eBay. What are you waiting for? Try eBay today. http://www.bcentral.com/listbot/ebay ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear people, Amidst the insanity of this trial-by-international-piracy (kidnapping with full guarantees that "all norms of international law will be respected"!!) it is not suprising, I suppose, that the Left should sound a little strange too. I keep getting emails in which I am told that the kidnapping "contradicted the decisions of the President of Yugoslavia." It did? What decisions? I will pay $5 (and I am POOR) to any human or beast who can tell me ONE decision Kostunica made (other than the decision to engage in double talk) that contradicted this kidnapping. Any takers? Five bucks, guys. Here is a piece that Richard Hugus, Chris Black and I wrote, refuting the "kostunica-is-innocent' stuff. Best regards, Jared Israel The URL for this article is http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/treas.htm Send this article to a friend! www.tenc.net * [Emperor's Clothes] THE TREASON OF VOJISLAV KOSTUNICA By Chris Black, Richard Hugus and Jared Israel [2 July 2001] A chorus of voices of remarkable diversity is proclaiming Vojislav Kostunica innocent of kidnapping President Slobodan Milosevic. This chorus includes not only the mainstream media, which uniformly supports the kidnapping, but also various groups and individuals who oppose the kidnapping. Their common view is that Kostunica was out of the loop; that the kidnapping was a big surprise or even an attack on him by Serbian Prime Minister Djindjic. The evidence doesn't support this view. KOSTUNICA BLAMES THE VICTIMS Yesterday Mr. Kostunica issued a statement on the kidnapping. In it he blamed everyone but himself. Remarkably, the blame extended to the Montenegrin Socialists (SNP). According to Kostunica, by refusing to support his proposed extradition law, the SNP had blocked an: "opportunity to legally regulate cooperation with the tribunal so that our citizens could be protected." {Kostunica's statement, as translated by Emperor's Clothes} Huh? Mr. Kostunica's proposed law would have established regulations to speedily extradite anyone demanded by NATO's Hague Tribunal. How can that be portrayed as "protecting citizens"? When a government regulates Injustice, does that make it Just? In his statement, Kostunica whitewashed Washington and blamed Mr. Milosevic for getting kidnapped: "From the arsenal of Milosevic's politics, which was truly defeatist for the state and the people, are now adopted and revived precisely its most undemocratic elements: illegality and the pulling off of humiliating maneuvers that no one in the international community asked for, at least not explicitly." {Ibid.} Huh? First of all, the "international community" definitely did demand Milosevic be brought to The Hague. And they praised the kidnapping once it happened. Why does Kostunica deny these publicly known facts? And what is the meaning of "at least not explicitly?" Second, as far as the kidnapping having roots in Milosevic's practices, what practices? Kostunica doesn't say. Did Milosevic kidnap people and send them to the Tribunal? No. Did he rule by decree? No. If Milosevic was such a terrible dictator, how come he didn't even arrest Mr. Kostunica, whose Presidential election campaign last year accepted tens of millions of illegal U.S. dollars, smuggled into Serbia in 'suitcases of cash?' (1) SHOW PROOF OR BE SILENT It seems that every time Vojislav Kostunica makes a statement he manages to include an attack Slobodan Milosevic, accusing him of various crimes. But Kostunica never provides evidence to support his accusations. A hundred times Kostunica has said, "Milosevic should be tried at home for his crimes." This suggests to the casual listener (that is, most of us) that the existence of crimes is a proven fact. The opposite is true. Mr. Milosevic was arrested and held in Belgrade jail for 13 weeks, supposedly for purposes of investigation. He was not allowed out on bail because "he might try to influence witnesses." During that time no evidence of any kind was presented. No witnesses testified against him. Is it a coincidence that Milosevic was kidnapped from jail precisely when the legally allowed three month investigation period had expired? When prosecutors had to produce evidence or release him? If Vojislav Kostunica possessed facts implicating Milosevic in any crime he would have turned that evidence over to prosecutors. Therefore he had no evidence. Therefore Kostunica's constant accusations have been lies that relied on and reinforced the evidence of rumor and smear spread by the Western media and the Yugoslav media controlled by Mr. Djindjic and - Mr. Kostunica. Kostunica's accusations are frequently quoted in the Western media where they help NATO sustain anti-Milosevic (read: anti-Serb) public opinion. Why do Serbian patriots tolerate this man? Isn't it obvious that his slanders do great harm, particularly now that Slobodan Milosevic (read: the Serbs and all loyal Yugoslav people) stands accused at NATO's Hague? Which brings us back to the question at hand: IS KOSTUNICA GUILTY IN THE KIDNAPPING OF MILOSEVIC? It is a matter of record that Vojislav Kostunica worked hand in hand with Zoran Djindjic to 'deport' Slobodan Milosevic to The Hague. Their campaign went into high gear while Kostunica was in Washington visiting Powell, Rice and Bush, seven weeks ago. Now Kostunica is having a loud falling-out with Djindjic. The function of this split is to let Kostunica retain some credibility among ordinary people, who loathe Mr. Djindjic. Kostunica's claim that he is innocent of the final deed can be disproved through the exercise of common sense. 1) Kostunica used to admit that extradition is unconstitutional: "Kostunica has said he would not extradite his ousted predecessor and other war crimes suspects to face trial at the international court in The Hague because it would be unconstitutional. "According to Kostunica, the Yugoslav constitution does not allow extradition of Yugoslav citizens to a foreign court." ('AP Worldstream,' January 16, 2001) 2) Yet, after Kostunica met with Powell and Bush in Washington seven weeks ago, he promised to push an extradition law through Parliament. He went back to Yugoslavia and tried to do just that. While he was in Washington Kostunica also discovered new merit in the Hague War Crimes Tribunal: "Cooperation with The Hague tribunal is something that is necessary for this country being a member of the United Nations and behaving as a good member of the international community." ('Houston Chronicle,' 10 May 2001) That's the Hague Tribunal that has murdered and demonized Serbs. And that's the 'international community' that bombed Yugoslavia. 3) When Kostunica returned to Yugoslavia, he used his control of the mass media to try and sell Yugoslavs the notion that they had to bow to the Tribunal or Washington would prevent a Donors Conference from 'saving' the Yugoslav economy. Kostunica had to know these promises to save Yugoslavia were false. Donors Conferences may promise some credits, but they are always followed by the theft of the industrial wealth of the target country. This is clearly explained in the SPS statement, 'We Accuse: Washington's Aid Promises Are A Traitorous Lie!' (2) 4) The Montenegrin socialists (SNP) hold the balance of power in the Yugoslav Parliament. When they refused to vote for Kostunica's extradition law, Kostunica and Djindjic pressured and threatened to force them to comply. At the same time, Kostunica suppressed opposition from patriots in his own party. 5) The SNP held firm. So Djindjic and Kostunica decided to bypass Parliament entirely. "The government was forced to issue a federal decree through the cabinet, where Mr. Kostunica and his reformists have a majority after losing its battle with Parliament this week." ('N. Y. Times,' 24 June 2001) The cabinet's action not only usurped the functions of Parliament but attempted to overrule the Constitution by decree. In his statement yesterday, Kostunica still defends this: "Everything was tried, all was laid out so that - with federal law, or federal and republican law, only through republican law, and afterwards through the decree of the Federal government - the difficult question of cooperation with the Tribunal would be regulated." {From Kostunica's Statement} 6) Three days ago, the Constitutional Court ordered a temporary injunction against extraditing Milosevic while he appealed the Federal administration's decree. As President, Mr. Kostunica's job is a) to command the army in order b) to protect and defend the Constitution. Which includes, of course, defending the decisions of the Constitutional Court. Why didn't Kostunica do his job and prevent the kidnapping? Kostunica says the problem was he didn't know. That is not an answer. First of all, Kostunica and Djindjic had been partners in pushing for extradition all along. Djindjic says he never would have staged the kidnapping without Kostunica's approval. But even if Djindjic is lying, his intentions were no secret. Days before the kidnapping Djindjic and others declared that if legal obstacles were put in the way of extraditing Milosevic they would do it anyway. Once Djindjic made this public commitment to break the law - that is, to kidnap the former head of state - it was Kostunica's duty to arrest him for conspiracy to commit treason, and order the army to take charge of the Belgrade Prison where Milosevic was being held. In this way, Kostunica would have guaranteed there was no kidnapping. Some people say Kostunica is really a good man, that he failed to take this action because he is professorial and absent-minded. Nonsense. From the start he pursued the extradition of Milosevic with firmness and persistence, fully aware it was unconstitutional. Two days before the kidnapping, leaders of the Socialist Party (SPS) met with him. They said they were worried there would be an attempt to kidnap Milosevic before Milosevic's appeal against the Federal government's decree could be heard. Kostunica told those SPS leaders: "I WILL NOT PERMIT DJINDJIC TO TAKE UNCONSTITUTIONAL ACTION." So before the kidnapping, Kostunica says, "I won't let them kidnap him." And after he lets the kidnapping happen (assuming he was not directly involved in the final plan) he says, "I didn't know it was going to happen - but it was illegal!" And still he does not arrest Djindjic. Does he take us for imbeciles? Mr. Kostunica is the law officer in charge of protecting the Yugoslav constitution and defending the State. If a law officer helps lay the basis for a crime, if he knows from public information that the crime will take place, if he stands aside and lets the crime be committed, then even if - if! - he is not involved in working out the final details, he is just as guilty as those who have done the dirty work. Here's the plain truth: Djindjic and Kostunica have sold out their people, their own people, to the United States government. Djindjic and Kostunica are shameless. -- Chris Black, Richard Hugus and Jared Israel *** Further reading: 1) 'Kostunica Says Some backers 'Unconsciously Work for American Imperial Goals'' at http://emperors-clothes.com/news/erlang.htm 2) 'We Accuse: Washington's Aid Promises Are A Traitorous Lie!' at http://emperors-clothes.com/docs/fools.htm URGENT APPEAL! 2 JULY TO THOSE WHO HAVE DONATED TO OUR FUNDRAISING APPEAL - THANK YOU! BUT EMPEROR'S CLOTHES STILL URGENTLY NEEDS HELP! The George Soros Foundation does not fund Emperor's Clothes. Our only source of money is people like you. All contributions help. Our work has expanded but our income has not kept pace. We are now several months behind on long distance and international phone bills, and other expenses as well. All but local service has been turned off. We have other big bills too, including for Lexis, our key research tool, and we are presently too strapped for cash to pay for things we need, such as a good laptop computer and some graphics software. We use long distance and overseas calls for interviews (if we need a translator, this involves a three-way call) to consult with writers, to check the accuracy of information and sometimes to discuss articles being translated. We also use international calls to help write and edit articles for media besides Emperor's Clothes. 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