STOP NATO: ¡NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- ListBot Sponsor -------------------------- Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [NATO's General Secretary is now the arbiter of democracy in Eastern Europe. He confers or withholds recognition of any given nation; he, magisterially, determines which elections are free and fair, which aren't; he alone legitimizes and certifies a country's alleged progress toward "democratic institutions...taking root." And it's not just in the Balkans that Lord Robertson holds sway. Last autumn in the United States when the U.S. Congress was voting on the Kucinich Amendment, and the Senate on the Byrd-Warner equivalent, to demand the withdrawal of US occupation forces from Kosovo, Robertson weighed in in his characteristically imperial and heavy-handed manner, threatening the elected representatives of both houses of Congress. His sabre-rattling worked: The representatives caved in to the intimidation of Robertson, Madeleine Albright and Wesley Clark and "voted the right way," as Albania has. Voting the right way, which is to say in accordance with NATO's demands, is precisely what Robertson means when he speaks of democratic institutions taking root.] Robertson: "NATO's doors are always open to Albania." During his visit, Robertson inspected 1,300 NATO troops deployed in the Albanian harbor of Durres.... Robertson Praises Albania's Election, Regional Policy TIRANA, Jul 13, 2001 -- (dpa) NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson made a one- day visit to Albania Thursday during which he praised the recent parliamentary elections and Tirana's moderate foreign policy in the region. The peaceful parliamentary vote had sent an important message to neighboring Macedonia. "The election process showed that democratic institutions are taking root in Albania, and that is good news not only for Albania, but also for the whole region," Robertson said in a joint news conference with Albanian Prime Minister Ilir Meta. "Albanian elections showed that the political solution is the only way for resolving the current crisis in Macedonia," he added. Albanian parliamentary elections took place in two rounds on 24 June and 8 July. The vote was peaceful, despite fears of possible outbreak of political violence between supporters of the two rival parties, the ruling Socialists and the main opposition Democratic Party. Robertson also praised Albania's calls for dialogue in Macedonia and its consistent condemnation of the use of violence. Meta reiterated his support for a political process in Macedonia and for the efforts of the international community to mediate a political solution between the warring parties. The visit of NATO chief to Albania was apparently intended to give support to domestic democratic processes and moderate foreign policy of the Albanian Government in the region. Robertson and Meta also said that they had discussed current level of cooperation between Albania and NATO. Lord Robertson praised reforms in the Albanian armed forces and the country's progress in the implementation its partnership agreements with NATO. "NATO doors are always open for Albania," he said. For Meta, Albania's cooperation and partnership with NATO were stronger than ever. "This cooperation is very important for our military reforms and our integration into the Euro Atlantic structures," he said. During his visit, Robertson inspected 1,300 NATO troops deployed in the Albanian harbor of Durres to provide logistic support to NATO operations in Kosovo. He also met with President Rexhep Meidani. (C)2001. dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
