TARGET YUGOSLAVIA, Wed, Apr 21, 1999 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org TARGET YUGOSLAVIA: NATO's WAR OF AGGRESSION Wednesday, 21 April 1999 Radio Havana Cuba presents its coverage of the ongoing U.S.- led NATO aggression against Yugoslavia. CUBAN SINGER-SONGWRITER SILVIO RODRIGUEZ CONDEMNS U.S.-LED NATO ATTACKS AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA Havana, April 21(RHC)-- Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodriguez has strongly condemned the U.S.-led NATO attacks against Yugoslavia. The internationally-recognized musician spoke with reporters during a news conference in Havana on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the cultural institution Casa de las Americas. He emphasized that what angers him most is that those who ordered the bombings comfortably sit back and enjoy life while cities and towns are being destroyed in Kosovo. -------------------------------------------------------------- RADIO HAVANA CUBA'S HEADLINERS / KOSOVO UPDATE / 21 April 1999 As the US primes its attack dog, NATO, to prepare for a land invasion of the Yugoslav Federation, European member nations are beginning to waver. Italy, Greece, France and Germany are all now voicing concerns about the coming war that could bog them down for years in the ruthless and destructive conflict to come. The Italian foreign minister on Tuesday spoke out against the continuation of the attacks while, nevertheless, stressing that his country will stand by its NATO allies. He said that the US cannot go on being a global policeman. During the three years-war in Bosnia-Herzogovina, Washington pushed NATO into agreeing not to make any peace deal without its participation until the Europeans forced US President Clinton's hand by saying they would withdraw their troops from the region which would have meant that US forces would have to replace them. Coming after the disaster of the Somalia, Clinton knew he would face domestic opposition to this and so in 1995 sent Richard Holbrooke to broker a peace he had previously resisted. The Dayton Peace Accords took place after further bombing of the Bosnian Serbs for good measure. With the UN-imposed trade and economic sanctions imposed on Serbia in 1992, Yugoslav Federation President Slobodan Milosovic was anxious to help negotiate a peace in Bosnia-Herzogovina in the name of the Bosnian Serbs and thus have the sanctions lifted, as they were severely hurting Serbia's economy. It appears that he regretted his support of the Bosnian Serbs, observe experts on the ground, especially in light of the reports of ethnic cleansing that they, along with their enemies in the Muslim and Croat camps, were accused of carrying out. The subsequent peace deal signed in Paris between the intractable bellicose President of Bosnia-Herzogovina, Alija Izetbegovic, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and Milosovic was, by all accounts - including that of Holbrooke - the result of Milosovic's willingness to negotiate and grant concessions. And Washington looked good in the face of the world for having brokered the peace in the face of NATO's vacillation. The US had reinserted itself into Europe and NATO was once more at its beck and call. The scene was set for the Kosovo adventure. Milosovic has been demonized by the US and NATO as an ethnic cleanser, a bloodthirsty tyrant and a dictator. Such leaders don't have the support of their people which he clearly has. The masses of Albanian Kosovars leaving their homeland are no doubt a result of Serbian army incursion but they have also been proven to be a result of the repression of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army which is no more than a bandit group with CIA support. It must be remembered that the US and NATO demanded that the Serbian premier remove Yugoslav forces from a province in YUGOSLAV territory. Consequently, observers note, the KLA felt they had the support of the US and went about their killing of Serbian police. The CIA moved in shortly afterwards when it became clear that Milosovic was no longer willing to do Washington's bidding. So military offensives against violent ethnic Albanian separatists on the part of Serbia ultimately played into NATO and US hands, say experts, and gave them the excuse they needed to further erode the Yugoslav Federation and make sure there exists no major Eastern European power strong enough to resist the hegemony of Washington's concept of the New World Order. -------------------------------------------- RADIO HAVANA CUBA'S VIEWPOINT / 21 April 1999 After four weeks of continuous bombing of the Yugoslav Federation by NATO and the US, the prospect of a land incursion and thus a regional war has begun to severely spook some of Europe's governments. Never as bellicose or as aggressive as the United States, NATO countries such as Italy and Greece have begun to seriously doubt the wisdom of the US inspired attacks. The Italian foreign minister, Lamberto Dini, said on Tuesday that Europe cannot let the United States decide every time the best interests of Europe in terms of defense and intervention. He said that Italy stands by its NATO allies but cannot ignore the voice of reason in a war that Washington has promoted for its own interests. And in Greece last week, a crowd of some 500 protesters stoned a NATO convoy taking military supplies to Macedonia and forced it to turn back. In Germany, the government has proposed a peace plan with the intention of reopening the Rambouillet negotiations which had been prematurely cut short. Non-governmental organizations, social institutions and more and more, the public, are clamoring for a halt to the murderous bombing and a resumption of peace talks. Not least, many of these countries are concerned about Russia's involvement in a land war. Both Russia and Belorussia or Belarus, in their recent strategic and political alliance, have firmly announced support for the Yugoslav Federation. Such support cannot be ignored by NATO -- especially as it will involve Russia supplying arms to Belgrade if a land invasion takes place. The subsequent conflict could drag on for many years at tremendous socio-economic costs. NATO is beginning to comprehend the old adage: that it is easier to start a war than to end it. -30- [c] 1999, Radio Habana Cuba All rights reserved Articles cannot be reproduced, reprinted or published in any system without the consent of RHC. This prohibition includes the distribution of this material via Usenet News, "bulletin board" services, e-mail lists, print media, radio and television. For the complete RADIO HAVANA CUBA NEWSCAST and other features, please write for our daily broadcast schedule. We welcome your comments and suggestions. For further information, contact us at: Postal Address: Radio Havana Cuba P.O.Box 6240 Havana, Cuba Telephone: (53) (7) 791053 Fax: (53) (7) 795007 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org WWW: http://www.radiohc.org rhc-eng-2485 1999-Apr-21 21:17:28