TARGET YUGOSLAVIA: NATO's War of Aggression May 4, 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 Tuesday, 4 May 1999 Radio Havana Cuba presents its coverage of the ongoing U.S.- led NATO aggression against Yugoslavia. ---------------------------------------------------------- CLINTON AND CHERNOMIRDIN AGREE TO DISAGREE Talks between the White House and the Kremlin on the situation in Yugoslavia have resulted in little or nothing. Russia's Special Envoy for Yugoslavia, Victor Chernomirdin, met with U.S. President Bill Clinton in Washington on Monday -- without reaching any agreement on the issue. Following the talks, Clinton announced that the bombings will continue until Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic meets NATO demands to allow an international force in Kosovo. According to NATO, the Yugoslavian government must withdraw all troops from Kosovo and leave the entire province under the jurisdiction of NATO-led forces. Meanwhile, NATO spokesmen say it was "a successful night" of bombings over Kosovo. On the 41st night of the U.S.-led NATO aggression, some of the targets included a building which housed the State television studios in the northern city of Nov Sad. International observers continue to protest Monday's missile attack on a bus which killed seventeen civilians. PROTEST DEMONSTRATIONS IN THE U.S. CALLED FOR JUNE 5th Several U.S. peace organizations and personalities such as former Attorney General Ramsey Clark and Bishop Thomas Gumbleton are calling for an emergency mobilization to stop the U.S.-led NATO war against Yugoslavia. While bombs rain down on Belgrade, Pristina, Aleksinak and other Yugoslav cities and towns, the call is being made for U.S. citizens to stop the undeclared war. U.S. peace activists are calling for a national march and rally in Washington, DC on June 5th. According to the organizers of the action, the march will take place from the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial to the steps of the Pentagon and will bring together people from hundreds of cities and towns throughout the United States. The march and rally will reportedly be one of the most important anti-war demonstrations since the Vietnam War. ------------------------------------------------------------- [THE FOLLOWING IS A TRANSLATION OF AN ARTICLE IN SATURDAY'S EDITION OF THE DAILY GRANMA NEWSPAPER] ADVENTURE ON THE BIG SCREEN / Oscar Nominee for Best Foreign Film by Felix Lopez Granma / Saturday, 1 May 1999 The way things are going with the bombs falling on Yugoslavia, Sylvester Stallone will be one of the most famous unemployed of the century. The true heroes of the movies these days wear NATO uniforms, while Rambo has been turned into a pathetic recruit of old, decrepit war veterans. Generals and movie directors discovered a little over a month ago that Kosovo was the best script that Hollywood could find. As a result, all of the lights, cameras and aircraft were pointed in that direction. The high ratings attained by the spectacle of the Gulf War of '91 -- with a million extras and at a cost of one billion dollars a day -- showed producers that real, live violence is the stuff that makes a big screen super-production. With Yugoslavia transformed into an enormous virtual reality show, the Pentagon decided to write the script, labeling it "Serbian Repression Against Kosovo." All that was needed were the leading actors as `sheriff' and `villain.' Slodoban Milosevic and Javier Solana got the parts. U.S. and European television networks graciously accepted the role of disseminating disinformation -- which wasn't difficult, given their expert experience in the field of creating demons and manipulating the world. In developing the main character of the villain, the director was painstakingly precise: "Zero objectivity, zero commentary. Don't give the audience anything that can help them understand what's really happening. If you do, you'll have to answer a very dangerous question: Who is actually benefiting from this human suffering?" Thus, from the opening scene, marvelous missiles and remarkable rockets were displayed on screen, with alluring aircraft and bombs that are intelligent. These so-called `smart bombs' pulverize their targets (especially human beings) with such extraordinary precision! The images dance across the screen in full technicolor -- a constantly obscene display in honor of high-tech weaponry and a complete disdain for human life. It is only then that the United Nations enters the picture. The President of the General Assembly, Didier Opertti, waited for 16 days of intense bombing to criticize NATO's aggression against the Balkan states, calling it "a huge failure." In response, the Atlantic Alliance sent more aircraft over Yugoslavia. This miscalculation is easy to explain: the General Assembly of the international organization -- with all its member nations -- merely makes recommendations; it is the Security Council that decides. The General Assembly only has a voice; the Security Council takes action. To put it another way: world peace is in the hands of five major powers and more than half of them are making huge profits from the war. Didier Opertti said a mouthful: "What is left for us? A United Nations in an analytically critical position, no international public opinion, NATO seen as an alliance of aggression and not of defense, a nation destroyed, a people made into refugees, a society in mourning, an entire region affected. What will it cost to rebuild, not materially, but in terms of recuperating identity and recovering the values that make up a community?" The dramatic scene was quite convincing, but the NBC television network knew how to eliminate the reasoning of the United Nations. The same day that Opertti made that statement, NBC came out with a report quoting U.S. intelligence agencies that Yugoslavia has a stockpile of chemical weapons (gas that affects the nervous system and the deadly sarin, cooked up by a religious sect in Japan to unleash on a Tokyo subway). The television network warned: "The enemy is even more dangerous." It's important to note that this scene was rehearsed over a year ago and it didn't come off. In early 1998 -- when the news was broadcast that Iraq had bacteriological weapons, Antrax, the bubonic plague, cancerous cells and other lethal agents -- the enormous information machine was put at the service of the enormous military machine, hoping to convince the world that Saddam Hussein was a threat to all of humanity. But, on that occasion, the United Nations inspectors couldn't find any proof -- so the war was suspended until another pretext could be found. Milosevic had the audacity to say no to foreign military troops in Serbia. And now Yugoslavia must pay the price. Missiles and bombs rain down on alleged military positions, but the photos we are seeing show other targets: hospitals, schools, radio and TV studios, bridges, refineries, factories, thermoelectric plants and neighborhood homes and apartments. In the age of special effects, a war is won by remote control. Before the cameras, retired U.S. Navy Admiral Gene La Rocque states: "Now we kill people without ever seeing them. We can push a button thousands of miles away... and then go home to celebrate the victory." But La Rocque didn't say when. Five weeks, 1500 missiles and 6000 tons of explosives haven't been enough. The 50th anniversary of NATO was celebrated with a "pinata" of bombs over Yugoslavia. But, according to historian David Nelson, "NATO's credibility has been placed in doubt by Milosevic." While the "scorched earth" strategy goes into its sixth week, we are entertained with special appearances by U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (the Godmother of the War) on TV talk shows. She alternates with the pilot who unloaded his bombs on a caravan of civilian refugees. A solution to the situation is being discussed... but don't get your hopes up. Following a leisurely breakfast at the White House, U.S. President Bill Clinton picks up the phone to talk with his Russian counterpart Boris Yeltsin. Clinton reminds him that "it is important to keep the lines of communication open about Kosovo." Yeltsin warns that "Russia will never allow Washington to occupy Yugoslavia, making it a satellite of NATO." Clinton insists that "the bombing will continue." It is a conversation between deaf people. They hang up. The adventure on the big screen still lacks a final scene. We can see Javier Solana, with his camouflage tuxedo, opening a path though the bodies and ruins of Kosovo to reach the stage where he will be awarded his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. But, so far, he has only been nominated. The war is still being shot, the cameras continue to roll. -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-29410 1999-May-04 20:52:43