TARGET YUGOSLAVIA: NATO's WAR OF AGGRESSION / Monday, 24 May 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 Monday, 24 May 1999 Radio Havana Cuba presents its coverage of the ongoing U.S.- led NATO aggression against Yugoslavia. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- NATO BOMBS TARGET PRISON, KILLING MORE THAN 100 INMATES NATO airstrikes against a prison in Kosovo over the past several days have left more than 100 inmates dead and nearly 200 wounded, according to authorities in Yugoslavia. U.S.-led NATO forces have launched a wave of attacks against the Ishtok Penitentiary, some 80 kilometers west of Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. The prison is reportedly located in a large, open field with no visible police or military installations nearby -- although the military alliance claims that it is a command center for the Yugoslav army. Many of the inmates at the prison are actually members of the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army. NATO bombardments have also left Yugoslavia without electricity and numerous regions -- including parts of Belgrade, the capital -- without water. A NATO spokesperson in Brussels said today that the cutting-off of the country's water supply was "an undesired secondary effect" of the attacks against the electricity network. And on Sunday, NATO bombs caused damage to yet another diplomatic mission, this time that of Iran -- sparking further protests from the diplomatic community in Belgrade. Meanwhile, nearly 17,000 refugees from Kosovo have arrived in Macedonia between Sunday and Monday -- and more were expected to enter that neighboring country Monday evening. Authorities in Macedonia attempted to send the refugees to Albania, but met opposition from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The refugees were placed in an already overcrowded camp, housing more than 7000 people living in conditions termed as "dreadful" by the humanitarian agency Mercy Corps International. Paul Stromberg, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, stated that "setting up tents is relatively easy -- it is much more difficult to set up the necessary infrastructure." Another 4000 refugees have arrived in Albania in recent days. A total of 800,000 people have fled Kosovo -- with 237,000 in Macedonia, 438,000 in Albania (the poorest country in Europe) and 64,000 in Montenegro. Approximately 60,000 have been transferred to other countries. UN authorities termed the situation on the border with Kosovo as "extremely chaotic." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------- RADIO HAVANA CUBA'S HEADLINERS / 24 May 1999 The dissemination of U.S. and NATO propaganda continues unabated as the alliance prepares for its much touted land invasion of Kosovo and all of its dreadful consequences. Political analyst James Petras, Professor of Sociology at the University of Binghamton in New York, has addressed some of the myths that continue to surround NATO's persistent disinformation campaign against the Yugoslav Federation and its president, Slobodan Milosovic. First, we keep hearing that Milosovic is a dictator, a Hitler. Despite what one may think, he is the elected leader of a country that has every right to elect its own leaders. His government is a grouping of a number of different political parties, including nationalists, social-democrats and even monarchists. Prior to the bombing campaign, the opposition in Yugoslavia had access to all major media in the country, similar to any other nation in Europe with a democratic government in power. There were many dissident voices raised against Milosovic and his policies. His withdrawal of autonomy for Kosovo was widely criticized by his detractors. Even now, there are voices of opposition -- albeit restrained. The country is at war and has suspended certain constitutional guarantees, as would any other nation in similar circumstances. Secondly, we are frequently told that Milosovic and his government refused, and continue to refuse, to negotiate. The peace talks in Rambouillet failed because of U.S. intransigence and the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army's internal violence in the Yugoslav province of Kosovo. Prior to the bombing, Milosovic publicly acknowledged his willingness to return autonomy to Kosovo and was negotiating with the moderate Kosovar leader Rugova and even agreed to the installation of an interim NATO peace force in the province. Milosovic has said he is willing to accept the return of refugees once the bombing stops. His demands are reasonable; no government in the world would agree to the presence of a hostile force in its territory, as the U.S.-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization is demanding. The dogmatic position of NATO on this is extremely unreasonable and would lead to Kosovo being, in effect, a U.S./NATO colony. Third, we are assured with reports and CNN footage from the border that Albania and Europe are seeing to the well-being of the Albanian-Kosovar refugees. In fact, there are many reports of Albanian businesses taking advantage of the plight of the refugees and charging exorbitant prices for food and other necessities as well as purchasing articles of value for a fraction of their worth from desperate people in a desperate situation. As of the beginning of May, NATO countries had accepted fewer than 15,000 Kosovar refugees -- with the most aggressive European nation -- England -- taking in a paltry 300. The refugees have served their purpose. The photos and testimonies have been taken. No one knows what to do with the enormous numbers and, in the global context of the war, they will only again be useful as a mass returning force to underscore any so-called `victory' declared by NATO and the Pentagon. Fourth, we hear nothing but the word "genocide" being thrown around to describe Serbia's treatment of Albanian-Kosovars. So far, the number of deaths from the Serbian army assault on the KLA is estimated to be 900. This hardly comes under the heading of genocide, however sad the figure is or the reasons behind their deaths. The civil war has taken some 2000 lives in all -- including Serbian police, soldiers and civilians. Many of the Serb atrocities -- and any reasonable analyst can hardly deny they have occurred -- are the result of paramilitary groups. The KLA is also responsible for widespread violations of human rights with their `no prisoners' policy and terror tactics against the civilian population, from which they forcibly recruit young men for their ranks. The New York Times has reported that Albanian- Kosovars are as frightened of NATO bombs as they are of Serbian paramilitaries. Fifth, that the KLA represents the best hope for an independent Kosovo democracy that respects human rights. Reality: the KLA is a loose concoction of right-wing nationalists, drug-traffickers and mafia types. While there many be some liberal, progressive fighters among their ranks, they are certainly a minority. Before the bombings began, Europe and the U.S. referred to the KLA as a terrorist organization, recognizing that it depended on its arms from fundamentalist regimes and that it was responsible for the assassination of a number of liberal, moderate Kosovar leaders that sought to negotiate with Milosovic. And finally, the myth that the entire campaign against the Yugoslav Federation was organized by the U.S. and NATO in a spirit of humanitarian concern over the plight of Kosovo's population. Fact: the bombing has led to the depopulation of 90 percent of the province. The damage cannot possibly sustain the same population as before because the ruined infrastructure will not support such numbers of refugees. The bombing was simply done to demonstrate U.S. military power and to further impose a Pax Americana on the region. The distortions and outright lies that are dutifully reported by the gung-ho Western media are an outrage to humanity and a disgusting illustration of Washington's hypocrisy. It will be many long years before the region recovers from the phenomenal damage done by two months of bombing, not to mention the coming land invasion -- and who doubts that it will indeed take place? Europe has submitted itself to the insatiable power of the U.S. that will leave the Yugoslav crisis with a politically and economically weaker European Union, which will hardly be in a position to stand up to the bullies in Washington, who see their role as Big Brother in frighteningly serious terms. -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-4193 1999-May-25 00:43:54