Thanks to Gail P--- from Monrovia, California, I realised how difficult [it] is to explain some events so familiar to me, but totally unfamiliar to the people at a distance of several thousands of miles. So, these are the facts, names, past and present situation in Yugoslavia, after almost four weeks of the NATO air strikes. All of these facts are provable and can be argued.
The fact is that [the] Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is a sovereign European state, consisting of Serbia and Montenegro. The fact is that one of the Serbian provinces is Kosovo. Kosovo [has been] for more than 10 years the scene of wild and horrible terrorist acts. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia tried to defeat terrorism on its own territory, just [as] Great Britain and Spain do on their territory. Yugoslavia failed. [But there are] other facts, names and tragedy [are] the result of many broken international principles.
"Terrorism is the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof in furtherance of political or social objectives" - United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Albanian terrorist organisation in Kosovo (the KLA) can be categorised as separatist and nationalist - their basic goal is separatism and secession from Yugoslavia. There are many examples of this type of terrorism in the world, including [the] Irish IRA and the Basque ETA. In their style of conducting terrorist actions, the KLA attacked primarily Serbs and Montenegrins [in order] to arouse fear, create general insecurity and make life unbearable so that the non-Albanian population [would] emigrate from Kosovo... thereby creating an ethnically pure Kosovo. Kosovo Albanians who were not willing to accept separatist politics, but who remained loyal citizens of Yugoslavia, were treated as [the] KLA's enemies.
IL CORRIERE DELLA SERA wrote on March 6, 1998, that Albanians from Kosovo who live in Switzerland, Germany and the USA and are involved in illegal activities (mainly drug smuggling) [in order to] provide the basic source of financing for terrorist activities. On April 3, 1998, the German radio station "DEUTSCHE WELLE" also cited information about financial services of Albanian emigrant circles, including the Albanian narcotics Mafia on the Zurich-Brussels-New York route for the KLA terrorists. The Hungarian newspaper MAGYAR HIRLAPwrote on November 15, 1997 that Albanians from Kosovo control almost the entire heroin market in Hungary. Half of that money they send to KLA separatists in Kosovo fighting for "Greater Albania".
Albanian terrorists are trained in military camps in Albania and Turkey, as well as in other Islamic countries. The Italian newspaper IL MANIFESTOreported on March 7, 1998, that terrorism in Kosovo is "imported from Albania" and that hundreds of young Albanians from Kosovo were trained for guerrilla actions in a special military camp in Albania. On March 5, 1998, LA REPUBLICAsimilarly reported on a top-secret base of the so-called KLA in Albania, where terrorists are trained by Iranian instructors.
There were 1126 terrorist attacks by the KLA terrorists in Kosovo between January 1, 1998 and August 30, 1998.
Police forces were targets in 616 cases, and civilians in 510. In the attacks on police forces, 74 policemen were killed and 282 wounded. KLA terrorists also killed 81 civilians: 30 Serbs and Montenegrins, 47 Albanians loyal to Yugoslavia, 3 Gypsies and one unidentified person, while 95 civilians were wounded. In the same period, 208 civilians were kidnapped: 157 Serbs and Montenegrins, 42 Albanians, 6 Gypsies, 1 Macedonian, 1 Muslim and 1 Bulgarian Of these were 29 women and 9 were children. Of those kidnapped, 39 were released, 7 escaped, 16 were murdered and the fate of 146 is at this time still unknown. Kosovo Albanian terrorists also kidnapped 10 policemen and their fate is at this time unknown. Not included in this number are 22 kidnapped Serbian civilians found murdered and buried in a mass grave near the village [of] Klecka.
James Rubin, US Spokesman of the Department of State said at that time: "The United States is deeply concerned about the safety of the civilian population in Kosovo, both Albanian and Serb. We are concerned about attacks against Serbian civilians in Kosovo by Albanian extremist groups, including the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). In recent weeks a number of Serb civilians have reportedly being kidnapped by armed Albanian groups. The US believes hostage-taking and kidnapping of civilians would be grounds for inquiry for ICTY investigators."
So, [the] Yugoslav government decided to fight terrorists. The same anti-terrorist actions undertook by governments of [such as] Great Britain against IRA, and Spain against ETA, not to mention Turkish actions against the Kurds. But in case of [the] Yugoslav government [anti-terrorist actions] were proclaimed by [the] international community [as an] overmuch use of force!
Yugoslavia is accused of provocation, [creating] the humanitarian catastrophe of refugees and [an] infraction of human rights. To convince [the] UN and international public of what's going on in Kosovo, Yugoslavia accepted the OSCE Mission for Verification in Kosovo. The director of this Mission were William Walker. Despite the presence of [the] OSCE Mission, attacks on police forces and civilians continued.
On August 27, 1998 Serbian police discovered a cremation oven in the lime factory in the village Klecka, used to dispose of murdered Serbian civilians. Captured KLA terrorists Lyan Mazreku and Bekim Mazreku, told the police that in July, 1998 the KLA captured, killed and burned 22 Serbian civilians in the village of Klecka, some 45km south-west of Pristina. Lyan Mazreku admitted that the KLA rounded up about 100 civilians in the village of Orahovac, under the command of Fatmir Lima, Gani Krasnici and Hismi Kilya. They transferred them to Klecka where they proceeded to rape, in front of everyone, all the females, including little children. Klecka contained a KLA base including a training camp. A large amount of weaponry and ammunitions was recovered by the police, including anti-tank rocket-propelled grenades, as well as humanitarian aid packets provided by the United States.
Christopher Hill, special US Envoy to Yugoslavia said at that time: "I condemn the horrible massacre of Serb civilians committed by Albanian terrorists. Whoever did this must be punished. The United States do not support the armed battles of the KLA and condemns every kind of aggression, as well as the kidnapping of civilians."
Jay Carter, spokesman for the UN Office in Belgrade said: "The persons who massacred Serbs in the village of Klecka must be found and punished, because the fight for an independent Kosovo must be through dialogue, not this way. The International Community will send a team of experts to Kosovo, under the jurisdiction of the Tribunal in Hague, who will investigate this recent massacre as well as other crimes."
No one came.
Even the director of the OSCE Mission, William Walker never visited [the] mass grave in Klecka. It was one day news.
Almost two days after, German journalist Erih Ruthfelder, without any proofs, wrote about "... [a] couple of mass graves full with Albanian woman and several hundreds of children, murdered by Serbian police".
Without any proof, William Walker said that he suspects the same. The entire International Community forgot Klecka, and all the world's media accused Yugoslavia for massacre[s] that never happened.
Herman Main, President of the Association of German Journalists tried to recall the voice of reason and stood up to protect the truth. He stated: "Certain German journalists usually subjectively report from Kosovo. The majority of newspapers and media try to present an objective picture of the Kosovo situation using sources from both the Serb and Albanian sides. However, many journalists try with their reports to leave an impression that they are very well-informed, which suggests that they were witnesses on the spot, and that isn't true. The most drastic example of such reporting was done by "Die Presse" correspondent, Erih Ruthfelder, who wrote about something that he did not see. He only heard about it , and it was not confirmed".
This story provided to Erih Ruthfelder by the KLA terrorists was never confirmed. Even the OSCE Mission couldn't find any evidence of the massacre. But the picture about Serbs as murderers drew by [the] German journalist remained.
On September 8, 1998, the police defeated the Albanian terrorist group in their base camp near village of Glodjane. The police found the first of the six discovered mass graves, and the execution grounds where Kosovo Albanian terrorists from KLA murdered Serbian civilians. According to the testimonies given by the apprehended Albanian terrorists, members of the KLA brought kidnapped Serbian civilians to the banks of the channel connecting [the] Bistrica River and Radonjic Lake. Two female and two male bodies were found on the banks, while [an] additional 16 were fished out of the channel in various stages of decomposition. Some bodies floated all the way to the lake, and were recovered there.
The Examining Magistrate described the scene as monstrous, since many of the victims were mutilated and tortured before being executed. Several other shallow graves were discovered near Glodjane, with mutilated, beheaded or castrated bodies. By September 13, 1998, the bodies of 37 Serbian civilians were discovered. [These] from the six mass graves, discovered by the police.
The OSCE director never came to this crime scene. He never condemned KLA, never spoke to the families of the kidnapped Serbs and Albanians loyal to Yugoslavia. Representatives of the Tribunal in Hague never showed up, despite the advocacy of the Yugoslav government.
The Yugoslav government pointed out again on January 14, 1999. that terrorists from Kosovo as well as members of Islamic and other international organisations were being recruited, organised and trained in the territory of Albania. [The government asserted] that the KLA is directly connected with and financially supported by radical Islamic countries, narcomafia and organised international crime in general. The government took political measures for the establishment of [a] dialogue with political representatives of the Kosovo Albanian national minority. This information [was] also given to the UN's Committee for Abolition of Racial Discrimination. This statement suggested that, in accordance [with] the Yugoslav Constitution and law, all national communities and citizens [should] have equal treatment and pointed [to] the vital importance that the International Community and all UN countries decisively condemn the terrorist acts, provocation, murders, kidnappings and to prevent the terrorist's supply with money, arms and equipment.
Directly before negotiations in Rambouillet and Paris, after a short battle against another KLA terrorist group near the village of Racak, police had to back up, because the OSCE director William Walker forbade the reinforcement of the police forces. At the battlefield were 45 dead terrorists in KLA uniforms. But [the next day], Mr Walker whose Verification Mission investigated the place, stated that Serbian police killed 45 Albanian civilians in cold blood.
That statement had a large publicity in all [the] world's media. Despite the forensic evidence that the bodies were newly dressed in civilian clothing (clothing without single bullet's hole) and shot dead from the large distance, Walker's presumption is declared as a truth.Russian pathologists came to investigate the crime scene, and confirmed [the] outcome of [the] Serbian forensic team. A special forensic team from Finland came also. Their cheif, Ms. Ranta, never revealed the results of [the independent] autopsies.
There were no evidence to support Mr Walker's story. But the world's media now launched the... story to shroud the lack of evidences from Racak - "ethnic cleansing".
The NATO Alliance started an air strike campaign to prevent "the spread of war, ethnic cleansing, dislodging the Albanians by the Serbian police and protect human rights".
Besides, now Mr. Clinton's administration --- did a complete about face from James Rubin's statements of 1998 --- and said it supports the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
On February 2, this year, [the] Yugoslav Government considered the statement made by [the] NATO Council as well as Xavier Solana's letters and made the following decisions:
Instead of the UN Security Council's meeting, came Rambouillet.
Yugoslavia sent to France [a] multi-ehnic delegation (representatives of all the ethnic groups from Kosovo) while the Albanian delegation represented the KLA terrorists leader Hasim Taci called "Snake" instead [of] the political leader of the Kosovo Albanian people from Kosovo, Dr Ibrahim Rugova. [The] Yugoslav delegation accepted ten principles established by the Contact Group - [that is, the Yugoslav government accepted] the political agreement, but refused [to agree to] the secession of Kosovo. This last condition was insisted [upon by] US Secretary of State Ms Madeleine Albright. It called for foreign troops to occupy Serbia national territory. Why?
The Italian Minister Lamberto Diny finally started telling the truth about the Rambouillet negotiations. On April 8, (the 16th day since the NATO aggression on Yugoslavia started) he said: "We don't want that the bombing lasts much longer, for the failure of the Rambouillet negotiation the guilt is not [only] on the Serbian side but the Albanian also. They wanted the secession referendum after three years, which never was a part of the Contact Group plan. At the end, Belgrade couldn't accept especially the last document". Too late.
But the [unrevealed nature] of the Rambouillet manipulation is continuing to unravel.
A member of the German Social Democtratic Party (SPD), Herman Scher on April 10, stated: "The Rambouillet paper had [a] secret appendix which would allow the NATO troops ... unlimited movements through all of theYugoslav territory without any obstacles from the Yugoslav authorities. Practically, it would mean the occupation of [the former-Yugoslavia] and there is no President of State in [the] whole world who would allow such a thing".
Scher stated that [the] U.S. Secretary of State insisted that the Yugoslav delegation first sign the military agreement and then [they would get] to see what they signed!
The German news agency DPA, on April 12 (the 21st day of NATO aggression,) pointed [out] that Article 8, of this [proposed] military Annex provided the freedom of unlimited movement of the NATO troops all over the Yugoslavia with all the transportation means, and provided also the right to use entire Yugoslav regions, facilities and installations (not only in Kosovo) for military camps, manoeuvres, supplying the troops, practise and operations! Articles 10, and 11, demanded that priority [be given by Yugoslavia] for the movements of the NATO personal, vehicles, battle ships and aircraft, without any demands for refunding the damages, custom or taxes. Would it be anything else but occupation? Is it acceptable for any sovereign state which is trying to solve the terrorist problem on its own territory?
On March 24, 1999 NATO undertook an air strike towards Yugoslavia, without approval of the UN Security Council.
Over 1000 dead and over 3000 wounded civilians of all nations are the results of the "humanitarian" NATO mission.
Our country has suffered a damage of hundreds of billions of dollars. The four weeks of bombing have destroyed over 20 bridges, 600 refugee camps for the people who came to Yugoslavia from Bosnia and Croatia, roads, factories, railroad lines, schools, cultural and historical monuments and numerous civilian buildings. The damage imposed on civilian infrastructure is incomparably higher to the damages on military infrastructure.
The question is: What is the aim of NATO? Can the humanitarian catastrophe
in Kosovo be resolved by the destruction of the entire Yugoslav economy?
The question is: What is the aim of NATO? Can the humanitarian catastrophe in
Kosovo be resolved by the destruction of the entire Yugoslav economy?
According the report of Yugoslav Red Cross,Yugoslavia alone there are over 1, 600, 000 refugees - people without homes, jobs and [a] future due to the NATO bombs.
And when all of the Kosovo Albanian refugees come back - they will find only destroyed houses in a ruined Kosovo.
What are the principles and values for which, allegedly, this war has been initiated?
The Yugoslav Department of Foreign Affairs announced on April 17, that NATO accomplished over 6,000 air strikes, used 7,000 jets, launched 1,500 cruise missiles and cast more than 5,000 tons of explosive on Serbia.
Devastation of economic facilities left 500,000 workers without jobs and 2, 000,000 Yugoslav citizens without any revenue.
On April 16, [the] US Secretary of State, Madelyn Albright, stated in the Serbian language over The Voice of America: "We don't want to harm the Serbian people. I know you will not believe me, but try to trust your own eyes and ears - you will find out that 19 NATO countries are not against you!" She forgot only one thing - NATO bombs continue to produce genocide over the entire population of Yugoslavia. Bombs and cruise missiles can't distinguish Serbs from Albanians.
On April 5, former US Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleberger said: "There are some people who suggest that we should arm the Kosovo Albanians - in that case the KLA --- as an organisation with such a terrorist reputation --- would became the factor of unstability in this region!"
And John Briton, former Irish premier accused Robin Cook [of being a] liar because Cook's statement that no one could predict that the air strikes would have such large humanitarian consequences for the people of Kosovo is dishonest, according to the Irish politician.
On April 6, from his London's office Mr Robin Cook "buried" Dr Ibrahim Rugova, political leader of Albanian people in Kosovo (except KLA terrorists) and a few other prominent Albanians --- among them Baton Hadgiu editor of Albanian newspaper Koha ditorein Pristina. Mr Cook stated that Serbian police killed all of them.
Two days later, Baton Hadgiu was miraculously resurrected in London, hand in hand with Mr Cook himself!
Mr James Rubin US Spokesman of the Department of State at a press briefing (CNN Live) launched another statement about a concentration camp in Pristina's playing-field. He said that this information was to provided him the leader of the KLA, Hasim Taci called "Snake." (Two years ago Yugoslav police requested Taci's arrest for several murders and drug smuggling). Only a day after, a French journalist went to Pristina and denied Rubin's statements immediately.
General Wesley Clark publicly admitted on April 14 that previous NATO accusations that [the] Yugoslav Army entered Albanian state territory and attacked Albanian solders were not truth.
NATO charges Yugoslav forces for the ethnic cleansing of the Albanian civilians in Kosovo. The last evidences are --- according to them --- very strong - newly detected mass graves.
Yugoslav State TV invited on April 19, NATO officials and foreign media to signify and name the places of the crimes such as mass graves, raping centres and concentration camps. Yugoslav State TV and officials announced that on the same day all the journalist accredited in Yugoslavia will be enable the access to those places because, according the Yugoslav authorities there are no such crime scenes on the Yugoslav territory, including Kosovo.
Only few hours latter from the NATO Headquarters in Brussels came the response - Serbian State TV will be a new military target.
Yugoslav Federal Minister Goran Matic held a briefing for domestic and foreign journalists inside the building of State TV. The Austrian correspondent Richard Schnaider decided to spend the night together with Yugoslav journalists. The Belgrade TV Station, according the NATO officials and the Spokesman Jamie Shea, committed several "unforgivable sins" in the last 30 days.
The last one of these sins was on April 19. NATO informed the International Community about mass graves in the village of Izbica near town Istok not faraway from Pec. They showed the evidence - two satellite pictures. The sin of State TV from Belgrade was this - immediately after the NATO press briefing, Belgrade TV crew went to the Izbica and found the small village with only twelve houses. There were 70 Albanians all in very good health. The Albanians claimed that there are no such things as mass graves in their village and no one was ever murdered. They had never even seen a TV cameras before. The crew from Belgrade's State TV proved that geographical details from the NATO satellite pictures do not match the topography of the village of Izbica, and that it is an obvious computer animation. Thus, Jamie Shea and NATO were again nailed in lie.
Yugoslav Minister Goran Matic invited all the foreign journalists [in Belgrade] to accompany him to the village of Izbica and see with their own eyes the facts, talk to the villagers and write about this.
An so on.
The truth always has two sides - the statement of aggressor and the statement of the attacked - it depends on the point of view. But there is only one truth.
In the April 10, issue of the Washington Post, former US diplomat Mr. Walter R. Roberts, considering horrifying refugee TV scenes from the Kosovo border (it was the 10th day of NATO aggression on Yugoslavia) asks what's happened with the concern and the rage of International Community and NATO when Croatia banished almost 300,000 Serbs from their territory. The Serbs were brutally mutilated, killed, and their houses were burned - he says. Now, NATO states that bombs will help [the] Kosovo Albanian people, denying that bombs are destroying Albanian houses. He concludes that no one could believe in NATO statements that Serbian police practised ethnic cleansing right in front of 1,600 foreign observers from OSCE Mission for Verification in Kosovo.
In addition to trained KLA terrorists, foreign mercenaries have also been discovered fighting on the KLA side in Kosovo. A significant number of Mujahedin fighters from various Islamic countries are also fighting alongside the KLA in Kosovo. Most of them gather in Munich, Germany. They usually travel to the Italian port of Bari from where they are ferried to the Albanian port of Drach, and then overland to Tropoje, a major entry point for the KLA mercenaries.
The first large battle in which a Mujahedin unit was eliminated by the Yugoslav army, occurred in the night between July 18, and 19, 1998 on the Djeravici mountain on the Yugoslav-Albanian border on Yugoslav territory. Captured documents and journals name Baba Hadzi Ragib from Munich, Germany and Rahim Ademi - a General in the Croatian Army, infamous for the massacre the units under his command committed in the Serbian villages in Lika, Croatia, in September 1993. He personally commanded a mercenary unit consisting of Albanians from Kosovo, Dutch, Germans, French and British.
High UNPROFOR officials, including French General Jean Kot, testified that: "no sign of life was found, neither human or animal" after the mercenaries left.
One of the captured terrorists told the Yugoslav authorities that the action was supposed to be supervised by an Iraqi officer, who did not arrive in time. Shortly after, Yugoslav police arrested Nuri Salip Muhamed, Iraqi Lieutenant-Colonel, who was educated at the Military Academy in Zagreb.
It's funny, but the world's media report that the refugees from Kosovo are stationed in the Republic of Albania at the refugees camps in Drach, Kukesh, Tropoja - exactly at the places where KLA terrorists are trained.
In the April 12 issue of the Italian newspaper La Republicathe commentator Eugenio Scalfari says that "so-called ethnic cleansing can not be ascribed to the Yugoslavian forces, but the NATO bombs". He quotes the European Commission report where it is clearly written that until March 24, when NATO started air strikes, because of the clash between Yugoslav police forces and the KLA terrorist groups , about 69,000 ethnic Albanians left Kosovo.
On April 6, after fourteen days of bombing, another 496,000 Albanians run away from Kosovo. He concludes: " Therefore, truly, awfully ethnic cleansing happened during the NATO bombing, which signifies the colossal mistake in the NATO predictions, and moreover the mistake from the side of the Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Commission with Emma Boninno in charge, and there wasn't a day that she demanded a total war against Yugoslavia."
Approximately 85 civilians were killed on April 14, when four NATO missiles were fired at an ethnic Albanian refugee convoy returning their homes in the city of Prizren.
Very soon after the massacre, NATO confirmed that a great "mistake" happened, because combat jets did shoot the convoy. They expressed deep regret.
An APTN reporter came to the spot very soon and did some shocking shots of corpses all over the road, destroyed vehicles and disbelief and suffering of survivors.
Witnesses, the surviving ethnic Albanian children, women and old people, clearly confirmed that they saw the jets attacking them twice.
During the next press briefing, NATO turned all the statements completely by accusing Serbs of committing the massacre.
In the US Pentagon, Kenneth Bacon said that Wesley Clark has no exact information about what happened, but they know that there were two groups of military vehicles at the front and the back of the convoy. After the bombing, soldiers went out of the trucks and started to kill the refugees! Only a moment later, Kenneth Bacon, contradicting himself , said that Yugoslav MIGs, while flying low, attacked refugees and killed them!
CNN reported that some surviving refugees claimed they saw Yugoslav jets shooting over them. A 23 year old man claimed that he actually recognised Yugoslav MIG 29 in the air!
According to [these] unbelievable NATO claims, for the first time since the war began, Yugoslav MIGs managed to fly right behind NATO jets and open fire at the refugees but still remain unseen!
The suffering of Kosovo Albanians is the proclaimed reason of NATO attack on Yugoslavia.
The UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said on April 14, for the BBC News: "I wouldn't believe or take at face value anything the Serb authorities say". A few hours latter, NATO describes the massacre as a "tragic accident", and Jamie Shea stated that despite this deadly error, Albanians knows that NATO is on their side.
But some [of the] world's media (not CNN) stated that according to the well informed sources from the White House, the convoy of the Kosovo Albanian refugees had decided to return home after the meeting of their political leader, Dr Ibrahim Rugova, and Yugoslav President Milosevic. Both men had signed an agreement about the solution of the Kosovo crises. According to these reports, the convoy was targeted on purpose in order to blame Serbia and to disable the returning of the refugees to Kosovo.
On the April 15, the BBC News Online looked at how news emerges.
On April 17, editors and leaders of the seven largest media [outlets] in the US forwarded a protest letter to the US Secretary of Defence William Cohen, demanding the lifting of the limitations in reporting on the NATO air strikes in Yugoslavia. These editors stated that it is often the case that the Yugoslav media have more information on NATO actions than those from [the] USA. Why would NATO hide the truth if it is a truth?
The US "International Action Centre," an anti-war movement organisation involved in the campaign against use of nuclear weapons and radioactive ammunition, on April 13, accused the US Pentagon of imperilling the entire Balkans by usage of A-10 Warthog jets in air strikes. Sarah Flounders from IAC predicted that thanks to depleted uranium bombs, the territory of Kosovo will became a future nuclear havoc.
On April 7, the German section of the International Association of Lawyer Against Nuclear Weapons (IALANA) and 250 [of the] most prominent German jurists and judges stated that German State Chancellor and DoD Minister should be accused as war criminals at the Tribunal in Hague for the preparation and conduct of the war against Yugoslavia. The German jurists are seeking a momentary cessation of the NATO air strikes and [mean to] prove that the German Government dishonoured the UN Charter and the basic NATO document which forbids preparing and conducting an aggressive war.
In the deliberate destruction of the civilian population by using arms which have been prohibited by international conventions, NATO has dropped 3,500 cluster bombs in the area near the Orthodox monastery in Gracanica (14th century).
A three year old girl Milica Rakic was killed in the bathroom by the piece of cluster bomb in periphery of Belgrade on April 18. Cluster bombs are primarily intended for attacks on unsheltered troops, on columns of vehicles and other technical devices, as well as buildings. The use of this type of weaponry indicates without any doubt that the NATO intends to inflict large casualties. They are quite imprecise and it is not possible to control their drop site. According to the reports from the localities targeted until now the most vulnerable are civilians. Some 20-30% of the bombs dropped remain in the targeted area for deliberate delayed action making the civilian population particularly vulnerable.
Seventeen still missing passengers, all civilians, from the Belgrade-Salonika international train, hit on purpose by two NATO missiles at the entrance to the Grdelica gorge are another NATO "mistake" according to their spokesman Jamie Shea!
Over 10 people are identified, six are totally roasted among them is an 10 years old boy, and the estimated number of victims is between 30 and 50 civilians - Serbs, Albanians and foreign citizens. Three entire wagons of this train were smashed and fell into the river. NATO spokesman Jamie Shea stated that the train is guilty - it slithered after the first missile hit the bridge. But, video footage shows that the train was ON the bridge when pilot discharged the second missile!
On April 7, (15th day of NATO aggression) the Human Rights Watch demanded an urgent investigation about another NATO "mistake" - devastation of the small mining town of Aleksinac. In the residential area were killed over 17 civilians and over 40 were wounded.
At first, NATO denied the attack and then admitted the crime. Still, the international investigation on Aleksinac's massacre didn't occur.
In the NATO air strike on Pancevo, a town near Belgrade, at 1:20 a.m. local time on April 18, three industrial facilities were hit: the oil refinery, the ammoniac plant of the fertiliser factory and the petro-chemical complex. A cloud of thick black smoke has risen, containing the toxic matter such as nitrogen deviates, chlorine, ethylene dichloride, vinyl chloride monomer. A large number of civilians in Pancevo and Belgrade were injured and affected by the toxins.
The transformer stations were also heavily damaged and very toxic transformer oil flowed into the Danube river.
Due to the power failure and utilities and auxiliary fluids interruption a large quantity of combustible, explosive and toxic matter remained trapped in the equipment, installations and tanks. The plants have been heavily damaged and can't be put in operation. Yet, NATO has bombed these facilities already four times.
According to all the terms and rules of warfare accepted and followed so far, the plants of chemical process industries of this type have never been military targets. Deliberate bombing of this kind of plants might cause danger and catastrophic consequences, which will pose a threat to all the Balkans' neighbouring countries, but France and Germany as well.
In the meantime, according to some Italian newspapers, about 500 Mujahedins who trained with the notorious terrorist Osama bin Laden (USA offered 5 million dollars reward for his head) are stationed in training camps of Northern Albania.According to Robin Cook, about 8,000 NATO solders are also there
The UK's Daily Telegraphreported on April 16, that the USA started secret negotiation with the terrorists of KLA (and according all reasonable evidence the KLA is a terrorists organisation). The aim is to interject KLA groups in Kosovo and Yugoslav territory armed with American weapons.
At the same time, [the] French Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that they held a meeting with KLA terrorists in Paris on April 14, and the subject of the meeting was "humanitarian aid". And for all this time, NATO officials claim that NATO has no contacts with [the] KLA.
A great number of the ethnic Albanian refugees are returning to Yugoslavia in last few days. On April 18, over 20,000 ethnic Albanians came into villages near-by the town Podujevo in Kosovo. A great number of them reported the same story - while they were in refugee camps in Albania and Western Macedonia, the KLA terrorists threatened them with death if they don't state in front of the foreign TV cameras about Serbian police brutality expelled them from their homes.
During the TV interviews, armed members of the KLA were beside, but far away from the cameras.
The refugees also talk about the great show on the territory neighbouring Albania and Macedonia produced by NATO. The Albanians who are citizens of those two countries gather in large groups in front of Yugoslav-Macedonian-Albanian border and play refugees. When the TV crew leave, those people return to their homes.
A Greek reporter showed afew days ago the footage of a crying refugee in Macedonia - Albanian father carrying a little child. The Greek reporter showed another bit of footage of the same man made a week before in a KLA terrorist camp in Albania. I wonder if this film will ever be showed at the US TV stations? In this situation, hardly.
At the end, let me tell you what I believe - there is only one truth.
But there must be an honest journalist [who is] enough of a professional to tell that truth to the public. Not to invent it. It may sound pathetic, but I really think that mankind mustn't enter the new millennium loaded with lies and intrigues. It is very important to find out what the real truth is and then, without any political pressure and interest, to punish the perpetrators - by the law - and ALL of them with no exceptions.
In case of the Yugoslav state, judgement fell without the trial, under the law of the lynch mob. As we know from many examples in American history thanks to the lynch mob rule, the real perpetrator often stayed unpunished.
DRAGANA VICANOVIC was born in 1964 (Zajecar, Yugoslavia.) She is married and has been living in Belgrade since 1995. Dragana is a writer, journalist and documentary film director. She has written two books. Among her recent documentary film credits are HISTORY OF SERBIAN MEDICINE (Centar Film, Belgrade, Yugoslavia, 1998); the screenplay KING PETER I, THE LIBERATOR (Centar Film, Belgrade, Yugoslavia, 1998); wrote and directed series of documentaries TRAILS (22 documentaries 30-120 min) (TV STUDIO B, Belgrade, Yugoslavia, 1996 - 1997); creator and story editor of the documentary CIRCUS. Ms. Vicanovic graduated from University of Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, 1987, with a degrees in Yugoslavian, General Literature and Philosophy. Other articles by Ms. Vicanovic have appeared in SVETI DUNAV, IQ, OKO, VECERNJE NOVOSTI, TAJNE, STAV, and DNEVNIK