Britain wars all based on lies

Tuesday Sep 06, 201108:57 PM GMT

Britain wars all based on lies

Tue Sep 6, 2011 8:59PM GMT

 

The British government has participated or launched three wars in the last decade, all of which have been started based on a bunch of lies.

The UK government under Tony Blair lied to its people, when it joined the so-called "coalition of willing" more than 10 years ago to launch an invasion against Afghanistan in the aftermath of the September 11th, 2001 attacks on US soil.

The Blair government unleashed a huge media campaign to persuade Britons that the Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorists were definitely behind the 9/11 attacks.

The then government of Britain also used, as a pretext, the ideology of the extremist Wahabis to fool the British into believing that if those radicals behind 9/11 attacks were not stopped they would definitely launch a similar attack on British soil.

Wahhabism itself is a product of a British conspiracy, perpetrated to be applied for their own sinister purposes to destroy Islam during the 18th century.

Now, more than a decade after the invasion, doubts are emerging one after another about the motives behind the campaign, and the UK politicians are leading so-called peace negotiations with the Taliban to pull themselves out of the quagmire their predecessors have created for them.

Again in March 2003, the Blair government lied about the executed dictator of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, when he claimed that "We had to launch an attack on Iraq because its regime possesses weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) that could be activated within 45 minutes," and that wasn't true either.

In fact, the West wanted to topple a regime it had fully supported in the 1980s, when Saddam's regime imposed an eight-year war against Iran.

The then Western leaders including the British were not happy with the Iraqi dictator anymore and they used WMDs as a pretext to justify a military intervention to topple his regime.

The real motives behind the war had nothing to do with WMDs but was all about US control of Iraq's oil resources and to strengthen their presence in the Middle East.

However, US president George W. Bush and British Prime minister Tony Blair needed a more compelling reason to win public support for going to war.

Blair and his government lied to the British public in order to wage a war against Iraq. In his statement to the British parliament, Tony Blair told four lies as follow:
First, he lied when he said: "Iraq has chemical and biological weapons" and that, "Saddam has continued to produce them".

Secondly, he lied when he asserted that Iraq could deploy chemical and biological weapons in 45 minutes.
"He [Saddam] has existing and active military plans for the use of chemical and biological weapons, which could be activated within 45 minutes", Blair said.

Thirdly, the former Prime Minister lied when he said "Iraq had attempted to buy uranium from Niger in Africa in order to produce a nuclear warhead".

"In addition, we know Saddam has been trying to buy significant quantities of uranium from Africa", Blair said.

And the forth lie was that Tony Blair did not say the intelligence assessment was that Iraq would only use chemical or biological weapons if attacked.

The current UK government and its allies unleashed a bombing campaign against crisis-hit Libya to enforce a UN Security Council resolution, which called for a no-fly zone over the North African country to protest its civilian population from being killed at the hands of its long-time dictator Muammar Qaddafi.

But, the UN mandate turned out to be a pre-planned plot to overthrow the regime of Gaddafi on the back of a popular uprising fuelled by discontent inside the country.

Now that the Gaddafi regime has been toppled, Britain and other western powers have unveiled bids to secure a slice of the oil prize in Libya with France saying it was "fair and logical" for preference to be given to those who first helped the revolutionaries.

Actually, British Prime Minister David Cameron lied to the British people, when he told the parliament that his government was attacking Libya out of humanitarian concerns.

The Libya invasion was a pre-written scenario to enforce regime change and to control the impoverished country's vast oil resources on the one hand, and, on the other hand, to steer the domestic political agenda in order to decieve the British public into believing that their government was acting as an international player.

But, the world's public opinion in general would never ever again accept the so-called Western humanitarian concerns as a good excuse for supporting evil objectives behind military interventions elsewhere around the globe.

MOL/MTM/HE

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/197799.html

17 Aug 2011 / 15:42

Kosovo's Successful Use of Violence

Violence has been used repeatedly and successfully in Kosovo to advance political goals, but US mediation is now required to solve the current crisis, says Balkans' expert David Phillips.

David L. Phillips

Kosovo Albanians have a track record of using violence to advance their political goals. Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's bid to seize Kosovo's border crossings with Serbia fits the pattern: create a crisis, get the international community involved, and enlist foreign mediators in service of Kosovo's agenda.

The current crisis occurred when Thaci seized customs stations on the Kosovo-Serbia border in a bid to end the de-facto partition of Kosovo.

While the Kosovo government has an absolute right to assert its sovereign rights, European leaders criticized Thaci's recent gambit as reckless and provocative. Brinksmanship may achieve some goals in the short term, but it also risks discrediting Kosovo and undermining its goal of gaining  greater global recognition.

Kosovars successfully took matters into their own hands on two previous occasions. In the 1990s, their impatience with peaceful non-violent resistance led to an armed rebellion against Serbia's tyrannical rule. Slobodan Milosevic responded with atrocities and war crimes.

Kosovo rebels calculated that the United States would never let happen in Kosovo what happened in Bosnia. They were right. In 1999, the Clinton administration launched a 67-day air campaign resulting in Serbia's surrender.

A confrontation between Serb and Albanian youths in the divided city of Mitrovica sparked riots across Kosovo during the spring of 2004. Frustrated with their lack of progress towards independence, Kosovars launched a seemingly coordinated attack on Serbian enclaves and UN personnel.

The Bush administration condemned Albanian-led violence, while concluding that the status quo was untenable and launching a diplomatic process that culminated in Kosovo's US-led coordinated declaration of independence.

Serbia rejected the outcome. So-called bridge watchers, Serbian thugs allegedly financed and coordinated by Serbia's Interior Ministry, enforced a partition of Kosovo. Serbia's goal is to annex 20% of Kosovo north of the Ibar River.

The international community turned a blind eye. It also ignored Serbia's embargo of goods bearing a customs stamp with the state insignia of Kosovo.

On July 28, Kosovo Special Forces took control of two northern border crossings to enforce a ban on imports from Serbia in retaliation for a ban on Kosovo's exports in a dispute over customs regulations.

When NATO forces regained control, they were attacked by a mob of armed Serbs. The border crossing at Jarinje was burned to the ground. One Kosovo policeman was killed.

Thaci's provocation paid off. He consolidated his nationalist political base by issuing an emotional appeal to protect the country's "sacred sovereignty. The confrontation with Serbia comes at a time when Thaci's credentials have been tarnished by allegations of vote rigging, rampant corruption, and ties to human organ trafficking.

Thaci may have instigated the current crisis, but international public opinion holds Serbia responsible. President Boris Tadic has tried to distance Belgrade from the hooliganism of Kosovo Serbs. However, Serbia's EU membership has been seriously compromised.

Europe is suddenly paying attention. Violence in Kosovo could escalate conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, resulting in its ethnic partition.

In addition, it could destabilize Macedonia where a fragile power-sharing agreement keeps the peace between ethnic Macedonians and Albanians. Another spasm in the Balkans would fuel anti-immigration sentiments on the rise across Europe.   

Seized by the dangers of Kosovo's partition, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has called for dialogue. She castigates both sides insisting, "Violence will never be tolerated." In fact, violence has served a purpose by mobilizing international mediation.

Thaci may look like a winner in the short term, but crisis has a cost. EU member states that refuse to recognize Kosovo's independence will harden their position. The visa liberalization dialogue enabling visa-free travel for Kosovars to Europe will be delayed. EU member members opposing expansion will be validated.

The United States does not want to reward violence. However, letting the current problem fester or punting responsibility to the EU risks an even greater crisis.

Bill Clinton is beloved for leading NATO's intervention and George W. Bush for stewarding Kosovo's independence. It is Barack Obama's turn to lead an international diplomatic effort restoring Kosovo's sovereignty and stabilizing the Western Balkans.

David L. Phillips is Director of the Program on Peace-Building and Rights at Columbia University's Institute for the Study of Human Rights and a Fellow at Harvard University's Project on the Future of Diplomacy. His upcoming book is entitled "Liberating Kosovo: Coercive Diplomacy and U.S. Intervention."

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/phillips-kosovo-s-successful-use-of-violence

Hague tribunal wakes up to Mladic interview

Hague tribunal wakes up to Mladic interview

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Published: 02 September, 2011, 08:29
Edited: 02 September, 2011, 11:51

Commander of Serbian forces in Bosnia General Ratko Mladic (C) speaks to a Serbian soldier on February 15, 1994 (AFP Photo / Pascal Guyot)

(27.7Mb) embed video

 

An interview with wars crimes suspect Ratko Mladic carried by RT two weeks ago seems to have been news not only to the public, but also to the one international body which is supposed to be most aware Balkan war-related matters - The Hague Tribunal.

­At least this is what RT judges from an inquiry about the interview and how it came into RT's possession, ordered by a criminal investigator of the Tribunal.

RT will naturally co-operate with the investigation in the interests of justice, although the fact that such an important piece of evidence was missing from the Tribunal's materials is somewhat surprising, especially since the interview dates back to 1995 and was done by a Western TV channel.

The interview with Mladic, a former general of the Yugoslav army and later the army of the Republika Srpska, was recorded shortly after the Srebrenica massacre, the mass killings of Bosnian Muslims which the Tribunal has defined as genocide. In it, Mladic voiced several serious allegations against the UN peacekeeping force.

"Instead of disarming the Muslim formations, as they had committed themselves to doing… the United Nations forces turned those safe areas into terrorist and fundamentalist bases from where our villages and towns were attacked," he said

The ex-general also accused the UN of smuggling weapons into the supposedly demilitarized zone.

"Sometimes, they even used helicopters to airlift weapons from Iran and other combat hardware. We knocked down one such helicopter on the outskirts of Zepa two or three months ago," he said.

Mladic, who was arrested in May 2011, is standing trial in The Hague for this episode and other alleged war crimes. He is the final prominent Serb leader to face this fate. The last Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic stood in the dock for five years before dying in the Tribunal's custody, while the President of Republika Srpska Radovan Karadzic has been on trial in The Hague since his arrest in 2008.

The International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was established in 1993, when the series of bloody armed conflicts in the Balkans was far from over. The UN Security Council formed the body to prosecute the gravest atrocities committed by all the warring parties.

Over the 18 years of its existence it has drawn a lot of criticism. It faced allegations of bias based on the fact that almost 70% of indictments it issued were against Serbs. Its fiercest critics called the Tribunal a political show rather than a court of law.

Some of ICTY's sentences were seen as astoundingly mild, as was the case with Bosnian military commander Naser Oric, who was tried for raiding Serbian villages and torturing prisoners, and was sentenced to merely two years and then totally acquitted of all charges on appeal.

There is also criticism over the ICTY's lack of will to investigate atrocities allegedly committed by non-Serbs. The most widely-publicized case is the allegation of trafficking of donor organs harvested from kidnapped Serbs during and shortly after the war in Kosovo. The suspected crimes had been investigated by the UN as early as 2004, but were not given due coverage until 2008, when former ICTY Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte published a book on them.

More generally, some argue, the Tribunal's activities have not served the interests of reconciliation in the Balkans. It is viewed with suspicion by Serbs and Croats alike, who doubt the ICTY's integrity and call its decisions biased, although in cases where both parties are involved, the direction of the alleged bias would often be opposite depending whose side you talk to.

http://rt.com/news/hague-mladic-interview-rt/

Serbia's destruction by the West inevitable

01.09.2011

 

Russia is unable to protect the Serbs who live in the north of Kosovo. The UN Security Council failed to elaborate the joint position to provide security on the territory.

Russia put forward a suggestion to approve an official statement, which would give the sides the precise signal about the need to abstain from the use of single-handed and military actions.

Western powers, in the face of the USA, Britain and France rejected Russia's suggestion. The West is currently in the process of completing the legal registration of another stage of Serbia's dismemberment. Russia is an obstacle for the West at this point. We would like to remind here that the Albanian authorities of Kosovo declared independence single-handedly in 2008.

There is one thing left: to make the new "state" legitimate via the UN. The votes of 97 countries are required to finalize the process, and the West already has 94 votes. The USA and the EU won the support from island states of the Caribbean Basin and a number of African countries, the poorest countries of the world. Thus, they only need to find three more countries. One may not doubt that the missing votes will be found easily.

Russia's Ambassador to the UN Security Council Vitaly Churkin raised very unpleasant issues for the West at the session on August 30. Churkin particularly wondered why the UN had not launched investigation into illegal trafficking of Serbs' organs. He also asked his Western counterparts to explain why the UN delays the appointment of a new special representative of the secretary general of the international organization in Kosovo.

Churkin received support from Colombia's Ambassador to the UN, Nestor Osorio. Mr. Osorio stated that one should achieve progress in the case of human organ trafficking. One would have to find an alternative way to do it otherwise, he added.

On January 25, 2011, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) approved the resolution about the illegal trade of human organs in Kosovo. PACE urged to conduct unbiased investigation into all circumstances of the case. It is worthy of note that for the first time the PACE report mentioned the involvement of the sitting Kosovo administration in the organization of the criminal group which was dealing with human trafficking, including the trafficking of human organs.

However, the West did not let the UN work normally in this direction. Kosovo's Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj said at the meeting of the UN Security Council on August 30 that the events of July 25 were an act of violence committed by Serbia on the territory of Kosovo. According to him, there can be no parallel structures of power in Kosovo. Those Serbs who live in Kosovo must conform to Pristina. Serbia, Hoxhaj added, did not have the right to fund semi-military groups on the territory of the region.

When Kosovo's foreign minister was speaking about the investigation of illegal transplantology case, he said something that came as a very unpleasant surprise for the European Union. According to him, Kosovo has nothing to hide about this question. The authorities are ready to cooperate with investigation, he added. However, it appears that it is the West, particularly the EU, that has something to hide.

The situation in Kosovo's northern territories populated by approximately 200,000 Serbs and Gypsies, aggravated considerably on July 25, 2011. The authorities of Pristina attempted to establish control over the administrative border with Serbia in violation of international agreements. Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci gave a personal order to police units to take two boundary points - Yarine and Brnyak - to prevent imports of cargoes from Serbia. The decision was like a tragedy for the non-Albanian population of the region. Neither Serbs, nor Gypsies indulge in illusions of what they may expect in case they lose what has been left of their independent rights.

It goes about the expulsion of the Serbian and the Gypsy population from the northern territories of Kosovo. Many Serbs stood up to defend the two boundary units that connected them with Serbia. Tens of people were injured as a result of the conflict, one Albanian policeman was killed.

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic put a very unpleasant question to the European Union on August 30. The official wondered why the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo left the Serbs without protection.

Russia's Vitaly Churkin took up the issue: "The provocative actions of Kosovan-Albanian authorities destabilize the fragile situation even further," he said. Churkin blamed the West for it and said that NATO provided helicopters to deliver Kosovan special troops to the Serbian boundary units.

KFOR forces took those two units under control. Vitaly Churkin stated the following: "We are concerned about the fact that they pronounced Yarine and Brnyak the closed military zone, in which military men had the right to use firearms for effect."

The EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) became responsible for the events in the region at the end of 2008. Vitaly Churkin cracked down on the mission having claimed that the organization violated the neutral status and ran the policy of appeasement with Pristina authorities.

Churkin also claimed that the UN delays the appointment of the head of the UN Mission in Kosovo. This is not a surprise at all because the European Union does not need anyone as it continues to put more and more pressure on Serbia.

Kosovan Serbs urge Belgrade to defend Serbian interests. They insist that in accordance with resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council, Serbia must demand the return of its security forces to Kosovo. This is only an illusion. After the defeat in 1999, Serbia has no right to keep either its army or police there.

Speaking about the ultimatum from the West, Kosovan Serbs mean the statements from German Chancellor Angela Merkel from August 23, 2011, which she made during her visit to Belgrade. Merkel demanded Serbian authorities in Kosovo be dismissed in light of Serbia's possible integration in the EU.

Serbian politicians harshly criticized the ultimatum, because Merkel virtually asked for abolishment of Serbian autonomy in the region. According to the German Chancellor, the Kosovan Serbs must be supervised by those who used to gain profit from selling their organs to Western countries.

Belgrade is unable to show resistance to the destruction of Serbia. Some of them count on Russia's help. However, since Russia did not protect the Serbs in 1999, it is doubtful that the country will be willing to do it now.

Sergei Balmasov

Pravda.Ru

http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/01-09-2011/118928-serbia-0/

Libya, the Truth and the international community

Libya, the Truth and the international community

31.08.2011 | 22:07

Today, August 31, we are on the eve of the September 1 Al-Fateh Revolution which brought Muammar al-Qathafi to power in a bloodless coup which installed the world's first Jamahiriya, or government through People's Congresses. The tremendous support behind Colonel Gaddafi in the international community is a telling comment on where people stand.

 Muammar al-Qathafi is, in one word, a genius. His Jamahiriya system of government is perhaps the purest form of governance and its sheer simplicity means it can be implemented in any society, anywhere on Earth. In essence, it is government based on people's congresses - government by the people for the people, in a world in which the resources belong to all, equally. It is the real village, implemented globally, understanding that the human being functions best when living and cooperating in small communities.

 Now that paragraph will taste of poison for the clique of corporate elitists who gravitate around the centres of power, using the media and NATO to manipulate public opinion and where possible, implant their regimes and that paragraph also explains the Libya story in a nutshell.

 And we also see in this crisis exactly where our world stands. International law exists but is not implemented. NATO has broken all the rules in the book in Libya and has rendered itself and its representatives liable for prosecution - something which is at present in the pipeline. On one side of the divide, the Satanic and dark forces of NATO and on the other side, those who see themselves as the guardians of what is right and good and just. It is good versus evil, it is God versus Satan, it is about implementing international law.

 For those who justify NATO's act of aggression by calling "Gaddafi" a "dictator", some home truths. Muammar al-Qathafi was to receive a humanitarian prize in March for his record, he was the one to speak out against the more conservative practices in Islam, who spoke out against the killing of homosexuals or the stoning of women. The Jamahiriya system is the antithesis of a dictatorship. What dictator educates his people and pays for them to study abroad?

 Libya's literacy rate improved from ten per cent to ninety per cent under "Gaddafi" and under his guidance the country rose from the poorest in the world to the richest in Africa. Those who understand anything about geopolitical events know that this is an amazing achievement, in itself, within four decades.

 Colonel Gaddafi also leaves his legacy, which is the Green Book, which explains his philosophy and his political system - one which should at least be fundamental reading in all schools and one whose Legacy will be eternalised by the Internationalisation of the Jamahiriya, something which is already taking place and which has tens of thousands of followers around the world. Tomorrow, there will be millions.

 Colonel Gaddafi can also sit back and look at his enemies today and laugh. True, he has been fighting, and continues to fight, against the most powerful military organization in the world for six months and any progress his enemy made, was done by breaching the rules of engagement, each and every one of them. So that is hardly "winning". But he is the dream-maker behind the African Union, he stands for African Unity and against imperialism, he stands for a united Africa, Africa for Africans, African problems solved by Africans for Africans, and African resources for African people. More than this, his pan-African projects saw Africans freed from the yolk of imperialist tyranny, having their own funding for their own programmes without having to depend on western sources which provided goods, yet with enormous tails of interest payments attached.

 What his enemies want we saw very clearly - an international "conference" was called last week in which lines were yet again drawn on maps and in which the colonial powers literally divided among them Libya's spoils, even before the conflict is over. As for the "rebels" themselves, what are they and what do they want?

 Western sources took delight in the freeing of prisoners without bothering to research what they had done or why they were there. Serial rapists, murderers and common criminals now parade as "rebels", a movement which included a bunch of political opportunists carefully groomed by the French, British and Italians, a few liberals, Islamic fundamentalists (as we shall soon see more clearly), a lot of mercenaries from abroad and in essence, a load of day-trippers who raced into a conflict with machine gun blazing in the morning before driving home to have dinner at night.

 Looters, rapists, murderers. Terrorists, yes - civilians, no. Militarily capacitated by a savage and murderous NATO bombing campaign, these people may or may not eventually dismantle the Jamahiriya in Libya but they will not destroy it as a system. The Legacy is well protected and Muammar al-Qathafi knows this.

 That is why Muammar al-Qathafi can look back with satisfaction over what he has achieved and why Messrs. Cameron, Obama and Sarkozy will spend the rest of their pathetic, wasteful and vapid lives looking over their shoulders or wondering who it might be every time there is a ring at the doorbell, leaving no legacy at all except a failed attempt to govern their own countries, while they stood behind the most blatant and flagrant violation of the law in recent history. And, worse, they and their NATO machine have the blood of Libyan children on their hands. If they had an iota of decency they would hear these screams ringing in their ears all night every night and the more they tried to block them out, the louder they would become.

 That is why so many people in the international community support Muammar al-Qathafi. Those of us who have actually been to Libya and who have knowledge of the country understand very well where the hearts and minds of these people are - with what is right and just and good.

 As for the hearts and minds of NATO and those who support them, well, there are always those who will sell their souls to the Devil. However, there is something higher than us, and to whom we will inevitably present ourselves for judgement when the day comes. Muammar al-Qathafi knows where he is going, and I suspect Cameron, Obama and Sarkozy, deep down, know where they are going too.

 For those with any doubts after a bombardment of lies from the western media, research Green Book, Jamahiriya and Gaddafi projects in Africa.

 Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey

Pravda.Ru

http://www.moscowtopnews.com/

Balkans: Serbian president and Kosovo PM clash over "criminal structures" in north Kosovo

last update: August 31, 17:55

 

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Belgrade/Pristina, 31 August (AKI) - Serbian president Boris Tadic and Kosovo prime minister Hashim Thaci exchanged bitter accusations on Wednesday over the situation in northern Kosovo and alleged existence of "criminal structures" there.

The exchange followed a European Union and Kosovo police action in northern Kosovo early on Wednesday, aimed at discovering the killers of a Kosovo ethnic Albanian policeman on 26 July.

Irina Gudeljevic, a spokeswoman for the EU police in Kosovo (Eulex) said the police during the search of Serb homes in the village of Zupce confiscated weapons and found evidence in connection with the murder of a policeman who was presumably killed by a Serb sharpshooter.

"Eulex can confirm that orders had been issued for the arrest of six persons in connection with the murder," she said. "Similar operations can be expected in the future relating to the murder and other acts of violence which recently took place in the north," Gudeljevic added.

Tensions in northern Kosovo worsened after Kosovo government sent special police unit on 25 July to take over two border Crossings with Serbia. Local Serbs, who oppose Kosovo independence, declared by majority Albanians, responded by setting up road blocks and a policeman was killed.

Thaci said "parallel structures" that Serbia still operates in Serb-populated north have turned into criminal and "terrorist structures", supported by Belgrade which opposes independence.

He said the killers of the policeman may well have found a refuge in Belgrade, but warned that "days of criminal structures in the north have been counted. Illegal Serbian structures in north Kosovo are turning into paramilitary structures which are behind terrorist acts and organized crime in that part of Kosovo," he added.

Tadic said no one contests that the killers of the policeman should be found and punished. "But Hashim Thaci's statement that there are parallel structures in the north connected with terrorism behind which stands the state of Serbia is a prelude to new violence," he said.

" It's the height of hypocrisy that Pristina institutions should establish the rule of law in northern Kosovo, because the EU and every statesman in the EU and the US knows that Kosovo and Pristina institutions are not immune to organized crime," he said.

http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Aki/English/Politics/Balkans-Serbian-president-and-Kosovo-PM-clash-over-criminal-structures-in-north-Kosovo_312403833835.html

US prosecutor to probe Kosovo organ trafficking claims: EU

29 August 2011, 13:35 CET

 (PRISTINA) - Authorities in Kosovo have appointed a US prosecutor to investigate allegations linking prime minister Hashim Thaci and other senior figures to organ trafficking.

"John Clint Williamson from the United States has been appointed lead prosecutor for the EULEX Special Investigative Task Force," the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo said.

Williamson is a former US ambassador at large for war crimes and worked for the UN war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. He was briefly the director of justice of the UN mission to Kosovo.

"This task force will further the investigation into the allegations contained in the Council of Europe Report of December 2010 by Senator Dick Marty," which linked former rebel leader Thaci and other members of his Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) to allegations of organ trafficking.

EULEX launched its preliminary investigation in January.

Marty's report said Thaci headed a Kosovo guerrilla faction that controlled secret detention centres in Albania where Kosovo Serbs and Albanians considered collaborators were held.

The report alleged that human organ trafficking took place in three of the centres in the aftermath of the 1998-99 war between the Kosovo Liberation Army's (KLA) guerrillas and Serbian forces.

Thaci denies the allegations.

The Kosovo conflict ended after a NATO air campaign ousted then Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic's forces from the territory, paving the way for the establishment of UN administration in Kosovo.

EULEX was launched only months after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008 to oversee and strengthen the rule of law. The mission is empowered to take on cases considered too sensitive for the local judiciary.

Text and Picture Copyright 2011 AFP. All other Copyright 2011 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable.

http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/kosovo-us-human.bwg

Inside the last Days of Gadhafi's Libya - with Scott Taylor

 

Date: Friday, August 26, 2011, 7:54 PM   ... I think the most startling thing for me was the apparent absence of any form of defensive preparations on the part of the Gadhafi loyalist forces.  ...     ...  First of all, the rebels are a fractious bunch of armed units with a wide variety of goals and aims…the very least of which is democracy and human rights. The only thing uniting them was the desire to overthrow Gadhafi. There is now a very real threat of these factions fighting each other, and Libya descending into an anarchistic, warring tribal state such as Somalia or Afghanistan. The immediate challenge will be to restore a sense of order, return the refugees and migrant workers, and restart what was a booming pre-crisis economy.  ...     Inside the last Days of Gadhafi's Libya with Scott Taylor   Posted By verkko.ca, Aug. 26, 2011 Esprit de Corps editor and publisher Scott Taylor is back from a week long fact-finding mission inside Gadhafi-controlled Libya. verkko caught up with him on his return to get his impressions on the current state of affairs inside Libya. What surprised you the most in your recent trip to Libya? I think the most startling thing for me was the apparent absence of any form of defensive preparations on the part of the Gadhafi loyalist forces. Whether it was in front of the strategically vital oil refinery in Zawiya or on any of the approaches to Tripoli, there was no evidence of any bunkers, armoured vehicles or even rudimentary trenches. The numerous checkpoints were at best just some cinder blocks laid across the highway and a handful of volunteer/militia personnel. From what you witnessed, what is the human impact of NATO's air offensive on the Libyan people? There is no doubt that the sophisticated NATO guided munitions reduced the incident rate of 'collateral damage' and the targeting was very specific to symbols of Gadhafi's authority and his military capability. The Government Ministry buildings destroyed in the bombing had no impact on the average Libyan. However the steady downgrading of the power grid, combined with the acute fuel shortage was having a serious impact on the day to day living conditions among the population. What were security conditions like for you and your team inside Gadhafi-controlled Libya? Although we were assigned Libyan Intelligence 'handlers' for the majority of our visit, on the Friday (Sabbath) they did not work. As such we were able to spend the entire day travelling about Tripoli and the eastern suburbs unaccompanied. At no time were we threatened or detained at checkpoints. Security seemed incredibly lax for a capital city in the midst of a civil war. What was your sense of the rebels' military capabilities? Did you get any indication that special forces were on the ground in Libya and assisting the rebels ? In the wake of the quick capture of Tripoli, NATO countries involved have been quick to trumpet their own Special Forces involvement…especially in the coordination of the vital air support. Inside Gadhafi held territory as we were, the only contact we had with rebels was the images we saw on international news reports. This was the same Mad Max style convoys of ill disciplined fighters in improvised fighting vehicles blazing bullets into the air as they moved towards Tripoli. How was NATO's intevention perceived by Libyans you talked to? The Libyans who supported Gadhafi did so for a number of reasons. Libya is a very tribal oriented society and for the past 42 years Gadhafi has kept his people fearful and hateful towards the west. The fact that the eastern based rebels would enlist the aid of NATO in what was essentially a Libyan civil war, was regarded as a traitorous and treasonous act. It actually served to increase support for Gadhafi when NATO started their bombing campaign. In your opinion, what will be some of the challenges in securing post-Gadhafi Libya and ensuring a peaceful democratic transition? First of all, the rebels are a fractious bunch of armed units with a wide variety of goals and aims…the very least of which is democracy and human rights. The only thing uniting them was the desire to overthrow Gadhafi. There is now a very real threat of these factions fighting each other, and Libya descending into an anarchistic, warring tribal state such as Somalia or Afghanistan. The immediate challenge will be to restore a sense of order, return the refugees and migrant workers, and restart what was a booming pre-crisis economy. What should NATO's role be in ensuring a peaceful transition? Without NATO's intervention the rebels had no chance to win this civil war. The embargo, freezing of Gadhafi's accounts, aerial bombardment and provisions of countless weapons to the rebels tipped the balance unnaturally in their favour. Any looting, destruction or revenge killing that the rebels engage in will be the result of NATO's intervention on their behalf. The UN mandate given to NATO was to protect Libyan civilians, and that should mean all civilians…including former Gadhafi loyalists. Tell us more about 'Under Siege: Inside Gadhafi's Libya'? The trailer (see below) was produced in anticipation of creating a 30 minute television piece. Events have now superceded the content, but we may yet revisit Tripoli in the hopes of turning it into a Before & After the Fall of Gadhafi's Regime. Stay tuned. For more photos of Scott Taylor's fact finding mission go to espritdecorps.ca     Scott Taylor is editor and publisher of Esprit de Corps magazine.

 

Letter submitted to the Globe and Mail

not to speak of Poles, Russians killed by Germany    Date: Friday, August 26, 2011, 9:34 AM Dear All:        The Globe and Mail of Canada published an article that blatantly omitted the genocides of Serbian, Russian, and Greek Orthodox Christians: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/memory-becomes-a-minefield-at-canadas-museum-for-human-rights/article2135961/   IRA BASEN 4331 words 20 August 2011 The Globe and Mail GLOB The Globe and Mail - Print and Online CTGGLO F1 English ©2011 The Globe and Mail Inc. All Rights Reserved. SEE CORRECTION AT END OF TEXT 600,000-1,500,000 Armenians 1915-1923 6,000,000-7,000,000 Ukrainians 1930s 6,000,000 Jews 1933-1945 500,000-2,000,000 Nigerian Igbos 1967-1970 1,500,000-2,000,000 Cambodians 1975-1979 100,000-200,000 Iraqi Kurds 1988 200,000 [sic] Bosnian Muslims 1992-1995 800,000 Rwandan Tutsis 1994 200,000 East Timorese 1976-1996 200,000-300,000 Sudanese 2003-present I encourage you to write a letter of protest to the Globe and Mail: Letters@globeandmail.com I submitted the following letter myself.  Feel free to copy, paste, and amend it if you like. Letter to the Editor The Globe and Mail Toronto, Canada August 26, 2011 Dear Editor:      As a Serbian-American who lost some 100 relatives during the Holocaust of Serbians during WWII, I was deeply saddened and surprised that a well known and reputable newspaper such as yours would so blatantly omit the genocide of Serbian, Russian, and Greek Orthodox Christians in your article entitled: "THE POLITICS OF MEMORY," August 20.        The genocide of some 500,000 - 1,000,000 Serbians, which was officially recognized as such at Nuremburg, as well as the genocide of 25 million Russians during WWII, and 1.7 million Greeks in Asia Minor earlier in the 20th century should have been included in your article.  The Serbs were the second only to the Jews in the proportional loss of their population during this genocide.  The Russians, of course, lost more than any other ethnic group ever in the genocide perpetrated against them.        Instead, you mention the "genocide" of Bosnian Muslims with a highly inflated and erroneous figure of 200,000.  Even the Red Cross has stated that not more than 100,000 people perished on all sides in the Bosnian civil war.  The highly contentious issue of "genocide" of Bosnian Muslims surrounding the alleged 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and teenage boys in Srebrenica is still being investigated as most of the alleged victims have yet to be found and the West has yet to acknowledge the genocide of Serbians at the hands of their enemies in the recent civil wars in the former Yugoslavia.      It appears that your newspaper is not interested in uncovering the truth and reconciling humanity but in fact, with obvious historical amnesia, presenting a highly biased, highly censored, anti-Orthodox Christian and anti-Slavic presentation of distorted history,  You should be deeply ashamed.   Sincerely, Michael Pravica, Ph.D. ______________________________________________________________________

 

NATO is in big trouble

24.08.2011

 

Resolutions 1970 and 1973 (2011) of the UN Security Council were very clear in their terms: No foreign military personnel, no mercenaries, no weapons to the parties in conflict and inspection of vessels ferrying arms and soldiers. NATO has breached all four counts and now is liable for prosecution under international law.

Resolutions 1970 and 1973 (2011) of the UN Security Council stated very clearly and categorically that there were to be no foreign troops on the ground in Libya, there were to be no mercenaries, neither were foreign powers to arm the parties to the conflict, as well as imposing the obligation on parties surrounding this to investigate vessels shipping in personnel or arms. NATO has not only failed on all four counts, it has categorically breached them all. NATO is guilty of breaching international law, and there will be consequences.

Quite apart from its obvious breaches of international law, NATO is liable for war crimes - strafing civilian structures such as the water supply system, to "break the population", strafing civilian structures with military hardware, murdering civilians in their homes by precision-bombing children, strafing civilians using Apache helicopters from the USA (isn't there a law in the US about that?).

The more this conflict goes on, the more sinister NATO becomes and the more those of us who knew Colonel Gaddafi's projects and thanked him for his wonderful humanitarian policies (which irritated practically all the players in the western lobbies) are convinced that we have been right from day one, whatever the outcome. This is backed up by today's message from Muammar al-Qathafi, Leader of the Green Committees Movement, in his address to the World Green Committees, in which he called on his supporters to stand firm, encouraged those who said they were depressed, exhorted people not to use violence if possible.

For those who accuse Colonel Gaddafi of terrorism, then let each and every one suffer the crimes that the Black and Tans did to innocent civilians in Ireland, and then come here look me in the face and speak of terrorism. For those who accuse Colonel Gaddafi of terrorism, show me one shred of tangible evidence.

Colonel Gaddafi spread knowledge, not fear. He spread e-learning programmes, he spread telemedicine programmes across Africa while others, from the countries NATO represents left what legacy? 500 years of slavery, of colonialism and pillaging and raping Africa of its resources.

Colonel Gaddafi, as I write, is not finished. He can and would, if given a chance, spread these social and developmental programmes further, if NATO was not so intent on killing him and destroying his country.

The world is at a crossroads. Today, August 2011, we are facing a monumental battle between the forces of evil against an innocent man and an innocent and heroic population. The world is watching Goliath trying to devour David, who fights back heroically against NATO and its Satanic forces of evil who are racists, who have decapitated people in the streets, murdered children (like NATO) raped women and looted.

There is fresh evidence that foreign mercenaries are being deployed by NATO - British, French, Qatari and UAE military personnel have been captured; the Libyan Armed Forces allowed the British to come and collect their dead and wounded as they fled screaming, while the Royal Air Force would have strafed them.

And a clear sign that NATO represents evil is the sinister new practice of deleting facebook accounts of independent journalists, the alleged threats by CNN staff against numerous independent journalists in Tripoli (under investigation) and the media blackout from Libya. However it is not sufficient. We have other ways and means besides Facebook.

There are other social networks. We have other means besides channels like SKY, CNN, BBC and Al-Jazeera. There is an international movement to boycott them. There are also commercial consequences: a pan-African movement is being implemented to lock NATO countries out of Africa. You murdered Libyan kids? No place in Africa, no contract. Go steal your own resources, not ours.

And a new international community is being formed by the people of the world, who are flocking towards the Jamahiriya system of government (Read The Green Book *).

It is difficult to know what NATO wanted out of this. It was not peace, for they refused to negotiate. It was not democracy, for they refused to heed the call for elections. Could it then have been simply and only to steal a sovereign country's resources by murdering its people?

Now what, ladies and gentleman, will posterity say to that? Messrs. Cameron, Obama and Sarkozy, and that sickening clique of cowards in NATO, you are in deep, deep trouble. And by God, are you going to pay for what you have done...

 Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey

Pravda.Ru

http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/24-08-2011/118852-nato_trouble-0/

Serbia refuses to compromise on Kosovo despite German pressure

 

Serbia will 'never recognize' an independent Kosovo

Serbia has once again vowed never to recognize Kosovo's independence, despite German Chancellor Angela Merkel's warning on Tuesday that Belgrade's rift with Pristina could threaten Serbia's bid to join the EU.

 

Serbian President Boris Tadic on Friday reiterated that his country would never accept an independent Kosovo, even if it meant endangering its hopes of joining the European Union.

"Serbia will not abandon its people in Kosovo," Tadic told the state news agency Tanjug. "If Serbia is requested to choose ... my response will be that Serbia will not give up its legitimate interests."

The comments came in response to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Belgrade on Tuesday, when she made it clear that Belgrade had to work towards easing tensions with Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, but has not been recognized by Serbia.

Merkel insisted that, apart from pushing through economic reforms, Belgrade had to abandon parallel government institutions in pro-Serbian northern Kosovo, if Serbia was serious about EU membership.

Violent border clashes broke out in July

"The request for Serbia to take part in abolishing national institutions such as hospitals and schools is unnatural and Serbia cannot accept such a demand," Tadic said. He also insisted he would continue his policy of pursuing his EU bid while maintaining that Kosovo is part of Serbia.

Long and winding road

Serbia was hoping to start EU accession talks by the end of the year, after it arrested its two remaining fugitives from the Bosnian and Croatian wars in the 1990s - Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic - who were handed over to the Yugoslavia War Crimes Tribunal.

But Germany, which provides the largest contingent in NATO's peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, insists that Kosovo's independence is non-negotiable. Serbia, however, sees the territory as the cradle of Serbian history and culture and it is also still formally the seat of the powerful Serbian Orthodox Church.

Last week, Serbia and Kosovo reached a temporary deal to diffuse tensions, which flared up along the border in July when Kosovo tried to take control of customs outposts. EU-mediated talks between Pristina and Belgrade stalled, until the two sides agreed to resume negotiations in September, in talks mediated by the NATO commander in Kosovo, German General Erhard Bühler.

Author: Nicole Goebel (AP, Reuters, dpa)
Editor: Rob Turner

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15346429,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-eu-2092-rdf

Germany's Merkel wants to destroy Serbia completely

25.08.2011

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit to Belgrade has put forward the main condition for Serbia's accession to the EU - a de facto recognition of independent Kosovo by the Serbian authorities and establishment of a dialogue with it. The speech of the German government sounded like an ultimatum. It seems that Germany is engaged in the reconstruction of the Balkans according to its own image whose cornerstone is the maximum weakening of Serbia.

Until recently, the Serbian President Boris Tadic has been thinking that his country was closer to the EU membership. Indeed, in recent months The Hague tribunal had been given ex-Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic and former leader of the Serbian Krajina in Croatia Goran Hadzic. Their issue seems to be regarded as the main condition for starting negotiations with the EU. However, Merkel made it clear that Serbia must do "something else" that outweighs giving politicians and military leaders to The Hague.

Also read: Serbia and the New World Order

"The official Berlin sees the future of Serbia in the EU. But positive results should be achieved as soon as possible, including through direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina on the normalization of bilateral relations. In addition, the Federal Republic of Germany is against any unilateral action aimed at resolving the Kosovo conflict. This is a prerequisite for accession to the EU, said Merkel at a joint press conference with Tadic.

The German chancellor stressed the need to strive for progress. She added there was no quick solution to these issues, but the work needs to be done. Then she sketched out a plan for the Serbs. She said that parallel administrative structures of Kosovo must be addressed, and trade development should be facilitated. Translated from the language of diplomacy, this means the following: northern Kosovo areas still obeying Belgrade must recognize the Albanians, and Serbia must accept this. The Serbs must also stop the economic blockade on the area.

Germany's demands are not limited to Kosovo alone. To be able to join the EU, Serbia, according to Merkel, is obliged to reform the administrative and legal system and provide legal protection to national minorities. If we were to read between the lines, it would mean that today approximately 400 thousand Hungarians reside in the Serbian Vojvodina, in Sandzak - over 200 thousand Muslim Slavs, in the Presevo Valley - up to 60 thousand Albanians. The interests of these groups do not have to suffer similar to the interest of the Kosovo Albanians that Slobodan Milosevic tried to" infringe ".

Also read: Russia to rescue Serbia from NATO's claws

Merkel's talks in Belgrade involved the economic component as well. In particular, she demanded that the Serbian authorities empower the market economy. What the empowerment of the market economy on the basis of EU rules means is obvious from the example of the former socialist countries that have already entered the European Union. This means opening up the markets and allowing the foreigners to access the tastiest morsels. As a result, industrial enterprises and banks found themselves under the control of German companies.

To somehow mitigate the effect of the ultimatum, Merkel praised the Serbian authorities for their perseverance in terms of bringing the country to the European standards. On his part, President Tadic, swallowing most of the German demands, called Germany "a key partner of Serbia in the EU." After that, he (as much as the situation permitted) tried to argue with the guest from Berlin on Kosovo and outlined his vision of the situation.

The Serbian president stated that today his country was facing very difficult problems in the region, and one of them was Kosovo and Metohija. He added that the country does not need to be pushed for a dialogue with Kosovo as they are interested in solving this problem and have no illusions about the fact that Serbia will be able to enter the EU with this conflict unresolved. Europe has enough of its own conflicts and problems, and Serbia intends to first resolve conflicts in the Western Balkans.

According to Tadic, Serbia is not going to recognize Kosovo's separation. He urged his country not to make a choice between the EU and that area. The politics "either the EU or Kosovo" is wrong and ultimatum-like, which is contrary to the European values ​​and should be avoided. He stressed the need to find a flexible, creative solution that will not affect the normal lives and will not impinge on the dignity of either the Albanian or the Serbian people, and will not create a threat to neighboring countries.

Also read: Serbia: America sides with Albanian terrorists

In conclusion, the Serbian president expressed hopes that the European Union (including Germany) will assess Serbia under the same criteria as other candidates for membership in the organization.

The comments of the Serbian leader are hard to disagree with. However, the tone of the German Chancellor left no doubt that Serbia will not be assessed according to the same criteria as other candidates for the EU membership. Strictly speaking, the Serbian authorities have been negotiating with Kosovo Albanian leaders for many years with no result. In order to get the results, Frau Merkel arrived in Belgrade with an "inspection". She is only putting pressure on one side - the Serbs. There can be only one result: the recognition of Kosovo by Belgrade.

It has to be said that it would not be just recognition of Kosovo, but its recognition within the borders of the autonomous province within Serbia and Yugoslavia. Recently, during a visit to Pristina, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle made it clear that the revision of the boundaries of the area may not be on the agenda. Consequently, the Serbs still living in the north of Kosovo, as well as official Belgrade, should recognize the new realities because Germany said so.

In the recent incident when the Albanian authorities of Kosovo made an attempt to take control over a checkpoint on the border with Serbia, Germany virtually took the side of the Kosovars. The Germans ignored the fact that their actions have provoked a fresh outbreak of violence. At the same time they were outraged by the fact that the Serbs on both sides of the border, artificially created by NATO bombings in 1999, did not want to be completely separated from each other. They demanded that Belgrade "takes action" against the Serbs.

This stance of Germany is not surprising. Back in the 19^th century Germany believed the Balkans to be a zone of its strategic interests, and the main enemy in the way of their implementation was Serbia with a shadow of Russia behind it. During the Second World War, Hitler engaged in the maximum fragmentation of Serbia, transfer of parts of its territory to Hungary and Bulgaria, the actual separation of Kosovo, and the creation of anti-Serb Independent State of Croatia (NDH).

In the early 1990s, chancellor-unifier Helmut Kohl did everything to force the breakup of Yugoslavia. The coalition of the conservative CDU / CSU and liberal "Free Democrats," in power until 1998, was the first one to recognize Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and push those decisions in the EU and the UN, virtually inciting a war. In 1995, Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel of Germany welcomed the massacre of Serbian Krajina by Croatian authorities. Bundeswehr aircraft bombed Bosnian Serb positions.

Kohl continued the course to punish Serbia in the case of Kosovo. He called on punishing Belgrade back in 1998, a year before the NATO bombing. The bombing (again with the Bundeswehr) occurred at the time when a coalition of Social Democrats and the "Green" were in power in Berlin, but the process was started earlier. The German left are hard to consider pro-Serbian, but their anti-Serb attitude was not as radical as that of the right. Today the coalition of Christian and Free Democrats is in power again, with all ensuing consequences.

Germany is talking tough with Serbia, trying to achieve its goals. It will be extremely difficult for the Serbs to resist the pressure. Half a million Serbs are making their living in Germany, in which case they will be deprived of sources of income. The economy of Serbia is devastated by bombing, and the dependence on Germany is already huge. Serbia is now almost on its knees, and Germany aims to consolidate this state of affairs and finish the separation of Serbia to become the main and decisive force in the Balkans.

Vadim Trukhachev
Pravda.Ru

http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/25-08-2011/118858-germany_serbia-0/

Kosovo: Key prosecution witness ends testimony without accusing Haradinaj

last update: August 24, 16:42

 

The Hague, 24 August (AKI) - A key prosecution witness in the trial of former Kosovo prime minister Ramus Haradinaj on Wednesday ended a three-day testimony before the United Nations war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia without giving any evidence for war crimes attributed to Haradinaj.

 

In fact, Sefcet Kabashi, 35, refused to answer most questions by prosecutors and the judges, saying he didn't remember the details and couldn't talk.

Haradinaj, 43, was a regional commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which started a rebellion against Serbian rule in 1998 and was briefly prime minister after Kosovo was put under UN control in 1999.

He and his two alleged accomplices, Lah Brahimaj and Idriz Balaj, have been accused by the tribunal on 37 counts for crimes against Serb, Roma and Albanian civilians whom they considered disloyal to the KLA cause.

According to the indictment, they were responsible for torture, beatings and killing of scores of civilians in Jablanica detention camp in 1998 where he served as guard.

But Kabashi told the tribunal on Monday there was no detention camp in Jablanica. "I can swear to that," he said. "I saw no prisoners, people could get in and out, I don't know that anything illegal happened there," he added.

Warned by prosecutor Paul Rogers that his testimony differed from his statements given to the tribunal investigators, Kabashi said there were many untruths in his written statement.

"Your investigators are worse than Serbian," Kabashi said. "Serb investigators beat you up, while yours suck blood on a straw," he added.

Several prosecution witnesses had been killed or died mysterious deaths during the first trial and Haradinaj and Balaj were acquitted for "lack of evidence" in April 2008, while Brahimaj was sentenced to six years in jail.

The tribunal's appeals panel in 2010 ordered a retrial on six counts and Haradinaj was arrested and transferred back to the Hague. The appeals panel said the first trial was conducted in an atmosphere of "intimidation of witnesses" and some key witnesses refused to testify fearing reprisals.

Kabashi, who had earlier refused to testify, was arrested in Netherlands last week and has been held in the Hague detention cell.

"Where are other witnesses who had been questioned by the prosecutors," he asked. "I'm lucky I'm still alive, but I know very well that there were witnesses who are not alive anymore," Kabashi said.

Asked by Rodgers whether he feared for his life, Kabashi said he personally wasn't afraid. "But I don't know whether to fear for some other person close to me," he added.

Unable to get anything more out of Kabashi, prosecutor Rogers gave up further questioning. The next prosecution witness will be a former Serbian policeman.

 

http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Aki/English/Security/Kosovo-Key-prosecution-witness-ends-testimony-without-accusing-Haradinaj_312382154367.html

Serbia says Kosovo conditions for EU are unacceptable

Serbia says Kosovo conditions for EU are unacceptable

 

24 August 2011 | 21:01 | FOCUS News Agency

 

Home / Southeast Europe and Balkans

 

Belgrade. Serbia vowed Wednesday to keep a presence in northern Kosovo and dismissed as "unacceptable" Germany's insistence that it abandons institutions there as a precondition for EU candidacy status, AFP reported.
Serbia does not recognise Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence and has maintained parallel administrative structures in the territory's majority Serb north, including post offices, schools and municipal administrations.
"Serbian institutions are necessary for the Serb community in Kosovo and we can neither give up those institutions nor abolish them because that would mean giving up our wish to keep Kosovo in Serbia," Serbia's Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic told Beta news agency.
All demands to abolish "so-called parallel institutions" for Serbs in Kosovo are "absolutely unacceptable," he stressed.
On Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Belgrade it must improve relations with Pristina and dismantle its parallel structures in the north if it wants to become a candidate for European Union membership this year.
More than 80 countries, including the United States and 22 out of 27 European Union member states, have recognised Kosovo's independence.

 

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http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n257757

The tragedy of Slobodan Milosevic

22.08.2011

 

Former President of Serbia and Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic would have turned 70 on August 20. Milosevic was ruling the country during one of the most tragic periods of its history. For some Serbs, Milosevic still remains a hero, whereas many others remember him as a criminal and a looser.

"Milosevic is a prominent historical figure of global scale. He was a very complex politician, and his persona will have to be studied in detail. One has to know his character and the motives of his actions to understand him," Elena Guskova, an expert with The Hague Tribunal, the leader of the Center for the Balkan Crisis, told Pravda.Ru.

"There are no doubts about the fact that Slobodan Milosevic was a strong persona. It is hard to forget the moments when he was defending his nation and the Serbian people at The Hague Tribunal. He was trying to struggle with an avalanche of mean lies. It's also worth mentioning that he was fighting for the interests of the Serbs after the collapse of Yugoslavia. He had many drawbacks, of course, but his worthy behavior in The Hague outshone them all," Guskova said.

"Only God can estimate Milosevic's actions properly. Yes, Yugoslavia broke up during his presidency, but it is not only him who was guilty of that. Milosevic was, of course, a politician who was playing the nationalist card. But there were other such politicians in the republics of former Yugoslavia. The state of affairs in Yugoslavia between the 1980s and the 1990s contributed a lot to the collapse of the nation," Sergei Romanenko, a senior expert with the Institute for Political Research said.

Indeed, Milosevic managed to combine the uncombinable. It was probably a consequence of the unusual environment, in which he was growing. Slobodan's mother used to be a school teacher, an activist of the communist party and an atheist. She hung herself in 1974. Milosevic's father - an Orthodox priest from Montenegro - committed suicide 12 years before that.

The would-be president joined the Union of Communists of Yugoslavia at age 17. In 1984, he chaired the municipal communist organization of Belgrade. Two years later, he became the chairman of the Union of Communists of Serbia.

Perhaps, Milosevic would not have made such a career in politics, if it was not for his wife, Mira Markovic. He met her at age 16. Unlike her husband, Mira's parents were communists. She was one of the supporters of the idea of the Federation of Balkan states - from Bulgaria to Croatia.

Milosevic's wife played an enormous role in his success as a politician. However, evil tongues say that Slobo was constantly staying under the thumb of his wife. Those tongues called Mira Markovic Lady MacBeth of the Balkans," whereas the political system of Serbia was often called "one-bedroom." Rumor has it that Markovic would often hold unofficial meetings of the government at home.

The behavior of Slobodan Milosevic's children did not improve his reputation as a politician either. His son Marco owned a night club and a chain of shops. Supposedly, he once said the following: "Daddy never gets mad at me. He got mad only when I wrecked the first two racing cars, but he forgave the rest ten for me."

Milosevic's daughter Maria was sentenced to eight months in prison. She was shooting at policemen trying to escape from them in the spring of 2001. It was later said that she had shot her lover's dog, smashed all windows in her house and called her father a coward.

Milosevic was doing everything possible when he was trying to put pressure on Slovenia at the time when the republic decided to separate from Yugoslavia. At first, he boycotted Slovenian goods. In 1991, when Ljubljana declared independence, he sent tanks and fighter jets there. The war lasted for only ten days and ended with the withdrawal of the Yugoslavian People's Army from the republic.

Milosevic wanted to put an end to separatism, and he was right. Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina also took a separatist course. However, there were hundreds of thousands of Serbians living there. The people did not want to be turned into the rightless minority in independent republics. The Croatian Serbs established The Republic of Serbian Krajina. The Bosnian Serbs established Republika Srpska. Serbian Krajina was then destroyed. The Bosnian Serbs preserved their authority, but they lost the right to unite with Serbia.

The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia consisting of Serbia and Montenegro was living under the pressure of international sanctions and had no allies. The economy of the country was rolling down the hill, there were serious problems with food and fuel. Milosevic was forced to come to an agreement with the West - to lift the sanctions in exchange for the refusal to support the Serbs in Croatia and Bosnia.

However, Milosevic was never an ally for the USA or Europe. In 1999, the West used the problem of Kosovo Albanians to launch the bombing of Serbia in 1999. There is an opinion that Milosevic did not have enough patience. NATO failed to destroy the Serbian army from the air and suffered serious losses in the ground operation. As a result, the Serbian troops pulled out from the region, and tens of thousands of Serbs escaped from the quasi-state that was subsequently established in Kosovo.

When on trial, Milosevic refused from lawyers and ripped to pieces the arguments from Western, anti-Serbian prosecutors.

Vadim Trukhachev

Pravda.Ru

Read the original in Russian

http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/22-08-2011/118812-milosevic-0/