Peace in Kosovo?
- The Aftermath of NATO Attacks on Serbia
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15/6/99
More Russian Troops Enter Kosovo
- Convoy carrying paratroops and supplies head for Pristina
THE DELICATE stand-off between NATO and Russian forces in
Pristina, Kosovo, takes a further turn today with the arrival
of reinforcements.
A Russian convoy carrying paratroops and supplies travelled
from Bosnia to bolster the besieged forces holding the city's
airport and runway. The eleven vehicles are part of a steady
Russian troops. Moscow wants ten thousand more soldiers to follow
to build up its peacekeeping presence in the territory.
In public at least NATO claims that it does not wish for more
Russian troops to enter until an agreement can be reached over
their deployment.
What do you think?
Will the 'Peace Keeping' framework work in Kosovo?
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10/6/99
Latest Balkan Peace Deal Signed
- NATO and Serbs give vital concessions in new deal
THE LATEST BALKAN peace deal was signed last night with military
chiefs on both sides claiming victory.
Gung-ho NATO's Lt-Gen Michael Rose conceded that bombing would
now stop once verifiable proof was received that Yugoslav troops
were withdrawing. NATO had previously wanted to continue bombing
while the troops retreated. Serb leaders were unwilling to accept
this, no doubt with memories of the massacre of thousands of
retreating Iraqi troops on the Basra road at the end of the Gulf
war.
Russian troops will contribute to the peace-keeping force
in Kosovo, while Serb troops will all leave the province.
7/6/99
Balkan Peace Talks Falter
- Are the Serbs snatching victory from the jaws of defeat?
TALKS BETWEEN rival generals in Macedonia broke down last
night as Serb representatives demand more time to remove their
forces from Kosovo.
NATO has threatened to escalate its bombing campaign if an
agreement cannot be swiftly reached over Serb withdrawal. The
Yugoslav generals have expressed doubts at their ability to remove
and mark minefields and withdraw their troops in the seven day
period demanded. They point in particular to a chronic lack of
fuel, brought about by NATO's relentless aerial bombardment.
NATO's commander in the field, Lt-Gen Michael Jackson, said
that the talks had broken down because the Serbs had presented
proposals 'inconsistent' with the text of the agreement accepted
by Belgrade. These 'amendments' would not have guaranteed the
safe return of refugees argued Jackson.
If an agreement is not reached it is likely to be the Serbs
who have gained the most by the week's dalliance with peace.
They have displayed a willingness to settle the matter, whereas
NATO has gained increased animosity by continuing its bombing
during the 'week of peace'.
More importantly the Yugoslav's trump card is the upcoming
'Balkan winter'. Any delay will only help their cause as it diminishes
the prospect of the west gathering together a land force to invade
Kosovo.
3/6/99
Belgrade Agrees to Peace Plan
- Latest proposal comes as Clinton 'considers' ground war
UPDATE (3/6/96 15.00 PM):
President Milosevic and the Yugoslav Parliament have accepted
the terms of the peace initiative outlined below. NATO has said
it will continue bombing until there is evidence of Serb withdrawal.
RUSSIAN PEACE envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin and his EU counterpart
the Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari are talking over the latest
peace proposal with Yugoslav leaders in Belgrade.
Slobodan Milosevic is said to be seriously considering the
latest proposal. It is believed to come closer than previous
plans to being acceptable to Belgrade. The scheme comprises the
following threads:
1) Withdrawl of Serb military and police forces from Kosovo
2) Suspension of NATO bombing - backed up by a resolution of
the UN Security Council.
3) An end to Serb repression in the province
4) Deployment in Kosovo of a UN endorsed international security
presence
5) Establishment of an interim administration for Kosovo, appointed
by the UN
6) Safe and unhindered return of refugees.
There remain, however, key sticking points:
Whose forces comprise the 'international security presence'?
The Yugoslavs would like some of their own forces and no presence
by NATO countries who have participated in the bombing.
Will the different forces effectively create a partition in
Kosovo? There has been talk of Russian forces administering the
northern section of Kosovo, while others take care of the south.
Timing, or who moves, first? The Yugoslavs want NATO to stop
bombing before they withdraw forces from Kosovo, NATO rejects
this ultimatum.
Alongside the continued push for peace US President Bill Clinton
has talked up the prospects of a ground war to 'free' Kosovo.
The wavering leader has wafted from outright opposition to a
ground conflict to gung-ho support in recent weeks. Cynical observers
might note that this swing in policy coincides with keeping the
alliance together - in the case of rejection of a ground campaign
- to keeping up the pressure on Belgrade - support of a ground
war.
What do you think?
Will the 'Peace Keeping' framework work in Kosovo?
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28/5/99
Milosevic Indictment Splits NATO
- Alliance 'doves' anxious at implications of War Crimes
charges
NATO FACES a turbulent few days following the indictment for
War Crimes of the Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic.
He is the first head of state to face such charges. Russia
was furious at the move. Their Kosovo envoy, Viktor Chernomyrdin
has said that the prolonged bombing campaign has set back East
West relations 'by several decades'. Chernomyrdin is to present
Milosevic with a new peace plan when he visits Belgrade today.
Britain and to a degree France are seen as hawks keen to build
the momentum against the Serb leader. The US is playing a watching
brief, with a keen eye to domestic opinion polls. The administration
does not want to get embroiled in a Vietnam style quagmire at
this sensitive stage in the electoral cycle.
Adriatic neighbours Italy and Greece have long voiced concerns
over the relentless bombing campaign. Former Greek premier Constantine
Mitsotakis condemned the indictment:
"I believe that this decision will strengthen his position
in the same way that the NATO bombings did" Mitsotakis said
after meeting Milosevic.
While in Germany Chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder faces increasing
difficulty maintaining his coalition with the Green Party due
to the prolonged conflict. The Greens are vehemently opposed
to a ground campaign. Many grassroots Greens are angry that their
party, steeped in peace movement tradition, is supporting the
war at all.
What do you think?
Were NATO countries right to bomb Serbia over autonomy for
Kosovo?
- Have your say today on our News
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21/5/99
Clinton Ticks Off Warmonger Blair
- Stop talk of ground troops PM warned
- Hospital and Swedish Embassy hit in latest NATO bomb blunders
GUNG-HO British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been told to
cool down talk of ground troops taking Kosovo by force.
The ticking off came from an unlikely source, Blair's best
buddy Bill Clinton, US President. Clinton believes Blair, his
cabinet colleagues and their plethora of advisers are in danger
of splitting the NATO coalition with bellicose talk of armed
conflict. "Please get control" was Clinton's message
to Blair in a one and a half hour chat on Tuesday.
Clinton, who is keeping a firm eye on his nation's opinion
polls, is exercising caution in sending signals of impending
full scale conflict out to his countryman. German leader Herr
Schroeder has ruled out his country's participation in a ground
attack, labelling the tactic a 'British obsession'.
In a fresh move Italy's dove-ish leader Massimo D'Alema wants
a pause in the air war to give precious time for a peace deal
to be struck.
In Belgrade NATO bombs blundered their way into a hospital
killing four. Later the Swedish Embassy was struck in a separate
Allied attack.
What do you think?
Should ground troops have been used in the war against Yugoslavia?
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12/5/99
'We Want Answers'
- Chinese students in protest outside London's US Embassy
CHINESE STUDENTS are mounting a mass demonstration outside
the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, central London.
In excess of a thousand people are expected to protest at
the NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade last weekend.
Organiser Jin Xuan Yu has called for a full independent investigation
into the attack.
The bodies of the three journalists killed in the embassy
blast along with 20 injured personnel have arrived back in Beijing.
It has been revealed that China could join Russia in supplying
troops to make up a part of the peacekeeping force being toted
by Russia's Balkan envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin.
What do you think?
Are NATO countries right to bomb Serbia over autonomy for
Kosovo?
- Have your say today on our News
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10/5/99
China and Russia Demand Quick Fix for Kosovo
- Russia's Chernomyrdin meets Chinese leaders
- Belgrade reports NATO for breaches of Geneva Convention
- LondonNet Comment: A Blunder Too Far Takes us to The Brink
FOLLOWING the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade -
the West's biggest blunder since the Second World War - Russia's
Balkan envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin arrives in China for
crisis talks.
The two permanent members of the United Nations Security Council
will discuss tactics to force NATO to a peace deal over Kosovo.
It is thought the pair will no longer stand by as NATO bombs
Yugoslavia.
As a measure of the crisis it is reported that China's President
Jiang Zemin refused to take a call over the escalating crisis
from a desperate-to-atone Bill Clinton.
Yugoslavia is commencing legal proceedings against 10 NATO
countries - including Britain - for breaches of the Geneva Convention.
The accusations will be heard by the International Court of
Justice. Belgrade will seek to halt NATO air strikes in the region
and ask for damages for the assaults to date. Their lawyers will
claim that the Allied powers have failed to observe the remit
of the 1949 Geneva Convention which requires signatories to avoid
civilian casualties during conflict.
Belgrade argues that the weapons used - including anti-personnel
cluster bombs - and the nature of the targeting contravene this
requirement. Further complaint will be made of the use of depleted
uranium weapons which can cause long term environmental damage.
- LondonNet Comment: A Blunder Too Far Takes us to The
Brink
When this crazy war started 47 days ago we were led to believe
that it would be short and sharp. Miracle smart bombs would rain
down from the sky and President Milosevic would see the error
of his ways and return on his knees to the negotiating table.
Ha, ha bloody ha ha.
Anyone with an ounce of sense knew that this misjudged mission
was doomed from the start. What few realised then was just how
far it would push the world to the brink of a global war. Only
the continuing incompetence of a blundering military machine
such as NATO's could have facilitated such a breakdown of the
'new world order' in such a haphazard fashion.
We have long heard of how the Warsaw Pact countries of old
could never really muster a full scale assault on the West. For
all the Cold War talk of the the Communist threat, in reality
their aged machinery could do little but maintain a stand-off
in the arms race they entered with their bullish western foes.
What no one told us was how inadequate our own military preparations
were. It is now clear Western countries have created the most
expensive folly of our time: NATO. Trillions of dollars of defence
spending mean little when those who head up this monstrosity
show the morality of a hyena and the sense of geography of a
lemming.
Really, forget spy satellites and field agents didn't anyone
think to check Belgrade's A to Z or the local phone book before
targeting the embassy representing a quarter of the world's population.
Ever ones to deflect responsibility, those jesters at Brussels
NATO HQ must surely be trying on one joke too far if they expect
us to believe that their mis-targeting was a result of bad information
from a Serb double-agent. This from the same military force whose
map reading skills led to the bombing of the wrong city, in the
wrong country when a bomb hit Sofia, Bulgaria on April 29.
So forget such weak-kneed propaganda and instead pose yourself
this question following the bombing of the Chinese Embassy, Belgrade.
Short of pressing the red button can anyone think of a quicker
way to precipitate a nuclear crisis?
6/5/99
Refugees Forced Into Prostitution
- UN warns of new Kosovo heartache
REFUGEES from the Kosovo warzone are being forced into prostitution
warns the United Nations today.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata says that
gangs in Albania are exploiting the human chaos to smuggle young
women and girls over the border. They are then held against their
will in countries within the European Union and forced to work
as prostitutes.
"Human traffickers are a serious threat" says Ogata.
What do you think?
Are NATO countries right to bomb Serbia over autonomy for
Kosovo?
- Have your say today on our News
Talkback bulletin board.
5/5/99
NATO's First Casualties
- Two 'Apache' aircrew killed in helicopter crash
NATO HAS revealed details of it's first casualties during
a six week campaign that has devastated Yugoslavia.
Two as yet unnamed Apache crew died when their attack helicopter
crashed during training in Albania. The Apaches are being used
to target Serb ground forces in Kosovo and beyond.
It was the second Apache to crash in the pat month. Both crew
members in the previous accident escaped with bruises.
The news comes as President Bill Clinton arrives in the Balkans
for a morale boosting visit.
29/4/99
BBC News Chief in Serb Death Threat
- Anonymous caller claims Dando first, news supremo Tony Hall
next
- Russia's Chernomyrdin offers new hope of peace in Balkans
A BBC SPOKESMAN has alleged that their Chief Executive of
News, Tony Hall has received a death threat from a caller claiming
to represent a Serb death squad.
"We killed Jill Dando. We will kill Tony Hall next"
the caller is claimed to have said in a call to the corporation.
The BBC has been criticised for its reporting of the Balkan
war. Most criticism has come from the those opposed to the war
who complain that its regular bulletins feature a selection of
Nato and MOD propoganda briefs. Their flagship in depth news
show Panorama has rearranged its schedule to broadcast a series
of 'loaded' features on the war.
On the other hand the BBC's John Simpson came under fire for
his 'sympathetic' reports from Belgrade, which showed that civilian
support for the war had galvanised following the bombing of their
city.
In the latest 'conspiracy theory' to hit the internet, many
suspicious surfers believe Dando was killed by Serb sympathisers.
They suggest the broadcaster, who was 'executed' with a single
shot to the head outside her Fulham home was the subject of a
revenge killing following the Nato attack on a Serb TV building
in Belgrade last week.
Other believe it is more likely that Nato/establishment based
opportunists are riding the crest of national feeling following
Dando's death to gain popularity for their increasingly unpopular
war by blaming Serbs. They recall that eighty-five per cent of
murder victims know their assailants.
Russia's Foreign Minister, Viktor Chernomyrdin has agreed
a fresh proposal for peace in the Balkans with UN chiefs and
will now present his plans to Nato leaders.
What do you think?
Are NATO countries right to bomb Serbia over autonomy for
Kosovo?
- Have your say today on our News
Talkback bulletin board.
23/4/99
Nato Takes Its Gloves Off
- Serb TV Station hit, up to fifteen dead
- US denies illegal assassination attempt as leader's house hit
NATO LEADERS, bitter at the failure of their four week bombing
campaign, appear to have ditched war time conventions in an attempt
to successfully escallate the conflict.
Desperate to gather momentum toward a land based invasion
of Yugoslavia Nato's range of targets is broadening. Yesterday
US military spokesman denied that the bombing of one of Serb
leader Milosevic's houses, 15 Uzicka Street, in a Belgrade suburb
was an assassination attempt. Such activities are expressly prohibited
under both US and international law and as such constitute capital
war crimes. Neither Milosevic nor his family were injured in
the attack which Nato referred to as a 'legitimate target'.
As Nato leaders gathered in Washington, their forces further
demonstrated their 'gloves-off' war policy with an attack on
a Yugoslav TV station. The bombing which took place overnight,
killed up to 15 journalists, broadcasters and support staff.
Meanwhile Nato was cautiously studying yet another proposal
to end the war, this time prised out of Milosevic by peacemaker
Viktor Chernomyrdin, Russia's Balkan envoy. Under this plan an
international presence would be established in Kosovo under UN
auspices.
What do you think?
Should NATO countries use ground troops in the war against
Serbia?
- Have your say today on our News
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22/4/99
Kosovo Kids Aided by Diana's Helping Hand
- Princess's Memorial Fund makes donation to Albanian youths
PRINCESS DIANA's Memorial Fund, the charity set up after her
death in Paris twenty months ago, is set to make a large contribution
to an organisation helping refugee kids from Kosovo.
The initial 450 000 UKP donation will be split between Albanian
Youth Action and the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims
of Torture. Contributions to the former will help refugee children
in Britain who witnessed atrocities. More money has been promised:
"These grants are only the beginning. These grants can
bring hope to shattered lives." Said the Fund's chief executive
Dr Andrew Purkis.
15/4/99
NATO Concedes Possible Culpability for Refugee
Bombing
- Allies accept that attack on refugee convoy 'could have
been caused' by them
SHAME FACED NATO leaders have conceded that yesterday's bombing
of a refugee convoy in Kosovo 'could have been caused' by NATO
aircraft.
However, NATO spokesman Jamie Shea and Defence Secretary George
Robertson declared that Yugoslav leader Milosevic held responsibility
for the attack. This was because he had escalated the Kosovo
problem to the point that NATO 'had no other choice' but to bomb
Yugoslavia.
Despite the posturing it is likely that the refugee killing,
which left between 20 to 70 dead (according to whose figures
you believe), will increase calls for a peace deal.
Following Monday's attack on a passenger train Germany had
already begun to galvanise the coalition to come up with an acceptable
agreement which could see an end to the increasingly disastrous
campaign. Moves toward peace will surely now hasten.
SERBIA TALKBACK SPECIAL:
What do you think? Are NATO
countries right to bomb Serbia over autonomy for Kosovo?
- Have your say today on our News
Talkback bulletin board.
13/4/99
NATO Turns to Russia for Balkan Help
- Cook and Albright want Russian soldiers to join Kosovo
peace-keepers
- Michael Jackson dedicates his new single for Kosovo's refugee
children
MADELAINE ALBRIGHT will meet Russia's Igor Ivanov today in
a bid to find a solution to NATO's Balkan balls-up.
The US Secretary of State, meeting her Russian counterpart
in Oslo, has said she is keen to establish what the 'common approach
can be' between the two nations. Britain's under fire Foreign
Secretary has admitted that Russian troops may have to form part
of any 'peace-keeping' force sent in to Kosovo.
News continues to emerges of yesterday's train bombing in
which a 'rogue' NATO bomb wiped out a passenger train, killing
at least 10 Yugoslavs and injuring many more. Many casualties
occurred when two carriages from the stricken train fell into
a ravine. NATO said two missiles were fired at the bridge near
Leskovac as it was a 'an important military supply line'.
Pop singer Michael Jackson has dedicated his latest single,What
More Can I Give?, to the refugee children of Kosovo. The 40 year
old star said 'I feel so sad when I see the pictures of those
poor kids. It makes me cry every day. I just want to go over
there and hug every one of them."
SERBIA TALKBACK SPECIAL:
What do you think? Are NATO
countries right to bomb Serbia over autonomy for Kosovo?
- Have your say today on our News
Talkback bulletin board.
9/4/99
Show Western Programmes, Or Else
- NATO makes bizarre demand to Serb broadcasters
NATO's BATTLE for the homeland of Albanian Kosovars has now
switched to a battle for the hearts and minds of Serbs.
In a bizarre demand, ringing with authoritarian overtones,
NATO has decreed that Yugoslav broadcasters should show a minimum
of 6 hours of Western based TV every day. This is intended to
'educate' Serbs and Montenegrins to the wrongdoings of their
armed forces in the Kosovo region.
It is noted that NATO has not offered to show 6 hours of Yugoslav
TV on its member states channels.
LondonNet Comment: Freedom is early casualty in NATO's
pursuit of victory
Long ago before the advent of television, war artists would
record scenes of battles for posterity. Then came war reporting
with film cameras - newsreel style. Whether showing Allies, NAZIs
or the Red Army these were delivered to an anxious public with
scenes cut, edited and stylised to maximum propaganda effect.
With TV came a clear picture of the horror of war, in an instant.
This was most evident in the roller coaster ride that was Vietnam.
In subsequent conflicts, such as The Falklands and The Gulf,
military leaders manipulated and controlled images in an attempt
to produce films which fused the propaganda purpose of the NAZI
flicks with the flamboyant imagery of Top Gun.
Now the world's leading military forces, masquerading under
the auspices of NATO, have gone one step further in the rush
to control what ordinary citizens see. They now not only want
to dictate and supervise images delivered to their own people
but also those shown to the enemy.
Indeed NATO's leaders say that they won't stop bombing Kosovo,
Serbia and Montenegro until their TV shows are broadcast on all
Yugoslav channels.
It is easy to guess how many fingers the Yugoslavs will use
in response to this latest and most strange NATO request. For
if anything is likely to stiffen the resolve of Yugoslavia's
war weary folk it is the prospect of wall to wall CNN (read Compliant
NATO News) interrupted only with ancient episodes of Dallas.
If this war really is about freedom, let us consider what
freedoms we ourselves, and others, are asked to sacrifice in
pursuit of victory.
SERBIA TALKBACK SPECIAL:
What do you think? Are NATO
countries right to bomb Serbia over autonomy for Kosovo?
- Have your say today on our News
Talkback bulletin board.
31/3/99
LondonNet Comment: Bomber Blair's Third Way
On entering office the UK's Foreign Secretary Robin Cook promised
an 'ethical foreign policy'. Instead we have witnessed the most
bloodthirsty administration since the gung-ho Winston Churchill
era. Difference was in those days our own soil was actually threatened...
more
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