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Supplement
20th Anniversary
of NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia
NATO War Crimes
Committed Under
Humanitarian Pretext
NATO bombing of Belgrade, Serbia begins, March 24, 1999.
On March 24, 1999, bombs started raining down on
Belgrade as NATO commenced its criminal attack on Yugoslavia. Using the
pretext of a humanitarian intervention, the United States and the big
powers of Old Europe, especially Germany, France and Britain, joined by
Canada and all NATO members at that time, engaged in an air war and
wanton destruction. More than 80 per cent of NATO's bombardments were
directed at civilian targets, residential areas, workplaces, clinics
and schools. More than 50,000 rounds with depleted uranium created
long-term health problems and contamination of the environment. The
bombing of chemical production facilities contaminated both the
population and the environment, while the use of cluster bombs and
mines have continued to kill and maim people years later.
The war of aggression against Yugoslavia served as a
precedent for obliterating international law. NATO violated its
own founding charter, the Helsinki Final Act of the Organization
for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the Charter of the
United Nations in launching this war. Yugoslavia's sovereignty
and territorial integrity, guaranteed by the UN Charter, was
ignored and blatantly bombed away in the case of this
United Nations founding member state.
 Canada's "contribution" to
the commission of these war crimes in the former Yugoslavia was
substantial. At that time it held the Chair of the United Nations'
Security Council, to which no country submitted any resolutions to get
approval for the bombing of Yugoslavia. It participated in a grand way
in the staged pretexts of a humanitarian crisis used in an attempt to
legitimate by-passing the institutions such as the UN established in
the post-war period. Canada itself contributed 18 CF-18 Hornets and
ground crews for the sorties. Canadian planes flew 682 sorties at an
estimated cost of $54.5 million, dropping a total of 530 bombs, of
which 361 were laser guided. Just weeks prior to the war, Canada bought
an emergency supply of 300 bombs from the U.S. military. Canadian
pilots carried out 10 per cent of the bombing raids. This was Canada’s
role in NATO’s "humanitarian intervention." Canada at the time was
pushing and making a lot of noise about then Foreign Minister Lloyd
Axworthy's "human security agenda," the content of which was picked up
by NATO to suit its purposes for future interventions, and became its
"Responsibility
to Protect" doctrine.
NATO's war against Yugoslavia marked its first open
military
engagement since its formation but this is not all. It was a
definite turning point in the commission of crimes against
humanity which switched from covert actions to open violations of
international rule of law.[1]
For instance, it marked the first non-covert
attempted assassination of a head of state in Europe. The
military bombing of the radio and television studios in Belgrade,
repeated on May 3, World Press Freedom Day, gave rise to the NATO
doctrine that any journalist, media worker or media outlet who is
not working for NATO is an enemy propagandist and a military
target. Since this assault on freedom of expression and freedom
of conscience, the number of journalists and press photographers
killed in action has spiralled.
 
Indiscriminate bombing of civilian targets by NATO
included the Serbian
Ministry
of the Interior (left) and Serbia Radio Television.
In spite of all the pretexts used to justify the war
and the
wanton destruction it caused, NATO used the war to proclaim its
intention to carry out global wars of aggression and occupation
and, subsequently, regime change. The aggressions against Iraq
and Afghanistan and the global "war on terror" launched after
9/11 provide ample proof of NATO's "humanitarianism."
The plans for a "Greater Middle East," the interference
in
Sudan, Tibet and the Caucasus, campaigns against Zimbabwe, Cuba,
Somalia and Lebanon, the subsequent destruction of Libya,
aggression against Syria as well as constant threats of war
directed at Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the
current acts of aggression
against Venezuela, show that the imperialists' "new world order"
based on achieving their striving for domination by using force,
has left a sea of devastation and human misery in its wake. The
path NATO set violates the UN Charter and international rule of
law which are based on renouncing violence.
This
20th
anniversary
of the criminal NATO bombing of Yugoslavia comes
at a time NATO commemorates the 70th anniversary of its founding with
plans to keep the alliance together in the context of sharpening
contradictions between the U.S. and big powers of Old Europe and the
crisis in Britain over Brexit. The foreign ministers of NATO countries
are
getting together at a summit in Washington, DC from March 30 to April
7. At this
summit the U.S. imperialists will issue more threats for NATO members
to submit to their demands without question, failing which it has
threatened to leave NATO, a situation that would put the aggressive
military bloc into another phase of existential crisis. The U.S. will
brook no negotiations of any kind, even within the NATO bloc. It wants
the armed forces of the NATO countries to be integrated under U.S.
Command as has been achieved in the case of Canada, Poland and now with
the Italian special forces. It demands that countries pay for the
upkeep of U.S. forces stationed on their territories, the costs of U.S.
bases and that they be given impunity, as in the so-called Status of
Forces Agreements signed with countries like south Korea and Japan. All
of it is done in the name of peace, freedom and democracy and shows the
peoples the dangers which lie ahead and the need to not only dismantle
NATO and get out of NATO but to fight to make all countries zones for
peace.
Clearly, the tragedy unleashed with the
brutal and
criminal bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 in the name of
"human security" and "humanitarian" pretexts, was just
the beginning of the crimes we are witnessing the U.S.
imperialists and NATO commit today. All efforts must be made to
smash the attempts of the imperialists and their spokespersons and
agencies within each country to disrupt the unity of the people
against imperialist wars of aggression and regime change. All
those desiring peace are called on to unite in action to give
rise to anti-war governments which do not permit these crimes
against humanity. All official open and covert means used to
cause disruption of the peace movement should be foiled.
Note
1. In his book The
Globalization
of NATO (Clarity Press, 2012),
Madhi
Darius Nazemroaya points to the significance of the Yugoslav war
for NATO.
"Yugoslavia was a turning point for the Atlantic
Alliance and
its mandate. The organization moved from the guise of a defensive
posture into an offensive pose under the pretexts of
humanitarianism. Starting from Yugoslavia, NATO began its journey
towards becoming a global military force. From its wars in the
Balkans, it began to broaden its international area of operations
outside of the Euro-Atlantic zone into the Caucasus, Central
Asia, East Africa, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Indian
Ocean. It has virtually turned the Mediterranean Sea into a NATO
lake with the NATO Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul
Cooperation Initiative, while it seeks to do the same to the
Black Sea and gain a strategic foothold in the Caspian Sea
region. The Gulf Security Initiative between NATO and the Gulf
Cooperation Council seeks to also dominate the Persian Gulf and
to hem in Iran. Israel has become a de
facto member of the
military organization. At the same time, NATO vessels sail the
Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. These warships are deployed off the
coasts of Somalia, Djibouti, and Yemen as part of NATO's
objectives to create a naval cordon of the seas controlling
important strategic waterways and maritime transit routes.
"[...] NATO has clearly played an important role in
complementing the U.S. strategy for dominating Eurasia. This
includes the encirclement of Russia, China, Iran, and their
allies with a military ring subservient to Washington. The global
missile shield project, the militarization of Japan, the
insurgencies in Libya and Syria, the threats against Iran, and
the formation of a NATO-like military alliance in the
Asia-Pacific region are components of this colossal geopolitical
project. NATO's globalization, however, is bringing together a
new series of Eurasian counter-alliances with global linkages
that stretch as far as Latin America. The Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) have been formed by Russia, China, and their
allies as shields against the U.S. and NATO and as a means to
challenge them."
From TML
Archives
- Statement of CPC(M-L), March 25, 1999 -
Protest
against
Canadian
participation
in
NATO
bombing
of
Yugoslavia, Ottawa,
April
4,
1999.
The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist)
vigorously
condemns the criminal aggression unleashed against Yugoslavia by
the aggressive NATO military alliance under the auspices of the
U.S. imperialists and other big powers. CPC(M-L) condemns the
Chrétien Liberals for involving Canadian planes and forces in
this criminal action and demands that Canadian forces be
immediately withdrawn, that Canada get out of NATO and that NATO
be dismantled.
Canada calls itself a peace-loving nation. It presently
has
the chair of the Security Council. It is duty-bound to support
the established principles of international law. This means
Canada must oppose the use of force or threat of the use of force
in international affairs, foreign interference into the internal
affairs of sovereign nations, and the creation of pretexts under
the guise of high ideals to justify what cannot be justified.
 This aggression under the
auspices of NATO marks the
first
time in its fifty-year history as an aggressive military alliance
that NATO has attacked a sovereign country in outright violation
of established principles and international law. The use of NATO
is also to circumvent the United Nations Security Council so as
to bypass the veto power of both Russia and China which oppose
the use of force against Yugoslavia. Furthermore, historically
the control of the Balkans has been central to the control of
Europe. The U.S. is seeking to establish its hegemony over all of
Europe, while the other big powers in Europe, especially Britain,
Germany and France are seeking to establish their own
prerogatives over Europe in contention with U.S. imperialism. The
contention of the big powers over control of the Balkans so as to
control Europe escalated into World War One. They are seriously
endangering the cause of world peace once again, besides
committing barbaric crimes against the peoples of the region.
CPC(M-L) also calls on the Canadian workers, women and
youth
to condemn the Hitlerite propaganda of the U.S. imperialist
chieftain William Clinton and the likes of Tony Blair and Jean
Chretien who declare that the aggression is a "moral
imperative" to "bring peace and stability" to the
region, "avert a human catastrophe" and "defend
human rights." It is the interference of the big powers
which is behind the suffering of the peoples of the region. They
are the ones which finance, arm and incite different factions so
as to make sure their interests are served.
A precondition for peace in the region is to demand
that the
big powers withdraw from the region and leave the peoples to sort
out their affairs themselves. It is a big lie that when the
peoples are left to sort out their own problems themselves, they
resort to fratricidal war; it is an integral part of the
Hitlerite technique that if you repeat a lie often enough, it
will be believed.
It is important that the Canadian people think things
out for
themselves and take an active stand in opposing these Hitlerite
lies and the use of pretexts to carry out wanton aggression and
slaughter and create the conditions for a third world war. The
peoples of the Balkans played an extremely heroic role during
World War Two against fascist aggression, contributing in no
small way to defeating the axis powers and bringing the war to an
end.
It is the peoples who are decisive in establishing
peace and
they must be left alone to sort out their problems themselves. So
long as the peoples play a passive role, the big powers will
continue to dictate their fate and create the danger of another
slaughter of worldwide proportions. Peace will only come to the
Balkans when all the imperialist forces are thrown out of the
region and the peoples are left to settle their affairs
themselves without foreign interference.
Demonstrate Against this Aggression and
Canada's Involvement and Demand that
the Norms of International Relations Be Upheld by Canada!
NATO and All Foreign Powers, Out of the
Balkans!
End Canadian Involvement Now!
Leave the Peoples
of the Balkans to Settle Their Own Affairs!
Get Canada Out of
NATO! Dismantle NATO!
- Press Release, Ad-Hoc Committee to Stop
Canada's Participation in the
War in Yugoslavia, April 11, 1999 -
Amply documented, the bombings of Yugoslavia are not
strictly aimed at military and strategic targets as claimed by
NATO. They are largely intent on destroying the country's
civilian infrastructure as well as its institutions.
According to Yugoslav sources, NATO has engaged around
600
aeroplanes of which more than 400 are combat planes. They have
flown almost 3,000 attack sorties, "with 200 in one night alone
against 150 designated targets." They have dropped thousands of
tons of explosives and have launched some 450 cruise
missiles.
The intensity of the bombing using the most advanced
military
technology is unprecedented in modern history. It far surpasses
the bombing raids of World War II or the Vietnam War.
The bombings have not only been directed against
industrial
plants, airports, electricity and telecommunications facilities,
railways, bridges and fuel depots They have also targeted
schools, health clinics, day care centres, government buildings,
churches, museums, monasteries and historical landmarks.
Infrastructure and Industry
 
Left: heating plant in Belgrade bombed by NATO; right:
a bombed bridge
in Novi Sad.
According
to Yugoslav sources: "road and railway networks, especially road
and rail bridges, most of which were destroyed or damaged beyond
repair, suffered extensive destruction." Several thousand
industrial facilities have been destroyed or damaged with the
consequence of paralysing the production of consumer goods.
According to Yugoslav sources, "By totally destroying business
facilities across the country, 500,000 workers were left jobless,
and 2 million citizens without any source of income and
possibility to ensure minimum living conditions." Western
estimates as to the destruction of property in Yugoslavia stand
at more than U.S.$100 billion.
Bombing of Urban and Rural Residential Areas
Villages with no visible military or strategic
structures have been bombed. Described as "collateral damage,"
residential areas in all major cities. The downtown area of
Pristina (which includes apartment buildings and private
dwellings) has been destroyed. Central-downtown Belgrade --
including government buildings -- have been hit with cluster
bombs and there are massive flames emanating from the
destruction. According to the International Center for Peace and
Justice (ICPJ): "No city or town in Yugoslavia is being spared.
There are untold civilian casualties. The beautiful capital city
of Belgrade is in flames and fumes from a destroyed chemical
plant are making it necessary to use gas masks."
Civilian Casualties
Both the
Yugoslavia authorities and NATO have downplayed the number of
civilian casualties. The evidence amply confirms that NATO has
created a humanitarian catastrophe. The bombings are largely
responsible for driving people from their homes. The bombings
have killed people regardless of their nationality or religion.
In Kosovo, civilian casualties affect all ethnic groups.
According to a report of the Decany Monastery in Kosovo received
in the first week of the bombing:
"Last night a cruise missile hit the old town in
Djakovica,
mostly inhabited by Albanians, and made a great fire in which
several Albanian houses were destroyed ..." In short, NATO
attacks are nothing but barbarous aggression which affects mostly
the innocent civilian population, both Serb and Albanian.
 
Memorial to the children killed by NATO's aggression
against Yugoslavia,
Tasmajdan Park, Belgrade, Serbia.
The Dangers of Environmental Contamination
Refineries and warehouses storing liquid raw materials
and chemicals have been hit causing environmental contamination. The
latter have massively exposed the civilian population to the emission
of poisonous gases. NATO (with its) air strikes on the chemical
industry is intent on creating an environmental disaster, "which is
something not even Adolf Hitler did during World War II." According to
the Serbian Minister for Environmental Protection, Branislav Blazic,
"the aggressors were lying when they said they would hit only military
targets and would observe international conventions, because they are
using illegal weapons such as cluster bombs, attacking civilian targets
and trying to provoke an environmental disaster." A report by NBC TV
confirms that NATO has bombed the pharmaceutical complex of Galenika,
the largest medicine factory in Yugoslavia located in the suburbs of
Belgrade. The fumes from this explosion have serious environmental
implications. ... The supply of drinking water to the inhabitants of
Belgrade is also getting difficult after the drinking water facility at
Zarkovo was bombed.
Hospitals and Schools
NATO has
targeted many hospitals and health care institutions, which have
been partially damaged or totally destroyed. These include 13 of
the country's major hospitals. More than 150 schools (including
pre-primary day care centres) have been damaged or destroyed.
According to Yugoslav sources, more than 800,000 pupils and
students do not attend schools in the wake of the war
destruction. There are almost no pre-school institutions
(nurseries and day-care centres) which are operational.
Churches, Monasteries and Historical
Landmarks
NATO has also systematically targeted
churches, monasteries, museums, public monuments and historical
landmarks.
"The targets of the attacks on historical and cultural
landmarks have included the Gracanica monastery, dating back to
the 14th century, the Pec Patriarchate (13th century), the
Rakovica monastery and the Petrovarardin Fortress, which are
testimony to the foundations of the European civilization, are in
all world encyclopedias and on the UNESCO World Heritage
list."
The Use of Weapons Banned by International
Convention
The NATO bombings have also used weapons
banned by international convention. Amply documented by
scientific reports, the cruise missiles utilize depleted uranium
"highly toxic to humans, both chemically as a heavy metal and
radiologically as an alpha particle emitter." Since the Gulf War,
depleted uranium (DU) has been substituted for lead in bullets
and missiles. According to scientists "it is most likely a major
contributor to the Gulf War Syndrome experienced both by the
veterans and the people of Iraq." According to radiobiologist Dr.
Rosalie Bertell, president of the International Institute of
Concern for Public Health:
"When used in war, the depleted uranium (DU) bursts
into
flame [and] releases a deadly radioactive aerosol of uranium,
unlike anything seen before. It can kill everyone in a tank. This
ceramic aerosol is much lighter than uranium dust. It can travel
in air tens of kilometres from the point of release, or be
stirred up in dust and resuspended in air with wind or human
movement. It is very small and can be breathed in by anyone: a
baby, pregnant woman, the elderly, the sick. This radioactive
ceramic can stay deep in the lungs for years, irradiating the
tissue with powerful alpha particles within about a 30 micron
sphere, causing emphysema and/or fibrosis. The ceramic can also
be swallowed and do damage to the gastro-intestinal tract. In
time, it penetrates the lung tissue and enters into the blood
stream. ... It can also initiate cancer or promote cancers which
have been initiated by other carcinogens."
According to Paul Sullivan, executive director of the
National Gulf War Resource Center:
"In Yugoslavia, it's expected that depleted uranium
will be
fired in agricultural areas, places where livestock graze and
where crops are grown, thereby introducing the spectre of
possible contamination of the food chain."
The New York based International Action Center called
the
Pentagon's decision to use the A-10 "Warthog" jets against
targets in Serbia "a danger to the people and environment of the
entire Balkans." (Truth in Media, April 10, 1999). In this
regard, a report in from Greece "registered an increase in levels
of toxic substances in the atmosphere of Greece, and said that
Albania, Macedonia, Italy, Austria and Hungary all face a
potential threat to human health as a result of NATO's bombing of
Serbia, which includes the use of radioactive depleted uranium
shells." (See Truth in Media, April 10, 1999).
The Plight of the Refugees
What is
not conveyed by the international media, is that people of all
ethnic origins including ethnic Albanians, Serbs and other ethnic
groups are leaving Kosovo largely as a result of the bombing.
There are reports that ethnic Albanians have left
Kosovo for
Belgrade where they have relatives. There are 100,000 ethnic
Albanians in Belgrade. The press has confirmed movements of
ethnic Albanians to Montenegro. Montenegro has been portrayed as
a separate country, as a safe-haven against the Serbs. The fact
of the matter is that Montenegro is part of Yugoslavia.
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