Byzantine Blog

We Have Moved!

After a lot of work (lots!), molding, chiseling, buffing and polishing to make a bigger, brand new cyberspace home the most functional and practical we could, the kind of site which would enable all the Byzantine Blog segments and parts fit in seamlessly, we can finally announce that we have moved.

Please make sure to visit us at a new address, at De-Construct.net and, if you are running a web site with a link to Byzantine Blog, please remember to update your links, bookmarks, RSS feeds and the rest (BBlog will keep the links both here and at the new site, i.e. the same sites we linked to here have been given links on the new web site, with only few exceptions).

We hope all of our friends and visitors will join us over at the new virtual home and help us make it cozier and better. Take part in the polls, let us know what you think about the new site, share your ideas... we also ask for your patience, since there's still quite a bit of work to be done with the articles transferred from Byzantine Blog AND -- the most annoying thing! -- we seem to have some serious issues with receiving and moderating comments over at the new place.

Thank you for all your support and patience, it is sincerely appreciated.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 07:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Medak Pocket Massacre: Ustasha Savagery Replay

Today is 15 years since the savage Croat Army attacked Serb populated towns in the lower Velebit region called Medak Pocket (Medacki dzep), which was under the UN protection. In the villages Divoselo, Pocitelj and Citluk, Croat Army butchered 88 Serbs, including 6 policemen and 36 civilians, among which were also 18 women. 26 of the killed Serb civilians were over 60 years of age.

After the massacre, Croats have handed 52 bodies to Serbs. UNPROFOR members, Canadian and French peacekeepers stationed in Croatia at the time, have found another 18 tortured and butchered corpses. In May 2000 another 11 bodies of the Medak Pocket Serbs were found shoved in a sewage pit in the formerly Serbian part of the town of Gospic.

Until now the bodies of 84 Serbs have been found, 8 of which are still unidentified. The remains of another four Croatia Serbs killed at Medak Pocket are still searched for.

According to the Belgrade daily Glas Javnosti, President of the documentation-informative Center Veritas Savo Strbac said that the Medak Pocket assault of the Croat Army, which lasted from 9-17 September 1993, was an introduction to the later tragedies Serbs from Slavonia and Republic of Srpska Krajina in Croatia were exposed to.

God Save us from the Plague, Hunger and the Croats (German Saying)

"Monstrosity in the ways crimes against the Serbs were committed at that time, murders which had a ritualistic character, were aimed at degrading a man to the level of an animal, but also to send a message to the compatriots of the killed, showing what awaits them if they stay put in front of the Croat forces", Strbac said at the press conference.

Strbac reminded that Serbs in Medak Pocket were killed in an exceptionally cruel way, citing an example of a woman whose two sons were in the Croat Army, who was impaled alive. Most of the Serb women, victims of the Croat assault on Medak Pocket, were burned alive. One young man who was mentally ill was hung upside-down by the Croat Army and killed as a knife-throwing target.

In a statement published by Kurir, Veritas Center chairman reminded that there were no wounded in Medak Pocket -- no one and nothing was allowed to live:

"This very fact and the results of the autopsy of the Serb victims points to the conclusion this was a systematic murder of the imprisoned and wounded. Their heads were cut off and their skulls were crushed, while the women were being thrown into their own burning houses. The most poignant testimony to the Croat savagery are the words by Cedric Thornberry, Assistant UN Secretary General (and Deputy Chief of the UN Protection Force - UNPROFOR - at the time), who said that after searching the region the whole day all he was able to find alive was one chicken", Strbac said.

Memorial services for the Serb victims of Medak Pocket assault will be served in Banja Luka and Belgrade, in memory of the victims of the horrific crimes of the regular Croat Army which labeled this action as a "Scorched Earth" project.

French General Jean Cot, United Nations commander in Croatia, wrote with regret that the French and Canadian UN battalions "could not prevent the slaughter of the Serbs by the Croatians, including elderly people and children", and that the Croat Army "didn't leave a cat alive" in these villages.

"I have found no sign of human or animal life in the several villages we passed today. The destruction is total, systematic and deliberate," General Cot informed through the UNPROFOR Press Release, published on September 19, 1993.

A report fully confirmed by the Canadians, who testified that "all livestock had been killed and houses torched".

Canadian peacekeeper Tony Spiess was one of many Canada's soldiers who suffered nightmares after witnessing the devastation left by the savage Croat troops.

"The Croatian militia had been trying to keep the Canadian troops from uncovering their ethnic cleansing of a Serbian village, Spiess says, confirming accounts recreated in the 2004 book by Carol Off, titled The Ghosts of Medak Pocket: The Story of Canada's Secret War.

"When the shooting, bombing and mayhem were finally over at Medak Pocket -- with no Canadian deaths -- one of the things Spiess remembers most was the odour of death, everything from horses to humans.

"The smell will never go away," he said.

"As Spiess and his Canadian comrades walked into the destroyed Serbian village that the Croatians had tried to stop them from seeing, burning corpses were everywhere.

"Spiess perhaps most vividly remembers the bodies of two teenage Serbian girls hanging limp on chairs, their arms tied to the chairs behind their backs.

"They were still smouldering," Spiess said. "It was total f---in' devastation."

"A chill sets in as he speaks.

"The girls had been raped. Then shot. Then set on fire."

No Punishment for the Slaughter by the Croat Army

According to Jane Defence Weekly (10 June 1999), Brigadier General Agim Ceku (afterward in charge of the KLA, and then promoted to a politician and a Kosovo-Metohija province "prime minister") also "masterminded the successful HV [Croatian Army] offensive at Medak" in September 1993.

Instead of trying the Croat Army generals who have ordered and led their troops to this massacre, The Hague tribunal transferred the monstrous case to the Croat judiciary, where Agim Ceku wasn't even indicted, while general Mirko Norac was convicted to the seven years imprisonment, and (another Albanian) Rahim Ademi was freed of all charges and released.

"Ademi, who at the time was a deputy commander for the Gospic region, was acquitted even though he issued more than 80 orders for the preparation and execution of this assault, while Norac was convicted based on the war crimes committed against the civilian population and the prisoners of war", Strbac said.

He stressed that the minimization of the victims was obvious during these court proceedings, explaining the two Croat Army generals were tried for the murder of only 23 civilians and 5 soldiers, taking into consideration exclusively the facts for which there was direct evidence, and not the entire behavioral modus.

"One can clearly see the double standards here when comparing this conviction with the one [the same] Gospic court had issued to five Serbs tried in absence, charged for allegedly holding one Croat policeman imprisoned: three of them were convicted to 8 years, and the other two to 6 years imprisonment," Strbac said.

According to Veritas Center, this process shows that Croat state is still unable to confront the dark side of its recent past. On the other hand, such leniency towards Croat atrocities and monsters is most certainly not going to encourage Serbs expelled from Croatia to start returning in the still entirely deserted villages of Divoselo, Citluk and Pocitelj, 15 years after the slaughter.

"With these shameful verdicts official Zagreb is letting the expelled Serbs know there is no place for them in Croatia", Savo Strbac said.

Recommended: Canadian Testimony about the Medak Pocket Massacre - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (YouTube)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Truth: Documentary Presenting Evidence of Crimes Committed Against Serbs

Titled simply and straightforwardly -- The Truth ("Istina") -- this documentary is a compilation of the original video footage and photographs gathered during the civil wars in former Yugoslavia and in the years after, mostly from the Serbian survivors of the wars, ethnically cleansed and expelled Serbs, and refugees from all parts of former Yugoslavia.

Not for the faint of heart, this documentary presents bloodcurdling evidence of the Serbian suffering during the civil wars on the territory of former Yugoslav republics of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia's own Kosovo and Metohija province.

Massacred bodies of the Serb civilians and soldiers, with severed heads, eyes gouged out, raped women and killed children, cry of the mothers holding skulls of their butchered sons... these are only some of the horrific scenes documented here, causing utter shock and disbelief any man would be capable of committing such crimes.

Among else, The Truth shows captured Croat soldier who testified about slitting the throats of two tied-up fifteen-year-olds. He also speaks about one of his co-fighters who wore a necklace made out of Serbian child's fingers.

The video offered here includes the introduction from the documentary premier in the Belgrade Sava Center, where the organizers -- functionaries of the Serbian Radical Party -- explain why this documentary had to be made available to the widest audience.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 09:56 PM | Permalink

Dutch Documentary: The Hague Couldn't Convict Milosevic of Illegal Parking, Let Alone War Crimes

Dutch two-part documentary about the kangaroo court trial against Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic was made before late President Milosevic started calling his witnesses. It shows the Prosecution was scrambling to unearth any piece of evidence that would match the accusations leveled against Slobodan Milosevic by the Western propaganda before former Yugoslav president was even indicted. In the absence of any evidence that would back the allegations and false charges against President Milosevic, the Prosecution piled up "witnesses", hundreds of them, hoping the mere repetition of the accusations, even in the form of plain gossip and hearsay, would serve as a proof that the charges must be true.

Documentary "The Milosevic Case -- Glosses at a Trial" also demonstrates the Hague Prosecution witnesses were given written guarantees and unique protections from any future criminal proceedings, that they were often bought and/or threatened and pressured to lie and commit perjury to help NATO convict Serbian political and military leadership, President Milosevic foremost, in order to take all the blame off the Western powers involved in destruction of Yugoslavia and Serbia.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 02:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Families of the Missing Kosovo Serbs: UNMIK and KFOR are Doing Nothing to Help

On the International Day of the Missing, August 30, representatives of the Association of the Families of the kidnapped, killed and missing Kosovo-Metohija Serbs told UNMIK head Lamberto Zannier they are unhappy with the fact civilian and military mission (UN Mission in Kosovo and NATO troops named 'Kosovo Force', KFOR, in Serbian province) have done nothing to help throw some light at the fate of those people.

Association member Gordana Djikanovic said they told Zannier Serbs are disappointed with the fact civilian and military mission have done nothing in the past ten years to help the truth come out about the missing Serbs, Roma and other non-Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija province.

"We have also expressed our dissatisfaction because nothing is being done to identify some 560 bodies lying in the Pristina morgue", Djikanovic said.

She stressed that UNMIK representatives, even though they received the list with the names of 300 kidnappers and with locations where the kidnapped Kosovo-Metohija Serbs were buried, have taken no steps to process those responsible for the crimes.

Djikanovic pointed to the fact that not one of the terrorist KLA leaders has faced the consequences of the committed crimes -- to the contrary, they are now the high functionaries of the fake "government" of Kosovo-Metohija province.

"Zannier appeared interested to hear us out, but we got no promise to take to our families. He said that his associates will search and work on resolving the issues we pointed to", representative of the Association of the Families of the kidnapped, killed and missing Kosovo Serbs told RTS.

More than 1,300 Kosovo-Metohija Serbs went missing after the 1999 counter-insurgency war against the Albanian terrorist KLA (UCK). While the remains of some 800 Kosovo Serbs were found and identified, the fate of another 550 registered missing Kosovo Serbs remains unknown, according to the data of the Families Association.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 04:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Kostunica: Duplicitous West Needs to Claim Responsibility for the Consequences of its Actions

President of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) Vojislav Kostunica, in a statement given to Belgrade media yesterday, assessed the latest events have proven southern Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija is indeed far from being "a special case", and the dangerous virus of the illegal, unilaterally declared independence by the Pristina separatists is bound to hurt a number of states in future.

Former Serbian prime minister stressed that "French President Sarkozy's claim that Kosovo is 'a special case', meaning that out of all the states in the world only Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity may be freely violated, represents a continuation of a deeply flawed policy run by the European Union."

"Since the EU simultaneously ran duplicitous policy of destroying Serbia's territorial integrity on the one hand, while protecting Georgia's territorial integrity on the other, it was inevitable for such policy to backfire, seriously damaging the international order, jeopardizing peace and stability in the world", Kostunica said.

He added that it was "now evident Kosovo is not a unique case and a dangerous virus of the illegal Kosovo independence will hurt many countries throughout the world."

"What right to invoke the preservation of the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity have the states which have brutally trampled this same principle when they recognized the unilateral independence of Kosovo and Metohija province?", Kostunica asked.

"The Western states which have conducted the policy of might over right and have violated the territorial integrity of Serbia bear the full responsibility for all the consequences which will be felt by a number of states confronted with problems similar to those Serbia has with its southern Province," Kostunica said.

Two Newborn States in the Caucasus Gain More International Recognition

According to Serbian news agency Tanjug, Nicaragua had issued official recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega said late Tuesday before the leadership of the Nicaraguan Army that he supports Russian Federation in breaking out of the encirclement created by the Western military alliance.

"The government of Nicaragua recognizes the independence of the republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and we fully agree with the Russian government's position that the conflict may end through dialogue with the European countries," said Ortega.

According to the DPA, Ortega expressed support for Russia in the face of a "plan to encircle the Russian Republic."

"World peace is being threatened by hegemonist, rash policies, because the Soviet Union disappeared and they went about promoting the break-up of nations that had a great unity that had been established with great effort," Ortega added.

Recognition of the two newborn states in the Caucasus is also expected from Belarus and some ten other states.

Cartoon "U.S./EU Abominable Offspring: Independent Kosovo" by Goran Divac (Serbia)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

You are All Invited to Help Prepare and Attend 10-Year Commemoration of NATO Aggression Against Serbia (Starting on March 23, 2009, in Belgrade): Lest We Forget!

Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals, an independent, non-party, and non-profit association of citizens, has initiated a program of activities to mark the 10th anniversary of the NATO aggression against Serbia (the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ) in 1999.

The primary objectives are to pay due respect to human victims, to shed more light on the real goals and consequences of that aggression, and to spread messages of peace, mutual respect and equal rights of all nations and all human beings on the Planet. The framework is: NOT TO FORGET. Remembrance of victims and consequences of the aggression will contribute to upgrading the overall responsibility for the observance of the universal principles of International Law and the role of the international institutions, headed by the United Nations.

The activities will continue throughout 2009, culminating in March (the beginning) and June, 2009 (the end) of the aggression.

The Belgrade Forum invites all the state, scientific, cultural and religious institutions of Serbia, the Serbian Academy of Science and Art (SANU), the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), associations of citizens, mass-media, and the Serbian Diaspora (with its associations and mass-media) to take part in various activities aiming not to forget victims and consequences of the 1999 NATO aggression. Consequences are not felt in Serbia and the Balkans only but also in Europe, Caucasus, Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America.

The Belgrade Forum believes that marking this anniversary will promote international solidarity with Serbia and Serbian people as victims of the aggression which transformed NATO from a defensive into an offensive alliance. The day of the beginning of NATO aggression, March 24th, 1999 set a most dangerous precedent of using military force of an regional organization against a sovereign state without authorization of UN Security Council. It was a clear violation of the universal principles of International Law, the UN Charter, the OSCE Final Helsinki Act and the Paris Charter. It represents also violation of the NATO 1949 founding act as well as the constitutions of the member countries. Uniqueness is reflected also insofar that the aggression was conducted in an alliance of NATO and the terrorist UCK organization.

The aggression left over 3.500 dead and about 10.000 wounded, out of which more than two thirds are civilians, including children and disabled. In addition, many people died later as a consequence of deceases caused by use of depleted uranium and other armament banned by the International Law. The material losses – destroyed bridges, railways, highways, factories, transformers and electricity transmission lines, apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, even 30 TV stations and transmitters – amounted about 100 billion US dollars.

The goals of the 1999 military NATO aggression have been incessantly pursued during the past ten years. Their continuity was reflected through sustained support to the Albanian terrorism and secessionism - that resulted in thousands of killed and abducted, ethnic cleansing of 270.000 Serbs and other non-Albanians, destruction of 150 Serbian medieval monasteries and churches, massive pogrom of Serbs in March 2004 - all the way to open support to the recently proclaimed illegal independence of Kosovo (17th of February 2008). Notably, the US/NATO/UCK aggression against Serbia and their open support to the Albanian terrorism and separatism in Kosovo and Metohija (Serbia) led to the overall rise of terrorism, separatism and organized international crime in Europe and the world, to the occupation of Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003), to the threats of military interventions in many other countries all over the world.

Following the 1999 aggression USA and NATO have established a network of new military bases in Eastern Europe and the Balkan countries ( Bulgaria , Albania , Rumania , Hungary , Bosnia ). This actually started by establishment of Camp Bondstill , an American military base in Kosovo and Metohija ( Serbia ) in 1999 as the biggest American base outside the USA and the largest built since the Vietnam War.

To conclude, NATO aggression against Serbia (FRY) was not a local war, the least “humanitarian intervention” but the testing of a USA strategy with global objectives threatening the whole humanity.

Belgrade Forum is addressing an

A p e a l

to peace movements, intellectuals, youth organizations, leaders of friendly countries and organizations, to co-fighters for peace, equal sovereign rights, and cooperation, to friends – in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa:

to mark the 10th anniversary of the USA/NATO/UCK aggression against Serbia (FRY), demand abolishment of NATO and foreign military basis, condemn illegal secession and recognition of Kosovo and Metohija (by NATO and some EU countries), to support sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, denounce USA double standards on separatism and terrorism.

The Belgrade Forum is engaged in preparation of the following

Activities:

• International Round table on 23 of March, 2009, in Belgrade
• Publication of the interventions
• Photo, books, audio/video exhibition on the aggression
• Evenings of documentary films of domestic and foreign production in Belgrade and other cities in Serbia
• Reconstruction of the monuments to the victims
• Laying wreaths in honor to the victims in Belgrade and other places
• Opening of the Library for Study, Investigation and Documentation on the aggression
• Peace meetings and marches
• Preparation of the book “Friends of Serbia in the World”
• Cooperation with associations of Serbian Diaspora
• Placing a plaque of gratitude to Greek People in Thessaloniki

How you can help?

• Spreading information on the coming anniversary
• Initiating activities in your country, town, and/or association condemning aggression and expressing solidarity with Serbia’s rights to be free, sovereign, integrated and compensated for the losses caused by criminal aggression
• Denouncing NATO as an aggressive alliance aiming to be above the UN and asking its abolishment
• Writing and publishing your own analyses, experiences, and views on the NATO aggression and its consequences
• Asking the government institutions in your countries to publicly mark this anniversary and condemn arms race, disregard of the International Law and interventionism initiated by the 1999 aggression
• Asking civic and youth association, political parties, parliamentarians, independent intellectuals, scientists, mass-medias to mark this anniversary, condemn policy manipulations, double standards on separatism, terrorism and selective justice
• Taking part in public discussions, meetings, or marches against the aggression
• Collecting books, photos, CDs, DVDs, films, or any other documents for the future Library on the aggression
• Nominating personalities for the “Book of Friends of Serbia in the World” with the basic biographic data
• Donating Belgrade Forum, thus helping the implementation of the proposed activities

P R E S I D E N T
Zivadin Jovanovic

BELGRADE FORUM
FOR A WORLD OF EQUALS
11.000 Belgrade, Murska 14, Serbia
Tel. +381 11 24 52 071, 381 11 24 55 822
e-mail: beoforum@gmail.com

Posted by BBlog Staff at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)

OSCE Accuses Georgian Leadership for the Conflict

OSCE monitors accused Georgia of escalating the crisis in the Caucasus, claiming Georgian leadership had planned the military action against the South Osetia upfront. The OSCE report assessed the "numerous erroneous decisions" by the Georgian Government have led to the outburst of conflict with Russia.

Georgia had been actively preparing a military strike against South Ossetia and began the attack before Russian tanks entered the Roksky tunnel connecting South Ossetia and Russia.

OSCE observers have recorded a number of war crimes committed by the Georgian officials and troops in South Ossetia, including the fact Georgian authorities ordered the attack on South Ossetian civilians at night when they were asleep, the announcement says, according to Russia Today.

In Hope of a Genuine Democratic Revolution: Will the Georgian Tyrant be the First to Go?

"Please tell everyone in Russia, in the world, that we want to be with Russia, we don't want Saakashvili. He has brought us nothing but trouble," implored Karaman Goguashvili, 77. "We don't need Nato, we don't need America, we need to be friends with Russia" [...]

"One shopkeeper said he had only voted for Mr Saakashvili because government officials told him his shop would be closed down if he did not. "Russia protected Georgia for hundreds of years; we've always been close to Russia," said another resident [...]"

These are some of the pleas Independent's Shaun Walker heard during his visit to the village Tkviavi, on the Georgian border with South Ossetia, after Saakashvili's goons stormed through the village to attack South Ossetia and after the ensuing battles. Article Georgians stuck in limbo begin to lash out at Saakashvili, The Independent, UK.

Dr. Karadzic: NATO Court Ought to Stop Pretending to be Something Else

In his second appearance before the kangaroo court in Hague, Republic of Srpska first President Radovan Karadzic challenged the kangaroo court's right to try him.

"This court is representing itself falsely as a court of the international community, whereas it is in fact a court of NATO, whose aim is to liquidate me," Radovan Karadzic said.

"I have stopped using a false name -- so should you," he added.

Former President Karadzic refused to enter a plea to any of the US-led NATO charges, reminding that the kangaroo court's prosecution still doesn't have a fake indictment against him completed (13 years after he was indicted), so he simply can't make any determinations on something he has yet to see and read.

According to Karadzic's lawyer, Svetozar Vujacic, "Radovan Karadzic cannot respond to the indictment for one simple reason - it is not yet ready and hasn’t been given to him, just like Mr Serge Bramerc said. So he doesn’t have anything to respond to. There isn’t a single judicial system in the world where the person wouldn’t be charged first. He doesn’t know what he is being accused of - how can he defend himself? He is ready to do so - but 13 years have passed and they still haven’t prepared the final indictment act." [video footage of Svetozar Vujacic interview at Russia Today]

Vladimir Krshljanin, former foreign relations adviser to late President Milosevic, says the Hague is a modern-day inquisition, another tool for destruction of Serbs:

“This is a killing machine - about a dozen Serbs have already died at the tribunal, including President Milosevic himself. He was murdered. He was denied medical treatment when he needed urgent medical assistance. So, anyone who is a Serb and gets there must be afraid for his life. And especially in Karadzic's case, with the whole controversy over the Holbrooke deal and the U.S. Administration... It is disgusting talking about that tribunal and its behavior. It should be cut, abolished as soon as possible - it’s a shame for the whole world,” Krsljanin said.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Special Cases Everywhere

With the Russian parliament backing the independence of the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, President Dmitry Medvedev gives his views on the issue in an exclusive interview with Russia Today.

RT: Immediately after Kosovo’s independence was recognised, Moscow said this could become a precedent for South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Today, you made a decision to support these republics’ independence. Why did Russia do it? Does this square with international law?

Medvedev: I'll start with your second question. This is fully in line with international law. When the case of Kosovo arose, my colleagues said this was a special case, or, as experts in international affairs say, casus sui generis. Well, each case of such recognition is a special case. The situation in Kosovo was special, and the situation in South Ossetia and Abkhazia is special as well.

In our situation, it is quite obvious that we made this decision in order to prevent genocide and annihilation of these peoples, and to help them to come to their feet. These unrecognised republics have been struggling for their independence for seventeen years now. Despite all attempts by the international community, no progress was made during this time. Until just recently, we tried to help restore the state unite of Georgia. However, it didn’t work.

The decision to launch an aggression buried all hopes of achieving an agreement. Thus, under current circumstances, the only way to preserve these peoples is to recognise them as subjects of international law, to recognize their state independence.

That is why our decision is fully in line with international law, the UN Charter, Helsinki declarations and other international documents.

RT: Is Russia prepared for a long and tough confrontation with leading world powers that the decision it made today may lead to? And, in general, aren’t we afraid of the prospect to enter another Cold War?

Medvedev: We are not afraid of anything, the prospect of another Cold War included. Of course, we don't want that. In this situation, everything depends on the stand of our partners in the world community, our partners in the West. If they want to preserve good relations with Russia, they will understand the reason for making such a decision, and the situation will be calm. But if they choose a confrontational scenario, well, we‘ve been through all kinds of situations, and we’ll survive.

RT: You have signed the six-point agreement. One of the points says Russia should pull its troops out of Georgia. Nevertheless, Russia is still being accused of not meeting this obligation. Is this true? Are there Russian troops left in Georgia?

Medvedev: That's not true. Russia has fully met its obligations stemming from the six principles of the so-called Medvedev-Sarkozy agreement. Our troops have been withdrawn from Georgia, except for the so-called security corridor.

RT: The presidential campaign is underway in the US. Both candidates have spoken more than once on Russia’s actions in Georgia. Don’t you think this situation is being used as an instrument for the political struggle inside the US?

Medvedev: Well, as far as I know, usually during the elections in the United States of America, voters are quite indifferent to what is happening abroad. But if one of the candidates managed to use this question, well, godspeed him. The main thing is that it should not lead to international tensions. I have no doubt that both candidates will try to spin this situation for his purposes. But such are the rules of the election campaign.

To watch the interview please click the VIDEO link.

How to Collect More Popularity Points in US?

With U.S. politicians calling for the international community to isolate Russia, talks on a 'new cold war' have become more frequent in the media. The roots of the strong rhetoric go deeper, though, than the recent conflict with Georgia. Presidential hopefuls are using it as an opportunity to earn some foreign policy credentials. Tensions between Moscow and Washington rose after President Medvedev recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent. President Bush called the move "irrational", urging Moscow to reverse it. Tough talk has also come from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Vice President Dick Cheney.

In response, Russia has made it clear it doesn't seek confrontation, but it's ready for the worst. “We are not afraid of anything, including the prospect of a Cold War. But of course, we don't want that,” said Medvedev on Tuesday.

The cold war rhetoric started long before the conflict in Georgia. The two sides have wrangled over U.S. plans of a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe. What has only poured oil into the fire is the U.S. now finally signing the agreement with Poland and the Czech Republic to host elements of the system on their territories.

Some experts argue what we see now is in some way the consequences of President Bush’s foreign policy mistakes. Matthew Duss from the Centre for American Progress said: “The United States could have dealt more productively or helped Russia in Georgia to deal with this issue more productively starting years ago. I think that goes to the kind of weakness of George W. Bush’s foreign policy.”

At the height of the Russia-Georgia conflict McCain has repeatedly attacked Russia much more frequently and vehemently than his rival Barack Obama. Experts say experience in foreign policy and knowledge of Russia, Europe and the Middle East are McCain’s advantages over his rival. And McCain has tried to play this card to cast his opponent as weak when it comes to foreign policy choices.

But the tough strategy might not be a winning one for McCain and the country - given the U.S. already has two wars to deal with.

What Change Does Obama Offer in Reality?

One of Barack Obama's key messages during the presidential campaign is the need for change. And many Americans share the judgment. However, it seems this need is not reflected in the U.S. presidential hopeful's approach to Russia.

While almost every person living in America would admit that a number of domestic problems need to be dealt with as soon as possible, many also have serious concerns when it comes to the foreign policy of the United States. And with one more day to go before Democrats wrap up their Convention, a man with decades of foreign policy experience - the one Barack Obama has chosen as his Vice President - had a chance to woe the American public.

The bar for him was very high, and Biden needed to play big. ”For the last seven years, the administration has failed to face the biggest forces shaping this century: the emergence of Russia, China and India as great powers,” said Biden. Calling Bush’s foreign policies a ‘catastrophe’, Biden was quick to echo the Bush administration’s criticism of Russia. ”We will hold Russia accountable for its actions!” Biden pledged.

But this rhetoric seems to be blowing far from the winds of change that the Democrats have been calling for. Meanwhile ordinary people believe America needs to reconsider its foreign policy. “The U.S. foreign policy today is too imperialistic,” says one. Another says America interferes too much in the business of other countries.

“I definitely think we need to change some of our foreign policies,” says one woman on the streets. And there are even those who say the US current stance on the situation in Caucasus is not more than a sign of weakness. “The US is probably afraid,” a man on the street says.

EU Considers Sanctions Against Russia

Russia's decision to recognise the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia has prompted a strong reaction from the European Union, with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner saying that sanctions and other measures are being considered. However France, which currently holds EU's rotating presidency, gave no further details on what the sanctions would entail.

Meanwhile, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the Russian authorities have heard nothing about any EU sanctions against the country. Moscow insists it is acting in full compliance with the six-point peace deal hammered out in mid-August between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy.

German Weekly in Propaganda Row over Ossetia Conflict

Europe’s largest news magazine has been accused of propaganda by one of its own staff, who says it refused to publish pictures showing the devastation left by the Georgian military in South Ossetia. The photographer believes that the liberal German weekly Spiegel made a political decision to ignore the images as part of a pro-American stance on the conflict.

Pavel Kassin has been working for the weekly since 1990 and has never before had any problems getting his photographs published. Last week, he and his German colleague Uwe Klussman, employed by Spiegel’s Moscow bureau, were sent to South Ossetia to report on the aftermath of the war. On his return, Pavel sent 29 pictures to the magazine’s Hamburg HQ - but was shocked to find that none of them appeared in the latest issue released on Monday.

Kassin was so angry he gave an interview to the Russian daily Izvestia. “Could it be that the most liberal, democratic and independent magazine has gone down the road of ideological one-sided propaganda?” he said. “In my view this is one of the rare cases when Spiegel has taken a pro-American stance.”

In the last three issues Spiegel has given extensive coverage to the war in the Caucasus, but only a few articles have dealt with the situation in South Ossetia. The rest have shown Georgia as a ‘martyr’ suffering from ‘Russian aggression’. Most images featured ruined houses in the Georgian town of Gori and crushed military ships in the port of Poti.

Meanwhile, the South Ossetian capital Tskhinval, which suffered 12 hours of bombing by the Georgian military, is shown like a city living an ordinary life. Most photographs were by correspondents of the world’s leading news agencies. The weekly has also used several pictures by Russian photographers from Reuters and AP.

This year Spiegel has seen changes in its top management. Its long-time editor-in-chief Stefan Aust was replaced by two new chief editors.

SCO Supports Russia’s Role in South Ossetia

Members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation have signed a declaration in support of Russia's peacekeeping mission in South Ossetia. The member states expressed support for Russia's peacekeeping efforts, but pointed out any solution must be based on the principle of territorial integrity.

The declaration is a direct response to President Dmitry Medvedev’s call to support Russia’s role in the Abkhazia and South Ossetia independence dispute. Speaking at the SCO summit in Dushanbe, Medvedev thanked the members for their understanding and objective evaluation of Russia’s peacekeeping mission.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an alliance which was founded on the basis of the Shanghai Five (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia). Its priority and founding principle is security and stability in the Greater Central Asian region.

“Unfortunately, we have to state that attempts are being made to secure certain interests using force, not the principles of strict observance of international law and denial of confrontational bloc thinking,” said the President. “A fine example of such irresponsible criminal actions is Georgia's aggression against South Ossetia. It is well-known who connived with the Georgian authorities and even incited them, pursuing their own profit. Such behavior is unacceptable and should be stopped. In such an extreme situation, we remained reserved and continued our responsible and predictable policy.

“We are confident that the position of SCO member states will produce an appropriate resonance through the international community, and I hope this will give a serious signal to those who are trying to justify the aggression that was committed,” Medvedev added in his address to SCO national leaders.

More Blasts Hit Ukrainian Arms Depot

Blasts are continuing at a major arms depot on fire in the North-East of Ukraine. In the town of Losovaya, a massive blaze has been raging at the facility which is packed with hundreds of tonnes of weapons. On Thursday morning the fire had been contained but hot weather sparked more explosions. Several thousand residents have been evacuated and two servicemen were injured. Ukraine has declared a state of emergency.

The fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon in a nearby forest before spreading to the storage facility, which contains around ninety-five thousand tons of weapons. It set off a series of explosions of artillery shells and other weapons. It is the latest in a series of similar incidents at military ammunition depots in Ukraine.

On August 19, 2006 and May 18, 2007 fires broke out at military base А2985 in Novobogdanovka, leaving four injured. On April 11, 2008 a blast occurred at rocket base 275 injuring three pyrotechnists. However the last major fire – that led to population evacuated – occurred in Zaporozhskaya region on May 6, 2004.

U.S. Aid to Georgia Lacks Transparency - Russia's UN Ambassador

It’s unclear what the United States intentions are in delivering aid to Georgia, according to Russia’s ambassador to the UN. Vitaly Churkin says, in contrast, Russia has shown complete transparency. "I wish the U.S. would show the same kind of transparency when they bring their 'humanitarian assistance' in military aircraft and military vessels.

But our effort is fully transparent. It has been highly praised by most of the visiting officials from international institutions, and the Russian Federation itself has been doing more than anything else to help people who were victimised by Georgian aggression in South Ossetia," Churkin told journalist after a UN Security Council meeting in New York.

To watch the full press briefing, please click the VIDEO link

U.S. Citizen was Among Georgian Commandos - Russian Military

A U.S. passport was found in a building in South Ossetia occupied by Georgian troops, a Russian military spokesperson revealed on Thursday. After Russian peacekeepers cleared the heavily defended building, a passport belonging to a Texan named Michael Lee White was discovered inside. Deputy Chief of Russia's General Staff Anatoly Nagovitsyn showed photocopies of the passport to media in a press briefing on Thursday.

“There is a building in Zemonekozi - a settlement to the south of Tskhinval that was fiercely defended by a Georgian special operations squad. Upon clearing the building, Russian peacekeepers recovered, among other documents, an American passport in the name of Michael Lee White of Texas," said Nagovitsyn.

Neither the owner of the passport nor his remains were found at the scene, despite a thorough search. "I do not know why he was there, but it is a fact that he was in the building, among Georgian special forces troops,” Nagovitsyn said.

The briefing was delivered on the same day Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told CNN, "We have serious reasons to believe that American citizens were right at the heart of the military action". Putin said the conflict in South Ossetian may have been planned to benefit one of the U.S. presidential candidates.

Russia Tests Intercontinental Missile in Kamchatka

Russia has successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile. The country's Defence Ministry has reported that it hit the target on the testing ground in the far eastern region of Kamchatka.

The Ministry claims the weapon is capable of bypassing the most advanced missile defence systems. Although it has been on stand-by for 21 years, the Ministry said the weapon has shown it can effectively hit high-security facilities.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 09:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Joe Biden Caught Virulent Serbophobia from the Ustasha Clergy Back in the Early 1980s

When Obama's running mate Joe Biden stated that “all Serbs should be placed in Nazi-style concentration camps” during Senatorial deliberations in 1999 over NATO aggression on Serbia, most of the world was unaware of the source of such virulent Serb-hatred one would generally be ashamed of harboring, let alone advertising. But issuing a statement that amounts to approval of the genocide Serbian nation had already been subjected to during the WWII, by the Croat fascists -- Ustashe -- and that it should, indeed, have been entirely exterminated in the death camps of which Ustasha-run Jasenovac was the most macabre chain of slaughterhouses in Europe, could have been inspired only by the pathological Croat Ustasha ideology fueled and grown on pure, undiluted hatred of everything Serbian.

Indeed, as Croatia's Jutarnji List reports, it was the Croat Franciscan clergyman who planted the poisonous anti-Serb virus in Joseph Biden's heart and instilled unvarnished, thunderous Serbophobia in him, exemplified by Biden filing Senate resolutions, motions, holding speeches and giving interviews that are so blatantly hateful, biased and fanatically anti-Serb, one would have a hard time to match that level of vitriol against a nation in the statements of any and all the other American politicians.

As a good Roman Catholic, Senator Biden apparently chose to filter out some of the less popular bits about the shameful role Vatican has played during the Second World War and the Holocaust. He also seems to be blissfully unaware of the fact that Croat Franciscans were among the most rabid butchers who simply adored their ally -- Third Reich, both the German and Croat fuhrers (Ante Pavelic was a Croat fuhrer -- "poglavnik" -- during the WWII) and have actively helped Hitler-adoring satellite, Independent Republic of Croatia (NDH, spanning both present-day Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina) to commit one of the most horrific genocides in the European history, tearing -- eye-by-eye and limb-by-limb -- 750,000 Serbs, 60,000 Jews and 30,000 Gypsies in the Jasenovac concentration camp-complex alone.

So, when a Croat Franciscan clergyman Ilija Zivkovic spoke to Biden against the Serbs, Senator Biden listened and, as evident in the past two decades of his career, took all the pathological hatred for a factual source of information against the Serbian nation. What his Croat ultra-nationalist, Ustasha descendant advisers taught him about the Serbian nation was most evident on CNN's Larry King Live where Senator Biden, stricken by one of those Hitler seizures, proclaimed that "Serbs are illiterate degenerates, baby killers, butchers and rapists”.

"I Explained Why Belgrade Bridges Must be Bombed" (Way Back in 1993)

"He knew about Croatia and the Croat problems already at the time of Yugoslavia, when he was in contact with the president of the Croat Brotherhood Community Bernard Luketic and with the president of the Croat National Council Mate Mestrovic. But I think what influenced him most was the speech I held in Little Rock before just-elected president Bill Clinton, who invited the American minorities for conversation," Fr Ilija Zivkovic boasted to Croat Jutarnji List. Regarding the Croat ultra-nationalist organizations he's mentioning as Biden's decades-old ties and "friendly" sources of information, see this valuable study of the evolution of the Pavelic's notorious Ustasha "brotherhood".

"[At that gathering organized by Clinton] We agreed that Luketic speaks about the situation in Croatia, and since I am from Bosnia and Herzegovina, I spoke about the situation in Bosnia. In 45 minutes I explained why the bridges in Belgrade, Serbia, must be bombarded, how to stop Serb forces in BiH... I think that made a strong impression upon Biden", Zivkovic said, proudly adding he met a number of congressmen and senators during his work in United States.

"It was all clear to them, because we have engaged one former congressman back in 1987 to lobby for Croatia [for Croatia's independence, that is, long before Milosevic showed up anywhere, long before the wars that were used to rip Jugoslavia apart in the 1990s]", Zivkovic said.

According to the Croat daily, this Franciscan worked at Voice of America in U.S. -- a major propaganda tool, but he claims there were disagreements between Croats and Serbs already in 1985, because "the Serbian editors would cut out everything that was Croatian". Imagine that! Could that be because in 1985 there was only one state to be loyal to, called Yugoslavia -- there was no Croat state (after the defeat of the fascists and dismantlement of the monstrous Ustasha-run NDH), and the tender Ustasha nostalgia and Croat fanatical nationalism was not tolerated by any nations Yugoslavia was comprised of?

But Ustashe always felt their right to hatred and fascism tramples all the laws and everyone else's rights to peace and freedom from the terror of their psychopathology.

"We had no one to complain to, so I turned to the Foreign Policy Board of the Senate. Yes, I complained directly to Biden", Zivkovic said, adding that "Biden trusted him because he was also a Roman Catholic". And so too was Father Satan.

"We have been meeting many times since and he often asked for my opinion. We simply became close", Zivkovic said.

Biden & McCain are Exactly the Same, Two Warmongers Who Never Found a War They Didn't Like

Another Croat ultra nationalist, Ivo Banac, saluted Obama's appointment of no other than the Serbophobic Biden as his running mate, stressing that Biden held "strong anti-Milosevic views which tie him to the Republican presidential candidate John McCain".

"In May 1999, Biden and McCain submitted a resolution [to the Senate], proposing the use of ground forces against Milosevic", Banac said.

This joint resolution proposal submitted by Biden and McCain not in May, but in April of that year, was blank authorization to the Clinton administration to use all the force at America's disposal to crush tiny Serbia. With regret, Croat Banac noted this fascist resolution was not adopted. Banac also confirms Biden is heavily biased against the Serbs and militantly pro-Croat, claiming he was "against Milosevic from the very start" (i.e. during Yugoslavia, before any of the separatist wars).

Banac also claims Biden is equally anti-Russian:

"He is against Russia returning to the positions contrary to the Western ones. In regards to Georgia, he realized this was not a marginal issue, but an attempt of testing the resolve of the Western policy", Banac eulogized. It didn't seem to occur to him to question Biden's hypocrisy and duplicity: the same man who was among the most aggressive advocates of dismembering Serbia, who actively promoted and demanded the imposed severing of its southern Kosovo-Metohija province and gifting it to illegal Albanian immigrants and terrorists, is now very concerned over Georgia's "territorial integrity".

Banac explained the excessive praise and courtesy exchanged between the apparent opponents, Mad McCain and Biden: simply put, they are exactly the same Serbophobic warmongers. Not only are they both among the most prominent, most fanatical Serb-haters in Washington, with strong ties to both the Croat and Albanian ultra-nationalist lobbies, not only are they both unscrupulous, belligerent interventionists who behave as if bullying is the most sophisticated expression of political wisdom, but neither of them has ever found a war they didn't like. As one political analyst said in Aaron Russo's exceptional documentary America, From Freedom to Fascism, the easiest way to understand the entire Democrats-versus-Republicans fake drama is to realize "they are one and the same mafia, the only difference is that the Democrats are the Gambino family and the Republicans are the Genoveses".

Take your pick.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

Main Goal to Provide Security for its Own Citizens in the Region, and the People of South Ossetia and Abkhazia

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed decrees, formally recognizing the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. He says the military conflict in South Ossetia has killed every hope for the peaceful co-existence of Ossetians, Abkhazians and Georgians within one country, as reported by Russia Today. “Based on the current situation it was necessary to make a decision. We respect the free will of the South Ossetian and Abkhazian people. And basing our actions on the regulations of the UN and the agreement of 1970 regulating relations between the countries, the Helsinki act of 1975 and other international regulations and documents I’ve signed an order to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and the independence of Abkhazia by the Russian federation,” Medvedev said.

Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev has requested that the Defense Ministry guarantees peace in Abkhazia and South Ossetia until the Friendship Treaty is signed. He also ordered the Foreign Ministry to commence talks with the two breakaway republics.

Russia’s message is that it has tolerated enough – watching mutual agreements violated and numerous provocations attempted by the Georgian leadership. With its offensive on South Ossetia, Georgia has put an end to peace talks and work by all sides for almost 20 years. "Given that Mikhail Saakashvili, having put his signature on a modified signature on the Moscow principles, continues to ignore them we’re convinced that recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia is the only feasible step for the survival or security of these nations," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Action of Kosovo Albanians and Their Western Supporters Abolished the International Negotiating Mechanisms

South Ossetia and Abkhazia have been de facto independent from Georgia since the early 1990s. When Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence, both breakaway regions thought they had a precedent to defend their cause. But they lacked one crucial factor – the support of the U.S. and the EU.

"In both cases the centers started the war. In both cases peacekeeping forces were deployed. In both cases negotiating mechanisms were created. Since then, Belgrade has never questioned these mechanisms or tried to destabilize the region by using force. The international negotiating mechanisms were abolished by the action of Kosovo Albanians and their western supporters," Lavrov said.

As the Georgian military launched an attack against South Ossetia, the U.S. threw its full support behind Georgia and accused Russia of a disproportionate response. NATO is now sending its vessels to the Black Sea to provide humanitarian aid. The U.S. and some NATO members are ready for an anti-Russian coalition. Possible sanctions include a suspension of the NATO-Russia Council, a roadblock to Russia’s WTO membership and a boycott of Sochi’s winter Olympics in 2014.

In 1980 the U.S. boycotted the summer Olympics in Moscow. It was their response after the Soviet Union entered Afghanistan to fight the Taliban - the same Taliban NATO has been fighting since 2001.

Breakaway Republics Celebrate Recognition by Russia

Russia’s recognition of Abkhazia and South Osettia has sparked jubilation in Georgia’s two breakaway republics. Celebratory gunfire has been going on for hours in the South Ossetian capital Tskhinval, along with blasts of loud, cheerful music. Similar scenes have occurred in Sukhum, the capital of South Ossetia. The celebrations in both capitals are expected to last for at least a few more days. The breakaway republics are now looking to an independent future following Russia's recognition of their status.

Recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia -- a Logical Reaction to Georgia's Aggression

Russia’s envoy to NATO says he hopes the international community will understand the decision by Russia to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Dmitry Rogozin, who was recalled to Moscow for consultations, said: "The decision to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia is a response to political speculations, proving Russia doesn't need new territories.

"This recognition is a logical reaction to Georgia's aggression. We are hopeful that most UN member states will take the news with understanding."

Rogozin called Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili "an international provocateur who did his best to make Georgia's domestic conflict an international affair". "Saakashvili is developing Stalin's idea: if there's a people there is a problem, if there's no people, there's no problem," he said.

Russia Ready to Ditch NATO - Medvedev

President Medvedev says Russia is ready to break off relations with NATO if necessary. His comments came after a meeting with Russia's ambassador to the alliance, Dmitry Rogozin. NATO has been highly critical of Russia’s handling of the conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia. Speaking after a meeting with Rogozin in Sochi, Medvedev said there could be no confusion about NATO’s plans. He also said that Russia could see through “the illusion of partnership”.

”When they are building up their military forces, surrounding us with bases and drawing into the alliance more and more countries - convincing us that everything is OK... of course we don't like it,” President Medvedev said on Monday. NATO warships are in the Black Sea 'to provide humanitarian aid for Georgia and give a helping hand'. Russia views their presence with suspicion. NATO had warned that relations with Russia would not improve "until it pulled all its troops out of Georgia".

The future of the joint Russia-NATO programmes remains unclear. One of them involves the delivery of humanitarian aid through Russia to Afghanistan. ”NATO is more interested in this partnership then we are. Even if it will mean the end of our cooperation, it’s nothing to us,” Medvedev said.

At the last meeting of NATO foreign ministers, the alliance was looking for ways to punish Russia. The U.S. wanted to convince member states to exclude Russia from the G8. In another development, Washington and Warsaw sealed a deal on the deployment of interceptors in Poland as a part of the U.S. missile defense project. The talks ended years of negotiations, with Washington agreeing to all Poland’s conditions.

Russia is Not Desperate for Entry to the World Trade Organization, Prime Minister Putin Said

Western countries could bar Russia’s entry to the World Trade Organization. Russia has been seeking to join the WTO for more than 10 years, but it’s not desperate for entry and is prepared to halt talks. ”Our economy, I mean some of its industries, including agriculture, bears a rather heavy load. It turns out we neither see nor feel any pluses from this membership in the WTO, if there are any at all, but we do bear a load,” Prime Minister Putin said.

Meanwhile, the British Foreign Ministry announced that breaking NATO-Russia ties would be a mistake, as the alliance "needs links with Moscow".

Russia Warns NATO Over Build-up of Warships in Black Sea

Russia’s military says it is bewildered by the build-up of NATO’s naval force in the Black Sea – and scoffed at claims the warships were delivering humanitarian aid. Deputy Chief of the Russian General Staff, Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, told a media briefing that there are currently ten NATO warships with cruise missiles in the area, and eight more are expected to arrive there shortly.

“These ships are very seriously armed,” Nogovitsyn said. “As far as cruise missiles are concerned, they are strategic arms and have a range of 2,500 km. The Black Sea is just a pool for them.” The Colonel General added it’s very hard to believe these ships have arrived just to bring the humanitarian aid. He said the build-up was connected with Georgia’s wish to restore its military potential and added Russia will find a way to find out if armaments or military gear are being delivered to Georgia by NATO ships.

Nogovitsyn said Russia may stop cooperation with NATO, including military transit to Afghanistan through its territory, though it hasn’t done it yet. "Our Supreme Commander-in-Chief did not say we are stopping cooperation. He just made it clear such a thing can happen because a number of statements have been made by the Pentagon and other countries on possible sanctions - like in the worst times of the Cold War."

Russia Will Not Recognize Kosovo: UN Ambassador

The six-point peace plan, drawn up by French president Nicholas Sarkozy and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev still applies in South Ossetia, according to Russia's ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin. But the 6th point regarding the discussion of the territorial situation, which was removed at Sarkozy's request, closed off a diplomatic avenue in the resolution of South Ossetia and Abkhazia's status.

He also confirmed, during a press conference in New York, that Russia does not intend to recognize the independence of Kosovo.

To watch the full press conference please click the VIDEO link.

Kosovo Recognition Ripped Up the International Law and Opened Pandora's Box

When Kosovo declared independence in February, 46 UN countries formally backed the bid - France, the UK and U.S. among them. Moscow now says it’s not to be lectured by those who opened what it sees as Pandora’s Box. Russia’s Envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin said: “How is it possible to recognize Kosovo, to rip a piece out of Serbia, a country that’s been sovereign for much longer than Georgia, and now talk about protecting Georgia’s territorial integrity? Choose what it is that you’re defending.”

And it’s a view echoed by analysts. According to Marc Almond from Oriel College, Oxford, “the fact that the West has pushed through Kosovo situation means that the West is in a very weak position to say that the situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia somehow transgresses the international law”.

“I’m afraid international law was ripped up in February on this sort of issue,” he said.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Obama Chooses a Bellicose Serbophobe, KLA Senate Representative Biden as his Running Mate

Byzantine Blog entry from January 9, 2007 (via Allah's Willing Executioners)

Recently, a prime Serb-hater and Albanian Muslim lobbyist, Senator Joseph Biden of the obsessively anti-Serb Council on Foreign Relations, was given ample space by equally Serbophobic Financial Times to do some more pro-Muslim lobbying, while underlining his unwavering support for further destruction of Serbian state.

A man on the record for stating that “all Serbs should be placed in Nazi-style concentration camps” during Senatorial deliberations in 1999 over NATO aggression on Serbia, and that United States ought to conduct a fascist, “Japanese-German style occupation” of Serbia, Biden, considered the most “verbose, preening, self-aggrandizing pol,” is among the world famous plagiarists, and often characterized as a rambling gas bag, terminally enslaved by his own prejudice, ego and vanity:

“...The man loves his voice so much, you’d expect him to be following it around in a grey Buick, in defiance of a restraining order, as it walks home from school. He seems to think his teeth are some kind of hypnotic punctuation marks which can momentarily disorient the listener and absolve him from any of Western civilization’s usual imperatives to stop talking. Listening to him speechify is like playing an intellectual game of whack-a-mole where every now and then the fuzzy head of a good point pops up from the tundra but before you can pin it down, he starts talking about how he went to the store and saw a squirrel on the way and it was brown which brings to mind Brown V. Board of Ed which most people don’t understand because [TEETH FLASH] he taught Brown in his law school course and [TEETH FLASH] Mr. Chairman I’m going to get right to it and besides these aren’t the droids you’re looking for...”

Among Serbs, however, Joe Biden is best known as the man who sponsored the March 23, 1999 Senate resolution authorizing Clinton to bomb Serbia and will remain permanently ingrained in our collective memory for characterizing Serbian nation as “...a bunch of illiterates, degenerates, baby killers, butchers and rapists” — a hateful outburst and a fascist tirade on CNN’s Larry King Live that was left without a comment, reprimand or any semblance of apology, to date.

Neither “Extremist” Nor “Conspiracy”

At least one of the “illiterate degenerates” responded to Biden’s latest Serb-bashing exercise — Serbian Ambassador to the U.S, His Excellency Dr. Ivan Vujacic:

Sir, Senator Joe Biden (“Opponents of a new Kosovo must be stopped,” January 3) proposes recognizing independence without sovereignty (because it is not ready) for Kosovo, currently a province of Serbia, under United Nations administration.

He believes this “could yield a victory for Muslim democracy” and provide a “much-needed example of a successful US-Muslim partnership.” The impediments to this outcome are “extremists” in Belgrade and Moscow who will “conspire” to prevent Kosovo’s independence.

For anyone following the situation, it is difficult to agree that extremists are in power in Serbia. Since the democratic revolution that overthrew Slobodan Milosevic, Serbia has been radically transformed economically, politically and has had major achievements in the strengthening of human and minority rights.

It has had several elections that have produced governments that are committed to European and Atlantic integration. It has offered the highest possible autonomy for Kosovo within Serbia in the negotiations on its future status. Surely, this is not extremism.

The truth of the matter is that Kosovo has a dismal record regarding basic security, the rule of law and respect for property and human rights for non-Albanians. Democracy should be universal and not ethnic, nor based on religion. Should the threat of violence be rewarded by a quick move to independence or is Kosovo just a propaganda tool for the Muslim world as Senator Biden seems to suggest?

Serbia expects that the principles of international law and the UN Charter should be adhered to. It does not believe that a democratic nation should be dismembered. It has stated so publicly. Surely, this is not conspiracy.

Why is Joe Biden So Generous With Serbian Territories?

The second response, by another “extremist” opposed to the amputation of Serbia’s historical and sovereign territory, has not been published by the “non-extremist,” “democratic” Financial Times yet, but we believe the fairness in media they say they are guided by will prevail and the letter by Stella L. Jatras will also be published... eventually, in the fullness of time, at the appropriate juncture, etc. etc:

In referencing “Opponents of new Kosovo must be stopped,” of 2 January, why is Senator Joseph Biden so generous with sovereign land that belongs to the Serbian people considering the disturbing and chaotic situation that is taking place in Kosovo today. Although the Albanians are now the majority in Kosovo after having achieved this status by crossing illegally from Albania into Christian Kosovo, they are the minority in Serbia. Today, Serbian culture, language and religion are being eradicated by Kosovo Albanian mobs under the very noses of KFOR. Are our troops in Kosovo there to protect the Osama bin Laden mosque that now stands on Serbian soil? Is this acceptable to the Senator?

We “opponents of a new Kosovo” oppose the further desecration and destruction of 13th and 14th century churches and regret the more than 150 places of worship that have already been destroyed. We oppose ceding Serbia’s Jerusalem to war criminals such as Agim Ceku, who was the chief of staff of the Kosovo Liberation Army (once declared a terrorist organization by the State Department), who masterminded two of the grisliest episodes of brutality in the war in former Yugoslavia, and who has now achieved, in spite of his war criminal activities, the title of Prime Minister.

At the urging of President Clinton, in violation of International Law, the NATO Charter and without the approval of the U.S. Congress, NATO, for 78 unmerciful days, bombed tiny Yugoslavia that did not have weapons of mass destruction, never attacked us nor were they ever a threat to us. The truth of the matter is that NATO’s bombing was based on atrocities that were committed by Bosnian Muslim forces and blamed on Serbs. Furthermore, the territorial integrity of the Former Republic of Yugoslavia includes sovereignty over Kosovo which was guaranteed in the Rambouillet Agreement. Are we to violate this agreement as well?

While our government was supporting the Bosnian Muslim government of Alija Itzebegovic, his government in Vienna issued a passport to Osama bin Laden in 1992 thus allowing the most sought after criminal in the world to visit Bosnia and Kosovo. A 1997 Senate Republican Policy Committee Report titled, “Clinton-Approved Iranian Arms Transfers Help Turn Bosnia into Militant Islamic Base,” writes of Iran’s connection to Bosnia and Kosovo.

The Wall Street Journal of 1 November 2001 wrote, “For the past 10 years, the most senior leaders of al Qaeda have visited the Balkans, including bin Laden himself on three occasions between 1994 and 1996. The Egyptian surgeon turned terrorist leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri has operated terrorist training camps, weapons of mass destruction factories and money-laundering and drug-trading networks throughout Albanian, Kosovo, [FYRO] Macedonia Bulgaria, Turkey and Bosnia. This has gone on for a decade.”

Former UNPROFOR Commander, Canadian Maj. General Lewis MacKenzie wrote, “The Kosovo-Albanians have played us like a Stradivarius. We have subsidized and indirectly supported their violent campaign for an ethnically pure and independent Kosovo. We have never blamed them for being the perpetrators of the violence in the early ‘90s and we continue to portray them as the designated victim today in spite of evidence to the contrary. When they achieve independence with the help of our tax dollars combined with those of bin Laden and al-Qaeda, just consider the message of encouragement this sends to other terrorist-supported independence movements around the world.”

After 9/11, President Bush said that we would do whatever it takes to defeat the Muslim terrorists, yet we denied the Serbs the right to defend themselves against the same terrorists that we are fighting today.

And mark you, if the Kosovo Albanians do not achieve their independence fast enough to suit them, their guns will be turned on those who were sent to keep the peace.

Furthermore, I would like to ask Senator Biden and those who advocate granting independence to Kosovo, which would guarantee the complete annihilation of Serbian presence in their holy land, “Other than be our ally in two world wars, what have the Serbian people ever done to you that you should show such animosity towards them? And why would you, Senator Biden, and your ilk want to create another terrorist state in the heart of Europe?”

Why?

Consequences of Biden’s Pro-Muslim Lobbying in the Balkans

And, in order to refresh Senator’s memory of the kind of “humanitarianism” and “democracy” CFR’s, Biden’s, Holbrooke’s, Albright’s, Clinton’s and Blair’s (among others) politicking has brought to the Balkans, he should take a moment of his precious Muslim-lobbying time to view Sky News’ Investigative report on al-Qaeda presence in the Balkans.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Dutch Soldiers from Srebrenica Battalion Offer to Testify in Karadzic's Defense

Some 15 Dutch soldiers of the former Netherlands battalion stationed in Srebrenica during the Bosnian civil war came to Belgrade on Wednesday, offering to testify in the Hague tribunal on behalf of Dr. Karadzic, a member of Radovan Karadzic's defense team Milivoje Ivanisevic told Vecernje Novosti.

"We talked about their possible testimony. They stressed that the Serbs did not commit war crimes against the Muslim civilians when they were passing through several dozen of their villages [in Srebrenica municipality] the Dutch soldiers were securing. They came over at their own expense and said they will testify and invite more of their fellow soldiers to testify too. They left Belgrade on Thursday," Ivanisevic said.

To see how relevant their testimonies would be, Ivanisevic talked to each Dutch soldier who came to Belgrade, individually, about when and where he was and what was he doing. Asked by Vecernje Novosti why haven't they showed up before to say what really happened in Srebrenica, Ivanisevic said he didn't pose that question, but added that Dutch soldiers complained there is a complete repression against them in Holland that had lasted for the past 10 years because they are blamed for allegedly "failing to protect Srebrenica".

"Perhaps the things are finally getting ripe now", Ivanisevic said. "They told me they came here in apprehension and worried, because they expected to be hated in Serbia just like back home. They said in Srebrenica at the time they had to protect themselves from the Muslims, rather than protect Muslims from the Serbs. Serb Army, according to them, was helping the Muslim women and their children, bringing them food and water", Ivanisevic conveyed the conversation he had with Dutch soldiers who were stationed in Srebrenica in 1995.

Orie Out

On Thursday, Radovan Karadzic received another good news -- Serbophobic judge Alphons Orie has been removed from the post of the head judge in the case against him. The decision was brought by the tribunal's president Fausto Pocar who ordered that the case is assigned to another council of judges.

The Hague staff rushed to assure the media Pocar's decision was not a result of Dr. Karadzic's request to exempt Orie from his case due to bellicose Serbophobia Orie had exhibited on numerous occasions. But Pocar's reasons for removing Orie from the process against Republic of Srpska first president are entirely irrelevant, as long as the goal has been achieved.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 09:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)

Saakashvili's Western Advisers Preparing a Racak Setup for Moscow

Another evidence that hysterical Georgian leader is getting his cues from the same kitchen as Kosovo Albanian war criminals is the latest warning by the Russian military intelligence, revealing on Wednesday that Georgian authorities are preparing "a large-scale provocation in the next few days, possibly tomorrow".

On January 15, 1999, the morning after the battle between Yugoslav police and Albanian terrorist KLA on the hill above the town of Racak, William Walker, CIA operative masquerading as an American 'diplomat' in Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija, gathered foreign TV crews to deliver a highly dramatic performance, accusing Serbian police of massacring 45 Kosovo Albanian civilians. The field where the bodies were piled up was empty the day before, and the superficial observations of the alleged crime scene raised strong suspicions, leading even some foreign reporters to conclude the alleged atrocity was a crude, perfidious setup.

Reports of the Finnish, Belorussian and Serbian forensic experts found the gunpowder residue on the hands of the bodies, proving the victims were using firearms immediately prior to their death. That they were KLA troops killed in combat, rather than "massacred civilians" was further evidenced by the fact the gunshot wounds didn't match the clothing -- suggesting the killed had their uniforms stripped and replaced with civilian clothing as part of the setup. In addition, none of the victims were killed from close proximity, no cold weapons were used, there was no blood anywhere on the ground around the bodies and there were no empty shells found around the bodies, even though they would have to be there if the victims were indeed executed, as Mr. Massacre claimed.

Racak setup and false accusations against the Serbs were an excuse US-led NATO was waiting for to launch a one-sided war of aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a high-tech terror, daily bombardment from high altitudes which lasted almost three months, caused thousands of innocent civilian deaths, destroyed Serbia's entire infrastructure and enabled NATO to militarily occupy southern Serbian province of Kosovo, eventually imposing its severing from Serbia.

Now, the similar scenario seems to be in the making for Russians.

Bodies of Georgian Soldiers on Coca-Cola Ice

Russian military intelligence officer revealed that Georgian Defense Ministry units plan to use the bodies of the Georgian soldiers killed during the aggression on South Ossetia to stage a "massacre" scene, accusing Russia of committing atrocities against the Georgian civilians.

“The cynicism of this can hardly be perceived” but “the remains are being worked on in order to provide ostensible proof of victims among the peaceful population, humiliating treatment and brutality on the remains of the troops,” the official said.

“Three refrigerator trucks full of the remains gathered by Georgian units over the past few days left Tbilisi today,” he said, adding, “Ice produced by the Coca-Cola plant near Gori was used to preserve the bodies”.

According to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass, the intelligence officer also noted two other circumstances: “the Georgian side has so far buried almost none of its dead, which may suggest a possible provocation” and secondly, "the Russian peacekeepers and South Ossetian authorities have handed over numerous remains of the Georgian servicemen”.

What is Saakashvili doing with the bodies of the Georgian troops? Why is he keeping them on ice and why is he not burying any of them?

But the Russian military intelligence seems to be at least five steps ahead of CIA when they had all the bodies of the Georgian soldiers photographed and videotaped, so any attempt at repeating a Racak setup might turn rather nasty for the stage masters -- as confirmed by the representative of the Investigation Committee under the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, who said that "if Georgian authorities stage such cynical provocation, the moral aspects put aside, they should understand the risk they will face in this event."

Posted by BBlog Staff at 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Spectacular Reception for Milorad Cavic in Belgrade

More than 50,000 Belgraders gathered on Tuesday, August 19, in front of the City Parliament building, to greet Serbian swimming champion, the Olympic medalist and record-breaker Milorad Cavic.

Around 10 p.m. when he showed up at the balcony, Belgrade broke out in thunderous chants: Milorad Cavic!, Chavo we love you! and Chavke the Champion.

"I haven't felt like this... I haven't felt this nervous even when I swam in the finals against Michael Phelps," Cavic said, when the elated fans made a brief pause in cheers.

Cavic is Serbia!

"Three days ago, when I was receiving the Olympic medal, I was certain that was the best moment of my life, but now I see that is not true, that is totally not true!

"This kind of reception, this welcome could've only happened in Belgrade. Only in Serbia a winner of Olympic medal is really made aware of the kind of success achieved. It is a feeling most other athletes will never know, including those who won eight gold medals," Cavic said, sending Belgrade to an emotional eruption.

"I read all your messages and comments on the internet, I'm responding to all the messages, but allow me some time now... Do send them, I love to hear from you -- you give me the strength!"

"I thank God you are with me and that you believe in me!"

"Thank you very much for coming here tonight... As the newest Belgrade resident, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!", Cavic said to overjoyed mass of Belgraders, waving Serbian flags and "Cavic is Serbia!" banners, loving him back hundred times more for all he has done for the Serbs and his homeland.

Recommended: 001 of a Second, web site analyzing the controversial 100m butterfly race at Beijing Olympics, in which Michael Phelps was declared a winner

Posted by BBlog Staff at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Phillip Corwin: Serbophobia Prevents Reaching the Truth

Interview with Phillip Corwin by Cathrin Schütz, Junge Welt

American Phillip Corwin was the highest UN official in Bosnia from spring to summer of 1995, serving as Civil Affairs Coordinator and Delegate of the Special Representative for the UN Secretary General. Previously, from 1994 to the spring of 1995 he held the same office for the region of Eastern Slavonia in Croatia. Duke University Press published his memoirs: Dubious mandates - A Memoir of the UN in Bosnia, Summer 1995.

Q: Richard Holbrooke, Paddy Ashdown and many other Western representatives who were involved in the Yugoslav tragedy, unanimously assessed the arrest of Radovan Karadzic's as the capture of one of the most brutal war criminals of our time. What is your opinion?

PC: Holbrooke and Ashdown used the wars in former Yugoslavia to build their careers. Their phrases like "one of the most brutal" and "good Nazi" -- that's how Holbrooke characterized Dr. Karadzic just now in the Spiegel interview -- remind us of their terrible bias and the severe harm that they caused as so-called diplomats. They foment the Serbophobia even now, making a fair process against Dr. Karadzic in The Hague impossible.

Q: What do you expect from the trial of the former president of Republika Srpska in Bosnia before the ad hoc tribunal in The Hague?

PC: In any criminal process the question of the intent is of central importance. Based on my personal contacts with Bosnian Serbs, including with Dr. Karadzic, I can only say that I am convinced the issue with Bosnian Serbs was to protect the Serbs, not to kill Muslims or Croats. Incidentally, the Gypsies allied with the Serbs -- they probably still remember all too well the treatment they were given during the Second World War by the "good Nazis" on the Croat and Muslim side. The Serbs were never threatened by the Gypsies and vice versa, the Serbs never undertook anything against the Gypsies. As always in the Hague, Dr. Karadzic can't expect a fair trial. He will be accused of participating in a 'conspiracy' and they will blame him for the deeds of soldiers in the field, whom he didn't know and to whom he never issued any orders.

Srebrenica Takeover: 700 Muslims Killed at Worst

Q: One of the main charges is Karadzic's alleged responsibility for the genocide of 8,000 Muslim males from Srebrenica. At the time Srebrenica was taken over by the Bosnian Serb Army in July 1995 you were the highest civilian official of the UN in Bosnia. What really happened?

PC: What happened on July 11 1995 in Srebrenica is part of a greater tragedy and cannot and must not be taken out of the context. Those who do are clearly doing it with intention to twist things to the detriment of one of the warring parties. What happened in Srebrenica was not a single massacre Serbs committed against the Muslims, but a series of bloody attacks and counterattacks during three years and escalating in 1995. The number of Muslims killed most probably was not higher than the number of the Serbs killed in the region during the previous years in the assaults of the Bosnian Muslim war commander Naser Oric. The number of missing Bosnian Muslims is also exaggerated. All this shows that the official reports are of purely political nature.

In May 1995, two months before the last battle for Srebrenica, the Croat army led the Operation Lightning in which 90 percent of the Serbs who lived in western Slavonia were expelled, i.e. they conducted the ethnic cleansing. A month after Srebrenica, 200,000 Serbs were expelled from their ancestral land in Krajina region [also in Croatia]. The international community remained silent in both cases! Srebrenica must be viewed in the context of events. If there really was a massacre -- and it seems realistic to speak about 700 victims -- then this is a war crime and the perpetrators must be held accountable. But the difference between the 700 and the commonly referred to 8,000 is not numerical -- it is political.

Recommended: Don't forget what happened in Yugoslavia, by John Pilger (NewStatesman.com)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Difference Between the Olympic Gold and Silver: One-Hundredth of a Second

Remember this guy? Milorad Cavic broke the European 50 meter butterfly record twice in two days, won the gold medal in Eindhoven this March and then got booted out of further competition by the Dutch organizer, allegedly because he wore "Kosovo is Serbia" t-shirt to a winners podium, but more likely because the Serb was about to sweep the gold medals in 100 meters butterfly and 100 meters freestyle too. And that might be a bit too much to let a Serb get.

On Saturday, Cavic raced 100 meter butterfly for the Olympic gold with Michael Phelps, celebrated in United States as the greatest swimmer of all times, even before he repeated Mark Spitz's sensational coup of winning 7 gold medals in one Olympic games. At first, everyone, including Phelps himself, thought Milorad Cavic won. But the official results announced Phelps had won instead, and by the smallest possible margin, by one-hundredth of a second (50.58-50.59).

Convinced that Cavic had reached the finish line first, Serbia's Olympic committee and swimming team staff filed an official protest, despite Cavic's magnanimity and generosity, wishing to drop the whole thing and enjoy the Silver Olympic medal he was given. Serbian complaint was rejected, but a number of people out there are certain it was the Serb, not the American who won the 100m butterfly at Beijing Olympics.

The controversy -- likely to haunt this Olympic swimming championship for years, regardless of the American anger -- has been additionally fueled by the fact the international swimming federation (FINA) refused to release the official images of the finish of the race which they claim Phelps won.

Cavic's Spirit Outshines All Gold

Meanwhile, Serbian hero's Olympian spirit and graciousness haven't gone unnoticed.

“I am taking what I got and I’m happy,” said Cavic, who had retired once and come back. He added that if they raced again, “I would win it,” but they will not meet again, not this month in Beijing. Just as well for Cavic, his image is set for life", George Vecsey wrote, explaining:

"He was no sore loser, no Triple-A chump snarling his way out of the ballpark, like the American baseball players after their loss to South Korea, or their manager, Davey Johnson, who blamed Cuba after an apparent accident injured one of his players. Cavic was an Olympian."

Congratulations to all the Olympic medalists and especially to those with a spirit outshining all the gold in the world. Congratulations, Milorad!

Recommended: Cavic in Belgrade after the Eindhoven suspension (YouTube); Phelps vs. Cavic, Beijing Olympics 100 m butterfly controversial race finish (YouTube)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 07:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

Territorial Integrity of Georgia Impossible without Territorial Integrity of Serbia

"Preserving the territorial integrity of Georgia will not be possible without preserving the territorial integrity of Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija province", Russian Ambassador to NATO Dimitry Rogozin said in Brussels.

"It is unacceptable to recognize the unilateral independence of Kosovo province from Serbia and, at the same time, keep repeating the territorial integrity of Georgia must be respected when it comes to South Ossetia and Abkhazia", Rogozin said at the press conference.

"If we all respect the territorial integrity of Serbia in regards to its Kosovo province, then we are also going to honor the territorial integrity of Georgia. But if someone doesn't respect Serbia's territorial integrity and sovereignty over Kosovo and Metohija, then they better shut up about the territorial integrity of Georgia", Rogozin said.

He stressed that West won't be able to "pretend nothing happened in South Ossetia, as if there was no bombardment of the civilian population, massacre of minorities and murder of the Russian peacekeepers committed by Tbilisi".

On the other hand, "what NATO did in Yugoslavia -- slaughter of civilians, destruction of the bridges on Danube, razing the Belgrade television and the rest, takes away their right to criticize Russia for any present or future actions," Russian Ambassador said.

"Our critics behave like wolves, wanting to eat their sheep when hungry. But we are not a sheep, we are the Russian bear," Rogozin said.

Recommended: Two Morons: Bush and Saakashvili, "President Bush, Will You Please Shut Up?", by Paul Craig Roberts (CounterPunch.com); Krajina, Not Kosovo: Ossetia as botched Balkans replay, by Nebojsa Malic (AntiWar.com); Putin Walks into a Trap, by Mike Whitney (GlobalResearch.ca); Blowback From Bear-Baiting, by Patrick J. Buchanan (HumanEvents.com); In the guise of humanitarian aid Bush dispatches US military forces to Georgia, by Barry Grey (Uruknet.de)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)

Neocons Now Love International Law

By Robert Parry, former AP and Newsweek reporter and author, Middle East Online

How can some justify the United States attacking Grenada or Nicaragua or Panama or Iraq or Serbia yet condemn the Russian involvement in Georgia? While major US news outlets may be comfortable wearing blinders that let them see only wrongdoing by others, the rest of the world views the outrage from Bush and the neocons over Russia as a stunning double standard.

It’s touching how American neoconservatives who have no regard for international law when they want to invade some troublesome country have developed a sudden reverence for national sovereignty.

Apparently, context is everything. So, the United States attacking Grenada or Nicaragua or Panama or Iraq or Serbia is justified even if the reasons sometimes don’t hold water or don’t hold up before the United Nations, The Hague or other institutions of international law.

However, when Russia attacks Georgia in a border dispute over Georgia’s determination to throttle secession movements in two semi-autonomous regions, everyone must agree that Georgia’s sovereignty is sacrosanct and Russia must be condemned.

US newspapers, such as the New York Times, see nothing risible about publishing a statement from President George W. Bush declaring that “Georgia is a sovereign nation and its territorial integrity must be respected.”

No one points out that Bush should have zero standing enunciating such a principle. Iraq also was a sovereign nation, but Bush invaded it under false pretenses, demolished its army, overthrew its government and then conducted a lengthy military occupation resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths.

The invasion of Iraq also wasn’t a spur of the moment decision. In the months after the 9/11 attacks, Bush proclaimed an exceptional right of the United States to invade any country that might become a threat to American security or to US global dominance. [For details, see Consortiumnews.com’s “Bush’s Grim Vision” or see our book, Neck Deep]

When asked questions about international law, Bush would joke: “International law? I better call my lawyer.”

The neocons’ contempt for international law goes back even further – to the 1980s and the illegal contra war against Nicaragua and the invasion of Panama. Only in the last few days have the neocons discovered an appreciation for multilateral institutions and the principles of non-intervention.

Despite this history, leading US newspapers don’t see hypocrisy. Instead, they have thrown open their pages to prominent neocons and other advocates of US-led invasions so these thinkers now can denounce Russia while not mentioning any contradictions.

On Monday, the Washington Post’s neoconservative editorial writers published their own editorial excoriating Russia, along with two op-eds, one by neocon theorist Robert Kagan and another co-authored by Bill Clinton’s ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Holbrooke.

All three – the Post editorial board, Kagan and Holbrooke – were gung-ho for invading Iraq, but now find the idea of Russia attacking the sovereign nation of Georgia inexcusable, even if Georgia’s leaders in Tblisi may have provoked the conflict with an offensive against separatists in South Ossetia along the Russian border.

“Whatever mistakes Tblisi has made, they cannot justify Russia’s actions,” Holbrooke and his co-author Ronald D. Asmus wrote. “Moscow has invaded a neighbor, an illegal act of aggression that violates the U.N. Charter and fundamental principles of cooperation and security in Europe.”

And to top matters off, the authors accused Russia of breaking an even older international covenant: “Beginning a well-planned war … as the Olympics were opening violates the ancient tradition of a truce to conflict during the Games.”

The New York Times ran an op-ed by neocon columnist William Kristol, who also condemned Russia’s aggression without indicating any remorse for his own enthusiasm for US invasions of countries that Washington didn’t like.

Wearing Blinders

While major US news outlets may be comfortable wearing blinders that let them see only wrongdoing by others, the rest of the world views the outrage from Bush and the neocons over Russia as a stunning double standard.

This larger problem is that the Bush administration – along with its neocon allies and many establishment Democrats – have lost any credibility with the world community when it comes to invoking international law.

Bush has applied these legal principles a la carte for years (for instance, ignoring the Geneva Conventions when he chooses), and many longer-serving US officials have viewed events through the lens of American exceptionalism for decades.

For instance, even as the Reagan administration condemned terrorism in the 1980s, it secretly armed the Nicaraguan contras who engaged in acts of terrorism inside Nicaragua. In 1990, when President George H.W. Bush denounced Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, everyone conveniently forgot that he had invaded Panama in 1989.

It has been as if the rules moved on separate tracks, one set for the United States and one set for everyone else – and it was impolite to notice.

Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, however, it has become harder to ignore Washington’s double standards. Also, after the five-plus-year fiasco in Iraq, the Bush administration must confront both the limitations on its own imperial reach and the fact that it has done grave damage to the protocols of international behavior.

As Russia is now demonstrating in its conflict with Georgia, other big powers may want to play by the same do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do rules laid down by the United States.

It is a case of Washington, Bush and the neocons reaping what they have sown.

Recommended: Kosovo appoints former KLA member as Defense Minister, by Robert Spencer (JihadWatch.org); Kosovo spark, Ossetia fire, by Obrad Kesic (Middle East Times); Fox News Reporter Says Georgian Forces Firing on Journalists: "This is an irregular, undisciplined, chaotic, angry, humiliated Georgian force. They don't listen to orders. They fire on civilians, from what we have just seen," video footage, Fox News

Posted by BBlog Staff at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

Serbs Congratulate Russia

On Tuesday, at the 22nd protest against the arrest of first President of Republic of Srpska Dr Radovan Karadzic, after gathering at the main city square in Belgrade, protesters went in front of Russian Embassy to congratulate the representatives of Russian Federation on "successfully restoring peace and the victory of Russian peace-keeping forces in South Ossetia".

Carrying banners which read "Won't Give Ossetia Away", "End the Tyranny", "Radovan Karadzic" and singing Russian songs, they handed Serbian and Russian flags to the administrative service of the Russian Embassy.

According to the leader of the 1389 Movement Rade Ljubicic, the delegation of protesters was received by the head of the embassy's political department Yurii Pilipson, who thanked them on solidarity and support for the Russian people in South Ossetia.

The 22nd protest against the arrest of Dr. Karadzic was, like all the earlier ones, attended by President Karadzic's brother Luka and nephew Dragan Karadzic, as well as Serbian Radical Party functionary, General Bozidar Delic.

International Court of Justice to Decide on (IL)Legality of Western Seizure of Kosovo-Metohija Province

In other news, Serbia had confirmed it will officially request the U.N. General Assembly to ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for legal opinion on Pristina separatists' unilateral declaration of independence in Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija -- despite the staunch protests by the West and urgings to Serbia not to proceed with this request.

One wonders why are the EU and U.S. leaders nervous over the ICJ getting involved, if they are so sure of their "moral high ground" and so certain they had the right to sever part of Serbia's ancient territory and gift it to Albanians.

Recommended: Malaysia freezes Kosovo independence recognition process, Serbian Kosovo-Metohija Ministry; Brave Saakashvili runs and falls down at the very sound of a plane, video footage (Life.ru); Why Russia Invaded Georgia: Payback Time From the Orthodox World to the West, by Frank Schaeffer (Huffington Post)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 12:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Russia Will Not be Treated Like Serbia

By Dr. Michael Pravica

Re: "McCain calls for U.N. resolution against Russia," August 11.

I must caution Senator McCain (who is known for his legendary irrational tirades) as we ponder Russia's recent actions to save South Ossetia from total annihilation and genocide by Georgia lest we start WWIII.

Due to the eagerness of such people as Senator McCain to disregard international law in their fanatical and irrational actions against Serbia, Russia has seen the writing on the wall and is not playing by the "rules" anymore because Senator McCain and many other American "leaders" rewrote them: might makes right.

The West, via NATO, has set the very dangerous precedent, destroying international law, that by occupying territories such as Kosovo, "independence" can be illegally granted de facto.

Russia understands this new modus operandi and is vigorously preventing total ethnic cleansing and slaughter of the South Ossetians knowing full well what befell the Krajina Serbs in Croatia, now one of Europe's most ethnically and religiously "pure" states courtesy of the United States. It doesn't matter what the West says anymore, Russia will never accept to be treated as Serbia was.

The West has prodded Georgia to act against the Abkhazians and South Ossetians by training and equipping Georgian troops for this slaughter and giving Georgia's fanatical and tyrannical president Mikheil Saakashvili hope that NATO will intervene just as it viciously intervened on behalf of the terrorist Kosovo Liberation Army (which has generously contributed to Senator McCain's campaigns).

The key aspect of Western strategy is to deny Russia any ability to control energy flow from the Caspian sea region. For those who will inevitably criticize Russia's justified response to Georgia's unprovoked attack on South Ossetia they should first criticize NATO's vicious and barbaric attack that punished Serbia for seeking to recontrol areas of Kosovo imbued with Islamic terrorists.

Published by The Hill in shortened, edited version.

Recommended: Georgia war is a neocon election ploy, by Robert Scheer (SF Gate)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 04:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

NATO Aggressors Indicted

Few days ago the Ecological Movement from the Serbian town of Novi Sad had sent an official request to the state prosecutor of United States Ministry of Justice, to open investigation which would lead to bringing up charges against the persons most responsible for NATO's criminal aggression against Serbia and Montenegro (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) in 1999.

The indictment should be issued to then-U.S. President Bill Clinton, American State Secretary Madeleine Albright, NATO Commander Wesley Clark, NATO spokesman Jamie Shay, NATO Secretary General Javier Solana and the KLA commander, terrorist Hashim Thaci.

According to the President of the Novi Sad Ecological Movement Nikola Aleksic, the initiative is based on the often reiterated position of the leaders of the Western states, especially U.S. and NATO representatives, that "every crime must be punished". Aleksic said that prepared set of indictments is written upon the 1945 Nuremberg indictment of the German Nazi war criminals, which was put together in accordance with the United States laws.

Time for the Second Nuremberg

"We have changed only the names, dates and geographical locations on the original [Nuremberg] indictment, without adding or taking away a single letter from the remainder. In this way, we have shown that NATO pact leaders and the heads of aggressor-states behaved exactly like the Nazi criminals during the aggression against Serbia and Montenegro, except for the fact that they never faced responsibility for their crimes. While at it, the U.S. president had also violated the constitution of his own state without consequences, demonstrating that United States are not respecting even their own constitution, let alone the international law and, in fact, represent the biggest terrorist state in the world", the request to the U.S. State Prosecutor said.

The indictment charges all the accused for "participating in the supreme war crime as leaders, organizers, instigators and accomplices in formulating or implementing the plan or conspiracy to commit a crime against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity in cooperation with other persons and during the years ahead of March 24 1999, when the ruthless aggression against FR Yugoslavia began". The accused are charged "on the basis of individual responsibility for the crimes, as well as for the crimes committed by other persons in the scope of implementing the plan or conspiracy".

"The accused have planned, prepared, initiated and led an aggressive war against FR Yugoslavia, which at the same time was the war in contravention of the international treaties, conventions and agreements," the indictment says.

"War crimes were committed during implementation and carrying out of the plan or conspiracy, being that the plan intended and the accused decided and committed ruthless war against the state and the people of FR Yugoslavia, violating the rules of war, including -- as typical and systematic means for conducting the war -- murders, wanton destruction of towns and villages, and wholesale devastation outside the justified military needs. The accused have decided and committed the crimes against humanity in FR Yugoslavia, including murders and other inhumane treatment of the civilians, as well as persecution on the basis of political, ethnic and religious denomination," the indictment against NATO/fascist leaders says.

Karadzic Ups the Ante

Meanwhile, first President of Republic of Srpska Radovan Karadzic had requested from the Hague tribunal to subpoena former U.S. envoy for Balkans Richard Holbrooke, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former ICTY chief prosecutor Richard Goldstone, among others to, under oath, give their official statements to the tribunal about the agreement United States had him signed.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 07:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Croat "Storm", a Crime that Never Expires

President of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) Vojislav Kostunica said at 13th-year commemoration of the victims of Croat ethnic cleansing of Serbian Krajina in Croatia, codenamed "Operation Storm", that "such massive crime cannot fade or be forgotten even after many years".

"Serbian people, who have suffered most victims in the Balkans, are being branded the guilty party. But never in Europe was such a horrific column of the expelled seen, as the one which stretched from Knin [in Krajina] to Belgrade. We have seen both back then and today, that European bureaucracy is not pained by the Serbian victims. It is our duty not to forget even a single innocent Serbian victim, that the Serbs have been cleansed from Krajina and from Kosovo, and not to allow the truth to be obscured and twisted," Kostunica said.

Solzhenitsyn: NATO Aggression Against Serbia Destroyed Russian Faith in Western Democracy

Former Serbian premier had sent condolences to the family of the Nobel Prize winner, Russian literary giant and a famous dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn who passed away on August 3 2008, at the age of 89, as well as to the Russian leadership and Russian people. Kostunica noted that Solzhenitsyn "was the first to draw attention to the suffering of Serbs towards the end of WWII and was on the side of Serbian nation at the time almost no one was."

"His words of support during the most difficult times will never be forgotten, just like his assessment that Russia lost its faith in the Western democracy after NATO bombardment of Serbia", Kostunica said, ending his message with "eternal memory [vechnaya pamyat] and eternal gratitude to Solzhenitsyn".

In his final interview to Western press, given to the German Spiegel, world renown dissident elaborated on the Russian disillusionment with the largely declarative Western values. Asked about the reasons for relations between Russia and West getting colder, Solzhenitsyn said:

"I can name many reasons, but the most interesting ones are psychological, i.e. the clash of illusory hopes against reality. This happened both in Russia and in West. When I returned to Russia in 1994, the Western world and its states were practically being worshiped. Admittedly, this was caused not so much by real knowledge or a conscious choice, but by the natural disgust with the Bolshevik regime and its anti-Western propaganda.

"This mood started changing with the cruel NATO bombings of Serbia. It’s fair to say that all layers of Russian society were deeply and indelibly shocked by those bombings. The situation then became worse when NATO started to spread its influence and draw the ex-Soviet republics into its structure. This was especially painful in the case of Ukraine, a country whose closeness to Russia is defined by literally millions of family ties among our peoples, relatives living on different sides of the national border. At one fell stroke, these families could be torn apart by a new dividing line, the border of a military bloc.

"So, the perception of the West as mostly a "knight of democracy" has been replaced with the disappointed belief that pragmatism, often cynical and selfish, lies at the core of Western policies. For many Russians it was a grave disillusion, a crushing of ideals.

"At the same time the West was enjoying its victory after the exhausting Cold War, and observing the 15-year-long anarchy under Gorbachev and Yeltsin. In this context it was easy to get accustomed to the idea that Russia had become almost a Third World country and would remain so forever. When Russia started to regain some of its strength as an economy and as a state, the West’s reaction -- perhaps a subconscious one, based on erstwhile fears -- was panic."

Recommended: Alexander Solzhenitsyn's famous Harvard Address, Columbia University; Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Vechnaya Pamyat, by Daniel Larison (American Conservative Magazine); Russians pay tribute to writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn, by Paul Sonne (Associated Press)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 03:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Fiercest Serb Hater, Dutch Judge Orie, Assigned to Try President Karadzic

Hague tribunal's decision to assign no other but the biggest Serb hater, Dutch judge Alphons Orie, to preside over the trial against former Republic of Srpska President Radovan Karadzic is the latest evidence of the kangaroo court's pathological Serbophobia. Judge Orie has gained notoriety as a man who had released Kosovo Albanian butcher Ramush Haradinaj, while issuing maximal convictions to all Serb indictees who had a misfortune to stand before him.

Belgrade Pravda cites lawyer Toma Fila, who said this is a major problem, because Holland has been engaged in a row with Serbia and Republic of Srpska.

"Problem with Alphons Orie is that he is Dutch, and Holland is openly hostile to Serbia and Republic of Srpska because it is directly responsible for Srebrenica events", Fila said, adding that "Dutch government fell because of their battalion stationed in Srebrenica" during the civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

"At the time, they had a duty to ensure Srebrenica gets disarmed as a [UN] protected zone. Instead, they have allowed Naser Oric and his gangs to wreak havoc in the region", Fila said.

Asked whether this means Radovan Karadzic has been already convicted, he said:

"That doesn't have to be necessarily so, but it would be much better if it wasn't a Dutch that is trying him. Afterwards, when Republic of Srpska Army entered Srebrenica, Dutch battalion surrendered and behaved in a humiliating way. That is why Holland demands that Serbia is not allowed to join the EU until General Ratko Mladic is also arrested, to wash off their dirty conscience," Fila explained.

Professor of Law Kosta Cavoski confirms nothing is a mere coincidence in the Hague, and assigning judge Alphons Orie to run the trial against Dr. Karadzic is yet another proof of the sham court's blatant bias.

"Karadzic has been assigned a judge who acquitted Ramush Haradinaj. Nothing is a coincidence in that court," Cavoski said.

Asked which aggravating circumstances can be expected to follow this appointment, Cavoski said that Orie will most probably "use all means to obstruct defense, including denying Karadzic's right to self-defense".

"In that court, all the verdicts are brought in advance, and that is especially true for Dr. Radovan Karadzic. The activities of this court are quite obvious in the very fact everyone talks about one's verdict, up in advance," Cavoski said.

Orie's Infamous Record: Acquitting Non-Serbs while Most Severely Punishing All Serbs

Zoran Krasic, Dr. Vojislav Seselj's legal adviser, is also convinced Alphons Orie was purposely assigned to try Dr. Karadzic, as a judge who issues the maximum convictions to all the Serbs and is "a well-known Serb hater".

"That is far from coincidence, since the assigned judge is well known as the fiercest Serb hater who issued the maximal punishments to the Serbs, while letting all the non-Serbs go off scot free. He should have not been allowed to be the judge in the process against Radovan Karadzic. In 2000 he took over the Vojislav Seselj case from Agius and imposed a legal representative to him. Orie forced Seselj to resort to hunger strike. In 2006 he was literally expelled from that case. I believe that this man is incapable of enabling a just trial when it comes to Serbs, although he is quite gallant when it comes to non-Serbs. This has been done on purpose, in order to hurt dignity of Serbian nation even more, and at the same time to support those 'women in black' who haven't been climbing down from B92 -- Stojadinovic, Kandic, Dimitrijevic...", Zoran Krasic said.

Patriotic Pilot

In a separate news, a source from Serbian government is cited revealing that transfer of Dr. Karadzic from Belgrade, first to Rotterdam and then to Hague, which was planned for Tuesday evening (around 10 p.m., in the midst of massive Belgrade rally), has been unexpectedly delayed to around 3:45 a.m. Wednesday, because pilot of the Serbian Government's air fleet assigned the task to fly Dr. Karadzic to be delivered to the Hague, has refused to fly the plane and assist in delivering Radovan Karadzic to NATO's kangaroo court.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 12:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Lying with Impunity: CNN Can't Resist Fabricating Informations

Under the title "CNN Opens a Subway in Belgrade" Serbian RTS reported that the most viewed American news television yesterday broadcast the footage of July 30 unrests which interrupted the Belgrade rally, generously stuffing it with chunks from much more violent demonstrations which took place a year ago in Budapest, Hungary.

Serbian TV commented that the impressive amount of attention Atlanta-based broadcast giant has paid to Belgrade unrest was hampered by the fact the editors didn't have enough of sufficiently explosive visual material which would justify CNN's enormous interest in Serbian demonstrations, so they once again resorted to their favorite Hollywood trick Serbs were thoroughly familiarized with since the CNN "coverage" of the 1990s civil wars in former Yugoslavia, montaging and pasting together the sequences from Budapest and Belgrade protests, and showed them as the latest Belgrade demonstrations, under the typical creepy title -- "Serb ultranationalists rally".

That is how Belgrade had been awarded the Budapest subway -- actually, just the entrance to its Andrash station when it was set on fire by the Hungarian protesters, while Serbian police was given water cannons of their Hungarian colleagues.

The CNN web page where the video clip was made available to internet viewers has in the meantime been removed. The fabricated CNN footage of Belgrade protests, along with Budapest inferno, Hungarian flags, Hungarian policemen, anti-riot water cannons and Hungarian demonstrators, is still available on YouTube, but probably not for long. A supreme trickster can't really be expected to allow a serious insight into his craft, constantly polished and perfected over the years, and repeatedly employed to brainwash the public and destroy every enemy-of-the-day, one after another.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 12:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Serbophobia as a Policy

July 30, 2008 Statement of the Serbian Association of Writers, signed by its President of the Board for Defense of Freedom and Rights, Predrag R. Dralic Kijuk

Even though the Hague tribunal issued exonerating verdicts to Naser Oric and Ramush Haradinaj, rewarding them for the crimes against the Serbs, Belgrade government has continued the humiliating cooperation with this ad hoc American court and deported Radovan Karadzic to Hague on July 30, at 3:45 a.m.

Serbian Government, a Defender of American National Interests Outside the U.S.

Democratic Gestapo kidnapped Radovan Karadzic on Friday, July 18 2008, and officially handed him over to the Council for National Security of the Republic of Serbia on July 21. On the occasion of the assault, a laptop with 50 discs with documents upon which Karadzic bases defense he has been preparing for years, was confiscated. However, the Special Court has done nothing to have the confiscated things returned to Radovan Karadzic, to allow fulfilling of his right to defense.

Against Karadzic, the first president of Republic of Srpska (and Ratko Mladic, the war-time Commander in Chief of the Republic of Srpska Army), tribunal has issued indictment for an allegedly committed "genocide", on July 25 1995, ever since he was in hiding. Up to his deportation to Hague, Karadzic was placed in the custodial unit of the Special Court in Belgrade, a court which stubbornly marginalizes the right to justice to Serbian victims.

By arresting Radovan Karadzic, Serbian government has not only demonstrated its unconditional and constant cooperativeness (in accordance with the Law on Cooperation with ICTY and in discord with all the other laws), but also its zeal in fulfilling American national interests outside of the US. Karadzic was not only sought by the tribunal but, in line with NATO-Pentagon conquistas, he has been convicted in absentia in Untied States and ordered to pay 4,5 billion dollars "to the Bosnia-Herzegovina victims of war"! That is one more reason for the former U.S. president's special envoy for Balkans Richard Holbrook to be the first to rear his head regarding the arrest, hailing Serbian government's "success" [...]

Hollywood Indictment as a Cover-Up for American War Crimes

White House has stated that Karadzic arrest had demonstrated Serbia is "honoring its promises", while charging the former RS president of failing to prevent "rapes of thousands of Muslim women in detainment camps and the setting up of concentration camps in Bosnia" (?!). How convincing this Hollywood indictment really is, is best proven by Alija Izetbegovic in person, in his confession to Bernard Kouchner, when he admitted that the story about the rape and concentration camps was a marketing trick, to win over the international public (B. Kouchner, Les guerriers de la paix).

Clearly, the American nationalist and populist politics exploits every opportunity to cover up the portions of its own infamous WW2 history. American soldiers in Europe have committed 17,080 rapes by the end of 1945, with the youngest of their victims being only three years old (Robert Lilly "Taken by Force: Rape and American Soldiers in the European Theater of Operations during in the World War II – England, France, Germany 1942-1945). Their experience in setting up the concentration camps Americans have demonstrated in 1942, when they interned 120,000 of their own citizens of Japanese origin. Survivors have received an apology from the US Congress only in 1988, while President Bush had sent them a paycheck in the amount of $20,000 in 1992.

Serbs Owe You Nothing

It is obvious that only those who suffer from political dilettantism and moral sloth can keep on fulfilling the demands by the American -- anti-humanist, racist and anti-Christian -- political administration. Culprits of the programmed destruction of Yugoslavia, of the war in Bosnia "which was American war in every sense" (Sir Alfred Sherman), of the third genocide against the Serbs in 20th century, of satanization, aggression and bombardment of Serbs by the prohibited uranium projectiles in 1995 and 1999, and the perpetrators of retroactive imposition of the Hitler 1938 pact, amputating Kosovo and Metohija to Serbs in 2008 -- United States have in no way indebted the Serbian government to defend American national interests.

Board for Defense of Freedom and Rights will, in the name of civilizational principles, continue to spread the truth about the world's only court against justice, the American tribunal in Hague, as it will also ascribe all of the decisions coming from the perverted activities of this judicial abomination (45 Serbs have thus far been convicted to 718 years of imprisonment) to the criminal responsibility of the European Union and United States of America.

Recommended: Karadzic and the Anti-Serbs, by Ron Fraser: "A pervasive anti-Serb bias guarantees that the trial of Radovan Karadzic will be at least as unjust as was the sham trial of Slobodan Milosevic" (TheTrumpet.com)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 06:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Kostunica: US, EU and Tycoons are Serbia's Supra-Party

In the midst of continuing daily protests against the shameful arrest and ahead of Tuesday's big rally of support for Dr. Radovan Karadzic, organized by the Serbian Radical Party, Serbian Patriotic Movements "Obraz" and "1389", and supported by the Serbian opposition (Vojislav Kostunica's DSS and Velimir Ilic's NS), Glas Javnosti talked to former Serbian premier about the arrest of Bosnian Serb republic's first president and the treacherous new government. The following are translated excerpts.

Q: Regarding Karadzic's arrest, Ollie Rehn had said out loud what most in Brussels and Washington think: Here are the results, as soon as the Serbs get pushed. Being that the Republic of Srpska [RS] president was arrested only a day after the Cvetkovic government was formed, and being that there are indications foreign secret services have located Karadzic a month or two earlier, during the mandate of your government, can this mean You and Your government knew Karadzic was in Belgrade, but were "uncooperative"?

VK: I believe we should seriously consider the significance of the most influential Western states telling us Serbia does what's required under pressure. At the same time, the Hague court has determined that the war criminals Ramush Haradinaj and Naser Oric are innocent, which in fact means that killing of Serbs is nonpunishable. After the exonerating verdict to Haradinaj, I proposed that Serbian government opens the question of the further legitimacy of the Hague tribunal. We had more than enough arguments as a state to say: we respect the international law, but we now have to determine whether the release of Haradinaj and Oric belongs to the category of respect for law and the basic justice, or if this represents the new crime against the innocent victims.

Serbia cannot be required to send Serbs to the Hague at the moment the Hague is declaring innocence of those who have indisputably committed war crimes against the Serbs. Obviously, there can't be talks about respect for the international law here, this is the blunt diktat. Simply put, the state of Serbia must also have its own rights when it comes to fulfilling the international obligations towards the Hague tribunal.

Serbia's New Government, an Impotent, Cowardly Western Puppet

Q: Was there a deeper meaning to your warning that Karadzic's arrest represents "a major success and progress at the time the EU and US are exerting the strong pressure on Serbia to recognize Kosovo independence"?

VK: Serbia had missed a big opportunity to open a serious dialog with the EU after February 17 and the unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence under the US and EU sponsorship, followed by the recognition of this creation by the most important Western states. This includes the issue of cooperation with the Hague tribunal, on which our future depends. Due to that unpreparedness to openly discuss the grave problems in the Serbia-EU relations, I have decided to stage elections.This is without even mentioning the fact that the former partners in the government have rejected our initiative to bring charges before the International Court of Justice against the states which have recognized independent Kosovo. All this points to the conclusion that Serbia today does not have an independent politics, but is only attempting to fulfill the never-ending demands coming from Brussels and Washington. And then the Western praises can be heard, garnished with cynical comments that Serbia understands only pressure.

Q: Because of release of Oric and Haradinaj, You have requested that Serbia initiates a discussion about whether the Hague has any judicial legitimacy left. Keeping in mind the self-satisfaction of the rulers in Belgrade, will Serbia ever ask for such thing? Or will it sooner happen that process against Karadzic gets turned into the trial against Republic of Srpska?

VK: Current government has no courage to invoke the question of the Hague tribunal legitimacy. It has no strength to make even the much smaller steps which would in the least irritate the interests of the world power centers. There are possibly many parties interested in trying to turn the process against Karadzic into a trial against Republic of Srpska. I hope they will not succeed and that the Hague tribunal, apart from having specialized in politicizing the trials, doesn't have a single legal basis for the trial against Republic of Srpska.

The Bills will Keep Coming...

Q: Possibly the key role in the past elections was played by the three informal, unregistered "supra-parties" -- United States, EU and domestic tycoons -- much more powerful and with bigger funds than all the political parties which formally took part in the elections. In what way has their participation deformed the political-electoral playing field and the political will of at least part of the voters? To which extent has this predetermined the winners and losers?

VK: There is no doubt that United States, EU and tycoons have most directly interfered in the last elections and that these three supra-parties acted as a coalition. Judging by the composition of the government, it is not difficult to realize this coalition of supra-parties has been helping wholeheartedly in the creation of the ruling coalition. Of course, no one has any illusions that US, EU and tycoons have been supporting the creation of exactly this kind of ruling coalition out of the humanitarian concerns -- they will keep issuing their bills for as long as this government exists. It is not easy to surmise all the consequences of such direct meddling of foreigners and tycoons in these elections.

Dacic's SPS Greedy, Corrupt and Unreliable Partner

Q: Ivica Dacic acts as if he was getting much less power and ministries from the DSS and SRS, than from the coalition around Boris Tadic. What were You offering him and was that indeed less? There is an impression that Tadic would have offered even a premiership to Dacic, if he didn't have the LDP, PUPS, Muslim and JS MPs in reserve, only in order to form the government at any cost. Since this was obvious at the time Dacic feigned the negotiations with You and Nikolic, why didn't You respond by mirroring the "government at any cost" drive?

VK: I took part in forming few of the federal and republic governments after the October 5 [2000] and it never happened that the government negotiations are not finalized because someone wasn't pleased with the number of positions. There was a simple rule: if the political parties have sat at the table to negotiate about forming the government, then the political decision was made beforehand, to form the government with the parties with which they have entered negotiations. It has never happened that someone left the table to form the government with the new partner. Because, the key to forming the government is not the number of positions, but the political decision to form the government with particular party.

So, this is the first time we have seen, after these elections, how one political group can at the same time form the government with everyone. Since that is how things are, it is really better we did not form the national government, because the national government is only formed with the reliable partners.

Q: Some are convinced that Dacic sealed the deal with Tadic way back, at the time he was negotiating the "five principles of the nationally responsible government" with You and Nikolic. Do You have some information about this?

VK: I can confirm that we and SRS responsibly approached the attempts to form the national government which would best serve Serbia's interests. Everything that went on with the others is less important today, being that they have joined a different kind of coalition.

Cvetkovic-Dacek Government's Only Quality is Obedience

Q: Your party is continually warning that Cvetkovic government will diminish Serbia's chances to preserve Kosovo and Metohija. Why? Are You worried about the fate of Vojvodina and Raska region?

VK: The first characteristic of the new government is its obedience to the foreign powers and, at the same time, the arrogance with hints of repression on domestic political scene. Such politics will deepen the internal crisis, while failing to secure any significant gains for Serbia on the foreign affairs' plane. What we are hearing from the Western states today, the way they are addressing the new government, along the lines: you are good, but give us more and more -- that will be the rhyme which will follow this government all along -- the government that has no independent policy of its own. Time ahead of us will show Serbia needs a lot of political wisdom and the firm political will to preserve its territorial integrity and the independence in reaching strategic decisions regarding development of the country. And the current government has none of the above.

Recommended: Who’s dressing up Karadzic?, by Mick Hume: "The former Bosnian Serb war leader has been painted as a Hitlerian monster to try to boost the moral authority of the West [...] When a participant in a war is singled out to be accused of war crimes, it is generally a safe bet that it will be one of Them rather than Us – the barbarians of the developing world rather than the gentlemen of the West. When Arkan, the most notorious Serb militia leader, was wanted by the international war crimes tribunal, he said he would appear there after the American government: ‘First let them call in to the Hague Tribunal those who destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, those who killed civilians in those two towns, who attacked Panama and Grenada – and after them, me.’ It was hard to dispute that he had a point." (SpikedOnline); The post-Karadzic world, by Ian Bancroft: "Lord Ashdown's scaremongering about Bosnia and Herzegovina's future misses the real reasons for the state's fragility" (Guardian.co.uk)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 06:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)

Dr. Karadzic Gets Fully Armed and Prepared to Face the Legion

After the strict eight-day fast, Dr. Radovan Karadzic has asked for the Metropolitan of the Serbian Orthodox Church Amfilohije to hear his confession and give him the Holy Communion in the custodial unit in the Special Court building. His request was honored on Saturday, on the Feast of Holy Mother of God Troyeruchica, when Dr. Karadzic received the Holy Eucharist by the hand of His Grace Amfilohije, assisted by Deacon Stevan Rapajic.

As reported on the web site of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Radovan Karadzic has been practicing the Prayer of the Heart (Jesus Prayer) for the past thirty years -- a traditional Hesychastic practice on which he had "based both his private life and his medical profession".

According to the brief news by the Serbian Orthodox Church, Dr. Karadzic "radiates optimism and the unwavering faith in God's and human justice".

Posted by BBlog Staff at 05:07 PM | Permalink

Boris Tadic Ousted from the Piva Family as a Disgraceful Traitor

Members of the Piva family clan in Montenegro from which Serbian President Boris Tadic descends, have decided to oust Tadic from their family, after he had dishonored them with the shameful act of treachery.

"The utter shame Boris Tadic had brought upon us with the arrest of Radovan Karadzic, our Drobnjak neighbor from Penjica [Dr. Karadzic's family roots are also in Montenegro], cannot be justified in any way. We can't forgive such disgrace," said members of the Piva family clan, who had signed the initiative for ousting the current Serbian president from their family.

Georgy Tadic, Boris Tadic's cousin, is also among the signatories, along with the members of the family clans of Kecojevic, Dubljevic and Vasovic.

"This is the first time in history one of Piva decedents had sold a Serb from Drobnjak. As much as five million dollars may seem like a large sum of money, we were able to resist countless challenges through the history when it comes to honor, tradition, face and dignity of our families. Unfortunately, Boris Tadic had fallen in this one simple matter -- something he shouldn't have allowed to himself first and foremost. We shall protect the honor of our families' community in this way," Pivljani said.

They added Tadic's behavior was suspicious for quite a while and they kept quiet in regards to his habit to circumvent Piva every time he visits Montengro, while always meeting "those who have dispossessed us and pushed us to the margin, by turning his Serbian nation in Montenegro into second class citizens."

"After the treachery and the announced handover [transfer of Dr. Karadzic to the Hague], Boris Tadic's behavior had become completely clear. He can no longer be the member of our families' community," Piva family members said.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Uncle Sam and John Bull Love to Stoke Fires (Away from Home)

The ongoing spitting contest, led by the UK and US mainstream media and the Western political apparatchiks, competing who is going to spew more vitriol and throw more napalm over the still-smoldering ruins, while issuing the most damning verdicts to yet-to-be-tried President of Republic of Srpska Dr. Radovan Karadzic, is yielding quick results: old hatreds are fully resurrected and Bosnia-Herzegovina is rapidly sliding back to the 1990s, when Western mainstream talking heads' chorus played exactly the same vile role, inflaming, exasperating and prolonging the carnage in the Balkans.

Bosnian Muslim leaders have once again eagerly jumped on the Western tsunami of malice, to announce that "this is only the beginning" (another one), and to demand the abolition of the Serb republic in Bosnia-Herzegovina, being that Uncle Sam and John Bull keep assuring them Bosnian Serbs deserve to be exterminated -- a threat most certain to push the region closer to another round of bloodshed.

Sarajevo's Victim-Based Politics

Republic of Srpska Premier Milorad Dodik is well aware of the flammable muck poured around him. In the interview given to Belgrade daily Politika, he noted the worrisome escalation of the war rhetorics, bullying and overt attacks against the Serb republic after the arrest of Republic of Srpska first president.

"The main pillar on which the Bosnian Muslim policy rests is to create an impression in the world that Bosnian Muslims were the only victims of Bosnia-Herzegovina war. And once you get the halo of a victim, you then have the right to everything: you have the right to revenge, to make mistakes, the right to hate, to demand whatever pops into your head... While it is non-disputable that many Bosnian Muslims lost their lives in the war, there were also victims among the Croats, and a great number of Serbs were also killed. So, it is impossible to make a victim out of one nation alone, because that is simply not true. The Serbs and Croats [in Bosnia] were not killed by the humanitarian organizations, but by the exponents of the Bosnian Muslim ideology who are even today figuring prominently on the Sarajevo political scene. This ideology is advocating that everything that even reminds of Republic of Srpska must immediately be condemned to extinction," Dodik said.

He added that the "fate of Republic of Srpska will not be decided by Haris Silajdzic, Sulejman Tihic, Zlatko Lagumdzija and the likes, who are allegedly seeking 'justice', while in fact all they want is a showdown with Republic of Srpska".

"Sarajevo is simply boiling out of desire for revenge," Bosnian Serb premier warned.

Bosnian Muslim Leaders Want to Turn Karadzic Trial into a Trial of Republic of Srpska

Q: Theories that the arrest of Karadzic and Mladic will lead to calming down tensions and reconciliation in Bosnia-Herzegovina have been proven wrong. Why have the events moved in a direction opposite of the expected?

MD: I have already partly responded to that question. Still, I'll remind that Sarajevo political circle is using every opportunity and every instance to exploit the past events for the final showdown with Republic of Srpska and the Serbian nation. That is why Karadzic's arrest also resulted in heightening the political tensions. Even though he is not convicted, Karadzic has already been declared by the Bosnian Muslim politicians and their media a "Bosnian Osama bin Laden" [?!], "Durmitor butcher"... What if he gets released? Someone will say that is impossible. Why would it be impossible when Ramush Haradinaj and Naser Oric were released? It is well known that Karadzic accepted the Lisbon Peace Agreement [in February 1992, before the Bosnian civil war had started] and that he requested from us, the MPs, to support that agreement. [Bosnian Muslim war leader] Alija Izetbegovic accepted it too at first and then rejected it. According to the Agreement architect, José Cutileiro, that is what definitely pushed Bosnia-Herzegovina into the war.

Q: Why are the Bosnian Muslim politicians, first and foremost, trying to turn the trial against Karadzic into a process of abolishing Republic of Srpska?

MD: Because Dayton Bosnia-Herzegovina is not the accomplishment of their war aims. And because Bosnia, since Dayton until today, has not found its inner functioning mechanism. So, the fact Bosnia-Herzegovina functions at all is exclusively the result of the engagement of the Western powers which, at times, was extremely rigid, domineering and marked by the threats and punishments of a score of Serbian politicians. All that was done to preserve Bosnia-Herzegovina and to have it form even the most basic logistic framework for functioning. Yet, such politics failed to produce a favourable result. Bosnia-Herzegovina today is still a divided society, not only in the sense of the legal and territorial entities, but mentality-wise: in the way of life, the perception of truth, visions of the future... As it is, this is not the Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnian Muslims want. And that is why they wish to turn the Karadzic trial into a trial of Republic of Srpska.

John Laughland: Idiot's Guide to Bosnia-Herzegovina War

The Plight of the Bosnian Serbs, by John Laughland (Brussels Journal)

The arrest of Radovan Karadzic in Serbia on Tuesday has provided yet another occasion for all the tired old propaganda about the Balkans wars to be taken out of the cupboard and given one last airing. In particular, the war is presented as one between a Serb aggressor and an innocent victim, the Bosnian Muslims, and the former is accused of practising genocide against the latter. Even if one accepts that crimes against humanity were committed during the Balkan wars, it should be obvious that both these claims are absurd.

...As Lincoln was an Aggressor in American Civil War

First, the Serbs were no more the aggressors in the Bosnian civil war than Abraham Lincoln was an aggressor in the American Civil War. The Yugoslav army was in place all over Bosnia-Herzegovina because that republic was part of Yugoslavia. Bosnian Muslims (like Croats) left the army in droves and set up their own militia instead, as part of their drive for independence from Belgrade. This meant that the Yugoslav army lost its previous strongly multiethnic character and became largely Serb. It did not mean that Serb forces entered the territory of Bosnia, or even that the Serbs attacked the hapless Bosnian Muslims.

The accusation of aggression is intended to introduce by the back door an allegation which in fact has vanished from modern international criminal justice. Although the crime of waging an aggressive war was pronounced to be the supreme international crime at Nuremberg, it has been dropped from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia which will presumably try Karadzic once he is extradited to The Hague, and even the new International Criminal Court (also in The Hague) does not for the time being have jurisdiction over it.

The accusation has the effect of condemning the Bosnian Serb war effort at its very origins (in terms of ius ad bellum) independently of any condemnation for the way the war was fought (ius in bello). In fact, the Bosnian Serb war effort was no more or less legitimate than the Bosnian Muslim war effort. The Muslims wanted to secede from Yugoslavia (and were egged on to do this by the Americans and the Europeans) while the Bosnian Serbs wanted to stay in Yugoslavia. It was as simple as that.

Few Simple Facts

In my view, it is not possible to adjudicate such matters using the criminal law since, as political questions, they transcend it. But the fact that the Muslims blatantly cheated by holding the vote on an independence referendum at 3 a.m. after the Bosnian Serb deputies in the Bosnian parliament had all been told to go home, and the fact that the Bosnian Muslim president, Alija Izetbegovic, remained in office throughout 1992 long after his term had expired and long after he should have handed over to a Serb, meant that the Bosnian Serbs had excellent grounds for believing that the Bosnian Muslim secession was quite simply a coup d’état.

In any case, once the Muslims had seized power in Sarajevo, the Bosnian Serbs sought not to conquer the whole republic but instead simply to fight for the secession of their territories from Muslim control. Of course atrocities were committed against civilians during this period, especially ethnic cleansing. But the same phenomenon is observed, I believe, and by definition, in every single war in which a new state is created, whether it is the creation of Pakistan in 1947 or the creation in 1974 of what later became the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. If the Muslims had the right unilaterally to secede from Yugoslavia, why should the Bosnian Serbs not have had the right unilaterally to secede from the new state of Bosnia-Herzegovina which had never before existed and a state, and to which the Bosnian Serbs had no loyalty whatever?

Redefining Genocide to Suit Muslim/Western Political Agenda

Second, the Bosnian Serbs are accused (and two have been convicted) of committing genocide against the Bosnian Muslims in the massacre perpetrated at Srebrenica. Let us leave aside for a moment the Serb claims that the numbers of people killed in that summer of 1995 has been artificially inflated for propaganda purposes; let us also leave aside the undoubted fact that the Bosnian Muslims were using the UN safe haven of Srebrenica as a safe haven from which to conduct constant attacks against the Serb villages surrounding the town, during which many atrocities were committed against Serb civilians. (The commander of the Muslim forces, Nasir Oric, was released by the ICTY in February.)

What is clear is that the Srebrenica massacre cannot possibly be described as genocide. Even the most ardent pro-Muslim propagandists agree that the victims of the massacre there were all men. The Bosnian Serbs claim that they were combatants (although that is certainly not an excuse for killing them) but the point is that an army bent on genocide would precisely not have singled out men for execution but would have killed women too. The Srebrenica massacre may well have been a crime against humanity but it is impossible to see how it can be categorised as genocide.

The Ulterior Motives and the Ultimate Outcome

Unfortunately, there is a very clear political reason why it has been so categorised. The Muslim president of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Haris Silaijdzic, said carefully on CNN the day Karadzic was captured that Karadzic’s trial was only the beginning of the process by which justice would be done in Bosnia. He said that there were hundreds of thousands of Muslims who had been ethnically cleansed by “Karadzic and Milosevic” and that their project therefore remained in force. The clear implication of what he was saying was this: if the very existence of the Bosnian Serb republic (the autonomous region within Bosnia carved out from the republic during the civil war) is found, in a court of law, to have been had as its president a man, Karadzic, who is convicted of genocide in the process of creating it, then its status would be illegitimate and it should be abolished. The Muslims continue to claim control over the whole of the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina, while the Serbs merely want the preservation of their considerable autonomy within it.

In other words, far from bringing peace to the Balkans, it is quite possible that a conviction of Karadzic for genocide will reopen the Dayton settlement and egg the Muslims on to claim control over the Serb republic too. Under such circumstances, it is inevitable that the Bosnian Serbs would try to proclaim formal secession from Bosnia, just as the Kosovo Albanians did from Serbia.

Recommended: Save Serbia -- Kill Yourself, Tadic Boris!, Belgrade football match (YouTube); May the DOS c..ts know: if the General goes, the Undertakers [Partizan Club fans] will each get the gun and kill you all one by one ("Neka znaju picke dosovske, djenerala ako uhapse, grobari ce svi puske uzeti, sve cemo vas redom pobiti!"), Belgrade football match (YouTube); And a Special Message for the Hague "judges", YouTube

Posted by BBlog Staff at 02:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Like an Athonite Monk

Belgrade daily Vecernje novosti reports that Radovan Karadzic, a faithful Orthodox Christian, is fasting for the sixth day, emphasizing this is no "hunger strike" and that Dr. Karadzic's physical and mental health are impeccable.

According to the daily, even though he can get almost anything he requests while in custody, Karadzic had asked only for the Bible, books and icons. His brother Luka brought these from the New Belgrade apartment, where Karadzic lived before being kidnapped. Now, the icons of Christ Pantocrator, St. Archangel Michael and St. Sava are gracing the custody cell wall of Belgrade Special Court. Karadzic's icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was the only one that was not allowed in, because of its glass encasement.

Dr. Karadzic's brother also brought the latest photos of his family members and grandchildren. This was the first time Radovan Karadzic had seen the faces of three of his grandchildren -- the photo of the eldest, fourth, stood on a bookshelf of Karadzic's Belgrade apartment. He also had three suits in his closet, and Luka Karadzic had brought those too. Karadzic will probably wear one of them on his way to the Hague.

According to the reports, Dr. Karadzic is spending time in custody like an Athonite monk, reading the Bible and St. Bishop Nikolaj of Zicha. He asks for nothing. He drinks only plain water and eats bread alone. He has refused all offers to have anything brought to him from the outside world, saying he doesn't need anything. According to his brother and those Dr. Karadzic was in contact with during the past 13 years, this is the kind of life he had been leading and is accustomed to.

Serious Breach of Law, Seeking War Crimes Prosecutor's Resignation

Svetozar Vujacic, Karadzic's lawyer, said his 63-year-old client is in exceptional mental and physical health.

"The past 13 years have left no trace on Radovan. Behind the shaved beard and the long hair tied back, the same face of the former President of Republic of Srpska resurfaced. He looks exactly the same, only a bit thinner. He asked me to appeal to the authorities to end the harassment of his wife and children, his family and friends," Vujacic said.

He resolutely denied the sensation-hungry media gossip that Karadzic was hiding his identity after the arrest and allegations that he admitted who he was only after the "DNA analysis".

"To the very first question of the investigative judge, at 1a.m. on Tuesday, whether he was Radovan Karadzic, he responded positively", Vujacic said, explaining that Karadzic "lived under the alias Dragan Dabic during the past five years, he was practicing alternative medicine and worked part time as an adviser to the private medical clinics. He supported himself in this way and was paying his rent. The stories about Dr. Karadzic having private security are all false".

Karadzic's lawyer once again stressed that former president of Republic of Srpska was arrested on Friday -- and not late Monday evening as the officials claim. He said that five eyewitnesses who were on the same bus No. 73 when Dr. Karadzic was apprehended came forward and are willing to testify. The identity of three bus passengers who witnessed the arrest on Friday evening is known to the lawyer, while the other two witnesses wished to remain anonymous, out of fear for their safety.

Vujacic charges that Karadzic was kidnapped and kept illegally in custody for three days, without the knowledge and approval of the investigative judge. Due to this fact, Karadzic had requested that his lawyer brings charges against the unknown men who kidnapped him on July 18 and kept him illegally detained. Vujacic added that "someone will have to explain why they lied to both the international and Serbian public about the date Karadzic was arrested", assessing that the war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic ought to submit his resignation over such a serious breach of law.

Karadzic will Defend Himself

According to his lawyer, Dr. Karadzic knows the content of the Hague indictment, charging him with genocide and war crimes, which was officially served to him on July 22.

"Those three indictments pertain to the most grievous crimes one can think of, as if he murdered half of the world population," Vujacic said, adding that Dr. Karadzic has been following the mock-trials in the Hague to late Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and the leader of Serbian Radical Party, Dr. Vojislav Seselj.

Yesterday, Karadzic was also visited by his brothers Luka and Ivan, by his sister and two of her children. Visibly shaken, Ivan didn't want to give statements to the press, saying he and Radovan talked about the family and the events that took place during the past 13 years.

"Radovan is well, thank God", said Luka Karadzic, "He is healthy and calm. Other than that, I have nothing more to tell you. Nothing new has happened since the day before".

Vecernje Novosti reporter writes that Luka "did not want to go into details over his conversation with Radovan, saying he has a lot of family obligations to take care of". He confirmed Dr Karadzic has decided to defend himself before the Hague tribunal and said that Radovan hasn't discussed details of his defense with anyone.

Radovan Karadzic is Perfectly Healthy, Calm and Composed

Glas Javnosti reports that the investigative judge Milan Dilparic, the first official who talked to Dr. Karadzic late Monday night, when he was brought to him for hearing at 1 a.m, thought former president of Bosnian Serb republic was calm and respectful.

That night, during the hearing that lasted hour and a half, Dr. Karadzic informed the judge he was not arrested on July 21 around 10 p.m, as the official story goes, but at 9:30 p.m. on July 18, on a city bus No. 73.

"Karadzic was cooperative during the hearing. He was not afraid. He was calm and composed, and fully cooperated with the investigative officials. He wasn't presenting his defense regarding the charges by the Hague at the time, because that is not the part of procedure", Glas source from Belgrade Special Court revealed.

The employees of the Special Court, where Radovan Karadzic is held in custody, say that Bosnian Serb leader is a true gentleman.

"He is a decent man, a highly educated scholar with a soaring intelligence, and not some quasi-intellectual", Special Court official said.

He decisively denied malicious claims by the Bosnian Muslim daily Dnevni avaz, which reported that Karadzic "had asked for antidepressant pills in prison".

"That is an absolute lie. We are checking his health every morning in the custodial unit and the investigative judge comes to receive report by the head of the custodial unit about Radovan Karadzic's condition. Such allegations are complete fabrications: Karadzic is perfectly healthy, both physically and mentally, and he sleeps well", Glas source from the Special Court is categorical.

He added that Karadzic expressed a wish to have visits only by the family members and those who will take part in the preparation of his defense.

"He told us he wishes to have visits only by the family members and by those who will help him prepare his defense. We are receiving over a million requests each day from those who want to see him, but the investigative judge who is making decisions about that has only approved visits by the family members and the lawyers," Special Court representative said.

Two Teams of Legal Advisers

Regarding Radovan Karadzic's defense at the Hague, Vecernje Novosti reported that former president of the Bosnian Serb republic will have two legal teams to help him. The first team, headed by Professor Dr. Smilja Avramov and including Academic Kosta Cavoski and Milivoje Ivanisevic, will have the task to gather the evidence and facts. The second team will include Karadzic's lawyer Svetozar Vujacic and Goran Petronijevic.

"These people will defend Dr. Karadzic in the best possible way. Those are the ones who could work for free and it is certain that there will be quite a few of them. So, the bigger problem here will be the money [needed for the operative part of the evidence-gathering] than the number of people who want to defend him," Law Professor Kosta Cavoski told Novosti.

Asked whether the fact Dr. Karadzic is not a lawyer by profession, like late President Milosevic and Vojislav Seselj, could be cited by the Hague as a justification for denying his right to his own defense, Cavoski said this is not an obstacle for the process, because the most important issue here are the facts.

"And no-one knows those facts better than Karadzic himself. As far as I can see, there are no reasons to deny his right to self-defense, except for the fears of the prosecution and the court that such defense will be successful. What should happen right now is that both Serbia and Republic of Srpska ought to stand behind the defense of Karadzic, like Croatia has done in case of the Croat Hague indictees," Kosta Cavoski said.

According to the lawyer Toma Fila, who has experience with the so-called Bosnian cases before the tribunal, trial to Karadzic will open several very important legal issues.

"According to Republic of Srpska Constitution, Radovan Karadzic was a supreme commander. However, Ratko Mladic never accepted that, because it would mean he was only the Army Headquarters chief. Besides, there is not a single document where it is stated that Mladic was Karadzic's subordinate. So, the question here is what kind of connection could Karadzic have had with Srebrenica events, for which he is indicted," Fila said.

Kosta Cavoski: Tadic's Cronies are Shameless Liars!

Today's Kurir carries an interview with Professor Cavoski, President of the International Association for the truth about Radovan Karadzic, after his visit to Dr. Karadzic in the Special Court building.

Q: Were You visiting Radovan as his legal representative?

KC: No. According to the legal procedure, I had my request approved by the merciful judge Milan Dilparic, in the role of representative of the legal public body. The visit lasted 30 minutes.

Q: Was he glad to see You?

KC: Yes, but I was more glad. After all, I have asked to see him.

Q: How does he look, did he shave the beard off?

KC: Yes, he did. He looks exactly the same as he did 11 years ago, when I saw him the last time. He's only much more slender now.

Q: What were Your impressions?

KC: The state of his spirit is fantastic. He is healthy and composed. He has an exceptionally strong personality.

Q: We heard he's been on a hunger strike?

KC: He hasn't been eating in five days, but I wouldn't call that a hunger strike. He says that is a diet regime.

Q: When was he arrested?

KC: He was arrested on Friday, not on Monday, as they claim. They are the shameless liars! Neither was a formal decision on holding him in custody served to him within the four hours, nor was he given the right to a lawyer, nor could he contact his family. He was held illegally imprisoned for five days.

Q: What are the legal consequences of unlawful detention?

KC: In United States, when someone is illegally apprehended, he gets released. There can be no trial. The unlawful detainment is the basis for release. But here, people are being kept hidden when they are arrested.

Q: What did You talk about?

KC: Mainly about the Hague. I told him what can he expect and what is awaiting him. I backed his decision to defend himself.

Q: Will You be his legal adviser in that case?

KC: If he is permitted to defend himself, I will gladly accept to be his legal adviser.

Q: What does he expect from the Hague trial?

KC: No one believes in justice when it comes to the Hague tribunal. Radovan has no illusions either. But he carefully followed Slobodan Milosevic and Vojislav Seselj trials.

Q: Presumably, he was also regularly reading newspapers...?

KC: Not only that, he was also using the internet. They seized even his laptop to find out whom he was communicating with. And they can now be reassured neither I, nor his family were involved...

Q: Does he know how was he discovered?

KC: Believe me, it didn't seem decent to ask how was he hiding and how was he discovered. I believe he was betrayed. We shall soon find out who betrayed him.

Foreign Agents Arrested Karadzic

Q: Who arrested Karadzic?

KC: I'm convinced the foreign agents have arrested him. Those who approached him knew Serbian, but the others, I'm sure, spoke another, foreign language.

Q: We have published the statement by an eyewitness who claims he had seen the Serbian Internal Affairs Ministry [MUP] badge...

KC: The ID can be falsified, and that would be no problem for the [foreign] agency. It could also be borrowed from the neighbor who is a policeman. Even I could flash the police badge to someone if I had it.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 06:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Hague Circus Gets to Perform Another Day

BBC interview with Srdja Trifkovic

BBC: The fact that Karadzic could face trial at The Hague is causing consternation among those who consider the court to be anti-Serbian. Srdja Trifkovic is one of them. He is an American historian, journalist and political analyst, and an expert on Balkan politics.

TRIFKOVIC: It would be a hugely significant moment if it were to be followed by a fair and just trial that would seek to establish the facts of the case, not only on Srebrenica but also on what came to pass in Bosnia between 1992 and 1995. However, in Serbia many people – including those who favor the new, pro-European government – have a very jaundiced view of The Hague Tribunal, especially since the release of Naser Oric, the wartime commander of the Muslim garrison in Srebrenica, came just before the capture of Karadzic. In fact, in Belgrade The Hague Tribunal is universally regarded as a politically motivated tool for providing quasi-legal justification of political decisions made by the powers-that-be back in the early 1990s.

BBC: What about the indictment against Mr. Karadzic? Do you think the war crimes were committed?

TRIFKOVIC: The war crimes were committed, absolutely. What remains to be seen is to what extent the war crimes committed by the Serbs will continue to be treated as uniquely more substantial, more evil and more massive, than those committed by the other two sides. What we have witnessed in the case of Naser Oric in particular, is a truly egregious failure by The Hague Tribunal to connect the commander of Srebrenica with the war crimes which the Tribunal itself does not deny have taken place: thousands of Serbian civilians in the surrounding areas were killed between 1992 and 1995. For Serbia's "European perspective," for Serbia's ability to come to terms with the past in the way that does not provide grounds for fresh resentment and revisionism, this trial would need to mark a new beginning by The Hague – and yet I have no reason to believe that such a beginning will indeed be made.

BBC: And yet this individual, who is charged with such heinous crimes, needs to be brought to justice, even if – as you argue – there are others still out there who haven't been brought to justice. But here's one opportunity to deal with one set of crimes, surely?

TRIFKOVIC : The problem is that dealing with "one set of crimes" in connection with "one individual" is not fulfilling the function of the Tribunal as stated at the time of its establishment in 1993, which was to establish an equivalent of an international "truth and reconciliation commission." Quite the contrary, in the case of Serbia The Hague Tribunal has only generated fresh controversies and provided fresh grist for the mill of the nationalist wing of Serbia's body-politic, which keeps claiming that the cards are stacked against the Serbs' favor.

Interview with Srdja Trifkovic titled "Karadzic and the Hague" was broadcast by the BBC Radio 4, within the special "The World Tonight," on Tuesday, July 22, 2008, 22:14 BST

The Verdict is Already Written

"Radovan Karadzic will be found guilty of genocide, because the verdict is already written," Dr. Trifkovic, expert witness in a separate trial in The Hague told Russia Today. “I don’t think he will come out of jail alive,” he said [watch video].

Former Canadian Ambassador to Yugoslavia James Bissett spoke about his meeting with Dr. Radovan Karadzic in Sarajevo and shared his impressions of a man declared guilty way before the sham trial has even begun. Interview (RAM file, 10:19), also available from CBC.ca Listen Again web page.

Recommended: The Real Face of Evil, by Nebojsa Malic (GrayFalcon Blog); Has Lord Ashdown Heard of the Phrase: "Innocent Until Proven Guilty"?, by Michael Huntsman (Brussels Journal); Collection of Interviews Spanning Radovan Karadzic's Political Career, Slobodan-Milosevic.org; Karadzic's Lawyer Speaks about Arrest, Slobodan-Milosevic.org; Belgrade protests against the new government's appalling inaugural move -- arrest of Dr. Karadzic, YouTube: The New Day is Dawning, Part 1; From Topola down to Ravna Gora, General Draza Mihailovich's song, Part 2; Radovan Karadzic!, Serbia Betrayed!, Part 3; Christ Our Lord, Song of Serbian Heroes, Part 4; Tadic Boris, Save Serbia -- Kill Yourself!, Part 5; Ivica, fagot!, Part 6; Riot police gets in, Part 7

Posted by BBlog Staff at 06:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Karadzic’s Arrest: Bosnian Myths Rehashed

By Srdja Trifkovic, ChroniclesMagazine.org

The spirit of the media frenzy surrounding the arrest of the former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic on July 21 is based entirely on the doctrine of non-equivalence inaugurated in 1992: Serbs willed the war, Muslims wanted peace; Serb crimes are bad and justly exaggerated, Muslim crimes are understandable.

This doctrine was spectacularly reiterated a month before Karadzic’s capture, when the Muslim wartime commander of Srebrenica, Nasir Oric, was found not guilty by The Hague Tribunal of any responsibility for the killing of thousands of Serb civilians by the forces under his command in the three years before the fall of the enclave in July 1995. It is also apparent today, in the endless media repetition of Karadzic’s alleged bellicose intransigence before and during the Bosnian war.

Unresolved Issue of War Guilt

The imbalance is more than merely unfair. The talking heads gloating over Karadzic’s capture no longer need to suppress the thought that different U.S. policies could have prevented the horror of “Bosnia,” because no such thought—however pertinent in this case—ever occurs to them. Yet the fact remains that in the spring of 1992 the late Warren Zimmermann, the last U.S. ambassador to Yugoslavia before its breakup and civil war, materially contributed—probably more than any other single man—to the outbreak of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The facts of the case have been established beyond reasonable doubt and are no longer disputed by experts [...]

Entire article »

Posted by BBlog Staff at 05:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

How Far They've Fallen!

...Said Liz Milanovich, commenting today's meeting between the U.S. Republican President George W. Bush and Kosovo Albanian war criminal and mafia chieftain Hashim Thaci. Because, this is what the Republican Policy Committee had to say about the KLA terrorists a while back: The Kosovo Liberation Army: Does Clinton Policy Support Group with Terror, Drug Ties? From 'Terrorists' to 'Partners'

The KLA: from 'Terrorists' to 'Partners'

Excerpt from the United States Senate Republican Policy Committee Report, from March 31, 1999

[...] The Kosovo Liberation Army "began on the radical fringe of Kosovar Albanian politics, originally made up of diehard Marxist-Leninists (who were bankrolled in the old days by the Stalinist dictatorship next door in Albania) as well as by descendants of the fascist militias raised by the Italians in World War II" ["Fog of War -- Coping With the Truth About Friend and Foe: Victims Not Quite Innocent," New York Times, 3/28/99]. The KLA made its military debut in February 1996 with the bombing of several camps housing Serbian refugees from wars in Croatia and Bosnia [Jane's Intelligence Review, 10/1/96]. The KLA (again according to the highly regarded Jane's,) "does not take into consideration the political or economic importance of its victims, nor does it seem at all capable of seriously hurting its enemy, the Serbian police and army. Instead, the group has attacked Serbian police and civilians arbitrarily at their weakest points. It has not come close to challenging the region's balance of military power" [Jane's, 10/1/96].

The group expanded its operations with numerous attacks through 1996 but was given a major boost with the collapse into chaos of neighboring Albania in 1997, which afforded unlimited opportunities for the introduction of arms into Kosovo from adjoining areas of northern Albania, which are effectively out of the control of the Albanian government in Tirana. From its inception, the KLA has targeted not only Serbian security forces, who may be seen as legitimate targets for a guerrilla insurgency, but Serbian and Albanian civilians as well.

In view of such tactics, the Clinton Administration's then-special envoy for Kosovo, Robert Gelbard, had little difficulty in condemning the KLA (also known by its Albanian initials, UCK) in terms comparable to those he used for Serbian police repression:

" 'The violence we have seen growing is incredibly dangerous,' Gelbard said. He criticized violence 'promulgated by the (Serb) police' and condemned the actions of an ethnic Albanian underground group Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) which has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on Serb targets. 'We condemn very strongly terrorist actions in Kosovo. The UCK is, without any questions, a terrorist group,' Gelbard said." [Agence France Presse, 2/23/98]

Mr. Gelbard's remarks came just before a KLA attack on a Serbian police station led to a retaliation that left dozens of Albanians dead, leading in turn to a rapid escalation of the cycle of violence. Responding to criticism that his earlier remarks might have been seen as Washington's "green light" to Belgrade that a crack-down on the KLA would be acceptable, Mr. Gelbard offered to clarify to the House Committee on International Relations:

"Questioned by lawmakers today on whether he still considered the group a terrorist organization, Mr. Gelbard said that while it has committed 'terrorist acts,' it has 'not been classified legally by the U.S. Government as a terrorist organization.' " [New York Times, 3/13/98]

The situation in Kosovo has since been transformed: what were once sporadic cases of KLA attacks and often heavy-handed and indiscriminate Serbian responses has now become a full-scale guerrilla war. That development appeared to be a vindication of what may have been the KLA's strategy of escalating the level of violence to the point where outside intervention would become a distinct possibility. Given the military imbalance, there is reason to believe the KLA -- which is now calling for the introduction of NATO ground troops into Kosovo [Associated Press, 3/27/99] -- may have always expected to achieve its goals less because of the group's own prospects for military success than because of a hoped-for outside intervention: As one fighter put it, "We hope that NATO will intervene, like it did in Bosnia, to save us" ["Both Sides in the Kosovo Conflict Seem Determined to Ignore Reality," New York Times, 6/22/98].

By early 1999, the Clinton Administration had completely staked the success of its Kosovo policy on either the acceptance by both sides of a pre-drafted peace agreement that would entail a NATO ground occupation of Kosovo, or, if the Albanians signed the agreement while Belgrade refused, bombing of the Serbs. By committing itself so tightly to those two alternatives, the Clinton Administration left itself with as little flexibility as it had offered the Albanians and the Serbs.

At that point for the Administration, cultivating the goodwill of the KLA -- as the most extreme element on the Albanian side, and the element which had the weapons capable of sinking any diplomatic initiative -- became an absolute imperative:

"In order to get the Albanians'... acceptance [of the peace plan], Ms. Albright offered incentives intended to show that Washington is a friend of Kosovo...Officers in the Kosovo Liberation Army would . . . be sent to the United States for training in transforming themselves from a guerrilla group into a police force or a political entity, much like the African National Congress did in South Africa." [New York Times, 2/24/99]

The Times' comparison of treatment of the KLA with that of the African National Congress (ANC) -- a group with its own history of terror attacks on political opponents, including members of the ethnic group it claims to represent -- is a telling one. In fact, it points to the seemingly consistent Clinton policy of cultivating relationships with groups known for terrorist violence -- not only the ANC, but the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) -- in what may be a strategy of attempting to wean away a group from its penchant for violence by adopting its cause as an element of U.S. policy.

By the time the NATO airstrikes began, the Clinton Administration's partnership with the KLA was unambiguous:

"With ethnic Albanian Kosovars poised to sign a peace accord later Thursday, the United States is moving quickly to help transform the Kosovo Liberation Army from a rag-tag band of guerrilla fighters into a political force. . . . Washington clearly sees it as a main hope for the troubled province's future. 'We want to develop a good relationship with them as they transform themselves into a politically-oriented organization,' deputy State Department spokesman James Foley said. 'We want to develop closer and better ties with this organization.'

"A strong signal of this is the deference with which U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright treats the Kosovar Albanians' chief negotiator Hashim Thaci, a 30-year-old KLA commander. Albright dispatched her top aide and spokesman James Rubin to Paris earlier this week to meet with Thaci and personally deliver to him an invitation for members of his delegation to visit the United States. Rubin, who will attend the ceremony at which the Kosovar Albanians will sign the accord, is expected to then return to Washington with five members of the delegation, including Thaci. Thaci and Rubin have developed a 'good rapport' during the Kosovo crisis, according to U.S. officials who note that Thaci was the main delegate they convinced to sign the agreement even though the Serbs have refused to do so. [ . . . ]

" '[W]e believe that we have a lot of advice and a lot of help that we can provide to them if they become precisely the kind of political actor we would like to see them become.' Foley stressed that the KLA would not be allowed to continue as a military force but would have the chance to move forward in their quest for self government under a 'different context.' 'If we can help them and they want us to help them in that effort of transformation, I think it's nothing that anybody can argue with.' "

Such an effusive embrace by top Clinton Administration officials of an organization that only a year ago one of its own top officials labeled as "terrorist" is, to say the least, a startling development.

Even more importantly, the new Clinton/KLA partnership may obscure troubling allegations about the KLA that the Clinton Administration has thus far neglected to address.

Charges of Drugs, Islamic Terror -- and a Note on Sources

No observer doubts that the large majority of fighters that have flocked to the KLA during the past year or so (since it began large-scale military operations) are ordinary Kosovo Albanians who desire what they see as the liberation of their homeland from foreign rule. But that fact -- which amounts to a claim of innocence by association -- does not fully explain the KLA's uncertain origins, political program, sources of funding, or political alliances.

Among the most troubling aspects of the Clinton Administration's effective alliance with the KLA are numerous reports from reputable unofficial sources -- including the highly respected Jane's publications -- that the KLA is closely involved with:

* The extensive Albanian crime network that extends throughout Europe and into North America, including allegations that a major portion of the KLA finances are derived from that network, mainly proceeds from drug trafficking; and

* Terrorist organizations motivated by the ideology of radical Islam, including assets of Iran and of the notorious Osama bin-Ladin -- who has vowed a global terrorist war against Americans and American interests.

The final two sections of this paper give samples of these reports. (Many of these reports are available in full at www.siri-us.com, the website of an independent think tank called the Strategic Issues Research Institute of the United States, under "Background Issues".) In presenting samples of such reports for the consideration of Republican Senators and staff, RPC does not claim that these reports constitute conclusive evidence of the KLA's drug or terror ties. Nor are these reports necessarily conclusive as to the policy advisability of the Clinton Administration's support for that organization. They do, however, raise serious questions about the context in which decisions regarding American policy in the Balkans are being made by the Clinton Administration.

All of these sources are unclassified and unconnected to official agencies of the U.S. government, although some quote sources in intelligence agencies. Possible objections could be raised that the relevant U.S. government agencies may not have made available similar reports concerning the KLA. While it is not possible to discuss, in the context of this paper, what information is or is not available from classified sources, the author of this paper offers what he regards as two helpful observations. First, one should recognize that the absence of reporting on a given topic may indicate that the information has not been obtained, assembled, or disseminated by the agencies in question, but not necessarily that it does not exist. That is, silence by official sources does not constitute disproof of unofficial sources. The second and more troubling observation is that the Clinton Administration has demonstrated, to an unprecedented degree, an unfortunate tendency -- in some cases possibly involving an improper politicization of traditionally non-political government agencies -- to manage or conceal inconvenient information that might call into question some of its policies [...]

Clinton Administration this, Clinton Administration that, yadda, yadda, yadda... and here's the Bush Administration's record to date: backed, financed and recognized illegal unilateral declaration of independence by the very same leaders of the terrorist KLA in Serbian Kosovo-Metohija province. The Bush Administration has, in the meantime, taken lead in promoting Muslim terrorists in the Balkans, advocating the most retrograde, savage ethnic separatism and terrorism in Europe, fragmenting the Balkans further, all the way down to walled-off enclaves, creating ghettos and deepening the animosities to the point of no return, ensuring another century of bloodletting which is just waiting for the right moment to begin. Finally, today, Bush is to hug his best friend and partner, the first-rate butcher in Europe, Hashim Thaci. The Republicans have gone very far indeed.

Original photo from the SerbBlog (slightly enhanced for the current historic moment)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 12:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Bishop ARTEMIJE of Kosovo Protests Bush Meeting with 'Terrorist, War Criminal, and Racketeer' Hashim Thaci

Statement by His Grace Artemije, spiritual leader of Kosovo-Metohija Serbs, Bishop of Raska-Prizren Diocese (Amercian Council for Kosovo)

On July 21, President George W. Bush is scheduled to meet with Hashim Thaci, styled by some 'Prime Minister' of the separatist Albanian Muslim administration in the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija. As pastor of the Orthodox Christian people of Kosovo, I protest to the fullest possible degree the fact that President Bush would bring dishonor on his office and sully the good name of the American nation by receiving such an infamous terrorist, war criminal, and organized crime chieftain.

Such a meeting is particularly disturbing in light of President Bush's aspiration to leadership in the struggle of decent people everywhere against global jihad terrorism. In another context, he likened association with terrorists to seeking accord with the Nazis before World War II. Has he now changed his mind?

Mr. Thaci's criminal record is well-known. Under his alias 'the Snake,' Mr. Thaci is one of the three principal kingpins in the Albanian Mafia, which is based in Kosovo and operates drug, sexual slavery, and weapons rackets across Europe. According to the German intelligence service BND, he meets regularly in Pristina's Grand Hotel with his chief accomplices, Ramush Haradinaj and Agim Ceku, to manage their joint criminal enterprises. To protect his criminal 'turf,' Mr. Thaci has not hesitated to eliminate rivals through physical means. As stated by one Albanian former leader in Kosovo, 'Cadavers have never been an obstacle to Thaci's career.'

His record as a terrorist and war criminal is no less notorious. As a former commander of the so-called 'Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA),' Mr. Thaci bears primary responsibility for the terror campaign that has killed thousands of my flock and forced a quarter of a million to flee their homes in the province. Thousands of Serbian houses have been burned or forcibly taken over by Albanians, many of them illegal immigrants from Albania. Mr. Thaci's henchmen have demolished or desecrated over 150 of the churches and monasteries in my diocese. Particularly targeted for destruction have been crosses and icons of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the saints, giving proof to the Islamic jihad ferocity that motivates these attacks.

It is known that in 1995 Mr. Thaci, together with his crony Mr. Haradinaj, met in Tirana with Osama bin-Laden to plan the jihad against Serbs in Kosovo. Americans should keep in mind that the terrorist reach of the KLA is not confined to Serbia but already has reached American shores with the barely averted plot by jihad terrorists, four of whom are Albanian Muslims from the Kosovo region, to attack Fort Dix in New Jersey and kill American servicemen.

Perhaps most appalling is Mr. Thaci's role with respect to horrifying reports that organs destined for the illegal trade in organs for transplant were torn from live Serbian prisoners of the KLA. Some of the Serbian victims, after having one kidney cut out, were returned to confinement with fellow captives pending the lethal surgical removal of their other organs, waiting in knowing dread of the fate prepared for them! As documented by U.N. former war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte -- someone who hardly can be accused of having a pro-Serb bias -- these reports are specific and credible and cry out for immediate investigation. The U.S.-based advocacy organization Human Rights Watch has written to Mr. Thaci with their concerns about this matter, which he has dismissed with cavalier indifference. This is hardly surprising, given that these atrocities were committed by his KLA minions, for whose actions he bears command responsibility. Indeed, in light of Mr. Thaci's criminal proclivities, is it not more than likely he himself profited from this gruesome trade?

This is the man with whom the leader of the world's foremost democracy now intends to meet! In doing so, President Bush would be committing a grave transgression against morality and decency, as well as an offense against any standard of civilized behavior. I call on President Bush, as a professing Christian and as an international leader, to cancel this iniquitous meeting. I call on U.S. authorities to demand that those responsible for the harvesting of organs from live Serbian victims be made to face justice.

+ ARTEMIJE
Gracanica Monastery, Province of Kosovo and Metohija
Serbia

Posted by BBlog Staff at 05:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Kosovo Serbs' Wailing Wall

On July 15, as the photographies of 2,500 killed and missing Kosovo Serbs were uncovered on the Wailing Wall in the headquarters of the Association of the families of the Serb victims in Kosovo-Metohija, the Association chair Simo Spasic assessed that "Serbian state and especially the international community has done nothing to determine the fate of the Serbs kidnapped and killed in the southern Serbian province."

He stressed that, according to the data of the international organizations, over 3,500 Kosovo Serbs have been killed before, during and after NATO aggression, but the Association of the families has thus far compiled detailed information about 2,500 Kosovo Serb victims, kidnapped and murdered in the southern province, "for whose suffering no one has been made accountable".

The Association is appalled by the fact Serbian delegation had left the Council of Europe session where the investigation of the sale of organs extracted from the Kosovo Serbs kidnapped, tortured and killed in Albania was discussed. Spasic added that "it is incomprehensible that strangers discuss such an important subject, while not a single Serbian delegation, not a single Serb was present to represent these families." At the time, Milos Aligrudic, leader of (Kostunica's) DSS parliamentary board, who is also a vice president of the Council of Europe Parliament, sharply criticized Serbia's new ruling coalition which decided to schedule the constitutive session of the Serbian Parliament at the same time when Council of Europe was discussing the horrific crimes Kosovo Albanians have been committing, forcing the Serbian CoE delegations to leave the crucial Brussels session.

Spasic thanked Mr. Aligrudic for joining the families and members of the Association on the occasion of uncovering the Wailing Wall, expressing hope the "state will finally stand up for our victims" and demand responsibility for the lost lives.

He added that the Association will organize a series of protests, because "it will not allow Albanian war criminals to keep avoiding justice, and continue to enjoy the premiership and ministerial positions in Kosovo and Metohija, as a reward for committing atrocious crimes against our loved ones".

Full Investigation Would Lead Straight to Thaci and Haradinaj — So None is Allowed

Vice President of the Parliament of Council of Europe Milos Aligrudic accused UNMIK of blocking investigations of crimes against the non-Albanian population in Kosovo and Metohija province in order to shield the Pristina "politicians" spawned by the gruesome KLA and supported by the Western power centers.

He reminded that the Russian delegation, led by the Vice Chairman of the Council of Europe Constantine Kosachev, had launched an initiative to investigate the charges in Del Ponte's book about some 300 missing Kosovo Serbs who were kidnapped by the terrorist KLA and transported to Albania, where their internal organs were harvested for sale. Unfortunately, Aligrudic said, the actual investigation still hasn't begun.

"If the investigation of these atrocities would be run to its full completion, it would lead straight to Hashim Thaci [current Pristina "premier"] and Ramush Haradinaj [former Pristina "premier", both KLA commanders]. Kosovo-Metohija is not a big place, and there aren't many people there who are not subservient to the notorious KLA leaders currently wielding power in the Serbian province -- and that is the main problem," Aligrudic said during his visit to the Association of the families of the killed and missing Kosovo Serbs.

West Caught in a Vicious Circle of its Own Making

Aligrudic stressed that Serbian state institutions are cooperating with UNMIK in an effort to launch the investigation which would determine the facts about the killed and missing on the territory of southern Serbian province.

"I had the opportunities to talk with director of the state Security-Intelligence Agency [Bezbenostno-Informativna Agencija, BIA], who has plenty of information regarding all this and, despite the common belief that [Serbian] state is doing nothing when it comes to communicating with UNMIK officials in relation to these atrocities, I can assure you that is not true," Aligrudic said.

"The state has done a lot -- both the police and BIA have been doing a lot -- and there is documentation to prove it, but the system created in and around Kosovo and Metohija province has been set in such a way that, as soon as the investigation starts to progress, it gets sent back to the very beginning, forcing it to move in one and the same circle, through political pressures," Aligrudic explained.

He said that "when a certain group of countries decides to sever part of the territory of a sovereign state, as is the case with Serbian Kosovo and Metohija province, all the means become acceptable, including cover-up and justification of the atrocious crimes of the 'politicians' who are today representing this fake state."

"This is the vicious circle the international community is caught in, as it strains to protect the criminals they brought to power", Aligrudic said, adding that it will be very difficult to break through those walls but, nevertheless, no efforts should be spared in trying to break through.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Get Your Barf Bags Ready: Clinton Secretary of State had her Own Secretive Trysts

By Wayne Madsen, Online Journal

Former Clinton Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, an adviser to the Barack Obama campaign and godmother of chief Obama foreign policy adviser Dr. Susan Rice, carried on an affair with Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci in a flagrant abuse of her office. WMR has received further confirmation from well-placed sources in Croatia, Serbia, and Kosovo that Albright had Thaci at her virtual beck and call for sexual encounters. Thaci was in his late 20s and early 30s when he was having the affair with Albright, who was in her sixties at the time.

On December 10, 2007, WMR reported: “It is rumored that during negotiations on Kosovo in Rambouillet, France in 2000, [Secretary of State Madeleine] Albright had more than a diplomatic interest in Thaci, who was then 31. Thaci is to become the Prime Minister of Kosovo. The New York Daily News reported that when Albright walked into the hotel room of the Albanian delegation in Rambouillet at midnight, one Albanian told her to ‘go away’ and come back in five minutes. The Albanians thought Albright was a hotel cleaning lady. Albright reportedly exploded in rage and hurled explicit language at the Albanians.”

On February 17, 2008, WMR reported: “WMR has learned from sources who were in Kosovo at the time that Thaci was Albright’s virtual ‘toy boy’ and a frequent sex partner.”

Thaci’s close relationship with Albright allowed him to press Washington during both the Clinton and Bush administrations to support Kosovo’s independence cause. Currently, Kosovo, recognized by the United States, Britain, France, and other countries, but diplomatically shunned by Russia, China, Greece, Spain, and other nations worried about their own secessionist movements, has become a major center for the drug, cigarette, and weapons smuggling business, as well as human trafficking for purposes of prostitution. The ersatz nation, led by Thaci’s former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) cronies, many of whom had close links to Osama Bin Laden’s “Al Qaeda” units in Kosovo, Macedonia, and Bosnia, is protected by an American military force with a major base at Camp Bondsteel.

Kosovo also represents another example of the nexus between the Russian-Israeli Mafia, which operates quite freely in Kosovo, and elements linked to “Al Qaeda,” including Chechen guerrillas. Arch neocon Richard Perle was a major supporter of Kosovo’s independence and the KLA leadership as was retired General Wesley Clark, another informal foreign policy adviser to Obama.

Albright’s Eastern European lineage -- she was born Marie Jana Korbelová in Prague to Czech parents -- was often seen by foreign policy experts in the State Department as clouding her judgment on dealing with the Balkans crisis. However, additional confirmation that Albright was having sexual trysts with the leader of the KLA, despised as a terrorist by Serbia, made her untrustworthy to Belgrade and a laughing stock throughout the Balkans and the rest of Europe, according to French and German intelligence sources with whom WMR spoke.

Now we finally know what's Thaci The Snake talking about when he says that KLA sacrificed a lot to steal Kosovo-Metohija province from Serbia.

Hat tip: Slobodan-Milosevic.org

Posted by BBlog Staff at 06:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Abu Hamza to Move From Bosnia to Serbian Kosovo Province

Republic of Srpska daily Fokus reports that the notorious mujahedin Imad Al Hussein, better known as Abu Hamza, who came to Bosnia-Herzegovina responding the jihad call by the Bosnian Muslim wartime president Alija Izetbegovic, will move to another U.S.-carved wahhabi base in the heart of Europe, Serbian Kosovo and Metohija province.

Syrian-born Abu Hamza who, along with tens of thousands of other Middle Eastern mujahedins who were beheading Bosnian Serbs from 1992-1995, was awarded an honorary Bosnian citizenship for his contributions to Bosnian jihad by the Bosnian Muslim leadership, stayed in Bosnia-Herzegovina after the civil war and became an informal leader of Arab mujahedins naturalized in Bosnia, struggling to preserve their Bosnian citizenship and sheltered status.

According to the NATO forces stationed in Bosnia, Abu Hamza recently formed an organization called Ansaria (Serb. Ensarije), providing financial and legal assistance to Arab mujahidins threatened with deportation to their home countries from Bosnia. However, Abu Hamza is now getting ready to escape from Bosnia to Kosovo-Metohija province in Serbia, if the Bosnian court under the American pressure confirms decision to revoke his citizenship.

Hamza's Fellow Cutthroat Hashim Thaci Will Protect him in Kosovo Province

According to the Fokus' source in a foreign intelligence agency, the plans for Abu Hamza's escape have already been made.

"Everything is already prepared for him in Kosovo. Based on the services the mujahedins rendered to Hashim Thaci and Pristina leadership in their independence drive, the plans to make Imad Al Hussein disappear in Kosovo are already set in motion," Fokus source, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

He claims that Abu Hamza refused to escape Bosnia-Herzegovina when he was offered to do so earlier, but once he realized the decision on his deportation could be confirmed, he started the preparations to run away to Serbian Kosovo and Metohija province.

Well Traveled Wahhabi Ratlines Between Bosnia and Serbia

Abu Hamza intends to wait until the last minute and then simply disappear. The secret underground channels through which he and his family will be evacuated have been well traveled and frequently used by the mujahedins and wahhabis connecting Bosnian Muslim parts with Serbia's Raska region and the southern province of Kosovo.

"It is well known that these channels have been used by the greatest number of mujahedins who have had their Bosnian citizenship revoked and who have fled the country in time, so that the official documents about the revoked citizenship couldn't be delivered to them," the Fokus source said.

He revealed that Abu Hamza until recently believed no one can force him out of the Muslim part of Bosnia, being that even the Human Rights Tribunal in Strasbourg supported him, but there are now indications that Bosnian Muslim leaders who were protecting him are starting to cave in under the pressure of the U.S. and other states.

"When Abu Hamza was informed of this at the recent meeting in Sarajevo, he agreed to have the plans for his escape from Bosnia prepared, along with the falsified identification documents for his formal disappearance in Kosovo", the Fokus source said.

According to the report, Bosnia's naturalized mujahedin should have already been moved to the state's Imigration Center in Lukavica (Republic of Srpska), but he successfully avoided this, claiming it would represent the beginning of the deportation process, which is "contrary to the decision of the Human Rights Tribunal in Strasbourg".

In Bosnia, Abu Hamza is protected by the Muslim Security Minister Tarik Sadovic, whose job in shielding the Arab jihadists in Bosnia was greatly eased by the temporary placement of Seada Palavric at the helm of the Bosnia-Herzegovina constitutional court. Palavric will remain at the post of court's president until October 3. Before being promoted to this position, she was a high functionary of the ultra-nationalist Bosnian Muslim SDA party, formed by Izetbegovic, the very same political party which has brought Abu Hamza and the other Arab mercenaries to Bosnia to exterminate the Serbs.

Something Bad Might Happen to Hamza in Republic of Srpska

Abu Hamza, a cutthroat who apparently immensely enjoys the media attention, warned few days ago that Bosnia's highest state institutions will be blamed in case "something bad" happens to him in the Immigration Center where he was to be taken, because the Center is situated in the Serbian Republic in Bosnia. This is cited as additional reason for Abu Hamza to accept the escape plans.

Due to the fact Abu Hamza is protected by the Bosnian Muslim leaders in the federation, Fokus source believes Hamza will be informed in time about the final decision of the constitutional court, to make sure he has sufficient time to flee through the wahhabi ratlines created on the territory of former Yugoslavia during the civil wars.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 12:04 AM | Permalink

Bundestag Party Takes their Government to Court Over Serbia

Political party Die Linke (The Left), the fourth biggest party in the German Parliament with 54 MPs, brought the lawsuit against their government before the state's Constitutional Court over the continuing engagement of the German Army (Bundswehr) stationed in the southern Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija.

Die Linke is charging the federal government with violating the state's Constitution by allowing further engagement of national army in the changed circumstances, without consulting the Parliament. They are pointing to the fact that the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 can no longer be used to justify the involvement of German troops in Kosovo-Metohija, while the new approval, necessary after the unilaterally declared independence by the Pristina separatists recognized by the German government, was never issued, Monika Knoche, vice president of Die Linke, Bundestag MP and member of the German Parliament's Foreign Policy Council, told Belgrade daily Vecernje novosti.

Party leadership stressed that German recognition of severed Kosovo province has created different circumstances, urging for redefinition of the German Army engagement in the region and explicit approval by the Parliament.

"We are requesting that the highest legal institution in Germany evaluates and confirms our position that the rights of the German Parliament have been violated. According to the law, Bundestag must approve every engagement of the troops -- a condition federal government has failed to observe. The Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe accepted the lawsuit, and we will now wait for the outcome," Knoche said.

Unilateral Declaration of Independence, a Brutal Assault on 21st Century Europe

Q: Die Linke party was against German recognition of Kosovo independence. Why?

MK: The unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence is a dreadful violation of the international law and a brutal assault on Europe's identity. UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which ended the war, expressly guarantees Serbia's territorial integrity. Recognition of an independent Kosovo is also an encouragement to the nationalistic movements. It fuels the ethnicity-based separatism, which is completely contrary to everything 21st century Europe stands for.

Die Linke is not alone in its assessment. The greatest majority of the countries which have not recognized Kosovo, although additionally guided by their own interest, i.e. by the fear of flare-out of separatism within their own borders, have also understood the risk of Kosovo becoming a model for the same ambitions which exist throughout the world. The very fact that only 40 countries out of all the states in the world have recognized the unilaterally declared independent Kosovo confirms we were right all along.

Q: Is the issue of Kosovo province considered closed by Die Linke?

MK: We are advocating reevaluation of the legal basis for the unilateral declaration of independence and Kosovo province's imposed severing from Serbia before the International Court of Justice. We believe that the process of further recognitions ought to be blocked and that wide autonomy is the proper solution -- without touching the borders. Kosovo must continue to be treated as an integral part of Serbia, while Serbia should have the perspective of joining the EU with Kosovo as its integral part.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 03:21 PM | Permalink

Serbian Parliament in Kosovo-Metohija Backed by the New Government

The new Serbian government supports recently formed Parliament of the Kosovo-Metohija municipalities with remaining Serbian population, ethnic Gorani (Slavic Muslims, loyal to Serbian state) and other non-Albanians remaining in the province. In its July 10 session, Serbian government confirmed its determination to continue the policy of the previous, Kostunica government, towards the southern province of Kosovo, "an inalienable part of the integral and inseparable constitutional, judicial and state system of Serbia", as emphasized in the official statement after the government session.

Government members assessed that, after the illegally proclaimed independence by the Pristina separatists, it was necessary for the Serbs remaining in the southern province to get institutionally organized. It was concluded that establishing of the Serbian Parliament in Kosovo and Metohija protects the Serbs and all the remaining non-Albanians in the southern Serbian province.

Kosovo Serbs Reaffirm Their Commitment

Representatives of the Kosovo-Metohija Serbs hailed the government's decision to support the newly established Parliament in Kosovo and Metohija.

President of the Serbian National Council Milan Ivanovic said he expects the MPs from Tadic's DS and Dinkic's G17 to take part in the Parliament work, to help make it a strong institution "which will articulate the interests of the Serbs and other non-Albanians in the best way, in cooperation and agreement with Belgrade."

Parliament of the Serbian and non-Albanian municipalities in Kosovo and Metohija was formed on this year's Vidovdan, June 28, in Kosovska Mitrovica, but the representatives of the DS and G17 did not take part in the constitutive session, because they said they were waiting for the approval of the Kosovo-Metohija Parliament by the new Serbian government.

"Decisions by the Serbian Government should express the full unity and we expect the government will be unified when it comes to Kosovo-Metohija province. We expect the government to have a pragmatic position regarding the results of 11th of May elections held in Kosovo province, keeping in mind that the political parties which are in opposition at the state level, are at the helm in the municipal leadership in the province," Ivanovic said, referring to the fact that Serbian Radicals and Kostunica's DSS-NS coalition have won the most votes in Kosovo and Metohija, and are heading the Serbian institutions there.

Vice President of the Kosovo-Metohija Parliament Marko Jaksic said that this institution will not oppose official Belgrade when it comes to the Serbian national interests in the province.

"We shall endeavor to preserve Kosovo and Metohija in Serbia, we shall not allow EULEX to take roots as a mission in Kosovo, nor will we allow a single symbol of Albanian statehood to be imposed in the Province", Dr. Jaksic said, adding that the main task of the Parliament will be strengthening the Serbian state institutions in the southern Kosovo province.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 06:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Kosovo Independence, a Notorious Idiocy

"My views are opposite of the official Slovenian policies, but they are no different from the thinking of ordinary Slovenian voters. For example, most people there believe that Kosovo independence is a notorious idiocy, but only my political party was against it in the parliament. It is now clear that we were right, but those in power caved in under the U.S. and EU pressure", Zmago Jelincic, leader of the Slovenian National Party (SNS), with six members in the Slovenian Parliament, told Belgrade daily Glas javnosti. Slovenian National Party party is regarded as the fiercest opposition to the ruling elite in Slovenia, and Mr. Jelincic is known as one of Serbia's great friends.

Q: What was Your key argument against severing Kosovo province?

ZJ: No-one can get the state carved up for him solely on the basis of being an ethnic minority in someone else's state. Secondly, Europe doesn't know the history at all, and the Europeans have no idea how did it happen that so many Shiptars ended up in Serbia.

Europe Ignores Shiptar Lies

Q: You call Kosovo Albanians Shiptars?

ZJ: That is how we called them while we were in the JNA [Yugoslav Peoples Army]. 'Albanians' are those who live in Albania and have an Albanian citizenship. That is not a derogatory term, it's a fact. As far as Kosovo is concerned, it is a horrific precedent and I expect Republic of Srpska to say one day: Thank you for your cooperation, we're now on our own. And they would be right, because what the international community is doing to them is the swinishness, it is terrible!

Back to Kosovo: there are historical facts, like after the conflict between Tito and Enver Hoxha [Maoist-Stalinist president of Albania], the border towards Albania was left open and the great number of Albanians poured into Yugoslavia [mostly Serbia, Kosovo-Metohija province, which borders with Albania].

Furthermore, Tito had adjoined certain territories of Serbia proper to Kosovo province [like the region north of Ibar river, including today's Kosovska Mitrovica and surrounding towns] -- the fact people in Europe never even mention. Nobody's talking about the Shiptar lies regarding the alleged pogroms against them, the invented story that the Serbs have turned Pristina football stadium into a 'concentration camp', the Racak lie... but all this suited the Americans. Also, the Americans knew for the Shiptar civilian convoys, but they were attacking them too [during NATO aggression against FR Yugoslavia, March-June 1999].

Q: What is Your advice to Serbian politicians, how to preserve Kosovo and Metohija?

ZJ: I thought that the Radicals will win the elections, because the radical position is necessary in relation to Europe. You can see this best in the Croat example: they haven't honored a single agreement they have signed and that always works in their favor, while Serbia always wants everything nicely and diplomatically -- that cannot bring success.

Cooperating With Serbian Politicians on Both Sides

Q: You consider the Radicals closest to You?

ZJ: Well, there is a difference between the Slovenian and Serbian Radicals. I believe that, if they had won, they would not have such radical views, but they would have been sufficiently radical to get what they want from Europe. Serbian politicians are wrong in thinking that Europe and United States are all-powerful. That is a mistake, the U.S. is going down, and Russia is going up.

Q: With which other Serbian political parties are You in contact?

ZJ: I have contacts with roughly the half of political parties, from the both sides. That is different from someone turning towards one side alone. I think that is a major mistake, one should talk to everyone, take the good ideas and offer the good ideas, because we all work in the same direction. I am a member of the EU Parliament, on the Security Board for the third term, I am working on helping Serbia out and if I want to do that, then I have to have the proper information from both sides.

EU and NATO: Clubs Where Rich Milk the Poor

Q: You are considered a great opponent to EU and NATO, but Slovenia is a member of both organizations...

ZJ: European Union is a society comprised of the rich. They take other countries into their club not in order for them to become rich too, but because they need new markets, resources and the cheep workers, so that they are getting even richer, while the small countries are getting poorer -- that is the new form of colonialism. It is not the human rights that are at the first place in the EU, but property and business. And, as far as NATO is concerned, that is the U.S.-owned economic organization. 70% of NATO work boils down to business, first and foremost the sale of weapons, mainly of the poor quality and obsolete, while the best ones are not being given to anyone. Furthermore, why would Europe fight for their interests, like in Iraq or Afghanistan?!

Q: Still, people live very well in Slovenia...

ZJ: Slovenia did advance exceptionally well, but we are not getting the money any more. Rather, like a developed state, we are giving the money to the under-developed, just like it was before in Yugoslavia [subsidizing Kosovo Albanians]. Nothing ever came up out of all that money, except for some individuals stuffing their own pockets with it. Everything is going in the same direction now, the only difference is that while there were some 2 million poor people in Yugoslavia, there are 30 million of the poor now only in Romania and Bulgaria, then there's Poland, the Baltic countries...

Q: So, the old slogan from Yugoslavia would now go "Slovenia works, Romania is getting built"?

ZJ: Well, yes, that's how it is now.

Gypsies as the Privileged Class

Q: You have caused a storm in the parliament and among the Slovenian public by Your recent request for the census for, as you called them, the Gypsies?

ZJ: See, the Gypsies are the privileged class in our country...

Q: You call them Gypsies, and not Roma -- around here that is considered a derogatory term...

ZJ: I'm against segregation, and the Gypsies are divided into Roma, Sints and some other tribes, and that is how things are. But why would they be the only privileged ones, that is against the UN position on human rights. In the municipalities where they live, they have their own representatives in the municipal boards, they are now requesting to have a representative in the state parliament too, although I don't have that right. Also, they are responsible for the number of criminal acts, so why wouldn't it be known who they are, how many of them are there, where do they live and whether they are the Slovenian citizens in the first place, are they paying the taxes, the electricity... And the police and courts are afraid of them, they're not arresting anyone.

"I'd Rather Have a Serb in Slovenia, Than an Austrian..."

Q: But, at some point, Slovenians, just like Croats, were using the name "Gypsy" in the derogatory form, calling the Serbs that way?

ZJ: No, that is not true. The ordinary people were never insulting you. There was a term "chefurs", which wasn't all that offensive, and it was used for all the people outside Slovenia. Don't worry, the common people have nothing against you -- quite the contrary.

Asked about the reported disapproval in the Slovenian public against the Serbian businessman Miskovic opening a large mall in Slovenian capital Ljubljana, Jelincic said that this was more presented as a problem in Serbia than in Slovenia.

"As far as I'm concerned, I prefer a Serb coming over rather than an Austrian, because the Austrians have territorial aspirations towards our country, and the Serbs don't," Jelincic said.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 05:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Srebrenica Serbs Mourn Alone

On Saturday, Bosnian Serbs have again gathered to commemorate more than 3,500 Srebrenica Serbs massacred by Naser Oric's mujahedins stationed in the UN "safe haven" during the Bosnian civil war (1992-1995).

Unlike the day before, July 11th, when the world descends on Srebrenica to collectively mourn Bosnian jihadists who lost their lives during the battle for Srebrenica (July 1995), the butchery of Bosnian Serb civilians -- women, children and elderly from Srebrenica and surrounding villages -- went by, this year yet again, without the thunderous expressions of the righteous indignation by the Western ambassadors serving in Bosnia-Herzegovina, without the EU High Representative's moving and thoughtful speeches, without the foreign reporters and photographers hunting the most heart wrenching expression of grief, without the eclectic mix of obscure celebrities and Hollywood stars, eager to show their "human side" to the world, while straining to look pretty under the Muslim head coverings, in the midst of bellowing praises to Allah and ritualistic animal slaughter.

This year's commemoration of the victims of Oric's cutthroats and the tragedy of the Serbian people in this region was additionally burdened by the fact that the appellation board of the Hague tribunal had acquitted the only man thus far accused by the Hague for the genocidal crimes against Srebrenica Serbs, Naser Oric.

Oric Convicts The Hague

"The acquittal of the Bosnian Muslim war criminal Naser Oric is yet another proof of the Hague tribunal's bias, which only confirms the necessity to urgently realize already adopted strategy of terminating this court's activities," Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Friday.

"Oric acquittal fully demonstrates the contempt and lack of objectivity toward one side involved in the conflict and obeisance towards the other participants in the conflicts in former Yugoslavia. It exemplifies the substitution of the judiciary with executing the political diktat," said Andrei Nesterenko, Russian Foreign Ministry official, reminding that Oric organized and participated in the massacres of more than 3,500 Bosnian Serb civilians in Srebrenica municipality, during the Bosnian civil war, from 1992-1995.

"The Hague tribunal has not only failed to tighten and correct the incredibly lenient conviction [two years imprisonment, delivered in the summer of 2006], instead, it completely exonerated the accused! Another puzzling fact is that the Office of the Bosnian High Representative, directly involved in the process of 'Srebrenica reconciliation', this time chose to stay silent, even though Oric did not surrender to the Hague voluntarily, but was arrested and transported to the Hague by the international forces," Nesterenko stressed.

"Russia will insist on shutting the Hague tribunal down, since it had demonstrated the utter lack of objectivity", Sergei Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs said.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 02:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Thirteen Years Later, Srebrenica Muslims are Still 5,000 Bodies Short

Thirteen years after the alleged "genocide" against Bosnian Muslims in the town of Srebrenica, a UN "safe-haven" Muslim war criminal Naser Oric was using as a base for his 28th mujahedin division, from which he organized murderous raids on surrounding Serbian villages during the entire Bosnian civil war (1992-1995), Bosnian Muslims have yet to present to the world the actual remains of those 7,000-8,000 Muslim fighters they keep mourning in front of the cameras since July 1995.

Furthermore, they are expected to prove to the world that these "Muslim men and boys" were not killed in a battle for the town of Srebrenica, which would be a normal part of any war, however unfortunate, but "executed in cold blood".

Thus far, however, the number of those buried as the Muslim Srebrenica victims is 3, 214 -- nowhere near the magical number of the 8,000 mourned. Moreover, it was discovered that almost 1,000 Srebrenica Muslims of those 3,000 alleged victims of "Srebrenica massacre" which, allegedly, took place in July 1995, have died long before Srebrenica takeover, even before 1994. Digging up and reburying the same remains doesn't really help when it comes to cold, hard facts.

And, thirteen years later, Bosnian Muslims are still "searching for the remains" of another 5,000 Muslim fighters. Where could they be? Where could one find another 5,000 bodies, when the entire Western world and all the Muslims in the world, had spent 13 long years after the war, digging the whole Bosnia inside-out, looking under every rock and turning every stone to find even a fingertip that once rested on a Bosnian Muslim hand?

A normal legal practice adopted throughout the world says that no one can be charged with murder if there is no proof that the crime was indeed committed. If there is no body, and no remains of the body, there is no crime. So, how can the Bosnian Serb Army be accused of killing 8,000 Muslim men when the remains of 5,000 of them are nowhere to be found, thirteen years later?

Many Sheitans will Show Up Today

The ritual annual gathering of Bosnian Muslims in Potocari, near Srebrenica, is seen as a cynical display of Bosnian Muslim hypocrisy by Milivoj Ivanisevic, Director of the Center for research of the crimes against the Serbian people and a member of the Republic of Srpska Senate.

"Those buried in Potocari are the ones who have torched hundreds of Serbian villages and killed thousands of Serbian civilians. While at it, they have plundered all the property from the Serbian houses -- what they couldn't take with them, they burned. And now, their accomplices are coming to bow down to them, to honor their crimes, and to pledge that they will continue the monstrosities," Ivanisevic said, commenting today's ritualistic observances at the Muslim cemetery near Srebrenica.

He added that there are no civilian victims buried in the Muslim Srebrenica memorial and that, thus far, only a single body of a Muslim woman was found in and around Srebrenica.

"Children and women are not among the Muslim Srebrenica victims. If their victims consisted of mostly women and children, then the Muslims could speak about a genocide. Wolfgang Petric and Paddy Ashdown have replaced their imams and built their mezars, to create an impression in the world of many Muslims being killed in Srebrenica. Bosnian Muslims were also given a memorial in Europe, their own Mecca and Medina, like our Jasenovac and the Jewish Auschwitz. They haven't picked the 11th of July by coincidence, because on that day not a single Muslim had lost his life. They have done this only in order to spite and ridicule the Serbs on the eve of the bloody St. Peter's Day [July 12, when Bosnian Serbs commemorate victims of Oric's mujahedins]," Ivanisevic said.

He warned of the possibility that Naser Oric, Srebrenica cutthroat recently proclaimed innocent by the Hague, might show up personally in Potocari on July 11, as he announced.

"All sorts of vampires will show up or, as the Muslims say, the sheitans. Our police should arrest him, just like the Jews are arresting Nazis throughout the globe. We didn't have a single trial to Muslim war criminals in Belgrade, even though countless Sandzaklies [Raska Muslims in Serbia] have been raising hell through Bosnia-Herzegovina during the war", Ivanisevic reminds.

What Led to Srebrenica Takeover is at Least Equally Important

Miroslav Toholj, former Republic of Srpska Information Minister, said that the myth about the alleged Srebrenica Muslim victims was purposely built and kept alive.

"Double standards' is a too gentle term. It is a euphemism for the notorious falsification of the facts regarding the war in Podrinje. Apart from determining the actual facts about the Bosnian Muslim fighters who lost their lives during Srebrenica takeover, it is equally important to determine and acknowledge the facts about the suffering of Serbs in this region, which forced the Bosnian Serb Army to take the town over", Toholj said.

Survivors of Christmas Massacre in Kravica will Not Allow Any Muslim Gatherings

Ahead of tomorrow's commemoration of over 3,500 of Bosnian Serb civilians who were massacred by Oric's mujahedins in Srebrenica municipality, members of the Bratunac Municipal Board (Republic of Srpska) have announced their decision not to allow the gathering of the Bosnian Muslims on July 15 in the village of Kravica, where Bosnian Muslims planned to hold the religious ceremony and "the history lesson" on the 13th year anniversary of Srebrenica takeover.

The Board members requested from the Muslim organizer to exclude that, most provocative part of their program, since it could cause an inter-ethnic incident in Kravica. They requested from the police to ban the gathering.

Bosnian Serb residents of the village Kravica, who have survived the Christmas 1993 massacre by the Naser Oric hordes, have warned that they will not allow any Muslim gatherings in their village.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 05:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Hague Failure

Serbian war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic said yesterday that the Hague tribunal, as "one of the most controversial institutions, disputed by the politicians, by the experts, by the judiciary, by the accused and by the victims, two years ahead of its closure, has failed to achieve the satisfactory result."

According to Vukcevic, it is difficult to give any positive assessment of the Hague tribunal's work after the shameful acquittals of Bosnian Muslim war criminal Naser Oric and Kosovo Albanian war criminal Ramush Haradinaj.

"Haradinaj procured his acquittal through the liquidation of the witnesses. Two eyewitnesses, one indirect witness and six potential witnesses to his crimes were killed. In the case against Haradinaj, the Hague council of judges had clearly pointed to these 'problems' in presenting the evidence but, in my opinion, they have tolerated this scandal through their decisions," Serbian state prosecutor said.

He reminded that in the case against Oric, the horrific war crimes against the Bosnian Serb population in Srebrenica and the surrounding villages were acknowledged, but none of the perpetrators mentioned in the pre-trial sessions in the Hague and locally have been indicted or processed.

"So, we have the war crimes, we have the victims, but there is no punishment. As a prosecutor, I have a very hard time accepting this. It is not easy to stave off the sickening feeling and the fact that the victims have been victimized once again," Vukcevic concluded.

Oric's Acquittal — The Straw that Broke the Camel's Back

Russia stated today that due to the Hague tribunal's obvious bias, its activities should be terminated as soon as possible. Russia's stand was reinforced by the Hague's appellation board overturning the tribunal's verdict in the case against Bosnian Muslim war criminal Naser Oric.

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that in the case against the Srebrenica warlord and commander of the Muslim troops stationed in Srebrenica, whose conviction the appellation board of the tribunal overturned, the Hague had fully demonstrated its blatant bias.

"Tribunal's decision merely confirms the necessity to urgently realize the already approved strategy of terminating the activities of this court", Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry stated.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 06:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Prof. Markovic: Reconciliation?! Rubbish!

Professor of Philosophy and one of the founders of the Serbian Socialist Party (SPS) Mihailo Markovic (81) said that advertisement of the new ruling coalition between the Socialist Party and Tadic's DS under the slogan of a "historical reconciliation" of the two diametrically opposed political factions is pure rubbish.

"At the SPS Main board session Dacic, Obradovic and Skundric talked about the just concluded trade arrangement as of 'reconciliation'. This has nothing to do with reconciliation, because what is at issue here are different programs and politics. It is a whole other thing when the states are at war and then they reconcile. Here, we have political principles and programs. There are countless ideological and practical reasons which make it impossible to reconcile these two parties," Academic Markovic said.

According to him, the biggest among the ideological obstacles is the fact that Tadic's Yellows advocate capitalism and globalism, with United States at the helm, and the minimal state interference in the economic trends, while the SPS supports all forms of proprietorship.

Time for True Socialists to Leave the Corrupt Party

"The SPS' most bitter opponent in the preceding period was precisely the DS. After October 5, 2000 [the CIA-staged coup], they have proclaimed us and the Radicals the greatest evil that ever befell Serbia. They have formed the crisis centers through which they replaced all the directors from the SPS ranks. One also shouldn't forget that the Yellows have kidnapped and handed President Milosevic over to the Hague tribunal. DS has a vassal relationship towards West and their main goal is Serbia's joining the EU, while they secretly dream of also joining NATO. They support the cooperation with the Hague tribunal and only verbally oppose the Kosovo-Metohija independence, while in reality they are doing nothing to prevent it," the SPS founder stressed, pointing out that every merging of so diametrically opposed political parties inevitably results in one of them renouncing its program and principles.

"I believe that in these latest events regarding the rapprochement with the Yellows, the SPS has lost its identity. The true socialists should therefore leave the SPS," Academic Markovic said.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 05:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Foreign Officials Covered Up Gruesome Albanian Atrocities

Investigation of the forceful extraction and sale of internal organs of the Serbs kidnapped by Kosovo Albanians, which was first brought to public attention by the Hague's former chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte in her recently published book "The Hunt, Me and War Criminals", was bound to fail while the UNMIK members were a part of it.

Belgrade daily Vecernje novosti offers further confirmation of suspected involvement of the high international officials in the monstrous crime chain, ran and organized by the Albanian terrorist KLA after the Serbian Army and police have pulled out from the southern Serbian province, and NATO took over the security in the region.

According to Carla Del Ponte, Albanian leaders of the terrorist KLA (UCK), who are at the same time the key political figures in the severed Kosovo-Metohija province, such as Hashim Thaci, Ramush Haradinaj and Agim Ceku were the main operators of the most gruesome branch in a wide scope of their criminal activities.

The report, published on Wednesday, quotes former UNMIK official who wished to remain anonymous, revealing some of the less known details of the thwarted investigation and continuous cover-up of the Albanian post-war atrocities in southern Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija.

Incomprehensible Omissions and Incompetence

"Carla Del Ponte requested from UNMIK to launch an investigation on the organ trade in 2003. At that time, UNMIK had six-seven units which were investigating different forms of crime, and tribunal had more than 50 of its own investigators in Kosovo, so there were enough people to conduct the investigation," Novosti source said.

Since the Hague tribunal had no jurisdiction over the territory of Albania, it couldn't conduct an investigation across the border. That is why the request for conducting investigation was sent to the UNMIK's central investigative unit, members of which, together with Carla Del Ponte, visited the yellow house in the Albanian north where, according to the trusted sources, the KLA brought at least 300 kidnapped Kosovo Serbs to have their organs extracted and transported to the West from Tirana airport. Del Ponte and investigators have found the used surgical instruments and gloves, infusion bottles, containers, traces of blood... "everything that clearly pointed to something very serious taking place in this house".

"It is entirely incomprehensible why the investigators, once they found all this, have failed to take the fingerprints. Based on that, they could have identified every person that was there," Novosti source said.

Asked how did the tribunal learn about this location in Albania, the former UNMIK member said that four Albanians who were personally involved in the whole grisly operation were also among Del Ponte's sources. They were the ones who took the team of Hague and UNMIK investigators to the yellow house.

"Someone Powerful Wanted to Hide these Atrocities"

"They even showed them the locations where they buried the human remains which could not be used for trade. But those mass graves were never opened! This clearly points to the fact that someone very powerful had a strong interest to cover up these crimes, so that no one ever learns about them," UNMIK official said.

Peruvian forensic expert José Pablo Baraybar, then-chief of the Kosovo-Metohija Office for missing persons and forensic medicine, although not a member of the investigative team that went to Albania, had a duty to order opening of the mass graves and exhumations from the position he held, after learning about the discovery of locations where the human remains were buried.

"Baraybar has done none of it. And both the Hague and UNMIK investigators, on their return from Albania, claimed they couldn't determine whether the blood they found was human or animal. That is absolutely impossible! There are sprays which allow us to immediately determine whether the blood found is human," UNMIK official said.

Who Provided the Surgeons?

This astoundingly amateurish investigation of the harvesting and trade with human organs by Kosovo Albanians ended with the investigators' return to Kosovo and Metohija province. Despite all the material evidence found, not a single step further was taken. However, the "investigators" have put together a "forensic report" about their visit to Albania, even though no one from the team visiting Albania was trained in forensic medicine.

No one was informed about their discoveries in Albania. Although Kosovo Serbs kept searching for their missing loved ones, UNMIK never told anyone what was found in the yellow house, nor that several Albanians personally involved in the horror pointed to the locations of mass graves in north Albania.

The report written by the Hague tribunal and UNMIK investigators was labeled "confidential". It was never forwarded to anyone and, according to the results of the currently conducted investigation, that report has been lost.

Based on all the informations available, it is certain that the macabre chain of operations surrounding the extraction and trade of human organs of the kidnapped Kosovo Serbs was exceptionally well organized and conducted with the explicit knowledge and involvement of the representatives of the international community stationed in Kosovo and Metohija province since the summer of 1999.

"There is absolutely no way for UNMIK to have been unaware of it. Their control stations were at every step of the way, so the kidnapped Serbs who were transported by the trucks had to pass through their control. And the same goes for the equipment necessary for these organ extraction surgeries. We believe that Albanians were securing the export of the organs, but the other thing we would like to know is: who was providing the surgeons?", Novosti source said.

Forensic Expert from Hell

José Pablo Baraybar, former head of the Kosovo-Metohija Office for missing persons and forensic medicine, who has fled in the meantime and suspected to be hiding in Argentine, is a man well known in the certain circles for an entirely scandalous behavior. He had passed through many war zones in the role of a forensic expert and, beside Kosovo-Metohija province, he was also in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in Croatia.

"During the autopsies, he would take the victims' bones without the knowledge of the families, to sell them to the universities as the exhibits. Pathologist Taria Fomisto (sp?) wrote to the UNMIK chief in 2000, informing him that Baraybar is stealing the bones of the exhumed victims. After Kosovo province, he went to Dallas, to the U.S. Forensics Academy, where he brought the whole crate with him, containing some 800 bones. On the crate, it was written 'Baraybar Collection of Bones'. Dr Tal Simmons, who was also in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, protested over this, saying she was well aware of Baraybar's catastrophic reputation," Novosti source revealed.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Government Cvetkovic-Dachek

The new Serbian government headed by Mirko Cvetkovic and dubbed the Cvetkovic-Machek government (in reference to the quisling government of Yugoslav Kingdom with Croat Machek who signed the pact with Hitler, after which the government was immediately toppled) or, more accurately, a Cvetkovic-Dachek government, with Socialist Ivica Dacic as the first vice-premier, formed yesterday, will have 27 cabinet members and 24 ministries. At the July 7 parliament session, Cvetkovic presented to the MPs the six principles government, comprised of the political parties gathered around Tadic's DS, Dacic's Socialists and the minorities, will be guided by.

He placed the "orientation towards Serbia's European future" at the top, then "rejection of the independence of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija", "the necessity of strengthening the economy", "strengthening the government's social responsibilities", "resolute fight against crime and corruption" and "respect for the international law".

At the request of the opposition, the time allocated for the Parliament discussion was doubled to 10 hours, and the ensuing pounding of the new government coalition made rounds through the Belgrade media as a form of fire and brimstone baptism.

Danke Munter, Wordsworth and Tycoons!

Leader of the parliamentary group of [Kostunica's] Democratic Party of Serbia and [Ilic's] New Serbia, Milos Aligrudic, noted that the long-winded expose of the new government leader "makes it impossible to gather what, in fact, is the state policy of the new government", and that there is no mentioning of the defense of Serbia's territorial integrity.

"In reality, this government is to be ruled from another center -- from the cabinet of the state president. This government will be led by Tadic personally, or via his extended arm, his most trusted man, Ivica Dacic. So, Tadic will rule unrestrainedly and entirely unobstructed by any competition within the coalition, as clearly shown by the list of ministers for which, obviously, the nominee [Cvetkovic] can't be blamed," Aligrudic said.

"Because this government wasn't formed by the nominee in the first place. This government was formed by Boris Tadic, through his consultations with Cameron Munter [U.S. ambassador], Stephen Wordsworth [UK ambassador], Milan Beko [tycoon], Miroslav Miskovic [tycoon] and who knows who else -- except for the nominee himself. The guarantors of the survival of this government are beyond the parliament building and beyond the government building. They are outside this very state, and some are the tycoons who are sitting in this country and who are effectively influencing the composition of the government and its future work. Thanks to all this, this government has a great chance to live through the full mandate, and Tadic can sleep well," Aligrudic said.

He stressed that "the nominee's expose made a stealth leap over the international obligations and the UN Security Council Resolution 1244", nowhere explaining how will the "good neighborly relations" be realized with the countries which have recognized Kosovo-Metohija province independence, as stipulated by the EU's Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA).

"Where is the defense of territorial integrity in this expose, the issue of the EU civilian mission in Kosovo province, or the position in regards to the parliament of the Serbian municipalities in Kosovo and Metohija?!", demanded Aligrudic.

A Military Plan for Defense of Kosovo-Metohija

Socialist Party deputy leader Dusan Bajatovic responded that the very important goal of the new government will be the preservation of Kosovo-Metohija province with all the political and diplomatic means and, if necessary, even with the "military plans".

He said that the attempt at national reconciliation shouldn't be ridiculed, even if it starts with the reconciliation of only two political parties, Tadic's DS and Dacic's SPS, and that it is necessary to create conditions for the economic development and the socially just society.

"It might be difficult to reconcile our social goals with the views on the economy held by G17 [Dinkic], but there is a clear motivation to have all the political parties contribute as much as possible and do their best," Bajatovic said.

But his mentioning of the military plans for defense of Kosovo and Metohija province provoked a furious reaction by the LDP leader Chedomir Jovanovic (Cheda the Junkie), who demanded that the nominee Mirko Cvetkovic explains Bajatovic's statements about national reconciliation and military plans for defense of southern Serbian province, since these points were not mentioned in Cvetkovic's expose.

To which Aligrudic responded that Jovanovic is posing questions to the wrong person, because Cvetkovic "is neither politically competent, nor sufficiently authoritative" to be able to offer an acceptable reply.

Tadic For Tadic

For deputy leader of the Serbian Radical Party Tomislav Nikolic, Cvetkovic's expose was nothing but a nice wish-list, being that the "nominee announced what the government intends to do, but not how will it achieve any of the stated goals".

"Everyone is saying that the nominee has no authority. And, indeed, he has none. But Tadic wasn't looking for a man of authority to begin with. Tadic thinks that Tadic is the only man in Serbia who should have authority. When he forms the government in this way, it is clear that the only authorities in the entire ruling coalition are Tadic and this cancer-party G17, which will once again, with its long-term beneficial emanations, in a year, mostly two, devour this government too. Everything Cvetkovic stated harks back to Tadic's court camarilla. Their handwriting is on everything," Nikolic said.

He stressed that the economy logic of the new government is based on the two premises: get in debts and sell.

"Who in our country is privatizing the banks and the insurance firms? The foreigners, mostly Slovenians. Cvetkovic disproves the fact we haven't yet become a banana republic under the financial control of Slovenia. Cvetkovic, you act as if you don't know there were crimes and abuses of the funds allocated for Kosovo-Metohija. Why don't you tell us that here? Until when will you be talking about the false patriotism? There is only false morality. You, talking about refusing to accept Kosovo independence! That is Tadic's slogan. What will you do against it?!," Nikolic charged.

He added that the Foreign Affairs Minister [Vuk Jeremic] went to Spain ahead of the parliament session "to confirm" Spain will not recognize Pristina separatists' unilateral independence declaration.

"Mr. Minister, allow us to see you just once coming back from France to tell us: I have succeeded in persuading France to give up on the recognition of Kosovo-Metohija independence! A medal the size of a house would have been awarded to you! What are we going to do with the ambassadors withdrawn from the embassies in the states which have recognized severed Kosovo and Metohija? What the future struggle for preservation of Kosovo and Metohija entails? Is it war, as Dacic was saying few months ago? Is it war, as Tadic was saying few months ago? Based on what will the world believe that we want to keep Kosovo province within Serbia, if our last defense is that we 'do not accept' Kosovo independence?!", Nikolic demanded.

Yellow Firm in the Police for Dacic

He then turned to Dacic who, apart from the position of the vice premier in the new government, also managed to pry the position of a new Minister of Internal Affairs for himself.

"What struggle against the crime are you talking about?! Mr. Dacic, in the past month and a half, the Yellows have retired all the police members who had any connection with you or with me, or with any honorable and normal man in Serbia. What remains for you is the Yellow firm in the police -- the entire police is now Yellow. I would love to know how would you chase the criminals out from the Yellow ranks in the police. It will be amusing to observe that showdown, especially with this Djelic [yet another vice premier in the new government] sitting next to you, and with the premier involved in privatization deals," concluded Nikolic.

The new government won't be able to count on the support of the minority party of the Coalition of Albanians either, because its representative in the Serbian Parliament Riza Halimi feels that the "key majority leaders do not possess the essential readiness to seriously approach the very sensitive issues concerning the Albanian minority in Serbia".

Posted by BBlog Staff at 08:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Oric's Acquittal Beyond the Pale

"Based on the Hague tribunal's prior work, I expected that the court's appellation board at least confirms the ICTY verdict, according to which the genocidal criminal, commander of the 28th Muslim division in 'demilitarized' Srebrenica, was found guilty and convicted to only two years imprisonment -- less than he had spent in Scheveningen prison during the trial. Decision by the appellation board to overturn that verdict and pronounce the war criminal innocent is indeed beyond even the most pessimistic expectations," Dr Milan Bulajic, Chairman of the Genocide Research Foundation, told Glas Javnosti.

"Commander of the 28th Muslim division was charged, tried and convicted only for the period between September 24, 1992 and March 20, 1993 -- that is the period of six months alone. This is the time after the withdrawal of the Yugoslav Peoples Army [JNA], on May 19, 1992, when the Serbian population [in Bosnia] was left to its own devices, to defend itself on its own from Naser Oric's cutthroats," Bulajic explained.

"The Drina Corps of the Republic of Srpska Army [Bosnian Serb Army] was formed on November 1, 1992. However, Oric's mobs have been committing atrocious crimes all the way through to the mid-1995, up to their genocidal crime in the Serbian village of Visnjica, immediately before the Srebrenica takeover [by the Bosnian Serb Army] in July 1995. And yet, Oric was charged only for the atrocities against the captured Serbs held in Srebrenica prison, and on the basis of 'command responsibility' [but not for the crimes he personally took part in]. Among his accomplices, only some Arif Krdzic is mentioned, while not a word has been said about the proven war crimes of the mob headed by Tursunovic," Bulajic said.

He pointed out that Hague tribunal had mentioned "operations" in some of the Serbian-populated villages around Srebrenica, like Ratkovici, Jezestica, Fakovici, Bjelovac, Kravica, Siskovici and the smaller settlements around.

"But the genocidal crimes, like the one in village Kravica on the Eastern Orthodox Christmas on January 6, 1993, are not even touched by the Hague! In all those atrocities, Naser Oric personally took part. This is not the issue of command responsibility alone," Bulajic said.

Bloodthirsty Oric Sang During Massacres

He emphasized the well-known fact that Toronto Star reporter Bill Schiller described his visit to Naser Oric in his Srebrenica apartment in January 1994, when Oric showed him the shocking video recording of the event he took part in. Oric's mujahedeens have filmed the numerous corpses of the Serbs they slaughtered, the severed heads and the fleeing Serbian population.

"We ambushed them, we launched those guys to the moon!," Oric boasted to Canadian reporter. "We killed 114 Serbs there!" According to Schiller, the video recording also showed post-massacre "celebrations, with singers with wobbly voices chanting [Oric's] praises," quotes Bulajic, appalled by the Hague's selective justice and the willful ignorance of some of the worst mass crimes committed against the Serbs during the Bosnian civil war.

He stressed that Hague tribunal has also completely ignored the crime of arming the 28th Muslim division stationed in the so-called "demilitarized zone" of Srebrenica, where the UN Security Council prohibited the presence of anyone's army and weapons.

"Oric was abusing the 'safe-zone' status of Srebrenica, and kept using the town as his base for the genocidal assaults against the surrounding Serbian villages", Bulajic said.

"Republic of Srpska Association of the former camp-prisoners and the Committee for gathering data about the crimes against humanity have compiled a list of 3,282 victims of Serbian ethnicity from Srebrenica municipality, by their first and last names. For all those war crimes only Naser Oric was convicted. Now, by the verdict of the appellation board, he was acquitted," Bulajic concluded.

Serbs Alone Tried by the Hague

Commenting the mockery of the verdict issued to Naser Oric by the Hague tribunal, Zoran Krasic said at the recent press conference that it is entirely clear that the Hague tries and convicts Serbs alone.

"Judging by the acquital of cutthroat Oric, those 3,300 Serbs -- civilians killed in and around Srebrenica, have either committed a suicide, or they were killed by the other Serbs", Krasic, a member of the legal team for defense of Dr Seselj, said.

He assessed that the Hague tribunal does not care for the truth, but only focuses on convicting as many Serbs as possible, declaring them guilty for all the events in former Yugoslavia during the 1990s.

"And it suits the [domestic] political bloc which advocated prolonging the bombardment of our country to have the greatest possible number of Serbs convicted by the Hague, since that is precisely why the West installed them in power," Krasic said.

Seselj vs. Hague Prosecution: 33—0

Speaking about the mock-trial against Vojislav Seselj, whose indictment boils down to exercising his right to free speech, Krasic said that the Hague tribunal has failed to present a single evidence to prove the charges against the leader of the Radicals. He said that Vojislav Seselj, simply put, leads with 33-0 against the prosecution, which called 33 "witnesses" thus far.

"The prosecutors used up some 50% of their allocated time to present the evidence against Seselj, but they have failed to prove a single thing," Krasic said.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Albanian Mafia the Single Biggest Threat to Europe

March 2008 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime which went conveniently unnoticed and uncovered by the western mainstream media, though generally upbeat, bringing the good news of the crime rates dropping in the Balkan region as a whole, and announcing Balkans as "much safer than previously thought", underlines, once again, the growing concern over the flourishing Albanian mafia, which is now, thanks to the Western power centers, ruling over the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija.

Beyond the fancy charts and maps, behind the joy over the "improving trends", the report titled Crime and its Impact on the Balkans [.pdf file], hides a very grim reality of the far-reaching deadly tentacles of Albanian organized crime, exasperated and turned into a malignant disease by the western backing of severing Kosovo-Metohija province from Serbia.

Albanian Clans Take the Leading Place in Organized Crime

Excerpt from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime report for March 2008

[pg 61] From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, Turkish organized crime groups dominated European heroin markets. During the 1990s, however, a new ethnic group began to emerge in heroin trafficking: ethnic Albanians. As noted above, until 1991, the nation of Albania was one of the most isolated in the world. Albanians living in former Yugoslavia [in Serbia, Kosovo-Metohija province], however, moved with great freedom to the east and west, and there are reports of ethnic Albanian involvement in Italian organized crime groups from the mid-1980s.

But as discussed above, ethnic Albanian organized crime really got its competitive advantage from a series of regional shocks during the 1990s, starting with the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, the imposition of sanctions, the collapse of the Albanian pyramid schemes in 1997 [in the neighboring state of Albania], and then the conflict in Kosovo. For a period of time, large areas of territory occupied by ethnic Albanians was exempt from the control of any state, and Italy was only a short speed boat ride from the west coast of Albania. No other national group enjoyed such direct access to Western markets. By 2000, Italian chief prosecutor Cataldo Motta went so far as to assert that "Albanian organized crime has become a point of reference for all criminal activity today. Everything passes via the Albanians."

[pg 65] Arguably, Albanian heroin dealers are the single most notorious Balkan organized crime phenomenon. For example, a decade ago the Council of Europe noted in its organized crime situation report:

"While in former years the [heroin] trade [in Austria] was dominated by Turkish organizations, it was noted in 1998 that ethnic Albanians have now taken over... ethnic Albanian criminal organizations managed to build a Europe-wide network and hold monopolies in urban areas. They maintain operational bases in Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and in the Nordic countires..."

And in its 2005 situation report, the Council of Europe said:

"Ethnic Albanian criminal groups are reportedly responsible for a large part of the wholesale distribution of heroin in Europe... Ethnic Albanian criminal groups pose a significant threat to the EU because of their involvement in drug trafficking, THB [trafficking in human beings] and money laundering."

"Ethnic Albanian Criminal Groups" are the only national group discussed in the 2006 Europol [European department of Interpol] publication The Threat from Organized Crime:

"Ethnic Albanian organized crime groups have established themselves in many European Union Member States and beyond... ethnic Albanian crime groups are found to extend their role from facilitators to achieving full control in certain crime areas. They adapt without difficulties to local or changing situations."

No "Freedom Fighters", Just Criminals and Thugs

On the preceding pages, the latest Drugs & Crime UN report offers a rarely accurate analysis of the situation among the ethnic Albanians (both next door to Serbia, in neighboring Albania, and in Serbia itself, mainly in the southern Kosovo province), which led to formation of the Albanian terrorist KLA (UCK) and to the terrorist attacks in Serbia -- an unusually honest glimpse at the root-causes of Albanian insurrection and occupation of part of Serbia, impossible to find in the tons of worthless junk produced daily by the Western mainstream media.

The following excerpt effectively dismantles the pompous claims of heroic "struggle for freedom and independence" and disingenuous references to the "self-determination" of an ethnic group which has already exercised its right to self-determination with the formation of state of Albania.

No, it has nothing to do with "freedom", "independence" or "self-determination", it is all about illicit trade, crime without punishment, lawlessness, thuggery and insatiable greed.

Criminals, Terrorists or Politicians? In Kosovo-Metohija, all Three.

Excerpt from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime report for March 2008

[pg 52] According to an Interpol statement made before the U.S. Congress in 2000:

"Albanian drug lords established elsewhere in Europe began contributing funds to the 'national cause' in the 80s. From 1993 on, these funds were to a large extent invested in arms and military equipment for the KLA (UCK) which made its first appearance in 1993... Of the almost 900 million DM which reached Kosovo between 1996 and 1999, half was thought to be illegal drug money."

Links between drug trafficking and the supply of arms to the KLA have also been established in the prosecutions of individual ethnic-Albanian drug traffickers, such as the recent trial of Agim Gashi in Italy.

The conflict in Kosovo was strongly affected by the collapse of the government of Albania in 1997, following the failure of nationwide "pyramid schemes" in which the Albanian public had heavily invested. One of the reasons the schemes were so popular was the common belief that the government was using them to launder money. Some have argued that the collapse was related to the loss of revenues from sanctions busting, particularly the oil embargo, since some of the schemes derived income from this source.

In January 1997, as some ten companies ceased payouts, people protested in Tirana [Albania] against the government, demanding repayment of money they had lost. By March 1997, country-wide riots were out of control as Albania plunged into chaos. Some 2000 people were killed as the central government lost control of the southern region of Albania [toward the border with Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija] and armed groups took control of most of the major cities south of Tirana [toward Kosovo province].

[pg 53] Many soldiers and policemen deserted and armories were plundered. In march 1997, over 650,000 weapons and 1.5 billion rounds of ammunition were stolen from more than 280 government armories, many of which found their way into the hands of the KLA. As one group of analysts concluded:

"Albania in the spring of 1997 represents a classic case of state failure. The structures that should have guaranteed the rule of law failed completely... There was no judicial system. To the extent that police were found on the streets, they were agents of private violence. A substantial amount of weapons were seized by the population; the state of insecurity was total. The state was neither taxing nor spending".

While Kosovar and Albanian drug traffickers were already established in a number of West European countries, the chaos in their home countries gave them a strong advantage over the competition during this period. In 1997, a stateless zone was literally few minutes boat ride from Italy, one of the largest heroin markets in Europe.

By 1998, the KLA had increased the scope of its operations and controlled a third of Kosovo's territory, opening new smuggling opportunities. The smuggling of migrants across Kosovo and Albania also increased during this period. Even after the government began to reassert control in Albania, it may have lacked the capacity or the will to prevent what had become a lifeline for many of its people in the absence of alternative livelihoods due to the collapsed economy.

In 2001, conflict emerged in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia between the state and the Albanian-speaking minority living near the border with Kosovo (Serbia). Some have argued that this struggle was motivated, at least in part, by the desire to protect smuggling routes in the north of the country:

"Throughout the 1990s, the international community... praised Macedonia as a success story for conflict prevention and multi-ethnic peace... The armed conflict began in February 2001 with the emergence of the National Liberation Army (NLA) [KLA branch] in the village of Tanusevci. In the late 1990s, Tanusevci had become a funnel for arms to the Kosovo Liberation Army... Especially important was the capture of the village of Aracinovo, 10 km outside the Macedonia's capital, Skopje. The village was considered the 'hotbed of Albanian mafia activities,' and some NLA commanders were the mafia bosses...

"The leading French criminologist Xavier Raufer emphasizes that the criminals and the the rebels are one and the same. He adds that Italy's police intelligence service believes [Albanian terrorist groups] are a criminal network linked to former members of the Albanian secret service."

The continued existence of organized crime groups with sufficient strength to challenge the government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was evidenced by the recent seizure of weapons "sufficient to equip a battalion of 650 soldiers. They included laser-guided anti-aircraft missiles, artillery pieces, rocket propelled grenade launchers, sniper rifles, assault rifles, dynamite, hand grenades, mortars and thousands of bullets..." The police initially described those in control of these weapons as an 'organized crime group', but later suggested political motivations -- an adjustment which highlights the difficulties often encountered in distinguishing the criminal and the political in this region.

During the conflicts, smuggling was necessary for survival. Smugglers were able to simultaneously enrich themselves and serve their respective causes, rapidly gaining both economic and political capital. They have chosen to assume diverse roles in the post conflict period, with some vigorously pursuing legitimacy in business or politics, some remaining marginal, and some straddling both worlds.

[pg 65] [Present] situation in Kosovo [organized crime situation] appears to be well organized, with perhaps five regional strongmen controlling corners of the territory and distributing to diaspora clan members in specific destination countries.

Finally, for those eager to present Kosovo Albanians as an "oppressed minority" in Serbia -- even though Albanian minority in Serbia had the schools, universities, TV and radio stations and channels, as well as the rest of the media in Albanian language, even though they had free health care and free education, no taxation and were constantly subsidized, like true parasites, by all the other Yugoslav republics, most of all by Serbia, which allowed them to do whatever they want as long as they are not terrorizing the non-Albanians around them -- the team of UN researchers, headed by Ted Leggett, has an enlightening revelation, on the same page 65 of the Report: "The Kosovars long enjoyed the benefits of being part of the most open society in the region".

"The most open society in the region", i.e. the Serbian society, paid dearly for being all-inclusive, all-permissive and devoid of any notion of self-protection and self-preservation, until it was too late to see it was nurturing a snake in its chest.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 05:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Republic of Srpska to Sue United Nations and Netherlands

Republic of Srpska [Serbian republic in Bosnia and Herzegovina] Premier Milorad Dodik announced the lawsuit against the United Nations and the government of Netherlands, because the Dutch battalion stationed in Srebrenica has done nothing during the war to protect the surrounding Serbian-populated villages from the slaughter by the Muslim troops under Naser Oric's command.

Shocked by the shameful verdict of the Hague tribunal, acquitting Srebrenica warlord Oric, Dodik said that various Bosnian Muslim associations sued the government of Netherlands and the UN court declared itself authorized to adjudicate in the case against the Dutch troops, which did not protect the Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica.

"Following the same principle, Republic of Srpska will, in the next few weeks, bring up the charges against Netherlands", Dodik announced on Friday.

"We Lost Trust in the International Institutions Long Time Ago"

He explained that Republic of Srpska will request the legal procedure because the Dutch contingent of the UN protection forces (UNPROFOR), stationed in Srebrenica, has failed to demilitarize Srebrenica, as mandated by the UN Security Council Resolution, and has allowed the commander of the Muslim troops in Srebrenica Naser Oric to carry out regular assaults from the protected zone, raiding the surrounding Serbian villages and slaughtering Serbian civilian population with his mujahedin troops for three years prior to Bosnian Serb Army taking the town over.

"Even the superficial observer is aware that there must be a command responsibility for the horrific atrocities committed by Naser Oric's troops. Tribunal has punished people who were not commanding the operations on the ground, like Biljana Plavsic [Republic of Srpska politician]. Unfortunately, tribunal did not see the need to punish Oric, who commanded the assaults against the villages surrounding Srebrenica, even though the international community was under obligation to demilitarize the so-called protected zone in and around Srebrenica," Dodik said.

He stressed that the exact dates and places where Oric was raiding the Serbian villages around Srebrenica are all well documented and that it is entirely incomprehensible that the Hague "did not have sufficient evidence" to determine the responsibility for the atrocities -- confirmed by the Hague tribunal itself -- committed by Oric's mujahedins.

"The foreigners would say that tribunal has the right to reach its own verdict, but we have learned quite a while back that we can't place any trust in the benevolence of the various international institutions. This is the case which proves it to the fullest. Apart from the lawsuit against the United Nations and Netherlands, we shall also determine the venues through which we can renew the process against Oric", Dodik said.

Republic of Srpska Won't be a Collateral Damage of Muslim/Croat Irresponsibility

A week earlier, when the reports surfaced that Muslim/Croat federation in Bosnia faces bankruptcy, with only 221 euros remaining on their bank account, Republic of Srpska prime minister said that his country will not become a "collateral damage" of the irresponsibly governed other half of the state.

The news about excessive spending and astoundingly frivolous behavior of the leading circles at the top of Bosnian Muslim/Croat federation, who even splurged 85,000 euros from the federation budget on a luxurious yacht for their vacations in the government resort of Trpanj in Croatia, all of which has led to bleeding the federation budget dry, was met with resignation in the Bosnian Serb Republic.

Premier Dodik said that there are 170 million of convertible Marks in the budget of Republic of Srpska (around 100 million euros), but much more if the moneys dedicated to the Republic of Srpska development fund are added to the sum.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 01:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Operation Bandit

The Operation Bandit, in which then-President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Vojislav Kostunica was to be assassinated by the sniper hit in Sarajevo on July 15, 2002, was planned and organized by the Western intelligence services.

According to Belgrade daily Kurir, Vojislav Kostunica was to be assassinated by the sniper hit on July 15, 2002 in Sarajevo, ahead of the start of the tripartite conference of the leaders of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina [BiH] and Croatia. The assassination was planned by the western intelligence services, and the operation was codenamed "Bandit". The action was discovered in time, and the assassins who should have arrived from Croatia never reached Sarajevo.

Busted

Security services from Serbia and Republic of Srpska have captured the conversation at the meeting of the two main foreign operatives in Serbia at the time, Anthony Monckton [MI6] and David Black [CIA], as they discussed the Operation Bandit. Published by Kurir, the following is an exclusive transcript of their conversation taking place on August 7, 2002, in a restaurant of one of Belgrade hotels.

Monckton: I don't understand how was the operation busted. The most trustworthy men were selected.

Black: It seems that the logistics have failed. The Muslims simply can't be trusted.

Monckton: Who was involved among the Sarajevo operatives?

Black: Our men. Reliable.

Monckton: Was the planned trigger a solo-act, or were there few more teams for cover?

Black: One man, but our team from Zagreb should have covered him, just in case. I don't know what went wrong.

Monckton: Who was securing the target?

Black: BIA [Serbian security service] was securing President Kostunica up until now, but as a part of a deeper protection it is possible that some intelligence centers of Republika Srpska security services have gotten involved too.

Monckton: Krga and Tomic were constantly under surveillance before the [Paddy] Ashdown's meeting with President Mesic, Kostunica and the members of the BiH presidency. The authorities from BIA were also observed. Our operatives on the ground in Bosnia were reporting that their intelligence services are under control.

Black: Yes, but the army intelligence service of Republic of Srpska is still strong and it is obviously not under control.

Monckton: A mistake was made with Biljana Plavsic. Things were quickly put in order while she was there!

Black: Was Ashdown aware of the operation Bandit?

Monckton: The operation was a top secret and only three men knew about it.

Who are Anthony Monckton and David Black?

Anthony Monckton (full name Anthony Leopold Colyer Monckton) was the chief of British Intelligence Service MI6 for the Balkan region. Monckton came to Belgrade immediately ahead of the October 5, 2000 coup, and his most important task was delivering Milosevic to Hague, which he successfully completed.

He had close ties with Vladimir Beba Popovic [chief of the Intelligence Office in Djindjic's government], Cedomir Jovanovic [former head of Djindjic's parliamentary caucus, currently the LDP leader] and especially with Dusan Mihajlovic, then an Internal Affairs Minister [in Djindjic's government]. These ties were confirmed by the deputy leader of the Republic Security Service [RDB] Zoran Mijatovic, in his book "Requiem for the State Secret". Regarding President Milosevic's delivery to the Hague, he wrote:

"... Mr. Monckton, adviser for the British embassy in Belgrade, called to say he will be late because he's in Montengro... From the conversation with Monckton, I can see that the whole business of transferring Milosevic to the Hague was conducted between Mr. Monckton, British military attache and Minister Mihajlovic. Who has played which role, what was the general plan, that is entirely unknown to me ... The very fact Mr. Monckton was involved was a bad omen for the following, somewhat unusual reasons. Monckton, officially an adviser of the British embassy, was an intelligence operative, and in the well-informed intelligence circles his name was also tied to the death of Lady Di..."

Monckton made another precedent. According to the reliable sources, this British operative was extremely well connected with the Serbian underground, so well that he knew much more about the activities of the so-called Zemun and Surcin gangs than the heads of the state security services in Serbia.

David Black was the man who, together with John Neighbor, controlled the work of Serbian Intelligence Services. He was assigned with the task of controlling the work of the DB [Drzavna Bezbednost, State Security], while Neighbor was in charge of keeping Serbia's Military Intelligence Services in check. After Neighbor was arrested, David Black became CIA's Balkan chief.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 08:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Russia's Stand on Kosovo-Metohija Province Remains Firm

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon overstepped his authority by deciding on his own, outside of UN Security Council, to scale back the United Nations mission in southern Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with media outlets from Group of Eight countries ahead of a G8 summit in Japan next week.

"We have stated our position on settling the Kosovo issue firmly and clearly. We have not changed this position. It was formulated some time ago and remains unaltered," Medvedev stressed.

"We think that Kosovo sets a dangerous and regrettable precedent. We think that the decisions taken on this issue are not a one-off thing, not casus sui generis, as the diplomats would say, but sets a precedent. Europe will have to face the consequences for decades to come. Moreover, this position will be taken up by a number of other separatist regimes, who will use it to justify their own status as subjects in law. There can be no escaping this fact and blaming someone.

"As for the situation in the Security Council, our position has not changed. We think that the appropriate forces from the United Nations should have the principle mandate. We have stated this position very clearly.

Ban Ki-Moon Not Authorized to Implement his own Ideas

"We were surprised by the position taken by the UN Secretary General, who bypassed the Security Council and made a statement on the need to replace these forces. But at the very least these decisions should not be taken by the UN Secretary General alone. This is the Security Council's prerogative. Secondly, it is somewhat strange for the Secretary General to make a statement on this matter when the Security Council has not yet stated its view.

"We therefore reaffirm our position and we consider that the UN forces should remain in this situation when there are parties to the conflict, countries categorically opposed to their withdrawal, I mean Serbia of course, which is under no circumstances willing to recognize Kosovo as an independent state, and there are many such states. And the process of recognition is going a lot more slowly than the founding fathers of the idea had hoped.

"All of this confirms the need to maintain a calm and balanced course in this situation. We think that the United Nations and the Security Council are the only forums for discussing these matters. Correspondingly, peacekeeping contingents should be authorized in accordance with the UN Charter and Resolution 1244."

Posted by BBlog Staff at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

"I was Tried by the Inquisition"

"I was tried by the inquisition, and not by the court of justice", former leader of the Republic of Srpska Krajina in Croatia, Milan Martic, said at the beginning of his address to the Hague tribunal's appellation board headed by Fausto Pocar.

"It was hard to figure out who was the prosecutor and who were the judges", Martic said.

Judge Bakone Moloto shocked everyone by saying Croatia Serbs should have collectively moved out of Krajina in Croatia, leaving their homes, property and land they have inhabited for centuries, to spare Croats the trouble of having to ethnically cleanse them. He asked Martic: "Why didn't you move out to Serbia on your own? They would have recognized you there as a nation and in that way you would have spared both the Croats and yourselves the trouble", to which Martic responded in disbelief that both Croat fuhrer Pavelic and his successor Franjo Tudjman would have envied this "judge".

Martic said he expected the just trial, but that he was terribly wrong, since the council of judges that tried him "took the page from Dante's Divine Comedy and applied the principle 'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here'". He said he believed that tribunal will determine the truth that Croat Serbs were not "aggressors", but were only defending themselves. Instead, the tribunal had placed on trial his persecuted and expelled people.

The indication of this perversion of justice epitomized by the Hague tribunal, where the victim is treated as a culprit, while the pogrom perpetrators receive understanding and compassion, came early on, during purging of Croatia, which is now an ethnically pure state.

"After the aggression on Maslenica ended, when Croat army killed some 500 Serbs, destroyed dozens of villages and expelled the survivors, I pointed to the information that Germany and France have given the green light to Croat leadership to attack us, that the UN Security Council reacted in favor of Croatia, instead of condemning these acts, while the media launched a propaganda assault, claiming that Serbs are the 'aggressors'. Taumberie (sp?) [deputy of the UN peacekeeping forces in Croatia] responded that he can't pretend that the international community is objective when it comes to the events in Croatia", Martic said.

Pure Fascist State in the Heart of Europe

He emphasized that only on the territory of Republic of Srpska Krajina during the UN mandate, 7,000 Serbs were killed and that the RSK government was trying to protect the Serbian Krajina population. He also reminded the council that during two of the Croat state pogroms -- operations "Flash" and "Storm" -- more than 300,000 Serbs were expelled from Croatia.

"During the UN [peacekeeping] mandate, Croat state carried out five classical pogroms, all of which have the characteristics of genocide: planning, intention and execution. This is how, aided by the international community, a pure fascist state was created in the heart of Europe. The Serbs had their property stolen, destroyed and plundered. Even 50 of the returnees were killed, crimes for which no one has ever faced justice in Croatia," Martic said.

He noted the terrifying fact that both Hague's prosecution and defense in the trial against Tudjman's generals Gotovina, Markaca and Cermak, agree that the "Storm" was "a legitimate action", even though it was clearly, in all the aspects, a genocidal operation.

When Martic said that the main "cultural event" in Croatia today are the concerts of Croat neo-Nazi Marko Perkovic Thompson who glorifies Ustasha horrors, where the Croat leaders and government members are regular guests, he was interrupted by Pocar and told that his ten minutes are out.

"Fine, but that same Croatia is now at the doorsteps of the European Union. May you be happy together!", Martic ended his testimony.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 05:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Brave Honorable Romania

"Romania will not take part in forming the institutions which imply the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo and Metohija", Romanian President Traian Basescu said two days ago in Brussels.

"Our position remains very clear—we will not recognize Kosovo,” Basescu stressed at a conference hosted on Monday, June 30, by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Brussels, dedicated to NATO’s future after the Alliance summit held in April in Bucharest.

The Romanian president said that his country supported NATO’s efforts in Kosovo, “but only if they are based on Security Council Resolution 1244, and do not in any way imply recognition" of the severed Serbian province.

He added that “that applied to new tasks linked to the Kosovo security forces” to be trained by KFOR, i.e. the NATO forces in Kosovo and Metohija.

As a NATO member, Romania has a contingent of some 150 troops among the overall KFOR presence of 16,600 soldiers.

Serbia and Russia, as well NATO members that have not recognized Kosovo independence are protesting the training of "Kosovo security services", since it implies recognizing the illegal act by the Pristina separatists.

Among the 26 NATO members, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Slovakia are the other countries, beside Romania, to have refused to recognize Serbian province as an independent state.

“We will not participate in institution-building in an independent Kosovo in either the EU or NATO,” Basescu underlined, adding that Bucharest’s position was based on full compliance with international law.

The five above mentioned NATO members are also members of the EU, where Malta and Cyprus are also against the recognition of Pristina temporary institutions’ unilateral independence declaration.

Out of 192 United Nations member states, only 43 have consented to imposed mutilation of Serbia and granted recognition to Pristina separatists, including NATO states and American and British colonies, Albania and Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, and the few never heard of before, like Burkina Faso and Marshall Islands.

If US State Department gets a bit more creative on this, they could mutilate few more countries in order to create a number of new "independent states", so they can keep recognizing each other, to boost Abramowitz/Brzezinski satanic theories.

Recommended: Queen of Hawaii demands independence from US occupiers, by Catherine Elsworth (Telegraph.co.uk); Lisbon treaty now pointless, says Polish president, by Bruno Waterfield (Telegraph.co.uk); The whole of Europe should thank the Irish people, Czech President Vaclav Klaus salutes rejection of Lisbon Treaty (Hrad.cz)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 02:42 PM | Permalink

Continuing Uncompromising Struggle for Kosovo and Metohija

"We are moving to the opposition benches and continuing the struggle for Serbia's state and national interests", the outgoing Premier Vojislav Kostunica announced on Thursday, at the convention of his political party, DSS (Democratic Party of Serbia). He said that the moment has arrived for the DSS to demonstrate the power of its convictions as the political party in opposition.

"It is better that the SPS (Socialist Party of Serbia) had shown it is politically closer to the parties forming the coalition 'For European Serbia'. They have shown their true face and, in doing so, spared us of the union with those who have no convictions, but recognize their personal interests only," Kostunica said.

He noted that it was not possible to form the national government with the political parties gathered around the SPS, which sought to join the Yellow coalition and formed the merger that ended up being "so unnatural and devoid of any principles to the point where it becomes difficult to properly name it".

Premier Kostunica pointed to the protracted fierce propaganda campaign against the DSS, led both in Serbia and abroad, aimed at labeling it as an "anti-European party".

"The simple truth is that the DSS is tirelessly and uncompromisingly fighting for Serbia and for preservation of Kosovo and Metohija province, and not against the Europe and European values. Our main priority must be defense of Serbia, which means defense of Kosovo and Metohija. If we were to agree to defend Kosovo province only declaratively, while in roundabout ways, through the various agreements, slowly allowing the implementation of Kosovo independence, we would have been too, without a doubt, awarded a certificate by the foreign factor that we are good and dedicated to the European integrations," said Kostunica.

DSS leader stressed that he will never accept to pay the "pro-European" attribute with 15 percent of Serbian state territory, nor will he ever accept the assessment he is "against Europe" only because he is for the whole, integral Serbia in Europe.

"It is not enough to just fight for justice, it is necessary to believe in our struggle, so that this struggle with conviction can be carried on by the future generations. That is the true meaning of our struggle in defense of Kosovo and Metohija," Serbian premier concluded.

Our Struggle for Kosovo is Never Lost

In the interview given to Vecernje novosti few days earlier, Vojislav Kostunica explained in greater detail his stand regarding this struggle that must not stop.

"I believe that no Serb who fought for Kosovo and Metohija was at the loss, and no Serb who fights for Kosovo and Metohija, regardless of the current situation, is defeated. Not to even mention the fact this present-day struggle for Kosovo province rests on the basic principles of the international law and that defense of Kosovo and Metohija is, at the same time, defense of precisely those principles which should be the cornerstone of modern-day world's peace and stability. But viewed from the perspective of our history, the very struggle for Kosovo-Metohija is a victory -- that is how it has been since we exist. If we had not fought for Kosovo, that would have been the biggest and ultimate defeat. Our present struggle for Kosovo and Metohija is the pledge for the future struggle of the new generations. This is the principle that is lasting in Serbian history. Therefore, every struggle for Kosovo province has its own immense and deep meaning. What may appear unrealistic today, the future generations will succeed achieving tomorrow."

The Broken Semaphore and Fierce Opposition

That the new Red-Yellow-Green coalition, comprised of Socialists, "reformers" gathered around Tadic and Dinkic (DS and G17), and Muslim parties in Serbia, already dubbed the "broken semaphore" by Tomislav Nikolic of Serbian Radical Party, ought to brace itself for the fierce opposition, was demonstrated at the very start of the Parliament sessions where opposition MPs blasted the politicians bound together by the patently obvious greed.

"All our talks have failed because your political party changed its politics and precisely on the most essential issue, the defense of Serbia's territorial integrity", head of the DSS-NS Parliament board Milos Aligrudic told the Socialist leader Ivica Dacic.

"Protection of the EULEX mission [the unlawful EU mission imposed in Kosovo-Metohija province] is the actual core principle of the new government. And the only purpose of the EULEX is support for the implementation of Ahtisaari plan", Aligrudic charged.

He asked Dacic how was forming the coalition possible between the political parties which until recently sought to prohibit each other -- Nenad Canak (of LSV, Vojvodina separatist, also in Tadic's group) demanded that the Radical and Socialist party be banned, and the Socialists requested banning of Canak's party.

Serbian Radical Party deputy leader Tomislav Nikolic said that the new governing majority illustrated its lack of regard for the parliament by assigning the post of parliament president to a coalition partner with the fewest MP seats won -- the Socialist party -- and concluded that this position obviously serves only as one of corruption tools.

"They are once again proposing for the president of the MPs a member of the parliament who barely managed to squeeze into the Assembly and this is an ongoing degradation of the parliament, ever since the DOSmanlies came to power", Nikolic said. [DOS is 'Democratic Opposition of Serbia', a wide variety of political parties scraped together as a counter-front to Slobodan Milosevic's Socialists; the form 'DOSmanly' is used as a derogatory attribute, evoking the Osman tribe or Ottomans, and pointing to the janissaries, i.e. the traitorous mercenary nature of the coalition]

Tomislav Nikolic told Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic, member of the Socialist Party elected to preside over the parliament, she should have no illusion that the future SPS coalition partners from the Yellow bloc have more regard for her than on October 5, 2000, at the time of the state coup organized by CIA and carried out by the DOS when, according to Nikolic, Dejanovic's life was "hanging on a thread". He stressed that, by deciding to join the Yellow bloc, Socialists and Djukic-Dejanovic personally will have to renounce the late President Slobodan Milosevic, "without whose ideas the SPS cannot exist", and most of their formerly proclaimed principles, including the opposition to the Hague kangaroo court which rooted out the Serbian Socialists.

"Once you form the government with Yellows, you will have to renounce the public property, everything the communists have built and DOS stole through 'privatizations'. You will have to renounce yourself too, since you see your patients and not the colleagues among your coalition partners", Nikolic said, referring to Dejanovic's profession, neuropsychiatry.

"You will have to renounce the struggle for the workers' rights which have been wiped out ever since the DOS came to power, and the struggle against the growing poverty. You will have to renounce your comrades, tens of thousands of Socialists who lost their jobs thanks to Yellows, who are not as fortunate as the handful at the top to be reinstated to their positions," Nikolic said.

Recommended: Serbia's Socialists ditch socialism and betray Milosevic, by Neil Clark (Morning Star Online, Neil Clark Blog); Return of the Reds, by Nebojsa Malic (AntiWar.com); Bosnia's Muslim-Croat Federation Bankrupt, BalkanInsight.com; NATO, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Pakistan: What is NATO Doing in Afghanistan, by Faheem Hussain (CounterPunch.org); The Dream Ticket, by Srdja Trifkovic (ChroniclesMagazine.org)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Kosovo Albanian Organ Harvesting Atrocities Investigated by the Council of Europe

On Wednesday, June 25, the Council of Europe appointed Swiss senator Dick Marty to investigate charges that Kosovo Albanian terrorist KLA (UCK) were using kidnapped Kosovo-Metohija Serbs to harvest their organs for sale during and after the civil war in southern Serbian province.

The charges that Kosovo Albanians, led by the war criminals currently governing Kosovo and Metohija province -- Hashim Thaci, Agim Ceku and Ramush Haradinaj -- had profited from selling human organs of abducted Serbs were first brought forth in the book "The Hunt: Me and the War Criminals" by Carla Del Ponte, former chief prosecutor of the war crimes tribunal in the Hague.

Del Ponte's book describes the plight of one group of some 300 Kosovo province Serbs, who were transported to neighboring Albania in 1999, while NATO troops were already present in the province, where they were held in camps and subjected to forced organ extractions. United States-based non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch said it has corroborated Del Ponte's allegations.

Responding to requests by the Russian Federation, the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly decided that the charges merit a full investigation. Dick Marty, a Swiss lawyer who became famous for investigating CIA secret torture chambers and rendition flights through Europe, was asked by the 47-nation pan-European organization to investigate the most morbid chain of war crimes after the WWII.

Both Del Ponte and a number of Serbs have pointed to the involvement of UNMIK officials who prevented earlier investigations and averted each attempt to reach the kidnapped Serbs while they were still alive and held imprisoned by the Albanian KLA butchers in improvised camps throughout Kosovo-Metohija province, suggesting that the logistics and the scope of these atrocities went far beyond the KLA terrorists and that some of the top Western politicians and senior UNMIK leaders were involved in the harrowing series of war crimes.

In an article published yesterday, Belgrade daily offers transcript of the secretly taped conversation between Javier Solana and Wesley Clark, contents of which indicates that NATO leaders were not only aware of the ongoing monstrosity, but also involved in it.

...One Summer Evening in Swiss Alps: Wesley Clark and Javier Solana

Translation of the article and transcript of conversation published by Belgrade daily Kurir

NATO leaders Wesley Clark and Javier Solana knew that the international forces in Kosovo are dealing in trafficking of the human organs and drugs, and were most probably involved in these deals. Former NATO chief commander, American General Wesley Clark and then-NATO Secretary General Javier Solana have met on August 15, 2001, in a villa rented in Swiss Alps.

Kurir has obtained the transcript of the conversation between the two NATO leaders, which confirms many suspicions regarding the trade in human organs, as well as the drug trafficking. The trade of human organs is a subject of both Hague tribunal investigation and the investigation by the Council of Europe, recently initiated by the Russian Federation.

Kurir will publish the complete Solana-Clark conversation. That evening, two young women were also with them, to help improve the mood of the two officials. They chatted in a relaxed atmosphere, sipping cocktails.

Clark: I'll visit Kosovo in few days...

Solana: Be careful. The narco-dealer gangs are roaming through Kosovo. There is no law, no control there... Hm, we made a big mistake when we allowed these [Albanians] to rule.

Clark: Yeah... maybe.

Solana: This is all the fault of CIA operatives... All they care about is drugs and their business...

Clark: Yes, I know how things are down there... I often go to Kosovo, mostly incognito, it's safer that way. But, now I have to finish one business. We have to transfer a load to Fort Bragg.

Solana: Hopefully, it's not that urgent... Are you talking about the organs?

Clark: Yes, yes...

Solana: Bondsteel is doing a good job. Schlaphcock (spelling unknown) [man in charge for the U.S. military camp security] and Kouchner [Bernard, first UNMIK head, now Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, suspected of also being involved in the organ harvesting and trade] are doing their jobs excellently...

Clark: Right. It seems it's urgent now. There are constant meetings with General Anderson. Once I finish this, I'd drop by Serbia. What do you think, how will they receive me?

Solana: Don't worry, they'll be good. These ones in Belgrade are much more obedient even than those in Podgorica [Montenegro]. In Montenegro the presidents can be changed, but Milo [Djukanovic, former and current Montengro premier] is pulling all the strings, because he uses money to buy everything. Once you get to Belgrade, avoid contacts with Kostunica and his people... Relations between him and Djindjic have gone rather cold... Although, I think Djindjic is right, Kostunica is not easy for cooperation. You know, when you talk to him, he always listens very carefully, but in the end of the conversation he always sharpens things up. We could never reach the full agreement with him on anything.

Clark: How do you think they'll react to this about the TV station [Belgrade RTS TV station that was razed during NATO aggression, in violation of the Geneva Convention, killing 16 staff members]? You know that I wrote in my book that I have personally picked the targets...

Solana: Yes, I know, I've seen that.

Clark: But you also know how much Clinton and his were pressing for bombardment of the Serbian television...

Solana: What we know stays between us! You mustn't talk about that with anyone!

Posted by BBlog Staff at 03:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So, Who is Really Behind the Assassination of Zoran Djindjic?

According to the official storyline, the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in March 2003 was a plot both planned and carried out by the commander of the Special Operations Unit (JSO) of Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Milorad Ulemek Legija because, in one version, Zoran Djindjic was a traitor of Serbian nation who had to be physically eliminated in order to stop the total dissolution of Serbian state or, in another, Djindjic planned to destroy the underground structures with which JSO was involved, so his assassination had nothing to do with patriotism, but was a pure execution by the mafia, eager to preserve its safety.

But the trial of former JSO members, including Zvezdan Jovanovic who allegedly pulled the trigger and Legija, charged with planning and organizing the assassination, marred by the accusations of being a political show staged in order to end the rumors and give a sacrificial offering which would close the book on Djindjic's assassination, abysmally failed to satisfy a number of those who continue to claim that both foreign secret services and certain political circles in Belgrade closely tied to those services are the true perpetrators of the murder of Serbian prime minister.

Although loathed for his shameful role during NATO aggression on Serbia, for handing former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic to Hague Inquisition (and execution) and for demanding that Dr. Vojislav Seselj also gets removed from the political scene in Serbia by the Hague -- even going as far as rigging the charges against Seselj and preparing his indictment in order to have the most severe political threat, Serbian Radical Party, rendered powerless and insignificant; although Djindjic was unquestionably a ruthless politician with insatiable lust for power and no compassion for anyone he considered an obstacle to his ambitions, there is one thing which Zoran Djindjic, as resolute, uncompromising and lethally efficient as he was, was determined not to let go: Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija.

The cracks in a love affair between Western power centers and Djindjic, that started to appear right after he delivered President Milosevic to the Hague, when Djindjic, in spite of the thunderous uproar by the Sorosiada phlegm from Belgrade's NGO gutters, introduced religious classes in schools, gathered donations for the grandiose Saint Sava Church in Serbian capital and stunned Washington and Brussels by requesting the return of Serbian security forces to Kosovo province, as stipulated by the UN SC Resolution 1244, have grown deeper towards that fateful March in 2003, culminating just few weeks ahead of his assassination, when Serbian premier announced there will be no more foreign meddling in Serbian internal affairs and declared a political war against the part of the so-called "international community" striving to sever Kosovo province from Serbia.

On February 21, 2003, 20 days before being assassinated, Zoran Djindjic gave an interview to Serbian Portal in Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, in which he shared some of his views. The question that remains is whether this unexpected turn from executing foreign diktat in Serbia, to focusing upon the Serbian national interests had cost him his life.

Zoran Djindjic: There Will be No New State on Serbian Territory

Translation of the interview late Premier Djindjic gave to "Serbian Portal" three weeks ahead of his assassination, also available on YouTube in two (overlapping) parts: Part 1, Part 2

Q: The key issue for Serbia is Kosovo and Metohija status. On February 4, Federation of Serbia and Montenegro was formed -- how does that affect the future status of Kosovo-Metohija, primarily the Resolution 1244?

ZDj: Forming the federation doesn't affect the Resolution in any significant way, because the federation is taking over everything that Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had, but the things that are being done on the ground are decisive. This Security Council Resolution has, simply put, taken away from Serbia the sovereignty attributes in Kosovo, that is the legislative, judicial and executive powers, as well as the security issues, saying "We will hold this in a depot of a sort, until the relations get normalized and then we shall see how to have these responsibilities shared by Belgrade and Pristina. This will not be as before, that this is a province within Serbia, but certainly not in the sense that Kosovo is independent." Everyone accepted this Resolution, including us. We said: Fine, temporarily the international community will have the sovereignty in Kosovo.

But, what is happening in the meantime? They [the "international community"] have opened this depot, this safe, and started to transfer these attributes onto local structures. So, now, you have the legislative power in entirety being sovereignly implemented by Pristina. Even the laws are being enacted -- all the laws, not only the ones pertaining to the autonomy, but the laws related to sovereignty. Take a look at the executive power -- they have the government which is completely autonomous in relation to Serbia; look at the judicial power, look at security... this entire process is moving in the direction of eventually transferring all the state attributes to the local Albanian structures. Then, at some point, the international community will say: "Let's see how will Belgrade and Pristina cooperate! We have created two completely separate legal, economic and political systems, and now the two of you work on harmonizing them! If you can't, we'll give you five years to talk. Ten, fifty... but during that time you are outside the European integrations." That is not acceptable.

So, once we realized that, on the one hand, there's talks about delaying the final status decisions up until the moment this will be possible to do peacefully, as the standards are being raised, as certain criteria are being implemented in Kosovo and Metohija, as the relations are getting normalized and, on the other, the actual state is being created behind the scene -- that's when I stirred the dust and triggered the alarm bells, because you can't do anything in the world, unless you create a crisis -- if there's no crisis, nobody pays attention. So, I created the crisis.

I said: We want to determine the status right away. They responded that "now is not the right time". Why not? Then, why are you making decisions about [the final status] on a daily basis if the time is not right? Why are you allowing Kosovo and Metohija parliament to decide about the issues regarding the economic system -- which is the prerogative of the central state, why are you transferring the security responsibilities on the Kosovo Protection Corps [former terrorist KLA], why are you determining the border crossings towards Albania, without asking Belgrade, if the time is not right?! "Oh, that is alright..." It is not alright, that can't be right!

Regardless of the Criticism and Appeals, We Won't Give Up

The first stage is creating the interest in the world public opinion to open this subject; the second stage is for us to propose our ides on solving this issue. There is a very simple solution to federalize Kosovo and Metohija in a way which would enable the Serbs to be recognized as a constitutive nation, with its own institutions within the joint institutions. And we would then, as Serbia, give time to such Kosovo to start functioning, if it can. If it can't, we move on to something else. If the Albanians do not want to treat Serbs as equals and as an ethnic community -- not an ethnic minority, then we need to see what are we going to do.

We must speak about this very openly, just like when one has a gangrene. The world is not in the mood for that, but I'm pleased to see that people in Serbia are much more interested in discussing this than I expected. This really is a heated and controversial subject, but I think that the leaders must open it -- not appease the public opinion, but to point to the problems and to say that this is where we have a problem. We can't keep closing our eyes before the public. I expect the issue of the final relations between Belgrade and Pristina to be presented on the international scene in June or July this year, so that during summer, in the fall at the latest, certain concepts and strategies are developed, in order to be able to take some essential steps before the next year.

But we won't give up. Regardless of the criticism and the appeals I have personally received from the number of the power centers not to rock the boat on this issue, we will continue this story. I told them: "No. I appreciate your priorities, your state interests, but don't ask me to adopt them as my own priorities. I understand and respect the fact you have the Iraq issue, but I have Kosovo. So, as I'm respectful to you, I expect you to respect me in turn." It will be difficult, but no major task can be accomplished without difficulties.

The Rights of Serbian State: Does Serbia Have Them or Not?

Q: Having in mind all you have just said, is there a realistic possibility for Kosovo to be severed from Serbia anyway?

ZDj: The worst possibility is to have Kosovo de facto independent and to have it then, as a millstone, as an "Albanian independent Kosovo", tied to our feet, telling us -- you are responsible for it, and until you harmonize those relations, you can't move on. This would mean we've been excluded from the history for all times. To have them tell us tomorrow: "Since you are the same state, you have to allow Albanian businessmen to shop through Serbia, to take part in privatizations" and so on. The fact you can't go and have a cup of coffee in Pristina or in Prizren, well, those are the "incidents". Those are just some individuals, extremists, but you are not like that, you are "reasonable". "Let them buy Terazije [downtown square in Belgrade] with their narco-dollars and billions they have, let them buy the energy power plants and let Serbia become an Albanian state tomorrow." That is not going to happen. We will prevent this.

We want to resolve the issue of involvement of Serbian state in Kosovo and Metohija. The international community is trying to reduce this issue to the question of the rights of expelled Serbs and as the "national minority". The international community is substituting one for the other, as if that solves the state problem. Even if Serbs would have all the rights in Kosovo and Metohija -- which is impossible, this still hadn't even touched upon the Serbian state rights. We want to have an improvement on both tracks: on the one side, of course, to have the expelled Serbs return and that those few who haven't been expelled yet, have safety. But also, on the other hand, the state of Serbia has to have its own rights clearly defined. Or, not to have its rights, but then the Security Council has to say "Serbia has no rights, Security Council has granted independence to Kosovo".

We are not going to go to war with Security Council, but we shall know where we stand. What we have right now is the worst thing, the white death: you are in the snow, you think you're fine, but you're actually slowly dying. You must wake up, because the moment you do you are saying No, I'm in danger. Kosovo is still a danger for the Serbian state, because it is a wound that can drain our last drop of blood. We have to close that wound in the best way for ourselves, but we are prepared for a certain compromise which would take care of the other side's interests, of those Albanians who live in Kosovo.

If Serbia Has No Right to the Inviolability of Borders, Other Yugoslav Republics' Borders Must be Reevaluated Anew

Q: Your Kosovo offensive actually began by widening the Province issue onto the entire region. Your statement given to 'Spiegel' regarding Bosnia-Herzegovina stirred a lot of reactions...

ZDj: I said that if what was agreed in Dayton does not apply to Serbia -- that the national communities of former Yugoslavia have been given their collective status and that the borders are inviolable, if that does not apply to Serbia, it will not apply to anyone else either, going backwards. If that applies to Serbia as well, then how do you explain the fact that the only precedent was made precisely in Serbia?!

I said that I am for upholding Dayton Accord, but let us find a compromise through the regional cooperation, through the bilateral cooperation of Albanians in Kosovo with Albania, Serbs with Serbia, Republic of Srpska with Serbia, Croat part of Bosnia with Croatia -- without changing the borders, without raising the question of sovereignty, to have the free movement of people and business. However, if you want to create an Albanian state in the 21st century on the territory which belongs to the Serbian state, then you will open up anew the process you thought you have closed for good. This is not my wish, this is a diagnosis.

I often feel like a messenger bringing the bad news, but let me warn you when you don't know this will happen. So, the dissolution of Dayton Agreement is like a law of gravity, that will be the consequence. That is a warning for those who think they can destroy a certain principle in Serbia, which was accepted by the Serbs [in other republics] even though it was harmful to Serbs. The historical opportunity to point to the fact that the nations in this region have accepted this principle of inviolability of borders, collective rights, peaceful coexistence between the ethnic communities, citizens, minorities... shouldn't be passed up. I think my approach was entirely constructive, although it caused quite unjustified nervousness in Sarajevo, and a lot of nervous reactions in Washington, and it wasn't well received in Brussels, either. But that is how things are.

A Good Test to Learn the Truth About Our "Friends"

They questioned my motives [to raise the issue of Dayton]. Some said that these are "marketing" motives. What on earth would I need marketing for now? There are no elections in Serbia now, nor do I expect to get the international support for my stand. I have personally lost much more than I gained, but I did so consciously: I have invested the credit I gained as a democratic leader in the Balkans on one thing which is, for me, the matter of national interest.

If my friends abroad say: You disappointed us now!, then they are not my friends. Because if I tell them this one thing is important to me, it is important to my country and I ask them to support me in this, but they come back and say: No, we support you only when it comes to the things that are important to us, then they are not my friends. So, this will be a very good test to see who really supports us, and who "supports us" only to put us to sleep and to prevent us from solving our problems.

Boorish Ambassadors and Serbian Inferiority Complexes

Q: So, as far as I understand, you hold that you are the one making decisions in Serbia, and not those from abroad?

ZDj: Absolutely. The decisions about Serbia will be reached in the Serbian Parliament and in the appropriate state institutions. All those earlier stories and the former "crisis groups" and "crisis headquarters" are now over. There is no chance for us to accept anything that goes against our interest.

There is certain mystification in our media which surprises me when I read every day, for example, whom Americans support, who has the backing of Europe, or of Russia... Who cares?! The right question is whom do the people living in this country back. What has that to do -- who has the backing of someone abroad, with the political reality in one state. One can and should have good relations with everyone, but to involve the foreigners in our internal politics, that is sick. We still suffer from this sickness in Belgrade. We have ambassadors of certain countries who behave like they are leaders of the Serbian political parties, as if they were elected in our elections! They are calling the ministers, they are calling my cabinet and they are in shock because I won't receive them. I tell them: Imagine if my ambassador in your country calls your premier to have a lunch with him! Your prime minister would think it's a joke, a hidden camera. Well, we are the state just like your country, do not assume you can do in our country the things our embassy in your country couldn't dream of doing.

But we also have to adopt that attitude as citizens, to respect ourselves and not to let anyone from the outside interfere in our relations. Because, if we weren't asking for it, they wouldn't be doing it. If we had the ministers who would respond to such calls by simply saying: Sorry, I have no time for that, they would give up after few attempts. But since we still suffer from this inferiority complex, I think we also help generate this immature situation in which our country is much more discussed about abroad then the similar states, like Romania, Croatia, Greece... I don't see why would Serbia be in a different position than the other countries.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 09:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Serbian Citizens in Kosovo-Metohija Form Parliament

By the unanimous decision of the delegates, followed with a thunderous applause, yesterday afternoon, on Vidovdan, Parliament of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija Municipalities was formed in Kosovska Mitrovica.

Members of the 26 Kosovo-Metohija municipalities, which include Serbian, Gorani and municipalities of other non-Albanian nationalities loyal to the Serbian state, have adopted a constitutive act. According to this Declaration, the main goal of the newly formed Parliament is an "essential and urgent need to protect the lives, human rights, freedom, dignity and identity, integrity, culture and property" of the Serbian nation and the other non-Albanian ethnic communities in the province.

The Declaration cites Serbian Constitution and laws, the United Nations Charter, Helsinki Final Act and the UN Security Council Resolution 1244. Stating that they have gathered by their own free will in Kosovska Mitrovica on Vidovdan 2008 to, in accordance with the Constitution of the Serbian state, establish the Parliament of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija Municipalities, the delegates rejected the unilateral declaration by Pristina separatists of secession of the province from Serbia as an unlawful and worthless act, and stressed resistance to injustice, tyranny and violence.

Parliament Assembly was addressed by the Serbian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Amfilohije, who conveyed the best wishes of ailing Patriarch Pavle and said that Vidovdan is a day which ties together all of Serbian history.

"This historical occasion is not tied to Vidovdan by a mere coincidence. I wish to all the delegates to perform their duties wisely, honorably and with dignity, for the benefit and the unity of Serbian state and peoples", His Grace Amfilohije said.

Guests from Macedonia and Montengro, Ivan Stojiljkovic and Andrija Mandic congratulated delegates on forming the Parliament and stressed that Serbian nation will never stop defending its rights, "and this Assembly is the best proof of it".

Kosovo Province Residents Loyal to Serbian State Gain Governing Instruments

Apart from Serbian Orthodox Church representatives and guests from neighboring states, the constitutive session of the Parliament of Kosovo-Metohija municipalities was attended by the number of domestic and foreign reporters, by the KFOR and OSCE representatives, as well as the representatives of Serbian state.

Kosovo-Metohija Minister Slobodan Samardzic, who attended the Vidovdan Holy Liturgy and Memorial Service in Gracanica and Gazimestan prior to the constitutive session of the newly established Parliament in the province, noted that Serbs and other non-Albanians loyal to Serbian state have, through this Assembly, gained the democratically elected representatives and governing instruments.

He said that these institutions will be an integral part of the Serbian government in the region, which will enable the Serbs, Gorani and other non-Albanians in the province to remain on their land and to live safely as the citizens of Serbia.

Declaration about forming the Parliament of the Kosovo and Metohija province municipalities states that this province is an inalienable part of the integral and sovereign Republic of Serbia.

According to the constitutive act, the Parliament is a representative body of the citizens of Serbia in the province, engaged in public work, purpose of which is to direct and harmonize the work of the municipalities which are Parliament members.

"Parliament enacts declarations, resolutions and proposals, and forms the joint stand in relation to the state institutions of the Serbian Republic which act in the province and which submit regular and, as needed, extraordinary, reports," the constitutive Declaration states.

Parliament consists of 45 delegates elected by the board members in their municipalities. The Assembly has the right to propose the laws to Serbian Republic Parliament which would benefit Kosovo and Metohija residents and help improve their living conditions. Mandate of the delegates lasts until the new ones are elected. Every municipality which is a member of the Assembly has at least one MP seat, while the Assembly itself has a president, vice presidents, secretariat and the boards.

According to the constitutive act, the Parliament regularly convenes twice a year and holds extraordinary sessions as needed.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 05:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Vidovdan, Our Soul's Eyesight

"The Serb people live in Kosovo not to take from others what belongs to them, not to trample the freedom of others and impose their faith upon them, but in order to defend what is theirs. That is why our ancestors waged battle in Kosovo and laid down their lives. Our Lord, help us in Kosovo to always remember Your words: He who endures to the end will be saved."

His Holiness Pavle
Patriarch of Serbian Orthodox Church

Every nation has one date in its history which it considers more important than any other. For the Serbs, the most important date in their history is June 15, by the old calendar - June 28, by the new calendar (Vidovdan). On that day, in 1389, 619 years ago, Serbian and Turkish armies clashed on the Kosovo Field. Both the Serbian ruler Prince Lazar and the Turkish Sultan Murat I died as a result of the battle. In addition, a great number of Serbian military leaders, as well as a great number of Serbian warriors lost their lives. Notwithstanding the fact that according to historical documents neither the Serbs nor the Turks won the battle, Serbia was so exhausted that it was unable to continue resisting the Turks - a few decades later the heirs of Prince Lazar recognized Turkish suzerainty and five centuries of domination of the Serbs by the Turks ensued. That long and martyr-like enslavement changed the course of Serbian history and interrupted the cultural progress of the Serbs, which was clearly evident during the rule of the Nemanja dynasty.

Europe Would Not be the Same Without Battle of Kosovo

It is difficult to assess the importance of the Kosovo Battle for world history. Such is also the case with the battles at the Alamo or Gettysburg, which are so important for American history. However, it is undeniable that the Battle of Kosovo was exceptionally significant not only for Serbia, but also for Europe and European Christian civilization.

It is a fact that on Vidovdan, June 15, 1389, the Serbs, without help from a single European nation, defended on Kosovo Field not only the frontiers of their own territory and lives of their people but, at the risk of losing their national independence, they also defended the interests and security of Christian Europe. In the conflict of two rival civilizations, the Muslim and the Christian, the Serbs checked the wave of the Turkish invasion, interposed themselves as a wall between the Turks and Europe, and enabled Europe to make preparations for its own defense. It is questionable whether the history of Europe would have been the same without the Battle of Kosovo and the sacrifice of the Serbian nation.

However, no matter how great the historical value of Kosovo and Vidovdan may be, for the Serbs they have an additional unique dimension and preeminence. Persons of non-Serbian origin may consider Kosovo as only a far-away, strange, and even unimportant geographical territory, and Vidovdan, June 15, 1389, as a date of a battle of which they know little or nothing. As far as the Serbs are concerned, Kosovo is their Holy Land, the cradle of Serbdom, and their inalienable, historical, national, and cultural heritage. As far as they are concerned, Vidovdan, June 15, 1389, is not just the date of a battle, but their nation's identity, and the sacred will and testament which contains religious, ethical, and national principles for all Serbian generations from the Kosovo Battle until the present. In the national consciousness all of Serbian history is divided into two periods: prior to the Kosovo Battle and after the Kosovo Battle. And whereas the other battles in which the Serbs took part are mentioned only in historical textbooks, Vidovdan alone is included in the [Church] calendar, which registers holidays and the names of saints exclusively. Vidovdan alone has become a national holiday which has been observed through the centuries, and it is observed on this occasion, 619 years after the Battle of Kosovo.

Blood of Serbian Martyrs Forever Confirms Serbian Ownership of Kosovo

As a geographical territory, Kosovo was Serbian even before the year 1389, before Vidovdan. That ownership was not marked by sticks, in the way the prospectors for gold marked their claims, nor by the deeds written in ink on paper, but by ancient and magnificent churches and monasteries and by Serbian cemeteries and tombstones. The capitals of Serbian kings and the thrones of Serbian archbishops and patriarchs were in Kosovo. Moreover, with the Battle of Kosovo, Kosovo and Vidovdan merged into a single concept and became a synonym with a specific meaning: the Serbdom. After June 15, 1389, one cannot speak of Kosovo apart from Vidovdan or about Vidovdan apart from Kosovo. They are inseparable because on Vidovdan 1389, on the Field of Kosovo, in the blood of Serbian warriors was written an indelible deed that forever confirms the Serbian ownership of Kosovo. Vidovdan commemorations, which have been celebrated annually for centuries, are reconfirmations of both the Serbian ownership of Kosovo and of the Vidovdan-Kosovo ethics, which are the core of the Serbian national image and the essence of Serbian identity.

It should be emphasized that the Vidovdan commemorations are not celebrations of a Serbian military victory over the Turks, for the Serbs were not victorious in the Kosovo Battle. However, it is incorrect, and even malicious, to claim that at Vidovdan commemorations the Serbs “celebrate their defeat in the Kosovo Battle.” Such a statement has no logical or historical support. According to the historical documents, the Turks had not won a victory in the Battle of Kosovo. Neither a military victory nor a military defeat are not and could not have been either the reason or the meaning of Vidovdan commemorations. On those occasions the Serbs honor and commemorate the heroes of Kosovo who laid down their lives defending their faith, freedom, nation, and country. At the same time, Vidovdan commemorations are the annual reviews of the post-Kosovo Serbian generations. They are evaluated in terms of Vidovdan-Kosovo ethics and on the basis of their reconfirmation of the Pledge of Kosovo. On Vidovdan, June 15, 1389, on the Kosovo Field, the Serbs chose once and for all their religious, cultural, ethical, and national identity. Their choice, in the form of an unwritten pledge, was handed down to all post-Kosovo Serbian generations and, through 619 years, Serbs have lived by that pledge.

Fortunately, Kosovo ethics remain unchanged and those values will always endure for all future Serbian generations.

Father Mateja Matejic

Vidovdan Oath

Picture above right from Gazimestan in Kosovo and Metohija province, the place where the 1389 Battle took place, shows Vidovdan Oath

Whoever is a Serb and of Serbian ancestry
And he comes not to Kosovo Battle
May he never have his heart progeny
Neither son nor daughter,
Beneath his hand let nothing grow
Purple wine nor the bright wheat,
May he drip with rust through all the generations.

Recommended: Vidovdan, Sisters of the Novo-Tikhvin Monastery in Ekaterinburg, Russia (YouTube); San Diego Vidovdan 2008 Rally, Protest against the Illegal Declaration of Kosovo Independence from Serbia

Posted by BBlog Staff at 06:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Bolton: US Kosovo Recognition a Serious Mistake

John Bolton, former US Undersecretary of State and Ambassador to the United Nations, told Russian news agency Interfax on Thursday that the US recognition of severed Kosovo province was a serious mistake, leading to an escalation of tensions, instead of calming down the situation in the Balkans.

"American public has no specific stand regarding Kosovo status. This was done by the US State Department, while others paid no attention", Bolton said in response to the question why have United States supported severing of the southern Serbian province, adding that "support to the independence of Kosovo is an atavism that might have made sense 15 years ago, but makes no sense today."

Yeah, There's a "Consensus" Alright -- Nobody Knows Where Kosovo is

To the journalist's remark that, in contrast to Europe, no one talks about this issue in US and that he was told in State Department that "there is a consensus in American public" about recognizing unilateral declaration of independence by the Pristina separatists, Bolton noted that diaspora Serbs who are living in States are trying to draw public attention to this issue, and that the so-called "consensus boils down to the fact that nobody knows where Kosovo is".

"This is a clear example of the State Department policy from the beginning to the end", American diplomat said.

He explained that the US policy toward Serbia was on an automatic pilot since the time Slobodan Milosevic had been in power, when the US supported everyone who was against him, but the situation had significantly changed when a democratic government came to power in Belgrade.

Because of Kosovo province problem, the democratic forces in Serbia are under a great pressure and the unnecessary risk of an escalation of violence in the region is growing, Bolton said.

"Serbs in Bosnia will say: If Kosovo can break off from Serbia, why can't we break off from Bosnia, and the democrats will say: What is going on here -- we are striving towards Europe, we are defending the democratic values and this is the kind of reward we get in return!", said Bolton, a member of the American Enterprise Institute, a Republican Party think-tank.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 08:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Severed from Serbia, Kosovo-Metohija is a Ghetto

"It is absurd to create an economic ghetto for two million people in Kosovo and Metohija province, taking away the last shred of economic perspective from them, by severing the province from the rest of Serbia. Because only in the close interconnection of Kosovo-Metohija economy with Serbia's economy as a whole lies the source of sustainable economic growth for this region," Dr. Nenad Popovic, head of the economic team for Kosovo-Metohija province and president of the ABS Holding told Vecernje novosti, as his book titled "Openly About Kosovo and Metohija Economy" was published.

Q: Albanian politicians are promising prosperity to Kosovo and Metohija as an independent state. Is that economically feasible?

NP: It is illusory to believe Kosovo-Metohija can be economically separated from Serbia. This is a grave mistake on behalf of the 'international community' and the time will prove it. Because Kosovo can never become economically sustainable independently, and as long as the processes of disintegration are being conducted.

Mafia Rule Not All That Attractive to Investors

Q: Why is independence economically unsustainable?

NP: In a place where the organized crime rules, where there is no safety and security, no rule of law and no protection of property, there can be no talks about attracting foreign investments. The best example is the "Kosovo Energy Corporation", which was an energy giant up until the end of 1990s and which is on its knees today, producing 30-40 percent of what it once produced.

Q: Is now the right moment to point this out to the international community?

NP: Yes it is, because protection of Serbia's economic interest in Kosovo-Metohija is a right no one is denying to us. Everyone agrees that, alongside the status and safety issues, we must also protect our economic interests. The lack of knowledge about the economy elements and facts on behalf of the international public was an obstacle to developing an economic dialogue between the two sides.

Q: What are the advantages and the shortcomings of the economy in Kosovo and Metohija?

NP: The advantages are the resources, such as the Europe's biggest lignite deposit -- the entire 14,7 billion tons, the biggest reserves of zinc and lead in the Balkan peninsula. But the greatest obstacle is the fact that Kosovo has been completely disintegrated from the rest of Serbia.

Black Hole in which Billions Simply Disappear Without Trace

Q: What can Serbia do?

NP: I am convinced that the negotiations about the status of the province, which should include talks about the economy, will start, if not this or the next year, than most certainly in the next few years. We cannot allow ourselves to fail to protect our property with all the legal and political means, but the state also must ensure prosperity for all the citizens of Serbia, including those who remain in Kosovo and Metohija. Unless we provide the protection of their property and employment, there will hardly be any growth there.

Q: You are bracing for the furious reactions -- what will the Albanian economists say?

NP: I'm sure Albanian economists think the same. However, they have been left with this delusion that an independent Kosovo-Metohija will have an economic perspective. But, if that wasn't possible during the old Yugoslavia, how will it be achieved today, when the region has been totally disintegrated?

Q: Energy is the most prospective branch of the province's economy. What can be done right away?

NP: Serbia can't do everything by itself. There is a big role of the international community, and we also have Russia's support, and support of the countries which do not recognize the severed province. But money isn't everything, either. There were huge investments in Kosovo province after 1974, through the funds for the underdeveloped (in former Yugoslavia) and through the waived taxations, but the results were non-existent. After 1999 the European Union had invested 3 bill. euros, and the results are nowhere to be found. Right now, there are some 60 percent of the unemployed in Kosovo-Metohija. UNMIK had made a great mistake in turning this territory into an economically isolated island.

Recommended: Masters and servant, by James George Jatras (PraguePost.com); Kosovo autonomy dispute rages, by Marketa Hulpachova (PraguePost.com); Statement Condemning the Leadership of the Socialist Party of Serbia (Slobodan-Milosevic.org); Bosnia Helped Fund the 9/11 Attacks on America, by Julia Gorin; Kudos to the Irish, by Nebojsa Malic (GrayFalcon Blog); John McCain’s Skeletons, by Srdja Trifkovic (ChroniclesMagazine.org)

Cartoon by Nikola Volas (Serbia)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Galbraith: Ethnic Cleansing of Serbs was Croatia's State Policy

Former US Ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith who testified before the Hague tribunal on Monday, confirmed that ethnic cleansing of Serbs from Serbian Krajina region was a deliberate systematic operation and the state policy of Croat leadership, headed by Franjo Tudjman, which led to the mass scale ethnic cleansing in two blitzkrieg operations in 1995, codenamed Storm and Flash.

As a prosecution witness in the case against Tudjman's generals Ante Gotovina, Mladen Markaca and Ivan Cermak -- accused of conducting military operations aimed at forced and permanent removal of Serbian population from the Krajina region, including killing Serbian civilians and prisoners, expulsion, deportation, plunder of Serbian property, merciless destruction of Serbian-populated towns and villages and inhumane and cruel treatment -- Galbraith stressed that this was Croatia's state policy that continued to be enforced afterwards, preventing the expelled Serbs from returning to their homes and land in Croatia.

According to Galbraith, the systematic destruction and plunder of the Serbian property during the Storm, as well as prevention of their return, through the legal and other means undertaken after the operation, took place "because Croat state leadership -- Tudjman and the gang around him -- wanted it to happen, and they were happy when it did happen".

Systematic Pogrom

"Once the Serbs were gone, Tudjman didn't want them to return", American diplomat said, adding that Croat state enacted legal measures to prevent the return of the expelled and refugees.

"The systematic destruction of Krajina was either ordered or permitted, but in any case, this was intended by the Croat leadership. I believe this was a deliberate policy of Zagreb government," Galbraith stressed.

He said that Croat war-time president Tudjman, during their numerous meetings before the Operation Storm, was not hiding the fact he considers Serbian population in Krajina region "a strategic threat" to Croatia. His adviser Hrvoje Sarinic called Serbian population in Croatia a "cancer on Croatia's belly", US diplomat noted.

Galbraith confirmed that Tudjman was saying that only "up to 10 percent of Serbs can remain in Croatia", and that Serbian Krajina region ought to be cleansed of Serbs and populated by the diaspora Croats. Emphasizing that his goal was a nationally "homogeneous", i.e. an ethnically clean state, Tudjman was also openly advocating "moving the population" and dividing Bosnia and Herzegovina, Galbraith revealed.

He testified that right after the military offensive on Serbian Krajina began, on August 4, 1995, the mass "torching and pillaging" of the Serbian towns and villages also started. He had personally witnessed these crimes and knows these were not merely "isolated incidents", as Croats refer to them, but organized, massive action, planned at the very top of Croat political and military leadership.

Galbraith Regrets Lying During Milosevic's Trial

Mass ethnic cleansing of Serbian population from Krajina in Croatia -- Operation Storm -- remains the biggest single act of ethnic cleansing committed on the territory of former Yugoslavia, with over 300,000 Serbs being forced to flee, while more than 14,000 Serbian civilians were killed. It was, therefore, quite convenient that US State Department's Madeleine Albright had miraculously discovered, at the very moment Croats were "purifying" their state, that Serbs have committed a "genocide" in Srebrenica a whole month earlier, so that the focus of the world public could be successfully and instantly taken off the genocidal Croat state.

During his Hague testimony on June 23, Galbraith expressed regret he had lied in the trial against former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, claiming that there was no ethnic cleansing during Operation Storm. He said that this was a "technical explanation", because many Serbs left the town of Knin before the savage Croat troops entered (compared to hyenas by a senior British officer who, after his peacekeeping service in Bosnia, said he "would rather find Serbs under his command, as they could be counted on to fight to the last man [while] Croats were no more dependable or courageous than hyenas").

Elsewhere, it was noted that the US State Department representative was present the entire time during Galbraith's testimony, sitting behind the prosecutor, with the task to oversee American diplomat's testimony and prevent him from touching upon the subjects which involve the US role in purging Croatia of Serbs.

Recommended: Tudjman & the Croatian Ustashe Nazi genocide of Krajina Serbs in 1991 (Part 1, Part 2), by Nathan Pearlstein, Joshua Rosenberg, Max Rosenthal and Shlomo Baum (4International)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 05:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

The Defense Speaks: For History and the Future

The Defense Speaks: For History and the Future, President Milosevic's opening statement at The Hague, 180pp, $19.95, ISBN 0974752126. Buy this book at Amazon.com

"...Thank you Mr. Robinson. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to present everything that I wished to, but I believe that I will be given this opportunity, unless you deny it to me by some other means," said late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic in the Hague, on Wednesday afternoon in September 1, 2004, at the end of his opening defense statement.

The way The Hague has indeed prevented President Milosevic to present all the evidence in his possession about rigging the history to suit the present-day colonial powers is well known and represents an indisputable case of a court murder, as Serbian Law Professor Kosta Cavoski aptly called it.

In 5 entries (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), we have translated anew, from Serbian, only half of the former Yugoslav and Serbian president's opening statement.

Thanks to Radmila Milentijevic and Milo Yelesiyevich, this invaluable historical record, translated from Mr. Milosevic's original address—as opposed to the hasty, entirely insufficient and even incorrect court translation—is available in the book form.

"It promised to be 'the trial of the century'. But as soon as the defendant began to expose U.S. and NATO's war crimes in the breakup and bombing of Yugoslavia the media coverage and The Hague Tribunal went silent. Read this book and understand why." (From the back cover)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 06:16 PM | Permalink

Slobodan Antonic: Political Apartheid in Serbia

It is obvious that political exponents in Serbia are not autonomous. Democracy in Serbia does not only depend on the domestic political factors -- the foreign factors, primarily the most powerful and the richest world's country, are directly involved in forming the Serbian government.

We are talking about democracy in Serbia at the time political experts and sociologists are posing a question if Serbia is a democracy at all and what kind of democracy is this.

Their analysis, especially in relation to the so-called transitional literature, warn that democracy in Serbia will be consolidated only when the Radicals and Socialists come to power and then peacefully withdraw from the power. This criteria appeared justified up until the moment it turned out that there is a very serious problem here: that certain political parties, first and foremost the Serbian Radical Party [SRS] and the SPS [Socialists], are absolutely not allowed to perform governing functions anywhere together, in that combination.

I believe this is one of the key problems and the obstacle to the democratic system installed in today's Serbia.

Tadic's DS Ignorant of the Basic Democratic Principles

I must confess that I was also surprised by the statements of, first of all, Boris Tadic on the evening of elections day, that he will not allow SRS and SPS to form the government with [Kostunica's] DSS and come to power. He first said he will use all means to prevent such coalition from being formed, and then "all democratic means".

At first, I thought this was only the result of a post-electoral euphoria during the celebration, but this statement has been repeated several times since. Therefore, it demonstrates a very serious intention and the grave lack of understanding of the democratic principles.

Forums such as this one are necessary to awaken the public, reaction of which to the mentioned statement was too lukewarm and pale. Especially since it is not merely a statement that is an issue, but also the actions which are simply showing that something is seriously wrong with the elementary regard for democracy. I'm referring to, above all, this behavior of the temporary Belgrade mayor, Mr. Alimpic [from Tadic's party, who decided to postpone for a month and a half scheduling of the constitutive session of the city assembly when the patriotic bloc signed the coalition agreement on the city level, in order to prevent this coalition to take power in Serbia's capital]. And what is the main problem here?

It is obvious that political exponents in Serbia are not autonomous. Democracy in Serbia does not only depend on the domestic political factors -- the foreign factors, primarily the most powerful and the richest world's country, are directly involved in forming the Serbian government. In that way, they are also directly affecting the stability of democracy and of the democratic institutions in Serbia.

The dots have been connected and they have formed a clear picture. We are witnessing the efforts to draw or push the SPS into a coalition with [Tadic's] Democratic Party. These efforts are, at the same time, connected to the endeavors to prevent forming of the government at the Belgrade level, so that this issue remains open to another round of negotiations. Simply put, we are witnessing a process of gradual break-up of the SPS main board. We get to see one after another man caving in until the decision is reached to form the coalition with Tadic's party. As this is taking place, the deadline set by Mr. Alimpic for constituting the new leadership in the city of Belgrade, July 14, will probably approach, and then the city of Belgrade will become a part of the same package.

So, we are faced with some form of ridiculing democratic institutions and democratic norms. This is extremely dangerous. It is particularly dangerous because, in future, Serbia will be faced with even greater temptations.

Severe Economic Crisis is Approaching

One of those tribulations will be a serious economic crisis, of which we usually don't talk when we speak of democracy. Since the year 2000, Serbia had incurred $20 billion debt, while some $6 billion, received through privatization, were also spent. So, we lived spending what our forefathers earned, spending the money our descendants will have to pay back.

These immense amounts of money have been wasted and Serbia is now entering the phase when the high expectations of citizens about the promised economic prosperity will not be possible to fulfill. And this is quite dangerous when we have frail democratic institutions and a form of political apartheid, in which certain political parties are being prevented, both by the media and by the institutions, to get anywhere near the power levers.

First part of the article series from Belgrade "Requiem for Democracy" forum, Professor Cavoski's address; second part, Prof. Terzic.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 05:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Ruecker and Rossin Played the Devil's Advocate Behind the Scene

"The new UN Mission in Kosovo [UNMIK] leadership must inform the UN Security Council members in detail about all of their activities, in order to avoid repeating the brutal violations former UNMIK chief Joachim Ruecker has committed", Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said in New York, as reported by the Itar-Tass news agency.

Following the UN Security Council session about Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija, Churkin explained that Ruecker and his American deputy Larry Rossin had "attempted to illegally transfer part of the authority and assets to the European Union mission, circumventing the UN Security Council".

"The behind-the-scene games former UNMIK leadership played are unacceptable. They were doing this not only behind the UN Security Council back, but also behind the back of the UN Secretariat", Russia's permanent representative in the UN said, adding that, still, the damage done thus far has not been too grave.

"The activities aimed at transferring UNMIK functions and assets to the unlawful EU mission have been successfully terminated. We are proceeding on the basis of understanding that the new UN Mission leadership and the Secretariat will work transparently and will report to the UN Security Council members in detail about all their steps," Churkin said.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 06:51 PM | Permalink

Slavenko Terzic: Serbia is Mortally Wounded

The great liberal democratic Europe which was a paradigm to all of us, and to all the Balkan nations, is slowly disappearing. The European Union is an extended arm of the US politics in Europe and in the world. It seems to me that our pro-European bloc is best defined as NATO-bloc.

We have gathered because, as responsible people, we are sincerely worried for the future of our country and our nation. As a historian, I know that Austro-Hungary, even over hundred years ago, had planned to occupy Serbia and to seize Kosovo and Metohija. Also, their foreign minister at the time was saying: in order for us to rule Bosnia and Herzegovina, Raska [Serbian region], Kosovo and Metohija province itself and the Danube, we must be the masters of Serbia. At the same time, he also warned: if we are not the masters of Serbia, we shall always be in a defensive position on Danube, Drina and Lim alike. I'm pointing this out in order to clarify the political climate we are living in today too.

Political anatomy of the stand that today dominates even in our country is perhaps best illustrated by the statement of the US President George Bush from few days ago, in Ljubljana. He explicitly said that Iraq and Afghanistan "have traveled a painful road from tyranny to democracy". The men who are leading this country of ours today, first and foremost the political bloc which declared itself as the "European", are overlooking the fact that Serbia is fatally wounded and that, through the seizure of Kosovo and Metohija, it is continuing to be in the mortal danger, regardless of the daily promises of a gold-paved road to Europe.

Serbia, That is Moi!

Instead of demonstrating the statesmen responsibility for the future of the country, this political bloc is more and more reminding of Louis XIV who said: "The state, that is Me" (L'État, c'est moi!). We are hearing through the media every day: "I, as the President, am Serbia, Serbia - that is Me, Belgrade - that is Me, Democracy - that is Me".

Instead of the mature and conscientious political life, the more stable institutions, developed culture of dialogue and democratic views, we have an imitation of a democratic political life and the politics in the form of magician tricks. Remember how those young ministers of ours have been promising: we shall enter the Europe in 2006 -- 2008 for sure...? They are now promising the same thing for 2012, adding that Olie Rehn said so, Solana said... And all that is far away from responsible and serious politics.

Characteristic for the so-called "democratic" political bloc is disrespect for the laws they legislated by themselves, the close ties with the criminal structures and the phenomena of "lustration" ["purification", mass disqualification of those associated with previous leaderships] and "denazification" (!!!) - smothering every trace of awareness of oneself, of one's heritage and history, of one's traditions and one's saints.

We also have a a total blackout of the media. The representatives of a "democratic bloc" whined during Slobodan Milosevic's era that the media are closed to them, but we now have the totalitarian uniformity of the public opinion. The so-called "public service of the European Serbia" [RTS] is, in fact, the public service of [Tadic's] Democratic Party [DS].

Drumming-Up Fears and Promoting Divisions are Far Removed from Democracy

I'm stressing this because in all the situations, difficult ones and those less difficult -- and Serbia had plenty of them -- it is extremely important to preserve the basic pillars of the state: army, police, government, the Science Academy, Serbian Orthodox Church... Instead of preserving and strengthening, the process of dissolution and destroying of all the foundations of our national state is underway.

The fake democratism of the so-called European bloc is being demystified by the fact it isn't struggling neither for the political, nor for social freedoms, and the least of all for the internal freedoms of the citizens. From day to day this bloc is banging on fear-drums. In the electoral campaign, fear was the main political motive on behalf of one segment of citizens who voted for these people.

There is complete confusion on the political scene and in the public life. The count is underway: who's a democrat and who's not a democrat; who is for Europe and who is not for Europe. The so-called democratic bloc has turned Europe into a religion. EU is our deity.

NATO-Bloc of Serbian Parties a Mockery of European Values

Of course, none among us is against Europe. We all know that Serbia and Serbian nation is a part of Europe and of European civilization. But, can the equality sign be placed between the Europe and the European Union?

The great liberal democratic Europe which was a paradigm to all of us, and to all the Balkan nations, is slowly disappearing. The European Union is an extended arm of the US politics in Europe and in the world. The so-called pro-European forces, i.e. the "European bloc" has entirely compromised the idea of a liberal-democratic state which all the democratic forces of the Serbian nation aspired to, including Kosta Cavoski and all the founders of [now Tadic-led] Democratic Party.

Whether one is democratic is not something he should be saying, it is his deeds that are telling. And everything the "European bloc" has been doing is very far from any concept of the liberal-democratic state. That is why it seems to me -- especially since the European Union is an extended arm of the United States -- that our pro-European bloc is best defined as NATO-bloc. This bloc, even though it claims its task is to work on a social renaissance of Serbia, wishes to further destabilize Serbia through the thesis of the so-called "two Serbias".

No Equality Sign Between Europe and the European Union

Haven't we had enough of the civil wars and of the conflicts amongst ourselves?! Every intensification of the political conflicts is irresponsible, every call to get out into the streets. That is no more than dangerous playing with the possible civil war. Therefore, we have prevent, at any cost, everything that could lead to the new tragic conflicts among the Serbs.

I wouldn't want to suggest any form of our separation from Europe. Everything Serbia and the Serbian nation have achieved during the past centuries -- in parliamentarianism, in the political life, in liberalism, literature, arts... -- was achieved through the mutual influences between ours and the other European traditions. However, there is no equality sign between the Europe and the European Union!

First part of article series from Belgrade "Requiem for Democracy" forum, Professor Cavoski's address

Posted by BBlog Staff at 08:01 PM | Permalink

Russian Historian: It's Just Pristina Separatists Playing State Again

Director of the Center for Research of the Contemporary Balkan Crisis at the Moscow Institute for Slavic Science Elena Guskova assessed that adoption of "Kosovo constitution" by the Pristina separatists was scripted as a performance show, intended to present the unilaterally declared secession of Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija as a fait accompli. According to her, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's proposal [on transfer of responsibilities from UNMIK to the illegal EU mission] is merely one of the roundabout ways within countless attempts to legitimize severing of the southern Serbian province, outside the United Nations Security Council.

"Kosovo already had a 'constitution' -- all of the self-proclaimed republics have constitutions: Pridnestrovie, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia... think of Republic of Serbian Krajina (in Croatia), Republic of Srpska... But adopting a constitution and its enforcement has never brought independence along. So, this episode should also be viewed as nothing but a performance show", renowned Russian historian told Tanjug on June 18.

They Couldn't Even Write that Piece of Paper on Their Own...

Pointing out that a lot of effort is being invested to recognize the "independence of the region which cannot exist independently", Guskova noted that Albanian Pristina separatists "couldn't even write their own constitution", but had to copy the text from the UN Security Council-rejected Ahtisaari plan, while their Washington masters had to keep helping them with "that piece of paper".

The whole mission which the EU insists on deploying in southern Serbian province of Kosovo [EULEX] is also needed to explain to Albanian separatists occupying part of Serbia "that they have to run their 'state' independently, to manage the political and economic system, the customs, domestic and foreign policy -- which shows they are obviously not capable of running their affairs independently", Guskova said.

"Taking all this into account, Russia is convinced there can be no talks about Kosovo and Metohija independence, and that there is no new state on the Europe's map", she said.

Things Are Not Going According to the US State Department Plans

Guskova explained that, when the US leadership promised independence to Pristina separatists, they thought everything will go easily and quickly, just like all of their plans on the territory of former Yugoslavia since the beginning of the 1990s. But that didn't happen, because "certain links in that chain have failed".

"First link was Russia, which in the UN Security Council at the start of 2007 said 'No' and stopped the process of lawlessness we have been watching in the Balkans since the 1990. United States had to adjust to the new situation, so they are trying to circumvent the UN SC, because the persistent Russia continued to affirm that these issues cannot be resolved without the UN Security Council," Guskova said.

Stressing that the legal status cannot be gained without the UN General Assembly, which receives such proposals from the Security Council -- where Russia and China sit -- Guskova added that is why it was necessary to seek the roundabout ways and, among those, the personal "solution" by the UN Secretary General.

"The ground is quite slippery there, because the Secretary General has no authority to decide on his own, but under the US pressure, even that is being attempted now," the Russian expert said, adding that the positions of Russia and Serbia, as well as of the other UN Security Council member states are important, to prevent this type of experiment to be turned into a legally binding solution, with one man -- UN Secretary General -- being given to trample over the council of states in the world organization.

A Hundred Years of Limbo

Guskova assessed that the proposal on UNMIK "reconfiguration" in Kosovo-Metohija province, which involves transfer of the authority from United Nations to the EU and its mission is not acceptable, being that it is in contravention to the UN SC Resolution 1244. She also noted, along the lines of Kosovo-Metohija Ministry's proposal, that "some form of administrative partition and aid when it comes to ensuring the safety of the Serbs is needed", since the Serbs in Kosovo province are not sufficiently protected.

Asked about the possibility of renewed negotiations, Guskova said another round of negotiations would have a chance to succeed only if Americans were to stop talking about Kosovo and Metohija "independence" and if they would actively support open and genuine talks.

"Otherwise, that would boil down once again to only one side taking part in negotiations", Guskova said, adding that refusing to recognize the unilaterally declared independence should "make Kosovo Albanians start thinking and finally realize they would first have to prove to Europe they are capable of sustaining themselves and capable of reaching an agreement with Belgrade about the possible ways of coexistence."

"Let them be an unrecognized 'state' for a 100 years -- that will be a lesson to everybody else", Guskova concluded.

Cartoon by Aleksandar Blatnik (Serbia)

Posted by BBlog Staff at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ban Ki-Moon's Attempt to Impose EU Mission Thwarted by Russia

"Thanks to Russia's principled support, the UN Security Council did not approve proposal by the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to transfer the authority from UNMIK to the unlawful EULEX mission", Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said.

"Russia is consistently defending the UN Charter and the binding UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which are guaranteeing Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. A transfer of authority from UNMIK to EULEX, which aims to implement the Ahtisaari plan on Kosovo-Metohija independence, would represent brutal violation of the Resolution 1244 and a direct threat to Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity", Kostunica told Tanjug.

He emphasized that Russian opposition to transfer of authorities to the illegal EU mission, expressed at the UN Security Council session, is therefore of the utmost significance for Serbia and to its struggle to preserve Kosovo and Metohija province within its borders.

"It is most important now for the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to refrain from undertaking any unilateral actions in regards to the change of UNMIK's status and role, and to strictly abide by the UN Charter and the Resolution 1244", Serbian premier concluded.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 05:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Requiem for Democracy

On June 12 Belgrade Association of the University of Law Students Nomokanon and the Serbian Sabor Dveri have organized a round table discussion titled "Requiem for Democracy", focusing on the ways to protect the actual democracy from quasi-democrats that have usurped the power both in Serbia and in most European states, with Brussels at the helm.

The speakers included some of the most reputable representatives of the Serbian intellectual elite, such as Academicians Kosta Cavoski and Slavenko Terzic, and Prof. Dr. Slobodan Antonic. Glas Javnosti is publishing excerpts of their assessments.

Kosta Cavoski: Serbia is a Colonial Partocracy

At the time when so many sycophants and toadies chasing the foreign masters are occupying our political scene, it is very difficult to find anything to say about our democracy. Because there is no real democracy in our country. What we have today is a partocracy -- the rule of the oligarchical party leaderships which don't care neither about the election results, nor about the will of the people, about the state and let alone about the fate of the nation they belong to. This form of partocracy is, among else, also a result of our electoral system.

You probably remember that, at the time Dayton Accord was signed, the foreigners particularly insisted that in Republic of Srpska, as well as in all of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the electoral system of proportional representation is established. This is because the proportional-representation electoral system fragments the political parties and enables a great number of parties to get into the electoral race. At the time, the main goal for the foreigners was to minimize the influence of Karadzic's Serbian Democratic Party, preventing it from continually winning an absolute majority. They have succeeded in this already in the second elections.

Proportional Representation System Devastating for Serbia

In Serbia, the proportional-representation system which is producing devastating results, is being practiced due to allegedly being more just, since it enables the parties advocating minority interests to enter the parliament. The majority system, where generally mostly two or three and, sometimes, very rarely, even the fourth party manage to enter the parliament, is a guillotine for the small political parties.

However, the value of majority system is the fact that it enables a single party to form the government, so that the state has a responsible leadership. In such electoral system, the government is on one side and the opposition is on the other and, as the British say -- the opposition should do nothing but constantly oppose, never proposing anything. So, the opposition is there to catch the government's mistakes, to criticize it in the public and, of course, to eventually win in the next elections.

The proportional-representation system practiced in our country has immense deficiencies. No political party, not even the Radicals who had won a decent relative majority, crossing the 30 percent, was able to form the government. Therefore, the governments had to be formed by the coalitions. And we had the coalitions which were not principled, but based on the interests, the marriages of convenience. Because of this, the government could not develop a homogeneous policy.

Socialists' Flexible "Principles"

When a second Vojislav Kostunica's government was formed, with the outside support by the Socialists, the Socialists' condition was that the Hague indictees are not arrested. This is why that government, if you remember, managed to persuade some indictees to allegedly give themselves up, and when General Lukic was arrested in the hospital and sent to the Hague against his will, the Socialists simply remained silent.

Now Zupljanin was arrested. The Socialists do not recognize the Hague tribunal because of Slobodan Milosevic. So, this is why they had to make their voices heard and they would have to say they will have no dealings with those who are arresting and sending people to the Hague, that they will not take part in any coalition or government. But, you see, they are even willing to enter the coalition with [Tadic's] Democratic Party, which is nothing but an extended arm of foreign occupiers in the country.

The obvious question is: how the Socialists -- who have suffered such a loss to have the leader of their party arrested and sent to the Hague, where the court murder was committed over him -- can even consider the cooperation with those who have delivered Milosevic to the Hague?!

Political Coalitions in Serbia as the Source of Corruption

Corruption is another product of these [unprincipled] coalitions. Corruption will never be entirely uprooted: as long as the one who has is more respected than the one who knows, people will strive to have. Especially those who are close to power or in power. But, when there is a two-party system, the opposition is constantly breathing down the government's neck, focusing on its mistakes. On the other hand, when a coalition is in power, there is a silent consent of the coalition partners to look through the fingers to each other when it comes to corruption. So, everyone steals, no one accuses anyone, this is being tolerated.

All of those who are in power today are working to pile up as much money as needed to ensure they can live off of it for the rest of their lives. The former Socialists, unlike the present-day ones, believed that the system will last, that the system is ensuring their safety. That is why they were not taking too much, thinking they will be secured by the time they get old. This has now radically changed and the coalitions are the very source of corruption.

Pre-Electoral vs. Post-Electoral Pitch

During the electoral campaign, we were told by the political parties that there are two fronts in our country -- one is for preserving Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia, and against joining the EU if that involves Serbia without Kosovo-Metohija; and the other claimed we should join the EU at any price, because that was the only way to secure the new finances and the new work places. As if it wasn't possible to secure that in these past eight years, and can only be done in the next eight.

So, the fronts were sharply divided. But we now have a small three-member coalition [around the Socialists], with [JS leader Dragan Markovic] Plama with only three MP posts, which also claims it is possible to both join the EU and preserve Kosovo and Metohija [like the Yellows]. Well, how can all that be done?! How, when, out of 27 EU members, already 20 of them had recognized Kosovo and Metohija as an independent state?! Because, those 20 states will keep this in mind during the ratification [of the SAA]. In other words, once—God forbid!—the new government of Socialists and Yellows is formed, we can expect Brussels to say: "Until you establish good relations with your neighbors -- meaning diplomatic relations of Belgrade with Pristina -- we will not be able to continue the talks about your accession to the EU."

The Grand Treason is Taking Place

Brussels is, for now, keeping quiet about this, in order to form that coalition, but once it is formed they will say this publicly. And our people, being as they are, will say: well, what can you do, we are powerless to set conditions of our own. But those of us who are well aware of the facts and who see things clearly have a duty to warn that the major deception is taking place, a con against our people. The worst of all, grand treason is taking place.

Everyone who rejects the possibility of the coalition between the Serbian Radical Party, Democratic Party of Serbia, New Serbia and the Socialists [the patriotic bloc] is, in fact, accepting severing of Kosovo and Metohija from Serbia, they are agreeing with Kosovo-Metohija independence and with joining the EU without this core part of our state and our national survival.

They, dear friends, are the traitors, and we cannot allow it. This must not go through!

Posted by BBlog Staff at 08:55 PM | Permalink

Two Fartfaces Sacked (998 More to Go)

After the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested severe administrative measures in the UN, including dismissal of the German fartface Joachim Ruecker, UNMIK chief in southern Serbian Kosovo-Metohija province, notorious for exclusively following orders from Washington and Brussels, while receiving the fat paychecks from United Nations, it was announced that both Ruecker and his deputy, Fartface No.2, American Larry Rossin, have "resigned" their posts -- despite the official statement from the UN, which "said the German diplomat Joachim Ruecker and his deputy Larry Rossin had violated the UN mandate".

Larry Rossin is charged by the Serbian Kosovo-Metohija Ministry and by the Head of UNMIK administration in Kosovska Mitrovica Gerard Gallucci, for carrying out an entirely unprovoked armed attack against Kosovska Mitrovica Serbs on the anniversary of March 17 pogrom, where Kosovo Serb judges have been holding peaceful protests, requesting to be reinstated to their work posts. The evidence suggests that Rossin has carried out an illegal aggressive operation according to the plans by another American official in Serbian province, Larry Wilson, also on the United Nations' paycheck-list, as the UN Police Commissioner. Instead of allowing these thugs to simply pack up and leave, they should be prosecuted for their criminal, destructive actions and behavior. But it appears we'll have to wait for that a bit longer.

Belgrade media has announced that the new UNMIK chief, who already arrived to Kosovo-Metohija province, is an Italian diplomat Lamberto Zannier, former director of OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre. Please make sure to never-ever! give us someone outside of NATO.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Panic in the Hague: Legija is Coming

The surreal Kafkaesque comedy Hague courtrooms have been offering thus far, and especially during the mock trial against Dr. Vojislav Seselj, accused of exercising his right to free speech, peppered with the score of pathetic prosecution witnesses whose stories disgracefully fall apart within the first hour of cross-examination, leaving behind the visible wisps of putrid smoke, is promising to turn into a full-blown drama, filled with unexpected twists and turns, once Dr. Seselj's defense begins.

Milorad Ulemek Legija, charged with assassination of Serbia's most treacherous Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic (who handed the former Serbian president to the Hague and, to rub salt into the wound, on Vidovdan!), has agreed to testify in the Hague. Despite the waves of panic washing over both the Hague's aparatchiks and their counterparts in Belgrade, insisting that Legija should only be allowed to testify via a video link, Seselj has the right to request to have his witness present in the courtroom.

Former Commander of the Special Operations Unit (JSO) of Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP), Milorad Ulemek has gotten his nickname from the service in the elite unit within the French Army, the French Foreign Legion (Légion étrangère) at the start of his carrier. He is regarded as a hero and an exemplary patriot by a great number of Serbs and as a "common criminal" by the others.

Legija's lawyer Slobodan Milivojevic has confirmed that Ulemek agreed to testify in Seselj's defense at the Hague:

"Legija wants to testify and to be cross-examined before the entire [Hague tribunal] body", Milivojevic told Serbian media, adding that the written request has already been submitted to the Special Court in Belgrade.

Special Court's spokesperson Maja Kovacevic-Tomic stressed that Legija's going to Hague in Netherlands would be "extremely complicated and very expensive, because the special, rigorous security measures would have to be set in place", being that what the Hague tribunal has in regards to the security now is entirely insufficient to keep Ulemek contained, in case he would happen to have some other plans.

O, this will be fun...

Posted by BBlog Staff at 05:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Why the Real Criminals Keep Getting Released by Den Hague?

The Hague Kangaroo Court officials are reportedly using the confidential intermediaries to offer a "deal" to the Hague indictees: million dollars for every year shaved off the imprisonment term.

High officials of the Hague tribunal are blackmailing those indicted for war crimes on the territory of former Yugoslavia, offering them to pay huge amounts of money for release, or to have the sentence reduced. According to Kurir, the families of the few Serbs are being requested to pay a million dollars for each year of the reduced sentence.

The Kurir source from the Hague tribunal said that the families of the accused are trying to scrape together at least a portion of the money, hoping to manage to reduce the prison terms for their family members as much as possible, but being that the price tags are so high, Serbs are not able to buy even the portion of their freedom in the Hague.

Not Merely a Farce — Den Hague is a Very Lucrative Blackmailing Business

"Of course, this is all being done in complete secrecy. The men close to the heads of Tribunal first contact the Hague prisoner's lawyers who, after consulting with the family, decide whether they want and can get involved in this. Since most of the Serbs accused by the Hague are as poor as the church mice, for the greatest majority of them the 'generous' offer by the Tribunal is out of the question. On the other hand, this type of corruption is a common thing when it comes to the Albanian, Bosnian Muslim and Croat indictees. Ramush Haradinaj [notorious KLA cutthroat commander] is the best example -- the Shiptars have collected millions of dollars for his release", the Kurir Hague source, wishing to remain anonymous, revealed.

Another source of the Belgrade daily, considered thoroughly familiar with the situation in the Hague tribunal, also claims this type of "trade" is indeed an ongoing operation.

"They are mostly trying to get the money from the ones for whom they know they have it, and that is not many of the accused. Those are the ones who have been at the top of the hierarchy during the wars and who have profited from the wars, those who have the gas pumps, the firms, the foreign currency accounts abroad... One Serbian indictee, for one part of his complaint, has hired the most expensive American lawyer Alan Dershowitz, while Haradinaj paid only to the Cherry Blair Office 9 mill. euros for his defense, which says plenty about their financial means," the Hague insider said.

He pointed out that the Hague investigators are in position to easily find the money trails of the wealthy indictees, whose accounts they freeze, "and from that point on the trade with the prison terms are fully enabled and even pragmatic: the money is blocked, and those who are facing the drastic sentences can't spend their money anyway. So, it is better for them to accept to give money for the freedom."

"The only question that remains is whether the judges are so malleable to accept to render a bought verdict. I can guarantee that they are. Majority of the Hague judges have never been judges before, but mostly came from the diplomatic functions. They are all very well inter-connected and they easily come to terms among themselves," the Hague source explained.

Lawyer Toma Fila of the famous Serbian Law Office said he hadn't heard about freedom-buying practice in the Hague, but the fact that there is no longer an automatic release after the two thirds of the prison term served is an important indicator that this is quite possibly true.

"This was the practice up to the arrival of the US Judge Meron, but then it was decided it is something that has to be determined from case to case", Fila said.

Croat Secret Services Use Hague's Confidential Documentation to Train their Witnesses

Nerma Jelacic, a Croat woman rumored to have had a sexual affair with the Bosnian Muslim war criminal Naser Oric while he was in the Hague prison, who happens to be a spokesperson for the Hague tribunal, told Kurir this is a "nebulous nonsense that doesn't deserve a comment". Asked to whom could the Hague accused report such blackmails and is there an international body authorized to investigate and prosecute the Hague tribunal employees for corruption and abuse of power, Ms. Jelacic could not give a precise response and said this question should be posed to the UN Headquarters in New York.

"The Croat lobby before the Hague tribunal consists of the Croat state and its secret services. I have personally seen a confidential document in one trial, which shows that Croat agents broke into tribunal's confidential documentation, based on which they have prepared their prosecution witnesses for Vukovar indictments, as well as the defense of Croat indictees. Croatia is even renting houses in Hague, to which it brings its legal and other experts, who are preparing the defense of indicted Croats. On the other hand, Serbian state does nothing, and accused Serbs and their lawyers are left to themselves," renown Serbian lawyer Borivoje Borovic told Kurir.

Professor Vlajki: The Unprecedented Hague Farce

In the article published yesterday by Glas javnosti, Professor Emil Vlajki assessed that the "shabby 'new world masters' have shown the greatest level of cynicism towards the Serbian nation, which is, without exaggeration, unseen in the history of the world, through the behavior of the fake court of justice: the Hague Tribunal".

"So, during the trial of V. Seselj, a following 'evidence' was presented against him. On the courtroom screen, the video footage from the early nineties of Bishop Filaret was played, as he showed the scull of a Serbian boy who was cruelly killed at the start of the war. Being that no one, including the judge, was able to immediately grasp how could a Serb be tried for a murder of another Serb committed by the Serbian enemies, the prosecutor gave a brief explanation: 'This is the proof of Serbian propaganda!' He didn't offer any evidence for his claim, no expertise! The council of judges talked for half a minute and accepted this sort of 'proof' against the accused as valid. Therefore, even when the Serbs are being killed they are still guilty, because they are deceiving the public with their allegedly fake deaths. In this way, a Serb is being tried in the Hague both for his own people killed by the enemy and for the victims on the enemy side. But that is not the end of the story.

"During the Seselj trial, a video clip was shown from the 1996 demonstrations, where he stated that one should have no dealings with this kind of Europe which constantly blackmails the Serbs. And nothing else was seen or heard. This 'proof' of Seselj's 'guilt' obviously falls into the category of expressing a political view a whole score of international charters is unable to sanction. But the 'genocidal' Serbs, evidently, cannot be afforded a benefit of any human rights.

Preventive Genocide of a "Genocidal Nation"

"Instead of determining the individual responsibilities based on solid evidence, this prostituted court went as far as issuing a verdict to the Serbian history too, by mentioning, in one of the verdicts unparalleled in the judicial practice, that 'the genocidal Serbian nationalism' is rooted in 'Nacertanije' [an 1844 Memorandum to Serbian King Aleksandar Karadjordjevic, by Ilija Garasanin]! A 'scientific basis' for this type of views was given through the pen of the two British academicians (!) who in the 1990s wrote that even though it is true that [Bosnian Muslim Srebrenica warlord Naser] Oric committed numerous crimes against the Serbs, that was justified, because the Serbs are a genocidal nation and, therefore, it was useful to kill them preventively in the greatest possible number, so they wouldn't destroy the Muslim nation.

"It is entirely clear that the West could not find Oric and Haradinaj guilty in the Hague for the crimes committed against the Serbs, because in that way they would bring their entire politics into question -- starting with the [West's] leading role in destruction of Yugoslavia, over demonizing the Serbs, favoring Croats and Muslims in the recent conflicts, the criminal NATO aggression in 1999, all the way down to promoting the 'independent' Kosovo. But this is all understandable, because the Serbs are the enemy."

Posted by BBlog Staff at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Dr Seselj's Friends Help Expose the Kangaroo Court

Prosecution witness against Dr. Vojislav Seselj, Safet Sejdic, a Bosnian Muslim who fought on the side of the Bosnian Serb Army during the last civil war, testified couple of days ago that, on November 9, 1993, he had personally seen Seselj on Nisic hill in Bosnia with Radovan Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic, as they were "preparing the Bosnian Serb army for an attack".

During yesterday's cross-examination, after documenting he was in Serbia on November 8, 9 and 10 in 1993, at the time Sejdic claimed he had seen him in Bosnia, which happened to be a peak of the pre-electoral campaign in Belgrade, so he couldn't have possibly been physically present both in Belgrade and on the Nisic hill at the same time, Seselj said:

"I have consulted my friend Radovan Karadzic during the weekend and asked where was he on this day [of the battle]. He informed me he was in Belgrade at that time, giving an interview to Reuters."

"This is incredible! Did we understand you correctly?", judge Antonetti interrupted.

"How did you contact him?", the prosecutor inquired.

"I have instructed my associates to contact the certain men who are in touch with Karadzic and I asked them to forward the information about where he was on November 9 to me. I'm thanking my friend Karadzic for his kind response", Seselj said with a smile and added that "since there was no possibility for me to get a written statement from Karadzic, because I don't know who would be allowed to verify it, I have instructed my legal advisers to find the evidence of his stay in Belgrade."

After this, Seselj submitted the photocopies of the articles published in Borba and Vecernje Novosti on November 10 -- a day after the battle in question, which cite that Karadzic, in the interview given to TV Reuters a day before in Belgrade, said that "the Serbs are willing to offer territorial concessions".

"The Information from My Other Friend will Arrive a bit Later..."

"Regardless of the antagonism between you and Seselj, tell us is it true that you have personally seen Karadzic and Mladic with Seselj", the French judge asked the witness suspiciously.

"Yes," Sejdic responded.

"When? It seems that both Seselj and Karadzic were somewhere else on that day...", Antonetti pressed on.

"As far as I know.... this problem...", prosecution witness stumbled.

"Fine, you don't know how to respond. That interview could have been given by the phone," the judges concluded.

"How do you give a TV interview by the telephone?!", Seselj interfered, explaining that, at the time, they couldn't have even been transported by the helicopter, because NATO already controlled the Bosnia-Herzegovina airspace.

The session was immediately closed for the public for an hour, after which Seselj announced he had also tried to get the information from his other friend, General Mladic, on his whereabouts at the time, but that one will only arrive within the next day or two.

During today's cross-examination, Seselj informed the council that his friend Ratko Mladic had told him he does not remember where exactly he was on November 9, 1993, but that he "most certainly was not on the Nisic hill".

"My friend Ratko Mladic also said that the Command of the Serbian army would have never allowed for three of so highly distinguished Serbian military and political greats to be found together in the same place, because a single hand grenade could kill us all, and that would be an incalculable loss," Seselj added.

To the repeated requests by the judge and the prosecutor to give details about the way he gets in touch with General Mladic, Dr Seselj somberly responded:

"I would sooner lay down my life than give the information about my friends Karadzic and Mladic to the prosecutor."

A "Forcefully Mobilized" Volunteer

According to Glas Javnosti, it turned out in yesterday's cross-examination that Sejdic was in no way "forcefully mobilized" into the Bosnian Serb Army as he claimed, but that he was a volunteer in the Bosnian Serb Army during the war. The prosecution witness was enraged by the evidence presented to the court which proved he was a volunteer and which included the written statements by his fellow fighters, members of the Intervention Squad of the Semizevo Batallion in the village Svrake.

Vojislav Seselj responded by listing the statements of Sejdic's Bosnian Serb Army fellow soldiers, who said that the witness has distinguished himself during the battles and that he had even killed some ten Muslim fighters.

"When the Muslims kicked you out in Korita, you went over to the Serbian side and you fought bravely. Everyone praises you! Your neighbor Miroslav Spiric also confirms you were a volunteer and on a paycheck-list of the Serbs. Your father said the same," Seselj said.

In spite of prosecution witness' protests, Seselj produced the photography of the Second Batallion of Semizovo Squad, on which Sejdic recognized himself as the first on the right side, holding an automatic rifle among some 20 Bosnian Serb soldiers.

"Ask your Jovan Colakovic why he gave me a machine gun", the witness said angrily.

"Because everyone loved you in the unit. I already asked them. You have invented everything only in order to justify yourself before your Muslims", Seselj concluded.

Recommended: Seselj in the Hague About the History of Former Yugoslav Nations (YouTube); Some people don't seem to understand any other language -- Seselj's famous appearance in the courtroom, after waiting, imprisoned, four years for his trial to begin.

Posted by BBlog Staff at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

German Political and Military Experts: Padlock on Bondsteel!

All the US military bases in Europe must be closed down as soon as possible, and installment of the anti-m