Statement about a genocide in Kosovo and an attack to Yugoslavia

Green Party of Croatia support Joschka Fischer, German Minister of foreign affairs, for actions against the criminal regime of FR Yugoslavia.

A. The collision of values of non-violence and human rights protection.

We are witnesses of a culmination of the Kosovo crisis, which started 20 years ago. In the end of 20th century, the world is faced with almost inconceivable human rights violations and destruction of principles of civilised society. We are witnesses of systematic destruction of existential basis for two million people - violence, slaughtering, rapes, expelling.

Members of the Green Party of Croatia have been active in actions against the war and violence and for protection of human rights in ex- Yugoslavia and in Croatia. We accept non-violence as one of our key values. However, there are situations of drastic human rights violations, when a force is needed to stop violence. In contrary of radical pacifism, that was also a warning of Mahatma Gandhi.

From the year 1991, the ruling regime of FR Yugoslavia, i.e. Serbia, started a series of wars against other nations of ex-Yugoslavia. Recently, they decided to challenge in the front of the whole world. A series of aggression, destruction, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and genocide (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and now Kosovo) must be stooped at last.

B. Problems caused by the NATO action so far.

War action, in spite of their goal to create conditions for a political solution, resulted only in destruction of FR Yugoslavia till now. Sufferings of Albanians from Kosovo continued and spreading of the conflict with introduction of ground troops is more and more real. All territories of FR Yugoslavia are exposed to be devastated very hard. Yugoslav citizens are confronted with isolation and without a hope. Every day they became desperate more and more, and with that more aggressive. A flow of refugees and expelled people from Kosovo threat to destabilise neighbouring countries. If a problem is not solved in the near future, a demographic situation of those countries will changed and new crisis can be created. More then one million of refugees shall be a great problem for all of Europe, if their return to Kosovo will not be make possible. Countries - neighbours of FR Yugoslavia have hard problems in economy, with dangers to be drawn in the war against their will. Our country, Republic of Croatia, suffer a serious damages in economy - tourism, traffic, forward-traffic etc. The country is in a deep economy crisis and a climate for foreign investments become worse every day.

C. A blockade of the ON

In spite of our support for NATO action in the specific case, the Green Party of Croatia consider that a situation of NATO as "world policeman" is unacceptable. It is certain that it operate under control of the riches and the most powerful countries, USA at the first place, which are leaded with their selfish interests. However, potential action of UN was blocked by a veto of Russia and China, which are leaded with their selfish interests too. A regime of Yugoslavia systematically have been implemented terror on Kosovo and rejected all proposals for compromise. During last ten years, before a beginning of NATO strikes, about half of million of ethnic Albanians remove from Kosovo. Confident that Russian support will block a war action, Slobodan Milosevic, a butcher of the Balkans, started a big action of "ethnic cleansing" in a time of negotiations in Rambouillet. We feel condolence for actual suffer of the people in SR Yugoslavia under air strikes, but we stress that a Serbian strongman, Slobodan Milosevic, is a man who can stop attack if accepts proposals.

HAVING IN MIND ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, THE CROATIAN GREEN PARTY REGARD THE FOLLOWING NEED TO BE REALISED:

1.1. A possibility need to be offer to SR Yugoslavia to announce and beginning to retreat all kinds of military, police and paramilitary forces from Kosovo. Retreat need to be realised inside a period of five days.

1.2. After overlooking in reality of retreat, NATO will stop strikes. After that, an armed forces under UN mandate need to enter Kosovo, constituted by NATO members and other countries. Civilian observers, servants and experts need to enter too. Their goal will be to build basic circumstances for returning of all refugees and expelled and for reconstruction and development of the region. At the same time, political negotiations need to be continued.

2.1. In a case that FR Yugoslavia reject this kind of proposal, it is needed to consider possibility to recognise Kosovo as an independent state, which is proclaimed few years ago under a name The Republic of Kosovo. KLA would be provisionally recognised as a legal armed force of an sovereign ailed state, and supported by logistic and air forces to take over a control under the territory of a new state.

2.2. After that, KLA must retire into military barracks. International military, police and civilian forces would be send to Kosovo, to control peace and human rights situation, and to help in reconstruction, restitution of a new government and other needs for normal life and reconciliation. Those forces mandate need to be three years at least.

3.1. In case that either of the two mentioned possibilities is realised, international volunteers, organised by a peace movement and other NGOs, could make an important contribution to the process of post-war reconstruction, development and reconciliation. There are small, but important experiences in Croatia and Bosnia- Herzegovina.

3.2. Financial and other support is needed for Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro, to amortise effects of a flow of the expelled people from Kosovo. A program of their return need to be realise, gradually, in keeping with a progress in reconstruction.

3.3. A strong support is needed for countries of the south-east Europe in reparation of damages, reconstruction and development. PHARE program could be used and strengthen, and other special programs need to be developed - some kind of "new Marshall plan" - for economy, development of institutional structure, social "healing" and reconciliation. FR Yugoslavia need to be included, if it start into a track of democracy, human rights and tolerance.

4.1. It is needed to work energetically to put all responsible for war crimes and abuses of international humanitarian laws on the International court (tribunal) - without concerns to which nation and ethnic group they belong and in which position they are, or were at the time when crimes were committed. It is also needed to work on development of permanent system of international protection of human rights, based on independent courts, military/police and social components.

4.2. The Green Party of Croatia support a work of the International tribunal for War Crimes in ex-Yugoslavia in The Hague. It is an important step toward a system of international human rights protection. In spite of that, there are founded objections to it's concrete proceedings - it is clear that political manipulations exist, especially of only world super-power, USA.

4.3. Having in mind those objections, we strongly support founding of the Permanent International Court for Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes against humanity and Aggression, which was agreed in Rome last year. We call all countries to ratify an agreements about it's founding and to enable a beginning of it's work.

4.4. We also consider that an authority of The International Court of Justice in The Hague need to be strengthened. Those two courts appeared as parts of an international judiciary, which need to protect international laws and to be independent, as much as possible, of influences from governments and country representatives in UN bodies.

4.5. Blockades in decision-making, caused with a right of veto of permanent members of the UN Security council, remind to paralysis of the Legue of Nation in '30s. A reform is needed, oriented toward more democracy and efficiency.

Zagreb, 28. April 1999.

For contact: zostric@zamir.net http://www.mesopust.com/zeleni

Source: Minelres

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