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Opinions and Alerts
Archive 1999

Russian retreat from Orahovac seen as KLA victory
The failure of the Orahovac negotiations between KFOR-represented by Dutch, German and Russian officers-and ethnic Albanians is largely due to the fact that the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) is, and has been, backing the Albanians. Before today, however, that support was not public. On August 27, the KLA made it official.
28th August 1999

Losers either way
If elections are held in Serbia this autumn, the opposition will once again have to decide whether to participate and legitimise them, or boycott.
25th August 1999

Safe havens for Serb security
The UN administrator questions whether ethnic havens are the only way to enable Serbs to remain in Kosovo?
25th August 1999

Comment: Kosovo fascism, Albanians' shame
The systematic intimidation of Kosovo's Serbs brings shame on the province's Albanians and will have far-reaching and long-term consequences.
25th August 1999

Another Fracture in KFOR
More than a confrontation over a single village, the deadlock in Orahovac will likely trigger other such struggles, threatening Russia's participation in KFOR and encouraging Moscow to carve an independent role for its troops in Kosovo.
24th August 1999

Case of Serbian activist Vesna Pesic:
Urgent support needed

Ms. Vesna Pesic, a world known Serbian activist for human rights and former President of the Civic Alliance of Serbia, might be indicted for violating The Constitution. If indicted and sentenced, she might face 10 to 20 years of imprisonment.
20th August 1999

Russians may be seeking to change status quo in Kosovo
The current KFOR arrangement has put Russia on the defensive, triggering a less than veiled threat from Russia to abandon KFOR operations altogether. Russia's role in the peacekeeping operations will be reconsidered in Moscow next month.
20th August 1999

Anti-Milosevic or Pro-Opposition?
The size of the rally of 19th August illustrates the fact that opposition to Milosevic has indeed grown dramatically. The regime must address opposition sentiment. The real question for Milosevic's supporters is whether this anti-Milosevic sentiment is necessarily pro- opposition.
20th August 1999

The world needs reconciliation institutes
How can we talk about restoring peace after wars' hurt and harm without paying attention to the human aspects of conflicts in general and that of forgiveness and reconciliation in particular?
19th August 1999

The Kosovar chaos
On its way to normalisation, Kosovo is going through a series of phenomena and processes of social and political deformations. Other societies which have experienced similar war destruction and social and political disintegration have experienced similar.
15th August 1999

With few options, NATO turns up heat on KLA to lukewarm
The KLA is intensifying its fight for Kosovo's independence. NATO is left with few if any options to deal with the problem.
10th August 1999

Propaganda
During the now ended (?!) NATO millitary expedition over Yugoslavia, there has often been mentioned that the people that opposed NATO aggression were the victims of regime propaganda. I don't doubt that this was sometimes the case, but I think that those ones saying that are in the most cases victims of NATO propaganda.
7th August 1999

Appeal to academic community
An appeal to the Serbian academic community by the University Committee for Democracy.
27th July 1999

Dissident or double agent?
Whose side is Vuk Draskovic really on? Up to the eve of his appearance at a major protest in Kragujevac on July 17, no one could really say.
17th July 1999

Give Radio B92 Back to Belgrade
Belgrade artists send open letter to the public.
July 1999

Some ethical aspects on NATO's intervention in Kosovo
Now is the time to begin to reflect on what actually happened this spring in Kosovo and, thus, to the world. From March 24, 1999 international politics and relations as well as the global system has changed in a deep sense, according to TFF-director Jan Oberg.
15th July 1999

The summer of our discontent
While the regime which is in a critical situation on the one hand and the opposition which is in a turmoil on the other are feeling each other's pulse in order to see through each other's force and intentions, a spectre of spontaneous civil discontent uncontrolled by the current political protagonists is circling around Serbia.
14th July 1999

Kosovo consequences for Bosnia
Many Bosnians hope the post-war settlement will give new impetus to revise the Dayton accords along the lines of the solution for Kosovo.
9th July 1999

Serbia's brave new protesters
Protesters in provincial Serbia are a different breed from those who have demonstrated in Belgrade in previous years--and may have greater results.
9th July 1999

Can the Alliance get it together?
The public protests in provincial Serbia are tempting observers to say that Milosevic is, at long last, about to fall from power. But is the opposition serious?
9th July 1999

'De naweeën van een vuile oorlog', door Drs. C. Fleur
Wie het UNEP-rapport (United Nations Environment Programme) van mei 1999 leest, ziet zijn vredesillusie snel verstoord
2 juli

FAIR action alert: Encourage CBS Evening News to Investigate Possible NATO War Crimes
During a June 25th appearance at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather expressed an openness to investigating alleged NATO war crimes committed in Yugoslavia.
2nd July 1999

Hiding under the black rain
Ecologists say the authorities in Serbia are concealing the extent of the ecological and health threats caused by NATO bombing.
30th June 1999

The elusive victory
During the bombing campaign a large number of dual-use objects like bridges, railroads, oil refining plants, power plants and TV transmitters were destroyed, promising a humanitarian disaster in Serbia this winter. Milosevic, on the other hand, is not removed from the power.
30th June 1999

Propaganda wars
Phillip Knightley places the Kosovo atrocity stories in their historical context.
27th June 1999

Kosovo's Legacy
Barbara Ehrenreich comments in LA Weekly
25th June 1999

Kosovars vs. Kurds: Similar crises get divergent treatment in the New York Times
In New York Times' editorials, two very similar conflicts are described in very similar terms. But an editorial about Turkey makes it clear that the security forces are acting in response to Kurdish violence, whereas the editorial about Kosovo does not mention the existence of the Kosovar guerrillas at all.
24th June 1999

Sharing the risks of democracy
The Serbs must be invited to "share the risks of building a future democracy" in Kosovo, says the province's top independent journalist, Veton Surroi. IWPR director Anthony Borden interviews a powerful voice for democracy.
22nd June 1999

Djukanovic courts Clinton's support
All options are open, Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic tells US President Bill Clinton, discussing prospects for a 'realignment of relations' with Serbia--even a possible referendum on independence.
22nd June 1999

No peace for the protectorate's protected
The flawed peace that emerged from the Dayton Agreement--which halted the war but did not resolve the conflict in Bosnia--bodes ill for the future of Kosovo.
22nd June 1999

Pax Americana in the Balkans
Hard questions about the war in Kosova
22nd June 1999

NATO's Victory
The war has opened a deep rift inside of NATO and intensified the anti-reform process in Russia. Along the way, it also drove U.S.- Chinese relations to the lowest level since Nixon first met Mao. That is a large price to pay for assuming responsibility for the Balkans.
21st June 1999

Investigating war crimes
The West's new-found commitment to war crimes investigations risks being perceived as "victors' justice".
18th June 1999

Read UN resolution 1244 and watch NATO in Kosovo
Did you read UN Security Council Resolution 1244 about peace in Kosovo? Well, it is not exactly coherent.
18th June 1999

Nato in Kosovo: failed peacekeeping
If a UN operation had gone this wrong from the beginning, if the mandate had been violated to this extent, politicians, diplomats and media worldwide would have cried 'Failure!' But since it is a US-lead NATO operation, independent- minded evaluations and criticism is conspicuously absent from mainstream media and the political discourse.
18th June 1999

A yawning gap?
Between Glowing Portrait of Western Idealism and Reality of U.S. Policy
17th June 1999

Montenegrin faction presses for independence
The Montenegrin independence movement has moved into high gear as NATO troops move into Kosovo. The question is, will Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic force the issue in Montenegro, generating a new crisis in an effort to remain in power?
17th June 1999

The economic cost of mr. Milosevic
Economists estimate that it will take Serbia 40 years to recover from the costs of the NATO bombing and return to the level achieved before Milosevic came to power.
16th June 1999

Seselj at the gates
Having resigned from the Serbian government and disassociated himself from the peace agreement, Vojislav Seselj is now poised to bid for power.
16th June 1999

Statement of the Holy Synod of Bishops
The highest authority of the Serbian Orthodox Church addresses International forces to protect equally the rights of the Albanians and their return to their homes, as well as the Serbian people and the members of the other nationalities living in Kosovo and Metohia.
15th June 1999

Who are the leaders of third Serbia?
Interview with Milan St. Protic, historian
15th June 1999

Starving out the Russians
NATO has adopted an interesting strategy for dealing with the unwelcome presence of Russian troops at Slatina airbase in Kosovo. It is ignoring them.
15th June 1999

Building a new vision in the Balkans
The end of the war should mark the beginning of a decisive new policy for building democracy, development and real peace throughout the region.
14th June 1999

"It's the Russians, Stupid"
From the beginning to the end of this crisis, it has been the Russians, not the Serbs, who were the real issue facing NATO.
14th June 1999

KLA Versus Russia - Will They Force the Issue?
The KLA, understanding Russia's presence in Kosovo for what it is, has grown increasingly bellicose about the issue, declaring the Russians unwelcome and refusing to guarantee their safety.
14th June 1999

ALERT!!! Meeting about peace walk to Kosovo
Tuesday, 15th June, in Gent (Belgium)
13th June 1999

Peace enforcers vs. Peace keepers
It is everyone's hope that the KFOR mission remains undramatic. However, the KFOR mission is not a "peacekeeping" mission, but rather a "peace enforcement" mission.
12th June 1999

Our latest lost war
Comment by a Belgrade columnist
11th June 1999

The robust resolution
Long a diplomatic fudge factory, the UN's resolution on Kosovo firmly reflects the terms dictated by NATO.
11th June 1999

Milosevic held out against a humiliating peace accord
Many of us were critical of the bombing campaign's wastefulness. In the end, we were proved right. A soldier's view.
10th June 1999

UN Fig Leaf
In the UN resolution concerning KFOR, NATO is mentioned only in an appendix and no leadership role is assigned to it. Nevertheless, the US insists the mission will be a NATO operation through and through and Russia's denials are sounding weaker by the hour.
10th June 1999

The NATO War, The Ethnic Cleansing - Is There a Way Out?
A comment by Johan Galtung, professor of Peace Studies
10th June 1999

The Horrendous Price of G8 Peace
A comment by TFF-director Jan Oberg
9th June 1999

(Dis)Agreement?
A Belgrade student comments
7th June 1999

What have we started?
Global paranoia and anti-Americanism are the legacies of Kosovo. Is this the peace to end all peace?
6th June 1999

They Call This Victory?
Bombing "success" must be weighed against human cost and missed chances for peace
4th June 1999

Human Rights Watch on peace agreement
Ethnic Albanians who remain in Kosovo are particularly vulnerable to further atrocities by withdrawing Serbian and Yugoslav forces. The safety of these civilians must be a priority and steps must be taken to prevent an endgame of killing and destruction.
4th June 1999

Union in exile
Interview with Agim Hyseni, president of the Kosovar Teacher's Union.
3rd June 1999

Moral intervention
"There should not have been any kind of war. This is not any kind of war. This is only an example of desperately good cooperation between local and international stupidity and insolence, and both sides have agreed to lie and pretend that this is a real war over Kosovo."
Vreme columnist Stojan Cerovic comments.
3rd June 1999

Slobo's surrender
The Kosovo peace deal amounts to Serb capitulation to all of NATO's demands.
3rd June 1999

Media manipulation by NATO
Philip Hammond on how the media has told only one side of the story
2nd June 1999

Belgrade under the bombs
TFF-director Jan Oberg comments from the Serbian capital
1st June 1999

Letter to Helsinki Committees
Greek an Bulgarian human rights activists react on the IHF Letter of 18th May
1st June 1999

Free Serbia: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
* Why are we against NATO intervention?
* Why are we against Milosevic?
* So, why don't we overthrow Milosevic now?
* What awaits Serbia when the intervention ends?
* Who are we?
And more about "Free Serbia"

Opinions and alerts archive
1st January-31st May 1999


Maintained by Heleen Ransijn ( hera@dds.nl)
Last updated 30-8-99
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