File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1998/marxism-international.9803, message 201


Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1998 20:10:06 +0100
From: Hugh Rodwell <m-14970-AT-mailbox.swipnet.se>
Subject: M-I: LIT Declaration on Kosovo


END THE REPRESSION IN KOSOVO!
OUT WITH MILOSEVIC'S ASSASSINS!

Milosevic is perpetrating another massacre. The combined operation by
police, military and paramilitary forces used heavy arms including tanks
and helicopters to kill Albanians and destroy their houses in a number of
villages in the province of Drenica. While the troops were destroying
entire villages, like Donji Prekaz, paramilitaries armed with knives were
busy killing those "suspected" of helping the guerrillas along with their
families. Four days of attacks by these troops produced devastation, with
burnt-out houses, thousands of residents driven out of their homes and a
great number of deaths. The Serbian government originally announced that 28
people had been killed, subsequently the bodies of 36 people (men, women
and children) were identified, and the Albanian opposition declares that at
least 50 people were killed.

According to the survivors of this invasion, people were slaughtered merely
because they were relatives of suspected guerrillas, or simply for being
Albanians. This is reminiscent of the "ethnic cleansing" practised by
Milosevic's ally Karadzic in Bosnia. This "technique" of torturing
relatives and destroying the homes of people suspected of helping the
guerrilla also recalls the actions of Israel in Palestine.

Albanians make  up more than 90% of the population of Kosovo. The Yugoslav
dictator Slobodan Milosevic abolished the autonomy of Kosovo in 1989 and
from then on has insisted that Kosovo is part of Yugoslavia (the federation
of Serbia and Montenegro). The people of Kosovo declared for independence
in a referendum in September 1991. Belgrade ignored the vote, intensified
the repression and Milosevic rejected a proposal to teach the Albanian
language in the schools. In the past two years, a process of resistance to
Serbian oppression has been developing, and the Kosovo Liberation Army, a
guerrilla movement with the goal of independence, has been gaining
prestige. The Serbian government classifies the actions of the resistance
as "Albanian terrorism".

This massacre was Milosevic's response to the fact that he is losing
control over Kosovo. For over a year now a great part of Kosovo has been
under the control of Albanians, and the police were refusing to enter the
most disputed "no go" areas at night. By the indiscriminate killing he is
attempting to use terror to immobilize the population of these villages
which were considered to be areas of support for the KLA. Donji Prekaz is
the home village of Adam Jashari, considered to be the principal leader of
the KLA and according to police reports killed in the attack.

The reaction of the mass movement

Mass demonstrations denouncing the Serbian terror took place all over
Kosovo. A march of 7,000 women was held in the capital Pristina to protest
against the massacre. There were protest demonstrations in Istanbul and
Ankara in Turkey, in Athens and in Rome. In Istanbul more than 1,500 people
burnt the Serbian flag in front of the Yugoslav consulate and shouted "Stop
the bloodbath in Kosovo".

Once more -- the "peace plans" of imperialism

The group charged with administering the implementation of the "peace plan"
imposed on Bosnia is attempting to intervene and impose its policies in
Kosovo. Under the leadership of the USA, a number of meetings have been
held to agree a line. The US never supported nor will it support the demand
for independence, on the contrary, as was shown very clearly in Bosnia, it
has always supported the Great Serbian policies of Milosevic. But on this
occasion the hand of its ally slipped, and it had to distance itself from
the massacre. For this reason Madeleine Albright said that Milosevic "will
have to pay dearly for his raid on the pro-independence rebels", and after
visiting the Pope declared that "we are not going to stay looking on as the
Serbian authorities do in Kosovo what they are no longer able to do in
Bosnia". If we remember the years that have passed with imperialism aiding
the genocide in Bosnia and also recall that this is the same person who
just a few days ago was calling for the bombing of Iraq, we have to say
that the hypocrisy of imperialism knows no bounds.

A very short time ago Washington rewarded Milosevic for good behaviour and
once more allowed him the right to use airports outside Serbia. The great
concern of the State Department now is that Serbian violence will provoke a
loss of control in the region. But the fear of imperialism, both American
and European, is not just to avoid a new Bosnia. They are preoccupied by
the possibility of the conflict spreading. The events in Kosovo led to the
mobilization of the Albanian army, and if a war breaks out it will be
difficult to keep Albania from getting involved. What's more, European
imperialism is afraid that a new wave of Balkan refugees will be generated.

For this reason, despite being against all separatist proposals and despite
sharing Milosevic's view that the KLA is a terrorist group, they are all
saying they are in favour of a policy of negotiations to deal with the
differences between the Serbs and the Albanians. For the same reason they
called for "an end to the killing", but only of course once the massacre
had taken place, and Kofi Annan is saying that the correct thing to do is
to maintain the UN security force in Macedonia. At the moment it consists
of a contingent of 900 troops (350 of them North Americans) under the
command of the USA. For its part, Russia, staying loyal to its Serbian
ally, is resisting all proposals and arguing along with Milosevic that
Kosovo is an internal Yugoslav affair.

Support the Albanian struggle in Kosovo

The IWL/FI stands with the struggle of the majority of the population of
Kosovo against the Milosevic dictatorship. The armed self-defence of the
workers and people of Kosovo in the face of Serbian aggression is
fundamental. We call on all workers and all popular and democratic sectors
to manifest their repudiation of this new massacre and to support the
Kosovo demands. In particular we call on workers, students and popular
sectors in Serbia to confront the murderous government of Milosevic and
stop any further genocidal attacks.

Out with Milosevic's assassins!

UN troops out of the region!

The people of Kosovo have already shown they want independence. For the
right of Kosovo to exercise self-determination!

For the unity of the peoples of the Balkans in the struggle for
self-determination!

For a free and voluntary Socialist Federation of the Balkan peoples!



IS of the IWL/FI

17 March 1998





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