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 --- from list marxism-international-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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