Syndicate: ZAGINFLATCH #33, 18th April 1999.

[florian schneider <fls@ibu.de>]

ZAGINFLATCH #33, 18th April 1999.
a newsletter published by Zagreb Anarchist Movement

ZAP / ARK GAJEVA 55
10 000 ZAGREB CROATIA

zap_zg@geocities.com
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/3707/

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 from: Student Union of Yugoslavia

"He dropped his bomb in good faith, as you would expect of a trained
pilot from a democratic country."

NEWS:

NATO has admitted that it bombed a refugee convoy on Wednesday, leaving
Kosovo refugees dead after a pilot mistook the civilian vehicles for
Yugoslav military units. Nato's admission came a day after more than 70
refugees were reported to have been killed in at least two attacks in
the south of the province. At first the Pentagon suggested that Serb
forces had attacked convoys of refugees - it later withdrew the
statement. A NATO officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
there were two convoys on the same road. Two NATO planes attacked - one
hit the military convoy, the other struck at what he called a ``mixed
convoy.'' After this incident all NATO planes returned to the base
safely, he said. According to Serbian Media Centre in Pristina the
convoy of refugees was returning to their homes when NATO planes
attacked it. They say there were no military vehicles nearby. The
prodemocratic forces in Serbia hope that all of those who are
responsible for ethnical cleansing in Kosovo will be convicted. However,
we wonder if the same will happen to NATO officers responsible for
civilian casualties (regardless of nationality) during the 'bombing
campaign'.

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Q: Why did I receive this mail?
A: Because your e-mail address is displayed on the list of media,
student and Non Governmental organizations, as well as on lists of some
influential people, who have shown some interest for the conflict in
Kosovo recently.

Q: Who are you?
A: We are a group of young prodemocratily oriented people (students
mostly) who have spent the best years of their lives trying to change
some things in Serbia, to create a more democratic society were people
would be able to have freedom of speech without being afraid of getting
arrested, beaten, tortured, etc. In the last ten years of bloodshed on
Balkan, we've condemned and protested against any form of violence,
ethnical cleansing and crimes against humanity, no matter which side is
responsible for it. We were under constant repression and were brutally
molested by the regime during the Student Protest 96/97. Although we
failed in trying to change the Milosevic`s regime (which did not happen
because the West did not help us in time), we achieved a lot. Many
people in Serbia opened their eyes and started using their heads instead
of being hypnotized by propaganda. We are aware of the fact that our
attitude - against NATO intervention and Milosevic's regime as well - is
not popular among the sides taking part in this conflict, but that is
exactly why we think our side is the right one and therefore it is the
only one that can contribute to the stopping of bloodshed.

Q: What do you want?
A: Our aim is to offer you an independent view of all the aspects of
this crisis, at the peak of the propaganda of the media on both sides.
Since the true victims of this conflict are innocent civilians
(regardless of nationality), and all the aspects of the crisis (because
of which this NATO intervention started (the humanitarian aspect, the
diplomatic one, and that of democracy)), are getting worse terribly
every day, we want the conflict and bombing to stop NOW, and the finding
of a peaceful solution to start. We think the possibilities for a
political solution are numerous and it is still not too late to reach
them.



***************************************



PANCEVO PEACE MOVEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT

Dear European citizens Dear friends

Current situation in Yugoslavia and at the Balkans is against wishes and
interests of the citizens of Yugoslavia, the Balkans and Europe. After
the NATO attack on Yugoslavia, we are getting further and further from
peace, stability and long-term democratic and fair solution of the
problem in relations between Serbs and Albanians, as well as all other
interstate and international problems on the territory. The interest and
wish of the great majority of people in Yugoslavia and at the Balkans
are the long-term stability and development. With its activities, both
peaceful and military ones, NATO has moved away this whole territory
from the ideals and values common to the European Union citizens. During
all war years on the territory of former Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic,
the president of Yugoslavia, followed only the logic of the strongest
armed force at the Balkans, which gave him a right to perform a mass
military attack against the citizens of Bosnia, Croatia. He justified
his acts as the fight for freedom and equality of one nation in these
countries, and the aim of his military attacks with the fight for the
long-term peace and stability. Today we are in a situation to see the
same logic followed by the president of the USA, Bill Clinton. Acting
out of control of wider international community, as commander supreme of
the NATO forces, Clinton has equalled himself with Mr Milosevic. What
Milosevic has represented for the Balkans, Clinton now represents for
Europe and the world. Citizens of Europe and America should know that at
the multiparty elections in Yugoslavia and Serbia since 1990, Milosevic
has not won trust of the majority of voters, that the basic civil rights
have been abolished for the citizens of Serbia, that during the last
decade independent media have been systematically destroyed by the
Slobodan Milosevic's authorities, that the total production potential of
the country is in his hands and that the independence of the
administration of justice has been completely suspended. but the
constructive resistance to president Milosevic's regime has been growing
stronger and stronger and street demonstrations more and more massive.
However, after the NATO forces attack on Yugoslavia, all citizens have
become both Mr Milosevic and Mr Clinton's military and economic
hostages. We understand and accept Mr Clinton's explanation that the
president of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic, is most responsible for
violence and destruction on the former and present Yugoslavia's
territory, but why then destruction and punishment by the NATO forces
are not directed towards Slobodan Milosevic, instead of being directed
to the citizens of Yugoslavia? Help in preventing humanitarian
catastrophe in Kosovo cannot be done by creating humanitarian
catastrophe in Yugoslavia. The situation we are experiencing now
irresistibly reminds of the situation when two tough guys are slapping
someone else's children in order to see who will longer endure.
Long-term peace and stability on this territory mostly depend on the
development of democracy in Serbia but, in this situation, while the
NATO attacks are in progress, Serbia is getting further and further from
political, economic and other democratic changes. The results of
scientific and cultural institutions, democratic political parties,
non-governmental organizations, independent media houses. and other
forces for development of peace and tolerance, are gradually
diminishing, and by that the possibilities for the development of peace
and democracy as well. We hope that we will not have to, because of the
consequences of the NATO military policy, do what we, as a peace
movement, have been doing since 1991, because of the consequences of the
military policy in Yugoslavia. Please reconsider your participation in
the NATO forces, think and act positively and support democratic changes
in Serbia and Yugoslavia to the maximum potential.

 Pancevo, March 26, 1999
In the name of Pancevo Peace Movement
Aleksandar Weisner
Fax 381 13 513857
e-mail ppm@bozic.co.yu



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 From: "grupa484" <grupa484@beotel.yu>

Serbian NGO Demand for Restoration of the Peace Process NATO bombardment
and armed conflicts in Kosovo must stop. The only way out of the crisis
is an unconditioned reactivation of the peace process. Since the effects
of crooked policies are mass destruction of human life and devastation
of the land, restoration of the peace process shall be a difficult task
which will require participation of everyone who is able to make
contributions to development and implementation of suitable solutions.
If this issue continues to be resolved only by the people who have
caused the explosion of the Kosovo crisis and the whole Yugoslav
tragedy, an effective, just and rational solution to the Balkan crisis
will not be achieved. In the past ten years, embracing the principles of
human rights, democratic transition, dialog and compromise, a compact
network of civic organisations has been established that articulates the
interests of a large number of citizens from the troubled region. These
organisations had both Serbs and Albanians active in their membership
working on projects together. This is why these organisations, including
the Nezavisnost Trade Union Confederation can contribute to a successful
course of the peace process, to initiation of a dialog between
appropriate segments of the Serbian and Albanian societies that could
lead to reconciliation and solutions acceptable to the conflicted
parties. In all previous attempts to solve the Yugoslav crisis,
international representatives have approached government representatives
and social structures in Serbia and Kosovo which they considered
influential. Unfortunately, these structures mostly had radical views
and nationalist policies, considering that even the KLA was approached.
At the same time, initiatives and opinions of democratic structures in
the civil society that eventually turned out to be correct and well
grounded, were not taken into account. After contemplating all this, the
civic organisations in Serbia that have signed this document and UBS
Nezavisnost demand: 1. Representatives of these organisations to be
allowed to actively participate in solving the Kosovo crisis and other
problems generated by the disintegration of Yugoslavia. 2. A permanent
International Conference of civic organisations from the Balkans,
South-east Europe and, finally, the whole of Europe, to be established
which would participate in this process and take part in finding ways to
politically, economically and socially stabilise this region. We believe
that you shall consider our arguments and support our initiative.

Belgrade, April 13th 1999.

Association of Citizens for Democracy, Social Justice and Support for
Trade Unions Belgrade Circle Center for Democracy and Free Elections
Center for Transition to Democracy Civic Initiatives EKO Center Belgrade
Women Studies Center European Movement in Serbia Forum for Ethnic
Relations and Foundation for Peace and Crisis Management Group 484
Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia The Student Union of
Yugoslavia Union for Truth About Anti-Fascist Resistance VIN's Weekly
Video News Women in Black YU Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights
District 0230 Kikinda > Urban &ndash; in Novi Pazar, and NEZAVISNOST
Trade UnionConfederation

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 Dear friends,

Info about Zaginflatch is available on request.

Basically, with this newsletter we want to inform the international
community (this is you) on how antiauthoritarians in Yugoslavia and
ex-Yugoslavia feel in these moments. Also, as people who have
experienced air raids and general alerts, we want to support our friends
in Yugoslavia who are experiencing this today. We don't want to
prejudice any political solutions to Kosovo and other ex-yu problems, we
just want to help our friends, and support them in this way. All
opinions published in Zaginflatch will be just personal ones. There is
no joint platform. Zaginflatch will bring you hardly any news in the way
mainstream media does it. For this kind of info we suggest you try cnn,
bbc or some other services. They are available to you anyway.. This is
meant to come from inside... Also, if you're into alternative news
sources, we suggest you try at www.b92.net ...

Zagreb Anarchist Movement (ZAP)

 ***************************************

the end

 *** pseudoastronaut klase D ***






--
Break the logic of war! Desert! Open the borders!
http://www.teleportacia.org


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