Crimes of Fascism, Crimes of Silence - the Myth of Albanian Revenge
By George Thompson (posted 12-17-1999) Introduction by Jared Israel
Editor's Note: This is the fourth of six the American press has NEVER made any effort to honestly report what is happening in the Balkans.
How can I say that? Because every report, going back to the Bosnian conflicts, were invariably reported only from the Muslim perspective. I spent a lot of time checking numbers of Muslims who actually lived in the towns where, it was reported, large numbers of Muslims were "massacred" by Serbs. The numbers killed often exceeded the numbers that were there in the first place by thousands. Reporters were not reporting where all the supposedly "missing" Muslims had come from.
It has not been said in this report, but the facts are so different than what you are being told, just as was the case in the 1930s when Adoph Hitler was convincing the German people that the Poles were planning to "attack Germany," as he planned his attack ON Poland, that you, as an individual are faced with the sobering challenge: Are Americans standing silently by as an entire nation of people are being killed or forced to flee yet ANOTHER European nation?
Mary Mostert, Analyst, Original Sources (www.originalsources.com)
As you may or may not recall, NATO did NOT initially cite Serbian atrocities as the reason for bombing Yugoslavia.
No sir. Initially the reasons were quite straightforwardly geopolitical. Here is top Clinton adviser Sandy Berger answering questions the day after the bombing began:
Q Would you say that Milosevic's assault on Kosovo has accelerated because of the NATO air strikes?
MR. BERGER: I think it has increased somewhat over the past day... There has been a pattern over the past several days of localized, but intense fighting, and I think that pattern has...somewhat increased.
Q The President, pressed today on whether Milosevic must come to the negotiating table, as a precondition for the bombing to end, and Mr. Clinton replied, "he knows what he has to do." Can you enlighten the rest of us [as to what Milosevich has to do to get us to stop bombing Yugoslavia?]
MR. BERGER: [We will stop bombing if] Mr. Milosevic embraces peace, and that means ending the fighting in Kosovo and it means a peace agreement within the framework of Rambouillet...(our emphasis, White House Press Conference 3-25-99)
Initial opposition
When the bombing began, Western public opinion was initially overwhelmingly against it. I spent a lot of time arguing on the AOL "Kosovo Discussion Boards" and at that time it was hard to find a non-Albanian who supported the bombing.
The Western elite was uncomfortable with Berger's explanation. It wasn't emotionally charged - who could get mad at Yugoslavia for refusing to sign an agreement? Moreover, by making it clear Rambouillet was the issue, NATO risked having people read the "Agreement," particularly Appendix B, the part the US added at the last minute and which caused Milosevich's government not to sign.
Here is a brief excerpt from Appendix B, so you can see what the powers that be did NOT want people to read:
"6. a.[Throughout Yugoslavia] NATO shall be immune from all legal process, whether civil, administrative, or criminal.[and from Yugoslavian] jurisdiction in respect of any civil, administrative, criminal, or disciplinary offenses which may be committed by them in the FRY.
"7. NATO personnel shall be immune from any form of arrest, investigation, or detention by the authorities in the FRY. NATO personnel erroneously arrested or detained shall immediately be turned over to NATO authorities.
"8. NATO personnel shall enjoy, together with their vehicles, vessels, aircraft, and equipment, free and unrestricted passage and unimpeded access throughout the FRY including associated airspace and territorial waters. This shall include, but not be limited to, the right of bivouac, maneuver, billet, and utilization of any areas or facilities as required for support, training, and operations.
"9. NATO shall be exempt from duties, taxes, and other charges and inspections and custom regulations including providing inventories or other routine customs documentation, for personnel, vehicles, vessels, aircraft, equipment, supplies, and provisions entering, exiting, or transiting the territory of the FRY in support of the Operation."
As you can see, Rambouillet was an "Agreement" for the complete takeover of Yugoslavia by NATO. It gave NAT0 extra-territorial rights, like something out of 19th century Imperialism. How could Milosevich sign? He would be giving away the country.
(For the full text of the Rambouillet "Agreement" see note #25 at the end. I put "Agreement" in quotes because Rambouillet was negotiated with a gun to the Yugoslav head: accept or be bombed. Incidentally, by international law, no agreement extracted through force or threat of force is binding.)
In any event, it was clear that Yugoslavia was not going to capitulate quickly. Some new justification had to be presented, something that would get around the obvious illegality of the bombing. The answer: charge Milosevich with Genocide.
So from mid-April on we were drowned in a deluge of newspaper articles and TV photo-ops aimed at proving Kosovo was a new Holocaust.
Since the war, much evidence has come out indicating that these anecdotal accounts were staged. Reporters have admitted that their sources lied. The KLA has been caught in possession of Serbian police uniforms, supporting the suspicion that KLA people masqueraded as Serbian police and carried out atrocities to discredit the Yugoslav government. ( See note #26 at the end)
IMAGINARY MASS MURDER AND IMAGINARY "REVENGE"
In June the Yugoslavs signed a peace agreement and NATO marched into Kosovo, side by side with the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
Then began a reign of terror against non-Albanians and Albanians who oppose the KLA. Hundreds of thousands of people have been driven out of Kosovo. In essence, NATO has taken over Kosovo and given it to the KLA. The KLA, which never won a battle, could hardly have seized this prize on its own. (For an interview with a Jewish leader driven from Kosovo, including a detailed description of how NATO and Albanian thugs worked together, see Note # 28 at the end.)
The Western Press hasn't said much about the murderous terror against Serbs, "Gypsies" Jews and other Kosovo minorities. There is nothing like the coverage accorded the IMAGINARY terror against Albanians. But the anti-Serbian campaign is reported. Here's an example, from the TV show mentioned earlier:
"Many Serbs have been abducted. Others are murdered. It's the same for all minorities in Kosovo now. The criminals are rarely arrested unless caught in the act. There is no functioning legal system here."
NATO leaders do not deny there is widespread terror against Serbs. They express regrets but argue there is little they can do.
Why is there not a great outcry against these horrendous abuses? Why don't people rise up against NATO for its complete failure to practice what it preaches: the prevention of racist terror.
The reason is two fold. First, the massively publicized stories about so-called Serbian atrocities have weakened people's sensitivity to the real atrocities going on now. As the saying goes, what goes around comes around, so if the Serbs really did those bad things in the past why should anyone be surprised that they're getting attacked now?
The second reason is more important. That has to do with Position Two. The leaders who hold position two, who have been so critical of the Serbian government for supposedly condoning atrocities - even though the Position Two leaders have to date produced NO EVIDENCE of atrocities - nevertheless, these leaders have not called for massive demonstrations against the NATO/KLA terror in Kosovo. Where is Mr. Chomsky? Is he sleeping? Where is Z magazine? Where is Mr. Zinn? Where is Fellowship of Reconciliation and the American Friends and all the other humanitarian peace groups? Are the Serbs not human?
These groups have all harshly attacked the Serbs claiming (without evidence) that the Serbs committed war crimes. Why are they silent now, when NATO itself admits that not only are all non-Albanians being driven from Kosovo, but all evidence of Serbian history - for example, scores of priceless ancient churches and monasteries - are being destroyed. Isn't this genocide - the eradication of a people - in the most profound sense?
Why are Chomsky and the rest silent?
These leaders could mobilize tens of thousands of people to oppose genocide. Why don't they? Do all the Serbs have to be killed first?
By failing to act, Chomsky and the others fulfill a most important role for NATO: they are the Inert Opposition. People say "How can you attack Chomsky et al? They have wonderful reputations. They are like Saints." Alas, we at the emperors-clothes cannot tell a lie. So here's the truth: admirable reputations don't stop wars of genocide. Chomsky may have written some useful things about South America and the IMF but the Balkan wars are at the heart off the U.S. attack on this world. We don't need general statements and watered-down demonization. We need refutation of lies and action. This is life and death.
These people fill political spaces and by dint of occupation of those spaces they head off action. Thus they function as blockage, like fat in an artery. By virtue of inaction - of immovability - they have made themselves accomplices in nothing less than the fascist takeover of Kosovo. I realize these are harsh words. I mean every one. Am I wrong? Show me! I would love to be wrong. Write an answer! Do it! Emperors-clothes will print your replies. If you don't reply, your silence admits guilt.
This isn't a game, gentleman and ladies. I consider you accomplices in genocide. There is no point in being polite when genocide is occurring.