Posted on 03/11/2009 5:32:33 AM PDT by Ravnagora
Press release
Tuesday, March 10, 2009.
(Belgrade, 10. March 2009) Ten years after the NATO bombing of Serbia, unexploded cluster munitions still represent a deadly threat to tens of thousands of people living in 16 municipalities in Serbia. A survey implemented by Norwegian People’s Aid for the first time details the scope of the impact of cluster bombs in the country. The results of the survey were presented at a press conference in Belgrade today.
Regional Director of NPA in southeast Europe Emil Jeremic explained that ”with the comprehensive survey Serbia now has a tool for solving the problems of cluster contamination in affected communities. Serbia should sign t he Convention on Cluster Munitions that would open the door for support to clearance and victims assistance and uphold their earlier committment to the Oslo process to ban this indiscriminate weapon.”
Cluster bombs were used in 105 deployment zones during the NATO intervention in 1999. Four types of sub-munitions were used, the total number of sub-munitions dropped was around 37,000 and of these, an estimated 2,500 are left unexploded in the ground. Immediately after the bombing Serb military forces undertook surface clearance in a number of areas, but no data is available on this clearance. Since then humanitarian clearance has been undertaken in around 4 km2 with around 250 unexploded submunitions cleared.
The total suspected hazard area covers 30.7 km2 in 16 municipalities, an area around the size of New Belgrade. Accidents recorded to date have resulted in 191 victims, 31 fatal and 160 suffering injuries. More than 88,000 people live close to hazard areas in 28 local communities.
”Serbia was not only participating but was a leader in the process to ban cluster bombs, especially on issues related to securing better lives and livelihoods for survivors, their families and all those affected,” said Dejan Dikic a civilian victim of cluster munitions who lives in Nis and has been a prominent advocate for the global ban. ”Too many people have been killed or injured already by cluster munitions. We do not want to see any more victims from these weapons and the only way to prevent this is by signing the treaty and clearing the land.”
Characteristics of the contaminated areas made inaccessible for productive use indicate significant and va ried socio-economic impacts of cluster contamination in Serbia: 33% of the contaminated area is agricultural land, around 20% is hampering the reconstruction of settlement infrastructure and utilities, 14% of contaminated land is preventing reconstruction of housing units, whereas in 9% of the areas development of tourism is hindered by cluster contamination, and 8% blocks exploitation and maintenance of forests.
”We see the same pattern of harm from cluster bombs in Serbia as we have seen in conflict after conflict around the world. They are indiscriminate when they are dropped and keep on killing for years afterwards. This is why most of the world has banned them and why the weapons will soon become a thing of the past. Serbia needs to choose whether it wants to live in the past or look to the future,” said Thomas Nash, Coordinator of the Cluster Munition Coalition.
The predicted area for clearance of cluster munitions in Serbia is 15 km2. Clearance of contaminated areas is the only solution to the problem and will remove the risk posed by cluster munitions to the population in currently affected communities, and return inaccessible land to productive use. The majority of contaminated areas are found in southern and central parts of Serbia, in municipalities that are among the poorest in the country.
http://www.mc.rs/upload/documents/izvestaji/2009/Mart/Report-on-the-impact-o-unexploded-cluster-submunitions-in-Serbia.pdf
The survey project has been funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was implemented as a regional project involving the NPA humanitarian mine action programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina, NPA regional office for southeast Europe in Belgrade, and the Serbian Mine Action Centre.
Notes to editors:
Types of submunitions used are: US manufactured BLU 97; UK manufactured MK 1 and MK 4 (also known as BL755) and US manufactured MK 118.
Contact persons:
Emil Jeremic, Regional Director NPA southeast Europe, mobile +381 63 37 47 75
Per Nergaard, Head, Mine Action Department, NPA Head Office, mobile: +47 90 98 03 11
Thomas Nash, Co-ordinator Cluster Munition Coalition, mobile +44 77 11 92 67 30
Simple math (using these stats) says that roughly 10% of bomblets did not explode after dispersal. I wonder if that is ‘usual and customary’?
I also wonder of the estimated total of 2500 is akin to the estimated number of civilian deaths in Iraq (caused by coalition forces’ actions).
Clintoon’s fault!
Clinton lied and Serb civilians are still dying.
To clarify: The photo was included by me to “visually” describe the act of “cluster bombing” an area. The land in the photo is not Serbian land to my knowledge.
One of the requests that ex Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic made while still alive and in the Hague, was that Clinton be called to appear and be cross-examined at the War Tribunal.
It looks like one of the tests run on the B-1. The T-38 chasing the B-1 indicates that it’s not a combat mission. The T-38 is a trainer and not a combat plane.
The Bible teaches us we Reap what we sow,too bad our leaders are reading the Quran.
This was planned as soon as Russia fell on her knees and Germany was raised from the dead. The German plan for Serbs was installed during the original new world order. The copy new world order liked his plan and adopted it. Much like the NAZI scientists, doctors and engineers “civilized nations” adopted after WII.
Serbs do not matter and are expendable when it comes to the interests of Germany and the West, including the East. They are a small fish and do not matter. Always have been and always will be.
There have been more empires and powerful nations that have rolled through Serbia than damn near any place on earth. They love the sea, the women, the silver mines, the coal but only if they can just get rid of those pesky Serbs who are a strong people and refuse to fall in line with people that do not have their best interests in mind.
The only hope for Serbs is God.
Also, that T-38 flying chase clearly indicates it's a test bombing not a combat mission.
And yes, that is my final answer.
“At first we were confused. The East thought that we were West while the West considered us to be East. Some of us misunderstood our place in the clash of currents so they cried that we belong to neither side and others that we belong exclusively to one side or the other. But I tell you Ireneus, we are doomed by fate to be the East in the West and the West in the East, to acknowledge only heavenly Jerusalem beyond us and here on earth--no one.” —St. Sava to Irenaeus 13th Century
See Post 5: The original poster clearly identifies the photo as NOT being over Serbia.
The original poster expressed some uncertainty. I confirmed that "his knowledge" is, in fact, correct.
Blame vile NATO and vile Bill Clinton. Europe had in for the Serbs. Their punishment in Albania and Kosovo criminal gangs plaguing the UK, Holland and other nations. Terminally naive. Europe the land of the naive fools (on Islam at least)
Actually he says "to the best of his knowledge". That's why I posted my reply - as did several other people who understood what he was saying.
To be clear, my whole point is, cluster bomb shmuster bomb. NATO countries couldn't care less because they were never about justice in the first place. Why would they care now?
This kind of stuff has been going on since time began. It's just that the arrogance of these politicians makes them think they actually invented something new.
And I agree. And when you posted "The only hope for Serbs is God", it reminded me of that quote from St. Sava that I thought that I'd share.
I clarified in post #5 in this thread that I used the photo I found as a “visual” depiction of what cluster bombing looks like. It was not intended to depict the actual bombing of Serbia, but it certainly represents the act of bombing.
I don’t know if there are actual arial photos of the bombing of Serbia. There are certainly photos taken on the ground after the fact. And the 1999 bombing was a 78 day bombing campaign.
How brave to bomb from the sky!
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