Posted on 01/11/2004 4:09:44 AM PST by Doctor13
In the midst of conflicts in Southwest Asia and the Middle East, I cannot help but wonder: Whatever happened to the Balkans?
We Americans spent more than a decade listening to and watching CNN and BBC clips of the war-torn region and the countless war crimes that had taken place at the hands of various ethnic groups.
What about Kosovo? A 78-day bombing campaign was undertaken to "liberate Kosovo's ethnic Albanian population" from the hands of "terror-invoking Serbs."
Why was there no media follow- up of the accomplishments of peace-loving and newly liberated Kosovo Albanians? Quite simply, because there are no accomplishments.
Could it be because the international community made a grave mistake and has now found itself in a quagmire with no solution in sight? Is it possible that some of the very people NATO was trying to "protect" have turned out, in fact, to be terrorists? Yes!
After spending a grueling 27 months working in Serbia's Kosovo province, I learned and witnessed far more than I had bargained for. Although I was fully versed in the rich and blood- soaked history of the region, I was not prepared for all that took place.
Albanian rebel offensives resulted in bus explosions of NATO- escorted civilian convoys, brutal murders of civilians tending their fields, random sniper attacks, shootings of children swimming in lakes, night beatings and torture of the elderly, and arson - all against Serbian civilians and all under the watchful eyes of the U.S. and international community.
I once asked a NATO commanding general why ethnic Albanian extremists were not unmasked for what they truly are - bloodthirsty, war-waging terrorists. He looked at me, paused, and replied, "How do you begin to go against the very group you supposedly came to help? We obviously did not know who we were dealing with. We bombed the wrong side."
I stared at him in disbelief while he merely looked down at his freshly shined boots, straightened his shoulders and turned to walk away. Not quite the response I had expected.
Observations in Kosovo recorded chilling acts from the "peacekeepers" as well. Germany's military contingent used bright yellow tape to mark large Xs on Serbian homes throughout their designated area of responsibility. Similar to the 1940s Nazi-style branding of Jews and other minorities deemed unworthy of life.
Strangely enough, I was the only one who questioned this and personally brought it to the attention of a senior member of the U.S. Army Command Group.
But let's focus on something near and dear to all Americans: attacks on U.S. Army and media personnel. While on a border patrol, monitoring Albanian rebel insurgency, the U.S. unit I was working with came under direct mortar fire in a village named Krivenik. An Associated Press journalist, Kerim Lawton, was seriously injured. I administered first aid and attempted to stop the bleeding from the dozens of shrapnel wounds he incurred, to no avail. He died shortly afterward.
How was this incident portrayed to the media? In a noncommittal diplomatic fashion, officials announced that, "An investigation will take place as to the day's chain of events," from all sides, U.S. Army, NATO and U.N.
Does this seem all too familiar? Is this not mere repetition of scenarios that got the United States involved in both Bosnia and Kosovo in the first place - only later to discover that "smoking gun" incidences were staged? It is interesting how concrete evidence has surfaced, that incidences were staged by the very groups claiming to have been wronged.
Perhaps the international community should be more forthcoming as to who the real Balkans' terrorists are and how they are draining our tax dollars, manpower and resources.
The public has a right to know what is happening in the Balkans.
Gavrilovic served as a civilian subcontractor with the U.S. Army in the capacity of assistant project manager, cross-cultural specialist and linguist in Kosovo.
You're delusional. First chance they got, everybody in the place jumped over the sides to get out of Captain Slobo's loveboat. The Slovenians fought a small war to get out of your Yugoslav "harmony". The Macedonians got away unscathed with the help of United States troops stationed on their northern border to deter Serb attack. The Croats fought a war to get away. The Bosniaks fought a war to get away. The Kosovar Albanians fought a war to get away. The Montenegrins are last and probably soon to go as well.
Ok, so let's check out Milosevic's accomplishments: Yugoslavia fallen apart. Kosovo under the UN. 200,000+ dead. Economy in ruins. Prime Minister assassinated. Rampant crime. Jailed in the Hague. Yeah, I guess except for those "terrorist anarchists in Kosovo", life is good.
Slobodan Milosevic as an autocratic ruler whose only preoccupation was to remain in power
Couldn't you say the same of President Johnson, President Carter, Gov.Gray Davis, Senator Boxer, Feingold, etc. etc. etc.? What's autocratic?
Serbian president played up nationalist feelings among his fellow countrymen
What did Churchill do with his in his 'we arm to parley', or in his 'if civilization should last a thousand years, this could be our finest hour' speeches? How about President Roosevelt in his 'all we have to fear is fear itself' speech, or President Bush's ' if your are not with us, you're against us'.
Who did these people, or leaders I should say, consult or listen to?
You need to come up with something more substantial than hollow words.
How? Under Tito in the so-called Non-Aligned Movement Yugoslavia consistently opposed the United States by diplomacy, voice and vote in every international forum. The Serbs sold weapons to Qadaffi and Saddam Hussein in the 1990s knowing they were our avowed enemies and in violation of sanctions. Slobo even awarded Qadaffi with Yugo's highest medal in 1999. They sent Serb technicians and military advisors to Iraq as recently as 2002.
We fought on the same side in WWI and WWII, but its been pretty bleak since then.
At the 'kangaroo' tribunal at the Hague, now starting its third year of trial by ordeal, nothing close to 'murder' has been attributed to Milosevic.
Soros has pledged millions to 'defeat' President Bush, just has he helped defeat and persecute Milosevic.
The writer is right. Clinton put us on the side of the anti American bandits in the Balkans.
Snip from www.Samford.edu
New Soros Institute Assumes Custody of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Archives and Daily Report The new Open Media Research Institute (OMRI) is gearing up in Prague to take over functions of the Research Institute of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) by the end of 1994. OMRI, a Soros Foundation organization, is taking over production of the widely distributed Daily Report news from former Communist countries
Serbia: Belgrade Prosecutors Indict Milosevic Over Political Killings
By Julia Geshakova
Prosecutors in Belgrade have charged former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic with masterminding the murder of a former Serbian president and attempting to murder a political opponent. No specific details of the charges were revealed, but prosecutors say Milosevic and four co-defendants will go to trial within two months. Milosevic, already on trial in The Hague for war crimes, denies any involvement.
Prague, 25 September 2003 (RFE/RL) -- A special prosecutor in Belgrade has charged former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic with involvement in the murder of one prominent politician and the attempted murder of another. Former Serbian President Ivan Stambolic was abducted and killed in August 2000. Earlier the same year, opposition leader Vuk Draskovic survived an assassination attempt with minor injuries. The prosecutor's statement issued on 23 September accuses Milosevic of having "created among the perpetrators [of the crime] the decision to commit" both crimes.
Among the co-defendants named in the indictment are the chief of a special forces unit set up under Milosevic, Milosevic's former head of state security and a former chief of staff of the armed forces.
Prosecutors yesterday submitted the indictment to a newly established special court in Belgrade where Milosevic will be tried in absentia.
Actually, I wouldn't mind Milosevic standing trial in Belgrad. I have yet to be satisfied that the guy is anywhere as culpable as they say.
They should however compensate him for time spent defending himself against all the politically motivated charges.
Yes it was . Bob Dole and John McCain were big cheer leaders for that war. -Tom
As an American who has visited the Balkans several times I find your article to be nothing more than an piece of worthless fiction. You are obviously a Serb who still believes Milosevic is innocent and the war was a farce. Wake up and face reality. I suppose the mass graves were perpetrated by the Bosnians on their own people as well to be later blamed on the Serbs? Bottom line, the free world knows Milosevic is an insane individual who had turned to nationalism and religious hatred to gain power - just like Hitler. The Serb population was also the most outspoken in opposition to the secession of Bosnia from Yugoslavia. It is easy to understand how a Serb thinks about war when they celebrate the a war that they LOST over 600 years ago (yes, 600 years) like it was a victory. The majority are insane war loving radicals, period.
For those of you who takes this article at face value, my suggestion is simply - don't. It would be like believing a skinhead when they say the Germans did not kill the Jews. The Serbs are guilty period.
Geraldo tried to get him to admit he really did not mean it - no luck.
What are you talking about?
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