[Fwd: IAC: U.S. Hands Off Serbia - No New Colony in Kosovo]

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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: IAC: U.S.  Hands Off Serbia - No New
Colony in Kosovo
Date: 23 Feb 2008 01:39:09 GMT
From: rolf.martens at comhem.se (Rolf Martens)
Organization: Your Organization
Newsgroups:
alt.politics.europe,yu.forum.politika,alt.anarchism.communist,alt.politics.socialism.trotsky

U.S. Hands Off Serbia!
U.S./Nato OUT of the Balkans!
No to a new U.S. colony in Kosovo!

A Giant U.S. Military Base and Total Domination Is
the Reality ? NOT Independence Serbian
Demonstrators Show Resistance to U.S.
Colonial-Style Land Seizure

The demonstration of over 500,000 people in
Belgrade and the attack on the U.S. Embassy show
the depth of outrage and anger over the seizure of
the Serbian province of Kosovo. In the past three
days two Kosovo border posts were destroyed, one
by fire the other in an explosion, along with ten
McDonald's outlets and several Western banks and
other hated targets.

The Western media had overwhelming applauded the
U.S. destruction in 1999 and it now has a
responsibility to explain the reason for the mass
anger of millions of people.  The outrage is
because the province of Kosovo is not
actually being granted ?independence.? Millions of
people see this week?s recognition of Kosovo
?independence? as an effort to legitimize a direct
U.S. colony and to permanently secure a giant U.S.
military base in the region.

Regarding the hypocritical condemnation by
Washington that angry demonstrators had targeted
the U.S. Embassy, it should be remembered that
when the U.S. bombed Serbia for 78 days in 1999,
U.S. bombs destroyed the Chinese Embassy.
Nineteen other diplomatic and consular missions
were damaged in the U.S. bombing, along with 480
schools and 33 hospitals, heating plants, sewage
plants, bridges, communications, the electric grid
and other civilian targets.

The ?declaration of independence? by Kosovo, a
province of Serbia, and its immediate recognition
as a state by the U.S., Germany, Britain and
France, is a fraud. Three things should be
understood about the events this week.

First, Kosovo is not gaining independence or even
minimal self-government. Kosovo will be run by an
appointed High Representative and bodies appointed
by the U.S., European Union and NATO. An old-style
colonial viceroy and imperialist administrators
will have control over all aspects of foreign and
domestic policy. Washington has merely
consolidated its direct control of a totally
dependent colony in the heart of the Balkans.

Second, Washington?s immediate recognition of
Kosovo confirms once again that the U.S.
government will break any and every treaty or
international agreement it has ever signed,
including agreements it drafted and imposed by
force and violence on others.

The recognition of Kosovo is in direct violation
of such law?specifically U.N. Security Council
Resolution 1244, which the leaders of Yugoslavia
were forced to sign to end the 78 days of NATO
bombing of their country in 1999. Even this
imposed agreement affirmed the ?commitment of all
Member States to the sovereignty and territorial
integrity? of Serbia, a republic of Yugoslavia.

Thirdly, U.S. imperialist domination does not
benefit the occupied people. Kosovo after nine
years of direct NATO military occupation has a
staggering 60 percent unemployment rate. It has
become a center of the international drug
trade and of prostitution rings in Europe.

The once humming mines, mills, smelters, refining
centers and railroads of this small resource-rich
industrial area all sit silent. The resources of
Kosovo under NATO occupation were forcibly
privatized and sold to giant Western multinational
corporations. Now almost the only employment is
working for the U.S./NATO army of occupation or
U.N. agencies.

The only major construction in Kosovo is of Camp
Bondsteel, the largest U.S. base built in Europe
in a generation. Halliburton, of course, got the
contract. The U.S. base guards the strategic oil
and transportation lines of the entire region.

Over 250,000 Serbian, Romani and other
nationalities have been driven out of this Serbian
province since it came under U.S./NATO control.
Almost a quarter of the Albanian population has
been forced to leave in order to find work.

The plan under which Kosovo?s ?independence? is
recognized by the U.S, Germany, France and Britain
not only violates U.N. resolutions but it is
consolidates a total colonial structure. It is
similar to the absolute power held by L. Paul
Bremer in the first two years of the U.S.
occupation of Iraq. The documents setting out the
new government for Kosovo are available at
unosek.org/unosek/en/statusproposal.html. A
summary is available on the U.S. State
Department?s Web site at
state.gov/p/eur/rls/fs/100058.htm

An International Civilian Representative (ICR)
will be appointed by U.S. and E.U. officials to
oversee Kosovo. This appointed official can
overrule any measures, annul any laws and remove
anyone from office in Kosovo. The ICR will have
full and final control over the departments of
Customs, Taxation, Treasury and Banking.

The E.U. will establish a European Security and
Defense Policy Mission (ESDP) and NATO will
establish an International Military Presence. Both
these appointed bodies will have control over
foreign policy, security, police, judiciary, all
courts and prisons. They are guaranteed immediate
and complete access to any activity, proceeding or
document in Kosovo.

These bodies and the ICR will have final say over
what crimes can be prosecuted and against whom;
they can reverse or annul any decision made. The
largest prison in Kosovo is at the U.S. base, Camp
Bondsteel, where prisoners are held without
charges, judicial overview or representation.

The recognition of Kosovo?s ?independence? is just
the latest step in a U.S. war of re-conquest of
this strategic region. But as yesterday?s massive
demonstration shows this reckless and illegal
maneuver may unleash a whirlwind of opposition and
resistance.

U.S. Hands Off Serbia!
U.S./Nato OUT of the Balkans!
No to a new U.S. colony in Kosovo!


The International Action Center sent a delegation
to Serbia during the US/NATO bombing in 1999 and
has published several books on the crisis in the
Balkans, including Hidden Agenda: U.S./NATO
Takeover of Yugoslavia, NATO in the Balkans:
Voices of Opposition, and The Defense Speaks for
History and the Future - all
available from Leftbooks.com.

Sign up for updates
http://iacenter.org/action_list/

Donate to help with organizing expense
http://iacenter.org/donate/

About the IAC
http://iacenter.org/about/

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