More on Kosovo

In reference to the article Year of fitful progress in Kosovo by Andrew Gray, published in The Jakarta Post on June 8, 2000, we would like to give more information to your readers about the real results of the UN Mission in Kosovo.

A year ago, exactly on June 9, 1999, NATO's aggression against the federal republic of Yugoslavia ended. For 78 days, 19 most powerful nations in the world, in the name of NATO, had been destroying a sovereign, independent and non-aligned country which had refused to follow a superpower, and which had only done "wrong" by protecting itself against Albanian separatism and terrorism and by defending its national integrity and sovereignty.

During this cowardly war, tens of thousands of tons of bombs and been thrown on Yugoslavia from extreme heights, many of which contained uranium, the use of which has been prohibited by virtue of international agreements with the obvious goal of destroying a nation and to subdue peace-loving Yugoslavia. Being unable to cause greater harm to the Yugoslav army, NATO leaders made civilian population and civilian objects as their targets.

Attempts have been made to justify all actions of NATO against Yugoslavia by so-called "humanitarian reasons", by the protection of human rights of Albanians in Kosovo and by promises to establish order and peace, security and a peaceful life for all ethnic groups, for the entire population of this south Serbian province.

Instead of the promised order, peace and security for all, over the past year Albanian separatists and terrorists, in the presence of the UN missions, have launched over 5,000 terrorist attacks on Serbs and non-Albanians, have set on fire more than 40,000 Serbs houses, damaged 85 Serb monasteries and churches. Meanwhile, over 1,100 Serbs, Romes and other non-Albanians have been killed, and an almost equal number kidnapped, while about 350,000 Serbs and members of other ethnic groups have been forced to abandon their homes and leave Kosovo.

Aside from the physical aggression against Serbs, the destruction of Serb historical cultural heritage, which belongs not only to the Serbs but also to modern civilization, is being conducted in Kosovo, in the presence of the UN. There is a state of great lawlessness and disorganization in Kosovo at the moment. During the past year Kosovo has become a center for terrorism and criminality, a place of drugs, arms and white slave trafficking.

In view of all this, the government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia demanded that the UN Security Council withdraw from Kosovo the forces of UNMIK and KFOR. The peace-keeping mission in Kosovo has been a total failure. And a year after NATO's aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia it has been evident that, seen from the military, political and moral aspects, the Western alliance suffered total defeat.

DUSAN STOJKOVIC

Charge d'Affairs a.i.

Yugoslav Embassy

Jakarta