NATO must be condemned

The editorial entitled What price Kosovo? (The Jakarta Post, June 12, 1999) is an example of how one, due to lack of objectivity and full of bias falls into contradictions and into negating its own and generally accepted principles.

In the commentary, the punishment of "Milosevic and his regime" is being justified, but stating that in fact it has been the entire Yugoslav people who have been heavily punished. It is further stated that the NATO aggression has caused the loss of thousands of lives, avoiding, however, to specify that it has been the lives of over 2,000 innocent civilians, most among them being children, women and the elderly, and not saying a word of condemnation of such a crime. NATO's aggression in Yugoslavia is being justified by the alleged ethnic cleansing of Kosovar Albanians, immediately after that stating correctly that the NATO bombings have actually forced almost one million refugees to leave their homes. Ethnic cleansing has never been and cannot possibly be the policy of multinational Yugoslavia in which, besides Albanians, live almost 30 other national minorities.

The commentary further stated that the people of many peace- loving countries have "raised their eyebrows" when NATO launched an attack on Yugoslavia. The criminal act committed by NATO in Yugoslavia asks for a lot more than "raising eyebrows", which has been demonstrated by the people of many countries all over the world in daily demonstrations and condemnation of NATO's aggression against Yugoslavia. It is also suggested that issues and disputes among countries be settled through dialog rather than by using force, while NATO's criminal use of force is being justified because it was "forced" to do so. If all countries fighting against separatism and terrorism, which is the case in Kosovo, were "punished" by a foreign force, Yugoslavia would have to be proceeded by many other countries, so the real reason for the NATO aggression against Yugoslavia is not ethnic cleansing or human rights, but other, geo-strategic objectives and interest, and above all the establishment of control over the Balkans.

Despite the frequent efforts of your esteemed newspaper in support of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, the commentary takes the right and the liberty to advise the people of Yugoslavia as to what they have to do with their leaders. In Yugoslav newspapers one cannot find this kind of arrogance in "advising" other people, especially not the people of friendly Indonesia, as to what they have to do with their leaders. Many people readily give "advice" to others, not knowing at the same time what they themselves are supposed to do.

DUSAN STOJKOVIC

Charge d'Affaires a.i.

Yugoslav Embassy

Jakarta