Democrat January-February 1999 (Number 34)
Unravelling history
Part III by John Boyd and Leo Dreapir -
Kosovo - EU intervention in the Balkans
An analysis of what is actually going on in the Balkans with the help of Belgian author Michel Collon's book "Poker Menteur".
War has again been visited on the Balkans with alledged massacres and tens of thousands of refugees leaving Kosovo. What are the real forces on the ground that create such barbarous conditions for the Balkan peoples?
Since the `cold war' ended, the multi-nation state of Yugoslavia has been smashed into its component parts. Largely orchestrated by former imperialist powers to administer these parts politically and militarily as neo-colonial client states. Often the imperialist great powers have raised the cry of `self-determination' in the Balkans to justify the most monstrous interference in other European countries since Hitler occupied Eastern Europe 1940-45. Military intervention
and occupation by imperialist powers is never a measure of freedom and independence but always a yardstick of colonialism.
Imperialists
For Western imperialists, defence of national minorities or small nations is really a pretext for interference in the affairs of integral sovereign states. Belgian author Michel Collon reveals in his book on the Balkans,"Poker Menteur", reveals: "...in Bosnia, the real power is in the hands of a parallel government composed of Western representatives. The Constitution forbids the governor of the bank be a Bosnian. It is the (EU) European Bank for Regional Development which determines privatisations or total colonisation. An `independent' Kosovo would follow exactly the same path...."
As in Bosnia, the West found no shortage of Kosovars willing to play bourgeois puppet leader. Rugova, Kosovo Albanian leader, initially called for an international `protectorate' for Kosovo. In other words colonisation. His information minister called for a rapid NATO intervention to assure this end.
Strategic objective
There are three strategic objectives of the great powers - the EU led by Germany with France and USA with its allies.
Firstly to master the Balkans as the gateway to Russian oil in the Caucaus Kazakstan and Caspian, and, Middle East oil in the Gulf. The rivalry over who will be the dominant force in the area is between principle players, US and Germany. This promotes conflict in Yugoslavia.
Secondly, control over east European raw materials and qualified labour market makes the effort very lucrative for investment and as a market for exports. Western powers are determined Russia should not gain influence in these areas or be allowed to rival the West.
Finally, the Balkans provides the US with military bases in Albania, Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro and hopes these enable them to enter the heart of Russia.
The plan it seems is to dismember Yugoslavia further. Kosovo is a vital economic province of Serbia, rich in lead and silver mines, production of electricity and highly fertile agriculture.
Voivodine in the north has a large Hungarian population and will be the next Serbian province to be targeted by powerful Western interventionists. Already, the US has aroused the Serbian Republic of Montenegro against Belgrade to sever Belgrade's access to the Sea.
US Bases
Currently Germany seeks to destabilise Balkan areas dominated by the US with US military bases and client state influence. These include Bosnia, Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro. For example, in 1997, an assassination was attempted on pro-US President of Macedonia Gilgorov. A Macedonian inquiry concluded it was probably the work of local fascists laying claim to Macedonia backed by Germany.
Germany arms, trains and supplies the KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army). Anti-Tank weapons only sold through official German channels, are freely available to the KLA.
Role of Germany
Evidence shows German special forces units fight alongside the KLA. Macedonian TV crews have come across hooded combatants speaking impeccable German. This is no surprise since official offices of the Albanian Kosovar `Government' in exile are in Stuttgart and Frankfurt.
For this reason there is little likelihood the peace deal drawn up by the interventionists in October 1998 will last past the winter. According to the Times (12.11.1998), William Walker, head of OSCE verification mission, arrived in Pristina: "Amid increasing signs that the month old peace deal represents little more than a Western pipe dream". The truth is, Germany wants to prolong the Kosovo conflict.
Media lies for Western public NATO threatens to bomb the Serbs under the pretext of rapes and massacres which they back up with rather dubious and contested TV `evidence' of `mass graves'. The Yugoslav government claims this is the worst kind of media lies aimed at unsuspecting peoples of the West: "London is the manufacturer of these media lies".
The Serbs are a thorn in the side of the West's plan to dominate eastern Europe as far as Moscow. Like Sadam Hussein, who will not do as he is bid, President Milosovic is now a CIA target. President Clinton has issued orders for a CIA campaign to have him unseated. The thinking in both Bonn and Washington is a more pliable puppet in Belgrade would greatly assist plans for expansion eastwards.
From the outset of interventions in Yugoslavia Yugoslav, Western Powers have made good use of local ethnic puppets, except Serbs. For example, from 1991-95, the US supported President Berisha in Albania whilst the EU supported the Socialist Party of Fates Nano. Soon the US dropped Berisha and installed Nano in power. Germany now supports Berisha and seeks a confrontation between the North, controlled by Berisha troops and South controlled by Nano.
Germany supplies Albanian Kosovars from the north where they have their rear bases. Germany is not happy with the US base in Albania and in September 1998 a confrontation was narrowly averted.
Overflying
The Three US bases in the area operate outside the NATO alliance without EU scrutiny. Spy planes, AWACS, have flown over Yugoslavia since 1992. They are authorised to overfly several Central European countries. In this way they can listen and survey up to Moscow.
Albania has an important US naval base to complement the largest Maritime Base in the Mediterranean at Corfu, also controlled by the US. The strategic importance of Albania to Western powers was graphically revealed during the Albanian uprising of 1997. Washington evacuated over 4,000 US citizens, TNC and NGO personnel who were not diplomats or missionaries. In other words the CIA in all its guises.
On the 10 December 1998 the Euro-Extraction Force led by France installed themselves in Kumanovo in Macedonia. They are to "extract" monitors from Kosovo "if the peace breaks down". The so called peace has been brokered by the same interventionists and since they themselves want to see a `low intensity conflict' continue it is really a matter of `when' Kosovo blows rather than `if'.
The "extraction force" is the first Euro-commanded effort which excludes US units. This is taken as the model for future expeditions led by Euro-forces under NATO's banner and is the Euro-pillar of the Alliance which they have always sought. The French commander, General Marcel Valentin, is commander of the 11th Parachute division. From Kumanouo he commands a French Battalion in the north, near Skopje, along with an English, Dutch and Italian Battalions backed by a motorised German infantry company.
Euro-corps joins in
Meanwhile, units from the Euro-corps left their Strasbourg barracks on 23 June for Bosnia, excited by the prospect of seeing action for the first time since the Franco-German Brigade was set up in 1992. They joined the NATO-led Stabilisation Force in Bosnia to implement the Dayton accord military provisions. Belgium, Spain and Luxembourg are part of the Euro-corps. The Netherlands have committed almost half its national army to a joint division based in Muenster, Germany. German plans include forming a 25,000 strong joint corps with NATO partner Denmark and Poland.
Consultative Conference
- Just one week before the bombing of Yugoslavia started - The Campaign against Euro-federalism convened a consultative conference on 20 March 1999 on the European Union Common Foreign and Security Policy and Euro-military-industrial-complex. This took place at Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London
Part I - Military aspects of European Union
Part II - The Balkans
Background to Kosovo-Serbia crisis of 1999