 |
Conservative
German Politician Lauches Fierce Attack Against NATO War
|
|
Conservative
German Politician Lauches Fierce Attack Against NATO War
|
"Serbia, the only truly multi-ethnical state left in the Balkans"Willy Wimmer, Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE and member of the German Bundestag (National Parliament) for the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, has never held back with his sharp criticism of NATO's war against Yugoslavia. But his recent statement, distributed on 3rd April in the lobby of the Bundestag has caused a stir in German politics and was given broad attention in the national media. In his statement Mr. Wimmer warned that one year after the beginning of the NATO attack against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" the Kosovo War was increasingly proving to have become a watershed for the future development of the world." Referring to his recent talks in Moscow he emphasised that, after years of having waited in vain for a fruitful dialog with Europe and the USA, Russia had now passed a new military doctrine, "which specifically addresses NATO and the West." (NATO is designated in the new doctrine as a potential threat to Russia). "What makes Moscow publish its guidelines for the (first) use of nuclear weapons now," asks Mr. Wimmer and offers the answer: "What other reason could there have been than the war against Yugoslavia." In Beijing too, things had changed to the worse, asMr Wimmer recalls his talks there. In spite of all American apologies and assertions to the opposite, the Chinese firmly believe, " that one single US-bomber flew all the way from the United States in order to hit the Chinese embassy in Belgrade." Despite all assertions about the "humanitarian war" by NATO-officials, Mr. Wimmer urged Europeans to draw the right conclusions from an operation, "which was essentially led, in order to ensure the expansion of NATO and to underpin its credibility." Moreover, in Mr. Wimmers' view the NATO-Operation in Kosovo seems to have "got out of control." Referring to Western newspaper reports Mr. Wimmer emphasises that "the Jews of Kosovo have now fled, almost without exception, to Belgrade." He added that "it goes without saying" that the KLA "has almost completely cleansed the remaining ethnic Serbs and Roma from Kosovo; the ethnical Turks had to go, and the catholic Albanians report acts of violence against them. Even Albanian intellectuals are leaving Kosovo and apparently flee to Belgrade." From these observations the conservative representative Willy Wimmer draws the only logical conclusion, that Belgrade remains "the only large multi-ethnical state in the Balkans." He considers that Kosovo is "on the eve of another civil war between rival albanian groups, which are supported by competing drug barons. What will NATO do then? – An undignified withdrawal or the provocation of a new war?" He sternly warns against a new war against Serbia and ridicules NATO's grand claims. "What is left of NATO's big mouth announcements of a year ago, that it would cut the Yugoslav army into pieces?" he asked. "After 78 days of war and approximately 36,000 bombing missions the Yugoslav Army left (Kosovo) with polished tanks!" Next time, Mr. Wimmer expects, that NATO might not get away so easily: "It is highly questionable if a future conflict in Kosovo would follow the old pattern, or if a President Putin would again refuse the S-300 air defence systems to the Serbs, as happened in October 1998. In the actual air duels the most modern US technology confronted Soviet technology of the 70ies. That might change. " In conclusion Mr. Willy Wimmer addresses the increasing tensions between Europe and the USA and requests Europeans to think again before they get dragged into the next Balkan war: "Europeans should ask themselves, how they see their own role against the background of the official American defence planning guidelines? This Pentagon document states razor-sharp that all American efforts must be directed against the emergence of a rival power while upholding NATO as the substantial channel for American influence in Europe and as an instrument for participation in European decision making." With reference to The Hague, Mr. Wimmer, the deputy chairman of the OSCE's parliamentary assembly does not see "much of a future" for the International War Crimes Tribunal. Quoting a high official in the German government he said: "the tribunal would quickly unravel once it started in earnest to pursue the complaints that have been filed against NATO." If
you would like to contact Mr. Willy Wimmer, you may call, fax or e-mal
his office in the German Bundestag (Parliament) in Berlin; |