Maja

You say that the albanians are more than welcome to stay on albania....WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?? ...AND also when u say that the only problem they will have is that there is no social security, farming and a way to bring up 15kids....do u even know what you are talking about...why dont u take urself back there and stay theree....you should not judge things for people just because u r far away and the only thing is that you originate from there...

At least these people still have their integrity and traditons..they do not run off to strange countries and adapt a different lifestyle from waht id originaaly theire....

pls think before u blabber trash

The cause of NATO bombing was Yugoslavia's refusal to sign the peace accords agreed to by the Kosovo's Albanian leaders and some of the NATO nations involved in the peace process. The reason for Yugoslavia's disagreement with the peace accords was the requirement for NATO troops to be deployed in Kosovo as peacekeeping force. But since the idea of foreign troops stationed on Yugo's soil was intolerable to the government they refused to sign the peace agreement. This is understandable, further considering the Serb's emotional and historical attachment to Kosovo. But Kosovo's population is 90% Albanian, who was provoked into rebellion by the Milosovic government when rights and autonomy was taken away from them out the desperate, but unwise move by Milosovic to maintain what's left of the Yugoslavian state and to reinforce their idea of Serbian nationalism. Also, considering Milosovic's use of reckless force even to the present to ruthlessly put down the rebellion in which he started, it is only reasonable for NATO to implement peacekeeping forces to maintain order and prevent more bloodshed. If the peace agreement was signed without any means of reinforcing it, then the agreement would be hollow and could easily be subjected violation. Force is needed to back any peace with teeth. And considering Milosovic's past as the leader of Yugo, force may be wise.

Milosovic have not taken NATO seriously because it continues to delay any carry-outs of threats to bomb for a long time because NATO was trying to seek a peaceful situation to the upheaval in Kosovo to the very end until it had no choice but to use force. In the meantime, Milosovic was using the delay to build-up his forces in Kosovo and launch new attacks. Sometimes one has fight fire with fire.

This conflict also is not just an internal Yugoslavian problem but something that can effect the neighboring countries around Yugoslavia at the least and the rest of Europe and the U.S. at the most. Continued fighting will lead to large-scale humanitarian crisis in terms of mass death, homelessness, and refugees. This could lead to political and economic unstability in the Balkans that can effect the rest of Europe that can cause panic in the economy that can, at the most, disrupt trade with the U.S, and other nations if the Kosovo conflict goes on too long and too far. That is one reason why the U.S. is concerned over Kosovo because of our strategic political and economic ties with industrialized Europe. Because any major crisis in Europe and some parts of Asia can effect our interests such as the economy. That's the reason for U.S. involvement in Europe with both World Wars and in the post-World War ll through NATO and other organizations such as the OSCE.

I´m from Sweden and i don´t really know what to say about thos conflict. However i´ll hope that the chinese don´t wake up from their sleep and start to act with their nuc´s......

It is ultimately up to the Yugoslavian people to solve this problem, which caused by the internally corrupted and reckless leadership of Yugoslavia. But because the amount of corruption, authoritarian rule, and nepotism that has been going around in the poltical circles in Belgrade it would be difficult to oust Milosovic from power, much less establish a reformed, democratic system.

There are many problems with the Yugoslavian government that led to this conflict in Kosovo as well as others that partly caused the break-up of Yugoslavia as well as being responsible for numerous bloody conflicts that followed in the breakaway republics. It was the Milosovic government's policy of nationalism that partly led to the disintergration of the larger state, as well as being mainly responsible for the bloody conflicts that followed. The government's policies included curbing native languages, removing autonomous status, and deploying military forces as well as supporting ultra-nationalist movements in Bosnia that resorted to terrorism, rape, looting, and sheer butchery in the name of ethnic-cleansing. These fascist (the term is appropriate) paramilitary groups were responsible for the vast proportion of the massacres and chaos that had taken place throughout that tragic war in Bosnia to dimensions unseen since World War ll, yet they continue to enjoy the protection and support of the Yugoslavian government.

Furthmore, Milosovic's heavy-handed and reckless use of force and political oppression to maintain the rest of the state as well as bolstering Serbian nationalism has been constantly repeated Such gross and unfair policies had led to conflict with the local population in these areas.

Any government as brutal, corrupted, and incompetent as Milosovic's should have been removed, but the political oppostion movement, which grew strong several years ago had dwindled as a result of selfish personal interests and ambitions as well as disagreements that led to it's fading. Another factor was the appointment of one or two of these opposition leaders to prominent posts within the present government. As a result, Milosovic had succeeded in consolidating his power over Serbian-dominated Yugoslavia and in the process eliminated any major opposition against him. Not only is the present establishment is unreliable, but so is the rest of the political forces including the opposition.

Considering these facts of the state and character of the Belgrade government and its behaviorial effect on the peace and stability on much of the rest region and beyond, NATO had to take the appropriate steps, which ultimately includes, after much deliberation and hesitation in the pursuit of a peaceful solution, the appliance of military force.
Considering these factors, the Yugoslavian people must realize that NATO is not trying commit aggression against the country but trying to force peace on a warmongering, and in some cases, a nationalistically fanatical government who's actions had led to this conflict in the first place as well as numerous others in the past after peaceful attempts have failed. Nor is NATO in favor of an independent Kosovo, but a just recognition of rights and fair treatment given by the Belgrade government for the people of that territory.

Finally, the placement of peacekeeping troops in Kosovo is necessary for peace and order to be survivalable. It is understandable that the deployment of foreign troops on any nation's soil is resentful. But in order for peace to work, there has to be some teeth to back the idea up, especially in the aftermath of bloody war, or else any peace agreement signed by the warring parties would be hollow and be subjected to violation by any side. There is no considerable alternative to the peacekeeping plan. One also has to look at the success of peacekeeping operations in Bosnia as well as the presence of American and other NATO forces that were stationed in Western Europe for 40 years if one wants to look farther. NATO's commitment of foreign troops in Western Europe contributed to long-lasting peace, stability, and closer unification of Europe as well as contributing to the economic prosperity and increased understanding among the nations that is unprecedented in history.

As personal note, I urge the Yugoslavian people to consider all these facts and see the real dangers that is destroying your country and that is from within, and if possible take the appropriate actions to solve this diliemma.

Hello from sweden.
I dont like the idee´ of this bombings any more than the rest of u, but u wiull have to remember Bosnia a few years ago. That time the whole world just stod back and waited, and one of the bloodiest conflict since the wwII was a fact. Do u realy want that to happen again?
Are u willing to just sit back in the comfort of your home and watch the same pictures on the evening news again? i consider myself to be a rather peaceful person, but i belive that at the moment the only thing that Milosovic will understand is the power of guns. Don´t blame the usa for everything, they didn´t start this war, Milosovic did. If he had just said ok, let nato troops come and see that the peace agreement is followed, this bombings would never had to happen. The one that ultimate had his finger on the trigger was Milosovic, not the NATO leaders.

Youre all thinking about yourselves.
Everytime all people are selfishes.
How about creating a new age with disussions and help each other?
Always fighting and killing people?
And we have all the hole world a right to live in a savety world. If the politicans people are not in the same boot have we to do the same and fight agaist someone who is maybe if he lives in the neightbourhood our friend?
Lets make a peace- demonstration all over the world. To make a better world for our children and for us!
Let`s do it!

All governments depend on coercion and force. Thus they are all destructive to human life and the right to be free thinking individuals. Power usurped through force gives governments the illusion of control over reality. This so called power is unearned. Milosovic is mass murdering so he can feel "BIG" fell "IMPORTANT". He is obviously another madman and his ethnic cleansing will likley only get worse. Why are these madnen allowed to go on and on.? An average citizen commits far less heinus acts and is taken out of society and frequently put in prison for the rest of life and in some cases put to death, but never the madmen like Hitler,Stalin, Sadam, Milosovic and the like. I'm sure you get my meaning here. Lets really eliminate the cause of the problem not the innocent people {citizens} who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. All these evil-intentioned administrators need to be rendered powerless somehow.

Deby,
it is easy to say this is good or bed.
i am from Bulgaria and to tell you it is very dificult.there is something like integrity of a nation.I hate war and killings.But what you have in Yugoslavia is a civil war and a war is bed everywhere. Bombing should stop! it will make it worst! this is big media thing! And how about the Kurds in Turkey, how about Tibet and many others.
Leave the Balkans alone!

Funny to read all those messages from far away. I mean funny considering the fact that we sit in shelters and don't sleep at all. aaoaur kids shiver, old people have hart attacks, and the rest copes with •••• in the best possible way.
You know, what started as a little war between narco cartels and (mostly crooked cops) years ago, finaly evolved into international conflict.
What I mean is - no decent, hard working Albanians in Kosovo ever wanted to join Albania proper with its medieval order and living standard. And no decent Serb ever liked crooked cops. And then, our saviors decided it's time to finance KLA, and let a narco cartel make their own state. No decent Albanians ever wanted that. And even their anti-government demonstrations were a joke for CNN. How else can you explain that their banners were never written in Albanian or Serbian, but in English? How else can you explain that they never joined people of Serbia when they demonstrated against the government and asked for democracy.
Then, they made the whole Army, havily supported by Albania and US bribed senators, and, of course Nato corporation.
Does it supprise you that the •••• finaly hit the fan?
What did you all expect?
I definitely don't want to spend my life paying taxes so my government can finance Albanian 10-children families instead good public life here.As far as I am concerned, they can go back to where they came from - which is Albania, where most of them came from after WWII. AND if my government decides to feed them and continue building schools and roads for them, I'll see how I'll demonstrate against it. AND if in peace time
some cops or soldiers harras any civilians (including Albanian-origin Yugoslavs)in any way, I'll demonstrate against that, too.
But, the border and the theritory of my country have been in jeopardy for some time already, 18 year old boys serving their regular 10 months in the Army are over there confronted by American trained therrorists. Cops that usualy keep law and order in my street are over there confronted by some wild highlanders armed with AK 47s. Nato bomber jets fly over my head, and, to be honest, I don't understand why my Army doesn't send missiles on all neigboring countries that helped Nato Corporation. If we have to dissapear from the face of the earth, we should take some bastards with us.
I have to go off line now 'cause I hear sirenes and I have to go to the shelter. It's 4.26 Belgrade time, and I hope everybody reading this enjoy their meals or whatever they are doing.

Re: NATO bombings of YU.
I don't believe for a minute that the strike against Yugoslavia is conducted for humanitarian reasons. If that were so, I'd like to know why NATO didn't do this eight years ago (which at that time I would have welcomed) when the Serbs started their war of conquest for a Greater Serbia against Slovenia and Croatia. How many lives could then have been saved and destruction avoided. Bosnia and Kosovo might never have happened. The real reason for this campaign is that NATO needs to establish military supremacy over this region to secure a better front for themselves against Russia. It is obvious that the planners of the strike against Yugoslavia suffer under a serious lack of brains and vision, for, in their abysmal arrogance, they are underestimating Russia (as usual) and China. Maybe they won't do anything for now, especially with Russia being weak at the moment, but let's see what happens in 5 years or so. China already has nukes, and I wouldn't be suprised at all if Russia sooner or later comes back on its feet. The actions of the West show nothing more but contempt for international law and a serious lack of vision. As I said, if this had happened eight years ago, they would have had a legitimate case: Croatia and Bosnia were internationally recognised sovereign states attacked by Serbia. However, with Kosovo, we are dealing with an internal Yugoslav problem, which is nobody's business but the Serbs'. After all Kosovo is Serbia's heartland. What the West is doing now, if this were really done for humanitarian reasons, is too little, too late. The Albanian refugee flood will continue not just because of Kosovo, but because these people have nothing to eat, whether they are Albanians from Kosovo, Macedonia or Albania itself. That is of course not very suprising, since the main occupation of Albanians can be summarised as follows:
1. mass production of children
2. spreading into other nations' territories (i.e. Serbia, Greece, Macedonia, Italy etc.), where they can enjoy the social benefits of their hosts' while at the same time continuing with 1., so that eventually they can claim their hosts' land as rightfully theirs.
Nobody in the Balkan region likes the Albanians because of that (go ask any Serb, Greek, Macedonian, even Bosnian, Croat or Italian how they feel about them - they all have to deal with them). After all there is a very sovereign, though lawless, backward and chaotic state, that goes by the name Albania. If the so-called 'Kosovar' Albanians don't like to live in Serbia, surely they can go to Albania, where their compatriots enjoy an even lower standard of living. If the west really loves the Albanians so much, let's just see when NATO will bomb Macedonia next, or will it be Greece, even Italy perhaps?
All in all I think the west is playing with a hornet's nest here by interefering in Russia's backyard, and should stay out of the place. Let the Balkanians sort the Balkans out for themselves. This time the west really doesn't have a case. The bombings will change nothing, and if NATO wants to dominate that region militarily, then they obviously don't know the Serbs very well, who will stave them off on the ground until Russia will be ready. And when that happens I don't want to be anywhere near there.
So much for now.

NATO is destroying military complexes that are not part of the world community. Yugoslavia falls into that category just as Iraq does. If a military power does not comply and join into the world community it will be dismantled and destroyed. This has nothing to do with National Integrity. It has everything to do with being a cooperative member of the world community. It is much like subduing the school bully who goes around beating up on his neighbors. Yugoslavia was warned over and over and over again by the world community to stop but it stubbornly refused. Now it is paying the price. Yugoslavia must learn that there is a price to pay for being a bully. I think it is just beginning to realize the consequences of it's actions. In the end Yugoslavia will be very upset that its club was taken away ... but it will no longer have the capability of beating up its neighbors. This is a new world order ... a community of cooperation and peaceful coexistence ... if the bully has to be subdued and his club taken away from him ... then so be it. Force will be met with force ... cooperation will be met with cooperation. Yugoslavia is just belly-aching because a stronger power is taking away it's club. The bully is being contained. For all the Serbs in their shelters ... how does it feel now? ... this is what you have been doing to your neighbors ... how does it feel now to live in fear ... to be in shelters ... to be run out from your homes? ... Life is a mirror ... as you treat those around you ... so shall you be treated.

Where I originate from has nothing to do with it. I don't hate anybody, but I can't have any love for Albanians. It's not like I wish them or their people death. I am sad for every person that dies, doesn't matter who he is.
But yes I do blame Albanians for this mess. Think about on thing, they have so much arms. Had them for some time. What do you think they were doing with it? Of course Serb police faught back.
And yes, I have pretty good idea how big Albanian families in Kosovo are. They have 10, 15 people. And they can not support them. You leave in the much richer countries and you can not support them. Do you think one working Kosovar dad can? Serbian people pay taxes and a lot of the moneyy goes down to Albania.
I am not a Milosevic lover, many people weren't. But now they all took his site. Clinton only made fool of himself making a video tape for Serbian people. Like somebody would take his side while bombs are flying over their heads.
Lampion, I pray for you all.

Dear Debi

I don't know where you're from, but don't you forget some names in your
'madman line up'
>From the west I hear always the same names: Hitler, Stalin, Saddam,
Milosovic….

Wich nation was the most active the last 50 years trespassing foreign
countrys and violating the integrity of other nations? Do you have any
idea?
Even the implementation of democraty en union structures in Grenada (of
all places) was proclamated as an attack of the integrity of the US. So
the went in with military force… in Grenada !?
Want some more? Starting from Korea, Vietnam, Zaire, Soudan, Raids over
Lybia,Iraq……
They used on several occasions nuclear and biochemical weapons,
recently!! If you speak of a devil.

About Saddam the devil himself, i do agree. But do you forget who
installed Saddam in Iraq? Yes, please, The US of A. In their hurry to
sweep any communist influence in Iraq they installed the most evil
opponent of the young democratie in Iraq.
Now communism is no longer the big tread they cant get rid of him.
In fact… how many tirans, junta's and undemocratic monsters have been
supported for many many years by the US? Pinochet, Papadoc Duvalier,…
and endless list… They are all as bad as Saddam, but more convenient to
the US.

About Yougoslavia,
The regular Serbian army was fighting illegal rebbelians who where
tryiing to establish independancy for Kosovo in Serbia.
I am aware of the terrible effects on civilians in that fight, but it is
a local conflict! Even the United Nations and the Security Council did
not approved military actions against Serbia. Against all international
rules the Nato decide for themselves to strike Yougoslavia. Remeber that
the Nato is a military organisation that's tided to international rules.

Under the impuls of Bill Clinton the Nato could go their own illegal
way. And old England, France, Germany, Belgium, Holland… they all
followed.

Did they ever considered the risk of these actions?
Of course… The enourmous risks for the continent are well calculated and
the US is trying to destabilise the Balkan to force Russia and Europe
completely into a disaster. That's the final target. Now Europe is
consolidating into a unique financial power with the implementation of
the 'Euro' currency the kapitalist market in the US, who is booming this
moment, is scared to dead. The huge international depts of the the US
governement (the highest in the world) will be the "Pot to Play". I
wonder when Japan is goiing to ask their money back. It is very quiet on
that side for the moment.

We on the continent, the civilians, (by the way , I am from Belgium),
are very dissappointed. The older amounsgt us do remember the second
world war very well. And we are all worry about the future.

Rights & wrongs do not matter. Human life matters. My heart goes out to all who must be terrified. They must be in such shock asking themselves where all this came from. We should think more of humanity.

You say right and wrong do not matter!

If a person has a machine gun and uses it to kill 250,000 people do you say "I will not take their machine gun away because I might hurt them."?

Where is the humanity in letting the person keep the machine gun and continue killing?

Is it not more humane to kill the person with the machine gun?