Translated “Avante!” article by Ângelo Alves, member of the PCP Political Committee and Member of the International Department

Amid a 2590 page report, the fact was diluted and conveniently silenced. One is referring Slobodan Milosevic’s recognition of innocence on the crimes he was accused by the International Penal Court, regarding former Yugoslavia – the “Court” created by the responsible and winners of the Balkan war, in order to impose their “justice” on the defeated. Radovan Karadzic’s “judgement” report ( in which the Serbia-Bosnia ex-leader, a right-wing nationalist, was condemned to 40 years in prison for war crimes, in Srebrenica, 1995) many are the statements that recognize that the former president Milosevic did not undergo any “war crimes” nor “ethnic cleansing”, having hastily collided with Karadzic and other Serbia-Bosnia leaders on the civil war direction, incited and nurtured by NATO, and defending the end of the war and the respect towards by” other nations and ethnics”.

Upon 25 years since the beginning of Yugoslavia dismantlement and 17 on the NATO aggression war, at the time, the very first war in Europe’s core , in half a century. It is important to recall this war was carried out aside, assigned and in confront with the United Nations Charter, when social-democracy was present in 13 of the 15 countries’ governments of the then European Union, when the Democrat Party Bill Clinton, at time president of the USA and the Spanish socialist Javier Solana , was secretary-general of NATO. An aggression war in which Portugal was involved in a decision of the then Antonio Guterres’ government, in confront with the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic. A war that proved to be a concrete appliance of the then NATO new strategic concept, approved during that year’s Washington summit, during which the latter self- assigned the “right” of intervening, throughout the world, in order to “defend the interests” and “values” regarding the aggressive military political block.
The current reality on that European region proves the true” interests”, behind that crime: the stationing of tens of thousands NATO soldiers in the region, and, particularly, issued from the USA ; the building of protectorates, like the Kosovo, faithful representatives of economic, energy and geo-strategic interests of the major European powers – highlighting Germany - , the USA and NATO; and the destruction of a country that stood up against imperialism and held an important role within the Non-Aligned Movement.

The Balkan imperialist war was a succession of lies, manipulation and veracious crimes… undergone by NATO. This space ought not to be enough to describe a lowermost number of those crimes. However, for the collective historical memory, it is important to, at least, refer that NATO instigated and manipulated ethnical divisions within the Balkans; financed, armed and trained the “Kosovo Liberation Army” – a terrorist organization that forged crimes, such as the Racak Massacre, upon accusing the Serbian forces of having been the “final straw” that “justified” bombardments during 78 days. It is important to recall that, in order to sustain a campaign against Milosevic – presented as a monster and compared to Hitler – NATO bombed the RTS , the Serbian TV, killing tens of journalists; and to clarify the real political objectives during the intervention, the China embassy was attacked; persecuting and sequestering Milosevic, who, at the end, died in the court prison ( possibly by poisoning) that currently has recognized his innocence. Other crimes ought not to be forgotten such as the use of poor uranium weapons, as in Iraq, where millions of human beings carry on being killed and condemned to many diseases.

The TPI report on Yugoslavia ,for what it is worth, and history ought to, and is already doing , oblige to sit on the dock, the veracious criminals – NATO and the responsible for that hideous crime.