NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #20/NN_1992_20.iso/spool/misc/activism/progress/6379

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From: [e-mail] (Rich Winkel)
Subject: NO TO WAR IN EX-YUGOSLAVIA
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The ACTivist, Volume 8 #9, September 1992.

The ACTivist, Ontario's peace monthly, is published by ACT for
Disarmament, 736 Bathurst St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 2R4,
phone [phone], fax [phone], e-mail web:act. Hard copy
subscriptions are $10 for a year ($25 for institutions and funded
agencies).

Reprint freely, but please credit us (and send us a copy!)

/** gen.newsletter: 138.8 **/
** Written  8:55 pm  Aug 31, 1992 by web:act in cdp:gen.newsletter **
NO TO WAR IN EX-YUGOSLAVIA

ACT for Disarmament held a demonstration against military intervention
in former-Yugoslavia on Friday, August 21, in front of Progressive
Conservative Party Headquarters. About twenty people attended
the demonstration, at which ACT member Susan Krajnc read the
following statement:

ACT for Disarmament wishes to publicly declare our opposition to
any form of military intervention in the republics of former-Yugoslavia,
 including Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia.

We acknowledge that the peoples of these republics have the right
to decide how they want to be governed. Those territories that have
freely voted for independence should be recognized and their rights
to self-determination respected, and protected by all nonviolent means.
The rights of minorities in all of these territories also must be
strengthened and guaranteed.

We acknowledge that brutal violations of human rights, verging
on genocide, are taking place in Serbian-run prison camps -- indeed,
that all parties involved in the war have committed violations of
human rights, though the Serbian leadership is certainly the greatest
 offender. These violations of human rights must be ended.

We acknowledge that the delivery of relief supplies to those in the
areas of greatest suffering must be a priority.

But we question whether military intervention is either morally
acceptable, or rationally useful, as a means of achieving these goals.
Instead, military intervention will lead only to an escalation of the
war, involving many more troops and arms than are already involved.
War is never a solution.

Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie, who led the Canadian peacekeeping
forces in former-Yugoslavia, has spoken out against military
intervention, arguing that it will only make the situation worse,
and saying as well, "I do not, nor can I, accept killing a whole bunch
of people to make peace. And that's what we're all talking about,
whenever we propose intervention." MacKenzie estimates that at
least 100,000 troops would be required just to secure the Sarajevo
airport and the road to the coast; and that any troop involvement
would be likely to last for years.

War Resisters' International has said, "Any use of military force
 ... introduces a different logic, a military logic offering a rationale
for further, less limited use of additional military force. What is
taken as a small step, apparently likely to save lives, turns out later
to have been the crossing of a line."

In a situation so volatile and complex, so rooted in long history and
ill-understood by outside forces, as are the conflicts in
former-Yugoslavia, attempts to impose a 'simple' military solution
are likely only to make matters worse.

Instead, we ask for all non-violent methods of intervention.

% We ask, very urgently, that the Canadian peace movement,
citizens and government support independent initiatives by members
of civil society in all the republics of former-Yugoslavia that may
help to bring the war to an end and will make possible the rebuilding
of the society when the war is over. We ask that humanitarian aid
be channelled through civil society groups. We ask Canadians
concerned about peace to take it as their responsibility to work
with like-minded groups in former-Yugoslavia, aid them in their
efforts to broadcast reliable and non-propagandistic information,
support the peace movement in Serbia as it attempts to restrain its
 government, help them to survive so that they may rebuild.

% We ask that the Canadian government, and all governments,
offer all possible aid to refugees from the former-Yugoslav conflict.
We call on all outside governments also to offer sanctuary to those
who have refused military service in any of the armies involved.

% We ask that the Canadian government prioritize the delivery of
relief supplies to Bosnia-Herzegovina by any means that do not
involve military force (e.g. air-drops)

% We ask that all governments continue to isolate the Serbian
 government internationally, and that an oil embargo, in particular,
be maintained against Serbia.

% We ask Canada to maintain diplomatic pressure, especially
through the Council on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE)
on all parties, in particular the Serbian government, to respect basic
human rights and the rights of minorities, and to press the Serbian
 government to respect the rights to self-determination of Kosovo
and Vojvodina.

% We support all efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading
further, for instance the War Resisters' International efforts to
organize a seminar on nonviolent resistance in Kosovo, or the
Helsinki Citizens' Assembly-sponsored Peace Centre in Subotica,
Vojvodina. We ask that Canada recognize the right to
self-determination of Macedonia and the legitimacy of the
representatives elected by the people of Kosovo.

% In addition, we support efforts to make peace between the
former-Yugoslav ethnic communities abroad (e.g. in Canada),
recognizing not only that the communities abroad play a role in
the conflict, but also that the history of hatred must be ended
worldwide.

As War Resisters' International has said, "If present attempts at
the militarization of international politics are successful, then the
world will have lost a great -- maybe unique -- chance to change
international politics towards some kind of peace politics, and the
number of future victims and the amount of future suffering will
be very high."

We believe that it is not too late to change the situation in
former-Yugoslavia, but we also believe that violence will not
bring about changes that we or others wish to see. We do not
want to see this opportunity for effective non-violent action
passed up in favour of a specious military 'quick fix' that will
end up being a long-term disaster.

** End of text from cdp:gen.newsletter **