This letter is to my fellow airmen from
the 376th Bombardment Group (H) of the 15th US Army Air Force, to the Americans I have met
and got to know during the training days in Florida, Arizona, California and Washington
D.C. in 1942-43 and during my frequent visits to the USA after the war, as well as to all
other men of good will throughout the world.
It is sad to see how American and other
NATO crews, many of them from the countries which were our allies in the two world wars,
bomb and destroy our cities and even villages, killing many innocent civilians and
devastating our economy thus leaving hundreds of thousands of workers and their families
without means of existence. I shall try to answer why this is done, how it is happening
and who is responsible for the present aggressive war of NATO against Yugoslavia. In the
attempt to understand all this you should bear in mind the following:
1. Yugoslavia has an internal problem with
its Albanian minority (the same problem are having Spain with the Basques, France with the
Corsicans, Britain with the Northern Ireland, Turks with their Kurds and many other
countries in the world). Unlike 25 other ethnic minorities in Yugoslavia, which are quite
satisfied with their status, unsurpassed by any other minority in the world (elementary
schooling, higher education, theaters, press, radio and TV, all in their native languages,
as well as health and social insurance, representation at all levels of government etc.),
Albanians led by their power-hungry extremist politicians chose the path of separatism.
Instigated by foreign powers, particularly USA, which had arranged the dismemberment of
SFR Yugoslavia, they asked for independence as the first step towards the creation of
"the Great Albania" that would also include big parts of Macedonia and Greece,
which have an Albanian minority too. In the end a terrorist group, so-called Kosovo
Liberation Army (KLA) in collusion with the support of Western powers, attacked, kidnapped
and killed not only policemen but also Serbian neighbours and even the Albanians who did
not agree with them and their aims. They have got their training and arms in Albania, the
latter mainly from Germany.
2. This meddling in our internal affairs
did not stop there. Western powers, led by US, organized the conference in Rambuillet and
Paris in order to force on Yugoslavia their plan for Kosovo-Metohia. Yugoslavia accepted
the ten basic principles set by the Contact Group for the solution of this problem, but
Albanian separatist delegation, at the instigation of the Western countries, rejected to
accept them. In fact the two delegations never met at those conferences. In the end, the
Yugoslav delegation was presented with an American plan, unknown to the Contact Group,
asking both delegations to sign it. It was an ultimatum totally unacceptable to Yugoslavia
because it envisaged the occupation of a part of Yugoslavia and, after three years, its
secession. Prior to this, the US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told Albanians that
they must sign it because without their signature it would be impossible to carry out the
NATO's treat that Yugoslavia would be bombed. Thus the Paris conference failed. Soon
afterwards, on March 24th, NATO started its illegal aggressive war against Yugoslavia,
disregarding their obligations from the UN Charter, hoping for her capitulation in a few
days. The hope was in vain and the war is now in its second month with no end in sight. It
must be stressed that the Serbian "No" is the forth in this century: in 1914 to
the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in 1941 to Hitler, in 1948 to Stalin and now to NATO.
3. The Yugoslav delegation, after
receiving the American and NATO plan, handed over to Contact Group its own signed plan for
the autonomy of Kosovo and Metohia. The plan offers Albanians an autonomy, which goes
beyond anything existing in the world. It was based on two main principles: a) the
recognition of the Yugoslav and Serbian sovereignty and territorial integrity and b) full
equality of all individuals (including human rights) and of all ethnic groups living in
Kosovo and Metohia. It went so far as to permit Albanians the right to use in their own
national courts, if they so decide, their tribal and even Moslem laws (shariah laws) in
disputes among themselves, i.e. outside Yugoslav courts and laws (for disputes between
sides of different nationality courts are to use Yugoslav laws). Is there anything similar
in any country? In spite of this generous offer, the plan was rejected as
"insufficient' by NATO powers for the purpose of serving as an alibi for them to
begin their terrorist war against Yugoslavia.
4. Yugoslavia is an independent country,
one of the founding members of the UN. It is not a member of NATO. We had no quarrel nor
were in conflict with any country, including the members of NATO. As a peaceful country
Yugoslavia has all the time insisted on political dialogue for resolving the problem. As
you know the UN Charter forbids interference in the internal affairs of any country and
the UN Security Council is the only body in the world that can order and lead an armed
operation against any state. Yet, contrary to the international law, NATO under the
leadership of the USA has not only interfered in our internal affairs but has begun an
aggressive war against Yugoslavia. Its attack is a clear breach of the UN Charter and
international law. Hitler behaved in the same manner. Why do the US and NATO repeat
Hitler's deeds, and in an even more brutal way?
5. As for the media stories about human
catastrophy and ethnic cleaning, you should bear in mind that Mr. Gelbart characterized
the KLA as "a terrorist organization" (the US later forgot this and instead gave
it full support and even promoted the KLA leaders at the expense of its former protege Mr.
Rugova). Two kinds of people have fled to Albania and Macedonia: a) the KLA terrorist and
their kinsfolk and followers whom you see interviewed by CNN and other NATO media, and b)
innocent Albanians who, frightened by NATO bombardment, seek refuge in those countries,
where they, scared by KLA elements and dependent on foreign aid, dare not to tell the real
reasons for leaving their homes. However, the great part of Albanians have stayed in the
country or left for other parts of Yugoslavia just as many Serbs did. Many of those who
were on the move returned later to their homes. Two big convoys of them were attacked by
NATO planes resulting in massacre of 75 old men, women and children together with three
policemen who escorted them. NATO spokesmen tried to cover up the massacre and even
accused Serbs for it, but in the end were forced to admit NATO's
responsibility.
In conclusion I shall add that I am aware
that many of you are manipulated by media, the spokesmen of NATO and warmongering
politicians in the western countries but that ordinary people are gradually seeing the
truth through and in spite of the maze of vicious propaganda. The war against Yugoslavia
has nothing to do with Albanians and their own and your true interests. We are all the
victims of the efforts aimed at the establishment of "a New World Order" under
the auspices and in the interest of political and financial establishment of the USA. In
many respects all this is similar to what took place in Vietnam and under the similar
forged and false pretext. In spite of all I still believe in basic decency and kindness of
the majority of people in USA and other NATO countries, particularly in those who were our
allies in the two world wars. I hope that these virtues will show up in various forms of
opposition to this terrorist war, which will force the governments of the US and other
NATO countries to stop it and repair the damage to the people and economy of Yugoslavia.
This opposition, I hope, will especially come from the more than a thousand airmen whose
lives were saved by Serbian fighters and ordinary people during the II World War from the
Germans.
