2 New Messages
Digest #4611
Messages
Tue Jan 22, 2013 10:52 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/cr
Beta News Agency
January 22, 2013
KPS suspend members over WW2 memorial incident
Source: Beta
PRIŠTINA: The Kosovo police, KPS, have announced that five of their members were suspended over an incident that occurred on Monday in the town of Vitina.
They include the police station and operations chief, according to a statement.
According to a Beta report, it was said that "despite announcements" from the directorate in Priština, they did not undertake the measures to prevent the tearing down of a monument.
The memorial was dedicated to the fighters of the WW2 anti-fascist Partisan troops (NOV).
According to the news agency, "a group of about 100 citizens led by the president of the organization of veterans of the former KLA" yesterday attacked and brought down the memorial.
The incident - filmed and posted on YouTube - was one in a series in Kosovo on Sunday and Monday, when ethnic Albanians targeted Serb cemeteries and memorial sites.
------------------------------
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/cr
Beta News Agency/Tanjug News Agency
January 21, 2013
Serb cemeteries, memorials desecrated in Kosovo
====
Kosovska Mitorovica Mayor Krstimir Pantić criticized NATO troops, KFOR, who are deployed nearby, saying that the building was attacked on several other occasions and that, despite the fact the soldiers were standing several dozen meters away, the perpetrators have never been found and punished.
A memorial in the Serb enclave in Goraždevac, raised to honor the victims of NATO's 1999 bombing, and the Serb children gunned down while swimming in the Bistrica River in 2003, was also targeted.
====
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: Incidents were reported from Kosovo on Sunday and Monday, including an attempt to stage an attack on a monastery, and desecration of several Serb cemeteries.
In Kosovska Mitrovica, two firebombs were thrown at the municipal building, causing no injuries or material damages. The perpetrators "quickly escaped the scene", while members of the Kosovo police, KPS, "arrived there shortly after the attack", according to reports.
Kosovska Mitorovica Mayor Krstimir Pantić criticized NATO troops, KFOR, who are deployed nearby, saying that the building was attacked on several other occasions and that, despite the fact the soldiers were standing several dozen meters away, the perpetrators have never been found and punished.
Pantić also announced that "as of tomorrow, the Civil Defense will take over the responsibility of securing personal and property safety of the citizens and the municipality".
According to reports, ethnic Albanians in the town of Đakovica held a protest there and then headed for a nearby Serb Orthodox monastery...
The monastery was once before targeted by Albanians, when it was burned down in March 2004. The holy place has in the meantime been reconstructed.
Meanwhile, 27 tombstones were destroyed in a Serb cemetery in Klokot. The Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija urged the international community representatives in Kosovo to find the "vandals" behind the incident as soon as possible.
Three more Serb Orthodox cemeteries were desecrated in Kosovo overnight, in the villages of Prilužje, Miloševo and Plemetina.
Beta news agency is reporting that explosives were used late on Sunday to blow up a tombstone on a cemetery plot belonging to a local Serb family in Prilužje.
A memorial in the Serb enclave in Goraždevac, raised to honor the victims of NATO's 1999 bombing, and the Serb children gunned down while swimming in the Bistrica River in 2003, was also targeted.
In Vitina, a memorial for the members of the WW2 anti-fascist resistance (NOV), was also attacked. A video has surfaced on YouTube showing a crowd destroying the memorial, with several members of the KPS standing by without attempting to prevent them.
Radio Goraždevac editor Darko Dimitrijević said that shots had been fired at the memorial, and that this disturbed some 1,000 Serbs who live in this village in Metohija.
These incidents took place after a memorial built without a permit to honor members of the UCMPB (OVPMB) was removed from downtown Preševo, in southern Serbia.
The now disbanded ethnic Albanian group was considered terrorist by the authorities for launching attacks against police, military and civilian targets in the area in 2000 and 2001.
...
The government in Priština called on "the citizens of Kosovo and Albanians in the Preševo valley" to express their dissatisfcation in a civilized manner, "without falling for the provocations of the Serbian government".
------------------------------
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/po
Tanjug News Agency
January 22, 2013
"Desecrating cemeteries goes against civilization"
BELGRADE: Serbia's Prime Minister Ivica Dačić condemned on Monday the desecration of Serb cemeteries and historical monuments in Kosovo.
He also stated that the international forces there were obligated to protect the Serbian cultural heritage.
He said the desecration of Serb cemeteries was an act that went against civilization.
"I point out to the international forces and organizations in Kosovo that they are obligated to ensure peace and safety for all people, their property and cultural heritage," Dačić stated.
"The event in Preševo cannot be used as an excuse, because an illegally placed memorial to members of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the Liberation Army of Preševo, Bujanovac and Medveđa was peacefully removed from there," Dačić remarked.
"This is about vandalizing cemeteries and attacking churches and monasteries, which is something that has not and will not happen in southern Serbia," the prime minister told Tanjug.
...
==============================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
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==============================
Beta News Agency
January 22, 2013
KPS suspend members over WW2 memorial incident
Source: Beta
PRIŠTINA: The Kosovo police, KPS, have announced that five of their members were suspended over an incident that occurred on Monday in the town of Vitina.
They include the police station and operations chief, according to a statement.
According to a Beta report, it was said that "despite announcements" from the directorate in Priština, they did not undertake the measures to prevent the tearing down of a monument.
The memorial was dedicated to the fighters of the WW2 anti-fascist Partisan troops (NOV).
According to the news agency, "a group of about 100 citizens led by the president of the organization of veterans of the former KLA" yesterday attacked and brought down the memorial.
The incident - filmed and posted on YouTube - was one in a series in Kosovo on Sunday and Monday, when ethnic Albanians targeted Serb cemeteries and memorial sites.
------------------------------
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/cr
Beta News Agency/Tanjug News Agency
January 21, 2013
Serb cemeteries, memorials desecrated in Kosovo
====
Kosovska Mitorovica Mayor Krstimir Pantić criticized NATO troops, KFOR, who are deployed nearby, saying that the building was attacked on several other occasions and that, despite the fact the soldiers were standing several dozen meters away, the perpetrators have never been found and punished.
A memorial in the Serb enclave in Goraždevac, raised to honor the victims of NATO's 1999 bombing, and the Serb children gunned down while swimming in the Bistrica River in 2003, was also targeted.
====
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: Incidents were reported from Kosovo on Sunday and Monday, including an attempt to stage an attack on a monastery, and desecration of several Serb cemeteries.
In Kosovska Mitrovica, two firebombs were thrown at the municipal building, causing no injuries or material damages. The perpetrators "quickly escaped the scene", while members of the Kosovo police, KPS, "arrived there shortly after the attack", according to reports.
Kosovska Mitorovica Mayor Krstimir Pantić criticized NATO troops, KFOR, who are deployed nearby, saying that the building was attacked on several other occasions and that, despite the fact the soldiers were standing several dozen meters away, the perpetrators have never been found and punished.
Pantić also announced that "as of tomorrow, the Civil Defense will take over the responsibility of securing personal and property safety of the citizens and the municipality".
According to reports, ethnic Albanians in the town of Đakovica held a protest there and then headed for a nearby Serb Orthodox monastery...
The monastery was once before targeted by Albanians, when it was burned down in March 2004. The holy place has in the meantime been reconstructed.
Meanwhile, 27 tombstones were destroyed in a Serb cemetery in Klokot. The Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija urged the international community representatives in Kosovo to find the "vandals" behind the incident as soon as possible.
Three more Serb Orthodox cemeteries were desecrated in Kosovo overnight, in the villages of Prilužje, Miloševo and Plemetina.
Beta news agency is reporting that explosives were used late on Sunday to blow up a tombstone on a cemetery plot belonging to a local Serb family in Prilužje.
A memorial in the Serb enclave in Goraždevac, raised to honor the victims of NATO's 1999 bombing, and the Serb children gunned down while swimming in the Bistrica River in 2003, was also targeted.
In Vitina, a memorial for the members of the WW2 anti-fascist resistance (NOV), was also attacked. A video has surfaced on YouTube showing a crowd destroying the memorial, with several members of the KPS standing by without attempting to prevent them.
Radio Goraždevac editor Darko Dimitrijević said that shots had been fired at the memorial, and that this disturbed some 1,000 Serbs who live in this village in Metohija.
These incidents took place after a memorial built without a permit to honor members of the UCMPB (OVPMB) was removed from downtown Preševo, in southern Serbia.
The now disbanded ethnic Albanian group was considered terrorist by the authorities for launching attacks against police, military and civilian targets in the area in 2000 and 2001.
...
The government in Priština called on "the citizens of Kosovo and Albanians in the Preševo valley" to express their dissatisfcation in a civilized manner, "without falling for the provocations of the Serbian government".
------------------------------
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/po
Tanjug News Agency
January 22, 2013
"Desecrating cemeteries goes against civilization"
BELGRADE: Serbia's Prime Minister Ivica Dačić condemned on Monday the desecration of Serb cemeteries and historical monuments in Kosovo.
He also stated that the international forces there were obligated to protect the Serbian cultural heritage.
He said the desecration of Serb cemeteries was an act that went against civilization.
"I point out to the international forces and organizations in Kosovo that they are obligated to ensure peace and safety for all people, their property and cultural heritage," Dačić stated.
"The event in Preševo cannot be used as an excuse, because an illegally placed memorial to members of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the Liberation Army of Preševo, Bujanovac and Medveđa was peacefully removed from there," Dačić remarked.
"This is about vandalizing cemeteries and attacking churches and monasteries, which is something that has not and will not happen in southern Serbia," the prime minister told Tanjug.
...
==============================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups
==============================
Tue Jan 22, 2013 11:58 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.globaltimes.cn/
Global Times
January 22, 2013
Hollande has set alarming precedent for intervention
By He Wenping*
Edited by RR
Since France launched military strikes against Mali rebels on January 11, the little-known West African country, which has been mired in a crisis for over a year, suddenly came under the media spotlight and made headlines around the world.
In view of the developing situation on the ground, the high-profile move by French forces has directly turned the tables and objectively enhanced France's influence in Africa while at the same time boosting its international status.
...
Mali was one of the first sub-Saharan countries to establish diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China, and Sino-Malian relations have been good. In addition to this, China has certain interests in Mali through its investment projects.
[T]here is one possible cause for alarm - French forces' involvement in Mali will provide the case for legalization of a new interventionism in Africa.
...
Although France became involved in Mali under the banner of anti-terrorism, it is not entirely accurate to say that Malian rebels are terrorists. The nature of the Mali issue is more akin to that of a civil war among different political groups.
Compared with other regions across the world, Africa is a special continent where a majority of nations gained independence after World War II, and the borders of each nation were mostly demarcated by its former colonial masters.
Therefore, Africans' sense of national identity and concept of sovereignty is quite weak, while their sense of ethnic and religious identity is much stronger. This creates opportunities for Western and other outside forces to intervene in the internal affairs of African countries.
Africa is a region where France has had the deepest impact and operated for the longest period of time. Former president Charles de Gaulle and successive governments have all seen Africa as a "forward base" to support France's leadership, regard maintaining France's special interests in French-speaking African countries as a core of African policy, and stress that France would become a second-rate country without Africa.
Moreover, France's direct economic interests in Mali cannot be underestimated. That's why President François Hollande, who is said to have "the least interest in Africa," reversed his low-key image and decided to actively intervene in the continent.
Of course, France's involvement in Mali is still a risky business. One of the drawbacks of this action is that it brings back memories of the "African gendarmerie" - France's colonial status.
Although France explained its move as a request from the current government, the same request from the president of the Central African Republic, which also faced an offensive from rebels, failed to get help due to France's own interests. France then bears the blame for acting with double standards in African affairs as an African gendarmerie. In addition, committing troops to Mali brings added burdens to the stagnant French economy.
As a result, international opinion is beginning to suspect that France may be repeating the missteps of the US in Afghanistan. Whether France can create long-term stability in Mali is far from certain.
*The author is a director of African Studies under the Institute of West Asian and African Studies, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Global Times
January 22, 2013
Hollande has set alarming precedent for intervention
By He Wenping*
Edited by RR
Since France launched military strikes against Mali rebels on January 11, the little-known West African country, which has been mired in a crisis for over a year, suddenly came under the media spotlight and made headlines around the world.
In view of the developing situation on the ground, the high-profile move by French forces has directly turned the tables and objectively enhanced France's influence in Africa while at the same time boosting its international status.
...
Mali was one of the first sub-Saharan countries to establish diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China, and Sino-Malian relations have been good. In addition to this, China has certain interests in Mali through its investment projects.
[T]here is one possible cause for alarm - French forces' involvement in Mali will provide the case for legalization of a new interventionism in Africa.
...
Although France became involved in Mali under the banner of anti-terrorism, it is not entirely accurate to say that Malian rebels are terrorists. The nature of the Mali issue is more akin to that of a civil war among different political groups.
Compared with other regions across the world, Africa is a special continent where a majority of nations gained independence after World War II, and the borders of each nation were mostly demarcated by its former colonial masters.
Therefore, Africans' sense of national identity and concept of sovereignty is quite weak, while their sense of ethnic and religious identity is much stronger. This creates opportunities for Western and other outside forces to intervene in the internal affairs of African countries.
Africa is a region where France has had the deepest impact and operated for the longest period of time. Former president Charles de Gaulle and successive governments have all seen Africa as a "forward base" to support France's leadership, regard maintaining France's special interests in French-speaking African countries as a core of African policy, and stress that France would become a second-rate country without Africa.
Moreover, France's direct economic interests in Mali cannot be underestimated. That's why President François Hollande, who is said to have "the least interest in Africa," reversed his low-key image and decided to actively intervene in the continent.
Of course, France's involvement in Mali is still a risky business. One of the drawbacks of this action is that it brings back memories of the "African gendarmerie" - France's colonial status.
Although France explained its move as a request from the current government, the same request from the president of the Central African Republic, which also faced an offensive from rebels, failed to get help due to France's own interests. France then bears the blame for acting with double standards in African affairs as an African gendarmerie. In addition, committing troops to Mali brings added burdens to the stagnant French economy.
As a result, international opinion is beginning to suspect that France may be repeating the missteps of the US in Afghanistan. Whether France can create long-term stability in Mali is far from certain.
*The author is a director of African Studies under the Institute of West Asian and African Studies, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
