The Tufts Daily: Who is the NATO target?, By Ana Mitrovic

In all the explanations for the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, often modified in the past twenty-seven days, one component remains constant: Milosevic is the main target. Yes, he sits comfortably in his villa and his power is stronger with each day of bombing. The Yugoslav military machinery is also said to be the target. Indeed, emptied military buildings and barracks have been demolished. Nevertheless, after more than 7,000 NATO sorties, Yugoslav airplanes still fly, anti-defense missiles still function and the ground force remains potent.

Still, the media tells us that NATO has been very successful. It destroyed most of the bridges, railways and factories. Yugoslav citizens now cannot move freely and many have no work to go to, as their factories have been destroyed by bombs, and offices closed in fear of attack. Pointing to the large black cloud of smoke above Belgrade's suburb Pancevo, Sunday's papers highly praised NATO actions. A chemical plant was hit, emitting huge quantities of toxic gases. This health and environmental catastrophe is only one among many bad consequences of NATO bombing. (Sadly, the word 'bad' seems redundant when describing the consequences of this campaign)

Yugoslav kids draw dead people and damaged churches on the walls of bomb shelters. My friend's little cousin is one of these kids. He remains defiant, however, and says that NATO will not get him, because he hasn't even had time to grow up yet. I am proud of him. And I am proud of my parents who go to work every day although there is no work to do. I am proud of my friends who remain full of dignity and fight the war with love. They sing and dance for peace at daily Belgrade concerts. Many stay to sing even when sirens start calling all to hide in bomb shelters. They defend themselves with music.

Still, music does not shield all from NATO bombs. Many civilians have been killed in this "successful" NATO action, and then deprived of their identity by being called: collateral damage. Their deaths result from various NATO accidents; a mistaken strike on a small town called Aleksinac, a train, or a refugee convoy. There is no discrimination in accidents; all ethnic groups are included in the list.

My family may become collateral damage. My friends holding hands on the bridge in Belgrade may become collateral damage. Far from them, I despair, feeling helpless. The bombing continues relentlessly and the aid cannot be delivered to anyone in Yugoslavia. There are urgent calls for medicine and baby food – but aid convoys are stopped at the Yugoslav borders. It is as if the Serbs, together with Hungarians, Slovaks, Gypsies and all other national minorities inhabiting Yugoslavia do not merit aid.

Here in Boston, the Serbian-American community has decided to collect aid for all victims of the NATO bombing and send it when this becomes possible. The protests in Boston have become regular and joined by many non-Serb Americans and people from all over the world who study and work in Boston. Hundreds of people gather each Saturday in Boston to light a candle for the victims and hear "the other side". The viewpoint that I am relating to you today is also a message from "the other side", the side which is not adequately reflected in the media.

Fortunately, most academic debates in the US, including those held at Tufts, express strong opposition to the bombing campaign, both because of its illegality and its disastrous consequences. Most of my American friends feel this way and tell me how sorry they are. I urge all of them to appeal to their government to stop the bombing, because bombs are not helping either Albanians or Serbs.

The only beneficiaries appear to be the KLA, an internationally recognized terrorist organization aiming for secession of the Serbian southern province of Kosovo – and Milosevic. The victims of the NATO campaign are the citizens of Yugoslavia who suffer and who become collateral damage. The victims are the UN and the international legal and political order that died in this campaign. Ironically, by disrespecting its own Charter, NATO also died; it committed suicide.

If Milosevic was the target, then he should have been indicted and sent to the Hague Tribunal. The only reason why bombing may be a preferred policy is that it is not politically possible to indict a signatory of Dayton Peace Accords, a person whose testimony and hidden documents would probably provide ample evidence for the indictment of the Croatian President, Tudjman, and the Bosnian Muslim leader, Izetbegovic, who also played their part in the Yugoslav civil war. That may be too much truth and justice for the international community. It was much easier to bomb and let ordinary people like us become targets.

[ http://192.41.18.8/nato/antiwar/marko.html – Drawing by a little boy called Marko]