MINELREL-L Archive (04111999-11:14:30-17422)

Re: Kosovars on NATO


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Date: Sun, 11 Apr 1999 11:14:29 +0300 (EET DST)
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Subject: Re: Kosovars on NATO


From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

Original sender: Panayote Elias Dimitras <[email protected]>

Re: Kosovars on NATO


Dear Boris
 
It is indeed refreshing that some Russian media decided to be
one-sided.
 
On disagreement, though, if by countries you mean their governments,
you are not right. ALL NATO members have supported the strikes even if
some like Greece do so more out of solidarity and commitment to NATO
rather than deep rooted belief that strikes are the best way to solve
the Kosovo crisis. Hungary and the Czech Republic are also supportive
at the government level, just like NATO hopefuls like Romania and
Bulgaria.
 
If you mean public opinion and opposition politicians, then it is
another matter, with Greece been probably the extreme case driven by a
media coverage which is as bad as the early Russian one, often aligned
with hard-core Milosevic propaganda. Disapproval, though less
deep-rooted than in Greece, can be found among parts of public opinion
and many politicians in many NATO countries including the ones you
mentioned but also Germany, France and the US.
 
Just received it, its to the point:

-------------------------
*** Bulgaria Supports NATO Strikes Against Yugoslavia

** Government Threatens with Witch Hunts

AIM Sofia, 2 April, 1999

Minister of internal affairs of Bulgaria Bogomil Bonev threatened that
court proceedings would be instigated against journalists and
politicians who were spreading rumours which could stir up negative
disposition against Bulgaria in war-stricken Yugoslavia. The specific
person this was addressed to was the leader of the Bulgarian Socialist
Party (BSP) Georgi Prvanov who put the question in the parliament
whether Bulgaria had approved flights of NATO air-planes in the
air-corridor of Bulgaria.

"Anybody who is engaged in spreading lies that we have approved the
air corridor or in any way attacked Yugoslavia, that we have taken
hostile action against Yugoslavia, shall come under the jurisdiction
of the criminal law which prescribes 5 to 15 years in prison for
treachery of national interests", declared Bonev. The minister
underlined that apart from the politicians this threat referred to
journalists who gave rise to aggressive behavior of Yugoslavia against
Bulgaria.

What has made the minister so angry to openly threaten the leader of
the political party which ranks second in size in the parliament?
Prvanov accused the government that it had approved flights of NATO
air-planes in the air-corridor of Bulgaria without agreement of the
parliament which is the only one that was entitled to do it. In answer
to this prime minister Kostov declared that Bulgaria had never put its
air space at the disposal of NATO and accused the leader of the
Socialists that he could become the originator of deterioration of
relations with Yugoslavia. The scandal broke out after the statement
of TANJUG (Yugoslav state press agency) that NATO air-planes had
attacked Serbia from the direction of Bulgaria. The information was
also quoted by Bulgarian private radio station called Darik, but the
general staff of Bulgarian army resolutely denied it.

"One of us is a lier - either I, or the prime minister, or Solana",
declared Prvanov and appealed that correspondence between Bulgarian
government and main seat of NATO since October last year be made
public. Having received the request from Brussels, the national
security consultative council of the president of this country which
gathers leaders of all parties represented in the parliament, reached
a conclusion that this was a question of jurisdiction of the
parliament and that permits would be issued for each specific case. In
October, the request referred to permits for NATO planes to fly in the
air space of Bulgaria towards the bases
in Turkey, returning from operations in Yugoslavia. According to the
Socialists, however, the government sent quite a different information
to Brussels, since after that in a letter to prime minister Kostov,
Solana thanked Bulgaria for the approved use of its air-space. "As you
can see, with this decision, the government ignored Bulgarian
parliament", declared Prvanov.

A few hours later, counter-intelligence service and ministry of
internal affairs appeared with official warnings that spreading lies
about approved use of the air corridor of Bulgaria was a provocation
against the state and that their authors could be taken to court. The
two government departments warned all the citizens to refrain from
provoking anti-Bulgarian disposition in Yugoslavia. "We are very
grateful to Bulgaria for the offered air space", declared on the
occasion NATO spokesman Jamie Shea at the press conference in
Brussels. However, government press service made it clear that this
referred to the peace operation called "Joint Garden" in case Belgrade
signed a peace agreement.

The scandal with the air-corridor for NATO planes was just one in a
series of such scandals between the ruling
League of Democratic Forces (SDS) and the Socialists on the crisis in
Kosovo. Prime minister Kostov stated in the parliament the conclusion
of the government that a pro-Serb campaign had been launched aimed to
discredit foreign policy of Bulgaria. According to his words, many
facts indicate that the declarations disseminated in "support of the
just Serb cause in Kosovo" were written in Yugoslav embassy. "The
activity of Yugoslav embassy is enviable in organising protest
demonstrations against foreign policy of our country. But  still do
not blame them but those who are voluntarily accepting the role in
this cheap scenario", declared Kostov, obviously having in mind the
role of BSP in organising the anti-war protests. According to him, a
man from the embassy is organising the gatherings in support of the
Serb stand. Pressure was also exerted on the owner of the largest
private television station, Nova televizija, Darko Tamindzic, to stop
broadcasting anti-Serb material in news shows.

Ministries of defence and internal affairs warned that it was
necessary to take great care not to provoke Yugoslavia by imprudent
declarations. The ministry of defence and the general staff of
Bulgarian army issue informations every day that there is is no
immediate danger for the country and that NATO has not asked in any
way for cooperation. Concerning TANJUG's information, ministry of
defence explained that the two air-planes had flown north 5 kilometres
from the border of Bulgaria. "NATO planes have not taken off from
Bulgarian airports", declared head of the general staff Miho Mihov.
Regardless of that, two military airports were put on the alert for
reception of damaged planes in war operation in Yugoslavia.

Disagreements among politicians from different parties became evident
already at the time of passing of the
parliament declaration on air-strikes against Yugoslavia. At the
initiative of president Stojanov, in that declaration Bulgaria
expressed support to NATO operations. "Security of Bulgaria nowadays
passes through NATO", declared head of the state and admitted that our
military forces were lesser than that of our neighbours, with the
exception of Macedonia. In the present economic circumstances when the
"country is
destroyed by a political class which has skilfully transferred
national wealth into its own pockets", there is no other way for
Bulgaria to protect its national security than through NATO, Stojanov
says.

Bulgaria has declared that it would not participate in military
operations in neighbouring Yugoslavia - either
indirectly or directly, and appealed on Yugoslavia to sign the peace
agreement. Deputies of BSP, however, demand that the parliament insist
on NATO to stop with its air operations, to warn against the risk for
the Balkan and to guarantee that it would not draw Bulgaria into the
conflict. "Our position should be similar to that of Italy -
non-interference, interruption of war operations and re-establishment
of political dialogue", Prvanov declared. The ruling forces are
against such stand at the moment.

#Dimitri Filipov

------------------
Panayote Dimitras
_______________________________________
Panayote Elias Dimitras
Spokesperson
Greek Helsinki Monitor
P.O. Box 51393
GR-14510 Kifisia
Greece
Tel. +30-1-620.01.20
Fax +30-1-807.57.67
e-mail: [email protected]
http://www.greekhelsinki.gr
________________________________________

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