Yugoslavia: Alternative peace proposal
Reply-To: [email protected]
Sender: [email protected]
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 10:30:36 +0300 (EET DST)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: Yugoslavia: Alternative peace proposal
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Haus International <[email protected]>
Yugoslavia: Alternative peace proposal
ICL
PeacePraxis 4
March 30, 1999
Alternatives for Peace
What can be done in Yugoslavia?
The NATO war against Yugoslavia continues to intensify, worsening the
situation on the ground and threatening destabilisation of the entire
region. Yugoslav military, police, and para-military units are now
carrying out wide-spread attacks against the Kosovo/a Albanians,
leading to a massive exodus to neighbouring countries. What two weeks
ago was a small-scale war has now turned into a large-scale
humanitarian and political catastrophe.
For the first time since World War II, Belgrade is being bombed and
the countries of Western Europe are involved in war against another
European country. Whatever claims NATO could once make to being a
defensive alliance have now been abandoned. The bombings against
Yugoslavia have not only failed to prevent the catastrophe we now see
unfolding, they have helped to create it. What is needed now is not
more bombs, but a search for alternatives capable of bringing an end
to the violence on the ground and laying the foundations for a viable
and lasting peace.
Below are several suggestions as to what could be done to end the war,
both the one in the air and the one on the ground. The foundations
for peace cannot be built upon violence, and peace on the ground is
not something that can be imposed from above. Until politicians and
citizens in the NATO countries recognise this, the situation in and
around Yugoslavia will only continue to get worse.
* End the Bombings- NATO bombings have escalated the violence on the
ground, turning a small-scale conflict into a large-scale war. The
most important thing that can be done now to end the war and the
atrocities taking place in Kosovo/a is to end the bombings. Whether
NATO will be willing to end its first war against a sovereign country
as it prepares to celebrate it�s fiftieth anniversary is another
question.
* A U.N. Peace Keeping Mission- The United Nations is the only global
body with extensive experience in peacebuilding, not NATO, which is a
purely military and aggressive organisation. How many Serbs living in
Kosovo/a would feel safe knowing that the forces meant to keep the
peace on the ground are the same as those who were bombing them from
the sky? A United Nations Peace Keeping mission would be able to
combine both military and humanitarian functions, and to cooperate
together with humanitarian and non-governmental organisations.
* De-militarisation and disarmament- Simultaneous withdrawal of
Yugoslav forces, except for those needed to guard the border, and
disarming of the KLA and UCK, possibly with a U.N. weapons buy-back
programme for citizens and paramilitaries.
* U.N. or OSCE Civil Police Mission- Neither Serbs nor Albanians will
accept being policed by the �other side�. A U.N.or OSCE Civil Police
Mission will be necessary to prevent incidents of violence from
exploding and help to make all sides feel safe.
* Trusteeship- One possible alternative is to place Kosovo/a as a
protectorate or another type of transitional administration, or to
have Kosovo/a as a condominium, with joint sovereignty and sharing of
the territory by more than one side.
* Get Yugoslavia back into the OSCE and the UN- Lift the suspension of
Yugoslavia from the OSCE and UN.
* Organisation for Security and Cooperation in the Balkans- Creation
of a regional forum in which governments, civil society organisations,
and opposition parties from across the Balkans can all be represented
and work together to find creative, non-violent ways of dealing with
their conflicts and promoting greater regional cooperation.
* Truth and Reconciliation Commission- Propaganda and misinformation
has been used by all sides, including the international community.
Focus has been on actors, placing the blame on others, rather than
seeking to identify and address the underlying causes and structures
of the conflict. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission could be used
to gather information from all sides and to promote understanding of
the basic needs and interests of the people of Kosovo/a and
Yugoslavia, Albanians and Serbs.
* Massive Investment in Schools, Houses and Infrastructure- One of
the main reasons for the conflicts in Kosovo/a is the miserable state
of schools and infrastructures on all sides. Rather than spending
billions of dollars in one of the largest military campaigns since
World War II, the international community should be willing to invest
in helping Serbs and Albanians to rebuild the infrastructure in
Kosovo/a, making it a place where people would want to live.
* U.N. Passports and aid for Refugees- The last weeks have seen a
massive exodus of refugees from Kosovo/a. Many of them have had their
passports taken from them and their houses destroyed in an attempt to
make it impossible for them to return. U.N. Passports should be
provided, and assistance should be given for the rebuilding of their
homes in Kosovo/a.
* Give people space for healing- Forcing people back together when
they are not ready can lead to wounds being left unhealed and open the
possibility for future conflict. People should be made to feel safe,
allowing relationships to be rebuilt and healed over time.
* Respect the people- Peace cannot be enforced from above. Both Serbs
and Albanians have reasons for taking the positions they do. The
events of the last few weeks have only served to harden these
positions. This should be respected, and peace should be built
through a dialogue between the parties, not through an agreement
designed and implemented from above.
* Support Peacebuilding and Reconciliation- Peacebuilding and
reconciliation can take place at many levels. It involves a process
which occurs over time, not simply an agreement between two parties.
The traumas and sufferings experienced by peoples on all sides will
take time to heal. Civil Society Organisations can play a vital role
in working to bring people together, building the foundations for
trust and understanding, and helping people to heal.
If anything, the bombings of the last week have made reconciliation
and peacebuilding far more difficult. With nearly half a million
Albanians forced from their homes, the possibility of people living
together in the future is rapidly diminishing. NATO�s refusal to
discuss the proposals put forth by Primakov in his meeting with
Milosovic promises only to deepen the conflict and worsen the
suffering on the ground�the exact opposite of what they claim to be
working for. As Jan Oberg, a leading peaceworker with years of
experience working in Kosovo/a and throughout former Yugoslavia, has
recognised, violence occurs when people see no other alternative. The
effort here has been to put forward some alternatives, to argue that
the attacks on Yugoslavia currently taking place are not only not
conducive towards building peace, but are exacerbating and worsening
the violence, and to recognise that peace cannot be enforced from
above but must come from actors party to a conflict. A long-term and
lasting solution to the conflict must be built upon people feeling
safe and secure in their environment, which means meeting basic needs
and working to build trust and understanding.
The proposals above are not meant to suggest solutions, but
processes. In the end, the solutions to the problems of the people in
Kosovo/a must come from the people themselves. To break the deadlock,
however, it is necessary to look for alternatives, and to recognise
that there are far more than those listed here. The best way to do
this is through dialogue, not through bombing. Something the West
appears not to have learned.
� ICL 1999
* You are welcome to re-print, copy, archive, quote from or re-post
this item, but retain the source.
* For more information and in-depth coverage from leading peace
organisations, and links with media sources, go to
www.transnational.org and www.transcend.org or write to [email protected]
ICL The International Correspondence League/Praxis for Peace
206 James St., Ottawa, K1R 5M7, Canada
Fax: +1-613-234-7511
E-mail: [email protected]
--
==============================================================
MINELRES - a forum for discussion on minorities in Central&Eastern
Europe
Submissions: [email protected]
Subscription/inquiries: [email protected]
List archive: http://www.riga.lv/minelres/archive.htm
==============================================================