Subject: [Fwd: LETTER OF APPEAL FROM BELGRADE INTELLECTUALS]
LET CIVILITY PREVAIL A STATEMENT OF CONCERNED
SERBIAN CITIZENS
As long time proponents of and activists for a democratic and anti-nationalist
Serbia, who have chosen to remain in Yugoslavia during this moment of crisis
and who want to see our country reintegrated into the community of world
nations, we state the following:
1. We strongly condemn the NATO bombings which have hugely exacerbated
violence in Kosovo and have caused the displacement of people outside and
throughout Yugoslavia. We strongly condemn the ethnic cleansing of the
Albanian population perpetrated by any Yugoslav forces. We strongly condemn
the Kosovo Liberation Army’s (KLA) violence targeted against
the Serbs, moderate Albanians and other ethnic communities in Kosovo. The
humanitarian catastrophe in Kosovo - death, grief and extreme suffering
for hundreds of thousands of Albanians, Serbs and members of other ethnic
communities - has to be ended now. All refugees from Yugoslavia must immediately
and unconditionally be allowed to return to their homes, their security
and human rights guaranteed, and aid for reconstruction provided. Perpetrators
of crimes against humanity whoever they are must be brought to justice.
2. The fighting between Serbian forces and KLA has to be stopped
immediately in order to start a new round of negotiations. All sides must
put aside their maximalist demands. There are (as in other numerous similar
conflicts such as Northern Ireland) no quick and easy solutions. We all
must be prepared for a long and painstaking process of negotiation and
normalization.
3. The bombing of Yugoslavia by NATO causes destruction and growing
numbers of civilian victims (at least several hundred, maybe a thousand,
by now). The final outcome will be the destruction of the economic and
cultural foundations of Yugoslav society. It must be stopped immediately.
4. The UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, the founding document
of NATO, as well as the constitutions of countries such as Germany, Italy,
Portugal, have been violated by this aggression. As individuals who have
devoted their lives to the defense of basic democratic values, who believe
in universal legal norms we are deeply concerned that NATO’s
violation of these norms will incapacitate all those struggling for the
rule of law and human rights in this country and elsewhere in the world.
5. NATO’s bombings have further destabilized the southern
Balkans. If continued this conflict can escalate beyond Balkan borders
and, if turned into land military operations, thousands of NATO and Yugoslav
soldiers, as well as Albanian and Serbian civilians, will die in a futile
war as in Vietnam. Political negotiations toward a peaceful settlement
should be reopened immediately.
6. The existing regime has only been reinforced by NATO’s
attacks in Yugoslavia by way of the natural reaction of people to rally
around the flag in times of foreign aggression. We continue our opposition
to the present anti-democratic and authoritarian regime, but we also emphatically
oppose NATO’s aggression. The democratic forces in Serbia have
been weakened and the democratic reformist Government of Montenegro threatened
by NATO’s attacks and by the regime’s subsequent proclamation
of the state of war and now find themselves between NATO’s hammer
and regime’s anvil.
7. In dealing with the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia the
leaders of the world community have in the past made numerous fatal errors.
New errors are leading to an aggravation of the conflict and are removing
us from the search for peaceful solutions. We appeal to all: President
Milosevic, the representatives of the Kosovo Albanians, NATO, EU and US
leaders to stop all violence and military activities immediately and engage
in the search for a political solution.
Belgrade, April 16, 1999
SIGNATURES: (ABC order) 1. Stojan Cerovic, “Vreme”
columnist and journalist 2. Jovan Cirilov, Belgrade International Theater
Festival (BITEF) selector and former director of the Yugoslav Drama Theater;
Theater History Center Director 3. Sima Cirkovic, Member Serbian Academy
of Sciences and Arts, Professor, Belgrade University, Dept. of History
4. Mijat Damnjanovic, Former Professor, Belgrade University, Faculty of
Political Sciences, Center for Public Administration and Local Government
(PALGO) Director 5. Vojin Dimitrijevic, Former head of the Department of
International Law, Belgrade Law School; The Belgrade Center for Human Rights
Director; UN Human Rights Committee former Vice Chairman 6. Dasa Duhacek,
Director Women Studies Center, Board Member of Alternative Academic Educational
Network (AAEN) 7. Milutin Garasanin, Member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences
and Arts; Vice President of The Association for Research of South-Eastern
Europe (UNESCO) 8. Zagorka Golubovic, Professor, Belgrade University, Department
of Sociology; Chair Social Sciences Department of AAEN 9. Dejan Janca,
Professor, Novi Sad University, Law School 10. Ivan Jankovic, Belgrade
lawyer, human rights activist, Board President of Center for Anti-War Action
11. Predrag Koraksic, Belgrade cartoonist 12. Mladen Lazic, Professor,
Belgrade University, Department of Sociology, AAEN Board member 13. Sonja
Licht, President, Fund for an Open Society Executive Board 14. Ljubomir
Madzar, Professor Belgrade University, Faculty of Economy, Member Group-17
15. Veran Matic, Editor in Chief, Belgrade Radio B92, President Alternative
Network of Electronic Media (ANEM) 16. Jelica Minic, Secretary General,
European Movement in Serbia 17. Andrej Mitrovic, Professor, Belgrade University,
Department of History 18. Radmila Nakarada, Senior Reserach Fellow, Belgrade
Institute for European Studies 19. Milan Nikolic, Director, Center for
Policy Studies 20. Vida Ognjenovic, Theater director, playwrite 21. Borka
Pavicevic, Director, Center for Cultural Decontamination 22. Jelena Santic,
Anti-war 487 group, human rights activist 23. Nikola Tasic, Associate member
of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Member European Academy 24.
Ljubinka Trgovcevic, Senior Research Fellow, Belgrade University, Department
of History 25. Srbijanka Turajlic, Professor, Belgrade University, Faculty
of Electrical Engineering, Board President AAEN 26. Ivan Vejvoda, Fund
for an Open Society Executive Director, 27. Branko Vucicevic, translator
