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RAT Fwd: an open letter from Belgrade

Brad,
Thought you might like to hear what some other artists are saying....
Ralph



>>>Bombing the Baby with the Bathwater
>>>>
>>>>by Veran Matic
>>>>Belgrade, March 30, 1999
>>>>
>>>>The air strikes against Yugoslavia were supposed to stop the 
>Milosevic
>>>>war machine. The ultimate goal is ostensibly to support the people 
>of
>>>>Kosovo, as well as those of Serbia, who are equally victims of the
>>>>Milosevic regime.
>>>>
>>>> In fact the bombing has jeopardised the lives of 10.5 million 
>people
>>>>and unleashed an attack on the fledgling forces of democracy in 
>Kosovo
>>>>and Serbia. It has undermined the work of reformists in Montenegro 
>and
>>>>the Serbian entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina and their efforts to 
>promote
>>>>peace.
>>>>
>>>> The bombing of Yugoslavia demonstrates the political impotence of 
>US
>>>>President Bill Clinton and the Western alliance in averting a human
>>>>catastrophe in Kosovo. The protection of a population under threat 
>is a
>>>>noble duty, but it requires a clear strategy and a coherent end 
>game. As
>>>>the situation unfolds on the ground and in the air day by day, it 
>is
>>>>becoming more apparent that there is no such strategy. Instead, 
>NATO is
>>>>fulfilling the prophecy of its own doomsaying: each missile that 
>hits
>>>>the ground exacerbates the humanitarian disaster that NATO is 
>supposed
>>>>to be preventing.
>>>>
>>>> It's not easy to stop the war machine once its power has been
>>>>unleashed. But I urge the members of NATO to pause for a moment and
>>>>consider the consequences of what they are doing. Analysts are 
>already
>>>>asking whether the air strikes are still really about saving Kosovo
>>>>Albanians. Just how far are NATO members prepared to go? What comes 
>next
>>>>after the "military" targets? What happens if the war spreads? All 
>of
>>>>these terrifying questions must be answered, although I suspect 
>that few
>>>>will want to live with the historical burden of having answered 
>them.
>>>>
>>>> The same questions crowded my mind as I sat in a Belgrade prison 
>on the
>>>>first day of the NATO attack on my country. Whiling away the hours 
>in
>>>>the cell I shared with a murder suspect, I asked myself what the 
>West's
>>>>aim was for "the morning after". The image of NATO taking its 
>finger off
>>>>the trigger kept coming to mind. I've seen no indication so far 
>that
>>>>there is a clear plan to follow up the Western military resolve.
>>>>
>>>> My friends in the West keep asking me why there is no rebellion. 
>Where
>>>>are the people who poured onto the streets every day for three 
>months in
>>>>1996 to demand democracy and human rights? Zoran Zivkovic, the
>>>>opposition mayor of the city of Nis answered that last week: 
>"Twenty
>>>>minutes ago my city was bombed. The people who live here are the 
>same
>>>>people who voted for democracy in 1996, the same people who 
>protested
>>>>for a hundred days after the authorities tried to deny them their
>>>>victory in the elections. They voted for the same democracy that 
>exists
>>>>in Europe and the US. Today my city was bombed by the democratic 
>states
>>>>of the USA, Britain, France, Germany and Canada! Is there any sense 
>in
>>>>this?"
>>>>
>>>>Most of these people feel betrayed by the countries which were 
>their
>>>>models. Only today a missile landed in the yard of our 
>correspondent in
>>>>Sombor. It didn't explode,  fortunately, but many others have in 
>many
>>>>other people's yards. These people are now  compelled to take up 
>arms
>>>>and join their sons who are already serving in the army. With the 
>bombs
>>>>falling all around them nobody can persuade them - though some have
>>>>tried - that this is only an attack on their government and not 
>their
>>>>country.
>>>>
>>>> It may seem cynical that I am writing this from the security of my
>>>>office in Belgrade - secure, that is, compared to Pristina, 
>Djakovica,
>>>>Podujevo and other places in  Kosovo. But I can't help asking one
>>>>question: How can F16s stop people in the street killing one 
>another?
>>>>Only days before the NATO aggression began, Secretary-General 
>Solana
>>>>suggested establishing a "Partnership for Democracy" in Serbia and 
>the
>>>>other countries of the former Yugoslavia to promote stability 
>throughout
>>>>the region. Then, in a rapid U-turn, he gave the order to attack
>>>>Yugoslavia.
>>>>
>>>>With these attacks, it seems to me, the West has washed its hands 
>of the
>>>>people, Albanians, Serbs and others, living in the region. Thus the 
>sins
>>>>of the government have been visited on the people. Is this just? 
>There
>>>>are many more factors in the choice of a nation's government than 
>merely
>>>>the will of the voters on election day. If a stable, democratic 
>rule is
>>>>to be established, and the rise of populists, demagogues  and other
>>>>impostors avoided, the public must first of all be enlightened. In 
>other
>>>>words there must be free media. NATO's bombs have blasted the
>>>>germinating seeds of democracy out of the soil of Kosovo, Serbia 
>and
>>>>Montenegro and ensured that they will not sprout again for a very 
>long
>>>>time. The pro-democratic forces in Republika Srpska, the Bosnian 
>Serb
>>>>entity, have been jeopardised and with them the Dayton Peace 
>Accords.
>>>>NATO's intervention has also given the green light for a local war
>>>>against Montenegro's pro-democracy president, Milo Djukanovic.
>>>>
>>>>The free media in Serbia has for years opposed nationalism, hatred 
>and
>>>>war. As a representative of those media, and as a man who has more 
>than
>>>>once faced the consequences of my political beliefs, I call on 
>President
>>>>Bill Clinton to put a stop to NATO's attack on my country. I call 
>on him
>>>>to begin negotiations which aim at securing the right to a peaceful 
>life
>>>>and democracy for all the people in Yugoslavia, regardless of their
>>>>ethnic background.
>>>>
>>>>As a representative of the free media I know too well the need for
>>>>people on all sides of the conflict to have information. Those 
>inside
>>>>the country need to be aware of international debate as well as 
>what is
>>>>happening throughout this country. The international public needs 
>the
>>>>truth about what is happening here. But in place of an unfettered 
>flow
>>>>of accurate information, all of us hear only war propaganda - 
>Western
>>>>rhetoric included. Of course truth is always the first casualty in
>>>>wartime. Here and now,  journalists are also being murdered.
>>>>
>>>>Radio B92 is continuing its work as much as the circumstances of 
>war
>>>>permit. It is continuing to broadcast news on the Internet at
>>>>http://www.b92.net, via satellite and through a large number of 
>radio
>>>>stations around the world which continue to carry its programs out 
>of
>>>>solidarity.
>>>>
>>>>VERAN MATIC is editor-in-chief of Belgrade's banned Radio B92 and a
>>>>leading peace activist. He has won many international awards for 
>media
>>>>and democracy, the latest being last year's MTV Europe "Free Your 
>Mind"
>>>>award. Early this year he was named one of this year's hundred 
>Global
>>>>Leaders for Tomorrow by the World Economic
>>>>


>From: psiwww@aber.ac.uk (PSi PERFORMANCE STUDIES international)
>To: psiwww@aber.ac.uk
>Subject: letters from Belgrade
>Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 16:52:25 +0100
>
>>Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 17:27:40 +0200
>>To: psiwww@aber.ac.uk
>>From: Michael Huettler <a8603622@unet.univie.ac.at>
>>Subject: letters from Belgrade
>>Cc: rig@aber.ac.uk
>>X-UIDL: d0d2851777b7d457931f5a5100f678b1
>>
>>Dear heike, dear richard,
>>
>>attached you find excerpts from a letter from the director Dijana 
Milosevic
>>of Dah-Teatar, Belgrad and an open letter from Veran Matoc, 
editor-in-chief
>>of Belgrade's banned Radio B92 and a leading peace activist.  
Members of
>>Dah-Teatar have worked several times with Eugenio Barba and the
>>Odin-Theatre.
>>
>>I suggest to forward it to all members of PSi and conference 
delegates - as
>>the minimum we could do to give a voice to people from "the other 
side" of
>>the war and to keep in our mind what is going on in Europe. We 
should
>>remember that there also <real> civilian-people living in serbia, 
among
>>them artists and academics like us, not only computerized and 
virtual
>>targets.
>>Especially now, as the war seems to get more and more out of hand.
>>
>>regards
>>
>>Michael Huettler
>>Society for Theatre-Ethnology
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>letter from Dijana Milosevic, Dah-Teatar:
>>
>>>Probably you really do not have real picture of what is happening 
here. Here
>>>is hell. Our town is in flames every night, millions of people in 
shelters,
>>>humid and cold, many people without shelters. Fear is huge. There 
are dead
>>>people  ,   medias deny this .We cannot work, because all what was
>>>progressive and democratic is stopped. This bombing helped just to 
this
>>>regime to be stronger then ever, and to kill anything that was 
different.
>>>Members of DAH TEATAR are in this moment all over the world. There 
are just
>>>two actresses and myself in Belgrade, we wanted to be with our 
families. We
>>>can not perform in this moment anything, unless this stops. Our 
lives are
>>>every day in danger!
>>> (...)
>>> I send you the letter of ex editor of independent radio here, that 
was
>>>banned when all this
>>>started. It explains a lot. Please,try to forward it to medias and 
other
>>>theatre colleges, today is our country, tomorrow it could be yours. 
try to
>>>help to stop this madness.
>>>Yours, Dijana Milosevic
>>
>>
>>
>>From: "Dijana Milosevic" <dah@EUnet.yu>
>>To: "Michael Huettler" <a8603622@unet.univie.ac.at>
>>
>>Bombing the Baby with the Bathwater
>>>
>>>by Veran Matic
>>>Belgrade, March 30, 1999
>>>
>>>The air strikes against Yugoslavia were supposed to stop the 
Milosevic
>>>war machine. The ultimate goal is ostensibly to support the people 
of
>>>Kosovo, as well as those of Serbia, who are equally victims of the
>>>Milosevic regime.
>>>
>>> In fact the bombing has jeopardised the lives of 10.5 million 
people
>>>and unleashed an attack on the fledgling forces of democracy in 
Kosovo
>>>and Serbia. It has undermined the work of reformists in Montenegro 
and
>>>the Serbian entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina and their efforts to 
promote
>>>peace.
>>>
>>> The bombing of Yugoslavia demonstrates the political impotence of 
US
>>>President Bill Clinton and the Western alliance in averting a human
>>>catastrophe in Kosovo. The protection of a population under threat 
is a
>>>noble duty, but it requires a clear strategy and a coherent end 
game. As
>>>the situation unfolds on the ground and in the air day by day, it 
is
>>>becoming more apparent that there is no such strategy. Instead, 
NATO is
>>>fulfilling the prophecy of its own doomsaying: each missile that 
hits
>>>the ground exacerbates the humanitarian disaster that NATO is 
supposed
>>>to be preventing.
>>>
>>> It's not easy to stop the war machine once its power has been
>>>unleashed. But I urge the members of NATO to pause for a moment and
>>>consider the consequences of what they are doing. Analysts are 
already
>>>asking whether the air strikes are still really about saving Kosovo
>>>Albanians. Just how far are NATO members prepared to go? What comes 
next
>>>after the "military" targets? What happens if the war spreads? All 
of
>>>these terrifying questions must be answered, although I suspect 
that few
>>>will want to live with the historical burden of having answered 
them.
>>>
>>> The same questions crowded my mind as I sat in a Belgrade prison 
on the
>>>first day of the NATO attack on my country. Whiling away the hours 
in
>>>the cell I shared with a murder suspect, I asked myself what the 
West's
>>>aim was for "the morning after". The image of NATO taking its 
finger off
>>>the trigger kept coming to mind. I've seen no indication so far 
that
>>>there is a clear plan to follow up the Western military resolve.
>>>
>>> My friends in the West keep asking me why there is no rebellion. 
Where
>>>are the people who poured onto the streets every day for three 
months in
>>>1996 to demand democracy and human rights? Zoran Zivkovic, the
>>>opposition mayor of the city of Nis answered that last week: 
"Twenty
>>>minutes ago my city was bombed. The people who live here are the 
same
>>>people who voted for democracy in 1996, the same people who 
protested
>>>for a hundred days after the authorities tried to deny them their
>>>victory in the elections. They voted for the same democracy that 
exists
>>>in Europe and the US. Today my city was bombed by the democratic 
states
>>>of the USA, Britain, France, Germany and Canada! Is there any sense 
in
>>>this?"
>>>
>>>Most of these people feel betrayed by the countries which were 
their
>>>models. Only today a missile landed in the yard of our 
correspondent in
>>>Sombor. It didn't explode,  fortunately, but many others have in 
many
>>>other people's yards. These people are now  compelled to take up 
arms
>>>and join their sons who are already serving in the army. With the 
bombs
>>>falling all around them nobody can persuade them - though some have
>>>tried - that this is only an attack on their government and not 
their
>>>country.
>>>
>>> It may seem cynical that I am writing this from the security of my
>>>office in Belgrade - secure, that is, compared to Pristina, 
Djakovica,
>>>Podujevo and other places in  Kosovo. But I can't help asking one
>>>question: How can F16s stop people in the street killing one 
another?
>>>Only days before the NATO aggression began, Secretary-General 
Solana
>>>suggested establishing a "Partnership for Democracy" in Serbia and 
the
>>>other countries of the former Yugoslavia to promote stability 
throughout
>>>the region. Then, in a rapid U-turn, he gave the order to attack
>>>Yugoslavia.
>>>
>>>With these attacks, it seems to me, the West has washed its hands 
of the
>>>people, Albanians, Serbs and others, living in the region. Thus the 
sins
>>>of the government have been visited on the people. Is this just? 
There
>>>are many more factors in the choice of a nation's government than 
merely
>>>the will of the voters on election day. If a stable, democratic 
rule is
>>>to be established, and the rise of populists, demagogues  and other
>>>impostors avoided, the public must first of all be enlightened. In 
other
>>>words there must be free media. NATO's bombs have blasted the
>>>germinating seeds of democracy out of the soil of Kosovo, Serbia 
and
>>>Montenegro and ensured that they will not sprout again for a very 
long
>>>time. The pro-democratic forces in Republika Srpska, the Bosnian 
Serb
>>>entity, have been jeopardised and with them the Dayton Peace 
Accords.
>>>NATO's intervention has also given the green light for a local war
>>>against Montenegro's pro-democracy president, Milo Djukanovic.
>>>
>>>The free media in Serbia has for years opposed nationalism, hatred 
and
>>>war. As a representative of those media, and as a man who has more 
than
>>>once faced the consequences of my political beliefs, I call on 
President
>>>Bill Clinton to put a stop to NATO's attack on my country. I call 
on him
>>>to begin negotiations which aim at securing the right to a peaceful 
life
>>>and democracy for all the people in Yugoslavia, regardless of their
>>>ethnic background.
>>>
>>>As a representative of the free media I know too well the need for
>>>people on all sides of the conflict to have information. Those 
inside
>>>the country need to be aware of international debate as well as 
what is
>>>happening throughout this country. The international public needs 
the
>>>truth about what is happening here. But in place of an unfettered 
flow
>>>of accurate information, all of us hear only war propaganda - 
Western
>>>rhetoric included. Of course truth is always the first casualty in
>>>wartime. Here and now,  journalists are also being murdered.
>>>
>>>Radio B92 is continuing its work as much as the circumstances of 
war
>>>permit. It is continuing to broadcast news on the Internet at
>>>http://www.b92.net, via satellite and through a large number of 
radio
>>>stations around the world which continue to carry its programs out 
of
>>>solidarity.
>>>
>>>VERAN MATIC is editor-in-chief of Belgrade's banned Radio B92 and a
>>>leading peace activist. He has won many international awards for 
media
>>>and democracy, the latest being last year's MTV Europe "Free Your 
Mind"
>>>award. Early this year he was named one of this year's hundred 
Global
>>>Leaders for Tomorrow by the World Economic
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>*******************************************************
>PSi PERFORMANCE STUDIES international
>Heike Roms
>1, Laura Place
>Aberystwyth SY23 2AU
>United Kingdom
>
>Phone: (int.) 44 - (0) 1970 - 621517
>Fax: (int.) 44 - (0) 1970 - 622831
>email: psiwww@aber.ac.uk
>htt

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