Re: Syndicate: my dish is on again

[Luchezar Boyadjiev <luchezb@cblink.net>]

At 10:50 AM 3/28/99 +0200, you wrote:
>
>aleksandar is just mobilized.....
>there is nothing to be said about it.....
>
>saw 5 weeks *old* baby yesterday evening in shelter. knowing that so
>much kids are out in snow or in shelters is not encouraging at all....
>
> radio deep europe -started?!
>how was in vienna, by micz?!
>
>not in mood for long postings
>
>best
>
>br
>
Dear Branka and all,

My strongest support and sympathy! To all who are under bombs or "mad
killers in uniforms" (or paramilitary killers...) in Serbia, Kosovo,
Montenegro! Phase II has made it clear that the stated objectives could not
be achieved this way for in the total isolation of Kosovo ethnic cleansing
could be fast, brutal and effective. So, it is clear now that the
humanitarian disaster is already there. Does it matter in which exactly way
one gets killed? I think that now both sides are giving each other
justification. 

There is a feeling of numbness for not being able to do much here except
distribute locally to people and media the postings on this list... and
come up with some info. For instance, that the borders of the country are
open, including the border with YU, for incoming refugees from Kosovo.
However, relatively few are coming in and most of these are transiting to
Turkey.

For a neighboring city only 70 km away from the YU border Sofia has been
strangely quite. However, news broadcasts on state and private TV and radio
stations are following closely the war in YU using: a/ Western media
sources; b/ YU TV; c/ their own correspondents in Belgrade reporting over
telephone lines; d/ relevant web sites. (By the way, thanks for all these
addresses!!!) Nothing directly from Kosovo. No movements that I know of
regarding aid going there. The public "street" opinion seems to be going
against NATO "action". However, the confirmed reports about ethnic
cleansing in Kosovo make it clear that other something should have been
done and other ways looked for. The conflicting sentiments run along the
lines of - the Milosevic regime is feared and condemned, at the same time
NATO action is... not welcomed. Today's reports claim that 432 BG
volunteers have "gone to fight on the side of Serbia", just like there were
some in Bosna. The public fear and indecisiveness is based on: a/ the fact
that there is the Kozlodui nuclear power plant less than 100 km from the
war and any "stray" missile could go that way; b/ we will still be here
when NATO is gone - another public poll claims: "Is BG capable of
countering by itself a possible aggression from Serbia? - yes - 22.5%; no -
67.5%"; c/ condemnation of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. So, both anti-NATO
and anti-Milosevic stands co-exist side by side

The official position of government and parliament is of strict
non-involvement (backed by 75.4 % public support, according to some polls
from 2 days ago). Which means that air-space and logistic support
(hospitals, etc.) has been promised in principle to NATO under the
condition that BG parliament approves the granting of each such request. So
far none has come. However, the story of the remnants of a NATO air-to-air
missile falling on BG territory near the city of Trun (about 5 km from the
YU border, and 50 km west of Sofia) revealed the degree of fear. It has
been confirmed that this is a NATO missile gone off course and
self-destroying in the air. This morning there is the report about a blast
in an apple garden in a village near Kijustendil, about 15 km from the
border with Macedonia - investigations under way. Ridiculous incidents in
the face of the humanitarian disaster going on. It seems that locally the
biggest concern is with the question - is there a military threat to BG or
not? And it is paralleled with the temptation to trade support now for
membership later... 

lb