Nato's war in Kosovo illegal, says think
tank
By Simon Scott Plummer
THE Nato air war against Yugoslavia was illegal, unnecessary and a failure,
according to a pamphlet published yesterday by the Centre for Policy Studies.
Referring to the Charter of the United Nations, its author, Mark Littman, says
it is generally agreed that the use of force is prohibited unless in self-defence
or under the authority of the UN Security Council. Neither reason was cited
by the alliance; military action between March and June was justified on
humanitarian grounds.
Mr Littman, a barrister, accuses the British Government of using a legal
technicality to brush aside proceedings brought against several members of
Nato by Yugoslavia at the International Court of Justice in April.
His pamphlet for the Right-wing think tank argues that alliance members
prematurely abandoned diplomacy at Rambouillet in March for
non-negotiable demands which Yugoslavia could not possibly have accepted.
It quotes Henry Kissinger, the former American Secretary of State as saying:
"The Rambouillet text . . . was a provocation, an excuse to start bombing."
Mr Littman points to uncertainty about Kosovo's ultimate constitutional status,
and draws attention to the cost of the war, which he puts at œ61 billion, or
"the equivalent of $50,000 [œ32,000] for every man, woman or child in
Kosovo".
telegraph.co.uk |
