Here is the whole interview script given by Slobodan Milosevic to a US reporter from a Houston TV station. EVERYONE interested in reading all views must read this...Hmm, I wonder why CNN did not pick this up, may be is because Slobo makes sense and exposes the criminal aggression of Nato?
Part 1 of 2
(KHOU) HOUSTON-KHOU-TV Channel 11 broadcast the first interview since the start
of the NATO conflict the world has seen with Yugoslavian President Slobodan
Milosevic, Wednesday, April 21.
Excerpts of the copyrighted interview aired on 11 News at 5, 6, and 10pm with full-hour
program, 9:00-10pm CDT.
The exclusive interview was conducted by KHOU News Military Analyst Dr. Ron
Hatchett inside the Yugoslavian "White Palace" in Belgrade Monday April 19. Dr.
Hatchett has been reporting for KHOU from Belgrade since shortly after NATO forces
began air attacks last month.
Dr. Hatchett serves as a military analyst for KHOU-TV and is currently a professor and
director of the Center for International Studies at The University of Saint Thomas in
Houston, Texas. He also served the United States in military and governmental
capacities including senior positions with the U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense,
and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Here is a partial transcript of the interview:
(Dr. Hatchett)
President Milosevic I want to thank you for agreeing to meet with me today at a time
when there are great difficulties between our two countries. I think that our
conversation today will help the American people understand a little better what is
happening here in Serbia and what the Serbian point of view in this conflict is.
As you know, in the American press, you're not pictured very well. President Clinton
says that you are the butcher of the Balkans, he says that you're another Hitler, that
you're a madman that you're the cause of all the problems that we've here in the
Balkans for the last 10 years. Who are you really? Who are you as a person?
(President Milosevic)
Well, good question. It gives me the opportunity to explain to American audience what
the problem is.
And the problem is following. Your government is running two wars against Yugoslavia.
Against our people. One is military war and the other war is media war or if you like it
better, propaganda war. Propaganda war started long before military war and its goal
was to (demonize) this country, our people, leadership of this country, individuals, and
whatever was needed to create artificially of course, public opinion in United States
which will be supportive to aggression they committed later.
And uh, that media war is showing clearly that their intention to commit aggression for
having the long preparation before. So, we are victims of both of those wars. In first
case in military war, victims are just for now our civilians and our country everywhere
but in media war, victims are not only us. Victim is as well American democracy. If
you're lying your citizens and if you're continually trying to create artificial public
opinion based on uh false informations, on wrong informations you cannot call it
democratic. You cannot tell to the world that you are doing something fair and fine.
So I believe that uh, this kind of contacts and more than that the presence of a lot of
journalists from abroad in this country will help to the world to know the truth about our
country.
(Dr. Hatchett)
I think the American people would like to know a little bit more about you as a person
though. Have you always been a politician, have you always been in politics?
(President Milosevic)
Oh no, I was not politician. I professionally …I was professionally working in industry
for a long time and then I was banker… for 8 years. I was President of largest
Yugoslav bank… at that time we were dealing with a lot of American banks and I had a
lot of friends in the United States from that time.
(He goes on to talk about how the bank was successful and opened a lot of joint
ventures etc in other countries)
(Dr. Hatchett asks about Yugoslav economy then the conversation returns to the
NATO conflict)
(Dr. Hatchett)
The immediate cause of the problems between our two countries, according to
President Clinton, is the failure of Yugoslavia to agree to the terms of the negotiations
in France, first at Rambouillet then later at Paris. Uh, why was it that Yugoslavia did
not sign that agreement?
(President Milosevic)
(Hmmph!) You use the term negotiated. There were no negotiations at all. And your
audience have to know that. In all those three long weeks, two in Rambouillet and one
in Paris, there was no one single meeting between delegations to talk to each other.
Albanians and Serbs and others in state delegations couldn't exchange one single
word, so there were not any negotiations.
And look to delegations. On one side, you have delegation of Serbia composed of
everybody who was living in Kosovo and who lives in Kosovo. Representatives of all
national communities. Serbs, Albanians, three Albanian parties were represented in
Serbian delegation. They are citizens of this country of course and that's so normal.
Serbs, Albanians, Turks, and Muslims, Gypsy, Egyptians, (unintelligible), All seven of
different national communities were represented in the delegation.
On the other side it was delegation of separation movement, not Albanian delegation.
Albanians are in a delegation of Serbia as well. Delegation of separation movement
purely Albanian and that's something which can explain the major differences in our
approach.
Our approach from the very beginning of talks was that Kosovo problem can be solved
on the basis of principle of equality for all citizens living in the region and of all national
communities living in the region. So our approach is multi-ethnic, multi-cultural,
multi-religious insisting upon equality of national communities that regardless to their
number. On the other side, that is approach of your state department in alliance with
those guys from separation movement which is favoring Albanians. Which is giving to
them the right to be the monsters of rest of population and you must know was the
structure of population is, in Kosovo.
There are Serbs in (unintelligible) Quarter million of them who are living there and their
grandfathers of their grandfathers uh live there before one single Albanian came from
the mountain. That is ancient Serbian territory with thousands of Serbian monasteries
and monuments and so on. But so a quarter million of Serbs, 200,000 of Muslims,
150,000 of Egyptians, about 50,000 of Turks. Even Turks who are our smallest national
community in Kosovo they have their schools they have their radio and TV program.
They have their editing house Something in Turkish language.
So what is the problem if there are only 50,000 comparing with let us say 8 to 900,000
Albanians? In terms of equality, they must have same rights as national community
and they must participate in the institutions of Kosovo in a equal footing on the basis
of that, and that was crucial difference between those two approaches.
And, uh practically what was tried to be imposed in Rambouillet was not autonomy at
all that was independence. And I really don't believe if you show it to any honest
American that there is one single honest American that will tell you if they were in the
place of our delegation would sign it. We are talking on autonomy, we are talking on
quality, on equal approach to interest of all national community, not on independence
of Albanian separation movement which had by that agreement, so called agreement.
Practically the right to organize new state within Serbia. They have their state, that is
Albania that is their national state. In Serbia they are national minority they are living
everywhere in Serbia and I want to add to you something very important. In Serbia
there are 26 different national minorities.
There was never any problem with any of national minorities in Serbia, including
Albanians, the problems were only with separation movement of Albanians in Kosovo
and we were making a big difference between separation movement in Kosovo and
Albanian people which is honest, and good ??? (Unintelligible) which was equal people
in Yugoslavia.
Even the separation movement was not using the arms before you came. Before your
representative came to tell them, to supply them, and to make the alliance with those
killers, rapists, kidnappers and drug dealers who are collected from the underground
around Europe to be organized as so-called Kosovo liberation army which never
existed.
That was a kind of Hollywood you know uh, just to explain that they are having some
kind of military force and so on. They were never able to attack any sort of police or
military unit they were able to kill somebody only from the ambush and they were clear
terrorists. What else they could do they were killing people from the ambush they were
putting bombs under cars or in front of markets they are taking hostages, civilians,
workers from the open mine near Pristina for example. We never saw those hostages.
We're afraid that all of them are killed. We don't know their destiny, where they were at
the end.
So there was no one single act of them which couldn't be clearly defined as terrorist
act.
And uh, I was real surprised that NATO downgraded its' dignity making alliance with
those killers and drug dealers and uh, I think that uh, that kind of alliance cannot help
the future.
(Dr. Hatchett)
The American people, every day, see on their television all of these heart-wrenching
scenes of Albanian refugees. The United Nations says now that there are over five
hundred and 32-thousand that have left Kosovo. And they appear to be in a very
traumatized type of condition. Is it your policy to expel all Albanians from Kosovo?
(President Milosevic)
There was never policy of this country and my policy to expel any citizen of Yugoslavia
from any part of this country. I must tell you when there was a war in Croatia, we
protected all Croats in Serbia. We protected when there was a war in Bosnia we
protected all Muslims in Serbia. We preserved all the multi-ethnic States within former
Yugoslavia that is Yugoslavia the republic of Yugoslavia today with 26 different national
communities. And many visitors including high level visitors visiting our country we're
always saying that we are example good example of positive treatment of good
treatment of national minorities. And we always have in mind that test for any
democracy is treatment of minority not treatment of majority and that's the practice
that's the policy in Yugoslavia.
And to answer your question about Albania refugees, you are right, there are lot of
refugees but they are a result of bombing and they are not only Albanians.
Everybody's running away because of bombing. Serbs, Turks, Gypsy, Muslims, of
course, Albanians their number is biggest. Everybody's running. Deers are running,
birds are running everybody's running away because of bombing. Bees are running
everybody's running away and who can who can really ask to understand that civilian
population cannot play the role of heroes staying in their places when bombs are
getting down. That is not possible.
And uh, you know that before 24th of march when they started damn bombing they
started their dirty aggression against this country there was no one single refugee.
When they started bombing, refugees appears of course as a result of bombing and
everybody knows it. Uh, but uh, connected with that bombing you're not throwing only
bombs from your aircraft, you are throwing small piece of paper with the messages of
NATO explaining that to our people.
Do you know what we did with those small leaves with messages of NATO? They
expected we would collect that and hide it from our citizen not to see that, that was in
our language of course. We presented that on t-v from both sides, all those leaves. We
presented that on TV without any uh further explanation because of fact that 11 million
of citizens of this country they already know the truth. We are not afraid to broadcast
uh propaganda of NATO thrown through those humiliating leaves, for them humiliating
from their aircrafts.
But problem is in United States, you don't have protection. Our protection is the truth
and the fact that people knows what the situation is. United States, average American
cannot know what really is here he must believe to propaganda to those piles of lies
which are broadcast every day.
(Dr. Hatchett)
You know, that's one of those things about the media. We have a comedian in
American in the 1920's, 1930's named will Rogers that said all I know is what I read in
the newspapers. Well, to modernize that, all the American people know is what they
see on TV and the images they see on TV so how do you explain the fact that many of
these refugees from Kosovo are talking about (being) driven out of our homes by the
Serbs?
The Serbs come and knock on our door tell us that we have to leave within ten
minutes and they take all of our possessions and we have to leave. How do you
explain when the NATO briefer, Jamie Shea says and shows pictures on television
that says here are satellite pictures of what we believe to be mass graves, how do you
explain these things?
(President Milosevic)
Well, those who you saw on TV were told to say that. And, by the people, by those
killers, rapists, and kidnappers who are not terrorizing only Serbs and other
non-Albanian population in Kosovo they are terrorizing Albanians as well. I must tell
you it is a tragic situation with Albanians in Kosovo.
They are manipulated. They are terrorized by those killers and kidnappers, those
rapists those narco dealers uh, I will tell you a simple fact, when you look to the
numbers of peaceful citizens killed by (unintelligible).
In Kosovo, the number of Albanians who were killed by that so-called Kosovo
Liberation Army is twice bigger the number of Serbs. They were killing Albanians to
discipline them. Uh, to send a message to them that they all have to support them
that they all have to pay to them fees, and they all have to pay if they are called under
their so-called flag, so what, what simple peaceful Albanian average Albanian can stay
if he is told to stay otherwise he will be killed he will stay with terror.
They want for them to stay but that was not the truth. We saw a lot of their
explanations on TV just leaving country on territory or republic of Macedonia lot of
them saying lot of them were asked why you are getting here. Everybody was
explaining, bombs are falling down how to stay there? That was explanation.
But CNN, you know, I saw my own eyes at the beginning of this war on CNN, poor
Albanian refugees walking through the snow and suffering a lot and you know, in
Kosovo there was spring, no snow. And that's explanation for uh, uh, information from
CNN.
We are looking to CNN practically everybody can see CNN all the time. CNN, sky,
BBC, everything you see here, so uh nothing special they are paid to lie. That is in
nowadays media I believe is even most dangerous arm than those bombs or rockets,
that is most dangerous arm and they started with that media war or that propaganda
war long before they started military war.
But, we uh said publicly we have organized return of those refugees that we cannot
count with ending of bombing and people is afraid. One pretty big number who was
getting back was bombed by NATO aircraft 75 citizens all Albanians were killed. And
uh, several dozens were wounded badly.
So, how to restore uh, their confidence in safety if they're exposed to be bombed that
way. Nobody could make the mistake in sunny day to confuse between ordinary
tractors and peasants with tanks and military units that was out of question. And I uh
believe that was done by purpose to send message to them it's not their business to
come back.
NATO is creating refugees. That is their tactic to create as much refugees as possible
to empty Kosovo if possible. To have a lot of refugees outside and then to say, that is
the alibi for NATO to get here, to help to deliver humanitarian help to helpthose
refugees to get back. They can't get back immediately only obstacle to them is NATO
bombing.
(The) only obstacle to political process, which is going on despite the bombing, is
bombing.
(Dr. Hatchett)
Let's talk about the political process. Obviously there are lots of people on both sides
of this issue, even people in America that are concerned about continuing a maximum
position of NATO and trying to solve this thing solely by military means because they
think the cost in terms of economic costs and in terms of human costs both to your
country and to our country may be much higher than either one of our people want to
pay.
So I think both peoples would like to see some kind of political settlement to this
situation and if we hold to the maximum positions that each side has right now uh,
there may not be any progress. It will delay progress… so, what do you see as a
possibility for some negotiated political settlement of this problem in the near term?
(President Milosevic)
Well, I believe that uh, when aggression stops when bombing stop, then it will be very
easy to continue political process but taking into account experience from Rambouillet
and Paris, it is so clear that negotiations have to direct between those who will live in
Kosovo. Between representatives of national communities who live in Kosovo. Not
between government of Yugoslavia or government of Serbia and let us say
representatives of international community.
We said very clearly we will welcome civilian United Nation mission to witness what
happened there and to witness the process of political settlement as well, and we
always were open. Look to the facts. Before this war, we accepted, we received
verification mission of overseas, biggest verification mission of history overseas, 2000
of them, plus UNHCR personnel plus International Red Cross, plus 1000 journalists
from all around the world, plus Kosovo diplomatic observation mission composed of all
diplomatic mission in the country and who would tell us we are not open to
international community.
In so small territory like Kosovo with so huge verification mission OAC, and UNHCR
and International Red Cross, foreign journalists, diplomats and every road open to
everybody but that was not the goal. The goal was how to create instability and how to
start bombing.
In Rambouillet as I said to you, we are not talking to Albanians we are talking to
Americans who would like to take our territory for themselves and for NATO. And
Albanians were just excuse for that. They were keeping them on side, their own, to be
their alibi for doing those crimes uh which your government committed against our
country and our people.
And victims are not selectively chosen, everybody's a victim, predominantly children,
women, all people uh, civilians, civilians, and civilians.
(Dr. Hatchett)
Are you willing as part of an agreement to re-institute autonomy in Kosovo similar to
the autonomy that they had in 1989 up until 1989?
(President Milosevic)
Of course, we will not change our position because of one simple fact, we had never
any intention to cut any right to Albanians, they are our citizens. We don't have any
idea to make damage to them, but it is clear they are living in this country they cannot
make part of territory of this country and turn it into independent state.
If their formula which was tried to be deployed here, gets into practice in the world I
don't see any state in the world that could survive. Look to Europe. Look to Spain, look
to France, look to Belgium, to Italy, look to Africa. In Africa there is no one single
country who could survive if you were allowed that kind of separation movements to
take let us say a kind of legal, legal support.
So if that become practice, no one country will be safe so we are not, we are not uh,
confronting that big power only in a position that we are defending ourselves. I think we
are defending right to be free and to be independent and right to live in peace. That is
what we are doing.
(Dr. Hatchett)
Are you willing also as some part of a negotiated settlement to accept some kind of
international presence that will verify for the world community that uh, the things that
were agreed to in terms of the autonomy for the Albanians and their rights of all
citizens are being equitably implemented?
(President Milosevic)
Of course. We are ready to accept UN Civilian mission. Of course without
representatives of the countries who participate in aggression against our country. We
say that clearly. We are ready for that, we have nothing to hide.
(Dr. Hatchett)
And you're willing also to let the international aid and charity missions to come back
and do their jobs?
(President Milosevic)
Absolutely. They are even now allowed to come back, but they are afraid. We never
sent them out. They were afraid from bombing. That is one of their explanation why
they didn't stay in Kosovo.
Let us say the International Red Cross - they stayed everywhere in conflicts, but how
to be safe from bombing? They fled Kosovo, and civilians as well. They were not sent
away, they simply went away to save their lives. Who can be protected by bombing? |
