New York, NY

Subject: A letter to the editor re. the editorial, "Kosovo’s Incomplete Peace," July 27, 1999

Dear Mr. Harshaw,

Is there no limit to the New York Times’ lies and distortions? In your editorial, "Kosovo’s Incomplete Peace" (July 27, 1999), you say that "nearly 200 murders were reported in Kosovo during the last six weeks (of NATO’s ‘peace’), and the number of ethnic Albanian victims nearly equals the number of Serbian ones."

That’s like saying that the number of Jews in the U.S. (2.4% of the population) nearly equals that of all the rest of Americans. Only in the upper echelons of the Clinton administration does such a ludicrous assertion "nearly equal" the truth. 

Meanwhile, about 150 victims, of the "nearly 200 murders" so far perpetrated by the Kosovo Albanians during NATO's "peace," have been Serbs. Another 200 Serbs shave been kidnapped and are presumed dead, based on the outcomes of prior Serb abductions.  International relief agencies are estimating that between 100,000 and 140,000 Serbs have already fled such KLA and ethnic Albanian terror in Kosovo.  The Serbian Orthodox Church puts that number at 130,000, or two-thirds of the pre-war Kosovo Serb population (about 200,000 people).

That’s compared with 6,000-8,000 Romany refugees, according to the Association of the Romany in Croatia.  And versus only a handful of Kosovo Albanians, whom the KLA have accused of collaborating with the Yugoslav authorities.  Come to think of it, make the above Jewish analogy - "as if the number of Jews nearly equals all of the rest of Americans AND Canadians."

You also say that, "murders, arson and looting (in Kosovo) have been declining since early July." That’s sheer nonsense. More than 50 Serb churches have been destroyed or vandalized, most of them in July. Haven’t you seen the Reuters news wire July 25 report under the headline, "Kosovo Slipping into Anarchy?"

As you can see, not all of the media lie and distort the truth all of the time, the way your paper brazenly does. Why are you trying to minimize the crimes committed by NATO's partners, the drug-pushing KLA terrorists? Because they are your pals, too?

Your front page banner, "all the news that’s fit to print," has become the biggest farce in the Big Apple. And across the nation, too.  Come to think of it, make that "across North America, too."

Best regards,

Bob Djurdjevic

Also check out... "Kosovo: Another Vietnam?", "Banality of Bombings", "Greek Archbishop: Stop This NATO Attack,"  "You Were Wrong About Gen. Perisic", "New York Times' Kosovo News Manipulation",  "Plus, Another Kosovo News Cover-up",  "Embarrassed About Such 'Serbs',"  "Put the UN Justice on Trial",  "Another Wall Street Bailout, Another Main Street Sellout", "Does WSJ Dance to Wall St. Bankers' Tunes?",  "Clinton Fiddles While Milosevic Burns",  "Let the Bombing Begin?  Not!" , "What's Good for the Goose..."  and "Journal's Rotten Apples" (Wall Street Journal); and "Stock buybacks: Wall St.'s Duping of Main St.", Business Week).