May 21, 2000

Letters Editor  

Toronto Star

One Yonge Street

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Subject: A letter to the editor re. “Offensive Visitor” - your May 21, 2000 editorial

 Dear Sir,

I’ve taken the liberty of editing ever so slightly your editorial, “Offensive Visitor” (May 21), with only one thought in mind: What if the shoe were on the other foot?  I am sure that your readers would enjoy seeing the other side of the coin, the one that neither the Toronto Star nor a majority of the NATO lapdog media has allowed them to see so far.  Thank you in advance for re-running it. 

“Offensive visitor

General Wesley Clark commanded the NATO forces as they shot, burned and bombed their way across Serbia last year.  On April 11, 1999, they killed Bojana Tosovic, 11-months, along with her father, at their home in Podujevo (Kosovo).  Six days later, they killed Milica Rakic, 3, while this girl was having a bath at her home in Batajnica.  On May 27, they killed Dejana Pavlovic, 4, and her brother, Stefan, at their home in Ralja.  Overall, Gen. Clark’s NATO “heroes” murdered 79 children - one for each day of NATO’s bombing of Serbia.

On April 12, 1999, two Canadian pilots under Gen. Clark’c command attacked a passenger train on the Grdelica bridge, killing at least 14 innocent civilians, and injuring scores of others.  Overall, more than 2,000 civilians perished in NATO bombings.

Gen. Clark, who has recently been forced to relinquish his NATO command, as yet stands unindicted as a war criminal.  So do his political commanders - Bill Clinton, Jean Chretien, Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac, Gerhard Schroeder, and other NATO leaders.  But that is likely to change very soon. 

Serbia's public prosecutor, Dragisa Krsmanovic, said on May 19 that charges would shortly be filed against western leaders accusing them of committing war crimes against the civilian population during last year's NATO air war, according to a May 20 Reuters report. 

Together with U.S. president Bill Clinton, Canada’s prime minister, Jean Chretien, and other top NATO officials, Clark will be charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes.  Such indictments will make Clinton, Chretien, Clark and others wanted men in every nation on Earth that has even a casual regard for international law.

Except, it seems, in Canada, the U.S., and some other European countries, whose New World Order government stooges are prepared to roll out the red carpet for this mass murderer.  Just before leaving his top NATO post in late April, Clark had toured the NATO capitals, where he was showered with accolades and decorations.

Such visits set an appalling precedent.  NATO countries, including Canada, have rebuffed protests from the Serbian victims of the NATO crimes. They say NATO will do as it pleases, war crimes or not.  If that extends to winking at war criminals, NATO countries risk making themselves international legal pariahs.

The U.S. has long been Canada’s chief ally that looked the other way, even when Canadian, Belgian and Italian “peacekeepers” in Somalia, for example, tortured, raped and killed local residents.  But Washington pushed the idea of creating a criminal UN tribunal in May, 1993. As one of only five permanent Security Council members, the U.S. has a special duty to uphold international law.

That Washington, Ottawa and other NATO capitals are now prepared to protect and decorate accused war criminals is worse than depressing. It is alarming.” 

I am also enclosing below your original editorial, so that you can compare it to the above piece, and see why your comment is also “worse than depressing.”  In fact, it is downright alarming.  Where did I hear that phrase?

 Best regards,

Bob Djurdjevic, Founder, Truth in Media

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 THE TORONTO STAR, Sunday, May 21, 2000 EDITORIAL

 Offensive visitor

 Colonel General Dragoljub Ojdanic commanded the Yugoslav army as it shot, burned and looted its way across Kosovo last year. Serb forces dragged Afrim Imeraj, 2, from his home and butchered him. They hanged Argjend Demijaha, 5, from a tree. They shot Diona Caka, 2. And Rita Vejsa, 2. And hundreds of others.

 Now Ojdanic, who is currently defence minister, stands indicted as a war criminal.

 Together with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and three other top officials, Ojdanic was charged by Canadian war crimes prosecutor Madam Justice Louise Arbour with ``deportation, murder, persecution'' before the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. These are crimes against humanity and war crimes.

 The indictments make Milosevic, Ojdanic and the others wanted men in every nation on Earth that has even a casual regard for international law.

 Except, it seems, in Russia where President Vladimir Putin's new government is prepared to roll out the red carpet.

 Ojdanic just spent five days in Russia. He met Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev and Anatoly Kvashnin, who heads the general staff. He also was in the reviewing stand during a May 9 military parade.

 This is the first known visit abroad by a Yugoslav indictee. It sets an appalling precedent.

 Russian officials, up to and including Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, have rebuffed a protest from Justice Claude Jorda, who heads the tribunal. They say Russia will do as it pleases, indictments or not.

 If that extends to winking at war criminals, Russia risks making itself an international legal pariah.

 Russia has long been Yugoslavia's chief ally, even when Milosevic drove hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanians from their homes in Kosovo last year until NATO's air campaign stopped him.

 But Russia helped create the criminal tribunal in May, 1993. It promised to co-operate fully with the tribunal by arresting any indictees who turn up. As one of only five permanent Security Council members, Russia has a special duty to uphold international law.

 That Moscow is now prepared to befriend accused war criminals is worse than depressing. It is alarming.

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Also, check out... TiM Letter to Mclean's Magazine, CIA and KLA Ties, His Disgrace, Artemije, How Gen. Clark Misled the World, Death on the Danube, Reverse Fascism, Racism of the New World Order,  Death of the City, Cavorting with the Enemy (Albright), Toward a New Multipolar World in the New Millennium, Stitching Together the New World Order Flag

Or Djurdjevic's WASHINGTON TIMES columns: "Chinese Dragon Wagging Macedonian Tail,"  "An Ugly Double Standard in Kosovo Conflict?", "NATO's Bullyboys", "Kosovo: Why Are We Involved?", and "Ginning Up Another Crisis"

Or Djurdjevic's NEW DAWN magazine columns: "Washington's Crisis Factory,"  and "A New Iron Curtain Over Europe"