April 9, 1999: NATO War Aggravates the Danger of a World War!

NATO is about to step up its war in Yugoslavia tremendously. Reports say that the conference of NATO foreign ministers called at short notice for Monday, April 12th, in Brussels, will make an official decision on the deployment of combat troops for ground operations in Yugoslavia. In immediate response to this, Russian president Yeltsin threatened the USA with a military intervention by Russia in the event a ground war begins in Yugoslavia. At the same time it became known that Yugoslav president Milosevic wants to join the federation formed by Russia and Belarus. Milosevic has already made an official request for military aid to Russia. Moreover, reports were circulating in Moscow on Friday, April 9,1999, that Yeltsin had reserved the right to re-aim the Russian atomic missiles at the NATO countries, which had been dropped as targets two years ago. This marks a dangerous escalation and must impress upon all peace-loving people the fact that a great threat to world peace issues from the continuation of the NATO war in Yugoslavia!

In any case, this course of events documents the sharpened danger of world war emanating from the NATO war in Yugoslavia. Whereas NATO de facto effected the transition to ground war since this evening by stationing Apache attack helicopters in Albania, the German NATO general Naumann meanwhile has admitted what the specific plans call for next: "In the end, a conflict naturally is always decided on the ground." (dpa German Press Agency) This proves that the incessant propaganda of the Bonn government about "air strikes only" is a deliberate lie and is tantamount to the admission that NATO has not achieved even one of its goals to date. NATO circles speak openly of the "relative ineffectiveness" of the continuous bombardment of the last 17 days. That may be true of NATO’s military debacle, but not of the destructive effects on the population: 800 cruise missiles and more than 3,000 tons of explosives have led to mass expulsion and flight and inflicted great casualties on the civilian population!

As pretext for intensifying the preparations for a ground war, various media broadcast unverifiable reports stating that tens of thousands of refugees are being detained in Kosovo. In contrast to this, the UN relief organization, for instance, has provided information to the effect that the "missing" refugees are in Macedonian and Albanian camps. The MLPD condemns this psychological warfare through the media, which spread the vague substance of their news through conjectures, half-truths, and the stirring up of public opinion. The Gulf War in the early nineties and the war in Bosnia already proved that lies like this are used as a method to make a "humanitarian action" out of an aggression.

The MLPD supports the right of self-determination of the Albanian population of Kosovo and condemns their national oppression by the reactionary Milosevic regime. However, the NATO imperialists abuse this right merely as an opportunity to make Yugoslavia their protectorate.

This ignores the right of the Albanians in the Kosovo to self-determination as well as the right to self-determination of the Yugoslavian nation. Their rights are crushed and buried in the bombing raids.

However, NATO not only desires to establish a protectorate over Yugoslavia. Starting from such a strategic position of power, the Russian influence in all of Eastern Europe is to be pushed back systematically. This is an essential component of the new NATO strategy, just as the option for a first nuclear strike is. However, the imperialist Russian government will not take second place as far as its own Great Power policy is concerned. Talking in the style of a colonial power, Yeltsin declared to the press: "We cannot give up Yugoslavia under any circumstances" (AP). In particular, the Russian government does not want to surrender to NATO its supremacy over the Caucasian oil region. This Caucasian-Caspian oil region will in fact be NATO's next target; it is putting out its feelers in this direction, beyond the Balkan war, also as a preliminary stage to this next step.

The MLPD declares unequivocally: Neither NATO nor Russia have property rights over Yugoslavia or any other countries or regions!

The aggravation of the inter-imperialist contradictions between the NATO member-states and Russia and the danger of a world war resulting from this emphasize very clearly: It is imperative to organize active resistance against NATO war in Yugoslavia!

The German Federal Government must immediately stop the participation of German troops in this imperialist war of aggression! It does not act on behalf of "humanitarian goals"; it is acting against the people, and, together with others, irresponsibly plays with the fire of a nuclear Third World War.

Since the Easter marches, a movement of active resistance against the NATO war of aggression in Yugoslavia has been growing. Since then, the initiative has been taken to organize rallies every week on Tuesday in numerous cities. They take place downtown in these cities every Tuesday at 5.30 p.m. because it was on Tuesday, March 23, 1999, that NATO issued the order to attack. Organizing activities on the same day each week simultaneously, according to the information given by the organizers, serves the goal of making a nationwide movement of active resistance develop and intensify, which more and more new forces can join because it has such a unified orientation.

The MLPD supports this useful initiative as well as it can!

The NATO air raids against Yugoslavia must be stopped immediately!

No NATO ground war against Yugoslavia!

Struggle for World Peace!

Each government must renounce a first nuclear strike!

Ban and destruction of all nuclear, biological and chemical weapons!

Organize active resistance against the NATO war in Yugoslavia!