Cook attacks Milosevic as PRAVDA.RU states: Yugoslavia is not a prostitute

The British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, has pronounced himself on the situation in the sovereign state of Yugoslavia, with a series of declarations which leave little doubt as to the intrusive nature of this gentleman and the organisations he represents. He stated that an attempt to stage the trial of ex-president Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade would be “an important educational process”. Whether this is a statement in which he affirms his interest in learning from the Yugoslav justice system or whether it is a snide, pernicious and ironic comment pointing to the inability of Belgrade to handle a case of this type, is open to debate. “Mr. Milosevic was not a great Serb nationalist, Mr. Milosevic was a great enemy of the Serb people”, continued Robin Cook on his visit to Belgrade. It is surprising that Robin Cook speaks about enemies of the Serb people when he was precisely one of the most vociferous advocates of the illegal bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, an action which caused deaths of innocent civilians. “It is important also for there to be justice seen to be done for the Serb people against Mr. Milosevic for the way in which he looted their economy and abused his power”, he continued. “When that due legal process is over, when he has stood trial for his crimes against the Serb people, he must also stand trial for his crimes against the other people”. This particular quote poses a problem of language and of logic, neither of which are comprehensible. Immediately after this, Robin Cook went on to say “I want this to be a partnership, I want us to do this voluntarily”. He was speaking about Yugoslavia handing over Slobodan Milosevic to the Hague Court in the Netherlands. If this is to be voluntary, it does not make any sense to have a 50,000,000 USD tag hanging over the issue. Mr. Cook and Mr. Bush, Yugoslavia is not a prostitute. Mr. Cook continued his logic-defying discourse with a bombastic statement that this chapter can only be closed when Milosevic is made to answer to the international court for the atrocities he has committed. If atrocities were committed, the courts of the sovereign state of Yugoslavia are perfectly capable of dealing with the legal issues. The Justice system in Yugoslavia functions better that in many other western countries, where in certain cases Presidents are even chosen by friendly juries. If atrocities were committed in the Balkans, they were not committed only by Serbs. NATO itself, and there is indeed a case to be made against Mr. Robin Cook in this context, cannot rest assured that a case will be not opened in future indicting this organisation and the political leaders of the countries involved in the atrocities of 1999 during the unilateral and illegal attack against Yugoslavia, should present itself alongside Slobodan Milosevic in the court of its own creation. This court is a puppet, a travesty of justice which serves only to pay fat salaries to those who fail to pursue legal careers in their own countries. Carla del Ponte would be better employed to investigate the issue of Nazi gold being deposited in banks in her own country during the second world war.

TIMOTHY BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.RU LISBON