1999 NATO bombing anniversary

I remember the reaction of two elderly friends, one English and one Serbian, who both shared the feeling of sadness and disbelief that NATO would do this. Both have now passed away, both fought in WWII and both were so sad to see such wanton warmongering and destruction.

To attack European cities and kill civilians so randomly in the name of democracy. This could have been ended without such a pointless attack - dipomacy was not exhausted. More widely, this was a precedent for attacks around the world, equally not sanctioned by the UN.

RIP all innocent victims of war.

The US and Nato felt omnipotent after the 1999 bombing. And thought they could easily do the same to Afghanistan and Iraq. ...... As they say, pride comes before a fall ...... And hopefully some shred of wisdom thereafter .... why else do you think Washington dared not let their cold wars with Iran and N Korea turn hot?

Not only that, these attacks resolidificed power for Milosevic and the SPS. Don;t forget that his power was almost destroyed by the student demonstrations of 1996-1997. Why do you think Milosevic, after holding onto Kosovo for 10 years like a colony, would suddenly turn around and attack it? To reinforce support that had all but drained away. By NATO bombing Serbia, the people rally around their leader and comdemn NATO, not Milosevic. This attack by Milosevic in the Kosovo and the NATO response, put Serbia where it is today. Had Milosevic been secessfully overthrown in 1997, and had the demonstrations been recognized and supported by the same powers that bombed Belgrade, the DOS might have been in a better position to megotiate a settlement in Kosovo without the fear of secession.

Kate the NATO had to intervene to stop the most odious crime in Europe since the end of WWII.
This crime, burning hundreds of albanian villages, slaughtering thausends of ethnique Albanians and expulsing 1 million people by Srbes had to be stopped.
Not recognizing this reflects a twisted sens of justice. Please do not play the cry-babe. In this case it is ridiculous.
"Diplomacy was not exausted"?
Sure you would have prefered to "negociate" until all the Albanians would have been driven as refugies to neighboring countries. Thank to the USA it did not happen.

RE: NATO BOMBS UNLEASED ON SERBIA

The Serbs remember the Nazi's and Lutwaffe who unleashed Operation Punishment in 1939 and Belgrade was pounded in the middle of the night .

In 1989, the second saddest day was unleashed when NATO bombs hit Serbia even through the Easter Holidays that Serbs will never forget. But from the bombing came friendships and bonding. My uncle , a proud man was ravaging through the garbage cans of Belgrade as most pensioners during that period did not have food to eat. My step brother was one of those hit by illegal cluster bombs in the NIS market place, but survived to tell the story. We sent money directly to them and they probably would have died if we did not.

My uncle passed away, but one quote will always ring from him .

'In this tragedy where the entire world hates us, only one nation stood with us, fed us and marched together with us in those bridges with music and love. We will never forget the Greek nation for there help during that dreadful time of the bombing of Serbia.'

I sent a message to the Decani monastery through Archemedaite Nektarios Serfes who has started up a Kosovo Trust fun for all Kosovars especially the children. The Decani Monastery opened it's doors to all refugees including the Kosovar Albanian refugees who were being persecuted by extremist Serb Paramilitary Groups.

As an American citizen who despises ANYTHING Clinton and his administration did to my own country and to the Serbians of the Balkans, Let me offer my sincerest apologies to the Serbian people for what Bill Clinton ordered to be done to a modern nation in March of 1999.

Clinton, who would NOT order the bombing of Osama Bin Laden's camp in Afganistan after his Al Quada killed AMERICANS, Because there might be civilians and women in his camp!!!

Joe,

you seem not know what you´re writing about...

first,

it was the Albanian terrorist organisation KLA that forced the ordinary Albanians to leave their homes. that´s already a undisputed fact.

http://winnipegsun.com/News/Columnists/Quesnel_Joseph/2007/03/24/3820704.html
second, the NATO-aggression had so much humanitarian impetus, that it was carried out by the use of depleted uramium shells, which are today poisoning the southern serbian province of Kosovo i Metohija. ( and, it´s albanian babies that are born with six fingers or only one eye thanks to "humanitarian help" )

Konstantin I think the Greeks like only the Serbs, nobody else...Very strange people.
They like you because of your shared religion. Because of that they ignored and even excused all the crimes committed by Serbes in the 90's. They had their own 'special' interpretation of the 5th commendement.

Sadly enough, that was the price for supporting or not beeing able to overthrow the fascism of Milosevic and his cronies. Be sure, without that intervention Milosevic would sit quite calmly on power today in Belgrade, just as Lukasenko in Belarus. Do you still remember the Nineties? The Otpor movement was crushed by Milosevic police, no support from population was shown. Milosevic needed the war in Kosovo and the NATO intervention to ensure his absolute power. That was clear to all. and please, stop blaming the world for your fatal errors. Try to learn from them instead (just as Germans did after WWII, instead of portraying Hitler as a hero).

I will never forget the streets of Prishtina during that time, we were so happy, whereas we were sad when the Airplanes did not come as ussual at 8 but were late (once my brother cried since there was no bombing until after 12 mid night). Serbian police, military and paramilitary forces tried to hide their Kalashnikovs when they heard aircrafts' noise because they were afraid that pilots will notice them. We felt most secured during those few seconds a day even though NATO forces were not on the ground but just flying in air. Thank you NATO, thank you US and UK.

All these memorials just politics and nothing else, if they would at least respect the bodies of Albanians found in mass graves in Serbia, I would then have sympathy for the "victims" of NATO. Also, I would further have sympathy for these memorials in Serbia if I would not notice the picture of Kostunica in www.b92.net, a person who has many pictures of him with kallashnikov in Kosovo made at the time when almost 1000000 of people had to flee Kosovo and more than 10000 were killed (80% of them old, women or childer). These pictures have lots of things to say about him and people who voted for him and the state whose government was and is leaded by him.

To Kate: Definitely I wouldn't call European a city from where orders came to kill those people and to clean ethnically a territory, at least not a European city in post-Nazi era.

Had serbia not started 4 wars NATO would not have happened. Most think it was karma and that Belgrade got exactly what it deserved. Serbs should sit back and look at actual reasons to why they were bombed and why bombing was backed by most nations in nato and europe.

Mike, an interesting theory about Milosevic attacking Kosovo - only one problem to that theory - the KLA. Also there was no chance he would have been overthrown in 1996/7. The SPS won the Serbian presidential election in 1997.

Joe, the exodus from Kosovo started after NATO started bombing so your statement is simply not true. NATO bombed to try to get the FRY to sign up to Rambouillet which was sort of against international conventions.

Joe, your comments are very disrespectful. "I believe the Nazis had to kill the Jews because they were destroying economies, and the Native Americans had to be butchered because of random attacks by them, and the world trade center had to be bombed because of Americas policies."
If you haven't noticed, that would be your same logic for all the above. We are mourning the losses we have had in the past and having a rememberance of people who lost their lives that had nothing to do with Kosovo. Take your politics elsewhere. May the lord have mercy on all those lost in the shameful attacks on the most beautiful country in the world.

I hope bombs and bullets will never again fall on Serbs or Albanians.

Those bombs stop the massive killing of innecent kosovo albanians. If you still consider Kosovo as a part of serbia , then you have to consider albanians as a part of your citizens too. Thanks to USA and NATO that stoped the bloody killing machine of Milosevic.

RIP to the innocents
This was Serbia's 9\11
Serbian and albanian, it is always the innocent who pay the price.

"We will never forget the Greek nation for there help during that dreadful time of the bombing of Serbia. "

Didnt Greece vote in favour of bombing Serbia in the NAC and NATO Military Committe?

Milan try to re-read the comments of genc, daniel, betabe and mel. In adition try to reflect on almost daily attacks on Croats, Hungarians and Russins in Vojvodina..recent events in Novi Slankamen, Srpski Miletic. In the "most beautiful country of the world" under Kostunica for the minorities nothing changed since Milosevic. Once minorities in your "most beautiful country" can live without fear and oppression just like minorities in Finnland, Sweden or Italy
than you will have the respect and sympathy of the world. Your nationalistic mentality is however 100 years behind Europe's. This is a tragedy first of all for your "most beautiful country" and in second place for Europe.

It is ironic daniel that you managed to answer the question you posed at the end of your comment with the statement at the beginning of it. That being the much repeated but totally untrue canard that Serbia started 4 wars. Slovenian police illegally took over the border posts and the JNA (not Serbia) responded. Croatia and Bosnia attacked the JNA in their barracks and the KLA attacked the Yugoslav army and Serbian police. It was all the propaganda and delibrate misinformation that allowed the NATO to convince their publics to attack the FRY.

I remember the reaction of two elderly friends, one English and one Serbian, who both shared the feeling of sadness and disbelief that NATO would do this. Both have now passed away, both fought in WWII and both were so sad to see such wanton warmongering and destruction.

To attack European cities and kill civilians so randomly in the name of democracy. This could have been ended without such a pointless attack - dipomacy was not exhausted. More widely, this was a precedent for attacks around the world, equally not sanctioned by the UN.

RIP all innocent victims of war.

The US and Nato felt omnipotent after the 1999 bombing. And thought they could easily do the same to Afghanistan and Iraq. ...... As they say, pride comes before a fall ...... And hopefully some shred of wisdom thereafter .... why else do you think Washington dared not let their cold wars with Iran and N Korea turn hot?

Not only that, these attacks resolidificed power for Milosevic and the SPS. Don;t forget that his power was almost destroyed by the student demonstrations of 1996-1997. Why do you think Milosevic, after holding onto Kosovo for 10 years like a colony, would suddenly turn around and attack it? To reinforce support that had all but drained away. By NATO bombing Serbia, the people rally around their leader and comdemn NATO, not Milosevic. This attack by Milosevic in the Kosovo and the NATO response, put Serbia where it is today. Had Milosevic been secessfully overthrown in 1997, and had the demonstrations been recognized and supported by the same powers that bombed Belgrade, the DOS might have been in a better position to megotiate a settlement in Kosovo without the fear of secession.

Kate the NATO had to intervene to stop the most odious crime in Europe since the end of WWII.
This crime, burning hundreds of albanian villages, slaughtering thausends of ethnique Albanians and expulsing 1 million people by Srbes had to be stopped.
Not recognizing this reflects a twisted sens of justice. Please do not play the cry-babe. In this case it is ridiculous.
"Diplomacy was not exausted"?
Sure you would have prefered to "negociate" until all the Albanians would have been driven as refugies to neighboring countries. Thank to the USA it did not happen.

RE: NATO BOMBS UNLEASED ON SERBIA

The Serbs remember the Nazi's and Lutwaffe who unleashed Operation Punishment in 1939 and Belgrade was pounded in the middle of the night .

In 1989, the second saddest day was unleashed when NATO bombs hit Serbia even through the Easter Holidays that Serbs will never forget. But from the bombing came friendships and bonding. My uncle , a proud man was ravaging through the garbage cans of Belgrade as most pensioners during that period did not have food to eat. My step brother was one of those hit by illegal cluster bombs in the NIS market place, but survived to tell the story. We sent money directly to them and they probably would have died if we did not.

My uncle passed away, but one quote will always ring from him .

'In this tragedy where the entire world hates us, only one nation stood with us, fed us and marched together with us in those bridges with music and love. We will never forget the Greek nation for there help during that dreadful time of the bombing of Serbia.'

I sent a message to the Decani monastery through Archemedaite Nektarios Serfes who has started up a Kosovo Trust fun for all Kosovars especially the children. The Decani Monastery opened it's doors to all refugees including the Kosovar Albanian refugees who were being persecuted by extremist Serb Paramilitary Groups.

As an American citizen who despises ANYTHING Clinton and his administration did to my own country and to the Serbians of the Balkans, Let me offer my sincerest apologies to the Serbian people for what Bill Clinton ordered to be done to a modern nation in March of 1999.

Clinton, who would NOT order the bombing of Osama Bin Laden's camp in Afganistan after his Al Quada killed AMERICANS, Because there might be civilians and women in his camp!!!

Joe,

you seem not know what you´re writing about...

first,

it was the Albanian terrorist organisation KLA that forced the ordinary Albanians to leave their homes. that´s already a undisputed fact.

http://winnipegsun.com/News/Columnists/Quesnel_Joseph/2007/03/24/3820704.html
second, the NATO-aggression had so much humanitarian impetus, that it was carried out by the use of depleted uramium shells, which are today poisoning the southern serbian province of Kosovo i Metohija. ( and, it´s albanian babies that are born with six fingers or only one eye thanks to "humanitarian help" )

Konstantin I think the Greeks like only the Serbs, nobody else...Very strange people.
They like you because of your shared religion. Because of that they ignored and even excused all the crimes committed by Serbes in the 90's. They had their own 'special' interpretation of the 5th commendement.

Sadly enough, that was the price for supporting or not beeing able to overthrow the fascism of Milosevic and his cronies. Be sure, without that intervention Milosevic would sit quite calmly on power today in Belgrade, just as Lukasenko in Belarus. Do you still remember the Nineties? The Otpor movement was crushed by Milosevic police, no support from population was shown. Milosevic needed the war in Kosovo and the NATO intervention to ensure his absolute power. That was clear to all. and please, stop blaming the world for your fatal errors. Try to learn from them instead (just as Germans did after WWII, instead of portraying Hitler as a hero).

I will never forget the streets of Prishtina during that time, we were so happy, whereas we were sad when the Airplanes did not come as ussual at 8 but were late (once my brother cried since there was no bombing until after 12 mid night). Serbian police, military and paramilitary forces tried to hide their Kalashnikovs when they heard aircrafts' noise because they were afraid that pilots will notice them. We felt most secured during those few seconds a day even though NATO forces were not on the ground but just flying in air. Thank you NATO, thank you US and UK.

All these memorials just politics and nothing else, if they would at least respect the bodies of Albanians found in mass graves in Serbia, I would then have sympathy for the "victims" of NATO. Also, I would further have sympathy for these memorials in Serbia if I would not notice the picture of Kostunica in www.b92.net, a person who has many pictures of him with kallashnikov in Kosovo made at the time when almost 1000000 of people had to flee Kosovo and more than 10000 were killed (80% of them old, women or childer). These pictures have lots of things to say about him and people who voted for him and the state whose government was and is leaded by him.

To Kate: Definitely I wouldn't call European a city from where orders came to kill those people and to clean ethnically a territory, at least not a European city in post-Nazi era.

Had serbia not started 4 wars NATO would not have happened. Most think it was karma and that Belgrade got exactly what it deserved. Serbs should sit back and look at actual reasons to why they were bombed and why bombing was backed by most nations in nato and europe.

Mike, an interesting theory about Milosevic attacking Kosovo - only one problem to that theory - the KLA. Also there was no chance he would have been overthrown in 1996/7. The SPS won the Serbian presidential election in 1997.

Joe, the exodus from Kosovo started after NATO started bombing so your statement is simply not true. NATO bombed to try to get the FRY to sign up to Rambouillet which was sort of against international conventions.

Joe, your comments are very disrespectful. "I believe the Nazis had to kill the Jews because they were destroying economies, and the Native Americans had to be butchered because of random attacks by them, and the world trade center had to be bombed because of Americas policies."
If you haven't noticed, that would be your same logic for all the above. We are mourning the losses we have had in the past and having a rememberance of people who lost their lives that had nothing to do with Kosovo. Take your politics elsewhere. May the lord have mercy on all those lost in the shameful attacks on the most beautiful country in the world.

I hope bombs and bullets will never again fall on Serbs or Albanians.

Those bombs stop the massive killing of innecent kosovo albanians. If you still consider Kosovo as a part of serbia , then you have to consider albanians as a part of your citizens too. Thanks to USA and NATO that stoped the bloody killing machine of Milosevic.

RIP to the innocents
This was Serbia's 9\11
Serbian and albanian, it is always the innocent who pay the price.

"We will never forget the Greek nation for there help during that dreadful time of the bombing of Serbia. "

Didnt Greece vote in favour of bombing Serbia in the NAC and NATO Military Committe?

Milan try to re-read the comments of genc, daniel, betabe and mel. In adition try to reflect on almost daily attacks on Croats, Hungarians and Russins in Vojvodina..recent events in Novi Slankamen, Srpski Miletic. In the "most beautiful country of the world" under Kostunica for the minorities nothing changed since Milosevic. Once minorities in your "most beautiful country" can live without fear and oppression just like minorities in Finnland, Sweden or Italy
than you will have the respect and sympathy of the world. Your nationalistic mentality is however 100 years behind Europe's. This is a tragedy first of all for your "most beautiful country" and in second place for Europe.

It is ironic daniel that you managed to answer the question you posed at the end of your comment with the statement at the beginning of it. That being the much repeated but totally untrue canard that Serbia started 4 wars. Slovenian police illegally took over the border posts and the JNA (not Serbia) responded. Croatia and Bosnia attacked the JNA in their barracks and the KLA attacked the Yugoslav army and Serbian police. It was all the propaganda and delibrate misinformation that allowed the NATO to convince their publics to attack the FRY.