Comrades,
Here is a commentary on the Rambouillete Accord by the Workers World Party
which shows its blatantly inperialist and colonial character.
Fraternally
Charles
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Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the May 6, 1999
issue of Workers World newspaper
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RAMBOUILLET APPENDIX B:
'Give us your country or we'll destroy it'
By Richard Becker
Appendix B of the Rambouillet Accord-the United States/NATO "peace plan"
for Kosovo-would have opened the door for NATO to occupy all of
Yugoslavia.
In explaining why they launched a devastating bombing war against
Yugoslavia, President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
and other U.S. officials have repeatedly tried to place the blame on the
Belgrade government for refusing to negotiate and failing to sign the
Rambouillet agreement.
The reality is very different: The Rambouillet accord was presented to
Yugoslavia as an ultimatum. It was a "take it or leave it" proposition, as
Albright often emphasized back in February. There were, in fact, no
negotiations.
The accord provided for a very broad form of autonomy for Kosovo. A
province of Serbia, one of two republics, along with Montenegro, that make
up present-day Yugoslavia, Kosovo would have its own parliament,
president, prime minister, supreme court and security forces under
Rambouillet. Unlike U.S. states, the new Kosovan government would be able
to negate laws of the federal republic's legislature and conduct its own
foreign policy.
As has been reported in some of the big-business media, the Yugoslav
government indicated its willingness to accept the autonomy part of the
agreement, but rejected other sections, including the occupation of Kosovo
by a 28,000-strong NATO ground force.
Other aspects of the accord have been given very little or no coverage in
the corporate media. Among them are:
Chapter 4a, Article I-"The economy of Kosovo, shall function in accordance
with free market principles." Kosovo is rich in mineral resources like
gold, silver, mercury, molybdenum and other ores.
Chapter 5, Article V-- 'The CIM shall be the final authority in theater
regarding interpretation of the civilian aspects of this Agreement, and
the Parties agree to abide by his determinations as binding on all Parties
and persons." The CIM is the Chief of the Implementation Mission, to be
appointed by the European Union countries.
Chapter 7, Article XV-"The KFOR [NATO] commander is the final authority in
theater regarding interpretation of this Chapter and his determinations
are binding on all Parties and persons." This chapter refers to all
military matters.
Together, the CIM and the NATO commander are given complete dictatorial
powers, the right to overturn elections, shut down organizations and
media, and overrule any decisions made by the Kosovo, Serbia or federal
governments.
APPENDIX B
Appendix B, the "Status of the Multi-National Military Implementation
Force," includes even more intrusive provisions for Yugoslavia as a whole.
Section 6a: "NATO shall be immune from all legal process, whether civil,
administrative, or criminal." Section 6b: "NATO personnel, under all
circumstances and at all times, shall be immune from the Parties,
jurisdiction in respect of any civil, administrative, criminal or
disciplinary offenses which may be committed by them in the FRY (Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia)." Section 7: "NATO personnel shall be immune from
any form of arrest, investigation, or detention by the authorities in the
FRY."
Together, Sections 6 and 7 compose the old, hated, colonial concept of
"extraterritoriality." Under this principle, the colonizers were immune
from being tried by the courts of the colonized country, even if they
committed rape, murder and mayhem-as they often did.
Section 8: "NATO personnel shall enjoy, together with their vehicles,
vessels, aircraft, and equipment, free and unrestricted passage and
unimpeded access throughout the FRY including associated airspace and
territorial waters. This shall include, but not be limited to, the right
of bivouac, maneuver, billet and utilization of any areas or facilities as
required for support, training, and operations."
Section 11: "NATO is granted the use of airports, roads, rails, and ports
without payment of fees, duties, dues, tolls, or charges occasioned by
mere use."
Section 15: "The Parties (Yugoslav government) shall, upon simple request,
grant all telecommunications services, including broadcast services,
needed for the Operation, as determined by NATO. This shall include the
right to utilize such means and services as required to assure full
ability to communicate and the right to use all of the electromagnetic
spectrum for this purpose, free of cost."
Section 22: "NATO may, in the conduct of the Operation, have need to make
improvements or modifications to certain infra structure in the FRY, such
as roads, bridges, tunnels, buildings, and utility systems."
Stationing 28,000 U.S./NATO troops in Kosovo, a province of Yugoslavia
would, by itself, be a gross violation of the country's sovereignty.
But the Rambouillet accord goes even further-it requires that Yugoslavia
allow NATO unfettered access to any and all parts of the country's
territory, with all costs to be borne by the host country.
The accord blatantly violates Yugoslavia's sovereignty in so provocative a
manner that it cannot have been accidental. It is not difficult to imagine
a working group in the State Department charged with the task of thinking
up the most intrusive and insulting clauses possible to insert into the
agreement.
Clearly, U.S. policymakers never intended for Yugoslavia's leadership to
sign this document. It was just another step in preparing for war.
The role of Rambouillet in this process was to unfairly put the onus for
the failure to achieve a peaceful resolution on the Yugoslav side, in
order to justify the massive bombing of the entire country.
* END -
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