|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Earth
Day and Rambouillet |
|
|
WASHINGTON
- April 21 -
ROBERT HAYDEN, rhayden+@pitt.edu
Director of the Center for Russian and East European Studies at the University
of Pittsburgh, Hayden said: "The administration's Rambouillet plan was a public
relations fraud rather than a diplomatic compromise. It provided for the independence
of Kosovo in all but name and the military occupation by NATO of all of Yugoslavia
-- not just Kosovo. This was plainly a proposal that no government could accept...
NATO's bombing of the petrochemical plant at Baric only a few miles from Belgrade
risked the life, health and safety of the civilian population of 2 million in
the city of Belgrade. The attack released clouds of poison gas over Belgrade,
and violated international humanitarian law. Fortunately, the winds kept the poison
cloud above the city. Ironically, Clinton had just warned the Serbs against using
chemical weapons."
TARA THORNTON, mtpdu@ime.net, http://www.miltoxproj.org
Thornton is the Military Toxics Project's international coordinator for the Ban
Depleted Uranium Campaign. While the military still has not confirmed or denied
that they are using depleted uranium, Thornton said: "As Earth Day 1999 [April
22] approaches, we in the U.S. are at war with two countries. We have used depleted
uranium (DU) weaponry in Iraq which is both a toxic and radioactive weapon. DU
dust created by firing these weapons has a half-life of 4.5 billion years. Many
believe DU may be one of the causes of Gulf War Syndrome in our veterans and of
the increased rates of cancers and childhood leukemia reported in southern Iraq.
Depleted uranium can also contaminate the air, water, agriculture and livestock."
RANIA MASRI, rmasri@ncsu.edu, http://www.iraqaction.org
Coordinator of the Iraq Action Coalition, an environmental scientist and
a national board member of Peace Action, Masri said: "The bombing of Yugoslavia
is reminiscent of the bombing of Iraq. That has proven to be devastating for both
the Iraqi people and the environment. In 1991, the U.S. military used 300 tons
of DU in Iraq. They bombed chemical and biological facilities, oil refineries,
waste water treatment facilities, factories and agricultural fields. As a result
of all this, compounded by almost nine years of sanctions, unidentified plant
diseases have surfaced, over 15 million trees have died, cancer rates have increased
three fold and the food chain has been contaminated. We cannot allow the same
to happen to Yugoslavia."
SETH ACKERMAN, sackerman@fair.org, http://www.fair.org
A media analyst with Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting who monitors the European
press, Ackerman said: "The Rambouillet talks were a farce. The U.S. consistently
refused to negotiate; for example, Madeleine Albright told the Serbs, ‘We accept
nothing less than a complete agreement, including a NATO-led force.' There is
evidence that a peaceful solution was possible, but the U.S. has blocked that
route.
###
|
|
|
Common Dreams NewsCenter is a non-profit news service
providing breaking news and views for the Progressive Community.
The
press release posted here has been provided to Common Dreams NewsWire by
one of the many progressive organizations who make up America's Progressive Community.
If
you wish to comment on this press release or would like more information,
please contact the organization directly.
*all times Eastern US (GMT-5:00)
Making News?
E-mail us your news release! news@newscenter.org
© Copyrighted 1997-2000
All Rights Reserved. Common Dreams. www.commondreams.org
|
|
Share This Article With A Friend