April 6, 1999

KOSOVO: 'CRISIS TURNS TO CATASTROPHE'

NATO's intervention in Kosovo and the worsening refugee situation in neighboring countries remained the dominant story in media around the world. Analysts everywhere--both supporters and critics alike of the NATO air strikes--agreed with the judgment that the Alliance has made "strategic military mistakes" in its Kosovo mission with "catastrophic" results. Pundits were critical of the Western powers for apparently not having foreseen the extent of the refugee crisis, and emphasized that urgent measures are needed to deal with the situation. Opinion, however, once again diverged on how NATO should proceed. Many editorialists held that the West has a "moral duty" to act with determination and "win" in Kosovo--several said ground troops will be required. Others--including commentators in Russia, Greece, and China--called for a halt to NATO's "illegal" action, which, they stressed, serves the U.S. superpower's interests only. Opinionmakers on both ends of the opinion spectrum predicted that the outcome of events in Kosovo will define 50-year old NATO's role for the coming century. Regional views follow:

EUROPE: Many editors expressed misgivings on several fronts: the efficacy of the NATO bombing campaign, the scale of ethnic purging, the continuing defiance of Milosevic, the need for ground forces and, ultimately, American leadership. Many sharply criticized the Alliance for both its handling of the military campaign and its failure to anticipate the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding. On the refugee issue, most analysts echoed the view of a Dutch writer who held that "there is no other option but to offer generous hospitality" to the refugees. Some judged that "ground interventions and the presence of troops" will be necessary in order to ensure the safe repatriation of the displaced populations. Criticism of NATO's action continued apace in most Moscow press, with reformist Izvestiya asserting that "the West...has gone berserk," and that "having no peace strategy, NATO will lose the war anyway." Another reformist paper, however, blamed "mass hysteria in Russia over NATO action" on the lack of Russian reporting on the "humanitarian catastrophe in Kosovo." Papers in Skopje were replete with reports on the refugee situation affecting that country, with some commentators expressing frustration with the international community and the degree of assistance being offered to FYROM to deal with the matter. In Sarajevo, a pro-ruling regime paper worried that the Republika Srpska--inspired by Belgrade's response to the NATO action--would attempt to "light a fire" in Bosnia.

ELSEWHERE: Views in the Muslim and Arab world continued to run the gamut. Voices in Kuwait, for instance, contended that "it is incumbent on [Kuwait] to support the NATO forces." But others maintained that NATO--which, Cairo's pro-government Al Ahram held, has "its special goals"--must "stop its raids and go to the negotiation table immediately." China's official media continued to inveigh against the NATO air strikes and charged that the U.S. and its Allies were "plotting a bigger war." In Japan and Australia, editorialists criticized NATO for not having foreseen the "massive exodus" of refugees. An Indian pundit worried that a "global conflict" might ensue should NATO ground troops be used. Observers in Africa and Latin America also expressed a range of views, with some asserting that "NATO must win" (Costa Rica) and others condemning the U.S.--"the great manipulator" (Cuba)--for its actions in Kosovo.

This survey is based on 74 reports from 50 countries, March 31-April 6.

EDITORS: Diana McCaffrey, Katherine Starr, Kathleen J. Brahney, Gail Hamer Burke To Go Directly To Quotes By Region, Click Below

|  EUROPE  |     |  MIDDLE EAST  |    |  EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC  |    |   SOUTH ASIA  |    |  AFRICA  |

 |  WESTERN HEMISPHERE   |

FORMER YUGOSLAVIA

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: "Milosevic Could Trigger Destabilization Here"

Pro-ruling Bosniak Dnevni Avaz (4/6) carried a commentary by Fahrudin Djapo: "The NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia additionally complicated the already confused political situation in the (BiH) entity with a Serb majority (RS) radicals using events in Yugoslavia as a motive for manifesting open hatred toward the United States and other Western countries. Events in Yugoslavia could potentially be used by Republika Srpska to light a fire in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is no doubt that Milosevic will try to expand the flame of conflict to Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to transfer part of his war against the whole world to Serbs here."

FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA: "European Hypocrisy"

Right-of-center, pro-government Nova Makedonija (4/6) ran an editorial by one of its leading commentators, Ljube Profilovski, that is very critical of the international community: "Shouldn't Macedonia take the same road as the rest of Europe. That is, to accept the 20,000 refugees that were quoted as the highest limit--the figure that was promised by the international community, and in fact, its real capability--and then close its borders, with the possibility of opening them only if some other state has shown real preparedness to accept the refugees that would get in Macedonia. Would such course of action reflect bad on Macedonia's image? Or would it, quite to the contrary, get Macedonia closer to the wanted European standards?"

"Promises Do Not Make Bridges"

Independent, centrist Dnevnik editorialized (4/6): "It is true that 32 flights were announced to and from Skopje airport. But, we also saw that the planes bringing humanitarian aid returned to their countries empty. After the phone calls that President Gligorov made with several of his colleagues in the West, Europe promised to cooperate more closely with Macedonian authorities, and the countries of the European Union have promised to accept up to 100,000 refugees. As we can see, it was all empty talk."

"Three-Way Blame"

Independent, centrist Dnevnik ran this piece by Ljubomir Frckovski (4/6): "My dear friends in the government, we are in the same boat and we do not have other places to go. We all know that Macedonia did not start this crisis. The blame goes three-way: to the Serb authorities' actions in Kosovo; to the Albanians, with their militaristic approach to the issue, without being able to protect their people in the situation; and finally, to the international community and its military action that did not foresee the catastrophe that the air strikes brought upon the Albanians. We understand that you are concerned about Macedonian security. So, there are some proposals of what you could do. First, when you saw that the number of refugees was well beyond the upper limit that you designated, you should have put the refugees, in an organized and civilized manner, in trains and busses and taken them to the Greek border. Let us see the Greeks deny them entry. In that line, you should organize an airlift, with all aircraft available, of refugees to the European centers. That is a bargaining chip, if I know of one. And for the end, one question: Where do you think the KLA will recruit fighters for their proclaimed full mobilization?"

SLOVENIA: "NATO Facing Important Questions"

Left-of-center Delo (4/6) front-paged: "NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia...have gradually been developing into a real war. Washington's decision to send 24 Apache helicopters, 18 rocket systems, and 2,000 American soldiers to Macedonia indicate that NATO has realized that air strikes alone will achieve nothing....

"It has become evident that NATO cannot achieve its goal without deploying ground forces.... NATO is facing two important questions: What will the future fate of Kosovo be like...and how will the unity of the Alliance be protected."

EUROPE

BRITAIN: "A Moral Duty"

The conservative Times ran this lead editorial (4/6): "Ethnic cleansing continues apace: At this rate, Kosovo will be emptied of all Albanians within about two weeks--the swiftest and most brutal displacement in Europe since WWII.... It will take a lot more firepower, more flexible tactics and more time to break Serbian intransigence. And neither the refugees nor the host countries have time. Even after a ceasefire, few will return unless a sizeable military force clears the way and escorts them home.... The immediate task is to protect and feed the refugees camped in misery along the Kosovan border. NATO must quicken the pace of war and aid the war's victims."

"Crisis Turns To Catastrophe"

The liberal Guardian had this lead editorial (4/6): "We know that every calculation in this conflict has, so far, been proved disastrously wrong. The short, sharp shock to stop Milosevic has not worked, and the humanitarian crisis has turned into a catastrophe. But the most disturbing realization is that Mr. Milosevic is successfully outwitting us.... At each stage of this crisis, our planning has been woefully lagging behind events on the ground; arrogantly, we had no contingency plans in place."

FRANCE: "Sending The Wrong Signals"

Pierre Rousselin argued in right-of-center Le Figaro (4/6): "The Atlantic Alliance has already suffered too much from this war against Yugoslavia to add a new sign of weakness.... Milosevic is using the strategy of displaced populations intentionally. We must not encourage him.... This war will retain its meaning only if its goal remains clear: Kosovars must have the opportunity to return to Kosovo.... This simple logic must prevail.... This does not mean we will turn our backs on the plight of the refugees.... Many errors have already been made, such as excluding from the start the idea of a ground operation. Then, it was a question of reassuring the United States.... Today, the divisions over the refugee question could send Milosevic a signal of major divisions within NATO. This would be an error."

"A Diplomatic Solution"

Claude Cabanes opined in Communist l'Humanite (4/6): "Several European capitals are timidly raising the issue of returning to a diplomatic solution.... The outcome of the conflict, which today looks particularly unclear, could take the form of a three-way plan, with a relay from NATO to the UN, under the auspices of a multinational force in Kosovo, stopping the strikes and disarming the armies on the ground, and a return of the refugees.... In the face of the disaster at hand, the right to intervene politically and diplomatically in this war has become a priority."

GERMANY: "NATO's Choices"

Karl Feldmeyer front-paged this editorial in right-of-center Frankfurter Allgemeine (4/5): "Measured against the goal which NATO wanted to achieve--the implementation of the Rambouillet accord and the prevention of expulsion--rejecting the use of ground forces was a wrong decision.... It is now increasingly questionable that displacements can be prevented by air strikes.

"If Milosevic is successful with his policy, NATO will have to decide whether it wants to continue or end its attacks, whether it will accept faits accomplis and confine its activities to taking care of the refugees or whether it will force the return of the refugees. Without the use of ground forces, this would hardly be possible. It is not only the fate of the expelled, but also NATO's fate that will be determined. If NATO accepts the facts created by Milosevic, the Alliance will give up its role which it claimed with its new strategic concept. This policy is now facing its first test.... This is why the Kosovo crisis will also determine the role of NATO as a power for order in Europe."

"No Cheers"

Jochen Siemens had this to say in an editorial in left-of-center Frankfurter Rundschau (4/5): "This is not exactly what NATO envisioned for its 50th anniversary. The Alliance, which has always been at peace, is not only in a war with Serbia but is about to lose this war.... The prime goal--to stop displacements and murder in Kosovo--has not been achieved. Within a few days, Milosevic's troops and gangs will have finished the 'cleansing' of Kosovo.... A success of NATO can now only be measured against efforts to allow the Kosovo-Albanians to return to their homes.... In this respect, NATO is now coming closer to the use of ground forces.... Macedonia and Albania are now turning into staging areas not only for forces whose primary task it is to help the refugees, but also for combat helicopters needed to wage ground wars. Against the declared political will of the West, the stage has been set for an independent Kosovo. It is still unclear whether it will be a protectorate or another form of a state.... There is no way around it: The Alliance will have to stay for a long time in Kosovo."

ITALY: "Indifference Square"

Edmondo Berselli commented on the front page of leading, business Il Sole-24 Ore (4/6): "The hundreds [of thousands] of refugees...show the true nature of the Milosevic regime.... [But one must] also acknowledge that the ethnic cleansing done by the Serbs did not begin until after the NATO attacks.... At this point...public opinion has been rearranged, and the first hours' doubts have been dispelled by the images of the refugees."

"First Round Goes To Milosevic"

Centrist, influential La Stampa front-paged these observations by Carlo Rossella (4/6): "Milosevic has won the first round.... The second round is beginning now, with the arrival of Apache helicopters and ground-to-ground missiles.... The war is shifting from the skies to the ground.... Perhaps Milosevic miscalculated. He should review the images of Kuwait's highways littered with Iraqi tanks hit by Apache helicopters."

RUSSIA: "Russia's Stance Becomes More Balanced"

Fyodor Lukyanov observed on page one of reformist Vremya-MN (4/6): "Rugova is perhaps the only Albanian both Belgrade and Brussels can deal with. A compromise is possible now that the West, disappointed with its action in the air, is still iffy about whether to follow up on the ground.... After a splurge of emotions, Moscow has calmed down. To make President Milosevic inclined to compromise, Russia ought to demand a halt to ethnic cleansing. Its statement yesterday that it is ready to help Albanian refugees is a sign of a more balanced position."

"Russian Media Coverage Slanted"

Reformist weekly Moskovskiye Novosti held (4/6): "While it is true that great-power nationalism and wounded national pride contribute to mass-scale hysteria in Russia over NATO action, the immediate cause of the outcry is the TV pictures of what is going on in the Balkans.

"The Western and Russian TV versions are in sharp contrast. You might think they are about different events. The Western media's focus, the genocide and deportation of the Kosovo Albanians, is completely absent in Russian TV reports, as if there is no such thing as a humanitarian catastrophe in Kosovo. That makes the NATO air raids look like a senseless and absurd aggression."

"World Of Absurdity"

Reformist Izvestiya (4/6) published this commentary by Vyacheslav Nikonov: "The West, until recently a paragon of wisdom, democracy and civilization, has gone berserk, doing things that run counter to basic democratic principles. To save the Kosovo Albanians, NATO has been pounding them, along with the Serbs and Montenegrins. NATO has caused exactly what it set out to avert, an exodus. In an inter-ethnic conflict marked for the lack of saints, the West has appointed the KLA a saint.... Having no peace strategy, NATO will lose the war anyway."

ARMENIA: "NATO Mission Failing"

Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) newspaper Yerkir (4/6) editorialized: "NATO is failing: Instead of preventing the 'humanitarian crisis,' it has made it even more extensive...and made the people of Serbia unite even tighter around Milosevic."

AZERBAIJAN: "Ground Forces Necessary"

Nadir Azari commented in opposition Yeni Musavat (4/6): "The hopes of certain European states that Slobodan Milosevic will improve are totally ungrounded. To stop the terror against the Kosovo Albanians it is necessary to bring in NATO ground forces.... Meanwhile NATO prefers to hold discussions. If this continues, NATO troops, which are supposed to protect the Kosovo Albanians, will come into a Kosovo without [ethnic] Albanians."

BELGIUM: "Our Duty Of Solidarity"

Chief editor Guy Duplat asserted in independent Le Soir (4/6): "Unfortunately, these 12 days of strikes have not succeeded in preventing horrible things from happening. Faced with an unscrupulous dictator, NATO appears quite powerless with its surgical strikes. It wanted to demonstrate its strength, in the name of humanitarian interference; it mainly showed its weaknesses. Strikes remain necessary, for fear of granting victory to cynicism and barbarism, but they unfortunately proved insufficient to protect the population.... There is now an emergency. NATO and its Allies must succeed, because they cannot let Belgrade's racist and criminal plans triumph. It must also protect the population and later on return them to their territory. This will inevitably require ground interventions and the presence of troops to intervene between innocent civilians and Milosevic's gangs. It is our duty to help those martyred populations, and to welcome, without procrastination, our share of refugees."

BULGARIA: "Europe Should Stop Burying Its Head In the Sand"

Top-circulation Trud commented (4/6): "The West keeps sending us messengers to pressure us to accept refugees. The United States, with its population of 270 million people and for whom the American dream has come true, is deigning to accept only 20,000. Instead of hiding its head in the sand, Europe should send relief supplies as fast as it sends its bombers."

CZECH REPUBLIC: "Kosovo? A Sad Easter"

Right-of-center Mlada fronta DNES remarked (4/6), "Scenes of the Balkans today remind us of horrible pictures of the Second World War....

"What are the dimensions of this evil, which we have to witness? And how to respond to it?... The Alliance has not even declared war.... It will be necessary to act fast and completely change the original plans, strictly according to the advice of military strategy planners. If you want to wage a war, you cannot do it half way."

"War In Europe"

Left-of-center Slovo said (4/6): "There is a war in Europe and NATO is playing an important part in it. The North Atlantic Alliance's armies operate, for the first time in their history, beyond their borders and defend the ideals of a democratic world through this military action.... It is war in Europe, within its culture, with its people and their material values.... When NATO stops these local conflicts and lays foundations for a democratic future and suppresses terror, then the time for postponed celebrations comes. Not before this happens."

DENMARK: "An International Force To Establish A Safe Zone"

Center-right Berlingske Tidende concluded (4/6): "It is no longer acceptable to keep [Western] borders closed [to Kosovo Albanian refugees]. All over Europe governments are changing course [on the issue] and preparing to issue Kosovo Albanians temporary residence permits. Europe must...provide massive emergency aid in order to avoid a catastrophe in the neighboring countries of Albania and Macedonia. The only effective method to stop Milosevic would be to deploy an international force able to establish a safe zone within the province. The deployment of ground troops has always been on the agenda. It is becoming increasingly likely that they will have to be sent in earlier than planned."

"A NATO Security Zone Inside Kosovo"

Center-left Aktuelt editorialized (4/6): "We know too much about Serb ambitions in the area to leave the Kosovo Albanians to the mercy of Milosevic. Neither should we pass the problem on to other countries in the Balkans. It is impossible for Macedonia, Albania or Montenegro to handle the massive numbers of refugees streaming out of Kosovo. The way to do it--apart from taking the refugees ourselves--is to establish a NATO security zone inside Kosovo's borders."

ESTONIA: "Refugees Have Become NATO's Main Problem"

Rein Karner wrote in largest-circulation, center-right Postimees (4/6): "Two weeks after the beginning of air strikes in Yugoslavia, NATO must fight on two fronts: Military operations are about to be overtaken by the problem of refugees. It is known by now that NATO was informed about Milosevic's plan to send Albanians out of Kosovo last autumn. Then the Alliance was hoping to stop the plan with air strikes. By now, NATO is past the 'point of no return.' No one knows what will happen."

GREECE: "Superpower Wants To Protect Its Reputation"

Pro-government Ta Nea carried a column by chief editor Pandelis Kapsis (4/5): "In the case of Yugoslavia there is one side, that of the innocent victims; and the other side, that of Milosevic who caused the operations, and President Clinton because his selective sensitivity showed one thing: The sole superpower wants to protect its reputation and to prove its ability to impose solutions of its choice."

HUNGARY: "NATO's Troubles"

Independent Nepszava carried this op piece by Gyorgy Kalmar (4/3): "NATO had no other alternative to teaching a lesson to the pan-Serb nationalists. What else could NATO have done?

"It did not question Serbia's sovereignty and it did not support Albanian separatists. It decided to disarm them and exhausted all possibilities of negotiation. What they demanded in Paris was no more than for Serbian forces stop their actions in Kosovo, and they [NATO] insisted that this be verified by peacekeepers.... There is no point in denying that NATO is in trouble. [However,] it would be in even bigger trouble if it had remained inactive."

"The Yugoslav War"

Top-circulation Nepszabadsag carried an op piece by Gyorgy Konrad (4/6): "It is ironic that while the West keeps wanting to unite, they keep supporting disintegration tendencies on the Balkans. If Western politicians had not talked to UCK in a supportive way, the majority of the Albanians would not have left Rugova to join the extreme nationalists. With all this bombing, the crisis in Kosovo will not be resolved. Where they have not been killing one another before, now they will be because the bombing causes emotions to get out of hand, and become more desperate."

KYRGYSTAN: "We Can't Break Off Our Ties With West"

Usen Kasybekov commented in independent Asaba (4/2): "The Kyrgyz Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement on Yugoslavia, full of words like disappointment, regret and need to resolve the problem through the UN. But the president's and government's positions are still unknown.... We cannot break off our relations with the United States.... We can dream about achieving civilization and building democracy only with the aid of the United States and Western Europe."

MOLDOVA: "The Misinformation War And Its Victims"

Constantin Tanase expressed this view in pro-Romanian Flux (4/6): "At an international level, the world is involved in an information war without precedence in history. There is one certain thing: A traditional war can not be won if you lose the information war.... The protest actions in front of the embassies and in the centers of some big capitals prove that the 'second army'--the public opinion--has been already 'sensitized' and the fate of the Yugoslav war will be resolved by it and not by the NATO planes."

THE NETHERLANDS: "A Bitter Pill To Swallow"

Calvinist-left Trouw front-paged this editorial (4/6): "By taking in Kosovar refugees, the European countries will be giving in to Milosevic; however, there is no other option but to offer generous hospitality. Taking refugees implies the acceptance that it will take a long time before the Kosovo crisis will be resolved. This is a bitter pill to swallow because it means that the NATO intervention did not have the result everybody anticipated."

NORWAY: "A Deep Abyss Separates The Minds"

Per Anders Madsen made this point in conservative Aftenposten (3/31): "NATO's problem is therefore not that Milosevic is irrational, but that he is driven by another form of rationality, developed by the Balkans' thousand-year history of war, national trauma and political survival instincts. In the coming days this lack of common language and common intellectual understanding will be the biggest obstacle for NATO to reach the political goals that the Alliance has set for its bombing.... And when the USA and NATO speak out about the political strategy behind the bombing, one notices the absence of a sense for Balkan realities. As late as the day before yesterday James Rubin, spokesman for Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, maintained that the political goal continues to be Serbian approval of the Rambouillet plan. This evidences a failed understanding of the results the NATO attack have already had."

"War For Human Rights?"

Nils Butenschon, Director of the Institute for Human Rights at the University of Oslo, commented in Dagbladet (3/31): "The Kosovo crisis demonstrates how necessary it now is to have in place the permanent International Criminal Court which was adopted last summer, despite the USA's resistance, and in particular with Norway and Canada as driving forces. This is the way to go in order to deter political and military leaders, rather than massive attacks. Ethnic conflicts, unfortunately, are standing in line."

POLAND: "We Promised Them"

Piotr Pacewicz wrote in liberal Gazeta Wyborcza (4/6): "NATO air strikes are to stop the humanitarian catastrophe.... These were, and have been, the motives of the decision taken 14 days ago.... NATO--including Poland--has taken responsibility for the Kosovars. It promised to defend them. It reiterates that they will return to their homes. NATO must efficiently fulfill this promise."

"Kosovo Proves That World Lacks Real Leaders"

Editor-in-chief Janusz Rolicki opined in leftist Trybuna (4/6): "The decision about the outbreak of war, its course, and its unusual and not fully-considered results--the exodus of Kosovar Albanians--prove that President Clinton has disastrous advisors.... It is fatal for Clinton, for the United States and for Europe that on our continents there are no [real] leaders for our time."

ROMANIA: "America's Changing Image: Ruthless Policeman"

Leading, independent Adevarul carried an editorial by influential foreign affairs analyst Bogdan Chirieac (4/3): "For over a century, in the eyes of the world, America has been looked upon with admiration and respect.... It was seen as a republic of the good, of democracy and welfare, where the law ruled. The violent attack upon an independent and sovereign state in Europe creates the risk of changing this image. From now on, America will be associated with the petrified look on Mrs. Albright's face, with the roaring engines of the planes taking off to Belgrade, and the explosion of Tomahawks. The good Samaritan image risks being turned into the image of a ruthless policeman. Changing this image will cost America time and money. The question is: Does America still want to change it?"

"We Are Crazy To Move Away From NATO"

Roxana Lordache editorialized in pro-government Romania Libera (4/5): "Although Romania's domestic situation is even farther than last year from fulfilling the desired criteria (for NATO membership), the international situation favors us. That is why certain anti-NATO and anti-American tendencies which retrograde forces, actively supported by the (main opposition party) PDSR , are encouraging are not only unseasonable, but also dangerous and...against Romania's national interest. Our national interest is totally different from Moscow's interests...and under whose influence we would be condemned to return in case we are crazy enough to move away from NATO.... Romania's adhesion to the North Atlantic Alliance would, in fact, favor Yugoslavia, because it would enlarge the international community with yet another geo-strategic country, which like Greece, Turkey or Italy, deeply knows the delicate reality in this area.... It would be for the benefit of the stability and world peace."

"NATO's Illogical Action"

Opposition National said in part (4/5): "As days go by, NATO's action is turning more illogical, even close to madness. NATO cannot continue the bombings forever.... Ground troops would not be the preferred choice of any of the Alliances's members....

"NATO refused to take the hand held out by the pope, who demanded that the bombings cease during the holy days of Easter. But, during Ramadan the same Alliance respected other people's holidays!"

SPAIN: "NATO: Overwhelmed And Reeling"

Independent El Mundo opined (4/6): "NATO's strategic military mistakes have now been compounded by a lack of coordination and the incompetence of those who, thousands of miles away and seated in their comfortable offices, are devising plans--poorly conceived and even more poorly implemented--to aid the refugees. By way of illustration, an overwhelmed NATO announced yesterday the start-up of a huge airlift to transport tens of thousands of refugees to various countries willing to receive them...but later suspended same, because of the opposition of political leaders and intellectuals who predict that, once out of the area, they will never be able to return to their homes.... There is no other recourse but to provide assistance to these 400,000 persons where they are now and without grandstanding, as per Clinton's request yesterday for donations, and to make available the military resources required to defeat the Serbian boss, thereby making possible the prompt return of the Kosovars to their homes."

SWEDEN: "Deepening NATO Involvement"

Conservative Svenska Dagbladet opined (4/5): "The initiative to evacuate around 100,000 refugees and the plans to create free-zones for refugees along Kosovo's borders, has further deepened NATO involvement in the province. It will be inevitable in the long run that NATO, using military force, will have to separate part or all of Kosovo from Yugoslavia. NATO's biggest mistake has been to believe that Milosevic would react with practical politics and rationality to the bombing of Yugoslavia and that he wouldn't dare start the massive cleansing. Through the massive national deportations the Belgrade regime has shown its strongest weapon against NATO and Kosovo will shortly be to empty of its Albanian population."

TURKEY: "The Drama Will Likely Continue"

Sami Kohen wrote in mass-appeal Milliyet (4/6): "A 'self-governing' plan [for Kosovars] suggests the establishment of a security zone, which will allow Kosovar Albanians to return to their homes under NATO supervision. The supporters of this plan use northern Iraq as an example, but there is a major difference. After the Persian Gulf War, Saddam completely lost control over northern Iraq, but Milosevic still controls Kosovo. NATO should first establish full control over the region, which may require NATO's long-time presence for security reasons. The question now is whether NATO is prepared for that."

UKRAINE: "NATO's Strategy Of War Absent"

Alexei Havrylenko wrote in liberal weekly Zerkalo Nedeli (4/3): "The military action in Yugoslavia showed one more time the selectiveness of American politics, targeting not all objects where democracy is attacked. The strategy of war is either absent or very poor because all the plans failed: Milosevic is not frightened and no opposition appeared among the Serbs; the refugees are flowing into Europe in dangerous numbers. It looks like achieving the goals of the war is impossible without ground forces, but NATO countries will hardly dare to start ground operations on the territory of Yugoslavia because of likely heavy losses. In post-communist countries, the democratic forces have been knocked out by the Balkan events and the leftist parties have taken their opportunity to attack weak democratic changes."

MIDDLE EAST

EGYPT: "The Way Out Is Through Negotiations"

Pro-government Al Ahram remarked (4/6): "Most probably NATO has its special goals which it wants to realize, and these goals are connected to NATO's greater strategic calculations.... The way out is for NATO to stop its raids and go to the negotiation table immediately under the supervision of the European Organization for Security and Cooperation before Kosovo is emptied of its people, especially after the exodus has started toward the United States and other European countries."

ISRAEL: "No Inaction This Time"

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Elie Wiesel wrote in a front page commentary in mass-circulation, pluralist Yediot (4/6): "We're going to wake up from this nightmare and Milosevic will face an international tribunal for his crimes against humanity."

KUWAIT: "It Is Incumbent On Us To Support NATO"

Independent Al-Rai Al-Aam published this piece (4/3) by Mohsen Al-Mutairi: "Having experienced the bitterness of occupation, we have a significant duty. It is incumbent on us to support the NATO forces at least morally in their showdown with the Yugoslav Serbs in defense of Albanian Kosovars. It is important to interact positively with the countries that supported us and took part in the liberation of our land. This will maintain and cement Kuwait's humanitarian role towards global oppression."

"Muslims Must Do Something"

Walid Al-Tabtabaei asked (4/1) in independent Al-Watan: "Where are the Muslims? What is going on in Kosovo? Why are they doing nothing?... Much can be done, not on the military level, but on the political, economic and humanitarian. A political and diplomatic decision severing political relations with the Milosevic regime and severing economic relations with Yugoslavia has to be made. Urgent relief aid has to be dispatched to the Kosovar refugees in Macedonia and Albania. We have to adopt a firm position towards recognizing the rights of Kosovars to self-determination."

SAUDI ARABIA: "Final Break Up Of The Ottoman Empire"

Influential, London-based Al-Hayat commented (4/6), "Today we live in the final era of the break up of the Ottoman Empire, an era which started in 1992 with 800,000 Muslim refugees from Bosnia and three years later 175,000 Serb refugees from Croatia.... The latest chapter is being conducted by Milosevic, through his cancelling of the autonomy of Kosovo.... This all revolves around the issue of the Western concept of human rights.... The struggle for human rights is very hard and costly...and leaves us with only two options, both of which are bad. Either the West will have to pay a price to be involved in these struggles, in order to expand the presence of its concept of human rights into new territory, just as it is expanding its presence in space; or we will be left with counting dead bodies, which are falling at the hands of Milosevic, Saddam Hussein and others."

WEST BANK: "NATO's Strikes Include Many Aims"

Talal Okal commented in semi-liberal, pro-PA Al-Ayyam (4/6): "NATO strikes against the Serbs have nothing to do with helping the religious ethnic minority in Kosovo or with protecting human rights there, for if this was the reason, NATO and U.S. intervention would have come earlier....

"The real reason is to achieve a couple of objectives, namely: Dissolving whatever is left of socialism and rearranging the geographical map in the region. In addition, the United States wanted to reemphasize its leadership role, without which Europe would not have been able to intervene in the Yugoslavian conflict against the Russian will. Furthermore, the U.S. leadership role in striking against Yugoslavia will insure and expand the U.S. influence and military control in the Balkan area. With all these objectives, the United States would like to achieve yet another goal through its intervention: Changing the characteristics and rules of the old world order into empowering one, and only one, leading superpower, and especially having that blessed by Europe."

SOUTH ASIA

BANGLADESH: "Where Is Kosovo Heading?"

Pro-government, vernacular Janakantha held (4/6): "Do they [NATO Allies] expect that air strikes only can achieve their goals in Yugoslavia? Why are they not taking the risk of involving their ground troops? Are they afraid of sticky ground? The complex Kosovo crisis can never be resolved without taking risks."

"Kosovo And Kashmir"

Opposition party organ, vernacular Dinkal held (4/6): "Yugoslav agents have criticized the United Nations, President Clinton, Prime Minister Tony Blair and the European Union for their determination in protecting the Albanian Kosovar Muslims. Their courage and determination are commendable. Despite criticism by Yugoslav agents, the determination of American and European leaders will one day bring independence for Kosovo."

INDIA: "Another World War?"

An editorial in the right-of-center Pioneer emphasized (4/6): "China's Prime Minister Zhu Rongji has now said in an interview with a Canadian newspaper that NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia could lead to a global conflict. The statement deserves serious attention.... NATO will have to deploy ground troops if the offensive against ethnic Albanians continues in Kosovo. The war in Kosovo will then be savage; the Serbs are among the toughest fighters in the world. Should the going prove difficult there, the United States and NATO, having staked their prestige on teaching...Milosevic a lesson, will have to attack Yugoslavia.... Even if Yugoslavia is overwhelmed, the maintenance of a NATO-scripted ethnic peace will require the permanent presence of the Alliance's troops. Neither this nor a Balkan order dictated by the United States will be acceptable to Russia.... Nor can China or, for that matter, India, accept a situation in which the United States and NATO can wage devastating war against any enemy of their choosing and get away with it. The result is bound to be the emergence of a new military grouping against the United States and NATO, and, with the latter repeating Kosovo-type adventures elsewhere, a global conflict."

NEPAL: "A Big Headache"

The government-owned Rising Nepal (4/6) had this editorial: "With the announcement by NATO that it is strengthening its operations by adding Apache attack helicopters, things are looking more menacing by the day.... Considering the ethnic tinderbox that the Balkan nations are perceived to be, any mishap could easily spill over from Yugoslavia and turn it into a European phenomenon. Already, the thousands of refugees from Kosovo are becoming a big headache for countries near and far.... A search for a lasting solution to the Kosovo crisis has to be based on...dialogue."

PAKISTAN: "A Decade Of Martyrs"

Tanvir Ahmad Khan wrote in the Karachi-based, independent Dawn (4/6): "The current decade has generally been an open season for brutalizing and exterminating Muslims even in territories like Bosnia, Kosovo and Kashmir, where they were the majority communities. If the present NATO action signals the end of this period, at least in the Balkans, we should ponder further on its potential for broadening and deepening Islam's dialogue with Christianity.... The martyrs of the Balkans would not have died in vain if their sufferings could lead to a new and purposeful quest for better understanding between the Islamic world and the West."

EAST ASIA

CHINA: "NATO's Bombing Conspiracy"

Lu Yansong emphasized in official, Communist Party People's Daily (Renmin Ribao, 4/6): "Failures both politically and ethically are gradually pushing NATO into an awkward position.... There is good indication that Western countries are plotting a bigger war. NATO is most likely to send ground troops into Kosovo under the guise of 'escorting Albanian refugees home.' However, that move would expose NATO to both political and military risks. According to authoritative sources, NATO will most likely intensify the air attacks and provoke a ground war when Yugoslavia is crippled economically and militarily."

JAPAN: "G-8 Nations Should Map Out Relief Plans For Refugees"

Liberal Asahi told its readers in an editorial (4/6): "It is imperative that the G-7 nations hold...a meeting with Russia and discuss what cooperative measures they can take to deal with the refugee problem and bring peace to Kosovo. NATO will be in for further criticism at home and abroad if it continues to escalate air strikes against Yugoslavia, while leaving the Russian proposal or other peace plans aside."

"Can Kosovo Tragedy Be Stopped?"

An editorial in business-oriented Nihon Keizai stressed (4/6): "Yugoslav President Milosevic is solely responsible for causing the exodus of as many as 370,000 ethnic Albanians from Kosovo Province.... But there was also a political miscalculation on the part of NATO in launching air strikes.... NATO officials admitted that they never expected to see such a massive exodus of refugees from Kosovo.... EU countries and the United States have decided to accept some of these refugees. Japan must also extend relief aid to them in cooperation with the UNHCR."

AUSTRALIA: "Our Duty To Take Share Of Exodus"

Sydney's conservative, national Australian's foreign editor judged (4/6): "Australia should take thousands of Albanian Kosovar refugees and indicate its willingness to do so quickly.... The refugee crisis is the most compelling evidence of the astounding lack of strategic insight and planning involved in the NATO operation in Kosovo. President Clinton and Prime Minister Blair and other NATO leaders must take full political responsibility for this.... That refugees have been distressed and dying this past week is the greatest indictment of NATO. The whole rationale for this bombing operation was humanitarian concern for the Kosovars. Yet, only a tiny fraction of the resources devoted to the bombing campaign have been devoted to looking after refugees.... In reality, NATO had better pretty quickly accept that many of the Kosovars will not be going home.... It is virtually certain there will need to be a big, international resettlement effort. The sooner we all realize that the better."

"The Plan NATO Lacks"

An editorial in the liberal Sydney Morning Herald said this (4/6): "The inconceivable is beginning to look like the highly possible: NATO might lose the war in Yugoslavia. Two weeks of bombing by NATO forces have not moved Milosevic towards a compromise, let alone surrender."

LAOS: "Best Solutioin Is For NATO To Stop The Bombing"

Government-controlled Pasason said in a rare commentary (4/5): "What the United States believes to be a righteous act for humanitarian purposes is in reality just the opposite. General opinion holds that the U.S. bombing of Yugoslovia...an independent and sovereign state, is a flagrant violation of international law, an inhumane act, and a threat to world peace. This war legitimizes the Serbian fight against Albanian separatists.... The best solution is for the United States and NATO to stop the bombing of Yugoslavia and stop the conflict between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo. The Kosovo problem must be settled at the negotiating table. They must stop the killing to stop the killing."

PHILIPPINES: "Obsessive Anti-Americanism"

Prof. Alex Magno of the University of the Philippines wrote in his column in the independent Manila Standard (4/6): "From the same ideological gang that endorsed the Tiananmen massacre, condemned the UN action against Saddam Hussein and praised the genocidal Pol Pot regime comes this latest outrage: Support for the mass murderer Slobodan Milosevic.... How could any political group with any shred of genuine concern for human rights possibly support the mass murderer of Belgrade? The local Maoists, bizarre as they may be, are not a complicated lot. They operate on a simplistic view of the world anchored on their obsessive anti-Americanism: Whoever Washington opposes, they support."

SOUTH KOREA: "Bloodshed Should Stop"

Moderate Hankook Ilbo pointed out (4/6): "The United States and NATO are considering making Kosovo NATO's protectorate. That, however, would not be a wise choice because regional hostility would only be deepened as a result. Besides, resolving the situation in that way would also take much longer, and further risk expanding the bloodshed now taking place."

AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICA: "Ground Troops"

The independent, centrist Sunday Times held (4/4): "The refugees...now threaten the stability of Yugoslavia's neighbouring states--something that Milosevic surely intended when he began the offensive. It is clear that...the Kosovars needed...NATO forces on the ground.... Had those who assumed the role of the world's policeman had the guts to actually pound the beat, to get their hands dirty by sending in troops, the situation today might be quite different. A peacekeeping force would have been able to save lives, protect property and establish refugees sanctuaries in Kosovo. Get them in--before it's too late."

"Refugee Problem"

Afrikaans, centrist Beeld held (4/6): "The heartbreaking drama being played on the borders of Yugoslavia...is little news for the people of Africa.... The refugee problem will hopefully open the eyes of the West to the need and hopelessness of these people wherever in the world they may be."

WESTERN HEMISPHERE

ARGENTINA: "Remedy Worse Than The Illness"

Guillermo Ortiz wrote in business-financial El Cronista (4/5): "Clearly, nobody doubts the military action--i.e. bombings--but the remedy was worse than the illness, and today, the Allied front faces a series of unwanted consequences: i) The humanitarian crisis got worse.... ii) The attacks strengthened Milosevic...who did not yield to the bombings.... iii) The debate regarding a taboo issue accelerated: The need for a land operation. iv) The most significant issue: The change in the political strategy aimed at what kind of states the Western world wants in the Balkans...leads to the rebirth of an abandoned idea: A protectorate for Kosovo."

"The Most Dreaded Scenario Is Coming Closer"

Claudio Uriarte, leftist Pagina 12's international analyst, opined (4/5): "A military catastrophe is underway in the Balkans.... It is hard to decide which is the most surprising aspect in this operation: The level of military improvisation with which it was launched or the geo-political irresponsibility of those who ordered it.... This is a war which NATO cannot lose. In the meantime, a dangerous thing has occurred: Generals and military planners have started to promise that a land force, much smaller than originally planned, is able to do the job, in a forested and mountainous territory which the Serbs know well and NATO doesn't. This is a Vietnam scenario: a constant, gradual and insufficient escalation; sustained growth in the number of U.S. casualties, discredit of the operation, and, finally, desertion."

BRAZIL: "U.S. Military Industry Profits From War"

Liberal Folha de Sao Paulo's Washinton correspondent, Marcio Aith, held (4/4): "NATO's bombing in Yugoslavia satisfies not only the U.S. public opinion.... Bombs and aircraft being used in the military operations in Europe have expanded the U.S. war industry to unprecedented proportions. Since the beginning of the conflict, at least three bills aimed at reinforcing the nation's military budget in 1999 have been introduced in Congress.... The U.S. military industry is responsible for 60 percent of all weapons produced in the world.... With the conflicts in Bosnia and Iraq and with the reinforcement of the U.S. military presence in Asia, the U.S. arms industry recovered in 1998 at least 20 percent of what it had lost during the past decade."

"The Cost Of Fighting Genocide"

Center-right O Estado de Sao Paulo commented (4/2): "In view of such a brutal reality there cannot be any doubt about the moral underpinnings of the military action to fight the genocidal policy--that is only comparable in this century to that of Hitler's Germany or Stalin's USSR--with which Milosevic 'resolves his internal problem,' according to the euphemism used by Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov in a media article published this week.... For the United States and its Allies, the problem is no more whether to resort to force: It is to make the use of force efficient, as happened in Bosnia in 1995. After a week of bombings NATO is far from this.... Even the strategic principle of the Western attack, to force Milosevic to accept the Rambouillet peace agreement without invading Kosovo, has begun to be questioned.... The use of land troops with armored cars and heavy artillery--an operation unfeasible in the short term from a logistical point of view--is an alternative, the extremely high cost of which neither Washington nor London or Paris seem willing to assume.... Meanwhile, nothing indicates that Milosevic's leadership has been affected--and the catastrophe continues."

"Disaster From Many Angles"

Center-right O Estado de Sao Paulo's Paris correspondent Giles Lapouge said (4/4): "Another disaster: The concept of a deteriorated United States. The accumulation of mistakes by Clinton and the Pentagon has transformed a just and necessary cause into a calamity. It is astonishing to see that the [French] right wing, generally favorable to everything that comes from the United States, is more critical of NATO and the United States than the non-communist left."

CHILE: "Mistaken Calculations"

Conservative, influential, newspaper-of-record El Mercurio opined (4/5): "The systematic destruction of a minority in a nation...is a phenomenon that this time pushed Western democracies to act. However, NATO's air strikes against Yugoslavia are a dangerous precedent, since it justifies intervening in the internal affairs of another nation, however deplorable its actions might be. In this case, the intervention is twice as risky because it has been unable to fulfill its main objective, which is to avoid the suffering of the people of Kosovo, and has put the effectiveness of NATO at risk."

COSTA RICA: "NATO Must Triumph"

Leading conservative La Nacion opined (4/5): "The Kosovo refugees have caused us to contemplate once again the horror of the Holocaust, the devastation of European cities and the moving caravans of living and dead: The demonic work of Hitler, who was the predecessor of Slobodan Milosevic.... That is one of the prinicipal lessons of this war: We will always have this type of person among us. For this reason, it is morally, politically and militarily imperative that NATO achieve its objectives in Yugoslavia. Total victory means not only the salvation of the Kosovar Albanians and a chance of pacifying the Balkans, but also a message for present and future tyrants.... Because of the failure of diplomacy, NATO is the most firm bastion for peace in the world.... Unfortunately, some wars are necessary to defend peace and human dignity."

CUBA: "The 'Great' Manipulator"

Excerpts from a full-column comment by relatively-more-moderate writer Ilia Sardina in the official worker's union weekly paper Trabajadores argued (4/5): "The 'think tanks' of the U.S. government estimated that this presented the ideal moment to aim a long-awaited blow at Yugoslavia, which they have been working on since 1990 because of [Yugoslavia's] enormous weight in the region, and, tangentially, to weaken the Europeans. In this manner they have considerably increased their sphere of influence."

NICARAGUA: "Baltic Passion"

An editorial in independent, center-right La Prensa held (4/5): "While NATO started the punishment bombing that is breaking the Serbian military, it is also multiplying the suffering of the Kosovars in a conflict in which we all know how it began but don't know how it will end."

PANAMA: "The Origin Of The Crisis"

Independent El Universal de Panama (4/3) front paged this editorial: "The Kosovar refugees are obtaining refuge and are welcomed in Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro, in spite of the alleged cultural differences. The politicians on the other hand, beginning with Milosevic, are following a clear strategy of land division, with purposes and methods that have now turned against them with NATO's involvement; a sad and painful experience for the martyred region."

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4/6/99

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