Dear all,
Here are some responses of labour organizations to the Kosovo/Nato
intervention.
(ordered by the date of decisions)
Best,
Seiko Kitajima
______________________________
Forwarded messages:
1.The European Marches against unemployment group together
numerous organisations which may have different analyses about
the Balkan war. In France, militants from trade unions and
associations have drafted a text, on which we have elaborated the
day of our meeting of the secretariats of the European Marches in
Cologne, the 16th of April 1999. This text has been considered as a
good basis for discussion and the amended project must be
discussed in each country of the European Marches network. Please
send us your comments.
STOP THE BOMBING
LET US HELP THE PEOPLES OF THE BALKANS
Every day that goes by, the war in Kosovo aggravates the situation
of the civil populations, who were already greatly affected by the
years of insidious war and by the privations provoked mainly by the
serbian nationalist rulers.
The responsibility of the European Union and of the USA, through
NATO, in the actual situation is devastating. Far from helping the
Kosovo population, the bombing permitted to the Serbian
government to intensify the ethnic cleansing and to procede to
even more massacres in Kosovo, while repressing Serb opposers
and rallying around it the population of Serbia, in a reflex of
nationalistic defense.
We demand that:
- the NATO bombings stop immediately
- negociations start and a political solution be sought; for it, one should
take into account the aspirations of the Kossovar people and the respect of
their right to self determination in a multi-cultural Kosovo
- the refugees who so wish be granted hospitality and free movement in all
European countries
In the context of war and rise of nationalism all over the Balkans,
the autonomous expression of civil society, trade unions and
associations is a decisive element for preserving and developing ties
between the communities based on dialogue and democratic values,
reconstruction of solidarity, and social struggles overcoming the
splits between peoples.
That is why we engage ourselves, as militants from associations and
trade unions, in a project of aid for the development of information,
exchange and debates networks in order to support democratic
associations and trade unions, whether they are refugees or still in
Kosovo, in Serbia or anywhere else in the Balkans.
On the agenda of the European Union summit in Cologne, on June
the 3rd and 4th, two points are included:
- one action plan for setting up a European defence, in relation to
NATO
- a pact for employment, which will represent a heavy
menace for the workers and for the unemployed in European
Union.
In view of this summit, the European Marches network organise a
series of actions which will culminate in a large demonstration in
the streets of Cologne on the 29th of May 1999.
In order to mark our solidarity with all of the peoples of the
Balkans victims of this war, to denounce those responsible for it,
NATO, the USA, the EU and the Milosevic government, and in a
broader sense to affirm our opposition to the militarist logic, which
is useless from a social point of view and criminal from a human
point of view, we decide to give the European Marches 99 the
following name:
"European Marches against unemployment, job insecurity,
exclusions, racism and war"
--
Marches europeennes contre le chomage, la precarite et les exclusions
104, rue des Couronnes Tel : +33 1 44 62 63 44
F-75020 Paris France Fax : +33 1 44 62 63 45
e-mail : mailto:[log in to unmask] http://www.mygale.org/02/ras/marches/
[log in to unmask] (information en fran溝is, lecture seule)
[log in to unmask] (information in english, read only)
[log in to unmask] (discussion, read/write,
lecture/ecriture)
Gestionnaire de la liste: F. Sauterey <[log in to unmask]
2. WINNIPEG LABOUR COUNCIL RESOLUTION ON YUGOSLAVIA
At the April 20 meeting of the Winnipeg Labour Council the
following motion was passed:
Be it resolved that the Winnipeg Labour Council refer the following
emergency resolution to the Canadian Labour Congress convention
in May 1999:
Whereas the attack by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is not
a humanitarian solution to the conflict within Yugoslavia; it will
only deepen the conflict and suffering in the Balkans, with
uncontrolled and dangerous consequences for the entire world;
Whereas NATO's attack on Yugoslavia violates the fundamental
principles of the United Nations Organization and the Helsinki Final
Act that guarantees the borders of Europe following the Second
World War;
Whereas NATO's demand to place a NATO occupying force in
Yugoslavia was made without any legal basis;
Whereas the corporate agenda has always relied on dividing
workers and making them fight each other;
Whereas it is never too late to negotiate a just peace;
Be it resolved that the Canadian Labour Congress call on the
Government of Canada to withdraw its support for the war against
Yugoslavia and to support immediate peace negotiations.
3. San Francisco Labor Council Says No to U.S./Nato Bombings of Yugoslavia
Voted and Passed unanimously By the Executive Board of the San Francisco
Labor Council (AFL-CIO) on April 21, 1999.
Whereas, NATO forces under the leadership of the United States have
unleashed massive air strikes against Yugoslavia designed, in the words
of NATO officer in charge, U.S. General Wesley Clark, to "demolish,
destroy, devastate, degrade, and ultimately eliminate the essential
infrastructure" of the country, and,
Whereas, the U.S. government is allocating billions for war to destroy
among other things, bridges, apartment buildings, and factories, as
opposed to spending our resources to improve the quality of life in the
U.S., and to assist in the productive development of the Balkans and
elsewhere, and,
Whereas, the massive bombing is contributing to and has in fact severly
exacerbated the plight of the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo who are
persecuted by the Milosevic regime but whose right to self-determination
has never been supported or recognized by the United States or NATO.
Therefore Be It Resolved, that the San Francisco Labr Council call for
an end to the war, an immediate halt to the NATO/U.S. bombing of
Yugoslavia, and an end to the intervention.
Be It Further Resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council rejects the
notion that the U.S. government has, by military might, the legal, or
moral right to intervene and police the world in such disputes, and,
Be It Further Resolved, that this resolution be sent to the National
AFL-CIO, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and to President
William Clinton.
4. Friday, 23 Apr 1999
OTTAWA LABOUR COUNCIL SAYS NO TO U.S./NATO BOMBINGS
OF YUGOSLAVIA
Last night at its regular meeting the delegates of the Ottawa and
District Labour Council passed a motion to send to the Canadian
Labour Congress the following emergency resolution on the War in
Yogoslovia:
Stop the bombing of Yugoslavia! Negotiate Now!
Whereas: the attack by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on
Yugoslavia is not a humanitarian solution to the conflict within
Yugoslavia; it will only deepen the conflict and suffering in the
Balkans, with uncontrolled and dangerous consequences for the
entire world;
Whereas: NATO's attack on Yugoslavia violates the fundamental
principles of the United Nations Organization and of the Helsinki
Final Act that guarantees the borders of Europe following the
Second World War;
Whereas: NATO's demand to place a NATO occupying force in
Yugoslavia was made without any legal basis;
Whereas: the corporate agenda has always relied on dividing
workers, and on making them fight each other;
Whereas: it is never too late to negotiate a just peace;
Therefore be it resolved: that the Canadian Labour Congress call on
the Government of Canada to withdraw its support for the war
against Yugoslavia and to support immediate peace negotiations.
The Executive had unanimously reccommended acceptance, and it
passed overwhelmingly.
Stuart Ryan, President
CAW 567
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