Athens meeting condemns NATO bombing of Balkans
By
Deirdre Sinnott
Athens, Greece
The writer attended the Athens conference
representing the International Action Center.
The European Conference for Peace in the Balkans met in
Athens April 23-24. Representatives from political parties and
organizations from 17 European countries and the United States
discussed actions against NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia.
The conference adopted several proposals opposing the
war--including one to hold demonstrations throughout Europe on
May 8, the anniversary of the end of World War II, and on June
5, the international day of action proposed by a representative
from the U.S. anti-war group the International Action
Center.
During the conference NATO bombers destroyed a Serbian
television station, killing many workers and crew members. The
Athens conference issued a statement in solidarity with the
news media workers in Yugo slavia, condemning the murderous
attack.
The Greek political group Synapismos--the Coalition of the
Left and Progress, formed in 1992--sponsored and hosted the
meeting. Other participants included members of their national
parliaments, two members of the European Parliament and other
leaders of parliamentary parties.
Greece is the NATO country whose population is strongest
against the war. Ninety-five percent of the people have shown
their opposition in polls.
Some soldiers and sailors have refused to serve. The rail
union leader asked workers not to transport NATO goods from
Salonika to Macedonia.
And tens of thousands have demonstrated in Athens and
Salonika, called out by groups ranging from the Greek Communist
Party to the Orthodox Church.
While the Greek government is not directly participating in
the air war against Yugoslavia, as a NATO member it is giving
logistical support to the war effort.
Synapismos held a demonstration in front of the U.S. Embassy
in the days before the conference. Greek police attacked. As
the conference began 100 participants were still in jail.
Others at the conference showed injuries they suffered when
police attacked them as they waited for their comrades outside
the police station.
On April 25, the day after the conference, Synapismos
sponsored a demonstration that took the traditional 28-mile
route from Marathon to the U.S. Embassy in Athens. Protesters
marched 10 hours through intermittent rain.
Chants denounced the NATO bombing and the U.S. government as
1,000 people marched past the heavily guarded embassy.
Speakers hold NATO responsible
At the conference, Cyprus Member of Parliament Andreas
Christou, who is also a member of the political bureau of AKEL,
said: "The U.S. and NATO are responsible for the flow of
refugees. We must look for a political and diplomatic solution
to the problems in Kosovo. There can be no division of
Yugoslavia.
"This barbaric invasion concerns all the people of the
Balkans. We need to go into the streets with a massive
mobilization."
Professor Jovan Lazarev, general secretary of the Socialist
Party of Macedonia, announced that the Macedonian Parliament
had passed a declaration to stop the use of Macedonian soil as
a staging area for either a ground war or an air war.
Lucio Manisio, a member of the European Parliament for the
Party of Italian Communists and member of the PdCI Presidency
said: "The bombing of the TV station was a crime against
humanity. We need to protest and to not get involved in the
coming ground war.
"The Italian government must make a solemn oath not to
commit ground troops. The U.S. is working very hard to
introduce ground troops. The Italian left must fight against
this evil war."
Professor Dr. Lothar Bisky of the German Party of Democratic
Socialism said: "We won't tolerate the replacement of
international law with the law of the strongest. We believe
there should be no war and no army ever again from German soil.
Nothing will be as it was after this war.
"In Eastern Germany mothers who have sons in Macedonia in
the German army are organizing to go there and get their sons
back. Public opinion is changing in Germany; more people are
now against the war."
Groups from Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Hungary,
Norway, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and Russia also
participated.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
HOME
:: U.S. NEWS ::
WORLD NEWS ::
EDITORIALS ::
SUBSCRIBE ::
DONATE
Email
this article
Printable
page