After more than two weeks of NATO bombing in the Balkans, and the Serbian army's subsequent escalation of terror, violence and "ethnic cleansing" against the Kosovar people, hundreds of thousands of Albanian-speaking people have been driven from Kosova, and many are now being forcibly relocated. Resistance magazine spoke to Kerryn Williams, who reported on the Kosova conflict to the recent Resistance National Council meeting, about these latest developments and the Australian government's response.
Question: What is the current state of the refugee crisis?
I think "crisis" is an understatement. Macedonia, one of the key destinations for those fleeing the terror in Kosova, has shut its doors to further refugees and is forcing out large numbers of Kosovars to Albania and other nearby countries.
The Macedonian government, concerned about perceived implications for "political stability" inside its own borders, has also instituted restrictions on foreign aid, bringing about a ludicrous situation where desperately needed food and medical supplies remain idle at the airport for days.
The NATO powers are accommodating Macedonia's demands and assisting the forced deportation of Kosovars. The refugees are literally being rounded up into trains and buses and planes with no choice, often separated from other family members and without knowledge of their destinations. Tens of thousands of refugees are currently unaccounted for.
What is happening now could be characterised as the second phase of ethnic cleansing in Kosova, with direct NATO involvement. Forcing out large numbers of refugees, rather than providing the necessary resources for the Kosovar people to make their own choices about their future, is exactly in line with Milosevic's goals.
Question: How will the Australian government's decision to accept 4000 Kosovar refugees impact on this situation?
In a context where hundreds of thousands of Kosovar people, having already been driven out of their own country, are again being forcibly relocated, the Australian government's decision to take in 4000 refugees is totally inappropriate.
This response, in reality, equals active participation in the "second phase" of genocide against the Kosovar people. Not only is the government agreeing to accept refugees who are being deported against their will, but it also plans to house the Kosovars in camps in remote areas of Australia, and deny them most of the basic rights accorded to other immigrants. The government has carefully ensured that the refugees will have few legal rights to apply to stay longer when their three months are over.
But the substance of the Australian government response, which is nothing short of complicity in the ongoing destruction of the Kosovar people, is being carefully shrouded in rhetoric about "humanitarian concern". This is a total farce. If the government had one ounce of genuine commitment to defending the rights of the Kosovars, then it would actively support their right to self-determination.
Question: Why do you think the Australian government has responded in this way?
From the outset, the Howard government and ALP "opposition" have both given full support to NATO's intervention in the Kosova conflict, as they invariably do for all US military campaigns. The Australian government shares the NATO powers' opposition to Kosovan independence.
But the decision to accept 4000 refugees is basically a cover for the fact that the Australian government has sent only a meagre $4 million in aid to the region. They can claim to be making their so-called "humanitarian" contribution, when in reality they are both refusing to offer real assistance in the form of the massive aid required, and worsening the situation by their complicity in the forcible relocation of refugees.
Question: What should we be pressuring the government to do?
I think there are three basic things we should be demanding. Firstly, that the government immediately withdraw all support for and involvement in the NATO campaign. Secondly, that it send massive aid to the Kosovar people, which will be crucial for the Kosovars to have any hope of determining their own future. And thirdly, that any Kosovar who wishes to come voluntarily to Australia be allowed to do so without facing any of the government's proposed restrictions. They should be accorded equal rights with other immigrants and provided with the necessary resources to re-establish their lives in Australia if they wish.
Now is a crucial time for us to mobilise public opposition to the Australian government's participation in genocide against the Kosovars. We must fight to expose the government's posing as "humanitarian crusaders", and force it to give in to these demands, and we must continue to build popular support for the Kosovar people's right to self-determination.
Question: What is Resistance doing to oppose the NATO war?
The Hobart branch of Resistance raised the issue of Australia's role in the Kosavar crisis at a protest against nuclear ships in Hobart on April 7. The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which had just returned from the Gulf, was accompanied by the USS Princeton, which was forced to dock in Hobart because of fears of Serbian protests at its original destination, Melbourne.
In Melbourne Resistance and the Democratic Socialist Party organised an emergency speak-out on April 9. There was a lot of interest in our action but also a lot of confusion about the role of NATO. We are also organising public meetings and rallies in other cities.
Resistance is seeking to raise the issue of the right of the Kosavar people to independence in our protests. It is not enough just to say stop the bombing, or hands off Serbia; we also have to demand support for the Kosavar fight for independence, including calling for aid to the Kosova Liberation Army to enable them to continue their fight against Serb aggression.