BALKAN WITNESSArticles on the Kosovo Conflict
Programme of the Serb Radical Party for a Greater Serbia Theocracy
Document 2Posted by Nalini Lasiewicz 28 Mar 1999 10:08:24 EST
Re-posted by Michael Sells (formerly at http://www.haverford.edu/relg/sells/reports/srpclean2.htm)
The following documents posted by Nalini Lasiewicz show that the organized program of genocide in Kosovo has been planned and well known for years, and was neither a surprise nor caused by NATO efforts to stop it. [Document no. 2 below, sets out the plan for a Greater Serbian Theocracy. Document no. 1, that preceded it, sets out the plan for annihilation of Kosovar Albanians.:
"The restoration of the free, independent and democratic Serb State in the Balkans, to enfold the integral Serbhood, all Serb lands, which means that within its boundaries it shall have, in addition to the present granted (octroyee) Serbian federal unit, the Serb Macedonia, the Serb Montenegro, the Serb Bosnia, the Serb Herzegovina, the Serb Dubrovnik, the Serb Dalmatia, the Serb Lika, the Serb Kordun, the Serb Banija, the Serb Slavonia, and the Serb Baranja."
...and......
"- to expel without delay all 360 thousand Albanian emigrants and their descendants," [along with a series of proposals, spelled out, to destroy all aspects of Kosovar Albanian culture, economy, society, social benefits, and existence]
[note: the claim here is that 360,000 Albanians entered Kosovo illegally during WW2 and that they, AND THEIR DESCENDANTS, which would add up to almost every Albanian in Kosovo, should be expelled]
DOCUMENT no. 2
THE PROGRAMME OF THE SERB RADICAL PARTY - Excerpts -
Unification of the Serb lands At the end of the twentieth century the Serb people finds itself in a catastrophic historical situation. The Serbs met the disintegration of the Yugoslav state, conditioned by the secession of communist federal units, in a foreign-political environment which was less favorable than at the beginning of the century, when they entered a common state with the Croats and the Slovenes rashly and hastily.
Today, the Serb people is broken into three internationally non-recognized states. Two of them, the Republika Srpska and the Republic Serb Krajina carry the additional burden of the unsettled question of their borders and territorial pretensions of their neighbors and foreign powers, that is occupation of large parts of the territory, carried out by the Croats and Muslims under the sponsorship of traditional Serb enemies. The third, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in which Serbia and Montenegro are loosely linked, bears the burden of grave and dangerous social-historical diseases - Yugoslavism and communism.
The objective of the Serb Radical Party is the unification of the entire Serb people and the establishment of a state community across the Serb national territory, encompassing Serbia, Montenegro, the Republika Srpska and the Republic Serb Krajina. The Serb Radicals wish that this united Serb state be called Greater Serbia, that it has a democratic system, with a liberal market economy and advanced social care.
If the Macedonians decide, of they own volition, to live in a common state with their ethnic next of kin: the Serbs, we could accept that our common state be organised as a modem federation.
To arrive at the international recognition of the Serb lands and their unification, we shall use all legitimate democratic and political means. In this manner we shall show the whole world that we are a European people of ancient culture, that we do not have a traditional propensity for communism and that we have been cured of that disease, that we entered this war because our survival was threatened, because we do not know how to be slaves or surrender without a fight. The Serbs are the main national and political force in the Balkans, and a people to negotiate with, which may not be blackmailed
The unification of the Serb lands needs to be represented in the world in a manner which the world understands or so logically that the world may not pretend not to understand it. This need to be done without ideological or parochial deference to the big powers.
The unity of Serbhood The unity of Serbhood, so that the national objectives could be realized as completely and well as possible, is best achieved by the definition of an integral Serb national programme, which must bring together the best intellectual forces of the Serb people, under the state sponsorship. The stronger the Serb state and the healthier its economy the more possibilities for the return of the expelled and emigrant Serbs, and the development of the means of transportation and communication brings us to a situation, in which the territorial distance between the mother-country and the Diaspora need not be an insurmountable barrier in the aspiration that the Serbs adopt a uniform attitude to the whole world, on crucial issues of their national and state- forming ethistence (sic! - trans.). Moreover, the final national reconciliation of the Serbs is indispensable, and all tragic consequences of the civil war and ideological animosities, encouraged by the half-century communist dictatorship need to be removed.
Promotion of national conscience and patriotism The Serb Radicals are pledged to an all-embracing promotion of the Serb national conscience and patriotism, which shall serve the strengthening of the democratic world-view, and incompatible with any pressure, misinformation or naive glorification. The Serb Radical Party holds that the truthful representation of the events of the past and the present is a moral duty and method suited to the objectives, which watch over the dignity of the people and personal pride.
The members of the Serb Radical Party shall give personal example to prove the necessity of preserving and further promoting the patriotic spirit and love for the Fatherland, and we identify sincere, passionate and exalted love for the Fatherland with love for freedom. We shall endeavor to bring up newgenerations which will take pride in their affiliation with the Serb people and loyal to the country of their birth, that is the homeland of their forefathers.
Preservation of the national tradition The Serb people has a rich history, replete with shining examples of manliness and valor, cultural and spiritual achievements, owing to which our tradition ranks among the most complex and developed. The preservation of the national tradition must be the utmost concern of the state, educational and cultural, scientific and artistic institutions, and financed from the state budget. Without endangering and insulting anyone, without belittling any people or its history, we shall promote our national tradition on the ancient foundations of the Serb perception of justice, morals, spirituality, valor and freedom.
We shall also give evidence of our devotion to the Serb national tradition by reinstating old state symbols, the three-colored Serbian flag, the anthem "Lord, Justice", the two-headed white eagle with the imperial Nemanjic crown, the cross with four steels and the regional coats-of arms of individual Serb historical states.
The attitude to the Serb Orthodox Church The Serb Orthodox Church came out of the second world war (sic! - trans.) well-nigh destroyed, with the clergy halved, with demolished temples, on the defensive before communism and internationalism, terrorized daily by pretentious regime officials, exposed to orchestrated trials, in which priests were sentenced to death or long imprisonment terms. It suffered more under communists, and more priests lost their lives under the communist regime, than during the whole Turkish occupation.
Weakened through marginalisation, disparagement, latent prohibition of work, impossibility to finance its activities as its property had been nationalized, schisms, inspired by the communist power and carried out (sic!)with its generous and diverse assistance, the Church struggled to survive. Its access was barred not only to political developments, but also to the public life at large. By tendentiously separating it from the people, prohibiting it to mark religious holidays and celebrations, through belittlement and harassment of the believers, the communist regime did its best to eliminate the Serb Orthodox Church from the Serb life. Nationalization was particularly ruthless in the case of Serb holy places in Kosovo and Metohija, where hundreds of hectares of monastery land were seized from the church and allotted to Albanian emigrants.
Even though robbed and pauperized to the limit, the Serb Orthodox Church has kept its traditional place and role, and preserved the Orthodox Christian spirit in the people. Its temples are full again, with young people mostly, manifestly showing that a regime which has no respect. for moral and spiritual values of its people is bound to be short-lived.
After the collapse of Yugoslavia and secession of individual republics, a large number of Serb churches and monasteries remained outside the boundaries of the Serb-controlled territory. Almost all these temples have been demolished, and several eparchies have been completely destroyed, while the clergy, sharing the lot of their people, were killed or sought refuge across the Serb lands. In the destructive raid of frenzied religious fanatics, enemies of the Orthodoxy, century-old vestiges of the Serb culture and faith disappeared, and the most impressive evidence of the existence of the Serb national being and authenticity was destroyed.
The Serb Radical Party is a political party of believers, who have a special attitude of respect and appreciation for the Serb Orthodox Church, but at the same time, they are markedly tolerant to all other religions and religious communities.
(...)
The Serb state, under the Radical leadership, shall cooperate with the Serb Orthodox Church in the joint cultivation of the Serb national tradition and patriotism, and upbringing of the youth in the Serb Orthodox spirit. The state holidays of our country shall also be the great religious holidays of the Serb people, notably Christmas, St Sava's Day, Easter and Vidovdan, and the Serb state shall be built on the highest ethical principles, in the spirit of St Savism. The views of the Serb Orthodox Church shall be particularly respected as views, springing from the source of the biggest river of wisdom of the entire Serbhood.
Organization of the state As the chief objective of the Serb Radicals is the restoration of the free, independent and democratic Serb state, which will enfold all Serb lands, we have supported the constitution of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as a transitional solution in that direction, allowing us to avoid the need of seeking the international recognition of the sovereignty and independence of the Serb state, the result of which would the reduction of Serbia to the borders cut by the communist regime, and the ultimatum, demanding the separation of Kosovo and Metohija, Raska and Vojvodina, which the Western powers aspire to, so as to reduce Serbia to the borders of the once Belgrade Pashaluk.
We are pledged to a unitarian state with the republican form of government and we insist on the completion of the unification of Serbia and Montenegro, as well as on the provision of conditions for the union with the Republika Srpska and the Republic Serb Krajina, and if possible and if the local population voices a wish to this effect, expressing its volition democratically, we shall accept the union with Macedonia in a status to be agreed with the Macedonians.
A unitarian state is much more economical, efficient and cheaper than a federal one. Political processes in it are simplified and the original democratic principle: one man, one voice, is implemented consistently.
The Serb Radical Party is pledged to the abolition of the autonomy of Vojvodina and Kosovo and Metohija and we are against any territorial special status, except if the Macedonians decide to live in a common state with the Serbs, if they find that this is in their existential and vital interest.
The territorial organization of the state ( ... ) The territorial partition thanks to the majority system and denial of national, historical, geographical and real demographic facts, acceptance of the state of affairs, caused by the genocide over the Serb people, resettlements as the final solution and the opportunity given to the incompetent, nonqualified and unfit to make decisions, have inflicted on the Serb people in the territory of the former Yugoslavia a situation, in which it had no national rights in areas where it had had the majority before, and oftentimes even after the second world war (sic! - trans.). These territories, owing to arbitrarily drawn internal borders between artificially created federal units, were turned over to other peoples and their complete control.
Owing to the current status of the members of the Serb people in these lands, the hair-raising extermination, persecution and massive flight of the Serbs, the western Serb territories are practically deserted, while Serbia and Montenegro are full to the brim with Serb refugees. At the same time, foreign powers incite separatist movements in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, with the intent of forcing the Serbs into an even smaller ethnic space. To make such tendencies legally unenforceable, the Serb Radical Party shall insist on the abolition of the autonomous provinces and federal units, and we shall also reject any attempt at the regionalisation of our country.
The right of national minorities The Serb Radical Party holds that the national minority question and the protection of their rights and freedoms are among the indicators of the true respect for the principle of the equitable status and equality of citizens, and also an important indicator of the level of development of democratic relations in a country. Minorities are groups of inhabitants of a state, differing from numerically predominant groups by some features, such as religious, ethnic, or linguistic, and desiring to preserve these features. Bearing in mind that the rights of a minority, as a collective, are nothing but an integral part of the body of human rights, the Serb Radical Party holds that they, like the individual rights of every individual, must be protected in keeping with the highest democratic standards. We hold that it is legal and fair, and after all, reasonable that the persons mutually associated, who in some way (religion, nation, ethnic origin) differ from the majority of the population, be ensured the right to preserve their specificity.
In our country the question of the protection of the national minority rights is particularly topical. Unfortunately, owing to the communist system and the single-party totalitarian state during the past 50 years, the representatives of the majority people were imperiled, and the national minority members, in particular those who participated in the power, or were close to it thanks to family or clan relations, were privileged and favorited. The Serb Radical Party, as a party of an expressly democratic orientation, will do all within its power to guarantee the national minority rights by the highest legal acts, and to ensure that the proclaimed right to specificity be truly protected.
To begin with, the members of minorities cannot and may not be deprived of the right to their own cultural life, free use of their mother tongue and alphabet, including the right to schooling and education, and the right to truthful and impartial information. In line with this, and respectful of the principle of private initiative we would allow completely free construction of schools, universities and news houses for the members of national minorities, but funds would not be forthcoming from the state treasury; instead, they would have to embark, according to their possibilities, on the construction, establishment and opening of the above mentioned institutions themselves.
The Serb Radical Party recognizes the right of the minority members to be represented, if elected, in the state agencies and agencies of the local self- government.
Adopted on 18 May 1996
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From "The Radicalisation of the Serbian Society," book published by the Helsinki Committee in Serbia in 1997
Submitted by
Nalini Lasiewicz
[Serb Radical Party Document no. 1 with the specific plan for the assault on Kosovar Albanians]