Kalejdoskop 105 – Hvis Vesten vil forsones med Jugoslavien

Fikseringen ved Milosevic vil nu skabe problemer

Det vi alle håbede på men ikke turde tro på skete faktisk – den ikkevoldellige forandring i Serbien.

På grund af et årelangt, næsten symbiotisk, forhold mellem Vesten og Milosevic er såvel Serbien/Jugoslavien og Vesten nu, med hans fald, i en fundamentalt ny situation. De sidste ti år er en lang række beslutninger i EU, USA, NATO, OSCE og for den sags skyld også i Danmark blevet taget udfra en tolkningsramme i hvilken Milosevic var den afgørende faktor i spillet mellem Balkan og det såkaldt internationale samfund.

Man kan diskutere hvorvidt det var klogt at fokusere så meget på personen Milosevic og så lidt på andre personer og de problemer, der udgør kærnen i de komplekse konflikter, der ledte til krige og anden vold.

Uanset hvilket svar man har på det er det et faktum at vi står med en grusom masse problemer først og fremmest i Kosovo, men også i Bosnien, Montenegro og Makedonien skabte af to sæt af omstændigheder, nemlig a) de nok så reelle problemer i regionen samt b) de fejltrin EU, USA og NATO har begået i sine forsøg på at løse problemerne.

Ingen af dem magtede den nye type af upartisk mægling og konfliktanalyse, der er så stort et behov for efter den kolde krigs afslutning. Som så ofte før i historien så vestlige lande Balkan som en interessesfære og blev skridt for skridt selv suget ned i selvmodsigelser og “balkanisering.” Forskellige principper blev anvendt over for ensartede problemer og den samme forklaring blev givet på højst forskelligartede problemer, for eksempel at det var tilstrækkeligt at pege på serberne og Milosevic som årsag til dem alle.

Officielt var vi ikke i krig med Jugoslaviens folk

Men selv under NATOs krig mod Jugoslavien fik vi at vide at Vesten ikke var i krig med befolkningen i Serbien, kun med Milosevic. Det sagde president Clinton og vestlige statsmænd gentog det. At det ikke var hensigten at myrde civile, tror jeg gerne. Men det hindrer ikke at det var fundamentalt forbryderisk at beskytte NATO-piloters liv i en sådan grad at man lagde bombeflyene på 7-10 kilometers højde hvilket enhver véd uundgåeligt forøger risikoen for at bomber rammer ved siden af. Den kolde beregning var at lokale menneskeliv i Serbien var mindre værd end NATO-piloters liv.

Det er derfor af stor betydning for fremtiden hvordan vi fortæller dem det så de tror på det og kan begynde en forsoning med Vest. De af os der regelmæssigt har været i Serbien – for mit vedkommende også under bombningerne – er ret overbeviste om at alle i Serbien i det nærmeste hader det Vest, der – som de ser det – ødelagde betydelige dele af deres land og ydmygede dem. Danskerne kan jo blot spørge sig selv om hvilke ting vores regering skulle have gjort for at vi ville synes at vi havde gjort os fortjente til at fremmede magter bombede os sønder og sammen i 78 dage og nætter.

Forsoningens berettigelse – og de skridt der bør tages

Spørgsmålet man må kunne stille nu er: hvordan skal Vesten gebærde sig for at få folk dernede til at tro på at vi ikke ville dem noget ondt og at der nu er en oprigtig respekt og samarbejdsvilje om det DE vil – om det samfund de vil skabe gennem nye demokratiske metoder – og ikke om det VI vil at de skal have?

Det første jeg ville gøre hvis jeg var høj repræsentant for EU, NATO eller et bombeland var at udforme en undskyldning, en klart formuleret beklagelse at det i kampen mod Milosevic-regimet ikke var muligt at undgå at uskyldige i hundredvis blev dræbt og i tusindvis blev såret og at de i mange år må leve med konsekvenserne af ødelagte broer, infrastruktur, raffinaderier &endash; for ikke at nævne de psykologiske konsekvenser af at være objekt for denne specielle form for konflikthåndtering.

For det andet ville jeg udbetale kompensation til de familier, der blev ramt og de pårørende til hver eneste død og såret. President Clinton gav på TV en undskyldning til det kinesiske folk for at man havde bombet den kinesiske ambassade i Beograd og der blev udbetalt en sum penge til familierne. Hvis vi skal vise andre at vi går først hvad angår menneskerettigheder og kultiveret adfærd turde dette være et minimum. Men altså – penge alene gør det ikke for det kræver intet af rige lande. det gør derimod en undskyldning.

For det tredje: vi har i mange år opretholdt økonomiske sanktioner mod Jugoslavien. Det har kostet folkene i det land uendeligt meget. Det er blevet et af Europas mest forarmede lande; der er takket være sanktionerne skabt en maffia-økonomi; syge og pensionister og andre sårbare grupper har i årtier haft et helvede, børn har lidt i et omfang – ikke mindst under selve bomberne – som få, der ikke var der, gør sig en forestilling om.

Vi har et særligt ansvar – flygtningene, sanktionerne, erstatning

Der er godt 800.000 flygtning i Jugoslavien, fordrevet af Kroatien, Bosnien og den nuværende albanske ledelse i Kosovo under Hacim Thaci og Agim Ceku. Tidligere i år besøgte mine kolleger og jeg fra TFF flygtinglejre og suppekøkkener i Serbien. Røde Kors hjælper i dag 1,2 millioner, der ser supperkøkkenerne som den sidste udvej.

Uanset at den økonomiske misere også skyldes Milosvic’s økonomiske politik og deltagelse i krige, så er der ingen tvivl mulig om at Vesten må påtage sig et betydeligt ansvar for den lidelse. Der er tale om en humanitær katastrofe. Der er i dag lige så mange serbiske flygtninge som der sidste år var kosovo-albanske i Albanien og Makedonien. En flygtning er en flygtning, en nødlidende er en nødlidende uanset nationalitet. Det er nu de skal have hjælp – inden mange af dem bukker under i vinterens kulde og energimangel, dør eller begår selvmord. Her er behov for en “humanitær intervention.”

For det fjerde, er det landene omkring Serbien der har betalt prisen for Vestens sanktioner – nemlig dem, der plejede at handle med landet. Hvis for eksempel Makedonien frit havde kunnet handle med Serbien havde det været i en langt bedre økonomisk situation end det er idag.

Undersøgelser gør gældende at de omkringliggende handelspartnere er gået glip af 25-40 milliarder dollar op igennem 1990-erne. Det er fantastiske summer på disse fattige kanter. Mens det ikke spillede nogen rolle for USA eller Danmark at afstå fra at handle med Serbien fordi det var en meget lille handelspartner så havde det katastrofale økonomiske følger for mange lande i området. De bør naturligvis have en eller anden kompensation nu.

For det femte er der krigsskadeerstatning. Forskellige beregninger sig at NATO’s bomber ødelagt for mellem 50 og 100 miljarder dollar i Serbien, inklusive de akkumulerede effekter af at industrier, energiforsyning, broer og institutioner er sat ud af funktion.

Patetiske småbeløb

Groft regnet taler vi altså om en samlet kompensation for vestlig politik på formodentlig mellem 100 og 200 milliarder dollar. Hvad Vesten måtte give derudover kan betragtes som egentlig bistand.

Da vi ikke var i krig med befolkningen, men den alligevel blev uskyldigt ramt, er det derfor tid nu at indlede et Marshall-lignende hjælpeprogram vel at mærke uden betingelser. I ovenstående perspektiv er det en uforvarende hån når EU fornylig besluttede at afsætte 2 mia dollar over 7 år og den danske udenrigsminister og udviklingsminister slår flo(v)t ud med armene med tilbud til Jugoslavien på sammanelagt 100 millioner danske kroner (Politiken 10 oktober).

Fra USA, vor allierede, skal vi næppe vente os noget konstruktivt. Dagen efter valgene, den 25 september, vedtog Repræsentaternes Hus en lov om “demokratisering af Serbien” i hvilken der opstilles så mange mange betingelser for en normalisering at man kan glemme det og USAs præsident fik lov at råde over 115 millioner dollar til at destabilisere Milosevic’ regime &endash; udover dem der allerede er anvendt, inklusive millioner af dollar til CIA.

Åbninger mod en ny politik, en egentlig humanitær intervention

Danmark børe kunne gøre meget mere. Vi hørte jo til blandt dem, som ikke bare støttede sanktionerne og bombningerne men også deltog aktivt i bombetogter. Hvis ideen om en fælles udenrigs- og sikkerhedspolitik i EU står i vejen for at lande selvstændigt kan tage sådanne uomtvisteligt humanitære initiativer er der kun én vej frem: at bryde mod denne idé.

Det er i vor egen interesse at forsones med folkene på Balkan. Det er en rent humanitær forpligtelse. Vi er de store og stærke, de er på knæ. Overalt belærer vestlige organisationer lokala konfliktparter at de efter krige må finde sammen igen. Vi har været i krig på forskellig måde med Jugoslavien i et årti. Nu må det være forsoningens tid &endash; ikke bare med Jugoslavien men også med en helt ny politik vis-a-vis Kroatien, Bosnien, Makedonien og Kosovo.

Her finder begrebet humanitær intervention sin rette plads – hvis ikke det allerede var ødelagt af dem, der tror alle problemer skal løses med magtpolitik og med våben i hånd.

Vestlige politikere, der i årevis har moraliseret overfor Balkans folk, kan nu vise at de har moral &endash; herunder civilkourage til også at indrømme at måske er der lidt, vi også behøver at drage en lære af og gøre bedre fremover.

Peace & future researcher + ‌Art Photographer

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