The International Executive Committee of the Fourth International approved this meant to admission to the EU. We should refuse Balkans solidarity network Time for a new world order As a follow-up to the International Appeal "for a lasting peace in the Balkans" launched in Paris on 15 May, several dozen signatories from different European countries met on 2-3 October in Geneva. The war decided by NATO outside any normal democratic procedure has had a very high political price, both on a local and regional level and with regard to international order.
In Kosovo, the legal situation and daily reality have been thrown into confusion following the agreement between the Serb regime and the great powers. Yugoslavia is supposed to retain sovereignty over Kosovo, which transformed—for an indefinite period-into an international protectorate by UN Resolution 1244. The DeutschMark has been decreed the official currency of this protectorate held under a UN mandate and NATO military occupation.
The Albanian population has returned, but the Serb and Romany minorities are in the process of leaving completely. Tensions between communities have greatly increased
Aid programmes are deter30 International Viewpoint #316 November 1999 particularly throughout the Balkan mined by the strategic orientation which lay behind NATO's military interventionintegrating the region into NATO's security vision and into the rules of the market economy as defined by the major western powers.
This results in a denial of the right of peoples to make their own decisions about their future on a socio-economic and political level. The way the Yugoslav crisis has been handled by the "International Community" has been a disaster
It is high time for a public debate on the role of NATO as a "private militia" of the major western powers. European security and world peace must not be based on a unilateral right of intervention (even worse, of waging war) which certain countries presume to grant themselves, either under the leadership of the United States or within the European framework.
One cannot claim to defend international law while at the same time failing to respect any norms, and bypassing the institutions whose very essence is universal. It is not possible to build peace and security without a determined policy of nuclear resolution in September 1999 and conventional disarmament, without a policy centred on economic and social development, solidarity between peoples and equality of rights.
Our unanimous condemnation of the way the Kosovo crisis was, and is still being handled, prompts us to continue our discussions and to pursue an exchange of texts. We also intend to make known other European initiatives whose orientation is similar. What alternative peace and security policy should be defined? Through which channels should it operate?
A first debate on international law, NATO, the UN, OSCE and the international tribunals was held by participants at the decided to form anneternational meeting Geneva. network dedicated to reflection, the critical analysis of Europe's leading media, and the exchange of information.
The network's objective is to develop an alternative to today's dominant policies on the basis of relations of solidarity, cooperation and friendship with partners in the Balkans who are involved in similar activities. This new network will participate in already existing projects aiming to organise "civic" conferences on the Balkans. * Contact the provisional voluntary collective via Suzanne de Brunhoff <Sdebrunhoff@compuserve.com> or Catherine Samary <samary@dauphine.fr > fax +33 1/42583030
Mexican writer, militant
• German marks: account n° 17 495 011, BLZ
365 601 96, P. Berens, Volksbank Oberhausen-
Mülheim, earmarked 'lIRE'
New legislation obliges us to install a f40,000
(US$20,000) fire alarm system. Unless we can • US$: Checks (tax-deductible) to 'Center for raise extra funs, we will have to cut back on our Changes', marked 'International Fund - IRE'.
sessions or publications. In the past many of you • Swiss francs: acct. 40-8888-1, COOP Bank, have supported our work. Can we count on you 266233.290005-6, Förderverein des Studienzennow to see us through this difficulty? trums, marked 'E. Mandel/IRE'.
• Dutch guilders: bank transfer to Netherlands International Institute for Research and Education (IRE),
Postbank (giro) account #2079557, IRE, Postbus 53290, 1007 RG Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Tel: +31 20 6717263, Fax: 6732106, E-mail: IIRE@Antenna.nl