Official Statements Prove Hague 'Tribunal' Belongs to NATO
by Jared Israel
[Originally posted 30 June 2001]
[Updated and expanded 7 January 2002]
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Of course you've heard of the ICTY, also known as The Hague 'War Crimes
Tribunal.' That's the outfit that kidnaps Serbian leaders (including
Slobodan Milosevic) and puts them on 'trial.' Did you think the ICTY was a
fair-minded UN court, free to indict anyone charged with crimes in
Yugoslavia, regardless of nationality?
Think again.
Exhibit A: Press Conference by NATO spokesman Jamie Shea. Took place May 17,
1999, that is, during the NATO aggression against Yugoslavia.
"QUESTION: Jamie, I wonder if you could comment on a speech made by Justice
Arbour of the International Criminal Tribunal last week, a copy of which I
left with your very fine secretary so that you would have reference to it.
Judge Arbour in her speech said that as a result of the NATO initiatives
being initiated on 24 March the countries of NATO have "voluntarily
submitted themselves to the jurisdiction of her court whose mandate applies
to the theatre of the chosen military operation and whose reach is
unqualified by nationality and whose investigations are triggered at the
sole discretion of the prosecutor who has primacy over national courts."
Does NATO recognise Judge Arbour's jurisdiction over their activities?
"JAMIE SHEA: First of all, my understanding of the UN resolution that
established the Court is that it applies to the former Yugoslavia, it is for
war crimes committed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia.
"[SHEA CONTINUES] Secondly, I think we have to distinguish between the
theoretical and the practical. I believe that when Justice Arbour starts her
investigation, she will because we will allow her to. It's not Milosevic
that has allowed Justice Arbour her visa to go to Kosovo to carry out her
investigations. If her court, as we want, is to be allowed access, it will
be because of NATO so NATO is the friend of the Tribunal, NATO are the
people who have been detaining indicted war criminals for the Tribunal in
Bosnia. We have done it, 14 arrests so far by SFOR, and we will continue to
do it.
"[SHEA CONTINUES] NATO countries are those that have provided the finance to
set up the Tribunal, we are amongst the majority financiers, and of course
to build a second chamber so that prosecutions can be speeded up so let me
assure that we and the Tribunal are all one on this, we want to see war
criminals brought to justice and I am certain that when Justice Arbour goes
to Kosovo and looks at the facts she will be indicting people of Yugoslav
nationality and I don't anticipate any others at this stage."
[Our Emphasis. May 17, 1999 Transcript of NATO press conference by Jamie
Shea & Major General W. Jertz in Brussels Transcribed by M2 PRESSWIRE (c)
1999. To see the excerpt above in context of the full transcript, go to:
http://emperors-clothes.com/docs/jertzback.htm#h-list_quote ]
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Washington Created It; NATO Makes It Possible
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Did you think critics were indulging in hyperbole when they said Madeline
Albright was "Mother of the Tribunal"?
EXHIBIT B: Excerpts from speech by Gabrielle Kirk McDonald, President of the
Hague Tribunal, at her award ceremony at the American Supreme Court on April
5, 1999.
"[Gabrielle Kirk McDonald:] I am also pleased to be here tonight as a guest
of the Coalition for International Justice, which was founded in 1995 with
assistance from CEELI and the Open Society Institute. The Coalition has been
a great source of support to the Tribunal. CIJ jumped in early and has
stayed involved ever since. From running a workshop to assist the defense
counsel in the very first trial, through seminars for the judges... (context)
"[Gabrielle Kirk McDonald:] Without the co-operation of the states and
entities in the former Yugoslavia and the international community as a
whole, the Tribunal had no way of bringing even a single accused to trial.
"[Gabrielle Kirk McDonald Continues:] Nevertheless, we persevered and did
what we could to build the institution. We benefited from the strong support
of concerned governments and dedicated individuals such as Secretary
Albright. As the permanent representative to the United Nations, she had
worked with unceasing resolve to establish the Tribunal. Indeed, we often
refer to her as the "mother of the Tribunal". And I am proud of what we have
accomplished. After those first years of struggling to simply establish the
court, we have now really gotten on with the substance of our mandate."
(context)
(From http://www.pict-pcti.org/news/archive/April/ICTY.04.05.html
to see the quotations in context of the full Speech, go to:
http://emperors-clothes.com/docs/kirkback.htm#h-list_quote1
and
http://emperors-clothes.com/docs/kirkback.htm#h-list_quote2 )
Emperor's Clothes Note: The Open Society Institute, which Ms. McDonald found
so helpful, is George Soros' outfit. Soros acts as a kind of high-profit
wing of the CIA. On the one hand, he is a ruthless currency-pirate (that is
polite), implicated in savaging the Thai economy, which launched the great
Asian crash. On the other hand, his foundation sets up and funds front
groups throughout the former Socialist countries and elsewhere as beachheads
for U.S. penetration.
In his testimony at the July, 1999 hearing on overthrowing democracy in
Yugoslavia, Special Yugoslav Envoy Gelbard spoke of the Open Society
Foundation as a great help in carrying out Imperial penetration. CELLI
appears to be part of a group of governmental and semi-governmental
organizations which work together to develop Fifth Column organizations in
countries targeted by the U.S. Empire. One of the main coordinators of this
apparatus is a CIA spin-off, the National Endowment for Democracy, about
which see:
'US Arrogance And Yugoslav Elections' at http://emperors-clothes.com/engl.htm#z
and
'Eviscerating Democracy' at
http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/szamuely/neda2.htm
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Washington Finances It
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Did you think this "United Nations" War Crimes Tribunal was funded by the
United Nations?
Exhibit C: The Tribunal Thanks Washington for Donating the Money to Do
Washington's Propaganda Work
"Press Release · Communiqué de presse
(Exclusively for the use of the media. Not an official document)
The Hague, 19 April 1999
JL/PIU/397-E
"THE UNITED STATES PLEDGE USD 500,000 TO
"TRIBUNAL’S OUTREACH PROJECT
"PRESIDENT McDONALD GRATEFUL FOR GENEROUS CONTRIBUTION
"On behalf of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia,
the President of the Tribunal, Judge Gabrielle Kirk McDonald, has expressed
her deep appreciation to the U.S. Government for its pledge of USD 500,000
for the Tribunal’s Outreach project. Harold Koh, the US Assistant Secretary
of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, announced the donation at a
press briefing at the Tribunal on Friday 16 April 1999.
"This generous contribution, which makes up over a third of the total
Outreach budget, will, as Assistant Secretary of State Harold Koh noted
'allow the Tribunal to carry its message of impartial justice not only to
governments and legal practitioners in the former Yugoslavia, but, most of
all, to the families of victims.'
"The President urges other countries and organisations to support this vital
project, which is aimed at bridging the communications gap between the
Tribunal and the people of the former Yugoslavia and helping in the
international community’s overall reconciliation effort."
(From:
http://www.pict-pcti.org/news/archive/April/ICTY.04.19.html )
EMPEROR'S CLOTHES URGENTLY NEEDS YOUR HELP!
[See Below]
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Some Useful Articles on the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia
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* In 'Illegal Tribunal - Illegal Indictment' Dr. Hans Koechler, the
distinguished philosopher and social-legal analyst associated with the
United Nations examines the Tribunal and does not like what he finds. Can be
read at http://emperors-clothes.com/docs/prog2.htm
* The big so-called case before NATO's so-called Tribunal is that of former
Yugoslav President Milosevic. For a decade he has been on trial in the
Western media, convicted daily of doing - and saying - terrible things. It's
easy enough to discover that the media reports of Milosevic's views and
statements are lies. Go to www.icdsm.org
* In 'An Impartial Tribunal? Really?', Attorney Chris Black examines the
Tribunal's history and methods of operations. Can be read at
http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/Impartial.htm
* Dr. Kosta Cavoski, a distinguished Yugoslav legal scholar, has written a
mind-boggling four-part series.
In 'The War Crimes Tribunal vs. Gen. Djordje Djukic' at
http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/cavoski/c-1.htm
and 'The Mistreatment of Col. Aleksa Krsmanovic' at
http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/cavoski/c-2.htm Professor Cavoski deals
with the torture and physical destruction of Serbian 'defendants'.
In Illegal Origins' at http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/cavoski/c-3.htm
Professor Cavoski analyzes the Tribunal's legal rationale, or lack of same.
In 'Learning from the Inquisition' at
http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/cavoski/c-4.htm Professor Cavoski
describes the practices of the Tribunal, which thoroughly violate what we
would consider natural legal guarantees.
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