Balkanspost: How has NATO’s aggression against Serbia and Montenegro affected the region and its environment?
Vladimir Stoiljkovic: In May 1999 the United Nations have hidden from the public the report by Bakari Kante, head of the first mission of UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) about the environmental consequences of the bombing of Yugoslavia.
The UN has never published the text, but parts of it leaked to the public thanks to the interviewee of “Vesti”, American independent journalist Robert Parsons, a reporter from the international institutions in Geneva.
He managed to get Kante’s report from his source in UNEP and publish its parts in June 1999 in Geneva daily “Le Courrier” in an article entitled “Hidden alarming report on the consequences of the bombing of Yugoslavia: Toxins that UN will not see”.
After 12 days of his stay in Yugoslavia, which was still being bombed at the time, in May 1999, where he was with missions of other agencies of the UN system, Bakary Kante submitted a report to UNEP which speaks of ecological horror: atmosphere and the soil in former Yugoslavia have been permanently contaminated with toxic materials because of the bombing of industrial-chemical complexes and use of depleted uranium weapons.
The report was categorical in the assessment that the future generations living on the bombarded soil will suffer from cancer, leukemia, the number of miscarriages and deformities of newborns will be increased.
Kante’s report further says that because of the bombing, the nature in Yugoslavia has been contaminated with toxic substances among which the most dangerous is polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), highly cancerogenous and responsible for immunological diseases. The report stresses that one liter of PCB is enough to contaminate one billion gallons of water.
The report stresses that one liter of PCB is enough to contaminate one billion gallons of water.
PCB is located in the electrical substations and numerous oil refineries which were the target of NATO. It is added that the bombing of numerous factories which processed heavy metals caused, among other things, spreading of cadmium and methylmercury (the most poisonous form of mercury). These are metals that are poisonous even if they are spread on an area of several thousand kilometers.
According to available data, NATO used depleted uranium ammunition targeting military and civil targets. A 30 – milimeter ammunition was used. It was fired mostly from aircrafts “A-10”, as well as within cruising missiles “Tomahawk”.
Their load is radioactive and it is believed that they contain uranium 238, whose radiation is approximately 3.4 Mbq. Uranium belongs to a group of toxic elements that enter the second group of radionuclides of very high toxicity. This kind of ammunition is nuclear waste and its use is very dangerous to health.
The use of this ammunition has terrible consequences for the population, because in addition to physical injuries it causes radiological contamination. This contamination has toxic and radiological consequences that cause cancer,” says Kante’s report submitted to the Director General of UNEP, Klaus Töpfer.
Kante further says: “During the use (explosion) of the depleted uranium weapon is produced uranium oxide (U308 and UO2) as well as, among other things, very reactive gases radium and radon. The oxide particles have a width between 0.5 and 5 microns, and wind can carry them to the distance of several hundred kilometers.
Since in the region of Yugoslavia dominate northwestern winds, this means that the pollution goes from Yugoslavia to Hungary, Germany, Croatia and Bosnia, or to Albania, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece.”
According to dr. Nebojsa Srbljak, the use of depleted uranium during NATO bombing of Serbia has caused long-term damage to Serbia and the Serbian people. Because every year we have an increase in the number of cancer cases by 25 percent over the previous year. Figures in the case of patients in Kosovska Mitrovica support this fact, as in 2011 here were registered 185 of them, the following year, 225 and in 2013 – 250. Therefore, the gloomy forecasts, imposed back in 2002, that the use of depleted uranium during the aggression of Western military alliance against FRY will cause an epidemic of malignant diseases, turned out to be accurate.
In Serbia every day one child is diagnosed with cancer, and every week one dies from this disease. Serbia is the first in Europe according to this statistic.
Balkanspost: What’s your take on NATO’s relations with the U.S.? Does the NATO pursue American interests?
Vladimir Stoiljkovic: NATO is the instrument in the hands of US. Nothing less, nothing more. Siding with NATO will turn every country into vassal state, raw meat for future wars.
Balkanspost: What role has the U.S. and NATO played regarding other Balkan states?
Vladimir Stoiljkovic: With "Either you are with us or against us" approach, US wants to secure support for ultimate goal - chalenging Russia, China and possible Iran to achieve Total global dominance set as US goal in 1960's. So in case of major conflict they want to have their rear secured with friendly countries, and, at the same time, to encircle Russia and China. US is exhausted with wars that never stop, combat fatigue is present and their war experience currently does not mean much when half of soldiers are not combat ready. So they need fresh blood.
Balkanspost: How has NATO’s “humanitarian intervention” affected other countries across the world?
Vladimir Stoiljkovic: US is pushing the same scenario over and over again throughout the world, in every country that does not want to join them. By using political pressure accompanied with fake news stories by main stream media and, finally, military intervention, they achieve (limited) support for their own wrongdoings. Remember first gulf war and the young girl who told the world about "atrocities by Iraq army in Kuwait", and what happened after? Second gulf war and WMD? Yugoslavia and "evil Serbs" theory? Libya? Venezuela? etc... Now Russia and China are in very difficult position because US is knocking on their doors, and that will not pass unanswered. If you ask me, US is playing with fire, and their power is rapidly dropping, while Chine, ie. has unprecedented speed of building battle ships in history, and Russia has anti air missiles at 5 to 1 ratio (according to some experts) which means that for every aircraft NATO have, Russia have 5 s-300 class rockets on disposal. To conclude, I believe that US is well aware what is going on, that time is running out, and they are pushing for all or nothing, so WW3 is not too far away.