While the bombing of Yugoslavia has come to an end, it is apparent that this atrocity has not only not settled any of the tensions in the Balkans but has aggravated them to a point of hatred between and within communities which will fester for decades. Furthermore, NATO intends to continue its occupation of the Balkans far into the future.

NATO forces continue to work with the terrorist KLA and will merely paper over the role that the KLA has played in promoting the conflict.

A heavy blow has been struck against the United Nations Organisation as confirmed in statements by British, US and other political leaders.

Carl Bildt who has been appointed by Kofi Annan as a United Nations representative said:

«There is no military exit strategy from the region. An international military presence to guarantee peace in the Balkans must be seen in the coming decades as something as natural as it was to have troops in divided Germany during the cold war years.»

Such a statement coming from a representative of the United Nations shows that the UN has become an organisation effectively under the control of NATO.

The Charter of the United Nations has been effectively torn up by NATO, opening the way to the operation of the «might is right» principle.

The Charter of the United Nations, to which all NATO countries are supposed to subscribe, calls upon all nations to «maintain international peace and security ... to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace peace ...» (Article 1).

The savage bombing of Yugoslavia was illegal and a flagrant violation of the UN Charter.

A leading warmonger, British Defence Secretary, George Robinson said that the war against Yugoslavia set a precedent against the UN Charter.

He said: «Maybe the international community will have to look a bit more carefully at this general principle about national sovereignty. Maybe that's one of the Rubicons that we've crossed in the Kosovo conflict because I don't think the population of the world in general are willing to accept the idea that any ruler of any country can simply genocidally wipe out part of the population.»

What Mr Robinson is implying is that «genocidal wipe out» of a population should be done by a military force like NATO. «That's a useful lesson for international law and order», declared Mr Robinson.

But the hypocritical Robinson and his Government show no concern for the years of genocide of Kurds by the Turkish Government, the expulsion of about 700,000 Serbs during the Bosnian conflict, the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians by Israel.

This interpretation of international law has brought anti-war and anti-NATO protesters onto the streets around the world.

As the «heroes» of the war against a sovereign state huff and puff with pride at the destruction they have wreaked the private sector is looking forward to the massive profits from «reconstruction» deals and arms sales.

Taxpayers in NATO countries will be forced to tighten their belts as governments cut social services. Once again, working people and their families will pay for wars while big business and arms manufacturers reap the profits.

The war in the Balkans has now moved to another stage. Kosovo is now effectively under the control of NATO and the KLA.

The ethnic Serbian population is fleeing for its safety.

The conflict is likely to continue, as indicated in a declaration by the KLA's press secretary that the presence of Russians in Kosovo is undesirable.

We shall treat them as a «hostile force», he said. Asked whether the KLA was planning to attack the Russians, he answered: «I didn't say it».

Meanwhile Russian troops in Pristina have begun putting up fortifications. British newspapers report that the Russian peacekeepers expect provocations fromthe so-called Kosovo Liberation Army, who refuse to disarm.

This article was published in «The Guardian», newspaper of the Communist Party of Australia in its issue of Wednesday, June 22nd, 1999.