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RE: "Clinton should claim victory in Kosovo", Morton Kondracke, Ocala Star-Banner, 6/17/99
June 18, 1999
Dear Morton Kondracke,
Perhaps Clinton also should claim victory in Croatia for supporting them recently in ethnically cleansing more than 1.25 million Serbs from Croatia. In killing or driving out more than 600,000 in 1995 alone, the Croats said they want only Roman Catholics in Croatia.
Now that the US and NATO bombing of Yugoslavia Serbs has stopped, columnists such as Jack R. Payton and A. M. Rosenthal, prompt the question: Why did the US and NATO bomb the Serbs for ethnically cleansing more than 850,000 Muslims from Kosovo and not bomb the Croatians who recently ethnically cleansed more than 1.25 million Serbs from Croatia? The Serbs knew Croatia succeeded in ethnically cleansing Serbs from Croatia and expected to be able to do the same thing in its civil war in Kosovo with the Muslims.
One answer offered is the Serbs religion is Greek Orthodox, and the Croatians' religion is Roman Catholicism. With China and Russia opposed to the bombing, the UN would not support the bombing. For political reasons, the US used NATO and successfully bombed a Greek Orthodox nation, Yugoslavia. For political reasons, the US and NATO never would consider bombing Croatia, a Roman Catholic nation. President Clinton, Congress, the pope, more than 61 million Catholics in the US, and millions of Catholics in the NATO nations wouldn't permit the bombing of Croatia.
Later, former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger and German officials regretted helping Croatia gain independence because it led to civil wars and the unwanted disintegration of Yugoslavia.
With approval from the US, Germany helped the Croatians repel the Serbs in their civil war. In 1994-95, according to former Secretary of Defense, Schlessinger, and other government officials, the US supported the Croats as they completed their ethnic cleansing of Serbs from Croatia. In December, 1997, Roman Catholicism legally was made the state religion of Croatia.
Next to the Muslims in Kosovo, Croatia is the biggest beneficiary in the Balkans of the destruction of Yugoslavia.
Clinton and Secretary of State Albright openly claim how they never would permit ethnically cleansing to take place in any nation if they were able to stop it. They not only didn't intervene in Croatia, they reportedly supported the Croats then buried the stories.
This story of religious and political prejudice by the US needs to be told. Displaced Serbs
lived in Croatia for generations and want to be able to go back home in Croatia, just as the
Kosovars want to return to their homes in Kosovo.
James M. O'Hara
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