From: pnmideast@igc.apc.org
Newsgroups: soc.culture.yugoslavia
Date: 22 Aug 92 23:06 PDT
Subject: Anti-war demonstration: Canada
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1475300369:000:6445
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!pnmideast    Aug 22 23:06:00 1992


From: <pnmideast>
Subject: Anti-war demonstration: Canada

/* Written  4:45 pm  Aug 22, 1992 by web:act in cdp:yugo.antiwar */
/* ---------- "Anti-war demonstration: Canada" ---------- */
ACT for Disarmament, a peace group based in Toronto, Canada, held 
a demonstration opposing military intervention in former-Yugoslavia
on August 21, at Conservative Party Headquarters in Toronto. The
Conservative External Affairs Minister, Barbara McDougall, has been 
notable for her ill-considered sabre-rattling rhetoric during the
former-Yugoslav crisis.

Though relatively small (20-30 people) the demonstration attracted
considerable attention from the media and from passers-by. There has 
not -- little to our surprise -- been a response from the Conservative 
government.

Other groups present at the demonstration included Science for Peace,
Voice of Women for Peace and the Toronto Disarmament Network.

ACT's statement opposing military intervention, which was read out
at the demonstration and handed out as a leaflet, is reprinted below:

-- NO TO WAR IN EX-YUGOSLAVIA --

ACT for Disarmament wishes to publicly declare our opposition to 
any form of military intervention in the republics of former-Yugoslavia,
 including Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia.

We acknowledge that the peoples of these republics have the right 
to decide how they want to be governed. Those territories that have 
freely voted for independence should be recognized and their rights 
to self-determination respected, and protected by all nonviolent means. 
The rights of minorities in all of these territories also must be 
strengthened and guaranteed.

We acknowledge that brutal violations of human rights, verging 
on genocide, are taking place in Serbian-run prison camps Q indeed, 
that all parties involved in the war have committed violations of 
human rights, though the Serbian leadership is certainly the greatest
 offender. These violations of human rights must be ended.

We acknowledge that the delivery of relief supplies to those in 
the areas of greatest suffering must be a priority.

But we question whether military intervention is either morally 
acceptable, or rationally useful, as a means of achieving these goals. 
Instead, military intervention will lead only to an escalation of the 
war, involving many more troops and arms than are already involved. 
War is never a solution.

War Resisters' International has said, "Any use of military force ... 
introduces a different logic, a military logic offering a rationale for 
further, less limited use of additional military force. What is taken 
as a small step, apparently likely to save lives, turns out later to have 
been the crossing of a line."

Even Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie, who led the Canadian peacekeeping 
forces in former-Yugoslavia, has spoken out against military 
intervention, arguing that it will only make the situation worse, and 
saying as well, "I do not, nor can I, accept killing a whole bunch of 
people to make peace. And that's what we're all talking about, whenever 
we propose intervention."

In a situation so volatile and complex, so rooted in long history 
and ill-understood by outside forces, as are the conflicts in former-
Yugoslavia, attempts to impose a 'simple' military solution are likely 
only to make matters worse.

Instead, we ask for all *non-violent* methods of intervention.

% We ask, very urgently, that the Canadian peace movement, 
citizens and government support independent initiatives by members 
of civil society in all the republics of former-Yugoslavia that may help 
to bring the war to an end and will make possible the rebuilding of 
the society when the war is over. We ask that humanitarian aid be 
channelled through civil society groups. We ask Canadians concerned 
about peace to take it as their responsibility to work with like-minded
 groups in former-Yugoslavia, aid them in their efforts to broadcast 
reliable and non-propagandistic information, support the peace 
movement in Serbia as it attempts to restrain its government, help 
them to survive so that they may rebuild.

% We ask that the Canadian government, and all governments, offer 
all possible aid to refugees from the former-Yugoslav conflict. We 
call on all outside governments also to offer sanctuary to those who 
have refused military service in any of the armies involved.

% We ask that the Canadian government prioritize the delivery of 
relief supplies to Bosnia-Herzegovina by any means that do not 
involve military force (e.g. air-drops)

% We ask that all governments continue to isolate the Serbian 
government internationally, and that an oil embargo, in particular, 
be maintained against Serbia. 

% We ask Canada to maintain diplomatic pressure, especially through 
the Council on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) on all parties,
 in particular the Serbian government, to respect basic human rights 
and the rights of minorities, and to press the Serbian government to 
respect the rights to self-determination of Kosovo and Vojvodina.

% We support all efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading 
further, for instance the War Resisters' International efforts to 
organize a seminar on nonviolent resistance in Kosovo, or the Helsinki
 Citizens' Assembly-sponsored Peace Centre in Subotica, Vojvodina. 
We ask that Canada recognize the right to self-determination of 
Macedonia and the legitimacy of the representatives elected by 
the people of Kosovo.

% In addition, we support efforts to make peace between the 
former-Yugoslav ethnic communities abroad (e.g. in Canada), 
recognizing not only that the communities abroad play a role in the 
conflict, but also that the history of hatred must be ended worldwide.

As War Resisters' International has said, "If present attempts at the 
militarization of international politics are successful, then the world 
will have lost a great Q maybe unique Q chance to change 
international politics towards some kind of peace politics, and the 
number of future victims and the amount of future suffering will 
be very high."

We believe that it is not too late to change the situation in 
former-Yugoslavia, but we also believe that violence will not bring 
about changes that we or others wish to see. We do not want to see 
this opportunity for effective non-violent action passed up in favour 
of a specious military 'quick fix' that will end up being a long-term 
disaster.