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Tuesday, January 11, 2000, updated at 15:30(GMT+8)
Editorial A Demand for International Justice from the Victimized

Soon after fireworks were let off at the advent of 2000 there has been filed the second time by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia a lawsuit at the International Court decrying NATO's war atrocities against the Yugoslav people in violation of principles and norms governing international relations between countries.

Yugoslavia is obviously not a country that has suffered from amnesia nor has it chosen terrorism to avenge itself on sufferings from "organized terrorist crimes" of NATO headed by the US. It lodges likewise its second complaint at the international court in pointing to its full respect for international laws and its responsible principled demand for justice from the international community.

Contrarily, the US and its ally NATO brag unblushingly about their war atrocities committed against Yugoslavia as those "in complete accord with international laws". But by international laws no interference in the internal affairs of other countries or encroachments on their sovereignty should be allowed. NATO and the US have conveyed their full blatancy by denying the illegality of their aggression and atrocities committed against a small country like Yugoslavia. A thing to be noted is that by "just and mild" legal principles of the International Court, just as things stand with the present panel of the court, Yugoslavia as the victimized part can in the least be favored by decisions to be made irrespective of its complaint placed. But this does not deny the significance of Yugoslavia's complaint lodged at the International Court against NATO and the US. Though Yugoslavia may fail in such a suit of "war" against "organized terrorist crimes" by NATO and the US yet it represents still the righteous demand of a nation for international justice.

At a time as is now when NATO has by its Kosovo war brought an accursed stain on the new bright 21st century the world people should be alerted to the fact that dark clouds have already been thrown up by Western power politics over world peace. It is by no means pointless for Yugoslavia to renew its lawsuit and demand for justice from the international community and a brand-new world order by lodging at the International Court its accusations against crimes NATO and US committed.

A variety of game rules have been produced by the US and its ally NATO in regard to the sovereignty of other nations during the few years from Gulf war to the Kosovo war. Back in 1990, when Iraq made inroads into Kuwait the US and Britain directly unsheathed their sword on the pretext of defending "principles on sovereignty". But by 1999, from US-led NATO's Kosovo war there was suddenly produced such a pseudo theory as "protecting human rights" at the expense of "principles on sovereignty" originally they much flaunted. A saying by a handful of Americans is that since the world has been engulfed in a tidal wave of globalization the "principles on sovereignty" have become an outmoded concept in defining the territorial rights of different states and their national interest. But following the American logic, they themselves should be excepted for they have still to be comforted by their own type of "American interests". This is to say when the US has not been self bestowed with the right to brag about various types of world interests simply theirs it will find it hard to give a satisfactory explanation of what it has asserted about the like fallacies as "human rights transcending sovereignty". We should say international rules must be worked out by a coordinated effort of the peoples of the whole world. This is where the right sort of "human rights" and genuine democracy can be produced and enjoyed by the peoples of the whole world.

In international politics, it is by no means a rare phenomenon for the big to bully the small and strong to browbeat the weak. In spite of the fact that though against Western power politics not a strong rival force has yet risen in today's world since NATO launched its barbarous Kosovo war in Yugoslavia people should in no way give up their hope and demand for justice from the international community. High credit should therefore be given to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia since it has lodged at the International Court its accusation against the US and its ally NATO and the support given by the Italian Reconstructed Communist Party to the Yugoslav people in their fight against Western power politics.

A French writer has put it rightly. He said a people's foreign policy can be bought but not the dreams or memories of such a nation. In the brand-new 2000, instead of forgetting yesterday's sufferings the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia clings all the same to its hope and demand for justice from a responsive international community tomorrow. (Wang Tian)

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