Tuesday, November 3, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
CONFLICT-YUGOSLAVIA: NATO Mistakes Toughen China’s Stand
Vesna Peric-Zimonjic
- In the wake of NATO missiles falling on the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, and cluster bombs dropped over a hospital and a marketplace in downtown Nis, the Yugoslav government has seemingly decided to ‘wait and see,’ regarding the G-8 peace proposals.
The G-8 plan announced in Bonn Thursday does not mention the NATO campaign, but the bombing Friday night of the Chinese embassy will make it even more difficult for the US to obtain a Security Council resolution not demanding an immediate end of the air raids, analysts here say.
Western governments had shifted its diplomatic efforts to China – a permanent member of the Security Council- after agreeing with Russia on a set of principles to achieve peace in Yugoslavia.
In Belgrade, no government official has yet commented the plan – drafted by the world’s seven leading industrial countries plus Russia – which contains provisions for a United Nations force in the province of Kosovo, the withdrawal of Yugoslav troops and the return of ethnic Albanian refugees.
The missiles launched on the Chinese embassy and the bombs dropped over civilian areas of Nis, add to the long list of “mistakes” by which trains, refugees, buses civilian areas have been destroyed by NATO, with heavy civilian casualties.
Two people were killed, two are missing and more than 20 were wounded at the Chinese embassy building, the Chinese government said, which NATO said was mistaken for a “legitimate military target.”
The attack “is a gross violation of Chinese sovereignty and a random violation of the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations and the norms of international relations,” the Chinese government said in a statement.
“US-led NATO should bear all responsibilities arising therefrom. The Chinese government reserves the right to take further action on the matter,” the statement adds.
An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was convoked in the early hours of Saturday (GMT time) in which China assailed the action, with Russia’s support, and demanded an investigation.
“We call on NATO to stop immediately its military actions so as to avoid further humanitarian disasters,” Qin Huasan, Chinese ambassador to the UN, said.
Russia also condemned the attack and UN Secretary general Kofi Annan said he was “shocked and distressed.”
On Friday at least 11 people died and dozens were wounded in Nis, 185 km south-east of Belgrade, where cluster bombs were dropped Friday afternoon over a hospital and a marketplace, NATO spokesmen and the Yugoslav news news agency Tanjug reported.
Yugoslav government officials said cluster bombs were prohibited under international agreements.
After the latest events, it looks increasingly difficult for NATO to impose a peace plan that will not include an end of the air raids, analysts in Belgrade said, but NATO spokesmen insisted that, in spite of the new civilian tragedies, the bombing will continue and intensify.
The Yugoslav government-controlled media have carried detailed reports on the G-8 meeting, without any comments, while Tanjug news agency carried Friday a carefully worded item dealing with the world reactions to the peace proposal.
Although not a classic commentary, the item repeated some of Yugoslavia’s key stand points.
“It is obvious that the decision of G-8 foreign ministers yesterday (Thursday) who vowed to find a peaceful solution for Kosovo problem, does not mean that the six weeks of criminal air strikes against Yugoslavia would be coming to an end” the article says.
From Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic down, all officials who have held talks with foreign visitors have stressed that halting of NATO air raids was a precondition for any negotiations or agreement.
“It is very important for our country now that the problem is being transferred to the UN and the Security Council, that a resolution be quickly passed regarding the political solution for Kosovo,” Tanjug said.
For weeks now, Yugoslav officials have been insisting that the solution of the Kosovo conflict should be transferred to the UN. Milosevic himself told UPI news agency recently that he would only accept a lightly- armed UN force in Kosovo, without NATO forces in it.
In a meeting with a Greek parliamentarian delegation Friday, Milosevic said that a political solution must include the “preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia and Yugoslavia,” – which is explicitly mentioned in the G-8 proposal- Tanjug reported.
“We believe that a just solution for all open issues can be reached through a political process via direct talks, which calls for a halt to the aggression and the return of peace and of all Yugoslav citizens to their homes,” Milosevic was quoted as saying.
Tanjug’s analysis also praised “the return of Russia as an equal partner in the international relations”, stressing that “the world has come to a turning point where a monopoly of the world policeman (US) is being broken”.
The only political party to comment the G-8 meeting was the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) of former Yugoslav deputy prime minister Vuk Draskovic, sacked from office on April 28, after he publicly urged a softer approach on negotiations over Kosovo.
We (Yugoslavia) should accept what is proposed to us by G-8 countries, we should not miss this chance” the SPO statement said.
“People here want the bombs and death to be replaced by peace and reconstruction … our sovereignty would not be violated by UN troops in Kosovo. Our country was one of the founders of the UN,” the statement added.
No official or state controlled media in Serbia carried an interview of Yugoslav ambassador at the UN Vladislav Jovanovic with the US television news network CNN, in which he said the G-8 proposals were ” unacceptable, as they do not foresee a halt of air raids and the withdrawal of NATO troops from the region.” .
Most of the independent analysts in Belgrade seem to agree that it is too early for the government to react to the G-8 document, as it takes some time to prepare the public for any shift or turnaround in current policy.
“An agreement will be reached and people have to be prepared for it, after they have been told in a daily manner that they were ready to die and never surrender” an analyst who requested anonymity says.
“The popular mood will depend on how all these things are presented to the public” she added.
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CONFLICT-YUGOSLAVIA: NATO Mistakes Toughen China’s Stand
Vesna Peric-Zimonjic
- In the wake of NATO missiles falling on the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, and cluster bombs dropped over a hospital and a marketplace in downtown Nis, the Yugoslav government has seemingly decided to ‘wait and see,’ regarding the G-8 peace proposals.
(more…)
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