Dear Friends and Esteemed Colleagues,

This letter is an answer to a "request" made by our associates and friends of long standing, with whom we cooperated
for a number of years on the long-term and far-reaching programme of building a civic society in the FR of Yugoslavia.
This request, which we received in the midst of war, "humanitarian intervention" and NATO aggression, that is, in the
midst of a collapse of the legitimate spheres of public and political life, at a time of extraordinary decrees, military rule
and summary trials in Yugoslavia, asks of us to raise our voices and sharpen political criticism and moral condemnation
of the regime in Belgrade. Moreover, in this assult of severe western Alliance action, which has transformed our society
into a military barracks and enthroned Milosevic a charismatic leader and Supreme Commander, we are expected, if
possible, to approve, even greet with understanding the militarist interventionism of NATO in the FR of Yugoslavia.
Let us say immediately: from the beginning of the destruction of former Yugoslavia our "civic position" has been clear
and unambiguous. We have been equally opposed both to the ethnic cleansing in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and
today in Kosovo and to NATO's intervention in the FR of Yugoslavia. In other words, we fought with equal decisiveness
against the lethal political self-will of the Belgrade regime and the pernicious militarist self-will of the western alliance.
In this context, we cannot be expected to unilaterally denounce local totalitarianism and, at the same time, express
solidarity with the pretensions of global hegemonism. It is our principal belief that the civic society should function as a
permanent corrective to the state reason, and that NGOs should be supportive of peace and not war option of their
governments. 
It is unfounded to expect that the chain of violence and an expansionist military option will lead to a rational political
solution in Kosovo, in the FR of Yugoslavia and in the Balkans. On the contrary, we fear that in the name of so-called
"humanitarian intervention" we are witnessing the revival of the old, archaic "figure of war", which we hoped long
banished from our culture.
Finally, let us remind you: the brutal disintegration of the former Yugoslavia, and the related nationalist conflicts which
culminated i the ethnic catastrophe in Kosovo, took place "in collusion" with European policies and international
diplomacy. It has been precisely these unexpected shocks that have dangerously threatened the ideals and norms of
international democracy, which is still the successor to the liberal and social heritage of defence of autonomy of the
individual, groups and peoples.
In spite of all circumstances, we shall continue to fight persistently and enduringly for freedom of the individual, for
those individual, civic, collective and human rights which this war has again brought into peril.
 

     Alternative Academic Educational Network 
     Association of Citizens for Democracy, Social Justice and Support for Trade Unions 
     Belgrade Circle 
     Belgrade Women Studies Center 
     Center for Policy Studies NEZAVISNOST 
     Center for Transition to Democracy 
     Civic Initiatives 
     District 0230 Kikinda 
     EKO Center 
     European Movement in Serbia 
     Forum for Ethnic Relations and Foundation for Peace and Crisis Management 
     Foundation for Peace and Crisis Management 
     Group 484 
     Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia 
     Society for Peace and Tolerance (Backa Palanka) 
     Sombor's Peace Group (Sombor) 
     Student Union of Yugoslavia 
     Trade Union Confederation 
     Union for Truth About Anti-Fascist Resistance 
     Urban Inn (Novi Pazar) 
     VIN Weekly Video News 
     Women in Black 
     YU Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights 
 
 

In Belgrade, 
May 21, 1999

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                                     PROTIV LOGIKE RATA
 

                         PISMO MEDJUNARODNOJ HELSINŠKOJ FEDERACIJI
                                        ZA LJUDSKA PRAVA
 
 

Dragi prijatelji, cenjene kolege,

Ovo pismo predstavlja odgovor na jedan "zahtev" naših dugogodišnjih saradnika i prijatelja, sa kojima
smo dugi niz godina radili na dalekose?nom programu izgradnje graðanskog društva u SR Jugoslaviji. U tom
zahtevu, koji je prispeo usred rata, "humanitarne intervencije" i agresije NATO-a, koji je, dakle, stigao usred raspada
legitimnih sfera javnog i politièkog ?ivota, vanrednih uredbi, vojnog re?ima i prekih sudova u SR Jugoslaviji, od nas se
tra?i da podignemo ton i zaoštrimo politièku kritiku i moralnu osudu re?ima u Beogradu.
Štaviše, pod naletom sna?nog dejstva zapadne alijanse, koja je naše društvo pretvorila u
vojnu kasabu, a Miloševiæa ustolièila u neprikosnovenog dr?avnog lidera i "Vrhovnog komandanta", od nas se
oèekuje, ukoliko je to moguæe, da odobrimo, mo?da i s razumevanjem pozdravimo militaristièki intervencionizam
NATO-a u SR Jugoslaviji. 
Odmah da ka?emo: naša "civilna pozicija" je od poèetka raspada bivše Jugoslavije bila jasna i
nedvosmislena. Podjednako smo se suprostavili kako etnièkom èišæenju u Hrvatskoj, Bosni i Hercegovini i
danas na Kosovu tako i intervenciji NATO-a u SR Jugoslaviji. Drugim reèima, sa istom odluènošæu smo se
anga?ovali protiv pogubne politièke samovolje re?ima u Beogradu ali i protiv nekontrolisane  militaristièke samovolje
zapadne Alijanse. U tom smislu, od nas se ne mo?e oèekivati da jednostrano denunciramo "lokalni totalitarizam", i da
se, istovremeno, solidarišemo sa pretenzijama "globalnog hegemonizma". Naše je naèelno uverenje da
civilno društvo treba da funkcioniše kao trajni korektiv dr?avnog rezona i da nevladine organizacije
treba da podr?avaju mirovnu a ne ratnu opciju svojih vlada. 
Neosnovano je oèekivati da æe ulanèano nasilje i ekspanzivna vojna opcija dovesti do racionalnog politièkog
rešenja na Kosovu, u SR Jugaslaviji i na Balkanu. Upravo obrnuto, strahujemo da se u ime takozvane
"humanitarne intervencije" ponovo o?ivljava stara, arahièna "Figura rata" za koju smo se nadali da je odavno
proterana iz naše kulture.
I da vas na kraju podsetimo: brutalni raspad bivše Jugoslavije, i s njim u vezi nacionalistièki konflikti koji su
kulminirali u etnièkoj katastrofi na Kosovu, odigrali su se u "dosluhu" sa evropskom politikom i svetskom diplomatijom.
Upravo su ti neoèekivani potresi opasno ugrozili ideale i norme moderne demokratije koja baštini liberalne i
socijalne tekovine odbrane autonomije pojedinca, grupa i naroda.  
Uprkos svim okolnostima, mi æemo se i dalje istrajno i uporno zalagati za slobodu pojedinca, za ona individualna,
graðanska, ljudska i kolektivna prava koja su svakim, pa i ovim "humanitarnim" i "opravdanim", ratom ponovo
dovedena u pitanje. 
 

     Alternative Academic Educational Network 
     Association of Citizens for Democracy, Social Justice and Support for Trade Unions 
     Belgrade Circle 
     Belgrade Women Studies Center 
     Center for Policy Studies NEZAVISNOST 
     Center for Transition to Democracy 
     Civic Initiatives 
     District 0230 Kikinda 
     EKO Center 
     European Movement in Serbia 
     Forum for Ethnic Relations and Foundation for Peace and Crisis Management 
     Foundation for Peace and Crisis Management 
     Group 484 
     Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia 
     Society for Peace and Tolerance (Backa Palanka) 
     Sombor's Peace Group (Sombor) 
     Student Union of Yugoslavia 
     Trade Union Confederation 
     Union for Truth About Anti-Fascist Resistance 
     Urban Inn (Novi Pazar) 
     VIN Weekly Video News 
     Women in Black 
     YU Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights 
 
 

In Belgrade, 
May 21, 1999.