LETTERS SENT to the UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE BY GREEK UNIVERSITIES, FOUNDATIONS, COUNCILS etc.
Prof. Jagos Puric
Rector
University of Belgrade
Athens, 1st April 1999
Dear Rector,
As Rector of the oldest University in Greece,
with which your country shares traditional strong bonds of friendship,
I would like
to express my sincere sympathy and sadness
for the very unfortunate events taking place in your country. You have
the
understanding and moral support of the whole
Academic community.
The University of Athens is making at the moment
every effort so that a financial humanitarian contribution is sent to your
people in the next few days. We are also in
contact with the rest of the Greek Universities, which also wish to make
a
contribution for the same purpose.
I really hope that peace will be brought again in the area as soon as possible.
Best Regards,
Constantine A. Dimopoulos
Rector
Dear colleagues,
I am writing from the University of Patras
to declare our solidarity to
your struggle against the aggressors of NATO.
The following statement is co-signed until
now (starting yesterday) by
more than 450 members of the community of
the University of Patras:
"We condemn the brutal intervention of NATO
forces in New Yugoslavia and
we express our support to the people of this
country. We demand the
immediate termination of all military operations.
The solution must be
sought by peaceful means only and must ensure
the existing borders and
the territorial integrity of all countries
in the region."
This statement will be forwarded to the mass
media and other
institutions in Greece and abroad.
The list of all those who have signed the
statement may be found at:
http://www.hpclab.ceid.upatras.gr/list.html
I also want to inform you that our people,
in a daily basis, take part
in numerous manifestations all over Greece,
demanding the immediate
termination of the aggession against your
country.
Cordially yours,
Yannis Kosmopoulos
Assistant Professor
Department of Physics
University of Patras
GREECE
Athens 5. 4. 1999
RESOLUTION
The Association of Greek Chemists is supporting
its fellow chemists, members of the SERBIAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
AND THE SERBIAN PEOPLE in their resistance
to the invasion of their country from NATO forces.
The Association of Greek Chemists has a strong
and historic relation with the Serbian Chemical Society that was expressed
recently during the embargo of Yugoslavia
from NATO and EU countries.
The Association of Greek Chemists condemns the invasion of American and NATO forces in Yugoslavia.
The Association of Greek Chemists also condemns
the hypocrisy of the powerful countries of EU and the United Nations that
blindly obeyed the demands of USA contrary
to every moral rule and international law.
The Greek Chemists fully support their Serbian
brothers in their resistance to the invasion of their country and demand
the
following:
A the immediate termination of the bombing,
B that the Greek Government undertake the
appropriate diplomatic initiatives for the solution of the Kosovo crisis.
The Association of Greek Chemists is addressing
its members to send clothing, pharmaceuticals and food to our offices or
money to the account No 129/480294/21 of the
National Bank of Greece.
It also calls upon its members to participate
in as many activities as possible taking place for the moral support of
the Serbian
people.
THE PRESIDENT
N. Katsaros
THE SEC. GENERAL
I. Gaglias
SUBJECT: NATO attack against sovereign neighboring
European country
and decisions for specific actions of NTUA.
The Senate of the National Technical University
of Athens in its meeting of April 4th 1999, expressing also the views of
all the
Departments of the Institution, decided unanimously
and announces the following:
1. Condemns unequivocally and expresses its
revulsion for the destructive attack executed by NATO against a free and
sovereign neighboring country. This action,
in addition to being criminal, is also completely false for the at least
five following
reasons:
The basic principles -on which International
Organizations were founded and have been operating, following massacre,
devastation and grief of the two World Wars-are
now being violated.
Lives and properties of a free European country
civilians are reuined, a country which has fought bravely against fascism
and
during the Second World War.
Matters have led to a destructive and exactly
opposite result from the one presented as the main aim, which is that of
protecting
the minorities, which on the other hand are
at the same time systematically violated in other regions (Cyprus, Courdistan
etc). In
other words a national minority, which supposingly
NATO is trying to protect, is being eliminated with the violation of the
borders as a consequence.
The obtained equilibrum on the borders and
the peaceful coexistence in the sensitive Balkan area, following hundreds-of-years
struggles and sacrifices, now becomes destabilized,
with obvious sociopolitical consequences and unpredictable implications
for
the entire Balkan area.
Many scientific and technological achievements
are now being questioned ethically because in reality they are used as
unethical
means of destruction.
2. Condemns the participation in destructive
choices and the attitude of the European Union leaders as well as those
of Greece,
offered in the form of a space for the NATO
troops' development and passing through. It calls the Government to act
immediately and effectively for attacks against
the neighboring country to stop.
3. Moves, within the abilities of NTUA, towards the following immediate and specific actions:
A work meeting with the authorities and the
students' representatives of the University of Belgrade and the University
of
Pri?tina, with the main purpose to organize
and decide on specific measures to support the operation and infrastructure
of the
suffering similar to us, Institutions.
The formulation and organization of two work
groups composed of NTUA executive members, the first group of which will
offer scientific and technical contribution
towards the restoration of monuments and traditional buildings of the friendly
country
and the second one will contribute similarly
towards the restoration of infrastructure works, such as arterial roads
and railways,
water supply and sewage systems, airports,
works for the production and distribution of electrical power and
telecommunications.
The provision of the Institution funds, provision
of the permanent and casual NTUA staff's two days payment as well as
collection of funds by opening a bank account
for extra financial aid for the University's equivalent personnel and students
of the
neighboring country.
The provision of hospitality to the personnel,
the families and the students of the University of Belgrade and the University
of
Pri?tina.
The interruption of the University members' collaboration related to all the programs financed by NATO.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN ALREADY DIFFUSED
IN MASS MEDIA, FOREIGN EMBASIES,
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND UNIVERSITIES.
The Senate of the University of Patras was
convened on 31-3-1999 and concerned itself exclusively with the problem
of the
NATO bombardments of Yugoslavia. It unanimously
decided the following:
1. The University, whose aim is to promote
peace, to cultivate diachronic and universal human values, and to safeguard
the
cultural heritage of the world’s peoples,
vehemently condemns the unprovoked intervention of NATO in a sovereign
state,
Yugoslavia. This action has, thereby, broken
every principle of international law and imposed a new and dangerous geopolitical
order in absentia of the competent organisation,
the United Nations.
2. It expresses its great distress at the current
military actions while the major regional and global problems of our times
are
ignored. Instead, human beings, nations and
states are subject to contempt and degradation while a new world order
is being
imposed.
3. It observes with great anxiety the provocative
and arrogant promotion of the interests of the powerful nations of the
globe,
which by means of carefully chosen and strategically
planned military and others interventions, has brought war back to Europe
and has ignored sovereign rights and territorial
integrity.
4. It calls on the Greek and international
academic community to actively express, in the context of their academic
activities,
their condemnation of these unacceptable actions.
5. It expresses its complete support for the
citizens of Yugoslavia in their suffering and every other victim of foreign
invasion and
appeals to all parties concerned for an immediate
halt of military actions and for a peaceful political solution to the problem
with
due respect for existing boundaries.
Rector
Prof. Stamatis Alahiotis
7 April 1999.
Dear Rector
On behalf of the National Council of Education
of Greece and of my
colleagues of the University I would like
to extend to you our moral
support for the difficulties your Country
is going through.
I hope that the ore deal your are experiencing
at the moment will soon be
over so that you will be able again to concentrate
on your peaceful
activities.
Please, let me know, if there is any kind
of support or help that our
Council can offer to your University, faculty
and students, or pupils in
general, of your Country.
With best regards
Professor J. Panaretos
Chairman, National Council of Education of
Greece
Prof. Dr. Jagos Puric
Rector of Belgrade University
Belgrade
My dearest friend,
I closely follow the terrible brutality, that
your proud Country is suffering off, and, I really want you to feel that
I am near you
those difficult hours.
I should like you to know that after a suggestion
of six colleagues of my Faculty (Prof. M. Apostolou, E. Emmanuil, A.
Patsouma, R. Panajotounakou, G. Sariyannis
and myself), we voted against the distraction of the historic architectrural
heritage
of Yugoslavia, specially of the important
monuments of the south Yugoslavia.
I should be obliged if you are kind enough
to transfer to Prof. M. Suput and Prof. V. Korac my full assistance as
well as my
deep sympathy. God is with you!!!
Very friendly yours,
Nicholas Th. Cholevas
RESOLUTION
The City Council of Corfu expressing the political
decisions of the Corfu residents, after hearing Mr. President, who presented
the vote, Mr. Mayor and the City Councilmen
who took the stand.
UNANIMOUS RESOLUTION
1) Expresses their strong opposition and complete
disapproval of the war waged on Yugoslavia by NATO, a war which was
established completely without reason, cynical,
raw, offensive action which revoked the UN, the International justice,
the
International treaties and International legitimacy
and which not only does not solve problems but intensifies instability
and
misery to the Balkans nations, it divides
them rather and unites them.
2) Disapproves of the hypocrisy and fascism
of the U.S.A. and of NATO because it invokes chosen human rights for the
Kosovo nation and forgets the human rights
of the Greek Cypriots and Kurdish nations.
3) Expresses its outrage for the apathy and
inconsiderateness of the 15 leaders of the European Union who accept the
conversion in the rear of American politics
with adverse long term consequences to Europe in the whole.
4) Announces its complete political and moral
support to their heroic and proud brother nation of Serbia and of Yugoslavia
and
decided to guarantee the amount of 10.000.000
drachmas as economical human aid to the distresses Yugoslavian nation.
5) Requests the Greek Government to try all
the best at hand to stop the crime which is going on in the Balkans and
to take the
initiative for a political solution of the
problem based on no change of the borders and to respect the human rights
of the
minorities.
6) Requests the leadership of Yugoslavia to
take the necessary initiatives which in accordance with its ethical dignity
and
national sovereignty, to contribute to peace
in the Balkans.
Finally, requests the residents of Corfu to
assist by contributing money and help in the collection of medical equipment,
medications and food aid for the Serbian nation.
7) "Announcement to the U.S.A. and NATO that their warships are unwelcome in Corfu".
Mr.'s Bouzoukis, Mastoras, Komianos, Spatoulas,
Riganas, Loumbos, Gardikiotis, Mikalef, Kardamitsis, Manolatos, Gongas
who did not vote on the last paragraph (7)
made the following statement:
"In the case of the last paragraph we stand as follows:
Announcement to the U.S.A. and NATO that their
warships are unwelcome in Corfu for as long as they carry out their war
operations".
Mr. Karvounis, who also did not vote on this paragraph (7) made the following statement:
Due to the unprovoked and cowardly attack from
the air, with the continuous bombing by NATO airplanes, against a sovereign
and independent European nation, Serbia, which
has created a sense of disapproval and condemnation of the bombings by
the
residents of Corfu who mutually support the
Serbian nation, render the anchoring of NATO ships and American navy at
the
Corfu port, unwelcome.
This resolution will be given to the media and sent to:
1) Mr. President and members of the Greek Government
2) Mr. President of the Greek House of Parliament
3) The leaders of all Greek Political Parties
4) Mr. President of the U.S.A.
5) The U.S.A. congress
6) General Secretary of NATO
7) All leaders and Prime Ministers of the
European Union
8) Mr's. President and Vice-President of the
European Parliament
Corfu 28th March, 1999
The President
Goerge Kaloudis
The Secretary
Thrasiv. Gerogiannis
The Mayor
Chrisanthos Charlis
The present members
1. Spiridon Venturas
2. Panagiotis Giochalas
3. Spiridon Manolatos
4. Dimitrios Pouliezos
5. Con/nos Gongas
6. Evangelina Logara
7. Dimitrios Lavranos
8. Ioannis Memis
9. Soiridon Doukakis
10. Ioannis Asonitis
11. Stavros Karvounis
12. Themistoklis Vlachopoulos
13. Lukia Diavati Saini
14. Constantinos Nikolozos
15. Spiridon Tsiringakis
16. Alexandros Mastoras
17. Ilias Bouzoukis
18. Spiridon Komianos
19. Sofoklis Riganas
20. Ioannis Spatouls
21. Sotirios Mikalef
22. Con/nos Loumpos
23. Georgios Gardikiotis
We, Professors of French Institute of Athens, condemn:
NATO's attacks in
Kosovo
Hypocrisy of the
member countries of the European Union
NATO troops' use
of the territory of Greece
and are demanding:
that the bombing should
be immediately stopped
that our country
should stop being a base for the powers of war
that peace in the
Balkans should be back
that our country
should propagate a policy of independence in foreign affairs.
Administrative Council of the Association of Professors of the French Institute in Athens
Athens, 5 April 1999
RESOLUTION
The Rector’s Council of the Panteion University
of Social and Political Sciences, during its session of the 5th April 1999,
decided unanimously:
1) To condemn the military intervention of
NATO, to the independent neighbor country of Yugoslavia, which does not
solve
but sharpen the problems
2) To express its anxiety for the de facto
abolition of the United Nations Organization, which symbolizes the after-war
global
hope for peace.
3) To ask for the promotion of Human Rights and for the inviolable of the Balkan Countries’ frontiers.
4) To invite the University Community to help
by all means, the victims of the war and all those who are obliged to abandon
their paternal homes.
April 29, 1999
Some facts about the war in Yugoslavia
When NATO started bombing Yugoslavia, President
Clinton claimed that this action was necessary in order to protect the
rights of the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.
In view of this statement, the fact that there
are presently half a million ethnic Albanian refugees means that NATO has
been
unsuccessful in meeting this goal.
We do not justify the ethnic cleansing by the
Milosevic regime in Kosovo. But it is very difficult to explain this number
of
refugees by the sole action of the Yugoslavian
paramilitary. There is no doubt that the bombings have increased dramatically
the
number of refugees. In fact, before the bombings,
there were almost no refugees from Kosovo.
On the other hand, the bombs do not discriminate
between Albanians and Serbs. For example, in the hospital of Pristina the
majority of the victims are Albanians. Another
example is the bombardment of a convoy of Albanian refugees returning home
on April 14, which resulted in 75 deaths.
The western media continuously present the
drama of the Albanian refugees. But they fail to show adequately the drama
produced by the bombings: the loss of human
life, including hundreds of civilians, the thousands of wounded and mutilated,
the
destruction of bridges, power stations and
factories that result in hundreds of thousands of unemployed, the destruction
of
trains, schools and hospitals "by mistake".
They also failed to present the shocking events related to the bombardment
of the
main television center in Belgrade on April
23, that had dozens of victims, mainly journalists.
In view of the above facts we are justified
in expressing the opinion that the world is grossly misinformed about the
basic facts
concerning Yugoslavia and Kosovo.
We sympathize with the Albanian refugees, and
Greece was the first country to provide substantial humanitarian aid to
them.
But we sympathize also with the killed, the
wounded, the mutilated Serbs and Albanians, that are the victims of the
most
modern war machinery in the world.
Furthermore, the western world does not know
that even worse situations than in Kosovo take place in other nearby
geographical regions. They ignore that more
than half a million of Serbs have been expelled from Krajina and parts
of Croatia
and Bosnia. Ethnic cleansing has been applied
also by the Turkish regime in Cyprus, and brutal repression is a daily
phenomenon against the Kurds in Eastern Turkey.
The Kurdish people are called terrorists, but the UCK groups in Kosovo
are called freedom fighters and have the military
support of NATO (although some months ago they also were called terrorists
in the West).
Finally, the NATO action lacks any justification
according to the International Law. It lacks the support by the United
Nations
which is the only organisation that has the
authority to act in international conflicts. According to its constitution,
NATO was
supposed to be a defensive organisation to
protect its member states. What right does it have to select particular
international
problems for action outside its frontiers?
There is a growing anxiety that the war may
expand and involve countries that are beyond the control of NATO, with
unforeseen consequences.
There is also a growing anxiety due to the
ecological catastrophe that affects not only Yugoslavia, but the neighbouring
countries as well.
We believe that the war is a much worse alternative
than any difficult negotiations. After all if the tens of billions of dollars
spent
up to now by NATO for destruction were used
in Kosovo they would make all its citizens rich.
As a conclusion we ask you:
1) to DEMAND from the media, and all other
agencies involved, to provide adequate and objective information, coming
from
all sides involved in the Kosovo crisis, before
passing judgement about the war in Yugoslavia, and
2) to URGE the NATO governments to stop the
war in Yugoslavia and start again negotiations for a just and permanent
solution in Kosovo.
On behalf of the following Greek non-governmental organisations:
Hellenic Astronomical Society (President: Prof.
J. Seiradakis)
Hellenic Physical Society (President: Prof.
C. Spyridis)
Hellenic Society for the Study of High Energy
Physics (President: Prof. M. Dris)
Hellenic Nuclear Physics Society (President:
Prof. G. Anagnostatos)
Hellenic Mathematical Society (President:
Prof. N. Alexandris)
Association of Greek Chemists (President:
Prof. N. Katsaros)
Panhellenic Union of Biologists (President:
Dr. C. Yapidzakis)
To: Prof. Dr Predrag B. Djordjevic
President of the Association of University
Professors of Serbia
Thessaloniki, 9th May, 1999
Dear Mr President and Colleague,
I have just received your circular of 2 April 1999 and I hasten to answer you and the respected members of your Association.
You should know that the people of Greece are
absolutely horrified and offended by what has been going on in FR Yugoslavia,
in the Balkans, on the territory of Europe
and in our neighbourhood, and that they have been energetically protesting
daily.
Being Orthodox, we, Greeks, do not understand
the attitude of the European Union, which accepts the 46-day-and-night-long
massacre and war crimes, the destruction of
civilisation, economy and life in general without a word of protest, avoiding
naively
to point to the enormous decline of its own
credibility. That same European Unity has shown a complete lack of solidarity
by
justifying the genocide committed against
an entire European people under the pretext of allegedly wishing to save
the
Kosovars. What they are really doing to them
is turning them into poor, miserable exiles deprived of everything and
unwanted,
in view of the fact that this is a purely
Balkan problem.
However, I wonder what kind of victory NATO
is aspiring to when its leaders had the temerity to announce it while still
bombing, round the clock, a helpless people
who, in spite of all that, has been openly mocking NATO, showing amazing
pride
and courage in facing a barbaric force using
"intelligent weapons" (the very same ones which indiscriminately destroy
foreign
legacy, schools, hospitals, markets, women
and children).
The heroic people of FR Yugoslavia is determined
to preserve its own integrity at any price and, if necessary, fight till
the very
end against the cruellest and most perfidious
enemy. The Yugoslav people have constantly been teaching the whole world
a
brilliant lesson on the essence of human values,
in spite of the fact that they have been exposed to barbaric bombing for
days.
It has thus become obvious that the famous
"economic mondialism" also includes "mondialistic wars", which can be waged
whenever, wherever and however one should
wish to do so.
Greece, a small Balkan and European country
and member of the European Union, has been and still remains a NATO
member country. If truth must be told, Greece
could not have acted differently. Its authority to freely make decisions
has been
severely restricted, even though Greece has
been trying to convince its allies that they should aspire to a diplomatic
solution.
However, I can tell you that all Greek people
have been showing great solidarity with the Yugoslav people, which you
must
have already heard of. The Greek Orthodox
Church, Greek Universities, even Greek Radio and Television Stations are
absolutely on your side, even though they
are often condemned for that.
As for me, I have been trying as much as I
can to influence my numerous colleagues and foreign friends by phoning
them and
talking to them about this problem or writing
them long letters. Unable to fall asleep for nights, due to the horrible
noise of the
planes flying over my head, directed, unfortunately,
towards FR Yugoslavia, I thought for the first time in the last two years
that
my husband, Professor Dimitrios Delivanis,
knew when to leave this low world. And, of course, when I attend the Congress
of
Francophone Economists, which will take place
in Marrakech towards the end of this month, I am strongly determined to
deliver a long speech on this criminal war
at the end of this century of ours.
May I ask you, Dear President and Colleague,
and the members of your Association, to accept my deep respect and great
concern, given the dramatic circumstances
you have been going through, and which we, here, have been suffering too
in some
way. In fact, who could say who the next victim
will be?
Dr Maria Negreponti Delivini
Professor and Former Rector
Department of International and European Economic
and Political Studies