Paris, January 18th - "Humanitarian propaganda" was very important in NATO actions in the Balkans, but now, after the "Balkan Syndrome" affair, credibility of NATO and of the western governments is strongly shaken, commentator of the French International Radio (RFI) marked.
"Balkan Syndrome", the name which was given to the possible illnesses caused by the use of depleted uranium as a weapon, is a symptom of illness of the society which presents itself as moral and humane, and at the same time uses that kind of weapons, RFI says.
Pointing out that the whole affair about the depleted uranium turned into a testimony on western society and the time in which the modern world lives, commentator of the radio emphasizes that it "takes off the wail which covered many truths on the existing society".
So far, thirty soldiers - participants in peace forces in the Balkans died, and according to NATO and Pentagon, is not a great number, it is even relatively small number of victims regarding the achieved results, RFI states and adds "such NATO logic could probably be right considering that the risk which depleted uranium represents for soldiers and civilians was less important than the benefit that could be gotten".
However, such logic can be useful for army experts, but it does not sound good for the public. There is no humanity, or moral in it and therefore NATO officials turn to another kind of defense which cost them dearly and which embittered the public, it is emphasized in the comment and added that "now they simply deny that such uranium infects health".
That is an obvious lie, French radio claims, giving the example of Iraq, where that weapon was widely used and western soldiers were not warned and therefore several hundreds of them got ill, especially American soldiers.
It is further stated that depleted uranium is extremely dangerous and it caused real catastrophe in Iraq. Detail researches have already been made about it in the West, with astonishing results: It was proved that such weapons cause illnesses, genetic deformations and death even decades after it was used.
RFI emphasizes that such situation imposes the taboo question in all states.
The question about the relationship between military industry and army logic, which think only on the efficiency in destroying the enemy and civilian authorities and society, which are terrified of the military complex's power, even though they dream about the invincible army and the war in which the enemy will perish without any risk for their own side.
"Military power and significance given to it in the USA is not the reason that the affair with depleted uranium in the Balkans gained huge proportions, especially in the West", the radio claims and adds that the key is in the fact that "NATO forces in the wars in the Balkans should have been not the forces for efficient elimination of the opponent, but the forces that came to the Balkans for humanitarian reasons, to bring some good to little people".
"That is how these forces should have been seen and accepted in the West, and among local citizens", French radio observes.
Every government and every army have always had this logic, but nowadays, governments are more sensitive to propaganda then ever, because their proper survival depends on the media, RFI marks.
Reminding that "humanitarian propaganda" was very important in NATO actions in the Balkans and that NATO and western governments credibility is strongly shaken, RFI says that it now looks as though NATO takes more care about protection of its soldiers than about the future of the civilians in the country in which has actions.
According to the French radio the fact that politicians in the West and those who plan wars care more about achieving the strategic aims than about the health of their own soldiers is even worse.
The use of depleted uranium was not even known in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH). Even if soldiers were discreetly informed, civilians were not at all warned, French radio gives this example and emphasizes that "exactly at that point something even worse than humanitarian propaganda starts - the story about racism".
French commentator asks, how come that no warning was given to civilians in BiH, in Kosovo-Metohija, how come that great scandal breaks out in the West only after it was found out that there are thirty dead soldiers who served in the Balkans, and that no one has so far asked what was happening with local citizens that were surely more affected than soldiers, and with all that, the West claims that it wanted to help.
RFI pictures the hypocrisy of the western governments by giving the example of "authorized" representatives of the local population in Kosmet and in BiH, who, depending on western governments were willing to hush up the possible danger: Albanians in Kosmet in fear that they might lose western powers protection are attacking those who speak about dangers from uranium.
Both Albanians and Bosnian Muslims are trying to prove that criticisms directed to NATO are malicious and that depleted uranium did not do any harm to anyone, nor it will, RFI marks.