[Fwd: jhurd_dsa-doc: another view of Kosovo...]

[Wojtek Sokolowski]

At 03:35 PM 3/25/99 -0600, Carrol wrote:
>Apparently Yeltsin & associated mobsters have not emptied
>Russia of all national integrity. From the local paper here this
>morning (a Knight Ridder dispatch, dateline Moscow):
>
>President Boris Yeltsin, underscoring fierce Russian outrage
>at NATO airstrikes against Yugoslavia, responded by
>severing relations with NATO, recalling Russia's representative
>to NATO ...and calling for an emergency meeting of the
>United States -- Ooops, I mean Nations -- Security Council
>to halt the attacks. . . .
>
>Whether this is just a gesture while assuring the bastards in
>D.C. behind the scenes that no real objections are meant, I
>do not know.

That is a possibility.  Some time ago, a source familar with the region
told me that Milosevic made a grave mistake by siding with the attempted
military coup leaders that tried to oust Gorbachev in 1989 or 90 (I do not
recall the exact date).  Clearly Milosevic gambled hoping to win support of
what he saw as future leadership in Moscow, but he miscalcuated.  That coup
was thwarted by forces led by Yeltsin and that explains the animosity
between the two men.  I hear that there is considerable dissatisfaction
with Milosevic inside Russia - many Russians believe that Milosevic's
uncompromising stance jeopardizes the fine line Russia tries to walk in the
times of her weakness.

But I also think that Russians would be fools if they let the US to
continue with its terror bombings - because that would demonstrate the
clear inferiority of Russian-made hardware, if not for other reasons.  A
few downed F-16 (according to Russian sources, the Serbs already downed 2
NATO planes) could restore the reputation of Russian-made weapons and thus
boost future sales.

regards,

Wojtek