<HTML><TITLE>02/17/99, LETTER TO PRESIDENT
CLINTON ABOUT BOMBING</TITLE><HEAD></HEAD>
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<P>
February 17, 1999
<P>
President William J Clinton,<BR>
The White House,<BR>
Washington, D.C., 20500
<P>
Dear Mr. President:
<P>
The Paris talks on Kosovo have reached a crisis point. With the news
blackout, I will avoid comment on the specific issues involved but I
do want to raise the most strenuous objections to the threat of
military action against Serbia.
<P>
For all of us of Serbian descent, this would be a wholly
incomprehensible course of events. It would be a betrayal of all the
values and principles of law, justice, and decency for which America
stands in the world. Serbia represents no threat to the United States.
No U.S. citizen has ever endured harm from the Serbs. To the contrary,
in the great wars of this century, Serbia has stood shoulder to
shoulder with the U.S., bringing on itself enormous suffering. How can
it be therefore that our kinsfolk now face military action from our
country that they have never harmed?
<P>
Mr. President, this is inverted morality. I earnestly call upon you
not to go down this road.
<P>
Not only do our fundamental moral instincts cry out against military
action. Also, cold calculations of diplomatic realism demonstrate that
this would be totally counterproductive. In effect, we will be turning
our country into the airforce of the terrorist KLA. As yet, they have
refused to disarm. As we saw in the wake of the October 1998 Belgrade
Agreement, they will use any opportunity to entrench their evil
influence. Military action against Serbia will further open the door
to them and their ambitions of destabilizing the entire region.
<P>
Mr. President, I ask you to bear in mind a further reason for prudent
counsel. Military action against Serbia will destroy the potential for
democratic reform there. The people will rally to the regime, thus
shrinking further the space for political moderates. We will simply be
playing into the hands of the extremists. Within Serbia today there
are many who preach a gospel of peace and reconciliation. Military
action will reduce their influence to zero.
<P>
Mr. President, these are good, decent arguments against military
action. This would be contrary to our nation's values and our best
interests. It would be an historic and tragic mistake. As this
decision looms, may I ask you to listen to these arguments rather than
those who mistakenly prefer bombing over negotiation.
<P>
Respectfully,
<P>
Milosh D. Milenkovich<BR>
President
<P>
5851 Pearl Road, Suite 302,<BR>
Cleveland, OH 44130<BR>
tel: (440) 842-2770 fax: (440) 842-2740
<P>
cc:<BR>
State Department, the Congress, NATO,<BR>
UN Security Council, and Contact Group members
<P>
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