Socialist Outlook continues to challenge those on the British left who draw an equals sign between the sides in this conflict, and who fail to oppose the genocidal war against Bosnia. groups have laken a princibuild International Workers' Aid and Workers' Aid for Bosnia, the largest groups, the Socialist Workers Party and Militant Labour, as well as the Campaion Group of Labour MPs, have condemned all sides - and denounce us for calling for an end to the arms embargo.
in our last issue, Socialist Outtook published a letCouncil to the 'Committee calling on western workers against fascism We challenge these groups: Publish this letter. pendent Bosnian workers! cism and genocide, it is scandalous that large sections of the British left stand on the sidelines, and will not join those campaigning for a multi-ethnic Bosnia.
Greater Serbia. WHILE THE Bosnian people continuc to suffer military atrocity after atrocity, the cynical hypocrisy of Westem policy has never been led to the dispossession of dreds, perbaps thousands. have been killed, and reports of mass rape and appalling massacres are frequent.
With the attacks on Zepa shelling of Sarajevo and Tuzis, all or the UN-designated 'safe havens' in Bosnia Meanwhile, the NATO and UN forces in Bosnia do nothing, while Western leaders issue further empty threats against the Chetnik forces. without the slightest intention of taking any genuine steps to prevent te genocluc in bos Their main concer is the forces, their only effective ac- demands. tion is the enforcement of the arms embargo against Bosnia, and their policy is the dismeeting in Westminster Cennic cleansing. and a threat to Bosnia for the benefit of take action to protect Gorazde. The ultimate threat Socialist Outlook has con- seemed to be: "If you attack sistently opposed Western intervention in the Guardian pointed out, the fiwar in Bosnia, and has chal- nal declaration of the summit lenged the illusion held by was almost identical to the some on the left that the UN declaration of the 1992 Loncan play a positive role there. don conference. The UN is not a benign, inde- Since then, thousands of pendent force; it is a cartel of Bosnians have been killed, mainly capitalist and impen tens of chousands of women have been raped, hundreds of aust states, waice acts to prot tect the interests of these ousanus of tousanes Uprooted and driven away from their homes, while the SerWindow-dressing bian chetnik forces treat the western forces with con.
The differences of emphatempe. sis between Major, Clinton This contempt is justified;
the Serbians seem to underdow dressing for a wester policy of partition of Bosnia. stand better than some activLists in Britain that the UN will Every successive western peace plan has awarded the not take any action against them, that it has no intention larger slice of 'ethnically of preventing the carve-up of Bosnia and the slaughter of its cleansed' Bosnia: cach Serpeople. bian aggression and atrocity This demand for the withhas drawn a verbal condemnation, while the Bosnians drawal Of UN and NAIU forces from Bosnia does not mean that we favour aban"reality' and to meet yet more of the aggressors outrageous coning te bosnans so theur fate. On the contrary: we dcJohn Major's London mand the lifting the arms embargo, to enable the Bosnian people to acquire the means to ringing call for an end to ethThe march and meeting The campaign has alThe Serbian army and their Bosnian Serb surrogates do not lack arms: they inherited virtually the entire Yugoslav army, its munitions and factories, and they still receive Sonnais on tacoloca hand, have virtually no arms. especially lacking in heavy prevents them from receiving any from abroad.
Not only does the UN enforce a one-sided arms embargo - in srebrenica ano Leading opposition to arming Bosnians: Rifkind elsewhere they actually disarmed the Bosnians with the false promise to defend the Recent reports suggest that a group of Arab and Islamic states is proposing to supply arms to Bosnia.
We welcome this, and demand that these arms be allowed to reach the Bosnian army.
We defend the right of the Bosnians to acquire arms from whatever source possi-