NATO Military Campaign Against Serbia Was Completely Legal

The bombing of Serbia by NATO was entirely legal and humanitarian, while the Serbian genocide against Albanians was brutally illegal and anti-human. This is the main reason why NATO bombed Serbia, which they deserved.

It was great luck and fortune for Albanians and Kosovo that America and NATO didn’t seek to get the “legal permission” from Russia and China within the Security Council of the United Nations in order to bomb the genocidal Serbia.

Unfortunately, even today, the Serbian fascists have not abandoned such anti-Albanian strategy established by their former president Slobodan Milosevic who intensively tried to restore Kosovo in order to return it back under colonial and hegemonic Serbia. Among other facts include

1)Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej, who continuously pronounced his anti-Kosovo, anti-American and anti-NATO statements that “with sake or without grace” (“milom ili silomi”) “will restore Kosovo into Serbia”;

2)According to Serbia’s constitution of 2006, Kosovo still is its province;

3)Adhering to the Resolution 1244 of the UN (10.06.1999) which doesn’t recognize the independence of Kosovo;

4) Implementation Ban Ki Moon’s Plane of 6 Points (28.11.2008);

5)Kosovar- Serbian negotiations in Brussels (2013-2015);

6)The rejection of membership of Kosovo by UNESCO (11/09/2015).

The “Legal dispute” that initiated NATO’s military intervention against Serbia was justified by the Serbian genocide in Kosovo! This is the main reason why America and NATO, entirely legally bombed Serbia. This proves the legal acclaimed statement of former American president Bill Clinton that “The Kosovo crisis was a genocide in the heart of Europe.” This is the essence of the humanitarian and military intervention of NATO against Serbia’s genocide on Kosovo. It was fully consistent with international law, because each committing crime of genocide is punishable under international humanitarian law. The intervention of NATO against the barbaric and genocidal acts of police, paramilitary and military of Serbia’s Slobodan Milosevic in Kosovo (1998-1999), was more than necessary.

The humanitarian and military intervention by NATO and America against Serbia (1999) was criticized as “illegal” by Belgrade, Moscow, Beijing and the Serbian Orthodox Church. However, NATO and America acted legally and did not seek “legal signature”- consent from Russia and China within the United Nations Security Council. For one reason, Russia and China were using their VETO and wouls not have approved such a resolution against Serbia’s crimes in Kosovo that killed and massacred more than 12,000 innocent civilian Albanians of all ages in 1999. But in that case Russia and China’s VETO would be in opposition to international humanitarian law and the United Nation Charter.

Therefore, anyone who contests, challenges or questions NATO’s just and legitimate intervention against Serbia’s genocide in Kosovo (March24-June 10, 1999) denied international humanitarian law, or rather its enforcement, justifying terror, genocide, massacres, killings, deportation of around 1 million people; executions 3,453 as Human Rights Watch reported; “separation” of the victims from their family (5, 122 instances).

Also, Serbia’s anti-human and anti-legal acts are punishable by the international customary rules.

So, the NATO humanitarian and military intervention in Kosovo was necessary and fully legal and legitimate, not “illegal” at all.

Mehdi Hyseni Ph.D.
Mehdi Hyseni is an Albanian Ph.D. in International Political Relations, residing in Boston.