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From the Spanish weekly "Articulo 20" (Article 20, the constitutional
provision on the freedom of speach?), No. 30, of June 14, 1999, about
the NATO bombing raids against Yugoslavia and the role of Americans in
taking all decisions.
The spanish pilots of fighter planes admit that NATO attacks civilian
targets.
The pilots of spanish planes who participated in bombing raids against
Yugoslavia do not feel like "supermen" nor as masters of air space.
Quite on the contrary, they say that our forces play to the tune of
music played by the North Americans, and accuse NATO of having
honoured with medals the bombing of civilian targets, what they
otherwise name "collateral damages".
Jose Luis Morales
........
Captain Adolfo Luis Martin de la Hoz, who returned to Spain end of May
after having participated in the bombings since the beginning, an
"authentic expert for the dreadful F-18", the war plane most often
used in the war strategy of "scorched land" in the Balkans, is very
categoric: "First of all, I want to make it clear that the majority, I
say the majority, of my colleagues, even if not all, are against the
war in general and against this war of barbarity in particular."
Martin de la Hoz says that he and his colleagues "are burnt out".
"Since a few days ago there appeared in the papers certain statements
of the commander Maches Michavilla, who is now in the air base at
Aviano with the pilots who replaced us, in which he said that that our
main helper in the air was the mental and physical health. But I tell
you that our worst enemies are our own authorities, the Defence
Minister and all his team, the members of the Government, who know
nothing about war and go along with it without informing themselves
about anything and, what is gravest, are guilty of lying to the
Spanish people through the papers, radio and television, foreign
correspondents and press agencies."
The suspicions that NATO's repeated bombings of civilian victims and
non-military targets are not the result of war "errors", are confirmed
by Captain Martin de la Hoz: "Several times our Colonel protested by
NATO chiefs why they select targets which are not military targets.
They threw him out with curses saying that we should know that the
North Americans will lodge a complaint by the Spanish Army, once
through Brussel and again by the Defence Minister. But there is more,
and I want to tell it to the whole world: once there was a coded order
of the North American military that we should drop anti-personnel
bombs over the localities of Prishtine and Nish. The colonel refused
it altogether and, a couple of days later, the transfer order came.
But what I say now is nothing compared to what I shall have to say
when the time comes."
The Spanish military denounces that "the Spanish Government not only
does not try to inform themselves but they also accept the false
reports that are edited for them in Aviano, where there is a sort of
military press cabinet in the hands of North American generals and
functionaries. Ever since we arrived in Italy - the Captain goes on -
there is no end to humiliations and insults. The order givers are only
the North American generals, and no one else. We are zeroes, just as
our replacements are going to be. But there is still more to that.
Here they say that several operations were directed by Spanish
commanders and pilots. Lies over lies. All the missions that we flew,
all and each one, were planned by US high military authorities. Even
more, they were all planned in detail, including attacking planes,
targets and type of ammunition that we have to throw. We never
directed anything, and our missions were limited to flying over the
borders of Macedonia, Albani, Bosnia and Slovakia."
Government's lies
None of the pilots presently stationed at Aviano, who replaced those
who went to the Italian base a little before the start of war, last
March 23, were there with clean conscience, says the Spanish military.
"It is being written to saturation that the disciplined and patriotic
Spanish pilots - according to Minister Eduardo Serra - are
concentrating on the complexity of their war missions.". But we read
so many discrepances, so many lies that we agreed to not read a single
newspaper until we return. Our anger is enormous. The President of the
Government, the Minister of Foreign Affaires and the Defence Minister
are lying brazenly each time they talk about the war. Some of us are
of another opinion and believe they do not inform themselves, because
the North Americans - the White House, the Pentagon, the CIA, the
Embassy or military information service, whoever, do not inform them
about anything. How should they inform themselves if our own Javier
Solana has not informed himself since the war broke out? Solana is a
puppet who has been put there by the Yankees to do what they tell him
he has to do. And so he does, standing straight before General Clark
when he talks to him, or better said, when he issues him the orders
that he has to implement without delay."
On the subject of manipulation of informations about the war, Captain
de la Hoz says that "no one has said anything about the incidents that
took place in Aviano, about the disastros maintenance of Spanish
machines, about all, and about the constant humiliations to which we
were subjected from the beginning. Not that we are cannon fodder. No.
We are nothing. About the fatal accidents, the losses suffered without
connection to combats, the contempt and sanctions, not a word. From no
one!"
For the wrong selection of targets and humiliations the Spanish
militaries are ever more certain that there is no alibi. "We know
perfectly well that we are intervening in a conflict - says Martin de
la Hoz - which is rejected by the majority of the spanish people and
this is most important for us. But what they do not say in any
information, commentary or speach, is that the Spanish, Dutch,
Portuguese ... that we are there to cover up the North American
generals who are dealing and wheeling in the war. There is no
journalist who has any slightest idea what is happening in Yugoslavia.
They are destroying the country, bombing it with novel weapons, toxic
nervous gases, surface mines dropped with parachute, bombs containing
uranium, black napalm, sterilization chemicals, sprayings to poison
the crops and weapons of which even we still do not know anything. The
North Americans are committing there one of the biggest barbarities
that can be committed against the humanity. Much and very bad things
will be told in the future about what was happening there, because, by
the way, judging by what we talked about with the Britisch and German
officers, it was designed in order to divide the Europeans and keep us
subjected for many decades.
Therefore, Captain Martin de la Hoz is enraged when there are talks
about the costs of the war. There should be no doubts, he confims that
the militaries detached in Aviano are receiving bonuses which
"multiply by five our salary, withoug considering the daily expenses
and other perquisites. We could say that we should be satisfied with
what this war means economically for each one of us, but it is not
true, what they give us is the chocolade for the parrots. This war is
going to cost the Spaniards more than all the money allocated for the
culture in the last five years. And how, even if now no one says
anything because of the elections, but it will come in a few months
and will be felt in our pockets. Because this brutal solely Yankees'
war, no one's but Yankees', is going to be paid by all of us. Be sure
that what I say is not to exculpate myself and to intone 'mea culpa'
for having participated in it, because I will never be able to forget
that what was being committed there was one the biggest savageries of
history."
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