An open letter from a group of teenagers who suffered under the airstrikes on Belgrade, quoted in its entirety:
Dear MoveOn and people of the world,
We are 25 teenagers and young people, the youth task force of the Yugoslav NGO, BEOSUPPORT, in Belgrade. The name of our task force is the BS Team. Your message regarding the possibility of air strikes on Iraq reached our adults, and was conveyed to us. Here is our answer, and we are sure we speak on behalf of 28,000 citizens who support us in our campaign for a National Plan against the exploitation of children. All were bombed with us.
In 1999 we suffered the biggest air campaign in history. Our country was punished because we had a dictator who made a huge harm to many innocents around us but first turned our lifes in disaster and misery. Our country is full of graves and handicapped, poor and isolated. As a solution, 19 countries for 78 days sent up to 900 planes daily upon us, targeting the evil, striking the innocents. Bombs did not remove it, we did. Now, how does it look in reality, being bombed? The awful sound of the warning signal, then darkness no one can imagine, then long frightening silence. The most awful were the nights. At one moment, the silence would be broken by the unanimous barking of many many thousands of terrified dogs, who heard something we could not. But we knew the planes were approaching. In some minutes, the explosions, huge and terrifying would start, the walls would tremble, and we were shaking in darkness awaiting whether we would stay alive, or would die as collateral damage. After the ending signal, we would first check by phone whether our relatives in other parts of the city are alive, and then we would look at the fire enlighting the sky. The city was burning. At the end, coffins and tombs, tears and ruins, no bridges for us. During all that time, the evil who victimised us and others was safe. Dictators and families and friends have bunkers at home, villas abroad, and risk nothing. Now they are well and rich. Being in prison on fair trial is great, compared to death and wheel chair !!!
While we suffer diseases, our country is contaminated. The peacekeepers, young as us, are risking their health in Kosovo same as we do. Now we face the threat of the same fate for Iraq and we want to tell you and all that no child and no person at all should be unhappy twice, victimised by having an unacceptable government, and also by global solutions to move away that government. We are aware of the horrors of terrorism, we moan all the victims of 11th September, we, more than many, understand the Americans. We share the experience of fear and death and ruins, and we want the terrorism stopped. We also want a life free of threat of poisoning and bombing planes. But air strikes on countries are not a solution. THEY STRIKE INNOCENTS.
We trust democracy, we want a better world but we urge democracy to find solutions others than one we were subjected to. We support all the Americans who don’t want innocents to be victimised as a solution and join them as victims. We support all the people who feels same. We entrust you this message, our plea for a wise solution, democracy must find one. And we are confident you will manage to convey this voice of bombed children in favour of unknown Iraqi friends in jeopardy to any place where it is appropriate. We are here, very proud for the opportunity to join efforts for a better world.
Thank you.
On behalf of BS TEAM and all BEOSUPPORT.
Zorka Kolundzija 17 years, Severin Jolovic 19, Vuk Palavestra 13.