The Committee for National Solidarity
Tolstojeva 34, 11000 Belgrade, YU
In its aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been using banned military means and weapons such as the use of cluster bombs and depleted uranium. These weapons are damaging and threatening to the life and health of the people and the consequences of their use are incomparably more inhumane and dangerous than those of the use of conventional arms.
In the period between 25 March and 15 May 1999, over 60 containers, each with 240 cluster bombs (i.e. over 15 000 bombs), as well as more than 400 cluster bombs, have been dropped over the territory of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. About 40 containers and over 250 cluster bombs have been dropped over Kosovo and Metohija, killing about 200 and wounding over 450 people. Material damage has been enormous: entire housing estates have been destroyed, as well as schools and hospitals, industrial plants and communication infrastructure. Dozens of people, primarily children, have been killed and wounded as a consequence of the delayed effect of the cluster bombs and new human casualties and destruction can be expected from the remaining unexploded bombs.
The Institute of Nuclear Studies at Vinca, Belgrade, has surveyed the remnants of exploded bombs and positively established the presence of uranium in the ammunition. The inhumane and banned ammunition is most often used in Kosovo and Metohija which has been confirmed also by NATO representatives themselves. They said in their statements that A-10 planes are used in the aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, whose payloads contained also the so-called depleted uranium ammunition.
In its aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, NATO has also been using missiles with graphite-electromagnetic material. So far they were used on 2, 8, 13 and 14 May 1999 against the distribution stations of the power plants at Obrenovac and Kostolac, at Novi Sad, Nis and Bajina Basta and against power installations at Lajkovac, Resnik, Lestane and the Belgrade city section of Bezanijska kosa. According to the information available to the competent Yugoslav authorities, the cluster bombs have been used in the following instances:
1. On 28 March 1999 at 4.30 a.m. 4 missiles and 1 cluster bomb struck land targets in Prizren, causing fires and damaging a number of civilian facilities;
2. On 28 March 1999 at 4.30 a.m. an aerial cluster bomb hit the League of Prizren memorial building near the Town Hall. The building was demolished and the windows on the adjacent buildings were broken. Cluster bomb remnants were found during investigation;
3. On 28 March 1999 at 5.00 and 8.30 p.m. cluster bombs were used against targets in Nis, causing vast material damage;
4. On 28 March 1999 at 9.00 p.m. a cluster bomb was used against targets in Sombor, causing vast material damage;
5. On 31 March 1999 at 1.15 a.m. over 30 cluster bombs were dropped on Pristina, causing vast destruction and material damage; 10 bombs did not explode;
6. On 31 March 1999 at 1.15 a.m. 14 containers with 240 cluster bombs were used against targets in the vicinity of the village of Gracanica, causing vast material damage. At the same time, a number of cluster bombs were used against targets in the village of Lipljane;
7. On 2 April at 10.00 a.m. the area of Stari trg near Kosovska Mitrovica was attacked with cluster bombs. The local mine facilities, as well as a number of family houses were damaged;
8. On 5 and 15 April 1999 a number of cluster bombs were dropped in the area of Podgorica, causing substantial material damage.
9. On 6 April 1999 between 1.00 and 2.00 p.m. cluster bombs were dropped on the buildings of the construction firm "Ramiz Sadiku" in the village of Pirane near Prizren, causing damage to the buildings and the access road about 30 m long;
10. On 6 April 1999 at 8.45 p.m. civilian buildings were struck with cluster bombs at Dubinje in the vicinity of Sjenica causing substantial damage to the management building of the agricultural complex "Pester", as well as to the dairy, workers' accommodation facilities and a number of auxiliary and apartment buildings and motor vehicles. Telephone, power and water supply lines were hit, cutting water and power supply and telephone service;
11. On 7 April 1999 at 11.30 a.m. 4 aerial cluster bombs were dropped on the village of Mala Krusa, municipality of Prizren, causing substantial damage to private houses and apartment buildings;
12. On 8 April 1999 at 2.00 p.m. 2 aerial cluster bombs were dropped on the village of Velika Hoca, municipality of Orahovac. 3 people were gravely and 5 lightly wounded, while vast material damage was caused to 29 family houses;
13. On 8 April 1999 at about 11.15 a.m. two cluster bombs were dropped near the building of "Ljubizda" in Prizren. One of them hit the dyes and pharmaceuticals plant "Limit Duga". The plant was destroyed and 2 people were gravely and 1 lightly wounded. The other bomb hit the agricultural complex "Progres" and four family houses. 5 people were gravely and 6 lightly wounded and vast material damage was caused;
14. On 10 April 1999 at 11.55 p.m. targets in the village of Merdare, municipality of Kursumlija, were struck with 52 missiles and 8 containers with 240 cluster bombs each (1 920 cluster bombs in all). 5 people were killed and 3 wounded, one of them a 6-month pregnant woman.
A road and part of the railroad (now out of commission) have been damaged, as well as adjacent family houses. A number of cluster bombs remained unexploded along the road;
15. On 11 April 1999, 42 missiles and a number of cluster bombs were dropped in the vicinity of the Prokuplje-Podujevo highway. The highway, part of the railroad and the adjacent houses were damaged, while a number of unexploded cluster bombs remained along the highway which caused prolonged traffic stoppages;
16. On 11 April 1999 at 2.00 a.m. a number of cluster bombs were dropped near the villages of Merdare and Mirovac, near Podujevo, causing vast material damage;
17. On 12 April 1999 at 1.00 a.m. a number of cluster bombs were dropped on the village of Bare, municipality of Kraljevo, causing damage to 8 housing buildings and the carriageway on the Kraljevo-Raska highway;
18. On 12 April 1999 between 10.45 and 11.20 a.m. targets in Urosevac were struck with 6 missiles and 1 cluster bomb. Vast material damage wascaused, including the damage to the orchard "Plantaza".
19. On 12 April 1999 at 12.00 noon, 1.15 and 1.30 p.m. targets at Suva Reka, municipality of Prizren, were struck with 6 cluster bombs, one of them destroying a mosque, while another fell in the nearby field;
20. On 12 April 1999 at 5.00 p.m. the "Efendi Bridge" at the Djakovica-Ponosevac road was struck and substantially damaged. A box with 15 unexploded cluster bombs was found nearby;
21. On 12 April 1999 at 6.30 p.m. the Djakovica- Klina road at the exit from Djakovica was struck with cluster bombs. Several people were killed and wounded;
22. On 13 April 1999 at 0.40 a.m. 4 missiles hit Hotel "Baciste" at Mt. Kopaonik. The entire hotel complex and 5 "Bacija" facilities were demolished in the ensuant fire, while 1 person was lightly wounded. Prior to the missile raid, more than 100 cluster bombs were dropped in front of the hotel. 2 buses and 1 freight vehicle were destroyed.
The building of hotel "Putnik" was also substantially damaged;
On 15 April 1999 at 2.20 p.m. 1 person was killed in the cluster bomb destruction operation near hotel "Baciste";
23. On 14 April 1999 at 2.05 p.m. targets around the Moravica river bridge at the village of Levosoja, municipality of Bujanovac, were struck with cluster bombs. 2 people were lightly wounded and substantial material damage was caused;
24. On 14 April 1999 at 1.30 a.m. a container with 240 cluster bombs was dropped on the village of Ravniste, municipality of Brus, most of which exploded. 1 person was gravely wounded in the operation of the destruction of unexploded bombs;
25. On 14 April 1999 at 12.00 noon land targets in Urosevac were struck with 2 containers of cluster bombs;
26. On 14 April 1999 at 2.25 p.m. the area of the municipality of Vranje was struck with cluster bombs, hitting housing buildings in the village of Pavlovac. Several people were killed and gravely wounded. Vast material damage was caused to housing buildings and to the bridge on the Presevo-Vranje motorway. Civilian facilities along the motorway were also damaged;
27. On 15 April 1999 from 2.30 to 2.50 a.m. a container with cluster bombs was dropped in the area of the village of Samailo, municipality of Kraljevo, causing substantial material damage;
28. On 15 April 1999 from 12.00 noon to 2.30 p.m. two raids were carried out with cluster bombs against targets in the village of Raljan, municipality of Presevo, on which occasion 8 people were killed;
29. On 15 April 1999 at 5.00 p.m. 1 person was gravely wounded by an unexploded cluster bomb in the village of Belo Polje, municipality of Pec;
30. On 16 April 1999 at 2.05 p.m. targets in the region of the village of Grlica, municipality of Urosevac, were struck with 5 missiles and a container of cluster bombs, on which occasion 1 person was wounded;
31. On 17 April 1999 at 3.30 p.m. 5 missiles and a container of cluster bombs were dropped in the region of the village of Kamena Glava, municipality of Urosevac, causing substantial material damage;
32. On 18 April 1999 2 people were killed and 1 person gravely wounded in the region of the village of Kamena Glava, municipality of Urosevac, as a consequence of the explosion of unexploded cluster bombs;
33. On 19 April 1999 at 10.15 a.m. targets near afarm aircraft airport and a transmitter in the region of the village of Grlica, municipality of Urosevac, were struck with a number of missiles and a container of cluster bombs;
34. On 22 April 1999 at about 12.00 noon a container of unexploded cluster bombs was found in the village of Drenova, Gornji Milanovac;
35. On 22 April 1999 at 5.50 p.m. a container of cluster bombs was dropped in the region of the village of Bapsko Polje, municipality of Kraljevo, hitting a number of civilian targets;
36. On 24 April 1999 at 11.30 a.m. a container of cluster bombs was dropped on the "Kodza" section of the village of Doganovic, municipality of Kacanik, killing 5 and gravely wounding 2 people.
37. On 25 April 1999 at about 12.00 noon remnants of a cluster bomb container were found in the area of "Bumbarevo brdo" in the region of Knic;
38. On 26 April 1999 at 12.15 p.m. a cluster bomb container was dropped in the region of the village of Dulje, municipality of Suva Reka;
39. On 27 April 1999 unexploded cluster bombs were found in the village of Bistrica, municipality of Nova Varos;
40. On 27 April 1999 at about 3.00 p.m. a container with cluster bombs was dropped in the region of the village of Zur, municipality of Prizren. It hit a power transmission line and damaged several pylons, creating a number of craters spread over the distance of some 700 metres;
41. On 30 April 1999 between 9.05 and 9.15 p.m. a cluster bomb container was dropped in the region of the village of Gare, municipality of Gadzin Han, creating a crater in the vicinity of which a number of unexploded cluster bombs were found;
42. On 1 May 1999 at about 9.30 a.m. a cluster bomb container was dropped on the town park at Obilic;
43. On 1 May 1999 at about 12.40 p.m. a cluster bomb container was dropped on the village of Sibnica on the Sibnica-Mirosaljci road. The bombs landed also in the adjacent fields and meadows in the area of 250x100 m, creating about 100 craters 20 cm in diameter and about 50 cm deep. A number of people were wounded;
44. On 1 May 1999 at about 10.30 a.m. 3 and at 5.45 p.m. 7 cluster bombs were dropped on the village of Veric, municipality of Istok, hitting a number of family houses, while 1 cluster bomb was dropped on the "Djocaj" section of the village of Kovrge;
45. On 2 May 1999 at 11.45 and 11.50 2 cluster bomb containers were dropped on Ponosevac, municipality of Djakovica. A number of people were gravely wounded and two passenger cars and several family houses were damaged;
46. On 2 May 1999 at 1.20 p.m. a cluster bomb container was dropped in the region of the village of Ljug Bunar, municipality of Djakovica, damaging the Djakovica-Klina highway. Substantial material damage was done to the "Maras Petrol" gas station;
47. On 2 May 1999 at 1.25 p.m. a cluster bomb container was dropped in the region of the village of Trakanic, municipality of Djakovica, causing grave injuries to a large number of people;
48. On 2 May 1999 two cluster bombs were dropped on the facilities of Spa Kursumlija;
49. On 3 May 1999 at 8.00 and 9.00 a.m. and 3.30 and 4.20 p.m. 5 missiles and 2 cluster bombs were dropped in the region of the village of Dulje, municipality of Suva Reka;
50. On 3 May 1999 between 9.00 a.m. and 9.00 p.m. cluster bombs were dropped in the area of the village of Merdare, municipality of Kursumlija, causing substantial damage in the area;
51. On 3 May 1999 between 11.00 a.m. and 12.00 noon 13 cluster bombs were dropped in the Rugovska Gorge, municipality of Pec, causing substantial material damage;
52. On 3 May 1999 between 11.00 a.m. and 12.00 noon a number of cluster bombs were dropped in the region of the villages of Veliki and Mali Stupelj, destroying a primary school building;
53. On 3 May 1999 between 11.45 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. 3 cruise missiles and a number of cluster bombs were dropped on the Pec-Kula-Rozaje highway in the region of Savine Vode, hitting a civilian bus with passengers travelling on the Djakovica -Podgorica route. 17 people were killed, while 44 were gravely or lightly wounded;
On 4 May 1999 at about 3.00 p.m. a "Ford Escort" passenger car was destroyed by a delayed explosion of a cluster bomb on the Pec-Rozaje highway at the site at which the civilian bus had been hit a day before. Several people were killed and 1 person was wounded;
54. On 3 May 1999 at 1.20, 4.25 and 5.00 p.m. 5 missiles and 3 cluster bombs were dropped in the region of the village of Banjica, municipality of Kacanik, wounding a number of people;
55. On 4 May 1999 at about 3.00 a.m. a cluster bomb container was dropped on the road between Krusevac and Rasic, interrupting traffic for a protected period of time;
56. On 4 May 1999 at 7.00 a.m. 3 missiles and 1 cluster bomb were dropped on the village of Orlate, municipality of Glogovac, wounding several people;
57. On 4 May 1999 two cluster bombs were dropped on the village of Rakos in the vicinity of the lake Radonjic Dam;
58. On 5 May 1999 at about 9.50 p.m. a number of missiles and cluster bombs were dropped on Knic; 59. On 5 May 1999 at 11.05 p.m. a missile and cluster bombs hit a residential area of Lipljan, damaging family houses and wounding a number of people, including a child 8 years old;
60. On 6 May 1999 at about 1.00 p.m. 2 missiles hit the village of Cedovo, municipality of Sjenica, causing vast material damage;
61. On 7 May 1999 between 11.30 and 11.40 a.m. 2 cluster bomb containers were dropped on Nis. 1 container fell in front of the Pathology Hospital, the other in the town centre in front of the Nis University Rector's Office and the "12 February" Health Centre. The central city market place near the Nis Fortress was also shelled. 13 people were killed in the explosions of cluster bombs, 18 were gravely and 11 lightly wounded. 120 housing units were damaged and 47 destroyed, while 15 passenger cars were also destroyed;
62. On 8 May 1999 at 11.30 a.m. a cluster bomb container was dropped in the region of the village of Merdaro, municipality of Podujevo, gravely wounding a great number of people;
63. On 8 May 1999 at 3.50 p.m. a large number of unexploded cluster bombs were found in the village of Crmljane, municipality of Djakovica;
64. On 8 May 1999 between 4.05 and 4.25 p.m. a missile hit the "12 February" Bridge and 2 cluster bomb containers were dropped near a car dealership and the "Nis Express" parking lot in Nis. 1 person was gravely and 10 people lightly wounded;
65. On 8 May 1999 at about 10.00 p.m. cluster bombs were dropped on a residential area in the region of the village of Junik;
66. On 8 May 1999 at 10.15 p.m. 2 cluster bomb containers were dropped in the region of the village of Srpski Babus, municipality of Urosevac, causing substantial material damage;
67. On 8 May 1999 4 cluster bombs were dropped in the region of Decani in the vicinity of the Decani Monastery;
68. On 9 May 1999 at 11.40 a.m. the region of Belopoljske Mountains in the area of the municipality of Pec was hit with cluster bombs;
69. On 9 May 1999 between 10.00 and 11.45 a.m. 36 unexploded cluster bombs were destroyed in the Rugovska Gorge dropped by NATO plane in the area;
70. On 10 May 1999 at about 1.45 a.m. a number of civilian targets were hit with cluster bombs in Nis causing substantial material damage;
71. On 10 May 1999 from 11.15 to 11.45 a.m. a number of targets were struck in the municipality of Djakovica;
72. On 10 May 1999 at about 4.00 p.m. a refugee convoy was struck with cluster bombs on the Prizren-Djakovica motorway in the region of the village of Mala Krusa, municipality of Prizren;
73. On 10 May 1999 at about 11 p.m. the region of the village of Brdarica, municipality of Koceljevo, was struck with cluster bombs, causing substantial material damage;
74. On 11 May 1999 at about 1.15 a.m. the region of the village of Staro Gacko, municipality of Lipljan, was bombed. 3 people were killed and 4 were gravely wounded while several family houses were damaged;
75. On 11 May 1999 at about 8.15 a.m. a number of cluster bombs were dropped on the village of Babin Most, municipality of Obilic, causing substantial material damage;
76. On 11 May 1999 at about 11.25 a.m. civilian targets were struck with two containers of cluster bombs in Nis, causing vast material damage;
77. On 11 May 1999 at about 12 noon, the buildings of the "Krusik" company in Valjevo were hit with cluster bombs, causing vast material damage;
78. On 12 May 1999 at about 0.15 a.m. the region of the village of Kostanje, municipality of Urosevac, was bombed with cluster bombs. Several people were gravely wounded and vast material damage was done;
79. On 13 May 1999 at 11.56 p.m., according to the initial and still incomplete data, 84 people were killed and over 100 were wounded (Yugoslav citizens of Albanian nationality, mainly women, children and the elderly) by cluster bombs dropped by NATO planes on the refugee camp in the village of Koriste on the road between Suva Reka and Prizren.
Bombing civilian targets in the territory of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the NATO planes have used depleted uranium ammunition. NATO bombing squadrons sent against targets in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia include also A-10 planes, the payloads of which contain the ammunition made of depleted uranium.
On 30 March 1999, A-10 planes bombed the region of Greater Prizren.
On 18 April 1999 A-10 planes used radio-active ammunition in the region of Greater Bujanovac. On the basis of spectrometric tests and identification of radio-nucleides it can be positively averred that the sample - the bullet for the 30-millimetre cannon of the A-10 plane - contains depleted uranium. The diametre of the core is 16 mm, length 95 mm, mass 292 gramme and the calculated density about 18 g/cm. The tested sample has been appropriately deposited and may be offered as evidence material.
The depleted uranium is radio-active nuclear waste, the combustion of which releases products which are radio-active and poisonous. High temperature is created at the impact of the missile and at least 70 per cent of the total mass of the depleted uranium and its oxides is released in the form of aerosol (particles below 5). These particles are inhaled into organisms, they contaminate the environment and are spread creating a contamination of broader proportions.
According to international standards uranium 238 belongs to the second group of radio-nucleides of very high radio-activity and toxicity and as such is very dangerous for the population. Its use is highly inhumane both for its instantaneous and for its subsequent radio-active effect. The effects of its use against troops and the civilian population are fatal since they cause wounds followed by contamination which makes the use of this ammunition a crime against humanity and international law.
Belgrade, 15 May 1999
Secretary General
Mrs. Jela Jovanovic
Art historian