Proclamation on the occasion of April 22nd - The day of the planet Earth
April 21, 1999

Belgrade, 21. april 1999. (Ministry of informations of Republic Serbia)
- On the occasion of the Day of the Planet Earth, the Serbian Ministry
of Environment calls all responsible persons in the world to fulfil
their commitment and try to stop NATO's destruction of Yugoslavia. In
this way they will prevent destruction of our only home - planet Earth.
Yugoslavia is a small sovereign state and valuable and inseparable part
of it. In this way they will confirm that preservation of life on the
Earth is really the question of ecological conscience of every
individual and the mankind in whole.

The memory on April 22, 1970, when enormous quantity of oil was spilled
in the Santa Barbara California Bay and when millions of people
protested all over the world, should be an occasion for solidarity with
jeopardized parts of the world. Unfortunately, we have to notice that in
this case when NATO attacked our country, the expected "green
resistance" of the world public failed. Millions of people of this
"Yugoslav spring" failed on the exam of the ecological ethics and care
for the survival of mankind. Those are, first of all, the state leaders,
then international organizations and institutions, scientific
institutes, ecological movements and movements for preservation of
cultural and natural resources.

We have been embittered by the events happening in Yugoslavia for almost
a month. NATO aggressors are destroying everything with tones of
explosives, and we are worried not only for the future of the region and
Europe but for the future of the whole planet. Therefore, we warn the
world that this barbaric bombarding and destruction can create a broad
ecological catastrophe. In this war, the aggressors not only fail to
respect the international conventions and rules in the field of
environment and rights of war, but forget the elementary human ethics,
destroying everything and killing everybody.

Although the world knows about intentional bombarding of the chemical
industry of Yugoslavia and oil refineries and stores, the world
ecological movement closes its eyes before the possible ecological
catastrophe which consequences could be disastrous. They are expected to
fight for the victory of the common sense and for the enforcement of the
international laws. The Day of the Planet should not be just a mere
marking of the day.

MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT
OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA