General-colonel Nebojsa Pavkovic, commander of the Third Army of the Yugoslav Army, throughout the aggression against our country the symbol of heroic resistance against the NATO alliance, visited the offices of "Vecernje Novosti" and, during a conversation lasting several hours, answered the questions of our editors and journalists.
VN: General, your name has been in the center of public attention lately. While domestic and foreign experts praise you for your brilliant tactics in standing up to the aggressor, on the domestic political scene some individuals hold your involvement in politics against you.
General-colonel Pavkovic: I have not been attacked by the people. Quite the contrary, every day I receive several dozen letters of support. I have been attacked and misquoted by individuals from some opposition parties who pursue their own interests even though they know well that what I am saying is in the interest of the Serbian people. Let whoever wants to and is capable of leading the country win that right in the elections. I don't think I have said anything controversial because the same thing can be heard in all the democratic countries of the world. The Army defends the interests of the country and is a factor of its total security. The Army is here, therefore, as a dam against everything that could be illegally attempted as far as a deterioration of security and a threat to the people is concerned; all that could ultimately lead to civil war. In fact, this was also said not long ago by General Momcilo Perisic, and apparently none of the people who are attacking me held it against him. The Army, I repeat once again, will never act against its people; this has never happened in the course of our history. Because the Army is the people.
Let's get things straight. In Kosovo and Metohija we did not wage a war of aggression but a classic defensive war. While armed resistance was in effect, before the whole matter was presented to and resolved in the United Nations headquarters, our Army did not lose an inch of territory. In accordance with the resolution of the Security Council, we withdrew from Kosmet but, unfortunately, UN forces did not live up to their part of the bargain. We are, of course, deeply unhappy because of this but this military-technical agreement was simply something that was forced on us. As far as the individuals who are belittling the success of the Yugoslav Army in our defense from aggression, surely they know that it has received the highest form of recognition not only from our people but also from the people of the whole world and from eminent military experts. Some individuals, however, are belittling our people, the true victor in this war. I think that such biased judgments stem from those who are not familiar with the situation in Kosmet, who have never been there, in fact, nor participated in our defense from aggression. As far as the statement of Mr. Markovic is concerned, I believe that that is not the official position of the government but only his personal opinion.
There is some truth to this. With 150,000 armed men and with the equipment and technology at our disposal, we could have continued to defend Kosovo and Metohija for a long time. I am convinced, however, that had we not signed the Agreement, the aggressor would have launched a destructive attack on the entire country, killing civilians and changing the focus of the attack; namely, that the next goal would have been the occupation of the whole of Yugoslavia. They could not have launched a ground attack against Kosovo and Metohija itself, according to our information, before the month September with about 180,000 men and I am not sure they would have succeeded even then. But what the total damage would have been and how many people would have perished by September remains only for us to speculate.
In Kosmet you led a ground-air battle, while the aggression against the rest of Yugoslavia was primarily from the air.
The border battles were terrible and the public knows little about them. I repeat, we did not lose an inch of territory despite unprecedented force from the air and on the ground. From the Kosmet interior, 12,000 fighters of the so-called "KLA" began guerrilla attacks on members of the Yugoslav Army and the Ministry of the Interior after the beginning of the NATO aggression; thanks to excellent assessments, we neutralized them within a week. On the border from Vrbnica to Decani, we were attacked by tens of thousands of Shiptars and mercenaries, with NATO air support, but they were not able to achieve any results.
The supreme commander of the NATO alliance Wesley Clark has been replaced and some of the most talkative protagonists of aggression against our country are also leaving. Does that mean that NATO has admitted its failure?
I don't want to comment on general Clark and I don't know whether he was in fact replaced but it is obvious that the strategy of the aggressor was unsuccessful because he did not succeed in inflicting any meaningful losses, even though the life of every our soldier is precious; the only things they hit were our empty garrisons and warehouses.
We honored all the stipulations of that Agreement and within 11 days withdrew two-thirds of the Third Army from Kosmet. This means we withdrew 130,000 men with full battle gear, and all war equipment and reserves very precisely and accurately. KFOR forces, however, did not fulfill their part of the Agreement, neither with respect to bringing in their forces nor with respect to the direct engagement in order to secure the situation for all citizens who live in Kosmet. Personally, as a soldier, I am dissatisfied with what is currently happening and because the Serbian people are suffering. I think that KFOR forces, the civil component specifically, are trying to suspend the laws of Serbia and FRY and creating alliances with illegal institutions. Our country and diplomacy are expending tremendous efforts to stabilize the situation and that is the context in which I see the protest letter which FRY addressed to the Security Council. Furthermore, I am hopeful that with the arrival of the full Russian contingent things will get better, and I also expect a lot from the arrival of the civil police. Nothing, however, can be permanently stabilized in Kosmet until the border with Albania is permanently closed and the so-called "KLA" disarmed.
Who will close the border?
The members of the Yugoslav Army, according to the military-technical agreement, should return to the border crossings (several dozen soldiers each at four border crossings), but I personally am convinced that KFOR will be forced to call in our Army to secure the border.
When do you expect our Army and Police to return to the southern Serbian province?
The time frame has not been precisely defined; it will depend on the agreement of the two sides.
How many people will return and who will defend the cultural and historical monuments of Serbia?
This region is home to more than a thousand major Serbian cultural monuments. If there are three policemen at each location, that's three thousand people. Currently the biggest problem is how to send them there and entrust their lives to the guarantees of UN forces who are not managing the situation very well in the field.