CIVILIAN INFRASTRUCTURE - Facts about NATO agression on FRY

PANCEVO,
Targets hit in Pancevo will cause human environment concequences in the whole Balkans regionand most probably Central Europe

On day 15t April, 1999. NATO attacked the city Pancevo and it's population. Against Geneva convention, NATO tried to destroy Pancevo by bombing the chemical complex. By bombing of chemical complex HIP and it's factories Petrohemija and Azotara, NATO produced a large-scale ecological catastrophe. Consequences of this act will remain for future generations.

HIP PETROHEMIJA PANCEVO
Dr. Ing. Slobodan Tresac
Announcement of the general director of the Petrohemija Pancevo dr.ing. Slobodan Tresac after first attack on Petrohemical complex stated to the world public.

Pancevo 16 th april 1999

It is my duty and obligation to inform the domestic and international public that on 15th April at 22:40 NATO forces heavily bombarded the plants of the Petrochemical Complex in Pancevo which were in regular operation.

Installations and equipment of the Vinyl Chlorid Monomer plant and Ethylene plant were directly hit. Indirectly, heavy and destructive explosions damaged the Chloralkali plant and Polyvinilchlorid

plant and buildings inside the complex, as well as a larage number of civilian houses and flats in the surrounding area. The fire broke out and huge quantities of toxic matters such as chlorine, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride monomer flowed out. The transformer stations were also heavily damaged and very toxic transformer oil flowed out.Unfortunately but unavoidably a larage number of people were injured and intoxicated. At this moment we do not know the exact number of intoxicated and injuted civilians who were evacuatead.

Due to the power failure and utilities and auxiliary fluids interuption a larage quantity of combustible, explosive and toxic matters remained trapped in the equipment, installation and tanks. It will take a lot of time to drain and evacuate all those matters from the plants before the plants could be considered safe for a wide surrounding area.

The plants have been heavily damaged and cannot be put in operation. According to all the terms and rules of warefare accepted and followed so far, the plant of chemical process industries of this type have never been military targets and objects of strikes. The range of products of "HIP PETROHEMIJA" DP Pancevo, is of EXTREMELY CIVIL NATURE and bombardement of these plants

represents the worst war crime and it reveals genocidal intentions of the aggressor. Therefore, we call upon the petrochemical producers, licencors, and engineering houses all over the world, to raise their voice and warn those who give orders for bombing of the danger and catastrophic consequences caused by bombing of this kind of plants.

HIP AZOTARA
PANCEVO, YUGOSLAVIA
On April 16th, 1999.

The Managing Board of HIP - AZOTARA
Fertilizer Company from Pancevo,
FR Yugoslavia, issued on April 16th, 1999 the following

STATEMENT FOR THE PRESS

Last night, on April 15th 1999, at 22:40 by Yugoslav time, NATO airstrikes hit the production Divisions of HIP - AZOTARA Fertilizer Company, which could hardly be considered a military target.

NATO airstrikes hit directly Ammonia Division and Power Supply Division and destroyed the Units completely. Therefore, the production of fertilizers can not be resumed for a long period of time, since all the other Divisions were also crippled by the side efects of the yesterday's airstrikes.

Fortunately, we made in due time all the necessary arrangements to protect the citizens in this area and the environment, as wel. Otherwise, the citizens of Pancevo and the neighbouring villages would be the victims of the ever greatest ecological catastrophy. Now, we are convinced that this is the objective of NATO airstrikes. NATO is now after the ecological catastrophy, led by the genocide intentions, otherwise they would follow the War Regulations and Principles and stick to military targets ! This is strictly civilian one !

According to the estimation of the experts, the physical damage is of extremly large proportions, and it will take us a lot of money and time to resume the production.

Due to the safety measures that were undertaken in due time and with great care and accuracy, the night shift operators were safe and faced no severe injuries so far, regardless of the psychological trauma and stressful situation they witnessed.

According to the War Regulations and Charters they all signed, the chemical plants for the production of fertilizers never in the war history had been the targets, nor could they ever be considered military targets. Bombarding the Fertilizer Companies is the ever largest war crime act, showing openly to the world the genocide intentions of the 19 agressor countries.

This is our a p p e a l to the fertilizer producers, to the licesors, also to the engineering companies worldwide to rise their voices against those who choose the targets and command the strikes, being fully aware of the effects of such actions on the population of the region, resulting in ecological catastrophy.

The cessation of the production of fertilizers will inevitably influence the food production leading the people to starvation, which is a direct act against all the citizens of FR Yugoslavia.

Miralem DPindo HIP - AZOTARA Fertilizer Co., General Manager