Letter: U.S. policies have fostered havens for terrorists

Friday, March 19, 2004 | 9:12 a.m.

Whether the tragic terrorist bombings in Spain are found to be the work of al-Qaida, the irredentist ETA or some combination thereof, the root causes of the current wave of violence began way before the U.S.-led attack on Iraq in the illegal and Western-catalyzed destruction of the former Yugoslavia.

By illegally supporting secessionist movements in Yugoslavia's civil wars and by preventing the Yugoslav government from defeating terrorism (e.g. in Kosovo) within its sovereign borders, we have merely encouraged secessionist movements the world over and have given al-Qaida terrorists tremendous "safe" havens/bases in Kosovo and Bosnia (Europe's first Muslim-dominated state) courtesy of NATO.

The now-vanquished Spanish regime supported Bill Clinton's illegal and vicious war on Yugoslavia's civilians as well as other costly and quixotic misadventures that focused on problems in other countries instead of focusing on helping the electorate that brought them to power.

The recent vote was a demonstration and warning against leaders of regimes that do not respect the will of their citizens.

MICHAEL PRAVICA