IN course of NATO's air strikes against Yugoslavia, it was reported that NATO forces mistakenly hit the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. NATO Secretary General Javier Solana called the embassy bombing "a deeply regrettable mistake." For well over a month now. world attention has focused on NATO's attack against Yugoslavia, led by the United States. The prolonged air attacks against the Serb forces in Yugoslavia seems to have at last produced a solution to the Kosovo crisis. While the Western world appeared united in trying to force President Slobodan Milosevic to end his campaign against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, some major countries remained opposed, including Russia. India and. most of all, China.

The latest incident of bombing of Chinese embassy in Belgrade has led many nonNATO countries to condemn it. They called for a quick end to hostilities. China attempted to seize the moral high ground, pointing out that NATO was acting without the authority of the United Nations. China said the UN had been damaged by being sidelined. It was well-known why NATO backed by US took the initiative in taking military action against Milosevic when the Yugoslav President nullified several attempts by NATO allies to come to a negotiated settlement of the Kosovo crisis. On the other hand, there was an apprehension in the face of the intransigence of the Yu-

goslav President, that if the UN had proposed military action, it would have been vetoed by Russia or by China itself. By acting outside UN auspices, critics of NATO action said that NATO was undermining the authority of the world body and risked rendering it irrelevant.

NATO's justification is that the actions of Milosevic in allowing his Serb forces to go on fiercely with his ruthless campaign of ethnic cleansing by processes of murder, rape, looting, and destruction of property of ethnic Albanians and driving them across the borders are so heinous that he must be stopped. China, on the other hand, rests its position on a simple proposition. No country or group of countries has the right to interfere in another country's internal affairs, and ethnic conflicts within Yugoslavia are that country's internal affairs.

The question is whether this stance of China is morally defensible in the light of the horrendous process of so-called

ethnic cleansing which have so far decimated the majority ethnic Muslim population of the Kosovo province. These process were earlier tried in Bosnia which were halted at tremendous costs in loss of life and property.

According to observers. China fears that the US. now the only superpower, may be able to fashion coalitions to take punitive military action against other countries. In this context, China seems acutely conscious that its treatment of Tibetans has been harshly criticised as well as its threat to take over Taiwan by force, if necessary. India has similar fears about Kashmir. Russia's predominant interest in Kosovo seems to Centre round its ethnic links with the Serbs in Yugoslavia.

The NATO action in a sense, it is felt in some quarters, in-derlines the failure of the UN system. Those quarters point out that after all. the rights of ethnic minorities are supposed to be guaranteed by UN conventions. such as the International

Convention on Civil and Political rights. Article 27 of that convention says: "In those states in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and to practice their own religion, or to use their own language."

Other relevant international conventions are those on genocide. torture and racial discrimination. Yet. decades after these conventions came into effect, the abuse of ethnic minorities still continues, as in the case of Kosovo where the so-called process of ethnic cleansing has been followed with terrible consequences;

Some international observers feel that something needs to be done. It is clear that, in the aftermath of the Cold War. tensions between ethnic groups have grown worse. And few countries are so homogeneous that they are without ethnic minorities. There are

fears that what has happened now in Yugoslavia could well happen later on in some other country.

In the opinion of -international observers, if Beijing can come up with its own proposals for dealing with ethnic conflicts within sovereign countries, it will have the right to be taken seriously. It is frit that it is important to go beyond condemning other countries and to come up with an alternative course of action. Exactly how minority rights are to be protected will need to be addressed by the International community. Kosovo has shown just how serious the problem can be. NATO has shown that the international community — or at leasj a very important segment of ft — is unwilling to stand by while an entire group of people is subjected to persecution in a most cruel manner.

Now, the opposition to the NATO action has shown there is need for a new consensus on the issue of ethnic minorities.

The incident of bombing of the Chinese embassy in Bel-

grade caused widespread repercussions. A big furious mob stoned the US embassy in Beijing in a rage over NATO's bombing, while scores of police ■ looked on. The rowdy protest at the US embassy in Beijing was unusual as Chinese authorities routinely block demonstrations. regardless of their subject. Similar demonstrations were also staged outside the British embassy. As such demonstrations continued, the Chinese government broke off diplomatic contacts with Washington on human rights and arms control in protest.

China also suspended contacts on weapons proliferation and international security. The areas suspended cover a wide range of issues, including US concerns that China has provided nuclear weapons and missiles to Pakistan, Iran or other countries. The protest that was staged in Beijing was the largest public protest since the Tiananmen Square prodemocracy demonstrations 10 years ago. Later, China also banned hat by US navy vessels to Hong Kong in reprisal for the NATO bombing.

US President Bill Clinton publicly apologised for the NATO's inadvertent bombing of Chinese embassy but insisted that the allied campaign against Yugoslavia would continue, adding it was very important to draw a clear distinction between a tragic mistake and a deliberate act of ethnic cleansing.