BOB ABERNETHY: As NATO forces entered Kosovo and Serbs left, there was new evidence about the magnitude of the tragedy there. Numerous mass graves were discovered, along with the charred remains of people and property. The United Nations War Crimes Tribunal is coordinating an investigation into allegations of crimes against humanity.Opposing such crimes was one of the reasons given by NATO leaders when they launched the war against Yugoslavia. But now, as peace takes hold there, Kim Lawton reports that victims of violence in other parts of the world are asking, "Why not help us?"
KIM LAWTON: In the Sudan, a humanitarian nightmare rages: ethnic warfare, atrocities, including allegations of abduction, torture, even slavery; the bombing and burning of civilian targets, especially religious targets; and millions of refugees, most facing forced starvation.Bishop MACRAM MAX GASSIS (Diocese of El Obeld, Sudan): People say "genocide"; some people call it "ethnic cleansing." But I'm going to call it ethnic annihilation. This is exactly what is happening in the Sudan.
LAWTON: In the humanitarian nightmare that was Kosovo, President Clinton set out a strong U.S. policy.
President BILL CLINTON (From March 24): Ending this tragedy is a moral imperative.
LAWTON: And in announcing the end of NATO bombing, the president echoed the moral agenda.
Pres. CLINTON (From June 10): This victory brings a new hope that when a people are singled out for destruction because of their heritage and religious faith and we can do something about it, the world will not look the other way.LAWTON: But some wonder how widely the policy applies.
Bishop GASSIS: You have people who say -- who never again were going to allow such genocide to happen. What about us?
LAWTON: In public policy, making moral pronouncements is one thing; acting in real-life situations quite another. There are many places where the world does look the other way. Determining when there is a moral imperative to intervene can be a complex and controversial question.
Bishop GASSIS: Why are we not part of this human race that is going to be saved just like the Kosovars? Why -- why there is a choice there? And some people say because Kosovo is in Europe. "Africa is this black continent; leave them to finish themselves."
Mr. WHITE: There is a -- what I would regard as a well-founded criticism that the United States becomes much more concerned when white Europeans are at stake than when Africans or Asians are losing their lives.
LAWTON: Roman Catholic Bishop Max Gassis has become an international symbol of Sudan's suffering. He says he's not qualified to determine whether there should be a military intervention in Sudan, but he does wonder why so few Americans are even discussing it. I'm Kim Lawton reporting.
