If a person whose concience was free and watchful, Christian or just human, would know about the Conference in Berlin that took place in 1884-85, where the representatives of European industrialized nations sat around a table and divided Africa, on the bases of their interests for the raw materials, without any respect for the social and cultural characteristics of the locals, and after that the colonial army finished the service maintained that they were going to bring civilization, would have to shout the crime of that WICKED AGREEMENT!

On the contrary, for ignorance or cowardice, people from any class lent that agreement: intellectuals, business men, politicians and religious man, apart from exceptions.

Unfortunately, at the present time things are evolving in a similar way, if not worse.

Collapsed the Wall of Berlin (1989), dissolved the Varsavia Agreement (the military alliance of communist nations under Russia command) (1990), the Nato (military alliance of West countries under the USA command - the same year), instead of come loose, as a result of a reunion in London of the most important representatives, agreed for a NEW PATTERN OF DEFENCE.

Regarding Italy, an official document of the Defence Office entitled "Features for the Development of Army in the 90s", introduced in Parliament in October 1991, is about "defence strategic concepts of vital interests anywhere threatened or compromised" (p.44), out from the national boundaries also, leaving "the traditional concept <from which to defence> in fauvour of a polarization on <what to defend and in what way> (p.37), To <re-qualify> the Army for the <new pattern of defence>, the Ministry asks "a special rule, of which fundings must be considered not replacing, but complementaries of those parts of the ordinary budget (at the time 26,000 billions lira a year), amounting to 20,000 billions a year, with monetary value unchanged from 1991" (p.4). The "vital interests" to defend "everywhere", concerned "the raw materials necessary to the economies of the industrialized nations" in the South of the world. In this program, Europe, particularly Italy, should have "a political and economical rule between industrialized nations and underdeveloped ones." (pp. 16-17).

About the defence of such "vital interests" speaks not only Italy, but also France, England, USA, Germany, etc, concealing all the matter as "missions for peace... actions of international police, humanitarian operations, ethical wars, etc". Mr. Viriginio Rognoni, Member of Italian Parliament and Minister of Defence, about a month after the Iraq war, went to USA to meet his American colleague, and a giornalist candidly said: "The meeting is centred on two subjects: 1.How to equip also Italian Army with Patriot missiles; the re-planning of Nato, not more to balance Est to West, but North with South".

A dearest friend, Dehonian priest from North of Brasil, once asked me: "What did you say? That Nato is not more East-West, that is Russia-America, but North-South, that is you against us?" I answered: "You perfectly understood!" He, horrified, slowly raise his hands and exclaimed: "We all will come to you as ants!" That is what is happening.

On 25 April, 1999, this year, in the reunion of the Nato members in Washington, this base logic arrived at his best: beating about the bush, the members of Nato reformed the statute of the Alliance to include the so-called "actions of international police".

Because they couldn't mask the illegality of bombing throughout most of Serbian territory, from the UN point of view (only a decision from the Security Council, that did not happen, could make them legittimate), from the point of view of the statute of Nato (only supported by members, among which there is neither Serbia nor Kosovo) and, for Italy, from the point of view of Constitution (art.11), decided to legalize bombing by placing in every statute the aim to make war to anyone they think right to take part in. We say "war" in a manner of speaking; it is not enough to change name to make it an action of police. "It is not possible to send Army to act as an international police" (gen. Bruno Loi).

This dishonorable project of Nato has to be stopped; or better still, Nato must release oneself, and authority must be given to UN, to guarantee peace to people all over the world, by police and not by Army or war (art. 43 from UN chart).

The previous Italian Defence Minister, Mr. Beniamino Andreatta, was contrary to such a project, and he was right. In fact, an Army strictly formed by professionists is not positively accepted by people (that is the reason why the Alpine troops are harshly opposing to it); it is anti-Constitutional, first why it is functional to the NEW PATTERN OF DEFENCE, which sense is contrary to the article n.11 of the Italian Constitution; it is dangerous, too, because made soldiers believe they can do anything; it is usually an hideaway for the poor, attracted by the high pay, the only reason to choose such a work; it is the ante-room for being mercenary.

The actual Italian Defence Minister, Mr. Scognamiglio, gave his favourable opinion at once, about the professional Army and for volontary call-up, also for women, and he said that by now all industrialized nations have already such an Army or they are getting ready. The Minister Scognamiglio has only a merit: he clearly granted that this Army will cost more, indicating about 2,000 billions supplementary liras, during about five years; according to an Italian Member of Parliament, general Luigi Calligaris, this is an insignificant sum. Yet he is an expert of the matter... Good wishes for a new cut on social expences and a new rise for the military costs in the next <financial program>!

The problem is not to see what the others are doing, but if it really would be a fact of civilization or barbarism. Mr. Andreatta rightly quoted the uncivilized attitude showed in Somalia first from the American "Rambo like" soldiers, and then from the Italian volunteers of Folgore. Please, save a little from real civilization, of which Italy is still considered the cradle.

As regards the sexual parity, we are going to point it out that it could be realized on the contrary: if men, once in a while, was going to imitate women to stop to play war, considering that during wars, victims are most people than soldiers, we surely would have a positive parity.

Others, which cannot stand conscientious objectors, hope to take them away by the free call-up. Nevertheless, by now the new law about conscientious objectors provides for the NON-ARMED AND NON-VIOLENT DEFENCE training, that therefore must be founded, organized and paied, at least equal to military training, with a full blown corps of "white helmets", as decided for the continent from a resolution of European Parliament.

For justice, peace and safety of creation, it is now essential to make UN democratic and more powerful. The respect and the real application of human rights, that are innate and universal laws, need a real international authority, even if discreet, with large autonomies, regional, national or local, according to the subsidiary principle.

This is the constant proposal of the march for peace from Perugia to Assisi, but also of the social thought of Catholic Church and groups of political reflection.

The New Catechism of Adults written by CEI reports: "Today the truth will make you free" - The frontiers are crossed by a continual flow of people, informations, money, goods, arms... The pretension of every state to put itself as reference for society is becoming an anachronism... We hope for a government with large autonomy for local ones" (pp.528-529)

Besides, this petition is present almost in all the Encyclicals or any Ecclesiastical documents about social teaching, at least from "Pacem in Terris". UN must be reformed, giving powerful legislative authority to the assembly, repealing the right of veto and the permanent members of the Council of Security, submitting to a minimum of political rationality the economic and financial power or power of multinationals, at the present not controlled, equipping UN with an international police, and by abolishing the local Army, as already happened in every nation after the conquest of indipendence. To international problems must correspond international legal-political structures.

On this point, too, the CEI catechism "Truth will make you free" is splendid and clear: "War is the most barbarous and ineffective method to resolve conflicts... the right to make justice by oneself must be taken away from any nation, as it did from single citizen and in-between communities... It appears urgent to promote in the public opinion the necessity to have recourse to methods of non-violent defence. In the same way the proposals to change the structure and the formation of Army to assimilate it to corps of international police, deserve support", evidently to UN direct dependence. (pp. 493-494).

Also the prestigious "Chart for Peace of Camaldoli" written in the early '90s, is clear and strong on this point: "The defence of peace is guarantee only with a higher organism... The article n.11 of the Italian Constitution is based on this enlightened realism, and not only <<repudiates war as means of offence against people's freedom and means of resolution of international disputes>>, but also consents, <<in conditions of parity with the other nations, to a limitation of sovranity essential to an order that will assure peace and justice among nations>>; or better still, <<promotes the international organizations with this aim>>... Only a deep revision will make of UN the hoped world organism". (pp.5-6)

It seems right to acknowledge that few years ago the Italian Foreign Office started to work for a peaceful policy, absolutely new: a campaign addressed to UN to repeal death sentence; a stop to Germany and Japan as new permanent members of the Council of Security; in favour of a passage in turn of members of UN, as a start of democratization. But it was only a start.

A new document of the "Chart for Peace of Camaldoli", perfectly agree with this. It is entitled "Is a <military humamitary intervention> possible?" In that document it is also said: "A pacifist movement that does not intend to restrict itself to opposing to this war or to the next only after its start, just for it is concious of the urgency to create a world government with the essential power to guarantee the defence of every man and ethnic entity, and that does not feel but involved in the request of radical revision of UN", granted with "the exclusive right of use of arms", by abolishig consequently the national Army and also the permanent members of the Council of Security with the attached right of veto. The UN power should have "functions of international police, recruited and trained for the defence of men and for a <fair peace>, under a <world government>" (Francesco Pasetto, president of "Chart for Peace of Camaldoli", Lonnano, 8 May, 1999. For informations: Sebastiano Nicolosi - Phone number: 0575/536058).

Stimulated and irritated by the political-military of USA during the Kosovo war, the rumor of a political and military reinforcement of Europe circulates repeatedly: a real European government, with a foreign policy made credible by put into effect of a corresponding European Army.

"In fact - also wrote Francesco Pasetto in the above-mentioned document "Chart for Peace of Camaldoli" - nowadays more than ever several publishers and politicals invoke a reinforcement of political Europe, as essential introduction to a major capacity of military intervention. But it is not clear what advantages, for a pacific and fair cohabitation of people, could derive from the presence, insted of one, of two or more powerful nations that are based on the same programs and adopt the same methods. We agree, it is to make similar big nations with small ones, but also for a major adhesion to regional problems, in-between institutions among the world organization and every single nation are useful. But on two precise conditions: first, such institutions, as just could be the European Community, will not rise to be anti anyone; and besides that they will not demand to take up a politics militarly and economically aggressive or detailed. Otherwise, new and more serious difficulties will oppose to the forming of a real world government".

Therefore, not another Army. But, if anything, "corps of European police", escorted by the elimination of the national Army of the "United States of Europe", as besides it is already happened for the "United States of America", in the prospect of a world government equipped with an adequate CORPS OF INTERNATIONAL POLICE.

It is to be said, once and for all, that between Army and police there is an essential difference: <murderous> use of strenght from one; <not morderous> use of strenght from the other, that demands anything but another type of arms, possibly <non lethal>, and anything but another training, as wrote the general Bruno Loi.

Of course, here we speak about a police with democratic guarantees, to defend every single citizen, not only who has power, as happens in the states where police has an exaggerated power.

The radical reform of UN, to complete the construction of a real legal-politic-economic world order, according to the NEW INTERNATIONAL RIGHT based on the reciprocal respect of human and people rights, is urgent and essential.

Nevertheless, the true alternative to the barbarous <military system>, that nowadays already present itself as a phenomenon of "collective madness" not more tolerable, is certainly not a Corps of International Police that depends on UN, still essential, but a full blown system of NON-VIOLENT POPULAR DEFENCE. It is necessary to have the humble presumption to think and assert that the time of Army is finished.

Non-violence is not passiveness, as many politicians and publishers persist in believing or make others believe. The great pacifists were been great wrestlers, which consciounsly risked their own lives and faced the arms of oppressors or aggressors with the only help of justice and truth. Not even the authority of Gandhi can be invoked, ad did Pannella and Ms. Bonino, as justification for the bombing by Nato, especially by USA, that turned into a war against the population and against the opposition to Milosevic, making worse even the life conditions of the natives of Kosovo, that they claimed to defend; a war full of illegality, atrocity and falseness, from both sides, as clearly and constantly the Pope denounced. The Gandhi's thought is that, facing unjustice, if nobody has the courage to fight with non-violent methods, it will be better to catch arms, rather than stay passive. That is another talk.

Still the accusation against pacifists to be anti-american is not credible. "Frankly, - Francesco Pasetto wrote - reading most of the many important newspapers, you get the sensation that in Italy it prevails a visceral liking for American customs instead . But it is no use to send such accusations back to each other.

Those who sincerely serch for peace all over the world, without ignoring the conflicts that exist and will always exist, must put to themselves the problem to "make the solution of international disputes". And this is possible.

As it is true that non-violence is not passiveness, so the non-violence is not even utopian.

Non-violence had already wrote magnificent historic pages, that only those who do not want to understood persist in underestimate and not see.

Non-violence is real very effective, only being available to stay 28 years in prison without lose hope: it is possible to become president of one's reconciled nation, as Nelson Mandela did. There are armed fights and long non-violent ones also, like Sudafrica, or short ones, like the non-violent fight in Madagascar, that passed from dictatorship to democratic, clear elections, under the UN control, in only two years.

Rather, it is necessary a new "culture of peace" and a great "movement for peace", decided and joined, further than the little differences that will always exist.

For the "culture of peace" it is necessary to get ready to carry out the APPEAL OF THE 20 NOBEL WINNERS (Mother Teresa from Calcutta also), turned to UN and positively received, to DEDICATE THE YEAR 2000 TO PEACE, and to dedicate ALL THE FIRST DECADE to EDUCATION PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD TO NON-VIOLENCE. Particularly, the Catholic Church has to eliminate from Catechism of the Universal Church the <doctrine of fair war> and the <principle of death sentence>, according to the recent public and clear teaching of Pope Giovanni Paolo II, and as consequently requested from the "Commission of social engagement - Justice and Peace" of the Italian Dehonians (attached).

To join and to reinforce the "movement of peace", I would suggest to all pacifists to take part in, actively and decisely, to the campaign called "WINDS OF PEACE", that every year suggests amendments to the <financial law>, asking the government to stop to cut only and always the social expenses (health, co-operation, pension...), but to start to cut the military expenses, up till now uninjured, or still better risen, and that this year will probably increase heavily, just to attenuate the infamous above-mentioned NEW PATTERN OF DEFENCE.

We hope that in 2000, the start of the new millenium, an era of peace will start, under the sign of the success in the <military system> and in the birth of the < civilization of love > under the sign of the ACTIVE NON-VIOLENCE.