NATO expected to decide on ground invasion at summit
By Steve Rodan
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, April 20, 1999
NATO is expected to decide during its summit in Washington this
weekend to prepare for a ground invasion of Kosovo, a senior
European official said.
The official, who did not want to be identified, said increasing pressure
is being placed on the United States and Britain for an invasion of
Kosovo over the next month in an attempt to "get this whole thing over
with." The official said NATO members on the European continent are
concerned that their economies would be damaged should NATO's
bombing campaign continue through the summer.
In addition, the official said, NATO's allies in the Balkans, such as
Macedonia and Croatia, want the campaign to end. Both countries
have granted air rights to NATO planes on their way to bombing
missions in Yugoslavia.
"From a humanitarian point of view, the support continues for the
NATO operation," the official said. "But from the strategic point of
view in terms of the future of Yugoslavia, there is more and more
concern. That's why everybody would like this to end as soon as
possible, even if it means a ground attack."
The official said NATO can no longer insist on less than a capitulation
of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. He said if Milosevic
obtains an unconditional ceasefire he will hail this as the "greatest
victory in Serbian history."
About 12,000 NATO troops are currently in Macedonia. NATO
Secretary General Javier Solana reiterated that the alliance has no
plans to invade Yugoslavia. But he added, "If the moment comes when
it is necessary I'm sure the countries that belong to NATO will be
ready to do it."
On Sunday, the British newspaper Observer reported that NATO is
making plans for a ground invasion of Kosovo as early as the end of
May. The newspaper reported that about 80,000 troops have been
allocated for the mission.
The Observer said American troops have begun training in Colorado
as part of a plan to complete NATO's operations in Yugoslavia by
July. A NATO source told the newspaper, "We are no longer talking
about simply sending peacekeeping troops into an entirely permissive
environment." |
