Let Blair be a sheriff
U.K. Rejects Latest Milosevic Offer for International Presence in Kosovo
London, April 22 (Bloomberg) -- The U.K. rejected Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic latest offer to allow a U.N.-
controlled ''international presence'' in Kosovo, saying it fell
far short of meeting NATO's demands.
Milosevic, in a meeting with Russian Premier Viktor
Chernomyrdin, said he would allow the international presence only
if NATO first halts its bombing and withdraw all troops from the
region, a Russian special envoy said, according to the Associated
Press, Chernomyrdin told reporters. The Russian diplomat gave no
details on the makeup of the force, saying that would have to be
worked out. Last week Milosevic said he would accept only unarmed
observers from non-NATO countries.
''President Milosevic knows exactly what he has to do, and
this comes nowhere near it,'' a spokesman for British Prime
Minister Tony Blair's office said, as reported by Agence France-
Press.
NATO is in the fifth week of its bombing campaign to
force Milosevic to end his repression of ethnic Albanians in
Kosovo, withdraw Serb troops, allow refugees to return, and
accept an international peacekeeping force.
NATO destroyed one of Milosevic's residences yesterday.
Milosevic wasn't in the house and wasn't the target, NATO
officials said.
Milosevic's house was attacked because it was being used
for ''command and control'' purposes, U.K. Armed Forces
Minister Doug Henderson said. ''The military machine is the
target. There are no other targets,'' Henderson said at a
briefing for reporters in London.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Javier Solana ordered
NATO's commanders to revise and update plans for the possible
use of ground troops in Kosovo, U.S. Defense Department
spokesman Ken Bacon said. Solana asked for separate plans to
deploy ground troops either as a peace-keeping force or as an
invading force. Planning is 'Prudent'
Ground Troops
U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said that
while the U.S. still opposes inserting ground troops into a
''hostile environment,'' the time has come for NATO to
consider all other options.
''We believe it is prudent to update our plans and
assessments,'' Albright said after a meeting with British
Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, who is in Washington for this
weekend's NATO summit. ''I think it is inappropriate to rule
anything out, and we have not done so.''
At the same time, Albright and Cook said they aren't
planning to use ground troops until Serb defense forces have
been defeated.
''We are not sending troops in to fight their way in a
ground-force invasion,'' Cook said. He added that the current
plan remains to send in troops as peacekeepers only ''when the
time is right, when it is safe.''
U.K. Prime Minister Blair, who is also in Washington for
the NATO summit, met with U.S. President Bill Clinton last
night, and a White House spokesman said their talks included
the possible use of ground troops.
Air Campaign
Allied forces flew 324 sorties yesterday, bringing the
total to 9,300 since the air campaign began. The attacks have
severely weakened Yugoslav forces and the air strikes will be
intensified, Henderson and Bacon said.
Chief of U.K. joint operations, Admiral Sir Ian Garnett,
said allied air strikes have destroyed at least seven of
Milosevic's most advanced aircraft, the MiG 29, half the
force, along with 12 MiG 21s, 10 Super Galebs which are used
to support ground forces and nine Mi-9 helicopters. In
addition military barracks, communications, fuel and
ammunition dumps have been destroyed along with bridges, rail
lines and roads.
In addition to Milosevic's house, NATO bombed a military
air base in the suburbs of Belgrade last night, AFP said. More
than 20 explosions shook the base at Batajnica. Explosions
were also reported near Belgrade's southwestern Rakovica
district and also at a factory in Valjevo, 80 kilometers (50
miles) from Belgrade, AFP said, citing Tanjug news agency.
Three waves of North Atlantic Treaty Organization
warplanes lifted off from Aviano, Italy, overnight, AFP said.
Several U.S. F-16 CJ fighter jets used to cover for bombing
aircraft also took off for the first time since their arrival
from Shaw Air Force base near Sumter, South Carolina.
NATO leaders gather in Washington this weekend to mark
the alliance's 50th anniversary. Milosevic intends to disrupt
the organization's 50th anniversary summit, Brigadier General
Giuseppe Marani said yesterday. Yugoslav forces will try to
''orchestrate'' demonstrations by local Serbs in Washington,
Marani said without giving details.
Law enforcement agencies in Washington are on high alert
for possible terrorism during the summit. Several major
streets will be closed, special checkpoints are being set up,
and thousands of extra local and federal police officers will
be on duty.
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