Letter: Caring for Kosovo

Sir: Many, including David Aaronovitch (Comment, 1 April), seem to miss the point being made when "decent folk" lay blame for the current ethnic cleansing on Nato. Of course, the criminal is Milosevic; but the negotiators, the strategists, the military planners are also at fault because they have ordered events which have led to precisely the outcome they sought to avoid.

No one blames firemen for the fire: the real cause is the arsonist. But the firemen who pour on petrol rather than water are also at fault. The exodus from Kosovo proves our current strategy to be inept: time for a new strategy - and perhaps new firemen too.

GERARD M BLAIR

Fort Collins, Colorado, USA