Letter: Redraw Balkan map

Sir: Instead of establishing a Nato protectorate, the West should try to build on the idea of partitioning Kosovo, which has been floating in Serbian nationalist circles for over a decade.

The map could be drawn to balance advantages. For example, the Albanians would get most of the territory; the Serbs would get land containing some of medieval monasteries, while the others would be put under the UN protection. The working assumption should be that the Serbian part of Kosovo would become an integral part of Serbia, while the Albanian part would join Albania. The establishment of a Nato protectorate over Kosovo would only freeze, not resolve, the conflict. Only partition achieved by agreement could end the conflict in Kosovo.

RANDHIR SINGH BAINS

Gants Hill, Essex