War In The Balkans: Blair sets out Nato's terms

War Aims

TONY BLAIR said last night that there would be "no compromise" with Slobodan Milosevic and that Nato would continue to bomb Yugoslavia until he conceded all of its demands. "This policy of ethnic cleansing must be seen to be defeated so that this type of appalling situation is not allowed to happen again," Mr Blair said.

"There must be no question of half measures ... Milosevic must withdraw his forces from Kosovo, he must cease the policy of ethnic cleansing and he must allow an international force in to allow people to return to their homes and villages.

"That must be the only set of terms on which Nato must settle this matter."

Mr Blair played down the prospect of direct talks with President Milosevic. He also predicted that the Serbian President would now try to divide the Nato alliance, but insisted there were "no splits".

Robin Cook, the Foreign Secretary, announced that Britain was to fund a new information network run by journalists who fled Kosovo. He said it would be based in a neighbouring country and give a means of communication that President Milosevic could not block.

The US State Department named nine Serbian military officers, and warned them that they could be charged with war crimes. The men were named as: Colonel Milos Mandic, 252nd Armoured Brigade; Major General Vladimir Lazarevic, Pristina Corps; Colonel Mladen Cirkovic, 15th Armoured Brigade; Colonel Dragan Zivanovic, 125th Motorised Brigade; Colonel Krsman Jelic, 243rd Mechanised Brigade; Colonel Bozidar Delic, 549th Motorised Brigade; Colonel Radojko Stefanovic, 52nd Mixed Artillery Brigade; Colonel Milos Djosan, 52nd Light Air Defence Artillery-Rocket Regiment; Major Zeljko Pekovic, 52nd Military Police Battalion.