MONITOR: KOSOVO IN CRISIS

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Saturday 20 March 1999 00:02 GMT
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Der Bund

Switzerland

PERHAPS THE western mediators have acted for too long as if there were a political solution for the various Balkan conflicts. Nato's compromise solution in Kosovo - autonomy but for the moment no independence for Kosovo - is at best supported by the Kosovo Liberation Army for tactical reasons. And the second round of Kosovo negotiations will end without a political solution. At best, it will succeed in forcing a ceasefire - but then only if Nato doesn't put its credibility at risk with empty threats.

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The Goldsboro News Argus

US

KOSOVO HAS not asked the Nato countries to send troops. If Nato took it upon itself to insert troops there, it would amount to meddling in a country's internal affairs. The pact should not be allowed to do that.

We must not get into a position of having our whittled-down military scattered throughout the world. We have nothing at stake in Kosovo and we don't belong there.

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The Herald

Scotland

THE DIPLOMATIC failure in negotiating peace exemplifies the dilemma of the two basic positions: the disparate national interests within and outside international organisations, and the declared consensus within those international organisations. If this dilemma is not resolved, the imposition of force to counter force becomes the only option, provided that it is undertaken in such a way as to be proportionate, yet achieve its objectives, namely the arrest of the heinous crimes and resultant instability which threatens a larger conflagration. (Mladen Grbin)

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