Tuesday, May 11, 1999
BBC News

"Definitely not ... what we are witnessing is the beginning of some results ... we can't stop where we are now."
Dominique Moisi from the Institute for International Relations

"I think we should put the emphasis on a negotiated settlement ... my question is whether just carrying on bombing Yugoslavia will produce the effects that we want to produce."
Loukas Tsoukalis, a Greek professor at the London School of Economics.

Nearly six weeks into its military intervention in Yugoslavia, can Nato achieve any more than it already has through the power of the bomb, or should it call a halt, and start talking?

It is a view that is starting to be heard around Europe. At the weekend from the former German finance minister Oskar Lafontaine, and now from the French Communist leader Robert Hue.

Mr Hue said the release of three captured American soldiers by the Yugoslav authorities was an important gesture which should be seized upon.

The chance of a political solution, he said, was at hand.

So - should the bombing stop? Is it time to sue for peace?

Our behaviour is far worse than that of Milosovic's thugs. Just as in the cowardly massacre that we perpetrated in Iraq. We are using bullying tactics to resolve political/economic issues. The Western leaders responsible for this odious campaign should be tried as war criminals.
George Ward, USA

The BBC reported that Nato bombs hit a hospital in Nis killing 15 people and wounding dozens. I want to ask Andy Brown and all the supporters of the bombing "Do you really approve of that? Why are you so concerned about Albanian victims and do not care a damn about Serb civilians killed by Nato bombs? How many hospitals must be destroyed before you come to your senses? How many women, children and old people must be killed?" THE BOMBING MUST BE STOPPED NOW.
Anton Smolyakov, Russia

No the bombing should not stop. Thinking of this latest incident, whilst the loss of any innocent life is always regrettable, the accidental bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade by Nato forces, should hold no more weight than the accidental bombing of any civilian site. Indeed, the countries who maintain embassies in Belgrade are aware of the dangers and have chosen to keep their personnel in harms way. Declared or not, war is being waged in Yugoslavia and civilian deaths are inevitable. I have no doubts that Nato do not deliberately target civilians. Accidents happen and always will.
Mike Cappuccitti, UAE

We Greeks invented democracy. Stop bombing the Serbs. They are also Christians. Nato should bomb non-Christians to teach them democracy. Serbs are nice people, just badly misunderstood. Greece and Serbia! Friends forever!
Kostas Vilos, Greece

Under no circumstances can Nato afford to "lose" the war against Yugoslavia. It must, however, be very wary of the stance taken by Russia and especially China. The missile attack on the Chinese embassy may very well lead to a united effort by Russia and China against the Western Alliance. An escalation of such a confrontation will not bode well for future world peace.
Hans Rehder, South Africa

To all those people who say no... you sad, sad individuals, don't you know what you are doing not only to the civilian people there now, but to the country as a whole? For generations the country will be poisoned by depleted uranium bombs, ecological catastrophes due to bombing.... It is a sad fact of life that people of low intellectual significance do not want to take into account all of the factors that lead to war. If only you knew a little bit more about history. But if your mothers didn't teach you, who am I to start now? I only pray that you never have the misfortune to witness such hypocrisy and sense of misinformed moral judgement as is being witnessed in my country now.
VJ, UK, but a Serb

What China is looking for is someone's head to roll. In Japan, even the slightest quote upsetting China is enough for even a government minister to resign or worse. What happen in Belgrade is not deemed a mistake but an insult of far reaching proportions. If the CIA has admitted this blunder, China therefore would no less want the head of the CIA, George Tenet. If Mr. Tenet has any value left for Sino-American relations, he must accept this consequence and resign!
Herbert Y, Philippines

Give peace a chance? We did that, look at the result... Stop the bombing? That's surrender, but you might as well if there is no invasion, there can be no victory. The best we can expect is another Iraq, with Kosovo playing Kuwait. And now the Chinese are reacting stupidly to an honest error; if you cant stand bombs, get out of the war theatre!
Eric Williams, USA

I think the bombing of the Chinese embassy was a deliberate ploy, designed to eliminate the possibility of any settlement in the UN Security Council and give Nato the excuse to continue bombing Yugoslavia. Nato has painted itself into a corner where only an outright victory on their terms can be accepted.
John, England

In future, could we give enough warning to allow civilians to evacuate places, for example, an airport or a TV transmission building, but not enough time to give the Serbian military time to react with anti-aircraft batteries?
Paul Allen, Northern Ireland

The US has just created one more long term enemy. When will the US government start putting its own people first. Isolation is not such bad thing after all.
Tim M, Singapore

May sound cynical, but Nato action, starts to resemble more and more a bad B-movie script, or second-class war-novel. And what happens to this old paperback, after its read? Toss it on the bin and ready for the new heroic acts?
Tero, Netherlands

The bombing must continue or else President M will consider he has won.
Bryan Williasmon, New Zealand

It amazes me how people seem to believe the papers. Innocent women and children are being killed. I agree with the people who suggest that Tony Blair is a war criminal in that he manipulates the press with the propaganda that simple minded people are taking in. Even my Grandad who fought in WW2 does not support this. You cannot change the Serb minority viewpoint who do this unless you kill them all and the press instil on us that all Serbs are evil rapists. They are not. Clinton and Blair disgust me, if they want to alleviate suffering take a walk away from your spin doctors at night in the rain of London and look at the homeless people. My advice is save the money from the bombs and look after your peeps first Tony.
Philip Levy, UK

I have one question. Who is Nato fighting against? So far I haven't heard that Yugoslavia has retaliated to the Nato bombings. I have only witnessed the loss of innocent lives and destruction of buildings and structures which will cost a lot of money to replace or reconstruct. I think it is time Nato came back to its senses and stopped the bombing and concentrate on a negotiated solution. Russia is setting a good example. Please western countries do not dance to the tune of Clinton. He just wants to forget his domestic problems.
Mabvuto Nkangala, Malawi

The bombing should NOT stop until the Serbs surrender. What they are doing is intolerable, we are nearly in the 21st century, 100 years on and Europe is again at War - Why? The Serbs!
David Warburton, UK

Of course it is time for the bombing to stop. It is also time to find a new home for the Kosovo Albanians. There is no merit in their returning to Serbian territory, nor should they be allowed to remain as a source of instability in Macedonia. The time has come for Nato to accept that Kosovo is Serbian, and to inject massive aid into Albania, so the refugees from Kosovo can live as Albanians, in an Albanian state, which is what they have always wanted.
J. Munro, UK

I would like to make the comparison to a house on fire, with Nato being the firefighters. It's true that if they stand around doing nothing they will have to shoulder the blame. But they can't go throwing gasoline on the fire and then say "we're doing all we can". That strategy WILL put the fire out eventually, after the house has burned to the ground.
Mike O'Day, USA

Everyone who thinks that bombing is the solution I would like to invite to spend a few days here in Yugoslavia. He would be able to see all the "humanitarian" results of bombs!! Bombing is not the answer. It only brings death, pain, sadness, horror and uncertainty in the lives of ordinary people living in Yugoslavia. The only true solution is a peaceful solution...As John Lennon would say: "Give peace a chance..."
Natalie & Vlad, Yugoslavia

Having heard President Clinton say Milosevic could stay in power I wonder why we have been bombing at all. If he remains in power he has won, he either ordered or allowed hundreds or thousands of people to be murdered, raped, tortured and tormented, driven from their homes. He and others MUST pay for the crimes. Peace at any Price is NOT peace. Where is justice for the Kosova people, where is peace whilst the murderer of their people is free and in power. We imprison people for crimes against animals, what does this say about the people of Kosovo if Milosvic is left in power!!
Jan Phillips, England

Yes, it should. This Nato campaign of terrorism is not working, so other solutions must be sought.
Asgeir Petursson, Iceland

Nato wanted to win the war in a few days so the people won't have the time to find out the real motives of the aggression. The determination of the people in Yugoslavia blew their plans away. Imperialism and freedom fought in Yugoslavia and freedom won - at the cost of course of thousands of lives. Those like Blair who slavishly supported the imperialism will have their answer in the next elections. (Or in the Hague tribunal for war crimes).
N Missoulis, Greece

Of course the bombing should end - what has been achieved? More refugees, more death, more pain and suffering. Look around you - what do you see? We are morally superior becaue we have the power. I have heard that there have been worse human rights abuses in the world than what is happening in Kosovo. We have to decide that this is where we draw he line. I do not have a problem with this but lets have some consistency - what about the other abusers of human rights around the world?
Chris, Spain

Doesn't anyone read history anymore? You negoitate while the bombing continues, if we stop then the Serbs have no incentive to negoitate in good faith.
Richard T Ketchum, USA

Let me think now... A war that the west does not dare to declare and has completely ignored the UN Security Council? Isn't that illegal? Nato keeps intensifying air strikes on Yugoslavia because they think that the Serbs have humiliated them. The sad truth is that Nato has humiliated itself. Stop the bombing now!
Emily, UK

Does anybody still believe that there is something left worth bombing? After Nato destroyed everything that was not a military building, it started bombing buses, trains and everything that moves.
Is there still a 'humanitarian' motive? Please, stop being so hypocritical. Anyway, who would want to move back to Kosovo after all the toxic pollution caused by the bombs? Of course, Nato doesn't seem to care. After all it is not us who will suffer...
Damianos Dorizas, France

Has anyone stopped to consider what will happen to Serbian refugees when they find that their environment is too poisoned to support life?
Chris Carr, England

Should the bombing stop? Has the genocide stopped? Are the refugees able to go home in peace and security? No. No. And no.
Adrian Cruden, UK

The bombing of Nato against Serbia and the bombing of the western mass media against our intelligence must stop.
Defkalion Tsagarakis, Greece

This is a moot question. Let me tell you why. I asked a Romanian student "will Serbs give up if Nato kills half of them? They'll have to kill them all he replied, then they won't have a Kosovo problem any longer. Nato can not stop bombing because it is on a mission of defacto world domination. Nato can and will not end it conquest with Serbia. Sooner or later out of frustration Nato will resort to carpet bombing because Serbs would rather die than submit to Turks, Nato or anyone else. Then, Nato will persevere and all this humanitarian pretense will become superfluous.
Mike, USA

The bombing must go on. We need to crack Milosevic's eggs to make a peace omelette that all Kosovars can share.
Khan Kabir, USA

I feel we should continue bombing until our objectives are met. This isn't the first time Milosevic has persecuted people in Yugoslavia as we saw in Bosnia and Croatia. He has touted Serbian Nationalism since he first was elected and look at the destruction it has caused to his country.
Bonnie Walker, USA

Nato has done enough harm, no more please! They must stop, it is inhuman and certainly contrary to all that gab about "Humanitarian approach", that the West, especially the USA, likes to impress upon other nations. One of the reasons may have been fear and threat of a 'spill-over' effect of the crisis into Western Europe. But the main reason for Nato interference seems to be the need to legitimise the very existence of Nato.
The Nato states also seem to want to extend their area of influence. It won't be long before Nato starts its 'humanitarian' acts in the West Asia and North Africa, for the sake of increasing its power. And of course for economic purposes. If wars didn't occur at close intervals what would USA do? Shut down the Pentagon? This has nothing to do with upholding peace et al, it is purely an economic exercise. Please stop now before the whole world has to pay heavily for the crimes of the Western powers.
Dr. Nikit Dravid, India

Of course it should stop. More to the point, should it ever have started? Our political leaders decided to play the strong-arm card against Serbia, they rushed in, and it's quite obvious that they failed. They hoped for a swift, painless, political and military victory - it's not happened. Of course, given the time, Nato could bomb Serbia into the dark ages but is that really what everyone wants? They made a mistake, a gross miscalculation of Serbian resolve and now it's time to admit it and seek a negotiated peace. Quickly.
Neil McKenzie, UK

Milosevic's aims are clear to us all and he will not stop murdering innocent people even if we stop bombing. While we have the means to end the ethnic cleansing, we have a moral duty to help people by using them. If we stop now, Milosevic will succeed in the most racist crime since WW2, Kosovan Albanians will never return home and the peace Nato offers its members for the future may well be lost.
Paul, UK

I am quite tired of the US hiding behind or using Nato as an excuse. As usual this is by far an American operation with Tony (I used to be a dove) Blair ready to fight to the last American. Lets face it, GB may have one of the best militaries in Europe but it is not capable of stopping Serbia. Having said that the two doves Clinton/Blair are novices dabbling in military adventurism. Neither knows what they are doing. We need to get some kind of face saving agreement for what little face we have left, and stop this bombing which by the way has not been very successful.
Jack Scardina, USA

Stop the bombing? Of course not! This would undermine the great American and English tradition of bombing civilians, eg Dresden.
Axel Brinkhoff

You don't win a war with air power alone. Since Nato ruled out ground troops, it already lost the war. They made a strategic mistake. Bombing should stop immediately, they proved not to be successful, on the contrary they have made things a lot worse. Holding on to the five Nato demands is dangerous and can hardly be called diplomacy; compromises have to be made to reach peace.
Pieter Vervaeke, Belgium

Yes the bombing must stop immediately. What the world and especially Nato must realise is that Kosovo is past of Yugoslavia and NOT a separate country. What the public of the Western world must also realise is that they will bear the cost of rebuilding the infrastructure and shattered lives that this bombing has provoked and caused.
S. Paul, UK

This war prosecuted in the name of peace and stability in the Balkans has only served to highlight the fickle nature of "politicians" in our western countries. Half-baked solutions, inept responses in the face of aggression. Nato a force humiliated and unable to offer any prospects of a satisfactory outcome in the near future. This conflict must be brought to a end. Nobody is winning only LOSING in this "tragic fiasco".
Craig, UK

Yes - After Milosevic and his lunatics have been dealt with! Groundtroops you wimps, now or never!
Jonathan McAndrew, Zimbabwe

For some egotistical reason Tony Blair thinks he is a hero, when in fact he fits the description of a war criminal. Bombing a country that cannot defend itself is not what I would call macho. When he changes his name to Tony "Winston" Blair, then we will know he has gone over the edge. Get a life Tony, bombing women and children is not heroic.
Fred, USA

It is a blatant breach of our most cherished principles, of the freedom of thought etc., to expect that a man should be forced to agree to something against his will. Besides we will never get people to 'think our way' with violence and military action. We can only ever convince them by calmly appealing to their sense of reason. If Nato's objective remains to coerce Milosevic into signing on the dotted line, then the bombing should never have even started. If the main thrust of the assault was to prevent or put an end to the suffering of the Albanian refugees, then it is a contradiction in terms as their predicament has clearly been exacerbated, both directly and indirectly, through the fact of the air strikes. And honestly, is it logical to hold a gun to someone's head and say, effectively, "Make peace or I'll blow it off"?
Simon Cameron, UK

For all those who support the bombings, just a question: what will you say when there will be more civilian casualties due to the Nato irresponsible "errors" than the Albanians killed by the Serb forces? Will this war be a more acceptable humanitarian disaster than that denounced few weeks ago by the Nato officials? I think the bombings were not the solution and even more, the Serbs shouldn't had been threatened with bombs in the first place, because there is no room for negotiations under these circumstances. Some smart men should have found another way of imposing protection for Albanian Kosovars. Peace sells, but who's buying, isn't it, my friends?
Radu, Romania

Why would anybody ask if the bombing should stop in a war that was not over? And, have people forgotten why Nato got involved in the first place? Have they forgotten the desperate cry for help from the Albanians who lived in Kosovo? Or, are we all happy to watch our TVs and drink our beer and do nothing as long as it doesn't directly effect us? Wake up, people! Wake up fast! If, you don't like what is happening it is time to express your opinion. The world is on the edge of a major catastrophe.
Dave Adams, USA

The surrender of Serbs will never happen. Nato should have studied history and mentality of Serbs and Montenegrins better. They can suffer for ages and it is no use sending thousands of young men as ground forces - many many would die. The solution: negotiations.
Marko, Slovenia

Of course now that Tony Blair has done his Hollywood style interaction in Macedonia he has fulfilled his ambition of being a movie star. Open neck shirt unbuttoned and arms raised high-fiving refugees some of whom don't even know who he is, with an orchestrated chant of his name. Cecil B DeMille would have been proud, not even his blockbusters were that good. But then again if he had bothered to use dialogue to end the conflict perhaps the great show would not have been possible. I wonder actually whether Paddy's tears gave them the idea. Stop the bombing and stop using those poor refugees as pawns in Nato propaganda. END THE WAR BY USING WORDS SO PEOPLE CAN LIVE THEIR LIVES !!!!
Tvoja Dusha, Yugoslavia

The bombing cannot stop now. The loss of lives, the slaughter, the rapes and atrocities will all have been in vain. It must carry on now and, get a speedy result.
Judity, UK, living in USA

Bombing will not create a better world, and look at the people, killed 'inadvertantly'. Bombs going astray, killing innocent people for what reasons? Hungarian people do not wish to be involved and sucked into the war. History warns us not to do so, but it is history and the mentality of people that is not taken into consideration by military leaders. High tech is not everything, and to destroy a country is not a solution to conflict. Humanitarian disaster, they say, that is what THEY wanted to avoid. Who cares about people here?
Eva Tohol, Hungary

Nato must negotiate, instead of making unilateral decisions that make them look like the dictators and flout international law.
Vicki, UK

Yes. Killing innocent people and destroying a country's infrastructure will only make the peace process more difficult. Nato obviously does not want to negotiate. Their idea of diplomacy is: "do as we say, or die."
J Knight, UK

I think the bombing should stop if this is truly going to be the extent of the Nato action, because IF it is - and there is no commitment of troops on the ground - it will simply prolong everybody's agony. Bombing alone will not stop the Serbs, by now this must be obvious to even the freshmen running the White House. Only a fully-supported ground campaign will do the job. Surely it is better to face-up to this now and either bite the bullet or admit defeat than stumble further into a mire of ignomy, incompetence and impotence. Defeat in Kosovo will effectively mean the end of Nato.
Nick, UK

The first ever words attributed to a war leader emerging from pre-history in the northern parts of theses isles said of the Romans "They make a desert and call it peace". It would seem the words are just as appropiate today.
Malcolm McCandless, UK

If Nato stops the bombing it will be seen as a sign of failure. The principal idea of the program was to force Milosevic to withdraw his troops and only after previous talks failed did Nato reach for their most powerful weapon - war. In my opinion the bombing should continue, even though war represents a very dark side of this world. Milosevic has to be stopped because his regime causes more darkness than the war in Yugoslavia has caused so far. If he is not stopped, perhaps there will be a threat equal to that posed by Saddam Hussein - only this time a little closer to home.
Joop Jansen, The Netherlands

Given that Nato is running out of "smart" bombs which have already killed over a hundred innocent people (by accident), any move to intensify the bombing using unguided weapons is a recipe for civilian carnage that cannot be condoned. If we want to stop Serb troops slaughtering and driving out Kosovan civilians then our troops must be used. If we sit back and knowingly slaughter Serb civilians as a way of pressuring the Serbian government then we are no better than them.
Bob Pinder, UK

The bombing campaign should not have begun in the first place. It has been apparent for some weeks now that the stated objective was unrealistic, and that the bombing was clearly producing adverse effects. And yet, the campaign continues, showing that this action is more about egos of the Nato leaders than about the refugees. As for the refugees, the amount of bombs with deplated iranium that were dropped on Kosovo already are triple the amount dropped on Hiroshima in '45. Even if the bombing stops now, the ecological catastrophe has already begun. We will have another Chernobyl in Central Europe, a direct consequence of Nato bombing. So in a way, it really doesnt' matter who ends up governing Kosovo, because no one will be able to live in it.
Boris Savic, USA

Stop the bombing NOW!!! I wonder how these armchair critics of yours would like to be in the bombing regions or in fact the refugee camps. Easy to be the judge and jury when you don't know the full truth and picture. I invite all those to come and spend a day in the war torn regions and lets see the mighty western resolve at work
Tvoja Dusha, Yugoslavia

What's the point of even discussing whether the bombing should stop? A peace deal will only be acceptable to Nato when it's fulfilled whatever agenda (public or otherwise) it has in the Balkans.
Jay, UK

Yes, it should. Innocent people are dying in hundreds by Nato bombs. All those who are advocating bombing, should go to Belgrade and spend a night in a bomb shelter. The moment Nato bombardment stops, the persecution of Albanians will stop too.
Stan, Australia

The bombing should not be stopped now or we will end up with another situation like the one in the gulf, now that Nato has taken the step to implement military action it should be continued and backed up with a ground invasion to ensure that the horrific acts of genocide do not continue.
Paul, UK

Yes, the bombing should stop. It has caused the refugee crisis, and also a great number of civilian casualties on both sides. Nato seems to be increasingly frustrated, and is now bombing almost everything BUT military targets.
Alex, UK

Stop the bombing. We are wrong in believing that to continue to destroy a country is going to make friends of the Serbs. We have an idiot as a leader, who needs to be removed from office and tried for treason and your Tony Blair is little if any better.
James Sexton, USA