Sir, - Your Editorial of July 21st rightly points to the dangers posed to the whole Balkan region by the escalation in the Kosovo conflict. May I suggest that this danger could be minimised, if not completely removed, by the following action: since Nato is already busy in the area, why not deploy its troops along the borders of Albania, Macedonia and Yugoslavia to prevent the infiltration of KLA arms and ammunition? With the KLA deprived of its military resources, its terrorist actions in Kosovo would soon peter out, allowing for the withdrawal of a large number of the Serbian police, and creating a suitable atmosphere for a negotiated settlement.
This, of course, would require the consent of the Albanian government, but since they protest their wish to see a peaceful resolution to the conflict, surely they could have no objections. Nato would be probably exposed to attacks by the KLA, in their efforts to break down the blockade, but surely, the bands of poorly armed and untrained freedom fighters would be no match for such a professional force and the level of Nato casualties would surely be acceptable!
It is also vital that the West impress on Mr Rugova that setting up an Albanian parliament and government in Kosovo, as he is threatening to do, would be totally counter-productive, and that the only way forward is through direct negotiations with the Serbian government. It may well be that the long-term solution to the problem lies initially in some form of autonomy, to be followed by a negotiated partition of the Kosovo-Metohija region, with the Albanians getting independence for their territory. Such negotiations would need to be preceded by a full population census to determine which Albanians are Yugoslav citizens, and which are illegal immigrants, a proper examination of the titles to land and property, the methods by which property was acquired, etc.
According to a recent statement by the US mediator, Richard Holbrook, the US would be against the granting of independence for the Kosovo Albanians on the basis that it would lead to the creation of a Greater Albania, with a further destabilising effect on Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey. But then, since America's foreign policy was always conducted on the basis of its own short-term interests, he would say that, wouldn't he? In any case, if the West is sincere in its desire for stable Balkans, these potential problems could be resolved by negotiations before they actually arise. - Yours, etc., Zivko Jaksic,
Serbian Information Bureau, Grange Road, Dublin 16.