-Caveat Lector-
<<I would suggest the Brits' politicians not make the same error as a leader
of a central European country did midway through this century and forget
geography and the scope of resources -- not to mention resolve -- the
Americans can muster. Put differently, until they can demonstrate they can
enter and win conflicts on their own -- without our assistance -- perhaps
gold can be found in that thar silence. A<>E<>R >>
>From http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
ISSUE 1430 Sunday 25 April 1999
Blair enlists Thatcher for advice on war
By Tom Baldwin, Andrew Gilligan and David Wastell in Washington
Oil blockade by allies 'could drag Russia into war'
TONY BLAIR has called in Lady Thatcher to advise him on the Kosovo conflict
and how to keep Nato united against Slobodan Milosevic. Her support is
believed to have been a key factor in Mr Blair's hawkish stance on Kosovo at
the Washington Nato summit this weekend.
Lady Thatcher has discussed war strategy with the Prime Minister in a series
of telephone calls, some lasting as long as 30 minutes, all of which were
initiated by Downing Street. She emphasised the importance of Britain taking
a lead and of "stiffening the spine" of the Americans, in a similar fashion
to the moment in the Gulf war when she chided George Bush for going
"wobbly".
Mr Blair's official spokesman last night confirmed that there had been
contact with Lady Thatcher, saying she had told the Prime Minister that it
was "important to do the right thing".
The employment of the Falklands War leader as an unofficial Downing Street
adviser has been a feature of Mr Blair's premiership. He has previously
expressed his admiration for her leadership on the world stage.
Lady Thatcher was invited into Downing Street for one-on-one talks with Mr
Blair within weeks of Labour's election victory in May 1997. She was also
consulted in November of that year, shortly before the Government became
involved in military action for the first time when it ordered an aircraft
carrier to the Gulf.
But Britain's campaign for the use of ground forces failed to win support as
Nato leaders ducked substantive discussion of the question. The rebuff to Mr
Blair came as fresh evidence emerged of deep divisions within the alliance,
with President Clinton resisting demands for an immediate ground campaign.
Britain will today fight to keep open the option of a ground invasion by
unveiling plans for a multi-million-pound package of aid, including the
offer of associate European Union and Nato membership, to frontline Balkan
border states.
The proposal is designed to ease the financial plight of Macedonia, the most
likely launchpad for an invasion of Kosovo, which has been increasingly
disenchanted by the operation as it is engulfed by refugees.
News of Lady Thatcher's intervention came as another key figure gave his
backing for the use of ground troops. Gen Wesley Clark, Nato's Supreme
Allied Commander, has privately told diplomats that the conflict will not be
won by air power alone.
The remark, made at a gathering during the Nato summit, is a major reversal
of Nato's position. It contradicts the public statements by Nato leaders
this weekend that air power will still be enough to win.
According to a North American diplomat at the meeting, Gen Clark said: "I
can no longer guarantee that bombing will succeed in breaking the will of
the regime." A diplomatic source corroborated the report.
Gen Clark's statement shows the shift in Nato opinion towards ground forces.
"We must start to give ourselves the option of a ground force," said an
alliance politician. "It will take a long time to build one up: if we do not
start now, we will find that we are not ready for a campaign until the
winter, and that will be truly horrendous."
Lady Thatcher has thrown her weight behind the deployment of ground troops,
describing Milosevic as a "truly monstrous evil" who must be "totally
defeated".
Mr Blair echoed her comments on his US trip, in which he insisted that
America should not be allowed to slip back into isolationism. "If we let an
evil dictator range unchallenged, we will have to spill infinitely more
blood and treasure to stop him," he said. Downing Street increased the
pressure on Belgrade last night by claiming that there were growing signs of
dissent inside the Milosevic regime.
Asked how the Government's apparent assessment of Milosevic's vulnerability
squared with reports in yesterday's US press that the Pentagon believed Nato
was failing to win the war, Mr Blair's spokesman said: "My assessment is
completely in accord with Gen Clark's."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A<>E<>R
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