I would like to think the air strikes endorsed by both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition would have the effect they want them to. But the PM suffers from a dangerous weakness.

He always believes he's on the moral high ground whether it's bashing the disabled, single mothers, or now, war in Kosovo.

This war will be the first time Nato has invaded a sovereign state, in what will be seen by the Serbs as an attempt to dismember their own country.

The bombing will not stop the despicable ethnic cleansing going on, which in turn, this being the complex Balkans, was brought on by the reverse ethnic cleansing of the KLA on the Serbs.

Already we hear of an intercept of Russian arms to the former Yugoslavia, and there is a real danger of more and more countries being sucked into a disaster we cannot win.

The Serbs held down eight German divisions in World War Two and they will not be a soft target.

The way forward is to involve the Russians in any solution, which should be UN-based and to continue negotiation, not endless Nato threats.

Once a ground war starts up, as there is every chance, conscription could rear its ugly head. How would Mr Blair feel if his own children had to fight in what will be the third European war this century? What the Serbs are doing is ugly, but a widespread war in Europe will be even more ugly.

Air strikes cannot remove Saddam in Iraq. Neither will they remove Milosevic. They are not the answer.

Drop the high moral tone, Tony!

Chris Clayton,

Hempland Drive,

York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.