Errors erode confidence in mission

Germany sends official to U.S. for talks on ending conflict.

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- After two months of NATO airstrikes in Yugoslavia, allied and congressional support is eroding because of an increasing number of bombing blunders against embassies, hospitals, and ethnic Albanian refugees and fighters. Germany is so worried the alliance might "lose our moral ground" that its foreign minister was heading to Washington to talk with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright about new diplomatic approaches to end the conflict. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said Sunday the air war's mistakes unfairly are blemishing the U.S. military, which he said has been sent on a mission in Yugoslavia that air power alone can't win. From President Clinton's perspective, NATO is more unified than when the bombing began March 24, although not without differences, he wrote in Sunday's New York Times. "While there may be differences in domestic circumstances, cultural ties to the Balkans and ideas on tactics, there is no question about our unity on goals and our will to prevail," he wrote. Albright, appearing on CBS' "Face the Nation," said the airstrikes eventually would force Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to agree to NATO's peace terms. Still, allies clearly have become edgy in recent days as incidents causing civilian casualties through "collateral damage" or mistaken attacks piled up this month:n Joschka Fischer, Germany's foreign minister, suggested NATO re-evaluate its targeting strategy. - Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy warned that further foul-ups could stymie delicate negotiations for a diplomatic solution. - Premier Massimo D'Alema of Italy urged a three-day cease-fire once a draft U.N. resolution for a Kosovo peace deal is approved. So far, 13 incidents have been claimed by Yugoslavia or admitted by NATO. Seven were in May, with three in the past three days. As many as 312 people have died, including ethnic Albanian civilians and members of the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army. "We will do everything we can in NATO to make sure the targets we identify are valid military targets," Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles Wald said Saturday at the Pentagon. After about 26,000 sorties over Yugoslavia, and about 15,000 bombs or missiles, NATO estimates its mistake rate is less than 1 percent. Lott, appearing on television just after Albright, said the bombing is hurting U.S. prestige. "Quite frankly, these little boo-boos, where you're hitting a KLA headquarters, where you're killing innocent citizens, I think is hurting the image of the military, which is unfair," Lott said. Lott, R-Miss., said Congress should "be supportive of the (airstrikes-only) decision, now that the decision has been made, and hope for the best. Absolutely. But I am very dubious about the likelihood for success just with bombing." Lott was asked whether the Senate would support sending in ground combat troops, possibly from a force of 50,000 peacekeepers that Albright said the administration wants to amass as quickly as possible near Kosovo. "If you're talking about fighting their way in there, absolutely not," Lott said. "The president has repeatedly told the American people that we would not use ground troops in a combat mode there." Newsweek magazine reports in this week's edition Clinton has authorized the CIA to train ethnic Albanian rebels in sabotage and the National Security Agency to meddle with Milosevic's international bank accounts. In Berlin, Foreign Ministry official Ludger Volmer said ground troops are "not a topic" for discussion between the German foreign minister and Albright. Their talks will focus on diplomatic areas where breakthroughs might be possible, Volmer said. "Diplomatic efforts are reaching a decisive point," he said. "The difficulty is that many actors must be in synch to take a courageous step." In advance of Fischer's arrival, Germany's ambassador to Washington, Juergen Chrobog, said NATO must tread a fine line. "We have to be very, very careful not to lose our moral ground," Chrobog said on ABC's "This Week." That has not happened so far, "but I am afraid it could happen," he said. Axworthy, the Canadian minister, said at a conference in Norway that errant strikes like one that damaged a Belgrade hospital Thursday "are a serious mistake." "They come at a time when it is very important that we accelerate and underline the important search for a resolution of the conflict," Axworthy said.

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