Edinburgh - The British general who commanded the UN force in Bosnia last night criticised NATO's Kosovo aerial bombing campaign. Gen Sir Michael Rose said NATO troops had stood by on Kosovo's borders as thousands were slaughtered.
Speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival he claimed that the high level of civilian casualties caused by the policy was in danger of breaching international laws. Sir Michael, now retired, commanded the UN force in Bosnia in 1994-'95.
He claimed that by saying NATO was not going to put troops on the ground they gave Serbia carte blanche for ethnic cleansing. "It's shameful to see the most powerful nations standing by helplessly." He added: "Bombing was never militarily credible. During the bombing campaign NATO killed three times more innocent civilians than it did Serb military."
He contrasted the deaths of over 300 young peacekeepers in Bosnia, which he said had saved the lives of thousands of civilians caught up in the conflict, with NATO's reluctance to risk its service personnel in Kosovo.