In response to Janet E Rowntree writing on the path to Kosovo peace, in a way I respect the fact that people are caring enough to protest about the war (Letters, April 23).

But if you could take a minute to think about Operation Allied Force. Firstly, even if NATO and the US didn't step in, Slobodon Milosevic wouldn't have stopped what he was doing. This has been going on for seven to eight years but on a scale. NATO did right by stepping in otherwise a lot of Kosovo-Albanians would have been murdered.

Fighting force with force does work. Milosevic tried to get Bosnia back but he had to surrender to peace. NATO would do it again even if war goes straight to his front door.

Define 'real peace'. Russia has tried to talk but it's not working. Milosevic is not listening. Is it right for Serbia to use every weapon possible against a country that has hardly an armed force, but so wrong for every other country to protect it in any way and means possible?

Nigel Bostock,

Askham Lane,

Acomb,

York.

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