31 MARCH 1999

ROBERTSON: One week ago tonight, the Deputy Prime Minister announced to the House of Commons that, in the face of rising violence against civilians in Kosovo, British Forces with 18 other NATO allies were taking action to halt the killing and ethnic cleansing. Seven days later, Milosevic's offer last night showed that our air assault has seriously rattled him.

As the Chief of Defence Staff will tell you in a moment, British aircraft were active yesterday not only at night, but also by day. We are, as promised, stepping up the pressure. With our Harriers in Italy and our Tornados in Germany we now conducting round the clock operations. Weather still hampers manned bombing but not long range Cruise Missile attacks.

Yesterday evening, following discussions in the North Atlantic Council, NATO confirmed its resolve to intensify and broaden still further the airstrikes against Milosevic and his thugs who are engaged in the massacre of the Albanian population in Kosovo.

NATO took this decision after considerable thought. We do not lightly increase the tempo of military force. Last nights decision gives a clear signal of our mutual and determined intent.

NATO's aircraft will now increase the damage to his war machine including tank and troop concentrations. We know where they are dispersed to, we know where they are hiding. They will not escape. There will be no rest or opportunity to complete his evil work or entrench his position. As I have said each day, we will step by step, day by day, weaken his killing machine until it is brought to a halt.

Yesterday, I gave my agreement to the stationing of five United States B1 bombers at RAF Fairford, in addition to the 13 B52s already there. These aircraft will add considerably to NATO's ability to strike at military targets supporting the killings in Kosovo.

Milosevic should not make the mistake of thinking that if he drives Kosovo Albanians out of their homes NATO will let this stand.

Let me deal now with Milosevic's latest so called "offer". It is the first crack in Milosevic's wall of obstinacy. This offer is just the latest miscalculation by Belgrade. First he miscalculated our intention to attack if he kept on killing. Then he miscalculated over Alliance resolve and determination, which is now stronger than it was seven days ago. Last night he miscalculated again when he thought that we would grasp at this inadequate and spurious offer. Milosevic's offer is this. NATO stops bombing. He only slows down the killing.

There was no offer of a cease-fire. No offer to stop the violence and the crimes against humanity. There was no offer to pull out troops to the levels he himself agreed last October. There was no offer to guarantee safety to returning refugees or to rebuild their blitzed villages.

This was no peace move. It was Milosevic blinking in the face of the blows to his military machine.

We have no doubt that today in Belgrade, he is reassessing his tactics --recognising the new threats from NATO and the unwillingness of his commanders to face the International Criminal Tribunal at The Hague. There are worrying reports that Milosevic may be planning to destabilise the democratically elected government of President Djukanovic in Montenegro. We strongly support President Djukanovic and what he stand for. We are watching the situation very closely.

NATO's objectives, clear and simple, remain unchanged. And we will continue until they are met.

There must be an immediate and permanent halt to the killings. There must be a verified withdrawal of Serb forces. And to prove he means it there must be a political settlement, including an international military guarantee force, which permits refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes.

Miosevic now has a choice. He can meet these terms or face continued airstrikes.

They tell lies about us. We will go on telling the truth about them. And making sure that the unfortunate people of Yugoslavia have access to the truth. We have translated our Internet site into Serbian, so that those with personal computers can learn the truth about Milosevic and his brutal repression. Of the 150,000 hits on our web-site over the past 24 hrs, 1400 were from within Yugoslavia.

I encourage those who suffer from state censorship to circumvent that where they safely can. Here is the MOD web-site address: (http://www.mod.uk/news/kosovo/index.htm), and that of the International Criminal Tribunal at the Hague (http://www.un.org/icty/index.html). We are in constant touch with them about what is going on in Kosovo. They would welcome any information about what is happening in Kosovo directly from eye witnesses.

Yesterday, Clare Short told you of the considerable humanitarian effort which this country is making, with others, to support and sustain the refugees who have fled from the killings. I said yesterday that I had directed that the Royal Air Force should play a part in this. I am pleased to say that the first Hercules aircraft carrying the British humanitarian supplies promised here yesterday by Clare Short, will be leaving RAF Lyneham very soon with its cargo of badly needed humanitarian supplies.

In the heart of our own European continent today, crimes against humanity are being perpetrated which will never be forgotten. NATO forces are determined to stop it and to ensure that no profit is gained from it.

Whatever Milosevic may calculate in his bunker, NATO's military action will strengthen and continue. We will not go away before the violence has been stopped and the people go home.

GUTHRIE: Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Yesterday NATO forces once again struck targets throughout Yugoslavia, concentrating over Kosovo in an effort to target directly those forces engaged in ethnic cleansing. For the first time RAF Harriers flew daylight missions. They were out looking for the tanks and artillery that are destroying villages and farms. Once again the weather was against us.

Last night, six Harriers flew against targets but, along with other NATO aircraft, were again prevented by weather from dropping their weapons: all returned safely to base.

But the cruise missiles of course were unaffected. A number of missiles were successfully launched last night against important targets.

I can give you an overview of the attacks which have been carried out over the first five days.

Around 90 attacks were carried out against at least 70 individual sites. A number of additional targets have been attacked since and the tempo is hotting up.

Eight airfields have been targeted, which has led to the destruction of at least seven aircraft and one helicopter on the ground, with the possibility that the destruction of others may not have been seen if they were inside buildings. These losses were in addition to a number of aircraft shot down -- four MIG 29s , the Serbs' most modern and capable fighters, and one MIG 21. Overall, these losses represent around a half of their best operational and serviceable fighters, on top of the substantial damage to their infrastructure.

We have also attacked the air defence systems. There have been at least 16 attacks on radar and early warning sites. Eighteen surface-to-air missile sites have been attacked. Twelve of the other 15 air defence facilities have also been attacked. The effectiveness of these attacks has required the Serbs to move their remaining missile systems in order to protect them. The overall effect has been to substantially reduce, but not to eliminate, their air defences. There remains a risk to our aircraft and their crews.

Headquarters and other static facilities have been heavily targeted. You will have seen pictures of the attack on the headquarters of the MUP -- the Serbian interior ministry police. There have also been attacks on the Army headquarters and a range of support buildings, including ammunition and other storage sites.

The effect of these attacks has been twofold. First, they have reduced the ability of the troops on the ground to sustain their operations, although the effects of this will not be immediate. Second, they have reduced the Serbs ability to command and control their troops on the ground.

We have achieved a great deal under difficult circumstances and the weather forecast is improving. We understand that the Serbs are so frightened of the daylight campaign which has now begun that they are running and hiding anywhere they can park their tanks: tunnels, garages and factories.

When reviewing the campaign, it is almost impossible to avoid drawing comparisons with the recent Operation Desert Fox. The link is not very meaningful in military terms but there is a different and real link. This is the link which exists between Baghdad and Belgrade, two pariah states.

We are aware from a variety of sources that over the past six months this relationship has grown in depth and breadth, as both Milosevic and Saddam have come under increasing pressure from the West. Serbia is now a key military ally for Iraq, eager to try and help meet all Iraq's key military procurement and technical priorities, helping to replace equipment damaged or destroyed during Operation Desert Fox.

Building up over recent months there has been a continuous two-way flow of military and defence industry delegations discussing primarily Iraqi military requirements. For example, earlier this month a Serbian delegation toured Iraqi air defence sites, no doubt to learn tactics on how to down Allied aircraft. We have seen some of these Iraqi tactics put into practice already over Serbia.

All of this adds up to a close relationship between Saddam and Milosevic; a marriage of convenience, based on the suffering of their peoples.

Whatever the assistance he receives from Saddam, Milosevic's enterprise will not succeed. He has severely underestimated NATO's resolve and now knows that he cannot succeed.

But as we have been saying for a long time, military action against him may take some time -- it could be a long haul. It will be dangerous. He may, we hope, see sense quickly, but we have steeled ourselves for a long campaign, if that is what is required.