From: Doug Henwood wrote:
> >from MSNBC's website <http://www.msnbc.com/news/230178.asp>....
>
> THE U.S. and Britain were quick to downplay the significance of the German
> plan. Clinton administration sources told NBC's Andrea Mitchell that there
> were significant differences between the U.S. and Germany on how to define
> and verify that a Yugoslav withdrawal had begun. White House spokesman
Joe
> Lockhart also sought to portray the German position as a mere expression
of
> NATO's longstanding demand that Yugoslav forces withdraw from Kosovo
before
> any pause in bombing would be considered. Lockhart claimed that Germany
was
> no insisting on the "24-hour pause," an interpretation the Germans have
yet
> to confirm.
I am not sure whether there is really a split among the imperialist powers
or whether the so-called peace plan is mostly for internal German
consumption.
In the last days there has been an ongoing controversy about an annex to the
Rambouillet accord, that would have meant NATO forces would have been
deployed in the whole of Yugoslavia and not only Kosovo. Fischer has been
accused of not informing the parliament about this annex. The Green deputy
defense minister has even been telling she would never had aggred to the war
if she has known that annex before. This has put some pressure on Fischer.
Generally there is not much enthusiasm about the war in Germany. The
conservatives support the government but repeat every now and again they are
strictly opposing the use of ground forces. Now that the NATO has started to
attack refugee trecks, even in the mainstream media calls for a 'political
solution' are raised.
Johannes