FRANCE FEARS AERIAL ONSLAUGHT COULD PROVOKE MOSCOW INTO WAR
SENIOR officials in Paris are claiming that the French government has vetoed plans by the Western allies to intensify the war against President Milosevic with an all-out aerial onslaught.
According to the Elysée Palace, President Chirac blocked a move to begin a new offensive that would involve unlimited attacks on Serbian "centres of power" for fear of provoking Russia. In detailed briefings to senior French journalists, the Elysée conceded that opposition to what it calls "Phase Three" of the campaign has effectively isolated France from her allies.
While the government remains committed to stepping up pressure on Milosevic - specifically approving the deployment of America's tank-busting helicopters - it remains convinced that it is too risky to confront Moscow with what amounts to "total war".
In yesterday's Libération, the respected commentator Serge July said that the French government fears that the increasingly "fragile" Yeltsin administration, already facing hostile public opinion, would be forced to react vigorously. He said the Elysée's view was "things must not be allowed to slip out of control" on the battlefield, "or who is to say that we wouldn't eventually have to go to war with Russia?".
In light of the dangers involved, said officials, France was now asking to be consulted in advance - unlike most other governments in the alliance - over the choice of specific targets. The sources stressed: "There will be no escalation without the agreement of France." Mr Chirac's position was said to be that France "prefers fighting with her hands tied behind her back to having both hands free while walking a tightrope above the abyss".
Libération also reported that in a lengthy telephone call to President Clinton last week, Mr Chirac insisted that high-level talks with the Russians should be reopened immediately. He also stressed that the allies should go back to the UN Security Council as soon as possible.