>We can be certain that Alistair Campbell, British spin doctor assigned to
>support NATO, thinks that headlines about bus passengers killed by NATO
>bombing in Kosovo are an own goal by comparison with Blair being greeted by
>Albanian children, and pictures of Cherie Blair as mater dolorosa.
I thought the New York Times story on that visit was uncharacteristically mocking of Blair. It's interesting how much the press covers the process of concocting spin - which doesn't stop them from circulating it. Postmodern cynicism?
Doug
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New York Times - May 4, 1999
Blair Makes Quick Visit to a Refugee Camp
By BARRY BEARAK
STANKOVIC I REFUGEE CAMP, Macedonia -- Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain visited this tent city of 30,000 displaced Kosovars on Monday, promising to double his nation's aid to Macedonia for handling the refugee crisis to $64 million from $32 million.
The prime minister's stop at the camp was meant to be symbolic. Actually, he did not venture very far inside. He, his wife, Cherie, and selected photographers spent nine minutes in the nearest tent, No. 230B, with its five residents. Blair sat on a gray blanket, drank some juice, listened to brief versions of anguished stories and held one teen-ager's hand.
"I told him it is very hot in this camp, and we can't stand the heat," said Susana Nazifi, 22, whose tent may well have been selected for her fluent English as well as its proximity to a back gate. "I saw in Tony's eyes that he felt sorry for us."
The prime minister entered Stankovic I near a makeshift swimming hole. In the searing heat, it has become a liquid magnet for hundreds for children. Most refugees left Kosovo in heavy flannels to endure a trek through the mountains. One of youth's privileges is the shedding of apparel, and many young boys now wander around in their underpants.
These frolicking children gave Blair a cheerful greeting. Few of them knew who he was, but the camp authorities had coached them to provide a rousing chant: "Tony! Tony!"
Blair's helicopter had circled for several minutes before landing. This aerial view gives a good sense of Stankovic's teeming sprawl, but it provides little feeling for the hardships of such an impromptu metropolis.
In farewell remarks to reporters, Blair sounded steadfast in the campaign against Yugoslavia and President Slobodan Milosevic. "This is not a battle for NATO," he said. "This is not a battle for territory. It is a battle for humanity. It is a just cause."
With Stankovic so huge -- and with Blair arriving in a rear corner -- few refugees were even aware of his presence. This may have been just as well. "I don't know much about Tony Blair except that he is an American," said Florie Kelmendi, 20.
Only a small percentage of the refugees knew Blair's job title, though those who did were complimentary. President Clinton may be seen as the pilot of NATO's air campaign, but the more hawkish prime minister is regarded as the bombardier. "Blair is a man of strength," Nexhat Rrahmani said, curling his fingers into a fist.
But even if more refugees had known the prime minister was there, any visit of a politician would be of less import than the daily arrival of the new busloads. These draw truly big crowds as people stand on tiptoes in hopes of seeing loved ones through the windows.
At Stankovic, the vital news of each day regards who is coming in and who is getting out. Refugees study lists of the fortunate few who have been selected to go to another country.
Some refugees are ready to go anywhere. "I have asked to go to either Israel or New Zealand," said Asllan Statovci, 32. "Both are good, though maybe New Zealand is better. I am told that in Israel there is only two hours of light and the rest of the day is darkness."
Monday, 11,000 more refugees entered Macedonia. The nine camps are overflowing, and new arrivals sleep on blue plastic sheets under the stars. The government is unhappy. They want other nations to share more of the burden, and undoubtedly Blair heard more complaints in official meetings with them than in his friendly chat in Tent 230B.
Four days ago, the government opened a new camp near the city of Cegrane, and it already has 17,000 occupants. Richard Gere, the actor, visited there on Sunday. Hatixhe Ajeti, 54, saw him go by. It was her first day at the camp, and she was sitting on the ground, fanning herself with a handkerchief. She had gone to the medical clinic, complaining of palpitations. They gave her an injection, but now she could not find her way back to her tent. Every row looked the same. The tents had yet to be numbered.
"I suffer from very bad tension," she said evenly. "At my age, it is not good to be lost."
When Mrs. Ajeti saw the actor approaching with an entourage of cameramen, she at first thought it might be a search party. She had been sitting there for quite some time.
"Who is this coming?" she asked and then frowned at the answer.
"Oh, a famous actor," she said. "Too bad. What I need is a doctor."