Saving Sarajevo / Letter: 'Let us learn from example of Berlin airlift'

Germans living in Czechoslovakia were the excuse for Germany's invading that country. Serbian invasions of Croatia and Bosnia were similarly based on Serbs living in those countries. The UN recognised Serbian aggression by imposing sanctions which have not worked and naming safe areas which are not safe. To uphold UN authority international military actions must be taken immediately.

Only Nato is capable of providing and commanding an appropriate force swiftly. The ACE Mobile Force - a strong international brigade group trained for just such a job - should secure the road to Sarajavo and secure Sarajevo itself as a start.

Major-Gen M S HANCOCK

Godstone, Surrey

To my surprise I support your proposals. Let it be as you suggest. For months now I have felt that 'interference' in the form of help, armed or otherwise, would be as useless as jumping off a high cliff because you see somebody drowning in the sea below you. You convince me that carrying out your proposals would save lives otherwise doomed and could bring to those who now have none at least a chance of living to see security and happiness.

CAMILLE EPPS

Chichester

For many years the people of Britain have paid for the armed forces through taxes. We would like to see this money fulfilling a socially useful role: securing the Mostar road. By deploying troops we have committed ourselves to defending Sarajevo - to leave now would be a betrayal.

WILLIAM WHYTE (17) & ALASDAIR WHYTE (16)

Woodbridge, Suffolk

I am truly ashamed. Ashamed of myself for my inactive conscience, ashamed that it takes such dark times to force me to write a letter and most truly ashamed of my nationality.

JOHN R G HARRIS

Tremeirchion, Clwyd

I was appalled at the suffering I saw in Croatia when delivering aid last December.

I applaud your initiative. At this late hour we must save what we can. The Mostar road must be kept open by force if necessary. Sarajevo must be kept alive as a symbol against ethnic aggression, and, hopefully, in the longer term as a multi-ethnic society.

PETER A HANLON

Altrincham, Cheshire

How glad I was to read your wonderful article on 'the folly of betraying Bosnia'. You hit the nail on the head, and said many things that I would like to have said, were I articulate enough to do so. For the first time in my quite long life, I have felt ashamed to be British.

Mrs E C ROSE

Christchurch, Dorset

In 1948 the city of West Berlin, numbering 2 million people, was kept alive by an allied airlift of tiny Dakotas with no road bridge at all, surrounded by the full might of Stalin's Red Army. The argument that we cannot save Sarajevo with the Nato armies fully intact in 1993 is absurd.

GUY HORTON

Oxford

Your article on Monday's front page has given me an outlet to the terrible feelings of frustration that I and I'm sure many other ordinary citizens feel at the lack of action by Western leaders to help the people of Bosnia.

M BROOKS

Leigh-on-Sea, Essex

As you have pointed out, the conventions which this country has signed up to - the UN Charter, the Geneva Convention, the 1990 Paris Charter of the CSCE etc - are binding.

If Lord Rees-Mogg can challenge the Government's ratification of the Maastricht treaty in a court of law then why on earth is the Government not being challenged on a more urgent issue now facing the world in the former Yugoslavia?

DEREK BALL

Weston-Super-Mare, Avon

I disagree totally with your stance. Let our involvement in Northern Ireland be a lesson learnt. Bosnia is a tragedy but there is evidently no will there for a settlement. We should get out: it is not worth any British lives.

JOHN TEAGUE

Somerton, Somerset