ISN'T it rather ironic, in the light of the present situation in Kosovo, that the American Civil War was caused not by the slavery issue - though this became a cause celebre - but because certain southern states wanted to secede from the Union?

Now, we have the US as prime mover in a bid to grant autonomy to a part of a sovereign state - in Europe, furthermore.

Why should this be done under the aegis of NATO - not all the NATO allies mind you?

But it does appear that where his master leads, Blair must follow. What exactly is Clinton up to?

Why should a national group who doubtless fled their own country because of the oppression there "demand" that the area they occupy becomes theirs?

Would Kosovo eventually become absorbed into Albania? Where does it all end?

In a few years time, shall we in the UK be experiencing the same phenomena?

Or after two politically-oriented referenda and vote-rigging to select the leader of Wales, will Blair contrive to make us the 51st state of the Union? God bless America!

MR R BRACEWELL, Ormerod Street, Worsthorne, Burnley.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.