I know the appalling scenes from Kosovo will have unleashed strong emotions among Oxford Mail readers, writes Prime Minister Tony Blair.

There is a tremendous amount of sympathy for the plight of the hundreds of thousands of innocent people forced from their homes at gun-point - and anger at Milosevic and his henchmen for their brutal terror campaign.

And those emotions will be all the stronger among those who have relatives and friends serving with the aircraft from RAF Brize Norton who are playing such a vital role in the Nato action. We must not forget too, the two helicopters from 33 Squadron at RAF Benson, in Macedonia as part of the UK contribution to the proposed Kosovo peace-keeping force.

There are three Tristar air-to-air refuelling aircraft from RAF Brize Norton, in Ancona, Italy.

They are working closely with Harrier crews to form an important part of the massive Nato air presence over Serbia and Kosovo.

There are also three VC10 aircraft from RAF Brize Norton at RAF Bruggen in Germany carrying air-to-air refuelling operations with the RAF Tornados based in Germany. The two Puma helicopters from RAF Benson in Macedonia are providing vital assistance to the humanitarian aid effort to help the Kosovo refugees.

Their role is to help out wherever they can, air-lifting the sick and injured to get proper medical attention, and transporting medical supplies, food or tents wherever they may be needed.

We must not forget that these aircraft are high performance machines. The engineers and ground crew that service and maintain them are just as important as the pilots. These men and women too, deserve our praise for the highly professional job they do. Finally, we must not forget the personnel who support them back at RAF Brize Norton and Benson. They will be keeping a careful eye on what our crews abroad need on a day to day basis, and the people of Oxford should be proud of the professionalism of the troops.

For the families of these brave servicemen and women, there is a real worry abut the safety of their loved ones. It is impossible for those of us who do not have loved ones taking part in these operations to share fully these fears.

But let me assure you that the decision to send our forces into action was not taken lightly nor before every avenue for a peaceful solution was explored. There is no harder decision, no heavier responsibility, for any Prime Minister. I also know the whole country is united in wishing their safety. I know, too, that the country also shares with the families an immense pride in the courage and professionalism being shown by our forces - and a belief that what they are doing is right.

Because the battle in which our forces and our country are now engaged is a battle between good and evil. It is a battle against those who routinely deal in terror, mass executions, rape, looting and the destruction of whole communities to achieve their goals.

The scenes on our TV screens confirm the brutality of Milosevic and his forces. It is why the vast majority of the British people have united in backing the Nato operation.

It is why, too, we must continue our action until we end the repression, reverse the ethnic cleansing, and allow the Kosovan Albanians to return home in safety.

Story date: Friday 09 April

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.