Focus: War In Europe: KLA fighters hail Blair but fear a sell- out

Nato's reluctance to send in ground forces against the Serbs is creating a sense of foreboding among Kosovo Liberation Army fighters. They suspect that the West's desire to avoid a land war may lead to a compromise peace deal falling far short of an independent Kosovo, or even a Nato protectorate, and leave President Milosevic the power to interfere.

KLA leaders are grateful to Tony Blair for taking a more hawkish line than the other Allied leaders, but they are anxious that he is a lone voice, and that Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroder and others may stiffen President Clinton's resistance to a ground campaign.

At a private meeting with the KLA leadership last week, Mr Blair is believed to have stated Nato's commitment to prising Kosovo from Mr Milosevic's grasp. But one KLA official said: "[Britain] can't fight the war on its own. The Prime Minister was told that the KLA is growing stronger all the time and Nato must not back down now."

There are also signs of friction with Nato over the relocation of refugees from the Kosovo-Albania border. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees wants to move tens of thousands of exiled Kosovars from the border region around Kukes to the south, because of the dangers posed by the coming winter and a possibility of Serb artillery attacks, but many KLA commanders oppose this. They claim it will hinder a rapid return of the refugees to Kosovo after the Serbs have been expelled. It also damages their ability to draw from pools of likely recruits. The UN says families who agreed to move south have changed their minds after visits from local KLA members, although the KLA leadership denies it sanctions such visits.

The KLA position is that, if Nato does not want to send land forces to Kosovo, it should arm the force with heavy weapons. Lack of firepower is one of its major problems. However, there is still no sign that the alliance is prepared to oblige.

The precise strength of the KLA is a matter of debate. There is little doubt that some outside supplies are getting through to the guerrillas, but many doubt that they are inflicting much damage on Serb forces. According to some intelligence estimates, the KLA has fewer than 4,000 fighters in Kosovo, while the bulk of the 20,000 force is in Albania, hoping and waiting for a Nato land attack.

It is not just the KLA that is increasingly disappointed at Nato procrastination. Kosovar exiles in Albania say that unless Nato invades it will be unsafe for them ever to return home.

Imrahim Bekir, a 48-year-old office worker from near Pristina, now living in Albania, last saw his 17-year-old son when he was led off at gunpoint by Serb soldiers. "We have endured our suffering in the belief that one day we shall return home," he said. "Even if my son had been killed, maybe I can find his grave and give him a proper burial. But this will not happen unless Nato goes in and fights."

His friend Murad added: "We know that people in Djakova are now starving. They are hiding in the countryside without food. These include members of my family. I don't know how many of them are alive now, but if Nato does not go into Kosovo all of them will probably die."