The ``circumstances'' of the conflict, Solana told the daily in a telephone interview, had made it necessary to show the Yugoslav government that ``all options are on the table.''

However, Solana said that he expects NATO's ongoing air war against Yugoslavia to succeed and that the alliance is far from any political decision to use ground troops.

By making his decision public, the daily said, Solana apparently ensured that the issue of expanding NATO's military campaign to the use of ground troops would dominate the agenda of the 50th anniversary summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in Washington this weekend.

The White House helped arrange the telephone interview from Brussels with Solana, the daily said, in order to make certain that the decision to update NATO's military plans wasSolana's and did not originate in Washington.