Letter: Bosnia's 'worst single atrocity'

Sir: I was alarmed to learn of the calls by the Prime Ministers of Pakistan and Turkey yesterday for the raising of the UN arms embargo on Bosnia.

If the UN were to lift the arms embargo on Bosnia but not the one on the other former Yugoslav republics, it will be impossible to convince the Serbs or Croats that we are not favouring sides in this conflict. Virtually all of the humanitarian aid so desperately needed in Bosnia this winter passes through Serbia and Croatia in order to get there - lifting the embargo would not only escalate the war but make it almost impossible to ensure this aid does get through.

Increasing the supply of weapons to Bosnia is not the way to solve the problem. We want peace not more bloodshed and to gain peace we need to get the leaders there to realise that this can be achieved only by negotiation and not by killing.

Yours faithfully,

NIGEL EVANS

MP for Ribble Valley (Con)

House of Commons

London, SW1

3 February