Letter: Clinton's maverick raid courts fresh dangers

Sir: The attack by the US on Iraq puts paid to all the propaganda meted out by both sides of the Atlantic that there are strained relations between the US and Europe. John Major gave the go-ahead to the US President to bombard Iraq. No problem here. The world is led to believe the alleged strain in relations only when Bosnia-Herzegovina is concerned, because there it is the Muslims who will benefit.

The US has used Article 51 of the UN Charter to defend its aggressive action. The British Government said the attack was the only language Saddam Hussein understands. However, when it comes to Bosnia-Herzegovina, the picture is different. The Bosnian government has been pleading to the UN Security Council to lift the arms embargo against it to defend its civilian population, using the same Article. However, to the West, Article 51 can only be used by the permanent members of the Security Council or their allies, however unjustified it may be. If violence is the only language Saddam Hussein understands, surely the same logic can be used against Serbians.

But then, the Serbians are Christians, and those who would benefit by the lifting of the arms embargo would be Muslims. For them there is no protection against human rights abuses. More than 40,000 women raped, more than 200,000, mostly civilians, slaughtered, and more than a million refugees.

Who cares? After all, these are strange creatures. They are called Muslims.

Yours sincerely,

AHMED J. VERSI

Editor

Muslim News

Harrow, Middlesex

29 June