Letter: Gulf crisis

THE last Gulf War provided adequate evidence that the only effect of military action against Iraq is to bolster Saddam Hussein's position by producing a "spirit of the blitz" which makes Iraqis feel forced to co-operate against the Western world, perceived as their oppressor.

Nor is it hard to understand why they feel this way when you consider the numbers of civilians killed by air bombardment in the last war, or the 1.2 million whom the UN estimates have died as a result of sanctions since the last war. Military action will simply bolster Saddam's attempt to portray himself as defender of Iraq.

If we truly wish to help those people to end Saddam's rule we should be providing funding and political support to the coalition of democratic opposition parties in Iraq.

DUNCAN McFARLANE

Braidwood, Lanarkshire