WAR AGAINST IRAQ: BEFORE the UK is driven into an aggressive and disastrous war by the Bush administration, we need to consider seriously whether Iraq's weapons are a truly valid reason for war.

Isn't it probable that they are no more a threat to Western countries than the much bigger stockpiles possessed by many belligerent countries around the world?

Global arms proliferation has been responsible for much tension and several international crises for a number of years.

Since the end of the Cold War, the two biggest arms producing countries of the West have been exporting increasing quantities of lethal weapons and components to many repressive Eastern countries for financial gain, with very few ethical restraints - often to both sides in cases of armed conflict.

So where is the US or UK moral high ground from which to force another country to disarm? Doesn't this become hypocritical with the build-up of Western stockpiles, including WMD?

If the UN achieves Iraqi disarmament, would it not be logical in the interests of future world peace and stability to follow this with plans for substantial multilateral reduction of all aggressive weapons and eventual phasing out of all weapons of mass destruction? - FG Bishop, Darlington.

THE sad-faced Tony Blair has appeared on TV declaring that the French president has let Saddam Hussein off the hook.

Mr Blair tells only half the truth: the Iraqi people, if only temporarily, have been spared the terror of Mr Blair's and Mr Bush's deadly missiles and there is still a chance that war against the Iraqi people can be avoided and Saddam disarmed.

Mr Blair ought to be rejoicing that Iraq has not - yet - been turned into a killing field, especially as he professes to be a member of the Christian church whose founder declared against violence as a means of achieving peace and justice. - Rev John Stephenson, Sunderland.

AM I missing something? When did Spain send its troops to the Gulf?

Tony Blair, George Bush and the Spanish Prime Minister Josie Maria Aznar had a meeting on the Portuguese Azores Islands to discuss what to do in the Gulf now that they can't muster enough support for a legal attack on Iraq in the United Nations.

Why is Mr Blair allowing someone with no physical contact with the situation to talk about what is going to happen when the war starts and British servicemen could be killed to uphold the interests of the United States?

The Australian Prime minister, John Howard, who has just been censured by an opposition motion for sending Australian servicemen to the Gulf without permission of the parliament, is not there even though Australia has armed forces in the Gulf ready to join in any action that America chooses to start.

Has Tony Blair handed the British armed forces over to the Americans to be used in any and all ways they choose?

When is Britain going to drop this ongoing allegiance to America? This fable that we owe everything to them died a long time ago. America didn't come into the European war until Germany declared war on them, not the other way round. America was quite happy making money all round and storing up credits that they think they should still be drawing on. It's time our so-called leaders realised that we are in the European Community now and should be working with them, not meeting the demands of America every time they want to look like the good guys of the world. - Peter Dolan, Newton Aycliffe.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

AS a student I have visited Teesside Crown Court and often felt justice has not been served when violent criminals receive community service or sometimes more lenient sentences after being found guilty of nasty, sickening, violent crimes.

I now feel precisely the same regarding former school headteacher Alan Mercer's sentence.

The Government puts these professionals under so much pressure: tests, tests and tests, then jails them when they buckle under this intense pressure.

The judiciary's role is to protect the public, so why has Alan Mercer lost his liberty while violent criminals are still at large spoiling decent people's enjoyment and stretching police resources?

As in the current war debate, nobody, it seems, asks or even considers public opinion - some democracy. - Robert Bridgett, Shildon.

PETER MULLEN

OVER the years there have been numerous complaints about your columnist Peter Mullen.

Some complain about his right wing political views, others that he is a warmonger. One once wrote: "The milk of human kindness runs thinly through his veins."

My complaint is that I am simply not interested in what happens in an Anglican parish in London, as I am neither an Anglican nor a Londoner.

Mr Mullen is noted for giving us useless information, in his latest article he tells us that one night during the Second World War Hitler's bombs started 14,000 fires in London. He also tells us that he will not be able to get into St Michael's Church one Sunday.

Londoners will not be remotely interested in the fact that George Reynolds is building a football stadium in Darlington. Conversely, we are not interested in Peter Mullen's thoughts of London. - Jason Roberts, Peterlee.

COMIC RELIEF

I NOTICED a photo of a man covered in baked beans (Echo, Mar 15). This use of food either in baths, or down wellies etc, seems to be popular among red-nosed participants.

When one of the main pillars of comic relief seems to be the lack of food in the Third World, and given that there are a lot in this country going hungry, how can these people justify this waste? - Harry Manuel, Hexham.