I MUST condemn the nice David Miliband, Foreign Secretary and MP for South Shields, for his scurrilous attack on Michael Kaminski, the Polish MEP allied to the Conservative Group in Europe.

He is trying to fan the notion that Mr Kaminski is anti-Semite for not condemning the wartime massacre of Polish Jews at Jedwabne; he has and does.

Mr Miliband fails to draw a distinction between a small minority of wartime Poles and the Polish nation. We cannot condemn the Polish nation collectively for this crime, just as we cannot condemn the people of Northern Ireland for the atrocities of the IRA.

We should draw a line under the past history of the Polish people, many of whom fought so valiantly against the German and Russian invaders and paid such a high price.

With all the problems in the Middle East, we would be better served by a Foreign Secretary who will concern himself with the present problems of Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan rather than trying to score cheap political points.

George Smith, South Shields, South Tyneside.