THE United States is seeking to take us to war against Iraq ? a war that has been planned for at least nine months on the predicted and correct assumption that Iraq could be demonstrated to have failed even in a minor way to comply with UN Security Council resolutions.

I would like to reminds readers that the United Nations Charter, Article 1, Clause 1, states that the purpose of the UN is to maintain international peace and security and to that end to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace and for the suppression of acts of aggression . . . And to bring about by peaceful means . . . adjustments and settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to breaches of the peace (http://www.un.org">www.un.org).

It will be argued that Iraq has hidden and forbidden programmes of weapons development. However, they are only a credible danger to us if they are allowed to proceed. There are over 100 inspectors in Iraq who have been shown unprecedented, though not complete co-operation by the Iraqi. In his report to the Security Council, Hans Blix stated that ?Iraq has on the whole co-operated rather well so far with UNMOVIC? though he does list areas of concern later (http://www.bbc">www.bbc. co/radio4).

Whilst there are inspectors in Iraq, no Iraqi weapons programme is of real immediate danger to us and so there is no need for war with its appalling consequences of death, suffering and destruction.

I believe this war is more to do with The United States? interest in the oilfields of Iraq, their own domestic agenda of blurring the war on terrorism with Saddam Hussein and their support of that inveterate ignorer of Security Council resolutions, Israel.

In the long-term, it will also allow them to tackle that bogeyman, the western end of ?the axis of evil?, Iran, and allow them access to the huge oilfields of central Asia.

If you feel as I do, that I do not wish our Government to go to war in our name but wish for a peaceful settlement through prolonged UN inspection, then please write to the Prime Minister, join local protests and the trip to London on February 15 to protest.

Rupert Gude

Treveglos

Whitchurch