GEORGE W Bush and Tony Blair have pointed out tirelessly that Security Council Resolution 1441 requiring Iraq to disarm was passed unanimously by its members, including Syria.

Blair has now stated that he is prepared to ignore any number of vetoes from permanent members of the UN Security Council in any second resolution authorising war. So much for the "unanimity" argument!

The UN, they say, would lose all credibility if it failed to act on Resolution 1441. By this, we may assume that a military attack on Iraq is supposed to defend the integrity of the UN as well as disarm Iraq and occupy it.

If that was the case, the UN would already be a lame duck having had its resolutions on Israel and Palestine repeatedly ignored by Israel with the support of the US alone.

I don't recall the "credibility" of the UN being called into question on those occasions to be defended by an attack on Israel.

The credibility of the UN lies in its unanimity. If Bush and Blair attack Iraq in the teeth of opposition from France, Germany, Russia, China and others, it will be just another war with just another set of unpredictable consequences.

Two dying species, the tyrant and the military imperialist, will have caused more thousands of innocents to be killed unnecessarily.

An opportunity for Mankind to turn the corner and unite for peace will have been lost, leaving a divided world to contemplate the next international crisis.

PETER NIELSEN,

Worcester.