Letter: Terror tactics

Sir: According to President Clinton, Afghanistan was harbouring terrorists hostile to US interests and Sudan was covertly permitting the manufacture of chemical weapons for possible use against the US.

As yet the evidence for these allegations has not been produced and we note that the Sudanese government strenuously denies them and has invited the UN to investigate the claims. Meanwhile a country already faced with desperate problems of famine, disease and civil war has seen its major source of pharmaceuticals destroyed by cruise missiles. We urge the British government to support Sudan's call for an independent UN assessment of the US allegations.

We are particularly shamed by the position taken by our own government. To its credit it has approached the problem of terrorism in Northern Ireland by addressing the grievances and aspirations of both communities. Successive British governments have also insisted that in their dealings with terrorists they do not imitate their methods but uphold the rule of law.

Why, then, have these principles been ignored by the British government in its support for the US policy? America's precipitate actions undermine the UN and the international rule of law.

JOHN HIPKIN

and six others

Cambridge