Sir, - Hans von Sponeck's article in your edition of July 28th will no doubt act as a clarion call to all opponents of sanctions on Iraq.
Mr von Sponeck claims to refute several of my arguments and we could no doubt fill pages arguing the toss over exactly how much money Iraq has received from the oil-for-food programme, or debating down to the last cent how much the regime has stashed away from illegal oil sales. I have my briefing and he has his.
But Mr von Sponeck has missed the point. He has not denied that by far the most acute suffering is inflicted on Iraqi people by their own government. He has not denied it, because he cannot. The UN or the UK is not responsible for the daily torture, rape and murder of Iraqi people. Even the most vehement opponent of sanctions cannot claim that these acts of barbarism are the result of sanctions. But they are endemic in a regime that has time and again displayed remarkable cruelty and disdain for its own people.
Secondly, he cannot offer any alternative to sanctions. This is the nub of the debate. We all know, as the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee stated (and Mr von Sponeck quoted) that sanctions are not a surgical instrument. They are not ideal.
That is why we have spent so much time and effort trying to refine them. We want to achieve our objectives with the minimum effects on ordinary Iraqi people getting on with their lives.
But sanctions protect Iraq's neighbours and they protect us. How else can we ensure that Saddam cannot threaten regional stability by rebuilding his arsenal or developing new weapons of mass destruction? How else can we seek to ensure the safety of minority populations in Iraq? Attacking the sanctions policy and trying to tear it down without any consideration for what will f ollow is irresponsible.
Saddam Hussein knows this. I'm sure that if he subscribes to The Irish Ti mes the recent opposition to sanctions will delight him. It shows he has successfully nurtured this opposition by gulling liberal consciences and appealing to the moral standards of Western liberal democracies - standards that his regime has never begun to meet. - Yours, etc.,
Sir Ivor Roberts, British Ambassador, Dublin 4.