200 at Iraq meeting

A passionate crowd at the Friends Meeting House heard guest speakers including local MP Norman Baker and Michael Murphy of the US Embassy argue for and against military action in the Middle East.

Mr Baker said that most people in Britain were 'sceptical and worried' about a war taking place on Iraq without the full backing of the United Nations, and added that there had been no direct threat to the UK or US from Saddam Hussain which could justify military action.

He said: 'Most people are sceptical and worried about the decision the US is taking opinion is divided 50-50 even in America.

'It is established that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction we know they have got weapons because we gave them much of their weapons in the first place.

'He (Saddam) has also had them for a long time. He's a very nasty person and he's used them against his own people, but we didn't say much about that at the time. He hasn't threatened to use them against the US or the UK. There has been no direct threat to this country to justify an attack against his regime.'

Mr Baker said that countries such as North Korea and Pakistan, who had nuclear capabilities, were 'far more dangerous than Iraq' but were not targeted because they do not control a large percentage of the world's oil. 'They seem to be off the political radar', he said.

Mr Murphy said that Iraq had been in material breach of its obligations to declare any weapons of mass destruction. 'The declaration Iraq gave to the UN on December 7 was anything but accurate,' he said. 'They have shown a brazen disregard for the truth.

'The time has come once and for all for Iraq to rid itself of weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussain's regime must finally implement a disarming process.'

He said that the US would seek a peaceful end to the crisis if possible but warned that Saddam's threat would be relieved 'by one means or another.'

However, he denied that the Middle East was a 'cauldron of fire', and said: 'I don't accept that if we invade Iraq all the Middle East will go up in flames.'

But Mr Baker replied: 'Will an attack on Iraq make the Middle East safer? I don't believe it will.

'They're most likely to use their weapons of mass destruction when attacked. It would play into the hands of all the militants who would just love an attack on an Arab country.'