WITH regard to Malcolm Pittock's letter of March 24.

Does he not realise it is treason to incite members of HM forces to mutiny in time of war?

The troops in Iraq are not in violation of any convention. They are fighting a standing army and, as such, are following the accepted roles of combat. The Nuremberg war trials did not say that war is unjust or illegal, just that any violation of the Rules of Combat will be tried in a court of law. The United Nations is a talking shop, not a legal body, and the Geneva Convention not binding, except to countries who have signed an agreement to conform to it.

That Saddam is telling his army to fight in civilian clothes shows his complete disregard for the rules of combat and Saddam should now be considered for war crimes.

Has Malcolm not realised that the time for talking and demonstrating is now over? If he is so convinced that this war is wrong, why wasn't he part of the human shield in Iraq that now seems to have disappeared?

What Malcolm should be doing now is to support the troops in Iraq to be victorious. The only way to stop the war now is to defeat Saddam Hussein.

Peter Greenhalgh

(Address supplies)