THE Bolton Stop the War Coalition is campaigning against what increasingly looks like an imminent war on Iraq, with regular street petitioning on Saturdays from 12-1pm by the off-precinct pumping engine; with delegations to see the Bolton MPs, as well as informing them each week as to how many signatures have been collected the previous Saturday; and by organising a coach to London for the demonstration on February 15.

We hope that as many of our fellow citizens as possible will help us to try to prevent our country from participating in a US war of aggression. World opinion is behind us: in France, for example, 75 per cent of the population want their government to use its veto if by any chance the US and UK go for a second UN resolution.

Our Government's position is morally and legally untenable. Informed by its own law officers that a war with the explicit intention of overthrowing Saddam Hussein would be illegal, it has manacled itself to a US which has no such legal scruples and explicitly aims at "regime change".

Since even the US knew that, because of its illegality, a UN Resolution aimed explicitly at overthrowing Saddam Hussein was a non-starter, it pretended that it was interested in the abolition of Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction. Accordingly it forced through a draconian resolution 1441, which it could easily claim that Iraq had fallen foul of, so that it would be provided with a pretext to attack it. Why, if the inspectors did find weapons of mass destruction, they could not simply destroy them, as in the days of UNSCOM, was never explained -- naturally.

As of now, the inspectors have discovered no weapons of mass destruction. But, instead of being pleased as they ought to be if they were sincere about the ostensible purpose of 1441, Bush and Blair are furious. Their plans have run into a hitch -- that is why they are brazening it out by proclaiming that, if Saddam Hussein does not get rid of the weapons he does not seem to have, they will invade Iraq with overwhelming military force (naturally killing a great many ordinary people in the process -- but not being white Westerners they don't matter to ostentatiously "Christian" leaders like Blair and Bush). About their true motive -- the secure of Iraqi oil -- they naturally keep quiet.

In 1956, Eisenhower was not prepared to countenance Eden's aggressive war against Egypt and made sure it was stopped. Is Blair really too cowardly to follow in Eisenhower's footsteps? He may not be able to stop Bush -- but he would show he was willing to help those honourable American citizens who have been marching in their hundreds of thousands trying to prevent war.

Neil McAlister -- Chairman Bolton Stop the War Coalition

Malcolm Pittock -- Secretary Bolton Stop the War Coalition

Keith Dewhurst -- Bolton Quaker Peace Group