IT was pleasing to read "Bombing opposed" (Letters, February 24), regarding the Iraq crisis, if only because it added to my sense of some sort of groundswell of public opinion against the policy of Bill Clinton.

However, the polemic was slightly marred by asserting that the US president was prepared to "slaughter thousands." I don't think so.

It also seems to me that Tony Blair should perhaps be more wary in the future of clinging onto Slick Willy's shirt-tails. He should be told this by his spin doctors and, more importantly his rank-and-file supporters.

So for now, a crisis has been averted.

Hopefully, the US president and Tony Blair have learned from this and will utilise this knowledge when the next crisis looms. As it surely will.

By the way, your Web site greatly warms the heart, on a daily basis, of this exiled Blackburnian (and rabid Roverite) - many congratulations to your webmaster.

IAN ROSTRON, Doha, Qatar, Arabian Gulf.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.