Sir, - It is only the enlightened comments of John de Courcy Ireland (June 7th) which retain my hope of an intelligent and humane Irish position on Yugoslavia. In contrast to the initiative and courage shown by Ireland in being part of the middle powers' initiative on nuclear disarmament, the last wretched months have taxed my faith, as supposedly rational figures in Ireland have repeatedly endorsed the most rapid militarisation of society in recent European history.
Figures who have argued passionately that war never solves anything (when referring to the North of Ireland) are seemingly in thrall to this monster called NATO and dismiss those of us with an alternative view as naive at best. They choose to forget what has happened in Iraq as a result of depleted uranium, choose not to understand that nuclear weapons have been used in Yugoslavia (the consequences of which you may be drinking in a few months) and are oblivious to the nuclear warm-up in South-East Asia between India and Pakistan. Having neutered the UN, can we expect NATO to do something when the bombs start dropping there?
The most tragic aspect of this appalling episode has not been the Albanian or Serbian horrors but the success of the militarists who will prove once again that war is good for business and peace is for Sunday school. If only there were more voices like that of Mr de Courcy Ireland - but would they be heard? This is my fifth anti-NATO letter to The Irish Times. None has been published. - Yours, etc., Dr Eugene Egan,
Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Tanzania.