Madam, - In his speech to the UN General Assembly, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has delivered - in diplomatic language - a powerful rebuke to the US over the invasion of Iraq. Most importantly, he said that the unilateral pre-emptive use of force posed a fundamental challenge to the principles on which world peace and stability are based. In invading Iraq, the US showed its contempt for these principles, and for the international rule of law.
The consequences of the invasion are appalling: the continuing denial of basic amenities to the Iraqi people; the ongoing killings of Iraqi civilians and American soldiers; the chaos in which the country remains.
The US is incapable of bringing peace to Iraq, yet it now wants the UN to step in and clean up the mess. In this context, the Taoiseach's suggestion that Ireland might send troops to Iraq is particularly worrying. The US has undermined the UN by acting unilaterally. As a neutral country, we should not condone that action, but must stand firm in support of multilateralism.
In an unbalanced international order dominated militarily by one hyperpower, that is our only hope for world peace. - Yours etc.,
IVANA BACIK, Law School, Trinity College, Dublin 2.