REGARDING PR Willey's letter ('Petitions are useless', January 17), I would like to make the following points. We cannot leave those we elect to run the country as they see fit. They are our elected representatives and have a duty to take notice of the concerns of their constituents.

So far we have received thousands of signatures from the citizens of York highlighting their concern about possible military action against Iraq.

On February 15, there will be a national demonstration against the war involving hundreds of thousands of participants. The Government cannot ignore such a demonstration.

York Against The War is running coaches to the demonstration, so please join us in what could be the largest anti-war demonstration in UK history.

Mr Willey stated his concern over a terrorist attack on York.

First of all there is no evidence linking Iraq to terrorism, and regardless of the misinformation being put out, there is no evidence linking Iraq to Al Qaeda. Yet the more we carry out unwarranted attacks on Muslim countries, the more likely we are to become terrorist targets, and make it look as though it is a war on Islam.

At the end of the day, even if we cannot stop the war, the rest of the world will know that the action was not carried out in our name.

Andrew Collingwood,

Turners Croft, Heslington, York.

...I APPLAUD Julian Cole (Scaremon-ger Blair whips up terror fears, January 16).

George Bush and his regime is the greatest threat to world peace - thanks to his "transfers of space", "full spectrum dominance" and "pre-emptive strikes" policies, his 70 or so bases on foreign soil round the globe, his vast arms industry, his 'delusion' of understanding and wise judgement and his vision of the USA as destined leader of the whole world, dominating it all, economically, militarily and politically.

Plus his country's record of having bombed 21 countries since 1945. And his willingness to threaten first use of nuclear weapons.

All this we know - the only unknown is how on earth we are going to get out of this highly dangerous and explosive mess without making things much, much worse?

Joyce Pickard,

Saville Grove, York.

...A COMPARISON of the widely differing ways in which the US administration is handling the issue of weapons of mass destruction held by Iraq and North Korea poses the question: why the difference?

Iraq is accused of having weapons of mass destruction thus Saddam must go, while North Korea has weapons of mass destruction and Kim Jung-il is handled with kid gloves.

If Saddam posed a real threat, would he have received the softly-softly approach given to the evil regime in Pyongyang?

Richard Lamb,

Greystoke Road, York.

Updated: 12:26 Tuesday, January 21, 2003