Libyan road map

Published on 09/08/2012 00:00

Mr Inglis rightly points out (Letters, 7 August) that weapons released during the bombing of Libya are causing chaos across North Africa. These weapons also pose a worrying risk to people here; even one shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile could be devastating.

The attack on Colombo airport in 2001 showed how deadly such “out of date” weapons can be. Before intervening around the world, we must carefully consider whether such action will spread such weapons to terrorist groups. This is as important as arms export controls, if not more so.

Although modern weapons seek to reduce civilian casualties, and target advanced jet fighters, this matters little to extremists in Syria who, after a year of fighting, we know amazingly little about. Weapons from the 1980s, such as those in use in Syria, are just as deadly as modern ones if used against civilians.

Ra-ra rhetoric against Iran has done nothing but give a corrupt regime a bigger bogeyman to frighten its people with. We released a convicted Libyan terrorist to a Libya we destroyed only a few years later.

The political class can’t direct traffic competently from the north of Leith to central Edinburgh, let alone our policy on North Africa and the Middle East.

Jon Stanley

Clearburn Crescent

Edinburgh