Sir, - Where is the honour for Ireland in the abject failure of our Government and leading politicians to support, even verbally, our fellow European countries against the brutal Serbian genocide in Yugoslavia? Where is the honour in this "neutrality" that our Taoiseach takes such pride in repeating like a mantra instead of condemning the evil campaign of extermination?
Here we stand, on the street corner of Europe, while murder and persecution are taking place in full view across our European street. Yet can anyone rely on Ireland to do anything more than stand by, wring our hands and puff out our chests while proclaiming "proud" indifference?
Ireland used to have something to be proud of: proud of the many thousands of ordinary Irish people over the centuries who risked and indeed sacrificed their lives all over the world, fighting for freedom against oppression.
When will Ireland grow beyond its 20th-century hatred for Britain that spawned this embrace for all things neutral, as if there were some moral ground to be found in indifference to conflict between good and evil? We should have the courage to transcend this fear of taking such a stand, and regain our honour in opposing clear and present evil wherever and whenever it occurs. The genocidal extermination of its minorities by the neo-Nazi Serbian government should be opposed at every opportunity and if we have to cross that street to offer a helping hand, even if it is a token hand, to its victims as well as to our European friends, then we should have the courage to do so. Ireland must regain its honour in the world speaking out - and yes, even offering a hand of support - against oppression, persecution and genocide. - Yours, etc., Howard Brittain,
Abberley, Killiney, Co Dublin.