Innocent until proven guilty with UK poisoning

UNLIKE the editorial (ODT, 2.4.18), we, who believe in innocence until proven guilty, will have no difficulty in understanding New Zealand’s reluctance to rubberstamp the expulsion of Russian diplomats following the United Kingdom’s still unverified accusations of attempted murder by a nerve agent. If anyone is playing political games, it is the UK and its toowilling associates.

Nearly a month has gone by since the incident occurred. Twentyone people have been affected by the nerve agent, including medical staff who gave the Russians intense CPR. Noone has died, most are recovering. How much bodily contact does this superagent, that only Russia can make, need to be effective?

As it happens, Iran has succeeded in synthesising a number of Novichokrelated agents and immediately reported the results to the OPCW (Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons) so they could be added to the database.

The UK is refusing to provide a sample to the OPCW.

Dennis Dorney

Calton Hill

YOUR editorial (ODT, 2.4.18) included: ‘‘It has been difficult to understand why New Zealand, a member of the Fiveeyes intelligence network which also includes UK, the United States, Canada and Australia, has been reluctant to join the process of expelling Russian diplomats’’.

Could you please tell readers which of these countries expressed outrage at France’s terrorist invasion of the Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior,

resulting in a murder?

William Christie

Gore

DR Patman wrote an article (ODT,

31.3.18) that this Government must take a stronger view of what happened in Britain with the Russia affair. He should write articles on Guantanamo prison in Cuba and what the United States and Britain have done and are doing in the Middle East.

His views are very oneeyed. He should analyse first . We have no right to judge without proof.

Adriaan Jansen

Port Chalmers