THE International Victims of Terrorism Conference was held in the Waterfront Hall, Belfast, last week, and a very clear message was sent out by the delegates and by the international speakers who addressed the conference.

That message was the total inappropriateness and wrongness of having terrorists in the government of any democracy.

We learned how democracy is undermined and eventually destroyed by terrorism, instead of democracy destroying terrorism, a message that is as urgent as it is necessary.

The futility and offensiveness of having terrorists defining what terrorism is, and indeed, defining what a victim is. This is what is happening at Stormont.

One of the lies that terrorists have succeeded in getting people to believe is that they had a very good reason why they resorted to terrorist violence to get where they are today, a lie that was refuted powerfully.

The issue surrounding 'one man's terrorist being another man's freedom fighter' was also aired and demolished with great precision, and those who hold to such a viewpoint were shown to be very foolish.

The conference heard that the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland can be encapsulated in one word: terrorism. It is this (terrorism) that must be destroyed rather than accommodated by our institutions. If democracy does not destroy terrorism, terrorism will destroy democracy.

Victims will reinforce their total opposition to terrorists in government, and will teach those who are now 'in bed' with them a lesson that they will not forget quickly.

We have said consistently that if victims' issues are not dealt with in a way that gives victims proper recognition and that supports them in opposition to those who made them victims, Northern Ireland's future will be bleak.

The fact is that this is still not being done, despite fine sounding words; indeed, victims are now being insulted and humiliated when they are advised to go to the terrorists for the help they need.

Those who expect victims to do such a thing simply do not know how victims think and feel.

J. E. Hazlett Lynch (Dr