Letter: Kosovo criminals

Sir: Your report "Air raids could hit nerve gas plants" (12 October) referred to possible air strikes against Serbian military targets and attributed criticism of such action to an unnamed programme-maker from Granada Television's World in Action. These views do not originate from this programme but a freelance journalist who played a minor role in its production.

As you reported, in 1995 World in Action revealed that the Serbs had the capability to manufacture sarin. However, at no time did the programme say that its soldiers had taken 30 tonnes of the nerve gas from a plant in Bosnia across the border into Serbia.

The report suggests that "makers of the documentary have been able to help [Ministry of Defence] officials pinpoint the site" of a Serbian nerve gas plant. This is untrue. It is not the practice of World in Action personnel to gather intelligence on behalf of the British government, and any suggestion to the contrary could well compromise the making of future programmes in dangerous parts of the world.

CHARLES TREMAYNE

Controller of Factual Programmes

Granada Television

London SE1