PROFESSOR Malcolm Hooper, the chief scientific advisor to Gulf War veterans, is guest speaker at a meeting called by the Sunderland Stop the War Campaign next month.

The Sunderland University professor, a leading researcher in medicinal chemistry, is flying back from India to attend the event, on Saturday, February 1.

He is expected to speak against any armed conflict in Iraq, questioning the justification for a war, as well as assessing its likely cost in terms of lives, health and welfare of both western soldiers and the local civilian population.

The meeting takes place in Sunderland University's Library Lecture Theatre, on Chester Road, Sunderland, starting at 11am.

It is an open event, everyone is welcome to attend.