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----- Original Message -----
From: David
Peterson
Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2003 11:21 PM
Subject: RE: BBC WORLDWIDE SUMMARY, MARCH 30, 2003 Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 360 words HEADLINE: Iraqi Shiite clergyman sanctions "martyrdom" operations SOURCE: Al-Jazeera TV, Doha, in Arabic 2208 gmt 29 Mar 03 BODY: Text of report by Qatari Al-Jazeera satellite TV on 29 March Presenter Shaykh Ayatollah Husayn al-Sadr, a prominent Shi'i authority in al-Hawza al-Ilmiyah Shi'i religious school in Al-Kazimiyah, Baghdad, has issued a fatwa religious verdict sanctioning the fedayeen operations carried out by the Iraqis against the US and British forces which are invading Iraq. He described these operations as martyrdom operations. He said these operations are legitimate to confront, what he said, the infidels' aggression against the Muslim countries. Al-Shaykh Al-Sadr denied reports that the fatwas issued by the clergymen in Iraq on the need to stage jihad have been issued under pressure from some parties. Ayatollah Husayn al-Sadr The martyrdom operations are candles that light the path for the nation. They are an artery that provides life for the nation. We have said this before about the martyrdom operations that were carried out by the mujahidin in Lebanon, in south Lebanon, and in Palestine. We are saying the same thing now. We say it whenever there is an aggression by an infidel against the Muslims' countries, wherever they are. The martyrdom operations are legitimate. Whenever there is an infidel attack against the Muslims' countries, the Muslims must do whatever they could to deter this aggression and in all forms. We do not seek war. We do not seek a clash with the enemy. But it is they who sought this war. It is they who are trying to invade us in our country. They want to control our ideas, our values, our land, our country, our history, and our present. We as Muslim have nothing to do but defend ourselves. Al-Jazeera TV correspondent Diyar al-Umari Do you bless such operations? Al-Sadr Every action that would deter aggression is certainly blessed. This 29 March operation was carried out in Holy Al-Najaf. Al-Najaf is a city that has a great history, from all aspects. It is the city of the leader of the faithful, Imam Ali Bin-Abi-Talib, God's blessings be upon him. Imam Ali was the first fedayee in Islam when he slept in the Prophet's bed the night he left on his blessed flight to Medina. Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 1697 words HEADLINE: Iraq's UN envoy says Annan cannot resist US-British pressure SOURCE: Voice of the Arabs, Cairo, in Arabic 0627 gmt 30 Mar 03 BODY: The Iraqi Ambassador to the United Nations Muhammad al-Duri has said that the UN will be "declared dead" shortly. In an interview with Egyptian radio, he said that the secretary-general was not capable of resisting pressure from Britain and the US, and added that Britain had guiled other members of the Security Council into voting on a new resolution on the oil-for-food programme in Iraq. He questioned the priorities of Security Council members, saying that, rather than focusing on humanitarian issues, they should be concentrating on stopping the war. He also noted a shift in the French position which he said was to "appease" the United States. The following is the text of a recorded telephone interview with the Iraqi representative at the United Nations, Al-Duri, in New York by Fayiz al-Miliji in Cairo, broadcast by Egyptian radio on 30 March; subheadings inserted editorially: Al-Miliji Iraq's representative at the United Nations, Ambassador Muhammad al-Duri. We have all followed the UN Security Council's adoption of a resolution to resume the oil-for-food programme for 45 days under the supervision of the UN secretary-general. The resolution also stipulated other things but the Iraqi position rejected this resolution. First we pause with your excellency to discuss the situation in the UN Security Council. Al-Duri In the name of God, the most Merciful, most Compassionate. This issue dates back to the first day of the war, or one day before the war when UN Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan suspended the oil-for-food programme and withdrew the UN officials. I do not think this was done at the initiative of Mr Kofi Annan. It was instigated by the United States and Britain. He also had to pull out UNIKOM United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission troops from the Iraq-Kuwait border under this pressure. So, the situation is firmly related to the war, not to the programme. However, after the United States failed to pass a resolution authorizing war at the Security Council and went to war by itself, it wanted to find another way out. I believe this is a British view because the British are known for their cunning tricks in this regard. They are looking for a way to secure a comprehensive position by the Security Council. They found that the best way to unify the council is to focus on the humanitarian crisis, because nobody can disregard or impede humanitarian issues. Therefore, this was the ideal way of getting to the Security Council and they managed to do so and get what they wanted with some minor adjustments. So the other members of the Security Council without exception fell into the trap, but each of those countries has its own objectives and methods. For instance, Latin American states - changes thought or let us say the so-called six undecided states, which hesitated about supporting the previous draft resolutions which aimed at authorizing war. Therefore, they can only adopt a different position today in order to balance their stances. France backtracked on its original position when the war began. It seems now to be looking for something through this settlement in order to try to appease the United States and so on. Russia has a different objective and Syria cannot stand alone. Perhaps this Syrian position will achieve some national interest, but at least some commodities can come through Syria because it is closer to Iraq, in light of the deteriorating situation in the south. Al-Miliji Excuse me Dr Al-Duri, but you hardly mentioned the Russian position. Al-Duri No, I told you from the start that all those countries cannot afford to adopt a negative position on a humanitarian issue that they consider inevitable. However, they should have requested that Iraq be a party to this issue because, after all, Iraq is the government that controls Iraq and the only occupied areas are in the desert. They coalition forces have merely encircled cities such as Basra. Kofi Annan unable to "face up to US and British pressure" Al-Miliji With respect to this resolution, your main reservations are about disregarding the Iraqi government, but do you have other reservations? Al-Duri There are other reservations. It is not just that. There will be Iraqi money that Iraq should decide how to spend. Now this power rests with the secretary-general. I told you that granting the secretary-general this authority does not make us comfortable because the secretary-general cannot face up to US and British pressure if those countries want to use Iraqi money one way or another. So, there are several points or question marks that nobody can answer except the United States and Britain who drafted this resolution in a way that provides methods and points which enable them to realize their interests above anything else. We do not believe that all this has been done to help the Iraqi people. Why? Because if the council had been worried about the interests of the Iraqi people, it would have discussed the issue of war. It would not have put the horse before the cart. The humanitarian issue is a by-product of war. So, they should stop the war and then the entire issue will not be unimportant and insignificant. However, instead of doing this - because they cannot stop the war and all those countries combined cannot stop those two countries, the United States and Britain - they found another way of continuing the dialogue in a bid to realize their interests with the United States. Al-Miliji Dr Muhammad al-Duri, the Iraqi ambassador to the United Nations, you mean that the Security Council ignored the main issue, which is war, and focused on a secondary issue, which oil-for-food as a relief aid programme. You have many reservations about this issue. The question now is: Has the role of the UN Security Council ended or will the main issue - stopping the war - be discussed? Al-Duri I believe that the Security Council has been out of order since the United States and Britain circumvented it - Al-Miliji, interrupting Since they circumvented it? Al-Duri, interrupting Since they circumvented it by going to war without obtaining a resolution that authorizes them to use force against Iraq. Ever since then, the Security Council and the United Nations have been out of order. They are now talking about unimportant issues. What I wanted to say was that the oil-for- food programme which was the focus of a Security Council resolution does not have any practical significance. Some officials in charge of the oil-for- food programme have made remarks indicating that this issue will not be implemented due to many physical impossibilities. Therefore, it was only adopted to reunite the council and take advantage of the Security Council's agreement on this issue. However, the United States does not listen to or care about the actual Iraqi question or anything related to this. It continues to follow the road it has chosen for itself. So, the Security Council is over, and, through it, the United Nations and the existing world order are being jeopardized. I believe that the United Nations will be declared dead shortly. "Shift" in French position Al-Miliji Dr Al-Duri, you mentioned France's current position at the Security Council. A meeting was held on the sidelines of the EU summit between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac. Do you think that the solid French position, which opposed a resolution authorizing war, has somewhat weakened? Al-Duri I believe that whoever listened to France's permanent member at the United Nations during the last meeting of the Security Council, which dealt with the Iraqi issue, not the humanitarian programme, could clearly sense a shift in the French position. The key features of this position are not yet clear. We heard French statements opposing war, but when we heard what the French representative said here when we discussed with him some of the ideas that the Arab group wanted to include in a resolution to be submitted to the Security Council, his position was quite clear and completely negative. He did not even want to discuss this issue or come close to it. His main concern was the humanitarian programme. Thus, we sensed the shift. Everybody, not just me, sensed this shift. On the other hand, the German and Russian positions are still based on the essential firm principles. Al-Miliji Dr Muhammad al-Duri, before concluding this interview, it is obvious that the war will be long, particularly in view of the courageous and wonderful Iraqi resistance, which continues to repel invading forces. The Security Council, the United Nations and the UN General Assembly, which is an important branch of the international organization - changes thought . We cannot imagine that the United Nations and all its organizations will not have a role to play under the current circumstances, especially if the war is long and courageous resistance against the aggression continues. How do you view the overall picture? Al-Duri Actually, I cannot rely on the United Nations. I am here and I am beginning to know it well, know its secrets, what goes on behind the scenes, the nature of such dialogues and the interests behind the dialogues. Therefore, I cannot rely much on it. If I had any aspiration, it would be - changes thought . I have often said through your Voice of the Arabs Radio that only the Arabs could stop the war, but although they have not been able to stop it, I still have hope - because of those massive anti-war demonstrations which expressed Arab sentiments - that Arab states can still do something to stop this war. If they cannot stop this war, I hope they will lend a helping hand to Iraq - both financial and moral support. I believe that Arabs and Iraqis could resist the attack together. Even if the Arabs cannot do anything, the Iraqis, as you said, will be up to the challenge, God willing, and will make the Arabs feel proud when they take the initiative and achieve victory, God willing. Al-Miliji Dr Al-Duri, from New York, thank you very much. Al-Duri You are welcome. Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 3597 words HEADLINE: Iraqi vice-president criticizes UN, Annan; warns of more suicide operations SOURCE: :Al-Jazeera TV, Doha, in Arabic 1602 gmt 29 Mar 03 Al-Arabiya TV, Dubai, in Arabic BODY: Iraqi Vice-President Taha Yasin Ramadan has given a news conference in Baghdad in which he heavily criticized the UN Security Council and its Secretary-General Kofi Annan both for withdrawing UN employees from Iraq and for sanctioning amendments of the Memorandum of Understanding on the oil-for-food programme. He described the amendments as "illegal and void". He also named the suicide bomber who carried out an operation on 29 March resulting in the deaths of several Americans. He said that coalition troops could expect more attacks like this, warning that "this is just the beginning". The following is the text of a recorded news conference by the Iraqi vice-president with Arab and foreign correspondents in Baghdad, broadcast by Qatari Al-Jazeera satellite TV on 29 March; question and answer session translated from broadcast by Al-Arabiya TV; sub-headings inserted editorially: Ramadan In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, welcome. I hope that you will be up to the level of your media responsibility to relay the picture and reality as they are and shed light on the extent of the crime of the age, the age of globalization and Americanization led by the United States and Britain, using their high technology in the annihilation of nations. Amendments to Memorandum of Understanding "illegal and void" The first point I would like to highlight is the Memorandum of Understanding MOU on the oil-for-food programme. We referred during a previous meeting to a decision by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the directives of the US administration; namely, freezing the Memorandum of Understanding and withdrawing the UN employees. Of course, this is in addition to the withdrawal of the emergency forces deployed along the Iraqi-Kuwaiti borders and the inspectors, against their will. One day before the decision to withdraw the inspectors, they said at the Security Council meeting that they needed a few months and that their work was progressing well and that Iraq's cooperation was good. The secretary-general decided to withdraw them upon a US order. Even if he claims that it was a Security Council decision, it is untrue. He took measures that were in line with the stance of the US and British administrations by calling for aggression against Iraq outside the mandate of the Security Council. In so doing, he relinquished his duty as a secretary-general and put himself in the ranks of the US and British aggressors, each according to his own duties. During the last Security Council meeting, the US representative said that the United States and Britain decided to wage war against Iraq. He said that they were sympathetic to the Iraqi people, and, therefore, they would propose amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding so that it would be implemented during their aggression. Two days later, we heard that the secretary-general had a formula and proposals that made fundamental amendments to the memorandum. These amendments are null, void and illegal, because the Memorandum of Understanding was approved by the Iraqi side and the secretary-general, which means that any amendments to it must be approved by both sides. Therefore, they presented these amendments to the Security Council. The Security Council should have convened to condemn this aggression, demand the expulsion of the aggressors, and hold the aggressors responsible for the material, ethical and human damage. It should also have demanded lifting the blockade. This is the important thing. The Iraqi people are not hungry. They are not waiting for the Security Council and Kofi Annan to feed them. Where will he get the money to feed them? From the Iraqi funds. Before this time, the Security Council, general secretariat, and other bodies such as the reparations commission were stealing and giving phenomenal salaries to their employees from Iraq's funds. Now, the secretary-general wants to increase this robbery, because he became the ruler instead of the Iraqi government. We would like to tell him that this action cannot be forgotten by the Iraqi people. The secretary-general's concern for the humanitarian situation in Iraq from the Iraqi funds, not from their own funds, is a big mistake that we hope he did not commit. He acted as if he gave legal justification to the aggression, even if there was a humanitarian situation both in terms of food and health. What is the reason for this situation? Is it not the aggression that was launched at dawn on 20 March? The Security Council acted as an onlooker watching the aggression. Then, it discussed how to increase the percentage of stealing from Iraq's funds under cover of the humanitarian situation. We say from here that there is no one who controls the Iraq situation and administers the Iraqi people's situation, after God, except the leader of Iraq, President Saddam Husayn, the leadership of Iraq, and the zealous sons of Iraq, from the highest position and responsibility to the smallest farmer in the furthest village in this country. All others are nothing but midgets who are lying in wait for Iraq. Each is trying to play a role. One speaks about protecting Iraq and another speaks about giving food to Iraq. Accursed be they. We tell Kofi Annan and the Security Council president that your decision to amend the Memorandum of Understanding is illegal and void. It cannot be implemented. We will send them a letter to this effect. Any manipulation of Iraq's funds which are deposited in Iraq's account until the day of aggression on 20 March sentence incomplete due to a break in broadcasting Ramadan's news conference Ramadan, in progress We are inevitably doing this in accordance with all standards. Any such change should be agreed upon with the Iraqi side. Although we reject this, we know that this resolution cannot be implemented in the first place. It is merely a cover. It was only meant to show that the Security Council met and adopted a resolution. We know that this is not the objective. The objective is to make us surrender to this hegemony. We hope that the situation will not remain as it is. I hope that the Security Council members will not be involved in the crime and disgrace of aggression. I say that if they remain silent they will be responsible for the crime of aggression. We know that the aggression will not stop by a Security Council resolution. The aggressors will not be defeated in Iraq with a Security Council resolution. It is the people of Iraq who will kick out the aggressors and inflict heavy losses on them. But, the Security Council should at least say a word and describe the aggression as it is. We do not want anything else. The Security Council should not look for pretexts. One Security Council member said that we should implement the Geneva Convention on prisoners, and another member state expressed the hope that Iraq would not use weapons of mass destruction. This is shameful. They know full well that Iraq is the side which respects the Geneva Convention on prisoners. They do not say this. But, we did not hear what they said about the crimes committed in Al-Shu'lah or Al-Sha'b cities. What does the Geneva Convention say about these crimes? You have visited the Al-Shu'lah area, where more than 60 people were martyred and a large number of people were injured. Did you find a missile launcher there? Or did you see small anti-aircraft guns? Or did you find a popular vegetable and food market? Was the place so complicated that their smart missiles could not specify the location well? This is a crime. Had there been a Security Council and any self-respecting countries at the Security Council, they would have met immediately and adopted a proper resolution against those who committed this crime. We hear on a daily basis about the Geneva Convention. What weapons of mass destruction is Iraq using? Only the US and UK administrations are saying this. We have said time and again that Iraq has been free of such weapons since 1991. Suicide operations: "This is just the beginning" We have proven this throughout the work of the inspectors at all stages. We reiterate it here once again, not to brag or evade the issue, but to say the truth that Iraq is free of weapons of mass destruction. The claim by the US and British administrations is pure fabrication. It is really ironic. A US military spokesman says they found protective masks against chemical weapons among the Iraqi soldiers' belongings. They believe that the entire world is stupid or that it is as stupid as the United States or the US administration. These masks are part of the equipment of the soldier in every war. One of them says that we have received information in this respect. They are now objecting to some actions, meaning the fedayeen and martyrdom operations, and say they are semi-terrorist operations. They will fight the Iraqi people this time under cover of terrorism. They came to occupy Iraq and expect the Iraqi people to receive them well and not take actions against them. I tell them that they have not seen anything yet, and from each Iraqi citizen, not only the militia. Today, a military man, a noncommissioned officer, and not a civilian, carried out a martyrdom operation near the Al-Najaf area. He killed five Americans and destroyed a number of tanks and vehicles. His name is Ali Ja'far Musa Hummadi al-Nu'mani. A special communique will be issued on this operation. This is just the beginning and you will hear good news over the next few days. The Iraqi people will welcome these rogues in the manner and form they deserve. This is an administration that has no shame. It employs dirty collaborators of the level that we have never even heard of. One of their military - the tragedy is for a soldier to speak about politics and not about military affairs. When they are asked by reporters about what happened in Al-Sha'b City, which is a well-known area, and the number of the civilians who were killed, they say this is not true. They say these people must have been killed by an Iraqi gun that targeted them or by an Iraqi missile. How can we deal with - sentence incomplete . Another person comes and repeats the same story but says they are investigating the issue. This is because he found out that this talk does not sell well, especially since a few hours later another more criminal action was carried out in Al-Shu'lah city, where more losses were inflicted. I return to my earlier subject. We categorically reject the Security Council's so-called Memorandum of Understanding. We reject custody by any person on earth of Iraq and consider any dealing outside the framework of the previous MOU with regard to the theft of Iraq's money, the burglary of Iraq's money, and robbery of the Iraqis. We are not begging and did not ask the Security Council to meet and discuss our humanitarian situation. Had the Security Council been really concerned about our humanitarian situation, it would not have kept the embargo for 13 years. We do not expect protection from a Security Council that is under the pressure of a criminal country like the United States. But I call on the countries of good will and friendly countries in the Security Council to take another stand. When they cannot accomplish anything through this dead and paralysed body of the Security Council, we expect these countries to take national stands with regard to right and to take a stand against the aggression and the aggressors. The US and British crimes should not go unnoticed. If these crimes go unnoticed, God forbid, they will lead to a situation where the policy of the law of the jungle prevails, and no one on earth can know the size of destruction and chaos it will create in the world. Stand of Arab public welcomed As for public opinion in general and the Arab public opinion, in particular, we express our pleasure over the growing Arab public stand. Thousands of Arab volunteers and fedayeen have begun to arrive in Iraq to fight and confront the criminal Americans and British. We are confident that the coming days will witness the arrival of masses of those people after they had given up on their governments for failing to take the pan-Arab position they should have taken. But at the same time, I invite the sons of our Arab people to excel in this battle, the Decisive Battle, and to turn every place in the nation into a battlefield for confronting the aggression and the aggressors, not only those who wear American and British uniforms but also all those who appease them. I also call on them to escalate their role and the level of their performance, not only within the framework of demonstrations but also within the framework of confronting the aggression and the aggressors and their stooges. It is a battle for honour and dignity and I say to those who have zeal and honour and believe in belonging to this nation: If you do not act in this battle, you will not have another chance to carry out this act of great honour for yourselves, your children, family and nation. Let this battle be one for liberation of self, land and dignity. Through this battle, let us overcome the fragmentation, weakness and subservience that our nation is, unfortunately, experiencing. You find officials in the Arab world, who say they are officials, and see their sons in Iraq and Palestine being butchered at the hands of the Americans and the Zionists and do not take any stand. Moreover, they do not refuse to offer their airspace, which is their sovereignty, and lands, seas and whatever they have to the US and British enemies. But our confidence in our people is great. I, and the leadership, feel satisfied because right from the second day, convoys of Arab volunteers began to flood into Iraq. Iraq will receive them and provide them with all the facilities that will enable them to carry out this dignified role. Let this battle be a pan-Arab battle to confront the US, British and Zionist enemies, who are the enemies of the nation and Islam, and to confront their stooges, the agents whom you saw on Iraqi Television. Those agents exist in Iraq and in every Arab country and offer free service to foreigners in return for some amounts of money. Those agents cannot be swept away and uprooted but through a battle of this kind. I am going to stop now and I will give you the chance to ask any question you want on these and other issues. Al-Jazeera TV halted its broadcast at this point. The following portion was translated from Al-Arabiya TV (Dubai, in Arabic): Coalition war plan; distribution of reconstruction contracts LBC correspondent You know and we all know that the Americans and the British talk about a post-Saddam Husayn phase, therefore, before ending their battle they have started distributing contracts to companies. My question is: If God were to grant victory to Iraq, how would Iraq draw up its policy in accordance with the balance of powers in international arenas? The measures taken by the UN secretary-general were like a bulldozer that paved the way for aggression. In your opinion, do you not think the time has come now words indistinct friends and allies, whether with the secretary-general himself or with the international body, which is now acting upon instructions from the United States? My third and last question is: The US troops at Kilometre 160 arrested words indistinct . We heard in Baghdad some information to the effect that the arrested included some pilots from the Gulf region. Ramadan First of all, according to the same approach, picture and plan - sentence incomplete . As you know, the picture that was drawn by the failed US and British administrations was that their aggression would accomplish its major mission in three days and would accomplish the whole mission in a maximum of seven days. This is the plan that was drawn up and according to which they estimated the number of troops and equipment. They thought that in three days their vehicles would cross the southern part of Iraq heading north, and the other four days would be used for some organizational matters. This was their original plan, and I am not making this up. You heard this from them and from officials months before the aggression. We did not say that the Iraqi people would receive the invading forces with roses, hugs and music. We were surprised to hear this because they do not know our people. Do little US President George W. Bush or Zionist US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld know our people? Do they live among our people and know how they will receive them? They said this and we know the source that told them this. Zionism pushes them, and the little agents tell them this. The subservience, humiliation and weakness they sensed in the majority of the Arab rulers have also encouraged them to believe this. Those who said that the battle would last for seven days maximum, began organizational measures and started preparing contracts and distributing war spoils. The Americans and the British started to differ over why the first two contracts were given to US, and not British, companies. Do we not know what these contracts are about? This is the picture words indistinct . When the seven-day period ended and after they sent all their troops into the desert in Iraq, they found out that they were still in Umm Qasr and the desert. They said they would arrive and besiege Baghdad. We said they could arrive within a certain number of days. Maybe we want them to arrive, so that they will face the biggest carnage. This should not necessarily be the case. Since the day before yesterday, their leaders have started talking about stopping the advance of the troops. They announced they need another 120,000 or 130,000 soldiers who will arrive in four to six days. When asked if this is from outside the plan, they say no, this is part of the plan. How come this is part of the plan? You said seven days. You brought enough units. Had the units that entered been allowed to proceed, they would have arrived at the outskirts of Baghdad, if this were a picnic. But, you found nothing in that. So, you had to ask for additional troops. You will ask for additional troops. We know the US and British mentality is not deterred quickly. They will sustain losses that will burden the American people. If I were to advise them, I would tell them to withdraw from Iraq immediately. This is my advice to them, although the Iraqi people will not want me to give them such advice, because the losses they have incurred so far will be less than one in a thousand of the losses those Americans and British will suffer every day they stay in Mesopotamia. The Americans and British will realize how the Iraqi people, including their women, will turn into fedayeen and martyrdom seekers and how the Arab people will turn into fedayeen against the agent rulers and their allies and property in these areas. Those enemies will lose all the positions and interests they secured in these areas throughout the past decades in collaboration with those rulers. If they want to save face, they have to withdraw quickly and confess their responsibility for this aggression. They can find someone who can help them save face. This is as far as the question of contracts is concerned. We do not know how the situation will look like after victory, God willing. This is something that will be determined at the right time. The most important thing is to shutter the arrogance of this sinful administration and its hegemony on the world and drive it away, not only from Iraq, but also from humanity for many decades to come. As for Kofi Annan, I said, without feeling embarrassed, that he placed himself next to the US and British administrations and put himself at their disposal. He is not a secretary-general. He is an agent for the US and British administrations. He violated the trust he was supposed to protect. We are not in the Security Council and we no longer pin any hopes on it. I do not want to attribute every weakness and the current dead situation of the Security Council to the secretary-general. The Security Council's situation is well-known. The US administration's hegemony on this council is well-known. We know that even the meeting in which they decided to amend the Memorandum of Understanding in this ugly manner would not have been held without the consent of the United States. They implemented what the United States wanted. The Security Council should have met and decided unanimously to condemn the aggression, regard it as a crime, demand an immediate halt to it, withdraw the enemy's forces, and hold the US and British administrations responsible for it. Let the United States use its veto. We know that no resolution will be issued in this case, but at least the Security Council will have assumed its responsibility. However, the Security Council has failed to do this. Indistinct question Ramadan I do not want to mention nationalities and specifics. However, the majority of the volunteers are from Arab countries. They are not from one single Arab country. I cannot say anything about the Gulf region. We have volunteers from Saudi Arabia. I cannot name other countries. The fact is that those volunteers do not belong to a single country. They came from many countries. I am confident that volunteers will come from all arenas. Geography will play a role in this confrontation. Al-Arabiya TV's broadcast of the news conference ended abruptly at this point Supplied by BBC Worldwide
Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 547 words HEADLINE: Iraqi opposition figure rejects "foreign occupation" - UK conference SOURCE: Al-Hayat, London, in Arabic 30 Mar 03 pp 1,6 BODY: Text of report by Ja'far al-Ahmar in London entitled: "'Iraqi independents conference': foreign occupation is unacceptable"; published by London-based newspaper Al-Hayat on 30 March Independent Iraqi opposition figure Adnan Pachachi has rejected "any US military administration in Iraq" after the end of the war. He said: "Foreign occupation is absolutely unacceptable." He renewed the call for forming a "provisional Iraqi government to run the country in the transitional period". He stressed: "This government should be independent and should enjoy all powers to run the affairs of the country." Pachachi noted the need to "fill the vacuum after the fall of the current regime so as not to prolong the foreign occupation". He called for convening a conference for Iraqis to elect a "sovereignty council". Pachachi made these remarks at the opening session of the "Emergency Iraqi Conference of Independent Democrats" in London yesterday. More than 300 persons participated in the conference to "discuss the serious circumstances experienced by Iraq". The conference was attended by representatives of the five permanent member states at the Security Council and some diplomats from Japan and Turkey. The conference elected Pachachi as its chairman. It will form a follow-up committee at a later date. The conference also issued a statement, which called for "lifting international sanctions immediately and addressing the issues of debts and compensation". It also called for "setting up a temporary Iraqi authority to run the country, in cooperation with the UN, in accordance with an appropriate, practical formula and a clear mandate for a fixed period of time with the ultimate objective of handing over power to an Iraqi government". It noted the need to "enact new laws that pave the way for free elections". The statement said: "The key missions of the interim government include removing the effects of political suppression and ethnic and sectarian persecution and punishing those responsible for it, providing material and moral compensation to the victims of this persecution, and safeguarding the unity of Iraq and its full sovereignty on its territory. They also include respecting the national rights of the Kurdish people, including federation, based on the principle of Arab-Kurdish partnership in the one homeland; choosing an appropriate formula to embody this partnership on the ground; guaranteeing the legitimate aspirations of Turkmens, Assyrians, and all ethnic and religious minorities; reconstructing the oil industry; and cooperating with other oil-producing countries to achieve stability on the international market." The statement called for "forming a government that represents the people's free will. This government will stem from a constituent assembly which is freely and directly elected. The constituent assembly will draft a modern constitution after cancelling all laws and decrees that obstruct this. This government will also supervise general elections to form the national assembly (parliament) in line with the constitution." Layth Kubbah emphasized "the importance of giving the UN a role in the post-Saddam stage". At the same time, he rejected the notion of a "US military administration of Iraq". Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 483 words HEADLINE: Bangladesh says war in Iraq "unacceptable", must end "immediately" SOURCE: The Independent web site, Dhaka, in English 30 Mar 03 BODY: Text of report by Bangladeshi newspaper The Independent web site on 30 March Bangladesh has expressed serious concern at the lingering war in Iraq and reiterated its call to stop the war immediately. The prime minister indicated the government's position when meeting with some of her cabinet colleagues, including Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan, and other senior officials of the government. The foreign minister formally conveyed the prime minister's concern to US Ambassador Mary Ann Peters yesterday afternoon when the envoy was called to the Foreign Ministry. In another development, Bangladesh has turned down a US request to downsize diplomatic staff of the Iraq embassy in Dhaka. Talking to newsmen after his meeting with Mary Ann Peters, the foreign minister said he had received an informal US request to downsize the Iraq embassy here, but turned it down formally. "We told them that Bangladesh is a sovereign country and pursues an independent foreign policy, we take decisions on our own considering our sovereign and national interest," the foreign minister said. "Don't come with such a request, I told them." Briefing newsmen about his meeting with the prime minister earlier in the day, the foreign minister said the latest situation of the Iraq war was reviewed and the PM gave the sense of direction to project Bangladesh's stand on the issue. "The Prime Minister is deeply concerned at the death of innocent people and loss of property in Iraq. She said this war is not acceptable to us and Bangladesh wants that the war must come to a halt immediately," the foreign minister said. "He said the US ambassador was called to the Foreign Ministry to register Bangladesh's serious concern about the lingering war affecting innocent population. "We are anguished at the bombing of marketplaces and unwarranted killing of civilians," he said reiterating, "We don't support this war, this war must stop." Morshed Khan apprehended that more Iraqi people, especially women and children, will be killed or injured if a street fight between Iraqi soldiers and US-led forces begins there. "Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be maintained in any eventuality," he said categorically. Responding to a question on the possibility of the involvement of Iran and Syria in the war, the foreign minister said it is difficult to predict at this stage but Dhaka does not want to see a new dimension in the war. Morshed Khan criticized the role of foreign media for not providing war reports correctly. "The foreign media are losing credibility for circulating unfounded reports on the war," he said and requested them to provide accurate reports. Asked whether Bangladesh is on the list of "silent supporters" of the US in its conflict with Iraq, the foreign minister issued a resolute denial saying, "Bangladesh is not on any such list." Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 789 words HEADLINE: Egyptian press wonders which state next in line for war; Blair letter published SOURCE: :Al-Ahram, Cairo, in Arabic 30 Mar 03 Al-Jumhuriyah, Cairo, in Arabic 30 Mar 03 Al-Wafd, Cairo, in Arabic 30 Mar 03 Al-Akhbar web site, Cairo, in Arabic 30 Mar 03 BODY: Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram published on 30 March a 750-word letter from British Prime Minister Tony Blair elucidating the coalition's position on the war on Iraq, together with a 2,000-word rebuttal by Chief Editor Ibrahim Nafi (pp 1, 3), who asserted that the objectives of the war could have been attained without bloodshed. Al-Ahram quoted Arab League Secretary-General Amr Musa as saying he was making contacts for an emergency UN General Assembly session to demand a cease-fire and the withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq (p 8, 250 words). The paper's main editorial said that Washington and London should move towards a solution "that might be difficult today, but impossible tomorrow" (p 9). Commentators in Al-Ahram asserted that President Bush was facing "his moment of truth" (Salamah Ahmad Salamah, p 8) and that the claimed headway towards Baghdad had come to a halt (Salah Muntasir, p 9). Chief Editor Nafi said the temporary halt in the military operations should be permanent. "The objectives can be attained by other means, not by widening the war to other countries," he said, referring to recent US warnings to Syria and Iran. Al-Jumhuriyah newspaper interpreted US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's remark that Syria was providing military supplies to Iraq as proof of premeditated intentions to launch a strike on Syria (p 6). Chief Editor Samir Rajab said it was not in Washington's interest to direct threats at other countries, especially since its military campaign in Iraq was facing difficulties. In the weekly magazine October, the Arab League's leader Amr Musa said in an interview with Mahmud Fawzi that Baghdad's fall would mean the fall of the entire region and that he was personally convinced the next in line would be Iran (pp 16-18). Former General Ahmad Abd-al-Halim agreed, in another interview with October, that Iraq would appear to have won the war if it held on for six weeks. "After the six-day (scenario), it now hinges on the six weeks," he said, referring to Rumsfeld's statement that the war might take six days or six weeks, but not six months (pp 22-23). In Al-Wafd newspaper, Chief Editor Abbas al-Tarabili said Iran would be next because, like Iraq, it was a major regional country and because the war was in essence aimed at protecting Israel's regional superiority. But he said that Saddam Husayn might "end his life with a heroic deed that makes the Arab peoples remember him for decades" by launching a devastating missile attack on Israel's triangular population centre in the middle of Haifa, Jaffa and Tel Aviv. "Will Israel's intelligence fail to anticipate such a strike, or will it succeed and take the initiative to deliver a precautionary blow to Iraq, thus compounding the danger and losses befalling Iraq and its people?" Al-Tarabili asked. He said there were numerous questions on Israel's position "and why it has not entered the war so far, especially after what happened to the northern front, on which the United States relied heavily to bring in its forces from southern Turkey. This makes the western front, that is, Israel, the compensation for opening a northern front from Turkey's borders." The editor asked what the Arabs would do if Israel did strike Iraq. "The entire region would erupt in flames, and the events would spill over to more than one front. This is what we fear," he said. In Al-Ahram, Dr Ahmad Umar Hashim, the dean of Al-Azhar University, denied that the war on Iraq was a sign of Judgment Day. He told interviewer Mahmud Ushb that these signs had to include the re-appearance of Christ and the sun rising from the west, according to the Holy Koran (page 20). Dr Hashim also appealed anew to Al-Azhar's students to avoid violence in anti-war protests. In Al-Akhbar newspaper, columnist Yasir Rizq called for a new Arab summit to suspend the Arab League membership of four unidentified Arab countries directly involved in the coalition's campaign against Iraq (p 9). George Fahim says in Al-Wafd that Richard Perle's resignation from his position as chairman of the US Defence Policy Board "will inevitably be followed by the fall of more corrupt links to reveal the real rotten story of the war on Iraq and how the world's biggest country has turned into a puppet in the hands of giant corporations" (p 12). Al-Akhbar columnist Mahmud Abd-al-Muni'm Murad said it would be impossible for the coalition forces to avoid civilian casualties and that Iraq was "lucky" in this sense, because it could target strictly military positions (p 8). Muhammad Wajdi Qandil noted that the Iraqi Republican Guards and Air Force had not been thrown into battle yet (page 9, "The quandary of the coalition of evil"). Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 560 words HEADLINE: Protests against US-led war on Iraq held throughout Japan SOURCE: Kyodo News Service, Tokyo, in English 1147 gmt 30 Mar 03 BODY: Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Osaka, 30 March: More than 4,900 people gathered Sunday 30 March in Osaka, Nagoya and various other parts of Japan to protest against the US-led war on Iraq as it entered its 11th day. Some 2,500 people assembled at Osaka Castle Park and stood to form the Japanese characters for "No War" in the Kansai dialect of western Japan, covering an area of 63 by 33 metres. Shinya Yukawa, a 22-year-old student at Aoyama Gakuin University who visited Iraq from late February to early March and took part in a "die-in" protest on Saturday in Hiroshima, said, "I want to protest against war, yesterday by lying down and today by standing up." The participants then marched to the US Consulate General in Osaka calling for a halt to the military operation in Iraq being conducted by the United States and Britain without a United Nations Security Council resolution. In Okinawa, about 1,000 people, including Diet members and Okinawa-born musician Shokichi Kina, gathered in front of the US military headquarters of the southernmost prefecture in the village of Kitanakagusuku, calling for the war on Iraq to stop. "My grandfather and others who experienced the Battle of Okinawa told me there should never be another war," said Yukino Matayoshi, a 14-year-old junior high school student from the city of Gushikawa. In Nagoya, central Japan, some 500 people got together at Shirakawa Park in Naka Ward for the fifth such meeting since the Iraq invasion began, with a makeshift band playing songs such as John Lennon's "Imagine." "This is a war without a good cause, a concoction of the United States," claimed local activist Mihagi Yamamoto, 48. "We will continue these gatherings until the US and Britain stop attacking Iraq." Taoufik Abdelkelim, a 48-year-old Tunisian resident of Nagoya who took part in the protest, said he does not approve of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein but that the United States is just as bad, trying to solve things using bombs. Meanwhile, Lyn Neeley, a leading member of the International Act Now to Stop War and End Racism Coalition comprising US-based antiwar and human rights groups, urged a gathering of about 450 people opposed to Narita airport in Chiba Prefecture east of Tokyo to join the calls against the war in Iraq. Neeley described the attack on Iraq, which has already been weakened by economic sanctions, as a terrorist act and sought people's participation in major demonstrations being organized by the coalition around the world on 12 April. In Hiroshima, western Japan, about 400 peace activists, atomic bomb victims, high school students and others assembled at the A-bomb Dome in the central part of the city and criticized the US for using depleted uranium shells in its operations in Iraq. "People in my generation were born in a peaceful Japan, but we have become addicted to peace," said Ayako Ogawa, a local high school senior whose grandparents were victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. "As I was born in Hiroshima, I think about war and nuclear weapons," the 18-year-old said. In the southwestern city of Fukuoka, about 50 people marched in silence for about an hour from a downtown park to the US Consulate, carrying umbrellas with messages such as "peace" and "no war" written on them. Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 231 words HEADLINE: Chinese agency on Beijing University protest against Iraq war SOURCE: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 0902 gmt 30 Mar 03 BODY: Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 30 March: A total of 150 students with the Beijing University gathered on the campus Sunday morning 30 March in protest against the war on Iraq. The protest, organized by the graduates' association and the students association of the university, lasted for about three hours and a half. At around 8:20 a.m. local time , a dozen students convened at the famed Sanjiaodi on the campus, flew streamers bearing slogans such as "respect for life and no war", and erected four exhibition boards where pictures and articles about the warfare in Iraq were displayed. Zhou Si, vice president of the students' association of the university, said they announced to organize the protest via the online network on the campus Saturday night and expected the activity to help show the students' anti-war sentiment. The event attracted quite a number of onlookers. An overwhelming majority of them held that an early end should be put to this tragedy. Many people read anti-war leaflets distributed by the organizers. Wang Bin, an undergraduate student of Chinese language major and one of the organizers, said "we hope to express our anti-war attitude and our heartfelt sympathy towards the people of Iraq via the protest." The protest activity ended around mid-day. Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 835 words HEADLINE: India's Kashmir chief minister vows to continue peace initiative SOURCE: Daily Excelsior web site, Jammu, in English 30 Mar 03 BODY: Text of report by privately owned Jammu based newspaper Daily Excelsior web site on 30 March Kupwara, 29 March: Asserting that the peace initiative in Jammu and Kashmir J & K would become a movement forward, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today called upon the people to frustrate the designs of those who are attempting to derail the peace process. "They are enemies of the people and would not be allowed to succeed," he said while addressing a largely attended rally amidst downpour after distributing appointment letters to 202 victims of militancy in border town of Kupwara this afternoon. The chief minister referred to the massacre of 24 Kashmir pandits Hindus at Nadimarg early this week and said that they are part of Kashmir's rich composite ethos. Those who engineered this carnage have attempted to destabilize the situation that had started looking out positively. This was probably not in the interest of certain elements and they committed this heinous crime to thwart our initiatives. 'But we will not allow these elements to succeed at any cost', he added. He said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have always kept the flag of secularism high and it is deeply rooted in our blood. The chief minister said that the people are the fountainhead of power and it is they who would help us in bringing turn around in the situation, multiplicity of challenges notwithstanding. He pointed towards the brave and committed people of Iraq, who despite being pitted against the mighty powers, are giving tough time to US forces. He said that with same spirit, we have to fight the enemies of peace and isolate them. Asserting that his government would steer the state from morass, Mufti Sayeed said that his government would continue the policy of healing touch even though it is wrongly projected to create confusion among some people. He said that the people of the state have suffered immensely due to the situation created during the last 13 years. Women have widowed, children orphaned, mothers deprived of their children, injustice meted out to many, education system derailed, development activities hampered and what not. The basic objective of the policy of healing touch is to give focussed attention to various issues and to nurse the wounds of the affected people. "We have to continue our efforts to win hearts and minds of the people", he added. The chief minister said that all the parties in the coalition government have joined hands and formulated common strategy to bring the people of the state out of the crisis situation. He said "we have given a pledge to the people to restore peace with dignity and there will be no comprise on our pledges." He said that while he has no Alladin's lamp in his hand, but he has determination and sincerity to deliver to the people what have committed. He said, our small initiatives in about 5 months have generated tremendous hope and confidence among people that this government might succeed in restoring J&K to its past glory. Be it supply of electricity or education, the government is sincerely addressing the people's problems. He said we would give special focus on economically poor students who are unable to get public school education. The standard of education in government schools is being upgraded. The problem of unemployment is also being tackled systematically. About 10,000 teachers posts are likely to be available in primary schools after approval of scheme to keep 3rd teacher in all primary schools in the state. He said that damaged transformers would be replaced. Responding to slogans to "identify killers of Abdul Ghani Lone" raised by a section of the audience, the chief minister said that Mr Lone was eliminated by those who did not want him to succeed in his courageous effort to restore lasting peace in Kashmir and uphold dignity and honour of the people. Describing Mr Lone as his old political colleague, he said he was very pragmatic in his actions. He always associated himself with poor and unprivileged people. Referring to Kupwara District, the chief minister said that it has always remained neglected. The level of development in the district remained much low. Assuring them of his government's full attention towards their demands, the chief minister said that the coalition government would remove injustice meted out to the people by giving focussed attention. The aspirations of the people would be respected, he added. Earlier, the Minister for Forests and Environment Gh Mohi-ud.Din Sofi name as received accused the previous government of ignoring Kupwara District in all respects and said that the border district is today much backward. He pleaded for several development works for socio-economic uplift of the district. Revenue Minister Hakim Mohammad Yasin, Minister of State for industries Mr Raman Mattoo, Mr Mohammad Yosuf Tarigami and Mr Gh. Hassan Khan MLAs members of legislative assembly were also present on the occasion. Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 702 words HEADLINE: Syria: Paper criticizes "new rabbis of war" in US and Britain SOURCE: Al-Thawrah web site, Damascus, in Arabic 28 Mar 03 BODY: Text of article by Muhammad Ali Buzah entitled "Iraq is not Afghanistan" by Syrian newspaper Al-Thawrah web site on 28 March In its quest for a quick and decisive victory and with minimum losses, the war clique in Washington and London did not expect that it would sink in Iraq's swamps and shifting sands. Blinded by the arrogance of power and intoxicated with the dreams of control and imperialist hegemony, the Zionist Bush administration and its high-ranking generals at the Pentagon rolled up their sleeves to intimidate the world, blackmail it, take revenge on it and expose it to aggressive wars. These wars began easily in Afghanistan, which had been devastated and exhausted by civil war, and then moved to this region in the hope of expansion through the Iraqi gate. However, their plans collided with a strong wall of resistance put up by the people of Al-Rafidayn two rivers . This resistance has turned their calculations upside down and forced them to reconsider their plans. A quick look at the course of the unjust war, which has entered its ninth day, and the military operations that are marked by hypocrisy, deception, confusion and loss of nerves by the coalition forces and their senior commanders, reveals that the United States and Britain are in a dilemma. At the instigation of Zionism, the United States and Britain have thrown their forces and their advanced military machine into an adventure and into an inferno of a losing war by all standards and measurements, even if they achieve military victory. The initial costs of the war are substantial. The price the invasion forces have paid in the battlefield is very high and contrary to the expectations and calculations of strategic planners. This has caused a shock to the White House master George Bush and his British ally Tony Blair, who imagined and who deluded their soldiers and the "elite forces", composed of Marines, Special Forces, paratroopers, tank crew, aircraft, warships, strategic combers and rocket launchers, into believing that they are invincible. Bush and Blair imagined that sophisticated weapons and weapons of mass destruction, which they have, would give them a mobilization edge and superiority in the battlefield. They also relied and betted on domestic and psychological factors that have been advertised and marketed to affect the morale of the Iraqi people and to portray to the world that the road to Baghdad would be easy and that Baghdad would fall in a matter of days. And then came the surprise. Neither did the Iraqi people receive the invasion armies with garlands nor did they raise white flags and allow them to defile the land, honour and dignity. The popular will to fight - more than the military will - proved its effectiveness and was painful and legendary in confronting and debunking the US-British myth and removing its halo of superiority. This greatly embarrassed Washington and London and exposed their lies. The ferocity and barbarity of the air raids and the indiscriminate and hysterical massive bombardment of the capital Baghdad and the rest of Iraqi cities and areas did not work. The targeting of the civilians and the destruction of densely populated neighbourhoods failed to improve the image of war or to give it legitimacy. It also failed to cover the losses, which the allies tried in vain to conceal from the US and British public and the world. It has become necessary for the world to develop the means of confrontation, protest and condemnation of the aggression and to reject any of its results. The world - represented by the United Nations and its bodies and institutions, especially the Security Council, and by the millions of people and political forces who have taken to the streets to vent their anger at the new rabbis of war in the United States and Britain - must corner these new rabbis. The world must intensify its boycott of them and force them through all means to stop the crime of the century and withdraw immediately from the land of Iraq. This naturally, does not exempt the Arabs from shouldering their responsibility after the picture became clear and after they started to feel the magnitude of the danger. Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 948 words HEADLINE: Sudan: Text of statement issued by opposition Islamist party on Iraqi war SOURCE: Akhir Lahzah web site, Khartoum, in Arabic 30 Mar 03 BODY: Text of statement issued by opposition Islamist party and published by Sudanese Islamist opposition newspaper Akhir Lahzah web site on 30 March. Subheadings inserted editorially. In the name of God, the beneficent, the merciful. The Popular National Congress PNC . Statement on US-British aggression on Iraq: The US-British-Israeli alliance aggression has started its evil war on the Arab and Muslim Ummah nation as witnessed in fraternal Iraq. This is after they manufactured for it Muslim Ummah, Iraq modern weapons and other technological discoveries, and mobilized against it massive forces from several countries, by luring them through bribery and instilling in them fear about their might and power. Arab ruler hypocritically support war on Iraq Some of these countries have declared their support with insolence, while others have concealed it their stance hypocritically. In doing this, they have betrayed their people and nations, and they are hypocrites to their Lord. Regrettably, some of the Arab countries are in the US-Zionist alliance and from their territories, Iraq is destroyed. Missiles are being launched from their capitals to shed the blood of their brothers, men, women and children. This is an act rejected and opposed by European countries, the American people and the rest of the world. This are who differ with us as concerns their faith, religion, and homeland. Their stand is honourable and in accordance with international legitimacy. It also observes humanitarian principles and international UN charters for the sake of world security and peace. Salutation to countries objecting to war on Iraq How excellent and noble is the stand of France, its president and people, as well as the stand of Germany and its chancellor, and that of the Vatican City, the epitome of Christianity! And Canada the neighbour of USA, and many others who have stood against the war and opted for peace. And the Non-Aligned countries led by the Muslim nation of Malaysia and its brave president, and who is an indication that some good people with live conscience still exist. Evil Arab rulers will also fall The conscience of some people can not rise up to such a stand as witnessed in neighbouring Arab countries and some of their evil rulers. In fact they, the Arab leaders, are traitors and support America. There is no doubt they will one day fall as will happen to Iraq, if it is defeated. The turn for dividing their countries will also come, if the alliance becomes victorious under the pretext of democracy and freedom. From the same cup shall they drink! However, hope in God is great. It also great in our Ummah Arab and Muslim nation . The fate of the UN and its Security Council The US-British Zionist alliance has therefore killed the UN and violated its charters. The life of the Security Council has also been destroyed and the weakness of its secretary-general has become clear and evident. There no longer exists any international legitimacy nor any enforceable Security Council resolution. Even its previous status, which was inclined to the US domination and which granted it the right of Veto, and which it used 176 times in support of Israel, thereby allowing it to pursue aggression, occupation and nuclear armament, while it prohibited the same for other nations, especially the Palestinian people. The stand of PNC We in the PNC stand by all nations which objected to the war and demonstrated in support of Iraq. We stand by those whose blood was shed, their sons and youth martyred as they confronted police mechanisms of some of the Arab rulers, especially in Sudan, where the police could not hesitate to kill demonstrators who supported Iraq. The same Sudan whose government could not abstain from an initiative, of which it had not been requested, to open its airspace and territory for use by alliance aircraft to launch attacks on Iraq. Failure of salvation revolution in Sudan For he who stood by the Salvation National Salvation Revolution the day it came, and supported it financially and morally, he witnesses the nature of a regime which keeps no promises and acknowledges not any good done to it, not even by the fathers and the elderly. As Iraq starts its battle with the alliance, we in the NPC would like to salute our people who are fighting in Palestine, and who have been fighting a similar US-Zionist war, since Palestine resorted to the Intifada two years ago. They have neither given in to humiliation nor surrendered. We salute them, men, women and youth. We also saluted those detained and the martyrs. Position of Arab rulers The Arab rulers have continued to betray both the Palestinian people and Iraq, despite their vast wealth, embalmed soldiers, and police - who symbolize angels of punishment. These leaders have been offering ridiculous security to their people and citizens and oppression, such that they deny them freedom of _expression_, alliance and demonstration. Iraq is a hero We in the NPC would like to salute the people of heroic Iraq, which has brought back to us the heroism of Al-Qadisiyah one of crusade wars , and the firmness and steadfastness of the Mujahidin of the battle of Hutwain like the former , and Salah-al-Din al-Ayubi, one of the famous Muslim fighters during the crusade wars , for they have not taken the alliance war as a picnic. They have not as well confronted the invaders with roses and smiles, nor allowed the enemy to be victorious as he had programmed. The have given the invaders a lesson. God is great and glory and honour is to Islam. Popular National Congress 25/3/2003. Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 501 words HEADLINE: Indonesian on-line media reports on mass anti-war rally in Jakarta 30 March SOURCE: :Detikcom web site, Jakarta, in Indonesian 30 Mar Kompas web site, Jakarta, in Indonesian 30 Mar Republika web site, Jakarta, in Indonesian 30 Mar BODY: On 30 March 2003, three Jakarta-based online Indonesian media sources followed developments surrounding the "one million believers" anti-war rally in Jakarta. News portal Detikcom and the online versions of Indonesian language dailies Kompas, and Republika filed reports on the rally as events took place. The numbers of rally participants were reported variously as "thousands" (Republika), "tens of thousands" (Kompas) and "around 300,000" (Detikcom). In addition to previously noted participants, Kompas and Republika reported that representatives from the Indonesian Catholic Association, the Muhammadiyah Students Association and the Muhammadiyah Youth Association also took part. It was also related that demonstrators included children, teenagers, housewives, the elderly, as well as young parents carrying babies and pushing prams. Placards carried by protesters featured slogans such as "The UN must be reformed", "Preserve world peace", and "Bush is the root of terrorism". Political and community figures in attendance included MPR (People's Consultative Assembly) Speaker Amien Rais, Muslim academic Nurcholish Madjid, feminist activist and MPR member Nursyahbani Katjasungkana and Komnas HAM (National Commission on Human Rights) member Bambang W. Soeharto; all of whom gave addresses to the rally, urging the US to stop military action in Iraq and calling for US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to be tried as war criminals before the International Criminal Court. According to detik1com, attendees also included DPR (House of Representatives) Deputy Speaker A.M. Fatwa, Head of the Pioneer Party Rachmawati Soekarnoputri (President Megawati's younger sister), Crescent and Star Party DPR faction leader and Chairman of the Indonesian Committee in Solidarity with the Islamic World (KISDI) Ahmad Sumargono, human rights activist Munir, Muhammadiyah Secretary and MUI (Indonesian Council of Ulamas) Secretary-General Din Syamsuddin, MUI executives and several prominent ulamas. Later articles from Detikcom and Kompas reported that representatives of the 'one million believers' action had rejected an invitation to meet with the US Ambassador to Indonesia, Ralph L. Boyce. Din Syamsuddin told the rally that KISRA (Indonesian Committee in Solidarity with the Iraqi People) members had discussed the invitation and decided to reject it on the grounds that they had already made their position clear, that KISRA condemns the war and that the war must stop immediately. Detikcom said that while the protest action was officially closed at around 1110 local time, at 1215 thousands of demonstrators remained in the area around the US embassy. The remaining protesters were dominated by cadres from the Justice Party, the National Mandate Party and the United Development Party-Reform. A Kompas report at 1234 local time said that demonstrators were beginning to disperse, although crowds remained in the embassy's immediate vicinity. Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 456 words HEADLINE: Turkey says current cooperation with USA reflects US war plans preferences SOURCE: Anatolia news agency, Ankara, in English 1906 gmt 29 Mar 03 BODY: (Reissued with the correct date) Text of report in English by Turkish news agency Anatolia Ankara, 29 March: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Saturday 29 March : "Current situation about the cooperation between Turkey and the United States in the military action against Iraq reflects the United States' own preferences." Releasing a written statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: "In their recent statements, some circles in the United States criticized Turkey by claiming that Turkey could not display the cooperation which the United States expected from it. They expressed their disappointment. They also claimed that the United States' military action against Iraq became more difficult and risky due to Turkey." "Turkey has been in close contacts and consultations with its ally since the very beginning under the United States' plans to launch a military action against Iraq to eliminate weapons of mass destruction in this country. Turkey discussed cooperation opportunities with the United States in detail after any other remedy was not left to resolve the Iraq crisis except for military methods. Submission of the motion dated 6 February on deployment of US technical and military personnel for renovation, development and construction of bases and ports, and submission of the second motion dated 1 March on deployment of foreign armed forces in Turkey revealed our government's will to cooperate with the United States," it said. The statement noted: "The parliament did not approve the motion on deployment of foreign armed forces in Turkey as a result of democratic reflection of detailed discussions on the grounds of a military action against Iraq. Later, efforts were expended to form the 59th government, and to win the vote of confidence of the parliament. Meanwhile, intense developments occurred about diplomatic issues and military preparations." "During this short period, Turkey both followed the arguments at the United Nations Security Council on new steps to be taken about implementation of the Resolution No. 1441 and held intense contacts with the United States. During these contacts, the US side stated that the comprehensive cooperation did not conform to its own timing of the military action. The US side made an urgent request for opening of Turkish airspace. The government submitted a third motion to the parliament and got permission on 20 March for opening of Turkish airspace to US planes," it said. The statement added: "As a result, the current situation reflects the United States' own preference about its plans and preparations. Turkey will naturally continue to hold close contacts and consultations with its ally the United States." Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 368 words HEADLINE: Pakistan parties lead rallies against US-led Iraq war SOURCE: The News web site, Islamabad, in English 30 Mar 03 BODY: Text of report by Pakistani newspaper The News web site on 30 March Jacobabad: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal MMA took out a protest rally against the US aggression on Iraq here on Saturday 29 March . The rally was led by MMA central leader Maulana Khalid Mehmood Soomro. It started form the JUI Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Islam office here and after passing through various roads of the city stopped at the main Indus Highway where the protesters staged a sit-in for about two hours, suspending traffic bound for Karachi Punjab. The protest rally was attended by a large number of MMA workers and also citizens of Kandhkot. The protesters were raising slogans against the US. Addressing the rally, MMA leaders Maulana Soomro and others strongly condemned the US and said its administration has proved that it is against Islam and Islamic countries. The MMA leaders said that now the UN should be abolished as this forum was formed to protect the rights of each and every country, but the US did not accept it and attacked Iraq bypassing it. They said our rulers should fully support Iraq. Meanwhile, The Sindh National Front (SNF) Larkana has said that the withdrawal of the second resolution from the UNSC by the US showed that it failed to convince the world for war against Iraq. It opined that the US could be ruined easily if the Muslim countries only withdrew their deposits from American banks and stop oil supply. Qazi Shamsuddin of the PPP Pakistan People's Party district Larkana said the UN secretary-general should resign. He urged Russia, France, China, Germany and other countries to play a role for bringing the war to an end. The Sindh National Students Front resolved the UNSC should come forward to stop war and declare Bush and Blair war criminals to be tried in the International Court of Justice. At a workshop held by the Takhleeq Foundation Creativity Foundation-an NGO the speakers stated the war against Iraq is an open aggression by the US and its allies. The JUP Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Pakistan Larkana Division demanded of the Pakistan government to issue an ultimatum to the US to stop war within 24 hours, otherwise end diplomatic relations with it. Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 1073 words HEADLINE: Iran: Daily says Iraqis hate US more than Saddam SOURCE: Keyhan web site, Tehran, in Persian 29 Mar 03 p 2 BODY: Text of commentary by Iranian newspaper Keyhan web site on 29 March The first days of the Iranian new year coincided with the bitter news of the start of the British and American war against Iraq. In this unequal war the tortured citizens of Iraq have come under severe bombing and rocket attacks in order to have democracy established in their country! According to the military men and the strategists of the Pentagon this war was supposed to have been accomplished at lightening speed. Within 48 hours it was supposed to have ended in favour of the British and US governments. But now we see that Bush has no choice but to add to his previous budget of $40 billion, another $30 billion in order to increase his warmongering and to bring fresh troops to the warfronts. The Iraqi government has become one of the weakest powers in the region because of the stubbornness and the lack of forethought that it has shown in the past two decades. It does not have many economic or military facilities at its disposal. This same assumption made the Americans think that they could use this opportunity to enter this war to safeguard their interests! It is not hard to predict the outcome of this unequal war. Using jetfighters, bombs and missiles that are exclusively at the disposal of the American armed forces, as well as the latest electronic equipment has meant that the Iraqi war machine does not have the ability to be very active. Despite this, Iraq's resistance so far against the invaders has demolished most of the American and British predictions. In addition to this the Americans thought that they could ignore the will of the UN Security Council and could take control of the pulse of the war. They thought that with their coverage of the war on Iraq they could make world public opinion forget about UN opposition to the war. But instead, the Americans have come face to face with huge mass protests throughout the world. Protest marches were held even in large British and American towns. Even some countries, which were in favour of the war, like Spain, were not able to convince their citizens not to rise up against the war. These marches and protests resulted in chaos and clashes in some corners of the world. In Yemen the clashes between rioters and police resulted in four anti-war demonstrators losing their lives. Despite this the opposition to British and American warmongering continues. Countries that in the previous years have hardly had any news coverage of demonstrations are now showing up on the wire agencies because of large protest marches being held there. It no longer makes a difference whether or not the United States wins the war against Iraq. World public opinion and humanity's conscience does not hold any legitimacy for America's behaviour. The White House has entered into a war against all the peoples of the world because of the stupidity of the leaders of the US Administration. It is amazing that American officials refuse to understand that they will very quickly lose even their superficial legitimacy. Saddam's government is guilty of war crimes. More than the rest of the world, the people of Iraq are well aware of this. The pain of Halabjah is still sitting heavily on their hearts. The massacre of the Shi'is by that regime in 1991 has not been forgotten by the people of Iraq. His crimes against the Kurds are written in stone in history. Despite all this the tortured people of Iraq today taste the bitter taste of war and homelessness. They are fully aware that Saddam's crimes against them were committed by those same weapons that the West put at his disposal. Many of the decisions made by the head of the Ba'th government were made following a green light from Washington. In effect the Iraqi people are fully aware that Saddam is now a burned out pawn, who is no longer useful to the United States. At the same time they know that American control over their country will not change anything in their favour, they should now expect Washington's looting and further domination over the rest of their country's national wealth. Perhaps this is one of the differences between Afghanistan and Iraq. The Afghan people had not felt American crimes first hand. They did not know the consequences of the presence of this cruel government. But in Iraq the situation is different. That country has tasted British colonial rule and has the honour of having fought that occupying country in its history books. On the other hand the Iraqi people regard the United States as a former supporter of their ruler and for this reason do not trust the Americans. In any case the Americans have totally ignored the opinions of the world community and have openly announced that there will be a US puppet government (perhaps an American general) that will rule Iraq. This very seriously provokes the Iraqi people's national pride. Those that have travelled to Iraq in recent years, who have talked to the people in that country, stress the reality that the Iraqi people hate the Americans more than they hate Saddam. For this reason American presence in Iraqi territory after the war will most certainly be more costly than their presence in Afghanistan. This difficulty becomes more apparent when we consider the fact that the United States has hard and powerful rivals in Europe. They, alongside Russia will not allow the US Administration to have an easy ride. Let us add to these two things the awareness of the Muslim nations of the region, which could act as a powerful bomb, endangering Western interests. Even if some Islamic leaders do not wish to accommodate their people's demands, with pressure from public opinion, they will be forced to show a different sort of reaction than their previous positions. This is not pleasing to the Americans. In previous days we saw how the governments of Jordan and Turkey, which had a reasonable level of cooperation with the United States, have been under pressure by their own people's public opinion. They have been forced to take positions alongside their people. This trend will no doubt spread to other countries. At the peak of the victory party at the conclusion of the war against Iraq, we will able to see on the foreheads of the White House and Pentagon's leaders, the worry lines, which they will not be able to hide, which will appear because of their concerns over the awareness of the masses. Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 108 words HEADLINE: Morocco: Solidarity marches with Iraqi people in Rabat 30 March SOURCE: Kingdom of Morocco Radio, Rabat, in Arabic 2300 gmt 29 Mar 03 BODY: Text of report by Moroccan radio on 29 March Rabat will witness tomorrow Sunday 30 March solidarity marches with the Iraqi people to which the national coordination body on Iraq has called for. The body stressed in a statement it issued that the Moroccan people's march to condemn the aggression on Iraq should take place in an atmosphere of teeming mobilization, political responsibility, struggling maturity and commitment to the regulations of public order. The body, which includes 19 political parties, expressed its strong condemnation of the aggression against Iraq and called for respecting its sovereignty and security. Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 497 words HEADLINE: Iraq war "of dubious legitimacy, opposed almost by entire world" - Kenyan paper SOURCE: Daily Nation web site, Nairobi, in English 30 Mar 03 BODY: Text of editorial entitled "Trials in the Iraq wilderness" by Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation web site on 30 March The Iraq war is going badly for the coalition. That is very bad news, not least for the soldiers in the deserts and their anxious families. US President Bush told the world that he was going into Iraq to liberate the people from a brutal dictator, destroy Iraq's weapons of mass destruction before they found their way into the hands of terrorists, and establish a democratic state that would guarantee the rights and freedoms of all Iraqi and peace for their neighbours. Mr Bush anticipated that he would "decapitate" the Iraqi leadership with a pre-emptive air strike targeting the leading lights of the Saddam dictatorship, including the dictator himself. After the "decapitation" failed, the coalition forces raced across the desert to Baghdad - largely without entering populated areas in the hope that the people in the "liberated" zones would rise against Saddam, and leave the coalition with the lesser job of pounding the regime into submission. Now commentators are saying that the Pentagon fell into the trap of believing its own propaganda. Despite military reports that the people of Basra have rebelled, it turns out that they actually haven't and few, if any, are going out in the streets to welcome their "liberators". Instead, the allied forces have been met by stiff opposition and few "liberated areas" are without "pockets of resistance". The advancing army is reported to have halted its drive to Baghdad in what is described as an "operational pause", its supply lines extended and dangerously vulnerable to attack by Saddam's guerrillas. The Saddam circle is taking ghoulish pleasure at all this, and has invited the stymied US troops to feel free "to go for a walk in the desert". Yesterday, there were ominous reports of a car bomb attack in which at least five people were killed, possibly signalling a change of tactics to a terrorist-type assault against the allies. All this is not evidence of a campaign that is going well. Yet, this is not a war that can afford not to go well. It is a war of dubious legitimacy, opposed almost by the entire world and justified on the basis of weird premises. As Palestinian leader Dr Hannan Ashrawi observed in a media interview yesterday, you cannot impose democracy by military force. The major powers are circling over Iraq like vultures scavenging for economic carrion. The so-called reconstruction will most likely be a plunder of that country's resources by Western companies. The Iraqis are unlikely to see true democracy for many years to come, and there is likely to be instability in the region, especially caused by Kurdish separatists in Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran. And of course American occupation of Iraq gives Usamah Bin-Ladin more reasons to terrorize the world. The whole region is already in a hole - and Mr Bush is busy digging. Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 491 words HEADLINE: Algeria: Premier Benflis takes part in pro-Iraqi demonstration in Oran SOURCE: El Watan web site, Algiers, in French 30 Mar 03 BODY: Text of report by Djamel Benachour: "The West Embraces the Iraqi Cause: 3,000 People Marched in Oran", published by Algerian newspaper El Watan web site on 30 March Between 2,000 and 3,000 people, according to the least and the most optimistic estimates, answered the appeal from the coalition of the parties which organized a march in support of the Iraqi people. At 1000 hours in the morning, the time set for a meeting on Kerguentah Square, several scores of people were already there waiting for the other demonstrators to head, a few hundred meters away from that, to 1 November Square by taking Boulevard Emir Abd El Kader. Beyond the insignia of Iraq, some banners proclaimed somewhat neutral slogans, "No War," and some bolder ones, "Bush, Blair, Aznar war criminals." The other communities from the Arab countries were also there, such as a small knot, somewhat in the background, and which insisted on defining itself: "Syrian nationals from the (Algerian) west." An initial group, which had gathered on the portion of the pavement opposite a city hotel, had already started to shout "George Bush assassin" while at the same time expressing support for the Iraqi people. A second group then arrived to occupy the intersecting street. In the midst of the excitement, some voices attempted a "Khaibar ya yahud," an anti-Semitic Islamist slogan that goes back more than a thousand years, but was quickly hushed up. During that time, among the "official activists", who occupied the stair cases of the city hall, one could note the presence, somewhat in the background, of Mr Benflis, who joined the march starting from the governorate located not far from there. Initially the organizers had agreed to give the floor to a leading religious leader, Shaykh Latreche. Ultimately it was the secretary-general of the National Liberation Front FLN who took the floor for a very short speech. In addition to support of the Iraqi people, he said "no to war, yes to peace." As he announced the end of the march, he rushed inside city hall followed by his close aides. As for the demonstrators, they continued to express their discontent for a moment before leaving the square in groups. One of them went down Rue d'Arzew. Not far from there, located right in downtown, the Spanish consulate was under police protection, which prevented the group from targeting the Spanish diplomatic office. Scuffles and stone throwing nevertheless took place between a small group of uncontrollable demonstrators and the forces of law and order. However no serious incident was reported, just slight wounds. This event next yielded to commentaries to protest the fact that the elected officials from the other organizing parties had not been informed of Mr Benflis's presence, which, in their eyes, was akin to an attempt at a "political recovery of popular discontent". Others were disappointed by how little mobilization there had been. Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring
March 30, 2003, Sunday LENGTH: 1157 words HEADLINE: Kenyan commentator says Iraq's "dizzying" wealth behind "unwarranted" war SOURCE: East African Standard web site, Nairobi, in English 30 Mar 03 BODY: Text of commentary by Chaacha Mwaita entitled "Propaganda, the wealth of Iraq and Bush's plans" by Kenyan newspaper East African Standard web site on 30 March; subheadings inserted editorally As the largely unwarranted war against Iraq continues, many have accused America and Britain of starting the war solely because they want to control Iraq's oil. And as if to prove their accusers right, the priority of the so-called "coalition of the willing" has been to secure oil wells before they attend to the departed, maimed, injured, sick and hungry. Indeed, the coalition has already awarded contracts to American firms to manage oil fields in Iraq. "America cannot live without imported oil" According to America's own BusinessWeek magazine of 24 February 2003, "America cannot live without imported oil", a sentiment they share with their President George W Bush who, on 6 February, bluntly said: "It jeopardizes our national security to be dependent on sources of energy from countries that do not care for America (read Iraq), what we stand for, what we love." To be sure, what is known of the wealth of Iraq is dizzying. It would make even a wealthy (and greedy!) America go red with envy. And this wealth goes well beyond oil. The 437,072 sq.km-country is the second largest producer of oil in the world. Iraq has 15 per cent of the world's known oil reserves - some 115bn barrels of proven reserves and well beyond 300bn barrels of possible reserves. This high-grade oil is worth trillions of dollars and, given the relative unpredictability of oil prices, possibly zillions! As the US and Britain bombard the Baghdad regime under the guise of wanting to liberate Iraqis from Saddam Husayn's "barbarity" - and secure the larger world against "terrorism" - the world witnesses a spirited opposition from common Iraqis, 99 per cent of whom in the true sense of the word, overwhelmingly voted for Saddam only in October last year. Iraqis, we were told, were starving. And yet when one looks at the pictures from Iraq, one is struck by their healthy state. The pictures shown are of well-clothed, well-fed people one cannot possibly compare with the residents of parts of Baringo Central and North constituencies in Kenya ! This is easy to explain considering that more than 52,000 sq.km. of Iraqi land is naturally arable with 35,250 sq km being under irrigation. This is in stark contrast to what the world has been made to believe: That Iraq is a desert country where nothing grows. Iraqi war "human tragedy" But perhaps because of the human tragedy that the war is, few notice the greenery, sometimes lush, that is seen in some of the pictures from the war zone. Well, Iraq produces - in substantial quantities - wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates and cotton besides successfully keeping cattle and sheep. That is more than one can say of Kenya, whose agricultural story is that of woes and failures. Iraq has other natural resources besides petroleum: Natural gas, phosphates and sulphur occur in recognizable quantities. Consequently or in default thereof, Iraqi industries include those dealing in petroleum, chemicals, textiles, construction materials and food processing, with sectoral representation being agriculture, 6 per cent, manufacturing, 13 per cent, and services, 81 per cent, according to 1993 CIA estimates. Iraq "not a country in need of international tears of pity" In all objectivity, this is not a country in need of international tears of pity. This is a country on the path to development; a path that America and Britain are now bombing with Tomahawks. This becomes even clearer when one considers that Iraq produces 27.3 billion kW of electricity per year out of which the country consumes about 25 billion kW. Six per cent of this production (1.7 billion kW) is hydro. Shame on you KPLC Kenya Power and Lightening Company ! Because of its historical significance as the cradle of civilization - Mesopotamia nestled between the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates - Iraq has some of the rarest antiquities in the world. Some of the statistics on Iraq are enviable: Iraq has 24 million people, six million of whom are eligible for the military. Iraq has, by modern standards, high birth and fertility rates (4.63) per couple. And the death rate is low (at 6 people per 1000) just as is the infant mortality rate. In Iraq, life expectancy is 68 years, nearly hitting that of the West at 70. The nightmare that is the HIV/AIDS rate is non-existent (0 per cent) in Iraq even as the disease's spread alarms the rest of the world. And the literacy level stands at 70 per cent of the population above 15 years of age. At a GDP per capita of 2,500 dollars, not a single Iraqi lives below the poverty line! Iraq participates in virtually all world organizations. And whereas America and Britain do not care to hide their contempt for these organizations, Iraq at least "pretends" to abide by their requirements. Iraq, "the home of censorship", has 13 TV stations, 2,339 km of railways, 39,000 km of paved highways and 77 paved airports. Baghdad "remarkably unshakable" despite bombings And Baghdad? Isn't it simply a great city? Even after nine days of non-stop bombing by the latest and strongest bombs America and Britain can produce outside their atomic and nuclear arsenal, Baghdad seems resiliently firm and remarkably unshakable. An impeccably planned city, it is the envy of many outside Iraq and the pride of many an Iraqi. Iraq, a country depicted as a haven for Muslim fundamentalism, has three per cent of its population actively, and freely so, ascribing to Christianity. Indeed, at least one cabinet minister, Tariq Aziz, Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister, is a practising Christian. That is far more than one can say of other Muslim countries. This is the country Bush and Tony Blair would have the world believe is in need of urgent "humanitarian" help through war! And yet unlike America, Iraq has no record of using napalm gas in Vietnam or atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Iraqis "comfortable with Saddam Husayn" Those in support of Bush and his mission of colonization in Iraq should know one thing: That a people have the inalienable right to self-determination. Iraqis are comfortable with Saddam Husayn. They like him. They deserve him no matter how barbaric he is said to be. When all is said and done, only Iraqis can genuinely express revulsion at his leadership and consequently initiate a popular revolt that would see him ousted. At least the sovereignty of states demands as much. In this regard, Iraqis have earned my respect. They are doing one of the noblest things: Fighting and, if inevitable, dying for one's motherland. After less than a century of widespread democracy and the sovereignty of states, the new age of global dictatorship that America is unravelling must be condemned. |
- [A-List] Hooray for George Galloway, (continued)
- [A-List] Hooray for George Galloway, Michael Keaney Wed 02 Apr 2003, 08:49 GMT
- [A-List] Fw: We are the World, Christopher Black Tue 01 Apr 2003, 07:45 GMT
- [A-List] Fw: Zyuganov: Stop the repression in Serbia!, Christopher Black Tue 01 Apr 2003, 07:37 GMT
- [A-List] Fw: The scramble to blame and deny, Christopher Black Tue 01 Apr 2003, 07:37 GMT
- [A-List] Fw: BBC WORLDWIDE SUMMARY, MARCH 30, 2003, Christopher Black Tue 01 Apr 2003, 07:37 GMT
- [A-List] "Has the Fuhrer seen this map?", Bob Enoch Tue 01 Apr 2003, 02:42 GMT
- Re: [A-List] "Has the Fuhrer seen this map?", Christopher Black Tue 01 Apr 2003, 06:17 GMT
- [A-List] A Russian view of the war (March 30), Jim Farmelant Tue 01 Apr 2003, 01:31 GMT
- [A-List] The naked emperor, Macdonald Stainsby Tue 01 Apr 2003, 00:52 GMT