on-going mass executions which have claimed the lives of more than 3000 political prisoners and detainees since late 1998.

[Michael Pugliese <debsian@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

http://user.tninet.se/~lto357q/framse1/iraq1.htm

 CENTRAL COMMITTEE
IRAQI COMMUNIST PARTY                          Shaqlawa  15-11-2000
?Solidarity? Flights to Baghdad:

Propaganda Exercise for Dictatorial Regime


There have been many civilian flights to Baghdad in recent weeks, carrying
all kinds of people; a mix of political and cultural personalities, as well
as businessmen and bargain hunters. Some are obviously motivated by
humanitarian factors, with the genuine desire of expressing solidarity and
sympathy with our Iraqi people, while others are driven solely be economic
and financial motives, hoping to win a share in the lucrative Iraqi market,
even under the UN oil-for-food program.

Regardless of these motives, the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) has stressed
and reiterated its position that it welcomes the return of civilian aviation
to our country to normality, as it had been before the criminal invasion of
Kuwait on 2 August 1990. This is part and parcel of our overall position
calling for the immediate and unconditional lifting of the economic blockade
on our people. This demand also includes ending not only whatever hinders
the supply of basic necessities, such as food and medicine, but also lifting
economic sanctions in such a way so as to allow the restoration of the
productive economic cycle, as well as the return to normality in all fields;
science, culture, services, tourism. etc., both inside Iraq and with other
countries of the world.

Based on this position, the Party rejected and condemned the obstinate
American policy, which has punished our people for crimes committed by the
dictatorial rulers; through maintaining the economic sanctions.

The Party has called for distinguishing between our people and the rulers;
i.e. between the victim and the criminal. Accordingly, we continue to call
for tightening the political and diplomatic isolation of the dictatorship,
and maintaining military sanctions. UN control over the oil revenues must be
continued to ensure that the regime does not regain total control over the
country?s resources.

The dictatorial rulers in Baghdad have been cynically using the recent
flights for purely propaganda purposes, as a political card in their
maneuvers aimed at ending their political isolation regionally and
worldwide. Their real objective, first and foremost, is not alleviating the
suffering of the Iraqi people and ending economic sanctions, but rather to
exploit economic and business interests for political ends, hoping to bring
about the "rehabilitation? of their regime.

Many of the recent so-called "solidarity? flights have not contributed, in
any way, to lifting the economic sanctions or ending the suffering of our
people, but have only played into the hands of the rulers, diverting
attention from the real issues and the plight of our people. As such, these
flights have actually encouraged the dictatorial rulers to persist with
their policies at the expense of our people.

True solidarity with our people, and sympathy with their humanitarian and
also political tragedy, have nothing to do with shaking hands with the
dictator Saddam Hussein and his henchmen, such as Tareq Aziz and Taha
al-Jazrawi and others, who have the blood of our people on their hands.
Money that is being spent lavishly by the rulers to entertain their ?guests?
as part of this propaganda ploy is far greater than the token humanitarian
aid brought in by these flights. What is needed is to express solidarity
with the Iraqi people, in their humanitarian plight as well as their
political tragedy, pressing the Baghdad rulers and the US to stop playing
politics with the fate of the Iraqi people who are victims of both economic
sanctions and bloody terror.

Under these circumstances, the Party strongly advises against participation
in flights to Baghdad which serve no purpose except to render service to
Saddam's regime and its devious political schemes, aimed at perpetuating its
bloody rule at the expense of the people.

The call for lifting the economic blockade on the Iraqi people must be
combined with calls for an end to mass terror and repression, and an
immediate end to the on-going mass executions which have claimed the lives
of more than 3000 political prisoners and detainees since late 1998.

The Iraqi Communist Party calls for internationalist solidarity with the
Iraqi people and the struggle of their democratic forces to end the
nightmare of economic blockade and dictatorship; for a democratic
alternative that ensures freedom, human dignity, democracy and social
progress.



CENTRAL COMMITTEE
IRAQI COMMUNIST PARTY                          Shaqlawa  15-11-2000