[Blunderov]
Whilst the following is admittedly from a loony conspiricist site it
nonetheless makes compelling reading.
<q>
http://freeworldalliance.com/alert.htm
Back from Iraq, a witness to genocide
By Eamon Martin
Dr. Barbara Ann Scott is a professor of Sociology at the State
University of New York in New Paltz. Last month, Scott joined former US
Attorney General Ramsey Clark and the International Action Centers
Anti-sanctions Challenge delegation to Iraq. Defying a US law that
prohibits travel to the Middle Eastern nation, the delegation, comprised
of 48 international people of conscience, were responding to growing,
but often muted, criticisms waged against the United States and Great
Britain.
For nearly 11 years, since the beginning of the Persian Gulf War, Iraq
has been under the constant siege of a US/UK-led plan that has
devastated the formerly prosperous Iraqi nation. As a consequence, an
estimated 1.5-2 million Iraqi citizens most of them children have been
killed as a result of sustained aerial bombings, a decimated
infrastructure, a poisoned environment, and economic sanctions that have
effectively strangled Iraqs ability to recover.
The delegations mission was not only to bear witness to what many
consider to be the genocidal effects of ongoing and unpunished war
crimes, but to aid the Iraqi people with a $150,000 shipment of
desperately needed medical, educational and construction materials. One
particularly cruel aspect of the United Nations-endorsed sanctions is
that the importation of many common items such as chlorine and graphite
pencils are forbidden because of their supposed "dual-use" capabilities.
The sanctions argue that the world is in mortal danger if Iraq should
posses such things as they could be used for weapons manufacturing.
This past week, US president George W. Bush reminded a dimly aware US
public that his nation had in fact been bombing Iraq to enforce a
so-called "no-fly-zone" since Operation Desert Fox began in December of
1998. Last Friday, after bombing Baghdad, Iraqs capital, Bush explained
that this was merely "normal procedure" in the face of "provocation."
Iraq was so bold as to fire anti-aircraft missiles in retaliation of the
continual bombing of its country.
Dr. Scott was eager to speak with AGR about her recent experience, one
she describes as being "the most moving" in her "64 years of age." AGR:
Describe the delegation. Were most of the people from the United States?
Scott: It was really a very diverse, international delegation. There
were people from Japan, two from occupied Palestine&we had a British
fellow, a couple of Scandinavians, a fellow from Ireland. From the
United States, we had people from Texas, Tennessee, a truck driver from
California, people from New York and elsewhere
AGR: Critics of US foreign policy towards Iraq, regarding the economic
sanctions in particular, have charged that what has resulted is nothing
less than genocide. Given your recent experience there, would your
delegation back up such a claim?
Scott: Oh, of course. Absolutely, yes. And that was not only
demonstrated by what we were able to visibly observe. For example, going
into the Amariyia shelter in downtown Baghdad was probably the most
singularly, emotionally devastating experience I've ever had in my life.
As you may remember, in the early days of the Gulf War, in early
February of 1991, that shelter had been built as a very concrete and
steel-reinforced, underground bunker where almost 600 women and children
had gathered during one of these air raids. The opening salvo was a
cruise missile which was tipped with depleted uranium, which was
verified by one of our members who has analyzed soil samples there. This
thing sliced through the concrete bunker, created a huge opening and was
followed seconds later by another cruise missile which had fuel-air
explosives inside that created an inferno instantly within that shelter
and everybody was incinerated. Its now a museum. There are candles and
pictures of the dead, all of these precious children, their mothers, and
their aunts, relatives and so on with articles of clothing, memorabilia
from the families in memorials. Going in one room after another, you
just see all of this horror of what happened to these people. Right near
the hole, theres a mobile that was constructed with a thousand paper
cranes which Japanese children had sent to put with all of the other
memorabilia. Its just powerful. Everyone including those who dont
usually show their emotions was weeping. And that was, of course, one
act of genocide, but small in terms of the numbers compared to the two
million now that is the combined death toll of not only Bushs genocide,
but Clintons. And thats often forgotten in US press circles and even in
academic scholarship -- that he was also responsible, actually, for the
greatest number of the deaths during that time. By far the greatest of
that death toll has to be laid at Clintons doorstep. He should be an
indicted warcriminal by now.
The El Rashid Hotel formerly a five star, luxury hotel where we stayed
was bombed twice. It was rather severely damaged. In fact, the second
time it was within a month after Clinton had taken office in 1993. He
ordered a bombing attack on Baghdad to retaliate for the alleged Iraqi
intelligence agencys plot to murder George Bush when he was visiting
Kuwait. Do you remember that? This alleged reason that was given by the
administration was that it was an intended hit for an intelligence
bunker that was supposedly situated near the hotel. In fact, theres no
such installation anywhere in the vicinity and most people now feel that
it was a deliberate attack against the hotel because there was, at the
time, a conference of Islamic scholars which typically meets in that
month, every year at the El Rashid Hotel. Saddam Hussein was supposed to
have made an appearance there. He was evidently not there at the time
the bomb hit or he probably would have been killed because several
people who were hotel guests, including some of the Islamic scholars
were killed. One of the most famous artists in Iraq who was staying
there was also killed. She is now considered a martyr to American
imperialism and her picture adorns the lobby.
AGR: I understand you spoke with prime minister Tariq Aziz and Minister
of Trade, Dr. Mohammed Mahdi Salih who discussed the effectiveness of
the UNs Oil for Food program. What did they have to say about the
program?
Scott: The problem with the Oil for Food program is that every request
for any kind of import of commodities, whether it be medicine or food
has to go through this UN Security Council committee called the 661
Committee, named after the resolution setting up the program. There are
severe restrictions on what amounts of material are allowed in,
particularly since every contract that might be procured from different
corporations, and also governments in the Middle East that want to trade
with Iraq have to be screened by the committee. Usually what happens is
that all of the other non-US and non-British members of the 661
committee are quite willing to cooperate and let anything go through
that the Iraqis are requesting. But what typically happens is the US and
British delegates declare for possible "dual-use", and therefore put on
hold, various items they say are risks for their possible military uses.
For example, we went to a pharmaceutical plant that had been very badly
damaged by several bombing raids. The Iraqis had complained that one of
the key items that they need is plastic tubing so that they can funnel
the liquid medicine into bottles. Because thats now been declared a
possible "dual-use" item thats been put on hold, they cant get any
additional tubing and the entire operation at this plant is extremely
labor-intensive, rather than being able to have an assembly line fill
these bottles. Now its having to be done by hand, using simple funnels
which can also be contaminated by all of the airborne bacteria, not to
mention the depleted uranium which is all over the place. Also,
something like chlorine which has also been put on hold almost
indefinitely because that can be used for production of bomb materials.
So all of the water treatment facilities have been in pretty much
disarray ever since the war ten years ago and very little water
treatment is going on.
There are restrictions on the amount of oil that Iraq can sell and then
theres the issue of where the proceeds have to go and how its divided
up. One third of it, for example, goes to pay back Kuwait for the war
damage which has long been, already paid off. Theyre just using that
extra money for their own purposes. I mean, everything that had been
damaged has been, by now, rebuilt and theres no need for any further
reparations to Kuwait. But, one third of the budget, nonetheless, has to
be allocated there. Now, another third goes to the UN to pay for the
salaries of the staff that engages in all of these transfers of
materials to Iraq, and inspects the weapons and all of that. Thats paid
for with Iraqs money. Then the remaining one third is used for the
purchase of food and medicines and even that is very limited in terms of
whats been able to be actually imported during this time. And thats only
during the last four years. For the previous six years there was massive
starvation going on in Iraq. Really, nothing could get through except
what was smuggled from some of the more friendly Arab countries,
particularly Jordan. But it was a terrible humanitarian catastrophe,
like no other thats happened in any recent period of time anywhere else
in the world. So, genocide definitely has been committed and there are
many ways in which that can be proven.</q>
Warm regards
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