[Peace-discuss] Re: Hans van Sponeck on US Aggression v Iraq

Mon Sep 30 08:46:08 CDT 2002

Ricky, these are good ideas.

At 1:55 AM -0400 9/30/02, Ricky Baldwin wrote:
>Thanks for posting this, Al.
>
>How can we use this kind of overview, and others like the British 
>MPs' counter-dossier?  Post them on our website under "More on US v 
>Iraq" or something?  Maybe a follow-up letter to Tim Johnson, 
>thanking him for meeting our representatives, and attaching this 
>Q&A?  Include it in a press packet for whenever we decide to 
>demonstrate (the day Congress authorizes the use of force, or the 
>day attacks begin, etc.)?
>
>Just a couple of comments below...
>
>Ricky
>
>---------------------------------------------
>“It is only those who do nothing who make no mistakes. - Peter Kropotkin
>----------------------------------------------
>
>[snip]
>
>  >IRAQ: Four Questions, Four Answers
>  >by
>  >Hans C. von Sponeck
>  >UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq (1998-2000)
>  >at the European Colloquium
>  >Brussels, 25 September 2002
>  >http://www.irak.be/ned/bivv/iraq4questions4answers.htm
>
>[snip]
>
>  >Attempts to link acts of terrorism involving the 1993 and 2001 WTC,
>
>  >the US
>  >Embassies in Nairobi and Dar-Es-salaam, the USS Cole in Aden, the
>  >Anthrax
>  >cases in the US and collaboration with Al Qaeda to the Government of
>  >Iraq
>
>  >have failed.
>
>And, we should point out, the US Administration seemingly could not 
>care less who really is responsible for any of these attacks, 
>judging from how quickly officials assigned blame without offering a 
>shred of evidence - except in the anthrax cases, of course, where 
>they simply seem to have stopped looking altogether.  For that 
>matter, they seem to be trying to turn our attention from their 'big 
>search' for Osama bin Laden, too, right?
>
>[snip]
>
>  >My visit to these two sites (accompanied by the ARD German TV)
>
>  >showed
>  >conclusively that Al Dora and Al Fallujah III facilities had been
>  >destroyed (it should be noted that the IISS report acknowledges this
>  >for
>  >Al Fallujah III). What is destroyed can not be a threat.
>  >
>  >Conclusions: The evidence offered by the US and UK administration as
>  >well
>  >as the IISS assessment of Iraq's WMD status does not support in any
>  >way
>  >the contention that an imminent threat emanates from Iraq justifying
>  >a
>  >military offensive. The US government promoted mass hysteria and the
>  >psycho war are internationally unacceptable. In the interest of
>  >preventing
>  >such a war, the Iraqi Foreign Minister's statement to the UN/GA that
>  >the
>  >country is free of WMD and the agreement by the Iraqi authorities to
>  >re-admit unconditionally UN arms inspectors at this stage should be
>  >taken
>  >at face value and UNMOVIC's installation in Baghdad be pursued
>  >without
>  >delay.
>
>Here's a keeper, right along with Scott Ritter's statements.
>
>  >Question No.2: What explains the present US Government Iraq policy?
>
>
>
>This part's another keeper, I think.  It's the hardest part for some 
>of us to articulate.
>
>
>
>  >1998 much more literal than the Clinton administration did. The Act
>
>I guess he means "literally" - German doesn't generally distinguish 
>between adjectives and adverbs, in case anyone cares...
>
>[snip]
>
>  >Another dramatic indicator of the ill being of the population
>
>  >relates to
>  >child mortality. UNICEF in its annual State of the Children's report
>  >identified Iraq as the country which showed an increase of 160% in
>  >the
>  >mortality rate of children under five for the period 1990 to 1999.
>  >This
>  >constitutes the highest recorded increase of all the 188 countries
>  >surveyed. According to the same organisation, female literacy has
>  >slipped
>  >to 45% in 1995 while in 1987 Iraq had received from UNESCO
>  >international
>  >recognition that it had achieved a literacy level of 80%. There are
>  >other
>  >alarming figures published by WHO showing that the number of youth
>  >with
>  >mental disorders has more than doubled between 1990 and 1998.
>
>This is part of what we were looking for, for the farmers' mkt.
>
>[snip]
>
>  >the
>
>  >Arab League, the Holy Sea and the International Court of Justice.
>  >
>  >An important first step towards improved cooperation among different
>  >national groups working towards the lifting of economic sanctions
>  >and
>  >averting an unjustified war against Iraq would be the preparation of
>  >a
>
>  >master-list of cooperating entities and their coordinates.
>
>
>
>I assume he means "Holy See".  Anyway, his suggestions are not all 
>that inspiring, but maybe it's this practical stuff we need to 
>suggest.  What do others think?
>
>
>
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-- 

Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA

tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu
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