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News, 26/81/9/01 (2) CAMPAIGNING * A passionate voice in the wilderness [on Kathy Kelly] * Where is our outrage over Iraq? [We're like the children of drug kingpins who love living in big houses and having private planes, and somehow manage to block out the fact that Daddy had to kill a lot of people to get where he's at. And that Daddy has to kill a lot more people to "protect our interests." The author is a Former Denver Broncos playerı, which seems to be as good a training ground for understanding the realities of the world as any] * Leave Iraq Alone? [This comes from Media Monitors.net, which seems to give ordinary folk like you and me the chance to have their say. This is a defence of US policy I couldnıt track down the anti-sanctions article it is replying to but it states the problem rather as I see it: that it is one of pride. He reproaches Saddam for allowing his people to suffer to preserve his pride, while obviously being dimly aware that the peopleısı pride has something to do with it as well. It only takes a little more thinking to realise that we have murdered hundreds of thousands of people uniquely for the pleasure, which we have not yet been able to enjoy, of crushing that pride] OIL FOR FOOD * Iraq submits Sep oil prices to U.N. * Iraq and France and the oil-for-food program * UN blocks 43 food contracts, says Iraq * Iraq sets up firm to oversee new oil finds IRAQI/INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS * [Pakistanıs] Trade volume with Iraq reaches $70m * India, Pakistan vying for Iraqi wheat market * Large delegation from India arrives in Baghdad * [Indian] Wheat exports to Iraq likely to resume EMIGRATION * 10 Iraqi Kurds Seized After Sneaking Into Israel From Lebanon [Surprising to see the Peopleıs Daily using the word sneakı in this context] * 44 Iraqis caught in chunnel [not surprising to see The Sun using the word sneakı in this context] NEW WORLD ORDER * The Thinking Man's Military [Jim Hoagland on Paul Wolfowitz. It seems Wolfowitz has realised that justifying the SDI on the basis of the threatı posed to the USA by Iraq or North Korea is ludicrous. So "We are trying to move from a threat-based strategy to a capabilities based strategy." ie not what we have to do, but what we can do. Extracts] * Editorial: "W;" confronts the world [Reproducing a whole article from the Saudi paper Ain al-Yaqeen is a bit of self indulgence but it seems to me that a quite perceptive and even, within its limits, witty attack on a US President, written by a Saudi Ambassador is a bit of an event. It includes the following: Finally, the president's advisors would do well to let him know that most of the credit for the "Bugaboo of Baghdad's" remaining in power goes to US policy which throws billions of dollars on Israel every year while throwing rockets at Baghdad.ı Time to start getting the US military out of Saudi Arabia, isnıt it? URLs ONLY: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,32966,00.html * Manned Combat Fighters Fall Prey to Evolution by Matthew Baker Fox News, 27th August [For military technology enthusiasts] http://english.pravda.ru/main/2001/08/21/12995.html American genocide continues by Mike Schneider Pravda, 21st August [This is a summary of Thomas Nagyıs article in The progressive, on the policy of deliberately degrading Iraqıs water supply] http://www.msnbc.com/news/612818.asp * Why Not Saddam by Christopher Dickey Newsweek International, 20th August [Arguing for the idiotic policy of indicting S.Hussein as a war criminal, i.e. invading Iraq, or continuing to torture the Iraqi people pointlessly until S.Hussein dies] http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/08/29/Columns/Columns.33660.html * Fools rush in by Barry Rubin Jerusalem Post, 29th August [An unpleasant piece of Israeli sneering against Arabs as shifty cowards and fools who need to be kept in their place by firm measures on the part of the Master Race. Mainly directed against Bashar alAssad, mainly because of his apparently pro-Iraqi policy] CAMPAIGNING http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/printedition/chi 0108260360aug26.story?coll=chi%2Dprintperspective%2Dhed * A PASSIONATE VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS by Karen Rivedal Chicago Tribune, 26th August How does an ordinary girl from Chicago's South Side who once thought about being a nun grow up to become a tax cheat, ex-con and government critic so vocal and passionate that a federal agency more likely to monitor terrorists and drug traffickers has her in its sights as well? Kathy Kelly says she had to do it. Since 1996, Kelly has committed virtually all her time and resources to a cause halfway around the globe through Voices in the Wilderness, the small group she created in her living room in Uptown to urge an end to economic sanctions against Iraq. Voices says the sweeping trade and travel embargo imposed by the United Nations has devastated Iraq's population, especially children and the elderly, since the gulf war ended 10 years ago. She is currently in New York, halfway through a 40-day liquids-only fast on the steps of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. She and 20 other group members recently were arrested on charges of obstruction and criminal trespass. A Sept. 20 trial date has been set. "Kathy is far and away the most prominent American organizer on this issue," said Doug Hostetter, spokesman for Fellowship of Reconciliation, an 86-year-old faith-based peace group in New York. "Her very small organization with very few resources has plugged away faithfully to lift the sanctions, using any means possible." Kelly's group fights the sanctions by openly flouting them. Risking imprisonment and fines, members frequently go to Iraq to deliver supplies and document conditions, earning the ire of authorities at home who see Iraq's problems in a different light. U.S. officials hold Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein responsible for his people's suffering, citing Iraq's refusal since 1998 to let UN weapons inspectors into the country, thwarting a key condition for lifting the sanctions. Also, Hussein at times has used his country's oil revenues to build palaces and buy military equipment rather than purchase the food and medicine allowed under the sanctions program. "The rhetoric [of Kelly's group] is really counterproductive and not focused in the right place," said Lester Munson, a spokesman for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "They are essentially parroting Saddam Hussein, which is a shame." Shortages lead to deaths At the same time, independent agencies such as UNICEF estimate that more than 1 million Iraqis have died, about half of them children 5 or younger who perish from malnutrition and diseases such as dysentery that were easily treated before the sanctions caused shortages. "We all know Saddam is not a nice guy, but the question is, what do we do?" said Douglass Cassel, director of Northwestern Law School's Center for International Human Rights. "If we know that what we're doing is leading to incredible numbers of children dying, then our moral responsibility is engaged and even our legal responsibility." Kelly, 48, is a former high school teacher of English and religion who stopped paying her federal income taxes to protest the U.S. military budget. She says the non-violence code she lives by commands that "you don't disrespect the people you're trying to persuade." Even so, her fierce dedication to peace causes has put her in the line of fire in hot spots throughout the world during the past two decades, and her stubborn desire to make a point once cost her nine months in prison in 1988. That episode, stemming from a Missouri protest in which she repeatedly trespassed on nuclear missile sites and turned down probation, as well as her long work in Iraq and elsewhere, has earned her a reputation among peers as a self-declared pacifist who is anything but passive. "She is absolutely heroic and self-sacrificing to a degree that few people could physically manage," said Ramsey Clark, who was U.S. attorney general from 1967 to 1969 and who now runs a human-rights group in New York. "She's been to Iraq so many times under such difficult circumstances, and I haven't seen her slow down. She just drives herself." Even before her focus on Iraq, Kelly was no stranger to conflicts. Starting in about 1986, she began taking her campaign for human rights and non-violence abroad. "I don't believe it's appropriate for me to expect the government of my country to take risks if I'm not willing to take those same risks myself," she said. Blaming the regime But longtime Chicago peace advocate Bradford Lyttle, who has known Kelly since 1982 and took trips with her to Iraq, said Kelly should criticize Hussein's regime for its human-rights violations as strongly as she faults the sanctions, which Lyttle also opposes. Lyttle said Kelly fails to appreciate the brutally repressive society Hussein has created, citing the huge statues he had built of 100 fallen Iraqi military generals to commemorate the country's battle with Iran during the 1980s. Positioned between the two countries, each of the figures holds out a finger pointing east toward Iran. "I've seen a lot of military memorials, but I've never seen one whose purpose was also to generate hatred," Lyttle said. "Saddam spent millions on these statues, and he put the money into that rather than houses and hospitals and schools." But Lyttle admits that defying Hussein on his own turf could hinder Kelly's work. "If Kathy starts making those kinds of statements, she can't get into Iraq." Kelly said she has no love for Hussein, noting that she favors regional disarmament in the Middle East, including a halt to the flow of U.S.-made weapons to Israel. Kelly and her supporters also call for investment in Iraq to repair its war-torn infrastructure, including bombed-out roads and the broken water treatment plants and sewage facilities that sicken many Iraqi children. Kelly first went to Iraq on the eve of the gulf war as a member of the Gulf Peace Team, a delegation of 72 volunteers from 18 countries that set up on the Saudi Arabian border in January 1991 after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. The group was forcibly removed by Iraqi troops when the shooting began, Kelly said, first to a hotel in Baghdad and then to neighboring Jordan when a bomb exploded in the parking lot of the hotel. Since that trip, Kelly has traveled to Iraq a dozen more times, creating an extensive network among Iraq's hospitals, churches and its people. At center of movement "Ninety-eight percent of everyone who's working on Iraq knows of Voices in the Wilderness," said Eric Gustafson, director of the Washington-based anti-sanctions group Education for Peace in Iraq Center. "They're kind of like the creative epicenter of the movement. They were there longer and earlier than anyone else." Every time Kelly's group goes to Iraq, its members face penalties of up to 12 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Federal agents have not arrested anyone yet, but group records were confiscated by agents on some return flights, Kelly said. In 1998, Kelly received a notice from the Office of Foreign Assets Control--a federal agency that also ensures that foreign drug dealers and terrorists don't get into the U.S.--saying the group could face a $163,000 fine. Kelly refused to pay, calling the sanctions "a crime against humanity," and the fine has yet to be assessed. U.S. Treasury Department spokeswoman Tasia Solinos confirmed that Kelly's group was sent a penalty notice on Dec. 3, 1998. Solinos declined to say why the fine was not assessed, citing the department's policy not to comment on "ongoing matters." The tax issue Kelly also is embroiled in a continuing dodge with the U.S. tax man. After years of avoiding taxes by claiming too many allowances on her W-2, she says, or by asking her employer to donate a portion of her wages to charity, Kelly, who owns no titled property, said the Internal Revenue Service in 1996 wrote her off as uncollectible. Kelly said she began getting letters about back taxes from the IRS again in 1998, but she has ignored them, and so far there have been no repercussions. IRS officials in Chicago, citing federal prohibitions, would not comment on Kelly's tax status. Kelly sees the U.S. military's annual spending of $300 billion as budgeted bloodshed and refuses to contribute to it. She wants 1 percent of defense spending diverted to peacemaking teams. "We would probably reduce the vast majority of conflicts," she said. "The central question of my time is how we can learn to live with each other without killing each other." http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1002,155%257E125690,00.html * WHERE IS OUR OUTRAGE OVER IRAQ? by Reggie Rivers Denver Post, 30th August Thursday, August 30, 2001 - Sometimes I think we've stopped paying attention to the number of rounds that are fired and the number of people who are killed by our law enforcement agencies. Do we really care how far things go? Do we worry about the constant monitoring? The invasions of people's homes? The continuous threat of violence? I know that we care domestically. When the police shoot someone, there are stories and investigations. We might not be satisfied with the results of those investigations, but at least someone is taking a look. It's been more than 10 years now since the United States initiated the embargo against Iraq and started patrolling no-fly zones. And it seems clear to me that most of us just don't care a lot about it. The stories hit the paper and we flip through them as if nothing is happening. The headlines read: "Coalition planes fire at Iraqi air defense sites." "Air Force drone missing over Iraq." "U.S. launches major air attack on Iraq." "Allied jets hit Iraqi targets." How much longer do you suppose we're going to continue to violate the sovereignty of Iraq? How much longer are news stories going to describe the troops as "coalition" and "allied" forces to make it sound as if this is a United Nations' effort when really it's always been just the United States and our British lap dog that have initiated and maintained these no-fly zones from the start? Every time I pick up a newspaper and read another of these stories, Iraq is portrayed as the aggressor and we're cast as the innocent victims who are merely trying to defend ourselves. The stories have a how-dare-they tone as they describe Iraqi attempts to shoot down U.S. or British aircraft. Yes, Iraq was denounced by the entire world for invading Kuwait in 1990, but does that mean that we can forever ignore the sovereignty of the Iraqi border? The United States was denounced by the entire world for invading Grenada in 1983. Does that mean it would have been reasonable for some other country to establish no-fly zones in the air space north of Denver and south of Dallas? I know. I know. Might makes right in the big, bad world. The reason that it's OK for us to do this to Iraq is that we have the power to do whatever we want. The reason it wouldn't have been OK for someone else to do this to us is that no one has the power. Yes, I'm naive, but not completely. I like the life that we have in this country. I love our wealth, our safety and our position at the head of the world's table. I understand that maintaining our comfortable lives requires a lot of brute force. What disturbs me is not the vicious reality of geopolitics, but the ambivalence that we demonstrate as citizens. We're like the children of drug kingpins who love living in big houses and having private planes, and somehow manage to block out the fact that Daddy had to kill a lot of people to get where he's at. And that Daddy has to kill a lot more people to "protect our interests." I don't know the answer to the Iraq situation. I can't make recommendations about how we should conduct ourselves in the world because I'm not an expert in that field. But I wish that we, as citizens, would show as much concern about our military deployment in other countries as we do about domestic issues such as tax rebates, Social Security, education and health care. If the National Guard took over a small U.S. town and controlled the movements of its people for a week, we'd be out of our minds with outrage. But if our forces fly into another country and maintain a no-fly zone for a decade, we barely look up from our Cheerios. Former Denver Broncos player Reggie Rivers (reggierivers@clearchannel.com) writes Thursdays on the Post op-ed page and is a talk host on KHOW Radio (630 AM, weekdays from 3 to 5 p.m.). http://www.mediamonitors.net/christopherawensil1.html * LEAVE IRAQ ALONE? by Christopher A. Wensil I recently read an article on Media Monitors Network (MMN) called, "Enough is enough, Leave Iraq alone." To be honest, it sounds as if there is indeed problems there with infant mortality. But, did this person or anyone he knows take part in the outright invasion and wholesale murder of the Kuwaiti people? I can attest from seeing the death and destruction wreaked upon these people. I was there! I saw the dead bodies of the people who fought for nothing else than their right to have a free and peaceful home. I can attest to the number of those who died when trying to come back to their homes because of the booby traps and antipersonnel mines that were laid by the Iraqi army. I can testify to the fact that Sadam did not truly care about the people under his command. He left most of them to starve, while he hid behind innocent civilians to save his own life. I value my life dearly, but I was willing to give my life so that just a few others may live without the suffering. War is hell! Believe me when I say that the war has never ended! There was a dedicated cease fire, but the peace accords have never been signed, so, the war is still being fought. As gruesome as it is, it is still a war, and a very bloody one. The only victories there have been recently, have been on paper. Through nothing more than propaganda, Sadam has waged a war he is not prepared to fight. He rallies support from civilians who cannot or will not willingly face the battlefield. The economic sanctions will probably be lifted if he would just abide by the rules set forth by the U.N. While I personally do not care for the U.N. and some of its policies, I would have to abide by them if they were imposed upon me as the leader of a country to ensure that my people did not suffer for my callousness. Does Sadam really care if all of his people are dying? Truthfully, I doubt it. It would seem that he has no thought of his people dying, as long as he saves face to the other governments of the world by continuing to flaunt his power over his people. The obvious question is, "Is this guy so ANTI-ARAB, that he cannot see what is happening to these people? No, can see perfectly well. I do not care for those who are simply too proud to admit when they are beaten. I have made sacrifices for my family, and would make the same choices again if the need arose. I would never let MY pride stand in the way of the welfare of my family, and that is basically what the whole situation boils down to. He is too proud to say it is over. By doing so, he would loose all respect of his people. Which would the author of the article wish to see? The end of all hostilities and sanctions, or another full scale ground assault which would bring multinational forces into his homeland and virtually destroy everything of any value to anyone? This would include the lives of innocent people who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? Maybe even one of his own family. The solution is simple. Have Sadam admit that he has been defeated and accept the imposed sanctions and admit that what he masterminded was wrong and pay reparations for doing it. This will bring an end to all the needless suffering because of one mans pride. Would you let your family suffer for the fact that you were too proud to admit defeat? I would not, and could not. But what seems to be lost is the fact that HE is not suffering, only his people. He has no real concern for them, only himself. They starve while he dines on the fruits of their labor. He makes himself fat off the food that he takes from their mouths. When they truly see this, then the change will come, but as the author said, he grows more popular because he continues to thumb his nose at the world, and even his own people, yet they refuse to see this. A tyrant by any other name is no less than a tyrant. Mr. Christopher A. Wensil, former U.S. Marine, wrote above lines in response to "Enough is enough, Leave Iraq alone" - by Jamal A. Shurdom, published August 23, 2001 on Media Monitors Network (MMN). OIL FOR FOOD http://www.worldoil.com/news/newsstory.asp?ref=http://62.172.78.184/feeds/wo rldoil/new/article_e.asp?energy24=240305 * IRAQ SUBMITS SEP OIL PRICES TO U.N. World Oil, 29th August (Reuters): Iraq turned in September crude oil prices for shipments to the United States and Europe for requisite United Nations' approval on Tuesday, a senior Iraqi oil official said on Wednesday. He declined to comment on the price level or time frame, but lifters of Iraqi barrels said state oil marketer SOMO was seeking a modest, full-month reduction in the U.S. price of Basrah Light and Kirkuk grades. It was unclear whether SOMO set the September Kirkuk price to Europe for 30 days or 15 days, as has been the case in the past. Baghdad is insisting on pricing its U.N. oil sales on a monthly basis as Britain renews its fight to reduce kickbacks on Iraqi oil with tighter procedures. London, backed by Washington, has vowed only to let Iraq set prices twice a month for its oil exports of some two million bpd. Iraq since last November has sought a surcharge on oil exports, exploiting gaps that can emerge between monthly U.N. prices and fluctuating market levels, industry sources said. Britain believes that close scrutiny of Iraqi pricing helps lower the chance that buyers can pay the 25-30 cent per barrel surcharge and still make a profit. The tighter pricing window in any case is starting to take its toll on Iraqi exports. At least one August Kirkuk cargo has been cancelled after the U.N. sanctions committee cut SOMO's proposed pricing dates to August 1-10 and 11-31 periods from the original full-month proposal. And market sources say the September schedule for Basrah Light liftings to the United States looks patchy. Iraq exports oil under the U.N. oil-for-food scheme, which since 1996 has allowed the country some relief from sanctions by exchanging oil for food, medicine and humanitarian aid. http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/010830/2001083001.html * IRAQ AND FRANCE AND THE OIL-FOR-FOOD PROGRAM Arabic News, 30th August The Iraqi foreign minister Naji Sabri on Wednesday expressed his hope that France will reconsider its positions towards Iraq. He stressed that Baghdad has not ultimately closed the door in its trade relations with France in the framework of the oil-for-food agreement. In a statement to the Iraqi paper al-Iqtisadi issued on Wednesday the Iraqi minister said that his country does not use the oil-for-food program against any one, but he explained that it is the right of Iraq to ask the French to reconsider their stances. The Iraqi minister also stressed that it is not logical to give the French the priority in treatment on the ground that the French stances are not in line with the Iraqi stances regarding the " smart sanctions ," in solidarity with the USA. Iraq has recently announced it will not give priorities in trade dealings in the oil-for-food program for France which used to be considered among the countries which support Iraq at the UN Security Council. http://www.dawn.com/2001/08/30/int9.htm * UN BLOCKS 43 FOOD CONTRACTS, SAYS IRAQ Dawn (Pakistan), 30th August AMMAN, Aug 29: The UN committee in charge of enforcing the Iraq embargo has suspended 43 new contracts concluded earlier by the Iraqi government with firms from 17 countries, including Germany, within the framework of the oil-for food programme, the state-run Iraq News Agency (INA) reported on Wednesday. INA quoted Trade Ministry sources as saying that the blocked contracts involved trucks, cars, fire fighting vehicles, drilling equipment, generators, water pumps and filtering units, Internet systems and lab and medical appliances. They were signed with suppliers from Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Russia, Belgium, France, Finland, Macedonia, China, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Lebanon, Yemen, Malaysia and India, according to the INA report.-dpa [.....] http://www.worldoil.com/news/newsstory.asp?ref=http://62.172.78.184/feeds/wo rldoil/new/article_e.asp?energy24=240358 * IRAQ SETS UP FIRM TO OVERSEE NEW OIL FINDS World Oil, 30th August (AFP): Iraq has set up a company to manage 70 new oil discoveries, Oil Minister Amr al Rashid said in comments published Thursday, claiming they will make Iraq the world's largest producer of crude. The firm, called the "Oil Projects Company" will take care of the new fields," Rashid told the al-Zawra weekly newspaper. He gave no other details. Earlier this month the minister announced fresh efforts to discover more oil deposits and bring reserves up to 270 billion barrels from 112 billion today. "Iraq could boost production capacity to 10 million barrels per day as soon as it starts to develop its new oilfields, which are on top of the 74 fields already in operation," Rashid said. Baghdad wants to overtake Saudi Arabia, which boasts 261 billion barrels, as the world's top reservoir by transforming potential reserves into proven reserves, he said. [.....] IRAQI/INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS http://www.dawn.com/2001/08/31/ebr14.htm * TRADE VOLUME WITH IRAQ REACHES $70M Dawn (Pakistan), 31st August LAHORE, Aug 30: The volume of trade between Pakistan and Iraq had reached $70 million, said Pakistan ambassador to Iraq during a meeting with the LCCI SVP here on Thursday. Manzar Shafiq told Farooq Iftikhar that Iraq was desirous of increasing the current trade level. Baghdad was specially interested in import of rice, wheat, tractors and medical supplies, he said. However, opportunities could also be explored for export of electric fans, cables, GI pipes, polypropylene and jute bags, he said. The envoy suggested that LCCI members should participate in the Baghdad International Trade Fair being held in November to further explore the market. He, however, stressed that the local traders must improve the quality of their products and make their prices competitive in the world market as Iraqis did not compromise on both these issues. http://www.dawn.com/2001/08/31/ebr12.htm * INDIA, PAKISTAN VYING FOR IRAQI WHEAT MARKET Dawn (Pakistan), 31 August 2001 11 Jamadi-us-Saani 1422 SINGAPORE, Aug 30 (Reuters): A tug-of-war between India and Pakistan to win the lucrative Iraqi wheat market is intensifying, with both Islamabad and New Delhi working hard to meet the exact requirements of the Middle East buyer. Many shipment rejections by Baghdad have not deterred India from exploring future sales possibilities there, and Islamabad is not shying away from entering into fresh export deals despite a lower domestic wheat crop this year, trade officials say. Iraq itself may take the spoils from this latest battle for supremacy between the two arch rivals as it plans to import up to four million tons of wheat this year to meet its surging domestic demand. "We are no doubt going to see the competition between India and Pakistan heating up slowly to boost their wheat sales in a growing Iraqi market," said a senior official at a leading Singapore-based grains trading firm. "Iraq is certainly going to benefit as it can easily dictate stricter terms for imports and force both India and Pakistan to cut their prices," the trader added. Iraq in May rejected three wheat shipments from India, citing quality problems. Indian exporters, anxious not to let slip a sales opportunity, responded by setting up cleaning facilities. Two major Indian wheat exporting firms have begun trial runs of their cleaning machinery and a third is in the process of putting its cleaning operations in place. Pakistan, undeterred by a fall in its domestic wheat output to 18.9 million tons in the crop year ending in May 2001 from the previous year's 22 million tons, is close to signing a 150,000-ton export deal to Iraq. It plans to export 800,000 tons of the grain this year. "Iraqi grain buyers want to ensure that they don't lose out on this golden chance, with both nations trying to push out their wheat, competing with each other," said one Singapore based grains trader. He added that freight charges from India and Pakistan were also very cheap compared with buying from Australia. Baghdad earlier this year had to scramble for wheat shipments for some time after it banned grain and other goods from Canada. Grain was a major component of Canada's exports to Iraq under the United Nations sanctioned oil-for-food programme. "Australia gained a bit of a market share to Iraq just after that ban, but Australian sales in the coming months could slow down as India and Pakistan have started to offer wheat," one Indian wheat exporter said. Freight charges for a 25,000-ton wheat cargo from Australia to Iraq normally works out at around $25-$27 a ton, while from India it is around $16 a ton and from Pakistan about $15 a ton, trade officials said. [.....] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=108344033 * LARGE DELEGATION FROM INDIA ARRIVES IN BAGHDAD Times of India, 31st August BAGHDAD (AP): A delegation of 80 Indian lawmakers, Islamic scholars and business executives arrived on Friday for a visit designed to upgrade ties with Iraq. The head of the delegation, Najma Heptullah, told reporters on arrival she hoped the UN sanctions maintained against Iraq since 1990 would be lifted. Under U.N. Security Council resolutions the embargo, imposed after Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait, cannot be abolished until Iraq eliminates its weapons of mass destruction. Iraq claims to have done so, but refuses to permit verification by UN arms experts. Heptullah, who is vice chairperson of India's upper house of parliament, said the delegation was sent by Indian Prime Minster Atal Bihari Vajpayee "and I have a message from him to the Iraqi president." She said she would be holding talks with government officials "to boost relations between Iraq and India." The delegation's direct flight from New Delhi to Baghdad was approved earlier by the United Nations, said an Indian Foreign Ministry official, Sanjay Verma. Without such authorization, the flight would have violated UN sanctions. Iraqi Transport Minister Ahmed Murtada met the delegation at Baghdad airport. The delegation is expected to stay three days in Iraq. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=604897416 * WHEAT EXPORTS TO IRAQ LIKELY TO RESUME Times of India, 31st August NEW DELHI (PTI): Government on Friday said export of wheat to Iraq is likely to resume soon after the consignments to be sent are cleaned up to the levels demanded by the Iraqi authorities. "An Iraqi delegation is scheduled to arrive later on Friday to inspect the cleaning facilities in Kandla and if they are satisfied of the arrangements, government will revoke the suspension order on export of wheat to the Gulf country," food minister, Shanta Kumar, said. "I am optimistic that wheat exports to Iraq shall begin later next month," he added. He said an Indian delegation had also left for Iraq to explore further business opportunities with them and smoothen the rough edges if any. If the wheat being currently cleaned in Kandla was found to be having negligible or no foreign matter as demanded by the Iraqi authorities, its export would be permitted, he said. The delegation of the grain board of Iraq would be visiting Kandla and inspect the "cleaned" wheat in order to find out whether it conformed to their subscribed standards. Iraq had rejected four Indian consignments of wheat earlier this year and another had been diverted before inspection. Consequently, around one lakh tonnes of wheat had to undergo distress sale at much lower price elsewhere in the Gulf region. [.....] EMIGRATION http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200108/31/eng20010831_78925.html * 10 IRAQI KURDS SEIZED AFTER SNEAKING INTO ISRAEL FROM LEBANON People's Daily, 31st August Ten Iraqi Kurds were captured by Israeli army after they sneaked into the Jewish state after crossing the Lebanese-Israeli border on Thursday, Lebanese security sources said. The Kurds arrived at the border area from Beirut Thursday morning and entered Israel after snipping the border wire netting, the sources added. Shortly after finding the intrusion, the Israeli army sent about 50 soldiers and eight armed vehicles to catch the kurds and finally put them into a military security position nearby. Afterwards, the Israeli army checked the area thoroughly with patrols and helicopters. And the capturers are to be returned to Lebanon. It is the third time of such entry of Kurds into Israel from Lebanon in recent months. The intruders came to ask for asylum from the Israeli government but they all were repatriated by Israel to Lebanon in the past. So far, dozens of Kurds who were sent back from Israel stay in the barracks of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon. http://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13992223 * 44 IRAQIS CAUGHT IN CHUNNEL by Charles Rae The Sun, 31st August FORTY-FOUR Iraqi illegal immigrants were arrested in the Channel Tunnel as they tried to walk to Britain. They trekked for seven miles through the 30-mile tunnel before being rounded up by security guards and French police. It is the latest in a series of daring attempts by illegals to reach Dover via the tunnel. Eurotunnel spokesman Kevin Charles said last night: "These people will try anything to get to England. It was a foolhardy and terribly dangerous thing to do." Trains were immediately halted for two hours. The refugees - from the Red Cross centre at Sangatte, Calais - reached the tunnel entrance via a footbridge over the A16 motorway. They were spotted by a security guard and picked up on video camera - but were allowed to continue underground. Eurotunnel bosses decided it was easier to contain the group inside the tunnel rather than at the entrance. French police then used a service tunnel to get ahead of the Iraqis and cut them off. Mr Charles said: "There were too many of them for us to stop them ourselves. We called in the police who drove down the service tunnel and intercepted them. "We followed down behind and in the end they had nowhere to go." It was the biggest number of intruders ever caught in the tunnel. They were immediately returned to Sangatte. Extra guards were posted on the French side of the tunnel. But Mr Charles added: "The Iraqis were just taken back to the camp. Tonight they will probably try again. "We will be mounting a special watch to make sure they don't succeed." Eurotunnel has launched legal action to close the refugee centre, requisitioned from them by the French government two years ago. Asylum seekers based there try to sneak to Britain on trains and trucks almost every night. NEW WORLD ORDER http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27472-2001Aug31.html * THE THINKING MAN'S MILITARY by Jim Hoagland Washington Post, 31st August (perhaps pubished Sunday 2nd September) Deep immersion in the Pentagon's budgetary battles has not robbed Paul Wolfowitz of his mischievous sense of humor or his knack for peering around the corners of the future. The deputy secretary of defense still seems to enjoy being an idea man in the war business. Ideas animate modern armies. Professional soldiers need to understand why they are ordered to do things in ways that conscript forces did not. Societies no longer facing immediate threats of annihilation need digestible explanations for continuing to spend money on a sizable protection force. This is the role of military doctrine, and Wolfowitz is at the heart of the effort to fashion the most far-reaching changes in U.S. military strategy since the Cold War ended. A highly regarded professor of international relations and university dean, Wolfowitz adds intellectual heft to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's controversial corporate style of driving change from the top. [.....] Out of the long defense review ordered by Rumsfeld comes a new concept, enunciated by Wolfowitz in an interview and certain to become an arguing point in the coming budget battles with Congress: "We are trying to move from a threat-based strategy to a capabilities based strategy." [.....] For the past decade, he continued, "we tried to load everything we thought we needed to have on the fact there are threats from Iraq and from North Korea. But those threats don't really define what an intelligent strategic thinker would say you would need to have 10 or 15 years from now. There is too much uncertainty to do that." Instead, "we're not trying to identify who we might go to war with. If we ever do need to, it is important that we have certain capabilities" with which to fight any enemy. "And if we have those capabilities, we may discourage anybody from developing challenges to them. An analogy might be piracy. Few pirates are on the seas because it is not a business worth getting into" when you have to fight the world's better equipped navies. [.....] http://www.ain-al-yaqeen.com/issues/20010831/feat1en.htm * EDITORIAL: "W" CONFRONTS THE WORLD by Dr. Ghazi Al-Qusaibi (Saudi Ambassador To The United Kingdom And Ireland.) Ain al Yaqeen, 31st August When George Junior arrived at the White House after a long interval of obscurity and confusion, it became clear that his conduct stems from two personality complexes: The first is his strong desire to manage public affairs in a manner totally different from his popular and well-liked predecessor, President Clinton. The second is his wish to prove to himself, to his family, and to the world that he is the master of his decisions and that his being the son of an ex-president will have no effect whatsoever on his political behavior. >From the very beginning the manner of work at the White House was completely altered. It seemed that the president's theme was "I shall not do what Clinton used to do." Thus, Clinton was well known for staying at work through very late hours; this was replaced by a strict routine similar to the office hours of junior clerks. Clinton did not care for appearances; he and his assistants worked while wearing short sleeve shirts and jeans. In contrast, the new president came with strict instructions regarding proper and approved dress. Clinton was deeply interested in the little details regarding both internal and external affairs and he used to spend long hours attempting to grasp them. The new president declared that he was not interested in the details. Clinton was fond of different kinds of food and alcoholic drinks, but the new regime banned alcohol completely. The food became "health food," similar to what would be prepared by a dietician. Clinton did not take a true vacation throughout his eight years of service; the new president has just started a one month vacation. From the very beginning it was clear that George Junior by all means wanted to remove himself from the shadow of the senior George (I wish he chose another name for his son). This personality complex started before he became president; he has insisted on introducing himself as George W. so that nobody will confuse between father and son. This complex became more deep-rooted when he discovered that he had to seek the assistance of persons who were members of his father's team. If we consider the various Freudian problems he has faced, such as his being an alcoholic during a previous period of his life and his father's disappointment with him during that period, and the common belief that his younger brother was the more capable and the more intelligent person, we should realize his strong irresistible desire to prove himself. We should not be concerned with personality problems when such problems are limited to the person himself, but here we are dealing with the strongest state in the world and with a person whose decisions will have a positive or negative impact on the whole world. Unfortunately the two personality complexes discussed above are not the only problems with the new president. Mr. Bush was deeply involved in internal American policy with no experience whatsoever in external affairs. It has been said that during his long period as Texas governor he made only two foreign visits; one to South America and the other to Israel. Those who are familiar with Midwest America, which is quite different from the liberal East or West coasts, recognize that there is a certain Midwest American ideology that seems to be deeply engrained in the minds of politicians coming from that area. This ideology is based on simple and, according to some, naïve assumptions: - The main ingredients of this ideology include the strong belief that the whole world needs America and America needs nobody. - The deep apprehension of getting involved in foreign adventures; there is also a complete ignorance of what is happening in many regions of the world and especially in the Middle East. - There is the blind faith in the private sector, which was adequately expressed by a certain ex-cabinet member when he said "What is good for General Motors is good for the United States." Therefore, we have in the White House, a man who holds firmly to these beliefs, a man who lacks experience in world affairs, a man who wants to disagree with his predecessor even if he happens to be correct, and a man who does not want to follow his father's policies even when such policies are wise. Within a few months, this man has succeeded in creating so many enemies to America that he deserves to be the proud recipient of a hypothetical New World award entitled "The award of transforming friends into enemies without any difficulty." George W. started his presidency with talking about a new military project, which was described as stupid by every American commentator. This project, which was nicknamed "the offspring of the Star Wars project," is based on a very peculiar viewpoint maintaining that the danger facing the United States is no longer coming from the Soviet Block which has ceased to exist, but rather from the "rogue states," specifically Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. One or more of these states can develop arsenals with nuclear heads that can reach the USA. To meet this new threat, therefore, it is necessary to develop a defensive network of missiles that can intercept and destroy any enemy missile before it reaches the USA. Nobody knows, not even George W., what the final cost of such a project would be, although everybody estimates that it would exceed many hundreds of billions of dollars. By one simple decision which has no logical or strategic basis, George W. has succeeded in sending Russia running into the arms of China, and North Korea into those of Russia, and in creating deep European apprehension, and in rendering useless all the disarmament agreements that every American president since Eisenhower sought, and finally in provoking the emergence of a new phase of the menacing nuclear arms race. This decision was sufficient to make the whole world apprehensive about the future with George W. at the helm, but George did not stop here. Without consulting anyone he decided to withdraw from an international anti-pollution treaty that was reached after many painstaking years of hard work, and with the same ease he decided to withdraw from international negotiations aiming to getting rid of biological weapons. He also gave the green light to war criminal Sharon who immediately started his daily massacres, and last but not least he issued a tacit warning addressed to all OPEC members not to meddle in petroleum affairs. Undoubtedly the advisors of the new president will assure him that there is nothing to worry about while enjoying his vacation on his Texas ranch: Russia will not resist the American Santa Claus and China needs huge US investment and Britain is willing to follow George W. to the "last burrow in Texas" and Europe will realize sooner or later that it is incapable of opposing any American initiative, and Sharon will bring the Palestinian uprising to an end by next month, and new Israeli-Palestinian negotiations will commence and will not end even with the end of George W.'s second term. There will be no reason to worry about Arab reactions; the moderate states such as Egypt which cannot do without the American financial subsidiary will keep quiet, as will the Gulf States which supposedly need US military presence for protection against Baghdad's "bugbear." Undoubtedly the new president will be delighted with his advisors' report and he will devote himself to lobby to his domestic programme, a good part of which he succeeded in passing through Congress. But W's aids, especially the one whose legs were praised by the war criminal Sharon (a fact which indicates that his achievements in lack of refinement are not inferior to his achievements in genocide) would do well if they submit to their boss, in addition to the rosy report discussed, a brief description of the "worst scenario." In this respect I would like to permit myself to urge these advisors to remind W of some basic facts: First, with regard to Russia one should realize the difference between president Yeltsin who continuously swung from being under the influence of vodka to that of anesthesia and his young fighting successor, the graduate of the Soviet intelligence school. The tendencies toward independence in Russian foreign policy became manifest; for the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall the USA finds itself unable to guarantee the Russian vote in the Security Council. Regarding China, one should not forget that it is the sleeping international giant, and this giant is not going to accept insults by anybody, including "W." It is worth mentioning here that during the crisis following the crash of the American spy plane, it was "W" who started the process of appeasement. It is also the duty of the counselors to remind their boss that if Russia and China forge a real military alliance, the United States will be facing a military nightmare that cannot be dispelled by the stupid defensive missile network project. As concerns Europe, these advisors should remind "W" that Britain is not Europe, and that the European continent has it's own calculations that do not emanate from any special relationship with Washington; there is not a single European country that wants a resumption of the feverish nuclear arms race which it had to live with during the Cold War era, and neither is there a single European power that wants to be a part of the stupid Star Wars project. As regards the Middle East, it is advisable that the president's aids remind him of a true historical fact which many would like to ignore, the fact that every coup d'etat that occurred in the Arab world without exception was primarily related to the Palestinian question. Thus the successive Syrian coups came as a direct consequence of the 1948 debacle and it had no relationship whatsoever with internal reform, and the 1952 Egyptian revolution was carried out by a small group of young officers who got together during the war with Israel and who wanted to restore the honour of the Egyptian army after the shameful defeat of 1948. Also the Egyptian-Syrian unity which could be considered a drastic change in Arab politics would not have occurred were it not for the Palestinian question. The same may be said of the Iraqi coup of 1958 which was not against the monarchy but rather against Nouri Al-Said who was considered an ally of Israel. It seems that the purpose of all these coups was to pave the way for the Arab revolutionaries to go to Palestine. By the same token Al-Khumayni succeeded in mobilizing the masses by his continuous attack on Israel which was by no means less than his attacks on the Shah. There was even an attempt by Saddam to "Palestinize" his tragic invasion of Kuwait. Finally, the president's advisors would do well to let him know that most of the credit for the "Bugaboo of Baghdad's" remaining in power goes to US policy which throws billions of dollars on Israel every year while throwing rockets at Baghdad. If any of the president's advisors know Arabic, they would be wise to summarize the current situation in the whole Arab world including its moderates and extremists by translating to him the following famous Arabic verse which when ignored led to the fall of the Umayyad State: "I see some sparks through the ashes that may indicate the early stages of a conflagration." We hope and wish that "W" will return from his vacation relaxed and energetic, and that he will bring back in addition to self satisfaction and contentment some apprehensiveness because in international politics there is nothing more frightening than a man who is not afraid. (Al Hayat Newspaper) -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a discussion list run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq For removal from list, email soc-casi-discuss-request@lists.cam.ac.uk Full details of CASI's various lists can be found on the CASI website: http://www.casi.org.uk