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Dear List, Again, put this together with freeing political prisoners, talks with the opposition...these are all signs of a policy change that has to be played up to the hilt by the anti-sanctions movement, because the US will downplay these signals, Philippa >===== Original Message From hasseini@maktoob.com (Hassan Zeini) ===== >Dear Anai & List, > >I am enclosing two articles on this issue. > >HZ > >-------------------------------------- > >http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Articl e_Type1&c=Article&cid=1035775338064&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154 > >Dec. 7, 2002. 01:19 PM > >Iraqi president apologizes to Kuwait > >BAGHDAD (AP) — President Saddam Hussein apologized aturday to the Kuwaiti >people for his invasion of Kuwait 1990, saying he was not apologizing out of >weakness but a desire to set the record straight. > >In a speech read on national television by the Iraqi information minister, >Saddam outlined the events that led to the invasion and said: "We apologize to God >about any act that has angered him in the past and that was held against us, and >we apologize to you (the Kuwaitis) on the same basis." > >He said that in 1989, he had tried to reach a peaceful settlement of Iraq's >dispute with Kuwait, but that the neighbouring Gulf country's officials were not >interested in negotiating. At the time, he said, American troops were carrying out >manoeuvres with Kuwaiti forces, which was a threat to Iraq. > >He maintained Iraq was the victim of a conspiracy by Kuwaiti officials who >were syphoning off oil along the two countries' borders that actually belonged to >Iraq. > >He also repeated charges that Kuwait was producing oil beyond its assigned >OPEC quota, bringing down oil prices to the detriment of the Iraqi economy. > >In the speech read by Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, the Iraqi >leader was careful to distinguish between the Kuwaiti people and the country's >leaders. > >Saddam added that Iraqi officials later found documents showing the United >States and Kuwaiti officials had colluded in military plans against Iraq and his >country had to defend itself, leading to the invasion of Aug. 2, 1990. >"There was no hope in solving issues by diplomatic means," he said. >------------------------------------------------------------------ >http://www.news24.com/News24/World/0,1113,2-10_1295174,00.html > >Saddam Hussein says sorry > >Baghdad - Iraqi President Saddam Hussein apologised to the Kuwaiti people on >Saturday for his 1990-1991 occupation and urged them to struggle against foreign >armies. > >"We apologise to God for any deed that angered him in the past, which we >might not have known of and is blamed on us, and on this basis we also apologise >to you," a letter from Saddam to the Kuwaiti people read out on Iraqi state >television said. > >In an apparent reference to the US military presence in Kuwait, the statement >read by information minister Mohammed Saeed al Sahaf urged the Kuwaiti people to >join Iraq in resisting the occupation of foreign forces. > >"Why will not the faithful, the devoted and the holy warriors in Kuwait meet >with their counterparts in Iraq under the blanket of their creator, instead of >under the blanket of London or Washington and the Zionist entity, to discuss their >matters on top of which is the jihad (holy struggle) against the occupation of >infidel armies," the statement said. >The letter was read on Iraqi television at the same time as Baghdad was handing >over a declaration on its weapons programmes under last month's UN resolution. > >_________________________________________________________ >A community of almost THREE MILLION Arab Internet users. Become part of it! >http://www.maktoob.com > > > >_______________________________________________ >Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. >To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss >To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk >All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk