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> This week's Economist (Jan4 -10 2003) says that "Iraqis are currently > receiving double rations of the government-distributed food they rely > on to survive" Hi Eddie, The Iraqi government has begun to distribute rations less frequently, but in larger quantities. On 26 December Reuters reported that: Iraq has increased food rations to let citizens stock up for a possible war with the United States, its trade minister said on Thursday. The minister, Mohammed Mehdi Saleh, told Reuters supplies distributed so far should ensure everyone had a stockpile to last three months. "And we are going to increase the quantity in the coming months so that everybody is secured in this regard," he said. (Iraq stockpiles food for possible attack by U.S., Nadim Ladki). Here are some earlier references: 25 November, "STANDING BY SADDAM FROM A DISTANCE", Tim Cornwell, The Scotsman: Baghdad doubled food rations last month. 10 October, "Waiting for War" Pete Norman, People Magazine: The government recently began distributing two months' worth of rations out of concern that the foodstuffs in their warehouses would be destroyed. 20 August: "Iraq Shows Baby Milk Store at Reported Weapons Site", Reuters, Huda Majeed Saleh: Trade Minister Mohammed Mehdi Saleh "on August 4 as we started to distribute food rations every two months ... 7 August: "War is talk of the town in Baghdad", Reuters: The government declared last week that as of August, food rations would be distributed every two months instead of every month. One interpretation is that the Iraqi government is trying to buy more popular support by doing this. The UN humanitarian scenarios document indicates that many Iraqis are selling the extra ration elements given them, so may not have a larger stock of food to fall back on in the event of escalated hostilities. Best, Colin Rowat work | Room 406, Department of Economics | The University of Birmingham | Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK | web.bham.ac.uk/c.rowat | (+44/0) 121 414 3754 | (+44/0) 121 414 7377 (fax) | c.rowat@bham.ac.uk personal | (+44/0) 7768 056 984 (mobile) | (+44/0) 7092 378 517 (fax) | (707) 221 3672 (US fax) | c.rowat@espero.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