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Iraq and US: the making of a crisis An Afternoon of Films and Discussion about War and Sanctions in Iraq Sunday 16 February from 1pm to 6.30 pm A DocHouse Presentation www.dochouse.org at The Other Cinema 11 Rupert Street, London W1 Tel: 020 7437 0757 Nearest tubes: Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Sq 8/6 pounds waged/unwaged Discussion with speakers including Iraqi writer Haifa Zangana, Jeremy Corbyn MP and Milan Rai, international peace campaigner, founder of Voices in the Wilderness UK and author of 'War Plan Iraq: 10 reasons not to go to war against Iraq' *(Verso, 2002). Following on from the international day of protests (Saturday 15th February) against the threat of war on Iraq, Dochouse presents an afternoon of films and discussion that moves beyond the soundbites of the current crisis to reveal the legacies of Western involvement in a country now facing the uncertainties of a conflict the UN estimates would lead to more civilian casualties than the Gulf War (1) and could threaten the stability of the Middle East. Exploring the deadly cost of economic sanctions, the secret agendas behind the drive to war and the complex issues around weapons inspections, the event promises to show the essential role that documentary can play in revealing truths that are often unpalatable, disturbing and wilfully obscured from public scrutiny. Films will include: In Shifting Sands: The Truth about UNSCOM and the Disarming of Iraq (Scott Ritter, 2002, US) 92 mins. Documentary. UK Premiere. Former chief UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter, now one of the most vocal opponents of war with Iraq, delivers a personal perspective on the UNSCOM weapons inspections, providing a damning first-hand indictment of US policy in the region and an important record of a process that could either lead to, or avert, another war. He looks at the complex issues surrounding the interplay between the US, the UN and Iraq in regard to the latter''s obligation to be disarmed of its weapons of mass destruction, through the use of unique and powerful footage shot in Iraq at the time of the inspections, along with critical players from UNSCOM and Iraq and through the actions and words of such notable figures as Rolf Ekeus, the first Executive Chairman of UNSCOM, numerous weapons inspectors including Ritter himself, as well as the Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq Tariq Aziz, Amer Rashid (the father of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs) and Amer al-S'adi, Saddam Hussein's Scientific Advisor. Revealing for the first time the scope of the intelligence work carried out by UNSCOM in Iraq, as well as the betrayal of UNSCOM and its disarmament mission by the United States in favour of the unilateral American policies of containment and regime removal, IN SHIFTING SANDS tells a powerful story in an engaging and objective manner. and The Hidden Wars of Desert Storm (Gerard Ungerman & Audrey Brohy, 2000, US) (15) Documentary. 64 mins. Narrated by John Hurt, this investigative doc goes behind the scenes to explore the underlying Western motivations informing the Gulf War in 1991 and the ongoing, unfinished business in the region that is propelling the drive to war yet again. More than a historical piece (however recent), its an important and provocative aid to understanding the dangerous mechanisms at work in the Middle East, the American military-industrial complex and beyond. and Greetings from Missile Street (Tom Jackson, 2001, US) (15) Documentary. 40 mins. In January 1999, American planes, patrolling Iraq's Southern no fly zone, launched a missile strike (something they have been doing almost weekly for over a decade) that hit a residential street in the city of Basra. A year later, American peace activists lived with the families and the community for a month, bearing witness to their grief and anger at losing relatives to the bombs and also to the continuing devastation of sanctions. A powerful activist film in the best sense, compelling us too to act. (1) Leaked draft UN assessment, see www.casi.org.uk for full text. _______________________________________________ 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