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> Talking about stories, it would be most interesting to know > were the stories about WMD came from. I refer you to my interview in the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/voices/story/0,12820,955894,00.html Yasser Alaskary Media affairs director, Iraqi Prospect Organisation Wednesday May 21, 2003 I am feeling quite low at the moment; I did think that people opposed to the war were genuinely concerned for the Iraqi people and the losses we might have suffered. Now I realise that people's opinions of this war were based almost entirely on a hatred of American policy. I have always said that declaring war on the basis of the presence of weapons of mass destruction was stupid, but I would have supported anything that got rid of Saddam. It is only now that people living in Iraq can say that they supported the war. A friend of mine phoned her parents in Baghdad asking them if they were against the war, to which they said yes. After the war they called her back and reprimanded her for asking that question over the phone. The Iraqi Prospect Organisation [IPO] has always worked to promote the establishment of a genuine democracy and we have an even greater purpose now Saddam has gone. We are trying to educate young men and women, helping them to learn how to tolerate each other's differences and how they can speak freely after years of repression. We are also establishing what help they may need in their communities. As soon as I finish my medical exams, in two weeks' time, I will go to Iraq and help out with IPO projects. I am also desperate to see family members whom I have not seen for 20 years. My uncle managed to call during the war - he said everyone was OK, but because he could only use a satellite phone I have been unable to call him back. I am still very concerned about the transition to democracy. Several Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia are trying to maintain minority Sunni rule. I believe this would be catastrophic for the country. Sixty per cent of the population is Shia but the new regime has to be proportionally representative of all ethnicities. I was particularly dismayed to hear that Adnan Pachachi [the 80 year old ex-Iraqi foreign minister] wants to get involved in the interim regime. He has had nothing to do with Iraq for many years and, as foreign minister, he approved everything that Saddam did. It is now that Iraqi people really need help to get a government up and running, but all we get is various countries trying to re-shape Iraq's future as they see fit. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Saibal Mitra" <smitra@zonnet.nl> To: "Yasser Alaskary" <ya1980@hotmail.com> Cc: "AS-ILAS" <AS-ILAS@gmx.de>; "casi" <casi-discuss@lists.casi.org.uk> Sent: Saturday, May 24, 2003 11:37 PM Subject: Re: [casi] Doctors tell how children's deaths became propaganda > Yasser Alaskary <ya1980@hotmail.com> wrote: > > > >Yes, of course the sanctions hurt - but not too > > >much, because we are a rich country and we have the > ability to get > > everything we can by money. > > >But instead, he spent it on his palaces." > > > > Hmm, doesn't sound much different to the story we've been > saying for many > > years. But as always, we were ignored and attacked. > > > > Only a few weeks ago the IPO spokeswoman, Sama Hadad, was > questioned and > > sometimes attacked for the interview she gave on the > moral maze regarding > > the answer she gave for sanctions - namely that they hurt > but it's Saddam > > that made them what they were. > > -- > _____________________________________________________________________ > 2x sneller ADSL met Zon Breedband Family. In combinatie met ZonTel > nu voor maar 29 euro per maand. Bestel nu op www.zonnet.nl/breedband > Bovendien met gratis modem en geen aansluitkosten! > > > _______________________________________________ > 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