The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
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[ Presenting plain-text part of multi-format email ] This is an official reply received from Ministry of Defence, UK in response to enquiry by a CASI supporter, dated 23 April 2003. The letter was written on 8 April 2003. Here is an abbreviated version. Note particularly response regarding DU and cluster bombs. And the brazeness in saying that Iraqi oil revenue will pay for the war damage to Iraq. Also that Iraq has to be law abiding, with a 'transparent, representative and accountable government'. Qualities which many other activists will agree with me are lacking in the US/UK coalition states. Dear Mr ... .......Let me first assure you that the coalition goes to painstaking lengths to avoid civilian caualties and to avoid damage to civilian facilities. Any civilian deaths are of course a tragedy, whether or not they come from the media. Obviously there have been some civilian casualties even though the coalition makes every effort to avoid them by careful targeting and selection of the most appropriate weapons. Please remember we did not want a war in Iraq but Saddam left us with no choice. Our vision is to see Iraq become a stable, united and law abiding state within its present borders, co-operating with the international community, no longer posing a threat it its neighbours or to international security, abiding by all its international obligations and providing effective and representative government for its own people. We are currently planning for post-conflict operations (civil and military) that will help Iraq to meet these aspirations. As soon as possible we envisage Iraq being run not by the coalition, or by the UN, but by the Iraqi people. We will work with the UN and the international community to help the Iraqis establish an effective, representative government that will protect human rights, and be committed to peace and stability in the region. In the medium and long term, we will help the Iraqi people to rebuild their country after the long years of Saddam's misrule, ensuring that the country's institutions are transparent, representative and accountable. among the priorities will be the rapid release of oil revenues to fund Iraq's redevelopment. Cluster bombs are not illegal weapons, and we always use them in ways that strictly comply with international law. The decision to use cluster bombs against a target is based on a complex assessment that takes into account the nature of the target, the weapons available, as well as the legal requirements. We need to retain the unique capablility that cluster bombs provide against certain targets, particularly wide area or dispersed targets such as mechanised columns in transit or in the open, cantonment areas like ammunition storage sites, and artillery or surface-to-air missile sites. There could be serious implications of using other weapons against such targets. In most cases, this would mean using large unitary bombs. More significantly, in order to fulfill the same role as cluster bombs it would be necessary to drop a far greater tonnage of explosive, which would risk far greater damage than cluster bombs at the time of attack. Calls for a freeze on the use of cluster bombs fail to take into account that alternative weaons would need to be used. The use of Depleted Uranium (DU) is neither illegal nor prohibited under any international agreements, including the Geneva conventions. DU ammunition is not used indiscriminately. DU is almost twice as dense as lead and has the ability to self-sharpen on impact with armour, thus making it idealy suited for use as a kinetic energy anti-armour penetrator. At present, no satisfactory alternative materail exists to provide the level of penetration needed to defeat the most modern battle tanks. DU tank munitions will remain part of our arsenal for the foreseeable future because we have a duty to provide our troops with the best equipment with which to protect themselves and succeed in conflict. Yours sincerely (GM), Overseas Secretariat, MoD _______________________________________________ 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