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Al-Ahram Weekly 2 - 8 September 1999 Issue No. 445 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 2 - 8 September 1999 Issue No. 445
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Focus Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters A record of failure
By Salama Ahmed Salama
US and British air strikes against Iraq, going on for the last nine months now, are to be pursued further. Yet the only excuse offered by the British government following the uproar created when a British aircraft bombed a monastery near Mosul in the north of Iraq was that the strike had been intended to protect Kurdish and Shi'ite minorities in the no-fly zone.
Washington, for its part, claims that it targets only Iraqi sites possessing facilities able to detect US and British planes. The evidence on the ground, however, reveals that US missiles have hit many civilian sites and claimed the lives of scores of innocent women and children in an increasing succession of criminal and terrorist acts. The destruction by British bombs of the Monastery of St Mark, a fourth century Anglican sanctuary, came, then, as no surprise. Yet it does serve to illuminate the scope of the war that is silently being waged against the people of Iraq.
With the Islamic world deaf to the sufferings of the Iraqi people under sanctions and air strikes, and the Arab world split on whether or not they can support Iraq as long as Saddam retains power, the Iraqis have resorted to the Vatican for help. Predictably, the visit of Pope John Paul II to Iraq, planned to take place as part of a tour to several holy sites, has been opposed by the US.
Intolerant of any disagreement with its policy on Iraq, the US is well aware of the Vatican's objection to continued air strikes. Iraqi officials, for their part, are attempting to capitalise on the visit by insisting that all air strikes cease, if only out of respect for the person of the distinguished guest.
Even more glaring is Washington's objection to a congressional fact-finding mission visiting Iraq to assess the situation and gain first hand experience of the plight of Iraqi children living under sanctions and air strikes.
In raising objections, the US administration has exposed the irrational foundations of its policy on Iraq. And this even when UNICEF's timely report on the condition of children in Iraq has already brought the situation to world attention. Certainly no one expects the congressional mission to show any sympathy to the regime in Baghdad. It could serve, though, to bring home the magnitude of the human tragedy by skirting around the blackout imposed by the US on all news items coming out of Baghdad.
Objections to visits by the Pope and by the congressional mission appear to be Washington's way of flexing its muscles. Having failed to oust Saddam through CIA conspiracies or through boosting the so-called Iraqi opposition, the US's only success in Iraq so far has been to disrupt the UN weapons inspection team by the detrimental efforts of its agents and spies.
American objections, however, serve only to enhance the personal image of Saddam. He, his family and his regime, having shaken off any blame for inflicting misery and suffering on his people, are now perceived to be fighting for the sovereignty and prestige of Iraq. And as far as the protection of Kurds and Shi'ites is concerned, the air strikes have proven futile.
With the exception of Britain, Israel and possibly Kuwait, Security Council members unanimously oppose the US policy on Iraq. Yet a proposal by France to ensure the return of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq, on more reasonable conditions, and to alleviate the suffering of the Iraqi people and restore their self-confidence, has been rejected by Washington. The failure of US policy on Iraq, though, really must be seen in the context of Washington's unrelentingly lamentable record in the region.
