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Al-Ahram Weekly 30 Sep. - 6 Oct. 1999 Issue No. 449 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 30 Sep. - 6 Oct. 1999 Issue No. 449
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Selective rights
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Sir- Thank you for Gamal Nkrumah's well written and thought provoking article, "The fate of nations", (Al-Ahram Weekly, 23-29 September). I too have wondered about the sometimes selective manner in which my government fosters human rights.
The China/Tibet situation is an excellent example of the phenomenon you describe. There are a few more in Central America.
Surprisingly absent from your article was commentary on the half-hearted American protestations that occur when the Israeli government indiscriminately harasses the Palestinians.
Still, perhaps it is better to act selectively than not at all.
Paul C. Peterson
Saint Paul, MN
US
Squash honours
Sir-Congratulations to Al-Ahram for successfully holding the World Open Squash and the 17th Men's World Team Championships. The Egyptians are the new world champs. Congratulations! Al-Ahram's sponsorship has done a great job in promoting this racket sport.
Tasneem Khan
Miami, Florida
US
Too painful to forget
Sir- As a concerned US citizen residing in Cairo, with various experiences in the Sudan and throughout the Middle East, I felt compelled to write about the tragedy of the bombing of the Al-Shifa pharmaceuticals factory. Over a year has passed since the 20 August US Tomahawk Cruise missile attack on the $100 million factory in northern Khartoum. While the attack left several dead and countless injured, the loss has had longer-term consequences for the people of Sudan. In just a few minutes, the provider of 90 per cent of the country's most needed medicines was destroyed. US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright justified this attack by citing the need to combat terrorism -- "the war of the future" -- and claimed the factory was capable of producing nerve gas.
After months of waiting, with little fanfare the US government indirectly vindicated Salah Idris (the owner of the factory) and Sudan. While the US government didn't admit its guilt or confess its blunder, on 4 May 1999 it did remove the "freeze" it had placed on Mr Idris's assets. (The US government would have been forced on this day to reply to the factory owner's lawsuits to lift the freeze, but opted out.)
While this retreat shows the US had no evidence to support its claim that the missile attack was a strike against terrorism, it added a whole new meaning to the phrase "crimes against humanity".
Sanctions against Sudan make it impossible to import the amounts of medicine required to cover the serious gap caused by the destruction of Al-Shifa. While the US government continues to backtrack from this attack, for the countless people who are suffering and dying from malaria, tuberculosis and other treatable diseases in Sudan, the action taken by Washington on 20 August 1998 still means they cannot get the medicine they need.
Jonathan Belke
Cairo
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