Al-Ahram Weekly | Opinion | Letters to the Editor

		Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 22 - 28 February 2001 Issue No.522
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Current issue \| Previous issue \| Site map

Helping the survivors
Sir- First of all, I would like to thank you for your excellent publication, that is the highlight of my week. As a mother of two -- thank God -- so far healthy young children, I read with interest and concern your article "Survival, and more" (Al-Ahram Weekly, 15-21 February). I was delighted and relieved to learn that something is being done for those poor children and at the same time felt very helpless myself, not knowing how to contribute to this project. Not many of us are able to join a fund-raising dinner party, for various reasons. But I am certain that there are many people out there wanting to contribute to this and other worthy causes, and therefore, I would suggest that you publish an address or account number or any kind of information that would induce and enable people to donate whatever sum they can afford to.
S Riad
Heliopolis
The AFNCI may be reached at 365 5233 (headquarters) 368 0106 (for videos and printed material); 368 0107 (volunteer office).

Out of Iraq
Sir- In my 40 years I have rarely been so ashamed of being British as I have been over my country's stance toward Iraq, and never more so than when once again this government did the bidding of its American "partners in crime" and joined in the despicable missile attack on Iraq. This is already a country which has lost five million children thanks to the barbaric sanction policy so hotly pursued and so dear in particular, to the US and British governments' hearts.
What, you may ask, are the reasons for this latest sudden and cowardly attack? They appear to be twofold. First, America was becoming more and more alarmed at Iraq's show of support for the beleaguered Palestinians, who are being slaughtered by the US's Israeli comrades. The US and the UK were also concerned that Iraq was becoming stronger and more popular within the Arab world to the detriment of their barbaric sanctions policy. So this was in effect a flexing of muscle from the Texan cowboy now "leading" America, a message not only to Iraq but also to the rest of the Arab leaders, to start toeing the line or else. Secondly, they were also sending a message to Iraq that when in future US/British pilots illegally fly over a sovereign country and drop bombs on civilians, it is better not to have the temerity to respond.
It seems that the American government is really losing its grip on Iraq if it has to resort to this kind of behaviour, and it also seems the Americans have learned nothing in all their years of experience in the Middle East if they think Iraq can be intimidated by their bullying. It hasn't worked in 10 years and it certainly won't work now. Look at the Palestinians: 50 years of terror and bullying by the Israelis has made them ever more determined to fight their aggressor.
I sincerely hope that when Colin Powell visits the Middle East next week he will learn in no uncertain terms of the displeasure of the Arab people.
The Kuwaiti and Saudi governments should also be ashamed for allowing their air bases to be used and abused time and time again to cause more misery and deaths to the Iraqi people. In fact, shame on any country that shows support for this "hit and run" affair which the US is attempting to play down by describing as "a routine exercise." If the world accepts this pathetic justification it will give the American and British governments the green light to continue the genocide of the Iraqi people. This outrageous terrorist attack must receive unequivocal world-wide condemnation. It's time for all Arab nations to band together and kick the US and Britain out of the Middle East once and for all. Only when the Arabs are free from their unmitigated meddling will there be peace.
Mrs Jamil Al-Hadithy
Dudley
UK

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