Readers' corner

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Not Auschwitz, but Palestine

Sir-- It is unfortunate that a well written and cogent article such as 'The new Auschwitz' (14-20 February) should avoid the core issue regarding Afghanistan. You compare the killing fields of Afghanistan to a German industrial complex/concentration camp and yet you do not point out where the similarity lies. Then you mention that hallowed "six million" figure and suddenly all is revealed. I would have thought that a better comparison can be made between Afghanistan and Palestine. Palestine was illegally invaded and is now illegally occupied and Hamas, the legitimate government, "continues to battle on", to use your words. In Palestine the people are regularly "mowed down" to use your words again.

The original aim of invading Afghanistan had nothing to do with capturing anyone, least of all Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda (otherwise known as Al-CIA), good old Osama himself and the "war on terror" are inventions of the one outfit. Karzai is only one of their more recent puppets. Their latest puppet to hit the international stage is Obama, introduced to help dupe his own countrymen into eight more years of servitude to them.

Tony O'Neill
Massachusetts
USA

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Camp PoppyFlower

Sir-- In the last sentence of 'The new Auschwitz', Walberg indicates: "Some critics of US foreign policy argue that the 2001 invasion was actually prompted by a distaste for this successful [prohibited substance] campaign, which led to a crisis in the European drug black market." It could be worse than that. The military takeover of Kosovo in 1999 was an operation carried out before the Afghanistan operation (in other words in reverse) in order to reduce suspicion. The action plan all along was to set up the Kosovo Connection. By now, Camp BondSteel in Kosovo might just as well be renamed Camp PoppyFlower.

Dimitri Diamant
Ohio
USA

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Stock dividends

Sir-- What is the Egyptian government's strategy to alleviate worsening economic conditions before it deepens and lasts for a decade? My suggestion is to spur an economic revival by putting money into the pockets of the middle class.

For the past few years this strata of society has invested their money in the Egyptian stock market, with the hope that in some future period, their stock would grow and dividends would be disbursed annually. But what have we seen? Companies have grown and profited and their employees have been given bonuses in recognition of their hard work. But what happened to the promised dividends to the owners of these companies? The official reply is: sorry -- no money will be disbursed because of the company board's decision to reinvest funds for further expansion and greater profits next year.

What would most likely happen if there was an influx of cash from dividends into the empty pockets of the middle class?

- These people will spend on desired items and spur businesses to continue production.

- When shareholders see a return on their stock investment, they will be encouraged to invest more money in the stock market and confidence will grow.

- Fiscal responsibility will be illuminated clearly in the true status of the company's financial status.

- Wealth/dividends throughout Egypt will be made available and not limited to the top managers already receiving hefty salaries and fringe benefits, with the stockholders, the true owners of the company, receiving next to nothing.

What are the Egyptian stock market managers doing? Counting their percentages on new stock purchases or sale. Public stock holding companies must give a reasonable cash dividend based on the companies profits annually and must realise that board members are not in a separate category to share their private "honey pot" alone, but have the same percentage of bonus/salary status as other employees. The stock market must have teeth in regulatory stock laws, forcing all companies to adhere to a fair dividend policy.

In the next few months, many companies will be posting their schedule for the general meeting of stockholders. Will the little shareholder be duped again with grand visions of greater profits next year, but (sorry) no dividends this year? If business continues as usual with no change in the status quo, the economic crisis may worsen with no spending, no production, weak companies falling, unemployment rising, and population unrest.

Gamal Zahran
Cairo
Egypt