-Caveat Lector- >From ArabicNews.CoM Iraqi Kurdish delegation in Tehran Iraq, Politics, 2/18/99 A large Iraqi Kurdish delegation continued its visit to Tehran and meetings with Iranian officials and politicians and with the Iraqi opposition in Tehran. Among the prominent Kurdish figures that arrived in Tehran are the deputy secretary general of the Kurdistani national federation and chairman of the Kurdish government, Kessrat Rasoul Ali, who held talks with former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani, the chairman of the higher council for the Islamic revolution in Iraq Muhammad Baqer al-Hakim an the official in charge of relations with the Iraqi leadership al-Haj Ali Agha Muhammadi. The Kurdish delegation comprises more than 100 persons, including 85 leading political, university and tribal figures, residing in areas under the control of the Kurdish national federation. The delegation includes Jalal Talibani and its five-faction members of the Kurdish forces alliances, figures representing the Islamic movement and the Islamic federation of Iraq's Kurds. The delegation also includes the Kurdistani democratic party led by Mesout Barzani, represented in five members and some 15 figures representing tribes in the areas under the Barzani party. Iraq expects a large scale US aggression on its territories Iraq, Politics, 2/18/99 The Iraqi daily Babel has stated that it expects the US to launch a large-scale attack on Iraq within the coming weeks. In its Wednesday issue the paper added that the scope of the waves of US jets which started to strike the southern and northern parts of Iraq indicated that these incidents are not a mere reaction, rather "a perpetuated action" to strike Iraq. The paper added that the coming days will witness a new military attack on Iraq. On Tuesday, the US warned Iraq against carrying out its threats to launch attacks on US bases. White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said this week that, "If Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi government carry through on a threat like this, the response will be swift and commensurate with the action they take." ~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From wsws.org WSWS : News & Analysis : Middle East : Iraq US expands air war against Iraq By Barry Grey 18 February 1999 The United States, with the assistance of Britain, is expanding its air war against Iraq, hitting both military and civilian targets on a virtually daily basis. The air strikes are being carried out with minimal coverage in the American media, no debate in Congress and not even the pretense of a public discussion. Since the conclusion of the four-day air assault last December, the US and Britain have used Iraq's attempts to assert its sovereignty over the so-called "no fly" zones in the North and South of the country as the pretext for attacks on a wide variety of targets. In the last week alone at least eight Iraqi civilians have been killed. This follows the missile attacks on two communities in southern Iraq on January 25 that, according to United Nations investigators, killed 17 people, all women and children. On Saturday, February 13 US jets flew 34 sorties over Basra, Maisan, Dhiqar and Najaf in the South, in a raid that lasted one and a half hours. According to the Iraqi government, one group of planes attacked a civilian installation killing three civilians and wounding several others. Baghdad reported that jets also bombed a residential area in the southern city of Al-Faw, injuring several people. Saturday was the third straight day Iraq claimed civilian casualties in the "no fly" zones that were declared by the US, Britain and France in the aftermath of the 1991 Persian Gulf war. Two days later, on Monday, American and British planes flew 42 missions in the South, killing 5 and wounding 22. On the same day US jets attacked two targets in the North. Last Monday's air raids occurred while Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz was meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit in Ankara, in an attempt to persuade the Turkish regime to halt US air attacks from the Turkish air base in Incirlik. Following the meeting Ecevit issued a statement defending the American air strikes. The US-British policy of military assault and political provocation against Iraq is heightening tensions throughout the Middle East, increasing the prospects for a wider war that could involve Turkey, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Baghdad has issued warnings in recent days threatening retaliation against these countries, all of which serve as bases for US and British air strikes in the "no fly" zones. Last month Turkey requested and received a battery of American Patriot missiles to defend Incirlik against the possibility of scud missile attacks from Iraq. US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright made clear that Washington would respond militarily to any attempt by Iraq to retaliate against these countries, declaring the American reaction would be "swift and sure." The US air war is escalating social tensions and political instability throughout the region. The Turkish economy has been severely impacted by the sanctions imposed on Iraq, having lost some $30 billion in trade since 1990. The government headed by Ecevit, installed as a caretaker regime pending national elections in April, has been under increasing pressure from opposition forces to withdraw permission for the US to use Incirlik as a base for strikes against the north of Iraq. The US-British policy is also intensifying tensions within the UN Security Council, which has been unable to reach a consensus since Washington and London carried out Operation Desert Fox in December without seeking authorization from the UN. Iraq, as anticipated, retaliated for the air assault by banning UN arms inspectors. Both Russia and France have a vested interest in easing the crippling UN sanctions against Iraq. Russia stands to collect hundreds of millions of dollars in Iraqi debts and has signed agreements to rebuild Iraq's oil industry. French oil concerns have made agreements for the exploitation of Iraqi petroleum reserves once the embargo is lifted. French President Jacques Chirac is scheduled to meet Friday with US President Bill Clinton in Washington, where he will press French demands for the lifting of the oil embargo. The sharpest expression of the tensions among the nominal allies is an article published over the weekend by the Sunday Telegraph of London. The newspaper reported that Russia recently signed a $160 million deal to reinforce Iraq's air defenses and upgrade its MiG fighter jets. The Telegraph cited unidentified diplomatic sources in Moscow, claiming the agreement was signed in the Russian capital in mid-January after a visit by Iraq's Transport and Communications minister. The Telegraph, which is politically allied to the Conservative (Tory) Party, denounced the agreement as a direct threat to American and British warplanes patrolling the "no fly" zones. Russia has denied that any such agreement was signed. See Also: United Nations report: US killed 17 Iraqi women and children in January raid [6 February 1999] 2 Top of page Readers: The WSWS invites your comments. Please send e-mail. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright 1998-99 World Socialist Web Site All rights reserved ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A<>E<>R The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Forwarded as information only; no endorsement to be presumed + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
