--- In [email protected], Bhairitu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I think the plan is to stand back and let the Muslim and Jewish > fundamentalists destroy each other as that will take [care] of a lot of > problems in the Middle East. >
**************** What the U.S. did when Iraq and Iran were fighting each other 1980- 88, the U.S. gave support as needed to both sides in order to prolong the fighting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran-Iraq_War At first, the U.S. supported Iraq: "Starting in 1982 with Iranian success on the battlefield, the U.S. made its backing of Iraq more pronounced, supplying it with intelligence, economic aid, normalizing relations with the government (broken during the 1967 Six-Day War), and also supplying weapons [6]. President Ronald Reagan decided that the United States "could not afford to allow Iraq to lose the war to Iran", and that the United States "would do whatever was necessary and legal to prevent Iraq from losing the war with Iran."[7] President Reagan formalized this policy by issuing a National Security Decision Directive ("NSDD") to this effect in June, 1982.[8] *** But then, the U.S. also armed Iran: "Iran acquired weapons and parts for its Shah-era U.S. systems through covert arms transactions from officials in the Reagan Administration, first indirectly through Israel and then directly. It was hoped Iran would, in exchange, persuade several radical groups to release Western hostages, though this did not result; proceeds from the sales were diverted to the Nicaraguan Contras in what became known as the Iran-Contra Affair. In fact according to the report of the U.S. Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair issued in November of 1987, "the sale of U.S. arms to Iran through Israel began in the summer of 1985, after receiving the approval of President Reagan." [16] These sales included "2,008 BGM-71 TOW anti-Tank missiles and 235 parts kits for MIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air missiles had been sent to Iran via Israel." Further shipments of up to US$2 billion of American weapons from Israel to Iran consisting of 18 F-4 fighter- bombers, 46 A-4 Skyhawk fighter-bombers, and nearly 4,000 missiles were foiled by the U.S. Department of Justice, and "unverified reports alleged that Israel agreed to sell Iran Sidewinder air-to- air missiles, radar equipment, mortar and machinegun ammunition, field telephones, M-60 tank engines and artillery shells, and spare parts for C-130 transport planes."[17] The London Observer also estimated that Israel's arms sales to Iran during the war totalled US$ 500 million annually [18], and Time Magazine reported that throughout 1981 and 1982, "the Israelis reportedly set up Swiss bank accounts to handle the financial end of the deals."[19] For more on Israeli Hawk missile sales to Iran see [20]. *** However, the situation is different when Israel is involved as many of the neocons in the current administration are all-out supporters of Israel and certainly would not countenance policies that were deliberately intended to damage Israel, although the stupidity of the policies does have that effect in the long run by further antagonizing the Arab/Muslim world. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
