>imperilling food production in a country with less than 12 per cent arable >land. >"I cannot live this way any longer, and neither should my children," said >Kula Jabar, a former civil servant who now supports her family with her >skill on the sewing machine. "I cannot afford meat or fruits or pretty >clothes for my daughter. We have sold our luxuries," she said. > >In such a battered economy, the culture of baksheesh, or bribery, is so >ingrained that a sign in the lobby of the Ministry of Oil instructs >visitors: "Please leave all gifts with the receptionist." >Middle-class and wealthier families long ago began selling possessions to >boost their incomes. First, the extra television and second car. Then the >jewellery, carpets and antiques. > >But perhaps the saddest sight in Baghdad is the Friday morning book market, >in which whole libraries are laid out for sale on blankets on Muttanabi >street. The collections of books - art, history, fiction, poetry, literature >and scientific works in a dozen languages - show the depth and breadth of >Iraqi cultural life. More than anything else here, they illustrate that war >and deprivation have destroyed the country's potential to become a leading >social and economic force in the Middle East. > >A UN-controlled oil-for-food programme has meant that the predominantly >Shiite Kurdish provinces in the north are, for the first time, sharing in >Iraqi oil revenues. Quality of life here has greatly improved, as aid groups >and the UN restore services, build houses and distribute food. In southern >and central areas, the humanitarian programme has staved off famine, but >hardship is pronounced. > > >Iraqi protesters say Saudi king is a zionist. >BAGHDAD, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Iraqis, chanting "(Saudi King) Fahd >is a zionist", demonstrated outside a United Nations office in Baghdad on >Monday in a fresh denunciation of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. > >Witnesses said about 400 protesters, carrying pictures of President Saddam >Hussein, burnt an effigy of King Fahd while chanting "Damn the humiliated >rulers of Kuwait" and "We swear by God and his prophet, Fahd is a zionist". > >They handed over a letter to the U.N. Development Programme office >protesting about U.S. and British air raids on Iraq and the supporting role >of Iraq's two Arab neighbours. > >The Iraqi workers' union called the demonstration after two U.S. and British >air raids in southern Iraq killed two civilians and wounded 22 over the >weekend. > >Iraq has made a series of verbal attacks on Saudi Arabia and Kuwait over the >past two weeks, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Iraqi invasion >of Kuwait. > >Iraq says the two states are "partners in the crimes" against Iraq because >they provide bases for U.S. and British planes which patrol a no-fly zone in >southern Iraq and frequently attack targets in the area. > >It also says Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are responsible for prolonging the U.N. >sanctions imposed on Iraq for its invasion of Kuwait in 1990. > > >Saudi says no need for Gulf Arab meeting on Iraq. >DUBAI, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's defence minister dismissed the need >for an emergency meeting of Gulf Arab states following comments from Iraq >which Kuwait and others in the region have seen as threatening. > >Iraq has been locked in a war of words with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait over the >past two weeks, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Iraqi invasion >of Kuwait. > >Asked by reporters on Sunday in the Saudi capital Riyadh if there would be >an emergency meeting of Gulf Arab defence ministers to discuss Iraqi >threats, Defence Minister Prince Sultan said "I don't think it deserves all >this..." > >Kuwait put some of its troops on alert after Iraqi President Saddam Hussein >lashed out at Riyadh and Kuwait for allowing U.S. and British planes to >launch attacks on Iraq. > > >PARIS-BAGHDAD FLIGHT AUTHORIZED. >The French Foreign Ministry had decided to allow aspecial 29 September >Paris-Baghdad-Paris flight to proceed asscheduled. It concluded that >restrictions apply only to goodstransport and regularly scheduled flights, >AFP reported on 4August. Bernard Valero, a spokesman for the Foreign >Ministry,said that "the UN Security Council never adopted a specifictext >aimed at establishing a blanket ban on flights to orfrom Iraq." > >The head of the Iraqi interests section in Paris,which represents the >Baghdad government, said that hiscountry was ready to welcome this flight. >Among the scheduledpassengers on the flight are former French Foreign >MinisterClaude Cheysson, retired General Pierre Gallois, theCommunist singer >Jean Ferrat, and novelist Regine Desforges.(David Nissman) Copyright (c) >1999. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio >Liberty. > > >Mariam Appeal to launch Iraq International >Work Brigades > >The London based Mariam Appeal recently announced their plans to form >monthly international work brigades who will help build a friendship village >in Iraq beginning May 2001. Mr Stuart Halford the Director of the Mariam >Appeal told ISM that the monthly work brigades will under the supervision of >Iraqi tradesmen and engineers engage in "reconciliation through >reconstruction" in an original form of international solidarity. > >Brigadiers will be in Iraq for exactly one month at a time from May until >October 2001 and every year thereafter. They will have a programme of >construction work in the mornings, lectures and discussions in the >afternoons and social and cultural activities in the evenings. Participants >should be able to speak either English or Arabic (there will be a translator >always on hand) and should be aged 18 and over. And of course they will need >to be fit enough for light construction duties and the heat of the Iraqi >summer. Brigadiers will be asked to make a contribution towards travel to >Amman. All other costs will be met by the Mariam Appeal which will fundraise >for that purpose. > >For further information please contact Stuart Halford at the Mariam >Appeal on [EMAIL PROTECTED] or by telephone on (0044) 207 872 5451 > > >EXTRAS+++++++++++++++ > >Milwaukee's Journal Sentinel joins the growing list of mainstream American >newspapers who have recently published hard-hitting reports from Iraq. The >JS capped this effort yesterday in their lead editorial, calling for >sanctions to be lifted (though certainly, they're owed a letter or two >concerning the complexities of North/South differences). >=== >The reports: >http://www.jsonline.com/news/insideiraq/ >Readers' reaction: >http://www.jsonline.com/news/editorials/aug00/beaumier13081200.asp >The editorial: >http://www.jsonline.com/news/editorials/aug00/iraq-edit081200.asp >Published on Sunday, August 13, 2000 in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel >Lift Sanctions Against Iraq >Editorial > >It's time to take another weapon out of the hands of Saddam Hussein, to >reduce his control over events and Iraq's people and to again expose him for >the brutal despot he is. It's time to lift the U.N. sanctions against Iraq. >Journal Sentinel reporter Tom Heinen recently visited Iraq with a small >group of peace activists and concerned observers from Milwaukee. His >reports, published last week, powerfully detailed the misery, heartache and >poverty that many Iraqis experience. >Shortages of food and medicine are common; it is estimated that hundreds of >thousands of Iraqi children have died prematurely. >The greatest portion of the blame for the humanitarian disaster falls on >Hussein. But there is little doubt that the sanctions, which the United >Nations put into effect in 1990 after the Persian Gulf War, have contributed >to the tragedy despite a massive oil-for-food relief program. >This newspaper has supported the sanctions and their critical goal: >crippling Hussein's ability to develop weapons of mass destruction. But >there is good reason to question the sanctions' effectiveness; they >certainly haven't weakened Hussein's iron grip on Iraq. What there's no >question about is Hussein's use of them for his own ends. >Blame the Americans, he tells his people. Your lives are miserable? Your >homes in ruins? Your children dying? Blame the Americans. They are not >giving you what you need; they are preventing me from helping you. Blame the >Americans. >So a generation of children grow up with hatred in their hearts for the >United States and admiration for Hussein, the great hero who defies the >Americans. Future leaders of Iraq will come from this generation. >In fact, it is Hussein who has caused their plight. The State Department >reported in March that child mortality rates in northern Iraq are below >pre-Gulf War levels; however, the rates in central and southern Iraq are >experiencing "a disturbing rise." The difference is that the U.N. controls >distribution of the oil-for-food program in the north. >The State Department also reports that vaccination levels in areas >controlled by Baghdad are lower than they were in 1994 and that Iraq has >still not implemented supplementary feeding programs recommended by the U.N. >for malnourished children. >Hussein's manipulation knows no bounds, but why make things easier for him? >The Defense Department reported last week that Iraq is not much of a >security threat anymore. "Iraq is contained," said Pentagon spokesman Ken >Bacon. "It has a broken economy. It is an isolated state." >If that's the case, why not declare victory and remove the sanctions? Keep >the no-fly zones in place so that Hussein cannot use his planes to attack >his own people or the rebels who dream of ousting him. Keep enough military >forces in the area to make him think twice about attacking anyone. >Monitor Iraq for the development of weapons of mass destruction, and destroy >facilities designed for such purposes. And wait for the effects of the >Internet to help undermine state control. >Yes, Hussein will use the lifting of sanctions to declare his own victory >over the U.S. and its allies. But that will be a onetime declaration. >Without the sanctions, Hussein will have nothing to blame, and his people >should soon realize that the quality of life in Iraq is determined not by >outside influences, but by the priorities and policies of Hussein himself. >Right now, Hussein is able to use the sanctions as a club to control and >beat his own people. It's time to take that club out of his hands and remind >his people that they are ruled by a monster. Lift the sanctions. > > >Dear all, > >On August 6, numerous anti-sanctions activists and organizers met in DC >for a few hours to discuss numerous ideas. The idea of creating >issue-oriented committees via e-groups was proposed. Most (if not all) of >these issues are not specific to the US, so please consider joining. > >The purpose of these issue-oriented committees is to focus our energies on >specific angles of this anti-sanctions struggle so that we can be most >effective. The strength and success of these committees depends upon the >energy of their membership, so please choose the issues that most interest >you from the list below, and go from there. > >Two of these egroups had already been set up (the national-iraq-network >and the 16beaver). The rest were set up Monday morning (August 7). > >Please note that there are several of these groups that lack a moderator. >If interested in propelling discussion on the topics media work, lobbying, >and organizing speakers tours, please e-mail me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >The current issue-oriented committee egroups are: > >(1) Media committee -> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > to subscribe, send an e-mail to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >(temporary moderator: rania masri >moderator needed) > >(2) Lobbying committee -> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > to subscribe, send an e-mail to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >(temporary moderator: rania masri) >moderator needed) > >(3) Speakers committee -> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > to subscribe, send an e-mail to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >(temporary moderator: rania masri >moderator needed) > >(4) National action committee (organizing for a national action on either >Jan 15 or April 3) -> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > to subscribe, send an e-mail to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >(moderators: zein el amine ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) and rayan >el amine ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) > >(5) October surprise -> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > to subscribe, send an e-mail to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >--> note: objective of this group is to be prepared for >a potential massive military attack against Iraq in October >(temporary moderator: rania masri) >moderator needed) > >(6) Radical new ideas (organizing radical news ideas) -> > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > to subscribe, send an e-mail > to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >(moderator: Father Simon Harak ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) > >(7) Religious outreach committee -> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > to subscribe, send an e-mail to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >(moderator: Father Simon Harak ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) > >(8) Student outreach committee -> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > to subscribe, send an e-mail to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >(moderators: Father Simon Harak ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) and >Kathryn Bryan (<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>) > >(9) Artist committee -> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > to subscribe, send an e-mail to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >(already set up and funcitoning) > >(10) Network/planning committee -> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > to subscribe, send an e-mail to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >(already set up and functioning) > >Please let me know if you have any questions about any of these >committees, and/or if you would like to set up another committee. To >subscribe to the IAC-Discussion list, by the way, simply send a blank >e-mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" > >Kind regards, >-Rania Masri > > >==================================================== >http://iraqaction.org > > Also see: >http://rightofreturn.org/ http://saveageneration.org/ >http://www.nowarcollective.com/ http://miftah.org > > >tel: +44 (0)20 78725451 >fax: +44 (0)20 77532731 >email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >web: www.mariamappeal.com > > > > > > >Knowledge is Power! >Elimination of the exploitation of man by man >http://www.egroups.com/group/pttp/ >POWER TO THE PEOPLE! > >Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Change Delivery Options: >http://www.egroups.com/mygroups > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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