MIM Notes 170, September 15, 1998

CONTINUED U.$. ATTACKS AGAINST IRAQI PEOPLE

Saturday following the U.$. attack on Sudan and Afghanistan, an 
Iraqi newspaper published documents which contradict the 
Amerikkkan story of chemical weapons production. The documents 
showed that Iraq had bought medicines from the plant. The 
purchase of pharmaceutical products and medicine from Al-Shifa 
had been approved by the United Nations. The documents were 
initialed by the U.N. Security Council's sanction committee and 
this was confirmed by the United Nations the day following the 
cruise missile attack.(1)

As a result of the release of this information the United 
Snakes was forced to change its story. It then claimed a link 
between the bombed Sudanese plant and alleged development of 
chemical weapons in Iraq. Countering the growing outrage at the 
bombing, the United Snakes said that it "believes that senior 
Iraqi scientists were helping to produce elements of the nerve 
agent XV at [Al-Shifa]."

The U.N. stated that Al-Shifa had a $200 million contract to 
provide Iraq with medicines.(2) This is under the oil-for-food 
program which allows Iraq to sell limited amounts of oil to 
purchase badly needed basic living supplies.

During the 1991 attack against Iraq, the imperialists killed an 
estimated 200,000 people and virtually demolished the entire 
infrastructure of the country through direct bombings. But the 
war did not end when U.$. troops stopped bombing the people. 
The ongoing warfare waged through the economic blockade and 
continuing military threat has lead to the death and suffering 
of approximately 1.5 million Iraqi people. 

The measly oil-for-food agreement to allow Iraq to sell about 
$2 billion in oil a year to buy basic human necessities is 
severely threatened by the recent events and U.$. proclamation 
to intensify its war. (See MIM Notes #153 for information on 
the affects of sanctions and MIM Notes 152, 157, 158 for more 
information on the continuing U.$. war against the Iraqi 
masses.)

Amerikan policy toward chemical weapons has been inconsistent 
and hypocritical ever since these imperialist snakes first 
refused to participate in the banning of chemical weapons in 
1907. In the Persian Gulf War, Amerika used such weapons as 
napalm and fuel-air explosives against both military and 
civilian targets, in violation of the Geneva Convention. Even 
after the formal end of the war, the United Snakes used 
chemical and biological weapons against retreating Iraqi troops 
and Palestinian, Jordanian and other refugees traveling on what 
became known as the "Highway of Death" at the end of 1991.

While the United Snakes maintains that it is on a gallant 
mission to end the accumulation of chemical weapons and 
terrorist use, the facts show that it is the use of terrorist 
force and such weapons by the United Snakes that has murdered 
more of the world's people than any other organization or 
country during World War III.

Notes:
1. Reuters. 22 August 1998.
2. AFP. August 21 1998.


* * *