United Nations officials protest Iraq sanctions

by MC17

Two senior U.N. officials resigned in February to protest the 
devastating impact of economic sanctions on Iraq. Hans von 
Sponeck, one of the two who resigned, has also promised a farewell 
report on the destruction of Iraq by the U.$. airstrikes. He wrote 
a similar report last year openly criticizing imperialist policy. 
The angered imperialists then pushed for his removal.

Von Sponeck was in charge of distribution of humanitarian aid to 
Iraq and will leave his post on March 31st. Von Sponeck and Jutta 
Burghardt, head of the World Food Program in Iraq, said they are 
resigning in protest of the U.N. Security Council resolution in 
December which pretends to offer hope to Iraqis while continuing 
the suffering. "I do not want to be associated with a Band-Aid 
that is inadequate to end the plight of the civilian population," 
von Sponeck said.

The UN resolution offers suspension of some sanctions in exchange 
for Iraq's cooperation with a new arms inspection commission. This 
"new" commission is not significantly different from the old one 
which prolonged sanctions. There is no reason for Iraq to trust 
the imperialists to set up a fair organization. Iraq does not have 
the infrastructure to feed its own people much less fight an 
effective war against another country. Yet, the imperialists will 
not drop the sanctions because Iraq still refuses to behave as a 
good imperialist lackey. The economic sanctions are not about 
saving the people of Kuwait or any other country, they are about 
control of Iraq. Until Iraq bows to the will of the imperialists 
and turns over complete control, the imperialists will continue to 
torture and kill Iraqis.

U.$. and British airplanes patrolling the imperialist demarcated 
"no-fly zones" in Iraq continue to fire on the country almost 
daily. But the damage from the outright bombing of Iraq is less 
than the destruction from economic sanctions. Sanctions cause the 
death of 200 Iraqi children under the age of five each day 
according to UNICEF.

MIM is pleased to see people who work for the imperialists taking 
note of the reality of the global situation and standing up on the 
side of the people. For those who do not find the facts 
persuasive, perhaps seeing the imperialists' own people speak out 
against these genocidal policies will be persuasive.

Notes: Washington Post, February  17, 2000, Page A23