[uruknet.info] - [daily information from occupied iraq] - [newsletter 16 May 2005]

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PRESS RELEASE
BUSH ON TRIAL
WORLD TRIBUNAL ON IRAQ REPRESENTATIVES DELIVER
Today, representatives of the World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) delivered a law
summon and invitation letter addressed to President Bush at the US Embassy
in Brussels. It was part of a global action day, as similar actions took
place in Japan, Sweden, Turkey and the United States. The WTI
representatives invited George Bush to the final hearing of the World
Tribunal on Iraq that will take place in Istanbul between 23-27 of ! June
2005. In Brussels a number of activists arrived at the US Embassy with a
huge banner reading “President Bush, the World holds you accountable”. The
activists also presented a letter to the US officials at the Embassy. In
front of the US Embassy today, Prof. Lieven De Cauter, initiator of the
BRussells Tribunal, and spokesperson for the WTI in Belgium, said: “Since
the US administration does not recognize the International Criminal Court
(ICC), the citizens of the world have undertaken an initiative to reclaim
justice. The world is calling for Bush to be held accountable for the
crimes committed in Iraq"...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11788&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11788


ILLEGAL IRAQ WAR.
Breaking Through the US Media Blackout
Grace Reid
Finally, the US Media is beginning to pay attention to the war documents
released by the British government. Michael Getler, of the Washington Post,
was the first to break through the main stream media's coverage of the
story yesterday, followed by an editorial by Paul Krugman of the New York
Times today. Getler's piece in particular, looks at the story with some
astonishment, asking why there has been a media blackout of the story in
the Uni! ted States (...) As a result of ignorance, Sen. John McCain has
come out today on CNN as saying he disagrees with the "memo." Well, that's
like me saying I disagree that sunrise follows sunset. Senator McCain may
be suffering the effects of the media blackout that has been going on for
quite a while. But that does not explain why most Americans are unaware of
the story, or that the "memo" can not be disputed, having been released
from Downing Street and Prime Minister Tony Blair...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11770&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11770


"Combat terrorism" by causing it
Imad Khadduri , Free Iraq
“A few days ago, an American manned check point confiscated the driver
license of a driver and told him to report to an American military camp
near Baghdad airport for interrogation and in order to retrieve his license
(...) The driver did leave in a hurry, but was soon alarmed with a feeling
that his car was driving as if carrying a heavy load, and he also became
suspicious of a low flying helicopter that kept hovering overhead, as if
trailing him. He st! opped the car and inspected it carefully. He found
nearly 100 kilograms of explosives hidden in the back seat and along the
two back doors. The only feasible explanation for this incidence is that
the car was indeed booby trapped by the Americans and intended for the
al-Khadimiya Shiite district of Baghdad. The helicopter was monitoring his
movement and witnessing the anticipated “hideous attack by foreign
elements”...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11792&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11792


Saddam warns US will target all Arabs
Gulf Times
...In a recent meeting with the member of the Amman-based defence panel,
Iraqi lawyer Khalil Duleimi, Saddam also rebuked the Arab League and its
Secretary General Amr Moussa for failure to muster pan-Arab support for the
Iraqi resistance, Duleimi told the daily Alarab Alyawm. “The American
aggression will target all Arabs and the agenda of the US interests in the
Middle East is overwhelming and will not spare even friends,” Duleimi
quoted the former Iraqi leader a! s saying. In his criticism of the Arab
League, Saddam said, “The Arabs should remember that Iraq is fighting on
their behalf and the Iraqi front represents the first defence line in this
great battle”, according to Duleimi...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11777&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11777


THE SLEDGEHAMMER AND THE ANT
Malcom Lagauche
...The U.S. quickly marched to Baghdad and was confused because none of the
predicted battles occurred. "Where are they?" was the cry when American
troops entered Baghdad. On April 8, 2003, the Iraqi Information Minister
made the famous statement at which the whole world laughed. When it was
pointed out that American troops were already in Baghdad, he said, "We’ve
got them right where we want them." Now, it is apparent that the current
resistance was planned well in a! dvance of the U.S. invasion of 2003. On
May 1, 2003, George Bush said, "Mission accomplished!" in a staged
appearance on an aircraft carrier. Since then, more than 2,500 Americans
(military and civilian) have died in Iraq and thousands more have lost
limbs or have become brain-dead. Read about this astute military strategy
in the section called "Rope-a-Bush" and you will see exactly how Ali’s
scheme was similar to that of the Iraqis...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11784&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11784


Iraqi Resistance Report for events of Monday, 16 May 2005.
Translated and/or compiled by Muhammad Abu Nasr, member, editorial board,
the Free Arab Voice. http://www.freearabvoice.org
The General Command of the Iraqi Resistance issued a communiqué dated 16
May 2005 concerning the defeat of the American enemy and its evident losses
in the Battle of al-Qa’im. The communiqué reads as follows (...) The
perfidious American enemy wanted to get another taste of its inevitable
failure at the hands of the valiant men of th! e difficult tasks forces.
This time it was the Resistance that had the initiative, making decisions
about the engagement in accordance with its military plan to draw the enemy
into battle in places other than where it was forced to lick its wounds in
previous fights. This time our choice fell on a piece of the pure territory
of Iraq that has made enemies taste the bitterness of wounds time and time
again since 9 April 2003 – the area of al-Qa’im...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11794&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11794


How they forged the case against Galloway
Simon Assaf and Charlie Kimber, assisted by Ann Ashford, Socialist Worker
The central document used against George Galloway this week by the senate
committee in Washington is a forgery. Investigation by Socialist Worker
shows that evidence crucial to the alleged case against the Respect MP is a
fake, created after the fall of Baghdad in 2003. The entire assault is
another desperate attempt to smear the opponents of the war on Iraq and to
make them appear as the corrupt hi! relings of tyranny...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11797&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11797


Iraq: ICRC concerned for civilians
Aljazeera.net
The International Committee of the Red Cross has said a recent escalation
of violence in the western Iraqi city of al-Qaim has resulted in very high
numbers of civilian casualties and refugees. According to a statement
published by the ICRC on Monday, fighting near the Iraqi border has forced
hundreds of women, children and elderly persons to flee their homes and
take refuge in surrounding areas...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11798&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11798


Sadr urges restraint amid sectarian violence
Hassan Abdulzahrah
..."If occupation forces leave Iraq, there will be no ethnic conflict here,
and I'm ready to fight terrorists wherever they are if the occupiers
leave," he told reporters. "Personally, I don't need the political process,
I don't interfere in it. But I'm ready to do anything that contributes to
the welfare of the Iraqi people" (...) Despite calling on supporters to
refrain from revenge attacks, Sadr demanded other steps less likely to
appeal to the Su! nni Arab minority. "I am in favour of re-activating the
de-Baathification committee," he said referring to a body set up following
the 2003 invasion to eradicate members of Saddam Hussein's ruling party
from the civil service and the security forces...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11789&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11789


A conspiracy theory with legs.
Did Bush fix facts to invade Iraq?
Sean Gonsalves
This week's phrase is "conspiracy theory." A conspiracy, according to
Webster's, is defined as "an agreement between two or more persons to
commit a crime or accomplish a legal purpose through illegal action." Of
course, "sophisticated" Americans are above such paranoia because, we would
like to think, U.S. government officials are inherently incapable of being
party to a conspiracy. Years before the invasion of Iraq, a "conspir! acy
theory" involving the Bush administration decision to invade Iraq on a WMD
pretext first came into circulation. The theory -- that the
"straight-talking" Bush administration lied about the threat Iraq allegedly
posed to the world -- now has new legs...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11785&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11785


AMERICA HAS ENTERED THE DARK SIDE
Allen Roland
Watching Condi Rice tell the world, with great sincerity, that America
respects other nation's religious practices while the whole world knows we
have and continue to trample innocent Muslims and their religious practices
~ makes me realize that we have fully entered the dark side . We have,
indeed, become the Evil Empire ( the Death Star ) and Darth Vader is not
Bush ~ The Dark Lord of the Sith is none other than Dick Cheney, whose
paranoia and Global empire build! ing schemes are still very much intact...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11796&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11796


Depleted uranium victims plead for understanding, help
Mid-Hudson News Network
Army National Guard Specialist Gerard Matthew is a veteran of the Iraq war.
He has an 11-month-old daughter who was born with a deformed right hand. If
she tries to stand, and falls, she will not put out here arms to protect
herself. Matthew, himself, suffers constant headaches and blurred vision.
He has tested positive for depleted uranium, a component used in tank
armor, and weapons shells. Dust from unexploded shells can be inhaled.! The
symptoms can be devastating...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11782&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11782


Staying what course?
Paul Krugman, New York Times
...Why did the administration want to invade Iraq, when, as the memo noted,
"the case was thin" and Saddam's "W.M.D. capability was less than that of
Libya, North Korea, or Iran"? Iraq was perceived as a soft target; a quick
victory there, its domestic political advantages aside, could serve as a
demonstration of American military might, one that would shock and awe the
world. But the Iraq war has, instead, demonstrated the limits of American
power, and emboldene! d our potential enemies. Why should Kim Jong Il fear
us, when we can't even secure the road from Baghdad to the airport? At this
point, the echoes of Vietnam are unmistakable...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11781&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11781


Iraqi Security Forces Accused of Massacring Sunnis
Prensa Latina
Organization of Muslim Mullahs spokesman Muzana Harez al Dari has held the
Iraqi security forces responsible for slaughtering Sunnite people. Speaking
to press, Harez harshly criticized the Al Zeb (Wolf) Brigade for killing 13
people whose corpses were found in north-eastern Baghdad with their hands
tied at the back and shot wounds in the head...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11780&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11780


A “Welcome Parade” of Blood and Seething Anger
Dahr Jamail
As if to add insult to injury, with over 400 Iraqis killed in violence
during the first two weeks of the newly sworn in Iraqi “government,” US
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice made a surprise one day visit to the
newest US colony. After visiting northern Iraq which has been spared the
brunt of the ongoing violence, Rice traveled to the heavily entrenched
“green zone” in central Baghdad where the U.S. “embassy” is located...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11779&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11779


The deserters: Awol crisis hits the US forces
Andrew Buncombe, Independent
..."If I am sincere in what I say and there's consequences because of my
actions, I am prepared to stand up and take it," Sgt Benderman said. "If I
have to go to prison because I don't want to kill anybody, so be it." The
case of Sgt Benderman and those of others like him has focused attention on
the thousands of US troops who have gone Awol (Absent Without Leave) since
the start of President George Bush's so-called war on terror. The most!
recent Pentagon figures suggest there are 5,133 troops missing from duty.
Of these 2,376 are sought by the Army, 1,410 by the Navy, 1,297 by the
Marines and 50 by the Air Force...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11778&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11778


Tomgram: Mark Danner on the British Smoking-Gun Memo
Tom Engelhardt & Mark Danner
In its June 9 issue (on sale this week), the New York Review of Books will
be the first American print publication to publish the full British
"smoking gun" document, the secret memorandum of the minutes of a meeting
of Tony Blair's top advisors in July 2002, eight months before the Iraq War
commenced. Leaked to the London Sunday Times, which first published it on
May 1, the memo offers irrefutable proof of the way in which! the Bush
administration made its decision to invade Iraq -- without significant
consultation, reasonable intelligence on Iraq, or any desire to explore
ways to avoid war -- and well before seeking a Congressional or United
Nations mandate of any sort. By July, as the British officials reported,
the decision to invade was already in the bag. The only real questions --
other than those involving war planning -- were how to organize the
intelligence in such a way as to promote the war to come and how to finesse
Congress (and the UN). While people often speak of the "road to war," in
the case of the invasion of Iraq, as this document makes clear, a more
accurate phrase might be "the bum's rush to war"...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11775&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11775


New study: US use of psychological torture systematic and unabated
Joanne Laurier, WSWS
One year since the first photographs surfaced of US personnel torturing
Iraq detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, evidence indicates that
the wholesale use of torture by the American military as a method of
interrogation continues unabated. A central feature of the torture
techniques employed by American forces in the Bush administration’s “war on
terror” is the use of psychological torture, according to a study by the !
Physicians for Human Rights, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based group...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11773&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11773


Iraqi rebels better armed than we first thought, say US marines
Oliver Poole
Iraqi insurgents have proved to be better equipped and more elusive than
expected, United States marines have said at the end of a week-long
operation near the Syrian border. Many rebels wore bullet-proof vests an a
number had Soviet-designed armour piercing bullets and night sights,
equipment rarely seen previously in Iraq...


<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11772&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11772


A spring morning in the autumn of America
John Kaminski
...It is hard to deny that this is the way it looks. More and more you read
stories that America has lost its mind. And a cursory review of history,
objective history, clearly reveals that it never had a heart. Oh sure, the
people had a heart. People everywhere have hearts. But once things congeal
into a monolithic government, the heart seems to disappear, and wholesale
rape — even of one’s own self — seems to inevitably be the order of the
day...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11771&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11771


Iraqi Resistance Report for events of Sunday, 15 May 2005
Translated and/or compiled by Muhammad Abu Nasr, member, editorial board,
the Free Arab Voice. http://www.freearabvoice.org
...Correspondents for Mafkarat al-Islam in al-Qa’im, ar-Rummanah, and
al-Karabilah confirmed that US occupation forces had not been able to break
into any of these cities and towns. Local people emphasized that fact as
well, saying that the reason the US forces called off their offensive and
lifted their blockade of the city was their! failure in battle and the
heavy losses they sustained at the hands of the Resistance on the outskirts
of al-Qa’im...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=11769&s2=17>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=11769




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