by Stephen Von Sychowski
Communist Party of Canada, Prince George Collective.
Weapons of mass destruction?
-There is no conclusive evidence that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction or has the necessary means to use such weapons on the United States, Canada or other nations.
-If Iraq were to acquire such weapons, it would have to do so in violation of United Nations sanctions. It would therefore have to do so while evading the eyes of the international security forces of the Unites States, Canada, Israel, Germany and others.
-George Bush and Tony Blair want to launch a campaign against Iraq based on rumors and assumptions of Iraqi nuclear capability, meanwhile the United States is in fact the #1 possessor of nuclear weapons and the U.K. is #5.
-Many people, including former U.N. weapons inspectors and expert on Iraq, firmly believe that Iraq posses no weapons of mass destruction.
George Bush wishes to push the war forth despite this evidence and despite the popular disapproval of the war in the United States and its ally countries.
The fact that Bush wants to launch his crusade despite total lack of evidence against Iraq suggests to us ulterior motives.
The Canadian government has thus far rejected plans to attack Iraq unless approved by the United Nations; we must be the voice that speaks out to our government against a war on Iraq. If they know we agree with their stance against this war they may be less likely to change their minds.
Have the people of Iraq not suffered enough?
-As of 1990 there has been sanctions put on Iraq by the United Nations.
-These sanctions cause a shortage of food, medicine, clean drinking water and a variety of other essential goods.
-By 1997 over 1.2 million Iraqi’s had died as a result of these sanctions according to the U.N.
-According to UNICEFs report “The Situation of the Children in Iraq”
-Many Iraqi’s live on as little as $3-$6 per month.
-Over half of children under age 5 suffer from diarrhea, over one third of these children suffer from acute respiratory infections and over one half of them suffer from fever.
-Safe drinking water is a nation-wide problem.
-The state of many schools is not only a disincentive to education but also a public health hazard.
-More than half of pregnant women are anemic due to lack of quality food intake.
-Social services have not increased and have in fact been decreased due to lack of funds.
The people of Iraq suffer on a daily basis; a war will not improve their conditions, only the abolition of U.N. sanctions against Iraq will be beneficial to its people.
Q: Why do they really want to bomb Iraq?
A: OIL!
-Iraq has enormous quantities of oil, the second largest oil reserve in the world after Saudi.
-President George Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney have much to gain from a take over of Iraq’s oil fields. Between 1997 and 2000 Dick Cheney’s company, Hilliburton, did $30 million dollars worth of business with Iraq.
-Iraq’s oil is easy and cheap to extract, its oil fields in the south and west are close to tanker transports. Oil could be produced for about $2 a barrel (about the cost of producing oil in Saudi Arabia.
-A replacement of Iraq’s current regime with an even more U.S. friendly one could vastly improve the ease with which oil could be sucked out of Iraq by big oil corporations. It could also free up the U.S. military for a campaign against Saudi Arabia or against other members of Bush’s “avis of evil.”
What do they want to do?
-Plans are in the works for the bombing and eventually the invasion of Iraq, which will be followed up by a replacement of its current government with a new puppet government controlled by the U.S.
-It will also lead to a prolonged occupation of Iraq by U.S. forces.
We say human life must come before the profitability of the already rich oil corporations.
NO BLOOD FOR OIL!
What can you do?
-Contact the minister of foreign affairs, the Prime Minister, or your local MP and voice you opposition to any war in Iraq!
Minister of Foreign Affairs Primer Minister
Bill Graham Jean Chrétien
House of Commons House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6 K1A 0A6
800-267-8376 613-992-4211
Graham.B@parl.gc.ca pm@pm.gc.ca
Info on your MP’s and how to contact them can be found at http://www.canada.gc.ca/directories/direct_e.html
For more information on Iraq, the war, or anything mentioned here please e-mail pgcpc@hotmail.com