Representative Tony Hall (Democrat, Ohio) recently returned from Iraq as
the
first elected US official to visit the country since the Gulf War. The
truthful voice of a US congressperson would have been a significant addition
to the fight against the murderous policy of sanctions. But instead of
returning to tell the truth about sanctions on Iraq, Mr. Hall has chosen
not
to break ranks with the Clinton administration and Congress.
In his press statements there is no mention or condemnation of the continued
bombing of Iraq by the US and Britain warplanes. He offers no opinion on
the
US support for the Turkish invasion of Iraq carried out during his
fact-finding trip. He raises no question about the stated goal of the
'no-fly-zones' to protect the Kurds. Nor does he condemn the US ally, Turkey
carrying its civil war against the Kurds into Iraq. Doesn't he have an
opinion about these facts of US policy toward Iraq? Instead of
distinguishing himself Mr. Hall has chosen to run with the pack in Washington.
While claiming compassion for Iraqis, he cynically denies the possibility
of
an alternative to the hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by sanctions.
"While sanctions clearly have played a role in Iraqis' suffering, lifting
them would not provide much comfort to citizens there." He gives no evidence
for this absurd conclusion, but within the world of US imperial politics
who
will challenge it?
Mr. Hall joins the company of Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd
Axworthy in advocating 'smart sanctions.' This spin came out of the
discussion around UN Security Council Resolution 1284 passed in December
of
last year. With this resolution Iraq has been officially reduced to the
status of a permanent UN protectorate. Its most vital resource, oil, is
under UN control. Its imports will continue to be controlled by a hostile
UN
Sanctions Committee that arbitrarily denies the nation its vital
necessities.
To placate international outrage over sanctions policy and the UNSCOM fiasco
the Security Council spokespeople promise reform of the sanctions regime
and
a truly independent arms inspection agency. In case you are suspicious
they
even gave it a new name.
The reformers of sanctions like Hall and Axworthy promise to work toward
a
'more effective response' from UN humanitarian agencies. Canada's Axworthy
has promised $100,000 to fund a study the problems of UN agencies running
Iraq. In the US, Mr. Hall suggests US representatives on the UN Sanctions
Committee should "use better judgement" when denying Iraq vital imports
but
saves his strongest remarks to condemn the Iraqis themselves for the effect
of sanctions. "I am hopeful that Iraq is realizing the long term human
cost
of its strategies, and I will look for signs that it will set more humane
priorities in the future. For example, trying to mask dual-use or other
prohibited items by inserting them into contracts for humanitarian goods
is
counterproductive. Iraq's government knows those efforts only result in
the
delay of needed food, medicine and other humanitarian items."
To stand with the people of Iraq requires a willingness to defend their
long
denied right to self-determination against their imperial overseers. Within
the US and UK it requires courage and tenacity to stand up against a general
ignorant or chauvinistic public opinion. To discover traces of this
character in the US Congress would have been a rare find indeed.
Robert Allen
Campaign to End the Sanctions
The US State Department release of Representative Hall's statement can
be
read at http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/iraq/iraq0424.htm
While reading this wretched dreck you can note the lengths they go to
capitalize on Congressman Hall's reputation as a 'humanitarian activist'
by
citing his chairmanship of unknown human rights groups and his nomination
for Nobel Peace Prize for "proposals for a Humanitarian Summit in the Horn
of
Africa"!