Pacifica's Peace Watch
Tues. Dec. 22, 2002
Today's Stories:
North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons
Oil as Motive for War on Iraq
Saudi Arabia approves use of air bases
Rumsfeld/Iraq connection
Dr. Muqtedar Khan, Muslim Public Affairs Council
William Rivers Pitt speech at Boston University
New UN Restrictions on Iraq
14 Arrests at the Pentagon Peace Vigil Today
Culture of Peace
The audio of today's show is posted at http://www.radio4all.net/
Story: North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons
As the Bush Administration advances its agenda towards war
with Iraq, North Korea has declared that it has begun removing
UN surveillance equipment at a Yongbyon nuclear plant. Peter
Brookes, the former Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary says,
despite the fact that both North Korea and Iraq have an expansionist
record, the US should concentrate on diplomatic options
Tape Peter Brookes, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Defense “these are wars of choice”
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Story: Oil as Motive for War on Iraq
Bush administration officials said yesterday the United
States plans to secure Iraqi oilfields if it invades and is
looking into the possibility of ramping up oil production
beyond the U.N. oil-for-food program to pay for post-war reconstruction.
Powell said “The oilfields are the property of the Iraqi
people. And if the coalition of forces goes into those oil
fields, we would want to protect those fields and make sure
they are used to benefit the people of Iraq and are not destroyed
or damaged by the failing regime on the way out the door,''
he said. Revenue generated from the oilfields would be used
``in accordance with international law and to benefit the
people of Iraq.”
Increasing Iraqi oil production may help Western oil-consuming
nations, including the United States, by lowering oil prices.
But it could hurt key U.S. oil-producing allies, such as Saudi
Arabia and Russia, by reducing their revenues from oil sales.
Iraq sits on top of the world's second largest oil reserves,
but war and a decade of sanctions has withered its oil infrastructure
and official exports. Analysts have said international oil
companies like Exxon Mobil, BP and Shell would want to take
part in any rehabilitation of the country's oil industry.
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Story: Saudi Arabia approves use of air bases
On another front, U.S. defense officials disclosed yesterday
that Saudi Arabia would let the United States use its air
bases and an important operations center in a possible war
with Iraq. The unidentified officials say American aircraft
using the bases would likely be for defensive purposes only,
with ground attack jets striking Iraq from elsewhere in the
region. But a high-tech operations center at Prince Sultan
Air Base could be used to coordinate air strikes against Iraq.
Secretary of State Colin Powell declined to confirm the Saudis
had agreed to allow the United States to use air bases and
the command center in their country, but said, ``We are in
consultation with the Saudi Arabians on all of these issues.''
On CBS' ``Face the Nation.” Powell added ``... I'm not
unhappy with the level of cooperation we've received from
the Saudis on all aspects of the global war on terrorism and
what we are doing with respect to Iraq.''
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Story: Rumsfeld/Iraq connection
Today’s Washington Post features a front-page article
titled "U.S. Had Key Role in Iraq Buildup." The
piece outlines U.S. support for Iraq during the 1980s, including
meetings Donald Rumsfeld had with Saddam Hussein and other
Iraqi officials.
Tape: Democracy Now producer, journalist Jeremy Scahill
speaking with Amy Goodman about his article titled: “The
Saddam in Rumsfeld’s closet,”
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Story: Dr. Muqtedar Khan, Muslim Public Affairs Council
The second annual convention of the Muslim Public Affairs
Council was recently held in Long Beach Calif. The Council
is comprised of experts in Islamic affairs and included a
panel discussion on the impending war in Iraq.
Dr. Muqtedar Khan Assistant Professor of Political Science,
Director of International Studies and Chair of the Department
of Political Science at Adrian College in Michigan spoke regarding
the role of media in legitimizing a war on Iraq.
Tape: Dr. Muqtedar Khan assistant professor of Political
Science, director of International studies and Chair of the
department of Political Science at Adrian College in Michigan.
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Story: William Rivers Pitt speech at Boston University
In a speech at Boston University, William Rivers Pitts reveals
shocking details chronicling the step-by-step development
of “the Other American Dream.” Pitts shows how
the US has manipulated foreign policy to ensure the US control
of natural resources in the Middle East and Asia. In their
book "War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want you to
Know" Pitts and Ritter dismantle the myths surrounding
Iraq's present weapons capabilities to uncover the neo-conservative
forces behind the White House's push for war on Iraq.
During the seven years that U.N. weapons inspections took
place in Iraq, Ritter and other inspectors confirmed that
Saddam Hussein's chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons
programs had been effectively destroyed. This fact undermines
the Bush administration's false premise for waging war on
Iraq.
Tape: William Rivers Pitts, author of "War on Iraq:
What Team Bush Doesn't Want you to Know", by Mark Weaver
of community station WMBR in Boston,
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Story: New UN Restrictions on Iraq
At the request of the U.S. and Britain, the Security Council
voted in favor of slapping new restrictions on Iraqi imports
today in an effort to prevent Baghdad from acquiring equipment
that could be used in a possible war. Russia and Syria abstained
from the vote, arguing that the changes hurt deliveries of
humanitarian goods to Iraq.
Reuters news service reported over the weekend the Bush
Administration wants to continue the United Nations Oil for
Food Program for Iraq even after a war on the country. But
most of the people who work on the oil for food program oppose
it. They also oppose the war.
Tape: Captain Turan Çam at the Western end of the
Iraqi oil pipeline in Yalmaturak Turkey by Peace watch correspondent
Aaron Glantz
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Story: 14 Arrests at the Pentagon Peace Vigil Today
For 15 years now, peace activists have held a regular vigil
outside the Pentagon building every Monday. The pentagon police
arrested 14 people today.
Tape: Peace Watch producer Scott Gurian filed this report
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Story: Culture of Peace (15 min)
Among the hundreds of thousands of people opposing a US
attack on Iraq, many are proposing alternatives to war. For
this year-end program of Pacifica's Peacewatch, we bring you
a "Culture Of Peace", a two-part series produced
by Ryme Katkhouda,
Pacifica's Peace Watch correspondent at Pacifica station WPFW
in DC.
Tape:
Credits
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For a copy of today's show, please contact Pacifica
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