Pacifica's Peace Watch
Thurs. Jan. 2, 2003
Today's Stories:
U.S. troop movement: Center For Defense Information, Retired
Admiral Steven Baker
UN Tightens Restrictions for Food for Oil (Syrian Ambassador
Wehbe)
UN Tightens Restrictions for Food for Oil (Iraq Deputy Ambassador
Mohammed Salman)
View from Baghdad Michael Birmingham
Ralph /Mya Commentary N. Korea double standards
Turkey/Kurdish reaction to Iraq War
Williams Rivers Pitt speech "Making the Case for Peace:
A Historical Perspective (Part One)
Former Gulf War veteran Turns Peace Activist - Flashpoints
Fly By White House Brain Trust Dolls
The audio of today's show is posted at http://www.radio4all.net/
Story: U.S. troop movement: Center For Defense Information,
Retired Admiral Steven Baker
Iraq said today it has cooperated with U.N. inspectors and
that they have found no weapons of mass destruction in five
weeks of searching, so their crucial report to the U.N. Security
Council this month should favor Baghdad. The inspectors, however,
said it's too soon to draw conclusions about whether Iraq
has complied with U.N. demands - as it must to avoid war with
the United States.
The Bush administration cited nine areas in which it said
Iraq's declaration fails to provide a complete picture of
actual weapons holdings. These included unaccounted-for thousands
of pounds of growth media for producing anthrax and chemical
precursors for making mustard gas.
On Thursday, U.N. inspection teams visited five sites in
the area around Baghdad, including a chemical plant, a state
company that works on missile propellants and an air force
technical warehouse. As usual, they said nothing about their
findings. Meanwhile, thousands of U.S. troops are being deployed
into the region. Retired Rear Admiral Steve Baker, Senior
Fellow at the Center for Defense Information says Central
Commander General Tommy Franks has a checklist that’s
growing shorter by the minute in preparation for a potential
invasion into Iraq.
Tape: Retired Rear Admiral Steve Baker
[top]
Story: UN Tightens Restrictions for Food for Oil
(Syrian Ambassador Wehbe)
The government-controlled Iraqi press also reproached the
Security Council for tightening controls on imports to the
country, saying council members were following the dictates
of Washington and furthering "the mad U.S. attempts to
wage aggression on Iraq." Gen. Hossam Mohammed Amin,
Iraq's chief liaison to the U.N. inspectors, said the inspections
so far with visits to 237 sites in five weeks; gave credence
to Baghdad's assertion it has no more banned weapons. Amin
said the inspections had been intrusive and included surprise
visits.
Speaking before the Security Council, earlier this week
Syrian Ambassador Mikhail Wehbe said that Syria abstained
from the Security Council vote because there wasn’t
adequate time to review the complex proposed resolution.
Tape: Syrian Ambassador Mikhail Wehbe
[top]
Story: UN Tightens Restrictions for Food for Oil
(Iraq Deputy Ambassador Mohammed Salman)
Iraqi Deputy Ambassador Mohammed Salman addressed the press
after the Security Council meeting earlier this week in New
York.
Tape: Iraqi Deputy Ambassador Mohammed Salman
[top]
Story: View from Baghdad Michael Birmingham
While the US prepares for war in Iraq, dozens of Westerners
demonstrated in front of the UN building in Baghdad. Michael
Birmingham, a member of the Voices in the Wilderness Peace
Team filed this report.
Tape: Michael Birmingham, a member of the Voices in the
Wilderness Peace Team
[top]
Story: Ralph /Mya Commentary N. Korea double
standards
South Korea rejected a proposal from the communist North
to work together against the United States and told Pyongyang
today to stop saber rattling. South Korea Unification Minister
Jeong Se-hyun also said the North's leadership "should
not attempt to test the limit of the patience of the international
community."
Jeong, whose ministry handles inter-Korean affairs, said
his government will use upcoming inter-Korean cabinet-level
talks to urge North Korea to stop efforts to restart its nuclear
facilities. The meetings, which are the highest channels of
dialogue between the two sides, will provide the first opportunity
for South Korea to directly raise the nuclear issue with the
North.
Tape: Ralph Schoenman and Mya Shone of Pacifica station
WBAI commentary
[top]
Story: Turkey/Kurdish reaction to Iraq War
Turkey's Prime Minister announced this week the Turkish
Army will occupy Northern Iraq if the Kurds gain autonomy
as part of a Federation of Iraq.
Tape: Aaron Glantz, Peace Watch correspondent from Diarbakkir
near the Turkish-Iraqi border.
[top]
Story: Williams Rivers Pitt speech "Making the
Case for Peace: A Historical Perspective (Part One)
As we begin a new year, we wanted to provide a historical
perspective for our commitment to a diplomatic resolution
of conflicts in the Middle East and Iraq. In part one of a
three-part series, author and high school teacher, William
Rivers Pitt illustrates how the ongoing aggression in the
Middle East is the continuation of a greater conspiracy for
domination of the natural resources of the world by the US
and Britain.
Tape: William Rivers Pitt, Speaking recently at Boston University,
by Mark Weaver of community station WMBR in Boston
[top]
Story: Former Gulf War veteran Turns Peace Activist
- Flashpoints
A convoy of human rights activists will leave London next
month for Baghdad, led by former US Marine Kenneth Nichols.
Nichols is a decorated Gulf war veteran, but he is now an
outspoken critic of the Bush administration’s policies
to launch another war against Iraq.
Tape: Kenneth Nichols, by Dennis Bernstein, of KPFA’
Flashpoints
[top]
Story: Fly By White House Brain Trust Dolls
Finally, in case you’re a bit late getting your Christmas
this year Peace Watch has a few gift ideas of our own.
Tape: Production of the Davis Radio Theatre
Credits
[top]
For a copy of today's show, please contact Pacifica
Radio Archives at 800 735 0230.
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