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> Wed. Mar. 12, 2003
Pacifica's Peace Watch
Today's Stories:
Officials Deny Report That bin Laden Has Been Arrested
Britain Backing Out? Donald Rumsfeld
Israel/Palestinian Conflict and Bush War Plans for Iraq
Is It Anti-Semitic to Link the War Against Iraq and Israel
In Turkey Anti War Demonstrations
Daniel Ellsberg Responds to Leak of Aggressive Surveillance
of UN Security Council Members
DC Based Organization Pickets Leading Local Paper Regarding
Their Coverage of The Peace Movement
Labor Day For Peace
Students Walk Out
International ANSWER
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Story: Officials Deny Report That bin Laden Has Been
Arrested
Pakistani and U.S. officials are denying Iran Radio's report
that bin Laden has been arrested in Pakistan but that his
capture would not be announced until the outbreak of fighting
in Iraq.
The Iranian state radio's external service quoted the deputy
leader of the Islamic Awami Tahrik party in Pakistan, who
also made the same assertion to The Associated Press. Pakistani
interior and information ministries denied bin Laden had been
captured, as did the CIA and the U.S. military in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile the diplomatic impasse over invading Iraq continues.
The six swing states on the U-N Security Council that represent
the key to a U.S. victory have proposed a 45 day reprieve
for Iraq. The Bush administration was dismissive of the proposal
calling it a “nonstarter.” White House spokesman
Ari Fleischer said, ‘on this matter, the American people
are becoming increasingly impatient with the U-N.” A
vote on a second British-American resolution imposing a March
17th deadline was delayed yesterday when it became clear the
nine votes needed were not secured.
Story: Britain Backing Out? Donald Rumsfeld
As the United States prepared to press the UN Security Council
into a vote on war with Iraq before the end of the week, Washington
was looking increasingly isolated on the world stage and may
even have to gear up for an assault on Baghdad without the
military back-up of its staunchest ally, Britain.
Responding to reporters’ questions at a press briefing
yesterday Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged
for the first time that mounting pressure against Tony Blair
in Britain might force the U.S. to go to war with Iraq alone.
Tape: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
David Isenberg is a senior analyst with the British
American Security Information Council. During an interview
earlier today Peacewatch asked Eisenberg how Rumsfeld’s
statement is playing on Downing Street.
Tape: David Isenberg a senior analyst with the British American
Security Information Council.
Story: Israel/Palestinian Conflict and Bush War Plans
for Iraq
US Congressman Jim Moran, Democrat of Virginia, recently
came under fire for comments regarding Jewish support for
the war in Iraq. PeaceWatch spoke with political analyst Chris
Toensing, of the Middle East Research & Information Project
about Moran’s comments and whether or not he felt Moran’s
comments were accurate. And whether there was a connection
between the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and Iraq.
Tape: Chris Toensing, editor of Middle East Report, a project
of the Middle East Research
& Information Project
Story: Is It Anti-Semitic to Link the War Against
Iraq and Israel
A weekly columnist for the UK Independent Newspaper, Yasmin
Alibhai-Brown has been engaged in a battle of words for a
series of articles she wrote linking Israel to the war on
Iraq. PeaceWatch spoke with Brown yesterday about her articles
and the differences between the US policy in Iraq and Israel.
Tape: Yasmin
Alibhai-Brown, A weekly columnist for the Independent
Newspaper of Great Britain
Story: In Turkey Anti War Demonstrations
Turkish soldiers fired in the air today and demonstrators
tried to block what they call the illegal deployment of US
Troops onto Turkish soil. Around 150 Turkish demonstrators
tried to force their way through the gates of the Mediterranean
Port of the Iskenderum but were rebuffed by fire from the
Turkish Arm. The protesters shouted, "Yankee go home!"
as blue-uniformed Turkish police and troops in camouflage
uniforms and helmets blocked their way. More than 90 percent
of Turks oppose the war. Just 12 days ago -- March 1st --
the Turkish Parliament voted not to allow the US led war on
Iraq. Nonetheless, US military convoys leave everyday from
the Port of Iskenderun for the Turkish-Iraqi border.
Meanwhile, the European Court for Human Rights censured
Turkey for its treatment of Kurdish PKK leader Abdulla Ocalan.
Tape: From Diyarbakir, Turkey, Aaron Glantz
Story: Daniel Ellsberg Responds to Leak of Aggressive
Surveillance of UN Security Council Members
Last week, the London Observer reported on a top-secret
U.S. memo outlining plans for surveillance of United Nations
delegates to gain an advantage in the debate over Iraq. The
leaked National Security Agency document described aggressive
surveillance of the home and office telephones of UN Security
Council members expected to oppose the resolution setting
a deadline for Iraq’s disarmament.
Former government whistleblower Daniel
Ellsberg said at a Tuesday press conference in Washington
that global reaction to the report could land a devastating
blow to U.S. efforts to gain approval for the resolution.
Ellsberg is best known for leaking the Pentagon Papers to
the New York Times in 1971, which were widely credited with
helping to turn public opinion against the war in Vietnam.
Speaking at the press conference, he called on other government
officials to leak documents to Congress and the press showing
the Bush administration is lying in building its case against
Saddam Hussein.
Ellsberg said the story on spying at the United Nations
is potentially more significant than the Pentagon Papers,
and faulted the U.S. media for downplaying it while the story
gained headlines throughout the rest of the world.
Tape: Former government whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. Thanks
to Avishay Artsy for that report.
Story: DC Based Organization Pickets Leading Local
Paper Re: Coverage of Peace Movement
A Washington-based political action organization, Black
Voices for Peace organized a rally today to protest media
coverage of the peace movement by The Washington Post, a local
paper in the nation’s capital. Tens of thousands women
from around the world descended on Washington over the weekend
in celebration of International Women’s Day and to denounce
the Bush administration's policy in Iraq. They received very
little coverage in the local paper. PeaceWatch correspondent
Selina Musuta spoke with participants on the picket lines
in front of the headquarters of The Washington Post.
Tape: Thanks to Selina Musuta for that report
Story: Labor Day For Peace
Today is the National Labor Day Against the War and leaders
from the nation’s main farm labor organizations sent
a letter to Bush expressing outrage over his “heavy
handed tactics” against the Mexican government in an
attempt to secure it’s agreement for a war on Iraq.
Tape: Delores Huerta co-founder of the United
Farm Workers of America
Story: Students Walk Out
Around the country, high school students continue to make
known their opposition to the proposed war in Iraq. Today
1,400 students walked out of Walter Johnson High School in
Bethesda, MD. PeaceWatch spoke with Doug Kelvin of World Youth
Media, one of the organizers of the walk out.
Tape: Doug Kelvin of World Youth Media, speaking with PeaceWatch
producer Scott Gurian
Story: International ANSWER
While the Bush administration continues to pressure members
of the UN security council for a vote on an attack on Iraq,
the International ANSWER coalition-Act Now to End War and
Stop Racism-is calling for a global demonstration this Saturday
March 15th in an emergency mobilization to stop the war.
At a press conference today in Washington DC, representatives
of ANSWER outlined the plans for this weekend's rally and
march to surround the White House, while former US Attorney
General Ramsey Clark detailed a campaign to impeach President
Bush. Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, is a lawyer with the Partnership
for Civil Justice on the steering committee of ANSWER.
Tape: Thanks to Radha Lewis from DC-RADIO-COOP and Ryme Katkhouda,
Peacewatch producer from WPFW, Pacifica's station in Washington,
DC
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