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> Wed., Apr. 30, 2003
Pacifica's PeaceWatch
Today's Stories:
Rumsfeld in Baghdad
War crimes Charges Filed Against General Tommy Franks
Nada Doumani, ICRC State of Emergency in Iraq part 2
Who Will Control Iraq’s Oil
Oil for Food Program
Dr. April Hurley Updates Iraqi Child Ali Ismail Abbas
Author Scott C. Davis Reports on Conditions in Syria
National Grassroots Organizing Conference
Michael Woodson Whose Press Is it Anyway?
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Rumsfeld in Baghdad
War Secretary Donald Rumsfeld addressed US troops in Baghdad
today, once again extolling the virtues of US forces. He spoke
about the newly delivered freedom of the Iraqi people, even
as protests raged throughout Iraq toward the presence of U.S.
and British troops. Rumsfeld gave a poetic description of
the sensitivity of US military forces toward Iraqi civilians,
while the body count in Iraq is at least 2100 thus far. A
smiling Rumsfeld described the bloody invasion as ‘
was possibly the fastest march on a capital in modern military
history”
Tape: Secretary of war, Donald Rumsfeld.
There was no mention that US forces opened fire on about
1,000 anti-American demonstrators in the City of Falluja for
the second time this week. According to Reuters news service
the troops reported that they had been fired upon by the crowd
first and were defending themselves. Three Iraqis were killed
and another 15 injured.
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War crimes Charges Filed Against General Tommy Franks
This week’s multiple shootings of Iraqi civilians
are not the only potential war crimes of which US occupation
troops are being accused. Jan Fermon, a Brussels-based attorney
is filing suit on behalf of more than a dozen Iraqi plaintiffs
charging US military commander Gen Tommy Franks with war crimes
and violations of the Geneva Convention under Belgium’s
war crimes law, under the principle of universal jurisdiction.
The prospect of a US general joining the ranks of other defendants,
such as Generals Ariel Sharon of Israel and Augusto Pinoichet
of Chile, aroused the wrath of the State Department, which
warned Belgium of severe consequences if indictments are issued
against American troops and officers. Peacewatch producer
Robert Knight spoke today with prosecuting attorney, Jan Fermon
about the war crimes litigation.
Tape: Belgian attorney Jan Fermon, present war charges against
General Tommy Franks within the next two weeks.
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Nada Doumani, ICRC State of Emergency in Iraq part
2
In the face of rising anti-American sentiments in Iraq,
US Secretary of War Donald Rumsfeld says that humanitarian
agencies are leaving Iraq because there is no humanitarian
crisis. PeaceWatch spoke with Nada Doumani, spokesperson for
the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the
humanitarian situation in Iraq on yesterday. Today we continue
that conversation as she specifically addresses the question
of health conditions in Baghdad and the legacy of Cluster
bombs used by US forces.
Tape: Nada Doumani, spokesperson for the International Committee
of the Red Cross, in Baghdad, Iraq
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Who Will Control Iraq’s Oil
The debate over who will control Iraq and what kind of government
it will end up with is growing hotter and hotter. At the heart
of this debate is the question of who will actually control
the oil in a country that enjoys the world's second largest
oil reserves. Even after almost 20 years of war and sanctions,
Iraq is able to simply open the taps and restart full-fledged
production at any time. But just who will run this operation
and where will the money go?
Tape: Oula Farawati from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
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Oil for Food Program
At the National Press Club in the nation’s capitol
this morning, Executive Director of the United Nations Office
of the Iraq Program, Benon V. Sevan expanded upon renewed
concerns about the export of oil under the oil for food program.
Reviewing the UN Oil-for-Food program, which is funded entirely
by revenue from oil exported under its guidance, Sevan opened
by reacting to accusations of bloat and inefficiency that
have been cast while the UN tries to get the program moving
in face of debate in the Security Council and in the wake
of the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq. The head of the UN's
Iraq Program went on to bemoan restrictions placed on the
humanitarian aid workers, imposed not by the UN Secretary
General, but by member states of the Security Council, with
the US being the prominent force in that body. Sevan didn't
let the Iraqi government escape his criticism either. WPFW
reporter Matthew Bradley attended the press conference…
Tape:
When asked about former Oil-for-Food official Dennis Halliday's
resignation in protest of the US-backed sanctions and the
consequences on Iraqi civilians, Sevan responded emotionally
and critically. Also during the question and answer session,
he expressed more of his frustration with the pace of events,
but was optimistic that the program would resume shortly.
Tape: Matthew Bradley reports for PeaceWatch and WPFW and
the DC Independent Media Center.
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Dr. April Hurley Updates Iraqi Child Ali Ismail Abbas
Few of us will forget the image of a small, frail, 12-year
old boy lying in the hospital in Iraq, asking, “Can
you give me back my arms?” Today, according to the London
Dispatch, a successful first skin graft operation was performed
on Ali Ismail Abbas the 12-year-old Iraqi boy who lost both
arms and was orphaned in a US missile strike on his home.
Ali underwent a three-and-a-half hour operation to 75 percent
of the burns on his body, according Kuwaiti health ministry
spokesman Ahmad al-Shatti. Ali was diagnosed with burns to
more than 20 percent of his body, on his arrival at the burns
center in Kuwait on April 16.
Dr. April Hurley of Santa Rosa, CA spent several weeks in
Iraq with the humanitarian group Voices in the Wilderness,
visiting hospitals and was in the hospital when Ali arrived
and saw him before his arms were amputated. PeaceWatch spoke
to her today about her visit with Ali and the extent of his
injuries. Hurley also discussed her adventures of traveling
across the US by train, for two days upon her return, to readjust
to life in the US. She was in Baghdad during the entire US
bombing campaign.
Tape: Dr. April Hurley of the humanitarian group Voices
in the Wilderness
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Author Scott C. Davis Reports on Conditions in Syria
As the war on Iraq winds down, North Korea and Syria are
moving into the spotlight as possible future targets of US
military intervention. Scott C. Davis traveled through Syria
during the first ten days of the Iraq war, and asked ordinary
Syrians to share their thoughts on the U.S. led invasion of
Iraq. His most recent book is entitled, The Road from Damascus,
a Journey through Syria
Tape: Scott C. Davis, author of The Road from Damascus,
a Journey through Syria
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National Grassroots Organizing Conference
Even as Bush announced today that military force in Iraq
is officially ending, peace activists across the country are
continuing to mobilize against the occupation of Iraq. The
"End The War" grassroots coalition is gearing up
for a 4-day conference May 1st through May 4th in the nation’s
capital. The conference will address the US invasion of Iraq
and implications and strategies for the Peace movement.
Ryme Katkhouda, Peacewatch producer for Pacifica station
WPFW in Washington DC, spoke with Mike Zmolek, the outreach
coordinator of this 300 member organization about the network’s
activities, and the relevance of this annual conference to
the Peace movement in this country. The 4th annual conference
to End The War network will take place Thursday May 1st to
Sunday May 4th at the University of Maryland.
Tape: Thanks to Ryme Katkhouda, Peacewatch producer from
WPFW, Pacifica's station in Washington DC for this segment.
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Michael Woodson Whose Press Is it Anyway?
The Corporate media has come under criticism continually
since the Bush administration began beating the drums of war
against Iraq. The criticism continues because of what some
would call the complicity of the media in practicing the art
of omission. Pacifica listener Michael Woodson was troubled
by a recent article he read in the New York Times, and he
offers this reflection…
Tape: Michael Woodson listens to Peacewatch on Pacifica
station KPFT in Houston.
Credits
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