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> Tues., Sept. 16, 2003
Pacifica's PeaceWatch
Today's Stories:
Spanish Anti-War Activist Describes
Her Recent Visit to the Occupied Territories
Court Rules For Judicial Watch And Against Secrecy of Energy
Task Force
Historian Howard Zinn on Patriotic Anti-war Activism
“Beyond War” Documentary Series Part II,
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The United States says it will veto a draft resolution demanding
that the United Nations ensure the safety of Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat because it would be seen only as a condemnation
of Israel.
U.S. deputy ambassador James Cunningham said he told the
Security Council that the United States was not satisfied
with a revised text of a Palestinian-backed resolution introduced
after Israel threatened to deport Arafat from the West Bank.
The council agreed to meet again this afternoon, but Cunningham
said no negotiations were taking place to try to find a compromise.
Syria had intended to push for a vote on the draft resolution
after a daylong open meeting on the Middle East yesterday,
but was persuaded by other council members to amend it and
delay the vote for a day. It was not clear if Syria would
call for a vote.
Cunningham said, "We don't think the concept of the
resolution as it now stands is useful and our aim is to try
do something that is useful to get people refocused on the
road map and what needs to be done, or to avoid something
that will be harmful to that (peace) process."
Asked to confirm reports that he had told the Security Council
the United States would veto the revised draft, he said, "Yes,
that's right." The revised draft "demands that Israel,
the occupying power, desist from any act of deportation and
to cease any threat to the safety of the elected president
of the Palestinian Authority."
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell accused Syria yesterday
of doing too little to end what he said was its support of
"terrorist activity," including cross-border infiltration
by saboteurs into Iraq.
Powell told a news conference during a brief stopover in
Kuwait on his way home from Iraq that the U.S. Congress would
debate a Syria Accountability Act Tuesday due to its deep
concern over Syria's lack of cooperation.
Powell said, "So far the Syrian leadership has not
responded as forcefully and as thoroughly as I would have
liked and thus Congress is debating the act tomorrow."
The bill cites Syria's support for terrorism, its continued
military presence in Lebanon and development of weapons of
mass destruction.
Syria has repeatedly rejected U.S. accusations that it backed
terrorists, saying it was an active opponent of global terrorism.
It has also said of its support for anti-Israeli organizations
like Lebanon's Hezbollah that they had a right to resist Israel.
Powell said he had emphasized to Syrian leaders when he
visited Damascus in May that Washington's demands included
"an end to the support of terrorist activity and that
they should eject those individuals in Damascus who are connected
to terrorist organizations."
Powell went on to say, "I made it clear to the Syrians
that to have good relations with the United States and with
a liberated Iraq, they should do everything they could to
make sure that the wrong sorts of people are not crossing
the border to cause trouble in Iraq."
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Spanish Anti-War Activist Describes Her Recent Visit
to the Occupied Territories
Damu Smith of Pacifica station WPFW in Washington, DC spoke
with Esther Serra, a member of the International Solidarity
Movement, who recently returned from the Occupied Territories.
She described the current situation in the region, but began
by describing how people in her native Spain view the Israeli
occupation.
Tape: Esther Serra is a member of the International Solidarity
Movement, who recently returned from the Occupied Territories.
She spoke with host Damu Smith of Pacifica station WPFW in
Washington, DC
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Court Rules For Judicial Watch And Against Secrecy
of Energy Task Force
A federal appeals court in Washington, DC recently rejected
the Bush administration's efforts to conceal the details of
the energy task force held by Vice President Dick Cheney.
The administration has sought to keep the names of the participants
as well as the substance of those meetings secret. Judicial
Watch sued the task force in 2001.
Judicial Watch's Chairman and CEO Larry Klayman joined Peacewatch
today to discuss the ruling. We asked him why Judicial Watch
had chosen to file suit against the administration.
Tape: Larry Klayman, Chairman and CEO of Judicial Watch,
a conservative public interest group that investigates and
prosecutes government corruption and abuse. For more information
about them log onto their website at www.judicialwatch.org.
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Historian Howard Zinn on Patriotic Anti-war Activism
With opposition growing to the US occupation of Iraq, both
within the military ranks and among many Americans here at
home, some supporters are quick to discount the critics as
“anti-American,” but historian and veteran peace
activist Howard Zinn says dissent is, in fact, the most patriotic
action an American can take.
Tape: Historian Howard Zinn is the author of A People’s
History of the United States. He spoke at Kansas State University.
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“Beyond War” Documentary Series Part
II,
Three more US soldiers were wounded in Iraq, today, in separate
attacks near the cities of Fallujah and Mosul. Witnesses say
one soldier was injured when a mine exploded as an American
military convoy passed nearby. Another two were wounded in
separate attacks with explosive devices and small arms.
Well, today on Peacewatch, we’re going to continue
our examination of the human costs of war-- not just in Iraq,
but also around the world. All this week, we’re playing
excerpts of a documentary entitled “Beyond War,”
which takes a look at the effects of war on families, children
and societies, both domestically and abroad. We continue today
with author and historian Howard Zinn.
Tape: Beyond War is produced by David Freudberg and distributed
by PRI, Public Radio International www.humanmedia.org.
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