Your Voice in a World where Zionism, Steel, and Fire, have Turned Justice Mute

 

 

The *FREE ARAB VOICE*
May 23, 2000
In this issue of the Free Arab Voice (FAV) we present:
1) Two Official British Documents to the United Nations Arguing that the
Travel of Civilians by Air in and out of Iraq does not Constitute a
Violation of the Embargo, brought to you courtesy of Laith Shubeilat, the
President of the Association against Zionism and Racism in Amman, Jordan
2) On Opportunistic Alternatives to the Status Quo, by Ibrahim Alloush
3)"Besieging the Siege": Iraq, Syria, and the Jordanian Opposition Bring
Down a Major "Israeli" Industrial Venture in Jordan, a news report brought
to you in cooperation with the Jordanian Weekly, Assabeel, www.assabeel.com
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1) Two Official British Documents to the United Nations Arguing that the
Travel of Civilians by Air in and out of Iraq does not Constitute a
Violation of the Embargo, brought to you courtesy of Laith Shubeilat, the
President of the Association against Zionism and Racism in Amman, Jordan
Dear Readers of the Free Arab Voice,
Below you shall find the transcripts of two documents containing official
statements by British Government representatives to the United Nations
emphasizing that the travel of civilian passengers in and out of Iraq does
not constitute a violation of the embargo.  These British declarations to
the Sanctions Committee came in anticipation of the evacuation of British
nationals from Iraq right before the war started.  However, if this was the
official British interpretation of Resolution 661 (1990) before the war but
after the imposition of sanctions on Iraq, why can't it still be applied
today to non-British civilians after the war, for example, to Iraqi
civilians?
The documents below bring forth the double standard applied to British and
Iraqi nationals, and the way superpowers toy with international law to suit
their interests at the moment.
The argument here would be that Britain was willing, because it sought to
evacuate its citizens from Iraq, to interpret Resolution 661 in a way that
leads one to conclude IN PRINCIPLE that air travel by civilian passengers is
NOT in violation of the embargo on Iraq.  It is interesting to see how that
interpretation is defended twice by the British Government in the documents
below.  On the other hand, the British Government had no problem whatsoever
in turning around and resorting to the most strict interpretation of
Resolution 661 when it was to be applied to Iraqi citizens and other
nationals.  Such hypocrisy however makes a mockery of international law and
wreaks with disregard for Iraqi lives.
The documents below, moreover, are important today because they can be used
as a powerful weapon against the embargo, by the anti-sanctions/anti-war
movement worldwide.  They serve to underline the moral aspects of the
embargo, and the double-standards practiced by the West.  They can also
serve to push for a  reinterpretation of  Resolution 661 to allow civilian
air travel in and out of Iraq, based on the British interpretation of that
resolution.
The paragraphs highlighting the British position on how the travel of
civilians by air does not constitute a violation of the embargo have been
capitalized.
[These documents are brought to you by the Free Arab Voice in cooperation
with Laith Shubeilat, the president of the Association against Zionism and
Racism (AZAR). ]
                                        The Free Arab Voice
-------------
First Letter:
-------------
S/AC.25/COMM.39
9 OCTOBER 1990
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
SECURITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED
RESOLUTION 661 (1990) CONCERNING THE
SITUATION BETWEEN IRAQ AND KUWAIT
[Letter dated 9 October 1990 from the Deputy Permanent Representative of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations
addressed to the Chairman of the Security Council Committee established by
Resolution 661 (1990) concerning the situation between Iraq and Kuwait]
I wish to refer to the letter of today's date from the Deputy Permanent
Representative of the United Nations, Mr. James Milkinson, regarding a
flight by an Iraqi Airways aircraft from Baghdad to London on Wednesday 10
October, which is scheduled to depart at 1800 hours local time.  IT IS THE
UNDERSTANDING OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT THAT THE FLIGHT WILL BE CARRYING
ONLY PASSENGERS AND THEIR PERSONAL BAGGAGE AND WILL THEREFORE BE CONSISTENT
WITH THE TERMS OF RESOLUTION 661.
In accordance with their obligations under Resolutions 661 and 670, the
British Government will ensure that the aircraft is fully inspected on
arrival at, and before departure from, London to ensure that it has carried
and will not carry any prohibited cargo.  In view of this the approval of
the Committee is sought under paragraph 4(b) of the Resolution 670 in
respect of the return flight from London to Baghdad.
I should be grateful if you would circulate this letter to the members of
the Committee immediately.  In view of the imminent departure of the flight
it would be most helpful if you could inform the Members of the Committee
that if no objection has been received by 2000 hours today, you will take
this as signifying their approval.
                     [Signature]
                     Yours Sincerely
                     T L Richardson
--------------
Second Letter:
--------------
S/AC.25/1990/COMM.6
30 AUGUST 1990
SECURITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED
RESOLUTION 661 (1990) CONCERNING THE
SITUATION BETWEEN IRAQ AND KUWAIT
[Letter dated 29 August 1990 from the Permanent Representative of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations
addressed to the Chairman of the Security Council Committee established by
Resolution 661 (1990) concerning the situation between Iraq and Kuwait]
In connection with the implementation of Security Council Resolution 661
(1990) I have the honour to bring the following matter to the attention of
the Sanctions Committee of the Security Council.
It was announced by President Saddam Hussein on 28 August that all foreign
women and children currently detained in Iraq would shortly be permitted to
leave.  Accordingly my government has been making arrangements to evacuate
the British nationals concerned as quickly as possible by air.
Depending on the outcome of further discussions with the Iraqi authorities,
this evacuation will take place either by British or by Iraqi carrier.  In
either case the British government will take all necessary measures to
ensure that neither the outward nor the return journey will be used for any
purpose that is contrary to the provisions of SCR 661.
The authorities of a number of countries en route whom my authorities have
approached for overflight clearance have shown reluctance to grant it on the
grounds that to do so would run counter to their obligations under SCR 661.
IT IS THE CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF MY GOVERNMENT THAT SUCH FLIGHTS, CARRYING
ONLY PASSENGERS, ARE NOT IN CONTRAVENTION OF THE PROVISIONS OF SCR 661.  I
WOULD VALUE THE COMMITTEE'S IMMEDIATE ENDORSEMENT OF THIS VIEW.
Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.
                         [Signature]
                         Crispin Tickell
################################################
2) On Opportunistic Alternatives to the Status Quo, by Ibrahim Alloush
Activists who try to adhere closely to principled stances on the issues are
frequently chided for criticizing other groups and personalities who seem
vehemently opposed to the status quo and who seem dedicated to political and
social change as well.
An example of this would be the disapproving way with which some
well-intentioned activists frown upon Malcom X's ferocious attacks on Martin
Luther King, Jr.  Other examples from the struggles of Third World peoples
in general, and the Palestinian and Arab struggle in particular, also
abound.  The rationale of the frown is that it is better to work together
with all those opposed to the status quo, than to delve into internal
bickering and ideological schisms over issues that are frequently perceived
as 'less important', or too far ahead.
To a certain degree, that rationale holds a great degree of truth.  It is
better indeed if Islamists, Nationalists, and leftists work together, as
opposed to working separately, against the Zionist occupation of Palestine,
for lifting the siege on Iraq, and towards the elimination of injustice and
oppression everywhere.
Yet that should not make us politically color-blind!
For there are groups and personalities in the political arena with
opportunistic agendas, who  think that the 'art of politics' is about riding
the popular tide to achieve personal ends that have nothing to do with the
struggle.  An example of that would be Arafat and the way he always
manipulated the armed struggle and the sacrifices of so many.  For him and
his entourage, the cause of Palestine is the cause of becoming king and
retinue.
Politicians like that need to be exposed BEFORE they get the chance to
reproduce the very oppression the activists are struggling against.  For
eventually, what we opt for is the elimination of all oppression, not merely
changing the identity of the oppressors.  Henceforth, those who failed to
expose Arafat while he was exhibiting early on latent signs of opportunism
have effectively contributed to making things what they are nowadays.
Similarly, we have among us today many who seem vehemently opposed to Oslo,
but not for the right reasons, and not really!  They in fact want Oslo minus
the human rights abuses of the PNA plus a little bit more territory than
what the PNA has obtained minus the corruption of the PNA.  So they in fact
want a watered down version of Oslo, an Oslo +, that is, which is totally
unrealistic ONCE YOU START WITH ACCEPTING THE PRESENT BALANCE OF POWER which
supports oppression.  Those who start out with recognizing "Israel's" right
to exist (the principle of the Zionist occupation of Palestine), condemning
the armed struggle, accepting the received version of the Holocaust, etc…
cannot offer anything radically different from what we have.  They can sugar
coat it, they can water it down, but they cannot change it.
There are others as well who call for lifting the siege on Iraq, but who
also call for establishing a regime in Iraq which would go along with the
so-called 'peace process', globalization, and the New World Order.  These
are of the same variety, opportunistic alternatives to the status quo.
Their arguments frequently rotate around demanding 'what's realistic' under
the circumstances.  But then, when popular resistance [as in the victories
of Hizbullah] proves them wrong, they ride the popular wave hoping it would
subside as they try to divert it in more opportunistic directions.
Surely, in the very short-run, we might find ourselves walking in
demonstrations alongside these guys, and that is fine.  But we should never
commit the cardinal sin of thinking that because those who embrace
opportunistic alternatives to the status quo are spewing out RHETORIC
against the power structure, that their political POSITIONS are sound, that
they are credible, or that they offer anything that radically different from
what is.  We should never allow ourselves the morbid luxury of letting these
opportunists think for us or lead us.  We should not allow them to becloud
our political vision of reality, or to impede the emergence of a pristine
radical option which would tackle the root causes of oppression and
injustice, not merely ameliorate some of their manifestations.  To neglect
those duties, would be to allow dormant opportunistic alternatives to the
status quo to reproduce a more sinister status quo in the future, and to
crowd out a more radical program and leadership in the present.
That's because genuine change doesn't come about by itself, and doesn't come
about from super-heroes, dramatic acts, or miracles from above.  Social and
political change is the outcome of prolonged collective action by dedicated
ordinary people guided by an extra-ordinary conscience and a political
consciousness made of light.  There is no room in its program or leadership
for opportunists or defeatists.
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3) "Besieging the Siege": Iraq, Syria, and the Jordanian Opposition Bring
Down a Major "Israeli" Industrial Venture in Jordan, a news report brought
to you in cooperation with the Jordanian Weekly, Assabeel, www.assabeel.com
South Lebanon was not the only Arab territory the Zionists pulled out of
recently!
Seven factories established in the aftermath of the Wadi Arabah Treaty
between Jordan and the Zionist entity under the label of 'Al Aser Complex'
bit the dust last week.  'Al Aser' has been a partnership between a group of
Jordanian and Zionist investors, with the former contributing 60% of the
capital and the latter contributing the rest.  But the Jordanian partners
who put up eleven million dollars were up for a big surprise last week when
the Zionist partners went to the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Amman to
pull out of the deal.  The Jordanian partners were up for a bigger surprise,
moreover, when they discovered that factory machines bought through the
Zionist partners were not at all what they were promised, with a present
worth only about five to ten percent of their alleged book value.  Cheers!
But these were not the only Zionist promises that were broken in this raw
deal.  The Zionists had promised their Jordanian partners to open up
European and international markets to the products of 'Al Aser'.  "There are
big bucks to be made here   quickly", they reassured, "and the seven
factories will turn into a giant network".  In exchange, the Jordanian
partners were supposed to OPEN UP ARAB MARKETS, ESPECIALLY THE IRAQI MARKET,
UNDER THE DISGUISE OF THE 'MADE IN JORDAN' LABEL, FOR THE
PARTIALLY-"ISRAELI" PRODUCTS.
But that ploy failed due to the confluence of three factors:
1) The Iraqi government closed off its starving market before 'Al Aser'
   products
2) The Syrians turned back all shipments of 'Al Aser' products right off the
   state line with Jordan
3) Anti-normalization groups in Jordan transmitted information about the
   partial Zionist identity of 'Al Aser' to Arab states, and called for a
   boycott on its products amongst Jordanians.
So, when the Zionists realized that the Iraqi market especially is out of
the question, they bailed, leaving the Jordanian partners twisting with
heavy losses and the pipe dreams of making it big into international
markets.  But now they have realized, albeit a little too late, that the
Zionists only needed Jordan as a gateway into Arab markets, particularly
since the Jordanian market itself is too small to support industrial
ventures like Al Aser on its own.  Furthermore, Zionists don't need Jordan
to enter European and American markets.  Therefore, on the General Assembly
meeting of share-holders in Irbid in Northern Jordan, the Vice-President of
Al Aser, Marwan Assa'eh, is reported to have said: "We have been nothing but
a bunch of dupes".
Back in South Lebanon, members of the defunct South Lebanese Army are
probably echoing exactly the same sentiment right now.
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FAV Editor: Ibrahim Alloush Editor@freearabvoice.org
Co-editors: Nabila Harb Harb@freearabvoice.org
  Muhammad Abu Nasr Nasr@freearabvoice.org
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