The *FREE ARAB VOICE*
February 28, 1998

This issue of the Free Arab Voice deals with Iraqi gains from the recent
deal with Kofi Anan, and calls for the release of Jordanian opposition
leader Laith Shubailatt from jail.

1) How the Day was Won? by Muneer Shafiq, A Palestinian Writer

2) Oppression Classy Style by the Free Arab Voice

3) Action Alert: SUPPORT FREEDOM OF POLITICAL EXPRESSION IN JORDAN..
                 RELEASE LAITH SHUBAILATT NOW

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1)How the Day was Won? by Muneer Shafiq, A Palestinian Writer

It was inevitable for the agreement between the Iraqi government and 
Kofi Anan, the Secretary General of the U.N., to include a clause
binding Iraq to the implementation of Security Council resolutions
against it.  Also inevitable was opening up for inspection all sites
including Presidential Palaces.

After all that was requested of Iraq by almost all Arab and Islamic
states, and by the superpowers leaning Iraq-wise in the crisis like
Russia, China, and France.

Neither was Iraq opposed in principle to inspection even as it prevented
UNSCOM's team into the Palaces!  Rather it was clear from the start that
inspection was negotiable if Kofi Anan and the majority of the Security
Council would go along with proposed Iraqi changes to inspection teams,
and with the setting of some kind of conception as to ending the state
of siege once the inspections are through.

Inspections then would be conducted within a definite time frame even
under any maximum limit..

That's why the U.S. government's battle revolved diplomatically speaking
around depriving Iraq from that element.

Hence the essence of the American position has been to dominate
inspection teams and to totally forfeit decision-making especially with
regards to whence inspections are to be declared finished.  With the
ill-intention of leaving the sanctions indefinitely in place, this
malicious policy has thus far driven UNSCOM's inspection efforts for the
last seven years.

Therefore 1)the participation in inspection teams of other members of
the Security Council giving them a supervising and chaperoning role, 2)
adjusting the structure of those teams, and 3) the implicit promise
thereof of lifting sanctions when the work of the born-again teams is
over, all in all represents a political defeat for U.S. foreign policy.

The U.S. Administration might try to sweep that defeat under the rug by
arguing that its demand of unrestricted access to all sites has been
achieved. Yet nothing can be more indicative of the truth of that defeat
more than U.S. Administration insistence that it reserves the right to
reject the Iraq-UN deal and to strike Iraq unilaterally even before
Secretary General Anan has had the opportunity to take the agreement to
the Security Council; doing otherwise be tantamount to conceding
diplomatic defeat before Arab and Islamic states, and before Russia,
China, and France.

True the scale of the defeat was relatively small! But with far-reaching
and meaningful implications for the international balance-of-power
nevertheless.

But if the U.S. Administration didn't accept its diplomatic defeat, it
would then make a more grievous mistake by entering a war alone without
counting even on British support, or with British reservations.

Striking Iraq or entering a war in the midst of such international
isolation, and in the shadow of the confirmed deal between the UN and
Iraq would however make political defeat more certain and more macabre
than simply backing off by agreeing to the UN-brokered deal.

That's why Iraq did good by reaching that agreement with Kofi Anan...

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2) Oppression Classy Style by the Free Arab Voice

Right before the parliamentary elections in Jordan a few months back,
many newspapers or weeklies were shut down a few weeks before the
elections.  Given that the opposition has never had access to TV or
radio, this left opposition candidates practically without any forum to
vent their views.  Most of them ended up joining in or calling for an
electoral boycott.

Then a couple of weeks ago banned publications were allowed to resurface
with elections over and everything, but the right to demonstrate or have
public assemblies, especially in support of Iraq, was taken away.  The
same of course happened in the adjacent territories of the Palestinian
National Authority (PNA).

Hence at that particular stage in the conflict between Iraq and the
tyranny of the New World Order it was important to deprive Iraq from the
pressure the Arab street could have exerted in its favor on the
negotiating table.  Orders were issued in Washington and Tel Aviv to
forbid displays of popular Arab support for Iraq, and a few of those in
charge throughout rushed to implement these measures to 'further the
cause of democracy in the Arab world', i.e., colonial interests.

Thus the right to demonstrate was recently abrogated in Jordan but that
was balanced out by loosening the squeeze on banned publications at the
same time.  The important point is that a democratic veneer is always
maintained, but the most crucial means of expression available to the
people and the opposition at each stage is taken away: The best of both
worlds is thus reaped, with a democratic image and a dictatorial
content! The opposition is left without any ability to shape events.
But the human rights report looks better than it would have otherwise.

Tomorrow the right to demonstrate might be restored, but something else
will be taken away which will then be the most important way the
opposition can make a difference.  What will that be?  Perhaps it will
be taking away the leaders of the opposition who might make a difference
as happened to Laith Shubailatt, the president of the Council of
professional Trade Unions, who was arrested when he dared to bravely
defy the ban on public protests and is now looking to receive a jail
sentence of one to four years, may other opposition leaders learn to
never cross the line...

The Jordanian regime always retorts that in spite of all that the margin
of freedoms it's providing exceeds that of many other Arab states. And
that may be true if only because the Jordanian regime practices its
oppression in classy style.  For sure not many other regimes in the
region can claim to oppress so much with so little mess.  Certainly
Yasser Arafat's regime can't!

But regardless of how oppression is practiced, we should demand its
overthrow from ALL of our Arab homeland.  From Syria to Iraq to Tunisia
to Morocco and back to Jordan, Arab human beings have the right to full
democratic rights, including the right to be free from Israeli and
colonial domination.

Release all political prisoners!

Release Laith Shubailatt NOW!!

                                       The Free Arab Voice

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3)  Action Alert: SUPPORT FREEDOM OF POLITICAL EXPRESSION IN JORDAN..
                  RELEASE LAITH SHUBAILATT NOW

FEB. 23rd, 1998

As the world welcomes the good news of a diplomatic breakthrough in Iraq
brokered by the UN, the Middle East continues to be dangerous to any
Arab citizen willing to express her or his political rights.

Last week in Jordan one person was killed, scores of others were
injured, and a leading opposition member, Mr. Laith Shubeilat, head of
the Engineers guild and the council of professional Trade Unions in
Jordan, was arrested for the simple "Crime" of self-expression.

The popular opposition to the use of force that the Jordanian citizens
expressed was in fact no different than that expressed loudly by
American citizens during the Town hall meeting of the U.S. national
security team in Ohio, and in cities all over the country.

While popular American opposition to war was hailed as a working
democracy, popular opposition to war was brutally suppressed in Jordan
as violent crimes.

We call upon our government and our congress in Washington to demand
that the government of Jordan immediately release all individuals
arrested recently, especially opposition leader Laith Shubeilat, and all
prisoners of conscience in Jordanian Jails.

Arab American Democratic Committee/NJ, United Arab Community Club/Los
Angeles, Arab Community Center /Los Angeles, US Omen-LA Chapter,
Arab-American Press Guild, The Free Arab Voice Newsletter, Arab Cultural
Forum/Chicago, Palestinian Community Center/Chicago, Turmos Aya
Charitable Organization, Yalo Charitable Org./Chicago, General Union of
Palestinian Women/Chicago, Palestinian Democratic Committees, Arab
American Democratic club/LA, Rammallah Club/LA, Jordanian American
Committee for Democracy in Jordan/Wash. DC, Save The Iraqi Children
Committee/USA, American Democratic Coalition/USA, American Islamic
Center /USA
Arab - American Association of Orange. Arab American Society/Arizona.
CONTACT: RAY THABIT @ 562 - 925 - 7640

But what can *YOU* do?

If you live outside the U.S., get the action alert to your
representatives and media in your country.  But if you live in the U.S.
you can:

*Print the action alert above and MAIL it to:

I- Your Representative's Name, U.S. House of Representatives,
   Washington, D.C. 20515

II-Your Senator's Name, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510

*If you prefer CALLing, get their number from: 1(800)522-6721
                                           or: 1(800)972-3524

*You can also EMAIL the action alert individually or collectively to the
members of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee:

Jesse Helms, North Carolina:    jesse_helms@helms.senate.gov
Richard G. Lugar, Indiana:      N/A
Paul Coverdell, Georgia:        senator_coverdell@coverdell.senate.gov
Charles Hagel, Nebraska:        chuck_hagel@hagel.senate.gov
Gordon Smith, Oregon:           webmaster@gsmith.senate.gov
Craig Thomas, Wyoming:          craig@thomas.senate.gov
Rod Grams, Minnesota:           mail_grams@grams.senate.gov
John Ashcroft, Missouri:        john_ashcroft@ashcroft.senate.gov
William Frist, Tennessee:       senator_frist@frist.senate.gov
Sam Brownback, Kansas:          sam_brownback@brownback.senate.gov
Joseph R. Biden,Jr.,Delaware:   webmaster@biden.senate.gov
Paul S. Sarbanes, Maryland:     senator@sarbanes.senate.gov
Christopher J.Dodd,Connecticut: sen_dodd@dodd.senate.gov
John F. Kerry, Massachusetts:   john_kerry@kerry.senate.gov
Charles S. Robb, Virginia:      sysadmin@robb.senate.gov
Russell D. Feingold, Wisconsin: N/A
Dianne Feinstein, California:   senator@feinstein.senate.gov
Paul Wellstone, Minnesota:      senator@wellstone.senate.gov

* But if you don't want to or can't do any of the above, the least you
can is TALK about this injustice.  Word of mouth is just as
powerful...

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