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Washington's Lie — There's No Connection Between Inspections and Sanctions on Iraq (and Washington vetoed spending on Reconstructing Water Sanitation/Sewage facilities)

by Jon Basil Utley

As the oil price and scarcity concentrates the mind, one must remember that Washington's demands for inspections of Iraq have no connection with the easing of the devastating economic sanctions.

Living in Washington D.C., one of the aggravations is the constant Big Lie on the editorial pages The WASHINGTON POST and WASHINGTON TIMES stating that if Iraq allowed inspections, than sanctions would be lifted. Over a million dead Iraqis, since sanctions were imposed, deserve a focus.

The unquestioning repetition of the Administration line is just not true. Washington demands (and vetoes any contrary proposals at the United Nations) that Iraq must prove a negative, that it doesn’t have any weapon of mass destruction when some of these can be made in a bathtub. That the demands for inspections are simply a ruse to keep the sanctions in place is well understood by the Europeans, which is why several nations are breaking the sanction on their own. For example, .“Reuters reported, 12/13/99,----"The aim was to prevent the United States and Britain from imposing arms requirements that Iraq could not meet and thus keeping the sanctions in place for years to come." and France Presse 12/13/99, "French diplomats retorted that by insisting on full cooperation, the council would give the United States an excuse to refuse to suspend sanctions on the flimsiest grounds.

Former President Carter well explained Administration policy last year in the New York Times (5/27/99) “The approach the United States has taken recently…… presents an ultimatum to recalcitrant parties and then takes punitive action against the entire nation to force compliance…… The often tragic result of this final decision is that already oppressed citizens suffer.”

Washington’s policy, as also with Serbia, is to demand that the local ruler or dictator do things which will get himself killed or at least spend the rest of his life in jail as a “war criminal” thus leaving him no way out to save himself, and then inflicting murderous sanctions on the nation’s (innocent) populations.

Thus many foreigners think that Washington likes and wants the status quo in Iraq. Finally the WASHINGTON POST reported this in its 9/25 Sunday edition, "The Trap that suits Saddam -- and the U.S."

Furthermore the Administration has often declared that sanctions will never be lifted as long as Saddam stays in power. So why should he then allow inspections? Madeleine Albright declared in 1997: “We do not agree with the nations who argue that if Iraq complies with its obligations concerning weapons of mass destruction, sanctions should be lifted.” Clinton himself went one step further when he said, “sanctions will be there until the end of time, or as long as he [Saddam] lasts."

Remember also that the money from Iraq’s oil sales (other than what’s smuggled out) is controlled by the United Nations bureaucracy with Washington constantly preventing supplies needed to rebuild and maintain the oil industry. Billions of dollars are backed up in the pipeline. Then another 30% is ripped off from Iraq to pay claims for damages, even those inflicted by America. For example, "Last June 25, the UN awarded almost $2.8 billion to several oil companies, including more than $500 million to a subsidiary of Texaco, Inc., for equipment and facilities that were damaged when the U.S. led a 43-day war against Iraq in 1991. These oil companies..... were paid out of the UN Compensation Commission (all funds from Iraq oil sales are controlled by UN)" (Brian Becker, International Action Coalition)

As the oil crisis continues and Iraq may try something desperate to void the embargo, at least we should base our policies on the truth about what’s happening, not the lies from Washington's policy establishment.

Another Lie--that Saddam won't use oil revenue to help his own people. In fact the United Nations controls the money (other than for oil that is smuggled out). At the UN Washington has held up billions of dollars (sitting now in the bank) for reconstruction of sanitation, electricity reconstuction, irrigation and even chlorine to sanitize the water. Washington has allowed food and medicine, but nothing to rebuild clean water supplies. Now finally last November the Europeans shamed America and money for the above was allowed through. See Link to NY Times. report