Republican News · Thursday 6 February 2002

Neither Washington nor London!

A Chairde,

As you are aware, George Bush and Tony Blair are determined to start a war on the Iraqi people. It is also clear that this war has nothing to do with weapons of mass destruction or human rights abuses in Iraq and everything to do with controling the oil reserves in that country.

Both administrations have a long history of arming, supporting and installing regimes right accross the globe. The only crime the Iraqi people have committed is that their land covers massive oil reserves. And both Washington and London want to control these reserves.

Unfortunately, our own government would rather be cheerleaders in this war rather than play a proactive role in avoiding conflict. We must demand an immediate end to the use of Shannon Airport for refueling US warplanes. These forces are en route to carry out military operations that will certainly lead to the deaths of thousands of innocent Iraqis.

Yet despite the massive drive to war, there is also a groundswell of people in Ireland and abroad actively mobilising against this war. As part of this there is an international day of action being organised on 15 February. There will be marches in every capital and major city in Europe and in dozens of capitals accross the world.

Here in Ireland there will be a march in Dublin, assembling at 2pm at the Garden of Remembrance. Sinn Féin is one of the main organisers of this march, therefore we are asking our cummainn and supporters across the country to attend. We are asking people to meet at Head Office, 44 Parnell Square, at 1pm. From here we will join the march as a Sinn Féin contingent to ensure our voice is clearly heard. Bring banners, flags and whistles.

We have a proud history of opposing imperialist wars, now it is time to bring that history back to life.

For further information please do not hesitate to contact me.

Daithí Doolan,
Sinn Féin Átha Cliath.
086-8534666

Sanctions and inconsistency

A Chairde,

Your correspondent Mel Grimes (Mála Poist, 30 January) accuses me of inconsistency on the matter of sanctions. The reality, of course, is that Israel has defied and continues to defy a succession of UN resolutions with regard to the rights of the Palestinian people. Far from incurring sanctions at the behest of the US, the government of Israel is the recipient of massive amounts of money and armaments from that source. I think it would be timely that the EU would act to express the disapproval of the vast majority of its citizens of Israel's treatment of the people of Palestine. Limited economic sanctions are a justifiable option - if only to make the political point that Israel's conduct is totally unacceptable.

It is universally recognised that years of the most punitive sanctions have had a devastating effect on the people of Iraq - the very people who also suffer from the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Hundreds of thousands of children have died as a result. By contrast, international sanctions played a progressive part in bringing about the end of apartheid in South Africa and probably helped to avoid much bloodshed.

Sanctions per se are not the problem, as Mel Grimes says. But he must also agree that there are many levels of sanctions and that there is no consistency in when and where they are applied. That is because the fundamental principles of the UN have been repeatedly undermined by the powers that dominate the Security Council.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD
Teach Laighean.

The rush to war

A Chairde,

Not long ago, the United States and British administrations, in trying to garner support for war in the Gulf, argued that by holding weapons of 'mass destruction' Iraq presented a threat to world peace.

The report, delivered to the United Nations on Monday 27 January by its own weapons inspectors in Iraq, made clear that there is no evidence to suggest that Iraq has revived its nuclear programme. In other words, no weapon of 'mass destruction' has been uncovered in Iraq. In addition, the weapons inspectors predict that if they are given a little more time they will be able to confirm that Iraq holds no nuclear weapons.

Were they interested at all in avoiding conflict, George Bush and Tony Blair would have no difficulty at all in allowing the United Nations the additional time needed to make good its prediction.

While the rest of the world interprets the UN weapons inspectors' progress report to at least mean that international stability is under no immediate threat from Iraq, the United States and Britain appear to be determined to start a war before the United Nations can confirm that war is neither necessary nor justifiable.

It has not gone unnoticed that with the release of the progress report from the weapons inspectors, there has not been as much talk from London or Washington about Iraq's destructive arsenal. Instead, the main thrust of the pro-war argument now centres on claims that Iraq is linked to the Al-Qaida network. Until now, Al-Qaida had not been written into the equation.

When world peace depended upon the destruction of Afghanistan in order to root out Al-Qaida, it was not suggested that the organisation was in cahoots with Iraq. However, in the absence of anything more damning, the thinking would seem to be that by making a link, irrespective of how spurious, between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaida, the world will buy into the argument that a war is necessary.

It is a pity the pragmatism displayed by George Bush in the face of North Korean sabre rattling cannot be applied to Iraq. Some might have argued that the North Koreans were going out of their way to present themselves as a threat to world peace. To his credit, George Bush did not become overly excited. Why then, is he so insistent on attacking a country that neither claims to be nor is perceived to be a threat.

Perhaps world peace is not the issue currently exercising the US President's mind. Didn't someone say there is oil in Iraq?

Cllr Michael Browne,
Sinn Féin,
Belfast.

Political policing still with us

A Chairde,

Like their forbears in the RUC, the PSNI obviously adjudge attendance at the annual Bloody Sunday Commemoration in Derry as an act of subversion.

Two PSNI jeeps were dispatched from our 'local police station' to spy on who was boarding the Bloody Sunday bus that left from the Health Centre car park, in Strabane on Sunday. A jeep then tailed the bus right up to the border at Lifford.

Yet there are those within the nationalist community, and particularly the SDLP, who would have us believe that 'political policing' is a thing of the past.

Not holding my breath.

Strabane nationalist
Name and address with editor

Cormac partitionist shocker!

A Chairde,

Phoblacht is justly proud of the Cormac comic strip and the role political humour has played in the paper for many years but is it just me or does Cormac rarely, if ever, deal with Southern politics?

Might this possibly be changed so that every now and again we can see him targeting, so to speak, politicians and institutions down here?

Justin Moran,
Church Road,
East Wall,
Dublin 3

New Galway SF office

A Chairde,

The Galway Sinn Féin Constituency Office is now open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm. The office is at 19 Upper Abbeygate Street Galway (turn right at Lynch's Castle on Shop Street and office is above 'Odese' cafe).

The office will support Sinn Féin throughout County Galway, tel: 091-532825.

Hopefully this new resource will help advance the struggle in the West of Ireland.

Eoin Brady,
Galway Sinn Féin