A bomb explodes in tiny hands

THE EDITOR: The famous pack of cards of members of the Iraqi government is now a collector’s item. Additionally, several members of the fallen Iraqi government are now in US/British custody. The serious issues to be determined are: Are these men war criminals? Before what tribunal are they to appear? Does any tribunal have jurisdiction to try these gentlemen as war criminals?

If America and England were to persist with this travesty then Nazi Germany, if they have been successful, would have been entitled to try and, if convicted hang Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt, among others, as war criminals? Let us take a critical look at the events that led up to the recent Iraqi invasion. Iraq invaded Kuwait allegedly for using directional drilling and stealing Iraqi oil. The Iraqi army was repulsed and thousands of Iraqi troops were shot in the back by American and coalition as they were retreating towards Baghdad.

The Coalition force used radio active material to harden their bombs and missiles. Up to today these nuclear materials has been responsible for the high incidence of cancer in Iraq (shades of Hiroshima). Millions of bomblets (droplets) were scattered all over Iraq and thousands were injured as they picked up these mini weapons and they exploded in the little hands of the infants killing many and maiming many more. The “No Fly Zone” was enforced in Iraq and it was only American and British planes that attacked “alleged” hostile sites in Iraq. Victims were many civilians, goats, sheep and other animals. In effect the invasion of Iraq did not take place weeks ago but with the advent of the No Fly Zone.

The embargo against Iraq was responsible for the deaths of over a million Iraqi children. Independent investigations by BBC, Al Jazeera, Amnesty International and several NGO’s confirmed this. The British and Americans invaded a weakened sovereign nation under a false pretext (WMD). No norm of International Law nor the Geneva Convention previously sanctioned or sanctions this type of behaviour. In subduing and occupying Iraq, thousands of innocent civilians were killed/murdered and thousands more will be permanently disabled. The occupying forces allowed the museums the libraries to be looted and destroyed. This is universally accepted as one of the greatest crimes against humanity ever. The occupying forces are set on controlling Iraqi oil for their own personal agendas. This is Grand Theft. Having set out these points I ask you, are not Bush and Blair the war criminals who should be brought before the Bar of International Justice to answer for their crimes and should their “Good German” colleagues not share the same fate?

M HOTIN
St James