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Baghdad Bashing May Help Bush's Re-election

Michael Jansen writes from Nicosia
THERE is a warning for Third World loader. In the enduring cold war between Iraq and the Untied Nations Security Council do not Incur the personal YrmUty of any ol the leaders of the three Western permanrnl members of the Council Or earn the hostility of their allies or clients
Iraq's soverel^ity and terri torial integrity are threatened by Western military Interven Hon. ostensibly because Bagh dad refuses to comply with Council FtesoluUon 687 setting forth conditions for the cease lire in the war between Iraq and the United States led coalition, and Resolution on Iraq s treatment of tt. civil tan population
In July the US. Britain and France prepared to resume air raids against Iraq if UN weapons Inspectors were not granted access to all the sites they specified
In August, these Western coalition partners promoted the creation of a "no fly zone in southern Iraq, below the 32nd Parallel, in order to pre vent Iraqi military aircraft attacking Iranian-backed Shia rebels hold up In the marshes along with the Iran-Iraq fron tier.
If the Iraqi government were to comply, these.resolutions would, in effect, deny It the right to defend Itself and Its territory from attacks by dissident minorities.' encour aged and financed by outside pourers.
In addition, they wquid compel Iraq to sell Its oil. the country's major resource, through outlets chosen by a UN committee, to customers II selected and at a price it fixed, with the revenues spent under the committee's direction.
The resolution* force Baghdad to accept the delineation of its border with Kuwait by another UN commission which awarded the emirate part of
Iraq's only port and seven of its oil wells.
No self-respecting, sovereign country could atxcpt such term* of total surrender, terms which have been Im posed by one man, US Pres) dent George Bush, io humiliate and punish another man, Iraqi Preskienl Saddam Hussein
Contrary to claims made by Bushs DenuxTilllc oppoia nts
that his administration had ■tilted" toward Iraq and encouraged Saddam Hussein to think he had US support, early In 1990 the US made clear Its outright antagonism toward Iraq
This antagonism was dis played largely through the media, whk h castigated Iraq form human rights violations, us arms build up, its aKpn-nton
of sensitive Western techno I ogy — all activities in which a host of other Third World countries also engaged.
But the real reason for the West's increasing hostility towards Saddam Hueeetn was hl* assumption of leadership in the Arab world, consecrated by the holding of a Arab summit in Baghdad tn May 1990. and Iraq's assertion that It would retaliate massively against Israel If It were to attack "any Arab country"
Thus, a* soon as Iraq sent Its troops into Kuwait, bush made up his mind to go to war. Ills declared objective was the liberation of Kuwait, but his real aims were I he destruction of Iraq s capacity to strike at Israel and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein
Kuwait has been liberated for 18 months now. and. because of the clash of will in July between Baghdad and UN weapons inspectors, tt was revealed by Rolf Ekeus. the Swedish diplomat In charge of the Inspection effort, that vir lually all Iraq s weapons of mnas destruction and their d tlvrry systems (long and medium range ballistic mis sfk-sl have been, or are befng. eliminated
This leaves Bush face-to face with "that man." Saddam Hussein, whose ousting In Bush s remaining object for pursuing Iraqi vKitilions of UN resolution* Behind him Bu*h has the support of more than 65 per cent of the American electorate
This means that the months of September and October
could be dangerous for Saddam Hussein who can expect the US to step up Ito efforts to desurtHhoe his country and, to shift the present cold war to a hot war to demonstrate before polling day on November 3 Bush’s abilities as coonHander-in-chief.
Because of this preoccupa-lion with Saddam Hussein. Bush has deeply offended and alienated Jordan s King Hussein. once a personal friend For three months Jordan, which opposed the Gulf war. has been under strong US pressure to apply strictly the UN trade embargo against Iraq.
At first Jordan was asked to permit the stationing of 20-30 UN monitors along Its frontier with Iraq and at Aqaba port, through which al) Iraq s sanctioned supplies of food and medicine pass This was rejected by Jordan which curtailed private trade between It* own and Iraqi merchant*.
1n July the kingdom wa* pressed io allow a UN team to liis|H-l monitoring and customs arrangements along the IronlKT but this. loo. was. re-purtcdly. rejected
li,> retaliation Jordan was threatened with tlie cancellation ol US aid to the value of 865 million promised for 1993. This sum. however, mnnot match the more than •300 million Jordan earns In transit dues and profits from trade with Iraq, or make up for the UN-authorised 55.000 bar rels of Irani oil the kingdom receives dally, half of Ils free
In lh«- vu-w of * senior Jor danbmofflclal^^^jressure
wa. being earned on Jordan because ft had not jnl—g "the anti-lraq camp" as did Syria. Turkey and Egypt Jordan, he said remain* Iraqs "window on the world." which Bush want* to shut UghL to cfooe Iraq to the outside world and •cal In Its people.
To demonstrate his coun try . wilhngnes* to go along with UN policy, Jordan's Crown Prince Hassan aatd that tt would aree to the propmed monitors if they were also deployed along Iraq's borders with Syria, Turkey, Iran and the Gulf countries.
All these countries are carrying on hi^ily profitable sane tion. busting trade with Bagdad Turkey is, for reampk. providing goods tn exchange for 20.000 barrets a day of cheap Iraqi diesel fuel, carried In hidden comparimcnta slung beneath many of the 1,000 lorries that cross the border everyday.
The US has "turned a Mind eye" to sanction-busting by ail these countries because of their participation tn Desert Storm.
However, it may Bnd tt more difficult to ignore flagrant vtoiaUons now becooee. during the latest UN Iraqi test of wills, when Bush threatened to resume his bombing campaign. Turkey, Washington's NATO ally, rerosed the US use of Turkey’s air bases and Syria Indicated that It would not participate tn renewed lw«Ih Ues.
Since Iraq is out of Kuwait and no Isn^r poses a dan^r to its neighbours, the UN might be allowed to turn Us attention t6 the far more serious threat to world peace caused by war In ex YugnsinvU. But as long as Saddam Huastln Is in power. George Bush will Insist that the Iraqi leader and his country .houM be the main focus of UN attention.
- GEMINI NEWS