WASHINGTON. Aug 7: The spirit of the anti-Vietnam War movement revisited the US capital Sunday as thousands of Amer leans, singing old anti war songs, gathered In front of the White House to protest sanctions ag;iinst Iraq, reports AFP.

"Stop the sanctions now!" chanted the crowd In Lafayette Square as folk song legend and long-time peace activist Pete Seeger played the banjo and sang "Down by the Riverside." a time-honoured hymn of the Vietnam War generation.

An estimated 3.000 people braved driving rain to vent their frustration with the United States, Britain and other western powers, which led International efforts 10 years ago this Sunday to Impose sweeping UN sanctions against Iraq following its Invasion of Kuwait.

"What is the purpose of this policy?" asked Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader, one of about a dozen speakers at the rally.

"Is It to destabilise the dictator of Iraq?' he continued. "The policy Increases the repression and

the power of the dictator of Iraq. Is It to demonstrate that the United States of America is the most powerful country In the world? I don't think that needs to be demonstrated on the graves of one million innocent Iraqi civilians."

Nader said 5.000 Iraqi cliildren were dying each month from diseases and malnutrition resulting from the sanctions.

Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Onio echoed this view by saying the sanctions were "wrong’ and did nothing but continue to "weaken and kill innocent children."

"I am here to let our current and future leaders know that there are many of us in Congress who oppose this sanctions policy." dedared the lawmaker.

The sanctions, which since their imposition by the UN Security Council on August 6, 1990, have been criticised by France. China and Russia, have had a devastating effect of Iraqi society, according to UN experts.

Per capita income fell from 3.416 dollars in 1984 to less than 1,036 in 1998, according to a UN report presented to the Security

Council last year.

Infant mortality doubled from 64 per each one thousand births In 1990 to 129 In 1995.

However, the sanctions regime was somewhat eased in late 1996 with the Introduction of a so-called "oil-for-food" program that allows Baghdad to sell oil and use the proceeds to buy food and medicine.

Since the Inception of the program Baghdad has been able to export 30.5 billion dollars worth of oil. while the United Nations has approved more than seven billion dollars worth of contracts for delivery of humanitarian goods to Iraq.

But despite public complaints, the United States strongly signalled last week that it Intended to keep tightening the screws on Baghdad until President Saddam Hussein was removed from

"There may be some Internationally who speak with rase and comfort about the possibility of living with the Saddam Hussein regime, even of rehabilitating Saddam." said Assistant Secretary of State David Welch.