Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

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REVUE DE PRESSE-PRESS REVIEW-BERHEVOKA ÇAPÊ-RwISTA STAMPA-DENTRO DE LA PRENSA-BASIN ÖZETi
I
Iraqvows
to defy the
no-fly zones
Baghdad recalls the Gulf
War with anti-US protests
Reuters
BAGHDAD- President Saddam Hussein said
his country would not remain idle to~â.rds the
imposition of no-fly zones by U.S., BritIsh and
French planes over northern and southern parts of
Iraq. .
In a defiant speech marking the third annIversary
of the Gulf War over Kuwait, Sa~da~ sa!d
he was running out of patience on the ~ltuatlOn In
Kurdish rebel north and over the contInued U.N.
embargo on Iraq.
"We shall not leave our people in northel'!1 Iraq
or stand hands-folded toward the perpetuatIon of
the blockade and the violatio'n of the sanctity and
sovereignty of our air space in so~thern Iraq," he
said in a speech televised live. HIS ~emarks mar- ,
ked a departure from Baghdad's earher stance not
to try to defy the administration of U.S. Presidentwards the West in about a year.
Bill Clinton. When Clinton tookoffice a year "They should remember that the will of the
ago, Iraq hoped to see a new chapter of relattons, A!mighty ~s slro.nger than theirs and than the
start with the United States.
will of theIr devils. and that the fate of crimi-,
The Iraqi leader did not say what measures
had. in mind but Baghdad repeatedly defied
he ' . naIs is an eye for an eye and a tooth for a to-
the oth."
no-fly zones under former U.S. President George He also lashed ouI al Ihe United Slates sa-
Bush. ying the world's only superpower was 01; ihe
Iraq's anti-aircraft defenses fired at the Western " f ". I
l,janes. The United States, Britain and France re- PrecipiCe 0 u.nmor~ degradation." The Irata!i:1ted
!J':' :l~ii;:!:trod::Jbile bon:è;')~ ql'd'eader Pdromdlse~hiS people. suffering from
• WI e~prea eprivatlOn under U.N. trade
Saddam, dressed in his uniform of field mars- sancllOns, Ihat he will not "stand hands-folhal,
~aid: "We have .maintained patience over the' ded toward the perpetuation of the blockacontm~ed
embargo Impos~d on us. by the will of de."
.the ~vlls and also mamtamed patIence' over the TI d
contInu~d flying of their planes ~n South Iraq and . le roa. to .viclory is short, Saddam told
.preventtn& our planes from flYIng south of the . hIS hard-hit natIOn, promising that "Your gre-
32nd Paralle!." Re added: "We had also maintai- at feast is near."
ned patience toward continued plundering in
north Iraq and in the life of our people to the
north of the 36th Parallel... We shall not relinquish
our people in northern Iraq." '
Th~ .Kurd~, under Western protection! have set
up theIr regIOnal government and Parltament in
ili.e north, away from Baghdad's authority.
,Western planes patrol a zone in the north Lo
protect Lhem from attacks by Iraqi army.
T~ey als.o guard an~~her zone m the south to
shIeld dissident Shutes from air attacks by
Baghdad. Saddam urged the West to forsake
illusions on taming Iraq and called on the
Weslern leaders Lo learn from what he termed
past lessons.
"We repeat to all evil masters andsubordin~tes
that they should not be illusioned and
mIscalculate and to learn from the lesson of
th~ past and absorb their meanings," Saddam
Said. The speech was Saddam's toughesLLo-
Iraq recalls Gulf War
with anti-US protests
Meanwhile. several thousand Iraqis marco'
hed through Baghdad on Monday shouting'
anti-American sl~gans and declaring loyalty
to Saddam Hussem on the third anniversary
of,~he outbreak ~f the Gulf War.
. Whether. Clinton and (Saudi Arabia's
, Kmg) Fahd Iike"or not, Saddam is s~aying in
power for e~er, they chanted, wavmg their
fists a~d callIng for rev~nge.
Iraq s Youth FederatIOn brought in members
from ~round t~~ country, including
Kurds weann.g tr.adltIOnalbaggy trousers
who danced In CIrcles around pipers and
drummers and. told reporters they came from
th~ rcb~1 proVInces ofDahouk, Erbil and Sulalmalllya.
Major Denies Be Knew of
Anns-to-Iraq Policy.
86
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'By Eugene Robinson
'Washington Post Service
LONDON -Prime Minister John Major told a special,
inquiry Monday that despite holding key cabinet posts.
under his predecessor, Margaret Thatcher, he was unaware
that officials in Lady Thiitcher's government had
relaxed guidelines covering arms-related sales to Iraq.
Not even when he served a brief stint as foreign secretary
in 1989, Mr. Major testified, was he told that the
guidelines had been altered to let British companies sell
eq~p'ment to Iraq that later was used to make shells,
IDlssilés ,lind other weapons ..
"Neither at that stage nor later was I involved in the
, formulation of the guidelines, consideration of the guidelines,
amending the guidelines or the interpretation of the
guidelines," Mr. Major said.
The prime minister's remarks came in an appearance
before Lord Justice Richard Scott, who is conducting a
wide-ranging public inquiry into Britain's arms-ta-Iraq'
scandal. It was believed to be the first time a sitting British
prime minister had been questioned by such, a panel.
. ' .
Mr. Major himself ordered the investigation after it was
disclosed more than a year ago that Britain had secretly
relaxed its stance toward equipment salesto Iraq in the
late 1980s. That decision Ultimately aided the Iraqi arms
,buildup for the invasion of Kuwait. The policy shift,
Which w. s kept from Parliament, is detailed in scores of
documents unearthed by the investigation. Top officials,
including Lady Thatcher, have denied being informed.
, Mr. Major joined the chorus on Monday, telling Lord
)ustice Scott that the guidelines on sales to Iraq were
.designed to be flexible and that interpretation was left to
lower-ranking officials. .
The decision to allow British companies to sell to Iraq
more "dual-use" equipment, such as sophisticated machine
tools that might have both civilian and military use,
,was made in 1988, documents indicate.
But Mr. Major told Lord Justice Scott he had no idea
..the guidelines had been altered until November 1992,after
the government's attempt to prosecute three British businessmen
for vi~lating the guIdelines had collapsed. During
the trial of the three executives of Matrix Churchill it
was revealed that government officials knew all along that
the "dual-use" equipment the machine-tool company had
sold to Iraq was destined for arms factories.