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World News
2/24/03 - 3/2/03
Sunday 3/2/03
Turk: No Plan for Vote on U.S. Troops 3/2/03 AP: "Turkey's ruling party has no plans in the "foreseeable future" to seek another parliament vote for the deployment of U.S. troops on Turkish soil for a war with Iraq, a party leader said Sunday."
300,000 Yemenis Protest US War Plans 3/2/03 Arab News: "More than 300,000 Yemenis took to the streets yesterday to denounce the United States and Israel as an “axis of evil” and urge Arab leaders meeting in Egypt to deny Washington any help in a war against Iraq."
Al-Qaeda suspect 'under interrogation' 3/2/03 BBC: Americans would do well to remember that Al Qaeda was born in the torture cells of House Saud. They are well adapted to that environment.
Envelopes with white powder sent to four GOP lawmakers 3/2/03 CNN: Other sources confirm that there was no evacuation because their mail is electronically zapped to kill all micro-organisms. This mail bore markings showing that that had been done.
Luis Gilberto Murillo, former governor of Chocó Province, Colombia 3/2/03 Global Exchange: See events listing for March and April. "Luis Gilberto Murillo, a former Colombian governor now exiled in the US, will travel the country urging people to oppose a larger US role in Colombia's civil war… In 1998 Mr. Murillo won a tight victory to become the country's youngest governor and the leader of Chocó, the poorest state in Colombia. Mr. Murillo's success was the result of his tireless organizing efforts in support of environmental protection and the country's Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations. His aggressive advocacy on behalf of the country's voiceless constituencies while in office soon led to death threats from Colombia's right-wing paramilitaries."
US prepares to use toxic gases in Iraq 3/2/03 Independent, UK: "The US is preparing to use the toxic riot-control agents CS gas and pepper spray in Iraq in contravention of the Chemical Weapons Convention, provoking the first split in the Anglo-US alliance. "Calmative" gases, similar to the one that killed 120 hostages in the Moscow theatre siege last year, could also be employed… The Ministry of Defence has warned the US that it will not allow British troops to be involved in operations where riot control agents are used, or to transport them to the battlefield, but Britain is even more concerned about the calmatives. This is shown by documents obtained by the Texas-based Sunshine Project under the US Freedom of Information Act. These reveal that the US is developing calmatives – including sedatives such as the benzodiazapines, diazepam, dexmeditomide and new drugs that affect the nervous system – even though it accepts that "the convention would prohibit the development of any chemically based agent that would even temporarily incapacitate a human being"."
Revealed: US dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq war 3/2/03 Observer, UK: "The United States is conducting a secret 'dirty tricks' campaign against UN Security Council delegations in New York as part of its battle to win votes in favour of war against Iraq. Details of the aggressive surveillance operation, which involves interception of the home and office telephones and the emails of UN delegates in New York, are revealed in a document leaked to The Observer… Disclosure of the US operation comes in the week that Blix will make what many expect to be his final report to the Security Council. It also comes amid increasingly threatening noises from the US towards undecided countries on the Security Council who have been warned of the unpleasant economic consequences of standing up to the US… The existence of the surveillance operation, understood to have been requested by President Bush's National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, is deeply embarrassing to the Americans in the middle of their efforts to win over the undecided delegations.
The language and content of the memo were judged to be authentic by three former intelligence operatives shown it by The Observer. We were also able to establish that Frank Koza does work for the NSA and could confirm his senior post in the Regional Targets section of the organisation."
Iraq Hands More Ammunition to Anti-War Camp 3/2/03 Reuters: "Iraq destroyed a second batch of banned missiles and Turkey held up the Pentagon's battle plans, handing more ammunition to France and other countries opposed to any U.S.-led rush to war against Baghdad. Baghdad made the destruction of its arsenal of some 120 al-Samoud 2 missiles, expected to take two weeks, a key test of world opinion on its cooperation with the United Nations, warning it would stop if Washington launched any war without U.N. authorization… The Pentagon says it can draw up alternative plans for a war against Iraq without using Turkey as a northern front, but analysts believe such a campaign would be slower, more costly and far more risky."
Saturday 3/1/03
 Iraq starts destroying banned missiles 3/1/03 BBC: "Iraqi technicians have begun destroying four of its al-Samoud II missiles after agreeing a schedule for their destruction with United Nations weapons inspectors."
New York: Reunion Comunitaria con Celeo Alvarez, 3/1/03 3/1/03 GarifunaWeb: Celio es presidente de ONECA, Organización Negra Centroamericana. "Habran informes sobre los últimos acontecimientos en Honduras"
y en
Centroamérica.
Rallies in Seoul Differ on U.S., Highlighting a Generation Gap 3/1/03 NYT: "The younger demonstrators sang anti-American songs and, in interviews, voiced sympathy for North Korea and doubts about American assessments that North Korea is moving swiftly toward the production of nuclear weapons. They also questioned the wisdom of their grandparents and sometimes their parents in continuing to support close ties with the United States — a sign of how much things have changed in an East Asian country where the aged are often still deeply respected."
Peaceful protest routinely draws harsh jail time 3/1/03 Okland Tribune: "Many sent to U.S. penitentiaries throughout the United States are members of a nationwide organization dedicated to shutting down the School of Americas (SOA), also known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security and Cooperation (WHISC) at Fort Benning, Ga." The torture school.
U.S. Looks at Alternative War Plans Without Turkey 3/1/03 Reuters: "U.S. defense officials said on Saturday they could quickly adjust their war plans for Iraq after the Turkish parliament refused to grant U.S. troops access to the country's bases for a possible invasion."
Sharon's hardline coalition rules out Palestinian state 3/1/03 Sydney Morning Herald: "The Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, virtually ruled out the creation of a Palestinian state under his hawkish new government just a day after the United States President, George Bush, pledged to broker a peace deal once he had dealt with Iraq."
White House criticizes Iraq showdown coverage 3/1/03 Washington Times: "The White House and Pentagon yesterday criticized news coverage of the Iraq showdown and other military matters in a sign of increasing acrimony between the press and administration." Ari at it again, in the Rev. Moon's paper.
Friday 2/28/03
Iraq agrees 'in principle' to destroy Al Samoud missiles 2/28/03 AP: "Iraq agreed in principle Thursday to destroy its Al Samoud 2 missiles, two days before a U.N. deadline. Word of the agreement came as chief weapons inspector Hans Blix said Baghdad's disarmament efforts had been ``very limited so far.''
The mixed signals were likely to provide ammunition to supporters and opponents of a quick war to disarm Iraq. The two sides failed to reach agreement on substantive issues during a heated and bitter discussion in the Security Council on Thursday."
Iraqis Did Not Fight for US Occupation 2/28/03 Arab News: "The administration appears to be tilting toward the idea of American military rule. The Iraqi opposition regards this as a plan to keep the Baathist regime in place minus a few top leaders, notably President Saddam Hussein.
To show their pique, Iraqi opposition leaders have multiplied contacts with Iran, preach a program of massive “de-Baathification”, and threaten to announce a provisional government the moment that Saddam’s army surrenders to the US-led coalition. The US has said it would not recognize such a government. Iran has hinted that it might."
Rap Under Attack 2/28/03 Black World Today]: "The attack on rap, which many of those at the press conference view as an attempt to minimize their opportunities, is nothing new in the industry, according to Harry Allen, whose nom de guerre is the "media assassin." "Attack is now standard procedure," he began. "You get used to it; it's like background noise. The attack is multi-pronged and in many ways is an extension of the general attack on Black males."
Popular DJ Ed Lover amplified Allen's remarks, adding that the independent record producers, some rap artists, and a few members of the alternative media are united in their stand against the attack, particularly the mainstream media and the ravings of Bill O'Reilly of the Fox Channel. "We know what you're doing," he blasted, referring to the mainstream media, "and you're not going to get away with it. We got each other's backs and we are determined to control our own destiny."
When asked about the police surveillance that is detailed in an article in the latest The Source magazine, Mays said that they were doing further research and that they hoped to elaborate on what had been disclosed about a unit within the NYPD set up to watch hip hop culture." COINTELPRO.
Israeli Spies Aided Feds In Readying 'Jihad' Case 2/28/03 Forward: "Intelligence supplied by Israel played a key role in the indictment last week of University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian on charges that he is a leader of the Islamic Jihad Palestinian terrorist group, the Forward has learned.
An FBI delegation traveled to Israel late last year to collect intelligence obtained by Israel during the mid-1990s, a former top counterterrorist official said on condition of anonymity. "The evidence the U.S. government has is intelligence, much of it from the Israeli government, relating to 1994 — when the Mossad had a penetration of [Islamic Jihad] headquarters in Damascus," the official said. "Much of the intelligence was turned over to the FBI on a recent visit to Israel." "
'Pro-War' Movement Springs Into Action 2/28/03 Fox News: a company sponsored "grass roots movement" spring into action with an ignorant sounding premise - "And for those who ask what has Saddam done to us, I ask what had the 9/11 hijackers done to us before 9/11?"
FBI says airplane doing surveillance 2/28/03 Hoosier Times: "Two FBI officials said Thursday the Cessna 182 is conducting nonelectronic visual surveillance of individuals, vehicles and gathering places such as businesses under that surveillance."
Militant Aborigines embrace Islam to seek empowerment 2/28/03 Independent, UK: "Militant young Aborigines are converting to Islam in increasing numbers, and some are flirting with the fundamentalist ideologies that have inspired recent terrorism.
There are an estimated 1,000 indigenous Muslims in Australia, including new recruits and descendants of mixed marriages. Some Aborigines are embracing Islam for spiritual reasons, but many say it gives them a sense of worth that they have lacked as members of an oppressed minority."
March 15 - EMERGENCY CONVERGENCE ON THE WHITE HOUSE to STOP THE WAR ON IRAQ 2/28/03 International ANSWER: "The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition and other organizations are calling for an Emergency National Anti-War Convergence to TAKE IT TO THE WHITE HOUSE on Saturday, March 15. There will be a parallel activities in San Francisco (gather at 11 am at Civic Center Plaza) and Los Angeles (gather 12 noon at Olympic and Broadway, march to Downtown Federal Building)."
Iraq: Get out now, reporters told 2/28/03 NY Daily News: "The Pentagon warned journalists yesterday that they should consider getting out of Baghdad.
"If there is military action, it is going to be a really, really bad place to be," said chief Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke." Announcing the intent to commit war crimes.
U.S. Says Hussein Must Cede Power to Head Off War 2/28/03 NYT: "The White House said today that the only way to prevent war in Iraq would be to disarm the country and depose Saddam Hussein.
At the same time, Russia's foreign minister threatened to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution that says Iraq has missed its last chance of avoiding war."
Domino Effect - Bush's European Allies Could Battle Populace Next 2/28/03 Pacific News: "In America, one can frequently hear people voicing support for the president even if one disagrees with him, or failed to vote for him. He stays in office for four years unless impeached, and impeachment, as the nation learned during the Clinton administration, is an extremely difficult process.
By contrast, in a parliamentary system, the prime minister can be removed on a vote of no confidence, and his term is never absolutely fixed.
The Bush administration counts Britain, Spain, and Turkey as part of its coalition. However, the simple fact is that however supportive the prime ministers of those nations are, the people are solidly set against the war."
Finger on trigger: US warns North Korea 2/28/03 Sydney Morning Herald: "The United States has warned that it still has the option of a military attack against North Korea, after the communist state restarted a nuclear reactor, further developing its nuclear arms program."
Bush May Signal Shift on Israeli Settlements 2/28/03 Washington Post: "It has long been the position of the United States that the Israelis end expansion of settlements in the occupied territories. In his pivotal speech on the Middle East on June 24 -- and earlier -- Bush said: "Consistent with the recommendations of the Mitchell Committee, Israeli settlement activity in the occupied territories must stop."
But Wednesday, Bush said, "As progress is made towards peace, settlement activity in the occupied territories must end."
The differences may seem minor, but they could loom large in the politics of the Middle East. The Mitchell Committee, headed by former Senate majority leader George Mitchell, made suggestions in 2001 on how to end the violence. The report recommended that, as first steps, the Palestinians should end terrorism and the Israelis must end settlement activity. Experts said Bush, by dropping the reference to Mitchell, had moved closer to the Israeli position."
.S. diplomats seek support on Iraq vote 2/28/03 Washington Times: "American diplomats are crisscrossing the globe and offering numerous inducements to the smaller states serving on the U.N. Security Council in the run-up to a Security Council vote on Iraq… State Department officials Wednesday characterized meetings last week with ailing Guinean President Lansana Conte as positive and said they would predict that he will instruct his diplomats in New York to favor a U.S. resolution.
"To start, he hates the French. That's a plus in our column. And he seemed to listen intently when we spoke to him," one senior U.S. official said."
Thursday 2/27/03
Setback For Gulf Deployment: Muslim Countries Refused Fly Over. 2/27/03 BBC: "But with an air war now almost certainly imminent the RAF has only managed to get 24 fast jets from Britain to the region, BBC News has learned.
A further 12 - all tornados - are stuck in Cyprus.
Another 20 have been unable even to leave the UK because countries in the region opposed to war have refused overflights, according to BBC defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan.
The RAF's strike presence in Kuwait is limited to the 24 that have already made it there plus the eight based there for no fly zone duty. A further 10 are in Turkey.
Of the 32 jets in Kuwait, 18 are harriers which were bound for Jordan but were refused overflight and basing rights there."
Support for Bush's re-election falls below 50 percent 2/27/03 CNN: "The percentage of registered voters who say they would support President Bush in 2004 fell below 50 percent for the first time, according to a new CNN/USA TODAY/Gallup poll, which finds more Americans concerned about the economy."
Missing U.S.-Iraq History 2/27/03 Consortium News: "Before George W. Bush gives the final order to invade Iraq -- a nation that has not threatened the United States -- the American people might want a few facts about the real history of U.S.-Iraq relations. Missing chapters from 1980 to the present would be crucial in judging Bush’s case for war.
But Americans don’t have those facts because Bush and his predecessors in the White House have kept this history hidden from the American people. When parts of the story have emerged, administrations of both parties have taken steps to suppress or discredit the disclosures."
US expands its military presence around globe 2/27/03 Financial Times: "Buried in the US military's budget submission to Congress this month was a little-noticed request for $200m (€186m, £127m) to help train and equip forces of foreign countries. Compared with other items in the Pentagon's $380bn budget, the figure is minimal, close to the cost of a single new F/A-22 tactical fighter.
But the request is a sign of things to come. It is part of a growing effort by senior defence officials to use the US military in a growing number of foreign countries, sending military advisers and combat troops to fight alongside foreign forces in numbers unseen since the cold war."
US Deluding Itself Over Iraq: Saudi Arabia Denies Use Of Bases 2/27/03 Jihad Unspun: "The United States is deluding itself if it thinks it can control Iraq after a second Gulf war, which it has threatened to launch soon, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said here yesterday. Prince Saud was addressing a news conference to discuss the looming Iraq war and the weekend Arab summit which is slated to make a last-ditch effort to avert armed conflict. Anyone who thinks he can control Iraq is deluding himself,” Prince Saud said in reply to a question about Washington’s perceived plans to “control” Iraq after a possible war."
'Human Shields' May Be Considered Combatants 2/27/03 LA Times: such US delusions may be considered war crimes by a future tribunal.
Chavez's Ace - Venezuelan Leader Taps Bolivar Myths, Cults 2/27/03 Pacific News: "Alongside the Catholic religion, another spiritual tradition thrives in Venezuela, a popular religion with indigenous, African and Catholic roots called the religion of María Lionza. Based on the worship by Indians of a fertility goddess known as María Lionza, the syncretic faith predates any other touchstone of Venezuela's national identity. Many Venezuelans would not inhabit a home lacking an altar to the religion's principal divinities, each of which represents Venezuela's vibrant ethnic mixture of white, Indian, and black.
These religious altars usually feature a portrait of Simón Bolívar, and the religion's priests hold ceremonies in which the spirit of Bolívar is channeled through a medium who coughs when the general is present, since Bolívar had tuberculosis."
Germans turn carnival revelry into huge peace demo 2/27/03 Reuters: "Germany's carnival is turning into a week-long peace protest this year with up to 10 million revellers set to oppose war on Iraq dressed as clowns and Friesian cows, organisers say."
French MPs back Chirac all the way despite veto doubts 2/27/03 Times, UK: "The issue of a veto is becoming the main point of contention. The Socialist opposition is leading a left-wing chorus demanding that M Chirac must not back down, while the Government and its allies are avoiding talk of the veto and are keeping open the possibility of eventual French approval of war.
Alain Juppé, who leads the UMP, was applauded for saying that the Government had wisely resisted pressure to “brandish its veto right at the wrong time”. M Juppé, a former Prime Minister and M Chirac’s closest lieutenant, is said to be warning the President against blocking a UN majority because of the damage that this would inflict on relations with Washington and on the Uinted Nations."
Wednesday 2/26/03
Dial "P" for Peace 2/26/03 Alternet: "At 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, the telephones, faxes and email in-boxes of every Senator in Washington D.C. will start ringing, printing and beeping with messages from around the country in support of peace. The "Virtual March," organized by MoveOn.org and Win Without War, hopes to demonstrate to members of Congress the staggering levels of grassroots support for the inspections process."
Lawyers hope Tulsa case can lay foundation for more claims 2/26/03 Boston Globe: "With ''a remarkable record of an unpaid debt to living victims of racial violence,'' he added, ''Tulsa is the appropriate place to think about the history of race and segregation.''
Ari Gets Laughed Out of the White House Briefing Room 2/26/03 Buzzflash: "Ari just drew himself up with imperious indignation and said something like "you're implying that the President is buying the votes of other nations and that's just not a consideration" or words to that effect.
And guess what happened? The whole press corps, normally sheep, broke out in laughter... sweet, derisive laughter. They kept on laughing as Ari turned on his heels and strode out. Sheesh."
Press Ganging Sami Al-Arian 2/26/03 Counterpunch: Sami is said to have been a Mossad target.
Right Now, Iran is Suing the U.S. For Its Support of Saddam Hussein in the 80's 2/26/03 Der Spiegel: "At the International Court of Justice, Teheran is accusing the United States of delivering dangerous chemicals and deadly viruses to Baghdad during the eighties."
Iraq reveals bomb with potential biological use 2/26/03 Financial Times: "United Nations inspectors said on Tuesday Baghdad had begun to provide new information on its weapons of mass destruction, including a bomb that could contain biological agents."
War rebels challenge Blair - Frantic efforts to win support for vote in Commons 2/26/03 Guardian: "Tony Blair tonight faces the most dangerous challenge to his authority during his six-year premiership as opponents of his "rush to war" policy on Iraq organise frantically to muster the Commons votes that may slow his momentum.
Last night backbench critics in all parties claimed to have at least 160 MPs prepared to vote against the government or abstain after today's debate, despite Mr Blair's plea yesterday for them to unite behind the declared will of the UN."
E-mail and gray hair: Anti-war campaign has a new look 2/26/03 IHT
Afghan Battle Leaves 15 Dead 2/26/03 Jihad Unspun: "In Afghan province Arzagan, a battle between American & Afghan soldiers and Mujahideen has killed one American and two of their Afghan counter parts. 12 civilians died due to coalition bombing.
According to details, on Monday in Piran Kot area, during house to house search, a coalition troops were fired on from a house, which then turned into a battle. The exchange of fire killed three soldiers. Coalition planes reached the area and began a bombing. It is expect that 12 were killed, due to this bombing including women, children and elder."
The Reign Of Terror Has Begun 2/26/03 Jihad Unspun: "What kind of debased morality has inspired George W. Bush to order young Americans -- mostly Blacks, Hispanics, and others from America's poorest families --to march into Baghdad? What gargantuan arrogance has convinced him that he can intimidate, bribe or threaten any nation, including Canada, who dares to challenge his mad march to war at any cost?
America will not kill everyone in Iraq, but enough will die through intentional and collateral damage that survivors will be haunted by terror for the rest of their lives."
Le pacifisme de l'Elysée réunit l'Assemblée 2/26/03 Liberation: "Gauche et droite derrière Chirac. Seule une minorité de l'UMP met en garde contre une rupture avec Washington." - Left and right behind Chirac. Only a minority of the UMP (ruling party) warn against a rupture with Washington.
Black Hawk Copter Crashes; 23 Colombian Soldiers Killed 2/26/03 NYT: "A Colombian Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed today as it hunted leftist guerrillas in a mountainous part of northern Colombia, killing all 23 soldiers on board, the army said." - another accident, like so may similar ones in Afghanistan.
Rockefeller: Bush decided 'long time ago' to go to war 2/26/03 Register Herald, West Virginia: "Rockefeller said he's convinced that internationally the "tide is turning against" the U.S., partly because of what Rockefeller called a certain "bravado" in Bush's overseas policies.
"It's sort of a coming together of years of resentment about the United States as now the only world super power," he said.
"The president has put forth a ... pre-emptive philosophy (that the U.S. can) spread democracy and freedom wherever we want.
"It plays very badly out there. They think we're arrogant," the senator said."
Black Photographer Barred from Swearing-in Ceremony of Va.’s First Black Chief Judge 2/26/03 Richmond Free Press: "Sandra Sellars was looking forward to photographing Virginia’s first Black chief justice being sworn into office.
But the chief photographer for the Richmond Free Press ended up outside the state Supreme Court building when Leroy R. Hassell Sr. took the oath of office for the state’s top judicial post.
“I was disappointed,” said Sellars after she learned at the last minute she would not be permitted in the courtroom to document this historic event for readers of the prize-winning newspaper that has a readership of more than 100,000.
The reason: The man of the hour, Justice Hassell, limited the photographic coverage of the historic ceremony—to the White press."
Cuban Detainee Freed 2/26/03 The Namibian: "GOVERNMENT has quietly released a Cuban national following an appeal by human rights group Amnesty International not to deport him to Cuba."
'Virtual' War Protest Ties Up Senate Phones 2/26/03 Yahoo: "Hundreds of thousands of opponents of war against Iraq called and faxed U.S. leaders on Wednesday in a "virtual march on Washington," jamming the White House switchboard and many congressional telephone lines for several hours."
Tuesday 2/25/03
A Human Tragedy In The Making 2/25/03 AfroCubaWeb: by Alberto Jones, on the pending Iraq War.
Honduras: No more empty promises -- Investigate murders of children and youths 2/25/03 Amnesty International
War not popular with blacks 2/25/03 AP: "A Pew Research Center poll found that 44 percent of blacks support a war with Iraq, the lowest level of any group surveyed. Overall, 66 percent of Americans said they favored military force, with support at 73 percent among whites and 67 percent among Hispanics. The February survey of 1,254 adults had a margin of error of 3 percentage points, and slightly larger for the subgroups."
With All Eyes On Iraq, The Americas Crumble 2/25/03 Black World Today: "The deaths of more than 23 people in Bolivia during protests and riots is but one sign of forces that threaten to tear apart Latin America, writes PNS Associate Editor Andrew Reding. Yet Washington's policies toward the region are making things worse, not better. Reding (areding@earthlink.net) is senior fellow for hemispheric affairs at the World Policy Institute in New York."
Reparations claim filed in Okla. riots case 2/25/03 Boston Globe: "In the first of a planned series of reparations lawsuits against state and local governments for sponsoring or tolerating racial hatred, lawyers yesterday filed a federal court claim growing out of the riots that leveled the black section of Tulsa, Okla., more than 80 years ago. The initial lawsuit filed in US District Court in the Oklahoma capital seeks compensation for about 100 survivors of the Tulsa incident, sometimes called the ''Black Holocaust,'' and for some 100 descendants of individuals who were victims of the devastation."
The Weekend the World Said No to War - Notes on the Numbers 2/25/03 Counterpunch: "The international antiwar movement has developed rapidly, thanks in large
part to the internet. An unprecedented degree of global cooperation has become possible, and in pulling off the near-simultaneous manifestations of popular opposition to an Iraq attack, the informally organized planetary antiwar community has achieved a major feat. This may, indeed, be a turning point in human history."
All Feared Dead As Afghan Minister's Plane Crashes 2/25/03 Jihad Unspun: "On board was Afghan Minister for Petroleum and Mines Juma Mohammad Mohammadi, who had held talks in Pakistan at the weekend on a multi-billion dollar pipeline project that would link Turkmenistan and Pakistan via Afghanistan.
Others included three other officials from the Afghan ministry and one from Kabul's foreign ministry and Sun Changsheng, chief executive of MCC Resource Development Co, a Chinese engineering firm, Khan said."
U.S. expected to win backing at U.N. 2/25/03 MSNBC: "The challenge is formidable, but U.S. and British diplomats are confident they can wring the nine votes necessary to win approval of the new Iraq resolution circulated Monday on the Security Council. The assessment is backed by other diplomats, although all agree that France, the most outspoken opponent as of now, could still use its veto power to kill the measure… But diplomatic sources said that the six nations on the sidelines — Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Guinea, Mexico and Pakistan — will likely be won over by a series of “inducements” offered by the United States."
DEEP REASONS AND OTHER REASONS FOR BUSH'S WAR ON IRAQ 2/25/03 Peter Dale Scott: by the author of Cocaine Politics and Deep Politics and the Death of JFK - "The deep reasons for Bush's Iraq war (i.e. the unacknowledged or suppressed reasons: notably oil and the defense of the dollar) are not the only ones. There are also other reasons which to a greater or lesser degree are overt, and need to be addressed, above all by those opposed to the war."
U.S. Warns France in Struggle Over Iraq 2/25/03 Reuters: "The United States fired a warning shot Tuesday across the bows of France, the leading critic of its Iraq policy, saying it would view any French veto of a new U.N. resolution authorizing force as "very unfriendly."
The U.S. ambassador in Paris issued the warning after France said it and Germany opposed what it called a shift toward "a logic of war" and circulated a rival proposal that would give U.N. weapons inspectors at least four months to scour Iraq."
Iraq conflict splits West down middle 2/25/03 Times, UK: "British and American officials expect that vote to take place on March 7, or soon afterwards. The stakes could hardly be higher. The resolution’s defeat would leave America with no option but to go it alone, inflicting great damage on UN authority and leaving Tony Blair with his worst crisis since becoming Prime Minister."
Early morning explosions at Spanish Embassy and Colombian Consulate 2/25/03 Vheadlines: "Early suspicions have been raised that the explosions are part of an opposition counter-offensive attempting to discredit the government using the BLF urban militia as a pretext.
"Just because BLF pamphlets were discovered at the scene does not necessarily mean that they were behind the bombings," a DISIP source has told VHeadline.com. "In the weird scenario that is Caracas these days, it could just as easily have been some opposition hot-heads trying to deflect attention away from the general manhunt for CTV leader Carlos Ortega ... we are keeping an open mind!"
U.S. Deficit Hits $97B in First 4 Months 2/25/03 Washington Post: "The whopping deficit posted from the beginning of the 2003 fiscal year in October through January, the most recent month available, stood in stark contrast to the $8.4 billion surplus posted for that period last year.
Revenues are down by 8.1 percent this budget year from last year, to $615.3 billion, which reflects in part lower tax revenues from the sagging economy.
Individual income tax payments totaled $306.5 billion, a 9.4 percent drop from last year. Corporate tax payments plunged by 47.4 percent to $34.2 billion.
Spending for the first four months of the 2003 budget year totaled $712.9 billion, representing a 7.8 percent increase from the corresponding period in 2002." The Empire has a cost.
Aznar: Bush's Best Friend in Continental Europe 2/25/03 Zmag: "What is quite remarkable in the reporting on this in the U.S. media is the lack of scrutiny of what type of party is governing Spain and who Aznar is. The founder and current president of the ruling party - the Spanish Popular Party - is Fraga Iribarne, who was minister of the interior in Franco's fascist regime. As minister, he was in charge of the regime's much-hated political police, established by the Gestapo in 1937 following General Franco's request to Hitler. Fraga not only has never denounced fascism but believes that the Franco regime (which assassinated 200,000 of its opponents after the civil war ended in 1939) was the best regime that Spain ever had.
Today, Fraga still publicly defends the Franco regime."
Censored
A New Cnn System Of 'script Approval' Suggests The Pentagon Will Have Nothing To Worry About 2/25/03 Zmag: by Robert Fisk
Monday 2/24/03
Military convoys face Italian anti-war blockade 2/24/03 ABC: "Anti-war protesters are vowing to block all movement of US arms by rail between American bases in Italy, dubbing the convoys "trains of death"… Local polls show 70 per cent of Italians oppose war even if sanctioned by the United Nations.
The Italian labour union representing almost 90 per cent of dock workers says it will boycott the loading and unloading of all shipments of US arms in and out of Italian ports." They must be French!
U.S. Intelligence Is Tracking New Terror Mastermind and His Network 2/24/03 ABC: the validity of this propaganda has so far proved questionable.
Rebels confirm: 3 CIA agents capture 2/24/03 ANNCOL: "Colombian authorities have claimed that the two men were executed, but
local campesino eyewitnesses told Colombian daily El Espectador, that the
two soldiers were killed during a firefight with the guerrillas after the
shootdown.
According to Miami Herald, US officials have confirmed that the plane's US
crew members were indeed carrying out military-related electronic
intelligence gathering."
Disaster Par Extraordinaire? The American Adventure in Djibouti 2/24/03 Antiwar.com: "Camp Lemonier is horribly defended. The front gate has nothing higher than a 5.56mm covering it, and is only yards away from the base operations center. The only sandbags around are to hold the flaps of tents down. The Army MP Company that does security is lazy and doesn't coordinate with its other-service counterparts on the base. The perimeter is reinforced with concertina (barriers filled with rock and sand) in some places, but in others it is just a fence." … The Djiboutians who work at the camp drive so horribly that the snake obstacles at the front gate were removed, thus allowing anybody plenty of room to drive a truckload of explosives into the camp."
Saddam Hussein Challenges Bush to Debate 2/24/03 AP: "In an interview with CBS anchor Dan Rather, Saddam Hussein challenged President Bush on Monday to an internationally televised debate and indicated he did not intend to follow U.N. orders to destroy his Al-Samoud 2 missiles." These missiles are at most 20 miles over their limit.
Turkish official says no plans for parliament vote on US troop deployments 2/24/03 Channel News Asia: "There is nothing in the works for the moment," said Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leader of the Justice and Development party (AKP)."
Explosion Kills Ten American Special Forces Officials In Zarmat 2/24/03 Daily Ausaf: there is a long string of such reports.
CLARE'S SHORT SHRIFT - 'US hawks stirring up hate' 2/24/03 Daily Mirror, UK: "The outspoken International Development Secretary risked the wrath of Tony Blair by laying into White House and Pentagon warmongers.
She praised anti-war protests and hinted she could resign if the US and Britain invaded Iraq without UN backing."
Plan To Divide Afghanistan Into Seven States Completed 2/24/03 Dharb-I-Momin: "Meanwhile, Afghan military and political analysts while labeling this American plan a failure commented that prior to this, the British also tried to divide Afghanistan which failed. Analysts say that more than 65% of the Afghan population is Pushtoon which are against the division of Afghanistan. An Afghan historian and literate, Habib Ullah Rafi said in a statement to a foreign news agency, that this American- Russian plan will never reach completion. He said that those who are traitors to the nation as well as the country, will have a horrible place in history. Bear in mind, although this plan is emerging on the international media front, Hamid Karzai has opted to be silent on this issue."
We don't want to die, but we know we are risking our lives, say human shields 2/24/03 Independent, UK: "Before their departure, the latest group declared that they were reconciled to die in their protests against the looming war. The group of 25, including Britons, will join international volunteers who they claim already number 15,000.
In the next 48 hours this contingent will begin to take up their positions in strategic locations where they might become targets of British and American warplanes."
A Battle Plan Against Gulf War Illness 2/24/03 NPR: no mention of Depleted Uranium here…
Four U.S. Soldiers Die in Kuwait Helicopter Crash 2/24/03 Reuters: joining a long string of crashes in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Oil Soars as US Prepares Iraq Resolution 2/24/03 Reuters: "U.S. light crude rose 90 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $36.48 a barrel, within sight of 29-month highs above $37 struck last week, and nearing an all-time high of $41.15 hit in the build-up to the 1990-91 Gulf War. Brent crude in London jumped 91 cents to $33.18." Recession in sight?
US released al-Qaeda terrorists to Pak: Report 2/24/03 Times of India: "Playing a "losing game", the US allowed many Interservice Intelligence (ISI) agents it had captured during the war on terror in Afghanistan to go back to Pakistan and they took with them thousands of al-Qaeda terrorists, who later spread into Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir, media reports said."
Anti-war protesters invade RAF base 2/24/03 Times, UK: "ELEVEN anti-war protesters were arrested yesterday after invading RAF Fairford, which houses US pilots and bombers. Police said that a peaceful protest of 450 people had begun with a walk from the town centre to the base, but that a few had been intent on getting in… A protest leader, Dave Cockcroft, said that dozens of people had gone through the gates after pulling them open in what he called nonviolent direct action. “There may be many direct actions in the next few weeks,” he said."
"There
is one safeguard known generally to the wise, which is an advantage and
security to all, but especially to Democracies as against despots:
suspicion." -- Demosthenes
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