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Year 2003 No. 3-4, January 21-22, 2003 ARCHIVE HOME SEARCH SUBSCRIBE

Blair’s Desperate Justifications for Preparing for War

Workers' Daily Internet Edition : Article Index :

Year 2003 No. 4, January 22:
Blair’s Desperate Justifications for Preparing for War
Proof that US and Britain Used Atomic Ammunition in Afghanistan

Year 2003 No. 3, January 21:
Defence Secretary Announces 30,000 Troop Deployment
Commentary:The People Must Keep the Initiative in their Own Hands in Order to Defeat the Warmongers
Conference on Palestinian Reform as Britain Prepares for War in the Middle East

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Blair’s Desperate Justifications for Preparing for War

Tony Blair’s two and a half hour meeting with the House of Commons Liaison committee – made up of the chairmen of House of Commons select committees – revealed a Prime Minister and a government that is preparing for war in the teeth of the opposition of the working class and people of Britain. At the same time, Blair is desperately attempting to win the propaganda battle for a war that cannot be justified. His whole concern in the meeting was to clothe the exercise in supporting Bush's drive for taking over Iraq in the garb of opposing a tyrant. In the critical situation that faces the world, Blair's bluff to attempt to hoodwink public opinion is to keep on suggesting that the US and Britain have intelligence about Saddam's "weapons of mass destruction". Hired hacks are rounded up to stage debates on the media that it is clear that Bush and Blair are in the know. The Prime Minister then says that the weapons inspectors should not be playing hide and seek in Iraq but that Saddam should disarm. This is all desperate stuff in the name of the Anglo-American "civilising mission", as the demand of the people for peace and to end Bush and Blair's warmongering is consolidated.

While a quarter of the British army is heading for the Gulf along with major naval and air forces, Defence Minister Hoon is wheeled out to echo the line of the US administration that no "smoking gun" is needed to go to war against Iraq. Neither a "smoking gun" is needed, nor a UN resolution, nor a vote in the House of Commons, least of all paying any heed to the will of the people for this government to carry out its crime against humanity.

About the people's opposition, Blair had the following to say: "I understand what the difficulties of public opinion are and it’s my job to explain to people why it’s necessary. I think it is important if we get into the circumstances of conflict that we share as much as possible with people. It’s also the case that we are not in conflict yet, so we haven’t reached the circumstances where I say to the British people we are in conflict with Iraq.

"When and if that time came, people would find the reasons acceptable and satisfactory because there is no other route available to us."

War is imminent and Blair accepts that the British people are opposed to it. While it is wishful thinking on his part that just because he asserts that "there is no other route available to us" the British working class and people will be convinced and support war when the time comes, the point is that Blair's propaganda build up must be co-ordinated with his military build up. The decision has been made, but Tony Blair needs to do everything possible to neutralise opposition and render the people passive.

The bottom line of the Blair doctrine is that no country must have the right to oppose the wishes of the United States and Britain. The leader of a strategic country such as Iraq must be a puppet of the US and Britain, while the UN must come to the decisions that favour the Anglo-US strategy for control of the Middle East.

It is Bush and Blair that threaten the world, including Iraq, with weapons of mass destruction, and the vultures are gathering to take advantage of the spoils of war. But the working class and people are not accepting the Prime Minister's arguments that are meant to deceive public opinion. The affirmation that the government's actions are Not In Our Name must continue to be transformed into the movement for the people's own forces to be strengthened as the decisive factor in averting and stopping the war.

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Proof that US and Britain Used Atomic Ammunition in Afghanistan

On January 10, Nawa-e-Waqt reported that after medical research in Afghanistan, it has become clear that America has used nuclear ammunition in their war inside the country. According to a Uranium Research Centre report, evidence of large sections of the Afghan population being affected from uranium radioactivity has been found.

A former American army scientist has established an independent research centre in Afghanistan and has been conducting tests for "dirty uranium" and "toxic uranium" for many years. These tests can determine the presence of uranium even after many years. After the Afghan war, two teams were sent for this purpose – the first team arrived in Jalalabad in June 2002 and the second after four months which investigated in the Jalalabad and Kabul areas. The research area had a population of 3,500,000 people. Jalalabad was not as affected as Kabul – however, the investigation teams said they were not prepared for the sudden and unexpected evidence in both areas.

According to the results of the study, Afghani people have been severely affected from the uranium. In addition to the human toll, the soil is rife with unused uranium. The tests show the Afghans had radioactive effects that are too high by 200 to 400 percent. The population of Kabul, which came under direct attack of British bombardment, had the most severe effects. Apart from the effects of radioactivity, chemical and biological weapons' effects were also discovered. People were found having kidney pain, joint pains, memory loss and muscular weakness. These symptoms were also found in the Balkan and Gulf areas after the wars there. Research teams also tested newborn babies and found 25% radioactivity effects in them.

The team leader said they studied different aspects about uranium like industrial pollution and "dirty bomb" experiments by Al-Qaida. However, this radioactivity does not seem to be the result of "dirty bombs". The investigations show that American and British armies use raw uranium on their warheads to improve their capability and because this uranium is difficult to trace out, Nawa-e-Waqt concluded.

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Defence Secretary Announces 30,000 Troop Deployment

Thirty thousand troops will form a land force for potential operations against Iraq under plans outlined in the Commons by Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon.

The Defence Secretary told the Commons:

"I am now in a position to be able to tell the House that we have reached a view on the composition and deployment of a land force package to provide military capabilities for potential operations against Iraq. This force will include Headquarters 1 (UK) Armoured Division with support from 7th Armoured Brigade, 16 Air Assault Brigade and 102 Logistics Brigade.

"Its equipment will include 120 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks, 150 Warrior Armoured Personnel Carriers, 32 AS 90 Self-Propelled Guns, 18 Light Guns, and a number of reconnaissance and other vehicles. The total number of personnel involved in this land force will be approximately 26,000. And in addition we are already deploying 3 Commando Brigade, with around 4,000 personnel including their supporting elements.

"The House will not expect me to discuss the specific tasks that might be undertaken by our forces in the event of military operations. But this is a high-readiness, balanced and flexible force package, bringing together a wide range of capabilities. The Chiefs of Staff and I are confident that this is the right group of forces for the sort of tasks that may be necessary."

Mr Hoon added that in the coming weeks additional reservists would be called out in support of these land forces.

He said: "These are measures necessary to provide a range of options which we may require. A decision to employ force has not been taken, nor is such a decision imminent or inevitable. But I must also emphasise, as all Members of this House will recognise, that the deployment of forces on this scale is no ordinary measure.

"Whilst we want Saddam Hussein to disarm voluntarily, it is evident that we will not achieve this unless we continue to present him with a clear and credible threat of force. That is why I have announced these deployments - in support of the diplomatic process to which we remain fully committed. It is not too late for Saddam Hussein to recognise the will of the international community and respect United Nations resolutions. Let us all hope that he does so."

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Commentary:

The People Must Keep the Initiative in their Own Hands in Order to Defeat the Warmongers

As the war clouds loom over Iraq, one of the most significant features of the present international situation is the rapid growth and development of the people's anti-war movement. In country after country, hundreds and thousands of ordinary people have thrown themselves into action to try to thwart the aggressive warmongering of the British and US governments. With pickets, demonstrations and numerous anti-war actions, millions have taken a stand in defence of justice and rights and against the plans for war and aggression being hatched up by US imperialism and the British government.

In Britain, the anti-war movement has reached an unprecedented level, drawing together people from all walks of life and reflecting as it does the broad opposition of people in the country to the government's warmongering course. However, despite this broad and active struggle, the Anglo-American plans for war on Iraq are gathering pace. Nearly 200,000 troops have been despatched to the Gulf and all the signs are that the final preparations are being made for launching the aggression against Iraq.

This state of affairs, where the overwhelming will of the people for peace has no impact on the warmongering activity of the government clearly shows the fraudulent nature of the "Westminster democracy". It also poses sharply for the anti-war movement the urgent need to seriously consider how it will achieve its aims and ensure that the people's will prevails over that of Blair and his warmongering Labour government. In this situation, the anti-war movement needs to identify the obstacles in its way and find ways to remove these so that it can advance towards its goals.

In this regard, it is critical to recognise that it is the people who are the force capable, not only of stopping the present plans for war against Iraq, but also of ensuring that British governments do not involve themselves in future wars of aggression. Such an understanding leads naturally to all-out efforts to build the people's unity in action while creating ample space for everyone to participate in the discussion on the key issues which need to be resolved for the movement to progress towards achieving its goals. In this way, the people's activity is put at the centre of the equation, the initiative is kept in their hands and their unity in action and consciousness is built. It will do serious damage to the anti-war movement to view it as a "protest movement" which is trying to "put pressure on Tony Blair" so that he can "put pressure on George Bush". This approach reduces the people to passive spectators while leaving the fundamental decisions of war and peace precisely in the hands of the warmongers. The anti-war movement will not achieve its goals on this road, even if it mobilises a million people for a demonstration. The issue is not simply one of numbers of demonstrators. The issue is that in this battle between the people and the warmongers, the people can only come out on top if they not only unite in huge numbers but also have the understanding that they must keep the initiative in their own hands and that they are the force who can safeguard justice and peace.

In advancing towards its goals, the anti-war movement will also need to take a principled stand in the face of the relentless barrage of disinformation and self-seeking justifications which are being issued on a daily basis and circulated far and wide by the monopoly-controlled media. Therefore there must be a stand in defence of the sovereignty of nations and peoples, including the people of Iraq, and a defence of their right to choose whatever political system they desire. One of the justifications which Tony Blair is fond of repeating is that "Saddam Hussein is a dictator" and Britain and the US are "liberal democracies" and so the aggression against Iraq is justified and is in fact an act of "liberating" the Iraqi people. In this way, Tony Blair is taking up the 19th century British imperialist doctrine of the "white man's burden" and "civilising the savage natives" under which countless crimes and genocide were committed. In so doing, he is attempting to rehabilitate this doctrine for use in the 21st century. This is a straightforward racist and imperialist argument which in no way justifies this criminal war. The issue is not the nature of the government in Iraq. This is a question for the Iraqi people and no outside interference is permissible. The issue for the people of Britain is how to defeat the planned aggression by the British government against Iraq.

Another justification which is advanced is that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction and that this justifies the attack. Notwithstanding the complete exposure of this claim, Tony Blair and his ministers continue to repeat it as if this could be used to justify their aggression, while they themselves hold huge arsenals of weapons of mass destruction. With naked colonialist logic, Tony Blair declares that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction and so are a threat to world peace, since the Iraqi government is allegedly prepared to use them. By his logic the Iraqi government's alleged willingness to use weapons of mass destruction is such a threat to peace that it must be met by an armed invasion while the British government's willingness to use such weapons requires no such response. A clear stand of principle is called for, which opposes the use or the threat of the use of force for resolving problems between countries and which condemns as a crime against the peace to unleash wars of aggression.

Another widely circulated justification for the aggression is that if it is sanctioned by the UN Security Council, the aggression against Iraq will be justified as Britain and America will be acting on behalf of the "international community". This is one of Tony Blair's favourite lines since he reasons that getting UN Security Council blessing for the aggression will dampen the people's opposition to it. He is always careful to stress, however, that this is "his preferred route" and that if a further resolution cannot be obtained the aggression will go ahead anyway. This alone shows the totally spurious nature of this justification. War has already been decided upon and if the other big powers can be bribed or otherwise induced to use the UN Security Council to rubber stamp it, all well and good. If not, the war goes ahead as planned. The UN Security Council and the "international community" are in reality irrelevant. In any event, there is nothing in the UN Charter which gives the Security Council the authority to legalise a war of aggression. Whether or not the Security Council passes a resolution in favour of a war on Iraq, it remains an illegal act of aggression against a sovereign country, which is also a member of the UN. There can be no conciliation with the warmongering of the British government, with or without another UN resolution.

The anti-war movement can achieve its goals and defeat the warmongers if it keeps the initiative in its own hands and takes a principled stand against the disinformation, war propaganda and bogus justifications of the warmongers.

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Conference on Palestinian Reform as Britain Prepares for War in the Middle East

The Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, hailed the government-sponsored "Conference on Palestinian Reform" held in London on Tuesday last week as a "comprehensive and constructive meeting", even though the majority of Palestinian delegates were prevented from attending by the actions of the Israeli Zionist regime.

The conference on economic, political reforms in preparation for the long-awaited Palestinian state was chaired by Jack Straw and addressed by Tony Blair. It was attended by representatives of the US, EU, UN, Russia, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as well as the representative of the Palestinian Authority in Britain, Afif Safieh. Communication with leading members of the Palestinian Authority in the Occupied Territories was established via a video link to both Gaza and Ramallah.

One of the leading members of the Palestinian delegation, Information Minister, Yasser Abed Rabbo, called for an end to violence and of the need to chose the "path of peaceful negotiation", but he also told reporters in Ramallah "the Israeli occupation is responsible for hindering and creating all forms of obstacles of the reform process…if they (Britain and the other big powers) want reform they should move these Israeli tanks and forces from our towns and cities and villages." But Jack Straw maintained that what he referred to as "the fact of occupation" could not be used "as an excuse to stop the reform process in its tracks".

The convening of the conference by the British government has been widely viewed as an attempt to deflect criticism away from its warmongering stance towards Iraq, to demonstrate that is has some concern about the so-called Middle East Peace Process, that it is being even-handed in its approach, and to gain support amongst Arab countries in particular. In this way the government hopes to create more favourable conditions for the waging of a criminal war against Iraq. At the same time it is clear that the government, along with the US and others, wishes to continue to interfere in the Middle East, to increase pressure on the Palestinian Authority to carry out internal economic and political reforms, in particular to create political institutions and political leaders, a constitution, Prime Minister and Cabinet, that are more to their liking and which can be more easily manipulated.

It must also be remembered that the "reform process" is being promoted at a time when Britain and the US are preparing to alter the geo-politics of the Middle East by military means. The invasion of Iraq and thereafter US hegemony in the Persian Gulf and other parts of the Middle East would not only secure vast oil reserves and serve the purpose of keeping Europe in check and dominating Asia, it would also make Israel’s role as a cat’s paw in the region largely redundant. In this situation a new relationship with the Palestinians is possible, as long as the Palestinian state adopts the "civilised values" of the big powers.

The British government is attempting to present itself as an honest broker and the greatest friend of the Palestinian and Arab peoples, but its demands are always that the long-suffering Palestinian people must be the ones to make concessions, carry out "reforms" and moderate their struggle for their legitimate rights. Its interference is pursued not in the interests of the Palestinians but in the interests of the big monopolies which binds Britain to the war chariot of the US. The British government’s continued interference in the internal affairs of the Palestinians and its preparations for war against Iraq show that it remains one of the greatest enemies of the peoples of the Middle East.

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