================================================
00 A.N.S.W.E.R. NATIONAL MARCH on WASHINGTON
Von: RAWNEWS <rawnews@btopenworld.com>
================================================
SATURDAY, APRIL 12:
NATIONAL MARCH on WASHINGTON
STOP THE WAR ON IRAQ!
Gather at 12 noon
March on the White House
On Saturday, April 12, join the tens of thousands of
people of conscience who will surround the White House.
The whole world is watching to see if the people of the
United States can intensify the power of the anti-war
movement at the moment that the Bush Administration is
intending to slaughter tens of thousands of Iraqi people
and occupy their country. We urge every anti-war organizer
and concerned person to bring your friends, neighbors and
family members to this all-important mobilization on April
12.
The world is in a state of Shock and Revulsion as the
murderous Bush Administration follows through on its
promise to "Shock and Awe" the Iraqi people by dropping
thousands of bombs and missiles on their capital, a city
that is home to 4.5 million human beings. Baghdad has been
bombed relentlessly, terrorizing the occupants of that
city and of the entire country. U.S. "precision" bombs
have slammed into poor residential neighborhoods in
Baghdad and a busy shopping street. U.S. and British
troops are leaving a "trail of death" in their wake as
they invade and bomb Iraq and reporters describe charred
corpses littering the roads to Baghdad as well as in its
streets. U.S. and British forces have laid siege to Basra,
bombing and destroying the electrical supply to the main
water plant and blocking the Iraqi food distribution
system into Basra. The people of Basra are now starving
and without water; various U.N. agencies state that Basra
is in humanitarian crises and on the verge of a major
cholera outbreak and massive child mortality. This crisis
is caused by the U.S. attack coupled with the effect of 12
years of U.S.-led U.N. economic sanctions. The United
States government is telling the people of Basra that they
may only have food and water if they rise up against the
Iraqi government and accept the U.S. occupation.
The Iraqi people and the U.S. GIs who have been killed and
wounded and are suffering are the casualties of George W.
Bush's unprovoked war of aggression. We extend our
heartfelt sympathies to the families of all those who have
been killed and wounded as a consequence of this illegal
imperialist war.
This horrific unprovoked attack on Iraq must be understood
as one of the extreme terrorist acts of modern times.
Cruise missiles launched from submarines and aircraft
hundreds of miles away and 2,000 lb. bombs dropped from
30,000 ft. up are the latest example of the Bush
administration's criminal resort to limitless violence and
terrorism in order to achieve its objectives of conquest
and occupation. The hypocrisy of the war against Iraq is
extreme: the most powerful military in the world waging
first strike war with the most advanced weapons against an
impoverished country on the pretext that it someday may
possess such weapons.
The world has entered a new phase. The Bush Administration
is hell bent on world domination. The war on Iraq was
meant to signal that the U.S. use of raw military power
will be the means to create a new era of Empire. We
understand that the war on Iraq is only one of the fronts
on which the United States government is determined to
build a world empire. The U.S. is also waging war in
Colombia, training future death squads at the dreaded
School of the Americas/WHISC, and waging economic war
through the IMF, World Bank, and free trade treaties such
as the Free Trade Area of the Americas agreement.
To the shock of the warmakers, their plans have ignited a
world movement of opposition and solidarity. In addition
to the well publicized demonstrations in Europe and the
Middle East, nearly every country in Latin America has
participated in massive street demonstrations and the
continent has nearly unanimously rejected Bush's
"Coalition of the Willing." For months this movement has
delayed and restrained the war plans for Iraq. Bush and
Co. have lost all legitimacy and they are isolated. The
people's movement has deprived them of the any threadbare
claim to legality.
April 12 comes in the midst of the long-planned
"Mobilization Against Military and Economic Intervention
in Latin America and the Caribbean" organized by the Latin
America Solidarity Coalition (LASC). This coalition, which
includes some members of the A.N.S.W.E.R Steering
Committee, has called for a series of actions from April
10- 15. In addition to converging in Washington on
Saturday April 12 for the mass march on the White House to
Stop the War on Iraq, A.N.S.W.E.R. encourages you to
travel to DC in time for the public opening plenary of the
LASC conference on Friday evening, April 11, and to stay
for a demonstration on Sunday, April 13 focusing on Latin
America Solidarity which will march to several corporate
and financial institutions before arriving at the World
Bank. Visit the LASC web page at www.lasolidarity.org for
full details.
Today our hearts are filled with both anger at the war and
sadness for the suffering people of Iraq who are enduring
this unprovoked terrorist attack, and for the grieving
families of the sons and daughters of America who Bush has
sent to kill and be killed for his war of aggression and
conquest. But sadness and grief should be coupled with a
profound understanding that the sudden emergence of a new
global movement offers the best and only hope that the
U.S. government's plans for militarism, war and domination
-- the doctrine of endless war -- can and will be
overcome. In the days ahead we must intensify the struggle
against this cruel war.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
* SPREAD THE WORD! Forward this email, and download
flyers, posters and stickers from the A.N.S.W.E.R. web
page (available by Thursday).
* ORGANIZE BUSES TO DC. Let us know about transportation
from your city. Fill out the form at
http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/a12/index.html#transp
(if this link does not take you directly to the form,
scroll down) to list your transportation plans.
* ENDORSE THE MOBILIZATION at
http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/a12/index.html#endo
(if this link does not take you directly to the form,
scroll down)
-------------------------------------
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.InternationalANSWER.org
http://www.VoteNoWar.org
info@internationalanswer.org
New York 212-633-6646
Washington 202-544-3389
Los Angeles 213-487-2368
San Francisco 415-821-6545
To make a tax-deductible donation, go to
http://www.internationalanswer.org/donate.html
Sign up to receive updates (low volume):
http://www.internationalanswer.org/subscribelist.html
------------------
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To unsubscribe <answer.general-off@action-mail.org>

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IRAK
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================================================
01 Humanitaere Luftbruecke fuer die Zivilbevoelkerung im Nordirak
Von: Ges.f.bedrohte Voelker <gfbv.austria@chello.at>
================================================
PRESSEERKLÄRUNG der Gesellschaft für bedrohte
Völker
Göttingen, 25. März 2003

GfbV fordert Sondersitzung des Bundestages
Deutsche Fraktionen sollen eine Luftbrücke in
die Südtürkei beschließen

Angesichts des anhaltenden Flüchtlingsstroms in
die Bergregionen des Nordirak, fordert die
Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker (GfbV) eine
Sondersitzung des Bundestages. "Beschließen Sie
so schnell wie möglich den Aufbau einer
Bundeswehr-Luftbrücke in die Südosttürkei. Nur
so kann die kontinuierliche Versorgung der
500.000 Flüchtlinge sofort anlaufen",
appellierte der Generalsekretär der GfbV am
Dienstag, den 25. März in Göttingen an die
Fraktionen des Deutschen Bundestages. "Nach
unseren Informationen sind bis zu 500.000
Menschen aus den schwer umkämpften Städten
Dohuk, Mosul und Kirkuk in die Berge geflohen."
Diese Zahlen werden von Mitarbeitern der
Hilfsorganisation Malteser Hilfsdienst vor Ort
bestätigt. Die Menschen in der Region benötigten
dringend Nahrungsmittel, sauberes Wasser,
Medikamente, Decken und Zelte. Die Flüchtlinge
kommen sowohl aus den von Saddam kontrollierten
Städten Mosul und Kirkuk, als auch aus den
Städten unter kurdischer Verwaltung.
Die deutsche Öffentlichkeit werde es nach den
Erfahrungen der Jahrhundertflut begrüßen, dass
die Bundeswehr als Friedensinstrument für die
Hilfe im Irak zum Einsatz komme. Eine solche
Luftbrücke könnte von allen deutschen
Hilfswerken genutzt werden.
Gerade auch die Oppositionsparteien CDU/CSU und
FDP stünden in der Pflicht. Die Regierung
Kohl/Kinkel habe den Aufbau der irakischen
Giftgas-Industrie in den 80er Jahren weder
behindert noch energisch unterbunden und sei
dadurch mitschuldig an den etwa 5.000 Giftgas-
Opfern in der kurdischen Stadt Halabja im Rahmen
der von General Ali Hassan el Madschid geplanten
und geleiteten Offensive "Anfal". Etwa 180.000
Kurden und mit ihnen Yeziden und assyro-
chaldäische Christen kamen dabei ums Leben. Bei Rückfragen erreichen Sie Tilman Zülch unter
0172 - 562 05 23.

=========================================================
Gesellschaft fuer bedrohte Voelker e.V. (GfbV)
Inse Geismar, Pressereferentin
Postfach 2024, D-37010 Goettingen
Tel. +49/551/49906-25, Fax:+49/551/58028
E-Mail: presse@gfbv.de, Hompage:http://www.gfbv.de
==========================================================

================================================
02 Montagsgespräch **Irak-Al Rawi** Der Standard
Von: Initiative muslimischer ÖsterreicherInnen <dieinitiative@gmx.at>
================================================
DER STANDARD
Mittwoch, 26. März 2003, Seite 6 ThemaIRAKKRIEG
"Die Fakten betrachten, statt zu lamentieren"
Kontrovers wurde auf dem Podium des Montagsgesprächs von Standard und Radio
Wien zum Angriff auf den Irak und seine Auswirkungen diskutiert: Mit der
gleichen Leidenschaft war man gegen den Krieg wie dafür, das Regime im Irak zu
entfernen. Eva Stanzl dokumentiert.
Wien - Das Gegenteil des Bösen ist nicht gut. Das war der Grundtenor beim
Montagsgespräch von STANDARD und Radio Wien im Haus der Musik. Omar Al-Rawi, in
Bagdad geborener Exiliraker und Wiener SPÖ-Landtagsabgeordneter, erläuterte:
"Ich habe mir das Ende des Baath-Regimes gewünscht, bevor die Mehrheit der
Europäer überhaupt wussten, wie man ,Saddam' buchstabiert. Dennoch bin ich
gegen diesen Krieg, denn ich bezweifle die Intention und die Moral
der Weltmacht
USA."
Die USA besäßen nicht nur die meisten Massenvernichtungswaffen, "sondern sie
lassen auch die Demokratisierung fallen, wenn sie mit ihren Interessen in
Widerspruch steht", wurde Al-Rawi deutlicher. Zur Verhinderung des Kriegs hätte
er sich ernst gemeinte diplomatische Bemühungen gewünscht. Europa, "das
gegründet wurde, damit alle Staaten mit gleichem Respekt behandelt werden,
unbedacht dessen, ob sie militärisch was zu sagen haben oder nicht", habe im
Unterschied zu den USA bewiesen, dass man durch Zeit und Verhandeln einen
dauerhaften Frieden erzwingen könne, meinte der Politiker und Mitbegründer der
Initiative österreichischer MuslimInnen.
"Dieses Regime hat zwei bis drei Millionen Menschen auf dem Gewissen und
zehn Prozent der eigenen Bevölkerung ausgerottet", entgegnete Christian Ortner,
Autor und Leitartikler beim Wochenmagazin Format. Daher: "Ein derartiges
Regime zu beseitigen, halte ich am Anfang des 21. Jahrhunderts schon per se für
eine Legitimation dieses Krieges. Wenn man sich fragt: Gibt es einen Krieg,
der vernünftig sein kann, dann würde ich sagen, ein Krieg gegen dieses
derartiges Regime ist es am ehesten noch."
Terrororganisationen wie Al-Kaida resultieren für Ortner aus dem "Fehler der
Amerikaner, den arabischen Raum als Tankstelle" zu begreifen: So lange die
Tankstellenbesitzer dafür sorgten, dass das Öl fließe, sei den USA egal, wie
sie mit ihren Angestellten umgingen. Dass sie diese Politik revidieren
müssten, hätten die Amerikaner nach dem 11. Septembers begriffen, "und nun
unternehmen sie den Versuch, in diesem Raum demokratische Zustände
herbeizuführen",
meinte Ortner.
"Sie schließen also jegliche Lösung außerhalb einer Krieges aus", merkte
Al-Rawi dazu an: "Das finde ich verwunderlich, weil sie wie ich zu einer Zeit
unseren Zivildienst abgeleistet haben, als wir vor einer Kommission beweisen
mussten, dass uns unser Gewissen nicht erlaubt, mit der Waffe zu dienen."
Für Ortners Berufskollegen Heinz Nussbaumer, Nahostexperte und Herausgeber
der Wochenzeitschrift Die Furche, ist Krieg alles, nur kein Mittel zum
Frieden: "Zwei Minus - also Saddam und dieser Krieg - ergeben für
mich noch lange
kein Plus".
Strategischer Partner
Nussbaumer verwies auf "viel längerfristige Überlegungen" der USA als die
öffentlich geäußerten Worte über Moral und Massenvernichtungswaffen: "Die
Amerikaner haben ein Riesenproblem. Sie haben ihren größten
strategischen Partner
in Saudi-Arabien, und dieser Partner hat sich nach - und eigentlich schon vor
- dem 11. September als der falsche erwiesen." Zu ihrer eigenen
Machterhaltung müsse die Familie der Sauds die Gegner der USA - die
Islamisten -
bestechen. Würden die Sauds aber gestürzt, hätten die Amerikaner
ihren wichtigsten
Partner verloren. "Daher", sagte Nussbaumer, "müssen sich die USA um einen
anderen, stabileren Partner umschauen, und das kann kann aufgrund seiner Größe,
seiner Macht, seiner Öl- und Wirtschaftsmöglichkeiten nur der Irak sein. Die
USA können sich die Frage Saudi-Arabien erst stellen, wenn wie die Frage Irak
gelöst haben", sagte Nussbaumer.
Nicht auf US-Motive, sondern die Bedeutung der transatlantischen Beziehungen
ging Otmar Höll, Direktor des Instituts für Internationale Politik, ein.
"Ich finde, dass dieser Krieg zu diesem Zeitpunkt unter diesen Vorzeichen
ungünstig ist. Ich bin gegen diesen Krieg mit ähnlicher Leidenschaft
wie ich dafür
bin, dass das Regime Saddam Hussein und seine Person entfernt werden."
Höll sieht eine Krise im Westen seit dem Ende des Kalten Kriegs: Das Ende
der Bipolarität habe kulturelle und politische Verschiedenheiten und
Interessensdivergenzen zwischen Europa und den USA sowie die unterschiedlichen
historischen Erfahrungen zu Tage gebracht.
"Auf europäischem Boden fanden zwei blutige Kriege statt und Europa hat
Erfahrung mit dem Terrorismus", betonte Höll: Die Konsequenz waren
Einrichtungen
wie die Konferenz für Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit (KSZE), hinter der die
USA zwar als Schutzmacht stand, aber "Europa hat durch Konzessionen ein äußerst
positives Ergebnis vorzuweisen, nämlich die EU", so Höll. Das Problem dabei:
"Der wirtschaftlich-gesellschaftlich-kulturelle Gigant ist ein militärischer
und politischer Zwerg."
Arbeitsteilung
Der Politwissenschaftler setzt auf Arbeitsteilung: Obwohl die EU den
technologisch-militärischen Vorsprung der USA kaum einholen könne, habe sie
Erfahrungen in politischen Verhandlungen zu bieten. Bei einem
positiven Zusammenspiel
"könnte ich mir vorstellen, dass man die Zukunft auch im Nahen Osten sehr
viel verheißungsvoller gestalten wird".
"Ich bin zutiefst gespalten", gestand der Militärstratege Gerald Karner, der
nicht in Uniform, sondern mit Anzug und Krawatte erschienen war: "Ich halte
Krieg für das beinahe schrecklichste, das man der Menschheit antun kann.
Womit ich aber ein Problem habe, ist eine Argumentation, die darauf
hinausläuft,
dass man gar nichts tut, um einen Diktator zu entfernen."
Karner sieht Lösungsmöglichkeiten darin, die Fakten zu betrachten. "Ich
halte es für wenig hilfreich über die Ineffektivität internationaler
Organisationen und das Machtbewusstsein der USA zu lamentieren."
Gegenüber der Weltmacht
USA müsse Europa vor der eigenen Tür kehren und eine andere Politik
verfolgen: "Die EU hat es verabsäumt, nationale Interessen hinten
anzustellen und
europäische Interessen zu entwickeln", analysierte Karner.
Zu sagen, die EU wäre eine Friedensmacht, weil sie gegen den Krieg sei, "ist
faktisch falsch". So sei die französische Position gegen den Krieg nicht
davon bestimmt, keinen Krieg führen zu wollen, denn: "Die Franzosen würden
keinen Tag zögern, in Afrika zu intervenieren. Die französischen
Positionen sind
von massiven wirtschaftlichen Interessen im Irak geprägt und wenn das so ist,
dann sollte man das auch so sagen", schloss Karner das Gespräch.
Bei einem positiven Zusammenspiel USA-Europa könnte die Zukunft im Nahen
Osten verheißungsvoller sein." Otmar Höll--
Initiative muslimischer ÖsterreicherInnen
e-mail:dieinitiative@gmx.at
für Rückfragen und Korrespondenz kontaktieren sie bitte:
Omar Al Rawi +43-664-3831942 al-rawi@gmx.at
Amina & Tarafa Baghajati +43-1-2595449 baghajati@surfeu.at
Mouddar Khouja +43-1-9685096 mouddar@gmx.net
Andrea Saleh +43-1-7965652 salehand@gmx.at
Liebe Brüder und Schwestern, liebe Interessierte!
Wir hoffen, dass die so an Euch zugehenden Informationen auf
Euer Interesse stoßen.
Wir versenden über den Verteiler nicht nur Neuigkeiten, die die
eigenen Aktivitäten betreffen, sondern auch Zeitungsartikel und
Veranstaltungshinweise, die im weitesten Sinn mit dem Islam
und Integration zu tun haben oder ähnliches.
Diese spiegeln natürlich nicht unbedingt unsere eigene Meinung
wieder, sind aber gut, um das Meinungsspektrum zu sichten. Wir
freuen uns über jede Rückmeldung.
Selbstverständlich kann auch alles an Freunde,Bekannte
usw.weitergemailt werden.
Für die Publikation in eigenen Homepages bitten wir jedoch um
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Bitte achten Sie bei Zeitungsartikeln auf das Copyright.
Alle Inhalte dienen der persoenlichen Information.
Eine Weiterverwendung und Reproduktion ueber den
persoenlichen Gebrauch hinaus ist nicht gestattet.

================================================
03 Irakische Armee verübt Massaker in Kirkuk!
Von: Von: Associazione per i popoli minacciati <info@gfbv.it>
================================================
URL: www.gfbv.it/2c-stampa/03-1/030326de.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Krieg in Irak
Irakische Armee verübt Massaker in Kirkuk!
Bozen, Göttingen, 26. März 2003
Bereits am Sonntag, dem 23. März, hat die irakische Armee ein Massaker
unter
Offizieren der Armee und der Zivilbevölkerung der Stadt Kirkuk im Nordirak
begangen, die wegen ihrer Schlüsselstellung für die Ölförderung des Irak
umkämpft ist. Dies erfuhr die Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker (GfbV) erst
heute aus zwei voneinander unabhängigen Quellen aus dem Nordirak. Demnach
seien 78 Personen, darunter 62 Offiziere der irakischen Armee und 16
Zivilisten, 12 Kurden und vier Turkmenen, erschossen worden. Die Offiziere
hätten sich geweigert, in der Armee Saddams zu kämpfen. Die Zivilisten
seien
beschuldigt worden, Sabotage gegen den Irak zu begehen.
Neu sei dabei, dass nun offenbar auch bislang relativ unbehelligte
Minderheiten wie die Turkmenen verstärkt ins Zielfeld der Armee Saddam
Husseins gerieten. Außerdem gefährde die irakische Armee die
Zivilbevölkerung in verbrecherischer Weise: Es sei beobachtet worden, dass
die irakische Armee in Kirkuk ihre Luftabwehr auf den Dächern von
Zivilobjekten installiere. Damit nehme sie bewusst den Tod von Zivilisten
in
Kauf.
Siehe auch Dokumentation: "Saddam Hussein - die Zahl der Opfer hat die
erste
Million überschritten":
http://www.gfbv.it/2c-stampa/03-1/030128de-dok.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Siehe auch:
* www.gfbv.it: www.gfbv.it/2c-stampa/03-1/030321de.html |
www.gfbv.it/2c-stampa/03-1/030319de.html |
www.gfbv.it/2c-stampa/03-1/030314ade.html |
www.gfbv.it/2c-stampa/03-1/030228de.html |
www.gfbv.it/2c-stampa/02-1/020315de.html |
www.gfbv.it/2c-stampa/1-01/15-3-dt.html |
www.gfbv.it/2c-stampa/02-1/020221de.html |
www.gfbv.it/2c-stampa/03-1/030128de-dok.html
* www: www.unhcr.de | www.un.org | www.iccnow.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Letzte Aktual.: 26.3.2003 | Copyright | Suchmaschine | URL:
www.gfbv.it/2c-stampa/03-1/030326de.html | XHTML 1.0 | WEBdesign, Info: M.
di Vieste

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AUGENZEUGENBERICHTE AUS BAGDAD
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================================================
04 some true news
Von: hilde grammel <hilde.grammel@aon.at>
================================================
Live From Iraq, an Un-Embedded Journalist: Robert Fisk on Washington1s
OQuagmire1 in Iraq, Civilian Deaths and the Fallacy of Bush1s OWar of
Liberation1
By Robert Fisk, Amy Goodman and Jeremy Scahill
NOTE: THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT
DEMOCRACY NOW! MARCH 25, 2003
Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! Host: Set the scene for us in Baghdad right now.
Robert Fisk, The Independent: Well, it1s been a relatively the word ago.
There have obviously been an awful lot of missiles arriving on some
target, but I would say it was about 4 or 5 miles away. You can hear the
change in air pressure and you can hear this long, low rumble like drums or
like someone banging on a drum deep beneath the ground, but quite a ways
away. There have only been 2 or 3 explosions near the center of the city,
which is where I am, in the last 12 hours. So, I suppose you could say that,
comparatively, to anyone living in central Baghdad, it1s been a quiet night.
The strange thing is that the intensity of the attacks on Baghdad changes
quite extraordinarily; you1ll get one evening when you can actually sleep
through it all, and the next evening when you see the explosions red hot
around you.
As if no one really planning the things, it1s like someone wakes up in the
morning and says, 3Let1s target this on the map today2, and it1s something
which sort of characterizes the whole adventure because if you actually look
at what1s happening on the ground, you1ll see that the American and British
armies started off in the border. They started off at Um Qasr and got stuck,
carried on up the road through the desert, took another right turn and tried
to get into Basra, got stuck, took another right at Nasiriya, got stuck
almost as if they keep on saying, 3Well let1s try the next road on the
right2, and it has kind of a lack of planning to it. There will be those who
say that, 3No it1s been meticulously planned,2 but it doesn1t feel like it
to be here.
AG: Can you talk about the POWs and television- the charge that they1re
violating the Geneva Convention by showing them on television?
RF: Well, you know, the Geneva Convention is meant to protect children, and
hospitals are full of civilians, including many children who1ve been badly
wounded.
It seems to me that this concentration on whether television should show
prisoners or not is a kind of mischief: it1s not the point. The issue, of
course, is that both sides are taking prisoners, and that both sides want
the other side to know of the prisoners they1ve taken. I watched CNN showing
a British soldier forcing a man to kneel on the ground and put his hands up
and produce his identity card and I1ve seen other film on British television
of prisoners near Um Qasr and Basra being forced to march past a British
soldier with their hands in the air. Well, they (the American soldiers)
weren1t interviewed, it1s true, although you heard at one point a man asking
questions, clearly to put any prisoner on air answering questions is against
the Geneva Convention. But for many, many years now, in the Middle East
television has been showing both sides in various wars appearing on
television and being asked what their names are and what their home
countries are.
And the real issue is that these prisoners should not be maltreated,
tortured, or hurt after capture. When you realize that 19 men have tried to
commit suicide at Guantanamo, that we now know that 2 prisoners at the US
base Bagram were beaten to death during interrogation. To accuse the Iraqis
of breaking the Geneva Convention by putting American POWs on television in
which you hear them being asked what state they1re from in the states, it
seems a very hypocritical thing to do. But one would have to say,
technically, putting a prisoner of war on television and asking them
questions on television is against the Geneva Convention. It is quite
specifically so. And thus, clearly Iraq broke that convention when it put
those men on television- I watched them on Iraqi TV here. But, as I1ve said,
it1s a pretty hypocritical thing when you realize, this equates to the way
America treats prisoners from Afghanistan- Mr. Bush is not the person to be
teaching anyone about the Geneva Convention.
Jeremy Scahill, Democracy Now! Correspondent: Robert Fisk, you wrote in one
of your most recent articles, actually, the title of it was "Iraq Will
Become a Quagmire for the Americans" and I think many people within the US
administration were surprised to find the kinds of resistance they have in
places like Nasiriya. We have the two Apache helicopters that have
apparently been shot down and many US casualties so far. Do you think the
Americans were caught by surprise, particularly by the resistance in the
south where everyone was saying that the people are against Saddam Hussein?
RF: Well, they shouldn1t have been caught by surprise; there were plenty of
us writing that this was going to be a disaster and a catastrophe and that
they were going to take casualties. You know, one thing I think the Bush
administration has shown as a characteristic, is that it dreams up moral
ideas and then believes that they1re all true, and characterizes this policy
by assuming that everyone else will then play their roles.
In their attempt to dream up an excuse to invade Iraq, they1ve started out,
remember, by saying first of all that there are weapons of mass destruction.
We were then told that al Qaeda had links to Iraq, which, there certainly
isn1t an al Qaeda link. Then we were told that there were links to September
11th, which was rubbish. And in the end, the best the Bush administration
could do was to say, 3Well, we1re going to liberate the people of Iraq2. And
because it provided this excuse, it obviously then had to believe that these
people wanted to be liberated by the Americans.
And, as the Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said a few hours ago, I was
listening to him in person, the Americans expected to be greeted with roses
and music- and they were greeted with bullets. I think you see what has
happened is that -- and as he pointed out -- the American administration and
the US press lectured everybody about how the country would break apart
where Shiites hated Sunnis and Sunnis hated Turkmen and Turkmen hated Kurds,
and so on. And yet, most of the soldiers fighting in southern Iraq are
actually Shiite. They1re not Sunnis, they1re not Tikritis, they1re not from
Saddam1s home city. Saddam did not get knocked off his perch straight away,
and I think that, to a considerable degree, the American administration
allowed that little cabal of advisors around Bush- I1m talking about Perle,
Wolfowitz, and these other people served their country, never put on a
uniform- nor, indeed, has Mr. Bush ever
served his country- they persuaded themselves of this Hollywood scenario of
GIs driving through the streets of Iraqi cities being showered with roses by
a relieved populace who desperately want this offer of democracy that Mr.
Bush has put on offer-as reality.
And the truth of the matter is that Iraq has a very, very strong political
tradition of strong anti-colonial struggle. It doesn1t matter whether that1s
carried out under the guise of kings or under the guise of the Arab
Socialist Ba1ath party, or under the guise of a total dictator. There are
many people in this country who would love to get rid of Saddam Hussein, I1m
sure, but they don1t want to live under American occupation. The nearest I
can describe it- and again, things can change- maybe the pack of cards will
all collapse tomorrow- but if I can describe it, it would be a bit like the
situation in 1941-- and I hate these World War II parallels because I think
it1s disgusting to constantly dig up the second world war -- Hitler is dead
and he died in 1945 and we shouldn1t use it, but if you want the same
parallel, you1ll look at Operation: Barbarosa, where the Germans invaded
Russia in 1941 believing that the Russians would collapse because Stalin was
so hated and Communism was so hated. And at the end of the day, the Russians
preferred to fight the Germans to free their country from Germany, from Nazi
rule, rather than to use the German invasion to turn against Stalin. And at
the end of the day, a population many of whom had suffered greatly under
Communism fought for their motherland under the leadership of Marshal Stalin
against the German invader.
A similar situation occurred in 1980 when Saddam himself invaded Iran. There
had just been, 12 months earlier, a revolution in Iran and the Islamic
Republic had come into being. It was believed here in Baghdad that if an
invasion force crossed the border from Iraq- supported again in this case by
the Americans- that the Islamic Republic would fall to pieces; that it would
collapse under its own volition; that is couldn1t withstand a foreign
invasion. I actually crossed the border with the Iraqi forces in 1980, I was
reporting on both sides, and I remember reaching the first Iranian city
called Horam Shar and we came under tremendous fire; mortar fire, sniper
fire, and artillery fire, and I remember suddenly thinking as I hid in this
villa with a number of Iraqi commandos, 3My goodness, the Iranians are
fighting for their country2.
I think the same thing is happening now, and, obviously, we know that with
the firepower they have the Americans can batter their way into these cities
and they can take over Baghdad, but the moral ethos behind this war is that
you Americans are supposed to be coming to liberate this place. And, if
you1re going to have to smash your way into city after city using armor and
helicopters and aircraft, then the whole underpinning and purpose of this
war just disappears, and, the world- which has not been convinced thus far,
who thinks this is a wrong war and an unjust war- are going to say, 3Then
what is this for? They don1t want to be liberated by us.2 And that1s when
we1re going to come down to the old word: Oil. What1s quite significant is
in the next few hours the Oil Minister in Iraq is supposed to be addressing
the press, and that might turn out to be one of the more interesting press
conferences that we1ve had, maybe even more interesting, perhaps, than the
various briefings from military officials about the course of the war.
Amy Goodman: We1re speaking to Robert Fisk in Baghdad, Iraq. Robert, we also
have word that the Turks have also crossed over the border- thousands of
Turkish soldiers- into northern Iraq.
RF: I wouldn1t be surprised, I really don1t know. You1ve got to realize
that, although electricity and communications continue n Baghdad, I only
know what I hear on the radio and television, and, as in all wars, covering
it is an immensely exhausting experience. I simply haven1t been able to keep
up with what1s happening in the north. I rely on people like you, Amy, to
tell me. I have a pretty good idea of what1s happening in the rest of Iraq,
but not in the north.
AG: Well can you tell us what is happening and what it1s like to report
there? How are you getting around and do you agree with the Iraqi General
Hazim Al-Rawi that you quoted that Iraq will become a quagmire for the
Americans?
RF: Well, it1s not just Rawi, we1ve had Vice President Ramadan, [and] the
Minister of Defense just over 24 hours ago giving the most detailed
briefings. One of the interesting things is whether or not you believe these
various briefings are correct, the detail is quite extraordinary, and
certainly we1re being given more information about what1s been going on at
the front- accurate or not- than most of the Western correspondents have
been getting in Qatar. I mean, you1ll see pictures of journalists saying,
3Well, I1m with the US Marines near a town I can1t name, but we1re having
some problems, here1s Nasiriya and here1s a bridge2. If you go to the Iraqi
briefing, they1ll tell you it1s the third corp, 45th Battalion, they1re
actually giving the names of the officers who are in charge of various units
and what position they1re in, and where the battles are taking place.
There is actually more detail being given out by the Iraqis than by the
Americans or the British, which is quite remarkable, it1s the first time
I1ve ever known this. Now, again, it may be plausible to think that all this
information is accurate- when the Iraqis first said they had taken American
prisoners, we said, 3Oh, more propaganda2- then up comes the film of the
prisoners. Then they said they1d shot down a helicopter, and the journalists
here in the briefing sort of looked at each other and said, 3There1s another
story2, and suddenly we1re seeing film of a shot down helicopter- then
another film of a shot down helicopter. Then they said they had attacked and
destroyed armored personnel carriers belonging to the US armed forces, and
we all looked at each other and said, 3Here we go again, more propaganda2,
and then we see film on CNN of burning APCs.
So, there1s a good deal of credibility being given to the Iraqi version of
events, although I1d have to say that their total version of how many
aircraft have been shot down appears to be an exaggeration. So, we do have a
moderately good idea, in that sense, of what1s actually happening. There are
Iraqis moving around inside Iraq and arriving in Baghdad and giving us
accounts of events that appear to be the same as accounts being given by
various authorities. And no journalist can leave Baghdad to go to the south
to check this out, but I do suspect that will happen in due course, I do
think they will get journalists to move around inside Iraq providing they
can produce a scenario that is favorable to Iraq. But frankly, any scene
that a journalist sees that is opposition to the United States would be
favorable to Iraq. But, it may well be that, with the Americans only about
50 miles away from where I am, if they1re going to try to enter Baghdad or
if a siege of Baghdad begins, of course the Iraqis have boasted for a long
time that this would be a kind of Stalingrad- here come the World War II
references again- we won1t have to go very far to see the Americans fighting
the Iraqis, we1ll see them with our own eyes. The Americans won1t be
arriving close to Baghdad; they already are close.
When we1ll be moving around- you asked me about reporting- it1s not nearly
as claustrophobic as you might imagine. I can walk out from my hotel in the
evening, and, if I can find a restaurant open, I can get in a cab and go to
dinner, no one stops me. When I1m traveling around during the day, if I want
to go and carry out any interviews, if I want to do anything journalistic, I
have a driver and I have what is called a minder; a person provided by the
ministry to travel with me. This means that nobody I speak to is able to
speak freely. I1ve gone up to people in the streets-shopkeepers- and talked
to them, but it1s quite clear that there1s a representative of the authority
with me, and I, in fact, don1t do any interviews like that any more, I think
it1s ridiculous. Many of my colleagues continue to point microphones at
these poor people and ask them questions which they cannot possibly respond
to freely. So I simply do not do interview stories, I think it1s too
intimidating to the person one is talking to, it is unprofessional and it is
unethical to travel with anyone else on an interview of that kind.
But, you know, as I say, I can get into a car without a minder and go to a
grocery shop and pick up groceries, bottles of water, biscuits, vegetables-
I don1t need to travel around with a minder in that case and nobody minds.
In other words, it1s not as though you1re under a great oppressive watch.
Television reports now, by and large, when reporters are making television
interviews, or when they1re being interviewed by the head offices, now
require a ministry minder to sit and listen. It doesn1t mean they are being
censored, but it means that they bite their lip occasionally. I will not do
any television interviews with minders present so I don1t appear on
television here. The odd thing is that there is no control at all attempted
over written journalism or radio journalism. While I1m talking to you now,
I1m sure this phone is being listened to, but whether they have the ability
to listen to every phone call in Baghdad, but I doubt very much. I can say
anything I want, and I do. And when I write, I1m not worried at all about
being critical of the regime here and I am. It1s really a television thing
here that I think the authorities are more fixated with and the actual
presence of the minder, who, in my case is a pleasant guy who does not have
a political upbringing particularly. It1s more of a concern, which I suppose
one could understand if you saw it through Iraqi eyes or the eyes of the
regime, that the reporter is not doing some kind of dual purpose.
Obviously, there is a tradition that journalists sometimes, unfortunately,
turned out to work for governments as well as for newspapers or television,
and I think the concern of the Iraqis is that some vital piece of
information doesn1t get out to what is referred to by them as the enemy,
and, secondly, that reporters are what they say they are. But, you know,
this happened in Yugoslavia when I was covering the Serbian war. I was in
there from the beginning of the war and most journalists were thrown out but
I managed to hang on. And at the beginning, one couldn1t travel anywhere in
Serbia or Yugoslavia at all without a government official. And, after days
and weeks went by, and you turned out to be who you said you were, and you
were not at all interested in working for anyone but your editor and your
newspaper, a form of trust build up where they know that you disapprove of
their regime, but they vaguely know you1re going to tell the truth, even if
it1s critical towards Britain or America or whoever. And they leave you
alone, by and large.
I have been to Iraq many times and I know a lot of people here, both in
authority and civilians. I think people generally realize that The
Independent really is an independent newspaper. So, there1s no great attempt
to influence me or force me to praise the regime, for example, which is kind
of a Hollywood version of what happens in these places. I1ve written very
critically, with condemnation of Saddam and the regime and of all the human
rights abuses here and the use of gas in Halabja and so on. And I think
there1s a sort of understanding that as long as you1re a real journalist you
will have to say these things, and indeed one has to, one should, but that
doesn1t mean that we are laboring under the cruel heel phrase dictatorship,
this is a regime that does not believe in the free speech that
you and I believe in. One has to do ones best to get the story out.
AG: Do you think Saddam Hussein is in control?
RF: Oh yes, absolutely. There have been a few incidents, I mean there was a
little bit of shooting last night and there were the rumors that people had
come from Saddam City and there were clashes with security forces or
security agents, and rumors of a railway line being blown up, which was
denied by the authorities, but there is no doubt Saddam is in control. It1s
very funny sitting here, in a strange way, I suppose, if you could listen to
some of the things that were said about the United States here, you1d laugh
in America, but I1ve been listening to this uproariously funny argument
about whether Saddam1s speech was recorded before the war and whether they
have look-alikes.
So, that in fact, the speech that Saddam made 24 hours ago, less than 24
hours ago, a speech that was very important if you read the text carefully
and understand what he was trying to do, it has been totally warped in the
United States by a concentration not on what he was saying, but whether it
was actually him that was saying it. The American correspondent was saying
to me yesterday morning, 3This is ridiculous, we simply can1t report the
story, because every time we have to deal with something Saddam says, the
Pentagon claims it1s not him or it1s his double or it was recorded 2 weeks
ago2. So, the story ceases to be about what the man says, the story starts
to be this totally mythical, fictional idea that it really isn1t Saddam or
it1s his double, etcetera. I watched this recording on television, all his
television broadcasts are recordings because he1s not so stupid as to do a
live broadcast and get bombed by the Americans while he1s doing it.
The one thing you learn if you1re a target is not to do live television
broadcasts, or radio for that matter, or, indeed telephone. But if you
listen and read the text of what Saddam said, it has clearly been recorded
in the previous few hours, and I can tell you, having once actually met the
man, it absolutely was Saddam Hussein. But that1s the strange thing, you
see, that in the US, the Pentagon only has to say it1s not Saddam, that it1s
a fake, it was recorded years ago, or that it1s a double, and the Hollywood
side of the story, which is quite rubbish, it1s not true- it is him, then
takes over from the real story, which is OWhat the hell is this guy actually
saying?1.
AG: What is he saying?
RF: There were several themes. The first one; 14 times he told the Iraqis,
3Be patient2. Oddly enough, that1s what Joseph Stalin told the Russian
people in 1941 and 1942; be patient. He made a point of specifically naming
the army officers in charge of Um Qasr, Basra, and Nasiriya and the various
other cities in which are holding out against the Americans. It was
important that he kept saying, Othe army, the army, the Ba1ath party
militia1. He was constantly reiterating that these things were happening;
they were opposing the Americans and the Americans were taking casualties.
In some ways, his speech was not unlike that of George W. Bush, he talked
about fighting evil, of fighting the devil. And, although there1s no
connection, that1s something that bin Laden used to say a lot. The idea of
good versus evil has become part of kind of a patoire for every warring
leader whether it be Bush or Saddam or anyone else.
But there was also this constant reference to the anti-colonial history of
Iraq, the need to remember this was a battle against an invader; that these
people were invading from another country. This was not Iraq invading the
US- this was the US invading Iraq. It was not a speech that was delivered
with a great deal of passion, and Saddam is capable of emotion. He read from
a text, it wasn1t Churchillian- here we go again, World War II grasping at
me like a ghost. But it was an interesting text because of its constant
repetition; wait, we will win eventually. And it was quite clear what came
over from it; Saddam believes Iraq1s salvation- at least the salvation of
the regime, shall we say- is just keeping on fighting and fighting and
fighting until the moral foundations and underpinnings which America has
attached to this invasion have collapsed. In other words, if you can keep
holding out week after week, if you can suck the Americans into the quagmire
of Baghdad and make them fight, and use artillery against them in civilian
areas, that will undermine the whole moral purpose they1ve strapped onto
this war.
Frankly, having listened to the various meretricious reasons put forward for
this war, I think he1s understood one of the main reasons why it1s taking
place and thus has decided he1s going to go on fighting. And, of course,
once you apply unconditional surrender- World War II- isn1t that what
Roosevelt did at Casablanca, there is no way out. It was an interesting
moment last night when Tariq Aziz was asked by a journalist, 3Can you see a
way out?2 Is it possible to have another peace?2 Tariq Aziz looked at the
journalist as if he1d seen a ghost and he said, 3What are you talking about?
There is a war2. I asked Tariq Aziz, I said, 3You1ve given us a very
dramatic description of the last 7 days of the war, can you give us a
dramatic description of the next 7 days?2 2Just stay on here in Baghdad and
you1ll find out2, he said.
JS: Robert Fisk, what are you seeing in terms of the preparations for the
defense of Baghdad? The people that we1ve been interviewing inside of Iraq-
both ordinary Iraqis as well as journalists and others, are saying that
there aren1t really visible signs that there are any overt preparations
underway. What1s your sense?
RF: Well, it doesn1t look like Stalingrad to me, but I guess in Stalingrad
there probably weren1t a lot of preparations. I1ve been more than 20 miles
outside of Baghdad, and you can certainly see troops building big artillery
vetments around the city. I mean, positions for heavy artillery and mortars,
army vehicles hidden under overpasses, the big barracks of long ago-as in
Serbia before the NATO bombardment have long been abandoned. Most of these
cruise missiles that we hear exploding at night are bursting into government
buildings, ministries, offices and barracks that have long ago been
abandoned. There1s nobody inside them; they are empty. I1ve watched
ministries take all their computers out, trays- even the pictures from the
walls. That is the degree to which these buildings are empty; they are
shells. Inside the city, there have been a lot of trenches dug beside roads,
sandbag positions set up. In some cases, holes dug with sandbags around them
to make positions on road intersections to make positions for snipers and
machine gunners.
This is pretty primitive stuff. It might be WW2 in fabrication, but it
doesn1t look like the kind of defenses that are going to stop a modern,
mechanized army like that of the United States or Britain- I think the US is
a little more modern than we are. I don1t think it needs to be, because
America1s power is in its firepower, its mechanized state, its
sophistication of its technology. Iraqi military power is insane; these
people are invading us and we continue to resist them- active resistance is
a principle element of Iraq1s military defense. It1s in the act of
resistance, not whether you can stop this tank or that tank. And, the fact
of the matter is, and it1s become obvious in the Middle East over the last
few years; the West doesn1t want to take casualties. They don1t want to die.
Nobody wants to die, but some people out here realize a new form of warfare
has set in where, the United States, if they want to invade a country, they
will bombard it. They will use other people1s soldiers to do it.
Look at the way the Israelis used Lebanese mercenaries of the South Lebanon
army in Lebanon. Look at the way the Americans used the KLA in Kosovo or the
Northern Alliance in Afghanistan. But here in Iraq there isn1t anyone they
can use; the Iraqi opposition appears to be hopeless. The Iraqis have not
risen up against their oppressors as they did in 1991 when they were
betrayed by the Americans and the British after being urged to fight Saddam-
they1re staying at home. They1re letting the Americans do the liberating. If
the Americans want to liberate them, fine, let the Americans do it- but the
Americans aren1t doing very well at the moment.
You see, we1ve already got a situation down in Basra where the British army
have admitted firing artillery into the city of Basra, and then winging on
afterward talking about OWe1re being fired at by soldiers hiding among
civilians1. Well, I1m sorry; all soldiers defending cities are among
civilians. But now the British are firing artillery shells into the heavily
populated city of Basra. When the British were fired upon with mortars or
with snipers from the cragg on the state or the bogside in Delhi and in
Northern Ireland, they did not use artillery, but here, apparently, it is ok
to use artillery on a crowded city. What on Earth is the British army doing
in Iraq firing artillery into a city after invading the country? Is this
really about weapons of mass destruction? Is this about al Qaeda? It1s
interesting that in the last few days, not a single reporter has mentioned
September 11th. This is supposed to be about September 11th. This is
supposed to be about the war on terror, but nobody calls it that anymore
because deep down, nobody believes it is. So, what is it about? It1s
interesting that there are very few stories being written about oil. We1re
told about the oil fields being mined and booby-trapped, some oil wells set
on fire- but oil is really not quite the point. Strange enough, in Baghdad,
you don1t forget it, because in an attempt to mislead the guidance system of
heat seeking missiles and cruise missiles, Iraqis are setting fire to large
berms of oil around the city. All day, all you see is this sinister black
canopy of oil smoke over Baghdad. It blocks out the sun, it makes the wind
rise and it gets quite cold; here, you can1t forget the word oil. But I
don1t hear it too much in news reports.
AG: We1re talking to Robert Fisk in Baghdad, Iraq. I wanted to get you
comment on Richard Perle1s piece in The Guardian where he said 3Saddam
Hussein1s reign of terror is about to end. He will go quickly, but not
alone. In a parting irony, he will take the UN down with him2.
RF: Well, poor old UN. Very soon, the Americans are going to need the United
Nations as desperately as they wanted to get rid of them. Because if this
turns into the tragedy that it is turning into at the moment, if the
Americans end up, by besieging Baghdad day after day after day, they1ll be
looking for a way out, and the only way out is going to be the United
Nations at which point, believe me, the French and the Russians are going to
make sure that George Bush passes through some element of humiliation to do
that. But that1s some way away. Remember what I said early on to you. The
Americans can do it- they have the firepower. They may need more than
250,000 troops, but if they1re willing to sacrifice lives of their own men,
as well as lives of the Iraqis, they can take Baghdad; they can come in.
But, you know, I look down from my balcony here next to the Tigris River-
does that mean we1re going to have an American tank on every intersection in
Baghdad? What are they there for- to occupy? To repress? To run an
occupation force against the wishes of Iraqis? Or are they liberators? It1s
very interesting how the reporting has swung from one side to another. Are
these liberating forces or occupying forces? Every time I hear a journalist
say Oliberation1, I know he means Ooccupation1. We come back to the same
point again which Mr. Perle will not acknowledge; because this war does not
have a UN sanction behind it it doesn1t have permission behind it, it is a
war without international legitimacy, and the longer it goes on, the
more it hurts Bush and the less
it hurts Saddam. And we1re now into one week, and there isn1t even a single
American soldier who has even approached the city of Baghdad yet. And the
strange thing, looking at it from here in Baghdad, is the ad hoc way in
which this war appears to be carried out.
We heard about the air campaign. There is no air campaign; there was not a
single Iraqi airplane in the sky. This isn1t Luftwaffe faces the Battle of
Britain or the Royal Air Force or the USAF- this is aerial bombardment. The
fighting is going on on the ground. There wasn1t meant to be any fighting,
but there is. It1s the way in which during the first night there was some
distant rumbling, and we were told that the war had begun, but it wasn1t
really the bombing of Baghdad, but a one off attempt to kill Saddam. I guess
someone walked into the White House and said, 3Mr. President, we1re not
planning to start until tomorrow, but we1ve got this opportunity to kill
Saddam2. 3OK, let1s have a go, let1s try it, let1s try it2. Then we have
this big blitz the following night, and a much bigger one the next night,
where I was literally standing in the middle of Baghdad literally watching
buildings blow up all over Baghdad around me- a whole presidential palace
went into flames right in front of me, it was extraordinary. An anarchical
sight of red and gold colors and tremendous explosions and leaves dropping
off the trees like autumn in the spring.
And then the next night was quite quiet, and then last night, for example,
most of the attacks by the cruise missiles were in the suburbs, and it was
possible- until you rang, of course, to sleep. It1s as if someone down there
in Qatar or in CentCom in Tampa, Florida, or somewhere is saying, 3Ok, let1s
send another 20 tonight, let1s send 300 tonight, where should we send them,
let1s send them here2. It1s as if the whole idea of the war was not planned
militarily, it was planned politically, it was planned ideologically, as if
there1s an ideological plan behind the war. It started with al Qaeda, it
moved on to weapons of mass destruction, then we1re going to liberate the
people- and it1s all going wrong. Whatever kind of ideological plan there
was has fallen to bits. Now, of course, maybe Saddam falls in the next few
days, maybe Baghdad collapses. I actually believed and wrote in the paper a
few days ago that it1s possible that one day we1ll all get up and all the
militias and the Iraqi soldiers will be gone and we1ll see American soldiers
walking through the streets. But I don1t believe that now.
AG: Last question- have you been to the hospitals of Baghdad?
RF: Yes; quite a few of them. The main visit I made was to one of the main
government hospitals on Saturday morning after a pretty long night of
explosions around the city in which of course quite a lot of these cruise
missiles exploded right on their targets. Others missed them and crashed
into civilian areas. I went to one hospital where-the doctors here are not
Ba1ath party members- the chief doctor I spoke to was trained in Edinborough
where he got his FRCF. He went very coldly down his list of patients and he
had 101, whom he estimated 16 were soldiers 85 were civilians, and of the 85
civilians, 20 were women, 6 were children.
One child and one man had died in the operating theater during surgery. Most
of the children were pretty badly hurt, one little girl had shrapnel from an
American bomb in her spine and her left leg was paralyzed. Her mother was,
rather pathetically, trying to straighten out her right leg against it as if
both the legs, if pointed in the same direction, she1d somehow regain
movement in the left side of her body, which, of course, she did not. Other
children were on drip feeds and had very serious leg injuries. One little
girl had shrapnel in her abdomen, which had not yet been removed. They were
clearly in pain, there was a lot of tears and crying from the children, less
so from the young women who had been hit- one woman was actually 17, they
weren1t all young. In one case a woman and her daughter were there. The
woman said to me that she had gone to see a relative and she had gotten out
of a taxi, her daughter, whom I also spoke to, was standing in front of her
and there was a tremendous explosion, noise, and white light, as the woman
said. The girl was hit in the legs and the woman was hit in the chest and
legs by shrapnel. They were lying next to each other in hospital beds. This
is not the worst kind of injuries I have ever seen, and I1ve seen just about
every injury in the world including people who1ve virtually got no heads
left and are still alive, and I didn1t see that. But, if you1re going to
bomb a country, you will wound and kill civilians; that is in the nature of
warfare. We bomb, they suffer, and nothing I saw in that hospital surprised
me.
AG: Well, Robert Fisk, we1re going to let you go to sleep. General Colin
Powell said that foreign journalists should leave as the campaign of
so-called Oshock and awe1 is initiated- and it has started. Why have you
chosen to remain in Baghdad?
RF: Because I don1t work for Colin Powell, I work for a British newspaper
called The Independent; if you read it, you1ll find that we are. It1s not
the job of a journalist to snap to the attention of generals. I wrote a
piece a couple of weeks ago in my newspaper saying that before the war began
in Yugoslavia, the British Foreign Office urged journalists to leave and
then said the British intelligence had uncovered a secret plot to take all
the foreign reporters hostage in Belgrade. I decided this was a lie and
stayed
In Afghanistan, just before the fall of Khandahar, as I was entering
Afghanistan, the British Foreign Office urged all journalists to stay out of
Taliban areas and then said the British intelligence had uncovered a plot to
take all the foreign reporters hostage. Aware of Yugoslavia, I pressed on to
Khandahar and it proved to be a lie. Just before the bombardment here, the
British Foreign Office said that all journalists should leave because
British intelligence had uncovered a plot by Saddam to take all journalists
hostages, at which moment I knew I1d be safe to stay because it was, of
course, the usual lie. What is sad is how many journalists did leave. There
were a very large number of reporters who left here voluntarily before the
war believing this meretricious nonsense. I should say that the Iraqis have
thrown quite a large number of journalists out as well. But I don1t think
it1s the job of a journalist to run away when war comes just because it
happens to be his own side doing the bombing. I1ve been bombed by the
British and Americans so many times that it1s not Oshock and awe1 anymore,
it1s Oshock and bore1, frankly.
AG: Thank you, Robert. Good night, be safe.
RF: Good night, Amy, I1m going to bed.

================================================
05 From a friend in Baghdad
Von: Nicole Schabus, INET <inet@earthlink.net>
================================================
Monday, March 24, 2003
Dear Friends and supporters,
This is an open letter. Please feel free to pass it
around to media and anyone you think may be
interested.
These are stressful times here in Baghdad. We have
been under bombardment several times. They are more
frequent at night, but certainly not limited to
nighttime. All members of the Iraq Peace Team and
Christian Peacemaker Teams are doing well, and are
continuing to be a peaceful, and as much as possible a
helpful presence to the civilian population of this
city.
We are able, up to date, to continue to visit the
orphanage and hospital, and we have a couple of tents
set up to accompany a water treatment plant (Wathba)
and the surrounding neighborhood, which includes a
residential area, a children's hospital (Al Monsour),
a bridge, and there is an electrical plant nearby as
well.
Because of the state of emergency we have been asked
not to go anywhere without a government "minder"
present. This requirement is not new, although
previously we often only had to inform them of where
we were wanting to go, and did not necessarily have to
have one of them accompany us. We feel that we
continue to have the autonomy to do what we set out to
do -stand with and speak out against this war on
behalf of Iraqi civilians.
We had hoped that our efforts combined with yours
would prevent this war. We now hope to put a stop to
this war before any more of the Iraqi people who
remain friendly and hospitable are injured or killed.
(There are bombs falling somewhere as I write this.)
We continue to affirm all life, and we hope and pray
that our presence here will continue to serve as a
witness that will inspire anyone who hears and knows
about our presence to put a stop to this insanity
immediately. Yesterday a group of about twelve of us
left to visit a hospital where we saw and through an
Arabic-speaking translator in our group, communicated
with children (accompanied by a parent in most cases)
and adults who were wounded due to flak that
penetrated the home in which they lived. These are
examples of how innocent civilians are the victims of
a brutality that they do not want and did not ask for.
It was very difficult for us to witness this, and
this reality is something we want the proponents of
this war to face squarely.
Most of the Iraqis we meet seem to remain calm in the
face of sometimes very nearby bombing. They ask us
"Why?" They ask us after each bomb "How many people do
you think died in that one?" The question is
rhetorical. We know that. We do not respond because
there is really nothing to say. We all know more
people just died. We don't know how many and we hope
that it wasn't someone we know.
While the Iraqis folks we know and don't know continue
to be friendly, the many see the invasion as hostile,
and there are many civilians with guns. Perhaps not
state of the art guns, and perhaps not with any
uniforms, but it seems clear that there are many
people here in addition to the armed forces who are
prepared to defend themselves from any invasion
forces.
I have spent the past two nights at the Wathba water
treatment plant base, and plan on spending the next
night or two there as well. We do not have the same
access to a telephone there as those in the Al Dar,
Anduluz and Al Fanar hotels, so correspondence from me
may be in frequent. (I caught a ride to the Al Dar
with the taxi that is taking Peggy and Betty to the
orphanage, and will go back to the Water Treatment
Plant later this afternoon.)
So far the very heavy bombing that has been
anticipated as part of the Shock and Awe program we
all have heard so much about has not happened. When it
does we expect that the Iraqi people will not
experience awe, and there is very little that can
shock them after the Gulf War of 91, the sanctions and
subsequent and recent bombing. It seems far more
likely that they will feel horror, grief, disgust,
anger, loathing, resentment and hatred. Please
continue to do all that you can to stop violence and
put an end to the current and future use of weapons of
mass destruction.
As for those who continue believe this war is
necessary I ask: Do you feel more secure now that the
war has begun? Will you feel more secure when all the
military objectives have been met? Will you have fewer
enemies or more enemies when this is over? Given that
jet air-liners and other things can be transformed
into weapons of mass destruction, must you also
destroy everyone you now distrust, or come to
distrust, regardless of whether or not they have
weapons? In the face of the opposition, how can anyone
claim that democracy is being protected? Has the
nation that accused others of being evil and a rouge
nation not itself become a rogue nation? Why has the
United Nations not unequivocally condemned this war?
While it is clear that we were unable to prevent this
war we are greatly inspired by the continued reports
of all of your massive efforts to stop this war and
future wars in this misguided attempt to seek
security. We continue to affirm life, and we continue
to witness in the face of this brutality that peace
and security will come from mutual resect for the
dignity and value of all life, of whatever
nationality, religion, ethnicity or class. For the
sake of the people of Iraq, for the sake of the
marginalized and rejected of the world, for your own
sakes, and for God's sake please continue the struggle
to put an end to this madness!
My love to all of you! Thank you for your prayers,
your patience, your support, and accept my heartfelt
apologies for any stress and pain that you are going
through because of fears for my personal safety.
Although your emails and messages are not coming
through to me (I have received two), I know and sense
your support. (Fran and Tony, your messages for me
via the Toronto Star and the New NX did get through.
And yours, Janice, via Doug Pritchard.)
Peace, much much love, and I continue looking forward
to seeing you all again.
--Stewart
Web Site: http: www.cpt.org (and links to regular
email updates from Iraq)
E-mail: cpt@igc.org (Chicago)
Christian Peacemaker Teams, Canada
P.O. box 72063
Tel: (416) 423 5525
Fax: (416) 423 9213
E-mail: cptcan@web.ca
Please contact CPT if you would like to support me
financially.
Dear Arthur,
Rene was telling me that a Navaho woman has been taken prisoner of
war int he US and we are wondering why so many Indian people join the
US army, when they are the ones who have been waging war on them
before.
Can you please let us know what you think?
Nicole

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06 JETZT auf CD-ROM: "Bundesdeutsche Flüchtlingspolitik und
ihre tödlichen Folgen" (1993 - 2002)
Von: Antirassistische Initiative Berlin <ari-berlin@gmx.de>
================================================
JETZT auf CD-ROM: "Bundesdeutsche Flüchtlingspolitik und ihre tödlichen Folgen"
(1993 - 2002) 10. aktualisierte Auflage - Zehn Jahre im Rückblick
Die Chronologie umfaßt Todesfälle und Verletzungen bei Grenzüberquerungen;
Selbsttötungen, Selbsttötungsversuche und Verletzungen von Flüchtlingen aus
Angst und auf der Flucht vor Abschiebungen; Todesfälle und Verletzungen vor,
während und nach Abschiebungen. Sie umfaßt auch Berichte über Fluchtversuche,
die deutlich machen, welche lebensbedrohlichen Bedingungen Flüchtlinge auf sich
nehmen müssen, um heute in die BRD zu gelangen. Diese Zusammenstellung umfaßt
Angriffe und Anschläge auf Flüchtlingssammellager. Die beschriebenen über 3000
Einzelschicksale machen deutlich, daß die Chance, in der BRD Schutz und
Sicherheit zu finden, gegen Null läuft. Die Lebensbedingungen für Flüchtlinge
sind heute brutaler denn je. (siehe auch: www.berlinet.de/ari/titel.htm).
Zusätzlich zum GESAMT-TEXT der auch in Heftform erscheinenden Chronologie, sind
auf dieser CD-ROM Einzelthemen herausgegriffen, um das Arbeiten mit dem Inhalt
entsprechend der Zielthematik zu erleichtern. Alle Themen liegen in pdf,- rtf-
und html-Format vor.
EINZELTHEMEN sind u.a.: Die Grenzen, Selbsttötungen und Selbstverletzungen,
Mißhandlungen bei Abschiebungen, Folter nach Abschiebungen, Kurdische
Flüchtlinge, Getötete und mißhandelte Flüchtlinge in Flugzeugen und auf
Flughäfen.Die CD-ROM kostet 10 EUR (plus 1,60 EUR Porto und Verpackung).
Zum gleichen Preis ist das Heft (DIN A4 - 265 Seiten) erhältlich bei:
Antirassistische Initiative e.V. - Yorckstr. 59 - 10965 Berlin
Fon 7857281 - Fax 7869984 - eMail: ari-berlin@gmx.de
Internet: www.berlinet.de/ari

================================================
07 18. März - Tag der politischen Gefangenen weltweit
Von: Michael Meyers <kgksbg@yahoo.de>
================================================
18. März - Tag der politischen Gefangenen weltweit
Die politischen Gefangenen weltweit begreifen als Teil einer
Geschichte, die noch nicht zu Ende geschrieben ist, und die wir zu
schreiben haben.
Wieder hat sich der Tag der politischen Gefangenen gejährt und überall
gab es kräftige und kreative Kampagnen und Aktionen zu deren
Unterstützung.
In diesem Sinne richten wir unseren Gruss zuerst an alle politischen
Gefangenen weltweit.
In die Folterkeller Israels an die palästinensichen Gefangenen, in die
deutschen Isolationsgefängnisse an die Gefangenen der RAF und des
Widerstands, in die türkischen Betonhöllen an die todesfastenden
Gefangenen, nach Spanien, Frankreich und das Baskenland an die
Gefangenen der ETA, GRAPO/PCE und der ACTION DIRECTE, nach Belgien an
die Gefangenen der CCC, nach Italien an die Gefangenen der ROTEN
BRIGADEN und des Widerstands, an die Gefängnisse in Latein- und
Südamerika, an die Eingekerkerten in Guantanamo Bay, an die vielen
islamischen politischen Gefangenen in den USA, Deutschland, usw., die
im imperialistischen "Krieg gegen den Terror" ihrer elementarsten
Rechte beraubt werden, an Mumia Abu Jamal, an Abdullah Öcalan und so
viele Namenlose, deren Geschichte und Vermächtnis nicht weniger
bedeutend ist, als das der Genannten.
Unser Kampf mit ihnen gemeinsam um ihre Freiheit darf nicht aufhören.
Sie sind unser kollektives Gedächtnis, sie sind zugleich Niederlagen,
aber vor allem und viel wichtiger sind sie Sieg.
Sie sind die Manifestation der Ungebrochenheit, der Wille, der Kampf,
der Mut und auch die Zukunft.
Aber sie sind keine unnahbaren Symbole sondern Auftrag für uns.
Durch die politischen Gefangenen weltweit ist momentan innerhalb der
radikalen Linken eigentlich der einzig kontinuierliche
internationalistische Kontakt zwischen verschiedenen Gruppen gegeben.
Fakten zur Lage der Gefangenen werden ausgetauscht und veröffentlicht,
Symposien und Ausstellungen werden organisiert und vieles mehr.
Im Interesse der radikalen Linken weltweit und vor allem auch der
politischen Gefangenen, kann das allein nicht genügen.
Über sie haben wir die Chance, internationale Kontakte herzustellen
und auch ganz umfassend wieder Perspektiven zu entwickeln bezüglich
unserer eigentlichen Aufgabe, nämlich der Umwälzung der herrschenden
Verhältnisse.Also genau für die Sache, für die die politischen
Gefangenen weltweit so viele Jahre schon Schreckliches durch die Hand
der Herrschenden erleiden.
Handeln wir so doch am ehesten in ihrem und unserem Sinne, schaffen
wir uns so doch die kraftvollste Möglichkeit, die Geschichte und damit
die Gegenwart und vor allem die Zukunft zu schreiben.
Nichts von den beschriebenen Aktionen für die politischen Gefangenen
wollen wir missen, noch wollen wir jedes Engagement in diese Richtung
schmälern. Wir möchten aber auch einen Schritt weitere gehen liebe
GenossInnen.
Wenig hat sich zum Guten in unserem Sinne gewandelt in der Epoche des
Kapitals.
Ein weiterer imperialistischer Krieg hat gerade begonnen. Die
Weltmacht USA hat die letzten bürokratischen Ketten wie UNO und
Sicherheitsrat abgestreift und somit richtungsweisend für die
imperialistische Bestie gehandelt. Kein Völkerrecht mehr, keine UNO,
die den geostrategischen Interessen der Herrschenden im Weg stehen
werden. Der "saubere" Krieg, der tausende rechtlose Menschen
dahinraffen wird. Der "humanitäre Feldzug zur Befreiung der irakischen
Bevölkerung" um weitere Claims im arabischen Raum abzustecken.
Ist es nicht gerade der Kampf gegen den US - Imperialismus, gegen den
Imperialismus global, der die politischen Gefangenen international
eint?Genau diesen Kampf haben wir auch zu führen, international und
mit den politischen Gefangenen gemeinsam.
Wir wollen nicht den "Friedensstiftern" aus Deutschland oder
Frankreich das Wort reden; deren menschenverachtende Interessen
unterscheiden sich nicht von denen der USA. Sie haben nur eine andere
Taktik gewählt für dieselben Ziele.
Gegen die imperialistische Aggression, gegen die verschärfte
Repression, gegen die zunehmende Entrechtung der ProletarierInnen
weltweit, für eine menschenwürdige und klassenlose Gesellschaft. Seite
an Seite mit den politischen Gefangenen und den entrechteten Massen.
Die radikale Linke aber ist schwach, sie hat zu kämpfen mit der
fehlenden Organisierung, sie hat zu kämpfen mit der reformistischen
"Linken", deren Formen immer abstruser werden, sie hat zu kämpfen mit
der mangelnden gemeinsamen Perspektive.
So soll dieser Tag natürlich der Tag der politischen Gefangenen sein,
er soll aber auch Anlass, Start und Beginn der Problembewältigung im
Kampf um menschenwürdigere Verhältnisse sein. Gemeinsam mit den
politischen Gefangenen, international mit den verschiedenen Gruppen.
Die Bündelung der Kräfte, die Organisierung, das gemeinsame Ziel - die
Umwälzung der herrschenden Verhältnisse.
Kein Plädoyer für kritik- und inhaltloses Miteinander, aber Plädoyer
für den Anstoss eines Diskussionsprozesses international um Ziele,
Taktik und Strategie in diesem Kampf.
bin nicht in der lage,
informationen
zu wagen
zu messen
einzuordnen.
im kopf diese wattegleiche
schwere.
kein hunger, -
weder
nach nahrung
noch nach frust.
auch die phantasie ist ein großer
im-stich-lasser
dieser tage.
aber dann,
post
von genossinnen
und
die glut flammt wieder
auf.
mein lauf der dinge.
(Rainer Dittrich, Gefangener aus dem kommunistischen Widerstand)

Freiheit für alle politischen Gefangenen sofort!
Gegen die imperialistische Aggression im Irak!
Das Blut der arabischen Massen wird über euch kommen!
Für eine klassenlose Gesellschaft!
Für den Kommunismus!
klasse gegen klasse, salzburg
klasse gegen klasse, wien

================================================
08 A.N.S.W.E.R. NATIONAL MARCH on WASHINGTON
Von: RAWNEWS <rawnews@btopenworld.com>
================================================
SATURDAY, APRIL 12:
NATIONAL MARCH on WASHINGTON
STOP THE WAR ON IRAQ!
Gather at 12 noon
March on the White House
On Saturday, April 12, join the tens of thousands of
people of conscience who will surround the White House.
The whole world is watching to see if the people of the
United States can intensify the power of the anti-war
movement at the moment that the Bush Administration is
intending to slaughter tens of thousands of Iraqi people
and occupy their country. We urge every anti-war organizer
and concerned person to bring your friends, neighbors and
family members to this all-important mobilization on April
12.
The world is in a state of Shock and Revulsion as the
murderous Bush Administration follows through on its
promise to "Shock and Awe" the Iraqi people by dropping
thousands of bombs and missiles on their capital, a city
that is home to 4.5 million human beings. Baghdad has been
bombed relentlessly, terrorizing the occupants of that
city and of the entire country. U.S. "precision" bombs
have slammed into poor residential neighborhoods in
Baghdad and a busy shopping street. U.S. and British
troops are leaving a "trail of death" in their wake as
they invade and bomb Iraq and reporters describe charred
corpses littering the roads to Baghdad as well as in its
streets. U.S. and British forces have laid siege to Basra,
bombing and destroying the electrical supply to the main
water plant and blocking the Iraqi food distribution
system into Basra. The people of Basra are now starving
and without water; various U.N. agencies state that Basra
is in humanitarian crises and on the verge of a major
cholera outbreak and massive child mortality. This crisis
is caused by the U.S. attack coupled with the effect of 12
years of U.S.-led U.N. economic sanctions. The United
States government is telling the people of Basra that they
may only have food and water if they rise up against the
Iraqi government and accept the U.S. occupation.
The Iraqi people and the U.S. GIs who have been killed and
wounded and are suffering are the casualties of George W.
Bush's unprovoked war of aggression. We extend our
heartfelt sympathies to the families of all those who have
been killed and wounded as a consequence of this illegal
imperialist war.
This horrific unprovoked attack on Iraq must be understood
as one of the extreme terrorist acts of modern times.
Cruise missiles launched from submarines and aircraft
hundreds of miles away and 2,000 lb. bombs dropped from
30,000 ft. up are the latest example of the Bush
administration's criminal resort to limitless violence and
terrorism in order to achieve its objectives of conquest
and occupation. The hypocrisy of the war against Iraq is
extreme: the most powerful military in the world waging
first strike war with the most advanced weapons against an
impoverished country on the pretext that it someday may
possess such weapons.
The world has entered a new phase. The Bush Administration
is hell bent on world domination. The war on Iraq was
meant to signal that the U.S. use of raw military power
will be the means to create a new era of Empire. We
understand that the war on Iraq is only one of the fronts
on which the United States government is determined to
build a world empire. The U.S. is also waging war in
Colombia, training future death squads at the dreaded
School of the Americas/WHISC, and waging economic war
through the IMF, World Bank, and free trade treaties such
as the Free Trade Area of the Americas agreement.
To the shock of the warmakers, their plans have ignited a
world movement of opposition and solidarity. In addition
to the well publicized demonstrations in Europe and the
Middle East, nearly every country in Latin America has
participated in massive street demonstrations and the
continent has nearly unanimously rejected Bush's
"Coalition of the Willing." For months this movement has
delayed and restrained the war plans for Iraq. Bush and
Co. have lost all legitimacy and they are isolated. The
people's movement has deprived them of the any threadbare
claim to legality.
April 12 comes in the midst of the long-planned
"Mobilization Against Military and Economic Intervention
in Latin America and the Caribbean" organized by the Latin
America Solidarity Coalition (LASC). This coalition, which
includes some members of the A.N.S.W.E.R Steering
Committee, has called for a series of actions from April
10- 15. In addition to converging in Washington on
Saturday April 12 for the mass march on the White House to
Stop the War on Iraq, A.N.S.W.E.R. encourages you to
travel to DC in time for the public opening plenary of the
LASC conference on Friday evening, April 11, and to stay
for a demonstration on Sunday, April 13 focusing on Latin
America Solidarity which will march to several corporate
and financial institutions before arriving at the World
Bank. Visit the LASC web page at www.lasolidarity.org for
full details.
Today our hearts are filled with both anger at the war and
sadness for the suffering people of Iraq who are enduring
this unprovoked terrorist attack, and for the grieving
families of the sons and daughters of America who Bush has
sent to kill and be killed for his war of aggression and
conquest. But sadness and grief should be coupled with a
profound understanding that the sudden emergence of a new
global movement offers the best and only hope that the
U.S. government's plans for militarism, war and domination
-- the doctrine of endless war -- can and will be
overcome. In the days ahead we must intensify the struggle
against this cruel war.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
* SPREAD THE WORD! Forward this email, and download
flyers, posters and stickers from the A.N.S.W.E.R. web
page (available by Thursday).
* ORGANIZE BUSES TO DC. Let us know about transportation
from your city. Fill out the form at
http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/a12/index.html#transp
(if this link does not take you directly to the form,
scroll down) to list your transportation plans.
* ENDORSE THE MOBILIZATION at
http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/a12/index.html#endo
(if this link does not take you directly to the form,
scroll down)
-------------------------------------
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.InternationalANSWER.org
http://www.VoteNoWar.org
info@internationalanswer.org
New York 212-633-6646
Washington 202-544-3389
Los Angeles 213-487-2368
San Francisco 415-821-6545
To make a tax-deductible donation, go to
http://www.internationalanswer.org/donate.html
Sign up to receive updates (low volume):
http://www.internationalanswer.org/subscribelist.html
------------------
Send replies to answer@action-mail.org
This is the ANSWER activist announcement
list. Anyone can subscribe by sending
any message to <answer.general-subscribe@action-mail.org>
To unsubscribe <answer.general-off@action-mail.org>

================================================
09 Antisemitischer Angriff durch FriedensdemonstrantInnen in Frankreich
Von: OEKOLI_Wien@gmx.net <OEKOLI_Wien@gmx.net>
================================================
Antisemitischer Angriff durch FriedensdemonstrantInnen in Frankreich
Am Samstag wurde auf einer Friedensdemonstration in Frankreich Yoni Odona,
ein israelischer Teenager der im Rahmen einer Jugendreise der
linkszionistischen Jugendbewegung HaShomer HaZair nach Frankreich
gereist war, von anderen
FriedensdemonstrantInnen schwer verprügelt. Er erlitt einen Schock und mehrere
Kopfverletzungen. Die Täter, die palästinensische Fahnen bei sich getragen
haben sollen, griffen auch weitere Aktivistinnen des HaShomer HaZair an, die
dem Jungen zur Hilfe eilen wollten.
Uzi Shemesh, der Leiter des französischen Zweigs von HaShomer HaZair und
Zeuge des Vorfalls, kritisierte, dass die Anti-Kriegs-Demonstrationen einen
zunehmend antijüdischen und antiisraelischen Charakter entwickelten.
In Frankreich scheint es für Jüdinnen und Juden langsam aber sicher
gefährlich zu werden, sich den ach so friedlichen Antikriegdemonstrationen
anzuschließen. Auch in Österreich wirken palästinensische und
iraqische Fahnen nicht
eben einladend für jüdische KriegsgegnerInnen sich an den Demonstrationen zu
beteiligen.
--
Ökologische Linke (ÖKOLI)
Schottengasse 3a/1/4/59
A-1010 Wien
e-milio: oekoli_wien@gmx.net
Visite our Website: http://www.oekoli.cjb.net
Ökoli Vorarlberg: http://PolitiX.cjb.net
Unsere Aussendungen sind nicht zur Verbreitung über Indymedia
bestimmt!
************************************************

================================================
10 Bericht vom 1. Asian Social Forum
Von: Frauensolidarität H.Neumayer <h.neumayer@frauensolidaritaet.org>
================================================Einen Bericht mit Bildern vom 1. Asian Social Forum gibt es in der neuen
Ausgabe Nr. 83 (1/03) der Zeitschrift Frauensolidarität oder als Text auf
der homepage www.frauensolidaritaet.org zu finden unter der aktuellen
Ausgabe der Zeitschrift unter dem Titel "Another World on her Way".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
Redaktion
Frauensolidaritaet
Informationsarbeit zu Frauen in Afrika, Asien und Lateinamerika
Zeitschrift - Bibliothek - Clean-Clothes-Kampagne
Berggasse 7/3. Stock
A-1090 Wien
Tel.: +43-1/317 40 20-352
Fax: +43-1/317 40 20-355
http://www.frauensolidaritaet.org
Öffnungszeiten: Mo-Mi 10-17, Do 10-19, Fr 9-12 Uhr
Bilbiothek / Library: bibliothek@frauensolidaritaet.org; Büro/Office:
office@frauensolidaritaet.org;
Redaktion Zeitschrift: redaktion@frauensolidaritaet.org

<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><
OFFENE STELLE
<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><
================================================
11 Assistentinnenstelle an der Uni Klagenfurt
Von: Ljubomir Bratic <ljubomir@vienna.at>
================================================
Subject: Assistentenstelle an der Univ.Klagenfurt
ausgeschriebenDate: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 18:38:48 +0100
Von: Ursula Doleschal <ursula.doleschal@uni-klu.ac.at>
Mit der Bitte um möglichst große Verbreitung:Mitteilungsblatt der Universität Klagenfurt . Studienjahr 2002/2003
. ausgegeben am 19. März 2003 . 14. Stück Seite 7
152.2 Am Institut für Slawistik der Universität Klagenfurt ist mit
01.10.2003 die Stelle einer Assistentin bzw. eines Assistenten im
vertraglichen Dienstverhältnis, befristet auf 6 Jahre, zu besetzen.
Gesetzliche Erfordernisse:
. Doktorat oder gleichwertige Qualifikation im Fach SlawistikMitteilungsblatt der Universität Klagenfurt . Studienjahr 2002/2003
. ausgegeben am 19. März 2003 . 14. Stück Seite 8
Erwünschte Qualifikationen:
. Schwerpunkt in zwei Slawinen: Literatur- und/oder
Kulturwissenschaft Slowenisch; ferner Bosnisch/Kroatisch/Serbisch
oder Russisch,
. sehr gute Deutschkenntnisse
Erwartet wird:
selbständige Forschung,
Mitwirkung am Forschungsprojekten des Instituts,
Abhaltung von Lehrveranstaltungen einschließlich
Prüfungstätigkeit im Ausmaß von 4 Semesterwochenstunden,.
Betreuung von Studierenden sowie.
Mitwirkung an Organisations- und Verwaltungsaufgaben und an
Evaluierungsmaßnahmen
Die Universität Klagenfurt strebt eine Erhöhung des Frauenanteils
insbesondere in Leitungsfunktionen,
beim wissenschaftlichen Personal und bei den Allgemeinen
Bediensteten an und fordert deshalb qualifi-
zierte Frauen ausdrücklich zur Bewerbung auf. Frauen werden bei
gleicher Qualifikation vorrangig aufgenommen.
Schriftliche Bewerbungen mit Lebenslauf und Angaben über den
wissenschaftlichen Werdegang (ohne
Originalzeugnisse) sind unter Angabe der angeführten Kennzahl 265
bis 9. April 2003 an die Universi-
tätsdirektion der Universität Klagenfurt, Zentrale Verwaltung,
Universitätsstraße 65-67, A-9020 Klagen-
furt, zu richten.
Die Bewerberinnen und Bewerber haben keinen Anspruch auf Abgeltung
aufgelaufener Reise- und Auf-
enthaltskosten, die aus Anlass des Aufnahmeverfahrens entstanden sind.Dr. Ursula Doleschal
Institut f. Slawistik d. Univ. Klagenfurt
Universitätsstr. 65-67, A-9020 Klagenfurt
Tel.: +43-463-2700-2611
E-Mail: ursula.doleschal@uni-klu.ac.at
mailto:ursula.doleschal@uni-klu.ac.at>
--
a.o.Univ.Prof. Dr. Ursula Doleschal
Institut für Slawistik, Univ. Klagenfurt
Universitätsstr. 65-67, 9020 Klagenfurt
Tel: ++43-463-2700-2611, Fax: -2699

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ÖSTERREICH
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================================================
12 Abtreibung ist Frauenrecht: nächster
Prozesstermin HLI gegen SLP
Von: Sozialistische LinksPartei <slp@slp.at>
================================================
Pressemitteilung der SLP
Nächster Prozesstermin gegen SLP-Frauensprecherin am Donnerstag
Der Chef der fundamentalistischen Anti-Abtreibungsorganisation "Human Life
International" (HLI) hat die Frauensprecherin der SLP, Claudia Sorger,
verklagt, da sie es gewagt hat, deren Methoden aufzuzeigen.
SLP-Frauensprecherin Claudia Sorger dazu: "Wir treten den Wahrheitsbeweis
an! Sollten die radikalen Abtreibungsgegner auch nur in einem Punkt der
Anklage Recht bekommen, bedeutet das eine Bestätigung ihrer haarsträubenden
Vorgangsweise. Es wäre eine Niederlage im Kampf um Frauenrechte und speziell
für das Recht auf Schwangerschaftsabbruch." International verklagen Pro-Life
Organisationen unliebsame KritikerInnen, um sie mundtot zu machen.
Diesen Donnerstag erwartet uns eine spannende Verhandlung: HLI hat selbst
sechs ZeugInnen nominiert und hat zwei Videokassetten als Beweismittel
eingebracht. Seitens der Beschuldigten wurden von Belästigungen der
HLI-AktivistInnen betroffene Patientientinnen sowie Klinikpersonal und
ÄrztInnen als ZeugInnen genannt. Falls keine weiteren Beweismittel
zugelassen werden und alle wichtigen ZeugInnen erscheinen, wird es
voraussichtlich zu einer Urteilsverkündung kommen.
Donnerstag, 27.3., von 09.00 bis 12.00 Uhr
Landesgericht Wien
8., Wickenburggasse 18
Saal 208, 2. Stock
Kundgebung "Stoppt die radikalen Abtreibungsgegner - Frauenrechte
verteidigen!"
Samstag, 29.3., von 09.00 bis 11.00 Uhr
vis a vis der Lucina-Klinik
2, Große Sperlgasse

================================================
13 Baier (KPÖ): Das Lavieren der Regierung ist jämmerlich
Von: zach@kpoe.at <zach@kpoe.at>
================================================
Krieg/Nationalratsdebatte/Reaktionen/KPÖBaier (KPÖ):

Das Lavieren der Regierung ist jämmerlichWien - 26.03.03, (KPÖ-PD):

"Während weltweit Millionen Menschen gegen
den Waffengang aufstehen und die Straßen füllen, während selbst
traditionell US-freundliche Regierungen eine zunehmend klare
Verurteilung der außerhalb der völkerrechtlichen Legalität
stattfindenden Aggression aussprechen, sondern Österreichs
Bundeskanzler und Außenministerin Absonderliches ab: Man "wisse
nicht" (!), ob es sich bei diesem Krieg um einen Bruch des
Völkerrechts handle oder nicht. Das Lavieren der Regierung ist
jämmerlich", so KPÖ-Vorsitzender Walter Baier.
"Wenn die Regierung eines neutralen Staat nicht zwischen Faust- und
Völkerrecht, zwischen UN-Diplomatie und US-Kriegspolitik
unterscheiden kann oder will, dann macht sie sich des Bruchs der
Verfassung schuldig", so Baier.Rückfragen an: 0676 / 69 69 002
e-mail: bundesvorstand@kpoe.at
Internet: www.kpoe.at

================================================
14 Überwachen und Schengen
Von: Ljubomir Bratic <ljubomir@vienna.at>
================================================
Überwachen und Schengen
Von JELLE VAN BUUREN
Journalistin, Mitarbeiterin des Amsterdamer Büros von Eurowatch.
ÜBERALL auf der Welt erhalten Polizei und Ermittlungsbehörden im
Zusammenhang mit den Attentaten vom 11. September 2001 mehr
Befugnisse und mehr technologische Mittel. Die US-Behörden
unterziehen die Bevölkerung einer breit gefächerten Überwachung. Auf
dem Gebiet der Schengen-Staaten werden polizeirelevante Daten mit
Hilfe des Schengener Informationssystems SIS, dessen Zentralcomputer
sich in Straßburg befindet, gesammelt und überprüft. Eine der
Hauptaufgaben des SIS ist die Kontrolle über Ein- und Ausreise von
Nicht-EU-Bürgern. Mit der technologischen Aufrüstung zum SIS II wird
es möglich sein, Inhaber von abgelaufenen Besuchervisa sofort zu
benennen und auf der Stelle auszuweisen. Zudem soll das System mit
Daten von Banken, Gesundheits- und anderen Institutionen gefüttert
werden.
Im Straßburger Stadtteil Neuhof befindet sich in einem streng
bewachten Hochsicherheitsgebäude der Zentralcomputer des Schengener
Informationssystems (SIS). Auf den Festplatten des Servers, des
digitalen Herzstücks der polizeilichen Zusammenarbeit in Europa,
lagern Millionen von Daten - über Ausländer, die in der Europäischen
Union (EU) unerwünscht sind, über gesuchte Kriminelle, gestohlene
Autos, Waffen und Verdächtige, die künftig zu überwachen sind.
Zugriff darauf haben tausende europaweit installierte
Behördencomputer, die sofort herausfinden können, ob ein bestimmter
Ausländer im SIS verzeichnet ist. Nach neuesten Informationen (Stand:
Ende 2001) enthält die SIS-Datenbank über 10 Millionen Einträge,
darunter rund 15 Prozent personenbezogene Angaben. 90 Prozent davon
betreffen die Kategorie "unerwünschte Ausländer".Wie effektiv das System tatsächlich ist, lässt sich nur schwer
beurteilen. Offiziellen Angaben zufolge wurden 1999 54 000 verknüpfte
Anfragen durchgeführt.(1) Seither haben die Mitgliedstaaten des
Schengen-Abkommens(2) keine Tätigkeitsberichte mehr veröffentlicht.Zu erwarten steht freilich, dass die Datenabfragen in den kommenden
Jahren deutlich zunehmen werden. Unter höchster Diskretion arbeiten
die Schengen-Länder derzeit an weitreichenden Veränderungen des SIS.
Als Begründung wird offiziell das starke Anwachsen der
Informationsströme angeführt, ein Problem, das sich mit dem Beitritt
der neuen EU-Mitglieder weiter verschärfen wird.Doch der Ausbau des Schengener Informationssystems - im Euro-Jargon
SIS-II genannt - beschränkt sich keineswegs auf einige neue Computer
und größere Festplatten, um die anwachsenden Datenmengen bewältigen zu
können. Die Technik dient nur als Vorwand für eine substanzielle
Aufrüstung des Systems und seiner Fähigkeiten.So ist beispielsweise geplant, jeden Ausländer zu registrieren, der
mit Visum in die EU einreist. Die nationalen Zoll- und
Einwanderungsbehörden wollen überprüfen können, ob der Besucher die
Union nach Ablauf seines Visums auch tatsächlich wieder verlässt -
falls er das nicht tut, soll ein Eintrag im SIS erfolgen. Der
Ausländer würde dann in ganz Europa als "Illegaler" gelten und könnte
nach seiner Festnahme sofort ausgewiesen werden. Angeblich sei eine
derartige Maßnahme nach den Anschlägen vom 11. September 2001
unumgänglich. In einem internen Arbeitspapier der Schengen-Gruppe
heißt es hierzu, eine "bessere Kontrolle von Personen, die in den
Schengen-Raum einreisen, wird zu einer Verbesserung der inneren
Sicherheit führen".(3)
Als weitere Zielgruppe hat SIS-II die Globalisierungsgegner
ausgemacht. Sie gelten als "potenziell gefährliche Personen, die an
der Beteiligung an bestimmten internationalen Kundgebungen zu hindern
sind"(4). In den seltenen Fällen, in denen die EU-internen
Landesgrenzen in den vergangenen Jahren vorübergehend geschlossen
wurden, ging es beinahe immer darum, Demonstrationen anlässlich
europäischer oder internationaler Gipfeltreffen zu behindern. Die
Personendaten der festgenommenen Globalisierungsgegner werden
inzwischen regelmäßig im SIS gespeichert.Doch damit nicht genug. Nach der in Brüssel zirkulierenden Wunschliste
der EU-Staaten sollen die personenbezogenen Datensätze um Fotos,
Fingerabdrücke, DNA-Abdrücke und biometrische Daten ergänzt werden. In
Verbindung mit Gesichts- und Iriserkennungssystemen ließe sich damit
die Identifizierung der überprüften Personen perfektionieren. Wie es
heißt, fordern polizeiliche Stellen seit langem Abfragemöglichkeiten
auf der Grundlage "unvollständiger" Informationen.Aber erst durch die Einbeziehung der Nachrichtendienste würde sich die
Zielsetzung des Schengen-Systems auch qualitativ verändern. Die
Geheimdienste sähen es nicht ungern, wenn sie in der SIS-Datenbank
alle für sie interessanten Informationen recherchieren dürften - ein
Ansinnen, das dem ursprünglichen Zweck der Datensammlung als
begleitendes Instrumentarium des freien Personenverkehrs innerhalb des
Schengen-Raums widerspricht.Wieder einmal zeigt sich, dass die Verwendung personenbezogener
Informationen zu Zwecken, die bei ihrer Erhebung gar nicht vorgesehen
waren, ein Hauptproblem von Datenbanken ist. Steht die Tür erst einmal
offen, werden andere Behörden ihr Interesse anmelden: die Kfz-Stellen,
um nach gestohlenen Autos zu fahnden, die zentralen Finanzbehörden, um
Informationen zur Steuerhinterziehung zu sammeln, die für Flüchtlinge
und Asylbewerber zuständigen Ämter, um gefälschte Papiere zu erkennen,
die Sozialämter, um Sozialhilfebetrug aufzudecken. Auch Europol, die
Dachorganisation der europäischen Polizeibehörden, soll nach
offiziellen Angaben Zugang zu der elektronischen Goldmine erhalten.(5)
Sollten die geplanten Neuerungen verabschiedet werden, würde sich das
SIS von einem EU-internen Grenzkontrollorgan zu einem eher "proaktiv"
orientierten Polizei- und Ermittlungsinstrument entwickeln. Dass die
Beteiligten das System fortwährend mit neuen Informationen füttern
würden, um die laufenden Ermittlungen voranzutreiben, liegt in der
Natur der Sache. Und so dürfte es nicht lange dauern, bis neben
Tatbeständen auch Verdachtsmomente und Gerüchte Eingang in die
Datensammlung finden.Schon das "alte" SIS zeichnet sich durch mangelnde Transparenz und
fehlende Kontrollmöglichkeiten aus. Beim künftigen SIS-II besteht
zudem die Gefahr einer Überladung mit ungeprüften Informationen. Nach
einem Bericht des niederländischen Rechnungshofs von 1999 fanden sich
im niederländischen Teil des SIS zahlreiche "schmutzige" Daten, weil
die Staatsanwaltschaft die Polizei nicht davon in Kenntnis setzte,
wenn sie ein Verfahren einstellte. Die Schengen-Kartei führte die
Betreffenden folglich weiterhin als "Verdachtspersonen". Jeder
EU-Bürger hat ein Recht darauf, die wahrheitsgemäße Führung seiner
Schengen-Karteikarte zu überprüfen. Die hierfür vorgesehenen Verfahren
unterscheiden sich von Land zu Land, und nur wenige Bürger sind über
ihre diesbezüglichen Rechte im Bilde.Virtuelle Persönlichkeitsprofile
DIE "Gemeinsame Supervisionsbehörde
Schengen" (JSA), die für die Überwachung der Rechtskonformität des
Schengen-Abkommens mit den Personenrechten zuständig ist, hat zu
diesem Thema eine Informationsbroschüre erarbeitet.(6) In den
Niederlanden wurde sie erst vor kurzem verteilt, in Belgien bereits
zweimal, in Frankreich noch nie. Ein Ausländer, dem die Einreise in
die EU verwehrt wird, sieht sich mit einem schier undurchdringlichen
Gewirr an Bestimmungen konfrontiert. Verweigert ihm zum Beispiel
Italien wegen eines von Frankreich getätigten SIS-Eintrags die
Einreise, könnte er nur vor einem französischen Gericht Widerspruch
einlegen - aber nach Frankreich darf er nicht einreisen. Zu befürchten
steht überdies, dass aus heterogenen Datenbeständen "virtuelle
Persönlichkeitsprofile" angelegt werden, die mit der Realität wenig zu
tun haben - eine Gefahr, die nach Schutzvorkehrungen ruft. Eine
öffentliche Debatte über die innereuropäische Zusammenarbeit der
Polizeibehörden findet jedoch nicht statt. Nur ein paar Experten
treffen sich regelmäßig, um die Ziele der polizeilichen Kooperation
festzuschreiben und in die Tat umzusetzen.Nach den Terroranschlägen vom 11. September 2001 legten Experten
Forderungen auf den Tisch, die sich nahtlos in die von Asyl- und
Ausländerrechtsfragen dominierte Sicherheitsdiskussion einfügen. Die
Idee stammt aus den Vereinigten Staaten. Dort wurde Admiral John
Poindexter trotz seiner Verwicklung in "Irangate" mit dem Projekt
"Total Information Awareness" betraut. Demnach sei jede Person mit
einer "informationellen Signatur" (human ID) zu versehen, um die
Zielfahndung nach potenziellen Terroristen zu erleichtern.Das umstrittene Projekt, in dessen Rahmen alle verfügbaren
personenbezogenen Daten gesammelt und ausgewertet werden sollen, sieht
die Entwicklung "revolutionärer Technologien zur Verwaltung riesiger
Datenmengen" vor. Das System soll mit Informationen aus dem
Datenbestand von Banken, medizinischen Einrichtungen,
Telekommunikationsanbietern und Transportunternehmen gefüttert werden
und die Möglichkeit bieten, die gesammelten Daten mit Informationen
der Geheimdienste gegenzuchecken. Ein Rechtshilfeabkommen mit der EU
wurde ohne vorherige parlamentarische Prüfung bereits unterzeichnet.
Von Datenschutz ist darin nicht die Rede. Auch über geeignete
Abhörtechniken gibt es zwischen Amerikanern und Europäern enge
Kontakte. In diesem Sinne wurde am 19. Februar 2003 ein Abkommen
unterzeichnet, das Luftfahrtgesellschaften verpflichtet, den
US-amerikanischen Behörden sämtliche ihnen zur Verfügung stehenden
Daten ihrer Passagiere auf Transatlantikflügen weiterzugeben.(7)
In einem internen Arbeitspapier der Schengen-Gruppe heißt es: "Über
die Verwendung der SIS-Datenbestände für anfänglich nicht vorgesehene
Absichten, insbesondere für polizeiliche Informationszwecke im
weitesten Sinn, herrscht inzwischen ein breiter Konsens, der mit den
Schlussfolgerungen des Rats aus den Ereignissen vom 11. September
übereinstimmt."(8) Der "breite Konsens", von dem die europäischen
Polizeibeamten hier sprechen, ist freilich nicht das Ergebnis einer
öffentlichen Diskussion, sondern das Produkt geheimer Verhandlungen in
den Hinterzimmern der Europäischen Union.deutsch von Bodo Schulze
Fußnoten:
(1) Justice, "The Schengen Information System - a human rights
audit", London 2000, http://www.justice.org.uk
(2) Dem 1985 von Frankreich, Deutschland, Luxemburg, Belgien und den
Niederlanden unterzeichneten Abkommen sind bis auf Großbritannien und
Irland inzwischen alle fünfzehn EU-Mitgliedstaaten beigetreten. Die
Vertragsbestimmungen sind Teil des "acquis communitaire" und müssen
daher auch von den neuen EU-Migliedern erfüllt werden.
(3) Europäischer Rat, "New functions of the SIS II", Dokument
6164/5/01 Rev 5, Limite, Brüssel, 6. Nov. 2001.
(4) Europäischer Rat, "New functions of the SIS II", Dokument
5968/02, Limite, Brüssel, 5. Februar 2002.
(5) Management Board of Europol, "Europol's operational needs for
access to SIS", Dossier 2510-70r1, Den Haag, 28. Mai 2002.
(6) www.cnp.d.pt/schengen
(7) Vgl. The International Herald Tribune, Paris, 20. Februar 2003.
(8) Europäischer Rat, s. FN 4.
Le Monde diplomatique Nr. 7004 vom 14.3.2003, Seite 3, 259
Dokumentation, JELLE VAN BUUREN

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================================================
15 Streifzüge 1/2003 NEU
Von: heinz-blaha <heinz-blaha@chello.at>
================================================
Am Mittwoch den 26.03.03 erscheinen die neuen Streifzüge 1/2003 mit
folgenden Inhalt und einem Veranstaltungshinweis mit Robert Kurz:
Lorenz Glatz: Warum läuft Herr B. Amok?
Gerold Wallner: Nachgereichtes und Vorausgesetztes - Zu Kurz
Robert Kurz: Die Illusion vom neuen Marshall-Plan
Lorenz Glatz: Denn für diese Welt ist der Mensch nicht schlau genug
Franz Schandl: Transnational statt internationalistisch!
Andreas Exner: Schiefe Ebenen - Gedanken zur Globalisierungskritik
Ernst Lohoff: Der Triumph des Irrealis - Arbeitswahn und linke Identität
Maria Wölflingseder: Einfach umwerfend! Wenn eine arbeitslos ist,
kann sie was erzählen
Gerold Wallner: L'État c'est quoi...
Franz Schandl: Jenseits der Gerechtigkeit - Attacke gegen den Wertekanon
Stefan Meretz: Zur Theorie des Informtionskapitalismus, 1. Teil
Norbert Trenkle: Informalisiertes Elend - Informeller Sektor und
Warenproduktion
Veranstaltung:
Der "Kritische Kreis" uns Streifzüge laden am Donnerstag den 10.4.2003
um 19 Uhr in die Uni Wien, Hauptgebäude, Dr. Karl Lueger-Ring 1
Hörsaal 33( am Ende der Aula links zur Stiege in den 1. Stock) zu
einer Veranstaltung mit ROBERT KURZ ein. Präsentiert und diskutiert
wird sein neues im Horlemann Verlag erschienenes Buch:
WELTORDNUNGSKRIEG. Das Ende der Souveränität und die Wandlungen im
Zeitalter der Globalisierung.
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