Iraqi-U.S. confrontation

Although the United Nations Security Council decided Tuesday to retain its sanctions on Iraq as punishment for its August 1990 invasion of Kuwait, it must be remembered that the council's decision was not related to Iraq's military operation against its Kurdish minority last week.

The five permanent members of the Security Council were divided on the justification of U.S. cruise missile attacks against Iraqi defense targets, which Washington described as "retaliation for Baghdad's military intervention on the side of one Kurdish group against its rival faction in northern Iraq."

Russia, France and China did not agree with the attack which by yesterday had claimed six lives and 26 wounded. Moscow even tried to block Britain's bid to condemn the Baghdad government for its military operation against the Kurds in northern Iraq.

France, which fully supported the U.S.-led allied forces in the 1991 attack on Iraq following Baghdad's invasion of Kuwait, also withheld its support for the U.S. attack and expressed concern at the development of the situation in Iraq.

China condemned the U.S. strikes on Iraq yesterday while some of the 10 non-permanent members of the council questioned whether the 1991 UN resolution provided enough justification for Washington to launch the military action against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Many countries are of the opinion that what Iraq did last week on its own soil was its own internal affairs on the grounds that the government was undertaking to defend national sovereignty and security.

"We don't see an Iraqi violation of UN resolutions here. It is an internal issue and Iraq's sovereignty has been threatened," one Gulf diplomat commented, referring to the repeated armed conflicts between rival Kurdish factions in northern Iraq.

Given all this, we cannot but deplore Washington's military action against Iraq. In doing so, the U.S. has infringed the sovereignty of Iraq and hurt the pride of the Iraqi people, particularly in its decision to widen the southern "no-fly zone" from the 32nd parallel to the 33rd parallel.

We believe that the use of military force will only heighten the suffering endured by millions of innocent Iraqi people who, for six years, have led a difficult life due to the worldwide trade embargo.

Besides, the U.S. has repeatedly used double standards in its foreign policy regarding democracy and human rights issues. For example, we believe Washington did not respond quickly enough to help the Moslems when ethnic cleansing conducted by the Bosnian Serbs was rampant in Bosnia some years ago.

This explains why many Arab nations, which sided with Washington during the 1991 Gulf War, are not supporting the U.S. attacks on Iraq. They even believe that the current U.S. military adventure in Iraq is just another aspect of Clinton's campaign to win the American people's support for his second presidential term.

The U.S.will convince the world of its good intentions to help protect the Kurds in Iraq and the Iraqi people from Saddam's authoritarian rule only by helping to create peace and prosperity in the region and not by sending dozens of deadly missiles.