Volume 3, No. 12, December 2002

The UN finally passed the Bush-Blair resolution for war on Iraq on Nov. 8. After seven weeks of wrangling and high drama, the UN came out with a resolution meeting the US demands, and France and Russia yielding despite claims and counter-claims by them. It is from the US to the US, through the UN Security Council. No majority-minority, no veto, no two resolutions, no no-resolution. It is unanimous. The ground is laid for teaching Iraq (and others) a lesson for defying the US. Either it should abide by what the US demands or get pulverized. Bush says that Iraq’s compliance must be "prompt and unconditional" otherwise it will have to face "serious consequences."

The US has finally got through what it wanted. Bush made no mistake in telling Iraq, and Russia and France, "Iraq can be certain that the game of cheat and retreat, tolerated at other times, will no longer be tolerated." The arms inspectors are now given the right to search Saddam Hussain’s dwellings also, for chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. How would it look had the UN given the right to some other nation or agency to search the White House and the presidential palaces of all the nuclear weapons holding states declaring that their holding the world to ransom and blackmail shall "no longer be tolerated" and their arms destroyed forthwith! That scene, of course, is not to happen as the gangsters control the UN.

The day the resolution was passed unanimously the statements handed out by the big four contradicted each other. It indicated either there was only a semblance of unanimity or it was just a public relations exercise by the Russian and French diplomats after having yielded to the US. Russia said that the resolution has warded off the "direct threat of war" and opened the road to "a political diplomatic settlement" of the question. Russian Ambassador even said that Russia has received assurances from the US and Britain that the resolution was not to allow automatic use of force against Iraq.

France, which came closer to the US position from a second resolution to a single one, described the decision as one of opening the way for a "success for peace." It has asked Iraq to avail this opportunity, as it is the "final one." Even Syria, which had been declaring, like Russia, that there should be no resolution at all, ultimately succumbed and voted for the resolution. It gave the reason for its vote for the resolution in the words: the resolution would not be used as a pretext to attack Iraq and affirms the central role of the Security Council. The other country that was opposing the US move, Mexico, did not grumble much at the last hour as US, France and Russia had already arrived at a common position.

Despite all these assurances from the "opposing" countries, the sponsors of the resolution have a different chord to sound.

Jack Straw, the foreign secretary of Britain, says, "we have always made it clear that we have reserved our own right to take action within the existing body of the UN Security Council resolution, if a subsequent resolution were vetoed." The British interpretation of the resolution cannot be more clear as the present one does not bind them (the US and Britain) to a second resolution if it ever comes. The Security Council can now debate over the US aggression after the US launches its war. One of the Labour MPs has termed the resolution as a "war resolution." This, of course, is a more correct commentary on the UN Security Council decision from a politician of the British ruling class.

Meanwhile, the US has stepped up its propaganda campaign to bracket al Qaeda with the Iraqi regime accusing it of having links with the latter. This is part of the massive build up to the US plans to attack Iraq without informing the Sec. Council in case even if there is no complaint from Hans Blix and his team of weapon inspectors. Blix, who had initially opposed a new mandate for the inspectors in the form of a new resolution had later demanded a strict language to be guided in his search operations and is happy that the unanimous resolution has strengthened inspector’s mandate.

The resolution gives Iraq 30 days to declare its weaponry and seven days to accept the resolution. With this resolution, the annals of the UN have been further bloodied with the conspiratorial and aggressive acts of the big powers against the poor and weaker ones.

While the wrangling over a new resolution went on for nearly two months, the US carried on war preparations in a fanatical way. It declared many times "to go it alone" if the UN did not give a mandate to it. Having secured a "yes" of the previous Turkish Government to provide bases for aggression it built up its arsenals in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan have US military concentrations. It conducted military exercises in Jordan in the last month, pressurized Saudi Arabia which later declared that it would abide by any UN resolution as a "responsible member of the world body." While Qatar is emerging as the biggest base for US operations the state of Djibouti is set to clear the way for Horn of Africa from where the US intends to conduct its operations within Yemen, Somalia and Sudan. Afghanistan and Pakistan are under the US military boots. Most of the Central Asian republics already have US forces. Uzbekistan has about 1500 US armed forces. Manas airbase in Kyrghyzistan has 1000 US troops. Georgia has 2000 US military operatives. Kazakhstan offered air bases for war on Afghanistan. Egypt’s Hosni is a tested US client and stooge. In the immediate neighbourhood of Iraq, beyond a short distance covering Jordan, lies the Zionist State of Israel whose leaders are feverishly calling on the US and British imperialists to finish off Saddam and then take on Iran while they themselves are readying themselves to enact another Naqba (the exodus) on the Palestinians. Syria has yielded without shame. Iran is busy tracking down fictitious al Qaeda elements to appease the US imperialists. Foot soldiers are in the making from the dissident Iraqi politicians and groups. The seas around the Gulf are full of US and British carriers. In the Middle East, friends of its enemies or cowards surround Iraq from all sides. The resolution has provided a pretext for the slave Arab rulers to keep quiet or cooperate in the event of aggression on Iraq.

An anti-war movement is gaining momentum worldwide as the US imperialists are frenziedly preparing for war on Iraq. Almost all the capitals and big cities of Western Europe and North America have witnessed massive anti-war demonstrations in the last fifteen days. Last month, London saw one of the biggest anti-war demonstrations in decades. New York witnessed 40,000 marching in the streets against the Bush war preparations. While the governments are likely to fall silent even further the people are coming to the fore to oppose any US-British adventure over Iraq.

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