Articles
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, October/November 2000, pages 65-67
Special Report
Middle East Expert David Andrus Predicts Iraqi Sanctions “Here to Stay”
By Pat and Samir Twair
“Sanctions on Iraq are here to stay,” predicts David Andrus, a University of Southern California professor of international studies. At an Aug. 13 program at the American Friends Service Committee in Pasadena, Andrus showed slides of dying children, crumbling classrooms and devastated hospitals he took during trips he made to Iraq this year and in 1999.
“Blackboards can’t be installed in schools because nails are banned as dual-use objects. Hospitals are cesspools,” Andrus narrated as he showed a slide of an operating room lacking proper lighting.
“Fluorescent tubes aren’t permitted into Iraq, so hospital rooms are unlit,” he continued. “There are no antiseptics, so kerosene is the sanitizing agent.”
The outspoken scholar said allied bombing of Iraq during the 1991 Gulf war targeted electrical power stations, sewage systems and water purification plants. Equipment to repair these basic necessities of life has been banned for nearly a decade. Hence the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers which have sustained this region for millennia are now regarded as a biohazard. Aquifers have been destroyed by radiation from depleted uranium (DUI) munitions.
According to Dr. James Bill of William and Mary College, an estimated 982,000 DUI-tipped shells dropped on Iraq have left “a carcinogenic trail resulting in massive birth defects.”
“Under these conditions,” Andrus stated, “a simple ailment such as dysentery or diarrhea will kill you, particularly if you’re under age 5 or elderly.”
The official estimate of 750,000 children killed by the sanctions prompted Rep. David Bonior (D-MI) to call the decade-old sanctions “infanticide masquerading as policy.”
Showing a slide of a statue from Israel’s Yad Vashem memorial site dedicated to the estimated 1.5 million Jewish children who died in the Holocaust, Andrus said: “Someone intones the names of those dead Jewish children 24 hours a day. But no one calls out the names of Iraq’s dead babies.”
What’s more, he pointed out, U.S. and British sorties continue over Iraq to enforce the no-fly zones. When these planes fire missiles at Iraqi anti-aircraft stations, civilians sometimes are killed.
“The sanctions are a failure. If they worked, Saddam Hussain would not still be in power,” Andrus averred, pointing out that the last two United Nations humanitarian coordinators in Iraq resigned their posts to protest the suffering sanctions perpetrate on civilians.
“Iraq never had nuclear weapons,” he added. “Raymond Zalinkus, the UNSCOM biological warfare expert, certified UNSCOM destroyed all of Iraq’s chemical and biological weapons and their related factories. UNSCOM”s Richard Butler said 817 or 819 scud missiles were destroyed and there were no delivery systems.”
So why are the sanctions still in place?
“The U.S. national interest demands that it maintain control over all oil-producing areas,” Andrus argued. “The Machiavellian nature of U.S. policy is destroying the Iraqi people for a policy that has oil as its goal.”
Elaborating, he said the de facto occupation of Iraq through a U.S.-controlled U.N. presence serves two geographic functions: (1) it prevents Iraq from interfering with the Caspian oil pipelines; and (2) it turns Iraq into a U.S.-controlled buffer zone between Iran and one of the main pipeline partners, Turkey. The U.S. presence in the Persian Gulf (and, on land, in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain) completes the buffer built around Iran.
Andrus maintained that the U.S. financially assisted Saddam in Iraq’s 1980-88 war with Iran to perpetuate carnage between the two oil-producing Muslim nations. In 1985, the U.S.-Iraq Business Forum, for which Henry Kissinger was a paid policy consultant, sought access to the Iraqi market. The Forum lobbied heavily to lift congressional sanctions on Iraq. It also worked with the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL) to underwrite loans through the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Commodity Group and pressured the U.S. Commerce Department to allow Iraq to purchase lethal commodities from U.S. companies.
Ironically, Andrus stressed, “the CIA was still selling Iraq Soviet-made SAM missiles as late as the 14th day of the Gulf war.
“Keeping Iraq locked down through sanctions,” Andrus concluded, “is a major element in the U.S. geo-political strategy to remain in key areas of the Muslim world and to control the last major area of untapped oil.”
Anglican Bishop Discusses Right of Return
“In my opinion, Jerusalem is not as difficult a problem as the refugee issue,” stated Riah Abu al-Assal, the Anglican bishop in Jerusalem, on a visit to Los Angeles.
“Any Jew from anywhere in the world is welcomed to Israel,” he said. “Bosnian or Kosovar refugees have the right to return to their homes, but my brother cannot return to his family home in Nazareth because he was visiting relatives in Beirut in 1948 when the Zionists declared the state of Israel and claimed the Galilee as part of it.”
Bishop al-Assal said that he, too, had been visiting in Beirut, but in 1949, at the age of 11, he was smuggled on the back of a donkey across the border into Israel. The boy was not allowed to enter his family home, and later was forced to pay rent for a room in his father’s house to the custodian of absentee landlords.
“This story is in my book, Caught in Between [see review p. 102],” he commented. As late as 1959, the bishop’s father was allowed to return to Nazareth, but it had taken years of litigation to prove he was not a refugee but simply had been out of the country when Israel became a state.
The white-haired cleric emphasized the difference between compensation for refugees and restitution.
“Compensation is for the refugees who won’t return,” he said. “An international committee must be established and it must decide on the compensation to be paid for loss of a homeland, loss of property and loss of a home. Part of this money must go directly to the refugees.
“Restitution,” he continued, “is the right to restore what was mine. For practical reasons, property or land cannot be given back, but Israel must pay back rent and the refugee should hold onto the deeds to his property until there is restitution.”
A case in point, Bishop al-Assal said, is the hotel in Alexandria, Egypt, which had been owned by a Jew. The man sued the Egyptian government for lost revenues and the hotel property and the case was settled in his favor.
“I will seek compensation for the loss of my childhood,” the bishop stated. “You cannot imagine the years I dreamed of speaking with and being with my Mummy and Daddy.”
Ignoring Palestinian refugees “is going to backfire on Israel,” he continued. “The right of return is a sacred right that cannot be denied to Palestinians and applied only to Jews.
“Furthermore, I have my doubts that many of the Palestinians in diaspora would move back. There are a quarter of a million prosperous Palestinians in Chile; I can’t envision any of them returning,” he observed.
“At the time Israel was established, and only 156,000 Palestinians remained on the land,” the bishop noted, “the Zionists assumed that in 20 years, the old generation would die out and the new generation would forget.
“The Israelis should have known better,” he said. “Israel may have the military might, but it lacks the determination of the Palestinians, who ultimately will get their rights. The power of the gun is much weaker than the power stored in the minds of a people determined to live in dignity.”
Bishop al-Assal was banned by the Israeli government from traveling abroad from 1986 to 1990 on the charge that his activities were a threat to the state of Israel. His “crime” was the production of an Arab-Jewish anthem for peace to be performed by 51 Israeli and five Palestinian musicians in Vienna. His “peace dialogue in music” was never performed.
Today, Bishop al-Assal oversees church business in Nazareth and Jerusalem and tends a congregation in Amman. He also is launching services in Arabic for churches in England.
Asked, as a native of Nazareth, what he thinks of the Muslim attempt to build a mosque in the city’s plaza, he responded, “It saddens my heart that after 51 years of resisting Israeli attempts to divide and rule, a fanatic group is demanding to establish a mosque in a plaza that does not belong to the Muslims.”
Former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu encouraged the takeover of the plaza next to the Church of the Annunciation, and current Prime Minister Ehud Barak subsequently granted to the Muslims some 800 of 1,500 square meters of contested land.
Bishop al-Assal called the demand to build a mosque in the plaza because the tomb of Shihab al-Din, the nephew of Saladin, is there, a ploy launched by the Israelis to provoke Nazareth’s Christians.
“This has nothing to do with religion,” he averred. As a face-saving alternative the bishop proposed “building a little shrine there to convert the conflict into an act of reconciliation.
“We could put a cross and a crescent on top of the shrine,” he suggested to Israeli Public Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami.
The minister’s response: “Why only those two?”
Marcel Khalife, Simon Shaheen in Concert
Music lovers know they are in for a unique listening experience whenever Lebanese composer/musician Marcel Khalife appears in concert. It looked as if it would be a double whammy when Khalife was to perform with Simon Shaheen at a July 29 event sponsored by Turath at California State University Los Angeles’ Luckman Theatre. Actually, it was a quadruple whammy, with the innovations offered by bassist Peter Herbert and master percussionist Michel Merhej.
States Turath co-founder Sami Asmar: “Turath wanted to bring quality art and multicultural art to the area. Our first effort was an April 1999 concert featuring Jihad Racy’s musicians performing with a Spanish flamenco group.”
In its latest effort, Turath brought classical Arab music together with modern jazz. The combination was stunning.
The interaction between Shaheen on the violin and Herbert on the bass brought applause as the bassist responded to Shaheen’s notes in “Longa: Maqam Kurd.”
Percussionist Merhej has performed for more than 40 years with Lebanon’s Rahbani Brothers. His hypnotic sounds on the daff in “Muqaddima in Maqam Rast” were reminiscent of Ravel’s “Bolero.” He also won the audience’s noisy approval when he performed on the riqq.
Appearing for the first time in Los Angeles was Khalife’s 17-year-old son, Bashar, on hand drums. A recording was made of the performance. More information is available at www.turath.org.
Hafez Al-Assad Commemorated
On the 40th day after his June 10 death, Syria’s President Hafez Al-Assad was memorialized at an arbaein ceremony in the Norwalk Marriott Hotel. Poets Mouaza Kifah al-Aridi and Matanyous Batikha read original works dedicted to the life of the Syrian leader. Dr. Nabil Azzam performed a medley of original compositions on the violin.
Educator Fadel Kassab conducted the program, which included comments by Syrian American Association President Mutaz Chechakly and Dr. Father Joseph Tarazi of the Syrian Orthodox Church. Dr. Hazem Chehabi, the honorary consul of Syria, discussed his personal encounters with the late president. As the son of Gen. Hikmat Shehabi, chief of staff of the Syrian army, Dr. Chehabi first met the president as a teenager and continued contacts after he was appointed honorary consul.
Mohammed Jamal al-Daoudi, who is in charge of Islamic projects in Orange County, recited from the Holy Qur’an and noted that during his presidency, Hafez Al-Assad established 148 Qur’anic schools in Syria.
Tom Campbell Campaigning
Smack-dab in the middle of the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, Republican Rep. Tom Campbell, who is campaigning for Democrat Dianne Feinstein’s seat in the Senate, was busy meeting Southern California voters.
The congressman from Northern California met with Muslim voters Aug. 17 in the home of James and Darlena Price. Although he’s running on the Republican ticket, some progressives have described Campbell as to the left of corporate-backed Feinstein.
Campbell said he is for women’s rights, campaign reform, eliminating the use of secret evidence and sanctions on Iraq.
“I believe in fairness and if there is a state of Israel, there should be a state of Palestine,” he said. “Foreign aid should go to needy states and not where powerful influences want it to go. I would like to have the United States known as a just country, not just a powerful one.”
The candidate said the latest poll showed Feinstein holding 48 percent of the vote to his 37 percent. Noting that his opponent has refused his invitations to a debate, Campbell said: “She will only agree to a debate when I am five points behind her because a debate would bring me to the attention of more voters. When you hear Senator Feinstein has agreed to a debate, you’ll know I’m going to win. And I will.”
When asked his opinion on the status of Jerusalem, Campbell opined that both Israel and Palestine should claim Jerusalem as their capital.
“Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, but it’s wrong to say it can’t also be the capital of Palestine.”
Alluding to President Bill Clinton’s comment that he is considering moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, he stated, “In order to be helpful to the peace process, an intermediary shouldn’t criticize just one side.”
On the topic of health care reform, Campbell said physicians should have the right to make medical decisions and that his bill gives doctors the right to bargain for their patients.
As a member of the powerful House International Relations Committee, Campbell says he goes to trouble spots in Africa or the Middle East while many of his colleagues choose to go to Paris.
“The people of Palestine should have a nation and they should be able to trade with Jordan and I voiced this opinion on the House floor,” he said. “Conditions in Gaza are dehumanizing, particularly the cattle runs Gazans must walk through to exit or enter Gaza.”
He recalled a visit to Ramallah, Bethlehem and Gaza. He had bumped his head on a taxi door and the next day while he was in Damascus, Representative Campbell received a phone call from Yasser Arafat.
The Palestinian leader offered condolences that the congressman had been slightly injured in his country. Campbell’s reply was: “This makes me the first American to have shed blood in your country.”
Lebanese Consul in L.A. Launches Needed Project
Since arriving in Los Angeles one year ago, Dr. John Makaron, the consul general of Lebanon, has broken the records of his predecessors for attending programs, concerts and meetings of the Arab American community at large.
“Unity of the community is uppermost to me,” commented Dr. Makaron, who received a Ph.D. degree in public law in 1987 and served as the Lebanese consul in London from 1994 to 1999. “For this reason, I am very keen on the vision of establishing a House of Lebanon in Los Angeles.”
Dr. Makaron confessed his surprise when he arrived in Los Angeles and discovered a Lebanese-American community whose members have excelled in the entertainment field, science, medicine, banking, politics and the law.
“I realized Lebanese Americans shine here in all aspects, but the one thing we need is unity and what better way to come together than in a cultural center, the House of Lebanon.”
As we chatted with the consul general, we were interrupted about five times per 10 minutes as he looked over passports and signed papers. When we inquired, he acknowledged that 4,000 visas are issued through his office every year.
“My signature must go on each document and I am held responsible,” he commented. “I don’t regard it as a privilege to be a diplomat, but a national duty to my country. My main purpose is to protect my fellow Lebanese. My second duty is to build good relations with American society as a whole and with all Arabs living here.”
His eyes lit up as he discussed the House of Lebanon, which will be supported by the non-profit Lebanese-American Foundation.
Dr. Hanna Chammas is serving as the charter chairman of the foundation, with Kanan Hamse and Salim Abu Fadl as co-vice presidents. The project has so far received pledges of $800,000, but $2 million must be raised before it goes into action.
“We have prepared a brochure that is about to be mailed,” he continued. “The House of Lebanon will be centrally located in the Wilshire district of Los Angeles and will contain a banquet hall, meeting and conference rooms, an exhibit hall, library and learning center for the Arabic language, and a travel information center.”
Amid the frequent interruptions, a Lebanese-American businessman, Farid Mousa, was admitted to the consul’s office. After listening to our conversation, he interjected: “For years, there has been talk about a Lebanese center in Los Angeles, but it was Dr. Makaron who assembled the people under one flagship to launch the House of Lebanon.”
The consul shares a respect for jurisprudence with his wife, Graziella, an attorney, and mother of their children, Sandrine, 2 years, 7 months, and Robin, l year, 7 months.
“Last week, I read a statement that if you want to please your children, you should love their mother. I do,” the diplomat said emphatically.
Pat and Samir Twair are free-lance journalists based in Los Angeles.
