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MELDUNGEN UND KOMMENTARE
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04 Friedensdemo/Linz
From: "Friedenswerkstatt Linz" <friwe@servus.at>
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Plattform Stoppt den Krieg
p. A. Friedenswerkstatt Linz
Waltherstr. 15b
4020 Linz
Tel. 0732/771094
Linz, 17. 3. 2003
Medieninformation
Plattform Stoppt den Krieg/Irak/Friedensdemonstration
2.000 Menschen demonstrieren in Linz gegen Irak-Krieg
Antikriegsaktivitäten gehen weiter - Aufruf zu einer Friedens-
manifestation am Tag des Kriegsbeginns
Rund 2.000 Menschen demonstrierten am 14. März in Linz gegen den
drohenden Irak-Krieg. Aufgerufen hat die überparteiliche Plattform
Stoppt den Krieg. Nach der großen Linzer Antikriegs-Demonstration am
31. Jänner zeigt sich damit, dass die Bereitschaft, sich öffentlich
gegen diesen Krieg artikulieren, ungebrochen hoch ist. In den Reden
wurden verschiedene Zugänge für die Widerstand gegen den Krieges
hervorgehoben.
Martin Kuri (Sozialistische Jugend) betonte die Bedeutung von Streiks,
wie sie derzeit in Italien und Spanien vorbereitet werden, um die
Kriegsmaschinerie noch zu stoppen. Piskin Mesod (Block für Arbeit,
Freiheit und Demokratie in der Türkei) wies auf die Einbindung der
Türkei in den US-Feldzug hin und die damit verbundene Unterdrückung
kurdischer Befreiungsbewegungen und die allgemeine Aushöhlung der
Demokratie in der Türkei.
Boris Lechthaler (Friedenswerkstatt Linz) verurteilte die
österreichische Regierungspolitik, die auf vielfältige Weise in die
Kriegsvorbereitungen verstrickt ist, und rief auf, aus den
Interventionsarmeen der Großmächte (Euro-Armee, NATO-PfP)
auszusteigen.
Bernhard Rudinger (Katholische Aktion) zeigte die verheerenden
humanitären Auswirkungen des Krieges gegen den Irak von 1991 auf und
geißelte - in Anlehnung an eine Aussage des Pabstes - den Krieg als
eine "Niederlage für die gesamte Menschheit".
Leo Mikesch (KPÖ) hob hervor, dass die Verurteilung des Krieges keine
Unterstützung der Diktatur Saddam Husseins bedeute, der von den USA
jahrelang aufgerüstet worden ist. Es gehe den Aggressoren nicht um
Menschenrechte sondern um Zugang zum irakischen Erdöl.
Alfred Leiblfinger (Gewerkschaft der Eisenbahner) beschuldigte die
Regierung, dass sie mit ihrer Politik der Neutralitätsdemontage und
des Ankaufs von "Eurofighter"-Kampfbombern Österreich in Hinkunft an
Kriegen beteiligen wolle. Er kündigte an, dass die österreichischen
Eisenbahner wie in anderen Ländern die Durchfuhr von Kriegsgerät
blockieren werden.
Die Plattform Stoppt den Krieg ruft auf, jetzt im Widerstand gegen den
drohenden Krieg nicht locker zu lassen. Sollte es zum Krieg kommen,
ruft die Plattform alle KriegsgegnerInnen auf, sich am Tag des
Kriegsbeginns um 17.30 Uhr im Linzer Schillerpark zu einer
Friedensmanifestation zu versammeln.
Alle Interessierten sind herzlich zur Mitarbeit an der Plattform
Stoppt den Krieg eingeladen. Treffen jeden Donnerstag, 19.30 Uhr, Büro
der Friedenswerkstatt Linz (Waltherstr. 15b, 4020
Linz). Unterschriftslisten und Anti-Kriegs-Pickerl bestellen bei:
friwe@servus.at
Aktuelle Informationen auf: www.friwe.at
==================================================
05 Irak-Interviews Osten-Sacken
From: Café Critique <cafe.critique@gmx.net>
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Thomas von der Osten-Sacken sprach am Donnerstag letzter Woche auf
Einladung von Café Critique und der Studienrichtungsvertretung
Politikwissenschaft bei der Veranstaltung "Der Irak und der Krieg.
Die Ideologie des Baath-Regimes, die Friedensbewegung und das Massaker
von Halabja" im Jüdischen Gemeindezentrum in Wien. Nachstehend ein
aktuelles Interview aus dem online-Standard und ein älteres aus der
israelischen Tageszeitung Haaretz.
________________
derStandard.at
14.03.2003
20:41 MEZ
Thomas von der Osten-Sacken veröffentlichte neben zahlreichen Artikeln
zum Thema auch gemeinsam mit Arras Fatah das Buch "Saddam Husseins
letztes Gefecht? Der lange Weg in den Dritten Golfkrieg" (Hamburg
2002). Der Autor ist unter anderem auch für die Hilfsorganisation WADI
tätig. http://www.wadinet.de/
Krieg gegen Krieg?
"Saddam an der Macht zu lassen heißt, sich einmal mehr für diesen
Krieg zu entscheiden" - Thomas von der Osten-Sacken im derStandard.at-
Interview
Für den deutschen Publizisten und Nahostexperten Thomas von der
Osten-Sacken ist der anhaltende Konflikt im Irak nicht ausschließlich
auf geostrategische Interessen wie beispielsweise Ressourcensicherung
zurückzuführen. Vielmehr müsse dieser auch vor dem Hintergrund des
Interesses einer allgemeinen Emanzipation in den arabischen Ländern
gesehen werden.
derStandard.at: In Ihren Analysen und Kommentaren treten Sie für eine
Militärintervention der USA im Irak ein. Warum?
Thomas v. der Osten-Sacken: Ich trete für die Notwendigkeit eines
Regimewechsels im Irak ein, nicht für einen Krieg. Im Gegenteil bin
ich überzeugt, dass, hätten die Europäer eine andere Haltung in diesem
Konflikt angenommen und sich hinter die Forderungen der irakischen
Opposition gestellt, man dieses Ziel auch ohne Krieg hätte erreichen
können.
Nun scheint es dafür zu spät zu sein. Im Irak herrscht ein Krieg gegen
die eigene Bevölkerung, der in vergangenen Jahrzehnten Hundertausende
von Menschen zum Opfer gefallen sind. Saddam an der Macht zu lassen
heißt, sich einmal mehr für diesen Krieg zu entscheiden.
derStandard.at: Glauben sie, dass ein Sturz Husseins nur mit Hilfe der USA
möglich ist?
Thomas v. der Osten-Sacken: 1991 versuchte die irakische Bevölkerung
Hussein in Volksaufständen zu stürzen. Es war ein Verbrechen, sie
damals nicht zu unterstützen. Bis zum 11.9. spielte die irakische
Opposition keine wirkliche Rolle im Westen. Nun ist sie immerhin
Ansprechpartnerin der USA. Es hätte viele Möglichkeiten gegeben,
diplomatisch und politisch das Regime Saddam Husseins zu schwächen und
zu isolieren.
derStandard.at: Hätten die USA nicht schon längst durch eine Stärkung
der Opposition deren Kampf gegen des Baath-Regime unterstützen können?
Thomas v. der Osten-Sacken: Ja, aber sie hatten lange kein Konzept,
was sie im Irak eigentlich wollen und bevorzugten einen Ausstausch an
der Spitze, etwa einen Militärputsch. Das aber ist im Irak, einem
Staat, in dem sieben Geheimdienste alles kontrollieren, sehr schwer
durchführbar.
derStandard.at: Wer sind DIE Iraker bzw. woraus setzt sich die
irakische Opposition zusammen?
Thomas v. der Osten-Sacken: Nun im Irak leben ca. 23 Millionen
Menschen, davon 3,5 Millionen im seit 1991 von Saddam Hussein
befreiten und selbstverwalteten kurdischen Nordirak. Der Irak ist kein
arabisches Land, sondern besteht vor allem aus Kurden und Arabern,
aber auch einer Vielzahl von ethnischen und religiösen Minderheiten.
Die Opposition spiegelt diese Vielfältigkeit wieder, will aber einen
gemeinsamen, demokratischen und föderalen irakischen Nationalstaat
schaffen. In ihr sind die kurdischen Parteien, der sehr westlich
ausgeerichtete "Iraqi National Congress", Schiiten, Nationalisten,
Monarchisten, christliche Parteien und die Kommunisten und Sozialisten
zusammengeschlossen.
Zum ersten Mal in der Geschichte des Nahen Osten (Israel ausgenommen)
haben Oppositionsparteien nun ein Programm entwickelt, das nicht auf
einer Ideologie wie dem Panarabismus oder Islamismus beruht, sondern
die realen Probleme ihres Landes reflektiert und das auf
Demokratisierung, Staatsbürgerrechten und Gewaltenteilung basiert.
Für den Nahen Osten ist daes eine Revolution. Es wäre zu hoffen, dass
dieses Programm auch umgesetzt werden wird. Die Irakis selbst sind
einerseits sehr optimistisch, andererseits wissen sie, was es
bedeutet, ein Land zu übernehmen, das 30 Jahre lang systematisch
zerstört worden ist.
Aber auch in Kurdistan war die Situation 1991 fast hoffnungslos,
alleine 4.000 Dörfer hatte das Regime völlig zerstört. Inzwischen sind
die meisten wieder aufgebaut und Irakisch-Kurdistan hat sich in jeder
Hinsicht sehr positiv entwickelt. Für viele Irakis ist das eine Art
Vorbild für das ganze Land.
Die Kurden, die ja keineswegs, wie so oft behauptet wird, einen
eigenen Staat wollen, können beim Aufbau des restlichen Irak mit den
Erfahrungen, die sie in den letzten Jahren gesammelt haben sehr
hilfreich sein.
derStandard.at: Ist es nicht fraglich, ob die USA nach ihrem Einmarsch
tatsächlich eine Staatsführung einsetzen, die nicht wieder
größtenteils aus alten Eliten besteht? Dies in Anbetracht der
Tatsache, dass im Falle eines US-Alleinganges niemand Druck ausüben
kann in Richtung einer tatsächlichen "Demokratisierung"?
Thomas v. der Osten-Sacken: Bislang sieht es so aus, dass die USA
wirklich ein neuartiges Experiment im Irak unterstützen
wollen. Angesichts ihrer vergangenen Politik im Nahen Osten, wo sie
mit Ausnahme Israels äußerst fragwürdige Regimes unterstützen, ist
sicher Skepsis angebracht.
Die sogenannten Neokonservativen in der Administration jedenfalls
meinen es ernst, andere im Außenministerium würden lieber an den
bisherigen Strukturen oder, wie es der bekannte exilirakische
Intellektuelle Kanan Makiya einmal sagte, an einem "Baathismues ohne
Saddam Hussein" festhalten.
Ist aber dieser erst einmal gestürzt, bieten sich, selbst wenn die USA
es nicht wollen, völlig neue Möglichkeiten für die Irakis. Auch 1991
wollte eigentlich niemand ein de facto selbstverwaltetes
Irakisch-Kurdistan, aber die Kurden konnten eben die Gunst der Stunde
nutzen.
derStandard.at: Neben dem Sturz Husseins geht es aber auch um die
Neugestaltung des Nahen Ostens. Welche Rolle spielt dabei der 11.
September?
Thomas v. der Osten-Sacken: Eine zentrale, hat er doch die inneren
Widersprüche der amerikansichen Außenpolitik extrem zugespitzt. Al
Qaida kommt schließlich aus den Eliten Saudi Arabiens, nicht aus
irgendwelchen Flüchtlingslagern. Diese Eliten zeigen sich unfähig zur
Reform ihrer Länder und regieren nur noch mittels eines extremen
Antisemitismus und Hass auf Amerika, auf das sie den Unmut der
Bevölkerung ableiten.
Saddam Hussein, auch wenn er kein Islamist ist, teilt diese
Weltannschauung mit Al Qaida aber auch anderen Herrschern im Nahen
Osten. Er erklärt die Situation in seinem Lande als
zionistisch-imperialistische Verschwörung und predigt Hass und
Zerstörung. Den Menschen dort bietet er keine Perspektive. Nun sind
einige maßgebliche Leute in den USA zu der Überzeugung gekommen, dass
man wirklich die Wurzeln des Terrors bekämpfen muß und die liegen
genau in diesen Strukturen.
Einige Länder, so sagt man, Iran oder Saudi Arabien etwa, können durch
äußeren Druck und Hilfe reformiert werden. Im Irak ist das
undenkbar. Da eben muss die baathistische Regierung gestürzt werden.
derStandard.at: Wie erklären sie sich die ungewohnt kriegsablehnende
Haltung insbesondere Deutschlands und Frankreichs?
Thomas v. der Osten-Sacken: Der Irak ist ökonomisch ein enger Partner
der beiden Länder. Sie haben geholfen, das Land mit den
Massenvernichtungswaffen auszurüsten, um die es heute geht. Und auch
auf allen anderen Ebenen pflegen sie sehr enge wirtschaftliche
Kontakte, so waren vergangenes Jahr etwa 100 deutsche Firmen auf der
Bagdader Industriemesse vertreten, auch über 100 französische.
Man hofft sich im Nahen Osten ein Einflussgebiet gegen die USA zu
schaffen. Zudem fürchten beide Länder, dass bei einem Sturz Saddams
die Archive in Bagdad in die Hände der USA oder Opposition fallen und
dann das ganze Ausmaß der Zusammenarbeit vor allem im militärischen
Bereich bekannt werden würde.
derStandard.at: Was ist mit Russland? Stehen dort andere Faktoren für
eine ablehnende Haltung im Vordergrund?
Thomas v. der Osten-Sacken: Rußland versucht weiter etwas Weltpolitik
im Nahen Osten zu betreiben. Die russisch-irakische Beziehung waren
zudem immer sehr eng, Saddam Hussein hat ja mit Ost und West im Kalten
Krieg kooperiert. Und es geht um viel Geld, sehr hohe Schulden und
neue Verträge über 38 Milliarden Dollar, die Russland vergangenes Jahr
abgeschlossen hat.
Die irakische Opposition und Bevölkerung weiß sehr gut um die engen
Kontakte dieser drei Länder mit dem Saddam Regime und ich denke, dies
wird ein Grund sein, warum sie bei einem Wiederaufbau des Landes keine
sehr große Rolle spielen werden. Sie hoffen, dass Saddam Hussein an
der Macht bleibt und ihre Haltung im UN-Sicherheitsrat entsprechend
honorieren wird.
derStandard.at: Und wie sieht es mit den Menschenrechten in Europa
aus, insbesondere hinsichtlich der Unterstützung von Flüchtlingen aus
dem Irak?
Thomas v. der Osten-Sacken: Die Anerkennungsquoten irakischer
Flüchtlinge werden kontinuierlich gesenkt. Betrugen sie etwa in
Deutschland 2001 noch über 60%, sind es jetzt knapp zehn. Während man
Saddam Hussein objektiv unterstützt, führt man zugleich einen stillen
Krieg gegen die Flüchtlinge.
An den Grenzen des Irak werden jetzt schon Lager errichtet, um zu
verhindern, dass, sollte die irakische Armee Giftgas gegen die
Bevölkerung einsetzen und es zu einer Massenflucht kommen, Flüchtlinge
nicht in die Türkei oder den Iran kommen.
In Deutschland gilt der kurdische Nordirak, den man nie anerkannt hat,
als sogenannte "inländische Fluchtalternative". Die Menschen dort
richten sich auf Giftgasangriffe ein - mit Giftgas aus deutscher
Produktion. Dieser Fakt drückt die deutsch-europäische Irakpolitik am
deutlichsten aus. Es geht leider nicht um Frieden, sondern um einen
Krieg gegen die irakische Bevölkerung, der, ich sagte es schon, Saddam
Hussein heißt.
______________________
w w w . h a a r e t z d a i l y . c o m , Friday 4. 10. 02
By Micha Odenheimer
Interview / Vicious circles closing in
A journalist, human rights activist and intellectual, Thomas von der
Osten-Sacken is considered one of Germany's leading authorities on
human rights in Iraq. He began traveling to Iraq in 1991, when he
spent eight months doing humanitarian work in the southern part of the
country just after Saddam Hussein crushed the Shi'ite uprising there.
In 1992, Von der Osten-Sacken co-founded an aid and advocacy
organization called Wadi, operating in Iraqi Kurdistan - the
semi-autonomous safe haven carved out for Kurdish refugees after the
Gulf War - and on behalf of Iraqi refugees in Germany. He spends part
of each year in Kurdistan where Wadi has founded the first shelter
there for women in distress and is also involved in helping the local
government reform the prison system that has been left over from Iraqi
rule.
In Germany, Wadi advises Iraqi opposition groups and works closely
with the Coalition for a Democratic Iraq. Von der Osten-Sacken, 34,
publishes articles in German magazines such as Jungle World and
Konkret, and has co-edited a book on Iraq called "Saddam's Last
Battle?". He is one of the relatively few contemporary German writers
and thinkers on the left who consider themselves pro-Israel and have
developed a left-wing critique of the anti-globalization left in
today's Europe.
* When did you first realize that the Iraqi regime was not just another
Middle East dictatorship?
When I first came to Iraq, I very quickly realized that I could not
compare the situation there to other Middle Eastern countries I had
been in, like Syria, Jordan or Egypt.
This country was hell. We were the only Europeans in a city called
Amara in the Shi'ite area of southern Iraq near Basra, and we arrived
just a few weeks after the uprising had been crushed. There was a belt
of tanks around the city. The majority of buildings were burned
out. There was no food in the market. There was also a terrible degree
of malnourishment there.
People in Iraq won't talk freely, because they are terrified that
their friends are working for one of Saddam's nine horrible security
services. Because of this atmosphere, it took us three or four months
to learn some details about the uprising. The Iraqis made people lie
down in the streets and then buried them alive under asphalt. They
killed everyone who looked a little religious, because this was a
Shi'ite area.
It was forbidden to take the corpses from the street. All in all,
60,000 or 70,000 people were killed in this area in 1991. The first
thing that was done after the uprising was crushed was to repaint the
pictures of Saddam Hussein. People had riddled them with bullets. Not
one had been left.
We were shocked at how neglected the south was, with open sewage
systems, even though it is rich in oil. Saddam said before smashing
the uprising that these Shi'ites were dirty people, not really
Iraqis. We left there in October '91 when we felt we could not
continue our work without unintentionally helping the government.
* What was the atmosphere like in Baghdad then?
Baghdad was 300 kilometers away, and we went quite often - for a good
dinner,to have a meeting with another organization or even to make a
phone call to Germany. The fear in Iraq, a BBC reporter said recently,
is so palpable you can eat it. It's really indescribable. Syria is a
dictatorship, but the fear and control in Iraq reaches into your
living room. If there is no picture of Saddam Hussein in your living
room, you might be arrested.
There is no privacy. The Iraqi government considers everything
political. In Syria, as long as you are not a member of the
opposition, you can relax. You know you will not be harmed. But in
Iraq, if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, you may be
arrested, tortured, killed.
When I was in southern Iraq in '91, we had a lot of conversations with
a very nice, very sophisticated doctor. One day, he was watching
television and the Iraqi army was being praised for having won the
second part of the Gulf War [after the initial U.S. attack aimed at
driving Iraq out of Kuwait].
The doctor just said, `Well, it is a strange victory if daily children
are dying of hunger.' That was enough. Someone heard him. He was
taken, tortured for three weeks and brought back a broken
person. Letting one sentence slip is cause enough for a person to
vanish into an Iraqi prison or even to be killed.
* You have said that estimates are that Saddam has killed approximately
one million of his own citizens since 1979.
Yes, that would include Kurds, Shi'ites, Christians and Sunnis. There
were two huge massacres. There was the so-called Anfal campaign
against the Kurds at the end of the 1980s when 4,000 villages were
destroyed, and about 100,000 to 150,000 persons were killed, some with
poison gas. Up to a million people were sent into internal exile.
The other big massacre was in the south in the 1990s, where the regime
has killed about 300,000 Shi'ites in the last 10 years. In addition,
there have been enormous massacres against communists over the past
two decades. The estimate of one million killed only includes
civilians.
A million Iraqi soldiers were killed in the Iran-Iraq war. A
half-million Iraqis died of hunger or disease because of sanctions on
Iraq, and more were killed in the Gulf War.
Some 1.5 to two million people have been internally displaced, and 4.5
million Iraqi refugees are scattered across the globe. Ten percent of
the Iraqi population has been killed or deported during the rule of
Saddam Hussein. That is the essence of his regime. It is not an
accident. It is systematic.
* What is the ideology behind Saddam Hussein's regime?
The Ba'ath ideology mixes pan-Arabism with admiration of Mussolini and
Hitler, some ideas of state socialism and the notion of an Arab
supremacy which will be realized after the Arabs have liberated
themselves from foreign - that means mainly Jewish - influence and
British and American imperialism.
Ba'athism is strongly anti-communist and anti-imperialist, and it is
anti-Semitic from its beginning. Everything in Iraq is explained
through this huge conspiracy theory against the Arabs, in general, and
Iraq, in particular. Iraq is thought to be the greatest Arab nation
and the natural leader of Arab unity.
* So Iraq sees itself as the center of the Arab world?
Yes, the leader of Arab unity. Saddam Hussein dreams of ruling a
united Arab nation that would become a superpower confronting East and
West. Iraqi children are taught in kindergarten that they have to be
strong Arab fighters.
* Is Iraqi Ba'athism Islamist?
Pan-Arabism has always said that Mohammed is the forefather of
pan-Arabism and that Islam was spoiled when it crossed the borders of
the Arab world to Iran and Turkey. The task now is to `re-animate' the
real Islam that was taught by Mohammed as an Arab ideology.
Especially during the Iran-Iraq war, when Iraq had to face the Iranian
revolution, they loaded their own ideology with Islamic content. The
Iranians and the Zionists, they said, are part of a 2,000-year-old
plot to smash Iraq and divide the Arabs. `We are fighting for the real
Islam' the regime said, not the kind of spoiled Islam that Iran
represents. I think it was a mistake for the Americans to believe, as
they did, that Iraq was a stronghold against Islam.
* Is it conceivable that Al Qaeda and Iraq have cooperated?
Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden share the same enemies, the same
conspiracy theories. They share the claim that they are fighting in
the name of the Arab masses. Both these men grew up in the same
poisoned climate of Arab dictatorships. Their ideologies are quite
close, even if Saddam is not an Islamist.
And since he has been supporting many terror organizations, I would
not be surprised if there are close ties on the ground between Iraq
and Al Qaeda. I think that Osama bin Laden is trying to walk in the
footsteps of Saddam Hussein.
At the same time, Saddam Hussein in the 1990s was trying to strengthen
the ties between Iraq and the Islamic movements. He put `Allah Akhbar'
[`God is great'] into the flag of Iraq and also financed different
Islamic groups in Palestine and other places in the Arab world.
There is a terrorist education center in Baghdad called Salmanpak and
according to the Iraqi opposition, in the mid-'90s, terrorists from
other countries were being trained there in such skills as how to
hijack planes and use chemical weapons. They may be cooperating and
even if they are not, these are two trees growing in the same soil.
* So you would not agree with the idea that the war on Iraq is a
distraction from the war against terror that President George Bush has
proclaimed.
American policy in Iraq is a series of huge mistakes. Firstly, it was
a mistake to support that horrible regime in the 1980s knowing, for
example, about the massacres against the Kurds.
Secondly, it was a huge mistake not to let the Iraqi people topple
Saddam in '91. The Americans feared democracy in the Middle East, they
feared the breakup of Iraq because it would strengthen Iran, so they
allowed Saddam to crush the uprising.
With regimes like the Iraqi one, there will be no peace in the Middle
East. You cannot contain a regime like Saddam Hussein's. That was a
mistake of the West.
So the question is: Is America ready to face up to the mistakes it
made in '91 and in the '80s? Are the Americans ready to support
democracy? Because people like Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden grew
out of the Middle East. They are not products of Afghanistan.
* What kind of influence does Saddam have in the Arab street, and what
kind of affect could it have to topple him?
The most regressive and dangerous elements in the Arab and Islamic
world depend on Saddam Hussein. Really toppling Saddam Hussein means
uprooting the Ba'ath regime, with the help of the Iraqi people. This
would give the final blow to pan-Arabism in the Middle East.
Syria and a lot of very radical factions in Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt
and the Gulf states would be affected. These factions look up to
Saddam Hussein as a pan-Arabist, anti-imperialist hero - although he
is anti-imperialist in the tradition of the Nazis, not the left.
Also, Saddam is financing organizations like the Arab Liberation Front
in Palestine, which is a Ba'ath organization. He is paying the
families of suicide attackers. He is directly and indirectly
responsible for a lot of terrorism in the Middle East.
* What is his relationship with Yasser Arafat and the PLO?
Part of the Palestinian establishment has very close ties to Iraq
since 1991 when the Palestinians decided to support Saddam, which was
a huge mistake. This includes some quite influential figures within
the security apparatus of Yasser Arafat and the PLO.
There is a struggle within the Palestinian establishment right now
over whether these elements should be isolated. I think that certain
people like Abu Mazen and some of the security forces who were trained
by the CIA are struggling against others who have very close ties to
Baghdad, and who still want to join Iraq in the next battle with
terrorist attacks, or worse - with chemical or biological attacks on
Israel or somewhere else in the world. That, I think, would be another
terrible mistake for the Palestinians to make.
* What will have to be done, the day after Saddam is gone, to make the
distinction between merely switching Iraqi regimes and starting
something completely new and democratic?
In 1991, the Americans feared the results of a public uprising. They
hoped to find someone within the military who could topple Saddam
Hussein and rule Iraq with some cosmetic changes, but with the same
security apparatus.
This hope proved a failure because for 25 years, Saddam has been
trying to get rid of anyone that might pose a threat to him. Every
influential general has been killed. Yearly cleansing campaigns are
carried out against high-ranking members of the Ba'ath Party so that
no one can threaten the position of his family, which is more or less
ruling Iraq.
The hawks in the U.S., people like Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney or
Richard Perle, analyzed the situation and realized that they cannot
just change someone at the top. It is not like a South American
dictatorship. If they really want change, they have to create a new
Iraq.
Iraq is so ruthless and cruel against any opposition that people
cannot rise up without an outside trigger. But the moment a
possibility is created,the vast majority of the Iraqi people will rise
up. They will uproot the Ba'ath Party and even take personal revenge
on the ruling regime; you won't have any Ba'ath Party anymore.
So you really have to think about what to do afterward. The only
alternative is creating a democracy, which is a real experiment
because nothing like this exists in the region. Iraq considers itself
an Arab country, but actually contains nearly all the different
minority and ethnic groups of the Middle East.
So, if it is really done with heart, it is the first step to creating
a new Middle East. A democracy in the region will very much affect
other countries. It is a huge challenge and experiment. The question
is: Do the Americans know what they are going to do there? Because
Turkey, Iran and Europe will all try to impose their own policy. Iraq
is an oil-rich country and you don't know if this great game will not
lead to catastrophe.
* Does Iraq have a national identity that could come together as a
democracy? Or are these fears that the Shi'ites and Kurds will split
off legitimate?
Iraq is very unique in the Arab world. First of all, you already have
a very long tradition of opposition to the central regime. And you
have a tradition of a national identity. Even the Kurds in Iraq never
wanted to split off, unlike their brethren in Turkey.
They want a federal Iraq with strong Kurdish autonomy. I don't think
the Shi'ites want to split off. Usually the minority is the one that
wants to split off. The Shi'ite are the majority in Iraq. What they
want is more influence in Baghdad. From my experience from living
there, I don't think the Shi'ites are attracted by the mullah regime
of Iran.
You also have a strong leftist tradition, mainly in places like Basra
and Amara, and Iraq has one of the oldest and strongest communist
parties in the Middle East. This tradition has been strongly repressed
by the Ba'ath Party, but it still exists.
I think the Kurdish autonomy is a positive example for Iraq. Kurdistan
has horrible conditions. It's not recognized internationally. It is
more or less under double embargo: the international sanctions against
Iraq and some internal sanctions from the central government.
Turkey, Iran and Syria are all trying to destabilize the Kurds. But
even under these dire circumstances, the Kurds have been able to build
up what is not really a democracy, but a place which is, except for
Israel, the most liberal and free in the Middle East.
There are a lot of newspapers, freedom of speech, up to a limit - you
are not allowed to insult the Kurdish political leaders - but in
comparison with central Iraq, you can really call it paradise. And
there is to a certain extent democracy. If the Kurds are able to do
it, why shouldn't the Iraqis, with assistance from abroad?
Are you in favor of waging war against Iraq?
Let me say first that I am not in favor of war, especially until we
know how the Americans want to conduct the war. But one also has to
consider that what the Lebanese intellectual Fouad Ajami has said:
that for 30 years, Iraq has been conducting a war against its own
society.
Saddam Hussein is conducting a war against his own people and it must
be stopped. It is hard to think of another people who have suffered in
the last 20 years like the Iraqi people have suffered at the hands of
Saddam Hussein and because of international policy aimed at containing
him.
If Americans are really ready to topple him, it might be very good for
the Iraqi people and very good for the region. If the Americans start
just another stupid war like the one in 1991, then I am against it,
too.
At this very moment there is a huge Arabization campaign against Kurds
living in Karkuk. People are systematically deported because the
regime wants to change a Kurdish city into an Arab one. Just now there
are tremendous prison cleansing campaigns. Every Wednesday, the
security forces come into the largest prison in Baghdad and say: You,
you, you and you.
Five hundred people are taken out to be killed just because the
prisons are overcrowded. The Iraqi National Congress says that there
are 600,000 to 700,000 political prisoners in Iraqi detention camps at
present.
So the question is: Are they really ready to support democracy in the
Middle East? In that case, I think the war is necessary and good. Or
do they just want to put some horrible general in instead of Saddam?
Then I oppose this war very much.
* During the Gulf War in 1991, Israel refrained from retaliating after
the Scud missile attacks. How should Israel respond if it is attacked
this time?
Seventy percent of the Iraqi people are allies of the Americans. If
the war is waged correctly, it will focus on the regime, on the
leaders, on the security apparatus and on this horrible Ba'ath Party,
but not on the Iraqi people.
So if Israel is attacked, it should consider this point: This is a war
against the regime, and the Iraqi people are allies in fighting Saddam
Hussein. So it is very important to refrain from attacking
civilians.
There has been a debate about Israel nuking Iraq if attacked with
weapons of mass destruction. That would be a disaster - the end of the
democratization of the Middle East. Everyone would be against the
Iraqi opposition and against Israel.
If there is a need for Israel to strike back, it should only be
against military targets. Israel should openly declare that it is not
conducting a war against the Iraqi people, and that it is ready to
support a multi-ethnic democracy in Iraq, friendly to the Iraqi people
and only hostile to this government.
* What is the attitude toward Israel and the United States in liberated
Kurdistan?
The United States created the safe haven in 1991 not for the Kurds,
but to protect Iran and Turkey from the influx of refugees. Still,
people know that they are protected by the U.S. and they have a
positive attitude toward it.
I spent September 11, 2001 in Kurdistan in front of the television and
the next day, I crossed through Syria to Jordan. In Syria, people told
me that it was a conspiracy against the Arabs, but in Kurdistan,
people were deeply shocked and sorry for the victims of the World
Trade Center attack.
In regard to Israel, it's astonishing: The Kurds were all taught in
Iraqi schools that the Jews and Israel are the main enemy,
blood-suckers, part of a huge conspiracy, but I did not find any real
anti-Israel sentiments.
Critics of the occupation, of the settlements, yes, there are some,
and I think that is legitimate, but no anti-Semitic conspiracy
theory. In fact, people in Kurdistan are now starting to reflect on
the mass immigration of Kurdish Jews in the 1950s when 99 percent of
the Jewish community left mostly to Israel.
Many times, I heard Kurds saying that it was sad that this living
together with Jews had stopped, and that the Jewish heritage of
Kurdistan should be kept alive. Also, you have to understand the
dynamic.
Nearly every week, Saddam Hussein or a leading Ba'ath member declares
that Iraqi Kurdistan is the Israel of Iraq, or accuses the Kurds of
being Zionists agents. The same thing is said about every opposition
party - be they Islamists, nationalists, communists or
Christians. People who are anti-Zionist themselves, such as Iraqi
communists, are put into prison, tortured and killed as Zionist spies.
That forces people to have a different attitude toward the whole
Middle East conspiracy theory. I think this is why intellectual Iraqis
abroad are much less likely to be anti-Israel than other Arab
intellectuals. Iraqis oppose pan-Arabism and Ba'athism much more than
they oppose Israel.
So, it may be more possible to find a way to work with a future Iraqi
government than with any other government in the region. If the Kurds
are strong in Baghdad, the Jews will not face this irrational
anti-Jewish sentiment.
* What do you think drives German policy against U.S. intervention in
Iraq?
Germany gains very good material benefit from Iraq. One should not
forget that German technology enabled Iraq to enlarge the range of the
Scud missiles so that they could reach Israel, that without German
assistance, Iraq would not have been able to gas Iranian soldiers or
its own people in Kurdistan or to threaten Israel.
So there are deep relations. Iran, Libya and Syria, but especially
Iraq, have this relationship with Germany. German policy has always
put its eggs in Saddam's basket and gained from trade with Iraq,
especially after '91 when America and England were out of Iraq.
Also, ideology is important, especially at such times as during the
last election campaign when the Social Democrats start to play on the
anti-American piano. There are very close ties between a certain
German ideology dating back to the 19th century, running through World
War I and escalating in World War II with the Nazis and continuing
afterward, which has close ties to pan-Arabism.
One that shares the same enemies: America, the Jews, Israel.
Anti-American and anti-Israel resentments are very strong in Germany
and they have become stronger since 1989. Saddam Hussein is not
usually seen in Germany as a horrible dictator murdering his own
people.
People blame the sanctions and not him, and people blame the Israeli
occupation for the whole situation in the Middle East, not Palestinian
terrorists or Saddam for continually destabilizing the region.
Also, since 1945, many Germans have very strong anti-war feelings,
especially if these wars are conducted by the United States. The
majority of people opposed the second part of the Gulf War; there were
tremendous demonstrations against it.
Now this opposition is stronger, because Germany is stronger. Germany
is now conducting its own independent foreign policy, which in the
last two to four years, has become simply to contrast itself to the
U.S.
If the U.S. is supporting a government, we should support the
opposition to this government. In the Middle East, there is an attempt
to tighten relations with Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinians and
Iraq. Also, the Germans are quite afraid of the archives in Baghdad
and what they tell about the poison gas and other weapons deals that
were made between Iraq and a lot of German enterprises.
* So both the left and the right in Germany have strong anti-American
feeling?
Anti-American and anti-Israeli-anti-Semitic. At the moment, you can
hardly distinguish between the very far right wing and the very far
left wing. The far right openly supports Saddam Hussein, saying that
he is fighting the Jews and the Americans and thus supporting the
German battle.
And certain left-wingers from an orthodox left-wing tradition think
that Saddam Hussein is anti-imperialist, anti-globalization, that he
is fighting for the rights of the Arabs to self-determination.
Others on the left say that Saddam may be horrible, but another
American war will not solve any problems. The war will just help
Israel's interest, so we should oppose it. This is also the
governmental policy at the moment.
The European and Third World left have developed an ideology that
unites anti-globalization, anti-Americanism, anti-Israel feeling and,
to a certain extent, anti-Semitism. What is the internal logic behind
this combination?
This is not a very new phenomenon. In the German left, these attitudes
existed during the 1920s with the idea of `a shortened
anti-capitalism' that distinguished very sharply between financial
capital and productive capital, and demonized financial capital.
This idea was later adapted by the Nazis, and is in itself
anti-Semitic because Jews are identified with the circulation sphere -
with banks. Whoever does not criticize capitalism in a Marxist way,
but criticizes only the surface [aspects] of capitalism - the huge
banks or the monopoly capitalists - is automatically using an
anti-Semitic phraseology, even if he is not speaking about Jews or
Israel.
This is what some of the anti-globalization rhetoric is about. These
associations are so deeply written inside European and especially
German history, that you can be anti-Semitic without even mentioning
Jews.
This way of thinking was kept alive in certain Leninist groups and in
the far right wing in the '60s and '70s, and now it is more or less
unfolding in the mainstream movements. It is always a question of
whether these resentments, which are quite common, are taboo or
whether the government is signaling that they can be voiced.
Until 1989, anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism were taboo in
Germany. These views found space on the left and on the far right. In
the middle of society, they were hidden in the signals and phrases
communicated in the subtext.
Now, due to the new international constellation, the taboo has broken
down and these ideas can be found in the mainstream. So you have more
or less the same idea that you had since the '20s: There is a global
struggle pitting the `good' people who are fighting against
colonialization against a conspiracy between the huge American trusts,
banks and the Jews, which wants to force the world to adapt a
universal capitalism.
The Jews were also accused then of being the purveyors of the global
communist principle, but since 1989, that has been forgotten. These
old ideas were re-animated now due to the ethnic conflicts in the
Balkans and the conflict in the Middle East, and especially since
September 11, when the focus has been on the conflict between the
Palestinians and Israel, and the conflict between Iraq on one side and
the U.S. and Britain on the other.
* Leaving aside the overt anti-Semitism, what do you, as a Marxist, see
as the primary mistake of this ideology that is attacking the U.S. as
the purveyor of global capitalism?
The moment this anti-globalization ideology brings together Hamas,
Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, nationalistic movements in the
Balkans, the Zapatists in Mexico, and the neo-Nazi right wing, which
is very active in the anti-globalization movement, it means they are
not fighting for universal freedom, liberation and emancipation, but
are reproducing anti-universalist, anti-Semitic stereotypes that are
only leading to barbarism.
Rosa Luxemburg once said that the question is socialism or barbarism,
and that question is still valid. But at the moment, I think the fight
is to defend the Western world against those who would like to be its
successors.
These people are also, dialectically, the products of the Western,
capitalistic world. Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden grew out of the
bad politics of the U.S. and Europe in the Middle East. They didn't
fall from the moon.
But at the moment, I think one has to support the West, which means in
this case America, Britain and Israel, in its battle against its own
creations. Then you can think again of how to create a much better
world.
The questions the anti-globalization movement raises are very
important - issues like the environment, world hunger and the
enrichment of a very small minority of people while the vast majority
become poorer.
But with the Ba'ath Party and Hamas as your actors, you will not
change anything. They are not the historical subjects who are carrying
the idea of emancipation.
In extremis, you have a constellation that reminds one of the '30s. On
the one hand, you have Britain, the U.S. and Israel - the Jews are
always in the metaphysical center of these conflicts. This side is
fighting for a capitalistic Western ideology.
Then you have these National Socialist, self-determination ideas,
which are always led by the Germans. In 1939, the Germans said that
they were fighting universal capitalism and for self-determination in
the Third World. They had a very anti-colonialist phraseology. You can
find the same words and the same phrases as are being used today in
the '40s when the Germans were supporting India's and the Arabs'
revolt against the British. Even France is again in the same position
- supporting Britain and the U.S. half-heartedly.
Ten years ago, everyone thought Germany was a close ally of the U.S.,
supporting its policy. But no. In this conflict, Germany is signaling
that it is standing on the other side. Everywhere in the Middle East,
in the Syrian press, in the Hezbollah press, in the Baghdadi press,
Germany is being praised for taking the same side they did 50 years
ago. So people understand what the Germans are doing. And I think that
that is quite interesting - and quite horrifying.
==================================================
06 Grüne Andersrum zu homophobem Flyer von "Rebel Radio"
From: Grüne Andersrum <andersrum.wien@gruene.at>
==================================================
"Rebel Radio" distanziert sich von eigenem homophoben Flyer
Schreuder: Homophobie in Ragga-Szene bleibt aber ein Problem
"Rebel Radio" rund um den DJ Mickey Kodak ist spezialisiert auf
Ragga-Musik, und ist regelmäßig auf Radio Orange zu hören.
Am 22. März feiert "Rebel Radio" ihren 2. Geburtstag mit einer Party
im Lokal "subzero". Der Flyer, der im Vorfeld verteilt wurde, und auch
auf der Website www.rebel-radio.org zu betrachten war, strotzte aber
nur so von homophoben Untergriffen.
Auf der Vorderseite ist unter einem Foto von t.A.T.u., dem lesbischen
Mädchen-Popduo, zu lesen "Dat na turn me on" (steht für "That doesn't
turn me on"). Auf der Rückseite wurde Schwulen und Lesben (in der
Ragga-Sprache "Batty Fucka and Lesbian Bulldagga Gyals") mit einem
frühen Rauswurf gedroht.
Dem Einsatz von - unter anderem - Grünen Andersrum Wien und der Grünen
Alternativen Jugend im Vorfeld der Veranstaltung ist es zu verdanken,
dass die Flyer nicht mehr verteilt werden, und die Rückseite des
Flyers von der Rebel Radio-Website verschwunden ist.
Auf www.subzero.at gibt es mittlerweile auch zwei Stellungnahmen. Das
"subzero" distanziert sich ebenso von Homophobie schlechthin, wie
Mickey Kodak.
"Die Stellungnahme von letzterem ist aber in sich homophob", so Marco
Schreuder, Sprecher der Grünen Andersrum Wien: "Es ist gut, dass sich
ein Vorreiter der Ragga-Szene in Wien von Homophobie distanzieren
will. Die Art und Weise ist aber doch äußerst unglaubwürdig.
Denn diese Distanzierung geht mehr in die Richtung: 'Lasst mir meine
Homophobe, ich euch eure Lebensweise' . Das ist aber nicht der Punkt,
denn damit wird der Homophobie - zumal seiner eigenen - nicht
begegnet.
Zudem hofft er im Schlusssatz, dass die Kingstonians, also
AnhängerInnen des Rastafari und Ragga, nicht deutsch können. Heißt
das, dass Kodak sich vor seiner eigenen Stellungnahme schämt?
Statt halbherziger Stellungnahmen wäre es viel dringender an der Zeit,
dass sich die österreichische Rastafari-Bewegung mal Gedanken über
ihre Homophobie macht und sich dem Thema aktiv annimmt! Eine Forderung
im übrigen, die freilich ebenso an andere religiöse Gruppierungen zu
richten ist.", so Schreuder abschließend.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Die superüberdrübergrüne LesBiSchwule- & TransGender-Organisation
http://wien.gruene.at/andersrum/
-----------------------------------------------------------------
==================================================
07 Schule/AKS/Irakkrieg
From: "Niki Kowall" <niki.kowall@aks.at>
==================================================
Pressemeldung der Aktion kritischer SchülerInnen
16. März 2003
Schule/AKS/Irakkrieg
Tag X: Schulstreik gegen Irakkrieg
Die Aktion kritischer SchülerInnen (AKS) ruft für den Tag X (Tag des
Angriffs auf den Irak), in Wien, Graz, Salzburg, Innsbruck und
Feldkirch zum Schulstreik auf.
Der Krieg im Irak steht unmittelbar vor der Tür, ein Angriff in den
nächsten Tagen auch ohne UN-Resolution gilt als fast sicher. Aus
diesem Anlass laufen in Wien, Graz, Salzburg, Innsbruck und Feldkirch
Vorbereitungen der AKS - Landesorganisationen am Tag X Schulstreiks zu
organisieren. In Wien wird dieser Streik auch vom Wiener
SchülerInnenparlament (Der Versammlung aller SchulsprecherInnen) und
der LandesschülerInnenvertretung unterstützt.
"Der Irakkrieg stößt auf eine breite Ablehnung unter den
Jugendlichen.", so Niki Kowall, Bundesvorsitzender der AKS. Der
SchülerInnenvertreter ist überzeugt, dass viele SchülerInnen den
Irakkreig als Heuchelei erkennen. "Für die meisten jungen Menschen
ist klar, dass dieser Krieg aus wirtschaftlichen Interessen geführt
wird" so Kowall.
Der SchülerInnenvertreter betont, dass es bestimmt keine Sympathien zu
Saddam Hussein gäbe, der Angriff auf den Irak aus humanitären Gründen
unter vielen Jugendlichen als unglaubwürdig angesehen wird. "In einem
mit großer Mehrheit angenommenen Irakantrag des SchülerInnenparlament
Wien wurde beispielsweise auf Massaker in Tscheschenien verwiesen, die
bei der US-Regierung offensichtlich kein Interesse wecken" betont
Kowall.
"Für die AKS handelt es sich um den Versuch der USA durch die
Sicherung des Einflusses auf Ressourcen im nahen Osten ihre weltweite
Vormachtstellung einzuzementieren", so Kowall. "Wir lehnen einen Krieg
für Öl ab und werden dies in einem Schulstreik zu Ausdruck bringen"
schließt der AKS-Vorsitzende.
Rückfragehinweis: Niki Kowall (0699) 11 40 81 42
==================================================
08 Mega-EKZ wird Bürgermeister-Stichwahl entscheiden!
From: Die Grünen Klagenfurt <presse.klagenfurt@gruene.at>
==================================================
PRESSEINFORMATION
Die Grünen Klagenfurt | 15.März 2003
Mega-EKZ wird Bürgermeister-Stichwahl entscheiden!
Utl.: Die Grünen fordern von Scheucher und Wiedenbauer ein Überdenken
ihrer Haltung zum ECE-Megaeinkaufszentrum. Volksbefragung soll
stattfinden.
Klagenfurt - Die Grünen Klagenfurt haben in einer Vorstandssitzung
beraten, keine Wahlempfehlung für die Bürgermeister-Stichwahl vom
23.März abzugeben. "Grüne WählerInnen sind mündig genug, eine
Wahlempfehlung ist nicht angebracht", so Matthias Köchl, Parteiobmann
und Neo-Gemeinderat. "Die Grünen bitten jedoch alle ihre Wählerinnen
und Wähler, am Wahlsonntag nicht zuhause zu bleiben, sondern von ihrem
demokratischen Wahlrecht Gebrauch zu machen.", so Andrea Wulz, Grüne
Spitzenkandidatin und zukünftige Stadträtin.
Köchl rät all jenen, die Andrea Wulz im ersten Wahlgang gewählt haben,
nun das Thema "ECE-Megaeinkaufszentrum" auf die Waagschale zu legen.
In dem Zusammenhang verweist der Grünen-Sprecher auf die Forderung der
Klagenfurter Grünen nach Abhaltung einer bindenden Volksbefragung zum
ECE-Projekt. Hier erwarten sich die Grünen verbindliche Zusagen von
Scheucher und Wiedenbauer vor der Stichwahl. (Schluß)
Rückfragen: 0664-2668549 (Matthias Köchl)
_________________________________________________
PRESSEDIENST - Die Grünen Klagenfurt
Viktringerstr. 5 | 9020 Klagenfurt
http://www.klagenfurt.gruene.at
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DISKUSSION
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==================================================
09 8. März-Demo
From: Vorbereitungsplenum 8. März <frauenstammtisch_ottakring@hotmail.com>
==================================================
Die 8.März-Demo ist seit Jahren eine Demo, ausschließlich für
FrauenLesbenMädchen.
Es ist eine Provokation, dass jedes Jahr wieder gemischte Gruppen
(heuer die SJ und Linkswende) am Ort, wo sich die Demo trifft, zum
gleichen Zeitpunkt eine gemischte Kundgebung abhalten.
Diejenigen, die sich an der Demovorbereitung beteiligen wollen, sollen
zum Vorbereitungsplenum kommen, das breit angekündigt wird.
Vorbereitungsplenum für den 8. März 03
><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><
SOLIDARITÄT WELTWEIT
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==================================================
10 Protestaktion gegen Verhaftung eines armenischen Friedensaktivisten
From: katarina rohsmann <katarina_rohsmann@yahoo.com>
==================================================
Liebe Leute,
Ich bitte euch alle, im Rahmen eurer Möglichkeiten für den folgenden
"Fall" einzusetzen und diese Nachricht weiter zu verbreiten. Der
Inhaftierte ist ein sehr engagierter persönlicher Bekannter, der
unsere Hilfe braucht, und ich habe zugesichert, seine Geschichte in
Österreich zu verbreiten.
Vielen lieben Dank. Katarina
Arthur Sakunts, ein bekannter armenischer Friedens- und
Menschenrechtaktivist, wurde am 15. März 2003 nach einer kurzen und
unter Ausschluss der Öffentlichkeit durchgeführten Gerichtsverhandlung
für zehn Tage inhaftiert.
Begründet wurde die Verhaftung damit, dass Sakunts vor dem Büro der
Organisation "Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor" (HCAV), deren
lokaler Koordinator er ist, eine ungenehmigte Versammlung abgehalten
hatte.
Bei der Veranstaltung wollte HCAV über den Wahlbetrug bei den vor
kurzen abgehaltenen Präsidentschaftswahlen informieren. Obwohl die
Versammlung unter Verletzung der armenischen Verfassung untersagt
wurde, beschlossen Sakunts und seine MitstreiterInnen, sie vor ihr
Büro im Stadtzentrum zu verlegen und trotzdem abzuhalten.
Bereits zuvor war heftiger Druck auf die AktivistInnen ausgeübt
worden, zuletzt waren die Fenster des HCA-Büros eingeschlagen und das
Büro von Unbekannten angezündet worden.
Es wird angenommen, dass Sakunts mit seiner Verhaftung nach mehreren
erfolglosen Einschüchterungsversuchen nunmehr für sein Engagement im
Dienste der Menschenrechte bestraft werden soll. Sakunts ist
inzwischen in den Hungerstreik getreten.
Protestbriefe (englische Vorlagen in den Attachments) sollen an
folgende Adressen gerichtet werden:
Responsible judge, Vahan Rudik Hovhannisyan:
icm-lori@freenet.am,
City mayor, Samvel Darbinyan:
Vanadzor@arminco.com, (00374-51) 22250 ,
Governor of the Lori region, Henrik Kochinyan:
marzpet_lori@yahoo.com, > 20413
Delegation of the Republic of Armenia at the OSCE:
HE Jivan Tabibijan, zangezur@chello.at
National delegation of the RA to the CoE:
Mr. Hovhannes Hovhannisyan (chairperson) - artakin@parliament.am
Die E-mail-Adresse der armenischen Botschaft in Österreich ist
armenia@armembassy.at
Bitte schickt Kopien eurer Protestschreiben an free-sakunts@gmx.net
oder woeber.siegfried@gmx.at.
==================================================
11 Mort à Milan - Aggression fasciste
From: "Collettivo Bellaciao IT1" <bellaciaoparis@yahoo.fr>
==================================================
Assassins
Mort à milan - aggression fasciste.
Cette nuit (16-17 mars) à Milan, dans la zone des Navigli rue
Brioschi, 3 compagnies du centre social O.R.So ont été agressés par un
petit groupe de fascistes avec des couteaux. A la fin l'un du groupe
du centre social est resté à terre, et est mort en quelques minutes,
blessé à la gorge au ventre.
Après certains se sont spontanément réunis à l'hôpital San Paolo de
Milan pour une manifestation de solidarité. La police et les
carabinieri (la police militaire) ont immédiatement réagi en chargeant
violemment les manifestants et en arrêtant certains d'entre eux.
Moins d'une heure après le meurtre, la machine de désinformation était
en route : l'ANSA (l'agence de nouvelles italienne la plus importante)
a indiqué que « des affrontements entres des jeunes de groupes
dissidents avait eu lieu à Milan", cherchant de faire apparaître une
agression de la part de fascistes suivie d'une violente répression de
la police pour une « mauvaise soirée » entre « les habituels »
violents no-global. Lire la suite
Simo
lundi 17 mars 2003
Merci Indymedia Italy pour
les témoignages et les interviews
témoignages
interviews 1 2 3 4
Caro Davide
Caro Davide s'ho che non puoi più leggere queste parole. Ti scrivo da
Parigi, quello che ti e' arrivato mi rimanda brutalmente anni indietro
quando frequentavo il Leoncavallo e abitavo a Lambrate. I compagni
Fausto e Jaio che forse oggi purtroppo conosci personalmente ti
potranno raccontare la reazione che abbiamo avuto quella sera dove
fino alle due di notte avevamo manifestato nelle vie di Milano.
Quello che leggo qui a Parigi di cosa e' successo nei corridori
dell'ospedale e nelle vicinanze mi sconvolgono.
La disinformazione e le violenze delle forze di polizia mi rimandano a
dei vecchi e brutti ricordi degli anni settanta, un pensiero ai
compagni/e arrestati e feriti.
In quanto membro fondatore posso dirti che il nostro piccolo
Collettivo e' con te e con la tua famiglia.
Un pensiero anche a Rifondazione, spero che il partito oggi aggiusti
le sue analisi e che sia ancora più attivo nell'antifascismo. Fra
poche ore inizierà la più grand'aggressione imperialista e invasione
coloniale, non potrò chiamarla "guerra", questa parola, almeno in
certe situazioni, e' una parola "nobile" ma qua assomiglia piuttosto
al risultato cinico di un progetto mafioso. Questa aggressione
illegale e' paragonabile a quelle degli anni trenta in Europa, che
merita un secondo processo di Norimberga...
Davide, la famiglia, i compagni di Rifondazione, i centri sociali e il
movimento sono e saranno nel nostro cuore e noi con loro.
Ciao
Roberto Ferrario
Collettivo Bellaciao
17.03.2003
Comunicato
stampa della Federazione Milanese del Partito della Rifondazione Comunista
http://bellaciao.org
==================================================
12 Irak: Giftgastäter vors Kriegsverbrechertribunal
From: <presse@gfbv.de>
==================================================
GESELLSCHAFT FÜR BEDROHTE VÖLKER
PRESSEERKLÄRUNG Göttingen, 17.03.2003
Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker fordert Kriegsverbrechertribunal für
Giftgastäter
Die Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker (GfbV) am Montag von der
Bundesregierung gefordert, sich für ein internationales
Kriegsverbrechertribunal für Giftgastäter im Irak einzusetzen. "Zu
einer konsequenten Friedenspolitik gehört einerseits, dass endlich die
deutschen Firmen, die am Aufbau der irakischen Giftgasindustrie
beteiligt waren, zur Verantwortung gezogen werden", erklärte der
GfbV-Generalsekretär Tilman Zülch in Göttingen. Andererseits könnten
auch die irakischen Giftgastäter wie Saddams Cousin Hassan Ali Majid
angeklagt und verurteilt werden.
Die deutsche Justiz habe in Sachen Giftgaslieferungen an den Irak in
den 80er und 90er Jahren versagt, klagte der Menschenrechtler. So habe
die GfbV die hessischen Firmen Karl Kolb und Pilot Plant zwar bereits
im April 1987 öffentlich beschuldigt, an der Vernichtung von Tausenden
Kurden und christlichen Assyro-Chaldäern Mitschuld zu tragen. Doch
diesen Vorwürfen sei nicht umgehend nachgegangen worden.
Im Gegenteil: Das Bonner Landgericht hatte der GfbV bei einer
Androhung von zweimal 500.000 DM Bußgeld am 4. August 1987 untersagt,
diese Beschuldigungen zu wiederholen. Das Kölner Oberlandesgericht
hatte diesen Richterspruch im 11. Januar 1988 aufgehoben. Die
Ermittlungen gegen diese Firmen zogen sich dann jahrelang
hin.
Führende Mitarbeiter der Firmen waren zunächst inhaftiert und dann auf
Bewährung freigelassen worden. Erst vor wenigen Wochen präsentierte
sich die Firma Karl Kolb wieder auf einer Messe in Bagdad. Nach
Recherchen auch der GfbV hatten sich mindestens 60 deutsche Firmen
sich am Aufbau der irakischen Giftgasindustrie beteiligt.
Ali Hassan Al-Majid hatte 1986 bis 1988 die von Giftgasbombardements
begleitete so genannte Anfal-Offensive gegen die kurdische Bevölkerung
im Irak durchgeführt. Dies belegen vier Millionen Dokumente des
Saddam-Regimes, die kurdische Freiheitskämpfern erbeutet haben und die
die internationale Menschenrechtsorganisation Human Rights Watch
gemeinsam mit kurdischen Menschenrechtlern durchgesehen hatte.
Die Giftgasangriffe seien so furchtbar gewesen, notierte ein Report
der Vereinten Nationen, "und von so gewaltigem Umfang, dass nur wenige
Präzedenzfälle seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg zu finden sind".
Überlebende Opfer in den kurdischen Siedlungen wurden liquidiert.
Hunderttausende von kurdischen und assyrischen Zivilisten wurden ins
Innere des Landes getrieben, viele zehntausend von ihnen bei
Massenerschießungen hingerichtet.
Nach kurdischen Angaben, aber auch nach Schätzungen der GfbV und
anderer Menschenrechtsorganisationen liegt die Zahl der "Anfal"-Toten
bei 180.000. Nach der Niederschlagung des von George Bush sen.
ausgelösten Kurdenaufstandes im Frühjahr 1991 gestand Ali Hassan
Al-Majid den kurdischen Unterhändlern allerdings ein, er hätte mit
seiner Offensive 100.000 Kurden vernichtet. Mehr seien es nicht
gewesen.
Tilman Zülch ist auch erreichbar unter Tel. 0172
5620 523.
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
==================================================
13 Special Services for Veterans: EXTERMINATION!
From: "Abraham J. Bonowitz" <abe@cuadp.org>
==================================================
Special Services for Veterans: EXTERMINATION!
Protesting the THIRD Federal Execution
Dear Friends,
As we stand on the brink of war, it is ironic that the serial killer
in the White House stands ready to exterminate Louis Jones tomorrow
(March 18, 2003) at 8:00 AM EST in revenge for his murder of Tracie
Joy McBride.
Jones is a gulf war veteran who by all accounts was an outstanding
soldier who was brain damaged as a result of his service in the United
States military. THIS is how we treat our veterans? Shame!
--abe
PS: (This will be George W. Bush's 155th prisoner-killing.)
***************************************************************
IN THIS MESSAGE
Letter from Jones' platoon leader
http://davecoop.net/jones.htm
Message from Jones' lawyers
Action alert
News Item- Indianapolis Star
SPECIAL NOTE: Texas #300 this Thursday!
*******************
The following is from http://davecoop.net/jones.htm, which is an
excellent resource on the Jones case:
E-mail from Lt. Col. Edward A. Sbrocco, February 28, 2003:
Dave,
I would like to write a note in support of Louis Jones. Could you
assist me in getting it to the appropriate folks?
I was SFC Louis Jones' platoon leader in C Company, 2nd Battalion,
14th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division (Light), from June 1986
through July 1987. As my first platoon sergeant, SFC Jones taught me
many valuable ideas and values that I've put to use over my 20-year
career.
Every soldier in our 30-person platoon would tell you that SFC Jones
was the epitome of a professional senior non-commissioned officer who
served as an unequaled role model. He was the ultimate team player and
often assisted others in need without their asking.
He could chastise a soldier with the best of them, but would always
build that soldier right back up. He knew how to get the very best out
of soldiers and make them feel all the better for it. He was never
above doing exactly the things that he ordered soldiers to do.
It is most unfortunate that he is in his present condition, but I
strongly believe that he should be considered for clemency, given the
reasons cited in your web page, and because of my personal experiences
with him.
Again, please let me know how I can assist Louis Jones' clemency
request for life imprisonment, versus his presently scheduled lethal
injection.
Sincerely,
Edward A. Sbrocco
LTC, USA [Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army]
******************************************
MESSAGE FROM JONES' LAWYERS
Dear Advocacy Community,
Louis Jones' legal team extends their deepest gratitude to all of the
anti-death penalty community for their continued support in the effort
to gain clemency for Lou. We understand that some members are
wondering what activities will be most helpful during this critical
stage.
As we head into the next several days, it will be invaluable for you
and your members to continue to generate letters from individuals to
the White House, asking President Bush to commute Louis Jones'
sentence to life without the possibility of release. Amnesty
International and the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
(see below) have written action alerts that can be used as templates
for these important letters.
We have heard about groups who are planning to hold vigils for Lou. We
know that these vigils help buoy Lou's spirits and we thank you for
holding them. Some groups have plans to alert the local media about
the vigils and we welcome that.
The legal team is managing the national media coverage which is
designed to support the clemency strategy. Thank you for continuing to
give us the space needed to accomplish this.
Again, thank you so much for all of your wonderful and caring support
on behalf of Lou.
Laura Burstein
************************
ACTION ALERT
Louis Jones (Federal IN)
March 18, 2003
The United States is scheduled to execute Louis Jones, a black man,
March 18 for the 1995 murder of Tracie Joy McBride in San Angelo,
Texas. This pending federal execution ,just the third in the modern
era of capital punishment, is set for March 18 at the
U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana.
The only two previous executions by the U.S. government since 1976,
Timothy McVeigh and Juan Raul Garza, took place within an 8-day period
in June 2001.
Jones bludgeoned the 19-year-old U.S. Army private to death with a
tire iron after abducting her at gunpoint at Goodfellow Air Force Base
on Feb. 18, 1995. Police investigators found evidence of sexual
assault after Jones confessed to the murder and led them to McBride's
body, which was under a bridge approximately 20 miles outside of San
Angelo.
Prior to the McBride murder, Jones served for 22 years in the
U.S. Army Airborne Rangers. He rose through the ranks to reach the
very top of enlisted personnel, and retired with an honorable
discharge in 1993 as a master Sergeant. He led his platoon in the
U.S. invasion of Grenada in 1983, and fought in the Gulf War in 1991,
where he was exposed to nerve gas and brain toxins. Medical evidence
now reveals that the toxins Jones was exposed to in the Gulf cause
damage to deep brain structures including the basal ganglia, a problem
that often results in aggressive, abusive, and violent behavior.
The link between exposure to dangerous nerve gas in the Gulf War and
damage to deep brain structures had not yet been made when Jones went
to trial. Considering this newly discovered medical evidence (on top
of the other mitigating circumstances of the case, including the fact
that he suffered physical and sexual abuse as a child), the United
States should recognize the horrifying effects of Gulf War Syndrome
and commute his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of
parole.
Since the murder, Jones has accepted full responsibility for the
murder and repeatedly expressed his remorse. He offered a significant
amount of mitigating evidence during the penalty phase of his trial,
but the jury voted for the death penalty regardless. Two of the jurors
claimed afterward that the judge's instructions were unclear, and that
given proper instructions concerning its options, the jury would have
given Jones a sentence of life without parole instead of death. In
1999, an appeal regarding those jury instructions reached the U.S
Supreme Court, which voted 5-4 to uphold the sentence.
The federal government should recognize the vicious side effects of
war and treat Jones with more compassion. He suffered severe brain
damage as a result of his service to this country in the Gulf War, and
executing him for a crime linked to that damage shows blatant
disrespect for veterans and the problems they face in their post-war
lives. Please write President George W. Bush and request clemency for
Louis Jones.
Please Contact
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Email: president@whitehouse.gov
Fax: 202-456-2461
Alberto Gonzales
Counsel to the President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
Fax: 202-456-2461
Write Op-Ed
The New York Times
Letters to the Editor
229 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
Fax: 212-556-3622
The Washington Post
Letters to the Editor
1150 15th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20071
Email: letters@washpost.com
****************************************
Gulf veteran faces execution
Louis Jones Jr. blames actions on effects of war, asks Bush to intervene
Indianapolis Star
By Shannon Tan
shannon.tan@indystar.com>
March 16, 2003
On the eve of yet another battle with Iraq, the federal government is
poised to execute a Gulf War veteran whose exposure to nerve gas may
have damaged his brain and sparked uncontrollable violence.
A highly decorated soldier, Louis Jones Jr. would be the second Gulf
War veteran put to death by the federal government. Oklahoma City
bomber Timothy McVeigh -- executed in 2001 -- also fought in the 1991
war. Louis Jones Jr. says chemical exposure during the Gulf War
caused him to kill another.
Jones' fate illustrates the kind of unknown dangers American troops
could face if they again find themselves fighting amid chemical
weapons, burning oil wells and other toxic hazards.
Jones, 53, had no criminal record before he kidnapped, raped and
killed a 19-year-old female recruit in 1995. His last hope to live is
President Bush, who could decide to block the execution, scheduled for
Tuesday at the federal penitentiary near Terre Haute.
Jones has powerful voices working to spare his life. Former
presidential candidate Ross Perot, who has helped fund research into
the illnesses plaguing many Gulf War veterans, is trying to get Jones'
sentence commuted to life without parole.
Sharon Ray, Perot's spokeswoman, declined to say who the Texas
billionaire has contacted, but a senator has also called for a stay.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, a Texas Republican, said last month the
execution should be delayed while experts determine whether Jones
suffers from Gulf War syndrome, a term used to describe a variety of
illnesses suffered by Gulf War veterans.
"As a strong proponent of the death penalty, I believe that justice
must be swift -- but also sure," Hutchinson said in a prepared
statement. "Now that it has been determined that veterans exposed to
nerve gas in the Gulf War could have actual brain damage, that should
also be considered."
As an Army Ranger, Jones led his platoon in a combat jump onto Grenada
during that 1983 invasion. In Operation Desert Storm, he drove through
burning oil fields in an area filled with land mines.
He retired from the Army as a master sergeant in 1993. But those who
knew him said Jones was a changed man.
On Feb. 18, 1995, Jones kidnapped Pvt. Tracie Joy McBride at gunpoint
from the Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas, where he was
a civilian employee. Two soldiers witnessed the kidnapping and tried
to follow them, but Jones assaulted one of the men, knocking him
unconscious.
Jones raped McBride in his home before driving her to a bridge, where
he bludgeoned her to death with a tire iron.
Her disappearance was unsolved for 12 days until Jones' ex-wife told
police that Jones had abducted and raped her two days before McBride
was kidnapped. After he was arrested, he confessed to killing McBride
and took police to her body.
In a letter to President Bush, Jones pleaded for his life: "I beseech
the Christian spirit within you to grant me clemency and to allow me
to continue serving Almighty God from my prison cell for the remainder
of my days."
His appellate attorney, Timothy Floyd, contends that new medical
evidence shows Jones suffered brain damage after being exposed to
nerve gas during the Gulf War. A jury in 1995 had rejected Jones'
claims of post-traumatic stress and convicted him.
"Louis Jones continues to express remorse, and he continues to regret
all of the pain he's caused this family," Floyd said. "I think this
new evidence of brain damage warrants a second look at this, that this
execution doesn't go forward."
Born in Memphis, Tenn., Jones moved to Chicago with his family. Jones
was physically and sexually abused by relatives, according to evidence
at the trial, but thrived after joining the Army.
He became a paratrooper and a Ranger. His battle experiences earned
him a combat infantry badge, three bronze service stars and an Army
commendation medal.
But when Jones returned from the Persian Gulf, he drank too much and
lost his sense of humor, said his third wife, Sandra Lane. Jones also
suffered daily headaches, she said, and became irrationally jealous.
In 1993, Jones retired so he could spend more time with Lane. He tried
going to college but quit. Working in fast-food restaurants and
delivering newspapers, Jones became violent, and the two filed for
divorce.
Jones told psychologist Dr. Mark Cunningham he was drinking before he
decided to drive to the base to find Lane, according to court
documents. Instead, he found McBride, like Lane a petite redhead.
"Did she look like Sandy? All I know is I wanted Sandy," he said.
After killing McBride, Jones described looking down on himself,
"seeing a dark mist move away from him, and hearing demonic laughter."
"It's not a question of guilt," said Richard Dieter of the Death
Penalty Information Center. "He's guilty, but (does) it merit the
extreme punishment of the death penalty?"
Jones' clemency petition also cites problems in instructions given to
the jury. Two jurors later said they were pressured into switching
their votes to death because they believed a deadlock meant Jones
would get a lesser sentence and could be released.
Jones' kidnapping conviction meant he would automatically receive life
in prison. The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, upheld his death
sentence in 1999.
Jones will be the third person executed by the federal government
after a hiatus of 40 years. McVeigh and Texas drug lord Juan Raul
Garza, convicted under a 1988 drug kingpin law, were executed in June
2001.
Barring a presidential reprieve, Jones will be executed by injection
at 7 a.m. Tuesday.
"He's hopeful he'll be given clemency, but he realizes it's an uphill
battle," said Rev. J. Jason Fry, a Texas minister who met Jones
shortly after his arrest and who will witness his execution.
Jones doesn't think he has the right to expect the McBrides to forgive
him. But while Fry understands why the McBrides want Jones to die,
he's convinced the execution will leave them with a false sense of
vengeance.
"My belief is this is not going to help them," Fry said. "I believe
healing comes from some place else other than the justice system."
Call Star reporter Shannon Tan at 1-317-444-6491.
www.indtstar.com/print/articles/9/029315-7529-092-html
*******************************************
And finally....
SPECIAL NOTE: Texas plans its 300th prisoner-killing THIS Thursday!
Details, and new links, have been added at
http://www.abolition.org/aac300TX-X.html
Please take action!
SENT BY:
Abraham J. Bonowitz
Director, CUADP
********************************************************
YES FRIENDS!
There is an Alternative to the Death Penalty
Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
(CUADP) works to end the death penalty in the United
States through aggressive campaigns of public education
and the promotion of tactical grassroots activism.
Visit or call 800-973-6548
********************************************************
==================================================
14 Finnland/Wahlen/Kommunisten
From: Parteder Franz <Franz.Parteder@stadt.graz.at>
==================================================
KPÖ Steiermark
Lagergasse 98a
8020 Graz
Montag, 17. März 2003
Presseinformation der KPÖ Steiermark
Finnlandwahl: Gemischte Gefühle
Gemischte Gefühle löst der Ausgang der finnischen Reichstagswahl bei
den KommunistInnen aus. Zwar konnte die Finnische KP (SKP) die Zahl
der für sie abgegebenen Stimmen leicht auf 21.111 erhöhen. Sie
erreichte bei gestiegener Wahlbeteiligung wieder 0,8 Prozent der
gültigen Stimmen und verfehlte den Einzug ins Parlament. Dabei hatte
die Tatsache, dass SKP-Vorsitzender Yrjö Hakanen vor einigen Monaten
zum Vorsitzenden von ATTAC-Finnland gewählt worden war, einiges
Aufsehen in der Öffentlichkeit erzielt.
Während die KommunistInnen unter dem Strich ein Plus verzeichnen
konnten, war dies beim Linksverbund (VL) nicht der Fall. Diese
bisherige Regierungspartei, die sich der Eurolinken zugehörig fühlt,
verlor 1 Prozent der gültigen Stimmen - von 10,9 auf 9,9 Prozent- , in
absoluten Zahlen betrug der Verlust 14.919 Stimmen. Auch die
Mandatszahl sank von 20 auf 19.
Es ist sicherlich positiv, dass sich eine außerparlamentarische
kommunistische Partei ohne Adjektiv wie die SKP auch neben einem
parlamentarisch dominierenden eurolinken Wahlverbund behaupten
kann.KPÖ-Steiermark
Lagergasse 98 a
8020 Graz
Tel.: 0316 71 24 36
Fax 0316 71 62 91
email: kp.stmk@kpoe-graz.at; kpoe_stmk@hotmail.com
-top-
Redaktionsschluss: 22:00 Uhr
Diese Ausgabe hat Albert Brandl
zusammengestellt
Fehler moege frau/man mir nachsehen!
