[bill.aam]

One Hundred Fifth Congress

of the

United States of America

AT THE SECOND SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,

the twenty-seventh day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight

An Act

To establish a program to support a transition to democracy in Iraq.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Iraq Liberation Act of 1998'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress makes the following findings:

(1) On September 22, 1980, Iraq invaded Iran, starting an 8 year war in which Iraq employed chemical weapons against Iranian troops and ballistic missiles against Iranian cities.

(2) In February 1988, Iraq forcibly relocated Kurdish civilians from their home villages in the Anfal campaign, killing an estimated 50,000 to 180,000 Kurds.

(3) On March 16, 1988, Iraq used chemical weapons against Iraqi Kurdish civilian opponents in the town of Halabja, killing an estimated 5,000 Kurds and causing numerous birth defects that affect the town today.

(4) On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded and began a 7 month occupation of Kuwait, killing and committing numerous abuses against Kuwaiti civilians, and setting Kuwait's oil wells ablaze upon retreat.

(5) Hostilities in Operation Desert Storm ended on February 28, 1991, and Iraq subsequently accepted the ceasefire conditions specified in United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 (April 3, 1991) requiring Iraq, among other things, to disclose fully and permit the dismantlement of its weapons of mass destruction programs and submit to long-term monitoring and verification of such dismantlement.

(6) In April 1993, Iraq orchestrated a failed plot to assassinate former President George Bush during his April 14-16, 1993, visit to Kuwait.

(7) In October 1994, Iraq moved 80,000 troops to areas near the border with Kuwait, posing an imminent threat of a renewed invasion of or attack against Kuwait.

(8) On August 31, 1996, Iraq suppressed many of its opponents by helping one Kurdish faction capture Irbil, the seat of the Kurdish regional government.

(9) Since March 1996, Iraq has systematically sought to deny weapons inspectors from the United Nations Special Commission on Iraq (UNSCOM) access to key facilities and documents, has on several occasions endangered the safe operation of UNSCOM helicopters transporting UNSCOM personnel in Iraq, and has persisted in a pattern of deception and concealment regarding the history of its weapons of mass destruction programs.

(10) On August 5, 1998, Iraq ceased all cooperation with UNSCOM, and subsequently threatened to end long-term monitoring activities by the International Atomic Energy Agency and UNSCOM.

(11) On August 14, 1998, President Clinton signed Public Law 105-235, which declared that `the Government of Iraq is in material and unacceptable breach of its international obligations' and urged the President `to take appropriate action, in accordance with the Constitution and relevant laws of the United States, to bring Iraq into compliance with its international obligations.'.

(12) On May 1, 1998, President Clinton signed Public Law 105-174, which made $5,000,000 available for assistance to the Iraqi democratic opposition for such activities as organization, training, communication and dissemination of information, developing and implementing agreements among opposition groups, compiling information to support the indictment of Iraqi officials for war crimes, and for related purposes.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS REGARDING UNITED STATES POLICY TOWARD IRAQ.

It should be the policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime.

Iraq Liberation Act of 1998

[DublHelix]

(1) On September 22, 1980, Iraq invaded Iran, starting an 8 year war in which Iraq employed chemical weapons against Iranian troops and ballistic missiles against Iranian cities.

- Both the US and UK were more than happy to not only sit and watch what was believed would be an Iraqi victory, but both countries benefited from huge arms sales.

The Shah of Iran, was the biggest mid eastern purchaser of western military technology, ahead even of Israel. His ousting, created a huge void in the sale of armaments, and cast doubt on future purchases of oil from that nation.

Furthermore the US had an axe to grind over the issue of the seizure of the US Embassy in Teheran, and the 444 days the hostages spent in captivity. Then again there are still to this day, Democrats who assert that Reagan's staff did a deal behind the scenes to gain their release in order to humiliate Carter, and boost RR's electoral prospects.

----------------------------

2) In February 1988, Iraq forcibly relocated Kurdish civilians from their home villages in the Anfal campaign, killing an estimated 50,000 to 180,000 Kurds.

- Both the US and UK have made extensive use of chem weapons when it suited their purpose. There were vast quantities of both Agent Orange and Yellow Rain dropped on Vietnam, leading to birth defects in that country to this day, and thousands of lawsuits by US troops who were caught on the periphery of these operations. Let me ask you, do you support or oppose lawsuits brought by troops sent by your government to fight in a war, who were subsequently injured / afflicted by this tactic ?

Britain used chem weapons in Russia in 1918 as it pulled out troops from what was intended to be a US / European campaign to overthrow the fledgling Bolshevik gov't ; And they used similar weapons in Afghanistan during the occupation of that country, as far back as the 1930's.

----------------------------

4) On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded and began a 7 month occupation of Kuwait, killing and committing numerous abuses against Kuwaiti civilians, and setting Kuwait's oil wells ablaze upon retreat

- Another interesting topic .... remember the 'Kuwaiti Princess' who testified before Congress that Kuwaiti babies were pulled out of incubators and thrown to the floor, so the machines could be taken back to Iraq ?

- She lied. No such event ever occured.

- Likewise supposedly a British Airways 747 landed at Kuwait Int'l Airport as Iraqi tanks were moving in to take control. It was reported in the British press on 3rd Aug 1990, that the stewardesses were dragged off the flight, and gang raped in the terminal.

'They were like wild animals.'

Subsequent investigations prove that story to be a complete fabrication.

----------------------------------

(5) Hostilities in Operation Desert Storm ended on February 28, 1991, and Iraq subsequently accepted the ceasefire conditions specified in United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 (April 3, 1991) requiring Iraq, among other things, to disclose fully and permit the dismantlement of its weapons of mass destruction programs and submit to long-term monitoring and verification of such dismantlement.

N Korea has not only pursued a project of nuclear armament, but achieved it, and furthermore, threatened the integrity of S Korea on numerous spurious arguments.

Why were they allowed to not only engage in atomic research, but actually obtain fissionable material, test viable delivery systems, and deploy them ???

Similarly China has stated that if a Taiwanesse government ever gets elected, and formally declares independence from China, that the Chinese will invade immediately. Remember the Iraqis refer to Kuwait as the '19th Province', China regards Taiwan as par of China.

- Yet both Britain and the US gloss over all that, and bestow upon China, the title of 'favoured nation'. Incidentally in the case of the US - though they have granted Favoured Nation Status to China, they have yet to grant that to Britain.

--------------------------------

(7) In October 1994, Iraq moved 80,000 troops to areas near the border with Kuwait, posing an imminent threat of a renewed invasion of or attack against Kuwait.


Again, China has staged huge amhibious 'exercises' on beaches opposite Taiwan, and N Korea has sent hundreds of special forces teams into S Korea through specially dug tunnels, by sub and by boat.

--------------------------------

Will DC and London step to defend Seoul and Taipei ?

Will we intervene in Zimbabwe to save those people from Mugave ? How about the Karen people of Burma ? Etc ....

- More to the point - what will YOU DO ?

Are you in the military ? - Or planning to join ?


---------------------------------

[ChrisJones]

Some interesting points there Helix. It does show the hypocrasy of our governments doesn't it?

Chris.

[DublHelix]

Unfortunately it shows that international diplomacy is rotten to the core at all levels.

I am right wing. always have been. My family have served in the military all over the world for several centuries from Archangel, Burma, S Africa, the Americas, India, etc etc.

My personal gripe is with Blair - he was during the Thatcher Reagan era, suppopsedly a socialist. Most of his clque to this day, toady to Bush - yet secretly they regard Americans as inward looking, baseball cap wearing, hamburger chomping, ignoramuses. What would happen if similar ignorant stereotypes were attributed to black people here in Britain ?

It seems we can insult Americans, purely based on what Bush does, one person out of 290 million.

Yet with that in mind, what does that say about the integrity of the so called 'ruling elite' here in Britain ?

Mandelson, Blunkett, Hain to name but three, were communists in the early 70's. Margaret Hodge when leader of Islington council in the 80's, was a millionaire who took down the Union Jack and had the Red Flag hoisted in its place. Peter Hain was active in the British anti apartheid movement, Prescott .... from bitter twisted ship steward to limousine, grace and favour home, and adultery. Robin Cook was, likewise widely reported to hate himself for having taken the Blair 'shilling' - but he took it, solely to enjoy the ride as Foreign Sec.

All these people are supposedly left thinking, yet have utterly sold their soul PURELY to obtain and retain power.

They epitomise the quote from Lord Acton on power, and absolute power.

- Think about the vitriolic statements that have been issued about Mrs Thatcher - yet right or wrong, she would still be saying now, what she believed 50 years ago.

Blair would contradict what he said yesterday if it suited his purpose.

----------------------

The UN, supposedly the guardian and final arbiter of human rights, self determination, peace, and stability, has utterly failed.

The US and to a lesser extent Britain is always blamed for each and every failure to intervene - but what about France, Russia, China ??

Russia was a member of the UNSC all the while it illegally occupied E Europe, oppressing, torturing, detaining, deporting, enslaving, and muirdering millions. Likewise China, last year sentenced 800,000 people to their own gulag on the grounds that they were 'politically dubious' ( ie they campaigned for democratic rights that you and I enjoy each and every day.)

Furthermore - when did you last see Russian or Chinese peacekeeping troops deployed in any conflict ?

Right now, China is endeavouring to scupper talks on Darfur because they have already done a deal on oil exploitation in Sudan

--------------------------

Millions have died under Hammarskjold, Waldheim, P De Cuellar, Boutros Boutros Ghali, and continue to under Kofi Annan.

[iltos]

Even if entirely true tho, the last section posted on the act calls for the policy of the US gov to support "efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime"

support means to lend help, offer assistance, yada yada

instigate is something else altogether....

ah...the stuff of politics