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 Wednesday, April 30, 2003

 

A Sad Tale in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

An American family's note of appreciation and love to the people of Gaza

Apr 28, 2003

Rachel Corrie is a 23 year old American girl who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer on 16th March 2003.

An Israeli army investigation into the death of Rachel Corrie concluded that its forces were not to blame for her death. Instead it accused Corrie and other members of the International Solidarity Movement of "illegal, irresponsible and dangerous" behaviour.

THIS WAS HOW RACHEL CORRIE WAS KILLED BY THE ISRAEL ARMY




A clearly marked Rachel Corrie, holding a megaphone, confronts an Israeli bulldozer driver attempting to demolish a Palestinian home, Rafah, Occupied Gaza, 16 March 2003. This was one of two bulldozers participating in the home demolition operation on the day Rachel was killed.


Other peace activists tend to Rachel after being injured by the Israeli bulldozer driver.


Rachel Corrie lies on the ground fatally injured by the Israeli bulldozer


Rachel in Najjar hospital, Rafah. Dr. Ali Musa stated that the cause of death was "skull and chest fractures".


THIS IS THE LETTER FROM RACHEL CORRIE'S FAMILY TO THE PEOPLE OF GAZA

To The People Of Gaza From The Family Of Rachel Corrie

Greetings to all of our friends in the Occupied Territories.

We, the parents, sister and brother of Rachel Corrie, want to thank you for all you did for Rachel while she was working in Rafah and for all you have done to honor her memory since she died on March 16. We understand that you will be remembering her especially on the fortieth day anniversary of her death. Know that we will be thinking of all of you.

We are grateful to those of you who became Rachel’s friends and who welcomed her into your homes and shared your tea and food with her. She wrote to us about you and about your wonderful families. She admired how you supported one another even as you struggled against the cruelties of the occupation.

Writing about you, Rachel told us, “ I am nevertheless amazed at their strength in being able to defend such a large degree of their humanity—laughter, generosity, family-time—against the incredible horror occurring in their lives and against the constant presence of death……I am also discovering a degree of strength and of basic ability for humans to remain human in the direst of circumstances…. I think the word is dignity.”

We are grateful to those of you who cared for Rachel as she died and after. We will always remember the respect and love with which she was treated in life and in death by the people of Gaza.

We are grateful to all of you who have honored Rachel’s memory during these past weeks. It lifts our spirits to hear of the Rachel Corrie Children and Youth Cultural Center in Rafah and the Rachel Corrie Center for Women’s Empowerment. We know there are now newborn babies named Rachel and streets that bear her name, too.

We cannot find adequate words to tell you how much these things mean to us. Thank you for the many ways in which you have honored our daughter and sister.

Rachel wrote to us that coming to Rafah was one of the best things she had ever done in her life. She told us that she would stay in Rafah longer than she had originally planned. She had watched another ISM volunteer say goodbye to the families she had grown close to, and Rachel said she saw then how hard it would be to one day leave all of you. She had dreams of making connections between Rafah and her hometown in the United States—Olympia, Washington. She had started planning to make Rafah and Olympia sister cities.

She had gone to her old elementary school in Olympia and had encouraged the children there to write letters to the children in Rafah. She was hoping to help the women in Rafah who make handcrafted items to sell those items at a fair trade store in Olympia. Rachel wanted your voices to be heard in the United States.

Had she lived, Rachel would have worked to make all these things happen. Now, we want you to know that many people in the United States are working very hard to make these dreams of Rachel’s come true. The dreams are not forgotten. Rachel is not forgotten. And your suffering is not forgotten.

Our family wants very much to come to Rafah. We plan to do so as soon as we are able. When we come, we hope to meet the children who taught Rachel Arabic words, the grandmother who watched out for her health, and the families with whom she shared meals and tea. We hope to visit the Rachel Corrie Children and Youth Cultural Center and the Rachel Corrie Center for Women’s Empowerment and maybe to meet a newborn baby named Rachel. We are eager to look into your eyes and to have you look into ours as we remember Rachel together.

We want you to know that each day here in the United States we are doing all that we can to make Americans aware of your suffering. We will continue to work here for a just and peaceful resolution to this conflict that has caused so much loss for each of you and now for us, as well.

We know that Rachel will forever be linked to the Palestinian people. She brought your story to us so that now, you will always be in our hearts.

Sincerely,

Cindy, Craig, Chris, and Sarah Corrie
Rachel’s Family

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 Tuesday, April 29, 2003

 

UPDATE on Australia's Medical Watchdog (TGA)'s EVALUATION OF PAN PHARMACEUTICAL'S PRODUCTS



(A) TGA has cancelled 1,650 products designated for export to other countries by PAN PHARMACEUTICALS as of 28 April 2003.

(B) TGA lists FIRMS or SPONSORS that do NOT use Pan Pharmaceuticals Limited as a manufacturer for any of their products


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List of Products Manufactured by Pan Pharmaceuticals Ltd for Immediate Recall

ORDERED BY THE THERAPEUTIC GOODS ADMINISTRATION, AUSTRALIA (28 APRIL 2003)
( in alphabetical order)

(details on TGA website: http://www.health.gov.au/tga/index.htm)

* Please check for the AUST R or AUST L which can be located on the font panel of the label on the product. It is usually in a lower corner. It is a 5 digit number prefixed by the letters AUST R or AUST L.

 As many product names are similar, it is important that this number is checked.



73951-21ST CENTURY DELICIOUS CHILDREN'S MULTI VITAMINS & MINERALS TASTY ORANGE Tablet - effervescent tube

91608- 3 G's

93620- ACID AID

90560- ANOXIVIT

91262- AUSDANT Q10

91075-AUSHARK

90927-B GROUP + C EFFERVESCENT TABLETS

92066-BEVON-C

90552-BREWERS YEAST 1000mg

90559-CALCI - BONE

93621-CALCIUM 300mg IN COD LIVER OIL

91119-CALCIUM CHILDREN CHEWABLE COMPLEX

91264-CALCIUM GLUCONATE 300mg CHEWABLE

91609-CALCIUM ISOFLAVONE COMPLEX

93622-CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM, ZINC

90558-CARDIOVIT


91121-CHILDCARE CHILDRENS MULTIVITAMINS & MINERALS

93017-CHILDREN MV-LYSINE

90550-CHILDREN'S C

91117-CHILDREN'S CHEWABLE ECHINACEA COMPLEX

91068-CHILDREN'S CHEWABLE MULTIVITAMINS AND MINERALS COMPLEX

91120-CHILDREN'S CHEWABLE VITAMIN C COMPLEX TABLETS - ORANGE FLAVOUR

90933-CHILDREN'S MULTI

93981-CHILDREN'S MULTIVITAMIN & MINERALS CHEWABLE TABLET

92265-COD LIVER OIL ONE-A-DAY

92266-COD LIVER OIL PLUS MULTIVITAMINS

90561-COD LIVER OIL WITH MULTIVITAMINS

90547-CO-ENZYME Q10

92810-CONTRAVIT FORMULA

93509-CRANBERRY 5000 EFFERVESCENT TABLET

93619-DOLOMITE TABLETS 1g

90553-E.P.O + VIT. E

91295-ECHA - C

90516-ELLY 1000

91432-EVENING PRIMROSE OIL 1.3g CAPSULES

90931-EVENING PRIMROSE OIL 1000mg CAPSULES

92269-EVENING PRIMROSE OIL 600mg CAPSULES

90794-FERRO 4

90549-FOLAVIT

91073-FondAKids (Dinosaur shape)

91072-FondAKids (Koala shape)


90793-GARLIC + LECITHIN

92264-GARLIC PEARLS (ENTERIC COATED)

92267-GARLIC WITH ANTIOXIDANT

92809-GENTLE C

91071-GINKGO BILOBA WITH DHA

83323-GLUCOSAMINE AND CHONDROITIN COMPLEX TABLETS

90563-HAIR FORMULA

93511-HIMEE VITAMIN C 250mg TABLET

93510-HIMEE VITAMIN C 500mg TABLET

91074-KALCIMEX-D

91297-LIQUID ADULTS COUGH SYRUP (WITH HONEY)

91298-LIQUID IRON

91296-LIQUID ROYAL JELLY

93623-LIVITRON CAPSULES

92807-LYCOPENE 6mg

93512-M-TONE TABLETS

90562-MULTIVITAMIN & MINERAL

91069-NATOXI PLUS

91431-NATURAL VITAMIN E 1000IU

76351-NATURALLY HERBAL SIBERIAN GINSENG 1000 Tablet - uncoated bottle

76352-NATURALLY HERBAL SIBERIAN GINSENG 500 Tablet - uncoated bottle

90463-Nn CALCIUM PLUS

90314-Nn Chewable C - 500mg

90465-Nn NON-ACIDIC C-PLUS

93514-NON ACIDIC C


91438-OMEGA 3 FISH OIL 500mg + EPO 500mg + NATURAL VITAMIN E 100IU

91433-OMEGA-3 FISH OIL 1.2g

82191-PAN ACID FREE 500MG COMPLEX Tablet - film coated bottle

83264-PAN ACIDOPHILUS PLUS ENTERIC COATED CAPSULES Capsule, enteric not applicable

80456-PAN ALOE VERA CONCENTRATE Aloe barbadensis 25mg Capsule, soft bottle

83259-PAN ALPHA LIPOIC ACID 300MG R,S-alpha Lipoic acid 300mg Tablet - film coated not applicable

83266-PAN AMEGO 1000 Fish oil - natural 1g Capsule, soft not applicable

78511-PAN APEVIT Tablet - film coated bottle

83270-PAN ARTEC Tablet - film coated not applicable

81103-PAN ARTHRI-CARE GLUCOSAMINE SULFATE Glucosamine sulfate-potassium chloride complex 500mg Tablet - film coated bottle

81104-PAN ARTHRI-CARE GLUCOSAMINE SULFATE PLUS Tablet - film coated bottle

81675-PAN ARTHRI-CARE SHARK CARTILAGE Shark cartilage 400mg Tablet - film coated bottle

78073-PAN BECOFORTE SUPER Tablet - film coated blister pack

77538-PAN BETACAROTENE 15MG Betacarotene 15mg Tablet - film coated bottle

82673-PAN BILBERRY 5000 Vaccinium myrtillus 50mg Capsule, soft bottle

77896-PAN BIO VIT C Tablet - film coated bottle


80796-PAN CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM TABLETS Tablet - film coated bottle

80454-PAN CELERY SEED OIL Celery Seed Oil 25mg Capsule, soft bottle

77442-PAN CHEWABLE VITAMIN E PLUS SELENIUM Tablet - chewable bottle

82043-PAN CHILDREN'S MULTI DROPS Oral Liquid bottle

82038-PAN CHILDREN'S MULTIVITAMIN & MINERAL LIQUID (CITRUS FLAVOUR) Oral Liquid bottle

82674-PAN CO-ENZYME Q10 100MG Ubidecarenone 100mg Capsule, soft bottle

83261-PAN CO-ENZYME Q10 150MG COMPLEX Capsule, soft not applicable

78022-PAN CO-ENZYME Q10 30MG FIZZY Ubidecarenone 30mg Tablet - chewable bottle

77041-PAN CO-ENZYME Q10 30MG Ubidecarenone 30mg Capsule, soft bottle

78019-PAN CO-ENZYME Q10 30MG WATER SOLUBILISED Ubidecarenone 30mg Capsule, soft bottle

79628-PAN CO-ENZYME Q10 50MG COMPLEX WATER SOLUBILIZED Capsule, soft bottle

78028-PAN COMPUTER EYE Capsule, soft bottle

77445-PAN DERMA NUTRITION 1 Capsule, soft bottle

77444-PAN DERMA NUTRITION 2 Capsule, soft bottle

90177-PAN DIGEST-ADE

77446-PAN DIGEST-ADE Tablet - film coated bottle

79629-PAN ECHINACEA COMPLEX Capsule, soft bottle

83026-PAN EPO 500MG WITH FLAXSEED OIL 500MG Capsule, soft bottle

82088-PAN EVENING PRIMROSE OIL 500mg CAPSULES

80473-PAN EVENING PRIMROSE OIL 600MG CAPSULES Evening Primrose Oil 600mg Capsule, soft bottle


81102-PAN FAVIT WOMEN BEAUTY - SKIN PLAN Capsule, soft bottle

78053-PAN FLAXSEED OIL 1000MG Linseed Oil 1g Capsule, soft bottle

79810-PAN FOLIC ACID 400MCG PLUS VITAMIN B12 500MCG FIZZY Tablet - chewable bottle

83269-PAN FOLIC ACID 500MCG Folic acid 500microgram Capsule, soft not applicable

76355-PAN FOLIC ACID 500mcg Folic acid 500microgram Tablet - uncoated bottle

80449-PAN GARLIC 20,000 Garlic Oil 6.67mg Capsule, soft bottle

80448-PAN GARLIC 3,000 Garlic Oil 1mg Capsule, soft bottle

83265-PAN GARLIC PEARLS ENTERIC COATED Garlic Oil 1mg Capsule, enteric not applicable

90468-PAN GINGER 500mg TABLETS

74022-PAN GINKGO 6000 TABLETS Ginkgo biloba 120mg Tablet - film coated bottle

81576-PAN GINKGO BILOBA 2.4G CAPSULES Capsule, hard bottle

78025-PAN GINKGO BILOBA 7500 COMPLEX Capsule, soft bottle

74101-PAN GINKGO PLUS Capsule - soft bottle

78055-PAN GLUCOSAMINE AND CHONDROITIN COMPLEX Tablet - film coated bottle

90013-PAN GLUCOSAMINE SULFATE 1000mg

90467-PAN GLUCOSAMINE SULFATE 1000mg TABLETS

90012-PAN GLUCOSAMINE SULFATE 500mg

81582-PAN INULIN 500MG CAPSULES Inulin 500mg Capsule, hard bottle


78054-PAN JOINT USE (FLAXSEED, OMEGA + EVENING PRIMROSE OIL) Capsule, soft bottle

78026-PAN JUNIOR DHA COMPLEX Capsule, soft bottle

83260-PAN KALI PHOS Potassium phosphate - monobasic 500microgram Tablet - uncoated not applicable

76353-PAN L - LYSINE 500MG Lysine hydrochloride 624mg Tablet - uncoated bottle

82839-PAN L-CARNITINE 250MG Levocarnitine fumarate 431mg Capsule, soft not applicable

76354-PAN L-CYSTEINE 500MG Cysteine hydrochloride 650.4mg Tablet - film coated bottle

80450-PAN LECITHIN 1200MG Lecithin 1.2g Capsule, soft bottle

80455-PAN LECITHIN PLUS E Capsule, soft bottle

80457-PAN LEVATONE Capsule, soft bottle

79630-PAN LIVATONE Capsule, soft bottle

78023-PAN LIVER TONIC Capsule, soft bottle

83263-PAN MEGA ANTI-OXIDANT FORMULA Capsule, soft not applicable

83268-PAN MILK THISTLE 150MG Silybum marianum 37.5mg Capsule, soft not applicable

83267-PAN MINTEC CAPSULES (ENTERIC COATED) Peppermint Oil 180mg Capsule, enteric not applicable

83324-PAN NATURAL E 400IU +SELENIUM & FOLIC ACID Capsule, soft not applicable

82677-PAN NATURAL VITAMIN E 200IU d-alpha-Tocopherol 134.2mg Capsule, soft bottle

77533-PAN NATURAL VITAMIN E 250IU d-alpha-Tocopherol 167.8mg Capsule, soft bottle

79699-PAN NATURAL VITAMIN E 400IU d-alpha-Tocopherol 268.5mg Capsule, soft bottle

77535-PAN NATURAL VITAMIN E 400IU d-alpha-Tocopheryl acetate 294.1mg Capsule, soft bottle

82678-PAN NATURAL VITAMIN E 500IU d-alpha-Tocopherol 335.6mg Capsule, soft bottle

78074-PAN NATURAL VITAMIN E 600IU d-alpha-Tocopheryl acetate 441.2mg Capsule, soft bottle


77537-PAN NEUTRAL C TIME RELEASE 1000MG COMPLEX Tablet - modified release bottle

77536-PAN NEUTRAL C TIME RELEASE 500MG COMPLEX Tablet - modified release bottle

82924-PAN ODOURLESS GARLIC Garlic Oil 1mg Capsule, soft not applicable

76779-PAN O'FRESH TABLETS Chlorophyll CI75810 60mg Tablet - uncoated bottle

77443-PAN OLIVE PLUS Tablet - film coated bottle

82676-PAN OMEGA - 3 FISH OIL 1000MG ENTERIC COATED Fish oil - natural 1g Capsule, enteric bottle

80451-PAN OMEGA 3 Fish oil - natural 1g Capsule, soft bottle

80472-PAN OMEGA 3 FISH OIL 1000MG CAPSULES Fish oil - natural 1g Capsule, soft bottle

74669-PAN PALMETTO PLUS Tablet - film coated bottle

80005-PAN PHYTO-CARE CAPSULES Glycine max 43.75mg Capsule, hard bottle

81154-PAN PHYTROL 450MG Phytosterol complex - conifer 450mg Tablet - uncoated bottle

83258-PAN PROPOLIS 1000 Propolis 200mg Capsule, soft not applicable

78021-PAN PROPOLIS 500MG Propolis 100mg Capsule, soft bottle

76137-PAN PROPOLIS 650MG CAPSULES Propolis 130mg Capsule, soft bottle

83262-PAN ROBOVIT CHILDRENS MULTIVITAMINS PLUS ZINC STRAWBERRY FLAVOUR Tablet - chewable not applicable


80154-PAN ROOTAMIN Orange, Lemon and Strawberry flavour tablet bottle

80453-PAN ROYAL JELLY 1000MG Royal jelly 333.33mg Capsule, soft bottle

80452-PAN ROYAL JELLY 500MG Royal jelly 167mg Capsule, soft bottle

90061-PAN SALMON - E

82675-PAN SAM-E Ademetionine disulfate tosylate 400mg Tablet - enteric coated bottle

90176-PAN SILYMARIN WITH VITAMINS

81581-PAN ST JOHN'S WORT 1.2G CAPSULES Hypericum perforatum 200mg Capsule, hard bottle

81184-PAN STRIKE -A- COLD AND FLU Capsule, soft blister pack

81185-PAN STRIKE -A- COLD Capsule, soft blister pack

78027-PAN SUPER EPA Fish oil - natural 1g Capsule, soft bottle

74102-PAN SUPER SLIM Capsule - hard bottle

82089-PAN SUPERIOR CELERY COMPLEX Capsule, soft bottle

82090-PAN SUPERIOR OMEGA-3 COMPLEX Capsule, soft bottle

76295-PAN SUPERTON Capsule, soft bottle

78020-PAN TUNA OIL 1000MG Fish oil - natural 1g Capsule, soft bottle

78024-PAN VARI-X Capsule, soft bottle

79545-PAN VITAMIN C 500MG ACID-FREE WITH BIOFLAVONOIDS S/R Tablet - modified release bottle

75696-PAN VITAMIN C PLUS ECHINACEA & GARLIC Tablet - film coated bottle

78056-PAN VITAMIN E 200IU SYNTHETIC dl-alpha-Tocopheryl acetate 200mg Capsule, soft bottle

78057-PAN VITAMIN E 400IU SYNTHETIC dl-alpha-Tocopheryl acetate 400mg Capsule, soft bottle


71610-PANLABS CO - ENZYME Q10 30MG WATER SOLUBILIZED Ubidecarenone 30mg Capsule - soft bottle

73364-PANLABS COD LIVER OIL 275MG CAPSULE Cod-liver oil 275mg Capsule - soft bottle

66926-PANLABS EVENING PRIMROSE OIL 1000MG Evening Primrose Oil 1g Capsule - soft bottle

66393-PANLABS GINKGO BILOBA 2000 Ginkgo biloba 40mg Capsule - hard bottle

65958-PANLABS MULTIVITAMIN & MINERAL Capsule - soft bottle

66392-PANLABS OMEGA-3 Fish oil - natural 1g Capsule - soft bottle

71239-PANLABS SAW PALMETTO PLUS Capsule - soft bottle

66383-PANLABS SHARK CARTILAGE 750MG CAPSULES Shark cartilage 750mg Capsule - hard bottle

71244-PANLABS TRIBULUS PLUS Tablet - film coated bottle

66395-PANLABS VITAMIN C 1000MG SLOW RELEASE Ascorbic acid 1g Tablet - modified release bottle

73366-PANLABS VITAMIN C 1000MG WITH ROSEHIPS Tablet - film coated bottle

73377-PANLABS VITAMIN C 250MG NATURAL ORANGE FLAVOUR Tablet - chewable bottle

73367-PANLABS VITAMIN E 1000MG dl-alpha-Tocopheryl acetate 1g Capsule - soft bottle

93624-PREGNANCY & BREASTFEEDING

92268-PREGNANCY CAPSULES

91010-PRELAVIT

92065-PROFAMOL


90466-REDUCOL

92064-REVITA

90551-ROBOVIT

91118-ROBOVIT CHILDREN'S CHEWABLE MULTIVITAMINS AND MINERALS COMPLEX

90556-ROJETON

93513-ROYAL JELLY & SQUALENE

93618-SHARK CARTILAGE + SQUALENE

91436-STARFLOWER (BORAGE) OIL 1.3g

91435-STARFLOWER (BORAGE) OIL 1000mg

91434-STARFLOWER (BORAGE) OIL 500mg

90929-SUPER B 50

90932-SUPER CO-ENZYME Q10

90557-SUPERBOOST

92808-THERMOGENIC PLUS

93983-TOTAL IMAGE SHARK OIL 1000mg

91070-TRI-O-GEN PLUS

90555-URICRAN

93982-VITALIZER 1000mg

90464-VITAMIN C

90554-VITAMIN C 500mg

91263-VITAMIN C 500mg TABLETS ORANGE FLAVOURED

90926-VITAMIN C EFFERVESCENT TABLETS

90548-VITAMIN E 500IU

93984-VITAMIN E NATURAL 100IU

91437-WHEAT GERM OIL 1000mg

90928-WOMEN'S MULTI

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BIGGEST MEDICAL RECALL IN AUSTRALIAN HISTORY....LICENCE OF PAN PHARMACEUTICAL LTD SUSPENDED BY MEDICAL WATCHDOG



Major news headline today on Australia's largest contract manufacturer of herbal, vitamin and nutritional supplements, Pan Pharmaceuticals was ordered to withdraw IMMEDIATELY 219 of its products and had its licence suspended for 6 months by Australia's medicine watchdog, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for grave safety and quality breaches.

Pan holds 70 per cent of the Australian complementary medicine market and exports to dozens of countries. Pan is Australia's largest contract manufacturer of herbal, vitamin and nutritional supplements. It also makes some over-the-counter medicines including paracetamol, codeine, antihistamines and pseudoephedrine.

Pan sold its products in generic form which are then rebranded under different brand names. These would be added to the list by TGA as they are being identified.

The TGA warned the number of products recalled could blow out to several thousand in coming days.

The charges against the pharmaceutical company by TGA include:

  • evidence of substitution of ingredients, manipulation of test results and substandard manufacturing processes.

  • released products containing materials that had not been tested for their safety

  • four cases where laboratory test results were manipulated to meet regulatory specifications.

  • four recent examples of test results of an export vitamin product being fabricated.

  • on several occasions beef cartilage had been substituted for shark cartilage in a shark cartilage preparation.

  • a product may not be true to label. It may have a herb in it that has not been appropriately tested and may have a contaminant in it that could cause a serious illness ... or potentially fatal allergic reaction.

TGA principal medical officer, John McEwan, told an Australian news network that people should to be patient for the next few days until complete lists were published in newspapers and in the TGA website.

Pan Pharmaceuticals yesterday failed to call for a trading halt in its shares on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) as soon as it learnt its licence had been suspended.Shares in the company were still being traded while health authorities held a press conference to list a string of serious safety and quality breaches. ASX officials are angry.

Legal action by affected parties, including investors, commercial partners and consumers will be a certainty in the near future.

At the center of the debacle are its founder, managing director and biggest shareholder Jim Selim, and chairman Ross Brown, a governor of the Pharmacy Practice Foundation of the University of Sydney.

The products on recall are listed here in alphabetical order and by Australian reference numbers.

You can download the list of the products from here



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 Monday, April 28, 2003

 

Leaked Document Advises Tactics for Pro-Israel Lobbyists' Manipulation of US Public Opinion


The Electronic Intifada News Website got hold of a copy a leaked document entitled "Wexner Analysis: Israeli Communication Priorities 2003," which prescribes tactics for pro-Israel lobbyists and activists to maintain US support for Israel and its hardline policies.

Click here to read the full document ( in .pdf format)

The document was commissioned by the Wexner Foundation, a private foundation that funds "Birthright Israel," a program sponsoring American Jews for free trips to Israel. The document was prepared for pro-Israel activists by the public relations firm The Luntz Research Companies and The Israel Project. The Luntz Research Companies is a leading public relations and opinion research firm. The Israel Project is an initiative of pro-Israel organizations, political consultants and businesspeople

One tactic recommended in the document to be used on the US public in the lead up to the Iraq War was to keep invoking the name of Saddam Hussein, and keep emphasising Israel "was always behind American efforts to rid the world of this ruthless dictator and liberate their people."

Here are some of the key advice given in the document to Israel and its advocates:
    "Iraq colors all. Saddam is your best defense, even if he is dead. The worldview [of] Americans is entirely dominated by developments in Iraq. This is a unique opportunity for Israelis to deliver a message of support and unity at a time of great international anxiety and opposition from some of our European "allies." For a year - a SOLID YEAR - you should be invoking the name of Saddam Hussein and how Israel was always behind American efforts to rid the world of this ruthless dictator and liberate their people."

    "The fact that Israel has remained relatively silent for the three months preceding the war and for the three weeks of the war was absolutely the correct strategy - and according to all the polling done, it worked. But as the military conflict comes to a close, it is now time for Israel to lay out its own "road map" for the future which includes unqualified support for America and unqualified commitment to an ongoing war against terrorism."

    "It DOES NOT HELP when you compliment President Bush. When you want to identify with and align yourself with America, just say it. Don't use George Bush as a synonym for the United States. Even with the destruction of the Hussein regime and all the positive reactions from the Iraqi people, there still remains about 20% of America that opposes the Iraqi war, and they are overwhelmingly Democrat. That leaves about half the Democrats who support the war even if they don't support George Bush. You antagonize the latter half unnecessarily every time you compliment the President. Don't do it."

    ""SECURITY" sells. Security has become the key fundamental principle for all Americans. Security is the context by which you should explain Israeli need for loan guarantees and military aid, as well as why Israel can't just give up land. The settlements are our Achilles heel, and the best response (which is still quite weak) is the need for security that this buffer creates."

    "Stick to your message but don’t say it the same way twice. We have seen this in the past but never so starkly as today. Americans are paying very close attention to international developments and are particularly sensitive to any kind of apparent dogma or canned presentations. If they hear you repeating the exact same words over and over again, they will come to distrust your message. If your speakers can’t find different ways to express similar principles, keep them off the air."

    " Link Iraqi liberation with the plight of the Palestinian people. It is likely that the most effective argument(s) you have right now are those that link the right of the Iraqi people to live in freedom with the right of the Palestinian people to be governed by those who truly represent them. If you express your concern for the plight of the Palestinian people and how it is unfair, unjust and immoral that they should be forced to accept leaders who steal and kill in their name, you will be building credibility for your support of the average Palestinian while undermining the credibility of their leadership."

    "Of course rhetorical questions work, don’t they? Ask a question to which there is only one answer is hard to lose. It is essential that your communication be laced with rhetorical questions, which is how Jews talk anyway."

    "Acknowledging a cultural difference between Israelis and Palestinians is stating the obvious – and good for your case. Even those Americans that have sympathies for the Palestinian struggle have an easier time relating to the Israelis because of the similarities between America and Israel in culture, tradition and values."

    "The human touch. Mentioning parents and children humanizes and personalizes the terror that Israel has to face every day."

    " THE ISRAELI AID MESSAGE TREE


      (1) As a democracy, Israel has the right and the responsibility to defend its borders and protect its people.

      (2) Prevention works. Even with the collapse of Saddam’s regime,terrorist threats remain throughout our region.

      (3) Israel is America’s one and only true ally in the region. In these particularly unstable and dangerous times, Israel should not be forced to go it alone.

      (4) With America’s financial assistance, Israel can defend its borders, protect its people, and provide invaluable assistance to the American effort in the war against terrorism.


    "WORDS THAT WORK: SELLING ISRAEL AID

      It was Israel who risked their pilots and planes in taking out Saddam Hussein’s nuclear reactors and thus thwarted his quest for nuclear weapons of mass destruction.

      It was Israel who provided much of the intelligence that helped America defeat Iraq back in 1991.

      It was Israel alone among Middle Eastern nations that supported America’s successful effort to remove Saddam Hussein and liberate the people of Iraq.

      We stood without you against the Saddam regime from beginning to end.

      Israel has been a key regional asset and military ally of the United States for more than 50 years. That relationship must continue, even and especially in the post-Saddam era. It is a partnership of democracies devoted to the war against terrorism and the fight for freedom.

      “During the Gulf War, Iraq attacked Israel with Scud missiles 39 times. Israel stood by each time, not knowing if the next missile contained biological and chemical weapons. Israel chose restraint instead of war, because it was what the U.S. asked. It was Israel’s way to support our ally, America, and its troops during the Persian Gulf War. We put supporting American priorities higher than our own. But now, with our national security at stake, we need America’s financial help.”


    " Opinion elites in America will not find repeated criticisms of the Palestinian leadership credible unless they are coupled with a similar onus on the Israeli government to accommodate for peace and acknowledge past transgressions. Assertions that Israel enjoys a blameless history are soundly rejected. This will not be received well by everyone but it is essential for your spokespeople to acknowledge it Israel has made some mistakes. Not only does this build credibility but it also allows the spokesperson to then explain and assert Israel’s history of taking strides for peace.

    Here is how this message is best developed:

      " ACKNOWLEDGING THE PAST, BOTH GOOD AND BAD

      (1) We know that the history of our conflict has been marked by frustration and mistrust by both Israelis and Palestinians, and Israel is willing to accept some of the blame for what has happened in the past

      (2) However, throughout our history we have demonstrated that we value peace above all else. In our hope for peace we overcame differences and found agreement with our Arab neighbors Egypt and Jordan.

      (3) We remain committed to peace. We offered the Palestinian people a state of their own that included over 97% of the West Bank. Their leadership rejected this proposal, showing once again that we do not have a partner for peace so long as the current Palestinian Authority remains the voice of the Palestinian people. It’s time for a change – not just for us but for our Palestinian cousins as well.


    " RHETORICAL QUESTIONS TO ASK OPPONENTS OF ISRAEL

      “How can the current Palestinian leadership honestly say it will pursue peace when the same leaders rejected an offer to create a Palestinian state two and a half years ago?”

      “How can Yassir Arafat, whom Forbes Magazine say s is worth more than three hundred million dollars, claim to be a leader who understands and represents an impoverished people when he has become rich at their expense?”

      “Is it too much to ask that the Palestinian leadership not sponsor terrorists? Are we unreasonable to insist that they stop killing our innocent children before we jeopardize our security and make concessions for peace?”

      “How can we make peace with a leader that does not believe in or allow free and honest elections?”

      “Why do Palestinian schools have pictures of suicide bombers hanging up in the hallways of their schools or celebrate them as martyrs? Why do they name sports teams in the West Bank after suicide bombers? How can we make peace with the Palestinian people when their leaders instill a culture of terror against our people?”

      “How can the Palestinian people end their impoverishment if their leaders continue to steal precious resources from them, which are then used to support terror?

      ”Why has Yassir Arafat been in power for so long, and yet made so little progress towards a peaceful resolution? If he were truly committed to peace, would he not have made a sincere effort to achieve it by now? When will the Palestinian people themselves have a voice at the peace table?"

Is this another FAKE document to discredit the Jewish community in US and Israel?

One other document called The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion (which alleged an international Jewish conspiracy) had been condemned as a forgery and a fake. Dr. Daniel Keren gave an historical account of the emergence of the Protocols in the early 20th Century.

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The Same Iraqi On Show For the US Media: "The Fall of Saddam's Statue" on 9 April 2003"

An Actor Recruited by the Coalition Forces, Perhaps !




Same Iraqi Kissing Different Soldier For Newsweek and US News and World Report



He is even shown in full action



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IRAQ: Who Caused the Ammunition Dump Explosion in Baghdad That Killed 12 Iraqis and Injured 40?

What's the Truth?

Iraqi residents say it is the US Military's fault.

US Military Command denies and blames on "unknown attackers."

The US military blamed it on "unknown attackers " and says it is still investigating on the munition dump blast on Saturday. The Iraqi residents affected blamed the US military for the incident and was not convinced of the US military's explanation. Iraqis vented their anger at the US military in Baghdad.

Kudeir, a 30 year-old Iraqi worker, carries his badly burned nine-month-old son Amir Yas to safety in the Zaafaraniya neighborhood on the outskirts of Baghdad on Saturday after an arms dump blew up. (Reuters)

According to the report in The Observer, the tragedy occured to a community living around the Teachers' Houses area at around 8 in the morning. A Frog missile, stored by the US army for destruction, exploded in the midst of this small Iraqi community.

Six of the Haz al Sabr family living in the area were killed. At least 40 people were injured and another six also believed killed.

The missile had self-launched from the burning dump when its solid propellant caught fire. Shells and rocket-propelled grenades were thrown hundreds of metres through the air before hitting the ground and exploding. American soldiers couldn't venture into the ammunition dump for hours because thousands of rounds of rifle and machine gun ammunition kept exploding like popcorn.

The US Military Command issued this statement: "'An unknown number of individuals attacked. One soldier was wounded. During the attack, the assailant fired an unknown incendiary device into the cache, causing it to catch fire and explode. The explosion caused the destruction of the cache as well as a nearby building".


Captain Patrick Sullivan, from a US Army engineering unit said. " Hostile forces fired four flares into an ammunition storage area. One of the flares ignited an explosion and that set off a chain of explosions. "

In Qatar, U.S. Central Command spokesman Lt. Mark Kitchens placed blame squarely on what he called "the despicable people" who allegedly fired the flares. "This is not just an attempt to disrupt the process of peace. It's a crime against the Iraqi people," Kitchens said.

The weapons in the dump was part of the huge hauls of munitions that U.S. forces have been gathering from around Baghdad. In recent days, there have been controlled explosions at the same ammunition dump when U.S. force destroyed arms caches. Iraqis criticised US troops for storing munitions in a residential area, but the Army said it inherited the site from the Iraqis and had been trying to move weapons away from homes.

An Iraqi man argues with an U.S. soldier at a site of a blast at an arms depot near Zaafaraniya on the outskirts of Baghdad on April 26, 2003.(Reuters )

Colonel John Peabody denied any weapons had been demolished while they were guarding them. He said his unit had been guarding the ammunition dump for a week and that it 'had NOT destroyed any ammunition'. A claim challenged by almost every Iraqi resident in the affected area. The Iraqis living nearby did not buy the US Military 's version.

According to residents, the stockpile of weapons was kept behind a tall earth ridge just only 500 metres from their homes and according to them, the stockpile was being destroyed daily by the US Military. Iraqis claim that US forces had been destroying up to six missiles a day.

And when US Seargent Tom Grasso met with the residents aftet the tragedy, they told him that fragments had often fallen on their houses from a destruction site only 500m from their houses. They had feared that this might happen. And their worst fears were realized.


Naaman D'Nasser, an engineer who lives in the suburb, on the southern fringes of Baghdad, took reporters to a rooftop near his house to show other smaller missiles that had fallen broken on the community in the last few weeks.

He asked: "'We have had missiles like these smaller ones fall before. Why do they blow up things like this so close to where we live? We are Iraqis. But does that mean that we are not human as well?"

Angry residents briefly fired on U.S. troops trying to treat the injured and recover bodies from the rubble, driving them from the area for a short time. Residents blamed the U.S. military for not moving the dangerous material away from a populated area. Some angry Iraqis threw rocks at U.S. soldiers, as they tried to recover bodies.

''After this accident, no American soldiers will be safe,'' a group of young men shouted yesterday, near the spot where a missile crashed into the middle of a residential street between the houses of two neighbors, Khazal Suber Hassoon and Ali Naama Mohammed.

What angered residents even more was the attitude of US forces. After the blast, three US Humvee personnel carriers arrived to photograph the damage and and to take witness statements, lasting no more than 15 minutes. Sergeant Tom Grasso wanted more time to talk to residents, instead he was ordered back into his car by his superior, according to residents.

About 500 Iraqi men chanted anti-American and pro-Islam slogans. They drove out of the suburb in a convoy of trucks, buses and car - the first truck carrying the six coffins.

To quote Donald Rumsfeld. "Stuff happens !". So it was, with twelve innocent Iraqis killed.

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 Sunday, April 27, 2003

 

Why Washington is NOT calling North Korea's Bluff

A Korean Affairs Expert analyses the military strategy and capability of North Korea against US strike

Dr Han Ho Suk is the Director, Center for Korean Affairs . He wrote a paper in Korean language " North Korea's War Strategy of Massive Retaliations against US Attacks"

Read here Donald Rumsfeld's role in North Korea's build up of nuclear capability

The following are excerpts from the translated version of Dr Han's paper:

1. North Korea Can Engage the US in Total War

North Korea is one of the few nations that CAN engage in a total war with the United States. The US war planners recognize this fact.

For example, on March 7, 2000, Gen. Thomas A Schwartz, the US commander in Korea at the time, testified at a US congressional hearing that "North Korea is the country most likely to involve the United States in a large-scale war."

North Korea, which can and is willing to face up to the sole military superpower of the world, cannot be called a weak nation. Nevertheless, Western press and analysts distort the truth and depict North Korea as an "impoverished" nation, starving and on the brink of imminent collapse. An impoverished, starving nation cannot face down a military superpower. In contrast, North Korea has not only the military power but also the political will to wage total war against the United States.

North Korea has made it clear that it will strike all US targets with all means, if the US mounted military attacks on North Korea. That North Korea's threat is no bluff can be seen from the aggressive actions taken by North Korea since the Korean War armistice, most recent of which is North Korea's attempt to capture an American spy plane.

2. North Korea's Massive Retaliation Strategy

North Korea's war plan in case of an US attack is total war, not the 'low-intensity limited warfare' or 'regional conflict' talked about among the Western analysts. North Korea will mount a total war if attacked by the US. There are three aspects to this war plan.

    (a) Total war is North Korea's avowed strategy in case of US preemptive attacks.

    (b) North Korea expects no help from China, Russia, or other nations in case of war with the US. It knows that it will be fighting the superpower alone.

    (c) North Korea's total war plan has two components: massive conventional warfare and weapons of mass destruction. If the US mounts a preemptive strike on North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear plants, North Korea will retaliate with weapons of mass destruction: North Korea will mount strategic nuclear attacks on the US targets. North Korea's war plan goes beyond repulsing US attackers and calls for destruction of the United States


The US war plan '5027' calls for military occupation of North Korea; it goes beyond the elimination of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction. The US military regards North Korea its main enemy and likewise

North Korea regards the US its main enemy. North Korea does not regard South Korea its main enemy because South Korea is a client state of the United States and has no ability or power to act independent of the US. North Korea's war plan is not for invading South Korea but for destroying the US.

3. North Korea's Military Capability

The United States collects intelligence on North Korea using a variety of means: American U-2, RC-135, EP-3 and other high-altitude spy planes watch over North Korea 24 hours 7 days a week. The US 5th Air Reconnaissance Squadron has U-2R, U-2S, and other advanced spy planes at the Ohsan airbase in South Korea. In addition, the US has 70 KH-11 spy satellites hovering over North Korea.

The US intelligence on North Korea is faulty at best. Donald Gregg, a former US ambassador to Seoul and a 30-year CIA veteran, has admitted that the US intelligence on North Korea has been the longest lasting story of failure in the annals of US intelligence. Gregg said that even the best spy gadget in the US arsenal cannot read what's on Kim Jong Il's mind.

US Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld said that North Korea uses underground optical fibers for military communication and that it is nearly impossible to plant human agents in North Korea. Although North Korea's military secrets are impervious to US spy operations, one can draw some general pictures from information available in the public domain.

    (a) North Korea makes its own weapons

    North Korea has annual production capacity for 200,000 AK automatic guns, 3,000 heavy guns, 200 battle tanks, 400 armored cars and amphibious crafts. North Korea makes its own submarines, landing drafts, high-speed missile-boats, and other types of warships. Home-made weaponry makes it possible for North Korea to maintain a large military force on a shoestring budget.

    North Korea has 17 plants for guns and artillery, 35 plants for ammunition, 5 plants for tanks and armored cars, 8 plants for airplanes, 5 plants for warships, 3 plants for guided missiles, 5 plants for communication equipment, and 8 plants for biochemical warheads - 134 plants in total. In addition, many plants that make consumer products are designed so that they can be made to produce military items with minimum modification.

    About 180 of defense related plants are built underground in the rugged mountainous areas of Jagang-do. Several small to medium hydro-power plants serve these plants so that it would be nearly impossible for the US to cut off power to the plants.

    (b) North Korea has its own war plans

    North Korea is mountainous and its coasts are long and jagged. The Korean peninsula is narrow on its waste. North Korea's weapons and war tactics are germane to Korea's unique geography. North Korea has developed its own war plans unique to fighting the US in a unique way. North Korea's military is organized into several independent, totally integrated and self-sufficient fighting units, that are ready for action at any time.

    The US commanders admit that North Korean soldiers are highly motivated and loyal to Kim Jong Il, and that they will fight well in case of war. During the Iraq War just ended, the main cause of Iraq's defeat was the low moral of its soldiers. North Korean soldiers are taught to fight to the bitter end.

    In September 1996, a North Korean submarine got stranded at Kangrung, South Korea, and its crew abandoned the ship. Eleven of the crew committed suicide and the rest fought to the last man except one who was captured. In June 1998, another submarine got caught in fishing nets at Sokcho and its crew killed themselves. Such is the fighting spirit of North Korean soldiers.

    (c) North Koreans are combat ready

    North Korea's regular army is for offensive actions whereas its militias are homeland defense. North Korea's regular army consists of 4 corps in the front area, 8 corps in the rear area, one tank corps, 5 armored corps, 2 artillery corps, and 1 corps for the defense of Pyongyang, South Korea has 19 infantry divisions whereas North Korea has 80 divisions and brigades.

    A North Korean infantry division has 3 infantry regiments, 1 artillery regiment (3 battalions of 122 mm rocket launchers and 1 battalion of 152 mortars), one tank battalion of 31 tanks, one anti-tank battalion, one anti-aircraft battalion, one engineer battalion, one communication battalion, one light-infantry battalion, one recon battalion, and one chemical warfare battalion.

    North Korea's militias consist of 1.6 million self-defense units, 100,000 people's guards, 3.9 million workers militia, 900,000 youth guard units. These militias are tasked to defend the homeland. The militias are fully armed and undergo military trainings regularly.


4. Weapons of Mass Destruction

    a. Missile Readiness

    North Korea is a nuclear state along with the US, Russia, China, the Great Britain, France, India, Pakistan, and Israel. North Korea has succeeded in weaponizing nuclear devices for missile delivery. North Korea has operational fleets of ICBM and intermediate-range missiles equipped with nuclear warheads. I have written on this subject previously and will not replicate the details here.

    It was May of 1994, nine years ago, when the US military planners had first realized that North Korea had the bomb and devised nuclear attack plans under William Perry, the then US Secretary of Defense. Perry had estimated that North Korea would have about 100 nuclear warheads by 2000. Dr. Kim Myong Chul, an expert on Kim Jong Il's war plans, has recently confirmed that North Korea has more than 100 nukes including hydrogen bombs.

    North Korea can produce about 100 missiles a year. It began to make missiles in 1980 and has about 1,000 missiles of various types in place, about 100 of which have nuclear warheads. These missiles are hidden in caves and underground launching pads.

    At present, the US has no fool-proof defense against North Korean missiles, and in case of war, North Korean missiles can do serious damages: several hundreds of thousands of US troops will die, and scores of US bases and carrier battle groups will be destroyed.

    The Patriot anti-missile missiles are deployed in South Korea but as shown in the recent Iraq war, the Patriots are not 100% accurate or reliable even under ideal condition.

    b. Biochemical Warfare

    North Korea has a large stockpile of biochemical weapons. Each Army corps has a chemical company and each regiment has a chemical platoon. In the May 1994 nuclear crisis, Perry warned North Korea that the US would retaliate with nuclear weapons if North Korea used chemical weapons on US troops. North Korean troops and citizens are well-prepared for bio-chemical attacks.


5. North Korea's Defense Against US Attacks

    a. Fortification

    North Korea began to build fortifications in 1960s. All key military facilities are built underground to withstand American bunker-buster bombs. North Korea has 8,236 underground facilities that are linked by 547 km of tunnels. Beneath Pyongyang are a huge underground stadium and other facilities.

    About 1.2 million tons of food, 1.46 million tons of fuel, and 1.67 million tons of ammunition are stored in underground storage areas for wartime use. Most of the underground facilities are drilled into granite rocks and the entrances face north in order to avoid direct hits by American bombs and missiles.

    The B-61 Mod 11 is the main bunker buster in the US arsenal. A recent test showed that this buster could penetrate only 6 meters of rock. The latest GBU-28 laser-guided bunker-buster can penetrate to 30m. North Korean bunkers have at least 80 m of top-cover of solid rocks.

    North Korea has many false caves that emit heats that will misdirect unwary GBU-28/37 and BKU-113 bunker-busters. The US military targets enemy command and control centers based on the doctrine of chopping off "the head of the snake." With the top commanders eliminated, the rank and file would be demoralized, leaderless and would surrender.

    North Korea's extensive underground fortification makes this strategy unworkable. In addition, the underground facilities make US spy planes and satellites impotent.

    b. Air Defense

    North Korea has a large number of ground-to-air missiles. It has SA-2 and SA-3 missiles against low-flying enemy planes, and SA-5 missiles for high-altitude planes. SA-5 missiles have an effective range of 250 km. SA-5 missiles can hit enemy planes flying over the middle of South Korea. North Korea has reengineered US shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles captured in Vietnam, and designed its own missile, wha-sung.

    North Korea began to manufacture wha-sung missiles in 1980. Wha-sung comes in two models: SA-7 that has an effective range of 5 km and SA-16 with 10 km range. North Korea has more than 15,000 wha-sung missiles in place.

    In addition to the missiles, North Korea has 12,000 anti-aircraft guns, including 37mm twin-barrel guns, 23 mm automatics, 57mm, 87mm, and 100mm heavy guns. These are mostly manually operated and thus not subject to electronic warfare.

    c. Coastal deferens.

    North Korea's coastlines are long and jagged. Coastal guns are placed in fortified tunnels along the coastline. North Korea has six ground-to-ship missile bases. North Korea has anti-ship missiles of 95km range, and of 160km range. The latter are for hitting US carrier battle groups over the horizon.

    North Korean anti-ship missiles can hit ships anchored at Inchon on the west and Sokcho on the east. America's main defense against anti-ship missiles, the Arleigh Burke class Aegis destroyers are ineffective outside 20-50 km from missile launch pads.

    d. Sea Battles

    North Korea has two fleets - the West Fleet and the East Fleet. The West Fleet has 6 squadrons of 320 ships and the East Fleet has 10 squadron of 460 ships. The navy has a total manpower of 46,000. North Korean ships are sheltered from US attacks in about 20 bunkers of 200-900 m longs and 14-22 m wide. North Korean ships are small and agile, designed for coastal defense.
    North Korean ships carry 46km range ship-to-ship missiles and 22-channel multiple rocket launchers.

    The main enemy of the North Korean navy will be US carrier task forces. The Russian navy has developed a tactic to deal with US carriers task forces: massive simultaneous missile attacks. In addition, Russia has developed the anti-carrier missile, "jun-gal", that can destroy a carrier. China has developed similar tactics for destroying US carriers.

    On April 1, 2003, North Korea test-fired a high-speed ground-to-ship missile of 60km range. A US carrier task force of Nimitz class has 6,000 men, 70 planes, and a price tag of 4.5 billion dollars. Destroying even a single career task force will be traumatic.

    A carrier is protected by a shield of 6 Aegis destroyers and nuclear attack submarines. An Aegis destroyer has an AN/SPY-1 high-capacity radar system that can track more than 100 targets at the same time. An Aegis can fire about 20 anti-missile missiles at the same time. Thus, a career force can track a total of 600 targets at a time and fire 120 anti-missile missiles at the same time.

    The anti-missile missiles have about 50% success under ideal conditions. In actual battle situations, the hit rate will be much lower and the best estimate is that the Aegis shield can intercept at most 55 incoming missiles. Therefore, a volley of about 60 missiles and rockets will penetrate the Aegis shield and hit the career.

    North Korea acquired OSA and KOMAR high-speed missile boats in 1968, and began to build its own missile boats in 1981. It has more than 50 missile boats, each equipped with 4 missiles of 46km range and multiple rocket launchers. In addition, North Korea has about 300 speed boats, 200 torpedo boats and 170 other gunboats. In case of war, North Korea's small crafts and submarines will swarm around US career task forces and destroy them. North Korea has 35 submarines and 65 submersibles.

    These crafts are equipped with torpedoes and will be used to attack US careers. They will also lay mines and block enemy harbors. North Korea has a large supply of mines.North Korean submarines are small but they are equipped with 8km rocket launchers and 70km anti-ship missiles, and they could do some serious damage to US careers..

    e. Air Combats

    North Korea has three air commands. Each command can operate independently. North Korea has 70 airbases, which are fortified against US attacks. Underground hangars protect the planes and have multiple exits for the planes to take off on different runways. North Korea has several fake airfields and fake planes to confuse US attackers.

    It is said that North Korea's planes are obsolete and no match for US planes. North Korea has 770 fighters, 80 bombers, 700 transports, 290 helicopters, and 84,000 men. In case of war, North Korean planes will fly low hugging the rugged terrains and attack enemy targets.

    US planes are parked above ground at bases in Korea, Japan, Okinawa and Guam, and make easy targets for missile, rocket and air attacks. When war breaks out, North Korean missiles, rockets and heavy guns will destroy the 8 US airbases in South Korea, and any plane in the air would have no place to land.

    North Korea's fighter planes are ill-equipped for air-to-air combats at long distances. but they can hold their own in close-quarter air combats. MiG-21 fighters from Bongchun and US F-15 from Ohsan would meet in less than 5 min, assuming they took off at about the same time. In about 5 min, hundreds of MiG21s and F-15s would be swirling in the skies over Korea.

    Ground-to-air missiles and air-to-air missiles would have hard time telling friends from foes. F-15Es are equipped with a radar system that lock on at 180 km for large objects and 90 km for small objects. Sidewinder missiles have an effective range of 16km, AMRAAM missiles of 50km, and Sparrow of 55km. Korea is 100 km wide and 125 km long, and so US air-to-air missiles would be of limited use and effectiveness, because North Korean MiGs would approach the US planes in close proximity and commingle with US planes, and air-to-air missiles will become useless and machines guns will have to be used. MiG19s have 30mm guns, MiG21s have 23mm guns, and F-14s have 20mm Valkans.

    North Korean pilots are trained to hug the enemy planes so that air-to-air missiles cannot be used. In contrast, US pilots are trained to lock on the enemy at long distance with radar and fire missiles. US planes are heavily armed with electronics and less agile than the light, lean MiGs that can climb and turn faster than the US planes. F-14s are about 3.3 times heavier than MiG21s, and F-150Es are about 3.6 times heavier. MiG21s are 16.6 m long whereas F-14s are 19.1 m and F-15Es 19.43 m long. MiG21s cab climb to 18km, whereas F-1A can climb to 15.8 km and F-16 to 15.2 km.

    MiGs get upper hands in close-range dogfights in which agility matters. In Vietnam, US planes were forced to jettison auxiliary gas tanks and bombs in order to engage MiGs. F-150 E planes will carry BLU-113 bunker busters that weigh 2,250 kg each in the next war in Korea. Loaded with such a heavy bomb, F-15s will become easy targets for North Korea's MiGs. US fighter-bombers will be protected by F-15C fighter escorts. MiG21s are North Korea's main workhorse. The MiG21 debuted in 1965 in Vietnam and proved itself as an effective attack fighter.

    In 1999, North Korea bought 40 MiG21s from Kazakhstan. During the Vietnam War, MiG17s shot down dozens of American planes. North Korea sent more than 200 pilots to fight in the Vietnam War. They were tasked to defend Hanoi and shot down scores of US planes. North Korea sent 25 pilots to Syria during the 3rd Arab-Israeli war of 1966, and 30 pilots to Egypt and Syria during the 4th Arab-Israeli war of 1973. In 1976, North Korea sent more than 40 pilots to Syria.

    f. Electronic Warfare
    The United States excels in electronic warfare and no nation comes anywhere near the US capability. North Korea began developing its own electronic warfare methods in 1970. It is believed that North Korea has advanced electronic warfare ability. It has numerous counter measures for US electronic warfare.

    During the recent war in Iraq, the US dropped e-bombs that disabled the Iraqi electronic devices. North Korea relies heavily on non-electronic command and control means, and hence US e-bombs will have limited impacts in North Korea.

    North Korea trains about 100 hackers a year and has computer virus battalions in place. These hackers are capable of interrupting US communication networks. In a war game conducted in 1991 by US war planners, North Korea came out the victor with and without nuclear weapons.

    Kim Jong Il has no doubt that his army can beat the US army.


6. US Military Defeats in the Past

Until now, North Korea's military power has not been properly studied. In general, Western experts tend to underestimate North Korea's military strength. Politicians in America and South Korea play down North Korean threats for political reasons.

It has been said that North Korean army is large in numbers but their equipment are obsolete, and hence it is a weak army. The US war planners assess North Korean army using computer simulations of war in Korea. US war plan for the recent Iraq war was refined using more than 40 computer-simulated wars in Iraq.

The computer simulation models use weapon system features among other factors to determine the outcome. It is true that the advanced weapons were instrumental in the US victory in the Gulf War, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

On the other hand, the US army was defeated by ill-equipped foes in Korea and Vietnam. The latter two wars show that superior weapons do not always lead to a victory. North Korean and Chinese forces in Korea and the Vietnamese forces fought with superior tactics and stronger fighting fighting spirits.

In the next war in Korea, the US army will face an enemy much more determined and better equipped than the army in the Korean War of 1950-53.

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The Al-Sahaf Fan Club

Even Bush is a fan of the Iraqi Minister of Information, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf

George Bush revealed his admiration for the former Iraqi Minister of Information's daily media performance during the war.

In an interview last Thursday on NBC with Tom Brokaw, President Bush said:
    ""He's my man, he was great..... Somebody accused us of hiring him and putting him there..... He was a classic. I did watch some of his clips. I get a lot of things secondhand, but in the case of the statue or Sahaf, somebody would say, he's getting ready to speak and I'd pop out of a meeting or turn and watch the TV."

Al-ahram, the Egyptian weekly carried an article "Al Sahaf's Legacy" analysing the reasons for the popularity of Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf

Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf
There is a worldwide following on the internet of Sahaf. A Web site We Love The Iraqi Information Minister drew as many as 4,000 requests a second for the page at one stage, so much so it was forced offline temporarily.

Sahaf became a cult figure on television with his daily briefings. He was known for colourful language condemning the Coalition Forces and his denials while the rest of the world saw what was actually happening.


The website was so popular around the world, that its server had to be upgraded to meet traffic demands. The website management has started selling Alsahaf T-shirts, mugs, mousepads, barbecue aprons, with different Alsahaf's famous quotations.

According to the website management, "...this site is a labor of love (or something close enough to that) and that proceeds of sales go to paying for server space and bandwidth to keep us up. A portion of anything left over will be donated to the Red Cross / Red Crescent"





Some of his famous quotes about Bush, Blair and others:
    "I speak better English than this villain Bush"

    "These cowards have no morals. They have no shame about lying"

    "That bastard the American Minister of Defense Rumsfeld, and I won't say shamelessly, because they don't know what shame means. These are criminals. The whole word can hear the warning sirens. This criminal sitting in the White House is a pathetic criminal and his Defense Minister deserves to be beaten. These criminals lie to the world because they are criminals by nature and conditioning. They consider this a military site! Shame on you! You will forever be shamed! You have ruined the reputation of the American people in the most terrible way! Shame on you! And we will destroy you!"

    "We will slaughter them, Bush Jr. and his international gang of bastards!"

    "W. Bush, this man is a war criminal, and we will see"

    "I think the British nation has never been faced with a tragedy like this fellow [Blair]."

    "We're going to drag the drunken junkie nose of Bush through Iraq's desert, him and his follower dog Blair...There are 26 million Saddams in Iraq"

    "When we were making the law, when we were writing the literature and the mathematics the grandfathers of Blair and little Bush were scratching around in caves"

    About Bush: "the leader of the international criminal gang of bastards."

    "the insane little dwarf Bush"

    "The midget Bush and that Rumsfield deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere."

    "Rumsfeld, he needs to be hit on the head"

    "Bush is a very stupid man. The American people are not stupid, they are very clever. I can't understand how such clever people came to elect such a stupid president."

    "Who is this dog Franks in Qatar?"

    "Bush doesn't even know if Spain is a republic or a kingdom, how can they follow this man?"

    "Bush, Blair and Rumsfeld. They are the funny trio"

    Bush "knows that he is standing in quicksand when it comes to his baseless talk on Iraq"

    "This criminal (Bush) in the White House is a stupid criminal"

    On U.S. General Richard Myers: "He must be crazy" His reports are "basic propaganda".

    Rumsfeld is a "crook" and "the most despicable creature."

    Rumsfeld is "the worst kind of bastard"

And of course....
    "Lying is forbidden in Iraq. President Saddam Hussein will tolerate nothing but truthfulness as he is a man of great honor and integrity. Everyone is encouraged to speak freely of the truths evidenced in their eyes and hearts."

    "I triple guarantee you, there are no American soldiers in Baghdad."

    "Britain is not worth an old shoe"

    "We will welcome them with bullets and shoes."

    "The United Nations....[is] a place for prostitution under the feet of Americans."

The most famous quote of all from Sahaf...


    "God will roast their stomachs in hell at the hands of Iraqis."

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 Saturday, April 26, 2003

 

Raw Justice from US Forces in Iraq

Iraqis Humiliated - Made to Walk Naked in a Park in Baghdad



A Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet on 25 April 2003, published photos of armed US soldiers forcing Iraqi men to walk naked through a park. An Arabic phrase that translates as "Ali Baba - Thief." was written on the chests of the men. One US soldier said these men are thieves





Amnesty International has made a press release condemning the action of the US Forces (read below)
    AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
    News Flash
    AI Index: MDE 14/097/2003 (Public)
    News Service No: 103
    25 April 2003

    Iraq: Stripped naked and humiliated by US soldiers

    Amnesty International expressed concern today at the disturbing article and images portrayed in the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet which show American soldiers escorting naked Iraqi men through a park in Baghdad. The pictures reveal that someone has written the words 'Ali Baba - Haram(i)' (which means Ali Baba - thief) in Arabic on the prisoners' chests.

    The article quotes a US military officer as saying that this treatment is an effective method of deterring thieves from entering the park and is a method which will be used again; another US military officer is quoted as saying that US soldiers are not allowed to treat prisoners inhumanely.

    "If these pictures are accurate, this is an appalling way to treat prisoners. Such degrading treatment is a clear violation of the responsibilities of the occupying powers," Amnesty International said today.

    "Whatever the reason for their detention, these men must at all times be treated humanely. The US authorities must investigate this incident and publicly release their findings."

    Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention clearly states that "Protected persons are entitled in all circumstances, to respect for their persons, their honour, their family rights, their religious convictions and practices, and their manner and customs. They shall at all times be humanely treated, and shall be protected especially against all acts of violence or threats thereof and against insults and public curiosity".


    To link to the article from Dagbladet please go to: http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2003/04/25/367175.html

    For a full copy of Amnesty International's report: Iraq: Responsibilities of the occupying powers please go to:http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde140892003

    Public Document: For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566
    Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web: http://www.amnesty.org

    For latest human rights news view http://news.amnesty.org






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  ......SCANNING ......

MALAYSIA

  • The Malaysian Government has lifted the ban on Bup Kudus, the Iban-language Bible, but advised parties to exercise care when translating religious works. Acting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the issue in question – the use of the word Allah Tala for God in the Iban language – had been resolved.

  • The ban caught many by surprise, especially those from the East Malaysian state of Sarawak, home to 400,000 members of the Iban tribe, because that version of the Bible had been in use for about 15 years.It is understood that the censors' main objection was that the book contained the phrase 'Allah Taala', or Almighty God.As this phrase was used widely in Islamic literature, the authorities feared that its liberal usage in the holy book of another religion could create confusion among Muslims.

  • The issue on the use of the word "Allah" in the Christian Bible was hotly debated by several online readers in Malaysian's only independent online news website, Malaysiakini.

    AFGHANISTAN

  • U.S. soldiers exchanged fire today with suspected Taliban fighters in eastern Afghanistan. One American soldier was killed and several were wounded, one seriously, the military said.An Afghan soldier accompanying the patrol of about 35 U.S. Special Forces soldiers in Paktika province also was hurt, Col. Roger King said. King said one U.S. soldier was killed and five were wounded.At least three of the suspected Taliban fighters were killed, while the remainder escaped across the nearby border into Pakistan.

    NORTH KOREA CRISIS

  • Talks in Beijing between North Korea and US failed to achieve productive outcomes.Washington officials refuse to use the word "breakdown". They note that the two countries had agreed to further discussions, albeit at a time and a level yet to be set. But a crucial decision is moving closer for Mr Bush: whether to follow the example of Bill Clinton and engage with North Korea, or tighten the diplomatic and economic isolation of the regime.

    SARS -UPDATE

  • A test developed to detect the SARS virus appears to be far from fool-proof in diagnosing the disease. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said this week that about seven of the 13 probable cases of SARS that were tested came up negative. The CDC also said that of 32 cases classified as "suspected" rather than "probable," all came up negative.

  • Experts believe that from analysis of the latest statistics on the global SARS epidemic, at least 10 per cent of people who contract the new virus will die of the disease. The low death rates of about four per cent (4 %)cited until now by the World Health Organization and others are the result of a statistical difficult that normally hampers the early analysis of new disease outbreaks. This difficulty is the reason for the apparent rise in death rate - not a change in the SARS virus. A fatality rate of over 10 per cent puts SARS on a par with some other RNA viruses. Yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis, spread by tropical mosquitoes, between them kill more than 10,000 people a year, even though both have vaccines. Lassa fever kills about 70,000 a year in West Africa, but people mainly catch it from a local mouse. Because these infections need animal vectors that only exist regionally, none has ever gone global. But the SARS vector - humans - is everywhere.

    THE ASIAN REGIONThe OECD warned this week that the overall economic fallout from SARS f or the worst affected Asian countries could be significant. The deadly Sars virus, currently sweeping the Asia Pacific region, appears poised to wreak havoc on domestic economies and has already sent equity markets into a sharp downward spiral.

    HONGKONG
  • Hong Kong said most SARS victims have shown good responses to a combination of the anti-viral medicine ribavirin and steroids. But global health officials have doubts and doctors from Singapore and Canada, both hit hard by SARS outbreaks, said late Friday they've not seen good results from those drugs.

  • Three babies were delivered prematurely to mothers infected by the disease . And the babies themselves may be infected. Doctors performed the Caesarean-section births because the expectant mothers were getting sicker, and there were fears the fetuses could be deformed if the women received a cocktail treatment of antiviral drugs and steroids being given to SARS patients here.

    CHINA:
  • A third Beijing hospital was sealed off Friday because of the SARS virus and more than 4,000 people were quarantined at home, part the capital city's sweeping measures that some angry residents say have come too late.A waitress at a hotel complained that "the government hardly told us anything about SARS" a week ago."Now we're having a big campaign, but I still have suspicions that we're not getting all the information," said the woman, who would give only her family name, Chen.

    TAIWAN
  • Taiwan's Government says it will stop issuing visas to travellers from Hong Kong for a month to protect against the spread of the SARS virus.In the last 24-hours eight people have been diagnosed with SARS in Taiwan, half of them from a single hospital in the capital Taipei.The hospital has been closed, and its 200 patients are being treated in isolation.

    SAUDI ARABIA
  • A 13 year-old boy has died in Saudi Arabia in what an official said might have been the kingdom's first case of the respiratory disease SARS. "Symptoms similar to those of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome were witnessed in the case of the boy," including high temperature and difficulty breathing, said Salem al-Jahni, an official at Erfan Hospital in the western city of Jiddah said Thursday

    NEW YORK
  • New York City is home to 18 potential cases of SARS, although that number could increase in the near future, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reported Thursday.All of the cases were diagnosed in patients who had traveled to areas where the disease is more common, and so far, New Yorkers are not infecting one another, the DOHMH said.

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     Friday, April 25, 2003

     

    Shiite Leader Says US Occupation Unacceptable

    Anthony Shadid of Washington Post reports (24 April)

    Abdul Aziz Hakim, an influential Shiite leader, said U.S. occupation was unacceptable and urged U.S. officials to turn over administration of Iraq to "a national and independent government."

    "The American presence is unacceptable and there's no justification for it staying in Iraq," said Hakim, the deputy leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq and a brother of its Tehran-based leader, Ayatollah Mohammed Bakir Hakim.

    It is another worrying sign among Iraq's 60 percent Shiite majority over U.S. intentions. It had also led some U.S. officials to voice concern that the Islamic government in neighboring Iran, with a predominantly Shiite population, may intefere in Iraq.

    Today marked the end of the traditional 40-day mourning period that follows the anniversary of the death of imam Hussein, the prophet Muhammad's grandson who was killed in a battle in Karbala in 680. Tens of thousands marched today under green, black and red banners. As with Shiite movements in revolutionary Iran in the 1970s and Lebanon in the 1980s, they tapped religious symbolism to frame an overtly political message.

    "No to imperialism, no to Israel, no to America, no to Saddam," one slogan went. "Yes to Islam," another said."We want them out," said Ali Abdel-Hussein, 23. "We know America, we know how it deals with the rest of the world."

    U.S. officials have acknowledged being caught off guard by the authority the Shiite clergy have commanded in Iraq.

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    Some Museum Looting Done For Safe Keeping

    It appears that at least a small portion of the thousands of objects that disappeared were "looted" for safekeeping.

    Muslim clerics have announced over mosque loudspeakers that anyone with looted items should return them to museum curators, no questions asked. U.S. reconstruction officials said they plan to air similar messages on Iraqi radio stations starting tonight.

    U.S. forces have drawn worldwide criticism for failing to quickly seal off the museum as they seized Baghdad, allowing the plunder of one of the world's greatest collections of artifacts from Mesopotamia and other ancient civilizations of the Tigris-Euphrates valley.

    U.S. forces have drawn worldwide criticism for failing to quickly seal off the museum as they seized Baghdad, allowing the plunder of one of the world's greatest collections of artifacts from Mesopotamia and other ancient civilizations of the Tigris-Euphrates valley.

    Monte Reel of Washington Post relates an eye-witness account of one Iraqi 's heroics

      Namir Ibrahim Jamil, a 33-year-old Iraqi pianist said that 11 days ago he watched in horror as looters ransacked the museum, hauling away as much of Iraq's tangible legacy as they could carry. He said he decided to do the same -- not to seek a fortune on the black market, but to hide the antiquities in his house until it was safe to return them.

      As he recounts it, on April 12 he drove to the city of Karbala to pick up relatives who had fled Baghdad before the war. When he returned to the capital, U.S. military roadblocks forced him to take an alternate route, past the museum. There he saw the looting and decided to act, he said. His brother and a brother-in-law joined with him in entering the opened gates of the museum, where they grabbed everything they could.

      For Jamil, a longtime student of the piano, culture had generally meant the compositions of Bach and Beethoven, but he said he remembered lessons in Iraqi history from his school days. He recognized the statue of Assyrian King Shalmaneser III, which lay in several pieces on the floor. He collected all the fragments, including slivers that had been chipped away from a blow to the statue's midsection.

      "It is our history, our heritage, our civilization," Jamil said today. "So I knew it was a very valuable thing."

      They filled the van and drove it home, then returned for another load. At his home, he gathered foam and plastic and wrapped the art objects. The next day, he contacted Donny George, director general of research and study for the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities, to tell him what he had.

      Today George was at the museum and said he had told Jamil to keep the things until the museum was secure."I am so happy," George said, patting his heart with affection for Jamil.

      George embraced him by the door of his van; Jamil sobbed in his arms.

      Other people carried the returned items through the door and under the domed ceiling of the museum's lobby, which -- like almost every other government building in Iraq -- is decorated with a painting of the now deposed president, Saddam Hussein.

      Just minutes after Jamil arrived with his second van load, a U.S. Army truck pulled up at the museum carrying about 80 Iraqi paintings, the oldest of them dating to the 19th century. Officers with the 308th Civil Affairs Brigade said they recovered the paintings from a sewage-flooded vault in a heavily damaged building about a quarter-mile from the museum.

      Some of the paintings had frames still dripping with water, some had jagged rips in the canvas. "They had these paintings just sitting in the water," said Col. Vincent Foulk, of Urbana, Ohio. "In some cases, you could see paint literally dripping off."

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    Taliban Trying A Comeback in Afghanistan

    This report by Noor Khan
    Associated Press
    24 April 2003

    Remnants of former Taliban and al-Qaida have stepped up attacks in recent months on government offices and foreigners in Afghanistan in an attempt to make a comeback. Afghan authorities believe Taliban remnants are regrouping, with militants from crossing the countries' long, porous frontier with Pakistan.

    On Wednesday, abouat 80 Taliban fighters attacked a government office Chapan in Zabul province, 150 miles northeast of the city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan usingrockets and automatic weapons in a four-hour shootout. Two Afghan soldiers and three assailants dead, a senior official said on Thursday.The assailants then retreated to a nearby mountainous region.

    Many of the attacks have occurred in areas of southern Afghanistan, close to the mountainous border with Pakistan, where many Taliban militants are believed to be hiding.

    Two Afghan soldiers were killed on Wednesday when a land mine blew up their vehicle when they were traveling between Jalalabad, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province, and Tora Bora.

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    Googling search on SARS

    SARS- If not mentioned in proper context can mean any of the following:


    • South African Revenue Service, South Africa
    • Safety and Reliability Service - a UK based society affiliated with the Engineering Council, Clayton House, 59 Piccadilly Manchester UK
    • Spatial Analysis of Remote Sensing - Santa Catalina, 5.18300 Loja, Granada , Spain
    • Samples of Anonymous Records - at the Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research (CCSR), University of Manchester
    • Southeast Antique Radio Society - Atlanta club dedicated to preservation and appreciation of antique radios, P. O. Box 1055 Tucker, GA.
    • Student Accounts Registrar Services - Pace University, New York
    • Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad - 1601 North Coalter Street, Staunton, VA 24401 USA
    • Scientific Apparatus Recycling Scheme -Dept. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UCL, Gower Street London
    • San Antonio Rocket Society - 5807 Babcock Road, PMB 165 San Antonio Texas 78240-2196
    • Svenska AMC/Rambler Sällskapet, Båtvägen 16,792 50 MORA,SWEDEN
    • Second Alarmers Rescue Squad -307 Davisville Rd. in Willow Grove, Montgomery County, Pa. USA


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    US Forces caught up with Tariq Aziz



    TARIQ AZIZ
    U.S. forces in Iraq have taken custody of Tariq Aziz, the former deputy prime minister of Iraq. He was the eight of spades in the military's card deck of top Iraqi leaders and No: 43 on the U.S. list of the 55 most-wanted members of the former government.

    Aziz could provide information on the fate of Saddam and his two sons, and locations of any hidden weapons of mass destruction.

    He was the only Christian in Saddam's inner circle; born Mikhail Yuhanna to a Chaldean Catholic family, he later changed his name to Tariq Aziz. He was born in Tell Kaif, Iraq, in 1936. He studied English at the Baghdad College of Fine Arts and became a teacher and then a journalist, rising to chief editor of al-Thawra, the Baath Party newspaper. After the party took power in 1968, he took a series of ever more powerful posts. He joined the Baath Party in 1957, working closely with Saddam to overthrow British-imposed monarchy.

    He served as foreign minister during the 1991 Persian Gulf War and was a frequent spokesman at that time. Aziz last appeared in public March 19, when he held a news conference in Baghdad to quash rumors he had fled the Iraqi capital. "I am carrying my pistol to confirm to you that we are ready to fight the aggressors," Aziz said then. "American soldiers are nothing but mercenaries and they will be defeated."

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    N.Korea to US: Try Call Our Bluff - We Have Nukes

    North Korea told the United States: "We have nuclear weapons."

    According to unnamed US officials during talks in Beijing this week. "They said what we always knew -- that they do have (nuclear) weapons. That doesn't shock us. We've been saying that. Now they said it," according to a US Administration source.

    North Korean negotiators told U.S. officials in Beijing it would export them or conduct a "physical demonstration " U.S. officials said today. CIA has estimated it had the materials for one or two devices.

    According to one U.S. official said on anonymity, that Li Gun, deputy director in North Korea's Foreign Ministry for American affairs , took Assistant Secretary of State James A. Kelly aside and said to him: "We've got nukes. We can't dismantle them. It's up to you whether we do a physical demonstration or transfer them." U.S. officials have yet to pin down the exact meaning, whether it meant it would test a nuclear weapon.

    Li also said the reprocessing 8,000 spent fuel rods is completed. US officials think it is a bluff but many analysts believed fuel rods can be used for two to three nuclear bombs within a few months.

    Meanwhile Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States would not be intimidated by "bellicose statements" or threats from Pyongyang.

    North Korea said it was ready to settle the potential conflict but that depends on the United States dropping its hostile policy toward Pyongyang.

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     Thursday, April 24, 2003

     

    SARS NEWS... the Latest



    The SARS Disaster in China




    SARS epidemic in China would have a serious effect on the global economy, Michael Finger, a senior economist for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) said today. "China has become a big motor of international trade," he told a news conference on the WTO's release of global trade figures for 2002 and its outlook for 2003.

    "If growth in China were dramatically affected by SARS, it would have repercussions for the rest of the world. The immediate effect would be in East Asia, because of the large amount of inter-regional trade, but the economic consequences would spread to other areas without a doubt...Everything is so interlinked."

    The WTO figures for 2002 showed that China, which joined the WTO at the end of 2001, had increased trade by a massive 20% while other key regions had stagnated, and ousted Britain from fifth position among top trading powers.

    **************************


    SARS virus could be more devastating than AIDS.

    Warns Dr Patrick Dickson,Fellow at the Centre for Management Development at London Business School. Dr Dixon, is one of Europe's experts on predicting global trends

    He said: "It is worth remembering that AIDS has infected 80 million people so far over 15 to 20 years. AIDS spreads slowly so we can track it and plan for it. We have effective anti- viral drugs which can prolong life.

    But this is different, we don't have the time. This is a far more serious epidemic potentially than AIDS. In a country like India, which is chaotic with minimum health provision, the potential for spreading the virus is huge. The main concern was rural, isolated areas in China and around the world. If current trends continued, there could be a billion cases within 60 weeks.

    The World Health Organisation representative in China, Henk Bekedam, said there was potential for a disaster in China's poorer western provinces, noting a single patient can spread the illness quickly. "If China is not able to deal with SARS, then it will be very problematic to deal with globally. That is the problem in dealing with diseases like SARS -- they don't respect borders," Bekedam told reporters in a telephone briefing.

    Britons were advised not to travel to Toronto, Hong Kong and the Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Beijing and Shanxi because of SARS.


    **************************


    SARS virus is now attacking the intestines as well as the respiratory system

    According to a leading Hong Kong microbiologist, Professor Malik Peiris of Hong Kong University said yesterday. The change might indicate the virus had mutated, as many experts feared.

    There had been growing concern the virus is becoming more virulent. Doctors had been noticing changes in the way the disease behaves and whom it kills. A number of deaths over the past week have occurred in younger, previously healthy people - one being a 34-year-old pregnant women. An increasing number of those infected with SARS are now suffering from diarrhoea.

    Organ failure was also now becoming more common. "Initially patients were presenting with just respiratory failure. Now we're seeing renal failure and other organ failure." according to Tom Buckley, the head of the intensive care unit at Hong Kong's Princess Margaret Hospital

    **************************


    SARS has the potential to totally disrupt Australian health care system

    According to Peter Cameron, Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong. Professor Cameron is an Australian, working at the centre of the SARS epidemic, which has now killed more than 200 people and infected 3800.

    " There would be a shortage of intensive care beds, ventilators and trained staff. Apart from the potential to use hundreds of general ward beds - a disaster in itself given the bed capacity of most Australian hospitals - the biggest threat is the need for intensive care unit [ICU] beds," he said yesterday in an online Medical Journal of Australia editorial.

    Professor Cameron predicted that if there were 200 cases in Sydney or Melbourne, of which 20 to 30per cent required intensive care, there would be little likelihood of finding 50 ICU beds at short notice.ICU staff also risk contracting the disease .

    Richard Smallwood, the Federal Government's chief medical officer, said despite Professor Cameron's concerns, health care systems always found capacity in times of emergency. "We have been in touch with Peter and take what he has to say extremely seriously," Professor Smallwood said.

    He said infection control guidelines and the availability of isolation rooms would be under constant review. "The level of preparedness is solid, everyone is alerted and moving to make as sure as possible that they are going to be able to cope with a substantial outbreak."

    Australia was lucky to avoid an outbreak of the deadly SARS virus so far but unlikely to remain free of the disease for long, the NSW government said.

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