BAGHDAD, NEWCASTLE, AND BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN. (Baghdad)

Member Name: Aang

Product:	Baghdad
Date:	31/03/03 (240 review reads)
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"I hate Saddam, but I will fight the British and Americans," whispered Ali, a wiry Shia businessman who was sitting in the almost empty restaurant of Baghdad's six star Al-Rasheed Hotel. "In 1991 Shias were slaughtered when Bush Senior decided to keep Saddam in power, rather than let the majority Shias take over. Bush Senior knew that the Shias would not do the bidding of the Americans. His main aim was to keep Iraq weak and easy to control. He preferred Saddam to the Shias."

"But now Bush Junior wants Saddam out," I commented.

"Not necessarily," said Ali. "Saddam was always a CIA asset. Maybe he still is. But the aim of this war may not be to topple Saddam."

"What are the aims of this war?"

"First, to make money for America's military-industrial complex. The longer the war goes on the more money is spent on armaments. Second, to keep Iraq weak and divided. The longer the war goes on, the more of Iraq is destroyed, and the more Israel is strengthened. Third, to turn people in America against Moslems. The longer the war goes on, the more the Americans will hate Moslems, and the happier Israel will be. Fourth, to persuade Americans that they need to keep the fascist Bush in power. The war will increase Bush's popularity and distract people's attention from the economic problems of America. Fifth, to get the oil. The US doesn't need to take the whole of Iraq; all it needs is the oil."

"So you think the Americans would rather have Saddam than a Shia government?"

"It's possible. Last time there was an Iraqi plot to topple Saddam, the CIA gave the plot away. And now the Americans seem to be playing a double game."

"I thought the Americans wanted to introduce democracy to Iraq."

"America never supports democracy. Look at Iran. The Americans toppled the democratically elected
Mossadeq and put in the Shah who was a dictator. When the Shah became too powerful and talked of getting nuclear weapons, the CIA and MI6 put Khomeini into power."

"I thought Khomeini was an enemy of the USA."

"The CIA helped finance Khomeini."

"You are suggesting that the USA wants to control the whole world."

"The US keeps undemocratic people in power in Kuwait, in Saudi Arabia, in Egypt and in so many other places. The US put the Greek colonels into power and used terror in Italy to frustrate democracy. "

As I left the hotel I stepped over the face of Bush Senior. A mosaic on the pavement outside the hotel shows the face of the former US president.

Baghdad is a noisy Third World city and, being surrounded by desert, a bit dry and dusty. The air almost smells of camels.

My vehicle took me to:

1. Caliphs Street with its churches and mosques.

2. Al Khadimain, one of the many mosques with beautiful domes, minarets, arabesques, glazed-tile walls and calligraphy.

3. Al-Takhrir Square with its red and white taxis.

4. the Saadun Monument commemorating the poet who fought against the British occupation.

5. The al-Amiriya air raid shelter where the Americans murdered over 1,000 civilians in 1991.

6. Rashid Street with its old souqs.

The souq area has ancient cars, donkeys and tea vendors who carry glasses on silver trays.
You can buy hand-made carpets, pomegranite juice, old watches, and copper pots.

7. Abu Nawas Street which runs alongside the swift brown Tigris and which is famous for its cafes and restaurants .

I dined on 'Al-mazgouf' fish, grilled on an open fire and served with pickles and vegetables. I chatted to my driver, a thin scholarly man with a doctorate from a good university.

"Many parts of Baghdad look dilapidated," I said.
r>"This country would have been very rich and very powerful, if it had not been for constant interventions by foreign powers," replied my fellow diner. "The British bombed us from the air in 1918, simply because we did not want to be governed by the British. In 1921 the British took away a part of Iraq called Kuwait."

"Why did we take away Kuwait?"

"To stop us having access to the Persian Gulf."

"Any more examples of interventions?"

"The CIA overthrew the popular leader of Iraq in 1963. Saddam was probably one of the CIA's assets at that time. Move forward to 1972 when the Baath Party talked of nationalising the oil. The USA temporarily plotted with the Kurds against Iraq and then forced Iraq to hand over the Shatt-al-Arab waterway to Iran. Forward to 1979 and the USA's Brzezinski tried to get Iraq to attack Iran. The US indicated that Iraq could take back the Shatt-al-Arab waterway."

"What was the US up to?"

"Trying to keep both Iran and Iraq weak. In 1984 Reagan was sharing intelligence with both Iraq and Iran. The US supplied weapons to Iraq and to Iran. Oliver North told Iran that that the USA would help Iran to topple Saddam. At the same time, the USA was increasing aid to Iraq. Move forward to the 1990's. Russia was no longer a threat and so the Pentagon and military-industrial complex needed to invent new enemies."

"That takes us to the first Gulf War."

"In 1990 the US-controlled Gulf states dumped oil on the world markets. That reduced the price of oil and made it difficult for Iraq to pay its debts. Kuwait began stealing Iraq'oil, using slant drilling. The US then dropped hints to Iraq that it would turn a blind eye to Iraq taking some of the oil just inside Kuwait. That led to Saddam's invasion of Kuwait and to the USA being able to place troops inside Saudi Arabia. Saddam
agreed to withdraw his troops from Kuwait, but the war went ahead anyway. The USA bombed the road that was to be used for Iraq's retreat and thousands of people, including civilians, were killed a 'turkey shoot.' Even after the ceasefire, the US infantry murdered thousands of Iraqi soldiers."

"And after the war there were sanctions."

"It's not just the sanctions that have killed people. Cancer in Iraqi children has increased 400% since the Gulf War because of the depleted uranium munitions dropped by Allied forces."

"And what about Iraq's more ancient history?"

"Ah! I will tell you about the oldest work of imaginative literature on earth. It is roughly 4,000 years old, from the time of the Sumerians."

"What is this work?"

"The Epic of Gilgamesh! It tells the story of Uta-Napishti who was told by some god to build a boat and fill it with seed-plants and animals. The boat was to save this man from a flood. The Israelites probably got their story of Noah from the Epic of Gilgamesh. Iraq is the Cradle of Civilization; the birthplace of the civilization that took us from prehistory to history. An advanced civilization was found here here long before that of Egypt, Greece, and Rome."

My driver took me to his simple home for tea. I met his wife and beautiful children.

"I like the British," he said. "I used to live in Earl's Court. I'd go to the local for my pint of bitter. I'm a supporter of Newcastle football team."

I found the Iraqis to be hospitable, charming and well educated.