The Two Souls of the Left: Pro-Tyrant and Democratic

“The establishment of no-fly zones in the Northern and Southern parts of Iraq ... were aimed at degrading and weakening Iraq’s human and material resources and capacities in order to facilitate its subsequent invasion and occupation. In this enterprise the US and British leaderships had the endorsement of a complicit UN Security Council".

(Preliminary Declaration of the Jury of Conscience World Tribunal on Iraq, 27 June 2005)

“Kurdistan lies across the top of Iraq in a blanket of beautiful mountains and forms northern Iraq. The Kurdish people have suffered imprisonment, torture and death at the hands of Saddam’s Baath’ist party and military power. In the provinces of Duhok and Arbil over 5000 villages were destroyed, thousands of people made homeless, countless numbers missing and killed, bombed, machined gunned, gassed, and poisoned by chemicals. Since 1991 due to the intervention of the United Nations and the courage of the Kurdish people, the country has had the opportunity to build, improve and modernise. The difference those years have made is remarkable, and can only pay tribute to the people of Iraqi Kurdistan and give hope to the people of Iraq for the future”.

(Brian Joyce, a member of the National Executive Commitee of the Fire Brigades Union provides an account of a recent trade union visit to Iraqi Kurdistan by his union to oversee delivery of 1250 sets of fire kit sent by the FBU). (AJ)