+++
JORDAN TIMES 15 Dec.'03:
"Editorial:What next?"
QUOTES FROM TEXT:
"This ... is a major development which marks the end of an
era."
"need to see a plan that offers a clear roadmap to the final
objective of leaving the running of Iraq to a democratically
elected Iraqi government."
"Unless they have a promise to cling to, the Iraqi quagmire will
continue to drag Iraq and the rest of the region into further
dispair, instability and misery.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------EXCERPTS:
THE CAPTURE of ... Saddam Hussein offers closure to one long difficult
chapter in modern Iraqi history. The myth is shattered. The once feared
leader of Iraq is now a prisoner behind bars. His chances of return to power
are impossible. This, by any serious standard, is a major development that
marks the end of an era, with all the pain, suffering, and various
expectations that it had carried.
[IMRA: But the editorialist does not welcome , much less celebrate,
the change.
But it is also the beginning of a new era that offers its own set of
extremely complex and trying challenges. With the shadow of Saddam no longer
hanging over the future of Iraq, the target now is to rebuild what
dictatorship, war and lack of clearly articulated strategies have destroyed.
... how will the man who ruled Iraq with an iron fist for decades be
treated. Many Iraqis who suffered the wrath Saddam inflicted upon them and
their families would want an eye for an eye.
[IMRA: Misuse of phrase "eye for an eye" to mean vengence without
justice.]
But many other Iraqis who want to build a new modern, democratic Iraq
want the law to take its course. ... Saddam should receive a fair trial
that will reflect the new Iraq. ... Revenge against Saddam is not the
answer - his trial is. The law will ultimately prevail, and the former Iraqi
leader will receive the punishment specified by the law.
[IMRA: There is not the slightest indication to the contrary.]
The US ...cannot afford to be intoxicated by the victory that the
arrest of Saddam represents. The Americans erred greatly in entering Iraq
without having a clear plan of action.
[IMRA: No plan could have contemplated the evil Iraqis inflicted on
themselves."
They now have a chance to right some of their wrongs and move steadily
towards helping build a safe and modern Iraq. The US has showed resolve in
conducting its military operations. The Iraqis deserve the same resolve in
Washington's plans to fix the power supply, end fuel shortages and provide
basic commodities. They need to see a plan that offers a clear roadmap to
the final objective of leaving the running of Iraq to a democratically
elected Iraqi government.
[IMRA: How rapidly can this be done? Is the new Iraq to be more
democratic than Jordan?]
The Americans can now focus on helping rebuild what the sanctions and
war have destroyed. Their responsibilities towards the Iraqis are enormous.
...
...the excitement over the arrest of Saddam will soon fade as the
continued absence of security and basic commodities remind the Iraqis of
their grim reality. When the excitement ends, Iraqis will once again start
wondering when their lives will return to normal and when the foreign
occupation forces will leave their land. Unless they have a promise to cling
to, the Iraqi quagmire will continue to drag Iraq and the rest of the region
into further despair, instability and misery.
[IMRA: Jordan never comlpained about Saddam's rule. Instead,
Jordan supported demonstrations, person-to-person operations and was the
launching-pad for pro-Iraq operations. Interesting that the editorialist
has no advice on how Iraq's neighbors should help.]
+++JORDAN TIMES 15 Dec.'03:
"Editorial:What next?"
SUBJECT:Iraq is US test.
QUOTES FROM TEXT:
"This ... is a major development which marks the end of an
era."
"need to see a plan that offers a clear roadmap to the final
objecxtive of leaving the running of Iraq to a democratically
elected Iraqi government."
"Unless they have a promise to cling to, the Iraqi quagmire will
continue to drag Iraq and the rest of the region into further
dispair, instability and misery.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------EXCERPTS:
THE CAPTURE of ... Saddam Hussein offers closure to one long difficult
chapter in modern Iraqi history. The myth is shattered. The once feared
leader of Iraq is now a prisoner behind bars. His chances of return to power
are impossible. This, by any serious standard, is a major development that
marks the end of an era, with all the pain, suffering, and various
expectations that it had carried.
[IMRA: But the editorialist does not welcome , much less celebrate,
the change.
But it is also the beginning of a new era that offers its own set of
extremely complex and trying challenges. With the shadow of Saddam no longer
hanging over the future of Iraq, the target now is to rebuild what
dictatorship, war and lack of clearly articulated strategies have destroyed.
... how will the man who ruled Iraq with an iron fist for decades be
treated. Many Iraqis who suffered the wrath Saddam inflicted upon them and
their families would want an eye for an eye.
[IMRA: Misuse of phrase "eye for an eye" to mean vengence without
justice.]
But many other Iraqis who want to build a new modern, democratic Iraq
want the law to take its course. ... Saddam should receive a fair trial
that will reflect the new Iraq. ... Revenge against Saddam is not the
answer - his trial is. The law will ultimately prevail, and the former Iraqi
leader will receive the punishment specified by the law.
[IMRA: There is not the slightest indication to the contrary.]
The US ...cannot afford to be intoxicated by the victory that the
arrest of Saddam represents. The Americans erred greatly in entering Iraq
without having a clear plan of action.
[IMRA: No plan could have contemplated the evil Iraqis inflicted on
themselves."
They now have a chance to right some of their wrongs and move steadily
towards helping build a safe and modern Iraq. The US has showed resolve in
conducting its military operations. The Iraqis deserve the same resolve in
Washington's plans to fix the power supply, end fuel shortages and provide
basic commodities. They need to see a plan that offers a clear roadmap to
the final objective of leaving the running of Iraq to a democratically
elected Iraqi government.
[IMRA: How rapidly can this be done? Is the new Iraq to be more
democratic than Jordan?]
The Americans can now focus on helping rebuild what the sanctions and
war have destroyed. Their responsibilities towards the Iraqis are enormous.
...
...the excitement over the arrest of Saddam will soon fade as the
continued absence of security and basic commodities remind the Iraqis of
their grim reality. When the excitement ends, Iraqis will once again start
wondering when their lives will return to normal and when the foreign
occupation forces will leave their land. Unless they have a promise to cling
to, the Iraqi quagmire will continue to drag Iraq and the rest of the region
into further despair, instability and misery.
[IMRA: Jordan never comlpained about Saddam's rule. Instead,
Jordan supported demonstrations, person-to-person operations and was the
launching-pad for pro-Iraq operations. Interesting that the editorialist
has no advice on how Iraq's neighbors should help.]
+++
JORDAN TIMES 15 Dec.'03:
"Palestinians mark 'black day'"
SUBJECT: Palesstrinians lament Saddam's capture.
QUOTES FROM TEXT:
"Disbelief and gloom seized many Palestinians ... at news of
Saddam Hussein's capture"
"senior leader of Hamas group said the United States would
'pay a very high price for the mistake' of capturing Saddam."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------EXCERPTS:
RAMALLAH (Reuters) - Disbelief and gloom seized many Palestinians on
Sunday at news of Saddam Hussein's capture ... .
The former Iraqi ruler was a hero to many Palestinians for his stand
against Israel and its US ally, as well as for giving financial aid to the
families of Palestinian suicide bombers and others who died in a
three-year-old uprising.
. . .
"It's a black day in history," said Sadiq Husam, 33, a taxi driver in
Ramallah, West Bank seat of the Palestinian Authority.
"I am saying so not because Saddam is an Arab, but because he is the
only man who said 'no' to American injustice in the Middle East," he said.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and his government made no
comment. But Abdul Aziz Al Rantissi, a senior leader of the Hamas group,
said the United States would "pay a very high price for the mistake" of
capturing Saddam.
"What the United States did is ugly and despicable. It is an insult to
all Arabs and an insult to Muslims," he told Reuters.
Islamic factions sworn to Israel's destruction have taken strength
from Iraqi resistance and cautioned on Sunday that Saddam's capture would
not end attacks on US forces.
. . .
Saddam paid over $35 million to the kin of Palestinian suicide
bombers, militants and bystanders who died in an uprising that began in
2000.
+++
JERUSALEM POST 15 Dec.'03
"Palestinians lament capture"
QUOTE FROM TEXT:
" 'President Arafat was sad to see an Arab leader in an humiliating
position' "
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
EXCERPTS:
Palestinians in the West Bank reacted to the capture of Saddam Hussein
with shocl and disbelief, with many expressing deep disappointment that the
man who symbolized defiance against the US and Israel surrendered without
resistance.
The Palestinian Authority declined to comment, but a senior official in
Ramallah said PA Chairman Yasser Arafat was "saddened" by the news from
Baghdad. "President Arafat was sad to see an Arab leader in an humiliating
position" he said.
+++
HAARETZ 15 Dec.'03Last update - 01:28 15/12/2003
"Saddam could reveal arms cache in deal"By Ze'ev Schiff
EXCERPTS
ATHENS - Deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein could be offered a deal in
which he would give his captors information on if and how he hid weapons of
mass destruction and if he smuggled some of them into Syria. In exchange, he
would face life imprisonment and not be executed for war crimes, senior
Iraqis attending a conference here on the future of the region have hinted.
. . .
The Iraqi figures also said that, even if the number of concealed weapons of
mass destruction is not large, Saddam will certainly know who he appointed
to take charge of the operation and in what area the weapons are being
stored.
The possibility that Saddam transferred some of the weapons to Syria was
raised on the eve of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, when satellite pictures
showed convoys moving from Iraq to Syria. It is still unknown precisely what
was transported..., but it is clear that this was a secret operation between
Iraq and Syria.
. . .
Iraqi representatives are divided over Saddam's expected trial. Some claim
that since most of his crimes, including the use of chemical weapons on the
Iraqi Kurdish population, were commited on Iraqi soil, he should be tried in
Iraq. Others claim this is not desirable and there should be an
international aspect to his trial.An Iraqi trial would make the internal
reconciliation more difficult and could be seen as an American
Iraqi-purifying trial.
[IMRA: Of what does the US need to be "purified"?]
A special international war crimes trial, however, would have greater
global resonance and would act as a deterrent against commiting war crimes
in the future.
[IMRA: And would probably exclude teh death penalty.]
Dr. Josph Lerner, Co-Director IMRA
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