This war is about U.S. occupation and rule over Iraq -- Akahata editorial, April 10U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair held talks and announced that "Coalition forces will remain in Iraq as long as necessary", in their joint statement on April 8 indicating that their military occupation will continue over a long period of time.
Stating that they "support the formation of a Iraqi Interim Authority", Bush and Blair expressed their intention to play a leading role in establishing a government.
The two leaders also stated, "The United Nations has a vital role to play" but they also said the U.N. role will be limited to one of supplementing the occupation rule, such as the supply of food and medicine. This means that the United Nations will only be asked to help Iraq in the aftermath of the U.S.-British attack on Iraq that devastated cities and caused many casualties among the Iraqi people.
The U.S.-British summit in effect has revealed that their attack on Iraq was a war of aggression aimed at occupying and controlling Iraq; it was neither aimed at eliminating Iraq's weapons of mass destruction nor liberating the people of Iraq.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and a presidential aide have disclosed their true intention, saying, "It would be natural to expect that after having given life and blood to liberate Iraq, that the coalition intends to have a leading role," suggesting that the United States and Britain have the right to share the spoils of war.
Who on earth has given the U.S. and British leaders the right to invade Iraq, kill and injure innocent people, occupy the country militarily, and set up a government under their thumb?
The United States has revealed a plan to put the interim authority under the control of the U.S. Central Command commander who led the savage war. Nothing shows more clearly than this that the U.S. war on Iraq is aimed at overthrowing the present regime, imposing U.S. rule, and rewarding vested interests in Iraq.
The United States and Britain say that their forces will be stationed in Iraq until the country becomes safe enough for them to be able to travel. Safety, however, will not be ensured to these forces which fired at the Iraqi people as the enemy.
Also, we must not forget that Iraq is not the only target of U.S. hegemony aiming to topple another country's government by force.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz stated that the toppling of the Iraqi regime can be an inspiration to the Muslim world and the Arab world that they can create a democratic country, a declaration that the United States will expand its activities to topple the governments of other Middle East and Muslim countries by force.
The world in the 21st century should not be one that tolerates such arbitrariness and lawlessness that destroys the international peace.
That's what the growing anti-Iraq war movement is about. In many countries and regions, broad sections of people regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, language, ideology, and political belief are participating in movements against the war in Iraq. The United States and Britain are being condemned by the international community.
The United States must stop the mass destruction now before talking of postwar "reconstruction" or "government" in Iraq. No matter what type of Iraqi government is envisaged, no one but the Iraqi people has the right to decide on their government.
History shows that no nation will accept a government imposed from outside by force. This is why wars of aggression have all been defeated.
How anachronistic it is to invade another country and try to establish a government loyal to the invaders, since it is an act completely rejected by the international community in the 20th century!
Stop the war of aggression first
The United States started the war in violation of the U.N. Charter and continues indiscriminate killings of innocent Iraqi civilians using weapons of mass destruction. These are clearly criminal acts. The United States is not qualified to talk of Iraq's "reconstruction" or "humanitarian assistance".
Also, the occupation forces are duty-bound under international law to supply food and medicines for residents in the occupied areas to ensure their safety.
The longer the U.S. occupation of Iraq continues, the longer will their hardships persist, causing more casualties. (end)