http://traprockpeace.org/

Zie ook:
http://www.traprockpeace.org/jawad_al-ali_iraq.pdf

Zie ook:
http://www.nuclearpolicy.org/NewsArticle.cfm?NewsID=577
http://www.uraniumweaponsconference.de/
http://www.chimerafilms.co.uk/children.html#morizumi



During the last 50 years, Iraq passed through many wars. The more
destructive one is the 1991 war (gulf war 2). In this war the
infrastructure of Iraq has been destroyed completely. The war targeted
the military as well as the civilian targets. The factories, government
buildings, bridges, and hospitals were destroyed. During this war and
for the first time in the history the allied forces used Depleted
uranium containing weapons extensively at the west parts of Basrah City
(more than 300 tons were delivered at that area). The estimated delivery
of depleted uranium all over Iraq was 800 tons. This Depleted uranium
led to the increased levels of radiation in the battlefield and the
nearby cities and countries. The levels of radiation in the area,
measured by the department of environmental engineering (college of
engineering, university of Baghdad ) reached hundreds to thousands times
the normal background levels in the Iraqi soil which is 70 Bq/kg of
soil. This radiation and other factors like chemicals and poor nutrition
caused many diseases (cancers, congenital malformation in children,
kidney diseases and infections?etc.), then the economic sanction is
added to increase the suffering of the Iraqis.

We were lacking food and medicines. The death rate among children is
increased because of poor nutrition and infections (more than 5 millions
of children died within the last 12 years). Although the Iraqi
government accepted the memorandum of understanding (oil for food and
medicines), the committee 661 of the Security Council has crippled this
memorandum in many ways. The committee delayed contracts, partially
accepting contracts and sometimes delaying payments to the companies
with which the contracts are signed.

The Iraqi people were deprived from the recent advances in different
sciences and technology. The newly issued journals and published books
were not allowed to enter and to reach the Iraqi universities. We were
pushed backward years behind the fast development of technology and we
are now suffering the great lag of that period.

The damaged factories, hospitals and bridges were reconstructed by the
Iraqi people but still unable to provide our requirements. The
electricity, the water supply, and the industries are not sufficient.

In addition, our own government (Saddam regime) assaulted our people by
low payments at work, which led to the low income of the families and
poor financial capabilities specially for those who have simple jobs.
This low financial income (2-5 dollars/month) led to the appearance and
the increase in the low social classes of population and low educational
levels. Children left their schools to work in order to increase their
families' income and to maintain their lives. We could say all aspects
of life have been affected by that war and it could be described as the
most destructive war against Iraq. It was dirty war because of the use
of weapons containing depleted uranium against military as well as
civilian targets.

The recent war (gulf war 3) in 2003 was a violation of the international
law and against the will of the international community, which opposed
this war. The reasons were unbelievable (the Iraqi weapons of mass
destruction which till now have no evidence).

During this war, again the depleted uranium was used extensively around
the city of Baghdad, city of Babylon, city of Karbala, city of Najef and
in the city of Basrah, which is still suffering the effects of the
depleted uranium of the gulf war 2 (1991). According to a report from
the Guardian newspaper 1000-2000 tons were delivered on 51 local areas
in different Iraqi cities. I witnessed the A-10 planes for three days
delivering the depleted uranium rounds against the tanks and armor
vehicles near Basrah airport and at the southern parts of Basrah city.
The estimated amount of this weapon of mass destruction is exceeding the
amount used in gulf war 2 (1991).

Again the infrastructure of our country is destroyed to greater extent.
More buildings were destroyed, libraries and other government buildings
were burned, the banks were robbed, and the occupation forces did not
take any action to protect these buildings, the schools and hospitals
from damage. Unknown people had stolen the Iraqi museum. All the Iraqi
army forces were released and no more army to protect the Iraqi cities.
In my opinion the aim of this war is the destruction of the Iraqi
structure, its history and its role in the civilization of the world.
Also to secure the oil of Iraq and Gulf States and to control all the
energy sources of the world and not merely the weapons of mass
destruction, which are not detected till this moment.

The rate of crime is increased to a dangerous level. Many people were
killed in the streets, at their homes and in their cars. Children and
girls were kidnapped from their schools. Doctors were killed at their
clinics. In spite of all these crimes the occupation forces did nothing
to stop it. Till now we have no elected government, and we have weak
police offices and no army to protect the people and their properties.
The electricity is not available and no healthy drinking water supply.
No security but we hope this situation will improve in the near future.

The resistance against the occupation forces is increasing and stills
active even after the capture of Saddam Hussein. This is mainly at the
middle and northern parts of Iraq, while at the south the resistance is
slight and nearly negligible. This is because the middle and northern
parts are more loyal to Saddam regime than the southern regions. The
aggressive behavior of the American soldiers worsens the situation in
their occupied areas. The more calm British soldiers made the resistance
less in the south. As revenge the Americans destroyed the houses and
killed many Iraqi people blindly without differentiation between
innocent people, terrorists and resistance militias. Thousands of people
were captured and put in prisons. In my opinion the Iraqi people dislike
occupation and will continue to fight until they extract their
sovereignty and to have their own elected government, which represents
all the parties and the different slices of community.

The health consequences of these wars affected mainly the people in the
south of Iraq. The rate of cancers is increased more than ten times
(that is 12 years after the gulf war 2) the rate in 1988. The death rate
from cancers increased 19 times the rate of death in 1988. The
congenital malformations in newly had borne babies increased 7 time the
rate in 1990. New and strange phenomenon of cancers appeared like
clustering of cancer in families, the double and triple cancers in one
person. The death rate among children is increased as a result of
malnutrition and infections. Lack of medicines and medical equipment
worsens the health situation.

The causes of all these health problems are multifactorial. The most
important factors are the radiation, the chemical, nutritional and
infection.

The victims are mainly the children who were affected by cancers,
malnutrition and congenital malformations.

The following pictures are the evidences of the effects of the wars and
the use of depleted uranium in the gulf war 2(1991).

We have many reasons to blame the radiation as a cause for all the
health problems in the south of Iraq:

* Significant increase in cancer rates after 1991.

* Significant increase in death rate from cancers after 1991.

* Increased rate of congenital malformations in children borne after
1991.

* Cancer clustering in families is noticed only after 1991.

* Double and triple cancers are seen only after 1991.

* The only cancer-producing factor that is added to our environment
after 1991 is the radiation factor.

We need to confirm the cause (the radiation) by testing the soil for
levels of radiation, confirming the uranium particles in the tissues and
urine of patients, chromosomal analysis and cytogenetic studies of the
affected people and patients. In that case we could confidently prove
the causal relationship between the cancers, congenital malformations,
other diseases and radiation due to depleted uranium. We are lacking the
equipment for investigations and no body is allowed to find evidences
and to prove that there was great crime committed by those who are
supposed to protect the world.

At the end of my talk I hope that every nation will fight for freedom
and sovereignty, to strengthen the solidarity with other nations for the
sake of peace and freedom. This conference is one of the means by which
we build the good and solid relations between the different nations.

I hope that the Iraqi people and other people elsewhere will live
peacefully in a world free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass
destruction. No for occupation by strangers and yes for sovereignty and
self-ruling of nations.

Thank you

Dr. Jawad Kadhim Al-Ali Basrah, Iraq