Whatever its political effectiveness, the success or failure of which is for others to judge, the sanctions regime has clearly had serious onsequences for the ordinary Iraqi population, forcing many into poverty, destroying human dignity and taking lives. With a spot of hypocrisy and a wee sip of genocide UN stylee.
Sanctions are amongst the most powerful and lethal weapons in our armoury.
Yet in May 98 the foreign office attempted to contradict hard facts, arguing that The government has every sympathy for the people of Iraq. Sanctions are aimed at the Iraqi regime and not at them . Otherwise they will continue to suffer, and that we cannot accept. Now children are suffering and dying from preventable and curable diseases due to a massive lack of medical supplies. A visiting child psychologist reported that some children no longer play games, because they remindedthem of the dead friends they used to play with.