The Hindu : Hollow words

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 31, 2003

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Hollow words

Sir, — The unilateral military force employed by the U.S. against Iraq, ignoring overwhelming protests by people all over the globe and the opinions of the majority of nations, has rendered hollow the words of the Declaration of Independence, "Decent respect to opinions of mankind requires that we should give reasons which impel us to separation".

Mahesh N. Vepari,
Pondicherry

Sir, — At a joint press conference with the U.S. President, George W. Bush, at Camp David on Thursday, the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said they had statistics to show that about 450 million Iraqi children died of malnutrition because of Saddam Hussein's oppressive regime, and, hence, the urgent need to liberate the Iraqis from this tyrant. But a few years ago, media reports said that because of the sanctions imposed on Baghdad by the Western countries and the delay in processing the list of essential supplies Iraq needed, thousands of children were dying in hospitals for want of essential medicines, let alone food. Political commentators then condemned the sanctions and the sanction-imposing nations as mass murderers of innocent Iraqis.

Badri Seshadri,
Chennai

Sir, — According to the news report, " Consensus eludes all-party meet " (March 23), the Government refused to use the word "condemn" to criticise the U.S. action as demanded by the Opposition. It is a matter of comfort that the Prime Minister pointed out that India must take the "totality" of the situation into account and adopt a position consistent with its principles and long-term national interest. The Congress, on the other hand, called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and said that the whole matter should be referred to the U.N. again to find a peaceful and honourable solution acceptable to all parties. This is the same party, which, in 1956, kept quiet when the Soviet Union invaded Hungary, a sovereign country. The CPI(M) leader, Somnath Chatterjee, said it was unfortunate that the Vajpayee Government was not prepared to "condemn" the war. This from the Leftists who did not lift a finger when the Soviet Union invaded Hungary, Czechoslovakia in 1968 and Afghanistan in 1979, with the intention of toppling their legitimate Governments.

G. Radhakrishnan,
Thiruvananthapuram

Sir, — It is ironic that the U.S. is apportioning $75 billion for the war operations but only $6.5 billion towards post-conflict reconstruction. Also, it has lined up profitable contracts for the reconstruction. The post-conflict Iraq should be administered only by the U.N. in conjunction with the wishes of the Iraqi people.

V.B.N. Ram,
New Delhi

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