The Hindu : Syria's turn next?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 16, 2003

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Syria's turn next?

Sir, — We are now familiar with the ways of the U.S. President, George W. Bush. He warned of liberating Iraq from Saddam Hussein and kept his word in the name of humanity. He is now warning Syria against harbouring pro-Saddam elements, justifying his theory of the `axis of evil' — that is, those that are in his line of fire will be executed at will in his capacity as the world's exclusive policeman to mend delinquent nations.

For our part, our Government can engineer a "unanimous" resolution in Parliament just hours before the Syrians are delivered of their tyranny.

All that is required is to replace the word `Iraq' with `Syria'.

K. Rangaswami,

Bangalore

* * *

Sir, — With reference to C. Rammanohar Reddy's article `U.S. economy, oil contracts and war' (April 12) , everyone knows that the war was for oil and not for destroying weapons of mass destruction. It is a coincidence that most of the U.S Presidents were one-time employees of multinational oil companies. The present U.S. President, George W. Bush, the U.S. Vice-President, Dick Cheney, the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalme Khalid, and other top leaders of the Bush administration were executives in oil companies. Now they are using their experience to control the huge stock of oil in the Middle East and Asia.

Prithvi Pal Singh Bisht,

Dehra Dun

* * *

Sir, — The U.N. was dithering to press for sanctions against the tyrannical regime of Saddam Hussein and is now clamouring shamelessly to play a role in Iraq's reconstruction. The U.S. and the U.K. liberated Kuwait and now the Iraqi people, just as they freed the world of the terrorist, Osama bin Laden, and his Taliban. The Gulf state rulers and its people have shown more responsibility than the so-called Islamic states that are actual democratic dictatorships harbouring terrorists who falsely claim to be Islamists.

The action in Iraq should be honestly welcomed by the Indian Government and we should deplore fiends like Osama and Saddam who have no love lost for us.

Joseph C. Frankel,

Nilgiris, T.N.

* * *

Sir, — It will be the most ill-conceived, hasty act lacking prudence if Parliament passes a resolution condemning the U.S. and Britain for waging the war against Iraq. Our Parliament existed during the Vietnam War. During the wars between Israel and Palestine we did not take sides. When China bullied the tiny island of Taiwan, we did not condemn it.

Our Parliament has no locus standi to poke its nose in matters in which we are not directly concerned. We must be prudent to determine who are our foes and who are our friends. We must not score the same side goal to the detriment of our long-term interests.

R. Parthasarathy,

Musiri, T.N.

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