Oct. 1, 2000

The Editor;
The Halifax Herald

Dear Editor:

The article by Mr. M.Javed:" An undeclared nuclear war" [Sep. 30], about the continuing ravaging war against the people of Iraq, is compelling and accurate.

The initial attack on Iraq,in 1991 by the U.S. and its allies, destroying its infrastructure and using depleted uranium[DU}, brought about death and disease against Iraq’s children and civilian population, as well as U.S. veterans and our own veterans. There is scientific evidence that the use of depleted uranium has caused, since 1991, a fourfold increase of cancer and leukemia amongst Iraqi children. This has not spared the unborn, where congenital abnormalities are rife. The use of DU contavenes the U.N. Charter.

This illegal action is compounded by the continuing infliction of economic sanctions, which has brought about disease and starvation against the people of Iraq. Five thousand children, under five ,die every month due to these sanctions. Ramsey Clark, the former Attorney General of the U.S. described these as "genocidal sanctions". Mr. Denis Halliday , Assistant U.N. Secretary General and U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq, resigned his post in September 1998 in disgust at this systematic killing. His reply to a British journalist’s question if this is genocide was:

" There is no other way to describe the deliberate killing of 1.5 million people and the death of 600,000 children since 1990....What else is that but gencide?"

In brief, the U.S. and Britain, in their continuing these sanctions against the innocent people of Iraq, assisted by the support of our government, are committing war crimes that must be condemned by all who have a sense of humanity,

Yours sincerely

Ismail Zayid, M.D.