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Iraqi Deputies React to Imminent Attack

By Anai Rhoads
Veriana.org

The Iraqi Parliament held an emergency meeting during the last hours before U.K. U.S. and Australian troops begin an invasion on the country. Pledging their position and lives for their country, they stood and cheered together in defiance against what they consider an illegal and unprovoked war.

During an address speech to the nation this week, President Bush requested that Saddam Hussein and his two sons flee Iraq in exile. The ultimatum was given that Saddam must remove himself from power within 48 hours of Bush's initial speech.

"The people of Iraq, who gave us this responsibility by electing us, stand today as one rank, as one voice, as one rifle against the criminal aggression of the U.S. and its allies," parliament wrote in support of Hussein.

In an earlier three hour interview that was conducted by America's news correspondent, Dan Rather, Hussein made it clear that exile is not an option as his loyalties lie within the country he is a leader of. Calling exile "weak and unpatriotic, a shame for my country".

Vice Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of the Fifth Fleet, told sailors aboard the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, "you should know you go with the unqualified support of millions of Americans and hundreds of millions of freedom loving people around the world."

Peace and freedom loving people around the world have spent the last few months protesting this war. All ages, nationalities and religions spoke out countless times and the magnitude of protests have never been seen before in world history.

Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf said U.S. and U.K. commanders are appeasing troops by claiming this war will be swift. He was quoted saying, "This is a stupid lie they are telling their soldiers. What they are facing is definite death. We reject and denounce it and we are all standing together behind our leader, and we are ready to defend our land".

Deputy Khaled Abdel Aziz Salim spoke out with "The whole world has a right to say to little Bush: step down you rabid criminal. Step down you pharaoh of our time, before you burn America and spread more discord in the world!".

Hussein's eldest son, Uday, expressed his opinion on the television channel dedicated solely to him, saying, "Bush should be removed, not us".

It has been reported that troops have already began their journey through Kuwait in preparation for the invasion. British and U.S. aircraft showered Iraq with leaflets, asking Iraqi soldiers to surrender themselves and their "weapons rather than die for a lost cause". On one side of the leaflet, there shows two tanks, with one ablaze. The wording is in American and Arabic saying "You are risking your life." They also show a coalition aircraft bombing cables that link Iraq's air defences and tanks on fire.

Meanwhile, pregnant women are rushing to hospitals to prepare for c-sections to avoid labour during the crisis. Not all of whom are even close to full term.

Medical volunteers may not be able to complete the task of vaccinating the children against Rubella and Polio in time. The outbreak of disease is a risk that WHO is very concerned about and an issue that needs to be addressed before its too late.

Most wealthy Iraqi's have fled to Jordan and to other Arab states. The poor will remain behind amongst some 5 million people in Baghdad. As they prepare for war, most can only hope they are not one of the 50,000 slaughtered in the 1991 Gulf War.

© Copyright 2003 Anai Rhoads. Permission to reprint this article in its entirety may be granted with a written request to the this web site: licence@veriana.org