ISTANBUL--The World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI), a grouping of NGOs,
intellectuals and writers opposed to the war in Iraq, on Friday accused the
United States of causing more deaths in Iraq than ousted president Saddam
Hussein. . . .
Founded in 2003, the WTI is modelled on the 1960s Russell Tribunal, created
by the British philosopher Bertrand Russell to denounce the war in Vietnam.
It has held about 20 sessions so far in different locations around the
world. . . .
The tribunal has for the past two years been gathering what it says is
evidence that the war launched in March 2003 to oust Saddam was illegal, and
it has also been gathering evidence of exactions allegedly committed by
coalition troops.
Its verdict on Monday after its final session is expected to condemn both
the United States and Britain. . . .
Hans von Sponeck, former director of the UN's so-called oil-for-food
programme for Iraq, told the Istanbul gathering that the humanitarian
programme "was totally irrelevant."
Von Sponeck ran the programme until 2000 when he resigned because he said it
failed to meet the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people. . . .
He singled out the United States and British governments for allegedly
blocking projects that would, he said, have allowed more people to survive.
Some 200 non-governmental organsiations -- including the environmentalist
group Greenpeace, the anti-globalization ATTAC and Vietnam Veterans Against
the War -- as well as a number of prominent intellectuals such as US
linguist Noam Chomsky and Egyptian sociologist Samir Amin are involved in the
WTI.
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S. Amjad Hussain, "US Policies Killing
Children In Iraq," The Wisdom Fund, June 14, 1997
K. Shreeram, "U.S. in Iraq:
Ritual Genocide," The Wisdom Fund, November 14, 1998
Scott Ritter, "More than 100,000 Iraqis
have died - and where is our shame and rage?," Guardian, November 1,
2004
[Greenspan's damning comments about the war come as a survey of Iraqis,
which was released last week, claims that up to 1.2 million people may have
died because of the conflict in Iraq - lending weight to a 2006 survey in
the Lancet that reported similarly high levels.--Peter Beaumont and Joanna
Walters, "
Greenspan admits Iraq was about oil, as deaths put at 1.2m," Observer,
September 16, 2007]
