Sir, - May I commend Kevin Myers on his opinions about Iraq and the resumption of flights to that country (An Irishman's Diary, November 4th)? He hit the nail on the head, and I as an Iraqi can but only agree with his analysis.
The source of all evil and suffering in Iraq is Saddam and his National Socialist Ba'ath regime. It is because of Saddam that the county has suffered war, sanctions, death and mutilation. While I approve of the humanitarian concerns of many people flying into Baghdad, and that includes Mr Niall Andrews, I do have some reservations about the logic behind these missions. Is it to help the Iraqi people, or to make a point against the sanctions? Which is the more important? Mr Andrews and others are surely aware that nothing happens in Iraq without Saddam's tyrannical regime being in control of events. Given this fact, Mr Andrews has to be welcomed in Baghdad by no other than members of that dictatorial regime.
They in turn will take responsibility for the distribution of all aid and medical goods. This is the way things run in Iraq. No independent body is allowed to make such distributions without big brother in Baghdad controlling events. I am sure Mr Andrews is aware of this. He may be shown some of the many suffering Iraqi people receiving this medical aid, but he has to leave Baghdad sometime, and in his absence there is no guarantee that the Iraqi regime will continue these distributions.
We are, after all, talking about a regime that chemically bombs its own people and maintains a deliberate policy of internal sanctions, diverting humanitarian and emergency goods to its armed thugs and loyal party members. (The city of Basra in southern Iraq is suffering quite badly as a result of these internal sanctions; Saddam is still punishing Basra for the being the first spark in the failed post-Gulf war uprising against his regime, which he so brutally crushed).
Let us take our collective heads out of the sand for a moment and acknowledge that the issue of the sanctions and the suffering of the Iraqi people can only be alleviated not by the rehabilitation of the Iraqi regime (as promoted by some well-meaners) but by the removal and indictment of Saddam and his fellow fascists. Anything short of that will only play into Saddam's hands and that of his propaganda machine. - Yours, etc.,
Mohammed Alsadr, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.