Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

`U.S. adopting double standards'

N.J. Nair

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JAN. 8. Shannon Robinson, New Mexico State senator, today accused the U.S. of adopting double standards in its aggression of Iraq. As an ally of Iraq when Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons in his decade-long war against Iran, the U.S. chose to remain silent while it was now accusing him of using weapons of mass destruction, he said.

Mr. Robinson reached the capital this morning after taking part in a seminar on peace and spirituality organised by the Santhigiri Ashramam in Kottayam recently.

Mr. Robinson told The Hindu that the political debate in the recent elections was too shallow and there was no serious discussion among the people on the havoc wreaked by the U.S. in Iraq. As 60 per cent of the people approved of the war, the debate was focussed on it, though it lacked a historic perspective and was just skin deep. The common man was still unaware of the real issues involved in the war, he said. The entire campaign was run by advertising companies and the rival camps were reiterating their stance for and against the war and the Democrats failed to take the real message to the masses, the Democrat Senator said.

The U.S. army destroyed the basic infrastructure of Iraq, including its power stations, and looted its museums, but safeguarded the oil sources as it had interest in the resources. "After destroying everything, how can the people there be interested in democracy?" he asked.

The Iraqis firmly believed that the U.S. army would not attack them as they were its allies. U.S. archaeologists had requested the Pentagon not to destroy the historical and cultural documents of Iraq. They had even offered to identify the buildings and sites of historical significance and had sought to protect the museums of Basra and Baghdad so that the history of Islam would be preserved. But the Pentagon destroyed everything except the building housing the Oil Ministry.

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