June 19, 2002

Bush's plans for Iraq

Sir, As an Iraqi, I have a new sense of hope regarding Iraq's future, brought about by the emphasis of the Bush Administration on the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime. I feel sure that every Iraqi not associated with the regime shares my feelings, having endured the killing of over a million of our own people through Saddam's wars, torture and oppression.

However, our deepest concerns are how the US is going to achieve regime change and what the replacement will be. The report (June 17) that President Bush has ordered the CIA to carry out covert operations against Saddam is encouraging as this avoids killing innocent civilians.

Yet the ambiguity of US plans for a post-Saddam Iraq has led many Iraqis to suspect that, instead of bringing freedom and democracy, the Bush Administration wishes to put in place a pro-Western dictatorship.

The US and UK have, through sanctions during the last decade and support of Saddam Hussein during the 1980s, taken away the ability of the Iraqi people to determine their future. The US should redress the balance and help the Iraqi people to liberate themselves.

Yours sincerely,
YASSER ALASKARY,
Middlesex
UK .