Blackwater Verdict
a U.S. 'Snub' of Iraqi Leader Nouri al-Maliki
Is the
decision by a U.S. federal court to drop charges against five former guards of
the private security firm Blackwater a way for Washington to remind Nouri
al-Maliki of the 'absoluteness of U.S. control in Iraq'? That is the thesis of
this latest article from Iran's state-controlled Kayhan newspaper.
Government spokesman
Ali al-Dabbagh says his government would facilitate a lawsuit in the United States from Iraqi citizens against the five Blackwater guards and the company, for the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians.
In both the United States and
Iraq, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says Baghdad will sue private security
firm Blackwater, amid a complete furor over an American court decision to drop
charges against five Blackwater guards. The men are accused of shooting to death
- in the middle of the Iraqi capital in broad daylight - 17 civilians.
Iraqi Government spokesman
Ali al-Dabbagh said on Friday that Iraq had "begun taking measures to
bring Blackwater to justice."
AFP reports, "The guards, who had been part of a convoy
of armored vehicles, had been charged with killing 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians
and wounding 18 others during an unprovoked attack at a busy Baghdad intersection
using guns and grenades."
Iraq says 17 people were
killed.
On the surface, U.S. Federal Court
Judge Ricardo Urbina dismissed all charges against the five on the grounds that
prosecutors violated their rights by using incriminating statements made while
they were under immunity during a U.S. State Department investigation.
[Editor's Note: On September
16, 2007, Blackwater guards shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians in Nisour
Square, Baghdad. The fatalities occurred while a Blackwater Personal Security
Detail was escorting a convoy of U.S. State Department vehicles. The Washington
Post quoted Judge Urbina's
decision on how the evidence against five Blackwater guards had been tainted:
"In their zeal to bring charges, prosecutors and investigators aggressively
sought out statements in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and in the
subsequent investigation. In so doing, the government's trial team repeatedly
disregarded the warnings of experienced, senior prosecutors, assigned to the
case specifically to advise the trial team on such matters."]
But the entire world knows
that this is actually a rude snub of Nouri al-Maliki to remind him of the
absoluteness of U.S. control in Iraq.
This is how the United States
treats the reputation of a man who is dedicated to restoring the dignity and
self confidence of the Iraqi people. The moment bombs and bullets stop killing
and damaging U.S. forces, his government, which has done all it can to bring
matters to a satisfactory close for everyone involved must be pushed to the
floor and ridiculed.
The American gift of
friendship isn't worth two cents!
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
At first there were six
Blackwater guards on trial, but one owned up to his crimes, which puts this
latest U.S. court decision into bold relief.
But let's not lose our
perspective on the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Across the world in Britain, Tony
Blair, the former British prime minister, has admitted illegally invading a
sovereign country under false pretexts, which was an act that led to a million
Iraqi civilian deaths. So by definition, Mr. Blair is a self-confessed war
criminal. Yet he walks free and gives a multitude of lectures on international
“politics” at world forums for good money. Surely he should be the first in the
dock at The Hague. Or perhaps Blair’s partner in crime, George W. Bush, should
be the first to stand trial on war crimes the likes of which haven't been seen
since WWII. On the other hand, the U.S. and Britain have been committing war
crimes for decades, in Korea, Angola, Congo, Vietnam, Palestine, Egypt, Iraq’s
Kurdistan and Iran.
There is no faith left in the
brand of justice meted out by the world powers. Everything is always someone
else’s fault, rather than their own. It's a most disheartening routine that has
crippled and impeded fairness in the family of nations.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
With the rapidity that the
West is poisoning, starving and murdering people around the globe, the family
of nations will soon only consist of five or six nations armed to the teeth
with nuclear weapons.
It's little wonder, then,
that the 118 nation Non-Aligned Movement has opted out of the family, which is
ruled by military regimes in the U.S. and Britain. We're still waiting to see "change
we can believe."
