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Former Malaysian PM Calls US, UK 'Terrorist Nations'
excerpts from a report by Jasbant Singh; Scotsman.com. September 10, 2005
Malaysia's former prime minister claimed yesterday that the United States and the UK were "terrorist" states and that air force pilots whose bombs killed Iraqi civilians were murderers.
"The British and American bomber pilots came, unopposed, safe and cosy in their state-of-the-art aircraft, pressing buttons to drop bombs, to kill and maim," Mr Mahathir said of the Iraq invasion.
"And these murderers, for that is what they are, would go back to celebrate 'mission accomplished'. Who are the terrorists? The people below who were bombed or the bombers? Whose rights have been snatched away?"
He also questioned why there was no tally of Iraqi deaths while every US soldier's killing is documented. "These are soldiers who must expect to be killed," Mr Mahathir said.
"But the Iraqis who die because of the US action or the civil war in Iraq that the US has precipitated are innocent civilians who under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein would be alive."
Mr Mahathir, who when in power was a US ally in the fight against terrorism, although he opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, noted that the reason for invading Iraq was that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.
"As we all know it was a lie," he said. "Worse still, the powers which are supposed to save the Iraqi people have broken international laws on human rights by detaining Iraqis and others and torturing them at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and elsewhere," he said, referring to the US prison camps.
You have been reading excerpts from "Diplomats stage walk out as UK and US are accused of terrorism" by Jasbant Singh. You can read the entire piece here: tinyurl.com/8vb5f. Thanks to news.scotsman.com.
excerpts from a report by Jasbant Singh; Scotsman.com. September 10, 2005
Malaysia's former prime minister claimed yesterday that the United States and the UK were "terrorist" states and that air force pilots whose bombs killed Iraqi civilians were murderers.
"The British and American bomber pilots came, unopposed, safe and cosy in their state-of-the-art aircraft, pressing buttons to drop bombs, to kill and maim," Mr Mahathir said of the Iraq invasion.
"And these murderers, for that is what they are, would go back to celebrate 'mission accomplished'. Who are the terrorists? The people below who were bombed or the bombers? Whose rights have been snatched away?"
He also questioned why there was no tally of Iraqi deaths while every US soldier's killing is documented. "These are soldiers who must expect to be killed," Mr Mahathir said.
"But the Iraqis who die because of the US action or the civil war in Iraq that the US has precipitated are innocent civilians who under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein would be alive."
Mr Mahathir, who when in power was a US ally in the fight against terrorism, although he opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, noted that the reason for invading Iraq was that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.
"As we all know it was a lie," he said. "Worse still, the powers which are supposed to save the Iraqi people have broken international laws on human rights by detaining Iraqis and others and torturing them at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and elsewhere," he said, referring to the US prison camps.
You have been reading excerpts from "Diplomats stage walk out as UK and US are accused of terrorism" by Jasbant Singh. You can read the entire piece here: tinyurl.com/8vb5f. Thanks to news.scotsman.com.
