Letters To The Editor - September 7, 2003

Paradoxical move
From Mr. F.E. Gomez, Dubai
How ironic that the 'coalition' should now lobby the UN to pass a resolution requesting other peace loving nations to provide armed forces to police Iraq. Not so long ago the White House stated: "Only those nations that have joined the 'Coalition of the Willing' should participate in the post-war administration, reconstruction and security of Iraq." So why the change of heart now?

The 'coalition' of willing nations violated the UN Charter. In doing so they also greatly diminished the power of the UN as a peace broker to the world. Had other UN member nations violated the UN Charter, this same coalition would have cried 'foul' and lobbied to have those nations expelled, penalised, or have sanctions imposed on them under the Charter. This further enhances the perception by other nations that the UN is a farce and an exclusive club of just a few select countries to do their bidding.

Hand over command
From Mr. Z.A. Siddiqui, Dubai
Is America so weak that it needs to ask for help from Third World countries for troops, after waging war against Iraq unilaterally? It is now even asking for multilateral support through the UN. America wants to keep the command in Iraq and beg for help at the same time; how can both go together?

The UN must first demand an apology from America and Britain for waging war without its mandate and against world opinion. It must obtain assurance from America and Britain to refrain from acting alone in any future conflicts. To avoid more losses, the best America can do is hand over command to the UN.

Unsavoury consequences
From Ms D. Menon, Dubai
America has gone to the UN Security Council with a proposal to 'share the burden' of the mess it has created, thanks to the half-truths and bold lies that were fed to the world.

"No deal!" say French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. They seem less than impressed with the US proposal. It is a good thing that both leaders have appeared on television to clearly state their objectives, which is the transfer of political responsibility to an Iraqi government as soon as possible. Kofi Annan should do the same and insist on a serious political role for the UN; that would leave the American spin doctors with no scope to misinterpret the facts.

Now the American people will hopefully realise the consequences of going it alone with a bungling president who is responsible for the loss of American prestige in the world today.

Opposing authoritarianism
From Mr. S. Nissam, Abu Dhabi
It was distressing to read Mr. Radhakrishnan's letter ("Change the subject" Gulf News, September 3). Only those who equate Hinduism to the hate filled, xenophobic and exclusive and venom-spitting version of it that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) propagate would call Kuldip Nayar anti-Hindu. Those who have followed his journalistic and social life can easily understand that Nayar has opposed authoritarianism.

Fortunately, the vast majority of Hindus don't subscribe to the narrow vision of the Sangh Parivar. Even with its ability to attract the electorate, the BJP has not got more than 25 per cent of the polled votes when the total polling percentage is 50. That means only less than 15 per cent of Hindus believe in the BJP's communal politics. The rest are withstanding the rabid propaganda of the BJP to uphold the tolerant and universal nature of true Hinduism.

Violent answer
From Mr. A.A. Pokakillath, Sharjah
The recent blasts that shook Mumbai, India, were shocking and inhumane. The bloody sight of human beings left out to die, broadcast on televisions worldwide, was heartbreaking. All terrorists should be caught and burnt alive.

Mixed-up story
From Mr. D. Hamadeh, Dubai
I am a bit surprised that Thomas Friedman, in his article about the TV programme Superstar which was aired on Future TV, got his facts mixed up. In his article in The New York Times, he stated it was Future TV but in Gulf News he said it was the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation ("Contest breaks barriers" Gulf News, September 5).

Does he know the difference? He should also get his facts straight before putting pen to paper. The two female contestants did not faint – that was just a rumour. It goes to show the way some people think.

Inaccurate report
From Mr. W. Brown,
Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications, Iridium Satellite LLC.

I'd like to bring to your attention major errors in your editorial "Scandal that must not be ignored" (Gulf News, August 18).

There is no Iridium office in Israel and Iridium has no ownership of any offices located in Israel. Iridium is, and always has been, a US based and owned company. There is no "$4-5 million dollar public telephone deal" that Iridium is currently involved with. Iridium sells its products and services through a network of official Iridium global service providers, including companies headquarted in many Arab nations. Iridium does not sell direct to end-users.

Iridium does not provide "eye in the sky" services or act as a "listening device" as alleged. Iridium is subject to, and follows all local regulations for security. Any contract awarded through one of our official service providers, no matter what region, is held to those same strict standards.

Editor's note:
We ran the previous story from agency reports and we carry your letter at face value.

Travails at the airport
From Mr. M.H. Khan, Abu Dhabi
With the expansion of Dubai International Airport, passengers have to wander for at least 25 minutes after completing the immigration formalities, which is annoying.

It will be a pleasant journey for all, especially for the elderly, if the authorities look into this matter and make some necessary arrangements. Passengers should be able to aboard immediately after completing the immigration formalities.