President Saddam Hussein addresses Arab leaders 22/4/2002 In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most merciful, Dear Arab brothers, Kings, Presidents, Emirs and officials, And through you, to our dear Arab people everywhere, Assalamu Alaykum-Peace be upon you. Once again, I bring forward to you my viewpoints and suggestions. I may be exasperating but my only excuse to you, after God, is that I am seeking what might please God and what might give us glory before our people and history. And make us gain true respect of nations and peoples of the world. At a time when our Palestinian brothers are being killed, our sacred places violated, our wealth being ransacked, or about to, on a large scale, if we will not agree upon a plan of action with the help of God, to summon our will and faith. I don’t think that we might disagree that the will of our people in all our countries is at a high level, thanks to God. This will was clearly seen throughout the current crisis by everybody, whether officials decision makers, or every single citizen. Dear brothers, Similar conditions have put our nation in a difficult dilemma in past times, our glorious nation had always proved to be equal to the challenge, and faced it in the name of God, and proved itself and gained victory over those who wanted to humiliate it, usurp its right in life in general, or its right to chose its way and aims that do not harm the principles of humanity at large, and its right to recover its rights from usurpers, so as to lead a free and decent life, after making due sacrifices by a unified and organized action that leads the nation to achieve certain aims on the basic of the good intentions and collective will of joint action. But when the nation ignores this and does not see the suitable moment for the right action, its fate will be not only humiliation but also a lot of bloodshed of its people. It will furthermore loose respect and will no longer be able to mount to higher milestones that may make it be effective in life, and will not be able to protect its wealth, and values. There is no doubt now that we are all facing, as leaders or peoples of the of the countries of our one Arab nation, such choice, I think that if anyone of us deeply thinks of his surroundings, he will find himself before this choice. I must now ask you, dear brothers and myself: shall we choose the right aims and methods, and succeed in distributing duties among us in a spirit of collective and brotherly leadership as faithful sons of our nation. Or shall we miss the chance and leave the initiative in the hand of the enemies of our nation, who are the enemies of God and humanity, and the allies of Satan? Then each and everyone of us will live in disgrace before God, himself, his nation and this generation of which we must be proud for having demonstrated the highest level of awareness, faith and readiness to make sacrifices, in a way that no one can miss or recognize. What I wish for you and for myself, dear brothers, is that we make our choice without hesitation, get together and not separate, work and not be lazy, and prepare ourselves together for the way we choose and not to allow our enemy and his evil choices to succeed and defeat us, after subjecting us to bitter fait-accompli that no one could accept, since we all by the grace of God, will work to please God and our nation, and to defeat evil and evil doers. Brothers, Our history, like the history of other nations and peoples, tells us that one of the most important weak points in which the vicious enemy finds a breach by which he can kill that nation, is the separation between the ruler and his people, or the separation or disagreement between rulers in the same nation and people, so that each acts on his own. Hence, the greedy foreign enemies would resort to enhance and create fear to trouble and make conspiracies by frightening the ruler from his own people and from any way they have chosen which he cannot decide to accept. They make every ruler afraid from other rulers, or they make him believe that he is their preferred ruler in his nation. Most of you are military men, or at least have a certain knowledge and experience in this domain, this is why I say: just as armies try in the battlefield to separate the infantry from the armored forces are the frontline forces from the others in order to weaken their performance and effect and consequently easily defeat them, in a similar manner, those who want to exploit us, resort to making the rulers afraid of their people, or making them seem weak in the eyes of their people in order to weaken both sides or anyone of them. The weakness of anyone of them would result into the weakness of both of them. Furthermore, the enemy, tries to make anyone of us as regimes or individuals, according to our responsibilities, believe that this or that act, this collective Arab action or that, and this idea and suggestion or that, in fact serve the interests of this or that party alone, or distinguishes this or that ruler or leader at the expense of the others. The same plots and schemes are made by the enemy within the same people in our countries or at the level of the entire nation, using the same methods for the same purposes, by suggesting to this or that political party or trade union and federation when they try to organize a joint work, that this or that joint action or decision would only be in the benefit of this or that side, at the expense of this or that organization. This would discourage and weaken their common will for collective action. Moreover, the importance of the greedy enemy has reached such a point, in preparing the psychological, political and intellectual arena to further weaken the nation and achieve his aims by division or at least by the absence of the unity of opinion, aims, stands and necessary action. The enemy, is furthermore, exploiting the fact that our nation consist of more than twenty countries, to say or make believe that this or that idea, opinion, suggestion, plan or goal is only meant to serve this or that Arab country at that expense of this or that country. In order to enhance doubts, fears or the unoriginal tendency of whose hearts and minds may weakly respond to the values and principles of our being one nation, or might misinterpret or not see the real motives of this or that foreigner who wants to exploits us. Moreover, the enemy is encouraging and creating feelings of jealousy and envy among our nation of even the natural resources in some of our countries. In order to diminish the feeling that any natural resource or wealth, or the number of the population, are in fact, elements of strength for the entire Arab nation, and not a negative factor, that must used in favor of the nation not against it. In addition to that, the foreigners are encouraging some people that the steadfastness of any Arab country, regime or ruler, or even of any mujahid who stands against his greed, is a stand that would lead to weakening the others, rather than strengthening and encouraging them to face the enemy. The enemy is even presenting weakness as an equivalent of wisdom and reason, and presenting the capabilities to stop his vicious needs as an equivalent of foolishness and impatience. He is even endeavoring and hoping to transfer the conflict between the rulers on the one hand and the people on the other, to something that would prevent the rulers from undertaking their basic duty of principles. Instead of mobilization of everybody: rulers and people, the leadership and the citizens trench: the trench of justice and faith so as to defend their nation’s rights, morals and its noble principles. Dear brothers, we are the people of one nation, and this is a great honor for which we must thank God. But, at the same time, this identity represents a great responsibility, if we carry it on with honor and enthusiasm; but it would become a heavy burden if we fall in contradiction with it or if we parted from it in mind and in action. I do not think that the deprave himself belonging to the nation of the Glorious Qura’an, historical glories, the cradle of Heavenly religio, Prophets and Messengers, and the land of the banner and the sword of justice that had honored our nation and humanity at large. Brothers, the people, every country of our nation, have said their word about what is going on around them, and about what they want in a clear and strong way by various activities in all parts of our nation from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arab Gulf. What we all saw is enough to make us have a clear idea of what the people want, if anyone of us wanted to make up his mind and express his opinion… Here, I may help you, or help myself, by answering the question: is it the people who draw the policy of a state, or is it, rather, the officials in power or the leaders who draw this policy? I say: policies are drawn by the official in charge of the state, and particularly, by the leadership. But, no official should decide anything away from his people’s conscience, interests, and dignity, or even from their opinion and wishes in circumstances like this. Regardless of the accuracy of the people’s opinion and wishes in the details of this or that matter, such a stand by the ruler as part of his people is better for him. It is more honorable than standing against his people, or not providing them with the minimum of what they want and call for. Any decision taken unilaterally by the ruler contradicting his people’s opinion, would place the concerned ruler or leader at a distance from the people even if his decision is at the first glance and technically and politically better than the people’s opinion. The ruler would be considered as a forfeiter because his decision will lead to forfeiting his people’s stand by him in crucial situations. Hence the ruler will be weakened and miss the chance of reform. Brothers, The foreigner is trying to intimidate us, or to make some of us afraid of own people by saying to him that your rule or chair, or even your life is at stake if you do not follow my will. Consequently, we should all have faith and say that, God willing, we are not afraid of our people but rather we count on them. It is in fact by our people, and God’s help, that we make anyone who wants to harm or exploit us a afraid of us. We will, thus, find our people hailing, loving, and proud of us, in addition to the Almighty’s mercy and blessings, which put us, and all believers, in highest levels and happiness. When the foreigner tries to incite contention among us, we must tell him that the force and capabilities of any of our countries is the force and capabilities of us all, just as any weakness weakens us all. After all this introduction, which I hope was not wearisome, you may ask: what do you suggest then? What I suggest is what I hear or deduce from your statements, and your saying, or the saying of many of you, including the writer of present letter, that: lets not speak or describe our nation’s weakness, or why or how, because to publicly talk about that at a time like this particularly when the distinction of our nation, its good attributes, and the elements of its force and capabilities are not seen, would seem like an attempt to disown one’s responsibility to exalt the nation by bringing together and to attend to its points of weakness. We should all, call for, and work on strengthening any points of weakness in the nation, and using the elements of strength in it collectively and systematically. The roles and attitudes should be distributed on us according to what every one of us can best do. Or communication and diagnosis of the our points of strength and weakness should not be carried out in an academically theoretical way, nor in a neutral manner between what is just and unjust, or in an isolationist spirit under the influence or illusion of weakness, hoping that the wrongdoers would exempt this country or that, or this regime or that or even this ruler or that, from their conspiracies and harm. No one of us should be under the delusion of a strength that enables him to do without the efforts and force of fellow brothers, except after trying and reaching, God forbid, a point of despair. Together we make a force of faith and loyalty that renders glory on us, protects our land and rights, and recovers what is usurped from it with the help of God the Almighty. No one should make the mistake of thinking that if he is isolated from the other, he would be able by his force alone, protect his rights, and recover what my be usurped of it, because if weakness and the foreigner’s greed prevailed, no one could escape them even, God forbid, at the price of himself, his people, and God’s mercy. The other should gently but clearly remind whoever of us who forgets that we are one nation, and that the usurpers and those who want to exploit us scheming against us as a one nation. We should consider the different names of our countries, political systems, and history as a source of a strong action in favor of our nation, its higher interests, and national security. They should not be considered a burden and a rejected weight on us. The conditions prevailing in the world toady are not the same conditions in which our people in their countries fought to free themselves of the old colonialism. Nevertheless, even in those condition was their any country, big or small, that did not take force from the very name of the Arab nation, and remind its people the fact that they belong to this nation? Is their anyone who has not turned to the nation’s potential, in part or in whole, against the foreign occupation forces, for liberation, or in the wars against them? In any case if we can not encourage, we should not in inconvenienced by the initiative of the people in what they believe would harm our enemy. For example, trade and professional unions and federations can do much to harm the enemy including calling for a strike of the workers of oil exporting ports or oil tankers with contracts with the country meant to be harmed, the loading and unloading workers of cargo ships of a certain country, the staff and workers of railways, ports, airports, external communication, etc. We can continue to give such examples, as you know. In fact, trade unions and federations used to do something of that, but now they have become used to weighting their words and sentences by the balance of their ministries of foreign affairs, or something less than that. The presence of a stronger opinion, that is expressed in a direct way in a different style and language of that of the concerned diplomats, is useful to the governments and their polices in a conflict like this. Such an opinion would do them harm, if they wanted, because attenuating the language of demanding, and the action to the necessities of circumstantial situation as viewed by the diplomats, on all official and non-official levels, is harmful to our countries in this and other battles. When diplomacy fails, other means and capabilities begin their role of action, which may last. Means as a result of habit and the inadequate relation with the source of decisions and of guiding it as if it is disabled and cannot quickly resurge in spirit, will, strength and means. Zionism, the American administrations, and who has or will become their allies, have prepared themselves to confront the Arab nation, including Palestine as one nation. So it is our duty, by the rule of our doctrine, to avoid saying by the rule Sharia and authenticity, to prepare ourselves on this basis, which is the real thing in us, and is the rule of history and destiny. It is not anybody’s invention, or a mere wish of someone, when evil and devil are with themselves, we are bond by duty to be with ourselves with the guidance of God the merciful. Here, I would like to recall that some Arab brothers said recently that (Zionism has had the upper hand over the American administrations). Zionism has the upper hand over the American administrations to use them against us, and it becomes one and the same with us, against our nation, as we have repeatedly said, to facilitate the realization of the Zionists’ covetous schemes in our Arab nation. Therefore, it is our duty to be with ourselves, to mobilize our utmost force and sin all fields, and not to hope for anything good for our nation and Arab security from the US. For the American administration will walk as they walk now up to their knees in Arab and Muslim blood. We must all believe that no one can defeat our nation by injustice since it is justly on its own land. Our nation would only be defeated if it abandons its distinctive attributes, and duties, and if the guides in it go to sleep. Our people is awake, dear brothers, so it is our patriotic, national, moral, Arab, faithful, and constitutional duty that is calling us in our capacity of rulers not to go to sleep, nor to be inadvertent or weaken. Anyone who does not follow this in his attitude with his nation, will lose himself, and lose his way, after losing the compass that leads him to it. Even when the people find that they have to change anyone of us if they get angry, it would be a loss had he taken the right path. And I do not think that anyone of us, including the writer of this letter, would choose this fate or accept it for himself. The strength of the nation is a living part of it capability of defending its national security from any threats. The wealth of the nation is part of its strength and effective means. Other nations have used it throughout history, and they may have even used what is contradictory to the law they put in the UN documents, as did the US in particular with cereal contracts. You probably remember its policy against Egypt, how it cancelled the cereal contract which it had signed with Iraq in Feb. 1990, and how it used this against the ex Soviet Union and is using it against Russia now. You may also know that the US with the support of the UK has hindered medicine contracts for the Iraqi people despite the fact that their prices have already been paid before August 1990. They have stopped all the other means of life from the Iraqi people to kill them and decrease the number of the population. The US and UK do all these things although their national security are not threatened by our countries, if it is security for themselves and for the world that they wants, with respecting other peoples, their land, national and Arab choices, their choice of their doctrine, beliefs and values. Not to seem to be ignoring the comments made by some of my brothers in oil producing countries, epically that oil is not a weapon… it is not a cannon, a tank, or a jet fighter. I say: Yes, oil is not a tank, a jet fighter or a cannon, but it can be used as a weapon, when the muzzles of the cannons, tanks and jet fighters are not working, or are not meant to be used. As for saying: we can not, or we are not ready to use the weapon for those who have weapons, and that oil is not a cannon, a tank or a jet fighter for those who have oil, then what would, and by what can we confront those who want to exploit us, the aggressors, and the usurpers? On this occasion, I would like remind my brothers of some their fathers and grandfathers’ values when they confronted any aggression. Every man would go out to face the enemy even if the battle was at its fiercest stage, or if the aggressor had launched the attack with rifles, cannons, and jet fighters. It would be disgraceful for any man not to go out to the battlefield even if he had nothing but an axe, a dagger, or club, otherwise the law of (who does not have a weapon equal to the weapon of the aggressor or the usurper, must surrender to those who better weapons) would be applied. If anyone was late or stayed behind, he would be called names that I do not think that anyone of us would accept for himself. He would even be forbidden to sit on the chairs of men in gatherings and meetings and no one would serve him coffee. The history of our nation is full of such examples, whether in the wars and struggle for independence or in the annals of conflicts between fighting tribes. Now, haven’t the Palestinians faced the bombs, jet fighters, cannons, missiles and rifles? What would be said of the attitude of Palestinians had they not confronted the aggressors in this way?! Haven’t the Zionists used even water and food when they besieged the Palestinians, especially in heroic Jenin? Did they use water and food as a weapon in the battle against those heroes? The history of the wars between polytheists and the Muslums under the leadership of the Prophet(God Pray on Him) is full of such lessons. When the conflict begins each party tries to overcome the will of the other, or to subject it to his own will. Hence, the one who is defending his will from being subjected, and his sanctities and land from being violated and humiliated, must use his weapons in harmonized succession, each in its own field, so as he can defeat the will of his enemy, or to stop it from defeating his will and humiliating him. Therefore, oil should be used as a weapon that will come in succession in the battle, and not as an absolute alternative weapon. As for the question: what weapon do we begin with? Well, let’s begin bothers… we have not suggested the weapon of oil until we were aware that our Arab brothers are not ready to use the other weapons, and so that no one could say that we have a weapon, the use of which does not require any bloodshed, or that: we have not used the oil weapon, so lets try it, before resorting other weapons. At any rate, any weapon that restores the rights, and is more effective, compared to another weapon, is something we wish for, and ready to try. If you want to use the weapons of our armies to be succeeded by the oil, we are with our armies, oil and people, ready to do so, along whoever is ready to so, although we prefer that we all have this honor, and only some of our countries and political systems, except if we had to, God forbid. Brothers I must also say, that I have not read, or heard that the official in a nation had ever said to their enemy that they will not use their weapons against him, despite his aggression on them. Wouldn’t this encourage the enemies of the nation to speed up their aggression? Or to continue it to accomplish all their goals without paying any price? They may even try to accomplish some goals that were planed at this stage, before hearing the officials of the nation say that they will not use their weapons, when they launched their aggression, or wait to see the reaction before continuing it to achieve deeper goals!! In this case, don’t the Arabs have the right to use the elements of their strength to defend their lives, sovereignty, honor, and beliefs? Not using and neutralizing the elements of our strength leave our weakness breaches without protection. Therefore, neutralizing our oil, which is one of the elements of our economic strength, means that we are strengthening our enemy on ourselves and enable him to overcome us. For these reasons, I see that:
Saying this, I pray to God to guide us together in implementing it, or in any other opinion you deem is a better one, if it is capable to stop the wrongdoers’ aggression on our nation, in the forefront of which is the people of Palestine and to restore the usurped right of our nation, in the forefront of which is Palestine, and the our rights and the rights of the Arab countries in what the Zionist entity usurped from their territories and right. God is Great…. Alahuakbar…. Long live our glorious nation. God is Great…. Alahuakbar…. Long live Palestine from the sea to the river, God is Great…. Alahuakbar… Let Zionism be despised along with its aggressive criminal and damned entity of occupation, and led its counterpart in evil doing: The American polices and their representatives, be despised. |