21st February 2003
Pope John Paul II and I are not always ad idem. I am sure he does not know this so it won't cause him worry, but I did feel I had to write to him to thank him for all the efforts he has made to avert the proposed war against Iraq, described variously as being a war against terrorism, rogue states or for oil. He sent one of his most senior cardinals to Baghdad to see President Saddam Hussein, he has received Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi vice president, he supported the peace conference in Assisi, he has warned against the repercussions of the war in areas of the world shared by Christians and Muslims, he is to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the weekend but, when one listens to the rhetoric coming out of Washington, it is hard not to think that even if he sent the whole College of Cardinals on a world tour his words would not be heeded.
I wrote to President George W. Bush myself last November and still have not had a reply, not even the "A chara" letter and surely they must have an American equivalent of this totally useless piece of paper. Friends in America tell me no one in officialdom there opens letters due to fears of anthrax. But anthrax in letters was only sent around by someone in America and surely he saw the green harp on my letter and knew it was from a friendly country.
The debate about how this neutral, but friendly to the United States, country should deal with the proposed war would be amusing if it weren't so serious. We have been told for the last decade over and over again by various politicians and business people that American businesses came here because of our favourable (very low) tax regime for companies and our intelligent, well educated (English speaking) young population. Could it really be true that these companies would leave us just because objections are being made to military aircraft with military personnel, and weapons perhaps, being allowed to land at Shannon? David Andrews, former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Sean Donlon, former Irish Ambassador to Washington put an end to that scare. Businesses go to places which are good for their profits and they will stay here as long as it suits them. Then they will go.
If we are being neutral but friendly why aren't we being the same with Iraq? Eaten beef is soon forgotten and in the 1980s the Iraqis, the army in particular, ate up our surplus beef good oh. Read the Beef Tribunal Report, particularly the section on Mr. Goodman and others fighting with the unfortunate then Irish Ambassador to Iraq over who should get support for the needed visas do go there and sell our delicious beef which no one wanted. Remember, we still have a huge amount of surplus beef produced each year and the Fischler proposals have not been well received here. (Read current editions of the Dry Stock Farmer - a patient once said to me I was the only doctor she had ever attended who had a copy of this informative journal in her waiting room).
I know I am not the only person to support a case for refugee status for Iraqi citizens who have sought refuge here but in all the cases with which I have been involved these people have had their applications refused. One man who contacted me was a surgeon in the Iraqi army and he had fled because, he said, he was being asked to amputate limbs of deserters. If it was safe for us to refuse refugee status to such Iraqis a few years ago why should we support any fight against Saddam now? If he was alright then he must be alright now.
Actually, I have not thought Saddam was alright for a long time. After the Gulf War I went out to Iran on behalf of the Irish Red Cross to see if the supplies we had sent there for the Kurdish refugees from Iraq had got to their destination. The Kurds had had to flee from Northern Iraq across very high mountains with little in the way of clothes or food. Indeed such is the light, colourful clothing of the Kurdish women that some looked as though they were wearing the equivalent to evening dress, not good gear for mountaineering.
When I got up into the mountains myself, to my delight I found all our bags and boxes labelled with Cumann Crois Dhearg na hÉireann had arrived ahead of me and that the young medical students and other Red Cross and Crescent workers were doing all they could for refugees. It is worthwhile pointing out that Iran still has some of those refugees to care for, not to mind all of those they have in the east of the country following the recent Afghan war. The Iranians get little help or thanks for the refugee burden they have to carry.
Naturally I was on The March but then I am a usual suspect. I expect Washington will take as little notice of the international marches as they have of the Pope's words and, I am sure, prayers. The war, they say, will be short and I suppose it will. Many Iraqi civilians will be killed and many more will flee over those terrible mountains. Saddam may escape George W's justice - "we want him dead or alive" - the same as Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar, who apparently rode off into the sunset pillion on a motor bike like something from the "Sundance Kid".
But what will happen then? It will take more than the new regulations for airline passengers to America to protect that country and maybe us as well.
Senator Mary Henry, MD
