Chris Slee, Melbourne
Two Iraqis living in Australia, both of whom have recently returned from visits to their homeland, addressed 50 people at a forum organised by the International Socialist Organisation, an affiliate of the Socialist Alliance, on July 8.
Safa Alkhafaf spoke of the problems facing Iraqis in the areas of health, education and security. Twenty years ago Iraq had free education and a good hospital system. Today, schools and hospitals lack necessary equipment and staff. Many schools are occupied by homeless people whose houses were destroyed by war. Many parents keep their daughters home for fear of kidnapping. "The US troops do not protect the people, only the oil", she said.
Azad Arman, who is Kurdish, spoke of his visit to northern Iraq. Economic conditions there are better than in the south, despite a high level of unemployment, due to the influx of aid money into the Kurdish area. The main Kurdish parties support the US, which has used them against the Arabs and Turkomen. There is a danger of civil war in some towns, due to the US policy of divide and rule.
Arman also spoke about the Iraqi left. While the Iraqi Communist Party has supported the US occupation, having a minister in Washington's puppet interim Iraqi government, there are a number of left groups that oppose it. Some left groups, such as the Communist Party of Iraq (Central Command), work with Islamic groups in opposing the occupation, whereas the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq is "against both sides". Arman views the latter as a sectarian position.
The meeting was also addressed by David Glanz, the Socialist Alliance candidate for the federal electorate of Wills.
From Green Left Weekly, July 14, 2004.
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