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Well picked up Sander. There is a real problem with 'embedded' journalists. The broadcasters should qualify any reports from them. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/World/iraq_safwan030322.html has a good article by John Donvan where he highlights this issue: > Doubts and Questions > Slow Aid and Other Concerns Fuel Iraqi Discontent Toward United States > > By John Donvan > S A F W A N, Iraq, March 22 — They were unforgettable images: > Residents of this southern Iraqi town openly welcoming coalition > forces. They danced in the streets as a picture of Saddam Hussein was > torn down. > • Liberated Iraqis Doubt U.S. Motives > That was yesterday. > Traveling unescorted into Safwan today, I got a far different picture. > Rather than affection and appreciation, I saw a lot of hostility > toward the coalition forces, the United States and President Bush. > > Some were even directed towards the media. (It was the first time I > heard somebody refer to me as a "Satan.") > > To be sure, conversations with people on the street here begin > relatively calmly. But the more they talked, the angrier they got. > > In part, much of their discontent stems from the unknown. In speaking > with them, the newly-liberated Iraqis ask the same questions that seem > to nag many outside Iraq. > > Why are you here in this country? Are you trying to take over? Are you > going to take our country forever? Are the Israelis coming next? Are > you here to steal our oil? When are you going to get out? > > > Show Us the Aid > > But also fueling the simmering animosity among Iraqis here is the lack > of physical aid and comfort, promised by the United States before the > conflict began. > > The U.S. military said in press briefings today that supplies of food > and medicine have been stockpiled and will be delivered to the Iraqi > people as soon as possible. But for the residents of Safwan, "soon" > isn't soon enough. > > We were told that some people here have been wounded. And we saw one > man taken to a car so they could drive him to Kuwait for treatment. > > Others told us that three or four people had been wounded during the > first night of the war and people were very bitter about that. > > The notion that the military has things under control isn't quite > clear in other aspects as well. > > Some very reliable Western journalists I spoke with, said they had > traveled down a road that the British military told them was clear. > Twenty-minutes later, they discovered land mines on the highway. > > Elsewhere, journalists were running into gunfire. This is all within > about 6 miles of the Kuwaiti border. > > I couldn't help but feel that today was a dicey day, a very dicey day. On 23 Mar 2003 at 3:09, Sander Faas wrote: > BBC world just broadcasted a totally different story from a > commentator saying reports from journalist travelling behind the > troops tell the story of Iraqi civilians complaining about the > American presents in their country and accusing the Americans they > were just there to steal the Iraqi oil. Mark Parkinson Bodmin Cornwall _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk