| Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT) |
From: Richard Sanders <ad207_-at-_freenet.carleton.ca>
To: no_to_nato_-at-_flora.org
Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2002 16:44:40 -0400
Someone alerted me to this today story saying: "You can't parody these
people."
My reply was: "Parody is dead, long live parody."
I even called it in to Richardson's Roundup because he's asked people for
stories about encounters with royalty. I added comments on how back around
1920 Britain installed Iraq's very first king (who had never set foot in
Iraq before then). It wouldn't have been possible without Britain's
generous use of chemical weapons against what Churchill at the time called
"uncivilized tribes." In 1963, a bloody, US-coordinated coup put Saddam's
Baath party in power. Saddam became head of Iraq's "intelligence" agency,
and the rest is history.
Talk about yer "regime changes."
Things haven't changed much, eh?
Read all about it COAT's next issue of Press for Conversion!
So anyway, here, for your bemusement, is the royal obituary of parody:
From http://www.guardian.co.uk/armstrade/story/0,10674,813569,00.html
Thursday October 17, 2002
Prince Andrew had an embarrassing encounter with an Iraqi delegation in
Jordan yesterday while attending an arms fair to promote British exports.
A group of 10 Iraqi representatives carried out what Radio 4's Today
programme described as a "strategic jostle" into the Prince's party,
forcing him to look away.
An aide of the prince told him: "It's the Iraqis, Sir." Prince Andrew's
response was: "God, the Iraqis," and quickly looked in the opposite
direction.
The prince, along with the defence minister, Lord Bach, was attending
the Special Operations Forces Exhibition (Sofex) in Amman this week to
support British companies.
Prince Andrew's equerry, Major Rob Olney, today said today that he was
not at the fair to meet the Iraqi delegation. "He's here to promote
British investment and trade in the Middle East," Major Olney said.
The British army and British arms companies are at the fair to showcase
a range of weapons, including landmines, tanks and fighter jets. The
countries there to buy arms include Syria, Sudan, Libya and Iran.
Lord Bach said British sellers at the fair were not targeting Iraqi
delegates. "Anyone can come and look, but I think looking won't help them
very much. There is a United Nations resolution that embargoes defence
exports to Iraq.
"We have close relations with many of the Arab states and I am delighted
that we do. They are a force for stability in this troubled region. Many
of them are moving towards democracy in their own way, in their own
time."
Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT)
(A network of individuals and NGOs across Canada and around the world)
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