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Politics : War -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rolla Coasta who wrote (599)	1/17/2001 11:03:45 PM
From: KLP	Respond to of 23908

And this guy has been busy too....Iraq Has Upgraded Conventional Military: Report 5:54 am PST, 15 January 2001 Despite a decade of western-imposed UN sanctions and being subjected to weapons inspectors for many of those years, Iraq has managed to upgrade its conventional military forces, Middle East Newsline reported Friday. Western observers of an Iraqi military parade held Dec. 31 said it was the biggest such parade since the 1991 Gulf War. Also, monitors said they saw about 1,000 tanks drive through during the five-hour parade – quite a feat, considering allied forces destroyed much of Saddam Hussein’s armored forces during the war. MEN reported that Iraqi opposition officials said that as of 1996, the Iraqi army still had no more than 700 tanks. In 1998, the Tel Aviv-based Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies reported that in 1998 Iraq had a fleet of up to 2,300 tanks. But most of the fleet was reported to be idle, MEN said. Officials from the London-based Iraqi National Congress told MEN that most of the tanks – former Soviet Union T-72s, T-62s and T-55s – had been upgraded using eastern and western technologies. Many of the engine and cooling systems reportedly have come from the Ukraine. Included in the military parade, observers said, were Czech-made self-propelled artillery pieces, which could be deployed in any future conflict in the region. "Sanctions have clearly not hindered Saddam in rebuilding his war machine," an INC official said. "The display was also part of Saddam's increasingly belligerent stance. He is sending a message that he is resurgent and that he can affect events in the region through aggressive military action." Other weapons displayed included the Tariq surface-to-surface. While western observers said none of the Tariq missiles had a range in excess of 150 km (93 miles), Iraqi opposition leaders say the Tariq is similar to the banned "Hussein" missile used against Israel during the Persian Gulf war. Those missiles had a range of about 600 km (370 miles). Also, observers reported seeing a chemical weapons unit, as well as French- and Russian-made surface-to-air missiles, including Russian SA-8 and SA-9 missiles, and French Roland missiles. Rolands were first sent to Iraq in 1981, during the 1980-88 war with Iran. The INC said with the help of Russia, Iraq has been rebuilding its air defenses since 1997. The Clinton administration has downplayed Iraq’s conventional might, claiming that its weapons cannot be effectively employed against the superior strength and technology of western forces – mostly because Saddam has no effective air cover to support tank and infantry assaults. "I do think Saddam is weaker," Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told reporters last Tuesday. "He has been contained. We have worked very hard not to have him be a threat to the region, to do everything that we can to make sure that he doesn't reconstitute his weapons of mass destruction and that he not terrorize his people, and tried to do everything to make him live up to his international obligations." © 2000 7am.com 7am.com

To: Rolla Coasta who wrote (599)	1/17/2001 11:18:22 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 23908

Give me those policies in print. Where do you find that?? Hmm... I haven't yet been made privy to the secret writings of the communist party committee.. But if you can help me out, I would appreciate it.. :) There're Han in that region long long time ago. Just like there are Mongols who were in China... But in recent times, it is quite apparent that Han populations were rather limmited in both Tibet and Xiachang only 100 years ago, I would say that China's occupation of both regions and their subsequent efforts to alter their demographics by importing Han homesteaders, is a clear sign that this is not a matter of Han's preserving some original majority. Don't be over-nervous about the situation. I'm always nervous when 1 billion people are not permitted to fully realize their individuality or to thing for themselves and express their political opinions. The little secret you should have clued into by now is the fact that developed democracies just don't attack one another militarily. And until China shows me that the people are achieving some control over the system, as opposed to the other way around, I will remain nervous. Regards, Ron