When asked if he viewed the invasion of Iraq as illegal, in a BBC interview, Annan said "Yes, if you wish. I have indicated it was not in conformity with the UN charter from our point of view, from the charter point of view, it was illegal."
The high demand in bullets is in response to a recent U.S. Army market survey for a "Small-Caliber Ammunition Systems Integrator". The Financial Times reports that the US occupation forces will need 300m to 500m more bullets a year for at least five years. And because the single army-owned, small-calibre ammunition factory in Lake City, Missouri, can produce only 1.2m bullets annually, the army is suddenly scrambling to get private defense contractors to help fill the gap.
Iraq Body Count reports up to 14,000 civilian deaths in Iraq. The People’s Kifah reports well over 37,000. Canadian contracts such as the one with SNC Technologies Inc. should pierce any myth that Canada is neutral. Canada is now literally, without doubt, providing the ammunition to kill Iraqis.
As early as February, 2003 Canada had provided strategic support for the war on Iraq by transferring 25 military planners from US Central Command in Tampa, Florida to the US command post in Qatar.
More, also in February, 2003, Commander Roger Girouard assumed command of the navy Task Force 151, located in the Persian Gulf, under an agreement by Ottawa and Washington. The Task Force was responsible for escorting ships, intercepting and boarding suspect ships and guarding against attacks on shipping. Girouard was in charge of up to 20 allied ships from several different countries, including the United States, France, Italy, Greece and Canada. The Canadian Government even allowed US planes on route to Iraq to fly through Canadian air space and to refuel, this ended after the first 3 weeks in March, 2003.
This should outrage Canadians for four reasons.
Two, while providing military and strategic support, Canada is impinging on the right of Iraqi’s to democratically control their own country, and this becomes even more important as the country spirals into further violence and more Iraqis die.
And, fourth, according to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, this war is against international law.
Chris Spannos volunteers for Vancouver Coop Radio, the Vancouver Participatory Economics Collective and ZNet.
