Double crime
Iraq has accused Britain and the us of not only causing cancer but also blocking medical supplies crucial to the treatment of cancer to its people.
In a letter to un secretary-general Kofi Annan, Iraqi foreign minister Naji Sabri said depleted uranium ammunition used by the us-led forces during the 1991 Gulf War has led to a rise in cancer cases in Iraq. Worse still, it was alleged that the envoys of these countries in the un sanctions committee were putting on hold contracts for medicines and equipment for the treatment of people with cancer.
Sabri also attached to the letter a list of 21 contracts for medical supplies for treating cancer blocked by Britain and the us. He urged Annan to release those contracts "so that specialised medical parties can begin the treatment of the victims who have fallen prey to the crime of the use of depleted uranium'.
Last year, the World Health Organisation (who) began an in-depth study into the health impact of the uranium shells used in Iraq. But in November, after lobbying from Washington, the un general assembly shot down the Iraqi proposal for a un-backed study into the effects of uranium shells.
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