WORKERS OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE! No 1346 Week commencing 17 June 2005 Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain 50p IRAQ US IMPERIALISTS READY TO TALK? by our Arab Affairs Correspondent And US defence min- anti-imperialist violence ister Donald Rumsfeld, one that has destroyed any le- IRAQI PARTISANS have broken the back of the of the chief war-mongers gitimacy the US occupation American offensive against the resistance inside in the Bush cabinet, has once claimed. And last the capital, Baghdad, while across the country confirmed that tentative week the resistance dem- talks between the puppet onstrated an authority of wave after wave of ambushes, raids and bombings their own when take a relentless toll on the forces of imperialism. regime and the partisans have taken place. Though Mujahideen units seized The Russian ambassa- American imperialist troops he refused to go into details, control of parts of south- dor held talks last week and wounded 13,000 more. he told the BBC that these western Baghdad for a with maverick Shia leader Last month 67 US soldiers contacts were broad-rang- time to show that they can Muqtada al Sadr. were killed in action, the ing and crucial to establish- take any area whenever The British expedition- fourth highest tally since ing stability. they want. The point was ary force in the south will the invasion in March 2003. rammed home with re- be cut within the next six “This insurgency is not a ploy? peated attacks on Baghdad months to free troops to going to be settled, the ter- International Airport and beef up the American pres- rorists and the terrorism in Whether it’s simply a the assassination of the ence in Afghanistan and a Iraq is not going to be ploy to split the resistance quisling Iraqi general in senior member of the Bush settled, through military or the beginning of the end charge of puppet troops in- administration has con- options or military opera- only time will tell. But it volved in the latest Ameri- firmed that Washington has tions,” US Brigadier Gen- might explain why Britain can exercise in futility. held tentative talks with el- eral Donald Alston told the is talking about pulling out And a senior US diplo- ements within the resis- media in Baghdad last some of its troops and why mat narrowly escaped with tance to end the violence week. “It’s going to be Russia is stepping up its his life on Monday when his in Iraq. settled in the political pro- own contacts with Iraqi convoy was bombed in Four oil-pipelines were cess”. leaders. Baghdad. So much for the British troops are to be much-vaunted “Operation blown up in the northern • The resistance: grinding the occupiers down. and southern oil-fields last not telling redeployed from Iraq to Lightning” that the Ameri- week and doctors warn of Afghanistan to help the imperialist Karzai regime in pation from the sidelines of cans bragged would bring a new crisis in Baghdad as If there is a “political Americans now facing the Kabul. the Shia-dominated puppet the partisans to heel in the water pollution and water process” the Americans brunt of a renewed Taliban Russian ambassador regime. capital. shortages raise fears of epi- are not telling – or not in so offensive. Air Marshal Vladimir Chamov’s meet- The Americans said demics as the country en- many words. American of- Glenn Torpy said on Mon- ing with Muqtada al Sadr they had not asked the Rus- ters the hottest part of its ficials in Baghdad and their day that the British contin- served to elevate the sian to act as a go-be- FUND year. local quislings are now talk- gent in southern Iraq would Kremlin’s role in Iraq as tween, but a US State De- Senior American offic- ing about an amnesty to try decrease in “battalion well as the status of al Sadr, partment official signifi- Our fund this week is ers are openly admitting and get at least some sec- chunks” by the end of the the outspoken Shia leader cantly added that they did £439.80, bringing our that there is now no long tions of the resistance to lay year as more troops and an who led a brief revolt want to bring all Iraqis who June total so far to £940.82 term military solution to the down their arms in return RAF Harrier squadron against the Americans last have renounced violence and leaving £2,059.18 to rebellion that has claimed for a place in the puppet pour into the Afghan moun- year and continues to de- into the “peace process”. raise by the end of the the lives of 1,895 mainly regime. tains to prop up the pro- mand an end of the occu- But it is precisely that month to make our monthly target. We thank our regular north London veteran pen- sioner donor for £27.40, by Daphne Liddle will simply seize the chance our London Scot for £10, to dump more of its another regular pen- THE EUROPEAN Union subsidised farm produce sioner donor from south summit meeting that be- EU thieves fall out on Third World markets. London for £10 and a south gan this Thursday seems Chirac will be very re- west London comrade for headed for deadlock in a luctant to back down; after £150. We also thank a very battle over whether Third World countries open goes to better-off countries.” Blair can no longer argue the French referendum he special Epson comrade for Britain’s budget rebate themselves up completely to He said that the proposal that Britain is hard up com- is feeling under pressure £40 and an anonymous do- should be continued and exploitation by western busi- to continue spending 40 per pared to other EU countries, to make a public display of nor for £200. the Common Agricultural nesses but at the same time cent of the EU budget on the especially those admitted in defending his country’s in- One London comrade Policy that subsidises tamper with market prices by CAP will “sustain high prices May last year. Britain is virtu- terests to try to restore their has put in a lot of work re- farmers throughout the subsidising their own pro- for continental farmers and ally isolated in Europe on this support for the EU. cently getting the New EU but especially France. ducers and skewing the mar- keep out cheaper exports point, with the exception of Britain gets very little Worker into bookshops The agricultural sub- ket in their own favour. from Africa”. support from the German out of the CAP except some where it has not appeared sidy also has a devastat- They also build tariff The charity Oxfam put it opposition leader Angela subsidies for obscenely before with great success. ing effect on the econo- walls around their own trad- more strongly. “The EU and Merkel, whose policies have rich landowners to help been likened to Thatcher’s. This should encourage mies of developing coun- ing areas to deny trade ac- the US are cheating on the them raise game birds to other comrades to seek out tries because it allows cess to producers from the poor,” said Liz Stuart, the au- be shot as sport. They are shops in their own locali- European farmers to Third World. thor of a recent Oxfam report. bargaining tool doing this by claiming that ties that would be prepared dump their produce at very “They are telling the poor it is helping to preserve to sell the paper. This usu- low prices in Third World admitted countries they have to open Nevertheless Blair is natural diversity but the in- ally means committing to markets, putting the indig- their markets in return for threatening to use Britain’s tervention of gamekeepers call at the shop regularly enous farmers out of busi- On Monday Foreign Sec- cuts in farm subsidies but in veto to prevent the EU setting in many ways has an op- a budget unless the rebate posite effect. to bring papers, or arrang- ness. The United States retary Jack Straw admitted reality they are cooking the ing for them to be posted, also subsidises its farm- that the EU spending policies books with devastating con- stays. Many economic ex- The issues at stake are perts believe the rebate, in mostly a case of thieves fall- and then, from time to ers to an even greater ex- unfairly favour rich countries. sequences for the poor.” time, collecting takings, tent, with a similar effect on He described the CAP as Meanwhile Blair is claim- absolute terms, is not such ing out over how to rob their the Third World. being “as wasteful as it is ing that he will defend the re- a big deal but Blair is using it own working classes and minus the usual trade dis- This is all part of the unfair”. bate won in the 1980s by Mrs as a bargaining tool to force the Third World. They also count for the shop and hypocrisy of global capital- He said: “It is a budget Thatcher on the grounds that the EU to cut the CAP. serve to highlight Britain’s passing it on to the centre. ism that preaches the gos- that is unfair to Europe’s Britain was hard up and that This would benefit Third increasing isolation in Eu- In the meantime pel of total free trade – “let poorer countries because far our contributions to the EU World countries if America did rope and the widening divi- please send whatever you the inefficient and unfit go too much of the proposed were out of proportion to what the same.