Students, teachers of Rabat's Iraqi school stage sit-in to protest British-US raids
Morocco-Iraq, Politics, 2/20/2001

Students, staff and teachers of the Iraqi school in Rabat staged on Monday a sit-in to protest the US-British air raids against Baghdad.

The protesters, who were carrying Iraqi flags and pictures of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, chanted slogans condemning the air raids against their country.

The students were traumatized by the raids and decided to stage a sit-in to express their solidarity with their brothers and sisters in Iraq, the school headmaster told MAP.

He added that the US-British air raids reflect hostility against the Arab-Islamic nation and are meant to divert the attention from the Palestinian people Intifadah.

A Moroccan association, the committee of support to Iraq, has also denounced the "military aggression" as a "blatant violation" of international law, calling the international community to endeavor for an end to "the jungle law that marks the US-British policy in the Middle East and the Gulf." The association, which released a statement, urged the international community to renounce its indifference that jeopardizes Iraq's security, stability and territorial integrity."

The association also renewed the solidarity of Morocco and the Moroccan people with the Iraqi people in their struggle against aggressions and for their sovereignty, dignity and independence.

In Jeddah, the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) also denounced the air raids as an unjustified violation of international legality and law.

A statement of the OIC secretariat general says the new attacks will only complicate the quest of a solution to the situation, all the more as Iraq was poised to hold talks on Feb.26 with the United Nations secretary general over the suspension of sanctions. The OIC secretary general, Abdelouahed Belkziz, is "following with great concern" new developments and urges member countries to take moves with the USA and Britain to find a solution that would guarantee the respect of Iraq's sovereignty and avert the use of force.

As part of the wave of denunciations that followed last Friday's air raids, the Brussels-based Parliamentary Association for Euro-Arab Cooperation called the European Union to endeavor to have the USA and Britain end military actions against Iraq. The association deplores that this type of actions will only increase tension and lead the region in a no-end and no-winner spiral of violence.

The association also recalls that the no-fly zones are not created by a UN resolution and actions to ensure the respect of these zones are illegal under international law.

Previous Stories:
  Arab parliamentary delegation urges for end to anti-Iraq sanctions   (2/8/2001)
  Speaker of Moroccan parliament leads Arab delegation to European parliament over lifting anti-Iraq sanctions   (2/7/2001)
  President Saddam Hussein gets royal message   (11/9/2000)

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