[Marinir] 100,000 killed in Iraq: Blair rejects call for inquiry

Sat Dec 11 04:30:57 CET 2004

From:  "Holy Uncle" <holyuncle at hotmail.com>
Date:  Thu Dec 9, 2004  2:30 am ; Msg # 30268
Subject:  100000 vs 15000 korban di Irak

***Blair tolak karena dia tahu korban sipil di Irak mencapai 100000.

*** Mr Blair did not give any figures, but when the Lancet study was
published, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw pointed out on BBC radio that
another independent survey had estimated 15,000 deaths. --

***Inilah permainan negara2 Barat dengan transparansi, jujur, yang bisa
diatur...

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sub/world/story/0,5562,289544,00.html?

Dec 9, 2004

100,000 killed in Iraq: Blair rejects call for inquiry

Independent tally sought after govt rejected figure given by medical journal

LONDON - PRIME Minister Tony Blair yesterday rejected calls to set up an
independent inquiry into the number of civilians killed in Iraq after a
reputed medical journal published a study saying that nearly 100,000 had
been killed since March last year.

He had received a letter signed by 46 eminent figures, including military
men, former diplomats and bishops.

It followed a study in The Lancet journal, which in October estimated the
number of civilian deaths in Iraq since the outbreak of hostilities in March
last year at 98,000.

British ministers rejected the Lancet figures, but have offered no
alternative estimate of their own for the same period.

Now health charity Medact and the Iraq Body Count group have written an
open letter to Mr Blair saying that Britain and the United States had a duty
to
count the number of people killed in the ongoing violence.

'As you know, your government is obliged under international humanitarian
law to protect the civilian population during military operations in Iraq,
and you have consistently promised to do so,' said the letter.

'However, without counting the dead and injured, no one can know whether
Britain and its coalition partners are meeting these obligations.'

According to BBC Online, the names on the letter included retired general
Sir Hugh Beech, the Bishop of Coventry and a former ambassador to Iraq.

It also included former assistant chief of the defence staff Lord Garden and
writer Harold Pinter.

The signatories urged the Prime Minister to set up an independent inquiry to
establish just how many people have been killed or injured in Iraq, along
with reasons for the casualties.

But late yesterday, Mr Blair rejected the call, saying 'terrorists and
insurgents' were to blame for fatalities in the run-up to elections due in
January.

'Any action that the multinational force or the Iraqi army is taking in Iraq
is in order to defeat those people who are blowing up innocent people,
preventing people from joining the police force, killing innocent aid
workers, killing anyone trying to make the country better,' he said.

He called on his critics on Iraq to throw their support behind the elections
and the interim government in Baghdad, to 'make sure we stop the terrorists
and start the democracy'.

He said he was still 'confident' the polls would go ahead as planned,
despite the climate of insecurity.

Mr Blair did not give any figures, but when the Lancet study was published,
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw pointed out on BBC radio that another
independent survey had estimated 15,000 deaths. --
ASSOCIATED PRESS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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