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<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Dear All</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>My MP David Hanson (Delyn),
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister has used his weekly
column in a local newspaper to respond to a letter (pasted below) I had
published last week regarding the attack on Fallujah and the Lancet report of
100,000 Iraqi civilians dead. </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>How can my MP represent me when he cannot sign
EDMs, nor vote or speak out against the government for fear of compromising
his career? At a public meeting prior to the war Mr Hanson assured constituents
that Iraq had WMD, was a real threat and that all would be well in a matter of
months. We were simply told 'just wait and see'. Mr Hanons had previously let
slip to me at one of his constituency surgeries that UK support for President
Bush in the coming war had nothing to do with WMD. I asked him if it were the
French and not the US that were amassing troops in the Gulf preparing for an
attack, would Britain be supporting them. His answer was 'No, of course
not'.</FONT><FONT face=Verdana size=2> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>I have enclosed Mr Hansons response below.
The letters page at the Chronicle is</FONT><FONT face=Verdana size=2><FONT
size=1><FONT size=2> </FONT><A
href="mailto:flintshire.news@cheshirenews.co.uk">flintshire.news@cheshirenews.co.uk</A></FONT><FONT
size=2> and David Hanson</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>is at</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2><A
href="mailto:hansond@parliament.uk">hansond@parliament.uk</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2><FONT size=1></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>David McKnight</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>Mold Social Forum</DIV>
<DIV>Flintshire, North Wales</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2><FONT size=1><FONT
size=2>***********</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>The Chronicle, November 19 2004</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>View from Westminster</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>David Hanson Delyn MP</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>I read with interest the comments in last weeks
Chronicle letters page from correspondents regarding my position on Iraq. While
I respect their views, and those of all those who genuinely disagreed with the
decision to take military action in Iraq, I have always based my judgments in
these extremely difficult matters on the best available information at the
time.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>It is important to understand why the difficult
and dangerous operations are being undertaken in Fallujah and elsewhere. I am
sure thet everyone agrees that the best future for Iraq is one where the country
is run by a democratically elected Iraqi government.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Those elections have been timetabled for January,
but cannot take place with terrorists operating in the country as they have
been. They do not want to see elections or the rebuilding of the country and are
all too willing to attack civilians, as the recent suicide bombings have
shown.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>In order for free and fair elections to take
place, it is vital that the terrorists are sought out. People cannot vote if
they are doing so in a climate of fear.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>I notice also that the figure of 100,000
civilians casualties since military operations began is mentioned. I have
studied this report. The death of one civilian is tragic so 100,000 would be
truly horrendous. However, the report has arrived at that figure not from
actual recorded civilian deaths but from one incident, terrible though
that is, where about 60 civilians were killed. The report has then assumed that
every similar operation will also result in a comparable loss of life, without
any justification for that claim.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>No-one wants to see any more deaths in Iraq.
Everyone wants to see our troops return home as soon as possible. I want to take
this opportunity to pay tribute to all British forces who are serving in Iraq
and elsewhere. They are doing a fantastic job under extremely difficult
circumstances.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>************</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>My Original letter published Friday 12th November
2004</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2>
<P>The illegal occupying forces of Britain and the US are currently unleashing a
bloody and murderous assault on the Iraqi cities of Falluja and Ramadi. The
first targets in Falluja were hospitals - so the US didn't have to face
criticism from Iraqi doctors about civilian casualties. This is sickening. The
assault is likely to become a full-on massacre in the coming days. The official
reason for the attack on Falluja is that the Jordanian extremist Abu
Musab al Zarqawi is based in the city. CIA stooge Iyad Allawi who also
happens to be Iraqs US-appointed Prime Minister has said that Fallujans can
avoid an all-out attack if they hand over Zarqawi. City elders and civil groups
claim that Zarqawi (if such a person actually exists) is not in Falluja. The
Americans no longer believe Zarqawi to be in the city yet continue to bomb
daily, killing innocent women and children whilst flattening houses, mosques,
schools and medical centres. Yet the interim Iraqi president, Ghazi
al-Yawar, has rejected the coalition's handling of the crisis: "I completely
disagree with those who see a need to decide [Falluja] through military action."
He added: "The coalition's handling of this crisis is wrong. It's like someone
who fired bullets at his horse's head just because a fly landed on it; the horse
died and the fly went away." I would like to ask my elected representative,
David Hanson MP - someone who has, thusfar, given his wholehearted support to Mr
Blair and Mr Bush - if he agrees with the policy in Falluja. Two weeks ago,
the esteemed medical journal, The Lancet, published an extensively peer-reviewed
article, in which the authors claimed that at least 100,000 Iraqi civilians have
been killed as a result of the US led invasion and subsequent occupation.
Falluja is a city the size of Cardiff - with 300,000 residents.
The Liars Corps in Washington and Downing St. inform us that there are only
terrorists left in the city. US commanders, however, estimate that upto 50%
of the population remain. This means that at least 150,000 civilians are being
left without food, water or electricity whilst being terrorised by 500lb bombs,
helicopter gunships, tanks and deadly sniper fire. Young British troops are
being blown to pieces while our comfortable and well rewarded politicians
continue to lie to them, their families and the Iraqi people. How
many more innocent lives will it take before cowards like Mr
Hanson see the barbaric folly that is this governments policy in Iraq?</P>
<P>Yours sincerely</P>
<P>Mr DJ McKnight</P></FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>