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Conclusion: The World We Want

Thank you for participating in the Dialogue on Foreign Policy. The interactive web site is now closed. The Minister's report will appear on this web site once it is released.

This Forum is bilingual, and participants post messages in their language of choice.

President Bush & Tony Blair

Contributor: cfallon

Date: 2003-03-04 15:08:58


I think you should cut Israel some slack.

Iraq is not surrounded by hostile neighbours who think it shouldn't exist.

Iraq hasn't been invaded and isn't subject to constant terrorist threats.

Israel virtually is. Even peace with Jordan and Egypt doesn't mean that large swaths of those populations want Israel destroyed.

Obviously, we have to get Israel to respect UN resolutions, but not at the expense of being destroyed.

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President Bush & Tony Blair

Contributor: codc01

Date: 2003-03-04 16:30:39


Yes, there is a problem when the other countries think that Israel does not have the right to exist.

I personally think they have the right to exist, but they should respect the UN security council.

Anyways, the Israel issue is too complex for me... So I cannot give a balanced opinion on this topic.

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President Bush & Tony Blair

Contributor: fatmomma

Date: 2003-03-04 22:01:08


Was only tongue in cheek suggesting US should be attacking Israel; just wanted to show that they do not have strong grounds for attacking Iraq and killing more defenceless people. Iraq is trying to show it is willing to disarm; I think I would be unwilling to disarm if some goliath told me he would kill me anyhow. Bush does not want to give peace a chance. The information that I found from several sites states that The USA under Bush senior persuaded Kuwaiti to over extract oil from a joint Iraq/kuwaiti oil fields. Then waited for Iraq to react. This is how the Gulf War started. Must say I didn't want to believe it myself but every route I take for information comes up with same conclusion

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President Bush & Tony Blair

Contributor: fatmomma

Date: 2003-03-04 23:02:08


Iraq is surrounded and being bombed by the USA,every day in the so called "no fly zone area" . This has been happening with no defensive reaction from Iraq. Iraq was more than invaded by the US during the Gulf war; it was a full scale massacre. It was not only military targets hit but thousands of innocent civillians too. The USA's heavy backing of Israel puts it on a different playing field and less ready to make any concessions. They mock the USA stand making very similar statements to justify their actions and do not believe they need to heed any other authority than the USA.

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President Bush & Tony Blair

Contributor: codc01

Date: 2003-03-06 07:24:08


What no fly zone are you talking about?

The north of Iraq or the south of Iraq? One was voted by the security council (I think), the other one was created by the UK and the US... So one of them is illegal, and i think the Iraq army is right in defending itself in the southern no fly zone.

Yes, Israel should respect the UN Resolutions, and i think the US governement should put more pressure on Israel. But I also think that Saddam should be disarmed, as i said earlier,

I agree that force may be necessary, but only as a last resort. Canada's position is the right one (a deadline with an objective based disarmement plan)... As i said, the US is going into Iraq for the wrong reasons entirely.





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