A Heated Debate about American Policies in Iraq on Egyptian TV

The privately-owned Egyptian TV channel, Dream2, hosted a discussion about the situation in Iraq. The participants in this debate were Kamal Chatila, head of the Lebanese Popular Congress, Hazem Al-Yousefi, the Kurdish National Federation?s representative in Cairo, and retired Egyptian General Sallah Al-Din Salim. Following are excerpts from the discussion:

Kamal Chatila: We were among those who condemned attacks against civilians anywhere, even in Washington, because the humane dimension of Pan-Arabism rejects the killing of civilians. We also reject it from an Islamic perspective, according to the will of Abu Baqr. But the killing at the UN headquarters in Iraq, the killing of civilians or the heinous crime in Karbala were committed by the Mossad, for whom America opened all the gates of Iraq. I am referring to the 20,000 Bremer brought and who were trained by Chalabi in Bulgaria.

Hazem Al-Yousefi: When an (American) soldier is killed it is considered resistance but when hundreds of Iraqis are killed in a car bomb in the same way and the same method it is attributed to the Mossad?! The Zionists and Israelis? this has become a broken record. I mean, anyone who speaks says the Israelis The Zionists whatever entered Iraq and bought property and real estate and opened companies...

Moderator: And this is untrue?

Hazem Al-Yousefi: I think it is definitely untrue.

Moderator: Mr. Hazem has expressed his dissatisfaction over the act of dragging the soldiers and hanging their corpses in this manner (in Falluja). Don't you think this will damage the resistance?

Chatila: Killing children and women and raping them, frightening peaceful people and dropping what equals the Hiroshima bomb on Iraq during the occupation and the aerial bombardment is permitted but killing the Americans and hanging them from electric poles is forbidden?!

General Sallah Al-Din Salim: I don?t exclude the possibility that the CIA or the Mossad played a part in the attack on the UN headquarters. Penetrating resistance organizations is an old American practice and a Zionist one as well. We know about the Lavon scandal in Egypt and (the attack on) American targets, and we know that there is a Mossad station in Kirkuk, a Mossad station in Baghdad, and a Mossad station on the Syrian-Iraqi border.

Moderator: What is the source of this information you speak about so decisively?

Salim: The sources of this information are many. That is my answer.