Editorial:

When sovereignty is another US fraud

The issue of sovereignty and independence has been thrust onto 
centre stage by the attempts of the US and the United Nations to 
decide, even at this point in time, the make-up of an interim 
Iraqi government.

Sovereignty and independence mean that the people and the state 
of every nation have the right to establish their own government 
and the forms of security that are to be established, to control 
every aspect of their armed forces, their judiciary, electoral 
processes, economic structures, etc. But this is not what the 
occupying powers have in mind despite the statements by Bush and 
Powell. The US leaders and even the United Nations are attempting 
to decide who should be President, Prime Minister and ministers 
of an Iraqi interim government.

This is happening despite the statements of President Bush that 
Iraq would have "full sovereignty". He went on to say that on 
June 30, when an interim government is to be set up, that "the 
occupation will end". The incoming US ambassador to Iraq, John 
Negroponte, said that the occupying forces will act with Iraq's 
"consent and approval". None of these statements are true. Once 
again the leaders of the occupying countries are lying. At a 
press conference on May 27 Colin Powell said that "The President 
never, never relinquishes command of American troops". Other 
statements have made it clear that the US leaders intend to stay 
in Iraq for years until "the job is done". The Australian Prime 
Minister fully supports this intention.

This is not a new attitude on the part of imperialist 
governments. British and other European colonial countries 
imposed governments on their former colonies and only left when 
the national liberation movements forced them to do so.

Today, the US, British and some other governments are pursuing a 
policy of "pre-emptive strike". They also claim to have the right 
to intervene in what they describe as "failed states". Pre-
emptive strike was to describe the invasion of Iraq, alleging 
that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that the US had the 
right to march in and overthrow the government and impose 
"democracy" as Iraq posed a threat to the whole world.

It is now clear that the Iraqi people will not have the right to 
establish a government of their own choosing unless it is a 
government that is acceptable to the US leaders and the UN. This 
is neither democracy nor the acceptance of the right of the Iraqi 
people to sovereignty and independence.

It is these same policies that the Australian Government has used 
to occupy the Solomon Islands. It would like to do the same in 
PNG and East Timor.

It is very unfortunate that United Nations personnel under the 
authority of the UN Security Council have become a part of this 
fraud. Its representative, Lakhdar Brahimi, is actively involved 
in choosing an Iraqi President and Prime Minister instead of 
supporting the demand of the Iraqi people and Governing Council 
that their nominees for these positions should be accepted.

The first responsibility of the United Nations is to uphold its 
own Charter, which asserts the right of nations to independence 
and is against interference in the internal affairs of other 
countries.

It appears that none of the big powers are speaking up strongly 
to insist that the principle of sovereignty and independence must 
apply to Iraq just as these countries would insist on them 
applying to their country and their interests.

The only exception is the UN representative of the People's 
Republic of China who has spoken in favour of giving the interim 
Iraqi government the power to review the mandate to keep foreign 
troops in Iraq.

It is not likely that the Iraqi people will accept for long the 
occupation and the appointment by outsiders of their government. 
Their struggle for sovereignty is part of the long struggle of 
the people of many countries against the imperialist powers, 
which have never accepted the right of people to sovereignty and 
independence.

The people of the world will never be safe nor be guaranteed 
their right to independence while imperialism exists. Imperialism 
is the enemy of the people of all countries.