World war one horror returns in Iran/Ir

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TURKEY so Lina THE RETURN DEMOCRACY IN Box 5965. London.WCIN 3XX result of their historical connection to French colonialism.

Nevertheless, by 1976, the LNM was on the verge of victory, albeit partial. The neighbouring Syrian regime saw a victory for the LNM as a dangerous possibility, a potentially radical threat to itself that might provoke Israeli attack.

It intervened to curtail the LNM and the more radical Palestinian organisations. It did this first by proxy through the proSyrian Palestinian groups in Fatah and then directly by occupying parts of Lebanon.

The Civil War ended in stalemate but one in which Lebanon had been rapidly divided between competing groups - an Israelidominated south, a Palestiniandominated central-southern area, the Syrian-controlled east, and various areas under Maronite control.

Throughout the whole of this process regional powers manoevred for influence. Israel generally backed the Phalangists although as we have seen Syrian intervention was, in its first stages, explicitly pro-Phalangist; Saudi Arabia and Jordan made various attempts to influence groups through political and financial means.

Since the end of the Civil War proper, it has never really ended, of course, the international significance of Lebanon has increased. Partly this is because of the havoc caused by Israel's two major invasions, the first in 1978 and the second - and biggest - in 1982.

Israeli troops are gas by Iraq on Iranian troops focuses attention on this terrible weapon long outlawed in warfare.

Humanity didn't arrive at nuclear weapons and the possibility of annihilating itself all at once. There were many terrible steps on the way. Chemical warfare was one of them.

Mustard gas was widely used by both sides in the First World War after its initial pation in the south.

Solving the crisis has become a question of international power politics. Syria has reemerged as a major political force because of its role in scuttling the IsraeliLebanese agreement backed by the US. The agreement was intended to lead to the withdrawal of all foreign forces.

Abrogate

Syria refused to participate and in the last couple of weeks, successfully persuaded the Lebanese government of Amin Gemayel to abrogate the treaty.

Behind Syria stands the USSR to a large extent in reality and definitely in the perceptions of the US adminstration. For the US and its allies, Lebanon has become a thorn it their side. The forced withdrawal of US, British Russian 1915.

It is one weapons on the Front in January of the most terrible ever concocted.

Last week's Observer quoted the greatest of the First World War poets, Wilfred Owen, describing an attack by mustard gas.

One failed to get his gas mask on in time: 'Yelling out and stumbling/and flound'ring like a man in fire or and Italian troops from the Lebanese mainland was a significant blow to imperialist policy.

The collapse of the agreement between Israel and Lebanon organised by Secretary of State Schultz last May was a further blofine future of Lebanon hangs in the balance. The situation of since 1976 artition has existed It is possible that a formal partition may result from the present conflict - a solution in the interests of reactionary communal leaders and Israel only.

We need to give our solidarity to those people currently fighting Israeli occupation and oppose further imperialist involvement. But we also need to give solidarity to those on the Lebanese left attempting to learn from the mistakes of 1976 and build a non-sectarian movement. misty panes and thick green light/As under a green sea, I saw him drowning."

• Mustard gas warfare was outlawed by an international convention at Geneva in 1925.

The ban on gas warfare held in World War Two to the surprise of all the powers -they had issued civilians with gas masks in expectation that it would be used. Instead, cities were firebombed and NEW Jewel Movement prisoners in Grenada have been tortured, according to Jamaican lawyer, Jacqueline Brown.

Ms. Brown saw the prisoners for the first time last Thursday.

Bernard Coard, a leader of the NJM faction which overthrew Maurice Bishop shortly before the US invasion, showed Ms Brown bruises and boot marks. He said that interrogators had aimed their blows so as to maximise pain from an old back injury.

Lian James, a colleague of Coard's, said that interrogators had tied a sock around his testicles and pulled sharply.

A doctor has admitted that he I was called to the prison to treat I prisoners, but he refused to give ¡ details. something even more terrible developed nuclear weapons.

Like the hydra, the mythical monster on which new heads sprouted whenever one of its heads was cut off, capitalism replaces horror with more horror.

In fact both the USA and the USSR have stocks of chemical weapons and do research into chemical warfare. The Americans have recently stepped up such research.

ACCORDING to the organisation Turkey News and Views, quoted by Jeremy Corbyn in a recent House of Commons debate, there are at the moment 200,000 people in jail in Turkey, of whom at least 45,000 are political prisoners.

NELSON Mandela, who has been imprisoned for over 20 years in South Africa, has refused to consider an offer from the apartheid regime to grant him "conditional" freedom.

The conditions would include mandela agreeing to live in the Transkei one of South Africa's "tribal homelands" which are used as reservoirs of cheap labour.

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Socialist Organiser no. 170 March 15 1984 Page