Tees (in its original condition) on the Middle East

RE the letter in the last issue of 'Salient' about the visit to Iraq of V. Adams, VUWSA President.

In your editorial comment you stated that the correspondent was in effect wrong to criticise the junket to Iraq because attending the Student meeting in any one country did not imply support of those countries and that student's associations in the Asian Student's Association which was holding it's annual meeting were independent of their respective governments.

In some cases this is no doubt true, but in the case of the Iraqi Students association this is certainly Not true. I well remember reading a report from Lindy Cassidy and Grant Liddell who attended an ASA meeting preceding this one where they referred to the fact that prosoviet associations such as Iraq tried to manipulate the policies of the ASA towards a pro Soviet 'view'.

I have also been told that the corrupt, tyranical and hypocritical govt' funds the Student's association there and indeed if they stepped out of line with President's Sadam Hussein's views that they would be suppressed. I would'nt be surprised if the Govt' there funded the ASA Conference as well, since they are obviously expensive affairs to run.

So the correspondent who questioned the propriety of V. Adams' junket to a conference held by Iraq which has sponsored and carried out unprovoked agression against the Islamic Republic of Iran and it's beleaguered people was quite right to do so.

Incidentally, full marks to the Israeli destruction of the Iraqi Nuclear reactor, all irresponsible, mad, and agressive leader like Sadam Husein does not deserve control of such a potential lethal weapon in an already over volatile area of the world.