Political Quotes

“I want to commend Senator Specter for his leadership in championing the resolution passed overwhelmingly by the Senate a short time ago. Our action has put the Senate on record in support of establishing an international commission and criminal tribunal for the purpose of investigating, prosecuting, and ultimately punishing Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi officials for genocide and crimes against humanity. Through his genocidal campaigns against the Kurds and the Shi'a, the brutal treatment of Kuwaiti civilians, and the repeated use of chemical weapons, Saddam Hussein has earned his place as one of this century's most odious tyrants. Perhaps the best documented case of Saddam's genocidal policies is the infamous Anfal campaign launched in February 1988 against Iraqi Kurdistan. The purpose of Anfal was to break the back of the Kurdish resistance using whatever means necessary. Large tracts of rural Kurdistan were declared off-limits and forcibly depopulated. Those who remained were branded 'traitors' and 'saboteurs' and were systematically liquidated during a ruthless six and a half month campaign. Human Rights Watch estimates that, in all, between 50,000 and 100,000 innocent civilians were killed during Anfal. On March 16, 1988--nearly ten years ago to the day--Saddam unleashed a deadly cocktail of chemical weapons against the Kurdish town of Halabja.”