By Cathy Breen
Voices in the Wilderness
Baghdad

At home and here we are all struggling to understand the situation. It is such a complex one. The threat of civil war is just one piece of the puzzle, as is the role of the governing council, the coalition authorities, the U.N., etc. We need to be listening and learning what people here representing different sectors believe and sense.

Just the other night our reporter friend stopped by to tell me about the most recent press conference where the CPA (coalition authority) spokesperson announced that Al Sadr government was not legal. As is his custom, our friend began his question by repeating the spokesperson’s statement. “You say that the Al Sadr government is not legal? Do you think that the governing council is legal?” he asked. “Who gave legality to the governing council? The Iraqi people didn’t vote for them!”

Our friend believes that if the coalition forces would “allow” the Iraqi people to choose their own governing council, holding elections by secret ballot overseen by the U.N. and Iraqi judges, then “all people could participate to make a new Iraq.” He feels that it has to be up to the Iraqi people to decide. I marveled that he is still allowed into the press conferences. He said that other Iraqi journalists come up to him after these press conferences saying “Aren’t you scared? You are so brave.” We need to keep this valiant young man in our prayers.

We are aware that the issues of depleted uranium and U.S. Corporate involvement in Iraq must not be left unaddressed, and we are currently seeking meetings with the new Minister of Health, the Minister of Environment and Bechtel. I pray we know what questions to ask. We’re studying and circulating an excellent report; The Corporate Invasion of Iraq-Profile of U.S. Corporations Awarded Contracts in U.S./British-Occupied Iraq (Adobe PDF) prepared by the U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW). This report profiles eighteen of the most prominent U.S. corporations to which the Bush administration has given large, highly profitable contracts to operate in Iraq. It is well worth reading.

We are trying to find out with whom we should meet from the coalition forces to ask them what they have done in terms of identifying sites where DU munitions were used and what they have done, or plan to do, with respect to decontamination. We will keep you posted.

We are happy to report that the doctors from Al Monsur hospital were able to get to the U.K. for up-to-date training. After speaking with the Papal Nuncio, the Chaldean bishop here in Baghdad, is also willing to receive the Shia Imams from the Al Sadr group who visited with us recently.