Bremer's emergency D.C. trip

THIS is a translation of a story from the Jordanian Daily "al-Arab al-Yawm" of November 19. The newspaper's Baghdad correspondent has learned that US "Pro-Consul" L. Paul Bremer brought back from Washington to Baghdad not only a timetable for handing over power to Iraqis (of course, those hand picked in Washington: such is Bush's version of "democracy") but also a secret arrangement that would give the US and Britain six permanent bases in Iraq, strategically located so that the United States can project their power throughout the whole region.

[T]he planned positions for permanent deployment:

* Al-Habbaniyah Airbase [website note: already an RAF airbase for much of the last century] near the city of al-Fallujah, 65km west of Baghdad,
* Ash-Sha'biyah Airbase in Basra, 600km south of Baghdad,
* 'Ali ibn Abi Taleb Airbase on the outskirts of the city of an-Nasiriyah, 400km south of Baghdad,
* al-Walid Airbase about 330km north west of Baghdad,
* al-Ghazlani Camp in the city of Mosul, 400km north of Baghdad, and
* A permanent deployment of forces in the east of Iraq in what is known as the Hamrin mountain range that extends from Diyala Provice, 60km east of Baghdad, and borders on Iran and extends to the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, 260km north of Baghdad.

Observers say that the choice of these positions discloses the American perspective regarding the future of the country. This perspective is that they must, through their presence in Iraq, control the keys to movement in virtually all directions while maintaining a high level of flexibility of action throughout the Arab region as a whole. This geographical deployment will, without doubt, secure those objectives of the occupation forces. In addition, the plan provides for reliance on air bases of the utmost importance in Iraq -- a new focal point for American strategy in the Middle East region.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.