Lift the sanctions against Iraq!

By Adam Hanieh

RAMALLAH — The sanctions against Iraq are supposed to stop Saddam Hussein from arming himself with chemical and biological weapons, but a cursory glance at the list of items under embargo reveals this claim as ridiculous. Many of the items included, while essential for the health and well-being of the Iraqi people, are hardly critical to any weapons of mass destruction.

The items under embargo are:

Accumulators

Adhesive paper

Aluminium foil

AM-FM receivers

Ambulances

Amplifiers

Answering machines

Armoured cable

Ashtrays

Auto polish

Axes

Bags

Baking soda

Balls

Baskets

Bath brushes

Batteries

Battery chargers

Beads

Bearings

Bed lamps

Belts

Benches

Bicycles

Books (all categories)

Bottles

Bowls

Boxes

Brass

Broilers

Busses

Calculators

Cameras

Candles

Candlesticks

Canvas

Carpets

Cars

Carts

Carving knives

Cellophane

Chairs

Chalk

Chess boards

Chiffon

Children's wear

Chisels Clocks

Cloth

Clutches

Coats

Coaxial cable

Cogs

Coils

Colours for painting

Combs

Compressors (for cooling)

Computers and computer supplies

Copper

Cupboards

Cups Desk lamps

Desks

Detergents

Dictaphones

Dishes

Dishwashers

Dolls

Doorknobs

Doormats

Drawing knives

Dresses

Drills

Dryers

Dust cloths

Dyes

Dynamos

Easels

Electric cookers

Electric cords

Envelopes

Eyeglasses

Fabrics

Fans

Fax machines

Fibres

Files

Filing cabinets

Filing cards

Films

Filters

Flashlights

Flowerpots

Forks

Fountain pens

Furniture polish

Fuses

Gas burners

Gauges

Generators

Girdles

Glass

Glue

Gowns

Grills

Grindstone

Hairpins

Hammers

Handkerchiefs

Hats

Headlights

Headphones

Hearing aids

Hedge trimmers

Helmets

Hoes

Hooks

Hook-up wires

Hoses

Hydraulic jacks

Ink and cartridges

Insulator strips

Interrupters

Jackets

Jacks

Joints

Jumpers

Kettles

Knives

Lamp shades

Lathes

Lawn mowers

Leather

Levers

Light bulbs

Light meters

Lime

Magazines (including scientific and medical)

Magnesium

Magnets

Masonite

Mastic

Matches

Measuring equipment

Mica

Microfiche

Microphones

Microscopes

Mirrors

Mops

Motorbikes

Motors

Mufflers

Mugs

Music cassettes

Music CDs

Musical instruments

Nail brushes

Nail files

Napkins

Notebooks

Oil cans

Oil gauges

Oil lamps

Oscillators

Packaging materials

Pails

Painters' brushes

Paints

Pans

Paper clips

Paper for printing, writing and wrapping

Pens

Percolators

Pesticides

Photocopiers

Photometers

Pincers

Pincettes

Pins

Plastics

Plates

Plexiglas

Pliers

Plugs

Plywood

Porcelain

Pots

Potties

Press drills

Pressure cookers

Printing equipment

Pulleys

Putty

Radiators for cars

Razor blades

Razors

Reels

Relays

Riveters

Roasters

Rubber

Rugs

Rulers

Sandals

Sandpaper

Saucers

Saws

Scales

Scoreboards

Screws

Seals

Seats

Shampoo

Sheers

Shelves

Shirts

Shock absorbers

Shoe polish

Shoes

Shopping carts

Shovels

Silicon

Silver polish

Skirts

Soap

Soap pads

Sockets

Socks

Solder

Soldering irons

Spark plugs

Spatulas

Sponges

Spoons

Stamps

Staplers

Starters

Stoves

Straps

Suits

Sun hats

Swimming suits

Switches

Tables

Tacks

Tags

Telephone cables

Telephones

Tents

Thermometers

Threads

Timber

Timers

Tin

Tire pumps

Tissue paper

Toasters

Toilet paper

Tongs

Toothbrushes

Toothpicks

Towels

Toys

Tractors

Transformers

Trash cans

Tripods

Troughs

Trousers

Trowels

Trucks

Trunks

TV sets

Typewriters

Vacuum cleaners

Valves

Vans

Vaseline

Vases

Venetian blinds

Ventilators

Videotapes

Voltage regulators

Waffle irons

Wagons

Wallets

Wallpaper

Washing machines

Wastepaper baskets

Watches

Water pumps

Wax

Welders

Wheelbarrows

Wheels

Window shades

Wood

Wool

Wrenches

Zoom lenses

From GLW issue 307