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