Fifth handwritten letter issued by Saddam Hussein

reports Eric Mueller

WE should find it comical, if it weren't so sad, that in the United States the FoxNews Television channel is debating whether there is resistance in Iraq, while the Arabic media have extensive coverage of the guerrilla operations and statements by the organizations engaged in the fighting.

Only a couple days ago an Iraqi Nasserist party announced that it is creating an armed wing to participate in the struggle, alongside the Baathists and the Islamists who are already engaged.

Today's al-Quds al-Arabi publishes the fifth hand-written letter from Saddam Hussein that gives all foreigners, including civilian workers, until 17 June to quit the country or be targets. He says we're now in the first stage of resistance. If in the future the second stage comes to an end and the occupation is still there, it will be the right of Iraq to take its defensive battle to the territories and airplanes of the aggressor countries. (Check out the Free Arab Voice site under "resistance reports" for the latest of these.)

Although this is the sort of hair-raising threat that should send the media into a panic and raise the "security alert" to some new colour or other, I've heard silence on both points.

A week or so ago, one of the Iraqi resistance reports told of an attack on a group of British MPs or officials including a woman -- or rather a "female criminal" as the Iraqi communique described her -- who was also an "assistant to Tony Blair" and who was "masquarading as a diplomat."

I was never able to determine whom that report was describing, and even if it were grossly exaggerated, it would appear at least that they are privy to information about high level "Coalition" officials touring their country.

The Arabic media coverage of Iraq is a lot more exciting than, and certainly vastly different, from the story being presented by English-language media.

I have every expectation that by September there will be a lot more of such discrepancies and, in fact, two totally different "lines" on developments there, only one of which the western "free press" will most likely be reflecting.

  English press is silent - Arab sources circulate alleged first defiant message written by Saddam Hussein Is it authentic?

Arabist Eric Mueller is this website's expert on Middle Eastern affairs, and is a featured speaker at this year's Real History weekend at Cincinnati, August 29-September 3, 2003.