KarlMarx: I would advise you to read the article linked in Wolfgang's post above.

1. "The Iraqi war effort was supported in large part by the United States,"

Got anything that substantiates this statement. Support from the USA was minimal and amounted to provision of intelligence. Check out what support Iraq received from France, Russia and China on the otherhand and then tell me who supported who in the large part. The Iran-Contra scandal was over USA supplying weapons to Iran during the same conflict - that was in the form of military hard-ware.

2. "...who had nothing to say when Saddam was launching chemical weapons assaults against Iran. Then the Kurds, who have repeatedly rebelled against Baghdad, seeking greater autonomy, suffered horrendous chemical attacks from Saddam's forces."

Condemnation at the time was universal, unfortunately this was via the UN so, as usual, nothing was done about it.

3. "Many Iraqi soldiers and civilians died in the second Gulf War, though casualty figures have never been firmly ascertained,"

20,000 military and 2,300 civilians.

4. Saddam spurned the food-for-oil programme for six years

5. As Saddam's Regime does not let UN humanitarian agencies operate inside Iraq (and never has) distribution of the food aid is through the Ba'athist regime. Once it arrives in Iraq where it goes is anybody's guess - but the Marsh Arabs around Basra aren't getting much of it.

6. "Both Saddam and the nations who have called for continued sanctions - principally the United States and the United Kingdom - have equal responsibility for the humanitarian crisis that exists in Iraq today."

The UN collectively imposed the sanctions and maintained them.

Saddam can't fix water treatment plants, because of sanctions - but he can import 382 rocket motors inspite of sanctions - the problems of the Iraqi people lie firmly at the door of Saddam Hussein and his order of priorities - unfortunately the Iraqi people have never featured as being one of Saddam's priorities.

7. "My only hope is that people of Iraq will be spared too much more suffering, as it seems that the war is now just hours away . . ."

The anti-war-peace-at-all-costs movement have illustrated clearly that they do not give a flying fig about the Iraqi people, so your statement, quoted above, amounts to nothing more than crocodile tears.