We should look at some of the work that has been carried out by two British experts, Dr Chris Busby and Dai Williams. These two extremely dedicated men have worked tirelessly on the continued military use of Depleted Uranium (DU) weapons. These weapons are manufactured in the US and used by US, UK, NATO forces and by many other countries. It is also believed that such weapons can or have been manufactured in Israel, Pakistan and any other country that has a nuclear capability.
These two determined gentleman have very convincing evidence that not only have DU weapons been used but also a strong possibility of other uranium based weapons which could be linked to the so called "Dirty Bomb". Such evil weapons have been used in the Balkans, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Gaza with possible further use in Pakistan.
DU weapons leave a trail of misery and suffering to thousands upon thousands of soldiers and innocent civilians caught up in its indiscriminate use in all the many areas of conflict. The Gulf War Syndrome is directly linked to such weapons as is the dramatic rise in all types of cancers, diabetes, still births and badly disfigured babies. Uranium based weapons have the ability to change the cell structure and DNA in all humans that come into contact with it by either inhalation or ingestion. It has the ability to contaminate the local area, region, adjacent countries and the world once it becomes an aerosol and enter the upper atmosphere.Dai Williams and Dr Chris Busby have written with great authority on this subject and have written to the then-British Prime Minster Tony Blair highlighting the many issues relating to the manufacturing and use of DU weapons. He also decided to look into what would happen if Israeli or any of its allies carried out such an attack on Iran's nuclear facility at Natanz.
He said,"If the current conflict escalates further I anticipate that Israeli and/or American forces will find an excuse to bomb nuclear facilities in Iran in the near future" "Whether Israeli or US forces use conventional (uranium cased) bunker busters or mini-nuclear warheads the effect of igniting uranium metal stockpiles in Iran (e.g. at Natanz) will spread radioactive contamination across the whole region within 2-3 days and around the world in 3-4 weeks."
The above simulation is within 48 hours of such an attack and one can clearly see that beyond this time the entire region will be contaminated. Could one even imagine that Israel would be prepared to do this and at the same time contaminate its own country?
Dai Williams in his communication to Tony Blair summarised the following:
Possibly your last chance to prevent widespread radiation contamination in the Middle East and Asia.
"I have tried to restrain my frustration at your support for US policies in Iraq and your apparent
apathy over Palestine for the last 3 years," he wrote. "But I can no longer stay silent.
However I also realise that you probably were not shown my previous correspondence and that you may still be unaware of the known development and suspected widespread use of large uranium weapons by US forces in the Balkans,Afghanistan and Iraq."
He continued:
"UK media coverage of these hazards has been very rare since 2000 when NATO was first
confronted about mysterious deaths of Spanish and Italian troops soon after service near
US bomb targets in the Balkans. An exception was the Sunday Times report of Uranium
contamination in the UK during March/April 2003 (19 Feb 2006 available at
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2047373,00.html ) Now that Israeli forces are using the same guided weapons in Lebanon the public is seeing their horrific effects on civilians for the first time. In Afghanistan and Iraq there was little coverage of civilian casualties from the new generation of US guided weapons".
He concluded:
"Despite the impending summer recess you have one last chance to warn the Israeli and US
Governments that further aggression and use of uranium warhead guided weapons will no
longer be tolerated by the UK Government. These systems are increasing global radiation
Levels from their own contamination. This will be several times worse if they are used on
nuclear installations. So it is strategically and environmentally essential that you oppose
any military strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran."
I have decided to republish Dai Williams information for many good reasons.
1. That Gaza has now become a victim of Israel and is being used as an experimental testing ground for US and Israeli weapons that one can only imagine goes well beyond conventional weapons.
2. That the UN War Crimes team currently carrying out investigations in Gaza must understand that they should not be restricted by time constraints.
3. That they must carry out investigations across a broad range of issues from War Crimes to the many illegal weapons used in such a disproportionate way.
Finally to all the members of the Arab League I urge you to support the people of Palestine and to denounce any such actions being taken by Israel or its allies. As you will all see from the evidence above the entire Middle East would become a victim of such and attack. It is your duty of care towards all your people to insist that this illogical thinking is stopped.
Peter Eyre, Middle East Consultant and PT Special Contributor
