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MEMBERS |
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Iraqi Clandestine Radio to Heat Up
By Nick Grace
November 26, 1998
The next six months will bear witness to a sharp increase in clandestine radio broadcasts to Iraq, courtesy of American funding and President Clinton's long-standing resolve to contain Saddam.
The Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, signed by Clinton late last month, authorizes US$97 million to be given to one or more opposition groups for military, political and information purposes. Clinton has less than two months to notify U.S. Congress which groups will be eligible for the funding, and according to press reports, will soon appoint a task force to implement the legislation.
The Iraqi National Congress (INC), which was born from covert American funds following the Gulf War and broadcast its clandestine radio station from CIA facilities in Kuwait, continues to lobby heavily for this support. INC head Ahmad Chalabi visited Washington late last week to meet with State Department personnel and Congress members. "A whole new world of opportunity is available to us," he said before returning to London, "We look forward to redoubling our struggle with new resources and a renewed commitment..."
Great Britain, which used covert aid to establish the Iraqi National Accord, brought representatives from 16 groups to its Foreign Office on Monday to hear proposals on what actions should be taken to remove the totalitarian regime in Baghdad. The groups also met with U.S. State Department officials on Tuesday, however, no concrete commitment was promised by either government.
While the U.S. continues to unrattle Iraqi airwaves with the newly-run Radio Free Iraq, various opposition groups also maintain broadcast stations and programs.Active on MW are al-Mustaqbal, Voice of the Brave Armed Forces, and the Voice of Rebellious Iraq. On SW are the Kurdish Voice of the People of Kurdistan, Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan, Radio Kurdistan, Voice of Islam, Freedom Radio, and Harim Radio, as well as the Voice of the Iraqi Communist Workers Party, Voice of the Iraqi People, another Voice of Iraqi People, and the Shi'ite Voice of Islamic Revolution in Iraq.
The Kurdish stations, by all indications, are operating from the U.N. Safe Haven in northern Iraq via internal facilities, while the rest are eminating from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Kuwait.
Listeners should expect the Iraqi National Congress station, the Iraqi Broadcasting Corporation, to return to the air, and possibly even a new voice for the regional government in Iraqi Kurdistan.
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| al Mustaqbal | | | | | Broadcast from a 'secret' CIA transmitter in Kuwait, al Mustaqbal (The Future) was the mouthpiece for the Iraqi National Accord (Wifaq). Wifaq was heavily supported by American and British intelligence services against Saddam Hussein between 1991 and 2003 as it attempted to conduct a "zipless coup" - regime change without dismantling the government. Related stations include Voice of the Brave Armed Forces, Wadi al-Rifadayn and Radio Tikrit. | | |
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