By Christy Barr

The United States media coverage of Iraq focused on the weapons and inspections, but what it failed to mention was the humanitarian side-namely the amount of children dying. Economic sanctions placed on Iraq by the U.S. have led to a lack of medical supplies and the pollution of water that led to an increasing number of infant and child deaths.

A 1998 UNICEF report said that 90,000 Iraqi civilians die each year because of economic sanctions placed against the country. The U.S. press, however, may be failing to mention any of these deaths. Bert Sacks, a member of Voices in the Wilderness, a Chicago-based activist group, said that the U.S. press conveniently leaves out stories about these dying children.

"In the last six months of 1998 the Seattle Times ran 43 stories mentioning Richard Butler, who is our [the U.S.] expert on weapons in Iraq, and only three stories mentioning Denis Halliday, the former United Nations Assistant Secretary General, who is our authority on the humanitarian side," he said. Sacks also said that the media never made any reference to why Halliday resigned.

"Halliday resigned saying, 'Sanctions are starving to death 6,000 Iraqi infants every month…I no longer want to be a part of that,'" Sacks said. The Muslim Peace Fellowship (MPF) is another organization devoted to ending Iraqi sanctions. The MPF website said they do not support Saddam Hussein, but do not see how starving people help. "We are not supporters of Saddam Hussein, we'd like to see him out of power, but the effects of these sanctions don't touch him at all," the website said.

"Starving people can not overthrow dictators." Sacks has seen firsthand what these sanctions are doing to the people of Iraq. "I know Iraqis firsthand…who worry about getting Tylenol for their kids," he said. Sacks said that the press tries to justify these sanctions instead of showing the truth. He cited a New York Times article from March 22, 1991 that explained the U.S. reasons for keeping the sanctions against Iraq in place. "…by making life uncomfortable for the Iraqi people it [sanctions] will eventually encourage them to remove President Saddam

Hussein from power," the article said. The article failed to mention the children in Basra, Iraq dying from water-borne diseases. "Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children have died, many from polluted water," Sacks said. Both the Voices in the Wilderness and the MPF websites said they have a mission to challenge these sanctions by publicly violating them. The organizations provide Iraqis with medical supplies and food along with educating Americans on what the media leaves out. However, their efforts don't exactly get them the recognition they want. "For our efforts the U.S.

Treasury Department is now threatening to fine us $163,000 for violating sanctions by bringing medical supplies to Iraq," Sacks said.