HYDERABAD, Aug 28: Dr Aziz Al-Kazaz, Prof of the Oriental Institute of Hamburg, Germany, has said, “Old American values for democracy and human rights have disappeared in the post-cold war era. The US has remained stuck to unilateralism and overlooked other UN members there by refusing to transfer the sovereignty to supranational institutions, which is a bad sign and shows imperialistic fervour.”

He was speaking here at a workshop organized by the Department of International Relations, University of Sindh, in collaboration with the Hanns Seidel Foundation, Islamabad, on Wednesday.

The vice chancellor, Sindh University, Mazharul Siddique, presided over the first session of the one-day workshop.

Speaking on the topic of “Iraq from occupation towards self-representative rule”, Dr Aziz said that the US created an alliance in a democratic way but outside the NATO which weakened it and then led the coalition and used force against Iraq despite demonstrations in over 35 countries of the world by eight million people.

He said that there were no signs in the foreseeable future that power would be transferred to the people as America was creating military bases there.

He further said that if George W. Bush was to win the 2004 election he would continue the same policies, which would be dangerous for the entire Middle East.

He said, “When the US troops entered Iraq they provided full protection to the ministry of oil but did nothing to protect the great museum of Baghdad, which was looted under their noses.”

Dr Aziz thoroughly analyzed the interests of Iraq’s neighbouring countries saying that Syria would prefer to see a new Bathist regime in Iraq, Iran would hope for a large Shia role in the future Iraqi government, Saudi Arabia would want a Sunni government in Iraq, whereas Turkey would never allow the creation of an independent state of Kurdistan in northern Iraq.

He said that American and British occupation forces would never be able to maintain peace and stability in Iraq.

He suggested that the US needed to step back to let the Iraqis decide to promote reconciliation, and to deal with the culprits and to seek solutions regarding matters related with the government, constitution, and elections in Iraq and

that the elections should be organized under the United Nations.