MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 001949 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS IRAQ PD FOR SMITH, PINESS AND ROOKARD NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR GURNEY PARIS FOR NEARY NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPAO KMDR ZI SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE ¶1. Under headline "U. S. soldier serving in Iraq calls for end to occupation based on lies: We're facing death for no reason" the government-controlled daily published the following hypercritical op-ed by Tim Predmore, a United States soldier on active duty with the 101st Airborne Division based near Mosul in northern Iraq. The story was lifted from "The Guardian" newspaper: Excerpts follow: ¶2. "For the past six months, I have been participating in what I believe to be the greatest lie in modern times: Operation Iraqi Freedom. . .`Shock and awe' were the words used to describe the display of power that the world was going to view upon the start of Operation Iraq Freedom - it was to be an up-close, dramatic display of military strength and advanced technology from within the arsenals of the American and British military. But as a soldier preparing to take part in the invasion of Iraq, the words `shock and awe' rang deep within my psyche. . .Without the consent of the United Nations, the U. S. and Britain invaded Iraq. `Shock and awe?' Yes, the words correctly described the emotional impact I felt as we embarked on an act not of justice, but of hypocrisy. From the moment the first shot was fired in this so-called war of liberation and freedom, hypocrisy reigned. . .Oil - at least to me - seems to be the reason for our presence. There is only one truth, and it is, Americans are dying. . .I once believed that I was serving for a cause - `to uphold and defend the constitution of the U. S.' Now I no longer believe that. I have lost my conviction as well as my determination. I can no longer justify my service on the basis of what I believe to be half-truths and brazen lies. . . ." SULLIVAN