Reply #26: I take it these facts make you uncomfortable?

[Must_B_Free]

"Education was given priority and by the mid-1980s, Iraq had made tremendous strides in the literacy field. Saddam was personally bestowed the highest United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) award for spreading literacy. Land reforms were strictly implemented, eliminating landlordism. The oil sector was nationalised, earning Iraq the enmity of the West. The revenues from the oil sector helped finance the ambitious programmes that the government had undertaken. Iraqis came to enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the region. The Iraqi dinar was among the strongest currencies in the world"

from "India's National Magazine from the publishers of THE HINDU"

http://flonnet.com/fl2026/stories/20040102006413200.htm