Date: Sat, 20 Apr 2002 06:57:43 -0500 From: Teresa Binstock <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: dubya to axe Bustani for prohibiting chemical weapons
> From: "Jim Terral" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Friday, April 19, 2002 6:09 PM > > Urgent from 9-11 Peace Org > > Dear Friend, > > Please join Peter Gabriel, Annie Lennox, Thom Yorke of > Radiohead, Brian Eno, and many other cultural figures in > speaking up on an important, last-minute issue. > > This Sunday, April 21, the United States will seek to remove > Jose Bustani, the head of the Organisation for the > Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), from his post. > Bustani's crime is essentially that he was too good at his > job. Under his lead, according to the Guardian article > copied below, "His inspectors have overseen the destruction > of 2 million chemical weapons and two-thirds of the world's > chemical weapon facilities. He has so successfully cajoled > reluctant nations that the number of signatories to the > convention has risen from 87 to 145 in the past five years: > the fastest growth rate of any multilateral body in recent > times." > > But in the eyes of the US State Department, Bustani has been > a nuisance. First, he's attempted to treat the US like any > other signatory to the body, and the US, not unlike its > enemy Iraq, is unsatisfied with the inspectors he's chosen. > Second, he's actively working with Iraq to encourage it to > accept inspectors, which would undercut support for a second > US-led Gulf War. For these reasons, the State Department > wants him deposed. > > In a meeting this Sunday, the US will propose a vote of no > confidence in Bustani, even though it hasn't specified the > exact nature of his failings. If Canada votes with the US, > yet another international, multilateral organisation will > essentially become a proxy of the US government. > > Please contact Minister of Foreign Affairs Bill Graham > immediately and urge him to "support Director-General > Bustani and an independent Organisation for the > Prohibition of Chemical Weapons." > > Just call: > > (613) 995-1851 > > Then pass this message on to your friends and colleagues and > urge them to write. Since the timing is so close, we need > to get as many people involved as possible. And please send > us a message at [EMAIL PROTECTED] so that we can keep track > of how many contacts have been made. > > A sample letter, drafted by Brian Eno and co-signed by many > other cultural figures is copied below, as is an article by George > Monbiot more fully explaining the situation. > > Please act today to support an important international institution. > > Sincerely, > > --Eli Pariser, 9-11peace.org > April 19, 2002
