>X-Authentication-Warning: beirut.leb.net: majordomo set sender to > >=========Iraq Action Coalition ========http://iraqaction.org/ ======= > >** Please share this article with your local papers, and URGE them to run >this news ** > >BBC News Online > >Thursday, 17 February, 2000, 17:42 GMT > >US congressmen criticise Iraqi sanctions > >Protesters in New York call for an end to sanctions > >A group of United States congressmen - both Democrats and Republicans - >are putting pressure on the Clinton administration over its support of the >United Nations economic sanctions against Iraq. > >The group's spokesman, David Bonior, a Democrat for Michigan, has >described the sanctions as "infanticide masquerading as policy". > >The group's comments came within days of the resignations of two senior UN >officials in Iraq who had strongly protested about the effects the UN >embargo is having on Iraqis. > >The embargo was imposed after the Gulf War to punish Iraq for invading >Kuwait in 1990 and force it to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction. > >'Hurting Iraqis not Saddam' > >The bipartisan group of congressmen held a press conference in Washington >on Thursday in conjunction with Arab-American groups. > >They were representing a larger group of 70 legislators who had signed a >letter urging President Bill Clinton "to do what is right: lift the >economic sanctions". > >The congressmen said they supported the military embargo on Iraq, but >wanted to see the economic embargo lifted. > >The letter read: "While we have no illusions about the brutality of Saddam >Hussein, the people of Iraq should be allowed to restore their economic >system." > >"This embargo has not hurt Saddam Hussein or the pampered elite which >supports him, but has been devastating for millions of Iraqi people," >congressman Bonior said. > >UN resignations > >The head of the World Food Programme, Jutta Burghart, announced her >resignation on Tuesday - just days after the UN's top humanitarian >official in Iraq, Hans von Sponeck, did the same. > >They had strongly criticised UN economic sanctions, in very similar terms >to those used by the US congressmen. > >Mr von Sponeck said he resigned because he had lost hope that conditions >would improve for Iraqi civilians. > >He said the latest Security Council resolution, passed in December, >covering the UN's humanitarian programmes was unworkable and would not >ease the human tragedy in Iraq. > >The resolution offers Iraq a suspension of sanctions in return for full >co-operation with a new arms control group. > >Analysts say that many of the details of the resolution have been left >vague, suggesting that each step will face deadlock in the divided >Security Council. > >Iraq has condemned, but not formally rejected, the resolution. > >The UN officials and US congressmen are part of a growing body of people >who argue that the concerns of Iraqi civilian concerns should be separated >from the questions of military disarmament. > > > >==================================================== >http://iraqaction.org > ----------------------------------- > >Also see: >http://rightofreturn.org/ >http://saveageneration.org/ >http://www.nowarcollective.com/ >http://miftah.org > > > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
