MEDICAL ASSOCIATION for PREVENTION of WAR (Australia)
Media Release
17 January 2001
Iraqi sanctions miss target say distinguished Australians
Forty-three distinguished Australians have written to Prime Minister John
Howard and the Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer calling for
their support for the lifting of economic sanctions against Iraq.
The letter states: "After a decade of suffering by innocent people, and the
deaths of children on a scale far exceeding that caused by any military
weapon in history, the sanctions continue to bring misery and degradation to
all sectors of Iraqi society except their target, the Iraqi government".
Signatories to the letter include former Prime Minister and current chairman
of CARE Australia, Malcolm Fraser, over a dozen Church leaders, six medical
professors, several distinguished members of the legal profession and
prominent individuals such as Major-General Sir William Refshauge AC, CBE,
ED (ret'd) and former Human Rights Commissioner Chris Sidoti.
Wednesday 17 January 2001 marks the tenth anniversary of the commencement
of the Gulf War. After the war finished in April 1991, economic sanctions
were kept in place in an attempt to ensure the elimination of Iraq's weapons
of mass destruction. Ten years later, while the vast bulk of Iraq's weapons
have been eliminated by United Nations inspection teams, the sanctions have
not been effective in securing Iraqi government compliance with further
inspections. Meanwhile, the people of Iraq bear the ongoing impact of the
sanctions.
The letter notes that the scale of the tragedy is not questioned by any
humanitarian agency and says: "It is time for a change of direction. In
particular it is time to allow the people of Iraq to re-build their society,
to create a future for their children, and to engage with the international
community. Economic sanctions should be lifted, but strict sanctions on
military materials must remain."
It concludes with a call to the Australian Government to "review Australia's
policy towards Iraq so that it properly reflects our common aspirations for
peace with justice for all people, including the people of Iraq".
The Medical Association for Prevention of War (MAPW) initiated the letter as
part of its ongoing campaign to raise awareness of the devastating impact of
economic sanctions on the ordinary people of Iraq. Dr Susan Wareham MAPW
National President was part of an international delegation to Iraq in 1999.
She says: "The sanctions against Iraq have brought death to hundreds of
thousands of children, and misery and despair to a whole generation of
innocent people. We are seeking an end to Australian government support for
this morally bankrupt policy."
________________________________
NO NUKES!
Clare Henderson
Executive Officer
Medical Association for Prevention of War
PO Box 197
O'Connor ACT 2602 AUSTRALIA
Ph: (02) 6262 9345
Fax: (02) 6262 9346
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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