------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Aug. 29, 2002 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
WORLD OPPOSITION TO U.S. THREATS ON IRAQ: RAMSEY CLARK LETTER GALVANIZES ANTI-WAR SENTIMENT By Greg Butterfield A letter from former U.S. Attorney General and International Action Center founder Ramsey Clark to the members of the United Nations Security Council has been reprinted, e-mailed and posted on Web sites worldwide. The letter is helping to galvanize opponents of a new U.S. war against Iraq to take action, according to the IAC. The July 29 letter has been translated into at least nine languages and is being used as an organizing tool by anti- war forces in many countries. It has also elicited an outpouring of heartfelt e-mails from individuals and groups thanking Clark for his strong stand and the IAC for its leadership in the global anti-war movement. Echoing the themes of his letter on the Pacifica Radio program "Flashpoints" Aug. 15, Clark told journalist Robert Knight: "I don't know of a time in history where a government has so taunted a people with destruction ... The U.S. is telling Iraqis, 'We're going to bomb the hell out of you and install our Shah.' We have to mobilize." Workers World spoke with the IAC's John Catalinotto, who coordinated the effort to have Clark's letter translated and distributed internationally. "We asked people about two weeks ago to translate Ramsey Clark's letter into as many languages as possible. The response was much stronger than we expected," he reported. "Right now we have the letter in nine languages that we know of--Arabic, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish--and it's currently being translated into Chinese," Catalinotto said. "On the one hand it is a sign of the respect that people in the anti-war movement around the world have for Clark. But it was also an even stronger sign that the international working-class and anti-imperialist movement is extremely concerned about the threats against Iraq and is mobilizing to fight against the war," he concluded. The complete text of the letter is available on the Web at www.iacenter.org in several languages. It has also been posted on Web sites from Canada to New Zealand. The IAC is part of ANSWER--the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism coalition. ANSWER has called for a day of internationally coordinated demonstrations Oct. 26 to launch a massive mobilization in opposition to a new war against Iraq. ANSWER is urging local organizers to hold picket lines, rallies, vigils, teach-ins and more in their areas. Log onto www.internationalanswer.org for more information. A CALL TO ACTION Although Clark's letter is addressed to the UN Security Council, with copies sent to the UN General Assembly and Senator Joseph Biden of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, its real intended audience is the broad global opposition to a new U.S. war against the Iraqi people. It's a call to action for the people of the world to stand up to Washington and stop the war before it starts. "Threats to attack, invade and overthrow the government of Iraq by President George Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, various cabinet officers and Pentagon officials have been routine for a year. The psychological warfare is itself a crime against peace and violates the UN Charter," Clark wrote. Clark warned that the U.S.-dominated Security Council has stretched the UN's credibility to the limit. "If the UN is unable to restrain the U.S., a permanent member of the Security Council, from committing crimes against peace and humanity as well as war crimes against a nation that has already been violated by the U.S. beyond endurance, then what is the UN worth? "At the very least, opposition to any attack or attempt to overthrow the government of Iraq by force must be publicly expressed by the UN." Clark reminded the Security Council that "The U.S. led and glorified the massive assault on Iraq in January and February 1991. The Pentagon announced it conducted 110,000 aerial sorties against the defenseless 'cradle of civilization,' dropping 88,500 tons of bombs. The widespread bombing destroyed the economic viability of civilian society throughout the nation. It killed tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens and others. A major part of the bombing was directed at civilians and civilian facilities. ... "The U.S. crafted economic sanctions against Iraq which the Security Council approved on Aug. 6, 1990... Those sanctions are the direct cause of the very cruel deaths of more than a million people. "The sanctions continue to this time to cause hundreds of deaths each day. Every UN agency dealing with food, health and children--including FAO, WFP, WHO, UNICEF--has proclaimed the horror, magnitude and responsibility for this human catastrophe," Clark charged. U.S. IS BIGGEST THREAT TO PEACE Refuting Bush's claim that Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction, Clark noted, "Two of the highest UN officials responsible for weapons inspection within Iraq and a principle U.S. citizen participating in the inspections have resigned, denounced the sanctions and denied that there is a threat that Iraq will develop weapons of mass destruction." The real danger comes from Washington, Clark said. "The U.S. has more nuclear weapons than all other nations combined as well as the most sophisticated and numerous systems for the delivery of nuclear weapons... It possesses the greatest stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons and the most advanced and extensive research in mass destruction weaponry in the world. Military spending by the U.S. exceeds that of the nine next largest budgets for war combined. President Bush has repeatedly declared the right to strike first. "The U.S. has renounced treaties controlling nuclear weapons and their proliferation; voted against the protocol enabling enforcement of the Biological Weapons Conventions; and rejected the treaty banning land mines, the International Criminal Court and virtually every other international effort to control and limit war. The U.S. War Against Terrorism is a declaration of right by the U.S. to attack first--anyone, anywhere, on mere suspicion, or without excuse, unilaterally. "If, as promised so many times, the U.S. does attack Iraq to overthrow its government, it will be the most notorious, arrogant and contemptuous violation of the Charter of the United Nations, the Nuremberg Charter and international law yet experienced, or likely hereafter," Clark wrote. "An attack on Iraq by the U.S. would also violate the Constitution and laws of the U.S. and expose President Bush to impeachment by the House of Representatives under the Constitution for the highest of crimes, those against peace and humanity, to judgment by the Senate and trial in federal court for crimes charged," he added. 'THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING THE TRUTH' The IAC has released some of the dozens of responses prompted by Clark's letter. Many people who wrote wanted to know how they could get involved in anti-war organizing, while groups said they want to work more closely with the IAC and ANSWER to mobilize resistance. Some reported that they had sent copies of Clark's letter to local legislators or parliament members. Some, like Lawyers Against the War in Iceland, want to send their own letters to the UN supporting Clark's. Others are from people outraged by the complete lockdown on alternative views by the mainstream, corporate media. One correspondent, Sally, wrote simply, "Thank you for speaking the truth." Margery from New Orleans said, "I believe you speak for thousands of us who feel the same anguish and outrage you feel about the out-of-control U.S. war machine and its current target, Iraq." "As an Arab woman and as a human being, I am so grateful that you exist," wrote Dunia. And Ala said, "I am an Iraqi living in Northern Ireland ... I love my country. I will do whatever I can to stop the USA from bombing Iraq." "Many here in Canada look on in disbelief and pain as the U.S. rattles its sabers and threatens monumental attacks on Iraq," wrote Jack of the Alberni Social Justice Group. "We wonder why the U.S. government appears to be so completely out of touch with the majority of world opinion." Jo Anne wrote: "In this time of despair and shame because of the terror acted on the people of Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq and other U.S. targets, it is so good to see a powerful and respected figure speak out against the madness. Every Friday we vigil for one hour in our little city, praying and raising our spirits for peace. We cannot have peace while the president bullies and terrorizes the world." Peter from Berlin added: "It's horrible to read and to listen to all the news from your country every day. It makes me and all my friends sick in our mind that a country which pretends to represent freedom and democracy behaves like an imperialistic and fascistic regime! However, it is not only Bush, it's our [Social Democratic-Green Party coalition] government too, which so many progressive people had a lot of expectations in. And now they have disappointed so many peace-loving people. "I'm so glad to see that an opposition exists in the U.S. against this nightmare." - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Support the voice of resistance http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
