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News :: Miscellaneous |
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APRIL 3rd CALL-in DAY for IRAQ!!! |
Current rating: 0 |
by Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC)
(No verified email address) |
01 Apr 2001
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PUBLICIZE THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY CALL-IN DAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ, TUESDAY, April 3, 2001 - Help Organize in your Area! |
As a debate ensues between moderates calling for \"easing sanctions\" and
hardliner demanding \"regime change\" and tighter sanctions, WE CANNOT
REMAIN SILENT. If the hardliners win, another U.S. Administration will be
locked into maintaining a blockade that has already claimed over one million
lives in Iraq. Help us mark the 10-year anniversary of the post-war sanctions
against Iraq (imposed following the \"cease-fire\" on April 3, 1991) by
flooding Washington with phone calls.
HOW YOU CAN HELP.
1.Copy and email the action alert BELOW to your various list serves and
contacts. Then, on April 3rd (Tuesday), remind everybody via email and
other means to call Sec. of State Powell and their Representative.
2. Set up an information table on April 3rd in your community and
encourage colleagues and friends to call in! Consider offering a cell phone or a
calling card to make it easier for folks to call Washington.
3. Email ymirza (at) gwu.edu to get free Iraq information for your table and
to be coordinated with other organization working on the national call in
day.
For more details and the latest action alert, visit
http://saveageneration.org/wawatch.
***Please Distribute Freely***
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MASSIVE NATIONAL EMERGENCY CALL-IN DAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ
TUESDAY, April 3, 2001
As a debate ensues between moderates calling for \"easing sanctions\" and
hardliner demanding \"regime change\" and tighter sanctions, DON\'T REMAIN
SILENT. If the hardliners win, another President will be locked into
maintaining a siege that has already claimed the lives of over one
million civilians. Please join us and others around the country. On Tuesday,
April 3, plan to make at least two phone calls to Washington, DC. Calls
should target:
(1) U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell at 202-647-5291
AND
(2) your Representative via the Congressional switchboard at
202-224-3121.
See details below.
WHY APRIL 3rd? On April 3rd, 1991, the UN Security Council (UNSC)
passed Resolution 687, which reinstated sanctions against Iraq following the
Gulf War. As stated by the scholar, Sarah Graham Brown: \"This was the first
time such a draconian UN embargo had been imposed on a state which had
just suffered severe infrastructural damage in the course of a war (p. 57)\"
In other words, when the Iraqi people needed international support to
rebuild their country, they were hit with international isolation.
Resolution 687 also established the infamous 661 Sanctions Committee,
which decides what goods are allowed or not allowed into Iraq. Composed of
representatives of the UN Security Council in New York City, this
committee is currently holding up over 1,600 contracts, including $2.9 billion of
humanitarian supplies. Mark the 10-year anniversary of Resolution 687
by demanding an end to the 661 Committee. An economy of over 23 million
people should not be controlled by bureaucrats in New York City.
(1) CALL SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL at 202-647-5291 or fax
202-647-6434.
Thank the Secretary of State for publicly acknowledging the need to
alleviate the suffering of ordinary Iraqis. Remind him that the UN
Oil-for-Food program cannot address the dire poverty (over 50% of the
population lives below the poverty line) and unemployment underlying
Iraq\'s humanitarian crisis. Urge Powell to eliminate the 661 Sanctions
Committee and other obstacles that prevent the restoration of civilian economic
life to Iraq.
(2) CALL YOUR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Support recently introduced legislation to lift sanctions.
Representative Conyers (D-MI) and 9 other Members of Congress have introduced H.R 742, the Humanitarian Exports Leading to Peace (H.E.L.P.) Act of 2001.
If passed, H.R. 742 would change U.S. law to allow farmers, relief
organizations and companies to export food, medicine and agricultural
goods directly to Iraq. Circumventing the 661 Committee, U.S. trade with Iraq
would hasten the end of economic sanctions. H.R. 742 also calls on the
U.S. Government to take all necessary steps to end the suffering of
innocent populations in Iraq. For details and the full text of the bill
visit http://saveageneration.org/wawatch (EPIC\'s new home page for
grassroots advocates).
Call your Representatives NOW via the Congressional switchboard at
202/225-3121 or 202/224-3121! Urge them to co-sponsor H.R. 742, the
Humanitarian Exports Leading to Peace Act of 2001. When you call, ask
for the foreign policy staffer. Be prepared to leave a brief voice message
and your phone number if necessary. If your Representative has already
co-sponsored this important legislation, thank them for their support.
Don\'t know who your congressperson is? Want their direct phone number
and contact information? Visit http://congress.gov and scroll down to
\"Elected Officials\". Punch in your zip code and follow the links to get the phone
number for your Representative in Washington.
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Sponsors: Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC), Free Iraq Foundation (FIF), Iraq Action Coalition, Muslim Student Association of USA & Canada (MSA), Student Peace Action Network (SPAN), Union of Arab Student Associations (UASA) and the National Network to End the War Against Iraq (NNEWAI).
Info: For more info and to get in touch with other students/groups
planning this action on campuses nationwide, email ymirza (at) gwu.edu.
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EDUCATION for PEACE in IRAQ CENTER (EPIC)
1101 Penn. Ave SE, Washington, DC 20003
202-543-6176; 202-546-5103 (fax)
http://saveageneration.org. |
See also:
http://saveageneration.org
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