News Release - Tuesday, September 24, 2002

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Green Party Statement in Opposition to U.S. Plans to Invade Iraq.

THE GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES

MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release:
Tuesday, September 24, 2002

Contacts:
Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator, 207-326-4576, nallen@acadia.net 
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, scottmclarty@yahoo.com 


GREENS DECLARE OPPOSITION TO BUSH'S INTENDED INVASION OF IRAQ

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party of the United States approved a strongly worded statement last week against President Bush's intended military invasion of Iraq. The statement was drafted by the party's International Committee and passed by unanimous vote of the Coordinating Committee, which includes delegates from 39 states and the District of Columbia. The text of the statement is appended below.

"While Democratic leaders in Congress, including Senators Tom Daschle and Joe Biden, have lined upbehind Bush's plan to violate U.S. constitutional and international law, Greens have weighed the invasion's legality, possible outcomes, and, most of all, cost in human lives," said Dr. Jonathan Farley, Green Party candidate for Congress from Tennessee. "We urge Americans to call their Senators and Representatives and demand that they vote nay on any legislation giving Bush the green light to invade."

The statement unites Green activists and this year's candidates behind a common position on the threat of military action, and also agrees with a September 10, 2002 statement from the Green/EFA Group in the European Parliamant. Greens internationally are calling for multilateral diplomatic strategies, beginning with a resumption of U.N. inspections of Iraqi weapon systems, rather than unilateral use of force. Condemning the invasion plans, the European Green statement "support[s] those voices raised in the U.S. against such an intervention."

"The elections in Germany, handing victory to the coalition formed by Social Democrat Gerhard Schroeder with the Greens, showed widespread German support for the Green position against the invasion," said Jay Robinson, Green candidate for Governor of Iowa. "Chancellor Schroeder was reelected, and the Greens increased their number of seats in the German parliament from 47 to 55. Opposition to invasion is not confined to Germany; numerous heads of state and national majorities around the world agree with us -- with the notable exception of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who increasingly shows himself to be Bush's lapdog."

"If President Bush and Congress truly care about the security of the U.S., they will work with the United Nations to address any threat posed by Iraq through peaceful, diplomatic means," said Tod Sloan, co-chair of the party's International Committee. "Unilateral military action by the U.S. will increase the suffering of the Iraqi people, provoke more terrorist attacks against Americans, and destabilize the entire region from Israel and Palestine to Pakistan and India."

Greens note that the U.S. is already at war with Iraq -- a low intensity war, with bombing raids every month. Between the destruction of infrastructure and the sanctions, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians  have died during the past decade, including half a million children, according to U.N. figures.

Medea Benjamin, former Green Party candidate for the U.S. Senate from California, made front pages last week when she disrupted Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's presentation to Congress with a sign calling for 'Inspectors not War.'

"All across the U.S., Greens are uniting with a growing grassroots peace movement of ordinary citizens challenging Bush's rush to war," added Tod Sloan. "We're the side of the debate that's missing from the op-ed pages and talking heads on television, arguing that a war on Iraq would mostly serve the interests of big oil and the defense industries -- lobbies represented by George W. Bush and his cabinet of former CEOs. If there were an open and public debate, few Americans would support Bush's plan."

MORE INFORMATION

The Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org 
National office: 1314 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN

Stephen Zunes: "The Case Against War"
The Nation, September 12, 2002
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020930&s=zunes 

Index of Green Party candidates in 2002
http://www.gp.org/patience.html 

* * * * *

Statement in Opposition to U.S. Plans to Invade Iraq
Green Party of the United States
(Issued 09.20.02)

The Green Party of the United States is adamantly opposed to President George W. Bush's plans to continue and expand military operations against Iraq. The Bush administration claims the invasion of Iraq would improve the security of citizens of the United States, but it would do just the opposite. A U.S. war on Iraq would undo decades of progress in international conflict resolution and make the world a more dangerous place for everyone.

The United States should not undertake military operations against Iraq for the following reasons:

  • An attack on Iraq would be illegal. The United States must hold to the highest standards and abide by international law if it expects other nations to do so. The United Nations Security Council has not authorized any military attacks on Iraq for its failure to cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors. In fact, no UN Security Council resolutions concerning Iraq, including SC Resolution 688 of 1991, have ever authorized the "no-fly zones" over Iraq, declared unilaterally by the U.S. and Britain. Yet these two countries have bombed Iraq in these zones nearly daily for a decade. 

  • Peaceful means for addressing the possibility that Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction have hardly been exhausted. The threat posed by Iraq must be confronted through multilateral action by the United Nations, and not by the U.S. acting alone. 

  • Allies in the region of Iraq are opposed to the U.S. plans for an invasion. Anti-Americanism would be fueled further by U.S. military action. Terrorist activity against U.S. citizens would increase. Islamic  countries would be less likely to cooperate with the U.S. in anti-terrorism strategies.

  • The overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime through a U.S. invasion is unlikely to lead to a democratic government there. Iraqis, already suffering for a decade from the effects of UN sanctions, would be likely to suffer more in the ensuing chaos.

  • There is no evidence that the security and safety of the United States are directly threatened by Iraq. Iraq has not been linked to Al Qaeda or other currently active anti-American terrorists. Even if such evidence were to be presented, unilateral attacks by the U.S. on Iraq would not be the most effective, legal or moral option available. 

  • A war against Iraq would be immensely costly at a time when resources are desperately needed for the eradication of poverty both domestically and globally. 

We therefore urge our fellow citizens of the United States to raise their voices against the U.S. invasion of Iraq.  We must encourage the President and Congress to build a true foundation for peace and security in these ways:

  • Act in concert with the United Nations to address any potential security risks posed by the regime of Saddam Hussein. Support arms control initiatives in the entire Persian Gulf region, as already specified in UN Security Council Resolution 687.

  • Take substantial steps to free our foreign policy from distortion by U.S. economic dependency on energy from non-renewable fossil fuels. Encourage energy conservation and invest heavily in the development of renewable energy. 

  • Shift investment from military spending to address the basic needs of humanity, both within the United States and around the globe: clean air and water, access to education and health care, adequate housing and transportation, and civil liberties. 

In sum, the Green Party's key value of non-violence implies that war is neither an effective nor justifiable means for resolving disputes between nations. The United States is in a position of unprecedented economic and military power in the global scene. We should use that power to work towards security and peace through justice, rather than through intimidation and military destruction.


Prepared by the International Committee of the Green Party of the United States

www.gp-us.org/committees/intl 
Approved by the Coordinating Committee of the Green Party of the United States on September 19, 2002.

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News Release - Tuesday, September 24, 2002

Home | Press