Representative John Conyer's Letter to President Clinton
President William Jefferson Clinton
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We are writing to you regarding our urgent concern for the serious deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Iraq. It has been over seven years now since the Gulf War ended, yet tremendous suffering remains unabated and indeed appears to have accelerated in recent months. As the weapons inspections by international officials continue, the Iraqi people have been left behind. They have been orphaned not only by their own leader's manipulations, but by the international community's lack of compassion and flagging creativity in finding workable approaches to these difficult problems.
Official and unofficial reports about the situation faced daily by ordinary people in Iraq are devastating. According to a report issued by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in November 1997, "the food rationing system provides less than 60% of the required daily calorie intake, the water and sanitation systems are in a state of collapse, and there is a critical shortage of life-saving drugs." Moreover, it points out that "the balance sheet of several years of sanctions against Iraq reveals a minimum of political dividends as against a high human price paid primarily by women and children." Nearly a million children are chronically malnourished. A new UNICEF report, due out soon, will repeat many of these same concerns.
Several delegations of American citizens have gone to Iraq to document and relieve this suffering. One recent delegation, led by religious leaders and medical professionals, included Bishop Thomas Gumbleton from the Archdiocese of Detroit, Reverend Lucius Walker, and representatives from the American-Arab Anti-discrimination Committee, the National Arab-American Medical Association, Fellowship of Reconciliation, and the American Muslim Council.
There are mechanisms in place meant to address the humanitarian situation, primarily the oil-for-food deal permitted under United Nations Security Council Resolution 986. We believe that increasing the deal to permit a sale of $5.2 billion worth of oil every six months was a step in the right direction. However, as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan indicated in his April 16 report, Iraq's oil industry is currently incapable of producing anything close to that amount of oil. We urge you to lead the Security Council Sanctions Committee in allowing the importation of repair supplies and spare parts for Iraq's oil infrastructure. This is necessary if the food-for-oil deal is really going to work.
In addition, the monitoring and oversight mechanisms need to be improved to provide quicker movement of relief supplies to needy civilians. In a recent report, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization noted serious problems with the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 986. The approval of contracts has been slow, the amounts permitted remain insufficient, and Iraq lacks adequate infrastructure for potable water. Full implementation of UN SCR 986 will still fall short of the nutritional and health needs of the citizens. The report concluded that unless water and sanitation systems are comprehensively rehabilitated, "the continuation of the economic embargo, even allowing for the amelioration that will occur with UN SCR 986, the situation will progressively deteriorate with grave consequences to the health and life of the Iraqi people." We are aware that Saddam Hussein does not spend his money well, but that should not justify our own inaction or apathy toward the implementation of these large and well-intentioned programs that shape the Iraqi people's attitudes toward the US and democratic nations in general.
Moreover, private charities should be permitted to deliver humanitarian aid without the threat of prosecution. We are aware, as is the humanitarian mission traveling to Iraq, of the regulations contained in Title 31 Section 575.525 of the Code of Federal Regulations. These rules stipulate that the sale of humanitarian items to Iraq by US citizens must be licensed by the Department of Treasury. Criminal penalties for violations of the Iraqi Sanctions Regulations are as high as 12 years in jail and one million dollars in fines, plus civil penalties of $275,000 per violation that may be imposed administratively.
We recognize the importance of making sure assistance gets to the people who need it and not the Iraqi military, but these penalties are excessive and symptomatic of an outdated policy. US policy toward Iraq should be geared toward assuring compliance with United Nations resolutions pertaining to weapons inspections, addressing the future of democratic leadership in Iraq, and securing the good faith of the Iraqi people toward the US and the international community. Prosecuting American religious leaders and doctors seeking to alleviate suffering will not serve these ends.
The time has come to re-examine the intended goals and the actual effects of these sanctions. The first step should be to de-link the economic sanctions, which have been a complete failure, from the military sanctions, which have had a measured success. We are encouraged by Iraq's willingness to cooperate with UN inspectors, but hold no illusions about Iraq's overall record of compliance with weapons inspections. It is clear, however, that continued economic sanctions allow Saddam Hussein to exploit the suffering of his people to his political advantage.
We are simply asking you to look squarely at the economic sanctions, which have outlasted their political utility. They now serve only to extend the human suffering of the population and carry out a policy that has driven religious leaders-the moral conscience of our nation-to acts of desperation.
We urge you to give serious consideration to these concerns. We will be seeking Congressional hearings to review humanitarian policy toward Iraq, and we hope that you are prepared to re-evaluate and re-invent our policy. We welcome the opportunity to work with you on these issues and look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
(43 signatures - Oct. 6, 1998) Reps. John Conyers (D-MI), Dave Bonior (D-MI), Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI), Eva Clayton (D-NC), Tom Campbell (R-CA), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Major Owens (D-NY), John LaFalce (D-NY), William Clay (D-MO), Maxine Waters (D-CA), James Oberstar (D-MN), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), John Olver (D-MA), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Danny Davis (D-IL), Melvin Watt (D-NC), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), Lynn Rivers (D-MI), Bobby Rush (D-IL), Pete Stark (D-CA), William "Bill" Jefferson (D-LA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Jessie Jackson, Jr. (D-IL), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Elizabeth Furse (D-OR), Sam Farr (D-CA), William Delahunt (D-MA), Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Shiela Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Collin Peterson (D-MN), Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Carrie Meek (D-FL)
Signatures also divided by City & State:
CA: Tom Campbell-Campbell
Anna Eshoo-Palo Alto
Sam Farr-Santa Cruz/Salinas
Barbara Lee-Oakland/Berkeley
Nancy Pelosi-San Francisco
Pete Stark-Fremont
Maxine Waters-Los Angeles
Lynn Woolsey-Santa Rosa
CO: Diana DeGette-Denver
FL: Alcee Hastings-Ft. Lauderdale
Carrie Meek-Miami
GA: Cynthia McKinney-Decatur
IL: Danny Davis-Chicago
Jessie Jackson, Jr.-Chicago
Bobby Rush-Chicago/Evergreen Pk.
LA: Bill Jefferson-New Orleans
MA: William Delahunt-Quincy/Hyannis
James McGovern-Worcester
John Olver-Pittsfield/Holyoke
MD: Elijah Cummings -Baltimore
MI: Dave Bonior-Mt. Clemens
John Conyers-Detroit
Carolyn Kilpatrick-Detroit
Lynn Rivers-Ann Arbor/Wayne
MN: James Oberstar-Duluth/Brainerd
Collin Peterson-Detroit Lakes/Red Lake Falls
MO: William Clay-St. Louis
MS: Bennie Thompson-Greenwood
NC: Eva Clayton-Greenville/Fayetteville
Melvin Watt-Charlotte/Greensboro
NY: John LaFalce-Buffalo
Maurice Hinchey-Ithaca/Binghamton
Gregory Meeks-St. Albans/Far Rockaway
Major Owens-Brooklyn
OH: Sherrod Brown-Middlefield/Elyria
Marcy Kaptur-Toledo
OR: Earl Blumenauer-Portland
Peter DeFazio-Eugene
Elizabeth Furse-Portland (ret.)
TX: Shiela Jackson-Lee-Houston
Eddie Bernice Johnson-Dallas
Ciro Rodriguez-San Antonio
VT: Bernard Sanders-Burlington
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