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Politics : DON'T START THE WAR -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mao II who wrote (13671)	2/27/2003 12:59:34 PM
From: Ed Huang	Respond to of 25898

Ah, good timing Mao! I hope Mr. Mark Konrad will read this letter from the Amnesty International and make some great comments on it.

To: Mao II who wrote (13671)	2/27/2003 1:00:17 PM
From: Mao II	Respond to of 25898

Urge President Bush to Consider the Gravity of Military Action Against Iraq For printing: This action in RTF format \| PDF format Urge President Bush to make public US plans for addressing the human rights and humanitarian disaster that is certain to occur in the event of military intervention in Iraq. Amnesty International is deeply concerned that military action will exacerbate the already desperate situation of the Iraqi civilian population, result in grave violations of their human rights, and provoke a humanitarian disaster. The resort to military force in Iraq is certain to result in civilian deaths from bombings and internal conflict, but also to render difficult or impossible the delivery of basic supplies, resulting in shortages of food and medicine and the further destruction of civilian infrastructure and institutions. Background Information Amnesty International is concerned that military action in Iraq could easily precipitate a humanitarian disaster. The life, safety and security of civilians must be the paramount consideration in any action taken to resolve the crisis. The experience of previous armed intervention has shown that, all too often, civilians are the casualties of war. For example, thousands of civilians were killed during the 1991 Gulf War in the aerial bombardment of Baghdad and other cities. In one such incident, more than 300 civilians were killed in the Amariya air raid shelter in Baghdad. Civilians were also killed as human shields. Parties are prohibited from using civilians as human shields. The rules of war also make clear that even if one side is shielding itself behind civilians, such a violation does not release the other side from its obligation to ensure that all precautionary measures are taken to ensure that the civilian population and civilian objects are spared. Since the end of December 1998, US and UK forces have carried out regular strikes on Iraqi targets inside the two air exclusion zones in northern and southern Iraq. These strikes have reportedly resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians, the injury of many more, and the destruction of civilian property. Amnesty International has for decades documented systematic gross human rights violations in Iraq, including arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, extrajudicial and judicial executions after unfair summary trials, "disappearances," and forcible expulsion on the basis of ethnic origin. The government’s repression of Shi’ites has continued unabated since the failed Shi’ite uprising following the Gulf War. The Kurdish population has been subjected to severe and brutal human rights violations, including a chemical weapons attack, "disappearances," and forcible expulsion to areas controlled by the two main Kurdish political parties in Iraqi Kurdistan. Yet the states that today argue that the use of force is justified to protect human rights in Iraq are the same states that supported Saddam Hussein’s government during the Iran-Iraq war, stood by while Kurdish civilians were attacked with chemical weapons, failed to adhere to humanitarian law standards during the Gulf War and subsequent air strikes, and continue to disregard the devastating impact of economic sanctions on the lives of Iraqi civilians. takeaction.amnestyusa.org

To: Mao II who wrote (13671)	2/27/2003 1:16:48 PM
From: Mark Konrad	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25898

A significant letter acknowledging the "hardship of Iraqis already suffering at the hands of their government [read "brutal dictator"] and from the impact of economic sanctions." [caused by the continuing actions of said brutal dictator] Bracketed comments are mine, natch. AI further takes no position either way regarding forceful disarmament as an action of last resort. I would further add emphasis to avoiding as many civilian casualties as possible and urge a rapid rebuilding ala Afghanistan--MK--