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U.S. Greens Encourage European and Other Nations to Maintain Their Resistance to Bush's War Plans. |
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THE GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES Press conference contacts: U.S. GREENS ENCOURAGE EUROPEAN AND OTHER NATIONS
TO MAINTAIN THEIR RESISTANCE TO BUSH'S WAR PLANS. WASHINGTON, DC -- American Greens are praising the influence of Greens in European parliaments and other Greens in public office around the world in the efforts by their governments to avert an invasion of Iraq led by the U.S. "Under the influence of Greens and other opponents of war, France, Germany, and their supporters have maintained the only hope for a responsible U.N. response to Bush's threat of war," said Nathalie Paravacini, Texas Green and Secretary of the Green Party of the United States. "Bush has repeatedly called for the U.N. must live up to its responsibility, that it must back an invasion of Iraq, or it will prove itself irrelevant. But the U.N.'s stated mission is to avert wars, including preemptive attacks, not to bless military aggression. If the U.N. caves in and endorses Bush's invasion plans, then it will truly have betrayed its responsibility." The Greens/EFA in the European Parliament adopted a resolution against unilateral preemptive military action in Iraq on January 30, and on February 6 issued a statement asserting that war in Iraq will trigger a humanitarian catastrophe. In Australia, Green Senator Bob Brown persuaded fellow Senators to pass a 'no confidence' vote against Prime Minister John Howard because of his pro-war position. "We are very proud that Belgium -- mainly thanks to Green pressure -- continues to resist NATO's request for further military involvement in the preparations for a possible war in Iraq," said Peter Vanhoutte, Belgian Minister of the Parliament and a Green. "War is not an option, it's no solution, because every war is the basis for future conflicts. The solution for the ongoing problems in the Middle East is not another war, but a negotiated agreement." The international Green response will be presented formally at a press conference called by the Green Party of the United States and the Green Party of New York State on Friday, February 14. The press conference will take place 12:00 noon on the 7th Floor of 777 U.N. Plaza in New York City. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, a member of the German Green Party in Chancellor Schroeder's coalition government, has forcefully rejected U.S. Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld's insistent demands that European nations support an invasion. In a recent speech, Fischer said, "I am not convinced. That is my problem. I cannot go the public and say that these are the reasons [to invade] because I won't believe in them.... We shouldn't just follow the logic of a military attack." Germany, France, and Belgium have undertaken strategic efforts to avert the invasion, including threat of a veto in the U.N.'s Security Council by France. Germany, France, and Belgium are blocking NATO from offering Turkey military protection in the event of as a strategy for discouraging the invasion. Germany has maintained its opposition in the face of threatened economic retaliation by the Bush Administration. Several Greens have called for a U.N. General Assembly vote on the Bush Administration's invasion plans. Under the U.N.'s 'Uniting for Peace' procedure passed in 1950, a majority vote of the countries of the world could require that no military action be taken against Iraq without an explicit stamp of approval from the Security Council. Such a vote can be called by a majority of the U.N.'s General Assembly or by seven members of the Security Council. "The Bush Administration has called Germany, France, Belgium, Russia, China, and other nations 'isolated' because they won't back the U.S. and Britain," said Annie Goeke, Co-chair of the U.S. Green Party's International Committee. "This is patently ludicrous. Such remarks from Bush officials have only persuaded the people in these nations to regard Rumsfeld and his colleagues in the White House as fanatics and international gangsters. A vote in the U.N.'s General Assembly will show which side is really isolated." "If the peace-loving people of the world call on their governments to demand a 'United for Peace' vote in the U.N., it would help block Bush's war," Goeke added. "Secretary of State Powell says that the tape of Osama bin Laden's voice [sent to al-Jazeera on February 11] proves that Saddam and al-Qaeda are in league, but what Powell's claim really proves is how desperate, dishonest, and insupportable the Bush position has become. In fact, Bin Laden denounced Saddam as an infidel on the tape. It's obvious that nothing would serve bin Laden's purposes better than a war by the U.S. on Iraq." This coming weekend, Greens will participate in rallies, marches, and other actions against the war on Iraq, in New Yorka and other cities throughout the United States, as well as in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Athens, Bangkok, Barcelona, Belfast, Berlin, Berme, Brussels, Cairo, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, Helsinki, Istanbul, London, Manila, Oslo, Paris, Ramallah, Rome, Skopje, Stockholm, Tallinn, Tokyo, Vienna, and Warsaw. Under the leadership of Rep. John Eder of Portland, one of two Green state legislators in the U.S., Maine is expected to become the first state in the U.S. to pass a resolution opposing the war, joining at least 90 cities and counties that have passed such statements. "The European Federation of Green Parties fully endorses the stance for peace taken by the United States Green Party," said Arnold Cassola, Secretary General of the European Federation of Green Parties. "The 32 member parties of the European Federation of Green Parties are against any U.S.-U.K. led war, without any U.N. mandate. Let us give peace a chance. Let us support the German-French initiative for peace. Let us work together for life rather than for death and suffering." MORE INFORMATION Greens/EFA in the European Parliament http://www.greens-efa.org United for Peace & Justice http://www.unitedforpeace U.S. city councils that have passed resolutions
against the war on Iraq search: pce, gbl, fpol |
