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Greens Urge the UN General Assembly to Invoke 'Uniting for Peace.' |
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THE GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES Contacts: Resolution 377 would circumvent the U.S.'s Security Council veto and assert worldwide opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Greens have adopted a proposal to urge the United Nations to invoke Resolution 377 ('Uniting for Peace') in response to the invasion of Iraq by the United States. 'Uniting for Peace' allows the U.N. General Assembly to circumvent the veto of the Security Council and take action when a permanent member of the Security Council, in this case the U.S., commits an unprovoked act of military aggression. The U.S. is currently pressing U.N. member nations to head off an emergency General Assembly session on the war, with one U.S. official claiming the session will "divide U.N. members." A communication from the U.S. to U.N. representatives around the world, published April 1 by Greenpeace, calls any attempt by the General Assembly to meet and discuss the invasion "unhelpful and directed against the United States" and "harmful to the U.N." "The invasion has already breached the U.N. Charter and now imperils global security and the future of the U.N.," said Jake Schneider, treasurer of the Green Party of the United States. The proposal, drafted by the International Committee and passed on April 2 by the national Coordinating Committee of the Green Party of the United States, calls for cooperation with Green parliamentarians in Europe and other nations and Greens and other peace loving people around the world in support of 'Uniting for Peace.' Excerpts from the text of the proposal follow below. Greens invited all anti-war activists to join the call for Resolution 377. "The Green Party is prepared to act for peace while the opposition 'major' party chooses to play a minor role," said Kevin McKeown, Mayor pro tem of Santa Monica, California, and a member of the Coordinating Committee. "I know many Democrats against this war who wish their leaders would lead, and invite them to join us as we take a real stand for peace." MORE INFORMATION The Green Party of the United States Online petitions and information about the U.N. Emergency Session and U.N. Resolution 377 http://www.ufp.ht.st/ and http://www.unitingforpeace.com/ "U.S. to U.N.: Butt out; U.S. pressures General Assembly not to meet" Green Party Mobilization for Peace PROPOSAL FOR ACTION THE GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES March 30, 2003 On Thursday, March 20, the United States initiated a preemptive military attack against Iraq for the purpose of regime change and occupation of that country in defiance of the United Nations Charter and the wishes of many Americans, its allies and people worldwide. The Green Party of the United States, having consistently opposed this attack and invasion as both illegal, and as threat[s] to international and domestic peace and security, now seeks the aid of the worldwide network of Green Parties, to invoke United Nations Resolution 377, "Uniting for Peace," to stop this aggression and prevent any further loss of life. The "Uniting for Peace" mechanism in UN rules was originally proposed and sponsored by the United States in 1950, for the purpose of circumventing the veto power of permanent members of the UN Security Council should one or more of these most powerful nations prevent the UN from carrying out its mission. The provision ensures that should the Security Council fail to maintain international peace and security, the full General Assembly, representing *all member nations, is empowered to call for peacekeeping troops, especially when a permanent member of the Security Council has become an aggressor. The Green Party of the United States believes the current illegal war in Iraq, launched by permanent Security Council members U.S. and Britain -- without UN authorization -- is exactly the kind of crisis Resolution 377 was intended to address. Green parties of the world, working together at all levels, can help establish a global coalition to invoke Resolution 377. ...The International Committee of the Green Party of the United States, and the state Green parties of Connecticut, Rhode Island, California, Michigan, and the DC Statehood Green Party, propose the following: That the Coordinating Committee of the USGP approve the initiation of contact with Green Party Parliamentarians, especially including those from Europe, for the purpose of collaborating to invoke the "Uniting for Peace" resolution through the UN. [Passed, with 58 members of the Green Party Coordinating Committee approving, 0 members disapproving, and 1 abstention.] Green Party of the United States Media Distribution search: gbl, irq, pce
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