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IPPNW Opposes US War Against IraqReleased
March 20, 2003
IPPNW Statement on the Launch
of War Against Iraq The United States-led war against Iraq was launched
despite overwhelming global opposition and a clear determination within the United
Nations to continue and intensify the inspections-based process of disarmament
in Iraq. IPPNW and its 58 affiliates condemn this war as a violation of
international law and the UN Charter. This unwarranted, pre-emptive military assault
against Iraq is also an assault against the UN system upon which the world relies
for peaceful and just solutions to regional and global conflicts. Now
that the war has begun, its prosecutors -- in particular the United States --
must fully comply with and respect the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian
law and therein make every effort to protect civilians, the environment, and civilian
infrastructure from harm. The Iraqi government and military, in defending Iraq
against this invasion, has an equal obligation to do so within the norms of international
law. Any use of weapons of mass destruction or other weapons with indiscriminate
effects must be avoided. This applies especially to nuclear weapons of any size
or yield. Such weapons must never be used in war for any purpose. IPPNW also condemns
any use of chemical or biological weapons (including chemical incapacitating agents
and chemical riot-control agents, which have been banned under international law),
depleted uranium weapons, cluster bombs, anti-personnel landmines, and massive
conventional ordnance near civilian populations. All such weapons have contributed
to or would contribute to large-scale civilian casualties, both during and after
armed conflict, and we call upon the parties to the conflict to renounce their
use. Our overriding concern has always been and continues to be the health
and security of the people of Iraq, who deserve neither the brutal regime of Saddam
Hussein nor the massive show of military force against their country that has
been undertaken without just cause by the Bush administration and its allies in
the war. The US cannot now walk away from its responsibility to help the Iraqi
people rebuild a society that serves their needs and interests, whether or not
those interests coincide with the Bush administration's ambitions for the region.
We urge the US -- even at this late date -- to call an end to this war and
to return responsibility for the disarmament of Iraq to the UN where it rightfully
belongs. Once this war has ended, the attention of the world must turn to repairing
the damage that has been done not only to Iraq but to the UN system. No
one country -- not even a superpower with a few reluctant partners -- has the
moral or legal right to determine what is best for the world and then use unmatchable
military force to impose its vision of a proper world order. A recommitment to
-- and a strengthening of -- collective frameworks for peace, justice, and security
in which all voices are heard and all interests are considered is the only acceptable
outcome of this war. Close
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