Action Alert - STOP THE ECONOMIC SANCTIONS WHICH ARE KILLING THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ !

Peace Movement Aotearoa

Members of the public are invited to come and show the government that New Zealanders do not support the sanctions, which have caused the deaths of over 1.5 million people in Iraq, 750,000 of them children (UN figures, 1997).

The real issue is the need for an acceptable plan for the lifting of economic sanctions. This might mean a plan in which the progress of the inspections earns Iraq a reciprocal lifting of the sanctions, or a complete de-linking of the economic sanctions from the weapons inspections.

While we fully support an arms embargo on the government of Iraq, we also recognise that the sanctions have firmed the grip of Saddam Hussein on the people of Iraq and caused untold suffering amongst the most vunerable sectors of society in Iraq - women, the sick, the aged and - most clearly - children.

Sanctions have been described by former NZ Director-General of Health, Professor George Salmond, as a "public health disaster". Children have been hit the hardest, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) reporting that mortality rates of children less than five years of age have increased six times since 1990.

This year, the prestigious Lancet medical journal reported that child leukaemia rates have increased four times, and UNICEF nutrition surveys show stubborn malnutrition rates for under 1s and 5s of about 30%. Former US Attorney General Ramsey Clarke describes the current sanctions regime as an act of genocide under the Geneva Genocide Conventions.

NB. *Please bring placards, banners and things to say.

Action Alerts	PMA's newsletter	What's on where	Peace links	Help PMA grow	How PMA can help you	Petition Forms	Site Map