Accueil > NO TO THE WAR AGAINST IRAQ

NO TO THE WAR AGAINST IRAQ

Publie le vendredi 14 février 2003 par Open-Publishing

Millions of citizens of Europe and the entire world are expressing
their
rejection of this war. The call launched by the European Social
Movement in
Florence and by the world-wide Social Movement in Porto Alegre has born
fruit which are of extraordinary importance
We members of the European Social Movement launch this common message
in all
the capitals of Europe
The perspective of a war against Iraq draws ever closer. We want to
prevent
it‹ we want under any circumstances whatever they be‹ to oppose it.
Our resistance to the war did not begin and will not stop today : we are
pledge ourselves to carry on this opposition in our respective
countries by
means of actions as diverse, widespread and co-ordinated as possible.
We do not want this war. It presents itself as a war against terrorism
and a
struggle against one of the worst regimes in existence. Its reality
will be
the suffering of the civilian population, the destabilisation of an
entire
region, its colonisation, and the consolidation of United States
domination.
The objectives for waging a war against Iraq has never been the
reestablishment of democracy in the country or putting an end to the
sufferings of its peoples. The prior complicity of western countries
with
the regime of Saddam Hussein, the impunity which its leaders always
profited
from, testifies to the duplicity of the United States and the countries
that
the support it.
The geopolitical interests of the premier world power, its economic
interests, notably oil, its productivist logic, its conception of a
world
governed by rules which it lays down in a unilateral way, these are the
true
reasons for this war. Even if it is authorised by the UN Security
Council,
this conflict would be no less illegitimate.
Even if the Security Council authorises a resort to force, it will only
be
yielding to the pressure of the United States, and would only confer
the
pretence of legality to a decision that would remain in contradiction
to
the goals of the Charter of the United Nations. The United Nations
would
thus see its credibility once more eroded, since at the same time
around
the world, it tolerates so many other violations of basic political,
economic, social and cultural rights. The war against Iraq would be an
additional illustration of the policy of double standards which the
"international community" has for so long resorted to.
It is not war that the peoples of this region need, it is respect for
their
rights, all of their rights. Only the revival of the process of
world-wide
and regional disarmament and a political resolution of the conflicts
that
stain the region with blood‹ notably the recognition of the national
rights
of the Palestinian people in accordance with the resolutions of the
United
Nations‹ will enable an answer to be given to the dangers that threaten
it.
It is a world-wide balanced development, of "another world", which we
need,
rather than recourse to the politics of force that the United States is
attempting to impose.
This is what the majority of public opinion world-wide is expressing
today,
while demonstrating its opposition to the politics of the United States
and
its allies amongst which the governments of eight European countries
are
believed to owe them allegiance. Three countries of this continent
have
access to the power of veto on the Security Council. This is the
reason why
here in Europe we face an immense responsibility. It is up to us to
make the
governments hear our refusal to support the launching of or
participation
in the war. It is up to us, citizens of the world, to rise up and to
say
with force to the governments : we do not want war against the Iraq.
Meeting in the European Preparatory Assembly for the European Social
Forum
2003 - Paris Saint Denis, the signatory organisations demand :

n to the European governments that have a veto‹ use it within the
Security
Council of the United Nations
n to all members of parliament‹ vote against the war and against the
use
of military and air bases by the United States
n to social movements, to the organisations, to the men and women of
the
whole of Europe‹ organise resistance against the war, with the aim
the of
preventing it and obstructing its machinery as much as possible.

We appeal to the social movements, the trade unions, the students, the
networks of militants, the men and the women of the whole of Europe to
organise resistance to the war, to stop and to prevent this war by all
means
possible.

We call on everyone to show our opposition to the war everywhere in
Europe
February 15 2003.