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[ Presenting plain-text part of multi-format email ] Hello all, here are the final resolutions of the European Colloquium in Brussels the 25 and 26 september, that have been presented to the European Parliament at 27 september2002. The original text is in French, and the translation into english might be not 100% correct. Sorry for that. It was also a pity that there was no-one from the UK. http://www.irak.be/ned/bivv/finalresolutions.htm Greetings. Dirk Adriaensens. www.irak.be Final Resolutions Delegates from twelve European countries, representing the associations of peace, solidarity and co-operation with Iraq, gathered in Brussels on the 25th and 26th of September 2002 and have adopted the following resolutions: 1. As a top priority, they consider that immediately an end must be put to the suffering of the Iraqi people due to the 12 year embargo imposed on them, and which has resulted in the destruction of infrastructure, health, education, culture and economy of a nation that is one of the cradles of civilisation. They think it intolerable that to this suffering the anguish of a new war is added, the main victims of which will be the civil population. This is particularly true for a whole generation of youths, sacrificed since 12 years. If we do not put an end to this grave situation, the range of fundamentalism and extremism will increase. 2. The Delegates have stressed that nothing justifies an imminent military intervention in Iraq. Reports from various sources, including the British Government, recognise that Iraq does not constitute any military danger to the international community. Moreover, there is no proof of Iraq's participation or support of acts or organisations of terrorism such as Al Qaida. 3. A military intervention is even less justified since the Iraqi government has accepted the unconditional return of the United Nations inspectors. This wise decision has brought to light the real objectives of those who are presently opposed to the return of the inspectors. The delegates deem that the arrival of UN inspectors in Iraq is urgent and support the Secretary General of the United Nations in his willingness to implement this resolution of the UN Security Council, in the knowledge that no other resolution is necessary. · They request the UN Secretary General to use all the means necessary to guarantee the integrity of this mission and its balanced representation of the European Community. · They oppose to the politics of double standards which allows the state of Israel to ignore, without any form of sanctions, the majority of U.N.-resolutions regarding its criminal politics of aggression against the Palestinian Authority and people. · They ask France, Russia and China to use their veto right in the Security Council to oppose any involvement of the United Nations in legitimising a new war. 4. The Delegates urge the European Parliament to discuss yet again the Iraqi question and to reconsider the resolution it has recently adopted. The procedures used for the adoption of this resolution, as well as the inaccuracy of some of its elements, are a discredit to the European Parliament. They deem it necessary and urgent that a delegation of the European Parliament and experts, representing the European Union, should go to Iraq to verify the correctness of the resolution with the actual situation in the field. 5. The Delegates call upon the Arab League and its member countries to firmly oppose a new war against Iraq, which is one of the major elements in the global strategy of the USA to gain control over the world's oil supplies, and which would have severe destabilising effects on the world community, and to refuse the use of their territory for this aim. This is particularly true for those countries which host military bases and where, as in Qatar and Djibouti, a vast military built-up is already on its way. 6. The delegates also deem it indispensable to set up a permanent international committee, composed of civil society personalities, charged with the follow-up and the control on the spot of the UN inspection mission, to ensure that it does not deviate from its objectives and be used as a pretext to justify military aggression or to further postpone the lifting of the embargo. This permanent committee will be composed of personalities who will take turns on the spot until the end of the inspection mission and who will alert the public opinion in the event that this mission is diverted from its objectives. An appeal is made upon all those who would accept to play this role. 7. The delegates expect an urgent initiative by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, demanding that the member states of the European Union refuse any participation in a unilateral military intervention against Iraq as well as the use of their territory or their air space for any military action against Iraq. Any participation of any country of the Union in these operations should be considered as a violation of the International Law. They expect the same attitude of non-member states of the European Union, especially those who want to join the E.U. They demand the European Union to oppose explicitly the concept of "preventive war". 8. Within the framework of their action programme, the delegates have decided to organise a following European conference in Rome, between the 10th and 15th November 2002. _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk