[WCUSP] Fwd: [womeninblack] FW: anti-WMD joint statement needs your help

Wed Jun 20 11:30:13 CDT 2007

Odile and I met Andrea in Italy at the WIB
Internatioal severao years ago in Peace Yvonne
--- Women In Black Frederick
<wibfrederick at earthlink.net> wrote:

> From: "Women In Black Frederick"
> <wibfrederick at earthlink.net>
> To: <womeninblack at listas.nodo50.org>
> Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 11:44:52 -0500
> CC: lieve snellings <lieve.snellings at pandora.be>
> Subject: [womeninblack] FW: anti-WMD joint statement
> needs your help
> 
> Dear Women In Black Sisters:
> 
> I received the following request from CASMII
> (Campaign Against Sanctions and Military
> Intervention in Iran)for possible endorsement by
> Women In Black of a statement calling for a
> Nuclear-Free Middle East.  
> 
> I would appreciate your input on this initiative. 
> If considered appropriate, possibly this could be
> discussed at the international gathering in August? 
> 
> 
> Andrea Norouzi
> Women In Black, Frederick, Maryland, USA
> www.wibfrederick.org 
> 
> 
> CASMII is circulating a statement developed jointly
> with an Israeli group (that formed originally to
> agitate against Vanunu's imprisonment) and asking
> for endorsements - please see the attachment. Can we
> count on you to bring it to the WIB national? 
> 
> These groups in UK and Israel have signed the
> statement with CASMII:
> 
> Stop the War Coalition (This is the big coalition of
> the antiwar movement which organised the two-million
> strong demonstration before the invasion of Iraq) ;
> 
> Campaign for a Nuclear-Free Middle East (UK) ; and 
> 
> The Israeli Committee for a Middle East Free From
> Atomic, Biological and Chemical Weapons .
> 
> Statement Text:
> 
> International Statement for a Middle East free of
> all Weapons of Mass Destruction. 
> 
> Despite the unfolding tragedy in Iraq and the
> dangerously spiraling crises in the Middle East,
> another war of an unprecedented scale, this time
> against Iran, is looming. The environmental and
> human cost of this war would, by comparison, dwarf
> the suffering in Iraq; it would engulf the region
> and have serious and unintended global consequences.
> 
> 
> Terrifyingly, even "pre-emptive" nuclear strikes on
> Iran have not been ruled out. The 
> introduction of the notion of limited "surgical
> strikes" involving tactical nuclear bunker busters,
> has not only increased such possibility, it has
> brought the morally unthinkable into the realm of
> debatable. The very mention of the idea has begun
> the process of desensitizing the public to such a
> horror. The logical outcome of the nuclear threat is
> undoubtedly a drive to nuclear proliferation in the
> region, which would then increase the likelihood of
> the eventual use of nuclear weapons. In this
> eventuality, there will be no winners. 
> 
> At this perilous time, let us remember the July 1955
> joint Manifesto by Bertrand Russell and Albert
> Einstein at the height of the Cold War: "We are
> speaking on this occasion, not as members of this or
> that nation, continent, or creed, but as human
> beings, members of the species, Man, whose continued
> existence is in doubt ... We shall try to say no
> single word which should appeal to one group rather
> than to another. All, equally, are in peril, and, if
> the peril is understood, there is hope that they may
> collectively avert it."
> 
> The question we have to ask ourselves is: what steps
> can be taken to prevent a 
> military conflict of which the issue must be
> disastrous to all species?
> 
> The stakes now are at least equally high. It is with
> this same spirit of shared humanity that we reach
> out to all peace loving people in the world to
> subscribe to the following steps to reduce the risk
> of a nuclear confrontation. 
> 
> With this aim in mind, we, the undersigned: 
> 
> 1. Call for the Middle East to be a zone free from
> nuclear and other weapons of mass 
> destruction. 
> 
> 2. Call upon Israel, as the only Middle Eastern
> state with an atomic arsenal, to join 
> the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and become
> fully transparent by opening its 
> clandestine nuclear facilities to international
> inspections and supervision by 
> International Atomic Energy Agency. Nuclear weapons
> or facilities not approved 
> under the NPT must be dismantled. 
> 
> 3. Call for the dispute about Iran's nuclear
> program, to be resolved through 
> peaceful means and dialogue and in accordance with
> the nuclear Non-
> Proliferation Treaty, of which Iran is a current
> signatory. 
> 
> 4. Whilst welcoming Iran's declaration of the
> peaceful nature of its nuclear 
> program, we urge Iran's full co-operation with the
> International Atomic 
> Energy Agency to avoid suspicion and
> misunderstanding. 
> 
> 
> > International Statement for a Middle East free of
> all Weapons of Mass Destruction. 
> 
> Despite the unfolding tragedy in Iraq and the
> dangerously spiraling crises in the Middle 
> East, another war of an unprecedented scale, this
> time against Iran, is looming. The 
> environmental and human cost of this war would, by
> comparison, dwarf the suffering in 
> Iraq; it would engulf the region and have serious
> and unintended global consequences. 
> 
> Terrifyingly, even pre-emptive nuclear strikes on
> Iran have not been ruled out. The 
> introduction of the notion of limited surgical
> strikes involving tactical nuclear bunker 
> busters, has not only increased such possibility, it
> has brought the morally unthinkable 
> into the realm of debatable. The very mention of the
> idea has begun the process of 
> desensitising the public to such a horror. The
> logical outcome of the nuclear threat is 
> undoubtedly a drive to nuclear proliferation in the
> region, which would then increase the 
> likelihood of the eventual use of nuclear weapons.
> In this eventuality, there will be no 
> winners. 
> 
> At this perilous time, let us remember the July 1955
> joint Manifesto by Bertrand Russell 
> and Albert Einstein at the height of the Cold War:
> We are speaking on this occasion, 
> not as members of this or that nation, continent, or
> creed, but as human beings, members 
> of the species, Man, whose continued existence is in
> doubt  We shall try to say no 
> single word which should appeal to one group rather
> than to another. All, equally, are in 
> peril, and, if the peril is understood, there is
> hope that they may collectively avert it. 
> The question we have to ask ourselves is: what
> steps can be taken to prevent a 
> military conflict of which the issue must be
> disastrous to all species? 
> 
> The stakes now are at least equally high. It is with
> this same spirit of shared humanity 
> that we reach out to all peace loving people in the
> world to subscribe to the following 
> steps to reduce the risk of a nuclear confrontation.
> 
> 
> With this aim in mind, we, the undersigned: 
> 
> 1. 
> Call for the Middle East to be a zone free from
> nuclear and other weapons of mass 
> destruction. 
> 2. 
> Call upon Israel, as the only Middle Eastern state
> with an atomic arsenal, to join 
> the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and become
> fully transparent by opening its 
> clandestine nuclear facilities to international
> inspections and supervision by 
> International Atomic Energy Agency. Nuclear weapons
> or facilities not approved 
> under the NPT must be dismantled. 
> 3. 
> Call for the dispute about Irans nuclear programme,
> to be resolved through 
> peaceful means and dialogue and in accordance with
> the nuclear Non-
> Proliferation Treaty, of which Iran is a current
> signatory. 
> 4. 
> Whilst welcoming Irans declaration of the peaceful
> nature of its nuclear 
> programme, we urge Irans full co-operation with the
> International Atomic 
> Energy Agency to avoid suspicion and
> misunderstanding. 
> 
> > _______________________________________________
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>
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> the INTERACTIVE WiB e-list, go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/interactiveWiB


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