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[ This message has been sent to you via the CASI-analysis mailing list ] [ Presenting plain-text part of multi-format email ] Newsletter of the BRussells Tribunal Content: Intro Participants The format of the hearing Fundraising and Finance Practicalities Appendices: List of participants Provisional Schedule Charter of the BRussells Tribunal Introduction We know it is high time for some news from Brussels, but we waited till things were more or less getting shaped. We had a fundraising, information and support event on December the 8th at Les Halles de Schaerbeek, Brussels, which turned out to be a real success. Several speakers, people of fame, were stressing the importance of the initiative. Following this event, many more organizations joined the project and signed the platform text. We are now having a really broad platform of Belgian NGO's, peace organisations and cultural institutions (see our website for names). Besides this we are member of the World Tribunal on Iraq which is a large network supported by many organisation of the World Social forum. There will actually be a hearing on Iraq in Mumbai in January. We will be represented there. Participants As we are getting closer to the date of the hearing (14th-17th April), we are attempting to make a final schedule of the Tribunal and we would like to let you know who recently accepted to participate at this day. We are very happy to announce that Hans von Sponeck, UN assistant secretary general for Iraq till 2000, and Denis Halliday, UN assistant secretary general for Iraq till 1998, will be collaborating. We are really glad Scott Ritter, former UN weapon's inspector in Iraq, has accepted to be a witness. And so has Eman Khammas, director of Occupationwatch in Iraq. Felicity Arbuthnot has accepted to be part of the prosecution team. Karen Parker has accepted to lead the prosecution. To sum it all up, that gives the following repartition: As Commission: prof. François Houtart (chairman), Nawal El Saadawi (Egyptian writer and feminist activist), Samin Amin (Egyptian theorist of neocolonialism) and Denis Halliday. As witnesses we have: Tom Barry (Policy Director of the Interhemispheric Resource Center: IRC), Neil MacKay (Home Affairs and Investigations Editor of the Sunday Herald), Saul Landau (internationnaly-known scholar, author, commentator and film maker, affiliated with the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona), Michael Parenti (internationally known award winning author and lecturer), Immanuel Wallerstein (the historian of capitalism, author of the monumental The Modern World System), Jean Bricmont (a committed professor of theoretical physics of the Université Catholique de Louvan-La-Neuve), Geoffrey Geuens (assistant at the Communication and Information Section of the University of Liège, Belgium. Author of Tous pouvoirs confondus- Etats, Capital et Médias à l'heure de la Mondialisation), Jacques Pauwels (history and Political Science analyst, author of: 'The Myth of the Good War- The USA in WWII), Michel Collon (author of Attention Médias and Liar's Poker), Armand Clesse (Director of the Luxemburg institute for European and International Studies) and Hans von Sponeck, who offered both options: to be member of the commission or witness. After consideration we would rather ask him to be a witness. As we have his collegue Denis Halliday in the commission. Scott Ritter has just accepted to come and testify. As prosecutors we propose: Karen Parker, Felicity Arbuthnot, and William Rivers Pitt¨(political analyst for the Institute for Public Accuracy, IPA, author of 'War in Iraq' and 'The Greatest Sedition is silence'). As Defense we will ask Robert Kagan and send an open invitation letter to the PNAC website itself (once we are just one step further with participants and schedule). We invited David Brooks in response of his article of january 7th in International Herald Tribune to come and show that all that is said on neocons and PNAC is fantasies. In case no one shows up or even when they do, Jim Lobe, one of the utmost specialists on PNAC, has proposed to take up the defense as 'amicus curiae'. [Biographies can be found on our website http://www.brusselstribunal.org/participants.htm) The Format of the hearing We have decided to take the concept of 'tribunal' in one of its senses: a commission of inquiry. We will adapt the form of a parliamentary hearing or commission of investigation like the Hutton commission, not only because: a) we have no real legal power; b) we want to avoid a mock tribunal, a people's court of which the outcome is known beforehand and c) most important, because our topic is not strictly legal. But for reasons of drama and exchange of arguments we have kept a prosecution team and a defense. Prof Klein, legal specialist, has made a concise charter for this hearing, which is pasted below. The oral testimonies will be based on written testimonies, that are added to the dossierThey will be published in the proceedings for which we are building a consortium of editors. (Proposed title: The New Imperial World Order. Proceedings of the BRussells Tribunal on the 'Project for the New American Century' and the War in Iraq). The idea is that the concise oral testimonies are a summary of the essence of the text(s). For each theme there is one hour: 30 min for the testimony and 30 minutes for questioning by the prosecution, the defense and the commission. If we have two witnesses for a specific theme, then they have each 20 minutes to speak and then questioning time is reduced to 20 minutes. We will have to be concise as we have only two days for the hearing properly speaking (third day being for conclusions). We have attempted to finalize somewhat the provisional schedule sketch of the Tribunal (pasted below). Fundraising and finance PLATFORM: Part of the funds come from the supporting organizations, NGO's and Cultural Institutions. They are asked to donate 1000 Euro and/or help with communication and logistics. (you can download the support form on the website and send it back to us) WAP: we have launched a WAP mail action: Wealthy Angry People all around the world. They are asked to support the Tribunal through a financial contribution of 100 Euro. (you can download and forward the WAP-letter from the website). Postcards: We printed a few thousand postcards to sell at 1 Euro by individuals and organizations. Some few thousands more are currently being ordered. (you can see the funny postcard on the website and order via the underneath e-mail adress, from 10 onwards). Practicalities How to communicate from now on: For any information (bibliography of the speakers, actions, platform text, endorsing list, support form, WAP- and postcard action) on the project you can check our website on: www.brusselstribunal.org and send all you requests on: info@brusselstribunal.org. That was it. Best wishes for this new year, and hoping for your moral, logistic and financial support. The BRussells Tribunal Committee ____________________________________________________________________ APPENDICES 1. The list of collaborators: Commission members (confirmed) François Houtart (Chairman) Samir Amin Nawal El Saadawi Denis Halliday Prosecution team Felicity Arbuthnot Karen Parker William Rivers Pitt (to be confirmed) Witnesses (confirmed) Tom Barry Jean Bricmont Armand Clesse Michel Collon Neil MacKay Saul Landau Jacques Pauwels Geoffrey Geuens Michael Parenti Immanuel Wallerstein Scott Ritter Hans Von Sponeck Eman Khammas defense Jim Lobe ___________________________________________________ 2 Updated Provisional schedule [Wednesday 14.04.03]: Press conference 11. 00: Press conference at the Beursschouwburg Opening of the Brussells tribunal 20.00: -Introduction: history of this hearing and its place within the World Tribunal on Iraq -Opening by the chairman -Introducing subject and approach of the Brussels hearing -Statement by members of the commission -Introduction to the linked cultural events Day 1 [Thursday 15.04.03]: The Project for the New American Century: The Blueprint of the New Imperial World Order 9.00: Opening of the court by the chairman of the comission of inquiry 9.30: Presenting the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), its influence on and presence in the Bush administration (William Rivers Pitt, prosecutor)* 10.30: Premptive Empire: How America became an Empire instead of a Republic (Saul Landau) 11.30: coffee break 12.00: Rebuilding America's defenses: Close reading of the PNAC and Neocon ideology. The blueprint of the New Imperial World Order and the Militarisation of the World (Neil Mckay) 13.00: Lunch break 14. 30: "The power complex": Historical context of (neo)conservative think tanks in the US. PNAC and the Network of neoconservative think tanks (Tom Barry) 15.30: "All powers fused": Economic ties of PNAC with the petrochemical industry and the military industrial complex (Geoffrey Geuens) 16.30: coffee break 17.00: "Benevolent hegemony"? The neoconservative policy as a break with longstanding standards of US foreign policy (written testimony by Immanuel Wallerstein) 18.00: "The Rulers of the world": Geopolitical strategies behind the New Imperial War Policy [on the record of US military interventions; its underlying consistency and success; the rational (investment and systemic) interests; and how these apply to PNAC and developments in Iraq] (Michael Parenti) 19.00: End of the sessions of day 1. 20.30: Supporting Cultural evening at The Beursschouwburg Day 2 [Friday 16.04.03] Pnac policies and the war in iraq 09.30: "Divide et impera": PNAC-politics in the historical context the Middle East policy of the US (Iraqi witness) 10.30: Economical strategy behind the War in Iraq (case Halliburton and Kellog Brown & Root in Iraq?) (Jacques Pauwels) 11.30: coffee break 12.00: "Pre-emptive strike": the war against Iraq, the UN and internatinal law (Hans von Sponeck) 13.00: Lunch break 14.30: "Weapons of mass deception": The UN inspections and the premeditated war. (Scott Ritter) 15.30: The strategic and collateral consequences of PNAC policies on the ground in Iraq (during the invasion, use of Depleted Uranium, cluster bombing against civilians, the looting and the occupation) (Eman Khammas) 16.30: coffee break 17.00: Plea of the defense (representative of PNAC or 'amicus curiae', Jim Lobe) 18.00: Speech of the prosecution team: responsibilities of PNAC and its members in the Bush administration in the decision process which led to the illegal invasion of Iraq and the war crimes that ensued. 19.00: Closing of the tribunal by the President 19.30: End of the second day 20.30: Supporting Cultural Evening at the Beursschouwburg Day 3 [Saturday 17.04.03]: Conclusions 09.30: Closed session for the commission: discussing conclusions 15.00: Press conference: pre- release of the commissions findings 19.00 - 2 am: Artists against the New Imperial World Order (at Les Halles) 21.30: Public Declaration of the Findings of the Commission __________________________ 3. BRussels Tribunal's Charter: CHARTER OF THE BRUSSELLS TRIBUNAL -PREAMBLE- CONSIDERING that in 1997 a Washington (D.C.) think-tank was founded, the "Project for the New American Century" (PNAC), aimed at promoting "American leadership worldwide"; MINDFUL that in 2000 and 2001, reports have been adopted in the framework of PNAC, which proclaim that American hegemony should be realised by a tremendous growth in the defense budget; "by fighting and decisvely winning, multiple simultaneous major theater wars"; by deterring all potential competing powers and by permanent military presence all over the planet, particularly in the Gulf; TAKING NOTE that crucial elements of the doctrine put forward in the framework of PNAC have been officially endorsed by the US administration, especially in the "National Strategy Security" approved by President George W. Bush in September 2002; PREOCCUPIED by the fact that the National Security Strategy has provided the conceptual framework within which the "preventive war" fought against Iraq in 2003 has been decided and carried out, whereas there was no legal basis for this war in the United Nations Charter or Security Council Resolution 1441; WORRIED by the disastrous impact of the war against Iraq on the Middle-East Region and in the Arab world, by the instability it has brought to international relations and all the disastrous implications for the entire planet; ALARMED by the threats that the PNAC and National Security Strategy may hold for the future, and by the fact that other "preventive wars" may be decided and carried out in the near future against so-called "rogue States" or other States perceived to be a threat to US national security; and WILLING to assess the risks and threats that the abovementioned US policies may hold for the world in the years to come in an extensive and informed manner, The BRussells Tribunal Committee have resolved as follows : ARTICLE 1. ESTABLISHMENT AND MISSION OF THE TRIBUNAL It is hereby decided to establish an international Commission of inquiry, under the name "The Brussells Tribunal" (hereinafter "the Tribunal"), aiming at developing an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the PNAC and of the United States National Security Strategy, as well as assessing the risks and threats that those policies may hold for international peace and security in the future. The hearing is part of the World Tribunal on Iraq, a series of hearings and tribunals with final session in Istanbul. ARTICLE 2. COMPOSITION OF THE TRIBUNAL The Tribunal shall be composed of 7 members of high moral reputation. In the selection of Tribunal members, attention will be paid to an adequate representation of various parts of the world. ARTICLE 3. ORGANIZATION OF THE TRIBUNAL In the performance of its duties, the Tribunal will be assisted by the following organs : 1. A Registry. The Registry shall be responsible for the administration and servicing of the Tribunal.; 2. Prosecutor, and two Assistant-Prosecutors, 3. Counsel for defense. ARTICLE 4. PROCEDURE 1. The Tribunal shall conduct public hearings in Brussels, Belgium, between the 14th and the 17th of April, 2004. 2. The Tribunal shall hear witnesses who shall provide information on various aspects of PNAC and the National Security Strategy. The testimony of each witness may not exceed 30 minutes. 3. Witnesses shall be examined and cross-examined, in turn, by the Prosecutor and by Counsel for defense. Questions may be put to the witnesses by members of the Commission. The purpose of examination, cross-examination and questioning is to contribute to the analysis, understanding and dissemination of information concerning PNAC and NSS, and to put at the disposal of the Tribunal as comprehensive information as possible on all aspects of these policies and their consequences. ARTICLE 5. FINAL CONCLUSIONS After the hearing of all witnesses, the Tribunal shall recede in closed session in order to reach its final conclusions on the issues submitted to it. The Tribunal's conclusions shall be presented orally at the end of the session. The conclusions shall also be presented in writing, and publicized widely, among the media, politicians, intergovernmental organizations, NGO's, etc. _______________________________________ Sent via the CASI-analysis mailing list To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-analysis All postings are archived on CASI's website at http://www.casi.org.uk