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Dear friends, WE would like to bring to your attention that we, Greater Manchester Coalition Against War and Sanctions On Iraq, are organising a conference against Sanctions details below. Do you have any contacts in the Greater Manchester area or in the North West who we could contact. There are a number of students and young people in the Coalition. Also could you send us a note about your activities. All the best Martin Conference against sanctions in Iraq 1pm-5pm Saturday 18th April. Friends' Meeting House, 6 Mount Street (near Albert Square) Manchester Considering: The sanctions imposed on Iraq has, since August 1990, led to misery for ordinary Iraqi people. The infrastructure of Iraq, according to the UN writing in 1991 has been, "bombed back to a pre-industrial age for a considerable length of time." "Three years ago the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation (FOA) reported that the 1991 allied attack combined with the effect of sanctions, had been responsible for the deaths of more than 560,000 children in Iraq. The World Health Organisation confirmed this figure which has now been superseded by the Iraqi Health Ministeries statistics showing that 1,211, 285 children died from embargo related causes between August 1990 and August 1997." John Pilger, New Stateman 20 February 1998. These facts have been confirmed by eye-witness accounts of US doctors, aid workers and others who have worked in Iraq. An American organisation, 'Voices In The Wilderness', have called the use of sanctions a weapon of mass destruction. These sanctions are hurting the Iraqi people not Saddam Hussein or his dictatorial regime. It is a shame that Robin Cook has said that the effect of the sanctions is caused by Saddam Hussein not the sanctions themselves. Albright gave a different answer more than one and half years ago. "We have heard that a half million children have died," said 60 Minutes reporter Lesley Stahl, speaking of US sanctions against Iraq. "I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And - and you know, is the price worth it?". Her guest, in May 1996, US Ambassador Madeleine Albright, responded: "I think this is a very hard choice, but the price - we think the price is worth it." - Los Angeles Times. Sanctions prevent the sending of medical aid to children. There are a number of examples, recently, in Britain where people have been prevented from taking or sending medical aid for children and others in Iraq. We call on your union, labour or community organisation to: 1) Sponsor and participate in the conference against sanctions. 2) Oppose the use of sanctions. 3) Demand the Labour Government that it ceases to support the use of sanctions. Sponsors include: Greater Manchester FBU Brigade Committee, City College of Manchester NUS, Greater Manchester Socialist Alliance -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a discussion list run by Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To be removed/added, email soc-casi-discuss-request@lists.cam.ac.uk, NOT the whole list. Archived at http://linux.clare.cam.ac.uk/~saw27/casi/discuss.html