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[casi] Demand to Inspect US facility




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Press ReleaseSource: Canadian Union of Public Employees

American government notified of request to inspect U.S. weapons facilities
Monday February 17, 8:01 am ET
INTERNATIONAL COALITION OF WEAPONS INSPECTORS TO VISIT EDGEWOOD FACILITY IN
MARYLAND
TORONTO, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ - Rooting Out Evil formally served notice
today to the U.S. government that it will be sending an international team
of weapons inspectors to Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Maryland on
Sunday, February 23, 2003 to investigate U.S. involvement in the development
and storage of chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction.
The international Inspection Team is composed of prominent Canadian,
British, American Danish and Italian parliamentarians, scientists,
academics, faith and union leaders. The delegation includes: Libby Davies,
Member of Parliament (Canada - NDP Party); Christy Ferguson, Organizer and
Spokesperson, Rooting Out Evil; David Langille, Director of Public Affairs,
Centre for Social Justice; Alan Simpson, Member of Parliament (United
Kingdom -- Labour Party) and head of Labour Against the War; Edward Hammond,
Director, Sunshine Project; Peter Shorett, Director of Programmes, Council
for Responsible Genetics; Samaa Elibyari, Representative, Canadian Islamic
Congress; Deborah Bourque, National President, Canadian Union of Postal
Workers; Steven Staples, Defense Analyst, Polaris Institute; Mel Watkins,
Professor Emeritus - Economics and Political Science, University of Toronto;
Francesco Martone, Italian Green Party Senator; Graziella Mascia, Member of
Parliament (Italy - Rifondazione Communista); Pernille Rosenkrantz, Member
of Parliament (Denmark - - Red-Green Alliance). In addition to the formal
Inspection Team, Rooting Out Evil has recruited over 20,000 honorary
inspectors through its website, www.rootingoutevil.org.
According to the letter, which was addressed to U.S. Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld, the Edgewood facility may be engaged in chemical and
biological weapons activities that contravene both the Chemical Weapons
Convention (CWC) and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC). The
letter further expresses concerns about U.S. contravention of the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty, one of the same treaties the U.S. claims Iraq is
contravening.
In its inspections, Rooting Out Evil expects a level of assistance
comparable to that which the United States expects of other nations
suspected of harboring weapons of mass destruction. However, Inspection Team
member and Rooting Out Evil organizer Christy Ferguson is dubious about the
likelihood of a positive response to the request for cooperation with the
Edgewood inspections. "While we have sent the letter of request in good
faith, the United States has demonstrated a troubling history of refusal to
meet its obligations and allow weapons inspections," Ferguson commented.
Rooting Out Evil is a Canadian-based coalition of international citizens
opposed to the development, storage, and use of weapons of mass destruction
by any nation. This effort is supported by a broad coalition of Canadian and
international groups including Greenpeace Canada, the Centre for Social
Justice, the Canadian and American sections of the Women's International
League for Peace and Freedom, the National Network to End the War Against
Iraq, Global Exchange, and International A.N.S.W.E.R.
    February 17, 2003

    Donald Rumsfeld
    Secretary of Defense
    U.S. Department of Defense
    1000 Defense Pentagon
    Washington, D.C. 20301
    Via Fax: (703) 697-9080
    Cc: Colin Powell, Secretary of State - (202) 647-7120
        Major General John Doesburg, Aberdeen Proving Ground Installation
        Commander -(410) 436-6529

    Dear Mr. Rumsfeld:


I am writing on behalf of Rooting Out Evil, a Canadian-based coalition of
international citizens who oppose the development, storage and use of
weapons of mass destruction by any nation. The coalition is supported by
international organizations including Greenpeace Canada, the Centre for
Social Justice, the Canadian and American sections of the Women's
International League for Peace and Freedom, the National Network to End the
War Against Iraq, Global Exchange, and International A.N.S.W.E.R.
Rooting Out Evil will be sending an international team of citizen weapons
inspectors to the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center on Sunday, February
23, 2003 and we are writing to request your full cooperation. The team is
composed of parliamentarians from Canada, Great Britain, Italy and Denmark,
as well as scientists, bio-weapons experts, academics, faith and union
leaders. Further, we have the support of over 20,000 honorary inspectors
from 52 nations.
Having ratified the Geneva Protocol of 1925, the U.S. has agreed to the
prohibition of the use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and
bacteriological methods of warfare. As a State Party to the Chemical Weapons
Convention (CWC), which entered into force on April 29, 1997, the United
States has agreed not to develop or use chemical weapons and to destroy its
chemical weapons stockpiles. As a party to the Biological and Toxin Weapons
Convention (BWC), entered into force on March 26, 1975, the United States
has agreed to prohibit the use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other
gases, and bacteriological methods of warfare. The U.S. is further obligated
to actively pursue the total eradication of chemical weapons and
non-defensive biological agents through universally applied international
mechanisms.
Rooting Out Evil is focusing our inspection on the Edgewood site because our
research reveals that the facility may be developing and stockpiling weapons
that contravene the above stated conventions. We believe that all weapons of
mass destruction must be subject to a comprehensive multilateral
declaration, inspection and verification regime.
Contrary to the commitments acknowledged by all members to the Chemical
Weapons Convention, the United States has not fully complied with the
declaration and inspection stipulations of the CWC. Although the CWC
contains thorough safeguards for the protection of confidential information,
the U.S. has limited the facilities open to inspection, prohibited removal
of samples and conferred upon the President the right to refuse inspections
for national security reasons.
In addition to chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, we have
further concerns about U.S. nuclear proliferation activities. The United
States signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which commits all
parties to move unequivocally toward "total nuclear disarmament." The U.S.
has firmly stated its commitment to maintain a stockpile of 15,000 nuclear
warheads -- stored in bunkers and submarines throughout the world -- into
the indefinite future. According to the Bush Administration's Nuclear
Posture Review, presented to Congress on January 8, 2002, the United States
government officially established an aggressive nuclear policy, including
the right to use nuclear capabilities in the absence of a nuclear threat.
On November 8, 2002, under the threat of unilateral military action by the
United States, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed
Resolution 1441, which affords Iraq "a final opportunity to comply with its
disarmament obligations" through the establishment of "an enhanced
inspection regime with the aim of bringing to full and verified completions
the disarmament process".
We support the return of inspectors to Iraq and call upon the U.S. and all
other nations possessing, or suspected of possessing, weapons of mass
destruction to submit their facilities to a similar United Nations
inspection regime. We therefore respectfully request assistance for our
peaceful inspection of the chemical and biological weapons facilities at
Edgewood at a level comparable to that which the United States expects of
other nations suspected of harboring weapons of mass destruction.
We commend the on-record commitments the U.S. has made to disarmament and
would like to encourage the Bush Administration to meet all of the
obligations that the U.S. is legally bound to honour through treaties to
eliminate weapons of mass destruction.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support of this inspection.
    Sincerely,

    Christy Ferguson on behalf of the Inspections Team
    Rooting Out Evil Coordinator and Inspections Team Member




Source: Canadian Union of Public Employees
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