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http://news.ninemsn.com.au/National/story_46598.asp?MSID=6d40353f6b864cd780 6381801f7fdc0a 21:36 AEST Tue 11 Mar 2003 Wollongong defects as Iraq protest The NSW coastal city of Wollongong has staged a moral defection to France, inspiring other cities around Australia and the United States to consider similar pleas for peace. City, state and federal representatives of the Illawarra region visited French Consul General Marc Finaud to deliver a clear message: "The Australian government won't represent our views on Iraq, so we want you to". The delegation's convener, South Coast Labour Council secretary Arthur Rorris, said Wollongong's unusual appeal to France had attracted attention from unexpected quarters. "From what we're told around the place there might be a few more doing the same," Mr Rorris told Mr Finaud. "We've heard from Newcastle, cities and organisations in Victoria, South Australia, even Washington and New York." Federal Greens MP Michael Organ, NSW parliamentary secretary for Aboriginal Affairs Colin Markham and Wollongong city councillor Vicky King joined other Wollongong citizens to ask that France represent Wollongong and exercise its United Nations Security Council veto against military action in Iraq. "The Labor Party, The Greens, The Democrats are all very frustrated that the Howard government is taking it down this path and refuses to debate it publicly in the house," Mr Organ said. "We're here to represent the view of the community of the Illawarra ... to reinforce the fact that there are a lot of people in Australia opposed to this war." The delegation presented Mr Finaud with a resolution unanimously passed by the Wollongong City Council calling on Prime Minister John Howard to "pull back from the brink of war". If the Howard government would not represent them, Mr Rorris said, the people of Wollongong hoped France would. While Mr Finaud said he would not publicly criticise the Australian government, he promised to pass Wollongong's message to French President Jacques Chirac. "We have made our views clear, in particular to the foreign minister (Alexander Downer) when he was in Paris recently," he said. "We have tried to explain to our Australian friends that although we have this major difference, this should not stand in the way of our friendly relations." Many other Australians had written to him to express support for France's opposition to military action in Iraq, Mr Finaud added. _______________________________________________ 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