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[casi] Stop the corporate invasion of Iraq: street and phone protest Mon 13 Oct



Dear All,

STOP THE CORPORATE INVASION OF IRAQ - PROTEST OUTSIDE 'DOING BUSINESS IN
IRAQ' CONFERENCE MONDAY 13 OCTOBER, 12 NOON, OLYMPIA CONFERENCE CENTRE

*** EVEN IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT TO OLYMPIA YOU CAN STILL PROTEST AND TAKE
ACTION WITH A SIMPLE PHONE CALL OR TWO (see below**)

The conference will be addressed by members of the Governing Council,
representatives from the US Dept of Defense, the Coalition Provisional
Authority and many other interests.  Many UK companies will be attending
and this is an important opportunity to show them that they are being
scrutinized. There is a conference session called 'Investing in Iraq -
is it lawful?'  This is our opportunity to highlight the fact that, not
only is it not legal, but also that there is no democratic
decision-making structure in Iraq to ratify what is effectively the
privatisation of almost all Iraq's services and resources?

STREET AUCTION PROTEST
We are organising a street 'auction',  with an auctioneer who will be
selling off segments of Iraq's services and resources with detail about
the companies involved.  The bidders will be 'representatives' from the
companies (Bechtel, HSBC, AMEC...).

We are hoping that as many people will be able to come down as possible
or at least as many as necessary to make our action successful.  We have
already had quite a bit of press interest - listen to the Today
programme on Radio 4 from 7.30am on Monday.

If you would like to take part in the auction please come a bit smart to
maximise the visual impact!  Please be there no later than 12.15.

TRAVEL TO OLYMPIA:
tube from Earls Court to Olympia
overland train from Watford/South London to Olympia tube to High Street
Kensington and then any one of a number of buses along to Hammersmith
Road where the conference centre is located. also near Shepherds Bush
and West Kensington tubes.

**CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE PROTEST? JOIN THE PHONE AND EMAIL PROTEST!!!!

Many people won't be able to may the protest as its a weekday but thanks
to the wonder of technology you can support the protest and actions at
Olympia by taking a few minutes of your time to phone and/or email some
of the British companies listed below that are/may be involved and
potentially bidding for business in Iraq, to voice your disapproval. The
point is to shame the companies for attending and show them that any
involvement in "Doing Business in Iraq" will generate very negative
publicity and will be vehemently opposed by the British public
(including customers, shareholders and potential shareholders). Even if
they are not involved then it will act to deter them from any potential
involvement.

Proposed questions for the companies:
You can call or email as a customer/potential customer,
shareholder/potential shareholder to:
1) confirm whether they are taking part in the conference "Doing
Business in Iraq" at Olympia
2) Question exactly what their involvement is and what future plans they
have to be involved i.e. will they be bidding on business in Iraq.
3) voice your disapproval at any involvement or any potential
involvement.

CONTACT DETAILS FOR COMPANIES INVOLVED, OR THINKING OF BEING INVOLVED,
IN IRAQ

HSBC Bank plc: 0800 881 155/0800 028 3516 (textphone)
customerrelations@hsbc.com
www.hsbc.com
- 'the world's local bank', supposed to be giving a 'major contribution'
to the Conference. - The United States' Iraqi Viceroy Paul Bremer
recently promulgated a new law opening up Iraq's banks to foreign
ownership. Will HSBC be one of the buyers?

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP: Telephone: 020 7583 5000 Telecopier: 020
7822
4652
http://www.pwc.com/
Consultants, now owned by IBM. A USAID official told the Wall Street
Journal in May that the consulting work on the privatisation of Iraq
would be put out to a 'limited pool of competitors' including
Pricewaterhouse.

Olive Security: Tel 020 7307 0540 Fax 020 7307 0542 om@olivesecurity.com
http://www.olivesecurity.com/newtest/pages/framesetthree.htm - British
private security firm. Has been working in Iraq providing security for
Bechtel. - There web-site boasts that 'All our consultants are former
members of United Kingdom Special Forces.' - A representative from OS
recently told the FT 'There is quite a bit of business out [in Iraq].
 From our point of view,it just gets better and all the time.'

AMEC: Tel: 020 7634 0000 email: media@amec.com
Director of Investor Relations, Telephone: 020 7634 0000 Facsimile: 020
7634
0093
Email: investors@amec.com
http://www.amec.com/index.asp?pageid=1
- British engineering firm. Has formed joint venture with US company
Fluor to bid for contracts in Iraq. Philip Carroll, a former Shell CEO
appointed to 'oversee Iraq's oil industry' earlier this year, has close
links to Fluor. - Involved in the construction of the controversial
Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline which is expected to cause major environmental
and human rights problems

Nestle: 00800 63785385
http://www.nestle.com/
The "powdered milk baby killers". Rumoured to be attending the
Conference.

Motorola:
Communications and Public Affairs Manager
Telephone: 01256 790481 Fax: 01256 790339
E-mail: patrick.hamilton@motorola.com
Communications and Public Affairs Manager - Scotland
Telephone: 01355 356550 Fax: 01355 233922
E-mail: dawn.bliss@motorola.com
http://www.motorola.com/
Telecommunications firm. Supposed to be giving a 'major contribution' to
the Conference.

Our press release is below for more information or contact us:
gabriel@voices.netuxo.co.uk, 0845 458 2564, www.voicesuk.org

hope to see some of you there.

From
the 13 October protesters


PRESS RELEASE from Voices UK [1]
8th October 2003

Iraq under the hammer: protest auction at privatisation conference

McDonalds and Nestle rumoured to be attending conference to 'kickstart'
Iraq's private sector.

Monday 13 October, 12 noon, outside the Olympia Conference Centre:
Iraq's industries and services will be auctioned off outside the
business conference 'Doing Business in Iraq: Kickstarting the Private
Sector' [2] by campaigners protesting the corporate sell-off of Iraq.
Protestors representing McDonalds, Nestle, Bechtel and Motorola among
others will bid for Iraq's services and resources including water,
electricity, education and health sectors (each depicted visually on
placards).

The Conference takes place in the wake of the recent announcement by the
US Government of new laws permitting all of Iraq's industries and
services (other than, for now, the oil sector) to be sold off to foreign
companies [3]. The same laws also slash corporate taxes to a maximum of
15% (down from a prior 45%) [4].

Conference attendees will be treated to talks by representatives from
the US Department of Defence, the US Coalition Provisional Authority
(CPA) and the US-appointed Iraq Governing Council on topics such as
'Privatisation of the Iraqi oil sector', 'Restructuring the Iraqi
monetary system' and 'Investing in Iraq: Is it lawful?' [2]. McDonalds
and Nestle are rumoured to be attending the Conference.

A spokesperson for the protestors, Emma Sangster, said "It is outrageous
that the US and Britain, having illegally invaded and occupied Iraq, are
now forcing their free-market ideology on the country whilst selling its
assets to the highest bidder. Not only is this likely to lead to massive
job losses, corruption and poverty - as similar measures in Russia and
elsewhere have done - but it is also completely undemocratic: no-one in
Iraq has voted for this.'

Photo opportunity: Meet at the front entrance to the Olympia Conference
centre at 12 noon for the auction. Contact Voices on 0845 458 2564,
gabriel@voices.netuxo.co.uk

NOTES
[A] Voices UK is a group campaigning in solidarity with the people of
Iraq. Between Feb. 1998 and May 2002 Voices UK sent 11
sanctions-breaking delegations to Iraq to protest the grave humanitarian
impact on ordinary Iraqis of UN economic sanctions. For more info. see
www.voicesuk.org. [B] For more information about the Conference go to
www.ibcenergy.com and click on 'Current Events.' [C] See 'Foreign firms
to bid in huge Iraqi sale', Guardian, 22 September.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1046868,00.html [D]
See 'Iraq to allow full foreign ownership outside oil', Reuters, 21
September. http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/030921/group_iraq_5.html

--
Emma Sangster

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