Call your Congressional Delegation and tell them to support NO Iraq Resolution OTHER THAN House Congressional Resolution 473, introduced by Representative Barbara Lee of California!
Find your Congressional Delegation phone numbers here:
"Contacting the Congress"
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minn.
____________________________________
News from Congresswoman Barbara Lee
Ninth Congressional District of California
U.S. House of Representatives
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Lillian German
September 19, 2002
(202) 225-2661
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Introduces H.Con.Res.473
Calling for U.S. to work with United Nations to Advance
Peace and Security in Iraq
http://www.house.gov/lee/releases/02Sept18.htm http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.con.res.00473: Washington DC - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA)
introduced H.Con.Res.473
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.con.res.00473: calling for the
United States to work through the United Nations to
renew arms inspections, assure Iraqi compliance with
U.N. resolutions, and to oppose unilateral first strike
military action.
"President Bush has called on the United Nations to
assume its responsibilities. I call on the United
States to assume ours by working with the United
Nations to ensure that Iraq is not developing weapons
of mass destruction by utilizing mechanisms such as the
resumption of arms inspections, negotiation, regional
cooperation, and other diplomatic means," Congresswoman
Lee stated.
"We all agree that world would be better off without
Saddam Hussein in power, but I believe that we are
better off still if we live under the rule of law and
eliminate weapons of mass destruction," said Lee. Lee
also said that, "A preemptive, unilateral first strike
would set a terrible international precedent. The
question one must ask when confronting this doctrine of
preemption is, where will it end? Which dictator will
be next?"
This resolution outlines the history of Iraq's non-
compliance with U.N. Resolution 687 (1991) and other
resolutions and cease-fire agreements and sets forth
the need to renew weapons inspections and to seek out
and destroy any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq as
well as pointing out the potential consequences for the
United States of a first strike against Iraq.
It reads in part, "Whereas the short-term and long-term
costs of unilateral U.S. military action against Iraq
and subsequent occupation may be significant in terms
of United States casualties, the cost to the United
States treasury, and harm to United States diplomatic
relations with other countries: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the United States should work through
the United Nations to seek to resolve the matter of
ensuring that Iraq is not developing weapons of mass
destruction, through mechanisms such as the resumption
of weapons inspections, negotiation, enquiry,
mediation, regional arrangements, and other peaceful
means."
===
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c107:H.CON.RES.473: Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the
importance of the United States working through the
United Nations to assure Iraq's compliance with United
Nations Security Council... (Introduced in House)
HCON 473 IH
107th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 473
Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the
importance of the United States working through the
United Nations to assure Iraq's compliance with United
Nations Security Council resolutions and advance peace
and security in the Persian Gulf region.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 19, 2002
Ms. LEE (for herself, Mrs. CLAYTON, Ms. RIVERS, Mr.
HINCHEY, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr.
KUCINICH, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mr. OWENS, Ms. KILPATRICK, Ms.
WATSON of California, Mr. RUSH, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr.
HILLIARD, Mr. CLAY, Mr. STARK, Mr. FARR of California,
Ms. KAPTUR, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. FILNER, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr.
CLYBURN, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. BROWN of Florida,
Mr. SERRANO, Ms. SOLIS, and Mr. CONYERS) submitted the
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on International Relations
-----------------
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the
importance of the United States working through the
United Nations to assure Iraq's compliance with United
Nations Security Council resolutions and advance peace
and security in the Persian Gulf region.
Whereas on April 6, 1991, during the Persian Gulf War,
Iraq accepted the provisions of United Nations Security
Council Resolution 687 (April 3, 1991) bringing a
formal cease-fire into effect;
Whereas, in accordance with Security Council Resolution
687, Iraq unconditionally accepted the destruction,
removal, or rendering harmless of `all chemical and
biological weapons and all stocks of agents and all
related subsystems and components and all research,
development, support and manufacturing facilities
related thereto', and `all ballistic missiles with a
range greater than one hundred and fifty kilometers,
and related major parts and repair and production
facilities';
Whereas, in accordance with Security Council Resolution
687, Iraq unconditionally agreed not to acquire or
develop any nuclear weapons, nuclear-weapons-usable
material, nuclear-related subsystems or components, or
nuclear-related research, development, support, or
manufacturing facilities;
Whereas Security Council Resolution 687 calls for the
creation of a United Nations special commission to
`carry out immediate on-site inspection of Iraq's
biological, chemical, and missile capabilities' and to
assist and cooperate with the International Atomic
Energy Agency in carrying out the `destruction, removal
or rendering harmless' of all nuclear-related items and
in developing a plan for the ongoing monitoring and
verification of Iraq's compliance;
Whereas United Nations weapons inspectors (UNSCOM)
between 1991 and 1998 successfully uncovered and
destroyed large stockpiles of chemical and biological
weapons and production facilities, nuclear weapons
research and development facilities, and Scud missiles,
despite the fact that the Government of Iraq sought to
obstruct their work in numerous ways;
Whereas in 1998, UNSCOM weapons inspectors were
withdrawn from Iraq and have not returned since;
Whereas Iraq is not in compliance with United Nations
Security Council Resolution 687, United Nations
Security Council Resolution 1154, and additional United
Nations resolutions on inspections, and this
noncompliance violates international law and Iraq's
ceasefire obligations and potentially endangers United
States and regional security interests;
Whereas the true extent of Iraq's continued development
of weapons of mass destruction and the threat posed by
such development to the United States and allies in the
region are unknown and cannot be known without
inspections;
Whereas the United Nations was established for the
purpose of preventing war and resolving disputes
between nations through peaceful means, including `by
negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation,
arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional
arrangements, or other peaceful means';
Whereas the United Nations remains seized of this
matter;
Whereas the President has called upon the United
Nations to take responsibility to assure that Iraq
fulfills its obligations to the United Nations under
existing United Nations Security Council resolutions;
Whereas war with Iraq would place the lives of tens of
thousands of people at risk, including members of the
United States armed forces, Iraqi civilian non-
combatants, and civilian populations in neighboring
countries;
Whereas unilateral United States military action
against Iraq may undermine cooperative international
efforts to reduce international terrorism and to bring
to justice those responsible for the attacks of
September 11, 2001;
Whereas unilateral United States military action
against Iraq may also undermine United States
diplomatic relations with countries throughout the Arab
and Muslim world and with many other allies;
Whereas a preemptive unilateral United States first
strike could both set a dangerous international
precedent and significantly weaken the United Nations
as an institution; and
Whereas the short-term and long-term costs of
unilateral United States military action against Iraq
and subsequent occupation may be significant in terms
of United States casualties, the cost to the United
States treasury, and harm to United States diplomatic
relations with other countries: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), that the United States should work through
the United Nations to seek to resolve the matter of
ensuring that Iraq is not developing weapons of mass
destruction, through mechanisms such as the resumption
of weapons inspections, negotiation, enquiry,
mediation, regional arrangements, and other peaceful
means.
www.house.gov/lee/releases/02Sept18.htm