Peace Groups Plan March 20 Worldwide Protests to Observe 1-Year Anniversary of Iraq War

Interview with Leslie Cagan, national coordinator of United for Peace and Justice, conducted by Scott Harris

One year after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, American soldiers and Iraqi citizens are continuing to die in the ongoing conflict between occupation troops and insurgents bent on driving them out. Recent deadly attacks occurred on March 2, when simultaneous bombings at Shiite Muslim holy shrines killed more than 140 Iraqi civilians and some Iranian religious pilgrims.

Despite the violence and instability, the Bush administration says it will transfer authority over the nation from Washington's administrator Paul Bremer to the U.S. installed Iraqi Governing Council on June 30, but with the Pentagon maintaining large numbers of American soldiers in Iraq for years to come. Critics charge that the transfer date was dictated by Mr. Bush's re-election campaign rather than in the interest of the Iraqi people. After Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most powerful leader of Iraq's Shiite majority, rejected a U.S. plan for regional caucuses, the U.N. is now working to organize a process for elections that will select an interim government.

It's been just over a year since 15 million people in hundreds of cities participated in the Feb. 15 international day of demonstrations organized to resist the Bush administration's plan to attack Iraq. Although those protests were unsuccessful in preventing war, the movement has remained active in opposing the U.S. occupation. On March 20, the one-year anniversary of the U.S.-British bombing and invasion of Iraq, protests will again be held in cities across the world. The Global Day of Action will call for an end to the occupation of Iraq and the Bush administration's militaristic foreign policies. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Leslie Cagan, national coordinator of United for Peace and Justice, who describes plans for the March 20 actions and reflects on the peace movement since the Iraq invasion.

To get more information on local and national March 20 protests, contact United for Peace and Justice at (212) 868-5545 or visit their website atwww.unitedforpeace.org

Related links:

"Blasts at Shiite Ceremonies in Iraq Kill More Than 140," by John F. Burns and Jeffrey Gettleman, The New York Times, March 2, 2004 Between The Lines Special Report: Interviews Recorded at "The World Says 'No' to War" in NYC, Feb. 15, 2003 in MP3. Danny Glover, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Angela Davis, Leslie Cagan, Medea Benjamin, Ossie Davis and more.

"Between The Lines Antiwar Report," Week Ending 3/21/03

LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:

http://www.btlonline.org

*

"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: http://www.btlonline.org

*

"Between the Lines," WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising months of April and October).

*

For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Weekly Summary" which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to btlsummary-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

*

For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Q&A" which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to btlqa-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

*

betweenthelines@snet.net

*

Distributed by Squeaky Wheel Productions

http://www.squeakywheel.net/

*

©2004 Squeaky Wheel Productions. All Rights Reserved.

**