June 1, 2001
*** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ***

From: National Network to End the War Against Iraq

Activists Respond to Events Concerning Iraq Sanctions

The U.N. Security Council today voted to extend by one month the existing sanctions regime held against Iraq. At the same time, the United States announced it was releasing $800 million in contracts for the purchase of civilian goods that it has had "on hold".

Member organizations of the National Network to End the War Against Iraq (NNEWAI) released the following comments on the news. The National Network, formed in February in Denver, CO, is a broad-based coalition of over 60 organizations from around the country working to end the sanctions against Iraq.
network@endthewar.org  http://www.endthewar.org 

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Paul George, Director, Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, Palo Alto, CA

Member, National Coordinating Committee, NNEWAI
(650) 326-8837 paul@peaceandjustice.org 
http://www.peaceandjustice.org 

"People should not be lulled into thinking that today’s announcements mean an end is in sight to the suffering of the Iraqi people. The U.S. and British efforts to forge so-called ‘smart sanctions’ is nothing more than a public relations effort aimed at blunting the ever-rising criticism of U.S.-British policy toward Iraq. Over a million Iraqi civilians have died as a result of the sanctions and the U.S. is trying desperately to deflect blame for that humanitarian disaster.

"The release of $800 million worth of goods that the U.S. has placed on hold is itself an example of the dangers of relying on a list of ‘dual use’ items that would remain banned under smart sanctions. One must ask, ‘If these items could be released today, why couldn’t they have been released months ago?’

"The only way to end the suffering of the people is to allow Iraq to repair its economy. And that means an end to sanctions and an end to the UN controlling Iraqi oil money."
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Stephanie Phibbs, Colorado Campaign for Middle East Peace, Denver, CO
Member, National Coordinating Committee, NNEWAI
(720) 956-0700 http://www.ccmep.org 

"It is a good step for the U.S. to release $800 million in humanitarian holds. That leaves over $3 billion more in humanitarian items the U.S. has blocked and should be immediately released. 

"The one month extension represents finally that other nations are standing up to the U.S. -- that they're not going to easily get bought off by the U.S./U.K. Citizens from the U.S. and around the world will continue to call for an end to the sanctions against Iraq. That means no U.N. escrow account. No list of banned items. No U.N. Sanctions Committee 661. Let the Iraqi people live.

"And further, if the U.S. truly believes in democracy the question of how long the embargo will last against Iraq will go up for a vote in the U.N. General Assembly."
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Bert Sacks, Citizens Concerned for the People of Iraq, Seattle, WA
(206) 548-9566 bert@connectexpress.com 
http://www.endiraqsanctions.org 

"Four years ago the oil-for-food deal was proposed to solve the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. It could not. Today, ‘smart sanctions’ are proposed to solve the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. They cannot either. Only a complete lifting of economic sanctions can do that." 
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Zeynep Toufek, Austin Coalition to End the Sanctions on Iraq, Austin, TX

Member, National Coordinating Committee, NNEWAI
(512) 731-9861 zeynep@tao.ca 

"’Smart sanctions’ do not address the fundamental problems caused by a devastating bombing campaign and ten years of "dumb sanctions." The current proposal retains complete external control over Iraq's oil revenues, a control often used by the U.S. and U.K. to keep essential civilian goods out of the country.

"State Department spokesman Richard Boucher's announcement today that U.S. will release its veto on $800 million worth of contracts was an implicit admission of this fact, stating that ‘The release of these contracts will provide civilian goods for civilians in Iraq. It assists the Iraqi public in their endeavors without assisting the Iraqi regime in developing weapons.’

"These contracts were held up by United States and Britain with no explanation or accountability. We now learn they were civilian goods and

the holds on them were arbitrary and vindictive. "The current ‘smart sanctions’ proposal would also increase from 25 to
30% the proportion of Iraq's oil revenues siphoned off to the UN Compensation Commission. This is unacceptable. United Nations studies report that 5,000 children under the age of five die every month due to sanctions. The first priority should be to restore Iraq's infrastructure

-- not pay off already oil-rich Kuwait for war damages, or the United Nations for the bloated bureaucracy that administers the sanctions. In a move of questionable legality, the proposal calls for paying off Turkey, Syria, and Jordan for possible losses from the new plan with Iraq's money."

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