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Mexican officials continue to urge for peace in Iraq
MEXICO CITY - Interior Secretary Santiago Creel, whose nation may be key to a U.N. Security Council vote on Iraq, said Monday that Mexico continues to urge global peace. "Our proposal is clear: we win the war against terrorism without losing the peace," Creel said in a speech for Mexico's Flag Day. The interior secretary, the top Cabinet official after the president, oversees domestic security and political affairs. "If abroad Mexico projects its pacifistic vocation and fights for respect for international law, within our borders we seek exactly the same thing, social peace within a state of law." U.S. officials have been frustrated over the reluctance of their southern neighbor to endorse an early strike against Saddam Hussein's Iraq, despite intensive lobbying from Washington.

posted by West 10:04 AM

 

More Than 100 Women Bare All for Peace
OCCIDENTAL, Calif. - More than 100 women gathered on a chilly hillside to bare all in their fight for peace. The woman met Sunday at Ocean Song, a nonprofit learning center, to doff their clothes and spell out the words TRUTH, COMPASSION and PASSION. It was one of the largest gatherings yet of women forming words in the nude to generate opposition to war.

posted by West 10:00 AM

 

Developing World Tells U.S. to Give Peace a Chance
washingtonpost.com - KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (Reuters) - Leaders of the developing world told the United States Tuesday to give peace a chance in Iraq and U.N. Security Council members among them said they were in no rush to back a resolution that could lead to war.

But a missile launch by member North Korea cast a shadow over the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Malaysia, worrying nations trying to present a united front and end a crisis over the North's suspected nuclear program.

Iraq told the 115 other members it was doing its utmost to comply with U.N. weapons inspections. Its officials voiced delight at a succession of speeches denouncing war by leaders of a bloc that accounts for almost two-thirds of the United Nations.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad rounded off a two-day summit characterized by strident anti-war rhetoric and heavy criticism of U.S. domineering foreign policy.

"We are against war whether it's multilateral or unilateral, but of course we are also committed to the United Nations," he said, stressing the world body should not be dominated by one power "however benign."

Officials circulated a statement at the end of the summit stressing that the Iraq crisis should be solved peacefully, but it also called on Baghdad to comply with U.N. demands and scrap weapons of mass destruction it may be hiding.

posted by West 9:59 AM

 

Blix Says Iraq Signals New Cooperation
washingtonpost.com - As the Security Council faced a U.S.-backed resolution declaring that Iraq had missed its chance to peacefully disarm, the chief U.N. weapons inspector said Tuesday that Baghdad has shown new signs of substantive cooperation in recent days.

Hans Blix said Iraq had provided inspectors with half a dozen letters containing new information on weapons, including one letter informing inspectors that the Iraqis had found a filled aerial bomb.

"There are some elements which are positive which need to be explored further," Blix told reporters. Still, Blix said he has received no reply from the Iraqi government regarding orders to begin destroying its Al Samoud 2 missiles by Saturday.

posted by West 9:56 AM

 

Germany, France Start New Anti-War Effort
washingtonpost.com - French President Jacques Chirac announced a step-by-step disarmament plan for Iraq sponsored by France, Germany and Russia on Monday as part of a concerted European drive to dissuade the U.N. Security Council from backing military action.

The proposal, at odds with a draft resolution by the United States, Britain and Spain declaring Iraq in violation of its obligations to disarm under a resolution adopted in November, asks the inspectors to set a "rigorous timeline" to dismantle and destroy its biological, chemical, nuclear and missile weapons programs.

At the United Nations, China also said it backed the French-German-Russian proposal.

Saying peaceful means had not been exhausted, Chirac said the proposal aims "to facilitate the inspections and make them even more efficient."

"Of course we want Iraq to disarm because it represents a danger for the region and maybe the world. But we believe this disarmament must happen peacefully," Chirac said after dinner with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder at a tavern fittingly named, "The Last Appeal," where Napoleon was reputed to once have stopped.

posted by West 3:48 PM

 

Mexico's Fox prays for peace in Iraq, asks Bush, Fox to resolve conflict peacefully
MEXICO CITY - Mexico's president prayed for peace in Iraq on Monday after urging both British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President George W. Bush to avoid war.

posted by West 7:16 PM

 

Pope's Iraq Envoy: Peace Still Possible
VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II's envoy to Baghdad said his meeting with Saddam Hussein convinced him that peace is possible and that the Iraqi leader is "very open to dialogue," according to an interview published Monday.

posted by West 7:15 PM

 

EU reiterates call for invigorating Mideast peace process in statement on Iraq
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Meeting to hammer out a position on Iraq, European Union leaders Monday said invigorating the Mideast peace process was also crucial to regional stability.

posted by West 7:13 PM

 

China Says Peace Options Not Exhausted on Iraq
BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Tuesday not all options have been exhausted to prevent a U.S. attack on Iraq and called on the international community to push for a peaceful solution.

posted by West 7:12 PM

 

U.N. Nations Urge U.S. to Choose Peace in Iraq
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Nation after nation from all parts of the globe demanded weapons inspectors have a chance to disarm Iraq peacefully, defying intentions by the United States and Britain to seek a resolution authorizing war. Only Australia, Japan, Argentina and Peru, in varying degrees, supported the tough U.S.-British position during 27 presentations on Tuesday by U.N. members who do not have seats on the 15-nation Security Council. Another 29 ambassadors address the council on Wednesday. But most speakers, many from developing nations in Asia, Africa and Latin America as well as Iraq's neighbors in the Middle East, spoke out against war and backed France's position to let arms inspectors have more time to account for Baghdad's weapons of mass destruction programs. So did Greece, New Zealand, Ukraine and Belarus. South Africa's U.N. ambassador, Dumisani Kumalo, head of the 115-member Non-Aligned movement, which called for the meeting, said that "Resorting to war without fully exhausting all other options represents an admission of failure by the Security Council in carrying out its mandate."

posted by West 7:10 PM

 

Peace Rallies May Impede Push for War
WASHINGTON - President Bush is shrugging off global anti-war protests, saying his role as a leader is to put national security first and confront Saddam Hussein. Yet the size of the protests, drawing millions to the streets of world capitals last weekend, complicated White House efforts to rally world support for disarming the Iraqi leader.

posted by West 7:08 PM

 

Bahraini peace delegation sets sail for Iraq
MANAMA, Bahrain - Eighty-eight Bahraini activists headed off on a ferry Wednesday to deliver medical and other aid to Iraq and to protest any U.S.-led war, becoming the first anti-war delegation from the Gulf kingdom to travel to Iraq.

posted by West 7:06 PM

 

Saddam Says Iraq Wants Peace, Dignity
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Saddam Hussein declared Wednesday that Iraq wants peace — but not at the price of its dignity and independence.

posted by West 7:04 PM

 

Greece: EU has 'mandate' to seek peace in Iraq
ATHENS, Greece - European Union president Greece said Wednesday it had a "mandate" to seek peace in Iraq after European leaders set aside their strong differences on the crisis. "Our conviction remains that war is not unavoidable," said Foreign Minister George Papandreou, who spoke on the telephone Wednesday with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. "We have a mandate as the presidency to take the necessary initiatives," he said. "We will continue close cooperation with Arab countries and ... of course with the Americans."

posted by West 7:02 PM

 

CNN.com - UK anti-war campaign stepped up
LONDON, England CNN - The burgeoning peace movement in the UK is preparing a two-pronged assault on the British Government's support for U.S.-led military action against Iraq. On Wednesday, campaigners including the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), were launching a legal bid to send UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to the International Criminal Court should war break out. CND chairman Carol Naughton said: "If this war goes ahead it will be crime against humanity."

posted by West 8:16 AM

 

Thousands in Asia protest possible U.S.-led war on Iraq
AP - OKYO - Chanting slogans and waving placards, thousands of protesters marched in Asia Friday against a possible U.S.-led assault on Iraq, the start of similar rallies planned around the world this weekend. About 6,000 Japanese marched peacefully in downtown Tokyo on Friday night, waving placards reading "No War on Iraq." They were accompanied by a sound truck blasting, "Power to the People." "I'm completely against an attack on Iraq," said 65-year-old protester Naomi Kishimoto. "While inspections are still going on, we should hope for a peaceful solution." Similar rallies protesting a possible U.S. invasion of Iraq over its suspected weapons of mass destruction were held in Australia, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and the Philippines. There were no reports of arrests or major injuries.

posted by West 8:07 AM

 

African-Americans raise voices for peace
Op/Ed USA TODAY - On Saturday morning, Damu Smith and two busloads of mostly African-American peace activists will trek from Washington to New York City to rally near the United Nations for world peace. They will be among thousands expected there on a day that some say will be the world's largest mobilization for peace: Rallies, marches and protests are planned in at least 350 cities around the globe.

posted by West 8:05 AM

 

At least 150,000 protest in Melbourne against possible war with Iraq
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - At least 150,000 people packed the streets of Melbourne on Friday to protest Australia's possible involvement in any U.S.-led attack on Iraq, in the country's biggest peace rally since marches three decades ago against the Vietnam War.

posted by West 8:03 AM

 

Human Shields' Gathering in Baghdad
washingtonpost.com - American and European peace activists wrapped their arms around posts on a bridge over the Tigris River on Thursday, symbolizing their intent to act as human shields in any U.S. war on Iraq. The 14 activists, mostly from Italy, were one of the first groups here using the "shield" title, which suggests they might place their bodies at potential targets to deter bombing. But they acknowledged their mission was only a gesture meant to try to deter an invasion to topple Saddam Hussein. "I have no intention of being a martyr," Canadian Roberta Taman said. "I'm here because I believe that the world wants peace and that we can achieve peace." The campaigners, organized as the Iraq Peace Team, have been draping banners over public facilities in Baghdad this week - an electricity station, a water treatment plant and, on Thursday, the Martyrs Bridge over the Tigris. "Bombing This Site Is A War Crime," the banners read.

posted by West 11:47 AM

 

Schroeder favors peace resolution in Iraq
BERLIN, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder Thursday said it was still possible to resolve the Iraq crisis by peaceful means and said he would cooperate with like-minded members of the international community to solve the issue through diplomacy. "We can disarm Iraq without war," Schroeder told the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament. "I see as my responsibility to grab this opportunity." He said Germany would not vote in favor of war on Iraq in the U.N. Security Council, and would work alongside France, Russia and China to resolve the crisis.

posted by West 11:43 AM

 

Call for peace comes from all walks of life
Detroit Free Press - If the peace movement conjures up thoughts of patchouli-scented co-ops and picketing college students, think again. The ranks of antiwar activists are growing to include grandparents, religious leaders, labor activists, artists, teachers, veterans and others whose presence hasn't typically been associated with peacenik priorities. "People are coming from all over," said Amy Cairns, 30, chief coordinator for the Lansing-based Michigan Peace Team. "It's great because there's all this fresh energy and enthusiasm." Peace activists may say more Americans are opposing war, but a recent poll shows 58 percent still favor military action against Iraq.

posted by West 11:39 AM

 

South African official leaves Iraq hopeful after peace mission
PRETORIA, South Africa - South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad left Iraq Tuesday after a self-described peace mission hopeful that war could be averted, officials said. Pahad met Saddam Hussein on Monday and delivered a letter from South African President Thabo Mbeki asking the Iraqi leader to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors. South Africa wants the U.N. Security Council to be satisfied that Iraq has complied with its demands to rid itself of all weapons of mass destruction. "(Pahad was) confident that ... we did not simply fold our arms in a looming human disaster, but did everything possible to avert war," a foreign ministry statement said... The South African government has been pressing for a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis.

posted by West 11:37 AM

 

Millions Expected for Global Iraq Peace Protests
LONDON (Reuters) - Millions of people are expected to march for peace in Iraq Saturday in what organizers say could be the world's biggest anti-war protest. From Antarctica to Reykjavik, demonstrations against the looming war in Iraq are planned in more than 350 town and cities by people from all walks of life and all ethnic groups.

posted by West 11:34 AM

 

Japanese musicians head for Iraq to hold peace concert
TOKYO - A group of Japanese musicians and their supporters headed for Iraq on Thursday to hold a weekend peace concert in Baghdad to urge citizens to join efforts stop a possible war with the United States.

posted by West 11:32 AM

 

U.N. refugee chief urges Europeans to seek peace in Iraq
ATHENS, Greece - The head of U.N. refugee operations urged the European Union (news - web sites) Thursday to seek a peaceful solution to the crisis in Iraq, warning that war could force 600,000 people to flee the country. "There is a need (for) a real European approach on the problem," said Ruud Lubbers, the United Nations (news - web sites) High Commissioner for Refugees. "We should not give in to pessimism."

posted by West 11:30 AM

 

UNITED NATIONS: Diplomatic Solution
Associated Press - The board of the International Atomic Energy Agency voted on Wednesday to refer the North Korea nuclear issue to the Security Council, setting in motion a process which could lead to sanctions against North Korea which has said it would take as an act of war.

posted by West 9:08 AM

 

Department of Peace - A Conceptual Framework

Introduction

kucinich.net - As the clock struck midnight, in country after country, the new millennium was ushered in. Whether we participated in gatherings of hundreds of thousands, even millions of people in city centers, or we watched on television, many of us felt a sense of amazement and joy at experiencing not just a mark in time, but of witnessing a collective celebration of great exuberance evidenced by colorful, peaceful celebrations around the world. Although the advent of a new millennium was rife with predictions of a technical apocalypse and other grim portents, all around the world, the new millennium began on a profoundly energetic, hopeful note. What follows is a proposal to continue that same energy and hope. In an effort to promote a more peaceful approach to American foreign and domestic policy, I plan on introducing legislation which would establish a Department of Peace, which would act as a facilitator of peace both domestically and internationally. What follows is a conceptual framework. I am asking people everywhere to participate in the formulation of this bill. Below you will find draft language of what will ultimately be introduced as the Department of Peace Act in the House of Representatives. You can join this effort by making comments or offering suggestions that you feel can improve this new framework for peace here at home and around the world.

posted by West 8:41 PM