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Letter to Colin Powell regarding Iraq
Sanctions
~March 12, 2001~
March 12, 2001
The Honorable Colin Powell
Secretary of State
Washington DC
Dear Mr. Secretary,
Writing on behalf of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), we commend you for the practical wisdom and moral authority you have brought to the issue of Iraqi sanctions and to the situation of Palestinians living under occupation.
We agree with your call for a new approach to Iraqi sanctions that would lift many of the economic restrictions. Repeatedly over the past decade staff from CMEP's member churches and organizations have reported on the suffering of the Iraqi people and have called for an end to the economic sanctions. At the same time, we have asked that the remaining United Nations' sanctions be focused so as to limit privileges available to the Iraq leadership and to restrict their ability to import weapons. The threats posed by the presence of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East should be dealt with on a regional basis rather than only focusing on Iraq. We encourage you to stand firm against those who would advocate against the course you have outlined for a recasting of sanctions on Iraq.
We further applaud the request made by you and others in the Administration to the government of Israel to ease the economic pressures on the West Bank and Gaza Strip by turning over the estimated $54 million in tax money owed the Palestinian Authority. We urge the U.S. government to persist in its call for the State of Israel to end the siege it has imposed on Palestinian population centers. The Israeli siege is clearly a form of collective punishment that exacerbates the humanitarian crisis and undermines efforts to stem violence.
Churches for Middle East Peace looks forward to working with you in support of U.S. policies that promote peace and security for all peoples and states in the Middle East.
Sincerely,
The Executive Committee of Churches for Middle East Peace
James H. Matlack, Chair
Thomas H. Hart, Vice Chair
American Friends Service Committee
Episcopal Church Washington Office
Ted Keating, S.M.
Mark B. Brown
Catholic Conference of
Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs
Major Superiors of Mens' Institutes
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Catherine Gordon
Washington Office, Presbyterian Church (USA) |
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