Home > Win Without War Proposes Emergency International Summit
Transfer of Management Authority to UN
Calls for End to US Military Occupation of Iraq
No Resolution in Iraq Possible as Long as US Retains
Political Control
Washington
Win Without War called today for an end to
the US led military occupation of Iraq and for the
United States to seek an immediate transfer of authority
to the United Nations to oversee the transition to Iraqi
self-rule. The mainstream coalition of 42 national
organizations called for the convening of an emergency
session of the UN Security Council and an international
summit on Iraq.
’Our nation is in a death-spiral in Iraq that continues
to be fueled by a stunning degree of arrogance and
ignorance by our government,’ said Win Without War
National Director Tom Andrews. ’From insulting our
allies, dismissing the United Nations, declaring
"Mission Accomplished’ last May, goading Iraqi
insurgents to "Bring "em on!’ to shutting down a Baghdad
newspaper ten days ago, it is clear that this government
hasn’t a clue and that is has become a dangerous
impediment to resolving the tragedy in Iraq.’
’There is no military solution in Iraq because we have
lost legitimacy in the minds of Iraqis who perceive us
as occupiers who plan to hand authority to a government
we control and that will serve our interests,’ Andrews
said. ’Our reliance on fire power simply pours gasoline
onto a raging fire.’
’We are in a dangerous hole in Iraq and the first
principle when you find yourself in a hole is to stop
digging. The risk of civil war is growing, and it will
intensify as the chaos deepens. The longer the US
remains and attempts to impose its will by military
force, the greater the danger that the situation will
spin completely out of control,’ said Robert Edgar, Win
Without War Co-Chair and General Secretary of the
National Council of Churches.
Win Without War called on the US to ask the UN to
immediately convene an emergency session of the Security
Council to increase its authority and address the
immediate crises while setting a date for an
international conference on Iraq. The international
conference would include nations who opposed the US led
invasion, following the model of the December 2001
Berlin conference that provided international support
for the transition in Afghanistan. Germany, France and
Russia have called on the UN to convene such an
international conference.
A recent report by the International Crisis Group argued
that ’ultimate oversight responsibility for the
political/constitutional process should be given to the
UN . . . Such a transfer of responsibility from the
Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to the UN is
required to endow both the governance and the
constitutional processes with the necessary domestic and
international legitimacy.’
Win Without War argued that the involvement of the UN
would also provide valuable technical expertise.
’The UN has considerable experience in nation building
and post-conflict political transitions-in Cambodia,
Mozambique, Namibia, and East Timor-and it has played a
key role in creating and assisting the transitional
authority in Afghanistan. The UN’s knowledge of
electoral and political transitions in war- torn
countries could be helpful to Iraqi officials. The
support of the UN will also ease the suspicions of those
in the region and beyond who believe that the United
States intends to dominate a future Iraqi government,’
said Susan Shaer, Co-Chair of Win Without War and
Executive Director of Women’s Action for New Directions
(WAND.)
’Taking these steps does not mean abandoning American
responsibilities,’ said Robert Edgar. ’As the occupying
power the United States is bound by international law to
guarantee the security and well being of the Iraqi
people. The US will remain responsible for helping to
finance humanitarian relief and economic reconstruction.
Substantial US economic assistance will be necessary to
facilitate Iraq’s economic recovery. These obligations
will continue even after the transition process is
complete and a fully representative elected government
is established,’ he said.
Win Without War is a mainstream coalition of 42 national
organizations that was formed in December of 2002 to
oppose the US led invasion of Iraq. Since its inception,
it has maintained that invading Iraq, particularly
without the support of the United Nations, would
destabilize the region, kill thousands of innocent
Iraqis and untold numbers of American soldiers, isolate
the United States, empower terrorists networks and make
Americans less safe. The coalition is led by former
House Armed Services Committee member Tom Andrews (D-
Maine.)