We stand on the precipice of war. We need a miracle to stop it.
A war against Iraq would be a tragedy beyond our imaginations.
Bush has called for “a moment of truth.” And indeed we need such truth against the big and persistent lies of the Bush administration.
It is a lie to suggest that war will bring peace. It will only bring increased violence, suffering and death.
It is a lie to paint the face of Saddam Hussein on the children of Iraq.
It is a lie to say that Security Council Resolution 1441 authorizes any country to attack Iraq. This resolution authorizes the UN inspectors to do their jobs as they are doing.
It is a lie to say that the United Nations is irrelevant. It has proven its relevance by standing up to the bullying and coercion of the United States. It has spoken for peace, for disarmament and for the weapons inspectors to continue their work.
By attacking Iraq, the Bush administration will make the United States an outlaw nation, as Blair will make the UK an outlaw nation. The US and UK will lose their credibility and moral basis for leadership.
The Bush administration has issued a list of Iraqis who will be held to account for international crimes. But if the US attacks Iraq, US and UK leaders will also be committing the crime of aggression, for which the German leaders were held to account at Nuremberg following World War II.
The best and perhaps only way to prevent an aggressive war at this time is for the United Nations to courageously refuse to leave Iraq and continue its weapons inspections under the mandate of Resolution 1441.
Would the United States and the United Kingdom dare to launch their “shock and awe” attack against the Iraqi people while the UN weapons inspectors continue to carry out their mandate in Iraq?