Iraq Sanctions Challenge III prepares to depart

Iraq Sanctions Challenge
39 West 14 Street, Room 206 New York, NY 10011
(212) 633-6646 fax: (212) 633-2889
web: ttp://www.iacenter.org, email: iacenter@iacenter.org
January 4, 2000

Dear Friend,

Thank you for your continuing support. Because of the contributions of many thousands of people throughout the U.S., in just ten days sixty delegates led by Ramsey Clark and traveling from 15 states and 7 countries depart for Iraq as part of the third Iraq Sanctions Challenge. It is significant every time a group of people is willing to risk government repression in order to take a concrete stand against the U.S. policy of sanctions that are inflicting genocide against an entire people.

There are a number of important activities coming up that will be necessary to make this trip a success:

Volunteers are needed for packing the medicine beginning Monday, January 10. You can also become a part of the Emergency Response Network in case the U.S. government tries to stop the Iraq Sanctions Challenge delegation.

On Thursday, January 13 there will be a send-off rally for the Iraq Sanctions Challenge III. Speakers include the Rev. Lucius Walkerfrom IFCO/Pastors for Peace, representatives from Hunter SLAM! and the College Voice at the College of Staten Island, Suhair Soukkary of the Arab American Women’s Friendship Association, Ray LaForest of DC 1707, civil rights attorney Michael Tarif Warren, and Sara Flounders and Richard Becker from the International Action Center. Join us at 6:30 pm at 33 W. 14^th Street to help build support for this important delegation.

There will be volunteer meetings on Tuesday, January 11 at 6:30 pm. Volunteers are needed during the week that the delegation is in Iraq, January 14 to 21. The Tuesday of that week, January 18, there will be a meeting at 6:30 pm where we will give an update of how the delegation is doing in Iraq. After the delegation returns, there will be a reportback meeting on Thursday, January 27 at 6:30 pm.

It is not too late to make a donation to help send medicine to Iraq. Because of the contributions of so many of our friends, we have already been able to purchase a number of medicines needed to fight tuberculosis. For some of these medicines—including 200,000 to 300,000 tablets of rifampicam, pyrazaminid, streptonycon,ethambutol, and izoniacid/tihiacetazone—our donation will meet 10 percent of Iraq’s nation-wide need.

The need in Iraq for the medicines that treat tuberculosis is urgent. This disease was once considered conquered in Iraq. But as malnutrition increases, so does tuberculosis. Like infant mortality rates, tuberculosis is a standard index indicating the level of poverty and poor standard of living in a country.

If we receive more donations, we will be able to purchase even more of this medicine, as well as other needed medicines.

*Also, we would like to take medical and scientific CD-roms. They have been requested in Iraq and would be very useful. If anyone has access to medical or scientific CD-roms, please ship them immediately. If they are received by January 12, they can be taken on this delegation.

Please join us for these exciting and important upcoming activities. And if you have not yet sent a donation or are able to do more, it is not too late. Thank you.

Sara FloundersBrian Becker Kadouri Al-Kaysi

Judi Cheng Sarah Sloan Paddy Colligan

 International Action Center
39 West 14^th Street, Room 206
New York, NY 10011
email: iacenter@iacenter.org
http://www.iacenter.org
phone: 212 633-6646
fax:212 633-2889
fax:212 633-2889

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