SANCTIONS CHALLENGE OFF TO BAGHDAD: TO INVESTIGATE DEPLETED URANIUM POISONING (in Spanish)
January 11, 2001
For Immediate release
Press Contact: Emily Benedetto 212-633-6646
Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark is leaving Jan. 12 with 50 people on his International Action Center's fourth Iraq Sanctions Challenge for Baghdad. The delegation arrives in Jordan via Royal Jordanian flight 262 at 3:00 p.m. (Jordan time) and departs for Baghdad, Iraq 5 p.m. This is the first flight of Americans to Iraq. This delegation, which is bringing solidarity medical aid to Iraq, will have as a major project an investigation of illnesses in Iraq caused by depleted uranium.
Ramsey Clark wrote an international appeal to Ban DU weapons in 1996 that is now circulating widely. The Challenge participants include Damacio Lopez, a New Mexico activist who has written extensively on DU since the early 1990s, and IAC Co-director Sara Flounders, who co- edited the book "Metal of Dishonor: How the Pentagon Radiates Soldiers and Civilians with Depleted Uranium Weapons." This book has been translated into Arabic in Iraq an d in Jordan.
Clark said, "The Sanctions Challenge will perform a service by interviewing Iraqi scientists and doctors who have investigated DU's impact on the Iraqi population. The sanctions have isolated these scientists from their c olleagues around the world, prevented them from obtaining the proper equipment and stopped them from publishing their results internationally.
"Our government is responsible for enormous suffering in Iraq and should be made to pay for the cleanup and care of the population," Clark said.
"It is important," said Clark, "that we invite the scientists and doctors from Iraq to come to the United States and to Europe to take part in the investigation of DU poisoning. They have the experience. But they have bee n isolated for 10 years by the sanctions. We can invite them to come and speak of their experiences.
Flounders, who is IAC co-director, said, "The Pentagon left 600,000 pounds of DU in the Gulf region, and smaller but still large amounts of DU in Bosnia, Kosovo and other parts of Serbia," she said. "They left it in armor -penetrating shells, land mines, in "smart bombs" and other munitions."
"The first step," Flounders said, "is to bring out the truth. This will also help the people of the Balkans and the troops who served there."
Flounders noted that European troops who have been occupying Bosnia and Kosovo have leukemia. About a dozen or so have died. Other troops have reported strange illnesses. People have been outraged about the possibility that the residue from U.S. depleted uranium weapons have caused these illnesses.
Flounders also said that Palestinian organizations had demanded an investigation of possible Israeli use of DU to repress the Intifada that started last Sept. 28. The IAC had raised this issue in November.
“EL RETO A LAS SANCIONES SE MARCHA A BAGDAG, PARA INVESTIGAR EL ENVENENAMIENTO POR URANIO EMPOBRECIDO”
12 Jan 2001-- El antiguo fiscal general del estado, Ramsey Clark sale el día 12 de enero hacia Bagdag, con 50 personas del Cuarto Reto A Las Sanciones Contra Irak. Esta delegación que llevará ayuda médica solidaria a Irak, tiene como misión principal la investigación de las enfermedades causadas por el Uranio Empobrecido en Irak.
Entre los participantes del Reto está Damacio López, un activista de Nuevo Méjico que ha escrito extensamente acerca del Uranio Empobrecido desde principios de los años 90, y la Codirectora del IAC Sara Flounders, coeditora del libro “Metal del deshonor: como el Pentágono irradia soldados y civiles con armas de Uranio Empobrecido”.
Clark ha dicho: “El reto a las sanciones llevara a cabo esta misión mediante entrevistas con científicos Iraquíes y doctores que hayan investigado el impacto del Uranio Empobrecido sobre la población Iraquí. Las sanciones han aislado estos científicos de sus colegas en todo el mundo, evitando que obtengan el equipamiento adecuado y provocando que no puedan publicar sus resultados de forma internacional.
Nuestro gobierno es responsable del enorme sufrimiento en Irak y debería obligársele a pagar las labores de limpieza y el cuidado de la población, dijo Clark. “Es importante”, añade Clark,” que invitemos a científicos y doctores de Irak a venir a los Estados Unidos y Europa para que tomen parte en la investigación acerca del envenenamiento por Uranio Empobrecido. Ellos tienen la experiencia, pero debido a las sanciones llevan aislados 10 años. Podemos invitarles a venir para que nos hablen acerca de sus experiencias.
Flounders, Codirectora del IAC ha dicho: “El Pentágono dejó 600.000 libras de U.E. en la región del Golfo, y cantidades menores, pero aún enormes de U.E. en Bosnia, Kosovo y otras partes de Serbia. Dejaron municiones antiblindaje, minas terrestres, bombas inteligentes y otras municiones.
“El primer paso”, ha dicho Flounders, “es sacar la verdad a la luz. Esto también ayudaría a la población de los Balcanes y a las tropas que sirvieron allí.”
Flounders apuntó que las tropas europeas que han estado ocupando Bosnia y Kosovo tienen leucemia. Aproximadamente doce o mas han muerto. Otras tropas han informado tener extrañas enfermedades. La gente está indignada acerca de la posibilidad de que los residuos del U.E. de las armas de los Estados Unidos hayan causado estas enfermedades.
Flounders tambien ha mencionado que las organizaciones palestinas han pedido una investigación acerca del posible uso de Uranio Empobrecido por Israel para reprimir la intifada, que comenzó el pasado 28 de Septiembre. El IAC sacó este tema a la luz en Noviembre.
Translation by Deborah Gil
IRAQ SANCTIONS CHALLENGE
NATIONAL OFFICE:
39 W. 14 St., #206, NY, NY 10011
(212) 633-6646 fax: (212) 633-2889
http://www.iacenter.org email: iacenter@iacenter.orgWEST COAST:
San Francisco:
(415) 821-6545 fax: (415) 821-5782
2489 Mission St., #28, San Francisco, CA 94110
http://www.actionsf.org email: iac@actionsf.orgLos Angeles:
213) 487-2368 fax: (213) 387-9355
422 S. Western Ave., Room 114, Los Angeles, CA 90020
email: iacenterla@earthlink.net
Back to IAC Iraq Sanctions Challenge Homepage
Back to: IAC Reports and Statements on Iraq
Back to: Iraq Actions/Press Releases
International Action Center
39 West 14th Street, Room 206
New York, NY 10011
email: mailto:iacenter@action-mail.org
En Espanol: iac-cai@action-mail.org
Web: http://www.iacenter.org
Support Mumia Abu-Jamal: http://www.millions4mumia.org/
phone: 212 633-6646
fax: 212 633-2889
Make a donation to the IAC and its projects
The International Action Center
Home ActionAlerts Press
Share this page with a friend