Date: 02 Mar 2000
Time: 19:47:13
Remote Name: 24.30.137.96
ADC Action Alert:
Please Ask Your Representative to Co-Sponsor and Support the "Humanitarian Exports Leading to Peace" Act
Background:
Representative John Conyers (D-MI) has introduced a new bill calling for US sales of food, medicine, and medical supplies to Iraq. Passage of the bill would remove legal obstacles to such sales and provide another important vehicle for the opening up of public debate about changing US policy regarding the sanctions on Iraq. The other initial co-sponsors are Reps. Tom Campbell (R-CA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Paul Ryan (R-WI), and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA).
The language of the "H.E.L.P." bill highlights the humanitarian crisis among Iraqi civilians, which has been documented by numerous international agencies and observers. It calls for a change in US domestic law which would allow the exportation of food and medicine to Iraq. It would thereby be a benefit both to the Iraqi people and to American businesses, farmers and workers. By combining humanitarian concerns with practical economic benefits for the US, the bill will appeal to a wider public and should draw in broad Congressional support.
In addition to allowing the export of food and medicine to Iraq, the bill instructs the President to report to Congress the amounts of such exports, any impact they have had on food security in Iraq, any potential diversion of such exports, and what steps the US has taken through the United Nations to lift non-military sanctions on Iraq. The bill also notes the potential market in Iraq for imports from American farmers.
While the bill is not about the sanctions per se, it is another step forward in changing Congressional attitudes and alleviating the conditions caused by the sanctions.
This bill is an important follow up to the letter to the President by 70 members of Congress calling for the lifting of the sanctions and the strong public criticism of sanctions by Rep. David Bonior (D-MI), Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and others. Acting now takes advantage of congressional opposition to the sanctions policy, the protest resignations of Hans von Sponeck and Junta Bernhardt from the UN Food for Oil program, and helps further the momentum surrounding this issue.
The US is not opposed to the sale of food and medicine, some of which gets into Iraq through the UN Oil-for-Food program. The US policy on sanctions is currently in flux. This is a good time for this proposal to remove trade barriers. US businesses and farmers should not miss out on the opportunity to tap the vast Iraqi market of 22 million people.
According to a recent report by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the "civilian population of Iraq is continuing to suffer an alarming deterioration in its living conditions as the country enters its tenth year under UN embargo. The Gulf war and the subsequent imposition of sanctions have caused severe damage to much of the Iraqi infrastructure, and today the country's health services, water and electricity plants and communications systems are in dire state." (For the complete IRC report see the IRC website at www.icrc.org)
Action Requested:
Please circulate this alert to your community and/or network and help generate letters, calls, and email to Congress. Distribute the action at public forums, educational events, and demonstrations.
Please contact your Representative. Ask him or her to sign onto the bill. (To sign on, congressional offices should contact Cynthia Martin in Rep. Conyers' office at (202) 225-5126.)
Write to:
Your Representative House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515
You can call the Congressional switchboard at (202)224-3121 and ask for your representative by name. You can find out who your representative is and send them email online at <http://www.house.gov/writerep/>.You can also find your Representative's email address at <http://www.thomas.loc.gov.html>.
Also, if your Representative was one of the 70 who signed the Campbell/Conyers letter be sure to give them a warm note of thanks. Now, a month later, the letter is still being cited in news stories and broadcasts. Send especially warm thanks to Reps. Conyers, Campbell, Stabenow, Ryan and Lofgren.
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