For
immediate release
February 5, 2003
Contact: Darcy Scott
Martin, 202-544-5055
WAND's
Response to Secretary of State Colin Powell's Presentation
to the UN - Feb. 5, 2003
Today Secretary of State Colin Powell addressed the
UN making the case that Saddam Hussein has weapons
of mass destruction and is attempting to deceive UN
weapons inspectors. We do not dispute that Saddam
Hussein has deadly weapons and has not been fully
forthcoming about them. However, the question is what
should our response be?
The Bush administration is going to war with or without
the support of other nations. Leaving our allies behind
is a tragic mistake. Terrorism is a global threat
and requires a global response. We must have multi-lateral
cooperation in our response to the threat of terrorism.
There is an alternative to war: President Carter and
others recommend continued weapons inspections. The
inspections team has successfully identified and dismantled
many weapon systems to date. They serve as a way to
contain Saddam Hussein. UN Resolution 1441 has no
timetable for the inspections. Given the chance, inspections
are a form of disarmament.
Consider the cost of war with Iraq.
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First of all, the human costs will be enormous with
the loss of both United States soldiers and Iraqi
civilians.
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Then there are the financial costs. The war is expected
to cost $100 to $200 billion PLUS the cost of rebuilding.
The budget that the President proposed already has
a $200 billion deficit without accounting for the
war. While Secretary Powell was speaking, the headline
on CNN news said the United States will hit its
debt ceiling this month.
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Furthermore, there is the cost of destabilizing
the Middle East region. We would be lighting a match
in this tinderbox, igniting a catastrophic conflagration.
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Finally, the CIA assures us that war with Iraq would
increase the insecurity of United States citizens.
We are at the beginning of the war on terrorism.
Success against the scourge of terrorism will require
international cooperation; we need to work in partnership
with the community of nations to create a peaceful
future for all.
WAND believes that a U.S. war on Iraq is immoral,
unaffordable and counterproductive.
More
on war against Iraq.
WAND
is a national grassroots organization working to educate
women to act politically to shift excessive Pentagon
spending toward unmet human and environmental needs.
WiLL, the Women Legislators' Lobby, a program of WAND,
organizes women state legislators to make the link
between Capitol Hill policies and budget priorities
and the needs and challenges of local communities
and states.
