Wellington Quakers' Letter To Helen Clark Re Iraq

5 May 2003

Prime Minister Helen Clark.

Dear Helen Clark,

Wellington Quakers have asked us to write to you affirming your recent statements concerning the dangerous precedents set by the United States and UK governments in invading Iraq without United Nations authority.

The policies and actions of the present United States Administration are those of a super-power bent on ordering the world to its own advantage.

If we want a world order in which all nations have constructive and peaceful parts to play, we have to speak out quite fearlessly against those who are trying to circumvent this. We applaud you for doing just that, and hope you will continue to do so.

We remind your critics that your stance, rather than isolating NZ, is aligning us not only with other world governments, but with substantial, if not majority world opinion; and is aligning us with those in the United
States who think as we do and whom we can genuinely call our friends.

Your stance is aligning us also with those in the world, and there are many of them, who still place a high value on integrity and the need to maintain moral values, who are concerned that the United Nations is returned to the moral high ground where it belongs.

We remind them that it is not "The United States" that we contend with. It is the present Administration, which has openly defied the United Nations and the rule of International Law. It has acted, in the case of Iraq, with total disregard to the United Nations Charter, by invading a sovereign state. In the conduct of that invasion it has violated Geneva Conventions governing the protection of civilians and civilian essential infrastructure.

We need to speak out also against the present United States Administration's plans to award reconstruction contracts to United States firms. The United Nations has to be the authenticating body with regards to reconstruction.

The governments of the invading forces should be required to pay for the repair of damage done, and recompense for suffering caused by the invasion, but it should be remembered that Iraq has the human resources and the capacity to re- build if given the money for that.

Above all, we must ensure that control of Iraq's oil remains in the hands of a genuinely elected government and not one installed by the United States.

Sincerely,
Tony Maturin,
For Wellington Quakers Peace and Public Questions Committee.

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