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Women's
Call for Peace: An Urgent Appeal
We, the women of the United States, Iraq and women worldwide,
have had enough of the senseless war in Iraq and the cruel attacks
on civilians around the world. We've buried too many of our loved
ones. We've seen too many lives crippled forever by physical and
mental wounds. We've watched in horror as our precious resources
are poured into war while our families' basic needs of food, shelter,
education and heathcare go unmet. We've had enough of living in
constant fear of violence and seeing the growing cancer of hatred
and intolerance seep into our homes and communities.
This is not the world we want for ourselves or our children. With
fire in our bellies and love in our hearts, we women are rising
up - across borders - to unite and demand an end to the bloodshed
and the destruction.
We have seen how the foreign occupation of Iraq has fueled an
armed movement against it, perpetuating an endless cycle of violence.
We are convinced that it is time to shift from a military model
to a conflict-resolution model that includes the following elements:
 The
withdrawal of all foreign troops and foreign fighters from Iraq;
Negotiations to reincorporate disenfranchised Iraqis into all
aspects of Iraqi society;
The
full representation of women in the peacemaking process and a
commitment to women's full equality in the post-war Iraq;
A commitment
to discard plans for any foreign bases in Iraq;
Iraqi
control of its oil and other resources;
The
nullification of privatization and deregulation laws imposed under
occupation, allowing Iraqis to shape the trajectory of the post-war
economy;
A massive
reconstruction effort that prioritizes Iraqi contractors, and
draws upon financial resources of the countries responsible for
the invasion and occupation of Iraq;
Consideration
of a temporary international peacekeeping force that is truly
multilateral and is not composed of any troops from countries
that participated in the occupation.
To move this peace process forward, we are creating a massive
movement of women - crossing generations, races, ethnicities,
religions, borders and political persuasions. Together, we will
pressure our governments, the United Nations, the Arab League,
Nobel Peace Prize winners, religious leaders and others in the
international community to step forward to help negotiate a political
settlement. And in this era of divisive fundamentalisms, we call
upon world leaders to join us in spreading the fundamental values
of love for the human family and for our precious planet.
Sign
the petition now and send it to your friends
Background,
from the CODEPINK website:
Women at CODEPINK,
together with 200 prominent women from around the globe, have
written our own Urgent Peace Plan to end the war in Iraq. From
now until March 8, International Women’s Day, we will be gathering
signatures to deliver to U.S. embassies worldwide. So join Alice
Walker, Susan Sarandon, Margaret Cho, Dolores Huerta, Eve Ensler,
Congresswomen Barbara Lee, Lynn Woolsey, and Cynthia McKinney,
Iraqi women from the Organization for Women’s Freedom in Iraq
and Women Living Under Muslim Laws, and many more (see
initial endorsers) by signing the call today at www.womensaynotowar.org
and passing it on to your friends.
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