January 4, 2001

For Immediate release
Press Contact: Deirdre Sinnott
212-633-6646

RAMSEY CLARK’S SANCTIONS CHALLENGE IV:
DELEGATION SET TO DEFY U.S. POLICY ARRIVES IN AMMAN ON THE WAY TO BAGHDAD, SAT. JANUARY 13, 2001

Defying U.S./UN sanctions, a group of over 50 delegates led by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark will depart from the United States for the Middle East on Jan. 12 and leave from Amman, Jordan to Baghdad, Iraq on Jan. 13. The delegation from the U.S. plans to arrive in Iraq to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the U.S.-led Gulf War.

This is the fourth Iraq Sanctions Challenge by Clark’s International Action Center. The 50 delegates include anti-war and anti- sanctions activists, educators, students and members of religious groups. They will defy U.S./UN imposed sanctions by taking supplies to Iraq without licence.

More than 1 million Iraqi people, mostly children and seniors, have died as a result of 10 years of U.S./UN sanctions.

The delegates plan to fly on Royal Jordanian Airlines directly to Baghdad. In recent months people from many countries, including UN Security Council countries Russia, Britian and France, Spain, Greece and many Middle East nations, have defied the U.S./British illegal ban on flights to Iraq.

Clark is known throughout the U.S. and the Middle East for his ground-breaking work in the last 10 years of fighting the sanctions against Iraq and for his overall solidarity with Middle Eastern people against oppression from the U.S.

After visiting Iraq, delegates plan to visit a Palestinian refugee camp in Amman, Jordan and then deliver medicines to the West Bank in solidarity with the uprising against Israeli occupation. The trip is sponsored by the International Action Center.

"We know that the amount of humanitarian aid we bring cannot truly meet the needs of the Iraqi people," said delegate Sara Flounders, a co-director of the IAC. "Only ending the sanctions and allowing Iraq to resume normal trade relations can bring an end to the country's catastrophic economic situation.

“On Dec. 20, in one of his first statements as George W. Bush's secretary of state nominee, Gen. Colin Powell threatened tighter sanctions and increased aggression against Iraq. Powell headed the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Bush's father and commanded U.S. forces during the 1991 Gulf War.

"This demonstrates the great urgency for anti-war and anti- sanctions forces to stand up and mobilize right now," Flounders commented. "We must send a strong message to the incoming Bush administration that we won't tolerate further aggression against the Iraqi people.

"Jan. 16-17 is the tenth anniversary of the start of one of the worst massacres in history," Flounders continued. "More than 100,000 Iraqis were killed while the United States lost about 141 personnel in the Gulf War. The U.S. used an integrated strategy of massive bombing, more than 110,000 ariel sorties in 42 days, and tight economic sanctions in an effort to permanently weaken Iraq. Washington's goal has always been to return Iraq to semi-colonial bondage so that U.S. oil companies and banks can dominate its vast oil resources."

Flounders said that the IAC is urging anti-sanctions activists to turn out en masse for the Jan. 20 counter-inaugural protest in Washington with signs and banners demanding an end to sanctions and to all U.S. aggression.

Groups participating in the Iraq Sanctions Challenge include International Peace Project, Fellowship of Reconsilation, Student for Unity Portland State University, Veterans for Peace, Shifa International, Committee in Support of the Iraqi People, Fight Israeli State Terrorism (FIST), American Muslims for Global Peace & Justice, Canadian Islamic Congress, Al Awda, Bard Student Action Collective, Northhampton Committee to Lift the Sanctions, Staten Island College Voice, Pax Christi, Arab Cultural Assoication of Japan, Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center and the American Muslim Council. Almost half the delegates are students and educators representing colleges and universities across the U.S.

For updates on the Iraq Sanctions Challenge or for information on planned protests, visit the
Web site www.iacenter.org or call (212) 633-6646.

International Action Center 39 West 14th Street, Room 206 New York, NY 10011 email:
iacenter@iacenter.org web: http://www.iacenter.org CHECK OUT SITE
http://www.mumia2000.org phone: 212 633-6646 fax: 212 633-2889 *To make a
tax-deductible donation, go to http://www.peoplesrightsfund.org

WE ARE ENDING THE SANCTIONS

On the tenth anniversary of the war against Iraq:
Join the Iraq Sanctions Challenge IV: January 12-19, 2001

***APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED to DECEMBER 11!  The IAC is extending the deadline for the Iraq Sanctions Challenge because we recently sent out a very large mailing and we want all those people to have an opportunity to apply.  Anyone who has not yet applied, you now have until December 11 to submit your application.  All application information can be found at
http://www.iacenter.org/iraqchallenge/infojan01.htm***

Dear friend,

We are at a breakthrough moment. We have been campaigning against sanctions since Day One a decade ago.  For the last three years, however, it has been our belief that the genocidal sanctions against Iraq will be ended not by a UN Security Council decree, but by the actions of people around the world. That is why we decided to launch the Iraq Sanctions Challenge three years ago and join with others around the world who did the same. We invite you to join us in our fourth Challenge, which is about to take place.

This campaign is bearing fruit. In the last two months flights from more than thirty countries have flown to Baghdad in defiance of the sanctions and in opposition to the criminal "no-fly zone" established by the United States and Britain. The people of the world are beginning to unite in opposition to U.S. bullying on this issue.

The people can and will be the ones to end the sanctions that kill 8,000 Iraqis this month and every month.  We invite you to join us again, either as a delegate or as a supporter, in the Iraq Sanctions Challenge IV this January 12-19, 2001.

We are excited to announce that we are planning to fly to Baghdad rather than go by bus from Amman, as we have in the past. The Challenge is timed to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the bombing war on January 16. The delegation will again be led by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark.

As we have in the past, we will bring millions of dollars worth of medicine to Iraq. Your generous donation will purchase the medicines that will save thousands of lives in Iraq. A flow of medicine into Iraq not only saves Iraqi children; it is a powerful reminder that only the lifting of sanctions will end this unnecessary suffering. In this way we combine humanitarian relief with political action.

We urge you to consider becoming a part of the Iraq Sanctions Challenge either by joining the delegation or by making a generous financial contribution to the purchase of medicine. Also, please consider organizing supporters to hold press conferences, video showings, house meetings and other activities in January.

By joining this effort, you can help end the sanctions and the bombing.

Thank you.
Sara Flounders Brian Becker,
Co-Directors, International Action Center

TOGETHER WE CAN END THE SANCTIONS!
Become part of this Challenge to Genocide

JOIN THE IRAQ SANCTIONS CHALLENGE
Travel to Iraq with the delegation
Recruit delegation participants
Sponsor a delegation participant
Raise funds for medicine
Publicize the Challenge
Set up an Organizing Center
Join the Emergency Response Network

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRAVEL TO IRAQ WITH THE  IRAQ SANCTIONS CHALLENGE IV IN JANUARY 12-19, 2001, go to
http://www.iacenter.org/iraqchallenge/infojan01.htm for detailed information.  You can also call the New York office at 212-633-6646, or the West Coast offices in San Francisco at 415-821-6545 or Los Angeles at 213-487-2368.

International Action Center
39 West 14th Street, Room 206
New York, NY 10011
email: iacenter@iacenter.org
web: http://www.iacenter.org
CHECK OUT SITE
   http://www.mumia2000.org
phone: 212 633-6646
fax:   212 633-2889
*To make a tax-deductible donation, go to
  http://www.peoplesrightsfund.org