January 13th, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATTN: ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
Contact: Emily Benedetto, Emilie Gobe
(212) 633 - 6646

US DELEGATION HEADED BY FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL RAMSEY CLARK ARRIVES IN BAGHDAD IN SHOW OF SOLIDARITY WITH IRAQI PEOPLE ON GULF WAR ANNIVERSARY:

Group of 50 people delivers medicine in defiance of US -led UN sanctions, denounces U.S. government for War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity for ten years of blockade and bombing

The International Action Center's (IAC) Fourth Iraq Sanctions Challenge headed by former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark arrived in Baghdad this afternoon, being among the first US delegations to fly to Iraq since the imposition of sanctions in 1990.  They were greeted at the airport by enthusiastic applause and cheering, and joined Iraqis in chanting "US and UN end the sanctions now".  The delegation is taking a political stance in opposition to the ten years old sanctions and bombing that have killed nearly two million people, holding this to be a Crime Against Humanity and a War Crime.

At a press conference at the airport Ramsey Clark declared, "The US must end the genocidal sanctions against Iraq.  The whole world demands that the sanctions be lifted completely and immediately".

This is the fourth Iraq Sanctions Challenge to travel to Iraq and the first to have done so by air.  In the past, they have been required to travel overland by bus from Amman to Baghdad, a 20 hour trip, because of the U.S. and British imposed no-fly zone, which prohibits flights over two thirds of Iraq.  The Challenge is part of the growing opposition to the sanctions, which is taking a strong foothold worldwide.  More than 100 flights have entered Iraq in the last five months.

The delegation brings together people from fifteen US states and seven countries, including Canada, Japan, Lebanon, Greece, Britain, Iceland and Palestine.  It includes students, teachers, long time activists, social workers, lawyers, and others committed to peace.  As part of their efforts to understand the consequences and defy the sanctions, tomorrow the delegation plans to visit the Association of Peace, Friendship, and Solidarity.  On Jan. 16th, the tenth anniversary of the beginning of the Gulf War, they will be participating in a demonstration in Baghdad.

The Sanctions Challenge delegation is delivering over $1.5 million worth of medicine and school supplies - basic necessities that have been denied. As delegate and IAC co-coordinator Deirdre Sinnott points out, "This medical aid is a gift to the Iraqi people, but we know that this token from the United States does not bring back their bustling economy.  Before the embargo, Iraq was one of the most prosperous nations in the region, and now the sanctions prevent the Iraqi government from meeting the basic needs of its population.  We demand a complete end to the sanctions."

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