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Members of VVAWAI attended the third national organizing conference of the National Network to End the War Against Iraq in Palo Alto, CA, on May 25 & 26. Adopting the statement: "The National Network is committed to nonviolent activism to oppose the U.S. policy of war and sanctions against the people of Iraq," the conference was attended by participants from across the U.S. as well as from Canada and Japan. The goals of the conference were to further develop the unity of the participants and to forge concrete plans to oppose war and end sanctions against Iraq in the coming year.
Developed plans include:
- A national day of action on August 6, the twelfth anniversary of the imposition of sanctions against Iraq which have resulted in the deaths of over 500,000 children under the age of 5. It is also the 57th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima.
- A national day of action on a day in the Fall in unity with other forces.
- A national day of action on January 16th, the 11th anniversary of the start of the Gulf War.
- The organization of a national speaking tour about Iraq.
- The collaboration with American Friends Service Committee, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Pax Christi and other peace and justice organizations in drafting a pledge of resistance modeled on the pledge used in the 1980s to opposed the U.S. war in Central America.
VVAWAI is proud to be a part of this network and sees stopping the planned war on Iraq as a critical part of the opposition to the "war of terror" being waged against the people of the world by the U.S.
For more information on the network contact them at www.endthewar.org, NNEWAI@usa.com or 650-326-9057.
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