Geneva,
21 March 2003
H.E.
Madam Najat Al-Hajjaji
President
59th Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
Palais des Nations
1211 Geneva 10
Concerning:
Request for a special session on Iraq in the framework of the 59th
Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights
Madam
President,
Based
on the principles and aims of the United Nations Charter, in particular
paragraph 4 of Article 2, as well as the provisions of the two international
human rights covenants and the international conventions on humanitarian
law, we, the undersigned non-governmental organizations in consultative
status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council:
1.
Wish to express our utter indignation over the military aggression launched
yesterday morning against the people of Iraq. This act of aggression,
which is committed by a coalition under the direction of the United
States of America and launched in the name of a ‘preventive war’,
constitutes in fact and in law a grave threat to international peace
and security;
2.
Express our deep concern that this act of aggression aims to bring about
the massive destruction of the Iraqi people, which is already the victim
of twelve years of inhuman economic sanctions imposed in defiance of
the inalienable and universal rights of all peoples to self-determination,
sovereignty, territorial integrity and respect for human rights, which
are recognized by the international community as fundamental principles
of international law (Articles 1,2,4,6 , 33 of the Charter);
3.
Deplore this war crime committed by the coalition directed by the United
States for no other reason than to preserve their own hegemonic interests
against a sovereign member state of the United Nations, in contempt
of existing international law.
We
therefore ask you to convene urgently a special session on the situation
in Iraq, within the framework of the 59th session of the
Commission on Human Rights, in line with the procedure as foreseen in
the internal rules of the Technical Commission of the Economic and Social
Council.
Respectfully,
Agence des cités pour la coopération
Nord-Sud
Centre
Europe-Tiers Monde (CETIM)
Centro
de Estudios Europeos
(CEE)
CIRAC
Federacion de Mujeres Cubanas
Federacion Latinoamericana de Associaones
de Familiares de Detenidos-Desaparecidos (FEDEFAM)
Federation
of Iraqi Women
Fondation Equatorienne de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques
(FERIS)
General
Arab Women Federation
INDIAN
MOVEMENT “Tupaj Amaru”
International
Association of Democratic Lawyers
International
Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
(EAFORD)
International
Peace Bureau
International
Young Catholic Students
Federation
of Iraqi Women
Ligue internationale pour les droits et la libération des peuples (LIDLIP)
Organisation
de la société civile
africaine (OSCA)
Union
des juristes arabes
Women’s
International Democratic Federation
Women’s
International League for Peace and Freedom
World
Movement of Mothers
World
Peace Council
On
behalf of the signatories:
Elias
Khouri
Union of Arab Jurists
Lazaro Pary
Indian Movement ‘Tupaj Amaru’
