NEWW express the anger and disagreement with the US war on Iraq
As the US war on Iraq has begun, we at NEWW express our profound anger
and disagreement with this military action. While many of us may share a
feeling of powerlessness at this moment, we continue to believe strongly
that NEWW's contribution towards building democratic systems based on
the rule of law and supporting women's full participation in these systems
goes to the heart of building peaceful societies throughout the world. Right
now
these efforts are all the more important as we see the continued
breakdown
of the rule of law with the assassination last week of Serbian Prime
Minister Zoran Djindjic in addition to the US led war in Iraq. We
express
our solidarity with our friends in Serbia who are now protesting
criminality
and who continue to work towards developing civil society and rule of
law.
Many NEWW members, staff and members of the NEWW Board of Directors
have
been working steadfastly against this war and for peaceful solutions for
many months, and we will continue these efforts in light of the US
administration going forward with their war plans. We reaffirm our
commitment to long-term feminist activism and refuse to allow our
efforts to
be sidelined by this war. We continue to work against the
ill-conceived
war policies and practices of the Bush administration, while we press
onward
to promote women's rights and feminism. We stand in solidarity with the
women and men of Iraq, the CEE/NIS region and the world who oppose this
aggression.
From the U.S. contingent of NEWW, we are grateful to all of our friends
and
colleagues who have expressed their support and solidarity with us
during
this violent and uncertain time.
In peace,
Erin Barclay
NEWW, D.C.