Antiwar group to take peace message to foreign envoys
Antiwar group to take peace message to foreign envoys
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
An Indonesian antiwar group will hold a peace rally on Friday
at the Chinese and Russian embassies to appeal to the two
countries to put more pressure on the United States to thwart a
possible war Iraq.
China and Russia, two of the five permanent members of the
United Nations Security Council with veto powers, have generally
opposed the possibility of U.S. military action without UN
backing, even though Washington believes that Iraq has developed
weapons of mass destruction and has links with the Al-Qaeda
terrorist network.
The antiwar group said on Thursday that they also planned to
hold a rally in front of the other embassies who currently have
representatives on the UN Security Council.
The group -- set up recently as a result of the U.S.-Iraq
tension -- comprises a number of local prominent figures and
religious leaders such as Nurcholis Madjid, Goenawan Mohamad,
Todung Mulya Lubis, Catholic priest Ismartono and Reverend I.
Lambe.
It warned the U.S. that launching a war against a sovereign
country without UN authorization would a crime against humanity.
"The United States has immense power over other nations in the
world and if they use such power irresponsibly, the whole world
will suffer," said Nurcholis, a Muslim scholar.
After emphasizing that he could see no connection between Iraq
and terrorism, Nurcholis added that, "There is not enough of a
reason for the United States to go to war with Iraq."
Human rights lawyer, Todung Mulya Lubis, noted that a possible
war against Iraq would be a blatant violation of international
law because the U.S. did not have enough evidence to show that
Baghdad had developed weapons of mass destruction.
"It will be a violation of Iraqi sovereignty, should the
United States launch a war against Iraq," he said, adding that
every one with a conscience should oppose such a war.
Members of the group, agreeing that the problem between Iraq
and the United States was not a religious conflict between
Christians and Muslims, also issued a statement that rejects
the call purportedly made by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden for
Muslims around the world to retaliate with suicide bombers should
the U.S. start a war with Iraq.
The antiwar community is part of a growing movement in
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, that opposes
a possible U.S.-led war in Iraq.
On Sunday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets
and gathered in front of the U.S. embassy here to protest against
the world's sole superpower.