[R-G] Text of AFL-CIO/TUC Letter

[DavidMcR at aol.com]

Labor speaks!
David 
<< 
 January 30, 2003
 
 Dear Prime Minister Blair and President Bush:
 
 We join in writing this letter in advance of your critical meeting, 
recognizing the
 historical relationship between our two nations and the central role now 
played by
 them both with regard to the situation in Iraq.
 
 Our peoples, with common heritage and historic alliance, have always 
supported the
 principles of democracy and freedom that are the fundamental pillars upon 
which our
 governments are founded. We have stood together time and again to defend 
freedom
 against tyranny.
 
 Just as our two nations share a common heritage, so do our two union 
movements.
 The Trades Union Congress is the oldest organized labor movement in 
existence today, and was the inspiration for and strong supporter of the 
American Federation of Labor when it was founded 120 years ago. Working 
people of both nations, often speaking through their unions, have 
participated in the great debates of our times, especially debates about war 
and peace. Never has that public participation been more important than now.
 
 We share with the two of you the very strong concerns that Iraq has not 
fulfilled its
 responsibility to the world community to rid itself of weapons of mass 
destruction and to ensure the world of this. We fully support putting maximum 
pressure on Iraq to do so, and believe that the actions taken thus far by 
both our nations working through
 the UN Security Council to force a renewal of the inspection process and to 
demand
 that these inspections resolve this issue has been the right course.
 
 
 We believe that the inspection process needs to be given adequate time to be 
able to inform fully the international community in their appreciation of the 
threat to world
 peace and security.
 
 Today many citizens of the United States and of the United Kingdom are not
 convinced that war must be waged now in Iraq. Strong reservations are being 
voiced
 by peoples and governments across the world, including those of our closest 
allies.
 
 It is vital that a firm and broad consensus be forged and sustained, 
particularly between the United States and the countries of the European 
Union, to ensure the legitimacy required should any future action be 
considered.
 
 During the coming weeks, you will be called upon to make decisions that will 
have
 enormous consequences for the future of our countries. Those who seek to 
destroy our way of life will use an attack on Iraq, especially if taken 
without broad international support, to rally opinion against us and win new 
recruits to their terror. We may resolve the threat that now exists in Iraq, 
but we may well pay the price of increasing the threats we face from 
elsewhere. Further, in the new political reality, where terrorism is our 
gravest foe, such an attack carried out over the very strong opposition of 
our natural allies may well undermine the broad coalition of democracies that 
was so evident in the days after September 11.
 
 On behalf of our two labor movements, and on behalf of working people in both
 our countries, we urge you to continue to lead the global fight against 
totalitarianism
 and terror through the United Nations to ensure that this fight is carried 
out by the
 broadest possible coalition, with the strongest international legitimacy.
 British and American working people stand ready as always to bear the burden 
needed to defend our freedoms. But the goal of our policy now should be to 
take every possible step to achieve the legitimate ends of disarming Iraq 
without recourse to war, and to win the fullest support of our friends and 
allies before the path of war is chosen as a last resort.
 
 As we write to you today, we do not believe that this first path has come to 
an end, and urge you to continue to pressure all concerned to find a 
resolution to this situation that preserves peace and security for our 
countries and across the world.
 
 Sincerely,
 
 John Monks 
 General Secretary 
 Trades Union Congress
 
 John J. Sweeney
 President
 AFL-CIO >>