114252078685693208 Statement by Iraqi expatriates on the Third Anniversary of the Occupation of Iraq http://www.idao.org/2006/03/statement-by-iraqi-expatriates-on.xml 16.3.06

We the undersigned expatriate Iraqi workers, students, scientists, academics, writers, artists, professionals and business people, witnessing with horror the destruction of our people under an illegal foreign occupation, stand together with the peace movement throughout the world in commemorating three years of a brutal military occupation that has killed and maimed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, blighted the lives of an entire population and spoiled their environment, shattered our country's physical infrastructure, its civic institutions and its life-support systems, assaulted our culture and desecrated sacred sanctuaries, violated people with deviant cruelty and racist intent, implanted mercenaries and death squads, and encouraged corruption and sedition that threaten us as a people.

March 18, 2006

We the undersigned expatriate Iraqi workers, students, scientists, academics, writers, artists, professionals and business people, witnessing with horror the destruction of our people under an illegal foreign occupation, stand together with the peace movement throughout the world in commemorating three years of a brutal military occupation that has killed and maimed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, blighted the lives of an entire population and spoiled their environment, shattered our country's physical infrastructure, its civic institutions and its life-support systems, assaulted our culture and desecrated sacred sanctuaries, violated people with deviant cruelty and racist intent, implanted mercenaries and death squads, and encouraged corruption and sedition that threaten us as a people.

We support the call for world-wide demonstrations on 18 March and the demand for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq, the dismantling of US bases, and an end to US domination of economic and social policies and its interference in domestic Iraqi affairs.

We believe that the occupation is the main cause of insecurity in Iraq, encouraging mistrust among Iraqis, and fomenting sectarian strife and ethnic conflict. The occupation has nurtured corruption and fostered gang crime, and it bears primary responsibility for the activities of murderous sectarian terrorists and criminals. The US occupation prevents Iraqis from overcoming the legacy of 35 years of corrupt and vicious dictatorship and of decades of sanctions and war. It promises nothing except more war of one kind or another for a generation to come. We do not believe that the occupation acts as an insurance against civil war, but that sectarian attacks and the threat of civil war are being used to prolong the occupation.

The Iraqi people have a legitimate inalienable right, under International Law, to resist the occupation. We call upon all Iraqi civil society and political activists, community and religious leaders to cease forthwith all meetings and communications with US, British and other occupation officials and military commanders in Iraq, and to pursue instead a national Iraqi dialogue that is inclusive of the genuine patriotic resistance. The United States must not be allowed to wage its war by proxy, and Iraqi security forces will only gain legitimacy if they break links with the US occupation and dedicate themselves to the service of the Iraqi people. We call upon officials in the new Iraqi military and police, together with civilian officials in government, local authorities, public institutions and state enterprises to end co-operation with US and British occupation forces and to boycott all US and British official personnel, except for withdrawal negotiations.

The objective must be to terminate the abnormal relationship between Iraq and the United States and to establish a healthy state–to-state relationship that is based on Iraqi sovereignty, independence, mutual respect and the principles of international legality.

Peaceful resistance, resistance by other means, and non-cooperation with occupation forces and officials must be a prelude for the new Iraqi Parliament to remove the fig leaf of legitimacy from the forces of occupation. Only then would the new state institutions and political process gain respect and acceptance. Iraqis want unity, peace and stability in order to rebuild their shattered lives and to pursue a national programme of reconstruction and development.

The American and British peoples and the whole world can help Iraq by exerting maximum pressure upon the US and British administrations to remove all their troops and bases, along with the forces of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” from Iraq; to acknowledge the injustice committed against the people of Iraq; and to help a unified democratic fully independent Iraq in a reconstruction effort.

Professor Abbas Alnasrawi Vermont, USA

Professor Tareq Ismael Alberta, Canada

Dr Scheherazade Hassan Paris, France

Dr Sami Albanna Bethesda, MD, USA

Dr Kamil Mahdi Exeter, UK

Dr Mohammed Alwan Boston, USA

Sami Ramadani London, UK

Professor Kamal Majid London, UK

Ghazi Sabir-Ali Bath, UK

Dr Ahmed Al-Kawaz

Dr Haifa Jawad Birmingham, UK

Ja'far al-Samarrai Toronto, Canada

Sabah Jawad London, UK

Hani Lazim London, UK

Fenik Adham London, UK

Mayada Akrawi Geneva, Switzerland

Dr Ali Al-Assam London, UK

Dr Nada Shabout Texas, USA

Valerie Sabir-Ali Bath, UK

Dr Nadje Al-Ali Exeter, UK

Rashad Salim London, UK

Zaid Albanna San Francisco, CA, USA

Ali AlShahwani New Zealand

Badia Albanna Takoma Park, MD, USA

Nesreen Melek Toronto, Canada

Mumtaz Kamala UK

Nadhim Al-Qazzaz UK

Dr Jenan Ismael Texas, USA

http://www.idao.org/2006/02/unity-of-iraqi-people-against-us.xml Unity of the Iraqi people against US occupation is the only guarantee for solving the current political crisis http://www.idao.org/2006/01/message-from-tony-benn-president-of.xml MESSAGE FROM TONY BENN, PRESIDENT OF STOP THE WAR COALITION http://www.idao.org/2006/01/statement-on-assassination-of-iraqi.xml Statement on the assassination of Iraqi intellectuals http://www.idao.org/2006/01/ifj-calls-on-united-states-to-explain.xml IFJ Calls on United States to Explain Army Raid on Home of Investigative Journalist in Iraq http://www.idao.org/2005/12/iraqi-oil-workers-ready-to-fight-us.xml Iraqi oil workers ready to fight US hegemony over Iraq’s oil http://www.idao.org/2005/12/we-need-your-support.xml WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! http://www.idao.org/2005/12/iraqi-national-initiative-to-end.xml Iraqi national Initiative to end occupation of Iraq unconditionally http://www.idao.org/2005/11/international-peace-conference-on-iraq.xml International Peace Conference on Iraq, December 10th 2005 http://www.idao.org/2005/10/iraqi-constitution-referendum-for.xml The Iraqi Constitution: A Referendum for Disaster http://www.idao.org/2005/09/appeal-to-international-public-opinion.xml Appeal to international public opinion on the atrocities in Ninawah province http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2004_07_01_news_archive.xml July 2004 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2004_08_01_news_archive.xml August 2004 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2004_09_01_news_archive.xml September 2004 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2004_10_01_news_archive.xml October 2004 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2004_11_01_news_archive.xml November 2004 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2004_12_01_news_archive.xml December 2004 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2005_01_01_news_archive.xml January 2005 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2005_02_01_news_archive.xml February 2005 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2005_03_01_news_archive.xml March 2005 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2005_04_01_news_archive.xml April 2005 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2005_05_01_news_archive.xml May 2005 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2005_06_01_news_archive.xml June 2005 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2005_07_01_news_archive.xml July 2005 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2005_08_01_news_archive.xml August 2005 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2005_09_01_news_archive.xml September 2005 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2005_10_01_news_archive.xml October 2005 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2005_11_01_news_archive.xml November 2005 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2005_12_01_news_archive.xml December 2005 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2006_01_01_news_archive.xml January 2006 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2006_02_01_news_archive.xml February 2006 http://www.idao.org/testing/archive/2006_03_01_news_archive.xml March 2006