Opening the International Occupation Watch Center in Iraq

A new center is to be opened this September in Iraq to create an ongoing connection between Iraqis struggling for self-determination and the international peace community.

The Center is being created by the USA based: United for Peace and Justice, Focus on the Global South, and the Commission for Arab Resistance to Globalization, among others.

The Center will monitor the actions of the occupation forces and international corporations; provide information to the international community through a website, e-mail lists, and media work; support independent, progressive Iraqi groups; and host international delegations coming to Iraq. (A more comprehensive list of the Center's activities is below.)

Goals of the Occupation Watch Center in Iraq:

Monitor the role of foreign companies in Iraq and advocate for the Iraqis’ right to control their own resources, especially oil;

Act as a watchdog regarding the military occupation and U.S.-appointed government, including possible violations of human rights, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly;

Research the dynamics, programs, and composition of the Iraqi movement to resist occupation in order to provide a more comprehensive picture to the international community;

Support the creation of independent Iraqi organizations, such as media and environmental groups;

Examine any changes in the rights and freedoms of Iraqi women and support local Iraqi efforts to promote women9s rights;

Monitor the relationship between U.S. corporations/subcontractors and Iraqi workers and support the formation of independent trade unions;

Track the international community9s financial commitments to rebuilding Iraq and hold the responsible parties accountable for those commitments;

Monitor the physical impact of the U.S. invasion, including civilian casualties, the Iraqis9 ability to have access to the basic necessities of food, water and shelter, and the effects of depleted uranium and cluster bombs on the population and the environment;

Regularly provide reliable information to the outside world.Occupation Watch Centre web site