To: UN, USA, European Parliament, Arabic Countries, Humanitarian Orgs, Environmental Orgs.
cleaning Iraq of pollutants of war and save the still surviving victims !
Kadhim Almuqdadi
Head of Department of Environmental management,
Arab Academy in Denmark
kalmukdadi@hotmail.com
Jنringegrنnd 19, NB
163 63 Spهnga
Stockholm- Sweden
Mobile: 0046 76 23 88 898
On the sixth anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and motivated by the national, professional, and humanitarian call of duty, a group of academicians, experts, researchers, engineers, and environmental activists, doctors and specialists, Iraqis, Arabs and foreigners; and a number of unions, associations and civil society organizations; call on the United Nations, the new American administration, the European Union, the Governments of the region and the brotherly and friendly countries to remind everyone of the environmental and health disaster caused by the war on Iraq, especially the radioactive contamination which resulted of the use of uranium munitions in the second (1991) and third (2003) Gulf wars. This disaster has left behind hundreds of thousands of cancer deaths and injuries, congenital malformations, stillbirths, infertility, and many other untreatable ailments so far.
Memorandum to the United Nations and the Governments of the countries of the world
Dear Sirs,
We, the undersigned: academics, experts, researchers, engineers, environmentalists, activists, doctors and specialists; Iraqis, Arabs and foreigners; civil society unions, associations and organizations; responding to the call of our national and professional and humanitarian duty, desperately asking everybody to consider the tragic health and environment situation in Iraq, and to remind the international community – represented by the United Nations, the U.S. Administration, the Governments of the European Union, and countries of the Middle East region, particularly the Arab Gulf States, of the environmental and health disaster caused by the war on Iraq, especially due to the radioactive contamination which resulted from the use of uranium munitions in the second (1991) and third (2003) Gulf wars, where scientific reports have confirmed that the damage had been far reaching in Iraq, and beyond it to the entire Gulf region, and has even reached more distant countries.
In Iraq , the environmental pollution which occurred after the war, especially the radioactive, has already caused hundreds of thousands of cancer deaths and injuries, and congenital deformities, stillbirths, infertility, and many untreatable ailments.
Knowing that no dose of radiation, however low, is safe and harmless, we remind you that no borders, no matter how well-controlled, can prevent the transfer of the radioactive contaminants displaced with the wind, to the neighbouring countries. Those contaminants have already moved by tens of kilometers away from the contaminated sites.
You are well aware of the extraordinary situations and thorny issues that Iraq is confronted with. The environmental problems and health consequences, created by the former regime’s policies, have exacerbated after the invasion in 2003, and the country still lacks the potential of immediate and effective required treatment. These factors, among others, have made Iraq unable alone at the present time, to tackle the thorny and urgent problem of cleaning its environment from the polluted and contaminated remains, nor successfully treat the tens of thousands of victim patients, nor put an end to the diseases caused by the pollution within any acceptable time.
Hence, in your name, brothers and friends, and the name of our joint international responsibility, we direct our call:
- to the United Nations, its Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, and the specialized agencies, notably: the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) ..
- to the international and regional scientific research centers ..
- to the U.S. administration of president Barack Obama, of whom we join the world in the hope that he fulfills his promise of an international policy different than the practices of the president Bush administration. Our hopes are raised especially after the President’s signing in 13/3/2009, of a law severely restricting the sales of Cluster Bombs, which is an important step towards a total ban of this brutal weapon. Therefore we are encouraged to call on president Obama for an immediate commencement of a campaign to clean up the radioactive waste of Depleted uranium ammunition of the American weapons, left in Iraq .
This dangerous leftover has caused the Iraqi people and the peoples of the neighbouring countries a frightening damage to health and environment. We also ask the president, to consider vacating the stock of such ammunitions of the US forces stationed in Iraq in order to avoid such disasters in the future.
- Also we call on the European Parliament and the European Commission to consider this as a part of the priority of the European Union’s policy and objectives of the global environment protection.
This will be a real and effective expression of solidarity between peoples in critical times, and an excellent prelude to the “strategic partnership agreement” due to be negotiated next year between the EU and Iraq .
- Also we call on to the Governments of the countries who joined the United States in the wars of 1991 and 2003 and which also used depleted uranium ammunitions in Iraq , into sharing the responsibility of the health and environmental disaster of Iraq today.
- And to the Governments of the region, particularly the neighbouring countries, notably the Gulf Arab countries, which signed in the declaration of the Council of Arab Ministers of the Environment issued since 2004, to act and to request the Arab States, Arab, regional and international organizations, to provide support to Iraq for the implementation of the projects of environmental protection and help Iraq to accede to the international environmental conventions, and for the preparation of national strategies and work programs. There has not been of very little.
We invite everyone to take immediate and serious action, and the timely and urgent implementation of all international obligations and commitments, which were promised since the fall of the former regime of Iraq, and above all the promise of help in the reconstruction of Iraq, and aiding it economically, environmentally, scientifically and in health care, and to provide the required technology therefore.
We propose the formation of a specialized international body, and the adopting of an emergency environmental management, to study and deal with the pollution caused by the recent wars, especially radiation, and its environmental and health effects in Iraq . We call to provide a helping hand to the Iraqi government in the treatment of cancer and other related diseases, and help in the alleviation of the patients’ suffering.
There is no doubt that the success in cleaning the Iraqi environment from the radioactive contamination would be beneficial to the environment of the region and the world.
In addition to the fact that it is a legitimate right of the Iraqi people on the international community, it is guaranteed by the laws and treaties and international conventions, notably the Geneva Conventions, relating to the rights of civilians in armed conflicts and occupation, including the various provisions and rules governing the international protection of the environment during the wars in the light of the rules of the international humanitarian law.
We very much hope that the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the new American president, the European Union, and the brotherly and friendly governments, will show the adequate attention to the problem, and to move quickly to find and implement the proper solutions to it, and save the still-surviving patients, most of whom are the future of the Iraqi people – its children – of an otherwise inevitable death!
With our highest consideration and respect!
Dear Reader, Whether you are an Iraqi, an Arab, or a foreigner, and wherever you are. Adding your name to the list of the signatories of the memorandum is an expression of your solidarity with the people of Iraq in their desperate call for support for the clean up their country of war pollutants, and save the victims of an inevitable death.
