A victory for the social
movement against the war and the occupation, a victory of the
Iraqi people
Statement of the Arab Cause
Solidarity Committee on the announcement of Rodríguez
Zapatero's ordering the withdrawal of the Spanish troops from
Iraq
CSCAweb (www.nodo50.org/csca),
04-21-2004
Arab Cause Solidarity Committee, 04-18-2004
Translation from Spanish by Loles Oliván and Donald Murphy
"This
decision, a victory for the Iraqi people, exemplifies the real
power of the broad, active and committed civic movement determined
in their opposition to war and occupation. Against the logic
of war and aggression -open State terrorism- waged by the US
Administration, and all of the instruments it serves, principally
the State of Israel, we continue to demand with our determination
and our mobilization the logic of reason, the end of both the
US occupation of Iraq and the Zionist occupation of Palestine,
and the sovereignty for both Arab peoples in accordance with
the will and rights of all the peoples of the world"
With regard to the institutional
declaration of the new President of the Spanish government, Rodríguez
Zapatero, issued on 18th April, 2004, in which he has made public
his decision to order the withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq
"with the greatest security and in the shortest time possible",
the Arab Cause Solidarity Committee declares:
1. Its satisfaction at the fulfillment of what has been and continues
to be one of the demands of the Spanish citizenry in relation
to the Iraqi occupation: namely, the withdrawal of Spanish troops
from the invaded Arab country. The announcement of troop withdrawal
expresses the affirmation of the Spanish people's will that was
by majority opposed to the illegal military invasion of Iraq
one year ago and in the same way opposes the US-led in Iraq.
In consequence, this decision must be seen as a victory for the
popular movement; above all, against the authoritarianism of
the former Aznar government, which anti-democratically implicated
Spain, first in an illegal war of aggression against Iraq, in
connivance with the US and UK governments, and later, by the
direct participation of Spanish military forces in the occupation
of Iraq.
The decision of Rodríguez Zapatero, in response to the
demands of our citizenry and, by extension, of the entire International
Movement against the War and Occupation of Iraq after more than
a year of pressure and massive mobilizations, dignifies popular
sovereignty as opposed to governments which neither represent
it nor respect it. Having taken an honorable decision in agreement
with this social demand, the new President and the Spanish government
as a whole have shown their understanding of the real power of
the broad, active and committed civic movement determined in
their opposition to war and occupation.
2. The withdrawal of Spanish troops is also a victory for the
Iraqi people, who during a year of occupation have given clear,
rotund and reiterated demonstrations of their collective rejection
of the US and its allies' military presence in Iraq, as well
as of the neocolonization process which this Anglo-Saxon invasion
is attempting to impose on their country, through military power
and after 13 years of holding their sovereignty hostage by means
of the United Nations sanctions system.
This decision most certainly opens new and favorable prospects
for the future of Iraq, as it not only affirms the failure forced
by the Iraqi people's legitimate armed resistance of the military
occupation and the plans of the US administration, but clears
the way for a new logic regarding the role that the international
community must play in relation to the occupation of Iraq.
3. The Iraqi people have proved throughout their history to be
a people capable of directing their own development, of managing
their resources and defining their political, social and economic
organization and institutions; that is, of facing up to their
sovereign future. Therefore, in accordance with the right of
the people of Iraq to independence and sovereignty, and the decision
withdraw Spanish troops from Iraqi territory, the ACSC demands
that the new Spanish government take a firm position in demanding,
in all areas of international intervention -be it the UN, the
European Union or any other-, the rehabilitation of the fundamental
principle of sovereignty and non-interference and, in accordance
with this, work toward bringing an immediate end to the military
occupation of Iraq by the US and its allies, and to give the
Iraqi people back their right to determine their own future,
independently, democratically and free of foreign interference.
4. The Spanish Government must reject all attempts by the Bush
Administration, or any other exigency related to the occupation
of Iraq, to implicate the United Nations and third-party states,
including the Spanish, in the occupation of Iraq. Very specifically,
it must reject the principle of internationalizing the occupation,
be it by sending international troops under the umbrella of the
UN -later of NATO-, under the shield of the humanitarian intervention,
or through the supervision of the tutelary and illegal political
process which the occupation authorities intend to impose on
the country after 30th June, as seems to contemplated in the
UN plan presented by Kofi Annan to Tony Blair last Thursday in
New York.
5. Finally, the ACSC, in declaring its satisfaction with the
decision of the new Spanish government, nevertheless reiterates
the need for the social movement against the war and occupation
of Iraq to remain active and in permanent solidarity with the
Iraqi people, committed within their legitimate rights to resist
the US occupation and its project of colonial domination.
In opposition to the logic of war and aggression -open State
terrorism- waged by the US Administration, and all of the instruments
it serves of, principally the State of Israel, we continue to
demand with our determination and our mobilization the logic
of reason, the end of both the US occupation of Iraq and the
Zionist occupation of Palestine, and the sovereignty for both
Arab peoples in accordance with the will and rights of all the
peoples of the world.
End the occupation.
All our solidarity to the Iraqi people
All our support to the Iraqi Resistance
Arab Cause Solidarity Committee
Madrid, 18th April, 2004
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