arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

They all share the view that facing the impending US aggression on their country it is necessary to be on the side of their country, to defend it. They are searching for national reconciliation without dropping their opposition to the Baghdad regime.
By the end of last year a delegation of "Iraqi National Coalition" conducted talks with the authorities agreeing on a three point programme to be implemented from now on: preparations for a new constitution, a new party law providing for a multi party system and a new press law. The congress approved this step.

The leader of the coalition, Al Kubaysi, called upon the exiled Iraqi community to return to their country in order to defend it. Political differences between the components of the coalition, for example on the question of Kurdish autonomy, have to be put aside in view of the emergency situation.

Although some participants expressed doubts whether reconciliation with Saddam Hussein is possible, the congress met the general spirit not only of political militants but also many exiled intellectuals, artists and business men: "Despite our oppositionist views we do not want to be misused for the aggression on our country like those who recently gathered in London under US patronage."

On the side of Iraq against the US aggression.

The US' decision to attack Iraq has already been taken. The purpose of their "pre-emptive, permanent and global war on terror" is to secure their increasingly fragile predominance by smashing any possible opponent. Iraq is the current target as it has been refusing to subordinate to the American neo-colonial architecture of the Middle East. Neither did Iraq surrender the nationalised oil resources nor did it recognise Zionism. Others will follow.
The US and its allies do not even bother to cover their real intentions. They cannot credibly claim any more "humanitarian" motives as they have been driving the devastating and unprecedented embargo bearing the responsibility for the death of 1.5m Iraqis and well as misery and starvation for millions and millions. Only once in a while they dare to speak of the "democratisation" of Iraq while they support surrounding dictatorships such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia let alone the Apartheid state of Israel. They are violating international law which stipulates national sovereignty and forbids wars of aggression. The only argument left is the one on arms of mass destruction, not because the world or Iraq's neighbours would have to fear Iraqi armament but because the US wants by all means preserve their and their closest allies' monopoly and holding an using them. Behind the veil of "national security interests" it is easy to discern the pure imperialist interest as even Scott Ritter, US Marine and former chief weapon inspector in Iraq, does not hesitate to put it.

Actually this war is about the prolongation of the US imperial world order. Therefore all forces in the world striving for social justice and democracy have to struggle for the defeat of the US bellicose machine.

We call upon both the Iraqi exile community as well as the international anti-war movement to join Iraq in large numbers – regardless of our historic opposition to the current regime.

We support the Human Shield Missions as an attempt to drastically express the will of the majority and to force the European governments to isolate the Anglo-American war mongers and to condemn their material breach of international law. However, it is more than probable that the European regimes, having been promised a substantial part of the colonial spoils, will finally back down.

Therefore the international anti-war movement hand in hand with the popular defence of the Iraqi and Arab people have to carry the burden of confronting and weakening the US in a war which could not be more unequal and asymmetric. Thus the war cannot be fought in a conventional way but only in the form of popular resistance which we doubt Saddam's regime is able organise.

We will help such kind of popular liberation war against colonial occupation to spring up and we pledge to support it following the historic example of the international brigades to Spain in order to fight fascism.

The democracy we are striving for is not the oligarchic one America wants to impose by fire and blood. It is a popular one base on the power of the poor classes which will be born out of the anti-imperialist liberation struggle. Popular democracy will neither privatise the oil nor the land nor education or health services – all prerequisites for Western style "democracy". On the contrary it will continue the unfinished revolution putting the national resources under the full control of the popular masses and expanding the liberation struggle in order to wipe away all the dictatorial pro-Western regimes of the region including Zionism.

US out of the Middle East!