Interfaith Network of Concern for the People of Iraq (INOC)
 A Program Unit of Church Council of Greater Seattle
 Keystone United Church of Christ; 5019 Keystone Place North 
 Seattle, WA Washington 98103
 http://www.concernforiraq.org 
 December 20, 2005 
 
 SPECIAL INOC REPORT TO REQUEST GROUNDSWELL OF SUPPORT FOR SEATTLE
 CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE WITHDRAWAL OF THE U.S. FROM IRAQ 
 
Dear friends,
 
 An important and controversial issue is whether and how the United States 
should withdraw from Iraq. As of mid-December at least 73 cities in the U.S. 
have approved a resolution requesting our troops be brought home. 
 Contact has been made with a City Council member, who advised that a
groundswell of public comment should be generated for a compact resolution, 
and that letters or emails should be sent to each Council member.
 Accordingly, INOC requests each of you personally write as soon as
possible to each City Council member requesting
their support for the exit strategy, which is at the end of this INOC
Report. We request you organize a letter-writing campaign in your faith
group or any groups you can contact. The resolution should be enclosed in
the letter because it makes critical points, e.g., on a peace conference
and reparations to Iraq, not generally heard in the mass media. 
 In addition to enclosing the resolution, it would be persuasive for
letter-writers to personalize their letters by making 2-3 points from the
list at the end of this message.
 The Seattle City Council members are: Richard Conlin
(richard.conlin@seattle.gov), Sally Clark (sally.clark@seattle.gov),
David Della (david.della@seattle.gov), Jan
Drago (jan.drago@seattle.gov), Jean Godden (jean.godden@seattle.gov), Nick
Licata (nick.licata@seattle.gov), Richard McIver
(richard.mciver@seattle.gov), Tom Rasmussen (tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov)
and Peter Steinbrueck (peter.steinbrueck@seattle.gov). The address for
each of them is: P.O. Box 34025; Seattle, WA 98124-4025. 
 
 ==============================================
 
 A THREE-POINT WITHDRAWAL STRATEGY
 OF THE UNITED STATES FROM IRAQ
 
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE PEOPLE OF SEATTLE THAT:
 
1) Iraq belongs to the Iraqis, and they alone should have control of
their natural resources, their territory, their government and their
policies. Therefore, the US government should renounce interest in
controlling the Iraqi economy and government, and renounce plans for
permanent US military bases in Iraq. These declarations should be made
immediately.
 
2) The US government should then seek a peace/disengagement conference,
organized by the Secretary General of the United Nations, to be held in a
neutral country between the 'coalition' and major political factions in
Iraq. The conference is to work out the terms for the US military and
economic disengagement from Iraq and suggest a process of reconciliation
among factions within Iraq.
 
3) For damages done during two wars and twelve years of sanctions, the US
government has major obligations to the people of Iraq, including the
funding of the reconstruction of civilian infrastructure and the
environmental cleanup of US weapons debris. And further, that work should
engage and benefit Iraqis not foreign corporations.
 
 UNDERLYING REASONS FOR CALLING FOR U.S. WITHDRAWAL
 
+ The invasion of Iraq by the U.S. violates the Charter of the United
Nations and the U.S. Constitution.
 
+ The orders and contracts of the Coalition Provisional Authority, still
in force in Iraq since 2005, violate the Iraq constitution, the 1906 Hague
Regulations, the Geneva Conventions and the U.S. Army's Code of Land
Warfare.
 
+ As of December 15, 2005, 46 citizens from Washington State (over 2,154
from across the US) have been killed, approximately 513 from Washington
State (15,881 from across the US) have been wounded, and many more
continue to be in jeopardy while serving in the armed forces of the U.S.
in Iraq.
 
+ As of Dec. 18, the estimated financial cost of the war to the citizens
of Washington State is $5.4 billion, or approximately $940 for every man,
woman and child, monies that otherwise could have funded, e.g., 9400
additional Washington public school teachers for a period of ten years, or
48,500 additional housing units, or 261,000 four-year scholarships at
public universities.
 
+ We face ever increasing personal security risks at home and abroad as
a result of this war and occupation.
 
+ We will pay the additional costs of the physical, emotional, mental,
relationship and social impairments that war frequently bequeaths to
veterans and their families.
 
+ We recognize that costs of the war and occupation to the Iraqi people
are immeasurably greater.
 
+ We remember the prior US actions in Iraq include the Gulf War in
which, in violation of international treaties on the conduct of war, the
US deliberately crippled infrastructure (e.g., water treatment, sanitation
and electrical plants), harshening life throughout Iraq. Further, the
U.S. insisted through the U.N. on maintaining strict economic sanctions
there; by 1999 UNICEF reported the economic sanctions contributed to
500,000 childrens' deaths.
 
+ The environmental destruction visited on Iraq by the Gulf War and the
current Iraq war and occupation include uninventoried radiological weapons
debris & unexploded cluster bombs.
 
+ The citizens of the U.S. have a moral and legal obligation to mend the
damage it has done there.
 
Peace,
 
Michael Ramos, Director of Social Justice Ministries, Church Council of
Greater Seattle and Interfaith Network for Concern for the People of
Iraq