Office of the President of the General Assembly UN, New York, NY 10017 Fax: 212- 963-3133
Your Excellency:
I urge you to heed the request of the majority of the members of the UN General Assembly to call an Emergency Session of the UNGA, and address the illegal action of the United States' military invasion of Iraq. As you know, a high percentage of the citizens of the world as well as a large majority of the members states of the United Nations are opposed to the military invasion of Iraq by the United States and its "coalition".
In your February 6, statement about the role of the UN General Assembly in maintaining International peace and security, you referred to the role of the Uniting for Peace resolution:
The "Uniting for Peace" resolution gave the General Assembly a broader role in questions of international security. Under the terms of the resolution, "the General Assembly shall consider any matter on which the Security Council fails to reach unanimity and make appropriate recommendations to the Member States."
It is with great dismay, that it has been brought to my attention, that the US, in the last few weeks, has sent an intimidating letter to all the members of the UN General Assembly: demanding {that states] "avoid provocative steps .such as .. calls for an emergency session of the General Assembly".
The General Assembly could invite the UNGA to pass an emergency resolution calling for
* the immediate cessation of all military intervention into Iraq, and for the immediate withdrawal of invading US and "coalition" troops ;
* the intervention of the International Court of Justice to institute emergency measures to end the invasion
* the continuation of the work of the inspectors in Iraq.
The General Assembly, is the international body that most accommodates the essence of sovereign equality under the Charter of the United Nations, and the voice of the UNGA must be strengthened as was agreed under the Millennium Declaration.
Yours very truly,
Joan Russow (PhD)