Government To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: "Patrick Byrt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-Loop: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Precedence: bulk
FYI: An update which you may have seen but needs to be recirculated to get support. Online Petition to Australian Government to withdraw ANZUS support to the US now HAS ONLY 449 SIGNATURES SO FAR !!!- PLEASE GET YOUR FRIENDS TO SIGN ON --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following petition was forwarded to us by the Roma Mitchell Community Legal Service Inc. We warmly request you to sign on to it, no matter which country you are in. [ADVICE FROM APC (SA) on Monday, 24 September 2001 6:19] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.PetitionOnline.com/ANZUS6/ To: Government of the Commonwealth of Australia We the undersigned, citizens and residents of Australia, and of countries around the world, urge the Australian Government to call on the United States Government to use moderation and restraint in responding to the recent terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and, thereby, to avoid war as a response to the terrorist attacks against the USA, and to respect and uphold the responsibility of the United Nations for the maintenance of international peace and security. We implore all powers to use, wherever possible, international judicial institutions and international human rights law to bring to justice those responsible for the attacks, rather than the instruments of war, violence or destruction. Furthermore, we assert that the government of a nation must be presumed separate and distinct from any terrorist group that may operate within its borders, and therefore cannot be held unduly accountable for the latter's crimes. It follows that the government of a particular nation should not be condemned for the recent attack without compelling evidence of its cooperation and complicity with those individuals who actually committed the crimes in question. Innocent civilians living within any nation that may be found responsible, in part or in full, for the crimes recently perpetrated against the United States, must not bear any responsibility for the actions of their government, and must therefore be guaranteed safety and immunity from any military or judicial action taken against the state in which they reside. Such a course, which both the Australian and United States Governments should fully support, is compatible with Article 6 of the ANZUS Treaty which states: "This Treaty does not affect and shall not be interpreted as affecting in any way the rights and obligations of the Parties under the Charter of the United Nations or the responsibility of the United Nations for the maintenance of international peace and security." (ANZUS Treaty, Article 6) Thus, the treaty clearly asserts the primacy of United Nations Charter rights and obligations over the provisions of the treaty, including Article 5, which Australia has invoked to support the USA. Subscription by a State Party to the UN Charter asserts thereby certain inalienable human rights subscribed for all peoples by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The USA and Australia are founding State Parties to the UN Charter. Obligations incumbent on State Parties under the UN Charter include the obligation to protect civilian populations in the conduct of armed conflict, which includes protection from the use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, or weapons of indiscriminate destruction or mass terror. These obligations incumbent on State Parties under the Charter of the United Nations, and the norms of International Law, are inconsistent with any "acceptable" level of civilian casualties from such weapons. We accordingly hereby assert the inalienable human right of all peoples to live in a world free of State recourse to nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, or any weapons of indiscriminate destruction or mass terror, and therefore demand that there be no State use of such arms, and urge all State Parties to the UN Charter, including Australia and the USA, to uphold this basic human right and, thereby, to maintain the responsibility of the United Nations for the maintenance of international peace and security. Lastly and most emphatically, Australian moral and practical support under Article 5 of the ANZUS treaty must be withdrawn should the war on terrorism, now declared by the US Government, begin to exact, by the use of such arms, civilian casualties in the theatre of military action. Sincerely, The Undersigned -------------------- To sign the above petition click on this address and follow the instructions: http://www4.PetitionOnline.com/ANZUS6/ ____________________________________________ Australian Peace Committee (South Australian Branch) Inc. 11 South Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia Ph: (+61-8) or (08) 8332 3461 Fax: (+61-8) or (08) 8364 2291 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web site: www.peacecourier.com Per: Patrick T. Byrt Convenor Volunteers and Reconciliation and Human Rights Roma Mitchell Community Legal Centre Inc. 110 The Parade, NORWOOD, S.A. 5067 PO Box 4018, NORWOOD SOUTH, S.A. 5067 TEL: (08) 8362 1199 / FAX: (08) 8362 0410 Roma Mitchell Community Legal Centre campaign websites: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rmclc/BIGGERPICTURE.htm http://www.adelaide.net.au/~norwcls/BIGGERPICTURE.html e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* Join us in supporting the Journey of Healing by remembering the pain of the Stolen Generations and of their families and communities left behind, and tell them how sorry we are. Ask our Government to sit down with the Stolen Generations to work out with them how to repair the damage done, and ask fellow Australians to join together to help with healing for us all. Please visit: http://www.journeyofhealing.com/ *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/ Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
