Bro Emlyn for Peace and Justice

Our Friday 2nd March meeting was addressed by Mrs Nawal Chafaf of the Iraqi Women's League and other invited guests. It was attended by over 30 supporters.

Guests (left to right) Mr Qassim Chafaf retired lecturer in architecture and town planning. Mrs Nawal Chafaf teacher and active member of the Iraqi Women's League. Calvin Tucker political journalist - British and International affairs. Yuri Cohen Iraqi democrat. (click image for larger version).

Bro-Emlyn for Peace and Justice is a group which started as part of the anti-war coalition, and felt the need to redefine itself when the bombs stopped falling. At the meeting on Friday 2nd May, there were 4 guests, Mrs Nawal Chafaf from the Iraqi Women's League, the main speaker, her husband Mr Qassim Chafaf, a retired lecturer in architecture and town planning, Mr Calvin Tucker, political journalist for British and International affairs, and Mr Yuri Cohen, an Iraqi democrat.

The meeting was attended by members from several groups belonging to the Anti-war Coalition. It was an opportunity to put a human face to the problems of Iraq - we had discussed the week before the possibility of twinning, and exchange visits between Iraq and Wales. Suddenly the suffering of the people during and after the war became real. Although our visitors were Iraqi exiles, they all have family in Iraq. They told us that telephoning, the only way they had been able to keep in touch, was now almost impossible because communication systems had been ruined by the war. There was a limited service restored, but, controlled by the Americans, a minute or two on the phone cost, in dollars, more than most Iraqis could pay. Mr Chafaf said that during the war a bomb had detonated very near his family home, and he was not sure even now what damage was done, and who had survived.

Mrs Chafaf read out a letter from the Iraqi Women's League to the Minister for International Development, Clare Short, requesting a meeting with representatives from the League to discuss the way forward in the reconstruction of Iraq with particular reference to the needs of women and children. I enclose a copy. This letter addresses the immediate problems for families of the day to day living with the chaos caused by the war, and by the previous sanctions and Saddam's brutal regime, as well as ongoing political issues to be resolved. Perhaps because it is written by women, it is practical and down to earth, the issues it raises are not complicated or difficult to grasp. One might almost say they are self-evident given the current situation.

However, in spite of repeated enquiries to Mrs Short's office, the League has been unable to get an acknowledgement, let alone a reply, or an appointment to see the Minister and discuss the points raised. This has been going on for 3 weeks. One secretary after another has told members of the League that Mrs Short is very busy, and has not yet been able to find time to address the League's concerns.

When Mrs Short back-pedalled on her promise to resign if Britain went to war with Iraq, her reasons were that she needed to keep her government job in order to work on post-war reconstruction. She said she could best do this from a position of strength, or words to that effect. How then can she not now 'find time' to even acknowledge the request from an Iraqi organisation which has been working for nearly half a century with and for Iraqi women, first in Iraq, then in exile in Mrs Short's own country? Is dialogue with Iraqis not of paramount importance in her work of reconstruction? Or has she become an American sidekick like Mr Blair? Is she following the American way to world peace and security, which boils down to 'the white man knows best'? Is she going to help replace the priceless artefacts of the world's oldest civilisation with McDonald's-in-the-McDesert, and shopping malls for all?

Further, when is the promised reconstruction going to take place? The League's letter documents basic ongoing lacks in the necessities for life, such as clean water, food, medical supplies, wages for key workers. Why have these basics not yet been supplied by two countries that have the power and expertise to wage sophisticated modern warfare? There is no practical reason for the continuing suffering of the Iraqi people at this level. The US army has been quoted as saying 'we are trained for war, not peace'; unforgivable on the part of their leaders, who had plenty of time to plan for peace in the run-up to war. Are we the British of the same mind? It seems that in Basra, under British army control, things are marginally better, as our army has the training and experience for peace keeping. Their PR certainly wins hands down. But it's not enough.

The letter from the Iraqi Women's League to Clare Short ends: 'We await your urgent reply'.

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2nd May 2003: Welcome to Iraqi guests