southern africa: call to reject war

Appeal of the Southern African People’s Solidarity Network (SAPSN) to the Representative of Angola on the UN Security Council, Ambassador Ismail Martins; and all African governments.

As a network of civil society organizations engaged on the substance and effects of national, regional, continental and international economic agreements and institutions, we are also conscious of the contradictions between
·Our concerns with economic development and global and national equity and
·The lack of human rights guarantees, democracy and peace in our countries.

On the basis of these concerns we met in Malawi in November 2001 to discuss these issues. We noted that
·War is contradictory to the fulfillment for fundamental human rights;
·Recalled the devastating effects of wars over many decades in Africa, to the present day;
·Extended our solidarity to peoples all over the world suffering from wars and all forms of terrorism;
·Expressed our support to the international peoples movement mobilizing against all such wars;

On the basis of these commitments, in the light of the latest drive by the governments of the US, UK and Spain to secure some legitimization for their war aims by the UN Security Council, we urgently call on the representative of Angola on the UN Security Council, and other African member states of the UN to;
·Recall the devastating effects of US state sponsored war in Angola over many decades;
·Reject the proposed resolution in the UN Security Council designed to legitimate the US UK war on Iraq

We call upon all other People’s organizations in Southern Africa and the rest of the continent to endorse this message and circulate it widely.