Dear friends,
Please find here a report made by Paddy Colligan (International Action
center) about the Brussels DU Conference "Victims speak) (1st of March).
-- Michel Collon
michel.collon@...
Campaign to ban weapons
Soldiers, doctors testify on effects of DU
By Paddy Colligan
Brussels, Belgium
People from a dozen countries attending a March 1-2 conference here
grappled
with how to organize cooperatively to stop the Pentagon and NATO from
using
depleted-uranium weapons.
The Belgium-based Coalition for the Abolition of Depleted Uranium
brought
together victims of depleted uranium, anti-war activists and
researchers for
two days of working meetings and a public presentation to 500 people
at the
Free University of Brussels.
Participants agreed to continue working together to stop DU use.
Western Europe's corporate media have publicized the possibility of
danger
from DU over the last few months as alarming numbers of young,
previously
healthy NATO soldiers from European countries occupying Kosovo have
come
home from Kosovo with leukemia and other fatal health problems.
So far, there has been no publicity indicating that a similar epidemic
might
exist among U.S. Balkans veterans. European participants at the
conference
noted, however, that U.S. troops have been assigned to areas with
little DU
contamination.
Recently, demonstrators in Greece, Portugal, Italy and other European
countries have demanded that soldiers be brought back from Kosovo and
not
replaced. Greek anti-DU activists, backed by a broad working-class
movement
that almost unanimously opposed the nearby NATO war in 1999, have
brought
home about a quarter of the Greek soldiers stationed in Kosovo.
The basic effects of depleted uranium--a radioactive and toxic
substance--are known. Much still needs to be learned about how DU
works when
combined with other factors, including the age of those exposed and
the
presence of other toxins.
Instead of investigating these potential threats, the U.S./NATO
military
authorities refuse to acknowledge DU's role in the illnesses of Gulf
and
Balkans veterans. They have done everything possible to keep a lid on
the
outrage about the use of DU weapons.
They have consistently stonewalled, administering the wrong tests,
losing
records, and using all kinds of bureaucratic methods to be sure no
connection is made between these illnesses and DU.
Soldiers, doctors testify
The conference focused mainly on hearing from military victims of DU.
They
came from England, Yugoslavia, France, Belgium, Spain and other
countries.
Despite physical and psychological pain, they came to help others
understand
the horrors of DU.
Patricia Rodriguez, a young woman from Seville, Spain, recently lost
her
boyfriend, who had served in Kosovo, when he died from a rapidly
progressing
form of leukemia. She said: "I do this to let the other Spanish
soldiers
know what they are getting into. They can make their own choice--it's
their
life, but they should know."
She was astounded to learn that the U.S. military knew the effects of
DU
before using it.
Gena Mertens, a young German doctor with International Physicians
against
Nuclear War, is working on a standard operating procedure for
diagnosing
depleted-uranium exposure. Fifty ailing Balkans veterans have already
contacted her, volunteering to be part of a database of DU victims
that she
is assembling.
Developing an accurate physical examination to detect the presence and
effects of DU exposure will be a way to call the bluff of the
U.S./NATO
medical and military authorities.
Aws Albaiti, an Iraqi physician who worked in Baghdad from 1990 to
1999, has
seen many medical problems caused by DU exposure. He pointed out,
"Your
victims are adults; ours are adults and children."
Iraqi children, he said, have experienced a 12-fold increase in
leukemia and
lymphomas. The increase among adults has been five- to six-fold.
The U.S./United Nations sanctions against Iraq have prevented that
country
from importing medicine and food that could have saved lives and
alleviated
pain.
Albaiti questioned the timing of the interest in DU. "Iraqis have been
suffering since 1991," he said. "We said it was used in the war. Now
you
hear about DU. ... All Iraqi people are asking if this is a form of
discrimination."
A doctor and a victim of DU who were invited from Iraq were denied
visas by
the Belgian government. Dr. Albaiti was already in Europe receiving
training.
Dr. Dragutin Ilic reported on cancer statistics in the hospital in
Sarajevo,
Bosnia, where he works. In 1995-2000, the the number of cancer cases,
particularly leukemia and lymphoma, treated in this hospital increased
many
times over.
U.S./NATO planes that attacked Bosnia in 1995 used DU shells.
A Serbian researcher said there is a public health disaster in Kosovo
waiting to happen. DU was first used there two years ago. The people
in the
NATO-occupied territory have been told nothing about the contamination
of
the water and ground.
In contaminated areas of Serbia outside of Kosovo, the Yugoslav
government
educated the population about DU's hazards and is taking precautions.
A representative from the U.S.-based International Action Center said
there
is no contradiction between defending the rights of the civilian
victims of
DU and defending the rights of the rank-and-file soldiers who are also
victims. These soldiers are the sons and daughters of the working
class and
should not become cannon fodder in imperialist wars.
Other speakers pointed out that the United States used DU weapons
during
wars in Bosnia, Kosovo and Serbia, and in test bombings of Vieques in
Puerto
Rico, south Korea and Okinawa.
DU weapons are now produced in several countries and are used by many
armies. Their manufacture and export is very profitable to U.S.
corporations.
The organizations present agreed that there should be a total ban on
depleted uranium weapons. They also demanded that NATO and the United
States
pay for the cleanup of DU and for the medical needs of the military
victims
and the people still living in the countries left with this
environmental
and medical time bomb.
Participants agreed to use the Internet to share the latest medical
and
scientific findings, research on the arms industry, and leaflets and
pamphlets to explain DU in lay terms for more effective organizing
around
this issue. They also decided to organize missions of investigation
and
solidarity with soldiers, celebrities, doctors and professionals next
September, and to meet again in Brussels in December.
The writer represented the
International Action Center
at the Brussels DU conference.
- END -
(Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and
distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not
allowed.
For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY
10011; via
e-mail: ww@w... For subscription info send message to:
info@w... Web: http://www.workers.org)
---
URANIO IMPOVERITO: DICHIARAZIONE DI EMMA BONINO
Roma, 7 marzo 2001. "Ora che anche gli scienziati cui si è appellata
l' Unione europea sono giunti alla conclusione (come già molti americani
ed alcuni autorevoli ma isolati colleghi italiani) che l'uranio
impoverito "non ha effetti rilevabili sulla salute umana" a livelli
limitati di esposizione (quali quelli registrati durante le operazioni
della Nato in Kossovo) dove sono finiti tutti coloro - politici,
giornalisti e presunti esperti di varia natura - che intorno alla
questione uranio impoverito misero in scena una irresponsabile
sceneggiata che confuse l'opinione pubblica e rischiò persino di
inquinare i rapporti fra l'Italia e la Nato e quelli fra l'Unione
europea e le nuove autorità di Belgrado?
Altrettanto interessante sarebbe sapere se, e a quali conclusioni sono
giunti gli scienziati italiani della cosiddetta "Commissione Mandelli",
cui
il governo ha affidato il compito di chiarire i termini della
questione".
---
Questa lista e' provvisoriamente curata da componenti
dell'ex Coordinamento Nazionale "La Jugoslavia Vivra'",
oggi "Comitato Promotore dell'Assemblea Antimperialista".
I documenti distribuiti non rispecchiano necessariamente le
opinioni delle realta' che compongono questa struttura, ma
vengono fatti circolare per il loro contenuto informativo al
solo scopo di segnalazione e commento ("for fair use only").
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Please find here a report made by Paddy Colligan (International Action
center) about the Brussels DU Conference "Victims speak) (1st of March).
-- Michel Collon
michel.collon@...
Campaign to ban weapons
Soldiers, doctors testify on effects of DU
By Paddy Colligan
Brussels, Belgium
People from a dozen countries attending a March 1-2 conference here
grappled
with how to organize cooperatively to stop the Pentagon and NATO from
using
depleted-uranium weapons.
The Belgium-based Coalition for the Abolition of Depleted Uranium
brought
together victims of depleted uranium, anti-war activists and
researchers for
two days of working meetings and a public presentation to 500 people
at the
Free University of Brussels.
Participants agreed to continue working together to stop DU use.
Western Europe's corporate media have publicized the possibility of
danger
from DU over the last few months as alarming numbers of young,
previously
healthy NATO soldiers from European countries occupying Kosovo have
come
home from Kosovo with leukemia and other fatal health problems.
So far, there has been no publicity indicating that a similar epidemic
might
exist among U.S. Balkans veterans. European participants at the
conference
noted, however, that U.S. troops have been assigned to areas with
little DU
contamination.
Recently, demonstrators in Greece, Portugal, Italy and other European
countries have demanded that soldiers be brought back from Kosovo and
not
replaced. Greek anti-DU activists, backed by a broad working-class
movement
that almost unanimously opposed the nearby NATO war in 1999, have
brought
home about a quarter of the Greek soldiers stationed in Kosovo.
The basic effects of depleted uranium--a radioactive and toxic
substance--are known. Much still needs to be learned about how DU
works when
combined with other factors, including the age of those exposed and
the
presence of other toxins.
Instead of investigating these potential threats, the U.S./NATO
military
authorities refuse to acknowledge DU's role in the illnesses of Gulf
and
Balkans veterans. They have done everything possible to keep a lid on
the
outrage about the use of DU weapons.
They have consistently stonewalled, administering the wrong tests,
losing
records, and using all kinds of bureaucratic methods to be sure no
connection is made between these illnesses and DU.
Soldiers, doctors testify
The conference focused mainly on hearing from military victims of DU.
They
came from England, Yugoslavia, France, Belgium, Spain and other
countries.
Despite physical and psychological pain, they came to help others
understand
the horrors of DU.
Patricia Rodriguez, a young woman from Seville, Spain, recently lost
her
boyfriend, who had served in Kosovo, when he died from a rapidly
progressing
form of leukemia. She said: "I do this to let the other Spanish
soldiers
know what they are getting into. They can make their own choice--it's
their
life, but they should know."
She was astounded to learn that the U.S. military knew the effects of
DU
before using it.
Gena Mertens, a young German doctor with International Physicians
against
Nuclear War, is working on a standard operating procedure for
diagnosing
depleted-uranium exposure. Fifty ailing Balkans veterans have already
contacted her, volunteering to be part of a database of DU victims
that she
is assembling.
Developing an accurate physical examination to detect the presence and
effects of DU exposure will be a way to call the bluff of the
U.S./NATO
medical and military authorities.
Aws Albaiti, an Iraqi physician who worked in Baghdad from 1990 to
1999, has
seen many medical problems caused by DU exposure. He pointed out,
"Your
victims are adults; ours are adults and children."
Iraqi children, he said, have experienced a 12-fold increase in
leukemia and
lymphomas. The increase among adults has been five- to six-fold.
The U.S./United Nations sanctions against Iraq have prevented that
country
from importing medicine and food that could have saved lives and
alleviated
pain.
Albaiti questioned the timing of the interest in DU. "Iraqis have been
suffering since 1991," he said. "We said it was used in the war. Now
you
hear about DU. ... All Iraqi people are asking if this is a form of
discrimination."
A doctor and a victim of DU who were invited from Iraq were denied
visas by
the Belgian government. Dr. Albaiti was already in Europe receiving
training.
Dr. Dragutin Ilic reported on cancer statistics in the hospital in
Sarajevo,
Bosnia, where he works. In 1995-2000, the the number of cancer cases,
particularly leukemia and lymphoma, treated in this hospital increased
many
times over.
U.S./NATO planes that attacked Bosnia in 1995 used DU shells.
A Serbian researcher said there is a public health disaster in Kosovo
waiting to happen. DU was first used there two years ago. The people
in the
NATO-occupied territory have been told nothing about the contamination
of
the water and ground.
In contaminated areas of Serbia outside of Kosovo, the Yugoslav
government
educated the population about DU's hazards and is taking precautions.
A representative from the U.S.-based International Action Center said
there
is no contradiction between defending the rights of the civilian
victims of
DU and defending the rights of the rank-and-file soldiers who are also
victims. These soldiers are the sons and daughters of the working
class and
should not become cannon fodder in imperialist wars.
Other speakers pointed out that the United States used DU weapons
during
wars in Bosnia, Kosovo and Serbia, and in test bombings of Vieques in
Puerto
Rico, south Korea and Okinawa.
DU weapons are now produced in several countries and are used by many
armies. Their manufacture and export is very profitable to U.S.
corporations.
The organizations present agreed that there should be a total ban on
depleted uranium weapons. They also demanded that NATO and the United
States
pay for the cleanup of DU and for the medical needs of the military
victims
and the people still living in the countries left with this
environmental
and medical time bomb.
Participants agreed to use the Internet to share the latest medical
and
scientific findings, research on the arms industry, and leaflets and
pamphlets to explain DU in lay terms for more effective organizing
around
this issue. They also decided to organize missions of investigation
and
solidarity with soldiers, celebrities, doctors and professionals next
September, and to meet again in Brussels in December.
The writer represented the
International Action Center
at the Brussels DU conference.
- END -
(Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and
distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not
allowed.
For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY
10011; via
e-mail: ww@w... For subscription info send message to:
info@w... Web: http://www.workers.org)
---
URANIO IMPOVERITO: DICHIARAZIONE DI EMMA BONINO
Roma, 7 marzo 2001. "Ora che anche gli scienziati cui si è appellata
l' Unione europea sono giunti alla conclusione (come già molti americani
ed alcuni autorevoli ma isolati colleghi italiani) che l'uranio
impoverito "non ha effetti rilevabili sulla salute umana" a livelli
limitati di esposizione (quali quelli registrati durante le operazioni
della Nato in Kossovo) dove sono finiti tutti coloro - politici,
giornalisti e presunti esperti di varia natura - che intorno alla
questione uranio impoverito misero in scena una irresponsabile
sceneggiata che confuse l'opinione pubblica e rischiò persino di
inquinare i rapporti fra l'Italia e la Nato e quelli fra l'Unione
europea e le nuove autorità di Belgrado?
Altrettanto interessante sarebbe sapere se, e a quali conclusioni sono
giunti gli scienziati italiani della cosiddetta "Commissione Mandelli",
cui
il governo ha affidato il compito di chiarire i termini della
questione".
---
Questa lista e' provvisoriamente curata da componenti
dell'ex Coordinamento Nazionale "La Jugoslavia Vivra'",
oggi "Comitato Promotore dell'Assemblea Antimperialista".
I documenti distribuiti non rispecchiano necessariamente le
opinioni delle realta' che compongono questa struttura, ma
vengono fatti circolare per il loro contenuto informativo al
solo scopo di segnalazione e commento ("for fair use only").
Archivio:
> http://www.domeus.it/circles/jugoinfo
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/messages
Sito WEB:
> http://digilander.iol.it/lajugoslaviavivra
Per iscriversi al bollettino: <jugoinfo-subscribe@...>
Per cancellarsi: <jugoinfo-unsubscribe@...>
Per inviare materiali e commenti: <jugocoord@...>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ti piace leggere?
Cosa preferisci?
I classici, gli erotici, le favole, la magia...?
Scopri le 5 straordinarie offerte: + del 50% di sconto!
da eCircle e Gullivertown
http://www.domeus.it/ad1170711/216.74.87.165
Se vuoi cancellarti da questo gruppo, clicca qui: http://www.domeus.it/info/unsubscribe