The Right Hon. Jean Chretien,
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ont.
K1A 0A6

To the Honourable The Prime Minister of Canada

As a U.S.-led attack on Iraq appears ever more imminent, Canadian Unitarian-Universalists wish to reiterate our plea to you of October 2002 to refuse Canadian military involvement in any action against Iraq that does not respect international law and is not sanctioned by the United Nations under procedures that respect the integrity of this institution and all its member states.

Unitarian-Universalists covenant to affirm and promote the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all. As we warmed to the festivities of the holiday season and contemplated its universal message of peace on earth and good will amongst all its peoples, many of us felt revulsion at the thought that others in our world community were contemplating sending terror and death to innocent children, women and men in Iraq.

We are appalled at the brutality of the leadership in Iraq. However, we have heard no convincing or believable evidence that the Iraqi leadership poses an immediate or near-term threat to us, to any of our allies, or to any of its neighbouring states. As a result, we believe the deaths of innocent Iraqi children, women and men that will accompany an attack will be unjustified, illegal, and against any principles of human decency.

This belief is supported by the lack of evidence that good faith efforts have been exhausted to resolve differences with the Iraqi regime. In 1999, major U.S. media revealed that the first group of U.N. weapons inspectors, which was withdrawn in December 1998, included U.S. spies in the inspection teams. Since then the U.S. has succeeded in obtaining the removal of Jose Bustani, head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons when he appeared to be making progress in getting Iraq to sign the chemical weapons convention. And most recently, the U.S. administration has removed two-thirds of the pages from Iraq's report on its weapons of mass destruction before the report was made available to the non-permanent members of the Security Council, removing any possibility of an independent assessment of Iraq's compliance with U.N. demands.

We do not know whether or not Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction. We do know that Israel, India, Pakistan, China, Russia, France, Britain and the U.S. have them in such quantities as to beggar whatever he has. Good faith negotiations should begin with a frank recognition that all member states of the U.N. must respect international law, must disavow use of these weapons and must begin to take practical steps for their elimination. In such a framework, the U.S. and Russia, having the greatest stocks of these weapons, should lead by example.

In 1974 the Canadian Unitarian Council adopted a resolution recognizing that "peace includes the broader concept of mental, physical and spiritual well being of people". We were heartened by your televised comments this past fall reflecting your view that the great disparities in quality of life that
pertain in our world today must be reduced as an essential ingredient in
combating terrorism and promoting global peace and security. We believe that an important step towards peace-building with Iraq and in the Middle East would be to lift, or at least dramatically alter" the U.N. sanctions against Iraq to enable the Iraqi people to rebuild their lives their society.

We support your efforts to avoid a war, and urge you to continue these efforts and to assure Canadians that Canada will not get involved in any action against Iraq that does not respect international law and is not sanctioned by the U.N. under procedures that respect the integrity of this institution and all its member states.

We send you this plea, wishing sincerely for peace, liberty, and justice for all,

Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed
President, Canadian Unitarian Council

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RESPONSE RECEIVED JANUARY 9, 2003

Dear Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed:

On behalf of the Prime Minister, I would like to acknowledge receipt of your recent e-mail.

The time you have taken to write is appreciated and you may be assured that your comments have been noted. Please know that Canadian policy towards Iraq continues to be motivated by our concerns about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and the humanitarian situation of the Iraqi people. These concerns are shared very broadly within the international community and there is strong support for insisting that Iraq meet its disarmament obligations in full.

As you are no doubt aware, Iraq recently accepted United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441. As the Prime Minister said in a recent statement, Canada and the rest of the international community will be watching closely to ensure that Saddam Hussein complies, without condition or delay, and in all respects, with the spirit and letter of the resolution. Should military action prove necessary in the end because Iraq continues to defy the collective will of the international community, we expect that it would take place under United Nations Security Council authorization.

I have taken the liberty of forwarding your e-mail to the Honourable Bill Graham, Minister of Foreign Affairs, for his information and review. I am certain that the Minister will appreciate being made aware of your views and will wish to give them every consideration.

L.A. Lavell
Executive Correspondence Officer
Agent de correspondance
de la haute direction