(http://www.aflcio.org/publ/press2002/pr0405b.htm)
Statement from the AFL-CIO on the Middle East Conflict April 5, 2002
> On behalf of America's working men and women, the AFL-CIO applauds the
> President for sending Secretary of State Colin Powell to the Middle East,
> and for calling for concrete measures to end the spiraling cycle of
> violence. We urge Israel to withdraw its forces from Palestinian cities and
> we call upon Palestinian and Arab leaders to act to end the terror bombings
> and arrest those responsible for them.
>
> The United States must provide leadership in urging the parties to move
> away from war and back to the negotiating table. This country has a vital
> interest in peace in the region. We must be tireless in the pursuit of a
> ceasefire, an end to all acts of terror and violence and the return to
> negotiations that might lead to a political settlement.
>
> Israeli security and Palestinian statehood are inextricably bound together.
> Israel cannot achieve security with military force. The Palestinians will
> not achieve statehood with terrorist bombings. Palestinian statehood
> requires that Israel be made secure; Israel security requires that
> Palestinians be freed of occupation. The only solution in the Middle East
> is a peace process that ends in a political settlement.
>
> When violence escalates, it is working families who pay the price, in loved
> ones lost, homes destroyed and dreams crushed. The overwhelming majority of
> Palestinians and Israelis yearn for a secure and lasting peace. The AFL-CIO
> joins with workers across the world in urging a halt to the violence and a
> return to the peace process.
>
> In this regard, Chairman Yasir Arafat, the leaders of the Palestinian
> Authority and the leaders of allied Arab states have a significant
> responsibility. If the peace process is to succeed, the withdrawal of
> Israeli forces must be accompanied by a cessation of these acts of terror.
> No nation can stand down if its citizens are under attack. Similarly,
> Israeli forces must halt the attacks on the Palestinian security forces
> needed to police the ceasefire. Neither party can afford to allow violence
> to explode renewed negotiations. The UN Security Council is surely right in
> calling for an "immediate cessation of all acts of violence, terror,
> provocation, incitement and destruction."
>
> The terrible cycle of violence must be broken. Negotiation must replace
> conflict; hope must supplant despair. Joining with unions across the world,
> the AFL-CIO stands ready to help workers in the region rebuild their
> economies, their homes and their hopes once the violence stops and a
> settlement is reached. We stand in full support of the ICFTU mission that
> will be arriving in the region shortly and will be meeting with both
> Israeli and Palestinian trade union leaders. We hope that the mission will
> elicit a renewed commitment from workers on both sides, the primary victims
> of the violence, to actively encourage their political leaders to end the
> terror and violence and return to the negotiating table as soon as
> possible.
>
>
-------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <../attachments/20020416/d9ffc1e6/attachment.htm>