Rooting out evil

JBrown72073 at cs.com JBrown72073 at cs.com
Sun Feb 23 07:42:14 PST 2003


TORONTO, ON, Feb. 17 - Rooting Out Evil formally served

notice today to the U.S. government that it will be

sending an international team of weapons inspectors to

Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Maryland on

Sunday, February 23, 2003 to investigate U.S.

involvement in the development and storage of chemical

and biological weapons of mass destruction.

The international Inspection Team is composed of

prominent Canadian, British, American Danish and Italian

parliamentarians, scientists, academics, faith and union

leaders. The delegation includes: Libby Davies, Member

of Parliament (Canada -- NDP Party); Christy Ferguson,

Organizer and Spokesperson, Rooting Out Evil; David

Langille, Director of Public Affairs, Centre for Social

Justice; Alan Simpson, Member of Parliament (United

Kingdom --- Labour Party) and head of Labour Against the

War; Edward Hammond, Director, Sunshine Project; Peter

Shorett, Director of Programmes, Council for Responsible

Genetics; Samaa Elibyari, Representative, Canadian

Islamic Congress; Deborah Bourque, National President,

Canadian Union of Postal Workers; Steven Staples,

Defense Analyst, Polaris Institute; Mel Watkins,

Professor Emeritus - Economics and Political Science,

University of Toronto; Francesco Martone, Italian Green

Party Senator; Graziella Mascia, Member of Parliament

(Italy -- Rifondazione Communista); Pernille

Rosenkrantz, Member of Parliament (Denmark --- Red-Green

Alliance). In addition to the formal Inspection Team,

Rooting Out Evil has recruited over 20,000 honorary

inspectors through its website, www.rootingoutevil.org.

According to the letter, which was addressed to U.S.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, the Edgewood

facility may be engaged in chemical and biological

weapons activities that contravene both the Chemical

Weapons Convention (CWC) and the Biological and Toxin

Weapons Convention (BWC). The letter further expresses

concerns about U.S. contravention of the Nuclear

Non-Proliferation Treaty, one of the same treaties the

U.S. claims Iraq is contravening.

In its inspections, Rooting Out Evil expects a level of

assistance comparable to that which the United States

expects of other nations suspected of harboring weapons

of mass destruction. However, Inspection Team member and

Rooting Out Evil organizer Christy Ferguson is dubious

about the likelihood of a positive response to the

request for cooperation with the Edgewood inspections.

``While we have sent the letter of request in good

faith, the United States has demonstrated a troubling

history of refusal to meet its obligations and allow

weapons inspections,'' Ferguson commented.

Rooting Out Evil is a Canadian-based coalition of

international citizens opposed to the development,

storage, and use of weapons of mass destruction by any

nation. This effort is supported by a broad coalition of

Canadian and international groups including Greenpeace

Canada, the Centre for Social Justice, the Canadian and

American sections of the Women's International League

for Peace and Freedom, the National Network to End the

War Against Iraq, Global Exchange, and International

A.N.S.W.E.R.

For further information:

Rooting Out Evil - Media Relations

1-416-927-0777

1-888-803-8881 (toll-free)

info at rootingoutevil.org <http://www.rootingoutevil.org/index.php3/Media>

*****

Jenny Brown



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