[Peace-discuss] State of the Union Address- "Claims and Evaluations of Iraq's Proscribed Weapons"

[Charles Jenks]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHAT:  "Claims  and Evaluations of Iraq's Proscribed Weapons"

WHO:  Glen Rangwala (lecturer in politics at Cambridge University, co-author
of the "Counter-Dossier," Labour Against the War's statement in opposition
to Prime Minister Blair's Dossier); gr10009 at cam.ac.uk

WHERE:  http://middleeastreference.org.uk/iraqweapons.html
Also see http://traprockpeace.org for Counter-Dossier and links to Glen
Rangwala's Work


The President delivered a state of the Union address that revisited old and
previously dismissed themes about biological and chemical weapons
capabilities and attempts to rejuvenate a nuclear weapons program. He said
that the US will go to the UN on February 5th and present evidence of Iraq's
non-compliance to the UNSC.

The best resource available to consider these claims is found at
http://middleeastreference.org.uk/iraqweapons.html

Mr. Rangwala was co-author (with Alan Simpson, MP) of the Counter-Dossier
(http://www.traprockpeace.org/counter-dossier.html).  It was the Labour
Party Against the War's official 'pre-buttal' to Tony Blair's dossier on
Iraq.  The Bush Administration relied on the Blair dossier (released on
September 24, 2002) to back its claims against Iraq.  Dr. Rangwala then
wrote Further Notes to the Counter-Dossier (Part II), which rebutted the
Blair dossier point by point.

(Traprock Peace Center - in cooperation with Mr. Rangwala - published these
documents in the US - on the web and as booklets.  The Education for Peace
in Iraq Center (EPIC) chose the Counter-Dossier as training material for its
lobbyists (Part II was still being revised), and then both Parts I and II
were hand-delivered to members of Congress by EPIC, Traprock, Peace Action,
WILPF, the Sisters of Saint Joseph and many volunteers on Lobby Day,
September 29, 2002.)

Mr. Rangwala continued his research, and developed the new site.  For a
time, it was available only to researchers while it was under development.
He gave us the go ahead to link to it several days ago, when we posted it on
our website.

As I write, the site is experiencing immense internet traffic.  You may get
messages that read "bandwidth exceeded." If you want hard facts to rebut the
President's claims, try and try again to get through.

Mr. Rangwala, Nathaniel Hurd (NGO consultant on UN Iraq policy) and
Alistair Millar (vice president of the Fourth Freedom Forum and director of
the organization's Washington office) also wrote an excellent piece for the
Middle East Report Online - published today at
http://www.merip.org/mero/mero012803.html
Though not in as much detail, the article covers - in an acute anticipation
of the President's speech - most of the claims that he raised concerning
weapons of mass destruction tonight.

Traprock Peace Center has the Counter-Dossier on its site and available in
book form, and its site has links to Mr. Rangwala's new site and has posted
the article with Mr. Hurd and Mr. Millar.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  Also, you may
reach Glen Rangwala at gr10009 at cam.ac.uk.

Thank you.

Charles Jenks
President, 
Traprock Peace Center - http://traprockpeace.org
charles at mtdata.com