Calls against war on Iraq develop worldwide - Akahata editorial, January 21

Rallies and demonstrations against a possible war on Iraq were held on January 18 in more than 30 countries, including the United States.

It was the first time since the Vietnam War that such large-scale anti-war actions took place worldwide. It is uniquely important that these anti-war actions, unlike the anti-Vietnam War campaigns, are developing to block the start of an actual war.

U.S. President George W. Bush is going against the world current and indicating an early use of force, saying, "We are ready to attack," and "Time is running out." A U.S. State Department spokesman stated that there is a possibility of attacking Iraq without a new U.N. resolution.

U.S. is in isolation

The Bush administration is not only talking about possible unilateral attacks, it is making preparations for the war by massively deploying forces around Iraq.

What the U.S. government tries to do is to use force to overthrow any government that it does not like. If such an act of hegemony is condoned, war becomes a constant danger.

However, in addition to heads of Middle East countries that would directly be affected if war breaks out, many other national leaders are expressing their opposition to U.S. attacks against Iraq. They constitute a major current of international politics.

The Bush administration claims that Iraq is developing and possessing weapons of mass destruction. But it does so in order to justify its war on Iraq. But UNSC Resolution 1441 states that it is the responsibility of the Security Council to discuss further steps to be taken if Iraq fails to comply with the resolution.

The executive chairman of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) is requesting an extension of the inspection term because the commission has not found decisive evidence that Iraq possesses or is developing weapons of mass destruction.

The Bush administration is trying to rush to use force, but it is now isolated within the U.N. Security Council over granting an extension of the inspection period.

Clearly, the U.S. fails to explain why it must launch a war on Iraq.

Movements in opposition to military action against Iraq are spreading worldwide, and the United States is more isolated from the international community. This shows that the world does not completely allow hegemony to have its own way.

Knocking the bottom out of the world peace order, which the U.N. Charter provides, and trying to control the world with military might cannot be allowed.

It is serious that the Koizumi Cabinet is furthering war cooperation, pledging "close coordination" with the United States on the Iraq issue, dispatching a Japanese Aegis destroyer to the Indian Ocean.

Fukuda Yasuo, chief cabinet secretary, has said "legal preparations" for an attack on Iraq are necessary. Yamasaki Taku, secretary-general of the LDP, has made an appalling remark even in a televised debate that Japan may give its consent to the U.S. use of force without a new U.N. resolution.

Such an attitude challenges the world people's wish for peace and can never be tolerated by the people of Japan.

Let's increase anti-war actions in concert with people worldwide

In Japan, many people, setting aside their political differences, are taking part in the growing movement against a war on Iraq and the Koizumi Cabinet's possible war cooperation with the United States.

The Japanese Communist Party in a recent Central Committee meeting pointed out that a danger of war still remains and called for a broader struggle to be developed quickly to block a war on Iraq and seek a peaceful solution.

Let's do our utmost to make our anti-war voices heard. (end)