Former U.S. Officials Ramsey Clark and Cynthia McKinney Travel to Mideast Anti-War Conference & Syria to Oppose U.S. War Plans

Former U.S. Officials Ramsey Clark and Cynthia McKinney Travel to Mideast Anti-War Conference & Syria to Oppose U.S. War Plans
http://www.iacenter.org/nafricamideast/syria-sf091813/
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
INTERNATIONAL ACTION CENTER
MEDIA ADVISORY / CONTACT: TONY MURPHY (347) 602-1584

While most media coverage makes it look like the war danger has diminished, Secretary of State John Kerry has made it clear that the threat of attack will persist -- that it is still the U.S. strategic plan to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power even if all Syrian chemical weapons are destroyed. (Business Week, Sept. 16)

That's why a delegation of anti-war and human-rights activists from the United States entered Syria this week on a fact-finding trip that is also there to show people-to-people solidarity with Syria and counter the incessant war propaganda spread in the U.S. and NATO countries.

The delegation, organized by the International Action Center, includes former U.S. Attorney General and human rights lawyer Ramsey Clark, former six-term Congressperson from Georgia Cynthia McKinney, Dedon Kamathi of the All African People's Revolutionary Party and Pacifica Radio, Johnny Achi of Arab Americans 4 Syria in Los Angeles, and from the IAC John Parker and Sara Flounders. Some of the delegation members, including the two IAC organizers, have been key to organizing anti-war actions within the United States over the past two weeks.

They intend to continue this activity on their return by reporting of their experience to the people in the U.S. "It is vitally important to bring the truth about the Syrian situation back to the people of the United States," said the IAC's Flounders.

Flounders said the delegation is in Syria "to bring back reports after talking with and meeting with some of the more than 4 million people displaced by the war. This is a war the U.S. government has funded and provoked. We aim to see some of the enormous damage created by this war. We also want to see how the Syrian people have mobilized to resist the war and carry out their everyday life, including providing health care."

Before entering Syria, the delegation also attended in Beirut, Lebanon, the Arab International Forum Against US Aggression on Syria organised by the Arab International Centre for Communication and Solidarity. The forum was organized to counter the threat of a U.S. attack against Syria.

Participants at the forum, besides the delegation, included anti-war leader and MP George Galloway from Britain, ambassadors of Russia, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Nicaragua and many leading organizations from Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. Some of the other organizations represented from the U.S. were the International Anti-imperialist Coordinating Committee, the ANSWER Coalition and the United National Anti-war Coalition.