Following are excerpts.
His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan
Secretary General of the United Nations
New York
Falluja 14 October 2004
Your Excellency
It is very obvious that the American forces are committing crimes of genocide every day in Iraq. Now, while we are writing to Your Excellency, the American forces are committing these crimes in the city of Falluja.
The American warplanes are dropping their most powerful bombs on the civilians in the city, killing and injuring hundreds of innocent people. At the same time their tanks are attacking the city with heavy artillery. As you know, there is no military presence in the city.
There had been no actions taken by the Falluja resistance in recent weeks because the negotiations between representatives of the city and the Government were going well. In this atmosphere, the new bombardment by America has happened while the people of Falluja have been preparing themselves for the fast of Ramadan. Now many of them are trapped under the wreckage of their demolished houses, and nobody can help them while the attack continues.
On the night of the 13th October alone, American bombardment demolished 50 houses on top of their residents. Is this a genocidal crime or a lesson about the Amer i can democracy? It is obvious that the Amer icans are committing acts of terror against the people of Falluja for one reason only: their refusal to accept the Occupation.
Your Excellency and the whole world know that the Americans and their allies devastated our country under the pretext of the threat of WMD. Now, after all the destruction and the killing of thousand[s of] civilians, they have admitted that no weapons were found. But they have said nothing about all the crimes they committed.
Unfortunately everybody is now silent, and will not even dignify the murdered Iraqi civilians with words of condemnation. Are the Americans going to pay compensation as Iraq has been forced to do after the Gulf war?
We know that we are living in world of double standards. In Falluja, they have created a new vague target: AL ZARQAWI. This is a new pretext to justify their crimes, killing and daily bombardment of civilians.
Almost a year has elapsed since they created this new pretext, and whenever they destroy houses, mosques, restaurants, and kill children and women they said, "We have launched a successful operation against Al-Zarqawi." They will never say that they have killed him, because there is no such a person. And that means the killing of civilians and the daily genocide will continue.
The people of Falluja assure you that this person, if he exists, is not in Falluja and is probably not anywhere in Iraq. The people of Falluja have announced many times that any person who sees Al-Zarqawi should kill him.
Now everybody realizes that this man is just a hypothetical hero created by the Americans. At the same time the representative of Falluja, our tribal leader, has denounced on many occasions the kidnapping and killing of civilians, and we have no links to any groups committing such inhuman behaviour.
Excellency, we appeal to you and to all world leaders to exert the greatest pressure on the American administration to stop their crimes in Falluja and withdraw their army far away from the city.
The city was very quiet and peaceful when its people ran it. We didn't witness any disorder in the city. The civil administration was going well given its limited recourses. We simply didn't welcome the occupation forces. This is our right according to the UN Charter, international law and the norms of humanity...
It is very urgent that your Excellency, along with the world leaders, intervenes in a speedy manner to prevent a new massacre.
We have tried to reach your representatives in Iraq, so as to ask them to be more active in this regard, but as you know they are living in the Green Zone where we cannot contact them. We want the UN to be involved in the situation in Falluja so as to avoid a new massacre.
We have tried to reach you through different channels and by asking our friends to convey this letter to your office in New York or Geneva with the hope that it will reach you. At the same time we appeal to you to urge the UN agencies in Iraq to take an active role in protecting civilians and preventing the new massacre which the Americans and the puppet government are planning to start soon in Falluja as well as many parts of our country.
Best regards.
Kassim Abdullsattar al-Jumaily
President
The Study Center of Human Rights & Democracy
On behalf of the people of Falluja & for:
Al-Fallujah Shura Council
The Bar Association
The Teacher Union
Council of Tribes Leaders
The House of Fatwa & Religious Education
Reprinted from the Nov. 4, 2004, issue of Workers World newspaper
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