From: John McAuliff <jmcauliff@ffrd.org>
Subject: a way out
No doubt you are feeling as trapped as I am by the
seemingly inevitable descent to war. The following is no doubt fanciful,
but I would be grateful for your thoughts both about the general idea and about
the draft text. John
Dear President George Bush and President
Saddam Hussein,
With all due respect for your positions of authority and the support you may be
able to generate domestically and internationally for your current positions
that lead inexorably to war, it is time for you to stop and think and dare to
find a solution that will spare immense suffering to countless innocent
persons.
We urge that some form of direct UN oversight or trusteeship of the government
of Iraq be established for six months to insure to the satisfaction of all
concerned that weapons of mass destruction, and the means to produce them, are
no longer present in Iraq.
President Hussein could assist such a process by taking a leave of absence for
those months and traveling internationally with his family.
President Bush could assist such a process by significantly drawing down US
forces around Iraq and by pledging that the US will take no military action
during the six months of UN supervision.
At the end of six months, both sides have the option of returning to status
quo ante but hopefully during that period an enduring peaceful solution
will be found to the satisfaction of the full membership of the UN Security
Council and the government of Iraq.