CPTnet
19 December 2005

BAGHDAD/AMMAN: Christian Peacemakers in Iraq and Jordan respond to
Presidential address

Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) members working in Iraq and Jordan reacted
early Monday to U.S. President George W. Bush's address about the war in
Iraq. Reached by telephone in the team's Baghdad apartment, Maxine Nash
noted how the war has affected the services on which Iraqis rely: "I tried
to watch President Bush's speech," she said, "but I couldn't; there was no
electricity."

Citing the failure to rebuild basic civilian infrastructure, the thousands
of Iraqi detainees in U.S. detention centres, and tens of thousands of
civilian casualties and injuries, CPT has asserted that the United States
and Coalition Forces have failed to bring peace and true democracy to Iraq.
Yet, in his address, the president insisted that the way to defeat what he
calls terrorism and make way for democracy is to continue to go "on the
offensive."

Regarding this claim, full-time Iraq team member Peggy Gish, 63, commented
in Amman, "based on my three years of listening to Iraqis who have suffered
the pain of war, U.S. and Iraqi forces' 'on the offensive,' means continued
mass arrests, house raids and bombing of civilians, continued illegal
detentions, torture, and abuse."

Sheila Provencher, 33, who left Baghdad for Amman three weeks earlier,
added, "Where are these seven out of ten Iraqis that he quotes as saying
that their lives are going well? I wonder if the poll he quoted is like
another I read about recently, which omitted the entire Anbar province
because of security concerns."

"I noticed that the president framed his argument for the war almost
entirely in terms of what he called the 'global terrorist movement' that
will attack America wherever they can,'" Provencher continued.
"Ironically, he does admit that the desire to attack Americans has attracted
Al Qaeda into Iraq."

"But," she added, "he does not seem to realize that there are thousands of
members of a nationalist Iraqi insurgency who will use force to end the
American occupation of their country, without using suicide bombers or
civilian attacks. If he fails to understand the true nature and grievances
of the nationalist insurgency -- namely, that they perceive themselves as
fighting for the freedom of their country -- he will never understand that
the very presence of U.S. troops exacerbates the violence."

CPT has worked in Iraq for more than three years, focusing on the plight of
Iraqi detainees and their families, the effects of U.S. and Iraqi offensives
in civilian areas, and the development of Iraqi peace and human rights
groups.

Instead of further offensives, which only increase the violence and chaos,
CPTers currently living among ordinary Iraqis in Baghdad recommend the U.S.
state its intention to withdraw all U.S. troops immediately (beginning with
urban areas), stopping U.S. bombing, and providing sufficient funds to the
Iraqi people to rebuild basic infrastructure.

CPT further urges an end to illegal detentions and torture in U.S.
facilities and a fair and speedy judicial process for detainees. It also
urges that the U.S. government employ diplomatic means to pressure the
Iraqi government to take corresponding actions regarding detainees held in
Iraqi detention facilities.

At present, four members of CPT remain missing in Iraq after their
disappearance in late November.

Sheila Provencher is available for interviews in Amman. at 011 962 796 851
448.