A
LETTER TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH TO DEMAND THAT THE CPV BE INCLUDED IN THE
"AXIS OF EVIL"
May
9, 2003
The
Honorable George W. Bush
President
of the United States of America
The
White House
Washington
D. C. 20500
Dear
Mr. President:
We,
Vietnamese Americans in the United States of America wish to congratulate
you on the winning of the war on Iraq. The swift victory over the war with
minor casualties on civilians and US troops is highly valued. And this is
the most difficult thing that any world leader could ever achieve under the
circumstances.
Vietnamese
Americans have agreed without any reservations with the way you handle the
problems though the American left wing has tried to sabotage your policies
and though large popular anti-war demonstrations were held throughout the
world and even in the USA. We believe that what the people on the American
left did would encourage terrorism to expand its activities. In response to
them, in late March and early April, we continuously and publicly gathered
in Southern and Northern California, Houston, etc. to voice our support to
you in fighting global terrorism. The world would never be safe if Saddam
Hussein and his allies still exist and their people continue to suffer.
We
urge you to finish the job of protecting people from terrorism. In addition
to members of your stated ‘axis of evil’, we would like you to include
the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in it.
Before
and during the war, the CPV was the strongest group that publicly supported
and defended Saddam and his policies in many ways, strongly criticizing what
it called American imperialism.
In
fact, the CPV unequivocally sided with and defended Saddam Hussein through
its official statements; its leaders’ position on the war, and approval of
public protests throughout Vietnam.
A.
STATEMENT OF THE SRVN GOVERNMENT AGAINST IRAQ WAR.
The
statement said: "…This action constitutes a gross violation of
fundamental principles of international law, including the United Nations
Charter. It also renders the United Nations ineffective, creates an
extremely dangerous precedent in international relations, causes suffering
to the Iraqi people and undermines peace and stability in the Middle East
and the world."
It
demanded that "national independence, sovereignty and territorial
integrity must be fully respected" and that "conflicts must be
settled peacefully on the basis of equality and mutual respect, refraining
from the threat or use of force".
It
vehemently condemned " the military action waged by the American and
British governments against the Iraqi people", and also demanded
"full respect for Iraq’s national independence, sovereignty and
territorial integrity and restore peace in the region and stability in the
world". Source: Nhan Dan,
March 20, 03.
The
CPV views the U.S. action as an imperialist invasion and use force to occupy
another country. It never mentions the mass destruction weapons that Saddam
Hussein tried to hide and that Resolution 1441 of the UN Security Council
allowed the search for these waepons. It intentionally ignores or tacitly
agrees with the fact that Saddam committed genocide against the Kurds in the
North, used biological weapons to mass- murder the Shiites in the South, cut
off ears or tongues of those who opposed his policies. It pretended not to
know that Saddam Hussein used 72% of the proceeds of the "Oil For Food
Programme" to produce mass destruction weapons, and consolidate his
regime. As a consequence, the Iraqi people suffered hunger and lacked
medicine.
B.
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS’ POSITON ON THE WAR.
-
Vu Khoan, Deputy Premier, in a rare meeting with foreign reporters on Feb
19, 03 stated: "We think that any activities need to be conducted on
the basis of respect for national sovereignty and the protection of peace
and stability". Source: BBC monitoring International Reports, Feb 20,
03
-
Nguyen dy Nien, Foreign Minister, quoted by Vietnam News Agency on March 20,
03 while in Kuala Lumpur for a meeting of ASEAN as saying that the attack on
Iraq will have unpredictable consequences for the world\. It "will
seriously harm peace, security and all aspects of political and economic
life the world over" Source: Kyodo News Services, March 20, 03.
-
Nguyen thanh Chau, Vietnamese Ambassador at the United Nations on March 26
said at an urgent meeting of the Security Council on
Iraq
" the use of force against an
independent, sovereign state and member of the United Nations constitutes a
gross violation of the UN Charter and fundamental principles of
international law\. I t also renders the UN ineffective, creates an
extremely dangerous precedent in international relations and undermines
peace and stability in the region and the world." Source: Nhan
Dan, March 28, 03
-
On March 10, Phan Thuy Thanh, spokeswoman of the Foreign Ministry said UN
weapons inspectors’ March 7 report submitted to the UN Security Council
has made clear that their mission in Iraq has been making encouraging
progress, and Iraq’s increasingly active co-operation with UN weapons
inspectors. The statement accused the US of arrogance and inconsiderateness
Those officials who are also CPV top
leaders in charge of foreign affairs have strongly made their Party position
known to the world. Previously the CPV did support Milosevic, Taliban.
However, no ranking members of the party came out and showed this type and
level of strong anti- American opposition.
C.
MASS MEDIA:
-
On March 19, Hanoi Radio criticized the US for INCONSIDERATENESS, ARROGANCE
in sending the ULTIMATUM to Saddam Hussein. "By giving the ultimatum
demanding President Saddam Hussein and his sons to leave Iraq, the US showed
disregard for all efforts to preserve peace\. By disapproval of the UN
Security Council as well as the compromising attitude and active cooperation
on the part of Iraq with the weapons inspection team, the US has reached a
farthest limit of inconsiderateness and arrogance. The massive war machine
of the US and its allies is moving towards Iraq with the intention to crush
the Iraq’s freedom and aspiration for national independence and to conquer
a country where the people had been suffering so much…With the US using
groundless accusations to stage an invasion war against Iraq, and having
neither a pretext of an international mandate nor an acceptable motive for
the attacks, their real intention of removing President Saddam Hussein, and
installing a new reg ime in Iraq that suits their own interests is now
clearly exposed: blatant violation of the UN Charter and international laws
as well as a dangerous precedent in international relations…Who will be
the next victim of the craze of violence of the White House. The US is
obsessed by mere hallucinations when they think they can easily win this
war…by using many advanced weapons including the H-bombs and E-bombs.
Protecting Iraq means protecting peace and the accomplishments of the
civilized humanity."
-
On March 14, an article on Nhan Dan commented that "Paying no heed to
such efforts by Iraq and the world community in seeking a peaceful solution
to Iraq and in defiance of possible severe consequences from the war in
Iraq, hostile forces in the US and UK and their allies are getting
everything ready to use force to resolve the Iraq crisis. Washington and
London have failed in their two attempts to draft resolutions allowing them
to attack Iraq. Washington ‘s moves have run counter to aspirations of
peace and justice loving people worldwide including the American people who
support settling the Iraqi issue by peaceful means. Vietnamese people
strongly support the Iraq people’s struggle to defend national
independence and sovereignty and territorial integrity . The US and UK
overtly seize strategic position for Iraq’s abundant oil resources, before
controlling the black gold reserves in the entire Middle East region."
-On
March 25, Vietnam News Agency in a rare political comment said the US wants
to control the second biggest oil reserve in the world and then the Middle
East region as a whole, then raised a question "Do the 26 million Iraqi
people, 60 per cent of whom have been depending on the Food for Oil
Programme, really pose a threat of terrorism for security in the US?"
-On
April 4, 03 , an article on Nhan Dan said: "Following the wars in
Afghanistan, human dignity and destiny continue to be trampled under foot by
the on-going US and British led war in Iraq. Defenseless Iraqi people are
being grossly deprived of their rights to life\. Once again, human lives
have been sacrificed at the expenses of the tycoons’ ambitions… It
should be recalled that imperialist forces previously used the pretext of
freedom and equality to launch a war against Vietnam. At present, those very
forces use the label of democracy and human rights to carry out peaceful
evolution in the former war-torn country."
D.
WAR PROTESTS THROUGHOUT VIETNAM.
The
CPV officially allowed mass organizations to stage many public protests
throughout the country, including in provinces bordering China in the North,
provinces in Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam. Hanoi’s mass media
reported that thousands of people participated in the demonstrations.
-
On March 16, more than 2,000 people attended a meeting and approved a
statement denouncing any move by the US administration to launch a war in
Iraq. They called on the UN to take appropriate measures to stop the war. It
was organized by the Vietnam fatherland Front, Vietnam War Veterans
Association, Hanoi Buddhist Shangha and other mass-organizations. Earlier,
300 representatives of
Vietnam
women rallied in
Hanoi
, voicing support for Iraqi
people’s struggle for national independence and sovereignty.
-
On Feb. 18, in
Hanoi
, 1,300 people confirmed that the
Vietnamese people demanded peace for
Iraq
and protested against any
aggressive war in
Iraq
. The meeting was organized by the
Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Vietnam Peace
Committee, the Vietnam Committee for Solidarity and Co-operation with Asian,
African and Latin American People and the Vietnam-Iraq friendship
Association. They called on peace loving people in the world to continue to
struggle for peace and against the war on
Iraq
.
-
On Feb.19, Vietnam Lawyers Association and its Hanoi chapter called for
respect for national independence, sovereignty, the UN Charter and
international laws at a conference; 1,000 students from colleges and the
Hanoi Medical University called for greatest efforts from progressive people
around the world to defend peace and asked the pro-war forces in the US and
Britain to stop military actions against Iraq and to respect the
independence and territory sovereignty of the Iraqi people as they do with
other countries; called upon the UN to have practical measures to ensure
peace in the world and end the embargo, thus helping the Iraqi people enjoy
the basic rights of an independent nation: Their banners read "No War;
Peace for the Earth; Non-violent Peace; Peace for Iraq".
-
On Feb 18, more than 1,000 representatives from all walks of life in
Ho chi Minh City
held a meeting in support of peace
for the Iraqi people. They strongly condemned the
US
and British administrations for
preparing to stage an aggressive war against
Iraq
, and requested them to respect the
national independence and sovereignty of other nations, first of the
Iraq
. Protests also were staged in Thua
Thien-Hue provinces and
Hanoi
.
-
On March 18, 8 provinces and
Haiphong
held meeting: with 20,000
participants in Northern and
Central provinces
have voiced their support for peace
and opposition to an invasion of
Iraq
.
-
On March 19, in Ho chi Minh City, 10,000 including intellectuals, women,
young people, workers, religious believers and war veterans held a meeting,
and 5,000 took to the street, expressing indignation against bellicose
forces who intend to stage a war against Iraq, threatening the lives of
millions of Iraqi people, including women and children; protests in 8
provinces in Central high lands and Southern Vietnam drew 19,000 people.
-
On Feb 20, 3 cities and provinces (
Da Nang
, Quang Ninh, Ho chi Minh) protested
against the war by various mass organizations asked for independence and
sovereignty and territorial integrity for
Iraq
.
-
On March 18, 11,000 people in Ho chi Minh gathered at the Municipal Theatre
to protest moves by the aggressive administrations in the
US
and
Britain
to launch a war against
Iraq
. 8 provinces organized anti-war
with participation of tens of thousands of people. March 17,
Vietnam
’s Framers Association voices
solidarity with the
Iraq
people in face of the war. 5000
people took to the street with slogans: "Peace for the Iraqi people;
War is a crime". Organizers were members of the CPV’s Youth
Union
.
-
On March 20, thousands of people from 13 provinces rallied in meetings to
protest against the war launched by the
US
against
Iraq
; condemned the invasion of
Iraq
; horrors of war must be avoided for
the sake of innocent civilians.
-
On
March 21, 200
people protested at the
US
Embassy on March 21,03 with some
comparing the invasion of
Iraq
to the
US
involvement in
Vietnam
and equating President George Bush
with disgraced Vietnam-era president Richard Nixon. "
Iraq
, we will be beside you" was
the message on one of the banners waved by students at a government-
approved protest. "We want to send a message that the Bush
administration should stop committing crimes."
-
On March 22, thousands of Vietnamese people nationwide have joined meetings
held in recent days to protest the war launched by the
US
administration and its coalition
against
Iraq
. The
Union
of Association of Literature and
Arts issued a resolution, supporting the Iraqi people’s struggle to
protect sovereignty, independence and territory integrity and condemning an
invasion of
Iraq
.
Briefly,
the CPV mobilized all resources available in an anti-American campaign with
the purpose of supporting Saddam Hussein, opposing the war to topple the
terrorist dictator. The condemnation of the American ‘aggressive war’
was so strong, describing the USA as a force that is at fault, an
imperialist that invades another peaceful country, that causes instability
to the world and that commits crimes etc. The reason for the CPV’s choice
of such anti-American policy was that Saddam Hussein was its close ally.
Therefore, it publicly and strongly condemned you without any reservation on
the war against
Iraq
.
We
demand that the CPV, a terrorist regime known to the whole world, be
included in the Axis of Evil, that it be dealt with sternly. And, also any
official in the State Department who has been in support of the Vietnamese
communists should be fired.
Thank
you for your attention,
Respectfully,
Prof.
Tran Cong Thien
Vietnamese Culture Association (VCA) President
Dr. Phan Viet Phung
VCA Cultural Advisor
Dr. Nguyen Van Canh
VCA Political Advisor
Dr. Nguyen Thanh Liem
VCA Educational Advisor
Attorney, Nguyen Tam
VCA Legal Advisor
Mr. Do Doan Que
VCA Secretary General
Mr. Le Cuong
VCA communication Agent