Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 15. november 2005 / Timeline November 15, 2005
Version 3.514. November 2005, 16. November 2005
11/15/2005
Canada Dumped Chemical Weapons Off Western Coast
The state of chemical weapons dumped by Canada off the coast of
British Columbia in 1947 is unknown, the CanWest News Service
reported today. Canisters and munitions filled with mustard gas and
phosgene were dumped about 100 miles off the coast of Vancouver
Island in waters about 1.5 miles deep, according to CanWest.
There are also two known chemical weapons dumping grounds off the
east coast of Canada.
“Ocean dumping was a common practice in that era,” said
Judith Bennett, a spokeswoman for the Canadian National Defense
Department. “It was within our practices to dump munitions in
the ocean. It is no longer.”
The 1972 London Protocol banned ocean dumping, but it is possible
that other such sites exist, Bennett said. She added that it was
not known how much of the weapons were still in the containers and
weapons and would not say how much had been dumped.
11/15/2005
Senate Questions Iraq Strategy for First Time Since 2002
Friends Committee on National Legislation
On Tuesday, a bipartisan majority in the U.S. Senate signaled that
the Congress will no longer give a carte blanche to the United
States “staying the course” in Iraq. The legislation,
approved November 15, contains the strongest criticism of the
administration’s conduct of the war since the Congress voted
three years ago to authorize the use of force in Iraq. This vote is
a clear response to increasing grassroots efforts to persuade
Congress to take action toward withdrawal of military forces from
Iraq – but more work is needed.
The Senate voted 79 to 19 to amend the fiscal 2006 military
authorization bill (S 1042) to require the president to define the
conditions necessary for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq
and to submit quarterly, non-classified reports on progress toward
reaching that goal. The proposal, offered by Sen. Warner (VA) and
Senate Majority Leader Frist (TN), expresses the Senate view that
"2006 should be a period of significant transition to full Iraqi
sovereignty" and declares that U.S. military troops should not stay
“any longer than required.” See how your senators voted
at
http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/votes/?votenum=323&chamber=S&congress=1091
The Senate approved this language only after rejecting by a vote of
58 to 40 a stronger proposal advanced by Sen. Levin (MI) that would
have amended the military authorization bill to require the Bush
administration to report on the conditions necessary for U.S.
forces to leave Iraq and provide estimated dates for what the
measure calls "the phased redeployment" of U.S. forces from Iraq.
The Levin measure also included language affirming that U.S.
military forces should not stay in Iraq "indefinitely." In
advancing his amendment, Sen. Levin, the ranking Democrat on the
Armed Services Committee, indicated that the Iraqi people need to
be told that the U.S. commitment is not open-ended. See how your
senators voted at
http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/votes/?votenum=322&chamber=S&congress=1091.
Neither the language approved by the Senate nor the alternative
offered by Sen. Levin offers a clear, unambiguous statement of
policy that the U.S. will withdraw all troops and bases from Iraq,
as FCNL has proposed in its Iraq STEP approach. But after three
years of refusing to approve any measures critical of the conduct
of the war, the Senate endorsement of policy language suggesting
the U.S. will not have a permanent military presence in Iraq is a
strong indication that our message has been heard.
11/15/2005
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