Activists Block Australian Military Ship

Sydney/Auckland, Tuesday, April 8, 2003: Greenpeace activists, including three New Zealanders, this morning blocked an Australian naval vessel, HMAS Sydney, departing for Iraq.

A flotilla of yachts, small craft and kayakers, along with swimmers and divers blocked the ship’s route out of Sydney Harbour as a protest against Australia’s partcipation in this and future US-led wars.

”Greenpeace is deeply concerned about the precedent this war sets internationally. Will New Zealand and Australian troops be asked to commit to more pre-emptive wars led by the US?”, said Steve Abel Greenpeace New Zealand campaigner.

“Prime Minister Helen Clark has rightly refused to support this illegal US-led war. Will future New Zealand governments accede to US requests to attack Syria, North Korea or Iran? Australia should not commit any more troops to war in Iraq or support more US wars of aggression.”

Former Director of the CIA, a possible candidate to administer post-war Iraq, James Woolsey, publicly stated (2 April) that this is the beginning of World War IV and advocated ‘regime change’ in Iran and Syria. [1]

William Kristol, Chairman of the US ‘think-tank’ behind US Foreign Policy, the ‘Project for a New American Century’, of which US Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and Paul Wolfowitz have been members, speaks of the Bush Administration ‘…enshrining in official policy the tactic of military pre-emption, the objective of regime change, and the vision of American Power that is fully engaged and never apologetic…’ [2]

‘It is clear the US Government is rewriting the rules of international affairs based on the exertion of US military power. This is a turning point in world affairs - all democratic and peace-seeking countries should be alarmed at this new direction”, said Mr Abel.

For more information and interviews with activists in Sydney phone; Communications Officer Dean Baigent-Mercer 021 790817 or Campaigner Steve Abel 021 565175

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