Afghanistan

[Oscar]

----- Original Message -----
From: Philip Bladen
To: Dion.S@parl.gc.ca ; Ignatieff.M@parl.gc.ca ; Coderre.D@parl.gc.ca ; Goodale.R@parl.gc.ca ; Wilfert.B@parl.gc.ca ; info@bobrae.ca
Cc: bpartterson@canadians.org ; tybach@sasktel.net
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 12:38 AM
Subject: Afghanistan.

Gentlemen:

It is time to end the Canadian involvement in an illegal invasion of the sovereign nation of Afghanistan, undertaken to placate the U.S. Administration for our refusal to take part in an equally illegal invasion of the sovereign nation of Iraq.

Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001 did NOT receive any Mandate from the U.N. Security Council, and was, and still is, illegal under International Law. {Prof. Michael Mandel, Osgoode Hall Law School.} Canada is now part of this illegal invasive "search and destroy" operation, under U.S. Command. No matter how many efforts are made to diffuse the Operation Enduring Freedom into the legal, defensive I.S.A.F., so that it may be falsely claimed to be Mandated, it is still illegal

International mining corporations are now negotiating with the Karzai government for leases to extract and export the rich mineral deposits in Afghanistan, particularly iron ore in Bamian, and the Unocal Consortium oil pipeline, the subject of negotiation between the Taliban government and the U.S. in Washington in June to August, 2001, is still an ongoing proposition. It will carry Caspian Sea oil to the U.S. oil terminal near Karachi. The people of Afghanistan will benefit little from these projects.

Tonight, March 11th, 2008, a C.B.C. report gave the figures for Afghan civilian deaths as close to 8,000 for this year, and the 80th. Canadian soldier died near Kandahar.

Ask yourselves for what purpose have they all died. It has certainly not been to improve the lives of the ordinary Afghan. The plight of the civilian population is no better now than it has been through the Soviet invasion, and the two civil wars over the last 30 years, and is worsening.

The only hope for improvement from this disaster lies in a negotiated peace which will allow the Afghans to rebuild their lives with international help.

I ask you to examine your conscience, and vote against the Bill to extend the illegal invasion on March 13th. as a caucus. Over 60% of Canadians support you.

Phil Bladen,
Box 235, Preeceville, SK. S0A 3B0
306-547-4639.