September, 06 2018, 12:00am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Paul Kawika Martin, Peace Action, 951-217-7285 cell, pmartin@peace-action.org
Peace Action Supports Use of War Powers Act to stop Yemen Catastrophe
In response to the announcement by several House members of Congress to use the War Powers Resolution in an attempt to force a vote on the Saudi/UAE-led war on Yemen, Paul Kawika Martin, Peace Action's Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs, released the following statement:
WASHINGTON
In response to the announcement by several House members of Congress to use the War Powers Resolution in an attempt to force a vote on the Saudi/UAE-led war on Yemen, Paul Kawika Martin, Peace Action's Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs, released the following statement:
"The U.S. government and Congress must stop its complicity in what the UN last week confirmed are war crimes in Yemen. In another effort by Congress to take back its constitutional mandate to declare war, I applaud the announcement today by Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and others to use the War Powers Resolution to stop the US from providing logistical and military support to the Saudi/UAE-led coalition.
"Peace Action helped pass the War Powers Resolution in 1973 over the veto of President Nixon so that Congress could stop illegal wars like the one in Yemen.
" Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates continue to show their disregard for the nearly 18 million Yemeni civilians struggling to survive by conducting military attacks on ports, water supplies and critical infrastructure. It boggles the mind that over eight million people suffer from near starvation because of this three-year war. The U.S. must stop aiding those that deliberately conduct illegal attacks on weddings, hospitals and children in school buses.
"I cannot see how Secretary of State Pompeo can make the all the certifications required by the recently enacted National Defense Authorization Act including that the Saudi/UAE-led coalition are taking actions to alleviate the Yemen humanitarian catastrophe.
"History shows that only a political solution will bring an end to the Yemen war. The US should urge that negotiations happen in good faith during the UN process in Geneva tomorrow."
Peace Action is the United States' largest peace and disarmament organization with over 100,000 members and nearly 100 chapters in 34 states, works to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons, promote government spending priorities that support human needs and encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights.
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