Throughout 2002 and 2003, an effort was carried out to avert the war by
calling for a determined, universal pressure to force Saddam Hussein to step
down, and for enhancing the chances of an emergent democratic Iraq by calling
for the deployment of human rights observers for the transitional period. It
became known as the Democratic Iraq Initiative (DII)
______________
Arab and Turkish leaders of public opinion,
1 February 2003
Statement, published with original
signatories, Nahar and Daily Star, 1 February 2003
Signatories
Additional signatories
____________________
European Colleagues' Endorsement and Statement, 10 February 2003
Arabic, Nahar, 10 February 2003
(published in English, Daily Star, 14 February)
English
Signatories
Additional Signatories
-----
If you would like to endorse this initiative (immediate
deployment of human rights monitors in Iraq), and/or propose
any informed comment, please send your name,
country, position and e-mail to nada@mallat.com
_____
24 March 2003, In the midst of war: DII update
21 March 2003, Reason Magazine, On DII, by Tim
Cavanaugh
21 March 2003, Die Junge Freiheit (Berlin),
Interview of Elias Khouri, by
Moritz Schwarz; Interview of Chibli
Mallat, by M. Schwarz
Early March 2003, Draft DII UN Security Council
Resolution circulates in the US and Europe
6 March 2003, Irene Khan, Amnesty
International SG: "Human Rights Monitors need to be deployed in Iraq now"
5 March 2003, 119 Bahraini intellectuals join DII call
(Nahar, in Arabic)
3 March 2003, Iraqi oppositional
leaders support the call of the UAE leader for SH to resign (Nahar, in
Arabic)
2 March 2003, In defence of DII, (Nahar, in
Arabic)
12 Feb:
Minority Rights Group supports Human Rights
Monitors Deployment, Statement by Mark Lattimer, director
MRG
11 Feb: Statement of Irene Khan,
Amnesty International Secretary-General, and AI Petition
31 Jan:
Iraqi opposition calls for human rights
monitors, Reuters
______
Early western media coverage
Die initiative von Ghassane Tueini und Chibli Mallat,
ADR (German tv, Claudia Kuhland producer), 2 Feb 2003
Human rights in focus, Khaleej Times,
4 Feb 2003
No peace in ME without justice,
Maha Azar,
Daily Star, 3 Feb 2003
War for Iraq, not on Iraq, Gareth Smyth,
Financial Times,
24 Jan.
2003
Tueini and Mallat on Democratic Iraq Initiative,
Kate Seelye, National Public Radio,
4 Jan. 2003
US
connection of the Lebanese lawyer leading the push for Saddam's exile,
Robert Fisk, Independent, 9 January 2003
Australian radio int'v, ABC, Rafael Epstein,
, 8 Jan 2003
Arabs ask Hussein to
go quietly, Nicholas Blanford, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Jan 2003
The ins and outs of a
one-way ticket for Saddam: wishful thinking?, Michael Young, Daily Star, 8
Jan 2003
Strongman’s three-decade reign ‘has been a nightmare’, Daily Star, 6
Jan 2003
Arab intellectuals seek Saddam resignation,
Reuters, 2 Jan 2003
Don't make Saddam mad, make him lonely,
Christian Science Monitor, 12 Sep 2002