.
Right Honourable Jean Chretien,
Prime Minister of Canada,
Room 309S, Centre Block,
House of Commons,
Ottawa, Ontario.
K1A 0A6

Dear Prime Minister,

Thank you for keeping Canada out of an ill-conceived war with Iraq that will likely cause great damage to the prospects for future peace both in the Middle East and around the world.

This attack without the sanction of the Security Council is considered illegal by most experts in international law and it undermines the authority of the United Nations. It is isolating the U.S. from its traditional allies and polarizing public opinion in that country and around the world. It is costing the lives of innocent men, women and children in addition to the combatant soldiers. It will devastate the infrastructure of a country already suffering from years of sanctions. It will consume scarce funds desperately needed for humanitarian purposes elsewhere around the world. It will unfortunately open up a Pandora's box of pre-emptive attack as an excuse for hostilities by other countries. And it will likely sow the seeds of anti-American hatred and future terrorist retaliation.

While no one denies that Saddam Hussein is a menace, the Security Council was united in Resolution 1441. The inspectors were there. The resort of the United States to violence before exhausting all other alternatives and without the support of its traditional allies can only be described as tragic, and we are beginning to see the tragic results.

So thank you for maintaining Canada's long and proud tradition of supporting the United Nations and international law. Thank you for resisting economic pressures to conform. Our true friendship is displayed when we challenge the current U.S. administration to live up to America's ideals and not when we encourage them along a military path that is heading for disaster.

Sincerely,

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