London ~ U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright faced angry protests on her arrival in London March 9, 1998, for bi-lateral talks with Foreign Secretary Robin Cook. The protesters included a group of students from Oxford University, religious campaigners including representatives of the Bruderhof communities, members of London's Arab community, and other concerned members of the public.
Albright and Cook were forced to stand in embarrassed silence before the international press 'photo opportunity' while protesters chanted slogans against the war threats and sanctions blockade on Iraq. Then they had to listen while the Campaign Against Sanctions and War on Iraq Co-ordinator Hugh Stephens addressed them with the following statement (which was recorded by a number of the T.V. and radio stations) in the full and clear hearing of Albright and Cook themselves:
"Madeleine Albright first made her mark upon world public opinion by remarking that the death of more than half a million children in Iraq is 'worth it' to control the region. What irony that someone who utters such sentiments about children dying in their mothers' arms for lack of medicine and nutrition should arrive for talks on the day following International Women's Day!
"Further, she has, along with other U.S. and British leaders, systematically misrepresented the situation regarding the United Nations and international law, and has fostered the false claim that it would be 'legal' under existing U.N. Security Council resolutions for the U.S. and Britain to attack Iraq any time they feel this would be in their 'national interests'.
"This is precisely the kind of behavior which the entire structure of post-war international law was designed to prevent. It amounts to making a statement of criminal intent to breach the international peace. Robin Cook, who is a lawyer, knows this perfectly well and should dissociate himself from this U.S. standpoint immediately.
"We call on all the international media who are attending today's press conferences to raise these questions with Albright and Cook, and not accept prevarication from them. Do they or do they not make the false claim that attacks on Iraq would now automatically be sanctioned under existing Security Council resolutions? Demand clear answers. Do not accept prevarication. Inform your readers and viewers of the truth."
Passers-by took leaflets from the protesters, and a number of reporters interviewed the students and others on the demonstration.