SLIGO VOTES AGAINST WAR

national | miscellaneous | news report Tuesday February 04, 2003 09:34 by B.Scanlon - Sligo/Leitrim Labour Party laboursligo at eircom dot net 071-45490

At its meeting last night the members of Sligo Corporation unanimously adopted a Labour Party motion condemning and deploring any pre-emptive and/or unilateral action by the US against Iraq.

At the outset of the meeting Alderman Declan Bree said that there was growing public concern regarding the threat of war in the Middle East and he asked members to suspend standing orders to allow the Council to consider an emergency motion submitted by himself and his Labour colleague Councillor Veronica Cawley.

The motion read:- "That Sligo Borough Council condemns and deplores any pre-emptive and/or unilateral action by the US against Iraq, and further we demand that the arms inspectors be given sufficient time to complete their work and to furnish reports to the United Nations."

Speaking to the motion which was unanimously adopted by the Council Alderman Bree said "There is noting in the preliminary report of the United Nations arms inspectors that would possibly justify launching a war that could, on the UN's own estimates, lead to half a million direct or indirect casualties, the outbreak of disease and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians."