Subject: Syria: War Postponed; FCNL telephone conference tonight
This is the text of an email I just received from the Friends
Committee on National Legislation. Note that the conference call
tonight September 11, 2013 at 8pm EST is still on. (712) 432-1500
and then the access number 380565#
As always, feel free to forward this wherever you like, particularly
to people whom you may have asked to help against an imminent attack
by the U.S. military on Syria.
---------------------from FCNL September 11, 2013 11:24AM EST----------
Dear Larry A Scott,
President Obama's speech last night offered his reasons for military
action in Syria. Overwhelmingly, the U.S. public opposes military
strikes and favors diplomatic and political action to resolve this
crisis. We agree. The use of military force by the U.S. in Syria
counters the diplomatic possibilities and will increase violence in
an already devastated and war-torn country.
You can find out more about what's ahead and what FCNL is doing on
this critical issue by joining us tonight for a conference call.
Over the last two days, the U.S. has stepped back from the brink of
war with Syria and has moved to supporting the kind of diplomacy
that FCNL and many others have been advocating.
The immediate crisis of U.S. intervention may have passed, but
there's a very long road ahead to resolving this conflict
peacefully. The president made it clear that the threat of force
against Syria is still on the table. Secretary of State John Kerry
and other administration officials are still pressing Congress to
pre-authorize military action if the new diplomatic track falters.
But diplomacy rarely works at gunpoint.
The next days and weeks will be critical. The Syrian foreign
minister has said his country will cease production and give up the
use of chemical weapons, but many details remain to be worked out.
The United Nations will be a focal point for much of this work in
the next few days, and this issue will be high on the agenda when
the United Nations General Assembly meets in two weeks.
A Significant Moment
I do hope you'll take a moment and appreciate that thousands and
thousands of people—including many of you—have helped pause U.S.
military action by taking time to write, call and visit
congressional offices; to speak with others in your community; and
to attend vigils.
Members of Congress have been eager to hear from you. Many had
lengthy town hall meetings or sent out email polls to gauge their
constituents' opinions. As the possibility of the U.S. entering yet
another "military action" loomed, you played an important role in
delivering an emphatic "no." Moreover, you have pushed for
negotiations and proposals, such as the one Russia has put forward
and President Obama has embraced, to stop the use of chemical
weapons in Syria without adding to the violence.
We don't know exactly what will happen next to resolve this
conflict. But there are some things we do know:
Diplomacy is a marathon, not a sprint. Diplomacy is not a quick,
straight line to a goal. There are ups and downs, advances and
setbacks. Members of Congress need to hear their constituents'
support for allowing diplomacy time to work. Setting arbitrary
deadlines and unrealistic benchmarks for diplomacy—with the threat
of falling back on military force if those are not met—would be
counterproductive.
Syria can immediately sign the Chemical Weapons Convention; open its
storage sites to inspection and cease production of these horrendous
tools of war. But Russia has said Syria will only turn its chemical
weapons over to international control if the U.S. agrees to stop
threatening military action. The goal the president articulated is
to prevent the use of chemical weapons and hold those who use them
accountable, and the U.S. should stay fixed on that goal.
People are still dying in Syria. A political solution to the
conflict in Syria must engage the League of Arab States and Iran as
well as Russia and the rest of the international community. Some
reports suggest that as many as 100,000 people have been killed in
Syria in the last two years. The international community should
explore a high-level strategy that implements a ceasefire between
Syrian rebels and the Syrian government and, if necessary, a
political transition process.
Please Join Us on Tonight for a Conference Call
FCNL's lead Middle East lobbyist Kate Gould will join David Culp,
our lobbyist for nuclear disarmament, and Jim Cason, who leads
strategic advocacy at FCNL, tonight to talk with you about the most
recent information from Capitol Hill and what the U.S.'s decision to
back away from bombing Syria means for prospects for peace.
To join the call, dial (712) 432-1500 and then the access number
380565#. If you have a question you'd like to be addressed, please
email
foreignpolicy@fcnl.org any time between now and the call time
at 8 p.m. Eastern tonight. We hope you can join in!
Thank you for your work with us over the past several weeks to
prevent a U.S. war with Syria. I hope you'll stay engaged on this
issue in the coming days and that you'll join us tonight.
Sincerely,
Diane Randall
Executive Secretary
---------------end of message from FCNL September 11, 2013 11:24AM
EST --------
