Anti-war activists in Sydney, Australia, today welcomed the news that US Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld has resigned.
â┚¬Å“Rumsfeld’s resignation follows a resounding defeat of the Republican Party at the US mid-term elections and is an admission of defeat by the architects of the occupation in Iraq”, said Anna Samson spokesperson for Stop the War Coalition Sydney today.
â┚¬Å“Yesterday millions of US citizens joined with millions around the globe in making a strong statement against the war. They joined millions of people, both inside and outside Iraq, who have been campaigning for over
three years for an end to the occupation and for real self-determination and democracy for the Iraqi people.
â┚¬Å“Yesterday, US citizens demonstrated that they agreed with those military families among others who say that US troops do not belong in Iraq.
â┚¬Å“In Australia, Prime Minister John Howard has worked to inextricably link Australia’s foreign policy with that of the US.
â┚¬Å“In doing so, Howard has ignored the views of military advisers, terrorism experts, scholars, the overwhelming majority of Australians, and the Iraqi people themselves. He refuses to admit that the occupation of Iraq is the single greatest source of the ongoing violence and instability in that country.
â┚¬Å“Howard has unashamedly followed Rumsfeld’s policy on Iraq. He should also therefore take his lead from Rumsfeld, and resign also.â┚¬ÂÂ