Major new support for US capital market sanctions against oil companies operating in Sudan comes from the powerful AFL-CIO, representing 13 million American workers. Organized labor is the latest, and one of the most significant, constituencies to support fully and unequivocally the House version of the Sudan Peace Act. This, coupled with the growing disclosure of ongoing connections between Sudan and Osama bin Laden, gives powerful impetus to those many constituencies lobbying for the Bachus amendment, which would de-list from the New York Stock Exchange Talisman Energy of Canada and China National Petroleum Corporation (“PetroChina” on the NYSE).
Eric Reeves [September 14, 2001]
Smith College
Northampton, MA 01063
413-585-3326
ereeves@smith.edu
Americans are more determined than ever to respond to the terrible events of September 11th; and that determination is increasingly taking the form of a resolve to respond to Sudan’s role in both genocidal destruction in the southern oil regions and international terrorism. Today’s banner headline in the New York Times is indicative: “Bush and Top Aides Proclaim Policy of ‘Ending’ States that Back Terror.”
The House version of the Sudan Peace Act, with provisions for US capital market sanctions against oil companies operating in Sudan, would be a powerful tool in responding to Khartoum’s barbaric behavior. It would deny them development capital, key engineering skills, technical expertise, and critical oil development technology.
News of the AFL-CIO decision to support this sanctions measure has been confirmed just today, and the AFL-CIO leadership stands willing to explain its immensely important decision, one that simply can’t be ignored on Capitol Hill (contact information below). The AFL-CIO is convinced that capital market sanctions will prevent any US complicity in the ongoing oil-driven destruction of Sudan. And they are certainly aware of the State Department’s most recent findings on terrorism and Sudan (the most authoritative document on the subject in the public domain):
“[In 2000] Sudan continued to be used as a safe haven by members of various groups, including associates of Usama Bin Ladin’s al-Qaida organization, Egyptian al-Gama’a al- Islamiyya, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the Palestine Islamic Jihad, and HAMAS. Most groups used Sudan primarily as a secure base for assisting compatriots elsewhere.” [from the State Department’s April 2001 “Overview of State-sponsored Terrorism”]
The pressure to respond to Sudan’s terrorist connections will certainly continue to increase in coming days. And the Sudan Peace Act is ready at hand, with its ability to bring immense pressure on Khartoum to change its genocidal and terrorist-supporting ways. Supported by a large, broad-based coalition of religious, human rights, labor, and national security groups, US capital market sanctions against this brutal regime are an entirely appropriate and powerfully effective response.
[Contact information for the AFL-CIO can be found at:
http://www.aflcio.org/about/meet_work.htm]