A frightened villager brings the lid of a barrel that contained uranium oxide (yellowcake) taken from the Tuwaitha nuclear facility, that was left unsecured by occupying forces after the fall of Saddam Hussein. The family used this radioactive barrel to store water and are complaining of rashes and skin problems.
Say no to war
Greenpeace is opposed to war, and we don't believe war is the
answer to ridding the world of Weapons of Mass Destruction. That's
one of the reasons why we took particular issue with the war on
Iraq. We joined with people all over the world in months of global
action to promote a non-violent solution to the conflict in
We believedthe war was more about oil than about effectively
dealing with weaponsof mass destruction. It would result in
devastating human andenvironmental consequences, and set a
dangerous (not to mentionillegal)precedent.
Though the occupyingforces were quick to secure Iraqi oil
fields, they neglected tosafeguard dangerous nuclear material. Now
that material has made itsway to homes and schools. Weapons of mass
destruction, the alleged reason for the war in the first place,
were never found.
Uranium and other nuclear material stored under UN control in
Iraquntil the fall of Saddam Hussein have been stolen and local
residentsare reportedly displaying symptoms of radiation poisoning.
Six weeksafter the occupying forces took control of the country,
the US finallyconceded that the UN nuclear watchdog, the
International Atomic EnergyAgency (IAEA), could return to assess
what has been stolen at part ofone site, Tuwaitha. Yet the IAEA has
been refused access to the nearbypopulation or to other sites it
wants to visit, in contravention of UNresolutions.
We went to Iraq in June 2003 with
a small, specialist teamto examine the local environment and to
assess the extent of anynuclear contamination. The team took
samples of soil and water forlaboratory analysis and conducted
on-site monitoring with specialistradiation detection equipment.
While the extent of the Greenpeaceradiological survey will not be
comprehensive, it will provide someidea of the true level of risk
to the people of the area and to theenvironment.
We are calling for a full assessment
of the situation at Tuwaitha and other nuclear sites in Iraq:
- Theoccupying powers must allow the IAEA to remain in Iraq with
anunrestricted mandate to test as well as document all nuclear
- Theoccupying powers must allow the IAEA to oversee an urgent
medical andenvironmental assessment of the impact of the
radioactive material thathas spread in the local community - a
practice that would be standardin any other country and
- A hunt for all the industrial radioactive isotopes in Iraq must
be conducted urgently - these are all potential dirty bombs.