Fw: Aid to Afghanistan Before It's Too Late

["Nello Margiotta" <animarg@tin.it>]

From: "Eli Pariser" <action@9-11peace.org>
To: <alert@lists.9-11peace.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 2:05 PM
Subject: Aid to Afghanistan Before It's Too Late


> Dear Friend of 9-11peace.org,
> 
> Thank you for being part of our immensely popular online
> petition.  Over 500,000 of us from 190 countries signed, and
> I'll tell you more about how our message was delivered to
> world leaders below.
> 
> Unfortunately, we need to act again, now.  According to the
> United Nations, over 900,000 Afghans are starving to death
> as we speak.  Another 6.6 million are in danger of dying
> within the next few months.  When winter arrives in under
> two weeks, relief organizations will be unable to get aid
> to many Afghan refugees.  Please, please call on your
> country's leadership to do everything in their power to get
> aid to the Afghan people NOW.  You can do so very easily at:
> 
>    http://www.9-11peace.org/aid.php3
> 
> There's more information about this potential humanitarian
> disaster below.  But first, if you don't want to hear from
> us again, just go to:
> 
>    http://www.9-11peace.org/optout.php3
> 
> 
> WHAT WE'VE DONE
> 
> In early October, we delivered over half a million online
> signatures from 190 countries to:
>    * U.S. President Bush;
>    * NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson;
>    * European Commission President Romano Prodi.
> 
> In Great Britain, MP Lynne Jones and three other Members of
> Parliament delivered the petition by hand to Prime Minister
> Tony Blair. Media around the world wrote about our effort,
> from the Chicago Sun-Times to the South China Morning Post.
> 
> 
> WHAT WE CAN DO NEXT
> 
> Call on world leaders to make aid to the Afghan people a
> priority:
> 
>    http://www.9-11peace.org/aid.php3
> 
> The prolonged bombing has worsened the plight of the Afghan
> people because aid organizations haven't been able to get
> food and medicine into the country.  The food dropped by the
> US is woefully inadequate for the 7 million Afghans who rely
> on aid.
> 
> With the Northern Alliance's capture of most of Northern
> Afghanistan, aid organizations may finally be able to bring
> large quantities food and medicine into the country.  But
> unless the US and its allies facilitate the delivery,
> hundreds of thousands of people may die.
> 
> It's crucial that world leaders hear from us now.  They need
> to know that we are counting on them to prevent the imminent
> starvation of millions of innocent people, and that this
> should be one of the highest priorities for the next few
> weeks. They need to know that we don't want to have to
> explain to our grandchildren why our countries allowed one
> of the largest mass starvations in history to take place.
> Tell them now:
> 
>    http://www.9-11peace.org/aid.php3
> 
> Some facts about the aid crisis:
> 
>  * The UN estimates that 7.5 million Afghan refugees rely on
> food and medical aid to survive.
> 
>  * Of these, 900,000 face imminent starvation.
> 
>  * Nearly 20% of those struggling to survive are children
> under 5.
> 
>  * Recent bombing attacks have damaged the warehouses of the
> International Red Cross as well as the United Nations World
> Food Programme.  The agencies' staff, laborers and truckers
> are now afraid to load, unload or transport food inside
> Afghanistan.
> 
>  * Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam International, and
> officials in the UN have all called for a stop in the
> bombing so that aid can be delivered before it's too late.
> 
> More information about the aid crisis in Afghanistan is
> available at the website above.
> 
> Thank you.  Many lives are at stake, but if we act now, we
> can change the face of this conflict.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Eli Pariser
> 9-11peace.org
> November 14, 2001
> 
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