Letter: Iraq solidarity: neither pro-war nor anti-war, but post-war

Submitted by Anon on 8 October, 2004 - 10:10

Congratulations to the sharp-eyed Colin Foster for spotting the existence of the Labour Friends of Iraq (LFIQ) (Solidarity, September). There was indeed a LFIQ website which we withdrew after only a few days. As Colin says, we promise to be back online soon at labourfriendsofiraq.org.uk, and may even be so by the time of your publication. But there Colin’s forensic skills end.

He is wrong about the ownership of the successful fringe meeting at Party Conference that attracted more than 100 delegates.

He says it was an LFIQ event, while actually it was an IFTU reception. However, it is just the sort of event that the LFIQ wants to fix up — that and visits to constituency parties.

Colin’s also got it wrong about our "tilt… towards pro-war and pro-occupation elements in the labour movement".

For the record, most of the interim officers were anti-war but, that aside, the battle for the future of Iraq may prove to be the hinge of our times and so the LFIQ will not be pro-war, nor anti-war but post-war.

The purpose of LFIQ is to support the organisations of democratic Iraq — trade unions, women’s groups and human rights organisations — by forging direct links of solidarity and mutual aid.

Jane Ashworth

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