WORLD AGAINST WAR
Cardiff International Anti-War Conference

Monday 3 March at 7.30 pm
Law Building
Cardiff University
Park Place

WITH SPEAKERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD INCLUDING:

HASSAN JUMAA, Leader of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (Iraq)
ROSE GENTLE, Military Families against the War (Scotland)
IBRAHIM MOUSAWI, Editor of Al-Intiqad, Hezbollah Newspaper (Lebanon)
ANNE GREAGSBY, Co-ordinator, No2MilitaryAcademy Campaign (Wales)

FREE ENTRY. ALL WELCOME

About HASSAN JUMA'A, Iraqi Trade Union Leader

One of Iraq’s most influential civil society leaders, who has played a central role in defending the rights of Iraqi oilworkers, and in successfully opposing US and British moves to privatise Iraq’s oil, Hassan Juma’a is the President of the Iraq Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU). The IFOU, which represents more than half of the oilworkers in Iraq’s oil-rich south, has been at the forefront of the campaign by Iraqi civil society groups to stop a US-sponsored oil law – a law which has still not passed, in spite of intense pressure.
If passed, the law would give the primary role in developing Iraq’s oil to multinational companies such as BP, Shell and ExxonMobil, under fixed contracts of up to 30 years. The IFOU opposes the law for surrendering Iraqi sovereignty, and for reflecting the interests of foreign companies over those of the Iraqi people.
 http://www.handsoffiraqioil.org/

About ROSE GENTLE, Founder of Military Families against the War

Rose Gentle is the mother of Gordon Gentle a 19 year old from one of the poorest estates in Scotland who was killed while serving in Iraq. Some claimed that this was through the failure of the UK government to provide adequate equipment to their armed forces.[1] Since his death she has campaigned against the Iraq War and set up the Justice 4 Gordon Gentle campaign. Alongside Reg Keys from North Wales she is a founder member of Military Families against War.
www.mfaw.org.uk

About IBRAHIM MOUSAWI, Editor of Al-Intiqad

Born in Lebanon's picturesque and fertile Bekaa Valley village of Nabysheet, Mousawi is a student of Politics, English Literature and Religion. A former school Headmaster, Ibrahim received his MA in English literature from The Lebanese University, his BA in Journalism from The Lebanese University, and earned his MA in Political Science from The American University of Beirut in 2003. He earned his PhD in Political Islam from Birmingham University-Britain 2007. During the July 2006 War with Israel, Mousawi held the position of editor in chief of Al-Intiqad (Criticism), a weekly Hezbollah newspaper, and was much sought after by international reporters for information and his insights. He appeared widely in the international media and was critical of the destruction of Lebanon and the Bush administration providing Israel with a green light to continue the slaughter while the international community was calling for a ceasefire.
For 33 days, the Israeli military laid siege on the people of Lebanon. Using the deadliest of modern weaponry, including bunker busters manufactured by Raytheon, Israel was confident it could win a swift decisive victory.
But the long-planned attack aimed at destroying Hizbollah ended in humiliation for Israel. A small band of irregulars kept at bay one of the world's most powerful armies for more than a month. For the first time ever, the Israel Defence Forces were unable to prevail.
This outcome was not only a shock to the Israeli military. It was also a devastating blow to George Bush and his junior partner Tony Blair in their attempt to rescue US global hegemony from the debacle in Iraq.

About ANNE GREAGSBY, No to the St Athan's Military Academy Campaign

Cardiff-based campaigner, Anne Greasby is Co-ordinator for the No2MilitaryAcademy campaign against the proposed UK Military Academy being built in St Athan's, near Cardiff
Recently we saw the biggest ever award of public money to Wales - £14 billion!
The problem is that the 4 major parties in Wales have supported this money being spent - not on keeping schools and hospitals open, on eliminating child poverty, on creating jobs in the renewable energy sector - but on war, on the biggest PFI in history, on a UK Military Academy to train the latest recruits to 'the war on terror'.
The UK Military Academy is paid for by taxpayers money but the profits will be channelled into the pockets of the consortium of arms companies such as Raytheon who have been contracted to run it.
It will not only train the entire british military but armies and mercenaries from all over the world who are prepared to pay for training. It will essentially be Britain’s “School of the Americas” a centre for counter-insurgency and further military adventures.
 http://www.cynefinywerin.org.uk/index.php?docid=265