Act Against Iraq Poverty sign now

We the undersigned are calling upon the international community to take immidiate action against the planned elimination of the Iraqi food rationing system by the Government of Iraq.

We are making this call, in response to the outcry by the Iraqi media, which has informed the international community, that the regime of Jalal Talabani, The Dawa Party and SCII, plan to eliminate the food rations by June of 2008, a system which was first put in place under the UN Sanctions and has since helped to save millions of Iraqis from starvation.

Under the rule of Al Baath Party, the United Nations praised the ration system as being the worlds largest and most effective relief effort but since the introduction of the US protected regime in 2003, the Iraqi peoples welfare has been subjected to corruption, hatred and abuse.

The Iraqi and Western governments have been repeatedly warned about the growth of poverty in Iraq, along with the effects which have been brought with it, such as the increase in malnutrition, prostitution, substance abuse and people searching for food from local rubbish dumps.

We are asking that people consider the serious consequences, which ending the rations will cause to the people of Iraq and we call upon the international community & their populations to use their influence and demand the Baghdad based regime change its direction and maintain the ration service.