Photo: Amb. M. Duclos (France), J. Granoff (GSI), Amb. H. H. Schumacher (Germany)

Reporters from more than 40 international media outlets attended a United Nations press briefing today organized by the Global Security Institute (GSI) and the United Nations Correspondence Association (UNCA). Entitled "Is War Really the Only Option?", reporters from CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Associated Press, Reuters and 40 other domestic and international newsrooms joined in a frank, off-the-record dialogue with diplomats from France and Germany and leading U.S. policy experts.

The goal of the briefing was to educate the press at home and abroad about realistic alternatives to war in Iraq. Over the past months, many governments and NGOs have been promoting sensible proposals focused on the peaceful resolution of the Iraq crisis. Yet these proposals have been inadequately covered by the press.

His Excellency Michel Duclos, Deputy Permanent Representative of France, His Excellency Hanns Heinrich Schumacher, Deputy Permanent Representative of Germany and Alistar Millar, Vice President of the Fourth Freedom Forum joined GSI President Jonathan Granoff in presenting extended in-depth analysis of the alternatives to war.

GSI's brief, "Iraq - The Need for Strengthened Inspections and Robust Monitoring" can be found at:

http://www.gsinstitute.org/docs/Robust_Monitoring_Brief.pdf

For a one-page press release, go to:
http://www.gsinstitute.org/docs/Robust_Monitoring_Summary.pdf

Other materials discussed at the press briefing include:

The joint UN proposal of France, Germany and Russia
http://www.gsinstitute.org/docs/Fr_Ger_Russ_Proposal.pdf

A French position paper
http://www.un.int/france/documents_anglais/030224_cs_france_irak.htm

A speech from the French Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs (2/14/2003)
http://www.un.int/france/documents_anglais/030214_cs_france_iraq.htm

French propositions on the inspections' regime
http://www.un.int/france/documents_anglais/030211_cs_france_irak.htm

A report of the Fourth Freedom Forum titled "Winning Without War."
http://www.fourthfreedom.org/Applications/cms.php?page_id=29

Oxford Research Group proposal on human rights monitors in Iraq
http://www.gsinstitute.org/docs/ORG_Proposal.pdf

An open letter to the Security Council from Ambassador Jonathan Dean
http://www.gsinstitute.org/docs/OpenLetSC.pdf

An article by Jonathan Schell
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20030303&s=schell

A statemenby by President Jimmy Carter
http://www.cartercenter.org/viewdoc.asp?docID=1165&submenu=news

Recent Op-Eds by Jonathan Granoff and Senator Douglas Roche
http://www.gsinstitute.org/archives/000149.shtml

http://www.gsinstitute.org/archives/000135.shtml

A petition by IALANA
http://www.ialana.net/whats_new.htm

Highlights from GSI President Jonathan Granoff's Presentation:

"...The substance of the security enhancing proposals put forth as alternatives to war have been inadequately covered by the media, which has emphasized political and cultural differences of the United States and the parties that have put forth the proposals. As a U.S. citizen, it is nothing less than scandalous to diminish the ties between the U.S. and France, a country which helped give birth to the U.S. and with whom we have shared spilled blood; and Germany, a country whose very pilots flew over this city when they helped protect U.S. cities after 9/11 when NATO planes were called up. Moreover, the pathway they have suggested is legally justified, morally sensible, and deserving of serious attention. The discussion regarding serious proposals remains impoverished, overshadowed by sensationalism and war mongering, and for that reason we have convened this meeting -- to give you better tools to analyse the serious precedent setting issues before the international community.

"Instead of emphasizing war and counter proliferation we should be focusing on strengthening the universal disarmament commitments embodied in the Biological Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. This is a legally and morally coherent path to security for the whole world...."