Negation of visas for Iraqis

To the Secretary General of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affaire, Paolo Pucci di Benisichi; To the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gianfranco Fini

The Committees Free Iraq together with a series of Italian and international promoters have been organising an international conference under the motto ࢅ€…œLeave Iraq in peace ࢅ€" support the legitimate resistance of the Iraqi peopleࢅ€…? scheduled for 1-2 October in Italy.

Among those having accepted our invitation are outstanding representatives of the Iraqi civil society like: Sheikh Jawad al KHALESI, leader of the Iraqi National Foundation Congress; Ayatollah Ahmed al BAGHDADI; Salah al MUKHTAR, former Iraqi ambassador to India and Vietnam; Sheikh Hassan al ZARGANI, international spokesman of the movement of Muqtada al Sadr; Mohamad FARIS, Iraqi patriotic communist; Ibrahim al KUBAYSI, brother of the secretary of the Iraqi Patriotic Alliance high jacked by the US forces on September 4, 2004.

We have learned by the beginning of August that 44 members of the US congress directed a formal request to the Italian government asking to impede the aforementioned conference.

The Italian embassy in Baghdad changed in the following days all of a sudden its position communicating that the visas can no more be granted because of a political decision taken by the Foreign Ministry.

The apparent pressure exerted by the US on the Italian government, which led to the rejection of the visas, could make the holding of the conference impossible thus destroying a chance to contribute to the quest for a just peace in Iraq in respect of the right to self-determination of the people.

We, the undersigned, faced with the severe interference with the internal affairs of Italy and Europe trampling the constitutional rights, demand from the Minister of Foreign Affairs and from the Italian government to grant the requested visas.

-Giorgio Bocca ࢅ€" journalist, partisan and historian of the anti-fascist resistance

-Gianni Vattimo ࢅ€" philosopher and former member of the European parliament

-Giulio Girardi ࢅ€" philosopher and theologian of liberation

-Samir Amin ࢅ€" economy professor in Dakar, Forum Third World

-Luigi Cortesi ࢅ€" professor emeritus of the university ࢅ€…œlࢅ€…™Orientaleࢅ€…?, Naples

-Georges Labica - philosopher, France

-Hamza Piccardo ࢅ€" national secretary of UCOII (union of Islamic communities of Italy)

-Domenico Losurdo ࢅ€" philosopher, professor at the university of Urbino

-John Catalinotto ࢅ€" International Action Centre, USA

-Aldo Bernardini ࢅ€" docent for international law, university Teramo

-Falco Accame ࢅ€" former president of the commission of defence of the chamber of deputies

-Franco Cardini ࢅ€" Institute for Humanist Studies, Florence

-Carlos Varea ࢅ€" Spanish Campaign against the Occupation and for the Sovereignty of Iraq

-Mario Santos ࢅ€" Filipino Workers Association (FWA)

-Klaus Hartmann ࢅ€" Vice president of the World Association of Freethinkers

-Stefano Chiarini ࢅ€" journalist, Il Manifesto

-Giuseppe Pelazza ࢅ€" lawyer, Milan

-Vainer Burani ࢅ€" lawyer, Reggio Emilia

-Giovanni Bacciardi ࢅ€" university docent, Florence

-Alessandra Kersevan ࢅ€" historian

-Marco Ferrando ࢅ€" member of the national leadership of the Party of Communist Refoundation (PRC)

-Vener Malabanan ࢅ€" Co-coordinator Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante)

-Alessandro Leoni - member of the national political committee of PRC

-Andrea Catone ࢅ€" member of the national political committee of the PRC

-Eros Francescangeli ࢅ€" historian of the workersࢅ€…™ movement

-Ugo Giannangeli ࢅ€" lawyer, Milan

-Roberto Massari ࢅ€" editor

-Gianfranco La Grassa - Economist

-Arturo P. Garcia ࢅ€" Co-ordinator Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV)

-Giancarlo Paciello ࢅ€" scolar of Middle East affairs

-Jaime Ballesteros ࢅ€" Chairman of OSPAAAL

-Manolis Arkolakis ࢅ€" Vice Chairman of the ILPS (International League of Peopleࢅ€…™s Struggle)

-Jean-Pierre Page ࢅ€" First Int`l Conference for the Support of the Resistance of the Iraqi People

-Wilhelm Langthaler ࢅ€" International spokesman of the Anti-imperialist Camp

-Leonardo Mazzei ࢅ€" spokesman of the Italian Iraq Libero Committees

-Haluk Gerger ࢅ€" Turkish politologue and journalist

-Jose Maria Sison ࢅ€" general consultant ILPS

-Costanzo Preve ࢅ€" philosopher

-Subhi Toma ࢅ€" Iraqi sociologue residing in France

-Jan Myrdal ࢅ€" Swedish author

-Silas Cerqueira ࢅ€" Researcher and lecturer for African Studies, Portugal

-Clara Sastre ࢅ€" representative of OSPAAAL

-Roberto Gabriele ࢅ€" member of the presidency of the Italian Iraq Libero Committees

-Fausto Schiavetto ࢅ€" member of the presidency of the Italian Iraq Libero Committees

-Guerry Hoddersen ࢅ€" international secretary of the Freedom Socialist Party, USA

-Arnljot Ask ࢅ€" international secretary of the Communist Workersࢅ€…™ Party, Norway

-Hamin Barole Abdu ࢅ€" Eritrean poet and writer

-Don Andrea Gallo ࢅ€" Community San Benedetto al Porto, Genoa

-Moreno Pasquinelli ࢅ€" spokesman of Legittima Difesa

-Roberto Saviano ࢅ€" writer and freelance journalist

-Lars Akerhaug ࢅ€" Free Iraq Committees, Norway

-Metin Atak ࢅ€" Confederation of Workers from Turkey in Europe, Germany

-Dan Borjal - ILPS

-Andrea Domenici ࢅ€" university researcher, Pisa

-Simona Scotuzzi ࢅ€" Ghedi (BS)

-Fabio Marcelli ࢅ€" Vice secretary of the International Association of Democratic Jurists

-Giulio Bonali ࢅ€" medical doctor, Fiorenzuola dࢅ€…™Arda (PC)

-David San Martin ࢅ€" Solidarity Committee with the Arab Cause, Spain

-Emanuele Profumi ࢅ€" Bastaguerra, Rome

-Collective Iqbal Masih, Lecce

-Dante Bedini ࢅ€" teacher, Treviso

-Amhed Celik ࢅ€" Federation of Worker`s Migrants in Germany, AGIF

-Tusio De Iuliis ࢅ€" president Association for Voluntary Work and Solidarity ࢅ€…œAiutiamoli a vivereࢅ€…?

-Emilio Rossi ࢅ€" president of the Centre for Immigration, Asylum and Co-operation CIAC, Parma

-Luca Maddalena, Vicenza

-Gian Luigi Maddalena, Vicenza

-Laura Dalle Molle, Vicenza

-Angelo Dࢅ€…™Orsi ࢅ€" historian, professor on the university of Turin

-Piera Graffer

-Giuseppe Zambon ࢅ€" editor, Verona

-Tuula Happianen

-president and all the associates of the Co-operative Auriga, Gallipoli

-Maria Grazia Ardizzone ࢅ€" Spokeswoman of the Italian Anti-imperialist Camp

-Stefano Mencherini ࢅ€" freelance journalist and film maker for RAI

-Rocco Carbone, Buenos Aires

-Roberto Renzetti ࢅ€" physician

-Marcello Belgioioso ࢅ€" regional councillor (Independent PRC) Lecce

-Romano Galligani - Firenze

-Karima Angiolina Campanelli ࢅ€" film maker, Naples

-Stefano Taglienti

-Elvira Rossi

-Aldo Trombone - Gallipoli

-Dimitri Tsalos - Free Iraq Committee, Germany

-Werner Pirker - journalist, Vienna, Austria

-Irish Unity Committee - Houston, Texas, USA

-Nora Dwyer - organizer for the Irish Unity Committee

-Gilles Munier - general secretary of Amitiàƒ…©s franco-irakiennes, France

-Heather Cottin - Long Island, New York, Troops Out Now Coalition

-Daisy Mules - Derry Trades Union Council

-Joan O`Keefe, Halifax - Nova Scotia, Canada

-Claudia Greene - Chicago, IL, USA

-Elena Borisova - Moscow, Russian Anti-globalists

-Maryloo Soueid - al-Awda, New York, USA

-Rafael Pla-Lopez - university professor, Valàƒ…¨ncia, Spain

-Neeraj Jain - Lokayat, Pune, India

-Farah el Zein - Lebanon

-Bahar Kimyongàƒ…¼r - Hàƒ–C, Turkey

-Panagiotis Tsonopoulos - Greece

-Ulla Roder - peace activist, Denmark

-Winnie Eldrup - a peace watch in Copenhagen, Denmark

-Erik Anderson - International secretary, Communist Party, Sweden

Hisham Bustani - dentist, Socialist Thought Forum, Jordan

Danial Indrakusuma - Documentary Film Maker, Peoples Democratic Party, Indonesia

Sven Tarp - international secretary of DKP/ML, Denmark

Doris Kruckenberg - Denmark

Vittoria Amati - Photo journalist

Dr Les Levidow - academic researcher, UK

Mirco Panizzi - Italy

Marisa Elguero Gallego - member of CEOSI and of the Fundacio Pau i Solidaritat CCOO, Catalonia

-Antonio Moscato ࢅ€" university Lecce

-Susanne Scheidt ࢅ€" journalist and representative of di Al-Awda Italy

-Paolo Consolaro ࢅ€" student of communications

-Permanent Committee to saveguard family fights, Lecce

-Giovanni Franzoni ࢅ€" promotor of Christan base committees

-Giuseppe Corlito ࢅ€" Director of the department for mental health, Grosseto

-Federico Giusti ࢅ€" Confederation Cobas, Pisa

-Giorgio Nobili, Milan

-Pierluigi Sassola, Stockholm

-Giuseppe De Marzo ࢅ€" spokesman ࢅ€…œA sudࢅ€…?

-Mirko Servetti ࢅ€" poet and writer

-Fabio Faina ࢅ€" Communal councillor for PdCI, Perugia

-Eduardo Zerenàƒ…©

-Simona Masini ࢅ€" publicist on Middle East questions

-Giuseppe Colao, Florence

-Marino Badiale ࢅ€" professor of mathematics, university of Torin

-Giuseppe Amata ࢅ€" university professor in Catania

-Miranda Vallero

-Paola Mazzoni ࢅ€" medical doctor, Rome

-Kouros Puriak ࢅ€" teacher, Rome

-Mariano Mingarelli ࢅ€" president association of friendship Italy-Palestine, Florence

-Rosa Revsin ࢅ€" Photographer, Argentina

-Diego Melegari, Parma

-Karin Skjold ࢅ€" teacher, Norway

-Giuseppe Aragno ࢅ€" student of history

-Enrico Padovan, Parma

-Enrico Vigna ࢅ€" New partisans of peace, Torin

-Silverio Tomeo

-Fausto Giannelli ࢅ€" lawyer, Modena

-Costanzo Ferraro ࢅ€" Fiom Cgil, Pisa

-Giacomo Grippa ࢅ€" Lecce

-Sergio Spina

-Franco Dࢅ€…™Attanasio - clerk, Ortona, Switzerland

-Mauro Tozzato ࢅ€" Mogliano Veneto (TV)

-Rosangela Cingottini ࢅ€" library employee, Pisa

-Giovanni Persico ࢅ€" Professor for sociology on the university ࢅ€…œFederico IIࢅ€…?, Naples

-Gianni Donaudi ࢅ€" poet and writer, Torin

as of August 26, 2005
find and regularly updated list: www.iraqiresistance.info