Friday, March 16, 2001
2318 Rayburn House Office Building (Washington, D.C.)
10:00am - 12:00 noon

The Congressional Human Rights Caucus (CHRC), Washington Kurdish Institute (WKI)
and Human Rights Alliance (HRA) invite you to commemorate the attack on the Kurdish
city of Halabja.  From March 16-18, 1988 the Government of Iraq bombed Halabja with
"cocktails" of weapons of mass destruction, which are believed to have included mustard
gas, nerve agents and possibly biological agents including aflatoxin.  Between 3,000 and
5,000 people out of a total population of 80,000 died immediately, and tens of thousands
were injured.  250 similar attacks on towns and villages caused destruction and displacement
of hundreds of thousands throughout Iraqi  Kurdistan.

Ten years after the Gulf War, a new US administration debates sanctions and weapons
inspections.  As much attention is focused on US policy towards Iraq, Halabja remains a
potent argument for preventing the Iraqi regime from  redeploying weapons of mass
destruction.  Yet thirteen years after the attacks, tens of thousands continue to suffer from
long-term health effects and all the  region's inhabitants face risks from possible
environmental contamination. Without international assistance, Saddam's genocidal attacks
will continue to claim lives and important lessons will remain unlearned.

Please join a distinguished panel to discuss the attack on Halabja and its
long-term implications.

Welcome and Introduction: CHRC Members, WKI, HRA

Mr. Michael Moodie is currently President of the Chemical and Biological Arms Control
Institute, with more than twenty years experience on international  security issues.  He is a
former Assistant Director of the U.S. Arms Control and  Disarmament Agency with
responsibility for negotiating the Chemical Weapons Convention and for issues related to the
Biological Weapons Convention. Mr. Moodie will  examine legal issues relating to WMD
use on civilian populations.

Mr. Charles Duelfer is presently a Visiting Resident Scholar at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies.  From 1993-2000 he was Deputy Executive Chairman of UNSCOM.
In 1992 he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for arms control and multilateral
defense matters.  From 1990-92, as a  Deputy in the Politico-Military Affairs Department,
he had responsibility for arms  transfers, munitions, licensing and conventional arms control.
Mr. Duelfer will  discuss the Iraqi WMD arsenal at the End of the Iran-Iraq War

Dr. Christine Gosden is Professor of Medical Genetics, University of  Liverpool.  An
expert in Fetal Medicine and Oncology,  Dr. Gosden has conducted international studies for
the British Govt.'s Medical Research Council (NIH equivalent)  for over 20 years. In
January, 1998, Dr. Gosden, traveled to Halabja to help  initiate the first study of long term
health effects.  Dr. Gosden will present background on  suspected WMD use in Iraqi
Kurdistan and discuss initial studies.

Dr. Hama Dostan is a Kurdish writer and former long-time resident of  Halabja.  His
1999 novel on Halabja, "Like Black Wind" is a best-seller in Sweden, where  he now
studies social sciences and logotherapy.  A former Professor of Agronomy at  the University
of Suleymania, Dr. Dostan will discuss life in the "City of  Poets" and "breadbasket of Iraq"
before and after the attacks.

For information, please contact Mike Amitay at: 202-484-0140   or
e-mail:  [email protected]
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The Kurdistan Observer
www.kurdistanobserver.com