Stein Calls for Ceasefire in Syria, Joint Peace Agenda with Russia
October 9th, Lexington, Massachusetts
Dr. Jill Stein, who is seeking the Green Party nomination for President, today called for a cease fire in the Middle East by Russia, the United State, and their allies.
“Syria is the Cuban missile crisis on steroids. One major misstep involving countries armed with nuclear weapons threatens the world with annihilation. We need a foreign policy based on what is best for the average Americans and the world’s population, rather than one driven by campaign donations from fossil fuel companies and the military-industrial complex,” said Stein.
Stein People’s Agenda for Global Peace and Agenda lays out a multi-prong approach to pursue peace based on focusing on promote justice and prosperity for all countries. Stein last week in NYC briefly outlined the proposal to Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who asked her to follow-up with more details.
With respect to Syria and Isis, Stein’s ceasefire calls for a halt to airstrikes by the US, Russia, France and Australia, and an end to support for the strikes by the UK and Canada. The US and Russia should cooperate in leading an arms embargo to all sides in the conflict. This includes the US working with its allies in the Gulf and Israel to stop their involvement in arming people in the region.
“The US and Russia, working with their allies, have the ability to massively de-escalate the conflict. The US can stop sources of funding for ISIS that are coming from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. The US and Russia can pressure their allies to stop buying oil from ISIS on the black market, further depriving ISIS of financial life blood. The US must get Turkey to close its border to the flow of foreign fighters swelling the ranks of ISIS, without which ISIS may be unable to sustain itself,” said Stein.
“The US and Russia should support diplomacy leading toward a peace settlement in Syria. A peace settlement should include provisions for civil society in Syria that has been working for democracy,” she added. The US and Russia should work cooperatively to help resettle refugees feeling the war and the drought.
Stein said the US should use its influence to stop Turkey’s attacks on the PKK in Iraq and Turkey and its affiliated PYD in Kurdish Syria. Those forces should be taken off the US and EU lists of terrorist organizations.
Stein peace plans calls for comprehensive nuclear disarmament. This would start with the immediate the restoration of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and removing US missiles and missile bases from throughout Europe and NATO. Stein supports Russia and China’s joint effort to open negotiations on a treaty to ban weapons in space.
Stein also called for a joint Russian – United States effort to transition to 100% renewable energy as soon as possible, starting with a ban on fossil fuel exploration in the arctic.