Anti-war sentiments aired

By Sabryna Cornish

President George Bush and Congress can use force if Saddam Hussein does not pull out of Kuwait Tuesday, but DeKalb residents want him to know they don’t want to go to war.

A resolution calling for a peaceful settlement in the Gulf crisis will be presented at the DeKalb City Council meeting tonight.

The United Nations deadline is midnight Tuesday, Eastern Standard Time.

The resolution is sponsored by the DeKalb area Interfaith Network for Peace and Justice.

If the resolution passes, city council members will go on record as urging Bush “to intensify diplomatic and political efforts to bring the crisis in the Persian Gulf to a peaceful end in order to ensure that precious lives not be sacrificed in battle,” the resolution states.

Copies of the resolution will be sent to President Bush, Sen. Paul Simon (D-Illinois), Sen. Alan Dixon (D-Illinois) and Congressman Dennis Hastert.

City council members also are requesting the Illinois General Assembly to adopt a similar resolution.

“We want to convince our president to intensify diplomatic relations,” said Cecile Meyer from the DeKalb Interfaith Network for Peace and Justice.

“Everybody feels there have been no real negotiations between Secretary of State James Baker and Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz,” she said.

Earlier in the week an advertisement ran in the DeKalb Chronicle that had 253 signatures of people opposing the war, she said. Included in the signatures were those of Fifth Ward Alderman Bessie Chronopoulos, Sixth Ward Alderman Jamie Pennington and Seventh Ward Alderman Jeff Monroe.

“There were also many community members and NIU officials who signed,” Meyer said.

Assistant City Manager Gary Boden said he had “no comment except it (the resolution) is going to be brought before the city.”