message from the Sydney Stop the War Coalition:

Greetings to our brothers and sisters in Korea. On this important weekend
marking two years since the invasion of Iraq, hundreds of thousands of
people are on the streets in cities across the world calling for an end to
the occupation and an end to George Bush's endless war.

In Australia the occupation of Iraq remains immensely unpopular. The Howard
government recently announced it would send an extra 450 troops to help
America prop up this failing occupation. The decision to send more troops is
reminiscent of Vietnam, when America and its allies claimed that they could
win the war if they just had more troops.

But the reality is that, just like in Vietnam, the US is bogged down and in
an extremely weak position owing to the strength of the Iraqi popular
resistance. Iraqis from all walks of life are opposed to the occupation and
resisting it every day in many different ways.

The global anti-war movement continues to make its presence felt, most
recently in the decision by the Italian government to begin withdrawing its
3000-strong contingent in September. Italy has been the scene of some of the
biggest anti-war demonstrations.

There will be protests in many cities and towns in Australia this weekend.
We will pass on your best wishes to protesters in Sydney and would ask that
you give our best wishes to protesters in Korea. We have a long struggle
ahead, but we know we are the majority and Bush, Blair, Howard and Roh
Moo-Hyun are the minority. Together, the ordinary people of the world can
stop the US war machine.

Solidarity

Jarvis Ryan
Sydney Stop the War Coalition