Early Day Motions and other Parliamentary matters for the anti-war movement.
Check whether your MP supports these EDMs. If they have not, ask why not, and what their stance is. To contact your MP go to http://www.writetothem.com/

EDM 2095 MISSILE DEFENCE SYSTEM AT RAF MENWITH HILL 11/10/2007
Proposed by Martin Horwood, MP for Cheltenham. "That this House has serious concerns about US plans to develop Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) capability, which raises profound issues about non-proliferation objectives; notes the Government's announcement of 25th July permitting the US Administration to install and operate equipment related to the US BMD system at RAF Menwith Hill; is disappointed that this announcement was made in a Written Statement following assurances made to Parliament by the then Prime Minister on 28th February 2007 that these decisions would be discussed in the House; and calls for a full and open debate about UK involvement with the US BMD programme."

EDM 1813 RELEASE MORDECHAI VANUNU 2/7/2007
Proposed by Jeremy Corbyn MP for Islington North: “That this House notes that Mordechai Vanunu completed 18 years in prison in Israel in 2004 following his revelations about Israel's nuclear weapons programme; further notes that since 2004 he has been subject to severe restrictions, including a ban on international travel; is astonished that he has been sentenced to a new term of six months in prison for speaking to foreign nationals; and calls upon the Government to ask the Israeli government to lift all restrictions on Mordechai Vanunu and allow him the freedom to travel.“

There is also a petition on the 10 Downing Street website calling for freedom for Mordechai http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Free-Vanunu/

EDM 1180 IRAQI OIL LAW 20/03/2007
Proposed by Katy Clark MP for North Ayrshire and Arran.
That this House notes that Iraq's economy is heavily dependent on oil and that decisions about the future of Iraq's oil industry will have a major bearing on that country; further notes that the constitution of Iraq states that oil and gas are owned by all the people of Iraq; expresses concern that the British Government, in its involvement in the drafting of Iraq's new oil laws, has sought the views of international oil companies regarding the possible types of contracts that the Iraqi government should offer; believes that decisions on the Iraqi oil industry should be made by the Iraqi people without outside interference; and calls on the Government to disclose to the House all representations it has made in relation to the oil law.

EDM 1017 PRIME MINISTER AND NATIONAL SECURITY 01/03/2007
Proposed by Dai Davies MP for Blaenau Gwent
That this House recalls that, when summing up the debate on Iraq on 18th March 2003, the vote which gave parliamentary authority to the Government to invade Iraq, the Prime Minister asserted that `This is the time not just for this Government, or indeed for this Prime Minister, but for the House to give a lead: to show that we will stand up for what we know to be right' (Official Report, 18th March 2003: column 774); further recalls that, earlier in the same debate, the Prime Minister had told this House that `We are asked now seriously to accept that in the last few days, contrary to all history, contrary to all intelligence, Saddam decided unilaterally to destroy those weapons [of mass destruction]. I say that such a claim is palpably absurd'; believes that the Prime Minister's certainty and views have been demonstrated to be in error; notes that, when the Prime Minister presented the White Paper on the arguments for replacing British nuclear weapons of mass destruction to this House on 4th December 2006, the Prime Minister argued that ultimately this decision was a judgment about possible risks to the United Kingdom and its security, and the place of nuclear weapons in thwarting the risks (column 21); further believes that, as in the earlier circumstances, the Prime Minister's judgment is fatally flawed; and calls upon the Government to postpone any decision to replace Trident, and to devote its attention to genuine multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations.

EDM 983 OSLO CONFERENCE ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS 26/02/2007
Proposed by Martin Caton MP for Gower.
That this House welcomes the declaration agreed at the Oslo Conference on Cluster Munitions held on 22nd and 23rd February 2007 which commits the 46 signatory nations to conclude by 2008 a legally binding international instrument that will prohibit the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians, and to establish a framework for co-operation and assistance that ensures adequate provision of care and rehabilitation to survivors and their communities, clearance of contaminated areas, risk education and destruction of stockpiles of prohibited cluster munitions; recognises the significance of the United Kingdom Goverment's support for the declaration; and urges the Government to set about disposing of its own stockpiles of these indiscriminate weapons that continue to kill and maim innocent civilians every day.


EDM 948 DARFUR 21/02/2007
Proposed by Tony Baldry MP for Banbury
That this House notes with concern that the Minister for Trade and Asia responded to oral questions on the humanitarian crisis in Darfur on 20th February 2007; deplores the situation in which the government of Sudan is able in effect to veto any decision by the United Nations; understands that the joint African Union-United Nations force is still under-manned and under-resourced; further notes that since United Nations' sanctions were imposed in April 2006, and since the files on Sudanese Ministers perpetrating genocide were passed to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, and since the last peace deal was signed between North and South Sudan, the United Nations humanitarian programme believes the violence in Darfur has increased significantly; further notes with alarm that the Sudanese government's genocide policy has now spread to Chad and the Central African Republic, which are witnessing the continued slaughter of black Africans; and calls on the Government to act on the Prime Minister's statement at the 2006 Labour Party Conference that the UK has a responsibility to protect by pushing for immediate sanctions from the European Union on the Sudanese government.

EDM 913 ISRAEL'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE EU 20/02/2007
Proposed by Derek Wyatt MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey
That this House notes that the Israeli government has expressed the desire to upgrade its relations with the EU to the same level as Norway and Switzerland; further notes that this would include the ability to have free passage of goods, people and capital between the two entities; further notes that Israel remains in consistent violation of UN Security Council Resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention, has routinely prevented the free movement of Palestinian goods and people and has withheld Palestinian funds from their people; further notes that these and other grievous human rights abuses represent a clear breach of Article Two of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which calls for adherence to human rights laws; commends the International Development Select Committee's report into development assistance and the Occupied Palestinian territories, and in particular its recommendation that `the UK should urge the EU to use the Association Agreement with Israel as a lever for change and to consider suspending the Agreement until there are further improvements in access arrangements'; and urges the Government to insist that no upgrading of Israel's relations with the EU be considered until the Israeli government has brought itself into full compliance with international law, including the permanent lifting of all barriers to freedom of movement for Palestinian goods, people and capital.

EDM 798 FUTURE OF TRIDENT AND THE PROCESS OF GLOBAL NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT 31/01/2007
Proposed by David Chaytor MP for Bury North.
That this House welcomes the statement by Henry Kissinger, Sam Nunn, William Perry and George Schultz on the urgency of the need for a new global initiative to build a framework for a world free of the nuclear threat; agrees with their analysis that the end of the Cold War has rendered irrelevant the concept of mutually assured destruction; further agrees that reliance on nuclear weapons for the purposes of deterrence is increasingly hazardous and decreasingly effective; welcomes their proposals for a US led international programme of nuclear stockpile reduction and other non-proliferation measures; believes that this proposal provides a unique opportunity for the UK Government to work jointly with the US administration in the cause of greater global security; and recommends that, pending the development of such an initiative, any decision on the renewal of the Trident fleet of nuclear submarines should be deferred.

EDM 690 PRIVATE MILITARY AND SECURITY COMPANIES 22/01/2007
Proposed by David Anderson MP for Blaydon.
That this House welcomes the recent War on Want report entitled Corporate Mercenaries which examines the role of mercenaries and private military security companies (PMSCs) in conflict zones around the world; shares its concerns over the exponential growth of PMSCs since the invasion of Iraq; notes that PMSCs work alongside regular soldiers providing combat support in conflict situations, yet remain unregulated and unaccountable leaving open the potential for human rights violations; further notes that problems posed by proliferation of PMSCs were highlighted in a Green Paper in February 2002 that originated in a request from the Foreign Affairs Committee but that almost five years later there is still no United Kingdom legislation regulating PMSCs; believes that self-regulation by the industry is not appropriate in this instance; and urges the Government to move towards binding legislation to control the PMSC sector as an urgent priority.

EDM 595 SERIOUS FRAUD OFFICE INVESTIGATION INTO THE AL YAMAMAH MILITARY CONTRACT 10/01/2007 Proposed by Roger Berry MP for Kingswood Bristol.
That this House notes the recent decision that the Serious Fraud Office end its investigation into BAE Systems plc and the Al Yamamah military contract with the Government of Saudi Arabia; further notes that the UK is a signatory to the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and that Article 5 of this Convention requires that the investigation and prosecution of foreign bribery `shall not be influenced by considerations of national economic interests' or `the potential effect upon relations with another State'; believes that the early termination of this investigation for reasons other than the legal merits of the case sends the clear message that companies trading with countries that governments claim to be of strategic importance are above the law and can bribe with impunity; further believes that the decision is likely to cause irreparable damage to the UK's reputation as an anti-corruption champion; and calls on the UK Government to re-open the investigation of this case.

EDM 579 CONSULTATION ON TRIDENT 09/01/2007
Proposed by Jon Trickett MP for Hemsworth.
That this House notes the Prime Minister's statement in the House of 28th June 2006 that the White Paper The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent would be accompanied by an announcement on the means of consultation for the fullest possible debate; is concerned that there has been no provision made for public consultation; believes that a period of three months is insufficient for a discussion on a decision of this magnitude; and calls on the Government to extend the period of consultation to enable all political parties and other organisations with a legitimate interest to undertake full discussion and consultation which will enable them to present their views and make representations to hon. Members before a debate and vote.

EDM 335: IMMEDIATE WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ 28/11/06
Proposed by John McDonnell MP for Hayes and Harlington, and Jeremy Corbyn MP for Islington North.
That this House notes with alarm the conclusion of the October 2006 Lancet report that coalition forces in Iraq have been directly responsible for the deaths of at least 186,000 Iraqis since the start of the 2003 invasion; recognises that according to a September 2006 Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) poll, 78 per cent. of Iraqis believe that the US military presence in Iraq is provoking more conflict than it is preventing; recalls the conclusion of the April 2006 US National Intelligence Estimate on global terrorism that `The Iraq conflict has become the cause celébrè for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement'; further notes the recent statement by the Head of the British Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, that British forces should be withdrawn from Iraq soon because their presence exacerbates the security problems; further notes that there have been over 118 British military deaths in Iraq since the 2003 invasion; and calls on the Government to withdraw all British forces from Iraq immediately.

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