ATHENS, 10 May 2004 — The Rev. Jesse Jackson has urged the Bush administration to withdraw American troops from Iraq and carry out a thorough investigation of human rights violations in the war-torn country.
During the opening session of a conference on religions and cultures in Greece, Jackson said Bush must “end the occupation of Iraq and return sovereignty to the Iraqis as quickly as possible in cooperation with the United Nations and Europe.”
“The US bias toward Israel and its support for (Ariel) Sharon’s aggressive policies have obstructed peace and triggered violence and hate in the region,” he said.
The conference was opened here on Friday by Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, and includes some 80 religious leaders and scholars.
Karamanlis and other participants including Dr. Hamid Al-Rifae, president of the World Islamic Forum for Dialogue, emphasized the importance of promoting religious and moral values to establish peace and stability all over the world.
