Letter to Foreign Minister re waiving sanctions 6 April 2020
PO Box 573, Coorparoo, Australia,4151
6th April,2020
The Hon Marise Payne, MP
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Parliament House
Canberra 2600
Dear Minister,
The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) wishes to draw your attention to the call on Wednesday 1st April from the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres referring to the global fight against the Corona Virus:
“Sanctions imposed on countries should be waived to ensure access to food, essential supplies and access to COVID-19 tests and medical support. This is the time for solidarity not exclusion.”
The impact of these sanctions is described in a March 17th Global Times article:
“Suffering under the weight of U.S. sanctions and a serious economic and political crisis, Venezuela is bracing for a potentially disastrous outbreak of COVID-19 as the pandemic sweeps across the globe……..Also under aggressive U.S. sanctions, Iran has struggled to contain COVID-19, resulting in a devastating humanitarian crisis.”
Can you please advise of the Australian Government’s response to this call for sanctions waiver by the UN Secretary General and of the contribution Australia can make to this important call, including urging its allies to support it.
Yours sincerely
Annette Brownlie
Chairperson