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International Indian Treaty Council
CONSEJO INTERNACIONAL DE TRATADOS INDIOS | |||||||
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| President William Jefferson Clinton The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington DC 20500 Via fax (202) 456-1414 Dear Esteemed President Clinton, I am writing you on behalf of the International Indian Treaty Council, whose Administrative Office is located in Palmer, Alaska, to thank you for your continued firm commitment to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil exploration and development. The IITC was founded in 1974 in South Dakota. In 1977 IITC was the first Indigenous organization to receive Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The IITC works from the local to the international levels for the recognition and protection of Indigenous Peoples' human rights, traditional cultures and ways of life. Our affiliates include several federally recognized Native tribes here in Alaska. We have many more affiliates from throughout the United States, all of whom are firmly united on this critical human rights and environmental issue. The IITC and our affiliates have appreciated your ongoing work for peace and human rights around the world, your commitment to the protection of the diversity of life and the natural environment, and your many contributions to the recognition of Indigenous rights here in the Untied States We now urge and request that you further demonstrate your decisive political leadership and courage by using your Presidential authority to designate the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge a National Monument. This action would be widely recognized as an historic step in the defense and promotion of the inherent human rights of the Gwich'in Indian Peoples whose survival and way of life is intrinsically connected to the Porcupine Caribou Herd, which calves in ANWR. This action would insure the preservation of the ecological balance of this critical Arctic environment as a legacy for all of our future generations. The IITC has addressed this issue for several years at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. We recognize the unwavering stand you and the Vice President have taken for the protection of this unique and irreplaceable ecosystem. We have also noted in our statements to the UNCHR the ongoing attempts by some members of the US Congress, including Alaska's congressional delegation, to open this pristine area to oil exploration, despite the protests of the Gwich'in and the profound human rights and environmental concerns shared by the majority of Americans. Designation of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the birthplace of the Porcupine Caribou herd and a rich multitude of other species from polar bears to over one hundred kinds of birds, as a National Monument will insure that it will remain pristine. It is the unique and precious heritage of all Americans upon which no monetary price tag should be placed. Now that the outcome of the presidential election seems a certainty, we are very concerned about the stated intent of George W. Bush to undo the good that has been done by your administration on this issue by moving quickly to open this irreplaceable area to oil development, despite the questionable economic projections and the certain irreparable negative human rights and environmental impacts. Mr. President, this is a unique opportunity to uphold the sacredness of our human rights while also protecting the environmental balance. We urge you to take the next essential step to insure that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will be protected in perpetuity. Only you can do this now, and we are depending on you. Thank you from our hearts, and for all our relations. Sincerely,
cc: Vice President Al Gore
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