DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) submitted a protest memorandum against a war o­n Iraq to the United States embassy in Kuala Lumpur today.

In the two-page document, the wing urged the US to heed the global community's call for peace, as a war could have severe repercussions.

It added the US administration under President George W Bush had yet to convince the world that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.

In view of this, Dapsy said, a unilateral war will not o­nly be a violation of international laws but also de-stabilise the world, fuel international terrorism and affect the global economy.

The three-member delegation led by the wing's national secretary Loke Siew Fook handed the memorandum to the embassy's political officer Alexis Ludwig whom they met for about 30 minutes.

War inevitable

Speaking to reporters later, Loke said the impression he had gathered from the discussion was that a war o­n Iraq was inevitable and could happen anytime.

"Their government will try its best to launch the war. It is just a matter of time," he said.

Loke ( photo ) stressed that Dapsy's position o­n this matter was made clear to the US embassy and hoped it will be taken into consideration.

"We are against any war. There is no doubt that Iraq must disarm itself and this has to be done peacefully," he said.

In the event US obtained an approval from the United Nations Security Council to strike against Iraq, the Dapsy leader said: The damages must be minimised and the war must be short".

Peace rally

Meanwhile, Loke said the wing's representatives would attend this Sunday's peace rally at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur o­n Sunday.

Dapsy is o­ne of the signatories of Malaysians for Peace Alliance - a coalition that claims to represent over 1,000 non-governmental organisations, Youth wings of political parties, and uniformed bodies.

"We support the movement in principle though we do not take part actively in it," he said.

However, he also urged the coalition to extend invitations to major NGOs that participated in last weekend's mass anti-war demonstration outside the US embassy.

"People are saying that the coalition is government-engineered. The coalition must be more independent by involving more groups of different backgrounds," stressed Loke.

The peace rally will witness the handing over of more than o­ne million signatures from Malaysians who opposed a war o­n Iraq to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

About 200,000 people are expected to turn up at the rally, which will also showcase performances by local singers.