US mayors call on Congress to end wars

Baltimore Hosts U.S. Conference Of Mayors. June 17, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/185256.html

Some US mayors have urged Congress to end the costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and instead redirect the money spent there to domestic needs.

The mayors gathered on Friday in Baltimore for their annual US Conference of Mayors meeting, and discussed a resolution for a speedy end to the US military spending abroad arguing the domestic need for those funds should be prioritized, AP reported.

The conference is an official non-partisan organization for 1,200 cities with a population exceeding 30,000.

The mayors also drew attention to the human costs of the wars.

"The United States Conference of Mayors calls on the US Congress to bring these war dollars home to meet vital human needs, promote job creation, rebuild our infrastructure, aid municipal and state governments, and develop a new economy based upon renewable, sustainable energy," the resolution said.

Moreover, the resolution stated that the wars cost USD 126 billion a year for the US and that more than 6,000 US soldiers have been killed so far.

Elena Temple, a spokeswoman for the conference, noted that since the Vietnam War, there has not been a resolution calling to end a war and instead redirect the money at home.