The UN Sanctions Committee - Who is incharge?

Madina Archives


Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board

The UN Sanctions Committee - Who is incharge?
Learner
02/06/02 at 03:14:54
The UN Sanctions Committee - Who is incharge?

Peter van Walsum is the Netherlands Ambassador to the UN and also the current chair of the Security Council Sanctions committee. Just like James Ruben, he too seems to believe that Iraq is Saddam, and Saddam is Iraq. The following excerpt from a conversation between John Pilger and Ambassador van Walsum will give an indication of the hypocritical and criminal thinking this 'ambassador of peace' holds and how much he really knows about what is going on:

JP: Why should the population, innocent people, be punished for Saddam's crimes?
VW: It's a difficult problem. You should realize that sanctions are one of the curative measures that the Security Council has at its disposal and obviously they hurt. They are like a military measure.

JP: But who do they hurt?
VW: Well this, of course, is the problem but with military action, too, you have the eternal problem of collateral damage.

JP: So an entire nation is collateral damage? Is that correct?
VW: No, I am saying that sanctions have [similar] effects, you see, you understand, we have to study this further.

JP: Do you believe that people have human rights no matter where they live and under what system?
VW: Yes.

JP: Doesn't that mean that the sanctions you are imposing are violating the human rights of millions of people?
VW: It's also documented that the Iraqi Regime has committed very serious human rights breaches.

JP: There is no doubt about that. But what's the difference between human rights violations committed by the regime and those committed by your committee?
VW: It's a very complicated issue, Mr. Pilger.

JP: What do you say to those who describe sanctions that have caused so many deaths as a 'weapon of mass destruction', as lethal as chemical weapons?
VW: I don't think that's a fair comparison.

JP: Aren't the deaths of half a million children mass destruction?
VW: I don't think you can use that argument to convince me. It is about the invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

JP: Let's say the Netherlands was taken over by a Dutch Saddam Hussain, and sanctions were imposed, and the children of Holland started to die like flies. How would you feel about that?
VW: I don't think that's a very fair question. We are talking about a situation that was caused by a government that overran its neighbor, and has weapons of mass destruction.

JP: Then why aren't there sanctions on Israel [which] occupies much of Palestine and attacks Lebanon almost every day of the week. Why aren't there sanctions on Turkey which has displaced 3 million Kurds and caused the deaths of 30,000 Kurds?
VW: Well, there are many countries that do things that we are not happy with. We can't be everywhere. I repeat, it's complex.

JP: How much power does the United States exercise over your committee?
VW: We operate by consensus.

JP: And what if the Americans object?
VW: We don't operate.

Source:  John Pilger


Individual posts do not necessarily reflect the views of Jannah.org, Islam, or all Muslims. All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. Comments are owned by the poster and may not be used without consent of the author.
The rest © Jannah.Org