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ilitary action against Iraq not authorized by the coun-
il will not be seen as legitimate. “If the action is to take
place without the support of the Council, its legitimacy

ill be questioned and the support for it will be dimin-
ished.” UN staff has withdrawn from Iraq in expectation
of military action from the US-led coalition.

Iraq’s ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammed al-
Douri, said Wednesday he plans to submit a letter to the

N_ Secretary-General, accusing the US-led military
action against his nation of “a violation of international
law.”

But this has happened before. In 1999, NATO inter-
ened militarily in Kosovo to help stop Serbian genocide.

he United Nations did not endorse the intervention,
yet the Canadian military participated in this battle, and

ith Chretien’s blessing.

Canada’s posturing mirrors that of the UN, with
infighting and back-stepping to preserve ties. The
Alliance says that, at a time of international crisis, the
Liberal government has abandoned Canada’s traditional
allies. Both the NDP and the Bloc say Mr. Chrétien
should go further by stating clearly that the impending

ar would break international law, and by ensuring that
the Canadian military does not contribute indirectly to
its prosecution. Mr. Chrétien refused to say whether the
Liberal government believes the looming war would be in

iolation of international law: Canada’s decision is based
ion the view that, politically, an invasion requires clear
UN authorization.

Meanwhile, International Development Minister
Susan Whelan says that Canada is considering a new
request from the UN for contingency planning for

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humanitarian aid for Iraq. Canada has already pledged
$1.7 million as part of the UN’s original $37-million
package. The UN now says an additional $123 million is
needed and is seeking about $4 million from Canada.
In a confidential UN paper cited by the Washington
Post, “The UN image is already tarnished among the
Iraqi people...It will be further damaged if the question
of Iraq's oil resources is not managed in a transparent
manner that clearly brings benefit to the Iraqi people.”
Members of the Security Council met behind closed
doors to discuss the Secretary-General’s proposals for
possible adjustments to the “oil-for-food” program in
Iraq—as well as the general humanitarian situation.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan will meet top United
Nations humanitarian officials next week in New York to
discuss the coordination of all future aid to the Iraqi peo-
ple. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has
today called on all parties to the conflict in Iraq to respect
human rights. In his statement to the current session of
the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva,
Sergio Vieira de Mello said the belligerents should hon-
our their obligations under international law. He recalled
that human rights norms prohibit arbitrary killing,
detention or torture: “There must be no attacks on civil-
ians, and every effort must be made to minimize inci-
dental civilian deaths and injuries. The sick and the
wounded must be cared for, whether or not they are
combatants. Minorities must be protected, sectarian per-
secution prohibited.” The UN Human Rights
Commissioner added that humanitarian workers must be
protected and have access to all vulnerable groups.
On the second day of the war in Iraq, the UN refugee

March 26, 2003

 

agency base in Amman Jordan is concerning itself with
potential refugees at the borders of Iraq. A group of 140
Sudanese nationals that fled Iraq are preparing to fly out
of Amman to the capital Khartoum tonight. However
some of these refugees told the UN agency that they are
concerned about returning to Sudan. This according to
the spokesman for the International Organization for
Migration, Jean-Phillipe Chauzy: “Negotiations between
this group and the embassy officials agency are ongoing.
We need to resolve the future of this group quickly
because we are expecting more arrivals and the camp has
limited resources. It is not designed for long-term stay.”
Will the Security Council take action on a country, such
as the US of A, who started an “illegal” war? Many feel
that the United Nations—in its ineffectiveness to stop
international events that it does not sanction—was
stricken a terrible blow. They pose that the continued
viability of the post-World War II is in question. Most
likely it will not disband, though it will be seen as an
ineffectual tool when opposing US interests.

Some see this war as simply perpetuating the status
quo, and sowing a new generation of terrorists for a dif-
ferent kind of Cold War. There is no question that
Saddam is a dictator, using horrific tactics such as organ-
ized rape to gain his ends.

Finally, on a positive note, Cambodia and the UN have
agreed on Khmer Rouge trials for crimes against human-
ity, to bring justice to those responsible for the deaths of
as many as two million Cambodians between 1975 and

1979.

 

 

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