Ireland Backs US Iraq War UN Resolution
national |
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news report
Friday November 08, 2002 20:48
by neutral
Ireland could have taken a symbolic stand against the USA.
Ireland currently has a non-Veto power seat on the UN Security Council
http://www.un.org/Docs/scinfo.htm#MEMBERS
Why did Ireland back the US and UK Iraq Resolution?
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=53662354&p=53663x6x
Certainly this is something to protest about?
Minister Cowen welcomes UN Security Council Resolution on Iraq
http://www.irlgov.ie/iveagh/information/display.asp?ID=1060
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Brian Cowen TD, has welcomed the unanimous adoption today of UN Security Council Resolution 1441 on Iraq.
Minister Cowen said
“Ireland supports this new Resolution because it offers the most likely means of achieving the three goals we set ourselves, namely, to obtain Iraq's compliance with its disarmament obligations, to avoid a military conflict, and to preserve the primary responsibility of the Security Council for the maintenance of international peace and security.”
The Minister further said that
“Ireland took an active part in the Security Council debate over the past two months. We took the view that military action against Iraq was not inevitable and that, on the contrary, war could be averted if the Security Council adopted a strong Resolution which sends the arms inspectors back into Iraq with a reinforced mandate to complete their work. This Resolution gives Iraq a final opportunity to comply with the disarmament obligations imposed on it by the Security Council.
This is a Resolution about disarmament and not about war.
Today's resolution is to be welcomed for the fact that the Security Council has been able to express, in a unified fashion, its concerns and its intentions regarding Iraq. It has enhanced the inspectors' ability to fulfil their mandate, both by strengthening their hand in valuable ways and by demonstrating the Security Council's determination to ensure that Iraq will, on this occasion, meet its obligations.”
The Minister added that
“The Government believe that the integrity of the UN Charter, and the prerogatives of the Security Council, are fully preserved in the terms of this resolution. The resolution provides for a clear sequential process, whereby the inspectors will report back to the Council on Iraq's compliance with its obligations under Security Council resolutions. This will then be assessed by the Security Council itself, which will decide whether material breach of Iraq's obligations has occurred and what ensuing action is appropriate.
Iraq has been offered a rigorous and fair way forward towards meeting its disarmament obligations, while avoiding the use of force. However, there can be no doubt that Iraq must now cooperate fully with arms inspectors, and reassure the world, finally, that it has divested itself of weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them.”
In conclusion the Minister said that
“The Government hope that the Iraqi authorities will now respond by assuming their own responsibilities, both to the international community and to their own people. The Iraqi people have waited far too long for their chance to recover from a decade of war followed by a decade of sanctions. Ireland calls on the Iraqi authorities to choose the path of peace, to cooperate fully with the inspectors, to comply with all their other obligations under Security Council resolutions, and thereby to allow their country to resume the path of peaceful economic and social development, which is so strongly desired and deserved by the Iraqi people.”
Press Section
Friday, November 08, 2002
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Comments (6 of 6)
Jump To Comment: 6 5 4 3 2 1yes we should point out to the world that this toad Cowan does not speak for all of us.
Irish people should hang our heads in shame because of what our puppet of a 'foreign minister' is doing at the UN. How do we show our disaproval? A picket perhaps? It is important to show that this creature of the USA does not speak for everyone in this country.
Sorry, I forgot to include Russia in that list, lest anyone accuses me of being soft on the Ruskies.
I fully agree with the last comments. Ireland could have put forward a resolution insisting that Iraq comply with disarmament calls but also stressing need for all countries to decommission weapons of mass destruction and also anti-personell weapons such as landmines. Such a motion should also have specifically mentioned Israel, the US, China, France, the UK, Pakistan, India, Korea (N+S) and demanded they also decommssion such weapons.
Finally there is a potential weapon of mass destruction just 90 miles from Dublin - i.e. Sellafield. How come our government huffs and puffs about it but isn't prepared to raise it at the UN?
Wouldn't it be lovely if someone in the U.N. Security Council proposed a resolution requiring all countries, including the U.S. and U.K., disarm their weapons of mass destruction-and send inspectors into each to insure that they did?
Brian Cowen turned up at a Pax Christi conference on nuclear disarmament and lectured for at least ten minutes about the Treaty of Nice. When he finally got to the issue of nukes he came out with some half-assed "wouldn't it be lovely"-type crap which could have come from the backside of any nuke-wielding leader. The current power elite in Ireland -- military and political -- defy the admirable tradition of anti-imperialism that others before them have tried somewhat to further.
Ireland could have at least abstained (i.e. said "not in our name") at the UN Security Council this morning.
Or, if they knew from the start that they were going to vote in favour (and they did), then they could have at least proposed an amendment to the Resolution which called on *all* countries with weapons of mass distruction to obey the rule of law and disarm.
This could be done with a reference simply to any of the *many* resolutions calling for nuclear disarmament of all states. It wouldn't have to refer to Israel or the US in particular, Russia, France or Britain.
When the heavy-weights in the Dpt. of Foreign Affairs shriek in favour of every resolution that comes from the pen of Negroponte (see http://www.maryknoll.org/GLOBAL/ALERTS/no_negroponte.htm) they make a mockery of the good work on disarmament and real peace building which others in that department are doing. Shame on them!