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US
- over or under the UN?
By
Fredrik S. Heffermehl
Norges
Fredsråd - Norwegian Peace
Alliance
September 11, 2003
Oslo, 9. Sept. 2003
Dear ambassador,
I have today submitted the following column for
distribution by the IPS Columnist Service in Rome. A.o. I
express support for the French, German and Russian
defense of the UN Charter.
And I urge nations not to yield to US wishes on Iraq
without clear and unambiguous promises to return to loyal
membership of the UN and collective decisionmaking - see
end of article.
In view of the urgency of the matter I am sending this
to you before it reaches the the editorial offices (about
2000, all over the world).
Fredrik S. Heffermehl
US - over or under
the UN?
Empire and imperialism, words with a negative ring for
most of us, have come into open use as a laudable
abmbition for neoconservative, Christian crusaders in the
present US government. Fortunately these people, who
promoted the disastrous Iraq war in open contempt of the
United Nations Charter, are now suffering a solid
political setback.
This week the US is approaching the body which it
declared worthless and irrelevant only half a year ago,
seeking to be rescued from the chaos and crisis it has
created in Iraq. US casualties and financial costs are
rising, almost faster than the prestige of the US
president is dropping. His lies before the war may well
cost him his reelection to a second period.
This dark situation is at the same time a shining
opportunity for the UN to regain its role and strength
and a much needed fundamental reassessment of the
institutions and methods of the international system to
face "new and non-conventional threats", called for by UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan this summer.
"Thank God for the Death of the UN" wrote Richard
Perle, of the US Defence Policy Board, in March in the
Guardian. One would expect that a government after such
roaring mischief, miscalculation and insult to the UN,
would be ashamed rather than arrogant when it returned to
the UN, asking other nations to spend money and lives to
help the US out of the mess it has made in Iraq. Ought
not the US promise to mend its ways and present excuses
rather than a brazen demand to be in command of a UN
emergency force?
Indeed, President Bush and other US officials failed
to announce that the US will pull out and respect the UN
and the superior role of the Security Council in
maintaining international peace. Instead the US appears
eager to draw other nations in and make them accomplices
to the illegal American actions in Iraq. Even if weapons
had been found, the war violated the UN Charter. The
Charter does not give the US any right to carry out
"preventive war" to eliminate perceived, invented or
imagined threats.
The US apparently does not understand much of Iraqi
reactions and how little hope a UN force under American
command would have of winning the necessary respect and
legitimacy with the Iraqis. The attacks will continue if
the US is in command - and now hurt the UN forces.
US withdrawal is absolutely necessary to stabilize
Iraq, but the US offers no credible promises for a
genuine transfer of power to the Iraqis and sets no exit
date for US and foreign forces,
However much the Iraqi people need and deserve urgent
assistance from the UN, the member organizations cannot
permit the US to wage wars of aggression and leave it to
the UN to tidy up when the US gets messed up and bogged
down. Since this is intolerable as a pattern for the
future, it is now imperative to let the US learn its
lesson. Other nations should stand by France, Germany and
Russia in their defense of the UN and not be too quick to
offer military assistance and relief. Without concessions
and some unambiguous guarantees from the US, nations must
reject a new Iraq resolution in the Security Council.
The US misused the crimes of September 11 to declare a
war on terrorism that could last for a couple of
generations and where the US could strike against
terrorists wherever they were found - indicating that
some 50 states could harbour terrorists. We cannot accept
that, in one quick blow, the US in effect freed itself
from the prohibition against use of force, the core
obligation under the UN Charter, says Cora Weiss (US),
president of the Geneva-based International Peace
Bureau.
US ideas on terrorism are the basis of "Fighting
Terrorism for Humanity", a conference organized by Norway
in New York on September 22. The day before the opening
of the UN General assembly international political
leaders will gather to discuss "the roots of Evil". - The
conference will not address the real roots, but seems to
fit perfectly into the US wish to address terrorism as a
problem from below. They wish to discuss the violence of
the deprived, desperate and powerless. With hardly a word
on state terrorism, the event is suited to draw attention
away from the much more serious and dangerous forms of
international violence, says Gunnar Garbo, a UN expert
and former ambassador of Norway.
UN member nations cannot permit the US to continue its
aggression and repression against other states and only
call on fellow UN members when it needs assistants in
such adventures, or the cleaning up operations.
While a whole world was happy to see Saddam ousted
from power, most people regret that it was done in
blatant violation of international law, and in a way that
brought more suffering on the Iraqi people and increased
hostility and terrorist threat against Americans and
Westerners.
In the words of Ami Ayalon, former head of
Israel´s security service (Shabak): "Those who want
"victory" against terror without addressing the
underlying grievances want an unending war".
The US should renew its commitment to the UN, to
collective decision-making and promise to pursue a fair
and equitable world order, based on law, as a condition
for a new resolution where the UN takes over in Iraq.
This would be a fight against terrorism that could be
won.
Fredrik S. HEFFERMEHL
N. Juels g. 28 A, N-0272 Oslo, Norway
Phone +47-2244 8003 (fax: +47-2244 7616)
E-mail: fredpax@online.no
NFR: www.nowar.no or
IPB: www.ipb.org
President, Norwegian Peace Alliance
Steering cttee, International Peace Bureau
Vice Pres., I Assn. Lawyers Ag. Nuclar Arms
International Free Vanunu Committee
©
TFF and the
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