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Open
Letter
To the President
of
the UN General Assembly,
Mr. Jan Eliasson
Lund, Sweden - August 14,
2006
The board of the Transnational
Foundation for Peace and Future Research, TFF, Sweden
sends the following Open Letter that aims to stimulate
a wider discussion about the preconditions for a
genuine peace process also after UN Security Council
Resolution 1701.
Already supported by
distinguished civil society leaders, we hereby
encourage like-minded individuals and organizations to
sign it. See how after the Open Letter.
Uniting
for Peace
The history of this conflict makes
it abundantly clear that violence on either side stands
no chance of alleviating the suffering on all sides. If
continuing, it will have devastating consequences for
global security. A comprehensive, all-inclusive process
built on dialogue, civilian initiatives and modern
conflict-resolution is the only road to peace and
justice.
While there are sincere efforts by
some governments to end the carnage on both sides of the
border, there have been serious delays in achieving an
armistice in the Israeli-Lebanese confrontation.
Unfortunately, yet again the UN Security Council has been
victim of deliberate procrastination. At the same time
the tragedy in Palestine remains all-pervasive and
conditions in Iraq have deteriorated further.
In light of this, we call upon the
President of the UN General Assembly to initiate
preparations for a Uniting-for-Peace-resolution in order
to urgently begin the long road towards human security,
conflict-resolution, justice and reconciliation
throughout the region.
This is provided for by United
Nations General Assembly Resolution 377, also known as
the "Uniting for Peace" Resolution: it states that, in
the event that the UN Security Council cannot maintain
international peace, a matter can be taken up by the
General Assembly. The resolution was initiated by the
United States in 1950 as a means of circumventing
possible Soviet vetoes.
"... if the Security
Council, because of lack of unanimity of the permanent
members, fails to exercise its primary responsibility
for the maintenance of international peace and
security in any case where there appears to be a
threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of
aggression, the General Assembly shall consider the
matter immediately with a view to making appropriate
recommendations to Members for collective measures,
including in the case of a breach of the peace or act
of aggression the use of armed force when necessary,
to maintain or restore international peace and
security."
The General Assembly, no less than
the governments of member states, should address itself
to the festering issue of Iran's uranium enrichment,
which further aggravates conditions in the Middle East.
It is worth noting that several General Assembly
resolutions since 1974 and UN Security Council Resolution
687 (1991) of the UN Security Council call for a
Nuclear-Free Zone in the Middle East but have yet to be
implemented. Nuclear proliferation is not the only issue;
as long as the nuclear weapons powers ignore their
obligations to disarm under the Non-Proliferation Treaty,
proliferation is unavoidable.
To prevent further destruction of
life and property words have to translate into overdue
action.
•
The first priority is to
stop warfare at once between Israel and Lebanon, followed
by an international conference on the Middle East
modelled on the OSCE in Europe.
•
Such a conference offers an opportunity to begin a new
and holistic peace process in the region.
•
Such an initiative however can only succeed if all the
parties to the various conflicts participate. This would
mean Lebanon including Hizbollah, Israel, Palestine with
Hamas and Fatah, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan,
the Arab League, the USA, the UK, Russia, Turkey and the
European Union. It is essential that governments
encourage civil society organizations to deliver inputs
to such a conference, before, during and after
it.
•
This process should be led by the United Nations. No one
should set any preconditions for such a meeting. Everyone
should have the right to put their issues and concerns on
the table.
•
There is an urgent need for a genuinely impartial
mediator.
•
The majority of world public opinion is no longer willing
to condone self-serving power politics that abandon
fundamental elements of international law.
•
While citizens around the world advocate an all embracing
and non-violent response to the inaction of political
leaders in these troubling moments of history, they are
concerned that years of raw and dishonest approaches in
dealing with these clusters of conflict in the Middle
East will increasingly result in violent protest over the
status quo and boost rather than limit the threat of
wider war as well as terrorism.
•
We urge Member States to assure that the United Nations,
if deployed in a peacekeeping and peace-building role, be
given a concise mandate and adequate human and material
resources to accomplish its mission.
Sincerely
Christian
Hårleman, TFF Board
chairman
Hans
von Sponeck
Annette
Schiffmann
Annabel
McGoldrick
Bo
Rybeck
Jan
Oberg &
Christina
Spännar,
founders
The following
support this Open Letter from TFF:
(Organisations
mentioned for identification
purposes)
The Board of Directors
International Physicians for the Prevention of
Nuclear War, IPPNW
Fiona Dove, director
TNI, The Transnational Institute, Amsterdam
Dietrich Fischer, academic
director
European University Center for Peace Studies, EPU,
Stadtschlaining, Austria, TFF Associate
Farhang Jahanpour,
professor
Department of Continuing Education, Oxford University,
TFF Associate
Edward Canfor-Dumas, Eirwen
Harbottle & Diana Basterfield
mfp, ministry for peace, London
Claire Hickson, head of
advocacy and communications
Saferworld, London
Kevin Clements, dr.
professor
The Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies,
ACPACS
Paul Ingram, senior analyst
BASIC, British-American Security Information Council,
London
Scilla Ellworthy, dr., director
& founder
Peace Direct, London, TFF Associate
Johan Galtung, dr. hc. mult.,
professor, founder & co-director
Transcend - A Network for Conflict Transformation By
Peaceful Means, TFF Associate
Gabriel Carlyle
Voices in the Wilderness UK
Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad,
chairman and former Prime Minister of Malaysia, The
Perdana Global Peace Organisation, Kuala
Lumpur
John Sloboda, executive
director & Rosie Houldsworth, assistant director
Oxford Research Group, ORG, Oxford
David Krieger, president
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, NAPF, Santa Barbara,
TFF Associate
Richard Falk, professor
emeritus, international law
Princeton University and the Nuclear Age Peace
Foundation, TFF Associate
Stuart Rees, professor &
director
Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies, CPACS, and the
Sydney Peace Foundation, University of Sydney, TFF
Associate
Kathy Kelly & Jeff Leys
Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Chicago
James A. Paul, executive
director,
Global Policy Forum, New York
Barbara Müller, dr.,
director
Institute for Peacework and Nonviolent Conflict
Transformation, IFGK
Wahlenau, Germany
Stella Cornelius, director
Conflict Resolution Network, Chatswood,
Australia
Jens-Peter Steffen, dr.,
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear
Weapons
IPPNW e.V., Germany
©
TFF & the author 2006
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