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luke
Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Location: by the sea
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 Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 12:45 pm Post subject: UN criticises “addiction to war’’ and “acts of aggression’’ |
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| Quote: | New General Assembly President calls for democratization of United Nations
The new President of the General Assembly today kicked off the 63rd session of the 192-member forum with a call to democratize the United Nations so that it can deal more effectively with the world’s most pressing problems and ensure that the voices of a few do not overwhelm the views of the majority of others.
Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann, a former foreign minister of Nicaragua, pledged in his opening address to the session to dedicate his year as President to representing the interests of “the dispossessed of the world” and fostering solidarity between peoples and Member States.
“I am aware of the great expectations which the vast majority of the dispossessed inhabitants of our threatened planet have placed in the United Nations to bring them peace, security and to defend their right to life and to full development,” he said. “We must not fail them.”
Mr. D’Escoto told delegates that he had taken up the post “at this difficult time for humanity,” citing a series of deep problems, including widespread hunger and poverty, the impact of climate change and unequal access to water.
“The central and overarching objective of this… [session] will be to democratize our United Nations. In so doing we will ensure that the United Nations maintains its place as the world’s most important and indispensable Organization for achieving the levels of peace and security that our peoples are so rightly demanding of us.”
Mr. D’Escoto noted he would try to transform what he labelled “the prevailing exclusionary logic of selfishness” in the world, saying it had crippled the ability of the General Assembly to fulfil its mandate.
“The state of our world today is deplorable, inexcusable and, therefore, shameful. What Tolstoy denounced as ‘mad selfishness’ explains why, as trillions of dollars are spent on wars of aggression, more than half the world’s people languish in hunger and destitution. Our priorities, sisters and brothers, could hardly be more confused.”
The President said Assembly members would focus during this session on examining the root causes of major problems, such as the current crisis caused by soaring prices of many basic foods, and its effect on hunger and poverty.
He also said a high-level dialogue will be held during the next year on the subject of democratizing the UN. The event will be split into three sessions that consider the Bretton Woods and other international finance institutions, the role of the General Assembly, and the size and format of the Security Council.
Reform of the 15-member Council was among the most urgent challenges facing the UN, he noted.
“It is a sad but undeniable fact that serious breaches of the peace and threats to international peace and security are being perpetrated by some members of the Security Council that seem unable to break what appears like an addiction to war.
“In the case of some of those members, the veto privilege seems to have gone to their heads and has confused them to the point of making them think they are entitled to do as they please without consequence.”
The resolutions of the General Assembly should also become binding, warning that all too often the resolutions are ignored by Member States.
He added that climate change, access to water, terrorism and human rights, nuclear control and disarmament and human trafficking are among the other priority themes during the 63rd session.
Later, in response to questions from journalists, he said he hoped to reach the heart of people and show them the value of love and solidarity and the dangers to the human species and the natural world.
“We must… do away with dreams and hopes about planetary domination. All imperial dreams and behaviour are totally against the spirit and the letter of our Charter and certainly are going to lead us to our extinction.” |
from http://www.un.org/ga/news/news.asp?NewsID=28080&Cr=general+assembly&Cr1=
http://www.un.org/News/GA-2008/Eng/GA_Statement_English.pdf
| Quote: | New UN president chides Security Council powers
UNITED NATIONS: The new president of the UN General Assembly opened its 63rd annual session on Tuesday by accusing some of the world body’s most powerful members of relying on warfare.
“It is a sad but undeniable fact that serious breaches of the peace and threats to international peace and security are being perpetrated by some members of the Security Council that seem unable to break what appears like an addiction to war,’’ Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann said, without specifying any countries.
During his acceptance speech in June, he criticised what he called “acts of aggression’’ in Iraq and Afghanistan without mentioning the United States by name. D’Escoto, a Nicaraguan Roman Catholic priest, also took a swipe at the US on Tuesday for what he said was its “unjust’’ 46-year-long trade embargo against Cuba.
His remarks were his first as president of the 192-nation assembly. He will preside over its yearlong session, including two weeks of ministerial meetings that begin next week. Separately, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told The Associated Press in an interview that he would use the assembly’s ministerial session to hold talks with world leaders on issues ranging from climate change to the detention of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
He called it a top priority ``to mobilise and galvanise all political wills and resources starting from now’’ to craft a new climate change agreement next year to succeed the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
Speaking about Suu Kyi, Ban said Myanmar’s military junta ``should release her from house arrest,’’ to allow the 63-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who has been on a recent hunger strike to lead ``a genuine and free life.’’
Much of d’Escoto’s antipathy was directed at the 15-nation Security Council, the United Nations’ most powerful body, which is dominated by the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France - the five permanent members with veto power.
That configuration reflects the balance of power at the end of World War II, when the UN was created. It was much on d’Escoto’s mind as he dedicated his presidency to seeking “the democratization of the United Nations’’ and to helping the “dispossessed.’’
Turning to Cuba, d’Escoto wondered aloud why the United Nations has been powerless to overturn the US trade embargo imposed on Fidel Castro’s government in February 1962. “If the opinion of more than 95 per cent of the membership of the United Nations can be so casually ignored, of what use is this General Assembly?’’ he said. The General Assembly’s resolutions aren’t binding, unlike the Security Council, which can set international law. But the assembly controls the UN budget and serves as a world forum for debate. |
d'escoto is the guy who successfully took america to the international court of justice in the hague for arming contra rebels and went on hunger strike against american policy. in 2004 he told a american news program ronald reagan was "the butcher of my people" and called bush reagan's "spiritual heir".
finally, someone with balls in the un!  i bet britain and america as pissed with this ... i wonder how much mainstream coverage this will get? |
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faceless
admin
Joined: 25 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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| This is the first I've heard of him, but he seems a brilliant person to have in a position of power. The problem is that I'm sure there will be certain rogue states (on the Security council no less) who will refuse to take part in his evil plans for global peace and humanity. |
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luke
Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Location: by the sea
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| Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:42 am Post subject: |
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i've just been doing a search on the media, and the west has completely ignored this story, just as chomsky and hermans propaganda model would predict it would be. you can get the story in iran, israel, turkey, china, pakistan, taiwan, egypt, sudan, south africa, sri lanka, tanzania, etc - but not britain or america!
the afp covered the us envoys reply to him, where he 'chides' d'escotos comments, but of course the western media didn't cover that either because that would require telling people what the america envoy was disapproving of!
whats interesting is the western media covered the story the day before his speech, saying he was going to give one - but obviously his actual speech was just to much truth to let the people know!
apparently d'escoto is a catholic priest, maybe thats why they haven't covered the story but just tried to demonise him |
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faceless
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Joined: 25 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 12:57 pm Post subject: |
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| It's just disgusting that nothing was reported of this. You could be forgiven for thinking the western governments, corporations and mass media are all just one homogenous lump, feeding off each other for their own monetary ends - and I've seen no evidence to suggest they aren't... |
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