15 - 0 to the U.S.A and U.K?

[Spentastic]

The UN security council last night appeared to give the veneer of respectabily to the war crimes committed by the U.S and the U.K.

Press release and full text of the adopted resolution here.

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/sc8117.doc.htm

What are the implications of this? Can Bush and Tony successfully sideline Iraq in the run up to elections.

Does it steal Kerry's fire?

Any thoughts?

Apologies if this has been discussed before, but it seems fairly important and I couldn't see anything!

Key point seems to be

"Decides that the multinational force shall have the authority to take all necessary measures to contribute to the maintenance of security and stability in Iraq in accordance with the letters annexed to this resolution expressing, inter alia, the Iraqi request for the continued presence of the multinational force and setting out its tasks, including by preventing and deterring terrorism, so that, inter alia, the United Nations can fulfil its role in assisting the Iraqi people as outlined in paragraph seven above and the Iraqi people can implement freely and without intimidation the timetable and program for the political process and benefit from reconstruction and rehabilitation activities; "

[leftyandproud]

1. grrr

the UN colllapses again...

[Spentastic]

3. Thank God

You replied. Are people just pretending this didn't happen?

This is without doubt a coup for the aggressors. They can now claim everything is the U.N's fault.

[leftyandproud]

9. yes

most DU'ers are pretending this didn't happen it seems...they see the UN as their only hope against the r/wingers, and now that the r/wingers have taken over and basically pimped the UN, there is silence about it...

[fujiyama]

4. This is why

I have as much respect for the UN as RWers have for, but for different reasons of course.

It's worthless. As Ted Kennedy said months ago, nations can be bribed to go along with a resolution...

And what the hell is with 5 countries (the security council) deciding various terms for the rest of the world? How democratic is that?

The only parts of the UN that do good are UNESCO, and the various initiatives they have with health.

[DerBeppo]

5. 15 countries

5 permanent members.

[fujiyama]

7. Yeah I know that

but the 10 temporary SC nations don't exactly garner much respect.

For example, Pakistan was able to get on the SC, mainly because they "helped" Bush in his "war on terror".

I have little respect for the SC and consider their resolutions meaningless. It's an undemocratic institution and has mostly been a rubber stamp for American hegemony and imperialism.

[Guy_Montag]

2. Just as long as people keep asking...

"Where are the WMD?"

"With car bombs going off every day in Iraq & people getting shot every other day in Saudi Arabia, aid workers in Afghanistan getting killed, bombs going off in Madrid, (& these are just the incidents we hear about)- exactly how is the world a safer place?"

Keep asking people these questions, they may have got UN backing now, but that's just making the best of a fucking stupid situation.

[T_i_B]

6. "Successfully sideline Iraq in the run up to elections?"

Well it's European elections tomorrow, not to mention some local elections and the London Mayoral election. So it's a bit too late for that in the UK!

We shall see how things play out in Iraq after the handover.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. It's the pragmatic solution for the Security Council

If they didn't agree a resolution, the US and UK wouldn't have done this anyway, saying the interim government had asked them to. The only other power that might be able to claim authority seems to be Sistani, and he doesn't seem to want to go that far. The Security Council would rather be able to say they have done something, than end up in a permanent veto limbo.

http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2004-06/09/article01.shtml

In the meantime, Iraqi Kurds said they might quit Allawi's newly formed government to protest against the resolution’s ignorance of their calls for federalism.

"All the struggles we made last year have been lost...we have seen how democracy can be usurped," Public Works Minister Nasreen Berwari told Reuters.

"If the leadership calls on us to withdraw from the government, we will do so."

Iraq's hugely influential Shiite leader Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, who objects to the interim constitution's safeguards for Kurdish rights, reiterated this week he would oppose any U.N. resolution that mentioned the document.

Sistani may think that the elections will give his ideas, however they are politically expressed, a good chance, and is willing to wait. The UN resolution has tipped towards him and away from the Kurds anyway.

[tom_paine]

10. Appeasing like the League of Nations appeased Hitler at Munich

Don't people EVER LEARN?

Nothing good ever comes from appeasing Totalitarian Monsters.

[donhakman]

11. Instead of court

[donhakman]

12. "hello Dick"

"yes George"
What was the Iraq answer again?
"Just tell them Iraq needed killin and the UN wouldn't do it"
Thanks Dick.