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Author Topic: Libya takes UN human rights chair  (Read 309 times)

Offline Toad

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Libya takes UN human rights chair
« on: January 20, 2003, 09:00:39 AM »
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Libya, which is still not fully free of U.N. sanctions imposed for its alleged role in the Lockerbie airliner bombing, had been nominated by African countries, whose turn it is by U.N. tradition to make the choice.


Makes it pretty hard for me to have much respect for the UN overall.
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Offline Dowding

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Libya takes UN human rights chair
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2003, 09:26:49 AM »
Well, there are so many holes in the case for the prosecution of those Libyan guys who supposedly did the deed, it isn't funny.

But I agree, this appointment is a joke.

However, the UN does some good work in terms of aid and health etc. In terms of politics (and that's all the Human Rights Chair is), it is less successful.

I don't think the West should take the moral high road so readily though. It wasn't so long ago that you had British arms companies selling electric shock batons to China to be used to anally rape dissident Chinese women, or you had British Aerospace selling Hawk jets to dodgy Far Eastern dictatorships to be used against civilians.

Go even further back, and you have Western democracies selling chemical weapons to one Saddam Hussein, or building him a Super-Gun capable of hitting Israel, or the CIA arming the Iranians, then the Iraqis.

In the words of the late Alan Clark, cabinet minister of Maggie's den:

"I don't care what one set of foreigners does to another."

Sow the wind...
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Offline GRUNHERZ

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Libya takes UN human rights chair
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2003, 09:54:23 AM »
The UN is a joke.  This is just as funny (tragic?) as when the USA was voted off this human rights commision in favor of Syria...  Whats next Somali warlords get to head the UN African  food aid delegation? North Korea gets to chain the nuclear non proliferation debates? Sad...
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Offline Toad

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Libya takes UN human rights chair
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2003, 10:41:32 AM »
Dowding you can see where stuff like this makes the US extremely wary of putting itself or any of its troops under UN jurisdiction and judicial authority though, can't you?

Syria and Libya on the Human Rights Comission? Puh-leez!

And folks wonder why we're leary of the International Criminal Court.
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Offline Dowding

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Libya takes UN human rights chair
« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2003, 11:40:13 AM »
Possibly Toad. But I'm cynical in my old age and believe that international politics should never be taken at face value; it's wheels within wheels. Dirty deals are done everyday - compromises and trade-offs, concessions and allowances. I'm sure that if a British soldier faced absurd charges presented at a UN international criminal tribunal, the British government would pull out from the agreement too. But what are the chances of that?

I think the International Warcrimes Tribunal has been doing some good work with regards to the Balkans. Getting Milosevic to trial has been a tough job, but there has been progress. Only with international pressure from the US in the form of Madeline Allbright was it made possible. Surely it's better to be in it and try to do good than be out of it and isolated?
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Offline Toad

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Libya takes UN human rights chair
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2003, 12:02:01 PM »
It looks more to me like the lunatics are now running the asylum.

I'd rather be out of that.
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Offline Thrawn

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Libya takes UN human rights chair
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2003, 02:29:30 PM »
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Originally posted by Toad
Dowding you can see where stuff like this makes the US extremely wary of putting itself or any of its troops under UN jurisdiction and judicial authority though, can't you?


Nah, not as long as the US has a veto on security council resolutions.
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Offline Toad

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Libya takes UN human rights chair
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2003, 02:37:58 PM »
I may be mistaken but I don't think the Security Council can override the International Criminal Court.

I can just see the ICC with a Syrian, Libyan, Iraqui and North Korean judges... kinda like the Human Rights Chairs we're seeing now.
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Offline Curval

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Libya takes UN human rights chair
« Reply #8 on: January 20, 2003, 02:42:48 PM »
This is kinda like giving Arafat a Nobel Peace Prize.:rolleyes:
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Offline NUKE

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Libya takes UN human rights chair
« Reply #9 on: January 20, 2003, 03:08:34 PM »
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Originally posted by Curval
This is kinda like giving Arafat a Nobel Peace Prize.:rolleyes:


LOL Curval, or Jimmy Carter as well.

Jimmy got the prize for his wonderful work involving appeasment to N. Korea, which has played out so well to date:)
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