Anti sanctions campaigners slam Annan’s Human Rights Day speech
Voices in the wilderness UK | 10.12.2002 22:22
kofi annan advocating keeping sanctions which violate human rights on International Human Rights Day
Press release December 10th 22:00
Voices in the wilderness UK (www.viwuk.freeserve.co.uk )
0845 458 2564/ 0794 7839992
Anti sanctions campaigners slam Annan’s Human Rights Day speech
Campaigners from Voices in the Wilderness UK (1) this evening slammed a lecture given by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at the UN tonight. In his speech (2) Mr Annan made clear to the Iraqi people that the economic sanctions which UNICEF says has contributed to the death of over 500,000 children (3) under 5 in Iraq will remain in place until Iraq is rid of weapons of mass destruction.
Voices in the Wilderness spokesperson Richard Byrne, who visited Iraq in 2001 said,
“It’s obscene that Kofi Annan, who only a year ago collected the Nobel Peace Prize, should make a speech on International Human Rights Day in which he continued to make the removal of a the sanctions, a weapon of mass destruction which violates the Iraqi people’s inalienable human rights, conditional on progress on weapons issues which are subject to the whims of the most right wing US administration since Nixon and the absurd bullying and corruption of the UN Security Council.
The Iraqi people’s human rights do not depend on how their leader gets on with the US or anyone else, their human rights depend only upon the fact that they are human.“
“In addition Mr Annan, in saying that the Iraqi Government retains weapons of mass destruction, joins the chorus of those who wish to undermine and second guess the UN’s own weapons inspection team. Mr Annan has spent too much time listening to the warmongers in Washington and London.”
“Two UN Humanitarian Co coordinators for Iraq, men appointed by Kofi Annan, resigned their posts (4) in protest at the US insistence that progress on relieving the humanitarian crisis in Iraq be contingent upon progress on weapon’s issues.”
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(1) Voices in the Wilderness UK is a group campaigning for an end to the economic sanctions on Iraq.
(2) “You (the Iraqi people) cannot hope to see the sanctions lifted so long as your government retains weapons of mass destruction. I would be deceiving you if I were to suggest otherwise.” Kofi Annan, BBC World Service 70th birthday lecture, UN building NYC December 10th 2002
(3) UNICEF Child and Maternal Mortality Survey August 1999.
(4\) Denis Halliday and Hans von Sponeck
Voices in the wilderness UK (www.viwuk.freeserve.co.uk )
0845 458 2564/ 0794 7839992
Anti sanctions campaigners slam Annan’s Human Rights Day speech
Campaigners from Voices in the Wilderness UK (1) this evening slammed a lecture given by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at the UN tonight. In his speech (2) Mr Annan made clear to the Iraqi people that the economic sanctions which UNICEF says has contributed to the death of over 500,000 children (3) under 5 in Iraq will remain in place until Iraq is rid of weapons of mass destruction.
Voices in the Wilderness spokesperson Richard Byrne, who visited Iraq in 2001 said,
“It’s obscene that Kofi Annan, who only a year ago collected the Nobel Peace Prize, should make a speech on International Human Rights Day in which he continued to make the removal of a the sanctions, a weapon of mass destruction which violates the Iraqi people’s inalienable human rights, conditional on progress on weapons issues which are subject to the whims of the most right wing US administration since Nixon and the absurd bullying and corruption of the UN Security Council.
The Iraqi people’s human rights do not depend on how their leader gets on with the US or anyone else, their human rights depend only upon the fact that they are human.“
“In addition Mr Annan, in saying that the Iraqi Government retains weapons of mass destruction, joins the chorus of those who wish to undermine and second guess the UN’s own weapons inspection team. Mr Annan has spent too much time listening to the warmongers in Washington and London.”
“Two UN Humanitarian Co coordinators for Iraq, men appointed by Kofi Annan, resigned their posts (4) in protest at the US insistence that progress on relieving the humanitarian crisis in Iraq be contingent upon progress on weapon’s issues.”
Call 0845 458 2564/ 0794 7839992
www.viwuk.freeserve.co.uk
voices@viwuk.freeserve.co.uk (1) Voices in the Wilderness UK is a group campaigning for an end to the economic sanctions on Iraq.
(2) “You (the Iraqi people) cannot hope to see the sanctions lifted so long as your government retains weapons of mass destruction. I would be deceiving you if I were to suggest otherwise.” Kofi Annan, BBC World Service 70th birthday lecture, UN building NYC December 10th 2002
(3) UNICEF Child and Maternal Mortality Survey August 1999.
(4\) Denis Halliday and Hans von Sponeck
Voices in the wilderness UK
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Comments
Hide the following 4 comments
The Blame Game
11.12.2002 00:41
In your entire post - which is supposed to be an impassioned plea against sanctions in Iraq, you somehow manage to avoid even a single reference to Saddam Hussein - as if he had absolutely no link or liability towards the suffering of his people.
Your condemnation of Kofi Annan is based on the fact that "he continued to make the removal of a the sanctions, a weapon of mass destruction which violates the Iraqi people’s inalienable human rights, conditional on progress on weapons issues which are subject to the whims of the most right wing US administration since Nixon and the absurd bullying and corruption of the UN Security Council."
In other words, the blame for the current situation lies entirely with the 'whimsical' USA and the bullying 'UN Security Council'; Saddam's past history and current policies are apparently irrelevant in the equation.
If the sanctions in Iraq raise certain moral questions - which I agree they do - then surely Sadam is part of the problem - and solution. By absolving him of any culpability (not even mentioning his name!), you deflate any moral high-ground your position might have held, and encourage most of your audience to dismiss you as either just another self-loathing Western liberal - or another perpetually victimised, mind-washed Muslim.
The moral of this story: if your wish was to preach to the converted, you've succeeded admirably. If your wish was to sway the hearts and minds of the unconverted, you’ve failed miserably, and I suggest you adapt a more balanced and less hysterical approach in the future.
Yours in the pursuit of peace, love and happiness,
Peter
peter
Huh?
11.12.2002 13:46
Daily Mail readers?
daniel gurney
The Daily Mail Says..
11.12.2002 16:29
I think this line gives us some insight into where Peter's coming from..
kurious oranj
obsession with saddam
12.12.2002 12:49
As for not mentioning saddam, we take the view that the rest of the media is obsessed with saddam, indeed some of the interviews i give, the interviewer basically says "Saddam, Saddam, saddam, Saddam." and not much else. Whatever we say, however cogent and well reasoned it is, they reply, as you do "Saddam". And that is because that's about all there is to say from the other side. Sanctions on Iraq and bombing Iraq into pulp again cannot be argued for by any means other than talking up the threat from saddam as much as possible.
By talking about the Iraqi people, we aim to shift the focus. I am happy to discuss Saddam and the Iraqi regime and we frewuently do in interviews. The aimn of a press release is to get folk to reposnd, which you have done, and then we talk from there.
In addition, we write press releases to fit a small number of words and so we don't feel it usefyul to include in every press release a sop to the saddam obsessives
richard