08 August 2007

draft un resolution on iraq fails to address human rights and humanitarian crisis...

last friday's effort by the united nations security council to expand the mandate of the u.n. assistance mission for iraq (unami) sucked...

let me put it another way - it sucked...

oh yeah, that's the same way isn't it???

you see the mandate of unami is due to expire tomorrow on 9 august 2007 and the security council was considering a draft resolution that would expand the mandate of the u.n. mission for iraq to help promote national dialogue and reconciliation, support constitutional review and facilitate regional dialogue on security and refugees...and that's okay...

back in june, u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon emphasized the growing number of detainees resulting from intensified security operations and the u.n.'s chief humanitarian official has stressed that iraq is now witness to the largest population displacement in recent history in the middle east...

here's what irene khan the secretary general of amnesty international had to say:

"The draft resolution is completely silent on the gross human rights abuses taking place on a daily basis in Iraq, and on the deepening humanitarian crisis in the country...The Security Council must strengthen the current text to express its deep concern about continuing grave human rights abuses and their dire humanitarian consequences...The Security Council must take account of the sectarian and other killings of civilians by both armed groups and government forces, the continuing detention of thousands of Iraqis without charge or trial by the U.S.-led Multinational Force and Iraqi security forces, the widespread reports of torture, the sharp rise in the use of the death penalty and other gross abuses."
but it's not just us human rights peeps who are identifying the "silent" crisis emerging from bush administration policy...john holmes (no relation to the legendary porn star), the u.n.'s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, now describes iraq as one of the world's "largest and fastest-growing humanitarian crises," with the largest population displacement in recent history of the middle east: one out of seven Iraqis have fled their homes...

imagine looking down your street and noting that the one in every seven of your neighbors have fled heir homes for fear of death and/or torture...

so regardless of your position on the bush administration war on iraq know that the resultant humanitarian crisis is not being adequately addressed apparently as an outcropping - incidental or intentional - of that same policy...

oh, and have a nice day...

a pithy peace out <3

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