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09/21/2004:
"Annan condemns US abuses in Iraq"
Adam JayKofi Annan, the secretary-general of the United Nations, today cited the torture of Iraqi prisoners by US forces as an example of how fundamental laws were being "shamelessly disregarded".
Speaking shortly before George Bush delivered a speech in which he insisted the world was a better place since US action in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr Annan called on member countries to uphold the rule of law at home and abroad, at a time he described as a "fork in the road".
He said the laws being ignored included "those that ordain respect for civilians, for the vulnerable - especially children" and proceeded to implicitly criticise the US by mentioning the "disgraceful abuse" of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib jail.
Mr Annan also referred to hostage taking and the "cold-blooded massacre" of civilians in Iraq, as well as the school siege in Beslan and population displacement and rape in Darfur. He condemned the actions of Palestinian suicide bombers and "Israel's excessive use of force... in Palestine [where] we see homes destroyed, lands seized, and needless civilian casualties".
...Republicans' attitude towards the organisation is unlikely to soften following Mr Annan's assertion that: "Every nation that proclaims the rule of law at home must respect it abroad; and every nation that insists on it abroad must enforce it at home... At times even the necessary fight against terrorism is allowed to encroach unnecessarily on civil liberties."
Mr Annan, who last week called the US-led invasion of Iraq illegal, was speaking on the opening day of a two-week session of the UN General Assembly. He accepted some criticism of the organisation, conceding that the legal framework put in place by the UN was "riddled with gaps and weaknesses".
"Too often it is applied selectively, and enforced arbitrarily," he continued. "It lacks the teeth that turn a body of laws into an effective legal system... Rule of law as a mere concept is not enough. Laws must be put into practice, and permeate their fabrics of our lives."
And with Mr Bush about to get to his feet to deliver his own definition of freedom, Mr Annan concluded his speech with the words: "Each generation has its part to play in the age-long struggle to strengthen the rule of law for all - which alone can guarantee freedom for all. Let our generation not be found wanting."
Full Article: Guardian UK
