Good Riddance: Annan to leave envoy post

So Mr Annan will not renew his mandate on Syria that will expire at the end of the month. According to the BBC "In a news conference, he said the Syrian people "desperately need action" but criticised the UN Security Council for "finger-pointing and name-calling".

Great discovery. It took him six months to discover this, more than three and a half month to realize that his peace plan had not materialized (due mid-April) and would never materialize.

The regrets about his leaving by Putin (sic), that useless UN SG Ban Ki Moon, the Syrian foreign minister, UN Russian and American ambassadors mean nothing since these people are the most guilty for the situation in Syria.

Staying in his post for so long gave the opportunity to the Syrian regime to increase repression, killing more civilians, ignoring the aspirations of the Syrian people to end a 41 year family regime. The stupidity of the UN observers' mission to Syria, 300 people for 185,000 km2 (one per 600km2!) was another window dressing exercise that simply enabled Assad to increase repression. Not to talk about the risible EU sanctions towards Syria and the main representatives of its regime.

Annan should have resigned long ago, should have opposed the observers' mission, and, for a change should have had some dignity.

No wonder the Syrian people did not regret his departure, they who fight dictatorship and die for their freedom.

When Annan was appointed special envoy, I jumped but kept silent since miracles happen. I had no illusion but decided to wait and see. And what I expected happened, Annan acted as a diplomat, "brilliant diplomat and honest man" said Putin. This is enough to say that Annan, as usual, took good care of his image and reputation but failed in his mission.

I have known him since the mid-seventies and, apart once, I was never impressed by him. The one time was when he went to Iraq to prevent US bombing. We thought that he had succeeded and we, UN staff, greeted his (and his suave wife) in New York upon his return from Bagdad. But it did not work for long ...just gave more time to the US to prepare the war.

I will never forget that he had undermined the authority of the UN by letting many countries infiltrate so called gratis personnelf (all from their intelligence) in his department of peace keeping operations just not to refuse more mandates when he knew he did not have the resources to fulfil them; nor that he had sold that Department to France, a permanent member of the Security Council, to be elected UN SG in 1996; nor the fact that in spite of his statement that he would not seek re-election, he gladly "accepted" a second term; nor the way he dumped, literally, his very long standing assistant and advisor, E. L. for placing someone useful to his re-election in his cabinet; nor how he dumped a long standing high level official who had served him in difficult situation, B.S., for alleged corruption in the Oil for Food program ( 35 million dollars expenditures by the Volker Commission to find out that someone had not well justified 150,000$ income).

A too good diplomat to be efficient. Very successful since he kept a good reputation selling his soul to the main powers. A disaster for the UN, his ten year tenure was a good base for the current useless successor who continues in the mission to destroy what good is left of the UN.

Putin, Lavrov, Hu Jintao, Assad and Kofi Annan have the direct responsibility for the blood of the tens of thousands civilians and soldiers who fight the Syrian dictator. But the Arab leaders, France and the UK and USA are not less guilty.

Kofi Annan gave an opportunity to Russia, China and Assad to hide their cruelty and disregard for freedom behind his diplomacy. Let us hope that his belated departure will bring real change.

Ban Ki Moon - Go to Syria

So, the clown Ban Ki Moon, the puppet in the hands of Moscow and Bejing, following the example of his predecessors who allowed exterminations of civilians in Rwanda, Congo, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Cambodia and Liberia, is too busy carrying the Olympic Flame in London  among idiotic people applauding instead of going to Damascus and Alep to stop carnage.

Time to go home, with your stupid smile and your inept immer circle, Mr. Ban Ki Moon. You are ba ar the wprst UNSG we ever had.

And hopefully one day we will know how mych such mascarade did cost to the poor UN finances.

GIVE BERLUSCONI CHINESE CITIZENSHIP

Many people in Italy (and abroad – ask the G8 members not to say the EU leaders) would love to make rid of Berlusconi. But, since, contrary to the latter, they are relatively honest persons avoiding violence, how to do it ?

Some suggested a subscription to offer Berlusconi escorts, so that he could die of exhaustion. But the Church, main beneficiary of the Italian Prime Minister and of the morale of citizens (which, as well known, does not apply to priests etc) objected.

So what to do ?

Here is a solution: make him a Chinese citizen. There people are condemned to death for corruption and fraud. Berlusconi would not last a couple of weeks ! A legal solution to a main problem for the civilized world………. And a suggestion for Italian judges.

Sudan and democratic countries

Photo : Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir


So, the Arab League condemned the indictment of Bashir of Sudan. But what is the Arab League ? 22 countries as follows : Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Yemen, Lybia, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, Kuwait, Algeria, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrein, Mauritania, Somalia, PLO, Djibuti, Comoros. Out of them, only Djibouti is member of the International Criminal Court.

Try to find a democratic country among them....Lebanon may-be.

So what a surprise that they defend Bashir, one of them.

Then the Afican Union, also potested: only 30 African countries out of 50 are members of the ICC. And too many presidents are life presidents. Few African countries have real democracy. So the African Union had to defend Bashir: who knows who may be the next ? likely an African "leader"but which one ? They complain that the ICC is targeting Africa. Apart from the fact that this is not true, why not ? The African contient is the one with the largest numbers of dictators....and fake democracies.

Icing on the cake, China called the UN Security Council to suspend the ICC indictment. Russia in not against this initiative. But the US, strong opposers of the ICC, suddeenly support it.... Worth recalling that neither China, nor the US nor Russia are members of the ICC, but permanent members of the Security Council. As stated some months agon on this blog, what credibility can have the UN with such a Security Council, one of the last leftovers of the second world war.

China is well known for its democracy: and its need of oil is their way to measure civil rights. Support Tibet and you are an imperialist. Support the ICC and you are an imperialist anti-democratic and possibly racist.

I do not know what is more shameful: the Arab League, the African Union, China. But it is clear, if anybody had any doubt, that none of them has any moral credibility and that ,member states of the AU or AL who have not opposed the statements of their associations,do not deserve any consideration as civilized countries.

One should not forget it when the Durban 2 conference will meet in Geneva.

Photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_al-Bashir

International Criminal Court (ICC)

A few hours ago the ICC issued a warrant for the arrest of Sudan’s president Bashir. This is good news. It was long overdue, as it is overdue for many other presidents starting from Mugabe. One wonders why such a warrant was not issued for GW for Iraq, for Putin for Thectchnia or Livni for Palestine.

This however does not diminish the value of such a step.

And it is interesting to see the first reactions as of now :

- the African Union, that just elected Gaddafi as its leader wondered why the ICC seem (tot hem !) to apply its rules to Africans only. Apart from the fact that they seem to ignore the recent trials for former Yugoslavia, which, to our understanding, is not in Africa, they miss the point: a criminal is a criminal, wherever he is. The AU’s reaction is simply shameful.
- Russia, Ethiopia and Egypt, well known for their democratic policies, have criticized the indictment.
- the USA, that does not recognize the ICC, started defending it (but would never accept US nationals indicted by that court !)

What is going to be most interesting is that the ICC will send a request for assistance to the UN Security Council. And there, three of the five permanent members, the USA, Russia and China, do not recognize the ICC.

Finally, indeed the AU is right in its complaints : the ICC should have also indicted the Chinese authorities who have been supporting Sudan in spite of the genocide in Darfour and who, through their support, for oil interests, just facilitated the mass killings.

Of course the African “leaders” are concerned: they can be the next target. And rightly so. In a recent article in La Repubblica, it was shown that 40% of the life presidents are Africans. And we know how they made it. Let us hope that this indictment will start a cleaning process of African “leaders”: it is time. And we should all keep note of those African, and non African, leaders such as the Russian President Medvedev, who will support Bashir .They should be the next to be indicted.

These are the first remarks immediately after the news of the indictment. I will probably come back on this later in the week.


Photo : sudanwatch.blogspot.com

The end of the United Nations

Never like now has the current set-up of the UN appeared obsolete and unrealistic. The dream of peace is gone; the five permanent members of the Security Council only do damage control. In spite of the highest than ever number of peace-keeping missions and others the conflict spread all over and the real crisis remain unresolved.

How can one trust a peace-keeping Department headed by a representative of a Permanent Member of the Security Council with the right of veto: France (the results of cows’ trade between France and Kofi Annan for him to be elected)?

How can you trust China blocking any resolution on Darfur or Zimbabwe while helping their dictators? Or supporting North Korea and Burma?

How can you trust the USA who lie in front of the world and invade a country on that basis? Or the USA, with the UK and France nodding gently, attacking Iran for its nuclear policy and keeping silent with Israel that has the bomb? Or pretending that Iran sticks to UN resolutions but letting Israel breaching all the resolutions on occupied territories?

How can you trust Russia that invades Georgia and blocks resolutions on Zimbabwe on the excuse that it is an internal matter?

How can you trust France whose President before being elected promised to be inflexible on human rights ad then goes to Beijing?

How can you trust the UK without a foreign policy since years and years, being a simple follower of the USA?

And why would Russia invading Georgia be worse that the USA who fomented coups d’état all over Latin America up to the infamous Condor plan and invaded Iraq?

And how could you trust NATO, i.e. the USA, UK and France with the rest following incapable of winning a war in Afghanistan?

Not to talk about all Africa leaders who readily support the worst dictators afraid of becoming themselves in the future a target for their corrupt policies?

The United Nations is now incapable of maintaining peace blocked by the five Permanent Members of the Security Council pursuing their own national interests against the charter of the UN. If ever there had been any doubt until recently, the problems in Georgia have demonstrated that the system is definitely broken and that the Secretary-General, a weak person chose probably because of his weakness.

The United Nations system is also incapable of dealing with economic crisis, in particular the looming food crisis generated to a large extent, but not only, by protectionist policies in the USA and Europe and by the policies imposed for years and years by the World Bank and the IMF. All what it can do is to send rescuers and food supplies: charity instead of self reliance policies.

Clearly there is no United Nations. I saw how it works, directly, through more than 30 years in the system of which 11 in New York : the main countries making their own interests using almost corruptive policies with the little and poor countries who all have one vote at he General Assembly but few diplomats who cannot follow all what happens and in a sense “sell” their votes or leave junior diplomats pursuing their own interests, in particular in the Fifth Committee, the budgetary and administrative one, in the absence of national policies.

The Security Council set-up does not make any sense any

Longer: this is known since years but of course the five permanent members do not agree on any reform too attached to their obsolete privileges. France and the UK have neither reason nor right any longer to have a permanent seat: Europe should have it and the fifth could go to India or Brazil for example: and the veto rule must be suppressed.

But who will take the risk of destroying the UN? Only a strong Secretary General posing the real problems can do it. Although if it continues like that, the UN system may implode thanks to the blinded policies of the USA, Russia and China who will be taken themselves by surprise. The UN is a political animal, but poor blinded politicians kill it.

Time for a change and it ay come only through a major major world crisis: dark times ahead for the world.

Photo www.britannica.com

CHINA is also

North Korea
Burma
Sudan and Darfour
Zimbabwe
Tibet

Tiananmen square
The highest number of death penalties in the world
The majority of fake western products
Censorship
Corruption

It is a dirty game !

Burma and the Bejing Olympics

Big debate these days as to whether the Olympic games should be boycotted or not. Only Ms Merkel so far stated, to my knowledge, that she will not attend the opening ceremony. Sarkozy is playing his games: he wants to go, he needs to go for economic reasons (and possibly also promised it to his wife….) but he was also elected on a program placing human rights at the top. So far he did not deliver in this area either.

To my recollection, President Bush stated that he would attend the opening ceremony: guess what, he wants to offer his smiling wife a last gorgeous trip before retirement in "bloody" Texas.

The Department of State publishes every year the report on human rights where the only country missing is the US ! This is called Transparency. And possibly Mr. Bush's cabinet does not read that report which sounds more as another window dressing excuse to hide the fact that the USA are far behind in this area.

Now we are facing the scandal in Burma, where the military regime does not allow relief workers and food etc. to come in. If ever there has been one, this is a situation which justifies a foreign intervention. But China will block it, and possibly also Russia and some other “freedom” lover countries in the UN Security Council such as Libya and Vietnam.

Is then China going to help Burma on its own ? China is the main ally (and more) of the military regime there. China is supporting Norh Korea, a regime starving its people. China supports Sudan in its war in Darfur. China sends arms to Mugabe to crash the democracy.

But President Bush, the defender of Human Rights, will go to Bejing for the Olympics...And possibly Berlusconi, and Sarkozy and plenty of other Heads of State and Government.

Trade is worth more than hundreds of thousand of lives. Thanks to Trade and Liberalism, people get the human right to die like animals while the Heads of State get fed by China and enjoy games.

God bless China and the US for their fight for Human Rights.

Pictures: Burma =Reuters for Repubblica, 9/5/08; Stadium = Official Bejing web site