U.N. Commission on Human Rights - situation in Sudan...
Category: News Commentary...
Posted Wednesday, March 26, 2003 at 06:01 AM [GMT-6]

The UNCHR continues to meet in Geneva, Switzerland, and continues to present evidence that it is emminently unqualified to represent the oppressed and persecuted. Yesterday, in an address to the Commission our old buddy Dominique de Villepin, the French Foreign Minister, had this to say:

It was true that in Iraq, the Commission had been condemning every year the violations of human rights. If force was the last recourse, it should not be a preventive and unilateral action. That situation could damage the confidence that existed between States, and could lead to violence and war.

Say wha? Force should not be employed to prevent violations of human rights? It might "damage the confidence...between States"? What about the rights of those individual humans which are supposed to be preeminent in "need to be protected" hierarchy?

It's OK with me if Dom wants to live in his own dream world, but he really needs to complete his withdrawal from reality in order to better serve humankind. A tonguectomy would be a good start.

On a related note, I received an email from Deborah Fikes, local activist on behalf of persecuted Christians around the world and in particular in Sudan. She's writing to alert folks about another effort by those zany brothers-in-harm, France and Libya, to further undermine the credibility of the CHR:

The report I received today informed our Sudan coalition members that Libya and France are pushing for a resolution that changes Sudan's status from an item 9 category to an item 19 category which in layman's language means that Sudan will not be a carefully watched country in regards to their human rights abuses and persecution of Christians. This change in status also means that the U.N. rapporteur (monitor) Gerhart Baum, who has done an outstanding job of monitoring Sudan will be dismissed and the radical Islamic regime will have much more leverage to continue atrocities against Christians in this country.

There is evidence that this effort led by Libya and France is designed to further undermine President Bush and his strong courageous stand for our friends in southern Sudan who do not want to convert to Islam or be driven off their land so the radical Islamic regime can explore for oil and use the money to build up their war regime. (Also, France wants to continue exploring for oil in Sudan and the cannot do so if the Sudan rapporteur reports about their "scorched earth" campaigns to drive the southern Sudanese off their land to get to the oil.) President Bush is required by the Sudan Peace Act Law to evaluate the situation in Sudan this April and implement punitive measures outlined in the Sudan Peace Act that will punish the radical Muslim government if they do not stop the atrocities they are committing there.

The Libyan/French effort in the U.N. Human Rights meeting this week in Geneva is hoping to make President Bush look foolish and reinforce their derogatory characterization of him as a "cowboy" if he shows his usual strong support for southern Sudan when he renders a decision on Sudan in April. This has been strategically planned by Libya and France in an effort to take advantage of the U.S. being focused on the War with Iraq.

[As you recall, Libya's representative is the current chairman of the CHR.]

At the same time, there's some evidence - or at least opinion - that the US is not doing all it can to help the situation in Sudan. Read John Eibner's report here.

It would be a tragedy if in our bid to liberate Iraq from its repressive regime, we ended up enhancing an even more repressive regime in Sudan through inaction or inattention.