| 23 July 2004 | Friday | 05 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425 |
Israel's defiance of UN
Prisoner abuse in Afghanistan
The conclusion of the two-day meeting of the Saarc council of ministers has ended on an upbeat note. The meeting has set ambitious targets to reduce poverty among the region's 1.4 billion people and has also mapped out plans to replicate prosperity levels enjoyed elsewhere in the world. Before us are examples of the Asean countries as well as the European Union, where member states have derived enormous economic and social benefits from pooling their resources and skills and encouraging regional trade.
In this regard, some important discussions were held at the Islamabad meeting. These include specific proposals for collaborative projects in areas of telecommunications, information technology as well as approval of a plan of action on energy, with a meeting of Saarc energy ministers soon to be held to discuss the details of a regional energy grid. Discussions were also held on the problem of poverty, with ministers coming up with suggestions on how to alleviate poverty in South Asia, where nearly 40 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line of $1 a day earning.
These well-intentioned proposals need to be followed up with some tangible action that marks a shift away from more words. In the past few months, Saarc has been able to pursue its agenda of promoting regional economic cooperation, with countries now looking for the establishment of the South Asia Free Trade Agreement and possibly a single currency in the future.
More than half the world's poor live in South Asia where social indicators remain depressing. Despite some improvement in education and health services, the region still has the world's highest rate of illiteracy, which stands at an average of 45 per cent. Illiteracy among women is higher, with 56 per cent not able to read or write.
The region also accounts for one-third of the world's maternal deaths while 50 per cent of children born here remain malnourished. Other areas of concern are rising population, environmental degradation and spread of communicable disease. These are all challenges that Saarc faces at this crucial juncture.
For Saarc to rise to these challenges, it needs to be in a position to deliver on all fronts. Till now, it has been seen as nothing more than a talk shop since tensions between two major members - India and Pakistan - have meant that not much progress has been achieved in collective efforts. All that now seems to be changing. Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri told a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday that the improvement in relations between India and Pakistan had given the organization a shot in the arm.
He was hopeful that the decisions taken at the Islamabad meeting would soon be implemented and that this would lead to resolution of larger issues between the two neighbours. The parleys between the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers on the sidelines of the Saarc meeting give credence to this view. Pakistan has also suggested the creation of a forum within Saarc to discuss peace and security.
Currently the charter of Saarc prohibits discussion on any bilateral disputes. Such a forum could indeed prove useful in a region riven by conflict. The idea has not taken hold yet but, if it does, it could provide the organization with an opportunity to settle outstanding disputes and differences often coming in the way of collective progress.
Israel's defiance of UN
Both events were expected - the UN's condemnation of Israel on the separation barrier and Tel Aviv's rejection of it. On Tuesday, the General Assembly passed 150 to six (with 10 abstentions) a resolution asking Israel to obey the world court's ruling which has termed the wall illegal.
In keeping with the ruling of the International Court of Justice, the UN resolution has asked all member-states to fulfil their obligations stemming from the ICJ verdict.
Specifically, it has asked UN members not to recognize the situation arising from the construction of the fence nor "render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation" created by the construction of the fence. As was only to be expected, America was among the six who voted against the resolution. By doing so, it has also abetted Israel's contempt for the world court's ruling. What Washington should particularly note is the UN's appeal to the members not to render any aid and assistance that would help Israel perpetuate the status quo. For the US, this is the hardest part of the resolution.
The plain truth is that it is America's economic and military aid that has not only sustained Israel, but has turned the Jewish state into a bully in the region. Enjoying Washington's carte blanche, Israel has a record of aggression against its neighbours. This is to be seen in terms of the annexation of Syria's Golan Heights and the continued occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
These wars and occupation have led to horrible massacres - as those of Sabra-Chatila in Lebanon, Jenin in Palestine, gross human rights violations in occupied territory and targeted assassinations of Palestinian leaders. What America should note is that the number of states supporting the UN's censure of Israel is increasing.
For instance, on May 7, 2002, a UN resolution condemning Israel for atrocities in occupied territories was adopted by 74 votes, with six nos and 54 abstentions. Compared to that, Tuesday's vote showed a larger number of members disapproving of Israel's defiance of the UN. This is something America ought to note and ask itself how long it can afford to go against the tide of world opinion and continue to back a pariah state.
Prisoner abuse in Afghanistan
A sordid tale is unfolding in Kabul where three Americans have been charged with kidnapping, running a private jail and torturing prisoners. While refuting the torture allegations, one of the men, Jonathan Idema, a former member of the US Special Forces, said that his operations were fully backed by the Pentagon and that he was in touch with the office of US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Denying links with Mr Idema's group, the State Department has portrayed the men as mercenaries running their own counter-terrorism operation - although, in the latest twist to the story, the US military has admitted that it had, in fact, detained a suspected terrorist delivered by Mr Idema.
If Mr Idema's revelations prove correct - and he says that he has evidence to corroborate his claims - Washington will come in for severe flak on account of its deteriorating human rights record in foreign countries, especially Iraq where criticism of the Abu Ghraib jail scandal has not died down yet. Here, 'democratic' America was seen at its worst, and it is feared that if reports are true, Afghan prisoners, at the mercy of American jailers, may witness a repeat of what happened at Abu Ghraib.
For, it is not only the undercover world of 'bounty hunters' in Afghanistan who are perpetrating horrendous kinds of torture on their victims to obtain information before handing them over to the authorities. The American military itself is in charge of private jails where harsh interrogation tactics are routinely employed on prisoners to extract confessions.
Media reports speak of severe beatings and sexual humiliation of the prisoners, some of whom have died in custody, and no legal counsel is extended to the detainees. Somehow, attempts at self-investigation - lately in the form of a report on prisoner atrocities - appear hypocritical.