Posted on 03/31/2008 2:27:56 PM PDT by knighthawk
Though only three months have passed since Libya joined the Security Council of the United Nations for a two-year term, the verdict already is in. Libya's membership on the Security Council shames the UN, and severely undermines the council's ability to maintain international peace and security.
Put most simply, Libya does not deserve its seat. It has already justified terrorism, accused Israel of genocide, and blocked the council's condemnation of the recent murder of eight young Jerusalem students - this in spite of the Security Council's well-established practice of condemning terrorism wherever and whenever it happens.
The truth is no self-respecting members club in Manhattan would accept Libya as a member, and no co-op board would even consider renting it an apartment. Yet the United Nations grants it a seat on the one body responsible for maintaining peace and security in the world.
When Libya announced its candidacy for a nonpermanent seat on the Security Council last year, many in the international community responded with skepticism and doubt. After all, little time had passed since the North African state made an apparent about-face on its long-standing support for terrorism, and development of missiles and weapons of mass destruction programs.
Indeed, Libya was under United Nations sanctions until 2003 for its role in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, among other terrorist attacks and breaches of international law.
But the leading nations of the world wanted to show Libya that moderation has its rewards. Libya's behavior on the Security Council, however, suggests that such benevolence was quite premature.
Article 23 of the United Nations Charter requires that Security Council members should be selected with "due regard being specially paid, in the first instance to the contribution of members of the United Nations to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the other purposes of the organization." Today, this would surely exclude those who condone terrorism and disrespect human dignity and human rights - sanctions or no sanctions.
Some may argue that the damage is done, and the world may as well find a way to deal with Libya for the next two years. But such blind pragmatism misses the point. We need clear and enforceable standards - and we need them now - because coming soon is an even more serious potential threat to the Security Council: Iran.
Iran will apparently seek a seat on the Security Council for the 2010-11 term. This is a nation under numerous sanctions, in violation of countless Security Council resolutions, with a proven record of supporting global terrorism - as seen in the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Argentina and Interpol's recent call for the arrest of senior Iranian officials in connection with the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, campaign of Holocaust denial and violations of human rights are further cause for alarm.
As a member of the Security Council, Iran would not only call into question the credibility of the world's most important peace and security body, it would render it impotent. The nations of the world cannot afford more inaction and paralysis.
Preventing Iran's accession to the Security Council, though, can only be accomplished through the process of United Nations reform. To date, such reform has generally focused on enlarging the membership of the Security Council. Libya's behavior shows that quality matters as much as, if not more than, quantity.
The Security Council must only be comprised of capable and responsible states, and those with substantial and distinguished records of upholding the principles and objectives of the world body. Without robust guidelines, the Security Council may succumb to the fate of so many other UN organs - marred by political interests and moral indifference, hypocrisy and double standards.
Ambassador Gillerman is Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Ping
Get out of the UN, yesterday!
What laws? Nobody follows them anyway. The raping of Serbia for Kosovo is a great example. They also made business deals with Iran with arms for the Bosnian Jihad.
UN has nothing to do with laws. They deserve their friends the Labians. Spelling intended.
A new Iranian government, one hopes, its predecessor safely dangling from the lamp-posts.
But probably not. In fact, if anything the corruption and irrelevance at the UN appears to be accelerating. It is a pity that all three major candidates in the U.S. Presidential elections have indicated a greater reliance on this marvel of arrogance and fatuity for "sanction" for activities for which no soveriegn government should have to consult anyone. I don't find it particularly reassuring that the U.S. might be accorded the same regard for its internal human rights at the hands of Islamist assassins as, say, the citizens of Darfur. But there is a bright side - the nice thing about having the UN in New York is that they have lamp-posts there, too.
Libya's membership on the Security Council shames the UN, and severely undermines the council's ability to maintain international peace and security. Put most simply, Libya does not deserve its seat. It has already justified terrorism, accused Israel of genocide, and blocked the council's condemnation of the recent murder of eight young Jerusalem students -- this in spite of the Security Council's well-established practice of condemning terrorism wherever and whenever it happens... Yet the United Nations grants it a seat on the one body responsible for maintaining peace and security in the world... Libya was under United Nations sanctions until 2003 for its role in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, among other terrorist attacks and breaches of international law. But the leading nations of the world wanted to show Libya that moderation has its rewards. Libya's behavior on the Security Council, however, suggests that such benevolence was quite premature.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.