The Hindu : International : No one is above law: Kofi Annan

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Wednesday, Sep 22, 2004

International

International

No one is above law: Kofi Annan

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

UNITED NATIONS, SEPT. 21. The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has reminded the international community that "no one is above the law" and that "no one should be denied its protection".

In his opening remarks to the 59th General Assembly session, Mr. Annan, took the position that every nation that proclaimed a rule of law at home "must respect it abroad" and that every nation that insists on it abroad must "enforce it at home." Yes, the rule of law starts at home. But in too many places it remains elusive...The vulnerable lack effective recourse and the powerful manipulate laws to retain power and accumulate wealth. At times even the necessary fight against terrorism is allowed to encroach unnecessarily on civil liberties," Mr. Annan remarked.

He took the position that at the international level all countries, weak and strong, big and small needed a framework of fair rules. "Fortunately, such a framework exists...yet, this framework is riddled with gaps and weaknesses. Too often it is applied selectively and enforced arbitrarily. It lacks the teeth that turn a body of laws into an effective, legal system."

He stressed that it was only by rigourously upholding international law that the world community could and must fulfil the responsibility of protecting innocent civilians from genocide and of crimes against humanity. "...history will judge us very harshly if we let ourselves be deflected from this task, or we are excused from it by invocations of national sovereignty".He went on to speak about the direction from the Security Council for the appointment of an independent commission to investigate and determine if genocide had taken place in Darfur, Sudan.

"Let no one imagine that this affair concerns Africans alone. The victims are human beings, whose human rights must be sacred to all of us," Mr. Annan said.

Bush defends invasion

In his address, the U. S. President, George W. Bush, defended his decision to invade Iraq but urged the international community to turn its attention to the war on terror and addressing humanitarian concerns. Two years ago, Mr. Bush was at the same podium talking about the "grave and gathering danger in Iraq", but today he made no attempt to dwell on the subject, especially his invading Iraq without the express consent of the Security Council. The people of Iraq, the President he said, have "regained" their sovereignty and now the United Nations and member nations must come forward to respond to Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's request to do more.

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No one is above law: Kofi Annan