September 21st was designated by the UN as the World Day of Peace. Secretary General Kofi Annan stated that the goal of both the body and of all mankind was working for peace:
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan reiterated that the primary goal of the United Nations was the pursuit of peace yesterday, as it was “the essence of man’s existence and the motive behind everything he does.” Annan’s comments came during World Peace Day celebrations. The UN chief said the international day of reflection provided an opportunity to look into possible means to enhance social security and world partnerships for the sake of development.
“One day, this day should mark a cease-fire all over the globe, where all countries and people halt aggressive acts,” he added.
“It is a day when people stand a moment of silence at noon,” Annan continued, adding that this moment was enough time for both armed fighters and political leaders to take account of the destruction of their peoples and lands caused by conflict.
Despite their flaws, the UN is still the best body for the world community to work through to achieve that goal. But the problem is that the Bush administration has clearly and consistently placed itself above the rule of law and treated the UN with contempt. This is no surprise for a party which has Senator Conryn empathising with lynch mobs who wish to kill judges.
Down below are some prime examples of the Bush administration’s contempt for the rule of law:
Bush refuses to ratify the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty negotiated by John F. Kennedy:
Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the United States and 10 other key countries to ratify the nuclear test-ban treaty so it can finally take effect, but like Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea, the U.S. administration refuses to do so.
Opening a conference Wednesday to spur the treaty’s entry into force, Annan said all countries should be gravely concerned that nine years after the treaty was opened for signatures, it still hasn’t entered into force.
“The longer entry into force of the treaty is delayed, the greater the risk that someone, somewhere, will test nuclear weapons,” he warned. “That would be a major setback for the cause of non-proliferation and disarmament.”
The US scuttled an agreement to support disarmament and stop nuclear non-proliferation:
[Canadian] Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew criticized member countries of the United Nations on Wednesday for failing to act on disarmament, human rights and other important challenges facing the world.
Pettigrew addressed the UN General Assembly in the wake of last week’s summit of world leaders, which hurriedly adopted a declaration that failed to live up to expectations on key UN reform proposals.
“It is deplorable that a UN declaration contains not one paragraph on disarmament and non-proliferation, at a time when we are debating Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear programs,” Pettigrew said.
This bullheaded stance has cost us cooperation from such key allies like Canada, who has always been a long-term partner with the US.
The Bush administration has failed to set an example for the rest of the world to follow:
Actor Michael Douglas called on the United States and others to show leadership on disarmament while author Elie Wiesel said the United Nations should exhibit more imagination during times of crisis.
The two, along with Jane Goodall, the British scientist and environmentalist, and Anna Cataldi, an Italian writer and human rights campaigner, came to the United Nations on Wednesday to commemorate International Peace Day.
This is a characteristic example of a broken promise from the Bush administration. Remember the 2000 campaign? Bush’s repeated promise to the American people was, “They have not led! We will!”
Iran gained a reprieve in the standoff over its nuclear program yesterday, with diplomats saying the European Union had decided to postpone its push to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council.
The decision to delay a vote until a later board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency instead of demanding one this week appeared driven by concerns about strong opposition.
More than a dozen of the 35 IAEA board member nations meeting in Vienna – including Security Council members Russia and China – are against the idea.
In other words, Vladimir Putin, the man who Bush can see into his soul, believes the Iranians over us when the former country says they are developing nuclear power for peaceful purposes.
Because of the lies spread by Bush as documented in the Downing Street Minutes, people simply don’t trust what he says when he claims Iran’s nuclear reactor constitutes a threat.
Washington thus finds itself in the company of both Pyongyang and Tehran, an outcome doubly ironic considering America’s historic leadership role in generating the treaty.
Therefore, if we refuse to attend conferences on nuclear proliferation, then why should other countries believe us over Iran and North Korea? This is like the boy who cried wolf when there really wasn’t one.