WP: U.N. Refuses to Assist Iraqis With War Crimes Trials

[kskiska]

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 22 -- The United Nations has refused a U.S. request to assist Iraqi judges and prosecutors seeking to try former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his top lieutenants for war crimes, saying that a new Iraqi special tribunal includes a death penalty provision opposed by the United Nations and fails to meet the minimum standards of justice.

The Bush administration appealed to the U.N. war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia to send some judges and prosecutors to a training conference in London for members of the Iraqi tribunal. But U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's office sent the court's chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, a letter barring her staff from attending the week-long conference, which ended Monday, according to U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

"The United Nations noted that serious doubts exist regarding the capability of the Iraqi special tribunal to meet relevant international standards," Dujarric said at a news conference at U.N. headquarters Friday. He added that Annan maintains that "U.N. officials should not be directly involved in lending assistance to any court or tribunal that is empowered to impose the death penalty."

(snip)

The decision was a blow to the United States and Iraq's interim government, who had hoped that a U.N. imprimatur on the court's activities would lend it greater international credibility. In a meeting at U.N. headquarters last month, interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi personally appealed to Annan to support Iraq's efforts to bring the country's former leaders to justice. But Annan warned Allawi that the United Nations has serious concerns about the statute that established the court, which allows the death penalty, according to a U.N. official.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55469-2004Oct22.html

[opihimoimoi]

1. OH OH >>> NOW WHAT??? Come, we go drink, this is too much

[countmyvote4real]

2. was a blow to the United States and Iraq's interim government

At this point do you think they (* administration and their Iraqi puppets) give a hoot about the UN? I’m sure they would appreciate the UN cover, but I’m surprised they even asked for it.

[Eye and Monkey]

3. "bring in the U.N....when everything has already been decided."

from the cited article:

"Now they are looking to bring in the U.N. at the second-to-the-last scene in the play, when everything has already been decided."

paraphrasing to avoid copying too much of the article - the statutes allow for admission of coerced testimony and denies the accused an attorney during interrogation AND at court.

And WHO wrote these statutes??? The High and Mighty US Pro-Consul???

[Laughing Mirror]

4. U.N. Refuses U.S. Kangaroo Court

would be more accurate headline.

[Moderator]

5. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x926234