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Momodou
Denmark
11829 Posts |
 Posted - 16 Dec 2009 : 14:10:31
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The following is culled from the English version of Politiken Newspaper
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EDITORIAL: Welcoming dictators to Copenhagen
Among the first to arrive in Copenhagen ? President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe - Foto: TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI/AP
Scoundrels like Mugabe, Karimov and Ahmadinejad all coming to Copenhagen. Only al-Bashir stays away.
Copenhagen is having to welcome several members of the global Chamber of Horrors. In the same way that Politiken today presents the views of Iran’s President Ahmadinejad, discussions about global climate have to include dictators.
Among the first to arrive was Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe who is barred from entering the European Union. But since the summit is under the United Nations umbrella, Mugabe has access to Denmark, despite the horrors he is responsible for in his country.
We would like to have warmly welcomed Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. But he has remained in Zimbabwe to save money. Mugabe is here with a delegation of 59 people!
We also have to let in Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov, despite the fact that human rights organisations say that he has the habit of boiling his opponents to death . And he let his troops kill almost 1,000 people who demonstrated against horrible living conditions in Andijan in 2005.
It remains unclear whether President Gurbangulij Berdimuhamedov from the dictatorship in Turkmenistan will be coming, or whether Burma’s Than Shwe will be arriving. Nor can we dismiss the possibility that the Summit can hopefully provide an opportunity to put pressure on them to improve conditions in their home countries.
One scoundrel who is expected to stay away is Sudan’s President Hassan al-Bashir. As head of state he would enjoy immunity, but as he is being sought for genocide, Denmark would also be duty bound to hand him over to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague that has issued an arrest warrant for his detention.
It is possible to prevent dictators from travelling freely to United Nations meetings by opening a case against them at the ICJ. That does not happen when crimes are ‘only’ those of electoral fraud and conduct resulting in bloodshed – conduct that many others than those named here are guilty of – including Russia’s leaders.
Genocide is a different issue, and one which Ahmadinejad, for example, cannot be accused of. Unlike al-Bashir. The definition of genocide under international law is the attempt to exterminate a people. While minorities are persecuted in Iran, there is no basis for calling activities attempts at a systematic extermination of national groups.
Ahmadinejad tells Politiken that he will be using the Climate Summit to put forward an extra argument for his controversial nuclear programme. He will stress the fact that nuclear power is beneficial to the climate. And here is a point in which America’s Obama and other Western leaders agree with him.
vs
.Translated by Julian Isherwood
Politiken.dk
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 17 Dec 2009 : 08:40:49
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| When is Jammeh arriving? Does he have a plane to travel with? |
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Momodou
Denmark
11829 Posts |
Posted - 17 Dec 2009 : 10:29:52
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Without his "avion", he can't go anywhere nowadays apart from Kanilie and Banjul.
The vice president will be attending for him instead. |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 17 Dec 2009 : 11:27:31
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| Too bad. The flightless Professor |
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Momodou
Denmark
11829 Posts |
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sab
United Kingdom
912 Posts |
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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2009 : 06:49:20
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Thanks for the clip Momodou. Interesting stuff:
1. "Common and differentiated commitments" to solving climate change.
2. "Polluters pay principle".
3. "Needs resources to adapt" to climate change.
4. "Banjul will be lost" by "one meter rise in sea level".
5. Taiwan, Taiwan, Taiwan; my World Bank. |
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