Verantwoordelijke voor sancties in Irak-commissie

[Charles Cornell]

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woensdag 25 februari 2009
Verantwoordelijke voor sancties in Irak-commissie

Willibrord Davids, die van Balkenende de opdracht heeft gekregen om
'onafhankelijk' onderzoek uit te voeren naar de besluitvorming rond de
Irak-oorlog, heeft vandaag namen bekend gemaakt van leden van zijn
'onafhankelijke' commissie.

Naast historicus Cees Fasseur, die er een carrière van heeft gemaakt
om met hem bevriende leden van het koningshuis vrij te pleiten van
ondemocratisch gedrag op basis van bronnen die alleen voor hem en dat
koningshuis zelf controleerbaar zijn, komen we nog een opvallende naam
tegen: oud VN-ambassadeur Peter van Walsum, die namens de
VN-Veiligheidsraad mede-verantwoordelijk was voor de verwoestende
sancties tegen Irak. Deze sancties kostten naar schatting het leven
van een half miljoen kinderen en een miljoen volwassenen.

Hieronder een interview (in het Engels) dat Peter van Walsum indertijd
gaf aan de kritische journalist John Pilger. Balkenende, hou je vast!
Van Walsum komt je opstelling als schoothondje genadeloos blootleggen...

"John Pilger: Why should the civilian population, innocent people, be
punished for Saddam's crimes?

Peter van Walsum: It's a difficult problem. You should realise that
sanctions are one of the curative measures that the Security Council
has at its disposal? And obviously they hurt. They are like a military
measure.

JP: But who do they hurt?

PW: Well, this, of course is the problem, but with military action,
too, you have the eternal problem of collateral damage.

JP: So an entire nation is collateral damage? Is that correct?

PW: No, I am saying that sanctions have (similar) effects. You
understand we have to study this further.

JP: Do you believe that people have human rights no matter where they
live or under what system?

PW: Yes.

JP: Doesn't that mean that the sanctions you are imposing are
violating the human rights of millions of people?

PW: It's also documented that the Iraqi regime has committed very
serious human rights breaches.

JP: There is no doubt about that. But what is the difference in
principle between human rights violations committed by the regime and
those caused by your committee?

PW: It's a very complex issue Mr Pilger.

JP: What do you say to those who describe sanctions that have caused
so many deaths as 'weapons of mass destruction' as lethal as chemical
weapons?

PW: I don't think that's a fair comparison.

JP: Aren't the deaths of half a million children mass destruction?

PW: I don't think you can use that argument to convince me. It is
about the invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

JP: Let's say the Netherlands was taken over by a Dutch Saddam
Hussein, and sanctions were imposed, and the children of Holland
started to die like flies. How would you feel about that?

PW: I don't think that's a very fair question. We are talking about a
situation which was caused by a government that overran its neighbour,
and has weapons of mass destruction.

JP: Then why aren't there sanctions on Israel which occupies much of
Palestine and attacks Lebanon almost every day of the week. Why aren't
there sanctions on Turkey which has displaced 3 million Kurds and
caused the deaths of 30,000 Kurds?

PW: Well, there are many countries that do things that we are not
happy with. We can't be everywhere. I repeat it's complex.

JP: How much power does the United States exercise over your committee?

PW: We operate by consensus.

JP: And what if the Americans object?

PW: We don't operate."

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