On 10 June 2014 the President of GICJ,
Hans-C von Sponeck, held a presentation under the title “Iraq – What Next?”
during a hearing at the UK House of Commons, London. In his role as former UN
Assistant Secretary General and UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, he
provided two detailed observations about the externally-driven Iraq politics
during the period 1990-2014.
Observation 1
Hans von Sponeck began his presentation by
explaining that today’s tragic Iraq reality can only be understood if the
additive impact of the years before and the years following the US/UK
Governments’ illegal invasion and occupation is fully taken into account. To
this end he distinguished 3 distinct time periods that all together have
contributed to the current calamity.
1990-2003
Sanctions and inadequate humanitarian
support
The 13 years of sanctions imposed on Iraq were
the most comprehensive economic and financial sanctions ever levied on a country
by the UN Security Council (UNSC). Initially the UNSC did not provide any social
safety net whatsoever. The Iraqi people were at the mercy of voluntary external
donations and these turned out to be well below the minimum estimated by the UN
Secretary General to sustain life.
Supposed to be an UN humanitarian exemption,
the oil-for-food programme, began only in December 1996. It
provided important but severely inadequate subsistence support, amounting to a
paltry.51 cents (US) worth of supplies/person/per day. This ‘humanitarian’
programme authorized by the UN Security Council was entirely (!) financed from
Iraq’s own resources (oil revenue) and the word ‘humanitarian’ is therefore a
misnomer!
One compelling statistic of misery resulting
from this reality is that during the years of UN sanctions, Iraq’s child
mortality rates were as high as 132 of 1000 children dying before reaching 5
years of age. Together with Afghanistan these rates were among the highest in
the world. (UNICEF) A sobering conclusion about the irresponsibility of the UN
Security Council was presented in 2000 to the Council by the Ambassador of
Malaysia to the United Nations, Dato Agam Hasmy:
“How ironic is it that the
same policy that is supposed to disarm Iraq from its weapons of mass destruction
has itself become a weapon of mass destruction!”
2003-2011
An illegal invasion and subsequent
occupation
The 2003 illegal invasion and 8 years of
occupation constituted a period of dismantling every fiber of Iraqi society.
There is evidence of horrific violations of the Hague and Geneva Conventions by
the occupying powers symbolized by the “Iraqi man with the hood” in the Abu
Ghraib jail. People’s courts and tribunals concerning Iraq held in many parts of
the world have credibly established the culpability of western leaders,
especially former US President Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony
Blair. The most detailed evidence has been compiled by the Kuala Lumpur War
Crimes Commission (KLWCC) of which Denis Halliday and I are members. We would
like to present to Lord Megginnes of Drumglass of the House of Lords and MPs
Jeremy Corbyn and George McDonald as well as other participants two volumes of
torture and war-crimes related evidence compiled by the KLWCC.
2012-2014
Chaos and violence
Since the departure of US and other foreign
forces from Iraq, social and political chaos has further intensified in the
country. The Kurdish-Arab divide is deeper than ever before. Sectarianism and
the danger of disintegration remain. Civil-war like conditions in central Iraq
have increased. Terrorism and criminal violence have become part of daily life
in many parts of the country. National re-building following wars, sanctions and
occupation is far below people’s rightful expectations.
National human balance sheet 2014
Total population of Iraq: 33 million
people
- 23% living in poverty (although Iraq is an immensely oil-rich country)
- 600.000 children live in a streets (new phenomena, unknown before 1990)
- Iraq ranks 178th out of 181 on the Corruption Perceptions Index
(Transparency International)
- 14% of Iraqis are orphans, most since 2003
- Increasing hash and heroin abuse (Rare before 2003)
- Illitracy rate almost 23% (World Bank, 2007. In 1982 Iraq had been awarded
by UNESCO for eradicating illiteracy)
- 5 million school-age children were not in school. (World Bank, 2007)
- Serious health problems have arisen because of occupation forces’ use of depleted uranium and white phosphorus.
Credible data and additional indicators are available from a wide variety
of international sources. One must ask how much can a people endure?
Observation 2
The second observation Hans von Sponeck
addressed the question of how to build ‘necessary bridges’ (HoL) to facilitate a
return to a human-rights minded political climate in Iraq, which he
wholeheartedly supported. Justice, peace and accelerated nation re-building must
be the priority of the moment. There was no UN Security Council commitment in
this respect when himself and his colleague and close friend, Denis Halliday,
served in succession in Iraq, von Sponeck said and this was the reason that both
of them subsequently resigned.
The tragedy of Iraq and its implications
It is crucial to realize that the Iraq tragedy
has wider implications for the way in which the community of nations lives
together. There is great urgency for UN reforms. The perpetrators of 24 years of
continuous mistreatment of a people are known. Large amounts of evidence in this
regard has been collected. Sir John Chilcot’s demand to have key evidence of
possible war crimes by occupation forces published should be respected. The same
applies to other evidence involving years of sanctions and occupation. The
United Nations and member countries should no longer be allowed to make excuses
to avoid releasing such evidence to the public.
Ending impunity
To arraign perpetrators involved during any of
the three time periods identified above and the preparation of court cases must
no longer be considered utopian. Ending impunity remains a serious demand from
civil society. Qualified individuals are available to prepare specific court
cases and time lines as well as to mount campaigns to obtain civil society
funding. The ICC must be made increasingly aware that their reluctance to accept
the mandate and responsibility for hearing Iraq cases against former senior US
and UK officials has become unacceptable. The submission by Public Interest
Lawyers in the UK of cases of military abuse in southern Iraq is a significant
step in challenging the ICC to accept the Iraq file.
Time to pay compensation
Iraq continues to pay compensation for damages
resulting from its 1990 invasion into Kuwait. As of April 2014 $46 billion have
actually been paid. The UN Compensation Commission must begin to consider
counterclaims by Iraqi society for the physical and mental damages afflicted on
Iraqi citizens as a result of two wars, sanctions, occupation and the illegal
use of munitions. Continued support from both houses of the UK Parliament will
give the credibility a justice-for-Iraq process requires and the respect Iraqi
society deserves.
See also
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Iraq: Shia paying high price for America's missed chance
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