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U.N. raps Iraq for holding back death toll figures »

Posted by: Aidenag 2 years, 8 months ago

The United Nations rebuked Iraq's government on Wednesday for refusing to disclose politically sensitive civilian casualty figures in what it described as a "rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis."

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Aidenag

Photographer by day, news junkie by night. My main areas of interest are politics and the environment.

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Comments: 149
  • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)SantaM
    SantaM
    April 25, 2007, 1:55 p.m.

    howcome all you do knothead is crossrerence unrelated incidences in terrible attempts to justify unjustifiable actions?

    why is that?

    whats wrong with you?

    in this case, you are defending a government that perpetuates a massive civilian slaughter by undermining the effort to publicize and combat it.

    you're an absolute disgrace to any political ideology.

    • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)djn3nunez3
      djn3nunez3
      April 25, 2007, 1:55 p.m.

      "There are real questions about Saddam Hussein's oil sales, both inside and outside the oil-for-food program, but all the serious investigations, such as that by the US Government Accountability Office, make it clear that most of the revenue he raised had nothing to do with the UN, and that the UN did nothing without the explicit or implicit support of the United States acting through the Security Council."

      -The Nation

      • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)joeblowe
        joeblowe
        April 25, 2007, 3:02 p.m.

        Hmmmm - I'd be curious to know that too.

        • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)KingOfTruth
          KingOfTruth
          April 25, 2007, 11:48 p.m.

          The UN should shut their pie holes up and clean up their own mess first..... They cannot do anything right except take bribe money from their corrupt allies and their 'peace' troops usually end up involved in massive campaigns of rape........

          • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)vidman04
            vidman04
            April 25, 2007, 1:51 p.m.

            Why now? Why now does the UN appear to give a damn about Iraq? If the UN had upheld the many, many sanctions Saddam had broken, maybe all this wouldn't be happening.....

            And now, let the bashing begin!....

            • Avg rating: (+0/-2 -2)OnlyTheTruth
              OnlyTheTruth
              April 25, 2007, 2:12 p.m.

              20% of the Iraqi population are now refugees. Most of them are taking refuge in countries the US despises because the US refuses to provide for the refugees. I suspect that when and if they ever return to their homes they will not hold particularly fond feelings toward the US.

              • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)tryinghard
                tryinghard
                April 25, 2007, 2:45 p.m.

                Yeah, just like the UN. Jump in after its too late.

                • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)Lazloe
                  Lazloe
                  April 25, 2007, 2:48 p.m.

                  The UN is blaming the Iraqi government??? Now isn't that a joke. Who in hell controls the Iraqi government and who has twisted every avenue of truth about the war in Iraq?

                  Maybe the UN should start laying the rotten truth about the entire Iraqi war on the table for the world to see. It has been a string of colossal lies, a colossal mistake, a colossal mess and a colossal cover up from the first step to invade the tiny country.

                  Now the UN wants to blame the Iraqi government for what is happening in Iraq? Jeez you guys, someone in the US has to step up to the plate and admit that our government screwed up and now the blame rests on our own shoulders.

                  • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)joeblowe
                    joeblowe
                    April 25, 2007, 3:06 p.m.

                    Say - anyone know whether or not Iraq is currently even a MEMBER at the U.N.? Regardless, I wonder what makes the U.N. believe it is ENTITLED to any numbers of any sort whatsoever from Iraq or anywhere else? I wonder if they call up someone in Washington or London and DEMAND to know how many civilians were killed in traffic accidents each year. Or killed in alcohol related accidents. Or got divorced? Or kicked the dog? I'm about to the point where as far as the U.N. is concerned it's NOYFB.

                    • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)nostalgia
                      nostalgia
                      April 25, 2007, 3:11 p.m.

                      The UN is a joke. It has turned into an impotent debating society.

                      What needs to be done when countries violate UN Chapter 7 resolutions? What good is a Security Council member who votes for a resolution then will not go along with enforcing it?

                      The UN has gone the way of the League of Nations. It certainly has not lived up to it's expectations

                      What did the UN do to enforce the "no fly zones" - let Britain and the US pilots patrol the areas. What did the UN do when Saddam was shooting at the pilots patrolling the areas - nothing

                      Seems people want to "quote" the UN on Netscape when they spout something that reinforces the person's belief.

                      • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)espse
                        espse
                        April 25, 2007, 3:42 p.m.

                        Excellent rant, thank you. However, there is no hell, or heaven for that matter. No evil. Cheney and Rove are as close as humanly possible. Liars and cowards. Greedy chickenhawk swiftboating scum, the worst this country has ever produced.

                        • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)WCFIELDS
                          WCFIELDS
                          April 25, 2007, 3:39 p.m.

                          "The United Nations rebuked..." HUH!? Time for this U.N. building full of clowns to get their troops over to Iraq and separate the warring factions. U.S.A. goes home. U.N. takes over. Simple.

                          • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)Lazloe
                            Lazloe
                            April 25, 2007, 4:06 p.m.

                            Get UN troops into Iraq so the Americans can go home??????????

                            In other words, you feel the world should bail out George Bush and his war criminals. I say Bull sh** to that idea. Bush and his League of liars started the war so they should be forced to stay where they are and suffer the consequences of what they started and created. No more bailing anyone out.

                            • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)groingo
                              groingo
                              April 25, 2007, 4:52 p.m.

                              Withholding information...how very AMERICAN of them!

                              • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)NelsonR
                                NelsonR
                                April 25, 2007, 4:52 p.m.

                                Bush has one agenda, his own. "Bail himself out", a little late and millions squandered to the present. His juvenile backwardness in world politics cannot be remedied since he, Mr. Bush refuses any course change other than a renewed surge which was lost from day one.

                                Now the U.N. archaic, dated and non functioning, except for some of their humanitarian programs, corruption abounds and the U.S. supports it with other conservatives on the take.

                                Get out of the U.N. Become Isolantionist within our own hemisphere and allow the world its own agenda. STOP MEDDLING. Our country needs our dollars here to improve both our existing citizens and to modernize our military for Defense, did you understand that word, "Defense". We are such bullies and promoters of Democracy we have forgotten what the word Democracy stands for. Conservatives who stand by Bush are corruption epitomized.

                                • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)abntv
                                  abntv
                                  April 25, 2007, 5:09 p.m.

                                  The fact is the no matter what the Iraqi government tells the UN it will not be acceptable. The UN is impotent, there is no reason Iraq should give the UN any information at all..there is no mandate..there is no resolution of the security concil to hand over information...the UN has no authority to demand numbers from Iraq...

                                  • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)abntv
                                    abntv
                                    April 25, 2007, 5:11 p.m.

                                    Look how long it took to get NATO troops into Afganistan and look at the confusion there now...Putting UN or NATO troops into Iraq would solve nothing..even if you could get them in country

                                    • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)abntv
                                      abntv
                                      April 25, 2007, 5:12 p.m.

                                      The Iraqi borders must be shut down...there must be a starting point for cleaning out the non Iraqi fighters

                                      • Avg rating: (+2/-0 2)jovial
                                        jovial
                                        April 25, 2007, 5:35 p.m.

                                        War in a vacuum. No flag draped coffins on TV. Casualty numbers fudged or not reported. A whole population with no voice, except that which may be smuggled out. No TV cameras, no radio interviews, no freedom. Reporters spoon fed information on what's going on beyond the green zone. In order to quell dissent in this country the conflict is increasingly being removed from the public view.

                                        Maliki's got a point though, by making the picture in Iraq seem rosier, he can maybe make Americans believe the situation is better. Why would he do this knowing damn full well it wasn't true? To satisfy this administration that his efforts have decreased violence. This will hopefully allow U.S. troops to leave his country. It also allows the present administration to save face if it should decide to pull out soon. They can make up their own casualty figures and try to prove that the surge is working.

                                        • Avg rating: (+10/-1 9)jumpmaster
                                          jumpmaster
                                          April 25, 2007, 5:41 p.m.

                                          Iraq, this is a warning to you. You had better comply with the UN's demands or they will use harsh lanquage on you.

                                          The UN's next level of enforcement is double secret probation and you don't want any of that.

                                          If you are really bad, the UN will threaten to ground you mister.

                                          • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)Tangent001
                                            Tangent001
                                            April 25, 2007, 5:48 p.m.

                                            The 'impotence' of the UN rests partially at the feet of the five-member Security Council. Any one of these nations can excercise a veto that has no mechanism for override. Regarding resolutions condemning Israel, since 1973 there have been 24 instances where the US was the sole dissenting vote and used her veto power to kill the resolutions.

                                            Here's the full list of vetoed resolutions: http://www.krysstal.com/democracy_whyusa03.html

                                            The former Soviet Union holds the record, however, casting over half of all vetoes.

                                            The U.N. is a log-jammed cluster f**k in serious need of reform starting with veto override and mandatory participation in the International Criminal Court. All members of the SC will balk at the former, and two SC members (the US and China) have flatly refused to participate in the latter.

                                            • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)maninthemiddle
                                              maninthemiddle
                                              April 25, 2007, 5:53 p.m.

                                              AT this point the Iraqi government is shia militias. It seems every politician over there of any merit has or is connected to a private army. Even the sunni politicians have ties to insurgent groups, including Al Qeada in Iraq.

                                              In turn U.S. dollars are funding these militias and groups.

                                              Police stations and armories are routinely stripped and ransacked for weapons provided by american taxpayers, courtesy of the Bush administration with few if any questions ask.

                                              If this is the best conservatives can do I will take my chances with Democrats and even liberals.

                                              • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)jovial
                                                jovial
                                                April 25, 2007, 5:55 p.m.

                                                Most people feel that the UN should have a rapid response military. It should also have a police force that could freeze assets from terrorists or countries that violate international law. It would also be nice to try criminals in a international court. Right now their troops are mostly observers. Now here's the problem. What if the UN decides there have been violations of international law from countries like the U.S., Russia or China? Would or should they be able to enter the U.S. for example and arrest criminals. Freeze assets of the U.S. until it comes into line and obeys international law. Then how do you deal with countries that opt out of the U.N.?

                                                • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)spikecwc
                                                  spikecwc
                                                  April 25, 2007, 10:44 p.m.

                                                  Strange, I don't recall the UN asking Saddam to reveal the numbers of innocent civilians he and his regime murdered over that reign.

                                                  • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)KingOfTruth
                                                    KingOfTruth
                                                    April 26, 2007, 12:48 a.m.

                                                    I'll run it for a few years. Things will be seriouly better after that.....

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