UNITED NATIONS – Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday blasted what he called a “coalition of evil” as he accused powerful countries of using humanitarian intervention to meddle in the affairs of small and weak nations.
Mugabe, whose country has been dubbed an “outpost of tyranny” by Washington, cited instances in which “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of small and weak countries have been violated by the mighty and powerful in defiance of provisions of the UN charter even on the basis of contrived lies.” Those powerful countries were telling “lies told in order to create a basis for aggression,” he told a summit of world leaders which opened on Wednesday.”We have seen that aggression occurred even in the context of the so-called coalition …A coalition that defies international law becomes an aggressive coalition.It becomes indeed a coalition of evil,” he added.”The vision that we must present for a future United Nations should not be one filled with vague concepts that provides for an opportunity for those states that seek to interfere in the international affairs of other states,” Mugabe said.”Concepts such as humanitarian intervention and the responsibility to protect need careful scrutiny in order to test the motives of their proponents,” he added.He was referring to a plan adopted by the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to enshrine the world’s collective responsibility to protect peoples threatened with genocide and to create a new Human Rights Council with real teeth.”The current skewed power structures in the world body cannot be condoned on any conceivable ground of democracy, organs of the United Nations, including the Security Council must be restructured to reflect the full will of nations, great or small.”He warned against allowing wealthy and powerful countries to “dictate the agenda for everybody else.”A UN report last July estimated that 700 000 people had been left homeless in the Harare government’s drive to demolish shacks and homes, market stalls and other buildings mostly in shantytowns and other poor areas.- Nampa-AFPThose powerful countries were telling “lies told in order to create a basis for aggression,” he told a summit of world leaders which opened on Wednesday.”We have seen that aggression occurred even in the context of the so-called coalition …A coalition that defies international law becomes an aggressive coalition.It becomes indeed a coalition of evil,” he added.”The vision that we must present for a future United Nations should not be one filled with vague concepts that provides for an opportunity for those states that seek to interfere in the international affairs of other states,” Mugabe said.”Concepts such as humanitarian intervention and the responsibility to protect need careful scrutiny in order to test the motives of their proponents,” he added.He was referring to a plan adopted by the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to enshrine the world’s collective responsibility to protect peoples threatened with genocide and to create a new Human Rights Council with real teeth.”The current skewed power structures in the world body cannot be condoned on any conceivable ground of democracy, organs of the United Nations, including the Security Council must be restructured to reflect the full will of nations, great or small.”He warned against allowing wealthy and powerful countries to “dictate the agenda for everybody else.”A UN report last July estimated that 700 000 people had been left homeless in the Harare government’s drive to demolish shacks and homes, market stalls and other buildings mostly in shantytowns and other poor areas.- Nampa-AFP
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