GENEVA,
April 24 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday, April 24, exhorted the
Anglo-American forces in Iraq to respect the Geneva Conventions on
prisoners of war and assume their responsibilities as the occupying
power.
"I
hope the coalition will set an example by making clear that they
intend to act strictly within the rules set down by the Geneva
Conventions and the Hague Regulations regarding the treatment of
prisoners of war," Annan said in an address to the U.N. Human
Rights Commission in Geneva.
The
U.N. chief hoped the "coalition" would demonstrate
"through their actions that they accept the responsibilities of
the Occupying Power for public order and safety and the well-being of
the civilian population".
"What
we must all hope is that a new era of human rights in Iraq will now
begin," Annan said.
He
also asserted that the unilateral decision to go to war against Iraq
without specific authorization of the U.N. Security Council had
created "deep divisions" that needed to be bridged.
The
U.S. forces, and to a lesser extent British troops, have faced
criticism after the pillaging of hospitals and museums in Iraq, and
for not having restored order and basic services such as water and
power quickly enough after the fighting.
American
officials reacted angrily, with U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. seat in
Geneva, Kevin Moley, saying his country had made it clear through its
actions and words from the start of the war that it would follow the
provisions of the Geneva Conventions.
"Quite
frankly we find it odd, at best, that the secretary-general would feel
that he had to bring this to our attention," he told reporters.
Moley
claimed, however, that the U.N. had authorized the invasion of Iraq.
"The
secretary-general more than any single person should know that there
is specific authorization" for the Iraqi conflict, he alleged.
The
U.S. official referred to Security Council resolutions 678, 687 and
1441, adding: "So this is an egregious misstatement of the facts
of our going to war in Iraq".
Jeane
Kirkpatrick, head of the U.S. delegation to the U.N. Commission,
called the statement "very objectionable."
"I
think this is very inaccurate and not consistent with views that the
secretary-general himself has expressed on other occasions and not an
accurate description of what actually transpired," she added.
