Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-10-09-Speech-3-040"
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"en.20021009.5.3-040"2
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"Mr President, we know that one reason for military intervention is the search for weapons of mass destruction, but there are, of course, other reasons. Parliament's resolution of May 2002 made a proposal which still has not been taken up. It suggested that an international ad-hoc tribunal be set up to try Saddam Hussein and his officials, and that the Commission should set up an office of human rights to collect the evidence.
There are, of course, different reasons for intervening: humanitarian interventions, self-defence, Article 51, as was used in Afghanistan, and now a new proposal of anticipatory self-defence – the so-called pre-emptive strike – discussed by President Bush for regime change. Even the 'bullet in the head' option has been discussed. But this Parliament, surely, should have one thing in mind: the people of Iraq. Here I call for a prosecution of Saddam Hussein and his officials under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
This is a crime against humanity of such a scale that it can never be forgiven and we must invoke justice and the rule of law. The Genocide Convention to which we and all our allies are parties imposes a duty upon us to punish all acts of genocide ordered by constitutionally-responsible rulers. It expressly envisages that an international court may be established for that purpose, preferably in the territory in which the crimes were committed and if not, elsewhere. In this way all perpetrators may be tried by such international panel tribunals which may have jurisdiction with respect to those contracting parties which have accepted its jurisdiction.
The Nuremberg precedent reminds us that a torturer is a torturer even if you are in a uniform and you have accepted an order to torture one of your fellow men or women. In other words, being an official does not exempt you from prosecution. This means that we have an absolute duty to look not just at Saddam Hussein but at all of those officials.
What are Saddam Hussein's genocidal acts? In the past, we have seen the use of chemical weapons in the north, the decimation of the gypsies, the persecution of Jews, the Assyrian Christians, over three-quarters of a million displaced people, assaults on Shia Muslims and those of Iranian descent. Thirty years of murderous assault and still he goes after the remnants of those unfortunate people. Genocide now concerns the marsh Arabs: over half a million people destroyed in the last few years. They have lost their place, the people, the fish, the animals, the water, the land, their homes, their farms, villages, towns, boats and agriculture through killing, burning and draining. We have seen the total destruction of a unique, distinctively different and ancient tribal people. That is genocide. A UN resolution is required but we need the evidence to be brought up front, in front of the peoples of the world, to alter the perception of why this course of action is required.
The establishment of the Office of Human Rights was accepted in principle by Commissioner Patten at our debate in May 2002. I urge him to set up this office without delay – we have already lost too much time."@en1
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