UN told not to water down protection of civilians
By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 9 (Reuters) - The U.N. relief coordinator urged the Security Council on Friday not to water down its resolution on protecting civilians subject to abuse, whether in Northern Uganda, Sudan or the Ivory Coast.
The 15-member council, in an all-day debate among dozens of U.N. ambassadors, is considering a document on how to stop atrocities against women, men and children in war zones.

"The eyes and ears of the world community and human rights and humanitarian workers are on you," Jan Egeland, the humanitarian relief coordinator, told the council, citing the 26 million people forced out of their homes."This is not the time to end up with a weak resolution on the protection of civilians," he said. "It would be the ultimate irony when faced with the mass of information of tens of thousands of deaths, and tens of thousands of rapes, and tens of thousands of children being abused."

Several council members, including Russia, China and Algeria, have qualms about putting into the resolution a new concept, the "responsibility to protect" civilians under siege. The concept, approved at a U.N. summit in September, would use military intervention as a last resort if the Security Council approves.

British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry, the current council president, said he was confident the resolution, expected to be adopted next week, would include the new concept, considered the most dramatic decision of the U.N. summit.

But a mark-up of the resolution shows objections from several nations and even the United States, which does not depend on U.N. approval for military intervention, on how protecting civilians should be worded. Many developing countries have called the "responsibility to protect" a Trojan horse that allows military intervention by the powerful.
Russia and others called for the General Assembly to define the concept further. In response, France's deputy ambassador, Michel Duclos, said that despite work in the assembly, "it is an idea that should guide the work of the council." And Canada's Ambassador Allan Rock said, "We urge Council members to take up the mandate conferred by the world leaders" even if it eventually leads to the use of force. He spoke on behalf of New Zealand and Australia.

Egeland said abuse of civilians in the Sudan, eastern Congo and the Ivory Coast made him think, "This is the Middle Ages. This is not 2005."He and Canada's Rock cited massive violations in northern Uganda where the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has kidnapped, killed and raped tens of thousands of children and carted them to camps in Sudan.

But the Security Council has never put Uganda on its agenda, partly due to objections from Kampala. Part of the problem is that the Ugandan military, accused by rights groups of looting and abuses against the homeless, might also be rebuked, diplomats said.Uganda's U.N. ambassador, Francis Butagira, bluntly told the council it did not want the issue on its agenda now "that we are reaching the tail end of the rebellion."

He said the region was slowly returning to normal despite U.N. reports to the contrary, and the LRA soon "will be history." He said only wiping them out militarily would work, for the gang had rejected any amnesty or viable peace talks although the "option is still on the table." (Additional reporting by Daniel Trotta)

From: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N09274810.htm