Quote:
Originally Posted by foreverwar
More of a pairing than a coalition, then.
FYI, Re " UN resolution giving permission for action to be taken"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...st/3661640.stm
Questions from Owen Bennett-Jones, BBC World Service
Answers from Kofi Annan, then UN Secretary-General
"Q: I wanted to ask you that - do you think that the resolution that was passed on Iraq before the war did actually give legal authority to do what was done?
A: Well, I'm one of those who believe that there should have been a second resolution because the Security Council indicated that if Iraq did not comply there will be consequences. But then it was up to the Security Council to approve or determine what those consequences should be.
Q: So you don't think there was legal authority for the war?
A: I have stated clearly that it was not in conformity with the Security Council - with the UN Charter.
Q: It was illegal?
A: Yes, if you wish.
Q: It was illegal? A: Yes, I have indicated it is not in conformity with the UN Charter, from our point of view and from the Charter point of view it was illegal."
So the UN Secretary-General thinks the action was illegal - doesn't sound much like "UN permission for action to be taken".  |
Interesting as according to the UN resolutions it was.
Perhaps Kofi was a little upset that his son had been found out to be extremely corrupt?
---------- Post added at 12:21 ---------- Previous post was at 12:17 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by hatedbythemail
but the un is undermined at the same time by those that criticise it. it is far from perfect as an organisation but preferable to nations assuming for themselves the role of world police force. and cocking it up
|
Perhaps if more nations had decided to take action rather than line their own pockets and leave Saddam in power to line them further, then the outcome would have been more stable.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by hatedbythemail
ok, you made me laugh ;-) :-) my definition is that a coalition of two is "not much" compared to a coalition of many more than two ;-)
|
A bottle of water isn't much water compared to a lake, but it doesn't stop it being water, or refreshing.