Gulf states call on UN to protect Libyans

[JanDutchy]

Source: NOW NEWS

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 | 00:26 Beirut

Gulf states call on UN to protect Libyans
The six Gulf Arab states appealed to the UN Security Council on Monday to protect civilians in Libya as violence raged in the North African country, the United Arab Emirates foreign minister said.

"We call on the international community, especially the UN Security Council, to face their responsibilities in helping the dear people" of Libya, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan said at the opening session of a foreign ministers' meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Abu Dhab




Read more: http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=247709#ixzz1FxIJ42L7

[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. The GCC and the Arab League should be out front on this...

[Hugabear]

2. Why don't they use their own militaries?

Why do we have to do all their fighting for them?

[Alamuti Lotus]

5. Because their militaries are busy shooting their own citizens, can't be bothered to shoot Libyans

not a touch of hypocrisy there......

[msongs]

3. the gulf states are way beyond stupendously filthy rich, let them hire Blackwater lol nt

[JCMach1]

4. Because they have to save the money to quell their own problems- Saudi= March 11

[defendandprotect]

6. The $$ is in the hands of the dictators -- the oppressors!!

[Posteritatis]

7. Yeah, what's going on in Libya is certainly "lol" worthy

:eyes:

[pampango]

8. The UN has a "responsibility to protect" civilians (adopted in 2005) in cases of

genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responsibility_to_protect

The responsibility to protect (RtoP or R2P) is a norm or set of principles based on the idea that sovereignty is not a privilege, but a responsibility. RtoP focuses on preventing and halting four crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing. The responsibility to protect can be thought of as having three parts.

1. A State has a responsibility to protect its population from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing (mass atrocities).
2. If the State is unable to protect its population on its own, the international community has a responsibility to assist the state by building its capacity. This can mean building early-warning capabilities, mediating conflicts between political parties, strengthening the security sector, mobilizing standby forces, and many other actions.
3. If a State is manifestly failing to protect its citizens from mass atrocities and peaceful measures are not working, the international community has the responsibility to intervene at first diplomatically, then more coercively, and as a last resort, with military force.

In the international community RtoP is a norm, not a law. RtoP provides a framework for using tools that already exist (like mediation, early warning mechanisms, economic sanctioning, and chapter VI powers) to prevent mass atrocities. Civil society organizations, States, regional organizations, and international institutions all have a role to play in the operationalization of RtoP. The authority to employ the last resort and intervene militarily rests solely with United Nations Security Council and the General Assembly.

The Gulf Cooperation Council has a role to play in the R2P as a "regional organization", but the "authority to employ the last resort and intervene militarily rests solely with United Nations Security Council and the General Assembly".

To the extent that the GCC, as a regional organization, is appealing to the Security Council to exercise authority that it has been granted that would seem to be consistent with their role in implementing R2P.