Michail Kusnezow
Mr Chairman,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me shortly illuminate my vision of necessity of public international condemnation of the USA and Great Britain aggression upon the Republic of Iraq via convocation of the International Public Tribunal.
Today in the world there is no lack of criticism of aggressors practically by all more or less independent mass media, democratic organizations and movements, separate scientific, military, political and religious figures.
Moreover, we know that many members of parliament of the world have sharply and unequivocally condemned both the preparation for the aggression and the aggression of the USA and Great Britain upon Iraq.
I shall remind you of what the world’s engaged press, including Russian, concerning the reaction of patriotic forces of my country to the events in the Middle East, held back.
In the performance of the documents accepted by our Forum condemning the USA policy in the Middle East and first of all concerning the Arabian peoples of Palestine and Iraq the efforts and initiatives of the Russian section of the European Forum of Peace are aimed at acceptance by the State Duma - parliament of the Russian Federation - seven decisions on the Middle East in which the actions of the USA and Great Britain, and also Israel - the main instigator of almost sixty-year Middle Eastern trouble were sharply condemned. You will find the text of these Decisions in the appendix to the present report.
These documents were sent to parliaments and governments of various countries, to the Security Council of the United Nations, NATO and other organizations, but they however met conspiracy of silence.
Today I can tell you, that the tragedy of victims of the aggression – the Arabian peoples of Iraq and Palestine - is perceived by us, Russians, and other peoples of Russia as a personal, national tragedy, and this perception essentially differs from that connivance to aggressors which is not in words, but in practice demonstrated by our present executive authority.
I see the necessity of the organization of the special Public Tribunal on condemnation of the originators of the tragedy of the Arabian peoples of Iraq and Palestine in public hearings, during which we can reveal not only and even not so much infringement by the aggressors of moral bases of existence of modern civilization, as collectively produced by mankind from times of the Second World War legal norms and rules of behaviour of people and in particular the highest officials of states in relations with other countries and peoples.
The essence of the public international trial should be simple and clear to everyone, even to those who do not have appropriate knowledge and training, in law, history, philosophy, political or military sciences.
If governors of any country have done an act of war, that is committed an international crime, it is necessary, accordingly, to treat them like international criminals.
Certainly, at once there is a question: how we all are to treat the USA, Great Britain, Israel? It is impossible to ignore them!
Yes, it is impossible to ignore states, peoples. Governors come and go, and peoples remain. It means that it is necessary to reveal concrete infringers of concrete norms of International Law, including International Criminal Law, and publicly to punish them. Here is an example of how it is possible and necessary to act.
In April of this year, that is immediately after the aggression in Iraq, the clerics of Church "Christmas" in Bethlehem declared, that «henceforth and for ever and ever" (!) it is forbidden for the US President George Bush, his Minister of Defence D.Ramsfeld, the British Prime Minister T.Blair and his Minister for Foreign Affairs D.Straw to enter the church. They were declared «military criminals and infanticides». It was demanded from the municipality of Bethlehem «never to accept these people in the city».
As a matter of fact, these people have received an excommunication from church, but only from one church out of thousands and thousands worldwide. The Russian Orthodox church, by the way, has also publicly condemned the aggression upon Iraq, unlike a muffled position of our government. And the Pope has also condemned the aggression upon Iraq.
If it is possible for us on the basis of not only moral norms, but, first of all of legal norms to condemn the concrete aggressors on all continental scales or at least by the majority of leading countries it would mean to subject them to planetary ostracism to make them outcast in the human community and in their own countries.
Let's reflect, what effective example it would be for other politicians and the military, at least, for some decades!
I have brought to our today's meeting a project of the Verdict of the future World Public Tribunal on the genocide against the Arabian peoples of Iraq and Palestine developed by the Russian lawyers working under the program of the European Forum of Peace.
Before attaining the Verdict, the given text should be added with new facts, evidence and offers which, I hope, will be the result of our joint work.
But already now it is completely clear that expressing the will of overwhelming majority of mankind including the peoples of the USA, Great Britain and Israel, our Tribunal, should on the basis of effective standards of International Law, clearly, precisely and sharply condemn the present originators of the Middle East tragedy, which not only does not stop, but, on the contrary, expands even more, disguising in certain joint actions of the world community under the flag of the United Nations, being approved by the leaders of the notorious Group Eight, who actually justified the robbery and gangsterism of aggressors at the meeting in Sea Island (the USA).
The tribunal on the results of the work should tell simple and accessible to the aggressor’s understanding words:
Get out of Iraq and Palestine! Stop tormenting generation after generation of the Arabian peoples! We know your true purposes and the purposes of those who conduct you, being in shadow!
Bush, Ramsfeld, Tenet, Blair, Straw! All of you are international criminals and we, community of peoples, despise you!
We find you guilty of sufferings, groans and crying of millions Arabian children and women! You have deprived them of their motherhood and childhood, the pleasure of seeing the beauty of sunlight and blossoming plants, the pleasure of hearing the singing of birds! You have deprived them of their water and bread, warm and clean beds, of simple human pleasure of having a home and dialogue with others similar to them!
We, ordinary people, who do not possess big power, but who kept the conscience and justice as the God’s gift, express our contempt to you, we warn, that the Evil, which you create in the world against the will of your peoples will sooner or later turn back against you.
Our Tribunal should officially summon the accused and give them a full opportunity to speak and provide them with a lawyers’ protection.
We should carefully think over each item of the accusation and send it beforehand to each of the accused.
We should think over, what bodies and organizations, besides the concrete accused, should also find themselves on the dock.
As is said in the Gospel from John: «This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of Light because their deeds were evil».
Let's make so that Darkness has not completely grasped Light. The nations of the world have too little time before twilight.
Thank you for attention!
The appendix
Member of the Presidium of the European Forum of Peace
Kuznetsov M.N. (Russia)
Doctor of Law, professor