08 April 2003
Strugglers Against Oppression Deserve Help, Kirkpatrick Says
(Addresses U.N. Commission on Human Rights in Geneva) (1280)
Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, head of the U.S. delegation to the 59th
session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, told
delegates April 8 that "all peoples struggling against oppression, no
matter where, deserve our help."
Addressing the group on the agenda topic "Civil and Political Rights,"
Kirkpatrick said no one "should be content with a map of the world
where bright areas of freedom exist side-by-side with dark areas of
despotism."
The United States, she said, seeks to help "those living in tyranny's
grip attain the political and civil rights that are theirs by right,"
and to help those living in new or transitional democracies to
consolidate their gains.
The 59th commission session runs from March 17 to April 25.
Following is the text of Kirkpatrick's prepared remarks:
(begin text)
[U.S. Delegation to the 59th Session of the United Nations Commission
on Human Rights
Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, head of the delegation
April 8, 2003]
Speech under Item 11 of the 59th Session of the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights: Civil and Political Rights
Distinguished Delegates: I am pleased to represent the United States
during this session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
We are a country of liberty and a country of hope. We are a country
where all sorts of different people, coming from every corner of the
world, more than get along: we prosper and thrive together.
The secret of our success does not lie in our geographical size, for
there are countries that are larger. Nor does the secret lie in the
size of our nation's natural resources; for other countries have more
wealth beneath the ground than we do. The secret lies, rather, in our
commitment to freedom.
In every aspect of our national life, we are free to think and believe
as our consciences dictate. We are free to voice our opinions without
fear of prosecution. Our journalists are free to ask public officials
hard questions, to investigate them, and uncover abuse and
inefficiency wherever it may be -- without fear of government
retaliation.
We are free to vote in the people we want to run our government and
then free to vote them out. And we do it regularly -- without
intimidation, corruption and manipulation.
We are free to go to any house of worship we choose -- Catholic,
Protestant, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish or any one of the more
than 2,000 religious groups of every persuasion that have found a home
in America. And we are equally free to go to none at all. The freedom
not to believe is as sacred as the freedom to believe. The choice
rests with each of us.
The range of practices, the cacophony of voices, and the vigor of
debates within our society are not a weakness. More than two centuries
of experience have shown them to be American strengths. We think they
make us wiser, and enrich our society.
The United States is not paradise on earth. Our streets are not paved
with gold. We harbor no illusion that we are perfect. We have not
solved all our problems. But we are a democratic nation and we believe
that the only way forward, for us and for almost all peoples
everywhere, almost all of the time, lies on freedom's path. Only with
freedom can solutions to the multiple problems besetting the world be
found. Only with freedom, can men and women develop their talents and
find innovative solutions to their problems. Freedom is the
indispensable element that enables individuals and societies to become
more creative and productive. That is why extending freedom around the
world is central to America's mission.
President Bush and the American people seek to help those living in
tyranny's grip attain the political and civil rights that are theirs
by right. President Bush and the American people want to help those
living in new or transitional democracies to consolidate their gains
and broaden their freedoms.
Democracy takes various forms, but in all democracies, those who
govern are chosen in periodic, competitive elections which take place
in a context of free speech and assembly and in which a large portion
of the adult population may vote. Democratic elections provide an
opportunity to criticize the government and replace it. Whether a
presidential or a parliamentary system, a democracy has an elected
representative legislature and a head of state who also reflects
public opinion expressed in periodic elections. In a democracy,
elections must be held with reliable frequency. There can be no
president or prime minister for life -- de facto or de jure.
Democracy requires institutions that prevent any one person or group
from achieving despotic power. It protects citizen's rights against
the tyranny of a minority or a majority.
Institutions embodying these ideas and principles have existed for
centuries. They provide the most reliable protection against tyrants
and tyranny. They protect freedom. But as everyone in the room
understands, tyrants and tyrannies of diverse kinds also exist in our
world. They have in common an abhorrence of freedom which is the
life's blood of democracy. Frequently (though not always) would-be
tyrants use force to gain (or try to gain) power. They quite literally
declare war on free societies. As everyone knows, on September 11,
2001, a violent group of fanatics and murderers announced its war
against the United States with attacks on New York and Washington that
killed thousands of American civilians in their workplaces. The
declarations of their leader tells us of his determination to destroy
us. So we have fought back against those violent fanatics. Together
with friends and allies around the world, we have made progress in
identifying and dismantling several international networks of these
enemies of freedom. In the process we were able to liberate the people
of Afghanistan from a vicious tyranny that denied Afghans all the
rights about which we have been speaking in this session, including
the right to education. Girls could not be educated. It was against
the law. Women could not work at the professions for which they had
been trained, so the care in hospitals declined.
The Taliban not only deprived Afghans of all rights and instituted
brutal new forms of punishment for new crimes, they provided
protection and a base of operation for training the large,
international group of terrorists who attacked New York and
Washington, and bragged that they had also been responsible for the
deaths of American Rangers in Somalia.
So together with the Afghan people, we have deprived them of their
camps in Afghanistan and helped the Afghan people -- thousands of whom
had been driven from their country -- to establish democratic
institutions and a representative government that will respect the
rights of all.
Now, another "coalition of the willing" is meeting the threat to
freedom posed by another implacable foe of freedom; Saddam Hussein.
Now we will help the Iraqi people secure their liberation and their
rights. We believe -- as the President has said -- that the "Iraqi
people are deserving and capable of human liberty."
All peoples struggling against oppression, no matter where, deserve
our help. None of us here should be content with a map of the world
where bright areas of freedom exist side-by-side with dark areas of
despotism.
Gaining freedom is often a struggle. It sometimes involves danger and
it always requires courage and resolve. I believe it is our duty in
our deliberations and decision here to ensure that the Commission on
Human Rights supports those whose human rights are not yet
acknowledged or respected.
Thank you.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
