Iran issue can be solved diplomatically: Boutros Boutros-Ghali
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, Feb 8, IRNA -- Former secretary-general of the United Nations, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, said that all difficult issues in international politics can be sorted out by diplomatic means. He said that the current stalemate over the nuclear position of Iran can also be sorted out similarly. Addressing a group of scholars and academics in Delhi`s Jawaharlal Nehru University, Ghali said that unilateralism in international relations has led to a weakened United Nations and led to the empowerment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Ghali believes the American superpower will go it alone in matters of self-interest and its multilateralism would be limited to the available military option of NATO. In such an absence of political will, according to him the United Nations will continue to remain weak. To remedy the situation, Ghali proposed what he termed as an "agenda" that consisted of the three components of peace, development and the expansion of the United Nations Security Council. The former secretary-general was also of the opinion that peace is of greatest importance in the present world and conditions of peace alone can lead to development of the Afro-Asiatic landmass. The world body, he said, can play its role in promoting peace and development in the international arena after its Security Council undergoes the necessary expansion. Coming down heavily upon the way the the United Nations has been treated in the last few years, Ghali said the situation in the United Nations showed that the world had been divided by the neo-conservative leadership of the United States into the Western, the Afro-Asiatic and the less important smaller countries which cannot expect to exert any power in the affairs of the world they live in. Ghali conveyed the idea that he regards peace to be more important than justice. He drew the attention of the world towards the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions that were constructed during his time in the topmost post of the United Nations -- in El Salvador and post- Apartheid South Africa, where Bishop Desmond Tutu led the process of reconciliation between the blacks and the whites in that violence-ridden country. Ghali said that his emphasis on peace through reconciliation without taking the guilty to justice does not mean that he did not regard the latter as important. He said he believes that peace was of greater necessity for future growth because "resolution of longstanding conflicts like the ones ongoing in many parts of the world is not possible entirely on the basis of retributive justice" since "justice in such difficult circumstances becomes a very nebulous idea." Boutros Boutros-Ghali believes that the conflict between Israel and Palestine can be solved through political pressure from the United States as Israel is virtually the 51st state of the superpower. The experienced and visionary leader was of the opinion that democracy in the internationa arena was distinct and different from its national version. According to him national democracy needs to be followed up also to a practical and convincing extent in international politics, but, he said, unfortunately this was not the case right now. He noted with concern that globalization had to be democratized or else the whole bogey of international trade and cooperation would be derailed. Ghali left his audience on a serious note, but said he did not expect an expansion of the United Nations Security Council in the near future as the current five permanent members were not very open to the idea of expansion of their table. He added that the rich countries do not need the facility of permanent membership as they have already taken care of their national necessities through the privilege of the Security Council. In his opinion, the permanent membership was of more direct importance and significance to the developing world as "they fight a number of hurdles in the way to democracy, development and successful economic reform." 2160/2321/1432
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
