US, Britain creating chaos: Mandela

Ulhas Joglekar ulhasj at bom4.vsnl.net.in
Thu Apr 6 19:35:08 PDT 2000


Thursday 6 April 2000

US, Britain creating chaos: Mandela LONDON: Former South African President Nelson Mandela, berating the United States and Britain for their handling of conflicts in Iraq and Kosovo, said they are creating international chaos by ignoring the views of other nations. Mandela, in an interview in Wednesday's edition of The Guardian, said the United States and Britain were wrong not to seek explicit permission for military action from the U.N. Security Council. "The message they're sending is that any country which fears a veto (from the U.N.) can take unilateral action," Mandela was quoted as saying. "That means they're introducing chaos into international affairs: that any country can take a decision which it wants." "I am resentful about the type of thing that America and Britain are doing. They want now to be the policemen of the world and I'm sorry that Britain has joined the U.S. in this regard," Mandela said. "It's a totally wrong attitude. They must persuade those countries like China or Russia who threaten to veto their decisions at the U.N.. They must sit down and talk to them. They can't just ignore them and start their own actions." France, Russia and China - and also U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan - were among those most critical of NATO for not seeking explicit approval from the U.N. Security Council before its 78-day air campaign against Belgrade. But there was also a wide consensus that the swift NATO action was necessary to avert a humanitarian disaster. The issue also came up when the United States and Britain were accused of unilaterally going ahead with bombing Iraq in 1998 after the failure of U.N. arms inspections. Mandela, on a private visit to Britain and Ireland, said American policy toward the United Nations is increasingly perceived as being racially-motivated. "The U.S. did not do this when the secretary-general of the U.N. was white. They are doing it now, ignoring the U.N. under Kofi Annan," he said. "And there are many people who are whispering that it is because the secretary-general is black. That perception is disturbing." Turning to African issues, Mandela said the foreign armies involved in Congo's civil war must honor a pledge and withdraw their troops, or risk reducing the country "to ashes." He said the United Nations will not consider sending peacekeepers to Congo until the violence has completely halted. He was also confident of a brighter future for war-stricken Burundi where he is leading peace talks: "A breakthrough is in the offing," he said. Mandela, 81, is frequently sought out as a mediator, but is now turning down invitations. "Three other countries have asked me to sort out their problems," he said. "But I'm not going to do so." (AP) For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service
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