Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 30. Mars 2004 / Time Line March 30, 2004
Version 3.503/30/2004
Danmarks
Fredsråd og Kommiteen for en
Irak-høring afholder
Irakhøring i Kirkesalen, Studiestræde 38, kl
9-16.
Iraq Hearing, March 30th, 2004
Copenhagen, Denmark
The Danish government decided on the Danish participation in the
Iraqi war and has decided on the Danish permanence during the
Coalition's occupation of Iraq.
We have found this decision unacceptable seen from political and
moral standpoints and arranged therefore a hearing in Copenhagen on
the 30th of March 2004.
Two questions were in particular highlighted:
1. The responsibility of the Danish government for the
participation in the war - a question that was also raised during
the hearing called for by the Danish parliament.
2. The responsibility of the Danish government for the occupation
of Iraq and the political, economic, moral as well as the
international law situation the Coalition has fostered and of which
the national media and politicians have been very little
outspoken.
The hearing should be seen as link in a wider link of hearings and
tribunals arranged in many countries worldwide. Presently, a
hearing in Great Britain has focused on the aspects of
international law while a hearing in Brussels focused on USA's new
policy of building up a global emporium.
Later, hearings will take place in Hiroshima, New York and Germany,
amongst others, while the concluding hearing will take place in
Istanbul. Material on these hearing can also be found on the
web-address mentioned above.
Since the Danish hearing, the situation in Iraq has developed. An
insurrection against the occupying forces, against the almost
30.000 members of private armies and security companies as well as
against privatisation has heavy impact on the media covering of
events. Presently there are reports on joint meetings between
Sunnis, Shi’ites and Kurds – the insurrection is
developing. The USA is using "its ironist", as it's said, and the
sufferings of the Iraqi people are considerable.
During the hearing the question of Iraqi prisoners and detainees in
American and other prisons and camps of the Coalition was
highlighted. At last, the media in the USA have published facts and
on top brought terrible pictures of the treatment of prisoners by
the Coalition. The US government and parts of the media tries to
present these awesome conditions as something exceptional and rare
but it is possible to substantiate that ill-treatment of prisoners
more likely is the norm. Such conduct is not only the
responsibility of the individual soldier - such practice is first
and foremost the responsibility of the military and the governments
involved. But when the Danish hearing was held, we were the only
ones in Denmark using the reports from Amnesty International.
The first justification of the Coalition for the war: the existence
of weapons of mass destruction and an Iraqi connection with Al
Qaeda terrorist has for long been disproved. The USA, Great Britain
and Denmark now adhere to another explanation: that the war was
launched in order to get rid of Saddam Hussein and to ensure
democracy and human rights in the country. Given today's situation
is this justification for the war further from the reality than
ever and during the hearing the 30th of March some of the
hindrances existing in the Iraq policy of the Coalition and
especially the USA were highlighted. As a last justification for
the war the Coalition proclaims that Saddam Hussein didn't
cooperate acceptably with the UN - an assessment the UN weapons
inspector Hans Blix is treating with scepticism and besides it is
an assertion that can't be appraised objectively. For instance,
does Denmark cooperate sufficiently with the UN?
THE AGENDA OF THE HEARING
The responsibility of the Danish government
Mediator: Annelise Ebbe, President of the Danish Peace Council and
member of the Committee for a Hearing on Iraq
9.00 - 9.15: World Tribunal on Iraq
9.15 - 10.10: What is the legal platform for the war against and
the occupation of Iraq? Ole Espersen , professor International Law,
University of Copenhagen
10.10 - 11.05: Is the privatisation of Iraq's economy by the
occupation forces consistent with International Law?
Bengt-Åke Lundvall, professor Economy, Claus Haagen
Jensen,professor Public Law, both University of Aalborg
11.05 - 12.00: Does the occupation forces by its treatment of
prisoners/detainees infringe International Law and Human Rights?
Susanne Thorbek, Cultural Sociologist, dr. Phil
12.00 - 13.00: Lunch
13.00 - 13.55: The coalitions control of NGO's in Iraq Lone
Lindholt, senior researcher, Institute for Human Rights,
Copenhagen
13.55 - 14.50: The ethic - political perspective Peter Kemp,
professor philosophy, Head of Center for Ethics and Law,
Copenhagen
14.50 - 15.45: Questions from the participants
After each presentation of approx. 40 min., fifteen was given to
raise factual questions from the audience and a panel summing up.
The panel consisted of Ole Espersen, Claus Haagen Jensen and Peter
Kemp.
In the hearing participated 150-200 people and the discussion was
very engaged though nobody present defended the policy of the
Danish government. Among the questions discussed were:
- Should Denmark withdraw from Iraq?
- Should the UN be reformed in order to legalise humanitarian interventions?
- What's the responsibility of the Danish government - given its rather limited influence?
- Was international law also violated by former humanitarian wars not sanctioned by the UN?
- Is reconstruction just a nice metaphor for forced privatisation of Iraq's economy?
- Can the treatment of the Iraqi prisoners and detainees be justified by the "difficult situation" confronting the USA and the Coalition?
- Is the rather hopeless situation in Iraq a result of a total lack of planning and real understanding of the Iraqi reality among the American (and other) "hawks"?
We do thank the participants for their support of the
Hearing.
The Hearing is supported by The Peace Foundation, 1 of May
Foundation, The Grasroot Foundation and more than 5o persons.
The Committee for a Hearing on Iraq (Jan Birket-Smith, Annelise
Ebbe, Toni Liversage, Susanne Thorbek, Knud Vilby, Tim Whyte) and
The Danish Peace Council.
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