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Senator Andrew Bartlett
Leader of the Australian Democrats
Spokesperson for Defence
12 March 2003 MEDIA ALERT 03/137
UN General Assembly can break war deadlock
The Leader of the Australian Democrats, Senator Andrew
Bartlett, is calling on pro-peace nations to put the question
of war to the United Nations General Assembly, in order
to break the emerging deadlock in the Security Council.
"The Prime Minister has indicated he will commit
Australia to war without an authorising resolution from
the Security Council, but he may not be as willing to
do so with the majority of nations having voted explicitly
against this war," Senator Bartlett said.
The UN has the power under resolution 377 to bypass Security
Council stalemates that would prevent the United Nations
from carrying out its mission to maintain international
peace and security.
The Resolution can be invoked either by seven members
of the Security Council or by a majority of the members
of the General Assembly.
"We know the Australian Government will not oppose
the war, so we are calling on the French Government to
put it to the Security Council, and the New Zealand Government
to put it to the General Assembly," Senator Bartlett
said.
Resolution 377 named "Uniting for Peace" which
was passed almost unanimously in 1950, was used twice
by the United States in 1956: firstly to force a cease-fire
and the withdrawal of British and French troops from conflict
with Egypt in the Suez Canal; and then to pressure the
Soviet Union to cease its intervention in Hungary. It
has been used another 8 times since.
"The General Assembly could take action with regard
to the threat to the peace posed by U.S. military action
against Iraq taken without UN authority. The Assembly
could mandate, for example, that the inspection regime
be permitted to complete its inspections," Senator
Bartlett said.
"An overwhelming vote against war by the nations
of the world would increase the pressure on the United
States, United Kingdom and Australia to reconsider,"
he concluded.
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