Hans von Sponeck: UN Should Suspend the U.S.
Jan. 15—The following is the prepared text of Hans von Sponeck, former Assistant UN Secretary-General, for the Jan. 12 EIR Emergency Roundtable.
HANS VAN SPONECK: I have lived, studied and worked in America.
What I see, read and hear from current US leaders is not the America I have learnt to appreciate. I firmly stand by the good America that still exists. We must help this good America to get on its feet and do so with compassion and honesty but also with fortitude and determination in rejecting the irresponsible muscle politics, the brutality, the immorality and the dishonesty of the present US administration. The US Government’s military attack of Venezuela’s sovereignty—this act of invasion—needs no further debate only confirmation of its profound illegality. Diplomatic appeasement or sycophancy has no place here. What is needed are carefully considered responses from governments, civil society and the UN to react forcefully in conveying that the world is bigger than One, that the world is not willing to subjugate itself any longer to unilateral decision making and that global peace and security for all have their unequivocal attention. I see four key areas of concern.
Concern 1:
The UN General Assembly in partnership with civil society should be encouraged to pass a resolution rejecting US geopolitical behavior and pointing out the global consequences for the US should it continue to violate UN Charter and other international law.
The resolution should remind political leaders that impunity of the few will have to be replaced by accountability of all.
Concern2:
The real danger that in the aftermath of the US attack on Venezuela, civil war may break out in Venezuela, should invoke international responsibility to prepare immediately a UN supported mediation process between the Government of Delcy Rodrigues, the Acting President of Venezuela, and opposition groups.
Concern 3:
After years of continuous serious violations of international law and its UN-related obligations, by US governments time has come to invoke Article 6 of the UN Charta which states: “A member of the UN which has persistently violated the Principles contained in the UN Charter may be expelled from the Organization….”
The expulsion of any nation from the United Nations should be avoided. Instead, US membership in the UN should be frozen until such time that its government shows a credible willingness to abide by international law.
Concern 4:
Our world lacks an integrated social movement. The World Social Forum is a defunct. A truly world-wide civil society organization is urgently needed and, if created, could become the strongest power on earth. This should encourage governments and citizens alike to make every effort to work towards such an organization and do so in compliance with the UN Pact for the Future adopted by the General Assembly in 2024 using proposals that already exist in Japan, South Africa and Switzerland.