Steps recently announced by President Barack Obama to strengthen US capacity to help prevent genocide and other mass atrocities are “promising” initiatives, said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “If the responsibility to protect is to become fully operational, the solemn commitments undertaken by Member States at the United Nations will have to be matched by innovative and sustained measures at the national level. In that regard, the establishment of an inter-agency Atrocities Prevention Board, the measures to end impunity, and the review of US policies and capacities are promising initiatives.” Affirmative Responsibility Agreed at a summit of world leaders in 2005 and sometimes known as ‘R2P’, the principle of the responsibility to protect holds States responsible for shielding their own populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and related crimes against humanity and requires the international community to step in if this obligation is not met. At a General Assembly meeting held last month, the Secretary-General had called for a concerted international effort to develop a mechanism for applying the principle to ensure that this century becomes the first one whose history is not “written in the blood of innocents.” Mr. Ban has been encouraged by other important initiatives in addition to those announced by the US leader on 4 August, according to yesterday’s statement. Under a responsibility to protect framework, Costa Rica, Denmark and Ghana have established a network of focal points in Member State capitals for the prevention and halting of mass atrocities. Argentina, Switzerland and Tanzania have convened a series of regional conferences on the prevention of genocide. More Rhetoric and Less Action to Stem and/or Reverse Consequences of Genocide: I reserve judgment regarding this “new initiative” of President Obama’s Administration. However, the track record is not much more promising than the last US Administration, although the rhetoric certainly sounds better. From Darfur to Bosnia & Herzegovina, new ethnic cleansing continues while previous crimes of genocide have been effectively legitimized. Rather than undertake measures to reverse the functional and psychological consequences of Bosnia & Herzegovina, the effective policy of the US State Department has been to effectively legitimize and favor the status quo and the consequences of ethnic cleansing. (Note that international courts, in particular the UN mandated International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia –ICTY - has ruled ethnic cleansing to have been genocide). It is inconsistent to prosecute Ratko Mladic, Radovan Karadzic (Middle PHOTO), Slobodan Milosevic and Belgrade General Momcilo Perisic while on the political process effectively ratifying the fruits of their crimes. It is essential that not only the perpetrators and policy of ethnic cleansing be challenged but also its consequences. Related ARTICLE: diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/blog_post/no-to-republika-srpska-yes-to-dayton-accords-not-consistent-by-ambassador-mo/21735 FILM REPORT – “Srebrenica Debate Part 1” -http://diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/movie/srebrenica-debate-i-russia-tv/27721 “& Part 2”(Bottom PHOTO) - diplomaticallyincorrect.org/films/movie/srebrenica-debate-2-russia-tv/27722 By Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey








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