Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, British Prime Minister David Cameron urged the UN to founding principles and responsibility "to stand up against regimes that persecute their people."

“You can sign every human rights declaration in the world. But if you stand by and watch people being slaughtered in their own country, when you could act, then what are those signatures really worth?”

"The UN has to show that we can be, not just united in condemnation, but united in action, acting in a way that lives up to the UN's founding principles and meets the needs of the people."

Drawing on recent events, Cameron stated that the "Libya and the Arab Spring shows the UN needs a new way of working."

Singling out Syria and Yemen, Cameron stressed the need to "now adopt a credible resolution threatening tough sanctions."

Cameron added,

"Of course we should always act with care when it comes to the internal affairs of a sovereign state."

"But we cannot allow this to be an excuse for indifference."

“My argument is that where action is necessary, legal and right, to fail to act is to fail those who need our help.”

Ex-IRA leader, Martin McGuinness launched his campaign to be elected Ireland's next president on Monday.

McGuinness, currently the first minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly, was the commander in the Irish Republican Army for the city of Londonderry. He was jailed in the 1970s, charged with possession of bomb-making equipment and ammunition.

Criticising the 'media fixation' on his time with the IRA, McGuinness stated,

“I don’t think I would have been invited to the Oval Office on three occasions to meet with three American presidents, or to Johannesburg to meet with Nelson Mandela, or to Brussels to meet with the president of the European Union, and indeed many other countries throughout the world, if people thought that my credentials in relation to the search for peace were in any way in doubt.”

Mc Guinness is considered to have been an integral part to the signing of the Good Friday agreement in 1998.

The Agreement acknowledged that the views of both sides were legitimate. 

It included provisions for the release of paramilitary prisoners, as well as the 'normalisation' of the British security forces in Northern Ireland. Specifically it involved the removal of special emergency powers in Northern Ireland, reduction in the numbers of British armed forces deployed in Northern Ireland and the removal of British security installations.

In 2006, McGuinness, as then Chief Negotiator of Sinn Fein, met with senior members of the LTTE. The visit took place shortly after the EU proscribed the LTTE.

McGuinness had stated,

“[It was a] huge mistake for the EU leaders to demonize the LTTE and the political leaders of the Tamil people,”

“In a peace process all sides should be treated equally and with respect.”

See "McGuinness meets LTTE leaders" (July 2006)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged the UN to support the Syrian people against the repressive measures taken by the Syrian Government, as members of the Arab League called for a suspension of Syria and Yemen from the body headquartered in Damascus.

Sarkozy called on the UN to provide the same assistance to the Syrian people as to the Libyans.

'I wish the Security Council would assume all responsibilities for the protection, using appropriate methods, for the Syrian people against the repression of the condemned regime (in Damascus),' Sarkozy told a meeting at the UN headquarters in New York.

'The Syrian people also have the right to take their destiny into their own hands,' he added.

Meanwhile various members of the Arab Parliament have called for a suspension of the memberships of Syria and Yemen until the violence is halted.

The 88-member body from 22 Arab countries urged the Syrian Government to withdraw the army from cities and form a national unity government.

Failure to implement swift reforms should be met by freezing the membership of Syria, recommended the parliament.

According to UN sources at least 2,700 people have been killed by government forces since March.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly shortly after President Obama urged the Palestinians to abandon their bid for UN membership, the French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned a Security Council veto against the Palestinian statehood bid, 'risks engendering a cycle of violence in the Middle East'.

Sarkozy's comments expose a clear divide between France and the United States, who have repeatedly asserted that the US will veto any such resolution at the Security Council.

Sarkozy said,

“Let us cease our endless debates on the parameters. Let us begin negotiations and adopt a precise timetable.”

"Each of us knows that Palestine cannot immediately obtain full and complete recognition of the status of United Nations member state,"

"But who could doubt that a veto at the Security Council risks engendering a cycle of violence in the Middle East?"

"Why not envisage offering Palestine the status of United Nations observer state? This would be an important step forward. Most important, it would mean emerging from a state of immobility that favors only the extremists.”

The Palestinians currently have the status of an observer “entity” in the United Nations.

Recognition as an 'observer state', although falling well short of full membership, would allow Palestinians to join subsidiary bodies and the treaties of the UN.

Crucially such status could pave the way to Palestinians joining the International Criminal Court and pursuing legal proceedings against Israel on issues such as settlement activity. 

Israeli President Netanyahu has criticised the bid stating it would “set back peace, and might set it back for years.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is due to seek UN membership for the state of Palestine this Friday.

"Compelling evidence shows that the authorities facilitated the arming of paramilitaries who carried out the killings and failed to intervene as the savage attack continued for hours."

"This is an opportunity for these people to get justice."

Renewed clashes have killed over 50 anti-government protestors after two days of violence the AFP reports.

The US embassy in Sanaa has called for restraint and a peaceful transfer of power from President Saleh to his deputy.

"The United States regrets the deaths and injuries of many people during protest marches in Sanaa yesterday (Sunday). In this tense situation, we call upon all parties to exercise restraint," the statement said.

"The United States continues to support a peaceful and orderly transition in Yemen, one which addresses the Yemeni people's aspirations for peace and security.

"We remain hopeful that an agreement will be reached that leads to the signing of the GCC initiative within one week."

The latest violence comes as UN and GCC envoys arrived in Sanaa to push through an agreement for the transition of power from Saleh to his deputy.

Abbas told Fox News that he is willing to meet with “any Israeli official any time... But there is no use if there is nothing tangible."

"I felt there is no way for negotiations because the American administration, including President Obama, exhausted their efforts to bring Netanyahu to the negotiating table.

They couldn't convince him to cease the settlement activities."

Peace talks between the two sides ground to a halt in September 2010 after the Israelis refused to bring settlement construction to a halt in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian frustration with the deadlock of the peace process and continued Israeli construction is cited as a factor as to why they are going to the UN.

Abbas also added that it would not sway the Palestinian bid for recognition from the UN.

Statehood, amongst other things, would open up the possibility of the Palestinians to pursue legal action against Israel in the ICC on issues such as the settlements, which have been deemed illegal under international law.

Speaking in a televised address last Friday, Abbas said,

"When I have finished delivering my speech (to the General Assembly), I will submit the request for membership to the Secretary General to be passed to the president of the Security Council.

It is our legitimate right to demand the full membership of the state of Palestine in the UN to put an end to a historical injustice by attaining liberty and independence, like the other peoples of the earth, in a Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967."

His speech came as Israel increased its military presence in the West Bank, preparing for Palestinian demonstrations as the statehood bid is launched this Friday.

See our earlier post: Palestinians seek UN membership (Sep 2011)

Javed Nasir, a retired Lieutenant General, has been accused by The Hague of supporting Bosnian Muslim fighters, despite a UN embargo at the time, and has demanded his custody.

Official sources told the Express Tribune that Pakistan has rejected the demand on medical grounds, saying that the former general had “lost his memory” after a road accident and would be unable to face investigations on the matter.

Nasir apparently confessed his support for the Muslim fighters while petitioning against an English daily in an anti-terrorism court stating, “despite the UN ban on supply of arms to the besieged Bosnians, he successfully airlifted sophisticated anti-tank guided missiles which turned the tide in favour of Bosnian Muslims and forced the Serbs to lift the siege, much to the annoyance of the US government”.

The information came to light after former Yugoslavian Army Chief Momcilo Persic and General Mladic cited Nasir’s support for the Bosnian Muslim rebels as reasons for them to retaliate against the Muslims, during their respective war crimes trials.

Persic was sentenced to 27 years imprisonment for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including for his role in the infamous Srebenica massacre.

Libya's new flag at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York (Photo: AFP)

Libya’s interim leaders were welcomed by leaders from around the world, while the new flag of Libya flew outside the headquarters of the United Nations in New York for the first time.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed interim President and Gaddafi’s former justice minister Mustafa Abdel Jalil and insisted the UN Security Council was forced to act to prevent massacres on Libyan civilians.

"Today, we must once again respond with such speed and decisive action -- this time to consolidate peace and democracy” said Ban Ki-Moon, signalling that the mission will not be completed until stability and security has been brought to the country.

He also commended the Libyan rebels on their bravery in standing up to the Gaddafi regime.

“For the past seven months, you have fought courageously for your fundamental rights and freedoms," he told Jalil.

US President Barak Obama reassured the Libyans that the support of NATO will not end, while calling on Gaddafi loyalists to lay down their arms and join the new regime.

"So long as the Libyan people are being threatened, the NATO-led mission to protect them will continue,

"And those still holding out must understand - the old regime is over, and it is time to lay down your arms and join the new Libya.

"Today, the Libyan people are writing a new chapter in the life of their nation. After four decades of darkness, they can walk the streets, free from a tyrant."

The US president responded to criticism of the strategy used in Libya.

"Libya is a lesson in what the international community can achieve when we stand together as one. As I said at the beginning of this process, we cannot and should not intervene every time there's an injustice in the world.

Yet it's also true that there are times where the world should have and could have summoned the will to prevent the killing of innocents on a horrific scale. And we are forever haunted by the atrocities we did not prevent, and the lives we did not save.

But this time was different. This time, we, through the United Nations, found the courage and the collective will to act."

Obama also emphasised the need for a “peaceful, inclusive and just” democratic transition of power.

"To the people of Libya: this is your chance. And today the world is saying, in one unmistakable voice, we will stand with you as you seize this moment of promise; as you reach for the freedom, the dignity and the opportunity you deserve."

President Mustafa Abdel Jalil promised the new Libya would be a vibrant democracy and expressed his country’s gratefulness for the support shown by the UN and the individual countries that helped the rebels overthrow Col. Gaddafi.

The White House has released a document outlining US policy at the United Nations.

The Obama Administration hails the current “era of engagement” as successful in advancing US foreign policy objectives.

The US claims “concrete results” at the UN are due to US leadership, including the stiffest sanctions against Iran and North Korea, the mandate to intervene in Libya, the independence of South Sudan and initial progress in “improving the flawed UN Human Rights Council”.

Following are extracts:

“The Obama Administration has dramatically changed America’s course at the United Nations to advance our interests and values and help forge a more secure and prosperous world. We have repaired frayed relations with countries around the world. We have ended needless American isolation on a range of issues. And as a consequence, we have gotten strong cooperation on things that matter most to our national security interest.

What the President calls a “new era of engagement” has led to concrete results at the UN that advance U.S. foreign policy objectives and American security.

The dividends of U.S. leadership at the UN are tangible – the stiffest UN sanctions ever against Iran and North Korea, renewed momentum to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons and materials, strong sanctions and an unprecedented mandate to intervene and save lives in Libya, support for the historic and peaceful independence of Southern Sudan, vital UN assistance in Afghanistan and Iraq, vigorous defense of our staunch ally Israel, lifesaving humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable in the Horn of Africa and initial progress in improving the flawed UN Human Rights Council.”

“In March, the United Nations took unprecedented quick and strong action to protect civilians in Libya. Resolution 1973 provided legal authority for the international community to intervene to save lives in Libya.

The resolution authorized states to take all necessary measures to protect civilians and enforce a no-fly zone, saving countless lives. The Security Council also imposed on the Qadhafi regime and on Libya’s major financial institutions a sweeping regime of financial sanctions and other measures to pressure the Qadhafi regime to end its brutal crackdown on demonstrators.

These measures helped to isolate the Qadhafi regime from the international financial system, restricting its ability to fund military operations and to maintain support in Tripoli.”

“On July 9, the Republic of South Sudan celebrated its independence. This action took place following months of intensified diplomatic efforts in the lead up to the historic, peaceful referendum on independence in January.

Much of this work was accomplished working within or alongside the United Nations, including last year’s high-level meeting at which President Obama delivered remarks to galvanize international action to ensure a credible and timely referendum.”

 “The United States continues to work to end genocide and conflict in Darfur, including by supporting the joint UN and African Union peacekeeping mission (UNAMID), and calling for the Government of Sudan to end aerial bombardments, improve conditions and freedoms on the ground, and allow humanitarian access”

“The United States continues to lead efforts across the UN focused on women’s important roles in preventing, managing, and resolving conflict, as well as ending conflict-related sexual violence. In 2009, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presiding, the United States led the Security Council in unanimously adopting Resolution 1888, which strengthens the international response to sexual violence in conflict by establishing a dedicated UN Special Representative and creating of a team of experts to assist individual governments in strengthening their capacities to address sexual violence in conflicts within their borders.”

“At the beginning of the Obama Administration, the United States made the decision to join the Human Rights Council, and that decision has paid real dividends for oppressed people around the world. Though the Council remains flawed, the United States has worked tirelessly to create the political will necessary for the Council to realize its full potential.

While much work remains, in particular ending the Council’s excessive focus on Israel, the Council has taken great strides in speaking up for those suffering under the world’s cruelest regimes and focusing on the major human rights abuses worldwide.

In the past two years, the United States has spoken out on serious human rights abuses in Iran, Burma, Sudan, China, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Syria, Yemen, Russia, Sri Lanka and elsewhere. With active U.S. leadership, the Council authorized international mandates to closely monitor and address the human rights situations in Iran, Libya, Syria, Ivory Coast, Burma, North Korea, Cambodia and Sudan.

With U.S. engagement, Council members also voted to keep Iran and Syria from gaining seats on the Council.

The United States also played a pivotal role in convening the Council’s Special Session in February 2011 during which the Council condemned the human rights violations and other acts of violence committed by the Government of Libya, and created an independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate those violations. Additionally on March 1, 2011 the General Assembly unanimously suspended Libya from the Human Rights Council because of the atrocities the Libyan authorities are committing against its own people.

This was the first time that either the Human Rights Council or its predecessor, the Human Rights Commission, suspended any member state for gross violations of human rights.”

Opponents to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have united to form a national council, as Russian lawmakers visited the country to help defuse the ongoing crisis.

An 80-member central council was elected on Saturday, with a quarter deemed “young revolutionaries”, as various opposition groups unified in their aim to oust President Assad.

The council saw a wide range of groups negotiate and come together, including Arab and Kurd nationalists, as well as liberal opposition members and the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

The move comes as a delegation of Russian MPs came to the country hoping to meet with both the President and the opposition, in order to broker talks.

Russia, a long-time ally of Syria, has been criticized for obstructing any Security Council resolutions that have sought to condemn the current regime’s behaviour.

Previously, French Foreign Minister, Alain Juppe, accused the Syrian government of crimes against humanity and urged Russia to join them in passing sanctions against the Syrian regime.

Juppe told reporters that,

"The Syrian regime has committed crimes against humanity… The way it suppressed the popular protests is unacceptable.”

He went on to say that “there should be international sanctions” which would send “a powerful signal that such actions cannot continue ".

"I hope Russia will back us in the Security Council even if our positions do not yet fully agree."

Meanwhile Ilyas Uumakhanov, vice president of the Russian upper house said,

"Russia cares about the fate of the Syrian people. That's why we want to find a way to stop a negative scenario developing."

"We intend to assess the situation, lead the consultations with the different political forces."

Strong sanctions have been put in place against Syria by the EU and US, while the Arab League has also joined the criticism of President Assad’s regime.

The UN also confirmed that Syria has repeatedly blocked access for human rights monitors into the country, since a limited access visit by a delegation last month.

U.N. humanitarian affairs chief Valerie Amos said,

"The requests have repeatedly been made for a human rights mission into Syria. It hasn't yet happened but they have been made repeatedly."

The requests come amid UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s statement the 6^th of September, calling for UN members to unite and take "coherent measures."

He urged UN member states to act saying,

"It's already too late, in fact. It's already too late. If it takes more and more days, then more people will be killed."

Protests against President Assad’s regime in Syria began on March 15th and have so far resulted in approximately 2,600 deaths according to the UN.

Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) has denied accusation it is targeting black immigrants and dark-skinned Libyans in its hunt for Gaddafi loyalists.

Gaddafi is thought to have hired mercenaries from Sub-Saharan countries, including Mali, Niger, Chad and Sudan to fight the Libyan rebels.

The rebels have been accused of committing war crimes, after summary arrests and executions of black migrants and Libyans were detailed in a report by Amnesty International.

'Members and supporters of the opposition, loosely structured under the leadership of the National Transitional Council (NTC), based throughout the conflict in Benghazi, have also committed human rights abuses, in some cases amounting to war crimes.

Angry groups of supporters of the '17 February Revolution' shot, hanged and otherwise killed through lynching dozens of captured soldiers and suspected foreign 'mercenaries'-and did so with total impunity.

Sub-Saharan African (blacks) nationals continued to be attacked on what have proved to be largely unfounded suspicions that they were 'mercenaries' hired by Col Gaddafi,’ said Amnesty.

Amnesty also accused Western media of ignoring and covering up the abuses committed by the NATO-backed rebels, since they gained control of large parts of the country.

The NTC has denied any war crimes were committed by rebel forces.
Minister of Justice and Human Rights of the NTC Mohammad al-Alagi claimed at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

"There have been no war crimes (by anti-Gaddafi forces)...The Gaddafi regime declared war on the Libyan people, and used foreign mercenaries, but when captured they will still have the right to an appropriate trial before an ordinary judge and according to international law."

The reports of war crimes are worrying for the countries that continue to assist the rebels.

However, US ambassador to the UN, Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, re-iterated support for the rebels.

"The important point today is that we have a new government and we have a credible partner to work with and to encourage in Libya," she told reporters.

"That is where our emphasis will be in the near term -- to make sure that this new government gets off on the right foot and lives up to its responsibility with respect to accountability and creation of a secure situation for all."

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has spoken out against the UN Security Council for failing to take a strong stand on the ongoing unrest in Syria.

Speaking to the Council of Foreign Relations in New York, Juppe said,

"Crimes against humanity are being committed in Syria and the leaders of the regime will have to answer for them.

The silence of the Security Council is unacceptable.”

His statement comes as Russia, a long-standing ally of Syrian President Assad, has sent a delegation of lawmakers to the country to try and broker talks between the opposing sides.

See our earlier posts:

Syrian opposition unites as Russian delegates visit (Sep 2011)

US urges Syria’s allies to “get on the right side of history” (Aug 2011)

Meanwhile, the UN said that the death toll in Syria had risen to 2,700 people including at least 100 children.

Deputy UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kyung-wha Kang, told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva,

"Despite the mounting international pressure in the past six months since the start of protests... the bloody crackdown in Syria has intensified."

She also emphasised "the importance of holding perpetrators of crimes against humanity accountable".

President Assad’s government claims to be battling “armed terrorist gangs”, since pro-democracy protests erupted in Syria on March 15^th.