UAE criticises violence towards civilians in conflicts

DUBAI // The UAE has urged nations to prosecute and punish those who harm civilians, aid workers or journalists in conflict zones, during a United Nations Security Council session to decide how to respond to state-backed violence in Libya and Syria.

In his speech to the United Natins' Security Council, Ahmed al Jarman, the UAE representative to the international body, said those involved in illegal acts should fact a "fair trial" and added that "adequate punishment of perpetrators is a critical step".

The statement, though it did not name specific countries, may have referred to the Libyan leader Col Muammar Qaddafi and the Syrian government, said Ted Karasik, an analyst at the Institute for Near Eastern and Gulf Military Analysis.

"We already know about the uproar concerning what Qaddafi has done to civilians, but now Syria is very close behind that," he said. "It's a veiled message to both that this kind of behaviour is not going to go unpunished."

In recent weeks in the besieged western Libyan town of Misurata, forces for the Libyan leader have attacked the town's fuel supply and mined its port. Col Qaddafi and others may soon face charges of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.

In Syria, troops backed by tanks have reportedly fired on citizens, with hundreds arrested wherever protests have erupted. The death toll remains uncertain in both countries, where journalists have been killed, arrested and denied access.

Also open to debate, however, is how the international community should respond. Disagreement arose over Syria on Tuesday, with some Security Council members urging a resolution of condemnation and Russia and China opposing action.

Russia and China also criticised the way Nato had implemented a no-fly zone authorised in March to protect civilians. At the time it was meant to prevent Col Qaddafi's forces from razing the rebel-held city of Benghazi. But since then, Western nations have sent trainers to help the rebel forces and dropped bombs that killed four of Qaddafi's relatives.

In his speech, Mr al Jarman reiterated the UAE's support for the UN resolution that called for the no-fly zone; 12 Emirati warplanes have been deployed to help in the action.

The UAE has played a strong role in Libya in other ways. This week it hosted two dozen delegates from across the African country who pledged support to the rebel government based in Benghazi. The gathering was meant to indicate that the National Transitional Council had broad support and deserved international recognition.

For several months, the UAE has also sent food, medicine, doctors, hospital equipment, tents and blankets to aid the thousands of refugees who have fled from Libya to Egypt and Tunisia.

In Tunisia, some 3,100 refugees who are living in two camps and another 4,000 living with Tunisian families are receiving food and money, said Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, who is leading the aid efforts there.

Mr al Jarman also called attention in his speech to the need to protect Palestinian civilians "from the collective punishment and daily excessive violent actions committed by Israel" and to lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip.

His statement echoed a criticism by the international agency Oxfam that the international community prioritised some countries like Libya while ignoring others. Ten of 18 conflict zones did not appear on the UN Security Council's agenda last year, Oxfam said in a report this week.

A 2009 resolution adopted on the Palestinian territories, which included a call to ensure humanitarian aid into Gaza, "remained largely unimplemented", it said.

chuang@thenational.ae