US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice today expressed outrage as her Russian counterpart, Vitaly Churkin, called for a UN Security Council probe of NATO’s killing of civilians in the Libyan War.
“This is something of a cheap stunt to divert attention from other issues and to obscure the success of NATO,” insisted Rice. NATO officials have maintained that there were no civilian casualties in their multi-month bombing campaign.
Russia urged the probe on the grounds of that claim and a New York Times article from last weekend in which the newspaper investigated allegations and confirmed a minimum of 40 civilians killed by NATO’s bombings, and likely many more.
NATO launched the bombing campaign after a UN Resolution authorized a no-fly zone to “protect civilians” and the revelation that large numbers of civilians were killed when NATO bombed them in the middle of the night is particularly inconvenient for Western officials looking to tout it as an epic military triumph.
French officials accused Russia of seeking the probe to distract attention from the death toll in Syria. Indeed while Russia has opposed UN action against Syria the probe seems particularly on-topic for the Syria issue with a number of Western nations, notably France, pushing for Libyan-style war in Syria as well.
Facts…… We don't need no stinkin facts…… Poncho Obama …Dec 23 2011……………….
It all sounds like a reaction from the Soviet Union when the Free World suggested a probe into something they did or didn´t do. What does NATO have to fear? Don´t they believe in transparency?
Please do not investigate the USA when it commits genocide. The USA killed 1.3 million non-combatants in Iraq. Hitler kill 271,301 people in the Holocaust. Bush good, Hitler bad!
It is more likely that hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians in Libya were slaughtered by NATO's illegal and unconscionable assault on that nation.
While Russia should be the last "pot to call the kettle black" given their sordid human rights history, nevertheless, it is important to call-out all those who are in violation of human rights. Russia's bloodletting in Afghanistan cost the lives of two million Afghans and set the stage for the US anti-Afghan blitzkreig. Also, in Chechnya, human rights activists refer to this conflict as a certifiable genocide. Interestingly, in exchange for backing-off criticism of Russia's war in Chechnya and blacklisting the Chechen resistance as terrorists, both the Bush and Obama Administrations have received direct combat assistance in Afghanistan fro Moscow. The insidiousness of this exchange is apparent in that the Russian forces now depoloyed against the Taliban are operating under disguise and flying missions in support of the Northern Alliance in unmarked aircraft in violation of the "Hague Draft of 1923" Rules, and with their soldiers from the 201st Motorized Rifle Division based in Tajikistan in fighting under disguise in Northern Alliance uniforms..
As is usual with the US the attack on Libya was illegal and Russia whose military might exceeds even America's does not feel obligated to cow tow to it. The US government has been doing far more saber rattling than usual with Russia and will further isolate itself – not Russia.