NCRI – The treatment of the residents of Camp Liberty is evidence of the ‘systemic failure’ of the United Nations, and exposes its representatives in Iraq as a ‘paid agents’ of the Baghdad government, the former American ambassador to the UN John Bolton has declared.
And the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is making a ‘huge mistake’ if he does not act to change the situation in Camp Liberty as soon as possible, Mr Bolton said.
Speaking at a conference in Geneva, the former diplomat accused the UN’s representative Martin Kobler as not working for the United nations but for President Nouri Al-Maliki’s government, adding: “His situation at this point is simply hopeless.”
Mr Bolton described the suffering of the Iranian refugees in Liberty as a ‘case study’ in how the UN gets things wrong.
He said: “The treatment of the people in camp Liberty is the systemic failure of the United Nations and its entire system the UN assistance mission in Iraq acts as a paid agent of the Al Maliki government in Baghdad.
“The UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the under secretary general for coordinating humanitarian assistance in New York are failing to uphold their mandates and the UN system as a whole is once again being discredited.
“Secretary General Ban Ki Moon I think is not fully informed about what is happening, but in any event is making a huge mistake on his own behalf and on behalf of the UN if he does not correct matters instantly.
“But foremost and foremost the High Commissioner here in Geneva has to stand up for his own mandate and the UN member states and the Non Governmental organizations to do humanitarian work around the world have to wake up to what is happening and fast.”
Mr Bolton said the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees had two main mandates, to protect and assist – and he was currently doing neither in regard to Camp Liberty.
But insteand, Martin Kobler had done – and the High Commissioner’s office had allowed – was to follow the will of the Iraqi government which is in turn following the will of the mullahs in Tehran, he said.
He added: “If there were ever a group of people who could demonstrate the original wording of the statute of ‘a well founded fear of persecution’ it is obviously the residents of camp Liberty.
“The resolution of the General Assembly called on all UN member governments to do things like providing refugees with travel documents, and it also says that governments should permit refugees to transfer their assets and specially those necessary for resettlement.”
But Martin Kobler was now on the verge of bringing the office of the High Commissioner Antonio Guterres to its lowest repute since 1989, Mr Bolton said.
He added: “The fact is that all UN member states and especially the large contributing countries have to worry when the High Commissioner for refugees does not fulfill his mandate.
