UN General Assembly resolutions useless in anti-terrorist struggle

A lot of UN General Assembly delegates were sleeping during Bush's speech

The 59th UN General Assembly is taking place in New York. The question of the anti-terrorist struggle became the key issue on the international forum, as it was supposed before.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero called for the establishment of an alliance of Western and Eastern civilizations, with the Arab and Muslim world, first and foremost. “This alliance would have as its fundamental objective to deepen political, cultural and education relations between those who represent the so-called Western world and in this historic moment the area of Arab and Muslim countries,” he said.

Sapatero also criticized the war in Iraq, having said that one has to have more courage and bravery to protect the world than to wage war. A lot of observers perceived those words as criticism of the incumbent US administration. It became known later that George W. Bush refused to have a meeting with the Spanish prime minister after his speech.

The US president delivered his 30-minute speech at the UN General Assembly in deathly silence. Bush has not released any new or sensational statement in the speech. The American president justified the incursion in Iraq, having said that democracy is not the prerogative of the West and one should promote it eastwards. One shall assume that “alliances of civilizations” are out of the question then.

George W. Bush urged UN members to struggle with terrorism more actively. The founder of the Simon Wiesenthal center, Rabbi Marvin Hier, released similar statements on the matter. The rabbi lobbies the UN draft resolution, which equates suicide terrorist acts with crimes against humanity. After a meeting with Austrian Federal President Heinz Fischer, Marvin Hier told reporters: Why is the UN General Assembly quiet on suicide bombings? This is the crime of the 21st century. A resolution is needed to brand suicide bombings a crime against humanity for the welfare of the world," Hier said.

A resolution, Hier believes, will signal to organizers of such crimes that the world rejects their actions. The resolution has the "same kind of urgency as famine, as AIDS, as climate control.”  "Something must be done about this plague," the rabbi was quoted by Rosbalt as saying.

The spirited and beautifully worded speech from the founder of the Simon Wiesenthal center is not likely to make a big impression on the members of the UN General Assembly. Talking heads may write and approve any kind of resolutions, but they will not bring any results. What can be said about the universal anti-terrorist struggle, if a lot of UN General Assembly delegates were sleeping during the speech delivered from the most important fighter (Bush), according to NTV reports.