PHA-Exchange> US pushes Guatemala for UN Security Council

[Jennifer Cox]

Below is a fact sheet/talking points to build opposition to the US promotion of Guatemala for a seat on the UN Security Council.  The vote will likely be in September.  It is particularly important to get these points into the hands of journalists and to progressive activists in other countries who should be encouraged to pressure their governments to support Venezuela’s bid for election to a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
   
  Chuck Kaufman
  Venezuela Solidarity Network
   
  A BREACH OF JUSTICE
   
  Why United Nations Member States Must Oppose Guatemala’s Bid
   for a Non-Permanent Security Council Seat
  _______________________________________________________________
   
  Guatemala has the worst human rights records in Latin American history.
   
  Ø      Between 1962 and 1996, at least 200,000 Guatemalans were killed in a state-sanctioned war involving at least 626 massacres documented by the United Nations.  Human rights organizations estimate that Guatemalan military forces carried out 90% of the atrocities. 
   
  Ø      A 1996 UN Truth Commission Report found that the Guatemalan government engaged in a bloody campaign against “internal enemies,” including Mayans, church leaders, academics and other political dissidents.
   
  Ø      Today, many of the perpetrators of these crimes against humanity continue to hold key roles in the Guatemalan government and military. For this reason, only one of the 626 massacres has been successfully prosecuted in Guatemalan courts, and the armed forces and other government officials continue to refuse to cooperate with the United Nations and other international investigators.
   
  Guatemala is Latin America’s premier narco-trafficking hub
   
  Ø      Since 1999, the U.S. State Department has reported that “Guatemala is the preferred transit point in Central America for onward shipment of cocaine to the United States.” According to the U.S. embassy in Guatemala, fully 75% of the cocaine that reaches the United States passes through Guatemala.
   
  Ø      Unlike other major Latin American narco-trafficking states, Guatemala’s military does not merely tolerate the drug trade, it actively participates in it.  In recent years, the United States has revoked entry visas for top Guatemalan intelligence officials for their role in the transportation of cocaine throughout the region. 
   
  Ø      Guatemala refuses to cooperate with the international community regarding drug trafficking, repeatedly ignoring extradition requests.  In the past decade, Guatemala has become the only country in the hemisphere that has failed to either extradite or prosecute its drug kingpins.
   
   
   
  Guatemala is a tool of the United States
   
  Ø      Guatemala entered into the race for the non-permanent seat at the urging of the United States. Despite its horrendous record, the Bush Administration prefers a controllable state like Guatemala to Venezuela, which would provide an independent voice on the Security Council.
   
  Ø      The U.S. has been exerting pressure throughout Latin America to support Guatemala’s bid. Even a longtime ally like Chile has not been immune from this high-stakes campaign. This summer, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet was forced to publicly denounce the U.S. pressure, which included threats to limit cooperation with the Chilean military if they refuse to vote for Guatemala.
   
  Ø      If Guatemala gains a seat on the Security Council, it will vote uncritically for the U.S. agenda. We will see increased aggression in the Middle East and a continuing lack of accountability for U.S. violations of U.N. mandates.
   
   
  Clearly, the United States is so afraid of an independent Latin American voice on the Security Council that they are willing to undermine the very mission of the post by vigorously backing a country that has repeatedly made a mockery of the United Nations, and is demonstrably opposed to the Council’s commitment to human rights, justice and peace in the world.
   
  If Guatemala wins a temporary seat on the U.N. Security Council, it will be responsible for judging and mitigating human rights violations the world over.   United Nations member states must stand up for human rights and against state-sponsored genocide. A vote for Guatemala will only embolden the world’s worst human rights violators and send a chilling message to victims that the United Nations will not be a fair arbiter of their cases.

 		
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