Fed: "Arrogant" Downer ignoring Iraq genocide ex UN official

AAP General News (Australia)
04-13-2000
Fed: "Arrogant" Downer ignoring Iraq genocide ex UN official

By Mike Hedge

MELBOURNE, April 13 AAP - A former senior United Nations official has described Australian
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer as "distressingly arrogant" and a lackey of Washington.

Dennis Halliday, former UN assistant secretary-general, headed a delegation that met
Mr Downer in Canberra this week to discuss Australia's position on economic sanctions
against Iraq.

Until November 1998, Mr Halliday headed the UN's oil-for-food program in Iraq - only
to resign in disgust at the consequences of his own work.

Since his resignation, which ended a 34-year career at the UN, Mr Halliday's successor,
Hans von Sponeck, has also resigned for the same reasons.

Mr Halliday said Mr Downer had been unwilling to talk about the situation which he
claims has led to genocide and the creation of the "sanction generation" in Iraq.

"It was a very disturbing meeting (with Mr Downer)," Mr Halliday said in Melbourne today.

"I've never quite experienced anything like it.

"He exudes a sort of arrogance which I find quite distressing."

Mr Halliday outlined a situation in Iraq in which up to 5,000 children a month are
dying as a direct result of sanctions imposed after the 1991 Gulf war.

He said the sanctions had led to at least one million deaths throughout the population,
reducing a once affluent and technologically advanced nation to virtual destruction.

While he acknowledged there was some truth in the belief that Iraqi president Saddam
Hussein was responsible for much of his country's plight, Mr Halliday accused UN member
states including Australia of participating in gross human rights violations against the
Iraqi people.

He said Australia was guilty of condoning genocide in its agreement with UN policy,
dictated by the United States.

Mr Downer, he said, knew the consequences of what was happening in Iraq, but preferred
to adopt the simplistic views of US President Bill Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony
Blair and US secretary of state Madeleine Albright "that this is all Saddam Hussein's
fault".

"I was distressed that this was a man who is in charge of foreign affairs who gave
me the Washington line, hook, line and sinker," he said.

"He showed no willingness to even consider having a dialogue with anybody about the
possibility of changing Australia foreign policy."

Mr Halliday said it was within Australia's capacity to at least register its concern
at the UN, but Mr Downer was not prepared to do so.

As well as sounding warnings on the social outcomes of the sanctions, Mr Halliday said
they were helping to create a situation in Iraq which was similar to that in Germany after
the First World War.

"There is a new group of young and angry men and women who are going to run the country
shortly," he said.

"(They) are frustrated with Hussein and (Foreign Minister) Tariq Aziz because they
are too moderate - they have compromised, they have backed down.

"They see Iraq as being trodden on and they are prepared to go it alone."

AAP mh/er/pjs/br

KEYWORD: IRAQ HALLIDAY

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