PRESS RELEASE
Dubious Yemen War Crimes Investigation by UN; Target Congress
Sept. 30, 2017 (EIRNS)—While an investigation of "human rights violations" in the war in Yemen was adopted by the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva today, the Saudi monarchy apparently avoided a real investigation of its war crimes there.
Helga Zepp-LaRouche on Sept. 14 called for a full international investigation of war crimes in Yemen and a complete halt to Saudi bombing and blockade, to U.S. and U.K. arming of the Saudis’ aggressive war, and to negotiations among Yemeni parties.
Following the Dutch proposal of a full-scale war crimes investigation, today’s resolution was a "compromise" drafted by the United States, Britain and France which created a "panel of experts" as opposed to a commission of inquiry. This was welcomed by Saudi UN Ambassador Abdulaziz because it amounted to protection from a full-scale investigation into the situation of Saudi aggressive war, bombing of economic and health-care facilities, deliberate bombing of civilian gatherings, embargo of the population, and other crimes.
The Saudis said "the combination of international and national mechanisms is an excellent result for the promotion and protection of human rights." But according to EIR’s Hussein Askary, thoroughly familiar with the desperate situation in Yemen, this means, in effect, a fake investigation because carried out in the first place under control of the long since illegitimate Hadi government itself, Saudi Arabia’s client—the "national mechanism."
Nonetheless the Dutch Ambassador Rochus Pronk dubiously called this a "fully-fledged international investigation" and "an incredible outcome." The United Kingdom—number two in supplying arms and targeting intelligence to the Saudi war of aggression—also praised it, saying, incredibly, that
"nation-states should be allowed to carry out their own inquiries where countries are carrying out credible investigations into international humanitarian law."
The Hadi "government" is no nation-state, but a puppet of the Saudi "coalition."
The event puts more focus on a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives which calls for the United States to stop arming or supporting the Saudis’ genocidal war on Yemen. House Concurrent Resolution 81 was submitted on Sept. 26 by Democrats Ro Khanna of California and Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, and Republicans Walter Jones of North Carolina and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. It has yet to be debated.
A short list of Republicans targeted by the group Just Foreign Policy to support the resolution is John Duncan, Jr. (Tenn.-2), Dana Rohrabacher (Calif.-48), Warren Davidson (Ohio-8), Louie Gohmert (Tex.-1), Ted Poe (Tex.-2), Jeff Fortenberry (Neb.-1), Scott Taylor (Va.-2), Thomas Garrett (Va.-5), and Ted Yoho (Fla.-3).
