The U.S. Genocide Prevention Task Force chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Secretary of Defense William Cohen has issued its report on December 8, 2008. In the 174-page report, there is no mention of the genocide and war crimes in the Oganden and Gambella regions of Ethiopia where according to Human Rights watch, Meles Zenawi’s regime is burning down and destroying entire villages.
The report is a disgrace, but nothing better is expected from Ambassador Albright who is known to be a serial apologist for some of the world’s most brutal dictators such as Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia.
The following is a press release by the Task Force:
(Washington, DC) – The Genocide Prevention Task Force today released its final report on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The report makes the case for why genocide and mass atrocities threaten core American values and national interests, and how the U.S. government can prevent these crimes in the future.
Jointly convened by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The American Academy of Diplomacy, and the United States Institute of Peace, the Task Force began its work last November with the goal of generating concrete recommendations to enhance the U.S. government’s capacity to recognize and respond to emerging threats of genocide and mass atrocities.
“The world agrees that genocide is unacceptable and yet genocide and mass killings continue,” said Madeleine K. Albright, former Secretary of State and Co-Chair of the Genocide Prevention Task Force. “We believe that preventing genocide is possible, and that striving to do so is imperative both for our national interests and our leadership position in the world.”
“This report provides a blueprint that can enable the United States to take preventive action, along with international partners, to forestall the specter of future cases of genocide and mass atrocities,” said William S. Cohen, former Secretary of Defense and Co-Chair of the Genocide Prevention Task Force. “There is a choice for U.S. policymakers between doing nothing and large-scale military intervention. We hope this report will help us utilize those options.”
Other Members of the Genocide Prevention Task Force include: John Danforth, Thomas Daschle, Stuart Eizenstat, Michael Gerson, Dan Glickman, Jack Kemp, Gabrielle Kirk McDonald, Thomas R. Pickering, Vin Weber, Anthony Zinni, and Julia Taft who passed away earlier this year.
The report, which is entitled “Preventing Genocide: A Blueprint for U.S. Policymakers”, asserts that genocide is preventable, and that making progress toward doing so begins with leadership and political will. The report provides 34 recommendations, starting with the need for high-level attention, standing institutional mechanisms, and strong international partnerships to respond to potential genocidal situations when they arise; it lays out a comprehensive approach, recommending improved early warning mechanisms, early action to prevent crises, timely diplomatic responses to emerging crises, greater preparedness to employ military options, and action to strengthen global norms and institutions.
“We are keenly aware that the incoming president’s agenda will be massive and daunting from day one,” Secretaries Albright and Cohen noted. “But preventing genocide and mass atrocities is not an idealistic add-on to our core foreign policy agenda. It is a moral and strategic imperative.”
The Task Force calls for the development of a new government-wide policy on genocide prevention, which would include the following specific actions designed to better equip the U.S. government to prevent genocide and mass atrocities:
* Having the president himself demonstrate that preventing genocide is a national priority, for example by an early executive order, and continuing public statements on genocide prevention.
* Creating an interagency Atrocities Prevention Committee at the National Security Council to analyze threats of genocide and mass atrocities and consider appropriate preventive action.
* Making warning of genocide or mass atrocities an “automatic trigger” of policy review.
* Developing military guidance on genocide prevention and response and incorporating it into doctrine and training.
* Preparing interagency genocide prevention and response plans for high-risk situations.
* Investing $250 million in new funds for crisis prevention and response, with a portion of this available for urgent activities to prevent or halt emerging genocidal crises.
* Launching a major diplomatic initiative to create an international network for information-sharing and coordinated action to prevent genocide and mass atrocities.
* Providing assistance to build capacity of international partners—including the UN and regional organizations—to prevent genocide and mass atrocities.
The report concludes that “a core challenge for American leaders is to persuade others—in the U.S. government, across the United States, and around the world, that preventing genocide is more than just a humanitarian aspiration, but a national and global imperative.”
The Task Force was funded by Humanity United and other private organizations.
About the Convening Organizations:
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, a living memorial to the Holocaust, inspires citizens and leaders to confront hatred, promote human dignity and prevent genocide. Federal support guarantees the Museum’s permanence, and its far-reaching educational programs and global impact are made possible by donors nationwide.
The American Academy of Diplomacy is dedicated to strengthening the resources and tools America brings to managing its diplomatic challenges, and accomplishes this through outreach programs, lectures, awards, and writing competitions. In doing so, the Academy promotes an understanding of the importance of diplomacy to serving our nation and enhancing America’s standing in the world.
The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan, national institution established and funded by Congress. Its goals are to help prevent and resolve violent international conflicts, promote post-conflict stability and development, and increase peacebuilding capacity, tools, and intellectual capital worldwide. The Institute does this by empowering others with knowledge, skills, and resources, as well as by directly engaging in peacebuilding efforts around the globe.
The report may be downloaded for free at:
* www.ushmm.org
* www.academyofdiplomacy.org
* www.usip.org
The notorious Federal Police of Ethiopia (also known as Meles Zenawi’s death squad) has told the state-run Ethiopian Television (ETV) today that it is investigating Wzr. Birtukan Mideksa, chairperson of Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ).
The Woyanne Federal Police is apparently upset that Birtukan Mideksa had told Ethiopians in Sweden last month that she did not ask Meles Zenawi an apology as a condition for getting out of jail.
To make the point, ETV showed the apology letter that was signed by Ato Hailu Shawel, Wzr. Birtukan Mideksa and other leaders of the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (Kinijit).
Birtukan Mideksa and her party have completely submitted to the Woyanne tyranny by doing every thing Meles is demanding of them. It seems that the tribal junta will not be satisfied until Birtukan bends down and kisses Meles Zenawi’s feet. Today’s incident is a shame more on Birtukan that Meles and gang.
By Karyn Maughan | IOL
Terror-reeling India and South Africa have something in common: both are rated as one of the world’s 20 most dangerous countries.
Backed by travel advice issued by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), London’s The Telegraph newspaper has placed South Africa alongside Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Colombia, Haiti, Eritrea, Pakistan, Burundi, Nigeria and the DRC in terms of danger to travellers.
According to the FCO, South Africa has “an underlying threat from terrorism”.
“Attacks, although unlikely, could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.”
The FCO’s travel advisory on SA also states: “South Africa has a very high level of crime, including rape and murder. However, most cases occur in the townships and in areas away from the main tourist destinations.
“In 2007 and 2008 there were a number of incidents involving foreigners being followed from OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg, to their destinations by car and then robbed, often at gunpoint. We recommend you exercise particular caution in and around the airport and extra vigilance when driving away.
“The standard of driving is variable and there are many fatal accidents.”
BOSTON – Wide Horizons for Children, a nonprofit based in Waltham, Massachusetts, is sending the doctors to Ethiopia to provide medical care for children and pregnant women. The first mission went to the impoverished nation in November, according to a news release, with a second mission scheduled for the spring.
The missions are voluntary, and the physicians perform surgeries without charge. The M.D.’s also train Ethiopian physicians and midwives.
The November team was led by Dr. Fletcher R. Wilson, an obstetrics and gynecological doctor and adjunct professor at Dartmouth Medical School. Dr. Stephan W. Coffman, a surgeon at Monadnock Surgical Associates in Petersborough, N.H., was also on the trip.
The team spent a week at the Adwa Hospital in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region and completed 40 surgeries, including removing goiters, making surgical repairs and performing C-sections. The doctors also performed one life-saving procedure.
Wide Horizons for Children is a nonprofit focused on adoption and child welfare and, since 1974, has placed more than 10,000 children with adoptive parents in the United States.
– Boston Business Journal
EDITORS NOTE: Meles Zenawi’s dictatorship in Ethiopia that is committing massive human rights violations and war crimes in Ethiopia and Somalia participates in the International Human Rights Day, as reported below by the Walta Woyanne Information Center (WIC).
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (WIC)- The International Human Rights Day and the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by UN under the theme “Dignity and Justice for All of US” marked here today.
Speaking on an event organized to mark the day Commissioner of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, Ambassador Dr. Kassa Gebrehiwot said the celebration of the day would enable the people to ensure their right that are enshrined in the international human rights declarations.
The commissioner said the international human rights declarations are instrumental to foster human rights, adding that various activities are being undertaken to ensure human rights in the country.
Ambassador Kassa also indicated that the commission since its inception has undertaken activities aimed at strengthening its capacity and to achieve its mission bestowed up on it.
The Commission has also carried out various activities to monitor violations of human rights happened in the country.
Vice president of the Federal Supreme Court Membere-Tsehay Tadesse on his part said that human rights are realized only when religious, ethnic, gender, color, economic and social equalities are ensured. Justice bodies should play a great role in this regard, he added.
He also pointed out that this year’s celebration would have a significant impact to Ethiopia, adding that government officials, institutions, international organizations and NGOs should make a concerted effort to realize the respect of human rights in the country.
The International Human Rights Day was observed with various activities including mass walk, circus and marsh-band musical performances, it was learnt.
Codeshare services on onward flights from Addis Ababa and Frankfurt / Lufthansa now offering all three travel classes on flights to Ethiopia
Lufthansa passengers now have a choice of four new codeshare destinations in Africa. The increase in services is due to the expansion of the German carrier’s partnership with Ethiopian Airlines, which with immediate effect will operate several onward flights from Ethiopia under a Lufthansa flight number. These include flights from Addis Ababa to Kigali (Rwanda), Entebbe/Kampala (Uganda), Nairobi (Kenya) and to the Tanzanian airports Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar. Nairobi and Dar es Salaam will also continue to be served on a codeshare basis by SWISS.
Likewise, Ethiopian Airlines will be able to book its passengers under its own flight numbers on Lufthansa flights from Frankfurt to Amsterdam, Geneva, Stockholm, New York (John F. Kennedy and Newark), San Francisco and Los Angeles.
On existing codeshare flights between Frankfurt and Addis Ababa, which Lufthansa and Ethiopian Airlines have been operating since April 2008, customers will be able to book seats in First Class with immediate effect. This is because Lufthansa will in future deploy the Airbus A330-300 with three travel classes on its four-times-weekly flights.
The codeshare flights, which can be booked now, provide customers with greater flexibility and a wider choice of connections. As both airlines’ frequent flyer programmes have been linked since October 2007, members of Lufthansa Miles & More and Ethiopian Sheba Miles can collect and redeem miles on any of the partner’s flights.
