Australia on the front foot in the U.N.
Australia will take a leading role in managing global sanctions against Al-Qaida, the Taliban and Iran as Chair of the UN Security Council Committees overseeing these issues.
Bob Carr (3rd left) meets Australian Jewish leaders Peter Wertheim, Dr Danny Lamm, Dr Colin Rubenstein, Phillip Chester and Jeremy Jones in Canberra last year. File pic
Foreign Minister Bob Carr said the Sanctions Committees had delegated authority from the Security Council to determine which persons or entities the Al-Qaida and Taliban sanctions applied to.
“These appointments are a reflection of our high standing among Security Council members” Senator Carr said.
“We’re seen as having the commitment and resources to deliver effective oversight of international sanctions regimes which are critical to Middle East and global security.
“All Australians would be proud that we’ll be taking up this global security role.”
Senator Carr said the sanctions committees would:
• Determine which individuals or entities were subject to Al-Qaida or Taliban sanctions; and
• Monitor international compliance with sanctions regimes and report back to the UNSC on apparent breaches.
Senator Carr said the Australia’s global security agenda in 2013 would also include a renewed push for a global Arms Trade Treaty in the UN. The proposed Treaty would impose new controls on illicit cross-border dealings in weapons such as automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and ammunition.
“Our message is its time for action on global arms control,” Senator Carr said.
“An Arms Trade Treaty would improve the efficiency of UN sanctions by reducing the flow of conventional weapons to terrorists.
“Each day there are around 2,000 deaths in conflicts potentially fuelled by illegally traded arms.
“We’re taking a lead against terrorism – overseeing UN sanctions against Al-Qaida and the Taliban and pushing for tougher arms control to cut illicit weapons supplies.”
Security Council sanctions were imposed on the Taliban in October 1999 in response to human rights violations and the use of Afghan territory to shelter and train terrorists and plan terrorist attacks.
Global sanctions were imposed on Al-Qaida in December 2000 in recognition of the threat it posed to international peace and security.
Sanctions were imposed on Iran in 2006 in response to Iran’s non-compliance with UNSC and International Atomic Energy Agency resolutions on the development of its nuclear program.
Sanctions can include international controls or prohibitions on trade, goods and services and financial transactions. They can also include measures targeting individuals or entities through measures such as travel and financial restrictions and the freezing of overseas assets.
In addition to its appointment as Chair of the Sanctions Committees for Al-Qaida, the Taliban and Iran, Australia will be vice-chair of sanctions committees addressing situations in the Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire and Lebanon.
Please shirlee say it! ottO is busting at the seams.
Paul, my friend Otto will have to explode then.!!
There’s a problem here in
1. The people who this is directed at are most likely on holiday and won’t see it.
2. They won’t say boo even if they do read it.
Perhaps a smiling Carr standing along side
Palestinian lobbyists would be more realistic ?
Burdy
Best not say at this point what I think !!!!!!!!!!!!
Otto
I’d prefer no photos of our dhimmi ‘leaders’. What a stupid choice of words. Who are they leading?
Otto, this photo isn’t a new one. All the same Bob Carr and dear Julia need to answer some questions about Hamas.
ok, but why is it up there !!!
Because readers were tiring of the standard file pic. This was taken at a meeting in Canberra with community leaders last year. Happy to change it!
no, no dear Admin, G-d forbid, leave it right there. Actually I reckon it should be a kinda communal wallpaper on all articles on Jwire involving our immortal leaders, together with their best mate.
A timelss reminder of the dynamics of the Jewish lobby, their tireless labour (!) of inventiveness and , mainly GUTS !
I juts love how they have, once again, cornered Bob Carr, like a pile of wet putty in the crafty hands of our leading dentists and lawyers !!!
But what is the meaning of the top photo showing our Jewish leaders smiling alongside our best freind Bob Carr !!!???
Incidentally the incidental sanctions on motherhood issues, to which Australia is “contributing” as in the chair ( big deal !!) do not address the MAIN issues our community has with the same best friend, Sen. Carr.
If a visit was paid and, naturally, discussions were held, we have the right to know what was said on behalf of the Jewish community and by the FA Minister on behalf of his Govrenment !!!
Was Jwire told anthing !?
Why is this so hard for Ben Katcher to figure out? I wodlun’t have guessed that a Clark Unversity graduate would have such a hard time understanding the rationale of imposing sanctions. Here’s a newsflash, Ben, nobody in the Obama Administration actually believes that sanctions will prevent the Iranians from obtaining nuclear weapons if they choose to do so.This is what sanctions accomplish for the Obama Administration1)They provide it with more time by delaying the moment when a decision is needed about whether to the United States will attack Iran; support an Israeli attack or instead work on containing Iran.2)Sanctions demonstrate to a U.S. public that is highly suscpicious or Iran that Obama is doing something.3)Sanctions placate Sunni Arab governments that hate and fear Iran and shows them that the Administration is on their side.4)Sanctions demonstrate to Israel and Israel’s tens of millions of supporters in the United States that the United States takes the Iranian threat seriously.The idea that the United States will engage Iran in the manner recommended by Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett is dead. It will never happen. There is no domestic support for this strategy (outside of a few fringe experts. ) There is little foreign support for this strategy from the Europeans, the Israelis or the Sunni Arab governments.Sanctions are a necessary prerequisite for an American military strike. No President wants to say that he launched a military attack without trying something else first; that something else is a sanctions regime regardless of how porous or ineffective it might be.Sanctions are going to be imposed on Iran with or without Chinese and Russian support. Those sanctions will not deter Iranian nuclear ambitions and several months down the line, the Administration will face a choice. It will realize that Israel does not have the military capability to get the job done.Obama will then be forced to either bomb Iranian military and nuclear installations or to tell the world that a nuclear armed Iran can be contained just the way that the Soviets were contained and other rogue nations like North Korea are contained. Obama will then need to develop an approach to facilitate that containment strategy. Some of the things necessary for containment will include enhancing israel’s second strike capabiity (Germany is already doing that through the sale of submarines to Israel); providing Sunni Arab nations with increasing military support, especially missile defense systems and specifically placing Israel and the Sunni Arab nations under the American nuclear umbrella.My guess is that Obama will realize that as much as he would like to, he can’t accept a containment approach; instead he will attack Iran with U.S. forces.If Iran develops nuclear weapons on Obama’s watch it will be politcially devastating to him and to the entire Democratic Party. Obama will be ridiculed as weak and ineffective. Given the American public’s disdain for Iran, if Obama allows Iran to obtain nuclear weapons he will be viewed as feckless.If so called progressive people are fed up with Obama now; just wait 18 months or so until he orders American bombers to drop tons of ordinance on suspected nuclear installations and Revolutionary Guard facilities.When he does, it’s hard to predict who will be more upset, the Iranian public or the Leveretts and their ilk in the United States.