Back On The Road To Damascus

Syria opposition groups hold crucial Qatar meeting

"Syrian opposition groups have gathered in the Qatari capital, Doha, for a key meeting on how to form a more united front against President Assad.

The meeting could lead to a replacement body for the Syrian National Council (SNC), the main opposition in exile.

Rebel forces in Syria have criticised the SNC as out of touch, and the opposition is also split ideologically."

[---]

"Divisions have arisen not just between those in Syria and opposition figures abroad, but also between Islamist and secularist groups.

A previous opposition meeting in Cairo in July accepted that the Assad government must fall but failed to appoint a committee to act for the opposition internationally.

Representatives at Doha will include various other religious and secular groupings, plus Kurdish figures and dissident members of Mr Assad's Alawite sect."

Syria conflict: Rebels may have committed war crime - UN

I gotta ask. Would that be the Organization of Islamic Conference section of the UN?

"The footage shows gunmen beating and shooting a group of prisoners who were cowering on the floor.

It has been alleged that Islamist militants carried out the attack after seizing army checkpoints on Thursday."

Emphasis mine, throughout. RTWT.

This "Arab Spring" is looking more and more like the French Revolution, complete with the Reign of Terror. I wonder if they will replace their Arab Nationalist dictator/king with an Arab version of an emperor, bent on creating a dynasty.

Oh, My!

I hope our PM has competent body guards:

Canada says no to Palestinian UN membership

On the other hand, I can think of 57 other countries that should not be allowed in the U.N., either, but they're there already.

Saints Preserve us!

Assorted UN officials and delegates are starting to sound like they do believe in the UN's original mission!!

UN rights chief: Probe Libya for possible crimes against humanity

"UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay implored the UN Human Rights Council to use all means possible to establish an independent panel to investigate the alleged abuses by Libyan security forces and hold those responsible to account."

[---]

"Gadhafi, who has ruled for 42 years, appears to have lost control of large parts of the country. Pillay reminded the council that Gadhafi had urged his supporters to battle protesters and "attack them in their lairs," which she called a possible crime against humanity.

She said "any official, at any level, ordering or carrying out atrocities and attacks can be held criminally accountable."

It is the first time that the 47-nation Human Rights Council has held a special session to scrutinize one of its members. Libya's ambassador did not attend."

[---]

"Nigeria's ambassador, Charles Nduka Onianwa, said for the African group of council members that it "is obvious ... that the indiscriminate use of force against peaceful protesters should be condemned."

Pakistan's ambassador, Zamir Akram, said the 57 members of the Organization of The Islamic Conference "strongly condemn the excessive use of force" in Libya.

"Muslims will no longer tolerate inequalities and injustice," he told the council. "A new dawn has come. The rules of the game have changed. Those who do not embrace it will be swept away.""

Now, excuse me while I lift my jaw off the floor. Who wants to bet that this den of dictators will now practice what they have preached? Not me.

Yup

Stand up for the rights of the British people and this is what you get.

Now, if he had criticized Britain for its past imperialism...

'Course we all know that imperialism was a uniquely British invention.

Well, I've Forgotten Almost Everything I Learned in My...

...high school French classes, but I do like what that sign says about the U.N..

Here's an English report, linked to from the French site, which I presume is the same story:

U.N. panel cuts gay reference from violence measure

"The General Assembly passes a resolution condemning extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions and other killings every two years. The 2008 declaration included an explicit reference to killings committed because of the victims' sexual preferences.

But this year, Morocco and Mali introduced an amendment on behalf of African and Islamic nations that called for deleting the words "sexual orientation" and replacing them with "discriminatory reasons on any basis."

But I do remember this bit of French: Quelle surprise!!

Not that anything the U.N. does protects anyone, anyway.

Islam: Hijacking the UN Human Rights Council

and Anne Bayefsky:

Planning the Next Operetta?

A barbershop quartet, perhaps? Or a plan B.

I noticed there's a typo in the plan: "According to the UN, this four-year blockade has created a “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza."

That should read: "According to the Organization of the Islamic Conference"

"Human Rights Watch says that the OIC has “fought doggedly” and successfully within the United Nations Human Rights Council to shield states from criticism, except when it comes to criticism of Israel."