Maybe this is what Bush is aiming for

Unsanctioned war in Iraq could lead to end of UN: former official Last Updated Thu, 30 Jan 2003 10:29:52

BAGHDAD - A former assistant secretary to the United Nations says a U.S.-led war in Iraq without sanction from the Security Council could lead to the end of the UN.

Hans von Sponeck said if the Americans and British attack Iraq, it will be unilaterally, without the support of the UN. “That means there will be a very severe disabling of an international body that was created to resolve conflicts and not to create conflicts,” he said.

He said such an attack would be disastrous for the international body.

“It could mean we are closer to the road that led to the end of the League of Nations,” said von Sponeck.

Roger Normand of the New York-based Center for Economic and Social Rights said a U.S.-led war without the participation of the UN would also be disastrous for Iraq.

“Unlike 1991, this is a war with the explicit aim coming from the U.S. government and the UK government to change the regime, implying essentially a total war that, if successful on that side, would lead to military occupation of the country,” said Normand.

Normand said if the U.S. leads a war in Iraq alone, there would be no credible international body to ensure that such agreements as the Geneva Conventions and the UN Declaration of Human Rights are adhered to.

Written by CBC News Online staff

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