Drone attacks violate global law, must stop: Ban

[Leader]

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday categorically said the drone attacks violated the international laws and advocated an immediate end to their military use to avoid civilian casualties.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the International Center for Peace and Stability here at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), the UN chief said drones should be used only for collection of information in accordance with the international laws and every effort should be made to avoid civilian casualties in their use.

He further said the use of unmanned aerial vehicles should be subject to international laws, including the humanitarian law.

The Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Minister for Science and Technology Zahid Hamid, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Masood Khan attended the ceremony. The UN chief said that Paksitan was a centre of stability in the comity of the nations.

The army chief welcomed Ban Ki-Moon on his arrival at the NUST.The UN chief lauded Pakistan’s efforts for peace and stability in the world saying that the UN would never forget the sacrifices made by the Pakistani soldiers while serving under the UN flag.

“Pakistan’s engagement has been crucial in peacekeeping missions and it is one of the largest contributors to the peacekeeping missions. Currently, about 8,000 of its finest soldiers are performing duties in different conflict zones,” said the UN Secretary General. The UN chief said the history of the UN peacekeeping efforts was incomplete without mentioning Pakistan’s immense contribution towards peace and security.

“Pakistan’s engagement with the United Nations has been crucial in carrying out wider peacekeeping across the globe,” he said. He lauded the services of Pakistan’s over 8,000 “finest men and women soldiers” deputed as UN peacekeepers in different parts of the world, including Liberia, Western Sahara and Ivory Coast.

He said the sacrifices of 136 Pakistani peacekeepers could not be ignored who lost their lives during the country’s 50-year affiliation with the UN peacekeeping. The UN chief said more than 100 countries contribute troops and police to the UN peacekeeping operations and Pakistan was the number one.

“In Ivory Coast, the United Nations troops from more than 50 countries are led by Pakistani Force Commander General Iqbal Asi. And you have five more generals working in different missions. Pakistan has matched its leadership on the ground with the leadership at the United Nations Headquarters.”

Ban Ki-moon said as President of the Security Council earlier this year, Pakistan spearheaded an important debate on multi-dimensional peacekeeping.“This led to the adoption of one of the most significant peacekeeping decades of the United Nations,” he said.

The UN chief said an incident in one part of the world could affect the rest of the globe and termed the training of troops a strategic investment in peacekeeping. He said the military and political efforts and use of technology was better helping the UN troops in coping with difficult situations.

He stressed that security and development should go hand in hand. Besides peace, people across the world need food, education, energy, employment, human rights and human dignity, he said.

He further said sustainability of peace was more important and recalled that he had reaffirmed this message during his world tour along with the World Bank president.

Ban Ki-moon said there was a need for overcoming the short-term problems of security by strengthening the long-term foundations of peace-building.

The UN chief also inaugurated a photographic exhibition depicting the role and sacrifices of the doctors and military personnel of Pakistan Army for peace in the world.

Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz said the launch of International Center for Peace and Stability was in complete harmony with Pakistan’s policy of promoting peace and stability in the world. He said Pakistan wanted friendly relations with all the countries for world peace and stability.

Sartaj said Pakistan stood committed to fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. “We will continue to fight terrorism till its complete elimination,” he said.

Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said the Pakistan Army would remain committed to the United Nations’ cause of maintaining stability and realising the goal of global peace.

He said Pakistan always responded positively to the call of UN requirements for its global peace keeping missions.

He said establishment of peace and resolution of conflicts in any part of the world ultimately contribute to international peace and stability.

Talking about the establishment of the International Centre for Peace and Stability, he said the institute would help build Pakistan’s capacity to further contribute to the global agenda of peace keeping. He said the institute would be developed into a centre of excellence. “We are looking forward to the guidance of the United Nations for attainment of all these objectives.”

Director General Military Operations Maj Gen Ashfaq Nadeem Ahmed said Pakistan was actively playing a leading role in establishing peace in the world. He said 136 Pakistani soldiers were martyred while wearing the blue helmets of the UN.

Drone attacks violate global law, must stop: Ban - thenews.com.pk

can he say the same in UN general assembly speech?

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Drones can radicalize people to the level where we can end up with a million Al-Qaida operatives. The US must review its policy on drones sooner or later.

 

[PeaceGen]

To combat terrorism, it's either an invasion by groundtroops, or strikes from the air.

I do want to say again that drones should in the future be used in ways that prevent civilian casualties at all, or at least make civilian casualties from drone strikes a very very rare occurance.