By Joseph A. Klein, CFP United Nations Columnist ——Bio and Archives--July 24, 2015
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“Question: the Secretary‑General has repeatedly talked about his concerns of the proliferation of arms both in the context of the small arms treaty and more generally as it's fueling regional conflicts, particularly in the Mideast region. So… Associate Spokesperson: Yes, and he said he certainly hoped… Question: I just want to know if he has a substantive reaction to Iran's declaration that it does not feel bound by any UN restrictions on the import or export of conventional arms right from the get‑go. I mean, wouldn't he have a reaction to that? Associate Spokesperson: You know, the… No. Question: You gave me the "no" answer. And that's fine. It was a crisp, very pithy answer to my question. Now I have to ask you why he would not have a reaction to that provocative statement coming out of Iran. Associate Spokesperson: Because the deal… I feel, Joe, that there's been a lot of statements from Iran, and I'm not going to comment on all of them. Obviously, we support the, we've been very supportive of the deal. We've welcomed the endorsement by the Security Council of Resolution 2231 (2015), and this is first and foremost for the Security Council and — sorry, for the E3+3 and Iran — it's their deal. They've worked out the modalities. We are here to support and assist a deal that we feel is a very positive step for the region. Okay?Actually, it’s not okay. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for curbing the flow of conventional weapons that have been used indiscriminately to kill civilians. Last May, for example, he said that the widespread availability of such weapons was a major factor in the over 250 conflicts of the past decade, leading to more than 50,000 deaths each year and record levels of displacement. Civilians, including children, suffered the most, he emphasized. “Deny access to illegal weapons and ammunition, and you deny criminals, armed groups and extremists a central means to perpetrate violence intimidation and harm,” Ban Ki-moon stated. “This must be our common goal.” In September 2013, the Secretary General told the Security Council that weapons trafficking has led to a vast range of human rights violations, including killings, rapes and other forms of sexual violence, enforced disappearances, torture and forced recruitment of children by armed groups. Arms embargoes are vital, he added. Iran is under a UN Security Council conventional arms embargo for at least the next 5 years. Thus, Iran’s export of weapons to the Assad regime in Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen is flatly illegal under international law. Such exports would violate the UN Security Council restrictions still in place on such exports and the JCPOA that Iran signed. They would defy the Secretary General’s call against weapons trafficking to armed groups and extremists. Yet the Spokesperson’s Office of the Secretary General remains silent in the face of Iran’s defiance, hiding behind the Secretary General’s praise of the JCPOA. It is only reflecting the deafening silence of Ban Ki-moon himself. In the case of Iran, silence is not golden. To Iran’s jihadist leaders with hegemonic designs, as the Persian proverb says, “silence betokens consent.”
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Joseph A. Klein is the author of Global Deception: The UN’s Stealth Assault on America’s Freedom.