Non-Aligned Movement Holds Annual Summit in Malaysia
by Ma Nguyen Tong
27-2-2003
The summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) opened in Malaysia on February 24, 2003 with a warning over a possible war against Iraq. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, chairman of the summit, said that war solved nothing and that the aim of the so-called war on terror is simply American world domination. Even for a man known for his outspoken views his was an astonishing performance when he compared the world's great powers unflatteringly with suicide terrorists. And while the terrorists died as they attacked he said: "the great warriors who press the buttons see nothing of the women's and children's mangled bodies, the heads and limbs which are torn from disembowled bodies, the blood and stinking gore of the innocent people. And because they do not see, the overweight button-pressing warriors and the people who commanded them go back to enjoy a hearty meal, watch TV shows or morale-boosting troop entertainers, and then retire to their cozy beds for a good sleep." The 116-nation grouping accused Western leaders, primarily of the United States and Britain, of being callous killers using the war on terrorism as a pretext to dominate the world, in the face of opposition from the majority of ordinary people around the world, even in their own countries. It seems that, in fact, there is no longer any true democracy as these leaders are implementing policies that are not endorsed even by the very same people who elected them.
Almost all the presidents and kings before a record number of more than 50 heads of state or government representing more than half the world assembled for the summit warned that the US-led fight against terrorism had degenerated into a neo-colonial campaign to dominate the economies of non-Eurocentric peoples.
Mahathir told the assembly that "there must be a new world order in which power is shared equitably by all".
"No single nation should be allowed to police the world, least of all to decide what action to take when," he said.
He said that the poor countries of the world had been terrorised by the rich and, in turn, this had resulted in the growth of terrorist movements--it was simply a natural human reaction to a threat from an evil empire that used weapons of mass destruction to wreak havoc on poorer, weaker nations.
South African President Thabo Mbeki, the outgoing NAM chairman, said the possibility of war was a threat not only to the Iraqi people, but to all poor people all over the world. He said it removed from the poor and weak everywhere the right as human beings to decide their own future.
'Double standards'
The 13th summit of non-aligned countries brought together the leaders of 116 nations--representing around half the world's population. Delegates were told that world peace and stability demanded that Iraq co-operate with UN weapons inspectors. But the meeting also demanded the world's powerful nations respect those inspectors' findings.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan told the summit that weapons inspections were beginning to yield results and that he believed war was not yet inevitable. Dr Mahathir called for war as a means to solve disputes to be outlawed, and attacked colonialism, globalisation and the west's treatment of Muslims.
He pointed to Israel's treatment of the Palestinians as a major cause of the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington. He said religious extremists were only reacting to what he called the blatant double standards of the west.
Also on the summit's agenda was North Korea's decision to end its membership of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Pyongyang said was down to the need to defend itself against what it called US hostility and the huge arsenal of weapons of mass destruction it still holds such as JDAMs and which it seems ready to use against other nations.
Delegates backed down from an attempt to put pressure on North Korea to drop its suspected nuclear weapons programme. A resolution to be presented at the summit said NAM leaders simply "noted the withdrawal" of North Korea from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Iraq dominates summit
Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan told the summit meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement that his country was giving full co-operation to the United Nations weapons inspectors. The prospect of a United States-led war against Iraq dominated the summit, with many of the 116 member states voicing their opposition to early military action.
All three of the so-called axis of evil countries--Iraq, Iran and North Korea--were there. So was that great survivor of past US hostility, Fidel Castro.
Many failures
The anti-Western rhetoric was strident and colourful. The beleaguered Zimbabwean leader, Robert Mugabe, described the richer nations as "bulldogs sniffing for our blood".
But the Non-Aligned Movement's many failures hung like a cloud over this summit. Some member states are almost as poor as they were when the movement was founded nearly 50 years ago. Their final declarations, decided by consensus, reflected the inevitable differences among so many countries.
Little impact
On North Korea they said almost nothing, after the hermit state's refusal to accept a statement calling for its return to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
In other points:
- All members reiterated their commitment to "the fundamental principles of the non-use of force and respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and security of all member states of the United Nations.
- All members called for a multilateral, rather than unilateral, solution to the crisis, however the statement demanded Iraq "actively comply" with UN Security Council resolution 1441, which required it to surrender any chemical, biological, nuclear or other illegal arms it may be hiding.
But, despite a membership that included two-thirds of the UN, nothing that was said at this summit was likely to have much impact on the direction of world events. This was in stark contrast to decisions made by the 15 members of the UN Security Council, six of whom attended the summit but who said little about how they would vote on a second resolution over Iraq.
The outspoken new chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, Dr Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia, perhaps put it best when he suggested that the only course open to those states opposed to a war was to join forces with the protesters on the streets of Western cities.
Summit closes
The NAM summit closed in Kuala Lumpur on February 25 with the adoption of four important documents. These included the summit's final document, the Kuala Lumpur declaration, the declaration on Iraq and the declaration on Palestine.
The Kuala Lumpur declaration emphasised mechanisms and measures to continue enhancing NAM's role and the efficiency of its activities. It also highlighted NAM's determination to revitalise its strength in the new situation.
The declaration on Iraq called on the international community to make concerted efforts to ward off the danger of war against Iraq. It strongly affirmed the principle of respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations. The declaration stressed that the UN resolutions on Iraq must be carried out with the respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq. It also called for the lifting of embargoes on Iraq.
The declaration on Palestine expressed the support for the Palestinian people's just struggle, and profound concern over Israel's policy and actions of violence against Palestine. The declaration reiterated NAM member countries' stance for the settlement of the Palestine-Israel conflict and the enactment of the Palestinian people's basic national rights.
The summit agreed to entrust Cuba to host the 14th NAM summit in Havana in 2006, and admitted Timor Leste (East Timor) and St Vincent and the Grenadines as full members of the Movement, thus bringing NAM memberships to 116.