Shii comments on U.N. secretary general's address to the Diet

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on February 24 made the following comment on a speech that U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan gave in the Diet on the same day:

The U.N. secretary general stressed that the restoration of sovereignty to Iraq is essential and expressed a U.N. commitment to playing a major role in the process. I think it is a reasonable way of resolving Iraqi issues and is shared by a majority in the international community.

Mr. Annan expressed concerns about "the implications that the Iraq war could have for the broader quest of the United Nations to maintain international peace and security," adding, "The divergence of views over Iraq, coming so soon after the traumatic events of 11 September 2001 -- truly a watershed event in our perception of international terrorism -- raised fundamental questions about our system of collective security." It is significant that he stated the importance of international order based on the U.N. Charter by stating, "The Charter remains an irreplaceable framework for action. The United Nations remains the locus of legitimacy."

Mr. Annan appreciated the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to Samawah to "help with reconstruction and humanitarian assistance." However, despite the stated aim of serving "reconstruction and humanitarian assistance", the SDF are geared to joining and supporting the U.S.-British occupation forces in Iraq. The lawless war of aggression and occupation are the biggest obstacle to the establishment of U.N.-led reconstruction assistance. Commending Japan for dispatching the SDF contradicts his remarks that the U.N. should play a major role in the process of Iraq's reconstruction. The JCP does not agree with him on this point. (end)