Text 23249, 72 rader
Skriven 2006-10-01 23:44:41 av John Hull (1:123/789.0)
  Kommentar till text 23242 av MIMI GALLANDT (1:275/311)
Ärende: Common Article 3
========================
MIMI GALLANDT -> JOHN HULL wrote:
 MG> John Hull wrote:

 JH>> MIMI GALLANDT -> JEFF BINKLEY wrote:
 MG>>> Jeff Binkley wrote:

 JB>>>> .MSGID: 1:226/600 001a17e3
 BS>>>>> So that we all may know what was being discussed:


 BS>>>>> Art 3. In the case of armed conflict not of an international
 BS>>>>> character occurring in the territory of one of the High
 BS>>>>> Contracting Parties, each Party to the conflict shall be bound
 BS>>>>> to apply, as a minimum, the following
 BS>>>>> provisions:
 BS>>>>> (1) Persons taking no active part in the hostilities,
 BS>>>>> including members of armed forces who have laid down their
 BS>>>>> arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds,
 BS>>>>> detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be
 BS>>>>> treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on
 BS>>>>> race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any
 BS>>>>> other similar criteria. To this end the following acts are and
 BS>>>>> shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place
 BS>>>>> whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:
 BS>>>>> (a) violence to life and person, in particular murder of all
 BS>>>>> kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;
 BS>>>>> (b) taking of hostages;
 BS>>>>> (c) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating
 BS>>>>> and degrading treatment;
 BS>>>>> (d) the passing of sentences and the carrying out of
 BS>>>>> executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly
 BS>>>>> constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees which
 BS>>>>> are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.
 BS>>>>> (2) The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for.
 BS>>>>> An impartial humanitarian body, such as the International
 BS>>>>> Committee of the Red Cross, may offer its services to the
 BS>>>>> Parties to the conflict.

 BS>>>>> The Parties to the conflict should further endeavour to bring
 BS>>>>> into force, by means of special agreements, all or part of the
 BS>>>>> other provisions of the present Convention.

 JB>>>> Did the terrorists sign the Geneva accords ?  What government
 JB>>>> do they represent ?


 MG>>> Hezbollah, who bombed our Marine barracks in 1983 in Lebanon,
 MG>>> was formed 3 years earlier by Iran. I'm sure that Iran is not a
 MG>>> signer, but Hezbollah acts on Iran's commands.

 JH>> They do when it suits their purpose.  Otherwise, they are like any
 JH>> other terrorist group, and operate more or less independently.

 MG> This one I'll argue with you, Iran controls Hezbollah, they fund and arm
 MG> Hezbollah. If Hez wants to do something Iran has to sign off on it.
 MG> Hezbollah's recent attack on Israel accomplished Iran's goal of chasing
 MG> Iranian nuclear ambitions of the front pages of the world's newspapers.

Iran may be exerting some influence on them by virtue of the money and weapons
they've given them, but don't fool yourself that they ask how high when Iran
says jump.  If their control was that overt, there would be enough concrete
evidence of it for the US or Israel to declare war on them.  I'm fairly certain
that if Israel had enough proof to show that Iran was ordering Hezbollah around
like you think they are, Tehran would be a smoking hole in the ground.  Terror
organizations are opportunists if nothing else.  They will take money and/or
weapons from anyone who is willing to give them to them.  And they will hide
behind the sovereignty of a benefactor if it serves their purpose.  But don't
ever assume that such largess on Iran's part gives them any real control
because it just doesn't fit the pattern of the last 40 years.

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