*EPF208 04/08/2003
Text: Strugglers Against Oppression Deserve Help, Kirkpatrick Says
(Addresses U.N. Commission on Human Rights in Geneva) (1280)
Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, head of the U.S. delegation to the 59th session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, told delegates April 8 that "all peoples struggling against oppression, no matter where, deserve our help."
Addressing the group on the agenda topic "Civil and Political Rights," Kirkpatrick said no one "should be content with a map of the world where bright areas of freedom exist side-by-side with dark areas of despotism."
The United States, she said, seeks to help "those living in tyranny's grip attain the political and civil rights that are theirs by right," and to help those living in new or transitional democracies to consolidate their gains.
The 59th commission session runs from March 17 to April 25.
Following is the text of Kirkpatrick's prepared remarks:
(begin text)
[U.S. Delegation to the 59th Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, head of the delegation
April 8, 2003]
Speech under Item 11 of the 59th Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights: Civil and Political Rights
Distinguished Delegates: I am pleased to represent the United States during this session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. We are a country of liberty and a country of hope. We are a country where all sorts of different people, coming from every corner of the world, more than get along: we prosper and thrive together.
The secret of our success does not lie in our geographical size, for there are countries that are larger. Nor does the secret lie in the size of our nation's natural resources; for other countries have more wealth beneath the ground than we do. The secret lies, rather, in our commitment to freedom.
In every aspect of our national life, we are free to think and believe as our consciences dictate. We are free to voice our opinions without fear of prosecution. Our journalists are free to ask public officials hard questions, to investigate them, and uncover abuse and inefficiency wherever it may be -- without fear of government retaliation.
We are free to vote in the people we want to run our government and then free to vote them out. And we do it regularly -- without intimidation, corruption and manipulation.
We are free to go to any house of worship we choose -- Catholic, Protestant, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish or any one of the more than 2,000 religious groups of every persuasion that have found a home in America. And we are equally free to go to none at all. The freedom not to believe is as sacred as the freedom to believe. The choice rests with each of us.
The range of practices, the cacophony of voices, and the vigor of debates within our society are not a weakness. More than two centuries of experience have shown them to be American strengths. We think they make us wiser, and enrich our society.
The United States is not paradise on earth. Our streets are not paved with gold. We harbor no illusion that we are perfect. We have not solved all our problems. But we are a democratic nation and we believe that the only way forward, for us and for almost all peoples everywhere, almost all of the time, lies on freedom's path. Only with freedom can solutions to the multiple problems besetting the world be found. Only with freedom, can men and women develop their talents and find innovative solutions to their problems. Freedom is the indispensable element that enables individuals and societies to become more creative and productive. That is why extending freedom around the world is central to America's mission.
President Bush and the American people seek to help those living in tyranny's grip attain the political and civil rights that are theirs by right. President Bush and the American people want to help those living in new or transitional democracies to consolidate their gains and broaden their freedoms.
Democracy takes various forms, but in all democracies, those who govern are chosen in periodic, competitive elections which take place in a context of free speech and assembly and in which a large portion of the adult population may vote. Democratic elections provide an opportunity to criticize the government and replace it. Whether a presidential or a parliamentary system, a democracy has an elected representative legislature and a head of state who also reflects public opinion expressed in periodic elections. In a democracy, elections must be held with reliable frequency. There can be no president or prime minister for life -- de facto or de jure.
Democracy requires institutions that prevent any one person or group from achieving despotic power. It protects citizen's rights against the tyranny of a minority or a majority.
Institutions embodying these ideas and principles have existed for centuries. They provide the most reliable protection against tyrants and tyranny. They protect freedom. But as everyone in the room understands, tyrants and tyrannies of diverse kinds also exist in our world. They have in common an abhorrence of freedom which is the life's blood of democracy. Frequently (though not always) would-be tyrants use force to gain (or try to gain) power. They quite literally declare war on free societies. As everyone knows, on September 11, 2001, a violent group of fanatics and murderers announced its war against the United States with attacks on New York and Washington that killed thousands of American civilians in their workplaces. The declarations of their leader tells us of his determination to destroy us. So we have fought back against those violent fanatics. Together with friends and allies around the world, we have made progress in identifying and dismantling several international networks of these enemies of freedom. In the process we were able to liberate the people of Afghanistan from a vicious tyranny that denied Afghans all the rights about which we have been speaking in this session, including the right to education. Girls could not be educated. It was against the law. Women could not work at the professions for which they had been trained, so the care in hospitals declined.
The Taliban not only deprived Afghans of all rights and instituted brutal new forms of punishment for new crimes, they provided protection and a base of operation for training the large, international group of terrorists who attacked New York and Washington, and bragged that they had also been responsible for the deaths of American Rangers in Somalia.
So together with the Afghan people, we have deprived them of their camps in Afghanistan and helped the Afghan people -- thousands of whom had been driven from their country -- to establish democratic institutions and a representative government that will respect the rights of all.
Now, another "coalition of the willing" is meeting the threat to freedom posed by another implacable foe of freedom; Saddam Hussein. Now we will help the Iraqi people secure their liberation and their rights. We believe -- as the President has said -- that the "Iraqi people are deserving and capable of human liberty."
All peoples struggling against oppression, no matter where, deserve our help. None of us here should be content with a map of the world where bright areas of freedom exist side-by-side with dark areas of despotism.
Gaining freedom is often a struggle. It sometimes involves danger and it always requires courage and resolve. I believe it is our duty in our deliberations and decision here to ensure that the Commission on Human Rights supports those whose human rights are not yet acknowledged or respected.
Thank you.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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