Countries want U.S. labeled as terrorist nation
- From: periodistalibre@xxxxxxx
- Date: 14 Sep 2006 08:16:26 -0700
Double standard cited at conference --
September 13, 2006 --
BY VANESSA ARRINGTON,
ASSOCIATED PRESS --
HAVANA -- Iran, Syria, North Korea and more than 100 other nations are
pushing to broaden the world's definition of terrorism to include the
U.S. occupation of Iraq and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
Converging on Cuba for a conference this week, members of the
Nonaligned Movement complain of a double standard: Powerful nations
like the United States and Israel decide for the world who the
terrorists are, but face no punishment for their own acts of
aggression.
A draft of the group's joint declaration condemns "terrorism in all its
forms," especially violence that targets civilians.
Terrorism should not be associated with any religion or nationality,
the draft says. It singles out a favored phrase of President George W.
Bush in declaring that member nations "totally reject the use of the
term 'axis of evil' by a certain state to target other states under the
pretext of combating terrorism."
The draft declaration condemns Israel's invasion of Lebanon, but it
makes no comments about Hizballah's missile attacks on Israel.
It hails the Lebanese people's "heroic resistance to the Israeli
aggression" and demands that Israel compensate the Lebanese for the
deaths, injuries and destruction the war caused.
Despite the recent spotlight on Lebanon, many representatives from
nonaligned countries said much of the world's terrorist activity won't
end until a solution is found for the conflict between Israel and the
Palestinian territories.
Terrorist acts against civilians in Iraq also are condemned in the
conference's document, which offers support for the current Iraqi
government, which is backed by the United States. But many nonaligned
countries have sharply criticized the invasion of Iraq, and the current
U.S. occupation is sure to be addressed this week.
Debate is expected to heat up after the arrival of anti-American
leaders, including presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, Bashar Assad
of Syria, and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. North Korea is sending its No.
2 leader, Kim Yong Nam.
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